BookOdyssey

The name Valentino has been synonymous with high fashion for almost fifty years. Based in Rome, Valentino is only one of two couture houses recognized by the French government outside of Paris. His exquisite designs are coveted and worn by young Hollywood and high society the world over. On the occasion of his last couture collection, presented in Paris in the spring of 2008, this landmark book celebrates forty-five years of Valentino’s remarkable career. Published in association with a prestigious exhibition at the Museé des Arts Decoratifs’s famed costume department in Paris, this volume focuses on Valentino’s haute couture creations, highlighting the most important and iconic creations of his half-century in fashion through recurring themes in Valentino’s work—variations on the ideas of volume, line, and texture as well as motifs such as geometry, pleats, and flowers—through new photography, sketches, fabric samples, and commentary on the dresses by Valentino himself. In addition, unprecedented photography by François Halard of Valentino’s last fittings and backstage of his runway show reveals Valentino’s private world for the first time. \"Valentino On Valentino,\" a chapter of first-person accounts of the designs of these iconic dresses, along with Valentino’s commentary on his fashion, will make this publication unique in the study of Valentino as a cultural and artistic icon. Σελίδες: 300, Διαστάσεις: 23.8x23.8cm

A classic in the making, Garden Design Master Class brings together 100 essays by some of the top garden designers working today, from acknowledged experts such as Deborah Nevins on trees and Arabella Lennox-Boyd on borders, to acclaimed tastemakers such as Carolyne Roehm on the pleasures of a vegetable garden. Spanning styles and genres, principles and tenets, collectively these essays and their accompanying images represent a comprehensive education for the reader, giving him or her the benefit of expert design advice and philosophy, from practical considerations such as seedlings and pathways to stylistic concerns such as asymmetry and rhythm. Each essay is paired with photographs of the designer\'s work that illustrate the principles being discussed, adding a powerful visual component to the book. Unique in the quality of its contributors, this book will be a landmark publication in the field, helpful and inspirational for the amateur gardener, as well as students of garden design and garden design professionals. Σελίδες: 288, Διαστάσεις: 22.9x22.9cm

Now back in print, a revealing look at the visionary French furniture designer and architect, highlighting his virtuoso designs and versatile creativity  “Pierre Chareau: Modern Architecture and Design adds even more depth and breadth to the architect’s deserved reputation for creative virtuosity.”—Julie V. Iovine, Wall Street Journal  “[A]n exceptionally informative, readable catalog.”—Roberta Smith, New York Times   The designer and architect Pierre Chareau (1883–1950) was a pivotal figure in modernism. His extraordinary Art Deco furniture is avidly collected and his visionary glass house, the Maison de Verre, is celebrated, but the breadth of his design genius has been little explored. Chareau linked architecture, fine arts, and style; designed furniture for avant-garde films and chic homes; collected artists such as Picasso and Mondrian; and was a radical innovator in the use of materials. This revealing look at the visionary French designer highlights his virtuosity and versatile creativity. Essays by leading scholars embrace the full scope of his invention, offering detailed analyses of individual projects, the interdisciplinary nature of his work, his Jewish background, his place in the avant-garde of Paris between the wars, and his more recent reception. Extensive illustrations present a rich sampling of Chareau’s furniture, architecture, interiors, fabrics, and wallpapers, as well as his own important art collection.   Published in association with the Jewish Museum, New York Σελίδες: 288, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0909, Διαστάσεις: 24.1x24.1cm

Nicole Hollis s approach to contemporary living is to create timeless interiors that blend seamlessly with the environment. Featured is a wide range of residences in city, country, and coastal settings that masterfully mix the simplicity of line with organic complexity to create refined spaces. A striking home in the Marin County town of Tiburon features natural materials and dramatic touches that embrace the property s sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay. A Kona Coast property set on a lava field reimagines a Hawaiian open-plan sanctuary with a modern design scheme of rich textures, including lava-basalt floor tiles and coral wall blocks. Michele Oka Doner s lighting employs the shape of Kiawe tree branches. A San Francisco pied-a-terre is an elegant contrast study in black and white, infused with historical nuances. These curated spaces are comprised of art, found objects, and bespoke furnishings that underscore Nicole s appreciation of texture, craft, and nature. Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 25.4x25.4cm

Pao Houa Her’s first major monograph, My grandfather turned into a tiger … and other illusions, explores the fundamental concepts of home and belonging: illusion, desire, and loss.Pao Houa Her’s work draws inspiration from a myriad of sources: apocryphal family lore; portraits of the artist’s community and self; and reimagined landscapes, with Minnesota and Northern California standing in for Laos. The compelling and personal narratives are grounded in the traditions and contemporary metaphors of the Hmong diasporic community. My grandfather turned into a tiger brings together four of the artist’s major series, including the title work which reimagines her family’s history before leaving Laos. Other work deals with a scandal within the Hmong community in which hundreds of elders were swindled as part of a fraudulent investment scheme built around the promise of a new Hmong homeland. In another series, tonally rich black-and-white still lifes of silk flowers collected by her mother are presented alongside images of flowers that adorn the digitally manipulated, hyper-colored popular backdrops used in Hmong photo studios and on dating apps. This beautifully designed monograph showcases Her’s keen eye on the line between ersatz and authenticity; as the artist has stated, photography is “a truth if you want it to be a truth.”              My grandfather turned into a tiger is the result of the Next Step Award, a partnership between Aperture and Baxter St at the Camera Club of New York, in collaboration with the 7|G Foundation. Each cover is unique, featuring up to thirty-two jacket iterations, but is anchored by the same sticker on the front and back. Σελίδες: 124, Διαστάσεις: 16.8x16.8cm

The newest addition to the best-selling All the Songs series details the unique recording history of Pink Floyd, one of the world\'s most commercially successful and influential rock bands.Since 1965, Pink Floyd been recording sonically experimental and philosophical music, selling more than 250 million records worldwide, including two of the best-selling albums of all time Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. While much is known about this iconic group, few books provide a comprehensive history of their time in the studio. In Pink Floyd All the Songs, authors Margotin and Guesdon describe the origin of their nearly 200 released songs, details from the recording studio, what instruments were used, and behind-the-scenes stories of the tensions that helped drive the band.Organized chronologically by album, this massive, 544-page hardcover begins with their 1967 debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the only one recorded under founding member Syd Barrett\'s leadership; through the loss of Barrett and the addition of David Gilmour; to Richard Wright leaving the band in 1979 but returning; to Roger Waters leaving in 1985 and the albums recorded since his departure, including their 2014 farewell album, The Endless River, which was downloaded 12 million times on Spotify the week it was released. Packed with more than 500 photos, All the Songs is also filled with stories fans treasure, such as Waters working with engineer Alan Parsons to employ revolutionary recording techniques for The Dark Side of the Moon at Abbey Road Studios in 1972 or producer Bob\'s Ezrin\'s contribution in refining Water\'s original sprawling vision for The Wall. Σελίδες: 592, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1128, Διαστάσεις: 21.8x21.8cm

Remote Experiences is the visual account of the extraordinary journeys of photographer David De Vleeschauwer through the world’s most uncharted territories. In pursuit of the best of travel, he has been passionately exploring the world for more than two decades. Focused on 12 unexpected destinations, it wanders from north to south, with the ease of well-seasoned explorers. Its photographic reportage brings to life an eclectic collection of memories. He ventures to paradise-like, off-the-radar forgotten kingdoms with ancient Buddhist outposts in the foothills of the Himalayas and traces the footsteps of pilgrims and sheepherds in Italy. From the plains of Botswana to the outer realms of Antarctica aboard a superyacht icebreaker, this unique guide outlines its own geography of the world. Along the way, we meet individuals, landscapes and even vessels that become the serendipitous heroes of these wondrous adventures. De Vleeschauwer\'s shared experiences depict a world where the foreign becomes familiar, the isolated accessible. In our digital, overly consumptive age people want a true sense of place, which might be rugged, refined, or rural. Complete with travel accounts and detailed descriptions of trips that range in price from an affordable 250 euros to an ambitious one million euros, Remote Experiences takes its readers on an unforgettable voyage to those overlooked or sometimes forgotten spaces “where time stands still”, encouraging us to do just that—until we take to the road again… Σελίδες: 424, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0215, Διαστάσεις: 23.8x23.8cm

“The Collins English Dictionary is a book to be treasured, no home should be without one”, The Times The largest single-volume English dictionary in print celebrates the extraordinary breadth and changing nature of world English, with more than 732,000 words, meanings and phrases. Updated with the very latest new words and senses, this is an unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers and word geeks everywhere. It draws on Collins’ extensive language databases and also covers many literary and rare words useful for crossword solvers and setters as well as Scrabble players. Ideal for use at work, at home and for study – new words, new meanings and new uses are tracked by Collins’ lexicographers who monitor language change around the world. This, along with suggestions from the public on the award-winning collinsdictionary.com, ensures Collins English Dictionary truly is the home of living language. More place names and biographical entries – with over 9,500 place names and 7,300 biographies you will find thousands of fascinating facts and figures at your fingertips. The latest edition is beautifully designed and printed, and now with a protective slipcase, and is surprisingly light and easy to hold. Designed for day-to-day use, with a clear layout and virtual thumb tabs, it is also available in flexible formats to suit every user – in print, as a Kindle dictionary and an iOS app. Σελίδες: 2336, Διαστάσεις: 19.6x19.6cm

Takahashi Jun\'s fashion is not born out of an excessively intellectualized agenda. While not quite populist, his generative influences are instead romantic-even gothic. A fixture of the Paris collections for more than ten years-plus seventeen uninterrupted seasons in Tokyo prior to that-Takahashi\'s life\'s work confirms a maturation from self-conscious artifice and rebel pastiche to a steely, withering elegance all his own. Hailing from Gunma Prefecture like his friend NIGO of *A Bathing Ape, Takahashi\'s long association with the undisputed king of Ura-Harajuku in the early 1990s is now the stuff of local fashion lore. But Takahashi would blaze an entirely different path to legend and notoriety. The violent rending and hasty reassembly that characterized his early work, its calculated imperfections and sutured seams, have given way to collections that he himself now calls sexy and feminine. UNDERCOVER is insightfully curated with fashion filled chapters devoted to Takahashi\'s sketches, graphic work, collaborations, and most innovative designs to date. Lavishly illustrated with more than 200 photographs and in-depth essays by fashion writers, curators, and colleagues, this book gives readers first time access into Takahashi\'s UNDERCOVER, one of the most desired and multidimensional clothing lines in contemporary fashion. Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 23.9x23.9cm

Tools from macroeconomics and finance to incorporate the central role that data plays in the economyThe most valuable firms in the global economy are valued largely for their data. Amazon, Apple, Google, and others have proven the competitive advantage of a good data set. And yet despite the growing importance of data as a strategic asset, modern economic theory neglects its role. In this book, Isaac Baley and Laura Veldkamp draw on a range of theoretical frameworks at the research frontier in macroeconomics and finance to model and measure data economies. Starting from the premise that data is digitized information that facilitates prediction and reduces uncertainty, Baley and Veldkamp uncover the ways that firm-level data choices resonate throughout the broader macroeconomic and financial landscapes.With The Data Economy, Baley and Veldkamp put forward a broad research agenda with a formal yet accessible approach, offering an analysis of the data economy and its welfare effects that will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, and graduate students. The tools presented, many of them information-related methods from macroeconomics and finance, are theoretical but introduced with careful attention to how they can inform or enable measurement. Applications include assessing the economic worth of data and unraveling its influence on the structure of production, inflation, and pricing dynamics; firm and investor behavior; advertising; market power; and asset pricing. Baley and Veldkamp bring readers to the cutting edge of this novel research area, equipping them to formulate their own theoretical advances and policy analysis. Σελίδες: 320, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

This luxurious photo book commemorates the 600th anniversary of KU Leuven University, Belgium, featuring the work of renowned heritage and architecture photographer Karin Borghouts. Through her lens, Borghouts offers fresh and unexpected perspectives on the university\'s rich architectural heritage, capturing everything from auditoriums and laboratories to student residences, sports facilities, libraries, chapels, and more. Accompanying her striking images, historian Liesbet Nys delves into the storied history of KU Leuven. She offers an insightful narrative that complements the visual journey through one of Europe\'s oldest universities. Σελίδες: 226, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0624, Διαστάσεις: 23x23cm

A handsome coffee table guide to the celebrated collection of the Kimbell Art Museum In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, this deluxe volume showcases its world-renowned collection. The book includes engaging texts by Kimbell curators accompanied by new, full-color photographs of more than 250 works from antiquity to the twentieth century. A jewel among American museums, the Kimbell possesses European masterpieces by artists such as Fra Angelico, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Diego Velázquez, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse; important collections of Egyptian and classical antiquities; and outstanding works from Asia, Africa, and the ancient Americas. This new guide also features previously unpublished images of the museum’s architecture by Louis I. Kahn and Renzo Piano.Distributed for the Kimbell Art Museum Σελίδες: 392, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0615, Διαστάσεις: 26x26cm

A collection of extraordinary 19th-century portraits that radically shifts our understanding of the presence and identities of the Black subject in Victorian Britain. These striking studio portraits, curated and brought together following ten years of research championed by Autograph, constitute the most comprehensive collection of 19th-century photography depicting the Black subject in the Victorian era, including some of the earliest known images of Black people photographed in Britain. The historically marginalized lives of both ordinary and prominent Black figures of African, Afro-Caribbean, South Asian and mixed heritage are seen through a prism of curatorial advocacy and experimental scholarly assemblage. Black Chronicles features high quality reproductions of plate negatives, cartes de visite and cabinet cards, many of which were buried deep in various private and public archives including the Hulton Archive’s remarkable London Stereoscopic Company collection, unseen for decades. These photographs are linked with imperial and colonial narratives through newly commissioned essays and rare lecture transcripts, in-conversation and text interventions by Caroline Bressey, Henry Louis Gates Jr, Paul Gilroy, Stuart Hall, M. Neelika Jayawardane, Lola Jaye, Renée Mussai and Val Wilmer, and an afterword by Mark Sealy. Built upon groundbreaking, in-depth new research, Black Chronicles opens up photographic archives to expand and enrich photography’s complex cultural histories and subjectivities, offering an essential insight into the visual politics of race, representation and difference in the Victorian era by addressing this crucial missing chapter. Introduction and texts by Renée Musai, Foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Text by Paul Gilroy, Text by Stuart Hall, Text by Caroline Bressey, Text by Lola Jaye, Text by M. Neelika Jayawardane, Afterword by Mark Sealy, Text by Val Wilmer Published by Thames & Hudson in partnership with Autograph. Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0429, Διαστάσεις: 24.5x24.5cm

Latin America is a cradle of ancient civilizations like those of the Incas, Maya and Aztecs, and later became the goal of European explorers and immigrants. It looks back on a long history, often full of contrasts and contradictions, but also has a very special multicultural atmosphere. This book presents breathtakingly beautiful landscapes and extraordinary hotels. Short texts and practical information complement the superb photos. The places to stay shown here include the Anavilhanas Jungle Lodge in the Brazilian Amazon and the Uxua on the beach of Trancoso, for which a Dutch designer has transformed historic buildings into villas in ethnic style. Big Bang in Uruguay is a wonderful place for glamping between the ocean and the forest. The elegant vacation destinations of this country are home to the Fasano Punta del Este by the architect Isay Weinfeld and the Posada Ayana, where the American Land Art star James Turrell has installed one of his famous Skyspaces on the estate. This journey also goes to the Explora El Chaltén at the foot of Monte Fitz Roy in rugged Patagonia, to the Tierra Atacama in the world’s driest desert in Chile, to the mid-century classic Antumalal, and to Easter Island, guarded since time immemorial by the huge stone sculptures of the Moai. In Peru visitors follow in the footsteps of the Incas through Valle Sagrado, site of the ruined city of Machu Picchu, and get to know the indigenous Achuar people in Ecuador while staying at the Kapawi Ecolodge. The itinerary also takes in Columbia – with the picturesque Hotel San Pedro de Majagua on Isla Grande. At the Nantipa in Costa Rica, three friends have made their dream of the ideal beach hotel come true, and in Nicaragua an American brother and sister have found their own paradise on a private island, the Isleta El Espino. This book would not be complete without Mexico, of course – including, for example, Alberto Kalach’s spectacular Hotel Terrestre in Puerto Escondido, the eclectic Mesón Hidalgo combining a bed & breakfast with boutiques in San Miguel de Allende, and the luxurious, laid-back Hotel San Cristóbal Baja in Todos Santos. Σελίδες: 360, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0213, Διαστάσεις: 23.8x23.8cm

Samuel Palmer (1805–1881) was one of the leading British landscape painters of the 19th century. Inspired by his mentor, the artist and poet William Blake, Palmer brought a new spiritual intensity to his interpretation of nature, producing works of unprecedented boldness and fervency. Pre-eminent scholar William Vaughan—who organized the Palmer retrospective at the British Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2005—draws on unpublished diaries and letters, offering a fresh interpretation of one of the most attractive and sympathetic, yet idiosyncratic, figures of the 19th century. Far from being a recluse, as he is often presented, Palmer was actively engaged in Victorian cultural life and sought to exert a moral power through his artwork. Beautifully illustrated with Palmer\'s visionary and enchanted landscapes, the book contains rich studies of his work, influences, and resources. Vaughan also shows how later, enthralled by the Pre-Raphaelite movement, Palmer manipulated his own artistic image to harmonize with it. Little appreciated in his lifetime, Palmer is now hailed as a precursor of modernism in the 20th century.Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art Σελίδες: 412, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0629, Διαστάσεις: 24.1x24.1cm

Michael Hauptman’s first monograph presents a selection of his personal work that explores the themes of nature, technology, phenomena and the cosmos. Hauptman sometimes uses digital manipulation not to make pictures that looks unreal but to attempt to depict mysteries of time and space. A former photo assistant of Richard Burbridge, Michael Hauptman has been taking pictures and living in New York City for the last 15 years. Σελίδες: 192, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0623, Διαστάσεις: 23x23cm

A vibrant contemporary art anthology that explores the complex ties between race, climate crisis and colonialism by 100 leading artists of African diasporic, Latin American and Native American identity. Black Earth Rising presents works by artists of African diasporic, Latin American and Native American identity that address vital questions of land, presence, climate crisis, and social and environmental justice against the historical backdrop of European settlement of the New World. Supported by an exhibition curated by the author, this timely publication invites us to trace and make the connections between race, the climate crisis and colonialism. Works by 100 contemporary artists are presented in three thematic sections: Reckoning, Reimagining and Reclaiming. Complex and intertwined concepts are explored: forced migration and slavery, the environmental consequences of colonialism, the occupation of Native lands, the urban plight of Black and Brown communities, and how cultural practices and knowledge systems of indigenous peoples can change our perspectives of the natural world. Compelling and thought-provoking, Black Earth Rising presents a discourse around climate change that situates the voices of people of colour at the active centre rather than on the passive periphery and expands our understanding of aesthetic perspectives on climate change through artworks that reach to the poetic and lyrical rather than the didactic. Σελίδες: 240, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0730, Διαστάσεις: 24.5x24.5cm

Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2019

The breadth of the human experience We quite rightly celebrate human creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship, but too often our triumphs in science, engineering and technology come at monumental cost. The human story is more often a tale of conflict and despair than of nurture, love, and coexistence. It would be easy to read the human story as one of tragic hubris. Yet it does not end here. We stand on the threshold of the future wondering which way the dice will fall. Our wager with posterity is that human ingenuity, intelligence, and resilience of spirit are powerful enough to insist upon a very different future for the human story. Prix Pictet: Human features over 100 outstanding works of contemporary photography by many of the world’s most acclaimed photographers. Σελίδες: 144, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0120, Διαστάσεις: 23x23cm

Σελίδες: 400, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2021

Σελίδες: 240, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0210, Διαστάσεις: 22.5x22.5cm

A selection of beautiful houses set amid the world’s most stunning landscapes, designed by award-winning New Zealand architect Andrew Patterson. In Maori culture, architecture is approached as a construction of beliefs: a building must emulate and amplify personalities, hopes and aspirations, becoming the physical expression of those who inhabit it. These ideas are the inspirations behind the house projects of New Zealand architect Andrew Patterson, who has been designing houses and civic projects in the country for nearly thirty-five years and who was awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects 2017 Gold Medal. This book showcases seventeen of Patterson’s recent houses, in some of the most dramatic locations in New Zealand, from stunning seascape retreats to hillside cabins. Each house reveals how Patterson’s architecture responds to the region’s breathtaking landscapes to tell the story of the country’s cultural history and to create a sense of place and belonging. This fully illustrated, large-format overview is interspersed with thematic sectionsthat present Patterson’s key influences and the culture and lifestyles of New Zealand more broadly, particularly Maori language, history and mythology. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1012, Διαστάσεις: 30x30cm

Medical Herbalism contains comprehensive information concerning the identification and use of medicinal plants by chemical structure and physiological effect, the art and science of making herbal medicine, the limitations and potential of viewing herbs chemically, and the challenge to current research paradigms posed by complex plant medicines. It also includes information on toxicology and contraindications, the issues involved in determining dosage and formulation types for an individual, guides to the different measurement systems and conversion tables, and the pros and cons of both industrial and traditional techniques. With additional sections devoted to the principles of green medicine, the history of Western Herbalism, the variety of other medical modalities using medicinal plants, an extensive resource directory, and a discussion of treatments organized by body system, Medical Herbalism is the comprehensive textbook all students and practitioners of clinical herbalism need to develop their healing practices. Σελίδες: 672, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1024, Διαστάσεις: 21.6x21.6cm

Studio DB, a Manhattan-based interiors firm headed by husband-and-wife duo Damian and Britt Zunino, is inspired by the European ideal of an appreciation for the beauty in everyday life the resulting work embraces the juxtaposition and tension between polished and playful, between modern and traditional. In each project, there is a creative mix of materials, unusual forms, and whimsical patterns and colors, all anchored by a contemporary desire for livability and ease. Thoughtful design details also distinguish their work, with tactile and natural materials interpreted in fresh and interesting ways. Examples include exquisite hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper in a dining room, paired with suspended lamps in a variety of geometric forms; the terrazzo floor of a city foyer, incorporating massive chunks of stone slabs and smaller rocks from the client s travel adventures; and a subtly patterned wallpaper applied to the ceiling of an entrance hall to add a note of gentle distinction. The studio organically launched in 2007 after Britt and Damian had worked together on several residential projects. Britt\'s unconventional background includes work in fashion, editorial styling, interior design, and the action sports industry. Damian s love of planning, construction, and design was fostered during his time at the Yale School of Architecture. The pair s unique experiences and expertise complement each other, bringing a collaborative and comprehensive approach to each scheme. As the duo states in the book s introduction, \'In the end, it s the dialog, the push and pull between different viewpoints from different eras, that makes the end result more engaging.\' Σελίδες: 256, Διαστάσεις: 21.6x21.6cm

The latest book in the bestselling All the Songs series, this is the most in-depth exploration of Springsteen\'s songs ever written.Spanning nearly 50 years of albums, EPs, B-sides, and more, read the full story behind every single song that The Boss has ever released. Moving chronologically through Springsteen\'s long career, expert authors Margotin and Guesdon explore everything there is to know about every single song. No stone is left unturned across 670 pages, from the inspiration behind the lyrics and melody to the recording process and even the musicians and producers who worked on each track.Uncover the stories behind the music in this truly definitive book - a must-have for every Springsteen fan. Σελίδες: 672, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1110, Διαστάσεις: 21.8x21.8cm

Σελίδες: 496, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2016, Διαστάσεις: 22.5x22.5cm

This sumptuous gift set includes a replica of the very rare first edition of The Hobbit, the only edition where one can now read the original version of the story before Tolkien re-edited it to become the one enjoyed by readers since 1951. The Hobbit was published on 21 September 1937, with a print run of 1,500 copies. With a beautiful cover design, nearly a dozen black & white illustrations and two black & red maps by the author himself, the book proved to be popular and was reprinted shortly afterwards. History was already being made. The scarcity of the first edition has resulted in copies commanding huge prices, way beyond the reach of most Tolkien fans. In addition, subsequent changes to the text – particularly those to chapter 5, when Tolkien decided in 1947 to revise the text to bring it better into accord with events as they were developing in its ‘sequel’, The Lord of the Rings – mean that the opportunity to read the book in its original form and format has become quite difficult. This special commemorative gift set includes the first edition, so that readers of all ages – not just ‘children between the ages of 5 and 9’, as Rayner Unwin famously declared in his report on the original submission – can finally enjoy Tolkien’s story as it originally appeared. It also includes an exclusive CD of archive recordings that capture Tolkien reading from The Hobbit, a special copy of Thror’s map which reveals the secret moon-runes when held to the light, and an accompanying booklet that relates the history of The Hobbit, and includes connected writings by JRR Tolkien. Σελίδες: 312, Διαστάσεις: 14.1x14.1cm

Σελίδες: 252, Διαστάσεις: 30x30cm

As world powers realign their cultural, economic and political outlooks, there is no better time to consider how Afro-Eurasia’s complex network of ancient trade routes – which spanned the vastness of the steppe, vertiginous mountain ranges, fertile river plains and forbidding deserts across the continents and on to the seas beyond – fostered economic activity and cultural, political and technological communication. From silk to slaves, fashion to music, religion to science the movement of interaction of goods, people and ideas was crucial to the flourishing of peoples and their cultures across this vast region. Edited by Susan Whitfield, an established authority on the subject, with contributions from over 80 leading scholars from across the globe, Silk Roads situates the ancient routes against the landscapes that defined them, to reveal the raw materials that they produced, the means of travel that were employed to traverse them and the communities that were shaped by them. Organized by terrain, from steppe to desert to ocean, each section includes detailed maps, a historical overview, thematic essays and features showcasing art, buildings and archaeological discoveries. A wealth of photographs reveals the breathtaking and often forbidding landscapes encountered by travellers and traders through the millennia. With one section inscribed as a World Heritage Corridor by UNESCO in 2014 and others to follow, and China claiming the Silk Roads as the precursor of its Belt Road Initiative, this network of ancient trade routes and the interaction along them has never been of greater interest or importance than today. This beautiful publication honours the astonishing diversity in the way cultures advance and flourish not in spite of their differences, but because of them. Σελίδες: 480, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1203, Διαστάσεις: 22.5x22.5cm

Just as BDL\'s bestselling All the Songs series-which has over 400,000 copies in print-presents a comprehensive, song-by-song view of major bands and music history, Steven Spielberg All the Films: The Stories Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short celebrates the inimitable Hollywood icon and his illustrious film career, from his earliest homemade movies to the 2022 release of his latest feature, The Fabelmans.Organized chronologically and covering every short film, television episode, and blockbuster movie that Steven Spielberg has ever directed, Steven Spielberg All the Films draws upon years of research to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of how each project was conceived, cast, and produced; from the creation of the costumes to the search for perfect locations; details about Spielberg\'s work with longtime collaborators like George Lucas, producer Kathleen Kennedy, and composer John Williams; and of course, the direction of some of Hollywood\'s most memorable scenes. Spanning more than fifty years, this book details the creative processes that resulted in numerous classic films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Color Purple, Schindler\'s List, and Saving Private Ryan (to name just a few). Newer work like Lincoln, The Post, and The Fabelmans is also featured alongside awards stats, original release dates, box office totals, casting details, and other insider scoops that will keep fans turning pages. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of cinema\'s most iconic artists, Steven Spielberg All the Films is the authoritative guide to the man who invented the Hollywood blockbuster. Σελίδες: 504, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0213, Διαστάσεις: 21.8x21.8cm

Σελίδες: 260, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0920, Διαστάσεις: 28x28cm

It was no more than eight years after the surrender of the Nazi government when Josef Heinrich Darchinger set out on his photographic journey through the West of a divided Germany. The bombs of World War II had reduced the country’s major cities to deserts of rubble. Yet his pictures show scarcely any signs of the downfall of a civilization. Not that the photographer was manipulating the evidence: he simply recorded what he saw. At the time, a New York travel agency was advertising the last opportunity to go and visit the remaining bomb sites. Darchinger’s pictures, in color and black-and-white, show a country in a fever of reconstruction. The economic boom was so incredible that the whole world spoke of an “economic miracle.” The people who achieved it, in contrast, look down-to-earth, unassuming, conscientious, and diligent. And increasingly, they look like strangers in the world they have created. The photographs portray a country caught between the opposite poles of technological modernism and cultural restoration, between affluence and penury, between German Gemütlichkeit and the constant threat of the Cold War. They show the winners and losers of the “economic miracle,” people from all social classes, at home, at work, in their very limited free time and as consumers. But they also show a country that looks, in retrospect, like a film from the middle of the last century. For this revised edition, we have digitally remastered all photographies in a new, full-frame format that captivate with their highly pigmented colors and fine press varnish. Σελίδες: 292, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0224, Διαστάσεις: 29.3x29.3cm

Striking, beautiful, and haunting, UNCOMMON GRIT takes a unique, unprecedented look at the toughest training in the military -- and the world -- from the vantage point of someone who lived through it. Retired Navy SEAL Darren McBurnett, includes vivid descriptions of both the physical and mental evolutions that occur as a result of the immensely challenging SEAL training process.His stunning photographs, partnered with his compelling insights and sharp sense of humor, allow the reader to laugh, cringe, gasp, and even envision themselves going through this extraordinary experience. Σελίδες: 224, Διαστάσεις: 31x31cm

A comprehensive look at the life and work of one of the 20th century’s most influential architects Aldo van Eyck (1918–1999) was a Dutch architect, writer, and teacher who helped redefine Modern architecture in the second half of the 20th century. As an advocate for architecture’s engagement with history, culture, climate, and the lived human experience of buildings and urban spaces, he created designs that privileged place and the daily rituals in the lives of its inhabitants over universal ideals. In this volume, enlivened by 300 illustrations from the Aldo van Eyck archive, Robert McCarter provides the first comprehensive study of van Eyck’s 50-year career since his death, guiding readers through the architect’s buildings and unrealized projects, with a focus on the interior spatial experience and on the design and construction processes. Highlighted projects include the Amsterdam Orphanage, the Roman Catholic Church in The Hague, and some of the hundreds of playgrounds he famously designed over the course of his career. McCarter also investigates how van Eyck’s writings and lectures convey the importance of architecture in the everyday lives of people around the world and throughout history. By presenting his design work together with the principles on which it was founded, McCarter illuminates van Eyck’s ethical interpretation of architecture’s place in the world.  Σελίδες: 264, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0625, Διαστάσεις: 24.1x24.1cm

The advent of railways in Britain was a fundamental part of its economic and social revolution in the 19th century, with technical advances that were the envy of the world and chronicled from the beginning through meticulous drawings. Detailed plans were created of locomotives, carriages and wagons, as well as of stations, bridges and tunnels, to facilitate the manufacturing process and the maintenance of the rapidly expanding railway network. Miraculously, about a million of these magnificent drawings have survived and are held in the National Railway Museum in York. Christopher Valkoinen has selected over 130 examples that tell the engineering history of great innovations and triumphs, such as the Forth Bridge, and reveal the work of famous pioneers, including Richard Trevithick, George Stephenson, and Nigel Gresley of Flying Scotsman fame. Other plans range from Queen Victoria\'s royal saloon and a travelling post office to a station tea-room at York and modern experiments with a hovertrain. There are also drawings for railways around the world: the USA, Russia, Japan, India, Australia and Egypt, among others, as well as contemporary photographs and posters. Throughout, Valkoinen provides valuable insights into the social and political impact of the railways. He also reveals how these drawings are more than a reference tool for the historian or modelmaker; they are exquisite works of art, painstakingly produced by highly skilled artists, which can be appreciated in their own right. With 300 illustrations Σελίδες: 306, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2021, Διαστάσεις: 32.9x32.9cm

Eliot is called upon to become the completely public man. He gives talks, lectures, readings and broadcasts, and even school prize-day addresses. As editor and publisher, his work is unrelenting, commissioning works ranging from Michael Roberts\'s The Modern Mind to Elizabeth Bowen\'s anthology The Faber Book of Modern Stories. Other letters reveal Eliot\'s delight in close friends such as John Hayward, Virginia Woolf and Polly Tandy, and his colleagues Geoffrey Faber and Frank Morley, as well as his growing troupe of godchildren - to whom he despatches many of the verses that will ultimately be gathered up in Old Possum\'s Book of Practical Cats (1939). The volume covers his separation from first wife Vivien, and tells the full story of the decision taken by her brother, following the best available medical advice, to commit her to an asylum - after she had been found wandering in the streets of London. All the while these numerous strands of correspondence are being played out, Eliot struggles to find the time to compose his second play, The Family Reunion (1939), which is finally completed in 1938. Σελίδες: 1152, Διαστάσεις: 17x17cm