When Benedikt Taschen asked the most important portrait photographer working today, Annie Leibovitz, to collect her pictures in a SUMO-sized book, she was intrigued by the challenge. The project took several years to develop and when it was finally published in 2014, it weighed in at 26 kg (57 pounds).This incredible collection is now available in an accessible XXL book format. Leibovitz drew on more than 40 years of work, starting with the photojournalism she did for Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970s through the conceptual portraits she made for Vanity Fair and Vogue. She selected iconic images—such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono entwined in a last embrace—as well as portraits that had rarely, if ever, been seen before.The Annie Leibovitz SUMO covered political and cultural history, from Queen Elizabeth II and Richard Nixon to Laurie Anderson and Lady Gaga.“What I had thought of initially as a simple process of imagining what looked good big, what photographs would work in a large format, became something else,” Leibovitz says. “The book is very personal, but the narrative is told through popular culture. It’s not arranged chronologically and it’s not a retrospective. It’s more like a roller coaster.”Fans of Leibovitz and her many celebrated subjects can now enjoy that same roller coaster ride for themselves with this unlimited edition.

Building is one of very few endeavours that are physically connected to the surface of the earth, fixed and enduring. Nevertheless, for centuries, especially in the West, we have considered ourselves separate and above nature, drifting away, defining our own systems and order, and using the ground as a nothing more than a passive foundation. Other times we sought connection, drawing on nature for ritual and religion, fortified protection, and ecological balance. This global compendium of nearly 1,400 pages brings architecture back in harmony with Earth’s surface. For years, Bjarne Mastenbroek and his architectural firm, SeARCH, have delved into the relationship architecture has, had, and will have with its surroundings, seeing buildings as landscapes that fit into their site without dominating or disturbing it. For Dig It!, they have dug deep into the history of building culture and brought to light fascinating examples of this philosophy―some well known, some previously overlooked. From African churches chiseled from rock and Chinese villages dug into terrains to Parisian housing vibrantly overgrown and a villa built into the cliffs of Capri (famously featured in the film Le Mépris starring Brigitte Bardot), this book dissects structures from the past millennia. Part atlas, part encyclopedia, it highlights traditional vernacular practices, reconsiders all-time favorites, and celebrates contemporary examples across the globe. Designed by Mevis & Van Deursen, the extensive collection features analytical drawings from SeARCH and photo essays by Iwan Baan. Dig It! acknowledges an effort to reconnect architecture and landscape and merge building with ground. Separated into six chapters (or “strategies”)―Bury, Embed, Absorb, Spiral, Carve, and Mimic―this remarkable survey reveals humanity’s connection to the earth through building culture: clever and utterly relevant for the challenges that we have and will face in both urban and natural environments.

The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen presents the most famous Andersen stories, including classics such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Ugly Duckling,” and “The Princess and the Pea,” in a highly esteemed 1942 translation by Jean Hersholt. This lovingly designed book contains a sparkling and unexpected selection of beautiful artwork from the 1840s to the 1980s by such artist greats as Kay Nielsen, the beloved Arthur Rackham, the eccentric Tom Seidmann-Freud (niece of Sigmund Freud), and the groundbreaking film animator Lotte Reiniger, as well as exciting, newly discovered talents. The collection also features historic and contemporary silhouettes, which enrich the presentation of Andersen’s tales in a unique format, pairing one tale with one artist, and make this a fresh addition to children’s libraries as well as to adult art-book collections.

In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company’s most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten—which reimagined icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others—they reinvigorated sneaker culture.

Virgil Abloh’s designs offer deep insights into engineering ingenuity and burst with cultural cachet. Drawing on the genius of the original shoe using lettering, ironic labels, collage, and sculpting techniques, Abloh played with language and sculptural elements to construct new meaning. Inspired by the wit of Dadaism, architectural theory, and avant-garde happenings, he analyzed what makes each shoe iconic and deconstructed it into an artistic assemblage, making each shoe into a piece of industrial design, a readymade sculpture, and a wearable all at once.

Initiating readers in the fascinating and complex history of witchcraft, from the goddess mythologies of ancient cultures to the contemporary embrace of the craft by modern artists and activists, this expansive tome conjures up a breathtaking overview of an age-old tradition. Rooted in legend, folklore, and myth, the archetype of the witch has evolved from the tales of Odysseus and Circe, the Celtic seductress Cerridwen, and the myth of Hecate, fierce ruler of the moonlit night. In Witchcraft we survey her many incarnations since, as she shape-shifts through the centuries, alternately transforming into mother, nymph, and crone—seductress and destroyer.

Banksyisms. The Wit, Wisdom and Inspiration of An Art Outlaw is an in-depth look at his inspirational and witty commentary, complemented by images of his most iconic work. Featuring observations and insight, vibrantly illustrated with photography it also includes a timeline spanning his full career to date. From self-help to help-yourself all the way to just plain old, help! If you’ve been crying yourself to sleep over your failings as a rat athlete in the rat olympics of late-capitalist life then take comfort. This book is for you. Features his very latest work and includes: Nottingham Hula Hoop Girl, Bristol Valentines’ Day, Turf War Exhibition, Girl With Balloon, Birmingham Reindeer Bench, London Extinction Rebellion, Calais Steve Jobs, Devolved Parliament, New York You Loot We Shoot. Spanning Gaza, London, Bristol, New York, LA and Paris among many many more.

Do you want to write the story of your life but don't know where to start? This is My Life Story guides you on a journey through your life with engaging prompts, questions and thought experiments that can jump start your memories and get you writing before you know it. Every life is a story worth telling. But how do you begin? Your life story is unique, you know it’s worth telling. So what can you do? What if you could answer a series of questions and end up with your life story in a book? Anyone can use this book, really at any age. Your authentic voice is more important than your writerly skills. You don’t need to be a writer, you just write exactly how you talk. This book uses chronology and a universal story structure to ensure that your autobiography will be a bona fide page turner, with plenty of space for you to express yourself. Simply reflect, let the memories flow and write them down, in your voice. No critics. No worries. Just Your Life Story. Every life is a hero's journey, and this book shows you how to pick out the key moments of your own life that match the timeless structure that underlies all great stories. Except in this story - you are the hero. Make a little bit of treasure for your family.

It’s not easy navigating a course through life. Self-reflection is rapidly becoming a forgotten art form in a society obsessed with social media’s mindless status updates, links, likes and superficial self-projections. While each of us more connected to the outside world than ever before we often feel completely isolated. This is What My Soul Looks Like gives you the ability to undertake a quest to find the real you.

New Edition. Contains even more fun and fascinating questions all on your favourite subject: you! Burn After Writing is an interactive book that invites you to face life's big questions: Who are you now? How did you get here? Where are you going? Some questions are fun, some are deep and some are just plain random. Approach them with courage and creativity. There are no wrong answers. You can take it deadly seriously, or just have fun with it, or both. It's up to you. This is the practice session for the big interview exclusive you will doubtless face when the world finally discovers how amazing you actually are. This book will be a unique picture of you as you are right now as you will never be again.

The world would be a better place if everyone continued to draw past their teens. But we're told from an early age that art, especially drawing, won't pay bills. You need to do something with your life, become a doctor, or a mechanic, or a...Teacher? If you really want to draw for a living, that's called illustration. And you'll need to go to college, and uni, start from the bottom and work your way up...Drawing if for kids! Quoteskine is drawing for grown ups. Call it anti-illustration if you want. It celebrates the love of drawing and the subject matter that inspires each image. Taking in references from movies, books, music, famous figures and even including some self penned quotes. Quoteskine hopes to reconnect that childhood love of drawing and creativity with the adult brain. Forget a minute about the work you have to do and the bills you have to pay. Get lost instead in the grown up kid's world that is Quoteskine. Then it's your turn.