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For the acclaimed photographer Boris Mikhailov (born 1938), a society's most significant paradigm shifts are often most clearly perceived in the smallest of everyday transactions. For example, in a café or restaurant in Soviet-era Ukraine, a waiter would have offered you "tea or coffee?" Today, two decades after the fall of the Soviet bloc and the ascent of western capitalism, it's "tea, coffee, cappuccino?" In his latest body of work, Mikhailov addresses this shift by focusing on his hometown of Charkow, in northeast Ukraine. Here, the consumerist invasion of western capitalism is everywhere apparent in huge, colourful advertising banners and billboards, but the promises of the so-called Orange Revolution seem to have been fulfilled for only a few.

Mikhailov writes that "only when one sees misery in a picture, does one begin to notice it in the street," and throughout the 200-plus photographs in this volume, he takes pains to neither dramatize nor ameliorate the conditions of life in Charkow; and so his tough-minded pictures present a bleak but rigorously honest portrait of Ukraine and its inhabitants.

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For Boris Mikhailov, societal changes are most clearly visible in small, everyday events. While the waiter in Ukraine would still be asking "tea or coffee?" during the Soviet era, the question today is "tea, coffee, cappuccino?"

In his newest works (2000 - 2010), Mikhailov tackles precisely these changes and captures-as he has already in "By the Ground / At Dusk" (Oktagon, 1996)-daily life in his hometown Charkow. In this collection of more than 200 colour photographs, the West is perceptible everywhere in the form of huge, colourful advertising banners, but the promises of the Orange Revolution, that everything would get better, have only been fulfilled for few.

Through palliating nothing, transfiguring nothing, Mikhailov attempts to sensitise the view of the observer. The individual pictures and scenes create a large tableau of society that tells us more about Ukraine and its inhabitants than any specialised book.

This past year Boris Mikhailov joined the ranks of William Eggleston, Cindy Sherman, and Robert Frank as the recipient of the prestigious Hasselblad Award, confirming the international stature and critical acclaim he has earned in the last few years with one-person exhibitions at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, London's Photographer's Gallery, and the DAAD Gallery in Berlin as well as representation in major international surveys such as the Carnegie International.
 
His first book, "Unfinished Dissertation", was published by Scalo in 1997, on the occasion of his receipt of the Albert Renger-Patzsch Prize; in 2000, he published his second book with Scalo, "Case History", and was awarded the photo book award of the International Festival for Photography in Arles, France. Mikhailov also recently accepted an invitation to teach at Harvard University beginning in the fall of 2000.
 
This new book contains a never-before-published series of work from the early 1980s: Mikhailov photographed ''The Dancers'' in his hometown in Ukraine during a period when the former Soviet Union was a reality, before the appearance of Gorbachov and "perestroika". We observe the open-air dancing scene with great astonishment; seeing older and younger people enjoy themselves in a way that might be contradictory to the images we might have about everyday life in the old Soviet Union. These cheerful images remind us how little women and men need to have a good time.
 
An essay by Russian art critic Boris Groys and an exhaustive interview make this volume a must-have for readers and libraries interested in contemporary art and photography. Hardcover, 144 pages, 9 x 10 inches, 65 duotone illustrations.

It was no more than eight years after the surrender of the Nazi government when Josef Heinrich Darchinger set out on his photographic journey through the West of a divided Germany. The bombs of World War II had reduced the country's major cities to deserts of rubble. Yet his pictures show scarcely any signs of the downfall of a civilization. Not that the photographer was manipulating the evidence: he simply recorded what he saw. At the time, a New York travel agency was advertising the last opportunity to go and visit the remaining bomb sites. Darchinger's pictures, in color and black-and-white, show a country in a fever of reconstruction. The economic boom was so incredible that the whole world spoke of an "economic miracle." The people who achieved it, in contrast, look down-to-earth, unassuming, conscientious, and diligent. And increasingly, they look like strangers in the world they have created.

The photographs portray a country caught between the opposite poles of technological modernism and cultural restoration, between affluence and penury, between German Gemütlichkeit and the constant threat of the Cold War. They show the winners and losers of the "economic miracle," people from all social classes, at home, at work, in their very limited free time and as consumers. But they also show a country that looks, in retrospect, like a film from the middle of the last century. Of his color photographs, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote, "they are exceptional contemporary documents indicating how swiftly the grayness of everyday life became infused
with color again."
About the photographer:
Josef Heinrich Darchinger started working as a freelance photojournalist in 1952. Darchinger’s photographs began to regularly appear in reputable German print media starting in the mid-1960s. In his years as a photographer for Der Spiegel and Die Zeit, Darchinger had a formative influence on the magazines’ national news coverage of Bonn. He also presented his work at exhibitions and in collections of photographic portraits—for instance of Helmut Schmidt, Willy Brandt, Richard von Weizsäcker, or Heinrich Böll. Darchinger received numerous awards, among which was the prestigious Dr. Erich Salomon Award from the German Photographic Association.

Across the vast, wind-swept plains of Mongolia, nomadic tribes freely roam - only guided by the rhythmic changes of the seasons. Beginning in 2000, Hamid Sardar immersed himself in this fascinating people's way of life, following them throughout their daily rituals, hunting expeditions, and spiritual practices to capture their centuries-old practices. With a breathtaking mix of color and black-and-white images, Sardar's debut book is a poignant visual journey showcasing Mongolia's last traveling shamans and hunters. Especially fascinated by their spiritual relationship with land and animals, Sardar beautifully documents the wisdom, customs, and manners of an array of individuals, from horse-breeders and eagle masters to traditional healers.

Accompanied by an informative text, this title is a must-have for anyone interested in anthropology, photography, and adventure.

About the Author:

Born in Iran in 1966, Hamid Sardar is a scholar of Tibetan and Mongol languages who received a Ph.D. from Harvard. Inspired by the pioneers of ethno-photography during the Age of Exploration, in 2000 he set out to live with nomadic tribes in Mongolia and journeyed with them for eight years. The subject of four award-winning documentary films, his photographs captured during that time have been exhibited in galleries across the world.

Celebrating twenty years of an agenda-setting powerhouse of contemporary style, design, and popular culture. Celebrated for discovering and promoting new artists, musicians, designers, and filmmakers, Dazed & Confused magazine has been a barometer of popular style and culture since its founding in London in 1991 by Jefferson Hack and the photographer Rankin.

Quickly renowned for its controversial attitude, Dazed represented a new wave in the British style press, bringing together figures from different creative fields and eras to produce extraordinary interviews and develop artwork for the magazine. From David Bowie to Bjork, Harmony Korine to David Lynch, Kate Moss to Stockhausen, and Rankin to Thom Yorke, the roster of the magazine’s subjects and contributing artists alone is a record of the evolution of contemporary pop culture.

Edited by its founders, this daringly illustrated book immortalizes the magazine’s most enduring features, from legendary photoshoots and iconic covers to controversial interviews, and supplements them with outtakes, ephemera from the editors’ offices, original artwork, and contributions from the photographers, designers, and artists behind it all.

The allure of postwar Italy continues to seduce and captivate us, and now our love affair is rekindled through these remarkable and candid photos of stars whose timeless glamour endures: Audrey Hepburn with her hairstylist; Anna Magnani hailing a cab in Rome; Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini on Capri.

The Italy of the 1950s and '60s was a time of high style that bedazzled Americans and ignited a love of all things Italian, particularly film and fashion. Through these unabashed portraits of the cult of celebrity, we can revisit an Italy that was sensuous yet innocent, simple yet courageous, cosmopolitan yet insulated.

This book is both a visually stunning tribute to larger-than-life personas and a unique reminiscence of a time when being bold and outrageous was to be at the height of fashion. With more than 130 lovingly executed duotone separations, Dolce Italia celebrates la dolce vita and allows us to relive this stylish era anew.

The classic and coveted  Erwitt retrospective, republished in its original format

One of the all-time greats, Elliott Erwitt is a master whose photographs have defined the visual history of the 20th century — and the 21st. Although his work spans decades, continents and diverse subjects, it is always instantly recognizable. Spontaneous and original, Erwitt’s visions are imbued with true artistry and no trace of artifice. In this definitive collection, the master shares those works he considers his personal best. As you browse this carefully curated retrospective, you’ll feel nostalgia, wonder — and a lasting sense of life’s rich potential.

About the Photographer:

Born of Russian parents in Paris in 1928, the renowned photographer Elliot Erwitt arrived in the U.S. in the late 1930's and studied Photography in Los Angeles. He won recognition for his work in the 1940's and 1950's with the publication of photographs in Life Magazine and Collier's and in 1953, joined the prestigious Magnum photographic agency. The range of his subjects reflected his enormous talents - from the everyday reality of the post-war years to the glamour of Hollywood stars such as Humphrey Bogart and Marilyn Monroe to portraits of political leaders such as Nikita Kruschev. Erwitt later became a highly successful advertising photographer. In the 70's Erwitt refined his sense of irony, and in addition to comedy and film work, shot his landmark series of photographs of people and their dogs, memorably documenting the unique world shared by canine and human. Eliott Erwitt currently lives in New York City.

A wonderful selection of the best photographs from the Royal Geographical Society, with more than 400 pictures taken by explorers/photographers in remote parts of the world from the 1860s to the 1930s with details of expeditions and explorers.

Celebrities rule the modern world, and close behind them are the paparazzi, fuelling the media’s endless fascination with the rich and famous, while they themselves keep a low profile.

Bruno Mouron and Pascal Rostain are respected photo-reporters, based in Paris but ready to go anywhere for a scoop. They began working together in the late 1970s as contributors to the magazine Paris Match, and by 1986 they had set up a formal partnership, founding the agency Sphinx. Over the decades, they have honed the instincts required to catch the moment when a glance, a pose and a setting are most perfectly matched, capturing movie stars and models, rock stars and royalty.

From London to Paris, Hollywood to Cannes, here is a star-studded selection of those who live their lives in the spotlight, sometimes welcoming the camera, sometimes pursued by it.

Elizabeth Taylor and Grace Kelly, Michael Jackson and Kate Moss are among the iconic faces glimpsed in encounters that can be intimate, witty or confrontational. Spontaneity and immediacy are everything, with the blur of movement or the drama of tight close-ups contributing to the creation of some truly memorable shots that could never have been planned in advance.

Packed with striking black-and-white images that hark back to the golden age of photo-journalism, famous challenges us to recognize and celebrate a fresh frame of reference through which great photography can be judged.

Skateboarding in New York City is a singular experience. It is impossible not to feel the magnitude of the landscape, and with the city in constant motion, skateboarding is both exhilarating and extremely dangerous. There is no right or wrong way to navigate this vast terrain. Only one thing is certain - the skaters and images produced in New York City are wholly unique.

The shots in Full Bleed span 30 years, with contributions from over 40 photographers. This is the first-ever comprehensive overview of the one of the most diverse and rich skating locations in the world, bringing together legendary skaters and iconic photographers.

Featuring the work of: Giovanni Reda, Jessica Bard, Ivory Serra, Tobin Yelland, Miki Vuckovich, Thomas Campbell, Larry Clark, Ed Templeton, Jerry Hsu, Atiba Jefferson, Bryce Knights, Angela Boatwright, Athena Currey, Kenneth Cappello, Charlie Samuels, Andy Kessler, Mike O’Meally, Sammy Glucksman, Allen Ying, and more.

Previously unpublished photographs in an ideal gift format.

The most amusing snapshots from the largest collection of private photographs in the world are presented in Funny Pictures, another highlight in our new series of gift books. Selected photographic treasures from Christian Skrein's vast archives document the private worlds of many different types of people.

Photographer and painter, Yelena Yemchuk is most commonly known for her fashion and portrait photographs. Yet her personal work, usually shot on a 35mm camera while traveling around the globe, has rarely been seen. On one such trip to her hometown of Kiev, Ukraine, Yemchuk visited Gidropark, an island on the Dnieper River that she frequented as a girl. On the beaches, sports grounds and woodlands that populate the park, she found herself face to face with the characters and faces that she continually searches for. Taken over three summers between 2005 and 2008, Yemchuk captures life in Gidropark as only she can portray it. Families stripped down to their bathing suits (or even less) enjoying a picnic take on a Felliniesque quality through her lens. Each image is an exquisite film still, giving the viewer not only the image on the page, but richly creating an entire storyline of its possible before and after.

Yelena Yemchuk was born in Kiev, and immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was eleven. She studied at Parsons School of Design in New York and Art Center in Pasadena. She has contributed to Italian Vogue, Japanese Vogue, Another, The New Yorker and The New York Times among many others.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The epic Muhammad Ali tribute GOAT in a bantamweight edition

This bantamweight edition of GOAT slims down the heavyweight champion Collector’s Edition from 50 to 15 pounds. ​Smaller in size but not in impact, the book contains all the same expert essays, compelling interviews, thousands of images, and two gatefold sequences to create one epic tribute to Ali, as powerful and vibrant as the man himself.

GREATEST OF ALL TIME: A TRIBUTE TO MUHAMMAD ALI is a book with the power, courage, depth, creativity, and dazzling energy of its extraordinary subject. Slimmed-down from the heavyweight Collector’s Edition, this bantamweight edition is smaller in size, but pulls no punches on its expertise, passion, and insight on The Champ.

With thousands of images, including photography, art, and memorabilia and two gatefold sequences, the book pays vivid tribute to The Greatest both in and outside of the ring. Original essays and five decades’ worth of interviews and writing explore the courage, convictions, and extraordinary image-building that made Ali one of the most recognizable and inspirational individuals on the planet, an icon not only as an extraordinary athlete, but also as an impassioned advocate of social justice, interfaith understanding, and peace.

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The undisputed heavyweight champion of books

"This is not a book. This is a monument on paper, the most megalomaniacal book in the history of civilization, the biggest, heaviest, most radiant thing ever printed - Ali’s last victory." — Der Spiegel, Hamburg

This monumental publication first published in TASCHEN’s limited collector’s editions is now finally available in a popular hardcover edition!

Universally acclaimed as the greatest sportsman of the modern era, someone who transformed not just his sport but the cultural status of athletes everywhere, Muhammad Ali still towers over the "sweet science" of boxing, more than three decades after announcing his retirement. Acknowledged as one of the most remarkable personalities of our time and undoubtedly the most popular sporting personality ever, his status as the finest heavyweight champion to grace a ring is beyond all doubt.

To honour this living legend, TASCHEN created an epic book, as powerful and vibrant as the man himself, a phenomenal artefact that reflects the scale of Ali’s many achievements: GREATEST OF ALL TIME - A TRIBUTE TO MUHAMMAD ALI is a book with the power, courage, depth, creativity and dazzling energy of its extraordinary subject. Containing thousands of images—photography, art and memorabilia — from over 100 photographers and artists, 2 gatefold sequences, original essays as well as the best interviews and writing of the last five decades round off the picture of the Champ.

Cuba has a secret. One that has never been photographed, never reported in Western media and never acknowledged openly within Cuba itself. Michael Dweck is American photographer Michael Dweck's exploration of a compelling aspect of Cuba's contradictory status in the world today. The title, like much in Cuba, has a double meaning: Free Havana and Havana is Free. This revealing and contemporary work by a visual artist adept at capturing the quiet gesture, the alluring glance and the proud and provocative pose, brings to light a secretive social order as seen from within – a position not previously attained by an outsider. Behind the clichéd press images of vintage cars, crumbling buildings, peeling paint and a struggling unhappy people held back from progress, lays a hidden society of Cuba?s most influential people - the creative class. It is a socially connected group of keenly observant artists, glamorous models, filmmakers, musicians and writers captured in an elaborate dance of survival and success. Their lives are a constant play of appearances; they are the privileged class in a classless society. These Cubans are international, elegant and sophisticated. They have cars and passports in a country where travel is difficult if not impossible. They are fashionable, though Cuban couture is an oxymoron as there are few stores. They are socialists who would be lost without capitalism to sell their creative wares in the world?s markets. And they are the pride and flesh of Cuba's culture. They put their conscience on record, their art is their vision of the country.

A fascinating photographic study of the previously overlooked Soviet Sanatoriums and their treatments – stunning eastern bloc architecture meets crude-oil baths and radon water douches.

Visiting a Soviet sanatorium is like stepping back in time. Originally conceived in the 1920s, they afforded workers a place to holiday, courtesy of a state-funded voucher system. At their peak, they were visited by millions of citizens across the USSR every year. A combination of medical institution and spa, the era’s sanatoriums are among the most innovative buildings of their time. Although aesthetically diverse, Soviet utopian values permeated every aspect: western holidays were perceived as decadent. By contrast, sanatorium breaks were intended to edify and strengthen visitors – health professionals carefully monitored guests throughout their stay, so they could return to work with renewed vigour.

Certain sanatoriums became known for their specialist treatments, such as crude oil baths, radon water douches and stints in underground salt caves. While today some sanatoriums are in critical states of decline, many are still fully operational and continue to offer their Soviet-era treatments to visitors.

Using specially commissioned photographs by leading photographers of the post-Soviet territories, and texts by sanatorium expert Maryam Omidi, this book documents over forty-five sanatoriums and their unconventional treatments.

From Armenia to Uzbekistan, it represents the most comprehensive survey to date of this fascinating and previously overlooked Soviet institution.