Alphablock features thick pages cut into the shape of each letter, creating a sort of peek-through guessing game around the letter form itself. As children interact with the pages, they will familiarize themselves not only with the 26 letters and associated words, but also with each letter's physicality — angles, holes and curves, both front and back. Illustrated by hip British design team Peskimo, this fresh high-concept ABC book encourages readers to manipulate the alphabet in a whole new way.

Trees are the most important structural element of any garden. Tree Gardens is the first book focusing on their importance in garden design and landscape architecture. Tree Gardens features both important historical and contemporary landscape design projects ranging from ten to thousands of trees; including works by such well-known designers as Frederick Law Olmsted, Andre Le Notre, C.Th. Sorensen, Daniel Kiley, Peter Walker and Michael Van Valkenburgh, among others. Each case study explains how the scale, context, species and spaces of trees on a particular site establish the expressive structure of the tree garden. Author Gina Crandell makes a fascinating case for the active management of designed forests, including preservation strategies, such as replacement of trees over time. We expect this book to fill a niche in the discourse on contemporary landscape design and to be an important resource for students, landscape architects and horticulturalists alike.

Through the 1950s and the early 1960s, working with that era's supermodels, fashion photographer Lillian Bassman created the quintessential modern feminine image of women in their lingerie. As Ginia Bellafante put it in the New York Times recently, In place of heavyset women constraining themselves in what was essentially equipment, Ms. Bassman deployed immeasurably lithe models, conveying a world in which women seemed to linger in the pleasures of their own sensuality. Fifty years later, these images have lost none of their allure, and the enormous cultural impact of the TV show Mad Men has given them new currency.

Be creative, be adventurous. You don't have to fall down the rabbit hole to enter the magical world of Alice in Wonderland. Just open this giant book and read, color, and remember when you first encountered Lewis Carroll's sublime nonsense and Sir John Tenniel's elegant engravings.

What if Darth Vader took an active role in raising his son? What if 'Luke, I am your father' was just a stern admonishment from an annoyed dad? In this hilarious and sweet comic reimagining, Darth Vader is a dad like any other- except with all the baggage of being the Dark Lord of the Sith. Celebrated comic artist Jeffrey Brown's delightful comics give a fresh twist to classic Star Wars TM moments, presenting the trials and joys of parenting through the lens of a galaxy far, far away, including lightsaber baseball practice, using the Force to raid the cookie jar, and Take Your Child to Work Day on the Death Star ('Er, he looks just like you, Lord Vadern, and the special bond shared between any father and son.

FRAMED is a stunning collection of over i5o black-and-white photographs by Greg Gorman for L.A. Eyeworks. This project spans thirty years of the world-renowned celebrity and photographer Greg Gorman and gathers some of the great personalities of all time such as the director Pedro Almodovar, musical legends Grace Jones, Divine and Frank Zappa as well as Andy Warhol and Pierce Brosnan, among many other artists. Each shot gives a picture of human nature in its infinite range. Each picture is also a testament to the individual character. In his pictures, Gorman really tries to focus on the importance in capturing the essence of the soul of each portrait, as Pierce Brosnan writes in his notes in the book, Through his lens, Greg captures the beauty of the human face like no other. A photographic portrait artist who puts his heart and soul into his art, Greg lives his life with passion and grace.

Paul Smith has created one of the world's most successful fashion brands. In this richly illustrated book, including many never before published personal photographs, excerpts from interviews with Paul Smith recount his history and explain his approach to design. This talented creator finds inspiration everywhere and this alphabetical manual highlights the eclectic sources of inspiration behind his unforgettable designs. For instance; B is for Bowie, Smith explains how David Bowie's look and music influenced his design. Telling how he first went to see Bowie in concert in 1967, the year he met his wife, Smith shares his personal connection to the musician and links certain elements in his design s that are irreverent, innovative and androgynous to Bowie. The book reveals the unique way in which Paul Smith sees the world, suggesting how he has continually been able to anticipate and re-imagine the trends of popular culture, since opening his first boutique in 1970.

Brave is Pixar's first fairy tale, a lush, animated adventure through the forests, heaths, and highlands of medieval Scotland. Featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with the film's many artists, The Art of Brave also showcases the gorgeous concept art that went into the creation of the movie, including colour scripts, storyboards, character studies, environment art, sculpts, and more.

The international best-seller is now in paperback From their years growing up in Liverpool through their ride to fame to their ultimate breakup, here s the inside story. Interwoven with The Beatles own memories are the recollections of such associates as road manager Neil Aspinall, producer George Martin, and spokesman Derek Taylor. The Beatles Anthology is a once-in-a-lifetime volume: warm, frank, funny, poignant, and bold-just like the music that s been a part of so many of our lives. The Beatles Anthology is, for the first time, the story of The Beatles by The Beatles. Created with the full cooperation of Paul, George, Ringo, and Yoko Ono Lennon, it also includes the words of John, painstakingly compiled from sources worldwide. The Beatles Anthology is, in effect, The Beatles autobiography. The Beatles Anthology features over 1300 images, most previously unpublished. Paul, George, Ringo, and Yoko Ono Lennon all opened their own archives just for this project, as did Apple, EMI, and others long associated with The Beatles, allowing the unprecedented release of photographs, documents, and other memorabilia from their homes and offices. The result is an extraordinary wealth of visual material brimming on each and every page.

Interior designer Kishani Perera knows that good design is everywhere and at every price point. Mixing modern with vintage, and retail with custom, her eclectic interiors incorporate pieces from designer showrooms and Etsy alike to create spectacularly layered, vibrant homes. In Vintage Remix, Perera's striking interiors serve as a guided tour through the stages of design, from deciding when to skimp or splurge to adding the finishing touches and unexpected elements of whimsy. Her mix-and-match philosophy will help readers discover and express their own tastes. Perera takes the intimidation out of blending styles, proving that pairing seemingly opposing pieces can strike a balance that is classically chic.

RAW examines in detail how Asian creativity translates into commercial sense. We are shown, through sumptuous photography and incisive text, how creativity in Asia is borne out of adversity, opportunism, humour, competition and social networks.

Robert Capa, the most celebrated photojournalist of the 20th century and a founder of Magnum Photos, used Paris as a global platform for his photog-raphy throughout his career. Robert Capa: The Paris Years 1933-1954 tells Capa's story by focusing on his Paris studio. Recently many artifacts have surfaced, including the so-called Mexican suitcase, which contained Capa's Spanish civil war negatives. These newly discovered documents, which were either created in or found in his Paris studio, are featured in the book. With original textual analysis and both rare and renowned images, Robert Capa offers a newly informed, fresh look into the life of this revered photographer.

From the end of World War II through the 1980s, Aarons photographed the rich and famous, the beautiful and the celebrated: Hollywood royalty, European aristocracy, the grande dames of high society, captains of industry, media moguls, statesmen and stars of every sort. Though upholding the glamorous image of wealth, power, talent and beauty, he saw himself as a journalist whose duty it was to inform, and this led him to develop the environmental portrait — photographs of his subjects at home, at work, at play and mingling with each other. This type of portrait has influenced a generation of photojournalists whose work can be seen in today's lifestyle magazines. This volume shows Aarons photographs of the international elite in their exclusive playgrounds during the jet-set decades of the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

From the street, New York is a bustling, familiar world. Seen from the air, it's an exotic, uncluttered, beautiful place. From vantage points that few people ever attain, world-renowned aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand has created a lush, romantic tribute to one of the most thrilling cities in history. He reveals the power and beauty of Manhattan's amazing skyscrapers, the bucolic joys of Central Park, and the majesty of the Upper West Side's castle-like apartment buildings. John Tauranac's lively commentaries lead readers on a truly spectacular tour. Now, as never before, this book calls to mind all that there is to cherish and celebrate about New York City — and America.

Vogue: The Editor's Eye celebrates the pivotal role the fashion editor has played in shaping America's sense of style since the magazine's launch 120 years ago. Drawing on Vogue 's exceptional archive, this book focuses on the work of eight of the magazine's legendary fashion editors (including Polly Mellen, Babs Simpson, and Grace Coddington) who collaborated with photographers, stylists, and designers to create the images that have had an indelible impact on the fashion world and beyond. Featuring the work of world-renowned photographers such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn, and Annie Leibovitz and model/muses, including Marilyn Monroe, Verushka, and Linda Evangelista, The Editor's Eye is a lavishly illustrated look at the visionary editors whose works continue to reverberate in the culture today.

The first book from renowned New York-based designer Steven Gambrel showcases his bold and innovative designs. Featuring 10 individual residences photographed by Eric Piasecki, Steven Gambrel illustrates the designer's fresh approach to color and composition in creating spaces that reflect, support, and enhance the lifestyles of today while at the same time embracing the history of each individual home. From Manhattan townhouses and apartments to beachside retreats in the Hamptons, Gambrel has a passion for timeless and unique interiors that allow him to design a backdrop for individual and changing lives. The photographs and accompanying text, written by Gambrel himself, reveal the inside stories behind stunning interiors that feature his signature mix of the modern and the traditional, and give the reader a window into his unique inspirations and design point of view.

Since 1940 Slim Aarons has been hard at work, first as a war photographer, then with unprecedented access as a photographer to the rich and famous. In this gorgeous sequel to Slim Aarons-Once Upon a Time, he develops the environmental portrait to the level of art, always showing his subjects in their natural setting, in a circumstance synonymous with their station in life. He documented a particular world that is vanished. A Place in the Sun is that special glimpse of privilege under a bright and beaming sky, whether on sandy shore, snowy slope, or elegant home where cares are few. Through 250 stunning color pictures, Aarons provides a veritable who's who of high society: Aristotle Onassis with his first wife, Tina, and their children, Christina and Alexander; C.Z. Guest at her villa in Palm Beach; the Aga Khan at his Sardinian resort; and Truman Capote in Palm Springs. From Mustique to Monaco, from Aspen to Gstaad, only Slim Aarons can take us on a journey to the most exclusive playgrounds of the rich, inspiring even the most jaded armchair traveler.

When the opportunity for celebrating knocks, answer the door and offer it some Champagne says Karen Bussen. Author of the bestselling Simple Stunning wedding series, Bussen now directs her experts eye to a more intimate kind of festivity: the at-home party. Her simple stunning credo, though, remains the same: Create menus featuring wonderful ingredients in no-fuss, crowd-pleasing preparations; combine homemade and store-bought items in fresh, elegant presentations; tailor colors, tableware, and lighting for visual impact; and limit effort, expense, and waste.

Norman Bel Geddes Designs America accompanies a landmark exhibition exploring the career of Norman Bel Geddes (1893-1958), one of the 20th century's foremost theatrical and industrial designers. This companion volume explores Bel Geddes's life and career in comprehensive detail through nearly 100 projects, ranging from streamlined airplanes, ships, and cars, to stage sets, appliances, and much more. Both the exhibition and the book bring together never-before-seen drawings, models, photographs, and films drawn from the Ransom Center's Bel Geddes collection. He is perhaps best known for his Futurama display for the General Motors Highways and Horizons exhibit at the New York World's Fair of 1939-40, which to this day remains a useful model for city planning and design. The exhibition is curated by Donald Albrecht, who contributed the book's introduction and serves as its editor. In addition to Albrecht, who has written the introduction, twenty scholars have contributed essays. The exhibition I Have Seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America opens in September 2012 at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, and will travel to the Museum of the City of New York.

Not since Brian Froud's conceptual design work with Jim Henson on the classic films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth has he created a faerie world with such imagination, dimension, depth, and detail. Trolls features new and classic work by both Brian and his wife, Wendy, woven together along with artifacts and symbols of the natural world to create a fascinating revelation about the world of trolls. The book explores trolls and troll culture, revealing their philosophies, their home life, and their world attitudes through their tales, mythology, and archaeology. Trolls affirms that trolls are real, that they have lived and are living now. The texture of the world and the deeply immersive, cinematic images will appeal to the legions of fantasy — and Froud — fans.