In 2019 a group of book-lovers began to turn from their usual diet of contemporary novels to read classics of the ‘English eerie’ like Arthur Machen’s 'The Great God Pan'. The documents recovered, (edited by Phil Smith of 'Mythogeography'), and published here as 'Living In The Magical Mode', describe the subsequently inspired attempts of these readers – in a time of virus and social and climate catastrophe –– to live anew, with ‘magic-as-ordinary’, to do magic as if it were the washing up. At first, the readers fall on new ways of remaking their everyday lives in the magical mode, but the mode soon find ways to remake the readers. Challenging assumptions, magic turns lives upside down and shakes out mysteries. The documents of 'Living In The Magical Mode' describe a pulling back of veils, until all veils but one are exhausted; then the book-lovers put their hands upon the veil inside themselves.... 'Living In The Magical World' crosses dream wastelands, racecourses, motorway cafes, edgeland quarries and suburban valleys, in an adventure of encounters with ‘others’. It brings its readers to an occulted realm of unbounded desires that once unfolded refuses to recede. The surviving documents of the book club, reprinted here, describe the final frantic efforts of what remains of its members to understand a collision of many worlds and make novel webs of reconciliation.

Zadok Ben-David is an award-winning artist who lives and works in London and is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks. He explores themes linked to human nature and evolution. His work is often referred to as poetic and magical, always oscillating between delicate miniature-work and monumental installations. Metalworking has become Ben-David's preferred language in contrast to the subtle optical illusions that he creates, thanks to a sometimes-rough medium. The book celebrates the work of Ben-David, and features the moody floor installation Blackfield, containing over 17,000 miniatures of flowers, duplicated and hand painted from 900 different species. The book also includes new works inspired by botanical drawings in Kew's archives from the 15th - 18th century.

Frédéric Zaavy's brilliant career as a master jeweller shone like a meteor but flamed out far too soon. Zaavy considered himself heir to the legacy of Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, gem dealer to Louis XIV, and was chosen as the exclusive jeweller for the 21st century revival of Fabergé. Zaavy's artistic genius lay in painting with precious stones and in engineering remarkable settings to hold those stones almost invisibly. His works achieved a preëminence in the thousand-year evolution of French jewellery. The influences on his life and work were myriad. Nature, quantum physics, art, music, spirituality, poetry, literature, and even science fiction all shaped his extraordinary world view and taste. He was a philosopher jeweller. Stardust encapsulates the last year of his life, from the moment he learned he would soon die, right through to the end, with his life still at full throttle. With a text by acclaimed French philosophical writer Gilles Hertzog and a stunning visual narrative by celebrated photographers John Bigelow Taylor and Dianne Dubler, Zaavy's work and life are presented in a portrait of what was and of what might have been. Text in English and Simplified Chinese.

In 1428, a devastating fire destroyed a schoolhouse in the northern Italian city of Forli, leaving only a woodcut of the Madonna and Child that had been tacked to the classroom wall. The people of Forli carried that print - now known as the Madonna of the Fire - into their cathedral, where two centuries later a new chapel was built to enshrine it. In this book, Lisa Pon considers a cascade of moments in the Madonna of the Fire's cultural biography: when ink was impressed onto paper at a now-unknown date; when that sheet was recognized by Forli's people as miraculous; when it was enshrined in various tabernacles and chapels in the cathedral; when it or one of its copies was - and still is - carried in procession. In doing so, Pon offers an experiment in art historical inquiry that spans more than three centuries of making, remaking, and renewal.

This volume follows the development of Greek gem engraving from Alexander to Augustus. Hellenistic gems are studied in their archaeological context with an assessment of the evidence of their use, significance, and value. The book focuses on subject-matter, technique, and style, as well as problems of chronology and distribution.

The groundbreaking sculptor's most comprehensive monograph to date

Jean-Michel Othoniel is an artist who creates sculptures that explore themes of fragility, transformation, and ephemerality. Using the repetition of such modular elements as bricks or beads, his work deploys various strategies that hint at loss and despair – cracks in his objects' perfect surfaces, negative spaces and, early in his career, transient materials such as sulfur. The most authoritative study of the artist's work to date, it includes intimate gallery pieces as well as monumental public commissions around the world.

This catalogue of the Wyvern sculpture collection, which is not open to the public, comprises outstanding European sculptures of the medieval period, as well as some Late Antique and Byzantine pieces and related works of the post-medieval era. Objects are made from wood, stone (including alabaster and marble) and terracotta. Also included are medieval works of art in metal, mostly consisting of crucifix figures (corpora), and other functional metalware such as aquamanilia (water vessels for the washing of hands) and candlesticks. This sumptuous publication will interest all those concerned with the material culture of the Middle Ages.

This volume investigates the artistic development during the Qing Dynasty, the last of imperial Chinese dynasties, and shows the importance of opera and playwriting during this time period. Further analysis is dedicated to the development of scroll painting and the revival of calligraphy and seal carving. A General History of Chinese Art comprises six volumes with a total of nine parts spanning from the Prehistoric Era until the 3rd year of Xuantong during the Qing Dynasty (1911). The work provides a comprehensive compilation of in-depth studies of the development of art throughout the subsequent reign of Chinese dynasties and explores the emergence of a wide range of artistic categories such as but not limited to music, dance, acrobatics, singing, story telling, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, architecture, and crafts. Unlike previous reference books, A General History of Chinese Art offers a broader overview of the notion of Chinese art by asserting a more diverse and less material understanding of arts, as has often been the case in Western scholarship.

Johann Gottfried Schadow's Princess group has gone down in the annals of art history. As the first statue of two female historical personalities it testifies to the innovation, enormous artistry and productivity of sculpture workshops in the 19th century - a symbol of the important sculpture of German Classicism. In around 1800 Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850) was the most famous artist in Prussia. More than most others he knew how to combine the outstanding position as court sculptor with entrepreneurial success and a steady bourgeois existence, and thereby to cultivate an international network. The artist himself modelled, drew, wrote art-theoretical treatises and was the head of the Berlin Academy, one of the most important art schools of the time. The monograph opens new perspectives onto the brilliant creativity of the great sculptor and his workshop.

The celebrated Spanish sculptor Juan Munoz (1953-2001) died at the height of his powers, when he was considered "one of the most complex and individual artists working today" (Guardian). His challenging, enigmatic works almost inexorably draw in viewers. "The spectator," Munoz said about his installations, "becomes very much like the object to be looked at, and perhaps the viewer has become the one who is on view." This handsome book, distinguished by more than 30 stunning photographs, documents a group of Munoz installations at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Representing the full range of Munoz's sculptures-from First Banister (1987), which reflects the artist's early use of architectural language, to Conversation Piece (2001), a work that shows his later interest in the human figure-the book demonstrates how Munoz invented a mode of storytelling through objects that spoke to space, memory, and displacement. David Breslin contributes a reflection on notions of interiority and exteriority, and of perception and absorption, as expressed in Munoz's work. Distributed for the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute

Quick Whittles offers 16 portable projects you can carve in one sitting or even on-the-go. Featuring detailed guidance that breaks down complex techniques into simple and achievable steps, every easy wood carving project includes step-by-step instructions, coordinating photography, painting and finishing tips, and full-size patterns. From an-inspired whimsy and a folk art Santa ornament to a friendly narwhal, cute caterpillar, turtle wheelie toy, and even a face inside of a golf ball, each project conveys a charming emotion and personality that's sure to delight and offer satisfied smiles upon their completion. Also included is an insightful opening section with overviews on carving basics, such how to hold the knife, make basic cuts, work with the grain, safely sharpen your knife, and how to paint your finished project.

Public Sculpture of Lancashire and Cumbria is a fascinating book that provides much needed attention to the best public sculpture and monuments in these north-west counties. With an invaluable introduction and notes, the author highlights in particular works of art that are in need of restoration or protection by local authorities and other owners.The art works included are mostly in urban areas however some are tucked away on moors and hilltops, and can be reached by a modest walk, and are thus less familiar. Many entries are accompanied by original photographs, often showing details of the craftsmanship. This book highlights the brilliant work of local sculptors, including several women, who have been neglected over the years and were suppressed by the usual dominance of craftsmen from London and the south east. Their biographies appear at the end of the book.Locations of the public sculpture are given and each dedicated entry provides a description and the measurements of the sculpture; records its inscriptions and its condition; the reason for its commemoration; the chief advocate and process of the commission; its sources of funding and cost; the choice of artist and source of the materials; the relationship between the artist and the architect; the name of the bronze founder or builder; the historical and political context; and the date and details of the unveiling ceremony.

Issue 9 of of Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari's accessible image-based artists' magazine that challenges the limits of the contemporary art economy Toilet Paper is an artists' magazine created and produced by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, born out of a passion or obsession they both cultivate: images. The magazine contains no text; each picture springs from an idea, often simple, and through a complex orchestration of people it becomes the materialization of the artists' mental outbursts. Since the first issue, in June 2010, Toilet Paper has created a world that displays ambiguous narratives and a troubling imagination. It combines the vernacular of commercial photography with twisted narrative tableaux and surrealistic imagery. The result is a publication that is itself a work of art which, through its accessible form as a magazine, and through its wide distribution, challenges the limits of the contemporary art economy.

Create beautiful, natural soaps without leaving home

Ever wonder what's really in your store-bought soap? Once you start making your own soap, you'll never have to wonder again "The Everything Soapmaking Book, 3rd Edition" is a comprehensive guide to making all kinds of soap, whether you want to decorate your home or pamper your or your family's skin. Homemade soap is not only an easy project for any level craft lover, but it's beautiful, too

Completely revised and updated with information on natural and organic ingredients, this easy-to-use guide shows you how to:

• Choose the right soapmaking equipment
• Blend colors and aromatic scents
• Create all kinds of soap, from bath soap to facial cleanser
• Make soaps for holidays and special occasions

No Victorian parlor was complete without a Staffordshire Spaniel on the mantel. This fascinating text focuses exclusively on these popular Victorian era antiques produced in Staffordshire, England from circa 1840 through the turn of the century. A detailed look at all of the Spaniel variations, along with the history of this "breed" of Staffordshire figure, and the more recent reproductions is provided and beautifully illustrated with over 285 color photographs and illustrations. Also included are the historical context into which these Spaniels fit, background on the Staffordshire potteries and canine statuary, molding processes, decorating techniques, Spaniel types and sizes, tips for collectors, and a helpful glossary. Informative captions offer descriptions, sizes, dates of manufacture, and current market values.

When European explorers began their initial forays into southeastern North America in the 16th and 17th centuries they encountered what they called temples and shrines of native peoples, often decorated with idols in human form made of wood, pottery, or stone. The idols were fascinating to write about, but having no value to explorers searching for gold or land, there are no records of these idols being transported to the Old World, and mention of them seems to cease about the 1700s. However, with the settling of the fledgling United States in the 1800s, farming colonists began to unearth stone images in human form from land formerly inhabited by the native peoples. With little access to the records of the 16th and 17th centuries, debate and speculation abounded by the public and scholars alike concerning their origin and meaning.During the last twenty years the authors have researched over 88 possible examples of southeastern Mississippian stone statuary, dating as far back as 1,000 years ago, and discovered along the river valleys of the interior Southeast. Independently and in conjunction, they have measured, analyzed, photographed, and traced the known history of the 42 that appear in this volume. Compiling the data from both early documents and public and private collections, the authors remind us that the statuary should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as regional expressions of a much broader body of art, ritual, and belief.

The texture of memory and the ability of art and film to bear witness to traumatic events are delicately approached in this book-length essay by a Mekas cinephile.  For years, filmmaker Peter Delpeut has had Jonas Mekas's Movie Journal within easy reach of his desk. Since his student days, he has been a great admirer of the Lithuanian-American ‘Godfather of avant-garde cinema’. Until he was startled in June 2018 by an article in The New York Review of Books. Historian Michael Casper claimed that Mekas had deliberately forgotten or misrepresented certain events during World War II. Seeded by this controversy over Mekas’s memories of his Lithuanian youth and Mekas’s pain over his subsequent exile, Delpeut’s essayistic and self-reflective book flowers into an inquiry about memory and forgetting; the moral compass of the future that cannot find its bearing in the past; the abilities of art to witness; and the roles we all must play in writing the adequate history of events too traumatic for a just accounting.  Although there is little doubt that Mekas himself never participated in the horrors of the Holocaust in Lithuania, his silence about the fate of his Jewish countrymen and neighbors could be said to enable a rewriting of history, at the sacrifice of witness testimonies. As Delpeut follows Mekas through films, diaries, his public performances, his speeches, and finally his testimony given to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), he encounters an impasse for which he was not prepared.

Scrap Wood Whittling is a must-have guide for any woodcarver looking to achieve something small, charming, and easy! Small wood carvings tend to intimidate, but author and master carver Steve Tomashek makes it approachable for anyone, even beginners. Opening with helpful insight on materials, tools, cuts, and safety, you'll then go on to complete your tiny animal carvings that slowly progress in difficulty. From a leaping pig and a standing sheep to an aquarium and cat diorama, each project contains clear, step-by-step instructions, coordinating photography, full-size patterns, tips on technique, painting, display ideas, and more!