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Ireland and Britain have an entwined and contentious past. Though southern Ireland broke with the Commonwealth in 1948, Northern Ireland remains a member of the United Kingdom to this day. As Fionna Barber shows in Art In Ireland since 1910, Ireland's relationship to its closest neighbor has played a key role in the development of its visual culture. Using the work of Jack B. Yeats, William Leech, John Lavery, William Orpen, F. E. McWilliam, Francis Bacon, and others, Barberlooks at how Ireland's art practice during the past century has been shaped by the twin forces of nationhood and modernity. Barber reveals that the drive to decolonization in the Irish Free State underpinned a predominance of images of remote landscapes and rugged peasantry. She moves beyond discussions of art in Northern Ireland--often reduced to a concern with the Troubles, the period of ethno-political conflict that began in 1969, and the significance of its status as part of Britain--to consider the region's art practice in relation to ideas of nation and the modern. Drawing parallels with artists from other former British colonies, she also looks at the theme of diaspora and migration in the work of Irish artists working in Britain during the 1950s. The first book to examine Irish art from the early twentieth century to the present day, this beautifully illustrated book adds a new dimension to our conception of this idyllic country.

As a colour, black is a single hue. It comes in no other shades. But despite its commonly accepted role as one half of a pair, in symbolic terms black envelops the entire spectrum of meaning. The Story of Black explores the ambiguous relationship the world's cultures have had with this often self-contradictory colour

Martha Jay traces the history of allium family - onions, shallots, garlic, chives, and leeks - back to the earliest civilizations of the Fertile Crescent and the recipes of ancient Mesopotamia.

A classic account of how landscape has been central to questions of 'Englishness' - of national identity, history and modernity, as well as concepts of citizenship and the body.

A stunning, beautifully illustrated exploration of urban underground spaces, bringing together a collection of 80 subterranean sites from around the world.

Charlotte Horlyck explores oil and ink paintings to video art, multi-media installations, ready-mades and performance, and the questions that arise about the role of art and the artist's position within society.

One of France's most high-profile writers and a Nobel Prize-winner, Albert Camus experienced both public adulation and acrimonious rejection during his career, which was cut short by a fatal car accident in 1960. Edward J. Hughes unravels the life of a complex personality whose work and stance were the subjects of intense interest and scrutiny.

Walter Benjamin's essay 'A Short History of Photography' (1931) made bold statements about photographic pioneers such as David Octavius Hill and Nicéphore Niépce, and the social and historical context of their work. This first selection of Benjamin's writings on photography includes a new translation of this influential essay as well as a range of Benjamin's other writings, both published and unpublished, some of which are translated into English for the first time here.

Doughnuts, those deep-fried pieces of dough, have powerful associations with nostalgia, irreverence and playfulness. Doughnut: A Global History takes the reader on a fast-paced journey through the story of this iconic food, from prehistory, ancient Egypt and Rome to medieval Europe and the Renaissance to Krispy Kremes and today's artisan creations.

St George: A Saint for All is a compelling account of the myth of St George, one of the most significant mythic figures in Christian culture, as well as many other religions world-wide. The book describes St George's lively and diverse following today, and shows how the saint has inspired artists, poets and painters.

Ruins and Fragments is a wide-ranging, elliptical, engaging view of the history of modernity through the lens of the ruined and fragmentary. It explores literary fragments such as the plays of Aeschylus, as well as how writers - Joyce, Coleridge, Pound, T. S. Elliot - exploit fragmentary techniques and forms.

The first book to examine the films of Jim Jarmusch from a sound-oriented perspective. The three essential acoustic elements that structure a film - music, words and noise - propel this book's fascinating journey through his work, including Stranger Than Paradise (1984), Down By Law (1986), Dead Man (1995), and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013).

A critical reinterpretation of India's leading role in the history of modern architecture, this book shows how architecture in India has reflected and embodied dramatic shifts in Indian society and culture over the course of the twentieth century.

A lively history of tequila, an unusual liquor that can only be produced in Mexico. This book relates the beginnings of tequila and how it was introduced into the global market, and contains many recipes for tequila-based cocktails, as well as advice on buying, storing, tasting and serving tequila.

Exploring sugar's reputation as one of the most beloved yet reviled substances that we consume, this compelling history of the infamous ingredient is peopled with determined adventurers, relentless sugar barons and greedy plantation owners.

The first in-depth account of the storied history of guinea pig and human interaction, this book shows how guinea pigs have influenced humans since earliest times, including scientists such as William Harvey, and painters from Jan Brueghel to Beatrix Potter.

A new title by best-selling author, zoologist, and former television presenter Desmond Morris, Bison is a natural and cultural history of the bison, an iconic animal of the Great Plains of America.

Beaver explores the fascinating history of this small, often-overlooked, yet important animal and examines why the beaver has been hunted throughout the years, as well as looks at the unique way in which beavers form their societies.

The book traces Malevich's development from his beginnings in Ukraine and early years in Moscow - where he was closely involved in the Futurist circle - through to the late 1920s and beyond.

This comprehensive and wide-ranging history explores the many uses of the barrel and its relations such as the keg in splendid detail, offering a new way of thinking about one of the most enduring and successful objects of our age, as well as a sobering assessment of its future.

James Watt: Making the World Anew is a craft history of Britain's early industrial transformation as well as a prehistory of the engineering profession itself.

A natural and cultural history of the hedgehog that explores the symbolism of the animal, from Romans who regarded it as a weather prophet to Sonic the Hedgehog and children's books today.

Rice: A Global History presents in detail the historical journey that rice has taken, from its early origin as a staple food in Asian and West African countries to its ubiquitous place in meals across the world today.

Proposing that the 'forbidden fruit' eaten by Adam and Eve was in fact a fig rather than an apple, this book explores the history of the fruit in fascinating detail, from the Crusaders to the wonderful fig festivals of the modern world.

Heroes is the fascinating story of David Bowie's years in Berlin, where he worked in the late '70s on his 'Berlin Triptych' - the albums Low, 'Heroes', and Lodger - which are among the most critically acclaimed and innovative albums of the late twentieth century.

Dedicated to art practices that mobilize the model of the archive, this book demonstrates the ways in which such 'archival artworks' probe the possibilities of what art is and what it can do.

Introducing the major works and currents of Joseon painting, Pathways to Korean Culture explores the various social, cultural and political perspectives of this dynamic, dynastic era (1392-1910), uncovering the fascinating history of more than 500 years of Korean art and visual culture.

Feasts and Fasts: A History of Indian Food is an exploration of Indian cuisine in the context of the country's religious, moral, social and philosophical development.

This book traces the history of the animal, moving from their evolution through their domestication and global spread to the role of goats in the modern world.

Asserting that art and the aesthetic dimension appeared in antiquity, The Infinite Image is a ground-breaking dissection of the established eurocentric ideas regarding art as a modern, and purely Western, aspect of culture.