Hidden Holland is an alternative travel guide with inspiring stories about approximately 380 different and unexpected places all around the country. This guide entreats you to leave the beaten path, pointing you to locations that many people didn’t even know existed. Such as a forest full of miniature waterworks, a cellar with a mummy in a small Frisian church and secret NATO headquarters.
This guide introduces you to the lesser-known charms of the Netherlands through surprising places presented in original lists, such as: 5 artworks in unexpected locations, the 7 most authentic pubs, 5 cool repurposed industrial heritage sites, 6 local specialities you should try, and much more.
The first comprehensive illustrated book on the Cyclades archipelago, which also includes the well-known islands of Santorini, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos. The islands are currently among the trendiest travel destinations in the world. There is no Hollywood or Instagram star who has not been photographed in front of the white cities of the Greek islands.
This illustrated book attempts to capture the islands’ attitude to life in an undisguised way. In doing so, the volume does not aim at the big tourist hotspots and Instagram shots that can be seen everywhere else, but would like to capture the Greek island world as a whole – with all its discrepancies. Lonely bays and half-ruined towns stand next to the glossy world of the rich and famous who spend the summer on the islands. Highlife in summer next to almost deserted streets in winter. Greek tradition next to modern mass tourism. It is precisely these discrepancies that make the volume so distinctive. In addition, each individual island has its own exciting peculiarities that are worth discovering. The volume also portrays in pictures and text local Greeks who pursue an exciting profession: The last fishermen of the island, the priest of a mountain church on Naxos, the last local beekeeper, etc.
Rudi Sebastian has spent many weeks on the islands over several years in all seasons and has followed the soul of the country and its people. He was at least once on every single island of the region, so he attaches importance to completeness. The result is a probably unique collection of images that reflects the island life in all its facets.
Text in English and German.
These previously unpublished images of New York’s waterfront are presented here as part of a unique editorial project: the iconographic perspective is analysed and discussed in Pauline Vermare’s interview with Sophie Fenwick, and finds further literary development in the photographer’s poetry, on which she started working during the pandemic and is used here to accompany the visual narrative.
The language of photography is used here — in a series of black and white and colour shots — to retrace the memory of a transformation and to express the urgency of documentation that in these pages evolves from personal to universal. The invitation to travel voiced by Fenwick is visual poetry articulated in a series of pictures, each of which possesses the potential to become a true icon.
Text in English and French.
Meet Galileo Galilei and discover the story of his life and work in this engagingly illustrated biography – narrated by the scientist himself. Astronomer, physicist, and philosopher Galileo Galilei was referred to as “The Father of Modern Science,” because of his groundbreaking research. Making observations about nature, and using mathematics to back them up, he proved the Copernican Theory true: the Sun, not the Earth, is the centre of the universe. Join Galileo on his pioneering journey to see why his work had such long-lasting implications, and why the Catholic Church even condemned him for heresy. Ages: 6 plus
Explore 31 extraordinary monuments from around the world – from ancient treasures like the Colosseum to the modern Sydney Opera House. A world of wonders awaits children in this book! From the Palace of Versailles in France to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy, from Knossos Palace in Greece to Mount Rushmore in the US, it presents some of history’s greatest monuments, along with their location, size, and fun facts and features. Each one is marvellously illustrated by Giulia Lombardo, and introduced by a famous character connected to its legend – including Antoni Gaudi, designer of the Sagrada Familia church; Gustave Eiffel, who created the Eiffel Tower; Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, whose family lives in Alnwick Castle, where scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed; and Tom Jobim, who wrote a song about the statue of Christ on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Ages: 8 plus
A definitive collection, edited by one of the world’s pre-eminent authorities on populism.
Both old and new money flocks to Palm Beach for “the season”, and the houses that line the oceanfront and Intercoastal Waterway exhibit a remarkable range of approaches to living under the subtropical sun. Among the twenty homes that are featured in this lavish volume are those of Dorothy Spreckels Munn and Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau. All the most renowned Palm Beach architects — Addison Mizner, Maurice Fatio, Howard Major, and Belford Shoumate — are represented.
But author Jennifer Ash also takes us off the beaten path to fascinating residences known to natives alone: an artist’s bungalow on the bohemian Root Trail, a luxuriously appointed yet fully seaworthy yacht, a cozy retreat in a landmark church. And while relating the gossip-packed history of many of the island’s famous residents, she gives us a guided tour of interiors created by both local and world-renowned designers, including David Easton and Juan Pablo Molyneux.
From the rococo splendor of Mar-a-Lago — designed by Joseph Urban for Marjorie Merriweather Post and now owned by Donald Trump — to the ultra-modern chic of a house by Richard Meier, Private Palm Beach affords intimate access to life behind the island’s meticulously manicured hedges.
“This is the very best of Antwerp and the best from here in Oxford.” — The Oxford Times Weekend
“This entertaining exhibition of the 16th- and 17th-century drawings from the Low Countries has energy to spare.” — The Telegraph
This catalogue will accompany the Bruegel to Rubens exhibition held at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford between 23 March and 23 June 2024.
Through a selection of over 100 world-class drawings created by Flemish artists in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, an insightful and comprehensive overview will be given into how these drawn sheets were used as part of artistic practice, within or beyond the artist’s studio. By revealing the drawings’ function, rather than on their attribution or iconography, these sheets will become more fully understood through the eyes of contemporary readers. Identifying how and why these sheets were created will render these artworks more accessible to a wider audience. The three main essays will each deal with one of the principal functions of drawings at the time: studies (copies and sketches), designs for other artworks (paintings, prints, tapestries, metalwork, stained glass, sculpture and architecture), and finally the independent drawings. Each essay will discuss the relevant works within their functional context and compared with other related objects. Introductory chapters will focus on what precisely can be considered a drawing, including its materials, media and techniques, in addition to an attempt to explain the notion of Flanders and Flemish art. Emphasis will be placed throughout the catalogue on how Flemish artists collaborated in creating the most astonishing artworks of their time, unveiling their networks and friendships, as well as their travels across Europe, revealing their international importance.
The exhibition is a partnership with the Museum Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp and will bring together for the first time the most stunning drawings from both the Ashmolean and the Plantin-Moretus collections, in addition to further loans from renowned Antwerp and Oxford institutions like the Rubenshuis and Christ Church Picture Gallery. Many of the sheets coming from Antwerp are registered on the Flemish Government’s Masterpieces List and will not be shown again for the next five to ten years to protect them from fading. Prominent artists featured in this catalogue include Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, and Jacques Jordaens, among many others. Highlights will include a sketchbook in which a young Rubens has copied Holbein’s Dance of Death woodcuts, intricate pen and ink drawings by Pieter Bruegel, meticulously drawn miniatures by Joris Hoefnagel, portrait studies by Anthony van Dyck, and a rare survival of a friendship album containing numerous drawings and poems dedicated to its owner. Two recently discovered sheets by Rubens will also be included, a design for a book-illustration on optics and an anatomical study of three legs.
In 2023 the Danner Foundation is honouring exceptional achievements in craft at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Landshut, Germany, with the Danner Prize, four additional honorary awards, and a remarkable exhibition featuring a total of 41 artists.
Gunther Pfeffer received the Danner Prize for his display cabinet Raster. The unit comprises fir slats arranged in a grid, which, depending on the angle of view, reveal what is inside and render the grid visible, or obscure the view and meld into a single surface.
The objects are presented in the publication in large-format photographs and informative descriptions of the concepts. Personal statements by the artists provide insights into their various working methods. To conclude, texts by renowned authors look into the significance and development of handicraft today from different perspectives.
Text in English and German.
“… In fact, my entire journey through Amsterdam’s vibrant house museums was one great historical sensation in a variety of contexts. I followed in the footsteps of Dutch East India Company directors, workers, orphans, writers, artists, architects, and many others, seeing how they lived and worked. How they ate in poverty-stricken 19th-century slums or at lavishly laid tables in canal-side mansions of Van Loon or Bartolotti. How they prayed in secret with Father Parmentier in a clandestine attic church. I am not longer just an Amsterdammer: now I’m an Amsterdammer with a past.” – Froukje Wattel.
Text in English and Dutch.
My first books collection box with four exciting and educational books for children, covering numbers, shapes, colours and opposites, all inspired by Edvard Munch.
Circle? Or Oval? And a diamond shape on the bedspread! My first book of shapes. Yellow hats, purple forest – and what is the colour of the moon? My first book of colours. Day and night, light and …? My first book of opposites. I, 2, 7, 9! How many people do you see on the bridge? My first book of numbers.
Ages 3-5.
Also available: Boxed-set, ISBN 9788293560906; Colours, ISBN 9788293560944; Opposites, ISBN 9788293560982; Numbers, ISBN 9788293560869.
Australia’s wine history dates back almost 250 years, to the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788. The first commercial wine region, the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, was created a mere 40 years later, and by as early as the 1850s small amounts of wine were being exported to the UK. In the modern era, Australian wine became known for fortified wine styles modelled on Port and Sherry. These were the main wine styles consumed for several decades, but by the mid-1990s nearly all grapes were going into table wine and Australia was the sixth largest global exporter of wine. Vibrant, varietally expressive and affordable wines introduced new generations of drinkers to the joys of wine. The popularity of Australian wine has ebbed and flowed over the years but experimentation, innovation and the illumination of newer regions has created a quiet revolution, challenging preconceptions of what is possible.
In The Wines of Australia, sommelier Mark Davidson tastes his way round this new Australian wine world. European immigration was an important factor in the development of wine but it also had a dramatic and negative impact on the indigenous peoples, an issue that Davidson addresses in a chapter on history and culture, explaining how the wine industry is taking steps to involve First Nations peoples in grape growing and winemaking. The growing environment, including the critical question of climate change, is tackled, and today’s most important grape varieties, along with those that can take Australian wine into the future, are profiled. This is followed by a chapter explaining why the country is home to some of the oldest vines in the world. Every region is clearly delineated, its key producers introduced and their wines assessed. The Wines of Australia captures the character of one of the most exciting wine-producing countries on the planet.
Gertrude Vernon, or Lady Agnew of Lochnaw, was an English woman who married a Scot. The American artist John Singer Sargent excelled as a painter in Europe. His portrait of Lady Agnew was painted in London but has found its definitive home in Edinburgh. All these contexts converge in a supremely beautiful painting which is one the icons of the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.
Created in the 1890s, it proved to be a seminal work in the lives of the artist and his subject and has enjoyed a rich afterlife, inspiring artistic and written responses. This book offers a fascinating biography of this most accomplished, evocative and admired of portraits, placing it in the context of Sargent’s career and how he worked, discussing the life of the sitter and unveiling the picture’s rich critical history.
Santa Maria Assunta in Cremona, among the great Romanesque cathedrals of the Po Valley in northern Italy, is not only one of the most renowned for its artwork, but also one in which the slow stratification of time is most evident. The names of the greatest masters, in the first person or in the medieval sense of workshop, follow one another in quick succession: Wiligelmo, Antelami, the excellent Marco Romano, the Campionesi, enrich the façade with grandiose and superb sculptures, aristocratic and earthy. In the interior, the cycle of frescoes in the main nave with the Stories from the Life of the Virgin and Christ shows, as nowhere else, the symptoms of the pressing renewal taking place in early 16th century Italian painting, from the faultless classicism of Boccaccio Boccaccino to the eccentric Altobello Melone and Gianfrancesco Bembo, the Brescian Romanino and the Friulian Pordenone, who is given the grand finale with the resounding Crucifixion on the counter façade. Alongside these two poles, the façade and the nave, there are masterpieces from all centuries: paintings, sculptures, and goldsmithing, including frescoes and canvases by the Campi, the greatest exponents of the 16th-century Cremonese school of painting.
What do movable dolls’ eyes have to do with a Catholic church? Where could you meet Plain Bob Maximus and Surprise Major? Why does just one person know where Oliver Cromwell’s head is buried? And where is a dog a very large cat?
The answers to all these questions lie in Cambridge, which combines the magnificence of a medieval university with the dynamism of a high-technology hub. Tens of thousands of visitors flock to Cambridge every year to see the colleges, go punting on the river, and shop. But there is much more to Cambridge than its university and Silicon Fen. Over the centuries, town and gown together have transformed this city, which was an inland port until the 17th century. Eccentricity is something of a Cambridge tradition, and the town seems to delight in taking its visitors by surprise, whether that’s with a huge metal time-eating grasshopper, May Balls held in June, sculptures that dive into the ground feet first, or a museum that makes a feature of broken pottery. You will find these and many more curiosities in this book.
The work of the Estonian jewelry artist Tanel Veenre comes alive in its fullest extent in the current artist’s book. Between dramatic objects and mellow-sensual jewelry unfold thoughts, ideas and questions, which are framed by sequences of pictures showing the sources of his inspiration: photographs of Nordic landscapes, of best friends, of church vaults, erotic forms and the workshop in which the fantastical and poetic pieces are created by his very hand. With this ‘artist’s diary’, Tanel Veenre gives an insight into his world – intimate and sincere thoughts on the ideas and concepts behind his creativity. As a rather abstract thinker, these concentrate less on the detail than the big picture behind it: Why and how is man able to create art? Where does the beginning, where does the end of art lie? Where does nothing end and where does everything begin? Text in English and Estonian.
French-born Marie-Claude Deffarge (1924-1984) and Luxembourgian Gordian Troeller (1917-2003) collaborated as freelance journalists from the 1950s until Deffarange’s premature death. Initially, they reported mainly from the Middle East, later from all over the world. In the 1960s, the German weekly news magazine stern commissioned them with major features on foreign countries. At the same time, they began their first joint film projects; from the 1970s onwards, film documentaries became the focus of their work. Deffarge / Troeller were renowned for their well-researched reportages. They rarely reported in neutral manner, but remained deterred by criticism of their critical analyses of prevailing power structures or the role of the church.
This first comprehensive book on the work Deffarge and Troeller focuses on the stern features and the film work. It is lavishly illustrated with photos, entire features and film previews, dummies for books, contact sheets, film stills and scripts as well as various documents. The supplementing essays explores the duo’s entire work and approach, and its reception. Thus, the volume highlights what makes Deffarge / Troeller’s journalism an essential contribution to a better understanding of world events, even in the present day.
Text in English and German.
To Reach the Source: The Stepwells of India is a photography book about a unique and magnificent architectural form that remains unknown to most people outside (and even within) India.
More than just a shaft dug into the earth to fetch water, these are entire buildings that descend several stories below ground; they are spaces to be entered and occupied, serving functional, social, and ritual purposes. Often, they are as monumental and ornate as a church, and this is intentional.
They are a source of water, a gathering space, and a temple all at once, but instead of rising into the sky, they descend below the surface. They create a spatial experience unlike any other, in which one is below ground but remains connected to the sun and sky. Today they lie largely abandoned and overlooked, in various states of preservation or, more often, disrepair.
The photographs seek to recreate the striking ambiance that they elicit. The brief text that follows the images (interspersed with a few architectural drawings) provides a necessary minimum of context, ultimately to reinforce the primarily visual nature of the reader’s experience, one in which the photographs have priority. The photographs seek to give readers some sense of the meditative process of descending into these beautiful structures, of going away from the surface on which we live, but not being cut off from it, instead directed towards the very source of life.
In this brand new and thoroughly revised edition of the bestselling London city guide author Tom Greig not only shares a lot of new secrets, he also included two outside-the-box city walks: an ideal way to explore a part of the city in a day. Many of the new addresses in this guide are in East-London, an area Tom has explored more intensely since the first publication of The 500 Hidden Secrets of London in 2017.
Of course the best hidden secrets in the rest of the city are still included as well, such as the bakery on Brick Lane that’s open 24-hours and that’s famous for its salt-beef bagels; the only modernist house open to the public; the historic church where you can hear avant-garde electronic music; or the art deco car park that hosts art installations and fashion shows. The book contains 500 places and details that few people know, making it the perfect guide for visitors who want to avoid the usual tourist spots and for residents who are keen to track down the city’s best-kept secrets.
Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Boston, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Copenhagen, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Tokyo, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com
111 Places in New Orleans That You Must Not Miss is your ultimate guide to uncovering the Crescent City’s most unique and hidden gems. Beyond the jazz clubs and Mardi Gras parades, this book reveals the city’s soulful layers—where history, music, cuisine, and mysticism collide. Discover the roots of jazz, the birthplace of America’s first cocktail, and the vibrant mix of Creole and Cajun cultures.
Explore secret spots like a chapel adorned with cast-off prosthetics, the oldest African-American Catholic church in the U.S., and a bridge hosting Voodoo ceremonies. Indulge in local flavours with praline bacon, pork belly po’boys, and Bananas Foster sno-balls. Find eccentric treasures like a chartreuse beehive wig or a hand-painted sign reminding you to “Be Nice or Leave.”
From dive bars to haunted landmarks, 111 Places in New Orleans invites you to experience the city’s quirky, mystical, and unforgettable spirit—one hidden place at a time.
Whether you’re a proud Cardiffian, or a curious visitor, this is your ultimate guide to the Welsh capital’s hidden treasures and quirky charms.
From the familiar to the downright bizarre, each entry offers a unique insight into the city’s life. Where can you dare to stand in a hurricane or peek into magical miniature worlds?
Visit the place where Snoop Dogg turned gardener, uncover the unexpected tales behind the Norwegian church, touch walls that have stood for over 1,500 years, and even use a genuine 1920s urinal (gents only, of course!).
But that’s just the beginning. With 111 unique locations to explore, you’ll discover Cardiff’s rich history and vibrant present. Each entry is brimming with fascinating facts, local lore, and practical visiting information, making this book perfect for both day-trippers and residents.
Whether you’re planning a weekend getaway, entertaining out-of-town guests, or simply looking to fall in love with your city all over again, this guide will take you on a journey of discovery.
A. C. Benson (1862-1925), novelist, poet (he wrote Land of Hope and Glory), educationalist and Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, kept a voluminous diary for most of his life. Considered too controversial at the time, it was sealed up after his death. Only now, with the publication of this extensive selection, can his witty and acute judgements on people, institutions and issues – including Henry James, Thomas Hardy, Queen Victoria, Dean Inge, Balfour, Asquith, Eton and Cambridge – be fully appreciated. He paints an endlessly fascinating and often very funny picture of a public life at the heart of the Edwardian literary, educational, church and political establishments; but also of a private life riven by the pressures of unconsummated romantic attachments to young men, and by attacks of appalling depression, an illness then barely understood.
Historians Eamon Duffy and Ronald Hyam made this 300,000-word selection, adding a substantial introduction, footnotes, chronology, index and photographs. It is presented as two hardbacks in a slipcase.
To pay homage to sacred plants revered by Indigenous groups throughout the Americas is a way of honouring the entire world in a time of environmental emergency. The visual contents of this book magnify life in ways that may alter how humans perceive other living entities from our shared and threatened biosphere.
Some of these plants contain the most potent psychoactive agents on the planet and serve as intermediaries that have enabled Native communities to communicate with their ancestors, wage war on the enemies of their land and their traditions, conceptualise entire cosmogonies, and maintain a nearly impossible ecological equilibrium.
Each exquisite detail in these vital portraits is not only a way into previously unseen vegetal realms, but also a potential way out of our collective crisis.
The monumental complex of St Agnes is located on the Via Nomentana in the north-east of Rome. The site consists of an underground cemetery (catacombs), the remains of the ancient circiform sepulchral basilica, commissioned by the imperial family of emperor Constantine, the mausoleum dedicated to St Constance and the basilica of St Agnes Outside the Walls, built by Pope Honorius I (625-638) on the small room with an altar, venerated as the burial place of the martyr Agnes.
The mausoleum dedicated to St Constance, which houses the remains of the imperial princess Constantine, is a splendid example of late antique architecture. The deambulatory is covered by a sumptuous mosaic decoration with Hellenised geometric motifs and cosmic-seasonal phytomorphic and zoomorphic elements, symbolic scenes such as the harvest and portraits of historical figures.
The basilica of St Agnes, until the beginning of the 17th century, was below ground and to reach the ground floor a staircase was used. The basilica still retains many elements unchanged from the time of Pope Honorius: the splendid reused roman columns, the famous mosaic showing Agnes between Honorius I and Pope Symmachus, and the Proconnesian marble and porphyry facing of the apse… Above the high altar is the statue of St. Agnes, made by Nicolas Cordier from gilded metal, using an ancient oriental alabaster for the bust.
Investigations by Sara Penco stem from the insightful finding of the absence of a key figure in the Sistine Chapel’s Last Judgement fresco. Prior to this illuminating research, Mary Magdalene was not unequivocally identified within Michelangelo’s masterpiece. Father Pfeiffer, with whom Penco establishes an inescapable dialectic, had already hypothesised the presence of Mary Magdalene in the fresco, but it is the scholar, for the first time in these pages, who convincingly justifies her identification. Mary Magdalene is closely connected to the salient episodes in the life of Jesus. The author rightly wonders, therefore, how it is possible that a figure so central to the biblical narrative and the Christian imagination could have been excluded from the depiction of the Parousia. This observation gives rise to an accurate reflection on the iconography of the saint and the Judgement, in relation to the sacred texts and in relation to Michelangelo’s poetics and production. Sara Penco traces Mary Magdalene in the tangle of figures on the wall behind the altar of the Sistine Chapel, contributing to characterise the fresco – one of the best known and most appreciated works in the world – with an unprecedented theological message.
Text in English and Italian.