It has occurred to me recently that I might be addicted to art. Not just buying it and going to galleries and museums – I’m also obsessed with books on art. I realized this while packing for an upcoming trip to New York. At some point I found myself contemplating bringing a bigger bag so I could load up during my customary afternoon at powerHouse Books.

PowerHouse is primarily a photography-oriented book publisher, with an absolutely amazing retail space in DUMBO. I usually go in with a list of books to see, but before long I’m sidetracked – checking out anything that catches my eye.

Image: powerHouse Books

This trip, I’m looking forward to seeing Full Bleed: New York City Skateboard Photography up close. I’m planning to pick it up, but I know I’ll end up finding other titles also, which might completely break the bank.

Image: powerHouse Books

This happened last time I was at powerHouse with Buck Shots, Peter Sutherland’s strangely compelling photos of deer in suburban settings. I can’t really explain why I bought this book; it was more like I couldn’t not buy it. Next thing I knew, I was looking at it on my couch.

Here are some other likely candidates that I admit I’ll probably be bringing home:

Image: powerHouse Books

LEO FUCHS: Special Photographer From the Golden Age of Hollywood – Classic portraits of the greats by an iconic photographer.

Image: powerHouse Books

Spacesuits: The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Collection – Technology as art. This is the coolest! If there’s a guy in your life and you want to get him a book he’ll love, this is it.

Image: powerHouse Books

Pedal – Ditto on this title. This book is a photo-documentary on New York City bike messengers with essays by compelling characters, including one of my favorite artists, SWOON.

So, if you happen to stop by powerHouse this weekend and see a tall guy feverishly paging through books with a long-gone look in his eyes, please do me a favor and remind me to take a break. Otherwise, it’s going to be one long, heavy trip back north for me.