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Pop Art: A Colourful History
By Alastair Sooke. 2015
Pop Art by the BBC's Alastair Sooke - an essential but snappy new guide to our favourite art movementPop Art…
is the most important 20th-century art movement. It brought Modernism to the masses, making art sexy and fun with coke cans and comics. Today, in our age of selfies and social networking, we are still living in a world defined by Pop.Full of brand new interviews and research, Sooke describes the great works by Warhol, Lichtenstein and other key figures, but also re-examines the movement for the 21st century and asks if it is still art? He reveals a global story, tracing Pop's surprising origins in 19th-century Paris to uncovering the forgotten female artists of the 1960s."A clear and lively outline of the history of pop art ... a pleasure to read" - Sunday TimesA Political History of the World: Three Thousand Years of War and Peace (Pelican Books)
By Jonathan Holslag. 2018
A three-thousand year history of the world that examines the causes of war and the search for peaceIn three thousand…
years of history, China has spent at least eleven centuries at war. The Roman Empire was in conflict during at least 50 per cent of its lifetime. Since 1776, the United States has spent over one hundred years at war. The dream of peace has been universal in the history of humanity. So why have we so rarely been able to achieve it? In A Political History of the World, Jonathan Holslag has produced a sweeping history of the world, from the Iron Age to the present, that investigates the causes of conflict between empires, nations and peoples and the attempts at diplomacy and cosmopolitanism. A birds-eye view of three thousand years of history, the book illuminates the forces shaping world politics from Ancient Egypt to the Han Dynasty, the Pax Romana to the rise of Islam, the Peace of Westphalia to the creation of the United Nations.This truly global approach enables Holslag to search for patterns across different eras and regions, and explore larger questions about war, diplomacy, and power. Has trade fostered peace? What are the limits of diplomacy? How does environmental change affect stability? Is war a universal sin of power? At a time when the threat of nuclear war looms again, this is a much-needed history intended for students of international politics, and anyone looking for a background on current events.Playing to the Gallery: Helping Contemporary Art in its Struggle to Be Understood
By Grayson Perry. 2018
'I have never read such a stimulating short guide to art' Lynn Barber, Sunday Times Now Grayson Perry is a…
fully paid-up member of the art establishment, he wants to show that any of us can appreciate art (after all, there is a reason he's called this book Playing to the Gallery and not 'Sucking up to an Academic Elite'). Based on his hugely popular BBC Radio 4 Reith Lectures and full of pictures, this funny, personal journey through the art world answers the basic questions that might occur to us in an art gallery but seem too embarrassing to ask.Planning A Baby?: How to Prepare for a Healthy Pregnancy and Give Your Baby the Best Possible Start
By Dr Sarah Brewer. 2004
Planning a Baby? is all about giving your baby the best possible start in life. By taking maximum care of…
your health in the six important months before your new child is even conceived, you can optimise the chances of having a healthy baby. The first few weeks of gestation are critical. Research has shown that undernourishment during this time - often before the mother is even aware she is pregnant - can affect the baby a long way into the future. It is linked with the subsequent development of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes in middle age.In this completely updated and revised edition, Dr Sarah Brewer provides the latest groundbreaking research and gives advice on:-Contraceptive advances-Lifestyle and factors that affect early pregnancy-Conception itself - the myths and the facts-Which vitamins and minerals are needed, including the use of folic acid-Advice for vegetarians-Sperm health-An overview of the causes of miscarriageThis book aims to give potential parents all the tools they require before embarking on one of life's greatest adventures - conception, pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby.Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius
By Nikolaus Pevsner. 1936
One of the most widely read books on modern design, Nikolaus Pevsner's landmark work today remains as stimulating as it…
was when first published in 1936. This expanded edition of Pioneers of Modern Design provides Pevsner's original text along with significant new and updated information, enhancing Pevsner's illuminating account of the roots of Modernism. The book now offers many beautiful colour illustrations; updated biographies and bibliographies of all major figures; illustrated short essays on key themes, movements, and individuals; a critique of Pevsner's analysis from today's perspective; examples of works after 1914 (where the original study ended); a biography detailing Pevsner's life and achievements; and much more. Pevsner saw Modernism as a synthesis of three main sources: William Morris and his followers, the work of nineteenth-century engineers, and Art Nouveau. The author considers the role of these sources in the work of early Modernists and looks at such masters of the movement as C.F.A. Voysey and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Britain, Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright in America, and Adolf Loos and Otto Wagner in Vienna. The account concludes with a discussion of the radical break with the past represented by the design work of Walter Gropius and his future Bauhaus colleagues. Nikolaus Pevsner (1902-1983), a distinguished scholar of art and architecture, was best known as editor of the 46-volume series The Buildings of England and as founding editor of The Pelican History of Art.Phiz: The Man Who Drew Dickens
By Valerie Lester. 2004
'Phiz' - Hablot Knight Browne - was the great illustrator of Dickens' fiction. For over twenty-three years they worked together,…
and Phiz's drawings brought to life a galaxy of much-loved characters, from Mr Pickwick, Nicholas Nickleby and Mr Micawber, to Little Nell and David Copperfield. But, from the mystery of his birth onwards, Phiz himself led a life as rich as any novel. In this vivid, lively memoir - the first full biography, long-awaited by Victorian scholars - his great-great-granddaughter Valerie Browne Lester tracks the struggles of the abandoned Browne family and follows Phiz's path to marriage and fame, his travels around England and Ireland and work with Dickens, Lever, Trollope and others, and his colourful private life. Based on a mass of unpublished material, this enchanting book, packed with surprising and delicious illustrations, is a perfect present for all who love Dickens and enjoy the hidden byways of Victorian life.Have you ever laughed so much you wet yourself - just a little bit? Or found yourself crossing your legs…
on the doorstep frantically searching for your keys? Do you get up at night to go to the toilet more than once?An estimated 200 million people around the world suffer from some form of urinary incontinence. It's an embarrassing problem that affects women disproportionately as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. In The Pelvic Floor Bible, Jane Simpson argues that it's time for us all to feel the squeeze and celebrate the wonder of our pelvic floor muscles. She shows you how to incorporate pelvic floor exercises as part of your daily routine in order to prevent issues in later life and cure existing problems now. Learn how to treat common problems such as stress incontinence, overactive bladder and prolapse, get back into shape post-pregnancy and enjoy a healthy sex life at every stage of your life. Incontinence is both preventable and curable through pelvic floor exercises and rehabilitation but too many people assume nothing can be done, follow incorrect advice or are ashamed to seek help. We need to end the taboo now.Peckham Patter: The Complete Wit and Wisdom of Only Fools
By Dan Sullivan. 2012
FOREWORD BY SIR DAVID JASONAs Macbeth said to Hamlet in Midsummer Night's Dream, 'we've been done up like a couple…
of kippers - DelIn this pukka 42-carat gold-plated bargain, you have the wit and wisdom of Del Boy, Rodney, Albert, Boycie and Trigger at your disposal. Packed with all the funniest and most memorable lines from the classic British sit-com as it turns 40, this quote book is the crème de la menthe. Never be caught short again.Let's face it Del, most of your phrases come out of a Citroen manual - RodneyPeace Work (Spike Milligan War Memoirs)
By Spike Milligan. 1991
Spike Milligan's legendary war memoirs are a hilarious and subversive first-hand account of the Second World War, as well as…
a fascinating portrait of the formative years of this towering comic genius, most famous as writer and star of The Goon Show. They have sold over 4.5 million copies since they first appeared.'The most irreverent, hilarious book about the war that I have ever read' Sunday Express'Brilliant verbal pyrotechnics, throwaway lines and marvelous anecdotes' Daily Mail'Desperately funny, vivid, vulgar' Sunday Times'I had not informed my parents of my return, I wanted it to be a lovely surprise; it was, for me, they were away ...' The seventh and last volume of Spike Milligan's memoirs sees our hero returning from war and Italy ... but to what? Aside from shooting large, inaccurate guns at Germans, all he has done for five long years is blow a trumpet, tell rude jokes and write and perform sketches for the entertainment of bored and murderous soldiers - who on earth is going to pay a civilian to do more of that? From the giddy heights of Hackney Empire to a Zurich Freak Show and beyond, Spike makes his way through the backwaters of showbiz, first as band musician then as one-man wild-act and eventually in the company of a group of like-minded comedians called Harry Secombe, Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers. They decide to call themselves The Goons...'That absolutely glorious way of looking at things differently. A great man' Stephen Fry'Milligan is the Great God to all of us' John Cleese'The Godfather of Alternative Comedy' Eddie Izzard'Manifestly a genius, a comic surrealist genius and had no equal' Terry Wogan'A totally original comedy writer' Michael Palin'Close in stature to Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in his command of the profound art of nonsense' GuardianSpike Milligan was one of the greatest and most influential comedians of the twentieth century. Born in India in 1918, he served in the Royal Artillery during WWII in North Africa and Italy. At the end of the war, he forged a career as a jazz musician, sketch-show writer and performer, before joining forces with Peter Sellers and Harry Secombe to form the legendary Goon Show. Until his death in 2002, he had success as on stage and screen and as the author of over eighty books of fiction, memoir, poetry, plays, cartoons and children's stories.Palladio
By James Ackerman, Phyllis Massar. 1966
Palladio (1508-80) combined classical restraint with constant inventiveness. In this study, Professor Ackerman sets Palladio in the context of his…
age - the Humanist era of Michelangelo and Raphael, Titian and Veronese - and examines each of the villas, churches and palaces in turn and tries to penetrate to the heart of the Palladian miracle. Palladio's theoretical writings are important and illuminating, he suggests, yet they never do justice to the intense intuitive skills of "a magician of light and colour". Indeed, as the photographs in this book reveal, Palladio was "as sensual, as skilled in visual alchemy as any Venetian painter of his time", and his countless imitators have usually captured the details, but not the essence of his style. There are buildings all the way from Philadelphia to Leningrad which bear witness to Palladio's "permanent place in the making of architecture", yet he also deserves to be seen on his own terms.Part of the ALL-NEW LADYBIRD EXPERT SERIES- Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbour?- How did the Americans underestimate the Japanese?-…
What were 'banzai charges,' and how did the discipline of the Japanese lead to their downfall?FOLLOW the lethal turns of World War II through the theatre of the Pacific War. From the devastating attack on Pearl Harbour to the decisive triumph of the Allies at Guadalcanal, the entry of Japan and America to the fighting changed the course of World War II completely.JAPAN'S DEADLY OFFENSIVE, AMERICA'S DECISIVE VICTORYWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, THE PACIFIC WAR 1941-1943 is an essential, accessible introduction to the battles that defined Pacific conflict in World War II.A shout-out to all fans of Rak-Su - this is their story, from where it all began to where they…
are now, full of exclusive stories and pictures. Make it a special day. Make it a Rak-Su day! __________Rak-Pack! Are you ready for our official story?As long as we've been friends, we've been creating our unique sound of soul, R'n'B, Hip-Hop, Latin and Caribbean music.Keeping the momentum going from our X-Factor journey, we are now performing at sold-out arenas, making more music and having fun!So why not join us on the adventure? Unrivalled access to never-before-seen photos, intimate stories, and behind-the-scenes info - in our first and only memoir!_________Ashley, Jamaal, Myles and Mustafa shot to stardom in 2017 as the first ever male group to win the X-Factor. Since then, the soulful boys have been topping the charts with their eclectic sound, performing at sold-out arenas, touring with global sensation Little Mix, recording their first album and most recently dropping their brand new hit single, Pyro Ting.Join Rak-Su on their journey from ordinary North-West London lads, to victors of one of the world's biggest talent shows in their one and ONLY! OFFICIAL memoir, Our Journey.Ornament and Crime
By Adolf Loos. 2019
Revolutionary essays on design, aesthetics and materialism - from one of the great masters of modern architectureAdolf Loos, the great…
Viennese pioneer of modern architecture, was a hater of the fake, the fussy and the lavishly decorated, and a lover of stripped down, clean simplicity. He was also a writer of effervescent, caustic wit, as shown in this selection of essays on all aspects of design and aesthetics, from cities to glassware, furniture to footwear, architectural training to why 'the lack of ornament is a sign of intellectual power'.Translated by Shaun WhitesideWith an epilogue by Joseph MasheckOrdinary Made Extraordinary
By Pascal Anson. 2014
'Filled with inexpensive and relatively easy do-it-yourself design projects for the home. Step-by-step photos show you how to do everything…
from dipping vintage cutlery in paint and reupholstering an armchair in shoelaces to covering a wall in mirrors' - Telegraph 'True original Pascal Anson urges us, with winning wit and idiot-proof step-by-steps to turn ''dad'' jeans, an ugly table, holey trainers, mismatched cutlery [...] into desirable stuff using the alchemy of imagination. His brief? Low skill levels and high concept' - World of Interiors In Ordinary Made Extraordinary designer, artist and maverick-maker Pascal Anson shows how easy it is to transform everyday items into extraordinary statement pieces. Make ordinary a thing of the past with 24 inspiring and achievable projects including: - Create a chandelier with just a few rolls of Sellotape. - Cast a stunning concrete plant pot. - Build a child’s treehouse with cling film.There are ideas for projects for everyone – from repairing and reinventing worn out trainers, to bigger projects such as the wood-clad car and the stylish hairy chair.Operation Crossbow: The Untold Story of the Search for Hitler’s Secret Weapons
By Allan Williams. 2011
The story of the photographic intelligence work undertaken from a country house at Medmenham, Buckinghamshire, is one of the great…
lost stories of the Second World War . At its peak in 1944, almost 2,000 British and American men and women worked at the top-secret Danesfield House, interpreting photographs - the majority stereoscopic so they could be viewed in 3D - to unlock secrets of German military activity and weapons development. Millions of aerial photographs were taken by Allied pilots, flying unarmed modified Spitfires and Mosquitos on missions over Nazi Europe. it was said that an aircraft could land, the photographs be developed and initial interpretation completed within two hours - marking the culmination of years of experiments in aerial intelligence techniques.Their finest hour began in 1943, during the planning stages of the Allied invasion of Europe, when Douglas Kendall, who masterminded the interpretation work at Medmenham, led the hunt for Hitler's secret weapons. Operation Crossbow would grow from a handful of photographic interpreters to the creation of a hand-picked team, and came to involve interpreters from across the Medmenham spectrum, including the team of aircraft specialists led by the redoubtable Constance Babington Smith. In November that year, whilst analysing photographs of Peenemunde in northern Germany, they spotted a small stunted aircraft on a ramp. This intelligence breakthrough linked the Nazi research station with a growing network of sites in northern France, where ramps were being constructed aligned not only with London, but targets throughout southern Britain.Through the combined skill and dedication of the Crossbow team and the heroism of the Allied pilots, throughout late 1943 and 1944 V-weapon launch sites were located and through countermeasures destroyed, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, and changing the course of the war.Operation Crossbow is a wonderful story of human endeavour and derring-do, told for the first time.Open the Cage, Murphy!: Hilarious tales of the rise of Lily Savage
By Paul O'Grady. 2015
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'With typical razor-sharp wit and candour, Paul tells of his rise to fame as Lily Savage .…
. . Riveting.' Daily MirrorFrom Britain's most beloved TV star, Open the Cage, Murphy is an action-packed roller-coaster ride through a decade of Paul O'Grady's life, stuffed full to the gunwales with hilarious stories, extreme situations and outrageous one-liners.A must read for any Paul O'Grady fan, Open the Cage, Murphy follows his brilliant comic creation Lily Savage as she embraces success and world domination beckons.From being involved in a plane crash, to getting caught up in the LA riots and a close encounter with Madonna, the stories come thick and fast. Paul takes us with him to a gay-themed weekend in Butlin's in Skegness, on a rowdy tour with Prisoner Cell Block H - the Musical and into the depths of the Australian rainforest, where he befriends a rare bird that can disembowel a man with a single kick. The dramatis personae include a family of dolphins, Charlton Heston and the ghost of Joan of Arc - and there's a starring role for a certain remarkable dog, Buster Elvis Savage.But whether he's writing about star-studded Hollywood parties, the devastating loss of close friends to AIDS, or late night shenanigans at the end of Blackpool Pier, Paul's wit and humanity never desert him.Open the Cage, Murphy is a genuine delight - all the more so for being delightfully genuine.Readers love Open the Cage, Murphy!'I couldn't put it down . . . Paul comes across as a very intelligent man . . . with a heart of gold under that naughty exterior.' *****'This is such a great read, Paul is excellent when describing things makes you feel as though you are there with him. His humour warmth and caring comes out in abundance.' *****'An excellent read. He takes you through the highs and lows of his life, you laugh and cry with him.' *****'The only book that will give you a hangover' Chris Evans Breakfast Show---The hilarious, no holds barred autobiography from sporting…
legend and broadcaster Alan Brazil.As Alan recounts tales from his extraordinary life, he relives the sporting occasions, radio broadcasts and famously long drinking sessions that have defined his career. He takes readers inside the talkSPORT studio for a behind-the-scenes view of his most memorable interviews, and talks for the first time about the on-pitch rivalries and dressing room debriefs of his footballing career.With his typically outspoken and irreverent delivery, Alan shares everything from his thoughts on how the sports he loves have changed to his top tips for picking winners (and many losers) at Cheltenham. And he revels in wine-soaked jaunts in the South of France and late-night supermarket sweeps with Ray Parlour - if you can keep up.Packed full of never-before-told stories, refreshing appraisals, sporting controversy and a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a brutally honesty and wickedly funny insight into an extraordinary life.Once Upon a Time in Iraq
By James Bluemel, Renad Mansour. 2020
In war, there is no easy victory.When troops invaded Iraq in 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime, most people expected…
an easy victory. Instead, the gamble we took was a grave mistake, and its ramifications continue to reverberate through the lives of millions, in Iraq and the West. As we gain more distance from those events, it can be argued that many of the issues facing us today – the rise of the Islamic State, increased Islamic terrorism, intensified violence in the Middle East, mass migration, and more – can be traced back to the decision to invade Iraq.In The Iraq War, award-winning documentary maker James Bluemel collects first-hand testimony from those who lived through the horrors of the invasion and whose actions were dictated by such extreme circumstances. It takes in all sides of the conflict – working class Iraqi families watching their country erupt into civil war; soldiers and journalists on the ground; American families dealing with the grief of losing their son or daughter; parents of a suicide bomber coming to terms with unfathomable events – to create the most in-depth and multi-faceted portrait of the Iraq War to date. Accompanying a major BBC series, James Bluemel’s book is an essential account of a conflict that continues to shape our world, and a startling reminder of the consequences of our past decisions.On War
By Carl Clausewitz. 1968
Writing at the time of Napoleon's greatest campaigns, Prussian soldier and writer Carl von Clausewitz created this landmark treatise on…
the art of warfare, which presented war as part of a coherent system of political thought.In line with Napoleon's own military actions, he illustrated the need to annihilate the enemy and make a strong display of one's power in an 'absolute war' without compromise. But he was also careful to distinguish between war and politics, arguing that war could only be justified when debate was no longer adequate, and that if undertaken, its aim should ultimately be to improve the wellbeing of the nation.On Painting
By Leon Alberti. 2004
Artist, architect, poet and philosopher, Leon Battista Alberti revolutionized the history of art with his theories of perspective in On…
Painting (1435). Inspired by the order and beauty inherent in nature, his groundbreaking work sets out the principles of distance, dimension and proportion; instructs the painter on how to use the rules of composition, representation, light and colour to create work that is graceful and pleasing to the eye; and stipulates the moral and artistic pre-requisites of the successful painter. On Painting had an immediate and profound influence on Italian Renaissance artists including Ghiberti, Fra Angelico and Veneziano and on later figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, and remains a compelling theory of art.