Beautiful Book of the Month: September

This month's beautiful book is one that I happened to stumble across accidentally.  About a year ago, I met someone while I was down in London for a week helping to open up a new shop.  When I mentioned how much I loved art books and quirky graphic novels, he recommended a comic book shop called Gosh!  I've been meaning to check out the store for ages and when I finally managed to make a trip to it in July, I promptly mentally kicked myself for all of the lost time I could have spent roaming its abundantly stocked shelves.  It's located near the slightly seedy part of Soho, but if you've never been I highly recommend a trip down to London just for it.

Now back to the book.

Everything is its own reward By Paul Madonna

Published June 2011
ISBN:  9780872865150
City Lights Books
http://www.citylights.com/

Everything is its own reward is the second hardback collecting images from Paul Madonna's popular long-running weekly serial "All Over Coffee", which he likes to refer to as a 'strip'; a comic strip without the comic.  While there is the occasional addition of text in the forms of a single sentence or a short piece of flash fiction, the fluid pen and ink wash landscapes are the true stars of every panel.

#489 p. 89 Page Street, San Francisco

Each image is completely devoid of people, but not of life and that's exactly why I love it so much.  It feels like it could be anywhere and everywhere.  I've always loved uncovering the hidden places and spaces that can be overlooked in sprawling urban landscapes and Madonna's work is a reflection of all the unappreciated beauty that surrounds us that we rarely take the time to pause and appreciate.  

One of my favourite things to do back in Toronto was to set out early in the morning with a camera in hand and wander around the city taking unfamiliar routes to favourite places or setting out to new areas never explored.  It's the best way to discover something new somewhere that's become completely familiar.      

#398, p. 211 15th Street, San Francisco

Maybe I'm slightly biased, because I used to live in a large city.  I miss the feel of wandering through the long seemingly endless streets of my concrete jungle.  Miss feeling the comfort of being hidden in the canopy of shadows cast down from the towering buildings and skyscrapers.

"Madonna's book reminds us that the reason so many of us love cities is because they give us permission to be voyeurs, to observe others, to see other lives on display in front of us in the coffee shop, the supermarket, the traffic jam, the commuter train, the neon-lit street. They are full of stories."

-Herald Scotland

Paul Madonna's Everything is its own reward is a beautiful collection of strikingly detailed hand drawn illustrations.  A great way to explore the city for the day in the comfort of your own home.