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Browser Book Beat Issue 149

Almost 200 books in this batch of new arrivals. Fiction includes novels, short stories , mysteries. There’s some literature, too. Non-Fiction includes history, esp. China, Russia, but also England, Ireland, Africa, ranging from culture, religion to WW II and political science and social sciences. As usual, a slew of art: comic, fine arts, sculpture, photography. Also includes Children’s, film, and an assortment of the unexpected. Here’s a sampling. See all New Arrivals. Availability subject to prior sale.

This treatise is a detailed investigation on the state of affairs in China during the post Mao - when Deng Xiaoping was the overarching leader of China. — The Deng Xiaoping Era: An Inquiry into the Fate of Chinese Socialism

A detailed study of contemporary Chinese history from the Chinese Revolution and the founding of the Maoist state to the establishment of the Deng regime and the social consequences of Deng’s reforms. Read More

$50.00

The Second Sino-Japanese War began on July 7, 1937, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China, leading to widespread conflict that lasted until 1945. It is often regarded as the beginning of World War II in Asia. — The Chinese People at War: Human Suffering and Social Transformation, 1937–1945

Following a war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931, the Second Sino-Japanese War began on July 7, 1937, when Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China, leading to widespread conflict that lasted until 1945. Read More

$18.00

The source of this estrangement was Mao Zedong's ideological radicalization at a time when Soviet leaders, mainly Nikita Khrushchev, became committed to more pragmatic domestic and foreign policies. — The Sino-Soviet Split: Cold War in the Communist World

China and the Soviet Union had hoped to form a monolithic communist bloc. The Sino-Soviet split (roughly 1956-1966) was the dramatic breakdown of political ideological and diplomatic relations between them. Read More

$30.00

Explores how the CCP began as a group of study societies that evolved into a mass Marxist-Leninist party by 1927. Details difficulties of building a cohesive organization in Chinese society. Read More

$50.00

Chronologically covers hippie music and culture of the late 1960s in San Francisco and London. Includes interviews, text, pictures, record reviews, and photographs. — I Want to Take You Higher: The Psychedelic Era 1965-1969

In celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the Summer of Love, a glossy coffee-table book published in 1997 to accompany an exhibition on the psychedelic era at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Read More

$40.00

For his famed resort hotels of the 1950s Lapidus designed vast structures incorporating a melange of quasi-French provincial and Italian Renaissance decorative elements that critics dubbed "Miami Beach French". — Too Much Is Never Enough

Lapidus’s signature forms – chevrons, “beanpoles,” “woggles,” or amoeba shapes, and curving walls and ceilings with “cheese holes,” or cutouts – are now treasured icons of American postwar vernacular architecture. Read More

$35.00

Vivian Gordon was a glamorous symbol of Prohibition-era excess. Her bludgeoned body was found dumped in the Bronx. She left behind was a diary with more than three-hundred names implicating powerful officials, philanthropists, businessmen, gangland figures. — Broadway Butterfly: Vivian Gordon: The Lady Gangster of Jazz Age New York

The book on one of the most notorious murders in Jazz Age New York history, that of Vivian Gordon, the high-end escort, con artist, and blackmailer connected to gangsters like “Legs” Diamond and Arnold Rothstein. Read More

$25.00

A true-crime mystery is at the center of the story: did the social-climbing, closeted gay antiques dealer shoot his lover in cold blood or self-defense. Add to that outrageous character portraits of Savannah’s very oddball residents. — Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (SIGNED COPY)

Retelling of a true crime story set in the hauntingly beautiful Savannah, Georgia. The question? Was the lover “shot in cold blood” or in “self-defense”. Told with all the ingredients and witty dialogue of a fictional story. Read More

$50.00

The Lew Archer novels are recognized as some of the most significant American mystery books of the mid 20th century, bringing a literary sophistication to the genre. — Archer At Large: Three Great Lew Archer Novels of Suspense

Macdonald introduced the tough but humane private eye Lew Archer in the 1946 short story “Find the Woman”. Archer novels are recognized as some of the most significant American mystery books of the mid 20th century. Read More

$30.00

Lambert details what he considers to be the relevant works of eight master suspense writers and a film-maker to further explore his view of the interaction between their art and their personal psychology. — The Dangerous Edge: An Inquiry Into the Lives of Nine Masters of Suspense

Gavin Lambert investigates the works and individual psyches of nine ‘crime-artists,’ eight authors and a film-maker. His title is taken from a Robert Browning poem. Read More

$18.00

A personal history disguised as a novel of self-dissatisfaction. Brenner, scion of an old and famous cigar dynasty, decides to kill himself. And the author did just that, sadly before publication. Read More

$18.00

Biography of the peerless career of Randy Newman, written by author Hilburn with the full cooperation of Newman, his family, friends and admirers. Hilburn has known Newman since his club debut at the Troubadour in 1970. — A Few Words in Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman

Phenomenal overview of the peerless career of Randy Newman starting with Newman’s famous family of film composers. Follows Newman’s life up to early 2024. Each major album or film score has its own chapter. Read More

$22.00

Widely regarded as one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes, Spider-man has been featured in comic books, television shows, films, video games, novels, and plays. Read More

$140.00

Welcome to the World of Marvel Comics; introduced by the master story teller, Stan Lee who championed the comeback of Comic book superheroes starting in 1961 and still going strong. Read More

$180.00

Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four, Volume 1 is actually the second book in the Masterworks series. It is written by Stan Lee, drawn by Jack Kirby, and lettered by Art Simek. — Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four – Vol. 1

The Fantastic Four went on sale August 8, 1961 and were an unexpected success for Marvel Comics. Marvel’s Fantastic Four proved that superheroes could be flawed. Read More

$40.00

Brooding images and dramatic 3-D scenes rise from the page of this rendition of Mary Shelley’s classic gothic tale, Frankenstein. It’s a literary and visual feast, rich in detail and atmosphere. Read More

$40.00

Walt Disney's Alice is filled with photographs, concept art, illustrations, and detailed storyboards. It offers a rich visual journey through the creation of the animated classic. — The Making of a Masterpiece: Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland (with DVD)

The story of how Disney’s Alice came to be. Explores the many setbacks, the evolving artistic direction, and how the concept shifted over time before reaching its final form. Read More

$50.00

Explores the current sectarian conflict existent within the subcontinent, particularly centered around the Deoband school, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic institutions of India. — Islamic Revival in British India : Deoband, 1860-1900

Examines the scholars of deoband and their contribution in preserving Islam under alien rule. The Deoband school, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic institutions of India. Read More

$70.00

A story of political exile and punishment providing a window into the everyday life of those who endured the cruelties of penal and most likely illegal servitude. — American Citizens, British Slaves (SIGNED COPY)

82 American activists conducted raids at the Canadian border, 1838. They wound up serving a life of penal and most likely illegal servitude in Tasmania. Read More

$28.00

The Tang dynasty, or the Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point of Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. — T’ang China: The Rise of the East in World History

The Tang Empire was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907. Historians generally regard the Tang as a high point of Chinese civilization, and a golden age of cosmopolitan culture. Read More

$40.00

Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) was one of the most original and influential artists of the twentieth century. Plakate is the German term for "poster." It typically refers to large printed advertisements or announcements that are displayed in public spaces. — Joseph Beuys: Plakate Posters

Includes full page illustrations of Beuys’ most important posters, essays about Beuys’ influence, an extensive biography of the artist and a complete catalogue of all posters created under his guidance. Read More

$50.00

In 1946, Kublin moved from Budapest to Zurich, where he opened a photography studio specializing in advertising. Introduction to fashion arose when he got a job photographing a Jacques Fath fashion show held in Saint Moritz. — Balenciaga Kublin: A Fashion Record

Kublin started at House of Balenciaga hired to film designs for copyright protection purposes. He stayed to capture the golden age of Balenciaga couture in the 1950s and 1960s. Read More

$60.00

Browser Book Beat Issue 140

This group of new arrivals includes several rare titles within architecture, design, art and literature. Also a large number of art catalogues (auction and exhibition). There is also a fair amount of Novels, Mysteries, Children’s fiction and illustrated, Photography, Antiques, Religion, and odds and ends too. Here’s a sampling. Or scroll through all of these New Arrivals. Availability subject to prior sale.

Siren begins with a comprehensive introduction and survey of the genre. He then illustrates, dates and describes over 900 examples in bronze, stone and wood. Scare. — Chinese Sculpture from the Fifth to the Fourteenth Century

Over 900 Specimens in Stone, Bronze, Lacquer and Wood, principally from Northern China, with descriptions and an Introductory Essay. Most comprehensive treatise on Chinese Buddhist sculpture in any western language. Read More

$6000.00

Percy Thomas MacQuoid RI was a British theatrical designer and a collector and connoisseur of English furniture, and the author of articles, largely for Country Life, and of four books on the history of English furniture. — The Dictionary of English Furniture (3 Vols.)

Macquoid and Edward’s monumental survey of English antique furniture. Copiously illustrated. Detailed explanations. This work remains an essential reference guide for dealers and collectors of antique furniture. Read More

$350.00

An interesting typographical repertoire edited by Herbert Hoffmann with Albert Bruckner, Max Hertwig and Rudolf Koch. — Modern Lettering: Design and Application

A survey of specimens of alphabets, monograms, initials and logos, presented alongside older characters. Many examples reflect the research of the time. Read More

$500.00

As a student, Henry-René D'Allemagne apprenticed with the ironworker Pierre Boulanger, author of the remarkable hinges of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. — Ferronnerie Ancienne, Volume 2

A student at the École des Chartes, Henry-René D’Allemagne obtained his archivist-paleographer diploma there in 1887 with a thesis entitled “Essay on the History of the Locksmiths’ Guild”. Read More

$250.00

The exhibition was organized into two parts: Environments and Objects. The objects were selected and the environments were commissioned because of their relevance to particular current attitudes toward "the task of design." — Italy: The New Domestic Landscape Design

Achievements and Problems of Italian Design. The exhibition reports on current design developments (1972) in Italy with 180 objects for household use and 11 environments commissioned by MOMA. Read More

$100.00

Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist construction showcasing the bare building materials and structural elements over decorative design. — The New Brutalism: Ethic or Aesthetic?

Brutalist style often uses exposed, unpainted concrete or brick, angular geometric shapes and a predominantly monochrome colour palette; other materials include steel, timber, and glass. Read More

$300.00

Maillart’s Salginatobel and Schwandbach bridges changed the aesthetics and engineering of bridge construction dramatically and influenced decades of architects and engineers. Read More

$160.00

Neutra, living and building for the majority of his career in Southern California was famous for the attention he gave to defining the real needs of his clients, regardless of the size of the project. — Survival Through Design

Neutra, an Austrian American architect, lived and designed buildings for most of his career in Southern California. He came to be considered among the most important modernist architects. Read More

$50.00

Fascinating collection of essays discussing the theories of color, especially color relativity. Also discusses how color is perceived by the human eye. Read More

$200.00

Artists covered include Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Red Grooms, and George Segal, with contributions from Wolf Vostell, George Brecht, Kaprow and others. — Assemblage, Environments & Happenings

A textual and photographical documentation of Kaprow’s “happenings”, (a term he had already coined in 1959), and of the contemporary avant-garde. Read More

$220.00

Art essays from 1954. Includes: Germain Bazin, ‘Museological Variations’; Ferdinando Reyna, ‘On the Origins of Ballet’; Dora Vallier, ‘The XXVII Venice Biennale’, more. Read More

$150.00

Italian art critic, curator and art historian, Crispolti was professor of history of contemporary art at the Università degli Studi di Siena, and director of the school of specialisation in art history from 1984 to 2005. — Il futurismo e la moda: Balla e gli altri (Italian Edition)

Crispolti’s work focused mostly on Futurism. He curated the first major retrospective of Giacomo Balla at the Civic Gallery of Modern Art in Turin in 1963, with Maria Drudi Gambillo, as well as major surveys like Futurism and Fashion. Read More

$60.00

His painting style owes much to his affinity with Zen. Having read Eugen Herrigel's book Zen in the Art of Archery (1953), he assimilated the spontaneity which Zen emphasizes. — ALAN DAVIE: Peintures des Annees 80

Declaring that the spiritual path is incompatible with planning ahead, Davie attempted to paint as automatically as possible, which was intended to bring forth elements of his unconscious. Read More

$18.00

Diego Rivera emerged out of a generation of male painters who broke boundaries as they set their own. Rivera was a master painter, activist and revolutionary. — Diego Rivera: The Complete Murals

Diego Rivera was a visionary artist who created monumental murals that reflected the social and political climate of Mexico and beyond. He was at once a master painter, activist and revolutionary. Read More

$350.00

Not just an insider's look at Hollywood. Two-time Oscar-winning writer Goldman discusses a lot about writing - not just of screenplays, but any type of writing. — Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade (SIGNED COPY)

More than an insider’s look at Hollywood. Two-time Oscar-winning writer Goldman discusses a lot about writing – not just of screenplays, but any type of writing. Read More

$70.00

Watt was a prolific author in prose and verse, on folk-lore, history and antiquities, especially Celtic and Gaelic as well as aspects of religion, literature and the life of a soldier. — Edragil 1745

A novel on Prince Charles Edward Stuart who was the last significant claimant of the Stuart dynasty to the British throne and who led the Jacobite rebellion in 1745-46 to restore his family’s rule. Read More

$200.00

In addition to the contribution he made to American literature, Frank O'Hara was a vital figure in the New York cultural scene and spent many years working at The Museum of Modern Art. — In Memory of My Feelings: A Selection of Poems by Frank O’Hara

O’Hara became recognized as a quintessential American poet whose vernacular phrasing, both worldly and lyrical, beautifully told of the urban life of his generation. Read More

$600.00

A landmark book written when there were only two government Bison herds in Yellowstone Park and in the Washington, D.C. zoo. — The American Bison

The story of the extermination of Bison as a wild species and their restoration under federal protection. A landmark book written by a charter member of the American Bison Society. Read More

$60.00

The essays and illustrations give a detailed elaboration of both Incas' weaving textiles techniques and their historical and cultural context. — To Weave for the Sun

Ancient Andean Textiles in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The essays and illustrations give a detailed elaboration of both Incas’ weaving textiles techniques and their historical and cultural context. Read More

$25.00

Minn is a common snapping turtle hatched near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The book follows her adventures as she spends years going down the river to New Orleans. Read More

$80.00

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Browser Book Beat Issue 149

Book Beat 140

Browser Book Beat Issue 140