"It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers are growing up with their loving grandparents, who inspire them to dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows unusual skill at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of creating hand-carved masks for actors in the Noh theater." "Across town, a renowned sumo master, Sho Tanaka, lives with his wife and their two young daughters: the delicate, daydreaming Aki and her independent sister, Haru. Life seems full of promise as Kenji begins an informal apprenticeship with the most famous maskmaker in Japan and Hiroshi receives a coveted invitation to train with Tanaka. But then Pearl Harbor changes everything. As the ripples of war spread to both families' quiet neighborhoods, all of the generations must put their dreams on hold - and then find their way in a new Japan."--BOOK JACKET.

This gorgeous and empowering picture book from award-winning author-illustrator Evan Turk paints the portrait of Marietta Barovier, the groundbreaking Renaissance artisan who helped shape the future of Venetian glassmaking. Marietta and her family lived on the island of Murano, near Venice, as all glassmakers did in the early Renaissance. Her father, Angelo Barovier, was a true maestro, a master of glass. Marietta longed to create gorgeous glass too, but glass was men’s work. One day her father showed her how to shape the scalding-hot material into a work of art, and Marietta was mesmerized. Her skills grew and grew. Marietta worked until she created her own unique glass bead: the rosetta. Small but precious, the beautiful beads grew popular around the world and became as valuable as gold. The young girl who was once told she could not create art was now the woman who would leave her mark on glasswork for centuries to come.

German-born and France-based artist, Anselm Kiefer, presents 'il mistero delle cattedrali', a 11,000 square foot installation at the White Cube Bermondsey Gallery in London. The exhibition includes works from various times within the artist's four decades as a creative force and explores the idea of alchemy. The show is given the name 'il mistero delle cattedrali' due to the closely linked subject matter with that of a book in the 1920's by a French alchemist and esoteric author under the pseudonym Fulcanelli by the same title.

Combining theoretical essays with reports and testimonies, this book presents a unique account of the impact of the World Bank's structural adjustment programme on African education. Part I contains an in-depth analysis and critique of the World Bank's policies on the future of African educational systems, while Part II looks at the response of teachers and students to the dismantling of public education and points to the development of a new Pan-Africanist movement.

* Treats LISP as a language for commercial applications, not a language for academic AI concerns. This could be considered to be a secondary text for the Lisp course that most schools teach . This would appeal to students who sat through a LISP course in college without quite getting it – so a "nostalgia" approach, as in "wow-lisp can be practical..." * Discusses the Lisp programming model and environment. Contains an introduction to the language and gives a thorough overview of all of Common Lisp’s main features. * Designed for experienced programmers no matter what languages they may be coming from and written for a modern audience—programmers who are familiar with languages like Java, Python, and Perl. * Includes several examples of working code that actually does something useful like Web programming and database access.

This gorgeously photographed volume celebrates the most influential floral designers today. In Full Flower is a compilation of a new wave in contemporary floral design, featuring artists who combine traditional techniques with an organic, free-form, “back-to-nature” style. The opposite of buttoned-up and manicured arrangements, this survey includes over twenty of the most celebrated and influential artists across the United States who are rewriting the rules of floral design. In Full Flower is the first overview of artists working in this aesthetic. Gorgeous photographs depict the artists’ process as well as final designs, captured both as still lifes and environments. In addition, the wanderlust-inducing gardens and inspired interiors exhibit both rustic and urban eco-chic—simple luxury living embodied by these artists that all homeowners will appreciate. With over 300 original color images and short writing on each artists’ inspirations and philosophies, this spectacularly inspiring floral survey will be treasured by lovers of beautiful flowers and interiors alike.

Gail Tsukiyama's The Street of a Thousand Blossoms is a powerfully moving masterpiece about tradition and change, loss and renewal, and love and family from a glorious storyteller at the height of her powers. It is Tokyo in 1939. On the Street of a Thousand Blossoms, two orphaned brothers dream of a future firmly rooted in tradition. The older boy, Hiroshi, shows early signs of promise at the national obsession of sumo wrestling, while Kenji is fascinated by the art of Noh theater masks. But as the ripples of war spread to their quiet neighborhood, the brothers must put their dreams on hold—and forge their own paths in a new Japan. Meanwhile, the two young daughters of a renowned sumo master find their lives increasingly intertwined with the fortunes of their father's star pupil, Hiroshi.

A wealth of inspirational arrangements for many indoor settings and special occasions.

Contributed articles.

A Thousand Flowers is a beautifully contemplative collection - Some of Heather Ann Schmidt's finest work. Inspired by such poets as Hafiz and Rumi, Schmidt cultivates a variety of spiritually divine poems that are as elegant and delicate as flowers themselves. Schmidt also has a way of using rich imagery, color and nostalgia in her work, which allows each sentimental piece to blossom in ones mind's eye. Many of the poems delve into the celestial and the soul like the poem, The Star: Break me open / Like the inside of a star / Filled with little fires / Of pastel vapor and darkness. This body of original work fills readers with her reach of passion, a passion that echoes a timeless conversation.