BESTSELLERS
A New Flowering
1000 Years of Botanical Art
By Dr. Shirley Sherwood, Stephen Harris, Dr. Barrie Juniper, Forewords by Prince Charles and Prof. Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi
From the collection of Dr. Shirley Sherwood with additional material that are treasures from Oxford’s libraries and museums,in this lavish new publication centuries old plant portraits and those painted today stand side by side. This is a stunning testament to the uniqueness and artistry of a genre that is having a surprising renaissance among collectors and scholars.
From the 17th century onwards, detailed and acute observation has been an essential element in these works that so perfectly reflect nature. The oldest image here is a thistle painted by a monk around the year 1080, the most recent is Angelo Mirro’s painting of a rare Peruvian slipper orchid, discovered in 2002.
Illustrations are in full and in close-ups revealing subtleties of anatomy, color, shape and scientific information. The book contains a discussion about the requirements for the scientific elements of botanical illustration and an essay on printing techniques. One of two prefaces has been written by Prince Charles.
$39.95 $35.95
From the 17th century onwards, detailed and acute observation has been an essential element in these works that so perfectly reflect nature. The oldest image here is a thistle painted by a monk around the year 1080, the most recent is Angelo Mirro’s painting of a rare Peruvian slipper orchid, discovered in 2002.
Illustrations are in full and in close-ups revealing subtleties of anatomy, color, shape and scientific information. The book contains a discussion about the requirements for the scientific elements of botanical illustration and an essay on printing techniques. One of two prefaces has been written by Prince Charles.
Audubon in Edinburgh
The Scottish Associates of James John Audubon
By John Chalmers
Many books have been written about John James Audubon, the great French-American ornithologist, but none of the other Audubon biographies concentrate on his time in Edinburgh. This period was to prove a turning point in his life.
It was in Edinburgh that his grand BIRDS OF AMERICA paintings were first engraved and he realized his ambition of having them published. The first plates were engraved by the leading Edinburgh engraver, William Lizars. An extraordinary project with almost 500 plates, it was printed on the largest available paper and every bird was reproduced to life size.
Audubon met many notable characters who were part of the Scottish Enlightenment, and this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book, based largely on his own journals, provides a vivid account of life in early 19th-century Edinburgh.
Here, in his own words, is Audubon’s perspective on his creative process and the great lengths he took to get his works published and continually to ensure their quality.
$45.00 $40.50
It was in Edinburgh that his grand BIRDS OF AMERICA paintings were first engraved and he realized his ambition of having them published. The first plates were engraved by the leading Edinburgh engraver, William Lizars. An extraordinary project with almost 500 plates, it was printed on the largest available paper and every bird was reproduced to life size.
Audubon met many notable characters who were part of the Scottish Enlightenment, and this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book, based largely on his own journals, provides a vivid account of life in early 19th-century Edinburgh.
Here, in his own words, is Audubon’s perspective on his creative process and the great lengths he took to get his works published and continually to ensure their quality.
Bagpipes
A National Collection of a National Instrument
By Hugh Cheape
The bagpipe is experiencing something of a Golden Age, integrated into world music and heard throughout the world. Dr. Hugh Cheape writes that the bagpipe “still thrives in Eastern Europe, [...] as well as the United States.”
From Cheape we learn of the piper’s role as an accompaniment to poetry and other forms. There are detailed descriptions of style of manufacture of bagpipes, their fittings and decorations, and historical figures that played a role in the evolution and popularity of the instrument and of the complex harmonic overtones of the music.
Contains illustrations of over 1,800 items – each with its own unique design, sound and story. Included are spectacular period costumes of pipers. In addition to Scottish and British bagpipes are kindred instruments from other countries, examples of sheet music, and ephemera that reflect the character of the tradition.
$25.00 $22.50
From Cheape we learn of the piper’s role as an accompaniment to poetry and other forms. There are detailed descriptions of style of manufacture of bagpipes, their fittings and decorations, and historical figures that played a role in the evolution and popularity of the instrument and of the complex harmonic overtones of the music.
Contains illustrations of over 1,800 items – each with its own unique design, sound and story. Included are spectacular period costumes of pipers. In addition to Scottish and British bagpipes are kindred instruments from other countries, examples of sheet music, and ephemera that reflect the character of the tradition.
Hidden Treasures of the Romanovs
Saving the Royal Jewels
By William Clarke
The untold story of the Honourable Albert Stopford, Edwardian man-about-town.
A member of the English aristocracy, Stopford was accepted in all the best salons of London, Paris and St Petersburg.
He was a dealer in object d'arts with both Faberge and Cartier, which led him to the inner sanctum of Tsar Nicholas II. A regular guest at Romanov dinner tables and a personal friend of the two self-confessed assassins of Rasputin, he became the eyes and ears of the War Office and of the British Ambassador, even taking personal messages from King George V to the Tsar.
During the months leading up to the Octover/November Revolution, he was in the storm-center, avoiding machine gun fire as he moved through the dangerous streets of Petrograd rescuing treasured artifacts on behalf of the Romanov family. Queen Elizabeth II wears a tiara on special occasions that he saved from the clutches of the Bolsheviks. The gems emerged from his shabby Gladstone bags back in Britain - treasures he had smuggled from under the nose of the new Russian government. These gems have adorned royalty and the rich and famous - queens, duchesses and film stars - ever since.
This is the story of the Russia that was - the personalities, the family life, the intrigues, and a personal account of the growing terrors that led to 1917. The Illustrations include an 1894 photo of Europe's royal houses, family portraits of Russian tsars and nobility, war photos and other rarely seen images. This book will appeal to devotees of Russian (and European) history as well as to collectors with an historical bent.
$24.95 $22.45
A member of the English aristocracy, Stopford was accepted in all the best salons of London, Paris and St Petersburg.
He was a dealer in object d'arts with both Faberge and Cartier, which led him to the inner sanctum of Tsar Nicholas II. A regular guest at Romanov dinner tables and a personal friend of the two self-confessed assassins of Rasputin, he became the eyes and ears of the War Office and of the British Ambassador, even taking personal messages from King George V to the Tsar.
During the months leading up to the Octover/November Revolution, he was in the storm-center, avoiding machine gun fire as he moved through the dangerous streets of Petrograd rescuing treasured artifacts on behalf of the Romanov family. Queen Elizabeth II wears a tiara on special occasions that he saved from the clutches of the Bolsheviks. The gems emerged from his shabby Gladstone bags back in Britain - treasures he had smuggled from under the nose of the new Russian government. These gems have adorned royalty and the rich and famous - queens, duchesses and film stars - ever since.
This is the story of the Russia that was - the personalities, the family life, the intrigues, and a personal account of the growing terrors that led to 1917. The Illustrations include an 1894 photo of Europe's royal houses, family portraits of Russian tsars and nobility, war photos and other rarely seen images. This book will appeal to devotees of Russian (and European) history as well as to collectors with an historical bent.
Stringed Instruments
By Jon Whiteley
This collection of European stringed instruments, while not large, is world famous. Several of the instruments are among the rarest and most beautiful of their kind.
The collection was founded on a group of instruments the Ashmolean received from the firm of W.E. Hill & Sons in 1939, and it has since been increased by two bequests and by an important group of bows and instruments given by Albert Cooper in 1999.
W.E. Hill & Sons had an unrivalled reputation for making, restoring, and selling stringed instruments. In the course of handling and repairing instruments, the firm had become increasingly concerned about the damage to early violas and violins by constant playing and repeated restoration. This gave rise to the idea of donating a select group of rare instruments to a museum where they would be preserved. The collection is frequently consulted by instrument makers, as well, as W E Hill & Sons’ commission of a series of working drawings by John Pringle and Stephen Barber to meet the needs of the craftsman instrument-maker serve as invaluable resource materials for professionals and collectors.
Hardcover,$22.95 $20.65 Softcover, $15.95 $14.35
The collection was founded on a group of instruments the Ashmolean received from the firm of W.E. Hill & Sons in 1939, and it has since been increased by two bequests and by an important group of bows and instruments given by Albert Cooper in 1999.
W.E. Hill & Sons had an unrivalled reputation for making, restoring, and selling stringed instruments. In the course of handling and repairing instruments, the firm had become increasingly concerned about the damage to early violas and violins by constant playing and repeated restoration. This gave rise to the idea of donating a select group of rare instruments to a museum where they would be preserved. The collection is frequently consulted by instrument makers, as well, as W E Hill & Sons’ commission of a series of working drawings by John Pringle and Stephen Barber to meet the needs of the craftsman instrument-maker serve as invaluable resource materials for professionals and collectors.
Hardcover,
Wroughte in Gold and Silk
Preserving the Art of Historic Tapestries
By Anita Quye, Kathryn Hallet, and Concha Herrero Carretero
Wroughte in Gold and Silk features important European tapestries and the world-class research that has been undertaken in order to preserve them. It marks the conclusion of the highly significant project. MODHT involved seven European partners in the most intensive study yet undertaken to evaluate scientifically the cumulative damage done to historic tapestries on permanent display. The results allow curators and conservators around the globe to be guided in decision-making in a way that would not have been previously possible. The book is not only of interest to textile professionals and museum curators but to collectors as this material greatly enhances understanding of the properties and, therefore, the value of these great works of art.
$29.95 $26.95