I think we can all agree here: Books make the best gifts. There is really nothing better than perfectly matching a book to its person. We’re sharing our gift-giving favorites—books that skirt the beautiful edges of travel, craft, and design (if you’re reading this newsletter, you likely know someone who would be delighted to receive one such book). Our list includes the kind of oversized, niche specialty books people tend not to buy for themselves, like the misunderstood coffee table book, which has suffered something of a PR crisis in the past few years for landing on the superficial side of aesthetic appreciation. These picks, however, prove that a book so beautiful you want to display it on your coffee table can also pull its weight as a source of deep knowledge and enjoyment — an object of beauty both inside and out.
Quick note: This isn’t your typical end-of-year list in which everything came out in 2023—you will find a few time-worn, close-to-our-heart favorites as well as brand new titles.
CRAFT / TRAVEL / DESIGN TOMES FOR GIVING
Anni & Josef Albers: Equal and Unequal by Nicholas Fox Weber — Beautiful cloth-bound Phaidon book dedicated to the work, life and history of the pioneering multidisciplinary artists Anni and Josef Albers (weaver and painter, respectively, as well as teachers/deep thinkers). Featuring more than 750 works between them, it has been hailed as the definitive visual biography of their incredible, ahead-of-their time work. Another cloth-bound Phaidon favorite in this series is the sweeping Herman Miller: A Way of Living book (I’m from Michigan, so it’s a bookshelf essential).
Edith Heath: Philosophies — My bookshop owner friend, Maria, gave me this very special title. If you’re already a fan of Heath, this book needs no introduction. But if you don’t, it’s both primer and inspirational ode to the creativity and life force behind Edith Heath’s pioneering namesake ceramics company and philosophy of making. Interspersed with history (did you know that Heath used to produce buttons and beads?), drawings, exhibitions, tender memories and private snapshots that get you closer to the spirit and guiding philosophy of the artist herself.
Process Book by Mira Nakashima — Put together and written by George’s daughter, Mira, who continues to oversee the Nakashima family complex and furniture workshop in New Hope, Pennsylvania. The straightforward yet tender book, which grew out of the tradition of producing furniture catalogues, is a deeply personal look at their work throughout the years. Full of private photos, sketches and details about the intricate process of craftsmanship. She describes it as “an intimate window into how and why we do what we do.” Just out this year; only available directly from their site.