Books published by Die Gestalten Verlag

Start your engines for a grand tour of the most stylish grand motoring automobiles ever created. Evoking an era when elegance, romance, and outright performance defined the automobile-and the fascinating stories that made them icons of the road. From the shark-inspired Maserati Ghibli to the fiery Lamborghini Miura, from European elegance with American firepower such as the Iso Grifo and Facel Vega to the groundbreaking designs of the Alfa Romeo Tipo 33 Stradale and Renault Alpine and the advanced technology behind the Jensen FF or Porsche 918 Spyder-these cars are less transportation and more testaments to beauty, freedom, ambition, innovation, and speed.Beautiful Machines was conceived and edited by gestalten. The stories are written by automobile expert Blake Z. Rong with a preface by Classic Driver's Jan Baedeker and gestalten's Robert Klanten.

If Berlin is Germany's clubbing capital then Hamburg is the dinner party that's as raucous as it is refined - and the guests are a varied bunch too. Stroll around this prosperous port city and you'll brush shoulders with local fishermen casting their nets on the banks of the River Elbe, world-renowned gallerists hosting exhibitions by cutting-edge artists, and independent retailers flaunting wares that are either "Made in Hamburg" or highly exotic.

Great inspiration for small spaces! Petite Places presents clever solutions for compact living.From living rooms and kitchens to bedrooms and bathrooms, small spaces can offer immense possibilities, if only the interior is well considered. By showing a variety of projects in different styles - from reduced and pragmatic to cozy - Petite Places delves into how small homes are being designed today, delivering insights from interior designers and architects. Floor plans will allow you to translate inspirations from the book into your home. Living in small spaces is not a new phenomenon. By looking at pioneering projects from times gone by, one starts to understand where modern living concepts draw ideas from. Clever furniture and storage solutions create more room to cook, relax, read in a comfortable nook, or work from home. Explore how you can add striking changes to your modest home with only a few tweaks.

Whichever city you choose - though we recommend all three, of course - you'll be charmed like a snake on Jemaa El Fna in no time. And to help you sift through the noise, here's our rundown of the best that Morocco has to offer. Marhaba!Morocco may be a short hop, skip and a jump across the Med from Europe but it feels like another world. Salesmen flaunting their wares in the souks, robed figures rushing to prayer and ancient palaces decked with dazzling tiles - it's easy to fall under its spell.Marrakech, on the cusp of both desert and mountain, offers old-world glamour and an enthralling sense of adventure. Casablanca, lapped by the Atlantic, is a thoroughly modern metropolis with a special affinity for art deco. And at the northernmost tip of the country is the eccentric cliffside city of Tangier, where many a writer and artist have pitched up and sought inspiration over the years.

Karl the Fog may never be too far away but who doesn't enjoy a bit of moody mist? Pull on some layers and head for the city's sprawling hills.Poised on its Californian peninsula, San Francisco is an energetic enclave with a storied libertine history, undeniable entrepreneurial fervour and vibrant cultural patronage.It may be known for its thriving technology sector but look beyond the numbers and you'll find a dynamic urban offering, complete with easygoing charm and dramatic natural beauty.The Monocle Travel Guide to San Francisco will help you navigate the varied and rolling cityscape, from the unhurried beachside allure of the Outer Sunset to the psychedelic hippie haze still prevailing in the Haight-Ashbury. We'll direct you to the glitziest art deco cinemas, round up our favourite forward-thinking retailers and show you where to enjoy everything from freshly shucked oysters to a jam-packed burrito. Of course, we'll also point out some first-rate early 20th-century architectural marvels, drop by one or two well-stocked wine bars and show you where to break a sweat - in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, no less.

Als Orte der Neugier, sind Bibliotheken seit jeher kollektives Gedächtnis, Quellen der Inspiration, flüsternd denkende Räume der Stille und des Studiums: Dieses Buch ist eine Ode an das Lesen. Doch diese Kathedralen des Wissens sind weit mehr als Archive der Vergangenheit: Bibliotheken wandeln und öffnen sich, nutzen neue Technologien und geben Orientierung im digitalen Rauschen. Sie sind Orte des gleichberechtigten Lernens, der Begegnung, der freien Bildung - und häufig Meisterwerke der zeitgenössischen Architektur. Büchertempel versammelt mehr als 50 der beeindruckendsten Bibliotheken der Welt und erkundet, wie vielfältig die Idee einer Bibliothek sein kann. Dieses Buch zeigt, warum die Bedeutung der Bibliothek als kulturelle Institution schon immer größer war als die Summe ihrer Bücher - für alle, die an die Kraft des geschriebenen Wortes glauben.

Think of Athens and the first things that spring to mind are ancient ruins and camera-toting crowds (before they hotfoot it to the island-bound ferries at the port of Piraeus, that is). It's true, the Acropolis is ever present and during summer the city thrums with schools of holidaymakers. But there's much more to the Greek capital than temples and tourists.We've looked beyond the admittedly awe-inspiring Parthenon and explored the city's modernist marvels, from circular school to colonnaded embassy. We've combed the cobbled streets for independent boutiques offering straw hats, hand-thrown ceramics and golden jewellery - all proudly "Made in Greece". When you're feeling peckish, choose between traditional family-run tavernas and contemporary restaurants spicing up classic Greek dishes.Attica is a region of riches and, of course, some of the nearby islands are simply too good to miss - so we've included a short and sharp list of our top stopovers. For now, though, strap up your sandals and allow us to introduce you to this chaotic but ever-so-charismatic city.

The title says it all: one man, one bike, one long ride, the adventure, the pleasure, and the pain. It is simultaneously a travelogue and visual journey.Martijn Doolaard traded the convenience of a car and the distractions of daily life for a cross-continental cycling journey: a biped adventure that would take him from Amsterdam to Singapore. Leaving behind repetitive routines, One Year on a Bike indulges in slow travel, the subtlety of a gradually changing landscape, and the lessons learned through traveling.Venturing through Eastern European fields of yellow rapeseed to the intimate hosting culture and community in Iran, One Year on a Bike is a vivid chronicle of what can happen when the norm is pointedly replaced by exceptional self-discoveries and beautiful sceneries. Doolaard shares the gear and knowledge that made his trip possible alongside the passionate curiosities that served as his impetus.