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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 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 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 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.

  • by Walter Benjamin
    £7.99

    One of the most important works of cultural theory ever written, Walter Benjamin's groundbreaking essay explores how the age of mass media means audiences can listen to or see a work of art repeatedly and what the troubling social and political implications of this are.Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

  • 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 11%
    by Cornelia Funke
    £7.99

    Mo and Meggie are trapped inside a story. If they make a nightmare deal with death, will they finally escape?

  • 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.

  • Save 29%
    - The Great American Hike
     
    £28.49

    Die Landschaften der USA sind einzigartig und weltberühmt für ihre Schönheit und Vielfalt. In Wanderlust USA stellt der Wanderexperte Cam Honan 30 der schönsten Routen und Nationalparks der Vereinigten Staaten vor. Honan führt seine Leser von den dichten Wäldern der Ostküste über die malerischen Höhenzüge der Rocky Mountains zu den schroffen Schluchten des Grand Canyon und den majestätischen Gletschern Alaskas. Neben beeindruckendem Bildmaterial und Landkarten vermittelt das Buch allerhand Wissenswertes zu Geografie, Geschichte, Tier- und Pflanzenwelt. Darüber hinaus gibt Cam Honan praktische Tipps zu Ausrüstung, Schwierigkeitsgrad und der idealen Reisezeit und macht mit Lagerfeuergeschichten und 20 weiteren Routenbeschreibungen in Kurzform Lust auf unvergessliche Wanderungen.

  • Save 27%
    - Recipes and traditions from the real Downton Abbey
    by The Countess of Carnarvon
    £21.99

    Highclere Castle, known as ''the real Downton Abbey'', bustles with activity at the best of times, but it is never more alive than at Christmas. Christmas at Highclere is a look behind the scenes at the routines and rituals that make the castle the most magical place to be throughout the festive season. Lady Carnarvon will guide you through Advent, Christmas preparations and Christmas Eve all the way through to the day itself, and beyond. Learn how the castle and grounds are transformed by decorations, including the raising of a twenty-foot tree in the saloon, the gathering of holly and mistletoe from the grounds. All the intricacies of the perfect traditional Christmas are here: from crackers and carol singers. The festive feeling is carried through to Highclere''s Boxing Day traditions, the restorative middle days and the New Year''s Eve celebrations. This book also tells the story of historic Christmases at Highclere – of distinguished guests warming themselves by the fire after a long journeys home through the snow, unexpected knocks on the door, and, always, the joy of bringing family – and staff – together after a busy year.As well as telling the stories of Highclere Christmases past and present, Lady Carnarvon provides recipes, tips and inspiration from her kitchen so that readers can bring a quintessentially British festive spirit to their own home. Lady Carnarvon divulges the secret to perfectly flakey mince pies, the proper way to wrap presents so that you and your guests are guaranteed a Christmas to remember. Lavish, celebratory and utterly enchanting, Christmas at Highclere is celebration of one of the UK''s most beloved historic houses and is the perfect gift for any Downton Abbey fan.

  • Save 27%
    by Katsuya Terada
    £25.49

    The definitive collection of "Doodle King" Terada's amazing one-shot drawings using only a black marker. Containing over 150 illustrations, this book is sewn together so that the page spreads can be opened flat so Terada's work to be seen in a complete form.

  • Save 25%
    - 125 Ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Innovative Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions
    by Bruce Hanington
    £19.49

    Universal Methods of Design, Expanded and Revised presents 125 research methods for design in a concise and accessible format, now updated with new information on digital design and software and 25 new chapters.

  • Save 28%
    by Carolina Amell
    £26.99

    Whether they're threading a barrel or shredding a swell, these amazing women are making enormous waves in the world of surfing.

  • Save 27%
    - Tattoo Flash Book
    by Ole Wittmann
    £25.49

    The original work of Christian Warlich, Europe's preeminent tattoo artist in the first half of the 20th century, is brought back to life in a stunning new volume.

  • Save 20%
    by Harriet de Winton
    £11.99

    Create beautiful botanical paintings in a fresh, modern style.

  • Save 10%
    - Celebrating Kerby Rosanes' Colouring Challenges
    by Kerby Rosanes
    £8.99

    A selection of the most striking images taken from the bestselling "Morphia" series have been gathered together to celebrate the talent of Kerby Rosanes.

  • Save 20%
    by Tim Pond
    £11.99

    This book is packed with practical advice to help you capture the movement and feeling of weight of the animal in front of you, whether you are out in the field, or at a zoo, aquarium, or wildlife park.

  • by Selina Fenech
    £8.99

    Explore your dark side with this Halloween inspired adult coloring book by Selina Fenech. This coloring book features 25 sweet, sexy, and magical designs of witches, vampires, dark angels, goblins, masquerades, gothic ladies, dark fantasy creatures, and Halloween spirit ready to be brought to life with color! This book includes TWO full sets of the 25 artworks, for a total of 50 pages to color in. Page size is 8.5 x 11 inches, letter size, approx. 22 x 28 cm. Images on one side only for easy removal and display. Images are framed within the page, not full bleed. These intricate designs are suitable for adults and experienced colorists. Parental discretion advised for younger artists as some artworks contain artistic/concealed nudity and sensual gothic imagery.

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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