Insight into the mind of Rick Owens becomes a bit more accessible with the release of Rick Owen’s first book. Entitled, "L’ai – Je Bien Descendue," the book is packed with interviews and images from the designer’s work and history. Available at Browns.

More views of Rick Owen’s Book after the jump.

Available now at Colette Paris, Hedi Slimane’s book "Rock Diary" in a collector’s box set. "This beautifully designed three volume-boxed set presents new photographic work by Hedi Slimane, the iconic fashion designer who, during tenures at Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior, has infused men’s fashion with an androgynous, rock n’ roll swerve…The first volume is an album of Slimane’s photographs of the Lollapalooza-esque three-day Festival Internacional de Benicássim on the East coast of Spain, the second is devoted to images of the new British and American rock scenes and the third contains essays on Slimane’s work by art critic Vince Aletti and music critic Jon Savage."

Once again Staple Design from New York City is involved in a great new project with Lomo. This time the two got together for a Lomo camera and a book featuring photographs of over 100 lomographers, including Boogie, Kareem Black,  Yasumasa Yonehara, Maureen Hufnagel and many others.

Staple also designed a Lomo colorsplash camera to come along with the book. Next Thursday, June 19th, The Reed Space will be hosting the launch of the camera and the book and will have a photo installation from photographers around the world.

REED SPACE

151 Orchard Street b/w Rivington and Stanton

www.thereedspace.com

Check out the invite after the jump.

Artist Steven Harrington’s Our Mountain: A Traveling Art Experience opened on June 5.The show will travel from Paris through Berlin, Milan and Barcelona. For those unable to attend, Steven has a blog of the show on his site, and also a book up for grabs. The book can be purchased from We Sold Out! and a preview can be viewed after the jump. 

An exclusive interview with the artist on the book can be found here.

"les must de Cartier" is the latest book form the Assouline Publishing House. The bookis less of a history lesson and more of a view into a world of luxury and live as seen from the view of Cartier. As mentioned on the publisher’s page, "Cartier justified luxury by offering a more perfect modernity. Protected by a panther-skin slipcase, this limited-edition volume invites you to visit the delirious parties that followed every new ‘must’." Sold out for now, we can only hope on future printings. (via notcot)

ACL breathes life into an old out of print photography collection by T.Hyashida, “Take Ivy.” “In the late sixties, a forward thinking Japanese photographer traveled throughout the northeastern United States stopping at each of the Ivy League schools to document the style of the era. The resulting book, cryptically titled “Take Ivy”, is pure genius. The photo book was out of print until a few years ago when a small run was re-released, only to immediately sell out. I have tried to recreate the spirit of the book as best I can through these scans. Further proof that preppy / Ivy League style transcends time and trends.”

The photo essay on A Continuous Lean comes in the form of two parts. Both links are recommended.

Our friends at Hint offer a nice glimpse into Karl Lagerfeld’s photography project, Metamorphosis of American – A Cycle of Youth 2003-2008. "Karl Lagerfeld has spent the better part of the last five years photographing Ford model Brad Koenig for projects ranging from gallery shows to ad campaigns. But that’s just the beginning. They’ve also rendezvoused each month to shoot Brad as any number of fictional characters and real-life icons, i.e. James Dean, Rudolph Valentino and Lieutenant Pinkerton from Madame Butterfly. Proving the shelf life of a model doesn’t have to be short, Karl has now compiled those images of the Missouri native in a book, Metamorphoses of an American (Steidl), which he launched last Friday at Pace/MacGill gallery…"

Visit Hint for more great photos of the book launch.

Give it up to the French foreign minister for spending a few hard months working on a guide-book to Paris that is sure to help even the most non-sleazy of a man to find a beautiful woman. “‘Just as every region has its gastronomy, every quartier has its feminine speciality,’ writes Pierre-Louis Colin, 34, who co-wrote the foreign minister Bernard Kouchner’s most recent book…The ‘playful, gallant’ contemplation of women is an important part of his country’s greatness – and a vital counter to US political correctness, Colin told The Daily Telegraph.

Guide des jolies femmes de Paris was released last month.

For famed Finnish architects Eliel Saarinen and Alvar Aalto the summer residence was a space for experimentation. Coming out of a harsh and long winter, Summer in Finland is a time to connect with the outdoors, and summer homes reflect that. Finnish Summer Homes details 20 houses and cottages through contemporary and archival photography. It is a journey through the mind of some of the most important Finnish architects and an interesting look at the spatial concerns of modern architecture. Accompanying the book is an exhibition at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, DC. Available now from Princeton Architectural Press.

Agent Provocateur, London’s favorite sexy lingerie company, has released a new photography book, “Agent Provocateur Exhibitionist,” which is a study into AP’s window displays as photo’d by Enzo Peccinotti. “Enzo Peccinotti’s photography is matched with quotes from a host of famous names, including Vivienne Westwood, Debbie Harry, Mario Testino, Kate Moss, and the Editrice of Erotic Review, all responding to the delectable displays, in this stimulating look at these erotic exhibitions. Celebrating the varied window displays—from Slumber Party to Leather Maid—of a cutting-edge establishment once threatened by police with the 18th-century Obscene Displays Act, this arousing collection of images powerfully celebrates the female body and sexual attraction.” (via Men.style)

Buy it now via Amazon.