Five Hamptons Books Celebrating Local Artists & Writers

Struggling to find the perfect gift this holiday season and don’t want to give out yet another gift card? You can never go wrong with a book. No matter who you’re buying for or where their interests lie, there’s always a book for that. And they’re easy to wrap! We’ve collected a handful of great books sure to pique the interest of your favorite Hamptophile.

The End
Seen on the coffee tables of A-listers like Ralph and Dylan Lauren, Paul McCartney and Calvin Klein, The End by Michael Dwek is perhaps the sexiest coffee table book of the year. With a limited print run of only 300 copies, the $3,000 Art Editions of The End will appeal to collectors of fine photography who will relish the rare opportunity to own a signed, numbered, limited edition volume. This edition, printed and bound in Italy, comes packaged in a handmade, cloth-lined clamshell case with one of three 11” by 14” silver gelatin prints, also signed and numbered. Of the 275 photographs included, 260 are duotone, made with a special treatment for black and white images that produces exquisite tonal range and density. The 15 color photographs are color-separated and reproduced in the finest technique available, providing unequalled intensity and color range.

Surfing 1778 – Today
It may not be the best time of year to catch a wave, but there’s no better time to splurge on your surf-crazed loved one. Surfing 1778-Today (Taschen) is the most comprehensive visual history of surfing to date, tracing the evolution of surfing from the first recorded European contact with the sport to the global phenomena it has become today. At just under 600 pages, with more than 900 images, including articles from the world’s leading surf journalists, this massive and luxurious cloth-bound book proves that surfing is not only a sport, but a lifestyle.

East Hampton
East Hampton is the newest addition to the Arcadia Publishing Postcard History Series. Featuring more than 200 original postcards from the various hamlets, East Hampton is a charming and nostalgic visual history of one of the country’s premier summer spots. Transport yourself to Lily Pond Lane as it looked in 1917, the now majestic trees mere saplings. Beachgoers of the early 1900s, clad in wool bathing costumes and straw bonnets, grace many postcards in the back of the book. A postcard sent in 1907 depicts a man removing blubber from a whale, serving as a vivid reminder of the area’s seafaring past. Beautiful shots of Hamptons mansions, some gone, some now hiding behind hedges, are peppered throughout. Each postcard is accompanied by a short description so readers will know exactly what they’re looking at.

Hidden History of Long Island
Did you know the first train-car collision happened right here on Long Island in 1901 when racecar driver Henri Fournier’s $9,000 ($240,000 in today’s dollars) vehicle was struck at a rail crossing at Post Street in Westbury? Or that the area of Hempstead Plains in Nassau County was so instrumental in early aviation that it became know as the “Cradle of Aviation?” These are only two of a plethora of intriguing facts to be mined from the expertly researched and thoroughly interesting new book Hidden History of Long Island (The History Press) by Richard Panchyk. Find out what other history is hidden in your own back yard this holiday season.

The Hamptons
If there’s one thing Michael Clinton knows, it’s travel. If there’s another, it’s photography. He’s traveled to all seven continents and over 100 countries, writing and taking pictures all the while. Now, Clinton turns his unique photographer’s eye to the Hamptons, capturing the essence of beachfront life. In the process he transforms ordinary, every day objects and scenes into inspiring and insightful images. From empty, rock-strewn beaches to windmills and produce-filled farmstands, Clinton shows the East End in all its everyday, idyllic grandeur.