Best selling Non-fiction from Thames & Hudson
On this page you'll find a ranking of the best Thames & Hudson products in this category. To give you a quick overview, we've already ranked the most important information about the products for you.
1. Thames & Hudson The Ottomans
Exquisitely written and lavishly illustrated, this delightful book brings five centuries of Ottoman culture to life. Diana Darke constantly amazes the reader with fascinating facts and points of relevance between the Ottoman past and the present day. At its height, the Ottoman Empire spread from Yemen to the gates of Vienna. Western perceptions of the Ottomans have often been distorted by Orientalism, characterizing their rule as oppressive and destructive, while seeing their culture as exotic and incomprehensible. Based on a lifetime of experience living and working across its former provinces, Diana Darke offers a unique overview of the Ottoman Empire's cultural legacy one century after its dissolution. She uncovers a vibrant, sophisticated civilization that embraced both arts and sciences, while welcoming refugees from all ethnicities and religions, notably Christians and Jews. Darke celebrates the culture of the Ottoman Empire, from its aesthetics and architecture to its scientific and medical innovations, including the first vaccinations. She investigates the crucial role that commerce and trade played in supporting the empire and increasing its cultural reach, highlighting the significant role of women, as well as the diverse religious values, literary and musical traditions that proliferated through the empire. The Ottomans: A Cultural Legacy presents the magnificent achievements of an empire that lasted over 600 years and encompassed Asian, European, and African cultures, shedding new light on its complex legacy.
2. Thames & Hudson Vintage Fashion: A Sourcebook
The most ambitious and comprehensive book on women's vintage fashion ever published, featuring over 1,000 garments dating from the 1920s to the 1980s. This is not just another history of fashion; it is a survey of how fashion past continues to inspire fashion present. It features over 1,000 standout pieces, together with over 300 contextual illustrations, including many icons of vintage fashion, from Marilyn Monroe's bra to the Ossie Clark dress made famous by David Hockney's painting. Each garment is explored from the viewpoint of the contemporary fashionista looking to build a vintage wardrobe.
The book is organized into three main sections. "Decades" explores the shapes and fabrics that define the look of each period. "Elements" explores the individual components of a vintage look, everything from hats to shoes. "Hallmarks" explores fashion's perennial themes, from florals to the ever-popular Little Black Dress. Finally, a reference section includes invaluable practical advice for fans and collectors of vintage.
3. Thames & Hudson Kids of Cosplay
In this bold, surreal photographic celebration of the fantastical beauty of cosplay, 70 cosplayers leave behind their everyday existence and become heroes for a day.
Whether it is becoming a fictional character or presenting the 'you' the world sees, the craft of cosplay is everywhere. A powerful expression of individuality and diversity, cosplay is a global phenomenon that allows a large number of diverse individuals to join together in one single chaotic but inclusive community. Cosplay allows anyone to become a hero for a day.
After attending a cosplay convention in 2018, photographer Thurstan Redding became captivated by cosplay as a subject matter and embarked on a three-year photographic project to portray cosplay in a way it had never been seen before. In this bold and surprising volume, he captures the transfixing world of cosplay. Brought to life through the presentation of 70 cosplayers in the most unassuming of locations, this exceptional book highlights how creativity can thrive in the most mundane realities: Spider-Man is illuminated by the open fridge in the kitchen, three Alices wait at a bus stop in a desolate Wonderland, and a Resistance Pilot plays dead on the gravel driveway of a suburban housing estate. Supplemented by commentary from the cosplayers themselves, together with behind-the-scenes pages from Thurstan's personal diary, "Kids of Cosplay" is a celebration of fandom and allows a glimpse into the world where people are united by their celebration of an art that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
A foreword by fashion powerhouse Katie Grand, an essay by writer and performer Tom Rasmussen, who discusses the social and cultural context of cosplay, and an illuminating interview with Redding by noted fashion writer Sara McAlpine complete this compelling volume. Sometimes, all it takes is to scratch the surface of our realities to reveal the fantasy that lies beneath.
4. Thames & Hudson The English Garden at Night
5. Thames & Hudson The Book of Taylor
The Book of Taylor is a comprehensive non-fiction book that explores the life and career of Taylor Swift, one of the most influential artists in the music industry. This book offers a deep insight into Swift's personality and achievements, known not only for her musical talents but also for her unique style and connection with her fans. The pages are filled with vibrant collages that depict the various facets of her life and career. Additionally, the book includes 50 interesting facts about Taylor Swift that shed light on her fears, creative processes, and personal preferences. It is a tribute to an artist who has inspired and touched generations, inviting readers to get to know her in a new, deeper way.
6. Thames & Hudson The World of Atelier Vime
"The World of Atelier Vime" is a fascinating non-fiction book that highlights the art and craft of the French lifestyle brand Atelier Vime. This book tells the story of the revival of basket weaving, a nearly forgotten craft that has been reinterpreted through the passion of the founders of Atelier Vime. With a focus on natural materials such as willow, rattan, and rope, the book showcases how Atelier Vime has created luxurious, handcrafted decorative objects that are both classic and modern. Readers are invited to immerse themselves in the inspiring world of Atelier Vime, characterized by a unique color palette and a harmonious interplay of art, design, and craftsmanship. The impressive photographs and the careful design of the book make it a valuable companion for anyone interested in art, architecture, and design. It not only provides insights into the philosophy and creative processes of the company but also into the beauty and richness of French craftsmanship.
Non-fiction
EUR57,90
The World of Atelier Vime
English, Anthony Watson, Benoît Rauzy, Marie Godfrain, 2024
7. Thames & Hudson Mid-Century Modern Furniture
The ultimate collector's resource, including hundreds of pieces by both well- and lesser-known designers from around the world. From armchairs and chaises longues to cabinets and nightstands, the period between the late 1930s and early 1970s was one of the most productive, inventive, and exciting eras for objects and furniture in the home. Post-war optimism combined with new manufacturing methods and material techniques to create an explosion of new design and objects of desire. The appetite for mid-century modern remains as strong as ever, both for classic designs—many still in production since they were launched—and for rare, hard-to-find, or out-of-production pieces from lesser-known designers. While numerous books surveying mid-century modern style have appeared over the years, no publication has been specifically conceived for the increasing collector's market in mid-century modern design, focusing on each piece of furniture as an object of formal invention, manufacturing intelligence, and material innovation. This definitive book profiles hundreds of pieces in a substantial format perfect for reference in design libraries, studios, and the homes of private collectors—or as an object of design in its own right. Each item of furniture is presented in detail, illustrated in color, and profiled via in-depth descriptive texts by Dominic Bradbury. The book's substantial reference section includes essays on materials (e.g., plywood) and designer profiles. Work by a host of influential talents is profiled throughout, alongside lesser-known pieces by Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, Lina Bo Bardi, and Alexander Girard.
8. Thames & Hudson Grovier:A New Way of Seeing
A new way of appreciating art puts the artwork front and center, brought to us by one of the freshest and most exciting voices in cultural criticism.
What makes great art great? Why do some works pulse in the imagination, generation after generation, century after century? From Botticelli's Birth of Venus to Picasso's Guernica, some paintings and sculptures have become so famous, so much a part of who we are, that we no longer really look at them. We take their greatness for granted; our eyes have become near-obsolete. We need a new way of seeing.
Unsatisfied with traditional interpretations of masterpieces, which often focus only on learning about art and not from it, Kelly Grovier examined revered works from the Terracotta Army to Frida Kahlo's self-portraits in a quest to find the key to their lasting power to move and delight us. He discovered that every truly great work is hardwired with an underappreciated detail that ignites it from deep within.
Stepping away from biography, style, and the chronology of 'isms' that preoccupies most art history, Grovier tells a new story in which we learn from the artworks, not just about them.
9. Thames & Hudson Judith Mackrell
Commissioned in 1750, the Palazzo Venier was planned as a testament to the power and wealth of a great Venetian family, but the fortunes of the Venier family waned and the project was abandoned with only one storey complete. Yet in the early 20th century, the unfinished Palazzo's quality of fairytale abandonment and its potential for transformation attracted and inspired three fascinating women at key moments in their lives: Luisa Casati, Doris Castlerosse, and Peggy Guggenheim. Each chose the Palazzo Venier as the stage on which to build her own world of art and imagination, surrounded by an amazing supporting cast, from d'Annunzio and Nijinsky to Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton, to Yoko Ono. Mackrell tells each life story vividly in turn, weaving an intricate history of these legendary characters and the unfinished Palazzo that they all at different times called home.
10. Thames & Hudson Mary Cassatt
The definitive introduction to the artist Mary Cassatt, placing her work in the wider context of 19th-century feminism and art theory. A close ally of Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, and Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt was the only American painter at the heart of the Impressionist group in Paris. Highly respected on both sides of the Atlantic, Cassatt was a forthright advocate for women's intellectual, creative, and political emancipation. She brought her discerning gaze and compositional inventiveness across many media to the subtle social interactions of women in public and private spaces, such as at the theatre, and in moments of intimacy with children, where she was one of the most attentive and unsentimental analysts of the infant body and the child's emerging personality. Tracing key moments in Cassatt's long career, art historian Griselda Pollock highlights Cassatt's extensive artistic training across Europe, analyzing her profound study of Old Masters while revealing her intelligent understanding of both Manet and Courbet. Pollock also provides close readings of Cassatt's paintings and her singular vision of women in modernity. Now revised with a new preface, updates to the bibliography, and color illustrations throughout, this book offers a rich perspective on the core concerns of a major Impressionist artist through the frames of class, gender, space, and difference.
