Beauftiful Golf Courses at the sea

If you are interested in Golf or playing yourself you should check out this big book about fifty of the most beautiful golf courses located at the sea. The term "Links Courses" initially meant courses located at the salty dunes and rough grass - for sure they all are extraordinary places.

There are traditional courses like St. Andrews, Birkdale oder Carnoustie, but also new outstanding links courses are built around the world, e.g. Bandon Dunes in Oregon or Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand. Also in Germany there are really impressing examples like Budersand on Sylt or Winston Links.

In any case you will get a good overview of these courses, and can decide afterwards which ones you want to visit on your own. It will be an outstanding experience.

296 pages, 250 photos, 25 cm x 30 cm

Author: Sebastien Audoux
Publisher: Heel Verlag (German)
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Dots Cooking - Experimental Asia

„No art, no enjoyment - and vice versa...!" 

 

Martin Ho is an extra-ordinary person. He loves art and he loves great food. Everything he does, he does with passion. An this is great, and an example worth following... Despite his young age he already built a group of mainly restaurants and art galleries, all of them stylish, creative, extra-rodinary - and successful.

What comes to birth, when an Austrian art collector and gastronome with the right taste writes a cookbook is something very unique and special. Asia meets Europe, Asia meets Austria and gives birth to some tasty experimental food. 

„It’s all about the beautiful things of life“ Ho tells us and this attitude is very successful. Holding the book in your hands you’ll find fine art work, you will be amused with. 
Everything is well chosen and on the right place. The beautifull neon japanese bookbinding is awesome, and the recipes are easy to cook and will fit your taste for sure.

A production we really enjoy! :-)


Publisher: Brandstätter Verlag

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Social Business

Muhammad Yunus got famous with his micro credits for poor people, which helped them to become mini-entrepreneurs and to establish some financial independence. He developed this idea a big step further and invents the term "Social Business" - which is a model for companies to improve the world and the life of thousands and thousands of people. He explains in detail why big companies should invest in "Social Businesses" and how to do it. These businesses operate on the market, but in opposite to traditional companies, they reinvest 100% of their profits. Therefore they are able to really improve local infrastructure, provide valuable goods and to generally correct social problems. Great book!!

Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit (small loans to poor people possessing no collateral) to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus himself has received several other national and international honors.

He previously was a professor of economics where he developed the concepts of microcredit and microfinance. These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. He is the author of Banker to the Poor and a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation. In early 2007 Yunus showed interest in launching a political party in Bangladesh named Nagorik Shakti (Citizen Power), but later discarded the plan. [wikipedia]



author: muhammad yunus
publisher: hanser
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Irving & Walker

Two exciting and intelligent books written by John Irving and Martin Walker. Recommended either for your holidays or for "regular" reading...

Last Night in Twisted River
A trio of tragic events (though the prize for most hell-shocking goes to the third) exiles widower and camp cook Dominic Baciagalupo and his son Danny from a mid-century logging outpost called Twisted River. They leave behind the Bunyan-esque lumberjack Ketchum--a gruff, eccentric, dyed-in-the-wool Yankee--who remains their sole connection to the past. What's next neither father nor son knows: their rootless existence moves swiftly in and out of New England, tied ostensibly to jobs for Dominic and schools for Danny, but it seems one foot is always back in those New Hampshire woods. Theirs is a restless, richly observed journey, crowned by a reckoning no one could predict. Few writers can match John Irving's knack for denouement, and in Last Night in Twisted River, his extraordinary ending is made all the more powerful by a story that feasts on language, life, and love (Anne Bartholomew)


author: john irving
publisher: diogenes (german)

The Dark Vineyard
Romance, intrigue, and many a fine glass of wine await in Walker’s charming second mystery set in idyllic Saint-Denis, in the southwest of France. As the novel opens, Chief of Police Bruno Courreges investigates a fire that’s destroyed a research station for genetically modified crops. Local environmentalists top the list of possible perpetrators, but they’re only the beginning of Bruno’s problems. Fernando Bondino, a wily young American wine magnate, is eyeing Saint-Denis’ fertile vineyards. His investment would be a boon for the area, which has had its share of hard economic times. But locals (including Bruno) are dubious—with good reason. Bondino has displayed bad behavior, including punching out Max, a likable local lad, over a woman. When Max turns up dead, Bondino is the prime suspect. Alas, Bruno is all too aware of what Bondino could do for his village (his boss, the mayor, sees much promise in the possible influx of funds), so the police chief must tread carefully. Walker serves up wry wit, suspense, and a host of captivating characters, from a comely, manipulative Quebecois to an auburn-haired Brit who captures Bruno’s heart. Oenophiles and armchair travelers alike will enjoy spending time in this lovely, lively part of France. (Allison Block)


author: martin walker
publisher: diogenes (german)

available @ amazon

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Meine Küche der Gewürze

If you like cooking you should have a basic idea of spice. A basic idea of the different kinds available, how to use them for delicious meals and a clue of the positive effects they have on your health.

All this information is provided by the well-known cook Alfons Schuhbeck in a great manner. In the first part of the book a lot of spicery are described in detail, in the second part you will find instructions for preparing your own tasty spice mixtures and last but not least the book comes with fine recipes where the spicery described before can be used.

Bon appetit!

Alfons Schuhbeck was born on 2 May 1949 in Traunstein, Upper Bavaria, Germany. He is one of Germany’s top chefs, as well as being a writer, restaurateur, TV cook and businessman. (Wikipedia)


author: alfons schuhbeck
publisher: zabert sandmann verlag (german)
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Ancient Mayas and Egyptians

Discover the great civilizations of ancient Mayas and Egyptians - by reading the books mentioned below. It is an exciting journey to read about these amazing ancient civilizations. And it is often unbelievable what has been achieved by them thousand of years ago.

Sunken cities in the jungle and towering temple pyramids reflect only a small portion of our knowledge about Mayan culture. These fascinating people achieved the landmarks of an advanced civilization in the classical period (AD 300-600), earning them a place among the greatest civilizations in the world. The contributions included in this magnificent volume range from the origins of the Mayan culture all the way to modernity, giving insight into everyday life and religion as well as the artistic accomplishments and intellectual abilities of this important culture.


author: nikolai grube
publisher: ullman

From our vantage point ancient Egyptian civilization, with its strictly hierarchic organization, can appear static through its three-thousand-year history. In his concise and authoritative introduction to that distant culture, a renowned Egyptologist reveals the turbulent events beneath the rigid facade. Erik Hornung begins his account by taking a brief look at the prehistoric era in Egypt. He then focuses on political events during the period beginning with the reign of "Menes" and closing with the conquest by Alexander the Great. Building on insights drawn from the civilization's surviving texts and monuments, he also describes significant cultural developments, such as changes in burial customs and the building of the Great Pyramids and Sun Temples. Originally published in German, this important and highly useful survey has been revised throughout for its publication in English. In addition, the English version features over fifty illustrations, an updated bibliography, a glossary, and a chronological table.

author: erik hornung
publisher: primus (german), cornell (english)
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Lighting Design

If you are convinced that a good lighting concept definitely makes a change you should have a look at the books shown below. In my opinion lighting is a very valuable and versatile way of making a room, a house or a garden outstanding. It is often simple to create stunning effects and moods, and make you feel more comfortable in a certain space.

These two books offer a lot of inspiration how lighting can be used effectively by describing certain projects and showing wonderful photos. Additionally you can also find information on the planning process and some technical details as well. Enjoy!

176 pages

author: michele osborne
publisher: knesebeck (german)

Drawing on experience gathered from working with renowned architects of 250 projects, the authors have produced a handbook of all aspects of lighting, from the first designs to the completion of projects, charting examples from the US, Europe and the Far East. There are chapters on basic technical details and necessary instruments.

256 pages
author: ulrike brandi, christoph geissmar-brandi

publisher: birkhäuser (german)
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Modern Family Houses

If you are looking for some kind of inspiration concerning architecture of modern family houses, you should check out these books published by Callwey. They introduce a lot of different and stylish houses - each article coming with a couple of pictures (including a plan), some background information about the concept and some details about the technical solutions.

Great books for everyone interested in stylish architecture.

publisher: callwey (german)

buy the books online @ amazon.de
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Measuring the World

This audio book tells the truly amazing story of two of the greatest scientists of the 18th/19th century - Carl Friedrich Gauss and Alexander von Humboldt. Daniel Kehlmann manages to write about their opposing way of doing research in parallel and in a very entertaining manner - Humboldt travels around the world to measure it, Gauss measures the world in his head. This seemingly contradiction makes this book so special, beside the valueable information about the discoveries of these great men. This audiobook can be recommended without reservation.

Loosely based on the lives of 19th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt and a contemporary, mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss, Kehlmann's novel, a German bestseller widely heralded as an exemplar of "new" German fiction, injects musty history with shots of whimsy and irony.

Humboldt voyages to South America to map the Orinoco River, climb the Chimborazo peak in Ecuador and measure "every river, every mountain and every lake in his path." Gauss is the hedgehog to Humboldt's fox, leaping out of bed on his wedding night to jot down a formula and rarely leaving his hometown of Göttingen. The two meet at a scientific congress in 1828, when Germany is in turmoil after the fall of Napoleon. Other luminaries appear throughout the novel, including a senile Immanuel Kant, Louis Daguerre and Thomas Jefferson.

The narrative is notable for its brisk pacing, lively prose and wry humor (curmudgeonly Gauss laments, for instance, how "every idiot would be able to... invent the most complete nonsense" about him 200 years hence), which keenly complements Kehlmann's intelligent, if not especially deep, treatment of science, mathematics and reason at the end of the Enlightenment. [amazon.com]

author: daniel kehlmann
publisher: universal music (audiobook in german)
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The Minimalist Garden

"Less is more." (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1959)
This is the basic principle presented in this fine book (adopted to gardens of course). As minimalistic design is very popular right now, and more and more people begin to enjoy the beauty of simple things the author did the right thing by analyzing and explaining a lot of stunning minimalist garden designs around the world. You will find not only amazing photos but also valuable information about the philosophy of minimalistic gardening. This book will definitely provide a lot of inspiration for redesigning your garden.

Product Description
Minimalist gardens, with their emphasis on clean lines, pure form, and a strong sense of space, are closely related to contemporary architecture and lifestyles. This book draws together a wide variety of minimalist gardens from around the world - large and small, urban and rural. The projects are grouped into thematic chapters, and the designers represented include Vladimir Sitta, John Pawson, Luis Barragan, Seth Stein, Jacques Wirtz, Tadao Ando, Martha Schwartz, Shodo Suzuki, and Isamu Noguchi; the book looks at the inspiration behind each garden and the frequent use of unusual materials and imaginative planning. The author also explains the philosophy of minimalism in gardens and related arts, as well as parallel trends in relaxed and ecologically aware planting. Also included are directories of materials and suitable plants for the minimalist garden.

About the Author
Christopher Bradley-Hole was trained as an architect and received a graduate degree from the Architectural Association in London in the study and conservation of historic gardens and landscapes. His own garden designs range from small city courtyards to immense country estates.


208 pages
author: christoper bradley-hole
publisher: knesebeck verlag (germany), mitchell beazley (uk)
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The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Renee is 45 years old and she is working as a concierge in a house where just rich families are living. She plays her role according to the expectations of society, even if she loves literature and art films - which is rather unusual for a concierge. Paloma is the 12-year old daughter of one of the families in this house, and she is very intelligent - widely above the average of girls of her age. She wants to commit suicide on her 13th birthday - as from her point view her life is determined, an she definitely doesn't want to end up like her mother or her older sister. The book tells the story of these two charcaters in a likeable and very appealing way, questioning the meaning of life as well as exploring the beauty of small things. Recommended.

author: muriel barbery
publisher: dtv (german), central books (english)
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Johann Lafer

Johann Lafer is a well-known and widely accepted cook, who appears often in some german tv shows. If you want to get an impression of his skills, I recommend these two of his books:

In "Meine Kochschule" he gives an introduction to cooking in general, writes about valueable ingredients and offers a complete course on cooking. Next to a lot of recipes you can find interesting and convenient hints, which will make your career as a hobby cook much easier.

Focusing exclusively on "Desserts", in the second book he recommends recipes which have accompanied him through his life. From simple desserts he got to know when he still was a child, to his award-winning and extraordinary creations from the later periods. Not only delicious, but also very likeable.

Celebrity chef Johann Lafer was born in Styria, Austria in 1957. He's the author of numerous books on cooking and the pleasures of good food. Johann Lafer now lives in Germany, at Stromburg castle in Rheinland-Pfalz, with his wife and two children. In 1980 he was named Germany's best pastry chef and a year later he was awarded his first Michelin star. A passionate helicopter pilot, Lafer also operates a gourmet cooking school near his home. But Germans only need to turn on the television if they want to get some tips from the master chef. Lafer is on air in his own cooking show around 180 hours per year.

author: johann lafer
publisher: bassermann verlag
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Japanese Gardens and Teahouses

I like to enjoy beautiful gardens, as well as I'm interested in Zen Buddhism and Japanese culture in general - so if you add up these preferences, sooner or later you will be dealing with Japanese gardens. What I like most about the book "Shaping Japanese Gardens" is the comprehensive view, so you won't learn only how to shape a Japanese garden and which plants you should grow, additionally you will be familiarized with the tradition and the culture behind, which mustn't be missing in that context and was (at least for me) very interesting to read about

If it's the case that you also love tea - especially green tea (as I do), then you should definitely follow-up on the topic checking out the book "The Japanese Teahouse". It's full about details (and amazing pictures) on the architecture as well as facts about the tea ceremony as such, held in unadorned teahouses built in Japanese gardens. Beside the huge knowledge offered by this book, it is also of high quality in terms of production and layout. Even browsing through the pages makes you want to participate in a tea ceremony.

japanische gärten gestalten
author: charles chesshire
publisher: christian verlag (german)

das japanische teehaus
author: wolfgang fehrer
publisher: niggli (german)
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Shobogenzo

The Shobogenzo is one of the most important writings in Zen Buddhism, done by Zen Master Dogen in the 13th century. This translation by Nishijima Roshi has been praised often for being very accurat and meaningful. I started reading in it - understanding just very small parts (at least I think that I got some points), in fact I'm convinced that the only way to understand more is to actually practice Zazen. I am sure that the Shobogenzo will accompany me for the rest of my life, and I am happy about this. In my opinion a must-buy for everybody wholeheartedly interested in Zen.

This translation, supported by the Japan Foundation, makes a strong claim to be the definitive translation of the 95 chapter edition of Shobogenzo, the essential Japanese Buddhist text, written in the 13th century by Zen Master Dogen. Following Shobogenzo Books 1 and 2, the third book in this four-volume set contains chapters 42 to 72 from the 95-chapter edition, including: Tsuki (The Moon); Kuge (Flowers in Space); Mujo Seppo (All Things and Phenomena Preach Dharma); Kajo (Daily Life); and Zanmai-O-Zanmai (Samadhi, King of Samadhis). Book 3 maintains the highest standards of translation, with a clear style that rigorously follows the original words of Master Dogen. 'The first Patriarch, the Venerable Bodhidharma, after arriving from the west, passed nine years facing the wall at Shorin-ji temple on Shoshitsu-ho peak in the Sugaku mountains, sitting in Zazen in the lotus posture. From that time through to today, brains and eyes have pervaded China. The lifeblood of the first Patriarch is only the practice of sitting in the full lotus posture.'

publisher: angkor (german), book surge (english)
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Thomas Kammeier - Das Kochbuch

If you like cooking and eating, if you like beautiful food and ambitious recipes - then this is your book. It has been written by the Michelin-starred and well-known cook Thomas Kammeier, who takes care of the chic restaurant Hugos in the Hotel InterContinental Berlin as a master chef.
The book has 320 pages and contains at about 100 stunning recipes, and although some of the meals don't seem to be so easy to prepare for a hobby cook, all of them are based on the high quality of the products - with the goal of simply pointing out the special character of the food which is used. Thomas Kammeier really suceeds in this, with great ideas and without any knick-knack.

Even reading this book, or just running through the pages, is a fine experience as well, as the pictures are amazing, too. You either start cooking a challenging meal afterwards, or you decide to go to an expensive restaurant. Believe me.

author: thomas kammeier
publisher: collection rolf heyne

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100 neue Traumgärten

This book ist about one hundred beautiful gardens.
About the planning and the constructing, as well as the special and recreational atmosphere which can be created by a fine and harmonic garden. It offers lots of great pictures and detailed descriptions (including maps and plans), which really encourage you to immediatly start to improve and rearrange your green space, no matter if it's huge or rather small. As the book is divided in four sections - "Design", "Pleasure", "Nature" and "Aesthetics", it is very likely that all the different demands will be met.

You will already start to relax when running over the pages.

It has been written by a federation of ambitious german gardeners, which are already well known for the high quality of their work.

255 pages

author: die gärtner von eden
publisher: callwey (german)

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gangster

This book is about the life of the mobster bosses in Chicago in the roaring twenties. After World War I the people become more and more fun-loving and the demand for (illegal) alcohol increases in times of prohibition - this fact of course benefits the rise of a lot of gangsters, who cooperate with corrupt politicians and fight against each other to maximize their income.

The presentation of this topic is very entertaining, as beside to a general introduction the life stories of the different gangster bosses are outlined, including statistics of their estimated income, time in prison and number of murders. The artwork is, as the previews show, stunning and makes the experience even more appealing.
The book comes in a special format, is printed on high-quality paper and also contains a poster showing all the bosses on one picture.

If you are only slightly interested in this part of amercian history, this book can be highly recommended.

author: robert nippoldt
publisher: gerstenberg verlag
(unfortunately, as far as i know the book is just available in german at the moment)

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