The art of ancient Egypt that has been handed down to us bears no names of its creators. This book introduces some of the most important masterpieces, ranging from the Old Kingdom during the Third millennium BC to the Roman Period. The works encompass sculptures, reliefs, sarcophagi, murals, masks, and decorative items, most of them now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but some occupying places of honour as part of the World Cultural Heritage in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Featured works include: Seated statue of King Djoser, Wood relief of Hesire on a dining table, Statue of a scribe made of various materials, Funerary relief of Aschait, Sphinx of Sesostris III, Robed statue of Cherihotep, Reliefs from the Temple at Carnac, Sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut, Murals from Thebes, Seated figure of the goddess Sachmet, Statue of Queen Teje, Head of Akhenaten (Amenophis IV), Queen Nefertiti, Golden mask of Tutankhamun, Ramses II from Abu Simbel, Horus falcon made of granite, Stone relief from the temple ambulatory at Edfu. Glamorous colour illus. 21 x 26cm, new from Taschen, 96 pages.

One of the key figures in the New York art world of the 1980s, Keith Haring (1958-1990) created a signature style that blended street art, graffiti, a Pop sensibility and cartoon elements to unique, memorable effect. With thick black outlines, bright colours, and kinetic figures, his public (and occasionally illegal) interventions, sculptures, and works on canvas and paper have become instantly recognizable icons of 20th century visual culture. From his first chalk drawings in the New York City subway stations, to his renowned "Radiant Baby" symbol, and his commissions for Swatch Watch and Absolut Vodka, Haring's work was both emblematic of the manic work ethic of 1980s New York, yet distinctive for its social awareness. Belying their bright, playful aesthetics, his pieces often tackled intensely controversial socio-political issues, including racism, capitalism, religious fundamentalism, and the increasing impact of AIDS on New York's gay community, the latter foreshadowing his own death from the disease in 1990. In this vivid introduction to Haring's work, we explore the dynamic life and innovative spirit of this singular artist, who spent little more than a decade in the spotlight, but through the accessibility of his visual vocabulary and the strength of his political commitment became one of the most significant artists to emerge from New York's vibrant, downtown community. His images are popular and instantly recognisable worldwide to this day. Colour. 21 x 26cm, new from Taschen, 96 pages.

With his instantly recognizable decorative style, Czech artist and Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) defined the look of the fin-de-siècle. In evocative shades of peach, gold, ochre, and olive, his seductive compositions of patterns, flowers, and beautiful women became paradigms of the Belle Époque years. Mucha's work permeated illustration, posters, postcards, and the advertising designs of his day. His striking posters of star actress Sarah Bernhardt were particularly famous. Alongside this delicate decorative work, Mucha also harboured strongly felt political ideas. With his monumental cycle The Slav Epic, he expressed his staunch support for Pan-Slavism, promoting the political independence of the Czech and Slavic nations from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Compiled in association with the Mucha Foundation, this book presents key works and introduces the full reach of Mucha's oeuvre from patterned decoration to his book illustrations, posters including of course the famous Job cigarettes, photographs and monumental paintings. Colour. 21 x 26cm, 96 pages.

An impossibly gorgeous coffee table book we have fallen in love with! Eleven entranced kittens, a seeming impossible feat, white, grey, black, brindle and ginger are captured on the opening double page spread. On a winter's night in 1949 in New York City, young marketing student and budding photographer Walter Chandoha spotted a stray kitten in the snow, bundled it into his coat, and brought it home. Little did he know he had just met the muse that would determine the course of his life. Chandoha turned his lens on his new feline friend - which he named Loco - and was so inspired by the results that he started photographing kittens from a local shelter. These images marked the start of an extraordinary career that would span seven decades. Long before the Internet and #catsofinstagram, Chandoha was enrapturing the public with his fuzzy subjects. From advertisements for Puss 'n Boots cat food to greetings cards, jigsaw puzzles to pet-food packaging, his images combined his signature glamorous lighting to rim the head and ears, which made each cat's fur stand out in sharp relief. This technique would define the visual vocabulary of animal portraiture for generations and inspire such masters as Andy Warhol, who took cues from Chandoha's charming portraits in his illustrated cat book. Four adorable Siamese kittens peep from a basket (1957), cats leap from this genre-defining artist's archives, featuring hundreds of close-ups and colour studio and environmental portraits, black and white street photography like the stray cat at Rome's Coliseum 1981, images from vintage cat shows, tender pictures that combine his children with cats, barn cats, family pets, and more against stunning scenery. This remarkable photographer passed away at the age of 98 in 2019. Reuel Golden is the former editor of the British Journal of Photography and the Photography editor at TASCHEN. 14 x 19.5 cm, 192 pages.

The solitude of man and the bleak beauty of nature are prominent themes in the work of Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the great romantic painter whose importance and influence have often been underestimated. Enjoy their serene beauty now in this very affordable collection - The Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Oak Tree in Snow, Moonrise by the Sea, Sisters on the Balcony, Drifting Clouds, Monk by the Sea, On the Sailing boat and hundred more colour images. Today he is considered to be the most important German painter of his generation and a precursor of Expressionism. The book features a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist, approximately 100 colour illustrations with explanatory captions and a concise biography. New from Taschen, 21 x 26 cm, 96 pages.

Step into a world of star-crossed lovers, magical winds, mischievous giants, and trolls, through some of the most exquisite illustrations in publishing history. In this gorgeous abridged edition, Taschen revives the most ambitious publication project of beloved Danish artist Kay Nielsen, one of the most famous children's book illustrators of all time. The 10 tales included are: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, The Blue Belt, Prince Lindworm, The Lassie and Her Godmother, The Husband Who Was to Mind the House, The Three Princesses of Witheland, The Giant With No Heart in His Body, The Widow?s Son, he Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Princesses in the Blue Mountain. First published in 1914, 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon' is a celebrated collection of fairy tales gathered by legendary Norwegian folklorists Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe on their journeys across Norway in the mid-19th century. Nielsen's illustration edition of Asbjørnsen and Moe's tales is considered a jewel of early 20th century children's literature, highly sought-after by art and book collectors worldwide. An original signed copy of the book sold at auction in 2008 commanded the highest price ever paid for an illustrated children's book. This finely crafted volume presents ten of the original fairytales, and restores the artistry of Nielsen's images to their original splendour. Featuring 41 enchanting illustrations, including many enlarged details from Nielsen's rare original watercolours, lovely fonts used, the decorative mono panelling on the text pages and book illustration from the era, this is so much more than a book of folk tales. The book has small details picked out and used as chapter headers and comes with three accompanying essays, illustrated with dozens of rare and previously unseen artworks by Nielsen, that explore the history of Norwegian folktales, Nielsen's life and work, and how this masterpiece came to be. New from Taschen. With ribbon bookmark, 23.5 x 30.5 cm, 168 pages.

Volume 6, the final word in this encyclopedic series, is reserved for the most daring and extreme edges of the publishing field. In the 1970s, drunk on freedom, editor's imaginations ran wild. Come peek inside the sex shops of Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Holland and the US to see what liberation really meant. Read about Berth Milton, the man who toppled Sweden's obscenity laws with his magazine Private and its shockingly explicit covers; the Danish Theander brothers whose motto was, "The First, The Biggest, The Most Pornographic" retaliated with Rodox and Color Climax; Reuben Sturman, founding father of Southern California's vast sex industry; John Sutcliffe, who made gasmasks sexy with his Atomage magazine; and worst film director Ed Wood Jr.'s secret and surprising men's magazines. Lesbian dominance? Hot housewives? Black and Asian women? Hippie nudists espousing free love and drug use? Hairy women? Shaved women? Shaved women giving hairy women enemas? It was all there. For the kinky, every fetish was represented: spanking titles Zap and Smack cuddled up to dominance titles Bitch and Aggressive Gals, and to Wet Dreams, Diapered and Dominated and Enema Pick ups. Warning: everything in this volume is uncensored and for mature adults only. 460 full colour pages of covers and magazine interiors. 21.3 x 27.7cm, 2.10 kg, 460 pages. Text in English, French, German.

A unique tribute from David Bowie's official photographer and creative partner, Mick Rock, compiled in 2015, with Bowie's blessing. In 1972, David Bowie released his groundbreaking album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. With it landed Bowie's Stardust alter ego: a glitter-clad, mascara-eyed, sexually ambiguous persona who kicked down the boundaries between male and female, straight and gay, fact and fiction into one shifting and sparkling phenomenon of '70s self-expression. Together, Ziggy the album and Ziggy the stage spectacular propelled the softly spoken Londoner into one of the world's biggest stars. A key passenger on this glam trip into the stratosphere was fellow Londoner and photographer Mick Rock. Rock bonded with Bowie artistically and personally, immersed himself in the singer's inner circle, and, between 1972 and 1973, worked as the singer's photographer and videographer. This collection brings together spectacular stage shots, iconic photo shoots, as well as intimate backstage portraits. With a 5-phase lenticular cover of different headshots, it celebrates Bowie's fearless experimentation and reinvention, while offering privileged access to the many facets of his personality and fame. Through the aloof and approachable, the playful and serious, the candid and the contrived, the result is a passionate tribute to a brilliant and inspirational artist whose creative vision will never be forgotten. 23.8 x 33.3cm, 300 pages. Text in English, French and German. New from Taschen. The cover features a tipped-in A4 size five colour image that actually moves when tilted of Ziggy and faces of David Bowie. Could be removed from the front cover of the hardback book.

Each huge page is a delight and an artwork of great beauty. Joan Blaeu (1596 Alkmaar-1673 Amsterdam) was a leading Dutch cartographer and member of the Amsterdam council. Son of Willem Blaeu, also a famed cartographer, Joan and his brother Cornelius took over his father?s workshop in 1638. He became the official cartographer of the Dutch East India Company and would gain further fame with a collection of Dutch city maps entitled Tooneel der Steeden, the first atlas of Scotland, and the masterwork Atlas Maior. Superlatives tend to fail in the face of Joan Blaeu's Atlas Maior, one of the most extravagant feats in the history of mapmaking with its exquisitely decorated borders in colourful crests and queens and houses and peoples. The original Latin edition, completed in 1665, was the largest and most expensive book to be published during the 17th century. Its 594 maps across 11 volumes in Latin spanned Arctica, Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. Taschen's meticulous reprint brings this luxurious Baroque wonder into the hands of modern readers. In an age of digitised cartography, it celebrates the steadfast beauty of quality print and restores the wonder of an exploratory age, in which Blaeu's native Amsterdam was a centre of international trade and discovery. The edition derives from the Austrian National Library's complete coloured and gold-heightened copy of Atlas Maior, assuring the finest detail and quality. University of Amsterdam's Peter van der Krogt introduces the historical and cultural significance of the atlas while providing detailed descriptions for individual maps, revealing the full scale and ambition of Blaeu's masterwork. 25 x 38cm, 4.13 kg, 512 pages. Text in English, French, German. Another gorgeous and collectable Taschen publication.

Man Ray (1890-1976) was a polymath modernist working in painting, sculpture, film, printmaking, and poetry but it was his work in photography, with nude studies, fashion work and portraiture that saw him pioneering a new chapter in the history of camerawork and art. With a wide-ranging collection of both his famous and lesser-known works, this monograph gives a vivid overview of Man Ray's multifaceted practice and photographic legacy. See the rosebud lips of Kiki de Montparnasse 1929 and also one of her semi naked in 1922, Lee Miller in fashionable clothing 1930, Meret Oppenheimer and Nancy Cunard with dozens of huge bangles. It traces Ray from his artistic beginnings in New York through to his central role in the Parisian avant-garde, where he featured in the first Surrealist exhibition with Jean Arp, Max Ernst, André Masson, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso (some of whom are photographed in this collection) and produced such now iconic works as the tied up nude Blanc et Noire and Le Violon d'Ingres with the naked back of a woman decorated with the violin shapes and the tear drops on the mascara eye in close up Les Larmes. Through numerous examples of still life, portraiture, and beyond, we see how Ray constantly experimented with new techniques, pushing photography out of its documentary domain into ethereal, poetic expressions through multiple exposure, solarization, and the particular brand of photograms he wittily termed "rayography." 14 x 19.5cm, 192 pages. New from Taschen.