Art & Photography Books
Bird Pit The Magic Hat
Book SynopsisThe Magic Hat is an adventure book where you read the book in the form of a game with a narrative about an imaginary world surrounding a Magic Hat. By placing a branch point on a specific page, you are given the option to go to which page. The book presents several branches of storytelling, giving readers the experience of acquiring their own Magic Hat and interacting with the book.
£28.80
Vendome Press A Wandering Eye
Book SynopsisMiguel Flores-Vianna has been a photographer and writer and editor for more than twenty years. His first book, Haute Bohemians (Vendome, 2017) was selected as the design book of the year by T Magazine. Flores-Vianna writes, produces, and snaps all the images for Private Visit, a worldly column about tastemakers, artists, and artisans. His photography is regularly published in AD and Cabana. He lives in London.
£24.00
Thames & Hudson Ltd Silk Roads Peoples Cultures Landscapes
Book SynopsisAs world powers realign their cultural, economic and political outlooks, there is no better time to consider how Afro-Eurasia's complex network of ancient trade routes which spanned the vastness of the steppe, vertiginous mountain ranges, fertile river plains and forbidding deserts across the continents and on to the seas beyond fostered economic activity and cultural, political and technological communication. From silk to slaves, fashion to music, religion to science the movement of interaction of goods, people and ideas was crucial to the flourishing of peoples and their cultures across this vast region. Edited by Susan Whitfield, an established authority on the subject, with contributions from over 80 leading scholars from across the globe, Silk Roads situates the ancient routes against the landscapes that defined them, to reveal the raw materials that they produced, the means of travel that were employed to traverse them and the communities that were shaped by them. OrganizedTrade Review'An extraordinary compendium of history and art … a marvel of a book … a brilliant survey that could not be put together in real time, a catalogue of an exhibition that could never be … This is a book to fundamentally jolt our endemic Eurocentricism and Western complacency … [a] one-volume museum' - V&A Magazine'The many magnificent illustrations make one long to go travelling' - Spectator, Martin Gayford’s Books of the Year'A superbly illustrated volume … the huge variety of the travellers and the merchandise along these complex trajectories is handsomely laid out in this delightful, informative and continually surprising work' - The Arts Desk, Books of the Year'A book to experience rather than read … simultaneously erudite and accessible' - Asian Review of Books'Stunning maps and artifacts combine with evocative landscapes as well as troubling tales of plunder, serving as a timely reminder of the rich rewards of meaningful communication and candid cultural exchange within and between the continents' - Traveller'Sections on Christian monasticism in Africa and Asia and the emergence of lapis lazuli make compelling reading. At a time when global politics and economy are hit by uncertainty, this book emphasises how movement and exchange fostered economic activity and cultural and political ideas' - The Art Society'Revealing on every level and will undoubtedly cast a spell upon the reader … this is one journey not to be missed' - The Lady'This beautiful publication honours the astonishing diversity in the way cultures advance and flourish not in spite of their differences, but because of them' - Antiques Diary'The value of this sumptuous book lies not in its decorative coffee-table desirability but because it serves to remind us that human difference and interaction is vitally necessary for progress. In an era marked by international wall-building and little compassion towards refugees and migrants, we would do well to remember this' - World of Interiors
£40.00
Hatje Cantz Jenny Saville
Book SynopsisIn this monograph renowned British artist Jenny Saville explores the centuries-old tradition of representing the human bodyIn her painterly and graphic oeuvre, the renowned British artist Jenny Saville explores the centuries-old tradition of representing the human body. Her figures occupy an ambiguous zone between idealization and deconstruction. Drawing inspiration from the annals of art history from Old Masters such as Leonardo and Raphael through to Egon Schiele, Picasso, Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud, Saville's painterly practice is characterized by physicality, carnality and the interplay between new and old media. Whether she is depicting history, the bodies of others or indeed her own, her work is always be defined by its defiance of the conventional notions of beauty and ugliness.
£35.20
Hauser & Wirth Mary Heilmann Works on Paper 19732024
Book SynopsisAn investigation into preeminent contemporary American painter Mary Heilmann's works on paper.Heilmann, known for working across mediums in a practice that overlays the analytical geometries of minimalism with the spontaneous ethos of the Beat Generation, has long utilized works on paper as a way to sketch out ideaswhat Heilmann calls daydreamingand create works in their own right. This book focuses exclusively on Heilmann's works on paper from the 1970s to the present, which play out recurring motifs within her work, revisit and reimagine arrangements of form and colour over time and distill the artist's continuous ongoing interest in drawing as a form of transcribing memory. Edited and featuring an introduction by Alexis Lowry, an essay by art historian Jo Applin and a reflection by artist Ilana Savdie, this publication builds on Heilmann's exhibition Daydream Nation' at Hauser & Wirth New York in 2024.
£28.50
National Gallery Company Ltd Radical Harmony
Book SynopsisCaptivating artworks by renowned painters including Seurat and Signac are explored alongside pieces by lesser-known Neo-Impressionists, such as Anna Boch.
£36.00
Rowman & Littlefield Makeup Man
Book SynopsisHeadline: A peak behind the Hollywood mask by one of its foremost makeup artistsIn Hollywood's heyday, almost every major studio had a Westmore heading up the makeup department. Since 1917, there has never been a time when Westmores weren't shaping the visages of stardom. For their century-long dedication to the art of makeup, the Westmores were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008. In this lively memoir, Michael Westmore not only regales us with tales of Hollywood's golden age, but also from his own career where he notably transformed Sylvester Stallone into Rocky Balboa and Robert DiNiro into Jake LaMotta, among many other makeup miracles. Westmore's talent as a makeup artist first became apparent when he created impenetrable disguises for Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, Robert Mitchum, and Frank Sinatra for the 1963 film The List of Adrian Messenger. He later went on to become the preferred makeup man for Bobby Darin and Elizabeth Taylor, and worked oTrade Review'Readers will want to take a giant step back in time with Academy Award–winner Westmore’s amiable and intimate look at his family, a Hollywood makeup dynasty for four generations, and the stars they’ve been making look good since 1917. His own career began in 1961 with a Universal Studios apprenticeship, all the time being “watched like a hawk” by family elders. Readers of a certain age will lap up stories about Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee’s budding romance, Desi Arnaz’s (emergency) horsehair mustache, and Ernest Borgnine’s doomed marriage to Ethel Merman. As the book progresses, younger readers will recognize more names and productions, including Harrison Ford in Blade Runner and Sylvester Stallone (whose fight scene injuries Westmore created) in Rocky. Westmore dishes occasionally but usually has a nice word to say about his clients. He even shares Elizabeth Taylor’s chili recipe. Later sections concentrate on Westmore’s decades-long association with the Star Trek series. Tighter editing might have eliminated the book’s “Snippets,” a miscellaneous closing collection of reminiscences, but most of them are just as entertaining as the book proper.' * Publishers Weekly *
£18.04
Vlaams Architectuurinstituut Flanders Architectural Review 16
Book Synopsis
£31.46
Taschen GmbH Frédéric Chaubin. Stone Age. 45th Ed.
Book Synopsis
£20.80
Getty Trust Publications William Blake - Visionary
Book SynopsisA richly illustrated, comprehensive introduction to the visionary British artist William Blake Celebrated for his boundless imagination and unique vision, William Blake (1757–1827) created some of the most striking and distinctive imagery in art, often combining his poetry and visual images on the page through innovative graphic techniques. He has proven an enduring inspiration to artists, musicians, poets, and performers worldwide and a fascinating enigma to generations of admirers. Featuring over 130 color images, this catalogue brings together many of Blake’s most iconic works. Organized by theme, it explores Blake’s work as a professional printmaker, his roles as both painter-illustrator and poet-painter, his relationship to the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artists that preceded him, and his legacy in the United States. It also examines his visionary prophetic books, including all eighteen plates of America a Prophecy.
£28.50
Taschen GmbH Expanding Universe. The Hubble Space Telescope
Book SynopsisWith investigations into everything from black holes to exoplanets, the Hubble Telescope has changed not only the face of astronomy but also our very sense of being in the universe. On the 30th anniversary of its launch into low-earth orbit, this updated edition of Expanding Universe presents 30 brand new images, unveiling more hidden gems from the Hubble’s archives. Ultra-high resolution and taken with almost no background light, these pictures have answered some of the most compelling questions of time and space while also revealing new mysteries, like the strange “dark energy” that sees the universe expanding at an ever-accelerating rate. The collection is accompanied by an essay from photography critic Owen Edwards and an interview with Zoltan Levay, who explains how the pictures are composed. Veteran Hubble astronauts Charles F. Bolden, Jr. and John Mace Grunsfeld also offer their insights on Hubble’s legacy and future space exploration.Trade Review“A magnificent selection of pictures taken by cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope… The pictures are processed and displayed with great care, with colors and contrast adjusted to make the scenes as truthful and vivid as possible.” * Freeman Dyson *
£24.00
Walther & Franz König David Chipperfield Architects. Vol.1 19852014
Book SynopsisSir David Alan Chipperfield, *1953 in London. British architect and winner of the Pritzker Prize 2023. Founder of David Chipperfield Architects (1985).
£67.50
Manchester University Press Turning Revolt into Style
Book SynopsisA detailed study of the creative ambitions, social and technological constraints behind the evolution of punk and post-punk graphic styles. -- .
£23.75
Park Books Diener & Diener Architects - Housing
Book SynopsisDiener & Diener Architects, based in Basel and Berlin and one of Switzerland's leading contemporary firms, have had a special focus on residential architecture throughout its 40 years of existence. The origins of the work are based in the previous studio of Marcus Diener, founded in 1942 and joined in 1976, and taken over entirely in 1980, by his son Roger Diener. This new monograph documents comprehensively this 'recherche patiente' of four decades. It discusses 30 realised designs and unbuilt proposals that exemplify Diener & Diener's philosophy, based on their characteristics and individual urban context. Illustrated with photographs, floor and site plans as well as archival images and plans, and drawing on the firms archive and Roger Diener's collected lectures, the authors investigate the typological design process on which each project is based. Diener & Diener update and adapt fundamental types to the requirements and restraints of each new task. The consistency of this approach constitutes the significance of their work in contemporary housing.
£40.50
Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd Clotilde Brewster
Book SynopsisDescribed by composer Ethel Smyth as brilliant, sociable, amusing and utterly original, Clotilde Brewster defied all the odds by becoming the first woman to work internationally as an architect. She was part of a group of pioneering women in the late nineteenth century who broke down barriers in their chosen professions, including the Garretts: in fact, Agnes Garrett (interior decorator) and her sister Millicent Garrett-Fawcett (founder of Newnham College) guided and aided Clotilde at the start of her life and career in England. Clotilde Cloto' Brewster (18741937) was born in France to an expatriate American father and an aristocratic German mother. Multilingual and cosmopolitan in her ideas and actions, she spent most of her life in continental Europe before settling in Britain. Her early training was in Florence, Italy where she was mentored by architects Adolf Hildebrand and Emanuel La Roche. Aged 18, Clotilde was chosen to exhibit her work at the 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago and the following year, she apprenticed to the architect Reginald Blomfield in London before completing her studies at the Royal Academy of Arts. Undaunted by the difficulties she might face as a woman in a man's profession, she relished the challenge of competing with her male peers. In 1899 she gave a speech at the International Congress of Women on the subject of architecture as a profession for women. Not content to accept the role of designer of homely interiors, Clotilde successfully pursued larger and more complex commissions. In 1901, at the age of 27, she designed what is perhaps her greatest project, the Renaissance revival-style Palazzo Soderini overlooking Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Her buildings can be found in England, France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Her commissions, built and unbuilt, include projects of urban palaces, castles, houses, fountains, mausoleums, chapels, additions and renovations. This book is the first to catalogue her work, which includes over 80 projects, and it features the previously unpublished letters she wrote throughout her life to her father and brother, which reflect her exuberant personality and keen sense of humour. It examines how her early years in Italy so crucially influenced her choice of career and follows her fascinating journey through architecture and the high-society world of her clients.
£40.50
HENI Publishing Brian Clarke: The Art of Light
Book SynopsisThe most comprehensive collection of artworks by world-renowned artist Brian Clarke to date. Designed in close collaboration with the artist himself, featuring stunning photography that captures Clarke's revolutionary approach to the medium of stained glass, with an introduction by Norman Foster and an essay by Paul Greenhalgh.
£36.00
V & A Publishing Fashion and the Floating World
Book SynopsisAn exclusive insight into glamour of Edo–period society through the medium of 170 exquisite ukiyo-e This sumptuous book explores the important world that woodblock prints played in the fashionable world of Edo–period Japan (1603–1868). One hundred and seventy ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) offer us a vivid view of the culture of entertainment, style, and glamour that developed in bustling urban centers. Expert curators bring to life the scenes and figures depicted, and highlight the fashions, dress accessories, and hairstyles shown in these colorful and compelling images by artists such as Utagawa Kunisada and Utagawa Hiroshige. Benefitting from the V&A’s world-leading collection and including many rarely seen prints, this is a fascinating glimpse into an exciting world of celebrity actors, courtesans, kimono retailers, fabric workshops, makeup brands, theatre managers, brothel keepers, and restaurant owne
£29.75
V & A Publishing V&A Pattern: Kimono
Book SynopsisV&A Pattern: Kimono showcases the staggering breadth of textile designs associated with Japan's most iconic garment A source of inspiration for designers from William Morris to Alexander McQueen, the V&A holds over three million designs for textiles, decorations, wallpapers and prints. Now beautifully re-presented, the bestselling V&A Pattern series invites you to appreciate the work of some of the greatest names and styles in design history, highlighting interesting and imaginative works that are all too rarely seen. Each pocket-sized book features 66 carefully selected patterns, and has a concise expert introduction, making these an invaluable source of inspiration for creatives - and the perfect gift for pattern-lovers.
£8.99
Luster Publishing Peter Ivens Houses
Book SynopsisPeter Ivens is a buzzing and respected name in interior design. The Belgian interior architect is praised for his talent, his timeless style and impeccable realisations. His designs often come about in close collaboration with his partner in crime Bea Mombaers. The two of them have been working together intensively for over a decade, without really dividing their roles in the classic way, blurring the lines between architecture and decoration. For Ivens each house tells its own personal story. Custom-made'' is a core value in his oeuvre: he tailors each home to the specific needs and personality of its residents. No bells and whistles, no loud, showy signature, but silent luxury stemming from a special, sophisticated choice of materials and a unique sense of space. Ivens' portfolio is prestigious and diverse, yet his style is recognisable. This beautiful coffee-table book, in which each chapter is dedicated to a different house, is the perfect proof. Except for a brief introduction
£49.50
Rizzoli International Publications Inside Marrakesh Enchanting Homes and Gardens
Book SynopsisContemporary design meets Marrakesh's splendid artistic heritage in a fresh burst of color, form, and texture through a panoply of sensual houses and gardens. Noted designer Meryanne Loum-Martin provides entrée into the extraordinary residences of this fabled city's leading tastemakers.This exquisite book showcases the stunning properties of the world's leading design connoisseurs, including Jasper Conran, Lynn Guinness, Vanessa Branson, and Helen and Brice Marden, who have transformed Marrakesh's exotic style into unexpected but elegant expressions. The story of design in Marrakesh begins with the contributions of Bill Willis, Yves Saint Laurent, and Pierre Bergé, who fearlessly fused Moroccan elements--zellige tilework, rugs, pottery, fountains, woodwork, metalwork, and tadelakt wall treatments--with a luxuriant mix of furnishings from around the world. We are invited into such lush private places as the gardens of the Villa Oasis, designed by Madison CoxTrade Review"If you are craving travel-and who isn't-visit the exotic interiors, dramatic architecture and lush gardens photographed in this book. Author and proprietor of the award-winning Jnane Tamsna boutique hotel, Loum-Martin sums up the appeal of Marrakesh in three words: sensuousness, refinement and mystery." — COTTAGES & GARDENS
£39.10
New York Review of Books Blind Corners
Book Synopsis
£15.19
Steidl GmbH & Co.OHG Edward Burtynsky The Great Acceleration
Book Synopsis
£32.00
HarperCollins Publishers Orchids
Book SynopsisA beautiful, richly illustrated book on Europe's wild orchids perhaps the most enigmatic and popular group in the botanical world.The orchid family (Orchidaceae), numbering some 25,000 species, is one of the world's two largest families of flowering plants. Whilst the vast majority of orchids are found in the wet tropics, Europe accommodates c.130 native orchid species which are equally arranged in dense inflorescences of great beauty. Furthermore, the adaptations encountered in some of the European species are just as fascinating as those of their tropical relatives.This book provides an introduction to the native orchids of Europe. It features four sections: Structure and systematics', Orchids and the environment', Orchid portraits' and How to learn more'. This part constitutes the bulk of the book, presenting individual genera in a sequence which reflects their most likely evolutionary relationships. Each genus is introduced by one page of text and illustrated by one or more colour
£24.00
HarperCollins Publishers Bird Photographer of the Year Collection 3
Book SynopsisForeword by Chris PackhamThis beautiful book accompanies the photographic competition celebrating some of the best bird photography of the year.The Bird Photographer of the Year competition celebrates the artistry of bird photography, and this large-format book is lavishly illustrated to reflect this. A celebration of avian beauty and diversity, it is a tribute to both the dedication and passion of the photographers as well as a reflection of the quality of today's modern digital imaging systems.The book includes the winning and short-listed images from the competition, now in its third year, showcasing some of the finest bird photography, with a foreword by BTO President and head judge, Chris Packham. A proportion of the profits from the book goes directly to the BTO to support their conservation work.The advent of digital technology has revolutionised photography in recent years, and the book brings to life some of the most stunning bird photography currently on offer. It features a Trade Review‘Even if you don’t know your corncrakes from your cornflakes, you’ll still be entranced.’ Irish Independent Review
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers The Gallery of Miracles and Madness Insanity Art
Book SynopsisA riveting tale, brilliantly told'' Philippe SandsThe little-known story of Hitler's war on modern art and the mentally ill.In the first years of the Weimar Republic, the German psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn gathered a remarkable collection of works byschizophrenic patients that would astonish and delight the world.The Prinzhorn collection, as it was called, inspired a new generation of artists, including Paul Klee, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali. What the doctor could not have known, however, was that these works would later be used to prepare the ground for mass-murder.Soon after his rise to power, Hitlera failed artist of the old schooldeclared war on modern art. The Nazis staged giant Degenerate Art' shows to ridicule the avant-garde, and seized and destroyed the cream of Germany''s modern art collections. This action was mere preparation, however, for the even more sinister campaign Hitler would later wage against so-called degenerate people, and Prinzhorn''s artists were caught upin bTrade Review‘A superbly told story of worlds colliding …There’s so much that’s wonderful about this book; it’s hard to know where to start heaping praise. It is by turns intriguing, tragic, horrifying and occasionally funny’The Times ‘English has written a terrific book, taut and thematic … As beautiful as it is bleak’Guardian ‘Engrossing …The work of these artists, much of which miraculously survived the war, lives on as testament to the variety of human experience, and of ways to communicate what it feels like to be alive’Economist ‘Compelling … The twin strands of Hitler’s thinking on art and racial purity draw remorselessly together … Memorable’Literary Review ‘A riveting tale, brilliantly told'Philippe Sands ‘A fascinating new book’Daily Mail ‘Fascinating … Journalist English unpacks Hitler’s mad campaign against mentally ill artists … English’s story feels strikingly relevant. While shedding new light on this piece of history, English also provides a cautionary tale for the future’Publishers Weekly ‘An extraordinary, deeply researched work which is a testament to the Prinzhorn artists’The Tablet ‘Perhaps only in 1920s Weimar Germany where expressionism and dadaism were exploring the dark sides of sex and fantasy could the art of the mentally ill first get its due. And perhaps only in Germany could the story Charlie English tells so well have ended in such horror. English takes us through uncharted artistic waters in a narrative of great humanity: a gripping journey into art, madness and modern history’Jonathan Jones, author of Sensations ‘Dazzling … This poignant narrative centres on the complicated psychiatrist Hans Prizhorn and the eccentric patient artists whose work helped usher in a new epoch of the modernist avant-garde only to become fodder for Hitler's hateful ideology of “degeneration”. Richly wrought, and deeply researched’Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire
£17.00
HarperCollins Publishers Wild Isles The book of the BBC TV series
Book SynopsisThis beautifully illustrated overview of the wildlife of the British Isles showcases the diversity of our plant and animal life.Wild Isles is a celebration of the wildlife found on a relatively modest collection of islands positioned at a latitude so northerly to be unattractive to many animals and plants. Despite these unpromising foundations, the islands of Britain and Ireland, together with more than 6,000 lesser islets that make up our archipelago, contain some of the most diverse, beautiful and wildlife-rich landscapes and seas on our planet.This book will explore the fascinating relationships within and between species who make their home on our beautiful isles.Each chapter focuses on a particular kind of wild space. Britain and Ireland are dominated by a wide variety of grasslands from lowland water meadows to upland moors, and we will see how these human-shaped, semi-natural landscapes thrum with insect, bird and mammal life. Life requires water to flourish, and streams and rivTrade Review‘Filled with glorious photography showcasing the biodiversity of our archipelago’ Radio Times Praise for Patrick Barkham 'Barkham is an outstanding author' CHRIS PACKHAM 'Outstanding nature journalism' HORATIO CLARE 'A heralded nature writer' THE TIMES 'A lovely, fluid writer' DAILY MAIL
£21.25
HarperCollins Publishers The Imaginary Museum
Book SynopsisJoin the art critic Ben Eastham on a private tour of an extraordinary museum. Let him walk you through a building constructed from memory and filled with a series of bewildering art works, while he delivers a guide comprised of personal experience, professional expertise and sympathy.In this stunningly original book, an introduction to contemporary art is combined with the author''s own memories and reflections on what art means. With the help of a cast of interfering security guards, pretentious curators, sceptical visitors, angry protestors and elusive ghosts, Eastham proposes that the art of today offers a way of understanding our increasingly strange and complex times.Eastham doesn''task you to like the artworks in his imaginarymuseum, but offers the tools for you to formulate and express yourown opinion of them.He argues that art should be judged by the feelings it provokes and theconversations it generates: in talking about art, we learn to talk about ourselves and the world in wTrade ReviewPraise for Ben Eastham “A terrific, ferociously self-effacing writer” Wall Street Journal
£7.59
HarperCollins Publishers Brilliantly Bad A collection of the funniest
Book SynopsisA miscellany of actual patents for wonderfully bizarre inventions, Brilliantly Bad is a salute to what the human mind can achieve even if it probably shouldn't.This collection of the strangest ideas ever patented, ranging from the bizarre and baffling to the *oh so close* to genius, is a true celebration of human ingenuity in all its (occasionally) pointless glory.INVENTIONS INCLUDE:A coat that doubles as a urinalA musical condomAn automated pet petterFace-lifting earringsA weight-lifting device for the penis
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers Pat in the City My Life of Fashion Style and
Book SynopsisFrom the iconic stylist and fashion provocateur whose designs transformed culture bringing the glitz of Studio 54 and the sophistication of Sex and the City to the mainstream comes a playful yet intimate memoir of a life spent challenging conventions.Carrie Bradshaw's pairing of a tutu with a tank top is one of the most iconic outfits ever seen on television and a look that turned avant-garde New York designer and stylist Patricia Field into a household name. But before she was crowned the fairy godmother of haute couture, Field was the owner of the longtime East Village emporium Pat Field, a haven for drag queens, club kids, starving artists, NYU freshmen, and creative visionaries alike. Presiding over downtown with her distinctive vermillion hair and a constantly lit cigarette, Patricia was a rock 'n' roll den mother to everyone from Amanda Lepore to Lady Bunny to Patti Smith, with her store providing the city's eccentrics with a place to discover a sense of family, home, and a rh
£17.00
HarperCollins Publishers You Deserve the Whole World
Book SynopsisAn uplifting, vibrant collection by the inimitable Wednesday Holmes (@hellomynameisWednesday)Including exclusive, never-before-seen, bonus illustrationsFull of warmth and light, You Deserve the Whole World is a rainbow-filled reminder that you are worthy of all the good things that come your way.It is a celebration of hope, kindness, identity and courage, that will leave readers feeling seen, appreciated and loved.
£10.44
HarperCollins Publishers The Magic Border
Book SynopsisAn embrace of a book' Florence WelchPoetry was my place, my little clearing in the forest, where I could quietly put everything I was holding. I'm not sure what gave me the courage to open up that space to you, but here I am, doing it.'The Magic Border is the debut book from Mercury Prize-winning musician and poet Arlo Parks, combining never-before-seen poetry, song lyrics and beautiful, intimate images from collaborator, photographer Daniyel Lowden.Featuring twenty original poems, alongside an exclusive artist's statement and the complete lyrics from her sophomore album My Soft Machine, this vital collection explores the queer experience, blackness, grief, trauma and love through the eyes of the remarkable young musician.The Magic Border allows readers rare insight into her creative process and beautifully showcases the full breadth of Arlo's singular artistry.Arlo Parks pulls beauty around her as a war tactic, and she shares the spoils with us' Katie Gavin, MUNAThere's as much music Trade Review‘The most tender and tactile collection. Arlo Parks writes poetry you can taste … An embrace of a book’ Florence Welch ‘Arlo Parks pulls beauty around her as a war tactic, and she shares the spoils with us. I am grateful and invigorated’ Katie Gavin, MUNA ‘There’s as much music in Arlo’s poetry as there is poetry in her music. How nice to find her same reassuring warmth, eloquence, and softness in another medium as she finds new ways to capture the fierce love and noticing she has for life and the people she adores’ Lucy Dacus ‘Dream-like, song-like, Arlo Parks’ sumptuous poems pierce us with their directness of emotion, keen images, and seductive rhythms. As rich and sharp as photographs, The Magic Border is sexy and startling; these songs penetrate the heart’ Richie Hofmann, author of A Hundred Lovers ‘Wonderful, full of intoxicating beauty and tenderness. This is a collection to savour’ Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Aircraft of World War 2
Book SynopsisThe definitive visual history of key World War Two aircraft A visually stunning, accessible, and fascinating account of 50 key aircraft from World War Two, illustrated by the outstanding photograph archive of the Imperial War Museum.
£24.00
HarperCollins Publishers Vintage Rolex Limited Edition
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£75.00
HarperCollins Publishers Indigo
Book Synopsis
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Man Cave Book
Book SynopsisThe Man Cave Book by Mike Yost and Jeff Wilser is a tribute to great and glorious man spaces and the craftsmen behind them. Complete with instructions and insights into creating your own unique refuge and shrine to beer, sports, and everything else that''s right with the world, The Man Cave Book is an essential manual for any man cave enthusiast.
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Inc The Bright Ages
Book SynopsisThe Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors.Trade Review“While all of this is the sort of stuff that professional medievalists love to see, the thing I like most about Perry and Gabriele’s effort is that it is fun. The Bright Ages is written in such an engaging and light manner that it is easy to race through. I found myself at the end of chapters faster than I wanted to be, completely drawn in by the narrative. You can tell how much the authors love the subject matter, and that they had a great time choosing stories to share and evidence to consider.” — Slate "Incandescent and ultimately intoxicating, for as the chapters progress, it dawns on the reader that those who lived in this period were more conventional than cardboard figures. . . . They were, in essence, human." — Boston Globe "This revisionist history of medieval Europe takes apart the myth of a savage, primitive period . . . with passion and verve, [Gabriele and Perry challenge] the reader to tackle assumptions, bias and prejudices about the past to create a more joined-up, inclusive picture of the thousand years that followed the sack of Rome." — Peter Frankopan, The Guardian "The Bright Ages is a necessary book. It does the hard work of introducing audiences to a world that we too often overlook for expressly political reasons. It is also a joyful work. The medieval period, Perry and Gabriele argue, has good news for us. The world can be beautiful without centralized and brutal imperial power." — Los Angeles Review of Books "....a magic carpet ride around all manner of medieval places and moments....Perry and Gabriele are particularly keen to wrestle the Middle Ages from the clutches of white supremacists and other dangerous forces that yearn for a full return to a simplified version of the period. And so the authors present the doings of clever and durable women, too often overlooked among the churning dynasties of the early Middle Ages." — Irish Examiner “The Bright Ages shines a light on an age too often obscured by myth, legend, and fairy tales. Traveling easily through a thousand years of history, The Bright Ages reminds us society never collapsed when the Roman Empire fell, nor did the modern world wake civilization from a thousand-year hibernation. Gabriele and Perry show the medieval world was neither a romantic wonderland nor a deplorable dungeon, but instead a real world full of real people with hopes, dreams, and fears making the most of their time on earth.” — Mike Duncan, author of Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution and The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic “This book is perfect for people who are interested in the period but don't know where to start. Because the scale is sweeping but so well organized. . . . Most importantly, it's really entertaining, so. I recommend.” — Brandon Taylor, author of Real Life and Filthy Animals "A lively, searing, and transformative reimagining of the medieval world, The Bright Ages is brilliant in every way, both lucid in its arguments and sparkling in its prose. A gripping and compulsive read." — Bruce Holsinger, author of A Burnable Book and The Gifted School "In this engaging new history of the Medieval period Gabriele and Perry achieve a feat: they have written something eminently readable, suffused with academic rigor, and ethically responsible." — Candida Moss, author of The Myth of Persecution "Historians Gabriele and Perry argue in this accessible revisionist history that the so-called Dark Ages was actually a period of innovation that helped pave the way for the Renaissance and Enlightenment. . . . They add nuance and complexity to popular conceptions of the Dark Ages and make clear that beauty and achievement existed among the horrors. This is a worthy introduction to an oft-misunderstood period in world history." — Publishers Weekly "Although traditional politics-and–great-men history makes an appearance, the authors keep current by including a surprising number of great women and emphasizing their disapproval of racism, sexism, and slavery. The result is an appealing account of a millennium packed with culture, beauty, science, learning, and the rise and fall of empires." — Kirkus Reviews "Noted medieval historians Gabriele and Perry provide an engaging overview of a complex, yet often oversimplified era....sure to become a new standard for those seeking a comprehensive and inclusive review of medieval times." — Booklist "Matthew Gabriele and David M. Perry liberate the Middle Ages from stereotypes and half-truths in The Bright Ages, revealing that world as 'not simple or clean, but messy and human'....[a] lively account of a misunderstood era." — Shelf Awareness "This accessible trip through the medieval world is well worth taking for anyone wishing to better understand its complexity." — Library Journal "Chapter by chapter, Gabriele and Perry usher into view, from behind the curtain of the familiar grand narratives and from multiple locations, an eclectic cast of characters—many of them women—who exemplify, in a multitude of ways, a dazzling brightness where history has instructed us to see only gloom." — First Things
£12.99
HarperCollins Publishers Inc In Search of Van Gogh
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewArt historian Fossi (Art in Florence) and photographers De Marco and Dondero trace how Vincent van Gogh’s travels inspired his art in this perceptive, richly illustrated work. Fossi maps out van Gogh’s life in chronological order, weaving together letters, paintings, and images, along with contemporary photographs from De Marco and Dondero, who set out on a trip across Europe to photograph the geography and places that inspired his works...Insightful and illuminating, this poetic work will entrance historians, artists, and art lovers. — Publishers Weekly (starred review) With this compact trove of contemporary photographs juxtaposed with Van Gogh’s artworks, homes, and friendly commentary, the intensity of the artist’s life will go down more easily. Van Gogh fans will enjoy walking in his footsteps, and it will surely inform new audiences as well. — Library Journal
£22.10
Vintage Publishing The Bayeux Tapestry
Book SynopsisThe vivid scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry depict the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Hicks shows us this world and the miracle of the tapestry's making: the stitches, dyes and strange details in the margins.Trade ReviewHick's enchantment with the tapestry is compelling, and her style confident and writerly -- Kate Colquhoun * Daily Telegraph *Hicks tells her fascinating tale with the deftest of touches -- Helen Castor * Guardian *I was bowled over... it is a book full of page-turning vignettes -- Simon Young * Sunday Telegraph *A fittingly meticulous tribute to the world's fiddliest masterpiece -- Ned Denny * Daily Mail *Well written, well documented, quite often serious but not too grave, allergic to over -imaginative fantasy but not immune to romantic pull of those colourful worsted threads on plain linen. Carola Hicks's book weaves its own spell -- Peter Mandler * Times Literary Supplement *
£999.99
Vintage Publishing Brunelleschis Dome
Book Synopsis''Compelling... fascinating'' Spectator''Abounding with excellent little stories'' Financial TimesThis is the story of one of the most magnificent achievements of the Italian Renaissance, and the architect behind it.Even in an age of soaring skyscrapers and cavernous sports stadiums, the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence still retains a rare power to astonish. Yet the elegance of the building belies the tremendous labour, technical ingenuity and bitter personal strife involved in its creation. For over a century after work on the cathedral began, the proposed dome was regarded as all but impossible to build. The greatest architectural puzzle of its age, when finally completed it was hailed as one of the great wonders of the world.This book tells the extraordinary story of how the cupola was raised and of the dome''s architect, the brilliant and volatile Filippo Brunelleschi. Denounced as a madman at the Trade ReviewCompelling... professional jealousy, committee intrigue, feats of bluff and fascinating scraps of obsolete lore... Where Longitude had ocean wastes, Brunelleschi's Dome has vertigo * Spectator *As each novel feat of genius engineering flowers high above the ground, details of scandals and pranks blow up from the city streets to create an altogether enchanting tale -- Dava Sobel, author of LongitudeAn adventure yarn set on the wild frontiers of human knowledge... abounding with excellent stories * Financial Times *A wonderfully vivid little book * Daily Telegraph *
£11.69
Vintage Publishing Art Objects
Book SynopsisJeanette Winterson CBE was born in Manchester. She published her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, at twenty-five. Over two decades later she revisited that material in her internationally bestselling memoir Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?. Winterson has written thirteen novels for adults and two previous collections of short stories, as well as children's books, non-fiction and screenplays. She is Professor of New Writing at the University of Manchester. She lives in the Cotswolds in a wood and in Spitalfields, London.Trade ReviewCourageous... Her writing is spirited and insouciant in its fusing of love of words and sensual desire * Scotsman *Winterson is in fine form in these essays about art * Observer *Flashes of sly wit have an epigrammatic power... On Joyce, Woolf, Conrad, Dickens and the development of English literature she is acute and always interesting...covetable, infuriating, stimulating * Independent *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd The Language of Things
Book SynopsisIn The Language of Things Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum, decodes the things around us: their hidden meanings, our relationship with them, how they shape our lives and why we desire them. Design is everywhere. It seduces, pleases and inspires us. It makes us part with our money. It defines who we think we are. An iPhone, an anglepoise lamp, a Picasso, a banknote, an Armani suit, a William Morris textile, a Lucky Strike packet, a spacecraft - every object tells a story. And understanding their stories offers us a whole new way of seeing the world. ''Articulate and wonderfully knowledgeable ... for anyone who takes an interest in the world around us'' Time Out ''A nightmare vision of a world drowning in objects ... witty, well observed and wide-ranging'' Guardian ''An elegant, witty and free-ranging survey, from Thomas Chippendale''s ponderous 18th-century manor-house furniTrade ReviewAn elegant, witty and free-ranging survey of industrial product design from Thomas Chippendale's ponderous 18th-century manor-house furnishings to Jonathan Ive's sprightly Macintosh iBooks * Telegraph *Sudjic's book rebukes designers for their arrogance and increasing self-importance ... readable, sharp and worthwhile * FT *The Language of Things is a happy trot through the colourful landscape formed by design's eternal alternation between use and allure * Evening Standard *Deyan Sudjic presents us with a nightmare vision of a world drowning in objects ... witty, well observed and wide-ranging * Guardian *As a confessional, the book is witty and honest, and Deyan Sudjic remains one of our most insightful commentators * Royal Academy magazine *Articulate and wonderfully knowledgeable ... a very nice object in itself ... much in here for anyone who takes an interest in the world around us * Time Out *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd Chanel
Book SynopsisIn Chanel: An Intimate Life, acclaimed biographer Lisa Chaney tells the controversial story of the fashion icon who starred in her tumultuous era Coco Chanel was many things to many people. Raised in emotional and financial poverty, she became one of the defining figures of the twentieth century. She was mistress to aristocrats, artists and spies. She broke rules of style and decorum, seducing both men and women, yet in her work expected the highest standards. She took a ''plaything'' and turned it into a global industry which defined the modern woman. Filled with new insights and thrilling discoveries, Lisa Chaney''s Chanel provides the most defining and provocative portrait yet. ''Chaney''s research is laudable, uncovering fresh details of Chanel''s well-trodden rag trade to riches story'' Evening Standard ''An unflinching examination of the historically inscrutable designer'' Vogue Lisa Chaney has lectured and tutored in the history of art and literature, made TV and radio broadcasts on the history of culture, and reviewed and written for journals and newspapers, including The SundayTimes, the Spectator and the Guardian. She is the author of two previous biographies: Elizabeth David and Hide-and-Seek With Angels: The Life of J.M. Barrie.Trade ReviewChaney's research is laudable, uncovering fresh details of Chanel's well-trodden rag trade to riches story * Evening Standard *Chaney ably explores the complexities and inner life of her subject * The Times Literary Supplement *Elegant, meticulously researched and packed with details * Prima *An unflinching examination of the historically inscrutable designer * Vogue *Chaney is adept at elucidating Chanel's paradoxical character. A nuanced account of a contradictory, complex, quite extraordinary life * The Times Higher Education Supplement *
£11.69
Penguin Books Ltd An Essay on Typography
Book SynopsisEric Gill''s opinionated manifesto on typography argues that ''a good piece of lettering is as beautiful a thing to see as any sculpture or painted picture''. This essay explores the place of typography in culture and is also a moral treatise celebrating the role of craftsmanship in an industrial age. Gill, a sculptor, engraver, printmaker and creator of many classic typefaces that can be seen around us today, fused art, history and polemic in a visionary work which has been hugely influential on modern graphic design.''Written with clarity, humility and a touch of humour . . . timeless and absorbing'' Paul Rand, The New York Times''His lettering was clear, confident and hugely influential on the development of modern type design. The world has now caught up with Gill'' GuardianHow do we see the world around us? This is one of a number of pivotal works by creative thinkers like John Berger and Susan Sontag whose writings on art, design and the media have changed our vision for ever.
£8.54
Penguin Books Ltd Lives of the Artists Lives of the Architects
Book SynopsisFrom world-renowned curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects offers a unique opportunity to learn about the lives and creativity of the world''s leading artistsHans Ulrich Obrist has been conducting ongoing conversations with the world''s greatest living artists since he began in Switzerland, aged 19, with Fischli and Weiss. Here he chooses nineteen of the greatest figures and presents their conversations, offering the reader intimacy with the artists and insight into their creative processes. Inspired by the great Vasari, Lives of the Artists, Lives of the Architects explores the meaning of art and artists today, their varying approaches to creating, and a sense of how their thinking evolves over time. Including David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Gerhard Richter, Louise Bourgeois, Rem Koolhaas, and Oscar Niemeyer, this is a wonderful and unique book for those interested in modern art.
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Europeans Three Lives and the Making of a
Book Synopsis''Magnificent. Beautifully written, immaculately researched and thoroughly absorbing from start to finish. A tour de force that explains how Europe''s cultural life transformed during the course of the 19th century - and so much more'' Peter Frankopan From the bestselling author of Natasha''s Dance, The Europeans is richly enthralling, panoramic cultural history of nineteenth-century Europe, told through the intertwined lives of three remarkable people: a great singer, Pauline Viardot, a great writer, Ivan Turgenev, and a great connoisseur, Pauline''s husband Louis. Their passionate, ambitious lives were bound up with an astonishing array of writers, composers and painters all trying to make their way through the exciting, prosperous and genuinely pan-European culture that came about as a result of huge economic and technological change. This culture - through trains, telegraphs and printing - allowed artists of all kinds to exchange ideas and make a liTrade ReviewMagnificent. Beautifully written, immaculately researched and thoroughly absorbing from start to finish. A tour de force that explains how Europe's cultural life transformed during the course of the 19th century - and so much more. -- Peter FrankopanMagnificent and utterly gripping: European identity, culture and commerce through the lives of three remarkable individuals, the book for our times. -- Philippe SandsIt plunged me into another world. I learned so much and was carried away by the intelligence and fluidity of the style - a combination which is unbeatable. -- Antonia FraserA timely, brilliant and hugely enjoyable book ... A magnificently humane book, written with supple grace but firmly underpinned by meticulous scholarship. -- Rupert Christiansen * Sunday Telegraph *The Europeans is a massively impressive work, as enjoyable as it is knowledgeable, full of insights into the mechanisms of history and in the people who make it. It is a book about the making of Europe, and this description, wonderful as it is, has now, in these days, sadly, also almost a utopian quality to it. Orlando Figes is an outstanding historian and writer, he brings distant history so close that you could feel its heartbeat. He did it with the Russian Revolution in A People's Tragedy, and he does it again in The Europeans. -- Karl Ove Knausgaard[There are] a multitude of fascinating pieces of information to be gleaned from Orlando Figes's magisterial and wide-ranging book The Europeans ... Relevant, trenchant and searching. -- William Boyd * The Guardian *I loved the book. I read it in every spare moment, fascinated and sometimes surprised. ... I have been speaking about the book to everyone I know: it is clearly not just a book for musicians but for the widest audience interested in literature, music and art. -- Barbara HanniganMeticulously detailed, exhaustively researched and written with Figes's characteristic verve, The Europeans is a sweeping tour de force and a monumental work of historical synthesis. -- Julian Coman * The Observer *
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd The Radical Potter
Book Synopsis*Longlisted for the William MB Berger Prize for British Art History, 2022*A spectacular biography of the great designer, entrepreneur, abolitionist and beacon of the Industrial Revolution, from acclaimed historian and Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Tristram HuntJosiah Wedgwood, perhaps the greatest English potter who ever lived, epitomized the best of his age. From his kilns and workshops in Stoke-on-Trent, he revolutionized the production of ceramics in Georgian Britain by marrying technology with design, manufacturing efficiency and retail flair. He transformed the luxury markets not only of London, Liverpool, Bath and Dublin but of America and the world, and helping to usher in a mass consumer society. Tristram Hunt calls him ''the Steve Jobs of the eighteenth century''.But Wedgwood was radical in his mind and politics as well as in his designs. He campaigned for free trade and religious toleration, read pioneering papers to the Royal Society and was a member of the celebrated Lunar Society of Birmingham. Most significantly, he created the ceramic ''Emancipation Badge'', depicting a slave in chains and inscribed ''Am I Not a Man and a Brother?'' that became the symbol of the abolitionist movement.Tristram Hunt''s hugely enjoyable new biography, strongly based on Wedgwood''s notebooks, letters and the words of his contemporaries, brilliantly captures the energy and originality of Wedgwood and his extraordinary contribution to the transformation of eighteenth-century Britain.Trade ReviewThis is a remarkable and impassioned book. Josiah Wedgwood innovated across boundaries of technology and art and taste, commerce and scientific enquiry, and Tristram Hunt makes the powerful case for rediscovering his humane entrepreneurial spirit. The Radical Potter brings Wedgwood's protean energy alive for a new generation and I loved it. -- Edmund de Waalimpassioned, wide-ranging ... Hunt's sympathetic, engaged and finely written biography makes it clear that [Wedgwood] was a one-off, and a genius. -- David Horspool * Spectator *fabulously unputdownable ... In parts it reads like a thriller. -- Judith Woods * Telegraph *Wedgwood's remarkable story has been told in many biographies over the years. The great contribution of The Radical Potter, Tristram Hunt's new book, is to place him in the context of the rapid economic and social changes during his lifetime that helped make his success possible. -- Richard Lambert * Financial Times *this brisk and highly readable biography ... places Wedgwood in a dissenting tradition that goes back to the civil wars ... It is a timely tale. -- Paul Lay * The Times *engrossing ... Hunt, as director of the Victoria and Albert Museum and MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central from 2010 to 2017, is uniquely fitted to write this book. -- John Carey * Sunday Times *superb ... this delicious, meticulously researched, wide-ranging but never long-winded book made me admire Tristram Hunt as well as Josiah Wedgwood. -- Ysenda Maxtone Graham * Daily Mail *Hunt is exquisitely alive to all the contradictions in Wedgwood's achievements ... a rich portrait of the charismatic but contradictory man who made Georgian Britain the most stylish country in the world -- Kathryn Hughes * Mail on Sunday *One of the achievements of Tristram Hunt's biography... is too bring into view the commercial and moral instincts of the man behind the powerhouse ... Wedgwood emerges from this books as a man of voracious interest in the world. Canny and determined, he had both strong beliefs and the adaptability that marks any great innovator. Hunt ... is as interested in what the man can tell us about the times as the times meant for the man. -- Sarah Watling * Literary Review *Tristram Hunt, one of our finest historians, has done a magnificent job in The Radical Potter. Every chapter made me cheer and halloo. -- A. N. Wilson * Spectator Books of the Year *this attractively packaged ... splendid... biography of ceramics impresario Josiah Wedgwood ... reminds us not only of what has been lost in terms of manufacturing, but what can be regained. -- Jacqueline Riding * Country Life *Hunt performs the important task of telling the great potter's story clearly and accessibly ... Wedgwood the man should be as famous as Wedgwood the brand. That he is not might be due to his business - there are more heroic and glamorous trades than making pots - and to the national tendency to undervalue manufacturing. Hunt's book should help to correct that imbalance. -- Rowan Moore * The Observer *The Radical Potter sees Tristram Hunt argue that Wedgwood was epicentral to the transformation of Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries ... This is a remarkable book from a historian at the top of his game. -- Andrew Roberts * BBC History *Confident ... Hunt makes sure Wedgwood's pots stay at the heart of his biography -- Tanya Harrod * Prospect *easily the best account of that multi-faceted genius -- A. N. Wilson * The Times *The indefatigable one-legged artist and abolitionist Josiah Wedgwood personified the optimism of Georgian Britain. Hunt brings him brilliantly to life. -- Iona McLaren * Daily Telegraph Books of the Year *Josiah Wedgwood was "the Steve Jobs" of the 18th century, according to Tristram Hunt, the historian and V&A director. Wedgwood, of modest background but expansive inventive genius, turned a Staffordshire pottery firm into a global company, one that showed that Britain could make high-quality porcelain, a high-demand product in the new age of tea drinking. Not bad for a man who couldn't turn a wheel because childhood disease disabled one of his legs. He was nicknamed "Owd Wooden Leg" by his workers - and referred to the day he lost his limb as "Saint Amputation Day". -- Robbie Millen * The Times Books of the Year *Tristram Hunt, in The Radical Potter, underlines brilliantly the consumerism and politics of the age in the character of Josiah Wedgwood, in whom we can see all the energy of the era - the campaign for abolition, the birth of international trade, the stirrings of the industrial revolution, the combination of mass production and aesthetic sense. -- Catherine Ostler * Aspects of History Books of the Year *
£15.29
Penguin Books Ltd Living with the Gods
Book SynopsisFollowing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, a panoramic exploration of peoples, objects and beliefs from the celebrated author of A History of the World in 100 Objects and Germany''Riveting, extraordinary ... tells the sweeping story of religious belief in all its inventive variety. The emphasis is not on our differences, but on shared spiritual yearnings'' Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times, Books of the YearOne of the central facts of human existence is that every society shares a set of beliefs and assumptions - a faith, an ideology, a religion - that goes far beyond the life of the individual. These beliefs are an essential part of a shared identity. They have a unique power to define - and to divide - us, and are a driving force in the politics of much of the world today. Throughout history they have most often been, in the widest sense, religious.Yet this book is not a history of religion, nor an argument inTrade ReviewThe David Attenborough of things that don't move ... Think of it as his Blue Planet -- Bryan Appleyard * Sunday Times *He shows how human beings have always used religion and objects as a way to understand the world around us, from finding some accommodation with light, water and the seasons, to attempting to find some approach towards death. ... Anyone wishing to deepen, if not change their life, will certainly benefit from this remarkable book -- Douglas Murray * Evening Standard *A mind-expanding book -- John Carey * Sunday Times *
£14.24
Penguin Books Ltd Bunker
Book SynopsisA NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 2020 ''An extraordinary achievement . . . gripping, grim and witty'' Robert MacFarlane ''Unputdown-able ... No book could be more timely'' Richard J Evans Today, the bunker has become the extreme expression of our greatest fears: from pandemics to climate change and nuclear war. And once you look, it doesn''t take long to start seeing bunkers everywhere. In Bunker, acclaimed urban explorer and cultural geographer Bradley Garrett explores the global and rapidly growing movement of ''prepping'' for social and environmental collapse, or ''Doomsday''. From the ''dread merchants'' hustling safe spaces in the American mid-West to eco-fortresses in Thailand, from geoscrapers to armoured mobile bunkers, Bunker is a brilliant, original and never less than deeply disturbing story from the frontlines of the way we live now: an illuminating reflection on our age of disquiet and Trade ReviewHow prescient and timely ... This is a tartly thoughtful work, by turns witty and philosophical, with an undercurrent of anger at the way we are governed and the commodification of existential fear. He writes pacily, bringing to vivid life a gallery of survivalist wingnuts, conmen and evangelists. -- Nick Curtis * Evening Standard *A kind of apocalyptic Super Size Me, in which the author force feeds himself a steady diet of paranoia, conspiracy, eschatology and end-times architecture. -- Chris Hall * The Guardian *This baseball-cap wearing academic is the world's leading expert on survivalists ... But he never expected Bunker to be so topical. -- Rachel Sylvester and Alice Thomson * The Times *Brilliant ... Bunker, self-evidently a work for our times, shimmers with a Ballardian imagery of disaster and melt-down. -- Ian Thomson * The Spectator *Bunker is a thoughtful study into the nature of paranoia and the people who try to profit from it - and it makes for a page-turning read. -- Nathan Brooker * Financial Times *A scary, unputdown-able account ... No book could be more timely as we stay in our own little bunkers to avoid infection, strip the supermarket shelves of loo paper, and squirrel away supplies of food to see us through the shortages that many fear will follow a no-deal Brexit. -- Richard J Evans * New Statesman *This study of bunker sites and the people preparing for the worst couldn't be better timed. -- Andrew Anthony * The Observer *Garrett's research has involved hanging out with millenarian fruitcakes, disaster profiteers and the uber-rich, not to mention tooled-up, swivel-eyed anarcho-libertarians from America to Australia ... His sense is that disaster gives us an opportunity to rethink how we live. What will we learn? -- Stuart Jeffries * The Guardian *This is a gripping and timely book about both the 'architecture of dread' and its multi-billion dollar industry, and what the growing appetite for bunkers reveals about the social conditions in which we live. * New Statesman *Garrett is a bright and buoyant guide and Bunker rattles briskly along ... A necessary read. * Literary Review *Bradley Garrett spent three years meeting doomsday preppers for his book Bunker ... If we work together, he thinks, there is no reason that a future global catastrophe has to become an apocalypse. Well, that's something. -- Luke Mintz * Sunday Telegraph *Bunker is an extraordinary achievement; a big-thinking, deep-diving, page-turning study of fear, privilege and apocalypse told through the space of the bunker. Garrett has written a gripping, grim, witty work of geography and ethnography, which he completed - with eerie timeliness - in the first weeks of the COVID pandemic. A book about prepping and prognostication, then, which had already foretold its own future. -- Robert MacFarlaneGarrett's book forces readers to reassess other assumptions about bunkers and those who own them. -- Jack Grove * Times Higher Education *There are many strands in this book ... [Garrett] brings sharp insight to a subject that no longer seems so remote or speculative. -- Mika Ross-Southall * Times Literary Supplement *A highly addictive book ... What makes Garrett's book fascinating is his portrayal of the balance between fringe thinking and the real world. -- Nick Smith * E&T Magazine *Bunker benefits from the mere fact of taking its protagonists seriously as humans and as members of society, rather than as outlandish characters. -- Julian Sayarer * openDemocracy *Garrett spent several years travelling the world, going down into bunkers and talking to their owners and tenants. His book is an incredible record of that journey, and also functions as a philosophical or psychological disquisition about space, about freedom, about survival. Bunker is an incredible read and will surely sell in quite enormous numbers, assuming the human race remains intact and can still read. -- Steve Braunias * New Zealand Herald *
£10.44
