Pat Albeck, who died in September 2017, was a prolific and well-known textile and homewear designer, affectionately known as 'the Queen of the Tea Towel'. Her obituary appeared in The Times and the Guardian, and she was the guest on Desert Island Discs a few years ago. Pat started designing in the 1950s and continued working throughout her life, including for John Lewis and Emma Bridgewater. She's best known for her work with the National Trust, for whom she designed some 300 tea towels from the 1970s to the present day. The book will show 80 of Pat's tea towel designs. Her son Matthew Rice (also an illustrator and designer) gives a fascinating insight into the design process for each towel. The tea towels include National Trust houses and gardens and her iconic calendar designs, as well as showcasing her unique, retro and quintessentially British textile design and illustration style.

This is the black and white paperback edition of Pattern, published in hardback in 2016 by Saltyard Books. If you would like the original colour illustrated version of Pattern it is available in hardback ISBN 9781444734942. Creativity, collaboration, inspiration Emma Bridgewater's patterns are as quintessentially British as marmalade on toast - and they have made her distinctive homewares best sellers across the world. Her inspiration is often deeply personal - a plate of her mother's, a favourite children's book - and as she tells the stories of each pattern's creation, she reveals the intricate processes of research and collaboration behind the familiar designs she has stamped on our kitchenware - and our hearts - for the past thirty years. Both an entrancing trip down memory lane and a behind-the-scenes look at a thriving creative business, Emma Bridgewater's PATTERN is essential reading for anyone who has ever turned over their mug after draining their tea and wondered about the human story behind that proud declaration: Made in Stoke-on-Trent, England...

Self-portraits catch your eye. They seem to do it deliberately. Walk into any art gallery and they draw attention to themselves. Come across them in the world's museums and you get a strange shock of recognition, rather like glimpsing your own reflection. For in picturing themselves artists reveal something far deeper than their own physical looks: the truth about how they hope to be viewed by the world, and how they wish to see themselves. In this beautifully written and lavishly illustrated book, Laura Cumming, art critic of the Observer, investigates the drama of the self-portrait, from Durer, Rembrandt and Velazquez to Munch, Picasso, Warhol and the present day. She considers how and why self-portraits look as they do and what they reveal about the artist's innermost sense of self - as well as the curious ways in which they may imitate our behaviour in real life. Drawing on art, literature, history, philosophy and biography to examine the creative process in an entirely fresh way, Cumming offers a riveting insight into the intimate truths and elaborate fictions of self-portraiture and the lives of those who practise it. A work of remarkable depth, scope and power, this is a book for anyone who has ever wondered about the strange dichotomy between the innermost self and the self we choose to present for posterity - our face to the world.

An anonymous skull, an unsolved murder, sinister rumors from the Cold War era of espionage—Bruno's investigation into a long-standing cold case finds him caught between an enigmatic winegrower and a menacing Communist organization from the past. After attending an exhibit on the facial reconstruction of ancient skulls, Bruno wonders if this technology might provide an invaluable clue to a thirty-year-old cold case. But learning the identity of the murder victim is only the beginning. The investigation quickly turns thorny and leads Bruno to a reclusive vintner, Henri Bazaine, whose education at a vocational school in a formerly Communist region has raised some eyebrows. An inquiry into the defunct school turns up shadowy reports of possible connections and funding from the Stasi, the repressive police agency of the former East Germany. The scrutiny on Henri intensifies once Bruno discovers that he was declared dead thirty years ago and has been living under an assumed name ever since. The strange case is further complicated as Parisian bureaucrats get involved, hinting that essential diplomatic relations might be at stake. And to make matters even worse, the Dordogne is suffering from an intense summer drought that is sparking fires across the region. But as always, Bruno will keep a cool head through it all--and, bien sûr, takes time to enjoy a sumptuous Périgordian meal!

Pattern design flourished throughout the 20th century. From Art Nouveau at the end of the 19th century to computer-generated digital images at the turn of the Millennium, each new generation had their own distinctive approach to pattern design. Tracing the creative cross-fertilization between fashion and interiors, this invaluable book provides a chronological account of the development of pattern design. Highlighting the decisive trends that emerged in each decade, the book draws attention to the achievements of progressive manufacturers and ground-breaking designers, charting the emergence of a series of pattern design superpowers in various countries at different moments in time. From Anni Albers at the Bauhaus in the 1920s and Lucienne Day for Heal's in the 1950s, to Maija Isola for Marimekko in the 1960s, this book combines stunning photographs with informative text to inspire new flights of creativity in pattern design.

Discover Oxford, one of the jewels of European architecture. Much loved and much visited, the city offers an unparalleled collection of the best of English building through the centuries. Matthew Rice's Oxford is a feast of delightful watercolour illustrations and an informed and witty text, explaining how the city came into being and what to look out for today. While the focus is on architectural detail, Rice describes how the city has been shaped by its history, topography and geology, but most of all by generations of patrons who had the education and the resources to commission work from the greatest architects and builders of their day, an astonishing range of which still stands. Ranging from the medieval to the contemporary, the book covers all the iconic buildings, such as the Radcliffe Camera, the Sheldonian Theatre and the college quads, as well as the distinctive details that you might otherwise miss. More than anywhere else in England, it is possible in Oxford to take in the history of English architecture simply by walking today's streets, lanes, parks and meadows. This book is the perfect guide.

Recycle, revamp and rejuvenate; with over 50 projects Sarah covers a whole spectrum of imaginative ideas for every room of the house, from blanket curtains to patchwork wallpaper, clever storage crates to fun mobiles for children, as well as unique ideas for dining, sleeping and bathing. Interweaved throughout the book are ideas for 'one thing four ways' to show how the same piece of furniture or a room can be updated with different look, plus handy advice on essential kit and techniques. Aimed at all skill levels, the projects can be completed in a few hours or over a weekend so you can revamp and refurbish your home in no time at all.