“Sinatra with a cold is Picasso without paint, Ferrari without fuel—only worse. For the common cold robs Sinatra of that uninsurable jewel, his voice, cutting into the core of his confidence.” — Gay Talese In the winter of 1965, writer Gay Talese set out for Los Angeles with an assignment from Esquire to write a major profile on Frank Sinatra. When he arrived, he found the singer and his vigilant entourage on the defensive: Sinatra was under the weather, not available, and not willing to be interviewed. Undeterred, Talese stayed, believing Sinatra might recover and reconsider, and used the meantime to observe the star and to interview his friends, associates, family members, and hangers-on. Sinatra never did grant the one-on-one, but Talese’s tenacity paid off: his profile Frank Sinatra Has a Cold went down in history as a tour de force of literary nonfiction and the advent of the New Journalism. In this illustrated edition, Frank Sinatra Has a Cold is published with an introduction by Talese, reproductions of his manuscript pages, and correspondence. Interwoven with photographs from the legendary lens of Phil Stern, the only photographer granted access to Sinatra over four decades, as well as from top photojournalists of the ’60s including John Bryson, John Dominis, and Terry O’Neill. The photographs complement Talese’s character study, painting an incisive portrait of Sinatra in the recording studio, on location, out on the town, and with the eponymous cold, which reveals as much about a singular star persona as it does about the Hollywood machine.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 250

Dimensions: 236 x 333 mm

Publication Date: 20-05-2021

Do you think the world of the Eurovision Song Contest, with its crazy props, even crazier dancers and crazier still songs has nothing to do with serious European politics? Think again. It has been a voice of rebellion across the Iron Curtain, an inspiration for new European nations in the 1990s and 2000s, the voice of liberation for both sexual and regional minorities. Eurovision charts both the history of Europe and the history of the Eurovision Song Contest over the last six decades, and shows how seamlessly they interlink - and what an amazing journey it has been.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 356

Dimensions: 129 x 198 mm

Publication Date: 07-04-2020

When the music impresario Bryan Morrison died aged 66 in 2008, after two years in a coma following a polo accident, he left behind his unpublished memoir. As a music publisher, manager and agent, Morrison had represented the Pretty Things, Pink Floyd, T. Rex, The Jam, Wham! and many others. He was also the founder and owner of the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club. In this candid and outspoken book, Morrison reveals the true stories behind why Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd once bit his finger to the bone, the Pretty Things were banned for life from New Zealand, and he became involved with the Kray Twins. He also tells how The Jam kissed goodbye to success in the USA, he received death threats when Robin Gibb left the Bee Gees, and signing a publishing deal with George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as Wham! Spanning the golden age of British rock ’n’ roll from the 60s to the 80s, this is the extraordinary story of a cigar-chomping, East End entrepreneur, with a passion for art and design, fashion, music and polo.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 13-09-2019

From legendary visual artists Yoko Ono and Tracey Emin, to groundbreaking musicians like Annie Lennox and Debbie Harry, to fashion giants such as Miuccia Prada and Diane von Furstenberg, this collection of original interviews and Polaroid photographs of almost 30 trailblazing women spans creative industries, nationalities and generations to bring together a never-before- published collection of leading voices. Featuring an astounding range of names including FKA Twigs, Isabelle Huppert and Rei Kawakubo, this book creates both a portrait of each individual woman and - collectively - a powerful portrait of the impact of women on the creative industries. Each creative is interviewed and photographed by the Mexican artist Hugo Huerta Marin. Cate Blanchett reflects on the differences between acting on stage and in film; Marina Abramovic discusses her most radical piece of performance art; Carrie Mae Weems discusses the relationship between race and photography -these and other conversations are further brought to life by Huerta Marin's candid, intimate Polaroid images. Inspiring and revealing, this collection of interviews and photographs gives readers an unparalleled connection with some of the most fascinating women working in the arts today.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 424

Dimensions: 155 x 210 mm

Publication Date: 07-09-2021

This colourful little book of uplifting quotes and tailored tips delivers motivational sparks and creative signposts for musicians. Read it, play to it, use it as a make shift percussion instrument – whatever you do it, the aim is simple: to get you making music!

Bind: paperback

Pages: 128

Dimensions: 105 x 148 mm

Publication Date: 04-05-2015

The drummer is usually the least well-known member of any band. Yet behind every frontman is the person keeping the beat, and often acting as the music’s driving force. In these incredible portraits, Deirdre O’Callaghan places drummers squarely in the spotlight. Photographing her subjects in their private rehearsal spaces and residences—from studios, bedrooms and basements to garages and gardens—allows her to capture the true essence of their personalities and lifestyles. She has photographed almost 100 celebrated musicians for the book, including Ringo Starr, Questlove, Janet Weiss, Dave Grohl, Bobbye Hall, Lars Ulrich, Jack White, and Leah Shapiro. Each image is accompanied by excerpts from O’Callaghan’s personal conversations with the drummers. The result is a fascinating look at a truly diverse world made up of men and women from every walk of life, united by a single, emphatic passion.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 256

Dimensions: 280 x 240 mm

Publication Date: 13-09-2016

This illustrated survey celebrates the panoramic holdings and colorful history of the Archivio Storico Ricordi, one of the world’s most important musical archives. This comprehensive and captivating book follows the evolution of Milan’s Ricordi archive, from its founding in 1808 by publisher Giovanni Ricordi to its present-day holdings of thousands of scores, letters, libretti, sketches of opera scenery and costume design, photographs, and Art Nouveau and Art Deco posters. In addition, the original manuscripts of nearly all of the operas written by Verdi, Puccini, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and Paganini are preserved inside its hallowed vaults. The book contains an overview of the archive’s entire collection whilst also examining rare autographs, the often-unacknowledged significance of the libretto, and the phenomenon of Italian opera and its important contributions to the world of music and culture. Revealing fascinating stories of uncovered secrets and biographical insights into the composers this book is a treasure trove of musical ephemera which pays tribute to the glorious, dynamic, and colorful history of making, presenting, promoting, and preserving music for the ages.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 224

Dimensions: 216 x 275 mm

Publication Date: 10-02-2017

This book is a tribute to David Bowie, and to all facets of this magnificent artist, inspiration for several generations. We have brought together 41 artists who have created one or more illustrations of David Bowie, they also express in a sentence what they think about this artist recognised throughout the world.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 112

Dimensions: 180 x 230 mm

Publication Date: 17-04-2017

A passionate tribute to vinyl, spotlighting rock’s most influential records — from The Beatles’ 1963 debut Please Please Me, through the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks (1977) — 101 Essential Rock Records celebrates the “Golden Age.” A thoughtful essay on each album accompanies the original vinyl cover artwork, with rare variations from around the world. Also included are provocative interviews with musicians discussing the albums and artists who changed their lives. David Bowie speaks eloquently about the Velvet Underground’s influence, noting his band, Buzz, performed “I’m Waiting For The Man” at their last gig, and that “it was the first time a Velvet song had been covered by anyone, anywhere in the world. Lucky me.” Susanne Vega, Peter Buck (REM), Johnny Marr (The Smiths), Nels Cline (Wilco), Devendra Banhart, Robyn Hitchcock and more contribute original texts. Pictorial explorations of Jimi Hendrix’s personal record collection, and a survey of censored album covers from throughout the rock era are also featured. The sales of vinyl LPs have been growing rapidly while other physical mediums continue to wither, a trend driven in no small part by classic re-issues and the advent of record store day in 2008. 101 Essential is the perfect accompaniment and guide to digging in the bins for that quintessential vinyl experience.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 260

Dimensions: 250 x 300 x 30 mm

This beautiful and remarkable behind-the-scenes study of dancers, musicians and onlookers offers a social and narrative dimension to the everyday life at the legendary Bolshoi Ballet. “Gusov’s photographs are lightning fissures, apertures, openings. They are neat as the bullet marks made in the moving target of time by a master of the craft, and the weird and hopeless dawn that streams through these tightly clustered pinholes is the light of future.” —Andrei Navrozov Sasha Gusov specializes in portraiture, classical music, ballet and dance photography. He moved to England in 1989, where he got a job with printer Roy Snell who, when not working, allowed him access to the dark room. In 1993 his self-commissioned photographic project Images of the Bolshoi Ballet, published by the British Journal of Photography, earned him international recognition. Gusov’s work has since been widely published throughout the world. Photographic books include 25 years in Photography, 2014; Belarus: Terra Incognita, 2010; Royal Parks, 2011; Locusts, 2008; Italian Carousel, 2003 and Shooting Images, 2001.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 180

Dimensions: 240 x 320 mm

Publication Date: 20-10-2017