Arts Design

10 NEW BOOKS DELIVER BEAUTIFUL THRILL RIDES

Floating Luxury: The Most Luxurious Cruise Ships. Courtesy of Lannoo Publishers by Iwein Maassen.

by Iwein Maassen. Courtesy of Lannoo Publishers. Floating Luxury: The Most Luxurious Cruise Ships.

We begin our week of Beautiful Rides with 10 wonderful new books that will delight you with beautiful armchair rides. From magnificent luxury boats, to rare golden horses, to epic snowboard rides, and more, these books are thrill rides in their own right.

1. FLOATING LUXURY: THE MOST LUXURIOUS CRUISE SHIPS

When you read Iwein Maassen’s new book, Floating Luxury: The Most Luxurious Cruise Ships, you’ll take beautiful armchair ride, brought to life with exquisite perfect detail.

Today’s cruise ships are essentially floating cities, thanks to modern design and engineering. This exquisite tome contains photographs from 20 cruise ships that highlight the ships’ spectacular accommodations, fine dining, extravagant entertainment, leisure activities, and luxurious retail therapy.

Other fascinating details that Maassen explores are the history of the ships and their design, a breakdown of their basic data, nautical terminology, travel information, and key ports to visit.

Publisher: Lannoo Publishers (2014)

2. GOLDEN HORSE: THE LEGENDARY AKHAL-TEKE

Golden Horse: The Legendary Akhal-Teke, co-written by Aleksandr Klimuk and Artur Baboev, is a beautiful book featuring the Akhal-Tele, horse breed, from central Asia, known for its speed, intelligence, and shimmering metallic coat.

More than 150 glossy images, photographed by Baboev, show off the beauty of this riding breed. The book includes history and anecdotes about this magnificent horse.

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (2014)

3. STREAMLINED: CLASSIC CARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Automobiles, designed as if shaped by the wind, embody a natural grace, elegance, and beauty.

Streamlined: Classic Cars of the 20th Century, by Malte Jürgens, exhibits some of the most exquisite examples of aerodynamic cars produced over the last 100 years. Michel Zumbrunn photographed a never-before-seen collection of these rolling works of art at a 2009 exhibit at the Prototyp car museum in Hamburg, Germany.

Schiffer Publishing (2015)

4. FERRARI: THE LEGENDARY MODELS

Ferrari, one of the top exotic car manufacturers, has produced some of the most beautiful, breathtaking, desirable supercars in the world. Ferrari: The Legendary Models, by Saverio Villa, looks at the best of Ferrari, including the 250 GTO (1962), the 275 GTB (1964), 330 P3 (1966), F355 Berlinetta (1994), the F50 (1995), which is pictured above, and the 430 Scuderia (2007). Detailed imagery, historical journeys, and technical specifications are sure to wow gear-heads and casual readers alike.

White Star Publishers (2015)

5. BEST IN SHOW: ITALIAN CAR MASTERPIECES FROM THE LOPRESTO COLLECTION

One-of-a-kind autos are always fascinating, due to their history, vision, and beauty. Best in Show: Itali an Car Masterpieces from the Lopresto Collection, by Andrea Cittadini, presents unique automotive masterpieces through expert photography and writing, based on interviews conducted with automotive enthusiast and collector, Corrado Lopresto.

Each car segment includes high-definition studio photography and expertly crafted descriptions. The last section of the book features memorable anecdotes. This book is a beautiful photographic anthology of these iconic wonderful and unique machines.

Skira (2015)

6. LAMBORGHINI SUPERCARS 50 YEARS: FROM THE GROUNDBREAKING MIURA TO TODAY’S HYPERCARS

Few car companies have pushed the boundaries of technology and design like Lamborghini has. Close to 50 years ago, the Lamborghini legacy was born out of a steadfast determination to be radically different, exotic, and exciting.

Lamborghini Supercars 50 Years: From the Groundbreaking Miura to Today's Hypercars, by Stuart Codling, devotes itself to showing off the beautiful history of Lamborghini’s production, from the revolutionary Miura, which shocked the world in 1964 with its unique radical design, to the latest iteration of the company’s beautiful madness, the Huracan, which can hit 60mph in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 202 mph.

This stunning books treats readers to James Mann’s amazing photography of the exquisite supercars, cool facts and stats, and a fascinating recount of Lamborghini’s history, with foreward by Fabio Lamborghini.

Motorbooks (2015)

7. ENGLAND ON HORSEBACK

Take a ride through the English countryside in this beautiful new book, England on Horseback, by Zara Colchester and Charlotte Sainsbury-Plaice.

The authors chart 12 different journeys through beautiful landscapes in England, so you can plan your own scenic horseback riding trip. Routes include journeys through Cotswold Villages, as well as others, that were catalogued long ago in the Domesday Book, a survey, conducted in 1086, that traced and recorded the distribution of English land and appraised its value.

Publisher: Clearview (2014)

8. MOTORCYCLE PASSION

Motorcycle Passion, a new book edited by Michael Kockritz, takes you on an exciting ride, with vibrant photographs and intriguing information about the world of motorcycles.

Kockritz highlights iconic bikes and gear. The book includes iconic songs and films that use motorcycles as symbols of independence and rebellion. Beautiful bike tours, unique cycling shops, and legendary historical events relating to the world of motorcycles are also explored in this gorgeous book.

Publisher: teNeues (2015)

9. THE GOLDEN AGE OF HANDBUILT BICYCLES: CRAFTSMANSHIP, ELEGANCE, AND FUNCTION

The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles: Craftsmanship, Elegance, and Function, written by Jan Heine and photographed by Jean-Pierre Praderes, is a beautiful celebration of the history and design of handbuilt bicycles.

The book features full-color images of 50 handbuilt models from artisans and brands, such as La Gauloise, Reyhand, Schulz, Barra, Alex Singer, and René Herse. The beautiful details in both photos and text reveal the technical evolution of this wonderful vehicle.

From early 20th century bicycles with multi-gear systems, to mid-century bikes that were frugally innovated during and after the World Wars, to modern and contemporary models, the photographs in this book are truly stunning.

Publisher: Rizzoli ( 2015)

10. CHASING EPIC: THE SNOWBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY OF JEFF CURTES

Chasing Epic: The Snowboard Photography of Jeff Curtes, edited by by Steve Crist and Megan Shoemaker, beautifully captures the intensely exciting spirit of this sport.

Curtes is one of the world’s most distinguished snowboarding photographers worked, for over 20 years, for Jeff Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards. Burton’s introduction in the book is an inspiring read.

If you are into snowboarding, you will love this incredible coffee table book, with gorgeous photos of majestic mountainsides and exceptional athletes, including Shaun White and many others.

Publisher: AMMO Books (2014)

Read more about Beautiful Rides, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

Image: by Iwein Maassen. Courtesy of Lannoo Publishers. Floating Luxury: The Most Luxurious Cruise Ships.
Image: by Iwein Maassen. Courtesy of Lannoo Publishers. Floating Luxury: The Most Luxurious Cruise Ships.
Image: by Artur Baboev. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams. Golden Horse: The Legendary Akhal-Tele.
Image: by Artur Baboev. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams. Golden Horse: The Legendary Akhal-Tele.
Image: by Michel Zumbrunn. Courtesy of Schiffer Publishing. Streamlined: Classic Cars of the 20th Century.
Image: Courtesy of White Star Publishers. Ferrari: The Legendary Models.
Image: Courtesy of Skira. Best In Show: Italian Car Masterpieces.
Image: by James Mann. Courtesy of Motorbooks. Lamborghini Supercars 50 Years: From the Groundbreaking Miura to Today’s Hypercars.
Image: Courtesy of Clearview. England on Horseback.
Image: Courtesy of teNeues. Motorcycle Passion.
Image: Courtesy of teNeues. Motorcycle Passion.
Image: by Jean-Pierre Praderes. Courtesy of Rizzoli. The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles: Craftsmanship, Elegance, and Function.
Image: by Jean-Pierre Praderes. Courtesy of Rizzoli. The Golden Age of Handbuilt Bicycles: Craftsmanship, Elegance, and Function.
Image: by Jeff Curtes. Courtesy of AMMO Books. Chasing Epic: The Snowboard Photography of Jeff Curtes.
Image: Courtesy of Skira. Best In Show: Italian Car Masterpieces.
Image: by Jeff Curtes. Courtesy of AMMO Books. Chasing Epic: The Snowboard Photography of Jeff Curtes.
Image: Courtesy of BeautifulNow. BN App.
Image: by Artur Baboev. Courtesy of Harry N. Abrams. Golden Horse: The Legendary Akhal-Tele.