Abrams

This is the first catalogue raisonne of Frans Post (1612-1680) published in over 30 years. Post is the first trained artist from the Old World to paint landscapes of the Americas. He lived seven years in Brazil (1637-1644) where he painted seven canvases that are highly regarded today and were the subject of an exhibition at the Musee du Louvre in Paris in 2005. Back in Holland he painted another 148 works that have been sought by collectors and museums in the past decades. The book shows all the 155 paintings known to this day, 57 drawings and 35 prints that form his oeuvre. The authors have been joined by four renowned international experts to establish the 'corpus' of authentic works.

After a relationship and marriage, what's next? Why, children of course. And who better to offer us some much needed advice than the very authors who brought us STC's highly successful Cattitude and the forthcoming Catrimony. Caternal Instincts contains mothering advice from diva mother felines to females complete with adorable black and white photographs of cats and their kittens and a clever ribbon-adorned cover. With tidbits such as: Make clear there is only one queen ruling the kingdom, Buy stain resistant everything and Negotiate about broccoli, not about love, how could a mother fail?

The ladies are back and this time with a trilogy of feline fun. Christine Montaquila and Kim Levin's best selling 'feline guides' are now available as a boxed set, including Cattitude: The Feline Guide to being Fabulous, Catrimony: The Feline guide to Ruling the Relationship and Caternal Instincts: The Feline Guide to Mastering Motherhood . All three feature the unique black-and-white documentary-style photography and clever captions that have kept cat lovers wanting more.In Cattitude , the felines give women the low-down on living large at any stage of life, offering advice like 'Accept your body. Augment your ego', and 'Realise a tiara is a state of mind'. In Catrimony , they conquer the milestone of marriage with witty suggestions to 'Hide the videotape' and 'Devise a holiday evacuation plan', and finally, in Caternal Instincts, the ladies get the real about the challenges of parenting, encouraging every mom to 'Buy stain resistant everything', and 'Accept the fact that you'll never pee alone again'. Perfect for birthdays, weddings christenings or any gift giving occasion, the Cattitude Boxed Set is for cat lovers, photography buffs and everyone in between.

Almost from the beginning of art, humans have portrayed cats. The animal originally domesticated for the humble purpose of catching mice was already a goddess in ancient Egypt and a beloved household pet in ancient Rome. Throughout history, cats have been a beautiful vessel for symbolic meanings, ranging from dark unruly sensuality to perfect domestic tranquillity. In this book, cats inhabit 170 art masterpieces. Sometimes they are the stars of the work and sometimes they are working their magic from the corners of rooms (in which case both the whole work and a detail showing the cat are both illustrated). Here are paintings by Van Eyck, Raphael, Leonardo, Bruegel, Rembrandt, Chardin, Gainsborough, Manet, Renoir, Bonnard, Gauguin, Matisse, Balthus, Picasso, Warhol and many other famous artists. Stefano Zuffi's charming text tells us what it all means. The cats, meanwhile, are beautiful, seductive and mysterious.

Russian Textiles showcases the gorgeous cotton textiles that were created and manufactured in Russia and exported to Central Asia from 1850 to 1950. The Muslims in these Central Asian countries — Uzbeks, Tadjiks, Farsi, Turkomans, etc. — incorporated the brightly patterned fabrics into their clothing, particularly the linings of their robes and household items. An introductory essay describes the fascinating history of this influence of Middle Eastern and Western aesthetic styles and is illustrated with vintage photography from the turn of the 20th century as well as images of the robes and other articles that were lined and embellished with the beautiful cloth. More than 150 fantastic patterns from a variety of periods and styles, from late Victorian to Art Nouveau to Art Deco, are featured, making Russian Textiles a book every fashion, interior and product designer, craftsperson and artist will want in their inspiration library.

This book reveals the designer's taste for the theatrical. Tony Duquette took de Wolf's no-holds-barred style in his manefsto. He crafted rooms that were beguiling, grandiose and pure Hollywood... opulent and overstated with gilded lilies, leopard patters, rock crystal, tented ceilings and endless rococo paintings.Tony Duquette designed sparkling jewels, spectacular stage sets, extravagant costumes, and interiors for pleasure pavilions inspired by dreams. He loved richness, drama, ornament, individuality and eccentricity. He considered 18th Century France the apogee of design and civilisation and recreated a Sun King's ransom of painting and festoons for his own interior spaces.'I always decorate as if I were working in that period rather than merely re-creating it'. Duquette designed with authentic fabrics and colours, painting and decorative objects. Each space was a pastiche of Duquette's passions: Chinoiserie, gold-leafed trays, Louis XV chairs, clusters of pillow made from Balinese fabrics and Japanese brocades. He is known for embellishing, draping and layering. His signature over-the-top style includes decorating with shells and faux coral, rearranging tabourets and porcelain, applied faux-malachite and vignettes set up to a crescendo of clashing colours.

This charming, all new book follows the domestic adventures of a cat — really, any cat — in episodic illustrations that celebrate the sweetly universal quirks that endear our feline friends to cat-lovers everywhere. Not a graphic novel (no story arc, just cute, funny, charming cat episodes.) He's only present in the illustrations the form of feet, arms, etc. to increase universal appeal (this is your cat, or any cat.) It includes an illustrated introduction.

For musicians and entertainers, there is no more desireable showcase than the Rolling Stone cover, where for the past thirty-eight years a talented photographer, illustrator or designer has been given the opportunity to create a new legend or give a fresh spin to a familiar face. Every cover from 1967 to 2006, ending with the 1000th cover (appearing on newstands in May 2006) will be added to the smaller chunky format of this new edition. A new introduction by Jann Wenner, new quotes from photographers and musicians, as well as relevant excerpts from the magazine will also be featured. As with the first edition, the covers will be presented chronologically.

In the five years during which Warhol worked intensively as a filmmaker, he produced 472 portrait films called Screen Tests . In this book, author Callie Angell catalogues, illustrates, and describes the 189 people who were captured by Warhol's lens, discussing their relationships with him. These people include superstars, artists, musicians and important figures from the 1960s counterculture.

When Napoleon conquered Egypt in 1799, he overthrew the last of the sultans who had ruled the country for centuries. When his army withdrew in 1801, Mohammed Ali, a ruthless and yet forward-looking soldier of fortune from the Balkans, seized power. Despite nominally representing the Ottoman Empire they ruled independently and so created modern Egypt. They brought unheard of prosperity, that was not only marked in their cultivation of the land, and building of railways cities and the Suez Canal, but also in the new found wealth of the Egyptian people who built opulant palaces and country estates. Added to this splendid grand hotels to accommodate Western tourists were built, and these buildings remain a testament to Egypt's modern golden age. Lavishly illustrated with 170 colour photographs taken specially for this book, Egyptian Palaces and Villas will fascinate and delight anyone interested in the Middle East and its history.

Every aspect of the Stones' story is covered, including the band's private lives, drug busts, performances, recording sessions, public appearances, photo sessions and more. The photographs, both black-and-white and full colour, are arranged chronologically; many of these images have rarely or never been seen before. Each caption, by The Beatles: 365 Days' author Simon Wells, provides details about the photo along with other pertinent information that will further enlighten the reader about the people and events pictured. Many captions will also contain a relevant quote from one of the Stones or one of their close friends, such as Ian Stewart, Andrew Loog Oldham, Marianne Faithful, or Anita Pallenberg, as well as from published articles, journalists, etc.

It was in 1914 that Mary Phelps Jacob set women free — from the prison of the corset. With a little help from her lady's maid, this ingenious New York socialite stitched together two handkerchiefs and a long pink ribbon to fashion the world's first-ever brassiere. (Jacob later sold her patent for $1,500 — to a company that went on to make $15 million off her invention.) The rest, as they say, is history — a history that's amply, titillatingly documented by designer Cheree Berry in Hoorah for the Bra. The twenties' flat-chested flappers, the fifties' bullet-bosomed bombshells, the eye-gouging cones of Madonna's Blonde Ambition-tour bustier: this provocative pop-up book reveals it all. The straps and the cups. The underwire and the padding. The elastic and the Lycra. The demure pink satin and the racy midnight lace. Hoorah for the Bra tells a tale that doesn't sag and presents a cast of characters — mail-order moguls, sweater-clad movie stars, brassiere-torching women's-libbers — who never let you down. Sure to be a bust-out hit, the book's the perfect gift for any Wonderbra dreamer or Frederick's of Hollywood vamp.

Like Graffiti World, Freight Train Graffiti is the definitive history of a vibrant art form. Until now there was almost no written insight into this vast subculture, which inspires fascination across America and around the world. As dazzling as the art it celebrates, the book is packed with 1,000 full-color illustrations and features in-depth interviews with more than 125 train artists and writers. Hundreds of never-before-seen photographs span the style's evolution, while the authoritative text from an all-star team of authors provides unprecedented perspective, including the first-ever written history of monikers, the precursors of graffiti, developed by hobos and rail workers to communicate en route. Bound to surprise graffiti artists, graphic designers, and urban culture buffs alike, this book will inspire anyone who has ever been interested in graffiti.

This completely interactive language learning course is designed for students who want to learn Italian but prefer to teach themselves rather than participate in a formal classroom setting. The attractively boxed language package contains a textbook presenting grammar and vocabulary basics with learning exercises. Included with the book are four audio CDs, three of them presenting dialogues and exercises, and the fourth focused especially for travel situations in Italy. The course concentrates on proficiency in speaking and understanding Italian in the context of informal conversations, travel situations, making purchases, and verbally finding one's way around in international settings. It is an ideal introduction to Italian for business and vacation travelers. The book is heavily illustrated with color photos and illustrations, as well as hundreds of question-and-answer exercises.

The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography has been carefully culled by Lee Tanner, the leading authority on jazz photography and photographers, and covers more than four decades of performers. If music is an international language, then jazz is the unofficial American ambassador to the world. These incredible images are both historical documents and cultural artifacts, as they are simultaneously records of a period and works of art unto themselves. The photos Tanner has selected are iconic, candid, explosive and intimate — together the book gives readers a unique look at jazz, photography and America, from 1935-65.

An examination of the American art collection assembled by Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III, during the 1960s and 1970s. It focuses on 140 works donated to the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco in the years since 1979. The introductory essay examines the context of the Rockefellers' collecting.

No photographer had a more serious and deeply felt response to the political and cultural impact of the 1960s and early 1970s than Richard Avedon, whose iconic portraits of key figures of the era influenced the course of photography in the decades that followed. In four monumental photographic murals (reproduced in large gatefolds) and many related portraits, he portrayed Andy Warhol's gender-bending Factory, with Viva and Candy Darling; Abbie Hoffman and the radical agitators of the Chicago Seven; Allen Ginsberg's family, friends, and fellow artists; and the U.S. Mission Council in Saigon alongside searing portraits of victims of the Vietnam War. The photographs are accompanied by images of archival material, including Avedon's diaries, correspondence, and contact prints. Major essays explore Avedon's penetrating incursions into the history and spirit of these tumultuous years.

Lee Alexander McQueen (1969-2010), whose design combined visionary aesthetics, emotional power, and extraordinary craft, was known for staging provocative shows that were as much performances as venues to display his couture creations. Charged with energy, informed by history and culture, and filled with fresh concepts, McQueen's shows have become legends not only of fashion but also of art. Anne Deniau was the only photographer allowed backstage by McQueen for 13 years, beginning in September 1997 and ending with the final show in March 2010. She captured McQueen working with his close circle of collaborators — including designer Sarah Burton, milliner Philip Treacy, jewelry designer Shaun Leane, and model Kate Moss — to create his meticulously produced spectacles. Her book offers an inspiring homage, through the art of photography, to the work of a great artist.

In Life and Love of Cats, Lewis Blackwell provides a unique perspective on one of our closest companions. Starting with the earliest records of domestic cats 9,000 years ago in Africa and the Mediterranean, Blackwell celebrates and explores the joy of cats in our lives, searching for the essence of our connection with them. Supporting the text is his presentation of a unique range of images shot by leading animal photographers from around the world. Through stunning photographs we are taken on a feline journey: from the homes of middle America, to the alleys and lanes of France, to the plains of Africa; from rare hybrid domestic cross breeds like the Savannah, to the exquisite specimens on show at the glittering Supreme Cat Show, to shelter cats lovingly rescued by volunteers; from graceful and haughty pure breeds such as the Persian and the Abyssinian, to adored domestic companions of all shapes, colours and sizes. Blackwell weaves stories around these photographs, tales that track the close relationship between cats and humankind.

Every aspect of the evolution of The Beatles from mop tops to legends is discussed in this book, including their personal lives, performances, press conferences, recording sessions, public appearances, photo sessions, filmmaking, and more. Simon Wells' extensive, detailed captions provide exact dates, times, and places, as well as context in terms of both the band and the culture of the times. Each photograph is accompanied by a pertinent quote by one or more Beatles or an individual closely associated with the Beatles such as Brian Epstein, Beatles photographer Bob Whitaker, girlfriends and wives, Beatles driver, etc.

Bob Gruen first photographed John Lennon in 1971 and became his personal photographer and close friend shortly thereafter. Over the course of the next nine years, right up until Lennon was shot and killed, Gruen photographed him extensively. The book is filled with photos and reflections by Gruen on the circumstances surrounding the photo such as John's relationship with Yoko, the role of the band Elephant's Memory, how he dealt with fame, his first days with his son Sean, how he spiralled downward on alcohol fuelled binges. It is a true behind-the-scenes look at Lennon as a performer, a legend, and a person.

From the Acadamy Award-winning studio that brought us Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., and the blockbuster Finding Nemo, comes The Incredibles, a hilarious and action-packed story of a family of superheroes banished to a boring suburban existence. Until... Mr. Incredible gets duped into an evil scheme and his family charges in to the rescue. The film is wonderfully graphic, bringing an early-'60s retro look to the superhero genre. The Art of the Incredibles once again pulls together the fabulous and otherwise never-seen movie concept art with quotes from the creative team of artists, designers, and directors. With an 8-page gatefold and fabulous color art, it is a visually stunning book that will appeal to the adult animation audience.

Containing over 100 masterpieces from the collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum, this volume traces the history of European sculpture, from the early-Christian period through to the 20th century. Highlights include the medieval ivories and works by many Italian Renaissance masters.

Well-written, loaded with information, and with a rich assortment of illustrations, each Discoveries RM volume is a look at one facet of art, archaeology, music, history, philosophy, popular culture, science, or nature. These innovatively designed, affordably priced, compact paperbacks bring ideas to life and amplify our understanding of civilization in a new way.