Jean-Pierre Isbouts

This immersive dive into the life and work of Salvador Dali unlocks the secret of this creative genius and reveals for the first time how his erotically charged paintings changed the world of modern art. In turns beloved and reviled, twentieth-century painter, filmmaker, and designer Salvador Dali set Europe and the United States ablaze with his uncompromising genius, sexual sadism, and flirtations with megalomania. His shocking behavior and work frequently alienated critics; his views were so outrageous, even prominent Surrealists tried to ostracize him. Still, every morning he experienced “an exquisite joy—the joy of being Salvador Dalí,” and because of his remarkable talent, Dali rose to unprecedented levels of fame—forever shifting the landscape of the art world and the nature of celebrity itself. In this stunning volume, rich with more than 150 full-color images, noted art historians Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown discuss the historical, social, and political conditions that shaped Dali's work, identify the impact of modern as well as old master art, and present an unflinching view of the master's personal relationships and motivations. With their deeply compelling narrative, Isbouts and Brown uncover how Dalí's visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art, from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga, and answer why, in an age of shock and awe, Dali's art still manages to distress, perplex, and entertain. An unparalleled guide to Dali and a critical resource for anyone keen to understand the development of modern art, The Dali Legacy is complemented by a contextualizing foreword from Frank Hunter, director of the Salvador Dali Archives.

This immersive dive into the life and work of Salvador Dalí unlocks the secret of this creative genius and reveals for the first time how his erotically charged paintings changed the world of modern art. In turns beloved and reviled, twentieth century art, painter, filmmaker, and designer Salvador Dalí set Europe and the United States ablaze with his uncompromising genius, sexual sadism, and flirtations with megalomania. His shocking behavior and work frequently alienated critics; his views were so outrageous, even prominent Surrealists tried to ostracize him. Still, every morning he experienced “an exquisite joy—the joy of being Salvador Dalí,” and, through a remarkable talent that invited bewilderment, anger, and adoration, rose to unprecedented levels of fame—forever shifting the landscape of the art world and the nature of celebrity itself. In this stunning volume, rich with more than 150 full-color images, noted art historians Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown discuss the historical, social, and political conditions that shaped Dalí's work, identify the impact of Modern as well as Old Master art, and present an unflinching view of the master's personal relationships and motivations. With their deeply compelling narrative, Isbouts and Brown uncover how Dalí's visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art, from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga, and seeks to answer why, in an age of shock and awe, Dalí's art still manages to distress, perplex, and entertain.

A stunning journey through the Holy Land, as told by the rare maps and prints that have long inspired Jewish, Christian, and Muslim pilgrimages.From the earliest days of the Roman Empire to the current war between Israel and Hamas, mapping the Holy Land has been a never-ending source of high aspirations and bitter conflict. Sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims, the Holy Land has always inspired Christians to walk in the footsteps of the Bible, to imagine the route of the Exodus, or discover the places of Jesus' ministry. Muslims, too, longed to see the geographical contours of the ummah, the greater Muslim community, while Jews remembered the days when Jerusalem was the destination for three holy festivals. In response, cartographers from Late Antiquity to the Modern Age drew their inspiration from Jewish, Christian, and Muslim pilgrimages to depict, with growing confidence, the exotic locations of the Holy Land. Mapping the Holy Land is the first book to tell the thrilling story of these travels and the incredible prints and maps they spawned, up to the wars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Illustrated with rare, hand-colored maps and engravings throughout and riveting scene-setting history, this remarkable volume from rare maps collector Neal Asbury, CEO of The Legacy Companies and host of Neal Asbury’s Made in America, and National Geographic best-selling author Jean-Pierre Isbouts, coauthors of Mapping America, shows how the faithful overcame impossible odds to reach the Holy Land, and dives deep into the historical understanding of these elusive lands from Roman times up to the modern Israeli-Arab conflict.

Bestselling biblical historian, Jean-Pierre Isbouts, weaves the origin stories of Christianity and the Lord's Prayer into a reinvigorating and urgent rallying cry for unity in the modern church Modern Christianity is in the midst of a veritable schism along the fault lines of society's culture wars. Only if we understand the origins of this split can we find our way to unity. Though few may realize it today, Jesus’s ministry unfolded in a crisis very similar to the one society is now battling. In fact, were it not for the truly catastrophic conditions in early 1st century Galilee, his reimagining of the three quintessential virtues of the Torah – social justice; compassion toward one another; and an abiding love of God – would have likely failed to attract a wide following. Brilliantly tracing Jesus’s vision for the “Kingdom of God” from its origin up through modern times, Dr. Isbouts leads us to a possible antidote for the fiercely partisan moment in which we find ourselves: the Our Father. Then taking readers on a historically exhilarating tour of the Lord’s Prayer, The Fractured Kingdom shows us why the only doctrine Christians agree on might be our last hope for forging a more equal, compassionate, and loving society. What results is an eminently readable and undeniably essential work that addresses some of the most pressing issues now confronting communities of faith around the world.

Follow the fascinating threads of human history in this monumental volume, amply illustrated with maps, archival imagery, and revealing photographs. History comes to life in this comprehensive overview of humankind, from earliest times to the present day. Each page is filled with stunning visuals and thought-provoking text that make this book an instant classic. From the Babylonian Empire to the Persian Gulf War, from the Xia and Shang Dynasties of Bronze Age China to the new space race, from Egyptian hieroglyphics to the digital age—here, in vivid color and crisp narrative, is the sweeping story of the history of civilization. Every chapter includes: Notable datesSalient quotations from the timeExplanatory mapsFascinating sidebar storiesPhotographs of artifacts & landscapesArt works depicting dramatic scenesVisually driven, rich and far-reaching yet friendly and browsable, with iconic National Geographic maps, illustrations, and images enhancing the pages, this new book is a history-lover’s dream. You can complete your collection of recent National Geographic history books with National Geographic History at a Glance and More Bad Days in History by Michael Farquhar -- and you will treasure earlier National Geographic titles by this author, including The Biblical World, In the Footsteps of Jesus, and Archaeology of the Bible.

The story of the exploration and birth of America is told afresh through the unique prism of hand-colored maps and engravings of the period.Before photography and television, it was printed and hand-colored maps that brought home the thrill of undiscovered lands and the possibilities of exploration, while guiding armies on all sides through the Indian Wars and the clashes of the American Revolution. Only by looking through the prism of these maps, can we truly understand how and why America developed the way it did.Mapping America illuminates with scene-setting text and more than 150 color images—from the exotic and fanciful maps of Renaissance explorers to the magnificent maps of the Golden Age and the thrilling battle-maps and charts of the American Revolutionary War, in addition to paintings from the masters of eighteenth century art, scores of photographs, and detailed diagrams.In total, this informative and lushly illustrated volume developed by rare maps collector Neal Asbury, host of “Neal Asbury’s Made in America,” and National Geographic historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts offers a new and immersive look at the ambition, the struggle, and the glory that attended and defined the exploration and making of America.

The topic of attribution and authentication of art works is a well-known one and is currently the subject of heated debate. To arrive at a univocal scientific truth, however, it is necessary to integrate historical-humanistic and technical-experimental skills with a subjective and objective evaluation. The first part of the volume deals with experimentation relating to three valuable artifacts of different material composition: a painting, a sculpture, a codex. The second part of the research regards the emblematic case of the Mona Lisa and its uniqueness. The question connected to this study is: "Is there a second Mona Lisa?" Is the Isleworth Mona Lisa, also known as the Earlier Mona Lisa, a second version of the Louvre Mona Lisa painted by the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci? In order to provide an answer regarding attribution, a methodological path was applied to the painting on canvas "Mona Lisa with columns" (St. Petersburg), establishing that it was a copy, albeit a well-executed one. Numerous versions and copies of the Mona Lisa were also studied, basing their examination on the in-depth archival-bibliographic research of the many paintings on the same subject. The findings highlighted the distinction between two authentic versions by Leonardo, i.e. the Louvre Mona Lisa and the Isleworth Mona Lisa and two copies, i.e. the Prado and the Reynolds Mona Lisas. The latter two, considered to be the most complete and qualitatively better that many others are, in fact, either copies of previous Mona Lisas or of the two authentic versions. The final considerations are dedicated to the chronological sequence of historical sources, stylistic and aesthetic analyses, artistic techniques and experimental investigations to prove the authentication of the Isleworth Mona Lisa by Leonardo.

If there is a heaven, as countless Near-Death Experiences suggest, shouldn't modern science be able to identify its existence? This is the central question with which historian Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts embarked on an ambitious research project at Fielding Graduate University, drawing from quantum physics, neuroscience, astrophysics, electromagnetic energy, Asian health practices, faith traditions, and psychic observations. Written in the engaging style that made him a bestselling National Geographic author, Dr. Isbouts guides the reader step by step through the evidence while building an operational model of the afterlife. In the last chapter, he compares this model to Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhists concepts of heaven, concluding that our religious ideas have much more in common than we realize.Immersive, witty, and illustrated with astonishing observations by the renowned British psychic Sue Dunderdale Jones, "The Search for Heaven" is the first modern attempt to produce a scientific model of the afterlife that may sway even the staunchest reductionist skeptics.Jean-Pierre Isbouts is Doctoral Professor in the Human Development PhD program of Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA, and an award-winning director of documentaries for ABC, PBS, History Channel, A&E and overseas networks. His National Geographic books on biblical history have sold nearly 2 million copies. His website is www.jpisbouts.org.Praise for "The Biblical World""For its scope, beauty, and relevance in today's world, this unparalleled atlas has become a classic." -Booklist"Isbouts writes in a nondenominational style that allows non-expert readers to follow along easily."-American University Libraries. Praise for "Who's Who in the Bible""Isbouts has written an exquisite reference guide to the personalities in the Bible. This well-researched work will complement what is already on your shelf." -Columbia University Libraries"Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts is brilliant and did a magnificent job in his research and writing of this book. "-Ordinary Servant

For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death comes an immersive journey through five centuries of history to define the Leonardo mystique and uncover how the elusive Renaissance artist became a global pop icon.Virtually everyone would agree that Leonardo da Vinci was the most important artist of the High Renaissance. It was Leonardo who singlehandedly created the defining features of Western art: a realism based on subtle shading; depth using atmospheric effects; and dramatic contrasts between light and dark.But how did Leonardo, a painter of very few works who died in obscurity in France, become the internationally renowned icon he is today, with the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper the most visited artworks in the world, attracting nearly a billion visitors each year, and Salvator Mundi selling as the most expensive artwork of all time, for nearly half a billion dollars?This extraordinary volume, lavishly illustrated with 130 color images, is the first book to unravel these mysteries by diving deep into the art, literature, science, and politics of Europe from the Renaissance through today. It gives illuminating context to both Leonardo and his accomplishments; explores why Leonardo’s fame vastly overshadowed that of his contemporaries and disciples; and ultimately reveals why despite finishing very few works, his celebrity has survived, even thrived, through five centuries of history.

A pivotal era of history comes to life in this fascinating biography of Jesus of Nazareth. The scrupulous account of Jesus' life spans his birth in Bethlehem to his trial and death in Jerusalem along with an emphasis on the characters and events that shaped his journey and his enduring legacy. This revised and updated edition features new images from Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the latest information from the groundbreaking work to expose the original surface of Jesus' tomb. Renowned religious historian and best-selling author Jean-Pierre Isbouts combines the latest historical and archaeological discoveries with enthralling storytelling to illustrate what is known and speculated about Jesus' youth, life, and work. This expert text is presented in an enjoyable, reader-friendly format sure to inspire both newcomers to biblical history as well as the devoted.

Chapters, beginning with the dawn of human civilization and ending with present day and the future of archaeology, chronicle hundreds of sites and artefacts found in Sumer, Babylon, the Second Temple, along the route of the Exodus, and in many other regions across the Middle East. Timelines bridge hundreds o years and several empires, maps give readers a visual sense of location, while hundreds of photos and illustrations of rare artefacts and ancient places add to the visual splendour. It concludes with details of what remains to be found and the evolving dynamic of biblical faith in an increasingly scientific world in which archaeologists make daily breakthroughs.

From time immemorial, prayer has provided comfort in our darkest hours, stirred us to action beyond what we thought possible, and shown us the way through seemingly insurmountable challenges. In this engaging tour of world history, author and historian Jean-Pierre Isbouts takes us on an inspiring tour of 10 prayers that played a pivotal role in world events - from the divine inspiration of Joan of Arc to Martin Luther King's powerful Prayer to Open Hearts and Minds; from George Washington's prayerful words to the newly formed American states to the horrors of Auschwitz; from Constantine the Great's prayer before battle to Gandhi's deeply moving "prayer of peace." With an attractive package and highly approachable format that includes the full text of each prayer, Ten Prayers That Changed the World is a perfect book for seekers of solace and the intellectually curious.

Two thousand years after his death, Jesus of Nazareth remains one of history's most influential and fascinating figures. In this powerful, elegantly written, and expertly illustrated celebration, Jean-Pierre Isbouts brings readers into Jesus' life journey on a deeply human level, narrating his experiences from his earliest years to his mission travels in lower Galilee to his final days in the Garden of Gethsemane. Key events and figures from John the Baptist to Mary Magdalene to Judas are highlighted in compelling detail. Carefully selected artwork featuring some of the great artists of the ages - da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many more - illustrate indelible moments in Jesus' life, from Mary's annunciation to the Last Supper. Breathtaking National Geographic photography and maps complete the package, drawing readers into a time, a place, and a life that would forever change the world. Absorbing, engaging, and meticulously researched, this inspiring journey features all-new location photography from the Holy Land and beautiful, high-resolution paintings, offering a source of inspiration for readers of all backgrounds.

Written by best-selling author Jean-Pierre Isbouts, Who's Who in the Bible is the ultimate reference guide to the men and women in the Bible, featuring more than 2,000 entries spanning Genesis to Revelation. From the author of In the Footsteps of Jesus and The Biblical World comes a vibrant family reference that brings to life the fascinating characters of the Old and New Testatments of the Bible. From the fall of Adam and Eve to Judas' betrayal of Jesus, the key events of the Bible are expressed through the lives of hundreds of people. Told through exquisite art and artifacts, intriguing sidebars, and unique family tree features, this illuminating volume tells the stories of Biblical characters and highlights their greater meaning for mankind. Illustrated with lavish color photography and exquisite historical artwork, this reference runs chronologically, with each person listed by order of appearance.

Fifteen-year-old varsity cheerleader Alysia Jayne, a beautiful California blonde with the lithe body of an Olympic gymnast, is in an escalating spiral of drug abuse, truancy and deception. One morning in 2003, she is roused from her bed by strangers, handcuffed, and rushed across the Mexican border. Here, she is incarcerated in a disciplinary school for delinquents, called Casa by the Sea, hidden behind whitewashed walls near the resort town of Ensenada. For the next six weeks, she undergoes a brutal treatment right out of "A Clockwork Orange", designed to crush the spirit and self-confidence of its young inmates. Growing rumors of abuse and violence at the Casa facility soon prompt a full-scale raid by the Mexican Federales and the FBI, an event that forces Alysia to acknowledge the still precarious fragility of her sense of self. She voluntarily submits to another severe treatment program at Ivy Ridge Academy in Upstate New York. Clinging to her tenuous relationship with other girls in the program (though forbidden to speak), Alysia gradually develops the courage to confront the roots of her destructive behavior, and win her way back into the loving arms of her family. Candid, humorous and shocking at times, "Wild Thing" is a remarkably mature memoir of a teenager lost in the temptations of America's public schools.