26 members recommend for February

26 is now an official Amazon affiliate. That means if you order a recommended book or CD by following the links to Amazon, 10% of what you pay will end up in 26’s coffers, helping us to put on more events and recommend more books. A virtuous circle, if you like.

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‘Brother, What Strange Place Is This?’ by Tom Saunders (The UKA Press, £9.99 list and £9.99 on Amazon)
Travel vicariously to some unusual places with Tom Saunders’ first book of short stories. A Seal Man arrives on a remote island at the time of the Armada, a jazz pianist looks up an old flame in Havana, a fetishistic philosopher becomes enmeshed in the darker side of Vienna’s café society, and a Stepney composer finds himself in an asylum at the turn of the last century. These are surprising, beautifully crafted stories that resonate. FT



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Mozilla Firefox
OK, this is probably a bit techie for 26. But you might just enjoy Firefox, a relatively new, but increasingly popular web browser. It’s supposed to be more secure than many others, particularly Explorer, but the great thing about it is the decidedly untechie themes you can dress it with. I am currently using the high-bling ‘Pimpzilla’, which boasts cream faux fur trim, jewel-encrusted icons, and odd snatches of leopard skin. Very P-Diddy. Download Firefox for free at www.getfirefox.com. JD

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‘The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories’ by Christopher Booker (Continuum, £12.99 list, £8.57 on Amazon)
The idea that all stories spring from a handful of archetypal plots isn’t new, but Booker pursues it with a thoroughness that’s pretty awe-inspiring. Thirty-four years in the making, the book takes in everything from Jaws to Beowulf, James Bond to Little Red Riding Hood. It’s an intriguing read, even if you don’t buy the whole Jungian/Darwinian argument. (Stories apparently contain coded instructions for the future survival of the species – it’s all about living happily ever after.) As far as corporate story-telling goes, I guess most brand stories are a mix of the ‘Rags to Riches’ and ‘Quest’ tales. It’s odd to think of us copywriters all spinning out endless variations on two ancient themes – let’s hope the clients never find out. NA



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'Found' by Davy Rothbart (James Bennett Pty Ltd, £7.24 on Amazon)
This book is a fully illustrated compilation of the best lost, tossed, and forgotten items – anything from shopping lists and advertisements to discarded personal letters. Compiler Davy Rothbart, who also edits the Found website and magazine, received contributions from all over the world. If you’re looking for inspiration, this book is invaluable – every entry tells a part of someone’s story, ranging from funny to sad to just plain scary. LH



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‘The Ricky Gervais Show’ on Guardian Unlimited
Inspired ramblings from creators of ‘The Office’, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, accompanied by sidekick and scientific curiosity, Karl Pilkington. It essentially involves them sitting in a studio and talking nonsense – and, through the miracle of podcasting, you can listen to it whenever and wherever you want. Look out especially for Karl’s diary, surely destined to become the next cult publishing phenomenon. The weekly series is coming to an end, but the most recent episodes are still available as free downloads. www.guardian.co.uk/rickygervais. NA

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‘Never Leave Well Enough Alone’ by Raymond Loewy (Editions Assouline, £12.95 on Amazon)
First published in 1951 and reprinted 50 years later, the book didn’t exactly meet universal acclaim on either occasion. Loewy’s legendary ego intrudes too often for it to be a comfortable read. Nevertheless, it’s a charming and fascinating record of a time when a designer could work on a corporate identity one minute and a locomotive the next – pausing briefly to redesign Lucky Strike cigarettes for a flat fee of £50,000, settled by a gentlemanly handshake. Part memoir, part design manifesto, it’s a revealing insight into how much and how little the design industry has changed (it seems free pitching was a burning issue even in 1951...) NA



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‘Voyage That Never Ends’ by Stefano Scodanibbio (New Albion Records)
If you love Brian Eno and Kraftwerk, you might enjoy this extraordinary cd of solo double bass playing by Stefano Scodanibbio. Written in 1979, it’s a voyage that grows from a minimalist, powerfully rhythmic start, and moves through complex bowing, plucking and tapping to tigerish growlings. John Cage said that Scodanibbio was the best bass player he’d ever heard. One for minimal music lovers. Plus, you have to order it from New York, so you get exciting foreign post. What more could you want? Visit www.newalbion.com/artists/scodanibbios/ to order. FT



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‘Cryptonomicon’ by Neal Stephenson (Arrow, £8.99 list and same price on Amazon)
Mind-boggling epic that takes in Alan Turing and Bletchly Park, information theory, swahsbuckling WW2 adventure and all manner of other stuff in a highly satisfying mash up of history and fiction. A bit like a readable version of ‘Gravity’s Rainbow’. RH



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‘Master and Everyone’ by Bonnie Prince Billie (Domino, £9.99 on Amazon)
Always feels bit odd recommending music here, but this one is worth it. An uncommonly engaging and subversive take on country music from curmudgeonly genius Will Oldham. Much better than this rubbish description makes it sound. RH



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Knockoff
In their words, ‘Album cover spoofs, goofs, tributes, send ups, near misses and coincidences’. A great little site for anyone who loves album cover artwork. Some of the rip-offs are breathtaking, pastiches hilarious, and homages tragic. And then there’s Weird Al Yankovich.www.knockoffproject.com. TR

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Personal annual reports
A great take on the annual report from Megafone designer and photographer Nicholas Feltron. Once you’ve read the AR, take a look at his project on Joseph Heller (Catch 22) and his tour of Iceland (Island).feltron.com/05report_index.html. TR

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This month’s plugs by Jim Davies, Nick Asbury, Roger Horberry, Tim Rich, Lu Hersey and Fiona Thompson. These are not necessarily the views of 26, but we hope they’re not far off the mark. Any contributions gratefully received.

posted by jim @ 3:47 PM