Kazuo Hozumi’s Illustrated Ivy by Herb Lester

This is a beauty, and if you haven’t got the books, Kazuo Hozumi’s Illustrated Ivy by Herb Lester might be a must-have.

At least, it is if you have any love for an ivy league look. Some of the books go for huge money these days (I bought my copies of Ivy Illustrated from Japan years ago, and even then, they weren’t exactly cheap). Saying that you can get some on Amazon if you have money to burn and are willing to wait weeks for delivery.

The books are lovely, but the downside (outside of cost and accessibility) is that the imagery has never been released with English text. So unless you read Japanese, it’s an uphill struggle.

This is where the Herb Lester publication comes in. This new Illustrated Ivy has the images and text in English for the first time in fold-out poster format.

The images were first published in 1963 in the Japanese magazine Men’s Club and have had a cult following in the decades that followed. As well as being something of a style guide for anyone wanting to dip their two into the waters of the ivy league look.

The end result here is quite lovely and likely to be a future collectable. The first run certainly is, as the first 200 contain a limited edition postcard as a bonus.

The map (if you want to call it that) is 400 x 690mm and is litho-printed in the UK on sustainably sourced paper. £12 gets you one.

Find out more at the Herb Lester website