Tag: book

Categories / Books, Music

The Story of Northern Soul book by David Nowell

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Northern

With all the hype surrounding the Soulboy movie still fresh, it's perhaps the perfect time to update a book on the subject of northern soul. That book is The Story of Northern Soul by David Nowell.

Published by Portico and now on the shelves (virtual or otherwise), it's essentially an updated version of the long out of print Too Darn Soulful, kicking off with the emergence of sould music in the mod clubs of the 1960s, working its way through the northern scene as it developed, throwing in some anecdotes, photos and flyers plus, in this new version, a chapter covering developments and changes since 1999, when the original book was first published.

Amazon has it in stock, with this 330-page book selling right now for just £7.67.

Find out more about the book at the Amazon website

Via Modculture

Categories / Architecture, Books

Brutalism – Post-War British Architecture by Alexander Clement

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Brut

Fans of concrete structures will no doubt love the idea of owning Brutalism – Post-War British Architecture by Alexander Clement, which is published by The Crowood Press later this month.

Brutalism describes architecture that appeared between the years 1945 – 1975, intended to be uncompromisingly modern and striking. But over time, it's a style that has divided the public – some love its bold shape, others see it as nothing more than soulless concrete, steel and glass.

Now we are far enough away from the era, Alexander Clement evaluates the architectural style, its impact and its future over 160 pages, which includes 150 colour photographs of key buildings. Published on 24th January, you can pre-order now for £18.95.

Find out more at the Amazon website

Categories / Art and Photography, Books

Portobello Road: Photographed in the Sixties by John Petty

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Portobello Road Photographed in the Sixties by John Petty offers a photographic record of the famous London street in what many consider to be its golden era.

Taken in the early 1960s, the photographs remained unpublished until this book was released last year. They show the market, its characters and traditions which have all but gone from the area now.

The book is available in hardback from Amazon, priced £11.66.

Categories / Books, Kids

Portmeirion Children’s ABC

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Depending on your frame of reference, Portmeirion will either suggest pottery or the setting of The Prisoner. But the Welsh village was also the place where its designers Clough Williams-Ellis brought up his family and thus provided the inspiration for this book Portmeirion ABC.

The book’s author, Sarah Nachamkin was a family friend and wrote the book to help William-Ellis’ grandchildren to learn the alphabet. The book dates back to 1950 and the illustrations are evocative of that era and the Portmeirion location.

Buy the book online from the Portmeirion website, priced £5.99.

Categories / Books, Design and Interiors

Just My Type by Simon Garfield

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If you share our obsession with typography, then the book “Just My Type” by Simon Garfield is a ‘must-read’.

Taken as a whole, the book provides an informative history of printing process, including mentions for retro favourites Letraset transfers and Dymo label makers. There is a chapter about music that includes the Beatles’ logo and Amy Winehouse’s use of a art deco style fonts, whilst a section on politics looks at how a font contributed to Obama’s election campaign, but also goes further back and close to home with information about the typeface favoured during the creation of the NHS. Between the main chapters, there are shorter sections, Font Breaks, which examine the history and use of individual fonts. I would have welcomed more on 60s counterculture design and the Punk aesthetic, about which more could have been said, but all in all, a fascinating read for anyone with an interest in the history of design.

Just My Type is available to buy on Amazon, currently priced just £7.99 for a suitably stylish hardback.

Categories / Books, Women's Fashion

The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book: Patterns Celebrating Four Decades of American Sweater Style by Steven Tatar

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Ohio

A US book, but one that should be of interest to retro fashion fashions – and knitters – around the world, The Ohio Knitting Mills Knitting Book: Patterns Celebrating Four Decades of American Sweater Style by Steven Tatar.

Here's the story: The Ohio Knittings Mills, has for decades, created knitwear designs for leading department stores, with author Steven Tatar discovering an endless amount of mint-condition knitwear and patterns when he acquired the mill's archives in 2004. Using that source, he has picked out 26 original designs from the '40s to the '70s for the 'home knitter'.

Clear instructions apparently let everyone from beginner to more advanced knitters create the likes of the American gentleman, Rebel Rouser, wavy Gravy, and Soul Sister. It also includes vintage photographs and interviews with Ohio Knitting Mills employees to offer up some history alongside the designs. Want a copy? You can pick one up online, priced at £10.79.

Find out more at the Amazon website