This is a `new` Tove Jansson, published for the first time in English. Tales of obsession & ambition are revealed & sparkle `like buried treasure`. An elderly caretaker at a large outdoor exhibition, called Art in Nature, finds that a couple have lingered on to bicker about the value of a picture; he has a surprising suggestion that will resolve both their row & his own ambivalence about the art market. A draughtsman`s obsession with drawing locomotives provides a dark twist to a love story. A cartoonist takes over the work of a colleague who has suffered a nervous breakdown only to discover that his own sanity is in danger. In these witty, sharp, often disquieting stories, Tove Jansson reveals the fault-lines in our relationship with art, both as artists & as consumers. Obsession, ambition, & the discouragement of critics are all brought into focus in these wise & cautionary tales. ...

An illustrated treasury of the art from Pompeii & Herculaneum, this charming gift book displays the range of fascinating objects that were created by the skilled hands of accomplished classical craftsmen. A short introduction to each section provides enlightening information which helps to place these beautifully produced artworks in their historical & artistic context. With stunning details of frescoes, mosaics, sculpture, jewellery, glass & silverware, this little book provides an enchanting taste of the variety of art from these two cities. ...

With a freshness & breadth of approach that sets the art in its context, this book explores why works were created & who commissioned the palaces, cathedrals, paintings, & sculptures. It covers Rome & Florence, Venice & the Veneto, Assisi, Siena, Milan, Pavia, Genoa, Padua, Mantua, Verona, Ferrara, Urbino, & Naples. Chapters are grouped into four chronological parts, allowing for a sustained examination of individual cities in different periods. Contemporary Scene boxes provide fascinating glimpses of daily life & Contemporary Voice boxes"e from painters & writers of the time. Innovative & scholarly, yet accessible & beautifully presented, this book is a definitive work on the Italian Renaissance. ...

London. A snowy December, 1888. Sherlock Holmes, 34, is languishing & back on cocaine after a disastrous Ripper investigation. Watson can neither comfort nor rouse his friend
- until a strangely encoded letter arrives from Paris. Mlle La Victoire, a beautiful French cabaret star writes that her illegitimate son by an English lord has disappeared, & she has been attacked in the streets of Montmartre. Racing to Paris with Watson at his side, Holmes discovers the missing child is only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem. The most valuable statue since the Winged Victory has been violently stolen in Marseilles, & several children from a silk mill in Lancashire have been found murdered. The clues in all three cases point to a single, untouchable man. Will Holmes recover in time to find the missing boy & stop a rising tide of murders? To do so he must stay one step ahead of a dangerous French rival & the threatening interference of his own brother, Mycroft. This latest adventure, in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sends the iconic duo from London to Paris & the icy wilds of Lancashire in a case which tests Watson`s friendship & the fragility & gifts of Sherlock Holmes` own artistic nature to the limits.
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London. A snowy December, 1888. Sherlock Holmes, 34, is languishing & back on cocaine after a disastrous Ripper investigation. Watson can neither comfort nor rouse his friend
- until a strangely encoded letter arrives from Paris. Mlle La Victoire, a beautiful French cabaret star writes that her illegitimate son by an English lord has disappeared, & she has been attacked in the streets of Montmartre. Racing to Paris with Watson at his side, Holmes discovers the missing child is only the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem. The most valuable statue since the Winged Victory has been violently stolen in Marseilles, & several children from a silk mill in Lancashire have been found murdered. The clues in all three cases point to a single, untouchable man. Will Holmes recover in time to find the missing boy & stop a rising tide of murders? To do so he must stay one step ahead of a dangerous French rival & the threatening interference of his own brother, Mycroft. This latest adventure, in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, sends the iconic duo from London to Paris & the icy wilds of Lancashire in a case which tests Watson`s friendship & the fragility & gifts of Sherlock Holmes` own artistic nature to the limits.
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London & Paris are the first two titles in a unique new series of city guides focusing on modern & contemporary art
- a genuine
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A creative call to arms from the mind of Neil Gaiman, combining his extraordinary words with deft & striking illustrations by Chris Riddell. Art Matters will inspire its readers to seize the day in the name of art. Be bold. Be rebellious. Choose art. It matters. Neil Gaiman once said that `the world always seems brighter when you`ve just made something that wasn`t there before`. This little book is the embodiment of that vision. Drawn together from speeches, poems & creative manifestos, Art Matters explores how reading, imagining & creating can change the world, & will be inspirational to young & old. ...

This extraordinary publication presents, for the first time, the Samurai armour collection of the Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Museum in Dallas, Texas. The Barbier-Mueller has selectively amassed these pieces of armour over the past twenty-five years, ultimately forming one of the largest & most important collections of its kind in the world. It is comprised of nearly three hundred objects, several of which are considered masterpieces, including suits of armour, helmets, masks, horse armour, & weaponry. The objects date from the 12th to the 19th century, with a particularly strong focus on Edo-period armour. Offering an exciting look into the world of the Samurai warrior, this book begins with an introduction by Morihiro Ogawa. Essays by prominent scholars in the field highlight topics such as the phenomenon of the warrior in Japan, the development of the Samurai helmet, castle architecture, women in Samurai culture, & Japanese horse armour. The book's final section consists of an extensive catalogue of objects, concentrating on 120 significant works in the collection. Lavishly illustrated in full colour, each object is accompanied by an entry written by a scholar of Japanese armour. ...

As an Anglican priest & former Priest-in-Ordinary to the Queen, a lecturer in Buddhism, & a devoted walker, Adam Ford is an inspiring guide with a refreshingly eclectic viewpoint. Contemplating the concept of a purposeful walking, he applies the notion of mindfulness to walks ranging from a simple journey to work to a personal odyssey in the Australian outback. Exploring the idea of the walk as both medium & metaphor, & considering ideas of pilgrimage alongside the notion of the walk in literature, he draws on his personal experience of both spirituality & walking. This book celebrates & enchances those moments: both for the hardened hiker & those who like to contemplate past walks from the comfort of their armchair. ...

As an Anglican priest & former Priest-in-Ordinary to the Queen, a lecturer in Buddhism, & a devoted walker, Adam Ford is an inspiring guide with a refreshingly eclectic viewpoint. Contemplating the concept of a purposeful walking, he applies the notion of mindfulness to walks ranging from a simple journey to work to a personal odyssey in the Australian outback. Exploring the idea of the walk as both medium & metaphor, & considering ideas of pilgrimage alongside the notion of the walk in literature, he draws on his personal experience of both spirituality & walking. This book celebrates & enchances those moments: both for the hardened hiker & those who like to contemplate past walks from the comfort of their armchair. ...