wallpaper* city guides

When December rolls around, most people get a hankering for hearth and home. I, on the other hand, really just want to travel. Especially when my family isn't going to be around for Christmas. Actually, I don't mind spending the time on my own - but it seems to be a situation that consistently gets me pitying remarks from other people or awkward invitations to family gatherings. Which I'd rather not deal with...

ANYWAYYY that was not the point of this blog entry. My point was this:












Phaidon Press is currently offering a discount on the complete set of Wallpaper* City Guides. While I don't think I would ever splurge and buy the entire set (special offer right now - only $143.20 compared to the regular price of $179.00...!), I do wonder how good these are. And I do enjoy the pictures on the website. And I do love Phaidon. In case you haven't had to listen to me gush before, Phaidon is a publishing company that puts out these beautiful beautiful visual arts books. Glossy pages, gorgeous photographs and prints, all uniquely bound in textured covers. Expensive, but so worth the price. Um, I don't work for them. But I'd love to if I could! They also occasionally publish children's books (try Nicholas) and right now they're featuring a whole series of books by Jean-Jacques Sempé, who illustrated for the New Yorker.

Seeing the city guides on Phaidon really made me want to travel. I was surfing through Barcelona and even though the focus is obviously on architecture I was still tempted to just buy it and go. I think I've been all Asia-ed out for a while so I'd like to go to Europe. Or, well, I wouldn't mind going back to Asia actually. In fact, I wouldn't mind going anywhere, so long as it's away from here. "Here" being this office...

As a postscript, if you haven't checked out Wallpaper* (int'l design publication) yet, you should go do that. :) Go! Now!