The very name Black Death sends shivers up spines, and summons up the worst nightmares. In the Middle Ages, the onset of this mysterious plague that killed millions of victims, many within a few hours, spread fear, panic and self-loathing.

This colourfully illustrated book, revised for 2019, recalls the history, the horrors, and the heroism encountered when this mysterious plague struck Britain in 1348-49. With one third of the population wiped out by a disease so swift that neither prayer nor potions could check its progress, this was indeed catastrophe on a nationwide scale which shook the very foundations of feudal society. And yet society survived. Perhaps this is the ultimate hopeful message of a catastrophe now as much myth as history.

Henry Tudor is probably the best known king in English history, most famous for having had six wives. Henry wanted immortality, not as a notorious husband, but as a king who made England strong and powerful. Essential to that, he believed, was the provision of a male heir, but Henry became so desperate to father a legitimate son that he divorced one wife, beheaded another, disposed of two chief ministers and declared himself head of the Church in England. His personality was overwhelming. He could be boisterously playful and passionately in love, but, as disappointments mounted, he became increasingly bitter and tyrannical.

This seminal Pitkin guide to one of England’s greatest monarchs has been revised and updated for 2019. Fully illustrated throughout in a fresh, contemporary style, and featuring all the lavish paintings of the time, it also includes all the latest representations of Henry VIII in the media, as well as a list of relevant locations to visit.

The University of Oxford offers 800 years of history: its 39 colleges are inextricably linked with the daily life of a busy city with beautiful buildings, cobbled lanes, and turrets and spires.

Fully revised for 2019, and with a map to guide visitors, this guide explores each college, detailing the historical and architectural magnificence, and tales of famous men and women who founded them.

As Picasso said: ‘It took me a lifetime to Paint Like a Child’.

Raw Drawing is not an art class — it is a unique philosophy and a practical resource that teaches you how to draw spontaneously and creatively without any inhibition. Learn how to use signs, lines and shapes to create a new visual language. It’s a non-judgmental technique to help you visualize your thoughts, express your emotions, develop your ideas and, why not, relax with a pen or pencil.

Since he launched the Raw Drawing initiative in 2017, Italian artist Alessandro Bonaccorsi has given dozens of courses across Italy, helping people expand their creativity. This book brings together all of Alessandro’s core teachings, making the power and creativity of raw drawing accessible to everyone. The book is recommended for those over 14 years of age, who are open to let themselves become children again and draw with a carefree mind.

Use Raw Drawing to get closer to the heart of things, and learn to appreciate the beauty of the spontaneous.

Mindful Calligraphy is a unique and groundbreaking book that fuses the art of calligraphy and mindfulness.

Calligraphy has long been known to centre and balance mind and body – concentrating on pen strokes is a good way to tune in positively and live in the moment. And lettering and calligraphy is having a major renaissance as we look for an antidote for our digital age. 

Progressing from simple movements and shapes to words and phrases, this creative, step-by-step guide helps you to learn how to focus your mind, beat stress, and tune out unwelcome thinking. Tracing the letters helps you stay on the path, always progressing, always centred. Your creation, at the end, is a mini work of art. 

Organized in progressive and easy-to-follow exercises, Mindful Calligraphy is the perfect guide on this journey towards tranquility and calligraphic beauty.

A practical guide to painting nature’s flora and fauna from award-winning botanical painting authors Meriel Thurstan and Rosie Martin.

Recording the wildlife that surrounds us is an age-old art. The authors, in collaboration with the Eden Project, show us how to accurately and beautifully capture the natural world on canvas and make the most of the revival of this art form.

Step by step, they take you through the whole process of capturing the essence of some of the most beautiful things on earth. From dinosaur skeletons and fossils to birds, butterflies and frogs. Learn how to paint the subtle scales on a fish, the iridescence of a feather or the lustre on a shell.

The authors take you through the full range of skills and techniques you need to undertake natural history drawing and painting. Key techniques are explained with practical step-by-step demonstrations. Beautiful illustrations by the authors are featured throughout and will inspire you and illuminate the techniques you are learning.

Painting Nature’s Details is a stunning book on an art form that is fast becoming the new botanical illustration.

Since the announcement from Kensington Palace that Harry and Meghan had chosen St George’s Chapel on 19 May, 2018 as their wedding venue, the world has been gripped by wedding fever. Pitkin is delighted to publish this new royal souvenir in commemoration of their special day.

This is the tale of how the dashing Prince Harry fell in love with and married the beautiful American actress Meghan. It is the celebration of a truly modern love story. This book explores their early years, how they met, and how love culminated in one of the most anticipated weddings the world has ever witnessed.

Born on 15 September 1984, Harry, christened Henry Charles Albert David, is the second child of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and younger brother to Prince William. Harry is the fourth grandchild of the Queen and Prince Philip and currently fifth in line to the British throne. His bride Rachel Meghan Markle, known simply as Meghan, was born on 4 August 1981 and grew up in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Thomas Markle, an Emmy award-winning lighting director of Irish and Dutch descent, and Doria Ragland, an African American psychotherapist and yoga teacher. As an accomplished actress, Meghan fulfilled her childhood dream of being a television star.

Meghan has now become one of the senior members of the royal family. With her American nationality and her identity as a mixed-race woman, Meghan introduces something new into the royal family, something that has been described as a ‘breath of fresh air’ that will assist the monarchy in its move towards modernity. With her Prince at her side, we have seen how Meghan has embraced her new role with natural charm and elegance.

Despite their differing backgrounds and career paths, the new royal couple are united in their commitment to charitable campaigns and devotion to one another. Their wedding is a reflection of their love and hopes for their future life together.

A guide to creating beautiful and meaningful textiles.

Poetic cloth is about how cloth, stitch and surface create personal meaning in textile art. It shows how a more thoughtful use of material and process can create textiles of depth and meaning.

Grounded in the key elements of the well-established author’s work, the book begins with an introduction to materials, their properties and personal meanings. Subsequent chapters help the reader to explore the connection between process and material, focusing on stitch, print, surface manipulation and construction to create seductive textile surfaces. The emphasis throughout is on a sensitivity to material, a quiet attention to detail and thoughtful application of textile technique.

The chapters are: Touch (cloth and swatch); Stitch (mark, surface and space); Trace (layer and shadow play); Fragment (worn, threadbare, cobweb); Mend (patch, seam, and darn); Lustre (alchemy and radiance). Techniques include hand stitch, shadow work, patching, darning, devoré and cyanotype printing.

Written by member of the prestigious 62 Group Hannah Lamb, this is an invaluable book for textile artists who want to give more meaning to their work. 

A beautifully illustrated account of the letters and correspondence of Jane Austen.

It has been said that Jane Austen the woman and Jane Austen the author are all of a piece, and nowhere is this more evident to the lovers of her novels than in the pages of her letters. This handsome celebration of Austen’s letters is illustrated with portraits, facsimile letters, topographical engravings and fashion plates, all helping to bring to life the world Jane Austen inhabited.

The letters, with an accompanying commentary by Penelope Hughes-Hallett, are separated into six periods of Jane Austen’s life, between the years 1796, when she was twenty, and 1817, the year of her death. They celebrate Jane Austen’s talent for expressing exactly what she perceived, making this an illuminating companion to her novels. Although the book follows a broadly chronological scheme, the letters are arranged round visual themes, including the Hampshire countryside, social life in Bath and London, domestic pursuits, paying visits and travelling by carriage.

The author, who was born in Jane Austen’s Hampshire village of Steventon, lectured on English Literature for the Open University and the Oxford University Department of External Studies. 

Shibori is one of the world’s richest textile traditions in the world. Commonly associated with Japan, it is also used in Africa, India and South America. Shibori is the Japanese term (from the word ‘to squeeze or wring’), for the dye-resist technique of binding, clamping or gathering the cloth so that the dye cannot reach certain parts. This results in that most powerful of combinations – a carefully structured design with the organic freedom of the unpredictable.

In recent years a resurgence of the art has brought out its full potential and author Janice Gunner’s book is aimed at quilters, embroiderers and textile artists who not only want to master the techniques of shibori but also find ways of using the fabric once created for a range of textile techniques including quilting and embroidery.

The book briefly covers the historical and cultural background before explaining clearly, with step-by-step instructions, how to make a wide range of stunning fabric. It covers: tied resist, stitched resist, wrapped resist, clamp resist, folded and pleated resist, heat set techniques, discharge dyeing techniques, immersion and other dyeing techniques. Illustrated throughout with new and old shibori examples, and many finished quilted and embroidered pieces that have incorporated shibori techniques, to show the full potential of the art.

A ground-breaking book on the art of pressed flowers and leaf works from leading flower artist, Jennie Ashmore. Our love for flowers and leaves has never been more pronounced and in this book, we teach you how to make the most of the rediscovered pressed flower art, from choice of flowers (including roses, oak leaves and seaweed), the various ways of pressing them, designing with pressed flowers and leaves, achieving symmetry, the use of colour, and combining pressed flowers with watercolour and gouache, painted background, and gold and silver paper. The highly experienced author gives a range of insider tips from using the ribs of leaves to create pattern and movement, pressing both sides of a leaf, and capturing the seasons in one piece of work. She also provides templates to help you get started. A plant directory at the back of the book allows you to see what various plants look like when pressed.

A stunningly beautiful book that opens up a traditional art to a very contemporary expression for all crafters and nature lovers. 

A fun and accessible guide to painting flowers in watercolour with step-by-step exercises.

World-renowned artist Trevor Waugh reveals the secrets of painting flowers in watercolour in this fun, easy-to-follow book. Focusing on the techniques that matter the most, you’ll be able to start producing better flower paintings in the space of an afternoon. 

The book includes expert guidance on all aspects of flower painting in watercolour, including the basic shapes and how to combine them, how to design the perfect composition and how to create subtle and evocative effects. The author shares tips on how to use colour to create realistic-looking flowers and foliage, his go-to basic palette and details on how to create beautiful, nuanced colour mixes. There is also a section on how to achieve real artistry in your work, using hard and soft edges, clever observation and different angles to perfect your work. 

Armed with this beautiful book, packed with breathtaking inspirational paintings and a selection of helpful step-by-step demonstration sequences, you’ll become an expert flower painting in no time at all.