Title Author Comments
Art / Design / Architecture
25 Houses Under 1500 Square Feet James Grayon Trulove Excellent collection of small houses that feel big
Time Andy Goldsworthy Includes 23 pages of his work in New Mexico
Wabi-Sabi Leonard Koren Subtitle: For Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers
Wabi Sabi Andrew Juniper Subtitle: The Japanese Art of Impermanence. Since Leonard Koren’s book on the subject is so excellent I was skeptical about this book, but it is very good, and contains a lot of useful information.
How Buildings Learn Stewart Brand Subtitle: What Happens After They're Built
Minimum John Pawson  
A Life of Picasso John Richardson Second volume of Richardson's massive Picasso biography
Luis Barragan Rene Burri  
Mutations Rem Koolhaas Essays on the new urbanization and the 21st century international city
Coffee Table Books
Sacred Places Kenro Izu Great landscape photography. Very beautiful. Greg Gorman turned me on to this book.
Cyclops Albert Watson Great portrait photography
Pierre Koenig James Steele My favorite California Modern architect
Santa Fe Style Christine Mather & Sharon Woods This was the bible of the Santa Fe style in the Eighties.
Modern House John Welsh Worth it just for the Campo Baeza house on pages 56-63
Italy: In the Shadow of Time Linda Butler Beautiful photography
Malaparte - A House Like Me Michaael McDonough Considered the most beautiful house in the world by many...
Station to Station Steven Parissien I love railways and railway stations
Consciousness
Kosmic Consciousness Ken Wilber This is technically not a book, since it is a 10-CD set of Ken Wilber speaking. I highly recommend this set, because it is full of information and it shows Ken's sense of humor. His books are well researched and can be a little dry. This is as much fun as it is important.
A Brief History of Everything Ken Wilber This is the first Wilber book I read. It was written as a summary of “Sex, Ecology Spirituality - only 330 pages rather than 831... I often recommend it to people as a great first Wilber book.
One Taste Ken Wilber The Journals of Ken Wilber. Unique in sight into the day-to-day life of an american philosopher.
The Marriage of Sense and Soul Ken Wilber  
Theory of Everything Ken Wilber  
Music of the Mind Darryl Reanney I found this wonderful book in Australia in 1996.
The Life we are Given Leonard & Murphy aka ITP or Integral Transformative Practice. A long term program for realizing the potential of Body, Mind, Heart, and Soul.
The Radiance of Being Allan Combs  
Being Peace Thich Nhat Hanh  
Essential Spirituality Roger Walsh, M.D., PH.D.  
What Really Matters Tony Schwartz  
Food / Cooking
3 Bowls Seppo Ed Farrey Excellent vegetarian recipes from an American Zen Monastery in New York State.
Italian Easy Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers Great recipes from the London River Cafe - and easy!
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Marcella Hazan Includes the best Pesto recipe ever!
Garden
Dirr's Hardy Trees Michael Dirr Excellent resource. Everything you need to know about trees.
The Gardens of Roberto Burle Marx Sima Eliovson The great Brazilian garden designer.
Past History / Future History
Memoirs of Hadrian Marguerite Yourcenar Great first person biography of Roman emperor Hadrian
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini, George Anthony Bull The world's first autobiography. Fascinating!
The Discoverers Daniel J. Boorstin  
The Creators Daniel J. Boorstin  
Tomorrow Now Bruce Sterling A fearless look into the future.
Media
Media Virus Douglas Rushkoff  
Music / Musicians
The Third Ear Joachim-Ernst Berendt I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
Song of the Outcasts Robin Totten My favorite book on Flamenco. Robin Totten totally gets it.
The Art of Flamenco Donn E. Pohren  
Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy Robert Jourdain  
A Year with Swollen Appendices Brian Eno Brian Eno's diary allows us to experience a year in his life. The work, the art, the father, the husband.
Miles Miles Davis w. Quincy Troupe If you are a Miles fan you have to have this.
A Year from Monday John Cage I have had this book for a long time, since 1979 or 1980. Fabulous book. Brilliant man.
Miscellaneous
Blue Gold: The Fight to Stop the Corporate Theft of the World's Water Maude Barlow & Tony Clarke A real-life thriller about the cor porate takeover of our most basic resource. Transnational corporations are plotting to control the world's dwindling water supply.
Writing on Water Edited by David Rthenberg & Marta Ulvaeus This book contains some science, a few plans, and plenty of stories, poems, essays and artwork.
Schott's Original Miscellany Ben Schott  
Schott's Food & Drink Miscellany Ben Schott  
Novels
The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith What makes a person interesting or loveable or good... these Ripley novels question our concepts. He seems so charming at times and yet is so evil. The movie did not do the book justice at all and Matt Damon was miscast. There is also “Purple Noon” a 1960 movie based on this book, starring Alain Delon who was a much better Ripley.
The Club Dumas Arturo Perez-Riverte One critic called this novel "a cross between Umberto Eco and Anne Rice". Unfortunately the movie based on this book, "The Nine Gates" sucked.
Ripley Under Water Patricia Highsmith  
Ripley Under Ground Patricia Highsmith  
Ripley's Game Patricia Highsmith There are two movie adaptations of this book. “The American Friend” by Wim Wenders with Dennis Hopper, and “Ripley’s Game” starring John Malkovich.
The Boy Who Followed Ripley Patricia Highsmith  
The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown Very entertaining.
Angels & Demons Dan Brown  
Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson  
Quicksilver Neal Stephenson  
Semana Santa David Hewson This book might only be available at amazon.co.uk. I read in advance copy which I found in a house I was renting in Tuscany in 1997. I have since ordered and received several copies of this book from amazon.co.uk
The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco Brilliant book, great movie
The Fencing Master Arturo Perez-Riverte A historical mystery.
The Flanders Panel Arturo Perez-Riverte Contains a lot of interesting information about Dutch painters.
Poetry
Selected Odes of Pablo Naruda Translated by Margaret Sayers Peden  
Mountains and Rivers without End Gary Snyder  
One Robe, One Bowl John Stevens The amazing zen poetry of Ryokan. I bought this book in Boston in the early Eighties and when I opened it today I found a pencil-written note on the first page: If I had only one book, it might be this one.
Sci-Fi
Pattern Recognition William Gibson A great ride. Pattern recognition = PR
The Diamond Age Neal Stephenson  
Snowcrash Neal Stephenson Very entertaining.
Neuromancer William Gibson This novel started the whole Cybernet culture.
Blade Runner Philip K. Dick The original title was: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Very different from the movie.
Count Zero William Gibson  
Senses
Soul and Sensuality Roger Housden Unfortunately hard to find.
A Natural History of the Senses Diane Ackerman  
Travel
The Last Opium Den Nick Tosches The Quest of a diabetic for opium.
The Lady and the Monk Pico Iyer Four Seasons in Kyoto.
Lonely Planet, Santa Fe and Taos Paige R. Penland  
Precious Jewels of Tibet Jane Bay  
Zen / Buddhism
Cold Mountain Burton Watson (translator) The legendary poet-recluse Han-Shan wrote poems on the wall of his cave, on rocks, even trees. Lucky for us somebody collected them and this is their best translation.
The Path of the Human Being Dennis Genpo Merzel If you wanted to start with two books on Zen, I would highly recommend The Path of the Human Being and The Eight Gates of Zen
The Eight Gates of Zen John Daido Loori  
24/7 Dharma Dennis Genpo Merzel  
The Heart of Being John Daido Loori  
The Art of Just Sitting John Daido Loor (Editor) Excellent collection of writing on Zazen from the past 1000 years.
Being Peace Thich Nhat Hanh