“The Cynic’s Guide to Wine, by Sunny Hodge… is one of the best wine books I have read in a long while.” — Yorkshire Post

“All in all it’s a very useful and enjoyable read…” — Life

“…if you are remotely curious about the science of wine, this is an excellent guide. I found myself questioning some of my own beliefs, and while I may not be ready to discard them, “The Cynic’s Guide to Wine” is a timely reminder of the importance of skepticism in all facets of wine.” — NY Times 

Much of what is written about wine, whether in wine books, on bottle labels or in the Sunday supplements uses language that gives wine an air of mystery. While compelling and enticing for the consumer this can also lead to confusion regarding the science of wine as well as fear on the part of the inexperienced wine drinker of ‘getting wine wrong’. In The Cynic’s Guide to Wine Sunny Hodge strips wine back to its basic science and unravels the facts behind wine flavors, showing readers a clear path through the verbiage. The text takes in elements of horticulture, soil science, botany and sensory science as well as oenology and is provided in bite-sized chunks aimed at the curious non-scientist. This is a straightforward and eye-opening book for anybody who has ever wanted to question the stories told around wine but was afraid to ask. 

• The wine book all novice wine drinkers need: strips away the pretension and explains what really matters when it comes to producing the flavors in your glass of wine.
• Questions many of the things we take for granted when it comes to wine, from terroir to the science of winemaking.
• Author is the award-winning owner of two London wine bars who has earned a reputation as a disruptor in the wine trade.

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.

Artist Harry Gruyaert invites us on a sweeping journey through the city, freed from the usual geographic markers that structure travel. His gaze moves freely through the streets of New York, Paris, Tokyo, Moscow, Antwerp, Mumbai and Zanzibar—ultimately, the destination matters little. What unites his photographs is not their subject but the way the world presents itself to him: the vibrant intensity of color, the sharp cuts of shadow, urban geometries that punctuate space like a phrase of jazz.

Yet this movement—echoing the works gathered under the title A Sense of Place, reveals another dimension of his oeuvre: a chronicle of urban life. The city becomes a stage where social interactions shape identities, where each person negotiates, in a single movement, both individuality and belonging to a collective. While his compositions and mastery of color have often been celebrated, less attention has been paid to the place his passage through the city gives to the anonymous city dweller.

In a café, on a street corner, leaning against a wall, his figures are captured in the apparent insignificance of everyday life. Nothing extraordinary drives his gaze except a curiosity free of any social hierarchy. The visual power then arises from the reconfiguration of reality through color and composition. Social rituals, architecture and muted light, caught in the moment, become strange, tender or subtly ironic. The ordinary becomes theatrical. And his immersion in familiar territories—Belgium, France—further sharpens his vision.

The body of work can thus be read as a vast inquiry into modern life, conducted over more than fifty years across the globe. In doing so, it captures what unfolds within the image, while also revealing a vital energy that extends beyond the frame fixed by the photographer’s eye. – Géraldine Lay

About the Weather accompanied Canan Tolon’s second solo exhibition at Dirimart (23 November–24 December 2023) with the same title. The bilingual publication gathers Tolon’s large-scale works in rust and acrylic on canvas, created in 2023, alongside earlier pieces in the same technique. Her abstract compositions emerge through a process that embraces chance: metal fragments placed on canvas interact with water, air, and weather, generating unpredictable rust forms shaped by conditions beyond the artist’s control—humidity, pollution, temperature shifts, or wind. These works register environmental processes, functioning as both material traces and invitations to free association, constantly renewed in dialog with the viewer. The volume also includes essays by art historian Berin Gölönü and curator Kevser Güler, who reflect on Tolon’s practice and the exhibition’s ironic title, which alludes to our tendency to avoid urgent concerns—such as the climate crisis—by resorting to “small talk” about the weather.

Text in English and Turkish.

The conceptual art practice of Cerith Wyn Evans encompasses installations, sculpture, film and text, translating ideas from philosophy, art history, film and literature into lyrical, often monumental, site-specific exhibitions. This publication provides valuable insight into Evans’ wide-ranging practice, as well as a document to the artist’s 2025–26 exhibition of the same name – Forms in Space…through Light (in Time) – at Lisbon’s MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology. Featuring specially commissioned photographs of Evans’ complex, captivating works in situ, the catalogue includes an introduction by exhibition curator Sérgio Mah, who also conducts an interview with the artist, and an essay by Professor Michael Newman.

Dual Language English and Portuguese.

Mon€y & Generations offers a compelling look at the complex interplay between family, business, and wealth. It provides deep insights into the psychology of money in enterprising families, covering topics such as money scripts that shape individuals’ relationships with money, setting dividends and compensation, providing financial education for family owners and stewards, and the role family offices play in protecting and growing family wealth. These themes are translated into practical strategies that support harmony and long term success across generations.

Mon€y & Generations offers a compelling look at the complex interplay between family, business, and wealth. It provides deep insights into the psychology of money in enterprising families, covering topics such as money scripts that shape individuals’ relationships with money, setting dividends and compensation, providing financial education for family owners and stewards, and the role family offices play in protecting and growing family wealth. These themes are translated into practical strategies that support harmony and long term success across generations.

This publication showcases the oeuvre of Irene Nordli, one of the Nordic ceramics scene’s most renowned artists, and examines how her works have evolved over the past three decades. Known for her figurines and porcelain, and the interplay between body and material, her art is presented in a way that interweaves the personal, the artistic, and the historical. My Hands Just Keep Getting Bigger invites readers to reflect deeply on her creative journey up to her largest solo exhibition at Kunsthall Grenland in 2024. The dialogue between Irene Nordli and Gjertrud Steinsvåg forms the core of the text, highlighting pivotal moments and reflections that have shaped her work. Photographer Thomas Ekström adds a compelling visual layer by capturing the extraordinary in the everyday, while designer Martin Egge Lundell fuses text and image with an experimental approach, challenging the conventional art monograph.

We move from crisis to crisis, our climate is changing, and growing civil unrest could lead to violence or even civil war(s). We need a longer-term vision to bring hope and embed sustainable, real solutions in the way we live and do business. This book is a roadmap to help companies achieve a more positive impact, creating an ‘impact economy’ that considers the impact of our actions, and balances the needs of people and companies with the health of the planet. It presents practical guidance and insights on how to transform a business according to ESG principles, for long-term sustainability.

The third book in the Dédale series is Laura. Journey into the Crystal by George Sand, first published in 1864. Exploiting a fairy-tale narrative structure, George Sand actually sketches an imaginary universe, in which dimensional scales lose their meaning and everything is strongly influenced by the knowledge in geological matters. The scientific aspect, which was also known to Sand, is transfigured to the point that minerals begin to take on symbolic value and become cloaked in fascination and mystery.

The genesis of the novel and the echoes of Sand’s personal events are recounted in the preface edited by Isabelle Bardiès-Fronty.

The book is also enriched by the works of Wenzel Hablik, a Czech-born painter who later settled in Germany and who, a few decades after George Sand, was similarly enchanted by minerals and, in particular, crystals: his paintings, halfway between utopian architecture and fascinating fantasy, are a valuable rediscovery and seem to come from the same imaginary universe narrated by the French writer.

The ARCASIA Awards for Architecture is an annual award established by the Architects Regional Council Asia to recognize the outstanding architectural works of Asian architects. It hopes to encourage the inheritance of the Asian spirit and promote the improvement of the Asian architectural environment as well as the role of architects and architecture in the social, economic and cultural development of Asian countries. This special issue of Architecture Asia gives a comprehensive review of the 26 winning projects of ARCASIA Awards for Architecture 2021, which includes Single Family Residential Projects, Multi-family Residential Complexes, Commercial Buildings, Resort Buildings, Institutional Buildings, Social and Cultural Buildings, Specialized Buildings, Industrial Buildings, Conservation Projects, Integrated Projects, Socially Responsible Architecture, and Sustainable Buildings.

Through brief jury comments, project descriptions and rich images, this book provides a wonderful opportunity for readers all over the world to give a quick glance at what happened in Asian architecture in 2021.

In an era of rapid technological and social change Trends in the Transformation Economy offers insights into a new economic landscape. It explores how companies can navigate a world where customers seek not just products, but meaning. The book offers strategies to meet these new customer aspirations and thereby it makes a positive impact on the planet, society and individuals.

“Prepare to be inspired at National Galleries Scotland: Modern One, as Everlyn Nicodemus opens her first retrospective this Saturday” — The NEN
“Experience Everlyn’s joyful, defiant and searingly honest artworks, with over 80 drawings, collages, paintings and textiles from over 40 years of her career, from 1980 through to the present day.” — Art Daily

This is the first major publication on the artist Everlyn Nicodemus and accompanies the first ever retrospective of her 40-year career. It offers a fascinating introduction to her life, career and art.

This book introduces readers to Nicodemus’s practice – from the very first work she painted to newly commissioned oil paintings. Many of Nicodemus’s drawings, collages, paintings and textiles are published here for the first time.

Nicodemus engages with complex subject matters, unflinchingly addressing human suffering and societal responsibility. While her works convey and process traumatic experiences, they are ultimately hopeful, focusing on healing and the power of creativity. This publication will reveal the scope and ambition of this astonishing artist’s practice.

Expert contributors offer new insights into Nicodemus’s practice, including a new interview with the artist. Exhibition curator Stephanie Straine explains and contextualizes the rich pages of artworks, drawing on extensive primary research with the artist and her archives.

“Common (不二)” is a Buddhist term that comes from the Dictionary of Buddhist Studies. “All matters in the world are originally one and equal, without distinction.” This means that nothing is different from each other.

Born with a congenital disability, Liu Yi underwent more than 20 operations to slowly stretch his body from the “sphere.” He always smiles innocently in life, with paintings, art, and innocence to heal himself while infecting others. Since April 14, 2015, Liu Yi started drawing on his smartphone with his fingers every day. This “assignment” soon became a part of his life.

Common Innocence of Liu Yi is a simple yet satisfying read, with hundreds of little drawings created by the artist, accompanied by his thoughts, the names of paintings given by Jian Guoer during their conversations, as well as comments from professionals.

Text in English and Chinese.

Now more than ever, the kitchen continues to be the epicentre of the home. To serve its multiple purposes, the design must be functional, comfortable, and chic. Enter Kitchen Conversations: the friend you want in your corner. Whether you are working on a budget, sparing no expense, or trying to find a nice balance, this book will guide you to make crucial decisions on details large and small, and be your companion on the journey of imagining, planning, designing and then building the kitchen of your dreams. While feasting on full-color photography and real kitchen plans, you can also savor the input from kitchen designers and other industry professionals; personal stories of kitchen builds, remodels and cosmetic changes from many homeowners; useful checklists from homeowners and industry sources, and valuable tips for managing contractors throughout the entire process. There may be challenges along the way but being aware of what lies ahead will allow you to manage them well.

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.

In the last twenty-five years contemporary art in Scotland has grown from a tiny and tightly knit scene to a globally recognized center of artistic innovation and experiment. Generation Reader provides the first collection of key documents from the period including essays, interviews, critical writing and artists’ own texts. This publication will fill a significant gap in the scholarship of the period and provide a resource for the future, an illustrated guide to the ideas, events and debates that shaped a generation. The selected archive texts from the period will sit alongside some newly-commissioned writing which includes essays by the novelist Louise Welch and by Nicola White, Dr Sarah Lowndes, Francis McKee, Professor Andrew Patrizio and Julianna Engberg. GENERATION is a landmark series of exhibitions tracing the remarkable development of contemporary art in Scotland over the last twenty-five years. It is an ambitious and extensive program of works of art by more than 100 artists at over 60 galleries, exhibition spaces and venues the length and breadth of Scotland between March and November 2014.

In the last twenty-five years contemporary art in Scotland has grown from a tiny and tightly knit community to a globally recognized center of artistic innovation and experiment. This book provides the first comprehensive and fully illustrated guide to the art of the period. Featuring the work of more than eighty contemporary artists who first made their careers in Scotland including Turner Prize winners Douglas Gordon, Simon Starling and Martin Boyce. An accessible introduction for new audiences and a handy reference guide to the art of this period.

In this second book in the Dummie the Mummy series, Dummie, Angus and Nick travel to Egypt. It’s Dummie’s great wish to return to his country to visit the grave of his father, Pharaoh Akhnetut. Unfortunately, Egypt has completely changed in four thousand years and Akhnetut’s grave seems untraceable. To make matters even worse, Nick falls ill and Angus and Dummie set off without him. Then something terrible happens – Dummie has to give everything he’s got to save his best friend. Yet he is also determined to find his father’s grave. Fortunately, he remembers more and more about his life long ago and this proves to be very handy!

History Today carried a feature in 2015, describing The Origin of Museums as “a cult book [that] spawned a new discipline in the history of collecting”. Indeed, the first publication of this book in 1985 undoubtedly marked a propitious moment in the development of interest, in what has since grown to be a dynamic subject-area in its own right. That an appetite for such matters was already there is confirmed by the fact that the first impression sold out within a few months, a second impression a year or two later, and the third in 1989. There was to be no further printing by the original publishers, Oxford University Press. However in 2001 a new edition appeared with a new publisher. Demand again proved buoyant, but within a few months the company failed; having operated on a print-on-demand basis, it left behind it no unsold stock. The Origins of Museums reverted to a scarce (though much sought-after) volume. With original copies now selling for hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, the Ashmolean is proud to make this important volume readily available again.

The eruption of the absurd into normality: since he studied drawing, the easy option for Valentin Magaro would have been to represent people and objects naturalistically. However, he has chosen to go a different way in his drawings and paintings. Whereas he always depicts human beings schematically, for example in the form of lay figures, his grotesque architecture seems to have sprung from self-organizing growth. Born in Switzerland in 1972, Magaro seems unwilling to distinguish between inanimate matter and animate living beings in his work. Doll-like figures in his pictures are often placed in excruciating contexts. Nevertheless, Valentin Magaro is not concerned with creating gruesome effects. Far from it. He succeeds in engaging our empathy and stimulating our imagination through the very stringency of his draughtsmanship. What the viewer sees in his mind’s eye are new, monstrous images of unpleasant hybrids created from neutral, precise forms. Reality is deconstructed, only to be recombined in nightmarish scenes. References to the surreal illustrations of a Max Ernst are linked in this pictorial cosmos with associations of M. C. Escher’s impossible perspectives as well as narrative approaches borrowed from twentieth-century comics. And even though Valentin Magaro’s pictorial inventions may seem at first sight both under control and calculated, closer scrutiny reveals the exact opposite: the images born of his feverish imagination tend to take matters into their own hands and their content goes out of control.

Text in English & German.

This interdisciplinary scholarly catalog examines Motherland, an important series of photo-performances by the acclaimed artist Pushpamala N. on the Indian nation personified as woman, mother, and goddess. The series shows Pushpamala taking on Mother India’s myriad personifications: nubile beauty and saintly renunciant; militant goddess wearing a garland of skulls or receiving the ultimate sacrifice of a warrior’s head; the mother-surgeon activating the birth of model citizens; and destitute widow, bent from years of abject labor. As she does so, she reveals that nations are invented, as are national embodiments. The artist’s burden is to reveal the ingredients of such inventions.

How can you turn your customers into ambassadors for your brand? How can you map out your own network? How can you achieve maximum results with limited resources? Brand ambassadorship is the best way to predict the future growth and success of your company. Google, Tesla and Apple all use ambassadorship to ensure their continued expansion. It is a highly valuable and effective marketing channel that can be actively used by companies of all sizes to achieve the most remarkable results. Create Your Own Superfans is a clear and practical guidebook for successfully dealing with all matters related to brand ambassadors, recommendations and word-of mouth advertising. A series of concrete cases, fascinating stories and useful tips will allow you to discover just how powerful brand ambassador marketing truly is and how you can ensure that your customers and your employees talk positively about your company and recommend it to others.