Pass the Eye

Today's Covet: Phaidon Colour Art Library

The packaging gods at Phaidon have worked their magic again with this beautiful set of art surveys ($389, via auto).

This was probably inspired by the success of their Wallpaper travel guides -- brilliantly packaged, amazingly curated primers to a host of international cities. (The Rome installment was my go-to guide when I was there, helping me pick everything from my hotel to dining spots.)

Nice to see Phaidon giving Taschen and Assouline a run for their money. I do wish, however, that their stationary section was a bit more robust.

And, also: Why don't they offer the complete set on their own site? Well, thanks goodness the folks at auto are on the ball.

Today's Covet

The funny thing about some bloggers is their obsession with books. Over the past few days, both Gawker and BoingBoing.net have run posts on how to store extensive book collections.

I'm an avowed bibliophile myself. I have far more books than I'll ever be able to read in my lifetime. But there's something comforting in knowing that I have the complete Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, The Harvard Classics five-foot shelf of books, and Britannica's Great Books.

Now, here's a little something I'd love to add to my collection, Assouline's Venetian library. Only potential setback: The $30,000 pricetag. But, if there are any wealthy admirers who read my blog, my birthday is coming up -- kinda.