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MASTER WORK ON THE MASTER TAILORS
For any man with pretensions to style, top of his Christmas wish list must be the splendid book just published 'SAVILE ROW - The Master Tailors of British Bespoke'.
This mighty tome - and it would need a pretty big stocking to take it - is a heady mix of history, anecdotes, style information and a superb  selection of images. It is the work of James Sherwood, who has brought his discerning eye to bear on the craft of bespoke tailoring as practiced at its best in Savile Row environs for over two centuries.
Right, the author James Sherwood taking a well earned drink.
Sherwood is the man who created the exhibition of Savile Row dress in the Pitti Palace in Florence some four years ago, an exhibition that went on to be presented in Tokyo and Paris under its title 'The London Cut'. He has been instrumental in helping to draw fresh attention to a Row that needed promotion but was inately reticent on its own behalf.
 Now, with this new book, he has provided a definitive work on the tailors and their world. Its imagery will have connoiseurs drooling, while his authoritative text brings to life a Row that from the outside may appear staid but which in fact is anything but.
From royal patrons and movie royals through to iconic individuals and fashion celebrities, it covers the spread of those who have appreciated Savile Row's talents. Not restricted to the Row itself, nor inclusive of all those who can claim Row status, it offers rare archival material and previously unpublished images.
One of the book's many images, this one of style icon the Duke of Windsor, manages to reflect some of his charisma as well as his elegance. Below, a young Michael Caine with his tailor and friend, Douglas Hayward.
Sherwood has had to trawl the old ledgers of those tailors who still have them and research the customers and customs of those who do not, and those who have  long since been incorporated into newer names. It was a labrynthine task that has taken him some years and much patience to complete.
"I had access to wonderful archives, and it did take a long time, but I am pleased with the result and at the reaction to it," he said.
Published by Thames & Hudson, ISBN 978-0-500-51524-2, it includes 445 images, some 300 of them in colour, in its 255 pages, price £45, and may be ordered on www.thamesandhudson.com
For more of these illustrations, and a special publishing offer, see the new print version of savilerow-style, 'Savile Row Style Magazine', to be available in December.
FROM THE DIVINE TO THE HANDY
Choosing a suitable gift from the vast array of new books at this time of year has to be a lucky dip. But two just available through GMC Distribution go from the divine to one that might seem ridiculous but could be handy.
Dante's 'Divine Comedy' is listed as a landmark of world litera ture, charting the poet's travels through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. Not a little light reading for the holidays - it is almost as weighty as 'SAVILE ROW' - it is from Barnes & Noble's classic leatherbound volumes and a very handsome version, with goldleaf finish. In Waterstones and other  bookshops, £25.
If that seems a trifle high brow, the 'Handy Box of Knots' promises hours of innocent pleasure. The handy book, by knot expert Randy Penn, comes boxed with silky cord on which to practice 100 essential knots 'for every situation'. In bookshops or online, price£7.99 plus VAT. Both may be ordered from GMC at www.thegmcgroup.com.
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