Bestiaire du Gange (originally titled Waterlife) is a delicate book illustrated by Rambharos Jha, an artist who grew up on the banks of the legendary river Ganga. In this French edition of the book, Jha frames together a collection of classical Tamil poetries with beautiful illustrations of water creatures that inhabit the sacred river, a superb combination that represents the artist’s fascination of the aquatic life that serves an essential part of his childhood memories. However, the English version of the book does not feature the poetries, it instead shows Jha’s concise stories that inspire the making of each illustration.

Each poetry in the book evokes nature imagery with a touch of folk legend that is simple yet beguiling. Here is one of the wonderful poetries featured on the French edition of the visually stunning book:

“Tonnerre et pluie battante:
Peu à peu le contour des sentiers se fait diffus
Et des profondeurs de l’étang
Retentit le coassement de la grenouille
Tel le grondement du tambour”

“Thunder and rain:
Little by little, the trails’ outline is diffused
And the depths of the pond
Sound the croaking of the frog
As the roaring of the drum”

Accompanying the poetries are illustrations made by Jha. His adapted style of Mithila painting is truly admirable, creating a delightful hybrid of folk art and contemporary art that is brimming with vibrant colors and amazing pattern details. Below you can check out some of the wonderful illustrations. And adding to the appearance’s aesthetic, each page of the book is handmade and silkscreen printed. The organic texture of the paper complements the discrete patterns and shapes combined in each illustration, which makes the book even more pleasing to read. This book is definitely worth a spot in any book lovers’ bookshelves at home.

As Christmas approaching, you’ll probably find yourself among many people who decide to go online for shopping gifts, and probably 8 out of 10 people order gifts from Amazon. Headquartered in Seattle, the famous online retailer holds between 70% to 90% of the digital market, which makes it the biggest one on the internet. Being the biggest retailer on the internet surely added the necessity of large space to store products that worth $32 billion USD. Now, before you order items on Amazon, have a look at these pictures of Amazon’s huge warehouse in Seattle where millions of goods are stored and ready to be shipped. Yes, that’s a lot of boxes. I’d be lost among those if I had to work there.

I always find a humorous book to be the easiest to engage. Perhaps because comedy twists our reality with commentary that not only makes us laugh and often time also rings true. Enter Talk to the Snail by British author based in France Stephen Clarke. After his best selling novel, A Year in the Merde, a fiction based on personal experiences of a British gentleman adapting to his new French surroundings, he returns with a, as Talk to the Snail sub-text mentions: Ten Commandments for Understanding the French.

The book basically lists ten aspects of the French lifestyle that could help those who are interested in vacationing or living in the country that invented the guillotine, and he explains it through good humored commentaries based on many of his personal experiences. Everything from how food plays a big part in French lives, how amour works in France, why the current wave of mainstream French music is so awful, to alcohol culture. Clarke is a witty and informed writer and the language in Talk to the Snail is pretty easy to digest, making the book a fast and entertaining read. Here is a sample of Clarke talking about current French pop artists and their image:

“It’s not surprising that the musicians themselves have an image problem. They don’t know what they’re doing. One famous French singer thinks he’s Radiohead, dresses like Jim Morrison, and writes songs like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Another Dresses like a punk clown on stage and looks like  a nerdy webmaster off it – hasn’t he heard about living your music? At least old Serge Gainsbourg always looked like a human cigarette butt and sang almost exclusively about shagging. He understood image.”

There is even more sarcastic and funny stuff in the book. But don’t get it twisted, all of this ridicule ultimately show how much Clarke loves France. He dissects it as a foreigner who lives there, but his attention to all aspects of the French lifestyle is almost touching, and in the book he always give the country its due credit. Be sure to pick this book up, even if you aren’t planning to visit France.

Apartamento is back with another issue! I’m stating the obvious here, this English-written magazine from Spain has got plenty of beautiful interior photos. If you enjoy lurking at Todd Selby’s photography as much as I do, this kind of magazine will be another pot of gold for you. Furthermore, Apartamento features a variety of artists from around the world, provides you with all things interior design, and last but not least, each issue comes in a really nice package of design.

Featuring: Marcelo Krasilcic, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Beda Achermann, Faye Toogood,Rafael de Cardenas, Brian Janusiak and Elizabeth Beer, Pilar Benitez Vibart, Cosimo Bizzarri Michael Stipe, David John, Victoria Camblin, Julie Cirelli, Thea Slotover, Ben Rivers,Patrick Parrish, Athena Currey, Alexander Heminway, Makoto Orui, Valentine Fillol-Cordier Plus: everyday life kids supplement with Olaf Breuning, Phillipe Parreno, Javier Mariscal and Mike Meiré.

From courtside to the streets, the basketball scene in NYC could be described as one of the primes. NYC brought up the likes of Bob Cousy, Nate Archibald, Chris Mullin – a strong list of NYC based legends. On that thought, New York City’s urban culture is a sanctuary for b-ballers.

Emerging from the streets comes Franchise – A production by Nike Basketball in collaboration with Staple Design to tribute the basketball culture of NYC. Franchise is named after the legendary John Strickland, a player and coach who made a huge impact on the NYC ball scene. From emerging players to fiery courts the exclusive quality production modeled by Staple Design’s Reed Pages reviews everything basketball related in New York City.

To all of those in NYC, make sure to get one asap – it’s available for free at 21 Mercer and House of Hoops.

The time my uncle pulled out his beat up 78’ Fender Stratocaster, I can’t keep my eyes off it. Although it’s hard to tell that it was white when he bought it due to all of its bad bruises, I could only imagine how much cred my uncle got with that thing back in the day.

Its not just Led Zeppelin’s outrageous appearances or buoyancy that sets them apart in my view, it was the controversy made by Jimmy Page’s double-neck Gibson EDS 1275. Also, when I think about Nirvana, Kurt Cobain’s blue Fender Jag Stang always comes to mind, strumming to teen spirit.

Okay, I’m done with all the nerdy band facts.

Instrument, a new book by photographer Pat Graham takes us on tour with the most successful bands in the past decade. Giving us a close look on the hottest instruments of the 20th century.

Pat Graham is a significant on-the-road photographer during the 20th century. The quality of his photography compliments his nomadic lifestyle of penetrating elite crowds of the music industry.

Graham’s work mainly focuses on musical instruments; highlighting their road worn-ness, scraps and aesthetic details left on the instruments that won so many hearts and minds of the 20th century. He took the opportunity to shoot instruments due to their underrated reputation in music. Graham confesses how he grew such a fond relationship with instruments by appreciating how much authority they hold on young minds.

When asked about what he sees in a guitar, he sees Lines, landscapes, blood and misshapes. Didn’t see that coming.

Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, The Pixies’ Kim Deal, Modest Mouse’s Tom Peloso and Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne are just a few of the big names whom Pat Graham worked with. Modest Mouse was a great inspiration for the book. Traveling from town to town with Modest Mouse he earned the opportunity to work with the likes of other big bands including Flaming Lips.

From forging relationships to touring with bands, Graham explained how he got involved within the fast paced life of the professional artists to capture his hardly earned work.

“It means a lot to me, as the artists trusted me, as an artist, to photograph something very personal to them” he mentioned. “The instrument is a reflection of the artist and an instrument is also a representation of a time period”.

Curious of how you look like among other people with same taste?

Subcultures, cliques and stereotypes are jargons of modern day sociology. It’s not unusual to meet new people at a concert; at least they share the same taste in music. Let us introduce you to James Mollison, creator of ‘The Disciples’, a visual study of musical subcultures. His project was based across Europe and The US.

Individuals in modern day cliques and social circles usually share similar philosophies and personal interests. Music sends various powerful messages to their listeners. His work gathers photographs of individuals from concerts and displays them in panoramic images. Disciples contained 62 stunning panoramas, which evidently exposes that artists produced fans respective to their style.

With only using a mobile studio and a camera, Mollison captures the spirit of tribalism within pop culture and secular music. The results will knock your socks off.

Source: Brainpickings

Come October, there are a slew of new books coming in the bookstore. Here are three upcoming fictions that will intrigue your mind.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Known for his metaphor-laden prose, now Haruki Murakami is back with his next best-seller. After its release in Japan last year, “1Q84” will be published in its English version by the end of October. An ode to George Orwell’s epic “1984,” this novel will bring you through a topsy-turvy ride of narratives amidst 1980s Tokyo, where a seemingly normal taxi ride brings the main character to an otherworldly adventure in the parallel universe.

The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
Famous for his Booker Prize-winning “The English Patient,” Ondaatje once more looks back to history for inspiration. Set aboard an ocean-liner in the 1950s, “The Cat’s Table” follows the tale of an eleven-year-old boy who prowls the vessel with his two friends while uncovers the mystery surrounding the eccentric passengers—while the ship makes its way from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
After introducing us to the suicidal sisters (“The Virgin Suicides”) and the hermaphrodite Calliophe (“Middlesex”), Jeffrey Eugenides brings the most-buzzed-about book of fall. No wonder, it has been eight years since his last novel. In its heart, “The Marriage Plot” is actually an old-fashioned love story, chronicling the triangle between Madeleine Hanna, a Brown University English major of the 80’s, and two men around her: the charismatic and hippie-esque Leonard Bankhead and Mitchell Grammaticus, a somewhat mysterious Religious Studies enthusiast.

What crosses your mind if I asked you to imagine what houses would be like in the next 50 years? Did you imagine huge floating houses like in Sci-Fi stories? Or igloo-like houses? Or you are not sure? Phyllis Richardson’s new book, Nano House: Innovations for Smaller Dwellings, might give you some ideas of future human shelters.

Nano House: Innovations for Smaller Dwellings is a collection of nano (small-scale) architecture that is applied to sample houses. After a long hardwork of research on nano architecture, Phyllis Anderson, an architect and design writer from London, has selected 40 unique designs. Each design has its own character and vibe – take an example, the wooden Soe Ker Tie Houses that have a mix of traditional and modern look.

Space problem is inevitable as the civilization keeps evolving and human never ceases to populate the world. Thus, the future houses will most likely to be orientated on minimalism, portability, and sustainability. This book could be a source of inspiration for future architectural projects. For more information: Thames & Hudson.

Textile has always been an important part of furniture design. 65 years ago, Knoll, one of the pioneers of modern furniture design in North America, established a textile division named Knoll Textiles. Since then, Knoll Textiles has been producing variety of fabrics that are beautiful and functional as well.

Wondering what do their works look like? Recently, Yale University Press published a book, called Knoll Textiles 1945 – 2010, that showcases a documentation of patterns produced through the years, along with furniture photos, and fabric swatch. Edited by Earl Martin, the book also has insightful essays written by 84 designers that have contributed to Knoll Textiles.

For those who love furniture designs and decorative arts, I’m sure this book would be an awesome addition to your bookshelf.