Collection: Art

From the author of the definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, the story of how jazz arrived at the pinnacle of American culture in 1959, told through the journey of three towering artists--Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Bill Evans--who came together to create the most iconic jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue

The myth of the '60s depends on the 1950s being the "before times" of conformity, segregation, straightness--The Lonely Crowd and The Organization Man. This all carries some truth, but it does nothing to explain how, in 1959, America's great indigenous art form, jazz, reached the height of its power and popularity, thanks to a number of Black geniuses so legendary they go by one name--Monk, Mingus, Rollins, Coltrane, and, above all, Miles. Nineteen fifty-nine saw Miles, Coltrane, Bill Evans, and more come together to record what is widely considered the greatest jazz album of all time, and certainly the bestselling: Kind of Blue.

3 Shades of Blue is James Kaplan's magnificent account of the paths of the three giants to the mountaintop of 1959 and beyond. It's a book about music, and business, and race, and heroin, and the towns that gave jazz its home, from New Orleans and New York to Kansas City, Philadelphia, Chicago, and LA. It's an astonishing meditation on creativity and the strange hothouses that can produce its full flowering. It's a book about the great forebears of this golden age, particularly Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, and the disrupters, like Ornette Coleman, who would take the music down truly new paths. And it's about why the world of jazz most people know is a museum to this never-replicated period.

But above all, 3 Shades of Blue is a book about three very different men--their struggles, their choices, their tragedies, their greatness. Bill Evans had a gruesome downward spiral; John Coltrane took the mystic's path into a space far away from mainstream concerns. Miles had three or four sea changes in him before the end. The tapestry of their lives is, in Kaplan's hands, an American odyssey with no direction home. It is also a masterpiece, a book about jazz that is as big as America.

"The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled" -- so opens John Berger's revolutionary million-copy bestseller on how to look at art

John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the Sunday Times critic commented: "This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures." By now he has.

A CCBC 2024 Choices for the Historical People, Places, and Events selection!

Perfect for fans of Hidden Figures and Mae Among the Stars! To Boldly Go tells the true story of Nichelle Nichols and how she used her platform on Star Trek to inspire and recruit a new generation of diverse astronauts and many others in the space and STEM fields.

As Lieutenant Uhura on the iconic prime-time television show Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols played the first Black female astronaut anyone had ever seen on-screen. A smart, strong, independent Black woman aboard the starship Enterprise was revolutionary in the 1960s, when only white men had traveled to outer space in real life and most Black characters on TV were servants.

Nichelle not only inspired a generation to pursue its dreams but also opened the door for the real-life pioneering astronauts Sally Ride, Dr. Mae Jemison, and more.

This empowering tribute to the trailblazing pop culture icon reminds us of the importance of perseverance and the power of representation in storytelling. You just might be inspired to boldly go where no one like you has ever gone before!

An unprecedented publication showcasing Gucci as never before, including thought-provoking essays, commentaries, and authoritative anecdotes along with previously unpublished contemporary and archival photographs. Published in conjunction with the opening of the new Gucci Museum in Florence, Gucci is the ultimate celebration of the world-renowned fashion house. Told through a loose grouping of words, concepts, shapes, and moods, the book tells its story through new conceptual forms and the free links between images, symbols, and objects. Edited by Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini, with essays and inserts by contributors including Katie Grand, Peter Arnell, Rula Jebreal, Christopher Breward and Stefano Micelli, Gucci: The Making Of is a dynamic record of a much-coveted brand that will be a must this season for anyone with a love of fashion and an interest in contemporary culture. This comprehensive volume showcases the genius of the fashion house through an exclusive lens with inside looks into the inspirations behind the design.
This gorgeous book designed by Arnell offers an in-depth look into Gucci's origins, identity, influence, and innovation, including fabrication methods and appropriation of signature materials, past and present, and its influence among high society and Hollywood. The book is a heartfelt and personalized tribute to the heritage and influence of this iconic, multifaceted brand.
In recognition of its ongoing partnership with UNICEF and the release of this luxury edition, Gucci will make a donation of US $250,000 to support UNICEF's Schools for Africa initiative.

A "compelling and impressive" (Sunday Times) reassessment of the Iliad, uncovering how the poem was written and why it remains enduringly powerful

The Iliad is the world's greatest epic poem--heroic battle and divine fate set against the Trojan War. Its beauty and profound bleakness are intensely moving, but great questions remain: Where, how, and when was it composed and why does it endure?

Robin Lane Fox addresses these questions, drawing on a lifelong love and engagement with the poem. He argues for a place, a date, and a method for its composition--subjects of ongoing controversy--combining the detailed expertise of a historian with a poetic reader's sensitivity. Lane Fox considers hallmarks of the poem; its values, implicit and explicit; its characters; its women; its gods; and even its horses.

Thousands of readers turn to the Iliad every year. Drawing on fifty years of reading and research, Lane Fox offers us a breathtaking tour of this magnificent text, revealing why the poem has endured for ages.

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Prince, one of the most iconic performers in music history.

From a young age, Prince was obsessed with music. Even though he couldn't read it, his talent--whether on piano, drums, guitar, or vocals--turned him into an icon. Combining funk, disco, soul, and almost every other genre out there, his songs are some of the best-loved all around the world. Prince knew that he didn't have to be like anyone else to be a star--and there was no one quite like Prince. This inspiring book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the music legend's life.

Little People, BIG DREAMS is a best-selling biography series for kids that explores the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

This empowering series of books offers inspiring messages to children of all ages, in a range of formats. The board books are told in simple sentences, perfect for reading aloud to babies and toddlers. The hardcover and paperback versions present expanded stories for beginning readers. With rewritten text for older children, the treasuries each bring together a multitude of dreamers in a single volume. You can also collect a selection of the books by theme in boxed gift sets. Activity books and a journal provide even more ways to make the lives of these role models accessible to children.

Inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world with Little People, BIG DREAMS!

Experience the definitive biography of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century with this eye-opening book featuring a foreword by Gabrielle Drake and over 75 photos, many rare or previously unseen.

In 1968, Nick Drake had everything to live for. The product of a loving, creative family and a privileged background, he was not only a handsome and popular Cambridge undergraduate, but also a new signing to the UK's hippest record label, Island.

Three years later, however--having made three well reviewed but low-selling albums--Nick had been overwhelmed by a mysterious mental illness. He returned to live in his family home in rural Warwickshire in 1971, and died in obscurity in 1974, aged just 26.

In the decades since, Nick has become the subject of ever-growing fascination and speculation. Combined sales of his records now stand in the millions, his songs are frequently heard on TV and in films, and he has become one of the most widely known and admired singer-songwriters of his generation.

Nick Drake: The Life is the only biography of Nick to be written with the blessing and involvement of his sister and estate. Drawing on copious original research and new interviews with his family, friends, and musical collaborators, as well as deeply personal archive material unavailable to previous writers--including his father's diaries, his essays, and private correspondence--this is the most comprehensive and authoritative account possible of Nick's short and enigmatic life.

A visual celebration of the best fantasy suites and honeymoon hotels across America and beyond, from the creators of A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour - Named a Wall Street Journal Best Gift for Travelers

In 1963, the savvy owners of the Cove Haven Resort in the Poconos unveiled their heart-shaped tub. Like Elvis Presley and Playboy magazine, it launched a postwar phenomenon that defined a new era of pop pleasure: the honeymoon hotel. Destinations across the country were soon racing to catch up, installing not just heart-shaped tubs but all types of over-the-top design flourishes, from pink shag carpeting to immersive worlds worthy of a Broadway stage set, in order to create a sense of romance, fantasy, even adventure.

​From the photographers and inveterate travelers behind the social media sensation A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour, Hotel Kitsch celebrates dozens of creative, nostalgic, one-of-a-kind hotels that span the heart of the Poconos and across the United States to Mexico, Spain, and the UK. Discover, in the middle of Iowa, a jungle room with fake trees and foliage surrounding the bed as if it had taken its cue from Where the Wild Things Are. Or Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo where the rooms are reached by scuba diving. An Arctic Cave room at a hotel in Kentucky with its carved blue walls and not a window to be found. And on the California coast, the iconic Madonna Inn featuring 110 rooms, each themed and no two alike.

Along the way, authors Margaret and Corey Bienert uncover too many wild details to mention, including unconventional beds (a Cadillac, a clamshell, a sandwich), mirrors on mirrors on mirrors, in-room swimming pools, full suits of armor, and fiber-optic star ceilings.

It's time to check into Hotel Kitsch.

Feminism has always been a complex and controversial topic, as female rock musicians know especially well. When they've stayed true to their own vision, these artists have alternately been adored as role models or denounced as bad influences. Either way, they're asked to cope with certain pressures that their male counterparts haven't faced. With each successive feminism movement since the 1960s, women in rock have been prominent proponents of progress as they've increasingly taken control of their own music, message, and image. This, in its way, is just as revolutionary as any protest demonstration.

In She's a Badass, music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor interviews twenty significant women in rock, devoting an entire chapter to each one, taking an in-depth look at the incredible talent, determination--and, often, humor--they needed to succeed in their careers (and life). Interviewees range from legendary artists through notable up-and-comers, including Ann Wilson (Heart), Gina Schock (The Go-Go's), Suzanne Vega, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Orianthi, Amanda Palmer, and more. Their experiences reveal the varied and unique challenges these women have faced, how they overcame them, and what they think still needs to be done to continue making progress on the equality front. Their stories prove that promoting feminism--either through activism or by living example--is undeniably badass.

The women interviewed for the 20 chapters are: Suzi Quatro, Ann Wilson (Heart), Exene Cervenka (X), Gina Schock (the Go-Go's), Lydia Lunch, Suzanne Vega, Cherie Currie (the Runaways), Joan Osborne, Donita Sparks (L7), Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses, the Breeders, Belly), Paula Cole, Tobi Vail (Bikini Kill), Laura Veirs, Catherine Popper, Amanda Palmer, Bonnie Bloomgarden (Death Valley Girls), Orianthi, Fefe Dobson, and Sade Sanchez (L.A. Witch).

Una biografía Little Golden Book acerca de la pintora mexicana Frida Kahlo, escrita para niños de edad preescolar.

Este Little Golden Book capta la esencia de Frida Kahlo para los más pequeños lectores. Desde como superó enfermedades, fue una de pocas niñas admitidas a su escuela en México, y alcanzó a ver sus pinturas expuestas en museos, el libro sirve de inspiración a futuros pioneros, así como a sus padres. Presenta un informativo texto e ilustraciones llenas de colorido inspiradas por el arte de Frida.

A Little Golden Book biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, written for preschoolers.

This Little Golden Book captures the essence of Frida Kahlo for the youngest readers. From overcoming illness, to being one of only a handful of girls at her school in Mexico, to having her paintings hanging in museums, this is an inspiring read for future trailblazers and their parents! Features informative text and colorful illustrations inspired by Frida's own artwork.

Look for more Little Golden Book biographies:
- Misty Copeland
- Iris Apfel
- Bob Ross
- Queen Elizabeth II
- Harriet Tubman

From the former editor in chief of House Beautiful, a vividly fresh collection of personality-filled kitchen designs and remodeling wisdom from innovators, designers, and creative thinkers

The past few years have made us all want to rethink our living spaces, particularly our kitchens. Our inner voices are saying, "You spend a lot of time in this room. Shouldn't it feel more like you?" Now it can. In Uncommon Kitchens, Sophie Donelson revolutionizes traditional kitchen design with a bevy of inventive ideas for makeovers both large and small.

The kitchen is designed unlike any other room in the house, but that doesn't mean you have to be hemmed in by tradition. Donelson takes a rule-breaking approach, mixing and layering styles, colors, furnishings, and layouts to make even well-trodden kitchens vividly fresh. Drawing on advice and up-to-the-minute projects from designers such as Frances Merrill, Jaqui Seerman, Victoria Sass, and many more, each personality-filled chapter is packed with liberating designs that will change your thinking about the tried-and-true kitchen. Learn from DIYers, Instagrammers, and design experts including Nate McBride, Justina Blakeney, and Meta Coleman. Be inspired by innovators such as MK Quinlan and James Coviello. Uncommon Kitchens is a collection of imaginative new spaces that will make you a quick DIY convert, packed with indispensable tips to help you revolutionize your kitchen.

Includes Color Photographs

For film buffs and literature lovers alike, Turner Classic Movies presents an essential guide to 52 cinema classics and the literary works that served as their inspiration.

"I love that movie!"

"But have you read the book?"

Within these pages, Turner Classic Movies offers an endlessly fascinating look at 52 beloved screen adaptations and the great reads that inspired them. Some films, like Clueless--Amy Heckerling's interpretation of Jane Austen's Emma--diverge wildly from the original source material, while others, like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, shift the point of view to craft a different experience within the same story. Author Kristen Lopez explores just what makes these works classics of both the page and screen, and why each made for an exceptional adaptation--whether faithful to the book or exemplifying cinematic creative license.

Other featured works include:
Children of Men - The Color Purple - Crazy Rich Asians - Dr. No - Dune - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Kiss Me Deadly - The Last Picture Show - Little Women - Passing - The Princess Bride - The Shining - The Thin Man - True Grit - Valley of the Dolls - The Virgin Suicides - Wuthering Heights

Remarkable new discoveries affirm the octopus as one of nature's most intelligent and complex animals.

This new book--written by the beloved author of the international bestseller The Soul of an Octopus and enhanced with vivid National Geographic photography--brings us closer than ever to these elusive creatures.

The companion to the highly-anticipated National Geographic television special, this beautifully illustrated book explores the alluring underwater world of the octopus--a creature that resembles an alien lifeform, but whose behavior has earned it a reputation as one of the most intelligent animals on the planet.

This magical journey into the world of the octopus will reveal how the large and capable brain of these creatures occupies their whole body-not just their heads--and they can actually adjust their genetic makeup to respond to the demands of the environment. It will allow readers to watch them change shape and color in order to camouflage themselves more effectively than any other species. And it will divulge how octopus mothers give their all in order to bring forth a new generation.

With this offering, acclaimed author Sy Montgomery--known, thanks to her bestselling book, as the "octopus whisperer"--returns to the species she knows and loves, offering current and compassionate stories about the scientists on the front lines of octopus research and conservation.

For all animal lovers--and especially those drawn to this magical marine being--this will be a book to relish, for both its fascinating imagery and its charming storytelling.

Forty years of catwalk photography featuring seventy groundbreaking collections from the inimitable Vivienne Westwood--over 1,000 looks as they originally appeared in Westwood's iconic shows

"The only reason I'm in fashion is to destroy the word 'conformity, '" Vivienne Westwood (b. 1941) declared early in her career. With her provocative synthesis of historic British fashion, classic painting aesthetics, and punk culture, the British designer has continuously revolutionized the fashion industry since her first catwalk collection, "Pirate," debuted in 1981.

Opening with a concise history of the house and brief biographical profiles of Westwood and her longtime collaborator Andreas Kronthaler, this spectacular volume--the seventh in the celebrated Catwalk series--documents all of Westwood's catwalk collections from 1981 to today. Short texts illuminating each collection's highlights and influences are accompanied by carefully curated catwalk photographs showcasing hundreds of clothing ensembles, accessories, beauty looks, and set designs, along with the top fashion models who walked the runway, including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. With an extensive reference section, this lavishly illustrated volume provides unrivalled insight into one of the most thought-provoking and influential fashion designers in the world.

Inside the making of one of the biggest-selling albums of all time: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours

Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 Rumours album topped the Billboard 200 for thirty-one weeks and won the Album of the Year Grammy. More recently, Rolling Stone named it the twenty-fifth greatest album of all time and the hit TV series Glee devoted an entire episode to songs from Rumours, introducing it to a new generation. Now, for the first time, Ken Caillat, the album's co-producer, tells the full story of what really went into making Rumours--from the endless partying and relationship dramas to the creative struggles to write and record "You Make Loving Fun," "Don't Stop," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain," and other timeless tracks.

• Tells the fascinating, behind-the-music story of the making of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, written by the producer who saw it all happen
• Filled with new and surprising details, such as Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's screaming match while recording "You Make Loving Fun," how the band coped with the pressures of increasing success, how the master tape nearly disintegrated, and the incredible attention paid to even the tiniest elements of songs, from Lindsey playing a chair to Mick breaking glass
• Includes eighty black-and-white photographs

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"I will be reading and rereading Woke Up This Morning....These rollicking gabfests... bring together nearly everyone, on screen and off, who made the series a creative and cultural landmark. The freely offered admiration expressed by so many for their missing comrade and unofficial cast captain, Gandolfini, makes these stories about playing tough guys all the more tender." --New York Times

"Essential for fans, with a revelation on every page." --Kirkus Reviews

"A spectacular tell-all...the ultimate book on The Sopranos, made by the people who lived it." --Publishers Weekly

Expanding on their hit Talking Sopranos podcast with exclusive interviews for the book with the cast, crew, producers, writers, directors and creators, stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa deliver the definitive oral history of the landmark television series and streaming hit The Sopranos. Packed with untold stories from behind the scenes and on the set, they're spilling all the secrets.

Who made the phone call that got HBO to launch The Sopranos? What's the significance of all those eggs? And, what the hell ever happened to the Russian? Michael Imperioli, Steve Schirripa, and the entire cast and crew of The Sopranos have all the answers--and they're revealing where all the bodies are buried.

Inspired by the incredibly successful Talking Sopranos podcast, The Sopranos stars Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri) finally reveal all the Soprano family secrets in a surprising, funny, and honest new book. Woke Up This Morning is the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the groundbreaking HBO series that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon, ushered in a new Golden Age of Television, and to this day continues to be one of the most binged shows of all time.

Michael and Steve tell all the incredible stories that The Sopranos fans have been waiting to hear for over twenty years. The book covers the entire history of The Sopranos series from the original concept pitch and casting to the infamous cut to black--and answer many of the thousands of fan questions sent to the podcast, as well as dispel some widely propagated myths and reveal things no one outside the show would even know to ask.