The Art of Margaret Preston by Ian North et al.

$35.00 NZD

Category: Artists | Reading Level: very good

The Prints of Margaret Preston - A Catalogue Raisonné by Roger Butler

$75.00 NZD

Category: Artists | Reading Level: very good

This is the first time that Australian artist Margaret Preston's printed oeuvre--from her early etchings to her last woodblock prints, including over 400 works in all--has been catalogued in its entirety. Uncovering a wealth of information about this inventive, prolific artist, who continually strived t o create a national art relevant to her time, Butler's study is absorbing and authoritative. ...Show more

Mindfulness 25 ways to live in the moment through art by Christophe Andre

$20.00 NZD

Category: Art | Reading Level: very good

'Everything about this book is exquisite...I wholeheartedly recommend it' Mark Williams Mindfulness Is a uniquely beautiful work. Illustrated in full colour throughout, this bestselling book draws upon art as a source of inspiration. Expert practitioner Christophe Andre invites us to consider paintings while practising mindfulness techniques. With stunning simplicity and clarity, he sets out 25 lessons that could change your life - from understanding what it means to live mindfully, to useful tips for everyday situations. Mindfulness offers an enduring source of quiet contemplation, enabling us to still our minds and become calmly aware of the present moment. From acceptance to freedom, from happiness to love, Mindfulness shows us how to approach our lives as living works of art. ...Show more

Provence 500 Photos by Gerard Shoen

$16.00 NZD

Category: Photography | Reading Level: very good

Anyone who has visited Provence knows that it is more than a place of spectacular beauty; it is also a way of life. Attracting travelers from across the globe, Provence offers the visitor peace and tranquility in the striking beauty of landscapes ablaze with color: from ocher hills and lavender fields, to stark cliffs and swaying olive trees. Gerard Sioen, an internationally recognized photographer and himself an inhabitant of Provence, takes the reader on a personal photographical tour of Provence's most celebrated sights. He showcases the region's wealth of architectural styles ...Show more

Eric Clapton: The Autobiography by Eric Clapton

$14.00 NZD

Category: Music | Reading Level: very good

Eric Clapton is far more than a rock star. Like Dylan and McCartney he is an icon and a living legend. He has sold tens of millions of records, played sell-out concerts all over the world and been central to every significant musical development of his era. His guitar playing has seen him hailed as 'God '. Tracks such as 'Layla', 'Sunshine of Your Love', 'Wonderful Tonight' and 'Tears in Heaven' have become anthems for generations of music fans. Now for the first time, Eric tells the story of his personal and professional journeys in this pungent, witty and painfully honest autobiography. But the rock star lifestyle has had a darker side too. In more than forty years at the forefront of his profession he has twice survived near fatal addictions to drugs and alcohol, the deaths of close friends such as Jimi Hendrix and John Lennon, the death of his own young son, the break-up of marriage and the disintegration of countless relationships with a succession of beautiful women. Eric was born an illegitimate child to a Canadian airman in 1945 and raised by his grandparents. Until the age of 9 he believed his absentee mother to be his sister. When the truth was revealed he felt a sense of abandonment and isolation which was eventually to drive him to despair and addiction. From his early teens his solace was the guitar. At the age of eighteen he joined the Yardbirds and from then on his legendary status was assured. In 1966 the world's first super group, Cream, was formed and at the age of 22 Eric was a world superstar. During his later solo career, his love for George Harrison's beautiful wife, Pattie Boyd drove him to the hell of drug addiction and by the 70s he had disappeared from public view. But Eric fought back and produced platinum albums such as 'Slowhand' and eventually married Pattie. But the love of his life didn't last. Alcohol took over. In the late 80s the marriage disintegrated, and Eric had a son, Connor, with an Italian supermodel. But Connor was tragically killed in a freak accident. Eric's elegy to his son, 'Tears in Heaven', became one of the biggest selling singles in history. These are the memoirs of a survivor, someone who has reached the pinnacle of success, who has had it all, but whose demons have never left him.At the age of 60 Eric is cured of alcoholism and is in a long term relationship with three young daughters. He is now ready to tell his story as it is, hiding nothing, with a directness and searing honesty that will make this book one of the most compelling memoirs of our time. First published 2007. ...Show more

The House: The Dramatic Story of the Sydney Opera House and the People Who Made It by Helen Pitt

$16.00 NZD

Category: Architecture | Reading Level: very good

The best-loved building in Australia nearly didn't get off the drawing board. When it did, the lives of everyone involved in its construction were utterly changed: some for the better, many for the worse. Helen Pitt tells the stories of the people behind the magnificent white sails of the Sydney Opera H ouse. From the famous conductor and state premier who conceived the project; to the two architects whose lives were so tragically intertwined; to the workers and engineers; to the people of Sydney, who were alternately beguiled and horrified as the drama unfolded over two decades. With access to diaries, letters, and classified records, as well as her own interviews with people involved in the project, Helen Pitt reveals the intimate back story of the building that turned Sydney into an international city. It is a tale worthy of Shakespeare himself. 'A drama-filled page turner' - Ita Buttrose AO OBE'Helen Pitt tells us so much about the building of the Sydney Opera House we've never heard before' - Bob Carr, former Premier of NSW'Australia in the seventies-mullets, platform shoes and, miraculously, the Opera House. At least we got one of them right. A great read.' - Amanda Keller, WSFM breakfast presenter ...Show more

Symbols and Their Meanings by Jack Tresidder

$25.00 NZD

Category: Reference | Reading Level: very good

Nicolas Lancret, 1690-1743 by Mary T. Holmes; Joseph Focarino (Editor)

$20.00 NZD

Category: Artists | Reading Level: very good

During his lifetime and through most of the 18th century, Nicolas Lancret was one of the most celebrated artists in France. Now, after nearly two centuries of having been overshadowed by the work of others, his genre paintings are once more appreciated. This is a study of Lancret's life and work.

Jérôme Brunet Eric Saunier Urban Sites by Sebastian Redecke

$25.00 NZD

Category: Architecture | Reading Level: very good

Two of the most distinctive architects on the lively architectural scene in France are Jerome Brunet and Eric Saunier. Sophisticated, and refined by abstraction and minimal art, their architectural language is free from the vagaries of passing trends. Their designs have a distinctly urban feel even in p rojects for sites outside of the centre as with the Concert Hall and School of Music in Chalon-sur-Saone, or the recently completed rehabilitation clinic for children in Palavas-les-Flots, and thus they take a stand in the current debate about the town centre and the periphery. With their building for the Banque de France in Montpellier or the residential building near the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, they have confirmed their position at the apex of contextual architecture. ...Show more

A Well Written Body full of verse and code under its folds by Poems by Karlo Mila (paintings by Delicia Sampero)

$20.00 NZD

Category: New Zealand Poetry

A clever, modern and sensitive collection of poetry - a collaborative venture between artist (Delicia Sampero) and poet (Karlo Mila). After reading the first draft of the poems, Delicia envisaged a ten metre painting - a continuous allegory of hte black butterfly. As Delicia's paintings emerged, Karlo w rote new pieces inspired by the images. The book explores issues of desire and longing, identity and belonging, all with Karlo's refreshing honesty and wit. ...Show more

Shoegasm: An Explosion of Cutting-edge Design by Clare Anthony

$18.00 NZD

Category: Fashion | Reading Level: very good

A fabulous collection of the most extravagant and outrageous shoes seen on fashionable women today - from the catwalk to the high street. With an introduction from Manolo Blahnik. For centuries, women's shoes have been at the forefront of high fashion. Sandals made of solid gold were found in the royal tombs of ancient Egypt, while in 15th century Venice, women tottered around in chopines with platforms up to a foot high. In China, bound feet were adorned with delicately embroidered and brightly coloured golden lotus shoes. Shoegasm explores the boundless creativity still at work in shoe design today. From Kobi Levi's 'double boots' created exclusively for Lady Gaga to the radical creations of bridge architect Julian Hakes, this is a showcase of the most spectacular shoes from Alexander McQueen to Vivienne Westwood and beyond. This lavishly illustrated book investigates the most extravagant and exciting examples of this truly wearable art. ...Show more

Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo by Annice Jacoby (ed.)

$25.00 NZD

Category: Art | Reading Level: very good

San Francisco's legendary Mission District boasts a greater concentration of street art than any other neighbourhood in the world. Beginning in the early 1970s as a form of social and political activism, a vibrant public mural movement has flourished in this dynamic, multicultural community. The result is a spectacular, ever-changing urban landscape transformed by the artistic convergence of traditional Mexican mural painting, folk art, Surrealism, Pop art, underground comics, advertising and graffiti.With 900 stunning photographs, this provocative book showcases more than three decades of work by a diverse array of artists, from the conspicuously anonymous to the internationally famous. Gronk, Rigo, Las Mujeres Muralistas, Barry McGee (Twist), R. Crumb, Spain Rodriguez, Michael Rio, Chuy Campusano, Susan Cervantes and Neckface are among the many who have made the streets of the Mission their public gallery. Both reverent and subversive essays and commentaries by writers and artists involved with the movement document the artistic, social and political forces that have shaped Mission Muralismo. ...Show more