Once again Ryan McGinness blurs the lines between fine art and design in his latest experimental book. Featured are McGinness current paintings and sculptures from different bodies of work Mindscapes, Blackholes and Women as well as site-specific work made for these pages. For Women, his photographic sessions resulted in 2D forms, their gestures and movements captured, and their images layered with graphics. Reproductions of reproductions fold in on themselves as McGinness treats the metadata captions about the work with as much (or even more) importance as the reproduced works they describe. Adventurous typography is also employed with incongruous phrases and texts culled from the artists sketchbook. McGinness is as experimental as ever, and has produced a collection of new work imbued with youthful energy. The stunning juxtapositions of all these elements create a textured and vividly explosive book that continues to reward readers after multiple visits.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 217 x 280 mm

Publication Date: 15-05-2014

The follow-up volume to our bestselling Installation Art, this is the most impressive collection of renowned avant-garde installation pieces to-date. Only top-tier projects are featured including biennale pieces from many countries. Interior gallery and museum installations encourage poetic new ways of looking at enclosed space, while exterior projects on both large and small scales astound through their dramatic use of materials and reinvent the urban and rural built environment. Pink balloons are suspended in rows above the the main thoroughfare of a major city, a prism of color threads hung in the air makes an otherwise blasé staircase magical, thin rays of light hover in space, a hole in a gallery wall reveals an entire hidden realm composed of layered ice blocks, while neoclassical arched windows pour transparent crystallized ice flows onto marble floors. This beautiful book completely changes how we look at our everyday surroundings and their possibilities.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 210 x 286 mm

Publication Date: 29-01-2014

A favorite among consumers and designers alike, no other material compares with wood for versatility of expression and utility. Warm and organic, yet imbued with strength, it can perform in unusual ways depending on use and setting. Working with new or reclaimed wood, bent plywood, or solid wood construction, the designers featured in this book all bring something new to the table, creating new forms from the whimsical to the elegant, the delicate to the robust. From animal shaped bookcases to textile “rugs,” and wooden bicycles to bark shade lamps, this is the ultimate guide to this beloved resource. Products include furniture, lighting, textiles, housewares, personal accessories and toys. Interviews follow with an international cast of industrial, interior, product, and furniture designers.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 240

Dimensions: 210 x 260 mm

Publication Date: 15-05-2014

There's a new craze sweeping the knitting world. Arm knitting is the fun way to make a gorgeous, chunky-knit scarf in only 30 minutes, using your arms instead of knitting needles. Why not try it out? This book makes it so easy to whip up simple and stylish scarves, cowls, wraps, and capes. Knitting expert Mary Beth Temple shows you how to master basic arm knitting techniques, with clear instructions and step-by-step color photos. She offers 15 original projects arranged by level of difficulty. You can get started making something beautiful immediately, and then advance to more ambitious creations as your skills increase. Arm knitting is the quickest way there is to knit a fashionable scarf, and you can do it anywhere. All you need are your own two hands, a few skeins of bulky yarn, and a half-hour to spare. Before you know it you'll become an expert arm knitter, and you'll be right on trend, too!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 48

Dimensions: 217 x 275 mm

Publication Date: 29-01-2014

The first volume of this series dealt with the initial 19 months of the air war over the Western Desert of North Africa. This volume picks up the story as the 8th Army, following its hard-fought success in Operation Crusader, was forced back to the Gazala area, roughly mid-way between the Cyrenaican/Tripolitanian border of Libya and the frontier with Egypt. It covers the lull prior to the disastrous defeat of the 8th Army in June 1942 and the loss of the important port and fortress of Tobruk. The costly efforts of the Allied air forces to protect the retreating British and Commonwealth troops and prevent this turning into a rout is examined in depth. So too is the heavy fighting which followed in the El Alamein region as the line was stabilised. This period was ameliorated somewhat for the Western Desert Air Force by the arrival - at last - of the first Spitfires. The build-up of both the army and air force which followed, coupled with new commanders on the ground, meant that Rommel's Deutsche Afrika Korps was defeated at Alam el Halfa at the start of September, and then again, comprehensively, at the climactic battle of El Alamein in October. Joined now by the first units of the United States Army Air Force, the Allied air forces began to achieve a growing ascendency over those of the Axis. The long, rather slow, pursuit of the Italo-German forces right across Libya is recounted, including the capture of Tripoli, followed by the breakthrough into Southern Tunisia at the end of March 1943. This allowed a link-up with the Allied forces in Tunisia (whose story will be related in Volume 3) to be achieved. In this volume follow to the fortunes of some of the great fighter aces of the Desert campaign such as Jochen Marseille and Otto Schulz of the Luftwaffe, Franco Bordoni-Bisleri of the Regia Aeronautica and Neville Duke, Billy Drake and 'Eddie' Edwards of the Commonwealth air forces. While the fighting above the constantly-moving front lines form the main narrative of this book, the Allied and Axis night bombing offensives and the activities of the squadrons co-operating with the naval forces in the Mediterranean are certainly not neglected.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 560

Dimensions: 170 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 01-12-2013

From Richard Pike, author of Grub Street’s best-selling Lightning Boys series, comes The Hunter Boys, a fascinating insight into the experiences of those who flew the iconic Hawker Hunter – an aircraft known affectionately to many as ‘Queen of the Skies’. In fifteen separate chapters, pilots’ stories of the dramas and demands of this incredible aircraft, which changed the future of fighter development, are related in distinctive style, including experiences of the legendary test pilot Neville Duke. One chapter details the remarkable tale of a pilot who flew an unauthorised sortie under London’s Tower Bridge at the time of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Air Force. In another, the realities of war are recounted in a poignant personal account taken from diaries penned at the time of the 1971 Indo/Pakistan conflict. Further chapters describe individual experiences of flying in places as diverse as Aden, Gibraltar, Jordan and Kenya. The exceptional performance of this aircraft is evident throughout as is its well-renowned lengthy service life with the RAF and internationally. The scope, flair and pace of the writing in this book will appeal to the general reader as well as to the enthusiast.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 09-05-2014

The Vulcan, the second of the three V bombers built to guard the UK during the Cold War, has become an aviation icon like the Spitfire, its delta shape instantly recognisable as is the howling noise it makes when the engines are opened for take-off.

Vulcan Boys is the first Vulcan book recounted completely first hand by the operators themselves. It tells the story of the aircraft from its design conception through the Cold War when it played out its most important job as Britain’s nuclear deterrent; before unbelievably, at the end of its service life, also playing a significant role, with its bombs and missiles, in liberating the Falkland Islands for which it gained much celebrity.

The individual accounts detail how hours at a time were spent on readiness, waiting to be scrambled to defend their country in the event of a third world war. In addition how their aggressive skills were honed by carrying out Lone Ranger sorties flying to the States and westward around the world, and taking part in Giant Voice and Red Flag, competitive exercises against the United States Strategic Air Command. The attacks in the Falklands using Shrike missiles are described accurately and in great detail for the first time including the landing at Rio de Janeiro alongside a vivid account of Black Buck 2.

Vulcan Boys is a fascinating and completely authentic read reminding us of the Cold War, how it was fought and the considerable effort required to prevent all-out nuclear war.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 198

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 09-05-2014

Congratulations – you’re starting another exciting new decade! This little book, packed with wise and witty quotations, is the perfect way to show the world that you are 40 and proud of it.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 160

Dimensions: 101 x 136 mm

Publication Date: 05-05-2014

The Black-bearded Bai is the first of six plays based on Asian folk lore and written specifically for use by junior and middle secondary students.

The plays are:


The Secret Housewife

The Secret Housewife illustrates a common theme in Oriental folklore. The story may be about a tien, or immortal, but it is really about loneliness, growing old and the difficulty of adapting to a changing world. This sad tale works well as a quiet, tragic mystery.

The Black-bearded Bai

A favourite theme in Chinese folklore is the triumph of intelligence over brute force. This idea is often linked with the victory of a poor person over a wealthy one. The story of Aina-kizz and the Black-bearded Bai fulfils both of the above, and is an amusing and satisfying tale. It seems natural to present it as a Brechtian comedy.

Ido and the Devil

This is a traditional story of good versus evil. Rather than turn Ido into an angel it seemed more fun to portray him as a large, innocent, artless adolescent schoolboy. And rather than portray the Devil as a traditional monster, it seemed more entertaining to depict him as a comic character, lacking in confidence but with a cheeky irrepressible nature. This script has turned into a modern-day absurdist morality play.

Ken Arok

Ken Arok is a fascinating, complex character. He is both a treacherous man and also a brave warrior. To some he is a hero, to others a villain. There is some cheerful comic banditry in Act 1, but the piece ends as a riveting physical drama, complete with stage fights and murder.

The Kimono of O Same San

This story is set in old Tokyo during a famous tragedy that took place in 1657. It is a gentle tale about a girl named O Same. It is also a very violent story. These two seemingly opposing qualities of gentleness and violence have always lain together at the heart of Japan’s history. This play, then, is a tragic love story.

Harisarman

There are many folktales in other cultures about being in the right place at the right time. This is a satisfying story imbued with a quiet Indian humour. It seemed appropriate to present it as a short Bollywood musical.

Apart from being enjoyable and relevant plays, they offer an insight into the culture of the country the play comes from.

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 28-08-2013

Exploring Asian Voices explores literary and media texts suitable for Asian Studies within the secondary English Curriculum. Texts about Asian places, people, events and traditions give historical information as well as how their culture has been represented over time. Asian poets, writers and film makers often examine issues of migration, exile or the refugee experience and the traumatic emotional impact it can have on those who experience it first-hand. Similarly, Asian memoirs, autobiographies and diaries frequently deal with the hardships of coping with war, poverty and social injustice. The voices that are heard can be confronting but are often also inspirational in their desire to promote social and cultural reform and freedom.

Cultural adjustment and assimilation problems are other recurring themes in many Asian texts. This is not surprising with estimates that as many as twenty million Asian migrants have left their homelands to settle elsewhere. Studying such texts deepens historical and cultural familiarity and builds empathy through identification with often youthful protagonists. They can also increase student appreciation for virtues such as resilience, courage and determination in overcoming physical, cultural and language barriers. The rich literary history and diversity of Asian texts offer students many opportunities to broaden their learning and communication skills.

Contents:

Introduction

Social Reformers
- Mahatma Gandhi
- Aung San Suu Kyi
- Benazir Bhutto
- Malala Yousafzai

Poetry
- Writing a Poetry Analysis
- Japan
- India
- Vietnam
- China
- Life Writing

Autobiography and Memoir
- Chinese Cinderella —Autobiography
- Little Daughter-Memoir
- Hiroshima Hibakusha Stories
- Picture Books and Fairy Tales

Exploring Picture Books
- My Hiroshima
- Folk and Fairy Tales
- Ye Xian
- Japanese Folk Tales
- The Grateful Crane
- The White Crane

Prose
- Little Brother
- The China Coin

Film
- Film Study Skills
- Bend It Like Beckham
- Bride and Prejudice
- Responding and Composing

Life-writing and Non-fiction Texts
- True Blue
- My China

Bind: paperback

Publication Date: 23-08-2013