Buckland Books

present the latest mosaic and tile books

Two super new Shire Albums (in colour) have landed on our shelves this week.  They are:

0373    CERAMIC WATER CLOSETS, by Munroe Blair, 40pp, 57 colour + 41 monochrome illus, booklet, £4.50
A wonderful and fascinating survey of the history of the ceramic toilet pan and cistern, properly called 'Water Closet' or WC.  Many early examples are illustrated showing how designs have changed over the years in the search for ever more efficient flushing. Some look more like instruments of torture whilst others are delicately decorated, belying their functionality.  Why not hang a copy in your loo to while away the time!

1379    MEDIEVAL TILES, by Hans van Lemmen, 40pp, 75 colour + 11 monochrome illus, booklet, £4.50
Hans van Lemmen has produced a number of excellent Shire albums over the years and his latest offering maintains the high standard.  This is a great introduction to the art and history of medieval inlaid and relief tiles and explains the techniques involved in simple terms.  Beginning with the early 'mosaic' tiles, Hans takes us through the development of inlaid and relief tiles and considers the important influence of medieval tiles on Victorian manufacturers.  Recommended.

Mosaic Project Books:

1380    MOROCCAN STYLE, by Katrina Hall, £7.99
1381    ROMAN STYLE, by Donna Reeves, £7.99
Published by Murdoch Books, each book: 32pp, fully illus in colour + 6 full size fold-out templates, paperback
The first two titles in a new series of 'How-to' books on mosaics each based on a different historical style.  The six projects in each book are described in detail with easy to follow instructions and very clear illustrations showing the tools required and the techniques involved.  A list of suppliers is included as are full size fold-out templates for each project. 

OTHER NEW TITLES:

0446    "DOCH AUCH DIES LETZTE ABENDTROTH DER OFENMALEREI ERBLEICHT..." Catalogue of of the exhibition 'Künstleröfen - Ofenkünstler', 2000, Ofen- und Keramikmuseum, Velten, Germany, German text, 52pp, 40 colour + 58 monochrome illus, paperback, £8.95

Books on stoves and stove tiles are few and far between, especially ones that feature 19th and 20th century stove design.  This new exhibition catalogue from the Stove Museum in Velten, Germany has a whole range of traditional, and Art Nouveau/Art Deco stoves illustrated, mainly from contemporary catalogues.  Some are quite weird, whilst others I could live with!  A fascinating insight into this under-researched area.

1378    MOSAICS OF HAGIA SOPHIA, ISTANBUL: The Fossati Restoration and the Work of the Byzantine Institute, by Natalia B. Teteriatnikov, Dumbarton Oaks, USA, 1998, 73pp, 76 b & w illus, paperback, £13.50

After its conversion to a mosque, the mosaics of the Hagia Sophia were covered with whitewash and plaster for some 400 years until the architects Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossati temporarily uncovered them in 1848/9.  Further uncovering and restoration was undertaken in 1931-49 by the staff of the Byzantine Institute.  This exhibition catalogue reveals through archive photographs and drawings, the work which was undertaken, and reveals how the mosaics had been altered since their initial installation.

CORPUS DES MOSAÏQUES DE TUNISIE:
0364    Vol II, Thuburbo Majus, Fasc. 1, Les Mosaïques de la région du Forum, £29.50
0365    Vol II, Thuburbo Majus, Fasc. 2, Les Mosaïques de la région des Grandes Thermes, £29.50
0366    Vol II, Thuburbo Majus, Fasc. 3, Les Mosaïques de la région ouest, £40.00
0367    Vol II, Thuburbo Majus, Fasc. 4, Les Mosaïques de la région est, £75.00
0368    Vol III, Thysdras (El Jem), Fasc.1, Quartier sud-ouest, £65.00
0369   Vol IV, Carthage, Fasc.1, Les Mosaïques du Parc Archéologique des Thermes d'antonin, £65.00

French texts, all paperback volumes, further details on request.  We will aim to keep a copy of each in stock, but they do take a few weeks to get. Please bear this in mind when ordering.

1377    THE MOSAICS OF ST MARY'S OF THE ADMIRAL IN PALERMO, by Ernst Kitzinger, Dumbarton Oaks, USA, 1991, 484pp, 246 b & w illus, 29 plans and drawings, 26 colour plates, £65.00

This famous mosaic is published here for the first time in its entirety and the book explores the iconography and stylistic sources on which the Greek mosaicists drew.  There are a number of features of this mosaic which make it unique in Byzantine decoration, due to local circumstances and these differences are discussed and explained.

Buckland Books, Holly Tree House, 18 Woodlands Road, LITTLEHAMPTON, West Sussex, BN17 5PP, England
Tel/fax: +44 (0) 1903 717 648
E-mail: cblanchett@lineone.net

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