Search results for ""British Museum Press""
Nosy Crow Ltd British Museum Press Out and Decorate: Fantastic Creatures
Make your own 3D decorations with this brilliant board book of press-out fantastic creatures from the British Museum! From dragons to griffins and harpies to phoenixes, this book features 25 unique, intricately foiled designs that can be slotted together and to create 3D ornaments, hung up or threaded together to make an amazing garland. Each page is covered in silver foil, with foiled pieces which can be pressed out and coloured in to make a fun collection of personalised creatures. This book was developed in consultation with experts at the British Museum and all creatures illustrated were inspired by objects in the British Museum's collection. Other titles in this fantastic series include: Birds, Easter Eggs, Butterflies, Unicorns, Christmas Decorations, Halloween, Flamingos, Llamas and Other Cool Things, Narwhals and Mermaids, Ancient Egypt and Dinosaurs.
£9.99
British Museum Press Precious Treasures from the Diamond Throne: Finds from the Site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment
The Mahābodhi temple at Bodhgayā in eastern India has long been recognised as the place where the Buddha sat in meditation and attained enlightenment. The site, soon identified as the ‘Diamond Throne’ or vajrāsana, became a destination for pilgrims and a focus of religious attention for more than two thousand years. This volume presents new research on Bodhgayā and assesses the important archaeological, artistic and literary evidence that bears witness to the Buddha’s enlightenment and to the enduring significance of Bodhgayā in the history of Buddhism. The book brings together a team of international scholars to look at the history and perception of the site across the Buddhist world and its position in the networks of patronage and complex religious landscape of northern India. The volume assesses the site’s decline in the thirteenth century, as well as its subsequent revival as a result of archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. Using the British Museum’s collections as a base, the authors discuss the rich material culture excavated from the site that highlights Bodhgayā’s importance in the field of Buddhist studies.
£40.00
British Museum Press How the Olympics Came To Be
If you want to know about the ancient Olympic games, ask someone who was there! Who better to ask than Tethys, the grandmother of all the Greek gods. The Greek gods gather on Mount Olympus to watch the games taking place on Earth below. Like any typical family, they revive old rivalries, pick out their favourite competitors, and vie for the best view. Called upon to answer their questions and resolve their squabbles, Grandmother Tethys soothes and distracts them with stories about How the Olympic Games Came To Be. Prompted by the sporting events the gods have been watching down below, these tales reveal the mythical rivalries and adventures of both gods and mortals that inspired the very first Olympic competitions. The gripping text is accompanied by illustrations inspired by ancient Greek objects and designs in the British Museum.
£7.78
British Museum Press Indian Love Poetry
Love is widely celebrated in Indian poetry, whether mystic love for the divine or the passionate and affectionate feelings between lovers, husbands, wives, parents and children, family and friends. Although the literary forms and language may not be quite so familiar, the same themes reappear in many of today’s preoccupations with love and romance. This attractive collection combines a selection of translations from various languages of the best of Indian poetry with illustrations drawn from some of the finest examples of Indian art in the British Museum.
£9.99
British Museum Press Pharaoh art and power in ancient Egypt
Explores the ideals, symbolism and ideology of Egyptian kingship and uncovers the stories behind the objects and images left as a legacy by this ancient civilisation. The rulers of ancient Egypt were not always male, nor always Egyptian. At times, Egypt was divided by civil war, conquered by foreign powers or ruled by competing kings. While some kings were revered such as Thutmose III who expanded Egypt's empire to its largest extent the memory of others was officially erased. Many of the objects surviving from ancient Egypt project the image the pharaoh wanted us to see however this book explores the reality and the many challenges of ruling one of the greatest civilisations the world has ever seen. After an introduction into the historic and geographic timeframe of the ancient Pharaohs, the book explores royal iconography, decoding the insignia worn and held by the king, or the names and titles covering most royal monuments. The core of the book investigates the main roles of
£27.00
British Museum Press Classical Love Poetry
From the darkly erotic poetry of Sappho to the bawdy advice of Ovid, love is a ubiquitous theme in Classical poetry. This newly revised edition collects the best short poems and extracts from the Classical tradition, by authors including Virgil, Homer, Catullus, Horace, Sappho and Ovid, and illustrates them with the finest Classical and classically inspired pieces from the British Museum’s extensive collection. With an engaging and informative introduction on love in Classical poetry and a short biographical note on each of the poets covered, Classical Love Poetry is a delightful exploration of the treasures of Classical literature and art that will be equally appreciated by aficionados and those coming to the poems for the first time.
£9.99
British Museum Press Assyrian Sculpture
For almost three centuries, until 612 BC, the small kingdom of Assyria dominated the Middle East, its empire at one point extending from Iran to Egypt. The story of those years - the triumphs of the Assyrian kings in war and peace, their exploits in the hunting field, and the gods who watched over them - were recorded in stone on the walls of a succession of royal palaces. These sculptures, offering eye-witness views of a long-lost civilisation, were rediscovered in the 19th century. The finest collection, transported with great difficulty to Europe, is now preserved at the British Museum. This book describes how the sculptures were found and what they meant to those who created them. It is both a richly illustrated history of Assyrian sculptures in general and a guide to the outstanding collections of the British Museum.
£9.99
British Museum Press Obras Maestras del Museo Británico
El Museo Británico alberga varias de las colecciones más extensas y magníficas del mundo, que abarcan desde la prehistoria hasta el presente, desde las culturas antiguas hasta las modernas de todo el planeta. Este libro de atractivo diseño presenta una selección especial de 250 objetos, de entre los más bellos e importantes del Museo, cada uno de ellos acompañado de su fascinante historia y magníficamente ilustrado a todo color. Desde la copa Warren hasta el rinoceronte de Durero, desde las piezas del ajedrez Lewis hasta la serpiente azteca de turquesa y el gato de Gayer-Anderson, los emblemáticos objetos del Museo Británico se presentan de una forma novedosa, accesible y apasionante, para destacar la soberbia maestría y el ingenio de quienes crearon estas espléndidas piezas. Agrupadas en secciones, siguiendo temas comunes a todas las culturas: gobernantes, animales míticos, vestimentas y la forma humana, la miscelánea resultante ofrece una visión nueva de esta gran variedad de obras maestras. Se trata de un repaso fascinante, con introducciones del director anterior del Museo Británico, Neil MacGregor, a los logros artísticos y culturales alcanzados en todo el mundo.
£17.09
British Museum Press The Queen of the Night
A concise and beautifully designed book exploring the symbolism behind an exquisite Ancient Babylonian plaque found in southern Iraq. This spectacular terracotta plaque was the principal acquisition for the British Museum's 250th anniversary, and in 2004 was exhibited in various museums around the UK. Made between 1800 and 1859 BC, it is made from baked straw-tempered clay and modelled in high relief. It probably stood in a shrine and could represent the demoness Lilitu, known in the Bible as Lilith, or a Mesopotamian goddess. The figure wears the horned headdress characteristic of a Mesopotamian deity, and holds a rod and ring of justice, symbols of her divinity. Her long multi-coloured wings hang downwards, indicating that she is a goddess of the Underworld. The book explores the history and symbolism behind this beautiful and highly unusual relief.
£13.28
British Museum Press Masterpieces: Medieval Art
The British Museum has one of the world’s finest collections of antiquities from medieval Europe, and this is the first fully illustrated guide to the highlights of the collection, now in paperback. In one beautiful volume are displayed 150 of the most important objects, including the most famous such as the Lewis chessmen, the Borradaile triptych, the St Eustace head reliquary, the Royal Gold Cup, the Royal Gittern and medieval court art from the palaces of Westminster and Clarendon as well as a selection of lesser-known but equally impressive pieces. These remarkable treasures are placed in their historical context through an exploration of themes such as devotional art and pilgrimage, royal patronage and the arts of love, leisure and feasting, to provide a visually stunning insight into the artistic production of this critical period in Western history.
£28.75
British Museum Press Write Your Own Egyptian Hieroglyphs: Names · Greetings · Insults · Sayings
A handy and colourful illustrated guide to reading, writing and understanding ancient Egyptian names, epithets, titles and phrases. The Egyptians believed that the creator god Ptah brought the world into being by naming everything in it. Names had great power, and kings often over-wrote their own names on monuments of earlier rulers. A person’s name was a vitally important part of them, and the Egyptians were very concerned that their names should be recorded, remembered and spoken. Criminals and those who had fallen out of favour could be punished – wiped out of history – by having their names destroyed or defaced. The hieroglyphic script provided a beautiful, flexible and expressive meaning to write the names of humans, gods and animals. Angela McDonald explains the meanings of Egyptian personal names and how they were made up (Rameses = “Ra has given birth to him”), and demonstrates how they were written in different ways to convey various shades of meaning. Royal and divine names are always given special treatment. The Egyptians were not always formal, and nicknames were common. Even the names of pet animals are recorded in tomb paintings.
£8.99
British Museum Press Ceramic Exchange and the Indian Ocean Economy (AD 400-1275). Volume I: Analysis
From AD 500–1000, the Indian Ocean emerged as a global commercial centre, and by around 750–800 a sophisticated trade network had been established involving the movement of goods from Japan and China in the east, to southern Africa and Spain in the west. However, the Indian Ocean’s commercial system has been relatively understudied, with many of the key assumptions regarding its development based on narrative textual sources and selective archaeological evidence.This study sets out the case for the unique significance of quantified ceramic finds as an indicator of long-term changes in the scale and volume of maritime exchange in a period for which few other sources of systematic economic history survive. The publication presents archaeological data from thirteen sites distributed across the western Indian Ocean, including Siraf (Iran), Anuradhapura (Sri Lanka) and Manda (Kenya). The ceramic assemblages are considered in terms of their general compositional characteristics and the distinctions between local, regional and long-distance exchange. The volume concludes with a discussion of how this data can be used to address the broader issues of long-term economic change and the relationship between state power in the Middle East and the commercial networks of the Indian Ocean operating via the Persian Gulf.
£40.00
British Museum Press Imagining the Divine: Art in Religions of Late Antiquity across Eurasia
This groundbreaking volume brings together scholars of the art and archaeology of late antiquity (c. 200−1000), across cultures and regions reaching from India to Iberia, to discuss how objects can inform our understanding of religions. During this period major transformations are visible in the production of religious art and in the relationships between people and objects in religious contexts across the ancient world. These shifts in behaviour and formalising of iconographies are visible in art associated with numerous religious traditions including, but not limited to, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, religions of the Roman Empire, and paganism in northern Europe. Studies of these religions and their material culture, however, have been shaped by Eurocentric and post-Reformation Christian frameworks that prioritised Scripture and minimised the capacity of images and objects to hold religious content. Despite recent steps to incorporate objects, much academic discourse, especially in comparative religion, remains stubbornly textual. This volume therefore seeks to explore the ramifications of placing objects first and foremost in the comparative study of religions in late antiquity, and to consider the potential for interdisciplinary conversation to reinvigorate the field.
£40.00
British Museum Press Porcelain Repair and Restoration
This text explains simply, step-by-step, how even inexperienced amateurs can achieve excellent results when they embark on porcelain restoration. Would-be restorers are introduced to the many options available and encouraged to discover which techniques suit their individual needs.
£12.09
British Museum Press Haiku Animals
This second volume of haiku focusing on the animal kingdom takes you on a journey through a single day with a variety of animal companions. This book reproduces works by the great 17th and 18th century poets such as Basho, Buson and Issa, as well as later works by contemporary writers and novelists. The haiku form is a perfect way of capturing a moment of experience or a fleeting impression, and in this book, the impressions are strengthened and extended by the illustrations. Special use is made of Utamaro’s exquisite Ehon mushi erabi (“a selection of insects”). The fact that this sophisticated artist chose insects for one of his most luxurious woodblock printed albums underlines the Japanese appreciation of even the most diminutive of animals, which is shown repeatedly, too, in the haiku: even fleas can be the subject of an affectional poem. Elsewhere in the animal kingdom, horses, dogs, monkeys and a variety of birds also make good subjects. A selection of beautiful prints, hanging scrolls and hand-scroll paintings illustrates these too.
£11.09
British Museum Press Medieval Love Poetry
John Cherry recently retired as Keeper of the medieval collections in the British Museum. He is the author of Medieval Decorative Art and Goldsmiths (Medieval Craftsmen series) and editor of The British Museum Book of Mythical Beasts.
£8.99
British Museum Press Nero: the man behind the myth
One of the best known figures from Roman history, Nero (r. AD 54–68) is most often characterised as a tyrannical and ineffectual ruler, who fiddled while Rome burnt. Such a reputation has, however, been shaped by ancient literary sources written by his adversaries and enemies and, in light of new research, can be considered crudely reductive. This publication, and the exhibition it accompanies, redresses the balance and provides a more nuanced interpretation of Nero’s reign and Roman society of the time, reflecting on the traditional perceptions of his rule and revealing the challenges with which the young heir to Claudius’ empire had to contend. The period during which Nero ruled over Roman society was one of profound change. The extent of the empire at the time was vast, having grown significantly during the previous century through conquest and annexation, and peace and prosperity followed years of bloody war. The role of Nero’s mother Agrippina in his accession to the throne is well-documented, but her expectations of great influence once Nero was in post were not met and the role of women, and family more widely, is considered in detail in this book. In addition to familial conflict, Nero also had to confront the threat of rival powers and the assimilation of newly conquered territories, which provided him with the opportunity to prove himself as a strong military leader. Alongside military campaigns, he adopted ‘populist’ policies, was preoccupied with the beautification of the heart of his empire, which was subsequently devastated by fire, and enthusiastically engaged in theatre and entertainment. Nero’s rule was curtailed by military rebellion in AD 68 and the embattled emperor ultimately committed suicide. His death brought to an end the reign of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, and the subsequent vilification of his memory and the removal and desecration of his image are an enduring, but misleading, legacy.
£22.50
British Museum Press How To Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A step-by-step guide to teach yourself
Have you ever wished that you could read the beautiful hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt for yourself? Now you can, with the help of this practical step-by-step guide. It is suitable for complete beginners, or for anyone who would like to improve their knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Mark Collier and Bill Manley have many years of experience teaching non-specialists at courses around the UK, so their approach is tried and tested. From the very beginning you will be introduced to genuine texts from ancient monuments. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of the ancient Egyptian language's hieroglyphic script and encourages you to develop your growing reading skills with practical exercises. The authors concentrate on a fascinating and rewarding group of monuments – funerary inscriptions, coffins and tomb scenes. The texts and supporting notes offer a first-hand insight into topics such as the pharaonic administration, family life in ancient Egypt, and ancient Egyptian approaches to death and the afterlife. With this book as your guide, you will be able to read with confidence the monuments reproduced in this book, and Egyptian monuments on display around the world.
£14.99
British Museum Press Revolution on Paper
£22.50
British Museum Press The Tale of King Harald: The Last Viking Adventure
An illustrated adventure telling the story of King Harald Sigurdsson, the last king of the Vikings Based on a true story, Harald’s adventure takes him from a frightened teenager to wealthy and powerful warrior and finally, to a ruthless and tyrannical king, whose ambition leads him to a futile, yet glorious death at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. In this exciting and action-packed story, Harald journeys across the world from Scandinavia to Russia, Byzantium, Sicily, Turkey, Palestine and finally England. Travelling overland and by sea he gathers wealth, recongition and power, and along the way meets a range of famous and flamboyant historical figures including Cnut the Great, Prince Jaroslav of Kiev, the Empress Zoe and King Harold of England.
£7.99
British Museum Press African Textiles Today
A fascinating insight into the living history of Africa. African textiles are patterned with stories that range far beyond the time of the creation or the lifetime of their creator. In Africa, cloth is used to commemorate important events, people or political struggles that in other parts of the world might be recorded in writing, or marked by a plaque or monument. This beautifully illustrated book deciphers these hidden stories, whilst also revealing the relevance of African textiles today, exploring how the dynamic traditions in African cloth-making have provided inspiration for the continent's foremost contemporary artists and photographers. Africa's long engagement with the peoples of the Mediterranean and the islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans provides a story of change and continuity, showing how ideas, techniques, materials and markets have adapted and flourished. Accompanied by 200 stunning illustrations revealing the rich variety of textile traditions throughout Africa, this new work showcases some of the world's finest examples of textile arts.
£27.00
British Museum Press Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt
Praise for the exhibition ***** The Telegraph ***** The Times ***** Daily Telegraph **** The Evening Standard “Plunge into the infinity pool of ancient Egyptian history with this dizzying array of artworks” - Waldemar Januszczack, Sunday Times Culture magazine Today the history of ancient Egypt is known around the world, recognisable in precious museum collections and countless retellings from popular culture. Yet for hundreds of years, from the late Roman Empire to the 19th century, the wonders of this ancient civilisation were frozen in time, locked in artefacts that could not be understood due to the loss of the ancient Egyptian language. In 1799 the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a slab inscribed in three scripts, hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek, changed the course of history, unlocking thousands of years of ancient culture and eventually becoming one of the world’s most famous museum artefacts. The British Museum’s exhibition Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt and this accompanying publication tell the story of the Rosetta Stone and of countless other objects that were key to efforts to decode the hieroglyphs dating back to the Islamic Golden Age. Featuring fascinating objects from the British Museum and international lenders, the book shows how the presence of a written language was the key to understanding life in ancient Egypt, from everyday business affairs to the sacred secrets of the afterlife. Interweaving the story of decipherment with colonial history, the book takes readers up to the present day, revealing what researchers are doing now to tell us more about one of the world’s longest surviving civilisations through the understanding of their writing. Published to coincide with the bicentenary of Jean-François Champollion’s breakthrough in decipherment, this beautifully illustrated book shows how an unassuming grey stone was the key to the secrets of ancient Egypt and led to the most significant code breaking moment in history.
£36.00
British Museum Press Pots, Prints and Politics: Ceramics with an Agenda, from the 14th to the 20th Century
From the introduction of woodblock printing in China to the development of copper-plate engraving in Europe, the print medium has been used around the world to circulate knowledge. Ceramic artists across time and cultures have adapted these graphic sources as painted or transfer-printed images applied onto glazed or unglazed surfaces to express political and social issues including propaganda, self-promotion, piety, gender, national and regional identities. Long before photography, printers also included pots in engravings or other two-dimensional techniques which have broadened scholarship and encouraged debate.Pots, Prints and Politics examines how European and Asian ceramics traditionally associated with the domestic sphere have been used by potters to challenge convention and tackle serious issues from the 14th to the 20th century. Using the British Museum’s world-renowned ceramics and prints collections as a base, the authors have challenged and interrogated a variety of ceramic objects – from teapots to chamber pots – to discover new meanings that are as relevant today as they were when they were first conceived.
£40.00
British Museum Press Charles Masson: Collections from Begram and Kabul Bazaar, Afghanistan 1833–1838
The book discusses and catalogues Charles Masson’s 1833–8 collections from the urban site of Begram and Kabul bazaar. It utilises Masson archival material which appears as a supplementary BM online publication The Charles Masson Archive: British Library, British Museum and Other Documents Relating to the 1832–1838 Masson Collection from Afghanistan: http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/Masson%20archive%20Vol.%202.pdf The catalogued objects will be selected from c. 7600 coins and c. 1500 artefacts from Begram and Kabul bazaar now in the British Museum, supplemented by illustrated coins recorded in Masson's archival manuscripts (F526/1a) and in H.H. Wilson (Ariana Antiqua London 1841), but no longer in the collection. A key resource will be the records and images of all the artefacts already available on the Museum’s Collection online database: http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/search.aspx?searchText=Charles+Masson
£40.00
British Museum Press Bronze Head From Ife
Believed to represent a king, the beautiful bronze head in the British Museum is one of seventeen objects unearthed in 1938–9 at the town of Ife in Nigeria. The stunning naturalism and sophisticated craftsmanship of the objects challenged Western perceptions of African art at the time, which were largely based around abstract wooden figures. It was consequently assumed at first that they must have been made by Europeans or under European influence. In time, however, they came to be seen as wholly African, probably dating from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries, and representative of a hitherto unknown artistic tradition on that continent. The bronze head from Ife is one of the most prized objects in the British Museum’s African collections. This book tells its fascinating story, from its discovery to its reception and exhibition in Britain, where it influenced and inspired several major artists. The author also describes how the head has taken on a new life and significance in its homeland, where images of it have abounded since Nigeria declared independence from Britain in 1960.
£6.53
British Museum Press Aztecs Sticker Book
The first title in a colourful series of sticker books, Aztecs, introduces the famous civilization of the Aztecs who flourished about 600 years ago in what is now central Mexico, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores in 1519. The Aztecs had a sophisticated civilization based around their capital city, Tenochtitlan, and were skilled in making beautiful objects of mosaic, jade, stone, featherwork and metal. The book features six ‘galleries’ which children will enjoy filling with stickers of real Aztec objects. Each gallery has a theme, such as Gods and Goddesses and Aztec Life and each space has a descriptive ‘label’ so that children can identify and place the relevant object stickers in the display. While they have fun with the stickers, they are learning about the objects and the culture from which they come. The final gallery is an empty ‘exhibition space’ which the children can furnish with their own choice of objects to create a completely personal Aztecs exhibition. The stickers are peelable, so if they are lifted up with care, the display can be re-created again and again. The book features approximately 100 colourful stickers.
£4.49
British Museum Press 5000 Years of Tiles
5000 Years of Tiles is the essential, single-volume colour compendium of tile art and production around the world, from ancient times to the present day. Over 350 beautiful colour illustrations showcase an incredible range of tile arts, including the first fired roof tiles in ancient Greece in the third millennium BC, English medieval floor pavements from Clarendon Palace, figural tiles from China, richly patterned Iznik tiles from the Islamic world and stylized ceramic tiles of the Arts and Crafts movement. Placing the tiles firmly in their historical and cultural context, this richly illustrated book highlights the continuity and diversity of tiles, examining how tile art in one time and place has inspired and rejuvenated those in others. The function and form of this versatile art is examined in stunning detail, from floors to roofs, stoves to bathrooms, cathedrals to metro stations to reveal a fascinating history of design, colour and decoration.
£22.50
British Museum Press The Holy Thorn Reliquary
Made in gold and enamel and decorated with precious stones, the Holy Thorn Reliquary depicts the salvation of mankind through the sacrifice of Christ. It was commissioned around 1400–10 by Jean duc de Berry, a member of the French royal family, to house a single thorn from the relic of Christ’s Crown of Thorns. Having left the duke’s possession, it was recorded in Vienna from around 1544 until the 1860s, eventually being acquired by a member of the wealthy Rothschild family, with its true identity remaining undiscovered until the twentieth century. This book explores the meaning and history of this fascinating object, and tells the tale of its remarkable survival and eventual passage to the British Museum.
£6.84
British Museum Press Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything
Shortlisted for Exhibition Catalogue of the Year in the British Book Design and Production Awards 2022. ---------- 'Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything... is both an important contribution to the existing scientific knowledge of the work of this outstanding Japanese artist and an important illustrative source for researchers representing such fields as art history, sinology, Japanese studies, Korean studies, cultural anthropology and cognitive anthropology. For a reader who is not professionally connected with any of the scientific disciplines, Hokusai's mastery of drawing may prove to be an inspiration to broaden their knowledge in the field of history of art and history of culture.' – Ethos, quarterly magazine ---------- A landmark publication of a major new discovery of over 100 drawings by foremost Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Acquired by the British Museum in 2020, these previously unpublished drawings had been forgotten for over 70 years. Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is considered by many to be Japan’s greatest artist. During his seventy-year career, he produced a considerable oeuvre of some 3,000 colour prints, illustrations for over 200 books, hundreds of drawings and over 1,000 paintings. These 103 exciting and exquisite small drawings were made for an unpublished book called Great Picture Book of Everything – featuring wide-ranging subjects from depictions of religious, mythological, historical and literary figures to animals, birds, flowers and other natural phenomena, as well as landscapes. They are dominated by subjects that relate to ancient China and India, and also Southeast and Central Asia. Many subjects found in the collection are not found in previous Hokusai works, including fascinating imaginings of the origin of human culture in ancient China. This beautifully produced book draws on the latest research, illustrating the complete set of drawings, published for the first time.
£22.50
British Museum Press The Medieval Cookbook
Drawing on the cuisine of the Middle Ages, from the fall of the Roman Empire to Henry VIII's break with Rome, this new treatment of a classic book explores the relationship between food, religion and the ever-widening gap between the tables of the rich and the poor. Featured is an appetizing collection of recipes inspired by medieval manuscripts, richly illustrated throughout with stunning scenes of food, feasting and cooking from paintings, tapestries and drawings. The Medieval Cookbook has been thoughtfully adapted for the modern kitchen, whilst retaining the true essence of dining in medieval Britain.
£14.99
British Museum Press Edward Burne-Jones: The Hidden Humorist
Edward Burne-Jones, member of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is renowned for his beautiful but usually melancholy evocations of a mythical, literary, ancient or medieval world, as well as his life-long friendship with William Morris. It will surprise many therefore to discover that he was a talented caricaturist and comic sketch artist. This charming book reveals a man brimming with imagination, a keen eye and impish sense of humour who took delight in drawing to amuse and entertain. His witty but affectionate caricatures of friends and family feature familiar faces, such as Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, while his self-caricatures are endearingly self-deprecating. Accompanying these are enchanting sketches he created to illustrate letters and entertain children, and an introduction discussing the life and work of the artist in wider context. Beautifully illustrated with rarely published pieces from the large collection at the British Museum, this book provides an insight into another side of Burne-Jones and illuminates the personality and relationships of one of the most beloved English romantic painters.
£9.99
British Museum Press China’s hidden century: 1796 - 1912
'[H]andsomely illustrated’ – Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide ‘The exhibition catalogue’s seven essays…are a guide to [a] re-reading of the past, threading the relics on display into a rich tapestry of what life entailed under the last century of Manchu reign.’ – Rhoda Kwan, The Mekong Review Cultural creativity in China between 1796 and 1912 demonstrated extraordinary resilience at a time of intense external and internal warfare and socioeconomic turmoil. Innovation can be seen in material culture (including print, painting, calligraphy, textiles, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, lacquer, glass, arms and armour, silver, and photography) during a century in which China’s art, literature, crafts and technology faced unprecedented exposure to global influences. 1796 – the official end of the reign of the Qianlong emperor – is viewed as the close of the ‘high Qing’ and the start of a period of protracted crisis. In 1912, the last emperor, Puyi, abdicated after the revolution of 1911, bringing to an end some 2,000 years of dynastic rule and making way for the republic. Until recently the 19th century in China has been often defined – and dismissed – as an era of cultural decline. Built on new research from a four-year project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and with chapter contributions by international scholars from leading institutions, this beautifully illustrated, 336-page book edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall and Julia Lovell sets out a fresh understanding of this important era. It presents a stunning array of objects and artworks to create a detailed visual account of responses to war, technology, urbanisation, political transformations and external influences.
£40.50
British Museum Press Chinese Ceramics: Highlights of the Sir Percival David Collection
Sir Percival David made one of the finest collections of Chinese ceramics outside Asia. It includes many items of imperial quality, with beautiful examples of extremely rare Ru and guan wares as well as the famous David vases. Their inscriptions date to 1351, making them an internationally acknowledged yardstick for the dating of Chinese blue and white porcelain. Here are 50 selected highlights, all illustrated with colour photographs taken especially for this publication. The accompanying text provides details and draws out the important features of each piece. The range and scope of the collection provide the material for a stunning overview and accessible introduction to Chinese ceramic art.
£14.99
British Museum Press Masterpieces: Early Medieval Art
This beautiful volume explores the lesser-known history of Europe and the Mediterranean, bridging the gap between the Mediterranean and the North of Europe, the Byzantine and Roman empires and the ‘barbarian’ world of the Dark Ages; a period that saw Christianity established as a major world religion as well as the rise of Islam. Drawn from all the major cultures of the period and covering an extensive geographical and chronological sweep, this richly illustrated book celebrates the artistic accomplishment of objects made from a varied and attractive array of materials such as gold, silver, precious stones, ivory, glass, ceramics and textiles. Showcased are some of the British Museum collection’s most outstanding and internationally renowned objects, including the Projecta Casket, treasures from the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Fuller Brooch. The text reveals a fascinating insight into their makers and owners as well as the world in which they were created.
£22.50
British Museum Press Legion: life in the Roman army
The Roman army has been immortalised in heroic art and screen epics, but what was life really like for an ordinary soldier? ‘Everything the best history books can be: erudite, entertaining and eloquent.’ – Terry Deary, author of Horrible Histories ‘Splendidly direct, clear and jargon free… You are unlikely to find a clearer or more comprehensive account’ – Classics for All This book tells the story of everyday life in the army – including the experiences of women and enslaved people – through a range of rare objects and testimonies. These include letters from Apion and Terentianus, young Egyptian soldiers writing home to their families; the tombstone of 4-year-old Vacia, a touching reminder of the presence of children near forts; the remains of a soldier found at Herculaneum, killed in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79; and a board game played by soldiers in their spare time. Human experiences are set within the context of the first three centuries of the common era, widely recognised as the Roman army’s heyday. During this period, forces were split into legions of citizen-only troops and auxiliary units of non-citizen troops, with the latter offered a chance at citizenship and social advancement after around 25 years of service. As well as describing the social forces behind the army, this book addresses its violent reality for civilians and troops – battle tactics, weaponry and the risk for convicted soldiers of becoming amphitheatre entertainment are all explored. Travelling from the deserts of North Africa to the freezing climes of Scotland, and moving from the gruesome life of a medic to loving correspondence between friends, readers gain a vivid picture of life in the Roman army, with all the spectacular and ordinary experiences it involved. Praise for the British Museum Legion: life in the Roman army exhibition The Times ***** Telegraph ***** Guardian ***** Evening Standard **** Time Out ****
£40.50
British Museum Press Cuneiform
Cuneiform script on tablets of clay is, as far as we know, the oldest form of writing in the world. The choice of clay as writing medium in ancient Mesopotamia meant that records of all kinds could survive down to modern times, preserving fascinating documents from ancient civilization, written by a variety of people and societies. From reading these tablets we can understand not only the history and economics of the time but also the beliefs, ideas and superstitions. This fascinating book will bring the world in which the cuneiform was written to life for the non-expert reader, revealing how ancient inscriptions can lead to a new way of thinking about the past. It will explain how this pre-alphabetic writing really worked and how it was possible to use cuneiform signs to record so many different languages so long ago. Richly illustrated with a wealth of fresh examples ranging from elementary school exercises to revealing private letters or beautifully calligraphic literature for the royal library, we will meet people that aren’t so very different from ourselves. We will read the work of many scribes – from mundane record keepers to state fortune tellers, using tricks from puns to cryptography. For the first time cuneiform tablets and their messages are not remote and inaccessible, but wonderfully human documents that resonate today.
£9.99
British Museum Press Luxury and power: Persia to Greece
An eye-opening publication that contrasts perceptions of luxury – together with its positive and negative connotations – in imperial Persia, democratic Athens and the Hellenistic world between 600 and 200 BCE. ‘Luxuriously illustrated’ – Asian Review of Books Luxurious objects are celebrated for their exoticism, rarity and style, but also disparaged as indulgent, extravagant and corrupt. The ancient origins of these attitudes emerged at the boundary between the imperial Persian and democratic Athenian Greek worlds. Luxury was at the centre of the royal Persian court and behaviours of ostentatious display rippled through the imperial provinces, whose elite classes emulated luxury objects in lesser materials. But luxury is contrastingly depicted through Athenian eyes – within the philosophical context of early democratic codes and the historical context of the Greco-Persian Wars, which suddenly and spectacularly brought eastern luxuries into the imagination of the Athenian populace for the first time. While Greek writers rejected luxury as eastern, despotic and corrupt, the Athenian elite adopted Persian luxuries in imaginative ways to signal status, distinction and prestige. Under the Macedonian empire of Alexander the Great and its subsequent kingdoms, royal Achaemenid luxury culture would later be adopted and displayed by the Macedonian and local elite across the Greek and Middle Eastern worlds: behaviours of ostentatious display were a means to seek advantage in the new Hellenistic world order. Ultimately, this publication demonstrates how competing political spins woven around 2,500 years ago still continue to shape modern perceptions of luxury today.
£31.50
British Museum Press The Horse: From Arabia to Royal Ascot
Published to accompany an exhibition at the British Museum in 2012, this beautifully illustrated book celebrates the relationship between horses and humans through the ages, revealing the immense influence of horses on human history. From the domestication of the Arabian horse circa 3500BC to the present day, this book explores how entire peoples and cultures have been characterized by the horse and its central role in society, in peace and war, in mythology and literature. Featured are 200 stunning images ranging from north Arabian rock drawings to European watercolours, illuminating how the horse represents the history of civilization itself.
£22.50
British Museum Press The British Museum Pocket Explorer The Ancient Greek World
£7.19
British Museum Press Egyptian Mummies
Addresses some of the frequently asked questions about Egyptian mummies: how and why they were made, the religious beliefs which underpinned mummification, the preservation of animals, and how the mummies have been treated from ancient times until the present day.
£7.29
British Museum Press The Classical Cookbook
The updated edition of this best-selling cookbook features a delicious collection of recipes from every strata of classical civilization, all accessible to the contemporary cook. Using a subtle mix of sweet and sour flavours, fragrant herbs, creamy cheesecakes and hearty red wines, ancient Mediterranean cuisine is brought to life. Pioneering the exploration of menus and manners of ancient Greece and Rome, The Classical Cookbook features adaptations of 49 sumptuous dishes. Sitting alongside sun-soaked recipes are rich illustrations of murals, marbles and mosaics, plus lively commentary painting a vibrant picture of everyday wining and dining in the ancient world. The Classical Cookbook will prove that we can still enjoy Terrine of Asparagus, Sweet Wine Cakes, Olive Relish or even Toronaean Shark. Featuring step-by-step instructions, the modern cook will be able to tackle everything from simple meals and street food through to lavish banquets and wedding feasts with an authentic Ancient Greek and Roman flair.
£14.99
British Museum Press Artists making books: poetry to politics
A collection of outstanding and fascinating artists’ books revealing the inspirations and concerns of a group of remarkable contemporary artists. ‘More than a simple reflection of the British Museum’s artist-book holdings, this is an important index of artists’ responses to the issues and circumstances that have shaped the Arab world in recent times.’ – ArtReview ‘A rare treat…a passionate and extremely well organized analysis of over 60 artists’ books from the [British] Museum’s collection.’ – The Markaz Review In the hands of artists and poets, books have been taking a radically different form since the advent of the artist’s book in Paris in the early 20th century. Appearing in a variety of shapes and sizes, as one-offs or small print editions, books offer artists and poets a novel form of expression. In the words of Indian artist Nalini Malani (b. 1946), the book is ‘a carrier of experience’, in which whole worlds are encapsulated. In this beautifully produced book, works made by artists from Beirut to Tunis and beyond highlight the relationship between artists and writers and the influences that inform their work, from family to politics and everything in between. Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri (b. 1984) conceived his book during the first month of the pandemic to explore his family history, while through the eyes of Iraqi artist Kareem Risan (b. 1960) we see the shocking aftermath of a deadly explosion on the streets of Baghdad in 2005. These artists also find inspiration in classical poetry and literature. Some of their works respond to and are informed by the medieval Persian poetry of Rumi and Hafez, as well as the tales of The Thousand and One Nights.
£22.50
British Museum Press Krishna in the Garden of Assam: The history and context of a much-travelled textile
This beautiful and rare textile, now in the British Museum, was produced in the late seventeenth century in the wake of the remarkable outflow of Krishna veneration resulting from the ministry of the great eastern Indian saint, Sankaradava (died 1568). Nine metres in length, it is made up of twelve strips, all now sown together, and woven with captioned scenes from the life of Krishna as recorded in the tenth-century text, the Bhagavata Purana, and elaborated in the dramas of Sankaradeva. The author looks at the art, technique and iconography of the textile and also place it within its wider religious, cultural and geographical contexts. He traces, too, its fascinating history and its journey from Assam to London.
£9.99
British Museum Press AD 410
£8.99
British Museum Press The Lewis Chessmen
This lively book considers the various fascinating stories which have evolved to explain the ownership, concealment and discovery of the pieces whilst also placing them in the wider context of the ancient game of chess and secular art of the middle Ages. The Lewis Chessmen consist of elaborately worked walrus ivory and whales’ teeth in the forms of seated kings and queens, mitred bishops, knights on their mounts, standing warders and pawns in the shape of obelisks. They were found in the vicinity of Uig on the Isle of Lewis, but were probably made in Norway, in around 1150-1200 AD. At this time, the Western Isles where the Chessmen were buried were part of the kingdom of Norway, and not Scotland as they are today. Although very few details of the origins of the Chessmen are known, it is possible that they belonged to a merchant travelling from Norway and that they were buried for safekeeping on route to be traded in Ireland. This seems likely as there are enough pieces, though with some elements missing, to make four sets. No exact account of the discovery remains, but they apparently came to light after the collapse of a sand-bank on the coast of the island revealed their hiding place to a passing islander. All that is certain is that they were found some time before 11th April 1831 when they were exhibited at the Society of the Antiquaries in Scotland. Of the original 93 pieces discovered on the Isle of Lewis, 82 pieces are now housed in the British Museum. An exciting read for anyone interested in the history of the famous chess pieces.
£6.84
British Museum Press Japanese Art: Close-Up
Beautifully illustrated with an array of Japanese art, this book offers a closer look at the rich variety of styles, decoration, motifs and patterns – and the sheer craftsmanship – of Japanese culture. Opening with an introduction that asks ‘What is Japanese art?’, this book presents a selection of striking and fascinating art from Japan, organised into a series of thematic chapters in which the author provides cultural context while pointing out exceptional features. By showing the complete artwork alongside enlarged details – sometimes virtually invisible to the naked eye – intriguing comparisons can be drawn between seemingly unrelated pieces. The selection of illustrations evokes the hand and eye of the most accomplished Japanese craftsmen and women past and present. Offering a superb insight into a wide array of Japanese art, the book highlights – close up and in colour – outstanding examples of design and craft in prints, paintings and screens, metalwork, ceramics, wood, stone and lacquer and will provide endless creative inspiration.
£12.99
British Museum Press The Greek Body
The ancient Greeks perceived the human body as an object of sensory delight and its depiction as the expression of an intelligent mind. This sumptuous photographic book explores ancient Greek sculptures of the body from every angle. With an introduction outlining the use of the body in Greek art from the prehistoric simplicity of Cycladic figurines to the realism of the Hellenistic age, seven thematic sections then feature stunning photographs of close ups taken from the British Museum’s outstanding collection of marble, bronze and terracotta sculpture. The gods and heroes of Greek religion and mythology are conceived in the image of mankind, as supermen and superwomen, while other supernatural beings such as centaurs and satyrs combine human with animal parts as symbols of their otherworldliness. Human shape is also given to the inanimate phenomena of nature, such as wind and moon, as well as intangible human experiences such as sleep and death. A salient feature of Greek art is human nudity, which was celebrated rather than considered shameful. The great majority of female nudes that have come down to us are representations of Aphrodite, goddess of erotic love. In the Hellenistic age, Alexander’s conquest and hellenisation of the peoples formerly included in the Persian empire created a new and cosmopolitan world. Greek artists were made more aware than ever before of the social and ethnic diversity of humanity. They delighted in classifying humankind in all its variety, representing a range of ages, beauty standards, physical capabilities, body sizes and social classes. The Hellenistic period, more than any previous, was also truly an age of portraiture, reflecting love in compelling and unusual images.
£17.99
British Museum Press Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia
In ancient Colombia, people did not use gold as currency or desire it for its economic value. Gold was revered instead for its symbolic association and transformative properties. This sacred metal was used to create some of the most visually dramatic and technically sophisticated works of art found anywhere in the Americas before European contact. Drawing on the spectacular collections of the Museum del Oro in Bogota and the British Museum, this beautiful book features over 100 masterpieces fashioned exquisitely in gold and its alloy tumbaga, including small votive figures, decorative nose rings and earrings, vessels, pectorals and masks. These are presented alongside an array of other highly valued objects – textiles, ceramic figurines, shells, colourful stone beads – which also played a significant part in daily and ritual contexts. Focusing on the artistic production of six of the many chiefdoms that populated pre-Hispanic Colombia, the author explores the fascinating truth behind the myth and ritual of El Dorado (the gilded one), the use of gold objects by spiritual leaders in their dangerous mystical ‘soul journey’; the role played by gold in the public expression of identity and rank by chiefs and community spiritual leaders; and the importance of gold in accompanying the deceased on the final journey to the afterlife. Beyond El Dorado: power and gold in ancient Colombia was published to complement a major exhibition at the British Museum from October 2013 to March 2014.
£17.99