Coffee Table Books

292 books

$30.00

by Bill Buford (Author), Walton Ford (Illustrator)At first glance, Walton Ford's large-scale, highly detailed watercolors of animals recall the prints of 19th-century illustrators John James Audubon and Edward Lear. A closer look reveals a complex and disturbingly anthropomorphic universe, full of symbols, sly jokes, and allusions to the 'operatic' quality of traditional natural history. In this stunning but sinister visual universe, beasts and birds are not mere aesthetic objects but dynamic...

$20.00

by Gilles Néret (Author)Painter, sculptor, writer, filmmaker, and all-round showman Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) was one of the 20th century's greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics. One of the first artists to apply the insights of Freudian psychoanalysis to art, he is celebrated in particular for his surrealist practice, with such conceits as the soft watches or the lobster telephone, now hallmarks of the surrealist enterprise, and of modernism in general. Dalí frequently described his paintin...

$20.00

by Janis Mink (Author)With a career spanning seven decades, Catalan-born Joan Miró (1893-1983) was a polymath giant of modern art, producing masterworks across painting, sculpture, art books, tapestry, and ceramics, and embracing ideologies as varied as Fauvism, Surrealism, Dada, Magic Realism, Cubism, and abstraction. Over the course of his prodigious output, Miró evolved constantly, seeking to eschew categorization and the approval of "bourgeois" art critics as much as he pursued his own dr...

$20.00

by Norbert Wolf (Author)Court painter to King Philip IV of Spain, Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (June 1599 - August 6, 1660) is not only a leading light of the Spanish Golden Age, but among the most celebrated masters in all Western art history. Monet and Renoir, Corot and Courbet, Degas and Dalí all hailed his influence. Picasso was so inspired by his masterpiece Las Meninas that he painted 44 variations of it. Velázquez's importance is found particularly in his naturalist approach, i...

Fashion History from the 18th to the 20th Century - Hardcover

$100.00

by Kyoto Costume Institute (Kci) (Author)Clothes define people. A person's attire, whether it's a sari, kimono, or business suit, is an essential code to his or her culture, class, personality, even faith. Founded in 1978, the Kyoto Costume Institute recognizes the importance of understanding clothes from sociological, historical, and artistic perspectives. With one of the world's most extensive clothing collections, the KCI has amassed a wide range of historical garments, underwear, shoes, a...

Monet. the Triumph of Impressionism - Hardcover

$60.00

by Daniel Wildenstein (Author)No other artist, apart from J. M. W. Turner, tried as hard as Claude Monet (1840-1926) to capture light itself on canvas. Of all the Impressionists, it was the man Cézanne called "only an eye, but my God what an eye!" who stayed true to the principle of absolute fidelity to the visual sensation, painting directly from the object. It could be said that Monet reinvented the possibilities of color. Whether it was through his early interest in Japanese prints, his ti...

Julia Watson. Lo--Tek. Design by Radical Indigenism - Hardcover

$50.00

by Julia Watson (Author), Taschen (F) (Designed by), Studio (Designed by)Three hundred years ago, intellectuals of the European Enlightenment constructed a mythology of technology. Influenced by a confluence of humanism, colonialism, and racism, this mythology ignored local wisdom and indigenous innovation, deeming it primitive. Today, we have slowly come to realize that the legacy of this mythology is haunting us. Designers understand the urgency of reducing humanity's negative environmental...

$100.00

by Jim Heimann (Editor)This tome is the most comprehensive visual history of surfing to date, marking a major cultural event as much as a publication. Following three and a half years of meticulous research, it brings together hundreds of images to chart the evolution of surfing as a sport, a lifestyle, and a philosophy. The book is arranged into five chronological chapters, tracing surfing culture from the first recorded European contact in 1778 by Captain James Cook to the global and multi-...

$80.00

by Louis Meisel (Author), Sarahjane Blum (Author), Dian Hanson (Editor)Since TASCHEN released The Great American Pin-up, international interest in this distinctly American art form has increased exponentially. Paintings by leading artists such as Alberto Vargas, George Petty, and Gil Elvgren that sold for $ 2,000 in 1996 are going for $ 200,000 and more today. Pin-up--drawings, paintings, and pastels of an idealized female face and figure intended for public display--was produced between 1920...

Black Heroes: An Illustrated Black History Book for Children: 50 Inspirational Great Individuals from Africa to America ( Full Color - Paperback

$21.58

by Ethan D. Clark (Author)Discover the Legacy of Black Heroes: An Illustrated Black History Book for Children! Embark on an inspiring journey through time with "Black Heroes," a captivating and beautifully illustrated book designed to ignite the curiosity and imagination of young minds. Unveil the remarkable stories of 50 inspirational individuals who have shaped history, from the ancient civilizations of Africa to the vibrant present-day America. Immerse young readers in a visually stunn...

Contemporary Brick Buildings - Hardcover

$80.00

by Philip Jodidio (Author)Of all building materials in the world, brick is one of the most enduring and ubiquitous. Traces of brickmaking date back to 7500 BC and fired brick first made its appearance in about 3500 BC. Since then, the trusty brick has shown amazing resilience and remains one of the mainstays of contemporary architecture. Rooted in tradition in countries as different as China and the Netherlands, it is inexpensive, flexible in use, and can also be ecologically fabricated.This ...

Peter Lindbergh. Untold Stories - Hardcover

$20.00

by Felix Kr?mer (Author), Wim Wenders (Author), Peter Lindbergh (Photographer)The first-ever exhibition curated by Peter Lindbergh himself, shortly before his untimely death, Untold Stories at the D?sseldorf Kunstpalast served as a blank canvas for the photographer's unrestrained vision and creativity. Given total artistic freedom, Lindbergh curated an uncompromising collection that sheds an unexpected light on his colossal oeuvre. This book offers an extensive, firsthand look at the highly p...

Karl Blossfeldt. the Complete Published Work. 40th Ed. - Hardcover

$30.00

by Hans Christian Adam (Author)German photography pioneer Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932) photographed plants so beautifully, and with such originality, that his work transcends the medium itself. Over more than 30 years, he took thousands of photographs, revealing a formally rigorous talent whose precision and dedication bridge the 19th- and 20th-century worlds of image-making and bring a distinctly sculptural aspect to a firmly two-dimensional art form.Beautifully but starkly composed against p...

Marvel Comics Library. Avengers. 1963-1965 - Hardcover

$80.00

by Kurt Busiek (Author), Jack Kirby (Illustrator), Stan Lee (Illustrator)By early 1963 the foundations of the Marvel Universe had been laid. Following the introduction of the Fantastic Four in 1961 came the amazing (Spider-Man), the astonishing (Ant-Man), the strange (Doctor, that is), the incredible (Hulk), the invincible (Iron Man) and the mighty (Thor). Still, Marvel editor in chief Stan Lee realized something was missing. "I was writing these characters and I thought it would fun to put t...

James Baldwin. Steve Schapiro. the Fire Next Time - Hardcover

$20.00

by James Baldwin (Author), Steve Schapiro (Photographer)First published in 1963, James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time stabbed at the heart of America's so-called "Negro problem." As remarkable for its masterful prose as for its frank and personal account of the black experience in the United States, it is considered one of the most passionate and influential explorations of 1960s race relations, weaving thematic threads of love, faith, and family into a candid assault on the hypocrisy of the "l...

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans - Paperback

$10.99

by Kadir Nelson (Author), Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)The story of America and African Americans is a story of hope and inspiration and unwavering courage. In Heart and Soul, Kadir Nelson's stirring paintings and words grace 100-plus pages of a gorgeous picture book--a beautiful gift for readers of all ages, a treasure to share across generations at home or in the classroom.Heart and Soul is about the men, women, and children who toiled in the hot sun picking cotton; it's about the America ripp...

Surf Shack: Laid-Back Living by the Water - Hardcover

$35.00

by Nina Freudenberger (Author), Brittany Ambridge (Photographer), Heather Summerville (Author)"Cabin porn goes coastal in Nina Freudenberger's Surf Shack" [Vanity Fair], and here are bungalows, trailers, cabins, and beach homes where surfers retreat after a day on the waves. Peek inside the homes of longtime enthusiasts and dedicated newcomers that reflect not just a sport or passion, but also a way of life. Blake and Heather Mycoskie of TOMS, hotelier Sean MacPherson, Gypset author Julia Ch...

The Package Design Book. Volume 2 - Hardcover

$25.00

by Pentawards (Author), Julius Wiedemann (Editor)The field of package design never ceases to expand and innovate, making it one of the most vibrant, competitive, and fast-evolving areas in design today. It is influenced by various factors such as the consumer's requirements, the ever-increasing marketing demands, evolving environmental policies, and the practice of adhering to the context of cultural aspects and diversity. By developing at such a demanding and rapid pace, package design encom...

Walter Chandoha. Cats. Photographs 1942-2018 - Hardcover

$20.00

by Susan Michals (Author), Reuel Golden (Editor), Walter Chandoha (Photographer)On a winter's night in 1949 in New York City, young marketing student and budding photographer Walter Chandoha spotted a stray kitten in the snow, bundled it into his coat, and brought it home. Little did he know he had just met the muse that would determine the course of his life. Chandoha turned his lens on his new feline friend--which he named Loco--and was so inspired by the results that he started photographi...

The Adidas Archive. the Footwear Collection. 40th Ed. - Hardcover

$30.00

by Christian Habermeier (Photographer), Sebastian Jäger (Photographer)More than 100 years ago the brothers Adolf ("Adi") and Rudolf Dassler made their first pair of sports shoes. Hundreds of groundbreaking designs, epic moments, and star-studded collabs later, this book presents a visual review of the adidas shoe through almost 200 models.To further develop and tailor his products to athletes' specific needs, Dassler asked them to return their worn footwear when no longer needed, with all the...

$70.00

by Harry Benson (Photographer)In early 1964, photographer Harry Benson received a call from the photo editor of London's Daily Express, who asked him to cover the Beatles' trip to Paris. It was the beginning of a career-defining relationship, which would both make Benson's name and produce some of the most intimate photographs ever taken of the Beatles. In Paris, Benson captured the Fab Four in the midst of a pillow fight at the George V Hotel, a spontaneous moment which came to epitomize the...

Elements of Style: Designing a Home and a Life - Hardcover

$37.50

by Erin Gates (Author)From the rising-star designer and author of the hit blog, Elements of Style, a full-color, fully illustrated book packed with honest advice, inspiration, ideas, and lessons learned about designing a home that reflects your personality and style. Elements of Style is a uniquely personal and practical decorating guide that shows how designing a home can be an outlet of personal expression and an exercise in self-discovery. Drawing on her ten years of experience in the inte...

$25.00

by Philip Jodidio (Author)The most exciting new buildings today are almost all environmentally aware, sustainable, and conceived to consume less energy than ever before. Discover the best examples of green projects from the Architecture Now! series in this handy Bibliotheca Universalis edition. Celebrated architects like Frank Gehry and Norman Foster are presented alongside young up-and-coming creators from all over the world. Filled with plans, renderings of proposed projects, and stunning a...

The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm - Hardcover

$40.00

by Noel Daniel (Editor)From Snow White to Cinderella, Rapunzel to Rumpelstiltskin, the Brothers Grimm bequeathed a canon of stories which have become literary and childhood classics. The most widely read story collection after the Bible, their magical tales are stalwarts of early learning and imagination, listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register as a vital part of our history and culture. This beautiful hardback anthology is based on the Grimm's popular 1857 edition and features 27 of ...

$20.00

by Ingo F. Walther (Author), Rainer Metzger (Author)For Marc Chagall (1887-1985), painting was an intricate tapestry of dreams, tales, and traditions. His instantly recognizable visual language carved out a unique early 20th-century niche, often identified as one of the earliest expressions of psychic experience. Chagall's canvases are characterized by loose brushwork, deep colors, a particular fondness for blue, and a repertoire of recurring tropes including musicians, roosters, rooftops, fl...

$70.00

by Reuel Golden (Editor)Samuel Johnson famously said that: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." London's remarkable history, architecture, landmarks, streets, style, cool, swagger, and stalwart residents are pictured in hundreds of compelling photographs sourced from a wide array of archives around the world. London is a vast sprawling metropolis, constantly evolving and growing, yet throughout its complex past and shifting present, the humor, unique character, and bulldog sp...

$20.00

by Ulrike Becks-Malorny (Author)In the latter half of the 19th century, in the verdant countryside near Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), busily plied his brush to landscapes and still lifes that would become anchors of modern art. With compact, intense dabs of paint and bold new approaches to light and space, he mediated the way from Impressionism to the defining movements of the early 20th century and became, in the words of both Matisse and Picasso, "father of us all." This fresh ...

$20.00

by Karal Ann Marling (Author)An extraordinarily prolific artist, Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) produced some 4,000 paintings in his lifetime, not including a prodigious quantity of commissioned editorial, commercial, and advertising work. His death in 1978 was regarded the loss of a national icon, an artist who, like no other, celebrated the American Dream. Shunning experimentation and avant-garde techniques in favor of effective composition and relatable subject matter, Rockwell created wholes...

$20.00

by Hagen (Author)From court portraits for the Spanish royals to horrific scenes of conflict and suffering, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) made a mark as one of Spain's most revered and controversial artists. A master of form and light, his influence reverberates down the centuries, inspiring and fascinating artists from the Romantic Eugène Delacroix to Britart enfants terribles, the Chapman brothers. Born in Fuendetodos, Spain, in 1746, Goya was apprenticed to the Spanish roya...

$20.00

by Gilles Néret (Author)Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a fighting spirit. Despite a cancer diagnosis in 1941, increasing frailty, and the confines of a wheelchair, the indomitable Frenchman never stopped in his quest to make art. With what he called une seconde vie, a second life, he embarked on a remarkable collage period, cutting and pasting pieces of colored paper into gouaches découpées of birds, plants, flowers, and the female form. Emphasizing color and contrast, the cut-out technique ge...

$20.00

by Norbert Wolf (Author)Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) is regarded as one of the key figures in 20th-century European art. A Modernist to his bones, he sent seismic waves through the art world with his hard-edged, intensely colored paintings and disseminated his ideas through Die Brücke art movement and the MUIM-Institut school of modernist painting, both of which he cofounded. Kirchner's work reconciled past and present through an Expressionist prism, reflecting the latest avant-garde ide...

$20.00

by Gilles Néret (Author)Lampooned during his lifetime for his style as much as his subject matter, French painter Édouard Manet (1832-1883) is now considered a crucial figure in the history of art, bridging the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Manet's work combined a painterly technique with strikingly modern images of contemporary life, centered on the urban Paris experience. He recorded the city's parks, bars, and cabarets, often delighting in the frisson of underground or provocat...