Everyone strives for happiness - Aristotle already knew that. But what exactly is happiness? And can you measure it? A journey to the 30 happiest countries in the world brings this abstract topic closer to the reader. We look at happiness from three different perspectives. Based on the World Happiness Report, a scientific report commissioned by the WHO which ranks countries according to people's life satisfaction, the book presents the 30 happiest countries. Authors and local heroes tell us how they experience their own happiness in each respective country.

This collection of 200+ portraits of pierced, tattooed, and heavily body-modified people is a celebration by photographer Efrain John Gonzalez. In this colorful volume Gonzalez, as an artist, captures both the spirit of the many individuals and the rich uniqueness of their fantastic tattoos, piercings, brandings, cuttings, subdermal implants, and radical transformations. Many of the images of this great tattoo art and extreme individuals were photographed during the past decade during the New York City Tattoo Convention at the Roseland Ballroom. Gonzalez has a reputation as one of America's most prolific fetish documentarians, and he has traveled America to make images of people stretching their limits... and their skin. Much of his work was taken live at the moment it happened, and in places that aren't accessible for most people. Gonzalez seeks out truth in people and in this volume he shares it with the reader in a collection quite unlike anything else.

Illustrated with 200 outstanding photographs, Dangerous Animals presents an in-depth look at the natural world's most deadly creatures, from poisonous spiders and sea snakes to aggressive lions and man-eating sharks. The selection spans a broad spectrum of wildlife, from large carnivores such as the grizzly bear and great white shark to smaller but equally deadly predators such as the black widow spider and puff adder. Each world habitat is covered, with examples carefully drawn from every region of the planet - from the majestic lion of the African plains and the polar bear of the arctic wastes, to the Komodo dragon of South-east Asia, whose saliva carries poisonous bacteria that can kill a person in hours. Featuring around 100 species, each photographic entry is supported with a fascinating caption, explaining how the animal manages to be so deadly. Beautifully presented, this accessible book is a wonderful introduction to some of the planet's fiercest - or just most poisonous - creatures.

Photographs of some of the most iconic actors, artists, fashion designers, and performers, from the late 1960s and early 1970s, including Jack Nicholson, Michael Caine, Joni Mitchell, Ralph Lauren, and Andy Warhol A unique photo portfolio of celebrated icons containing many images now published for the first time, this stunningly produced book showcases 150 unforgettable photographs selected from the vast archive of 150,000 that make up an extraordinary body of work. The roll-call of subjects Robinson photographed in his career reads like a definitive who's who of the period. Robinson photographed not only actors and entertainers but the writers, artists, fashion designers and politicians who shaped the cultural landscape of the sixties and early seventies. His compelling portraits show a remarkable rapport: rarely have his subjects--some of the most photographed individuals in the world--appeared so unguarded and at ease in front of the lens. A favorite of legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, Robinson's photographs appeared over 500 times in the magazine.This unique showcase of images returns Jack Robinson to his rightful place as a master photographer of one of the twentieth-century's defining periods.

Focusing on the use of text in relation to a specific category of image - the photographic image - this book argues for a new appreciation of the relationship between texts and photographs in an age that seems to be dominated by visual images. With reference to a range of traditional and new media forms, and addressing such issues as gender, ethnicity, class, identity politics and biography, the author introduces a new perspective for the use and understanding of the symbiotic relationships that can exist between photographs and texts in the production of sociological, cultural and historical narratives: lamination. Drawing on the work of Barthes and Benjamin, the book explores the material forms of publications that involve the combination of photographs and texts, such as newspapers and journalism, documentary archives, visual ethnographies and on-line social networks, showing how text and image are contexts for one another and so negotiate meaning between themselves. A challenge to the recent 'visual turn' in sociology and cultural studies, which argues - without privileging text or image - for the significance of text in relation to visual images and the production of combined meanings, Interpreting Visual Ethnography will appeal to scholars of sociology, anthropology and media studies with interests in theory, visual methods and text and meaning.

Marzena Pogorzaly made two trips to Havana. There, she walked the streets of Havana Vieja and El Centro, the old districts, trying to capture the melancholy beauty and decay of the city, and its inhabitants. Pogorzaly's calmly gorgeous images are not directly concerned with politics, but as someone who grew up in pre-Solidarity Poland, she combines mature scepticism about communist regimes with due respect for some of its achievements. As she explains in her introduction: "Some of it was familiar. I was born, and grew up, behind the Iron Curtain. I immediately felt at home with the way The System worked, or rather the way it did not. But where the palette of my homeland was dull, drab and irredeemably monochrome, here I found a vivid treasure chest of visual epiphanies." Her chief care is for people, either viewed directly or by means of the traces they leave: posters of Che Guevara, neglected chairs, rickety old American cars. Her photographs are entirely without sentimentality but rich in that tradition of humanism which sees the deeper qualities that unite us with strangers, as well as the surface differences that divide us. Her Cubans are not pathetic victims of a dictatorship but a handsome, vital, proud and resourceful people.

Ireland holds a special place in people's hearts - even for many who haven't been there. To some the appeal is its natural beauty, to others it's the history; to some it's the country's strong folk tradition, to others it even seems to be a mystical place. Ireland presents more than 200 outstanding photographs celebrating the island's most evocative and beautiful places, whether in nature or man-made, from the miles of near empty beaches to the Mourne Mountains in County Down, from the pretty fishing towns of County Cork to Dublin's elegant Georgian streets. Featuring images from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the book ranges widely across landscapes and history, from rugged cliffs and rolling hills to mysterious stone circles, magnificent cathedrals and ruined abbeys; and from medieval forts and castles to grand Victorian follies and villages abandoned during the Potato Famine. While some images such as the striking basalt columns of the Giant's Causeway may be familiar, others you may know only from Game of Thrones and the Star Wars films but never realized that they, too, are in Ireland. Presented in a handy pocket-sized landscape format and with captions explaining the story behind each entry, Ireland is a stunning collection of images celebrating the island's natural beauty, culture and history.

Like its predecessors, "Once Upon a Time" and "A Place in the Sun", "Poolside with Slim Aarons" offers images of jet-setters and the wealthy, of beautiful, glittering people living the glamorous life. Yet this new collection of stunning photographs of the rich and well-connected 'doing attractive things' in their favourite playgrounds has a new twist. The main character is pools and everything that goes with them - magnificent, suntanned bodies, well-oiled skin, bikini-clad women, yachts, summer cocktails, sumptuous buffets, spectacular locations and most of all fun. "Poolside with Slim Aarons" is not so much a Who's Who of society, aristocracy and celebrity - although C. Z. Guest, Lily Pulitzer, Cheryl Tiegs, Peter Beard and many who have appeared in the previous books are here - as it is about leisure time and how the rich make use of it. This is a more intimate peek into very private lives, to which Slim Aarons was given unprecedented access in the fifties, sixties, seventies and eighties. From the Caribbean to Italy and Mexico to Monaco, "Poolside with Slim Aarons" whisks the reader away to an exclusive club where taste, style, luxury and grandeur prevail.

The first book by one of the most in-demand photographers of our time, Holding Space shares one hundred stunning photographs of queer, inter-racial couples, with first-person text about their relationships in this current time period. After the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, and during the Covid pandemic, photographer Ryan Pfluger set out to capture queer, inter-racial couples across the US. It was (and is) a time of intense upheaval and reckoning and Ryan wanted to capture that in the lives and on the bodies of these friends and strangers. The photographs, and the people in them, can be startling in their vulnerability, playful in their poses, and tender to the core. The interviews produce a range of short, revealing stories about the couples.

In 2011, adhering to his mentor Henri Cartier-Bresson's mantra to 'photograph the truth', animation filmmaker Ishu Patel embarks on a photographic journey in southeast Asia. Abandoning moving images to secure a series of still images that capture a uniquely human gesture or powerful thought-provoking story, he prowls both urban and rural areas armed only with a Leica M9 with 35 and 50mm fast lenses. The result is a collection of elusive still images - photographs, mainly in black and white, that tell a story, seize a moment in life or are a witness to joy, struggle or human dignity. Never political or judgmental, the collection comprises Patel's homage to the unsung lives of ordinary Asians, many of whom are increasingly overlooked in today's fast- changing world. Patel also contributes thoughtful essays on the various countries and peoples he has so powerfully photographed.

Lansing was settled in the 1840s by German and Dutch immigrants. Farming, then the railroad, played major roles in the growth of the village. The brickyards left a lasting impact on the community, as did Henry Ford's airport hangar, which still stands today. The schools produced figures who have become well known outside Lansing, such as Major League Baseball outfielder Curtis Granderson, who has won a Silver Slugger award and joined baseball's elite 20-20-20-20 club. The community has been blessed with caring and dedicated educators like Hal Gronewald and Durward Shuetz, whose reach extended beyond the classroom. Lansing has also raised war heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country--men like August Olsen and Philip Martini. Many other heroes have served and protected at home, including Kenneth Novak Jr., Lansing's only police officer to die in the line of duty.

Ultimate Toys for Men New Edition is the definitive catalogue for any discerning gentleman. Richly illustrated and meticulously curated, it gathers the best bespoke and luxury products and premium experiences around the globe, anchored in the belief that only top quality is true value for money. Whether a sports car or mega yacht, a weekender bag or a boutique hotel, editor Michael Goermann selects the best the world can offer the modern cosmopolitan man. Age is irrelevant; the boys' toys just get bigger, or more exclusive. The much-anticipated sequel to Ultimate Toys for Men, this updated edition includes a dazzling array of slick new gadgets for guys, handmade beauties, customizable accessories, and all manner of luxuries to rent, buy, and experience. Special features cover the "Best of Mallorca," "Best of London," and the finest collector's items. Text in English and German.

As soon as Bill Wyman was given a camera as a young boy, he quickly developed a passion for photography. After joining what would become the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band, Wyman continued his hobby. When he didn't have his bass, he had his camera. The result is an arresting, insightful and often poignant collection of photographs, showing his exclusive inside view of the band. From travelling to relaxing, backstage and on, Stones From the Inside is a unique view captured by a man who was there, every step of the way. Along with the images of the band at work and play, Wyman includes remarkable images of those along for the ride, from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, David Bowie and Iggy Pop to John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. To accompany his photographs, Wyman offers up wonderful insights, anecdotes and behind-the-photo stories, giving all us a front-row seat and backstage pass to what it was like to be there, as music history was made as a member of The Rolling Stones. Limited to just 300 copies, this slipcased edition is accompanied by a print.

"If you're into space exploration, this stunning book is pretty much a must-have. It contains pretty much every legacy Apollo snap in one go, alongside some lesser-known pics that are just as spellbinding." - Amy Glover, BuzzFeed July 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing - a milestone in the history of humankind. Today, the adventure, courage, and ground-breaking accomplishment behind the NASA Apollo missions remains as compelling as ever. This thrilling photo book features previously-unpublished photographs from the NASA archives, now meticulously digitised, captured by the Apollo astronauts during their missions. From some 27,000 NASA images, the book's authors have curated 225 of the most remarkable Apollo mission pictures, creating a uniquely vivid document of one of the most seminal events of the 20th century. Accompanying these extraordinary Apollo photographs are little-known insider facts and fascinating insights into the Apollo missions, including a detailed Foreword from NASA astronaut, Walter Cunningham. Not only a must-have book for fans of air and space travel, Apollo VII - XVII is a hit for anyone interested in photography, pop culture, and modern history.

Vivienne Maricevic's desire to reveal, challenge, and transform the imbalance between the frequent representation of the naked female form and the rarity of male nudity is led to more than three decades spent devoted to the unadorned male form. While capturing scores of male subjects, she discovered that the majority had never been photographed by a female; the men all welcomed the role-reversal and the opportunity to confront the disparity it suggested. Included in this compendium are more than 150 images from three of Maricevic's most distinct periods: 1975-2005's "Naked Men," all taken in the subjects' homes; 1994-2002's "Me & Men," with Maricevic cleverly engaging her subjects by inserting a piece of herself into the frame; and 2001-2005's "Strip-to-Strip," an homage to Eadweard Muybridge's iconic "Horse in Motion." Her bold, creative synergy solidified a career built on intimate photographs of men au naturel. They are, at times, playful, erotic, or controversial - but always beautiful.

Once the hunting reserve of kings and princes, today the Forest of Bowland is both a recreational haven for the public and a biodiverse region of international importance. This lavishly illustrated book focuses on the sweeping fells which form the very heart of a 312 square mile Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This celebration of nature, landscape and recreation would be incomplete without some exploration of the area's two most popular activities: walking and bird watching. The author tackles both in entertaining essays on the freedom to roam, for families as well as serious fell-walkers, and on an intriguing tale of dark deeds among feathered friends and foes. In this stunning book, Andy Stansfield fills the pages with evocative images which capture the changes in colour and character throughout the seasons, picking out telling details as well as magnificent panoramas.

Overgrown industrial complexes, disused asylums, abandoned palaces and monasteries feature in this latest incendiary book from Carpet Bombing Culture. Beauty in Decay - The Art of Urban Exploration broke new ground in depicting the global phenomenon of Urban Exploration (Urbex) when it published in 2010. Author RomanyWG has again tirelessly tracked down dozens of new locations to amaze viewers of Beauty in Decay II, a further peek behind the Urbex curtain. Urban explorers find the beauty layers of history, multi-hued peeling paint, antique objects, ancient initials in the dust and the other physical manifestations of memory that abandoned, impermanent urban spaces manifest. For Beauty in Decay RomanyWG has gone behind the lens to give us a further peak behind the Urbex curtain. This time the HDR is paired down and the spectacle ramped up.

How has the seaside been photographed? From the roaring waves of the nineteenth century through the reportage of the 1960s and the critical documentary of the 80s and 90s, to what is perhaps the more intimate work of the last ten years. No-one can tell it exactly the way it is. We all have a vision of the seaside which is uniquely our own. Memories, false and real, are aided and abetted by photography, a unique, fascinating, but in the end unreliable source of evidence. And time changes everything. What remains are a set of substantial fragments, thoughts along the way, obsessions, records, constructions, journeys. Ours for the taking

This is a directory of plants whose greatest attributes in the garden lie in their form and foliage, not merely in their flowers. Ornamental foliage plants for your garden features over 2000 plants from all over the world, many of which are useful cultivars, varieties or forms. They have been selected for their value in the landscaping of gardens, be they big or small. Their claims to fame may be their architectural form, their intriguing texture, their unusual habit, their miniature or immense size, or their suitability for a particular situation, such as for topiary, a conservatory or to provide winter colour. Many plants have been chosen for their striking leaves, which may be patterned, enormous, dissected or magnificently coloured. Every entry has notes on cultivation and use, and is coded to correspond with the climatic zones of the world map at the front of the title. There are at least 1000 colour photographs and 600 line drawings. Gardeners and landscapers have become increasingly aware of how easy foliage plants are to care for and what a magnificent palette they provide for simple, clean garden design. Many lend themselves to small formal gardens for urban spaces, while trees and mass plantings can give perspective and interesting effects in larger gardens. Style is often a matter of restraint and the judicious use of foliage plants sometimes brings to a garden a greater sense of peace and relaxation than one cluttered with colourful flowers.

FEATURED IN THE NEW YORKER: The Faces of Americans Living in Debt Finalist for the Dorothea Lange/Paul Taylor Prize in Documentary. Featured on Politico, in the Washington Post, the Daily Mail, and the Huffington Post, USA Today, Business Insider, Refinery29, and Fast Company. Based on the popular online photo series and now published in print for the first time, The Debt Project collects 99 portraits of debt across the United States, featuring people of all different backgrounds and stories, to recontextualize an often stigmatized experience. In 2013, Brittany Powell made the difficult decision to file for bankruptcy for her photography business. In the years following the 2008 economic collapse, she found herself in a significant amount of debt, a position many Americans across the country still share, a common yet isolating and private experience often steeped in shame. Her personal experience, bolstered by the We Are the 99% slogan that came out of the Occupy movement, brought her to start The Debt Project, an exploration of the role debt and finance plays in our personal identity and social structure. This book presents an intimate look into 99 different lives: each shares an arrestingly honest portrait in the person’s home, surrounded by all their belongings, accompanied by a handwritten note of the amount of debt that person is in and the story behind the numbers. The Debt Project, with a foreword by writer and filmmaker Astra Taylor plus resources at the back of the book to support people in debt, examines the social and personal hold financial debt has on us and invites others into a private world, while at the same empowering people to share their stories and overcome the shame they may feel.