A definitive and long overdue monograph revealing the extraordinarily prolific career of the American artist Wes Lang, whose frenetic and manic paintings bring together ideas and icons mined from a post-pop American landscape. In the Wes Lang universe, recurring figures and symbols—horses, reapers, skulls, Native American chiefs, even nods to his favorite painters, country and jazz musicians—serve as emblems in one way or another for freedom and inspiration. References to the Tao Te Ching and the lectures of Ram Dass are scattered throughout the work, revealing a central ethos that underlies the artist’s complex iconography. The repetition of these sometimes paradoxical images and phrases, motifs and mantras, gives Lang’s work a ritualistic aspect seemingly at odds with his eclectic and spontaneous style. Introduced with an exploratory essay by the critic Arty Nelson, the book draws on more than 25 years’ worth of material, from stark paintings on wood that formed the artist's first exhibition to richly layered oil paintings exhibited in Paris in 2020, and from unpublished pencil drawings to imagery made iconic by his enigmatic commercial collaborations. Oversized and with pull-out gatefold pages, the book is testament to the scope and richness of Lang's work: expansive in its iconography, deceptively intimate in its detail, and juxtaposing a textured, painterly style with a playful acceptance of the diversity of his own influences.

A guidebook to 13 short treks and 14 day walks in the Japan Alps and on Mount Fuji. Routes are graded by difficulty and range from relatively short walks on easy terrain to strenuous mountain excursions, sometimes involving scrambling, aided sections and considerable exposure. The routes cover the North , Central and South Alps, with each chapter offering information on local bases and public transport access. Also included are the four main ascent routes on Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. The treks range from 2–8 days and the day walks from 4 to 20km (3–15 hours). 1:50,000 mapping provided for each route GPX files available to download All you need to know about visiting the Japan Alps and Mount Fuji Comprehensive information on the region’s excellent facilities, which include mountain huts and hot-spring baths Japanese glossary

Introduction by Ernest Loesser.

Most mid-nineteenth-century Americans regarded the United States as an exceptional democratic republic that stood apart from a world seemingly riddled with revolutionary turmoil and aristocratic consolidation. Viewing themselves as distinct from and even superior to other societies, Americans considered their nation an unprecedented experiment in political moderation and constitutional democracy. But as abolitionism in England, economic unrest in Europe, and upheaval in the Caribbean and Latin America began to influence domestic affairs, the foundational ideas of national identity also faced new questions. And with the outbreak of civil war, as two rival governments each claimed the mantle of civilized democracy, the United States' claim to unique standing in the community of nations dissolved into crisis. Could the Union chart a distinct course in human affairs when slaveholders, abolitionists, free people of color, and enslaved African Americans all possessed irreconcilable definitions of nationhood? In this sweeping history of political ideas, Andrew F. Lang reappraises the Civil War era as a crisis of American exceptionalism. Through this lens, Lang shows how the intellectual, political, and social ramifications of the war and its meaning rippled through the decades that followed, not only for the nation's own people but also in the ways the nation sought to redefine its place on the world stage.

"The creators of Loyal magazine and its eponymous gallery celebrate five years with this, their first book. Loyal And His Band brings together a stunning variety of work from more than 20 artists--it's a collection of drawings, paintings, photographs, humorous, poignant stories and interviews with many who have been part of the Loyal family, including Matt Leines, Jules de Balincourt, Misaki Kawai, Wes Lang, Eddie Martinez, Yun-Fei Ji, Taylor McKimens, Jockum Nordstrom, Mamma Andersson, Stephen Shore, Miroslav Tichy, Brian Belott and more"--Publisher.

Heidi Lang’s novel Wrong Way Summer is a moving summer road-trip story for fans of Crenshaw and The Someday Birds. A Junior Library Guild Selection Claire used to love her dad’s fantastical stories, especially tales about her absent mom—who could be off with the circus or stolen by the troll king, depending on the day. But now that she’s 12, Claire thinks she’s old enough to know the truth. When her dad sells the house and moves her and her brother into a converted van, she’s tired of the tall tales and refuses to pretend it’s all some grand adventure, despite how enthusiastically her little brother embraces this newest fantasy. Claire is faced with a choice: Will she play along with the stories her dad is spinning for her little brother, or will she force her family to face reality once and for all? Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, Wrong Way Summer is a road-trip journey and coming-of-age story about one girl’s struggle to understand when a lie is really a lie and when it’s something more: hope. “This is a sweet story about family, truth, protection, friendship, and first crushes . . . Not only does the author construct a story that draws the reader in, she also provides a love and understanding of the art of storytelling.” —School Library Connection

The first book to focus on new gothic art, Hell Bound highlights a new generation of contemporary artists who are increasingly obsessed with the darker things in life. Illustrators, street artists, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, installation artists, and painters are all reflecting this renewed interest in gothic imagery. Horror has become a more accepted part of everyday lifeand art, as always, is a reflection of life. Here death metal, the war on terror and throwaway pop culture meet, feeding the popular fascination for all things gothic. Among the art featured is the iconoclastic work of Ken Kagami, Terence Koh, Ricky Swallow, the photographic collages of Marnie Weber, the drawings of Chloe Piene and Wes Lang, the paintings of Matt Greene and Iris Van Dongen, the outsider punk art of Pure Evil, and the illustrations of French.

A girl learns how to walk dogs—and walk tall—in this charming, coming-of-age novel Twelve-year-old Jessie is in for a long, lonely summer at her aunt and uncle’s house. Her uncle is clueless, her aunt is downright frosty, and worst of all, her cousin Ann thinks Jessie isn’t cool enough to hang out with anymore. But Jessie is industrious, and—not content with being ignored all summer—she convinces Wes, a grouchy neighborhood dog walker, to take her on as his apprentice. Sure, dog walking turns out to be harder than she expected, but she has Wes’s dog-walking code, the Rules of the Ruff, to guide her, and soon, she’s wrangling her very own pack like the best of them. But when Monique, a charming rival dog walker, moves to town, she quickly snatches up most of Wes’s business—and Jessie decides she isn’t going to take this defeat with her tail between her legs.