Chronicle Books Blog

It’s a match made in fashion heaven! One of my very favorite blogs, The Sartorialist, has written a lovely post about one of my very favorite books—Elegance: The Seeberger Brothers and the Birth of Fashion Photography. This was one of the first fashion books I ever worked on and, as such, it has a special place in my heart. I think that the Sartorialist really nails it when he talks about the timeless spirit of these images. The clothes and the locales that the Seebergers shot in France in the first part of the 20th century were very much of another, now vanished, world, but the zest for living—and dressing!—that they convey still feels fresh and relevant today. The images really do make great inspiration pieces for anyone who’s interested in style. And the fact that the site’s legions of commenters are now voicing their agreement with that sentiment, and that many of them are also saying they want to own the book—well, that is just sweet music to an editor’s ears.
I’ll wrap up here with a couple of images from the book for you to enjoy:

So pouty! So chic!

One of those astonishing things that you cannot believe someone is pulling off, but somehow they are. I mean, not only is she wearing matching floral print shorts and puffed-sleeve jacket—which alone would be quite a feat—but that little bow on her head! And then her “Yes, I am wearing a garish floral ensemble and a small bow on my head, you want to make something of it?” gaze!

Bridget Watson Payne
Assistant Editor, Art + Design

DIY Weddings

Wedding bells are everywhere! I have been to 4 weddings and counting this year as varied as a last minute Vegas wedding with a reception in a cheesy hotel to a traditional church wedding complete with red taffeta bridesmaids dresses and a 5 tiered cake. And just last week my counterpart in Handbound got hitched in Vermont.

I love hearing about all the personal touches and crafty ideas out there for weddings these days. At her New England wedding Kate gocco printed on mini moleskine journals for her seating cards and set them up in wooden boxes with tabbed dividers to resemble old card catalogs. She also crafted table numbers and a “just married’ garland, and instead of a wedding cake she labeled mason jars and filled them with cookies.

We’d love to hear your wedding crafts and ideas in the comments section. A randomly selected commenter will receive a copy of The DIY Wedding.

Lovely photo from Kate’s wedding day taken by Jenna Cushner.

Check out more Handbound posts.

Christina Loff
Publicist

Watermelon-Rosemary Granita

Watermelon is the epitome of summer, and I love it made into this cool, refreshing dessert on a hot summer day. The rosemary and lemon highlight the watermelon in a most pleasing way.

6 cups watermelon cubes, seeded
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Put a 9-inch square metal baking pan in the freezer.

In a food processor or blender, puree enough of the watermelon to equal 3 cups.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling for 5 minutes, or until it thickens to a heavy syrup. Pour into a large bowl and cool completely.

When the syrup has cooled, add the watermelon puree, lemon juice, and rosemary. Pour into the frozen baking pan, cover with foil, and return to the freezer. Freeze, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours, or until partially frozen.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth but still frozen. Return the mixture to the baking pan, cover, and freeze for 3 more hours, or until frozen.

Remove from the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Scoop into dessert bowls.

Makes 8 servings

Kitchen Tip
Granitas are smoothest when prepared in an ice-cream maker. If you have one, pour the mixture into the container of your ice-cream maker and prepare according to manufacturer’s directions.

Purchase Simply Organic.

Click here for more great recipes.

Peter Perez
Senior Marketing Manager

We spend a lot of time judging a book by its cover. We discuss covers in design meetings, present them, collect them, study them … We even read about them in blogs such as Henry Sene Yee Design, David Drummond / Covers and the New York Times Book Design Review.

I’ll pepper this post with the cover options we considered for some of our books. (My finger points to the one we ultimately chose.)

Probably my favorite site for book covers is run by the New York design firm Fwis. Their Covers site is sheer cover porn, just beautiful, cover after cover. It never tires…

Illustrator Julia Rothman seems to share our passion and started Book By Its Cover, a gorgeous site built to share and highlight books she loves.

There are many designers who specialize in book design, such as Rodrigo Corral who creates a wide range of designs for different aesthetics and narratives. And there are designers like Non-Format and Chip Kidd whose covers are unmistakable.

Then, there are those trying to automate the cover design process, like Faber & Faber with their print-on demand explorations. But they’re not taking the fun out of the design. The result are amazing, computer-generated, decorative borders based on Marian Bantjes’ sketches, and the loveliest custom-made B-HMMND font in these two-color covers. Read more about them here.

Do you have a book cover you just love? Sites you’d recommend for lovers of books and design?

Suzanne LaGasa
Designer

Troy Paiva boldly goes where you’re not supposed to go. In Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration, he glides through abandoned industrial complexes, military installations, junkyards, asylums, hotels, and gas stations, capturing stunning images of urban decay. Troy is one of the foremost photographers of the UrbEx (or UE) movement and his distinctive blend of atmospheric night photos and lighting effects are the visual hallmarks of a scene whose participants seek to investigate, to discover, and to soak up a forbidden atmosphere. I caught up with Troy last week to talk about his work.

How do you see yourself within the context of the UrbEx movement?

People have photographed ruins since the invention of the camera. People have taken pictures at night and done light painting almost as long. As near as I can figure though, I was the first person to combine all three. I’m amazed that so many people are doing UE night work now and it’s a thrill to be the guy that invented a whole genre of photography like that. But when all is said and done, I’m just another tourist wandering the ruins, taking it all in. UE is generally a secretive pastime. Most of us are loners and don’t talk much about what we do. Consequently, I think UE is bigger than any one person.

What draws you to exploring these abandoned spaces?

The epic solitude and the mystery. Alone, at night, these places take on an amazingly surreal atmosphere, totally unlike the “real world.”

Can you share any particularly vivid experiences you had during your explorations?

There’s nothing that can prepare a person for the sight of a headless and wingless airliner sitting on its belly in the sand, or a tract of hundreds of homes, abandoned on a decommissioned military base in the middle of nowhere. I love the moments like that: they are timeless explorations of just how small humans are in the grand scheme of things.

How did you first get into photography?

I am a career graphic designer and illustrator. Back in the late 80s I was painting and drawing for a major toy company as a full time job. The last thing I felt like doing when I got home was drawing and painting, so I was desperate to find a new creative outlet which was separate from my day job. I stumbled onto night photography and immediately connected it with the abandoned places I was already exploring. I hit the ground running and never looked back.

Do you have a favorite image from the book?

No, that’s like picking a favorite child! The airplane Boneyard is my favorite location, though, because it’s just so unique. So consequently it’s probably my favorite section of the book.

What would you like people to take away from Night Vision?

That we are living in a golden age of abandonment and urban exploration. There were more buildings and infrastructure built in the 20th century than in all the rest of human history combined. I want it to make others feel like getting their shoes dirty too and also, to give the “armchair explorer” a chance to experience these places.

Have more questions for Troy? Ask away! He’s volunteered to guest moderate the comments, so now’s your chance to find out everything you wanted to know about UrbEx, night photography, and headless airliners.

Guinevere Harrison
Copywriter