Toni Johnson-Woods – författare

This book contains an important collection of essays by an international cast of scholars, experts and fans. It provides a one-stop resource for all those who want to learn more about Manga, as well as for anybody teaching a course on the subject. Once upon a time, one had to read Japanese in order to enjoy manga. Today manga has become a global phenomenon, attracting audiences worldwide. The style has become so popular, in fact, that in the US and UK publishers are appropriating the manga style in a variety of print material. Comic publishers such as Dark Horse and Viz are translating Japanese classics, such as "Fruits Basket", into English. And of course it wasn't long before Shakespeare received the manga treatment. So what is manga?Manga roughly translates as 'whimsical pictures' and its long history traces all the way back to picture books from eighteenth century Japan. Today, it comes in two basic forms: anthology magazines that contain several serials and manga 'books' (tankobon) that collect long-running serials from the anthologies and reprint them in one volume. The anthologies contain several serials and are so dense that they are colloquially known as phone books.Containing sections addressing the manga industry on an international scale, the different genres, formats and artists, as well the fans themselves, "Manga: An Anthology of Global and Cultural Perspectives" is an important collection of essays.

Style is predominantly an individual matter – the way people put themselves together creates a sense of individual identity – but collectively it creates a sense of common culture in a community, a city or a country. Geographically isolated from the fashion hubs of Paris and New York, Australia may not yet be synonymous with style. But as it moves away from the beach look that it is usually associated with and adopts haute couture, Australia is emerging as a shining star in the Southern Hemisphere. Though not the political capital of the country, Sydney is nevertheless Australia’s cultural capital, and the style hub and epicentre of the country’s fashion evolution. Sydney Street Style depicts the style of this less-explored fashion capital. Beautifully assembled and packed with full-colour photos of the stylish and eclectic residents of Sydney, this book will be a welcome addition to the library of any fashionista or armchair traveller.

Shanghai Street Style marks the inaugural volume in an exciting new street style series from Intellect. With an array of up-and-coming young designers like Coko Wan, Nio and Helen Lee, Shanghai is swiftly cementing its status as a global fashion destination – its first fashion week was in 2011 – and this book brings together more than one hundred full-colour photographs showcasing the remarkable diversity of styles seen on its streets. Alongside the photographs are short pieces of critical commentary by Vicki Karaminas and Toni Johnson-Woods, shedding light on the city's changing culture and how this is expressed through the clothing choices of ordinary city-dwellers going about their daily routines. The result is a stunning street-level look at the trends shaping Shanghai's fascinating fashion scene, with interesting echoes of East meets West and old meets new.