Another wonderful illustrated volume of tangential history from Yale (see the book on guitars, below, in 'Music'). This is an exploration of how the rose has inspired fashion over hundreds o... read more
A fascinating exploration of the use of wood in human history: half a million years of tools, devices, construction, art and architecture, from wedges, planes, screws and pulleys to stave ch... read more
A short biography of the woman who managed Leach Pottery in Cornwall for forty years and was a fine potter in her own right. She met her husband, Bernard, in New York in the wake of the Grea... read more
The close and sustained attention to words, by a letter cutter and a Cambridge don. Their dialogue is a fascinating play of philosophy and the art of making; a pool of quiet in a noisy world... read more
A re-issue of Leach's book, first published in 1978. Born in Hong Kong, he later lived for many years in Japan where he trained as a potter; eventually he settled near St Ives, built a Japan... read more
VF has written excellent previous books on colour and on jewels. This new one looks at textiles from sackcloth to silk, from Wales to Papua and Guatemala... Combining science with history an... read more
A biography of the design entrepreneur whose influence may be traced in everything, from where we live to what we eat; and whose work is enshrined in his ultimate creation, The Design Museum... read more
The Director of the V&A looks at how the great ceramicist and Lunar man transformed society by creating an early form of international mass market, while also significantly contributing to t... read more
A cultural history through seven coloured lenses. Its broad frame of reference encompasses Shakespeare, Goldfinger (first name Auric), Goethe, Roman marbles, Bronze Age gold, Mayan jade... C... read more
A splendid guide to over a hundred museums not only in Tokyo but far beyond - in Kyoto, Hokkaido, Okinawa, Shikoku, Kyushu, etc. Includes museums of traditional arts and artist's houses, as... read more