The top five books of editors of Vice, i-D, Dazed, The Believer and Riposte
It may surprise you to find out that the It’s Nice That Bookshelf feature has been going strong since 8 January 2011. Yep, it’s old, and like a grumpy old uncle it’s rarely actually been celebrated. The weekly sneaky peek into the bookshelves of the creative and famous (sing to tune of Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous by Good Charlotte) is a long-term favourite of many an It’s Nice That reader, and we decided to do a few posts to celebrate some gems within it.
This week we’re looking at the editors who have contributed over the years, including Max Fenton of The Believer, Tim Noakes of Dazed & Confused, Danielle Pender of Riposte, Holly Shackleton of i-D and Bruno Bayley of Vice. Enjoy!
Max Fenton’s bookshelf
Max Fenton: Online Editor of The Believer
An early contributor to our Bookshelf feature back in July 2012, Max Fenton was the then Online Editor of one of our favourite EVER magazines, The Believer. In his touching, ridiculously well-written contribution he describes which books he sleeps next to and his top five of all time accompanied by a photo of his enviable, rather zany bookshelf complete with prayer flags. Here he is on Walter Benjamin’s The Arcades Project…
“Having only discovered this book last year, I’ve ruminated on converting the text into a website or database: something searchable and open to re-organisation, citation, and group annotation. In the meantime, I’ve carried this massive book around for months, opening at random and making tally marks on the corner of each page I read.”
Heather Bosch and Burton Silver: Why Cats Paint: The Theory of Feline Aesthetics
Tim Noakes: Editor-in-Chief of Dazed & Confused
Powerful man Tim Noakes took time out of his busy day and seemingly busy night looking after very young son Arthur to show us into his bookshelf. A highlight for us was a book entitled Why Cats Paint which he describes as follows…
“Having grown up around many cats – yet never once seeing any of them paint – I loved how Bosch and Silver had the wit and imagination to create an entire book that parodied the dryness of contemporary art criticism with photographs that made you doubt your sanity. The pioneering brushwork of Bootsie the Trans-Expressionist and Charlie the Peripheral Realest deserve your immediate attention.”
Kate: The Kate Moss Book
Holly Shackleton: Editor-in-Chief of i-D
It came as no surprise that Holly Shackleton’s shelves were packed full of the glossiest, most fabulous and hefty publications based primarily around the world of fashion. Although the passion for her books was pretty palpable throughout her entire Bookshelf feature, what she said about Kate: The Kate Moss Book seemed to really sum-up her long-term interest in the giddy fashion world.
“Growing up interested in fashion, Kate Moss was my ultimate icon. This mega-glossy coffee table book features all the images that made the Croydon supermodel so iconic, tracing her career from awkward teenager to the most famous supermodel in the world. With images by Corinne Day, Juergen Teller, Craig McDean, David Sims and more, it’s a must-have for any Moss fan like myself!”
John Michell and Robert J.M Rickard: Phenomena
Bruno Bayley: European Managing Editor of Vice
For me, this is one of the best Bookshelf submissions we’ve ever received. As if we didn’t think Bruno was thrillingly weird already, this poke around his well-thumbed books was a looking-glass into his world. Turns out he’s really into phenomena and the unexplained. Who knew? This is definitely worth a read for anyone who prefers to walk on the preternatural side of life. Here he is on Phenomena.
“This book’s crammed with wood-cuts and amazingly grainy, spookily, badly-reproduced photos of stigmata, abductions, demons, weeping statues and the like – all of which I used to draw and re-draw for hours. Now I spend more time reading CSICOP’s site than forteana, but still – this book got me hooked on the world of the so called “unexplained” and the ever-present battle between believers and skeptics.”
National Geographic: February 1950
Danielle Pender: Editor-in-Chief of Riposte
What was so brilliant about this submission from smart magazine Riposte ’s Danielle Pender was that it unlocked the key to the inspiration behind its trademark text-only cover, as Danielle explains here:
“When myself and Shaz (Madani, our creative director) were playing around with different formats for the front cover we tried out all sorts of image-based covers but we felt they all looked the same. Shaz then came across this and tried out a more text-based cover. It was a little scary and more of a risk but I’m really happy we had the balls to go with it in the end. Also, as a window into life in 1959 this magazine is a pretty incredible read.”
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Liv joined It’s Nice That as an intern in 2011 and worked across online, print and events, and was latterly Features Editor before leaving in May 2015.