"A cat book with class, this sumptuously produced, highlyliterate collection of felinity as represented in art, literature,and photography is sure to elicit purrs, " raved Publishers Weeklywhen this BOMC Selection was published in 1982. Long out of print,this cat-lovers dream book is now reissued in paperback. 70full-color reproductions. --Ce texte fait référence à uneédition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.

The moral of this book is that behind every great engineeringsuccess is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular)engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best knownexamples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action-- the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you've probably seentossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage),the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways -- andmany lesser known but equally informative examples. The line ofreasoning Petroski develops in this book were later formalized intohis quasi-Darwinian model of technological evolution in TheEvolution of Useful Things , but this book is arguably the moreilluminating -- and defintely the more enjoyable -- of these twotitles. Highly recommended.

In this compulsively readable, fascinating, and provocativeguide to classical music, Norman Lebrecht, one of the world's mostwidely read cultural commentators tells the story of the rise ofthe classical recording industry from Caruso's first notes to theheyday of Bernstein, Glenn Gould, Callas, and von Karajan. Lebrechtcompellingly demonstrates that classical recording has reached itsend point-but this is not simply an expos? of decline and fall. Itis, for the first time, the full story of a minor art form,analyzing the cultural revolution wrought by Schnabel, Toscanini,Callas, Rattle, the Three Tenors, and Charlotte Church. It is thestory of how stars were made and broken by the record business; howa war criminal conspired with a concentration-camp victim to createa record empire; and how advancing technology, boardroom wars,public credulity and unscrupulous exploitation shaped the musicalbackdrop to our modern lives. The book ends with a suitable shrineto classical recording: the author's critical selectio

Now in paperback, the fascinating, quirky, highly acclaimedbook about that indispensable object, the pencil. Petroski tracesits origins back to ancient Greece and Rome, writes factually andcharmingly about its development, and shows what the pencil canteach us about engineering and technology today.

What do you getwhen you cross a snail with the Indianapolis 500? If you’reDreamWorks, then the result is Turbo, an uplifting—andgear-shifting—story about the ultimate underdog, delivered with thedigital mastery, storytelling skill, and spellbinding imagery we’vecome to expect from the studio behind the Shrek and Madagascar.

From its ancient status as the jewel of an empire to itsmodern incarnation as a troubled, yet culturally vibrant Europeancapital, Rome has compelled the imagination of artists for over twothousand years. Now, in "The History of Rome in Painting", that

The world of the fashionista is brought to vivid life with 101introductory lessons on such topics as how a designer anticipatescultural trends and "sees" the fashion consumer, the workings ofthe fashion calendar, the ways a designer collection is conceived,the manufacture of fabric, fashion illustration, and more. Illustrated in the distinctly unique packaged style of thebestselling101 THINGS I LEARNED IN ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL, this newbook on fashion design will be a perfect book for any fashionschool wannabe, a recent graduate, or even a seasonedprofessional.

Japanese woodblock prints of the Edo period (16151868) were the products of a highly commercialised and competitive publishing industry. Their content was inspired by the vibrant popular culture that flourished in Edo (Tokyo). At any given time scores of publishers competed for the services of the leading artists of the day. Publishers and artists displayed tremendous ingenuity in finding ways to sustain demand for prints and to to circumvent the restrictions placed upon them by government censorship. Japanese woodblock prints have long been appreciated in the West for their graphic qualities but their content has not always been fully understood. In recent years, publications by scholars in Japan, Europe and the United States have made possible a more subtle appreciation of the imagery encountered in them. This book draws upon this recent scholarship to explain how those who first purchased these prints would have read them. Through stunning new photography of both well-known and rarely published work

Asian Resorts is conceived to be the most comprehensivecollection on Asian resorts. Written and shot by the region'sbest known Asian architecture specialist, TanHock Beng, who has already put together five books on the designand aesthetics of tropical architecture, Asian Resorts promises toshow its readers the biggest variety of Asian resorts that no otherbook has ever shown. With its beautifully' shot images and relevantinformation, this book will certainly serve and entertain youbeyond just the coffee table. In fact, it is a must-have for everyarchitectural office and every home.

“The standard of photography is absolutelyamazing.”— Practical Photography The third editionof Reuters: Our World Now captures the key events from2009 in more than 350 powerful photographs. Organized into foursections that represent the four quarters of the year, the imagescover the full range of global reporting: politics, commerce,conflict, the environment, natural disasters, faith andfestivities, entertainment, celebrity, and lifestyle. The photosoffer a fresh take on the year’s most memorable events as well asplenty of less-familiar stories. This completely new edition includes special “Witness” features:in-depth photo essays from around the world, many of them createdby local photographers with unique access and insight. The bookprovides an indispensable visual record of our times. 360 color and10 black-and-white photographs.

The Essential Encyclopedia for Every Guitar Player The GuitarHandbook is the complete guide to playing the guitar - from simplechords to advanced improvisations. Its uniquely devised learningprogram combines specially commissioned, step-by-step photographswith a chord dictionary containing over 800 easy-to-followfingerings, and clear, concise text. It is also a comprehensivemanual on guitar hardware and performance technology, soundequipment, special effects, and recording facilities. It examinesevery aspect of guitar maintenance, repair, and customizing, aswell as highlighting over 20 world-famous guitarists. 43 pages withfull-color photos and illustrations.

One of Victorian Englands most charismatic characters, DanteGabriel Rossetti painted and wrote with equal passion. He wassimilarly passionate in his personal life: his etherealartist-wife, his earthy blond mistress, and the ravishing JaneMorris are al

In 1958, the first edition of Robert Frank's TheAmericans was published in Paris. Les Américains contained Frank's 83 photographs in the same sequence as allsubsequent editions, with the image on the right hand page, butjuxtaposed with historical texts about American society andpolitics, gathered by Alain Bosquet. The following year, in thefirst American edition, the French texts were removed and anintroduction by Jack Kerouac was added. Over the subsequent 50years, The Americans has been republished in many editions,in numerous languages, with a variety of cover designs, and even ina range of sizes. It is the most famous photography book everpublished, and it changed the face of the medium forever. Robert Frank discussed with his publisher,Gerhard Steidl, the idea of producing a new edition using modernscanning and the finest tritone printing. The starting point was tobring original prints from New York to G?ttingen, Germany, whereSteidl is based. In July 2007, Frank visited G?ttingen. A new forma

The tragedy of Tupac is that his untimely passing isrepresentative of too many young black men in this country....If wehad lost Oprah Winfrey at 25, we would have lost a relativelyunknown, local market TV anchorwoman. If we had lost Malcolm X at25, we would have lost a hustler nicknamed Detroit Red. And if Ihad left the world at 25, we would have lost a big-band trumpetplayer and aspiring composer--just a sliver of my eventual lifepotential. From the Foreword by Quincy Jones The real story of Tupac's murder may not ever emerge. This maybe the only lasting testament to the many faces of Tupac Shakur--ofa life lived fast and hard, of a man cloaked in contradictions. Ayoung man who was just starting to come into his own. "I believe that everything you do bad comes back to you. Soeverything that I do that's bad, I'm going to suffer for it. But inmy heart, I believe what I'm doing is right. So I feel like I'mgoing to heaven." Tupac Shakur, June 1996

Desde queen 1890 en Estados Unidos se utilizara el terminorascacielos para designar al edificio de oficinas en altura, esteha suscitado diversidad de reflexiones --entre el entornoarquitectonico y la opi-nion pOblica- acerca de sus limites ydisefio. El ras-cacielos es un producto genuinamenteestadouniden-se, fruto del siglo xx, cuya presencia y evoluci6n essin6nimo de progreso tecnologico, la sociedad de consumo y lapolftica liberal. Este volumen propone una revision de los rascacielos queinauguran el nuevo milenio, con la seleccion de edificios de laultima decada del siglo xx y principios del xxi de algunos de losarquitectos mas relevantes de la actualidad. Asf, se muestranedificios que forman parte del debate arquitect6nico actual y quemuestran como sus autores afrontan la arquitectura en relacion conla sociedad y la ciudad.

An illustrated, inside look at the rock group Nirvana offers acandid look the band's members, chronicling their rapid rise in themusic world and revealing the true story of the drug-abuse rumorssurrounding them.

Paul Nicklen, a resident of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories,has lived nearly all his life in the far north. Trained as abiologist, he is an experienced wilderness guide, as well as aninternationally acclaimed photographer. Huge Brody is an associateof the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge University. Heis the author of several books, including Maps and Dreams, Indianson Skid Row, and Inishkillane: Change and Decline in the West ofIreland. He lives in London.

Few artists have created as much controversy or survived itwith greater fame than Edouard Manet. In his day, the avant-gardewas not only a challenge to the traditions of art, but it was alsoa gunshot fired at society as a whole. With his painting Olympia(1869), Manet was to become, to quote Degas, as famous asGaribaldi. Yet how the urbane and diffident son of a bourgeoisfamily became the father of both Realism and Impressionism is acomplex and fascinating story that has too often been reduced totextbook clichés. As Manet has become recognized as a touchstonefor historical change but also for interpretations of how thatchange came about, his individual story has become all the morerelevant to the study of art history. Moreover, far from being anartists to shrink behind his work, one of Manets mostcharacteristic practices was to leave an indelible trace of his ownpersonal identity within his paintings, as illustrated throughoutthe volume by eminent scholar James H. Rubin. This lavishlyillustrated volume