A companion to My Cool Kitchen code 91936 here is another photographic showcase of beautifully designed interiors, the real homes of people with great imagination, taste and creativity. One example is an amphibious caravan which switches seamlessly between a mobile home and messing about on the water. Clean stainless steel and plastic lines, lying comfortably against nautical wooden textures and leather upholstery, a sunroof and large windows flooding the space with light. With full length glass windows on the deck looking directly at eye level onto water, the floating Passivhaus aautarkhome in Berlin uses the filtered and treated river water for all domestic purposes. The book certainly is a 'feel good' style guide to unique and inspirational houseboats. A surprising number of people are now electing to live on boats and transform them into stylish and comfortable homes, unusual workspaces or thriving businesses for modern life. 35 stylish houseboats from converted ferryboats and disused freight barges converted into family homes, the 1920s Dutch barge bookshop Word on the Water in Kings Cross London, the nostalgic elegance with a splendid wood burner of a Thames sailing barge with dark red sails, floating cinema, bar, another book barge, a steep learning curve of painting and varnishing and salting the decks after rain and airing the boat in warm weather on the Australian sailing boat, the Berlin yoga boat nicknamed the African Queen and the Copenhagen recycled boat are some of the inventive and idiosyncratic solutions to living successfully in a small space. 160 large pages, colour photos.

A style guide to unique and inspirational kitchens, colourful blocks of Mondrian colour and other big bold artworks, a cow's skull for a statement sculpture, tasteful ceramics, scrubbed wooden table, stencilled cupboards, gleaming Aga, New England pastel wood colours, a wood burner, burnt orange cupboards, distressed wood, galvanised steel, mixing woods for a spectacular effect, juxtaposing tiles, throwing in a sofa and rug, organising a kitchen cupboard for a display, Enjoy the elegance of an historic 1890s Antwerp merchant's house with high ceilings, original stonework, wrought iron, marble, grand fireplaces, cornices and woodwork and a wonderful checkerboard kitchen and the original glazed dresser-style cupboards were moved into the anteroom and old photographs, giant stacks of logs and piles of antiquarian books convey a sense of history. In today's high-spec world of gadgetry, the book is a celebration of getting back to basics and enjoying a more relaxing lifestyle with less fuss and clutter but bags of style and design. Raw lime polished walls, aged wood and reclaimed materials are combined with old limestone blocks and farming implements for a rural Italian mill house using reclaimed wood pallets as shelving. Photographed sometimes with cat or a little dog, full of natural light, colour, flowers and books even the odd chicken, who lives in a house like this? The actual interiors of people's homes across different continents and cultures from beach houses and warehouses to city apartments and cupboards, the eclectic to the eco-friendly, borrow ideas to achieve style without spending a fortune and a far cry from the boxes and units of the catalogue kitchen. The last page has a glorious colour photograph of a little doggy sat up the table, where everyone has left their debris, staring at the untouched cake! 160pp, colour.

'The Sacred Stained-Glass Windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany' is the sub-title of this magnificent Chicago exhibition catalogue complete with splendid gatefold pages of close up exquisitely coloured details of these glass masterpieces. The great American designer and visionary Louis Comfort Tiffany created ecclesiastical windows at the Tiffany firm, masterpieces that tell stories of American entrepreneurship, of places of worship as community incubators, and of America's evolving relationship to religion. The book is not only about beautiful objects exceptionally crafted, but also about the ideas and stories behind the windows - progressive technologies, designers and patrons. This aspect of the Tiffany business proved most lucrative, outlasting Tiffany's other endeavours years after his death in 1933, yet this is the first book and collection to focus on this aspect. In the early 1980s, Richard H. Driehaus started collecting Tiffany windows because of the innovative quality of the glass and their narrative content - angels with feathery wings, rippled surfaces in shimmering colours, gathering of tranquil figures enrobed in long drapery, folded and creased. A sublimely tranquil mother introduces Christ to his cousin John the Baptist; in another image a group of finely draped men exude appropriate gravitas in the presence of their master, Jesus Christ. Hemmed in by lusciously mottled shrubs, 12 figures fill a shallow stage while blue mountains and an ominous sky expand the distance. A simply robed soul is guided by an auburn-haired angel with gossamer wings. The technical magnificence of these wings combined with the long, single cuts of the garment, make this window a tour de force of design and glass-cutting wizardry. There is an extended essay on Tiffany's modern religious window and his process, and the Chicago World Fair of 1893, the windows themselves such as the early ecclesiastical triptych designed by Frederick Wilson, Tiffany's principal figural window designer is Christ and the Apostles, circa 1890 which employed multiple layers of glass for colour depth and visual interest. King Solomon in extraordinarily vivid purple robe and golden headdress, the opalescent and caramel colours and enamel for faces, hands and hair for a softer palette and iridescent mosaic tiles incorporated into the angel's wings makes a shimmering effect in the Guiding Angel on page 67. There are landscapes, lilies and palms, poppies and passionflowers for our close-up delectation. 84 pages, 22.9 x 30.5cm.
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A beautiful overview of fascinating paintings of the classical world and holy land by a beloved American artist. Frederic Church (1826-1900), was of the Hudson River School who journeyed around the globe to find fresh inspiration for his highly detailed compositions. Among his lesser known masterpieces are his paintings of the Middle East, Italy and Greece produced in the late 1860s to the late 1870s, which explore themes of human history and achievement. Taking a closer look at this geographical and thematic shift the book brings together paintings of Athens, Rome, Jerusalem and the surrounding region. The essays concentrate on a set of six major paintings of architectural and archaeological marvels, one also spotlighting Olana, Church's home in New York State, which reflects the influence of Middle Eastern design. The big swirling brush strokes in the foreground depicting the windmill and grasslands at the foot of the hilly climb to the Parthenon, the red flecks in the foreground denoting colourful flowers, a tall sweeping upright Cypress trees, the overall effect is of heat and scale. We set sail with Church on a steamship bound for Alexandria in Egypt from New York in November 1867 via Beirut. The Arch of Titus, Evening on the Sea, Ruins of St, George Church Lydda, Parade Entering the City of Jaffa, A Distant View of Damascus in Syria, Mount Lebanon (in brush and oil on cardboard), olive trees in Athens, rooftops at sunset from the Pincio in Rome, there are also depictions of his landscapes of American creeks and mother and child from The Deluge, and astonishing waterfalls. But it is the pictures of the Holy Land which could rival those of David Roberts which are new to our eyes here on the editorial team at Bibliophile. We pass with him through Bethlehem, Hebron, the great Petra, Beersheba and Gaza before reaching Jaffa. The landscapes are extraordinary whether depicted in charcoal, pencil, oil or graphite. The depictions of the Bedouin people in their colourful dress are particularly arresting. The oil on canvas of The Parthenon catalogue reference 47 and page 141 is almost photographic in its detail and quality. Colour illustrations throughout, a Yale University Press publication, 28 x 26.6cm, softback.
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A photography book with a difference, there is a motion picture on the front cover reproduced of a horse and rider on the front with legs actually moving as you turn the book side to side just as Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1900) demonstrated in his series of 'Locomotion' photographs. Famous for his invention of very fast photography and his discovery of how animals and people run, Muybridge's photographs showed horses, cats and people moving in their natural and instinctive ways. He invented techniques that showed the specific elements of our motion so that they could be studied and understood. This special big picture book uses a unique combination of words, printed reproductions of his classic photos, and 'lenticular' pictures which seem to move, magically on the page. A man doffs his hat, a cat bursts into a sprint, boxers take punches at each other. The book tells the true story of an enigmatic genius who opened the door to the modern movie. A short introduction, 32 very large pages, illus. Designed for ages 9-18 years but will be loved by curious adults.

The three most popular of Britain's finest stately homes on three quality colour DVDs, boxed, running time 138 minutes. Burghley House in Lincolnshire is a fabulous house built by William Cecil, Lord High Treasurer to Elizabeth I. Started in 1555 it took 32 years to build. Over 450 years later, its state rooms are filled with treasures including one of the finest collections of 17th century Italian masterpieces, an exceptional display of Oriental and European ceramics and fine furniture. And it still remains a family home. Colour TV programme on DVD. Chatsworth House was built by the remarkable Bess of Hardwick and altered by the First Duke. It is one of the nation's greatest private homes open to the public, its first floor taken up with richly decorated, state apartments built for a visit by King William III, but the King never came. 46 minute colour film of both the interior and exterior, and an opportunity to explore the home of the Duke of Devonshire. Blenheim Palace is the third and last in the series. In this programme, the Duke of Marlborough talks to Selina Scott about Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, paid for by an Act of Parliament in 1705 as a grateful nation thanked its greatest warrior, John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough. Treasures include the tapestry which recalls the Battle of Blenheim in which Marlborough defeated the Franco-Bavarian forces in the War of Spanish Succession. Winston Spencer Churchill, who was born at Blenheim in 1874, is buried in the park at the tiny church of Bladon. Explore inside and outside of this fine stately home from the comfort of your armchairs. 46 minute colour programme. Set of three.

This impressive 55 minute colour DVD takes us through every important aspect of the rooms and gardens of this gracious home.Fronted by the River Derwent and backed by a tree-covered hillside, once the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, Chatsworth House is one of Britain's best loved historic houses. Set in the magnificent la Pride and Prejudice. It offers something for everyone to enjoy from famous works of art, exquisite décor and furnishings and the spectacular fountains in the garden, to the finest shopping and many miles of walks. This impressive grand home has a long tradition of welcoming local people and holidaymakers from around the world, and is especially twinkly and beautiful at Christmastime.

Contents of this marvellous 2020 Pen & Sword publication include the Systeme Arnodin, Building the Widnes-Runcorn Bridge, Bridging the Usk at Newport, Crossing the Tees, Crosfield's Warrington Bridges and Rebuilding Arnodin's Rochefort Bridge. The world's first transporter bridge dominates the town of Portugalete in northern Spain and operates around the clock. It was designed by Palacio and a French engineer and the project began in 1887. The carriage from which the gondola is suspended has been changed and improved on numerous occasions since, the most recent using an articulated carriage with built-in electric motors driving its wheels. The covers over the cable anchors were to stop condensation rolling down the cables and dripping into the passenger cabin. Here are the original 1892 drawings for the 'hanging bridge' and the 1887 patent design combining vertical suspension cables with angled cable-stays. A sequence of highly detailed photographs explain everything from construction, demolition towards the end of the Spanish Civil War due to damage, the clamps on the main cables and the walkway. With the huge increase in road transport, it is surprising that little more than 21 transporter bridges were ever completed across the world, five of which were in Britain and just nine still standing in their original form. Only five are still in current use - one each in Spain and Germany, two in the UK and one in Argentina, unused since the 1960s and only recently returned to service in 2018 after restoration. The last surviving 'pont transbordeur' in France returned to service in 2019 after major works and the second of Germany's surviving transporters is currently awaiting repair after a ship collided with it. But is the transporter bridge about to undergo a surprising renaissance? Proposals exist for three new bridges in France at Nantes, Marseilles and Brest. With fact sheets, the author's own modern images, many historic photographs and postcards chronicling the construction and operation of these unusual structures. 269 very large pages, colour.

The award winning travel writer Sue Dobson is never happier than when out exploring "must-see" churches and cathedrals. St Paul's, St Stephen's in Vienna, Washington National Cathedral, Church of Christ Canterbury, Lincoln and Durham Cathedrals, York Minster, Ely, Peterborough, King's College Chapel Cambridge are some of the dozen British entries. In Europe we visit Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, St Vitus Catheral Prague, and go to Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, the Pantheon Rome, the Cathedral of Mon Reale in Sicily and two Basilicas in Italy, to Malta, Norway, Romania, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Australia, Africa and North and South America to see the masterpieces that crown their cities' skylines. For each there is a three or four page summary with history, paintings, and frescos, architecture and icons, and a good quality black and white photo. 248pp plus eight pages of lined notepaper for your own jottings. Paperback.

The experimental poet E. E. Cummings grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a family dominated by an overbearing father, "the Reverend", a man in whom social liberalism fought unsuccessfully with repressive authoritarianism. The domestic situation was not much lightened by Cummings's mother, who strongly believed in cold baths, though this may have stood her son in good stead when, as a volunteer ambulance driver in the Great War, he was incarcerated in a French prison in 1917. The young Cummings was sensitive and a good artist, attending nearby Harvard university, where his dyslexia may have contributed to the development of an experimental poetic style. Through the undergraduate literary magazine Monthly he met the novelist Dos Passos who became a lifelong friend. An exhibition of paintings by avant-garde artists such as Gauguin, Kandinsky, Rousseau, Picabia and Munch introduced Cummings to Modernism, and in 1913 he was transfixed by Duchamps's "Nude Descending a Staircase", a pioneering Cubist work. After an unhappy relationship with his girlfriend Doris Bryan, Cummings fell under the spell of his friend Scofield Thayer's wife Elaine. Cummings wrote a poem for their marriage, and years later he was to have an affair with Elaine, eventually marrying her himself. In 1917 he sailed for France to volunteer for the ambulance service and soon became part of the Paris bohemian scene, attending the premiere of Satie's iconic ballet Parade, designed by Cocteau, costumed by Picasso, and performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Cummings now fell in love with the prostitute Marie Louise, and although he was reluctant to have sex with her, his drawings of Marie Louise show an uninhibited fascination with her way of life. Finally he left for the Front, where his unexplained though short-lived prison sentence might possibly have been a stitch-up by censors tampering with letters home. 335pp.