“Schott’s Significa” unveils the hidden slang of subcultures. Available at Books & Books.
Books make the best gifts. We’ve rounded up 10 titles to dig into over the holidays, leading off with best-selling author Ben Schott’s latest, “Schott’s Significa,” which unveils the hidden slang of subcultures. Scroll on for new titles for the watch collectors, home chefs, photography buffs, and newly minted readers on your gift list.
Ben Schott has always been a collector, not of objects, but of ideas, codes, and curiosities. The celebrated author who once turned the miscellany genre into a literary art form now returns with “Schott’s Significa,” a sweeping exploration of the secret languages that shape the world around us. Think of it as an atlas to invisible societies, from Venetian gondoliers to sommelier culture, from the diamond dealers of Midtown Manhattan to the choreography of Fashion Week runways. It’s what Schott calls “anthropology rather than journalism,” his field guide to how people really speak, and therefore how they think, operate, and belong.
The project first ignited years ago, when Schott’s wife came home from dinner wearing a small pin marked with four cryptic letters: FOJB, which was an acronym for “Friend of Jimmy Bradley.” It was the code used in Manhattan’s restaurant world to discreetly take care of VIP guests, and it sent Schott into the linguistic underworld of hospitality, and then deeper still.
As he began documenting other “backstage” vocabularies, such as sommeliers, dog walkers, and baristas, Schott realized he was mapping the hidden architecture of expertise, power, and identity. “If you can understand the way people talk, you understand the way people think…and the way they live,” he says. His method? Part detective, part diplomat. A little anthropology, a little espionage. Mostly deep listening.
Schott turned them into a series of articles for the New York Times and first attempted the book a decade ago, then stopped. It wasn’t ready, and neither was he. He went on to write three other books and then the file resurfaced on his hard drive. This time, he knew he could pull it off. What followed was 18 intense months and more than 50 subcultures, each decoded in linguistic micro-chapters that read like miniature worlds. “Every section changed me,” he says. “It’s a machine for empathy.”
For Bal Harbour magazine’s style-obsessed readers, Schott’s Fashion Week chapter is revelatory. Despite being a longtime observer of culture, he had never attended a runway show until he researched this book. He went not for glamour shots, but to stand in the photographer’s pit, the nerve center of fashion’s 15-minute adrenaline ritual. He became fascinated with the ecosystem behind the spectacle: How editors arrive early and leave before applause ends; the silent hierarchy of photographers marked on the floor; the hand signals, lenses, and choreography that make runway images travel the world. As he puts it, fashion shows today are mini movies broadcast globally.
Across every subculture, whether graffiti writers, auction houses, K-pop fan forums, or LGBTQ+ identity lexicons, Schott finds a throughline: curiosity without judgment. “I come in as a smart idiot,” he laughs. “I just want to understand.” The result is a book that functions as a cultural decoder ring, a time capsule, and a celebration of obsession and of the niche passions and jargon that bind us into tribes. —Deborah Frank
Bound to Impress
Give the gift of inspiration with timeless, collector-worthy tomes for every aesthete on your list. —Melissa Puppo
“Women: 2025 Edition” by Annie Leibovitz
Celebrated photographer Annie Leibovitz once said her landmark 1999 portrait collection was “never done.” Twenty-five years after its groundbreaking debut, Leibovitz’s work returns as a stunning two-volume slipcased edition. The original portraits of icons like Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Louise Bourgeois now sit alongside Rihanna, Billie Eilish, and Anna Wintour, spanning 2000 to present. It’s an extraordinary reflection on how the concepts of femininity and power continue to evolve. (Phaidon Press, November 2025)
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“Ultimate Collector Watches” by Charlotte and Peter Fiell
The Fiells have made a career of chronicling design’s greatest hits, and their latest effort zeros in on the wrist. What sets this apart from your average watch read is its range: early Louis Brandt & Frère minute repeaters sit alongside contemporary independent watchmakers who are quietly revolutionizing the craft. Flip through impressive photography that showcases intricate details most people never get close enough to see. (Taschen, December 2025)
“Ferrari” by Giuseppe “Pino” Allievi
Journalist Giuseppe “Pino” Allievi, one of Formula 1’s most respected correspondents, takes a deep dive into Ferrari’s history, drawing from the company’s archives and private collections in this new release. It captures seven decades of racing dominance and Italian engineering obsession. Rare photographs document Ferrari’s racing history, with an appendix listing every victory since 1947. (Taschen, December 2025)
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“Squeeze Me” by Ruthie Rogers and Ed Ruscha
River Café chef Ruthie Rogers has built a reputation perfecting Italian cuisine at her Michelin-starred London restaurant. Here, she turns her attention to the lemon, with 50 citrus-forward recipes spanning showstopping lemon tarts to creamy risotto al limone, featuring custom drawings by legendary artist Ed Ruscha—who grows lemons at his L.A. home. The recipes skip the usual course structure and are arranged alphabetically, with the book closing with a whisky sour. (Rizzoli USA, September 2025)
“Silver Spoon” by Phaidon Editors
First published in Italy in 1950, “Silver Spoon” set out to preserve traditional Italian home cooking for modern cooks. And it worked—the cookbook has stayed in print for over 70 years. It remains a go-to reference for chefs like Massimo Bottura and Mario Batali. This updated anniversary edition features over 2,000 recipes organized by course, from Sunday classics to weeknight staples, plus 400 new drool-worthy photographs. (Phaidon, September 2025)
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“Splendido: The Radiant Stage of Portofino” by Matthew Bell
Celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, and Beyoncé have jetted to Portofino for over a century, many of whom have stayed at the legendary Splendido hotel. Originally opened in 1902 as a converted 16th-century Benedictine monastery, the hotel has become synonymous with Italian coastal elegance. British journalist Matthew Bell explores how the property evolved through Martin Brudnizki’s recent renovation, the addition of Italy’s first permanent Dior Spa, and the opening of Bar Baratta Sedici. (Assouline, October 2025)
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“Emily in Paris: The Fashion Guide” by Marylin Fitoussi
If you’ve watched Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” you know the fashion is as much a character as Emily Cooper herself. Costume designer Marylin Fitoussi has dressed the show’s cast in a mix of vintage couture and color combinations that have sparked equal parts admiration and debate since the series premiered. She addresses critics head-on in her introduction, calling her work “a manifesto for freedom.” This official guide breaks down Fitoussi’s approach, featuring her 25 favorite looks with behind-the-scenes commentary, early sketches, and never-before-seen mood boards. (Assouline, December 2025)
“Exploring the Universe” by Isabel Thomas
From the team behind “Exploring the Elements,” this guide takes kids on a journey from Earth to the edge of the observable universe, with each chapter venturing further into the cosmos. Science writer Isabel Thomas packs in fun facts, like how NASA sent spiders to space to see if they could still build webs without gravity, or how scientists are already testing ways to knock asteroids off course before they hit us. Designer Sara Gillingham’s bold illustrations and holographic foil cover make it a book kids will turn to time and again. (Phaidon Kids, November 2025)
“Cake! An Interactive Recipe Book” by Lotta Nieminen
Toddlers ages 2-4 get to “bake” a Funfetti cake through clever paper engineering in Lotta Nieminen’s sixth bestselling “Cook in a Book” series. Kids can move sliders to grease the pan, pull tabs to mix batter and add sprinkles, turn wheels to pipe frosting, and pop out a cake slice to serve. The interactive board book follows a real recipe from chef Jane Hornby, so parents can recreate it at home. (Phaidon, September 2025)
