A huge array of photographs from the golden years of 90s hip hop – all captured within a few short years by Peter Spirer, at a time when he was diving deep into the scene to really document the sort of energy that's made this stretch such a legendary one for the music! These photos are way more than standard portraits or stage shots, as Peter managed to really penetrate the everyday lives of the artists, to a point where you'll find some very surprising, and very striking images of figures who aren't always captured without striking a pose. The book features over 130 photographs, with subjects who include Dr Dre, Das Efx, Biz Markie, Busta Rhymes, Notorious BIG, Method Man, Nas, Q-Tip, Tupac, Guru, KRS-One, and dozens of others – and the heavy hardcover book is 240 pages in length – with added text from Soren Baker, and an introduction from Ice T. Book

A great look at a really unique moment in fashion – a time when the mainstream trappings of ivy league styles were taken up by African-American cultural figures – a moment of cooption that led was key to a rising sense of pride and power in the postwar years! You'll instantly recognize the look from the image of Miles Davis on the cover – and Davis is one of the figures who gets focus in the book – alongside other jazz musicians like Billy Taylor and Sonny Rollins, writers like Amiri Baraka and James Baldwin, and civil rights icons like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X – all of whom wore button down shirts, well-crafted blazers, and hip skinny ties as they helped forge a whole new identity for black America in the 50s and 60s. The book is beautifully done – and ties together so many images we know from the press and record covers, mixed with others we're seeing here for the first time – all give thoughtful text along the way by British writer Jason Jules. The heavy, hardcover book is 224 pages in all – with color and black and white images throughout. Book

Beautiful posters from a huge legacy in film – 100 years' worth of images that were used to promote black cinema – with entries that run from the early silent era, through unusual mid-century material, 70s blacksploitation movies, and both mainstream and indie films from later decades! Yet the book is way more than just another poster book – as the images here come with plenty of text – thoughtful writings on trends, styles, and key figures in black film – amidst words and images that pull no punches on treatment of race and social issues. The book is oversized, very heavy, full color throughout, and 317 pages – filled with fantastic images. Book

Beautiful work from the glory days of the adult film – hundreds of posters that were used to publicize erotic cinema – often themselves a masterpiece in erotic aesthetics! Given that most of the posters were outside the theater, open to the public, there's a fair bit of hide and seek, teasing-type material here – at a level that's maybe even more creative than the images on the screen, especially when set to the typography and color filters of the late 60s/early 70s print world! The book features all posters in full color, and also intersperses some bits from magazines and other publications too – all at a level that's really playful, reveling in the style of the genre, while also poking a slight bit of fun. Graham Marsh was the art director, and you may know his name from a number of excellent album cover books – and overall, most images are softcore at best, with a small amount of nudity – although there are some heavier images from time to time. 352 pages, hardcover, and in full color. Book

Dozens of interviews with key figures in the art world over the past four decades – all done by Michael Auping, in a way that really seems to quickly get to the heart of what makes the work of his subjects so special! This is hardly the usual interview book, as the volume is oversize, and done in conjunction with a museum exhibit – so it has art book presentation, with large images of the work of most of the interviewees – an all-star list that includes Bruce Naumann, Robert Duncan, Frank Stella, Agnes Martin, Robert Creeley, Julian Schnabel, Kara Walker, Morton Feldman, Ed Ruscha, Anselm Keifer, and many others. As you can see, there's a few composers and writers in the mix, and Auping handles those equally well – and the book is very heavy, hardcover, 340 pages, and filled with images in color and black and white! Book