Arts and Culture

Language, writing, and letters are the basis of our communication as human beings—and calligraphy celebrates the inherent beauty of this need to share and connect. This volume showcases what calligraphy has grown to be in the 21st century, featuring 101 artists from the worlds of graffiti, tattooing, graphic design, painting, illustration, poster art, comics, and more.

Amazing characters are what bring manga to life, and this guide—created in cooperation with COPIC—gives illustrated, easy-to-understand, and thorough instructions on how to create characters that jump off the page. As manga artists around the world know, COPIC markers are not simply for "coloring" . . . their blendability and color range mean amazing realism and special effects.

Color is a powerful force in our lives. It is a major influence in visual and verbal communication and on the decisions we make every day. Deep Color unpacks all the shades of the rainbow (plus black, white, and pink) with little-known facts, stunning visuals, and a critical perspective on color and the nonverbal meanings it carries.

Introduced in 1941, the Short Stirling was the Royal Air Force’s first four-engine heavy bomber of the Second World War. However, early on, the Stirling’s performance was compromised by several issues: ...

A moving and joyful celebration of not only survival but also resilience and joy, expressed through 90 black-and-white portraits of Holocaust survivors and personal stories of their postwar lives. The survivors, many photographed with their family members, share lessons they have learned and pass on the wisdom that comes from building a life of one's choosing out of the wreckage of despair.

In this imaginative typographic "dictionary," words are defined by arranging their letters to show what each word means. Generating alternatives is the basis of all creative endeavors. Words in Action is an inventive resource that was developed over decades, one word at a time, by architect and professor Michael Pause.

Featuring sloping armor and armed with a powerful 75 mm gun, Germany’s Panther tank was developed as a counter to the Soviet T-34.  Entering production in 1943, the Panther was intended to become Germany’s standard medium tank.  Although featuring potent armament and excellent armor, the Panther was hampered by disruptive production and drivetrain maintenance requirements.

Celebrating a wide range of punk design in vinyl cover art, posters, flyers, fanzines, and other ephemera, The Art of Punk highlights the movement primarily within graphic design and print, while also considering its impact on wider popular culture.

Based on an adaptation of the White Scout Car, the US half-track vehicles of  WWII combined the cross-country ability of a fully tracked vehicle with the road performance of a medium truck.  A myriad of variations of these vehicles were produced, including prime movers, armored personnel carriers, mortar carriers, and a wide range of heavily armed variants.

A book showcasing the legendary Fleetwood Mac blues session at Chicago’s Chess Studios in January 1969 Taken by the only photographer present, some of these photos were originally shown on the first release of the album recorded that day: Fleetwood Mac in Chicago.

In this photo-filled compendium of fun facts and fascinating trivia, every aspect of the world's most famous secret agent is explored and celebrated. From Bond's cars and gadgets to his women and villains, the 007 universe comes to life for fans new and old. Secrets are revealed and myths are dispelled about Fleming's novels and Hollywood's movies, from Casino Royale to No Time to Die.

Arizona-based architect Mark Candelaria is recognized for his timeless luxury designs and signature style rooted in classical form and functionality. In Mark Candelaria Homes, the architect presents 12 pivotal projects from the past decade and pulls back the curtain to share the stories behind them. Each project is accompanied by full-color photographs, floor plans, and sketches.

The Vickers Armstrong Wellington, affectionately dubbed the “Wimpy” after the hamburger-scoffing cartoon character, lays claim to two distinctions within RAF WWII annals. The first related to its geodetic structure, with a cloth covering that proved to be superior to previous designs for surviving battle damage.

Relax and unwind the creative way! Learn to use drawing as a pathway to relaxation with the creative art exercises and soothing meditations found inside this inspiring book. Anyone who has ever experienced a relaxed, calm state while doodling understands the powerful connection between hand and mind.

"Kudos to Sandra Sider, for bringing simple tools to guide quilters to the playful side of design! Understanding 'the grid' can turn a simple square into a personal expression!" —designer Victoria Findlay Wolfe Your resource for a lifetime of planning and designing template-free geometric modern quilts. This compact guide is like many of the best things in life: simple.

Temporary natural arrangements have captivated people across the world. Learn how a professional artist creates these outdoor installations, and get inspired to create your own with a detailed look at the outdoor world of artist James Brunt. Brunt makes art that works with the environment while not changing it or having a permanent impact on the world in which he creates.

In many ways, the M26 Pershing was the most advanced and most powerful tank fielded by the US military during the Second World War. The prototype T26 "heavy" tank design was developed to answer the threat of the German Panther and Tiger tanks. Unfortunately for US Army tankers, the T26 tank wasn't ready for field use until 1945.

Anzio Annie, Anzio Express, "Leopold"; known by many names, the German 8 cm Kanone 5 Eisenbahngeschütz (railway gun), commonly abbreviated K5(E), was the most successful and widely used of Germany's railway gun designs.

The PBY Catalina, designed and produced by Consolidated Aircraft, whose production was supplemented by that of Boeing Canada, Canadian Vickers, and the Naval Aircraft Factory, was the most widely used flying boat of all time.  Developed in the 1930s, the famed patrol bomber was used around the world by the United States and its allies—the Soviets even produced hundreds of duplicates.

Reborn in 1951, the Myasishchev design bureau made its mark by creating the M-4 strategic bomber. Yet, this subsonic aircraft was soon made obsolescent by supersonic fighter technology—any new strategic bomber would need supersonic performance to avoid being intercepted. Hence in 1952, Myasishchev started work on supersonic bomber projects, which led to the M-50 of 1955.