#finebooks

The story of Vagabondo, a collection of male nudes and portraits, begins in Ireland, in springtime, with farmhands cavorting in lush fields and rustic farmyards, then moves across to industrial London and, after a brief interlude of fighting athleticism, cuts to Italy where labourers work and camp out in derelict palazzos in Sicily and Puglia

Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, “What did I do to be so Black and blue?” In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world’s favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.

Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as “Blue Black.” The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.

Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.

the authors examine the full range of this vast area's indigenous arts and crafts: contemporary pottery inspired by ancient cultures, such as the Moche; jewelry and metal work in a multitude of forms; enduring textile traditions of the Wayuu, Aymara, and Kuna Indians; painting on clay, leather, and glass; wood carving and decoration of dried gourds; and other extraordinary crafts from around the continent.

The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts takes readers on the emotional journey of this family, moving from the Italian countryside, where Constance Wilde flees from the aftermath of Oscar’s imprisonment for homosexuality, to the trenches of World War I and an underground bar in London’s Soho, where Oscar’s sons Cyril and Vyvyan must both grapple with their father’s legacy. And in a brilliant feat of the imagination, act 5 reunites the entire cast in a surprising, poignant, and tremendously satisfying tableau.

With Louis Bayard’s trademark sparkling dialogue and deep insight into the lives and longings of all his characters, The Wildes could almost have been created by Oscar Wilde himself. Lightly told but with hidden depths, it is an entertaining and dramatic story about the human condition.

Buy here: The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts by Louis Bayard | Ay Caramba Books

Here for the first time in paperback are more than 200 dramatic photos of James Dean on the sets of East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant, plus rare text revealing the many ways in which Dean's off-screen personality was both disturbingly and charmingly similar to the one he portrayed on screen.

In My Valley, Claude Ponti leads us on a journey through an enchanted world inhabited by "Touims" (tiny, adorable, monkey-like creatures), secret tree dwellings, flying buildings, and sad giants. Clever language and beautifully detailed maps of imaginary landscapes will delight children and adults alike. Ponti himself has said, "My stories are like fairytales, always situated in the marvelous, speaking to the interior life and emotions of children. That way each child can get what they want out of the images: the characters and dreams are their own."