Thomas Girst

Cultural Manager; Writer / Product Design / Germany / BMW Group

Thomas Girst’s Book List

The existence of books is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. The things we think about—the things that matter (life, love, death, eros, logos, thanatos)—have already been thought of thousands of years before. We are all standing on the shoulders of giants. It is through books that we can communicate with the past, like lighthouses along the shoreline, as Baudelaire once said. It is through books that we can delve into any culture on the planet at any time. Books need not to have anything to do with morals, but besides knowledge they have a lot to do with empathy and experience.

Books require solitude but with them we are never alone. Books are as important as friends. And your library reveals more about you than your public persona. If only it would support my lifestyle and family, I would be happiest spending my days doing research in libraries and archives all over the world, writing books within rooms upon rooms filled with books from floor to ceiling.

1 book
Christoph Niemann

Christoph Niemann must be the most sought-after illustrator on the planet. His book Abstract City, published last year, includes his great visual work for the New York Times blog of the same name. The book’s epilogue is the bonus track to the 16 chapters that precede it. These illustrated thoughts on the “creative process” should be mandatory reading—and not only for those working in the cultural or artistic spheres. Sophistication and smiles do go together.

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