A working library is an exploration of—and advocate for—Recently
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12.19.11
Books as History
David Pearson
If you can get past the absolutely reprehensible cover design, Books as History is a smart study of books’ physical form, and a defense of…
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12.12.11
Markup
Why editors need to know HTML; part two in a series of articles that expand upon my essay in Issue No. 1 of Contents.
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12.5.11
Represent
The first in a series of articles that expand upon my essay in Issue No. 1 of Contents.
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12.1.11
The Lifecycle of Software Objects
Ted Chiang
As a novel, The Lifecycle of Software Objects suffers from expository writing, flat characters, and uninspired prose. But as a thought experiment, it’s surprisingly (if…
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11.29.11
Names for the familiar
On Community and Privacy
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11.28.11
The interstices
On Community and Privacy
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11.28.11
Community and Privacy
Christopher Alexander, Serge Chermayeff
A precursor to Alexander’s A Pattern Language, in which he and Chermayeff define what’s wrong with the design of the suburbs, and outline the…
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11.27.11
The New Brooklyn Cookbook
Brendan Vaughn, Melissa Vaughn
I use this less as a cookbook than as a guide for where to eat; but the recipes and photography are as lovely as the…
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11.27.11
Living and Eating
Annie Bell, John Pawson
A minimalist’s manifesto, with simple recipes and beautiful, spare photography. Keeping it on my coffee table for perusing before heading to the farmer’s market.
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11.9.11
In real life
On On Writing Well
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11.9.11
On Writing Well
William Zinsser
I’m only just now reading this book, but it was a bit like discovering an old friend you didn’t know you had. Zinsser’s is the…
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10.18.11
Mobile First
Luke Wroblewski
The sixth book from A Book Apart features data-driven techniques and best practices for designing for mobile from the inimitable Luke Wroblewski. It also represents…
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10.18.11
Designing for Emotion
Aarron Walter
Aarron Walter joins the A Book Apart rainbow of knowledge with this short book on designing for humans. A mix of psychology and case studies…
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10.2.11
Human power
On Working
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10.2.11
Working
Studs Terkel
Terkel interviewed people of all walks of life (though mostly the working kind) about what they do and how they feel about it. The result…
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9.8.11
How to read in an age of abundance
On I Read Where I Am
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9.6.11
I Read Where I Am
Geert Lovink, Mieke Gerritzen, Minke Kampman
A collection of short reflections on the future of reading, including those from Ellen Lupton, James Bridle, Erik Spiekermann, and N. Katharine Hayles. Independently, none…
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8.22.11
The in-group
On Trickster Makes This World and The Comedy of Survival
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8.18.11
Sacred
On Trickster Makes This World
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8.18.11
Trickster Makes This World
Lewis Hyde
Hyde exceeds the terrain of “creative nonfiction” (a term I always find slightly disparaging) to write academic tomes that feel alive, unlike the usual ivory…
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8.9.11
Disaster capitalism
On The Shock Doctrine
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7.26.11
OMG
On The Information
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7.25.11
Old words
On The Information
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7.25.11
The Information
James Gleick
Glieck’s loosely organized tome details the many ways we’ve organized and communicated information over the ages; or, as is more often the case, failed to…
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7.5.11
Managing Oneself
Peter F. Drucker
An essay turned pamphlet, short enough to reread regularly. Drucker’s advice comes down to knowing yourself well enough to make the right decisions: your strengths,…
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7.4.11
To be a tourist
On The Names
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7.4.11
The Names
Don Delillo
A dense novel, concerning a small group of American ex-patriots and a series of cult murders. Strange and beautiful. I intend to read it again.
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6.7.11
Change
On the occasion of the release of the fourth book from A Book Apart.
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6.7.11
Responsive Web Design
Ethan Marcotte
It was my privilege to edit this, the fourth book from the nascent publishing empire that is A Book Apart. Ethan’s methods are smart,…
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6.5.11
What Technology Wants
Kevin Kelly
Kevin Kelly (one of the founders and a former executive editor of Wired, and a veteran of the Whole Earth Catalog) argues that technology (or,…
