Got any new books?

The New Books Shelf on the 5th floor of the FIT Library
The New Books Shelf on the 5th floor of the FIT Library

 

Why yes, yes we do. I’m glad you asked that. I just wandered out to our New Books display on the 5th floor and thought I’d show you some cool new things! Come be inspired!

 

 

 

Beth and Matthew at the RIS Desk with Stitch, the FIT mascot
Beth and Matthew at the RIS Desk with Stitch, the FIT mascot

 

 

 

 

 

The other day our friend Stitch came through the library. We managed to catch him for a Research Desk photo op.

He wandered over the the New Books shelf, so we thought we would too. We try to buy books relevant to most FIT majors, so our new books are pretty fun and different.

 

 

The Moderns Book Cover

 

There’s been a resurgence of interest in print design lately. Here’s a cool new history of the fine work of American graphic designers around the middle of the 20th century.

This book depicts the work of designers who came from Europe with Bauhaus ideals and updated American visual life for the next 30 years. It gives a brief history of their work as well as that of the American designers who worked with them and learned from them.

 

 

It’s funny that this stuff is supposed to look sleek and futuristic, but since I grew up with it, it feels retro and old fashioned. Still, it’s the most distinctive new look to evolve from the 20th century and the people who made it were passionate about their work.

Brochure covers and advertisements by Matthew Leibowitz, 1946-49
Brochure covers and advertisements by Matthew Leibowitz, 1946-49

 

Magazine and book covers by George Giusti, 1957-62
Magazine and book covers by George Giusti, 1957-62

 

Bystander

 

I also really like this book on photography called Bystander.

It’s a history of street photography, so it’s got photos of New York City and other cities all over the world from the 1800s through the 20th century and a bit of commentary on the 21st century.

Take a look at the book yourself to see how many places in it you recognize.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find images of what familiar neighborhoods looked like dozens of years ago especially fascinating. This book includes a group of pics of the Lower East Side, where I lived in the late 1980s.

Photo book spread

There’s another cool image of Fifth Avenue in the snow from 1893. This image above left is from France in 1945.

Photography book

This casual form of photography doubtless influenced magazine photography dramatically.

 

Fashion, Dress and Identity in South Asian Diaspora Narratives

 

Another cool looking book on the rack is this scholarly one about dress and identity in South Asia and the people who emigrated away from there. We have a terrific collection of books and magazines that address fashion, customs, and identity.

 

FIT is a center of Fashion Studies, between all the terrific faculty working in the field, and the Graduate Studies program training new scholars and curators and conservators.

 

Food Choices

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a DVD collection, too. Some of the titles serve our Film Studies minor, others are for their importance in the fashion world, and still others support other classes here. That means we have lots of documentaries, like this one here.

 

 

Many Hands

 

 

The last book I pulled down to take a look at is this pretty book about a tapestry weaving workshop in Australia. Tapestries are an ancient form of home decoration, and we have a lot of books on the subject since we specialize heavily in textile history. But this book highlights recent tapestries as art, and the people who made them.

 

 

 

Book spread FIT Library

There are some wonderful images of the weavers working on these large fabric hangings. They are difficult to manage because of the scale of the work. There are manuscript illuminations showing weavers working on them. It’s cool to see the current weaving team working in almost the same way.

Have a good weekend!

Comments

12 responses to “Got any new books?”

  1. Caroline Avatar

    How can i get this books ?

    1. Beth Avatar
      Beth

      http://www.Worldcat.org is a (nearly) global library catalog that lets you look up books, then put in your postal code to see which libraries near you own the book. If they don’t turn up any nearby places to borrow the book, there’s always http://www.amazon.com or http://www.bookfinder.com in order to mail order it.

    2. Beth Avatar
      Beth

      They are each recent books. You should be able to order them from Amazon.com.

  2. Maria Avatar

    hey i have a question how can i contact with you ?

    1. Beth Avatar
      Beth

      This is a good way to reach me. What’s your question?

  3. jun Avatar

    thanks a lot
    Thank you for sharing

  4. Lordroid Avatar

    How can i get this books ?

  5. AradMusic Avatar

    The book looks very good
    I hope I can read this book one day
    Good luck

  6. NikanMusic Avatar

    How can i get this books ?
    tnx <3

    1. Beth Avatar
      Beth

      As I posted above, try http://www.amazon.com or requesting them from your local library.

  7. nima Avatar

    very good , thanks for share this post …

  8. Dlmusics Avatar

    thanks for your post about books.