Compact but comprehensive, this manual contains the best information available on pencil and ink techniques. Written and beautifully illustrated by an acclaimed artist and advertising illustrator, it's the perfect companion for artists seeking a guide to the variety of techniques and media for rendering their ideas on paper. Pencil drawing and ink drawing receive separate treatments; both sections stress materials and tools — including graphite pencils, charcoal and pastel pencils, wax pencils, pens, brushes, marking pens, scratching tools, and more. They also explore different methods of handling strokes and lines, techniques for stabling and conveying tones and shadows, and technical tips. The 28 step-by-step demonstrations — many of them exquisitely illustrated in full color — range from techniques of fine penwork and cross-hatching to drawing with colored inks and colored markers. In addition, a series of multipart exercises will prove extraordinarily useful to the student. The profusion of skillful illustrations throughout the book, over 540 in all, constitute a treasure in themselves, covering a great diversity of subjects — from portraits and still lifes to landscapes and cityscapes worldwide.

With this extraordinary first volume in what promises to be an epoch-making masterpiece, Neal Stephenson hacks into the secret histories of nations and the private obsessions of men, decrypting with dazzling virtuosity the forces that shaped this century. As an added bonus, the e-book edition of this New York Times bestseller includes an excerpt from Stephenson's new novel, Seveneves. In 1942, Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse—mathematical genius and young Captain in the U.S. Navy—is assigned to detachment 2702. It is an outfit so secret that only a handful of people know it exists, and some of those people have names like Churchill and Roosevelt. The mission of Waterhouse and Detachment 2702—commanded by Marine Raider Bobby Shaftoe-is to keep the Nazis ignorant of the fact that Allied Intelligence has cracked the enemy's fabled Enigma code. It is a game, a cryptographic chess match between Waterhouse and his German counterpart, translated into action by the gung-ho Shaftoe and his forces. Fast-forward to the present, where Waterhouse's crypto-hacker grandson, Randy, is attempting to create a "data haven" in Southeast Asia—a place where encrypted data can be stored and exchanged free of repression and scrutiny. As governments and multinationals attack the endeavor, Randy joins forces with Shaftoe's tough-as-nails granddaughter, Amy, to secretly salvage a sunken Nazi submarine that holds the key to keeping the dream of a data haven afloat. But soon their scheme brings to light a massive conspiracy with its roots in Detachment 2702 linked to an unbreakable Nazi code called Arethusa. And it will represent the path to unimaginable riches and a future of personal and digital liberty...or to universal totalitarianism reborn. A breathtaking tour de force, and Neal Stephenson's most accomplished and affecting work to date, Cryptonomicon is profound and prophetic, hypnotic and hyper-driven, as it leaps forward and back between World War II and the World Wide Web, hinting all the while at a dark day-after-tomorrow. It is a work of great art, thought and creative daring; the product of a truly iconoclastic imagination working with white-hot intensity.

‘Pen, Pencil, and Poison’ is one of Wilde’s most intriguing essays. Part biography, part social commentary, and part philosophical debate, he writes the biography of an art critic, who was also convicted of murder. However, in true Wildean style, there’s more to the essay than meets the eye. While documenting the life and crimes of Thomas Griffiths Wainwright, Wilde explores the ideas of dual identity, sin in the formation of the personality, and the relationship between crime and culture. ‘Pen, Pencil, and Poison’ is a fascinating insight into some of the conventions of the time. Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) was an Irish novelist, poet, playwright, and wit. He was an advocate of the Aesthetic movement, which extolled the virtues of art for the sake of art. During his career, Wilde wrote nine plays, including ‘The Importance of Being Earnest,’ ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan,’ and ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ many of which are still performed today. His only novel, ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ was adapted for the silver screen, in the film, ‘Dorian Gray,’ starring Ben Barnes and Colin Firth. In addition, Wilde wrote 43 poems, and seven essays. His life was the subject of a film, starring Stephen Fry.

A fantastic floral adventure and the latest sensational coloring book from bestselling artist Johanna Basford This book invites you to travel the world and beyond into fantastical realms, discovering exotic blooms and extraordinary plants along the way. From floating gardens of water poppies in South Africa to delicate cosmos in Japan, and from fanciful toadstools to enchanted fairytale gardens, an abundance of fascinating florals awaits, ready for you to bring to life in color. Join “colorist queen” (New York Magazine) Johanna Basford on a dazzling floral adventure of fantasy and imagination, filled with countless new blooms and blossoms to discover. Beautiful and interactive, World of Flowers is a blissful and relaxing at-home activity for people of all ages.

A brief look at the wide variety of beautiful and ornate writing utensils all presented in this one-of-a-kind full color volume! All kinds of pens are presented in their comprehensive book, together with a historical synopsisfrom the goose quill to the fountain pen and the BIC of today. The selection is rounded out by references to contemporary and cultural history, as well as interesting essays on the themes of rarities, accessories, luxury brands, design, collector's conventions, dealers, clubs, and international contacts. Regardless of whether you are looking for something for the writing desk or for the display cabinet, with "The Ultimate Book of Pens," readers are best equipped for their next rip to the stationary store.