THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOK GIFTS OF 2016

Check out the BN Team curated collection of the most beautiful books to give right now, from a special limited edition of Sebastiao Salagado’s Genesis to a rare jewel-crusted volume by JK Rowling, to Jackson Pollock’s dinner recipes, to a rare overview of our Earth & more.

1. PLANT: EXPLORING THE BOTANICAL WORLD

“Plant: Exploring the Botanical World” is a gorgeous gift for gardeners and people with a passion for flowers. It features 300 extraordinary botanical images that each celebrate the beauty and diversity of plants.

Images include remarkable photographs, cutting-edge micrograph scans, watercolours, drawings, and prints, carefully selected by an international panel of experts.

"A glorious visual compendium of plants and flowers that spans thousands of years."

— Atlas Obscura

Phaidon Press

2. THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD

Rare and magical, this ultra-special edition of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” by J.K. Rowling is a gift beyond compare for a Harry Potter fan who has a passion for beauty.

Tomorrow, on December 13 in London, Sotheby’s will sell a presentation copy of the book, which is handwritten, hand-illustrated, and signed by Rowling.

Bound in brown Morocco leather and decorated with sterling silver ornaments and semi-precious rhodochrosite stones, there were only 7 copies of this book made by Rowling.

The proceeds from this auction will benefit Lumos, her charity. The book is a collection of wizard-focused fairytales, one of which, was the plot driver for the final Harry Potter book.

Available at Sotheby’s.

3. THE JAZZ AGE: AMERICAN STYLE IN THE 1920S

“The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s,” by Stephen Harrison & Sarah D. Coffin, is a beautiful book focused on Art Deco design in 1920s America, using jazz as its unifying metaphor.  

The luxe edition features hundreds of full-color illustrations and essays by two leading historians of decorative arts.

The Cleveland Museum of Art

4. EIGHTY FOUR ROOMS: ALPINE EDITION

“Eighty Four Rooms: Alpine Edition 2016” highlights select hotels and luxurious places in the winter wonderlands of the Alps.

With Local Guides including notes on ski slopes and trails, regional snowfall totals, and tips on other local wintertime activities, it makes a great travel planner.

teNeues

5. SEBASTIÃO SALGADO: GENESIS, ART EDITION A

“Sebastio Salgado: Genesis, Art Edition A” is a masterpiece edition of a masterpiece collection of photos that celebrate the eternal beauty of the Earth. Salgado calls it “My love letter to the planet.”

This photographic homage is contained in a two-volume leather-bound set. Salagado’s extraordinarily rich black & white photos are printed on traditional coated 250 gsm art paper from the German paper mill Scheufelen. The photos are reproduced in a four-color separation process, with 2 dense blacks and 2 shades of grey.

Limited to 5 editions of 100 numbered and signed sets, every set comes with a gelatin silver print, signed by Sebastião Salgado and printed under his personal supervision.

The Art Edition comes with a book Stand designed by Tadao Ando.

Taschen

Available at 1stDibs.

6. VARIATIONS BY BENEDICTUS

“Variations" by Benedictus is a complete folio sized set of 20 loose pochoir plates circa 1924. The technique involves a multiple overlaying of elaborate brightly colored stencils. They were created as inspirations for textiles, carpets and wallpapers. Each plate is suitable for framing.

Paris Editions Albert Levy

Available at 1st Dibs.

7. DINNER WITH JACKSON POLLOCK: RECIPES, ART & NATURE

“Dinner With Jackson Pollock: Recipes, Art & Nature,” by Robyn Lea, explores the little-known culinary talents of this famous artist. Pollock enjoyed throwing dinner parties. This book includes 50 of recipes, collected from pages handwritten by Pollock, his wife, artist Lee Krasner, his mother, and friends.

Interspersed with full color prints of his iconic paintings and anecdotes, this book makes a very cool gift for the gastronomic art lover.

Assouline

8. RANCHES: HOME ON THE RANGE IN CALIFORNIA

“Ranches: Home on the Range in California,” by Marc Appleton, shows off beautiful landscapes and homesteads —from the 150-year-old Rancho Camulos of Ramona fame to Jack London’s Beauty Ranch on the slopes of Sonoma Mountain to the working ranches of today.

Rizzoli

9. THE PEARL NECKLACE

“The Pearl Necklace,” by Vivienne Becker, explores the legacy of pearl jewelry as worn by royalty, celebrities, and fashionistas throughout the ages. From Renaissance queens, to maharajas, to First Ladies, to Hollywood starlets, pearls rock.

Assouline

10. OVERVIEW: A NEW PERSPECTIVE OF EARTH

“Overview: A New Perspective of Earth,” by Benjamin Grant, is an exquisite and unique collection of satellite images of Earth.

More then 200 images, curated from the popular Daily Overview Instagram, offer a beautiful newly accessed perspective of our planet. The title was named after the "Overview Effect"--a sensation that astronauts experience when given the opportunity to look down and view the Earth as a whole.

Incredible patterns emerge, as nature plays out its life and humans continue to challenge it.

Amphoto Books

Read more about Beautiful Gifts 2016 this week.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of Phaidon Press. “Plant: Exploring the Botanical World.”
2. Image: Courtesy of Phaidon Press. “Plant: Exploring the Botanical World.”
3. Image: by Ben A. Pruchnie. Courtesy of Sotheby’s. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” by J.K. Rowling.
4. Image: by Ben A. Pruchnie. Courtesy of Sotheby’s. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” by J.K. Rowling.
5. Image: by Ben A. Pruchnie. Courtesy of Sotheby’s. “The Tales of Beedle the Bard,” by J.K. Rowling.
6. Image: Courtesy of The Cleveland Museum of Art. “The Jazz Age: American Style in the 1920s,” by Stephen Harrison & Sarah D. Coffin.
7. Image: Courtesy of teNeues. “Eighty Four Rooms: Alpine Edition 2016,” by teNeues.
8. Image: Courtesy of Taschen. “Sebastião Salgado: GENESIS, Art Edition A,” by Sebastião Salgado.
9. Image: Courtesy of Taschen. “Sebastião Salgado: GENESIS, Art Edition A,” by Sebastião Salgado.
10. Image: Courtesy of Taschen. “Sebastião Salgado: GENESIS, Art Edition A,” by Sebastião Salgado.
11. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Variations by Benedictus.”
12. Image: Courtesy of Assouline. “Dinner With Jackson Pollock: Recipes, Art & Nature,” by Robyn Lea.
13. Image: Courtesy of Rizzoli. “Ranches: Home on the Range in California,” by Marc Appleton.
14. Image: Courtesy of  Assouline. “The Pearl Necklace,” by Vivienne Becker.
15. Image: Courtesy of Amphoto Books. “Overview: A New Perspective of Earth,” by Benjamin Grant.
16. Image: Courtesy of Amphoto Books. “Overview: A New Perspective of Earth,” by Benjamin Grant.
17. Image: Courtesy of Amphoto Books. “Overview: A New Perspective of Earth,” by Benjamin Grant.
18. Image: Courtesy of Taschen. “Sebastião Salgado: GENESIS, Art Edition A,” by Sebastião Salgado.
19. Image: by BN App - Download now!
20. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Variations by Benedictus.”