Cond Nast S Traveler

“As a bookseller, I loved Shelf Life for the chance to peer behind the curtain of Diwan, Nadia Wassef’s Egyptian bookstore—the way that the personal is inextricable from the professional, the way that failure and success are often lovers, the relationship between neighborhoods and books and life. Nadia’s story is for every business owner who has ever jumped without a net, and for every reader who has found solace in the aisles of a bookstore.” —Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here “Shelf Life is such a unique memoir about career, life, love, friendship, motherhood, and the impossibility of succeeding at all of them at the same time. It is the story of Diwan, the first modern bookstore in Cairo, which was opened by three women, one of whom penned this book. As a bookstore owner I found this fascinating. As a reader I found it fascinating. Blunt, honest, funny.” —Jenny Lawson, author of Broken (in the best possible way) The warm and winning story of opening a modern bookstore where there were none, Shelf Life: Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller recounts Nadia Wassef’s troubles and triumphs as a founder and manager of Cairo-based Diwan The streets of Cairo make strange music. The echoing calls to prayer; the raging insults hurled between drivers; the steady crescendo of horns honking; the shouts of street vendors; the television sets and radios blaring from every sidewalk. Nadia Wassef knows this song by heart. In 2002, with her sister, Hind, and their friend, Nihal, she founded Diwan, a fiercely independent bookstore. They were three young women with no business degrees, no formal training, and nothing to lose. At the time, nothing like Diwan existed in Egypt. Culture was languishing under government mismanagement, and books were considered a luxury, not a necessity. Ten years later, Diwan had become a rousing success, with ten locations, 150 employees, and a fervent fan base. Frank, fresh, and very funny, Nadia Wassef’s memoir tells the story of this journey. Its eclectic cast of characters features Diwan’s impassioned regulars, like the demanding Dr. Medhat; Samir, the driver with CEO aspirations; meditative and mythical Nihal; silent but deadly Hind; dictatorial and exacting Nadia, a self-proclaimed bitch to work with—and the many people, mostly men, who said Diwan would never work. Shelf Life is a portrait of a country hurtling toward revolution, a feminist rallying cry, and an unapologetic crash course in running a business under the law of entropy. Above all, it is a celebration of the power of words to bring us home.

A vibrantly illustrated exploration of the creative, inclusive, and inspiring movement happening in today’s Southern interior design The American South is a place steeped in history and tradition. We think of sweet tea, thick drawls, and even thicker summer air. It is also a place with a fraught history, complicated social norms, and dated perspectives. Yet among the makers and artists of the South, there is a powerful movement afoot. Alyssa Rosenheck shines a much-needed spotlight on a burgeoning community of people who are taking what’s beloved, inherent, and honored in the South and making it their own. The New Southern Style tours more than 30 homes and includes interviews with the designers, artists, and creative entrepreneurs who are reinventing Southern design and culture. This beautifully illustrated book is sure to inspire the home and soul.

From Sofia Coppola’s luxurious family retreat in beautiful Bernalda, Italy, to the beaches of Kate Winslet’s secret Scottish hideaway of Eilean Shona, to Kate Moss’s favorite beach in the Maldives, each of these thirty-six personal tales of the loveliest spots around the globe are packed with anecdotes and lyrical descriptions to transport readers. The photography bursting across each page—from the crystal waters and azure skies of UXUA Casa Hotel & Spa, to the lush hillsides of Sri Lanka, to the hipster hangouts of Portland, Oregon—adds to the allure, inspiring a new desire to discover these beloved corners of the world. Condé Nast Traveller Britain has been setting the luxury travel agenda for almost twenty years, providing inspiration and advice for discerning travelers looking for unique, unforgettable experiences. Editor Melinda Stevens, named BSME New Editor of the Year in 2013, began her career at Vogue, followed by roles at Tatler, The Sunday Times and the London Evening Standard. Fiona Kerr is features editor and Matthew Buck is photographic editor of Condé Nast Traveller.

From the #1 travel magazine in the country, a collection of travel tales from some of today's finest writers Travel writing maintains its seemingly endless popularity, and this volume offers a particularly transporting body of work, pairing exotic locales with writers of the highest caliber: Russell Banks writes on the Everglades, Francine Prose explores the secrets of Prague, Robert Hughes takes us on a tour of Italy, and more. From the most beautiful gardens to visit in Japan to the best free things to do in Provence, this book is as enlightening as it is entertaining. Whether off to the other side of the globe or to their favorite reading chair, wanderers of every sort will find this book truly indispensable. Other featured writers and places include: Nik Cohn on Savannah Philip Gourevitch on Tanzania Shirley Hazzard on Capri Pico Iyer on Iceland and Ethiopia Nicole Krauss on Japan Suketu Mehta on the Himalayas Edna O'Brien on Bath Patricia Storace on Provence and Athens James Truman on Iran Gregor Von Rezzori on Romania Edmund White on Jordan Simon Winchester on Mount Pinatubo William Dalrymple on his pilgrimage to Santiago John Julius Norwich on the Vatican Jan Morris on Hawaii

TRAVEL & HOLIDAY. Play along with Conde Nast Traveler magazine's popular monthly game, "Where Are You?," collected in one volume for the first time. Test your travel knowledge with clues paired with stunning photographs of both the exotic and the urbane to uncover 100 visually provocative, must-visit locations.

The first biography in over thirty years of Condé Nast, the pioneering publisher of Vogue and Vanity Fair and main rival to media magnate William Randolph Hearst. Condé Nast’s life and career was as high profile and glamorous as his magazines. Moving to New York in the early twentieth century with just the shirt on his back, he soon became the highest paid executive in the United States, acquiring Vogue in 1909 and Vanity Fair in 1913. Alongside his editors, Edna Woolman Chase at Vogue and Frank Crowninshield at Vanity Fair, he built the first-ever international magazine empire, introducing European modern art, style, and fashions to an American audience. Credited with creating the “café society,” Nast became a permanent fixture on the international fashion scene and a major figure in New York society. His superbly appointed apartment at 1040 Park Avenue, decorated by the legendary Elsie de Wolfe, became a gathering place for the major artistic figures of the time. Nast launched the careers of icons like Cecil Beaton, Clare Boothe Luce, Lee Miller, Dorothy Parker and Noel Coward. He left behind a legacy that endures today in media powerhouses such as Anna Wintour, Tina Brown, and Graydon Carter. Written with the cooperation of his family on both sides of the Atlantic and a dedicated team at Condé Nast Publications, critically acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald reveals the life of an extraordinary American success story.

Another spellbinding trip around the globe with some of today's most celebrated writers and journalists Condé Nast Traveler is the preeminent travel magazine in the United States, boasting a readership of 3.5 million. This second collection of the award-winning magazine's best travel writings, includes essays by luminaries such as, Robert Hughes, Russell Banks, E. L. Doctorow, André Aciman, Pico Iyer, and Edna O'Brien. As the world becomes smaller and ever more accessible, interest in travel writing is only growing greater. So whether readers are preparing for their own journeys or just indulging in an armchair adventure, this new volume of The Condé Nast Traveler Book of Unforgettable Journeys will open their eyes to the world.