The story of Liberty's is the story of design. The brand has been an international byword for style and innovation since May 1875, when Arthur Lasenby Liberty opened the doors of his Regent Steet shop. The son of a draper, Arthur Liberty (1843-1917) was inspired by the conviction that if he could only raise the capital to open his own shop, he could change the whole look of fashion in dress and interior decoration. He did exactly that. With an impressive ability to spot talent and to promote good, innovative and interesting design, Liberty's shop quickly became the epicentre of London's Aesthetic movement, the place where Oscar Wilde bought Japanese silk. Succesive movements found a home at Liberty's: Arts and Crafts; Art Nouveau; Art Deco; and the Georgian revival. The work of almost all the great designers of the past century in the fields of glass, metalwork, furniture, ceramics, fashion and, above all, textiles has appeared under the Liberty label. In this book Martin Wood tells the story of Liberty's, its design and its designers: from the pewter and silverware of Archibald Knox and the Silver Studio and William DeMorgan's tiles to the fabrics of Lucienne Day, Sonia Delaunay and Bernard Nevill and the furniture of Piero Fornasetti, Vico Magistretti and even Ringo Starr.

The first volume in the series on Twentieth-Century Decorative and Applied Arts is dedicated to what is known in Italy as 'Stile Liberty', or Liberty style. Flowers, ribbons, garlands, dragonflies, butterflies and graceful young women dancing, followed b

"This book, a full-scale treatment of Mucha's entire oeuvre, includes discussions and reproductions of paintings, posters, decorative panels, pastels, drawings, photographs, jewelry, and illustrations from throughout his career ... 248 color plates, 112 black-and-white illustrations"--Dustjacket.

"The illustrated story of Liberty includes rare photographs, innovative textile designs, artist collaborations and 16 items of memorabilia" -- Slip case. | "A voyage of discovery through the archives and memorabilia of the last great emporium for innovative British design." -- Book cover. | Note: Includes postcards, folded sheets, facsimiles of sketches and a poster inserted in pockets.