Mina Holland | The Edible Atlas | London (UK) | By Lee Fleming

The Edible Atlas: Around the World in Thirty-nine cuisines, the first book by Mina Holland (Editor of Guardian Cook) is a full whistle-stop tour for intrepid cooks that perfectly blends together Holland’s passion for food and travel. Published by independent publishers Canongate Books and edited by Jenny Lord, the striking cartography and infographics were designed by London-based illustrator/graphic designer Liane Payne. The impressive art direction and design is thanks to Canongate’s own Rafaela Romaya and the symbols that pepper the book are from Peter Adlington.

The Edible Atlas tracks Holland’s exploration into various cuisines from across the globe alongside their culinary heritage. Demystifying the flavours, ingredients and techniques of 39 different cuisines, the book travels worldwide via South Indian coconut fish curry, zingy ceviche, yoghurty Jordanian mansaf, Danish dream cake, Spanish tortilla de patatas and Caribbean jerk chicken. Alongside snippets of anecdote, history and literature associated with the recipes, words of wisdom from some of the world’s most seasoned food experts also pop up across the pages- expect to hear from Yotam Ottolenghi, Jacob Kenedy, Jose Pizarro and Giorgio Locatelli.

Book of BORO by Yukiko Koide and Hyoichi Tsuzuki | Aomori (JAP) | By Lee Fleming

‘Boro: Rags and Tatters from the Far North of Japan' by Yukiko Koide and Hyoichi Tsuzuki, documents the Japanese ‘boro’ textiles and rag patchworks that grew out of the Aomori Prefecture. Located on the northernmost tip of Honshu, poverty stricken Tohoku (snow country) in Aomori was home to poor farmers who grew and wore hemp clothes out of necessity when the landscape was too cold to grow cotton. This book presents the boro collection of Chuzaburo Tanaka, who roamed the farming and fishing villages of Aomori during the mid 1960s in search of boro.

Available from Tortoise General Store online.

52 Weeks 52 Cities by Iwan Baan | Amsterdam (NL)

Developed exclusively for German museum Marta Herford, Dutch photographer Iwan Baan completed a one-year photographic journey around the world. Known for challenging a long-standing tradition of depicting buildings as isolated and static, architectural photographer Baan represents people in architecture and highlights building enviornments in order to communicate the relationship between human and architecture and between socialisation and its spatial situation.

The exhibition 52 Weeks, 52 Cities features photographs of each week of last year accompanied by personally spoken commentaries by Baan. The extensive list of locations visited by Baan includes Dallas (USA), Larabanga (Northern Ghana), Allahabad (India) and Setonomori (Japan).

Accompanying the exhibition is a book published by Kehrer Verlag and designed by Another Something & Company.

Photography by Benjamin Van Witsen

NOMA Restaurant map illustrations by Hannah Warren | London (UK)

Released in 2010, NOMA: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine offers comprehensive coverage of the first seven years following the opening of Copenhagen's prestigious restaurant, NOMA. With an introduction to the people, places and ingredients that have shaped the restaurant since its inception by award winning chef René Redzepi, the book looks at how NOMA has been widely credited for re-inventing Nordic cuisine with its unique approach to cooking. In addition, NOMA: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, explores how the restaurant has looked to their landscape for culinary inspiration by researching various ingredients and cultures to re-discover the rich history of Nordic food.

Redzepi, who previously worked at both elBulli and The French Laundry, opened  NOMA in a derelict 18th century warehouse in 2003 and presents experimental gourmet cuisine combining innovation, culinary craft and an innate knowledge of Nordic food. Throughout the pages, its clear that Redzepi takes great care in his work to ensure that his diners have a truly memorable culinary experience achieved through the use of seasonally and regionally sourced ingredients. Redzepi's search for ingredients has taken him across the globe, from locally foraged wild produce to horse-mussels from the Faroe Islands and water springs in Greenland.

Comissioned by Phaidon in 2010 and designed by award winning design consultancy Studio Frith, NOMA: Time and Place in Nordic Cusine is a unique and intimate depiction of NOMA's history and philosophy, the experimentation that takes place behind the menu and the cultural significance of dining at NOMA. Alongside Redzepi's story and recipes the book features a series of exclusively commissioned photographs and illustrations that reflect the food and atmosphere at NOMA as well as its Nordic surroundings.

We're particularly fond of the map illustrations and hand-drawn typeface by London-based freelance illustrator Hannah Warren that pinpoint the locations of NOMA suppliers as well as the journey Redzepi took to discover them. The illustrations were inspired by the natural landscape of the Nordic region and Warren used collaged tree bark, native to each region, to create the drawings.

The Outsiders: New Outdoor Creativity

The proliferation of outdoor and travel writing in recent years has signalled a yearning for untouched landscapes and the truly rural. Many urban environments are filled with inhabitants who fantasise about escaping uncompromising grid systems but are unable to satiate their thirst for the the wild. To bridge this gap, there is a new generation of outdoor explorers using urban design and creative thinking to navigate unruly terrains.

The Outsiders: New Outdoor Creativity by Gestalten explores the relationship between the urban creative and the outdoors and features interviews with leaders from across the outdoor sector that include Patagonia, Poler and Snow Peak. By considering travellers' needs in line with functional and aesthetically strong design, the brands and ideas presented in this book accommodate the demands of the urban dweller in an outdoor setting.

Complemented by an inspirational and rich selection of photography, The Outsiders, edited by Jeffrey Bowman, Sven Ehmann and Robert Klanten, includes insights from designers Geoff McFetridge and Groovisions, polar explorer Arved Fuchs, expedition paddler Mark Kalch and champion free-skier Ane Enderud. A recommended read for the curious explorer.

Available from Paper Cut.