Non-fiction

The allure of colour is undeniable, but its wholesale use in product design is a relatively recent development. Perhaps more than any other object, the Eames Chairs of the 1950s symbolise the cultural intersection of design, technology and colour that continues to influence designers to this day. Suddenly, post WWII, pigment-imbued moulded fibreglass allowed buyers to express their individuality through coloured seating, forever changing the way we think about furniture. From the pale blue An...

The political leaders, writers, artists and philosophers of ancient Greece turned a small group of city states into a pan-Mediterranean civilization, whose legacy can be found everywhere today. But who were these people, what do we know of their lives and how did they interact with one another? In this original new approach to telling the Greek story, David Stuttard weaves together the lives of fifty movers and shakers of the Greek world into a continuous, chronologically organized narrative,...

Illustrated by Rose Blake Following on from the success of the award-winning A History of Pictures for Children comes this introduction to the history of music that takes children on a musical journey around the world. Readers will meet along the way a diverse cast of composers, musicians and performers who all make music in different ways in a variety of different genres, from Bach to Billie Eilish, Mozart to Miriam Makeba. Why do we make music? Which instruments make up a classical orchestr...

Informed and energized by a lifetime of painting, drawing and making images with cameras, David Hockney, in collaboration with the art critic Martin Gayford, explores how and why pictures have been made across the millennia. What makes marks on a flat surface interesting? How do you show movement in a still picture, and how, conversely, do films and television connect with old masters? Juxtaposing a rich variety of images - a still from a Disney cartoon with a Japanese woodblock print by Hiro...

A History of Pictures for Children takes readers on a journey through art history, from early art drawn on cave walls to the images we make today on our computers and phone cameras. Based on the bestselling book for adults, this children's edition of A History of Pictures is told through conversations between the artist David Hockney and the author Martin Gayford, who talk about art with inspiring simplicity and clarity. Rose Blake's illustrations illuminate the narratives of both authors to ...

For nearly thirty years, during which it has been continuously in print, Jeffrey Russell's A History of Witchcraft has been the one authoritative concise illustrated history of witchcraft. Now, in collaboration with Brooks Alexander, this classic book has been fully revised with additional chapters accompanied by new illustrations. It now includes an analysis of the importance of the Internet and films in the dissemination of witchcraft today, and the potential tensions as a movement that was...

A Shakespearean Motley is a delightful cabinet of Shakespearean curiosities, arranged in a straightforward alphabetical order, that will inform, enthuse, intrigue and amuse anyone who would like to know more about the richly varied and versatile life and work of the world's best-known author. Drawing unusual connections, this ingenious guide will show you what Hamlet's Ophelia has to do with The Tempest, Twelfth Night and Ships; how a stage direction speaks to Elizabethan treatment of bears. ...

In the last few decades, the world of contemporary art has become more globalized and visible than ever before. And yet this world has long been perceived as closed and obscure, provoking in the uninitiated a range of responses from reverence to bafflement and rage. Taking the reader on a cross-continental journey through a notional calendar year in the field of art, Matthew Israel lifts the veil on a world that emerges from his narrative as diverse, adventurous, nuanced and meaningful to all...

Illustrated by Robbie Polley Gothic, Romanesque, Modernist, Metabolist... The variety of styles through architectural history can be bewildering. Whether it be a Gothic crocket or a simple Modernist join, this book illustrates all the key architectural styles from around the world using beautiful, specially commissioned drawings to identify key features and details. It begins with the earliest styles of the ancient civilizations - Egypt, Greece and Rome - before travelling through Medieval, R...

Why does archaeology matter? How does studying prehistory help us understand climate change? How can archaeological discoveries challenge contemporary assumptions about gender? How has archaeology been used and misused to support political and nationalist agendas - and how can it help build a more diverse and inclusive picture of our world by examining the people left out of written history? Brian Fagan and Nadia Durrani address these and other questions, exploring how archaeology's long-term...

When Marwa al-Sabouni published Battle for Home in 2016, she was a little-known architect, living in battle-ravaged Homs, Syria, unable to practice her profession. She turned her fierce intelligence to chronicling how her city and country were undone through decades of architectural mismanagement and mistakes. Once published, Marwa al-Sabouni’s book and story attracted the attention of international media―CNN, The New York Times―and received critical acclaim worldwide. The United Nations call...

The expansion of capitalism and neoliberal ideologies have delivered economic integration between countries and brought global inter-connectedness to individuals. So why do so many people now feel that they are ‘citizens of nowhere’, disparaged by the ‘cosmopolitan elites’? Has democracy and the power of nation states been irredeemably weakened by unfettered global finance, opaque forms of global governance, and the power of transnational corporations? Can the huge rise in social and economic...

Arguably the most famous perfume in the world – most memorably endorsed by Marilyn Monroe – Chanel N°5 continues to fascinate and claims millions of devotees around the world. Created in 1921 by Coco Chanel, the perfume was one of the first to use synthetics. To complement her pioneering fashion, Chanel wanted to give the modern woman ‘a perfume, but an artificial perfume...not rose or lily of the valley...a perfume that is compound’, presented in a distinctively pared-back glass bottle that ...

PHUNK is a contemporary art and design collective based in Singapore. Founded in 1994 by Alvin Tan, Melvin Chee, Jackson Tan and William Chan when they were students at Lasalle College of the Arts, they developed a novel approach to collective art-making based on the collaborative aesthetic of a rock-and-roll band and informed by a shared interest in urban subcultures. They have exhibited widely and collaborated with artists, designers and international brands, producing work across a broad r...

This latest instalment in The Illustrators on Dutch artist Dick Bruna (1927-2017) takes readers behind the scenes of the creation of some of the world's most endearing children's characters. Offering a deeper appreciation of the artistry and skills behind the international icon Miffy, fellow illustrator Bruce Ingman also reveals Bruna's lesser-known work, including his striking book and poster designs. A glimpse into his studio in Utrecht reveals a man of many media, including drawing, painti...

Even with the current rise in awareness of sexual and intimate diversity, monogamous relationships remain the cultural norm. Most people aspire to it and the state encourages it, providing legal and financial benefits to married couples; however, statistics show adultery is commonplace, marriage rates are falling, and divorce figures are rising. Does Monogamy Work? - the twelfth book in The Big Idea series - traces the evolution and normalization of the monogamous ideal, questioning whether i...

For centuries the beguiling ancient ruins of Egypt have provided an endless source of fascination for explorers, antiquarians, treasure hunters and archaeologists. All, from the very earliest travellers, were entranced by the beauty and majesty of the landscape: the remains of tombs cut into the natural rock of hillsides and the temples and cities gently consumed by drift sand. These early adventurers were gripped by the urge to capture what they had seen in writings, sketches, paintings and ...

Since earliest times food has encompassed so much more than just what we eat – whole societies can be revealed and analysed by their cuisine. In this wide-ranging book, leading historians from Europe and America piece together from a myriad of sources the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present, and the pleasures of dining. Ten chapters cover the food and taste of the hunter-gatherers and first farmers of Prehistory; the rich Mediterranean cultures of Ancient Greec...

Artists, martyrs, kings, revolutionaries: France’s dramatic history fascinates the world and attracts millions each year to visit its chateaux and cathedrals, boulevards and vineyards. Jeremy Black succinctly narrates how France’s past has created its distinct character and powerful artistic, intellectual and political influence across the globe. France has an incomparable cultural legacy: from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the origins of Gothic architecture, from Monet and Degas to the Lu...

Throughout history, intrepid men and women have related their experiences and perceptions of the world's great cities to bring them alive to those at home. The thirty-eight cities covered in this entertaining anthology of travellers' tales are spread over six continents, ranging from Beijing to Berlin, Cairo to Chicago, Lhasa to London, St Petersburg to Sydney and Rio to Rome. This volume features commentators across the millennia, including the great travellers of ancient times, such as Stra...

How do writers and citizens in the different countries of the world view their own past? What key events and influences shaped those perspectives? And how accurate are the views of foreign commentators? Here, leading writers and scholars from twenty-eight countries give thoughtful, engaging accounts of their own nation's history. Their diverse and wide-ranging narratives offer a unique lens through which to view the modern world.Paperback: 272 PagesProduct Dimensions: 129 x 198 mmISBN: 978050...

In 1814, the great Japanese artist and printmaker Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) published the first volume of a handbook of his sketches: Hokusai Manga. Originally designed as a reference for his students to emulate, it surpassed all expectations and became a bestseller, eventually expanding to 15 volumes and over 4,000 images. This three-volume edition is an extensive selection of Hokusai’s sketches, which present all the themes, motifs and techniques found in his art. Although they are not...

In February 1747, Selima the tabby fell into a Chinese porcelain tub in Walpole's Mayfair house and never returned to dry land. The poem by Thomas Gray, 'Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Gold-fishes', was written as her epitaph. Here is the true history of the event, and a look at the sparking social and cultural life of the period. The book is beautifully illustrated with Richard Bentley's original series of designs for the poem, William Blake's wonderful watercolours...

Is there no escape from an economy that devours nature in the name of endless growth? John Thackara's answer is a rousing 'yes, there is!' Drawing on a lifetime of travel in search of real-world alternatives that work, he describes in this book how communities the world over are creating a replacement economy from the ground up. Each chapter is devoted to the creative ways people in diverse contexts tackle timeless needs. From Bali to Brazil, as well as Delhi, London, and California, Thackara...

Throughout its long history, India has signified many things. To pilgrims from ancient China, India was the birthplace of the Buddha. To Alexander the Great, it was a land of philosophers and armies mounted on elephants. To ancient Rome, it was a source of luxuries. At the height of the Mughal Empire in 1700, India meant wealth, boasting nearly 25 percent of the world economy, but then, under British rule, its economy declined. India's identity continued changing in the nineteenth century as ...

Only four countries around the world do not currently define themselves as democracies. But many more do not fulfil the four basic requirements of democracy: free and fair elections, active participation of citizens in politics, protection of human rights, and the rule of law. Since 2015, far-right and populist politicians have been on the rise throughout the West. Is populism the new face of democracy? Is democracy simply the will of the people? Can any existing government claim to be truly ...

When we are born, we are each assigned a gender based on our physical anatomy. But why is it that some people experience such dissonance between their biological sex and their inner identity? Is gender something we are or something we do? Is our expression of gender inborn or does it develop as we grow? Are the traditional binary male and female gender roles relevant in an increasingly fluid and flexible world? This intelligent, stimulating volume assesses the connections between gender, psyc...

Modern medicine is exceptionally powerful, and has achieved unprecedented successes. But it comes at a price; individuals suffer from medicine's failures, and the economic costs of medicine are now stratospheric. Have we got the balance wrong? Is Medicine Still Good For Us? sets out the facts about our medical establishments in a clear, engaging style, interrogating the ethics of modern practices and the impact they have on all our lives.Paperback: 144 pagesProduct Dimensions: 152 x 229 mmISB...

Religious thinkers, political leaders, law-makers, writers and philosophers have shaped the 1,400-year-long development of the world's second-largest religion. But who were these people? What do we know of their lives, and the ways in which they influenced their societies? In Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives, the distinguished historian of Islam Chase F. Robinson draws on the long tradition in Muslim scholarship of commemorating in writing the biographies of notable figures, but weaves th...

Over the course of a career spanning more than fifty years, Seattle-based architect Jim Olson, of Olson Kundig, has made his name designing a broad range of buildings that sensitively respond to their environment. Initially drawing from his close connection to the nature and culture of the Pacific Northwest, he has attracted an international reputation for designing houses for art collectors around the world. Considered together, his buildings reveal an exceptional interplay between art, ligh...

An overview of the life and work of much-loved children's illustrator and author Judith Kerr, creator of classics such as The Tiger Who Came to Tea, and Mog. A thoughtful and intimate portrait, this book is not only a celebration of Judith Kerr's classic work, but a record of the hard work, development and serious intent behind it. Referencing Kerr's biographical novels, Joanna Carey introduces us to the illustrator as she goes about her daily life, showing us into her studio, exploring her m...

While almost everybody knows Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline, the fact that the illustrator published over forty other titles remains a well-kept secret. The first title in Thames & Hudson's brand-new series, this book offers a visually rich insight into the life and work of this important artist and writer. Ludwig Bemelmans grew up under the Austro-Hungarian empire and emigrated to the United States in his late teens, just escaping the outbreak of the First World War. His illustrations for th...

The livre d'artiste, or 'artist's book', is among the most prized in rare book collections. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was one of the greatest artists to work in this genre, creating his most important books over a period of eighteen years from 1932 to 1950 - a time of personal upheaval and physical suffering, as well as conflict and occupation for France. Brimming with powerful themes and imagery, these works are crucial to an understanding of Matisse's oeuvre, yet much of their content has n...

Edited by Justin Zhuang During a career spanning over three decades, award-winning architect Mok Wei Wei has designed numerous large- and small-scale projects in Singapore with his practice W Architects. From apartment complexes and museums to houses and community centres, each project reveals the architect's key inspirations and ingenious solutions to the challenges of building in the tropical city-stage. The works are presented in three themed chapters - Refract, Respond, Reflect - and move...

It was around Kengo Kuma's tenth birthday that he came into contact with Kenzo Tange's fishlike Yoyogi National Gymnasium, completed for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and determined that he would become an architect. In the intervening five or so decades, he has become one of the world's most fascinating and influential architects. His design of the National Stadium for the Tokyo Olympics provides a poetic circularity to his career as an architect, and an opportunity for him to reflect on his own ...

First published in 1814 and expanded in 1821 - long before the era of colour photography or print - Syme's edition of Werner's Nomenclature of Colours attempted to establish a universal colour reference system to help identify, classify and represent species from the natural world. Werner's set of 54 colour standards was enhanced by Patrick Syme with the addition of colour swatches and further references from nature, taking the total number of hues classified to 110. The resulting resource pr...

Pilgrimage, a global ritual embraced by all faiths, is one of the most enduring traits in our human story. In this compelling history Peter Stanford reflects on the reasons people have walked along the same sacred paths across the ages. How do the experiences of the first pilgrims to Jerusalem, Mecca and Santiago de Compostela compare to the millions of people who embark upon life-changing physical and spiritual journeys today? And why do we still feel compelled to walk, stop and think about ...

Humanity has always been struck by pestilence and pandemics, from the plagues of ancient Egypt to the pox that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages, to Covid-19. People living through the crises have always recorded what they saw, what they felt, and what they did. Some presented sober facts laced with anecdote, while others produced emotional outpourings; moralists speculated on the origins of the horror, poets distilled the suffering. Doctors described how they were able to advance their under...

Paper Engineering by Olivier CharbonnelIllustrated by Annabelle Buxton Open this book and discover the dazzling magic of the moon! Find out where it came from, why it seems to change shape, how its power affects the earth, and what causes an eclipse. Shoot into space with the Saturn V rocket and travel back in time to join the first men on the moon... Hardback: 18 PagesProduct Dimensions: 230 x 300 mmISBN: 9780500651865 Published by Thames & Hudson

Paper Engineering by Bernard DuisitIllustrated by Tom Vaillant Open this book and step into the fiery world of volcanoes! Find out why they erupt, what scientists can learn from them and which animals call them home. Explore volcanoes at the bottom of the sea, gaze upon the volcanoes of Mars, and travel back in time to find out what happened to the city of Pompeii... Hardback: 22 PagesProduct Dimensions: 230 x 300 mmISBN: 9780500652220 Published by Thames & Hudson

Illustrator Posy Simmonds is known for her extraordinarily precise drawings, keen powers of observation, and sharp but well-tempered wit, all of which have made her an internationally renowned artist. This generously illustrated book examines Simmonds's life and work from early childhood to the present day, offering insights into her creative process. Paul Gravett has had unprecedented access to her archive and includes pages from her sketchbooks as well as rare or never-before-seen artwork. ...

Raymond Briggs has changed the face of children's picture books, with his innovations of both form and subject. Stylistically versatile, he has illustrated some sixty books, twenty of them with his own text, and first became a household name in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a handful of books - Father Christmas, Fungus the Bogeyman, The Snowman, When the Wind Blows - that were entertaining and subversive and appealed to both children and adults. The refrains of his work are class, famil...

Like every era, the Renaissance brims with stories. In this book, Robert Davis and Beth Lindsmith highlight dozens of notable lives from between 1400 and 1600. They bring to life wily politicians, eccentric scientists, fiery rebels and stolid reactionaries, as well as a pornographer, an acrobat, an actress, a poetic prostitute, a star comedian and a least one very fretful mother. Some names--Leonardo, Luther, Medici and Machiavelli--are famous, but many others will be new to general readers. ...

Revolutions hold a distinct place in the popular imagination. This may be because their rhetoric, such as 'liberty, fraternity, equality', articulates aspirations with which we identify; or because we are shocked by the destructive forces unleashed when social conventions break down. Yet each revolution is unique - a product of its time, its society, its people - and the outcomes vary dramatically, from liberal reform to cruel dictatorship. Twenty-four leading historians, each writing about t...

Bringing the story of Scotland up to date, this revised fifth edition of Fitzroy Maclean’s classic work includes additional chapters by distinguished journalist Magnus Linklater. Linklater examines how the new Scottish parliament has fared and discusses significant events, such as devolution and the transfer of taxation rights from Westminster, the release of the Lockerbie bomber, and the fallout from the 2008 global financial crash. This edition also touches on the independence referendum, t...

How did our universe come to exist? Why do stars shine? Is there life beyond the Earth? For millennia, humans have looked to the celestial sphere to explain the cosmos, first recording the movements of the Moon 25,000 years ago. Since the Enlightenment and the dawn of the space age, scientists have been unravelling cosmic mysteries, and raising astonishing new questions for future generations to answer. Today we live in an age of unprecedented astronomical revelation, from the discovery of wa...

When Ralph Waldo Emerson published what is probably his most famous essay in 1841, drawing from a lecture he had given a few years earlier, it was in the aftermath of the calamitous financial collapse of 1837. His positive vision for the power of individualism and personal responsibility was issued in a climate filled with panic and uncertainty and at a time when the values of society and humanity were in the process of being reformed. It is less than once in a generation that events reshape ...

In this wide-ranging, thought-provoking and sometimes provocative new book, leading sculptor Antony Gormley, informed and energised by a lifetime of making, and art critic and historian Martin Gayford, explore sculpture as a transnational art form with its own compelling history. The authors' lively conversations and explorations make unexpected connections across time and media. Sculpture has been practised by every culture throughout the world and stretches back into our distant past. The f...