A HEART WARMING STORY ABOUT A MAN AND HIS BICYCLE

A new arrival at our store this week is this delightful new title by Jean Jacques Sempé Raoul Taburin Keeps A Secret.

Like a man that likes all things naval, but can't swim, Raoul Taburin loves bicycles and knows everything under the sun about them except for knowing how to ride one and this is something he is more than a little ashamed of. With a plot that is slightly reminiscent of Sylvian Chomet's Belle Ville Rendez-Voush, Raoul Taburin Keeps a Secret is a funny and charming story about friendship, honesty and competitive bicycle racing, where seizing the moment and being true to yourself turn out to be just as important as winning a stage of the Tour de France.

With his cartoons and illustrations often featured on the cover of The New Yorkers, Jean Jacques Sempé is world renowned and particularly famous for the classic children’s-book character, Nicholas, and author of a collection of some thirty albums of his cartoons and graphic novels.

Hardback
96 pp
68 colour illustrations, 10 black and white illustrations
Published by Phaidon Press

VELO: Bicylce Culture & Design

This book came into stock at Material a week ago but it flew out of the door so quickly, I didn't have time to blog about it.

Cycling is zeitgeist. With rising fuel prices and mounting ecological awareness, bicycle sales are significantly up. Activity became activism and then lifestyle. Moving on two wheels is now a movement.

Velo introduces a wild bunch of passionate cyclists – frame builders, urban planners, artists, photographers, and those who ride professionally – who are making an impact. They are not only shaping styles, but promoting cycling as a primary form of transport. The book also explores the aesthetic of today’s cycling culture and presents custom-made frames and art bikes as well as a selection of contemporary illustration and design influenced by the cycling movement. Geared toward anyone who has a personal or professional interest in cycling, Velo is the fast lane into a current topic that is both entertaining and socially relevant.

A striking visual journey into the multifaceted world of cycling and the diverse tribes that inhabit it, Velo ranges from hardcore 2-wheel globetrotters, downtown messengers on fixed-gear bikes without brakes, laid back pedallers on old-fashioned Dutch bicycles, fashionable cyclists on vintage racing bikes, and dedicated fans of high-tech racing machines and e-bikes.

£ 32,50
Format: 21 x 26 cm
Features: 240 pages, full color, softcover
Available in store at Kingly Court/ Carnaby or buy online