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Naomi Campbell is a phenomenon. Still very much at the top of her game after nearly four decades in the fashion industry, news of her trailblazing work, both on and off the catwalk, continues to hit the front pages as she pushes the boundaries of the fashion world. Inspiring, creative, energetic and most definitely iconic, Campbell stands apart as a unique force.

Opening with a specially commissioned interview by Tim Blanks, this book showcases more than 20 of the most eloquent ensembles from across her career, personally selected and discussed by Campbell herself. It also explores the different facets of her success - from her work as a model, a muse and brand builder, to life beyond the catwalk as a cultural leader with her unerring support of emerging designers.

With spectacular looks from Azzedine Alaïa, Gianni Versace, Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Kenneth Ize - to name but a few - this is an exclusive look into the world of one of fashion's most talented and enduring personalities.

About the Authors:

Sonnet Stanfill is Senior Curator of Textiles and Fashion at the V&A.

Elisabeth Murray is Exhibition Project Curator at the V&A.

Gorgeously illustrated with NASA photography, the large-format (30 × 30 cm) NASA Missions to Mars examines everything from the first tentative steps toward the fourth planet to the 2021 landing of rover Perseverance and beyond.

Space exploration has always been about pushing boundaries, but perhaps the achievement which has most piqued a sense of possibility has been the exploration of Mars. Beginning with Soviet and American flybys in the early 1960s that were part and parcel of the Space Race, acclaimed space historian Piers Bizony continues through complete coverage of the Viking 1 and 2 missions of 1975–1976. Bizony also traces NASA’s acclaimed rover program, describing the development, technologies, mission histories, and achievements of the rovers Sojourner, Opportunity, Spirit, and Curiosity — all on the 25^th anniversary of their first landing.

This awe-inspiring book features:

- An engaging and complete history of Mars exploration
- A treasure trove of imagery from the NASA archives, including photos and cartography beamed home, artworks and concept drawings created during development phases, as well as photography created to document testing phases
- A glimpse of future plans for Mars exploration and habitation
- Coverage of orbiters sent to the red planet by not only NASA but by space agencies from Russia, India, Japan, Europe, China, and the UAE
- A two-sided 60 cm gatefold

Humankind’s fascination with Mars can be traced back to prewar science fiction. While the billions of dollars and ingenious innovations have allowed us incredible views from more than 51 million miles away, no less incredible are the insights these missions, hardware, and scientists have provided into our universe — and our own planet. NASA Missions to Mars is your complete illustrated history of those efforts and a necessary volume for the bookshelf of any space enthusiast!

About the Author:

Piers Bizony is an experienced multimedia professional who has written about science and the history of technology for a wide variety of publishers worldwide, and has undertaken major projects for the media departments at NASA and ESA. He has also gained substantial experience within the film and television industries. The author of Quarto’s Moonshots, The Art of NASA, NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary, and other titles, Bizony also worked closely with the family of Stanley Kubrick, in conjunction with Warner Bros. and fine art publishers Taschen, on a large-format book about the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Пролистать книгу NASA Missions to Mars: A Visual History of Our Quest to Explore the Red Planet на Google Books

Written and curated by recognized historians of space exploration, NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary is the authoritative photo history of the iconic space program.

Officially known as the Space Transportation System (STS), the Space Shuttle program operated from 1981 to 2011. During that time, five Shuttle systems took part in 135 missions under the operation of NASA. This approach — namely reusable spacecraft —revolutionized space exploration. NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary traces the STS’s 30-year operational history. Essays by former NASA chief historian Roger Launius are accompanied by a collection of incredible Shuttle photography and imagery mined from the depths of NASA’s archives by aerospace historian Piers Bizony — all of it presented in large-format color.

Readers will witness the pre-1981 evolution, the missions, astronauts, ground personnel and infrastructure, and amazing accomplishments of the Shuttle program and its spacecraft: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. From the launch site at Cape Kennedy, Florida, to mission control in Houston, Texas, to the landing site at Edwards Air Force Base, all aspects of Shuttle operation are covered, including key roles in efforts such as the Hubble Telescope and International Space Station, as well as the tragedies of Challenger and Columbia disasters.

Every carefully chosen image in NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary tells an aspect of the Shuttle story. The resulting book is not only a unique view of a key chapter of NASA history — it’s a compelling collection of stunning NASA photography and illustrations.

About the Author:

Piers Bizony is an experienced multimedia professional who has written about science and the history of technology for a wide variety of publishers worldwide, and has undertaken major projects for the media departments at NASA and ESA. He has also gained substantial experience within the film and television industries. The author of Quarto’s Moonshots, The Art of NASA, NASA Missions to Mars: A Visual History of Our Quest to Explore the Red Planet, and other titles, Bizony also worked closely with the family of Stanley Kubrick, in conjunction with Warner Bros. and fine art publishers Taschen, on a large-format book about the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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Пролистать книгу NASA Space Shuttle: 40th Anniversary на Google Books

National Portrait Gallery: The Collection is published to celebrate the reopening of the Gallery after a three-year redevelopment project.

Designed by Daniela Rocha, this engaging and inviting book takes the reader on a chronological journey through Britain’s history in portraiture, from the Tudors to Now, featuring the country’s most impactful and famous individuals, from Queen Elizabeth I to Mary Seacole, and Virginia Woolf to David Bowie. The book is richly illustrated with beautiful paintings, photographs, sculptures, drawings and digital works.

Readers will enjoy a selection of the most popular and recognisable portraits from the Collection, accompanied by short chapter introductions that introduce key historical periods, their most exciting figures, and their most important historical, political, social and cultural moments. This accessible structure allows the reader to dip into any of the beautiful portraits and their stories, and understand their place in British history.

An Introduction by Director Dr. Nicholas Cullinan will highlight why portraiture has been fundamental to people and society historically, but also to contemporary audiences, by exploring themes of culture, identity and the representation of diversity. This will also introduce readers to the nation’s newly reopened National Portrait Gallery, explaining how it came to be the nation’s home of portraits and the world’s most significant Collection of people.

About the Authors:

Rab MacGibbon is Cross-Collections Curator at the National Portrait Gallery, London. He is the author of Icons and Identities (2021), and a contributor to Love Stories: Art, Passion & Tragedy (2020), Elizabethan Treasures: Miniatures from Hilliard to Oliver (2019) and The Lost Prince: The Life & Death of Henry Stuart (2012).

Dr Nicholas Cullinan is Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Another country: Introducing America to Americans

Amid the ravages of the Great Depression, the United States Farm Security Administration (FSA) was first founded in 1935 to address the country s rural poverty. Its efforts focused on improving the lives of sharecroppers, tenants, and very poor landowning farmers, with resettlement and collectivization programs, as well as modernized farming methods. In a parallel documentation program, the FSA hired a number of photographers and writers to record the lives of the rural poor and introduce America to Americans.

This book records the full reach of the FSA program from 1935 to 1943, honoring its vigor and commitment across subjects, states, and stylistic preferences. The photographs are arranged into four broad regional sections but otherwise allowed to speak for themselves to provide individual impressions as much as they cumulatively build an indelible survey of a nation. Through color and black-and-white images, we meet convicts, cotton workers, kids on the street, and relocated workers on the road. We see subjects victim to the elements of nature and the timeless rituals of human life, as much as to the vagaries of the global economic market. We meet Dorothea Lange s iconic Migrant Mother, weather-beaten and worn, with two children leaning on her shoulders.

What unites all of the pictures is a commitment to the individuality and dignity of each subject, as much as to the witness they bear to this particular period of the American past and to universal cycles of growing, playing, eating, aging, ailing, and dying. Through the lenses of such perceptive, sensitive photographers as Dorothea Lange, Jack Delano, Russell Lee, Marion Post Wolcott, Walker Evans, and Ben Shahn, subjects are entrenched in the hardships of their historical lot, caught in the loop of humanity, and yet face the viewer with what is utterly their own: a unique, irreplaceable, often unforgettable presence.

About the series:

Bibliotheca Universalis — Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe at an unbeatable, democratic price!

Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible, open-minded publishing. Bibliotheca Universalis brings together more than 100 of our all-time favourite titles in a neat new format so you can curate your own affordable library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia.

Bookworm’s delight — never bore, always excite!

The soul of New York. A photographic journey through the history of the world's greatest city

This book presents the epic story of New York on nearly 600 pages of emotional, atmospheric photographs, from the mid-19th century to the present day. Supplementing this treasure trove of images are over a hundred quotations and references from relevant books, movies, shows and songs. The city's fluctuating fortunes are all represented, from the wild nights of the Jazz Age and the hedonistic disco era to the grim days of the Depression and the devastation of 9/11 and its aftermath, as its broken-hearted but unbowed citizens picked up the pieces. 

New York's remarkable rise, reinvention and growth is not just the tale of a city, but the story of a nation, From the building of the Brooklyn Bridge to the immigrants arriving at Ellis Island; from the slums of the Lower East Side to the magnificent art deco skyscrapers. The urban beach of Coney Island and the sleaze of Times Square; the vistas of Central Park and the crowds on 5th Avenue. The streets, the sidewalks, the chaos, the energy, the ethnic diversity, the culture, the fashion, the architecture, the anger and the complexity of the city is all laid out in this beautiful book block and block. This is the greatest city in the world after all and great are its extremes, contradictions and attitude.

More than just a remarkable tribute to the metropolis and its civic, social, and photographic heritage, New York: Portrait of a City pays homage to the indomitable spirit of those who call themselves New Yorkers: full of hope and strength, resolute in their determination to succeed among its glass and granite towers.

Features hundreds of iconic images, sourced from dozens of archives and private collections — many never before published — and the work of over 150 celebrated photographers, including: Victor Prevost, Jacob Riis, Lewis Hine, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Weegee, Margaret Bourke-White, Saul Leiter, Esther Bubley, Arnold Newman, William Claxton, Ralph Gibson, Ryan McGinley, Mitch Epstein, Steve Schapiro, Marvin Newman, Allen Ginsberg, Joel Meyerowitz, Andreas Feininger, Charles Cushman, Joseph Rodriguez, Garry Winogrand, Larry Fink, Jamel Shabazz, Allan Tannenbaum, Bruce Davidson, Helen Levitt, Eugene de Salignac, Ruth Orkin, Joel Sternfeld, Keizo Kitajima, and many many more.

The editor and author:

Reuel Golden is the former editor of the British Journal of Photography and the Photography editor at TASCHEN. His TASCHEN titles include: Mick Rock: The Rise of David Bowie, both London and New York Portrait of a City books, The Rolling Stones, Her Majesty, Football in the 1970s, the National Geographic editions, the David Bailey SUMO and Andy Warhol. Polaroids.

Three years after the conclusion of his trilogy, On This Earth, A Shadow Falls, Across the Ravaged Land, Nick Brandt returns to East Africa to photograph the escalating changes to the continent’s natural world.

In a series of epic panoramas, Brandt records the impact of man in places where animals used to roam, but no longer do. In each location, Brandt erects a life size panel of one of his animal portrait photographs, setting the panels within a world of explosive urban development, factories, wasteland and quarries.

The people within the photographs are oblivious to the presence of the panels and the animals featured in them, who are now no more than ghosts in the landscape. Some of the animals in the panels appear to be looking out at these destroyed landscapes with sadness, as if lamenting the loss of the world they once inhabited. By the end, we see that it is not just the animals who are the victims in this out of control world, but also the humans.

Inherit the Dust also includes plates of the original portraits of the animals that are featured in the life-size panels, the unique emotional animal portraiture for which Brandt is recognized.

There are also two essays by the artist: a text about the crisis facing the conservation of the natural world in East Africa, and behind-the-scenes descriptions of Brandt's elaborate production process, with accompanying documentary photographs.

About the Author:

Nick Brandt (b.1964) is an English-born, US-based photographer whose themes always relate to the disappearing natural world. He is the co-founder of the Big Life Foundation, in Kenya, where all of these photographs were shot.

Working in colour for the first time, Nick Brandt’s latest project uses complex composition and dramatically cinematic staging to highlight environmental degradation in the world and its effect on both animal and human life

This Empty World, Nick Brandt’s new monograph, features a series of dramatically staged photographs that bring together and reveal the animals and people of East Africa as the victims of environmental degradation in an emotionally powerful, cinematic way.

Moving into colour photography for the first time, the work is both a technical tour-de-force and a massively ambitious project in which the sets are constructed on a scale typically seen in major film production. Each panoramic image is a combination of two moments in time, almost all of them captured weeks apart from the exact same camera position.

Brandt first builds and lights a partial set, then waits for the animals that inhabit the region to enter the frame. Once captured on camera, the full set is built with the camera remaining fixed in place. The sets include bridge and highway construction sites, a petrol station, a bus station and even a dead forest. Completing the scene with a huge cast drawn from local communities, Brandt then photographs the second sequence. The final large scale prints are a composite of the two intricately plotted elements.

Viewed as a whole, the images vividly illustrate a world in which, overwhelmed by runaway human development, there is no longer space for animals to survive, and beg the question: what kind of world will we live in when stripped of its natural wonders.

About the Author:

Nick Brandt (b.1964) is an English-born, US-based photographer whose themes always relate to the disappearing natural world. He is the co-founder of the Big Life Foundation, in Kenya, where all of these photographs were shot.

As most of central London closes down late at night and the crowds head home, there are a select few who come out only after midnight. These ‘Night Flowers’, as they refer to themselves, encompass a loose-knit community of drag kings and queens, club kids, Goths, alternative queer and transgender people, fetishists, and cabaret and burlesque performers – all of whom bloom late at night and burn brightly under the city’s neon lights. Damien Frost’s arresting photographic portraits capture those who dwell on the fringes of nightlife in modern London, dressing in all manner of guises.

The portraits are the result of a project begun by Frost in 2014, when he went out every night to wander the city streets in search of its most colourful inhabitants. There he first came across the world of the Night Flowers and started documenting their wild looks and vivid creative expression.

Although traditional in style, for the most part the photographs were taken as incidental portraits after chance encounters on the street, down dark alleys or backstage in a club; the poise and grace of the subjects belie the quizzical looks, negative comments or even taunts thrown at the sitters by passers-by. Frost’s background in opera and theatre gave him a deep appreciation of the intricate details of the make-up and costumes, and of the many hours of preparation that it takes for each Night Flower to turn him- or herself into an ephemeral work of art. The resulting book is an extraordinary and powerful document of the ultimate alternative street style.

- Features over 300 dramatic portraits of those who inhabit the alternative nightlife scene in London, from drag queens to Goths
- Will appeal to anyone interested in fashion, street style and contemporary subcultures
- Damien Frost has more than 85,000 followers on Instagram+

About the Author:

Damien Frost is an Australian-born artist, graphic designer and photographer who works across the fields of painting, photography, website design, illustration and print design. He currently lives in London.

Art Ablaze. Pyrotechnics and pure self-expression at Burning Man

One hundred miles from the gambling town of Reno, in the wilderness of northern Nevada, lies a vast, hostile plain known as the Black Rock Desert. The region has been an empty and windswept dry lake bed for most of the past 10,000 years. Except, that is, for one brief week at the end of each summer, when a temporary city rises out of the barren clay.

This is the surreal and amazing site of Burning Man. Baked by the sun, and blinded by dust, the gathering acquires different meanings for different people: temporary community, spiritual adventure, performance stage, desert rave, social experiment. It’s also the incubator of some of the most remarkable site-specific outdoor art ever made: a mechanized fire-breathing octopus, a towering wooden temple 15 meters tall, and the eponymous Man himself—a skeletal sculpture set ablaze at the event’s conclusion.

In this updated edition with fresh images, writer and photographer NK Guy presents 16 years of Burning Man art. His dazzling images record these participatory, collective, intrinsically ephemeral installations and happenings in the desert, which exist for no clearer purpose than because someone wanted to express something. The result is testimony to a realm far beyond the ego, commerce, and power play of mainstream cultural output: it is one of the most pure, uninhibited, expressive centers of our time.

With a foreword by temple designer and artist David Best and a futureword by Founding Board Member Marian Goodell.

The photographer:

NK Guy is a Canadian writer and photographer living in Britain. He is the author of The Lens: A Practical Guide for the Creative Photographer and The Photographer’s Dictionary. He documented the art of Burning Man annually between 1998 and 2014.

Feel the cool of glaciers as we pedal through Greenland and follow us into the Faroe Islands as we roam remote Nordic corners by bike.

Ride through the fairytale-like snowy plains of the Nordic lands, where signs of civilization appear vanished. This journey combines radical touring, camping, and cooking the best of what local nature has to offer. By taking on some of the most treasured biking trails and terrains across the Nordic landscape, this book is a seated journey of discovery and escapism across a vast scenery set to inspire your next trip.

Nordic Cycle is an exploration of regions, people, and food on a mountain bike, with stunning photography and aerial shots. Discover illustrated maps and routes, follow the path of Tobias Woggon in his adventure and learn over 16 recipes with step-by-step instructions, paying homage to the local cuisine across the Nordics.

About the Author:

Cyclist Tobias Woggon is a specialist mountain biker who has travelled the world, experiencing out-of-this-world settings while embedding himself with the local culture. Having previously been a professional mountain biker on the global stage, he wasn’t able to experience local traditions while competing, instead, he is making up for it in his latter years. By applying his knowledge over the sport and decades worth of experiences, this two-wheel journey will spur your next adventure.

Northern Comfort takes a close look at some of the Nordic region’s most inspiring and insightful ideas and individuals

The Nordic Art of Life has become a role model for meaningful creative life around the globe. Scandinavian design and creativity are synonymous with cozy homes and architecture that combine style with tradition, indoors with outdoors, natural materials with rich colors, and playfulness with clarity. The Nordic countries are famous for their designers and entrepreneurs, who combine diligent preparation with bold execution in all elds of contemporary creativity, like design, architecture, fashion, and food.

Northern Comfort – The Nordic Art of Creative Living brings together the people, endeavors, and ideas that best embody this way of life, focusing on interior design while also venturing into the outdoors, the kitchen, and the atelier. It presents a kaleidoscope of northern talent that is both admirable and inspiring. Get comfortable and follow us on this journey up north.

About the Author:

Austin Sailsbury is an American freelance writer, editor, and creative project consultant based in Denmark. He writes and edits his own publications and has contributed to Kinfolk Magazine, Oak — The Nordic Journal, and Sindroms Magazine. He lives in Copenhagen with his wife and son.

A showcase of over forty of the most exciting and unique off-grid houses in North America, across a wide variety of wild and remote landscapes.

Living off the grid has become increasingly desirable in recent years. Escaping the city to be immersed in nature is ever more appealing as the pressures of everyday life increase. The need to reduce our carbon footprints as the effects of climate change become a reality has brought sustainable living, particularly in off-grid and net-zero houses, to the forefront.

In Off the Grid: Houses for Escape Across North America, Dominic Bradbury turns to North America to showcase how architects are making living in the wilderness a more affordable and attainable dream. From cabins deep in the forest to desert homes and stunning coastal retreats, this collection of the most innovative off-grid homes reveals how clever design is redefining the possibilities for living in some of the most extraordinary natural environments on Earth.

About the Author:

Dominic Bradbury is a journalist and writer specializing in architecture and design. He is the author of many books on these subjects, including Off the Grid, The Iconic House, The Iconic American House, The Iconic British House and The Iconic Interior.

Contents List:
Introduction
COUNTRYSIDE & FOREST:
BIG - Klein A45, New York State, USA
BRILLHART ARCHITECTURE – Brillhut, Eleuthera, Bahamas
COMMUNE – Santa Anita Cabin, Angeles National Forest, California, USA
CUTLER ANDERSON – Connecticut Residence, Connecticut, USA
DEN – A-Frame Kit Cabin, Catskills, New York State, USA
DEN – Fox Den, Catskills, New York State, USA
SHAUNA MCMANUS ARCHITECTS – The Climate Barn, Sagaponack, New York State, USA
MARC THORPE DESIGN – Edifice, Fremont, New York State, USA
MIDLAND ARCHITECTURE - The Hut, Belmont County, Ohio, USA
MIRÓ RIVERA ARCHITECTS – Hill Country House, Wimberley, Texas, USA
OLSON KUNDIG – City Cabin, Seattle, Washington State, USA
THE RANCH MINE – O-asis, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
LINDA TAALMAN – Pioneertown itHouse, Pioneertown, California, USA
UPE – Sustainable Cabin, Near Crowell, Texas, USA
WATERSIDE & COAST:
KELLY ALVAREZ DORAN (KAD) & SVN – House MN, Lake Havelock, Ontario, Canada
ATELIER SCHWIMMER – Lakeside Chalet, Lake Brome, Knowlton, Quebec, Canada
BOHLIN CYWINSKI JACKSON – Henry Island Residence, Henry Island, Washington State, USA
BRILLHART ARCHITECTURE – Thatch House, Surfer’s Beach, Eleuthera, Bahamas
CUTLER ANDERSON – Studio Bunkhouse, Washington State, USA
IWAMOTOSCOTT ARCHITECTURE – Goto House, Napa County, California, USA
KIERANTIMBERLAKE – Loblolly House, Taylor’s Island, Maryland, USA
LSD ARCHITECTS – Casa Jardin, Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica
OFFICE OF MCFARLANE BIGGAR ARCHITECTS - Gambier House, Gambier Island, British Colombia, Canada
MILLER HULL PARTNERSHIP – The Loom House, Bainbridge Island, Washington State, USA
TODD SAUNDERS – The Shed, Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada
STUDIO SCHICKETANZ – Big Sur Net Zero House, Big Sur, California, USA
SHIM-SUTCLIFFE ARCHITECTS – Harrison Island Camp, Harrison Island, Georgian Bay, Canada
WALKER WARNER ARCHITECTS – Hale Huna, Kona Coast, Hawaii
HILLSIDE & MOUNTAIN:
ANACAPA – Off-Grid Guest House, California, USA
ATELIER L’ABRI – Saltbox Passive House, Mont Gale, Bromont, Eastern Townships, Canada
CLB – The Phoenix, Casper Mountain, Wyoming, USA
COHESION – Joshua Tree Folly, Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
EGGLESTON FARKAS ARCHITECTS – Nighthawk Retreat, Sawtooth Mountains, Washington State, USA
FELDMAN ARCHITECTURE – Caterpillar House, Carmel, California, USA
IMBUE DESIGN – Boar Shoat, Bear River Range, Idaho, USA
MORK ULNES – Frame House, Sonoma, California, USA
MOS – House No. 5/Element House, Star Axis, New Mexico, USA
OLSON KUNDIG – Costa Rica Treehouse, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
STUDIO SCHICKETANZ – Tehama 2 Residence, Tehama, Carmel Valley, California, USA
TADPOLE STUDIO – Camp Davis, Oahu, Hawaii
FAULKNER ARCHITECTS – Miner Road House, Orinda, California, USA
RENÉE DEL GAUDIO ARCHITECTS – Goatbarn Lane House, Boulder, Colorado, USA
OFF-GRID GUIDE
PLANS
DIRECTORY

Many of us long to get away from it all in the great outdoors. Converted vans, trucks, and other vehicles are increasingly popular means of escape that provide temporary homes amid isolated terrain, sandy dunes, and endless skies.

Off the Road is a collection of outdoor adventures and the vehicular travel companions and equipment that make them possible. Its stunning photography transports us to awe-inspiring landscapes while revealing the lifestyle of those who make their homes on wheels — at least temporarily.
More and more people are hitting the road to the middle of nowhere. Along less-travelled paths, they are heading up mountains and down dunes. They are enjoying the drive and the view through mud-splattered windshields as much as the stops and evening campfires amid stunning terrain.

By heading off to discover the great outdoors in their own converted campers, jeeps, station wagons, or 4X4s, they can determine their own routes, itineraries, and pace, as well as how many challenges they’d like to meet along the way. After a day on the go, these multifunctional vehicles also serve as kitchens, campgrounds, and sleeping quarters that offer a great deal more improvised fun than a standard, perfectly equipped RV. Conventional luxuries are eschewed for the sake of greater freedom, tranquillity, and adventure.

Off the Road is a collection of outdoor adventures and the vehicular travel companions and equipment that make them possible. Its stunning photography transports us to awe-inspiring landscapes while revealing the lifestyle of those who make their homes on wheels — at least temporarily. The book also tells the stories of young families, globetrotters who travel on a dime, weekend explorers, surf libertines, and professional adventurers who have created a slice of paradise wherever they chose to park. 

Old Cuba presents an insider’s view of the splendid colonial-era sites of the storied island nation, from the grand apartments and magnificent cathedral of Old Havana to the plantation homes of Pinar del Río.

Cuba dominates the entrance to the Gulf of Mexico, fixed between the great continents to the north and to the south, and has long served as a bridge between the Old World and the New. First visited by Christopher Columbus in 1492, its history of interaction with the Old World of Europe is among the longest in the Americas, and its architecture bears testament to this: Cuba is home to some of the most ancient cities and towns in the western hemisphere. As a result, the country once known as the “pearl of the Antilles,” stands now as a treasure chest of alluring historic architecture — seasoned by European precedents mixed with colonial and Caribbean spice — and boasts an extraordinary number of UNESCO Cultural Heritage sites, from the historic center of Old Havana with its original city walls and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza — the oldest extant colonial fortress in the Americas — to the sixteenth-century city of Trinidad, within the central Cuban province of Sancti Spíritus, recognized by historians and scholars as a triumph of historic preservation and whose maze of pastel mansions and churches forms one of the best collections of colonial architecture to be found anywhere.

From Old Havana to Santiago de Cuba, Old Cuba offers an intimate look at the historic architecture — the houses, apartments, monuments, charming public spaces, and centuries-old churches — of this storied country.