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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 25%
    - The History of High-End Audio Design
    by Gideon Schwartz
    £55.99

    A beyond-cool look at the world of high-end audio design for passionate collectors, obsessive audiophiles, and design fans

  • Save 24%
    by Phaidon Editors
    £37.99

    Five centuries of fascinating female creativity presented in more than 400 compelling artworks and one comprehensive volume

  • Save 27%
    - New Food Culture, Restaurants and Interiors
     
    £25.49

    Contemporary food goes way beyond avocado and quinoa salads. Delicious Places presents the new wave of cafés, restaurants and entrepreneurs that are writing a fresh chapter on culinary culture.Food culture has come a long way. New restaurants, bars and cafés are born out of fresh ideas that, with a clever twist, lead to an unprecedented culinary experience that balances location and concept-and ultimately influences a new world of food.Delicious Places collects the examples that execute the business idea in the best possible way. Single-dish restaurants, traditional pasticcerias, fisherman cooperatives with the freshest produce or high-end restaurants in the mountains. They offer a unique experience that starts the moment you set foot in the door and spans from the interiors to the branding, and behind the scenes to the supply chains and sustainable procedures. Take a seat at the table and feast your senses one by one-the mind will follow.

  • Save 10%
    by Halle Butler
    £8.99

    'Funny and infuriating, shocking, clever, and hugely entertaining' Roddy Doyle'A dark comedy of female rage' Catherine Lacey 'If you loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh, don't miss this' Bustle

  • Save 30%
    by Philip Jodidio
    £41.99

    Discover the world's finest crop of new homes. This dependable global digest features such talents as Shigeru Ban, MVRDV, and Marcio Kogan alongside up-and-comers like Xu Fu-Min, Vo Trong Nghia, Desai Chia, and Shunri Nishizawa. Organized by architect and brimming with crisp photography and plans, the result is a sweeping survey of the...

  • Save 27%
    by Kate Fletcher
    £21.99

    This book examines how sustainability has the potential to transform both the fashion system and the innovators who work within it. The book is organized in three parts. The first part is concerned with transforming fashion products across the garment's lifecycle and includes innovation in materials, manufacture, distribution, use, and re-use. The second part looks at ideas that are transforming the fashion system at root into something more sustainable, including new business models that reduce material output. The third section is concerned with transforming the role of fashion designers and looks to examples where the designer changes from a stylist or shaper of things into a communicator, activist or facilitator.

  • Save 20%
    by Joe Roberts
    £23.99

    Monograph of Joe Robert's latest work, including paintings, drawings, and essays.

  • Save 11%
    - Draw Every Little Creature in the Cutest Style Ever!
    by Angela Nguyen
    £7.99

    '...it is surprisingly easy and fun, suitable for all ages and levels of art experience and rather addictive.' www.myshelf.com

  • Save 21%
    - Over 100 Essential Techniques to Sharpen Your Skills
    by Christopher Hart
    £13.49

    A guide to creating anime characters and scenes, offering all the secrets of anime drawing that make characters look complete. The instruction is in-depth and accessible.

  • Save 22%
    by Nathan Williams
    £29.49

    Inspiring, in-depth profiles of 80 leading creative directors.

  • Save 21%
    - Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling
    by Matthew Dicks
    £13.49

    A four-time Moth GrandSLAM winner and bestselling novelist shows how to tell a great story - and why doing so matters

  • Save 24%
    - Accidental Icon
    by Iris Apfel
    £18.99

    ?I never want to be an old fuddy-duddy;I hold the self-proclaimed record for being the World's Oldest Living Teenager and I intend to keep it that way.??Iris ApfelOne of the most dynamic personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design?and hands down the most vital, witty nonagenarian in the solar system?Iris Apfel is a true original. Now, this contemporary legend, whose authenticity, candor, and infectious energy have earned her fans of all ages worldwide, has created an entertaining, thought-provoking, visually arresting, and exciting volume that captures her irrepressible joie de vivre.Astute maxims, anecdotes from childhood to the present, essays on style and various subjects?from the decline of manners to risk-taking?fill the book, as do lists proclamatory, revelatory, and advisory. A bold, highly colorful design that varies from page to page presents a characteristically improvisational pastiche of vibrant images including personal photographs and mementos, images from top international fashion photographers, specially commissioned art by renowned illustrators, and a range of surprising novelties.This is a rare book by a rare bird, indeed.

  • Save 18%
    by Nick Morley
    £16.49

    Whether you are printing by hand on your kitchen table or on a press in a print studio, this book gets you started and goes on to explore the myriad creative applications of linocut. It encourages you to experiment with different approaches to image making and explores new ways of thinking about how linocut can be used.

  • Save 17%
    - How To Say Something Funny About Anything
    by Sally Holloway
    £9.99

  • Save 26%
    by Gwyneth Holland
    £19.99

    Das Verstehen von Trends ist eine grundlegende Fähigkeit für jeden, der in der Modebranche arbeitet. In diesem Buch untersuchen Gwyneth Holland und Rae Jones, wie man einen gut recherchierten Trend produziert, von der ersten Inspiration über die konkrete Idee bis hin zum realen Produkt. Durchgehend illustriert mit Beispielen von praktizierenden Trendforschern und Branchenkennern.

  • Save 20%
    - Cats in Art
    by Caroline Roberts
    £11.99

    Cool and quirky collection of images

  • Save 27%
    by Syd Mead
    £25.49

    The Movie Art of Syd Mead: Visual Futurist represents the most extensive collection of Mead's visionary film work ever printed, including ALIENS, Blade Runner, Star Trek The Motion Picture, and Elysium, compiling hundreds of images, sketches and concept arts from a career spanning almost 40 years, many of which have never been seen in print before.

  • Save 15%
    by Henry Carroll
    £10.99

    Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs of Places is an indispensable guide with essential techniques for photographing landscapes, cityscapes, architecture and interior

  • Save 20%
    by Rolf G. Renner
    £11.99

    Struggling artist turned icon of the modern, urban experience, Edward Hopper is most famed for his haunting nocturnal diner scene Nighthawks. This book introduces his mastery of place, mood, and melancholy through vivid color juxtapositions; stark, theatrical lighting; as well as harshly contoured figures, at once part of, and alien to, their...

  • Save 15%
    by Henry Carroll
    £10.99

    Focuses on the popular subject of photographic portraits

  • Save 23%
    by Stefan Bogner
    £34.49

    Stefan Bogner is back in the Alps for his latest book.

  • Save 23%
    by Hans-Michael Koetzle
    £15.49

    A century of stimulation, this collection of 1,000 erotic photographs from 1839 to 1939 includes every risque pose artists of each epoch could imagine. Drawn from the late Uwe Scheid's collection, a renowned repository of suggestive imagery, these pictures in monochrome and hand-colored tints reveal as much about the development of nude...

  • Save 23%
    - The Complete Limited Editions Guide
    by U-Dox
    £15.49

    Presents a global survey of sneaker designs that have been released over the last decade. This title showcases the very best of this new sneaker culture, featuring more than 300 designs arranged by brand.

  • Save 23%
    by Peter Fiell & Charlotte
    £15.49

    You'll find 1000 bright ideas in this journey through 20th-century lighting design. Presented chronologically by decade, you'll find the most interesting electric lights, from Tiffany's beautiful leaded-glass shades to outlandish 1960s designs and the latest high-tech LED lamps.

  • by Constantin Stanislavski
    £15.49

    An Actor Prepares is the most famous acting training book ever to have been written and the work of Stanislavski has inspired generations of actors and trainers. This translation was the first to introduce Stanislavski's 'system' to the English speaking world and has stood the test of time in acting classes to this day. Stanislavski here deals with the inward preparation an actor must undergo in order to explore a role to the full. He introduces the concepts of the 'magic if' units and objectives, of emotion memory, of the super-objective and many more now famous rehearsal aids. Now available in the Bloomsbury Revelations series to mark the 150th anniversary of Stanislavski's birth, this is an essential read for actors, directors and anyone interested in the art of drama.

  • Save 23%
     
    £15.49

    Trawl through centuries of tattooing in this eye-popping history of the art of body decoration. From modest, discreet symbols to astonishing full-body adornments, the wonders of 1000 Tattoos will entertain, amaze, and inspire. Whether you're considering getting ink done yourself or are simply curious about what lengths others have gone: this is...

  • Save 21%
    - How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates
    by Christopher Hart
    £13.49

    The Master Guide to Drawing Anime is a must-have book for all aspiring anime artists. This comprehensive guide by Christopher Hart, a renowned author in the field of art and design, provides a step-by-step approach to drawing your favorite anime characters. Published in 2015 by Sixth & Spring Books, this book has become a staple in the libraries of many anime enthusiasts. The book not only teaches you how to draw, but also provides detailed insights into the genre of anime itself. So, whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, this book will surely enhance your drawing skills. Don't miss out on this master guide by Christopher Hart, brought to you by Sixth & Spring Books.

  • Save 10%
    - Materials, Techniques, Structural Components
     
    £42.99

    Offers an introduction to technical and constructional open space planning, with all the relevant topics, from the most common materials and surfaces to the construction of open space elements and the use of plants.

  • Save 21%
    - Inspiration and Technique
    by Anna (Author) Kiper
    £14.99

    Presents a complete fashion school for drawing and painting fashion figures, garments, and accessories for aspiring fashion illustrators and designers. Designed for newcomers and improvers, this title shows them how to construct the head and figure, compose for impact, and use all available media.

  • Save 29%
    by Bethesda Softworks
    £33.99

    Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of Fallout® 3 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim®, welcome you to the world of Fallout® 4 - their most ambitious game ever, and the next generation of open-world gaming. The Art of Fallout 4 is a must-have collectible for fans and an ultimate resource for every Wasteland wanderer. Featuring 368 oversize pages, never-before-seen designs, and concept art from the game's dynamic environments, iconic characters, detailed weapons, and more -- along with commentary from the developers themselves.

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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