Art & Photography

As the centennial of Jack London’s death approaches, this fresh compilation of photographs, journals, and essays offers readers a much more personal look at the author. Chapters about London’s life and career are arranged chronologically and include his photographs. Few great authors have left an impression in photography as well as in letters, but Jack London has. You’ll feel as though you’re on the deck of the Snark, looking through binoculars, outward toward adventure. —Louise

In this book that is right in line with The Life–Changing Magic of Tidying Up and capsule wardrobe trends, Anuschka Rees uses her background in psychology and her love of fashion and self-expression to help everyone build and understand their personal style and their dream wardrobe. You don’t have to be a minimalist to get the maximum out of this awesome guide! —Megan

It should be no surprise that artistic icon Marina Abramovi´c’s writing voice is lucid and that her stories captivate as well as devastate. In this book that will appeal to students of spirituality and art, Abramovi´c includes diary entries from performances that touch on the transcendent states she reaches while performing. If you enjoy Patti Smith’s memoirs or Kim Gordon’s Girl in a Band, you will devour this book. —Molly

A previously unknown sketchbook of drawings by Vincent van Gogh, created during his time in Arles, was recently discovered and will be published in this highly anticipated book. During the short time van Gogh lived in Arles (1888–1889), he was incredibly prolific and created such masterpieces as “The Starry Night” and “The Sunflowers.” Does his sketchbook include working drawings of these famous paintings or altogether unseen images? We won’t know until this closely guarded book is released in November.

“A remarkable journalistic achievement from a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship winner that crystalizes the last 10 years of global war and strife while candidly portraying the intimate life of a female photojournalist. Told with unflinching candor, the award-winning photographer brings an incredible sense of humanity to all the battlefields of her life. Especially affecting is the way in which Addario conveys the role of gender and how being a woman has impacted every aspect of her personal and professional lives. Whether dealing with ultrareligious zealots or overly demanding editors, being a woman with a camera has never been an easy task. A brutally real and unrelentingly raw memoir that is as inspiring as it is horrific.” —Kirkus, starred review

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