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A beautiful and sumptuously illustrated book that presents the highlights of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild’s Renaissance court treasures.

This book explores the Waddesdon Bequest, the name given to the Kunstkamer, or cabinet collection of Renaissance treasures which was bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild MP in 1898.

The Bequest is named after Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, a fairy-tale French chateau built by Baron Ferdinand from 1874-83, where the collection was housed during his lifetime.

It was understood at the time that a collection of this quality could never be formed again, given the rarity and expense of the pieces, and the problems of faking and forgery of just this kind of material.

This book will unlock the history and romance of this glorious collection through its exploration of some of its greatest treasures and the stories they tell. It will introduce makers and patrons, virtuoso craftsmanship, faking and the history of collecting from the late medieval to modern periods, as told through the objects. Scholarly catalogues have appeared for parts of this splendid collection, but this book will open up the Bequest for the general reader.

By looking at individual objects in detail, and drawing on new photography and research, the book will enable readers to see and understand the objects in a completely different light.

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This book presents and explores the Waddesdon Bequest, the name given to the Kunstkammer or cabinet collection of Renaissance treasures which was bequeathed to the British Museum by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild, MP in 1898. The Bequest is named after Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, a fairy tale French chateau built by Baron Ferdinand from 1874 – 83, where the collection was housed during his lifetime. As a major Jewish banking family, the Rothschilds were the greatest collectors of the nineteenth century, seeking not only the finest craftsmanship in their treasures, but also demonstrating great discernment and a keen sense of historical importance in selecting them. Baron Ferdinand’s aim, often working in rivalry with his cousins, was to possess a special room filled with splendid, precious and intricate objects in the tradition of European courts of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It was understood at the time that a collection of this quality could never be formed again, given the rarity and expense of the pieces, and the problems of faking and forgery of just this kind of material.

The book will unlock the history and romance of this glorious collection through its exploration of some of its greatest treasures and the stories they tell. It will introduce makers and patrons, virtuoso craftsmanship, faking and the history of collecting from the late medieval to modern periods, as told through the objects. Treasures discussed will include masterpieces of goldsmiths’ work in silver; jewellery; hardstones and engraved rock crystal; astonishing microcarvings in boxwood, painted enamel, ceramic and glass; arms and armour and ‘curosities’: exotic treasures incorporating ostrich eggs, Seychelles nut, amber or nautilus shell. Scholarly catalogues have appeared for parts of this splendid collection but this book will open up the Bequest for the general reader. By looking at individual objects in detail, and drawing on new photography and research, the book will enable readers to see and understand the objects in a completely different light.

About the Author:

Dora Thornton is Curator of Renaissance Europe and Curator of the Waddesdon Bequest at the British Museum. She curated the new permanent gallery, funded by the Rothschild Foundation, for the Waddesdon Bequest, a Rothschild Kunstkammer in the British Museum. Her most recent book, A Rothschild Renaissance, was published to accompany the gallery opening in June 2015.

Miller’s Antiques Handbook & Price Guide remains the essential and trusted guide to the antiques market. It has earned the reputation of being the book no dealer, collector or auctioneer should be without. Compiled by Judith Miller, world-renowned antiques expert and co-founder of the book, the guide features more than 8,000 antiques.

Comprehensive sections cover ceramics, furniture, glass, silver and metalwares, jewellery and objets de vertu, clocks and watches, books, Oriental antiques, textiles, toys, decorative arts and Modern Classics. Special features explain why one piece is worth more than another, show how to value an item and teach you to be your own valuer. Biographies of designers and factories give the background information you need to help date and value objects, while special ‘Judith Picks’ sections give fascinating background and valuation details for particularly interesting or unusual objects.

About the Author:

Judith Miller began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She has since extended and reinforced her knowledge of antiques through international research, becoming one of the world's leading experts in the field. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and has since written more than 100 books, which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers. Judith Miller appears regularly on TV and radio. She is an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and co-hosts the popular BBC series The House Detectives, ITV's Antiques Trail, and Discovery's It's Your Bid. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and CNN. She is a regular lecturer and contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times, BBC Homes & Antiques and House & Garden. She has lectured extensively, including at the V&A in London and the Smithsonian in Washington.

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Miller's Collectables Handbook & Price Guide 2021-2022 is the up-to-date guide to the collectables market no dealer, collector or auctioneer should be without. Featuring more than 4,000 objects in full colour, each with a detailed description and price range, the book also shows you how to spot that rare example that may be worth twenty times more than another piece.

In-depth features explain why one piece is worth more than another, show how to value an item and teach you to be your own expert when appraising everything from 20th-century glass to costume jewellery.

Comprehensive sections cover a wide range of objects, with additional pages on pencils, toys, vintage handbags, trunks and costume jewellery for this edition.

Every entry and image is updated for each edition to keep the book up-to-date with collecting and buying trends. Miller's Collectables Handbook & Price Guide 2021-2022 is the only full-colour, fully-illustrated collectables price guide in the world.

About the Author:

Judith Miller began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University in Scotland. She has since extended and reinforced her knowledge of antiques through international research, becoming one of the world's leading experts in the field. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and has since written more than 100 books, which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers. Judith Miller appears regularly on TV and radio. She is an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and co-hosts the popular BBC series The House Detectives, ITV's Antiques Trail, and Discovery's It's Your Bid. She has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and CNN. She is a regular lecturer and contributor to numerous newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times, BBC Homes & Antiques and House & Garden. She has lectured extensively, including at the V&A in London and the Smithsonian in Washington.

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Пролистать книгу Miller's Collectables Handbook & Price Guide 2021-2022 на Google Books

If you want to know the value of your antiques - or find out how the antiques market is faring - the world's bestselling antiques price guide is the place to look.

'The bible of the antiques world.' Daily Mail

Miller's Antiques Handbook & Price Guide remains the essential and trusted guide to the antiques market. It has earned the reputation of being the book no dealer, collector or auctioneer should be without. Compiled by Judith Miller, world-renowned antiques expert and co-founder of the book, the guide features more than 8,000 antiques.

Comprehensive sections cover Ceramics, Asian Antiques, Furniture, Glass, Silver and Metalwares, Jewellery and objets de vertu, Clocks and Watches, Books, Textiles, Toys, Decorative Arts and Modern Classics. Special features explain why one piece is worth more than another, show how to value an item and teach you to be your own valuer. Biographies of designers and factories give the background information you need to help date and value objects, while special 'Judith Picks' sections give fascinating background and valuation details for particularly interesting or unusual objects.

About the Author:

Judith Miller was one of the world's leading antiques experts. She first began collecting in the 1960s while a student at Edinburgh University, and continued to extend and reinforce her knowledge of antiques through international research. In 1979 she co-founded the international best-seller Miller's Antiques Price Guide and went on to write more than 100 books which are held in high regard by collectors and dealers.

Judith appeared regularly on TV and radio. She was an expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow and co-hosted the popular BBC series The House Detectives, ITV's Antiques Trail, and Discovery's It's Your Bid. She appeared on The Martha Stewart Show and CNN. Judith lectured extensively, including at the V&A in London and the Smithsonian in Washington, and contributed to numerous newspapers and magazines, including the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph, BBC Homes & Antiques and House & Garden.
 

A modern collector’s guide to a world of outlandish retro watches

Retro Watches is a popular, accessible collector’s guide for anyone who wants to make a statement with the watch they wear, but who wants to choose a timepiece that is very different from the ‘classic’ and very mainstream watches by the major Swiss brands. It brings together the most intriguing, visually striking and ‘out-there’ watch designs from little-known but influential watch brands, along with overlooked but brilliant pieces from the major players. One hundred watch models are featured, specially photographed for the book and accompanied by accessible, informative texts discussing the watch’s design, its intriguing features, and its rarity and value. The book also dives into the cultural and fashion history of watch design and the many innovations from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

• Features over 100 easily affordable curiosities and brilliantly designed but forgotten classics
• Spans the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the golden age of avant-garde watchmaking and experimentation
• Includes features on the history of watch design and aesthetics

About the Authors:

Josh Sims is a design writer based in Margate. He is the editor of social trends journal Viewpoint and author of several books on menswear, including Icons of Men’s Style.
Mitch Greenblatt is the co-owner and founder of Xeric Watches, Horolovox and watches.com.

An inspiring compendium of idiosyncratic interiors assembled around eclectic collections of objects with life and history

The once rarefied world of antiques is bursting open thanks to a new generation of collectors. The New Antiquarians features twenty-two young connoisseurs whose spirited interiors exemplify unorthodox approaches to living with history. Hailing from across the United States and Britain, they brazenly blend the old with the new, embrace anachronism and pastiche, employ serious knowledge with humor and wit, and consider vintage and historical objects through the lens of contemporary values. The New Antiquarians is an exuberant entry point into the world of antiques, highlighting one-of-a-kind collections and the single-minded collectors whose stories suggest compelling new ways of living with the past.

Collectors whose homes are featured include: Jared Austin; Emily Adams Bode Aujla and Aaron Singh Aujla; Pablo Bronstein; Collier Calandruccio; Adam Charlap Hyman; Emily Eerdmans; Jared Frank; Andrew LaMar Hopkins; Kyle Marshall; Sean McNanney and Sinan Tuncay; Avril Nolan and Quy Nguyen; Camille Okhio; Jeremy K. Simien; Abel Sloane and Ruby Woodhouse; Samuel Snider; Alex Tieghi-Walker; and Giancarlo Valle and Jane Keltner de Valle.

About the Authors:

Michael Diaz-Griffith is an art historian, designer, and Executive Director & COO of the Design Leadership Network. Prior to joining the DLN, Diaz-Griffith served as Executive Director of Sir John Soane’s Museum Foundation and as Associate Executive Director of The Winter Show, America’s most prestigious and longest-running art and antiques fair.

Brian W. Ferry is a photographer based in New York City. He regularly shoots portraits, travel stories, interiors, architecture, and design projects for international clients such as the Judd Foundation, Kvadrat, HAY, and Apartamento Studios, and for publications such as Dwell, Condé Nast Traveler, and the Wall Street Journal Magazine.

For all chrono fans, collectors and watch enthusiasts there is now the brilliant and completely revised new edition "The Watch Book Compendium". The comprehensive coffee-table book replaces the earlier "The Watch Book Compendium" and combines "The Watch Book I" and "The Watch Book II". As usual, the successful author Gisbert L. Brunner shines with his extensive expertise and brings his readers closer to the history of the wristwatch with more than 1,000 high-resolution photographs. With over 40 pieces, hardly any other illustrated book gathers more premium watch brands under one roof.

The predecessors of "The Watch Book Compendium - Revised Editon" have long been considered standard works among experts. Because no other photo book depicts more of the noble timepieces. The author shows the luxury timepieces not only in a frontal and side view, as many catalogs have to offer. The reader often gets a direct look at the sophisticated mechanics of these small masterpieces of extraordinary craftsmanship. There is no more beautiful and artistic way to present accomplished technology. 

Gisbert L. Brunner invites his interested reader on a journey through time in the world of the watch. Beginning with the earliest beginnings of the art of watchmaking, we accompany him piece by piece into the modern age. Because even today, premium watches are a sign of style, taste and status symbol. The presentation of the precious materials, the beautiful designs and the insight into the sophisticated technology, enchants real watch fans and makes "The Watch Book Compendium - Revised Edition" a perfect gift.

About the Author:

Gisbert L. Brunner, born in 1947, has been involved with precision timepieces of all kinds since the 1960s, primarily wristwatches. During the quartz watch crisis in the 1970s, his love for the seemingly dying mechanical timepieces increased even more. His passion for collecting led to his first articles in the early 1980s. In the meantime, Brunner has published more than 15 books on the subject. He is in demand worldwide as a lecturer.

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Посмотреть видео о книге The Watch Book Compendium - Revised Editon

An exceptional volume bringing together 1,000 images representing the diversity and richness of the visual arts in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century

At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna became an epicentre for new thought. A multi-disciplinary environment emerged where musicians, writers and intellectuals all flourished, often coming together in the capital’s famous coffee houses. This was the time of Freud and Wittgenstein, of Mahler and Schönberg, and of the Secession (1897–1905), the modern movement led by Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser that aimed to bring different arts together in a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’; of Jugendstil and of the Wiener Werkstätte.

There have been many exhibitions and publications devoted to this effervescence of artistic creation, and even more monographs devoted to its key players. None, however, brings together a selection of visual material from across the different artistic disciplines as significant as this volume, curated and authored by three leading scholars of the period. The illustrations take the lead throughout, creating an invaluable visual reference point for all those eager to identify a given category of the arts within this period, particularly in the field of the decorative arts, from ceramics to glass, silverwork, furniture and jewellery; and graphic arts, from book design to posters and postcards. There are also many less familiar works in the field of fashion and photography, and a particular focus is given to the role of women practitioners of the time.

This is an essential publication for anyone interested in fin-de-siècle Vienna, Viennese art and modern decorative arts more generally.

About the Authors:

Christian Brandstätter is a Viennese author, curator and publisher. Among his previous books is Wonderful Wiener Werkstätte, also published by Thames & Hudson.

Rainer Metzger is an art historian and author who has been a professor at the Kunstakademie Karlsruhe since 2004. His books include Gustav Klimt: Drawings and Watercolours (2005), Berlin in the 20s (2007) and Munich: Its Golden Age of Art and Culture 1890–1920 (2009), all published by Thames & Hudson. 

Daniela Gregori studied Art History in Vienna and Hamburg. As an author and journalist, she works especially in the field of applied arts.

Contents List:

Introduction • 1. The Fine Arts • 2. Painters • 3. The Wiener Werkstätte • 4. Commercial Art and Publications • 5. Glass • 6. Ceramics • 7. Metalwork • 8. Fashion, Textiles and Jewelry • 9. Furniture • 10. Graphic Art and Bookbinding • 11. Photography • 12. Architecture • A–Z of Artists and Manufacturers

The first volume in more than 20 years tells a new and modern story of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms, one of the top collections of American fine and decorative arts in existence.

Winner, NYC Big Book Award 2023, Fine Arts; Best Art Book, American Book Fest Award, 2023

The art of United States diplomacy has been conducted over more than two centuries with figures from all over the world, in peacetime and in conflict. For the last six decades, these negotiations have taken place in the rarified environment of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms at the U.S. Department of State. Tucked inside the modern Truman Building in the center of Washington, D.C., lies this special suite of rooms transformed by four renowned architects — gems of classical architecture brimming with exceptional American art and artifacts that tell the story of the nation’s founding and represent the singular ideals of the American character.

Housing one of the finest collections in the world, along with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Winterthur, these rooms display more than 5,000 objects, including paintings by John Singleton Copley and Gilbert Stuart; silver and porcelain owned by George Washington and other presidents; fine furniture; maps and documents; prints and drawings, not to mention the very desk the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War was signed on.

With all-new photography and essays, this book captures the history of the rooms and explores more than 150 examples of the extraordinary American art that animates the exquisite spaces.

About the Author:

Virginia B. Hart is director and curator of the Diplomatic Reception Rooms and Bri Brophy is deputy chief curator. The Honorable John F. Kerry is U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, and former U.S. Secretary of State. Allan Greenberg is an architect and author. Mark Alan Hewitt is an architect and architectural historian. Stacy Schiff is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning author. Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser is the Senior Curator for the 2026 Bicentennial at Frederic Chruch's home Olana and Curator Emerita of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alice Cooney Frelinghuysen is the Anthony W. and Lulu C. Wang Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Alexandra Alevizatos Kirtley is the Montgomery-Garvan Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Elliot Bostwick Davis is Senior Editor, Harvard Social Impact Review, Arts and Culture and a former museum curator and director. Deborah Dependahl Waters is an independent decorative arts historian and part-time assistant professor at Parsons, New School University. David M. Rubenstein is a financier and philanthropist. Carolyn Vaughan is a writer and editor of art books and exhibition catalogues. Laaren Brown is a writer and editor for art and natural history topics. Durston Saylor is a photographer of contemporary interior design and architecture. Bruce M. White is a photographer of works of art and historic architecture. Sarah Gifford is an award-winning graphic designer.

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The first book to exclusively present Cleto Munaris latest creations in the field of the applied arts: a unique collection of art carpets.

Cleto Munari was born in Gorizia and he lives and works in Vicenza. After meeting Carlo Scarpa in 1973, who encouraged him in his work, he decided to focus his attention on the area of industrial design, and began to work for some of the most important companies in the world. Constantly in search of original ideas, over the years he has tirelessly been engaged in analyzing and experimenting with both forms and material. In 1985 he opened a laboratory-studio-jewelers, where, together with a group of worldclass architects, he designs and produces silver jewelry and other objects for avant-garde collections that truly represent historical revolutions in jewelry both in Italy and abroad, and have also led to the production of watches, pens and furniture.

Cleto Munaris objects have entered the permanent collections of some of the worlds top museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

This book is the first to exclusively present Cleto Munaris latest creations in the field of the applied arts. After his jewelery, silverware, watches and furnishings, the great designer has involved ten other designers and artists in the creation of a unique collection of art carpets. Signed by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Dario Fo, Mario Botta, Alessandro Mendini, Javier Mariscal, Ettore Mochetti, Deisa Centazzo, Sandro Chia, Mimmo Paladino and by Cleto Munari himself, these creations are full-fledged works of art and represent the high point of the skills and expertise of one of the greatest creative designers in the world, who has been designing and producing for over forty years.

This detailed two-volume set offers an unparalleled scholarly insight into the history of Danish porcelain. Renowned for its ceramic industry, Denmark earned its status as a leading porcelain exporter through intense rivalry with other firms across Europe. With its factories excelling time and time again at the largest international expositions of the 19th and early 20th century, Danish porcelain took its own place on the world stage.

Founded in 1775, Royal Copenhagen remains one the oldest porcelain manufacturers still in operation today. Throughout its history, the factory has experienced numerous highs and lows, and has weathered more than 130 years of competition from the Bing & Grøndahl Porcelain Factory. After 1882, the two factories were located less than a mile apart, with their flagship stores eventually competing side-by-side for sales in the heart of Copenhagen.

Danish Porcelain was inspired by a two-generation collection of Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl porcelain, stoneware and faience begun by the author’s father in 1947. Developed over the past 20 years, this is the first comprehensive publication to critically review the history of both factories, from their beginnings to their eventual merger. Featuring detailed appendices and over 2400 images, these two volumes comprise an important source of information on the history of Danish porcelain, including the many technical and artistic successes of the late 1880s that revolutionised production worldwide.   

About the Author:

Dr. Elliot Todd is a second-generation collector of Danish porcelain, stoneware and faience from the factories of Royal Copenhagen and Bing & Grøndahl. Having received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, he is now a professor at a leading American university. An internationally recognised researcher and educator in his fie

Fabergé: Treasures of Imperial Russia. Fabergé Museum, St. Petersburg is a lavish volume on the most complete Fabergé collection in the world, with many pieces rarely seen before, from the famous imperial Easter eggs to precious jewelry, enamels, and Russian silver, showcased in the sumptuous Shuvalov Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Jeweler and goldsmith Carl Fabergé and his firm are renowned for creating the most superbly refined objects of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for the nobility and aristocracy of imperial Russia. Exquisite examples of the jeweler’s art, Fabergé’s magnificent Easter eggs, commissioned for the Romanov Imperial family, and other impeccably crafted objects continue to be prized the world over for their incredible craftsmanship and unparalleled beauty.

Now, the Fabergé Museum in St. Petersburg has gathered the most spectacular and comprehensive treasury of Fabergé objects. This book showcases a wealth of precious objects — from the imperial eggs, delicate jeweled enamel clocks, and picture frames to animals carved out of hardstone and gem-encrusted jewelry and presentation boxes.

With all-new photography of the collection — more than 500 priceless objects in all — alongside stunning images of the majestic Shuvalov Palace, this luxurious volume is a celebration of the exquisite beauty and craftsmanship of prerevolutionary Russia and its heritage.

About the Author:

Written by internationally known authors and leading experts: Géza von Habsburg, Tatiana Muntian, Valentin Skurlov, Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm, Kieran McCarthy, Mark Schaffer, Irina Buseva-Davydova, Alexander von Solodkoff, and Ekaterina Khmelnitskaya.

A survey of America's preeminent maker of fine silver and its legacy of exceptional design and innovation in the decorative arts.

Established in 1831, the Gorham Manufacturing Company adeptly coupled art and industry, rising to become an industry leader of stylistic and technological achievement in America and around the world. It produced public presentation pieces and one-of-a-kind showstoppers for important occasions, as well as tableware for everyday use. Its works trace a narrative arc not only of great design but also of American ambitions. In this volume, insightful essays are accompanied by gorgeous new photography of splendid silver pieces along with a wealth of archival images, design drawings, casting patterns, and company records that reveal a rich heritage of a giant in decorative arts and silver manufacturing.

Produced in collaboration with the RISD Museum, which has the world's most significant collection of Gorham silver, this major new book casts new light on more than 120 years of grand aesthetic styles in silver, innovative industrial practices, and American social and cultural norms.

About the Author:

Elizabeth A. Williams is David and Peggy Rockefeller Curator of Decorative Arts and Design, RISD Museum.

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The name Johann Joachim Kaendler (1706–1775) is closely entwined in the 18th century with the golden age of the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory. His exceptional artistic talent, coupled with craftsmanship, enabled him to capture the daily life of the nobility in their palaces and residences in numerous figures and groups. In doing so, he did not limit himself to official events but reflected tastes and aspirations as well as current trends.

In the publication Magnificence of Rococo impressive porcelain figurines from top-class European private collections are brought together for the first time: on over 300 pages, these magnificent, often unique objects provide insights into courtly life of the Baroque and Rococo periods.

_Four hundred images of pure Rococo and Baroque opulence
_Most beautiful Meissen figurines from European private collections
_Accompanying the extensive exhibition at Wawel Castle, Kraków

Chess, one of the world’s most popular games, has inspired artists for hundreds of years

Though apparently offering a limited canvas – each set has 32 pieces, each board 64 squares – sets have nevertheless been designed in countless ways, using almost every imaginable material: from precious metals to ivory and rock crystal. They have taken many forms, from figural to abstract, and used many diverse themes, from the historical and political to the beauty and variety of the animal kingdom.

This book brings together some of the most beautiful and unusual chess sets ever made. Over hundreds of years, from five continents, they are culled from private collections and museums, including 200-year-old sets made by nameless Indian craftsmen; sets by Peter Carl Fabergé; sets from Soviet gulag prisoners; and sets by leading artists of the 20th century, like Max Ernst.

Each set has been especially photographed for this book, with detailed insights provided by an exceptional group of experts: Dr. George Dean, Jon Crumiller, Larry List, Barbara Drake Boehm (senior curator of the Cloisters, Metropolitan Museum of Art) and William Wiles (Dezeen), with an introduction by the book’s editor, Dylan Loeb McClain, (former New York Times chess columnist).