25 Books Published by Rizzoli International Publications on AALBC — Book Cover Collage

Hotly anticipated and destined to be an essential for the sneaker and streetwear hype crowd, this is the first book on and by Bembury, whose groundbreaking work with brands such as New Balance, Crocs, Puma, and Versace has made his one of the defining and most sought-after visions in the industry.

In the space of just fifteen years, Bembury has risen through the footwear industry to become one of the most influential voices in the sneaker world. Combining a lifelong passion for the culture with a unique appreciation for technical and material innovation, he is responsible for some of the most compelling silhouettes and collectible pairs of the last decade.

With remarkable versatility, Bembury has lent his touch to brands as diverse as Cole Haan and Moncler, New Balance and Yeezy, and to styles ranging from formal footwear to hiking sneakers, luxury runners to clogs—always with a unique aesthetic true to his vision. Trained as an industrial designer, Bembury has made textural experimentation a hallmark of his work. From the Cuban-link sole of the Chain Reaction he created during his tenure as head of sneaker design for Versace to the intertwined fingerprints that define the open form of the Crocs Pollex, his shoes have energized and broadened the horizons of the sneaker industry.

Collecting all of Bembury’s key designs from fifteen years of work—and with sketches, samples, renderings, and personal ephemera accompanying spectacular photography made specially for the book—this landmark monograph is a timeless celebration of the most original voice in footwear design.

The Iconic Comic Created by Contemporary African American Artist Kerry James Marshall

Kerry James Marshall, widely considered one of America’s greatest living painters and inspired chronicler of the African American experience, has sought to diversify the art historical canon. In the late 1990s, he began working on a series of comics in response to the absence of authentic Black characters and authors in the mainstream.

Marshall’s comic offers an alternative reality focused on the main character, Rythm Mastr, and his young protégé, Farell, superheroes whose powers derive from the seven gods of the Yoruba pantheon. Marshall’s characters debate history, philosophy, and politics in vernacular Black English using the graphic novel medium to create an empowering, utopian blend of science fiction and Afrofuturism.

Initially serialized in a daily newspaper and presented as a Carnegie International installation, it has appeared in various incarnations over the past two decades, including light boxes, paintings, graphic prints, and drawings. This volume is the most comprehensive look at the character, its genesis, and its evolution.

A visual celebration of André Leon Talley’s life that centers his personal style as a lens on his contributions to fashion history.

This lavish volume reflects on the life of André Leon Talley and his impactful ascent to the height of global fashion. Many of Talley’s most iconic looks—from his suits and straw Breton boater in Paris of the late seventies to the opulent custom capes and coats he made famous—are newly photographed and presented alongside archival imagery.

From his days as Diana Vreeland’s apprentice at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to Andy Warhol’s Factory and Interview Magazine, to Paris bureau chief for Women’s Wear Daily, to positions at W, The New York Times, Ebony, and Vogue, where he served as the magazine’s first African American creative director, Talley’s exuberant personality and voice guided thousands through the glamorous world of high fashion.

Essays, stories, and memories from industry luminaries who experienced his singular character reflect on a legacy in fashion spanning more than four decades. A posthumous commemoration of Talley, this celebratory volume offers a rare view into his world, the people who shared it, and the creation of one of the most iconic figures in fashion history.

Invigorating authentic Southern soul cooking with new inspiration, acclaimed chef Deborah VanTrece elevates classic comfort food into unique, surprising dishes worth celebrating.

Deborah VanTrece’s Kansas City roots, wide travel, and celebrated career in Atlanta have gifted her with a uniquely rich way with food—keeping soulful recipes fresh and fun while honoring cultures, ingredients, and tradition. In her first cookbook, the Twisted Soul chef makes clear that soul cooking has always been as seasonally driven as la cucina povera, as versatile as California cuisine, and as impressive as French technique. In VanTrece’s hands, familiar components become dramatic and dynamic dishes, and classic recipes reveal surprising twists.

Across bountiful chapters studded with vibrant photography, The Twisted Soul Cookbook offers almost 100 fresh salads and side dishes, generous main courses, exciting seafood, rich desserts, and brilliant pantry staples to enhance everyday cooking, including dressings, relishes, and sauces. VanTrece is an able teacher and storyteller, guiding the reader through techniques both simple and sophisticated.

The First Major Publication on Baltimore-Based Painter Jerrell Gibbs, Whose Contemplative Portraits of Black Sitters Thrum with a Vivid Sense of Place and Reflect the Complexity and Emotional Depth of Everyday Black Life

This book captures a prolific period of self-examination and observation for contemporary artist Jerrell Gibbs (b. 1988). Known for his luminously rendered, expressionistic oil paintings, Gibbs uses the figure as a dynamic and recurring motif to explore themes of Black masculinity, fatherhood, legacy, and remembrance.

Drawing from archival family photographs, Gibbs emphasizes placement, size, and proportion, blending intimate mark-making with bold painterly gestures. By complicating and subverting visual stereotypes, Gibbs engages deeply with the materiality of painting, offering tender, emotionally evocative portrayals of Black men as husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons. These allegorical and autobiographical works underscore quiet moments of joy, sorrow, and beauty as vital components of Black life. Additionally, commissioned portraits of such figures as Elijah Cummings and August Wilson are juxtaposed with allegorical figures from Gibbs’s dreams, reflecting his growth as an artist and individual. Gibbs’s work offers a fresh approach to painting the human form, following in the footsteps of other Black figurative painters Kerry James Marshall, Henry Taylor, and Amy Sherald.

With seventeen years of expertise as the preeminent and biggest basketball magazine in the world, SLAM Magazine is the best source to showcase the history of basketball’s most iconic sneakers.

SLAM Kicks is the definitive stylish and entertaining primer on the world’s most popular shoe: the basketball sneaker.

A Tribute to Her Father, Makaziwe Mandela Shares the Most Definitive Portrait of Nelson Mandela to Date, Revealing the Man Behind the Anti-Apartheid Movement That Changed the World

One of Time magazine’s Most Important People of the Twentieth Century, Nelson Mandela continues to be a symbol of equality and justice: a Nobel Prize winner, South Africa’s first Black president, and an unrelenting leader in the movement to dismantle racial inequality. Written by his daughter, her story uncovers the family man behind the international peacemaker persona.

This volume presents an extraordinary assembly of historic biography and imagery alongside never-before-published family stories and personal photographs, Nelson Mandela’s letters to friends and family, journal entries written during his incarceration, and a unique collection of rarely seen charcoal drawings and paintings he began at 83 years old. Chapters chronicle Mandela’s childhood growing up in Mvezo, his time in Johannesburg as leader of the African National Congress, the importance of his familial relationships, decades of imprisonment, and his role as president and philanthropist. An enthralling read illustrated by powerful historic imagery, this tome delves into the life of the man that continues to galvanize so many.

Explores the powerful ways in which visual art has long provided its own rich outlet for protest, commentary, escape, and perspective for African Americans.

This important book showcases the potent role of visual art in African American history and culture. Featuring Black artists working in a range of media, from photography to sculpture to painting—including Amy Sherald, Benny Andrews, Sheila Pree Bright, Bisa Butler, Charles Alston, Elizabeth Catlett, Shaun Leonardo, and David Hammons, to name just a few—the book considers art that exemplifies resilience in times of conflict, as well as the ritual of creation, and the defiant pleasure of healing.

Reckoning, based on the exhibition of the same name at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), explores the ongoing struggles Black Americans have faced in their pursuit to enjoy the fundamental rights and freedoms promised in the Constitution to citizens of the United States. Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, the featured works respond to the dual crises of Covid-19 and systemic racism that shaped 2020, a period that has been called one of reckoning, as the world witnessed the killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other African Americans, leading to some of the largest protests in US history.

Co-authored by Hip-Hop legend LL COOL J, acclaimed journalist Vikki Tobak and Rock The Bells’ editorial director Alec Banks, this momentous volume celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the influential culture, sound, and preeminent voices of American Hip-Hop music.

LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win commemorates the birth, rise, and progression of Hip-Hop’s culture and its indisputable impact on American music over the past fifty years. Vikki Tobak, Alec Banks and LL COOL J reveal the journey of this music genre through rarely seen photographs of Hip-Hop from its inception, from block party performances to street shots, parties, sessions at recording studios, and more. The imagery is accompanied by first-person recollections from Hip-Hop’s MCs, B-Boys, graffiti artists, and DJs who share how they fell in love with Hip-Hop, broke into the business, their artistic and personal style inspiration, and their views on Hip-Hop’s culture and music. Stories are told by icons DJ Kool Herc, Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, KRS-One, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Grandmaster Flash, Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, De La Soul, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Big Daddy Kane, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and more.

Each page features a treasure trove of images by celebrated Hip-Hop photographers including Joe Conzo Jr., Ernie "Brother Ernie" Paniccioli, Jonathan Mannion, Janette Beckman, Estevan Oriol, Jamel Shabazz, Mike Miller, Clay Patrick McBride, and others who documented the growth; ephemera such as album covers, notebook drawings, and lyrics; party announcements; street scenes; clothing; and graffiti art. This definitive volume of the most important origin stories from the last fifty years of Hip-Hop is the perfect gift for music and photography fans.

In 1945, Ebony’s legendary founder John H. Johnson set out to create a magazine for Black America much like that of the trailblazing Life Magazine, and that he did.

For the African American community, Ebony has been a breath of fresh air, speaking on issues and events from the Black perspective, celebrating Black standards of beauty and elevating heroes of Black America—athletes, entertainers, activists, elected officials, or some combination thereof. Ebony: Covering Black America, by Lavaille Lavette, is a celebration of the treasure trove of the magazine's rich history, glamorous covers, groundbreaking cultural impact, and authentic coverage of Black American life from the magazine's inception to the present. "Ebony was Black America's social media long before the birth of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram", says Lavette.

Curated by Lavette, this all-out feast of a book is packed with exclusive contributions by a host of celebrities, influencers, and cultural icons, including Common, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Sean Combs, Kimora Lee Simmons, Ciara, and Venus Williams. The book also includes more than 600 covers and photographs featuring political forces such as Martin Luther King Jr., Michelle and President Barack Obama, and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan; entertainers such as Diana Ross, Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Oprah Winfrey, and Prince; as well as sports heroes like Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, Russell Westbrook, and Simone Biles. Lavette has chosen select articles, features, and reportage of note, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s advice column, and Ebony Fashion Fair photo shoots, divided into categories found within the magazine, including Civil Rights & Social Justice, Love & Family, Ebony Men, Ebony Women, and Ebony Music.

Unique in the quality of its photographs and contributors and chronicling everything from fashion and food to politics and social change, to sports and entertainment, Ebony: Covering Black America is a monumental milestone in African-American history and culture, and will be a treasured volume for the magazine's legion of loyal readers.

In honor of Bob Marley’s seventy-fifth birthday, this glorious oversize book collects more than 150 photographs that celebrate the life and influence of the forefather of reggae and one of the greatest musical and sociopolitical icons of twentieth-century pop culture.

Drawing exclusively on photos in the Marley family archives, the book mixes the iconic and the intimate, bringing together striking images of Marley as a performer onstage with unseen glimpses into his creative process in and out of the studio and his family life in Jamaica. Making the most of its oversize pages, the book is designed as a monument to his influence.

Focusing on the last decade of his life—the period of his greatest worldwide fame—and with excerpts from unpublished interviews and prophetic quotes alongside the images, this is a definitive portrait of one of the great artists of the twentieth century made by those who knew him best.

One hundred years after the Harlem Renaissance emerged as a creative force at the close of World War I, I Too Sing America offers a major survey on the visual art and material culture of the groundbreaking movement.

It illuminates multiple facets of the era—the lives of its people, the art, the literature, the music, and the social history—through paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, and contemporary documents and ephemera. The lushly illustrated chronicle includes work by cherished artists such as Romare Bearden, Allan Rohan Crite, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, Jacob Lawrence, Archibald Motley, and James Van Der Zee.
The project is the culmination of decades of reflection, research, and scholarship by Wil Haygood, acclaimed biographer and preeminent historian on Harlem and its cultural roots. In thematic chapters, the author captures the range and breadth of the Harlem Reniassance, a sweeping movement which saw an astonishing array of black writers and artists and musicians gather over a period of a few intense years, expanding far beyond its roots in Harlem to unleashing a myriad of talents upon the nation. The book is published in conjunction with a major exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art.

An inspirational journey through black fashion in America from the twentieth century to the present, featuring the most celebrated icons of Black style and taste.

One of the few surveys of Black style and fashion ever published, How to Slay offers a lavishly illustrated overview of African American style through the twentieth century, focusing on the last thirty-five years. Through striking images of some of the most celebrated icons of Black style and taste, from Josephine Baker, Michelle Obama, Maya Angelou, and Miles Davis to Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams, this book explores the cultural underpinnings of Black trends that have become so influential in mainstream popular culture and a bedrock of fashion vernacular today. A preponderance of Black musicians, who for decades have inspired trends and transformed global fashion, are featured and discussed, while a diverse array of topics are touched upon and examined—hats, hair, divas, the importance of attitude, the use of color, ’60s style, the influence of Africa and the Caribbean, and the beauty of black skin.

"The new book Schiaparelli and the Artists, out October 3 from Rizzoli, traces the exchange of ideas between Schiaparelli’s flashy aesthetic and a long list of artists who inspired her work, including Dal�, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Ren� Magritte."
—New York Magazine

"This is the first definitive work dedicated to the shared inspiration between the designer and her circle of artist friends, featuring never-before-seen photography, intimate anecdotes, and essays penned by some of today’s most authoritative fashion critics and personalities."
—The Society Diaries

"This beautifully illustrated book delves into Elsa Schiaparelli’s relationships and collaborations with some of history’s most revered artists - from Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso to Man Ray and Jean Cocteau - including such legendary works as Schiaparelli’s lobster dress."
—Editorialist

"Schiaparelli and the Artists is both coffee table book and a book that demands to be read. Visually and intellectually stimulating."
—New York Journal of Books

"The definitive homage to one of the twentieth century’s most innovative and boundary-pushing fashion designers comes just in time to commemorate the house’s ninetieth anniversary. Includes never-before-seen photography, anecdotes and essays exploring her collaborations with the likes of Dal�, Pablo Picasso and Warhol."
—Indulge Magazine

The story of Snoop’s musical and spiritual journey to Jamaica, reaching its culmination during the recording of his most recent album and captured in VICE and Snoopadelic Films documentary Reincarnated.

Immediately following the death of longtime friend and collaborator Nate Dogg, Snoop headed to Jamaica to regroup and record his twelfth album. There, he experienced a radical transformation from hip-hop god and legendary leader of the West Coast gang rivalry to Rastafarian spokesperson Snoop Lion, embracing non-violence and reggae. This book is an extension of this powerful moment in the life of a pop culture icon captured on film by VICE Global Editor Andy Capper.

Includes extended interviews with Bunny Wailer, Louis Farrakhan, Chris Blackwell, Daz Dillinger, Angela Hunte, and conversations between Snoop and VICE—never-before-seen photographs and untold stories from his personal archives from his early days singing in church to his discovery at sixteen by Dr. Dre and his phenomenal life onstage and on tour to his gang involvement, behind-the-scenes stills from ’insider’ LA photographer Willie T., the best of Snoop from the inimitable VICE archives, and Snoop’s handwritten notes and nicknames for the characters along the way. It also includes the limited edition vinyl only given to a select few musical insiders before the album’s release.

A sumptuous monograph tracing the life and legacy of fashion luminary Oscar de la Renta. In October 2014 one of the fashion world’s champions, Oscar de la Renta, passed away, a great loss brightened by the innumerable successes of his half-century reign. The acclaimed fashion designer dressed first ladies from Kennedy to Obama, and celebrities from Beyonc� to Sarah Jessica Parker. Renowned for his unique charm, impeccable taste, and original lifestyle, he married the highest standards of French couture with the ultimate motivation that women must look and feel beautiful.
In this intimate volume, longtime editor and friend Andr� Leon Talley recounts de la Renta’s journey through nearly 70 iconic dresses, mainly made for private clients, accompanied by fascinating stories of the exquisite craftsmanship and the legendary friends that brought each gown to life. Born in the Dominican Republic in 1932, de la Renta left for Madrid at nineteen to study art, where he rose to prominence as a sketch artist for newspapers and fashion houses. From his apprenticeship under Crist�bal Balenciaga to his eponymous collections, the designer’s simple lines elevated with a flamenco dancer’s flourish reflect his deep connection to his roots and his commitment to transcendence through beautiful garments.

A pictorial tribute to one of the sexiest faces in rock and roll, including photographs spanning Kravitz’s time in the public eye, from his earliest days kicking around in New York City in the 1980s to traveling the world; from shots of Lenny composing in hotel rooms to performing in front of massive crowds; and from fashion shoots to intimate personal settings.

Inspiration shares the personal stories and unique voices of 30 extraordinary black women. Whether in the White House or on the courts of Wimbledon, in Hollywood or on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House, these women have influenced the social, cultural, and political landscape of this country, and even the world. Luminaries such as Patti LaBelle, Venus Williams, Susan Taylor, and Judith Jamison speak about the challenges they’ve faced and the victo­ries they’ve won throughout their careers. These inspiring black women pass their knowledge and lessons on to a new generation of women in intimate first-person essays and stunning color portraits.

Based on the best-selling novel and with screenplay by James McBride, Miracle at St. Anna is a visually monumental film about a group of Buffalo soldiers who find themselves behind enemy lines in Italy during World War II. Filmed mostly in lush Tuscan countryside, with cinematography by Matthew Libatique (Requiem for a Dream) and still photography by David Lee (Malcolm X, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) these 100 plus images capture the magic and intensity of this story about redemption and triumph over the bleakest of experiences. Including costume designs, storyboard sketches, text by the director himself, a full script book, and archival material from the second World War, Miracle at St. Anna: The Motion Picture, is not only a visual tribute to this epic, but also to the countless African American soldiers who risked their lives for a country in which they were treated with less respect than the enemy they were fighting.

Hip hop first became a part of the mainstream music industry in the early 1980s, when major record labels released albums from such accessible groups as Run DMC and the Sugarhill Gang. But the true origins of one of the most powerful pop-cultural influences in the world are in the spontaneous, progressive musical culture that grew out of tough Bronx neighborhoods of the 1970s and led to a renaissance of poetry, music, and fashion.Through years of research, writer and curator Johan Kugelberg has pulled together the scattered remains of a movement that never had its eye on posterity. The book includes the improvisational artwork of previously unpublished street flyers of the era, Polaroids buried for decades in basements across the Bronx, and testimonials from influential figures such as Tony Tone, LA Sunshine, and Charlie Chase. Through the work of pioneering hip-hop photographer Jow Conzo–the man The New York Times calls “the chronicler who took hip hop’s baby pictures”–Born in the Bronx presents a unique introduction to an explosive and experimental period in music history.

A new compilation celebrating African-American verse, which contains works from poets of different ages and from varied walks of life to create a portrait of the African-American family experience.

Maya Angelou’s unforgettable poem is matched with the daring art of Jean-Michel Basquiat in this powerful ode to courage

Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall
Life doesn’t frighten me at all

Maya Angelou’s brave, defiant poem celebrates the courage within each of us, young and old. From the scary thought of panthers in the park to the unsettling scene of a new classroom, fearsome images are summoned and dispelled by the power of faith in ourselves.

Angelou’s strong words are matched by the daring vision of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose childlike style reveals the powerful emotions and fanciful imaginings of childhood. Together, Angelou’s words and Basquiat’s paintings create a place where every child, indeed every person, may experience his or her own fearlessness.

This brilliant introduction to poetry and contemporary art features brief biographies of Angelou and Basquiat and an afterword from the editor. A selected bibliography of Angelou’s books and a selected museum listing of Basquiat’s works open the door to further inspiration through the fine arts.

A celebration in photographs and interviews of African-American women who have in some way changed or contributed to the American nation. They include writers, poets, lawyers, singers, activists, sportswomen and journalists. Each woman speaks of her life and her work, and of her hopes for the future. Brian Lanker won the 1974 Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. He has worked for various newspapers and frequently has photo essays published in "Life". Maya Angelou is an author and poet, writes for television, and her autobiography was "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".

Shange’s lyrical poem is a tribute to the language of music and the magical, often mystical, rhythms that connect people. Music defines who we are as individuals, the places where we live, and how we exist within our communities. Music is life.

Written in a syncopated style that has its own melody, the poem is perfectly married to twenty-one extraordinary and diverse works from Romare Bearden who once said, "I paint in the tradition of the blues."

Here is a unique and visionary book that speaks, indeed sings, to both children and adults and is, at once, compelling, profond, and entertaining.