A visionary leader and a charming diplomat, this catalogue unveils a largely private collection of objects belonging to His Highness the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman. The 50 artefacts from the Renaissance collection, currently held in the National Museum of Oman, have been chosen to offer an intimate portrait of the Sultan’s 50-year reign. The collection showcases treasures – many seen here for the first time – received from friends and rulers worldwide as well as symbolic objects that reflect the early years of Oman’s independence. Through 50 significant objects and the elegant integration of the Sultan’s own inspiring quotes as calligraphy, this beautifully illustrated book provides a unique and personal perspective on a transformative era.
Travel today is fast, comfortable, and accessible to many. But between the 17th and early 19th centuries, it was a privilege reserved for the elite. Young British aristocrats would embark on a Grand Tour as the final stage of their education. Italy was the highlight of this cultural journey, with visits to Rome, Florence, Venice, and Mount Vesuvius. Along the way, they admired art and architecture, forged connections, and refined their taste – often returning home with artworks and souvenirs to adorn their country estates.
It wasn’t just young men who travelled; entire families journeyed across Europe in grand entourages. What inspired them to set out, which routes did they take, and what treasures did they bring back?
This book explores those journeys and presents a remarkable selection of artworks brought home from three of England’s finest stately homes: Holkham Hall, Burghley House, and Woburn Abbey.
Discover the Finger Lakes: 4,692 square miles of Upstate New York packed with history, vineyards, waterfalls, gorges, and hidden treasures.
111 Places in the Finger Lakes That You Must Not Miss takes you off the beaten path to the odd, the unexpected, and the downright fascinating. Explore stories, legends, and secrets most visitors never find. Visit the place where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn came to life. Spin on the world’s fastest carousel. Stand beneath waterfalls taller than Niagara. Tour a haunted winery. Browse a collection of brains. Try your hand at circus school. Wander a garden inspired by Claude Monet. Visit the Dalai Lama’s North American retreat.
The Finger Lakes have been called magical, creative, historic, and breathtaking – and you’ll see why. Adventure, mystery, and wonder await at every turn.
A landmark volume in the history of magic—the first-ever book on Houdini’s legendary personal collection, published on the centennial of his death.
Harry Houdini (1874–1926) was not only a great magician but a great collector. Every corner of his townhouse at 278 West 113th Street in New York was filled with books, pamphlets, prints, clippings, playbills, and photographs documenting the history of magic and theatrical performance. “It would cost fully a million dollars to forge the collection of evidence now in my hands,” Houdini wrote in 1908. “These programs, advertisements, newspaper notices, and crude cuts trace the history of magic as no romancer, no historian of a single generation possibly could. They are the ghosts of dead and gone magicians, rising in this century of research and progress to claim the credit due them.”
This handsome oversize volume is published to coincide with a major exhibition at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, where much of Houdini’s library is preserved. It traces the growth of the legendary illusionist’s collections throughout his career and illustrates hundreds of his treasures—many for the first time. They range from a priceless copy of Reginald Scot’s 1584 volume Discovery of Witchcraft, the first book to reveal the secrets of sleight-of-hand; the irreplaceable collection of playbills and programs that Houdini obtained from the British conjuror Henry Evans Evanion; the travel diary of David Garrick, the 18th-century actor who defined modern theatre; and much more. Houdini’s Library will be a source of fascination for anyone interested in the history of magic and performance.
Athens can be noisy and crowded and confusing, but it’s spontaneous and always surprising. A cable ride up Lykavittos rewards with an incredible panorama but veer off the track to discover the hill’s secret links to Parnitha. The beauty of Kaisariani Monastery’s architecture is matched by the ‘organised wilderness’ of its incredible gardens.
Ancient relics, great and small, mirror a glorious past that remains an example to the world, but they are only the start of what’s great about Athens today. There are the mountains that surround it, busy with climbers, runners and picnic-lovers during the weekends. The ubiquitous graffiti, some admirable, some abhorrent, that reveal what’s bugging the Athenians’ psyche. Bars, cafés and restaurants thronged with broke Greeks who refuse to stay inside. Stores where you can find vendors as venerable as their antiques and others that are up to date with the edgiest demands. And many surprising, sometimes downright dark, dank and mysterious pockets. Athens is changing day by day. This book will take you to places that are beyond touristy or trendy; whether hundreds of years old or contemporary, their tales are timeless.
Le Corbusier’s Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, eastern France, is one of the most unique and surprising religious buildings of the twentieth century. Replacing an earlier church that had been destroyed in the Second World War – a church that itself had been built on the site of a fourth-century Christian chapel – Le Corbusier transformed an ancient pilgrimage site into a dramatic work of modern art. In this insightful and beautifully illustrated volume, Maria Antonietta Crippa and Françoise Caussé explore the particular set of circumstances that led one of the twentieth century’s most famous exponents of urbanism to create an ethereal space of worship on a remote hill in the French countryside. As well as putting the chapel into its historical context and exploring the controversies and arguments that have surrounded it, this book – part of a series that began with Matisse: The Chapel at Vence (RA Publications, 2013) – features stunning new photographs that capture the genius of Le Corbusier’s design.
On the slope of a gentle hill on the northern boundary of the Po basin in Northern Italy stands a remarkable house. A modernist villa in the middle of a park, with its metallic façade shining above an enormous circular base of reddish stone. The extraordinary structure of the Casa Girasole (The Sunflower) follows the way of the sun across the sky – and the inhabitants’ vista over the surrounding landscape – during the day, driven by an electric motor that can turn the entire house by 360°. It was built in the early 1930s by the Italian architects Angelo Invernizzi and Ettore Fagiuoli and is an important example of Italian Futurismo in architecture. Preserved entirely in its original state, including the original furniture and curtains, it makes traceable the fascination for modern technology, but also the already slightly broken optimism, of that period. The documentary film I Girasole: A House Near Verona by Christoph Schaub and Marcel Meili enables the viewer to take part in a day at the house that turns around its vertical axis once. The movie introduces both the architecture and atmosphere of the building, its various rooms, furnishings and decoration. It gives a memoir of the house’s history and of the time and feeling of life in which it was conceived. The film was awarded the 1st prize at the 1995 biennale Film and Architecture in Graz (Austria). The DVD is complemented by a booklet with introductory essays and illustrations. Film in original Italian version and alternative versions with English, German and French subtitles. Text in booklet in English and German.
Documentary photographer William E. Crawford spent three decades documenting Vietnam, and in particular Hanoi, its people and the surrounding countryside. As one of the very first Western photographers to work in post-war North Vietnam, Crawford was drawn back to the country numerous times at regular intervals between 1985 and 2015 to record this fascinating country’s culture, people, and society with beautiful, compelling and intimate photographs, concentrating on colonial and indigenous architecture, urban details, portraits, and landscapes. In 1986, the Vietnam’s Communist leadership began to shift from a Soviet-style central planning model toward free-market economic reforms. As a result, Hanoi has been transformed over the last three decades, becoming an example of how traditional Asian and developing cities have often been torn down or allowed to crumble – only to re-emerge in a ‘modernised’ form. Unlike photo-journalism, which is interested in the theatre of the moment, Crawford’s evocative and powerful photography chronicles life throughout Hanoi and its surrounds over the course of the last three decades. Filled with full-colour photographs and informative essays on his experiences and the people he encountered, Crawford’s work – showcased in this beautifully presented volume – provides a unique visual catalogue of the evolution of a city and its inhabitants, and in particular the complex historical area known as The 36 Streets.
Over the course of 60-plus years, Erwin Hauer has created modular sculptures that feature penetrations and prominent interior voids yet, remarkably, are bonded by continuous surfaces. The modules of these sculptures contain the seeds of infinity: what Hauer calls ‘continua’. Still Facing Infinity covers the full scope of Hauer’s artistic oeuvre, from early two-dimensional works that double as room dividers to three-dimensional, space-filling sculptures that are conceptually similar to innovative architecture and engineering (works by Antoni Gaudi, Félix Candela, and Frei Otto) as well as advanced mathematical concepts (triply periodic infinite surfaces without self-intersections). Hauer offers detailed presentations in writings as well as in abundant photographs of a number of significant works, including Jerusalem Tower and Infinite Surface I-WP, the basis for numerous tabletop and large-scale sculptures as well as for two independent series that explore multiple iterations of the infinite surface concept.
About ten years ago, Professor Stanford Anderson from MIT initiated the joint-workshop program with Tongji University in Shanghai and has continued his decade-long collaborations with us since then. The Robotic Force Printing Workshop this year can be seen as a respectful tribute and continuity to such tradition.
Philip F. Yuan, a professor of Tongji University and the founder of Fab-Union Technology was in collaboration with Professor Philippe Block of ETH throughout the 23-day workshop. In addition to the design-fabrication studios, the workshop also consists of three field trips in association with one academic forum, four public lectures and a series of teaching modules on fundamental concepts of COMPAS and FURobotic to explore the integration between novel structural designs and the advances in additive manufacturing and robotic fabrication.
Contents:
Introduction – Form Following Robotic Force: Philip F. Yuan
Preface- Digital Master Builders: Exploring Strength Through Geometry: Philippe Block
Precedents – Computation & Digital Fabrication-Enabled Geometrical: Gene Ting-Chun Kao, Mark Kam-Ming Tam
– Bending-Active Formwork For Shell Structures Based On 3D-Printing Technology: A Pre-Research: Xiang Wang
– Programming Of Robotic Fabrication: Liming Zhang
Methodology – Preliminary Groups: – Snake Rock Pavilion – Shell O – Fractal Shell – Folded Bridge – Eight-Legged Shell – White Hill – The Ribbon
Final Fabrication Works – Bending Shell – Fu Bridge
The Triangle region of North Carolina is a little-known hotbed of outstanding modern architecture with roots that trace back to the Bauhaus and has helped to shape the history of modern American architecture. While the Triangle has seen a great increased interest in modern architecture, the understanding of this design and the reasons and history behind it, have not been shared in a clear and meaningful way. There is an information gap between what is appreciated by architects and by the general public.
In the South of France, sited on a hill of olive trees, pinus pinea, and a vineyard, a family retreat was designed with a key mission of maintaining the vitality of the site. A small agricultural plot, the site offered the possibility of amplification. With the introduction of a garden and many outdoor living spaces, the family had the intention of cultivating the landscape as part of their stewardship. In part a response to a programmatic brief, but moreover, a discursive response to architectural predicaments of geometry, typology, and anomaly, the house is also a response to Preston Scott Cohen’s pedagogies on architecture.
Where’s the best place to go out on a Saturday night in Barcelona? What off-beat museums can be discovered after Sunday brunch (and where to have it)? Which locations offer the best viewpoints of the Catalan capital? What Gaudí buildings are essential? Where does Barcelona’s modernism reach its zenith? Where to take the children? What’s the best place to buy wine? And where do the locals hang out? The 500 Hidden Secrets of Barcelona reveals hundreds of good-to-know addresses, avoiding the touristy places and pointing out the urban details you are likely to miss. Mark Cloostermans, a Belgian journalist living in Barcelona, unlocks the various districts, pointing out historical details in the streets of the old town, taking you from green Montjuïc hill to the beach and back. The best places to eat halal, the must-visits for Barça fans and the various festivals you can plan your visit around: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Barcelona reveals it all.
In this refreshing new study, Wright scholar Kathryn Smith does just that, exploring the grace and beauty found in all facets of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work: from office desks and chairs to his first residential commissions, from magazine cover designs to major public buildings. The concise text and brilliant colour photographs chart Wright’s entire career, beginning with his apprenticeship to Adler and Sullivan before the turn of the century. Readers witness the Prairie period, Wright’s years in Japan and California, his major designs of the late 1920s and 1930s, his Usonian houses, and the monumental late works of his last decades. Smith shows examples of Wright’s drawings, furniture, and decorative arts, too, supplementing our understanding of Wright’s aesthetic. The book concludes with a glimpse at the architect’s seldom-seen collection of Asian art, which once comprised tens of thousands of pieces – a source of much inspiration and edification for the architect and his students, and a key to understanding Wright’s views on art and nature.
Here is a broad portrait of the master builder who sought the title “greatest architect of all time.” Although it may never be possible to fully assess Wright’s legacy, Kathryn Smith’s authoritative book is a fitting testament to his lasting genius.
Kykuit-the country home of John D. Rockefeller Sr., John D. Rockefeller Jr., Nelson A. Rockefeller, and their families-stands majestically atop a hill overlooking the Hudson River. Built between 1906 and 1913 by architects Delano and Aldrich, it has just recently been opened to the public. But visitors will never see the estate in as intimate a way as it is presented in this volume. To preserve the memory of what Kykuit was like when it was a private home, photographer Mary Louise Pierson, granddaughter of Nelson Rockefeller, spent years photographing the estate: the Big House-as family members call the main residence-and its interiors, designed by the renowned Ogden Codman; the outbuildings, including the Coach Barn, which now houses an impressive collection of horse-drawn carriages and an equally noteworthy collection of vintage cars, the orangery, and the Playhouse, a Tudor-style mansion containing an indoor swimming pool, tennis court, fully equipped gym, and bowling alley; and the magnificent gardens, from the formal gardens designed by William Welles Bosworth to the golf course to the Japanese garden, and all the sculptures that three generations of Rockefellers installed on the grounds.
The text, by Ann Rockefeller Roberts, Governor Rockefeller’s daughter, recounts the history of the magnificent estate, from its founding early in the century through its recent transfer to the National Trust, focusing on how each successive generation left its stamp on the decor, the gardens, and the painting and sculpture collections. Illustrated with dozens of historical photos, ranging from the construction of the house to snapshots of family members, the text includes never before published reminiscences of five generations of Rockefellers. Complete with a family tree, a map of the gardens, and visitor information, Kykuit: The Rockefeller Family Home offers a deeply personal look at the country residence of one of America’s most distinguished families.
What were Montmartre and Montparnasse really like in their hey-day, roughly between 1904, when the youthful Picasso had just arrived on the Hill of Martyrs, and 1920, when Amedeo Modigliani, justly called ‘the prince of Bohemians’, died of consumption and dissipation in Montparnasse? This book, written by an Englishman who lived in Montmartre for 30 years and knew its famous habitue intimately, gives a vivid description. It reveals the truth behind the many legends, is packed with authentic stories about writers and painters whose names are now household words, and contains much hitherto unpublished information about the life and career of Modigliani obtained from his family and friends. Much of the text was written in Montmartre amid the scenes described, and after personal consultation with survivors of the great days when Frede presided over the Lapin Agile and Libion, patron of the Cafe de la Rotonde, was beginning to rival him in Montparnasse. It is the most complete account which has yet been written in English of the birth of Cubism and other contemporary movements in modern painting, and of the lives and loves who started them.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Victorian Britain’s greatest thinkers, the art critic and social reformer John Ruskin, the distinguished Ruskinian Robert Hewison introduces Ruskin’s ideas and values through revelatory studies of the people and issues that shaped his thought, and the ideas and values that in turn were shaped by his writings and personality. Beginning with an exploration of the rich tradition of European art that stimulated his imagination, and to which he responded in his own skilful drawings, Ruskin and his Contemporaries follows the uniquely visual dimension of his thinking from the aesthetic, religious and political foundations laid by his parents to his difficult personal and critical relationship with Turner, and his encounters with the art and architecture of Venice. Victor Hugo makes a surprising appearance as Ruskin develops his ideas on the relationship between art and society. Ruskin’s role as a contemporary art critic is explored in two chapters on Holman Hunt, one focussing on the Pre-Raphaelite’s The Awakening Conscience, one examining his later Triumph of the Innocents. The development of Ruskin’s role as a social critic is traced through his teaching at the London Workingmen’s College and his foundation of the Guild of St George, a reforming society that continues to this day. Oscar Wilde came under his personal influence, as did Octavia Hill, a founder of the National Trust. The evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin are shown to have been deeply unsettling to Ruskin’s worldview. The book concludes with a demonstration of the profound influence of the Paradise Myth on all of Ruskin’s writings, followed by an exploration of the concept of cultural value that shows why Ruskin’s ruling principle: ‘There is no wealth but Life’ is as relevant to the 21st century as it was to the 19th.
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of Victorian Britain’s greatest thinkers, the art critic and social reformer John Ruskin, the distinguished Ruskinian Robert Hewison introduces Ruskin’s ideas and values through revelatory studies of the people and issues that shaped his thought, and the ideas and values that in turn were shaped by his writings and personality. Beginning with an exploration of the rich tradition of European art that stimulated his imagination, and to which he responded in his own skilful drawings, Ruskin and his Contemporaries follows the uniquely visual dimension of his thinking from the aesthetic, religious and political foundations laid by his parents to his difficult personal and critical relationship with Turner, and his encounters with the art and architecture of Venice. Victor Hugo makes a surprising appearance as Ruskin develops his ideas on the relationship between art and society. Ruskin’s role as a contemporary art critic is explored in two chapters on Holman Hunt, one focussing on the Pre-Raphaelite’s The Awakening Conscience, one examining his later Triumph of the Innocents. The development of Ruskin’s role as a social critic is traced through his teaching at the London Workingmen’s College and his foundation of the Guild of St George, a reforming society that continues to this day. Oscar Wilde came under his personal influence, as did Octavia Hill, a founder of the National Trust. The evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin are shown to have been deeply unsettling to Ruskin’s worldview. The book concludes with a demonstration of the profound influence of the Paradise Myth on all of Ruskin’s writings, followed by an exploration of the concept of cultural value that shows why Ruskin’s ruling principle: `There is no wealth but Life’ is as relevant to the 21st century as it was to the 19th.
Perhaps the most influential political essay ever written, Unto This Last was one of the defining texts of British socialism, and was a decisive experience in the lives of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, amongst many others.
Ruskin’s lessons are as urgently needed today as ever. His attack on the greed and short-termism of unbridled capitalism, and on the pursuit of money instead of true wealth, are every bit as inspiring and challenging as they were when Unto This Last was first published 150 years ago.
A new introduction by Andrew Hill, Associate Editor and City Editor of the Financial Times, and editor of the Lombard column, discusses the value of the essay in an age of credit crunch. A foreword by the Master of the Guild of St George, Ruskin’s association for social reform, sets out what Ruskinians today can do and are doing.
Great food culture starts at home – especially when it’s from the chef’s home kitchen and garden! Be inspired by this unique and visually stunning book, which takes a behind-the-scenes look into the home kitchens (and gardens) of 22 of Australia’s celebrity chefs. Notable mentions include Frank Camorra (MoVida), Brigitte Hafner (Graceburn House & Tedesca Osteria in Red Hill, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula), Tony Niccolini (Italian Artisans), Scott Pickett (Estelle, Matilda, and Audrey’s in Sorrento), and of course many others. Each chef is interviewed by renowned architecture and design writer Stephen Crafti, and each profile is captured through gorgeous, intimate imagery by celebrated photographer Catherine Sutherland. Featuring fabulous, inspiring conversations with each chef in their personal living spaces, while they are preparing a meal in their stunning kitchen, and with a close look at their kitchen’s architectural design, and garden style, this book celebrates not only some of Australia’s finest chefs, but also the architects who make these chef’s kitchens a pleasure to work in. The chefs and architects answer important questions, such as what makes a great kitchen as much as a great meal; what makes these kitchens unique; what are some of the less obvious things that need to be addressed in a kitchen design; what is the range of fresh produce, ie herbs and spices, as well as vegetables that is best planted in a successful kitchen garden; and so much more. This beautifully illustrated book is filled with inspiration for foodies (included are recipes from the chefs), gardeners and design aficionados, and a peek into the secret lives of these celebrities.
Hut! Read all about today’s greatest gridiron stars in this exciting book full of action-packed photos.
Stars of the NFL includes profiles of 28 top players. This includes great quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, other offensive powerhouses like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, defensive mainstays like Aaron Donald and T. J. Watt, and special team standouts like Justin Tucker. Learn about their life stories, their unique styles of play, and their defining moments on the field. Brimming with colourful photos and key stats, Stars of the NFL joins Abbeville’s growing lineup of sports books for young readers, including Stars of World Soccer, Stars of the NBA, and Stars of Major League Baseball.
“Capturing the spirit of every Glastonbury since 1992, this coffee table book from award-winning photographer Liam Bailey brings together three decades of revelry and wonder among festivalgoers on Somerset’s most famous dairy farm.” — Redonline.co.uk
“…Iconic Photos That Capture the Messy Essence of Glastonbury.” — VICE
“The book’s images capture the rugged anarchy that spreads through Somerset each year around the solstice.” — MSN
“There are many books about the music scene but few that show punters in all their beautiful variety. Liam Bailey’s long-term documentation has really paid off – this book about the craziness of Glastonbury Festival is terrific.” – Martin Parr
Glastonbury is the striking distillation of over 30 years’ unprecedented photographic access to the world’s largest green-field music and performing arts festival. In over 120 memorable images, Liam Bailey invites us to share his experiences of being among its diverse tribes.
Although Glastonbury has evolved into a sprawling fixture of the British summer calendar, this famously vibrant event is still powered by the belief in alternative communal culture. It is this special energy that has kept Bailey returning every year since 1992. Above all, this ‘access all areas’ visual diary makes a case for the positive human potential of over 200,000 people being able to get together in the open air – to enjoy music, performance and each other.
Bailey’s work has been exhibited in the UK and abroad, and appeared in magazines and newspapers including The Independent, The Guardian and Condé Nast Traveller.
Rambusch: The First 100 Years, 1898–1998 chronicles the growth of an independent, workshop-based, family business now being run by a fourth generation. This book offers the definitive history of the company started by Danish-born Frode Christian Valdemar Rambusch (1859–1924) in New York. Beginning with his efforts in decorative painting and murals, the story expands into lighting design and continues with a study of subsequent generations building upon – and further expanding – these fields of work into other media. The narrative also provides focus on more than two dozen artisans responsible for making the objects and interiors often requested by well-known architects.
Few American firms have flourished as this company has in the United States. Now in the 21st century, the firm inspires similar collaborative efforts between architects, designers, and craft studios to work together for the decorative arts to regain their place in the finishing of our nation’s buildings.
Notable for its longevity and still going strong, the story of Rambusch needs to be told, especially while generations who have institutional memory can tell it.