“Understanding Jewellery is a love letter to glorious pieces from the last hundred years.” —M. J. Rose, The Adventurine

“An enjoyably scholarly romp through the past and a feast for the eyes for the novice and the consummate jewelry fan and collector.”—Beth Bernstein, Forbes

“A must-have coffee table book for jewellery aficionados…” —Elisa Vallata, Departures International

“As with stocks, education is the way to begin. There are many excellent books on the jewelry market, but start with Understanding Jewellery, the industry bible by two former Sotheby’s jewelry executives, David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti.” —Bloomberg

“Speaking of classic books, one that I recommend to friends who want a readable, educational and beautifully illustrated book about antique and vintage jewelry is Understanding Jewellery, by David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti…” — Instore
Understanding Jewellery, by authors David Bennett and Daniela Mascetti, is often described as the must-have jewellery book of our time – a ‘Bible’ in the jewellery trade. First published in 1989, it has remained in print ever since, amassing a loyal following of devotees who admire its detailed information and stunning imagery.
In this new work, Bennett and Mascetti have taken the original concept of Understanding Jewellery a stage further. Now, with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight, they have concentrated on the 20th century alone by conducting a detailed survey of each decade, identifying the key players, trends and movements. The book is an encyclopedic history of the various forms, techniques and materials employed by the companies and individuals who defined jewellery in the 20th century.
Most significantly, this book includes a new set of photographs, which make Understanding Jewellery: The Twentieth Century one of the most dazzling, absorbing and varied collections of jewellery images ever assembled in a book. This large format hardback volume is a perfect gift for all lovers of jewellery and the definitive guide for those who desire a deeper understanding of the subject. 

For thousands of years, people have built so-called calendar buildings: buildings that served as sundials for measuring time or were used for astronomical calculations. The most famous examples include the Pyramids of Giza, the Megalithic Temples of Malta, the Solarium Augusti on Rome’s Campus Martius, or the ancient observatories in Korea, Baghdad, Cairo, or Samarkand. The oldest known archaeo-astronomical device dates back to around 6000 BC and was discovered only some 20 years ago at Nabta Playa in Egypt.

The German photographer Hans Pieler (1951-2012) dedicated himself comprehensively to these calendar buildings. In a wide-ranging photographic project spanning 15 years, Pieler travelled the world in the search for such sites, studied them, and recorded many of them in striking photographs. His interest was focused both on the architecture and its particular coding through the respective culture as well as on the theory of photography, the allegorical image of the time.

Due to Pieler’s premature death in 2012, the fascinating project remained unfinished and unpublished. This book now for the first time features a selection of some 100 of the best shots from the artist’s estate. Complemented by illuminating essays, they form a unique photographic study of these architectures and their meaning and purpose as a reflection of time in stone.

Text in English and German.

The 2000s proved a turning point for the skateboard and its relationship to art. Previously restricted to practical use, the skate deck left the pavement to appear on the walls of galleries and auction houses. Such was the advent of an entirely new contemporary art movement, laconically baptised Skate Art. From silk-screening to Posca markers, from repurposing and twisted shapes to upcycling broken boards, this volume provides an overview of the most significant techniques and decks of the last two decades. Artists from the realm of Street Art have long had a close relationship with Skate culture, and figures like Shepard Fairey, D*Face and ROA are among the first to have applied their art to this support. At the other end of the spectrum, Mark Gonzales, Thomas Campbell and Ed Templeton are pure products of the skater world, and it was through their collaborations with brands to produce boards that they acceded to the title of artist. In its 320 pages, this anthology presents a specialised and eclectic selection of decks made by artists from all over the world.

Text in English and French.

“Sumptuous, extra-large coffee-table book with readily understandable texts.” Bild der Wissenschaft
“This coffee-table book looks like breaking a record. Its two-page photographs demonstrate that the Large Hadron Collider is the mother of all machines. For those who could never be on site, photographer Peter Ginter provides an impressive and aesthetic look into the World Machine.” Physik Journal
“It took fifteen years to complete the 27 kilometres long ‘Large Hadron Collider’ at the European research centre CERN. For the entire fifteen years, photographer Peter Ginter accompanied and documented the construction of the LHC and created breathtaking pictures of the technology and the people dedicated to uncovering the last secrets of particle physics.” Frankfurter Allgemeine
The Large Hadron Collider is the largest particle accelerator in the world, a 27-kilometre ring of superconducting magnets in a tunnel 100 m beneath the Franco-Swiss border at the CERN research laboratory. It was built to answer the most fundamental question of our universe: where do we come from? Peter Ginter, one of the world’s leading photographers, acclaimed author Franzobel and Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Director General of CERN, tackle the subject of this largest and most complex machine ever imagined by man, the ‘World Machine’, a huge underground particle physics experiment, which will offer science insights into the beginnings of our universe. Unique and amazing photographs make the invisible visible. Peter Ginter has documented the making of the LHC over more than 15 years, not only at CERN, but also by visiting locations across the world where significant contributions have been made to the construction of the LHC. The book was published in scientific, editorial and artistic collaboration with CERN and UNESCO. Text in English, German & French.

Pretiosa Vitrea, whose title is inspired by the Latin definition of glass given by Gaius Petronius in the Satyricon written in the late first century AD, emphasises the heritage of glass manufacturing through the showcase of artefacts nowadays preserved in the state museums of Tuscany and in important private collections within the region. The quality of these 100 findings is comparable in excellence to the artefacts that can be found in the most renowned international museums. The book brings together such relevant archaeological findings of Roman glass manufacturing in Tuscany, as the glass cameo from Torrita di Siena or the chrysography of Arezzo. Alongside these exclusive glass products, a wide variety of findings will be showcased to illustrate the evolution of mass-production techniques, from the use of moulds to the discovery of the glass-blowing technique in the middle of the first century BC, which soon demonstrated clear advantages compared to the traditional ceramic production in terms of lower cost and preserving unchanged the taste of contained food and liquids.

Text in English and Italian.

Eclectic, eccentric and tirelessly innovative, art crafted from cut paper has experienced an exciting renaissance in recent years. Published to accompany a travelling exhibit organised by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, Slash: Paper Under the Knife examines the resurgence of traditional handicraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design. Highlighting the work of forty-five international artists, among them Olafur Eliasson, Tom Friedman, William Kentridge, and Kara Walker, the book features not only cut but also burned, torn, laser-cut, shredded and sculpted paper art. In addition, the book includes cut-paper animation, as well as cut paper incorporated in photography and fashion. Works range from small-scale intricate cuttings to large-scale architectural inventions and sculptures. With an essay by well-known decorative arts expert David Revere McFadden, this singular book reveals that, with ingenuity and craftsmanship, one of our most familiar implements can be transformed into unforgettable works of art.

The theatre is the central theme of this fourth volume in our series titled ‘Art Brut – The Collection’, published to coincide with the fourth Art Brut Biennale. After exploring architecture, vehicles, and bodies, attention turns to the theatre, a theme that is developed in its various aspects. The simplest example is the depiction of theatrical architecture, as in the work of Eugen Gabritschevsky or Victorien Sardou. Other artists create works that are intimately connected to the world of theatre, however without necessarily being a part of it. For example, for Giovanni Battista Podestà or Vahan Poladian, a public stage is a place where they put on a ‘performance’ that responds to a society that consigns them to its margins. Their intrinsically ephemeral approach uses clothing or accessories as a means of communication and to have their voices or protestations heard. Other artists conceive whole cosmogonies that take the form of a gigantic staging of a fanciful, phantasmagoric world, as in the case of Aloïse Corbaz, whose work is to be viewed as a ‘Theatre of the universe’, or in that of Marguerite Burnat-Provins, with her graphic work titled ‘Ma Ville’. The book includes over 100 illustrations, many of which are published for the first time, carefully chosen to enable the reader to explore the theme of the theatre in Outsider Art, or Art Brut. Also available in the series: Vehicles ISBN 9788874396580 Architecture ISBN 9788874397105 Body ISBN 9788874397884

From the famous Lujiazui skyline to the bustling crowds, from cosy corners to vibrant streetscapes, these pages capture the Shanghai of the present. Yucheng also delves into Shanghai’s history, paying particular attention to the 1960s-1990s. Later chapters focus on Chinese culture, the contrast between megacities and remote villages, and Yucheng’s favourite animal – the horse. While this book is the perfect companion piece to Blossoms, a novel set in late-20th-century Shanghai, it will also appeal to anyone interested in Chinese culture and art.

The Brothers Grimm collected some of Europe’s most popular folk tales, immortalising stories whose origin goes way back in time. This book, with beautiful watercolours by the imaginative illustrator Francesca Rossi, gathers ten of their most famous and magical works. Children will love meeting such favourite characters as Cinderella, the Brementown musicians, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, and Snow White. Ages: 6 plus.

00s is the first exhibition that explores the 2000s, taking as its starting point one of the most important European collections of contemporary art – the Cranford Collection. This accompanying catalogue selects 100 works from the collection, and includes pieces by artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Cindy Sherman, Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, Raymond Pettibon, and Josh Smith.

With an introduction by Nicolas Bourriaud, the CEO of MO.CO, and interviews with Muriel and Freddy Salem, the Patrons of the Cranford Collection.

Text in English and French.

Born and bred New Yorker Jill Gill is equal parts artist and author, commentator and collector, a true inamorata of the ever-changing city. Since the mid-1950s, she has captured the buildings and streetscapes of the city (especially those about to be lost to urban renewal) in a series of more than 100 watercolour and ink paintings. The New York she portrays is one of classic movies, vintage postcards, and hand-painted wall advertisements.

The scenes in Site Lines: Lost New York, 1954–2022 extend from Midtown South, home of the artist from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, to the Upper East Side, where she and her family lived in a historic Rhinelander townhouse. Along the way she passes through Midtown, including storied Fifth Avenue and the Theater District, and the Upper West Side.

Her work includes buildings both important and unimportant that would otherwise have been lost to memory: the glorious Helen Hayes Theater, the Art Deco Horn & Hardart Automat on 57th Street, and blocks upon blocks of ordinary yet distinctive retail and commercial structures. In addition, Gill includes buildings that have themselves been quietly observing the changing city, often changing along with it: St. Bart’s, the Villard Houses, and MoMA before it “ate” 53rd Street. Each scene is accompanied by text that blends in-depth research with first-hand observation.

Los Angeles has so much to offer, and this guide helps you to choose where to start when discovering this beautiful city. Where are the best farmers’ markets? Which street foods are not to be missed? What are the liveliest places to go dancing? What are some unlikely places to spot celebrities? Which art galleries are worth a visit? In The 500 Hidden Secrets of Los Angeles, Andrea Richards shares 500 must-know addresses in one of the coolest cities in the United States. It is an affectionate guide to the City of Angels that avoids the touristy places and points out the urban details you are likely to miss. From the best outdoor concert venues to the most beautiful country escapes, this guide is the perfect companion visitors who want to make the most of their stay and residents who want to get to know their city even better. 

Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami, The 500 Hidden Secrets of New York, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Toronto, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Vancouver and many more. Discover the series: the500hiddensecrets.com

This book pays tribute to nine decades of iconic advertising items from the Ricard brand retracing their history and their impact on our collective memory since the invention of pastis.

From the first bottles to the emblematic carafes and ashtrays, each item tells a part of the Ricard’s history, shaped by the creative vision of Paul Ricard and his successors. The book delves into major advertising campaigns from the first poster with Darcelis “Garçon ! A Ricard” to the commercial jingles on the radio, painted walls, artistic collaborations and collections designed by renowned creators (Garouste and Bonetti, Yves Oppenheim, Olivier Gagnère, Marc Newson, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, studio 5.5, Yorgo Tloupas etc.)… Not to mention bucket hats, parasols, Citroën 2CV and other advertising caravans!

After revisiting the history of Ricard “the real pastis from Marseille” and its iconic bottle, the book showcases numerous Ricard items and comes back to its greatest advertising campaigns. 

Text in English and French.

The British architect Tony Fretton has long been renowned as a pioneer of London’s architectural scene, winning many commendations and prizes for his buildings. Highlights include the Lisson Gallery in London, for which he attracted initial attention in 1990, as well as the Red House in London (2001) and the Danish Fuglsang Art Museum (2008).

The three parts of this comprehensive and conclusive monograph address all aspects of his creative oeuvre: including his buildings, sketches, project ideas and his non-architectural photographic work. The reserved design of this overall presentation reflects his own rational, unembellished work, which is inspired by each respective location.

Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret highlights ​the role that French artist Jules Chéret (1836–1932) ​played in transforming the ​illustrated poster into a form of ephemeral art that embraced the public’s interest in novelty and rapid change during the 19th century. Recognised as the father of the poster, Chéret was ​one of the first artist​s to bring colourful, large-scale advertisements to the streets of Paris. ​People strolling down the boulevards were captivated not only by Chéret’s vibrant images, but also by how frequently new designs appeared. Chéret’s printmaking innovations allowed him to produce astonishing numbers of posters rapidly and inexpensively enough to publicise the latest pleasures the city had to offer. Drawing from the largest collection of Chéret posters in the ​United States, the book features ​over 100 works that span the artist’s career and includes both his most celebrated and lesser-known images. Always New brings Chéret into focus as a master of his medium, an artist who celebrated the ephemeral nature of posters and shaped the way they were created and experienced.

This sumptuous book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Grand Prix world, featuring rare on-track moments, fashion shows and extravagant parties that make up the glamour and excitement of this elite sport. A stunning collection of over 100 high-quality photographs that capture the flair of Grand Prix racing – from vintage black and white shots to vibrant colour photos of prized cars, legendary drivers and glamorous celebrities.  

High-quality photography captures the essence of a fascinating lifestyle full of beauty and prestige.

“Tashiding is one of the oldest and most venerated monasteries in the historic Himalyan Kingdom of Sikkim. Loosely translated, the word means ‘a very auspicious place.’ We appropriated the name for our auspicious place” – Douglas & Tsongie Hamilton

Tashiding: Beyond Earth and Sky presents a sumptuous portrait of a 100-acre rural landscape and stunning residence, in Maryland, USA, developed in connection with the land and the environment. Stunning photographs and the book’s elegant design take readers on an exquisite visual tour of the property and its development, including the origins and culture of its owners—Douglas Hamilton former president and chairman of The Walters Museum in Maryland and Tsognie Wangmo, the eldest child of the last king of Sikkim, shortly before the Himalayan royal kingdom was taken over by India. This is the poignant and inspirational story of the origins and creation of Tashiding, which was developed by Douglas and Tsognie without plans, a design on paper, or a professional landscape architect or garden designer, personify their intuitive sensibility and innate knowledge—approaches that every gardener can use, and every designer will appreciate.

Tashiding showcases the joining of two distinct cultures, and how their Western and Eastern backgrounds are manifest in the landscapes, garden themes, sculpture, ornament, and the house’s interiors. Everyone who has visited Tashiding is moved by the experiential sensation of the landscape’s different places. In developing Tashiding’s four-seasons gardens, Douglas and Tsognie envisioned an environment that invites a sense of harmony and well-being—part arboretum, part park, and part Xanadu. It is a garden for both walking and quiet contemplation, for feeling the thrill of the wind on a cool March day or for sitting in the tea house on a rainy afternoon, watching the wind form abstract ripples on the surface of the lake. Collecting and arranging the extraordinary quantity of rocks, boulders, trees and shrubs, they see their hands in all they did. Yet as the years have passed, each tree and plant grows in its own unique way, knitting together to form a new and perhaps more naturalistic landscape.

“Offers readers a chance to look again at modern British architecture through the eyes of all sorts of experts.” – Architectural Digest
“Very sophisticated and thoroughly researched.” – Bevis Hillier
“An eclectic selection with an unsurprising bias towards Modernism.” – Design Insider

This is a compact guide to Britain’s best buildings of the last 100 years, with an intriguing twist: the choices come from a wide range of experts with strong and sometimes unexpected opinions. The contributors include architects Norman Foster, Piers Gough, Charles Holland and Richard Rogers; critics and historians such as Elain Harwood, Bevis Hillier, Jonathan Meades, Alan Powers, Alice Rawsthorn and Peter York. Everyone involved contributed their ten choices, and all these lists are reproduced at the end of the book. In the main section featuring 75 key buildings, everything selected more than once is illustrated and examined in more detail.

The result is a fascinating cocktail of undisputed greats and genuinely surprising entries. Alongside the work of Wells Coates, Denys Lasdun, James Stirling and John Outram, you’ll find post-War prefabs, Preston Bus Station and the ruins of St Peter’s Seminary in Cardross. Whether you’re after a slightly unorthodox selection of Britain’s finest modern buildings, or just curious about what major architects and critics consider as their favourites, this book is your ideal guide.

All the following contributed a list of their favourite buildings: John Allan, Stephen Bates, Keith Bradley, Peter Clegg, Nigel Coates, Richard Hywel Evans, Kathryn Ferry, Jenny Fleming, Norman Foster, Piers Gough, John Grindrod, Ivan Harbour, Claire Harper, Elain Harwood, Birkin Haward, Simon Henley, Bevis Hillier, Charles Holland, Owen Hopkins, David Jenkins, Owen Luder, Jonathan Meades, David Nixon, Stefi Orazi, James Perry, Alan Powers, Alice Rawsthorn, Richard Rogers, Jonathan Sergison, Anne Ward, Peter York, Paul Zara.

In the last twenty-five years contemporary art in Scotland has grown from a tiny and tightly knit scene to a globally recognised centre of artistic innovation and experiment. Generation Reader provides the first collection of key documents from the period including essays, interviews, critical writing and artists’ own texts. This publication will fill a significant gap in the scholarship of the period and provide a resource for the future, an illustrated guide to the ideas, events and debates that shaped a generation. The selected archive texts from the period will sit alongside some newly-commissioned writing which includes essays by the novelist Louise Welch and by Nicola White, Dr Sarah Lowndes, Francis McKee, Professor Andrew Patrizio and Julianna Engberg. GENERATION is a landmark series of exhibitions tracing the remarkable development of contemporary art in Scotland over the last twenty-five years. It is an ambitious and extensive programme of works of art by more than 100 artists at over 60 galleries, exhibition spaces and venues the length and breadth of Scotland between March and November 2014.

László Hudec (László Edvard Hudec, or Ladislaus Edward Hudec) can only be described as a legend. As one of the foreign architects who fled his native country of Austria-Hungary during troubled times, he ended up making his mark on more than 50 projects, including over 100 buildings during his 29-year (1918 to 1947) stay in a city far away from home.

Among them, 25 projects have been listed as Shanghai’s Most Historical Buildings. His signature work, the Park Hotel, is counted as national heritage. How did Hudec come to enjoy his legendary status in a foreign land, especially as he arrived with almost nothing in his pocket? Why does he continue to attract new followers even in the 21st century?

For the last 14 years, Dr. Hua Xiahong has devoted herself to the study of Hudec and his architecture. The Shanghai Hudec Architecture has shown the essence of Hudec’s projects, which is also one part of the essence of Shanghai’s architecture. To know Hudec, is to know the history of Shanghai and the city’s future.

Like an encyclopaedia of architecture, his style has gone through Neo-classicism, Expressionism, Art Deco and Modernism, which not only reflects European and American influences, but also the architect’s personal creativity. Hudec has left behind a lot of work that is remarkable in Shanghai’s architectural history.

Text in English and Chinese.

A beautiful collection of stories from one of the most beloved fairy-tale writers of all time: Hans Christian Andersen.

Hans Christian Andersen’s tales are among the most famous and loved by children everywhere. This stunningly illustrated collection includes some of his best-known works – The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Tin Soldier and The Princess and the Pea – as well as other less-familiar but equally magical stories: The Snow Queen, The Wild Swans, The Tinderbox, and The Emperor and the Nightingale.

Francesca Rossi’s gorgeous watercolour illustrations enrich and enhance the text, making this beautiful volume perfect for Andersen’s many fans. Ages: 6 plus

A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–’79. An unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists, illuminating the styles and sounds from a decade that sparked a global phenomenon in music and culture. Exclusive comments from Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, founding members of CHIC, Labelle, The Trammps, Village People, Earth, Wind & Fire, and dozens more artists, songwriters and producers, offering fascinating insights that tell the stories behind the beats. From underground New York clubs to discothèques across the globe, A Night at the Disco illustrates how artists spanning soul, pop, disco, funk, jazz and rock defined nightlife during the 1970s and influenced popular music to the present day.

With a foreword by Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire, this is a real treat for music, dance and disco fans everywhere.