It’s the most wonderful time of the year! You know, the season of giving and receiving… Because there are, of course, few greater pleasures than cracking open a beautifully bound photobook first thing on Christmas morning and diving into a world outside your own, what better way to treat someone you love — whether that’s your best friend, boyfriend, sister, co-worker or the goth next-door? And, if you’ve been an angel all year, you can even treat yourself with a book to cuddle up with in these Dickensian times. From i-D to you, a round-up of the gifts destined to brighten the bookshelves.
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1. Brett Lloyd, Napoli Napoli Napoli
What to buy in case it rains… Perhaps the most beautiful Mörel book to date. A glorious imaginary day in the life of Naples, from sunrise to sunset, lensed by Brett Lloyd with a 60s Rolleiflex. Uplifting and truly timeless. Tis the season to close your eyes and dream of the Amalfi Coast.
‘Napoli Napoli Napoli’ is published by Mörel, £76.
2. Viviane Sassen, Venus & Mercury
Everything Viviane Sassen touches turns to gold, as evidenced by the two books she released this year. Venus & Mercury is great if you really want to show off. Luxuriously conceived with the iconic bookmaker Irma Boom (a dreamy duo), it sees Viviane at her vivacious best, telling tales of sexuality and intrigue at the vast grounds of the Palace of Versailles. You’re invited to snoop through the private letters of history’s most opulent monarch, Marie Antoinette, and each copy is individually splattered with paint by Viviane.
‘Venus & Mercury’ is published by Aperture, £125.
3. Camille Vivier, HR Giger
Camille Vivier is more ideally suited to HR Giger’s hauntingly black arts than you might think. The French fashion photographer, known for her work for Stella McCartney and Martin Margiela, clearly had a blast at the abode of the late Swiss surrealist who created Alien, the space monster from Ridley Scott’s 1979 horror classic of the same name. This large, lavish and atmospheric tome (perfect for goths and metalheads both!) pictures Camille’s cast of naked models interacting with Giger’s vast arsenal of bio-mechanical sculptures and alien-esque furniture. It’s true what they say: “in space no one can hear you scream.”
‘HR Giger’ is published by Scheidegger & Spiess, £85.
4. Lea Colombo, Colours of My Body
Boasting a thoroughly alluring cover that would be the cynosure of anyone’s coffee table, this additively page-turning book is a deep-dive into the visions and dreams (leaning towards the latter) of Lea Colombo. The ways in which Lea harnesses colour — its moods, rhythms and primal powers — marks her out as one of the most compelling voices working in fashion photography today. Look out for the (very) special edition which comes with a resin pyramid stand. We love it!
‘Colours of my Body’ is published by Casa Colombo, £77.
5. Katie Grand, Tears & Tearsheets
IDEA have just published a fabulous book of Katie Grand’s collection of glossy pages torn from fashion magazines dating from the 90s to the (perfect) present. It’s chock full of references, and has Bella Hadid, shot by Harley Weir, gracing a cover that’s emblazoned with hot pink Monster Munch font. Iconic. (While you’re at it, although Harley’s revelatory Beauty Papers, also out with IDEA, seemed to evaporate quicker than Liz Truss’ tenure as Prime Minister, copies can still be found here. Be quick!)
‘Tears & Tearsheets’ is published by IDEA, £50.
6. William Eggleston, Chromes
It certainly isn’t cheap, but the long-awaited reprint of Chromes is a must for any photography purist. William Eggleston’s immense colours have once again been given the Steidl treatment in this exceptional photobook which feels more like a collection of prints. Spread across three volumes and housed within a very handsome slipcase, these early snapshots of 70s Memphis are imbued with a quintessentially American aesthetic: roadside diners, motel signs, gas station pumps. Although William’s deviations from “serious” black-and-white photography outraged New Yorkers in 1976, it’s fascinating to see how these shots have since acquired a capital-A Art status. We’re grateful for his wondrous relation to the mundane — or, as he put it, “life today”.
‘Chromes’ is published by Steidl, £325.
7. Chris Killip, Chris Killip
Editors Ken Grant and Tracey Marshall-Grant have made no shortcuts in editing this definitive book honouring Chris Killip, the British humanist photographer who died in 2020. Whether he found himself amongst the fishermen of Skinningrove or in the mosh pits of a Gateshead punk club, the connections Chris forged with communities were always deeply lived. Today, his photographs are powerful nostalgic documents, reminding us of a time that no longer exists, but one whose ghosts still inhabit the land and its people.
‘Chris Killip’ is published by Thames & Hudson, £50.
8. Samuel Fosso, African Spirits
Since shooting his teenage self-portraits in his Bangui studio in the 70s, Samuel Fosso has established himself as a master masquerader. Produced at the workshop of Sébastien Girard, this gorgeous XL risograph publication sees Samuel re-stage historic photographs of prominent personalities of 20th century Black liberation movements, including Angela Davis, Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali. It’s a fantastic opportunity to own this legendary series by an artist whose compelling variations of post-colonial African identities are gaining more and more interest. And rightfully so.
‘African Spirits’ is published by Sébastien Girard, £40.
9. Cai Dongdong, Left, Right
Left, Right is the latest curio to emerge from the gigantic found photography archive of artist-cum-accidental historian Cai Dongdong. It presents snapshots of women in China before the founding of the People’s Republic on the left-hand pages, and after on the right-hand pages. The result is a refracted mirror of a book, revealing resemblances at every page-turn. But far more than eliciting a spot-the-difference game, these lost artefacts of everyday life take on a documentary value. By way of Cai’s pairings, they tell the history of two eras through the subtlest of sartorial, stylistic and social clues. Beautifully done, with Chinese binding too!
‘Left, Right’ is published by La Maison de Z, £43.
10. Issei Suda, Holy Night
The continued excavations of Issei Suda’s pharaoh’s tomb of an archive have been a highlight of photography publishing in recent years. Most recently, Chose Commune have landed on a dizzying series of snapshots taken on the night before Christmas in Tokyo 1991. They capture shoppers traipsing down the high street, hunting down gifts at the last minute. In the hilarious afterword, Issei writes: “I wonder how many Japanese people actually think of Jesus Christ on Christmas. We just observe Christmas Eve by buying cake and bringing it home to eat… These kinds of customs have become the norm. I could suddenly play the part of the righteous Buddhist and call everyone out on it — you dumbasses, you aren’t even Christians — but it feels like it’d be a waste.” On that note, Merry Christmas!
‘Holy Night’ is published by Chose Commune, £39.
Credits
All images courtesy of the respective owners.