Book Club at No.3

The Barbican is an icon of Brutalist architecture and one of the UK’s architectural treasures. Barbican’s architects, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, seized the opportunity to propose a radical transformation of how we live in buildings and cities. The result is one of London’s most ambitious and unique architectural achievements: a city within a city. This book is a rare chance to peer beyond its concrete boundaries into the homes and lives of over 30 residents.

Architects have long found ways of exploiting the contrast between the natural and the manufactured, but nowhere more keenly than in the meeting of plants and Brutalism, which creates a striking contrast between hard concrete and the soft, organic shapes of plants. And if not designed, nature often has its own way of reclaiming the built environment. From green roofs to living walls and lush courtyards. Olivia Broome has curated an impressive selection of striking images from around the world. 

Disrupted Realism is the first book to survey the works of contemporary painters who are challenging and reshaping the tradition of Realism. Helping art lovers, collectors, and artists approach and understand this compelling new phenomenon, it includes the works of 38 artists whose paintings respond to the subjectivity and disruptions of modern experience. Widely published author and blogger John Seed, who believes that we are “the most distracted society in the history of the world,” has selected artists he sees as visionaries in this developing movement.

From Spain’s El Caminito del Rey to Japan’s Kumano Kodo, Norway’s mythical giant trails to Utah’s Narrows, the new compact edition of Wanderlust explores legendary hikes across the globe. Cam Honan guides readers through deserts, coasts, forests, and ice, with maps, tips, and background on each route. Illustrated with spectacular photography, this book inspires both seasoned trekkers and curious beginners to set out—or simply enjoy the world’s most iconic trails from home.

Join the celebration of the diverse, vibrant, and engaged community of women riding and making waves around the globe. While surfing is usually seen as a male domain, women have long been nurturing their own water stories and claiming their rightful place in the world of this sport. She Surf hails the females, past and present, who are engaged in expanding the art of surfing. Learn about the history of female surfing, discover the story of Polynesian princesses, follow the first female surfers in the 1960s and meet the contemporary shakers of the modern surfing scene.

Journey upwards with Cliffhanger, a dizzyingly beautiful presentation of the people and places that make up the world of climbing. Cliffhanger gives you a complete look at the world of this outdoor pursuit--both as a sport and a lifestyle--by highlighting the people, places, history, and culture that make the activity so fascinating. This book is encapsulating a golden moment in climbing, with the activity enjoying peak popularity. It is a great way to find inspiration for long-term climbing fans and beginners seeking to conquer new summits.