A. C. Scott's first visit to China in 1946 marked the beginning of a personal involvement with that nation's people and culture that would prove singular in its intensity, intimacy, and joy. Now, more than three decades later, an eminent Western authority on Asian theatre looks back on those early years of discovery in a memoir that is at once compelling drama and vividly etched history. This is an explorer's impressions of a world which few foreigners have ever seen and a scholar's unique depiction of pre-liberation China, its society, customs, and theatre, before the final curtain fell. For anyone interested in Chinese culture, history, or drama, or intrigued by the increasingly rare genre of travelogue, Scott's achievement will prove both enjoyable and invaluable.

With its brilliant writing, spot-on acting, faultless art direction, and impeccable costume design, Mad Men is a landmark for cable television. Never before has a period series offered such compelling plotlines alongside such painstaking attention to detail and accuracy. As the show's personal and professional machinations evolve, so too are the minutiae and the milestones of history in motion, from the shifting height of hemlines to the struggles of the civil rights movement. This book is TASCHEN's tribute to Mad Men's television art. Volume 1 chronicles the show's seven seasons with sequential stills alongside key script excerpts. From a sideways glance to a cavorting office Christmas party, each frame captivates in its masterful visual storytelling, its choreography of people, places, and situations down to the most discrete, dynamic detail. Volume 2 brings a wealth of behind-the-scenes insights with on-set photographs, production ephemera, costume designs, notes from the writers' room, as well as extensive and candid interviews with the show's creator, Matthew Weiner; the "Writers' Room" (Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, Andre Maria Jacquemetton, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tom Smuts, Carly Wray); Scott Hornbacher (executive producer and director); Phil Abraham (cinematographer and director); Chris Manley (director of photography); Dan Bishop (production and set designer); Janie Bryant (costume designer); and Jon Hamm (actor and director). From the plot twists that took our breath away to the unforgettable outfits, from the shapes and textures of '60s decor to the very real intricacies of relationships, discover the ideas, inspirations, and talents that brought human lives and human history together on the small screen. Limited Art Edition of 500 numbered copies, each signed by Matthew Weiner. Comes with the complete Mad Men scripts in seven volumes, quarterbound in slipcase, and a print of the Season 6 artwork, signed by Brian Sanders.

“A loving and breezy set of essays” on today’s most addictive TV shows from “an incisive and hilarious critic” (Slate). Television is not what it once was. Award-winning author and critic Clive James spent decades covering the medium, and witnessed a radical change in content, format, and programming, and in the very manner in which TV is watched. Here he examines this unique cultural revolution, providing a brilliant, eminently entertaining analysis of many of television’s most notable twenty-first-century accomplishments and their not always subtle impact on modern society—including such acclaimed serial dramas as Breaking Bad, The West Wing, Mad Men, and The Sopranos and the comedy 30 Rock. With intelligence and wit, James explores a television landscape expanded by cable and broadband and profoundly altered by the advent of Netflix, Amazon, and other cord-cutting platforms that have helped to usher in a golden age of unabashed binge-watching. “James loves television, he loves the winding stories it tells and that we share them together. Play All is a late love letter to the medium of our lives.”—Sunday Times “Large-brained and largehearted, and written with astonishing energy.”—The New York Times Book Review “Witty and insightful musing on popular and critically acclaimed series of the past two decades.”—Publishers Weekly

Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC's Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz’s celebrated Mad Men recaps—as featured on New York magazine's Vulture blog—for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show’s first three seasons. Seitz’s writing digs deep into the show’s themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series—all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes—is covered. Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke’s restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles’ Revolver and the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade. Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show’s first-season finale, “The Wheel,â€? wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that’s centered on the idea of nostalgia: “the pain from an old wound.â€? This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan’s nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time. It's the perfect gift for Mad Men fans and obsessives. Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: The Oliver Stone Experience, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Wes Anderson Collection.

The 10th anniversary edition, now with a new preface by the author "A wonderfully smart, lively, and culturally astute survey." - The New York Times Book Review "Grand entertainment...fascinating for anyone curious about the perplexing miracles of how great television comes to be." - The Wall Street Journal "I love this book...It's the kind of thing I wish I'd been able to read in film school, back before such books existed." - Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad and co-creator of Better Call Saul In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the landscape of television began an unprecedented transformation. While the networks continued to chase the lowest common denominator, a wave of new shows on cable channels dramatically stretched television’s narrative inventiveness, emotional resonance, and creative ambition. Combining deep reportage with critical analysis and historical context, Brett Martin recounts the rise and inner workings of this artistic watershed - a golden age of TV that continues to transform America's cultural landscape. Difficult Men features extensive interviews with all the major players - including David Chase (The Sopranos), David Simon and Ed Burns (The Wire), David Milch (NYPD Blue, Deadwood), Alan Ball (Six Feet Under), and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) - and reveals how television became a truly significant and influential part of our culture.

The author says it best: “This book is for people like you and me. People who go to work and—using words, pictures, music, and stories—are expected to make s**t happen . . . to make the phone lines light up and the in-box fill up. Attract fans, friends, and followers. Make the cash register ring. Win the business. Close the deal. Sell something.” Joshua Weltman knows just how to do that, and teach others how to do it, too. An advertising creative director for more than 25 years and the Mad Men co-producer responsible for Don Draper’s credibility as an advertising genius, Weltman distills everything he knows about the art of persuasion into a playbook?of rules, principles, insights, insider anecdotes, and more, all tailored to the fast-changing life in the information economy. Weltman identifies the four elements of selling—one of which is behind everything from a national television campaign to an email blast. There’s the ad that makes people curious—want to know more? That creates a sense of urgency—limited time offer! That increases market share—why we’re unique, or just better. And the ad that protects margins—thank you for your loyalty. And then Weltman explains how to employ these strategies, including: the six words that win business; the four kinds of stories; what to do if your product sucks; why lying in an ad will never pay off; why information reduces doubt; how to think like a force-multiplier; why different is better than better; why to remove jargon and acronyms and reveal ideas and relationships. Advertising, Joshua Weltman argues, is a toolbox, not a tool, and used right it makes people happy. Seducing Strangers shows you how. “People often ask me questions, or ask my opinions, on or about the world of advertising. My stock response is ‘You know I play a fictional advertising executive, right?’ That’s usually used to cover the ignorance or stupidity of whatever I am about to say next. In the future I will simply refer them to Josh Weltman.” —from the Foreword by Jon Hamm

An enchanting space that’s truly unique calls for a sense of humor, whimsy, and an open mind. From a charmed New Orleans childhood to a successful acting career on Broadway and the award-winning TV show Mad Men to the opening of his popular Big Easy home furnishings boutique, Hazelnut, Bryan Batt has always turned to home design as a creative outlet. To him, the best rooms are unexpected yet refined and, above all, evoke emotion. He doesn’t think twice about hanging oversized decorations from a Mardi Gras float in an elegant dining room or bringing home vintage etchings of sconces when he was actually shopping for real ones. He believes that a vibrant orange wall can be a neutral backdrop for an antique writing desk and earthy accessories, and that an artist’s whimsical bird’s nest sculpture hung in a lavender entryway couldn’t serve as a better welcome into a cozy abode. New Orleans has taught Bryan so much about how to pull together a space that’s fearless and colorful with plenty of panache. With the city as his muse—its strong roots in history, its celebration of tradition, and, of course, the wild festivities of Mardi Gras—he believes that designing a fabulous, livable home that truly reflects a dweller’s passions need not be intimidating. Big, Easy Style showcases rooms that make Bryan smile, with pages of rich photography featuring the work of many designers—and plenty of Crescent City interiors—framed by his own entertaining maxims on color, pattern, collecting, living areas, intimate spaces, and more. Explore rooms he’s personally designed and others that inspire him; from an old-world kitchen imported straight from the heart of France to a luxurious Art Deco media room, these homes are enticing and unique, and through their surprising details, completely inviting. Decorating your home to reflect your personality and taste takes practice and patience and can be a daunting undertaking, but Bryan proposes that we not worry about making mistakes, that any decision we make is better than no decision at all. With Big, Easy Style, learn how to put aside your hesitation and surrender to the wild side of home design for a big statement that’s easy to achieve. "You’ll love his collection of photographs of beautiful New Orleans rooms layered with his design tips and anecdotes of his own design experiences."—Southern Living "[Big, Easy Style] reads like a hard-copy extension of Batt's personality--elegant, gregarious, funny, showman-like. The rooms he's chosen to showcase are painstakingly designed, yet, in that enviable way, appear so easily tossed together."— Susan Langenhennig, The Times Picayune "With great passion and a zest for creativity, [Bryan Batt] and Katy Danos offer thoughtful tips on color, collecting, patterns and much more along the way. Kerri McCaffety captures the beauty of each room in her inviting photographs. I love Batt's unique whimsy style. How many of us would think of placing giant decorations from a Mardi Gras float in a lavish dining room? Or how about hanging an ornate crystal chandelier in the kitchen? Or what about painting a Chippendale-style chair mellow yellow. But they all work!"—Jeryl Brunner, Stylist.com "If you've missed Bryan Batt since he left the set of Mad Men in 2009 (he played Salvatore Romano), catch up with him in a decor ode to his hometown: New Orleans. [In Big, Easy Style], we're treated to his vision of making rooms inviting, festive and ultimately setting the foundation for entertaining, which is what this get-down town is all about."—San Francisco Chronicle "The book is full of Batt's tips. It's like spending an afternoon with someone who you'd like to watch decorate a home."-- Karen Dalton-Beninato, Huffington Post Books