A primer in visual awareness
Are you left-eyed?
Who are you going to believe, me or your eyes?
What is the belly button problem?
An inexhaustible mine of anecdotes, quotations, images, curious facts and useless information, oddities, jokes, science and all of it concrned with the interplay between the verbal and the visual and the resources of the human mind. Even the pages of this book are a superb demonstration of the expressive use of type, space, colour and imagery. A witty exploration of perception, colour, pattern, proportion, paradox, illusion, language, alphabets, words, ideas, creativity, culture, style, aesthetics and value.
If any of the above excites your curiosity or piques your interest, then you need a copy of:
The Art of Looking Sideways
by Alan Fletcher
Weapons
All these weapons you know: axes, knives, swords, pistols, crossbows, daggers, cannons, rifles, spears, clubs, lances and many more you may not. . . .
. . . kindjal, morgenstern, halberd, kukri, nimcha, dirk, fang, and yet more. . .
. . . . .and that's just a small taster of what you can find in today's book
The Illustrated History of Weaponry: From Flint Axes to Automatic Weapons
by Chuck Wills in association with the Berman Museum of World History
This is a comprehensive look at the history of weapons (as you can tell from the title of the book). It spans more than 3,500 years of weapony and also covers conflicts from all over the world. It is a great reference book for anyone with an interest in the subject.
We have recently bought a large collection of books on weaponry and so there are plenty of new titles entering our on-line catalogue and our shop stock every day. Why not check out our website or come into the shop and have a look at the weaponry section - whether you're a collector, a weaponry connoisseur, an interested amateur, or a historian, you're bound to find something of interest.
MUSIC
The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature
by Daniel Levitin
Daniel Levitin is now a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience but has also been a session musician, sound engineer and record producer. This little introduction will go some way to explaining his fascination with music and human nature.
In this book Levitin blends art and science in describing how music has played a pivotal role in the creation of society. He addresses the role of music in the evolution of language, thought and culture.
He covers every kind of music from Bach to Beatles, rock to reggae and Mozart to marimba (via Matinee Idle, of course). If you have any interest in music at all, this is a fascinating read.
Winnie the Pooh
This beautiful first edition of AA Milne's classic children's book was published by Methuen & Co in 1926. The famous illustrations by Ernest Shepard are familiar to nearly everyone and deservedly much admired.
This edition has lovely dark green fine cloth boards with an appealing gilt motif of Winnie-the-Pooh and Christopher Robin on the front. The upper page edges are gilt too. The front & rear eps are illustrated with a map of the area where Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit, Pooh, Kanga, the Heffalumps and Christopher Robin live.
This book isn't cheap but how often do you get the chance to buy a first edition of such a classic?
The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum
Richard Fortey was a senior palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London. In his book Dry Store Room No. 1 he takes us on a tour of the collection of fascinating specimens held there.
It is filled with stories of the interesting characters who worked in the museum, ground breaking and strange discoveries, and, of course, enough natural history to entertain and educate both science enthusiasts and casual readers.
If your wallet isn't quite up to travelling all the way to London to see the marvellous museum in the flesh (or should I say bone?), then we think this great $10 book is a fantastic compromise!
Imaginary places
Cast your mind back over your reading life and you will find that it is populated by an astonishing diversity of imaginary places: think Atlantis, Middle Earth, Moominland, the Snow Queen's Castle, El Dorado, Erewhon, Earthsea, Lilliput, Narnia, Cyclop's Island or Bluebeard's Castle.
This wonderful resource takes you on a tour of over 1200 imaginary cities, islands, countries & continents invented by writers from Homer's day to the present and illustrated with lovely maps and drawings. Whether you are an avid reader, a fantasy fan, or an inveterate browser, this is a must have: a tour de force of literary imagination.
The Dictionary of Imaginary Places
by Alberto Manguel and Gianni Guadalupi
Andy Warhol
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol
Reading the autobiography of Andy Warhol and finding out more about this world famous artist seemed like a good idea. Someone whose images are so instantly recognisable by a huge percentage of the world, and not just the art world, must merit closer acquaintance, or so I reasoned.
The book was published in 1975 and deals with his fame in the 1960s and 1970s as well as his childhood. Andy Warhol discusses food, beauty, sex, love, fame, work, money, New York and, of course, himself. He seems to honestly describe both good and bad times in his life. Sadly he died in 1987 so we will never know how he would have fared in old age and whether he would have changed as most of us do.
It's quite philosophical and quite unusual as a biography. It's worth a read whether you are interested in his art or not.
Wicked & Son of a Witch
Many people enjoy reading the stories they loved as children again as an adult. But with so many books around and so little time to read them all sometimes it feels as though you should be reading something new rather than rereading old favourites.
Gregory Maguire's series 'The Wicked Years' may be the answer fans of The Wizard of Oz are looking for - his books are a revision of the story for adults, set in the same world but told from a different point of view - discover why the wicked witch of the west is so wicked and what the private lives of the Tinman and other characters are like.
We have just added the first omnibus edition of Wicked & Son of a Witch our catalogue (the first two books in the series). It looks to be a great read for any fantasy fan wanting to relive a bit of their childhood.
