Monday 25 July 2022

JAPANESE SWORD

With its thick gatefold pages, black background, gleaming sabres with exquisite grapevine design and applied gold lacquer, this is a magnificent book to behold. It showcases masterpieces by Japanese artisans with a glossary of specialised terms and an informative commentary as we discover ten ancient Japanese swords in museum collections reproduced in all their splendid detail on double pages with gatefolds plus 45 additional Japanese swords and 35 accessories and handles. There have been many smiths living around the imperial palace producing swords in Kyoto since the oldest times and the most prestigious of these was the Awataguchi School which began with six brothers. The tachi on page 16-17 was a treasure of the Tottori Clan, Ikeda family, originally the blade was approximately three shaku long, but it was later shortened to make it more wieldable. Explanations of the inscriptions and motifs such as a skull in the field equals resolute acceptance of death or the gissha ox carriage loaded with straw rice bags, the rabbit and bamboo grass design, the moon, stream and clover, characterful monkeys carrying objects or a tiny baby in gold against the black fur of the mother. And from nature lotus leaves and vegetables. There is beautiful inlaid mother-of-pearl kiri mon, a black leather-ito and a black lacquered tachi koshirae, scabbards and most of all gleaming sharp blades. With text in English and Japanese, a beautifully designed large flexicover with French translation booklet included and inserted in a paper slipcase.
Published price: £60
Bibliophile price: £25

SOVIET STORM WORLD WAR II ON THE RUSSIAN FRONT

 big, graphic introduction, 120 large pages, four DVDs.
Published price: £24.99
Bibliophile price: £12.50

MACKINTOSH STYLE

The eye boggles at the bluey purple, black and white stripes edged in ultra-marine braid over the bedhead and continuing over the ceiling as a canopy at the Derngate guest bedroom, the famous Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow with stencilled mural decorations, the beautiful hall clock at The Hill House made of dark stained pine with a painted metal face and brass hands and weights, and the sturdy angled lattice back chairs echoing the square cut-outs on the hall table. Observe his brilliantly innovative light fittings, the elegant façade and entrance to the Glasgow School of Art with its wrought iron brackets with abstracted shapes portraying seeds, stamens and flower buds as imagery for ripening and fruition for an art education centre, and there are comparisons with what was going on in Europe at the time with designers like Otto Wagner. A stunning use of colour on full page illustrations plus many archive images throughout this magnificent gallery for all who appreciate the Secession era and grand design. 160 large pages, colour.
Published price: £20
Bibliophile price: £10

BOB DYLAN FREEWHEELIN

This huge hardback showcases many rare photographs and more familiar ones in large close up detail, a photobiography of his life from his early roots with a text taken from the earlier book Constant Sorrow, packed with facts and names from the music industry. The four DVDs feature a wealth of informative insights from dedicated musicologists, journalists and critics who toured with Bob Dylan and his band to give unique insight. There is also a few minutes of Dylan himself taken from the Cynthia Gooding Radio Show in 1962, and the DVDs run to approximately two hours. Big hardback picture book, 96pp, colour and black and white illus.
Published price: £29.99
Bibliophile price: £12.50

HERBAL

Published price: £14.99
Bibliophile price: £7

WINTER KNITTING

Published price: £20
Bibliophile price: £7

WASTELAND A History

Published price: £35
Bibliophile price: £14

Friday 22 July 2022

MANUS x MACHINA

MANUS x MACHINA Published price: £38
Bibliophile price: £10 buy here https://www.bibliophilebooks.com/epages/Bibliophile.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Bibliophile/Products/91728