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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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  • by David Leddick
    £16.49

    Explore the compositions, postures, and role-playing of the male nude genre from anonymous 19th century erotica through to contemporary work from David Hockney and Duane Michaels. Highlights include the Sicilian homoerotic scenes of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden and illustrations from Physique Pictorial, the leading organ of the mid-50s gay scene.

  • - 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

  •  
    £4.99

    for SATB unaccompaniedThis is a straightforward and effective anthem set to a well-known text from the Song of Solomon. The choral texture is interspersed with several soli or semi-chorus passages which alternate between the upper and lower voices, reinforcing the message of love's power to bind people together. Suitable for both sacred and secular use.

  • by Dora Apel
    £22.49

    Why do we look at lynching photographs? What is the basis for our curiosity, rage, indignation, or revulsion? This book examines lynching photographs as a way of analyzing photography's historical role in promoting and resisting racial violence. It charts the history of lynching photographs - their meanings, uses, and controversial display.

  • by Paul Edwards
    £16.49

    A first of its kind collection, How to Rap is an insightful and intelligent breakdown of the elements of rap for anyone wanting to learn the art form or understand the principles behind it. Author Paul Edwards examines the dynamics of hip hop from every region and in every form - mainstream, underground, current and classic - looking in particular at content, flow, writing and delivery. Edwards provides unparalleled access to the most acclaimed names in rap and their methods of working, with a foreword by Kool G Rap and interviews with over 100 artists, including Public Enemy, Mobb Deep, Schoolly D, Nelly, will.i.am, Arrested Development, A Tribe Called Quest, and Rah Digga. This one and only comprehensive examination of the MC art form is pure gold for the hip hop lover.

  • by Peter N. Schiffer
    £16.99

  • - 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.

  • by Jack Whitehall & Michael Whitehall
    £9.49

    Jack and Michael Whitehall perform their laugh-out-loud autobiography Him & Me as a unique dual voiced comedy audiobook, filled with ad-libs, asides, and comic dialogue to create a uniquely funny listen. Jack and Michael open up the rich and plentiful family lore archives on topics such as Jacks nannys enormous feet, Michaels lifetime touchline ban from Jacks prep-school and the Whitehall collection of downright weird and eccentric relatives. With family photographs and sketches by Jack himself, the result is a hugely entertaining insight into a hilarious and sometimes bumpy journey of self-discovery and into the unique relationship between a father and a son. The devotees that adore and worship Jack are already embracing his lovably grumpy father, who is rather enjoying his newfound fame. Watch out, fans of Reeves & Mortimer, Walliams & Lucas, Morecambe & Wise, theres a new comedy duo in town. This edition features an extra final chapter, recorded exclusively for Audible listeners.

  • - 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.

  • by Castle Mclaughlin
    £35.49

    A ledger book of drawings by Lakota Sioux warriors found in 1876 on the Little Bighorn battlefield offers a rare first-person Native American record of events that likely occurred in 1866--1868 during Red Cloud's War. This color facsimile edition uncovers the origins, ownership, and cultural and historical significance of this unique artifact.

  • by A. H. Saxon
    £52.99

    Saxon brings together more than 300 letters written by the self-styled "Prince of Humbugs." Here we see him, opinionated and exuberant, with only the rarest flashes of introspection and self-doubt, haggling with business partners, blustering over politics, and attempting to get such friends as Mark Twain to endorse his latest schemes.

  • - The 10 Step Guide to Developing and Producing a Fashion Collection
    by Susie Breuer
    £25.49

    Written for fashion graduates, newbie entrepreneurs and those in entry-level positions in the industry, Blue is the New Black demystifies the process of how to make a fashion collection accessible for all levels. It's a reference guide, a buddy, and an overview of who, what and where.

  • by . Kerpel
    £13.99

    In August 1576, in the midst of an outbreak of the plague, the Spanish Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagun and 22 indigenous artists locked themselves inside the school of Santa Cruz de Tlaltelolco in Mexico City with a mission: to create the first illustrated encyclopedia in the New World. This title deals with this manuscript.

  • - Creating Vibrant Botanical Portraits in Watercolour
    by Anna Mason
    £14.99

    Anna's clear teaching will give you confidence in painting beautiful watercolour flowers in a modern twist on the botanical style. From complete beginners to more experienced watercolourists, this book offers in-depth instruction on drawing and painting, plus dozens of inspirational floral artworks.

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

  • - A word-lover's guide to the British landscape
    by Dominick Tyler
    £14.49

    An enchanting visual glossary of the British landscape: photographs and stories which take the reader from the waterlogged fens to the white sands of the Western Isles. 'Out .

  • by Easley Blackwood
    £38.99 - 91.99

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

  • 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
    £12.99

    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.

  • - My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made
    by Tom Bissell & Greg Sestero
    £9.49 - 9.99

    Now a major motion picture, The Disaster Artist, starring James Franco, Alison Brie, Zoey Deutch, Lizzy Caplan, Zac Efron, Bryan Cranston, Dave Franco, Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen, Sharon Stone, and Judd Apatow.In 2003, an independent film called The Room - starring and written, produced, and directed by a mysteriously wealthy social misfit named Tommy Wiseau - made its disastrous debut in Los Angeles. Described by one reviewer as 'like getting stabbed in the head', the $6 million film earned a grand total of $1,800 at the box office and closed after two weeks. Over a decade later, The Room is an international cult phenomenon, whose legions of fans attend screenings featuring costumes, audience rituals, merchandising and thousands of plastic spoons. In The Disaster Artist, Greg Sestero, Tommy's costar, recounts the film's bizarre journey to infamy, explaining how the movie's many nonsensical scenes and bits of dialogue came to be and unraveling the mystery of Tommy Wiseau himself. But more than just a riotously funny story about cinematic hubris, The Disaster Artist is an honest and warm testament to friendship.

  • - 1949 -1989
    by Roberto Fabbri
    £27.49

  • - A Harrowing True Story of Adventure, Danger and Survival
    by Yossi Ghinsberg
    £9.49

    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.

  • by Hans Holbein
    £9.49

    A new departure in Penguin Classics: a book containing one of the greatest of all Renaissance woodcut sequences - Holbein's bravura danse macabreOne of Holbein's first great triumphs, The Dance of Death is an incomparable sequence of tiny woodcuts showing the folly of human greed and pride, with each image packed with drama, wit and horror as a skeleton mocks and terrifies everyone from the emperor to a ploughman. Taking full advantage of the new literary culture of the early 16th century, The Dance of Death took an old medieval theme and made it new.This edition of The Dance of Death reproduces a complete set from the British Museum, with many details highlighted and examples of other works in this grisly field. Ulinka Rublack introduces the woodcuts with a remarkable essay on the late medieval danse macabre and the world Holbein lived in.

  • - Stunning Photographs that Inspire and Astonish
    by George Steinmetz
    £27.49

    The next entry in National Geographic's iconic line of large-format photo books will immortalize the beauty of the great outdoors, showcasing evocative, and often unseen, images of extraordinary landscapes from around the world.

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

  •  
    £30.99

    The only international collection of Beijing photographer Ren Hang, whose images garnered some 90 shows in his brief six-year career, as well as a mass following online. Vivid and explicit, Hang's images capture naked subjects outdoors, exposed, erect, and in an entanglement of bodies that put him at the forefront of a gender fluid world and of...

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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