Item category 2: Arts & Literature

This Stanley Gibbons comprehensive catalogue covers Great Britain, Commonwealth and Empire countries 1840-1970. The listings include variations in watermark, perforation, paper and printing methods, major shades, watermark varieties, important plate flaws, errors, government telegraph stamps and ...

For many centuries the collecting of jewels was the preserve of royalty. But in the aftermath of the First World War, royal gems passed into the hands of a different kind of elite that included celebrities from the silver screen and a coterie that revelled in a new rich social whirl. Eleven of th...

Do you know a capella from zarzuela? Can you distinguish between a serenade and a symphony? If you only have 30 seconds, there is time-using this book-to understand the creative journey taken by classical music from the Middle Ages to the modern era. From plainsong to program music, appreciate th...

'30-second opera' raises the curtain so that anyone can enjoy opera, classical or contemporary, without the elitism. Compiled by opera buffs, not opera snobs, it serves up everything you need to enjoy the spectacle, the music, and above all the voices - from Farinelli to femme fatale.

'30-second Shakespeare' features 50 of the key moments, works and lasting influences of the Bard, all explained clearly and without the clutter. Each entry is summarized in just 3 seconds - using nothing more than two pages, 300 words and one picture. Leading Shakespeare scholars present an exper...

An explosive, devastating debut book of poetry from the acclaimed author of The Boat In his first international release since the award-winning, best-selling The Boat, Nam Le delivers a shot across the bow with a book-length poem that honours every convention of diasporic literature-in a virtuosi...

"This appealing art book inspires children to unleash their creativity as they learn how to use a variety of tools, media, and processes to create original works in 3-D. Mini-bio sections highlight the work of well-known artists and encourage readers to consider the artist's use of the elements o...

Celebrating 40 years of one of the world's best-loved bands, an 'access all areas' biography for all the fans, chock full of facsimile memorabilia including some never before seen setlists, handwritten lyrics, unpublished album art, ultra-rare posters.

When Douglas Adams died in 2001, he left behind 60 boxes full of notebooks, letters, scripts, jokes, speeches and even poems. In 42, compiled by Douglas's long-time collaborator Kevin Jon Davies, hundreds of these personal artefacts appear in print for the very first time. Douglas was as much a t...