Simon Ward – författare

Chester has a long and fascinating history, dating from the arrival of the Roman army around AD 74. Their fortress was the stimulus for the growth of a prosperous town with such attributes of classical civilisation as bathhouses, central heating and an amphitheatre. The fifth-century collapse was followed by expansion under Saxon Mercia, and the threat of Viking attack was countered by the creation of a burh. Chester prospered as an administrative and trading settlement, ultimately benefiting from commercial contacts with the Viking world. After the Norman Conquest, it became the capital of a powerful earldom and later Edward I’s headquarters for his conquest of North Wales. A large abbey dominated the centre and swathes of land were enclosed in friary precincts. After the Middle Ages the city lost its harbour to silting and then endured a long and damaging siege during the Civil War. It escaped full-scale industrial expansion, although it did suffer from the accompanying problems of increasing population and poor housing. In the twentieth century the decision over whether to preserve or replace its historic core gave the city fathers one of their greatest challenges.Chester was for many centuries the major urban centre in north-west England. Despite its varying fortunes the city has never ceased to engage in the trade and commerce that have given the place its own special identity. This beautifully illustrated book explores the city through the ages and looks at the activities of the people who contributed to its intriguing story. Archaeologists and historians have attempted to throw light on those lives and the author has drawn widely from their work, as well as his own, besides using the surviving historic fabric of the city, to create a book that will appeal to both resident and visitor.

As sites of continual change and transformation, cities are fundamentally forgetful places. Yet at the same time, urban areas are also homes to museums and archives that collect and exhibit the past-a key cultural, political, and economic activity. This book looks at that paradox through the example of Berlin to see how the city has responded to challenges to memory created by rapid changes in politics, economics, society, and the built environment, ultimately arguing that the recovery of the experience of time is central to the practices of an emergent memory culture in the contemporary city.

The Art at Making of Independence Day Resurgence takes readers from the aftermath of the '96 invasion, through there building of the planet, and the new, terrifying threat about to hit Earth. This official companion is packed with incredible concept art, costume design, behind-the-scenes photography, and exclusive interviews with cast and crew including Jeff Goldblum and director Roland Emmerich.

A new hardback photography book documenting the making of the 1986 smash hit movie. Aliens: The Set Photography reveals a unique new perspective on the making of James Cameron's film, capturing the director, cast and crew as their bring the second action-packed instalment of the Alien saga to the big screen. Features brand-new insights and memories from Carrie Henn (Newt) and Jenette Goldstein (Private Vasquez).

Welcome to the jungle. The origin of one of cinema's most beloved and most fearsome monsters is explained in Kong: Skull Island. This official companion to the blockbuster movie features the breath-taking art, storyboards, designs, and set photos that conjure King Kong's world. Interviews with the crew and all-star cast explain how they brought the beast to life.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created with Alien: Covenant, a new chapter in the groundbreaking Alien franchise.The crew of the colony ship Covenant discover what they think is an uncharted paradise, but it is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the synthetic David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.Alien: Covenant - The Art of the Film reveals how the visual style of the film evolved, with breathtaking concept art accompanied by insight and interviews with key cast and crew.This official companion book explores all the major environments, creatures and technology that feature in this exciting new movie. It explores the intricate technology of the eponymous colony ship and its auxiliary vehicles, designs of the crew's uniforms and weaponry, artwork of key locations and breathtaking alien art imagery in amazing detail.Packed with fascinating sketches, blueprints, diagrams, full-color artwork, final film frames and behind-the-scenes shots from the set, Alien: Covenant - The Art of the Film is the ultimate literary companion to this highly anticipated movie event.TM & (c) 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

Meet Mija, a young girl who risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend – a fascinating animal named Okja. This is the official art book to celebrate the beautiful new movie from director Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) and Netflix. Featuring exclusive interviews with the director, Tilda Swinton, and key crew members, combined with concept artwork, candid set photography, and VFX material detailing the production process, this is a one of a kind book for a one of a kind movie.

The official 10th anniversary making of book for the Duncan Jones directed sci-fi film Moon.Directed by Duncan Jones, and written by Nathan Parker from a story by Jones, Moon is a 2009 science fiction drama following Sam Bell, a man who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three-year solitary stint mining helium-3 on the moon. Independently financed and produced on a modest budget, Moon became an instant cult classic. It was well received by critics and audiences alike, and was particularly praised for its scientific plausibility and realism. Making Moon will take an in-depth look back at the film's production: It features interviews with the film's key creatives and includes rare concept and behind-the-scenes images, as well as excerpts from the original shooting script.

Before 2019's four-time Oscar®-winning Parasite came Bong Joon Ho's iconic English-language debut, Snowpiercer. The dystopian sci-fi thriller is set seventeen years after the world has frozen over and what's left of humanity lives on a train that travels the globe on a continuous loop. The story follows one man, played by Chris Evans, as he risks everything to lead a revolt to defy his preordained place in society and take control of the engine.Snowpiercer: The Art and the Making of the Film takes readers behind the scenes of this critically acclaimed film in exhaustive and exclusive detail. The book is full to the brim with exclusive, unseen on-set photography, stunning artworks, costume and set designs, and more, and is accompanied by brand-new interviews with the cast and crew, including Bong Joon Ho himself.

"Bond. James Bond." The iconic line from James Bond's first big-screen scene has been endlessly quoted and imitated since, and the memorable dialogue and witty one-liners stand alongside the glamorous locations, breath-taking stunts and creative gadgets as one of the many reasons the films are so beloved the world over. The Wit & Wisdom of James Bond includes the very best quotes, quips and pearls of wisdom from all 25 films. From "Shocking. Positively shocking," to "Choose your next witticism carefully, Mr Bond. It may be your last," (Goldfinger) this official book collects the greatest killer one-liners from the world's most famous "licensed troubleshooter", as well as M, Q, Moneypenny, Bond villains and more.

Dive deeper into Mickey 17's sci-fi world with this incredible exploration of the masterful filmmaking that brought Bong Joon Ho's latest masterpiece to the big screen.The Art and Making of Mickey 17 chronicles the astounding development of Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho's film adaptation of Edward Ashton's groundbreaking sci-fi novel.Simon Ward, a veteran film author and publishing director, combines in-depth commentary with unparalleled set access to provide an uncommonly insightful look at the creative process of Mickey 17.Interviews with the director, cast, and production crew are paired with candid set photos and exclusive storyboards, images, and concept art.Further showcasing the heights of Bong Joon Ho's unique filmmaking craft, The Art and Making of Mickey 17 is an essential companion to the director's latest masterpiece.

This study offers new perspectives on Wolfgang Koeppen, a writer too often consigned to the margins of post-1945 literary history. Examining the interaction of the personal and the social in Koeppen's writings, this book demonstrates that the politics of his works are inherent to their form.Through a series of close readings, the book explores the positive and negative aspects of liminality, a dominant trope in Koeppen’s works. Stressing the thematic and formal continuities of his oeuvre, the first section illustrates how his protagonists perpetually establish a space for themselves 'in between' states. The second section examines how Koeppen negotiates with the discourse of 'nation' during two central periods of his career. It shows how his experiences in the Third Reich and his reappraisal of the years prior to 1933 determine his perspective on modernity, modernism and Germany after 1945. Having defined the location of culture in his works, the book concludes by resituating Koeppen's writings within post-war West German literary culture.

A case study of Berlin to see how the city has responded to challenges to memory created by rapid changes in politics, economics, society, and the built environment, ultimately arguing that the recovery of the experience of time is central to the practices of an emergent memory culture in the contemporary city.