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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.
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  • Save 29%
    by UNKNOWN
    £35.49

    Ever heard of surrealist fine dining? This must-have reprint of Les diners de Gala reveals the exotic flavors and elaborate imaginings behind the legendary dinner parties of Salvador and Gala Dali. With recipes from such leading Paris restaurants as La Tour d'Argent and Maxim's, a special section on aphrodisia, and bespoke illustrations from...

  • Save 10%
    by Brandon Sanderson
    £8.99

  • Save 21%
    by PENELOPE DOUGLAS
    £13.49

    "Tiernan de Haas doesn't care about anything anymore. The only child of a film producer and his starlet wife, she's grown up with wealth and privilege but not love or guidance. Shipped off to boarding schools from an early age, it was impossible to escape the loneliness and carve out a life of her own. And when they suddenly pass away, she knows she should be devastated. But has anything really changed? She's always been alone, hasn't she? Jake Van der Berg, her father's stepbrother and her only living relative, assumes guardianship of Tiernan. Sent to live with Jake and his two sons, Noah and Kaleb, in the mountains of Colorado, Tiernan quickly learns that these men now have a say in what she chooses to care and not care about anymore. As the three men take Tiernan under their wing, she slowly finds her place among them...and as a part of them. Because lines blur and rules become easy to break when no one else is watching. One of them has her. The other one wants her. But he's going to keep her."--

  • Save 14%
    by Satoshi Yagisawa
    £9.49

    From the beginning of summer to early spring, I lived at the Morisaki Bookshop. I spent that period of my life in the spare room on the second floor of the store, trying to bury myself in books. The cramped room barely got any light, and everything felt damp. It smelled constantly of musty old books. But I will always remember the days I spent there. Because that's where my real life began. And I know, without a doubt, that if not for those days the rest of my life would have been bland, monotonous, and lonely. The Morisaki Bookshop is precious to me. It's a place I know I'll never forget.

  • by Bobby Owsinski
    £33.99

    Learning the art of mixing has never been easier.For more than two decades, The Mixing Engineer's Handbook has been the best selling and most respected resource on the art of music mixing for seasoned professionals and enthusiastic beginners alike. Today's home studio is just as powerful as any commercial studio, but it's the techniques that the top mixers use that separates their work from what most musicians, songwriters, producers or artists can produce without that knowledge. In this fully updated 5th edition of the Handbook, you'll find all the proven fundamental and advanced techniques that the pros use to help you take your music to another level.Guaranteed to help you get a great mix regardless of your gear, playback environment or the kind of music you work on, you'll find your mixing chops getting better with each chapter.Here are just a few things you'll learn:The mix balance technique that sets levels so fast on even the most complicated mix that you won't believe itThe EQ techniques of the pros that will both separate your tracks and provide the utmost in clarityThe "Magic Frequencies" that make every mix element singThe secret to processing and enhancing loops, samples and virtual instruments so they leap out a mixThe way to set up a master mix buss to add more power and polish to your mixThe secret to pitch correcting vocals so they sound so natural that you'll never know they're pitch correctedDrum replacement and enhancement techniques for instant great sounding kick and snareThe ultimate punchy drums secret that gives you the right compressor settings every timeThe best way to use automation and sidechaining, the secret sauce behind modern mixesThe secret to clean sibilance-free vocals that sit perfectly in the mix without sounding shrill or stridentThe editing tricks of the pros that include track cleanup, adjusting track timing, and the secret to smooth endingsEasy-to-grasp methods for adding effects like reverb and delay that always work in any trackAnd so much more!Brand new additions to the 5th edition include:Three new mix build techniques for better balances and faster mixesA new method for setting compressors to breathe with the pulse of the song for more punchy and powerful mixesA look at the latest intelligent processor plugins designed to make the difficult tasks of mixing far easierEditing techniques with playlists in mind to make your mixes more streaming-readyA totally new chapter on immersive audio, including a primer for mixing in Dolby AtmosBusting the myths to using LUFS for mixing musicTechniques for self-mastering your musicHeadphone mixing and room calibration technology tips, and even more!The book still contains one of its best-loved features from previous versions - 18 interviews with some of the music industry's most successful and celebrated audio mixers from all different music genres. The new edition contains four brand new interviews with some of the industry's biggest hit makers, along with access to a bonus website with 13 additional interviews not found in the book.Learn the art of mixing from start to finish by using the tips and techniques from the pros, with The Mixing Engineer's Handbook, 5th Edition. Pick up your copy today by clicking the BUY NOW button on this page.

  • Save 24%
    - The official Harry Potter knitting pattern book
    by Tanis Gray
    £17.49

    Introducing the first official Harry Potter knitting book - a deluxe guide to creating over 25 authentic Harry Potter knits based on the iconic films.

  • Save 15%
    by Antony Penrose
    £10.99

    Lee Miller's career encompassed several different careers: she was a successful model, then a leading Surrealist photographer; and then a war correspondent during World War II. Compiled by her son, this book offers a record of Miller's life and work.

  • Save 29%
    - The Story Behind Every Track
    by Philippe Margotin
    £35.49

    A new, definitive look at one of music's greatest songbooks, by two expert authors.

  • Save 30%
    by H. Walter Lack
    £41.99

    After an epic Amazonian journey through Brazil and Peru, German botanist von Martius compiled an unsurpassed catalogue of all known genera of palm. This exquisite encyclopedic treasury is a jewel of 19th-century botany, as remarkable for its meticulous classification, as it is for its maps, color landscapes, and cross-sectioned diagrams showing...

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  • Save 14%
    by Hilary Mantel
    £9.49 - 18.99

    The long-awaited sequel to Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, the stunning conclusion to Hilary Mantel's Man Booker Prize-winning Wolf Hall trilogy.

  • Save 23%
    by Tobias G. Natter
    £15.49 - 128.49

    Fall under the spell of Gustav Klimt. The complete catalogue of his paintings, including new photographs of the Stoclet Frieze, this book follows the Viennese master through his prominent role in the Secessionist movement, his candid rendering of the female body, and the lustrous "golden phase" behind such shimmering works as The Kiss and...

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    by Leonie Gombrich
    £19.99 - 27.49

    One of the most famous and popular books on art ever written.

  • Save 15%
    by Jonathan Drori
    £10.99

    Discover the secretive world of trees in Jonathan Drori's number one bestseller... Bestselling author and environmentalist Jonathan Drori follows in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg as he tells the stories of 80 magnificent trees from all over the globe. In Around the World in 80 Trees, Jonathan Drori uses plant science to illuminate how trees play a role in every part of human life, from the romantic to the regrettable. From the trees of Britain (this is a top search term), to India's sacred banyan tree, they offer us sanctuary and inspiration - not to mention the raw materials for everything from aspirin to maple syrup. Stops on the trip include the lime trees of Berlin's Unter den Linden boulevard, which intoxicate amorous Germans and hungry bees alike, the swankiest streets in nineteenth-century London, which were paved with Australian eucalyptus wood, and the redwood forests of California, where the secret to the trees' soaring heights can be found in the properties of the tiniest drops of water. Each of these strange and true tales - populated by self-mummifying monks, tree-climbing goats and ever-so-slightly radioactive nuts - is illustrated by Lucille Clerc, taking the reader on a journey that is as informative as it is beautiful. The book combines history, science and a wealth of quirky detail - there should be surprises for everyone. Perfect for fans of Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees, this new book will certainly whet the appetite of any tree lover to take an around-the-world trip, or simply visit your local botanic garden. The perfect travel guide for nature enthusiasts.

  • Save 23%
    by Dante Alighieri
    £15.49

    This edition prints all three parts of Dante's great poem about the journey of the soul - INFERNO, PURGATORIO and PARADISO - in the recent English translation by Allen Mandelbaum, with an introduction and explanatory notes on each canto by the noted Dante scholar, Peter Armour.

  • Save 14%
    - Reflections on the Cinema
    by Andrey Tarkovsky
    £23.99

    Tarkovsky sets down his thoughts and his memories, revealing for the first time the original inspirations for his extraordinary films.

  • Save 27%
    by Malene Lytken
    £25.49

    Nu tilgængelig i en kompakt og prisvenlig ny udgave.Den første samlede fortælling om dansk lampedesign.Lampedesign fejres nu med rette som den hjørnesten i Danish Design, som den er. Gamle lamper købes til høje priser, ældre modeller relanceres som designikoner – og rigtig mange læsere savner en god introduktion til lampernes særlige designhistorie.Denne bog er den første udgivelse, der udelukkende fokuserer på dansk lampedesign. Med afsæt i Poul Henningsens ikoniske ’PH-lampe’ udfolder bogen 100 fortællinger om dansk lampedesign, der gennem tekst og billeder udbreder historierne bag de enkelte designs. Bogen introducerer læseren for de opfindelser, der skabte grundlaget for de første revolutionerende lyskilder: fra udviklingen af olie- og gaslamper frem til kulminationen sidst i 1800-tallet, de elektriske glødepærer, der kom med funktionalismens indtog i Skandinavien, for til sidst at præsentere sin læser for LED lys- og lampedesign i dag.Det enestående for dansk belysningskultur er, at belysning og hygge er tæt forbundet. Dansk lampedesign handler ikke kun om form. Dermed er formålet for den moderne danske lampe ikke blot at give lys, men fortsat skabte smukke designobjekter, at både pryde og give et hyggeligt lys i de danske hjem.

  • Save 27%
    - A Book of Radiohead Artwork
    by Thom Yorke & Stanley Donwood
    £21.99

    A celebration of the process and artwork created for the Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac

  • Save 21%
    by Mark Hyman
    £13.49

    Young Forever is a captivating novel penned by the talented Mark Hyman. Published in 2023 by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., this book is a must-read for those who appreciate engrossing narratives. The genre of the book is a well-kept secret, promising to surprise readers with its unique blend of suspense, drama, and intrigue. Young Forever takes you on an unforgettable journey, making it a standout addition to your book collection. The author, Mark Hyman, is known for his compelling storytelling that leaves readers wanting more. Published by Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., a renowned publisher, the book promises high-quality content that will engage and entertain readers from start to finish. Dive into the world of Young Forever and experience the magic of Mark Hyman's writing.

  • Save 27%
    by Stefano Antonelli & Gianluca Marziani
    £21.99

  • by Gina Renee Dunham
    £33.99

  • Save 29%
    by Alan Flusser
    £28.49

  • Save 13%
  • Save 10%
    by Douglas Stuart
    £8.99 - 13.49

    The second powerful and heart-rending novel, set in 80s Glasgow, from Douglas Stuart, Booker-Prize- and British-Book-Award-winning author of &i>Shuggie Bain&/i>

  • Save 19%
    - The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewelry Empire
    by Francesca Cartier Brickell
    £12.99

    "A dynamic group biography studded with design history and high-society dash . . . [This] elegantly wrought narrative bears the Cartier hallmark."-The EconomistThe "astounding" (André Leon Talley) story of the family behind the Cartier empire and the three brothers who turned their grandfather's humble Parisian jewelry store into a global luxury icon-as told by a great-granddaughter with exclusive access to long-lost family archives"Ms. Cartier Brickell has done her grandfather proud."-The Wall Street Journal The Cartiers is the revealing tale of a jewelry dynasty-four generations, from revolutionary France to the 1970s. At its heart are the three Cartier brothers whose motto was "Never copy, only create" and who made their family firm internationally famous in the early days of the twentieth century, thanks to their unique and complementary talents: Louis, the visionary designer who created the first men's wristwatch to help an aviator friend tell the time without taking his hands off the controls of his flying machine; Pierre, the master dealmaker who bought the New York headquarters on Fifth Avenue for a double-stranded natural pearl necklace; and Jacques, the globe-trotting gemstone expert whose travels to India gave Cartier access to the world's best rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, inspiring the celebrated Tutti Frutti jewelry. Francesca Cartier Brickell, whose great-grandfather was the youngest of the brothers, has traveled the world researching her family's history, tracking down those connected with her ancestors and discovering long-lost pieces of the puzzle along the way. Now she reveals never-before-told dramas, romances, intrigues, betrayals, and more. The Cartiers also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the firm's most iconic jewelry-the notoriously cursed Hope Diamond, the Romanov emeralds, the classic panther pieces-and the long line of stars from the worlds of fashion, film, and royalty who wore them, from Indian maharajas and Russian grand duchesses to Wallis Simpson, Coco Chanel, and Elizabeth Taylor. Published in the two-hundredth anniversary year of the birth of the dynasty's founder, Louis-François Cartier, this book is a magnificent, definitive, epic social history shown through the deeply personal lens of one legendary family.

  • Save 10%
    by Jeff Tweedy
    £8.99

    The idea of becoming a capital-S Songwriter can seem daunting, but when approached as a focused, self-contained practice, the mystery and fear subsides and songwriting becomes an exciting pursuit. How to Write One Song brings readers into this intimate process - lyrics, music and how they come together.

  • Save 33%
    - 14th Edition
    by Times Atlases
    £117.99

    The latest edition of the world's most prestigious and authoritative world atlas, containing up-to-date world maps and thematic information curated by experts in geography and cartography.

  • Save 29%
    - Techniques to Flatter Everyone
    by Lindsay Adler
    £29.99

    When photographing people, you can have a great composition, perfect light, and the right camera settings, but if your subject doesn't look right-if the pose is off-the shot will not be a keeper. Posing is truly a crucial skill that photographers need to have in order to create great photographs. If you're looking to improve your ability to pose your subjects-whether they're men, women, couples, or groups-best-selling author and photographer Lindsay Adler's The Photographer's Guide to Posing: Techniques to Flatter Everyone is the perfect resource for you.In the first half of The Photographer's Guide to Posing, Lindsay discusses how the camera sees, and thus how camera angle, lens choice, and perspective all affect the appearance of your subject. Lindsay then covers the five most important things that ruin a pose-such as placement of the hands, and your subject's expression and posture. If you can look out for and avoid these five things, your skills (and your images) will quickly improve. Next, Lindsay dives into "e;posing essentials,"e; outlining her approach to start with a "e;base pose,"e; then build on that to create endless posing opportunities. She also discusses posing the face-with specific sections dedicated to the chin, jaw, eyes, and forehead-as well as posing hands.In the second half of the book, Lindsay dedicates entire chapters to posing specific subject matter: women, men, couples, curvy women, families and small groups, and large groups. In each chapter, Lindsay addresses that subject matter's specific challenges, provides five "e;go-to poses"e; you can always use, and covers how to train the eye to determine the best pose for your subject(s). In the final chapter of the book, Lindsay brings it all together as she teaches you how to analyze a pose so that you can create endless posing opportunities and continuously improve your work

  • Save 24%
    by Edward Steichen
    £18.99

    Features photographs of lovers and marriage and child-bearing; photographs concerned with man's dreams and aspirations and photographs of the flaming creative forces of love and truth and the corrosive evil inherent in the lie.

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

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