Editor-in-chief of Riposte Danielle Pender shows us her favourite books

Danielle Pender is the brain at the helm of Riposte magazine, one of the most exciting new publications created to champion the women doing exciting work in the creative industries today, as well as working at KK Outlet, the London outpost of communications agency KesselsKramer, so can you blame us for wanting to have a poke about her bookshelf? Her selection gives a generous insight into the process behind putting together a magazine, from the issue of National Geographic which led her and Riposte’s creative director Shaz Madani to consider a text-based front cover for the magazine (“I’m really happy we had the balls to go with it”) and the all-time hero she dreams of interviewing, with a few other gems thrown in for good measure. She technically stretched her five books to seven, but we let her off because they’re all so damn interesting.

KesselsKramer: The Other Final

This project is one of the reasons why I think KesselsKramer is one of the best companies in existence. In 2002 Holland didn’t qualify for the World Cup so being a Dutch company, the agency had no one to support. Therefore to fill this void they collectively organised a football match between the two lowest ranking teams in the world league – Montserrat and Bhutan – to take place in Bhutan on the same day as the main final did in Yokohama. The Other Final became a huge project, both countries got behind it, 40,000 people attended the match and KesselsKamer made a film and commissioned photographer Hans Van Der Meer to document the process and the final game.

It’s one of those ideas you have in the pub with your mates when you’ve had five pints. “Yeah that would be amazing!” you all say, then crawl off to bed with a kebab. But KesselsKramer actually made it happen.

Raymond Carver: Where I’m Calling From

A boy I had a major crush on gave me a Raymond Carver book when I was in my early 20s and he’s remained one of my favourite writers ever since. I love the tension, the impending doom, the unspoken heartbreak and how he makes the most ordinary situation seem extraordinary. This book of short stories is a bit like the painting of the Forth bridge, I read it slowly and then start it again over and over.

National Geographic: February 1950

This has been one of the major influences on Riposte’s text-based cover and design aesthetic. When myself and Shaz (Madani, our creative director) were playing around with different formats for the front cover we tried out all sorts of image-based covers but we felt they all looked the same. Shaz then came across this and tried out a more text-based cover. It was a little scary and more of a risk but I’m really happy we had the balls to go with it in the end. Also, as a window into life in 1959 this magazine is a pretty incredible read.

Alec Soth: From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America

I love Alec Soth’s work. I think there are a lot of photographers who try to copy what he does but they never capture what he sees. This book was to accompany an exhibition at the Walker Art Centre and the work in it is heartbreaking, atmospheric, intriguing and it captures a cast of sometimes bizarre characters without casting judgement over them.

That front cover is also something pretty special. I love that they chose a text cover for a photography book.

Bridget Riley: Flashbacks

Bridget Riley is one of my all-time heroes. I first saw her work in the house of Erno Goldfinger on one of the National Trust tours they do. I was really amazed by her vision and mesmerising geometric patterns. We’ve tried to interview her for Riposte but it’s never worked out. Bridget, if you’re reading we’d love to speak to you!

Tove Jansson: A Winter Book and Art in Nature

Tove Jansson is best known for her Moomin creations but she also wrote fiction and these are my two favourite books of hers. Her writing still carries a childlike curiosity about the world but it’s also heartbreaking and melancholic and the stories flow beautifully.