Sunday Reads: New Year, New Books

New Aesthetic 3

As promised: new year – new aesthetics! From the independent publishing house Sorry Press based in Munich, New Aesthetic 3 is a book all about typefaces and fonts. This third instalment in the New Aesthetic series continues its short but important tradition of presenting the craziest, cutest and prettiest fonts you can ever imagine. In the ever-evolving fields of design and art, practitioners face a choice: risk their work becoming relics of the past or embrace what’s new. New Aesthetic highlights experimental and independent type design as a dynamic intersection of art and design, and perhaps it can nudge any designer to create something fresh and cool. And plus, it’s pink.

Cooking With Scorsese: The Cookbook

Is this the year you finally start using your newly renovated kitchen, make friends with your stainless steel cookware, and dust off that pasta machine you bought because you loved the idea of being that wholesome, DIY-everything, Nara-Smith-esque kind of person? Cooking with Scorsese brings together recipes inspired by iconic cinematic moments. Featuring 46 internationally renowned chefs, the book pairs dishes—savoury, sweet, and drinks—with film stills from scenes that sparked their creativity. From Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love to Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, the chefs reinterpret flavours and imagery from film into unique culinary creations.

Manifesto for World Revolution

If all you want for 2025 is a brand new world – this is the book for you! From the minds behind the Occupy movement, and the author of the hit books Design Anarchy, Meme Wars and Culture Jam, here is nothing less than the Manifesto for World Revolution. Our world is failing. Climate shocks are displacing millions. Inequality is stoking massive civil unrest. Genocidal wars are breaking out with increasing frequency. We may be heading for total global collapse. But it doesn’t have to be this way... this could also turn out to be the most exciting, the most successful era in human history! Wop wop 2025!

The Whitney Review

There’s no improvement without criticism—or so the critics like to think. The Whitney Review of New Writing, launched by writer Whitney Mallet in 2023, has since published four large-format magazines primarily focused on book reviews, with a touch of interviews and other features. In an era dominated by promotional journalism, this magazine feels like a rare and refreshing oasis.

This particular issue is sold out everywhere, and soon we’ll also have the latest one, released earlier this month, in store. If you’re looking to expand your reading list, this is an excellent resource for discovering great book recommendations.

Inventory Works: Max Lamb

Didn’t we say something about redecorating for the new year? Or maybe you need some inspiration to get creative? Inventory Works is the largest compilation of Max Lamb’s work to date. If the British design icon can’t spark your motivation, I’m not sure what will. This book brings together new and archival photographs of Max’s creations. While previous publications focused on his processes, this volume starts with the finished works, showcasing their full impact. To read the book, you’ll need to cut open each page with a knife—just like in the old days. Think of it as a chance to get hands-on and channel some of that creative energy!