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In Praise of Well-Made Books
Lots of people send me books. I love this. There are few things more exciting than to receive books. They’re all wonderful in their own ways. But now and then, one arrives and stops you in your tracks — is such a delight that you have to take a moment to consider and reflect. “People Make Places” is one of those books.
People Make Places is a book about craftspeople in Tokyo. It is a book I wish I made. It feels like a sequel to Art Space Tokyo, but broken free of the art world and much more visual. The whole thing is a gem. Creative directed by Lizzie Murray and designed by Ben Chong, it’s printed on heavy, matte stock. The photography by Gorta Yuki is bright and detailed, delicate. The writing is clear. The goal simple:
“People Make Places seeks to discover the people who construct the reality of the city: its cultural spaces, fashion stores, bars and coffee shops, and especially its food culture. We built this book to get to know them, because these are the people who build the backdrops to our urban lives.”
In the afterword, Charles Spreckley — the book’s publisher and mastermind —writes:
