ACC Art Books – serie

Since 1970, the collection of Panini stickers has accompanied every FIFA World Cup™, which takes place every four years. The collection is not only a practical guide to the final tournament, but also provides a valuable visual archive of all the teams and their memorable matches.Through the faces of its protagonists, the book tells the story of the FIFA World Cup™ from hosts Mexico in 1970, to Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026. Famous and less famous champions, loved and less loved, who shared the desire to raise the most coveted football award to the sky.Includes 1,104 pages of stickers, stadiums, scores, formations, rankings, summary tables and results that have made the history of the FIFA World Cup™.For lovers of statistics and curiosities, the albums - always published before the competitions and shown in their original format - are completed by graphs and tables of the results of the final phase of the tournament and, starting from South Africa 2010, by an insert with stickers of substitutions.Text in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Italian.

"... Every single image in this 315-page hardcover, coffee-table book offers a fresh perspective of artists we thought we knew well from photos on album covers." — Jazzwax Substack"History hiding in plain sight for 60 years." — WBGOOne of the leading social documentary photographers of the 1960s, Steve Schapiro’s images stand among the most important of the 20th century, covering Muhammad Ali, Martin Luther King, Jr., James Baldwin and many others. These largely unknown jazz photos – shot just before his career breakthrough – showcase his early mastery and his empathy for his subjects, making Jazz: Best of the Apollo, Village Vanguard, and Riverside Sessions an essential archive.In the early ’60s, when Schapiro arrived on the scene, New York jazz was enjoying a golden age. A young freelance photographer who had grown up in the Bronx and somehow snagged a gig with Riverside Records, he began voraciously documenting shows, players, venues, recording sessions and gatherings both in his native New York and later in Chicago. Whether it’s Sonny Rollins lifting weights backstage, or Bobby Timmons lost in an instant of discovery at the piano, Schapiro was on their wavelength.Written by US jazz journalist Richard Scheinin Jazz: Best of the Apollo, Village Vanguard, and Riverside Sessions features dozens of never-before-seen photos of jazz legends like Cannonball Adderley, Melba Liston, Bill Evans, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie and more.

The Bargue-Gérôme Drawing Course is a complete reprint of a famous, late nineteenth-century drawing course. It contains a set of almost two hundred masterful lithographs of subjects for copying by drawing students before they attempt drawing from life or nature. Consequently it is a book that will interest artists, art students, art historians, and lovers and collectors of drawings. It also introduces us to the work and life of a hitherto neglected master: Charles Bargue. The Drawing Course consists of three sections. The first comprises of plates drawn after casts, usually of antique examples. Different parts of the body are studied in order of difficulty, until full figures are presented. The second section pays homage to the western school of painting, with lithographs after exemplary drawings by Renaissance and modern masters. The third part contains almost 60 académies, or drawings after nude male models, all original inventions by Bargue, the lithographer. With great care, the student is introduced to continually more difficult problems in the close observing and recording of nature. Charles Bargue started his career as a lithographer of drawings by hack artists for a popular market in comic, sentimental and soft-porn subjects. By working with Gérôme, and in preparing the plates for the course, Bargue was transformed into a spectacular painter of single figures and intimate scenes; a master of precious details that always remain observation and never became self-conscious virtuosity, and colour schemes that unified his composition in exquisite tonal harmonies. The last part of the book is a biography of Bargue, along with a preliminary catalogue of his paintings, accompanied by reproductions of all that have been found and of many of those lost.

"The photos here are undeniably spectacular — but the exploration of the costume ball’s history is worth sticking around for, too."  —Natural Diamonds"If the thieves who dropped Empress Eugenie’s crown outside the Louvre during this year’s heist, sparked an interest in jeweled headgear, try this encyclopedic guide to the world’s most famous tiaras." —Wall Street JournalTiaras have always inspired a great fascination and the most beautiful and influential women have been painted, photographed and admired whilst wearing them. Even in the 21st century they are still worn and continue to inspire special poise, elegance and sophistication. This lavishly illustrated book includes exclusive photographs, many repro­duced for the first time, of a variety of Royal tiaras together with those of French and Russian Imperial provenance, including four stunning tiaras designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria. Geoffrey Munn has also been granted privileged access to the archives of many famous jewellers, including Boucheron, Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels and Fabergé, for his research. The regal images of some of the most prestigious jewels in the world will captivate the reader and ensure turning the page to the next enticing image becomes irresistible. Many of these mes­merising tiaras also have great historical signifi­cance and their provenance is fully explained here. Among the con­temporary pieces referred to are tiaras belonging to Jamie Lee Curtis, Vivienne Westwood, Elton John and Madonna, that were made by Galliano, Slim Barratt and Versace. The scholarly text, which incorporates more than 400 illustrations, includes chapters on tiaras as crown jewels, Russian style tiaras, tiaras as works of art and the relationship between the tiara and the costume ball. Tiaras – A History of Splendour is a magnificent work that will enthral all those interested in fashion and style, jewellery, European history and Royalty.“… beautifully written and magnificently produced… for anyone interested in social history, it’s as good a read as you are likely to have this year.” Daily Telegraph“A truly majestic book” Antiques Info“… elegantly melds social history, fashion criticism and an appreciation of the jeweler’s art.” Town & Country

"Skins by Gavin Watson has been argued as being 'the single most important record' of 1970s skinhead culture in Britain, who have possibly been one of the most reviled yet misunderstood of the nation's youth subcultures." — Daily Mail"Gavin Watson documented his friends as they came of age at the heart of a misunderstood community." — i-D"Gavin Watson’s cult documentary photo book Skins chronicles the radical and inclusive spirit which originally animated the emerging skinhead culture of 70s Britain." — DazedSkins by Gavin Watson is arguably the single most important record of '70s skinhead culture in Britain. Rightly celebrated as a true classic of photobook publishing, the book is now reissued in a high-quality new edition under close supervision from the photographer.The scores of black and white shots offer a fascinating glimpse into a skinhead community that was multi-cultural, tightly knit and, above all else, fiercely proud of its look. These are classic photographs of historical value.“What makes Gavin’s photos so special is that when you look at them, there’s clearly trust from the subject towards the photographer, so it feels like you’re in the photo rather than just observing.” - Shane Meadows (Director of award-winning film This Is England).The book, described by The Times as “a modern classic”, forms an important visual record of its time and has attained cult status in the genre, alongside works by other eminent photographers such as Derek Ridgers and Nick Knight.“Arguably one of the best and most important books about youth fashion and culture ever published.” – Vice Magazine

China truly is a plantsman's paradise: it is so rich in variety that there are upwards of 3,000 native plants on a single mountain in China - compared to around 2,000 in the whole of the British Isles. And, in the province of Yunnan alone, there are 137 species of oaks and oak relatives - in Britain we have just 2! This book successfully combines a most enjoyable and detailed account of the well-known author's many journeys through China. First and foremost, Travels in China provides a practical assessment of the Chinese plants that are either of ornamental merit or botanical interest to gardeners in the West. Roy Lancaster follows in the footsteps of the great Victorian plant hunters and describes, in this, his magnum opus, some 1,000 different plants in their natural habitat. He provides an eminently readable account of a fascinating country, its people, and the plants that have done so much to enrich the gardens of Europe and North America.Nearly 1,000 of Lancaster's own attractive and colourful photographs illustrate the text, showing the wealth of Chinese plants in the wild and in Western cultivation: the rare, the exotic and the surprisingly familiar. The informative text is interspersed with fascinating descriptions and anecdotes from his travels.

"Terry was everywhere in the 60s - he knew everything and everyone that was happening" Keith Richards"Terry O'Neill rates rightly as one of the best photographers in the world. He captures something special" Sir Michael Caine "When it comes to photographic legends there can be few more prolific or revered than Terry O'Neill, the man who shot the greats." VOGUE"This sumptuous collection of portraits, taken over six decades, represents the best of his memorable career and should grace every coffee table in the land" The Daily Mail "I've been repeatedly asked to write my autobiography - I have seen an awful lot of famous people at their best and worst - but I'm not interested in making money trading their secrets or mine. I want my pictures to tell a story not sell a story." Terry O'Neill Terry O'Neill is one of the world's most celebrated and collected photographers. No one has captured the frontline of fame so broadly - and for so long. For more than 50 years, he has photographed rock stars and presidents, royals and movie stars, at work, at play, in private. He pioneered backstage reportage photography with the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Sir Elton John and Chuck Berry and his work comprises a vital chronicle of rock and roll history. Now, for the first time, an exhaustive cataloguing of his archive conducted over the last three years has revisited more than 2 million negatives and has unearthed unseen images that escaped the eye over a career spanning 53 years. Similarly, his use of 35mm cameras on film sets and the early pop music shows of the 60s opened up a new visual art form using photojournalism, to revolutionise formal portraiture. His work captured the iconic, candid, and unguarded moments of the famous and the notorious - from Ava Gardner to Amy Winehouse, from Churchill to Nelson Mandela, from the earliest photographs of young emerging bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace. O' Neill spent more than 30 years photographing Frank Sinatra, amassing a unique archive of more than 3,000 Sinatra negatives. Add to that the magazine covers, album sleeves, film poster and fashion shoots of 1,000 stars, and Terry O'Neill - comprises the most compelling and epic catalogue of the age of celebrity. Terry O'Neill has worked for the most prestigious magazines in the world including Time, Newsweek, Stern, Bunte, Figaro, The Sunday Times, Vanity Fair, People, Parade, Vogue and many others. And his award launched to showcase the work of young emerging photographers is now one of the most highly prized global competitions in art. The Royal Society of Arts has honoured him with the rare Centenary Medal for his lifetime achievement. Only a dozen have ever been awarded in recognition of 'outstanding contributions to the art and science of photography.'

"I have always been inspired by what was happening on the street – and anyway, I couldn't afford the high fashion price tags." —Caroline Baker"Featuring an array of – now – infamous covers and high fashion editorials crafted by Baker, readers are encouraged to bask in the success of her trail-blazing tale and indulge in the history of streetwear’s rise to the helm of the fashion industry." —Wonderland"A fantastic delve into the story of fashion styling straight from the lips (and visual archive) of the lady who invented it all, Caroline Baker" —Navaz Batliwalla, disneyrollergirl"What makes this book a must-read? Author Iain R. Webb is a friend of Baker’s, so this is the inside story of a woman whose work is a masterclass in the art of style and subversion." —YahooCaroline Baker is the antidote to high fashion. As the legendary fashion editor of Nova magazine in the 1960s and '70s, her style was quite literally cutting-edge (she famously chopped up clothes to achieve her desired looks). She is credited with challenging the status quo of the industry and society at large, and introducing street fashion to the mass market. Stylist-of-choice for the most dynamic female designers on the scene – Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood – Caroline has continued her trajectory as a fashion provocateur. Her work has appeared on the pages of Vogue, Tatler and Cosmopolitan as well as The Face and i-D – and unsurprisingly, a new generation of style-setters is now looking to Baker’s back catalogue for inspiration.This book offers an in-depth overview of Baker’s work, expertly curated and considered by Iain R. Webb. It is divided into sections that highlight specific recurring themes and tropes – such as Punk Rock, DIY, Utility and Sportswear. These ideas have defined Baker’s evolving sartorial vocabulary over six decades, and set a template for street fashion that endures to this day. Accompanied with personal commentary from Baker herself and specially written contributions by Vivienne Westwood and Katharine Hamnett, this is the definitive guide to Caroline Baker and her influence on fashion.

"This book is here to remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the Fabulous Faces of our time."— The Eye of Photography"Enigmatic, dazzling and fabulous: the faces of Hollywood’s golden age." — The Times"A new book pulls together glamorous portraits of film stars from the 1920s to the 60s who could draw an audience with their name alone."— The Guardian"Intense close-ups, staged embraces and smouldering, emotive glances exude star power in this fitting tribute to a bygone age.” “Star quality emanates from every page.”  — The Lady MagazineFabulous Faces of Classic Hollywood brings together some of the greatest portraits taken by leading Hollywood portrait photographers during the motion picture industry's golden years of 1920 to 1960. Little-seen negatives, long buried in the remarkable and internationally renowned archives of the John Kobal Foundation, have been unearthed and printed to reveal some of Hollywood's favourite stars at the height of their careers. Full-page images of Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, as well as lesser lights including Anna May Wong, Lon Chaney, Lupe Velez and Ramon Novarro, will remind long-time movie fans why these important 20th-century icons will forever remain the fabulous faces of the movie world.Selected by best-selling author Robert Dance and writer and award-winning film producer Simon Crocker, over 200 photographs are presented alongside an essay by Dance, describing what it takes to become a fabulous face and an international icon.

“It amazes me that after all these years and countless books, the scope of subject matter on The Beatles is so amazingly large that writers always find a new angle. This book does that in a very unique and clever way. It’s a must for every Beatles fan.” —Billy J. Kramer"...It’s a magical mystery tour through the band’s life and times."  —Yahoo Entertainment The It-List"Part biography and part map to the stars, The Beatles: Fab Four Cities is your “Ticket to Ride” and walk in the footsteps of John, Paul, George and Ringo. It’s the next best thing to actually driving their car..."—Nina Violi, Capitol File. and Gotham magazine"While the book can be used as a handy tour guide filled with addresses, maps and photos, it also makes for great reading."  —Steve Matteo, The Vinyl District"But now comes a “magic carpet volume” for Beatles fans that blends travel guide with historical reference in an expanded study of The Beatles’ homes, schools, pubs, venues, and important historic sites..."  —Jude Southerland Kessler, Culture SonarJohn Lennon said: "We were born in Liverpool, but we grew up in Hamburg."To paraphrase Lennon, we could say that: "The Beatles were born in Liverpool, grew up in Hamburg, reached maturity in London, and immortality in New York."Four cities. Four stars. The Fab Four - the Beatles - are revered the world over, but it is in these urban centres that their legacy shines brightest. Liverpool: where the band graduated from church halls, leaving their initial line-up as 'The Quarrymen' far behind. Hamburg: where their raucous stage act was honed; where arrests earned them a more notorious celebrity reputation, but they became a true emblem of rock 'n' roll. London: where The Beatles produced Sgt Pepper, and home to the iconic album cover for Abbey Road. And New York: the city that became John Lennon's home, where their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show announced them to 73 million Americans.The Beatles: Fab Four Cities invites the reader on a cosmopolitan trek across continents, tracing the Beatles' rise to fame from one metropolis to the next. Flush with timelines, stories, trivia, the numerous links and connections between the cities and both pop cultural and local history, this is a travel guide like no other.

Georgian Jewellery is a celebration of the style and excellence of the eighteenth century, and of the ingenuity that produced such a wealth of fabulous jewellery.Heavy academic tomes have already been written about the period, but this book examines it in a more colourful and accessible way. The book aims to show that Georgian jewellery is not only the stuff of museums and safe boxes, but that it can be worn as elegantly and fashionably today as it was 200 years ago. Much disparate information about the jewellery has been gathered together and the period is brought alive by portraits and character sketches of famous Georgians in their finery, fashion tips, gossip, and some rather outrageous cartoons of the time, as well as fascinating recently discovered facts. With information on how to identify, buy and repair pieces, this sumptuously illustrated volume contains the largest single catalogue of 18th Century jewellery.

"Parke’s images offer a private glimpse into the life of one who changed so many others." — Flaunt Magazine"...Today, with the publication of Prince: Black, White, Color, he offers not just a simple collection of snapshots, but an act of remembrance, a story that cannot be lost or forgotten." — Rolling Stone France"Fans will no doubt be eager to get their hands on Parke’s stunning photography book …"— Entertainment NowPrince. Visionary, multi-instrumentalist and extraordinary showman. One of the most influential and inspiring pop superstars of the 20th century. Now, Prince: Black, White, Color reveals the artist as he’s never been seen before thanks to a unique and exclusive set of photographs, many published here for the first time, all captured by Prince’s own trusted art director – award-winning photographer Steve Parke. These intimate photos allow readers an extremely rare glimpse of Prince at Paisley Park, at his sun-drenched house in Marbella, and at work in the studio, posing for portraits as well as moments of quiet tenderness with his first wife Mayte Garcia and their beloved dog Mia.With over 250 images, this stunning volume marks the 10th anniversary of Prince’s passing by showing a side of him that was seldom if ever publicised during his lifetime. A must-have for Prince fans.

"There are some wonderfully intimate, tender and witty photographs in this big sumptuous volume, as well as ones that capture, as only the still camera can, the insecurity and pain behind the ever-smiling facade." — John Banville, The Guardian"...an unprecedented reissue, enriched by Michael Arnold, the photographer’s grandson." — Harper's Bazaar France""Marilyn Monroe by Eve Arnold", one of the best (if not the best) photographic documents ever released about the ultimate sex symbol of the 20th century." — Greek Newspaper TO BHMA"In collaboration with the official Estate of Marilyn Monroe, the beautifully designed book featuring a rose gold color palette showcases gorgeous photos of Monroe in her prime wearing some of her most iconic wardrobe in addition to her simplistic fashion sense off screen." — The Hollywood Times"The beauty in these photos is bittersweet." — The TimesLuxxWhen they met at a party in the early 1950s, Marilyn Monroe remarked to Eve Arnold that she’d seen the photographer’s images of Marlene Dietrich. ‘If you could do that well with Marlene,’ Monroe said, ‘can you imagine what you could do with me?’ A star in her day and one that continues to captivate the world, Monroe's multifaceted persona is brilliantly captured through Arnold's lens in this revised and redesigned edition of the 1987 publication, Marilyn Monroe: An Appreciation. Including newly discovered and restored photographs in colour and in black and white, alongside insightful commentary, Eve Arnold takes us on a photographic journey of Monroe's life. A detailed biography in Arnold's own words allows a rare glimpse into the stories behind the photographs and her unique relationship with Monroe. As these two female artists come together in the creation of this stunning photographic collection, an important historical testimonial has been actualised, showing women striving in a male-oriented world and succeeding in reaching the top of their game.

This book documents a collection of approximately 90 Paracas textiles. The collection consists of cloaks, ponchos, tunics, as well as some smaller fragments such as ribbons. Originally housed at the Ethnographic Museum in Gothenburg, Sweden, the objects were returned to Peru during 2019 and 2020. Paracas textiles tell the story of the people living in Peru more than 2000 years ago and how they saw and viewed the world. In cultures without a written language imagery is very important. Textile pictures were created from the depths of the human senses, from thoughts and dreams. The makers of the Paracas textiles depict fantastic stories from their time and culture about creation, death and thoughts about life.Kerstin Paradis Gustafsson has studied, inventoried and analysed the Paracas textiles for decades, and cracked codes about how they were made. She also has pioneering theories about what they want to say and how the unbroken thread symbolises life. In this text, Kerstin documents and explains the secret behind these fantastic 2000-year-old textiles.

"Photographer Martyn Goddard reveals what it was like to shadow Blondie on the cusp of superstardom in 1978." — Uncut Magazine"Thus, this work is more than a scrapbook; it's a time capsule that revives an era of danger, glamour, and creative revolution. And it's also the perfect excuse to revisit the Blondie phenomenon, the art of photographing rock stars, and why, perhaps, bands aren't "made" like they used to be." — GQ Mexico"Goddard’s lens doesn’t merely document Blondie’s rise; it captures a turning point in music and visual culture." — Louder Than War"...a handsome book." — BBC's Robert Elms Show"... More than nostalgia, the book reflects Goddard's ability to balance artistry and access—creating images that feel as intimate as they are electric." — The Candid Frame PodcastBlondie in Camera 1978 is richly illustrated with photographer Martyn Goddard’s most famous images of Blondie. Taken during their breakthrough year, these pictures have graced magazines, newspapers, promotional campaigns, posters and even the ‘Picture This’ single cover and the Best of Blondie album cover.Blondie’s rise to the mainstream surface punctuated the late ’70s with a raft of unforgettable New Wave hits. The genre-mashing classic ‘Heart of Glass’ along with the likes of ‘Hanging on a Telephone’ and ‘Picture This’ were as zesty and fresh-faced as the young band members, who soon found superstardom as their singles landed and the strength of their attitude began to resonate. When Goddard travelled to New York in ’78 with an assignment to photograph lead-singer Debbie Harry, he couldn’t have imagined that Blondie’s songs and his images would soon become permanent fixtures on the cultural landscape.This is the ultimate treasure trove for fans of one of the world’s biggest bands.

Joseph Southall is perhaps the most important Arts and Crafts painter. Born in Nottingham in 1861, Southall spent most of his life in Birmingham, where he originally trained to be an architect, before falling under the spell of John Ruskin and switching his interests to painting. He played a key role in the revival of the mediaeval techniques of tempera and fresco painting. This book shows a wide variety of work produced by Southall during his lifetime. As well as superb watercolours of England, there are also scenes from the Italian lakes and Tuscany; several images of sailing barques in the harbour at Fowey in Cornwall and a number of works done at Southwold in Suffolk, where the Southalls spent every July. These range from tempera paintings of local fishermen and their boats to delightful pencil and chalk studies of elegant ladies and children playing on the beach.

In 1970, the young Japanese designer Kenzo Takada opened his first boutique, Jungle Jap, in Paris and revolutionised the fashion world. His colourful, ethnic, and nomadic- influenced collections, made with luxurious and vibrantly patterned textiles, tweaked the conventions of haute couture while maintaining the quality of traditional European clothing houses. He was influenced by Parisian fashion and Japanese kimonos, boldly mixing colours and prints, cuts and materials. His vibrant palette and pattern combinations were joyful and whimsical, and very different from the subtle tailoring of the traditional Paris couturier. In his inspired blend of the opulent and the exotic, he developed a signature style and found early success. With stunning photography, and over 300 sketches from Kenzo's private collection, this book traces more than forty years of his creative output. It includes photographs from his high-energy runway shows, in addition to personal photographs, and a behind-the-scene look at the creation of a spectacular wedding dress, opening a window on the creative process and capturing Kenzo's energy, vision, and presence. Superbly illustrated throughout with pencilled and hand coloured sketches, swatched drawings, and previously unpublished archival photographs, the authors explore Kenzo's career, tracing the evolution of his cult label in a look-book of visual exuberance.

"Duffy and aggravation go together like gin and tonic." - David Bailey As famous as the stars he photographed, Brian Duffy defined the image of Swinging London in the 1960s. Together with David Bailey and Terence Donovan, Duffy is recognised as one of the innovators of 'documentary' fashion photography, a style which revolutionised the industry. Their attitude and aesthetic iconified the scene, birthing the cult of the fashion photographer and inspiring the famous film Blow-Up (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1966). As Duffy put it, "Before 1960, a fashion photographer was tall, thin and camp. But we three are different: short, fat and heterosexual!" The press nicknamed the three photographers 'The Terrible Three', while Norman Parkinson added to their notoriety by naming them 'The Black Trinity'. Duffy's most famous photograph is the 'Mona Lisa of pop', the cover of Bowie's 'Aladdin Sane'. He collaborated with the artist over eight years and exerted a direct influence on the numerous reinventions of Bowie's image. It is fitting, therefore, that this new edition should expand on their work together with new images. This new edition of Duffy also features other, new images from the photographer's archive, depicting both star and photographer in their prime.

"There have been volumes written on and by Terence Conran and Mary Quant, but this is the first time they have been placed together in a book. And it works." - Colin McDowell, The Times"It is given to a fortunate few to be born at the right time, in the right place, with the right talents. In recent fashion there have been three: Chanel, Dior and Mary Quant." - Ernestine Carter.Transporting you back to London at the height of the Swinging Sixties, this book provides vital context for two of the biggest and boldest names in 'Pop' fashion: Mary Quant, alleged mother of the miniskirt, and Terence Conran, the entrepreneur behind the new wave of 'lifestyle' stores. Friends, associates and allies in design, Quant and Conran stood at the head of an informal but influential bohemian group who steered the rudder of style during the Pop era. 'The Chelsea Set' resist definition; there was no comprehensive members list. Conran/Quant: Swinging London - A Lifestyle Revolution explores the contributions of designers and artists from Laura and Bernard Ashley to Eduardo Paolozzi, Nigen Henderson and Alexander Plunket Greene, all of whom were essential generators of Sixties Style.

"HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: For all botanical artists aspiring to enter the RHS Botanical Art Exhibition and win a Gold Medal - and for all botanical art lovers everywhere. This book makes a major contribution to both the recording of contemporary botanical art and learning about how to produce top quality botanical art" - botanicalartandartists.com "An attractively varied compendium of top prize-winning botanical paintings, together with an informative introductory essay." - Gardens Illustrated Botanical Illustration: a genre of art that endeavours faithfully to depict and represent the form, colour and detail of a plant. Abiding by this definition, the RHS Lindley Library has secured approximately 30,000 splendid illustrations of buds, fruit, flowers and leaves since they first started commissioning artists in 1806. RHS Botanical Illustration: The Gold Medal Winners represents a cross-section of recent gold medallists from around the world. The RHS only award their gold medal to the most outstanding exhibitions, encouraging the international artistic community to perform to the highest standard. This gold medal is a highly-coveted testament to an artist's abilities, and the illustrations gathered in these pages demonstrate great attention to detail, masterful colour work and outstanding technical skill. Insightful commentary on the artists' creative process accompanies each picture. The perfect book for the lover of horticulture, as well as an excellent reference both for botanists and aspiring artists, this collection also includes an introductory essay that delves into the history of the RHS.

"A very well designed book. Great photography and I especially enjoyed the close-up images" - The Collector's CompanionWemyss Ware is an evocative name to anyone with an interest in pottery. It conjures grinning cats and pot-bellied pigs, jugs and plates and other items of tableware, often decorated with an intricate pink cabbage rose or other such bucolic scenes. Produced in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, from 1882 to 1930 (and in Bovey Tracy, England, 1930-1952), Wemyss Ware has an illustrious history. From the Wemyss family, the patrons of this pottery line; to the Queen Mother and Prince Charles, Wemyss Ware has caught the eye of many individuals of note. Among these was George Bellamy, now a legendary collector of Scottish Wemyss, who has been seeking out his pieces since 1976.A treasure trove of Wemyss Ware, this book catalogues a collection lovingly compiled over decades. Carol McNeil's essay traces the history of the Fife Pottery where Wemyss Ware saw its debut, while Bellamy's introduction guides the reader through several of the key figures involved in the locating and preserving of these works of art. Scottish Wemyss Ware 1882-1930 celebrates the labour, design and artistry that poured into each hand-decorated pot. Often inspired by the Fife countryside where they first originated, these characterful creations are just as delightful now as when they were first produced.

They Must Fall: Muhammad Ali and the Men He Fought features powerful and often moving images and stories of Muhammad Ali and the men he fought in the ring, by award-winning photographer Michael Brennan. “Around 1978, I had been in Houston, Texas photographing former Ali opponent George Foreman who had then reinvented himself as a roadside preacher. On the plane back to NYC, I thought, ‘If that’s what George is doing, I wonder what the rest of his opponents are up to?’ I set out to track down as many of the old guys as I could find.” Brennan spent decades locating Ali’s former opponents to discover what had become of them. This unique book is a look through Brennan’s remarkable archive, containing numerous never-before- seen photos plus poignant stories illuminating the images and contextualising Ali’s powerful role in the world of sport. Includes a special introductory essay by the late, great Jimmy Breslin. “Michael Brennan’s iconic 1977 portrait photograph of Muhammad Ali captures something far bigger and deeper than just the beautiful face of a beautiful man. It is a detailed map of the personal journey of one whose incomparable talents and audacity caused literati to swoon, taught a generation to question authority, and ultimately altered the path of a society which had never before seen a man exactly like him. To look at him the way he was then is to remember, with joy and sorrow, who we all once were.” - Jim Lampley, discussing the cover image (Boxing commentator, HBO Sports)

"Fully illustrated, the charm of his English Roses comes across on every page, even if the reader has to imagine their scent." - The Irish Garden"Experts will appreciate the notes on each rose's breeding." - Historic Gardens FoundationInformative, accessible and stunningly illustrated, David Austin's English Roses introduces the reader to the world of rose propagation and care. The book focuses on English Roses, bred by David Austin to combine the sumptuousness of Old Roses with the strength and practical virtues of Modern Roses. It will be greatly prized by rose-growers and rose-lovers everywhere, whether professional or amateur.

"An invaluable resource a delightful and compendious opus." - The Pre-Raphaelite Society ReviewThe Death of Chatterton hangs from the wall of the Tate Britain, a resplendent depiction of tragedy. This is the canvas that earned Henry Wallis his lasting legacy. It embodies the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic, from its morbid subject (Thomas Chatterton, a precocious 18th-century poet who poisoned himself to escape poverty, aged only seventeen), to its vibrant colourwork and detailed naturalism, characteristic of the first phase of Pre-Raphaelitism. Despite this, no significant study has been dedicated to Wallis - until now. Henry Wallis: From Pre-Raphaelite to Collector/Connoisseur - delivers the first comprehensive appraisal of this often-overlooked Pre-Raphaelite. Composed of three parts - a biography, a catalogue raisonné and a series of important appendices - this book demonstrates the full range of Wallis's contributions to the world of Victorian art. The biography acknowledges Wallis's expertise as a colourist and draughtsman, while paying respect to his lesser-known accomplishments as both collector and connoisseur. The Illustrated Catalogue gathers every identifiable work in the painter's name - of which there are many, including The Stonebreaker: Wallis's other great masterpiece. Finally, the appendices present a selection of correspondence between Wallis and various members of the Pre-Raphaelite circle - William Holman Hunt, Frederic George Stephens, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Bell Scott, Arthur Hughes, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. A pioneering exploration of the artist and the man, Henry Wallis will be at home on the bookshelf of any Pre-Raphaelite enthusiast.

This is the story of the Reeves Collection of botanical paintings, the result of one man's single-minded dedication to commissioning pictures and gathering plants for the Horticultural Society of London.Reeves went to China in 1812 and immediately on arrival started sending back snippets of information about manufactures, plants and poetry, goods, gods and tea to Sir Joseph Banks. Slightly later, he also started collecting for the Society but despite years of work collecting, labelling and packing plants and organising a team of Chinese artists until he left China in 1831, Reeves never enjoyed the same degree of recognition as other naturalists in China.This was possibly because he had a demanding job as a tea inspector. Reeves himself never claimed to be a professional naturalist and the plant collecting and painting supervision were undertaken in his own time. Furthermore, fan qui (foreign devils) were restricted to the port area of Canton and to Macau, so that plant-hunting expeditions further afield were impossible. Furthermore, Reeves never published an account of his life in the country, unlike Clarke Abel and Robert Fortune, but he left us some letters, notebooks, drawings and maps.The Collection is held at the Royal Horticultural Society's Lindley Library in Vincent Square, London. It is a magnificent achievement. Not only are the pictures accurate and richly coloured plant portraits of plants then unknown in the West, but they stand as a record of plants being cultivated in nineteenth-century Canton and Macau. In John Reeves: Pioneering Collector of Chinese Plants and Botanical Art, Kate Bailey reveals John Reeves' life as an East India Company tea inspector in nineteenth-century China and shows how he managed to collect and document thousands of Chinese natural history drawings, far more than anyone else at the time.

More than a fashion accessory or means to tell the time, the wristwatch has become a statement of identity; politician or celebrity, scientist or sportsman, what you choose to wear on your wrist speaks volumes about who you are. The World's Most Expensive Watches presents some of the most extravagant, intricate, collectable, decadent, or just plain interesting modern-day timepieces that sit at the top of the price spectrum. Starting at a threshold price of about $200,000, it is a trip through the last decade or so of watches whose values soar incredibly to prices of $5 million dollars or more. Additionally, there is a selection of notable watches that yielded extremely high prices at auction - many of which are historically relevant. A stunning collection that is both informative and entertaining; with detailed descriptions of individual watches and articles that usefully deconstruct the price tag with an explanation of the relevance of craftsmanship and complexity of design, as well as the importance of exclusivity, prestige and collectability. Prepare to be impressed by a larger-than-life-look at some relatively small items that command not only huge prices but kudos and respect, in all areas of a global society fascinated with using accessorising to create identity. This is the second expanded and updated edition.

Milton H. Greene (1922-1985), famous for his fashion photography and celebrity portraits from the golden age of Hollywood, met Marilyn Monroe on a photo shoot for Look magazine in 1953. The pair developed an instant rapport, quickly becoming close friends and ultimately business partners. In 1954, after helping her get out of her studio contract with 20th Century Fox, they created Marilyn Monroe Productions, Inc. Milton and Marilyn were much more then business partners, Marilyn became a part of the Greene family. By the time their relationship had ended in 1957, the pair had produced two feature films, in addition to more than 5,000 photographs of the iconic beauty. There was magic in Milton and Marilyn's working relationship. The trust and confidence they had in each other's capabilities was on full display in each photo.Greene passed in 1985, thinking his life's work was succumbing to the ravages of time. His eldest son, Joshua, began a journey to meticulously restore his father's legacy. A photographer himself, Joshua spent years researching ways to restore his father's photographs as well as cataloging and promoting Milton's vast body of work all over the world. As a result, Joshua established "The Archives," a company committed to the restoration and preservation of photography. After spending nearly two decades restoring his father's archive, Joshua Greene and his company are widely regarded as one of the leaders in photographic restoration and have been at the forefront of the digital imaging and large-format printing revolution. Now Joshua Greene, in conjunction with Iconic Images, presents The Essential Marilyn Monroe: Milton H. Greene, 50 Sessions. With 280 photographs, including newly scanned and restored classics, as well as images that have appeared only once in publication, Greene's Marilyn Monroe archive can finally be viewed as it was originally intended when these pictures were first produced more than 60 years ago. These classic sessions - 50 in all - cover Monroe at the height of her astonishing beauty and meteoric fame. From film-sets to the bedroom, at home and at play, Joshua has curated a lasting tribute to the work of a great photographer and his greatest muse.Poignant and powerful, joyful and stunning - these breathtaking images of an icon stand above all the rest. The Essential Marilyn Monroe: Milton H. Greene, 50 Sessions is sure to be a book that will become the platinum standard in photography monographs.

"Erudite, while still being fun to read." — Professor Tim Neild, physiologist and medical educator"A triumph of Social History in the Georgian period." — Dr Nigel Cooke FRCP, physician and ceramic historianThis is the first biography and reference book dedicated to Samuel Percy, a modeller who produced an impressive oeuvre of wax portraits and tableaux in the mid-to-late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Based in part on the author's own substantial collection of Percy waxes, this book follows Percy from his beginnings in Dublin, at the Dublin Society Drawing Schools, working with the famed statuary John Van Nost; to England, where he journeyed from town to town, putting advertisements in regional newspapers. These revealing advertisements have been gathered here for the first time, in order to track his travels. Whether taking the likeness of Princess Charlotte of Wales, or falling victim to a highway robber in Birmingham, these fragments of Percy's history paint a fascinating picture of his life as a wandering artisan. As well as a chronological narrative of Percy's life, this book commits an entire chapter to an area of his work that has never been studied before: his miniature tableaux. These portray various subjects, both religious and secular, from Christ on the Cross to playing children. They are catalogued in an appendix, and almost thirty are illustrated. Based entirely on original research, Mr. Percy: Portrait Modeller in Coloured Wax features over a hundred illustrations, celebrating both Percy's accomplishments and the works of other modellers for comparison.

Born out of fourteen years of collaboration with the Mansoojat Foundation, this book pays homage to Saudi Arabia's rich textile heritage. From the Labah Sadr of the Bal Harith tribe (a silver necklace decorated with coloured glass beads, often recycled from old car lights) to the resplendent jasmine headdresses worn by the Jazan, Traditional Costumes of Saudi Arabia captures the stunning scope of traditional accessories and garb. Bright colours, bold patterns, intricate detail and eye-catching designs - the beauty of Arabian textiles is undeniable. Yet many in the western world do not appreciate the extent to which costume and culture are intertwined. Each headdress, thobe and necklace is an expression of identity, incorporating Islamic, Indian, Indonesian, Malay and Chinese influences that date back to the days of the Silk Road. Preserving costumes that are no longer worn and celebrating those which remain at the heart of communities, this book provides valuable insight into the history of Saudi Arabia through the voices of its oldest inhabitants.