The Book of Tea

A tiny, satisfyingly-designed edition of the 1906 classic The Book of Tea, this little hardcover fits in your coat pocket, ready to read while sitting on a rock by a stream or sitting by a window in the rain. "Tea began as medicine and grew into a beverage," Kakuzo begins, and goes on to elaborate on the ceremony and spirituality that tea had taken on in his own time. It's a beautiful read that feels modern, perhaps because it doesn't seek to define a singular cultural moment but rather opens a window on the way cultures and meanings have intersected around something nearly everyone can relate to in ever-evolving ways: tea.