Art and Design > Coffee Table Books

After years of painstaking work renovating an old chateau in Normandy, Jane Webster has found her bearings, running The French table over the summers and juggling family life across two countries year-around. In this, her second book, she offers us a glimpse into life as a local in a French village: keeping house, visiting the markets, restoring the walled kitchen garden, and indulging her passion for 'antiquing' at flea markets and antique fairs. Above all, she shares the simple pleasure of cooking for family and friends - with mo... read more

Craig Potton's beautifully photographed tribute to Nepal portrays the Himalayan kingdom from three perspectives: the lowland Terai and its wildlife, Kathmandu, and the Himalaya and its Sherpa people. Festivals, street scenes, portraits of Nepalis, soaring mountains and remarkable wildlife, are all captured by Craig Potton's camera. The photography is accompanied by a personal and insightful essay by Lisa Choegyal, an English woman who has lived in Nepal for 20 years.

Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are teaming up to launch The Adventures of Tintin in late 2011. This first of two movies brings to life the enormously popular books by Herge in performance-captured, 3D form. The conceptual design and visual effects for the movie are being created by Weta, the multi Academy Award-winning company who helped create global blockbusters such as Avatar, The Lord of the Rings, District 9, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia and many others. The very same Weta artists who are working on the movie wil... read more

To enter into M C Escher's world is to set foot into unknown territory. His extraordinary pictures of logic and perspective fool the brain into believing the impossible.

At once touching, ethereal and warm, Rachael McKenna's unique viewpoint has made her one of the most successful animal photographers in the world today. When she recently embarked on a new lifein France, it was inevitable that she would turn her insatiable photographer's lens to capturing the unexplored world around her. The French Dog, is the follow up to the successful The French Cat, it includes atmospheric and glowing images of the countryside, buildings and canine inhabitants of France. Rachael's intense feeling for her subjec... read more

Doctors told Margret Dagmar that her son Keli, who lives with a severe form of non-verbal autism, would never be able to communicate; she was told that he would be best off locked in an institution for the rest of his life. Driven by a love for her child, Margret embarked on a mission to find a way to connect with him. Oscar Award-winning actress Kate Winslet paired up with Margret and Keli to produce a documentary film about their journey. The team found an organization called Helping Autism Learning Outreach (HALO), where special... read more

A unique photographic odyssey. Starting from Sydney, and keeping the coast on the right, driving the full distance of Australia's longest road, Highway One. This is landscape photography of the most diverse country on earth blending modern technology with an artist's perspective.

Introduced by James Mcbride, this collection of photographs aims to depict the joy, heartbreak and love that shape and make up our lives. The photos were selected by Elliot Erwitt from 1000s entered by professional and amateur photographers to explore the idea of family.

Furniture of the New Zealand Colonial Era is without doubt the most lavishly illustrated New Zealand book to be published so far this century, and will rank among the most historically significant. A definitive account of the furniture and interiors of nineteenth-century New Zealand, and of the cabinetmaking industry throughout that period, the book is crammed full of never-before-published research and images. The contents range over early settlement, imported furnishings, campaign furniture, New Zealand timbers, the birth of a l... read more

Hardback

""No school, public, or academic library could go wrong including the very affordable World Heritage Sites in both reference and circulating collections." "-- Booklist In 1959, UNESCO launched an international campaign to safeguard the world's most important sites, which led to the first World Heritage List. This new edition includes the 21 brand-new sites, such as: The first capital of the Saudi dynastyColonial-period convict sites in AustraliaBikini AtollImportant commercial centers on the Silver Route and the Silk Road in IranS... read more

A beautifully packaged, collectable volume to commemorate the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. On 16 November 2010, the long-awaited engagement of HRH Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton was formally announced, with a London wedding promised for April 2011. Andrew Morton, the leading royal biographer - famous the world over for his million-copy bestselling, authorized biography of Diana, Princess of Wales - has written a full-length biography of William and his new bride. Morton has followed the pri... read more

Bill Culbert is one of New Zealand's most celebrated artists. In Bill Culbert: Making Light Work, the first substantial book on Culbert, Ian Wedde explores the ideas, materials, and conditions that have formed Culbert's art over the past 50 years.

Horses hold a special place in the hearts and minds of many New Zealanders. through historical and contemporary detail and anecdote, and utilising a wide range of old and new photographs and images, Carolyn Mincham tells the captivating story of the horse in New Zealand. she explores the cultural significance of horses in life and society, how they continue to play a role in how we define ourselves as a nation and how our relationship with them has changed over time. She tells of the first horse to reach our shores in Northland, of... read more

Wanaka is fast becoming a mecca for travellers, both New Zealanders and overseas tourists, who see its real magic. The town has grown but the area is still unspoiled, its lake and mountains offering an unparalleled adventure playground in all seasons. Whether you are a hunter, a fisherman, a skier, a climber, a tramper, a mountain-biker, a pilot, a canyoner or a 4WD offroader, Wanaka has so much to offer. And then there's the wine! After all, this is where Central Otago pinot noir began ...
Louise and Martyn Myer have ... read more

Brian Brake (1927-1988) was New Zealand's most well-known and internationally successful photographer, known worldwide for photo essays like Monsoon (1961) and locally for the book New Zealand, Gift of the Sea (1963). Twenty years after his death, however, Brake's vast body of work remains unseen - or critically considered - in its entirety. What was Brake's background and what were his influences? What sort of photographer was he? What was his popular reputation based on? How has he been he perceived by the generations of contempo... read more

Sheds are no longer neglected outbuildings or decorative afterthoughts at the bottom of the garden. While the traditional garden shed was once a great place to escape to, these places have become the latest area of the home to be discovered by creative designers who see the garden as an extendable space, whether in the heart of the city or in a larger rural setting. Increasingly these micro buildings are being pressed into service as an 'office' now that home working has become a credible alternative to commuting and an economic me... read more

This compelling and superbly illustrated account of 2000 years of Christianity has been written by religious experts. With authoritative text, superb illustrations featuring Christian art and architecture of the times, special features on the Bible, prayer and liturgy, plus detailed maps and a timeline, this is a great reference for anyone.

Appearing on the world stage with the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing, China has intrigued Westerners since the days of Marco Polo. French journalist Christina Lionnet takes us on an exciting journey through this vast and varied land. With a clear sensibility, Lionnet's photographs offer a painterly exploration of the paradoxes and complexities of the Chinese landscape as well as its soul. Her lens captures a dazzling array of century-spanning architecture, intriguing peoples and age-old customs. The ambiguous beauty of an ancient an... read more

The history of ceramic art is ingrained in the history of mankind. Clay is one of the very first materials 'invented' by man. An essential part of our lives it has been moulded, thrown, glazed, decorated and fired for over 30,000 years in order to preserve and transport food and water. And it was on the surface of these early jugs, vases, dishes, plates, beakers and amphorae that man placed some of his first decorative markings. In more recent times clay has been used not just by artisans and potters, but also by artists, designers... read more