Art & Photography Books
Unicorn Publishing Group Thea Porter's Scrapbook
Book SynopsisStarting in 1966, Thea Porter designed clothes for the rich and famous for nearly two decades. Her creations were made from sumptuous fabrics that drew inspiration from the Middle East, combining richly patterned silks with antique fabrics. Her clothes were a must for music and film stars such as Pink Floyd, Crystal Gayle, Elizabeth Taylor, and Barbra Streisand. Porter soon became a key member of an innovative group of British designers that included Ossie Clark, Zandra Rhodes, and Jean Muir, and her place in the history of British fashion was ensured when she was named Designer of the Year in 1972. Thea Porter’s scrapbook is her story in her own words, an unpublished autobiography she put together before her death in 2000. Edited by her daughter Venetia, and with an essay by fashion historian Amy de la Haye, it reveals Porter’s further talents as a keenly observant and descriptive writer. This book which includes working drawings, sketches, snapshots, and manuscript notes, serves as a memoir of her early life and career, charting many memorable episodes, including the dramatic surge of American interest in her clothes, and the opening of her shop in Paris as she pursued her ambition to create dresses “beyond trend and tat, that thirty years from today will still be beautiful.”Trade Review"The whole book is a great slice of fashion history." --Alexandra Shulman, former editor-in-chief, British Vogue; "A captivating book…Porter’s writing resembles her designs – it is often…a sensual patchwork…Like a wardrobe overflowing with wondrous clothes, the book is stuffed with photographs and paintings" Kate Kellaway, The Observer
£24.00
HarperCollins Publishers The Joy of Weeds: A Celebration of Wild Plants
Book SynopsisA colourful, illustrated celebration of wild plants around the world, and why we should love them not loathe them, with 50 graphic illustrations by Paul Farrell. To call a plant a weed is doing it a real injustice. It’s simply a wild plant that is not deliberately cultivated, growing where it is not wanted. By this definition, virtually any plant outside a carefully tended garden is a weed. The intolerance of weeds is a mark of how we have turned our backs on nature and urbanized our land and lives. In this enlightening survey, illustrator Paul Farrell uncovers the wild beauty in weeds and explains the benefits of rewilding ourselves a little. Weeds can be medicine, food, and an important aid for wildlife. One person’s weed is another’s wild beauty. Paul’s brilliant modernist illustration style shows us dandelions, thistles and feverfew in a whole new light. Each of the 50 weeds featured is accompanied by a quirky history and its uses in medicine, cooking, arts and even industry. Sample contents:US/Canada weeds: Dandelion; Daisy; Groundsell; Chickweed; Nettle; Wild carrot; Sumac.UK/Europe weeds: Foxglove; Deadly nightshade; Yarrow; Rosebay willowherb; Herb Robert; Scarlet Pimpernel; Violet; Wood Sorrel; Red valerian; Common knapweed
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Wild Words: How language engages with nature: A
Book SynopsisThe book showcases 75 beautiful words evocative of the wild, from all around the world, that describe natural happenings in nature. It includes words that describe weather, or a feeling you have when in nature as well as sensory words that explain the smell or sound of a place. The words used to express what is seen in the world are vital to an appreciation of it – language is a key component in the call of the wild. As words vanish from a language, it follows that what they describe may disappear. Words deepen understanding of what is seen, and what is seen comes more vividly to life through the words used to describe it. As the natural world and the time spent in it diminish in the face of modern life, it’s more vital than ever to recall it into being with the magic of language. Each of the 75 words will have a 100-word description, including its pronunciation, a geographical/historical/cultural background, as well as reflecting on the emotional/mindful response the natural phenomenon can inspire. Each word will be paired with an illustration Examples of words: Mångata. Sweden. Noun. The path of light that the moon makes on water. Sugar weather. Canada. Noun. A period of warm days and cold nights – the perfect weather to start the sap flowing in maple trees. Rudėnja. Lithuania. The way nature begins to feel as autumn takes hold and the vestiges of summer disappear. Komorebi. Japan. Noun. Beams of sunlight filtering down through the trees.
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers My Cool Bike: an inspirational guide to bikes and
Book SynopsisMy Cool Bike celebrates a love affair with bikes and bike culture. The bicycle is the most popular form of transport on the planet. Cycling is simply ideal for many things and we are now at the dawn of a new golden age of this versatile machine. This book will appeal to all who have taken up cycling for sport, fun, health and wealth. As the individual stories in the book show, a bike is a way of seeking solitude – a leisurely trip taken at one's own pace, only relying on pedal power. For some the bike is much more than an accessory for the daily commute: there are the plucky few who have have embarked on life-changing momentous global journeys; while for others bike ownership offers the chance to be part of a loyal, passionate and strong-minded community of fellow enthusiasts embarking on club excursions. Among this collection of cool bikes are classic racing bikes, high-tech machines that use the latest in material science and aerodynamics, eccentric bikes designed for specific purposes, and rarities coveted by serious collectors. Themes include: Urban, Commercial, Touring and Sporting, Vintage and Eccentric, Custom bikes, Eco and community bikes, Workshops, shops and cafés and Accessories including fashion.
£9.49
HarperCollins Publishers Van Gogh: in 50 works
Book Synopsis A captivating and highly illustrated introduction to Vincent Van Gogh, told through 50 major works. This new book presents all you need to know about Vincent Van Gogh’s turbulent and prolific creative life, featuring fifty works from the world’s leading art collections and museums. Art historian John Cauman analyses the career and works of, arguably, the best-known artist in the world today. A detailed introduction examines Van Gogh’s development as an artist and explores the themes, methods and driving forces behind his extraordinary paintings and drawings, as well as his relationships with his brother Theo and fellow artists. The book includes both major paintings and lesser-known sketches and artworks. The latest digital technology has been used to ensure that the reproductions are as faithful to the original works as possible. For all art lovers and students interested in Post-Impressionism and 19th-century art, Van Gogh in 50 Works provides a dazzling recreation of the viewing experience. Among the fifty paintings featured, the book includes The Potato Eaters (1885), Père Tanguy (1887), Self-Portrait in Front of the Easel (1888), Sunflowers (1888), Café Terrace at Night (1888), Bedroom in Arles (1888), Van Gogh’s Chair (1888), Portrait of Joseph Roulin (1889), Irises (1889), The Starry Night (1889) and Wheatfield with Crows (1890).Trade Review‘The prefect "greatest hits" compilation.' * Artists & Illustrators *
£17.00
Atlantic Books Get the Picture
Book SynopsisThe acclaimed author of Cork Dork takes readers on a fascinating, hilarious and revelatory journey inside the impassioned, secretive world of art and artists.
£11.69
Murdoch Books Do Something For Nothing
Book SynopsisFor fans of Humans Of New York and The Pursuit of Happyness.'A big-hearted and world-shaking idea' - Nick Cave 'Turn a common, everyday act into something potentially transformative.' - Michael Sheen'Moving and inspiring' - Johann Hari'Small acts of love can make a big impact.' - Morgan Freeman When you're on the fringes of society, being recognised can mean everything.In 2015, while working at a London hair salon, Joshua Coombes took to the streets with his scissors to build relationships with people sleeping rough in the capital, and began posting transformative images on social media to amplify their voices. These stories resonated and thousands of people got involved in their own way. From this, #DoSomethingForNothing was born - a movement that encourages people to contribute their skills and time to those who need it. This book explores themes of love, acceptance, shame and perseverance, while inviting us to see ourselves in one another and challenge the negative stigmas surrounding homelessness. Through the simple act of a haircut, Joshua takes you on a journey into the lives of people experiencing homelessness in different cities across the world.Featuring before-and-after photographs, street art and stories, this book is an inspiring and uplifting account of one man's experiences with people who have more in common with all of us than you might imagine. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to organisations dedicated to assisting unsheltered people, as well as supporting future not-for-profit art projects.Trade Review'A simple, big-hearted and world-shaking idea.' - Nick Cave, Singer Songwriter'Joshua's stories show the power that empathy and compassion can have to turn a common, everyday act into something potentially transformative.' - Michael Sheen'Hope, optimism, kind curiosity, and real human connection. This book will make you want to do something, just because you can.' - Emma Gannon, Author of the Multi-Hyphen Method 'This is a moving and inspiring book about how we can be better people' - Johann Hari, Author of Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs'Coombes believes that small acts of love can make a big impact.' - Morgan Freeman
£15.29
HarperCollins Publishers From Field & Forest: An artist's year in paint
Book Synopsis ‘The beginnings of a bitter-sweet commission: a mistle thrust’s egg, heralding a brief but very welcome return to spring… This year has been in such a hurry, at times almost tripping over itself in its keenness to reach autumn, and now she’s here.’ Highly respected illustrator Anna Koska is best known for her drawings of fish and fruit and is widely celebrated by food journalists and restaurateurs. In this mindful, artistic journal, Anna celebrates the natural world; the changing of the seasons, the blossoming of flowers and the ripening of fruit. Working in watercolour, pen and ink, oils and luscious egg tempera, Anna’s illustrations are reproduced in beautiful detail and they are accompanied by her musings and observations of objects, engaging us in the everyday realities of her artistic practice. Anna sources inspiration from the flora and fauna in the fields and forests surrounding her home in East Sussex. Her illustrations root us in nature, allowing us to pause to admire and appreciate the beauty and significance of everyday occurrences – whether she is drawing wasps feasting on apples fallen in the orchard, or trying to capture the cerulean blue of a winter sky. In this book, image and narrative text are wedded to create a beautiful journey through the seasons, taking time to appreciate our surroundings. ‘It started with my favourite fish, a red mullet, all bronze, copper, gills and scales. Then mackerel, coloured like a Scandi sky. Soon enough, I was seduced by a sketch of figs and Anna’s alluring tones.’ Allan Jenkins, Observer Food Magazine.Trade Review‘Writing about food you sometimes describe the skin of an apple or the colour of the flesh of a dark plum. This book helps you see’ -- Diana Henry‘Koska’s vivid accounts, coupled with her illustrations, create an evocative tale that almost serenades you in melodious bird song, or the gentle hum of bees.’ -- Town & Country Magazine‘Every page is touching in one way or another…Anna has a way of taking things that may go unseen, quietly passing us by, and bringing them to our attention in the most natural way.’ -- Anja Dunk‘... her warm and personal observations of the life of the land around her home in Sussex, but we are sucked in and they become ours too...’ -- Rachel Roddy
£13.49
Blue Crow Media Modern Berlin Map: Guide to 20th century
Book Synopsis
£9.00
Blue Crow Media Modernist New York Map
Book Synopsis
£9.95
Blue Crow Media Concrete New York Map: Guide to Concrete and
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£9.37
Blue Crow Media Modern Paris Map: Carte Paris Moderne
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£9.50
Blue Crow Media Modern Venice Map: Guide to 20th Century
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£9.37
Blue Crow Media Berlin U-Bahn Architecture & Design Map: Berliner
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£9.00
Graffeg Limited Jo Cox Poster: Cats in Cahoots
Book SynopsisA print by Jo Cox, featuring Twitter-famous @MySadCat, aka The Bear, and @MySwearyCat, aka Shipley. One in a series of 10 posters featuring cat illustrations by Jo Cox. Supplied in a cello-bag with a backing board.
£14.82
Graffeg Limited Tom Cox's 21st Century Yokel Poster: Flittermouse
Book Synopsis''Flittermouse'' features Jo Cox''s beautiful lino print of a bat in the night sky, above a passage of text about these funny little creatures from Tom Cox''s book 21st Century Yokel, the latest book by the Sunday Times bestselling author and social media sensation.
£14.82
HENI Publishing Nomos Alpha
Book SynopsisNomos Alpha features 20 pen drawings (each 27.5 x 22.5 cm) from the book R, published by Swiss Re in 2006. Conceived on the occasion of the Korean Cultural Centre UK's 2016 Artist of the Year exhibition Koo Jeong A: Riptide (7 October–19 November 2016), Nomos Alpha features the 20 exhibited works by the artist. Curated by Je Yun Moon, Riptide included artistic responses to Koo Jeong A's drawings by Kyung Roh Bannwart, Melissa Dubbin & Aaron S. Davidson, Yva Jung, Hanqing Ma & Mona Yoo, Martin Roth and Matthias Sohr. Signed and numbered on a bespoke embossed back cover, the book is published in a limited edition run of 500. Beautifully produced on extra thick paper with a semi-translucent jacket, this little book is a work of art in itself. Koo Jeong A's wonderful, often humorous drawings recall childlike simplicity yet express an underlying complexity.
£80.75
HENI Publishing Brian Clarke: A Great Light
Book SynopsisA Great Light is a striking catalogue published to accompany the exhibition of the same name, both testaments to British artist Brian Clarke’s widely regarded status as the most important artist working in stained glass today. Across his five-decades-long career, Clarke has consistently pushed the boundaries of stained glass as a medium in terms of technology and its visual potential. Focusing on large-scale works, A Great Light crystallises Clarke’s vision for stained glass as fundamentally architectural, his works the result of a dedicated respect for the buildings they inhabit and the surrounding contexts of his practice. The book offers a view of the impactful interaction between space and artwork, as over 130 beautifully reproduced images fill its pages and extend into the gatefolds. Published in association with Newport Street Gallery, A Great Light features 68 stained-glass artworks as well as installation shots of the final exhibition, prefaced by an interview between Clarke and world-renowned Swiss curator, art historian and critic Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of Serpentine Galleries in London.
£30.00
Ad Ilissum Living with Architecture as Art: The Peter May
Book SynopsisThis stunning two-volume publication introduces readers to one of the largest private collections of architectural drawings in the world. Showcasing drawings and related models and artefacts dating from 1691 to the mid 20th century, this lavish tome includes both a catalogue and new texts by leading authorities and provides a fascinating look at these often very beautiful by-products of architectural training and practice.One of the largest private collections of architectural drawings in the world has been assembled over 30 years by investor and philanthropist Peter May. Comprising more than 600 sheets that have all been carefully preserved and handsomely framed, the drawings and related models and artefacts date from 1691 to the mid 20th century. This handsome two-volume publication will introduce amateurs and specialists alike to the largely unknown collection. The book includes a catalogue and innovative texts by leading authorities that present the raison-d’être for the production and preservation of these sometimes neglected by-products of architectural training and practice that have been collected off-and-on through history by individuals and institutions.The architectural sheets acquired for the collection are principally 19th- or early 20th-century competition or certification drawings by design students. Others are presentation drawings for public commissions, reconstruction studies or interior designs. The catalogue is arranged by category, to demonstrate May’s inclination towards specific building types such as commercial or cultural institutions, train stations and spas, landmarks and monuments, private and royal residences, and cast-iron architecture. Also included is a category for landscape designs and garden architecture, reflecting May’s experience as a gentleman farmer with a predilection for building.Peter May informs the reader about his history as a collector and builder. Maureen Cassidy-Geiger discusses the formation of the collection and with Basile Baudez introduces the French system of architectural education, from which some of the finest drawings come.Charles Hind offers a history of design training in Britain and writes about patterns of collecting and the market for architectural drawings. Matthew Wells’s subject is the history of architectural models.Trade ReviewSeldom do we see architectural designs that never made it off the drawing board... But one American collector’s ardor for Beaux-Arts drawings has meant that we can catch a rare glimpse of architectural treasures that beautifully document professional architect training in France. * The Epoch Times *A fine two-volume set accompanied by scholarly commentaries ... the phrase 'living with architecture' can be a cliché but it can also have real meaning. These drawings capture a great deal of life ... you can feel a kind of embrace from these drawings, a comforting maternal instruct in action: that's why architecture is rightfully known as the mother of all the arts. * The World of Interiors *
£234.00
Ad Ilissum A History of Arcadia in Art and Literature:
Book SynopsisLong anticipated and hugely welcome, Paul Holberton's A History of Arcadia is a close and thorough examination of a great number of original texts of classical and early and later modern pastoral poetry, literature and drama in ancient Greek, Latin, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, German and English, and of a wide range of visual imagery, ending just before 1800. The book analyses the development of pastoral as a means of representing human happiness on this earth in the requited wooing of girl and boy, to whose feelings early modern pastoral gives voice.This tremendous book is an iconographic study of Renaissance and Baroque pastoral and related subject matter, with an important chapter on the 18th century, both in the visual arts, where pastoral is very poorly understood, and in words and performance, about which many false preconceptions prevail.The study begins with Virgil's use of Theocritus and an analysis of what basis Virgil provided for Renaissance pastoral and what, by contrast, stemmed from the medieval pastourelle. Pastoral developed notably in the Venetian High Renaissance. Its texts incorporated Petrarchist and Neoplatonic ideas of love, of which this book charts the development and evolution with unprecedented precision, considering also the female nude in art. There is a novel and polemical discussion of the development of landscape subjects in art, from Giorgione to Claude. The contributions of the most influential or representative authors - Petrarch, Sannazaro, Montemayor, Tasso, Guarino, Lope de Vega, Cervantes, Honoré d’Urfé, Cornelis de Hooft, Shakespeare and lastly Salomon Gessner - are considered beside many interesting more minor ones - Arsocchi, Bernardim Ribeiro, Clément Marot, Cieco d’Adria, John Fletcher, Fontenelle - and the verses of madrigals.There is a chapter on 'Being Rural' - what we can say about the reality of life in the country in the early modern period. There is a chapter on 'Et in Arcadia Ego' that introduces new evidence for the dating of Poussin’s famous work by reference to a neglected work by Sébastien Bourdon in Yale; another on a pastoral composition by Rubens that has not been considered as such. There is an important and bold discussion of self-projection ('metachronic' representation) by monarchs and courtiers across Europe in the 17th century, both within pastoral and without, which illuminates profound differences between Protestant and Catholic culture. Coming from the study of earlier periods, the author is able to throw new light on the Rococo - figures such as John Gay, Watteau, Gessner and Gainsborough - and to explain the termination of pastoral writing and art with the embrace of modernity in form and means of expression.All texts are given in the original language and all translated into English, while the visuals are beautifully reproduced: the book is also an anthology.Trade ReviewRemarkable … This is a substantial publication in every sense: two volumes [available separately] amounting to almost a thousand pages, with lavish colour illustrations throughout … [It has] exceptional range ... so much to praise. * Literary Review *
£47.50
Graffeg Limited Jackie Morris Poster: Snow Leopard, The
£14.82
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC How to Read Houses: A Crash Course in Domestic
Book SynopsisA comprehensive pocket-sized guide to domestic architectural styles and movements. How to Read Houses is an insider’s guide to recognising and appreciating the diversity of domestic architecture that reflects the location, the fashion, and the technological savoir-faire of the age – from Tudor timber-frames to the truly unconventional. Compact enough to travel with you yet comprehensive enough to provide real answers, with real examples, this handy reference guide: - Provides an understanding of the architectural vocabulary along with the visual clues that identify any house style and its historical context - Enhances the appreciation of visits to landmark houses and lays the foundations for an architectural exploration of your own home or area - Explores the main architectural styles, as well as the materials and components of a house, through beautifully rendered illustrations, photographs of classic examples and the words of a friendly expert - Features twenty famous UK houses in detail, many of which are National Trust and open to the public, as well as other iconic and interesting houses from around Europe and the rest of the worldTable of ContentsIntroduction House Types Materials Components House Styles Tudor Renaissance American Colonial Georgian Neoclassical Victorian Arts and Crafts Prairie Modernist Kit Houses Unusual Approaches Appendices Glossary Directory of Houses Index Acknowledgements
£11.78
Temple Lodge Publishing The Archetypal Human-Animal: Rudolf Steiner's
Book SynopsisRudolf Steiner's watercolour painting 'The Archetypal Human-Animal' presents us with the enigmatic image of a strange creature apparently swimming in water. It has a human profile, showing a clearly outlined nose and slightly-opened mouth, with a mysterious eye, almost concealed in its greenish hair. It has appendages similar to hands and feet, and dark-blue plant-like forms float about in the water beneath the creature's bright red and yellow body. Only the title provides us with a clue to its meaning: it is an 'archetypal human-animal' form. But even this is enigmatic. What is this strange, unusual creature - this archetypal human-animal? We are presented with a perplexing image and a puzzling description. In this original work, illustrated throughout with full-colour paintings and images - many by the author herself - Angela Lord takes us on a journey of discovery to realizing the meaning of Rudolf Steiner's painting. From Goethe's theory of metamorphosis in nature, we are introduced to Steiner's ideas of human evolution, from the primal beginnings of the archetypal human-animal on 'Ancient Moon'. Lord recounts myths and legends from many cultures that tell of human-animal forms, and reflects on the meaning of the fish in Christianity. She takes us through a series of 'colour sequences' for repainting Steiner's human-animal motif, and includes appendices that summarize evolutionary phases of the earth and humanity from a spiritual-scientific perspective. The Archetypal Human-Animal is both a valuable workbook for painters and a fascinating insight into hidden aspects of human evolution.Table of ContentsPrologue - PART ONE - Chapter One Goethe's Archetypal Animal - Chapter Two Goethe's Metamorphosis of Animals - PART TWO - Chapter One An Evolutionary Background - Chapter Two The Human Being on Ancient Moon: the primal beginnings of Archetypal Human-Animal - PART THREE - Chapter One The Human Being: Handiwork of the Gods - Chapter Two From Fire-Air to Air - PART FOUR - Chapter One The Animals: From the Cosmos Down to Earth - Chapter Two The Origin of the Animals - Chapter Three The Human-Animal Plant becomes Human - PART FIVE - Chapter One Myths and Legends: Monsters and Mermaids - Chapter Two A Cabinet of Curiosities - Chapter Three The Sphinx - PART SIX - Chapter One The Symbol of the Fish in Christianity - Chapter Two The Zodiac - Chapter Three The Evangelists - PART SEVEN - Chapter One The Colours of the Motif - Chapter Two An Approach to the Language of Colour - Appendix One Summary of Evolutionary Phases - Appendix Two Time Charts - List of Illustrations - References and Suggested Reading - Bibliography
£22.50
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Griselda Pollock's Vision and
Book SynopsisVision and Difference, published in 1988, is one of the most significant works in feminist visual culture arguing that feminist art history of is a political as well as academic endeavour. Pollock expresses how images are key to the construction of sexual difference, both in visual culture and in broader societal experiences.Her argument places feminist theory at the centre of art history, proffering the idea that a feminist understanding of art history is an analysis of art history itself. This text remains key not only to understand feminine art historically but to grasp strategies for representation in the future and adding to its contemporary value.Table of ContentsWays into the Text Who is Griselda Pollock? What does Vision and Difference say? Why does Vision and Difference matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Macat International Limited An Analysis of Susan Sontag's On Photography
Book SynopsisSusan Sontag’s 1997 text, On Photography, brought photographic theory into the university classroom with its staunch defence of the medium as art and inspired a new wave of Marxist Criticism in the field. Sontag explains the way in which we are addicted to images and depend on them for knowledge of our surroundings and the problems and challenges this causes. Already an established academic figure, Sontag brought Walter Benjamin’s theories in into the academic mainstream. The book retains its relevance in the everyday world because of the applicability of its ideas to the world of digital photography.Table of ContentsWays in to the Text Who was Susan Sontag? What does On Photography Say? Why does On Photography Matter? Section 1: Influences Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context Module 2: Academic Context Module 3: The Problem Module 4: The Author's Contribution Section 2: Ideas Module 5: Main Ideas Module 6: Secondary Ideas Module 7: Achievement Module 8: Place in the Author's Work Section 3: Impact Module 9: The First Responses Module 10: The Evolving Debate Module 11: Impact and Influence Today Module 12: Where Next? Glossary of Terms People Mentioned in the Text Works Cited
£8.58
Imperial War Museum The Blitz: IWM Photography Collection
Book SynopsisThe Blitz showcases 50 images from this unique collection. On 7 September 1940, the German air force unleashed a devastating bombing campaign. Seeking to force Britain into surrender, the Blitz saw towns and cities across the United Kingdom blasted with high explosives and set ablaze by firebombs. Yet even as the bombs rained down, a civilian army of air raid wardens, firemen, first aiders and rescue parties mobilised for battle. These striking photographs tell the stories of those who experienced the Blitz and highlight the bravery and determination of civilians in wartime Britain.
£11.69
Imperial War Museum Visions of War: Art of the Imperial War Museums
Book SynopsisIWM holds one of the most significant collections of British art anywhere in the world - a collection whose artists and artworks have uniquely shaped our understanding of war. Visions of War charts the manifold engagement between artists, art movements and a century-plus of conflict since 1914. Its richly illustrated pages uncover the intricate and changing history of IWM's art collection, from its inception during the First World War to its consideration of the causes, course and consequences of conflict today. It illuminates some of the museums's most powerful stories, from the provocative, heartfelt statement of William Orpen's To the Unknown British Soldier in France to the frontline challenges for contemporary war artists, including Steve McQueen. This book brings together iconic and previously unseen works to tell the authoritative story of modern war art. Artists featured include Paul Nash, C R W Nevinson, David Bomberg, Anna Airy, John Singer Sargent, Walter Sickert, Wyndham Lewis, Eric Ravilious, Laura Knight, Henry Moore, Evelyn Dunbar, Linda Kitson, Peter Kennard, Gilbert & George, Colin Self, William Crozier and Rosalind Nashashibi.
£24.00
Legend Press Ltd Anthony Green: Printed Pictures
Book Synopsis
£24.74
Notting Hill Editions Frida Kahlo And My Left Leg
Book SynopsisFrida Kahlo was an amputee in the last part of her life, but long before that her right leg had been compromised by a childhood bout with polio. Since adolescence, Emily Rapp, herself an amputee since the age of four, felt that there were many things she had in common with Frida Kahlo. From the first sight of Kahlo's painting of the devastating bus crash that almost killed her, Rapp felt a sense of kinship with the artist. They both endured numerous operations; both alternately hid and revealed their altered bodies; and both found a way to live and create despite physical and emotional pain. In this riveting read, Rapp gets to the essence of Kahlo through her art, her letters, and her diaries. Rapp tells her own story of losing a child to Tay-Sachs; finding love, and becoming pregnant with her daughter; and of how Kahlo's life and work helped her to find a way forward when all seemed lost. Containing several full-color images of Kahlo's art and clothing, Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg offers a unique perspective on the artist and the challenges she faced. I want to know and remember what it was like to walk as Frida once walked: before polio at six years old shrunk her right leg; before the infamous bus crash on September 17, 1925 when the pole pierced her pelvis; then the casts, the saws, the stitches woven into the skin and then carefully twisted out, the scars gone white and silent and sealed. I am one-legged, like Frida, but I am also unlike her, and there in our essential difference is where my fascination lies, and there lies also my devotion, my despair, my revulsion, my resentment, my desire.Trade Review“This book is a wild masterpiece. It is about everything that matters: mortality, motherhood, desire, love, the body, art, writing, survival. Remarkably, the author is able to express the chaos of grief and anger without ever losing control. The fire of Frida Kahlo’s spirit courses through this book and twins with the author’s own attempts to understand her life, and survive. It is brilliant, furious, funny, gorgeously written, terribly sad and, without being sentimental, hopeful. I am sure that any feeling being will love and treasure this generous, remarkable book.” —Matthew Zapruder, author of Why Poetry and Father’s Day “With endless intellect and intimacy, Emily Rapp Black brings us a book without parallel, a book that will become well-worn by readers who have passed it on, saying, here, you have to read this. In Frida Kahlo and My Left Leg, Rapp Black scours and thinks and confides not in order to write an impossibly original work of art, though she has, but to survive all that has threatened her body and soul. Is it peculiar, then, to say that Frida Kahlo is one of the great loves of her life? For this is the story, and this is the bond between two artists in whom there is no hiding, just expressive, salvific brilliance. Read this. This book might just get you through.” —Katie Ford, poet and author of If You Have to Go and Blood Lyrics
£14.24
Y Lolfa Towers of Defiance - Castles and Fortifications
Book SynopsisAn extremely comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the castle under Wales' native rulers (c.1066-1283). Spectacular aerial photography, plans and reconstruction drawings examine the various architectural designs and layouts that created the distinctive form of the Welsh castle.Trade ReviewThis handsome, elaborate volume is a comprehensive, fully illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the castle mainly under Wales’ native rulers (c. 1066–1283). The author, a professional surveyor and a former member of staff of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, has been researching intensively the history of Welsh castles ever since the 1980s, and among his twelve published works on the historic monuments of Wales and the border areas is his previous volume, Castles of the Welsh Princes (Y Lolfa, 2007). The present authoritative volume is a much-expanded version of the 2007 study and takes full account of the intensive research undertaken on the ground and a full re-consideration of earlier work completed over the last fifteen years or so. The author estimates that at least 500 castles existed in mediaeval Wales, and the total may well have been as high as 700. Indeed, one of the greatest strengths of the work is its amalgam of rigorous academic research and exhausting fieldwork. The study is neatly and sensibly divided into three complimentary parts. The first provides a concise, scholarly overview of the political history of Wales from the dark ages, through to the Anglo-Welsh wars of the thirteenth century during the frenzied reigns of Henry III and Edward I, the Edwardian conquest of 1282 and the political settlement imposed thereafter. Some attention is given to the revolts of the post-Conquest period, notably the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion which broke out in 1400. There is firm evidence of the inclusion of the latest historical research throughout this section of the book, with its helpful endnote references. There follows a briefer introduction to the architectural features of the Welsh castles. The various categories of wooden castles are considered first, primarily the well-known, distinctive motte-and-bailey castles introduced by the Norman invaders from the late eleventh century. A particular problem arises when trying to identify the builders of these early structures which were inevitably vulnerable to fire, and their lifespan was of necessity relatively short. From about 1200 onwards the use of stone was thus becoming more commonplace, but the castles still pose real problems of dating, especially those constructed prior to the 1282 conquest. Much detailed information is included here on the methods of castle construction, the typical characteristics of these towering edifices, and the potential considerable costs involved – under severely restrictive mediaeval conditions and the relative penury of the native Welsh princes (compared with the resources then available to the English crown). Attention is given to the wide array of uses and functions of the typical mediaeval castle. It was, of course, a tangible symbol of the authority and prestige of each individual prince or marcher lord. Military campaigns were often organised and executed from them. In more peaceful times the castle was a place of residence and the centre of administration for the management of the surrounding estate, where taxes and tolls might conveniently be levied and collected. They could also serve as a judicial centre and often a convenient prison house. The history of each individual castle was certainly different, but in almost all cases their military and defensive functions assumed the highest priority rather than the aesthetic features which became much more significant to later generations from the Tudor period onwards. Part 3 of the book comprises a helpful and detailed gazetteer of the castles built by the three most prominent royal dynasties of the pre-1282 period, notably Gwynedd, Powys and Deheubarth. These are followed by a list of those castles for which the minor royal lines in Wales were responsible. Each entry in this section comprises a helpful history of the edifice in question and its background, outlines the features of each castle which are still standing today, and provides details for the present-day traveller of how to reach each individual castle. In many cases, the castles of yesteryear survive, if at all, only as overgrown earthworks. Many of these edifices remained a vital part of mediaeval life until at least the fifteenth century when they were superseded by more modern structures more suitable for modern methods of waging war. The rich array of sources used by the author are noted at the foot of each entry. And some superb photographs, many of these aerial, plans and sketches are also included throughout this part of the study and help us to examine in depth the various architectural designs and layouts that created the distinctive form of the pre-1282 Welsh castle. There are also a number of maps prepared for this study. Helpful features of the work include simplified family trees of each of the three main royal dynasties in pre-1282 Wales, a note on the complex field of Welsh heraldry, and a large number of helpful suggestions for further reading in this fascinating field. -- J. Graham Jones @ www.gwales.com
£18.99
Unicorn Publishing Group Memories of a London Fine Art Dealer
Book SynopsisMemories of a London Art Dealer is the distillation of a lifetime’s experience and expertise in the art world. Neither an autobiography nor a traditional memoir, the book consists of reflections, anecdotes, telling conversations, encounters, touches of humour and a choice selection of the triumphs and disasters, heroes and villains encountered by an accidental art dealer. Trade Review"Reading the book is like being seated in a leather wingback chair at a club, listening to an affable chap recount his favourite anecdotes. . . . This is an enjoyable canter through a veteran dealer's memories, light on details and warmly diverting." * Alexander Adams Art *
£24.00
Rough Trade Books Haseeb Iqbal - Noting Voices: Contemplating
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£10.68
Wymer Publishing Ronnie James Dio - A Career Through The Lens
Book SynopsisRonnie James Dio - A Career Through The Lens 1975-2009 is a photographic journey of one of the most admired and respected rock vocalists of all time — Ronnie James Dio. This beautiful collection of photos were all taken by legendary music photographer Frank White from New Jersey. They capture Dio from his first ever US show with Rainbow in 1975 through to 2009 with Heaven & Hell, just a few months before he lost his fight with cancer in May 2010. This is the most comprehensive collection of photos ever compiled into one book that cover the most revered periods of Dio's illustrious career. Throughout the decades Frank White captured Ronnie's career with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, his own band Dio and Heaven & Hell, on stage in the USA, Canada and Europe. From East to West Coast, this collection includes photos of Ronnie in the States playing to huge audiences at venues such as New York's Madison Square Garden as well as tiny intimate club shows. There are also photos from Europe, taken at festivals in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Frank also took many shots of Ronnie relaxing off stage; at TV studios, special events and the like, as well as dedicated, back stage shoots with his band. A Career Through The Lens 1975-2009 also includes White’s recollections of Dio as he recalls the many times shared in his company from the other side of the lens.
£21.24
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd Make Art with the Greats
Book SynopsisWhat makes good art? Learn the tricks of the trade and tackle the techniques from the greatest artists from around the world with this fun activity-sketch book. Create your very own self-portrait like Picasso, collage like Matisse and understand conceptual art with thought-provoking tasks inspired by great artists. Covering everything from collage to pop art, expressionism to surrealism, this essential activity book will let you step into the shoes of the artists and learn how to master their craft. With helpful hints, tips and step-by-steps, Make Art with the Greats will help you to build your creative confidence as you explore the world’s most famous artists throughout history, from the early Renaissance to the present day. Familiarize yourself with the tricks of the trade by tackling a broad range of creative tasks and get to know the artists with a short biography and low-down on their practice. As Jackson Pollock once said,
£11.69
Michael O'Mara Books Ltd How To Take Amazing Photos
Book SynopsisWant to turn your simple snaps into something extra special? How To Take Amazing Photos is like having a creative director in your pocket. Photographer Nicholas Goodden walks you through 14 techniques, step-by-step, then suggests fun photography assignments to help put them into practice. From capturing movement to drawing with light, there’s a technique to try wherever you are, whatever the setting. Chapters on how to create the perfect composition will help you learn to see a good shot, and you can also have fun learning how to paint with light as well as capture the perfect close up out in nature. Best of all, there’s no fancy camera required – all of the techniques can be adapted to work on a camera phone, making this the ideal guide for anyone who wants to elevate their everyday photography to create something truly special.
£10.44
3DTotal Publishing Ltd Character Design Quarterly 20
Book SynopsisWidely loved illustrator Tasia brings her unique style to this issue's cover design, and she also provides an in-depth tutorial to show us how she creates her art. Kenneth Anderson creates a 70s rock band, Johanna Forster brings fruit to life, and Sara Paz shows us how to create characters from reference photos.Character Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide. Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.
£10.45
3DTotal Publishing Ltd Character Design Quarterly 23
Book SynopsisCharacter Design Quarterly (CDQ) is a lively, creative magazine bringing inspiration, expert insights, and leading techniques from professional illustrators, artists, and character art enthusiasts worldwide. Each issue provides detailed tutorials on creating diverse characters, enabling you to explore the processes and decision making that go into creating amazing characters. Learn new ways to develop your own ideas, and discover from the artists what it is like to work for prolific animation studios such as Disney, Warner Bros., and DreamWorks.
£10.45
3DTotal Publishing Ltd Draw
Book SynopsisBecome a better artist with this immersive visual masterclass in drawing, created by industry expert, Brett Bean. Simply pick up a pen or pencil and start practising, following the captivating illustrated steps and easy-to-digest text prompts along the way. Learn about construction lines, warm-up exercises, and line weight, before diving into lessons on how to build up characters, vehicles, buildings, and environments with basic shapes. Next, soak up Brett''s unique way of building up detail and interest in drawings, and how he researches and implements unique and fascinating elements that catch the eye. As the book progresses, build up confidence in tackling tricky tasks such as creating perspective, drawing hands and poses, and succeeding at effective colour and lighting. All of this can be absorbed at a glance thanks to the visually engrossing exercises, meaning you can get going as soon as you open the cover.
£25.20
Mensch Publishing Little Women: The contemporary dramatisation of
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£11.40
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Life in the Country House in Georgian Ireland
Book SynopsisA deft interweaving of architectural and social history For aristocrats and gentry in 18th-century Ireland, the townhouses and country estates they resided in were carefully constructed to accommodate their cultivated lifestyles. Based on new research from Irish national collections and correspondence culled from papers in private keeping, this publication provides a vivid and engaging look at the various ways in which families tailored their homes to their personal needs and preferences. Halls were designed in order to simultaneously support a variety of activities, including dining, music, and games, while closed porches allowed visitors to arrive fully protected from the country’s harsh weather. These grand houses were arranged in accordance with their residents’ daily procedures, demonstrating a distinction between public and private spaces, and even keeping in mind the roles and arrangements of the servants in their purposeful layouts. With careful consideration given to both the practicality of everyday routine and the occasional special event, this book illustrates how the lives and residential structures of these aristocrats were inextricably woven together. Published in association with the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British ArtTrade Review"[This study] was well worth the wait and can be thoroughly recommended." — Malcolm Airs, Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society“McCarthy’s writing style...affords the reader with a fluid and informative lesson in how it may have been to reside in the Irish country house in Georgian times.”—Elaine Byrne, SPAB of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
£23.75
Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art The Radical Print
Book SynopsisA groundbreaking account of printmaking in Britain that explores the medium's intersection with radical politics
£42.75
Sandstone Press Ltd The Secret Life of the Mountain Hare
Book SynopsisAmong the most captivating of creatures, the mountain hare has inhabited Britain’s upland landscape since the last major ice age. Andy Howard fell in love with these shy, charming creatures at first sight. Here he introduces them both as a species precious within the great wheel of the seasons, and as individuals with their own, delightful personalities. Foreword from Welsh conservationist and TV presenter Iolo Williams.Trade Review‘A book that captures beautifully the character and charm of this enchanting British species.’ * Kate Humble *‘A passport to an austerely beautiful world. Gorgeous...’ * BBC Wildlife Magazine *‘A truly remarkable achievement... It is the end result, the balance of pictures and text, that make this book stand out as something quite exceptional.’ * Undiscovered Scotland *‘Andy Howard is a stunning wildlife photographer, a man at the very peak of his profession.’ * Iolo Williams *‘Andy Howard’s vivid images brilliantly capture this elusive animal, which has been hopping about on the British Isles for 10,000 years, in all its long-eared, wiggly- nosed fabulousness.’ * The Daily Mail *‘Captures the beauty and charm of these elusive creatures in a series of stunning images.’ * The Countryman *‘With its engaging text and lavish photos, this beautiful book is the next best thing to enjoying a day on the hill with Andy and his hares.’ * Walkhighlands *‘A stunning photographic book that follows the hares of the Cairngorms through the seasons.’ * West Coast Review *‘A book that is both gorgeous to look at, and sheds light on one of our more mysterious animals.’ * Evergreen *‘The author, a wildlife photographer, says that mountain hares became an 'engulfing passion' and it shows in his wonderful pictures. Every aspect of hares lives is shown and described. Lovely!’ * Chris Townsend *
£999.99
Velocity Press Future Language of the Ikonoklast
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£28.00
MOIST Florilegia
Book Synopsis"The blue and white print has the night-time glow of a Joseph Cornell ice-cube box or a Stan Brakhage film, the poppy glows candescent but is gone. Anna Atkins' dirty fingernails are pressing the damp skin of the poppy into cotton wadding and blotting paper until the life has dried out of it..." Amateur botanist Anna Atkins is now widely considered to be the first woman ever to have taken a photograph. The introduction to one of her albums states that she uses the photographic medium in order to "depict with the most accuracy possible," and so assist other scientists. Yet visual artist Annabel Dover's investigations led her to believe that Atkins doctored and adulterated certain specimens, collaging different sections of different plants together. In the subversive, scrapbook narrative that follows both historic and imaginary characters' stories are woven together: Henry James 'drowns' the clothes of a friend post-suicide; Joe Orton's cleaning lady considers the collaged wall in his bedsit; and Anna Atkins makes the seaweed prints that will then appear in the first photographic book to be published. A complex mixture of scientific observation and tender, girlish enthusiasm Florilegia is above all else a profound meditation on memory, loss, and our relationship to images.Trade Review"Haunting, enchanting, and forensically observed... a tender, anthropological elegy, and it will stay with you long after you finish it." Sophie Dahl ----------"A staggering accomplishment. Impossible to categorise, this is a work of exquisite art; encyclopaedic in its scope, drawing connections across time and cultures. An alchemist, Annabel Dover transmutes the minutiae of life into poetry." Heidi James ---------- "An archive of nature and artifice in which every word shimmers with kaleidoscopic brilliance." Nancy Campbell ---------- "Annabel Dover's writing is a delight: inquisitive, keen-eyed, alive with colour and texture; she has the rare ability to make details sing. I loved this book." Laura Barton---------- "You'll never read another book like this... it defies any description save that it is mad, enchanting and mesmerising.... At its end I had no idea what I had been reading but I know it's a work of art." Polly Devlin---------- "A fascinating, subversive and moving tribute to forgotten women by a unique artist." Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett ---------- "A trippy, hyper-connected, vastly entertaining memoir entangled with the history of art, botany and science. It's hypnotising." Jennifer Higgie ---------- "A strange, beautiful response to the life and work of botanist, photographer & cyanotype trail-blazer Anna Atkins." Book of the Month at The Learned Pig. ---------- "Beautiful, fragmented ... haunting." What We're Watching, Reading and Listening to at A Little Bird. --------- "Binding and entwining ... exceptional and enjoyable ... minds set racing by the everyday strangeness of the experiences, imaginings and perceptions we have encountered in this extrodinary book." Declan O'Driscoll
£9.50
Unicorn Publishing Group Art and Industry: Seven Artists in search of an
Book SynopsisIn seven linked essays, the author discusses paintings of industrial scenes by seven artists working in the period 1780–1830. Their unique and distinct responses to the subject matter reveal a surprisingly coherent message.Trade Review"Art and industry may sound like an unlikely combination, usually we see them almost at the extremes of the spectrum of life. That is to say, Art embodies creativity while industry channels efficiency and standardization. David Stacey, in his book Art and Industry: Seven Artists in Search of an Industrial Revolution in Britain, explores how those extremes can come together." * Daily Art Magazine *"The chapters contain much information about the artists themselves as well as many other people, and this is one of the strengths of the work in that some of this information may be appearing for the first time in the form of a published book. Although each of the essays purports to deal with a single painter more are included and there are a large number of biographical references. For the research worker in this field the book can be highly recommended. . . . This is a detailed scholarly book. . . . It is very-well referenced; there are copious notes, an extensive bibliography and a good index. David Stacey is to be complimented on a fine work." * International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology *
£21.25
Unicorn Publishing Group Lifting the Day: A Lockdown Exhibition
Book SynopsisOn the first day of lockdown, Mary Collis decided to post a painting onto her Facebook page, suggesting she would ‘lift the day’ during the forecast two-week lockdown. 245 days later she was still posting daily. This Facebook lockdown exhibition became a daily source of inspiration and sanity for Mary and her followers, as they shared memories through her art and words about life in locked down Kenya and beyond.
£17.00
Unicorn Publishing Group The Art of Doris and Anna Zinkeisen
Book SynopsisThis lavishly illustrated book celebrates the life of Doris and Anna Zinkeisen, charting the rise of the sisters from a childhood in Scotland, to their emergence as amongst the most eminent artists of their day in London, to a quieter yet still highly productive life during their twilight years in rural Suffolk. During the golden age from the 1920s through to the 1950s, the Zinkeisen sisters enjoyed a huge success and won numerous accolades. Their paintings and design work, including posters, murals and luxury ocean liners, and costume designs for stage and film, are today emblematic of that period in British art.
£24.00
Prototype Publishing Ltd. Monochords
Book SynopsisReturning to the island of Samos during the summer of 1979, where he had spent long periods of exile throughout his life, Greek poet Yannis Ritsos composed a remarkable collection of 336 single-line poems, written at a rate of about 10 a day: the Monochords, each line an essential observation of a moment; a personal archive of time past, present and future.In London in 2020, during a period of Covid confinement, artist and filmmaker Chiara Ambrosio began responding to Ritsos’ words through linocut images: an experiment in entering the space opened by each poem, rendering it in line and shape; a daily ritual that accompanied her along a strange year of exile from life.'Yannis Ritsos composed monochorda, single-line poems, as antidotes to the concocted complexities silencing truth. Chiara Ambrosio’s linocuts, beautifully intermingled with Ritsos' words, add their own ascetic harmony to his monochorda thus boosting their pertinence to our dissonant age.' – Yanis Varoufakis'This meditative book is an inspiring act of repair twice over, for ordeals of seclusion, threat, and tedium past and present.' – Marina Warner'A major poem by one of the greatest European poets of the past 100 years, in an exemplary translation & with a further superb expansion into a year's journey of linocuts make this book a vessel that holds urgently needed communal life-force.' - Stephen Watts
£13.50
