Art & Photography

This compendium is amazing because if you don’t know what you want to make but you know you want to make something, you can always find inspiration somewhere within its pages. Flipping through The Handmade Life, you will be animated by unstoppable polymath power and become the Craft-Hulk you were born to be! Weave, knot, sew, dye, glue, string, and collage yourself into infinity! You are the master of your craft and Ramona Barry and Rebecca Jobson are your guides! With more than 150 artists sharing projects with you in the 408 pages of this book, you can’t possibly go wrong.                                                          —Megan

When an artist becomes so famous as to be ubiquitous it can make their work seem safe, apolitical, and even boring. Years of seeing Claude Monet’s water lilies on countless mugs, cutting boards and other tchotchkes has had this effect. This book opens up the completely devastating, radical and gorgeous life of Monet—a man who painted through blindness and depression, and who would not allow a single flower at his funeral.  —Molly

Another beautiful offering from Timber Press, this combines the fun of coloring with a look at the world’s ecosystems. From banana slugs to the Great Barrier Reef, this book has all the critters you’ve ever wanted to color! (Except unicorns. Sorry.) –Rachel

Burned out on mandalas? Looking for some depth in your coloring journey? Jump into the deep end with Martyrdom and learn more than you ever wanted to about these fine folks. Your crayolas may not come in Sacrificial Red or Beheaded Blue, but remember! The coloring craze is all about creativity! –Rachel

When it comes to music, a guy with an opinion is a cognoscente while a chick must be a drooling fangirl. Teenage girls are the number one purchasers of music, and yet too often when women care about culture it is assumed to be for superficial, and thus invalid reasons. You should buy this book because Jessica Hopper's work exists to expand the world of music connoisseurship beyond these tired polarities. Unless of course you're part of that sacred cabal of "men" who "get it." There are plenty of Bob Dylan books in the music section, filed under D. –Molly

I have long admired Andy Goldsworthy’s intricate, stunning artwork. Working outdoors almost daily and using materials found on site, he creates complex, symmetrical structures and designs. As these works are often temporary and frequently collapse during their creation, this requires immense patience and concentration. This book features about 200 works, selected by Goldsworthy himself, that showcase his career and creative process. It is indescribably beautiful. It leaves me speechless every time I look at it.  —Flannery

Acclaimed artist and storyteller Maira Kalman celebrates the dog in her new book. With her unique style, Kalman allows us to become the dog’s companion for once, seeing the world, with all its wonder and fascination, through dogs’ eyes—or sampling the facets of humanity around the world and discovering dogs ever-present. A beautiful work for anyone who has ever loved a small or large furry friend. —Jocelyn

The author of more than a couple of the best British novels in recent memory, including Flaubert’s Parrot and The Sense of an Ending, Barnes is also a very serious fan of 19th- and 20th-century art. Here he brings his two passions—painting and writing—together in a series of essays about some of the greatest artists of the last 200 years, including Delacroix, Cezanne, and Magritte, illuminating their process, their often-drama-filled lives, and their towering artistic achievements. —Rico

In The Scent of a Dream, photographer Sebastião Salgado’s brilliance at working with light and shadow helps him stunningly capture the beauty of the natural environment coffee is grown in. His photos brim with respect and appreciation for the labor of his those who produce the coffee beans. The visual beauty makes the book feel completely non-preachy, yet it is imbued with a social message—that of the connection between those who consume and those who produce. What lover of coffee can look at these images and fail to feel connected to the people in them? Can fail to reflect on how their own choices might affect the lives and health of those who bring us our morning cuppa?  —Nici                          

The authors of the best-selling Brunelleschi’s Dome (King) and The Louvre (Grebe) join forces to lead us through the major paintings and frescoes of Florence, Italy, including every single painting in the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia, and the Duomo, along with important works from 28 other churches. Featuring stunning color plates and insightful commentary, this large-format gift book is simply glorious. Short of an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy, it’s the best holiday gift an art lover could ask for.  —Rico