Rock the Kasbah takes you on a journey through Morocco’s most inspiring places to stay. From ancient kasbahs and serene riads to intimate boutique hotels and luxurious desert tented camps, this book showcases around 20 unique hideaways scattered across the country. Each property is beautifully captured by Spanish-based photographer Bibiana Cristina, whose evocative images bring the soul and atmosphere of Morocco to life. A feast for design lovers, travelers, and dreamers alike, Rock the Kasbah is both a source of inspiration and a celebration of Moroccan hospitality.
Enter the enchanting world of Dior, where elegance, innovation, and timeless glamor come to life. This expanded volume invites you on a deeper journey through the legendary house of Christian Dior, tracing its rise from postwar revolution to global fashion icon.
Discover the stories behind Dior’s most iconic moments—on red carpets and runways alike—and the stars who brought them to life, from Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Margaret to Rihanna.
Follow the evolution of Dior’s design legacy, from the groundbreaking New Look to the modern visions of today’s creative directors. With rare imagery and new insights, this book offers an intimate look at the magic of Dior and its enduring impact on style and culture.
Also available is ISBN 9788794190572 The Essence of Dior, Unfolded.
In Let the Kids Play, Drago’s 36 Chambers series exalts the beauty and exuberance of youth as embodied by the renowned street artist, Pax Poloscia. The book is a reaction to the cynicism and monotony of the adult world and a celebration of youthful creativity.
This stunning 2-volume set introduces the Geneva-based Fondation Gandur’s collection of classical antiquities gathered over the past 40 years by founder Jean Claude Gandur. These two volumes are complementary: The first volume investigates the subject of ancient religion by observing images of idols, goddesses, gods, and devotees, and through them related rituals and religious practices; while the second focuses on especially exquisite objects, luxurious trifles known since ancient times as deliciæ. These two volumes interact with each other, forming a whole that offers a sparkling view of Greek-Roman antiquity, from Italy to the Roman Orient of the Later Empire, through archaic Cyprus, classical Greece, and Hellenistic Egypt.
From rockers to ravers, The Illustrated Book of Songs is the book every music lover will want. In quick-witted style, Irish writer Colm Boyd navigates us through lists of classic songs for every occasion. Prepare yourself for fascinating facts, cool illustrations and withering commentary on songs presented in lists such as:
Songs about Getting Dumped
Songs about Prostitution
Songs about Environmental Matters
Songs about Being a Complete and Utter Asshole
Songs about Gender Identity
Alternative Christmas Songs
The Illustrated Book of Songs
features 70 lists, discussing hundreds of songs from different genres and artists – from Adele to Aretha, Jagger to Jarvis, Rufus to Rosalía. Many of the songs are well-known, others are a little more off-radar. Some have amazing musicality, some have lyrics – quite literally – worthy of a Nobel Prize. Some deal with death, others deal with zebras, one song deals with prostitute-frequenting chess players in Bangkok. You get the idea.
Each of the book’s lists is accompanied by a scannable Spotify code, allowing readers to use their smartphones to directly access the songs mentioned. So, time to get reading and get listening.
Check out the book’s website for more information: colmboyd.com/the-illustrated-book-of-songs.
“Sensuous details of one of the most beautiful nude portraits in the Louvre.” VOGUE
The idea for this book was born in the course of a visit through the Louvre, when Catherine Belanger ventured to call the Louvre ‘the biggest brothel in the world’. Jointly with author Jean Galard and photographer Lois Lammerhuber, she selected key paintings spanning five centuries to illustrate the fascinating art of depicting nudity and the artists’ struggle for acceptance of the nude in art and society. Lois Lammerhuber detaches the nudity, sensuality and sexuality of the paintings from the context of their artistic intention, conceiving them as ‘material’ in a fictional photography studio and recreating them in his photographs. He resorts to these ‘models’ to translate them into the language of fashion, nude and advertising photography, reading their body language and interaction in a way reminiscent of artists like Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton, Horst P. Horst or Herb Ritts – sensual and unexpected. Text in English & French. Also available: The Louvre Nude Sculptures ISBN: 9783901753121
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.
“…a delectable tour of 46 clubs that span 300 years of architecture and design.” — Airmail
“… a lavishly illustrated and wittily written study of one of the capital’s most distinctive – and most secretive – institutions.” — House & Garden UK
“Jones treats them not really as clubs, but as examples of interior decoration, which he writes about interestingly and with an observant eye.” — Charles Saumarez Smith
“From the concealed bookcase door in the library of The Travellers Club in St James’s to the taxidermy fish and walls lined with rods in Mayfair’s Flyfishers’ Club, it serves as an unofficial guide to the city’s strangest and most elegant private dining and drinking venues.”— FT
“…wonderful book on the architecture and interiors of London’s private members’ spaces.”— The Rake
London has more members’ clubs than any other city. There are clubs for everyone: from actors, plutocrats, aristocrats and bishops to sailors, soldiers, fishermen and spies, as well as journalists, jockeys, architects and æsthetes.
Andrew Jones opens the door to 46 of the most beautiful, interesting and unusual of these clubs, presenting 300 years of architecture and design. The London Club features the oldest clubs in London as well as the most recent, with perfectly preserved interiors, original furniture and extraordinary
collections. From bohemian to bling, shabby to chic, classical and brutal, this is a celebration of variety and beauty, with newly commissioned photographs by Laura Hodgson.
“From the grandest to the simplest taking in the quirkiest en route, this book is an irresistible journey through London’s clubland.” – From the Foreword by Nina Campbell OBE
‘Festive and cosy Christmas living room decor ideas.’ — The Spruce
“There is no need to buy expensive ornaments or visit exclusive florists… Her guide focuses on using pinecones, dried branches, dried flowers and fewer, but quality, Christmas decorations — in a wonderful mix of old and new, inherited, eclectic, bought and homemade.” — HGTV
“Inspirational and poetic, this Nordic collection is sure to spark your imagination… “ — Aspire
The Christmas Season is an essential guide to Scandinavian-style Christmas perfection.
Taking the core tenets of Scandinavian design and applying them to the festive season, this book reimagines the midwinter holiday as a time for tasteful restraint and creature comforts.
Blending minimalism, clean lines and functionality with ‘hygge’, a uniquely Danish concept of cosiness, Scandi interiors are some of the most sought-after and recognizable in the world. This inspirational and poetic collection of Nordic designs is sure to spark your imagination. Combining traditional Scandinavian Christmas customs with clever DIY ideas and recipes for the whole family to enjoy, this book invites you to redesign Christmas within your own home.
From wild parrots in the streets of Tokyo to prize pigeons outside New York, this book brings together the world’s best contemporary photography of birds and asks us to look anew at these mysterious winged creatures in all their complexity and majesty.
Featured photographers: Frankie Alduino, Barbara Bosworth, Xavi Bou, Giacomo Brunelli, Robert Clark, Tim Flach, Andrew Garn, Mark Harvey, Leila Jeffreys, Simen Johan, Tracy Johnson, Katerina Kaloudi, Sanna Kannisto, Tom Leighton, Neeta Madahar, Dillon Marsh, Joseph McGlennon, Yoshinori Mizutani, Yola Monakhov, Carla Rhodes, Pentti Sammallahti, Joel Sartore, Aniruddha Satam, Søren Solkær, Tamara Staples, Luke Stephenson, Julia Tatarchenko and Janice Tieken.
This is a book about the future. Not the bleak, dystopian kind that so many seem convinced we’re heading toward, but one that is built on hope, possibility, and progress.
Humanity faces complex global challenges, from technological and geopolitical shocks to social and ecological disruptions. Fear, hesitation, and avoidance won’t help us overcome them. Slowing down is not the answer. We must move faster, think bigger, and fully leverage technology to build a future worth striving for. We need active hope and bold leaders who can turn adversity into opportunity.
The Uncertainty Principle focuses on the key levers of transformation to help leaders rethink and reshape their companies: strategy, foresight, organizational design, culture, innovation, risk appetite, and the evolving nature of work. Above all, it serves as a guide for those who see cracks in the system not as warnings, but as windows—those daring enough to believe they can change the world, because they are the ones who will.
“As we zoom up the exponential curve of tech enabled change we all need an optimistic and inspiring guide. Peter Hinssen is that guide. In this new book Peter describes a “Never Normal” world helping us navigate “between the forces of pessimism and possibility”. — Dr Peter Weill, Chairman MIT Center for Information Systems Research (CISR)
“In an age when warnings dominate the conversation, The Uncertainty Principle stands out as a refreshingly optimistic guide. It demonstrates how business leaders can turn disruption into opportunity—not just for their own organizations, but for the world at large”. — Costas Markides, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School
“Uncertainty isn’t a threat—it’s the raw material for tomorrow’s opportunities. This book helps leaders imagine the impossible and install hope to change the future. A must-read!” — David De Cremer, Dean of D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University
The Smart Traveller’s Wine Guide Napa Valley is the perfect companion for the wine lover and the wine-curious. The book covers the history of this beautiful Californian wine region and its visionary founders, its unique geography and the wonderful variety of wines Napa produces. From Spring Mountain to St Helena, Carneros to Coombsville, it list where to stay and where to eat, which wineries to visit, wine routes to drive and cycle, the best downtown tasting rooms – and how to get to the places most tourists never see.
Caravaggio’s astonishingly naturalistic and provocative Cupid Victorious hung in the palace of a famous family at the heart of seventeenth-century Rome. Helen Langdon explores how the artist, famed for his originality, created a balance between a suggestion of his own world – a world of lively and rowdy street life – and a complex and ambiguous response to both ancient and Renaissance art and literature. Langdon also looks at the challenge the painting threw out to contemporary painters, whose world was characterized by extreme and bitter rivalries; often they reject his irony, sometimes embellish the painting’s sexuality, and at other times convey an opposing sense of the harmony of the arts.
Sought after for his colorful coat, Rajah may be possessed of immense strength, but he is impetuous and careless. He often has to be saved from this scourge by resourceful and brave humbler members of the jungle, such as the squirrel Lil Squi and the jungle mouse Chuhi. They are joined by Hathi, Loombar, Magar and others. Written lyrically with beautiful illustrations, Rajah: King of the Jungle is a unique contribution to children’s literature. Intended to be read out to younger children, these delectable tales can also be enjoyed by parents and teachers. For older children, the poetic prose is a source of inspiration.
The wreath is Japanese floral artist Manabu Hashiguchi’s preferred floral shape. Its symbolism is universal. With no beginning or end, the wreath represents eternity and the endless processes in nature. Hashiguchi’s designs are so graceful that they look as if there has been no artist’s hand involved, and nature created the shapes by accident. Even the humblest of materials get the chance to shine and tell their story. Discover this intriguing collection of seasonal wreaths, which balance on the thin line between classical floristry and land art. Text in English and Japanese.
Wines from Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and Châteauneuf-du-Pape have made the Rhône Valley world famous. This may be a classic wine region, but as Matt Walls reveals in Wines of the Rhône that doesn’t mean it is set in its ways. Change here is not only driven by innovations in winemaking and fashions in wine, it is also an essential response to a rapidly shifting climate, which has seen temperatures rise significantly over the last 40 years and extreme weather events become more commonplace. Walls provides a rounded picture of this large and complex region, which varies greatly along the 200-kilometer stretch of river, from Vienne in the north to Provence in the south. Beginning with a vivid journey through the terrain, he explores one of the region’s constants, its varied geology, before moving on to the pressing issue of climate. A short tour through the Rhône’s winemaking history, from early Greek settlers to the modern industry, is followed by vignettes of all the AOC-permitted grapes and an explanation of the five levels of the region’s appellation system. Walls encourages readers to venture beyond the famous crus, making it easy for those eager to explore by detailing the terroir of every appellation and describing and assessing typical wines. Profiles of 200 key producers complete the picture. Boxes throughout the text provide interesting asides on current issues as well as key appellation facts, while an appendix on ageing wines offers a guide to the last 40 vintages. This comprehensive examination of a renowned region is an ideal introduction for those new to the Rhône, while providing fresh insights for long-time admirers of the wines.
In the middle of Tivoli Gardens, beneath a canopy of lanterns and reflections from the lake, stands one of Copenhagen’s most iconic buildings — The Japanese Pagoda. Once a symbol of amusement and light, it has in recent years become a beacon of culinary excellence. Over the past five years, twenty-five Michelin-starred restaurants and chefs from all over the world have brought their artistry to The Pagoda — each for a shorter period, each re-imagining the space through their own vision of fine dining.
The Pagoda tells this story through text, photography, recipes, and behind-the-scenes insights, capturing how chefs transform architecture and atmosphere into edible experience. Alongside menu creation, craftsmanship, and the history of Tivoli’s gastronomy, the book unfolds a dialogue between past and present — between playful nostalgia and modern precision. A tribute to creativity, collaboration, and culinary ambition, The Pagoda celebrates the meeting of taste and tradition in the most magical corner of Copenhagen.
What you eat before intimacy matters more than you think! The wrong foods can leave you bloated, sluggish, or self-conscious—but the right ones will make you feel light, energized, and irresistible. This book is packed with delicious, easy-to-make recipes designed to enhance your mood, boost circulation, and keep you feeling fresh. Say goodbye to heavy meals that slow you down and hello to dishes that keep you ready for romance. Dig in, stay light, and let the real fun begin.
The Mediterranean coast of France and Catalonia witnessed the rise and development of modern art over a century, from Cézanne in the 1860s to Matisse, Picasso and Klein in the 1950s and 1960s. These artists and the many more featured here discovered an inexhaustible source of inspiration in this storied region, whose glittering, languid sea stretches out towards the far horizon beneath brilliant azure skies. Indelibly associated with the classical past, this magical land of eternal spring and spiritual renewal came to signify a state of mind, and avant-garde artists sought to convey the vitality and élan it inspired in them through new paradigms of modernist invention.
An impressively tattooed but unnamed Easter Island (Rapa Nui) man appears often in the pages of Pacific Island histories and museum catalogs. The Swedish ethnographer Dr. Knut Hjalmar Stolpe knew him only as Tepano, the Tahitian version of the Christian name Stephen. But what was his real Rapanui identity, and what can his life story tell us about the history of Easter Island?
This book reveals his identity, who illustrated him, and how he transcended the tragic events of 19th-century Rapa Nui to become one of the most iconic faces of the Polynesian past. The authors summarize the history of tattoo as practiced by Rapanui artisans, link that history to island geography, and present rare barkcloth sculptures as a visual record of tattoo patterns.
This title is the first in a new series on Polynesian Arts & Culture by Mana Press, in partnership with Floating World Editions.
For a list of future titles, visit: www.FloatingWorldEditions.com. For more on Rapa Nui, the Mana Gallery and Mana Books, visit: www.eisp.org.
Since the early seventeenth century, Taoism – the native religion of China – has been generally regarded by authorities there as base superstition and potentially subversive. The Taoist poetry of medieval China was consequently ignored by Chinese arbiters of taste and, until recently, most Western scholars and translators have accepted this judgment uncritically; a body of beautiful verse, with analogs in the poetry of Christian mysticism, has remained virtually unknown in our time. This book augments the efforts of a few contemporary Western scholars to recover the meaning and value of this literary heritage. The eminent sinologist Edward H. Shafer translated all the surviving verse of the ninth-century poet Ts’ao T’ang, and to the selections published here has added introductory remarks on the source of the poet’s imagery and short essays on his treatment of figures of the Taoist pantheon. Ts’ao T’ang has placed these deities in celestial gardens, sparkling palaces on the summits of sacred mountains, and secret places of rendezvous on magic islands in the eastern sea. The poet creates a world of illusions, in which it is difficult to distinguish vestments from rainbows, castles from crags, birds from spirits, sea-waves from sea-mounts – even lords from ladies. These contrived wonders are all metaphors for a world completely inaccessible to our mortal senses.
One of two seminal texts for understanding the life of Miyamoto Musashi (c.1584-1645), the most celebrated swordsman in Japanese history, completed in 1755 by Toyoda Masanaga, senior retainer to the Nagaoka clan; with the Bushû denraiki (also available from Floating World), the Bukôden stands as the most reliable record of Musashi’s life and exploits outside those from the hand of the master swordsman himself. Now, for the first time in two-and-a-half centuries, Masanaga’s insight into this enigmatic and solitary swordsman has been made available to the English reader. It throws a new and refreshing light on many aspects of Musashi’s life, especially his later life – his adoption of Iori, his return to Kyushu in 1634, and of course the gestation of his great work on the philosophy and art of Japanese swordsmanship, the Book of Five Rings.
Although Chinese scholars’ stones fascinate, they do not speak; they reveal their mysteries only grudgingly to those who take the time to observe and to investigate. In seven essays the author relates important lessons learned over a lifetime of collecting and researching these intriguing creations of nature. What did Chinese connoisseurs of a thousand years ago mean by the enigmatic terms shou, zhou, lou, and tou? Were ‘ink mountain stones’ the earliest collected stone form, and were they valued primarily for their utilitarian function? What are the ‘Qingzhou stones’ mentioned in one early text, but ignored in subsequent writings? What should we be looking for when we evaluate an ancient stone? How can we tell if it is ancient without written records and how much weight can be given to any documentation? Finally, using the tools of connoisseurship and textual evidence, is it possible to verify that a stone first collected in the former Han dynasty is the stone we are looking at today? In exploring these and other issues, Kemin Hu illuminates a depth and complexity of stone appreciation not touched upon in other publications, yet understood and appreciated by serious modern collectors as well as Chinese stone lovers of old.