Books published by publisher Universal

Like the other Sasek classics, these are facsimile editions of his original books. The vibrant illustrations have been preserved, remaining true to his vision, and where applicable facts have been updated, appearing on a "This is...Today" page at the back of each book. The charming illustrations, coupled with Sasek’s witty, playful narrative, make for perfect souvenirs that will delight both children and their parents, many of whom will remember them from their own childhood. This is Britain, first published in 1974, encompasses the nation’s many facets, from the mystery of Stonehenge to the monuments of the British Isles. Among his stops are the White Cliffs of Dover; Brighton’s Prince Regent’s Royal Pavilion; the castles and Tintern Abbey in Wales; and Scotland’s four Royal Palaces and long lochs. This is Israel, first published in 1962, visits the Promised Land, a sun-drenched panorama of many hues and many traditions. From the Sea of Galilee to the Red Sea (it’s really blue); from modern Tel Aviv to Jerusalem new and old; from Mt. Zion to King Solomon’s mines; Sasek presents the biblical glory of its past and the golden hope of its future.

From the 1920s through the 1950s, Universal Studios was Hollywood’s number one studio for horror pictures, haunting movie theaters worldwide with Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon, among others. Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror explores all of these enduring characters, chronicling both the mythology behind the films and offering behind-the-scenes insights into how the films were created. Universal Studios Monsters is the most complete record of the horror films of this legendary studio, with biographies of major personalities who were responsible for the most notable monster melodramas in film history. The stories of these films and their creators are told through interviews with surviving actors and studio employees. A lavish photographic record, including many behind-the-scenes shots, completes the story of how these classics were made. This is a volume no fan of imaginative cinema will want to be without.

Major League Baseball has compiled the definitive instruction manual on learning to play the game. Fully illustrated with action photos of MLB stars illustrating key points and drills for each defensive position, this book also includes special tips from MLB players on batting, base running, the rules of the game, and coaching. Easy-to-follow instructions and diagrams of all the skills beginning players need to master the game--how to throw, hit, and field all the positions--while also promoting good sportsmanship. Each skill and position is presented separately, with photographs and drawings of a player executing the specific skill, advice on how to perform it, and when to use it, and the most common mistakes. Written and compiled by the best baseball instructors, coaches, and players in the world, this comprehensive how-to is informative enough to help even the brightest young stars shine brighter. With keen insights from instruction and developmental coaches, the need to create a positive environment in practice and encourage creativity as well as technical correctness is stressed. Most importantly, the coaches understand that kids are not just small adults--and they back up their understanding with advice on how to help kids fall in love with "America's pastime." Model training sections construct excellent practice sessions--from warm-up through cool-down exercises and hundreds of drills and games to reinforce--this is an essential tool for all coaches as a guide to improving performance and enjoyment of practice and playing the game. This must-have resource covers it all: Batting, Pitching, Base running and sliding, Specific drills for playing all defensive positions, Coaching and rules, Offensive and defensive strategy. Partial list of Big League tips on How to Play the Game: Tony Gwynn (hitting), Sammy Sosa (judging fly balls), Bernie Williams (playing the outfield), Mark Grace (approach to hitting), Alex Rodriguez (fielding ground balls), Jeff Bagwell (hitting), Roberto Alomar (fielding ground balls), Jaret Wright (pitching mechanics), Edgar Renteria (how to play SS), John Lackey (improving your pitching), Carlos Delgado (mastering 1B), Rocco Baldelli (basic approach at plate), Cristian Guzman (fielding ground balls), Danny Kolb (good approach on the mound), Dontrelle Willis (pitching strategies), Torii Hunter (playing the outfield), Jason Marquis (pitching with control), Chone Figgins (sliding), Orlando Cabrera (improving your game), Gary Bennett (becoming a better catcher), Ervin Santana (pitching under pressure), Mark Teixeira (playing 1B), Ryan Howard (hitting), Joey Gathright (playing the OF), Troy Tulowitzki (succeeding at the plate), Joel Zumaya (pitching with poise), Josh Johnson (pitching with confidence)

Like the other Sasek classics, these are facsimile editions of his original books. The vibrant illustrations have been preserved, remaining true to his vision, and where applicable facts have been updated, appearing on a "This is...Today" page at the back of each book. The charming illustrations, coupled with Sasek’s witty, playful narrative, make for perfect souvenirs that will delight both children and their parents, many of whom will remember them from their own childhood. This is Britain, first published in 1974, encompasses the nation’s many facets, from the mystery of Stonehenge to the monuments of the British Isles. Among his stops are the White Cliffs of Dover; Brighton’s Prince Regent’s Royal Pavilion; the castles and Tintern Abbey in Wales; and Scotland’s four Royal Palaces and long lochs. This is Israel, first published in 1962, visits the Promised Land, a sun-drenched panorama of many hues and many traditions. From the Sea of Galilee to the Red Sea (it’s really blue); from modern Tel Aviv to Jerusalem new and old; from Mt. Zion to King Solomon’s mines; Sasek presents the biblical glory of its past and the golden hope of its future.

A glimpse behind the scenes into the life of Brooklyn Beckham through his own words and featuring a highly curated collection of his own photographs Sometimes described as the world’s most popular teen, Brooklyn Beckham has a massive social media footprint with over 9 million followers of his Instagram alone. As a model he has appeared in New York Times Style Magazine and Man About Town, and as a photographer he shot the recent Burberry Brit fragrance campaign. What I See is Brooklyn’s collection of around 300 personal photographs – most shot by him but with some shots of Brooklyn taken by others -- offering a rare and intimate glimpse of the world through his eyes. This stylish and beautifully designed edition will be comprised of fan favorites as well as new and exclusive images from his personal archive. Each chapter tells a different story through pictures by and of Brooklyn, and each will be accompanied by captions and passages of text. What I See documents many of Brooklyn’s travels around the world - California, New York, Greece, and Iceland among other destinations – as well as life behind the scenes at home with his family.

Published on the occasion of the van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., this fun-filled pop-up book opens into a four-room circular house showing the artist's home as he painted it, his friends as he portrayed them, and the world outside as he observed it.Van Gogh's House is full of surprises and interchangeable elements: the views from the windows are classic van Gogh scenes, such as Harvest Landscape and Starry Night, and on the walls hang portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. Every last detail is in place, from Vincent's pipe and tobacco, to his clogs under the table, to his unfinished canvas propped on an easel. Putting everything into historical context, the accompanying small book takes a learned and enjoyable look at van Gogh's life and the people, places, and paintings in it.

In this lavish version of Bram Stoker’s Gothic tale, contemporary language and illustrations, similar to those found in graphic novels, transport readers back to Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains, where young Jonathan Harker first meets the Count, then on to Victorian London where Dracula unleashes his reign of terror on Harker’s fiancée, Mina. Brooding images and dramatic 3-D scenes rise from the pages as the evil Count Dracula works his sinister spells on a new generation. Reluctant readers, horror fans, and pop-up collectors will marvel as Dracula, the world’s most popular and feared vampire, literally jumps off the page in search of victims. With multiple interactive elements on every page, readers will undoubtedly shriek as they watch a cemetery’s mist inch toward them, and, just when they’ve caught their breath, try to keep in the sunlight as a stake is finally plunged into the heart of the villain. A superb example of paper engineering, this classic pop-up tale offers an interactive, blood-curdling experience while remaining true to the author’s original version.

In the early 1960s the celebrated producer/animator team of David DePatie and Friz Freleng was commissioned to create an animated sequence for the 1964 film The Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. DePatie-Freleng brought this Pink Panther to life by creating one suave, cool animated cat that earned DePatie-Freleng their 1964 Oscar for Best Animated Short, The Pink Phink. The character grew so popular that it soon spun off into its own series of theatrical shorts attached to the Pink Panther films, then expanded into a cartoon series and television specials. This summer The Pink Panther returns to the screen with a new film, The Pink Panther, starring Steve Martin. In conjunction with MGM’s film and on the heels of the Pink Panther’s 40th Anniversary. Hope and Sybil Freleng, daughters of Friz Freleng, pay tribute to their father by opening his archives and exploring the history of everybody’s favorite pink cartoon character. Meet the Pink Panther is a delightful trove of Panther imagery, including never-before-seen art and witty and simple text about the Pink Panther. Designed with a retro look that is reminiscent of the Pink Panther from his premier in the 60s, Meet the Pink Panther is a sophisticated package that will appeal to parents who remember him with humor from their childhood and to children who can’t help but be impressed by the consummate character of cool.

Henri’s Walk to Paris is the story of a young boy who lives in Reboul, France, who dreams of going to Paris. One day, after reading a book about Paris, he decides to pack a lunch and head for the city. “Like many of us Henri wants to see Paris.In Paris, there are thousands of buses. In Reboul, where Henri lives, there is only one bus.In Paris there are many parks and rows and rows of trees. The park in Reboul has only five trees. In Paris there are many zoos full of animals for the people to see. So one fine day Henri packs up some lunch and starts off to see all the things he had read about.” Along the way, Henri gets tired and falls asleep under a tree. And this is when the story gets really charming. What Henri sees, we see, in a flowing panorama of pictures conceived by the eminent graphic designer Saul Bass.

Reading Can Be Fun is a children’s classic by Munro Leaf, the bestselling author of Manners Can Be Fun.From the desktops of Andy and Gil Leaf: One of the most important lessons our father taught us is the value of reading. The exhilaration of turning a page and having words leap out, begging to be uttered and embraced, is a profound experience that is permanently etched in the mind. This was his message to every child. A springboard for the imagination, a book can be educational and fun. It is a huge joy that the key to the amusing, creative, and engaging world of our father can once again be found on bookshelves. He would be tremendously pleased and satisfied to know that today, nearly seventy years and one century later, his words still have resonance—words that will be fondly remembered by generations past, and words that will be savored, chuckled over, and read countless times by a new generation of curious, inquisitive, and impressionable young eyes.

An endearing book of photographs of legendary skateboarding pioneer and Z-Boy Jay Adams during his childhood years, taken by Adams’s stepfather Kent Sherwood and now back in print for the first time since Adams’s passing. Skateboarding legend Jay Adams’s sudden and unexpected death at the age of fifty-three shocked the world. Media outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, the Hollywood Reporter, ESPN, MTV, the Telegraph, and People magazine to name only a few, paid tribute to Jay Adams; the broad coverage he received speaks to the immense influence Adams had on the sport of skateboarding and the subsequent culture he helped grow and shape. Universe is pleased to bring back into print the little-known book of photographs of Jay Adams’s earliest days as a surfer and skateboarder, taken by his stepfather Kent Sherwood. Sherwood is directly responsible for unleashing Adams’s talent on the world: he introduced Adams at a very young age to surfing and skateboarding. Sherwood, a self-taught photographer, began shooting the young Jay Adams at play, surfing, and skating with his friends, including Tony Alva, Wentzle Ruml, and Shogo Kubo, among others. Jay Boy is an endearing, intimate look at the gifted Adams and his friends, and includes sweet and revealing thoughts about his past, written in his own hand before he passed away. It is certain to appeal to any fan of skateboarding.