Finely produced titles showcasing works of art, books with exceptional illustrations, collector’s editions of classics and keepsake versions of children’s books – these pages feature a range of titles that are perfect for treating family or friends, or displaying on your own bookshelves.
Phaenomena
Doppelmayr's Celestial Atlas
First published in Nuremberg in 1742, Johann Gabriel Doppelmayr's Atlas Coelestis encapsulated the astronomical knowledge of his day in 30 magnificent hand-coloured engravings. Reproduced here with explanatory text by Giles Sparrow and an introduction by the Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, they demonstrate the theories of Copernicus, Kepler and Halley, the orbits of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the movement of comets, and the constellations beyond our solar system.
Fore. Martin Rees, Giles Sparrow
RRP £50.00 now £26.00
Citrus
A World History
Tracing the story of citrus as recorded in the literature and art of many civilizations from antiquity to the present day, David J Mabberley offers a sumptuously illustrated global history of oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and their hybrids. In doing so, he reveals how humanity's enduring fascination with these vitamin-rich fruits has influenced advances in medicine, science and agriculture, while also inspiring some of the world's most celebrated artworks.
David J Mabberley
RRP £35.00 now £18.99
The Spice Ports
Mapping the Origins of Global Sea Trade
Focusing on the ports that played a key part in the oriental spice trade, this well-illustrated volume presents a history of each one. From the early Venetian prowess in shipbuilding – borne of a necessity to bring supplies to the island but developing into the basis for a maritime empire – to the strategic importance of Singapore for the East India Company, it builds a broad picture of global exchange and its impact.
Nicholas Nugent
RRP £40.00 now £19.99
The Complete Tutankhamun
In his landmark volume archaeologist Nicholas Reeves traces Howard Carter’s decade-long excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and highlights what the extraordinary treasures from its four small chambers have taught us about the boy-pharaoh and his 18th-dynasty Egyptian context. This expanded edition incorporates insights made possible by the latest advances in techniques including digital scanning and the analysis of ancient DNA.
Nicholas Reeves
RRP £40.00 now £25.00
The Bird
The Great Age of Avian Illustration
The increase in travel in the 1800s generated a heightened awareness of the diversity of the avian world. Focusing on that era and including examples from Audubon, Gould, Catesby and Selby, this volume reproduces some of the finest avian artworks, taking in water, game, song and flightless birds as well as exotic species and birds of prey, while also presenting an overview of the history of ornithological illustration.
Philip Kennedy
RRP £40.00 now £25.00
The Devil's Atlas
Shocking Tales of Unspeakable Terror
In a ‘travellers’ guide to the world unseen’ Edward Brooke-Hitching tours the fantasies of heaven and hell imagined by cultures around the world. Illustrated with depictions of otherworldly landscapes and figures, the narrative explores beliefs including the crossing of the Chinvat bridge to the worlds of the dead in Zoroastrianism, the many realms of Buddhism, and the regeneration of slain warriors to fight again in Valhalla.
Edward Brooke-Hitching
RRP £25.00 now £9.99
Sindbad the Sailor & Other Stories from the Arabian Nights
Often wise and always beguiling, the stories from the Arabian Nights, written during the Islamic Golden Age, have long captivated readers. Retold by Laurence Housman (1865–1959) and sumptuously illustrated by Edmund Dulac (1882–1953), this edition presents four of the best-known tales, Sindbad the Sailor, Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, The Story of Three Calendars and The Sleeper Awakened.
Illus. Edmund Dulac, Trans. Laurence Housman
RRP £30.00 now £13.99
Horror Stories
Shocking Tales of Unspeakable Terror
With abandoned castles, terrifying beasts and gruesome discoveries, the 18 tales of ‘death, obsession, and paranoia’ in this gilt-edged volume are from masters of the genre – including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe and HP Lovecraft – and reflect the enduring appeal of tales of the macabre. Part of the Arcturus Gilded Classics series, this edition also features a gold-embossed cover.
RRP £19.99 now £13.99
The Judith Kerr Treasury
Five Classic Stories
Never out of print since it was originally published in 1968, The Tiger Who Came to Tea was Judith Kerr's debut picture book. It features in this edition with four other stories by the much-loved author and illustrator: Mog the Forgetful Cat, which sees the family pet get into the first of her many scrapes, One Night in the Zoo, The Other Goose and When Willy Went to the Wedding.
Judith Kerr
RRP £25.00 now £14.99
The Auspicious Time
Little Auspicious is growing up in Beijing in the 1940s, an era of immense social change. In telling the boy’s story, from the fear that troops from the People’s Liberation Army will occupy his home to encounters with spies and the Kuomintang, this illustrated narrative sheds light on life in the city before liberation. Age 11+
Zhang Zhilu
RRP £14.99 now £7.99
Gift Ideas
