«Dostoevskij era uno di quei rari geni che avanzano d'opera in opera, per una sorta di progressione continua, fin che la morte non li venga bruscamente a interrompere. Nessun ripiegamento in quella sua focosa vecchiaia, non più che in quella di Rembrandt o di Beethoven, al quale mi piace paragonarlo; un sicuro e violento approfondirsi del suo pensiero» (André Gide). Fëdor M. Dostoevskij (1821-1881), scrittore russo. Cominciò a pubblicare nel 1846, con Povera gente e Il sosia. Seguirono Umiliati e offesi (1861); Memorie dal sottosuolo (1864); Delitto e castigo e Il giocatore (1866); L'idiota (1868); I demoni (1871-72).»

«Questi racconti tesi, asciutti, drammatici, percorsi da una vena sottile di umorismo narrano, in prima persona, alcuni episodi vissuti dall'autore in un angolo sperduto della provincia russa a contatto con un'umanità primitiva e superstiziosa. Essi sono la trasposizione letteraria della durissima «prova iniziatica» subita dal giovane Bulgakov, appena uscito dalla facoltà di medicina e spedito a dirigere un ospedale rurale e ad affrontare, da solo, casi clinici spesso sconvolgenti. Costituiscono inoltre il punto d'incontro della duplice personalità scientifica e artistica di Michail Afanas'evic e testimoniano il suo passaggio dall'attività medica all'attività di scrittore.»

Painting in the Netherlands during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries offers a compelling visual record of the tastes and values of a prosperous society mindful of its obligation to personal and public standards. This richly illustrated volume examines twenty-six paintings by master artists from this Golden Age of Dutch art and features essays by leading scholars who explore the various interpretations of these works within the context of their culture. A Moral Compass, published in conjunction with an exhibition organized by the Grand Rapids Art Museum, includes individual descriptive entries on each work and artist by Henry Luttikhuizen, guest curator, an introduction by Peter Sutton and essays by Arthur Wheelock, Jr., Lawrence Goedde, and Mariet Westermann. These distinguished curators and art historians provide their insights on the artistic achievement of the Netherlands during an extraordinary period of maritime dominance, material affluence, and moral purpose.

One of the few truly visionary architects of large-scale commissions working today, Thom Mayne's influential firm Morphosis, founded in the early 1970s, has maintained an avant-garde presence among contemporary architecture firms, even as it has garnered high-profile, big-budget commissions from around the world. Since Rizzoli published Volume I of the Morphosis series in 1989, the Los Angeles-based firm has continued to push its intricate modernism into new territories. In the tradition of its four visually groundbreaking predecessors, this fifth volume packs 500 illustrations into a comprehensive tour of Morphosis's activity. New works covered in Volume V include Cal Trans Headquarters in Los Angeles (2004); the San Francisco Federal Office building (2006); the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon (2006); and the University of Cincinnati Student Recreation Center (2006). Projects in progress, such as the New Academic Building for the Cooper Union in New York (expected completion 2008) and the Phare Tower for La Defense, France (2012), will also be featured.

Nella felice stagione creativa di Boldino, nellautunno del 1830, Puskin sperimenta nei Racconti di Belkin un'inedita formula narrativa che sara la base della letteratura russa futura. Antitesi ironica e brillante delle Piccole tragedie, i racconti esplorano tutte le potenzialita dei generi letterari allepoca in voga: la Signorina contadina e una scherzosa parodia del racconto sentimentale, II colpo dipistola anticipa il racconto psicologico, Ilfabbricante di hare inaugura il filone della narrativa fantastica che tanto seguito avra tra i grandi autori russi dell'Ottocento e del Novecento.

«Il romanzo che diede a Bulgakov celebrità in vita, prima della fama universale postuma raggiunta con «Il maestro e Margherita». Tutto ruota attorno alle vicende dei tre fratelli Turbin (Aleksej, Nikolka ed Elena) nella tempestosa Kiev del convulso inverno 1919-1920. La città è nelle mani dell'avventuriero Simon Petljura ma si trova anche nella morsa di un duplice accerchiamento, quello dell'atamano (cosacco) Shoropadskij e dei bolscevichi. Le avventure dei fratelli Turbin si susseguono fra malattie, guarigioni miracolose, preghiere, eroismi, fughe, divorzi, amori e amicizie. Sullo sfondo, tratteggiata con rapidità futurista ma allo stesso tempo con potente afflato epico, la Storia di una nazione e di un popolo fotografati in un momento decisivo.»

From master event planner and floral couturier Preston Bailey comes a new book celebrating his latest ideas in floral design. A working carousel composed entirely of flowers. A dazzling floor of orchids underfoot. A Renaissance painting adorned with fresh blooms. At the heart of Preston Bailey's spectacular world-renowned events are the flowers — verdant, lavish, unforgettable. From spectacular blooming sculptures that transform a ballroom to the delicate blossoms atop the dinner napkins, Bailey's flower designs are lush, heart-stoppingly romantic, one-of-a-kind. In his fifth book, Preston takes the reader on an exploration of the meaning and importance of flowers, which are undeniably the most important element of his parties. Taking a dozen of his most recent weddings, Preston walks the reader through his inspiration and process, demonstrating how flowers can create a unique event infused with personality. Along the way he shares ideas both large and small that brides and event planners will be eager to replicate, like the Hamptons wedding reception flanked by handmade hedge-like walls of greens, or the simple but abundant tablescape covered in cream-colored roses. From bouquets to centerpieces, ceremony spaces to reception environments, with a special chapter devoted solely to even more ideas for tabletop design, Designing with Flowers is essential reading for amateurs and professionals alike.

«A meditation on escaping the chaos of modern life and rediscovering the luxury of solitude. Winner of the Prix Mcdicis for nonfiction, The Consolations of the Forest is a Thoreau-esque quest to find solace, taken to the extreme. No stranger to inhospitable places, Sylvain Tesson exiles himself to a wooden cabin on Siberia’s Lake Baikal, a full day’s hike from any neighbor, with his thoughts, his books, a couple of dogs, and many bottles of vodka for company. Writing from February to July, he shares his deep appreciation for the harsh but beautiful land, the resilient men and women who populate it, and the bizarre and tragic history that has given Siberia an almost mythological place in the imagination. Rich with observation, introspection, and the good humor necessary to laugh at his own folly, Tesson’s memoir is about the ultimate freedom of owning your own time. Only in the hands of a gifted storyteller can an experiment in isolation become an exceptional adventure accessible to all. By recording his impressions in the face of silence, his struggles in a hostile environment, his hopes, doubts, and moments of pure joy in communion with nature, Tesson makes a decidedly out-of-the-ordinary experience relatable. The awe and joy are contagious, and one comes away with the comforting knowledge that «as long as there is a cabin deep in the woods, nothing is completely lost.»

Elegant rusticity meets unpretentious luxury in the work of this award-winning architecture firm. Howard Backen, principal of the architecture firm Backen, Gillam & Kroeger, is at the center of a popular movement in home design that emphasizes elegant simplicity and embraces the rustic charm of natural materials. This volume, the first on his work and that of the firm, is an artful exploration of this aesthetic, featuring farmhouses in the Napa Valley, hilltop homes, seaside retreats, and lakeside hideaways. Throughout the work, a sense of intimacy, warmth, and informality pervades. Natural materials, such as wood, stone, and brick, form the foundations, walls, and ceilings of these subtly luxurious spaces, while nature itself plays a considered role that is at once complementary and also intricately conjoined with the work. Sensitive, alluring, and wonderfully resonant with the suggestion of invitation, the work of Backen, Gillam & Kroeger is both thrilling to the eye and restorative to the soul.

«This extravagant volume is the magnum opus of today's most celebrated interiors photographer. One of Francois Halard's first assignments, to photograph Yves Saint Laurent's legendary Paris apartment when he was in his early twenties, cemented his reputation as one of the most original eyes of our era. His unique photographic sensibility--old-world elegant and bohemian, accessible and personal--is instantly recognizable. Thirty years later, Halard still captures our imagination with his breathtaking photographs. Included in this highly anticipated volume are Halard's images of the glorious homes of the most important tastemakers, artists, and designers of the twentieth century: Axel Vervoordt, Roger Vivier, Richard Avedon, the Duchess of Devonshire, Julian Schnabel, Schiaparelli, Carlo Mollino, Balthus, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge, and many more, including Halard's own homes in New York, Paris, and Arles. Photographed in his inimitable grand manner, often for Vogue, this book also shows for the first time the more intimate «house portraits» that Halard would photograph for himself, where his personal vision shines through. Francois Halard will be a coveted, indispensable resource for all lovers of interior style and a master class in visual education.»

«Karim Rashid is one of the most well-known international designers, and his work is known for being innovative, forward-looking, and strikingly relevant. From furniture to fashion to products for hip brands like Umbra and Method, Karim’s colorful projects have burst through the design community and into the mainstream. Inspired by his view that all design is a «rigorous beautification of our built environments,» Karim uses unexpected shapes and colors and unusual materials to create objects and environments that are at the forefront of design innovation. Karim is an equally prolific interior designer, with a vast and diverse repertoire of installations and built work, including luxury hotels (Athens’ Semiramis), restaurants (Morimoto in Philadelphia; Nooch noodle bars in Singapore and NYC), a subway station in Naples, custom home interiors, and installations at sites around the world. KarimSpace showcases forty projects in a dozen countries (many new or recently opened), showing how Karim applies his signature aesthetic to different environments. The book will include an essay and an overview of each project by Karim, as well as images and a complete project index.»

The ultimate celebration of the hat. Renowned milliner Patricia Underwood presents a visually stunning and informative look at the transformative value of the hat. Featuring cloches, top hats, visors, wide-brimmed hats, berets, fedoras, turbans, trilbies, sun hats, and more, this spirited volume luxuriates in the multifariousness of one of the most diverse accessories. Underwood shares her inspirations—from art, cinema, historical periods, and nature—as well as sharing her favorite hats. She also offers her readers guidelines on how to choose a hat. The book’s lavish illustrations showcase Underwood’s many years of collaborations with such top-notch designers as Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi, and a host of others. Images are drawn from the designer’s own archive, as well as editorial work from some of the world’s greatest fashion photographers, including Richard Avedon, Norman Parkinson, and Bruce Weber. This book is a must-have for any fashionista.

The quintessential book on the wedding dress, newly revised and updated in a collector’s edition, is an exciting look at the variety of luxurious wedding dresses, which both celebrates and reveals their beauty, sophistication, and romance. From Jacqueline Kennedy to Grace Kelly, Oleg Cassini’s designs are synonymous with the world’s most glamorous women. The same electrifying elegance resonates with his magnificently crafted bridal gowns. This informative presentation discusses every aspect of the wedding dress—the ultimate expression of a bride’s personality and the focal point of her day. This book showcases a wide range of styles by such fashion luminaries as Cassini, Chanel, Dior, Armani, and McQueen, among others. The beautiful fashions, photographed by such notable photographers as Patrick Demarchelier, Benno Graziani, Horst, Arthur Elgort, Milton Greene, David LaChapelle, and Irving Penn capture the effervescent spirit that is associated with the wedding dress. The Wedding Dress begins with an overview of the sumptuous wedding gown, chronicling its history from royal weddings to today’s celebrities. The book presents a variety of silhouettes—from elegant Empire-style floor-length gowns to flirty short dresses and sophisticated suits. The same electrifying elegance resonates, whether an informal ceremony, a formal evening affair or a spontaneous trip to City Hall. Also featured are some of the best weddings in the world, including celebrity, society, and high fashion weddings. This stylish look at the wedding dress is not only an essential resource for the bride-to-be but for everyone interested in fashion.

A tribute to the important Milanese fashion school that helped shape some of the major designers and fashion professionals of our day. ?A veritable who’s who of the fashion world, this handsomely illustrated book celebrates 80 years of the prestigious fashion and design school, which was established in Milan in 1935 and has since added campuses in London, Paris, and Shanghai. It has trained three generations of students, acting as a springboard for thousands of creative professionals that went on to work at such major fashion houses as Armani, Gucci, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, and Valentino. With previously unreleased photographs by Aldo Fallai, this inspiring volume features profiles on the school’s most creative and successful alumni, who include Franco Moschino, Domenico Dolce (Dolce & Gabbana), Alessandro Sartori (Berluti), and Francesco Russo (Dior).

Accompanying a major exhibition, this stunning survey and important monograph highlights more than two decades’ worth of Lisa Yuskavage’s brilliant and controversial paintings. Internationally acclaimed American painter Lisa Yuskavage is known for her seductive yet unsettling work, in which cartoony, vulgar, angelic young nymphs are cast within fantastical landscapes or theatrical interiors. In this dazzling monograph she presents the confrontational imagery, luscious paint, and technical virtuosity that are her signature, blurring the boundaries between high art’s classic female nudes and their naughty, soft-porn counterparts. This comprehensive new volume offers a rich overview of the artist’s work with interpretive essays by leading art historians and an interview with the artist. This will be the definitive book on this important artist.