Thames & Hudson strana 84 z 126

This is a comprehensive sourcebook of decorative ideas and much more for anyone who dreams of living in the country, or is lucky enough to live there already. From the vineyards of Provence to the hills of California and the farms of Australia, stunning photographs from across the world capture the distinctive architecture, decorative schemes, landscapes and rustic details that make country living so desirable. Traditional and contemporary elements are treated with the same sympathetic eye: an airy, minimalist room looks out on an ancient piazza; herbs and antique tools hang from wooden beams beside a roaring fire; a ancient stone floor, worn smooth, shines through the sleek glass top of a modern dining table. Always at the heart of the experience is the landscape itself that draws the town- or city-dweller to the joys of the countryside.

This handy guide to Egyptian mythology explores how the ancient Nile-dwellers explained the world around them. It delves into the origins of life, the creation and evolution of the world, and the reigns of the gods on earth, before introducing us to the manifestations of Egypt's deities in the natural environment; the inventive ways in which the Egyptians dealt with the invisible forces all around them; and the trials and tribulations of the life hereafter. This is the perfect introduction for modern readers to the mysteries of Egyptian mythology.

Asylum of the Birds is a new body of work by Roger Ballen, one of the most original image-makers of our times. Ballen has always sought to push the boundaries of photographic practice and has created an aesthetic and artistic vision unlike any other contemporary photographer. The images in Asylum of the Birds have been photographed entirely within the confines of a house in a Johannesburg suburb, the location of which remains a tightly guarded secret. The inhabitants of the house, both people and animals, and most notably the ever-present birds, are the cast who perform within a sculptural and decorated theatrical interior that Ballen creates and orchestrates. The resulting images are painterly, complex and surreal. They are richly layered with graffiti, drawings, animals and found objects. In a world where photographers seek to avoid definition, and whose work is often banal, Ballen is a true original who not only defies genres, but has defined his own artistic space as well.

Here is an alphabetically presented, richly illustrated guide to 88 of the most creative bicycle makers working today, includes established names such as Achielle, Cielo Cycles and Corima and new kids on the block such as Art & Industry, Bondi Beach Cruisers and Foffa, as well as product designers (Torkel Dohmers, Marc Newson). Todays cyclists are seeking increasingly custom-made bicycles as reflections of their personalities whether a Danish-style cargo bike, a recumbent, a cyclocross trainer or a randonneur. Often working in tiny studios and workshops in hidden parts of our cities, the master craftsmen featured in these pages produce pieces that are highly personal and sought after and rarely seen.

This much-anticipated sequel to the classic volume Sneakers: The Complete Collectors Guide is a global survey of, and reference guide to, the very best and most collectible limited-edition sneaker designs that have been released over the last decade. The first volume was a phenomenal success and a key influence in the transformation of sneaker collecting from an underground subculture into a mainstream, multi-billion dollar business. Following publication of that book, sneaker brands began reissuing classic designs and creating shoes that would spur the second wave of sneaker collecting: limited editions and collaborations between the brands and invited artists, designers, musicians and cultural icons. This sequel showcases the very best of this new sneaker culture, featuring more than 300 designs arranged by brand. Each sneaker is accompanied by informative text and a data box listing Edition, Pack, Year Released, Original Purpose, Technology and Extras. An essential purchase for both the hardcore sneaker freak and the first time collector, this book will also attract and seduce fashion and design aficionados.

Wally Olinss fascinating book looks at every aspect of the world of branding. With his customary flair and no-nonsense prose, he analyzes the problems facing todays organizations, criticizes corporate misbehaviour where he finds it, praises those companies who seem to be building and sustaining brands successfully in our brave new world, and predicts the future of branding. Incisive, invigorating and visionary, this analysis of our fast-evolving global marketplace comes from the guru described by The Financial Times as the worlds leading practitioner of branding and identity. No one interested in branding, marketing, business or contemporary culture will want to be without it.

Flying Machines is a spectacular interactive guide to aerodynamics that has five fabulous flying machines to make. There are two specially designed paper planes, a rubber-band-powered single-prop plane, a unique, superspeedy twin-prop plane and a vertical take-off helicopter. Flying hints and tips suggest how to manipulate your machines speed, distance and flight direction, demonstrating the basic aerodynamic principles and helping you to understand the forces that affect flight. (Carries EU Toy Safety Directive 'CE' logo).

Learning Chinese is notoriously difficult and has long put off the most linguistically savvy Westerners... until now. Breaking down the Great Wall of language, ShaoLan Hsueh has unpicked Chinese characters and created a simple system for quickly understanding the basic building blocks of the written language. Working with renowned illustrator Noma Bar, she has developed a unique set of illustrations that are engaging and delightful, and offer a glimpse into the wonder of the Chinese language and culture. The books main section introduces the radicals the key characters on which the language is built and reveals how they can be combined to form a wealth of more complex words and phrases. In fewer than 200 pages, readers of all ages will have made the first steps towards a genuine appreciation of Chinese, loving every new character they learn.

The first volume of The Mr Porter Paperback: The Manual for a Stylish Life is a witty compendium of life and style advice for the modern man. Compiled by Mr Porters Editor-in-Chief Jeremy Langmead, it covers everything from the essential (how to take care of dress shoes or charm the in-laws) to the just-in-case (how to pull off daring feats or dance at a wedding). Derived from the sites online journal (which has a large readership), the diverse content includes interviews with male icons inside and outside the fashion world (John Pawson, David Hockney, Irvine Welsh...); profiles of style icons past and present (Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bob Dylan, River Phoenix, Haile Selassie, Tom Waits and many more); mini-features on fashion classics including the knitted tie, the biker jacket, the polo shirt; sixty pages of The Knack, snippets of advice on everything from how to behave in a spa to how to mix a Bloody Mary; and much more. The cover is crafted to evoke traditional letterpress printing methods and the book comes with a silk ribbon bookmark.

The entire story of jazz from its earliest days in New Orleans to the 1970s and beyond told through archival material from Verve, the genres most important label. Verve signed practically every major jazz artist of the 1950s and 1960s and is home to some of the greatest music ever recorded. Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, and Ella Fitzgerald all released records through Verve. This superb new volume presents some of the rarest records and unseen ephemera from the label that helped define the world of jazz. Hundreds of the best examples of iconic seven-inch, ten-inch, and twelve-inch records appear, along with publicity reports, news clippings, posters, telegrams, and programmes. The ultimate music guide, the book includes features on key artists and key albums as well as insightful timelines that connect Verve with wider musical history. Looking beyond the music scene, the book discusses segregation in America, the missions to take jazz to Europe and the world, the clubs, the places, and the people who made Verve great and jazz cool. Commentary from the biggest names in jazz today, including some of Verves own artists, complements the text. 1,200 illustrations in color and black and white.

The encounter between art and fashion has been a rapidly growing phenomenon over the last decade, with major international artists working with top fashion houses to produce contemporary masterpieces that challenge the traditional boundary between these two dynamic cultures. In Art/Fashion in the 21st Century, five chapters feature concise essays with profiles of the key designers, break-out stories about the most avant- garde projects and interviews with the leading lights of the art-fashion crossover phenomenon. Nearly 250 illustrations showcase collaborative art/fashion work from Acne Studios, Balenciaga, Chanel, Hussein Chayalan, Tracey Emin, Jean Paul Gaultier, Zaha Hadid, Hermes, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Jeff Koons, Stella McCartney, Issey Miyake, Takashi Murakami, Prada, Richard Prince, Anselm Reyle, Cindy Sherman, Juergen Teller, Viktor & Rolf, and many more. This is essential and inspiring reading for all those interested in the very cutting edge of both art and fashion and those who are already there.

This mouthwatering book presents 38 of the finest pastry chefs working worldwide today, together with samples of their glorious, highly sophisticated confections. Some of the chefs are up-and-coming, others are well established; all are innovative pioneers in a uniquely appealing creative field. Profiles of each patissier include an informative biography giving a sense of their individual style. Also included are scores of recipes for world-class cakes, tarts, biscuits, petits fours, plated desserts, pastries, confectionery, chocolate, ice creams and sorbets, with a final chapter focusing on the lavish sugar-paste world of celebratory cakes. Offering a wealth of inspiring and delicious material, this book is a must for professional pastry chefs, keen amateurs and anyone interested in the gourmet lifestyle.

This outstanding global survey brings together the dazzling talent of 50 leading illustrators from over 20 countries, among them Julia Rothman, Whitney Sherman and Mike Perry, and also provides them with the opportunity to indulge in a brilliant, creative experiment. The book is curated into two interleaved strands: in the first, each illustrator showcases their own work and is interviewed by the author to shine a light onto what inspires and motivates them. The second strand is a collaborative project with illustrators working in pairs to create original work to one of 25 briefs from the author based on themes ranging from beauty to beast and speed to excess. Each of the outstanding collaborations is accompanied by a joint interview with the two illustrators. As a result, half the work featured has never been seen before and has been created exclusively for this book.

Just as Picassos Guernica or Géricaults Raft of the Medusa survive as powerful cultural documents of their time, there will be works from our own era that will endure for generations to come. But which ones? Which contemporary artworks best capture the zeitgeist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries? This bold and engaging book, written by one of the freshest and most exciting new voices in cultural criticism, predicts which artists and artworks from the past two decades will come to define our age through their power to question, provoke and inspire. This is essential and enjoyable reading for all those working with and studying contemporary culture, as well as for the general art-lover keen to find a clear path through the maze of global contemporary art.

Understanding modern as much more than modernist, Living Modern is all about clean lines, elegant colour combinations, maximizing indoor-outdoor relationships, showcasing great design objects and creating open areas for lounging, cooking and dining. Hundreds of photographs have been drawn from stylish residences around the world, particularly from places where easy modern living has achieved its best expression, such as Brazil, California, Scandinavia and Australia, but also from places where streamlined forms have been fused with vernacular styles. From desert to jungle, from city to country, modern has a wide spectrum. With clean, elegant design and thematic structure, together with a comprehensive index of designers and architects, and directory of stockists, this book offers anyone looking to create their own stylish and contemporary interior a complete source of inspiration.

This ambitious and fascinating book traces the history of fashion in every part of the world, from Greco-Roman woven-cloth clothing and the silk court dress of the Chinese Tang dynasty to contemporary sportswear designers and Japanese street culture. Organized chronologically, the book traces the evolution of fashion period by period and trend by trend, while detailed timelines provide historical and cultural context. Fashion: The Whole Story is indispensable for everyone who loves the line of a superb suit or knows the joy of wearing a great pair of shoes.