Utrecht, The Netherlands. 13 February 2034. A self-driving car is hacked and its safety features deactivated, causing a deadly accident. NATO, supervising global internet security, realizes the whole world is in danger when soon afterwards two more attacks occur. Europol inspector Lara Hartman and communications specialist Frank Willems are at the forefront of a desperate manhunt for the criminals behind these acts of cyber terrorism. Everything seems to be pointing to a dangerous computer virus. But time is running out, and they must find an antivirus that can prevent evil from striking again…

This delightful manuscript, published in facsimile, was composed around 1585 by a clergyman in a bid for the patronage of an Elizabethan magnate, Sir John Petre. Modeled on printed writing books, German and French, it presents a profusion of scripts, accompanying decorated capital letters from A to Z. Its texts are eloquent on the value of learning. All is transcribed in print and, when needed, translated, including poems in English and Latin in which Amos Lewis, the creator, presses his case, reinforced by colorful Petre heraldry. The commentary unravels the Alphabet Book’s precursors and analyzes its ingredients, including a lively range of ornament. The first writing book published in London, in 1570, was by a Frenchman, Jean de Beau Chesne. Lewis’s manuscript is the first attempt at an original writing book by an Englishman. This signal rarity, virtually unknown hitherto, is a window into handwriting and education in the age of Shakespeare.

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.

“The book is intelligent and informative. Investors should find it particularly interesting.” — Financial Times

The future is uncertain but for one thing: the global economy is in disarray. Investors, companies and governments must rethink their approach in light of raging inflation, the ongoing climate crisis and an ageing population. In addition, they have to deal with the highest mountain of debt ever accrued in peacetime, disruptive innovations and the effects of multi-globalization. So much is happening simultaneously, making it difficult to distinguish the big waves from the small hypes. Which economic developments are here to stay and which are transient? How will interest rates evolve? Which emerging countries will become tomorrow’s global powers? Which sectors offer the most opportunities? Macroeconomist Koen De Leus and market strategist Philippe Gijsels take a deep dive into the inner workings of our economy. They identify the five major trends that will dominate our lives and our money over the next 30 years. With in-depth analyses and concrete advice, they offer guidance, reveal connections and temper alarmism. The New World Economy in 5 Trends shows how you can surf global megatrends and successfully invest in our changing reality.

Calling the Birds Home by Cheryle St. Onge is an intimate meditation on memory, nature, and loss. Born from the experience of her mother’s illness and death, the work delicately traces the shifting roles of mother and daughter, transforming the act of caregiving into a poetic dialogue with the landscape. Through luminous, contemplative photographs, St. Onge captures the rhythms of waiting, the textures of daily life, and the fleeting presence of light and nature as signs of continuity. Her writing and images move between fragility and resilience, evoking how love and grief shape our perception of the world. Designed by Teresa Piardi (Maxwell Studio) and published by L’Artiere, the book is both elegy and renewal—a tender testament to the enduring ties between generations and the quiet power of photography to keep what is gone within reach.

The Homes that Shaped Us is the first monograph on the work by Park + Associates, showcasing a selection of the renowned Singaporean firm’s award-winning houses. Singapore’s residential architectural scene is notable for blending futuristic design with sustainable practices and cultural influences. For over 25 years, Park + Associates has been quietly earning praise and plaudits for designing houses that stand out for their architectural innovation, yet which are very much designed as family homes. The studio’s bespoke designs respond to context, lifestyle, and the client’s own ideas. The firm is noted for designing for the tropical climate of Singapore, with emphasis on natural light, cooling effects of water and including beautiful green spaces. The houses showcased in this stunning monograph document the evolution of the firm since its inception in 1999, provide valuable insight into its work, and reflect the joy the Park + Associates team finds in designing homes. Each project is illustrated with beautiful photography and detailed floor plans and elevations. This book a valuable and inspirational resource for anyone interested in architecture and design, with particular reference to tropical climates and modern contemporary comfort.

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.

“A recent addition to the city’s literary landscape – tantalisingly titled The 500 Hidden Secrets of London – more than lives up to its name. With something for every type of visitor, it is brimming with surprises…” — Worldwide Writer

In this brand new and thoroughly revised edition of the bestselling London city guide author Tom Greig not only shares a lot of new secrets, he also included two outside-the-box city walks: an ideal way to explore a part of the city in a day. Many of the new addresses in this guide are in East-London, an area Tom has explored more intensely since the first publication of The 500 Hidden Secrets of London in 2017.

Of course the best hidden secrets in the rest of the city are still included as well, such as the bakery on Brick Lane that’s open 24-hours and that’s famous for its salt-beef bagels; the only modernist house open to the public; the historic church where you can hear avant-garde electronic music; or the art deco car park that hosts art installations and fashion shows. The book contains 500 places and details that few people know, making it the perfect guide for visitors who want to avoid the usual tourist spots and for residents who are keen to track down the city’s best-kept secrets.

Also available: The 500 Hidden Secrets of Paris, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Boston, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Copenhagen, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Tokyo, and many more. Discover the series at the500hiddensecrets.com

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.

Tong Jun was an outstanding architect and architectural educator in contemporary China. He was widely considered an all-round talent in theory, creation, writing and painting in Chinese architecture. He had a deep foundation in ancient Chinese literature, and studied Chinese classical poetry since childhood. While studying at the University of Pennsylvania, he won many awards in the national architectural student design competition. He has left behind many works and manuscripts on landscape, architecture, and architecture history, sculpture history, and painting history that have enlightened and educated many generations. However, there are few records about him. This book recollects the last 20 years of his life, and introduces the reader to the very real and vivid practitioner that was Tong Jun.

Sheila Fruman, fascinated by the textiles and handmade carpets she saw when she traveled overland in 1969 from Turkey to India, tells the stories of nine intrepid adventurers who have combed the streets and bazaars of Central and South Asia finding, researching, collecting and selling antique Kashmir shawls, embroidered Uzbek textiles and robes, Anatolian kilims, Turkmen carpets and many other textile treasures to interested Westerners.  

These stories capture the post-World War II era’s free spirit that briefly coincided with economic prosperity and open borders. With over 200 color illustrations, the book shows how the indigenous designs and motifs popularized in the US and Europe by these textile travelers can now be found in anything from haute couture to high-end interior design to mass-marketed bedding, tableware and clothing. 

The dealers and collectors who have spent their lives seeking these complex pieces of the past have intriguing stories to tell and collections of some of the finest textiles of their kind in the world. Taken together, their stories are an enlightening guide to understanding how we connect to the past, and how textiles connect the world.

“Russell Ord’s photographic odyssey through Australia’s coastal landscape explores this unique culture by portraying the people whose lives pulsate in time with the rhythmic swells of the ocean.” — HOOM

“Life Around the Sea is more than a book—it’s a tribute, a meditation, and a love letter to the ocean and the people who live in harmony with its eternal rhythm.” — Ninu Ninu

“… Their personal stories, told by surf writer Alex Workman and captured by Russell Ord’s evocative and breathtaking photography, are a testament to the boundless beauty, mystery and inspiration of the ocean.” —The Guardian

Life Around the Sea is an odyssey of Australia and a deep dive into some of the remarkable individuals who have been transformed by the sea’s enduring embrace; those whose hearts beat in unison with the rhythmic swells of the sea. In this beautiful publication, you’ll encounter people from all walks of life, from fearless big wave riders, and surfers who first felt the tender caress of a wave in their childhood, to artists drawn to the coastline to bring its ancient beauty to life, and shapers who expertly craft boards for wave seekers around the globe.

Be transported to Australian coastal villages, hinterland hideaways, remote beaches, and solitary shaping bays that form the backdrop to the unique lives of these people. Their personal stories, told by surf writer Alex Workman and captured by Russell Ord’s evocative and breathtaking photography, are a testament to the boundless beauty, mystery, and inspiration that the ocean bestows upon us all.

“Building the Brooklyn Bridge is a perfect feast, a would-be time-traveler’s delight, overflowing with rare and evocative and fascinating images.”
– Kurt Andersen
Recipient of the 2021 Book Award from The Victorian Society New York.


The captivating story of how a bridge of unprecedented size and technology was built during an age of remarkable innovation.
This book invites the reader to step back in time to discover why this iconic bridge-proclaimed the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ soon after its completion and a National Historic Landmark since 1964-continues to hold such a special place in the hearts of so many.
Spanning the East River, the Brooklyn Bridge connected for the first time the then independent cities of Brooklyn and New York. This awe-inspiring structure was not only a modern engineering feat of extraordinary imagination, fortitude, and skill, it also was a towering beacon of human triumph.
Author Jeffrey Richman, historian at Brooklyn’s famed Green-Wood Cemetery, has gathered more than 250 superb nineteenth-century images, many never before published on the printed page, including engineering drawings, photographs, stereographs, woodcuts, and colored lithographs. Flipping through the book, one can imagine the excitement people around the world felt as they followed the progress of the bridge’s construction, either through the illustrated papers of the day or using viewers to look at stereographs in three dimensions. Richman specially commissioned more than forty anaglyphs-3D images generated from the historic stereographs-to recreate the 3D experience on the page. Every copy of the book includes a pair of 3D glasses kept in a pocket inside the back cover, offering the reader the sensation of being at the construction site as the towers began to rise.
A born storyteller, Richman relates how a small group of dedicated engineers and thousands of workers toiled for more than a decade to construct what was then the largest suspension bridge ever built, section by section, from the massive anchorages and elegant towers to the cables and bridge railway (operational four months after the bridge’s official opening). He reminds us how profoundly modern and groundbreaking the bridge was, in its use of steel (a new material) and pioneering construction methods. The bridge still elicits awe and admiration today.
“This is one of humankind’s great creations”-author interview with Michelle Miller on CBS Saturday Morning.

“I fully intend to lean heavily on my copy of Blanning’s guide in planning my next trip to the region, not least as she helpfully includes places to stay and eat too. The mix of the practical and educational with a real sense of love for the region is a gift that will keep giving for many years to come.” — Club Enologique

“… it’s an essential buy for any enthusiast, budding or committed.” — Decanter

Wines of the Loire Valley provides an up-to-date guide to the wines of this historic region. The hallmark of Loire wines is their balance between succulent fruit and refreshing acidity but the Loire Valley encompasses a vast array of wines, not only the well-known and trusted names but many more little known, overlooked and undervalued. The complex patchwork of vineyards that extends more than 500 kilometers along France’s longest river is a haven of discovery for wine lovers. The Loire’s winemakers are at the forefront of the move towards a more natural approach to winegrowing, making it a preferred choice for anyone looking for organic, biodynamic and ‘natural’ wines. While higher-profile regions are struggling with rising temperatures and excessive alcohol levels, the cooler vineyards of the Loire are benefiting from warmer vintages. The first part of the book covers the Loire Valley’s history and presents an overview of the region, the grape varieties used, the wine styles produced, and the viticulture and vinification of the Loire Valley. The second part profiles the main regions and the individuals shaping the vinous landscape of the Loire Valley today, from Muscadet on the Atlantic coast, through Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre in Centre Loire, to Côtes d’Auvergne in the Upper Loire. A final chapter gives an overview of Loire vintages.

Unfinished paintings can be seen in many of the world’s great collections, including that of the National Gallery of Scotland: they fascinate the viewer and raise intriguing questions. What circumstances left them incomplete? What do they tell us about the ways that painters worked? How do we define ‘finish’, and when did an artist consider a work to be finished? These and other questions will be considered by David Bomford, in an exploration of the non-finito from the Renaissance to the 20th century. The Watson Gordon Lecture Series: The Watson Gordon Lectures, established in 2006, typify the long-standing collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and the National Galleries of Scotland. Each lecture is by a leading scholar and reveals new research on a focused topic. The lectures are delivered and published annually, and now number eight titles in the series. Also available: ‘The Hardest Kind of Archetype’: Reflections on Roy Lichtenstein ISBN 9781906270384 Picasso’s ‘Toys for Adults’, Cubism as Surrealism ISBN 9781906270261 Roger Fry’s Journey: From Primitives to the Post-Impressionists ISBN 9781906270117 Sound, Silence, and Modernity in Dutch Pictures of Manners ISBN 9781906270254

Between 1963 and 1970, Lawrence Halprin and Associates realized a quartet of public plazas in Portland, Oregon, that redefined the city and set a bold new precedent for urban landscape architecture. Dubbed the Portland Open Space Sequence and composed of the Lovejoy Fountain, Pettygrove Park, and Forecourt Fountain (later renamed Ira Keller Fountain), plus the lesser known Source Fountain, the plazas were a dynamic collage of striking concrete forms, gushing water, and alpine flora that, in their seamless mix of nature and theater, created a playful metaphorical watershed coursing through the central city. Where the Revolution Began is the story of how these plazas came to be. Born of the creative experimentation and collaboration between Halprin and his wife, pioneering choreographer/ dancer Anna Halprin, the sequence came to life in the unlikely setting of the city’s first scrape-and-rebuild urban renewal project. But Halprin defied the conventions of both American urban renewal and midcentury modernism, designing the kind of inviting, exuberant public space not seen since Renaissance Rome’s Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navonna. For Halprin, the plazas became the first step in a career-long exploration of sequential works of landscape design, from the Haas Promenade in Jerusalem to the Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. For Portland, Halprin’s work marked the beginning of a tradition of remaking the city around interactive public spaces such as the famed Pioneer Courthouse Square. And for landscape architecture, the plazas offer some of the earliest precedents for the ecologically and socially responsive urbanism ascendant today.

John Burgess masterfully brings to life the modern history of Cambodia’s fabled Angkor temples, from their “discovery” by French explorers in the mid-19th century, through to the latter part of the 20th century, when celebrity visitors included a well-publicised one by Jackie Onassis and making Angkor one of the top 3 monuments to visit in the world. An invaluable and riveting book about one of the greatest man-made wonders in the world.