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Magic has enchanted humankind for millennia, evoking terror, laughter, shock, and amazement. Once persecuted as heretics and sorcerers, magicians have always been conduits to a parallel universe of limitless possibility—whether invoking spirits, reading minds, or inverting the laws of nature by sleight of hand. Long before science fiction, virtual realities, video games and the internet, the craft of magic was the most powerful fantasy world man had ever known. As the pioneers of special effects throughout history, magicians have never ceased to mystify us by making the impossible possible.

This book celebrates more than 500 years of the dazzling visual culture of the world's greatest magicians. Featuring more than 1,000 rarely seen vintage posters, photographs, handbills, and engravings as well as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch and Caravaggio among others, this 650-page volume traces the history of magic as a performing art from the 1400s to the 1950s. Combining sensational images with incisive text, Magic explores the evolution of the magician’s craft, from medieval street performers to the brilliant stage magicians who gave rise to cinematic special effects; from the 19th century's Golden Age of Magic to groundbreaking daredevils like Houdini and the early 20th century's vaudevillians.

Mandalas are fascinating and colourful diagrams representative of Buddhism and Hinduism, which embody the universe (microcosms and macrocosms) and aspects of religious belief. They are used as a focus and aid to concentration in worship and meditation. This book features hundreds of linear and figurative mandalas from around the world. This sourcebook of oriental religious art will be welcomed by artists and designers, and by followers of Buddhist and Hindu teachings.

On 15 December 1868, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794–1868), Professor of Botany at the University of Munich and director of the Royal Botanic Garden, was carried to his grave in a coffin covered with fresh palm leaves. These were a reference to his groundbreaking Historia naturalis palmarum: opus tripartitum (Natural History of Palms: a work in three volumes), published between 1823–1853. At the time, this encyclopedic treasury contained the sum of human knowledge on the topic, and included 240 exquisite chromolithographic illustrations, including landscape views of palm habitats and botanical dissections.

This epic folio was based on Martius's expedition to Brazil and Peru with zoologist Johann Baptist von Spix, sponsored by King Maximilian I of Bavaria, to investigate natural history and tribal Indians. From 1817 to 1820 the pair travelled over 2,250 km (1,400 miles) throughout the Amazon Basin, the most species-rich palm region in the world, collecting and sketching specimens. On their return both men were awarded knighthoods and lifetime pensions.

In his epic work, Martius outlined the modern classification of palm, produced the first maps of palm biogeography, described all the palms of Brazil, and collated the sum of all known genera of the palm family. For apart from his own collection of specimens and notes, Martius also wrote about the findings of others. Martius's folio is unusual in its inclusion of cross-sectioned diagrams, conveying the architecture of these mighty trees, which central Europeans would have found hard to imagine accurately. Equally remarkable are the color landscapes showing various palms – often standing alone – which have a simple and elegant beauty. This famous work is an unrivaled landmark in botanic illustration and taxonomy.

The Megan Hess Travel Collection brings together two stunning illustrated insider guides to New York and Paris, as seen through a fashion eye. Let Megan take you on a personal tour to the best places to eat, sleep, play and, of course, shop, revealing the cities as you’ve never seen them before.

This beautiful package – which also includes two beautiful limited-edition greeting cards – is a must-have travel companion for anyone who dreams of jetting off to the world’s most stylish cities.

About the Author:

Megan Hess was destined to draw. An initial career in graphic design evolved into art direction for some of the world’s leading design agencies. In 2008, Hess illustrated the New York Times number-one selling book Sex and the City, written by Candace Bushnell. She has since illustrated for Dior Couture, created iconic illustrations for Cartier and Louis Vuitton in Paris, dreamed up animations for Prada and Fendi in Milan, illustrated the windows of Bergdorf Goodman in New York, and created a capsule collection of bags for Harrods of London.

Hess’s signature style can also be found on her bespoke, limited-edition prints and homewares sold around the globe. Her renowned clients include Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Tiffany & Co., Saint Laurent, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Harrods, Cartier, Balmain, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

Megan is the author of five bestselling fashion books and a picture book for children. She is the Global Artist in Residence for the Oetker Masterpiece Hotel Collection.

The epic journey of Apollo 11

A unique tribute to the defining scientific mission of our time

It has been called the single most historic event of the 20th century: On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins met John F. Kennedy’s call for a manned Moon landing by the end of the 1960s. A decade of tests and training, a staff of 400,000 engineers and scientists, a budget of billions, and the most powerful rocket ever launched all combined in an unprecedented event watched by millions the world over. And no one captured the men, the mood, and the machinery like Norman Mailer.

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Norman Mailer was hired by LIFE magazine in 1969 to cover the Moon shot. He enhanced his reportage in the brilliantly crafted book, Of a Fire on the Moon, which is excerpted here. Equally adept at examining the science of space travel and the psychology of the men involved—from Saturn V rocket engineer Wernher von Braun, to the crucial NASA support staff to the three astronauts—Mailer provides provocative and trenchant insights into this epoch-making event.

Illustrating this volume are hundreds of photographs and maps from the NASA vaults, magazine archives, and private collections. These images document the development of the agency and the mission, life inside the command module and on the Moon’s surface, and the world’s jubilant reaction to the landing. This edition includes an original introduction by Colum McCann and captions by leading Apollo 11 experts, explaining the history and science behind the images, citing the mission log and publications of the day, and postflight astronaut interviews.

The author:
Norman Mailer (1923–2007) was one of the 20th century’s greatest and most influential writers, as well as one of America’s most renowned and controversial literary figures. The best-selling author of a dozen novels and 20 works of nonfiction, he also wrote stage plays, screenplays, television miniseries, hundreds of essays, two books of poetry, and a collection of short stories. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he lived in Brooklyn, New York, and Provincetown, Massachusetts.

From Cairo to Cape Town. In and out of Africa with National Geographic

Encompassing the best of National Geographic’s pioneering photographs of Africa, this is the definitive visual expedition through the world’s most captivating continent. Adapted from our Around the World in 125 Years and with over 40 mesmerizing new images of spectacular landscapes, bustling cities, local customs, and wildlife photography, this volume brings to life Africa’s boundless beauty and diversity.

For over five generations, National Geographic magazine has dazzled and educated people with its incredible photographs and gripping stories from all corners of the earth. Inspired by our monumental Around the World in 125 Years, this volume curates around 200 captivating images sourced directly from the National Geographic historical archives, including 40 new photographs, that traverse the landscapes, history, cultures, and wildlife of Africa.

Our continental journey through amazing Africa ranges from evocative early black-and-white pictures to autochromes, from the golden age of Kodachromes to digital. Along the way, we fly over the misty volcanoes of Uganda in a 1950s plane; follow archaeologists into the cool, musky tombs of Egypt; gaze up at the gleaming skyscrapers of Zimbabwe; admire the ritual masks of the Chokwe tribesmen of Angola; get lost in a labyrinth of alleys and souks in Algeria’s old quarters; wonder at the fragile red-tufted flowers of South Africa’s Drakensberg mountains; trudge behind Kenyan farmers as they battle clouds of flying locusts; and gingerly spy mountain gorillas enjoying the Rwandan sunshine.

Long before the Travel Channel and Google Images, these images celebrated Africa’s spectacular landscapes, incredible wildlife, and diversity — but also reflect edgier stories that speak of rural hardship, environmental threats, and the lasting remnants of forced colonization. Leaving no stone unturned, this definitive voyage is in equal parts a breathtaking homage to an incomparable continent, and a unique tribute to the world’s most famous photography magazine.

About the Author

During three decades as an editor, writer, and photographer, Joe Yogerst has lived and worked on four continents including Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. His writing has appeared in National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, The Los Angeles Times, and The International Herald Tribune, among others. He has authored numerous travel guides for National Geographic and has been the recipient of four Lowell Thomas Awards from the Society of American Travel Writers.

The editor

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

From Iceland to Italy. Europe photographed by the best

This is the ultimate photographic journey through Europe as told by the world’s favourite magazine. Adapted from our monumental Around the World in 125 Years and featuring over 200 captivating images from National Geographic magazine’s archives, these visual treasures explore the beauty, complexity, the variety, the historic cities, and the picturesque landscapes of magnificent Europe.

For over five generations, National Geographic magazine has dazzled and educated its readers with incredible photography and gripping stories spanning the four corners of the earth and the deepest oceans. Inspired by our monumental Around the World in 125 Years, this volume curates over 200 captivating images, sourced directly from the National Geographic historical archives, including almost 40 new photographs. Traversing travel, history, culture, social documentary, and conservation, this compendium is in equal parts a breathtaking homage to the spirit and diversity of Europe, and a unique tribute to the world’s most famous photography magazine.

National Geographic pioneered the aesthetic of the photo essay, while continually pushing the medium's technical boundaries, to both entertain and enlighten its millions of loyal readers. Our trans-continental journey through time and space spans across all corners of Europe, from the snow-capped peaks of Finland to the frothy foam parties of Ibiza, from the serene blue waters of the Greek Islands to the Lascaux cave paintings of Southern France. We witness the hair-rising eruption of Surtsey in Iceland, where lightning rips through the volcano’s clouds in otherworldly hues of purple; lose ourselves among flowers and babushka-wrapped heads in Russia’s Volgograd marketplace; and tread carefully behind climbers across a crevasse in the Bernese Oberland. Along the way, we absorb the culture of some of the world’s greatest cities including Paris, Rome, Berlin, London, Vienna, Stockholm, Moscow, and many others.

National Geographic: Europe leaves no stone unturned in its ultimate voyage through the precious jewels and hidden facets of the European continent. From evocative early black-and-white pictures to autochromes, from the golden age of Kodachromes to digital, this is both a celebration of the power of photography and a unique trip to the soul of Europe.

The editor

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

This unusual illustrated book with its spectacular photographs is devoted to the complex structures and manifestations to be found in nature. In each of the three main chapters - Earth, Water, and Plants - apparently simple motifs become complex photographic landscapes, nature's works of art. From geological formation in Arizona and Iceland's geysers to pink flamingos-these artistic photographs follow nature's tracks and renew awareness of its fragile beauty.

Dieser außergewöhnliche Bildband widmet sich den vielschichtigen Strukturen unserer Natur. Scheinbar einfache Motive - Erde, Wasser, Pflanzen, Tieere - werden zu komplexen Bildlandschaften, zu spektakulären Kunstwerken der Natur. Von Gesteinsformationen in den USA über isländische Geysire bis hin zu rosaroten Flamingos – es gilt, in diesen kunstvollen Aufnahmen unserer Natur nachzuspüren und den Blick für ihre zerbrechliche Schönheit neu zu schärfen.

This super collection of 60s and 70s baseball images commemorates the sport's finest moments via the lens of legendary sports photographer Neil Leifer

Professional baseball of the 1960s and 1970s belongs to Neil Leifer, the premier sports photographer of his generation. In 1960, at age 17, Neil had the human drive to match his new Nikon motor drive and he was on his way. With gumption and an eye for the decisive moment, the baby-faced kid from Manhattan's lower east side was soon selling his photos to Sports Illustrated. This superb collection of images reflects the total access Neil had to the players on the ball field, in the dugout, and in the locker room. All the pathos, elation, disappointment, and celebration are etched upon the faces of the players and their mercurial fans.

From the 1960 World Series between the Yankees and the Pirates - decided in the 9th inning of the 7th game by a Bill Mazeroski home run - to the 1977 Series between the Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Neil Leifer never stopped shooting. He was up in the nosebleed section of the grandstands in Yankee Stadium, in the rafters of the Astrodome in Houston, or a helicopter high above.Who won the games wasn't important - only how the game was played. The blood, sweat, and grace. It's all about the game, and Leifer's photographs create a topographical map to the very heart and soul of baseball.

Featuring over 300 photos, the book is divided into four chapters: The Game; the Heroes - like Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, and pitcher Sandy Koufax; the Rivalry (infamously, between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and the Giants and Dodgers); and the World Series championship.

This elegant collection from world-renowned interior designer Nina Campbell is a must-have. Featuring her stylish, colourful designs, each item is perfect as a gift for a friend or to keep for your own stationery needs.

Nora is the new girl in school and just wants to make friends. Then one day she spots something unusual out of the corner of her eye - a little blue bunny that only she can see. At last she has someone play with and talk to. When she discovers that a boy in class can also see the rabbit, she makes a real life friend who also has a secret of his own.

Nora's entire story ingeniously takes places on the walls in the photographs. Illustrated in a vibrant graffiti art style, this book comes with two stencils that allow kids and adults to recreate some of their favourite characters from the book.

Simultaneously a fast-paced contemporary metropolis and a venerable center of history and culture, London seduces the traveller with infinite possibilities for an action-packed weekend. Now, with the help of The New York Times and its expert travel writers and photographers, you can refine choices and cut through tourist clichés to get the best of Britain in just 36 hours.

Through treasure-house museums and cutting-edge galleries, classic pubs and top-notch theater, discover the best of this buzzing world capital with a selection of lively itineraries, including thematic and neighbourhood specials such as Literary London, London with Children, East London, and Hampstead. If it’s time to venture further afield, you’ll also find a selection of glorious weekend trips outside of the city, from the Highlands of Scotland to sleepy Welsh villages, the dreaming spires of Oxford to beachside bliss in Brighton.

Featured destinations: London, Literary London, East London, London with Children, Hampstead, Brighton, Oxford, Cambridge, Birmingham, Liverpool, South Wales, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and the Highlands & Isle of Skye.

From Abu Dhabi to Zurich, trust TASCHEN’s New York Times 36 Hours series with your next travel adventure.

Weekends on the Road. The ultimate travel guide to the USA and Canada

To travel in North America is to face a delicious quandary: over these vast spaces with so many riches, from glittering cities to eccentric small towns and heart-stoppingly beautiful mountains and plains, how to experience as much as possible in limited time? The New York Times has the answer, offering up dream weekends with practical itineraries in its popular weekly 36 Hours column for nearly two decades.

In this fully revised and updated third edition of the best-selling USA & Canada volume, TASCHEN presents the best itineraries from across the continent. You’ll find marquee metropolises like New York, Montreal, and Los Angeles; world-famous natural wonders at Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon; the hidden charm of Rust Belt cities like Duluth and Detroit, as well as 33 new stories including Anchorage, the Berkshires, Boulder, and many more.
 

• More than 5,400 hours worth of insightful itineraries to make the most of your stay
• Practical recommendations for more than 600 restaurants and 450 hotels
• Comprehensive revisions to all 130 itineraries
• New destinations including Downtown Miami, Oakland, Chattanooga, and more
• Color-coded tabs for each region
• Nearly 1,000 photos
• 33 new stories
• Detailed city-by-city maps that pinpoint every stop on your itinerary

From Antwerp to Zurich, trust TASCHEN’s New York Times 36 Hours series with your next travel adventure.

The editor:

Barbara Ireland edits the 36 Hours, Explorer, and forthcoming Cultured Traveler series of travel books in collaboration with The New York Times and TASCHEN. A writer and editor based in upstate New York, she is a former deputy Travel editor and deputy Op-Ed page editor at The New York Times. She is a graduate of Cornell University and was a John S. Knight journalism fellow at Stanford University.