We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

Art & Culture

Culture and art is many things and at Tales you find a wide selection of art and culture books. If you enjoy a trip to the museum or an evening at the theatre this is the place for you. If you are more into architecture or a well written song, fear not you also find books about that. Lastly design and fashion is also part of our art and culture selection, so what are you waiting for? Set your inner creativity free and get inspired by some of the world’s best artists, musicians, designers or architects.
Show more
Filter
Filter
Sort bySort Popular
  • by Andrei Tarkovsky
    £30.99

    Since his death in 1986, Andrei Tarkovsky has become increasingly recognized as one of the great masters of world cinema. The book also contains an extended essay by film critic and historian Ian Christie, who places Tarkovsky's work in the context of Soviet film-making practice.

  • by Woody Guthrie
    £9.49

    An autobiography of Woody Guthrie, founder of modern American folk music. This book presents a cynical, earthy and tragic account of his life in an Oklahoma oil-boom town, of the Depression that followed, and of his subsequent travels in, on, and under trains, in stolen cars and on his feet, round an America going rotten from the top downwards.

  • - Journals
    by Kurt Cobain
    £19.99

    The first publication of Kurt Cobain's diaries, which were found after his death in 1994. Genuinely moving, provocative and candid, and suprisingly funny, pieces of writing which, as a whole, provide a unique account of the rise and fall of a greatpopular artist and icon.

  • by "Banksy"
    £14.49 - 17.99

    _______________Banksy. His work. Photographed. With comments by Banksy. In a book. This is that book. _______________

  • - The Whitman Sisters and the Negotiation of Race, Gender and Class in African American Theater 1900-1940
    by N. George-Graves
    £120.99

    In The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville , Nadine George-Graves provides an historical narrative of their achievements and uses black feminist theories, feminist theories of performance, and theories of class and popular culture to analyze the many layers of performance in which the Whitman Sisters participated, on and off the stage.

  • - Collections and Creations
    by Daniele Bott
    £23.49

    Chanel, a captivating book written by Daniele Bott, is a must-read for all fashion enthusiasts. Published in 2007 by Thames & Hudson Ltd, this book delves into the iconic world of Chanel, one of the most influential fashion houses. The author, an expert in the field, brings to light the brand's timeless elegance and the genius behind its creation. The book is a beautiful blend of fashion, history, and art, making it a unique addition to any bookshelf. Written in English, it offers an extraordinary journey through the evolution of style and luxury. Don't miss the chance to explore the fascinating story of Chanel through the eyes of Daniele Bott.

  • - No One is Innocent
    by Alan Parker
    £9.49

    The last word on Sid Vicious - the world's most iconic punk figure

  •  
    £37.99

    Brutal beauty dominates in Frederic Chaubin's images of extreme Soviet architecture from the final years of the USSR. In these photographs, we explore the disappearing world of totalitarian structures, originally designed to dominate and exert omniscient power over civilians through both spectacular forms and austere aesthetics.

  •  
    £41.49

    This definitive publication on Alexander McQueen (1969 - 2010) invites you into the creative mind and world of one of Britain's most brilliant, daring and provocative designers, and the many themes and references that shaped his visionary fashion collections.

  • by H. Walter Lack
    £19.99

    Meet "the Raphael of flowers," Pierre-Joseph Redoute. Adapted from our best-selling XL edition, this book gathers some of the finest engravings from his masterful volumes Roses, Lilies, and Selection of the Most Beautiful Blooms and Branches with the Finest Fruits. The dazzling images transport us back to the magnificent greenhouses and gardens...

  • by Mick Goodrick
    £26.49

  • - Working with Digital Textures
    by Sarah Gardner
    £29.49 - 174.99

    Vintage-looking, dream-like textures can open up a whole new world in your photography. However, there is much, much more to working with textures than simply merging them with an image via Photoshop. This guide helps you learn what there is to know about how to maximize the potential of these exciting tools.

  • by Bronwyn Cosgrave
    £14.49

  • - Focus on the Fundamentals
    by Matt Armendariz
    £20.99 - 146.49

    Discusses the ins and outs of equipment, lighting, composition, propping, sparking your inspiration, and getting creative, all with what you have on hand at home. This book helps you learn how to avoid common pitfalls with foods that are notoriously camera shy.

  • - Bringing the House Home
    by Soho House UK Limited
    £27.49

    Eat, Drink, Nap, a captivating book penned by Soho House UK Limited, is a must-read for anyone seeking a balance between life's daily hustle and the need for relaxation. Published by Cornerhouse in 2014, this book is a testament to the author's unique perspective on achieving a well-rounded lifestyle. The genre of this book is hard to pin down as it beautifully merges elements of self-help, lifestyle, and culinary arts. Soho House UK Limited, through this book, guides readers on how to incorporate elements of relaxation into their everyday lives. From tips on what to eat and drink to the importance of taking a nap, the author provides a comprehensive guide to living a more relaxed and fulfilling life. If you're looking for a book that is not only engaging but also provides practical advice, then Eat, Drink, Nap is the perfect choice. Don't miss out on this masterpiece from Cornerstone, a publisher renowned for its wide range of insightful books.

  • - Technical Secrets of the Traditional Visual Arts
    by Daud Sutton, Lisa DeLong & Adam Tetlow
    £17.99

  • - 100 Iconic Moments in Fashion
    by Megan Hess
    £14.49

  • by Sebastian Schutze
    £55.99

    Notorious bad boy of Italian painting, now considered one of the greatest influences in all of art history. This comprehensive catalogue raisonne reproduces all of Caravaggio's paintings as well as a number of dramatic details of his boundary-breaking realism. Five chapters assess Caravaggio's artistic daring, while a detailed chronology traces...

  • by Barbara Hess
    £12.99

    From vast, splattered canvases to quiet pools of color, enter the world of Abstract Expressionism, the movement which put feelings into paint and turned New York into the global center for contemporary art. This book features works from 20 key artists, including Jackson Pollock, Philip Guston, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning.

  • by François Blanchetière
    £11.49

    Produced in collaboration with the Musee Rodin, this essential introduction examines the key works of Auguste Rodin, pioneering French sculptor behind The Kiss and The Thinker. With rich illustration and insightful texts, we explore the artist's material processes of modeling and assemblage and his leading ideas of movement, bodily expression,...

  • by Peter Gossel & Gloria Koenig
    £12.99

    Though they are best known to the general public for their furniture, the husband and wife duo of Charles and Ray Eames (1907-78 and 1912-88, respectively) were also forerunners in the fields of architecture, industrial design, photography, and film. This book covers various aspects of their illustrious career.

  • - A Harrowing True Story of Adventure, Danger and Survival
    by Yossi Ghinsberg
    £9.99

    Four travellers meet in Bolivia and set off into the Amazon rainforest on an expedition to explore places tourists only dream of seeing. But what begins as the adventure of a lifetime quickly becomes a struggle for survival when they get lost in the wilds of the jungle.

  • - Surveying the Modern and Postmodern Horror Film
    by Tony Magistrale
    £27.49

  • - Life Inside The Fall
    by Steve Hanley & Olivia Piekarski
    £9.99 - 16.49

  • by Emma Baxter-Wright
    £12.49

    Little Book of Chanel is a fascinating exploration of the timeless elegance of Chanel. Authored by Emma Baxter-Wright, this book delves into the iconic brand's evolution and influence in the fashion industry. Published in 2017, the book offers an intimate look at the creative journey of one of the most celebrated fashion houses in the world. Baxter-Wright, a renowned fashion journalist, provides an in-depth analysis of Chanel's unique style and its impact on contemporary fashion. Published by the Welbeck Publishing Group, this book is a must-read for fashion enthusiasts and those interested in the history of high fashion. Dive into the Little Book of Chanel and immerse yourself in the captivating world of luxury fashion.

  • - The Magical World of Rosaleen Norton
    by Nevill Drury
    £19.99

    During the 1950s and early 1960s the Sydney-based trance-artist and Pan-worshipper, Rosaleen Norton, was well known in Australia as ‘the Witch of Kings Cross’ and was frequently portrayed in the tabloid press as an evil ‘devil-worshipping’ figure from the red-light district. Norton attracted attention from both the public at large and also the local police for engaging in bizarre pagan sex-rituals with her lover, the poet Gavin Greenlees. Details of these activities would surface from time to time in the local courts when Norton was defending her metaphysical beliefs and seeking to defuse claims that her magical paintings and drawings were obscene. Norton was also associated with the scandal that eventually engulfed the professional career of renowned musical conductor, Eugene (later, Sir Eugene) Goossens who had arrived in Australia in 1947 and became a member of Norton’s magical coven six years later.Norton dedicated her magical practice to the Great God Pan and to a lesser extent Hecate, Lilith and Lucifer. She was also intrigued by the visionary potential of Kundalini yoga, out-of-the-body trance exploration and Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic sex magick and combined all of these elements in her ritual activities.Pan’s Daughter is the only biography of Rosaleen Norton and provides the most detailed and authoritative account of her magical beliefs and practices. First published in Britain by Mandrake in 1993, it is now reissued in a revised and expanded edition.

  • - Greek Theatre and Imperial Image
    by Robert (Townley Grammar School Hancock-Jones
    £14.99

    This textbook is endorsed by OCR and supports the specification for AS and A-Level Classical Civilisation (first teaching September 2017). It covers Components 21 and 22 from the 'Culture and the Arts' Component Group:Greek Theatre by James Renshaw and Laura SwiftImperial Image by Robert Hancock-JonesWhy was tragedy and comedy so central to Athenian life? How did drama challenge Athenians to reflect on their way of living? How did the emperor Augustus present himself as the restorer of Rome's greatness? To what extent did he provide an example to later political figures as a promoter of his regime? This book guides AS and A-Level students to a greater understanding of these issues. The Greek Theatre chapter explores the festival context in which tragedies and comedies were performed, and then analyses three plays: Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Bacchae by Euripides and Frogs by Aristophanes. The Imperial Image chapter analyses the self-presentation of Rome's most dynamic emperor, who claimed to have found Rome 'a city of bricks, but left it a city of marble'. The ideal preparation for the final examinations, all content is presented by experts and experienced teachers in a clear and accessible narrative. Ancient literary and visual sources are described and analysed, with supporting images. Helpful student features include study questions, quotations from contemporary scholars, further reading, and boxes focusing in on key people, events and terms. Practice questions and exam guidance prepare students for assessment.A Companion Website is available at www.bloomsbury.com/class-civ-as-a-level.

  • - Culture and Race from Weimar to Nazi Germany
    by Joan L. Clinefelter
    £38.99 - 131.99

    Offering a treatment of the German Art Society, a group of artists, authors and right-wing activists who actively embraced Nazism, this book argues that they were in fact instrumental in battling modernist art in defense of what they regarded as the German cultural tradition. It elucidates how theses artists promoted Nazi culture 'from below.'

  • by Kellom Tomlinson
    £29.49

    Kellom Tomlinson was one of the most important figures in the history of dance in England in the early 18th century. This treatise, The Art of Dancing, completed by 1724 but due to high production costs not published until 1735, is the only substantial English work of its kind not derived from a French original. Tomlinson was one of the most prolific of the dancing masters working in England at this time, although details of his life and career are few. He was born c. 1693 and was apprenticed between 1707 and 1714 to the well-known and highly regarded dancing master Thomas Caverley. During this time he was also instructed in dancing 'in the theatrical way' by René Cherrier, a French dancer and teacher who performed frequently in London. Although there is no record of Tomlinson as a performer himself, he was associated from 1715 with the professional theatre, particularly that in Lincoln's Inn Fields, and also began at that time to establish himself as a dancing master to the nobility and gentry. In this treatise, in two parts, Tomlinson sets forth the principles of Baroque dance. The book is divided into two parts: part one contains detailed written descriptions of twenty nine steps; book two discusses the minuet, including four methods of performing the minuet step. The present facsimile reprint also includes six dances, in the Feuillet notation system, published by Tomlinson between 1715 and 1720: The Passpied Round O, The Shepherdess, The Submission, The Prince Eugene, The Address, and the Gavot (sic).

  • by Matthew Hranek
    £27.99

    A covetable celebration of watches and the stories at the heart of men's obsession with them.

Culture
What defines culture you might ask? The answer is culture is what defines you. It is what makes us humans human and differentiate us from all other species on the planet. Art and culture is what we share with others, whether it is so called high culture or pop culture. High culture is typically associated with the ‘finer’, classical art forms such as opera, classical music, visual art, ballet and plays. Works that often have a certain age and artistic acknowledgement begin it, but fine culture is also sometimes seen as “high-brow” and not something everyone can understand and that’s sad, because culture and cultural books are for everyone no matter the kind. On the other end of the spectrum we have pop culture that typically is associated with more modern, popular and mainstream forms of culture. It can be pop music, cartoons or big blockbuster movies. We have cultural books from each side of the spectrum, but the best thing is that a change between the two concepts is coming and people are more open about mixing high culture and pop culture, because they are not that different at all. The most important thing about culture is that it connects us and is part of who we are. It can create communities and friendships, but also let us reflect upon ourselves. You can get wiser on that topic in some of our selection’s culture books. 

Art
In our selection you find some of the finest art books featuring some of the greatest artists in history and now. Art is a very important part of our culture. In art you have the possibility of getting engrossed in a wonderful painting, a provocative sculpture, a brilliant play or a beautiful ballet. 
In art you can get lost in the most wonderful stories and themes and identify yourself with someone who doesn’t necessarily look and act like you. By experiencing that you improve your ability of empathy. At the same time you can learn about yourself through art and art books especially when it comes to feelings that can be difficult to describe. In art the themes and problematics are universal and that’s why we feel recognized when experiencing a play, listening to a symphony, studying a great painting or reading a good art book. The art books are best enjoyed in a relaxed setting giving the art room to speak. 
Another beautiful thing about art is that it needs interpretation. When a person meets a well painted painting, a classical sculpture, or a provocative installation it makes us reflect about what it means, and what the art will tell us about society, life or yourself. Everyone can get something different out of a good artwork, because it speaks directly to you and functions as a dialog, where you will have to finish the sentence with your interpretation taking our own life and experiences into the artwork.
We also have a lot of artist books. One of the most talented and popular artists right now are the world famous Dane Vilhelm Hammershøi. Hammershøi has a very significant way of painting giving voice to the melankolic side of the world and of us humans. The painter is famous for his artworks of especially white doors in his apartment in Copenhagen. In the paintings Hammershøi plays with light and shadow in a brilliant way giving room to both sides, which also could be seen as a reflection of life that contains both. The motive also makes the art watcher wonder what is on the other side of the doors or corridors making them compose a continuation of the painting. You can read about Hammershøi in an European context in the artist book Hammershoi and Europe

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.