A breathtakingly beautiful photo-narrative biography of the incredible life of Princess Ira von Fürstenberg – half Austro-Hungarian Princess, half Agnelli: model, actress, princess, socialite, heiress, mother, and jewellery designer.
Bursting onto front-page news in 1955 at the age of 15 in a jewel-laden gondola-wedding in the last great assembly of European nobility, Princess Ira von Fürstenberg swung into the spotlight and has never left.
Subject for master photographers Cecil Beaton and Helmut Newton, among others, actress alongside Klaus Kinski and Peter Lawford, and model for Vogue’s Diana Vreeland, Princess Ira has been an actress, model, muse, mother, socialite, jewellery designer, and creator of objets d’art. On and off screen, in and out of the flashbulb, Ira’s life – or, more accurately, lives – reads like a history of the jet set.
More than just a chronicle of a gorgeously fascinating life, this lavish photographic biography is a truly sumptuous snapshot of the glamour and charm of a lost era, a prism through which to see the world of European royalty, Italian cinema in its heyday, couture at most haute, and parties at their wildest.

Ira: The Life and Times of a Princess

Biographies & Memoirs

Foulkes, Nicholas

Arts & Literature

Harpercollins

As the first of the so-called Fabulous Five (Francoise Sagan, Roger Vadim, Brigitte Bardot and Yves Saint Laurent) Bernard Buffet was a leader of the cultural revolution that seemed to forge a new France from the shattered remains of a demoralized country. While still in his twenties he had a Rolls Royce, a chateau, an island, high society at his feet and a glittering future ahead. Yet his extraordinary fall from grace was engineered by the very establishment that created him. Once hailed as a genius he was later shunned as a joke. Today, almost 70 years after he first shot to fame as a 20 year old prodigy hailed as a successor to Picasso, critical opinion of his work remains sharply divided. His remarkable story is played out against the backdrop of the beau monde of the 1950s and 1960s in locations as diverse as St. Tropez, Tokyo, Paris, Dallas, St. Petersburg and New York. With the cooperation of the Buffet estate, this is the first in-depth biography of the artist to be published in English, and Foulkes has secured unique interviews and access to the Buffet legacy.

Bernard Buffet: The Invention of the Modern Mega-artist

Humor & Entertainment

Arrow

In the early 19th century, gambling was a grave social ill—largely uncontrolled and corrupt. The 1830s saw the institution of the Poor Law, the abolition of slavery, the regulation of child labor, the birth of the police force, and the widening of parliamentary representation. But, as far as gambling was concerned, the beginning of 1844 saw things much as they had been since the 18th century: games of faro, hazard, whist, and roulette could be played in houses around the West End; while racing was self regulated by the Jockey Club and a vaguely defined sense of honor. Almost exclusively aristocratic in tone, racing was, in the days before football, the chief national sporting obsession. However, the popularity of gambling and the turf was at odds with the increasingly regulated tempo of life in the 1840s. Vociferous moralists began to inveigh against the vice. The government was on a mission to clean up, if not eradicate, gambling in Britain and Britain's premier race, the Derby, was put on public trial. The Derby of 1844 was expected to be a two-horse race between Ugly Buck and Ratan, owned respectively by the intriguing characters, John Gully, a social-climbing former prize-fighter, and his great rival, William Crockford, the club owner. The race itself was full of drama, not least when it became apparent that Ratan and Ugly Buck had both been doped. Nick Foulkes brilliantly takes Frith's narrative canvas "Derby Day" as the inspiration for a gripping story. There are strong characters, the tension of class rivalries, the drama of the race and the trial, as well as the opportunity to use the gambling of the time as a lens through which to view the wider social change of the period.

Gentlemen & Blackguards: Gambling Mania and the Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844

Puzzles & Games

Orion Publishing

A rich celebration of the dynamic spirit and beauty of Chanel’s modern classic J12 watch. 
Chanel’s J12 watch revolutionized the standards of watches for women, combining technical sophistication with the allure of modern design. The J12 has evolved into a classic watchmaking icon of the twenty-first century. 
Since its arrival twenty years ago, the J12 has drawn its inspiration from Chanel’s drive to shake up the codes by combining a daring artistic approach with superlative technical finesse. The J12 watch transformed ceramic into a precious material, and rewrote two hundred years of watchmaking with the innovative brilliance of its design. 
A text by noted watch connoisseur Nicholas Foulkes explores the extraordinary conception, execution and history of the Chanel J12. Enhanced by a strikingly original selection of fine photographs, this volume celebrates twenty years of the most beautiful and technically refined watches ever worn on the wrist. 150 illustrations

Chanel Eternal Instant

Arts & Photography

Graphic Design

Thames&Hudson

An incredible slice of Victorian social history, complete with aristocratic extravagance, rogues and rascals, obsession, dueling, suicide, and murder In the early 19th century, gambling was a grave social ill that was largely uncontrolled and corrupt. The 1830s saw the institution of the Poor Law, the abolition of slavery, the regulation of child labor, the birth of the police force, and the widening of parliamentary representation, but gambling was much as it had been since the 18th century: games of faro, hazard, whist, and roulette could be played in houses around the West End; with racing self-regulated by the Jockey Club and a vaguely defined sense of honor. Racing was the chief national sporting obsession, however, its popularity was at odds with the increasingly regulated tempo of life in the 1840s, and moralists began to inveigh against the vice. The government was on a mission to clean up, if not eradicate, gambling in Britain and the premier race, the Derby, was put on public trial. The Derby of 1844 was expected to be a two-horse race between Ugly Buck and Ratan, owned respectively by John Gully, a social-climbing former prize-fighter, and his great rival, William Crockford, the club owner. The race itself was full of drama, not least when it became apparent that the horses had both been doped. Nick Foulkes brilliantly takes William Powell Frith's painting "Derby Day" as the inspiration for a gripping story. There are strong characters, the tension of class rivalries, the drama of the race and the trial, as well as the opportunity to use the gambling of the time as a lens through which to view the wider social change of the period.

History

Europe

Phoenix

This landmark volume celebrates five centuries of Beretta—bringing together the rich history and experience of the world’s finest shotguns and purveyor of the sporting lifestyle. Collectors, shooting sports enthusiasts, hunters, and those who appreciate the finest aspects of the outdoor and sporting lifestyle have one thing in common all over the world—they all carry a Beretta. Since 1526, the Beretta name has been synonymous with uncompromising craftsmanship and performance in firearms. These guns have been carried into the field by some of the most iconic figures in modern culture, from Winston Churchill and Ernest Hemingway to Sean Connery and Norman Schwarzkopf, as well as current U.S. Olympic gold-medalist shooters. For the first time, the Beretta family opens the doors to its family villa, properties, and factory in Gardone, Italy, to show the world’s finest guns being made by hand. The book then immerses the reader in the field, with sumptuous photography that shows the shooting and sporting lifestyle at its best—from Argentina to Oregon, Scotland to Tanzania. It truly spans the globe: from the Beretta galleries in Buenos Aires, Dallas, London, Milan, New York, and Paris to celebrating the sporting life at Beretta's endorsed lodges, including Blackberry Farm, Tennessee, upland hunting at Highland Hills, Oregon, a traditional quail hunt at Pine Hill, Georgia, a driven shoot on the moors of Scotland, a safari in Tanzania, and duck hunting in Louisiana, Argentina, and Venice. This is the ideal gift for fine-gun aficionados, a showcase of Beretta’s best work, and a bucket list for sportsmen and sportswomen and all those aspiring to the pursuit of life afield at its finest.

Beretta: 500 Years of the World's Finest Sporting Life

Photography & Video

Rizzoli

For more than 25,000 years, mankind has sought to understand and measure the passing of time, in the process creating some of the most remarkable and beautiful timepieces. Now, in Nicholas Foulkes's lavishly illustrated book, the battle to tame time is brought vividly to life. From the baboon bone dating back to the palaeolithic era that marked the lunar cycle and on to the 3500-year-old water clock at Karnak, from our earliest days mankind has sought to track the passing of time. More recently, the struggles to measure longitude and to create a workable train timetable across the vast, open expanse of the United States have inspired new developments. In Time Tamed, Nicholas Foulkes reveals how we have done this by focusing on some of the most significant developments in timekeeping across the ages. He also highlights the most stunning and lavish clocks and watches in history - from Big Ben to Rolex - for telling the time has never been purely about function, but also about design. The book is filled with remarkable tales, from the 14th century monk in St Albans who created one of the first mechanical clocks to the Holy Roman Emperor who built a clock into an automated ship that fired a cannon to summon guests to dinner. More recently, there was the Surrey woman who used a Napoleonic era watch to 'deliver' the accurate time to London shopkeepers in the wartime era of Churchill, or the Swiss denture maker who solved a tricky problem for the Indian Raj's polo players. Time Tamed is a book you'll want to spend many hours enjoying.

Time Tamed

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Antiques & Collectibles

Simon Schuster(uk)

From the twilight of the Romanov dynasty through les annees folles of Art Deco Paris to the jet-set seventies, Bals explores the nine most exceptional private costume parties of the twentieth century, in the most beautiful book ever produced on the subject. In addition to social commentary from (or about) colorful characters―including Paul Poiret, Truman Capote, and Cecil Beaton, who immortalized these extraordinary balls―Jacqueline de Ribes, Helene David-Weill, and Marisa Berenson share their vivid souvenirs in first-person narratives. This is the ultimate book on such a unique and captivating theme.

Bals: Legendary Costume Balls of the Twentieth Century - Assouline Coffee Table Book

Assouline

Louis Vuitton fosters the idea that an atelier can be a place of fulfillment and individuality. A place where savoir-faire can be learned, respected and transmitted - and innovation nurtured - by artisans who routinely challenge the image of a traditional workshop. In pursuit of regional expertise and artisanal excellence, Louis Vuitton's ateliers span the length and breadth of France and beyond, from Geneva (Switzerland), to Fiesso d'Artico (Italy) and even Texas (USA). Sites of historic interest or outstanding natural beauty will often have a Louis Vuitton workshop nearby: in Normandy, the sea-girt fastness of Mont-Saint-Michel can be seen from the workshop at Ducey, and in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, the light-flooded facility promises low environmental impact. Featuring photographs commissioned exclusively for this book, the volume showcases the extraordinary locations and buildings of Louis Vuitton's ateliers, and the equally extraordinary artisans who express their talent through Louis Vuitton's creations (trunks, bags, fragrances, watches, shoes, high jewellery and ready-to- wear), while carrying the founder's techniques and savoir-faire into the twenty-first century. It is to these ateliers and the inspiring people who work there that this book is dedicated. AUTHOR: Author, historian and journalist Nicholas Foulkes is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, Financial Times How to Spend It and The Rake Magazine, and luxury editor of British GQ. Best known for his trilogy of nineteenth century British histories, Last of the Dandies, Dancing into Battle, and Gentlemen and Blackguards, he has published around thirty books on history, the arts and style. Among his recent works are a biography of the painter Bernard Buffet (Random House) and Time Tamed, a history of mankind's calibration of time from the Palaeolithic era to the moon landings (Simon & Schuster). His books for Assouline include Bals: Legendary Costume Balls of the Twentieth Century (2011); Swans: Legends of the Jet Society (2013); The Impossible Collection of Watches (2014) and Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso (2020). Since 1854, Louis Vuitton has brought unique designs to the world, combining innovation with style, always aiming for the finest quality. Today, the House remains faithful to the spirit of its founder, Louis Vuitton, who invented a genuine "Art of Travel" through luggage, bags and accessories which were as creative as they were elegant and practical. Since then, audacity has shaped the story of Louis Vuitton. Faithful to its heritage, Louis Vuitton has opened its doors to architects, artists and designers across the years, all the while developing disciplines such as ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, watches, jewellery, and fragrance. These carefully created products are testament to Louis Vuitton's commitment to fine craftsmanship. 350 illustrations Silk Hardcover

Louis Vuitton Manufactures - Assouline Coffee Table Book

The Impossible Collection of Watches (2nd Edition) - Assouline Coffee Table Book

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Foulkes, Nicholas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Foulkes, Nicholas

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Foulkes, Nicholas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Ira: The Life and Times of a Princess

Bernard Buffet: The Invention of the Modern Mega-artist

Gentlemen & Blackguards: Gambling Mania and the Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844

Chanel Eternal Instant

Gentlemen & Blackguards: Gambling Mania and the Plot to Steal the Derby of 1844

Beretta: 500 Years of the World's Finest Sporting Life

Time Tamed

Bals: Legendary Costume Balls of the Twentieth Century - Assouline Coffee Table Book

Louis Vuitton Manufactures - Assouline Coffee Table Book

The Impossible Collection of Watches (2nd Edition) - Assouline Coffee Table Book