Places and peoples: general and pictorial works Books

Book SynopsisJapan based Nicolas Wauters presents stunning pictures captured throughout the year, offering a heartfelt homage to Japanese nature and culture.

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Book SynopsisParis and its gardens is no less beautiful than its streets, squares and palaces, and Paris without its gardens would not be the most visited capital in the world. Few large cities can boast such a rich variety of gardens as Paris. The picturesque rubs shoulders with the geometric, the most modern designs stand side by side with the ancient layouts and manners, and exotic species have been so well acclimatized that they have become commonplace. This is without forgetting the innumerable private gardens, sometimes reduced to a window box on a balcony, sometimes vast and secret. Such is the prodigy that a two-thousand-year-old culture has managed to accomplish.

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Book Synopsis"From a lighthouse keeper in Norway to a reindeer herder in Mongolia, the resulting series offers a captivating portrait of 10 extraordinary individuals living off the grid." — Financial Times "His book takes you on a journey of discovery." — Home & Interiors Scotland Between 2015 and 2020, photographer Brice Portolano travelled from the islands of Alaska to the Patagonian steppe and from the forests of Lapland to the highlands of Iran to capture the daily lives of 10 extraordinary people who made profound changes in their lives in order to live closer to nature. They consciously built a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city, usually without a phone signal or internet access. Their lives are arduous, but also full of a sense of personal freedom, self-determination, and fulfilment. These photographs present an inspiring vision of the joys of finding one’s place in the world and the challenges of living off the grid. In these 10 vivid portraits of alternative lifestyles, we meet: Tinja, the dog sled driver in Lapland; Ali, the Persian horseman; Barny, the self-supporter in a circus wagon in Cumbria, England; Zaya, the reindeer herder in the Mongolian taiga; George, the hostel father in Tuscany; Sylwia, the artist on the Greek island of Lefkada; Sky, the Argentinean goucha; Ben, the hunter in Utah, USA; Jerry, the oyster farmer in Alaska; Elena, the lighthouse keeper in Norway. Text in English and German.Trade Review"From a lighthouse keeper in Norway to a reindeer herder in Mongolia, the resulting series offers a captivating portrait of 10 extraordinary individuals living off the grid." - Financial Times"…portraying people who have…found harmony away from civilisation as we know it." - National Geographic Traveller"Deliberately moving away the hustle and bustle of the city, without phone signal or internet access, their lives are far from perfect - without those things, life does become somewhat harder - but they do share a sense of freedom, self-determination and fulfilment." - Amateur PhotographerExcerpts taken from No Signal - Red"His book takes you on a journey of discovery." - Home & Interiors Scotland"In every instance, Portolano noted critical similarities in the reasons for escape, ‘There’s a big thirst for freedom and independence’." - WhyNow

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Book SynopsisThe must-have classic work on early Japanese photography!"Writer Bennett crafted this beautiful and educational book from a collection of 350 old and rare images captured by Western photographers. This book offers a glimpse of life in Japan during one of its most dramatic periods in history." —Shutterbug Magazine"The extensive collection of valuable photographs in this book and its text might be described as a visual record of our native land during that period, a record that has been lost to us since so many early photographs left Japan." —Message announcing Photography in Japan: 1853-1912 as the Winner of the 2007 International Award of the Photographic Society of JapanThis book presents a fascinating visual record of Japan and Japanese culture during its metamorphosis from a feudal society to a modern industrial nation—at a time when the art of photography was still in its infancy. The 350 rare images in this book, most of them published here for the first time, chronicle the introduction of photography in Japan and the history of early Japanese photography. These images are vital in helping us to understand the dramatic changes occurring in Japanese society during this critical period.Taken between 1853 and 1912 by talented Japanese and foreign photographers, these photographs document the history of photography in Japan in a comprehensive and systematic way, with extensive information about the photographers as well as the people and subjects illustrated. The images, whether sensational or everyday, intimate or panoramic, document a nation on the brink of abandoning its traditional ways and entering the modern age.Trade Review"Writer Bennett crafted this beautiful and educational book from a collection of 350 old and rare images captured by Western photographers. This book offers a glimpse of life in Japan during one of its most dramatic periods in history." --Shutterbug Magazine"…a true picture of photography in Japan, with all of its warts and formats shown in their ebb and flow during the first 60 years after the country came out of its centuries of sleep, and into the modern world…Readers who have a love for old photography in general, and stereo views specifically, will not be disappointed by this new portrait of old Japan." --Rob Oechsle, Stereo World Magazine"Impressive overview of the history of Japanese photography between 1853 and 1912…Bennett has been collecting and researching the pioneering years of Japanese photography for 25 years…Essential publication for everyone interested in early Japanese photography." --Society for Japanese Arts Newsletter

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Book SynopsisThe A World to Preserve series brings together breathtaking landscapes, inspiring quotes, and infographics about environmental issues that take the reader on a journey through the depths of the earth. "We really have the most beautiful planet in our solar system. None other can sustain life like we know it. None other has blue water and white clouds covering colorful landmasses filled with thriving, beautiful, living things like human beings." - Sunita Williams The mesmerising pictures in The Earth are combined with powerful quotes about the importance of protecting the world around us. Each chapter begins with an infographic depicting the issues faced by that area of the world, like our forests, prairies, mountains, and glaciers. The photos and the quotations that accompany them help us rediscover the amazement and respect inspired by uncontaminated nature.

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Book SynopsisLodestars Anthology: Pathways contains 14 of the best and most carefully selected paths and trails that we have traversed. This book explores and details those pathways, the people, the landscapes and the fascinating things we discovered along the way. The journeys we take have a start and an end point, but we, in this book, want to relish the bit in between. So whether this is a mountain pass in the Italian Alps where we meet highland shepherds, or sprawling, urban grids with a bevy of restaurants and contemporary design, we want to inspire the reader to follow these paths and take precious moments to engage in everything possible through their senses. The book is a guide to these pathways, but goes beyond this to capture and document the lives of the people we meet, the challenges of the trip and the culture and landscapes we find that inspire us to keep on adventuring. 1 A collection of pathways from around the world captured through compelling narrative, high quality photography and key guide points. 2 Documenting how to travel and how to experience everything from the start the end of a journey. 3 The people we meet, the places we discover, the sights we see and the paths we took to discover them.

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Book Synopsis"It makes me feel guilty that anybody should have such a good time doing what they are supposed to do." - Charles Eames on architecture. "A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines." - Frank Lloyd Wright on architecture. Architectural travel is on the rise. With this book you not only have a reference book of 150 of the world's most iconic private homes, but also a bucket list to plan your next country or city trip. These homes are unique, either because of the aesthetics of the interiors, the construction, or the sophisticated design. This is the ultimate architecture travel wish list. For each house, the authors provide a lively description of the building and its owners, in addition to the specifics of architect, date, and location. 150 Houses You Need to Visit Before You Die is the ultimate 'architecture bucket list' and the sequel to the successful 150 Bars You Need to Visit before You Die, 150 Restaurants You Need to Visit Before You Die and 150 Hotels You Need to Visit before You Die. Features houses in: Belgium, France, Spain, the US, Brazil, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Morocco, Portugal, Venezuela, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Solvenia, Hawaii, Australia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, Japan, Israel, Canada, Serbia, Poland, Norway, and England, by architects such as Moshe Safdie, Kisho Kurokawa, Harry Seidler, Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, Alvar Aalto, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Carlo Mollino, Carlo Scarpa, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, Bruno Taut, Max Bill, Mario Botta, Gio Ponti, Adolf Loos, Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O'Keeffe, Richard Neutra, Antoni Gaudi, and Victor Horta.Trade Review"Here's hoping for time to visit them all!" - Good Housekeeping UK

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Book SynopsisIn Grand Hotels of the World, travel journalist Ellie Seymour takes us on a nostalgic journey around the world to discover 40 legendary hotels that have welcomed guests in luxury and style for centuries. Through exquisite photography and detailed descriptions, we are given a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the lavish worlds these historic establishments conceal. From fabulous Claridge’s in London’s Mayfair and the luxurious St Regis New York, to the chic Splendido in Portofino and the timeless Villa Serbelloni on the shores of Lake Como, this book tells the fascinating stories of some of the world’s finest architectural gems and the famous guests to have sashayed through their storied corridors.

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Book SynopsisA poetry collection that playfully questions the meanings of words. Walter Ancarrow’s collection Etymologies considers language as a process, rather than as a singular fixed history. These poems build imaginative worlds with a variety of creative word uses. They form a playful amalgamation of linguistic interpretations that flips and questions conventional narratives about word origins—including the idea that clear origins even exist. Throughout the collection, Ancarrow questions the intent of writers who use etymology in attempts to prove a specific meaning for any word. In so doing, Etymologies pays particular attention to relationships between the cultures and conflicts, the migrations and hegemonies, that create our words, and it considers how their meanings are furthered by us as we keep them alive through speech.Etymologies won Omnidawn’s 2021 Open Poetry Book Prize, selected by John Yau.Trade Review"Both analogy and allegory find lyric form and concrete-poetic form throughout Ancarrow’s book." * Los Angeles Review of Books *"Ancarrow's Etymologies, mostly comprised of brief prose pieces, opens with three words: 'ahuakatl / aguacate / avocado,' encompassing Aztec origins, Spanish colonialism, and branding at the hands of California farmers in the early twentieth century. This entry, and the collection's closing two words 'banana / banana'—which follows, from the previous page, 'A search ensued for the loose word, that if pulled out, would cause indescribable destruction'—frame the book’s imaginative linguistic dives." * Harriet Books (Poetry Foundation) *“Ancarrow combines extreme precision with a wild imagination. In a ‘Note’ at the end of the book, he writes: ‘The etymologies in this book are correct, though not necessarily complete, sometimes poetically so.’ And therein lies the magic of Etymologies. The author seems to have made nothing up, to have been, it would appear, coolly objective throughout the writing of each study of a word’s origin. And yet, despite this claim, which I do not doubt, feelings and fancifulness emerge–like a swarm of genies freed from many bottles–at once impish, amatory, mysterious, provocative, funny, delightful, and dazzling.” -- John Yau, Judge for the 2021 Omnidawn Open, and author of Genghis Chan on Drums"Ancarrow's fabulist maxims are laced with surprises. His entries are either notational or so profound, they seem etched in stone: 'we live between impermanences of language—building a home is settling on translation.' Etymologies are glorious distillations of mischief and erudition." -- Cathy Park Hong, author of Minor Feelings and Engine Empire"With Etymologies, Ancarrow returns us to the source and medium of all literary art: language itself. Formally playful, brimming with knowledge, and a poetic event with the subtle, yet dazzling contours of a puzzle, this collection unveils new insights on every page. Etymologies marks a marvelous debut!" -- John Keen, author of Punks: New and Selected Poems and Counternarratives

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Book SynopsisTom Cotter undertakes his most epic adventure in America’s Greatest Road Trip. Launching from Key West, Florida, Cotter and photographer Michael Alan Ross pilot their Ford Bronco/Airstream camper combination nearly 9,000 miles to America’s literal end of the road in Deadhorse, Alaska.Trade Review"(Cotter) spins an entertaining yarn about people met, places seen, and roads driven....all wonderfully illustrated by Ross’ superb photography. Settle into your favorite chair and enjoy as they take you along, too." * Speedreaders.info *“a gem of a book…Cotter and Ross have the right approach: an epic path, the ideal vehicle, choosing to enjoy the trip, and, most of all, interacting with the people and places along the way…a fun read, and Lord knows it might inspire some to head for the horizon just to see what they can see.” -- Tony Borroz * Automoblog *"If you want to read about the ultimate bucket list road trip or get to know the U.S. and Canada and its people, then this book is a great read. We have driven much of the same journey and found his findings and reactions to what he experienced to be spot on." * Classic Motorsports *"If you want to read about the ultimate bucket list road trip or get to know the U.S. and Canada and its people, then this book is a great read. We have driven much of the same journey and found his findings and reactions to what he experienced to be spot on." * Classic Motorsports *"This engaging, epic, well-documented trip will appeal to car aficionados, road trippers, and readers interested in travel memoirs, small towns, farming, or Americana." -- Sue O’Brien * Library Journal * "Great for armchair-travel, but their storytelling and photos just might be the kick-start you need to get out there on America’s roads." * Coast News *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One: The Lower 1. The Gulf States 2. Definitely the Midwest 3. The Northern Swing 4. Crossing and Crossing and Crossing Montana 5. The Northwest Passage Part Two: North to Alaska 6. Into the Great White North 7. Welcome to the Yukon Territory 8. Finally, Alaska Part Three: Fairbanks to Deadhorse 9. The Final Stretch 10. Life at the End of the Road 11. Back to the World Index

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Book SynopsisThis personal and well informed selection and description of the most interesting towns and individual buildings and archaeological sites in Turkey is the definitive guidebook for the discerning traveler. The author has been visiting Turkey for nearly fifty years and is the perfect companion for those who want to know about more than the obvious attractions. This book will immeasurably enhance any thoughtful traveler's visit, but can also be read at home as an aid to planning, or recalling, a trip, or simply as a guide to the astonishing and multi-faceted artistic and architectural riches of that most fascinating country.

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Book SynopsisAfter his last book Escapes, Stefan Bogner returns to the Alps with this illustrated book. This time not only did he photograph particular routes, but he looked for the ideal tour through the Alps: 3 countries, 14 passes - the perfect little escape for 4 days. Different from Bogner s photographs in Escapes or Curves, where he just presents dreamlike empty streets, Porsche Drive focuses on the journey in Porsche models such as Porsche 906, Porsche 911, Porsche 918 and more. Stefan Bogner drives his own Porsche 911 1970 ST. Apart from Bogner's photographs, Porsche Drive offers information on each route and height profile. Thus you can follow Bogner's itinerary on a long weekend.Trade ReviewPhotographer Stefan Bogner has produced the impossible: a most epic set of Porsche road trip pictures for his immensely cool new book Porsche Drive--Jared Paul Stern "Petrolicious.com, January 22, 2016 "

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Book SynopsisThis truly global and visually stunning  compendium showcases some of the most breath-taking pieces of street art and graffiti from around the world. Since its genesis on the East Coast of the United States in the late 1960s, street art has travelled to nearly every corner of the globe, morphing into highly ornate and vibrant new styles. This unique atlas is the first truly geographical survey of urban art, revised and updated in 2023 to include new voices, increased female representation and cities emerging as street art hubs. Featuring specially commissioned works from major graffiti and street art practitioners, it offers you an insider’s view of the urban landscape as the artists themselves experience it. Organized geographically, by continent and by city – from New York, Los Angeles and Montreal in North America, through Mexico City a

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Book SynopsisStrap on your boots and discover Jersey on foot with the Sunflower Jersey travel guide which includes 25 long and short walks. On the days when your feet may have had enough, enjoy some spectacular scenery on one of our 2 recommended car tours.

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Book SynopsisKasos is the southernmost island of the Dodecanese, lying between Carpathos and Crete. Roughly 11 miles long and four miles wide, with a rocky, mountainous landscape, Kasos was famed from antiquity as a centre of shipbuilding, and played a role in the Greek War of Independence. But with the advent of steam, the island's shipyard closed, and its population dwindled. Today some one thousand people remain on the island, living in five small villages full of historic homes and churches. The islanders produce agricultural products of exceptional quality; preserve their distinctive culinary, musical, and dance traditions; and welcome a small number of adventurous travellers to their sparkling beaches.Robert A. McCabe's stunning black-and-white photographs of Kasos, most taken in 1965, offer a unique record of the island's people, architecture, and natural landscapes. In a stark contrast to the transformation undergone by other Greek islands, many of the scenes depicted in McCabe's

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Book SynopsisThe Soul of Tokyo Guide reveals 30 unforgettable experiences that capture the soul of Tokyo.

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Book Synopsis''If you loved Under the Tuscan Sun, you'll love this'' Red Magazine Every week on a Thursday evening, a group of four rural Italian women gather in an old stone house in the hills above Italy's Orvieto. There along with their friend, Marlena they cook together, sit down to a beautiful supper, drink their beloved local wines, and talk. Surrounded by candle light, good food and friendship, the four women tell Marlena their evocative life stories, and of cherished ingredients and recipes whose secrets have been passed down through generations.Trade ReviewIf you loved Under the Tuscan Sun, you’ll love this. Great stories of ageing, abandonment, lost loves and Mafia feuds, interspersed with wonderful recipes for authentic dishes -- Viv Groskop * Red Magazine *Celebrates the life-affirming joys of food and friendship... Marlena de Blasi recounts meals she and four Italian neighbours cook together every week and the stories they share about their lives and loves. * Good Housekeeping *Charming... astonishingly rich... Marlena De Blasi writes about the food with mouthwatering relish... Best of all, the women tell de Blasi the stories of their lives: stories that between them make for a terrific piece of social history -- Reader's DigestMarlena de Blasi knows how to write real-life romance... Each woman's passions, disappointments and hopes are artfully recounted in this earthy celebration of life's "small delights" * Sydney Morning Herald *Marlena De Blasi’s glittering descriptions and mouthwatering recipes take you directly into the heart of Italy and into the souls of the Italian people. -- Adriana Trigiani * author of The Shoemaker’s Wife *

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Book SynopsisGeorge Mikes has written many successful books on a variety of interesting subjects, but one so successful as those on the subject most central to his own experience: his adopted country. The first of these came out in 1946: the ever famous How to be an Alien. Later he enlarges the picture with How to be inimitable and How to be Decadent. All three books were illustrated by the master of the cartoonists' art, the late Nicolas Bentley. Here they are, all in one volume, which will make life much easier for today''s would-be Brits than it was for those who pervaded them. It is said that a few of the latter actually failed to become indistinguishable from the genuine British article because they found it too tiresome to seek out three separate books: a misfortune that need never again occur to anyone.

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Book SynopsisThe OS Landranger Active Map series covers Great Britain with 204 detailed maps, perfect for day trips and short breaks. Tough, durable and weatherproof, covered in a lightweight protective plastic coating that can be written on, so that your favourite routes can be easily highlighted. Each map provides all the information you need to get to know your local area and includes places of interest, tourist information, picnic areas and camp sites, plus Rights of Way information for England and Wales. OS Landranger Active now includes a digital version of the paper map, accessed through the OS smartphone app, OS Maps.

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Book SynopsisBloomsbury lies at the heart of cultural and intellectual London, famed for its museums, universities and literary heritage. Matthew Ingleby's new history ranges across the neighbourhood to explore hidden corners and reveal unexpected connections between Bloomsbury's past and present.

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Book SynopsisA stunning photo book featuring portraits and summaries of masterpieces from 10,000-plus years of architectural history, from churches and temples, castles and caves to pyramids and palaces, walls, towers, and more!

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Book SynopsisA souvenir picture book, with over 60 colour photographs showing the atmosphere of this historic city.

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Book SynopsisThis revised edition of Beautiful Cornwall continues the same photographic journey as the original book, though with the text fully updated and some of the images replaced with new photography. This book celebrates photographically the stunning beauty of the county of Cornwall.

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Book SynopsisThe Land of the Anka Bird: A journey through the Turkic heartland is a reflective visual essay introducing the powerful photographs of Ergun Çagatay. The book explores the cultural landscape and geography of the vast Turkic-speaking lands, from the mercantile cities of Uzbekistan to little-explored pockets of the Baltic. It is clear that while divided by distance, the diverse Turkic share far more than a linguistic heritage. Deep cultural connections highlight great mobility across many landscapes and centuries. Spanning both the nomadic and settled worlds, this book challenges assumptions about an intriguing swathe of our planet while celebrating its wildly varied traditions and environment.Table of Contents6 Map 7 List of photographs 8 Why the Anka Bird 8 Peoples of the Turkic heartlands 10 Introduction by Caroline Eden 14–151 The photographs 146 Acknowledgements 147 Bibliography 148 Index

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Book SynopsisThis fascinating selection of photographs shows how Castle Douglas has changed and developed over the last century.

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Book SynopsisExplores the rich and fascinating history of Penzance through an examination of some of its greatest architectural treasures.

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Book SynopsisExplore the fascinating history of Liverpool in this fully illustrated A-Z guide to the city's people and places.

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Book SynopsisExplore Abergavenny's secret history through a fascinating selection of stories, facts and photographs.

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Book SynopsisAs read on BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.This is the generation that will change China. The youth, over 320 million of them in their teens and twenties, more than the population of the USA. Born after Mao, with no memory of Tiananmen, they are destined to transform both their nation and the world.These millennials, offspring of the one-child policy, face fierce competition to succeed. Pressure starts young, and their road isn't easy. Their stories are also like those of young people all over the world: moving out of home, starting a career, falling in love.Wish Lanterns follows the lives of six young Chinese. Dahai is a military child and netizen; 'Fred' is a daughter of the Party. Lucifer is an aspiring superstar; Snail a country migrant addicted to online games. Xiaoxiao is a hipster from the freezing north; Mia a rebel from Xinjiang in the far west.Alec Ash, a writer in Beijing of the same generation, has given us a vivid, Trade ReviewA provocative portrait of a fast-changing society riven by internal contradictions . . . a fine addition to the field, one of the best I have read about the individuals who make up a country that is all too often regarded as a monolith, but which abounds with diversity on multiple levels. Fluently written with nice touches of humour . . . this books supplies much food for thought, informing the wider debate while retaining its value as a closely observed picture of how some Chinese live today * Financial Times *An intimate portrait of six young Chinese — three women and three men — on a journey from high school into the workforce . . . Lyrical, with its characters finely drawn, Ash’s book paints a telling portrait of this most restless generation raised in a system that has provided them with unprecedented personal opportunities while denying them political ones . . . a gifted observer * The Washington Post *Wish Lanterns is a beautiful and thoughtful book about the life of young people in China. Alec Ash has succeeded in giving us an intimate and complex portrait of the one child policy generation. It skillfully documents their features, modes of life and dreams of the future. I enthusiastically recommend you to read it -- Xiaolu Guo, author of I Am ChinaWithout listening to Young Chinese, you won't understand what today's China, the woke up dragon, wants to do next. Alec Ash's book has opened a window in the wall between China and the west for us to see the hopes and fears of these young Chinese who are struggling to build their lives in a world that their parents could never dream of -- Xinran, author of The Good Women of China Wish Lanterns announces the arrival of a talented young observer of today’s China. Alec Ash documents the lives of Chinese millennials with detail, insight, and sympathy, and his book is an invaluable resource for anybody hoping to understand the country’s future possibilities. -- Peter Hessler, author of River Town: Two Years on the YangtzeA gem of a book. Its brief chapters flow like a skillfully crafted set of interconnected short stories, yet all are rooted in the real life experiences of six individuals. An impressive debut book by a writer to watch, who makes the most of all he learned while spending his twenties coming of age in the same shapeshifting China as the half dozen Chinese youths whose varied passages to adulthood he chronicles so elegantly and empathetically. -- Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author of China in the 21st CenturyIn Wish Lanterns Alec Ash hangs out with China's "post-80s" generations to give us a series of fascinating and insightful snapshots of where the country might be heading. The Rat Tribes, Leftover Women, Ant Tribes and Bare Branches are all revealed as complex and conflicted, yet filled with hopes and dreams for their own, and their country's, future. -- Paul French, author of Midnight in PekingHere is a completely novel take on contemporary China. Alec Ash embarks on a different sort of Chinese journey, following six Millennials from the nation's far-flung corners as they make their way to university, on stage, deep underground, and even abroad. The result is a work of heart-felt reportage, and also great suspense, as we wait to learn each character's fate. I couldn't put it down -- Michael Meyer, author of In Manchuria: A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China and The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City TransformedThrough series of profiles of young Chinese from various walks of life and different geographic regions, Alec Ash has assembled a fascinating mosaic that gives us a wonderfully vivid sense of what it's like to grow up today in the People's Republic of China. By simply describing the lives of six youths, Wish Lanterns enables a reader to get an immediate feel of how contradictory life in this dynamic but still unresolved country often is -- Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society, New York CityA wonderfully readable and engaging account of that most mysterious of all groups - Chinese millennials. Alec Ash weaves the joy, heartbreak, drama and trauma of this group through disparate stories, making up a highly realistic, and at times poetic, account of the people who are likely to have the greatest future impact of any one group in the world today. -- Kerry Brown, Professor of China Studies, King's College LondonCompelling and beautifully written * Prospect *At a time when the future of China is so important, it is surprising that so little is understood, outside the world of specialised studies, about the hopes and fears of those most likely to shape it: the roughly 200 million people in the People's Republic currently between the ages of 15 and 24. It is this conspicuous lacuna that Alec Ash's Wish Lanterns: Young Lives in New China seeks to fill. He does so by telling the stories of six young Chinese born between 1985 and 1990 from the time they entered the world practically up to the present day. His deft style, welcome restraint (he writes the lives of his subjects but does not comment on them or, with a couple of exceptions, appear himself) yet discreet sympathy for the travails of those who have plainly become close friends, make the stories more compelling than they might otherwise have been. Some idea of the predicament of China's young makes this book more valuable still * Standpoint *A masterfully crafted collection of interwoven portraits of six young Chinese. Three men, three women. Millennials born between 1985 and 1990. Their journeys from childhood, balancing parental expectations against personal desires, hopes, dreams, achievements and stumbles . . . through the telling of these six stories, Ash cleverly weaves information about demographics, government policies, political history, as well as social and cultural trends . . . The richness of Ash's book is in the character development, the details of everyday life, dreams, frustrations, and contradictions of these particular individuals. Ash enters their worlds as a peer (he is their same age) and he's a sensitive listener, reporter, and storyteller * LA Review of Books *The people currently ruling China lived through the upheavels of the Cultural Revolution and Tiananmen. The millennials who will shape China's future face very different pressures and challenges. In a study that is both literary and political, Ash tries to understand China's future through the lives and aspirations of its rising generation -- Gideon Rachman * Financial Times *You should read this book . . . Alec Ash presents us with a China we've never seen before - a young China, China that's growing not just economically but in its ways, and one that isn't scared to question itself . . . a reporter's approach to everyday stories, with thoughtful insights and historical references chosen with medical precision . . . In true journalistic fashion, the book is as in depth as it is literarily sound . . . The chapters masterfully allow the reader to make up their own mind about each of the subjects . . . it becomes a study of the self (or selves) as much as a study of China * City Weekend *Alec Ash’s storytelling gift in Wish Lanterns: Young lives in new China is essentially a novelist’s. Vivid character portraits such as rockstar wannabe Lucifer, Mia the media diva or Snail the country mouse trying not to be a total loser in the urban minefield are drawn with a humane understanding of some tricky balancing acts achieved between aspiration and compromise, as these “one-child policy” millennials come of age -- Jonathan Keates * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsChapter - 1: Xiaoxiao Chapter - 2: Dahai Chapter - 3: Fred Chapter - 4: Snail Chapter - 5: Lucifer Chapter - 6: Mia Chapter - 7: Snail Chapter - 8: Fred Chapter - 9: Dahai Chapter - 10: Xiaoxiao Chapter - 11: Lucifer Chapter - 12: Mia Chapter - 13: Snail Chapter - 14: Fred Chapter - 15: Lucifer Chapter - 16: Dahai Chapter - 17: Snail Chapter - 18: Xiaoxiao Chapter - 19: Mia Chapter - 20: Lucifer Chapter - 21: Dahai Chapter - 22: Snail Chapter - 23: Fred Chapter - 24: Lucifer Chapter - 25: Dahai Chapter - 26: Xiaoxiao Chapter - 27: Snail Chapter - 28: Mia Chapter - 29: Lucifer Chapter - 30: Fred Chapter - 31: Dahai and Xiaoxiao Chapter - 32: Snail Chapter - 33: Lucifer Chapter - 34: Fred Chapter - 35: Mia Chapter - 36: Xiaoxiao and Dahai Section - i: Author's Note Acknowledgements - ii: Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisIt was 1905 when the man destined to become Waco's photographer first opened his shop. Fred Gildersleeve documented the city he loved, establishing his legacy through iconic images that have become Waco's visual memory. The 186 Gildersleeve images in this volume capture the spirit of early Waco.

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Book Synopsis“...a marvelous book and a great contribution to Chinatown, the Chinese-American community, and to the world community. I am amazed at your photography, your appreciation of color, your mastery of framing, your adventurousness in perspectives...it all worked out beautifully.”—Ben Fong-Torres “Impressively pairing striking imagery with an informative historical narrative, the book transports readers right into the heart of Chinatown’s thriving streets, festivals, local flavor, and cultural intensity. A vividly realized tribute to one of Northern California’s most revered cultural neighborhoods.”—Kirkus Reviews “The unique imprints of different eras are presented as if readers travel through the corridor of time and read "of the many things from ancient to modern". Evans shoots in the context of the times. Leong introduces the history, tourism, daily life, and celebrations of the Chinatown community through clear text descriptions.”—World Journal, the nation’s #1 Chinese newspaper “As far as I am concerned, this is the best book on Chinatown. The book was so well written and all things Chinatown were told with such clarity! And the photographs were stunning! Our neighborhood can be so much prouder of its history and heritage, thanks to you two!! I can't thank you enough for creating such an important book for our community. It will be enjoyed for years to come!!”—Betty Louie, Advisor Chinatown Merchants Association “You have given us a synopsis of history, cultural, political, personal—it's pretty amazing. And while delivering so much content, the book yet evinces a great spirit of the place as well. I love photo books with text—it's a great combination, two modalities of perception that together make more than the sum of their styles.”—Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of Citizen Scientist America’s oldest Chinatown comes alive in stunning photos of its people and places Following his award-winning book on San Francisco’s Mission District, Dick Evans turns his attention to Chinatown, the fifth of a square mile that attracts more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge but where the median household income is a quarter of the citywide average. From delicious dim sum to wok-filled shops, from iconic red lanterns to elaborate parade floats, from inside single-room occupancy apartments to outdoor games of Chinese chess in Portsmouth Square, Evans captures a place filled with diverse residents and a unique mélange of American and Chinese architecture, cuisine, and culture. Vibrant images are interspersed with sidebars highlighting particular people and institutions, deepening viewers’ immersion into this community. Kathy Chin Leong’s lucid text introduces readers to the history of the neighborhood, as well as to themes of tourism, daily life, and celebrations. At the heart of the book is a tight-knit community and a thriving neighborhood, which welcomes immigrants with supportive institutions and entices tourists to experience a wide array of Chinese traditions. Evans’s photos highlight a place undergoing visible progress but, unlike other San Francisco neighborhoods that are gentrifying, maintaining its unique character and authenticity.Trade Review“...a marvelous book and a great contribution to Chinatown, the Chinese-American community, and to the world community. I am amazed at your photography, your appreciation of color, your mastery of framing, your adventurousness in perspectives...it all worked out beautifully.”—Ben Fong-Torres “Impressively pairing striking imagery with an informative historical narrative, the book transports readers right into the heart of Chinatown’s thriving streets, festivals, local flavor, and cultural intensity. A vividly realized tribute to one of Northern California’s most revered cultural neighborhoods.”—Kirkus Reviews “The unique imprints of different eras are presented as if readers travel through the corridor of time and read "of the many things from ancient to modern". Evans shoots in the context of the times. Leong introduces the history, tourism, daily life, and celebrations of the Chinatown community through clear text descriptions.”—World Journal, the nation’s #1 Chinese newspaper “As far as I am concerned, this is the best book on Chinatown. The book was so well written and all things Chinatown were told with such clarity! And the photographs were stunning! Our neighborhood can be so much prouder of its history and heritage, thanks to you two!! I can't thank you enough for creating such an important book for our community. It will be enjoyed for years to come!!”—Betty Louie, Advisor Chinatown Merchants Association “You have given us a synopsis of history, cultural, political, personal—it's pretty amazing. And while delivering so much content, the book yet evinces a great spirit of the place as well. I love photo books with text—it's a great combination, two modalities of perception that together make more than the sum of their styles.”—Mary Ellen Hannibal, author of Citizen ScientistTable of ContentsContents Introduction by Kathy Chin Leong Tourism Daily Life Celebrations and Traditions Photographer's Statement Acknowledgements About the Authors

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Book SynopsisA tender poetry collection considering home, family, and personal and ecological loss. Liza Katz Duncan’s debut collection is a poignant exploration of the unpredictable shifts that shape our lives. Given considers the notions of home and family and how to survive the changes and losses associated with both. Duncan conjures her home, the New Jersey Shore, in clear and unsentimental lines: “Call of the grackle, / whine of the turkey vulture. Blighted clams, // raw and red in their half-shells.” Duncan’s poems also explore the devastation brought to this place and its community by Superstorm Sandy and the continued impacts of climate change. Interwoven into this thread is the narrator’s miscarriage; the parallels between the desecrated landscape and the personal catastrophe further contribute to the layers of tenderness in this collection, as Duncan urges us to remember and to witness. Despite tragedy and loss, Given is imbued with persistent, dogged hope, showing how survival persists amongst the wreckage, and from this debris is a path towards healing our grief.Given was the winner of 2022 Autumn House Rising Writer Prize in Poetry. Trade Review"[Given] is poised at the boundary between eco-poetics and the poetry of personal tragedy. Duncan explores the trauma of environmental cataclysm not simply as context but as metaphor for devastating personal loss through precise images and shattering restraint." * Adroit Journal *"Given is the record of a haunting, a clear-eyed love song to the notion of home, a frame stilled on the highwater mark after the flood. Through finely wrought lyric poems that swell and break with movement, Duncan articulates the speaker’s longing for family and place 'despite the dying world.' Indeed, the world of Given grapples with a precarious future: hurricanes Sandy and Irene loom large in the town’s memory, and the present, where the 'seasons unseason,' are marked by mass die-offs and the threat of subsummation. And just as the world reckons with the catastrophes of the Anthropocene, so too does the speaker attend to staggering personal loss. Yet the collection trembles with a skeptical but persistent hope. Duncan shows us the town she chooses, though 'neighbors head inland, / leaving the keys in the door.' Here the bay, the uncles; there the Wawa, the 'streets with names / that were self-explanatory: Harbor Way. Shore Concourse.' The speaker asks, 'What if my body is not an apocalypse?' Asks, 'What if my body is not a misunderstanding / with the changing earth?' Given argues, granularly, tenderly, that home and place are worth remembering, worth returning to, that roots, however ephemeral, can ground us in the swirling tides of grief." -- Donika Kelly, author of The Renunciations“Given testifies to the luminous terror of creation: ‘the sky makes and remakes.’ Then: ‘I had to write myself back into this place, if only to watch it fall apart.’ There is so much here being made and unmade: personal griefs decimated by ecology, ecologies decimated by personal loss. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a poet do what Duncan does here, testifying to loss and endurance this way, in such a radiant braid.” -- Kaveh Akbar, author of Pilgrim Bell"Given is one of the strongest debuts I’ve read in a long time. In an age where market and media forces encourage us to silo our griefs, Given makes the necessary argument that our losses intersect and inform one another: from the loss of a child to the loss of a home, a town, a shoreline, a way of living. The poems are emotionally moving and impressive in formal range, from short lyrics to longer sectioned sequences, incantatory litanies to poems in received forms. In Given, Duncan brings home the lived ramifications of dailiness in an age of ecological peril. The book is a necessary addition to our developing libraries of eco-poetry and docu-poetry and poetry period—Given is a must-read." -- Dana Levin, author of Now Do You Know Where You Are

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Book SynopsisFor years, when traveling, I found myself getting in conversations with people when I took their pictures, and started to consult with them—showing them the digital shot, then retaking it until we had one they were happy with. It gave us a reason to interact, and a way to do so, even when we shared no language in common. These portraits are the result of those extended sessions, those moments of accidental intimacy on the road. Readers of my three travel books (Drinking Mare’s Milk on the Roof of the World, And the Monkey Learned Nothing, and The Kindness of Strangers) may recognize some of the people, because a number of them feature in those stories. But each stands on its own—each a testament to the human ability to connect across the fault lines that keep us precariously divided. And each is a tribute to the accidental intimacy of the road.Trade Review“Portraits is one of those photo books you want to look at again and again, a world tour of humanity, and proof that Tom Lutz is not only skilled with a pen but a camera. To have earned the kind of trust that enabled him to make such revealing portraits, in such disparate cultures, is no small thing.”—Judith Freeman, author of The Long Embrace and The Latter DaysPraise for Tom Lutz"A smart and propulsive wild ride from the genteel mansions of Hartford Connecticut to the more louche corners of Asia. Lutz's debut is a technicolor noir, a smart, literary and literate thriller—like love child of Elmore Leonard and Graeme Greene. Original and deft and not to be missed."—Ivy Pochoda, author of Wonder Valley and Those Girls“To read And the Monkey Learned Nothing is to experience the thrill of visiting new places coupled with the pleasure of personal and cultural reflection. The sensitivity and moral intelligence that Tom Lutz brings to his writing allows us to discover the unity to be found in our wondrously diverse world.”—Laila Lalami, author of The Moor’s Account, finalist, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction One would assume that Tom Lutz, esteemed head of a university creative writing department and patriarch of a West Coast cultural journal, lives in a world built of words. But when he morphs into a serial solo vagabond he is a rapt visualist stalking the killer image, and his primary prey is the human face. His book of photographs transports you to virtually every corner of earth, not to take in scenery or local treasure but to meet — emotionally, poetically — the people with whom we share a planet. The tour he gives us is mesmerizing, and in infinite ways. How uncanny a seducer he must be to have won so many over to submit to his camera’s loving gaze, and with such alacrity. In the bracing close-up encounters of Portraits, Lutz renders humanity as a beguiling family album.

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Book SynopsisUndiscovered Victoria is a beautiful travel guide that will inspire you to hit the road and uncover hidden locations scattered across regional Victoria. The One Hour Out team draws on its many years of exploration to showcase the most enriching ways to travel this incredibly diverse state. From secret waterfalls and isolated beaches, to farm tours, art galleries and elusive wine bars, you'll realise the marquee locations of the Twelve Apostles and Phillip Island penguins don't even scratch the surface when it comes to the breadth of visitor offerings awaiting discovery. Featuring stunning photography, recommended itineraries, First Nations information, historical facts and interviews with locals, this inspirational guide will be your constant companion for unearthing the hidden secrets of Victoria.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered how a dinosaur would measure up against the Great Pyramids of Giza, if a hummingbird could outfly a jet plane, or how many atoms could fit inside a grain of sand? These are just some of the questions explored in this extraordinary book of comparisons.Detailed images drawn to scale, informative text and unexpected visual analogies will help the reader to comprehend just how fast, how strong, how small and how big things really are. With stunning Victorian-style artwork by award-winning illustrator Page Tsou, this visual feast of a compendium will surprise and delight inquisitive minds in equal measure.Peek inside and discover a beetle that is stronger than an elephant, meet the pterosaur that was bigger than a spitfire and explore the furthest reaches of the known universe.

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Book SynopsisA slow journey through some of the best-loved and lesser-known gems of the British Isles, from the illustrator and publisher of The Traveller's Colouring Book. Over 50 illustrations of people, buildings, wildlife and landscapes from across the country, produced on elegant 150gsm paper - so no show-through! Each illustration is accompanied by an informative caption from one of Bradt's award-winning Slow Travel guides. After that, it's up to you. From Scotland to the West Country, Wales to East Anglia, an enticing mix of scenes is depicted, ready to be brought to life in full colour. Pencils at the ready for the Glenfinnan (Harry Potter) viaduct, the Isle of Skye, Whitby's 199 steps, Oxford and the Cotswolds, Windsor Castle, Exmoor ponies and delightful Fowey. Look beyond the obvious, too, with a nod to glass-blowing heritage, Devon gnome reserve, Italian chapel on Orkney and blooming wisteria in Notting Hill. Whether you're on the road or stuck at home, The Slow Travel Colouring Book is the perfect cure for wanderlust. Mindfulness has never been so enriching, inspirational - or colourful.Table of ContentsScotland Northern England Central England Wales Southeast England Southwest England

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