Very exciting news!!

There will be an Ideal Bookshelf book! To be published by Little, Brown!

I'm trying to cut down on the exclamation points and use of the word "exciting", but to be honest, it *is* very exciting! I've been working with Thessaly La Force, an editor at The Paris Review, to create a proposal and the beginnings of a book that will feature the ideal bookshelves of 100 well-known "creative thinkers". So far I've already had the joy of painting the books that helped make Thomas Keller, David Chang, Mira Nair and Jonathan Lethem who they are today. I even met an idol of mine, Maira Kalman, and photographed her entire, giant library.

Then, just a week or so ago, Little, Brown bought the rights to publish it! There is no better fit, and we love all the people we will be working with there, especially Michael Sand. Everyone at L,B seems to be just as excited as we are.

From Publisher's Marketplace:

"Artist Jane Mount and Paris Review web editor Thessaly La Force's THE IDEAL BOOKSHELF, a collection of interviews with 100 well-known writers, artists, designers, musicians and chefs -- including David Sedaris, Maira Kalman, Michael Chabon, Alice Waters, David Chang, and Gwyneth Paltrow -- discussing the books that matter to them most, with paintings of their ideal bookshelves by Mount, to Michael Sand at Little, Brown, at auction, by Kate Lee at ICM (World English)."

The only thing that is not so exciting is how long it takes a book to be completed, published and released; it will probably be in bookstores in Fall 2013, just in time for the holidays. And until closer to that time I can't really show off any of the amazing book selections, sadly. But they are *amazing*, seriously.

Yay!!!! A book! So excited!!