Books in World Tour series

Every human requires shelter from the elements, whether they live under the intense African sun or by the frigid Arctic Ocean. Our need to build has produced countless styles of architecture, from ancient temples to modern skyscrapers, some soaring into the air and some containing just one room for an entire family. Architecture is a complex endeavor, encompassing a variety of artistic and technical fields to create the spaces where we live, work, play, eat, relax, pray, and enjoy ourselves. Some buildings are meant to be works of art while others need only shelter a family temporarily before they move on. The past and the future are ever present in the architecture around us. At the same time that we build taller and taller towers of glass and steel, we work to restore the structures that have survived through the centuries in the hopes that the next generation can look up at them with the same sense of awe. A wide range of traditions, from those of ancient Greece and Rome to the Renaissance and Art Deco, inform modern architecture. By contrast, some cultures have perfected simple buildings that have remained virtually unchanged over the course of centuries. Join us on this world tour of architecture as we explore some of the greatest structures around the globe.

Sculpture--three-dimensional art--is the oldest-known art form, dating back more than 40,000 years. From the earliest statues of gods and goddesses found today in museums, every world culture has created sculpture for many different audiences and purposes. Unlike two-dimensional paintings, sculpture is meant to be seen in the round, which means you can walk around it and look at it from every side and angle. From the famous ancestor statues of Easter Island to the Egyptian Sphinx, sculptors have created visions to awe, amaze, impress, and delight. Sculpture ranges from small stone ornaments used as jewelry or amulets to gold-covered depictions of the Buddha that are more than 10 stories tall. Sculpture may help people remember leaders like Abraham Lincoln or depict the beauty of nature or the human body. From stone monuments that have lasted thousands of years to creations made from the earth itself, like the Great Serpent Mound in Ohio and Utah's Spiral Jetty, any material the human hand can touch, carve, or mold can become sculpture.

We express our taste and personality through the clothes we wear, how we style our hair, and how we groom ourselves. Style is individual, and it can be eternal, appealing to people throughout centuries. Fashion today means the international industry of clothing designers, manufacturers, retailers and influencers who present styles of clothing we can choose to wear--or not. From simple loincloths, which are still worn by indigenous people in the Amazon in South America and highlands of tropical Papua New Guinea, to the latest fashions on the runway at Fashion Weeks in Paris, London, Milan and New York, clothing represents personal taste and practical needs--and the way we see ourselves. Clothing can conceal and it can reveal. This book explores fashion as an art form that combines technology, artistry and imagination. It can tell stories that we want to hear or show us new visions that stir our imagination.

From the beginning of humankind, people have been drawing and painting. Perhaps we can call these early handprints and pictures of hunting scenes "art," or perhaps they were merely a way to tell stories of everyday events. From these early images came the longing for humans to express themselves aesthetically by using their hands and their minds. A unique guide to the world of drawing and painting, this book takes the reader on a journey all over the world to discover the rich culture and traditions in each of the world's continents. From the discovery of making paper by the ancient Chinese to the street-smart graffiti art movements emerging throughout the world, drawing and painting is a vital tool for artists to express their individual voices.