art history

Hardcover. Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 1st, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 316 pages, b&w illustrations. The history, theoretical frameworks, methodology, and pedagogy of the new field of visual culture; current debates and the possibility for future consensus. In recent years, visual culture has emerged as a growing and important interdisciplinary field of study. Visual culture regards images as central to the representation of meaning in the world. It encompasses "high" art without an assumption of its higher status. But despite the current proliferation of studies and programs in visual culture, there seems to be no consensus within the field itself as to its scope and objectives, definitions, and methods. In Visual Culture, Margaret Dikovitskaya offers an overview of this new area of study in order to reconcile its diverse theoretical positions and understand its potential for further research. Clean copy. Uncommon in the hardcover.

Hardcover. New York, Harry N. Abrams, 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 160 pages. Hardcover with no dust jacket. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor wear to boards. Color and black and white pictures throughout. Originally born in Algeria, Yves Saint Laurent moved to Paris when he was 18, and only three years later he was handpicked by Christian Dior to take the reins as designer of his fashion house. Over time, Saint Laurent resurrected haute couture from the casual mores that predominated in the 1960s, but also offered chic cachet to ready-to-wear clothing. He was among the earliest of designers to incorporate non- European references into his work, and in 1983 he became the first living designer to be feted with a solo exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Vogue on Yves Saint Laurent is a stellar volume in the series from the editors of British Vogue, featuring 20,000 words of original biography and history and studded with more than 80 images from their unique archive of images taken by leading photographers.

Hardcover. NY, Thames & Hudson, 1st, 2009, Hardcover, 320 pages. The best pages from the sensational photo magazine published in France in the 1920s and 1930s.Established in Paris in 1928, VU combined stunning photography with dynamic layouts and first-rate reporting, creating a revolution in journalism and setting the stage for future photo magazines like Life, Stern, and Paris Match.VU covered a wide and eclectic range of subjects including politics, world affairs, social issues, discoveries, exploration, the arts, sports, and entertainment. It intended to be an illustrated journal of the week's events-a movie newsreel on paper-and published work by some of the most important photographers of the time: Robert Capa, Andre Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, Man Ray, and more.This book gathers some of the best work from more than 600 issues of VU: covers, double-page spreads, and complete reports. It provides both a record of the prewar world of the twenties and thirties, and an unparalleled history of photojournalism in the early twentieth century. 200+ b&w illustrations

Hardcover. New York, Norton, 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 458 pages, b&w illustrations. Sam Wagstaff, the legendary curator, collector, and patron of the arts, emerges as a cultural visionary in this groundbreaking biography. Even today remembered primarily as the mentor and lover of Robert Mapplethorpe, the once infamous photographer, Wagstaff, in fact, had an incalculable-and largely overlooked-influence on the world of contemporary art and photography, and on the evolution of gay identity in the latter part of the twentieth century. Born in New York City in 1921 into a notable family, Wagstaff followed an arc that was typical of a young man of his class. He attended both Hotchkiss and Yale, served in the navy, and would follow in step with his Ivy League classmates to the "gentleman's profession," as an ad executive on Madison Avenue. With his unmistakably good looks, he projected an aura of glamour and was cited by newspapers as one of the most eligible bachelors of the late 1940s. Such accounts proved deceiving, for Wagstaff was forced to live in the closet, his homosexuality only revealed to a small circle of friends. Increasingly uncomfortable with his career and this double life, he abandoned advertising, turned to the formal study of art history, and embarked on a radical personal transformation that was in perfect harmony with the tumultuous social, cultural, and sexual upheavals of the 1960s.

Hardcover. GR, Hatje Cantz, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 272 pages. Illustrated in b&w. Walker Evans (1903-1975) is, without doubt, one of the most influential American photographers ever, and many of his images have become fixed in the collective memory. But while Evans' uncompromising depiction of poverty during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the subject of a series commissioned by the Farm Security Administration, has become a key chapter in the history of photography, his equally innovative images from later decades have generally commanded less attention. Back in print, this bilingual monograph attempts to redress the balance by examining Evans' complete body of work, and features many rarely seen photographs, including his final works, a sequence of Polaroids shot in the early 1970s (a sequence made possible by an unlimited supply of film from its manufacturer). Evans' re-ascendancy in the 1970s and his relationship with legendary Museum of Modern Art curator John Szarkowski are also closely examined, in this essential and definitive volume on a great photographer who certainly achieved his aim to produce pictures that were "literate, authoritative, transcendent."

Hardcover. NY, PowerHouse Books, 1st, 2007, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 263 pages. Personal history and intimate memoir by the wife of the great American artist. 50 duotone photographs and over a dozen by Walker Evans. Storey's memoir of her ten-year marriage to Walker Evans, is the story of an elegant young woman's infatuation with a great American artist--with the man himself, with what he stood for aesthetically, and with his artistic and social circle--and how her initial passion gradually cooled into disenchantment. Isabelle and Walker were married in 1960. Evans, already a prominent figure in the world of photography, introduced Isabelle to Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Helen Levitt, Robert Penn Warren, Alfred Kazin, William H. Whyte, and a host of other luminaries. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Rome, Salvatore Ferragamo, 1st, 2006, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 144 pages, illustrated with 80 color photographs of the innovative designer's stylish shoes. Four essays on his art and place in fashion history.

Hardcover. NY, W. W. Norton & Company, 1st, 1980, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, cream cloth, gilt letters on spine & on front cover, color pictorial dust jacket, 533 pages, many BW & 55 color plates. "Surveys the most distinctive styles used in America from the seventeenth century, when their presence can first be documented, to World War I, when the taste makers began to associate the plain white wall with all that was 'Modern." Sort closed tear to dust jacket, unclipped, clean.

Hardcover. NY, Abbeville Press, 1st, 1979, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, pictorial boards, 184 pages. Illustrated with vintage comic strips. No dj issued. Clean.

Softcover. New York, Disney Editions, 1st, 2016, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 176 pages. Softcover. Very clean, unmarked copy with only minor edgewear. Nearly 60 years after Lewis Carroll's literal masterpiece Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was first published, a new filmmaker named Walt Disney created a silent film about a little girl named Alice and her adventures in Cartoonland. The pilot launched a 56-episode series and led Disney down a rabbit hole to form a company that would go on to become synonymous with fairy tales-including making further versions of the Alice story with the beloved 1951 animated film, the more-recent live-action versions, and several iconic Disney Park experiences. Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland: An Illustrated History delves behind-the-scenes of those whimsical worlds.

Hardcover. Seattle, WA, Fantagraphics Books, Inc., 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 210 pages. Hardcover without dust jacket. Extensive color illustrations throughout by Carl Barks, Includes appendix of sources and historical information. Clean, tight copy.

Hardcover. Seattle, Fantagraphics, 1st, 2025, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover in pictorial boards. Carl Barks' very first Donald Duck stories! This is where it all started, as Carl Barks took control of Donald Duck's comic book adventures and began a series of clever, creative, complex, and comedic stories that would continue under his cartooning brilliance for more than 20 years -- and guarantee his place in comics history. Volume 1 in The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library is, naturally, filled with firsts: Barks' first comic book story (starring Pluto), the first Donald Duck story created for an American comic book (and also the first to see Donald and his nephews go on a treasure hunt), Barks' first Donald 10-pager, Barks' first truly solo Donald Duck story, and Barks' first solo longer-form Donald Duck adventure ("The Mummy's Ring"). More than 200 pages of story and art, each meticulously restored and newly colored, Clean, bright copy.

Hardcover. Seattle, WA, Fantagraphics Books, Inc., 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 264 pages. Hardcover without dust jacket. Extensive b&w and color illustrations throughout. Clean, tight copy. It's World War II, and Uncle Sam wants Mickey Mouse's "'Lectro Box," an amazing ray cannon that can shapeshift living matter! But also hot on Mickey's trail is gruesome Dr. Grut, who wants to use the ray to turn humans into plants-so Grut's mind-controlled "Aberzombies" can rule the world! Floyd Gottfredson produced a canon of legendary tales starring Mickey as a bold, two-fisted hero: ready to wallop the walking dead... and face off with our wartime foes! You'll see Mickey's awesome role in the war effort, as he tackles Axis bad guys, Schickelgruber subs, and the treasonous Pegleg Pete! Meanwhile, back home in Mouseton, Goofy adopts... a man-eating lion?!Black & white with over 60 pages of color

Hardcover. Taschen, 1st thus, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover. On November 18, 1928, the world's most famous Mouse made his very first public debut. Today, we celebrate 90+ years of Mickey in one of the most expansive illustrated publications on the Disney universe. Starting with the first sketches of a character who was almost named Mortimer, we trace the career of Walt Disney's and Ub Iwerks's most famous creation, one met with an explosion of worldwide popularity preceded only by the earlier successes of Charlie Chaplin.With unlimited access to Disney's vast historical collections as well as public and private collections, the authors bring Mickey's success story to life: concept art, story sketches, background paintings, and animation drawings as well as historical photographs trace the origins and evolution of such timeless favorites as Steamboat Willie, The Band Concert, and Brave Little Tailor. They also follow Mickey as he builds on this legendary library of short cartoons by appearing in two historic feature-length films, Fantasia and Fun and Fancy Free.Extensive archival research sheds new light on little-known chapters of Mickey's career, the origins of the Mickey Mouse Club, and his use as a patriotic icon during World War II. Along the way, we encounter the work of all major Mickey artists in both film and comics, including such greats as Ub Iwerks, Win Smith, Ferdinand Horvath, Fred Moore, Floyd Gottfredson, Carl Barks, Manuel Gonzales, Paul Murry, Romano Scarpa, Giorgio Cavazzano, Byron Erickson, and Cesar Ferioli.Mickey Mouse has left an indelible mark on everyday culture as well as high art, becoming a favored subject for Pop artists such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Hardcover. Seattle, WA, Fantagraphics Books, 1st, 2015, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 288 pages. Hardcover. Extensive color illustrations by various artists throughout. Illustrated end papers and paste downs. Clean, unmarked copy in excellent condition.

Hardcover. San Francisco, Walt Disney Family Museum, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 160 pages, illustrated in color and b&w throughout. Clean, bright copy.

Hardcover. San Francisco, CA, Walt Disney Family Museum, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 160 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. A clean, unmarked copy with only minor rubbing to dust jacket. A tight copy. Produced in conjunction with The Walt Disney Family Museum's 2018 exhibition of the same name, Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: Masters of Animation features an array of fascinating artwork and family mementos from each of these accomplished gentlemen, such as sketchbooks, caricatures, and snapshots, as well as original art from the classic films Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty.

Hardcover. San Francisco, CA, Walt Disney Family Museum, 1st, 2018, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 160 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. A clean, unmarked copy with only minor rubbing to dust jacket. A tight copy. Produced in conjunction with The Walt Disney Family Museum's 2018 exhibition of the same name, Walt Disney's Nine Old Men: Masters of Animation features an array of fascinating artwork and family mementos from each of these accomplished gentlemen, such as sketchbooks, caricatures, and snapshots, as well as original art from the classic films Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp, and Sleeping Beauty.

Softcover. New York, St. Martins Press , 1st US, 1975, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 122 pages. Softcover. Small marking to front cover. Otherwise clean copy with minor edgewear. 107 illustrations, including 16 in color. Walter Crane, artist of Kensington, was a man of many talents, but is possibly best known for his original and charmingly executed designs which made him the leading illustrator of children's books of the Aesthetic Movement period. In the face of the commercial vulgarity and ugliness of Victorian industrialised society, he created a delicate and escapist fairy world which, with its emphasis on spontaneity and mobility of line, and its clever use of background and colour, popularised a completely new style of tasteful book designs, and brought them within reach of everyone. The influence of Crane's work and his highly novel theories of design make him an important figure in nineteenth century art history. Rodney Engen, American-born painter and lecturer, discusses Crane's style and ideas in a study delightfully arranged after Crane's own rules and book design.

Hardcover. Bangkok, Muang Boran Publishing House, 1st, 1994, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 164 pages. Hardcover. Color illustrations throughout. Navy blue cover boards (excellent), gilt title on spine and front cover board. Pages unmarked, clean. Dust jacket unclipped, has some slight shelfwear. In very good, colorful condition. Text in Thai and English. 94 pages of color photographs and 7 pages of b/w photographs of 14th-18th century mural paintings at this revered site.

Hardcover. New York , Quantuck Lane Press, 1st, 2014, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 144 pages, Vibrant watercolors of New York City harbor and life on the waterfront in the 1920s and 30s. Like new in publisher's shrink-wrap. Artist Aldren Watson, the accomplished son of two New York City printmakers, has made a beautiful and historically rich collection of watercolors depicting the part of the city he loved-the waterfront and harbor of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Based on photographs taken by his father in the twenties and thirties, seen here are the city's docks, storefronts, bustling streets, and iconic bridges. These 46 watercolors give us an intimate and accurate sense of the past in this diverse locale. Each painting is accompanied by descriptive and informative text, placing the view in the context of the city and its history. Approximately 50 color reproductions

Hardcover. Guilford CT, TwoDot, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, pictorial boards, 159 pages, b&w photos throughout. Classic Photographs from the Farm Security Administration 1936-1943. Featuring images by such renowned photographers as Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein, Russell Lee, and several others, this book documents ranching culture in western states during the Great Depression and leading up to World War II. This was a period of great change in the ranching West that included the introduction of the automobile, electricity, radio, the telephone, and other technologies that drastically transformed the lives and work of ranching people, and some of the best documentation exists in the powerful documentary photographs by this remarkable group of photographers. Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Skira Rizzoli, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 224 pages. Illustrated in color and b&w. The most comprehensive book on the artist to date, offering an insightful look into the legendary musician and his enormous impact on the development of jazz. Miles Davis explores the life and art of one of the greatest visionaries in jazz history--through photographs, handwritten musical scores, album covers, posters, and more--cementing his reputation as the embodiment of cool, both on- and offstage. To examine his extraordinary career is also to examine the history of jazz from the mid-1940s through the early 1990s, as Davis was crucial in almost every important innovation and stylistic development during that time. His genius paved the way for these changes, both with his own performances and recordings, and by choosing collaborators with whom he forged new directions. Miles Davis--trumpeter, bandleader, and composer--was one of the most important figures in jazz history. He was born in a well-to-do family in St. Louis in 1926 and died in a Los Angeles hospital in 1991. He was at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz, and fusion. Davis worked with many of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, including Ron Carter, John Coltrane, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach, among numerous others.

Hardcover. NY, Oxford University Press, 1st, 2004, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 532 pages. Hardcover with dust jacket. Very light wear to jacket, two small scratches to upper jacket spine. Otherwise very clean and tight copy. In this superb collection of essays, reviews and articles, Giddins brings together, for the first time, more than 140 pieces written over a 14-year period, most of them for his column in the Village Voice (also called "Weather Bird"). The book is first and foremost a celebration of jazz, with illuminating commentary on contemporary jazz events, on today's top musicians, on the best records of the year, and on leading figures from jazz's past. Readers will find extended pieces on Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Benny Carter, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Tony Bennett, and many others.