Book Review: One Year on a Bike

I have thought a lot lately about which book from the many I still have to review should take the spot for the 100th. I've spent a great deal of time over the last 2-years sharing reviews of books focused on interior design, gardening, architecture, travel, cooking, and entertaining. Recently I've started reviewing photography and coffee table books as well, and I appreciate the time that you all take to read what I think of these beautiful volumes. If you have a blog, or have ever tried to start a blog, you know that the key to being different is original content. These book reviews have become a steady stream of original content here on Color Outside the Lines, and I will continue adding more as the weeks and months progress. Again thank you for reading the reviews and purchasing these books, and following along with the blog! 

Now, on to the review. I picked this book as the 100th book review because if I had the opportunity to do this, spend one year on a bike - meeting new people, trying new things, and seeing new places - I would jump at the chance! One Year on a Bike, published by Gestalten is a sort of luxury scrapbook of the journey of one man, one bike, one long ride, and the adventures, pleasures, and pain. Martijn Doolaard used kickstarter to crowdsource the funds to begin the journey of taking a one-year sabbatical to make the seemingly impossible cycling trip from Amsterdam to Singapore. 

The book is a page by page recounting of the incredible journey through Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, India, and South East Asia. Take a look:  

One Year on a Bike is nothing short of beautiful, not only for the amazing images that were captured for the more than 360-pages, but for the endurance of Doolard throughout the journey. You can imagine how lonely one year on a bicycle could be, traveling more than 10,000 miles - sleeping in the wild - and the challenges that you'd face on such an adventure. But there are stories of love and acceptance, understanding and compassion, too! 

If you've ever wanted to challenge your normal, and adventure into the unknown, One Year on a Bike is the perfect book for you to own. Live vicariously until you're ready to make your own leap, no matter how large. Inspiring and beautiful, see more and grab your copy via the Amazon link below: 

One last note: If you've looked at purchasing my copies under the SHOP page and haven't been able to click on any of the buttons, I think I've fixed that issue. Take a look at the new books added to that page today! 

Book Review: Signs of Our Times: From Calligraphy to Calligraffiti

Books are for so much more than pleasure, don't you agree? They are inspirational, educational, and provocative. Books can challenge you to explore things and ideas that you didn't even know you were interested in, and they can open your eyes to new and different worlds, styles, art, trends, and design. That's why I'm so invested in books about design, art, photography, and decorating - and why I feel the need to share my thoughts on these books with all of you. 

Signs of Our Times: From Calligraphy to Calligraffiti is the perfect example of a book that not only inspires, but provokes, educates, and broadens your look at the world. This wonderful coffee table book, published by Merrell Publishers, tackles the evolution of the 60-year art of Calligraffiti. Never heard of it? Me either! 

Calligraffiti emerged in the 1950s as an alternative approach to art being explored and produced in the Modernist era. Artists in Iran and the Arab world took inspiration from the movement, their own varied cultures, and combined those to create a sort of lyrical art in a new artistic language using ancient techniques in a bold new way. 

Fifty artists are featured in the more than 300 pages of this impressive volume, dotted along a historically accurate and informative timeline on how changes in the Middle Eastern world have affected the art of Calligraffiti and the artistic contributions that followed from the 1950s to present day. Each of the artists is asked three questions: How did writing/calligraphy/ words come into your work, or how did you come to words, writing or the morphology of letters in your work? Is there anything you may want to add in terms of your sources of inspiration, whether poetry, historical events or aesthetics?

The answers to these questions, and the artist work that accompanies the following pages is extraordinary, and gives a humbling perspective to the greater world. 

The book is honestly, fascinating. Looking at each of the brilliant photos of Signs of Our Times is like being in an art gallery of beautiful Arabic and Persian Script, or the morphology of those scripts and letters in contemporary and modern art.

Take a closer look for yourself, and grab a copy for your coffee table or library via the Amazon link below:

Book Review: Life of a Pattern

Life of a Pattern by Neisha Crosland

Published by Merrell Publishers 

You may or may not be familiar with the name Neisha Crosland, but you are definitely familiar with her work. Neisha is a surface pattern designer, based in the UK, recognized internationally for her sophisticated, yet unusual color combinations, and her impeccable attention to balance and proportion. Her body of work has propelled her to the forefront of UK design, and in 2006 she was honored with the title Royal Designer for Industry, an incredibly high accolade for designers in the UK as only 200 designers can hold this title. 

Neisha started her own textile company designing scarves and accessories nearly 23-years ago, and has since gone on to design fabrics, wallpapers, rugs, tiles, fine china, and even stationary! Turnell & Gigon carries her wallpaper, Harris & Jones her stationary, and her pillow covers and curtain panels can be found at Crate & Barrel. 

Without a doubt, Neisha's unerring eye has an extraordinary ability for seeking out symmetry, order, and beauty and then taking that inspiration and funneling it into her beautiful work, is unsurpassed. In her first book, Life of a Pattern luxuriously published by Merrell Publishers, specially commissioned photography focuses on the detail, color, techniques, and patterns Crosland has mastered. She shares fascinating technical detail in current and early work, including weaving and printing methods that have now vanished because of commercial pressures on mills and manufacturers. Life of a Pattern takes you from the inception of the idea to the finished product, exploring all of the wonderful resources and inspirations along the way. 

Brilliant and massive, the book is filled with inspirational drawings, and photography. Let's take a look: 

360 pages in a large format, results in a book perfect imbibing inspiration. Page after page, you are introduced to brilliant textiles, patterns, and more from pattern visionary, Neisha Crosland. Take a closer look, and pick up your copy via the Amazon link below: 

Book Review: Hasselblad Masters: Volume 5: Inspire

Sometimes collections of books are really the way to go! I have a few books that have been published in volumes, either on interior design, or architecture, or photography. They make for wonderful coffee table presentation, and they allow you to have a catalog of inspiration page by page, book by book! That is certainly the case with the Hasselblad Masters volumes, including the newest, Hasselblad Masters: Vol. 5: Inspire published by teNeues.

For those of you who don't know, Hasselblad is the leading medium format camera manufacturer. Their lenses are handmade in Sweden, but it was a Hasselblad lense that captured the first US moon landing. Having always stood for technical excellence, creative vision, and a love for photography they have created the world's most prestigious professional photography competition: Hasselblad Masters.

The winners of the contest (10 of the more than 4,000 applicants) then are given the task of shooting photos for the book, in line with the theme, Inspire. The books have photos of all sorts of categories: architecture, fashion, portraits, street photography, and macro. 

The photos are always beautiful, of great quality, and showcase the remarkable visions of both brilliant amateur photographers and those master photographers with a life of photos behind them. Truly a remarkable art book, perfect for the avid photographer in your life, or someone who just appreciates lovely imagery. Take a closer look, and pick up your copy via the amazon link below: 

And if you're interested in taking a look at the earlier volumes of Hasselblad Masters, here they are: 

Book Review: Dreamscapes

Keeping with the coffee table book theme, I'm excited to share with you Dreamscapes, published by teNeues. The book is the fourth from Canadian born photographer and artist, David Drebin. Now based in New York City, David focuses on the landscapes of awe-inspiring destinations around the globe. David is known for his breathtaking cityscape shots and landscapes, and this book is a beautifully curated collection of some of his most stunning.

From the Manhattan skyline and Central Park, to the magical beaches of the Amalfi Coast, David takes us on a mini world tour, with remarkable photos guided by his inimitable sense of reflections, light, and playful timing. Take a look:

They are truly lovely, aren't they? And this is just a sample of the 100's of brilliant images in the 200-pages of Dreamscapes. Books like this one are lovely reminders of the beauty in our every day world, and they are far less expensive than booking a flight. Take a vicarious vacation and a closer look at this gorgeous book via the amazon link below:

If you're interested in any of David's other books, you can see them here:

Book Review: Horses

Horses

By Tony Stromberg

Published by teNeues

I love books on interior design, and I love sharing those with you here. But my collection of books doesn't stop there! I also have quite a few books by photographers. These brilliant coffee table books are a staple to the rooms in my home, and I have them scattered everywhere! From on top of and under chairs, to sitting in neat stacks on tables and armoires, even creating tables out of my favorites next to the bed, I just can't get enough! Many of my favorite photography books have been published by teNeues, a publishing house that focuses on books on interior design, art, and photography. I also seem to have a collection of photography books with a singular subject, Horses. 

Horses, just horses - unbridled, no riders, no saddles, no tethers of any kind - it's just something you don't see anymore. Tony Stomberg, equine photographer extraordinaire, is a genius at capturing the unbridled beauty of Horses. Tony's way of photographing these massive beauties, almost in the same way a portrait photographer would agonize over the perfect light and shadow, position and angle of the photo of a dignitary, is nothing short of extraordinary.

I could go on and on, but see for yourself:

The collection of photos here stir every emotion inside of you. These glorious subjects are the teachers and soulmates of a photographer who was struggling with burnout in the 90's after years of working as an advertising photographer. The deep connection that he has built with horses since, is evident in every single photo; and that passion, has catapulted Stromberg to unrivaled fame. 

If you're looking for a great gift to give this Christmas, or if you simply would like to have an inspiring collection of beautiful photos for your own home, look no further. Purchase your copy via the Amazon link below: