The 500 Hidden Secrets of Chicago reveals 500 off-the-beaten- track places and interesting details for anyone who’s keen to explore Chicago’s best-kept secrets, e.g. 5 cafés for sitting a spell, 5 iconic merchants, 5 ways to enjoy the Chicago river, 5 unlikely art destinations, 5 historic music spots… and much more.

This book, edited by the designer of Shanghai Astronomy Museum, Ennead Architects LLP, is an all-round record of the design and construction process of Shanghai Astronomy Museum, with a foreword written by Ye Shuhua—an astronomer and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a preface by Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. The main part of the book unfolds from four perspectives: site, concept, realization, and engineering and construction, which describes the process of generating the core form of the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, as well as the design ingenuity of the main functional areas inside. The book presents many beautiful images of the museum, and includes texts by the chief designer, Thomas J. Wong. The designers’ love for the universe and their great enthusiasm for the project contribute to the essence of this book.

Text in English and Chinese.

In an age of soaring uncertainty, small moments of connection – with ourselves and our planet – matter more than ever before. The 200 intimate portraits in this volume tell stories of courage, hardship and hope, across continents and through generations.

Travel with nature and wildlife photographer Wouter Pattyn to explore 12 of the most beautiful nature reserves on the European continent. Along with photographs of stunning landscapes, Wild Places of Europe is a sourcebook of information for the adventurous traveler, including practical tips for booking your visit and taking the best photographs. Immerse yourself in these wonderful places and perhaps make plans to go to one yourself.

10 Years of Remembering Wildlife is the tenth book in the Remembering Wildlife charity series, which has so far raised more than $1.5 milion US Dollars for conservation. It will be an anthology of images selected from each of the previous books in the series (elephants, rhinos, Great Apes, cheetahs, lions, African wild dogs, bears, leopards and tigers) plus new for this year: pangolins. The aim of the creators is to make the most beautiful book ever seen on the species and to use that to raise awareness of the plight facing that animal, which this year will be pangolins and also funds to protect it. Each book is full of images generously donated by many of the world’s top wildlife photographers. All profits from the sale of this book will be donated to projects working to protect pangolins.

“The product of extensive archival research by members of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, these editions make newly accessible the work of the accomplished British designer.” — Architectural Record

The genius of Edwin Lutyens is now universally recognized. When the acclaimed English architect passed away in 1944, three large volumes of his drawings and photographs were commissioned from the thousands found in his office and were published by Country Life. In 2023, all three volumes will be republished by ACC Art Books.

This third and final volume showcases Lutyens’ detailed plans and elevations for the greatest examples of his townhouse renovations, memorials and public buildings, including the Cenotaph at Westminster, the Thiepval Memorial, and the colossal Midland Bank building in Manchester.

These reissues are once again bringing to the world’s attention not just the professionalism of a great architect, but also the loving care with which he set down the minutiae of his visions. They are among the few books in existence illustrated with his working drawings, as well as pristine photos of the finished masterpieces themselves. A beautiful tribute to a monumental figure in the history of modern architecture. 

Joel Denot (b.1961) is a French photographer. His images are centered on the essential elements of photography: light, color and shape. They are neither figurative nor abstract, with colored surfaces floating in a void, framing each other and projecting shadows of overlapping colors: orange then pale pink then blue then bright pink; red then green then pink then grey-blue. Produced entirely during the shoot, they are a purely photographic gesture, created without laboratory work. This is the first monograph on his career.

Text in English and French.

Where to go for the best pints of Guinness in Dublin? Or when you’re craving the ultimate sandwich? And what are the 5 shops you absolutely have to visit on Grafton Street? Shane O’Reilly knows! With lots of love and enthusiasm, he shares hundreds of his favorite places in his hometown of Dublin, like the wood-panelled and plush club serving as a multi-purpose arts center, Ireland’s oldest reggae shop, or the stunning and family-run delicatessen serving up delicious seafood straight from the ocean half a mile away. The 500 Hidden Secrets of Dublin is the perfect book for those who wish to discover the city, but avoid all the usual tourist haunts, as well as for residents who are keen to track down the city’s best-kept secrets.

Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com

Venice – an icon of romanticism. Sometimes considered too touristy, the Serenissima is a vibrant city teeming with hidden palaces, ultra-luxurious hotels, iconic monuments and historic sites, bars, terraces, exquisite food, carnivals, and artistic life. Part of the Best of… series, Best of Venice celebrates this city and its history and culture in glamorous color.

Since 1999, Loods 5 has been the go-to place in the Netherlands for true interior enthusiasts. Thousands of visitors find interior inspiration daily in one of the five megastores spread across the country. Loods 5 has been a phenomenon for 25 years, not only with its stores but also as one of the best-known Dutch interior brands online. With over half a million followers across all social media channels, Loods 5 is a prominent name in the industry.

Loods of Living is organized by various interior trends, provides a rich overview of contemporary interior design. This ultimate, colorful coffee table book is filled with inspiration and is an absolute must-have for every interior design aficionado!

This outstanding jewelry collection of the Cologne Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK) will be showcased for the first time in a dedicated exhibition. Featuring cross-epochal and cross-cultural themes, the exhibition successfully presents diverse approaches to the art of jewelry-making. The photographs of around 370 objects and the accompanying descriptions demonstrate just how multifaceted jewelry design is. The social, societal, emotional, and symbolic aspects of jewelry are also evaluated and discussed in an essay by Beatriz Chadour-Sampson. The MAKK’s jewelry collection of around 1600 works spans a period of 7000 years: from ancient oriental gems from the 5th millennium BC to contemporary jewelry. This is what makes this collection so unique and diverse.

Text in English and German.

This Big Book helps you make design decisions for shops. With the advent of e-commerce, the role that physical stores played changed dramatically. Their right to exist is not in question, but the need for a different design for these stores is high. This book provides the necessary knowledge to design the store for the future. It provides a complete overview of background and research on the necessary tools, to reflections on the challenges of the future.

Following the success of Portrait of Britain and Portrait of Humanity, this third edition of the latter brings together 200 new portraits taken by photographers of all levels from all over the world, selected from tens of thousands of entries. The publication supports a world-touring exhibition which will visit USA, India, Hungary and among other places, bringing global exposure to the book. The award and exhibition is organized by 1854 Media (British Journal of Photography). Each image in the book is accompanied by a short, telling story from each photographer, bringing home the humanity of those photographed.

In harmony with nature – this is the inspiration behind the villa design of Singapore. They offer exclusive trendy living complete with new life concept and experience, by collecting a glamorous urban resort. With famous architectural projects in Singapore, this book describes a variety of design approaches with photo-illustrated instruction and shows readers the incorporation of technology and nature.

Text in English and Chinese.

Way of the Sign III offers a great variety of magnificent architectural examples that demonstrate the essential characteristics of good signage: excellent design, integration within the space and functional communication. Also available: Way of the Sign II ISBN: 9789881973566

This book presents carefully selected projects, executed by the Matrix team over the last three years. The projects can be divided into several categories: living spaces, office spaces, clubs, sales centers, and other public spaces. Their design concepts, functional design, and construction technology not only offers designers new inspiration, but also provides a rich sensory experience for design enthusiasts.

More than twenty outstanding projects, with exquisite color photographs and detailed descriptions, bring the reader unprecendented visual feasts. In addition to the great number of photographs, there is an abundance of floor plans.

In recent years, Matrix has won dozens of national and international awards, including: the British Andrew Martin awards (the “Oscar” of the interior design industry), IIDA Global Interior Design Awards by the American International Interior Design Association, and Asia-Pacific Interior Design Awards.

For more than 40 years, Cyril Christo – son of the artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude – his wife Marie, and their son Lysander have been traveling among the last indigenous peoples of our time and documenting their relationship with nature. On their visits to far-flung places such as New Guinea, Tibet, Africa, the Amazon River, and the vast expanse of the Arctic, they have witnessed many instances of the spiritual connection between humans and nature.

Lords of the Earth takes its readers on a journey to the world’s oldest continent, the birthplace of Homo sapiens. The three photographers have captured the endangered soul of Africa, threatened by humans and climate change, in a series of striking duotone images. In conjunction with a gripping essay and relevant quotations, the photographs give a fascinating account of Christo’s and Wilkinson’s experiences, encounters, and their belief in the beauty and significance of that ancient continent.

This book is a tribute not only to Africa’s indigenous peoples, but also to the majestic creatures that have lived together with them since time immemorial and that are now threatened with extinction more than ever before. It includes insights into local folklore, rituals, and stories of tribespeople that provide a decidedly African perspective alongside the Western one.

Organizations and companies remain successful if they are ecosystems in which people are motivated to improve. People are engaged when organizations have a purpose and attract like-minded men and women. The transformative power of noble purpose is what unites individual self-realization, organizational efficiency, and societal evolution. This book, inspired by the life story of the author, promotes a society where environment, humanism and economy go hand in hand to create a sustainable future.

“Travelling from your couch, it is possible with the book. You will get an overview of different types of cottage accommodations, from small weekend houses to lavishly decorated summer villas and modern cottages.” — Elle Decoration Belgium

The Design of Retreat explores different types of outdoor retreats designed by and owned by leading names in the interior design world. From contemporary cabins, modern cottages and minimal vacation homes to sumptuously decorated summer villas with a flair for drama. In The Design of Retreat, they stand side by side with seaside Italian palazzos and tropical hideaways in the Mexican jungle. The wonderfully colorful homes, playful weekend cottages, innovative farmhouses and historic mansions will take you around the world. Relax and get away.

When African-American music broke out of the church in the early 1960s and singers such as Ray Charles and Sam Cooke added secular lyrics to gospel in order to tap into a new audience, the 7″ single was the medium of the hour. The early soul LPs were mostly compilations of successful singles, enriched with cover versions, but this was to change radically in 1971 when Marvin Gaye released “What’s Going On” against the resistance of his label Motown. After that, there was no stopping him.
Sly & The Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Isaac Hayes, The Temptations, James Brown and countless criminally ignored groups used the medium to comment on grievances and experiment. Songs stretched over ten minutes and left the radio-friendly three-minute format. The music was also given a visual aesthetic, the musicians were given a face and told their story on the backs of the covers. Anyone who had previously raved about Al Green’s voice could now hold him in their hands as an LP, reclining on a wicker chair in a white suit.
Today, original LPs are traded for sometimes dizzying sums. Record shops and online exchanges are booming. The feel of the record, the crackling when the needle grips the groove, analogue playback and, last but not least, DJ culture have simply defied the logic of technological progress. They say that the dead live longer. This certainly applies to the LP. This calendar is dedicated to the aura that only an original pressing can have.

Atlas of the New World is a visionary photographic project by Giulia Piermartiri and Edoardo Delille that merges documentary rigor with speculative imagination. Projecting future climate scenarios onto present-day landscapes using analog photography techniques, the book creates a compelling visual atlas of a planet in transformation. Each image overlays real places with ghostly visions of the world to come: flooded cities, vanished glaciers, scorched forests. Scientific data meets poetic insight as the work explores six geographies deeply affected by the climate crisis—from the vanishing Maldives to the scorched forests of Russia and California, the disappearing glaciers of Mont Blanc, and the flooded river basins of China.

Accompanied by texts from scientists and writers, the book invites us to see what is not yet visible: a future already seeded in our present. Atlas of the New World is both warning and proposition—a lyrical cartography of climate collapse and an urgent call for imaginative resilience.

A Night Full of Stars is an award-winning novel by V.Vinicchayakul, one of Thailand’s most foremost novelists, and the author of over 100 novels, many of which have been adapted for TV and film. Set against the backdrop of the 1932 revolution, this beautiful novel deals with universal themes of love, loyalty, greed, anger, lust and jealousy which, whilst giving a unique insight into Thai way of life, will resonate with readers worldwide.

Drago’s 36 Chambers series explores one of the world’s best-known street artists and the evolution of his unique iconography. Nick Walker’s iconic bowler-hatted character is an urban prankster whose timeless work possesses a charming yet mischievous sense of humor. Together with a collection of never-before-seen stencil pieces, the book provides exclusive insight into the birth of modern street art and culture.