A genial, witty, and touching journey through the endlessly evocative art of Carpaccio. Saluting the painter whose pictures remain some of the most enchanting ever made of Venice, Jan Morris makes her own last journey to a city she has written about like no other.
"After a good dinner one evening, with excellent company and a bottle of wine, I settled by my fire with a volume of paintings by the 15th century Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio. For much of my life I have been under the spell of this artist. I am no connoisseur, cultural scholar or art historian. I know nothing about painterly techniques, chromatic gradations or artistic affinities, and my infatuation with him is largely affectionate fancy. I feel I know him personally, and I often sense that I am directly in touch with him across the centuries, across the continents, as one might be in touch with a living friend..." So starts Jan Morris’s latest book, which she has said will also be her last: a genial, witty, and touching journey through the endlessly evocative art of Carpaccio. Saluting the painter whose pictures remain some of the most enchanting ever made of Venice, Jan Morris makes her own last journey to a city she has written about like no other. Richly illustrated with complete paintings and eye-catching details, this book is a fitting swansong by a great writer to her favourite painter.
The Battleship Yamato, of the Imperial Japanese Navy, was the most powerful warship of World War II and represented the climax, as it were, of the Japanese warrior traditions of the samurai – the ideals of honour, discipline and self-sacrifice that had immemorially ennobled the Japanese national consciousness. Stoically poised for battle in the spring of 1945 – when even Japan’s last desperate technique of arms, the kamikaze, was running short – Yamato arose as the last magnificent arrow in the imperial quiver of Emperor Hirohito. Here, Jan Morris not only tells the dramatic story of the magnificent ship itself – from secret wartime launch to futile sacrifice at Okinawa – but, more fundamentally, interprets the ship as an allegorical figure of war itself, in its splendour and its squalor, its heroism and its waste. Drawing on rich naval history and rhapsodic metaphors from international music and art, Battleship Yamato is a work of grand ironic elegy. "The short, illustrated book Morris has written about the Yamato is what she calls 'a reverie' on the varied emotions that war summons up…I think it's safe to say that Morris has also written a reverie on accepting the inevitability of death… This book itself signals yet another end: Certainly, it will be one of the very last books written about World War II by an author who saw active service in that war. That sobering fact only adds to the elegiac resonance of this magnificent little book." - Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air. Published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the sinking of Yamato (7 April 2025).
Following the recent publication of Jan Morris’s final book, here is her very first. Fresh from her success reporting on the first Everest ascent in 1953, she spent a year journeying by car, train, ship, and aircraft across the United States. ?I did not know it then, and nor did America, but chance had brought me across the Atlantic at the very apex of American happiness,” writes Morris in her new introduction. The author was then James Morris, and America’s identity was different then, too. In brilliant prose, Morris records with exuberance and wonder a time of innocence in America. ?The prose sparkles, and everything [Morris] tells glitters.” ? San Francisco Chronicle
An account of the first crossing of the Omani desert by motorcar, as Jan Morris accompanied the Sultan on his royal progress, with the winds of change - oil and revolution - in the background.
Of all the cities that the travel writer Jan Morris knew, it was Venice which held a special place in her heart, a place she knew intimately and about which she wrote with great passion and knowledge. In A Venetian Bestiary she explores the animals, real, imaginary and artistic which haunt the city of floating dreams. This new edition is a beautiful small hardback, illustrated throughout with paintings and photographs which perfectly accompany Morris' words. With a new introduction by Sophy Roberts.
"Khochesh mira, - glasit znamenitaja rimskaja poslovitsa, - gotovsja k vojne". Nesmotrja na to, chto so vremeni protivostojanija Kalgaka i Agrikoly u Grampianskikh gor proshlo uzhe 2000 let, eta poslovitsa, po mneniju avtora knigi ostaetsja spravedlivoj. Proanalizirovav istoriju chelovechestva za poslednie desjat tysjach let istorik Stenfordskogo universiteta Jan Morris prikhodit k vyvodu, chto "poleznye" vojny sdelali nash mir vo mnogikh smyslakh bezopasnee.
'The best book about Venice ever written' (Sunday Times) - Jan Morris' bestselling travel writing classic is an essential guide to this magical city, newly introduced by Tracy Chevalier. Whether the dappled secrets of the city's canals, churches, calles and campos, to the romantic tales behind its revered landmarks, paintings, scultpures and mosaics - the myths and history of the Venetian people or the legendary mystery of the the lagoon itself -Jan Morris explores this dream-like city in impressionistic prose you will never forget. Whether visiting in person or in the mind, as an armchair traveller or tourist, this is both not only 'the essential introduction' to Venice but a true 'work of literature in its own right' (Observer). 'One of the best travel books I have ever read. It made me want to go to Venice and when I went it made being there even better.' Michael Palin
The opening volume of Morris's "Pax Britannica Trilogy," this richly detailed work traces the rise of the British Empire, from the accession of Queen Victoria to the throne in 1837 to the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897. Index. A Helen and Kurt Wolff Book
Sculptor, painter, letter cutter, stained glass artist, novelist, and academic, Jonah Jones (1919-2004) was a twentieth-century renaissance man whose life is captured in this biography by his son Peter, with a foreword by his friend Jan Morris.Born near Newcastle into a family of miners, Jonah Jones first found his passion for art during the Second World War while serving with a number of other artists and craftsmen in the non-combatant Medical Corps. After the War, he fulfilled his dream of settling in Wales and began his 'on the job' education as a sculptor and letter cutter. Much of his early work was at Clough Williams-Ellis's Portmeirion village. The two became close friends and Jones widened his circle to include Richard Hughes, Bertrand Russell, John Cowper Powys and Huw Weldon.In a varied career Jonah Jones produced intimate sculptures, monumental installations, and beautiful inscriptions, in addition to writing several novels, a biography of Clough Williams-Ellis and a well-regarded survey of the lakes of north Wales. His was a productive life which spanned much of the twentieth century, a century of 'isms' (including pacifism and Catholicism) which marked his character and work.This book is a remarkable portrait of both an artist and of art in the twentieth century."... proud, humorous, affable, patriotically Welsh, and deeply committed to his humanitarian ideals and a belief in the transforming power of art..."The GuardianPeter Jones is the son of Jonah Jones and worked with him in his studio for a number of years; latterly he was a journalist for BBC Monitoring.
Constable Nell Munro, of the Sheshatshiu reserve, is angry and in danger of losing her job. A teacher, Jay Tuck, has been found dead, a crooked knife nearby. A two-spirit Innu youth named Pashin is the main suspect, but Nell doesn't buy it. Local activists implore her to keep digging but when she does, Nell is threatened and worse -- so are the kids she cares about. Even when the lead investigator puts Nell on probation for her big mouth, she keeps going. Who is responsible for the recent chaos on the reserve, and why do people who fight it end up either very quiet or very dead?
WINNER OF THE GREATEST WELSH NOVELThis outstanding novel tells of one boy's journey into the grown-up world. By the light of a full moon our narrator and his friends Huw and Moi witness a side to their Welsh village life that they had no idea existed, and their innocence is exchanged for the shocking reality of the adult world.One Moonlit Night is one of Britain's most significant and brilliant pieces of fiction, a lost contemporary classic that deserves rediscovery.
Lonely Planet: The world's leading travel guide publisherHumorous tales of travel and misadventure.Lonely Planet knows that some of life's funniest experiences happen on the road. Whether they take the form of unexpected detours, unintended adventures, unidentifiable dinners or unforgettable encounters, they can give birth to our most found travel lessons, and our most memorable - and hilarious - travel stories.These 31 globegirdling tales that run the gamut from close-encounter safaris to loss-of-face follies, hair-raising rides to culture-leaping brides, eccentric expats to mind-boggling repasts, wrong roads taken to agreements mistaken. The collection brings together some of the world's most renowned travellers and storytellers with previously unpublished writers.Includes stories by Wickam Boyle, Tim Cahill, Joshua Clark, Sean Condon, Chistopher R.Cox, David Downie, Holly Erikson, Bill Fink, Don George, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Jeff Grenwald, Pico Iyer, Amanda Jones, Kathie Kertesz, Doug Lansky, Alexander Ludwick, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, Jan Morris, Brooke Neill, Rolf Potts, Laura Resau, Michelle Richmond, Alana Semuels, Deborah Steg, Judy Tierney, Edwin Tucker, Jeff Vize, Danny Wallace, Kelly Watton, Simon Wichester, Michelle WittonAbout Lonely Planet: Started in 1973, Lonely Planet has become the world's leading travel guide publisher with guidebooks to every destination on the planet, as well as an award-winning website, a suite of mobile and digital travel products, and a dedicated traveller community. Lonely Planet's mission is to enable curious travellers to experience the world and to truly get to the heart of the places where they travel.TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards 2012 and 2013 winner in Favorite Travel Guide category'Lonely Planet guides are, quite simply, like no other.' - New York Times'Lonely Planet. It's on everyone's bookshelves, it's in every traveller's hands. It's on mobile phones. It's on the Internet. It's everywhere, and it's telling entire generations of people how to travel the world.' - Fairfax Media (Australia) *#1 in the world market share - source: Nielsen Bookscan. Australia, UK and USA. March 2012-January 2013
Robert Macfarlane; William Boyd; Candice Carty-Williams; Chigozie Obioma; Philip Pullman; Imtiaz Dharker; Roddy Doyle; Pico Iyer; Andy Miller; Jackie Morris; Jan Morris; Sisonke Msimang; Dina Nayeri; Michael Ondaatje; David Pilling; Max Porter; Alice Pung; Jancis Robinson; S.F. Said; Madeleine Thien; Salley Vickers; John Wood; Markus Zusak
With contributions by: William Boyd, Candice Carty-Williams, Imtiaz Dharker, Roddy Doyle, Pico Iyer, Robert Macfarlane, Andy Miller, Jackie Morris, Jan Morris, Sisonke Msimang, Dina Nayeri, Chigozie Obioma, Michael Ondaatje, David Pilling, Max Porter, Philip Pullman, Alice Pung, Jancis Robinson, S.F.Said, Madeleine Thien, Salley Vickers, John Wood and Markus Zusak'This story, like so many stories, begins with a gift. The gift, like so many gifts, was a book...' So begins the essay by Robert Macfarlane that inspired this collection. In this cornucopia of an anthology, you will find essays by some of the world's most beloved novelists, nonfiction writers, essayists and poets. 'You will see books taking flight in flocks, migrating around the world, landing in people's hearts and changing them for a day or a year or a lifetime. 'You will see books sparking wonder or anger; throwing open windows into other languages, other cultures, other minds; causing people to fall in love or to fight for what is right. 'And more than anything, over and over again, you will see books and words being given, received and read - and in turn prompting further generosity.' Published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of global literacy non-profit, Room to Read, The Gifts of Reading forms inspiring, unforgettable, irresistible proof of the power and necessity of books and reading.Inspired by Robert Macfarlane Curated by Jennie Orchard
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. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface.We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
In this introduction to the Nobel Prize-winning fiction of Toni Morrison, the author surveys six novels, a short story, and a book of criticism to reconstruct the development of Morrison's creative vision and to assess its influence on contemporary literature. She chronicles Morrison's growth as a writer and traces the recurrent characters, themes, and settings that embody Morrison's literary philosophy. Demonstrating that Morrison strongly supports the idea that the artist must engender and interpret culture, the book examines the novelist's contribution to the expansion and redefinition of the American literary canon through her portrayal of the African American experience.
In this revised introduction to Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison's novels, Jan Furman extends and updates her critical commentary. New chapters on four novels following the publication of Jazz in 1992 continue Furman's explorations of Morrison's themes and narrative strategies. In all Furman surveys ten works that include the trilogy novels, a short story, and a book of criticism to identify Morrison's recurrent concern with the destructive tensions that define human experience: the clash of gender and authority, the individual and community, race and national identity, culture and authenticity, and the self and other. As Furman demonstrates, Morrison more often than not renders meaning for characters and readers through an unflinching inquiry, if not resolution, of these enduring conflicts. She is not interested in tidy solutions. Enlightened self-love, knowledge, and struggle, even without the promise of salvation, are the moral measure of Morrison's characters, fiction, and literary imagination.Tracing Morrison's developing art and her career as a public intellectual, Furman examines the novels in order of publication. She also decodes their collective narrative chronology, which begins in the late seventeenth century and ends in the late twentieth century, as Morrison delineates three hundred years of African American experience. In Furman's view Morrison tells new and difficult stories of old, familiar histories such as the making of Colonial America and the racing of American society.In the final chapters Furman pays particular attention to form, noting Morrison's continuing practice of the kind of ""deep"" novelistic structure that transcends plot and imparts much of a novel's meaning. Furman demonstrates, through her helpful analyses, how engaging such innovations can be.
The first fully illustrated and comprehensive introduction to May Morris's work as an artist, designer and embroiderer, published in association with the V&A. May Morris (1862–1938), younger daughter of William Morris, was a significant figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement and a pioneer of ‘art embroidery’. She ran the embroidery department of Morris & Co., as well as designing textiles, wallpapers and jewellery. May was also an influential teacher and lectured in the UK and America. May Morris: Arts & Crafts Designer is the first publication to present the full range of May Morris’s work and reveals her exceptional skill and originality. It draws together her designs, exquisite embroideries, watercolours, costume and jewellery from museums around the world, and in particular the rich collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum and the William Morris Gallery, London. The book contains more than 180 items in colour and detailed information on their materials and provenance compiled by leading experts. There are also new insights into May’s personal life and relationships, her social activism and her support for other craftswomen. This authoritative and illuminating study places May Morris, whose reputation has been overshadowed by that of her father, firmly among the leading British designer-makers of the Arts and Crafts movement.
