BEST PLACES TO RENT ON THE PLANET By Mark Steinhauer, Martin Nicholas Kunz (teNeues) Sure, you could search the web, but why not make the hunt for the most breathtaking places to rent also a luxury experience by using this gorgeous book cum catalogue? Astutely curated by the experts, this is an upscale travel resource for the most exclusive rentals by the sea, in the mountains, city getaways and rural retreats. Just leafing through it is like taking a vacation! $95 www.teNeues.com
THEATER OF SHOPPING – The Story of Stanley Whitman’s Bal Harbour Shops By Alastair Gordon and Barbara de Vries (Rizzoli) Whitman was known as the Walt Disney of shopping and the creator of the world’s most successful luxury fashion shopping center, the Bal Harbour Shops where iconic names like Versace, Mugler, and Oscar de la Renta were highlighted. One could even say he inspired the likes of Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. The book depicts this journey, which unleashed the era of glamorous shopping centers, and incorporates over 300 images. $65 www.amazon.com
NEW MAP ITALY – Unforgettable Experiences for the Discerning Traveler By Herbert Ypma (Thames & Hudson) It may not be portable to carry along, but this travel book’s a keeper and deserves a comfy sofa read. It’s packed with inside info on places to stay, unique experiences and activities, unforgettable meals, and how to stay in character while touring Italy’s most cherished regions. The first in a series, these are bound to become indispensable in creating indelible memories. $39.95 www.amazon.com
WHEN WOMEN RULED THE WORLD By Kara Cooney (National Geographics) Six iconic Egyptian pharaohs from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra are explored in this thoroughly researched, captivating book by Cooney, a professor of Egyptology at UCLA. The study of formidable women in power is all the more timely in our #timesup age, and celebrates how these exceptional ladies made their marks in a male-dominated society and left an unforgettable legacy. $28 www.nationalgeographic.com
PAGANI HYPERCARS: More By Horatio Pagani (Rizzoli) The super-luxury, legendary cars by Horacio Pagani are revered in this updated edition featuring seven models including the Zond, and Hyanyra. Coveted by the wealthy, Paganis are renowned for their aesthetic and engineering excellence, and are captured in all their glory in this unique testosterone-rousing book. $100 www.amazon.com
TRAVELLER’S TALES Bags Unpacked By Bertie Scali, Louis Vuitton, and Illustrations By Pierre Lê-Tan (Thames & Hudson) Louis Vuitton and celebrity have always been inextricably woven. Go on a journey with Greta Garbo, Keith Richards, Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, and unpack their stories in this deluxe, illustrated book that pays homage to their globe trotting relationships with LV luggage. $95 www.amazon.com
APOLLO VII-XVII By Floris Heyne, Joel Meter, Simon Phillipson, et. all (teNeues) A stunning book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing, and featuring about 255 iconic photographs taken by NASA’s Apollo astronauts from 1968 to 1972, restored in spellbinding clarity from the original scans of the 70mm film on modified Hasselblad cameras.$65 www.teNeues.com
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