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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 John Miller
    £9.49

    John Miller's Trumpet Basics series is widely regarded as the leading method for beginner trumpet players and their teachers. This new edition of Trumpet Basics (Pupil's book with CD) offers a fresh design, clear technical drawings, fun illustrations, new activities and of course all of the great tunes featured in the original Trumpet Basics.

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    - (Illustrated with Interactive Elements)
    by L. Frank Baum
    £18.99

  • Save 15%
    - The Inside Story of Pantera
    by Rex Brown
    £14.49

    This starkly honest memoir by Pantera bassist Rex Brown offers shocking insight into one of the most influential metal bands

  • by Wassily Kandinsky
    £7.99 - 10.49

  • Save 16%
    by Kurt Jackson
    £33.49

    Kurt Jackson's Sea captures the beauty of the artist's constantly evolving relationship with one of nature's most challenging subjects.

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    by Lucinda Williams
    £9.49 - 15.49

  • Save 21%
    by Sara Santini & Andrea Di Filippo
    £13.49

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    by Disney/Pixar
    £21.99

    This vibrant volume is an exclusive look behind the scenes of Disney and Pixar¿s original feature film Luca. The Art of Luca explores the stunning visuals of the coming-of-age story, set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera. Readers get a front-row view at never-before-seen development art, character sketches, storyboards, color scripts, and interviews with the creators. ¿    Behind the scenes of the making of Disney and Pixar¿s Luca¿    Features colorful concept art and character explorations from the movie¿    Includes fascinating facts and details from the creative team In the animated film, Luca and his newfound best friend are sharing an unforgettable summer and a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from a world just below the water¿s surface. For aspiring artists, animators, and fans alike, The Art of Luca is part of the acclaimed ART OF series, inviting audiences behind the scenes of their favorite animated films.  This book is perfect for:¿    Pixar fans and art buffs¿    Animators and students of animation¿    Fans of The Art of Pixar, The Art of Soul, The Art of Onward and The Art of Coco© 2021 Disney/Pixar. All rights reserved.

  • by Lenny Kaye
    £18.99

    An insider's take on the evolution and enduring legacy of the music that rocked the twentieth century

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    by Whitney Chadwick
    £15.49

    New in paperback, Whitney Chadwick's groundbreaking study of women in the Surrealist movement.

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    - 1,000 Design Patents
    by Thomas Rinaldi
    £27.49

    An unprecedented, substantial, and extraordinary celebration of more than a century of fascinating product and industrial design, as shown through their detailed original patent documents - the ultimate 'flick book' of modern design with hundreds of works by iconic and lesser-known designers

  • Save 13%
    - The Story of Bad Religion
    by Jim Ruland & Bad Religion
    £13.99

    From their beginnings as teenagers experimenting in a San Fernando Valley garage dubbed "The Hell Hole" to headlining major music festivals around the world, Do What You Wanttells the whole story of Bad Religion's 40-year career in irreverent style.

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    by Alison (University of Wolverhampton & UK) Toplis
    £22.49 - 47.99

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    - Pricing & Ethical Guidelines
    by Graphic Artists Guild
    £33.49

  • Save 21%
    by Lucasfilm
    £13.49

    A fun and clever baking book featuring in-world treats inspired by the Star Wars galaxy.

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    - Political Art and Activism
     
    £28.49

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    by Kristin Baver
    £25.49

    Discover everything you've ever wanted to know about Star Wars in this complete history of the most famous franchise in movie history.Painstakingly researched and superbly illustrated, Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, New Edition presents a unique Star Wars timeline-the full history of the amazing Star Wars phenomenon as you've never seen it before.This stunning visual journey features trivia and cultural cornerstones from director George Lucas' early life through to the iconic movie stills, comic books, novels, toys, video games, and theme parks that have spawned from five decades of seminal film making. Fully updated and expanded, this edition encompasses all nine episodes of the original, prequel and sequel trilogies, along with the standalone movies Rogue One and Solo, and the acclaimed television series, The Mandalorian. Produced in full collaboration with Lucasfilm and written by renowned Star Wars experts, Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual History, New Edition is ideal for Star Wars fanatics and newbies alike. & 2021 Lucasfilm Ltd.

  • by Guitar World magazine
    £12.49

    GUITAR WORLD PRESENTS: METALLICA

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    by Caleb Femi
    £9.49

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    - A Step-by-Step Artist's Handbook
    by Makoto Sawa & shoco
    £11.99

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    by Stefi Orazi
    £31.99

    A beautifully produced book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Grade II listed brutalist icon, the Barbican Estate.

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    - A Memoir
    by Andras Schiff
    £11.99

    A book of memoirs and stimulating reflections on music by the legendary classical pianist, Sir Andras Schiff.

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    - Perspectives - Models - Approaches - Methods
    by Annemiek van Boeijen
    £23.49

    Delft Design Guide provides an overview of the perspectives, models, approaches, and methods used in the bachelor''s and master''s curriculum of Industrial Design Engineering at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). Some of these are unique to the university, others are well known and are used by designers worldwide. Designing products and services at this faculty is considered a systematic and structured activity, deliberately and purposefully, and with moments of increased creativity.The methods and techniques are each described in a practical one-page text, illustrated for further clarification and enriched with images that should encourage reflection and further reading.Design students can use the book as a reference guide in their design projects and in managing their personal development. Design teachers can use the book as a reference guide to assist students in learning a method. Design professionals can use the book as a reference guide to support their design processes.

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    - Essential Concepts and Techniques from The Urban Sketching Handbooks--Architecture and Cityscapes, Understanding Perspective, People and Motion, Working with Color
    by Shari Blaukopf
    £15.49

    Get great techniques, tips, and ideas from the Urban Sketching Handbook series in one place! With this thorough guide, discover how to sketch architecture and cityscapes, plus people and motion; learn drawing perspective; and see how easy it is to add color to artwork.

  • Save 18%
    - The Story of the Iconic Shoe Designer
    by Darla-Jane Gilroy
    £11.49

    A pocket-sized, illustrated book charting the rise of the world's most celebrated shoe designer.

  • Save 15%
    by Brian Cox
    £10.99 - 15.49

  • Save 26%
    - A Cookbook Inspired by Artists
    by Julia Sherman
    £21.49

    The creator of the immensely popular Salad for President blog presents a visually rich collection of more than 75 salad recipes, with contributions and interviews by artists/creative professionals like William Wegman, Tauba Auerbach, Laurie Anderson, and Alice Waters. Julia Sherman loves salad. In the book named after her popular blog, Sherman encourages her readers to consider salad an everyday indulgence that can include cocktails, soups, family style brunch dishes, and dinner-party entrees. Every part of the meal is reimagined with a fresh, vegetable obsessed perspective. This compendium of savory recipes will tempt readers in search of diverse offerings from light to hearty: Collard Chiffonade Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing and Crouton Crumble, Heirloom Tomatoes with Crunchy Polenta Croutons, or Flank Steak and Bean Sprouts with Miso-Kimchi Dressing. On the lighter end there are Grilled Hearts of Palm with Mint and Triple Citrus, Persimmon Caprese, and fresh Blood Marys. The recipes, while not exclusively vegetarian, are vegetable-forward and focused on high-quality seasonal produce. Sherman also includes insider tips on pantry staples and growing your own salad garden of herbs and greens. Saladwith its infinite possibilitiesis a game of endless combinations, not stifling rules. And with that in mind, Salad for President offers a window into how artists approach preparing their favorite dishes. She visits sculptors, painters, photographers, and musicians in their homes and gardens, interviewing and photographing them as they cook. Utterly unique in its look into the worlds of food, art, and everyday practices, Salad for President is at once a practical resource for healthy, satisfying recipes and an inspiring look at creativity.

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    - The Design Guide to User Ecosystem Thinking
    by Michael Youngblood
    £22.49

    Knowing your users stimulates your imagination and helps you create more exciting and effective design solutions. But there is a problem: the normal conception of "the user" is incomplete and based on outdated notions. These notions of simple, direct relationships between people and products are no longer valid in today''s complex, technologically interconnected world. This fun and practical book with a set of cards will change the way readers think about users. Rethinking Users introduces a radical new approach that questions some of our most fundamental ideas about the nature of user experience. It points to new opportunities to create products and services that help users in new ways. The book includes a deck of user archetype cards and step-by-step team activities for unlocking new user-centered thinking and design inspiration. For designers, design researchers, strategists, innovators, product managers, and entrepreneurs in almost any field.

  • Save 10%
    - A Complete Course in Drawing Cuties and Beasties - Includes 19 Step-by-Step Tutorials!
    by Yoai
    £8.99

    Mini Chibi Art Class makes these miniature Japanese manga and anime characters even smaller and cuter in this miniature, portable format.

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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