*A TIME, New Yorker, Financial Times and History Today Book of the Year*
'Hilarious' Sam Leith 'I loved this book' Susie Dent' 'Witty and affectionate' Lynne Truss Perfect for book lovers, a delightful history of the wonders to be found in the humble book index
Most of us give little thought to the back of the book - it's just where you go to look things up. But here, hiding in plain sight, is an unlikely realm of ambition and obsession, sparring and politicking, pleasure and play. Here we might find Butchers, to be avoided, or Cows that sh-te Fire, or even catch Calvin in his chamberwithaNonne. This is the secret world of the index: an unsung but extraordinary everyday tool, with an illustrious but little-known past. Here, for the first time, its story is told.
Charting its curious path from the monasteries and universities of thirteenth-century Europe to Silicon Valley in the twenty-first, Dennis Duncan reveals how the index has saved heretics from the stake, kept politicians from high office and made us all into the readers we are today. We follow it through German print shops and Enlightenment coffee houses, novelists' living rooms and university laboratories, encountering emperors and popes, philosophers and prime ministers, poets, librarians and - of course - indexers along the way. Revealing its vast role in our evolving literary and intellectual culture, Duncan shows that, for all our anxieties about the Age of Search, we are all index-rakers at heart, and we have been for eight hundred years.
An authoritative visual history of one of the world’s oldest and most vibrant cultures, drawing on South Asian art and artefacts from prehistory to the present. Arranged chronologically, and abundantly illustrated with expertly selected objects, this superb new overview connects today’s India with its past. Early chapters uncover prehistoric objects from 1.5 million years ago, examine artefacts from the Indus Civilization, and follow the emergence and transmission of Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Sikhism, as well as the incoming religions of Zoroastrianism, Islam and Christianity. During the medieval era, skills related to temple-building and sculpture-production in stone and bronze developed. From this remote period up to the present day, pilgrimage has been an important part of the spread of social, political and religious ideas. With the rise of the Mughals, the last Muslim dynasty of India, India once more became a leading economic power. The development of a distinct Mughal style can be traced in paintings, hardstone carving and metalwork. Following the advent of Europeans in India in the early Mughal period, trade in spices, textiles and other luxury goods increased. Later, in the 19th century, under British rule, much of South Asia became part of a national and international trade complex that saw Indian goods exported throughout the world. Modernism and political independence in the 20th century saw the fresh assertion of Indian culture through cinema, dance and music. An extraordinary range of history and culture is presented here, from the splendour of dynastic empires to the rural, and tribal life of the subcontinent. This is a compelling visual history of some of the world’s oldest cultures. Lees meer
Kleurboek met 25 kleurplaten over India. Formaat 200x200 mm, enkelzijdig bedrukt: elke kleurplaat heeft een lege achterzijde zodat stiften niet doordrukken. Lees meer
Style icon Hicks returns with a warm, irreverent portrait of hosting—mixing equal parts beauty, spontaneity, and joyful disorder.
British designer, humanitarian, and unapologetically improvisational hostess Hicks returns with her second volume of entertaining, a lively, clear-eyed look at the art of gathering—whether an impromptu lunch that fails to end, a milestone marked with family and friends, or an island dinner shaped by whatever the Bahamian breeze has not blown away.
After more than two decades in the design world, Hicks has learned that truly memorable entertaining has little to do with perfection and everything to do with the human connection. Raised amid both British tradition and impeccable aesthetics—her mother is Lady Pamela Hicks, her father the iconic designer David Hicks—Hicks blends an inherited eye for beauty with the relaxed charm of her adopted life in the Bahamas. She has welcomed guests for events intimate and grand. Some occasions are candlelit and meticulously planned; others rely on last-minute place cards, borrowed napkin rings, and freshly cut roses. All are united by the simple message: We’re happy you’re here.
With her trademark humor, Hicks leads readers through dinners that ignite debates by dessert, tiny tables for two, and her own wedding, highlighting along the way how even the simplest elements—a thoughtfully improvised tablescape, flowers foraged from the garden—can create something beautiful. With recipes, photos, and stories featuring her family and four-legged co-hosts, this book is a charming reminder that hosting isn’t about perfection—it’s about welcoming people in, even if you did not iron the tablecloth. Lees meer
India Local is a cross-country culinary adventure complemented by mouth-watering photographs – an invaluable source for chefs and home cooks who wish to recreate the flavors Indian streets in their own kitchens.
Texture, color, flavor – the essence of India itself, intertwine and explode in this stunning cookbook. Celebrating the patent versatility and abundance of Indian cuisine, India Local focuses on India’s street foods and chaats. It tells the story of a nation through its street offerings, from the bustling lanes of old Delhi and the alleyways of Lucknow to the swarming bylanes of Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The author takes you on a cross-country culinary adventure through the vibrant gullies of Surat to the hilly thoroughfares of Darjeeling, exploring along the way the kitchens-on-wheels from Jaipur to Gangtok all the way down to the hectic curbsides of Chennai. Lees meer