A Book for Christmas

Unwrapping a book at Christmas has a timeless appeal, the beautiful cover, turning the pages for the first time, perusing and finally sitting down to read and enjoy. 

There is something incredibly special about a book carefully chosen for you, by somebody else.  Here are our favourite books for this Christmas:

Merry Christmas from Potterton Books! 

Nicky Haslam: A Designer's Life

In this unique and very personal book, Nicky Haslam recounts the diverse inspirations that have shaped his life and work.  The designer, who is renowned for his chic, opulent and often flamboyant style, his artistic and literary pursuits, and the decor his has designed for some of the most illustrious parties, reveals the influences, associations and achievements of his career.

The third son of the diplomat William Haslam and Diana Ponsonby, a goddaughter of Queen Victoria, Nicky Haslam grew up in Great Hundridge Manor in Buckinghamshire and was educated at Eton.  After a period working for Diana Vreeland at American Vogue, he became the editor of Show magazine and then moved to Arizona to breed horses.  He returned to England in the early 1970s and began his career as an interior designer in earnest, setting up his company NH designs in the late 1980s.

Written in a fresh and lively style, in Haslam's delightful prose, this book is a fascinating insight into the designer's glamorous and creative world.  Included are beautiful photographs by leading interiors photographers, evocative paintings and drawings by the designer and other artists, personal photographs, newspaper and magazine cuttings, invitations and notes - all of which paint a fascinating and inspiring picture his life and work.

Photographers

Both Cecil Beaton and Annie Leibovitz have photographed many of the same people and both these books offer a fascinating insight into their work  - 'Cecil Beaton, Portraits and Profiles' a wonderful combination of Beaton's photographic portraits and incisive observations from his journals and diaries; 'Annie Leibovitz, At Work' on how she made her pictures - written in her own words, she talks about the people she has photographed.

Books In Focus: India

'India, Living in an Ornate World' is James Welling's vibrant collection of photos of the country, following on from his exhibition 'Colours of India'.  Beautifully put together, James documents every day life in India with a particular focus on the brilliant colours that are an inherent part of the culture.

'India's Disappearing Railways, A Photographic Journey'  by photojournalist Angus McDonald, is a vivid documentation of India's narrow-gauge railways.  His photo essay documents the country from a unique standpoint and records a way of life in India that is slowly fading as modernisation takes over and the railways are converted to broad-gauge.

Rick Stein's 'India, In Search of the Perfect Curry' is a collection of over 120 recipes, uncovered during his journey through India whilst on the hunt for that elusive dish - the perfect curry.  On his travels he looks at Indian food in all it's complexities, discovering long-held cooking traditions as well as modern techniques and creating fragrant kormas, delicate spiced fish, slow-cooked biryanis and more.

'Mughal Architecture & Gardens' by Geroge Michell & Amit Pasricha is a fascinating study of the splendid monuments and gardens of the Mughal Emperors during the 16th and 17th century.  An indepth look at the stylistic developments under different emperors, and the origins of Mughal design and decoration, the book  also contains specially commissioned architectural plans and stunning colour photographs of the buildings still in existence.

All featured books are currently in stock.

Cleonice Capece: An Evening with the Author

On Tuesday 4th November, we are looking forward to our evening with Cleonice Capece, whose anticipated visual autobiography 'Fashion by Chance - 1960-1974' is now out.

'Fashion by Chance, 1960-1974' provides a vivid and richly documented account of her life working as a designer, during the years when the Italian fashion industry began to move away from haute couture towards pret-a-porter.  It is a fascinating personal insight of these pivotal years, and a beautiful a retrospective of Cleonice's own contributions during that time.  She was at the centre of the 'Made in Italy' philosophy - beautiful products that were both designed and crafted in Italy and were for the first time readily available.

Please do come along and meet the author on Tuesday 4th from 6-8pm at Potterton Books, 93 Lower Sloane Street, London. SW1W 8DA.

RSVP: shop@pottertonbookslondon.co.uk

New Fashion Books

We have a beautiful array of fashion books in - including the fantastic 'Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Costume Institute' an in depth study of the Costume Institute's history, with a focus on the recent exhibitions; 'Dries Van Noten' a look at the fashion designer and his sources of inspiration; 'Louis Vuitton Fashion Photography' a chronological look at the representation of the brand by fashion photographers; 'Halston', a fascinating monograph of the life of the designer and his aesthetic, written by his niece.

New Design Books Just In

We have a wonderful selection of beautiful design books just in - 'Jaime Parlade' a look at the Spanish designer's stunning country house interiors - 'The Biba Years' a fascinating study of the brand from the first ensembles to iconic London shops - 'Virginia Woolf's Garden' a look at the creation of her garden at Monk's House in Sussex - 'Robert Couturier: Designing Paradises' a look at his beautiful projects and 'Unseen London' perfect for those wanting to take a peek into the interiors of some of London's most iconic buildings.

Exhibition: Alan Halliday - 'Inspired by Charleston'

This coming week at Potterton Books London we are are looking forward to the opening of our exhibition of original paintings by Alan Halliday, which were inspired by Charleston and the Bloomsbury artists.

Earlier this year, Alan was commissioned by Potterton Books to go to Charleston to draw and paint interiors of the house, the Sussex country residence of the Bloomsbury set.  The sixteen paintings he has produced for the exhibition combine the beautiful rich colours of the hand-painted furniture, wallpaper, rugs and decorative objects of Charleston that are so evocative of the Bloomsbury artists, but still maintain his own unique and wonderful style.

The exhibition will run from 26th September - 15th October 2014.

Our private view takes place this Thursday 25th September from 6-8pm in our London shop at 93 Lower Sloane Street, SW1W 8DA.

Please do RSVP to Deborah Mack - shop@pottertonbookslondon.co.uk if you would like to attend the opening.

The paintings will be available to view on our website: www.pottertonbookslondon.co.uk