Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1Chromatopia (2020)Chromatopia (2020)Published 1 Jan 2020An inviting possibility for someone interested in painting, interiors, design or how familiar materials are made. Coles tells the histories of pigments, with Adrian Lander's photography giving the colours a strong visual presence. The illustrated print edition can be browsed in sections. Its focus…0i
  2. 2Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition (2019)Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition (2019)Published 1 Jan 2019For the person who shares odd historical facts, enjoys maps or likes discovering places from an armchair. Photographs, illustrations and short entries offer several ways into this substantial illustrated book. The second edition is the 2019 revision by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras and Ella Morton.…0i
  3. 3An Immense World (2022)An Immense World (2022) 8.0/10 on Open LibraryPublished 1 Jan 2022Animals, photography and science documentaries are all promising clues for this exploration of sensory worlds beyond our own. Yong explains how different creatures perceive their surroundings, giving a curious reader plenty to talk about afterwards. It is a substantial narrative science book, so…0
  4. 4Art of Looking Up (2019)Art of Looking Up (2019)Published 1 Jan 2019Architecture, travel, art or simply a habit of photographing beautiful buildings could lead you here. McCormack turns attention to painted and decorated ceilings, pairing striking images with the stories of their making. A large illustrated print copy lets the details do their work. This is better…0i
  5. 5The living mountain (1977)The living mountain (1977)Published 1 Jan 1977A compact option for a walker, gardener or reader drawn to landscape. Shepherd's account of the Cairngorms values patient perception over conquering summits, with rock, water and weather given close attention. Its poetic prose asks to be savoured, so short does not mean quick. A print edition makes…0
  6. 6The Book of Delights (2019)The Book of Delights (2019) 8.0/10 on Open LibraryPublished 1 Jan 2019Someone who notices gardens, people-watching or the pleasures of a good conversation may connect with Gay's short essays. The pieces can be read separately, making the book a manageable invitation rather than a reading assignment. Joy coexists with grief and racism, so its warmth has substance.…0
  7. 7The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021)The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021)Published 1 Jan 2021For a podcast listener or someone whose conversations jump happily between trivia, memory and big questions. Green's five-star reviews of unlikely subjects become personal essays, with a clear premise that is easy to sample. Several emotional threads concern illness, anxiety and loss. Its breadth…0
  8. 8Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (2021)Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows (2021) 8.0/10 on Open LibraryPublished 1 Jan 2021A thoughtful possibility for a word-lover, journal-keeper or someone interested in feelings that are hard to name. Koenig invents words and gives them lyrical definitions; this is an imaginative language project, not a conventional dictionary. The short entries and illustrations make browsing…0
  9. 9Humble Pi (2019)Humble Pi (2019) 8.0/10 on Open LibraryPublished 1 Jan 2019Good for a puzzle-solver, an engineer or a friend who likes asking how an apparently simple system went wrong. Parker turns numerical mistakes into stories with a comic voice, showing why maths has consequences outside a classroom. Some errors involve serious accidents, so the laughter is not…0
  10. 10What If? 2 (2022)What If? 2 (2022)Published 1 Jan 2022A promising choice for the person who enjoys absurd questions and wants somebody to take the answers seriously. Munroe uses diagrams, calculations and cartoons to explore fresh scientific hypotheticals. Each question offers a self-contained way in, so the recipient need not have read the first…0