Thames and Hudson

Lighthouses have always unsettled and attracted in equal measure, highlighting the triumphs and failures in humanity's battle with the forces of nature. Taking as its heroes the lighthouses themselves, Sentinels of the Sea describes the engineering genius that allowed their construction on even the smallest of rock outcrops and the innovations that...

'Architects, sculptors, painters, we all must return to the crafts!' declared the architect Walter Gropius in his Bauhaus manifesto. Founded as an art school in 1919 and forced to close in 1933 by the Nazis, the Bauhaus established itself as a major influence on 20th-century art and design that continues to this day. Students were taught by some of...

A Chronology of Art brings the developments of the art world into sharp focus by examining the most important works in context with contemporary political, economic, literary, scientific and social events. This novel treatment, structured around a central timeline that becomes more detailed as it nears the present, explains the outside influences...

Amy Dempsey unravels the all-too-often daunting language of modern art by mapping the styles, schools and movements that help us understand modern and contemporary art, from Impressionism in the 19th century to Destination Art in the 21st. Using a practical and easy-to-navigate structure, Dempsey's lucid writing and carefully selected artworks...

Here is the fabric and textile directory that dressmakers and fashion designers everywhere have been waiting for. This book is like having your own personal shopper - able to recommend fabrics to suit the effects you want to achieve, show you how the fabric will perform, and tell you the best ways of using it.• Organized by function: do you want a...

Flowers have long been a source of inspiration for jewelers, many of whom have sought to capture their transient beauty in glittering gemstones and precious metals. In the 17th and 18th centuries, flowers were imitated in enamel or used as motifs for elaborate gemstone bodice ornaments. Brooches, pendants and rings took the form of bouquets or...