TURNTABLE LAB

Andy Howell
Art, Skateboarding & Life Book

This books offers a look at the entire career of skater slash designer slash artist Andy Howell. The book is presented in a very personal way, there's a good amount of text and the layout borrows styles of old skate zines and skate mags. The story begins with his youth days in Virginia Beach, his early influences, and his rise to pro skater. These stories are illuminated by quotes, vintage photos, old skate products, and skate mag excerpts. If you grew up in the same period, this stuff is quite incredible. For the designers, the book really picks up with the chapter on New Deal skateboard company. Howell provided the visual direction for this super-influential company (recognized as one of the forces that shifted skate graphics to more of an urban direction). The book proceeds into a lengthy section on Howell's paintings. And just when you think it should end, you've only gone halfway through the book. The book gets deeper into Andy's drawings, early urban skating in nyc, starting new companies, and much more. This book is much more than a design book, it's more like an well illustrated manual on the DIY life. And if that's not enough, the book comes with 2 accompanying DVDs. Hardcover, over 300 pages.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / art + design books

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Beautiful Losers Book

This book was made in conjunction with the massive art survey of the same name, currently showing in San Francisco's Yerba Buena center. If you caught Tokion's genre-defining "Disobedients" issue, Beautiful Losers is like a continuation of that thought line, the summation of many years of gallery shows, art projects, and publications that have been related in spirit. It features just about every "big" name that is associated with that movement- Barry McGee, Chris Johanson, Mike Mills, Mark Gonzales, Tobin Yelland, Margaret Kilgallen, Spike Jonze, Espo, Geoff McFetridge, Kaws, Ed Templeton, Shepard Fairey, Harmony Korine, Phil Frost, Ryan McGinness, and many others. Yeah, that sounds like they're casting the net a bit wide, but this mass of information and artwork is presented in such a thoughtful manner that it comes together without a hitch. In addition to showcasing the artwork, the book consists of informative articles that give us the background on how this loosely related conglomeration of people and styles came to be. This consists of an impressive collection of images + stories that speak about the social scene, past gallery shows, collectives, and the influences of the preceding generation (things like Dogtown and skate photographer Craig Stacyk, and the early 80s NYC scene); thankfully devoid of art school interpretations of what it all "means." The result is the most comprehensive piece we've seen thus far, and if you're gonna buy one book in this genre all year, this should be it. Softcover, about 275 pages.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / art + design books

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BNN
Free Style Scraps: Frame/Line Book/CD

These BNN Scrap books from Japan are an excellent resource for both professional and amateur designers. Compared to other vector art collections, this series is generally of much higher quality, showcasing a clean, modern, very useful style. Each book displays the included art in a well-designed, organized manner (the books themselves could be design objects) and includes a CD with both EPS and JPEG formats. This volume focuses on frames and lines and covers over a 155 pages of different styles that range from extremely detailed to simple and everything in between. The possibilities are truly endless. Recommended.
reviewed by C'mish

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lab recommended / designer resources / all

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BNN
Petit Patterns: Simple & Natural Book/CD

These BNN Petit Pattern books from Japan are an essential resource for graphic designers, pattern makers, anyone else visually obsessive. Each book is filled with high quality prints of each pattern, a cd with EPS(Illustrator) and JPEG(Photoshop) files that can be manipulated, and instructions for use in the field. This book focuses on simple, natural patterns and covers over a 155 pages of different styles that range from subtle to brilliant, and everything in between. The possibilities are truly endless. Recommended.
reviewed by Cmish

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lab recommended / designer resources / all

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Collection Agnes B Book

Every art-minded person dreams of amassing an art collection that will grow to outlive their life on earth (ooh that's heavy). Agnes B is one of those people that has fulfilled that dream. Known equally for her business and her art world prowess, Agnes B has put together a one of kind collection, strong in photography and modern art (especially NYC art(. Seriously, as you flip the pages, you'd think this was a museum book, not a personal collection. But this is way too cool for any museum. It might be the coolest thing ever. Features work from Man Ray, Richard Avedon, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Eggleston, Andy Warhol, Larry Clark, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nan Goldin, Robert Frank, Ryan McGinley, Futura, and many others. Hardcover, 7.25" x 9.25", 365 pages. Highly recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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Cover Art By: New Music Graphics Book

The music graphics book was born in the mid-nineties and died in early 2000 with over-saturation and lowered standards as a cause of death. Enough water has passed and people have learned from their mistakes. This is an excellent reintroduction to the modern music graphics book. It's executed near perfectly with relevent examples (many records we've had at the Lab, but even more that we haven't), clean design, and Japanese-style attention to mega-detail (it's organized by designer, painstakingly documented, and each designer has an interview). It is so effective that the book creates an illusion that these are classic record covers from 10 years ago, when they really are from yesterday. Softcover, 318 pages, 7.5" x 9.5" x .75". Recommended.

reviewed by the mgmnt

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Dakis Joannou
Panic Room Book

It's a visual overload! Panic Room is one of those art books that keeps on giving (I've looked through it several times and keep finding something new). With over 90 contemporary artists (whose work primarily consists of drawing), this Deitch Projects book is a great way to see the scope of cutting-edge hand styles from all over the world. Trip out on an eclectic mish mash of comic culture, graffiti, fantasy, and psychedelia from the likes of Marc Bell, Paper Rad, Barry McGee, assume astro vivid focus, Tauba Auerbach, Bjorn Copeland, Verne Dawson, Jo Jackson, Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen, Ted Mineo, Ben Peterson, Cameron Jamie, Clare Rojas, David Shrigley, Kelley Walker and many more. Just take a look at the inside shots and you'll see how inspiring and entertaining this compilation of work is. 11" x 11", 160 pages, softcover. Recommended.
reviewed by snackmaster

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art Book

Anyone yearning for a glimpse of skate culture at its purest, look no further - salvation is here! The book is called Disposable: A History of Skateboard Art, but anyone who knows skateboarding knows that the boards marked the era and they were much more than just art. From the graphics on the boards, they made stickers, posters, shirts, logos, etc. Some even became personal tattoos! So the personal connection they had with its audience was a lasting one. They were images that got burned so hard into our subconscious skate minds that even a glimpse would remind you of the famous trick by that pro, unleash nostalgia of the era and any memories of you owning that board. So unless you were a total pussy and saved your graphic, it's likely you ended up thrashing your board within a week (hence the name Disposable). This made original boards very rare and now the nostalgia for those crude, raw, offensive, punk graphics are at an all time high. That's why this book couldn't be more timely. I know, my roommate Pinto is addicted to rebuilding vintage time specific decks down to the wheels (50+ boards). So, although the book is about art, the story gets much deeper. Artist Sean Cliver takes you through the history of it all like never before with 237 pages of full color photos, side notes, and best of all - personal stories from the pros and artists themselves. As we know, stark, shocking graphics are coming back with a fury (Mishka) but as the author suggests, "If there's any connection with skate culture and the mainstream, keep it in your head... I simply enjoy the graphics for what they are." Here's some of the contents: Companies: Powell, Santa Cruz, World Industries, Alva, Black Flag, Skull Skates, Shut, Hook-ups, etc... Skaters: McGill, Rodney Mullen, Cab, Mountain, Vallely, Theibaud, Jason Lee, Hawk, Roskopp, Miller, Klein, Randy Colvin, etc.. And Artists: Pushead, Jim Phillips, Wes Humpston, Andy Howell, Barry McGee, Chris Johansenn, etc... Recommended.
reviewed by C'mish

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Disposable Skateboard Bible Book

ultimate encyclopedia of Skateboard decks

With the release of Disposable - A History of Skateboard Art in 2004, author Sean Cliver made a brilliant attempt at artfully cataloging every important skateboard deck ever released. In the process, he created a classic, but was left feeling less than whole. Ever the completist, the gaping omissions in the first book gnawed at him and drove him to envision compiling "the" ultimate encyclopedia of Skateboard decks. While Disposable was beautiful, capturing the essence of the aesthetic, Disposable II sets out to be the Bible. The author's industry insider status (in 1989, he landed his first job as a designer at Powell-Peralta) allows him to walk the reader through the culture, the art and the mania with authority. While the boards take center stage, fascinating vignettes and recollections by a who's who of skateboarding round out the book. Hardcover, 320 pages, 229 x 279 mm. Recommended.
reviewed by label review

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Ed Templeton
Deformer Book

Third book from skater-artist Ed Templeton. Personally, I am a fan of Ed's work. It's gripping, engaging, sexual, pubic, teenage, dark, and always entertaining on several levels (from cheap shock to artsy deeper meaning). Deformer is a collection of photographs, drawings, and collages that loosely serves as an auto-biography. Beginning with Ed's personal adolescent pictures and scrapbook moments (his embarrassing report card is awesome), the book slowly builds into a inferno of sex, youth, and death. Yeah, sounds like an overstatement, but really, the book has an epic song quality to it. You're bombarded with images (and nudity) in unrestricted layouts... part thrash metal, part jazz. Hardcover, 166 pages, 12" x 9.5". Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Every Thing Design: The Collections of the Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich Book

landmark collection of mass market design masterpieces

Firstly this book is a chunklet. Designed by renowned Dutch book designer Ira Boom (awesome nom de designer), Everything Design resembles a brick in shape, the 800 pages measuring a hefty 2.75" thick in depth. If I were some design nerd, I'd probably say something like "the book itself becomes a design object", while drinking some bitter coffee and looking at teen porn. The contents explore 700 prints, posters, and objects from Zurich's Gestaltung Museum, "whose collection is renowned worldwide for its unsurpassed holdings of design masterpieces: Ettore Sottsass's iconic red "Valentine" typewriter from 1969, Paul Rand's 1950 poster for the film No Way Out, as well as graphic works by Toulouse-Lautrec and El Lissitzky, and a range of works by Richard Paul Lohse, Harry Bertoia, Willy Guhl, Makoto Saito, FHK Henrion and many other great designers."

More from the publisher: "Founded in 1875, the museum's collection focuses on twentieth-century mass-manufactured products, comprising over 10,000 objects and 20,000 examples of packaging, from famous designs to anonymous everyday objects; a graphics collection containing over 100,000 items from around the world, dating from the fifteenth century to the present; a collection of 300,000 posters and an applied arts collection, showcasing work from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that covers the overlap between industrial manufacturing, design and art. With beautiful, full-page spreads, Every Thing Design, like the Gestaltung Museum itself, expands our conceptions of what design is, unpacking how a designed object is perceived and how this perception changes over time. It examines the criteria museums use for acquisition, and how the objects' significance and value are established. The result is a surprising reconsideration of trends, production techniques and public reception."

Hardcover, 800 pages, 4.75 " x 6" x 2.75". Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Freddy Fresh
The Rap Records: 2nd Edition Book

Incredible. Freddy Fresh already had me with the first edition of "The Rap Records" thinking he was the ultimate database for hip-hop records, but with volume 2 he's really taken it to the limit. This revised 2nd edition is more than double the size of the original (266 pages now 743 pages!) and features a shit ton more records (now expanded to include the mid-90's, British and foreign records) listed by label and way more full color label scans (at least 3 or 4 per page - over 2,500 total). Each release includes matrix numbers, year of release, and sometimes notes to tell different pressings apart. Freddy has even instituted a five star rating system of rarity for records that are particularly rare, and prices for records that catch loot. This is an invaluable resource for Djs, collectors, or anyone who has a passion for hip-hop. I don't care how much you think you know about rap records from '79-'9X, Freddy's gonna take you to school with this one. 743 pages, full color. Highly Recommended.
reviewed by snackmaster

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lab recommended / dj + producer specific books

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Gilles Peterson & Stuart Baker
Freedom Rhythm & Sound: Revolutionary Jazz Original Cover Art 1965-83 Book

compiled album covers from radical jazz musicians

Soul Jazz, who've long been killing the game with their compilations, make their first foray into print with this book compiled by legendary radio host and music historian Giles Peterson and Stuart Baker, who also pens a very nice and info-packed intro for the book. The artwork compiled here comes from the covers of albums by "radical" jazz musicians from both America and abroad, musicians who were often vocal about the Civil Rights Movement during the 60s and 70s. The artwork included is taken from albums by Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, The Oneness Of Juju, Roy Porter, Melvyn Price, Pharaoh Sanders, Gil Scott-Herron, Les Walker, and many, many more. In addition to the artwork, they also took time to include short bios for many of the artists involved. There's a wealth of information here, this is pretty much a mandatory coffee table adornment for any jazz fan. Measures in at 12.1 x 12.1 x 0.9 inches, hard cover, 178 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by Hires

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music + culture books / lab recommended / graphic design books

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Hamburger Eyes
Hamburger Eyes: Inside Burgerworld Book

Hallelujah! After years of slanging zines (and creating the awesome Photo Epicenter), the Hamburger Eyes crew has finally come around to putting out an official book! We've been praising with these guys for a while, carrying their early xeroxed issues and doing a show at our LA store. When will people finally get the message: Hamburger Eyes destroys monotony! If you're not aware of the movement, just think about every time you saw some cool, inexplicable, or completely random that gave you a jolt of brain juices. Seconds later you say to yourself: "Damn, I wish I had a camera..." Well, Hamburger people always have their cameras with them, shoot old school film rolls, and capture the most beautifully random moments evah. Hardcover, approximately 200 pages, black and white. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / all mags / zines / and more

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Hamburger Eyes
Issue #12

What's left to say about the almighty Hamburger Eyes? Every issue is packed with some of the most raw, beautiful and straight "wtf" inducing b&w photography you'll see in this day and age. In addition to the usual random shots from around the globe, this issue includes the short features "Hello New York" by Tobin Yelland and "All The Punks Think You're Dumb" by Ricky Adam. So what are you waiting for? 90 pages. Highly recommended.
reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red

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lab recommended / all mags / zines / and more

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Hamburger Eyes
Issue #13

contemporary B&W photography from around the world

The always-dope Hamburger Eyes crew is back with their 13th edition, featuring more of the weird B&W photography that we can't get enough of around here. Contains work from Wayne Levin, Jason Roberts Dobrin, Zack Canepari, Ray Potes and many many more. Recommended.
reviewed by Hires

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Jamel Shabazz
Seconds Of My Life Book

"Seconds Of My Life" marks the fourth book featuring the prolific work of Jamel Shabaaz. By now you all are familiar with Jamel's honest and straight-forward photography featuring people's day to day life in urban communties, but where as his previous books - "Back In The Days" and "A Time Before Crack" were very specific about the time and place of his subjects -"Seconds..." delves deep into
the photographer's archives and features a broader spectrum of work from all over the world spanning back 25 years to the present. From the favelas of Brasil, the hills of Jamaica, the Buddhist monks of Bangkok, the immigrants of France, or the black urban landscape of DC, Chicago, Philly and NYC, Shabaaz is able to confidently capture the confidence of the people from all races, genders, and classes. This hefty book also features photos of many famous musicians and icons from the black community including Grandmaster Flash, The Roots, Grover Washington Jr., Pete Rock, Common, Mos Def, Kanye, Russell Simmons and more.
Harcover, 224 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by snackmaster

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lab recommended / photography books

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James Jarvis
Vortigern's Machine Book

I've been familiar with James Jarvis' work for sometime now (the funny, potato-headish characters that have an alternative Simpsons-like quality) and his shit always cracks me up. You've probably seen his various toy/design projects (like the ICWF wrestler guys, the King Ken toys, and his stuff for SILAS), but It's cool to see him go all out in comic book form (I see you comic book heads!) and give context to his funny characters. With Vortigern's Mansion, Jarvis illustrates the story of two unsuspecting young dudes who go on a "magical" adventure that takes them from the streets of the city to the ends of the universe and back to uncover some of life's most pressing metaphysical questions. Sound a little trippy? Yeah, it is - but if you wanna see some uber-cool drawings and read a very fun story, then this one's for you. It's got everything from Patwah speaking Brits, a mysterious mansion, psychadelic substances and alternative realities, strange tribes and weird rituals, a cyclops and more good stuff. I hope they make this into a cartoon. 48 technicolor pages.
reviewed by snackmaster

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Joe Fig
Inside The Painter's Studio Book

interviews with modern artists + pictorials of their studios, pick

Freaking brilliant. This book is exactly what the art world needs: some behind the scenes reality reporting (works with sports and music, why not art?). This book is the culmination of 10 years of work from Joe Fig. Armed with a camera and "Artist Questionnaire," Fig began a journey through the workspaces of some of today's most exciting contemporary artists. This book gives you unprecedented access to the work spaces and inner thoughts of some of modern art's biggest names. Taking it to the obsessive level (that's what we want), Fig goes as far as creating detailed diorama-like miniature reproductions of each studio.

The 24 artist featured include: Gregory Amenoff, Ross Bleckner, Chuck Close, Will Cotton, Inka Essenhigh, Eric Fischl, Barnaby Furnas, April Gornik, Jane Hammond, Mary Heilmann, Bill Jensen, Ryan McGinness, Julie Mehretu, Malcolm Morley, Steve Mumford, Philip Pearlstein, Matthew Ritchie, Alexis Rockman, Dana Schutz, James Siena, Amy Sillman, Joan Snyder, Billy Sullivan, and Fred Tomaselli.

Softcover, 7 x 9.5 inches, 240 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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Josef Muller-Brockmann
History of Posters Book

Wow. Faithful reprint of the 1971 Josef-Muller Brockmann classic. Much like his survey-style History of Visual Communications, History of the Poster presents itself like an opinionated guide through the nineteenth century to the late seventies. JMB selects the finest examples of poster design from this time period and arranges them into categories: illustrative, object-informative, constructive, experimental, and series. Each division begins with an informative essay written in JMB's authoritative style, and clearly identifies essential design concepts. With hundreds of color examples spread out over 244 pages of JMB grid design, this is like no panties and jeans (so necessary). Soft-cover, heavy coated stock. Recommended.
reviewed by mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / graphic design books

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Kerry William Purcell
Josef Muller-Brockmann Book

Can you ever have enough Brockmann books? No. Phaidon presents their tribute to the grid master with the largest and most comprehensive JMB book to date. The inner-jacket claims this book to be "most definitive JMB monograph," and it's hard to argue against it. I personally own most every JMB title printed in the last 10 years, and I can tell you that this book features a large amount of exclusive material. Whereas most books spotlight his signature poster work, this book tells the entire story of the man, starting from his teens, continuing through his early formative professional days, and ending with his later corporate work. What is most interesting is that the book presents his early drawings, paintings, and designs, and attempts to decipher his influences. Did you know that JMB was a skilled illustrator and painter? A stage designer? Had a Picasso-influenced period? Designed a typeface for a typewriter? Even if you own every JMB book, this book will spark your imagination as much as the first time you saw one of his posters. His progression is fascinating, as his body of work represents a movement from the complex and painterly to the simple and mathematic (think about that for a second). 275 pages, hardcover. Measures 10" x 12" x 1.25". Highly recommended.
reviewed by mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / graphic design books

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Lesley Arfin
Dear Diary Book

Trying to write anything funny or cute about this book without reading and digesting every page of it would be a mistake. I can say this: Dear Diary is a totally unique, totally addictive (n.p.i.) little book from Vice contributor Lesley Arfin. If you're not a regular Vice reader, Dear Diary is where Lesley publishes excerpts from her 13 years of meticulously kept diaries (ages 12 to 25), then responds to each entry with the benefit of hindsight, even interviewing the people she loved / hated / talked shit about in the entries. There are innocent chapters, less innocent chapters, totally fucked up chapters and then some - but Lesley pulls them all off with a tone that's just right, not too serious, not too light. I tried to just do the cursory review-skim of this book but got sucked in and ended up reading half of it at my desk. This hardcover first printing comes with a neat magnetic snap "padlock" on the front, with a cool cover shot from Richard Kern. It's also got pictures throughout (B&W sketches and color photographs) and a foreword from Chloe Sevigny. 288 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by Chris Lemon-Red

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all

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Matthew Brannon
To Say The Very Least Book

I first found out about artist Matthew Brannon in an article in Color magazine (Canada's finest skate mag). I was instantly hooked by his graphic designer's approach to fine art. Brannon pairs his 60s/70s advertising-style imagery with non- sequitur, catchy one liners. He seems to travel in a parallel world with Geoff McFetridge, but with an alternate color palette and font style (and his work goes for fine art prices). Softcover, 8.5" x 12", 175 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Michael Kroeger
Paul Rand: Conversations With Students Book

Paul Rand is an American badass. This book is a must-read if you are a designer. There's this one intense part where Rand argues with other notable designers about the meaning of "design." He continually dwarfs these experts for several pages until he finally drops the answer on them (which I will hide from you). I was page-turning like it was the DaVinci Code. Rand has so much to say about design, the way it should be taught, and the way you should approach it. It's refreshing to read about all the abstract thought processes that go through a designer's head... it makes it real. This book documents several conversations Rand had with students and peers. It's smartly designed with lots of visual aids. Paperback, 5.5" x 8", 96 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / graphic design books

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Mike Mills
Graphics Films Book

With his recent lauded foray into film, it should not be forgotten that Mike Mills is one the more important designers of our generation (ie those who designed in the nineties to the present). Who else has a dedicated visual design release on MoWax records? Or has fashioned the look of Supreme, Sonic Youth, The Beastie Boys, Beck, X-Girl, Air, and others(!)? This book is his first comprehensive monograph that features the bulk of his graphics, artwork, and films. Hardcover, 9.75" x 12.75", 176 pages. Essentially modern, recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books / graphic design books

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Moises Puente
Conversations with Mies van der Rohe Book

Firstly, how badass is the cover image: Mies chillaxing in a fine tailored suit avec cigar and perfectly slouched in his own creation? This (bigger than the average) pocketbook begins with Mies Van Der Rohe's 1950 poem(?) entitled Architecture and Poetry. Deep stuff for back then, it's like OMD first album on paper. Then the book goes into three very indepth Q+A sessions from the 50/60s. The question range from standard architecture question, to ones about philosophy and his peers. Interspersed amongst the words, you get images of the man himself as well as examples of his work. The book is well designed and easy to digest, bite size intellectualism at its best. 94 pages, recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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MTV
On Air Book & DVD

Love it or hate, MTV is the corporate monster with top notch design, probably tops in screen and motion design and digital shorts. Their pool of talent (many of your favorite designers have probably done work for them at one point) is equally as impressive. This book collects the best work from all the MTV networks with a majority coming from MTV's international channels. Each work is broken down into several screen shots. The most interesting part is that each designer explains the concept, the techniques used to execute it (an invaluable resource), and the effects. Also includes an all-region DVD featuring the work featured in the book. Cloth-bound hardcover, 200 pages.
reviewed by mgmnt

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lab recommended / graphic design books

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Neckface
The Devil Made Me Do It Book

Neck Face's second book shows why everyone still sweats him. It's impressive to see the progression this guy has made in his art, both in technique and intensity. It just seems a matter a time before he takes his show to video / film, paper and objects can't hold him down. This 156 page book features Neck Face's drawings, paintings, installations, sculptures, random photography, self-portrait series, pee-ing on toilet paper series, and much more. Highly recommended.

- hardcover, 9" x 9", 156 pages
- first edition of 1000
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Otl Aicher Book

This is the kind of book that gets the "recommended" in the front of the review. German designer Otl Aicher ranks up there with Brockmanns, the Hoffmans, and the Rands in the hierarchy of modern design. His branding of the 1972 Munich Olympics stands as one of the best major design jobs in the history of mankind (I'm serious). It also resulted in the easily the best iconography the world has ever seen (you've seen some variation of his sports icons somewhere). This chunky monograph includes those aforementioned works and reveals a rarely-seen, comprehensive retrospective of his work. This is the kind of stuff that has a powerful humbling effect (you are a design peon!), and makes you want to work even harder. Hardcover, 240 pages. Again, highly recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / all / graphic design books

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Paul Gorman
Reasons To Be Cheerful: The life and work of Barney Bubbles Book

genius graphic design, editor's pick

You're at Blockbuster (that place that rents DVDs). You can't find anything, so you rent one of those classic films that everyone sweats. After viewing this film, it blows your mind and subsequently opens up new alleyways in your brain. It is your steez. Ditto this. You can instantly add Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles (1942-1983) to the my personal top ten list of favorite designers of all-time. Although I may have unknowingly admired some record cover work, this book collects it into one mammoth home run of juicy cheeseburgers, amateur porn, exquisite wines, and high grade drugs. Yes, it's a revelation. A sufferer of bipolar disorder, Bubbles was a radical designer who brought so much creativity to the design field (but with a foot firm in strong design and type). His mark is all over the fringe (and sometimes mainstream) music scene including iconic work for Hawkwind, Stiff Records, Elvis Costello, Ian Drury, Devo, Depeche Mode, and many others. This monograph collects his musical work, drafts, sketches, art work, and rarities; plus lots of words about this remarkable talent. Hardcover, 224 pages, 9" x 11". Highly recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all / graphic design books

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Ryan McGinness
No Sin / No Future Book - SIGNED

LAB EXCLUSIVO: these first batch of books is personally signed by Ryan McGinness. And it's not just a one-liner, Ryan fills up most of the page with doodles and quotes!

Ryan McGinness drops another limited edition book to document his mind spray aka the visual free jazz. This book looks like Ryan's brain threw up, but unlike a commoner's throw-up, Ryan's comes out in expertly splattered vectorizations, pixelations and flourishes. There's no concrete rhyme to the book, it's a mish-mash of snapshots, sketches, and scans from Ryan's studio. 2500 copies. Hardcover, 168 Pages, 216 x 279 mm. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

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lab recommended / art + design books

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Seymour: The Obsessive Images Of Seymour Chwast Book

light-hearted illustrations from Push Pin co-founder

A revolutionary of visual culture, Seymour Chwast is one of the most influential illustrators of the last half century. Filled with hundreds of his distinctive illustrations, Seymour is a career-spanning volume, sure to be an indispensable addition to the libraries of illustration buffs, pop-culture aficionados, and Chwast's die-hard fans. As co-founder of Push Pin Studios, Chwast has produced a body of illustrationsâ€"humorous, ironic, political, and utterly uniqueâ€"that are as inspirational to designers and illustrators today as they were when they first came on the scene over sixty years ago. Seymour is a spectacular and extensive tribute to a monumental figure in American illustration. Hardcover, 9" x 11", 272 pages.
reviewed by label review

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Shepard Fairey
Supply & Demand - 20th Anniversary Edition Book - SIGNED

lab exclusivo, signed by shepard fairey

LAB SEMI-EXCLUSIVO: These copies are signed by artist Shepard Fairey. Limited stock.

Special 20th anniversary edition of Supply & Demand - the definitive book on the artwork of Shepard Fairey. The book is now expanded (Tkat note: Also now included is a letter written to Shepard from Obama, which just reminds me of the incredible times we're living in. As you would expect the letter is eloquent and moving and pays respect to the influential nature of the now iconic image of our President(!) that became omnipresent throughout the campaign and now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery(!) alondside a long line of oil painted crackers who used to have a death grip on this shit.) and in an impresive black cover. This substantial book begins with Fairey's original Andre the Giant sticker and expands into Fairey's many different progressions and transformations. The book approaches the subject at a very grounded level, as most of the writing and all the captioning is in the first person. Fairey tells you the origins of his work, his favorite spots to bomb, influences, and all the interesting details. You really feel like you're having a detailed conversation with the man himself. In addition to showing the widest array of Fairey's work (the original artwork for Andre, all the Andre variations, the propaganda phase, those portraits, museum work, etc.), Fairey unveils many additional parts of his story like old vandalism tickets, newspaper clippings, letters, and much more. This is truly one of the best executed artist books I've encountered as it is very comprehensive, but more importantly it gets you behind the scenes. As I said, this book is rather substantial, measuring 12.5" x 9.5" and 2"(!) deep. The 450 pages (25 extra pages) are cased in a cloth-bound hardcover. Also includes an Obey poster folded inside. Highly recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

file under:
lab recommended / art + design books / all

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Store Front: The Disappearing Face Of New York Book

Steaks Chops Seafood. I always wanted to do a book on the store front signs, but thank god I didn't, cause this massive book would've blown mine away. Love the oversized format (13.25" x 12"), and the thing literally weighs 6.7 lbs! This book is meticulously organized by neighborhood (with maps!), features top quality photos and even includes stories on some the establishments. Hardcover, 13.25" x 12", 336 pages. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

file under:
lab recommended / all / photography books

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Sue Kwon
Street Level: New York Photographs 1987-2007 Book

street photography of the five borroughs

Beautiful black and white photographs of the streets of NYC circa '87 to '07 from Sue Kwon. The title Street Level prefectly suits this book, as it covers the city's people in their natural environment - on the street. No frills, just real people doing their thing in the best city in the world. Photos of your average sidewalk citizen are paired up next to the world's biggest stars (like Jay-Z, the Beastie Boys, Kanye, Meth, Alicia Keys, Flavor Flav, etc), but they all look equally interesting when placed in front the unbiased lens of Kwon. In addition, the city's rich cultural diversity is well captured in this fantastic book which is divided into geographical sections from Times Square, LES, Chinatown, Little Italy, and Coney Island to Bronx, Brooklyn, Harlem, and Queens. Hardcover, 222 pages deep. Recommended.
reviewed by snackmaster

file under:
music + culture books / lab recommended / photography books

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Vice
News, Nudity & Nonsense: The Best of Vice Magazine Vol.2 Book

second compendium of Vice's best editorial content

Second edition of Vice's "Best Of," covering 2003-2008. This one includes their best editorial contentfrom their Vice Guides to sections on Sex, Drugs, Books and America, among others (no Dos And Don'ts though, they did that book already). It's pretty easy to get lost in an issue of the magazine for an hour or so, so I'm sure you can imagine how much time you can kill when you read it all in one big chunk. Great for people who want to catch up on content from old issues, or people who don't have regular access to the magazine. 311 pages, recommended.
reviewed by Hires

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all

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Vice
Vice's Do's & Don'ts Book

They should have put this one out first. This book features 260 pages of every single Dos and Don'ts published in Vice magazine plus a bunch of new stuff. The Dos & DonÌts have been running ever since Vice started, and itÌs probably the one nail-down asset that has kept them around so long. Ironic anti-politics and hipper than thou guides to life will get you places, but thereÌs nothing like seeing candid pictures of cool people & idiots on the street, accompanied by the best photo captions ever. ItÌs a legitimate phenom. Measure your visual coolness (am I a do or a donÌt? quickly shuffling to the middle of the magazine to find out); laugh at the amazing fashion ineptitude of middle america/canada; ponder the coin toss fate of the ones that could have gone either way....so easy to get stuck in this book, but so amusing. Full color, and the pictures are a lot bigger. Recommended, and with a note on usage: store in the dumpy room so you can savor it longer.
reviewed by mgmnt

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all /

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Vice
Vice's Guide To Sex & Drugs Book

Ahhhh Vice. Regardless of what your disposition is towards their trucker-hat posturing, it gets pretty hard to front on a magazine that consistently comes correct in terms of unique angles and stories, especially at the cover charge of zero dollars. For all of you who missed out on any of the past nine years worth, this book basically contains a greatest hits of Vice articles. Everything from the guy who was on acid for a year, to how to go down on your girly and/or shine up your man. Leave it in the loo, and it makes bathroom time supremely fun and entertaining. Your roommates will concoct disturbing reasons for why you are laughing so hard and have been in there for an hour, but you'll be too busy learning how to do it in the butt the right way and how to score free pills to care what they think. 331 fun loving pages true believers, plus the bonus "best of fashion DO's and DON'Ts" photo section that is easily the most excellent part of the whole thing.
reviewed by mathhead

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all /

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Vince Aletti
The Disco Files 1973-78: New York's Underground, Week By Week Book

definitive chronicle of disco, 2000+ rec reviews, 484 pages

Essential reading for anyone with more than just a passing interest in disco. If you are a disco dj, collector (or nerd) then you already know what this is (especially if you frequent DJHistory.com). Danny Krivit sums it up well - "The most accurate documentation of the birth of disco in existence!." That's the truth. This much anticipated book is THE definitive chronicle of disco written by Vince Aletti, the first writer to cover NY's emerging disco scene in the 70's. His weekly review column was circulated among all the top DJs and record labels at the time (photocopies of which are sweated as holy grail disco collectables) and The Disco Files collects ALL of them in book form! With over 2000+ record reviews, 800 club charts from the time, unpublished photos, classic magazine articles, and stories, this book is an invaluable source of information on disco culture. 484 pages, Highly Recommended.
reviewed by snackmaster

file under:
music + culture books / lab recommended / dj + producer specific books

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Wax Poetics
Anthology, Vol.1 Book

collection of articles on vinyl culture

Ahh, the choice pick for the collector's collector. Wax Poetics has been feeding our wax fetishes from their first issue in 2000. In fact, they started up right after TTL, and in many ways, we've grown up with them. From the small "heads only" mag at the height of the crate digger era, to the respected record connoisseur magazine it is today, you can definitely say they've come a long way. Since back issues of this mag are hard to find and in high demand (they're all shelved in the bosses' room), Wax Po put together this official hardcover anthology book, covering the prime articles from the first 5 issues. If you're avid WaxPo reader, you'll love the change to the large format. The pictures are just as priceless as the stories behind them, and when they're blown up this nice, it becomes that much harder to put down. 8.5 x 11", 240 pages, with 480 color plates. Recommended.
reviewed by C'mish

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all mags / wax poetics / and more

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Wax Poetics
Cover Story: Album Cover Art Book

The connoisseurs at Wax Poetics get brilliant on this one. The concept gathers some of the magazine's most esteemed contributors to pick out 20 of their most personable albums and pair them up according to their individual significance. The result is a combination of rare record art, classics and funky music juxtaposed in an intriguing order. Kinda like a random assortment of "Desert Island" picks, if you will. The only text is in the preface and intro, but besides that the mystery of the pair ups are as subjective as the music locked in the grooves. The covers range from comedic, funky and outrageous, to refined, poetic and thought provoking(see detail pics) but all of them carry a timeless quality. Because this indirectly highlights the working artist before computers, I highly suggest this for anyone interested in graphics for music. I think you'll agree that the old methods were less fleeting. Recommended.
reviewed by Cmish

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music + culture books / lab recommended / all mags / wax poetics / and more

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WIWP
Now Showing (Movie Posters Re-Designed) Book

modern interpretations of vintage movie posters

Pocket-sized book from Madrid's Blur Editions documenting the Now Showing poster show from the Summer of 2008 in London. 40+ Creatives were given the task of creating their own interpretation of a cult, classic or obscure film poster from the past, whether it be a literal or abstract solution. Designers / artists include: Cody Hudson, Siggi Eggertsson, Michael Gillette, Mr. Ian Wright, Pure Evil, Hellovon, Build, Non Format, Corey Holms, Grandpeople, Marian Bantjes, Tomer Hanuka, Nathan Fox, James Joyce and many more. Films covered include Blow Up, Faster Pussycat, Super Vixens, Metropolis, The Birds, Planet Of The Apes, The Lost Boys, Rear Window, 2001, Alphaville, Midnight Cowboy, and many more. Softcover, 64 pages, 12 x 16cm. Recommended.
reviewed by the mgmnt

file under:
music + culture books / lab recommended / art + design books

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