BOOK - BORO -2008
Rags and tatters from the Far North of Japan

Only a few decades ago, Thoku (Aomori) was synonymous to most Japanese with dire poverty. A home to dirt poor farmers who, out of desperate necessity, created an astonishing textile aesthetic out of BORO = rags. The frozen north was too cold to grow cotton, so the local folk grew and wove hemp for clothing. The tiniest precious snippets were saved. They soaked worn-out old clothes in rice-rinsing water in order to loosen an pull out threads, stitching over ripped and ragged layers as thick as they could. Long before ' recycling ' was drummed into our heads, here were people whose loving frugality towards cloth was a genuine engrained in their lives - yet total forgotten today. The beauty and sheer compositional skills of these boro creations inspire the fashion and design circles everywhere.

BOOK - POSTCARDS OF THE WIENER WERKSTATTE - a Catalogue Raisonné

The Wiener Werkstatte, or Vienna Workshops, was founded in 1903 by architect and designer Josef Hoffmann. In 1907, the Wiener Werkstatte began publishing a numbered series of postcards. Many of them were designed to celebrate holidays, fashion and humorous topics. A selection of these cards will be on view at the Neue Galerie New York on a regular basis as part of the permanent collection. All the mayor WW designers created postcards including Hoffman, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele and Dagobert Peche.

For myself it is a spectacular book, very inspiring. The colours and the combinations are really special, as the style of drawing and composition. A few samples:

BOOK : SIMPLE STITCH

Very stimulating book with brilliant photos on simple stitching. The photos are so good, you can understand without reading the japanese explanation.
Contents: back stitch - outline stitch - running stitch - chain stitch etc etc.

BOOK

Blackstocks Collection by Gregory L. Blackstock
Drawings of an artistic savant.
He has used his gifts of extraordinary visual and auditory recall to engage an audience. This book contains of pictorial lists. A retired Seattle potwasher draws order out of all the chaos with pencil, black marker an crayons. It is truly amazing.

A look inside:

BOOK - In the sea there are crocodilles - Fabio Geda (2011)
Based on the true story of Enaiatollan Akbari.
An inspirational and incredibly moving story of a 10 year old boy's harrowing journey from Afganistan to Italy. Based on his close collaboration with Italian novelist Fabio Geda. He reconstructs the young boy's memories, perfectly preserving the childlike perspective.

BOOK - TRACY EMIN - Neal Brown (Tate Publishing) 2006
About Emin's art and examining the influences and spiritual beliefs that have shaped her work.

'Art has always been...a mysterious language. And I'm just not a coded person: I wear my heart on my sleeve, if you like. What you see is what I am'

 Some inside pictures

BOOK - The summer without men - Siri Hustvedt - 2011
A witty and revelatory novel about women and girls, love and marriage and the age-old question of sameness and difference between the sexes.

BOOK -2011 - Sherman Alexie - The absolute true diary of a part-time Indian

It is a young aldult genre book and I am very glad that Barnes & Nobles had it with the adult books under New Arrivals, otherwise I would probably not have found it.
How to survive between the grinding plates of the Indian and white worlds seen through the eyes of a teenager. A sharp sense of humor, with fierce observations and so breathtakingly honest . Just simply beautiful !

BOOK -2007 - Indian Matchbox labels - Shahid Datawala
It is a first ever collection of Indian matchbox labels, sold in every road-side booth. It is full of staggering variety of charming and quirky designs.

A few pages from this book






I started saving them years ago on my travels through USA

BOOK -2010 - AMERICAN RUST - Philipp Meyer

His first novel, very powerful and bold. It is a novel of the lost American dream and the acts of friendship, loyalty and love that arise from its loss.

  BOOK - 2007 - Tilleke Schwarz - Mark making
Very inspiring book about her work. I got to know her work during one of my visits to The Knitting and Stitching Show in London. This is her bookcover and a few details.

BOOK

2008 - Junot Diaz - The brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao -
His first novel, contempory fiction, is funny and warm

INSPIRING BOOKS
1988 - Pre-pop Warhol by Jess Kornbluth ( a collection of early Warhol - text and images )
With 'remembering Andy' by Tina S. Fredericks (photos and story)

BOOKS - SARA FANELLI
An italian illustrator living in London.Her books are just magical, colourful and playful. Very inspiring!! Some pictures to get an idea of her work.

2003 PINOCCHIO

2000 - DEAR DIARY

1997 - WOLF

www.sarafanelli.com

BOOK
 
2000 - Jerry Spinelli - STARGIRL
It's magical , beautifully written - Celebrating non-conformity and the thrill of first love.
You will find this book at the 'teen section', but it is a story for all ages.

ENCYCLOPEDIA of NEEDLEWORK
1884 - Th.de Dillmont
I bought it in a small secondhandshop in Alfriston UK. It really is a needlework bible, describing allsorts of techniques.
Info, pictures and drawings on stitches - sewing - darning - patching - tapestry - knitting -crochet - knotting - lace etc.etc. A very handy book to look up allsorts of techniques which hardly exist anymore. A very small and thick book (825 pages).

DEBUT BOOKS
I always look out for the first books by an author. Here are 2 great reads !

1990 - Barbara Kingsolver - The Bean Trees
Her debut is an astonishing moving and funny story.

1992 - Wally Lamb - She's come undone
His debut is a touching journey to adulthood. Full of heartbreak and humor.

BOOK - SYBIL
1973 Flora Rheta Schreiber

The true story of a woman possessed by 16 seperate personalities.It is fascinating and overwhelming. For years I tried to find the TV film played by Sally Field (incredible performance). I finally found it 2 years ago on DVD.

3 more GREAT books :

2009 - Mina Perhonen - fashion and design
This book was published specially for the ehibition in the Textile museum in Tilburg
I love his details!! http://www.mina-perhonen.jp

2001 - Dai Sijie - Balzac and the little chinese seamstress
A very wise little story of love and illusion

2006 - Nick Sharratt - I went to the Zoopermarket
A great shopping guide for kids (2-5)

BOOKS

1964 John Lennon - drawings poems stories
2007 Delphine de Vigan - a short quirky story
2007 John Eldor Robinson - a wild rollercoaster ride through his life with asperger's

2009 Victor Lodato - Mathilda Savitch - a darkly humorous tale of adolescence 

2007 Ron Mclarty - Traveler - an unforgettable novel

2010 Anthony Penrose - The boy who bit Picasso - a true story about childhood memories with illustrations and photographs.