“With over 3,000 years of history behind it, the future of Sherry lies in its past. Sommeliers admire it for its many varieties and Ben Howkins’ book will tell you why.” – Steven Spurrier
“Here Ben Howkins approaches his subject with passion and flair, bringing to life the vineyards, the bodegas, the wines and the history of the region with a light and entertaining touch.” – Matthew Nugent, The Irish Sun
Made in a unique way, matured in cellars dating back to the age of the Conquistadores, and bursting with a panoply of sun-drenched flavours, Sherry has – due to a succession of scandals and bad luck in the 1970s – been maligned and misunderstood. But the Sherry scene is set for seismic change. With a series of new styles, new vineyards and a dynamic new crop of cellar masters, this wine is creating a revolution in the world’s restaurants that can’t be ignored. Ben Howkins, in colourful words and equally evocative pictures, delves deep into Sherry’s fascinating story and reveals why it is set to come back into our lives with a magnificent flourish!
“From a historical point of point, the book is fascinating… From a literary point of view, it’s eloquent … If you’re a Bordeaux wine collector with deep pockets and a large cellar, it’s invaluable.” —Tamlyn Currin, Jancis Robinson
“Associations and societies such as the Bordeaux Club are the very acme of civilization. Botticelli and Bach were engaged in the eternal quest for truth and beauty in painting and music, and the Bordeaux Club did the same for viniculture.” — Andrew Roberts
“For lovers of claret – indeed, all wine – this can only be described as a drool-inducing book.” — World of Fine Wine
The story of 12 friends who gathered to share and celebrate the extraordinary wines of Bordeaux. Like-minded in their love of wine, they differed wildly (often alarmingly!) in their personal wealth, life and circumstances – their opinions, always voiced, had the power to ignite anger and divide friendships just as easily as they bound them together. Neil McKendrick, member and minute-taker for 57 of the Club’s 70 extraordinary years, weaves the tale of this convivial group with the rigour of a Cambridge academic (he is ex-Master of Gonville and Caius) and the humour of a born raconteur. Alongside the likes of Hugh Johnson, Steven Spurrier and Michael Broadbent, he celebrates the beauty of top-class Bordeaux and the splendour of each setting – from glorious country park to rickety Dickensian boardroom – in which these men were lucky enough to dine, serving up memories of vintages the like of which we will never see again.
Italian Wines is the English-language version of Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia, the world’s best-selling guide to Italian wine. It is the result of a year’s work by over 60 tasters, coordinated by three curators. They travel around the entire country to taste 45,000 wines, only half of which make it into the guide. More than 2,500 producers have been selected. Each entry brings together useful information about the winery, including a description of its most important labels and price levels in Italian wine shops. Each wine is evaluated according to the Gambero Rosso bicchieri rating, with Tre Bicchieri awarded to the top labels.
The guide is an essential tool for both wine professionals and passionate amateurs around the globe: it provides the instruments for finding one’s way in the complex panorama of Italy’s wine world.
The owner of The Lotus Pond Collection first ran into Chinese snuff bottles in an antique store in San Francisco in 1993 and has been fascinated by them ever since.
This collection covers mostly imperial porcelain and enamel on metal snuff bottles from the Qianlong period, mid-Qing imperial glass and jade snuff bottles, and some organic snuff bottles from mid-Qing. Others include bottles from Jingdezhen, Yangzhou and Suzhou Schools, Beijing glasses, inside painted and enamel on glass snuff bottles. There are also samples of Official School agate snuff bottles.
The whole collection covers 500 plus snuff bottles and was named The Lotus Pond Collection as it is the name of the owner’s hometown.
It is not only the quality and beauty of the bottles that will hold appeal for collectors but also the scholarly expertise which is apparent throughout the collection. This reflects the interest that the owner of the collection has in the cultural significance of his collection.
Text in English and Chinese.
With this handy guide, you can make drinks, whether fancy or easy, classic or modern, that will fit any occasion. Following the detailed instructions of skilled bartenders, everyone will be able to duplicate these 260 recipes at home. The recipes are divided into four different themes: evergreen cocktails (such as the Hugo and Tequila Sunrise), happy hour (such as the Beethoven and Margarita), after-dinner (such the Alexander and B-52), and trendy cocktails. For each drink, the book offers readers the perfect proportions of ingredients, the best techniques, and the nutritional information about calories and alcohol content.
“I love Belgian beer but until I picked up this book I never realized just how ignorant I was on the subject. The Belgian Beer Book grants you a ground floor view of Belgian Beer culture, Belgian Beer, and everything you might ever want to know about things related to Belgian Beer.” ― Nerd Rage News
“This massive 704-page book is packed with photos, stories, food pairing ideas, and beer and brewery guides that dig deep into one of the most storied beer cultures on the planet.” ― The High Five Archive
“This is the ultimate beer book, which, after reading, will have you packing your bags and getting on the first flight to Belgium.” ― Celebrator Book News
“This massive eight-pound, two-and-a-half-inch thick volume gives you what you would expect from its simple, straightforward title.” ― Cleveland.com
Belgian beer is famous throughout the world. Beer connoisseurs Erick Verdonck and Luc De Raedemaeker explain everything there is to know about Belgian beer culture. How does the brewing process work? How do you tap, serve, taste and conserve a perfect beer? What are the different styles and types of beer? Which beers are the best ones and how about the recent craft beers? This book explains it all!
“… will satisfy every lover of this famous wine region.” — Bloomberg
“The publishers have hit upon a winning formula, with Susan Keevil compiling an informative, eclectic, but always enjoyable, collection of beautifully written pieces from some 30 contributors.” — The Sun
“The accumulated effect is thoughtful and intriguing, inspiring readers to open up a Chianti Classico or Brunello and take a trip to Tuscany via wine glasses.” — NY Times
“…this enjoyable book compiles articles about the evolution of Tuscan vineyards, with entertaining portraits of innovative winemakers and insightful commentary about the region and the wines by a who’s-who of regional experts, including Burton Anderson, Gerald Asher, Andrew Jefford, Hugh Johnson and Ruth Rogers. “ — Toronto Globe
From the melée and muddle of Italy’s vinous past, Tuscany emerged triumphant. The world’s restaurants began to clamour for its Chianti and the Super Tuscan rebel-wines that captured the hearts, palates and pockets of any wine lover who sipped them. It found fame and fortune but had it gone too far…? On Tuscany’s authors unravel the truths of this enchanted vineyard – its tortured landscape of clashing mountains and upended seas, its mysterious Etruscan forebears, the Medici aristocrats and warring tribes who fought to control it. And the stoic peasants, whose thwarted creativity and intuitive ways with wine won through in the end. It tells the story of its king of grapes, Sangiovese, and the courtiers that grapple for its throne, and of the maverick winemakers who harness this region’s passion for wine today, steadying the roller coaster before it once again goes too far and too fast…
With contributions from Andrew Jefford, Hugh Johnson, Nicolas Belfrage MW, Jancis Robinson MW, David Gleave MW, Walter Speller, Gabriele Gorelli MW, Burton Anderson, Ruth Rogers, Neil Beckett, Victoria Moore, Gerald Asher, D H Lawrence, Fiona Morrison MW.
A photographic narrative that crosses the world’s main cities to witness the shared intentions and feelings that bind the single Pride events in one big wave that envelops and crosses all countries, exalting the uniqueness and variegated compositions of identities and modes. A snapshot of global LGBTQIA+ pride, with a focus on Pride parades marking momentous anniversaries, including New York Pride in 2019, 50 years after the events of Stonewall, and London Pride in 2020, 50 years after the birth of the Gay Liberation Front.
The book also bears witness to the spread of the Wave in the countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia, which since the end of the 1990s, with particular regard to the last decade, has been gaining spaces for listening and rights.
The Pride project recounts, celebrates and enhances LGBTQIA+ pride around the world, through the faces and claims of the protagonists of a struggle that involves us all: that for a fair and inclusive world, in which no person should feel excluded or discriminated against for their way of being, living and loving.
Text in English and Italian.
The volume takes the form of a refined collection of table settings used in the private residences of the most eminent Tuscan families. The narration complemented by images takes readers through a dazzling, multi-coloured world composed of precious pieces of porcelain, splendid silver objects and transparent crystals, in which the traditional and classical blend with design elements and modern tastes. What gives unity to the entire collection is undisputed taste and elegance.
Author Claudia Pianetti Della Stufa is not only a sophisticated interpreter of mise en place but also a true enthusiast of the aesthetics of refined table settings in all their nuances. Her knowledgeable gaze accompanies readers through classical, contemporary and country chic arrangements.
Text in English and Italian.
Jordi Gómez: Unlimited showcases the dynamic visual world of photographer and multi-disciplinary artist Jordi Gómez, capturing his 25-year journey. From his early analog work to his exploration of digital photography, this collection highlights his unique ability to capture the essence of his subjects with a signature blend of fantasy, glamour, and sex appeal.
Born in 1978 near Barcelona and based in Ibiza since 2002, Gómez draws inspiration from hedonistic Ibiza and global cities like London, Miami, and Tokyo. His eclectic portfolio includes geisha, sumo wrestlers, ballerinas, models, and celebrities from music, fashion, and sports.
Pushing creative boundaries, Gómez merges photography, graphic design, and AI to craft immersive installations. His art extends beyond galleries into hotels, restaurants, and private collections, even appearing on furniture, fashion, and wine bottles.
Jordi Gómez: Unlimited is a tribute to his limitless imagination and groundbreaking artistic expression.
Text in English and Spanish.
The White Compositions are symbolically charged with highly specific references that speak to Ames’s work and life as an architect in Georgia preoccupied with modernism, art and basketball, among other cultural and literary meanings. Ames playfully collages architectural elements, such as facades organised by grids, with everyday (yet highly specific) objects—like a Morandi-esque vase, a Corbusian pair of glasses, a can of coke, an electric guitar, or a basketball hoop. The contrast between the (supposedly) rational, objective, and universalising characteristics of modernism in confrontation with the particular, the idiosyncratic, and the autobiographical quotidian communicates a uniquely Ames-ian sensibility that provides a distinctive and refreshing take on the 20th-century architectural movement.
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Anthony Ames has operated his eponymous architecture office since 1976 and began painting in 1984. Ames’ White Compositions—a series of 11 monochromatic relief wall sculptures—originate from and elaborate on the architect’s painting practice, closely attending to proportion, layout, recurring forms, and motifs found within both his artistic and built works. His paintings—as described by Courtney Coffman in her previous review of Ames’s solo exhibition at a83 gallery in New York—“oscillate somewhere between the formality of a still life, the dynamism of sculptural relief, and the juxtaposed delight of collage.” A natural evolution in Ames’s practice, the 11 wall sculptures are accompanied by documents that provide insight into the precise and accomplished nature of Ames’ design process: from buildings to art.
Italian Wines is the English-language version of Gambero Rosso’s Vini d’Italia, the world’s best-selling guide to Italian wine, now in its 39th edition. It is the result of a year’s work by over 60 tasters, coordinated by three curators. They travel around the entire country to taste 45,000 wines, only half of which make it into the guide. More than 2,500 producers are selected. Each entry brings together useful information about a winery, including a description of its most important labels and price levels in Italian wine shops. Each wine is evaluated according to the Gambero Rosso bicchieri rating, with Tre Bicchieri awarded to the top labels. The guide is an essential tool for both wine professionals and passionate amateurs around the globe: it provides the instruments for finding one’s way in the complex panorama of Italy’s wine world.
The most chic glamour photographer of the moment (Him, Playboy France in particular) Lionel Daviat returns with a new book in which he fulfills the fantasy we’ve all experienced: wearing glasses that undress. The result is breathtaking, with a refined erotic aesthetic.
A multitude of beautiful models in more or less daring situations: in beautiful apartments, on ski slopes, or even in the street!
The special ‘lenticular’ nature of the special cover features a model which will appear either dressed or undressed, depending on the angle of the view.
Lionel Daviet, who lives on the shores of Lake Annecy near Geneva, trained in film photography, became a master of chic digital photography, and harnessed the infinite resources of AI better than anyone else in the world to enhance charm, creativity, and beauty. The result: photos that are larger than life.
Text in English and French.
The catalogue Nordic Table Design. A Silent Female Revolution (1900-1970) aims to present about 45 female designers, artists, and intellectuals from the period between 1900 and 1970, telling a new history of design, made up of multiple voices, against the backdrop of the struggle for equal rights.
It traces the work and working conditions of these women who, with a humanistic and distinctively feminine approach to design and a firsthand knowledge of domestic needs, achieved a “silent revolution” in the way the table was conceived and, more generally, in women’s lives.
They redesigned plates, glasses, pots and pans and cutlery, making them more functional and economical without ever sacrificing beauty; they experimented with new materials, colours and shapes, following the principle of the Modern Movement in which “form follows function.”
A large number of high-quality artistic pieces, some in production loaned by companies, some historical pieces from private collections and museums, describe the creative activity and working conditions of 70 years of women’s tableware design.
Text in English and Italian.
Time in a bottle; this is a collection that explores the unlocking of history through the identification of its unique seals, using crests and coats-of-arms as the ‘keys’ towards identifying the original owner. This three-volume collection examines the evolution of the sealed bottle from the 1640s to the late 1800s and provides a detailed description to accompany each entry, supported by numerous photographs, including the number of examples known, their condition, and the collections where the bottles and detached seals are held. The laying down of wine to improve its quality and longevity related to the social history of the day, the design of the bottles, their evolution and manufacture, are a reflection of the individuals who ordered and used the bottles at home or in the private gentlemen’s clubs, much influenced by the historic events of the 17th through to the 20th centuries. Wine consumption has a place in cultural history; these collected bottles existed at times of incredible upheaval and social change. From the early colonial settlements of the New World, into the slave markets of Richmond, VA, New Orleans, Charleston, SC, and Philadelphia, and with the plantation owners who amassed vast wealth and prestige as a result of this trade. In the taverns and coffee houses of London, alongside the bear baiting and cock fighting to be found across the River Thames in Southwark, in the cellars of the Oxford colleges and Inns of Court, these sealed bottles give much information on the early drinking habits of the aspiring and upwardly mobile, and the established aristocracy. Contents: Volume One: Dated Sealed Bottles 1650 – 1900 Volume Two: Undated Sealed Bottles 17th Century; Undated Sealed Bottles 1700 – 1900; Crests and Coats of Arms, pre-1700 identified; Crests and Coats of Arms, pre-1700 unidentified; Crests and Coats of Arms, post-1700 identified; Crests and Coats of Arms, post-1700 unidentified Volume Three: Chapter One: What is a Sealed Bottle? Chapter Two: Sealed Bottles from the Seventeenth Century; Chapter Three: Sealed Bottles from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries; Chapter Four: Heraldry and Sealed Bottles; Chapter Five: Sealed Bottles from the West Country; Chapter Six: Sealed Bottles from Wales; Chapter Seven: Sealed Bottles associated with the American Colonies; Chapter Eight: Sealed Bottles in Major Public Collections; Chapter Nine: Building a Collection; Chapter Ten: Price Guide and Price Trends
More than half of America’s waterbodies are unsafe for swimming, fishing, and as sources of drinking. Why? Because of unsustainable city building and poor farming practice. Beyond water quality problems, dysfunctional streams cause flooding and erosion of property, leading to neighbourhood blights. Not only can this be reversed, but repair of degraded urban streams can be a powerful agent for reinventing the physical environments of post-industrial cities. This requires transdisciplinary collaboration between the fields of ecological engineering and urban design. The American city was uniquely premised on fusions of landscape and urbanism: a tradition with plenty of room for innovation. However, watershed plans remain data-and-policy-driven documents with a singular interest in repairing waterbodies. They have little to say about the city and urban design. Conversely, urban planning has not codified the value of healthy ecosystems within which cities are built. In this age of the Anthropocene, when most ecosystems are human-dominated, resilient urban design must account for biological processes. This book introduces watershed management into urban design with one simple demand: that every new development contribute to watershed stewardship, where infrastructure and building deliver ecological services in addition to urban services. The Conway Urban Watershed Framework Plan formulates a planning vocabulary for use among professionals and decision makers to engage this new design market.
Writing in the immediate aftermath of World War II, wine merchant, gentleman soldier and cricketer Ian Maxwell Campbell casts an affectionate and occasionally wistful look back at the Golden Age of wine, when Bordeaux was affordable, Burgundy’s finest vintages tended towards cannibalism and other wines could be… well, surprisingly attractive. Among the tales of convivial drinking and anecdotes involving Winston Churchill and WG Grace, the author paints a vivid picture of a pre-war (and pre-phylloxera) wine world whose horizons were about to expand beyond all imagining.
Wayward Tendrils of the Vine, though, is much more than a collection of reminiscences. As Neal Martin points out in his Introduction: “The title alone is a perfect allegory for how we learn about wine, how knowledge grows organically over time, never knowing what the next bottle will teach us, how it might alter preconceptions or where it might lead.”
The Classic Editions breathe new life into some of the finest wine-related titles written in the English language over the last 150 years. Although these books are very much products of their time – a time when the world of fine wine was confined mostly to the frontiers of France and the Iberian Peninsula and a First Growth Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy wouldn’t be beyond the average purse – together they recapture a world of convivial, enthusiastic amateurs and larger-than-life characters whose love of fine vintages mirrored that of life itself.
“Is this the most important book ever written on psychedelic mixed drinks? Almost certainly. High Cocktails is written with academic rigour, caution, expert insight and the mixological mastery of some of the very best bartenders and chefs in the world, all packaged in a gorgeously photographed book fit for every coffee table. Whether or not you know your kratom from your kanna, or your blue lotus from your ayahuasca, this is the book for you: it is quite simply the future of drinking.” – Philip Duff, award-winning, head of spirits & cocktail engagement and education with Liquid Solutions, Chief Genever Officer for Old Duff Genever
High Cocktails is the first book to bring together 20 alcohol-free psychoactive cocktail recipes, developed by chefs Noah Tucker and Anthony Joseph, in collaboration with four of the world’s top mixologists. Featuring exclusive research into some of the world’s most interesting psychoactive plants and the alchemy involved in making cocktails with these ingredients. A team of media makers, in collaboration with chefs Noah and Tony, started a project called High Cuisine a few years ago, where chefs cook with legal, mind-altering herbs such as weed, truffles and kratom. This led to the cookbook of the same name and a TV series. Now in collaboration with The Bulldog, the landmark coffee shop in Amsterdam, a new trajectory has started with the development of alcohol-free cocktails that get you high: high cocktails!
Armed with cutting-edge research and a barfly’s thirst for the truth, cocktail instructor Brian D. Hoefling tackles the most burning questions and longest-held myths surrounding that most ancient of human pastimes-with the science to either back them up or knock them down. From the ins and outs of aging to the chemistry of a beer head and the science behind your hangover, Distilled Knowledge provides a complete and comical education that will put an end to any barroom dispute, once and for all.
Georg Baselitz’s collected writings brings together more than 30 texts by, and interviews with, the artist – spanning the period 1961 to the present – including conversations with Michael Auping, Henry Geldzahler and Donald Kuspit. Known for his rebellious approach to Abstract Expressionism, Baselitz here discusses the impression his paintings convey, the act of painting, his biography and much more. The texts shift between these personal pieces – some of which have never before been published in English – to interviews conducted by a variety of respected critics and art historians. These conversations present a different voice as Baselitz responds to careful and critical questions about his work.
Walter Irvine’s account places his personal experiences against the political and cultural changes that surrounded the Lao and Cambodian revolutions of the 1970s and 80s, giving particular attention to refugee movements and the impact. Irvine’s professional involvement as teacher in Laos, social anthropologist in Thailand and UNHCR official in Argentina gives him an insiders understanding of the specificity of culture, the dynamics of political change, the realities of forced exile, and the challenges of refugee work. His description of revisiting Indochina in 2016 puts the account of the early period into perspective.
With this new guide in your bag, you’re set to go out and discover the best and most fun places in hotspot Miami: 500 addresses that many tourists don’t know, a bit off the beaten track, but always loved by the locals and worth a visit. The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami will take you to all the places that make Miami the lively and unique city it is, also known as the ‘Gateway to the Caribbean’, such as: the 5 nicest water views, 5 stunning Mediterranean revival buildings, 5 renowned Miami-based fashion designers, the 5 coolest hotel pools, and 5 wonderful parks, playgrounds, and museums to visit with your kids. It even includes some unusual experiences, such as swimming in a freshwater Venetian pool, or day trips to the Everglades and the Keys.
Welcome to the home of Wallace and Gromit, and Blackbeard and Banksy. Bristol is where the world’s first solid chocolate bar was created (Ribena was also invented here) and you can still watch delicious chocolate creations made by modern day Willy Wonkas. The city has a hidden castle (you just need to know where to look) and secret vaults underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge only rediscovered recently after being hidden for more than 100 years. Climb inside these vaults, or into the cockpit of the final Concorde to fly or ride your skateboard in what used to be a swimming pool. If water is your thing, you can surf guaranteed waves at an inland surfing lake or take a trip in a boat that used to fight fires. Science and art collide at We The Curious, which has the UK’s only 3D planetarium.
If you think you know Bristol, think again. Allow this book to be your guide to Bristol’s best bits for kids.
You do not need to go to California for scenic coastal roads or relaxed cruising – not when you have that right on your doorstep in Europe. Instead of chewing gum, eating burgers and drinking Coca-Cola, your travelling companions will experience liquorice, tea and shrimp rolls – and, of course, Porsche.
In the latest Curves volume, Stefan Bogner travels the German coastline from von Emden to Hamburg, visits the North Frisian island Sylt, and takes a trip to Denmark. From Klitmoeller he goes to Copenhagen and Lübeck. The journey comes to an end in between seaside resorts and chalk cliffs on Rügen, an island in the Baltic.
Text in English and German.