In this original and provocative book, Timothy Bewes descends into the modern cynical consciousness with a critical assessment of the preoccupations of contemporary society.

Dating back to the 15th century, the Chinese porcelains from the Ardebil Shrine represent some of the finest examples of Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain. This volume showcases over 70 pieces from the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art, tracing their history and significance in the context of Chinese art and culture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Like Froude's biography of Carlyle, Holroyd's Shaw, and Ellmann's Joyce, Robert Baldick's Life of J.-K. Huysmans has become not just a standard reference work, to be consulted as regularly as the writing of the author whose life it chronicles, but a work of literature in its own right. First published fifty years ago, Baldick's classic biography presents a compelling narrative of Huysmans' life and work in all its various phases - from the Naturalism of the 1870s to the Decadence of the 1880s, and from the occult vogue of the 1890s to the Catholic Revival of the turn of the century - and it is written with such impeccable scholarship that it is still relied on today as regards matters of fact and detail. For this new edition - the first time the biography has been reprinted in English -Baldick's notes have been extensively revised and updated by Brendan King to take account of new developments and publications in the field of Huysmansian studies.

The Hess Art Collection is one of the world's most distinguished private collections of contemporary art. It was assembled by the Swiss businessman and wine producer Donald M. Hess. The collection unites extraordinary works by numerous artists now known around the world as well as excellent pieces by artists whose names are (as yet) less well known. This mixture is part of the ensemble's particular charm, making a glance through this copiously illustrated catalogue a veritable expedition. Hess's collecting activities primarily focus on the individual work. Accompanied by an unmistakable sense of quality, he judiciously selected the works he acquired over a period of more than forty years. A large part of the collection's holdings is open to the public in the museums of the Hess wineries in Napa, California, Glen Carlou in Paarl, South Africa, and Bodega Colomé in Calchaquí Valley, Argentina. A fourth museum is being planned at the Peter Lehmann Winery in Barossa Valley, Australia.