Globe Corner Blogs

The Secret Life of Syrian Lingerie -- by Malu Halasa & Rana Salam

It is sunny and almost warm outside, and I have decided that it is time to come out of winter hibernation mode.  I am also adjusting to a new pair of glasses and here all the far-sighted readers out there will feel for me, because the world became so wobbly and curvy that I feel like Alice in Wonderland. I cannot even read anything while my brain is learning to automatically turn curves into straight lines. But even this temporary impairment cannot dim my curiosity, so here I come with a list of hidden eye candy.

These are books that are not meant to be read, they are meant to be adored and looked through many times. I am writing about alternative, strange and very curious fashion photography book gems packed between our guides and maps. Tweaking a well-known expression, I would say that nothing tells you more about a country than it’s street food and street fashion.

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Arctic Wings -edited by Stephen Brown

The Hidden Treasures Series takes flight in Volume IV. Whether an avid birder or just an appreciator of nature, these books on birds are sure to delight.

Arctic Wings is an astonishing photography book of every Arctic bird imaginable. The book is organized by type of bird, each section beginning with a short essay by an expert in that field. The essay is followed by pages and pages of amazing photos of the birds. But wait – that’s not even the best part: it comes with a CD of Arctic bird calls!

Egg and Nest, another photo book, stays true to its title. Unlike the in-the-wild photos of Arctic Wings, the pages of this book look like photos of an art installation. Delicate images that find the beauty in every egg and nest and astound the reader with their intimacy.

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I will admit that I do have a soft spot for picture books. Those are little museums for me: I love getting lost in images, the mesmerizing details, in “reading” face expressions, and in thinking through every story caught on camera. Yet at the same time I am incredibly picky when it actually comes to choosing a particular book and taking it home. So it goes — I only want to own those that will keep that grip on me for a long, long time. There aren’t very many of such books, but it only makes my hunt for those gems more exciting.

Now I think I am about to give in and get a new one. Reuter’s Our World Now caught my eye the very moment it appeared in the store, and I still can’t put it out of my mind. At first glance it’s just another world-in-a-year-of-pictures book, but do open it and see for yourself that it’s a real treasure! Every single shot, from oil-covered shores to fashion shows, from subway scenes to soccer matches snaps perfect. Politicians triumph over movie stars in displaying emotions and every single face of a war survivor makes you stop and start thinking…

Yet another wonderful book to get. And knowing that such things don’t last long on a shelf, I better go get myself a copy right now.