Antonio Stradivari (1644—1737) was a perfectionist whosesingle-minded pursuit of excellence changed the world of music. Inthe course of his long career in the northern Italian city ofCremona, he created more than a thousand stringed instruments;approximately six hundred survive, their quality unequalled by anysubsequent violin-maker. In this fascinating book, Toby Fabertraces the rich, multilayered stories of six of these peerlesscreations–five violins and a cello–and the one towering artist whobrought them into being. Blending history, biography, meticulousdetective work, and an abiding passion for music, Faber takes usfrom the salons of Vienna to the concert halls of New York, andfrom the breakthroughs of Beethoven’s last quartets to the firstphonographic recordings. This magnificent narrative invites us toshare the life, the intrigue, and the incomparable beauty of theworld’s most marvelous stringed instruments.

Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPDhomicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge. But hisfirst case is a little more than he bargained for. It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of aRolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what lookslike "trunk music," a Mafia hit. But the LAPD's organized crimeunit is curiously uninterested, and when Harry follows a trail ofgambling debts to Las Vegas, the case suddenly becomes more complex- and much more personal. A rekindled romance with an old girlfriend opens new perspectiveson the murder, and he begins to glimpse a shocking triangle ofcorruption and collusion. Yanked off the case, Harry himself issoon the one being investigated. But only a bullet can stop Harrywhen he's searching for the truth . . .

Although developments in camera technology mean that qualityimages are now well within the grasp of the keen amateur, themarket place is competitive. How does an aspiring photographerimprove and promote his or her photography in order to earn extraincome, or to make the leap to professional status? This newsubject-focused series explains everything the amateur needs toknow, from planning a shoot to effective marketing of the images toclients. In the first title, Landscape Photography, renownedlandscape photographer Mark Lucock offers the keen amateur aninsight into the daily life and decision-making of the workinglandscape photographer, sharing professional insights and tradesecrets of producing successful commercial and fine artphotography. Equipment and technique are only part of the equation:Lucock's approach is also a spiritual one - his passion about theenvironment gives his approach a highly compelling, personal edge.Lucock equips readers with all the necessary information, andplenty of inspiration, to

From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Warner Bros.Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' epic sci-fi action adventurePacific Rim. When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, startedrising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of livesand consume humanity's resources for years. To combat the giantKaiju, a special weapon was devised: massive robots, calledJaegers, which are piloted by an international crew of soldiers inthe Pan Pacific Defense Corps. But even the Jaegers are provingnearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On theverge of defeat, two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot andan untested trainee—team up to pilot a legendary but seeminglyobsolete Jaeger on a mission to halt the mounting apocalypse. Pacific Rim: Man, Machines Monsters chronicles theproduction of the film with stunning concept art, captivatingphotography, and cast and crew de*ions of the shoot.

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

The most spectacular building raised in Hanover in the last fewyears, the new headquarters of the Norddeutsche Landesbank standsas a landmark high-rise, gleaming with transparence, courageousconstruction, and an innovative energy concept--a pioneer amongGerman office complexes. Designed by the internationally renownedStuttgart-based firm of Behnisch, Behnisch Partner, thestructure provides an attractive workplace for the bank's 1,500employees, while simultaneously infusing the city space with newimpulses, a pleasant public inner courtyard, and an attractiveannex housing shops and restaurants. This publication presents thecomplex in all its aspects, from the initial design competition tothe building phase to completion.

The Renaissance holds an undying place in our imagination, itsgreat heroes still our own, from Michelangelo and Leonardo to Danteand Chaucer. This period of profound evolution in European thoughtis credited with transforming the West from medieval to modern andproducing the most astonishing outpouring of artistic creation theworld has ever known. But what was it? In this masterly work, theincomparable Paul Johnson tells us. He explains the economic,technological, and social developments that provide a backdrop tothe age’s achievements and focuses closely on the lives and worksof its most important figures. A commanding short narrative of thisvital period, The Renaissance is also a universally profoundmeditation on the wellsprings of innovation.

本书首次向中国的读者展示中国观众对“土地‘的各种感受和反应，其中包括有留言、图片、文章等形式。 “从某种意义来说，《土地》是一项全球性项目，她是由地球上某一特定地区年龄各异的当地人民制造出来的。她由土制成、以火生成，其情感来自触摸，其思想来自观赏。”安东尼·葛姆雷的“土地”被认为是现代雕塑的经典作品。安东尼·葛姆雷是一位国际瞩目的艺术大师，自1989年，葛姆雷一直从事着一项与世界各国不同社区接触的长期项目———《土地》。为制造不同版本的《土地》雕塑，他游历了从巴西雨林到北欧等不同国家。 2003年1月，他与300多位不同年龄层次，来自广州东北部花都地区的市民一起，用了5天的时间，制造了近20万个小泥人，组成了大型雕塑巡展“土地”．

Situated between Western Europe and the civilizations ofByzantium and the Islamic world, Renaissance Venice was uniquelypositioned at the crossroads of East and West. In the beautifulAdriatic city, ideas and aesthetics were exchanged and developed ina remarkable age of cultural fusion. Venice’s distinctivearchitecture is already well known for integrating divergentcultural influences, but the impact of this synthesis on Venetianpainting has not been fully explored. This gorgeous book focuses onthe work of the remarkable Bellini family of painters—Jacopo andhis sons Gentile and Giovanni—who transformed Venetianpainting in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. The authors examine the influence of Venetian trade with the Easton Bellini paintings; the Byzantine influence on Venetian art; theimpact of a visit to Mehmed II’s court in 1479 on Gentile Bellini,as well as his effect on Eastern-trained artists there; and muchmore. The book is abundantly illustrated with the Bellini family’

Inside this book, readers will find 200 imaginativesuggestions from 56 artists, along with intriguing paintings--inwatercolor, oil pastel, acrylic, and other popular media--that willjump-start their imaginations and lead them to fresh new subjectsand a thrilling sense of creative adventure.

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

The companion volume to the ten-part PBS TV series by the teamresponsible for"The Civil War" and "Baseball." Continuing in thetradition of their critically acclaimed works, Geoffrey C. Ward andKen Burns vividly bring to life the story of the quintessentialAmerican music--jazz. Born in the black community ofturn-of-the-century New Orleans but played from the beginning bymusicians of every color, jazz celebrates all Americans at theirbest. Here are the stories of the extraordinary men and women whomade the music: Louis Armstrong, the fatherless waif whoseunrivaled genius helped turn jazz into a soloist's art andinfluenced every singer, every instrumentalist who came after him;Duke Ellington, the pampered son of middle-class parents who turneda whole orchestra into his personal instrument, wrote nearly twothousand pieces for it, and captured more of American life than anyother composer. Bix Beiderbecke, the doomed cornet prodigy whoshowed white musicians that they too could make an importantcontribution to the

A basic primer for anyone without musical training who wishesto learn to read musical scores when singing or taking up aninstrument, this accessible and complete book covers classical,popular, jazz, and folk music. Well-known pieces are accompanied bya muscial dictionary, a note directory, and a guide to musicalsigns.

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.

Just as its title indicates, "National Geographic SimplyBeautiful Photographs" plumbs the depth of National Geographic'srenowned Image Collection to highlight the loveliest and mostappealing photographs from this impressive archive. The result isan experience of visual delight, whether from stunning landscapes,magnificent wildlife, fascinating people, or quaint locales.Award-winning National Geographic photographer Annie Griffiths Belthas chosen remarkable images from all of the Society's core missionareas: exploration, wildlife, cultures, science, nature. Eachchapter showcases a specific aspect of what creates beauty in aphotograph, whether light or color, or motion, and illuminates thatquality in a splash of large-format images --most of which readerswill be able to purchase as prints. Musings on visual beauty fromscholars and poets enhance the experience, making this gorgeouscollection a pleasure to look at again and again.

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.

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.

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.

These free-wheeling, often exhilarating dialogues—which grewout of the acclaimed Carnegie Hall Talks—are an exchange betweentwo of the most prominent figures in contemporary culture: DanielBarenboim, internationally renowned conductor and pianist, andEdward W. Said, eminent literary critic and impassioned commentatoron the Middle East. Barenboim is an Argentinian-Israeli and Said aPalestinian-American; they are also close friends. As they range across music, literature, and society, they openup many fields of inquiry: the importance of a sense of place;music as a defiance of silence; the legacies of artists from Mozartand Beethoven to Dickens and Adorno; Wagner’s anti-Semitism; andthe need for “artistic solutions” to the predicament of the MiddleEast—something they both witnessed when they brought young Arab andIsraeli musicians together. Erudite, intimate, thoughtful andspontaneous, Parallels and Paradoxes is a virtuosiccollaboration.