As the world speeds up, as technology takes over, it is worth remembering how we used to live. This three-book series is a nostalgic hymn to an era when life was slower: a meandering ramble through the British countryside by bicycle, automobile and train.
Take an amble across the countryside with this book, which celebrates a time when our railway network was more than a permanently delayed omnishambles of overcrowded and overpriced trains. Country stations and lonely halts, milk churns and coal yards, enamelled signs and platform clocks – these are the fragments of a more leisured age, from a time when the local station was a well-loved institution at the heart of so many communities. Here are gas-lit rural stations, oil lamps on level crossing gates, enamelled signs, waiting room fires, timetables and luggage labels. Less a clattering, steamy ride into the past than a touchstone for joyous memories of such a vital and well-loved institution, The Slow Train harks back to a more measured, considered era.
Glaciers in the Alps and on Greenland have been melting away slowly for decades. Global warming has increased the speed of their retreat drastically in recent years. Swiss geophysicist Alfred de Quervain (1879-1927) carried out the first survey of the Clariden glacier in the Swiss canton of Glarus and initiated and led important scientific expeditions on Greenland in 1909 and 1912.
Swiss artist Martin Stützle and photographer Fridolin Walcher also link Glarus with Greenland. Both have made the Swiss glaciers the subject of their work and, in May 2018, joined a Swiss research campaign investigating the current state of the glaciers on the world’s largest island. The photographs and prints they produce reflect an intense awareness of scientific facts, yet they strike the viewer emotionally and aesthetically.
This book blends the essence of glaciological and geophysical research with contemporary art and picks up on Alfred de Quervain’s legacy. Prints and photographs are featured alongside three easy-to-read essays offering a concise survey of the findings of the 2018 expedition. A fourth essay comments on Stützle’s and Walcher’s works and explores current trends in climate art.
Text English, German and Kalaallisut (Greenlandic).
Jewelry’s Shining Stars: The Next Generation brings together 45 new women designers who have liberated the way we view and buy jewellery. This compilation of talented women, who hail from around the globe, use techniques such as enamelling, engraving, and creating nuanced textural details in wax models, to bend the rules and break with tradition. While some work with their own hands, whether schooled or self-taught, challenging themselves at the bench, others work alongside artisans to reinvigorate the old school into relevant yet enduring pieces.
The book’s stunning photographs offer a glimpse into each designer’s different aesthetic and are accompanied by the jeweller’s own words, revealing what drives their approach and giving us an insight behind these innovators. With reverence for quality, style, and technique, these 45 talented jewellers are creating today’s collectibles and shaping jewellery’s future.
Traditional thought fused with modern science when Hiroshima’s nuclear annihilation on August 6, 1945, proved the interdependence of space and time. Since the war, Japanese architects have probed the relativity of spacetime through critical debates, pivotal theories, and consequential buildings. The Hypospace of Japanese Architecture pushes past clichés of an exotic Japan to confront the modernity of an island nation whose habit of importing foreign ideas is less about assimilation than transformation, less a process of indigenisation than one of cultural invention. The realisation that buildings are dynamic events — phenomena of space-in-time, not inert objects outside time — continues to inform Japanese architecture and suggests how we can rethink the history, theory, and practice of architecture more generally.
“…contributions from hundreds of people in public life — many famous, others (like me) less so — all offering bite-sized lessons for life.” — The Times
‘Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy,’ wrote William Blake. It is a rare, precious commodity. Difficult to come by. Hard to acquire.
The aim of The Book of Nuggets is to draw together in one place over 350 ‘Nuggets’ of wisdom which others have found important in their lives. Some of the contributors are well known, others less so, but all were generously offered by people from all walks of life. But regardless of the finders’ status or fame, these jewels have brought solace, succour and serenity along the way. The book’s compiler, Juliet Solomon, hopes they might do the same for you.
Juliet chose ‘Nuggets’ of wisdom as the theme of this collection in tribute to her late mother, Judith Solomon. Judith died of end-stage renal failure, and all proceeds from the sale of this book will go to increasing wider public awareness of kidney disease, and to raise much needed funds for research into the condition, its prevention and for the amelioration of the suffering of patients living with kidney disease, and their loved ones.
An entertaining visual journey through the most iconic cocktail parties, with nostalgic black and white images and vibrant colour photos of celebrities, entertainers and models in luxurious settings. With chapters on destinations, people, fashion and art & design, this book delves into the world of cocktail culture, showcasing dazzling nightlife, sumptuous pool parties and opulent yacht events. An additional section with classic cocktail recipes provides plenty of inspiration for your own party.
High-quality photography captures the essence of a fascinating lifestyle full of beauty and prestige.
In 2023, The Little Prince will celebrate 80 years of unsurpassed success. One of the most published and translated books in the world (by some accounts, second only to The Bible). Never before have its themes of loneliness, loss, love, and friendship been more relevant. While The Little Prince is packaged for children, it is appreciated and celebrated by parents and friends. This edition includes the entire, unmodified, original text by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, first published in English after his exile to the U.S. in 1943 – accompanied by exclusive illustrations from Mondo Mombo, a well-known, Italian, children’s-art firm founded by Claudia Bordin. Ages 7 plus
A captivating journey through the collages of the legendary Antwerp-Six fashion designer, Walter Van Beirendonck. Dive into a selection of original and inspiring collages, tracing Van Beirendonck’s creative journey from his early days at the Antwerp Fashion Academy right up to the present. Cut the World Awake is a wild ride through Van Beirendonck’s imaginative evolution, showcasing his bold and boundary-pushing style like never before. Whether you’re a fashion fanatic or just love a good visual feast, this collection offers a vibrant glimpse into the mind of a true mastermind in fashion design.
The Veronese wine regions of Soave and Valpolicella – home to Amarone – are currently producing some of the world’s most drinkable quality wines. But both regions still struggle with a reputation for cheap, poor-quality wines brought about through industrial-scale production during the economic depression following the Second World War. In Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona, Italian wine specialist Michael Garner traces a shift in focus towards new levels of quality driven by a generation of producers inspired by the area’s outstanding potential for producing fine wine.
Both regions produce versatile wines which, as well as being both deliciously drinkable and relatively affordable, have the flavour and structure to accompany a wide range of foods. In Valpolicella an appassimento wine, the famed Amarone, has gained comparable status to Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino, while Soave overlaps with the tiny denomination of Lessini Durello, where sparkling wine is produced from the rare, local white grape Durella.
Garner begins Amarone and the fine wines of Verona with a summary of the region’s history, before detailing its geography, grape varieties and approach to both viticulture and winemaking, leading into a discussion of each denomination’s character and wine styles. A cross-section of around 100 producers provides a capsule profile of each, along with analysis of some of their best and most distinctive wines.
For students of wine, those in the wine business and wine adventurers alike, Amarone and the Fine Wines of Verona provides a gateway to a sorely misunderstood wine region.
Great sports figures are the modern equivalent of heroes. An history of sport is necessarily a story of individuals: tales of redemption and emancipation from modest upbringings, stories of sacrifice and success. Each volume of WATCH, We are the champions, the new series from Officina Libraria, will narrate the history of a sport through 30 engaging biographies of its great champions. And since the publishing house is specialised in high-quality illustrated books, the riveting stories written by Giorgio Martignoni are illustrated by the masterful hand of Roberto Ronchi, in a colourful explosion of energy, icons of those magic moments in sports, from the goal that assigns a Champions League in the last minutes to the climb on the famous Alpe d’Huez, from the three-pointer that decides a collegiate championship to the knockout hook of a boxing match. The biographies of thirty great champions are exciting as a run toward the goal posts, they keep you holding your breath as in those seconds that precede a penalty kick, and in each of them there is a curious aspect, an heroic moment and a touch of poetry. The books starts with the great footballers of the pre-war era, such as Sindelar and Meazza, to finish with today’s idols, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and those of all the champions that have gifted us with those unforgettable moments, at the stadium or in front of the small screen. Who doesn’t remember Pele or Maradona? Who has never heard of George Best or Cruyff? Beckenbauer or Jascin?
This series aims to encourage a positive attitude towards maths and numbers through a play-based learning approach. For each theme there is both an activity book and a game box, which can be purchased and used independently. The activity book is intended for use by children on their own, while the game box will enable them to challenge one or more of their friends. Each of the activity books tell a story, intended to stimulate the child’s curiosity and motivation. The mathematical topics are introduced gradually and intuitively. The game box has the same style and contents as the corresponding activity book, but can be used completely independently of the book. The box also includes an instruction booklet and notes for parents and teachers. Ages: 8 +
This volume, edited by Antonio Aimi and Antonio Guarnotta, offers a new, up-to-date study of the most important cultures of Mesoamerica and of the Peruvian Area, through magnificent artefacts held by the MIC (Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza) and various other Italian museums. The cultures of the Aztecs, Mayas, Incas and other populations of ancient America are analysed in light of the most recent archaeological and ethnohistorical research. Themes of prime importance are examined in depth: the conquest of America as seen from the point of view of the conquered, the status of women, the systems of calculation of ancient Peru, and pre-Columbian art presented as art, not only as archaeology.
Text in English and Italian.
Building Community: The Work of Eskew+Dumez+Ripple celebrates the 25th anniversary of the New Orleans-based firm. Eskew+Dumez+Ripple believes that a building is an expression of both the process by which design decisions are made, and the program to which the building must adhere its size, function, and context, as well as cost and construction time. The text will trace the development of EDR s progressive architecture practice operating in the deeply traditional American Gulf South, and discuss the rich architectural heritage of both New Orleans and surrounding regions. Eskew+Dumez+Ripple is a design-driven studio which produces diverse projects in architecture and planning by blending a signature collaborative process with professional talent, creative thinking and emerging technologies. Based in New Orleans, the firm uses the cultural and architectural heritage of the city as a platform for a practice of national range and recognition. The result is a vibrant portfolio that includes aquariums, research laboratories, marine facilities, interpretative centers and museums as well as office buildings, academic and health care facilities. Five Firm Directors lead the studio of professionals, promoting design excellence, efficient project delivery, and mastery of technical construction systems. We advocate environmental sustainability, elegant craftsmanship of materials and spirited collaboration with each one of their clients.
The Bauhaus was distinguished neither by function nor by use but rather by symbolism. Whether square, triangle, or circle; whether Wilhelm Wagenfeld’s lamp, Oskar Schlemmer’s ‘Kopf’ (head), or white cubes with flat roofs: the Bauhaus created iconic visual symbols and a style that is neither functional nor social but visually striking.
Walter Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus, from the outset sought to develop the school into a brand – and he succeeded. More than eight decades after its forced closure, the Bauhaus is more present than ever before in consumerism, politics, and culture alike. It has become a participative brand that escapes centralised control entirely. It has been, and continues to be, forged collectively by countless designers, manufacturers, and consumers. Yet its founders’ initial pledge for functionality and social commitment remains unfulfilled.
In this book, Philipp Oswalt, former director of Foundation Bauhaus Dessau, explores the development of the Bauhaus brand and its use around the world, illustrated with some 950 images that highlight the vast range of Bauhaus appearances from a century.
Pieter Brugel the Elder – Fall of the Rebel Angels argues that many of the hybrid falling angels are carefully composed of naturalia and artificialia, as they were collected in art and curiosity cabinets of the time. Bruegel’s much noted emulation of Hieronymus Bosch was thus only part of his wider interest in collecting, inspecting, and imitating the artistic and natural world around him. This prompts an examination of the world at the time that Bruegel painted the Fall of the Rebel Angels, locally, in the urban and courtly centres of Antwerp and Brussels on the eve of the Dutch revolt, and globally, as the discovery of the New World irreversibly transformed the European perception of art and nature. Painted as a tale of hubris and pride, Bruegel’s masterpiece becomes a meditation on the potential and danger of man’s pursuit of art, knowledge and politics, a universal theme that has lost nothing of its power today.
The Never-Taken Images documents a unique long-term project that Swiss photographers Françoise and Daniel Cartier have been pursuing since 1998. They have put together a vast collection of unfixed photographic papers, glass negatives, and films, mostly dating from 1880 to 1990. Samples of these are mounted and displayed, and, exposed to light over the course of several exhibitions, evolve towards colour saturation. Instead of looking at still images, the Cartiers’ installations, titled Wait and See, allow the viewers to perceive a kind of reality for themselves.
The book features on around 100 pages the entire test catalogue that the Cartiers have put together to date, showing some 900 different papers and photosensitive supports. These facsimiles offer an almost real impression of their formats, colours, and materiality. Essays by Kathrin Schönegg, photo historian and curator, Thilo Koenig, scholar of art history and critic, and Christophe Brandt, former director of the Institute for the Conservation of Photographs at the University of Neuchâtel, supplement the images and place the Wait and See project in the art historical and technological context of abstract media art.
The Never-Taken Images also celebrates the industrially manufactured photo-sensitive support, representing the long central pre-digital period in the history of photography.
Text in English, French and German.
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Rotterdam is a guide to the city’s hidden gems. It takes you off the beaten track to discover the city’s turbulent history, its modern architecture, its little-known museums, the best restaurants and the coolest clubs.
True locals Saskia Naafs & Guido van Eijck selected 500 addresses and facts about Rotterdam that few people know and presents them in lists of 5, alongside beautiful photographs. Guido and Saskia’s favourite addresses include a former harbour warehouse turned daily fresh market where you can sample a perfect locally roasted coffee or a homemade cider, a bright-red light-vessel ship where you can attend an intimate concert, or a former subtropical swimming paradise where you can grow your own oyster mushrooms.
“The product of extensive archival research by members of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, these editions make newly accessible the work of the accomplished British designer.” — Architectural Record
The genius of Edwin Lutyens is now universally recognised. When the acclaimed English architect passed away in 1944, three large volumes of his drawings and photographs were commissioned from the thousands found in his office and were published by Country Life. In 2023, all three volumes will be republished by ACC Art Books.
This third and final volume showcases Lutyens’ detailed plans and elevations for the greatest examples of his townhouse renovations, memorials and public buildings, including the Cenotaph at Westminster, the Thiepval Memorial, and the colossal Midland Bank building in Manchester.
These reissues are once again bringing to the world’s attention not just the professionalism of a great architect, but also the loving care with which he set down the minutiae of his visions. They are among the few books in existence illustrated with his working drawings, as well as pristine photos of the finished masterpieces themselves. A beautiful tribute to a monumental figure in the history of modern architecture.
The painting The Golfers by the Scottish artist Charles Lees is one of the greatest icons of the game of golf. It was painted in the 1840s when the game of golf was still predominantly Scottish and all but two of the twenty-three active British golf clubs were in Scotland. This book examines in detail the historical background to the painting and places it in context with other great sporting pictures of the time. It also discusses the original commission for the work and the importance that photography played, particularly the work of Hill and Adamson, in the realisation of the project.
The series Montessori: A World of Achievements is a collection of texts for children that contain playing activities aimed at encouraging the development of the main cognitive skills, such as the recognition of numbers, shapes and colours. They are designed and built according to the specific educational and pedagogical approach of the Montessori Method. At the Armonia Farm, little ones of 3 to 4 years learn the features of farm animals, thanks to enjoyable, strategically developed activities, according to the Montessori method. By means of outlines to trace, shapes to recognise and colour, drawings to cut out, and many brightly coloured stickers to place, children gradually learn new information about animals, at the same time developing their cognitive potential.
The structure of the activities develops around some fundamental Montessori principles: – the content of the games follows a progressive complexity, to allow the child to become gradually familiar with it; – each activity has three progressive stages of learning: 1. presentation of the material through senses, 2. Recognition of the learning object material, 3. re-enactment of the material; the adult has a role of assistance and introduction to the various activities but the child can play independently the games; handling and practical experience have a central role: often is required you to glue stickers, cut, draw and finger paint. Ages: 3 to 4
The magazine for classic and contemporary nude photography returns with a vibrant compilation of the most beautiful works from the field of the most intimate form of portrait photography. In selecting the works, it was important to the editor Matthias Straub to curate a bridge between the traditional approach to the human body and new, unusual perspectives. In the current edition, there are therefore both abstract works and also very classical nude studies. The familiar structuring of the magazine into the five acts of the opera, according to Gustav Freytag, guides viewers through the photos selected as a content-related leitmotiv.
In 2014, Xu Tiantian, founder of Beijing-based studio Design and Architecture (DnA) began to work in Songyang County, in China’s Zhejiang Province. Her exemplary holistic planning concept of Architectural Acupuncture, which has gained the support of local administrative and political leadership, aims at revitalising rural areas and comprises the renovation of production plants and of tourist and technical infrastructure as well as the creation of venues for culture and education and of social housing. Each of Xu’s small-scale interventions at local level is unique, only the small budget is common to all of them. Moreover, they are all inter-related with each other and in their entirety serve the broader goal of mutual enhancement.
This book introduces Xu’s concept of Architectural Acupuncture and discusses the influence of architecture on cultural self-understanding and economic renewal in 21st-century rural China. It features some 20 new buildings and conversions of existing structures with diverse functions. Published alongside are essays by international economists, sociologists, and curators as well as by the secretary of the Songyang County Party Committee, examining the social, political, and economic implications of sustainable planning and collective action in the Chinese province.
All-round artist Kamagurka started his career as a cartoonist for the Belgian magazine HUMO. Soon after, his multi-talented, discernable style, razor-sharp pen and absurdist humour attracted the attention of other media, resulting in worldwide exposure in newspapers and magazines including NRC Handelsblad, Playboy, Esquire| (the Netherlands); Charlie Hebdo, Hara Kiri (France); Squibb, The Spectator, Deadpan (UK); Titanic, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Zitty, Eulenspiegel (Germany); Die Presse (Austria); The New Yorker, National Lampoon, RAW (USA) and many more. Kamagurka wrote and acted in several radio, television and theatre shows, often performing alongside Herr Seele, his lifelong partner in crime. Next to that Kamagurka released more than 25 comic books, from Bert and Bobje to Cowboy Henk. The Holy Kama is a best of, compiling over 1000 cartoons from this master of absurdity. The Holy Kama is an unholy bible, an indispensable on every Kama devotee’s bedside table. Also available: Kamarama ISBN: 9789058564078