culture

Softcover. The MIT Press , reprint, 2005, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, The first publication documenting the work of Brooks Stevens, one of America's most influential twentieth-century designers. A long overdue introduction to the work of visionary industrial designer Brooks Stevens (1911-1995). Believing that an industrial designer "should be a businessman, an engineer, and a stylist, in that order," Stevens created thousands of ingenious and beautiful designs for industrial and household products--including a clothes dryer with a window in the front, a wide-mouthed peanut butter jar, and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. ("There's nothing more aerodynamic than a wiener," he explained.) He invented a precursor to the SUV by turning a Jeep into a station wagon after World War II, and streamlined steam irons so that they resembled aircraft. It was Brooks Stevens who, in 1954, coined the phrase "planned obsolescence," defining it as "instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary." This concept has since been blamed for everything from toasters that stop working to today's throwaway culture, but Stevens was simply recognizing the intentionally ephemeral nature of a designer's work. Asked once to name his favorite design, he replied, "none, because every one would have to be restudied for the tastes of tomorrow." Clean copy still in publisher's shrinkwrap.

Hardcover. Hartford, CT, American Publishing Company, 1st Edition, 1870, Book: Good, Dust Jacket: None, 651 pages plus publisher's ads. Hardcover. Front and back hinges cracked, binding tight otherwise. Frontispieces with tissue guard. Tanning to edges. Pages clean with just a touch of tanning. Spine straight. Cover boards bound in black cloth, gilt title on spine and design on front cover board. Borders and decoration blind-stamped to front and back cover boards. Some agewear to boards: fraying/chipping at top and bottom of spine and corners, rubbing. "Being some account of the steamship Quaker City's pleasure excursion to Europe and the Holy Land; with descriptions of countries, nations, incidents and adventures, as they appeared to the author." Perfect for any collector's bookshelf.

Hardcover. US, Taschen, 1st, 2011, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Like new in publishers shrink-wrap. Hardcover, 239 pages, color illustrations. A pictorial journey through Havana with author Julio Perez Hernandez, a professor of Architecture in Havana, & lavish photographs by Gianni Basso.

Softcover. Durham NC, Duke University Press, 5th pr., 1999, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 250 pages, b&w illustrations. This entertaining and playful book views Disney World as much more than the site of an ideal family vacation. Blending personal meditations, interviews, photographs, and cultural analysis, Inside the Mouse looks at Disney World's architecture and design, its consumer practices, and its use of Disney characters and themes. This book takes the reader on an alternative ride through "the happiest place on earth" while asking "What makes this forty-three-square-mile theme park the quintessential embodiment of American leisure?" Turning away from the programmed entertainment that Disney presents, the authors take a peek behind the scenes of everyday experience at Disney World. In their consideration of the park as both private corporate enterprise and public urban environment, the authors focus on questions concerning the production and consumption of leisure. Featuring over fifty photographs and interviews with workers that strip "cast members" of their cartoon costumes, this captivating work illustrates the high-pressure dynamics of the typical family vacation as well as a tour of Disney World that looks beyond the controlled facade of themed attractions. Clean copy.

Hardcover. New York, Riverside Book Company, Inc., 1st Edition, 2008, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, 111 pages. Hardcover. INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR. Dust jacket unclipped, has two small tears at fop of front cover (see image). Gray cover boards, gilt title on spine. Pages clean and bright. Binding tight. Spine straight.

Hardcover. Chapel Hill NC, University of North Carolina Press, 1st, 2001, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket. 277 pages, illustrated in b&w and color. The putto (often portrayed as a mischievous baby) appears frequently in the art and literature of Renaissance Italy. The "spiritelli" embody a minor species of demon, neither good nor bad. This book discusses the manifestations of the putto-spiritello in 15th-century art and literature. It offers parallel interpretations of two works: Botticelli's "Mars and Venus", a painting in which infant Satyr-putti appear as the panic-inducing spirits of the nightmare, and Politian's "Stanze", a poem in which masked cupids appear to the hero in a deceiving dream. The text concludes with an examination of the functions of such masks in the poetry and public masquerades sponsored by Lorenzo de'Medici and in Michelangelo's scheme for the decoration of the Medici Chapel. Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Knopf, 1st, 1976, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 360 pages. Published in association with the American Heritage Publishing Co. Text by Bernard Lewis, Richard Ettinghausen, Oleg Grabar, Fritz Meier, Charles Pellat, A. Shiloah, A.I. Sabra, Edmund Bosworth, Emilio Garcia Gomex, Roger M. Savory, Norman Itzkowitz, S.A.A. Rizvi, Elie Kedourie. Illustrated with 495 reproductions, photographs, drawings, and maps, 160 of them in full color.

Hardcover. London, Faber and Faber, Reprint, 1967, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover. Orange cloth covers with gilt titles to spine. 93 pages of text followed by 613 monochrome plates, non-paginated. Frontis illustration, Tabriz, Tilework in the Courtyard of the So-called Blue Mosque, A. D. 1465, in full page, full color. Toning to edges. Clean, unmarked. A nice copy.

Hardcover. London, England, Oxford University Press, Reprint, 1953, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 788 pages. Hardcover. Vol. III & IV only. Previous owner's name stamped on contents page and front endpapers. Green cloth cover boards, gilt title on spine, spine very faded (see image). Pages and edges have a touch of tanning. Edges have a specked design. v. 3. Holiness and its upholders -- v. 4. The renewal and the source of holiness. DOMESTIC SHIPPING ONLY.

Hardcover. Atglen PA, Schiffer, 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 216 pages, color photographs by Janes. What is burlesque? Who better to ask than burlesque performers themselves? With this question in mind, the author traveled over 14,000 miles across the United States visiting today's burlesque performers, photographing them in their homes, and asking them: "What does burlesque mean to you?" Their answers and 104 accompanying portraits may surprise you. For these performers, burlesque is so many things, including fun and empowerment on stage, an escape from life's doldrums, a fantasy, a career. This book also presents a study in contrasts between the public persona of each performer and that performer's private life.

Softcover. Bloomington, Indiana University, 1st, 2010, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 443 pages, b&w illustrations, index. Traces the origins of American cinema's century-long fascination with Italy and Italian immigrants to the popularity of the pre-photographic aesthetic - the picturesque. "To read Bertellini's superb book is to enter into an intense, rich, and intricately layered experience of Italian immigrant culture in the New York of the 1900's and 1910's." Clean copy.

Hardcover. NY, Ten Speed Press, 1st, 2020, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover in pictorial boards, no dust jacket issued, 201 pages. This sweeping, full-color comic book biography tells the complete life story of Jack Kirby, co-creator of some of the most enduring superheroes and villains of the twentieth century for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and more. Critically acclaimed graphic novelist Tom Scioli breathes visual life into Kirby's life story--from his days growing up in New York during the Great Depression and discovering a love for science fiction and cartoons to his time on the frontlines in the European theatre of World War II where he experienced the type of action and adventure he'd later imbue his comic pages with, and on to his world-changing collaborations at Marvel with Stan Lee, where the pair redefined comics as a part of pop culture.

Hardcover. New York , Watson Guptill, 1st, 1974, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Good, Hardcover, 208 pages illustrated throughout with 175 b&w illustrations and 70 plates in full color. Clean, unmarked copy with minor closed tears to dust jacket.

Hardcover. New York , Watson Guptill, 1st, 1974, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 208 pages illustrated throughout with 175 b&w illustrations and 70 plates in full color. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor edgewear to dust jacket.

Hardcover. New York , Watson Guptill, 1st, 1974, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 208 pages illustrated throughout with 175 b&w illustrations and 70 plates in full color. Clean, unmarked copy with only minor edgewear to dust jacket.

Bologna, Damiani, 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 280 pages. American fashion photographer James Moore (1936-2006) was an influential voice in mid-20th-century fashion photography, working for Harper's Bazaar during its 1960s heyday under the leadership of legendary editor Carmel Snow. Shooting languid mod gamines and luxe bohemians in arresting, often surreal or cinematic compositions, Moore helped shape the visual vocabulary of '60s fashion alongside better-known colleagues such as art director Alexey Brodovitch (under whom Moore studied). Moore also directed television commercials and contributed photographs to European magazines in the 1980s and 1990s, and taught photography at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.Every Moore photograph is an intricate exploration of space and beauty, with an attention to detail that betrays the photographer's peerless eye. Something of a "photographer's photographer," Moore influenced the next generation of great fashion photographers but has been somewhat neglected in histories of 1960s fashion and culture--until now. James Moore: Photographs 1962-2006 collects a half century of extraordinary photographs by Moore, the first time his work has been collected in a single monograph. Including texts from the leading editors, models, photographers and designers of the day, this volume takes stock of James Moore's astounding career and an extraordinary cultural moment.

Bologna, Damiani, 1st, 2017, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Hardcover, 280 pages. American fashion photographer James Moore (1936-2006) was an influential voice in mid-20th-century fashion photography, working for Harper's Bazaar during its 1960s heyday under the leadership of legendary editor Carmel Snow. Shooting languid mod gamines and luxe bohemians in arresting, often surreal or cinematic compositions, Moore helped shape the visual vocabulary of '60s fashion alongside better-known colleagues such as art director Alexey Brodovitch (under whom Moore studied). Moore also directed television commercials and contributed photographs to European magazines in the 1980s and 1990s, and taught photography at the School of Visual Arts, New York, and the Rochester Institute of Technology.Every Moore photograph is an intricate exploration of space and beauty, with an attention to detail that betrays the photographer's peerless eye. Something of a "photographer's photographer," Moore influenced the next generation of great fashion photographers but has been somewhat neglected in histories of 1960s fashion and culture--until now. James Moore: Photographs 1962-2006 collects a half century of extraordinary photographs by Moore, the first time his work has been collected in a single monograph. Including texts from the leading editors, models, photographers and designers of the day, this volume takes stock of James Moore's astounding career and an extraordinary cultural moment.

Hardcover. Berkeley CA, University of California Press, 1st, 2009, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover, 232 pages. James Rosenquist's paintings, with their billboard-sized images of commercial subjects, are utterly emblematic of 1960s Pop Art. Their provocative imagery also touches on some of the major political and historical events of that turbulent decade--from the Kennedy assassination to the war in Vietnam. In the first full-length scholarly examination of Rosenquist's art from that period, Michael Lobel weaves together close visual analysis, a wealth of archival research, and a consideration of the social and historical contexts in which these paintings were produced to offer bold new readings of a body of work that helped redefine art in the 1960s. Bringing together a range of approaches, James Rosenquist provides a compelling perspective on the artist and on the burgeoning consumer culture of postwar America.

Softcover. Bew Haven CT, Yale University Press, 1st, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 272 pages. Richly illustrated with images from Jan Tschichold's little-known private collection of design ephemera, this important book explores a legendary figure in the history of modern graphic design through the artists, ideas, and texts from the Bauhaus that most influenced him. Tschichold (1902-1974), a prolific designer, writer, and theorist, stood at the forefront of a revolution in visual culture that made printed material more elemental and dynamic. His designs were applied to everyday graphics, from billboard advertisements and business cards to book jackets and invoices. This handsome volume offers a new understanding of Tschichold's work, and of the underlying theories of the artistic movement he helped to form, by analyzing his collections. Clean copy. The book is still in the original publisher shrink wrap.

Softcover. Chicago, University Of Chicago Press, reprint, 1988, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 209 pages. The essays collected in this volume reveal the dramatic story of 'mindfulness' at all levels of Tokugawa society and demonstrate the importance of this history for modern Japanese culture. Name on front fly leaf, otherwise clean.

Hardcover. Boston, American Unitarian Association, 1st, nd, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, 225 pages. Hardcover. No date of publication. Ex-library copy with bookplate on inside front cover and label at bottom of spine. Top edge gilt. Black & white photographs. Light wear. Clean, unmarked text.

Hardcover. Lexington KY, University Press of Kentucky, 1st, 2021, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, Jayne Mansfield (1933-1967) was driven not just to be an actress but to be a star. One of the most influential sex symbols of her time, she was known for her platinum blonde hair, hourglass figure, outrageously low necklines, and flamboyant lifestyle. Hardworking and ambitious, Mansfield proved early in her career that she was adept in both comic and dramatic roles, but her tenacious search for the spotlight and her risque promotional stunts caused her to be increasingly snubbed in Hollywood. In the first definitive biography of Mansfield, Eve Golden offers a joyful account of the star Andy Warhol called "the poet of publicity," revealing the smart, determined woman behind the persona. She discusses Mansfield's childhood, her many loves -- including her famous on-again, off-again relationship with Miklos "Mickey" Hargitay -- her struggles with alcohol, and her sometimes tumultuous family relationships. She also considers Mansfield's enduring contributions to American popular culture and celebrity culture. Clean, bright copy.

Softcover. Stanford CA, Stanford University Press, 1988, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 230 pages. Jean Baudrillard is one of the most topical and controversial theorists in France today. He has played a major role in the development of critical social theory and cultural sociology, and his writings are currently at the center of the 'post-modernism' debate. This volume makes his most important work widely available in English for the first time. It includes selections from the entire range of his writings, from his early work on advertising and commodity culture to his most recent writings on simulation and desire. Throughout the selections Baudrillard stresses the ways in which our lives are embedded in a world if images which have no clear reference and which are reproduced by the new mechanisms of cultural production in contemporary societies. Clean copy.

Hardcover. Seattle, Fantagraphics Books , 1st, 2012, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: Very Good, Hardcover in a bright dust jacket, 424 pages, illustrated in b&w. This scholarly book examines historical depictions of Jewish people in comics. Showcases more than 150 comic strips, comic books and graphic novels from all over the world, stretching over the last five centuries and featuring Jewish characters and Jewish themes. The book is divided into chapters on Anti-Semitism, the Old Testament, the Holocaust, Israel, the Golem and much more, featuring everything from well-known comics like Art Spiegelman's Maus and the work of Will Eisner to much more obscure (and in some cases far less savory) but no less culturally and historically interesting examples of how Jewish culture has been depicted in comics. Each strip, comic, or graphic novel is spotlighted via a short but informative 200-word essay and a representative illustration. Clean copy.