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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 24%
    by Piet Oudolf
    £45.49

    A major monograph on the Dutch garden designer, featuring his gardens and the largest collection of his drawings ever published Step into a Piet Oudolf garden and you are transported into a dreamlike meadowscape, filled with perennials, seasonal color, and texture. Made in close collaboration with Oudolf, this book showcases gardens throughout his career and across the globe - from New York's acclaimed High Line to the newly planted Vitra Campus in Germany. The book offers fresh insight into the work and creative practice of Oudolf, both from a horticultural and artistic perspective, showcasing high-profile and lesser-known gardens, including Chicago's Lurie Garden, Hauser & Wirth Somerset and Menorca, Venice Biennale, Singer Museum, Belle Isle in Detroit, Noma, and others. It offers unprecedented insight into his design process, working methods, and inspirations, and features original sketches and drawings - many of which are published here for the first time. This major new monograph is significant not only for its breadth and the largest collection of Oudolf's drawings ever published, but also for its inclusion of brand-new work, together with newly commissioned essays that place his work in context and offer fresh perspective on his career and significance. The book also includes gatefolds and tip-ins to explain key designs.

  • Save 10%
    by Gabrielle Zevin
    £8.99

  • Save 27%
    by Tara Bennett
    £21.99

    Take an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water. Packed with hundreds of stunning images and written in collaboration with the filmmakers themselves, uncover the incredible creative and technical skill that went into the making of Avatar: The Way of Water. Featuring stunning concept art and intricate character, creature, and costume designs, uncover the details of Pandora in striking detail.Art of Avatar: The Way of Water is produced in collaboration with James Cameron's production company, Lightstorm Entertainment, and Twentieth Century Film.With a foreword by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez.(c) 2022 20th Century Studios.

  • Save 26%
    by Lisa Bryan
    £19.99

    "When Lisa Bryan began meal prepping several years ago, she quickly became bored eating leftovers and was wasting food. At the same time, she realized she needed to "downshift" the accelerated pace of her life. Seeking balance, she made dietary changes, eating more vegetables and simple proteins, while eliminating gluten (she has celiac disease), processed foods, and reducing refined sugar. Then she flipped the script on meal prep by focusing on individual ingredients. On a whim, she posted a video to YouTube which went viral and she realized how many people were out there, just like her, who wanted a fresh approach to meal planning. By prepping a handful of ingredients at the start of the week--such as flaked salmon, zucchini noodles, peas, proscuitto, soft-boiled eggs, and roasted veggies--and then mixing and matching them throughout the week, she found that she could enjoy a variety of meals and snacks (Creamy Salmon Zoodles, Peas and Proscuitto with Jammy Eggs, and Strawberries, Avocado, and Arugula Salad) without getting fatigued. Lisa's debut cookbook is packed with 100 simple and ingenious, big-batch recipes that can either be frozen or repurposed into delicious meals without resembling leftovers. A dinner of light coconut chickpea curry with rice can be enjoyed the next day atop a tortilla for a crispy tostada at lunch, or as a chickpea shakshuka for breakfast. All of the recipes are gluten-free, low in refined sugar; many are naturally anti-inflammatory, and dairy is minimal and optional. Lisa's approachable method for eating well and preparing meals with ease will inspire home cooks to downshift, too--at least when it comes to making healthy meals without a fuss."--

  • Save 10%
    by Mariah Carey
    £8.99 - 18.99

    For the first time, in her own words, international superstar Mariah Carey tells her story.

  • Save 14%
    - A Memoir of My Hollywood Years
    by Julie Andrews
    £9.49

    The second volume of beloved actress Julie Andrews' memoirs: Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and her enduring career in Hollywood. 'An intimate and heart-warming memoir' WOMAN & HOME

  • Save 14%
    - Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?
    by Aaron Dignan
    £9.49

  • Save 23%
    by Philip Jodidio
    £15.49 - 41.99

    Travel the world to investigate one of the greatest renaissances in architecture: wood. How has this elemental material come to steal the show at luxury hot spring structures and cutting-edge urban renewal schemes?

  • Save 14%
    by Demi Moore
    £9.49

    A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFamed American actress Demi Moore at last tells her own story in a surprisingly intimate and emotionally charged memoir.

  • Save 31%
    by Elizabeth A. T. Smith
    £51.99

    An unprecedented event in architecture history, the Case Study Houses program gave America new models for residential living. This comprehensive account of the project presents each of the 36 prototype homes through floor plans, sketches, and photographs, and explores how architects like Richard Neutra, Charles and Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen...

  • Save 14%
    by Slash
    £9.49

    It seems excessive...but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.The mass of black curls. The top hat. The cigarette dangling from pouty lips. These are the trademarks of one of the world's greatest and most revered guitarists, a celebrity musician known by one name: Slash.Saul "e;Slash"e; Hudson was born in Hampstead to a Jewish father and a black American mother who created David Bowie's look in The Man Who Fell to Earth. He was raised in Stoke until he was 11, when he and his mother moved to LA. Frequent visitors to the house were David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Ronnie Wood and Iggy Pop.At this time Slash got into BMX bikes and would eventually turn professional, winning major awards and money, but at 15 his grandmother gave him his first guitar. Sessions with numerous local LA rock bands followed until a fateful meeting with singer W Axl Rose...and the rest was rock history. Guns N' Roses spent two years builiding their reputation before Appetite for Destruction was unleashed on an unsuspecting world.Chart success and global domination followed but with it came the inevitable fall - addicted to heroin, booze and cigarettes the band imploded in a rift between Axl and Slash that is as deep today as ever. But with a new wife, kids and new band Velvet Revolver, Slash is back on track. As raucous and edgy as his music, Slash sets the record straight and tells the real story as only Slash can.

  • Save 31%
    by Slim Aarons
    £48.49

    This lavish fourth volume in Abrams' Slim Aarons collection revels in this photographer's decades-long love affair with Italy. From breathtaking aerials of the Sicilian countryside to intimate portraits of celebrities and high society taken in magnificent villas, Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita captures the essence of ';the good life.' Slim Aarons first visited Italy as a combat photographer during World War II and later moved to Rome to shoot for Life magazine, yet even after relocating to New York, he would return to Italy almost every year for the rest of his life. The images collected here document the aristocracy, cultural elite, and beautiful people, such as Marcello Mastroianni, Ursula Andress, Joan Fontaine, and Tyrone Power, who lived la dolce vita in Italy's most fabulous places during the last 50 years. The introduction by Christopher Sweet shares stories from Aarons's years in Italy and new insights about his life and career. Also available from Slim Aarons: Slim Aarons: Women, Slim Aarons: Once Upon a Time, Slim Aarons: A Place in the Sun, and Poolside with Slim Aarons. Praise for Slim Aarons: La Dolce Vita: ';Nostalgia-soaked images.' Harper's Bazaar ';Sumptuous images.' Publishers Weekly ';It's the next best thing to time travel.' DuJour magazine

  • Save 29%
    by Sandy Bodecker
    £35.49

    The first book on Nike s iconic DUNK SB, a mid-rise basketball court staple that has in the last two decades become a colourful (and often irreverent) icon of skate and street wear.

  • Save 31%
    by Lelia Wanick Salgado
    £54.99 - 59.99

  • Save 25%
    by Charlotte & Peter Fiell
    £14.99

    Sit back, relax, and survey some of the most iconic chairs in history. A must for design addicts and collectors alike, this dependable compendium presents each chair alongside essential information about the designer and their work, from Alvar Aalto to Eva Zeisel, from Art Nouveau to International Style. This recently refurbished edition...

  • Save 23%
    by Tom Shone
    £15.49

  • Save 10%
    by Anonymous
    £8.99 - 14.99

  • Save 15%
    by Johanna Basford
    £10.99

    From bestselling author Johanna Basford - a new pocket-sized colouring book of mini masterpieces.We don't always have a whole afternoon or even an hour to dedicate to our creative practice. Small Victories is the perfect book for when you want to pick up a pencil and complete a colouring page in a single sitting. Choose from pages of multiple individual drawings and select a few to colour, or little vignettes and smaller motifs that are easier to complete in one creative moment - all featuring Johanna Basford's trademark whimsical illustrations.From tiny toadstools, dinky cakes to celestial and floral miniscapes, this book guarantees more of those feel-good vibes you get from finishing a creative project.

  • Save 23%
    by Sean O'Hagan & Nick Cave
    £16.99

  • by Ida (Royal Danish Academy Engholm
    £22.99 - 77.99

  • Save 24%
    by Dominic Bradbury
    £37.99

    The most complete in-depth survey of global Mid-Century Modern homes ever published - more than 400 stunning homes from 40 countries, designed by more than 290 of the world's greatest architects

  • Save 11%
    by W. Chan Kim
    £19.49

    "Kim and Mauborgne reveal the distinct advantages of nondisruptive creation to business and society, showing how this bold new approach to innovation allows companies to grow while also being a force for good. With examples that cut across all sectors of the economy and a practical framework for guiding innovation efforts, this book shows why nondisruptive creation matters to all of us and why it's about to become a lot more important in the future; how to create innovation strategies that trigger nondisruptive creation instead of disruption; how to identify and execute on nondisruptive opportunities; and how companies can more thoughtfully pursue their growth and innovation strategies in a way that better balances business and society"--

  • Save 15%
    by Steven Wilson
    £10.99

    The more I thought about it, the more I realised my career has been unusual. How did I manage to do everything wrong but still end up on the front cover of magazines, headlining world tours and achieving Top 5 albums? How did I attract such obsessive and fanatical fans, many of whom take everything I do or say very personally, which is simultaneously flattering but can also be tremendously frustrating? Even this I somehow cultivated without somehow meaning to. My accidental career.Limited Edition of One is unlike any other music book you will ever have read.Part the long-awaited memoir of Steven Wilson: whose celebrated band Porcupine Tree began as teenage fiction before unintentionally evolving into a reality that encompassed Grammy-nominated records and sold-out shows around the world, before he set out for an even more successful solo career.Part the story of a twenty-first century artist who achieved chart-topping mainstream success without ever becoming part of the mainstream. From Abba to Stockhausen, via a collection of conversations and thought pieces on the art of listening, the rules of collaboration, lists of lists, personal stories, professional adventurism (including food, film, TV, modern art), old school rock stardom, how to negotiate an obsessive fanbase and survive on social media, and dream-fever storytelling.

  • Save 20%
    by Harry Sword
    £11.99

    In Search of Sonic Oblivion. 'Monolithic Undertow' alights a crooked path across musical, religious and subcultural frontiers. It traces the line from ancient traditions to the modern underground, navigating archaeoacoustics, ringing feedback, chest plate sub-bass, avant-garde eccentricity, sound weaponry and fervent spiritualism.

  • Save 29%
    by Michael Bierut
    £28.49

    A revised and expanded edition of Michael Bierut's classic monograph, featuring six new projects and using examples from a portfolio spanning his full career to date.

  • Save 10%
    by Vashti Bunyan
    £8.99 - 12.99

  • Save 29%
    - Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services
    by Jon Yablonski
    £31.99

    An understanding of psychologyspecifically the psychology behind how users behave and interact with digital interfacesis perhaps the single most valuable nondesign skill a designer can have. The most elegant design can fail if it forces users to conform to the design rather than working within the blueprint of how humans perceive and process the world around them. This practical guide explains how you can apply key principles in psychology to build products and experiences that are more intuitive and human-centered. Author Jon Yablonski deconstructs familiar apps and experiences to provide clear examples of how UX designers can build experiences that adapt to how users perceive and process digital interfaces.Youll learn:How aesthetically pleasing design creates positive responsesThe principles from psychology most useful for designersHow these psychology principles relate to UX heuristicsPredictive models including Fittss law, Jakobs law, and Hicks lawEthical implications of using psychology in designA framework for applying these principles

  • Save 15%
    by Flea
    £10.99

    Flea, the iconic bassist and co-founder, alongside Anthony Kiedis, of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating origin story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd expect from an LA street rat turned world-famous rock star. With a foreword by punk rock legend, Patti Smith.

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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