You know what they say…. But in this case, it really is okay to judge a book by its cover – and all the pretty pages in between. I bet there’s someone on your list who’d love one of these for the holidays. And you don’t even have to worry about getting the right size.
 Botticelli Frank Zoellner This opulent celebration of the life and art of the Renaissance genius presents Sandro Botticelli s complete paintings and offers a comprehensive and thoroughly up-to-date study of his work. |
 A Year in Architecture Claudia Stauble , Jonathan Lee Fox Get a daily dose of architectural splendor, from the Egyptian pyramids and Rome’s Coliseum to envelope pushing masterpieces by today’s leading designers. |
 A Photographer’s Life: 1990-2005 Annie Leibovitz “I don’t have two lives,” Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990 to 2005. “This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it.” |
 Style and Substance: The Best of Elle Decor Margaret Russell This book provides an intimate view inside breathtaking homes from around the world with 240 pages of striking images culled from the archives of ELLE DECOR – America’s most elegant interiors magazine. |
 Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town Douglas Gayeton An unprecedented photographic personal journey into the heart of hidden Tuscany that celebrates the principles that define the Slow Food movement and pays tribute to the region’s kaleidoscope of vibrant characters, whose shared culture revolves around the everyday pleasure of growing, preparing, and eating food. |
 The Book of Codes: Understanding the World of Hidden Messages The art of the code-code making and code breaking–remains shrouded in mystery and seems locked away in the murky realms of military intelligence, spies, and secret services. This lavishly illustrated encyclopedia surveys the history and development of code making and code breaking in all areas of culture and society-from hieroglyphs and runes to DNA, the Zodiac Killer, The Da Vinci Code, graffiti, and beyond. |
 The Principles of Uncertainty Maira Kalman An irresistible invitation to experience life through a beloved artist’s psyche. Part personal narrative, part documentary, part travelogue, part chapbook, and all Kalman, these brilliant, whimsical paintings, ideas, and images-which initially appear random-ultimately form an intricately interconnected worldview, an idiosyncratic inner monologue. |
 A Year in Fashion: A Look a Day Pascal Morche Featuring fashion icons and images culled from the Getty archives, this book presents brilliant photos of designers and their creations, top models and movie stars, royalty and rock n’ roll legends. 365 spreads-one for each day of the year- feature full-page, four-color photographs along with fascinating fashion trivia. |
 National Geographic Live, Laugh, Celebrate Ferdinand Protzman This lavish and generous collection of photographs and accompanying essays showcases 150 full-color images, some new and never before published, others culled from National Geographic’s archive of classic, often pioneering photography. |
 Secrets of the Universe: How We Discovered the Cosmos Paul Murdin Secrets of the Universe invites us to participate in the moments of revelation and wonder as scientists first experienced them. Lavishly illustrated with more than 400 color images, the book outlines in seventy episodes what humankind has learned about the cosmos—and what scientists around the world are poised to learn in the coming decades. |
These are two of the most beautiful books that I’ve ever seen, the author hand made each page and then Harper Collins published them, they are utterly stunning and I’ve given them to so many women and they love them.
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/detail.aspx?ItemId=0007261438
AND
http://www.betterworldbooks.com/detail.aspx?ItemId=0007274718
Just wanted to say great job with the blog, today is my first visit here and I’ve enjoyed reading your posts so far