2011 Holiday Roundup

by Chronogram staff, November 30, 2011

1950s Radio in Color: The Lost Photographs of Deejay Tommy Edwards
Christopher Kennedy
Kent State University Press, 2011, $49
As post-war pop made its big bang, radio’s Tommy Edwards was at the heart of the blast, shooting the boxes of stunning color slides unearthed by Warwick resident Kennedy for this lavish coffee-table opus. Movie stars (Rock Hudson, Tina Louise), still-wet-behind-the-ears rock ’n’ roll legends (Elvis, Chuck Berry), and equally fascinating never-weres (Bobby Colt? The Sprouts?) smile forth in glorious Ektachrome.




Adirondack Style: Great Camps and Rustic Lodges
Photographs by f-Stop Fitzgerald & Richard McCaffrey, text by Jane Woods & Jane Mackintosh
Universe Publishing, 2011, $50
Into logs? Adirondack Style: Great Camps and Rustic Lodges is a sumptuous tour of those northern playgrounds of the rich. Fitzgerald and McCaffrey capture their eccentric grandeur in photographs so warmly toned you can smell the Balsam. There are birch-bark walls, boathouses, antler chandeliers, and deft essays on architecture and history. Only quibble: no captions. Such meaty photos ache for descriptions to yearn by.

The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts
David McMillan, Frederic Morin, Meredith Erickson,
Foreword by David Chang, photographs by Jennifer May
Ten Speed Books, 2011, $40
Restaurateur David Chang describes Montreal’s Joe Beef as his “favorite restaurant in the world.” It’s not hard to understand why: Joe Beef is a fearless culinary enterprise, infusing classical French cooking with an adventurous and always tasty spirit. Recipes include a foie gras parfait and veal liver brisket. Chronogram contributor Jennifer May shot the gorgeous photos, which capture the restaurant’s rollicking atmosphere and deadly serious food.


Brilliant: White in Design
Linda O’Keefe
The Monacelli Press, 2011, $50
“White is immune to fads,” writes former Metropolitan Home creative director O’Keefe, who penned much of this elegant book in the Stone Ridge Library. In chapters named for white’s salient properties (Radiant, Pure, Seductive, Lucid, Harmonious, Neutral, Thoughtful, Natural) and more than 250 photos, Brilliant explores its timeless appeal, from marble temples to picket fences, feathers to snow. White Christmas, anyone?



The Byrdcliffe Cookbook: a Collection of Artful Recipes by Residents of the Byrdcliffe Art Colony in Woodstock, New York
edited by Katherine Burger
Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, 2011, $17.50
When artists gather, they eat. This lively gallery of shared-kitchen recipes, garnished with artwork and anecdotes, will bring back memories for those who joined that carrot soup-fueled Philip Glass conga line, and create new ones. Some recipe titles contain whole storylines (Rain Chili, Love-Sick Fish Dish), while others sound simply delicious (Fennel with Anchovies and Sambuca). Contributor bios and websites inspire further browsing.