This collection of 30 unintentionally kitsch postcards from yesteryear contains classic adverts, information announcements, and army, navy, and air force recruitment posters that are perhaps hiding a deeper meaning.

Available again, this beautifully produced collection of fashion illustration celebrates the richness of fashion drawing in Vogue magazine. William Packer, painter, writer and art critic, has collected the very best drawings from over seventy years of Vogue for this inspired volume, which features the work of hundreds of artists, from Edouard Benito, René Bouché, and Pierre Brissaud, to Salvador Dali. Their brilliant drawings chronicle not only fashion but also, with wit and delicacy, the international social scene.

Original, imaginative and lots of fun, My Head-to-Toe Body Book is a look at the body inside and out for young children. The approach is hands-on: this book is all about asking questions and getting answers. How many teeth do you have? What happens to the food you eat? How do you wee? A little girl called Koko asks questions to make children think about the body, while three intrepid explorers go on adventures inside the body to find out what makes the body work. Children investigate each topic by playing and learning the book is packed with things to do on and off the page, including games, recipes and craft activities. The bold illustrations of innovative design studio OKIDO give the book a very contemporary feel and its large format is friendly to children.

Britain has played a key role in the history of the last five centuries, and its art reflects this in absorbing but complex ways. At first, foreign artists and influences were dominant — for example, Holbein, Van Dyck, Lely and Kneller. In the century of Hogarth, Reynolds and Gainsborough, British painting reflected an increasingly confident society, propelled by Imperialist expansion and industrial advance. Constable and Turner were among many pioneers in the artistic revolutions of the Romantic period, when British influence extended across Europe. The Victorian age saw the moral dilemmas, reflected in art, of Christian values challenged by science. A consistent undercurrent has been Britain's preference for the real world (landscape and portraiture) as against high art and abstraction. This is a survey of the personalities of British painting and an assessment of the latest flowering in which many threads of modern art come together.

In recent years, vintage handkerchiefs have been an unsung source of inspiration for many of the world's most exciting brands. This volume written by vintage clothing and textiles expert Nicky Albrechtsen, will appeal to collectors of printed textiles, fashion lovers and designers, and provide a visual feast for anyone with a passion for pattern. Over 200 beautifully designed handkerchiefs have been selected to reflect the magnificent array of printed designs that emerged between the 1920s and 1950s, a particularly innovative period in handkerchief design that produced small squares exploding with colour and pattern. The book comes complete with a short history of the subject, an analysis of the fabrics used, a detailing of the design characteristics of each decade, information on where to find and collect, and advice on conservation, storage and use. Organized for inspiration into 11 sections by colour, this is a fresh and covetable volume targeted at fashion professionals, designers, or a new young generation in search of old chic in new chic forms. Nicky Albrechtsen is also the co-author of the acclaimed Scarves (ISBN 9780500515648).

Born out of the drawingbuilding.org online archive, Architectural Inventions presents a stunning visual study of impossible or speculative structures that exist only on paper. Soliciting the work of architects, designers, and artists of renown-as well as emerging talents from all over the world-Maximilian Goldfarb and Matt Bua have gathered an array of works that convey architectural alternatives, by products, expansions, or critiques of our inhabited environments. Highlighting visions that exist outside of established channels of production and conventions of design, Architectural Inventions showcases a multiplicity in concept and vision, fantasy and innovation.

Lucian Freud Portraits surveys his portraits and figure paintings from across his long career. Drawing together the finest portraits from public and private collections around the world, the book explores Freud's stylistic development and technical virtuosity. A series of previously unpublished interviews conducted by Michael Auping between May 2009 and January 2011 reveals the artist's thoughts on the complex relationship between artist and sitter, the particular challenges of painting nudes and self-portraits, and his views on other painters he admired. Freud's psychological portraits are often imbued with a mood of alienation. A private man, the artist's close relationship with his sitters was played out behind the closed door of the studio. Frequently there is the sense of an emotionally charged drama unfolding, but his subjects remain elusive. Sitters represented in the book include family members, particularly his mother, Lucie, and artists such as Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon and David Hockney. In the early 1990s Freud produced a series of monumental paintings of the performance artist Leigh Bowery and Bowery's friend Sue Tilley, the benefits supervisor, examples of which are reproduced in this book.

The works of Caravaggio and his followers and contemporaries in early 17th-century Rome. Caravaggio eclipsed all other artists of his time. But just who were these fellow travellers? Bringing together 200 paintings from world collections, Rome in Caravaggio's Day is the first work to reconstruct the connective tissue of the Eternal City where the great genius lived and worked. In the period between 1595 and 1635, Rome was a crucible in which artists of different backgrounds, cultures, and tongues worked side by side exchanging techniques, experiences, styles, and iconographies. In the space of a few years, they swept away the late mannerist stereotypes and ushered in the most extraordinary artistic renewal ever witnessed in Rome. The results would be felt all over Europe throughout the seventeenth century. The catalog relates this poorly known story to a broad audience, rendering justice and visibility to talented artists who had the misfortune of living in Rome in the early decades of the 1600s and have languished into modern times in the shadow of the incredibly popular Caravaggio.

'The Great Wave' is a colour woodblock print designed by Japanese artist Hokusai in around 1830. The print, of which numerous multiples were made, shows a monster of a wave rearing up and about to come crashing down on three fishing boats and their crews. One of a monumental series known as 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji', Hokusai's Great Wave — with the graceful snow-clad Mount Fuji on the horizon, unperturbed but wittily dwarfed by the towering strength of the wave that threatens to engulf the struggling boats — has become an iconic image of the power of nature and the relative smallness of man. One of the most famous pieces of Japanese art, this extraordinary artwork has had a huge impact worldwide and has served as a source of inspiration to artists, both past and present. This beautifully illustrated book explores the meaning behind Hokusai's Great Wave, in the context of the Mount Fuji series and Japanese art as a whole. Taking an intimate look at the Wave's artistic and historical significance and its influence on popular culture, this concise introduction explains why Hokusai's modern masterpiece had such an impact after its creation in 1830 and why it continues to fascinate, inspire and challenge today.

Attention all hipsters! In November 2012, the worlds coolest camera brand celebrates its 20th anniversary with the publication of this official two-volume slipcased title. Book I features specially commissioned photography showing off all cameras in the vast Lomography range, including every limited edition and the best one-offs ever made. Book II traces the story of the last 20 years of Lomography, as seen through the wonderful and varied world of Lomo lenses. Anecdotes and recollections relate the stuff of Lomo legend. Chronologically organized and featuring the very best photographic material from the 1.5 million-strong Lomography community, this volume is a snapshot of every corner of the lomographic world. This is an absolute must-have package for designers, photographers and hipsters the world over. The future is analogue!

This striking book explores contemporary portraiture from the past decade. The selection features cutting-edge new work from the international art community and reflects an increasing interest in identity worldwide. Organised thematically, the book examines seven key strands of portraiture: The Body; The Self-Portrait; The Invented Portrait; The Anonymous Portrait; Social Identity; The Celebrity Portrait. With an essay by Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, that locates contemporary portraiture within a historic tradition, 21st Century Portraits examines current trends, showcasing the wide range of media today's artists are using. This book includes an extensive bibliography and is an essential reference work in the field of twenty-first-century portraiture. It will present many images to academic, curatorial and general audiences, including museum and gallery visitors and general art book buyers in the trade for the first time.

Lucian Freud: Painting People features a selection of the artist's finest portraits and figure paintings arranged chronologically, from the early 1940s to his death in 2011. In his introductory essay, Martin Gayford looks at Freud's standing as an artist and his place in art history, and offers personal insights into the artist's life and approach to portraiture. World-renowned artist David Hockney gives a revealing account of his own experience of sitting for a portrait by his friend and fellow artist, and an illustrated chronology enables readers to place Freud's works in context. Portraits and paintings of the human form were central to Freud's oeuvre, and with examples drawn from public and private collections around the world, this book demonstrates Freud's stylistic development and technical virtuosity. Working only from life, the artist claimed I could never put anything into a picture that wasn't actually there in front of me. A private man, Freud's close relationship with his sitters was played out behind the closed door of the studio. Among those represented in this book are members of his family — particularly his mother, Lucie — artists, such as Frank Auerbach, John Minton and David Hockney, and the performance artist Leigh Bowery and Bowery's friend Sue Tilley, immortalised by Freud in a series of monumental paintings in the 1990s.

Igor Moukhin (born 1961) works as an independent photographer since 1989. He started his career covering underground musicians life in the Soviet Russia. This work developed into a more vast research of the Soviet and Post-Soviet space. His work has appeared in numerous Russian and international publications and have been exhibited at museums, festivals and galleries worldwide. Igor is reputed one of the most important contemporary Russian photographers. He is based in Moscow and besides continuing his practice as a photographer, he lectures at Rodchenko School of Photography. Using his individual and familiar style Moukhin reconstructs and explores reality of post-soviet society in his native city Moscow. The images expose public and private life of various strata of citizens, different kinds of political, public or artistic groups and subcultures. This way, the book covers the great epoch of changes and course of life of numerous generations of Moscovites that were faced with this twenty-five years period of changes and hope. The book also contains a very personal interview by Irina Meglinskaya with Igor Moukhin and an essay by the famous Russian modern writer Zakhar Prilepin.

Published in 2010, Living Modern is the ultimate resource for contemporary living. Defining the modern space as much more than modernist, the book showcases global interiors with clean lines, sophisticated color combinations, outdoor rooms, great design objects, and open areas for relaxing and eating. Now, with a new selection of photography and houses, Living Modern Tropical applies these attributes to tropical climates, where the expression of modern living has found its natural home. The book is organized into ten sections: nature, architecture, outdoors, elements, function, light, furniture, details, materials, and water. Each features themed subsections that focus on the attributes most enjoyed in tropical spaces. But regardless of where you live, here are hundreds of design ideas that will provide inspiration for every room in the house.

While it has long been an essential element of interior decor, wallpaper is currently experiencing a creative boom. Designers everywhere are rediscovering its versatility and using it to achieve a variety of imaginative effects. This book explores the art of wallpaper from its historical beginnings to the present day. Beginning with the handcrafted papiers peints of the 18th century, through the Arts and Crafts movement, modernism and Pop Art, it traces the influences behind today's popular motifs and showcases a dazzling selection of the very best in contemporary wallpaper from all over the world. Packed with more than 300 illustrations, this lavish book offers a wealth of design inspiration for any home.

Like once the main towers of the cathedrals, skyscrapers are the dominant landmarks in the cityscape of today and thereby one of the most prestigious building assignments of creative architects. The design freedom of the contour and the plastic volume of the blob have long since superseded the purely orthogonal towers of the past. A global view to the most significant projects of recent years and the most spectacular towers still under construction as well as path breaking experimental sketches are presented by means of texts, planning material and illustrations. Comprehensive tables give the most important performance markers and provide information about the central subjects specific to this type of building, such as vertical development, safety and energy concepts.

This is a volume of living history the history of our times, as seen by the photographers who captured it. It is the most comprehensive anthology of Life photography ever assembled, and illustrates the strengths that made many of these individuals famous and Life great. This book, an enormous international success in hardback, is now available in a new, compact, paperback edition.

This book demonstrates and revels in the rich inventiveness of a designer who played a key role in the fashions of the 1980s and 90s, and one who — with fashion's recent return to harder edges — has become an inspiration for many contemporary designers.

The retrospective of portraits of Mick Jagger, one of the worlds most photographed performers, was a highlight of the 2010 Arles photography festival. This book gathers together all the photographs from that exhibition, introduced by the Festivals director, Francois Hebel. Hebel writes, 'In order to consider the rock portrait, we have chosen to focus on different unities: unity of face, in the form of Mick Jagger, and unity of genre the posed portrait, as opposed to stage photography or candid shots.' Published to coincide with the National Portrait Gallery's exhibition in May 2011, this book spans Jagger's entire career, from Mankowitz's portraits of the young artist in the 1960s and Cecil Beaton's on set shots from Performance to Anton Corbijn's shoot for Rolling Stone in 2005. This book includes photographs by Bryan Adams, Kevin Cummins, Karl Lagerfeld, Annie Leibovitz, Terry O'Neill, Herb Ritts, Ethan Russell, Andy Warhol and many more.

Claudia Walde spent over two years collecting alphabets by 154 artists from 30 countries. Each artist received the same brief: to design all 26 letters of the Latin alphabet within the limits of a single page of the book. The result is a unique typographical sourcebook featuring over 150 specially designed, original alphabets exclusive to this book.