The 2013 Newmanology Holiday Book Gift Guide
Here’s our first annual Holiday Book Gift Guide. There’s something for everyone on your gifting list (including me!), as well as some goodies for the kids. We’ve even included handy links so you can buy your book presents with a click of the mouse! (Special note: If you buy a copy of one of these books via the link to Amazon.com, Newmanology gets a small portion of the sale proceeds!)
Super Graphic
By Tim Leong >> Subtitled, “A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe,” Super Graphic is all the heroes and villains of comic books explained in fun infographics. The author is the former design director of Wired magazine and current design director at Fortune. This book is a marvel of conception and obsessive execution (and again, it’s really funny!). More info: Super Graphic Tumblr page.
BUY HERE: Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe
Swissted
By Mike Joyce >> Vintage punk rock and rock posters remixed and reimagined in Swiss modernist style. A big, oversize book, with 200 posters that are perforated so you can rip them out and stick them up (or frame them). The author/designer was the art director for many music CD covers, and his love for both rock ‘n’ roll and graphic design is evident throughout. More info: Swissted website.
BUY HERE: Swissted: Vintage Rock Posters Remixed and Reimagined
Power to the People
Edited by Geoff Kaplan >> Subtitled, “The Graphic Design of the Radical Press and the Rise of the Counter-culture, 1964-1974.” This is a big, fat coffee table book loaded with cool underground newspaper and alternative press covers and images. If you’re interested in (or nostalgic for) The Great Speckled Bird, The Black Panther, The East Village Other, and lots of funky graphic design complete with day-glo and split fountain colors, this is the book for you!
Humans of New York
By Brandon Stanton >> This is the book edition of the very popular Tumblr page, featuring photos and interviews of people on the streets of NYC. This is brilliantly imagined and executed and a pure joy to look through (and read). It reminds me of the old U.K. i-D magazine of the 80s. The only problem is that it appears to be sold out for the moment at Amazon.com, but it’s still available at bookstores and will be back in stock online soon. This is a hot holiday item! More info: Humans of New York Tumblr page.
BUY HERE: Humans of New York
Real Good Stuff
By Dennis P. Eichhorn >> New autobiographical collection of graphic comic stories by the noted author of Real Stuff and other popular graphic novels. Eichhorn has been compared to American Splendor‘s Harvey Pekar for his slice-of-life style, but he adds a lot more sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll (and a lot less angst). Eichhorn has gathered a nifty group of artists to illustrate his life stories, including Mary Fleener, who did the cover above. (Note: I worked with Eichhorn at The Rocket magazine in Seattle in the 1980s, and was a contributor to the Kickstarter funding of this book). Eichhorn’s Real Stuff comics are currently being published online by Boing Boing.
BUY HERE: Real Good Stuff
The Modern Magazine
By Jeremy Leslie >> Subtitled, “Visual Journalism in the Digital Era,” this is a great compilation of the best in contemporary magazine-making, with an emphasis on independent publishing. The author is the mastermind of the popular magCulture publishing and media blog. Earlier this year we reviewed The Modern Magazine and called it “a visual feast, filled with graphic delights and surprises. It’s the book equivalent of a giant newsstand, and readers are treated to an endless display of magazines from around the world in all shapes and sizes, each of them a stellar example of magazine-making circa 2013.” In addition to the many striking covers and magazine interiors, there are strong interviews with key creative directors and editors. For ongoing information about The Modern Magazine, visit the magCulture site.
BUY HERE: The Modern Magazine: Visual Journalism in the Digital Era
The Big Book of Anorak
Edited by Cathy Olmedillas >> A rich and engaging compilation from the very cool U.K. kids magazine Anorak. This is the 2000s version of the old Highlights for Children magazine that I grew up with in the 50s and 60s. It’s packed with illustration, games, puzzles, stories, recipes, and lots of general fun. I’m giving this to my nine-year-old daughter Ivy for Xmas (don’t tell!) More info: Anorak website.
BUY HERE: The Big Book of Anorak
Barbed Wire Baseball
Written by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu >> A beautifully illustrated and elegantly written story about a Japanese American baseball player who was interned in a camp during WW2. The book was the winner of this year’s Society of Illustrators Original Art Founder’s Award, and of course we love everything that Yuko Shimizu does! The book is probably best for 8+ kids. More info: Yuko Shimizu website.
BUY HERE: Barbed Wire Baseball
And don’t forget…!
My Favo(u)rite Magazine and Gym Class Magazine >> Two mini-tabloid magazine projects that make the perfect stocking stuffers! My Favo(u)rite Magazine features 88 magazine creatives from around the world describing (and showing) their favorite magazines. Gym Class Magazine is “the magazine about magazines,” filled with in-depth interviews with top creative directors. Both are visual delights, and sure to please the magazine junkie on your holiday list.
BUY HERE: My Favo(u)rite Magazine and Gym Class Magazine
