This concise history is the first book in a new series on the Soviet space program and features many rare photographs, diagrams, and charts. When Soviet rocket experts examined the first Nazi V-2s in early 1945, they immediately realized that their own technology was years behind what the Germans had developed.
The Sturmgeschütz, or StuG, as it is more popularly known, while conceived as self-propelled, infantry support artillery, in time, formed the backbone of Germany’s anti-tank operations during WWII. With more than 135 war-era photos, this volume chronicles the design, development, and deployment of the first six (of nine variants) of this famed and feared weapon.
Tracing the rise of commercial fetish art from its shadowy beginnings in the 1940s to its acceptance in the 1970s, this illustrated biography explores the unconventional life and art of Eric Stanton, a pioneering sexual fantasist who helped shape the movement.
Take your seats, and by all means, fasten your seat belts! Come on a journey back in time to aviation’s most daring and innovative era. Travel back nine decades, when for the first time, airplanes determined the victors of global wars—a time that altered the course of the world. Hear never-before-told true stories penned by still-living flight crew members and passengers.
Tattoos have played an important role in human culture for thousands of years. Ideal for the tattoo artist, anthropologist, or tattoo fan, this visual lexicon covers tattoos from hundreds of different cultures and lists meanings, reasons for wearing, and rites of passage and indicates placement for thousands of individual tattoos.
Though he entered combat late in May 1942, Carl Emmermann sank twenty-six Allied ships in only four combat patrols while commanding U-172, becoming the thirteenth most successful U-boat commander of the war. U-172, a Type IXC U-boat, saw non-stop action throughout the Atlantic, during its four patrols under Emmermann.
Most take for granted that a pair of jeans is not considered complete without patches, rivets, buttons, and other trims. The existence of such design elements is not questioned because they are seen as the standard. Nick Williams’s book is exclusively dedicated to denim branding and deconstructs every element that goes into branding a pair of jeans.
One of America's most famous aircraft, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress continues to form the backbone of the US nuclear deterrent, and it has also become the nation's principle heavy tactical bomber. It has filled this role since the the early years of the Cold War, the heavy bombing raids during the Vietnam War, and recently in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Hawker Hurricane has rightly earned its place in military aviation annals. Although only preceding the Spitfire by four months in its prototypic launch, the Hawker machine was available in measurably greater numbers by the Battle of Britain, a very critical stage of WWII for Britain and its Empire.
Since the 1980s, the American M2/M3 Bradley has overcome its controversial debut, and is now regarded as among the finest cavalry/infantry fighting vehicles in the world. This book is a concise look at the background, development, and Army operational history of the Bradley from the 1980s to the present.
This original animal alphabet series with its sophisticated imagery was created to appeal to adults but children delight in it as well. The book explores unusual imagery juxtapositions pairing alphabet letters with animals and unexpected objects beginning with that same letter. The series started when artist Leslie Haines discovered a human-faced walrus in an old engraving book.
Motorcycle riders from all walks of life—from Main Street to Wall Street, Hollywood to Washington, D.C.—are invited to peel back their “badass” masks and answer one simple question: What is the meaning of life? Their answers expose the motorcycle community’s lesser-known philosophical and charitable nature and help to smash the typical motorcycle-rider stereotype.
This book shows how to make 40 bags and miscellaneous goods with very simple, clear-cut instructions that even total beginners can follow. What makes this book special is that it has patterns with stitch marks at the end of the book. Leather is usually sewn after piercing holes for stitching, which means that punching the holes is the most important part.
COPIC markers are very popular drawing materials used all around the world. This long-awaited book provides techniques for rendering exciting textures using COPIC markers. From basic techniques to entire color sample sheets, this book provides step-by-step visual instructions for rendering textures for a variety of materials, from metals to bricks.
This lavishly photographed and authoritative book presents the secret history of Soviet subminiature spy cameras during the Cold War. It is a history that could only have been written by the veteran KGB technical intelligence officers who created and used the cameras in secret operations.
Eighty brave men made a near-suicidal first attack on Japan about four months after Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt wanted a quick response to the Japanese ambush on Hawaii to demonstrate to the Japanese that they were not invulnerable to attack, and to give a much-needed boost to American morale. Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle was selected to plan and lead the Raid from the USS Hornet.
This guide to printmaking plunges you into dozens of ways to leave your mark on the world—and on your walls, tablecloths, garments, and every other surface imaginable. Emphasizing the joy and energy of printmaking, the 41 projects use everyday materials, and don't require any previous experience.
The journey into space is a dangerous one, and although some aspects of space travel seem to be routine it still takes humanity to the limits of what is technically possible. It is an environment that forgives no mistake, and where carelessness usually has fatal consequences. This book records more than a dozen American and Soviet space disasters from 1967 to the present day.
Willy Messerschmitt's Bf 109 is among the most famous fighter aircraft in the history of military aviation, and it was during the Spanish Civil War that it first saw combat. Using newly discovered records, the author describes the Bf 109's operational career with the Legion Condor, the German military unit that fought in Spain.
Illustrated with more than 300 photos, this guide covers everything you need to know to begin working with glass. Learn the materials and tools needed, types of glass, and successful techniques, focusing on the copper foil method.