Books published by Reaktion Books

Informative and highly entertaining, Beer explores a legion of brews from Mexico to Milwaukee, Beijing to Bruges, in this superb study of the origins and contemporary consumption habits of one of the world's most popular drinks.

Pineapple is a culinary love story enriched with vivid illustrations and irresistible recipes from around the world for eating and drinking the pineapple.

Featuring 100 stunning colour photographs, Zen Landscapes explains how Japanese gardens must be approached according to the play of scale, surroundings and seasons, as well as in relation to other arts, thus revealing them as living landscapes rather than abstract designs.

The first comprehensive history in English of modern Japanese design.

Playing at Home explores the different ways in which contemporary artists have engaged with ideas of the house and home - from 'broken homes' to haunted houses, doll's houses, mobile homes and greenhouses.

"e;Albatross looks at the place of these iconic birds in a wide variety of human cultures, from early responses by north Atlantic mariners to modern encounters, examining in detail the role the bird plays in the lives of different peoples and societies. The albatross's remarkable ease in the air and its huge wingspan strikes all those who observe them, and the huge journeys they undertake across the oceans inspires awe. The bird has been celebrated through proverbs, folk stories, art, and ceremony. For many, the bird's cultural significance is still determined by Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'. People have engaged with the bird over the last two centuries, from those who sought to exploit them to those who devoted their lives to them. Writers, artists and documentary makers have all focused on the albatross and its place in the human imagination has been demonstrated throughout history. The book concludes with a consideration of the bird's changing significance in the modern world, as well as threats to its continued existence and its prospects for the future."e;

In this richly illustrated book Victoria Dickenson explores the natural and cultural history of the rabbit, a winsome long-eared animal that hops through children's stories, myths and legends, and back yards.

In this revealing study, now available in a revised and expanded new edition, Christopher Wood shows how Altdorfer prised landscape out of its subsidiary role as background for narrative history painting and devotional works to give it a new, independent life of its own.

Published at the bicentennial of his birth, Raymond Furness's Richard Wagner provides a clear and balanced view of both Wagner's great successes and the controversies generated by his life and art.

How did wine surpass all other beverages to achieve global domination? In Wine, Marc Millon travels back to the origins of modern man to find the answer, discovering that this heady drink is intertwined with the roots of civilization itself.

Adam Watt's biography considers Proust's early years of personal and aesthetic experiment, the growth of his masterwork A la recherche du temps perdu and his personal decline due to ill-health.

David Maclagan's book is an investigation of scribbling, doodling and automatic drawing, marginal forms that have all been used by modern artists seeking spontaneous or 'unconscious' creation.

Matthew Smith demonstrates how knowledge about the history of ADHD can lead to better choices about its diagnosis and treatment. A revealing and accessible study of this controversial subject, Hyperactive is an essential book for psychologists, teachers, policymakers and parents.

Examines Bukowski's writings, colourful life and the desperate conditions of his lifestyle. This book explores the effect the writer's hybrid identity had on the themes and content of his work. It catalogues and dissects the many versions of Bukowski created by the writer and his followers.

Traces our preoccupation with nudity in three distinct areas of human endeavour: religion, politics and popular culture. This book explores new territory - revealing the ways in which religious teachers, politicians, protestors and cultural icons have used nudity to enlighten or empower themselves, or simply to entertain us.

In this book John Fletcher describes the evolution, species, habitats, behaviour and diet of the deer, as well as its portrayal in art and influence on popular culture, myth and song.

Award-winning writer Kim Todd explores the complex history, biology and literary tradition of the cheeky and ubiquitous sparrow, including coverage of the nineteenth-century 'Sparrow War' in the United States over the sparrow's introduction which led to decades of discussion about invasive species.

Providing a new philosophical understanding of sport, which defines what sport essentially is and means by setting out a complete grammar of sport, treating in turn its essential elements, A Philosophy of Sport will inform, surprise and delight those who have always thought sport should be taken more seriously.

Giving an account of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous empire in history, May shows that although the Mongols were the most destructive force in the pre-modern world, they had a stabilizing effects on the social, cultural and economic life of the inhabitants of a vast territory and left a far-reaching legacy.

Chicken provides insight into the astonishing world of the chicken and contains many intriguing facts, including why the largest predator ever to walk the earth is considered the ancestor of the modern chicken and how mother hens communicate with their chicks while they're still in the egg.

The first attempt to survey in all its aspects the vast array of images produced in 16th-century China.

Vodka: A Global History describes vodka's complete history, from its emergence in Eastern Europe to its future as a global beverage. Attractively illustrated with photographs, paintings and graphic art, this title provides an engaging account of the rise of vodka.

Richard Foss chronicles the evolution of rum from a raw spirit concocted for slaves five hundred years ago, to a beverage savoured by connoisseurs. Rum: A Global History features recipes for sweet and savoury rum dishes, obscure but delicious rum drinks, and many unusual illustrations of rum memorabilia.

In Herbs, Gary Allen tells the story of these oft-overlooked plants, which have become such a staple in our lives. Allen's truly global history examines herbs in a way never seen before.