With vivid memories of his first visit to the Scottish National Gallery in the 1970s and his initial encounter with Hugo van der Goes’ The Trinity Altarpiece, Rembrandt’s A Woman in Bed, Velázquez’s An Old Woman Cooking Eggs and Degas’ Diego Martelli, Robert Storr discusses the shifting balance of museum collections from historically ‘certified’ classics to art whose status and significance remains in active contention and from singular ‘treasures’ to ensembles that speak to the larger scope of an artist’s endeavour. Also available: Unfinished Paintings: Narratives of the Non-Finito Watson Gordon Lecture 2014 ISBN 9781906270919 ‘The Hardest Kind of Archetype’: Reflections on Roy Lichtenstein The Watson Gordon Lecture 2010 ISBN 9781906270384 Picasso’s ‘Toys for Adults’ Cubism as Surrealism: The Watson Gordon Lecture 2008 ISBN 9781906270261 Sound, Silence, and Modernity in Dutch Pictures of Manners The Watson Gordon Lecture 2007 ISBN 9781906270254 Roger Fry’s Journey From the Primitives to the Post-Impressionists: Watson Gordon Lecture 2006 ISBN 9781906270117

This book details how copies of Indonesian batik, manufactured in Europe and initially intended for the South-East Asian market, enjoyed unexpected success on the west coast of Africa at the end of the 19th century. The Scottish merchant Brown Fleming introduced the first wax-printed batik imitations made by Prévinaire and produced in the Netherlands, and adapted them to the tastes of African customers.

New research based on Dutch, English and Swiss archives has enabled us not only to reconstruct the earliest collections, but also to provide an overview of the development of Dutch wax in Europe from its beginnings to the last surviving company, Vlisco, in Helmond (Netherlands), which still prints these classics today.

This book will be the first to focus on the history of wax for West Africa in the various European countries from its beginnings to the present day, drawing of course on existing literature, but above all on primary sources.

This book guides young readers on a quest for fascinating and unforgettable fantasy creatures through the diary of a young apprentice who studies information, legends and details. Two sections dedicated to the Creatures for Beginner Keepers (the most docile and sweet) and the Creatures for Expert Keepers (the most dangerous). Short, fun, approachable stories that describe each creature and explain how to catch sight of it, how to tame it and what makes it angry at the end of the story, the readers will find a short test, similar to the one the book’s narrator must take, so that they’ll get their Certificate of Fantastic Creatures Keeper, that children can detach from the book and fill. Ages: 7 plus

Discover the magic of beloved the classic fairy tale Pinocchio with The Storyteller sound books. This innovative collection offers young children a new way to experience these timeless tales: designed for those who are not yet able to read independently, each book allows children to explore the stories by turning the pages while listening to the corresponding text read aloud at the touch of a button. The book becomes a modern storyteller, presenting the fairy tales with beautiful illustrations and engaging narration that brings the stories to life.

Other titles in the collection include:

9788854421707   The Storyteller: Peter Pan

9788854421691   The Storyteller: Little Red Riding Hood

9788854421721   The Storyteller: Snow White

Ages 4 plus.

What do the Great Wall of China, Georgia’s polyphonic singing, the Mediterranean diet and the Vanuatu sand drawings have in common? Despite their evident dissimilarity, they are all protected by UNESCO, the supranational organisation that is responsible for preserving the common cultural heritage of humanity, protecting it from disappearance and ensuring its conservation for future generations. The Great Wall of China is one of the natural and cultural sites that comprise the famous list of World Heritage Sites, compiled by UNESCO while the other three are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage list that includes immaterial goods. In fact, in 2003, the UNESCO General Conference adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage with the intent to safeguard the traditional cultures and folklore of our planet. Today, over 400 practices and expressions from more than 100 countries represent the riches and demonstrate the cultural diversity of the populations in the world. Appearing on this variegated list of traditions are the art of the ‘pizzaiuoli’ – the pizza makers of Naples, the Carnival of Basel, the Rebetiko music of Greece, Japanese kabuki theatre, Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration, the Brazilian capoeira, Chinese shadow puppetry and the mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith, Kumbh Mela. This book of photographs and splendid illustrations will guide you on your discovery of the Intangible Cultural Heritage list; a journey that will open your eyes to the cultural riches of our planet and to the importance of preserving them for future generations.

A.S. Jasper’s memoir of growing up in the East End of London before the First World War was acclaimed as a classic when it was described by the Observer as ‘Zola without the trimmings.’ In this definitive new edition, it is accompanied by the first publication of the sequel detailing the author’s life in the cabinet-making trade, The Years After.
Illustrated with line drawings by James Boswell and Joe McLaren.