This love letter to London's most cherished shops celebrates the city's past and present, as well as its diversity and vivaciousness. Illustrator Joel Holland created his first book, NYC Storefronts, because he was missing all the places he couldn't visit in his own hometown during Covid lockdown. Now he's set his sights on London-a city that feels at once ancient and modern, traditional and quirky, homey and hip. Made with the same energy as NYC Storefronts, this book has a distinctly English vibe. It divides the city into five navigable sections (Central, North, East, South, and West), and highlights its diverse mix of cultures. In each chapter is a sprawling selection of shops, brought to life by Holland's charming drawings and London-based journalist Rosie Hewitson's captivating descriptions. This collection of more than two hundred shopfronts runs the gamut of old to modern-day London: stately bookshops, umbrella stores, tailors, hatters, and pubs, but also trendy restaurants, bars, and boutiques. A number of places are deeply profiled, including storied jazz club Ronnie Scott's; Hatchards, the UK's oldest- surviving bookshop; Caribbean record store People's Sound; Rowan's Tenpin Bowling Alley; beloved Turkish restaurant Mangal II; and gender-affirming hairdressers Open Barbers; each one is lovingly detailed in Holland's gentle tones. An informative guide to discovering all the Big Smoke has to offer, this is also a lasting keepsake for London lovers of every age and style.

Every New Yorker has a favorite place to shop-whether it's for pizza or flowers, to grab a beer, or slurp down soup dumplings. When the coronavirus crisis hit in 2020, illustrator Joel Holland began drawing storefronts near his apartment as a way of memorializing an element of city life that seemed suddenly precarious. He posted them on Instagram and they quickly drew an avid following. Eventually, Holland's collection grew to include shops recommended by friends or strangers online. This book showcases 225 of his delightful illustrations and runs the gamut, from delis and bodegas to dive bars, bookstores, bakeries, newsstands, cafes, restaurants and more. Each image is paired with engaging text written by journalist David Dodge and filled with the historical, cultural, and architectural details that have earned these stores a place in people's hearts. Also included is a foreword by beloved Instagrammer New York Nico, who is known for chronicling the city's independent businesses. The perfect gift for New Yorkers of all ages-as well as an insider's guide to everything from dim sum to late-night jazz-this treasury of iconic shops belongs in the library of anyone who loves NYC.

In 2008, J.K. Rowling delivered a deeply affecting commencement speech at Harvard University. Now published for the first time in book form, Very Good Lives offers J.K. Rowling's words of wisdom for anyone at a turning point in life, asking the profound and provocative questions: How can we embrace failure? And how can we use our imagination to better both ourselves and others? Drawing from stories of her own post-graduate years, the world-famous author addresses some of life's most important issues with acuity and emotional force.