Giovanni Bellini (ca. 1435-1516), widely considered the greatest Venetian artist of his time, was born into the most influential artistic family in Venice. He received his training in the studio of his father, Jacopo, along with his brother, Gentile, and through a long and fruitful career played a l[...]

Without the aid of his agents, The Shadow attends to a globetrotting solo-mission that takes him from the concrete canyons of New York City, to the snowy wastes of Siberia, to the peaks of the Himalayas, to the steaming jungles of Guatemala. The goal: to at last learn the secrets behind the girasol![...]

Naples, March 1931: a bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its chilled heart. As one of the world s greatest tenors, Maestro Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples famous San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to inv[...]

Janine di Giovanni has spent most of her career--more than twenty years--in war zones recording events on behalf of the voiceless. From Sarajevo to East Timor, from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, she has been under siege and under fire.
Along the way she meets Bruno, a French rep[...]

Set in the 1950s Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin s now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial sto[...]

Giovanni Bellini revolutionised Venetian painting, developing a more sensuous and colouristic style. Through his use of clear, slow-drying oil paints, Bellini created deep, rich tints and detailed shadings, producing sumptuous artworks that were significant to the Italian Renaissance, especially for[...]

1348. The Black Death is sweeping through Europe. In Florence, plague has carried off one hundred thousand people. In their Tuscan villas, seven young women and three young men tell tales to recreate the world they have lost, weaving a rich tapestry of comedy, tragedy, ribaldry and farce. Boccaccio'[...]

'Until I die there will be those moments, moments seeming to rise up out of the ground like Macbeth's witches, when his face will come before me, that face in all its changes, when the exact timbre of his voice and tricks of his speech will nearly burst my ears, when his smell will overpower my nost[...]

A licentious woman coerces her son-in-law into agreeing to an illicit affair; a young boy, forced to work down a mine to make his living, is robbed of his childhood and ultimately his life; a returning soldier toys with the affections of local girls, and unleashes a sea of passion and vengeance from[...]

This is a practical easy-to-follow guide, which shows how to observe and draw light and shade. Giovanni Civardi shares his great expertise in drawing light and shade, beginning with the basics of drawing simple 3D shapes. There are sections on shadows and cast shadows, simplifying tone, methods of s[...]

Offers advice on drawing portraits, the clothed figure, hands and feet and scenery. This book includes a section on the importance of light and shade. It is suitable for those learning to draw, or wishing to improve their drawing.[...]

Giovanni Civardi has built a formidable reputation worldwide for his skills as both an artist and a teacher, and here he provides a unique introduction to the art of sketching the human form. The focus of the book is very much on Giovanni's exquisite drawings of a broad range of subjects of all ages[...]