Arshile Gorky. A Retrospective

Edited by Michael R. Taylor; Essays by Harry Cooper, Jody Patterson, Robert
Storr, Michael R. Taylor, and Kim Servart Theriault; Chronology by Melissa Kerr
Arshile Gorky (c. 1904–1948) was one of the central figures in American art’s shift toward abstraction during the first half of the 20th century. Accompanying the first major retrospective of his work in almost thirty years, this stunning book traces the evolution of Gorky’s arresting visual style. Nearly 200 paintings, drawings,
sculptures, and prints from all phases of his career, a number of which are published here for the first time, are beautjavascript:void(0)ifully reproduced, including a large figurative painting from 1927 known previously only through its preparatory studies. Throughout the volume, some of Gorky’s best-known and most powerful works are
paired with related pieces or with meticulous preliminary studies, shedding new light on his artistic process. Illustrated essays incorporating recently discovered biographical information and photographs examine his experience of the Armenian genocide (during which he witnessed the death of his mother), his collaboration with the Works Progress Administration, and his early explorations of abstraction and Surrealism, providing important reassessments of his life and career.

Admired by many of his contemporaries and hugely influential on subsequent generations of artists, Gorky created a complex and deeply moving body of work that encompasses styles ranging from Impressionism to Cubism, Surrealism, and the beginnings of Abstract Expressionism.

"Choice" Outstanding Academic Title in the Fine Arts category
The Gift Books Guide: Art and Design

ISBN: 9780300154412

Boyle. Between God and Science Michael Hunter

Robert Boyle ranks with Newton and Einstein as one of the world’s most important scientists. Aristocrat and natural philosopher, he was a remarkably wide-ranging and penetrating thinker—pioneering the modern experimental method, championing a novel mechanical view of nature, and reflecting deeply on philosophical and theological issues related to science. But, as Michael Hunter shows, Boyle was also a complex and contradictory personality, fascinated by alchemy and magic and privately plagued with doubts about faith and conscience, which troubled the rational vision he heralded. This extraordinary work is the first biography of Boyle in a generation, and the culminating achievement of a world-renowned expert on the scientist. Deftly navigating Boyle’s voluminous published works as well as his personal letters and papers, Hunter’s complete and intimate account gives us the man rather than myth,
the troubled introvert as well as the public campaigner. Lively, perceptive, and full of original insights, this is the definitive account of a remarkable man and the changing world in which he lived.

A renowned world expert on Robert Boyle, Michael Hunter is professor of history, Birkbeck College, University of London.

Top 10 Books of the Year, Seed Magazine
Pfizer Prize for Outstanding Book Shortlisted
"Choice" Outstanding Academic Title in the History of Science &
Technology category

ISBN: 9780300169317

The Book in the Renaissance by Andrew Pettegree

The dawn of print was a major turning point in the early modern world. It rescued ancient learning from obscurity, transformed knowledge of the natural and physical world, and brought the thrill of book ownership to the masses. But, as Andrew Pettegree reveals in this work of great historical merit, the story of the post-Gutenberg world was rather more complicated than we have often come to believe.

The Book in the Renaissance reconstructs the first 150 years of the world of print, exploring the complex web of religious, economic, and cultural concerns surrounding the printed word. From its very beginnings, the printed book had to straddle financial and religious imperatives, as well as the very different requirements and
constraints of the many countries who embraced it, and, as Pettegree argues, the process was far from a runaway success. More than ideas, the success or failure of books depended upon patrons and markets, precarious strategies and the thwarting of
piracy, and the ebb and flow of popular demand. Owing to his state-of-the-art and highly detailed research, Pettegree crafts an authoritative, lucid, and truly pioneering work of cultural history about a major development in the evolution of European society.

“In this history of the pioneering publishers who transformed Gutenberg’s new technology into an epoch-making force, Pettegree recounts the fascinating story of how new books found their way into the hands of Renaissance readers. . . . A probing chronicle of crisis and change.” - Booklist (starred review)

“In an understated, judicious manner, [Pettegree] offers a radically new understanding of printing in the years of its birth and youth.” — Robert Pinsky, The New York Times Book Review

"It is more fun than a book on bibliography has any right to be: as well as emphasising what a cut-throat, pragmatic and disreputable business the early modern book trade was, it's a salient reminder of how little we really know about the subject." — Alec Ryie, Times Higher Education

Goodhart Gordon Book Prize given by the Renaissance Society of America

Несовершенный человек. Случайность эволюции мозга и ее последствия. Гари Маркус.

Человек привык считать себя венцом творения: свои сильные стороны - нормой, а слабости - отклонением. Подход автора принципиально другой: мы изначально несовершенны; наш мозг, как и тело, в ходе эволюции формировался достаточно случайно, из "подручных материалов" природы и являет собой, так называемый клудж - нелепое, неуклюжее, но удивительно эффективное решение проблемы. Понятие клуджа проливает свет на важные стороны нашей жизни и объясняет множество проблем, с которыми мы сталкиваемся. Выводы автора оптимистичны: имея должное понимание соотношения сил и слабостей человеческого ума, мы получаем возможность помочь не только себе, но и обществу.

"Книга о том, что человеческий мозг [...] собранный из всего, что попалось под руку; держащийся на честном слове, но работающий как часы. И это, что называется, многое
объясняет в человеке. Обязательное чтение" – Openspace.ru

"Marcus's emphasis on the peculiar quirks of our minds - or odd decisions and weird interpretations - makes for a fascinating, selfreferential read...Marcus's book makes "kluge" an indispensable term for explaining the human mind." - Seed

"Invigorating fun...inspired, one of those unexpected analogies that help us look at everything afresh." - New York Times Book Review

"A shot across the bow of intelligent design." - Kirkus Reviews

Reset: Iran, Turkey, and America's Future by Stephen Kinzer

Kinzer (Overthrow), columnist at the Guardian, takes an iconoclastic approach in this smart policy prescriptive that calls for elemental changes in America's relationships with Israel and Saudi Arabia, and even more remarkably, for the U.S. to find more sensible and natural allies in Turkey and Iran, the only Muslim countries in the Middle East where democracy is deeply rooted. This radical break from diplomatic convention has its roots deep in the cold war history that Kinzer
spends most of the book attentively mining. When he's corralling Middle Eastern history, Kinzer does an excellent job at stitching essential facts into a coherent and telling whole, demonstrating why, for instance, Turkey's recent return to greater religiosity is a victory against Islamist policies and how Israel's willingness to do America's dirty work (e.g., selling arms to Guatemala's military regime) tied the U.S. to Israel and Saudi Arabia so powerfully in the past. He's less
successful in analysis, though, and is prone to repetition; this astute book builds toward convincing new ideas, but doesn't provide the necessary scaffolding to hold them up. Publishers Weekly

“Fresh and well-informed... Kinzer argues persuasively that despite their very different governments -- one friendly and free, the other hostile and theocratic -- both Turkey and Iran are host to vibrant democratic traditions that make them natural long-term partners of the United States...[A] lively, character-driven approach to history.” - The Washington Post

“The main message is intriguing.” – The Economist

Times Books; 1 edition (June 8, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0805091270, ISBN-13: 978-0805091274

The Persians. Ancient, Mediaeval and Modern Iran by Homa Katouzian

In recent years, Iran has gained attention mostly for negative reasons—its authoritarian religious government, disputed nuclear program, and controversial role in the Middle East—but there is much more to the story of this ancient land than can be gleaned from the news. This authoritative and comprehensive history of Iran, written by Homa Katouzian, an acclaimed expert, covers the entire history of the area from the ancient Persian Empire to today’s Iranian state.
Writing from an Iranian rather than a European perspective, Katouzian integrates the significant cultural and literary history of Iran with its political and social history. Some of the greatest poets of human history wrote in Persian—among them Rumi, Omar Khayyam, and Saadi—and Katouzian discusses and occasionally quotes their work. In his thoughtful analysis of Iranian society, Katouzian argues that the absolute and arbitrary power traditionally enjoyed by Persian/Iranian rulers has resulted in an unstable society where fear and short-term thinking dominate. A magisterial history, this book also serves as an excellent background to the role of Iran in the contemporary world.
Homa Katouzian, a native of Iran, teaches Iranian history and Persian literature at St. Antony’s College and the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford. He is also editor of the journal Iranian Studies.

Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300169324

Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, from Persia to the Islamic Republic, from Cyrus to Ahmadinejad by William R. Polk

William R. Polk provides an informative, readable history of a country which is moving quickly toward becoming the dominant power and culture of the Middle East. A former member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Council, Polk describes a country and a history misunderstood by many in the West. While Iranians chafe under the yolk of their current leaders, they also have bitter memories of generations of British, Russian and American espionage, invasion, and dominance. There are important lessons to be learned from the past, and Polk teases them out of a long and rich history and shows that it is not just now, but for decades to come that an understanding of Iran will be essential to American safety and well-being.

“Offers much fascinating and accurate information” - Choice

"A great scholar's brilliant appreciation of Iranian culture and history." -- Dr. Khodadad Farmanfarmaian, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iran

"A digestible history of this tortured land is something Americans sorely need....And Polk carefully constructs one." - USA Today

"This book will be informative to two groups scarcely on speaking terms: the supporters of President Bush's invasion of Iraq and those implacably opposed to it....William Polk presents the reader with the full sweep of Iraq's history....He gives us a comprehensive tour." - Washington Times

"Haunting....One of the clearest prescriptions for success in Iraq yet to emerge." - Publishers Weekly

Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN-13: 978-0230103436

Cерия "Iranica". Хушанг Фархуджаста. Семья в Иране.

Книга "Семья в Иране", как явствует из ее названия, рассказывает об иранской семье и ее развитии с древности до наших дней. Основное внимание автор уделяет современной семье, которая в Иране в зависимости от места проживания и образа жизни подразделяется на городскую, сельскую и племенную. В книге также затрагиваются проблемы многоженства, разрешенного в исламе, участия женщин в социальной жизни, хиджаба и его строгости в различные эпохи. Данные по социологии современной иранской семьи приведены как в самом тексте, так и в виде таблиц.

Проект "Iranica" издательства "Петербургское Востоковедение" воспроизводит на русском языке аналогичную иранскую книжную серию "Книга об Иране". Книги изданы в 2007-2009 гг.
Данная серия книг была задумана в 1975/1996 г. в Центре международных культурных исследований при Организации по культуре и исламским связям, отвечающей за просветительскую работу по ознакомлению мирового сообщества с традиционными ценностями и особенностями современной жизни Исламской Республики Иран.

Cерия "Iranica". Хабиб Аллах Айат Аллахи. История иранского искусства

Первая часть книги посвящена искусству доисламского периода, вторая описывает эпоху со времени принятия ислама и до победы в стране Исламской революции. Наконец, третья часть посвяшена современному искусству Исламской республики Иран.

Проект "Iranica" издательства "Петербургское Востоковедение" воспроизводит на русском языке аналогичную иранскую книжную серию "Книга об Иране". Книги изданы в 2007-2009 гг.
Данная серия книг была задумана в 1975/1996 г. в Центре международных культурных исследований при Организации по культуре и исламским связям, отвечающей за просветительскую работу по ознакомлению мирового сообщества с традиционными ценностями и особенностями современной жизни Исламской Республики Иран.

Cерия "Iranica". Риза Ша'Бани. Краткая история Ирана

Книга посвящена истории одного из самых древних государств мира. Книга охватывает период с появления арийских племен на территории Ирана и вплоть до Исламской революции 1979 г. Автор намеренно не освещает события революции подробно, так как, по его мнению, еще не прошло достаточно времени, чтобы сделать это беспристрастно. Большое внимание уделено истории последних Каджаров, Конституционному движению начала XX в. и приходу к власти основателя последней правящей династии Ирана - Риза-шаха Пахлави, а также разнообразным аспектам его деятельности.

Проект "Iranica" издательства "Петербургское Востоковедение" воспроизводит на русском языке аналогичную иранскую книжную серию "Книга об Иране". Книги изданы в 2007-2009 гг.
Данная серия книг была задумана в 1975/1996 г. в Центре международных культурных исследований при Организации по культуре и исламским связям, отвечающей за просветительскую работу по ознакомлению мирового сообщества с традиционными ценностями и особенностями современной жизни Исламской Республики Иран.

Cерия "Iranica". Аббас Манучихри. Политическая система Ирана

Аббас Манучихри. Политическая система Ирана
Особенное внимание уделяется Конституции ИРИ. Книга рассказывает о важнейших вехах истории государственной власти в Иране, о настоящем ее положении, дает важную информацию о государственных институтах, правах человека в ИРИ и участии народа в политической жизни страны. Последний раздел книги посвящен внешней политике Исламской Республики Иран - начиная с образования сафавидского государства и заканчивая победой Исламской революции. В книге затрагиваются вопросы отношения Ирана к национально-освободительным движениям и движениям по борьбе за независимость, к положению дел в Персидском заливе и равно рассматриваются культурные связи ИРИ.

Проект "Iranica" издательства "Петербургское Востоковедение" воспроизводит на русском языке аналогичную иранскую книжную серию "Книга об Иране". Книги изданы в 2007-2009 гг.
Данная серия книг была задумана в 1975/1996 г. в Центре международных культурных исследований при Организации по культуре и исламским связям, отвечающей за просветительскую работу по ознакомлению мирового сообщества с традиционными ценностями и особенностями современной жизни Исламской Республики Иран.

Cерия "Iranica". Ахмад Тамимдари. История персидской литературы

"История персидской литературы" рассказывает об одной из самых блестящих и известных литератур стран Востока, о школах, стилях и жанрах персидской словесности. Особенное внимание автор уделяет различным философским школам и учениям, поскольку они во многом определили содержание литературных произведений.
В книге исследованы начало литературной жизни в Иране и основные периоды развития персидской литературы.

Проект "Iranica" издательства "Петербургское Востоковедение" воспроизводит на русском языке аналогичную иранскую книжную серию "Книга об Иране". Книги изданы в 2007-2009 гг.
Данная серия книг была задумана в 1975/1996 г. в Центре международных культурных исследований при Организации по культуре и исламским связям, отвечающей за просветительскую работу по ознакомлению мирового сообщества с традиционными ценностями и особенностями современной жизни Исламской Республики Иран.

Армения и сасанидский Иран. Эдуард Хуршудян

Постоянные почти непрерывающиеся отношения с Ираном - присутствие персидской жизни и персидской цивилизации в Армении - все это дало армянам возможность узнать персов в политическом и нравственном отношениях гораздо лучше, чем это могли сделать другие народы.

«Армения и Сасанидский Иран» представляет собой фундаментальное исследование в области источниковедения. По своей структуре, характеру и объему привлеченных материалов данная работа является чрезвычайно сложным и насыщенным исследованием, вторгающимся одновременно в несколько областей исторического знания – ориенталистику, сравнительное языкознание, нумизматику, хронографию и политическую историю.
Хуршудян предлагает научному сообществу своего рода новую концепцию для интерпретации исторического контекста армяно-иранского культурного и языкового взаимодействия. Она состоит в том, что сасанидский период был одновременно и вершиной, апогеем этого взаимодействия, и в то же время на нем обрывается традиция армяно-иранского культурного синтеза. Свою концепцию автор доказывает на колоссальном историческом материале, который он использует в своей книге. Этот материал включает в себя административные документы Аршакидов, парфянские, греческие и арамейские настенные надписи, стелы, геммы и буллы, памятники сасанидской эпиграфики. Автором проделан широчайший историко-этимологический анализ терминов, должностей и титулов парфянских, сасанидских и аршакидских административных, государственных, правовых и религиозных институтов.
В целом д-р Хуршудян привлек в свой источниковый комплекс древнеармянские, парфянские, среднеперсидские, сирийские, греческие, латинские и арабские источники, что выводит его исследование далеко за рамки первоначальной задачи – показать культурно-языковое армяно-иранское взаимодействие, но позволяет нарисовать широкое историческое полотно языкового и культурного синтеза большего количества культур. - Журнал "Континент"

Print-S Алматы, 2003 г. ISBN 9965-00-743-8

Schumann: Piano works. Piotr Anderszewski (piano)

Gramophone Magazine “Never one to follow a conventional path, Anderszewski makes Schumann entirely his own while at the same time highlighting the composer's essentially schizophrenic nature. Everything is seen through a novel perspective or prism with a rare ability to read between the lines...Virgin's sound captures all of Anderszewski's drama and crystalline brilliance.”

BBC Music Magazine “he combines a superlative pianistic tonal palette with an immensely sophisticated rhythmic vocabulary, a rare capacity to illuminate Schumann's polyphonic textures, and a gift for thematic conversation fit to make most performers, not excepting conductors, look to their laurels...None excels Anderszewski...Bewitchingly compelling.”

International Record Review “the fierce integrity of Anderszewski's musicality combines with his exquisitely refined pianism to make a listening experience that is never less than pleasurable and occasionally revelatory...Anderszewski's transcriptions are skilfully wrought...he approaches [Gesänge der Frühe] with
enormous sincerity and discernment, resulting in performances that are beautifully atmospheric”

BBC Radio 3 Disc of the Week
BBC Music Magazine Recommended
Gramophone Editors Choice

ROSSINI Stabat Mater

Anna Netrebko, Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee, Ildebrando D`Arcangelo, Orchestra e Coro dell`Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia

The Times: “The Accademia Chorus is one of the world’s best, and the full, honeyed tone is a constant pleasure. Another of the recording’s rocks is the bass soloist, Ildebrando d’Arcangelo, who never confuses eloquence with shouting and hits his notes dead centre...Brownlee avoids vocal preening and makes sure we can still
sense the text’s grieving mother, sharing Christ’s pain.”

Gramophone Magazine “A precondition for success here is the assembling of a matched quartet of technically accomplished singers blessed with a sense of the Rossini style. Pappano has this absolutely. The pairing of Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato is a match made in heaven...This is one of the great choral recordings.”

Classic FM Magazine “Pappano is alive to nuance and inflection in Rossini's score. He allows Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato ample scope for display but never at subtlety's expense...Imaginatively conceived and beautifully delivered.”

BBC Radio 3 Disc of the Week
BBC Music Magazine Disc of the Month
Gramophone Editors Choice Disc of The Month

To The One by John McLaughlin

With his new album To The One, iconic guitarist, composer and 2010 Grammy Nomineee John McLaughl in look s bac kwards and forwards simultaneously. The six original songs are hauntingly evocative - with roiling rhythmic swells, modal expanses, and telepathic group interaction echoing the profound influence of John Coltrane's 1965 spiritual jazz masterpiece A Love Supreme. The music of To The One was set down in the studio with very few overdubs, by McLaughlin's current performing outfit, the Fourth Dimension: Gary Husband (keyboards, drums), Etienne M'Bappe (electric bass), and Mark Mondesir (drums).

Compositional devices clearly inspired by Coltrane are fused with elements of McLaughlin's own multifaceted approach, all delivered with a group empathy and shared vision that harkens back to Coltrane's fearless mid-'60s quartet of Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison. The effect of Jones' kaleidoscopic approach to rhythm and drumming is especially felt, brilliantly recast and explored via McLaughlin's gift for complex metrical structures

Peter & the Wolf directed by Suzie Templeton

An animated retelling set to Prokofiev's suite. Peter is a slight lad, solitary, locked out of the woods by his protective grandfather, his only friend a duck. In town, he's bullied. When a wolf menaces the duck - as well as grandfather's fat cat and an ill-flying bird that Peter has befriended - Peter bravely tries to tree the wolf. Grandfather, the townspeople, and the hunters who have antagonized Peter figure in the dénouement.

Academy Awards, USA (Oscar) Best Short Film, Animated
Annecy International Animated Film Festival Grand Prix
British Animation Awards
Krok International Animated Films Festival Special Prize
BAFTA Film Award Nominated

The King's Speech directed by Tom Hooper

After the death of his father King George V (Michael Gambon) and the scandalous abdication of King Edward VIII (Guy Pearce), Bertie (Colin Firth) who has suffered from a debilitating speech impediment all his life, is suddenly crowned King George VI of England. With his country on the brink of war and in desperate need of a leader, his wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), the future Queen Mother, arranges for her husband to see an eccentric speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush).

After a rough start, the two delve into an unorthodox course of treatment and eventually form an unbreakable bond. With the support of Logue, his family, his government and Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall), the King will overcome his stammer and deliver a radio-address that inspires his people and unites them in battle.
Based on the true story of King George VI, THE KING'S SPEECH follows the Royal Monarch's quest to find his voice.

21 wins & 80 nominations
Nominated for 12 Oscars.
BAFTA Film Award
British Independent Film Award
Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal
ForeWord Magazine 2009 Book of the Year Award