From the Sack to the Sari, each dress makes a powerful statement about the woman who wears it. Inspired by the Eleanor Estes' children's classic The Hundred Dresses, Erin McKean's classic-to-be by the same title, with chic illustrations by Donna Mehalko, is a definitive and witty look at what one hundred iconic dress styles, vintage and modern say about their wearers. Each beautifully illustrated entry looks at the history of that particular style, famous wearers (if applicable), possible accessories, where the style could be observed, and what message, subtle or overt, is conveyed by the dress. Featured are The Wench; The Vreeland; The Wrap; The Austen; The Beckham; The Siren (any style, as long as it's red); The Chanel Ingenue; The Caftan; The Guinevere; The Jackie; The Biohazard (any dress dangerous to bystanders or the wearer: think Lady Gaga); and many more. Part style commentary, part fashion blueprint, part clever field guide, The Hundred Dresses will ensure that no woman (or man) ever underestimates the power of the dress.

The reputations of artists are curious things, influenced by factors beyond the quality of the work. Affairs of the Art explores the role those left behind play in burnishing an artist's reputation after he or she dies. Through interviews with those handling the estates of artists including Fred Williams, Brett Whiteley, John Brack, Howard Arkley, Bronwyn Oliver, George Baldessin and Albert Tucker, as well as a raft of art dealers, academics, curators and auctioneers, Strickland traverses the strange alleyways of the art market, where power resides with those who hold the best stock, and highlights the sometimes heart-wrenching way emotion and duty intersect in the making of decisions by those left behind.

As Director of the National Gallery of Victoria from 1892 to 1935, L. Bernard Hall was Australian arts most influential administrator and teacher, yet his achievements have been virtually written out of history. In this book Gwen Rankin uncovers Halls fascinating story. Never as conservative as sometimes suggested, Hall came to Australia for the love of a woman and stayed for the love of a gallery, establishing a record of service unrivalled today. Based almost entirely on primary source material, this biography includes many of Halls own paintings and drawings, along with striking archival photographs.

The House of Habsburg was one of the wealthiest dynasties in Europe, and many of its members were also great collectors and patrons of the arts. Their love of magnificence is reflected in the quality and diversity of the objects in Viennas Kunstkammer, one of the most important collections of decorative arts in the world. This book features around 150 of the masterpieces from the Habsburg collections, ranging from sublime works of sculpture and fine metalwork to exotic objects fashioned from ostrich eggs, nautilus shells, rhinoceros horns and sharks teeth. Alongside the Saliera, Benvenuto Cellinis famous golden salt cellar, and the High Gothic sculpture known as the Krumau Madonna, are extraordinarily delicate works carved from ivory, gorgeous tapestries and mechanical marvels. The emperors, princes and archdukes who shaped these collections wanted not only to create a sense of wonder in all who gazed upon them but also to symbolize their own dominion over the world. Filled with lavish photographs and fascinating insights, this is a worthy tribute to the Habsburgs and their lasting artistic legacy.

For ten years Geordie Greig was among a very small group of friends who regularly met Lucian Freud for breakfast at Clarke's restaurant on Kensington Church Street. Over tea and the morning papers, Freud would recount stories of his past and discuss art. It was, in effect, Freud's private salon. In this kaleidoscopic memoir, Greig remembers Freud's stories: of death threats; escaping from Nazi Germany; falling out with his brother Clement; loathing his mother; painting David Hockney; sleeping with horses; escaping the Krays; painting the Queen; his controversial role as a father; and why Velazquez was the greatest painter. It is revelatory about his art, his lovers, his children, his enemies and his love of gambling. Freud dared never to do dull, speaking candidly of dancing with Garbo as well as painting Kate Moss naked. Those closest to him, after decades of silence and secrecy, have spoken frankly about what life was like living, loving or sitting for the greatest figurative portraitist of the twentieth century. Partly based on hours of taped conversations with the artist and his circle, and drawing on interviews with those who knew Freud intimately - including many girlfriends, models, dealers and bookmakers - Breakfast with Lucian is an intimate portrait of the artist as a young and old man. Illustrated with many unseen photographs of Freud, it is a uniquely fascinating, personal and authoritative account of one of the greatest British painters of this century and the last, and a profile of a man who makes everyone else's life seem less lived.

Now in paperback, this lavishly illustrated and extensively researched book is a major contribution to a wider understanding of Arts and Crafts and an invaluable visual record of an ever-popular era of design. Leading scholars explore the varied characteristics of the regional, national and international manifestations of Arts and Crafts, looking at the work of many of the movement's leading designers. Additional material on photography, architecture and gardens, and the inclusion of painting and sculpture as integral to the movement, as well as the focus on its later emergence in Japan, all contribute to enriching our understanding and appreciation of Arts and Crafts.

Hello World is Alice Rawsthorn's definitive guide to design and modern life. Design is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. When deployed wisely, it can bring us pleasure, choice, strength, decency and much more. But if its power is abused, the outcome can be wasteful, confusing, humiliating, even dangerous. None of us can avoid being affected by design, whether or not we wish to. It is so ubiquitous that it determines how we feel and what we do, often without our noticing. Hello World explores design's influence on our lives. Written by the renowned design critic Alice Rawsthorn and designed by the award-winning book designer Irma Boom, it describes how warlords, scientists, farmers, hackers, activists and designers have used design to different ends throughout history: from the macabre symbol invented by 18th century pirates to terrorise their victims into surrender, to one woman's quest for the best possible prosthetic legs and the evolution of the World Cup ball. At a time when we face colossal changes, unprecedented in their speed, scale and intensity - from the deepening environmental crisis, to giant leaps in science and technology - Hello World explains how design can help us to make sense of them andto turn them to our advantage. Hello World is a new book by Alice Rawsthorn, the one and only, the best design critic in the entire world. She keeps the banner of design flying high. Irma Boom designed it, and Irma is simply the best book designer alive . (Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York). Praise for Alice Rawsthorn's Yves Saint Laurent : As gripping as a thriller, packed with plot, character and atmosphere . ( The Times ). Rawsthorn's excellent biography isn't merely a story about clothes, but of crises, comebacks and drug clinics, and as a document of the time it is compulsive . ( Evening Standard ). The best book I have ever read about the mesmerising cruelty of fashion . ( The Spectator ). Intelligent and pragmatic ...this is a page-turner of a book . ( New Statesman ). What a story! A skilful interweaving of the artistic, business and emotional life of a great couture house . ( Mail on Sunday ). Alice Rawsthorn is the design critic of the International Herald Tribune , the global edition of the New York Times . Her weekly Design column is syndicated worldwide. A trustee of Arts Council England and the Whitechapel Gallery in London, she is chair of trustees at the Chisenhale Gallery and the author of an acclaimed biography of Yves Saint Laurent .

No item of clothing has endured for longer than the dress. Yet the last century alone has seen the most radical changes of style - hemlines swinging from ankle to thigh; outlines alternating between the body-hugging and the bell - and our fascination with the 'frock' has not gone away. From Gres' draping to Dior's New Look, from Mary Quant's mini to Hussein Chalayan's mechanical marvels, this book looks at the dress in twentieth century fashion. Thematic chapters - Changes, Feminine, Seduction, Must-haves, Fantasy, Classical and Art - set out the inspirations and implications for each new change alongside the stunning photography. It is more than eighty years since Coco Chanel invented the little black dress, but every woman still has one in her wardrobe today. It's decades since women discovered trousers and separates, but every woman dreams of wearing a glorious, glamorous gown at least once, whether it's on a Hollywood red carpet, or just on her wedding day. Fabulous Frocks is a book to fire a fashionista's imagination.

The sixth volume in this high-impact series captures 2012 in over 330 powerful photos. The book is organized into four sections representing the four quarters of the year. The images cover the full range of news reporting politics, commerce, conflict, accidents and disasters, the environment, faith and festivities, entertainment, celebrity and lifestyle. Succinct captions summarize the story behind each image. Witness features in each chapter present powerful, in-depth photo-essays from around the world. An introduction explains in the photographers own words the events and approaches that lead to spectacular photojournalism. Like the previous Our World Now volumes, this is a book that consistently packs an emotional punch: spectacular, moving, hard-hitting, at times even funny. This highly successful series has built to become an indispensable visual record of our times, with over 100,000 copies now sold worldwide.

You can explore the wonderful world of pinhole photography. Did you know you can make your own camera, and create striking images, for next to nothing? Pinhole cameras have existed, and use a tiny hole instead of a lens to make pictures on film that can be processed in the normal way. The results have amazing qualities, and in Build Your Own Paper Cameras , one of the worlds leading pinhole photographers shows you how to make your own paper pinhole cameras using the unique camera templates on the disc and step-by-step instructions you can even learn how to turn your digital SLR into a pinhole camera!