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The Monocle team celebrates the endlessly fascinating and culturally rich country of Japan. Ever since it launched in 2007, Monocle has had a rich and deep connection with Japan. From day one the magazine has had a Tokyo bureau – which today also encompasses a Monocle shop and radio studios – run under the watchful eye of Asia bureau chief Fiona Wilson. Over the past decade the magazine has built up a unique understanding and passion for the nation. It has covered everything from a live journey on the Emperor’s jet and the tastiest places to eat in Kagoshima to the fashion designers crafting new levels of excellence and the businesses with remarkable stories untold outside Japan. This new book reveals the best of the nation in the run up to the 2020 Olympics. Complete with stunning photography and intriguing essays, it is a unique showcase of a country that for many remains a mystery.

Finnish for ‘Mary’s dress’, Marimekko was founded in 1951 by Armi Ratia. Going against the restrictive fashion of the period, it produced flowing dresses in abstract patterns and vibrant colours, which remain the house’s signature to this day. Over the last eight decades, Marimekko's artists have created some 3,500 designs, which have graced clothing, bags, accessories, ceramics, bedding, fabric, and more. Blending archival photographs and advertisements with modern campaign imagery as well as newly commissioned photography, Marimekko: The Art of Printmaking tells the story of the house’s most iconic designs. Four distinct sections guide the reader through the Marimekko philosophy and lifestyle, via its factory in Herttoniemi, where fabrics have been created from the very beginning, on to a rich sourcebook of pattern and finally to the brand’s ultra-sustainable, super-creative future. In ‘Art of Printmaking’, follow the making of the iconic Unikko (poppy) print, its multiple variants and colourways, and discover how an initial idea evolves from sketch to dress, through colour trials and printing table. Learn Marimekko’s unique ‘Language of Pattern’, through in-depth explorations of its iconic patterns, interspersed with the themes – floral, minimalistic, architectural – that make up Marimekko’s vivid lexicon. In ‘Making Marimekko’ and ‘Marimekko Next’, discover the past, present, and future of this creative powerhouse, in the voices of its own creative talents. Dive into the exhilarating tale of Marimekko’s success and an unstoppable whirlwind of breath-taking imagery.With 372 illustrations in colour

Monocle’s latest book is a celebration of the Nordic region, with some surprises, quirks and – maybe – a sauna or two along the way. Monocle’s journalists, editors and photographers have returned time and again to all corners of northern Europe for insights, inspiration and ideas for living better.This book isn’t about hammering the overhyped hygge trend or fussing over foamy food. Much the opposite – it’s about a shared but distinct set of values that have helped varied nations excel in quiet diplomacy, thoughtful design and reasoned debate. Monocle looks beyond the clichés and uncovers the folks, firms and stories that help the region rank highly for everything in everything from art and architecture to eating well. Far from lumping these different nations together, the Monocle team will highlight the people, places and products that show the Nordics in all their nuances: lessons we can all learn from makers in Norway’s high north or retailers reaching higher in Reykjavík; the firms building bridges in Denmark or selling Swedish soft power abroad. The world can learn a lot from our knowing northern neighbours – and The Monocle Book of the Nordics is the ideal place to start.

Chosen for their powerful symbolism, the illustrations in this book range from the myths and legends of the ancient world to the icons used in modern culture and science. You will discover the fascinating origins and meanings of over 500 signs and symbols, from the secrets of the Maya calendar to demon-summoning seals and secretive symbols of the hermetic orders. Divided into seven thematic sections – astrology; the natural world; sacred writings; alchemy, numerology and sacred geometry; magic; demonology; and the western esoteric tradition – this decoding guide is the ultimate resource for unlocking the secret language of signs and symbols for the modern occultist.