This fully revised third edition of Cognac: The Story of the World’s Greatest Brandy provides an authoritative account of how the much-loved spirit is produced and matured. Nicholas Faith was the world’s leading authority on Cognac. Here he explores the reasons for the spirit’s complex character, and reveals its fascinating history. Cognac is an extraordinary and unparalleled collection of insights into the world’s finest brandy. The first edition of this book, published in 1986, won the Veuve Clicquot award in the US and the Deinhard/Wine Magazine award in Britain. In 2005 the second edition was awarded the André Simon prize, Britain’s premier wines and spirits writing prize. The most recent edition includes a fully updated directory of the top producers and their brandies – including the author’s tasting notes – and two new sections on tasting and mixing: a selection of Cognac cocktails and how to make them, and revelations on the associations made between brandy and food. This completely updated edition of Nicholas Faith’s classic guide is a thorough and engaging resource – the essential companion for every Cognac enthusiast.
Palazzo Vecchio portrays the architecture of the historic Florentine palace immortalized by the internationally-renowned photographer Massimo Listri. The first complete and organic photographic documentation of the building, updated in the wake of recent restoration and re-functionalization, the sequence of images runs page after page through the exterior and the interior of the palace. The alternation of rooms, courtyards and museum spaces, enriched by countless pictorial and sculptural elements, gives life, in Listri’s view, to a faithfully objective overview of the building that, since the end of the 13th century, has been the heart of Florence’s civic and political life, still today a place for meetings, debate and dialogue. The volume, edited by Sergio Risaliti, offers brief essays by experts on the subject such as Serena Pini and Carlo Francini, with a contribution by Mayor Dario Nardella.
Text in Italian.
Palazzo Vecchio portrays the architecture of the historic Florentine palace immortalized by the internationally-renowned photographer Massimo Listri. The first complete and organic photographic documentation of the building, updated in the wake of recent restoration and re-functionalization, the sequence of images runs page after page through the exterior and the interior of the palace. The alternation of rooms, courtyards and museum spaces, enriched by countless pictorial and sculptural elements, gives life, in Listri’s view, to a faithfully objective overview of the building that, since the end of the 13th century, has been the heart of Florence’s civic and political life, still today a place for meetings, debate and dialogue. The volume, edited by Sergio Risaliti, offers brief essays by experts on the subject such as Serena Pini and Carlo Francini, with a contribution by Mayor Dario Nardella.
Although much has been written about Burmese Lacquerware, this book breaks new ground with essays by the art historians Sylvia Fraser-Lu and Linda McIntosh focusing on the locations and techniques of lacquer production in Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, as well as the form, function and use of these beautiful utilitarian and sacred objects. More than 150 exquisite and diverse objects are beautifully photographed with full descriptions.
This book explores the figure of Ghitta Carell (1899–1972), a Hungarian-born photographer who was naturalized Italian. Ghitta was born into a Jewish family of humble origins; at a very young age she moved to Italy, where she quickly became a very sought-after portrait photographer. Intellectuals, actors, generals, and political leaders posed in her studio in Rome, as well as famous women and members of royalty and the middle class.
Her black-and-white pictures were taken with a view camera: Ghitta crafted her photographs with mastery and delicacy, and thus created luminous and soft images, intervening through subtraction by removing the most superficial layers. This is how she achieved a kind of unmasking, thanks to which she restored not only the face but first and foremost the soul of those photographed. Ghitta Carell died in Haifa, Israel, leaving behind more than 50,000 plates now mostly dispersed.
Text in English and Hebrew.
How do you create a unifying future narrative for your organization? In an era of growing awareness regarding biodiversity, climate, and new guidelines such as ESG, sustainability is transforming our society. Stefaan Vandist draws inspiration from groundbreaking examples where the intersection of science, technology, and creativity converge. His mission? To encourage organizations to ‘Provotype’: construct future scenarios with softness, making them visible and tangible to elicit significant engagement. Discover how this approach stimulates impactful innovation and turn this book into your toolbox for a more sustainable and connected future.
Somnath Hore was born in Chittagong (now in Bangladesh) in 1921. By the 1950s, he earned a name as one of the premier printmakers in India, and headed the Graphics and Printmaking Department at Kala Bhavana, Santiniketan. Hore started the paper-pulp print series Wounds in the late 1960s as a response to the Naxalite movement in India and the social unrest around the world. The artist felt the intense need to translate his witnessing of the many problematic realities into art in the form of ‘wounds’. He wanted to reproduce the essence of a cut or injury with his works using printmaking, turning to intense research and experimentation with the red and white colors and the light and shadow effect on a three-dimensional model to reach a satisfactory outcome. This volume talks about the series, its inception, making, and perceptions about and around the main theme.
This beautiful book of her wartime fashion work addresses Lee Miller’s contribution to the fashion industry in these years and her significant service to the survival of British Vogue magazine.
Audrey Withers, Lee Miller’s editor at British Vogue, in 1941 wrote ‘she [Lee Miller] has borne the whole weight of our studio production through the most difficult period in Brogue’s [British Vogue’s] history’.
Containing over 130 images, with the majority printed full page this book also contains accompanying text by Ami Bouhassane, Lee Miller’s granddaughter and Co-Director of the Lee Miller Archives, who provides insights into Lee Miller’s work process. In two additional essays, fashion historian Amber Butchart writes on the fashion of the period and Robin Muir, contributing editor to British Vogue, discusses Lee Miller’s work for Vogue.
Painter, engraver, illustrator, writer and art critic, Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) is known for the impact of his compositions, a combination of his decorative instincts and graphic wit. His revival of the woodcut in the 1890s quickly established him in the art and literary circles of Paris, and his talent as a prolific illustrator, especially for the press, spread his fame throughout Europe and as far afield as the United States. He illustrated bestsellers such as Poil de Carotte, by Jules Renard, and contributed to the most fashionable avant-garde periodicals of the time: including, La Revue Blanche, Le Rire, Le Cri de Paris, L’Assiette au Beurre, and Le Canard Sauvage, in Paris, Jugend and Die Insel, in Munich and Berlin, The Studio, in London, The Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine, in New York, among others.
This book assembles a number of critical essays and a selection of around 250 reproductions to explore this little-known aspect of Vallotton’s work. It is being brought out to coincide with the online publication of Félix Vallotton illustrateur. Catalogue raisonné (volume 32 in the Catalogues raisonnés d’artistes suisses series, created by Fondation Félix Vallotton, Lausanne, and Institut suisse pour l’étude de l’art, Lausanne/Zurich (SIK-ISEA).
Text in French.
Images:
Bleus d’aujourd’hui, dessin de Félix Vallotton en couverture du Rire, 1er décembre 1894
Que les chiens sont heureux !, dessin de Félix Vallotton en couverture de Nib, 15 février 1895
Portrait of Stéphane Mallarmé, dessin de Félix Vallotton, The Chap-Book, 15 août 1895
Biophilic Visions: The Conceptual Works of Ward | Blake Architects represents a large cross-section of the firm’s work, from its beginnings to the present day. While most monographs showcase built work, Biophilic Visions explores Ward | Blake Architects’ unbuilt projects, giving them a new life in print. These 24 projects are testament to the quest architects face in pursuing designs to fruition and keeping the concepts alive in the face of economic, sociocultural, and architectural adversity.
Based in Wyoming, Ward | Blake Architects works across the United States and beyond. Each of its projects are carefully designed for its location, rich in materials and detail, and embedded with the firm’s approach to biophilic design. Paying attention to views, natural daylighting, healthy materials, and mechanical systems, the architects create buildings and spaces that are not only respectful toward nature and their extraordinary settings, but also to the health and wellness of their occupants.
Biophilic Visions is an invaluable source of thought and creative ideas for those who appreciate modernist design, biophilic solutions, and ingenuity. Illustrated with architectural renders, elevations, and plans, each project is accompanied by an insightful description of the design process and solutions, and the architects’ reevaluation of the unbuilt work.
“A time capsule of sorts, the tome features iconic photographs of Steve Martin, Carrie Fisher, Richard Pryor, John Belushi, Lily Tomlin, Bill Murray, Ray Charles… the list goes on and on.” — Entertainment Weekly
Live From My Studio is the first book to showcase the Art of Edie Baskin. The pioneering, 2x Emmy-nominated photographer and art director, created the signature look of a show that would transform television, popular culture and influence the people and events that have shaped our lives for 50 years. Her iconic hand-colored portraits of the stars of rock, screen, stage and television were a signature of the show, broadcast to tens of millions of homes every week, reflecting the show’s wit, charm and mischief, captivating generations while reviving a long-lost art form.
“Beth Bernstein’s Modern Guide to Vintage Jewellery takes us on a colourful tour through different jewellery styles from the 1930s through 1980s.” — The Jewellery Editor
The Modern Guide to Vintage Jewellery takes the reader on a tour of the finest jewelry from the Art Deco glamor of the 1930s through the Retro pre-war and war years, the cocktail suburban lifestyle of the ’50s, the rebellious ’60s, the glitter and glamor of the ’70s disco era and, finally, to the new ‘career-woman’ style of the ’80s. Through each period, jewelry historian and collector Beth Bernstein shows how to identify the most popular gemstones, materials, styles and collectible pieces on the market today, as well as divulging invaluable information from dealers and experts.
The book also features stars from Hollywood’s Golden Era and beyond, and the renowned jewelers who designed for them and became legends in their own right. Whether you are a novice or consummate collector, a starter vintage dealer, shop owner, burgeoning historian or student, this book is a must-read for all enthusiasts of vintage jewelry.
What presents itself to our minds when we hear the word “dance”? Movement, music, and rhythm, of course. The jitterbug and the slow waltz. But what if we go beyond the obvious?
Dance, the fourth volume in Sean Palfrey’s photography series, seeks to expand our conception of dance, to see it in the graceful shape of a flower or leaf, in the elegant cursive of a spiral staircase, and in the joyfully uplifted arm of the newly-wed.
Palfrey is a renowned pediatrician and child health advocate who travels the world with his work and for pleasure. His fascination with people, places, and stories informs both his artistic and his professional practice. In Dance, Palfrey has curated a beguiling set of images that riff on movement and stillness, rhythm and flow, and the poetry of the curve. He asks us to consider the form of the ancient, gnarled tree, or the sinuous line of the winding river – these too can be dance.
Everyday Indian Aesthetic is a unique documentation of India, depicted through aesthetics as seen in architecture, adornments, objects, colors, textures, patterns, and typography. It celebrates the diversity of the country while highlighting the identities and functionality associated with everyday design. With more than 400 photographs taken during Sayali Goyal’s travels around rural and small-town India, she invites you to take a personal journey and interpret the richness of Indian design that is based on form and functionality with an element of the unusual. This photo book will let you wander through the pages without restricting the way you see and discover how design has the capacity to document cultural exchange whilst holding the past in the present.
“Rife with main character energy, authenticity and playfulness, here’s where to book on your next American road trip …” — The Gloss
“a love letter to America’s charming motels” — Evening Standard
“dreamily escapist” — Elle Decoration
“The design of the book itself echoes the period without slipping into kitsch – it feels sleek, collectible, and, like its subject matter, built to last.” — Amateur Photographer
A nostalgic road trip through America’s most charming motels—revived and reimagined. Vintage Motels showcases 40 historic motels across the USA, each transformed into an inviting boutique hotel while honoring its past. Through rich storytelling and stunning photography, this beautifully designed hardcover book captures the spirit of these mid-century roadside gems. Each motel is featured across 4 to 6 pages, with a detailed narrative (500 words) and a mix of archival and contemporary images. Perfect for design lovers, travelers, and history enthusiasts, Vintage Motels is an inspiring tribute to the golden age of American road travel.
‘Dark Tourism’ involves traveling to sites associated with death, disaster, or the macabre. Scotland is filled with these ‘dark places’ that embody pain, shame, and ‘difficult heritage.’ 111 Dark Places in Scotland That You Shouldn’t Miss provides an engaging, accessible, and authoritative guide to these significant sites within Scotland’s castles, ancient cities, towns, and natural landscapes. This book delves into the darker aspects of the nation’s heritage.
Scotland, while part of the UK, maintains a distinct cultural identity with a history steeped in conflict, especially with its dominant neighbor, England. The country’s legacy of turmoil has shaped its strong sense of national identity, often the core of dark tourism. This guidebook is the first of its kind, designed for both locals and visitors to explore Scotland’s dark tourism sites. It complements 111 Dark Places in England and provides a distinctly Scottish perspective on the nation’s challenging past.
“If celebrity watch spotting is your thing, and believe me, this is a growing tribe, then, Watch Spotting: The Collectors by ACC Art Books (left) is watch voyeurs dream come true.” — The Jewellery Editor
“Riche digs into the compelling nature of watch collecting, even for the very famous.” — Watchonista
“… If you share a passion for timepieces with Brad Pitt, Marlon Brando, Jay-Z, or even Princess Diana and many others, then these pages are for you! ” —Tribune des Arts
“With stunning visuals and sharp commentary, this tome is essential reading for anyone fascinated by horology and its ability to make a statement.” — Boss Hunting
The intricate mechanics, precision and artistry behind high-end watches have long been appreciated by collectors, but in more recent times watches have become cultural icons. Symbolizing luxury, wealth and success, timepieces now play a key role in pop culture with celebrities like Pharrell Williams and Rihanna elevating watches through endorsements, and rappers like Jay-Z and Drake flaunting high-end watches such as Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Rolex in their lyrics and public appearances, turning them into status symbols.
Through the collections of 30 celebrities, chosen by Toronto-based watch writer Rhonda Riche, Watch Spotting: The Collectors sets out to illustrate what makes watch collecting so compelling and why timepieces have come to symbolize more than just timekeeping. With its marriage to pop culture, watch collecting has brought timepieces into mainstream consciousness in a fresh and bold way, making these wearable works of art more popular than ever.
Dallas & the New Tradition explores Dallas’s unique architectural history and celebrates Larry E. Boerder’s vision of restoring the city’s great revival past in a manner fit for the twenty-first century.
Larry E. Boerder Architects specializes in designing and building homes in the prestigious suburbs of Highland Park, University Park, and Preston Hollow, nestled in Dallas. With a modern revivalist approach, their work honors the architectural traditions established in these communities in the early twentieth century.
Delve into the origins of some of America’s most beautiful and idyllic suburbs and how this setting inspired Boerder to create homes that are elegant, refined, and above all, harmonious to their surroundings. Come behind the scenes to tour some of his greatest properties located in Texas and farther afield, which stand as an enduring testament to the talent of Boerder and his team, as well as their dedication to preserving and taking forward the New Tradition.
Kengo Kuma’s work masterfully engages experimentation, traditional Japanese design, and advanced technology. This results in highly innovative yet beautifully simple, evocative, and human-scaled structures. Kengo Kuma: Substance features thirty-five ambitious, small-scall projects, from around the world, ranging from captivating wood pavilions, ethereal metal installations, and sculptural woven structures to experiential stone monuments, intricate bamboo tea houses, and luminous shape-shifting domes.
Among the featured projects, Domino 3.0 reimagines a forest made with salvaged timber, while Kodama emphasizes a harmonious relationship with nature. The changing shape of Krug x Kuma introduces a variety of spatial experiences, and Bamboo Passage invites people to experience the structure from the inside. Through these experimentations with materials and ideas, Kuma seeks to restore the relationship between people, buildings, and nature, and foster a greater sense of humanity in architecture. Kengo Kuma: Substance will be a prized addition for architects, designers, and fans of Kengo Kuma. It is also a valuable resource for those interested in the fusion of traditional and contemporary architecture, design, craftsmanship, and technology.
Can We Stop Killing Each Other? wrestles with the darkest side of humanity. It explores the fundamental question of why humans are led to kill, examining the artworks, films, video games and television programs that grapple with and manifest themes of death and destruction.
Using material culture linked to moments of extreme violence, such as the Holocaust and the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, this publication offers a challenging but eye-opening consideration of some of the most horrifying events in human history as explored through art.
Using historical and contemporary art as a lens to explore these themes, the book will include a new interview with Ethiopian artist Tesfaye Urgessa (b.1983), who creates emotive paintings reflecting on the refugee crisis. It will also explore the role of art as sanctuary from violence, through new approaches to the work of Claude Monet (1840–1926)
Beautifully produced, Desmond Freeman Venice presents more than 50 captioned, black and white and full-color sketches of the architecture of Venice accompanied by quotations from well-known authors, poets and artists. The preface describes the story of how the book came into being, and was developed in addition to information about the artwork methodology. A set of thumbnail illustrations of each of the 50 or so full artworks has been included at the back of the book in the form of an index.
Everything Flows explores the interconnectedness of water, time and artistic creation. Inspired by Heraclitus’ philosophy of constant flow, the book captures the essence of sculptor Filippo Tincolini’s work, reflecting the continuous flow of thought and gesture from the initial concept to the finished sculpture. Water, a symbol of this perpetual movement, becomes a tangible element in Laura Veschi’s photography, its ‘sound’ echoing the creative process and the transformation of materials.
The project also highlights the enduring nature of artistic tradition, where ancient skills such as stonemasonry are reinterpreted in contemporary art. Just as water shapes stone over time, tradition influences artists like Tincolini, bridging past and present. Veschi’s black and white photographs document Tincolini’s journey, capturing the evolution of form and the interplay between artist, material and the silent narrative of water. Each image represents a moment in this constant transformation and celebrates the enduring power of artistic creation.
Text in English, French and Italian.
For a large part of his life, Jackie Kurltjunyintja Giles Tjapaltjarri (ca 1935-2010) led a nomadic existence, traveling across large tracts of and later spending time in small communities in Australia’s vast Western Desert region.
Jackie Giles was renowned as a man of great erudition and a powerful healer, Maparnjarra in his native Ngaanyatjarra language. The powers of these traditional healers include the gift of seeing into the bodies and even the spirits of others. In the 1990s, Jackie Giles started painting with acrylic on canvas. Mr Giles, as he was often called, combined an intimate knowledge of his land with his own oneiric visions to build what became a significant personal oeuvre. These paintings celebrate the Tjukurpa (Dreaming), which pervades the land and is a cornerstone of its identity.
Built around labyrinthine patterns and monumental shapes, these dynamic, rhythmical compositions allude to the esoteric, sacred subject matter of the Dreaming. The intense, striking works that make up this awe-inspiring oeuvre manage to link two dimensions: Ngaanyatjarra cosmology and the rapidly changing modern world.
Text in English and French.
1000 piece puzzle featuring the artwork of Sarah Cain.
Sarah Cain brings rooms to life with experiments in color, composition, and non-conformity. Cain modifies canvases by cutting, sewing, and attaching found objects. She also paints floors, walls, and furniture on-site, grounding each space she occupies in the present tense. Her process of creation and destruction is steeped in the history of painting and feminist art practices. and this feeling (2023), incorporates sand and prisms to add a touch of found-object energy to planes of pure color and are typical of Cain’s boundless approach to art.