From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz - The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene

It's been 10 years in the making, which just might give you an idea of the depth of From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz - The History of the UK Jazz Dance Scene.

The work of Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove and designed by one of our favourite artist/designers Swifty, this 290-page book looks at the evolution of black music and clubbing in the UK from the early 70s to the mid-90s, taking in the all-dayers, weekenders and clubs, including The Goldmine, Chaplins, Lacy Lady, Berlin, The Central, Chaplins, Crackers, Electric Ballroom and The Wag.

Adidas Brands A-Z book

There's no collector quite so dedicated as the collector of Adidas trainers. And if it's a field you want to dive into, make sure you're armed with the Adidas Brands A - Z book.

Not just about trainers, the 240-page book is described as 'the bible of the 3 Stripe brand', documenting all of its major moves since 1924 - their key designs, sponsorships, collaborations and looks. If it's been made, it probably gets covered in here somewhere.

Sold in a slide out protective cover, you can pick it up now, priced at £21.99. See over the page for an inside look.

Find out more at the Size website

V&A Pattern books

The V&A Museum are launching the V&A Pattern books, a chance to look a bit closer at aspects of the museum's fantastic collection. There are four books in this initial release and each book features 65 patterns that have been found across a range of materials in the museum – such as wallpapers, designs and textiles – grouped around a different theme. The themes are quite diverse. The first two books tackle William Morris and Indian Florals (both quite self explanatory), the third looks at fifties designs (lots of Lucienne Day, Marion Mahler and Sylvia Chalmers) and finally Digital Pioneers features interesting examples of early explorations into creating computer generated patterns. Each book features a curator penned introduction to the topic. 

At £7.99, they are a great small gift but, as each book also contains a CD of the images, they could also be used for design inspiration. There is also a limited edition box set available featuring all four titles for £30. 

See them online

Swallow and Amazons mugs

From Art Meets Matter, the people behind the original range of Penguin book jacket mugs, comes a range of mugs based on Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons' books. The design is very distinctive and first appeared in the late 1930s, each book featuring a montage of Ransome's own illustration against a different colour. 

The full range of four titles can be viewed on the Art Meets Matter although when I looked they were out of stock. If you are desperate to get a sailing fix, the Pigeon Post and Winter Holiday titles are available from Objects of Design for £8.25 each. 

See them online

Faber Firsts retro inspired book covers

As part of the celebrations to mark their 80 years of publishing, Faber & Faber have issued the Faber Firsts collection: ten classic debut novels republished with new covers that reference past book jackets and the history of design in the company. 

The results are fantastic and, although they are contemporary designs, look like they've all been around for years. For example, The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk was originally published in 1990 but the new cover looks like it comes from the 1950s with a Hookway Cowles style illustration. Likewise, Jonathan Gray reworks the cover of Paul Auster's New York Trilogy in the style of Berthold Wolpe.

Each paperback costs £8 and you can see all the ten covers (and purchase the books) at the Faber & Faber website

“I Think Therefore Who Am I?” by Peter Weissman

There are plenty of social commentary books out there about the 1960s, and even more biographies and autobiographies about the stars of the decade, but “I Think Therefore Who Am I” by Peter Weissman offers a more personal take on the psychedelic era.

The book is Weissman’s memoir of 1967, which was year he (like many others) discovered LSD. The author's starkly honest memories do not portray the time as a golden age, but at the same time he doesn't renounce it or downplay its personal significance. I always like a coming-of-age story, which this essentially is, but this has the added bonus of being set in a particularly interesting time.

“I Think Therefore Who Am I?” is available to buy from Amazon, priced just under £14.

Vintage Handbags by Marnie Fogg

Following on from Vintage Fashion, Vintage Furniture and Vintage Shoes, Marnie Fogg has produced another hardback gem for the vintage collector - Vintage Handbags.

Vintage Handbags covers 100 years of handbag fashions, showing iconic and groundbreaking styles from each decade, ideal if you want a reference guide of if you're just looking for some inspiration in the bag department. Check out  Elsa Schiaparelli’s mesh bags for Whiting & Davis in the 1920s, the Hermès Kelly bag in the 1950s through to the Fendi Baguette of the 1990s and just about everything in-between. If that's not enough, there are also archive images, fashion photography and specially commissioned photographs of period pieces.

With a foreword by Anya Hindmarch, the book will be on the shelves via Carlton Books in September 2009, priced around the £25 mark (although Amazon is already doing pre-orders for a discounted price).

Find out more at the Amazon website

Tiki Drinks by Adam Rocke

There are plenty of cocktail books on the market, but Tiki Drinks by Adam Rocke is worthy buying for the edition that is illustrated by one of our favourites, Shag.

The book features seventy cocktail recipes that are a mixture of Tiki classics and some more unusual concoctions. It also gives a comprehensive list of the equipment you need for your own well-stocked cocktail lounge.

The Shag illustrated edition seems hard to come by in UK but can be bought from The Shag Mart website or Amazon in the USA for $12.99 in hardback.

Wallpaper Projects Book

We frequently feature retro and vintage wallpaper, but often although I love the design many of them would be too much on my walls. So this book “Wallpaper Projects: 50 Craft and Design Ideas for Your Home, from Accents to Art” seems to offer the solution.

It contains inspiration and instructions on how to use wallpaper to decorate numerous items around your home including stools, bookshelves and frames. The 144 pages contain over 50 different projects.

It is available in hardback for just under £14 from Amazon.

Len Deighton's 1960s Action Cook Book reissued

Originally released back in the 1960s, the classic Action Cook Book by Len Deighton is back to give you and your kitchen some Harry Palmer style.

Len Deighton wasn't just a lover of words, he was also a lover of food - he trained as a chef and was also a food writer in the Observer before making his name penning tales of secret agents. Indeed, the Action Cook Book mixes both worlds, offering up a guide to sophisticated cooking for the sophisticated man about town in the 1960s.

These days it's retro appeal is likely to pull in the punters as much as its use as a serious cookbook, but don't write that side off completely. If you need to dice an onion, saute some mushrooms, create the perfect romantic meal, pull off a dinner party or build up your very own wine cellar, Len is with you all the way. And all for just £6.49.

Find out more at the Amazon website