In the mid-1990s a fresh, Do-It-Yourself approach to producing album art began to percolate through the post-punk, emo and hardcore music scenes in the US and Europe. The visual material that is gathered together inDIY Album Art: Paper Bags & Office Suppliesshowcases a unique aesthetic and usage of materials borne out of financial necessity and creative imperatives. While a great number of the bands have not endured, their hand-made, screen-printed, glued, photocopied, drawn on, sewn together packaging paved the way for the potential of innovative, non-traditional music packaging.

New York Times best seller Ever since Gabrielle Stanley Blair became a parent, she’s believed that a thoughtfully designed home is one of the greatest gifts we can give our families, and that the objects and decor we choose to surround ourselves with tell our family’s story. In this, her first book, Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.

Imagine a time before everyone stared at a screen, before fonts, icons, mice, and laser printers, before Apple and Microsoft? But in El Segundo and Palo Alto, Xerox engineers were dreaming and secretly building the modern personal computer. Who were they? Why did corporate management just want to sell copiers and printers?The author, Albert Cory,* was one. Inventing the Future is based on the true story of the Xerox Star, the computer that changed everything

Focusing on the semiotics, poetics, and rhetoric of album covers, Coverscaping gives a serious study of this neglected art form. Working from the assumption that record sleeves may be found to represent a visual genre in its own right, the essays in this book engage in various ways with the analysis of what one might call the pictorial component of recorded music. The contributions, from scholars in many different fields, run the whole gamut from close readings of individual covers to more theoretical or philosophical explorations of the aesthetic nature and artistic value of album covers.

Being a mermaid brings a new depth to ‘it’s complicated.’ High school teen Mariah's life is anything but simple. Between a crush on her best friend and a rivalry brewing with the swim team star, her powers awaken early. When Mariah’s guardian meddles in her life with magic, she causes more harm than good. The soul reapers are coming and there’s a werewolf hungry for merblood. All secrets wash ashore sooner or later, and Mariah’s about to discover hers. Mixing a messy love life with deadly powers will whip up a storm of trouble. Can Mariah contain it or will she be swept up in its wake? A gripping story about a mermaid, self acceptance, and romance that literally sparks.

Not your typical how to book, but inspirational papercraft and mixed media projects designed by Tim Holtz.

What do Russell Simmons, Shepard Fairey, and Jay-Z, have in common, besides being some of the most respected influential people in the world? They felt the need to come together to represent their art for the sake of this book. The objective of the project is to showcase the art behind the lyrics of hip-hop in juxtaposition of similar themes in contemporary art, to encourage readers to consider the meaning and value behind these works and themes at large. It celebrates the long-standing relationship between the visual arts and hip-hop music, and is the result of a collaboration between two giants of the American music scene. Each chapter of the book will has a theme: for example, the chapter about New York, titled "Empire State of Mind" after Jay-Z's epic single, which peaked within the top ten in ten countries in 2009. Lyrics from the song are presented beside contemporary art inspired by New York, an exclusive commentary from Russell and Danny Simmons, and a contextualizing text from legendary writer and activist Nikki Giovanni, as well as other academics. This concept of presenting songs, art, and interviews alongside each other offers an incomparable insight into the influence that hip-hop has on contemporary culture, and the unrivaled significance that this subculture has risen to. This collaboration between so many big names in music, art, and academia is a unique project.