We a good story
Quick delivery in the UK

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.
Show more
Filter
Filter
Sort bySort Popular
  • by Virgil Abloh
    £39.49

    Title: Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS, Author: Virgil Abloh, Publication Year: 2020-11-15, Publisher: Taschen GmbH, Language: eng

  • by Paul McCartney
    £16.99 - 51.99

  • - The Essential Saxophone Resource
    by Ray Smith
    £26.49

    Dr. Ray Smith is the saxophonists'' saxophonist, the teachers'' teacher. His 50+ years of saxophone playing and teaching have prepared him well to bring together perhaps the greatest breadth of practical saxophone information ever assembled under one book cover in The Science and Art of Saxophone Teaching. This book is valuable to saxophone teachers and serious saxophone students alike covering such topics as basic tone production (embouchure, oral cavity, breath support) and solving problems with tone, playing low notes, slurring down over intervals, solving reed issues, saxophone repair and adjustments, coordinating classical and jazz study and practice, warmup exercises and practice routines, articulation basics and articulation styles, development of technique and speed, choosing fingerings, solving vibrato issues, working on intonation problems, playing dynamics, rhythmic development, learning altissimo (may be worth the price of the book alone), phrasing musically, choosing good breathing places, working with ornamentation and cadenzas, dealing with differences between styles, becoming a multilingual musician, doubling other woodwind instruments and helpful information on clarinet, flute and double reeds, dealing with stage fright, and much more. This volume belongs in the library of every earnest saxophonist. There are also a series of video tutorials on a coordinated YouTube channel that bring all the concepts to life.Ray has been blessed to be a master pedagogue and is sharing in this book the concepts, insights, and approaches he has used to help countless young players become great saxophonists and musicians. His track record as a professor at Brigham Young University is enviable. His students teach at many of the nations'' universities, perform in the Broadway pits, play in the service bands of the Army, Navy, and Marines, and write for Hollywood movies. One is playing with the Dukes of Dixieland, and one is currently holding down the first tenor chair in the famed University of North Texas 1 O''Clock Lab Band. Ray, himself, a disciple of Eugene Rousseau, is a fine performer and well-recorded artist. He is equally at home in classical and jazz-related styles and adept at all five woodwind instruments. He has been heard frequently on the airwaves of this country (ESPN, ABC, NBC, CNN, etc.), on movies such as The Sandlot and The Swan Princess, and on Television series such as He-Man: Masters of the Universe, Xena, and Hercules.

  • - The Night Bobby Kennedy Killed Marilyn Monroe
    by Douglas Thompson
    £7.99

    Tells the essential truth of the death of Marilyn Monroe at the hand of Robert Kennedy, Attorney General of the United States

  • by Sebastian Schutze
    £18.99

    Notorious bad boy of Italian painting, Caravaggio is now considered one of the greatest influences in all art history. This neat catalogue raisonne reproduces all of Caravaggio's paintings as well as a number of dramatic details of his boundary-breaking realism. Five accompanying chapters trace Caravaggio's artistic daring and his equally...

  • by Bridget Foley & Tom Ford
    £71.49

  • by Disney
    £21.99

  • - The Frantic Four Years
    by Richard James
    £11.99

    A retrospective of one of Britain's most successful bands. Spanning the period 1970 to 1984, the creative peaks and troughs of all the songs recorded by 'The Frantic Four' are examined in detail by a fan who can play guitar a bit, and also knows his Bach from his byte.

  • by Edward Lucie-Smith & Sergei Reviakin
    £25.49

  • - Conversations with Frank Zappa, 1977-1993
    by Co de Kloet
    £11.99

    Through two decades of conversations and correspondence, Frank & Co offers a unique insight into the life and work of the American musician and composer Frank Zappa.

  • - Design and techniques
    by Laura Boswell
    £20.49

    A detailed and practical guide to experiment and discover the potential of linocut and the reduction printed method.

  • by Mark Lanegan
    £9.99

    The COVID diaries of the alternative rock star and bestselling author of SING BACKWARDS AND WEEP

  • by Robert Venturi
    £18.99

    Foreword by Arthur Drexler. Introduction by Vincent Scully.

  • - The Prints of Ernst Haeckel
    by Richard Hartmann, Olaf Breidbach & Irenaus Eibl-Eibersfeldt
    £14.99

    The geometric shapes and natural forms, captured with exceptional precision in Ernst Haeckel's prints, still influence artists and designers to this day. This volume highlights the research and findings of this natural scientist.

  • - The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground
    by Michael Moynihan
    £15.99

  • by Robert McKee
    £20.49

    '"Good story" means something worth telling that the world wants to hear. Finding this is your lonely task... but the love of a good story, of terrific characters and a world driven by your passion, courage and creative gifts is still not enough. Your goal must be a good story well told.' Robert McKee

  • by Stan Lee
    £11.99

    Stan Lee, the founding father of Marvel Comics, and John Buscema, artist of the classic Silver Surfer series, give professional advice and instruction for budding comics artists. Learn how to draw the Marvel way, courtesy of this lavishly illustrated, step-by-step guide to all facets of the process.

  • by Quincy Troupe
    £11.99

    'LISTEN. The greatest feeling I ever had in my life -- with my clothes on -- was when I first heard Diz and Bird back in 1944. I've come close to matching the feeling of that night, but I've never quite got there. I'm always looking for it, trying to always feel it in and through the music I play ...'

  • by Mark Levine
    £28.99

    The most highly acclaimed jazz piano method ever published. Over 300 pages with complete chapters on Intervals and triads, The major modes and II-V-I, 3-note voicings, Sus. and phrygian Chords, Adding notes to 3-note voicings, Tritone substitution, Left-hand voicings, Altering notes in left-hand Stride and Bud Powell voicings, Block chords, Comping ...and much more!

  • by Anthony Kiedis
    £10.99

    * The frank, shocking and inspiring autobiography of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'the world's biggest band' (MOJO)* 'Book of the Year' N.M.E.

  • by Cheri Smith
    £12.99

    This paperback treasury is perfect for the insatiable Magic Eye fan.

  • by Andrea Palladio
    £27.49

    Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) was one of the most celebrated architects of the Renaissance, so important that the term Palladian has been applied to a particular style of architecture that adheres to classical concepts. The wide spread of Palladianism was due partly to the private and public buildings he constructed in Italy, the designs of which were copied throughout Europe. But of even greater consequence was his remarkable magnum opus, I Quattro Libri dell'Architettura; translated into every major Western European language in the two centuries following its publication in 1570, it has been one of the most influential books in the history of architecture. The Four Books of Architecture offers a compendium of Palladio's art and of the ancient Roman structures that inspired him. The First Book is devoted to building materials and techniques and the five orders of architecture: Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite. Palladio indicates the characteristic features of each order and supplies illustrations of various architectural details. The Second Book deals with private houses and mansions, almost all of Palladio's own design. Shown and described are many of his villas in and near Venice and Vicenza (including the famous Villa Capra, or The Rotunda, the Thiene Palace, and the Valmarana Palace). Each plate gives a front view drawing of the building and the general floor plan. The Third Book is concerned with streets, bridges, piazzas, and basilicas, most of which are of ancient Roman origin. In the Fourth Book, Palladio reproduces the designs of a number of ancient Roman temples. Plates 51 to 60 are plans and architectural sketches of the Pantheon.In all, the text is illustrated by over 200 magnificently engraved plates, showing edifices, either of Palladio's own design or reconstructed (in these drawings) by him from classical ruins and contemporary accounts. >

  • by Scott McCloud
    £14.99

    A look at the history, meaning, and art of comics and cartooning. Using comics to examine the medium itself, the author takes the form of a cartoon character and explains the structure, meaning, and appeal of comics, and provides a running analysis of comics as art, literature, and communication.

  • by Ralph Mayer
    £21.99

    The Artist's Handbook has become an indispensable reference work for thousands of practising artists all over the world. This fifth edition has been prepared by Steven Sheehan, Director of the Ralph Mayer Center, Yale University School of Art. It has been systematically revised and expanded to take account of the latest research.

  • - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
    by Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee & et al.
    £10.99 - 15.49

    A chronicle of the career of Meotley Creue, one of rock music's most provocative and notorious bands, provides an insider's view of rock stardom.

  • - Music Theory (Book/Online Audio)
    by Tom Kolb
    £18.49

    Guitarists of all levels will find a wealth of practical music knowledge in this special book and CD package. Veteran guitarist and author Tom Kolb dispels the mysteries of music theory using plain and simple terms and diagrams. The accompanying CD provides 94 tracks of music examples, scales, modes, chords, ear training, and much more!

  • - An Intimate Self-Portrait
    by Carlos Fuentes
    £18.99

    Published in its entirety, Frida Kahlo's amazing illustrated journal documents the last ten years of her turbulent life.

  • - In the American West
    by Laura Wilson
    £47.49

    How Avedon created his famous work.

  • by Alan Lee
    £15.49

    A sumptuous large-format hardback containing sketches and paintings from the illustrated Lord of the Rings, together with brand new and previously unseen material.

  • - A Visual Catalogue of Decorative Ceramic Glazes
    by Stephen Murfitt
    £18.99

    A reference for all ceramic artists and designers, packed with information and glaze recipes. Each of the glazes is reproduced pictorially so that readers can see the colour and surface responses it has to offer, and each is accompanied by a brief description, the firing range, and suggested uses.

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

Join thousands of book lovers

Sign up to our newsletter and receive discounts and inspiration for your next reading experience.