Whenever the digital overkill gets too real, I turn to good books. Preferably ones that lead me into worlds, subjects, perspectives I haven’t yet encountered. It’s exactly these kinds of voyages that 8 Books A Year leads me on — in the form of eight selected titles per calendar year, as the name suggests. You can begin a subscription at any time, pay in advance, and then look forward to eight very special new additions to your bookshelf over the next 12 months, without knowing exactly when they’ll arrive, and certainly not what they’ll be. The non-fiction works come exclusively from independent publishers, accompanied by a short introduction written by 8 Books’ co-founder, Christian, who brought the project to life together with his business partner Jone. The duo also work under the name Schwarm Szmania as creative strategists from a Schöneberger remise, which — with the help of architect Sam Chermayeff (of June14) they’ve just transformed into a multifunctional “contemporary library” housing a host of titles for work, inspiration and of course the 8 Books selection. (Text: Jana Gumprecht / Photos: Edisonga / Wolfgang Stahl)
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Jana Gumprecht, aka Edisonga, has been living in Berlin since 2005. She is a photographer.
