The photographs of these journeys form one of the most extensive records of any region taken in the 19th century. The range, depth and aesthetic quality of John Thomson’s photographic vision mark him out as one of the most important travel photographers.
Thomson arrived in Siam in 1865 and with the help of the British Consul in Bangkok, he was able to gain an audience with King Mongkut who granted him permission to take some formal portraits of the King, his royal family and chief ministers, as well as recording important ceremonies and traveling to Ayutthaya, Petchaburi and the surrounding countryside. Staying in Bangkok for several months he photographed many aspects of the city, river scenes, its surrounding countryside and people, before journeying to Cambodia and the amazing Angkor Wat ruins. After an arduous and dangerous journey, Thomson became the first photographer to document Angkor Wat before returning to London.
Between 1868-1872 Thomson turned his attention to China, making extensive trips to Guangdon, Fujian, Beijing and China’s north-east traveling down the Yangtze river and covering nearly 5,000 miles.
In China, Thomson’s photographic skills reached their zenith and his portraits of women are particularly remarkable.
His collection of over 600 glass negatives form a unique archive of images, which are today housed in the Wellcome Library, London.
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.
Tea was introduced to Britain in the 1650s. Its popularity burgeoned over the following two-and-a-half centuries, until it became a defining feature of British culture.
Drawing inspiration from China, British craftsmen worked to display their skills on numerous tea-related objects, which ritualised the process of drinking tea and imbued it with luxury status. Calling on an array of different materials and techniques, they developed a huge variety of canisters and lockable containers for storing and preserving this precious commodity.
Tea chests and caddies were not merely functional items that might lurk at the back of the kitchen – they were intended for display and were an essential accoutrement for fashionable women. As the habit of tea drinking filtered down the social scale, caddies were made in larger numbers and in more affordable forms.
This book brings together a great range of decorative antique tea containers, presenting them alongside detailed historical research conducted into their making and their place in British society across the centuries. It also explores the materials and techniques employed. With historical art showing tea’s integration into British society, examples of old trade cards and original designs, and a wealth of illustrations of the objects themselves, this is a must-buy book for historians, collectors and those interested in the decorative arts.
“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.
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…
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.
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.
The 500 Hidden Secrets of Seattle reveals 500 off-the-beaten-track places and interesting details for anyone who’s keen to explore Seattle’s best-kept secrets, e.g. 5 great places for seafood, 5 places to satisfy your sweet tooth, 5 great LGBTQ+ bars, the 5 best views in the city, 5 quirky buildings and structures, 5 swimming spots for hot days, 5 great birding spots… and much more.
Best of the Watch is a panorama of the best global watch production from the last 30 years. Legendary brands are included, such as Rolex, Vacheron-Constantin, Patek-Philippe, Bréguet, Blancpain, A Lange & Söhne, Richard Mille, and Audemars Piguet, to name just a few.
Iconic and fascinating creations unveiled in a luxurious XL format to better illustrate the mysteries and inner workings of these legendary timepieces.
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.
Working from his Urbana practice in Bangladesh, Kashef Chowdhury designs architecture that is rooted in the history and nature of its location – whereby the latter also relates to a spiritual and cultural level. This explains his fascination for Kahn’s parliamentary building in Dhaka, which inspired this volume of photo essays.
Kahn’s design is characterized by an innovative architectural language that combines western and eastern traditions, forms and materials. For instance, in view of the great importance of water in Bengali tradition, he placed the building complex by an artificial lake. Furthermore, although it is defined by strict geometrical forms, the parliamentary building reflects the transcendental nature of the National Assembly, defining the hopeful founding years of the independent state of Bangladesh.
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.