A virtual museum in a book with more images than any other Star Wars book. Take a stunning visual tour of Star Wars with DK’s comprehensive pictorial guide to the galaxy far, far away! From lightsabers and beasts to food and clothing, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia is a virtual museum of a book. Explore beautiful galleries with more than 2,500 images, and discover facts about Star Wars culture, science and geography. Throwing the spotlight onto carefully curated images and beautiful photography, Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia showcases characters and objects from episodes I-VII, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This stunning visual tour of the Star Wars galaxy celebrates everything from extreme architecture and hardworking droids, to ferocious sea creatures and decadent royal gowns. Sections include: Geography, Nature, History, Culture and Science and Technology.

Includes exclusive bonus chapter: The Wit and Wisdom of Taylor Swift The first 2 chapters from the full story of Taylor Swift’s stratospheric rise to fame; all any dedicated Swifty needs to know about the pop superstar who’s taking over the world. A small-town girl with an incredible talent, and the strength to realise her dream, Taylor has grown into an award-winning, chart-topping artist and worldwide star, as well as a strong and stylish woman. But how did she get there? And what lies in store for her in the future? From childhood dreams of a musical future in Pennsylvania, to determined and budding teen musician with a trademark she’s stayed faithful to ever since: honest lyrics about real-life events; her fight to be taken seriously in the music industry, through to the rewards of success and the intense pressure of expectation, Taylor Swift: The Whole Story is a full account of Taylor’s incredible journey, with everything you need to know about America’s Sweetheart. This compelling book is packed full of fascinating details revealing the true Taylor — what drives, motivates and moves her, how she overcame the challenges that loomed on the road to fame and how authentic her wholesome image is, plus the truth about her relationships with Harry Styles, Jake Gyllanhaal and Conor Kennedy and who she’s really talking about on her tracks. The full portrait of a girl who could so easily have faded into the background — but who blossomed in the spotlight into a grounded, graceful and inspiring young woman.

The essential guide to the heroes and villains of the Marvel studios movies The definitive guide to the heroes and villains of the Marvel movies (and everyone in between!) Learn the facts, figures, super-powers and origins of your favourite characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). From the Avengers and Ant-Man to Black Panther and Doctor Strange, this book spans over a decade of action-packed Marvel Studios movie releases. Filled with interesting facts and key information, whether your favourite hero is Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, The Wasp, Iron Man or Gamora, you’ll be able to find out all about their story, super-powers, weapons, and much more. It isn’t all heroes though; this book includes powerful villains and their followers, sinister spies, brave soldiers, and even ordinary people who find themselves caught up in epic battles! Whatever it is that you want to know, Marvel Studios: Character Encyclopedia will make you an instant Marvel Studios expert. Wondering what Thor’s hammer is called, or where Vision came from? How Iron Man builds his suits, or who Thanos is? Then this is the book for you!

The definitive visual history of the train and the railways — in its second edition This stunning book is a glorious celebration of all things train and track. Packed with stunning photography, The Train Book catalogues the development of trains from early steam to diesel engines and electric locomotives, explores in detail iconic trains such as the Palace on Wheels and the Orient Express, and chronicles the social, political, and cultural backdrop against which railways were built the world over. Profiling the best loved railways and rail journeys of all time — from the Union-Pacific Railroad to the Trans-Siberian Railway — and the pioneers of train and track — from «Father of the Railways» George Stephenson to engineering legend Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Metro-maestro Fulgence Bienvenue — The Train Book is perfect for anyone with an interest in trains, locomotives, and the history of the railway.

A beautiful illustrated history of photography from the first black and white images to celebrated examples of 21st-century digital photography This lavish coffee-table book traces the history of photography from the first black and white images to celebrated examples of 21st-century digital photography. Photography celebrates the most iconic photographs of the past 200 years and includes more than 50 biographies of the most famous photographers, explaining how they pushed the bounds of the medium. It also showcases examples of the extraordinary cameras that photographers experimented with, from the daguerreotype to the latest camera phones. Charting the influence of social and cultural change, as well as the impact of science and technology, this beautiful book follows the history of photographs from the first grainy attempts at portrait and landscape photography to gritty photojournalism, street photography, and digital photography, with special features delving into the stories behind photographic images that changed how people saw the world. Packed with information and full of inspiration, Photography is the perfect reference for budding photographers, seasoned professionals, and anyone with an interest in the subject.

An intimate love letter to summertime in Newport from photographer Nick Mele, the “modern-day Slim Aarons,” and interior designer Ruthie Sommers Newport, Rhode Island, is one of the last bastions of American high society. The grand Gilded Age houses that top its oceanside cliffs and line storied Bellevue Avenue are largely untouched by contemporary renovation and taste, and family heirlooms are passed down from generation to generation with Yankee thrift. Indeed, Newport has an understated elegance that sets it apart from other resort towns. Life behind the facades of these elaborate mansions is rarely revealed, but now, photographer Nick Mele and author Ruthie Sommers, both lifelong Newport residents, share their entrйe into the parties, lawn tennis matches, beach clambakes, and family gatherings that make up the glorious days of a Newport summer. Picture the foggy mornings of June, the traditional yacht races of July, the annual meeting of old friends at Marble House in August, and the melancholy close of the season after Labor Day. Through Sommers’s personal, evocative text and Mele’s exquisite photographs of people, parties, beaches, and houses, the intimate charms of A Newport Summer come poignantly to life.

Rembrandt is among the few outstanding artists of universal appeal, his striking self-portraits lauded the world over — yet he remains an elusive, enigmatic figure. Here, the distinguished art historian Christopher White carefully considers the known facts to build a sensitive and thorough account of the artist’s life and work. He describes the radiant happiness of Rembrandt’s marriage, tragically cut short by the death of his wife, and discusses the catastrophe of his bankruptcy. The psychological factors that may have awakened Rembrandt’s sudden interest in landscape are also explored, as is the artist’s final decade, when he retreated into the private world of his imagination. This comprehensive introduction has now been revised and updated to reflect recent scholarship, and the bibliography has been expanded; Rembrandt’s artworks are now faithfully reproduced in colour throughout.

What makes great art great? Why do some works pulse in the imagination, generation after generation, century after century? From Botticelli’s Birth of Venus to Picasso’s Guernica, some paintings and sculptures have become so famous, so much a part of who we are, that we no longer really look at them. We take their greatness for granted; our eyes have become near-obsolete. We need a new way of seeing. Unsatisfied with traditional interpretations of masterpieces, which are so often interested only in learning about art, and not from it, Kelly Grovier combed the surface of revered works from the Terracotta Army to Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits, in a quest to find the key to their lasting power to move and delight us. He discovered that every truly great work is hardwired with an underappreciated detail that ignites it from deep within. Stepping away from biography, style and the chronology of ‘isms’ that preoccupies most art history, Grovier tells a new story in which we learn from the artworks, not just about them.

The Pyramids of Giza are the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that still stands today. Defying the centuries, these gigantic tombs, built more than 4,500 years ago by three great pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty, have long been objects of wonder, speculation and mystery, but it was not until the archaeological discoveries of the 19th century that a true picture of their fascinating history began to emerge. This pocket-sized, profusely illustrated book separates fact from fiction to tell the ongoing story of the Great Pyramids.

What defined the way women dressed in the 1930s? When did haute couture become off-the-peg? How did economic highs and lows influence style in the 1980s? High Fashion answers these questions and more by exploring fashion design in the 20th century, one decade at a time. Each chapter looks at the significant stylistic changes that occurred in one decade and places them in a wider cultural and socioeconomic context. The designers whose work best represents their era are profiled and their key looks deconstructed, from the vertical silhouette of the 1900s to minimalism in the 1990s. High Fashion combines thoughtful analysis with a carefully curated selection of archive images to create an invaluable resource for fashion students and a fascinating journey through 20th-century style for fashionistas. It reveals how styles have changed, what those changes tell us about individuals and society at that time, and how our current relationship with fashion was formed.

The best views of wellness in the mountains, gathered in Mountain Escapes. Impressive mountain panoramas, breathtaking architecture and cosy fireside evenings — this new volume from the Review Books series is dedicated to extraordinary places of longing. Discover mountain hotels and resorts from Machu Picchu to the Himalayas. To immerse and unwind at the highest level. With digital extension. In «Mountain Escapes», author Martin N. Kunz presents a finely selected collection of individual houses, all in spectacular surroundings, on more than 250 pages and with almost 500 photographs. There is something for everyone in this compendium: from the remote lodge and chalet in the luxury ski area to the resort on the roof of the world. With stunning images and accompanied by lively and informative text, this new title from the Review Book series brings the holidays home and provides inspiration for the next holiday. Martin N. Kunz, an expert in the field of special hotels, curated an extraordinary selection of places to recharge your batteries, finally really switch off and have time for yourself again. And along the way, you can discover the most impressive regions on earth. In this book, everyone will find the right accommodation for them — from ambitious mountaineers to wellness lovers in search of relaxation! In addition to the book, you will receive a QR code for the free accompanying image recognition app. Hold your smartphone over a picture in the book and you will automatically be taken to the web pages of the corresponding facility, from where you can access videos, related picture galleries and soundtracks — or book your next holiday directly. A picture journey to the world’s most breathtaking mountain regions — from Aspen and Machu Picchu to the Alps, the Atlas Mountains and the Himalayas.

A deeply moving and startlingly original celebration of everyday life, by one of Britain’s leading thinkers and writers. Inspired by E. M. Forster’s thought that ’Death destroys a man but the idea of it saves him’, The Black Mirror takes death as an external viewpoint from which we may see our lives more clearly. Raymond Tallis looks back on his world from the standpoint of his future corpse. He reflects on the senses that opened up his late world, the elements they reveal, the distances, divisions and intimacies of space, the multifarious activities that occupied his days, his possessions, his utterances, his relationship to others, the extinguished flame that was his self, his journey towards the end, and his after-life either side of the grave.