Art & Photography

For centuries carved writings and artworks in churches lay largely unnoticed. So archaeologist Matthew Champion started a nationwide (read more)

For centuries carved writings and artworks in churches lay largely unnoticed. So archaeologist Matthew Champion started a nationwide survey to gather the best examples. In this book he shines a spotlight on a forgotten world of ships, prayers for good fortune, satirical cartoons, charms, curses, windmills, word puzzles, architectural plans and heraldic designs.

Drawing on examples from surviving medieval churches in England, the author gives a voice to the secret graffiti artists: from the lord of the manor and the parish priest to the people who built the church itself. Here are strange medieval beasts, knights battling unseen dragons, ships sailing across lime-washed oceans and demons who stalk the walls. Latin prayers for the dead jostle with medieval curses, builders accounts and slanderous comments concerning a long-dead archdeacon.
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Celebrate 90 years since the birth of Disney's most iconic creation with this Welcome to the Museum style collection, showcasing (read more)

Celebrate 90 years since the birth of Disney's most iconic creation with this Welcome to the Museum style collection, showcasing Mickey's progression through art styles from his very first appearance to the present day. The Mickey Mouse Museum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. This stunningly curated collection includes rarely-seen artwork from the Disney archives, from concept sketches to final drawings. (hide)

In 1971, as her groundbreaking album Blue emerged as a singular commercial and critical success around the world, Joni Mitchell puzzled (read more)

In 1971, as her groundbreaking album Blue emerged as a singular commercial and critical success around the world, Joni Mitchell puzzled over what gift to give her friends that Christmas. The result was a handmade book, with only one hundred copies produced, filled with Joni's hand-written lyrics and reproductions of many of her stunning drawings - portraits, abstracts, random concertgoers, and more. Each was given to a friend and, until now, the edition has remained private. (hide)

The Museum of Photography in Krakow was created over 30 years ago and is the only public institution of its kind in Poland. The collection (read more)

The Museum of Photography in Krakow was created over 30 years ago and is the only public institution of its kind in Poland. The collection covers almost the entire history of photography, from its invention to contemporary times. It comprises almost 70,000 items, from positive prints, negatives and examples of fine art photographic techniques and systems, to darkroom and cinematic equipment.

Journalistic, studio, artistic, documentary, technical and amateur photography - all of these genres are represented within the museum's diverse collection. Visitors can explore the work of celebrated photographers who have made great contributions to the development of Polish photography, as well as that of many lesser-known craft photographers and anonymous artists who used photography either as a means of individual expression, a work tool, or a method of documenting their personal history. (hide)

David Gentleman has lived in London for almost seventy years, most of it on the same street. This book is a record of a lifetime (read more)

David Gentleman has lived in London for almost seventy years, most of it on the same street. This book is a record of a lifetime spent observing, drawing and getting to know the city, bringing together work from across his whole career, from his earliest sketches to watercolours painted just a few months ago. Here is London as it was, and as it is today: the Thames, Hampstead Heath; the streets, canals, markets and people of his home of Camden Town; and at the heart of it all, his studio and the tools of his work.
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Photographers around the world admire Tim Fitzharris for his creative eye and technical expertise. His readers have purchased nearly (read more)

Photographers around the world admire Tim Fitzharris for his creative eye and technical expertise. His readers have purchased nearly 200,000 copies of his photography guides. This updated edition of the classic guide has 30 new pages with new photographs and Tim's expert guidance on such topics as setting white balance, sharpness, LCD monitors, and the digital workflow.

Tim gives step-by-step instructions and uses pictograms and before-and-after comparisons to provide a complete course in capturing a landscape's natural beauty. He reveals the foolproof techniques he has developed over decades of fieldwork in a wide variety of settings. Outstanding examples of his photography highlight detailed information on the equipment, exposure, film, shutter speed and filters used.*****Stocked 22 March 2012***** (hide)

Shot with ultra-high definition cameras, this book of amazing photographs showcases a period of unusually high solar activity in (read more)

Shot with ultra-high definition cameras, this book of amazing photographs showcases a period of unusually high solar activity in the Northern Lights. The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, put on remarkable shows of light and motion in high latitudes - Alaska being the perfect place to see them. These new photos take full advantage of the latest advances in photographic technology and especially active solar storms of the past several years that cause the lights.

With 160 images that have never been collected in book form, we are witnessing the interaction of charged particles in the earth's atmosphere clash with electrons and protons released by the sun. Photographers Calvin Hall and Daryl Pederson are dedicated aurora borealis hunters, enduring frigid nights in remote locations to get the best shots. The results are amazing. (hide)

Daniel Meadows is a pioneer of contemporary British documentary practice. His photographs and audio recordings, made over forty-five (read more)

Daniel Meadows is a pioneer of contemporary British documentary practice. His photographs and audio recordings, made over forty-five years, capture the life of England's `great ordinary'. Challenging the status quo by working collaboratively, he has fashioned from his many encounters a nation's story both magical and familiar.

This book includes important work from Meadows' ground-breaking projects, drawing on the archives now held at the Bodleian Library. Fiercely independent, Meadows devised many of his creative processes: he ran a free portrait studio in Manchester's Moss Side in 1972, then travelled 10,000 miles making a national portrait from his converted double-decker the Free Photographic Omnibus, a project he revisited a quarter of a century later. At the turn of the millennium he adopted new `kitchen table' technologies to make digital stories: `multimedia sonnets from the people', as he called them. (hide)

Oil paint is such a responsive and versatile medium that no two painters need use it in exactly the same way, and since its invention (read more)

Oil paint is such a responsive and versatile medium that no two painters need use it in exactly the same way, and since its invention in Renaissance times it has never lost its popularity with artists. Amateurs also find it appealing, both because it is enjoyable to use and because mistakes can be so easily rectified. This compact book explains all the materials, techniques and different approaches to painting with oils.

Step-by-step sequences show how to paint a range of themes, from still life to portraits and landscapes, with advice on more difficult subjects. There are also suggestions for presenting your finished paintings and how to go about getting your work seen and exhibited. (hide)

Experience wonder and excitement as you mindfully take your painting technique to the next level: It's Paint Alchemy. Part of the (read more)

Experience wonder and excitement as you mindfully take your painting technique to the next level: It's Paint Alchemy. Part of the new Alchemy series, Paint Alchemy explores how to build a painting practice. Whether you're a novice or an experienced painter, you'll learn how to create freely by combining a foundation in solid techniques and design principles with an open approach that stays focused on the moment, rather than the end result. (hide)