Dufour Editions
Dublin, 1660-1860; the shaping of a city. (reprint, 1952)
Architectural historian Craig makes sure readers understand the flavor of the buildings along with their features and purposes, getting to the reasons they were there. He also describes well the people in the buildings and the reasons they got together, focusing on Ormonde, Swift and Grattan as points of reference. As he describes the development of Dublin's streets and neighborhoods he also describes the effects of English occupation, the development of the Irish intellectual community and their houses, the roles of charity and entertainment in building, the impact of the university and its props, including printers, libraries and other academic architecture. The result is an insider's view of Dublin, part of which no longer breathes. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Island of the setting sun; in search of Ireland's ancient astronomers.
They saw the sky, and realized there was something to it, and they wanted it. Although they were capable of generating tales as tall as that sky they know they could not simply scale their words and bring it to earth without something to pin it, so they used what was at hand, namely stones. The result, according to journalist/photographer Murphy and painter Moore, is a systematic way of understanding vast quantities of time and space and humans' place in it. Murphy and Moore find those who created such places as Newgrange and Dowth were doing much more than telling time; apparently these people, who began their work over 5,000 years ago, had a cosmic consciousness and also a great curiosity about what we were to make of their stones, myths and artifacts and found a way to speak to us through them. Distributed by Dufour. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Mervyn Peake; the man and his art.
Mervyn Peake is best known for his Gormenghast trilogy of novels. With this volume, biographer Winnigton and Peake's son Sebastian seek to enlighten fans to his numerous other accomplishments, including children's books and nonsense verse, abundant drawings and paintings, war art and lampoons, and illustrations for classic novels such as Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland. Accompanying approximately 350 of his works, patrons, friends, and family of the British artist weigh in on his childhood in China as the son of a missionary, his playful and dark comic drawings, his novel Mr. Pye and other work with Penguin publishing, and the stage and television adaptations of the Gormenghast series. Oversize: 9.5x11.25 inches. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Movers and shapers; Irish visual art, 1940-2006.
This volume presents oral histories on Irish artistic production and its infrastructure from 1940 to 2006. Twelve collectors, scholars, gallery directors, educators, writers, and artists were interviewed and discuss topics such as their experiences at galleries, corporate collecting, art groups, the Kilkenny Design Workshops, specific works and artists, research, and writing on art. The interviews are preceded by brief biographies. Gordon Lambert, John Kelly, Frances Ruane, Homan Potterton, Barrie Cooke, and Jamshid Mirfenderesky are among those interviewed. Ryan is the author of Movers & Shapers: Irish Visual Art Since 1960. Distributed in the US by Dufour Editions. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Stones of adoration; sacred stones and mystic megaliths of Ireland.
This is a photographically illustrated profile of the sacred stones and stone monuments found across the landscape of Ireland. Color photographs of cairns, druid circles, monoliths, memorial stones, wishing stones (including the famous Blarney Stone), and other sacred stones are accompanied by textual descriptions explaining their place in Irish folkloric history. Distributed in the US by Dufour Editions. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Weaving tapestry in rural Ireland; Taipéis Gael, Donegal.
In County Donegal, within the Gaeltacht, or Irish-speaking region of Ireland, a small group of young weavers has sought to preserve an ancient art and also make it relevant. Together with local elders they formed Taiéis Gael, a cooperative dedicated to Irish weaving. Weaver Sayres profiles the founders, mentors and weavers and lets them speak for themselves, describes a gallery of tapestries reflecting St. Colmcille, the Famine, literature, legend, lore, and cross-cultural expressions, and examines tools, raw materials and the local natural dyes, closing with comments on the future of Taiéis Gael. She provides lists of references and further reading. This is both gorgeous and illuminating. ATRIUM is an imprint of Cork U. Press; distributed in the US by Dufour Editions. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
