Long before graffiti was adopted as the visual expression of hip-hop culture in the 1980s Chicano gang members in East Los Angeles had been developing stylized calligraphy & writing them on walls since as early as the 1940s. Cholo (gangster) scripts became the first distinctive letter forms to evolve in the modern vernacular tradition of graffiti writing. Today in addition to the long-standing tradition of Cholo writing Los Angeles street artists of diverse backgrounds draw from a unique confluence of cultures (pan-Asian pan-Latino African-American European Jewish) that has led to regionally distinctive styles which are now studied by graffiti writers worldwide. This is confirmed by the fact that not only have many writers come to Los Angeles to collaborate with regional artists but many have now taken up residence in the city to be a part of this thriving art scene. In Graffiti L. Ai: Street Styles & Art" author Steve Grody documents current trends in graffiti & street art in Los Angeles while also providing a history of the art form in the city. This is an indepth examination of technique an exploration of socio-cultural issues in crew dynamics battles & apprenticeship & interviews with the most prominent artists round out the text. This volume places Los Angeles in its rightful place
- at the vanguard of the graffiti world."
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' We've got at least seven hours to get what we want before the sun comes up.' School is over & Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight she's going to find Shadow the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. Somewhere in the glassy darkness he's out there spraying colour birds & blue sky on the night. & Lucy knows that a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for
- really fall for. The last person Lucy wants to spend this night with is Ed the guy she's managed to avoid since punching him in the nose on the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells Lucy he knows where to find Shadow the two of them are suddenly on an all-night search to places where Shadow's pieces of heartbreak & escape echo off the city walls. & what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.
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Graffiti or street art has become a significant art form in the last twenty years & ever controversial has transformed urban landscapes all over the world. Graffiti Planet" is a collection of work from various artists that celebrates the endless creativity of the medium & of the artists themselves. Featuring 100 glossy photos of groundbreaking graffiti & including an introduction from Ket a legend on the graffiti scene " Graffiti Planet" is a great introduction & the perfect companion for anyone excited by this most vibrant & democratic of art forms." ...

From Banksy to Blek le Rat Os Gemeos to Mode 2 graffiti is no longer just vandalism it has become an urban art form & a unique form of expression. In Graffiti Planet 2" Ket brings together more jaw-dropping examples of incredible graffiti from talented artists worldwide which transform & enrich the urban landscape. Featuring one hundred glossy images & an introduction by Ket the New York-based graffiti artist " Graffiti Planet 2" is great gift for anyone who appreciates this modern art form. It showcases work by: Rosy
- Switzerland; Os Gemeos
- Brazil; Banksy
- London; Side Bye & Date
- Denmark; & Atome
- Australia."




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Female graffiti artists are increasingly making their mark on what has until now been a male-dominated sphere. Nicholas Ganz documents this phenomenon fully in this sequel to his international bestseller Graffiti World". This rich & varied presentation

Includes:: two 8-page fold-out collages & reproduces the work of such world-famous artists as New Yorks Lady Pink & Swoon Amsterdams Mickey & Toulouses Miss Van as well as a galaxy of rising stars
- over 130 in all. It is a must-buy for the hundreds of thousands of lovers of graffiti."


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Updated with new photographs. Colin Blaneys Grafters" originally published in 2004 was a ground-breaking expose of the links between criminal gangs & football hooliganism. In the intervening period the book & the phrase have become part of the lexicon defining a generation of professional thieves who used the cover of their fellow football fans to earn a fortune. Eight years on author Colin Blaney returns with an updated version of his criminal memoirs & recounts his experiences as a personality in the murky media world that accompanies public relations -- principally his shady dealings with tabloid journalists TV producers & researchers. In Colins words he was thrown in at the deep end to " Swim with the sharks". Its all a far cry from Colins adolescence in the council fl ats of North Manchester. As a child he burgled warehouses & factories. As a youth he joined the bootboys of Manchester Uniteds Red Army rampaging across the country. As an adult he learned to dip with the Scouse pickpocket gangs sell dope to Rastas in the Moss Side shebeens & sneak-thieve from shop tills with his mad Collyhurst crew. But Continental Europe offered the greatest lure. The gang moved to Amsterdam which became their HQ for the next twenty years. They stole Rolex watches in Switzerland peddled Ecstasy in Spain kited credit cards in Belgium flogged bootleg tee-shirts in France & snatched designer clothes in Holl&. Blaney & his Wide Awake Frim served time in half the jails in Europe & then went back for more. They were on a riotous non stop roller-coaster ride -- until they finally hit the buffers." ...

As big-hearted PC Tony Stamp
- the TV cop closest to the real thing
- Graham Cole is instantly recognisable after pounding the

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This is the story of a plain silver chalice from the first century AD that now rests in the heart of Engl&. From its momentous beginnings as the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper & as the vessel used to catch His blood at the Crucifixion to its unrecognised discovery in the late nineteenth century the chalice has passed through the hands of saints crusaders kings queens Knights Templar & ' Guardians.' This account revisits the beginnings of the Knights Templar & their rise to incredible wealth & power; it introduces a completely new version of the origins of the Arthurian legends; & it disputes the supposed loss of the Crown Jewels in the Wash & the suspicious nature of King John's subsequent death. It re-examines the murder of Thomas Becket & resurrects the forgotten story of a knight who went from disregarded son & child hostage to Regent of England & Guardian of the Grail. This story reveals the reason behind one of England's greatest church mysteries: an early thirteenth-century clue that has taken over 700 years to be deciphered. Most importantly of all however this book establishes where the Holy Grail is now. ...

Lovejoy has heard of more nutters who have claimed to be in possession of the one true Holy Grail than he has had hot dinners. Hes not too impressed with the eccentric clergyman making the latest claim
- especially when the good vicar turns out to be one of the finest forgers Lovejoy has ever met. But when the vicar & his lady companion end up dead it becomes clear that someone else is after the old mans artefact. To solve the mystery & protect a precious piece of history Lovejoy puts his life on the line & acquires a surprising new partner...
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It is spring 2009 & prosecutor Szacki is no longer working in Warsaw
- he has said goodbye to his family & to his career in the
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