Throughout its 123 years in business, shoppers from far and wide were able to visit Henri Bendel’s flagship department store on West 57th Street before it closed, in 2019. Even Gen Z and Alpha—too young to shop on their own five years ago—know the inside of the store through Gossip Girl (Blair and Serena’s go-to). But few are familiar with the history of the man behind the eponymous New York location. Born in 1868 to a close-knit Jewish family in Louisiana, Henri Willis Bendel moved to Manhattan as a milliner and ran his first shop during the mid-1890s in Greenwich Village before moving to the Upper East Side address in 1913. A new book, Henri Bendel and the Worlds He Fashioned, comprehensively presents an illustrated journey through Bendel’s life and legacy. ($34.95, amazon.com) —Jeanne Malle

In central London, there’s a stationary shop so exquisite, it makes New York’s superlative Goods for the Study from McNally Jackson in the West Village look like Staples by comparison. Called Choosing Keeping, the hyper-curated boutique began life in 2012 just as the digital age was opening up a nostalgic yearning for physical tangibility. For those wondering about the shop’s name, in their words: “We wish for our customers to be considerate and discerning in their choices, and to honour and care for their purchases for years to come, thus choosing and keeping them.” Located at 21 Tower Street near Covent Garden, the storefront goes all out with a buffet of decorations from October (Halloween) through December (Christmas). Their second annual Christmas catalogue has just been made available—a keepsake in and of itself. (choosingkeeping.com) —Spike Carter

If you haven’t yet heard of the Bookworm radio show, I am deeply envious of the listening you have in store. Hosted by Michael Silverblatt on KCRW, the show ran from 1989 until 2022. Each 28-minute episode features conversations with guests such as Toni Morrison, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Susan Sontag, David Foster Wallace, and just about every other important modern writer. In preparation for each interview, Silverblatt typically read all of his guest’s work. His perceptiveness regularly shocked the authors, who often responded to his inquiries with an admission along the lines of “I never thought about that—but you’re exactly right.” The show is now available for streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Find an episode with your favorite writer and prepare to be amazed by this in-depth, often surprising, and truly enlightening literary treasure. (spotify.com) —Jack Sullivan

Do you really, really like caviar—or know someone who does? Allow the Mark Hotel to indulge you. The Upper East Side hotspot’s new Parisian Experience immerses hotel guests in the bounty of its celebrated restaurant Caviar Kaspia New York. Upon arrival, the lucky ones will receive a welcome gift and valet parking, followed by a prix fixe dinner for two at the restaurant. (The order: crab-and-rock-shrimp salad, baked potato with caviar, and Kaspia’s Baba with vodka for dessert.) The next morning, room service will deliver a breakfast of caviar bagels and champagne. If you’re still craving fish eggs after all that, well, we really can’t help you. (themarkhotel.com) —Ashley Baker

There was a time when shirts from Brooks Brothers were like cans of Coca-Cola: invariably perfect, egalitarian, and best purchased by the dozen. (Andy Warhol is said to have bought 100 with his first big-boy paycheck.) But that’s all done now, and finding anything that comes close is a vexatious trial. Most available options are either too expensive for an article of clothing whose fate could depend on your dinner order or simply fall short of the mark. Leave it to the Ivy Style–obsessed minds at Japanese shirtmaker Kamakura, which has recently opened a New York showroom high above Grand Central Terminal—a location that makes you long for the glory days of Midtown. You can choose from hundreds of fabrics, collar and cuff styles, and fits for a made-to-measure shirt. They’re so nice that you’ll reflexively make a napkin bib when you order the spaghetti. (from $89, kamakurashirts.com) —Nathan King

Phaidon is justifiably known for its sumptuous art books, so it is no surprise that Great Women Sculptors is its own work of art. What makes this essential reading is the comprehensive catalogue of more than 300 female artists, representing 64 countries and spanning the last 500 years. It is also arranged alphabetically by last name—from the Polish artist Magdalena Abakanowicz to Californian Andrea Zittel. With a page dedicated to each artist, where one work is showcased next to a brief career summation, the book is a revelation, and a treat for both eye and mind. ($69, amazon.com) —Jim Kelly