The Artier Beach Read

Photography by John Wenrich

1. As Seen in BLITZ: Fashioning '80s Style (ACC Editions, $65) A compilation of the 1980s British style magazine's greatest hits, this annotated compendium also includes interviews with the editors, photographers, makeup artists, and models who gave readers an unconventional glimpse into fashion's innermost circles and outlandish fringes.

2. Tabboo! The Art of Stephen Tashjian (Damiani, $50) Artist Stephen Tashjian (a.k.a. Tabboo!)

spent the '80s creating a cornucopia of works, including paintings and collages, about masculinity, sexuality, and AIDS. Now you can see them all in one boundary-breaking volume.

3. Terry O'Neill (ACC Editions, $95) Celebrity photographer Terry O'Neill has shot everyone from Tony Curtis to a liberated Nelson Mandela to a fresh-faced Candace Bergen (as a sea nymph!). This definitive collection features the former newspaper photographer's finest work.

4. Keith Haring 31 Subway Drawings (ARTBOOK/Art Issue Editions, $50) Before Banksy could hold a paintbrush there was Keith Haring, the insider/outsider artist whose intentionally ephemeral works popped up in public spaces, most famously New York City subways. This tidy book, perfectly sized for your commute, assembles all the archival material related to those influential subterranean pieces.

5. Helmut Newton. World without Men (Taschen, $59.99) Nothing compares to a Newton shot, particularly these images of women taken from the 1960s through the 1980s. The tome's photos show beautiful women in beautiful clothes against beautiful backdrops, their fierce determination something others could only dream of capturing on film.