As the saying goes, dogs are man's best friend. Since the Stone Age, our canine companions have been illustrated, described, dramatized, and eulogized in one form or another. Dogs in Books celebrates the role of dogs in literature, featuring more than thirty famous dogs, from Tintin's white Wire Fox Terrier Snowy, to Lassie, Toto, and Snoopy, as well as dogs from Shakespeare, Jack London, Rudyard Kipling, Charles Dickens, and many more well-known authors.
Culled from the British Library's incomparable archives, Dogs in Books features illustrations from rare editions of classic literature and contemporary renderings from popular books. Odysseus had his faithful dog Argos and King Lear's pack of dogs barked away at him as if warning him. From narrating an entire story to rescuing our hero, these dogs are critical characters in these books, demonstrating the timelessness of our undying love and respect for dogs and proving that they have always been more than just a pet.
Japan has long been a breeding ground for innovative appropriation of Western traditions, as with cinema and baseball. But the fanatical embrace with which Japanese artists have welcomed graffiti has made for a street-art scene wholly apart from its Western origins. As the first English-language book dedicated to Japanese graffiti, Graffiti Japan is an obvious choice for a paperback edition, featuring all the same great photographs and artist interviews with KRESS, BELX2, FATE, TENGA, EMAR, SUIKO, QP, and many more.
The graffiti featured in Graffiti Japan replicates the calligraphic intricacies of the Japanese language with spray paint, depicting how anime and manga characters, national pride, as well as foreign influences, are integral parts of the country's scene. From sprawling, legally sanctioned murals to illegal throw-ups hidden in alleyways, this work could not exist in any other country.
