The book features about 60 paintings mostly on handmade paper and some on silk. Executed in Bikaner style, the works have clearly been impacted by Mughal traditions, particularly in terms of the detailed anatomical depiction, and the richness of the palette. There is an impressive collection in the art track of ascetics, priests, sufi saints, sadhus, maulvis, and pilgrims each lost in their meditative trance, as the artist observed them during his sojourns to Khumbh or at Ganga Sagar Math or at the famous holy Dargah shrine at Ajmer, the sketches made on site were developed into paintings later in the studio. Images of Radha and Krishna, inspired by Geet Govind, Hanuman along with Ganesha also appears in various other incarnations. The repertoire also encompasses 24 distinct avatars or godly incarnations based on studies of Bhagwat Puran.

The Artscape of Mahaveer Swami brings alive the richness in the art tradition of Bikaner, inspired by his religious and artistic upbringing, along with his rigorous training.

Contents: Preface -Martin Gurvich; Mode and Material; The Artscape of Mahaveer Swami: Reliving the tradition of Bikaner art -Sushma K. Bah; The Art of Bikaner-Geet Govinda; Sadhus; Avatars Hanuman; Asta Ganesha; Spiritual India; Biography of Mahaveer Swami.

Hinduism is neither an organised religion nor a proselytising one. It is often described as a way of life, which gently nudges its followers – through its scriptures, mythologies, rituals, and practices to question deeply, live fully, and grow wholesomely in compassion and universal acceptance. Hinduism believes whatever inspires one to stay truly unselfish, be it a vocation, an ideology, or a faith, can lead one towards greater self-realization and ultimate freedom. Living Hinduism by Samarpan encapsulates this essence of Hinduism in a language that can be understood and appreciated by all, especially the younger generation, who need to know and understand what it means to be a Hindu, in an age of strident opinions and changing values.

The culmination of five years’ travel with Indian pilgrims, Nostalgia for Eternity takes the reader into the depths of millennia-old spiritual and mystic traditions. It is a stunning visual poem about the timeless human search for transcendence and ultimate truth. Translated literally from the Greek, ‘nostalgia’ means homesickness; spiritually, it is the universal longing for existential peace and completeness – for a final resolution of all life’s conflicts and contradictions. ‘The truth is one,’ taught India’s ancient gurus, ‘the sages call it by many names.’ With breadth and insight unmatched by any other publication, Nostalgia for Eternity illustrates the worlds of pilgrims seeking that transcendent truth and illuminates the different paths that they travel. Through evocative, complex images we enter the secretive realm of Tantric worshippers of the Mother Goddess; and we walk with Sufi pilgrims across the deserts of Rajasthan. Meditative, richly layered photographs reveal the inner world of Bengali Bauls – mystics who worship the human being; and of Sidis – descendants of African saints whose religion merges African ancestor worship with Sufism. Richly annotated text reveals to the reader the deeper symbolic and mythological significance of the Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, and syncretic practices explored in the book.

Jaipur has drawn upon the arts to carve a niche for itself. This book tells the story of the visual arts, both commissioned and acquired, by the royal family of Jaipur over a period of more than two centuries, highlighting the dual roles of its rulers as patrons who commissioned works from their own court artists, and as collectors who acquired works from elsewhere. In the special case of Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II, it also encompasses the creation of art, as he was an accomplished amateur photographer. The book begins with paintings from the 18th century, from the period of the founder Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, up to that of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, under whose reign painting in particular flourished. It then captures the excitement of the late 19th century when the camera competed with, but also complemented, the artist’s brush under Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. In the end, images leading to Indian Independence and its aftermath overseen by Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh II and Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II, bring us up to the mid-20th century. Contents: Foreword by Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur; Introduction; Glories of the Suratkhana – Two Centuries of Painting at the Jaipur Court Sonika Soni; Painting Materials and Process; The Age of the Founders, 1727-1778, Jaipur and the Mughals, People at Court, Mughal Paintings and Jaipur Copies, Acquired from Elsewhere, Religious and Folk Paintings, Large Format Paintings; An Aesthete’s Court, 1778-1819,The Patronage of Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, Illustrated Manuscripts, Krishna’s Dance, Other Jaipur Subjects, Influences from Elsewhere; New Directions, 1819-1880 A New Era, Illustrated manuscripts, The Court Atelier, Influences from Elsewhere, Large Format Paintings; The View from the Tasveerkhana – Photography at the Jaipur Court Mrinalini Venkateswaran, Photography Equipment; Early Photography in Jaipur, 1860-1890 Self-portraits, Nobles at Court, Women of the Zenana, Foreign Visitors, Royal Visitors, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh’s views of Amber & Jaipur, Views of Amber & Jaipur by the Maharaja’s Contemporaries, Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh outside Jaipur, Bourne & Shepherd; Into the Modern Era, 1880-1950 Portraits of the later Maharajas, Capturing Ceremony, Painting and Design; Acknowledgements; Select Bibliography; Index.

The Tree with a Thousand Apples is a universal story of cultures, belongingness, revenge and atonement. A socio-political thriller set in the troubled Indian region of Kashmir, during the years 1990 to 2013, it depicts how the lives of three innocent children are shattered during an insurgent night, and what happens 20 years later when their paths cross again. This narrative, while local to the Kashmir Valley, reflects a universal truth: that lives of innocent people are caught in the crossfire of conflict zones across the world. The novel depicts the paradise that Kashmir once was, shows the ideological conflict zone it has become, and explores the question of ‘where next?’, both for the land and its people. The stylized layered format, fast-paced narration and suspenseful storytelling makes for a powerful, gripping read.

This book is a delightful collection of introspective essays on the Garhwal Himalaya and life around it. The author draws from his memories of being brought up in the mountains, pictures that linger like a waft of sweet perfume on a breezy afternoon. With affection, Ganesh Saili writes of his many journeys through these valleys wrapped in the mist, travelogues that evoke details of natural history interwoven into the delicate social fabric of mountain life. The book is a living tribute to the large-hearted sons of the soil, who, down the ages, have yoked the hills together, through thick and thin, good times and bad times, have laughed at the thunder and mocked the skies, have left for the plains only to return, again and again, to the call of the mountains. The Garhwal Himalaya have always been much more than lumps of rock and ice – an enigma, a constant companion for travelers and explorers.

Wanderings Through the Garhwal Himalaya is gripping study of this incredible part of the Himalaya which will make you want to be out there in the mountains amid sleet, snow, rain and wind.

A posthumous novel by Dr Tsewang Yishey Pemba, the founding father of Tibetan-English literature, White Crane, Lend me your Wings is a historical fiction set in the breathtakingly beautiful Nyarong Valley in the Kham province of Eastern Tibet, in the first half of the twentieth century. Dr Pemba skillfully weaves a dazzling tapestry of individual lives and sweeping events, creating an epic vision of a country and people during a time of tremendous upheaval. The novel begins with a never-told-before story of a failed Christian mission in Tibet. It takes the reader deep into the heartland of Eastern Tibet, capturing the zeitgeist of the fierce warrior tribes of Khampas ruled by their chieftains. This coming-of-age narrative is a riveting tale of vengeance, warfare and love, which unfolds through the life story of two young boys and their family and friends. The personal drama becomes embroiled in national catastrophe as China invades Tibet, forcing it out of its isolation. Ultimately, the novel delves into themes such as tradition versus modernity, individual choice and freedom, the nature of governance, the role of religion in people’s lives, the inevitability of change, and the importance of human values such as loyalty and compassion.

The book presents a significantly curated cross-section of the textile treasures offered by Varanasi. It combines the past and the present, linking them to different moments in the city’s history, and makes a powerful case for rediscovering, preserving and patronizing these textile treasures that are inextricably bound to the ancient aura of the city. Jaya Jaitly, emphasizes the need to acknowledge the beauty of Varanasi’s textiles emerging out of age-old traditions and techniques. She highlights the danger of the loss of livelihoods and highly sophisticated skills. She expresses concern over erosion of identity and importance in the wake of machine-made imitations being produced in other parts of the world that has already begun.

Parmigianino (1503-1540) was among the leading artists of Mannerism, the style that characterised the later years of the Italian High Renaissance and spread throughout Europe, and is known for the exquisite grace and refinement of his art. Heir to Raphael and Correggio he is considered one of the most accomplished draughtsmen of all times. The Louvre has the largest collection of his drawings and the catalogue traces his development as an artist through the analysis of over 60 magnificent drawings. Parmigianino was extremely precocious, and after having absorbed the innovations coming from different artistic centres of Northern Italy (Venice, Ferrara, Cremona, Parma), at only 19 years of age he went to Rome and was presented to the Pope. After the sack of Rome, he moved to Bologna and then returned to his hometown, Parma. Never satisfied with the results attained, he drew and sketched continuously, leaving us an exceptional legacy. Contents: Essays – Parmigianino in the eye of the mirror by Dominique Cordellier; ‘ La maniera bella’: the style of the draughtsman by Laura Angelucci; An alchemist of draughtsmanship: observations on drawing techniques by Roberta Serra; The formation of the Parmigianino collection at the Louvre by Laurence Lhinarès; Chronology; Catalogue; 1517-1524: from Parme to Rome by Dominique Cordellier; 1524-1530: Rome and Bologna by Roberta Serra; 1530-1540: Parme and Casalmaggiore by Laura Angelucci; Bibliography; Index of names and places. Text in French.

“The mention of Mongiardino still elicits instant reverence. With his alchemic blurring of eras, the sheer scope and commitment of his massive projects and insistence on valuing ambience above so-called authenticity, he attained mythic stature.” – The New York Times Style Magazine Roomscapes is not only a beautiful testament to Mongiardino’s imaginative creations, the magnificent rooms he re-shaped and decorated in ancient Italian and Parisian palaces, English houses, New York apartments, but it is an important text that analyzes space, function, decoration and lighting of rooms. It is meant as a guide to conceive spaces that are inhabited through time and by time. Sketches, drawings, and models by Mongiardino, next to the images of the finished rooms, make the creative process clear and showcase his extraordinary ability and taste. Contents: Preface by Giovanni Agosti; Introduction; Part one: The genesis of a room; Sketches; Chapter one: Space, measure, and models; Chapter two:The function of a room and its appearance; Chapter three: Decoration: ways to invent it, transform it, correct it; Chapter four: Decoration and the appeal of the exotic; Part two: Illusion: the eye deceived; Chapter five: Materials and the simulation of materials; Chapter two: The birth and development of perspective; Conclusion; Appendix: 16 unpublished sketches by Renzo Mongiardino.

This lavishly illustrated volume opens a window into the world of one of the most extravagant and wide-ranging stylemakers of the last century, a pioneer of the cosmetics industry who was also celebrated for the daring and prescience of her art collecting, her decorating, and her personal couture. Four hundred vintage images and a meticulously researched text, including 16 essays by renowned experts in the fields of art and interior design, illuminate and trace the public and private lives of Helena Rubinstein. Rubinstein’s bold and influential flair for decor – sleekly modern at times, and at other times a wildly eclectic sampling from different eras – was showcased globally in her beauty salons and in her glamorous residences in New York, Paris, and the South of France. An astute patron, she invested in artworks by the luminaries of Parisian bohemia just as they began their ascent. Her vast collection included tapestries by Picasso and Rouault, paintings by Dégas, Dufy, Matisse, Miró, Modigliani, and Monet, as well as murals by Dalí. Her striking instinct for fashion (she wore Worth and Poiret at first, and Balenciaga and St. Laurent 60 years later) and her famous overscaled jewellery kept her in the public eye, decade after decade. Rubinstein’s vibrant character, reflected in her personal style and in the interiors of her homes and salons, is captured here in works by photographers such as Cecil Beaton, Brassaï, André Kertész, Dora Maar, and Man Ray – many of which have never before been published. When the flamboyant and decisive Helena Rubinstein died in 1965, at the age of 94, her huge collections were dispersed. But in these pages her world comes alive again: Over the Top is a unique record of the passionate life and style of this self-made mogul and the century she helped define.

What does an architectural guide look like in an age when the world’s knowledge is carried around in small devices in your pocket? The second edition of the Guide to Buildings in Zug, documenting a century of planning and construction in the canton, provides an answer: It is a large, 300-page illustrated volume that is dedicated not only to the architecture, but also to questions of spatial and landscape planning. Packed with images, the architectural guide is intended for the coffee tables of a wider audience, rather than the library.

Text in German.

Before the age of the paper book jacket, publishers issued their books in cloth-covered boards, which were stamped with designs in golf leaf and color. From around 1860, artists of the Arts and Crafts movement supplied many of the best designs. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris and Walter Crane led the way, and they were followed in the 1890s by Laurence Housman, Charles Ricketts and Selwyn Image, among others. Prominent Arts and Crafts architects, such as Philip Webb and C.F.A. Voysey, also designed book covers.

Malcolm Haslam explores this uncharted territory, investigating not only the designs and designers, but the publishers and binders as well. He introduces some artists, little known today, whose designs filled the bookshops and bookshelves of late Victorian and Edwardian Britain, and he shows how designers in Europe and America were influenced by British book covers decorated in the Arts and Crafts style. Ninety-nine of the best covers are illustrated and described, and details are given of over fifty Arts and Crafts designers who worked in commercial book production, and their marks and monograms are shown.

U Thong, 100 or so km north of Bangkok, has been an important site for over 2,000 years, as witnessed by the discovery of a 3rd century Roman coin. The moated city was connected to the Chin river, thereby gaining access to international trade routes.

The inhabitants of the early centers of Classic Southeast Asian civilization were already wealthy enough to own large quantities of ornate jewelry such as imported beads from India and carved stone from Taiwan. They had so much gold that central and western mainland Southeast Asia including the U Thong area was known in Sanskrit as Suvarnabhumi, the Golden Land.

This publication brings a new perspective to the study of ancient gold from U Thong. The author is a trained research metallurgy scientist, and these skills have been brought to bear on the highly significant corpus of early gold artifacts found in and around the moated city, the largest accumulation of such artifacts from any of the ancient muang of Thailand.

The goldsmiths were as highly skilled as those anywhere else in the world, but almost all previous studies have been written by people who can only study the outer appearance to draw conclusions regarding its age and place of origin.

Life in the royal courts of India revolved around entertaining. The palace kitchens were allotted massive budgets to ensure the highest quality of cuisine. Each state had its unique style of entertaining and food traditions – carrying forward these culinary practices are the modern day Indian royals. While the scale of the banquets may have shrunk the passion for food and the age-old family recipes remain. Dining with the Maharajas: Thousand Years of Culinary Tradition brings the invaluable legacy of Indian royals as ten families open up their palaces and homes to allow you a glimpse into their charmed lives that straddle tradition and modernity.

Jangarh Singh Shyam was born in the early 1960s to an impoverished Gond family in rural central India. Discovered and nurtured by the renowned artist J. Swaminathan at Bharat Bhavan, the multi-arts center in Bhopal, Jangarh rose to global prominence after participating in a seminal art exhibition in Paris. After a brief career spanning only 20 years – and by then recognized as one of India’s greatest tribal artists – Jangarh committed suicide in 2001 at the age of 39. His work, informed by the Gond deities of his childhood, defied established categories and inspired a contemporary school of indigenous painting, which continues to attract admirers in India and abroad. Exploring his aesthetics, themes, and art historical relevance, this book also looks at the relationship between the artist and his early patrons, the collectors Niloufar and Mitchell S. Crites. Dr. Aurogeeta Das closely examines the huge body of work Jangarh left behind in The Crites Collection, enriching her study with references to works in other private and institutional collections. As such, she also captures early practices of collecting contemporary folk and tribal art in India. Contents: Preface by Mitchell S. Crites Patangarh to Paris, New Delhi to Niigata; Images I Samvega, Aesthetic Shock: Jangarh’s Artistic Evolution; Images II The Enchanted Forest: Jangarh’s Thematic Range; Images III Cataloague Raisonné: Paintings and Drawings from the Crites Collection.

This is the story of the magnificent Jodhpur Lancers – one of India’s most charismatic cavalry regiments – even as centenary celebrations begin of their finest hour, their extraordinary victory at the Battle of Haifa (now in Israel) in 1918. Indeed, the charge, mounted on horses against machine gun fire, at the fortified city then held by German and Turkish forces, is described by many as ‘perhaps the greatest cavalry charge ever on a regimental scale’, ranking alongside Cromwell’s Ironsides at Marston Moor, the Polish Lancers at Somosierra and the German cavalry at Mars-la-Tour. No wonder the Jodhpur Lancers were referred to as the Jo Hokums (‘As You Command’) by the end of the Great War – no challenge was insurmountable, no order ever refused. Laced with anecdotes and ‘inside stories’, Michael Creese traces the roots of the regiment from its raising by the legendary Sir Pratap Singh to its early actions in China. From the muddy trenches of France, to Haifa, Aleppo and Damascus; to its eventual mechanisation in the Second World War. Finally, and sadly, to its bureaucratic amalgamation with the Indian Army in the 1950s, where, against many odds, it has been able to retain a slice of its identity and history; the battle cry always ‘Ran Banka Rathore’ (‘The Rathore – Invincible in Battle’).

Indian royalty’s passion for western luxury goods reached its peak at the height of the British Raj (1857-1947) as Indian rulers traveled to Europe and began to model their lives along western lines. Commissioning architects to design palaces in modern or historic styles, purchasing fleets of cars, and ordering their family jewels to be reset by the most skilled European goldsmiths, Indian princes established themselves as the new creative patrons of European high design. Based equally in the archives of firms such as Louis Vuitton, Boucheron, Chaumet and Hermès, and in palaces and private collections, this book examines the role of maharajas in an age of high spending and fashion. It brings together original designs with surviving objects, and, for the first time, looks at the creative dialogue between Indian princes and the skilled tradesmen who satisfied their desires. Paired with the objects themselves are absorbing and often humourous accounts of how maharajas indulged their tastes with unparalleled extravagance and aplomb. Rich in anecdotes and visually splendid, Made for Maharajas brings alive the extraordinary lavish, varied and sometimes implausible works commissioned by princes whose wealth knew no bounds and whose eccentricities were legend.

In Hindi ‘pukka’ means genuine, authentic, complete. Design in India is not only determined by the aesthetic appeal of the object, but also by the significance of the object in the everyday life of its users. In some instances, the age-old practices established by ancient Indian wisdom determine the design of an object, such as the datun (neem tree twig) recommended for oral care or agarbatti (incense) used to heal and protect. On the other hand, the lota (a kind of metal pot) has been a part of everyday Indian life for centuries and its design remains unchanged even today. Pukka Indian, or Purely Indian, brings together 100 objects that are the most coveted symbols representing Indian culture and design. This illustrated book celebrates the diversity, versatility, vibrancy, and colours of design icons – ranging from kulhad to the kolhapuri chappal, Nano to the Nehru jacket, and auto rickshaw meter to the Ambassador – that set them apart in a country as multifarious as India. Each of these 100 profiles reveals the intrinsic Indian nature of every object, and how each has influenced design, culture and, in turn, every Indian.

Sikh Heritage, with a foreword by Hardeep Sigh Puri, is a succinct and delightfully photographed glimpse into the community’s religion, its ten gurus, its temples, traditional systems of governance, history, architecture, and the famous Golden Temple. This book traces the history of the valor and devotion of the Sikh community, which forms less than 1 per cent of India’s one billion population, yet produces over 50 per cent of the country’s food reserves. Despite the brutal assaults of history faced by the Sikh community – such as the partition of Punjab – they still maintain the merit of their heritage. Looks at how the thriving Sikh diaspora has spread across the globe; and how they always took the words of the gurus with them wherever they went. This work has captured the relics that have borne witness to the establishment of the Sikh community and identity. Most of these heritage objects associated with the gurus are in private collections or in gurdwaras. A photographic documentation of the Sikh historicity through objects both in time and space, such as the beautifully captured images of Takhats or temporal seats of the Sikhs, portray a unique relationship between the edifice and the Sikhs – thus, each photograph is a story in itself. This new approach aims at the conception of Sikh heritage not only as the sacred masterpieces of the past to be valued and conserved, but also as emblematic and living spaces to be appropriated by the local communities who are the bearers of a rich and active collective memory.

Mishmash is a narrative poem about a funny mix up that happens amongst a group of animals. These animals refuse to stick to their own conventional sounds and take on the sounds of other animals instead. Here you will find kittens that ‘oink’ like pigs and ducklings that ‘ribbit’ like frogs! A truly delightful tale of animal mischief. The author Korney Chukovsky was a renowned Russian writer and poet. This book is illustrated by an award-winning artist Francesca Yarbusova, the wife and collaborator of Yuri Norstein. She was the co-creator of the animated films Hedgehog in the Fog and Tale of Tales – the films that were declared to be the Best Animated Film of All Time. Also available in the Norstein & Yarbusova Collection – a beautiful series of children’s picture books based on the art of famous Russian artists and animators Yuri Norstein and Francesca Yarbusova are: The Fox and the Hare ISBN: 9780984586714 and The Hedgehog in the Fog ISBN: 9780984586707.

Hewlett Johnson, the Red Dean of Canterbury Cathedral from 1931 to 1963, was one of the most complex and intriguing public figures in 20th-century Britain. Converted to communism in the 1890s, he spent more than half a century as a priest in the Church of England. At the heart of Johnson’s Christian faith was his unshakeable conviction that the principles of communism were all but indistinguishable from Jesus’s teaching about the Kingdom of God on earth. For those who heard his sermons on Christianity and politics, Hewlett Johnson was either adored as a Christian visionary or hated as a mouthpiece of Soviet propaganda. There was little middle ground. Despised by the senior ranks of the Church of England, Hewlett Johnson was welcomed in high political places throughout the world. He had audiences with Stalin, Khrushchev, Molotov and Malenkov, Mao Tse-Tung and Chou En-Lai, Castro and Che Guevara. He also talked with Truman in the White House. He was tracked by MI5 for 35 years, was awarded the Soviet equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, twice spoke to huge audiences in Madison Square Garden, and was condemned by an Archbishop of Canterbury as blind, unreasonable and stupid. He was a prolific writer and a gifted orator, had two long marriages each of nearly 30 years, and became a father for the first time at the age of 66. This biography, which draws on his unpublished personal letters and papers, neither lauds nor condemns him, but re-examines his extraordinary life and career on the 80th anniversary of his appointment as Dean of Canterbury.