Books For Adults and Teens

DESCRIPTION

Did you know the word “nerd” was coined by Dr. Seuss? And you’re no doubt familiar with Mark Twain the writer, journalist, and all around smarty-pants, but did you know he also invented the bra strap? Jam-packed with fun facts culled from the offbeat corners of the pop culture world, Who Knew? is the sidesplitting compendium of useless knowledge and frivolous facts that you’ve been missing in your life. With topics ranging from movies and music, to food, fashion, architecture and everything in-between, Who Knew? collects tidbits and trivia about well-known people, places and products to let you in on the obscure, weird, and quirky side of the world you thought you knew so well. Was the Wizard of Oz really named after a filing cabinet? How long does it take for a Twinkie to explode in the microwave? How many O’s are there in a can of SpaghettiO’s? These are the questions that have plagued literally no one ever, but will endlessly delight and entertain you nonetheless. Part pop culture, part pop quiz, Who Knew? is the book you never knew you needed, about all the stuff you never needed to know.

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AUTHOR BIO

David Hoffman has been a television writer, a creative consultant, and an on-camera reporter for ABC and FOX covering trends and popular culture. He is the author of numerous pop culture books, including Kid Stuff, which celebrates classic toys, and The Easy-Bake Oven Gourmet. He lives in Los Angeles.

DESCRIPTION

The way of the samurai is found in death. These words, written 300 years ago by the samurai Yamamoto Tsunetomo, offer a seemingly grim introduction to a practice and philosophy that was in fact anything but morbid. Offering a fascinating glimpse into the secretive inner world of the samurai, the Hagakure remained closely guarded and was shown only to a chosen few for more than a century. This was a culture in which death was embraced, not as a morbid fascination, but as a method for eliminating fear. Yamamoto tells his readers how to foster courage, how to serve selflessly, how to become a skilled master of your own destiny, and how to infuse life with beauty while acknowledging its transience. Yamamoto’s penetrating insights and profound aphorisms reflect important moral principles that still apply to us today. This masterpiece, preserved for generations in northern Kyushu by warrior chiefs as moral and practical instruction for themselves and their samurai retainers, is now presented in this beautifully illustrated edition that will enlighten anyone with an interest in Japanese culture and world literature.

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AUTHOR BIO

Yamamoto Tsunetomo (June 11, 1659 – November 30, 1719), was a samurai of the Saga Domain in Hizen Province under his lord Nabeshima Mitsushige. For thirty years Yamamoto devoted his life to the service of his lord and clan. When Nabeshima died in 1700, Yamamoto renounced the world and retired to a hermitage in the mountains. Later in life (between 1709 and 1716), he narrated many of his thoughts to a fellow samurai, Tashiro Tsuramoto. Many of these aphorisms concerned his lord’s father and grandfather Naoshige and the failing ways of the samurai caste. These commentaries were compiled and published in 1716 under the title of Hagakure, a word that can be translated as either In the Shadow of Leaves or Hidden Leaves.Dr. Barry Steben is a scholar of Chinese and Japanese languages and thought with a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto. He has taught at the University of Western Ontario, National University of Singapore, Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Shanghai University of Foreign Studies, where his teaching focused on translation and art history. His publications are listed on Academia.edu and some can be read there.

DESCRIPTION

Personal computers may have replaced the typewriter in most homes and offices, but the venerable writing machine is currently staging a comeback. From portable models that hipsters are snapping up in Urban Outfitters to Tom Hanks’s bestselling app that recreates the manual experience on a tablet, the typewriter has never been so hot. This celebration of the typewriter covers what a platen knob is, why QUERTY won out over other arrangements of keys, which authors loved (or loathed) their typewriters, and much more.

• A gift book with yellowed paper and typewriter fonts for a cool vintage look
• Timeline of the typewriter features key models
• Foreword by Paul Schweitzer of Gramercy Typewriter Co.

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REVIEWS

“With users from hipster art students to government officials, the typewriter is making a comeback. The trendy store Urban Outfitters sells the machines, modern with a vintage touch. Actor Tom Hanks, a typewriter collector, developed a successful iPad app that simulates typewriter typing, noises included. Popular television shows such as Mad Men, and growing concerns about online privacy, have also contributed to the resurgence. In turn, numerous books on the machine have recently been published. Typewriter is an easy-read gift book packed with fast facts and trivia about the machines and the people who used them. In a font reminiscent of typewritten text, the book teaches about the development of the keyboard and which machine was an author’s favorite. Images mainly include typewriter advertisements and photographs of secretaries and authors at their machines. The Art of Typewriting contains over 200 works from Marvin and Ruth Sackner’s Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, the largest collection of its kind—in the poetry, the arrangement of the words on the page directly affects the understanding of the text. The overall image is either abstract or realistic. Opening essays introduce readers to the Sackner’s collection and the history of typewriter art, from decorative patterns to reproductions of famous paintings to visual poetry. Almost every artwork has its own beautifully printed catalog page, making it easy to see detail. Biographies of prominent artists and a bibliography round out this comprehensive catalog. VERDICT Typewriter will appeal to collectors of the machines and readers nostalgic for the pre-computer era. But with its small book design, it won’t hold interest for long. The Art of Typewriting, exemplifying a one-of-a-kind art collection, is likely to find more readers among machine enthusiasts, artists, and poets.”
Shannon Marie Robinson, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH Library, December 1. 2015

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AUTHOR BIO

After studying History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford and Journalism at Indiana University, Tony Allan worked for the British Broadcasting Company and as a magazine editor before turning to book publishing. He worked at Time-Life Books in London and Alexandria, Va., and served as editor and writer on many multi-volume book series including the 24-volume Time-Life History of the World. Paul Schweitzer is the owner of the famous Gramercy Typewriter Company located on lower 5th Avenue in New York City. He has lovingly restored thousands of typewriters over the years. Paul’s shop has served as a mecca for thousands of typewriter lovers and aficionados worldwide.

DESCRIPTION

In the last few decades, art has moved from the museums and art galleries to the streets. Visionary artists, gifted with breath- taking expressiveness, have utilized featureless and abandoned spaces of everyday life and converted them into a new artistic palette for expressing their ideas. In this context, this new art breaks the mold and speaks directly to a now- global audience without intermediaries or filters. Social themes, political criticism, and poetry materialize on a bridge, on the facade of an old building or between the railings of a courtyard.

Chris Versteeg provides a detailed historical introduction to street art and graffiti, from its origins to the main trends through which it is expressed: from graffiti to sticker art, from tagging to character, and including stencil art. Thanks to the interviews by Alessandra Mattanza, the reader is provided access to twenty of the most representative exponents of the latest street-art scene. These artists tell their story and introduce the readers to the rationale and the ideas from which they draw inspiration.

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REVIEWS

Mattanza (My New York: Celebrities Talk About the City) interviews 20 international street artists, including Banksy, Shepard Fairey, David Choe, Becca, and Alex Vau. Graphic designer and street artist Chris Versteeg’s introduction provides a historical overview of the art form. Through the interviews, Mattanza captures the artists’ vision and inspiration to confront political and social issues. For example, the work of NUNCA, a Brazilian artist, examines indigenous Brazilian culture and contemporary society. Canada-born Fauxreel addresses societal issues such as homelessness, unemployment, and race relations. M-City, a Polish artist, believes art should be accessible to everyone and that it can change the world. This volume provides insight, understanding, and appreciation of street art through interviews with the creators. The color photographs of each creator’s work complement the interviews. VERDICT Art students, scholars, and anyone with a general interest in art will enjoy this informative and inspiring volume, as will people interested in art’s impact on political and social justice issues. A fine addition to any art lover’s collection.
Tina Chan, MIT Libs., Cambridge, Library Journal

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AUTHOR BIO

Alessandra Mattanza is an author, screenwriter and fine-art photographer who has lived in New York and Los Angeles for a number of years. She currently works as a foreign correspondent, contributor and editor for several publishers and magazines. Chris Versteeg lives and works in Rotterdam as a graphic designer and illustrator at Projekt C (www.projektc.nl). Chief-editor and publisher of SAM Magazine (www.streetandmore. com), she is a co-founder of the Lastplak collective (www.lastplak. com). After attending the Grafisch Lyceum and later the Willem de Kooning Academie, she decided to focus on graphic design, illustration and painting.