Fully-illustrated, The Passenger collects the best new writing, photography, art and reportage from around the world.

In this volume: When the Circus Came to Town: The Resurrection of Potsdamer Platz by Peter Schneider; Berlin Suite by Cees Nooteboom, and Tempelhof: A Field of Dreams by Vincenzo Latronico. Plus: the controversial reconstruction of a Prussian castle, Berlin’s most transgressive sex club and its disappearing traditional pubs, a green urban oasis, suburban neo-Nazis, North Vietnamese in the East, South Vietnamese in the West, techno everywhere and much more...

“Berlin is too big for Berlin” is the curious title of a book by the flaneur Hanns Zischler, who joked about the low population density of a city so spread-out and polycentric—one of the reasons why it still inspires feelings of freedom and space. But the phrase also carries a symbolic, broader meaning: how can a single city encompass and sustain such a weighty mythology as that of contemporary Berlin, “the capital of cool”?

In order to find out, it is necessary to travel to the 1990s, the origins of today’s Berlin, when time seemed to have stopped. The scars of a century of war were still visible everywhere: coal stoves, crumbling buildings, desolate minimarts, not a working buzzer or elevator. To visit the city then was a hallucinatory experience, a simultaneous journey into the past and into the future. The city’s youth seemed to have appropriated—and turned into a positive—the famous phrase pronounced by Karl Scheffler at the beginning of the 20th century: “Berlin is a place doomed to always become, never be.”

The abandoned ruins, the hidden gems found at the flea market, the illegal basement raves are a thing of the past. The era of Berlin as a site of urban archeology is over. Almost all the damaged buildings have been repaired, squatters have been removed, the shops selling East German furniture have closed down. Without its wounds, the landscape of the city is perhaps less striking but more solid, stronger. Even the city’s inhabitants have lost some of their melancholia, their romantic and self-destructive streak: today you can even find people who come to Berlin to actually work, not just to “create” or idle their days away. Yet, Berlin remains a youthful city that doesn’t cling to its “poor but sexy” past, whose only sacrosanct principles are an uncompromising multiculturalism and the belief that its future is yet to be written. To quote someone who knows the city well, Berlin is and always will be “pure potential.”

Note from the editor:

In "The art of being a tourist at home", Jenny Herbert takes us on a journey through our neighbourhood streets and our local parks, through museums and libraries, art galleries and bookshops. There’s wonder to be found in the theatre and music-making all around us, vibrancy in fresh-food markets, new friends to meet through hobbies and clubs, and so many lifetime learning opportunities to be had – all without the stress involved in planning a holiday.

After all, why do we travel in the first place? It’s an urgent question in these days of climate crisis and global instability. Staying closer to home makes good sense: it’s cheaper, easier, less stressful and better for our health as well as the health of the planet. But Jenny doesn’t suggest that we should abandon all future travel plans. Instead, she shows travellers of all kinds how we can still harness the spirit of travel through the art of the ‘staycation’.

With beautiful illustrations throughout, "The art of being a tourist" demonstrates that travelling at home offers the greatest potential for us to discover what contributes to our wellbeing and our happiness.

Coming hot on the heels of the best-selling "The Monocle book of Japan," our new book turns its focus to Italy. It’s a country that feels comfortingly familiar for many, yet beyond the clichés lies a complexity and variety that’s perpetually surprising. For more than a decade, Monocle has roamed the length of the nation and "The Monocle book of Italy" is the result of our dedicated reporting. Join us as we throw down our towels at the best beaches, sit front row at dazzling runway shows, call in at vineyards, gelato spots and furniture fairs, and maybe even hit a disco or two. See Italy through a whole new lens.

London. A city apart. Inimitable. Or so it once seemed.

12 promenades architecturales concentrées sur le territoire de la Ville de Genève, présentées par une introduction historique et reportées sur des cartes, 362 notices de bâtiments richement illustrées en couleurs, un index par nom propre et géographique. Ce guide, entièrement revu et augmenté, constituera le pendant de celui sur le XXe siècle.

Il vous guidera vers des communautés créatives, des quartiers émergents, des cafés authentiques et des magasins de design, d'Amsterdam à Pékin et de Vancouver à Varsovie. Une façon nouvelle et originale de découvrir les villes et les magazines et de rencontrer d'autres amoureux de revues à travers le monde.

«Pages, le guide urbain des amateurs de magazines », un livre élégant et concis de 96 pages.

In this guide we delve into three Swiss cities and uncover what makes them tick. We tour the spotless streets of Zürich, highlighting its distinguished commercial-gallery scene, glistening lake, inviting swimming spots and burgeoning set of top-notch restaurants and bars. Next, we head west to explore Geneva, with its luxury retailers, independent chocolatiers and curious collection of architecture. Finally, we finish with a jaunt around petite Basel and admire its robust offering of contemporary structures and world-class museums. The Monocle Travel Guide to Zürich, Geneva + Basel celebrates the richness of these three cities and dives beneath the surface to bring an unexpected mix of creativity, entrepreneurialism and design.

Think of Athens and the first things that spring to mind are ancient ruins and camera-toting crowds. It’s true, the Acropolis is ever present and during summer the city thrums with schools of holidaymakers. But there’s much more to the Greek capital than temples and tourists. We’ve looked beyond the admittedly awe-inspiring Parthenon and explored the city’s modernist marvels, from circular school to colonnaded embassy. We’ve combed the cobbled streets for independent boutiques offering straw hats, hand-thrown ceramics and golden jewellery – all proudly “Made in Greece”. Attica is a region of riches and, of course, some of the nearby islands are simply too good to miss – so we’ve included our top stopovers. For now, though, strap up your sandals and allow us to introduce you to this chaotic but ever-so-charismatic city.