Search results for ""author thames"

The most captivating and intriguing 19th-century murders from around the world are re-examined in this disquieting volume, which takes readers on a perilous journey around the world’s most benighted regions. In each area, murders are charted with increasing specificity: beginning with city- or region-wide overviews, drilling down to street-level diagrams and zooming-in to detailed floor plans. All the elements of each crime are meticulously replotted on archival maps, from the prior movements of both killer and victim to the eventual location of the body. The murders revisited range from the ‘French Ripper’ Joseph Vacher, who roamed the French countryside brutally murdering and mutilating over twenty shepherds and shepherdesses, to H.H. Holmes, who built a hotel in Chicago to entrap, murder and dispose of its many guests. Crime expert Dr Drew Gray illuminates the details of each case, recounting both the horrifying particulars of the crimes themselves and the ingenious detective work that led to the eventual capture of the murderers. He highlights the development of police methods and technology: from the introduction of the police whistle to the standardization of the mugshot and from the invention of fingerprinting to the use of radio telegraphy to capture criminals. Disturbing crime-scene photographs by pioneers of policework, such as Alphonse Bertillon, and contemporary illustrations from the sensationalist magazines of the day, including the Illustrated Police News and the Petit Journal, complete the macabre picture.

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A concise history of Paris and the great events and personalities, from prehistory to the present, that have shaped its unique cultural legacy. Once described as that metropolis of dress and debauchery' by the Scottish poet David Mallet, then as now Paris had a reputation for a peculiar joie de vivre, from style to sex, cookery to couture, captivating minds and imaginations across the Continent and beyond. In Paris: A Short History, Jeremy Black explores the unique cultural circumstances that made Paris the vibrant capital it is today. Black explores how Paris has been shaped through the centuries from the first century BCE, when the city was founded by the Parisii. From a small Gallic capital conquered by the Romans, Paris transformed into a flourishing medieval city full of spectacular palaces and cathedrals, including Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame de Paris. During the illustrious reigns of Louis XIV and XV Paris became one of the most beautiful and cosmopolitan capitals in

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The vivid colours of Morocco as seen by master of colour photography Harry Gruyaert. When Harry Gruyaert first visited Morocco in 1972, it was love at first sight. On every return visit, he has tried to relive that initial feeling of enchantment, the splendid harmony between form and colour, people and nature. From the High Atlas mountains to the desert, from rural areas to the bustling streets of Marrakech and Essaouira, Gruyaert’s photographs take us on a dreamlike cinematic journey through a reality that is nonetheless highly physical, its textures shaped by light and shadow. Each image has its own power and all of them reflect the importance of family, community and faith to the people of Morocco, as well as Gruyaert’s own innate curiosity and desire to understand different realities.

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Celebrated illustrator Marion Deuchars is on a mission. Sharing a host of inspiring projects and ideas, this book shows people of all ages and artistic abilities how a little creativity every day can make a big difference. Live the life of a true creative! With over 100 projects and ideas, Marion invites you to release your artistic potential. Spill some ink. Draw with a stick. Have a go at hand lettering, or painting with a mop! The ideas in this book are all about having fun and realising it's never too late to discoveror rediscoveryour artistic side. Projects like hand printing, marbling, cyanotype, and rubber stamping will absorb you for an enjoyable afternoon; others like street photography, beach sculpture, and dog doodling can be done in the moment. Get painting, printing, drawing, making and imagining and discover how little moments of creativity can bring great joy.

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From the creator of Home Alone comes this delightful celebration of a day spent by the sea, complete with salty air, run-ins with sea life, and making forever friends. Frido is back and this time he's at the seaside. While his owner takes a nap in the shade, Frido sets off to explore. There are sandcastles to dig, waves to surf, beach games to disrupt and the arrival of an ice-cream truck. But can Frido find his way back to their sun umbrella before his owner wakes up?

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An overview of the lost peoples and cultures who flourished and fought for survival alongside the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Beyond the Greeks, Romans and Hebrews of the Classical and Biblical eras, a rich diversity of peoples helped lay the foundations of the modern world. Philip Matyszak brings to life these cultures and individuals that made up the busy, brawling multicultural mass of humanity that emerged from the ancient Middle East and spread across the Mediterranean and Europe. He explores the origins of forty forgotten peoples, their great triumphs and defeats, and considers the legacy they have left to us today, whether it be in fine art or everyday language. This carefully researched and illuminating history is the perfect introduction for the modern reader, packed with surprising facts and fascinating stories, detailed maps and beautiful illustrations of artefacts and sites of interest. Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World offers a new understanding of these important civilizations that have been obscured by the passage of time.

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The significance of Hannah Ryggen (1894–1970) as one of the most important figures in the history of Scandinavian art has only recently been recognized internationally. Beloved and renowned for her original contributions to modernist tapestry, Ryggen made radical political statements against Fascism and Nazism before and during the Second World War. Using primary sources, Ryggen expert Marit Paasche brings us a much fuller knowledge of the artist, weaving her life and work into a story that illuminates not only the artist herself, but also 20th-century art history in general. Hannah Ryggen’s visually spellbinding tapestries, made on a homemade handloom in her small farm on the remote Norwegian coast, depict a wealth of subjects: Mussolini’s Abyssinian campaign, her husband’s internment in a Nazi camp in occupied Norway, the post-war growth of nuclear power, and media coverage of the Vietnam War. At once hard-hitting and humorous, her works combine personal candour, social and political engagement and visual majesty. Paasche explores both the artist’s bold subject matter and particular balance of abstraction and figuration within the context of her life and beliefs. Including a comprehensive selection of works, this book provides an enthralling account of a remarkable, and unjustly overlooked, artist.

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The real-life world of espionage can, it appears, be every bit as glamorous, perilous, duplicitous and erotically charged as the most sensational fiction. Elaborating his father’s unfinished memoirs, Carlos Mundy had crafted an unforgettable account of a career in MI6 during the most dangerous period of recent European history: the years of the Second World War and its aftermath. After escaping from a Gestapo internment camp in France and illegally entering Spain, Rodney Mundy found himself imprisoned again. But the British Embassy secured his release and recruited him as a spy for MI6. Entering high society Madrid, Mundy soon met prominent Fascists, Nazis, agents and double agents, film stars and exotic dancers as well as the nobility and royal families of much of Europe. What followed was a series of thrilling adventures that took him to Cairo and Jerusalem, eventually leading to a violent showdown in Costa Rica. With his good looks making him irresistible to all, Mundy seems to have had more dangerous liaisons than even James Bond. To protect the innocent and bridge the gaps in his father’s writings, Carlos Mundy has blurred the line between fact and fiction, presenting the story as a novel. But in a world where deception is the name of the deadly game, nothing could be stranger than the truth.

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A man named René floats through the world of his dreams and imagination, fulfilling his desire to become a painter – of apples and hats, apple hats, apple-these and apple-thats. In his paintings, leaves are lips, baguettes are noses, the right side is never up, and the upside is never down. Inspired by the artwork of René Magritte, these whimsical, subversive illustrations mix everyday objects and words together in ways that are guaranteed to make children laugh and think.

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From the Golden Age of Haute Couture in the 1900s to the lifestyle brands of the 1990s, this book looks, decade-by-decade, at the high fashion of the 20th century. Each chapter examines the significant stylistic changes that occurred in the decade in question, and places these in their cultural and political context. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs and drawings of the clothes and the people who wore them. Alongside the individual chapters, three designers that made their mark on fashion are discussed, as well as three key looks per decade. Many of the designers are household names; some are lesser known. But all these individuals, whether through their designs or their business practices, are exemplars of their age.

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The culmination of several years of research by games writer Matt Leone, Like a Hurricane gathers together over 60 voices, spread across continents, disciplines and companies, speaking candidly on the vision, fearlessness, and bold ambition that made Street Fighter II a household name. A collaboration between Read-Only Memory and Polygon, Like a Hurricane is an extended and enhanced print adaptation of Matt Leone’s series of in-depth oral histories, published online in serial form by Polygon. This physical version has been extended and enhanced for print, featuring over 50 specially commissioned illustrations and extra research content. Featuring: Takashi ‘Piston’ Nishiyama, Hiroshi ‘Finish’ Matsumoto, Noritaka ‘Poo’ Funamizu, Yoko ‘Shimo-P’ Shimomura, and more than 50 others, including dozens of former Capcom employees, former Gamest magazine editor Zenji Ishii, combo video pioneer Tomotaka ‘TZW’ Suzuki, U.S. Street Fighter box artist Mick McGinty, Incredible Technologies CEO Elaine Hodgson, and former Capcom USA CEO Bill Gardner.

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A loving photographic celebration of the energy-drink-fuelled, furniture-rearranging, multiplayer gaming trend and its nocturnal participants. Before high-speed internet connections and online servers, playing a multiplayer PC game meant hauling your bulky monitors and towers to a friend’s place, convention centre or church basement for a LAN (local area network) party. These sweaty, junk-food-enriched glory days represented the origins of real community spirit in computer gaming’s early days. Many LAN party attendees were early adopters of new tech, so digital cameras abounded at these events. The photos produced by these devices were often low-resolution, blurry and badly lit. In their imperfections and limitations, they represent the messy, ad-hoc approach to computing typical of the LAN party – network cables snaking across recreation centre floors, a monitor perched on a kitchen counter, burned CD copies of games labelled in marker pen. In addition to documenting the nostalgic era of LAN parties, the photographs in this book are unique artefacts of a peculiar cultural and technological moment, when gaming was tipping over from niche hobby to mainstream obsession. This is the first full-size photobook on this beloved subculture, one that existed before the internet took shape and we started carrying it around with us in our pockets.

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Twenty collectors open their homes to reveal the weird and wonderful world of natural objects. From the cabinets of curiosity of the 19th century to today’s interest in foraged decorations, obsessive and eclectic collectors of natural objects have long filled their homes with their finds - everything from fossils and feathers to seeds and dried flowers. This book offers a glimpse inside twenty homes of the most interesting and creative collectors, revealing the stories behind their collections and how they celebrate their love of nature in their everyday spaces. This new generation of naturalists are using their collections to craft creative careers and decorate their homes with their finds. From a German manor filled with antique taxidermy to the Paris apartment of a sculptor working with feathers and an Italian beachside retreat that showcases foraged shells and pebbles, this book provides a wealth of inspiration for celebrating the beauty of the world around us more sustainably. Practical tips on everything from curating a shelf of objects or using them to decorate walls and surfaces offer plenty of ideas the reader can apply in their own homes. With our ever-increasing interest in finding new ways to reconnect with nature, this will be inspirational reading for all those who want to bring the outdoors in.

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The definition of a supergraphic has changed over the last twenty years. Once, only a large decorative design on a wall or building was a supergraphic. Today it encompasses architectural delineation wayfinding and identifying signage, illustrative murals, and branding elements. A supergraphic can take the form of an enormous logo on the side of a building, a wall of multi-colored squares, or an oversized restroom symbol. Digital technology now allows for interaction and screen-based media on a large scale. The audience can now truly communicate with an architectural space in a unique and personal manner. The difference between a large overwrought design on the wall and a successful supergraphic is typically based on two points: a strong concept, and interaction with the architecture, light and space. Many people can paint stripes on a wall. But a designer can use the entire volume, sense place, context and changing environment to create a story with words, colour and shapes. This book includes examples of the best supergraphics internationally. These are evidence of the sense of delight when a beautifully crafted graphic solution and smart concept are married to remarkable architecture.

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A beautifully illustrated guide to caring for your dog. Meet Lena and her rescue dog Jo! This is the true story of how Lena and Jo became best friends, told through Lena’s own beautiful illustrations. It’s also a guidebook, packed with useful tips about caring for a dog of your own. Learn how to choose a dog, how to train them, feed them and groom them, and pick up lots of fascinating facts about why dogs behave the way they do. Whatever the size and shape of your canine companion, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to be a dog’s best friend.

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WINNER of the 2018 4-11 Picture Book Awards (Fiction 4-7 category)One of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2017All I want to do on a rainy day like today is play my game, but my mum says it’s a waste of time. The game drives my mum mad. She takes it away. I take it back. I wish Dad had come with us on this rainy, grey weekend. Without my game, nothing is fun. On the other hand, maybe I’m wrong about that…

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Introductory spreads explain that bugs live nearly everywhere on Earth and give tips on how to become a young bug spotter. The book is divided into key groups of bugs, including beetles, moths, butterflies, bees, snails, crickets, grasshoppers, worms and spiders, all illustrated with scenic compositions. Some spreads approach the world of bugs thematically, such as bugs that come out at night, baby creepy-crawlies and life cycles, how bugs hide and show off and how some bugs love to live in your home. The text is chatty, funny and full of amazing facts.

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A testament to the art of colour composition, this book – art directed by Wong himself and produced to the highest printing standard – brings together a complete and refined body of images that are evocative, timeless and completely transporting. Rounding out the volume's special treatment is the first publication use of the 45/90 font, designed by Henrik Kubel, of London-based A2-TYPE. The book also features a section that reveals the creative and technical process of Wong’s method, from identifying the right scene to making a good composition, from capturing the essence of a moment to enhancing colour values and deepening an image’s impact – insights that will be invaluable to admirers and photography enthusiasts alike.

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In rural Japan the passage of the year is marked by festivals and rituals that have changed little for centuries. Elaborate outfits, crafted from textiles as well as branches, straw and elements sourced from the natural environment, are donned in agricultural and fishing communities throughout Japan to celebrate seasonal rites of fertility and abundance. Yokainoshima (literally 'island of monsters') explores the extraordinary ranges of masks, costumes and characters that reappear with each returning season. Charles Fréger's photographs combine acute documentary attentiveness with individual portraiture in an entirely fresh and distinctive style. Toshiharu Ito and Akihiro Hatanaka, both specialists in Japanese folk culture and anthropology, analyse Fréger's photographs, setting the huge variety of eclectic clothing in ethnographic context and describing the local festivals, dances and rituals. A final illustrated reference section describes individual costumes and masks.

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This book is a vivid photographic record of daily life in Istanbul from the 1940s to the 1980s. Captured through the unerring lens of the award winning Ara Güler, the ‘Eye of Istanbul’, it reflects the city’s melancholy aesthetic as it oscillates between tradition and modernity. Güler’s remarkable duotone photographs are accompanied by evocative commentaries from Orhan Pamuk, another leading figure in Turkish culture. Both writer and photographer each held in their youth the ambition of becoming a painter. Here, each in his own way paints a brushless picture of his hometown and captures, through image and word, its very soul.

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Plywood is an astonishingly versatile material, made by gluing together layers of cross-grained veneers, creating a pliable board that can be stronger than solid wood. Stylish and practical, plywood offers huge possibilities for experimental design, and it has been used to make a wide range of products, from aeroplanes, boats and automobiles to architecture and furniture. This book traces the history of plywood from its use in 18th-century furniture, through its emergence as an industrial product in the 19th century, to a material celebrated by 20th-century modernists such as Alvar Aalto and Charles and Ray Eames. An ideal material for the digital age, plywood has become popular again in recent years and is widely used in contemporary design and manufacture. Produced to accompany an exhibition at the V&A, this book is the first comprehensive study of the history of plywood and its myriad applications throughout the ages, unveiling the stories behind objects that surround us and that we often take for granted.

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The mid-twentieth century was a dynamic period in international design, including interior design, and has retained its influence on popular culture today. This handbook shows readers how to create a tailor-made home inspired by the iconic designs of this period. 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 inventive styles for the home. Anyone eager to bring mid-century chic to their own home will find this book a valuable resource.

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Now creative director of Maison Margiela, John Galliano started his career in London in the late 1980s, straight after graduating from Central Saint Martins. After being appointed head designer of Christian Dior in 1996, Galliano continued to create two collections a year for his namesake brand. They acted in many ways as a laboratory of ideas, allowing him to let his imagination run wild, free from both the commercial pressures associated with a house as iconic and as global as Dior and the influence of the hallowed house’s iconic pieces – a pure expression of his personal design style. Opening with an essay on the designer’s work, John Galliano: Unseen unfolds chronologically. Thirty collections are included, each introduced by a short text by Claire Wilcox, revisiting the designer’s most iconic creations and revealing previously unseen behind-the-scenes moments that capture models, hairdressers, stylists, makeup artists and John Galliano himself at their most creative. Robert Fairer’s stunning and high-energy photographs capture the glamour and frenzy that defined Galliano’s shows. A treasure-trove of inspiration, they make this publication a must-have reference for fashion and photography lovers alike.

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This achingly jawdropping book follows the evolution of dentistry throughout the world from the Bronze Age to the present day, presenting captivating and grim illustrations of the tools and techniques of dentistry through the ages. Organized chronologically, The Smile Stealers interleaves beautiful and gruesome technical illustrations and paintings from the Wellcome Collection’s unique archive of material from Europe, America and the Far East with seven authoritative and eloquent themed articles from medical historian Richard Barnett. A comprehensive review of the development of the trade and discipline of dentistry, it covers topics as diverse as the very first dentures (produced by the Etruscans in the seventh century bce); the smile revolution in 18th-century portraiture; and the role of dentistry in forensic science – all in one beautifully illustrated volume. Extending the cult of the medically macabre begun by its predecessors The Sick Rose and Crucial Interventions, The Smile Stealers is guaranteed to appeal to lovers of the horrific and the beautiful alike as it probes the growth of dentistry – from pulling out bad teeth to reconstructing jaws, and from painful action to pain-free interventions and the pursuit of the perfect smile.

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This inspirational book features over 35 master jewelry designers, organized alphabetically. Hailing from Australia, Brazil, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Russia, Turkey, the UK and USA, they represent a wide variety of approaches, from Aida Bergsen’s flora and fauna-inspired designs, including emerald- studded frogs and diamond- encrusted salamanders; through Anabela Chan’s exquisitely detailed laser-cut brooches of white gold and platinum with iridescent diamonds and natural grey pearls; to Elie Top’s yellow gold spheres that are a feat of mathematical precision and ingenuity. Red-carpet customers and fans include Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek, Madonna and Michelle Obama. Each designer is introduced with a biography that highlights their working practices and key sources of inspiration. Illustrations include sketches as well as images of glorious finished designs, all of which are unique and many of which are bespoke. Complete with an introduction, a useful glossary and notes of designers’ websites (some work by appointment only), this is the perfect, curated resource for both aficionados and professionals who wish to view the craftsmanship of some of the most visionary practitioners working in the field of fine jewelry today

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Winner: Best Trade Illustrated Book, British Book Design & Production Awards 2017 ‘As to the arsenic scare a greater folly it is hardly possible to imagine: the doctors were bitten as people were bitten by the witch fever.’ — William Morris on toxic wallpapers, 1885. Bitten by Witch Fever presents facsimile samples of 275 of the most sumptuous wallpaper designs ever created by designers and printers of the age, including Christopher Dresser and Morris & Co. For the first time in their history, every one of the samples shown has been laboratory tested and found to contain arsenic. Interleaved with the wallpaper sections, evocative commentary guides you through the incredible story of the manufacture, uses and effects of arsenic, and presents the heated public debate surrounding the use of deadly pigments in the sublime wallpapers of a newly industrialized world. Chosen by Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss for their Belletrist Book Club's Gift Guide.

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This intimate glimpse into the private sketchbooks of the world’s leading landscape and garden designers reveals a dazzling array of insights and ideas that will inspire the amateur and practitioner alike. Thirty-seven international designers carefully selected by the design critic behind the Chelsea Fringe have opened their sketchbooks specially for this publication. Featuring hundreds of drawings and illustrations as diverse as their creators, Landscape and Garden Design Sketchbooksis a continual source of inspiration for planting, design elements, colour schemes and materials, encouraging weekend gardeners, design professionals and students to draw their ideas by hand.

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This much-anticipated sequel to the classic volume Sneakers: The Complete Collectors’ Guide is a global survey of, and reference guide to, the very best and most collectible limited-edition sneaker designs that have been released over the last decade. The first volume was a phenomenal success and a key influence in the transformation of sneaker collecting from an underground subculture into a mainstream, multi-billion dollar business. Following publication of that book, sneaker brands began reissuing classic designs and creating shoes that would spur the second wave of sneaker collecting: limited editions and collaborations between the brands and invited artists, designers, musicians and cultural icons. This sequel showcases the very best of this new sneaker culture, featuring more than 300 designs arranged by brand. Each sneaker is accompanied by informative text and a ‘data’ box listing Edition, Pack, Year Released, Original Purpose, Technology and Extras. An essential purchase for both the hardcore sneaker freak and the first time collector, this book will also attract and seduce fashion and design aficionados.

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Beginning in the 16th century, the golden age of European navigation brought about the flowering of an abundant textile trade, spurred by Western tastes for Eastern spices. While previous studies have focused on this story from the viewpoint of trade, Interwoven Globe is the first book to explore it as a history of design – and to approach it with from a truly universal perspective. Fascinating and richly illustrated texts explore the inter-relationship of textiles, commerce and taste from the Age of Discovery to the 19th century, and 120 works from around the globe are discussed in detail. From India and its renowned, ancient mastery of dyed-and-painted cotton goods to the sumptuous silks of Japan and China, Turkey and Iran, the paths of influence are traced westward to Europe and the Americas. Essential to this exchange was the trade in highly valued natural dyes and dye products, underscoring the impact of global exploration on the aesthetics and techniques used to produce textiles. Shaped by an emerging worldwide visual culture, the resulting fashion for the exotic’ in textiles, as well as other goods and art forms, gave rise to what can be called the first global style.

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Solve intriguing and challenging puzzles based on the world-renowned British Museum collection. The Rosetta Stone, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Assyrian reliefs, the Lewis Chessmen: many mysteries of the past are found within the walls of the British Museum, home to some of the most magnificent treasures in the world. Now you can learn more about its famous artefacts as you work your way through this beautifully designed, generously illustrated puzzle book. Created by the internationally renowned puzzle expert Dr Gareth Moore, this enticing mix of general knowledge, brainteasers, word games, crosswords and decipherment challenges offers a wealth of insight into the Museum’s widely varied collection. The puzzles are arranged in six thematic sections: the British Museum, Everyday Living, Bestiary, Myth and Magic, the Written Word, and Treasure. Additional facts about the Museum and its objects are provided throughout the book, affording readers a wider understanding of the role of the Museum today. Making history accessible to all, and with new insights for general readers, this richly entertaining book is perfect for puzzlers and armchair historians everywhere.

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A compact edition of this landmark publication, which celebrates humanity’s ability to create buildings that for millennia have responded ingeniously to cultural and environmental conditions. There has never been a more important time to understand how to make the best use of local natural resources and create buildings that do not rely on stripping our planet or transporting materials across the globe. First published in 2017, this major book gathers together the world’s leading experts on vernacular architecture to examine how local buildings have stood the test of time and offer lessons for the future. The core of the book is arranged by climate zone, from desert to tropical, temperate to arctic. Within each section, buildings are presented regionally, showing how climatic conditions and vegetation affect the evolution of building styles. This central part is bookended by a range of essays exploring the economic and anthropological aspects, while the reference section offers information on materials science and engineering, including how buildings have been adapted to contend with natural disasters. The traditions of vernacular architecture have much to teach us. Given our ecosystem’s increasing frailty, the architecture and building trade’s new role in a post-digital era, and the desperate need to record fading cultural traditions, the relevance of this book is greater than ever.

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A richly informative and visually packed sourcebook demonstrating and explaining the function and worldwide appeal of Islamic architecture. Islamic architecture dates back 1,400 years and continues to reinvent itself up to the present day. The enormous richness of building types, regional styles, and architectural details is revealed here by a well-travelled expert guide, exploring the familiar and unfamiliar, striking a balance between famous masterpieces and unknown gems. All eras and global regions are represented, with a selective eye for some of the creative exuberance, boldness and sensitivity of Islamic architecture that has not always been widely appreciated outside of the region. Close-ups of architectural details not only describe style and function but also show the hand of the craftsman, making this reference work both useful and beautiful. Here is a wealth of information about the historical and cultural context of buildings around the world, a chance to encounter the widest Islamic community, and the deeper pleasure of immersing ourselves in the beauty of Islamic architecture.

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How does the experience of turning a door handle, opening a door from one space to lead into another, affect us? It is no wonder that the door, one of the most elemental architectural forms, has such metaphorical richness. But even on a purely physical human level, the cold touch of a brass handle or the swish of a sliding screen gives rise to an emotional reaction, sometimes modest, occasionally profound. This book aims to understand how these everyday acts in space are influenced by architectural form, a concept that is vital for all architects to grasp if our buildings are to be anything more than a commercial or aesthetic enterprise. It considers how specific built elements and volumes, taken from a wide array of buildings and settings around the world, can sustain or deny our powers of decision. From the hand-carved stairs in Greek villages to free-floating catwalks, from the elegant processional steps of Renaissance Italy to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterly manipulation of form, from the seemingly random placement of Japanese stepping stones to the staircase in Chareau’s Glass House, all provide very difference experiences of stepping from one level to the next, and all affect our experience of that space. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of our daily interactions with architecture, looking at stairs, floors and paths, moving interior spaces, perception and perspective, transparency and the relationship between a building and its setting. This book is not just for architects and designers engaged in the production of space, but for all those who seek a richer understanding of their place in the built world.

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New in the Photofile series, a mini-monograph on Belgian photographer Harry Gruyaert. Born in Antwerp in 1941, Harry Gruyaert was a pioneer of European colour photography in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1972, he created TV Shots, a series of images created by turning the dial on a television set at random and photographing the screen. Later he travelled the world, seeking out different kinds of light and exhibiting a particular fascination with borders, interfaces and incongruous juxtapositions. A member of Magnum Photos since 1982, he describes colour as ‘a means of sculpting what I see ... it’s the emotion of photography.’ Most recently he has begun to explore the experimental freedom offered by digital photography. Autonomous, non-narrative and often witty, Gruyaert’s images are complex encounters with colour and light.

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Smart-lighting design is a rapidly growing area of interactive and cross-disciplinary design that is defining new practices in the profession. SuperLux is an international celebration of the ingenuity and artistry of the latest lighting technology and the ‘Smart Light’ movement. The book’s three sections focus on projects that use light to animate architecture and media screens; new forms of lighting in industrial zones and public areas, including wayfinding and streetlighting; and interactive installations in urban spaces. Each section is punctuated by essays by leading experts and designers in the field.

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In many ways the history of civilization is a history of our relationship with nature and landscape. Christophe Girot sets out to chronicle this intimate connection, drawing on all aspects of mankind’s creativity and ingenuity, and bringing together the key stories that have shaped our manmade landscapes. Starting from the dual inclination to clear land for cultivation and to enclose space for protection there emerges a vital and multifaceted narrative that describes our cultural relationship to, and dependence on, the landscape, right up to the present day. Organized chronologically, the chapters consist of a thematic essay that ties together the central developments, as well as a case study illustrated with specially commissioned photographs and meticulously detailed 3D re-creations showing the featured site in its original context. The result of over two decades of teaching experience and academic research at the world’s leading landscape institutes and universities, this masterful and hugely ambitious new interpretation of human intervention in the landscape will be essential reading for students and professionals worldwide.

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Born in Mexico in 1907, Frida Kahlo learned about suffering at an early age. She fell victim to polio at the age of six, and was then seriously hurt in a bus accident at eighteen, resulting in injuries that affected her for the rest of her life. The young and indomitable Frida met Diego Rivera, the great mural painter, when Mexico was at a great cultural and political crossroads. They formed a legendary partnership, with a strong attachment to Mexican folk art, a deep commitment to the Communist struggle and a raging artistic ambition that survived all the trials of their marriage. Admired by the Surrealists and photographed by the greatest, Frida was most renowned for her self-portraits and unusual still lifes. This book traces the extraordinary life of this artist whose unforgettable imagery combined cruelty and wit, honesty and insolence, pain and empowerment.

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A Financial Times Book of the Year: the definitive story of fashion's most enigmatic icon. Karl Lagerfeld lived a very public life. He shaped the Chanel and Fendi brands for decades, and his wit and wisdom amused and informed the world. Yet despite a massively public persona, his hinterland remained unknown. What is the truth behind this larger-than-life but enigmatic figure? The journalist and fashion specialist Alfons Kaiser met Lagerfeld on numerous occasions. He has now written the first authoritative biography on this fascinating character, whose life has always been marked by elements of secrecy. From his parents’ links with the Nazi regime to Lagerfeld’s last days in the company of only his closest friends, this book – the result of unprecedented archival and field work – divulges all the facets of a passionate artist and workaholic: the precocious boy who preferred to draw in the attic rather than play with his peers; the son who quarrelled with his parents but never got away from them; the competitor of Yves Saint Laurent, whom he outshone in the end; the brother, uncle, friend; and finally, the partner of Jacques de Bascher, the great love of his life.

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A revised edition of this popular history of design, updated to reflect innovations since the book’s first publication in 2016. Design: The Whole Story takes a close look at the key developments, movements and practitioners of design around the world, from the beginnings of industrial manufacturing to the present day. Organized chronologically, it locates design within its technological, cultural, economic, aesthetic and theoretical contexts. From the high-minded moralists of the 19th century to the radical thinkers of modernism – and from the emergence of showmen such as Raymond Loewy in the 1930s to today’s superstars such as Philippe Starck – the book provides in-depth coverage of a subject that touches all our lives. Iconic works that mark significant steps forward or that characterize a particular era or approach – such as Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair of 1925, Eliot Noyes’ corporate identity work for IBM in the 1950s and Matthew Carter’s Verdana typeface, designed to be read on screen – are analysed in detail, while the text sets out the framework of ideas, intent and technology within which differing approaches to design have evolved. From the cars we drive and the products we buy to the graphics that surround us, we are all consumers of design. Design: The Whole Story provides all the information needed to decode the material world.

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A plain speaking, jargon-free account of contemporary art that identifies key themes and approaches, providing the reader with a clear understanding of the contexts in which art is being made today. Since the 1960s contemporary art has overturned the accepted historical categorizations of what constitutes art, who creates it, and how it is represented and validated. This guide brings the subject right up-to-date, exploring the notion of ‘contemporary’ and what it means in the present as well as how it came about. Curator and writer Natalie Rudd explains the many aspects of contemporary art, from its backstory to today, including different approaches, media and recurring themes. Each chapter addresses a core question, explored via an accessible narrative and supported by an analysis of six relevant works. Rudd also looks at the role of the art market and its structures, including art fairs and biennales and how these have developed since the millennium; the expanded role of the contemporary artist as personality; how artists are untangling historical and contemporary narratives to expose inequalities; the ethics of making; and the potential for art to improve the world and effect political change. A ‘toolkit’ section offers advice on how to interpret contemporary art and where to access it. Offering a more multi-narrative and international perspective, this guide discusses what motivates artists as they try to make sense of the world, and their place within it.

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This ambitious volume, worldwide in scope and ranging from antiquity to the present, examines the human encounter with Unreason in all its manifestations, the challenges it poses to society and our responses to it. In twelve chapters organized chronologically from the Bible to Freud, from exorcism to mesmerism, from Bedlam to Victorian asylums, from the theory of humours to modern pharmacology, Andrew Scull writes compellingly about madness, its meanings, its consequences and our attempts to understand and treat it.

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Protégé of design legend Massimo Vignelli and partner in the New York office of the international design firm Pentagram, Michael Bierut has had one of the most varied careers of any living graphic designer. The projects he presents in this book illustrate the breadth of activity that graphic design encompasses today, his goal being to demonstrate not a single ideology, but the enthusiastically eclectic approach that has been a hallmark of his career. Each project is told in Bierut’s own entertaining voice and shown through historic images, preliminary drawings (including full-size reproductions of the notebooks he has maintained for over thirty-five years), working models and rejected alternatives, as well as the finished work. Along the way, he provides insights into the creative process, his working life, his relationship with clients, and the struggles that any design professional faces in bringing innovative ideas to the world today. This revised and expanded edition of Bierut’s bestselling monograph features new projects for major clients, such as Mastercard and The Poetry Foundation. Inspiring, informative and authoritative, How to... is a bible of graphic design ideas.With 833 illustrations in colour

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Christopher Neve’s classic book is a journey into the imagination through the English landscape. How is it that artists, by thinking in paint, have come to regard the landscape as representing states of mind? ‘Painting’, says Neve, ‘is a process of finding out, and landscape can be its thesis.’ What he is writing is not precisely art history: it is about pictures, about landscape and about thought. Over the years, he was able to have discussions with many of the thirty or so artists he focuses on, the inspiration for the book having come from his talks with Ben Nicholson; and he has immersed himself in their work, their countryside, their ideas. Because he is a painter himself, and an expert on 20th-century art, Neve is well equipped for such a journey. Few writers have conveyed more vividly the mixture of motives, emotions, unconscious forces and contradictions which culminate in the creative act of painting. Each of the thirteen chapters has a theme and explores its significance for one or more of the artists. The problem of time, for instance, is considered in relation to Paul Nash, God in relation to David Jones, music to Ivon Hitchens, hysteria to Edward Burra, abstraction to Ben Nicholson, ‘the spirit in the mass’ to David Bomberg. There are also chapters about painters’ ideas on specific types of country: about Eric Ravilious and the chalk landscape, Joan Eardley and the sea, and Cedric Morris and the garden.

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Design for the Real World has been translated into over twenty languages since it first appeared in 1971; it has become the world’s most widely read book on design and is an essential text in many design and architectural schools. This edition offers a blueprint for survival in the third millennium. Victor Papanek’s lively and instructive guide shows how design can reduce pollution, overcrowding, starvation, obsolescence and other modern ills. He leads us away from ‘fetish objects for a wasteful society’ towards a new age of morally and environmentally responsible design.

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Anime Architecture presents the most breathtaking environments created by the most important and revered directors and illustrators of Japanese animated films. From futuristic cities of steel to romantic rural locales, the creators of anime have conjured memorable and painstakingly detailed worlds, the influences of which have been felt across cinema, literature, comic books and videogames for decades. This volume offers a peerless survey of these cinematic arenas – including materials from Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Tekkonkinkreet – through original background paintings, storyboards, drafts, sources of inspiration and film excerpts. A celebration and resource produced in direct collaboration with the original Japanese production studios, Anime Architecture offers privileged views into the earliest conception stages of iconic scenes, through to their development into finished films. Anyone who has been touched by the beauty and imagination of classic anime will find page after page of revelation and inspiration. Containing the often secretive creative processes of the major anime studios, this enthusiast’s treasure trove will have its significance for future generations of artists, illustrators, architects, designers, videogame makers and dreamers.

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The Middle East: The Cradle of Civilization synthesizes the latest research and information from a range of disciplines to tell the compelling story, from the Neolithic period through to the Arab conquest, of how a group of linguistically disparate, nomadic tribes responded to specific social, economic and environmental factors to form the world’s first complex societies. This is an authoritative, detailed and accessible story, divided into six easily navigable parts arranged chronologically, and then into chapters exploring the history, religion, political and social organization, art, science and architecture of the peoples of the region. The text is illustrated with more than 500 superb full colour images – artifacts, artworks, statues, reliefs, buildings and landscapes – as well as six detailed maps, which bring the region’s dramatic past vividly to life.

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Hand Drawn Maps is a fun ‘how to’ book about hand drawn cartography. It is introduced by a brief history of maps and map making, followed by five sections covering everything you need to know to make your own maps. Section 1 covers the practicalities, so by the end of it you are equipped to create your own map using compasses, neatlines, cartouche, handlettering, and your own symbols. Section 2 looks at different types of map, from picture and word maps to architectural blueprints and video game maps. Section 3 uses a wide range of examples to show the reader how to create maps of places, from early strip maps used to describe the journeys taken by 18th-century stagecoaches to dungeon and treasure maps. Section 4 covers maps of ideas. There are exercises throughout to enable the reader to build on the knowledge they have just gained. The book is completed by six stand-alone projects.

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The final edition of the late Tom Phillips’s ‘defining masterpiece of postmodernism’. In 1966 the artist Tom Phillips discovered A Human Document (1892), an obscure Victorian romance by W.H. Mallock, and set himself the task of altering every page, by painting, collage or cut-up techniques, to create an entirely new version. Some of Mallock’s original text remains intact and through the illustrated pages the character of Bill Toge, Phillips’s anti-hero, and his romantic plight emerges. First published in 1973, A Humument – as Phillips titled his altered book – quickly established itself as a cult classic. From that point, the artist worked towards a complete revision of his original, adding new pages in successive editions. That process is now finished. This final edition presents an entirely new and complete version of A Humument. It includes a revised Introduction by the late artist, in which he reflects on the 50-year project, and 92 new illustrated pages.

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