BEAUTIFUL LEARNINGS FROM BEAUTIFUL BOOKS NOW
We begin our week of Beautiful Learning with a look at beautiful new books. We’ve curated an exquisite collection, from books that can teach you how to grow beautiful food, to books that teach you about the art of math, to books that tell incredibly moving stories about children who overcome great challenges in their quests for education.
1. GROWING BEAUTIFUL FOOD: A GARDENER’S GUIDE TO CULTIVATING EXTRAORDINARY VEGETABLES AND FRUIT
Growing Beautiful Food: A Gardener's Guide to Cultivating Extraordinary Vegetables and Fruit
Offering both inspiration and instruction, this book will delight you whether you grow your own food or garden from your armchair.
Benson is a prominent garden photographer. Benson and his wife operate Stonegate Farm, a restored heritage farm in the Hudson Valley, in upstate New York. Benson is also a contributing editor and television spokesman for Organic Gardening.
Rodale Books (2015)
2. FLORA ILLUSTRATA: GREAT WORKS FROM THE LUESTHER T. MERTZ LIBRARY OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
Flora Illustrata: Great Works from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden, compiled by Susan M. Fraser and Vanessa Bezemer Sellers, is a beautiful collection of essays from the library of the renowned New York Botanical Garden, representing the past 8 centuries of botanical and horticultural knowledge.
"Equally a feast for the mind and the eyes.”
–– Oliver Sacks
Yale University Press (2014)
3. THE STORY OF WESTERN SCIENCE: FROM THE WRITINGS OF ARISTOTLE TO THE BIG BANG THEORY
The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory, by Susan Wise Bauer, traces the written history of Western science, from the texts of Aristotle, Plato, and Hippocrates, through 20th century classics about biology, cosmology, and physics. This beautifully informative book proves why it is so important to learn about science firsthand, from the leaders in the field.
“A bright, informative resource for readers seeking to understand science through the eyes of the men and women who shaped its history.”
–– Kirkus Reviews
W. W. Norton & Company (2015)
4. THE ELEMENTS OF LANDSCAPE OIL PAINTING: TECHNIQUES FOR RENDERING SKY, TERRAIN, TREES, AND WATER
The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting: Techniques for Rendering Sky, Terrain, Trees, and Water, by Suzanne Broker, is a comprehensive guide to landscape oil painting.
Broker introduces the fundamentals of this art form by breaking landscapes down into their component parts- sky, terrain, trees, and water. She also provides lessons on what brushes, paints, and tools to use. This is a beautiful guidebook.
Watson-Guptill (2015)
5. FRENCH CHIC LIVING: SIMPLE WAYS TO MAKE YOUR HOME BEAUTIFUL
French Chic Living: Simple Ways to Make Your Home Beautiful
De Dampierre provides household chore tips, home decor suggestions, and instructions on how to design a simple, fragrant kitchen garden, with lavish photographs of a sweet country house, in a beautiful town in France.
Rizzoli (2015)
6. SEA SHELLS OF INDIA: AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO COMMON GASTROPODS
Sea Shells of India: An Illustrated Guide to Common Gastropods
High-quality illustrations beautifully depict the 488 species represented within, as do the 21 plates of live animals.
Oxford University Press (2015)
7. OBJECT LESSONS: THE VISUALISATION OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY LIFE SCIENCES
Object Lessons: The Visualisation of Nineteenth-Century Life Sciences, by Robert McCracken Peck, Lynne Cooke, and George Loudon, presents a stunning array of nearly 200 objects, including botanical specimens and anatomical models, collected by George Loudon.
The book includes Loudon’s explanatory text, an essay by Peck, a fascinating dialogue between Loudon and Cooke, and photography by Purcell.
Ridinghouse (2015)
8. MATHEMATICS AND ART: A CULTURAL HISTORY
Mathematics and Art: A Cultural History
Gamwell describes great mathematicians and artists who were noted for their introspectiveness. She explores their quest to understand both the physical and abstract world.
With beautiful illustrations, compelling math diagrams, and a foreword by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this book is a gem.
"Mathematics and Art describes mankind's search for patterns and the expression of these numbers and forms by artists. This book will enrich the reader's understanding of mathematics and the arts throughout history, and their deep interconnections in today's global culture of high technology and contemporary art."
–– Tatsuo Miyajima, artist
Princeton University Press (2015)
9. MISSION HIGH: ONE SCHOOL, HOW EXPERTS TRIED TO FAIL IT, AND THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS WHO MADE IT TRIUMPH
Mission High: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph, by education journalist Kristina Rizga, introduces the students of Mission High School, who come from poor families.
These are motivated, smart, and successful students in every way, except one- they score poorly on standardized tests. This gripping story shows that skills, not scores, are what truly constitutes a good education.
“This book is a godsend … a moving portrait for anyone wanting to go beyond the simplified labels and metrics and really understand an urban high school, and its highly individual, resilient, eager and brilliant students and educators.”
–– Dave Eggers, co-founder, 826 National and ScholarMatch
Nation Books (2015)
10. THE WAY TO SCHOOL
The Way to School
“Buoyant and beautiful, ‘The Way to School’ is a deeply powerful illustration of the importance of education and the universal drive to learn.”
–– Shelf Awareness
Second Story Press (2015)
Read more about Beautiful Learning, 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 Matthew Benson. Stonegate Farm.
- Image: Courtesy of Rodale Books. Growing Beautiful Food: A Gardener’s Guide to Cultivating Extraordinary Vegetables and Fruit.
- Image: Courtesy of Yale University Press. Flora Illustrata: Great Works from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden.
- Image: Courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company. The Story of Western Science: From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory.
- Image: Courtesy of Watson-Guptill. The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting: Techniques for Rendering Sky, Terrain, Trees, and Water.
- Image: Courtesy of Rizzoli. French Chic Living: Simple Ways to Make Your Home Beautiful.
- Image: Courtesy of Oxford University Press. Sea Shells of India: An Illustrated Guide to the Common Gastropods.
- Image: Courtesy of Ridinghouse. Object Lessons: The Visualisation of Nineteenth-Century Life Sciences.
- Image: Courtesy of Princeton University Press. Mathematics and Art: A Cultural History.
- Image: Courtesy of Nation Books. Mission High: One School, How Experts Tried to Fail It, and the Students and Teachers Who Made It Triumph.
- Image: Courtesy of Second Story Press. The Way to School.
- Image: Courtesy of Second Story Press. The Way to School.
- Image: Courtesy of Rodale Books. Growing Beautiful Food: A Gardener’s Guide to Cultivating Extraordinary Vegetables and Fruit.
- Image: by BN App - Download now!
- Image: by Matthew Benson. Courtesy of Rodale Books. Growing Beautiful Food: A Gardener’s Guide to Cultivating Extraordinary Vegetables and Fruit.
