“On Champagne is the wine book that every lover of the world’s most famous bubbles has been waiting for – whether they realised it or not.” — Club O Enologique
“…if you love champagne, this is another must-buy. And apologies for the terrible pun, but it is genuinely true – this book fizzes with wonderful stuff.” — Jancis Robinson
“Presenting the story of the iconic French fizz from its accidental beginnings to the present day and looking to the future, there is plenty for Champagne-lovers to enjoy.” — Decanter
Champagne is never a simple glass of fizz… As soon as the cork flies, the first sip reveals a wine of fascinating complexity. For even the most modest non-vintage cuvée, a bevy of blending decisions, multi layers of history and the incalculable climate of this northern corner of France all come into play. In On Champagne the thoughts, opinions and conclusions of the world’s finest champagne writers gather to reveal this wine’s action-packed trajectory from the myth of its accidental discovery – not in France, we find, but in the cider cellars of England – to the development of a high-tech champagne fit for space travel. It’s a journey that starts and ends with capturing that sparkle in a bottle and along the way beguiles us with the nuances of its chalky terrain, the determination of rebels from Ambonnay to Avize, and the mystery of a champagne cellar under the sea. We meet the pioneers who created the great champagnes of the past and the personalities who are ‘greening’ this landscape, nurturing it through climate change to shape the exquisite champagnes of the future.
“…here’s eye candy on every page of the book.” — Natural Diamonds
“From the 1950s to the present day, a wide range of international designers are examined in detail with many examples of their work clearly illustrated. The author focuses on themes associated with jewellery, including colour, light, proportion, nature and legends.” — Lovely Books
This sumptuous book showcases the work of women jewelers in the 20th century. Beginning with Arts & Crafts jewelers in Britain, Europe and North America, the author then examines the key figures and movements of the pre-war period including Coco Chanel’s legendary ‘Bijoux de Diamants’ exhibition of 1932, the designs of Suzanne Belperron and the roles of Jeanne Toussaint at Cartier and Renée Puissant at Van Cleef & Arpels. From the 1950s to the present day, a wide range of international designers are examined in detail with many examples of their work clearly illustrated. The author focuses on themes associated with jewelry, including color, light, proportion, nature and legends. Among the many names included are Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe (designer for Georg Jensen), Margaret De Patta, Wendy Ramshaw, Angela Cummings, Paloma Picasso, Marina B, Lydia Courteille and Michelle Ong.
Jewellery firms include: Boivin, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Jensen, Tiffany & Co.
Designers featured: Alma Pihl, Coco Chanel, Suzanne Belperron, Juliette Moutard, Olga Tritt, Elisabeth Treskow, Margaret de Patta, Jeanne Toussaint, Line Vautrin, Margret Craver, Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, Nanna Ditzel, Marianne Ostier, Barbara Anton, Gerda Flöckinger, Astrid Fog, Cornelia Roethel, Catherine Noll, Angela Cummings, Elsa Peretti, Wendy Ramshaw, Marina B, Marie-Caroline de Brosses, Marilyn Cooperman, Paloma Picasso, Victoire de Castellane, Alexandra Mor, Ornella Iannuzzi, Neha Dani, Paula Crevoshay, Nathalie Castro, Claire Choisne, Bina Goenka, Carla Amorim, Monique Péan, Michelle Ong – Carnet, Kara Ross, Lydia Courteille, Suzanne Syz, Sylvie Corbelin, Kaoru Kay Akihara – Gimel, Katey Brunini, Luz Camino, Cindy Chao, Aida Bergsen, Anna Hu, Barbara Heinrich, Jacqueline Cullen, Cynthia Bach.
“His is a warm, charming page turner of an autobiography: from start to finish full of fascinating characters, incredible and amusing anecdotes, self-effacing humour and wry asides, beautifully detailed observations and, of course, stuffed with great nuggets of jewellery and art history.” — The Jeweller Magazine
“In this dazzling memoir revealing his encounters with royal and celebrity clients including the Queen Mother, Sir Elton John, Dame Joanna Lumley and Frank Sinatra, Antiques Roadshow presenter and jewellery expert Geoffrey Munn reflects on his stellar career, having spent more than five decades bejewelling some of the biggest names in the world.” — Hello!
“In this colourful and witty narrative, Geoffrey Munn, OBE, MVO, FSA, FLS, best known as a presenter on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, reflects on his career in the London art world, spanning over 50 years.” — Arts & Collections magazine
“Discover delightful anecdotes from Fabergé expert Geoffrey Munn’s time at Wartski in 1970s London, featuring encounters with royalty, Hollywood icons, and the pursuit of Imperial Eggs.” — The Jewellery Editor
Born and bred in Sussex, Geoffrey Munn, Antiques Roadshow presenter and jewelry expert, came from a traditional rural background – but only weeks after leaving a country Grammar School in 1972, he was plunged into the vortex of the London art world. It was the beginning of the career of a lifetime at the famous firm of Wartski, whose showrooms scintillated with gem-set necklaces, tiaras and three of the famous Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs.
In a colourful and witty narrative, Geoffrey relates his daunting but delightful encounters with HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, HRH Princess Margaret and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall. In their wake, Geoffrey met a rich variety of luminaries, including Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Joanna Lumley, Stephen Fry, Elton John, Vivienne Westwood and Dame Edna Everage. This is certainly a rapid and amusing read but it is also unique study of a narrow and fast-changing society.
This book explores the illustrious gardens in Suzhou as both an important page in the history of Chinese gardens, and as a place of recreation and cultivation for the people. Based on architectural surveys of Suzhou gardens and an analysis of Zhuozheng Yuan (the Humble Administrator’s Garden) and Liuyuan (the Lingering Garden), this abundantly illustrated book presents the overall gardening characteristics and gardening skills of Jiangnan Garden. Included here are 196 rare archival images of actual gardens, echoed by Song lyrics and calligraphic writing, which provide a comprehensive interpretation of the art of traditional Chinese gardens in both form and shape. The essays are characterized by an urbane and elegant narrative style and occasional passages of lyric expression, and touch on the fields of history, architecture, literature, and painting. The finalized English version faithfully transmits the original meaning, making the whole book a wonderful reading experience.
Text in English and Chinese.
A unique take on fashion in 2022.
In Mirror Mirror – Fashion & the Psyche, MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp and Dr. Guislain Museum examine how fashion, psychology, self-image and identity are connected. The personal experience of the body is the main theme of this unexpected dialogue between visual art and avant-garde fashion. Featuring work by Ed Atkins, Walter Van Beirendonck, Noir Kei Ninomiya, Genieve Figgis, Genesis Belanger, Hussein Chalayan, Comme des Garçons, Joseph Schneller, Ezekiel Messou, Giovanni Battista Podestà, Helga Goetze and Yumiko Kawai, among others.
Publication accompanies the exhibition Mirror Mirror – Fashion & the Psyche at MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp and Dr. Guislain Museum, Ghent from 8 October 2022 to 26 February 2023.
With textual contributions by curators Yoon Hee Lamot and Elisa De Wyngaert, Mara Johanna Kölmel, Lucy Moyse Ferreira, Monika Ankele and Renate Stauss, who also wrote a text contribution.
From Brutalist blocks to Modernist towers, this book is a visual celebration of 68 of London’s most iconic council estates, reminding us of the pride, thought and innovation that went into designing these socially vital buildings.
Northumberland is the ‘Land of the Far Horizon’ and England’s most northerly county. It was once a place of industrial innovation and manufacturing, literally fuelled by the coal brought up from its depths. Now Northumberland is a quieter place, loved by residents and visitors alike for its rolling hills and long, sandy beaches, as well as its charming towns and villages.
With this book in hand, meet Grace Darling, a Victorian heroine who took to storm-tossed seas to help rescue survivors of a terrible shipwreck; visit Amble, the ‘Friendliest Port’, and discover its connection to the Mauretania, once the fastest passenger ship to sail the Atlantic; and take in Turner’s View, an atmospheric stretch of coastline that was a lifelong inspiration to Britain’s greatest landscape painter.
You can also take a walk to the top of Cheviot, the county’s highest mountain and what was once a massive and very active volcano; and then top it off in the tranquil setting of St Cuthbert’s Island, where the eponymous saint went to get away from the strangely hectic whirl of monastic life.
Written by a proud northerner, this book will help you discover the more offbeat corners of Northumberland, and appreciate its many treasures.
Hello World: The Body Speaks in the Drawings of Men showcases McMullan’s unparalleled ability to depict the beauty of the physical form, through keen lines and vibrant, expressive brushstrokes. Using gouache and a bristle brush, McMullan explores not just the drama and rhythm of bodies in motion, but the excitement and fraught psychological complexity between subject and portraitist. Each of the 83 dynamic studies captures the unspoken dialog between artist and model. Every page dramatizes the energy and tension at the core of the creative experience.
“The photos here are undeniably spectacular — but the exploration of the costume ball’s history is worth sticking around for, too.” —Natural Diamonds
“If the thieves who dropped Empress Eugenie’s crown outside the Louvre during this year’s heist, sparked an interest in jeweled headgear, try this encyclopedic guide to the world’s most famous tiaras.” — Wall Street Journal
Tiaras have always inspired a great fascination and the most beautiful and influential women have been painted, photographed and admired whilst wearing them. Even in the 21st century they are still worn and continue to inspire special poise, elegance and sophistication.
This lavishly illustrated book includes exclusive photographs, many reproduced for the first time, of a variety of Royal tiaras together with those of French and Russian Imperial provenance, including four stunning tiaras designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria. Geoffrey Munn has also been granted privileged access to the archives of many famous jewelers, including Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels and Fabergé, for his research.
The regal images of some of the most prestigious jewels in the world will captivate the reader and ensure turning the page to the next enticing image becomes irresistible. Many of these mesmerizing tiaras also have great historical significance and their provenance is fully explained here. Among the contemporary pieces referred to are tiaras belonging to Jamie Lee Curtis, Vivienne Westwood, Elton John and Madonna, that were made by Galliano, Slim Barratt and Versace.
The scholarly text, which incorporates more than 400 illustrations, includes chapters on tiaras as crown jewels, Russian style tiaras, tiaras as works of art and the relationship between the tiara and the costume ball. Tiaras – A History of Splendour is a magnificent work that will enthral all those interested in fashion and style, jewelry, European history and Royalty.
“… beautifully written and magnificently produced… for anyone interested in social history, it’s as good a read as you are likely to have this year.” Daily Telegraph
“A truly majestic book” Antiques Info
“… elegantly melds social history, fashion criticism and an appreciation of the jeweler’s art.” Town & Country