The first impression of W. Reginald Bray (1879-1939) was one of an ordinary middle-class Englishman quietly living out his time as an accountant in the leafy suburb of Forest Hill, London. A glimpse behind his study door, however, revealed his extraordinary passion for sending unusual items through the mail. In 1898, Bray purchased a copy of the Post Office Guide, and began to study the regulations published quarterly by the British postal authorities. He discovered that the smallest item one could post was a bee, and the largest, an elephant. Intrigued, he decided to experiment with sending ordinary and strange objects through the post unwrapped, including a turnip, abowler hat, a bicycle pump, shirt cuffs, seaweed, a clothes brush, even a rabbit's skull. He eventually posted his Irish terrier and himself (not together), earning him the name "The Human Letter." He also mailed cards to challenging addressessome in the form of picture puzzles, others sent to ambiguous recipients at hard to reach destinationsall in the name of testing the deductive powers of the beleaguered postman. Over time hispassion changed from sending curios to amassing the world's largest collection of autographs, also via the post. Starting with key British military officers involved in the Second Boer War, he acquired thousands of autographs during the first four decades of the twentieth centuryof politicians, military men, performing artists, aviators, sporting stars, and many others. By the time he died in 1939, Bray had sent out more than thirty-two thousand postal curios and autograph requests. The Englishman Who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects tells W. Reginald Bray's remarkable tale for the first time and includes delightful illustrations of some of his most amazing postal creations. Readers will never look at the objects they post the same way again.

A overview of an art form born over 35 years ago and now ubiquitous. It is divided into three sections: the first examines how certain artists have used the video camera as an extension of themselves; the second deals with the use of narrative; and the third with the hybridization of technology.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (18411919) was one of the most audacious and original landscape artists of his age. Throughout his career, he continually experimented with composition, light, paint handling, and pictorial structure in innovative new ways that challenged traditionaland contemporarypainting. He taught himself by working side-by-side with fellow Impressionist masters Monet and Sisley, and in the 1870s began to define his distinctive landscape style of quick, silvery brushstrokes. By the end of the decade he had moved decisively in the direction of unparalleled painterly freedom.
This stunning book is the first to examine Renoir s landscape art in depth, tracing its evolution from the beginning of his career through his Impressionist period and the early 1880s, when he began to incorporate new landscape motifs and new levels of coloristic intensity in paintings after traveling to Algeria and Italy. With over 200 illustrations, a detailed chronology, and bibliography, the book" "includes essays by highly distinguished scholars that discuss the range and importance of these works and present many fresh discoveries. They also place Renoir s landscapes in the overall context of the genre in 19th-century France, revealing how his experiments were radical andin ways that have not yet been fully acknowledgedinfluential on the later development of modern art."

"More street artists are turning to stencil art's speed, efficiency, and neatness as a means of expression. All it takes is a piece of cardboard, an X-Acto knife, and a can of spray paint to pose an idea or tell a story with the potential to change the gait of pedestrians and make them stop and think."--San Francisco Weekly

Without a doubt, stencils are the fastest, easiest, and cheapest method for painting an image on a wall, a sidewalk, or practically anywhere. Stencil Nation focuses on the unexpected mix of this lively, accessible medium--from famous artists including Banksy to international street stencils and gallery shows--to reveal engaging aspects of an intentionally secretive creative community.

With dynamically illustrated perspectives from the niches of the art form, female artists, documentarians, and the growing online community of the international scene are featured in this fresh collection of photographs and essays curated by StencilArchive.org's founder, Russell Howze. New artists, often utilizing stencil art in unconventional ways, are also featured.

Stencil Nation also represents the art of lesser-known urban scenes, including Poland, Romania, and Israel. Additionally, Stencil Nation builds upon previous published works to give the most extensive and up-to-date history of stencil art, as well as how-to tips from the artists themselves.

Russell Howze is the curator of StencilArchive.org. He lives in San Francisco.

This book showcases some of the finest examples of The National Maritime Museum's collection of prints of ports from this period. Prints are analysed as commercial and art objects, rathers than as simple historical records of matters maritime. The aim is to address a broad audience, including general readers of eighteenth and nineteenth century British and colonial history, those interested in ports and maritime affairs, and those with an interest in prints themselves.

This title showcases the work of 15 artists showcased by DirtyPilot.com during its inaugural year.

The meaning of a painted portrait and even its subject may be far more complex than expected, Tamar Garb reveals in this book. She charts for the first time the history of French female portraiture from its heyday in the early nineteenth century to its demise in the early twentieth century, showing how these paintings illuminate evolving social attitudes and aesthetic concerns in France over the course of the century.

The author builds the discussion around six canonic works by Ingres, Manet, Cassatt, C zanne, Picasso, and Matisse, beginning with Ingres's idealized portrait of Mme de Sennones and ending with Matisse's elegiac last portrait of his wife. During the hundred years that separate these works, the female portrait went from being the ideal genre for the expression of painting's capacity to describe and embellish "nature," to the prime locus of its refusal to do so. Picasso's Cubism, and specifically Ma Jolie, provides the fulcrum of this shift.

New York Times Bestseller

Postsecret.com founder Frank Warren is back with a fresh and compelling companion to his wildly popular Los Angeles Times bestseller, PostSecret. For My Secret, a collectible, paper-over-board book that includes a page of vibrant, decorative stickers, Warren has personally selected never-before-seen anonymous postcards created by teens and college students from across the country. Each card bears an intimate and powerful secret--at turns inspirational, shocking, hilarious, and poetic--that is told through original illustrations, photographs, collages, and other creative means. Sample messages include:

• "I am avoiding you because you are socially below me."
• "I know the truth to the lie my parents tell... "
• "My friends think I was homeschooled. I spent high school in juvi."

A unique and important book that will appeal to both young adults and their parents, My Secret offers a raw and revealing glimpse into the real lives of today's teens and twentysomethings. Choosing their own handmade postcards over email or text messages, teens and college students express their hopes, fears, and wildest confessions in a way that truly represents their diverse personalities and voices.

This newest Watercolor Made Easy title combines the drama of beautiful sunsets with the splendor of oceanscapes, making a perfect guide for any aspiring landscape artist. Accomplished watercolorist Thomas Needham begins with basic watercolor techniques and tips specific to rendering seascapes and sunsets, such as preserving the white of the paper, painting soft blends, and creating realistic reflections. Then he offers step-by-step projects that guide artists from initial sketches to impressive, colorful works of art.

"Mr. Russell's book is the first by a non-Korean to explain the rise of Korea's entertainment industries....the book could hardly be more approachable."--Wall Street Journal

"For a country that traditionally received culture, especially from China but also from Japan and the United States, South Korea finds itself at a turning point in its new role as exporter."--The New York Times

From kim chee to kim chic South Korea came from nowhere in the 1990s to become one of the biggest producers of pop content (movies, music, comic books, TV dramas, online gaming) in Asia--and the West. Why? Who's behind it? Mark James Russell tells an exciting tale of rapid growth and wild success marked by an uncanny knack for moving just one step ahead of changing technologies (such as music downloads and Internet comics) that have created new consumer markets around the world. Among the media pioneers profiled in this book is film director Kang Je-gyu, maker of Korea's first blockbuster film Shiri; Lee Su-man, who went from folk singer to computer programmer to creator of Korea's biggest music label; and Nelson Shin, who rose from North Korea to the top of the animation business. Full of fresh analysis, engaging reportage, and insightful insider anecdotes, Pop Goes Korea explores the hallyu (the Korean Wave) hitting the world's shores in the new century.

Mark James Russell is a freelance writer who lived in Korea for 13 years, specializing in Korean pop culture. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, and other publications. He has also written extensively from around Asia, from Mongolia to Japan to Thailand. He currently lives in Spain.