Books 196 Items

Although rap music is famous for its ingenuity, double entendres and clever turns of phrase, until now no one has attempted to collect rap lyrics into an organised compendium. Enter UNDERSTAND RAP, a very funny pop-cultural reference book based on the website of the same name, which precisely explains all the confusing terms and lyrics used in rap songs in a language even the most un-hip person can understand. The result is a book with breakout potential that's both entertaining and highly informative. The juxtaposition of dry, academic manner with Hip Hop terminology in UNDERSTAND RAP frequently lends itself to ironic comedy gold. For example: Lyric: "been servin' since you was doin' the runnin' man" Explanation: My experience selling drugs began long ago, while you were still concerning yourself with immature things like doing goofy dances where you look like you're running in place. (From Song: Rubberband Man on Album: Trap Muzik by Artist: T.I.) Understand Rap features hip hop artists of all names, colours, and creeds and organise their lyrics into the following categories: Cars, Money, Drugs/Alcohol, People, Places, Fashion, Crime/Weapons, Insults, Skills/Pride and Sex/Relationships.

An expanded edition on the master of Modernism, Le Corbusier, by award-winning architectural historian William J. R. Curtis.

Originally published in 1996 to critical fanfair, scholar William J.R. Curtis has re-issued his classic text with extensive new scholarship and contemporary research that continues the high standard of the original. Presented chronologically with a clear narrative, Curtis has worked tirelessly not only to document Le Corbusier's key projects in detail but to contextualize them within the architect's overarching philosophy of urbanism and art and the pervading culture of Le Corbusier's time. With full access to the renowned Le Corbusier archive, Curtis' text is lavishly illustrated with new photographs, plans and original sketches and a fresh new design.

Praise for the first edition:

"This is not only the best single work on Le Corbusier - a model of scholarship, erudite yet eminently readable - it is also an invaluable analysis of the creative architectural process. It should be read and re-read by every student of architecture." - Building Design

"William J. R. Curtis is the best architectural historian writing in the English language." - Chicago Tribune

About the author: William J R Curtis is an award-winning historian, critic, writer, curator, painter and photographer. Educated at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and at Harvard University, he has taught the history of art, theories of design and architecture at several universities worldwide: among others, Harvard University; the Architectural Association, London; Unam, Mexico City; Etsab, Barcelona; Helsinki Institute of Technology; the Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio, Switzerland; and the University of Cambridge where he was Slade Professor of Fine Art 2003-4. In addition to teaching history and theory, Curtis has been directly involved in architectural education in the studio and in juries. He has written historical, critical and theoretical texts on subjects as varied as modern architecture, landscape design, the history of everyday objects, the process of design, historiography, visual education and criticism. His best known books include: the best-selling Modern Architecture Since 1900 and Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms (both published by Phaidon).

Reviews: "The most lucid and complete chronicle yet available of Le Corbusier’s achievement and (in the words of his title) the 'ideas and forms' which successively and cumulatively account for its significance. It is, then, as incise narrative... Illuminated by penetrating critical commentary that this book excels."—Times Literary Supplement

"This book is an admirable as well as well-timed introduction to Le Corbusier. In it much recent scholarship has been pulled together and presented in a lively account of Le Corbusier’s life and work... It is also a record of personal observation and synthesis by an informed and shrewdly sensitive author which will remain valid and fresh in the long term."—Architectural Review

"William J R Curtis is the best architectural historian writing in the English language, and that alone makes this book something of an event. Unsurprisingly, Curtis has turned out what is probably the most comprehensive, well balanced and interesting narrative yet produced about one of the giants of 20th century architecture."—Chicago Tribune

"As a study of the life and work of possibly the most erudite, probably the most gifted, and certainly the most disturbing architect of the present century, it is unlikely to be superseded."—The Architect, Royal Institute of British Architects' Journal

"...A much expanded version of an earlier monograph... Definitive, chronological, sumptuously illustrated... Curtis is [...] balanced and inclusive, offering excellent discussions of all the Indian work, of many unexecuted projects, and of the vast influence Corbusier has exercised... I think there is no better introduction to the man and his work."—Architects Journal

"Just as Le Corbusier is a 'classic' of modern architecture, Curtis's monograph is a 'classic' of the Corbusian bibliography. And with this new edition - substantially enlarged, both in text and illustrations - the book will become indeed the main reference for understanding Le Corbusier's contribution to universal architecture."—Arquitectura Viva

Specifications: Format: Hardback Size: 305 × 238 mm (12 × 9 3/8 in) Pages: 512 pp Illustrations: 500 illustrations

Since its first publication in 1982, Modern Architecture Since 1900 has become established as a contemporary classic. Worldwide in scope, it combines a clear historical outline with masterly analysis and interpretation. Technical, economic, social and intellectual developments are brought together in a comprehensive narrative which provides a setting for the detailed examination of buildings. Throughout the book the author's focus is on the individual architect, and on the qualities that give outstanding buildings their lasting value.

For the third edition, the text has been radically revised and expanded, incorporating much new material and a fresh appreciation of regional identity and variety. Seven chapters are entirely new, including expanded coverage of recent world architecture.

Described by James Ackerman of Harvard University as 'immeasurably the finest work covering this field in existence', this book presents a penetrating analysis of the modern tradition and its origins, tracing the creative interaction between old and new that has generated such an astonishing richness of architectural forms across the world and throughout the century.

About the author: William Curtis has won worldwide acclaim for his architectural writing. His books include Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms and Denys Lasdun, both published by Phaidon.

Reviews: 'the book is excellent value.' Architects' Journal

'as close to a definitive guide to the architecture of our century as we yet have.' Sunday Times

'A book of this length and depth is an unimaginable achievement…' Building Design

'comprehensive, up-to-date and very readable.' Sunday Telegraph

'This should be a standard volume in all architecture collections.' Library Journal

'… the clearest and most authentic survey to appear in English. ... Essential reading, indeed breath-taking reading' Architecture New Zealand

Specifications: Format: Paperback Size: 245 × 210 mm (9 5/8 × 8 1/4 in) Pages: 736 pp Illustrations: 862 illustrations

An elegant presentation of interiors for introverts, placing the memorable work of London architect William Smalley alongside buildings around the world that have inspired his practice.

Quiet Spaces places the work of architect William Smalley alongside spaces that have inspired him. Places of private contemplation – calm spaces to read a book or listen to music in, to walk through or simply be in – they are spaces that achieve a rare sense of repose and peace.

From his own Bloomsbury Apartment and projects in the UK, France and New York, the book expands to include the work of other architects: a sixteenth-century villa by Palladio, houses in Mexico and Sri Lanka and the Secular Retreat in Devon by Swiss master architect Peter Zumthor. There are also places of making and displaying art: simplicity in Barbara Hepworth’s garden and studio in Cornwall, and intimacy in Kettle’s Yard gallery in Cambridge.

Specially commissioned photography by Harry Crowder conveys the atmosphere of the spaces. A foreword by acclaimed potter and writer Edmund de Waal records the small, unspoken ways in which we relate to buildings and how they come to have meaning for us.

'An object of great beauty and joy and more importantly a testament to a lifetime of creativity and responsiveness to the best aspects of architecture' Alain de Botton

'Quiet Spaces is a huge treat and I know will bring hours of pleasure and inspiration' Nigel Slater

'Projects by architect William Smalley; an essay by artist Edmund de Waal; photographs by Harry Crowder and Hélène Binet; this new book by Thames & Hudson has lots to entice with. Smalley's work, known for its elegance, poise and peaceful interiors, is placed here next to well-known examples of globally acclaimed “quiet spaces” - inspiring the book's title' Wallpaper*

William Smalley established his studio in London in 2010 with the simple aim of making beautiful spaces and places. He has since worked around the UK and abroad. He has been described as an architect of rare sensibility, and his work as having the simplicity of a limewashed medieval building, filtered and made lucid through a completely modern sensibility. Edmund de Waal is an internationally renowned artist and writer, best known for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels, often created in response to collections and archives. He published his bestselling family memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes, in 2010. He lives and works in London. Harry Crowder is a British photographer, based in London and working nationally and internationally, focusing on interiors and architecture. His work seeks to capture the feeling of being in a space. He travelled extensively with William in the shooting of this book. Hélène Binet is an internationally acclaimed Swiss-French photographer based in London. She studied photography in Rome, and over more than thirty-five years has captured both contemporary and historic architecture. She is a fervent advocate of analogue photography, working exclusively on film.

Format:Hardback Size:32.0 x 24.0 cm Extent:256 pp Illustrations:185 Publication date:12 October 2023 ISBN:9780500343692