The Museum Ludwig’s handbook of photography in the 20th century The history of photography began nearly 200 years ago, but only relatively recently has it been fully recognized as a medium in its own right. Cologne’s Museum Ludwig was the first museum of contemporary art to devote a substantial section to international photography. The L. Fritz Gruber collection, from which…
A Chronology of Photography presents a fresh perspective on the medium by taking a purely chronological approach to its history, tracing the complex links between technological innovations, social change and artistic interventions. Structured around a central timeline that charts the development of photography from early experiments with optics right up to the present-day explosion of digital media, it features sumptuous…
George Eastman's career developed in a particularly American way. The founder of Kodak progressed from a delivery boy to one of the most important industrialists in American history, and a crucial innovator in photographic history. Eastman died in 1932, and left his house to the University of Rochester. Since 1949 the site has operated as an international museum of photography…
Chuck Palahniuk showed himself to be his generation’s most visionary satirist in this, his first book. Fight Club’s estranged narrator leaves his lackluster job when he comes under the thrall of Tyler Durden, an enigmatic young man who holds secret after-hours boxing matches in the basement of bars. There, two men fight "as long as they have to." This is…
Reducing energy use is the single biggest challenge facing architecture today. From the humblest prehistoric hut to the imposing monuments of Rome or Egypt to super-connected modern airports, buildings in every era and place have been shaped by the energy available for their construction and running. This original and compelling survey tells the story of our buildings from our hunter-gatherer…
One of the last surviving members of the futurist generation, Bruno Munari's Design as Art is an illustrated journey into the artistic possibilities of modern design translated by Patrick Creagh published as part of the 'Penguin on Design' series in Penguin Modern Classics. 'The designer of today re-establishes the long-lost contact between art and the public, between living people and…
Steven Heller, the world's foremost graphic-design commentator, and Lita Talarico, design educator, open up designers' personal sketchbooks to provide an intimate look at the creative processes behind typefaces, word-images and logos. Arranged alphabetically by name, the world's most exciting designers and typographers, including Philippe Apeloig, Ed Benguiat, Hoefler Type Foundry, Henrik Kubel, Toshi Omagari and Francesco Zorzi, present a staggering…
Chuck Palahniuk showed himself to be his generation’s most visionary satirist in this, his first book. Fight Club’s estranged narrator leaves his lackluster job when he comes under the thrall of Tyler Durden, an enigmatic young man who holds secret after-hours boxing matches in the basement of bars. There, two men fight "as long as they have to." This is…
The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music, manners and the modes of a rainy island that had recently fallen on hard times. The resulting fusion of American can-do and British fuck-you…
Our towns and cities are saturated with the imagery of commerce and advertising, but alongside it a new creative phenomenon is demanding our attention: art, on the street, available for everyone to see. Banksy, Blek le Rat, Os Gêmeos and JR are just some of the major practitioners whose works are showcased in this book. From huge murals to exquisite…
Discover more than 500 of the most innovative, influential, and enduring products from the last five centuries in this revised and expanded, compact edition Take an extraordinary journey through the objects that have improved our functionality, shaping our society and culture today. The Design Book presents iconic pieces by Le Corbusier, Philippe Starck, the Eames, and Apple, alongside classic objects…
Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in the internationally acclaimed masterpiece by the world renowned physicist - generally considered to have been one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from…
Until the twentieth century, art history was, in the main, written by white men who tended to write about other white men. The idea that women in the West have always made art was rarely cited as a possibility. Yet they have – and, of course, continue to do so – often against tremendous odds, from laws and religion to…
Through ancient wonders, world capitals, and tiny places with infectious personalities, Europe packs some serious travel punches. The world’s second-smallest continent makes up for size with its intricate cultures and abundant charms, boasting artistic masterpieces and architectural marvels as much as natural splendor. With 130 expert itineraries from The New York Times’s popular 36 Hours column, this updated and revised…
Salvador Dalí is one of the most popular artists in the world, known for his lavish lifestyle, gravity-defying moustache, and bizarre art. This book tells the story of Dalí’s life and explores the meaning of his Surrealist paintings. It goes beyond his fine art practice and discusses his venture into the commercial world from his extravagant jewelry to his cheeky…
Belgian artist René Magritte’s biography is a key element of his art. His life is infused with bizarre moments: a surreal journey oscillating between fact and fiction that he always conducted as the straight-faced bowler-hatted man. The events of Magritte’s childhood played an important part in creating the surrealist, but it was his popular culture borrowings from crime fiction, advertising…
In the history of twentieth century modernism, Henri Matisse is a calm and unstoppable revolution of creative genius. Trained originally in the French classical manner, he was inspired by the Impressionists and Cézanne to create in a style that brought out the beauty of colour, form and line by reducing them to their essentials. While considered a leader of the…
In 1956 Time magazine referred to Pollock as ‘Jack the Dripper’. His iconic paintings stretch out with the generosity and scale of the landscape of America’s West where the artist grew up. Pollock said that he painted ‘out of his consciousness’: the cathartic dribbled paint reflected his troubled mind. This book traces Pollock’s career and discusses how his loose, individual…
Bowie has been written about in just about every conceivable way - but never quite like this. Tracing the star's encounters with fellow icons, We Could Be offers a new history of Bowie, collecting hundreds of short stories that together paint a portrait of humor, humility, compassion, tragedy and more. He embarrasses himself in front of Lennon and Warhol. He…
Arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music,’ says Jimi Hendrix’s citation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. James Marshall Hendrix remains unique as an African American who broke out of the traditional ‘Black’ genres of blues, r&b and soul to play hard rock to an overwhelmingly white audience, almost single-handedly creating what became known as…
Trans people in Britain today have become a culture war 'issue'. Despite making up less than one per cent of the country's population, they are the subjects of a toxic and increasingly polarized 'debate' which generates reliable controversy for newspapers and talk shows. This media frenzy conceals a simple fact: that we are having the wrong conversation, a conversation in…
In over a year of on-the-ground reportage, Washington Post writer Wesley Lowery traveled across the US to uncover life inside the most heavily policed, if otherwise neglected, corners of America today. In an effort to grasp the scale of the response to Michael Brown's death and understand the magnitude of the problem police violence represents, Lowery conducted hundreds of interviews…
