The photo-tear-off-calendar will delight us again every day in 2025 with an instant photo and its own little story. The front side of the calendar page always presents an instant picture in original size, on the back side is a short text about the origin of the photo as well as information about the photographer and the used film used.
Paul Starosta is a French nature photographer, famous for finding and highlighting the artistic beauties of nature. The 200 superb photographs in this book illustrate the splendor and complexity of seeds, including the very smallest specimens. Drawing on the collections of Jean Laty and the La Voie des Fleurs society in Draveil (France), they showcase the infinite shapes, colors and stunning details to be found in objects often ignored: some seeds look like flowers, others stones or sculptures, while still others suggest jewels fashioned by some imaginary goldsmith.
The almost magical beauty of these little masterpieces, which enclose the mystery of life in both the infinitely small and the infinitely large, is brought out by the play of light and shadow. These little wonders conjure up others and are reminiscent of works of art or architectural features. Human beings are themselves nature and have found inspiration in it to create their own bold and curious works.
At the end of the volume, miniature photographs are accompanied by scientific information on the seeds, their life, characteristics and different families.
Molluscs are extraordinary builders; indeed, their architectural skills are almost unparalleled in the animal world. Who among us has failed to marvel at the wonderful structure of the smallest shell picked up on the beach? Some enthusiasts collect them throughout their lives – attracted by their beauty if they are aesthetes, or sought out for scientific purposes, as in the case of Jacques Senders. In this book, Paul Starosta’s spectacular photographs take the reader on a journey through this astounding collection, first started 50 years ago.
These shells, marvels of nature as they are, naturally suggest exotic or futuristic architecture, ancient or Art Nouveau vases, or even precious stones or volcanic rocks, and reaffirm the importance of nature as a source of inspiration for artists and architects. By celebrating the extraordinary variety and architectural refinement of the shells in Jacques and Rita Senders’s collection, the book reveals a world where nature far surpasses human imagination and invention.
At the end of the volume, miniature photographs are accompanied by scientific information on shells, their life, characteristics and different families.
During childhood holidays by the sea, the pristine Long Beach was full of treasures from the deep, sharks and dolphins swam near the shore, and the sea and air was vibrant with life and energy. Homo Gaia is written by lifelong environmentalist and citizen scientist, who wishes to pass on a thin strand of hope to the next generation. After a five year project on nature connection at the Greenworld foundation, Thailand, where she was chairperson, was halted by Covid, Oy decided to write a book instead. Showing how others can also experience the wondrous world that surrounds us, she weaves in her own experiences with information and insights from scientists.
“The most exciting travel guide I’ve read in years.” – Huffington Post
This classic guidebook, full of the little-known treasures of the Île de France, is now fully updated and revised, with two new chapters.
Discover half-hidden chateaux and artists’ country houses; walk, boat or dance by the river; explore old towns and country footpaths; and eat in family-run restaurants with 1950s décor. Based on over 20 years’ experience of exploring the Paris countryside by train, each visit includes the essential historical context and practical information to help you discover places unknown to many Parisians.
Written with humor and a flair for the unusual and authentic, the text is illustrated with original photos and local maps. It includes a unique guide to using the excellent local train network.
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 38th 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.
Exclusive Cruises takes you into the world of the most beautiful and luxurious cruises worldwide. In this book, the experienced journalist and sailor’s daughter Kiki Baron presents 25 fascinating routes that take extraordinary ships around the globe – from the majestic ocean liners of the Cunard Line to the exclusive yachts of Explora. Each chapter offers detailed insights into the unique suites, luxurious amenities and special offers on board. All rounded off with exclusive tips on the best harbors to visit during the voyage – from the historic coastal cities of Europe to the exotic islands of the Pacific. Exclusive Cruises is not just an illustrated book, but a source of inspiration for anyone who wants to explore the world in an elegant way. Aimed at both experienced cruise lovers and those planning their first trip at sea, the book offers a wealth of information and inspiration for an unforgettable experience on the high seas.
How many newspapers and magazines do people throw out every day? How many unread masterpieces appear on your bookshelf? How many old exams and assignments are gathering dust in the attics of schools? For 50 years, the Belgian artist Denmark – the pseudonym of Marc Robbroeckx – has transformed tons of printed paper into art. He creates sculptures and installations using books, newspapers, and magazines. His main ingredient is always paper – cut, pressed, stacked, or folded. Since the early seventies, Denmark has been cutting up, dissecting, and (re)assembling books, magazines, and newspapers. His archive installations are a critical reaction to the overload of information we are confronted with daily, opposing the abundance of information, symbolized by the gigantic masses of discarded – and often unused – paper. These surplus newspapers, magazines, books, and archives are cut up, folded, glued, bound, pressed, sanded, and ground,… by the artist to create new visual archives, no longer for consulting but purely for viewing beauty as resistance to excess. ‘anarchives‘ provides a sober and in-depth overview of the artist’s many years of practice.
Text in English, French and Dutch.
This book is the ultimate guide for running a small brewery with an eye on improving and maintaining a high level of quality in day-to-day operations. It was written in cooperation with the European Trade Association of Brewers, representing 29 countries and more than 10,000 breweries. Detailed information is provided about raw materials, standard and alternative microorganisms encountered in the brewery, brewing processes, fermentation and maturation methods, packaging and dispensing, troubleshooting, analysis methods as well as barrel ageing and other processes common in and, in some cases, unique to smaller breweries. Though technical and in-depth, the information remains very accessible to readers of all levels of knowledge and experience. This book was written with professional brewers in mind who work in smaller facilities without access to extensive laboratory equipment or those who may be in the process of opening their own breweries. The text explores the techniques and background necessary for consistently brewing quality beer on a limited budget. All professional brewers, even advanced homebrewers, will find this book to be a helpful resource and an indispensable guide for expanding their knowledge base and improving their brewing skills.
TV personality and Antiques Roadshow expert John Benjamin brings his best-selling guide to becoming a collector completely up to date. Collecting Jewellery is a guide to jewelry through the ages and includes new chapters on the ‘Modern Style’ of the 1940s and ’50s, the ‘Designer Jewel’ of the 1960s and ’70s, right up to and beyond the Millennium. Through his expertise as lecturer, valuer and jewelry historian, Benjamin provides fundamental information to enable the collector, student and enthusiast to recognize and identify jewels and designs through the centuries. From natural to cultured diamonds, unique ‘one off’ pieces to popular prevailing fashions, Collecting Jewellery is an accessible companion that will teach the reader about availability, value and fashion, while gaining the knowledge needed to create their own fabulous (and affordable) jewelry collection.
In the internet age, the means of communication keep changing along with the increasing formation. It becomes more difficult to catch the public’s attention and the monotonous and invariable logos can’t meet the needs of current and future commercial society any more. Designers need to seek new design language to express a brand. Flexible logos are a kind of design form with more variability, stronger adaptability, wider coverage, and fresh visual effect. This new form perfectly follows the development trend of globalized, diversified, and internet integration of online and offline operations in the new commercial society. However, the birth of flexible logos is not only to adapt to new media – and new means of communication – but also a breakthrough of logo design itself that creates new possibilities for the innovation of logo form and breaks the fixed, monotonous, and invariable characteristics of the traditional static logos.
This book explores the creation and methods of the flexible logo design process, and analyses its application across dozens of international projects. Each project explores the notion of broader brand extension stability, as well as the stability of consumers’ psychological recognition.
This two-volume publication illustrates the evolutionary history of the pendulum clock from the early Age of Metternich and provides detailed explanations on their engineering. In addition, it contains a catalog with almost 400 wall and longcase clocks, most of which have never been published, and a unique index with over 14,000 entries on clockmakers from all over the Austrian Empire, including a vast amount of previously unknown masters and workshops. It also includes biographical information on the makers, locations of the workshops, masterpieces and exhibits from trade exhibitions, inventions, characteristic features of the pieces, sales outlets, and the prices of the time. An indispensable compendium on classic longcase and wall clocks of the Austrian Empire and a major reference work for all those with an interest in clocks!
Text in German.
‘Another chocolate book?’ you might say? The answer is: this book is different than any other book on the market!
The Chocolatier’s Kitchen offers over 270 simple, concrete and practical recipes, covering the entire spectrum in confectionary (from bonbon, to truffles, snack bars…). From short, to medium or long shelf life, inspired by the Callebaut five colours of chocolate and executed in different chocolate types. The proud collective of Callebaut Chefs have bundled their expertise to conquer hearts and deliver inspiration, motivation and knowledge for every chocolate artisan & Chef, whether you are starting or want to further grow your chocolate business.
With contributions from the Callebaut Chefs Tribe: Davide Comaschi, Philippe Vancayseele, Clare England, Beverley Dunkley, Mark Tilling, Ciro Fraddanno and Ryan Stevenson
Hokuei: Master of Osaka Kabuki Prints profiles one of the most intriguing artists ever in kabuki-actor design: Shunbaisai Hokuei (active 1828–1836). A culminating figure in Osaka printmaking, Hokuei produced more masterworks than any other artist of his day. The book presents the artist’s life and work, situating his oeuvre within the demimonde of pleasure and entertainment known as the Floating World (Ukiyo). The world of kabuki comes alive in fascinating detail, while assessments of design and technical attributes bring into focus the achievements of Hokuei and printmaking artisans of his age. The book includes a fully illustrated and annotated catalogue raisonné of 270 prints — the artist’s entire known print oeuvre — including designs not to be found anywhere else. The range of comprehensive information featured in this publication make it a singular reference not only for admirers of Hokuei, but also for those interested in the world of actors on stage.
“Terry was everywhere in the 60s – he knew everything and everyone that was happening” Keith Richards
“Terry O’Neill rates rightly as one of the best photographers in the world. He captures something special” Sir Michael Caine
“When it comes to photographic legends there can be few more prolific or revered than Terry O’Neill, the man who shot the greats.” VOGUE
“This sumptuous collection of portraits, taken over six decades, represents the best of his memorable career and should grace every coffee table in the land” The Daily Mail
“I’ve been repeatedly asked to write my autobiography – I have seen an awful lot of famous people at their best and worst – but I’m not interested in making money trading their secrets or mine. I want my pictures to tell a story not sell a story.” Terry O’Neill
Terry O’Neill is one of the world’s most celebrated and collected photographers. No one has captured the frontline of fame so broadly – and for so long. For more than 50 years, he has photographed rock stars and presidents, royals and movie stars, at work, at play, in private. He pioneered backstage reportage photography with the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Sir Elton John and Chuck Berry and his work comprises a vital chronicle of rock and roll history.
Now, for the first time, an exhaustive cataloging of his archive conducted over the last three years has revisited more than 2 million negatives and has unearthed unseen images that escaped the eye over a career spanning 53 years. Similarly, his use of 35mm cameras on film sets and the early pop music shows of the 60s opened up a new visual art form using photojournalism, to revolutionise formal portraiture. His work captured the iconic, candid, and unguarded moments of the famous and the notorious – from Ava Gardner to Amy Winehouse, from Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from the earliest photographs of young emerging bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace. O’ Neill spent more than 30 years photographing Frank Sinatra, amassing a unique archive of more than 3,000 Sinatra negatives.
Add to that the magazine covers, album sleeves, film poster and fashion shoots of 1,000 stars, and Terry O’Neill – comprises the most compelling and epic catalog of the age of celebrity. Terry O’Neill has worked for the most prestigious magazines in the world including Time, Newsweek, Stern, Bunte, Figaro, The Sunday Times, Vanity Fair, People, Parade, Vogue and many others. And his award launched to showcase the work of young emerging photographers is now one of the most highly prized global competitions in art. The Royal Society of Arts has honored him with the rare Centenary Medal for his lifetime achievement. Only a dozen have ever been awarded in recognition of ‘outstanding contributions to the art and science of photography.’
Since the dawn of time, people have been fascinated by the idea of traveling to the stars, which is vividly illustrated by utopian and dystopian works of architecture, the visual arts, and cinematography. In many ways, the designs and symbols associated with space travel also found their way into popular culture in the former Soviet Union and its satellite states. Often spurned as propaganda by the West, they informed the design of mass-produced consumer goods and public art works in the USSR. While in our part of the world space travel largely turned into a political race as a result of the Cold War, its appeal found an aesthetic expression in everyday life in the East.
This book presents the results of in-depth research and extensive travels through a total of seven countries. Its prime focus is the impact of space exploration on everyday life in its pioneering age between the late 1950s and the 1980s and the persistence of related concepts and utopian ideas in today’s society. Told as a visual story, it combines artistic and documentary photography, portraits of contemporary witnesses, landscape snapshots, and historical documents. It is in part an historical investigation since many of the pioneers of the space age are no longer alive and many of the formerly ubiquitous items have disappeared.
Text in English and German.
The largest maps in the world are to be found in the floor of the Citizens’ Hall, in the heart of the Royal Palace Amsterdam. The three circular mosaics, each measuring over six metres in diameter, together depict the known world and the night sky. They remain to this day an iconic and beloved part of the majestic palace, which was originally built in the mid-17th century to serve as Amsterdam’s town hall. At that time, the city was the world’s leading cartography centre. The prominent place of the floor maps relates directly to that primacy. This book tells the story of these unique maps and of the flourishing of cartography in Amsterdam in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Silicon Valley has become the Mesopotamia of the Digital Age, built on cycles of innovation and disruption, monstrous ambition, and a steady supply of labour and capital. Yet for all that’s known about companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook – and the personas behind those companies – the culture of Silicon Valley remains elusive and contradictory, even to many locals. This unique guidebook, written by longtime local Floriana Petersen, takes you on an insider’s tour of 111 cool, offbeat, and very compelling places that offer insight into the evolving character of Silicon Valley.
Visit the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford to see drawings done by Leland Jr. Stanford, after whom the university was named after his death at age 15 in 1884. Sit at the Rosewood Hotel bar to witness the mating habits of venture capitalists. Go to the Music@Menlo Festival to listen some of the best chamber music to be found anywhere in the country. Enjoy the Stanford Powwow, a festival to celebrate some of the great American Indian tribes of Northern California. Visit Steve Jobs’ final resting place, or spend an afternoon at the Hakone Japanese gardens. Explore the Filoli Estate, a living testimony to the wealthy families who used the Gold Rush to build the infrastructure that has become Silicon Valley.
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.
Architecture Asia, as the official journal of the Architects Regional Council Asia, aims to provide a forum not only for presenting Asian phenomena and their characteristics to the world but also for understanding diversity and multiculturalism within Asia from a global perspective. In the 21st century, Asia has been developed fast in the wave of globalization, and the living and urban environment are changing rapidly along with the economic development. In this process, many Asian cities are carrying out large-scale urban infrastructure construction in the process of rapid urbanization, and building a large number of iconic buildings that represent the characteristics of the country or city. This issue focuses on Living in the 21st Century, through three perspectives: the transformation of spatial functions, the contradiction between urban development and individual dwelling, and architecture in the age of self-media.
“It is an exhaustive overview of LeCompte’s work and is chock-full of expertly photographed images.” — Princeton Herald
“The book is a magnificent volume. It is as comprehensive as one could hope.” — Anglican and Episcopal History
Rowan LeCompte (1925-2014) was a world-renowned stained-glass artist best known for his work in Washington National Cathedral that spanned an unprecedented 70 years of artistic commission. Rowan LeCompte: Master of Stained Glass celebrates LeCompte’s artistic inspiration, distinctive technique, and unique perspective on a medieval decorative art, which he transformed into a fine art for modern times. The book traces his fascinating trajectory, from a determined teenager to a charming octogenarian with a clear vision of what stained glass can do within and beyond cathedral walls. More than an artist biography, this book illuminates the essence of human nature and its balance of light and darkness.
Growing up in Baltimore, young Rowan LeCompte was fascinated by color and light, collecting colored glass fragments that his older brother – Stuart, a scientist – had discarded from his lab at Johns Hopkins. A visit to the Washington National Cathedral at age 14 would prove transformative for LeCompte, who later described the day as his “second birthday.” At age 15, LeCompte knew what he wanted to do for the rest of his life: combine his love of architecture and painting through the study of stained glass. Just a year later, he earned his first commission in the National Cathedral: the very place that forged his destiny. Rowan LeCompte’s seven decades of work not only fulfilled his teen ambition beyond expectations – it changed the art of stained glass itself.
Rowan LeCompte: Master of Stained Glass takes readers behind-the-scenes of LeCompte’s process, hearing from the artist first-hand about his unexpected inspirations – and rejected ideas – for color and design, and illustrating his work from the first ‘cartoon’ storyboards of windows, to painting the finishing touches on some of his best-known work. This beautiful 4-color photo art book tells of the complete history of Rowan’s life, incorporating brilliant full-color photos of many of the windows which highlight the details of the imagination and innovation of this modern artist working in an ancient medium. It was his single-minded determination to create works that make the world a more beautiful place that will mark Rowan LeCompte as a great master for years to come.
Rowan LeCompte: Master of Stained Glass is a companion to Peter Swanson’s two films about Rowan. One of these films, Let There Be Light, documented LeCompte’s final commission for the Washington National Cathedral’s centennial celebration. The film won the Best of Festival award at Washington, D.C.’s Independent Film Festival.