Winter is upon us—and so is the holiday season. For the loved ones in your life who prefer to snuggle up fireside with a book, Whitewall has created the perfect wish-list. From new volumes by time-trusted publishers like Rizzoli, Phaidon, and Assouline to punchy new monographs, biographies, and travel titles, the below books shine a light on some of the world’s most curious names in art, fashion, culinary, and more.
Coreen Simpson: A Monograph
Aperture
Front cover of Coreen Simpson: A Monograph
(Aperture, 2025); cover image: Coreen Simpson,
Jamien, 1982, from the series B-Boys, courtesy of the artist.
Coreen Simpson, Ntozake Shange, 1997/2021,
from the series Aboutface, from Coreen Simpson: A
Monograph (Aperture, 2025), courtesy of the artist.
Coreen Simpson: A Monograph by Aperture is the first publication on the celebrated photographer and jewelry designer, whose career spans over than five decades. As the second title in Aperture’s “Vision & Justice” book series—formed and coedited by Drs. Sarah Lewis, Leigh Raiford, and Deborah Willis—the book blends Simpon’s practice through a selection of essays, photographs, collages, and more.
Purchase this gift HERE
Francesco Vezzoli: Diva?
Almine Rech
Francesco Vezzoli: Diva?, courtesy of Almine Rech Gallery.
TEARS OF PASSION (CLARA & HENRI), 2022, private collection, Monaco, courtesy of Almine Rech Gallery.
The Italian visual artist, Francesco Vezzoli, has Francesco Vezzoli: Diva?—a book showcasing his work that explores the power of popular culture. Published by the artists’s gallery, Almine Rech, the book details Vezzoli’s relationship with visual history—from Italian cinema to religious iconography—as works in film, needlework, and performance to reframe longing and loss.
Purchase this gift HERE
El Bajío: Recipes & Wanderings Through Mexico’s Heartland
Apartamento
El Bajío: Recipes & Wanderings Through Mexico’s Heartland, courtesy of Apartamento.
El Bajío: Recipes & Wanderings Through Mexico’s Heartland, courtesy of Apartamento.
El Bajío: Recipes & Wanderings Through Mexico’s Heartland is a book created in collaboration with Belmond and Apartamento that honors chefs, writers, and entrepreneurs across Mexico. Featuring images by the award-winning photographer Heather Sten, as well as a forward by the acclaimed Michelin-starred Mexican chef, Enrique Olvera, the book includes 24 recipes for dishes and drinks—many from the Sazón school at Belmond’s Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel de Allende. Additionally, readers can enjoy contributions from chefs Daniela Soto-Innes, Fernanda Covarrubias, Yola Jiménez, and Daniel Camacho.
Purchase this gift HERE
Jordan Casteel
Phaidon
Jordan Casteel, courtesy of Phaidon.
Jordan Casteel, published by Phaidon, is the New York-based artist’s debut monograph, including insightful text by leading voices in the art world like Legacy Russell and Asma Naeem. In the book, nearly 150 reproduced images join sections conceived and designed by Casteel herself, guiding the reader through her large-scale, figurative portraits and landscapes made with bold color.
Purchase this gift HERE
Mediterranean Homes: The Art of Embracing Light
Rizzoli
Mediterranean Homes: The Art of Embracing Light, photography by Dudi Hasson, text by Beth Dunlop, courtesy of Rizzoli.
PAROS, photo by Dudi Hasson, included in Mediterranean Homes: The Art of Embracing Light, courtesy of Rizzoli.
Mediterranean Homes: The Art of Embracing Light—written by Beth Dunlop and edited by Orna Tamir Schestowitz—shines a light on Mediterranean homes in cities like Tel Aviv, Cap Ferrat, and Paros, complemented by images shot by Dudi Hasson. Revealing the elements that intertwine these spaces, the book is a deeply visual journey through beautifully curated and livable spaces filled with material, color, and composition precious to the Mediterranean.
Purchase this gift HERE
From Louis to Vuitton
Assouline
From Louis to Vuitton, courtesy of Assouline.
Louis Vuitton Hotel, From Louis to Vuitton, courtesy of Assouline.
From Louis to Vuitton, published by Assouline and written by Arthur Dreyfus, features a comprehensive look at the luxury maison’s universe, featuring 320 fascinating images and 54 selected words explored as themes—a nod to 1854, the year the French maison was founded. In addition to highlighting the brand’s architectural stores, the book also spotlights its renowned artistic directors and its ties to travel—from land, air, and sea.
Purchase this gift HERE
Rick Owens: Temple of Love
Rizzoli
Rick Owens: Temple of Love, courtesy of Rizzoli.
Rick Owens’s Fall/Winter 2015 fashion show at Palais de Tokyo, included in Rick Owens: Temple of Love, courtesy of Rizzoli.
Rizzoli’s Rick Owens: Temple of Love details the American fashion designers career since starting his label in 1994. The book is the first title to celebrate his work over the past three decades, timed for release in 2025 to coincide with the first comprehensive show of his work at the Palais Galliera in Paris. Inside, 200 pages illuminate Owens’s grunge-meets-glamour take on fashion, revealing the details of his visual narrative evolution throughout his career.
Purchase this gift HERE
Vol. 7: Poetics of Architecture
FORGOTTEN LANDS
Vol. 7: Poetics of Architecture, courtesy of FORGOTTEN LANDS.
Founded in 2017 as an exhibition to raise relief funds after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, FORGOTTEN LANDS is a platform that explores the intersection of Caribbean identity, art, design, and resilience. Its latest title—Vol. 7: Poetics of Architecture, guest-edited by curator and researcher Shameekia Johnson—examines architecture across Caribbean spaces. Proceeds from its sale are donated to relief efforts that support Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa.
Purchase this gift HERE
