Last week we received a lovely package with some small notebooks, pens and pencils from Calepino. We love stationary, but are are always very picky which one to use. Years back we started with Moleskine, then moved a level up with Rhodia (also made in France) and we’re now very attached to the Midori notebooks. But we can’t leave these small books un-noted. In their nice boxes, with rounded corners, robust cover and practical dimensions, they’re simply beautiful. ‘The Calepino pocket book was designed to be carried anywhere. Stored in a pocket or at the bottom of a bag, it’s the ultimate accessory for jotting down unexpected ideas, for writing down your new big ideas: shopping lists, sketches and revolutionary inventions, travel log, memories from trips, books you have read, or have yet to read, layouts of prospective houses, seeds for the garden, phone numbers, journals, dreams, secret codes, testament, song lyrics, delicious recipes, menus and the weather forecast.’ The books come in three flavors: Ruled, Graph and Plain, and the whole set is definitely the perfect gift idea. All 100% recycled and made in France.

When libraries are going digital thousands and thousands of books and encyclopedias are becoming worthless piles of paper. Multidisciplinary artist Guy Laramee started to use these books for his sculptures of carved book landscapes and structures entitled Biblios and The Great Wall. Beautifully detailed landscapes, mountains and ancient structures are carved out of the paper like thin layers of soil and stone in an almost unreal scale. Truly amazing!
When you’re in Montreal this april, Galerie d’Art d’Outremont will host a show with this work. (via lostateminor)

The book was already amazing, but with the iPad app they’ve gone next level. Cyclepedia, Michael Embacher’s book on the most extraordinary and rare bicycles is now interactive. With 360º spins of every bike, video features, original brochures, contemporary advertising, engineering drawings, rare illustrations and the ability to zoom into details up to 20x magnification to appreciate every component in this rich celebration of cycling culture and design it’s a must have for every bicycle aficionado.
Above my three favorite bikes: 1979′s Rigi Bici Corta (the ‘Short Bike’), Alex Mouton’s Titanium One Off Special, and the Titanium Brompton S2L-X.
Enjoy this little video, or better, just buy the app to enjoy the iconic bicycles at your fingertips.

The last ‘Monday Must Haves’ before Christmas shows a curated selection of goods by Tenue de Nîmes together with Miscellaneous and Red Wing Shoes Store Amsterdam. This week with the Red Wing Shoes store exclusive Beckman Moc 9030 Antique Cigar, the Edwin Holcomb Beanie Navy, a lovely set of wooden accessories (Teak 4GB USB stick, Hacoa Black Walnut iPhone Cover and the Hacoa Black Walnut Business card holder), Momotar’so Europe Label ER007-2B Tight Fit Straight jeans and the absolute must have in your library: Hollywood and the Ivy Look.
Happy Holidays!

Mathieu Vilasco, one of the contributors of the latest Journal de Nîmes just published his first limited booklet of 32 pages ‘No mountains & pretty little things’. The pictures presented here are inspired by daily moments with friends and family, travels and works. From portraits, lighty French Riviera to Haussmanians parisian stairs, he shares with us his personal and sensitive view on those atmospheres. No mountain & pretty little things’s about life as simple as that. Available here.

Last week I got this lovely present from Deus, the 300 page hardbound picture book of Deus Ex Machina, ‘The House of Simple Pleasures’. We spotted the brand back in 2009 and since than, followed it all the way to Holland. The book is beautifully designed and illustrated by the multi-talented creative director of Deus, Carby Tuckwell with some amazing photography Dustin Humphrey and Chris Searl. It breaths the whole culture, the lifestyle of riding the waves and driving your custom bike in some incredibly inspiring sense of freedom. We’re glad that this brand landed here, where there are no waves and no hills, just some flatland to cross.

Ryan McGinley’s first retrospective monograph will be released the 21st this month and is now on preorder. For this beautifully realized volume Ryan has selected the best photographs from his first decade of work. The first edition is sure to become one of McGinley’s most collectable books and I’d say that makes a perfect holiday gift!

We love books, especially when they are really well made. Editions Bessard was started by the Parisian photographer Pierre Bessard (know for his amazing book ‘Wuhan Boiler Company Workers‘) and is now growing into one of those publishers with an amazing portfolio of publications, limited editions and books you just ‘need to have’.
They’ve just published ‘Ramadan in Yemen’ by the Australian artist Max Pam. A limited edition of 1000 copies, with a beautifully designed book’s cover and clamshell design by Titus Nemeth. The first 250 copies will be personally numbered, stamped, embossed and signed by Max Pam, and you still have the chance to get one of those 250 (Reserve your copy today by email). Check this preview video of the book on Facebook.

We’re picking up the gift guide we started last year with this lovely book by Assouline: The Allure of Men by Francois Baudot. A collection of the most desired, envied, and debonair men in history. Paintings and photographs of famous and lesser-known figures dating back almost 200 years, embodying centuries of elegance and style over 128 pages.

“Allure is what is left to man when he’s forgotten all about
the ways and habits of elementary stylishness”

— François Baudot

Victionary released a new book called MasterMind. A inspiring 288 pages counting book on art direction, fashion styling and visionary photography. The world of fashion has always been motivated by new ideas and changes. Parallel to its evolution are the images put up by visionary art directors and fashion photographers who ensured the beauty of life and visions of the future are explored. Bringing together 23 astute creative units whose diverse expertise are consistently awe-inspiring, this book gives a multi-dimensional review on how these artists have made discoveries and visualised ideas through scene setting, fashion direction and character design in real space. Go get it here >
(Above an impression of the book with the work of Jess Bonham, Amber Isabel and Asamu Yokonami)

Photographer Anne Schwalbe just released a new book called Wiese. A lovely series of images about meadows, poetic and dreamy pictures of grassland. It brings back to mind the good memories on summer evening walks with friends, or cold winter days in the field. There’s a limited edition of 500 prints, signed and numbered, or the special edition of 15+2  which includes an analogue Color Print of Wiese X.

The Dutch publisher Roma Publication just published this amazing little book ‘Looking at Trees’ by Irene Kopelman. In subtile dots and fragile lines she puts on paper the essence of a tree in two series of water color drawings over 40 pages. In an edition of 400 copies, signed and numbered by the artist, this truly is a beautiful little treasure!