Book picks similar to
Geisha: The Life, the Voices, the Art by Jodi Cobb
non-fiction
japan
geisha
history
A Daughter of the Samurai
Etsu Inagaki Sugimoto - 1933
An engrossing, haunting tale that gives us insight into an almost forgotten age. Madam Sugimoto was born in Japan, not in the sunny southern part of the country which has given it the name of "The Land of Flowers," but in the northern province of Echigo which is bleak and cold and so cut off from the rest of the country by mountains that in times past it had been considered fit only for political prisoners or exiles. Her father was a Samurai, with high ideals of what was expected of a Samurai's family. His hopes were concentrated in his son until the son refused to marry the girl for whom he was destined and ran off to America. After that all that was meant for him fell to the lot of the little wavy-haired Etsu who writes here so delightfully of the things that happened in their childhood days in far-away Japan.
Genghis Khan
R.P. Lister - 1969
The book covers the young Khan's daring conquests up until his elevation as Ruler of the Steppes in 1206. There are also genealogical tables tracing the familial descent of Genghis Khan.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures
Anne Fadiman - 1997
By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, over-medication, and culture clash: "What the doctors viewed as clinical efficiency the Hmong viewed as frosty arrogance." The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions, written with the deepest of human feeling. Sherwin Nuland said of the account, "There are no villains in Fadiman's tale, just as there are no heroes. People are presented as she saw them, in their humility and their frailty—and their nobility.
Century: One Hundred Years of Human Progress, Regression, Suffering and Hope
Bruce Bernard - 1999
The images have been drawn from international agencies such as Life, Magnum, Picture Post and Stern.
Frida Kahlo: The Gisèle Freund Photographs
Gisèle Freund - 2015
There she met the legendary couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Welcomed into their home, she immersed herself in their private lives and the cultural and artistic diversity of the country, taking hundreds of photographs. These powerful photographs, among the last taken before Kahlo’s death, bear poignant witness to Frida’s beauty and talent. Showcasing more than 100 of these rare images, many of which have never been published before, the book also includes previously unpublished commentary by Gisèle Freund about Frida Kahlo, texts by Kahlo’s biographer Gérard de Cortanze and art historian Lorraine Audric, as well as a link to a previously unreleased color film, shot by Freund, showing Diego Rivera at work.
Vogue and The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute: Parties, Exhibitions, People
Hamish Bowles - 2014
With subjects that both reflect the zeitgeist and contribute to its creation, each exhibition—from 2005’s Chanel, to 2011’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty and 2013’s Punk—creates a provocative and engaging narrative attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors. The show’s opening-night gala, produced in collaboration with Vogue magazine and attended by the likes of Beyoncé, George Clooney, and Hillary Clinton, is regularly referred to as the Party of the Year.Covering the Costume Institute’s history and highlighting exhibitions of the 21st century curated by Harold Koda and Andrew Bolton, this book offers insider access of the first order. Anchored by photographs from the exhibitions themselves in tandem with the Vogue fashion shoots they inspired, it also includes images of exhibited objects and party photos from the galas. Drawn from the extensive Vogue archives, the featured stories showcase the photographs of icons such as Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino, Steven Meisel, and Craig McDean; the vision of legendary Vogue editors like Grace Coddington and Tonne Goodman; and the knowledge and wit of writers such as Hamish Bowles and Jonathan Van Meter.
American Music
Annie Leibovitz - 2003
By 1973 she was the magazine's chief photographer. Since 1983 Annie Leibovitz has worked closely with Vanity Fair, who will be producing a special music issue to coincide with the book.Her subjects include Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams, Dolly Parton, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry and even Philip Glass. She has created a body of new work for the book, covering the landscape of American music - the juke joints of the Delta, Graceland, B. B. King at his hometown of Indianola in Mississippi and the Carter family in Virginia.The book is a tribute to a great culture in its widest form by the photographer who has understood more than anybody the power of the iconic image.
Islamic Arts (Phaidon Art & Ideas)
Jonathan M. Bloom - 1997
Dividing the time into three periods: 600-900, 900-1500 and 1500-1800, they set the artistic development in each era within its historical context and use art as a window into Islamic culture. Written in a lively and accessible style, and illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and plans, the book captures the essence of Islamic culture as expressed in its buildings, books and applied arts, and provides an essential introduction to the subject for both the student and the general reader.
Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi and Godzilla
Abby Denson - 2018
In Cool Tokyo Guide, Abby Denson, author of the popular Cool Japan Guide, turns her focus to Tokyo's exciting streets and a little bit beyond. Abby, her husband Matt, friend Yuuko and sidekick Kitty Sweet Tooth will introduce you to:A restaurant where clowns drive robots and mermaids ride on sharksFantastic shops for lovers of everything from vintage manga to dollar-store treasuresGreat places to take kids—or be a kid, of any age—like the Ghibli Museum and Palette TownFamous sites both old and new, from Sensoji Temple to Tokyo TowerMajor comic conventions in the anime, cosplay and manga capital of the worldMust-visit spots like Ueno Park and even a few spots outside the cityThis practical and fun comic book guide also helps you navigate everyday Tokyo life such as train etiquette, trash disposal, tricky toilets, department store fitting rooms, and the surgical mask phenomenon. There is also information on ways to prepare ahead of time to make the most of your stay in Tokyo. So whether you're planning a trip or taking an armchair sojourn, take this book with you and get ready for the best time ever!
The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Yuasa)
Matsuo Bashō - 1702
The sketches are written in the "haibun" style--a linking of verse and prose. The title piece, in particular, reveals Basho striving to discover a vision of eternity in the transient world around him and his personal evocation of the mysteries of the universe.
Interviews with History and Conversations with Power
Oriana Fallaci - 2010
Oriana Fallaci was granted access to countless world leaders and politicians throughout her remarkable career. Considering herself a writer rather than a journalist, she was never shy about sharing her opinions of her interview subjects. Her most memorable interviews—some translated into English for the first time—appear in this collection, including those with Ariel Sharon, Yassir Arafat, the former Shah of Iran, Lech Walesa, the Dalai Lama, Robert Kennedy, and many others. Also featured is the famous 1972 interview in which she succeeded in getting Henry Kissinger to call Vietnam a "useless war" and to describe himself as "a cowboy." To this day he calls the Fallaci interview "the most disastrous conversation I ever had with the press."
Devils
Gilles Néret - 2003
LUCIFER HIMSELF IS THE STAR OF THIS BOOK, WHICH CONTAINS IMAGES OF HIM THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF ART. ETCHINGS, WOODCUTS, PAINTINGS, ILLUSTRATIONS, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND ADVERTISEMENTS FEATURING OF THE DEVIL, BY THE LIKES OF DA VINCI, BOSCH, PIERRE ET GILLES, GIGER, AND MANY MORE, POPULATE THE PAGES OF THIS SUPREMELY "EVIL" BOOK.
Titian: His Life
Sheila Hale - 2012
Brilliant in its interpretation of the 16th-century master's paintings, this monumental biography of Titian draws on contemporary accounts and recent art historical research and scholarship, some of it previously unpublished, providing an unparalleled portrait of the artist, as well as a fascinating rendering of Venice as a center of culture, commerce, and power. Sheila Hale's Titian is destined to be this century's authoritative text on the life of greatest painter of the Italian High Renaissance.
Seizing the Light: A History of Photography
Robert Hirsch - 1998
This title covers production values, and rare and unusual prints.
Inferno
James Nachtwey - 1999
Featuring brutally compassionate photographs taken from 1990-99, inspired by an overwhelming belief in the human possibility of change, this volume is a definitive selection from Nachtwey's astonishing portfolio. It documents today's conflicts and their victims, from Somalia's famine to genocide in Rwanda, from Romania's abandoned orphans and 'irrecoverables' to the lives of India's 'untouchables', from war in Bosnia to conflict in Chechnya. Inferno is an evocative visual insight into modern history, bringing it disturbingly close to our consciousness.