‘This is a history of intellectual courage, hard work, occasional inspiration and every conceivable form of human failing. It is also an extended invitation to wonder, to pleasure’
For anyone who has ever been fascinated by the night sky, this beautifully designed introduction to astronomy and its history reveals the compelling story of mankind's quest through the ages to unl...
When one of the most visually exciting photographers of our times turns fashion stories into fairy tales, the results are unmistakable and inimitable. Though they may soar in scale and ambition to ...
For centuries humanity has engaged in a virtual exploration of space through astronomical observation, aided by astounding scientific and technological advances. In more than sixty years since the ...
Ancient myths and legends permeate daily life in modern China. Across the vast country, people gather to celebrate festivals in accordance with the ancient lunar calendar: from Yuanxiao in the firs...
A plain speaking, jargon-free account of contemporary art that identifies key themes and approaches, providing the reader with a clear understanding of the contexts in which art is being made today...
Sickness and health, birth and death, disease and cure: medicine and our understanding of the workings of our bodies and minds are an inextricable part of how we know who we are. As we face new cha...
Liam Wong’s world starts after dark and ends at first light. When the night draws in and the lights go down, his urban explorations and cinematic narratives truly begin.In his pre...
We are all dressed. But how often do we pause to think about the place of our clothes in our lives? What unconscious thoughts do we express when we dress every day? Can memories, meaning and ideas ...
The kingdom of fungi has survived all five major extinction events. They are the architects of the natural world, integral to all life. They sustain critical ecosystems, recycling nutrients and con...
Did you know that the ultramarine that shimmers at the centre of Vermeer’s Milkmaid connects that masterpiece with 6th-century Zoroastrian paintings found on the walls of cave temples in Bami...
We are capable of savage acts of violence but also spectacular feats of kindness: is one side of our nature destined to win out over the other? Every act of human behaviour has multiple layers of c...
Credited with creating some of the most luxurious and spectacular haute couture pieces of all time, Christian Dior became a fashion icon overnight in 1947 with the launch of his ‘New Look&rsq...
The most captivating and intriguing 19th-century murders from around the world are re-examined in this disquieting volume, which takes readers on a perilous journey around the world’s most be...
Photography: The Whole Story leads you through the world’s most iconic photographs – those images that have become key reference points in our conception of ourselves and the world arou...
Humanity has always been struck by pestilence and pandemics, from the plagues of ancient Egypt to the pox that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages, to Covid-19. People living through the crises have ...
The aesthetic of our contemporary environment, including everything from housing developments to furniture and websites, is partly the result of a school of art and design founded in Germany in 191...
An indispensable collection of Noam Chomsky's talks on the past, present and future of the politics of power Noam Chomsky is universally accepted as one of the world's leading intellectuals of the ...
Why has human history unfolded so differently across the globe?In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Jared Diamond puts the case that geography and biogeography, not race, moulded the con...
The advent of railways played an instrumental part in Britain’s economic and social revolution in the 19th century, with technical advances that were the envy of the world. From the beginning...