Search results for ""thames hudson ltd""

“I love this book! Brilliant biography of the…utterly fascinating artist Isabel Rawsthorne” Jennifer Higgie “Every page is gripping, fascinating, forcefully and excitingly written, and sad.” Andrew Motion “Isabel Rawsthorne’s life reads like a ready-made screenplay… – a poverty stricken upbringing, world wars, espionage, affairs, addiction, politics … all set to a series of evocative cinematic backdrops. And that’s before any mention of her career as one of the most hidden but influential artists of the 20th century.” Interiors and Home “Jacobi’s bigger project here, seems to be to reimagine what an artist biography… can be.” The Art Newspaper “Highlights how talented women have often missed out on the recognition they deserved” Observer Isabel Rawsthorne’s painting career at the centre of the Parisian and London avantgardes was eclipsed by the many occasions on which her friends made her the subject of their art, notably Epstein, Derain, Giacometti, Picasso and Bacon. This pioneering painter exhibited from the early 1930s, was influential in the 1940s and well known in the 1960s, but in her later years Giacometti’s and Bacon’s blockbuster biographies made her famous as a muse. Rawsthorne’s work is now in major collections, and this beautifully illustrated book re-writes the pre- and post-war art history of which she was a part: it is traced through the upheavals of the 20th century and her singular relationships with some of its most fascinating figures. A decade of research into the period, Rawsthorne’s art and archives, and the memories of friends, has revealed for the first time her role in a rebel group at Liverpool School of Art; success and tragedy in the 1930s when she was studio assistant to Jacob Epstein; her life-long collaborations with Alberto Giacometti; and, after the war, with Francis Bacon and with African Modernism in the 1960s, as well as her exceptional late work. It also tells the full story of her break from art during the second world war, when she worked for the government in black propaganda.

Read more less

Among the many treasures of the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, are hundreds of chess and other games pieces dating from the 7th to the 19th centuries ce. Intricately crafted in a rich variety of materials, including ivory, wood, ceramic, glass, jade and agate, these tiny objects are of enormous historical and artistic significance. They not only mark the evolution of familiar games into their modern forms, but also evoke the imperial palaces, military camps and herders’ tents in which they were played over many centuries, from the Sasanian period through the Islamic era in Central Asia, Iran, present-day Iraq and northern India. The chess pieces include both early figural sets and the more abstract forms that later became popular throughout the Islamic world. Dice, pachesi sets and a medieval Arabic treatise on chess complete the collection.

Read more less

Celebrates the earliest history of the Islamic world’s great textile traditions through fifty beautiful carpets and fragments. A wave of these beautiful textiles has reached the West since the turn of the 21st century, and here they are divided into variants featuring birds, mammals, and mythological creatures, which retain their glowing colors and lively charm.

Read more less

World renowned for its collection of Islamic art, the al-Sabah Collection in Kuwait also houses an important collection of ancient art. Splendors of the Ancient East presents a selection of ancient artefacts from the al-Sabah Collection, most of them reproduced for the first time. This selection is united by the personal vision of Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and his wife, Sheikha Hussah Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah. This vision is informed by a love of the beauty of these objects and an interest in the material culture of this region, from which grew some of the distinctive forms and design vocabulary of Islamic art. Covering a time span of some 4,000 years, from the Bronze Age up to the dawn of the Islamic era, this book celebrates some of the beautiful objects created in the Near East and beyond including Central and South Asia.

Read more less

The second instalment in the new series featuring a private eye with ears on her hat and a nose for mystery! When an unusual visitor asks Miss Cat to stop a terrible dream from coming true, she has a whale of a mystery on her hands. Soon she's on the trail of a secretive author, meeting a mysterious mayor and chasing a pack of peculiar pirates. But with a little help from her friends, no case is too tough for Miss Cat to crack! Book 2 in a splendidly silly series!

Read more less

Mini Architects harnesses the enduring fascination young children have with building to introduce them to architecture and structures from around the world. Designed to engage young children with architecture through creative art projects, Mini Architects takes inspiration from some of the most famous architectural wonders of the past and present, including the ancient Pyramids of Giza, Stonehenge and Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse. Mini architects can choose from a variety of easy-to-make projects using simple materials and featuring a range of interesting techniques, ideal for teaching new motor skills. Step-by-step photographs and clear instructions are easy to follow for both children and adults, and each project requires minimal set up and clean up, to ensure the maximum amount of time is spent creating together. Each project is accompanied by photographic reproductions of the famous buildings that inspired them, along with fun facts and questions about the structures and

Read more less

The fiery new title in the best-selling If I had a... series imagines life with a dragon as a pet. Imagine what it would be like to have a dragon as a pet. Join our funny female protagonist on her latest flight of fancy, but watch out for that burning bad breath! Dragons are mighty mythical beasts... and perfect pets. Getting to school is a breeze when you can fly, and you would never have to worry about lighting the barbecue. But what exactly do dragons eat? Perhaps a trip to the museum will help, just beware of knights in shining armour! Gabby and Alex's If I had a... series goes from strength to strength. The latest in the fantastically funny series is full of fantasy fun, wrapping up an exciting day of dragon adventures with a warm and cosy night-time scene, the perfect book for bedtime.

Read more less

A laugh-out-loud bedtime story in which a little girl imagines what it would be like to have a vampire bat for a pet. What would it be like to live a nocturnal lifestyle? What funny scenarios might one encounter trick-or-treating or at the funfair with a vampire bat as your pal? Facts about vampire bats combine with seasonal spookiness and positive messages about dental hygiene in this brilliant book for bedtime.

Read more less

A colourful, fact-filled introduction to the world of birds. Where are all those swallows going? Let’s join them on their long journey south and learn about the world of birds along the way. Swoop in on a tawny owl, soar with a golden eagle and discover where the lovebirds nest. The colourful, musical world of birds is waiting! Brimming with lively illustrations and full of fascinating facts, this fun narrative-based book is a must for inquisitive children with a love of the natural world.

Read more less

A boardbook edition of this magical book in the award-winning If I had a... series. Have you ever imagined what it would be like to have a unicorn for a pet? Besides being much less angry than a troll and far more conveniently sized than a giant, unicorns only ever eat ice-cream for breakfast AND... every time you get upset they feed you candyfloss! In this humorous, energetically rhyming tale, a little girl experiences exactly what life would be like with a magical creature for a pet – from sprinkling stardust on grumpy parents to sliding into football practice on a rainbow. This book celebrates the magic of unicorns in a way that will appeal to children who are allergic to pink.

Read more less

The perfect book for troubled times, this collection of over 25 real-life stories shows how heroic acts of kindness can change our world for the better. In this uplifting collection of stories by Alexandra Stewart, children are introduced to real-life heroes and heroines who have chosen to act in kindness, even when they have been faced with terrible persecution, prejudice, disaster and illness. Aimed at empowering children who feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, these stories are designed to help readers make positive choices in their own lives by embracing kindness as their superpower. Stories include Harriet Tubman’s remarkable rescue missions to free enslaved African Americans; the French village of Le Chambon’s protection of Jewish refugees under Nazi persecution during the Second World War; and the Fukushima workers who volunteered to clean up after the nuclear crisis in Japan; as well as everyday examples of kindness in sporting competitions, neighbourly acts of kindness and random acts of kindness towards complete strangers.

Read more less

A history of the world told through the prism of language, from Shakespeare to Anne Frank, Martin Luther King to Greta Thunberg. A History of Words for Children explores the uniquely human ability to transfer thoughts from one brain to another using words. Written in a lively narrative style, the book presents a history of the world and human development through the prism of language, introducing readers to the civilisations, inventions and wordsmiths who have shaped the way we communicate. Divided into themed chapters, the book explores what words are and how humans communicate using spoken language and sign; the development of written scripts and writing implements, including paper; the history of manuscripts and printed books, including worldwide bestsellers and famous libraries; the process of learning another language; dialects and accents and the way language can reflect our identity; the power of words to calm, inspire, rally crowds and rule nations; graffiti’s role in spreading messages; codes and invented languages; the patterns of poetry; the future of words, including emojis; and languages facing extinction.

Read more less

Mr Busby the beekeeper is the proud owner of hundreds of hives. Have a look inside them to find out how bees take care of their queen and make honey, then follow the swarm as they fly off into the countryside to collect nectar. Readers will learn about pollination and all the plants, insects, animals and birds that take part in the process; they will also find out the amazing ways bees are so crucial to life on earth. Buzzing with lively illustrations and full of fascinating facts, this fun book is a must for all children interested in the natural world.

Read more less

Cleopatra tells her version of events as the ruler of the last ancient Egyptian dynasty. In this hilarious and revealing tell-all, the politically savvy, multilingual, cosmopolitan ruler of Alexandria, Cleopatra, reveals herself to be the world’s first influencer. Finally able to tell her own version of events, she will have readers reeling at the remarkable skill with which she raised an army of mercenaries to counter her bullying brother and secure the support of two of the world’s most powerful men – Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Chris Naunton’s expert text is accompanied by Guilherme Karsten’s illustrations, which give the ancient Egyptian queen a relatable, modern make-over. Witty, contemporary and full of sass, this is Cleopatra #nofilter.

Read more less

A behind-the-scenes tour of the magnificent Royal Opera House in London, thirty minutes before curtain up, led by Figaro the cat. It’s opening night of The Nutcracker, and the performers at the Royal Opera House in London are busy getting ready to step out onto the stage. Meanwhile, Figaro – the opera house’s resident cat – is poised to take readers on a behind-the-scenes tour to meet the many people working to make tonight’s performance a resounding success. This backstage tour of the Royal Opera House takes readers from department to department to discover what’s involved in putting on a performance such as The Nutcracker. Featuring examples from key works of opera and ballet, highlights of the tour include trying on the Mad Hatter’s wig from Alice in Wonderland; practising for a fighting scene from Romeo and Juliet; putting the finishing touches on the Sugar Plum Fairy’s tutu; learning to ‘play dead’; and creating explosions on stage. Including an introduction to a classical orchestra, key ballet terms and basic stage directions, the book encourages readers to explore the many ways they can get involved.

Read more less

'Guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck' Neil GaimanJen Campbell's collection of terrifyingly gruesome tales lends a modern edge to fairy tale collections for young readers. Drawing on her extensive knowledge of fairy tale history, Campbell's stories undo the censoring, gender stereotyping and twee endings of more modern children's fairy tales, to return both classic and little-known stories to their grim versions, whilst celebrating a diverse range of characters. Featuring 14 short stories from around the globe, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is illustrated in a contemporary style by Canadian comic artist Adam de Souza. De Souza's brooding illustrations are a highly original blend of 19th-century Gothic engravings and moody film noir graphic novels. Beautifully produced in a hardback format with a rose gold ribbon marker, The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers is a truly thrilling gift.With 86 illustrations, 30 in colour

Read more less

There’s no doubt about it: whether you’re a newbie or a dab hand, drawing can often be daunting. That’s why cartoons are the best place to start! From the co-creator of the best-selling Hirameki: Draw What You See comes a stylish yet playful approach to drawing cartoons, designed to excite even the most tentative artists. Over several decades teaching in schools and art colleges, Austrian cartoonist Peng has developed expert knowledge of the building blocks of drawing and sketching. As he shows, creativity can come from anywhere. Entire sketches can spring up from the simplest lines or curves. Even found objects can spark brilliance – who knows, maybe a stone or leaf could provide the next flash of inspiration! Peng’s easy-to-follow guide inspires confidence and creativity by showing how even complete novices can quickly learn how to draw characters and develop their own individual style. Starting with the basics of figure construction and moving through to expression, movement and animals, the artist conjures up delightful cartoons with wicked humour and a lightness of touch. Simple tips and exercises reveal how anyone and everyone can master the art of drawing, encouraging the reader to experiment with a variety of techniques executed through brush, pencil and pen. Don’t be afraid of drawing, concludes Peng, in this enjoyable and addictive starter book – you make the rules.With 200 illustrations in colour

Read more less

A little boy has a problem with his dragon: he’s no longer able to breathe fire. What to do? How on earth do you rekindle a despondent dragon’s flame? The little boy tries shaking him by his tail, and jumping on his belly, and tickling his legs… No joy. How about goading him somehow? – make him angry, fuel his jealousy… Still no luck. Maybe sticking false flames on the side of his face would work – but, no, that makes it all worse. Much, much worse. Now the dragon’s downright depressed. Oh no! He decides that he’ll just have to tell him that he loves him just the way he is, even though he can’t breathe fire, and that he will always be his dragon – and plants a big fat kiss on his cheek. What do you think happens next?

Read more less

Luna and her best friend, Franklin the dragon, love stories and want to visit all the places they’ve read about in books. But for all their reading they still don’t know where dragons come from. And Franklin is now so old – 605 to be exact – he can’t remember himself! They search high and low, but to no avail. Until one evening, Luna’s tortoise, Neil Armstrong, notices something far away in the sky… The three friends set out on their biggest adventure yet – all the way to the moon – in the hope of reuniting Franklin with his long lost family.

Read more less

Do you know how to wield a lance? Can you somersault into a suit of armor? Join Kate, Eddie and Angus as they travel back to the 14th century to see if they have what it takes to become a knight. Tutored by the original author of the Book of Chivalry, they discover the secrets of the chivalric code, receive vital weapons training and learn top tips on how not to die in battle.

Read more less

We’re on an adventure with 1,001 ants! Visit the ants in their home, meet their queen, and see how ants look after their colony. Then join them on a walk through the countryside, discovering plants, insects, mushrooms and animals that live outside and in our yards. Spot the ant with red socks hidden on every double page, and enjoy a pleasant stroll through the undergrowth – seeing things that humans are usually too big to notice! This is a fun, non-fiction storybook for children full of fascinating facts about nature. With lively and appealing illustrations, it’s a must-have for inquisitive children who are curious about bugs and the animal kingdom.

Read more less

A little boy has a problem with his dragon: he’s no longer able to breathe fire. What to do? How on earth do you rekindle a despondent dragon’s flame? The little boy tries shaking him by his tail, and jumping on his belly, and tickling his legs… No joy. How about goading him somehow? – make him angry, fuel his jealousy… Still no luck. Maybe sticking false flames on the side of his face would work – but, no, that makes it all worse. Much, much worse. Now the dragon’s downright depressed. Oh no! He decides that he’ll just have to tell him that he loves him just the way he is, even though he can’t breathe fire, and that he will always be his dragon – and plants a big fat kiss on his cheek. What do you think happens next?

Read more less

As read on Cbeebies bedtime storiesIn this charming trip of the imagination, a little girl delights in experiencing life at a slower pace as she shares her day with a sleepy sloth who moves so slowly, moss grows in his fur! This sloth may be sleepy but it’s a champion on the jungle gym, thanks to its super gripping skills. And climbing trees has never been so easy! But the little girl’s hairdresser is less than impressed to find not just moss but also moths in its fur – and by the time our sleepy sloth has finished its morning walk, the day is almost done. Through rollicking rhymes and bold, graphic illustrations, If I had a sleepy sloth imagines the positives and negatives of having a sloth for a pet and provides a welcome alternative to the fast pace of modern life by creating the time for readers to simplyb-r-e-a-t-h-e.

Read more less

One day Bear decides he will sing with the birds – he has heard every tune and he knows all the words. But as hard as he tries to fit in with their song, when he opens his mouth it comes out sort of wrong. Each creature is different, that’s just how it goes, but will Bear ever realise what’s under his nose? Bear wakes every morning to beautiful birdsong, and longs to join in. He stretches his legs, puts on his cap and braces and thinks he must try to join in with the beautiful bird song all around him in the forest. But he is downhearted to discover his song is more of ‘a holler, a howl and rumbling growl; With a sort of snore, all combined in a “ROAR!”’. His wise friend, Owl, tries to encourage him by pointing out that Bear is not a bird, but Bear gets the wrong end of the stick and attempts to fly, as if that might improve the quality of his song by making him more bird-like. In the end, Bear concentrates on what he does best. All of the forest animals gather to watch him perform his new song, and cheer in amazement at his newfound talent. Satisfied with finding what makes him unique, Bear smiles to himself and promptly falls back to sleep.

Read more less

As read by Eddie Redmayne for CBeebies Christmas Day Bedtime StoryWINNER of the 'Best Preschool Book' - Made For Mums Awards 2018A little girl dreams of having her very own pet. But what kind of animal would make the best companion? A mouse is too small; a cat is too ordinary; and a fish is too… wet! As she plays with her toy dinosaur, inspiration strikes. What about a real, live dinosaur? She could ride it to school. It would need lots of food to eat, a swimming pool to drink from, and a dino flap so it could come and go. At the end of a day spent busily imagining, the girl trudges up to bed with her little plastic dinosaur. As she falls asleep, the dinosaur from her daydreams stands in the garden with its head poking through the bedroom window, making her dreams come true.

Read more less

My Big World is a first look at geography and science for children aged 4+ to enjoy with their parents. Throughout the book a little girl called Koko and a little boy called Alex ask questions about the world while intrepid explorers go on adventures to find out how and where we live. Starting from inside the home, Koko and Alex move on to explore the wider world. Step by step the reader encounters different plants and animals, exploring various locations around the world and even visiting outer space! Children explore each topic by playing and learning. Activities, which include things to do on and off the page such as games, recipes and craft activities, are announced by a graphic symbol of a pair of hands. Adults will probably help children with all the activities, but more complicated procedures, involving cutting and baking, are flagged as requiring adult supervision.

Read more less

Made in Dublin winner of Photography category in the British Design and Production Awards‘A singular new vision and an original contribution to the development of street photography’ Martin Parr Focused on D1, Dublin’s city centre, Eamonn Doyle’s three major bodies of work, ‘i’, ‘On’ and ‘End’ – with new and previously unpublished images brought together here for the first time – tell the tale of today’s Dublin and, in doing so, tell a broader story of today’s Ireland. Setting aside the nostalgia and cliché so often seen in ‘stories of Ireland’, Doyle’s vernacular photography is a thrill to the system, revealing the extraordinary within the ordinary to paint a striking portrait of a modern and multicultural capital city. Vivified in colour, the commonplace is seen anew, the everyday made epic as the city’s inhabitants appear in stark, graphic black and white going about their daily business. Far from pedestrian, Doyle’s work is the archetype of good street photography: real life brought to life through the lens and voice of the street. Punctuating the photography with specially commissioned narratives is the distinctive voice of Kevin Barry, evoking the world beyond the frame: the sights, smells, sounds and sensations of a Dubliner’s daily life. Designed by Doyle’s longtime collaborator Niall Sweeney, fusing contemporary Irish word and contemporary Irish image, Made in Dublin is one of the most exciting and original books of street photography in recent years.

Read more less

This landmark book offers a synthesis of celebrated Magnum photographer Susan Meiselas’s views on her work and the role of the documentary photographer. Through text drawn largely from exclusive interviews with editor Mark Holborn, she offers a remarkable commentary on her career, from early work with carnival strippers, through groundbreaking reportage on Nicaragua and El Salvador, to projects encompassing subjects as varied as the Dani tribe of Indonesia, the Kurds of Northern Iraq and victims of domestic violence in California. Central to Meiselas’s work are themes of collaboration, return and exchange. With over 110 photographs – some classics, others rarely published – this book demonstrates how the frontline on which Meiselas has worked involves a bearing of witness and a gathering of evidence. As Meiselas has stated: ‘To continue on is to be curious – to be compelled to confront, to examine, to expose, to engage, and not know where you will end up or how the journey will change you. The frontline is always a choice.’

Read more less

In this landmark photography publication and accompanying exhibition, Clément Chéroux demonstrates how Magnum Photos owes its pre-eminence to the ability of its photographers to encompass and navigate the points between photography as art object and photography as documentary evidence. A Magnum photograph can be expressive and bear witness at the same time. Magnum Manifesto is organized into three main parts: Part 1 (1947–1968) views the Magnum archive through a humanist lens, focusing on post-war ideals of commonality and utopianism. Part 2 (1969–1989) shows a world fragmenting, with a focus on subcultures, minorities and outsiders. Part 3 (1990–present day) charts the ways in which Magnum photographers have captured – and continue to capture – a world in flux and under threat. Featuring both group and individual projects, the book includes contact sheets, notebooks, magazine spreads and other previously unseen material to accompany the photographs. Complete with extensive texts by Clément Chéroux and photographic historian Clara Bouveresse, Magnum Manifesto is an essential purchase for anyone seeking to understand the very best in photography.

Read more less

Landmark is a defining survey of contemporary landscape photography. It features more than 230 images by over 100 leading photographers of today, all of whom present an individual viewpoint about a shared concern for our changing landscape and environment. The book is organized around ten themes and includes work by such distinguished practitioners as Edward Burtynsky, Stéphane Couturier, Mitch Epstein and Sally Mann. From restful, bucolic images capturing the last vestiges of ‘nature’, through shocking depictions of a sullied Earth, scarred and abused, to surreal and artificial landscapes where the ‘natural’ landscape is a highly controlled one, the book provides a thought-provoking meditation on the meaning of landscape in today’s world. The well-known writer and curator William A. Ewing contributes introductory texts to each of the sections, as well as the preface and introduction. Landmark also features statements by the artists themselves.

Read more less

This yearbook from husband-and-wife duo Danielle and Olivier Föllmi reveals the spiritual wisdom of the Far East. Each of Olivier's photographs is accompanied by the thoughts of a great master, including Confucius, Lao-tzu, Dogen Zenji, Chuang-tzu, Hong Zicheng and the Buddha. Their words have guided generation after generation for thousands of years, and they continue in this volume to enrich our views and lives with thoughts on nature, self-awareness, family and society. The photographs take us to captivating temples in Thailand, the lavishly mystic nature of Cambodia, mist-enshrouded landscapes in Myanmar, bamboo forests in Vietnam, rice paddies in China and Zen gardens in Japan. The book as a whole teaches us, one day at a time, the wisdom of the East.

Read more less

Chinese Movie Magazines shortlisted for Trade Illustrated category in the British Design and Production AwardsOrganized thematically within a chronological structure, this book includes more than 500 full-colour covers – many of them rare – from the Paul Kendel Fonoroff Collection in Berkeley’s C. V. Starr East Asian Library, the largest collection of Eastern movie memorabilia outside China. Fonoroff’s text relates the magazines to the times in which they were created, embracing everything from cinematic trends to politics and world events without neglecting gossip, fashion and pop culture. The result is a survey of the era’s movie publications, doubling as a journey through the urban cultural milieu of this transformative period that sheds light on a vast forgotten world. This book will appeal to Chinese film scholars, social historians and connoisseurs of the graphic arts in equal measure.

Read more less

Growing numbers of us work not only from home, but from anywhere; job flexibility has become a key requirement for employers and workers alike. This, in turn, has created new challenges for architects and designers – many of whom themselves start out working from home – who are tackling demand head on with innovative solutions that allow clients to transform their spaces to suit a wide range of needs, from multifunctional studios to homes that seamlessly combine work and family life. Divided into five thematic sections, this book explores the exciting variety of ways that the workplace can be integrated into the domestic environment. From stand-alone multifunctional furniture to mobile room dividers and dynamic solutions that fold out or pop up to create new work areas, each design addresses the unique needs of the space, client and working practices for which it was required, and tackles new questions about the rapidly evolving relationship between work and domestic life in the 21st century. This essential and timely resource for homeworkers and practitioners offers fresh ideas for how to strike the perfect balance between living and working at home.

Read more less

We have grown accustomed to two beliefs: the first, that only experts can be designers; the second, that our everyday activities are harming the natural world. Yet, with new platforms, digital communication and engaged online communities, the products we can now design – and truly need – can be made by anyone for social and environmental good. Social design can see that primary school children learn to code, and uses local information in off-grid locations to create global change. Open-source design is enabling us to re-make our world right now. Structured into eight areas of application, from healthcare to education, this book showcases over sixty projects – not the kind you see in glossy magazines or online, but the ones that have made a genuine difference to communities and lives around the world. Rather than being client-driven, as commercial design often is, each project here is the result of designers who reach out, communities who get involved and the technologies that helping people to realize ideas together. From a playground-powered water pump in South Africa to a DIY budget cellphone, each of these groundbreaking projects is presented through fascinating and life-affirming stories, diagrams that reveal the mechanisms and motivations behind each design approach, and photography that celebrates the humanity of the endeavour.

Read more less

Interior designers have increasingly taken inspiration from the design philosophy of Scandinavia, which promotes the creation and use of everyday objects that are beautiful but practical, affordable and accessible. This handbook shows how to create a tailor-made home inspired by Scandinavian design. Working through the home one room at a time, the book highlights classic items of furniture and signature accessories. In-depth case studies demonstrate the essential elements and provide inspiration. Colour combinations are explored to help personalise these iconic styles for the home. Anyone who has found themselves seduced by the Scandinavian style and is eager to bring it to their own home will find this book a valuable resource.

Read more less

Street food is fresh, cheap, plentiful, varied and available in an increasing number of metropolitan locations. Food that was previously only obtainable from Saharan roadsides can now be found in New York City; Patagonian village foods are picked up in downtown Hong Kong. Millions of people all over the world are choosing to eat street food every day, and their numbers are rising year on year. The World Atlas of Street Food surveys the whole phenomenon and celebrates one of the most amazing commercial and culinary success stories of the early 21st century. It shows readers the best places to buy mouthwatering fast foods and drinks from hawkers and vendors in the major cities of the world. The book includes the authors’ own recipes so readers can make 72 of the finest dishes from the comfort of their own kitchens.

Read more less

Shoes is an inspiring, impeccably researched and concise history of footwear through the ages. After a general introduction, chronological chapters illustrated throughout retrace the history of footwear from the Middle Ages to today, featuring shoes and boots that once belonged to both anonymous and famous male and female wearers, from battered old ‘chimney shoes’ hidden away for good luck to the elegant styles of the Renaissance, from Elizabethan mules to the first stilettos. A detailed glossary, bibliography and index conclude the book.

Read more less

‘…the elegant joy with which she lived her life came to her so naturally – in the delight she took in the highest forms of culture, especially music, in her house in Italy surrounded even in the hottest summer by its cool green lawn, in her always beautifully styled appearance, but above all in producing at Thames and Hudson books that attested to her great respect for high culture – one might have imagined nothing had happened to her to cause anything but total delight in the world’ David Plante Eva Neurath, co-founder of Thames & Hudson, wrote this memoir for her granddaughters, and it is a private story of a remarkable 20th-century life. The youngest child of a principled and avant-garde mother and a Jewish father, she was born in Berlin and grew up there in the Twenties, in the world of Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl, when anything was possible. Her wide knowledge of the fine arts was the result not of any formal education but of her work for art dealers, at a time when great collections were changing hands. Her mother for a time had a gallery for contemporary artists, and through other relatives she knew the world of music. But this was a world in the grip of traumatic change. Pursued by the Gestapo, Eva, her second husband Wilhelm Feuchtwang and their baby son Stephan left Berlin in 1938, first for Rotterdam, then London. Wilhelm was interned in the Isle of Man, and Eva was at her wits’ end. Then came another change: she was visited with a message from her husband by Walter Neurath, an Austrian art historian and publisher who had come to England earlier and also been interned, but was soon released to continue his publishing of books for Adprint, where he had created the ‘Britain in Pictures’ series. Offered a job by Walter, Eva grasped the opportunity to re-create herself in her own right as picture researcher, layout designer and art director. In 1949 they founded a new publishing house, Thames & Hudson, and married in 1953. Her life with Walter moved in circles of art, archaeology and history, among friends including Henry Moore, Harold Acton, John Julius Norwich and Roy Strong. The memoir ends in 1981, but Eva’s work continued until 1999, the year she died, and the story is filled out by her son, Stephan Feuchtwang. The book is illustrated with photographs from Eva Neurath’s family albums.

Read more less

At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna became an epicentre for new thought. A multi-disciplinary environment emerged where music, writing and intellectual thought all flourished, often brought together in the capital’s famous coffee houses. This was the time of Freud and Wittgenstein, of Mahler and Schönberg, and of the Secession (1897–1905), the modern movement led by Klimt, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser that aimed to bring different arts together in a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’, a total work of art; of Jugendstil, Vienna’s Art Nouveau; and of the Wiener Werkstätte, the workshop founded in 1903 by Moser and Hoffmann that revolutionized the decorative and graphic arts. There have been many exhibitions and publications devoted to this efflorescence, and even more monographs devoted to its key players. None, however, brings together a selection of visual material from across the different artistic disciplines as significant as this current volume, curated and authored by three leading scholars of the period. The book covers all areas of production: painting and drawing; decorative arts and crafts; applied art and book design; fashion, photography and architecture. In each section the illustrations take the lead, creating an invaluable visual reference point for all those eager to identify a given category of the arts within this period, particularly in the field of the decorative arts, from ceramics to glass, silverwork, furniture, jewelry; and graphic arts, from book design to posters and postcards. There are also many less familiar works in the field of fashion and photography, and a particular focus is given to the role of women in all disciplines of the time.

Read more less

This book is the first in ten years to present a comprehensive survey of art and architecture in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, northeast Syria and southeast Turkey), from 8000 BCE to the arrival of Islam in 636 CE. The book is richly illustrated with c. 400 full-colour photographs, and maps and time charts that guide readers through the chronology and geography of this part of the ancient Near East. The book addresses such essential art historical themes as the origins of narrative representation, the first emergence of historical public monuments and the earliest aesthetic commentaries. It explains how images and monuments were made and how they were viewed. It also traces the ancient practices of collecting and conservation and rituals of animating statues and of architectural construction. Accessible to students and non-specialists, the book expands the scope of standard surveys to cover art and architecture from the prehistoric to the Roman era, including the legendary cities of Ur, Babylon, Nineveh, Hatra and Seleucia on the Tigris.

Read more less

While Josef Albers’ Bauhaus colleagues Klee and Kandinsky are household names, Albers himself has remained inscrutable. He is best known as the painter of the Homages to the Square, a series of over 2,000 seemingly tightly controlled experiments in the interaction of colour. Yet he did not begin these pictures until he was in his sixties, already several decades into his career as an artist, maker and theorist, much of it pursued in the United States following the Nazi dissolution of the Bauhaus in 1933. Misunderstanding of the Homages reflects a wider misreading of Albers’ life and work. Married to the textile artist Anni Albers, his papers include letters from fellow artists John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Serra and Eva Hesse; colleagues such as Buckminster Fuller and Philip Johnson; and fans and collectors ranging from the composer Virgil Thomson to the cartoonist Saul Steinberg. If his network of influence was surprisingly wide, so, too, were his interests. Albers started life at the Bauhaus as a glassmaker, ran their renowned wallpaper workshop, and designed furniture that is still in production eighty years later. He pioneered the study of colour at Black Mountain College, organized its famed ‘Summer Sessions’ with guest tutors from Willem de Kooning to Merce Cunningham, and went on to head the design department at Yale. Drawing on extensive unpublished writings, documents and illustrations, Darwent offers a broad view of not only the artistic and political currents, but also the friendships and rivalries that formed the backdrop to Albers’ creative output.

Read more less

Is mental illness – or madness – at root an illness of the body, a disease of the mind, or a sickness of the soul? Should those who suffer from it be secluded from society or integrated more fully into it? This Way Madness Lies explores the meaning of mental illness through the successive incarnations of the institution that defined it: the madhouse, designed to segregate its inmates from society; the lunatic asylum, which intended to restore the reason of sufferers by humane treatment; and the mental hospital, which reduced their conditions to diseases of the brain. Moving and sometimes provocative illustrations and photographs, sourced from the Wellcome Collection's extensive archives and the archives of mental institutions in Europe and the U.S., illuminate and reinforce the compelling narrative, while extensive ‘gallery’ sections present revealing and thought-provoking artworks by asylum patients and other artists from each era of the institution and beyond.

Read more less

Representing the third generation of Vuittons, Gaston-Louis’s wide interests and voracious curiosity were intimately bound with the future of the family business. A collector since his childhood, Gaston-Louis Vuitton (1883–1970) accumulated hundreds of objects over his lifetime. In addition to forming a collection of trunks – his first motivation and the one he announced publicly – his roving eye lit upon rare antique travel articles, locks and escutcheons, hand tools, perfume bottles, African masks, walking canes, vintage children’s toys, books, hotel labels (usually fixed on customers’ trunks), printed monograms and other typographical rarities. Together they form a rich personal evocation of curiosités industrielles, or quirks of the trade, as Gaston-Louis liked to call them. He described himself as an ‘unrepentant collector’, delighted by the ‘joy of the treasure hunter, the toil of the collector, […] an inexhaustible source of inspiration’. This is a collection that will capture the imagination of anyone inspired by bizarre and eclectic curiosities, or those with an interest in the cultural taste and interests of someone who lived through the height of the Art Deco period – indeed, someone whose life was defined by the rigours and the rewards of world travel. It exhibits the highest design and production values for discerning international voyagers in search of the sources of luxury creativity.

Read more less

Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla have built a 28-year partnership that has included designing for India’s leading actors and actresses, working with directors on costumes for epic Bollywood films, and building a brand that exudes luxury, artistry and Indian tradition. Known both for their fashion creations for men and women and for interior design, their reputation extends far beyond India: many international celebrities wear Jani-Khosla creations, among them Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, Sophie Marceau and Sarah Brown. Paramount in their work is Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s rediscovery and revivification of once moribund traditional crafts, and the glorious ways in which they make use of local artisans and reinvent their heritage by redeploying Indian antiques, artefacts and vintage textiles. This book is a sumptuous fanfare for a whole new world of high fashion.

Read more less

A decade after the publication of Living in Sri Lanka, photographer James Fennell revisits the ‘Paradise Isle’ to discover exactly what it is that makes a great Sri Lankan home. Travelling with writer Tom Sykes, he has visited numerous houses and taken thousands of photographs, as well as interviewing owners, interior decorators, architects, stylists and designers. Collectively, the twenty-six properties showcased in this book – the very best examples – capture the essence of elegant Sri Lankan living. Sri Lanka is a place of geographic and cultural contrasts, and its best architecture is structurally versatile, using features such as overhanging roofs, slatted walls and courtyards to cope with intense sunshine and sudden downpours in equal measure. Also in the interior, climatic factors dominate even the most luxurious homes: valuable antiques and art give way to simple pieces of furniture, batiks, prints and artfully crafted cushions, with colour or shadow used creatively to enliven expansive walls. From the colonial grandeur of actress Gillian Anderson’s secluded retreat and the sumptuous Wallawwa hotel to works by the celebrated architects Geoffrey Bawa (Claughton House; Paradise Road The Villa Bentota) and Anjalendran (The Crooked House; Mount Cinnamon), the structures in this book have one thing in common: they embrace the unpredictable natural environment, seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor living.

Read more less

What does Alvar Aalto's 1 Paimio have in common with a Doberman Pinscher, Le Corbusier’s LC4 with a Spanish Greyhound, or Philippe Starck's Costes Chair with a Fox Terrier? Not a lot, you may think. But look again and you might notice shared traits in form, colour, personality, stature and style. Author and illustrator Cristina Amodeo draws parallels between nearly twenty-five dogs and designer chairs in this fun and stylish book that matches iconic chairs with their corresponding breed of dog. Who knows if Arne Jacobsen had a Welsh Corgi in mind when he designed his Grand Prix Chair? Or whether a Scottish Deerhound ever entered Ron Arad's head while designing his Victoria and Albert Sofa? Who cares, when dogs and chairs make such elegant designer pairs.

Read more less

Goossens is one of the most prestigious names in haute couture jewelry of the last half century. Robert Goossens worked with Coco Chanel in the 1950s, and went on to design jewelry for the world’s foremost fashion houses, pursuing notable collaborations with Balenciaga, Grès, and Yves Saint Laurent. As well as the emblematic rock crystal jewelry, baroque pearl brooches, and Byzantine cuffs famously associated with Chanel, Maison Goossens’ designs combine real and faux gemstones, making fashion jewelry both precious and bold at once. Robert’s son, Patrick, has reimagined many original Goossens styles, for Dior, Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton among others. Martine, his daughter, collaborates regularly with architect Peter Marino to decorate the interiors of the most famous couture houses in the world. Maison Goossens is now part of the stable of exceptional craft practitioners owned by Chanel’s Paraffection subsidiary.

Read more less

Patricia Rieff Anawalt probes deeply into the significance and meaning of shamanic practices in Northeast Siberia, Alaska and British Columbia, and also points up the intriguing differences in the ritual garb as generation after generation sought to influence events through the aid of spirits. From the prehistoric Ice Age up to the 20th century, related peoples across these vast territories created a wide cultural universe derived from the cross-fertilization of ideas, oral traditions and art. With supernatural helpers, shamans sought to ensure their people’s survival by controlling and pacifying the spirits of the animal world. It was vital to have the ‘right’ clothing and equipment: it not only protected the shamans and enabled them to wield their power over the spirits, but also created a powerful mystique among their human clients. The surviving items of regalia, often collected by anthropologists under the most challenging circumstances, bequeath an acute sense of the animistic world and the early interactions between man and nature, offering us an astonishing window into the worldviews of our distant ancestors.

Read more less