Book picks similar to
The Art of Richard Powers by Jane Frank
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science-fiction
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Unstill Life: A Daughter's Memoir of Art and Love in the Age of Abstraction
Gabrielle Selz - 2014
What followed was a whirlwind childhood spent among art and artists in the heyday of Abstract Expressionism. Gabrielle grew up in a home full of the most celebrated artists of the day: Rothko, de Kooning, Tinguely, Giacometti, and Christo, among others.Poignant and candid, Unstill Life is a daughter’s memoir of the art world and a larger-than-life father known to the world as Mr. Modern Art. Selz offers a unique window into the glamour and destruction of the times: the gallery openings, wild parties and affairs that defined one of the most celebrated periods in American art history. Like the art he loved, Selz’s father was vibrant and freewheeling, but his enthusiasm for both women and art took its toll on family life. When her father left MoMA and his family to direct his own museum in California, marrying four more times, Selz’s mother, the writer Thalia Selz, moved with her children into the utopian artist community Westbeth. Her parents continued a tumultuous affair that would last forty years.Weaving her family narrative into the larger story of twentieth-century art and culture, Selz paints an unforgettable portrait of a charismatic man, the generation of modern artists he championed and the daughter whose life he shaped.
The Best of Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell - 1984
Rockwell senior, who said he depicted life “as I would like it to be,” chronicled iconic visions of American life: the Thanksgiving turkey, soda fountains, ice skating on the pond, and small-town boys playing baseball-not to mention the beginning of the civil rights movement. Now, the best-selling collection of Rockwell’s most beloved illustrations, organized by decade, is available in a refreshed edition. With more than 150 images-oil paintings, watercolors, and rare black-and-white sketches--this is an uncommonly faithful Rockwell treasury. The original edition has sold nearly 200,000 copies.
Lost Transmissions: Science Fiction and Fantasy's Untold, Underground, and Forgotten History
Desirina Boskovich - 2019
Lost Transmissions is a rich trove of forgotten and unknown, imagined-but-never-finished, and under-appreciated-but-influential works from those imaginative genres, as well as little-known information about well-known properties. Divided into sections on Film & TV, Literature, Art, Music, Fashion, Architecture, and Pop Culture, the book examines Jules Verne’s lost novel; AfroFuturism and Space Disco; E.T.’s scary beginnings; William Gibson’s never-filmed Aliens sequel; Weezer’s never-made space opera; and the 8,000-page metaphysical diary of Philip K. Dick. Featuring more than 150 photos, this insightful volume will become the bible of science fiction and fantasy’s most interesting and least-known chapters.
Sci-Fi Chronicles: A Visual History of the Galaxy's Greatest Science Fiction
Guy Haley - 2014
Presented in an arresting blend of incisive text, infographic timelines, and stunning photographs, each chronologically arranged entry features an entertaining overview written by a science fiction expert, plus:The lifespan of sci-fi creations, for example, from book to movie to television series Other key media, such as comics, graphic novels, video games, manga, where appropriate Film and television stills, book and comic covers, and other archive material. Larger franchises -- such as Doctor Who and The War of the Worlds -- feature lavish spreads of photographs illustrating how they have evolved from black-and-white beginnings to big-budget blockbusters. Seminal sagas like Star Wars and Star Trek enjoy not only a "real world" timeline of films and TV broadcasts, but also a fascinating spread detailing their role in the series' fictional universe.The book is divided into five distinct sections:Early Science Fiction: The Birth of a Genre, 1818-1940 including Frankenstein, Journey to the Center of the Earth, A Connecticut Yankee, The Time Machine, The Lost World, TarzanThe Golden Age: 1920-1950 including Karel Capek, Metropolis, Buck Rogers, Olaf Stapledon, King Kong, Flash Gordon, Frederick Pohl, The Thing, Batman, Stan Lee, Arthur C. Clarke, George OrwellThe Era of the Atom: The Marvels and Perils of Science, 1950- 1970 including Dan Dare, Quatermass, The Fly, The Twilight Zone, Solaris, The Jetsons, Barbarella, Dune, Soylent Green, Logan's Run, Land of the Giants, The Iron Man, A Boy and His DogDark Futures: Apocalypse and the War in Space, 1970-1990 including The Stepford Wives, Moebius, Star Wars, Judge Dredd, Mork and Mindy, V, Neuromancer, Back to the Future, Red DwarfThe Adventure Continues: Modern Science Fiction, 1990-Present including Jurassic Park, Men in Black, Doom, Babylon 5, Stargate, The Matrix, Halo, Jericho, The Hunger Games, Fringe, Wall-E, Avatar. Sci-Fi Chronicles is a truly international guide, with entries focusing on everything from Hollywood blockbusters to Russian cult classics, and from European literature to Australian franchises. It is perfect for dipping into, while its memory-jogging mentions and illustrations make it impossible to put down. It will delight long-standing sci-fi aficionados, yet with a scope that extends from vintage volumes to amazing anime, Sci-Fi Chronicles will also entrance a younger generation.
Time Travel: A History
James Gleick - 2016
Gleick's story begins at the turn of the twentieth century with the young H. G. Wells writing and rewriting the fantastic tale that became his first book, an international sensation, The Time Machine. A host of forces were converging to transmute the human understanding of time, some philosophical and some technological the electric telegraph, the steam railroad, the discovery of buried civilizations, and the perfection of clocks. Gleick tracks the evolution of time travel as an idea in the culture from Marcel Proust to Doctor Who, from Woody Allen to Jorge Luis Borges. He explores the inevitable looping paradoxes and examines the porous boundary between pulp fiction and modern physics. Finally, he delves into a temporal shift that is unsettling our own moment: the instantaneous wired world, with its all-consuming present and vanishing future.
Pulp Art: Original Cover Paintings for the Great American Pulp Magazines
Robert LesserJim Steranko - 1997
The first book to feature the original paintings created for American pulp magazine covers, this unique reference offers an authoritative text, historical surveys, vintage letters, 125 full-page images, and much more.
The Art of World of Warcraft : Cataclysm
Blizzard Entertainment - 2010
The Art of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm artbook was originally distributed in the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Collector's Edition.The World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Collector's Edition comes in a special box that contains many exclusive extras to enhance the players' battle against Deathwing, including:World of Warcraft: Cataclysm on CD-ROM and DVD-ROM.- Art of Cataclysm, 176 pages of art featuring never-before-seen images from the archives of the Blizzard Film Department and the World of Warcraft development team.- An exclusive in-game pet: Lil' Deathwing.- A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, the Cataclysm intro cinematic with director’s commentary, and more.- The collector's edition soundtrack CD, containing ten epic tracks from the game, along with exclusive bonus tracks.- A mouse pad featuring Deathwing and a map of the newly ravaged world.- A World of Warcraft Trading Card Game Wrathgate™ starter deck, along with two extended art cards and two exclusive hero cards available only in the Collector’s Edition.
The Atlas of Pern
Karen Wynn Fonstad - 1984
Karen Wynn Fonstad brings out every detail of the world and history of Pern in fascinating graphics and lucent text. Tour the land whose very existence depends on the dragons and their riders! Detailed two-color maps showing every place and feature yet discovered on Pern; Follow F'lar's research as he learns how to predict Threadfall! Charts tracking the fall of Thread, the deadly spores that periodically ravage Pern; See the hatchling grounds where Jaxom impressed the white dragon Ruth! Schematics of the great Weyrs - the homes of the telepathic dragons and their riders; Visit Ruatha Hold where F'lar found Lessa, his future weyrwoman! Plans of the Holds, where most of the people of Pern live and work; And lots more covering all the books in the great series! The Atlas of Pern provides a spellbinding tour of the world where the harassed settlers from Earth fight to ovecome seemingly impossible odds and to carve out a new life for themselves and the future."
The Road to Dune
Frank Herbert - 2005
Now The Road to Dune is a companion work comparable to The Silmarillion, shedding light on and following the remarkable development of the bestselling science fiction novel of all time.In this fascinating volume, the world's millions of Dune fans can read--at long last--the unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah. The Road to Dune also includes some of the original correspondence between Frank Herbert and famed editor John W. Campbell, Jr., along with other correspondence during Herbert's years-long struggle to get his innovative work published, and the article "They Stopped the Moving Sands," Herbert's original inspiration for Dune.The Road to Dune also features newly discovered papers and manuscripts of Frank Herbert, and Spice Planet, an original novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, based on a detailed outline left by Frank Herbert.The Road to Dune is a treasure trove of essays, articles, and fiction that every reader of Dune will want to add to their shelf.
Through Darkness and Stars
Steve Karmazenuk - 2011
BOOK TWO OF THE OMNIVERSEAn ancient Ship completing a millions-year old mission has taken Human passengers and crew on an historic voyage to the heart of an ancient cosmic dynasty.But despite their extensive training, no one aboard the Shipflight is prepared for what they find as they search for the Great Races of the lost League of Worlds.When catastrophe forces Shipflight onward, unable to return to Earth, they set out to discover what happened to those who passed through the cosmos before them.What awaits them beyond the world that Mankind has always called home is a growing madness aboard the Ship and a lost enemy, stalking them as they travel through darkness and stars...
The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force
Daniel Wallace - 2010
The inner platform rises, revealing this exclusive edition of The Jedi Path.This ancient training manual, crafted by early Jedi Masters, has educated and enlightened generations of Jedi. It explains the history and hierarchy of the Jedi Order, and what Jedi must know to take their place as defenders of the peace in the galaxy — from mastery of the Force to the nuances of lightsaber combat.Passed down from Master to Padawan, the pages of this venerable text have been annotated by those who have held it, studied it, and lived its secrets. From Yoda and Luke Skywalker to Count Dooku and Darth Sidious, they have shaped the content of the book by leaving mementos tucked within the pages, tearing out pages, and adding their personal experiences as tangible reminders of the lessons they’ve learned.Through wars and rebellion, only a single copy of this manual has survived. It is now passed on to you.The ancient Masters who wrote the text: Fae Coven, Grand Master and head of the Jedi Council; Crix Sunburris, Jedi Ace starfighter pilot; Restelly Quist, Jedi Chief Librarian; Skarch Vaunk, Jedi Battlemaster and lightsaber expert; Bowspritz, Jedi Biologist and expert on the Living Force; Sabla-Mandibu, Jedi Seer and Holocron expert; Morrit Ch’gally, Jedi Recruiter; Gal-Stod Slagistrough, Jedi leader of the Agricultural Corps.Jedi who added personal commentary: Yoda, Thame Cerulian, Count Dooku, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Darth Sidious, and Luke Skywalker.Removable features: A letter tracing the book’s history, a severed Padawan braid, a metal Jedi Credit medallion, a Jedi starfighter patch, a burned poster of the Jedi Code, a map of the Jedi Temple, a lightsaber diagram sketched on the back of a napkin from Dex’s Diner, and a note on the missing pages torn from the book by a Sith.Created in collaboration with Lucasfilm — along with an acclaimed Star Wars author and revered Star Wars illustrators — this volume provides new insights into the history and lore of the Jedi Order while introducing never-before-seen ships, creatures, characters, and details about how one trains to become a Jedi.
Takashi Murakami
Takashi Murakami - 2007
Drawing from street culture, high art, and traditional Japanese painting, Murakami takes the contemporary art trend of mixing high and low to an unprecedented level (critics call him the new Warhol), producing original paintings and sculptures as well as mass-produced consumer objects such as toys, books, and most famously, a line of handbags for Louis Vuitton. A committed supporter and spokesperson for Japanese artists and a powerful commentator on postwar culture and society, Murakami has organized influential exhibitions of Japanese art as well as a biannual art fair in Tokyo. Murakami has positioned himself as a new type of artist for the twenty-first century: a hybrid of creator, entrepreneur, and cultural ambassador.In conjunction with the first major retrospective of his work, Murakami traces Murakami’s global impact socially, culturally, and art historically. Essays focus on Murakami’s early works, which were based on a social critique of Japan’s rampant consumerism; the development of his characters; his work with anime, fantasy; otaku culture; and his engagement with global pop culture. Representing output from original works of art to mass-produced multiples, the catalogue also considers the implications of Murakami’s working methods within the tradition of the Western avant-garde.
Star Wars: The Blueprints
J.W. Rinzler - 2011
With more than 250 blueprints, 500 photographs and illustrations, and ten stunning gatefolds, Star Wars: The Blueprints is a deluxe volume that reveals the work of the engineers, designers, and artists who dreamed up the look and feel of the Star Wars universe. Best-selling author J. W. Rinzler explores the complex process of envisioning and creating the Star Wars films throughout this collection. Witness first-hand the technical expertise and jaw-dropping detail involved in every part of the process, from concept sketches to final scenes. Star Wars: The Blueprints showcases the transformation of careful technical drawings to now-iconic sets--the rebel blockade runner, the
Millennium Falcon
, the bridge of General Grievous’s flagship, Jabba the Hutt’s throne room, and many others. Meticulously researched and packed with gorgeous artwork and little-known details, Star Wars: The Blueprints tells the story of the brilliant minds and technical prowess that brought this extraordinary epic to life.
The Dictionary of Imaginary Places: The Newly Updated and Expanded Classic
Alberto Manguel - 1980
Here you will find Shangri-La and El Dorado; Utopia and Middle Earth; Wonderland and Freedonia. Here too are Jurassic Park, Salman Rushdie's Sea of Stories, and the fabulous world of Harry Potter. The history and behavior of the inhabitants of these lands are described in loving detail, and are supplemented by more than 200 maps and illustrations that depict the lay of the land in a host of elsewheres. A must-have for the library of every dedicated reader, fantasy fan, or passionate browser, Dictionary is a witty and acute guide for any armchair traveler's journey into the landscape of the imagination.
Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human
Grant Morrison - 2011
1 in 1938, introduced the world to something both unprecedented and timeless: Superman, a caped god for the modern age. In a matter of years, the skies of the imaginary world were filled with strange mutants, aliens, and vigilantes: Batman, Wonder Woman, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and the X-Men—the list of names as familiar as our own. In less than a century, they’ve gone from not existing at all to being everywhere we look: on our movie and television screens, in our videogames and dreams. But what are they trying to tell us?For Grant Morrison, arguably the greatest of contemporary chroniclers of the “superworld,” these heroes are powerful archetypes whose ongoing, decades-spanning story arcs reflect and predict the course of human existence: Through them we tell the story of ourselves, our troubled history, and our starry aspirations. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero—why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are . . . and what we may yet become.