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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 31%
    by Peter Lindbergh
    £54.99

    Follow Peter Lindbergh across four decades of pioneering fashion photography. Through countless collaborations with the most venerated names in fashion, the German photographer created new narratives with his humanist approach, which resulted in iconic shots at once introspective and appealing. This book features more than 300 images, many...

  • - The best guide to building a shipping container home and tiny house living, including plans, tips, FAQs, and more!
    by Damon Jones
    £12.49 - 18.99

  • Save 27%
    - Design and Construction
    by James Orrom
    £21.99

    A comprehensive design resource that reveals how the iconic chairs of the 20th and 21st centuries have been designed for mass production.

  • Save 10%
    - Glazes and Clay Bodies
    by Linda Bloomfield
    £35.99

  • Save 31%
    by Alan Hess
    £51.99

    For the first time, all 289 extant houses designed by the master architect are shown here in exquisite color photographs. Along with Weintraub's stunning photos and a selection of floor plans and archival images, the book includes text and essays by several leading Wright scholars.

  • Save 11%
    - Foreword by J.J. Abrams
    by Anthony Daniels
    £7.99

  • Save 14%
    by Jackie Chan
    £9.49

    A candid, honest memoir from one of the most recognisable, influential, and beloved cinematic personalities in the world.

  • Save 16%
    - Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer
    by Paul Schrader
    £20.99

  • Save 23%
    - projects and interpretations
    by Ann Blockley
    £15.49

    Artist Ann Blockley is renowned for her innovative approach to watercolour painting. Her highly-anticipated new book provides a series of workshops demonstrating how to push the boundaries of watercolour, using key techniques to develop your own work and take your paintings to the next level.

  • Save 10%
    by Bruce Springsteen
    £8.99

    A revelatory memoir by a legendary rock star, Bruce Springsteen's BORN TO RUN will be the book of 2016.

  • Save 14%
    - The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys
    by Lol Tolhurst
    £9.49

    The inside story of The Cure

  • Save 15%
    by Willie Nelson
    £10.99

    The unvarnished and complete story of the life of one of America's greatest ever songwriters.

  • Save 27%
    by Carol Woolton
    £25.49

    Destined to become a must-have visual sourcebook for all those who love fashion and jewellery.

  • Save 23%
    - Creative Layering Techniques for Personal Expression
    by Tracy Verdugo
    £16.99

    Break free of your comfort zone, sharpen your senses to perceive the world around you and find happiness in play. On this painterly journey, Tracy Verdugo leads you from self-doubt to self-appreciation by helping you find your voice through a myriad of vibrantly-hued mark making, painting and self-reflection techniques.

  • Save 30%
    by Richard Shiff & Catherine Lampert
    £38.49

  • Save 24%
    by Richard Cork
    £18.99

    Traces the evolution of artistic development period by period, with the illustrated, in-depth text covering every genre of art, from painting and sculpture to conceptual art and performance. This title helps you discover what the great artistic periods and movements of the world were all about.

  • Save 24%
    by William J. R. Curtis
    £37.99

    A penetrating analysis of the modern architectural tradition and its origins.

  • Save 27%
    - The Drawings of Santiago Ramon y Cajal
    by Larry W. Swanson, Eric Newman, Alfonso Araque & et al.
    £25.49

    At the crossroads of art and science, Beautiful Brain presents Nobel Laureate Santiago Ramon y Cajal's contributions to neuroscience through his groundbreaking artistic brain imagery. Santiago Ramon y Cajal (18521934) was the father of modern neuroscience and an exceptional artist. He devoted his life to the anatomy of the brain, the body's most complex and mysterious organ. His superhuman feats of visualization, based on fanatically precise techniques and countless hours at the microscope, resulted in some of the most remarkable illustrations in the history of science. Beautiful Brain presents a selection of his exquisite drawings of brain cells, brain regions, and neural circuits with accessible descriptive commentary. These drawings are explored from multiple perspectives: Larry W. Swanson describes Cajal's contributions to neuroscience; Lyndel King and Eric Himmel explore his artistic roots and achievement; Eric A. Newman provides commentary on the drawings; and Janet M. Dubinsky describes contemporary neuroscience imaging techniques. This book is the companion to a traveling exhibition opening at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis in February 2017, marking the first time that many of these works, which are housed at the Instituto Cajal in Madrid, have been seen outside of Spain. Beautiful Brain showcases Cajal's contributions to neuroscience, explores his artistic roots and achievement, and looks at his work in relation to contemporary neuroscience imaging, appealing to general readers and professionals alike.

  • Save 15%
    - The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano
    by Dana Thomas
    £10.99

    In Gods and Kings Dana Thomas, author of Deluxe, tells the story of how John Galliano and Alexander McQueen changed the face of fashionIn the first decade of the 21st century the fashion world was dominated by two very different but equally successful and turbulent figures. But, within twelve months, Alexander McQueen had committed suicide, and John Galliano had professionally imploded. Who was to blame? And how was fashion changed by their rise and fall? Spanning the 80s, 90s and noughties, Gods and Kings tells the story of these two charismatic figures and times of great change in the world of fashion, from London's raucous art and club scene to the old-world glamour of Parisian couture, and reveals the machinations of this notoriously secretive industry.[Praise for Dana Thomas's Deluxe]: 'A crisp, witty social history that's as entertaining as it is informative' - New York Times 'Definitive' - Daily TelegraphDana Thomas began her career writing for the Style section of The Washington Post and served as Newsweek's European culture and fashion correspondent for fifteen years. She has written for The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, WSJ, the Financial Times, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, and was the European editor of Cond Nast Portfolio. She is a contributing editor for T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Lustre. She lives in Paris.

  • Save 10%
    - The Man Behind the Wall
    by Will Ellsworth-Jones
    £8.99

    For someone who shuns the limelight by concealing his real name, never showing his face and never giving interviews except by email, Banksy is remarkably famous. In his home city of Bristol, in Los Angeles, in London, in New York, wherever there is a Banksy exhibition there is always a huge queue. His book of his art, Wall and Piece, has sold over a quarter of a million copies. Such is the commercial value of his work that people have hacked an entire wall off a building because it bears some of his graffiti. But who is this man; how did he become what he is now; what makes him tick? How far can we get to know and understand someone who goes to such lengths to keep his distance from us? Now, in the first full-length book about Banksys life and career, Will Ellsworth-Jones pieces together a picture of the world in which he operates. He talks to both friends and enemies, those who knew him in his early unnoticed days and those who have watched him try to come to terms with his new-found fame and fortune, and asks what, ultimately, this enigmatic character and his lifes work add up to.

  • Save 21%
    by Sarah Hyndman
    £14.99

    We all constantly interact with type in almost every aspect of our lives. But how do fonts affect what we read and influence the choices we make?This book opens up the science and the art behind how fonts influence you. It explains why certain fonts or styles evoke particular experiences and associations. Fonts have different personalities that can create trust, mistrust, give you confidence, make things seem easier to do or make a product taste better. They re hidden in plain sight, they trigger memories, associations and multisensory experiences in your imagination.* Fonts can alter the meanings of words right before your very eyes.* See what personalities fonts have, and what they reveal about YOUR personality.* Explore how you respond to fonts emotionally and can make fonts work for your message.* Be amazed that a font has the power to alter the taste of your food.This book is for anyone who is interested in giving words impact, who loves words and how they influence us.

  • Save 23%
    - Big Ideas Simply Explained
    by DK
    £15.49

    The Movie Book makes you an offer you can't refuse, chronicling more than 100 of the best movies ever made and bringing cinema to life.Beginning with the iconic La Voyage Dans La Lune from 1902, right through to Richard Linklater's ground breaking Boyhood, The Movie Book explores the rich history of cinema. The Movie Book covers early visionaries of the 1900's and the golden age of black and white films, to international art-house and 21st-century sci-fi. Through iconic quotes and film stills, to posters, biographies, movie memorabilia and narrative timelines, discover every aspect of your favourite movies, as well as the films you need to see.Essential for anyone with a passion for cinema, The Movie Book is ready for it's close up.

  • Save 13%
    by Rudolf Steiner
    £12.99

    Building on the achievements of Goethe in his Theory of Colour, Rudolf Steiner shows how colour affects us in many areas of life, including our health, our sense of well-being, and our feelings. Distinguishing between 'image' and 'lustre' colours, he lays the foundation, based on his spiritual-scientific research, for a practical technique of working with colour that leads to a new direction in artistic creativity. His many penetrating remarks on some of the great painters of the past are supplemented by a deep concern to see a cultural, spiritual renewal emerge in the present time. 'If you realize', he states, 'that art always has a relation to the spirit, you will understand that both in creating and appreciating it, art is something through which one enters the spiritual world.' This volume is the most comprehensive compilation of Rudolf Steiner's insights into the nature of colour, painting and artistic creation. It is an invaluable source of reference and study not only for artists and therapists but for anyone interested in gaining an appreciation of art as a revelation of spiritual realities.

  • Save 15%
    - A History of Grunge
    by Mark Yarm
    £10.99

    Grunge, also known as the 'Seattle sound', is the sludgy fusion of punk rock and heavy metal that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the early part of the 1980s. But it was the unexpected, seemingly overnight success of Nirvana's single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' in the fall of 1991, that made grunge a household word and launched an American music movement on par with punk and hip-hop.Twenty years later, Mark Yarm captures that era in the words of those at the forefront of the movement (and the music's lesser-known champions). Everybody Loves Our Town will tell the whole story: the founding of originators like Soundgarden and the Melvins, the early successes of Seattle's Sub Pop record label, the rise of powerhouses Nirvana and Pearl Jam, the insane media hype surrounding the grunge explosion, the suicide of Kurt Cobain, and finally, the genre's mid-to-late-'90s decline.

  • Save 20%
    - The Art of Eliza Ivanova
    by Eliza Ivanova
    £22.49

    Meet artist, animator, and film maker Eliza Ivanova, and her powerful figures that blend traditional painting with evocative movement.

  • Save 27%
    by Disney
    £21.99

    The Art of Soul showcases the art and making of the next animated film from Pixar, slated to hit theatres in 2020.

  • Save 24%
    - 11 Inspiring Projects with Reusable Iron-on Transfers
    by Trish Burr
    £18.99

    This sumptuous and inspiring book, complete with reusable iron-on transfers, is written by needlework expert Trish Burr and created in association with The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and is the ultimate guide to embroidering flowers.

  • Save 11%
    - Retreats and Dream Houses
    by Philip Jodidio
    £33.99

    For those who crave the tranquility of nature, fifty houses selected from around the world with the most ecologically sustainable and innovative breakthroughs in architecture and design.

  • Save 22%
    by Maria Trolle
    £13.99

    Venture into Flora's fairytale land as the seasons change. Illustrations of lush springtime flowers give way to a verdant summer and bountiful autumn which progress into a peaceful winter snowfall. People, sprites, and animals co-exist in this abundant garden. Let your mind come to rest as you color floral wreaths, sleeping fairies, fanciful houses, and busy bees. Includes a register for the plants and animals found within these pages, as well as twelve pages with Maria Trolle's signature white-on-black imagery.

  • Save 15%
    by Michel Lauricella
    £10.99

    This book presents a simplified and practical vision of the hands and feet to help you in your drawing studies, encouraging both accuracy and movement.In this book, Lauricella breaks the subject matter down into the underlying skeletal shapes, followed by the musculature, then skin and fat, and finally, the veins.Geared toward artists of all levels-from beginners through professionals-this handy, pocket-sized book will help spark your imagination and creativity.Morpho is also crafted to be easily referenced in your sketching journey. This book features an "exposed" binding style. This is intentional, as it is designed to help the book lay flat as you draw.

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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