Most Popular Books by Tamara Shopsin

"In Arbitrary Stupid Goal, Tamara Shopsin takes the reader on a pointillist time-travel trip to the Greenwich Village of her bohemian 1970s childhood, a funky, tight-knit small town in the big city, long before Sex and the City tours and luxury condos. The center of Tamara''s universe is Shopsin''s, her family''s legendary greasy spoon, aka ''The Store,'' run by her inimitable dad, Kenny--a loquacious, contrary, huge-hearted man who, aside from dishing up New York''s best egg salad on rye, is Village sheriff, philosopher, and fixer all at once. All comers find a place at Shopsin''s table and feast on Kenny''s tall tales and trenchant advice along with the incomparable chili con carne." --Provided by publishe

The meeting of Louis Charles Mahe de la Bourdonnais and Alexander McDonnell at London''s Westminster Chess Club in 1834 was notable for a number of reasons. Hard-earned reputations were zealously protected, and masters of equal standing had seldom faced each other on even terms. The chess world was watching closely, but it was the actions of spectator William Greenwood Walker, who recorded each move of the 85 games, that has had the greatest impact.This recording and publication of game scores from a series of matches between masters was a first in chess history: The event gave birth to modern chess theory. Once based upon composed exercises studied in isolation, theory now became concrete and measurable. Practice replaced contrivance, and tactics could be studied and honed in light of the avalanche of match records that followed.McDonnell and de la Bourdonnais played six matches in 1834. This book offers biographies of the two and illuminates their times--and then the 85 games are analyzed using modern theory; there are numerous diagrams and previously published commentary. The merits of the openings, middle- and endgame maneuvers of the two are weighed. Nine appendices present selected games against other opponents; excerpt a contemporary account of the games'' ambience; provide other interesting documents; present several statistics; and provide a schematic of mistakes made by both contestants. Bibliography, notes, indexes.

An extraordinarily moving memoir from an iconoclastic new talent—an artist, cook, and illustrator whose adventures at home and abroad reveal the importance of living life with your eyes wide open. Best known for her witty illustrations, and as a cook beside her mischievous father in her family’s legendary Manhattan restaurant, in Mumbai New York Scranton, Tamara Shopsin offers a brilliantly inventive, spare, and elegant chronicle of a year in her life characterized by impermanence. In a refreshingly original voice alternating between tender and brazen, Shopsin recounts a trip to the Far East with her sidekick husband and the harrowing adventure that unfolds when she comes home. Entire worlds, deep relationships, and indelible experiences are portrayed in Shopsin’s deceptively simple and sparse language and drawings. Blending humor, love, suspense—and featuring photographs by Jason Fulford—Mumbai New York Scranton inspires a kaleidoscope of emotions. Shopsin’s surprising and affecting tale will keep you on the edge of your seat.

A WIRED Pick for the 7 Books You Need to Read This Winter and one of Vox''s 11 Titles Not to Miss From the incomparable New York Times and New Yorker illustrator Tamara Shopsin, a debut novel about a NYC printer repair technician who comes of age alongside the Apple computer—featuring original artistic designs by the author. LaserWriter II is a coming-of-age tale set in the legendary 90s indie NYC Mac repair shop TekServe—a voyage back in time to when the internet was new, when New York City was gritty, and when Apple made off-beat computers for weirdos. Our guide is Claire, a 19-year-old who barely speaks to her bohemian co-workers, but knows when it’s time to snap on an antistatic bracelet. Tamara Shopsin brings us a classically New York novel that couldn’t feel more timely. Interweaving the history of digital technology with a tale both touchingly human and delightfully technical, Shopsin brings an idiosyncratic cast of characters to life with a light touch, a sharp eye, and an unmistakable voice. Filled with pixelated philosophy and lots of printers, LaserWriter II is, at its heart, a parable about an apple.

"Takes viewers on a whimsical journey while introducing them to the fundamentals of visual literacy and teaching them associative thinking"--Aperture learning guide.

Dig through the leaf pile in this collage-inspired book with see-through pages Readers explore the concept of layering and collage with this interactive exercise in composition. Each clear acetate page features a single element in the leaf pile, though some are not leaves at all! As readers turn the pages, the leaf pile is deconstructed piece by piece on the right side, and reconstructed on the left. Younger readers will enjoy the seek-and-find aspect of the hidden objects, while older readers might experiment by adding their own images between the pages. A key at the back provides the names of each kind of leaf shown. Inspired by the Whitney Museum''s approach to looking at art, these books provide a new way to look at the world. Colors are brighter than they appear - printed in pure Pantones. Ages 2-4

C''est le Pied II is New York-based artist and illustrator Tamara Shopsin''s follow up to her well-received 2007 book, C''est le Pied. Volume two is similarly filled with Shopsin''s whimsical line drawings and deadpan conundrums that play on everyday mishaps. An eclectic gem, this small giftworthy paperback comprises a series of 49 elegant doodles that combine Shopsin''s familiar handsome design with a New Yorker-esque--or Fischli and Weiss, or Ernie Kovacs--sense of humor, and a touch of Raymond Pettibon''s edge: a broomstick-riding witch and a genie traveling by magic carpet share airspace, a battered-looking armored truck is jacked up on three sets of cinderblocks and a fully-suited knight sips soda from a straw through his helmet. Shopsin is an east coast graphic artist, line cook and the daughter of New York food legend Kenny Shopsin, whose restaurant--a long-term West Village mainstay--features a famously over-stuffed menu. Father and daughter recently collaborated on the popular cookbook, Eat Me: the Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin. She is also a regular contributor to The New York Times Book Review and Op-Ed pages, as well as various other national magazines.

Handsomely designed and illustrated by Tamara Shopsin, this small paperback leads the reader through a series of visual puns and subtle wordplay in the form of 45 simple line drawings. An odd gem in the vein of certain McSweeney''s publications with a bit of Raymond Pettibon thrown in, it highlights an absurdist humor that can also be found at her newest venture, Shopsin''s General Store online, where one can find such eclectic staples as an Honest Abe cloisonné lapel pin featuring the emotional sixteenth President of the United States, a wooden tongue depressor silk-screened with the phrase, "I was born on a pirate ship," various darkly adorable letterpress notecards and a scarf with red and white marbling that is designed to look like a long, soft strip of bacon. A regular contributor to The New York Times Op-Ed page among other cosmopolitan publications, Shopsin is a cook and graphic artist based in New York.

View artworks from the Whitney Museum''s esteemed collection in a whole new way - an interactive invitation to explore and discover Unfold pages, lift flaps, gaze into mirrors, and interact with art like never before. Inspired by the many ways that art can be viewed and experienced, this book encourages children to spend time with a curated selection of fine art from the Whitney collection - and to dig deeper and consider all angles. Each artwork is showcased with a novelty mechanism and caption, for curious hands and wondering eyes.

What colour is an apple? A dog? Grass? Young readers will be blown away by the range of possibilities What colour is a banana? It can be at least 25 different shades, according to this artful swatchbook of versatile subjects. An inversion of the way we typically look at colour, this book challenges readers'' predispositions towards using a particular crayon for a particular object. 11 items are each presented alongside a grid of color ranges: the "apple" page features yellows, greens, and reds; the "egg" page a range of greens to grays; even "grass" is surprising, with suggestions of pink. The read-along text is playful and philosophical, poetic and factual... all towards expanding readers'' assumptions. Inspired by the Whitney Museum''s approach to looking at art, these books provide a new way to look at the world.

A colours book with no colours - instead, die-cuts to peek through and find them yourself This introduction to colours integrates the reader''s surroundings into carefully considered die-cut silhouettes, providing children the space to visually experiment. Readers will gaze around the room through a cockerel-shaped hole in search of something red, through a sun-shaped hole for something yellow, through squiggly worms for something pink. Designed for the youngest readers, this sturdy board book features 12 die-cuts made to flip and carry on a colour-seeking mission. Inspired by the Whitney Museum''s approach to looking at art, these books provide a new way to look at the world.