TASCHEN

Hartmann Schedel’s Weltchronik, or Chronicle of the World (better known today as the Nuremberg Chronicle, after the German city in which it was created), was a groundbreaking encyclopedic work and, at the time, the most lavishly illustrated book ever printed in Europe. Both a historical reference work and a contemporary inventory of urban culture at the end of the 15th century, the Chronicle was to have a remarkable influence on the cultural, ecclesiastical, and intellectual history of the Middle Ages. It was particularly notable for its vast quantity of woodcut illustrations (more than 1,800) depicting events from the Bible, human monstrosities, portraits of kings, queens, saints and martyrs, and allegorical pictures of miracles, as well as views of a great number of “modern” cities, many of which had never been documented before. Today, copies of the Chronicle sell for up to 800,000 dollars; we’ve procured a rare hand-colored copy, true to the original in every respect, and created a complete facsimile of utmost quality. In case you don’t read Early Modern High German, the comprehensive booklet, with summaries of the book’s main stories, provides a user-friendly way to explore this amazing historical masterpiece.

Dans la vie il y a, paraît-il, des gagnants et des perdants. Les films que nous avons sélectionnés pour cette collection de deux volumes font vraiment partie des gagnants, même si ceux qui ne s’y trouvent pas sont loin d’être des perdants, simplement ils nous plaisaient un peu moins. Ce fut un véritable casse-tête mais, après bien des discussions et débats, TASCHEN a sélectionné ce que nous considérons comme les 100 films les plus éblouissants du XXe siècle.

De l’horreur à la romance, du film noir au splastick, de l’aventure à la tragédie, du film épique à la comédie musicale, du western à la nouvelle vague, tous les genres sont représentés dans ce recueil varié et divertissant en diable. Metropolis? Bien sûr. Les Temps modernes? Naturellement. Citizen Kane, Les Sept Samouraïs? Absolument. La Dolce Vita, Psychose, Orange mécanique? Évidemment. Avec, en plus, Le Parrain, Annie Hall, Blue Vlevet, Pulp Fiction… et bien d’autres joyaux du cinéma. Voyez dans cette collection un festival de contrastes, un hommage au septième art, une réunion des grands et une promenade nostalgique à travers l’histoire de la pellicule.

Chaque entrée, classée par ordre chronologique, comporte le synopsis, l’équipe du film et la distribution, les informations techniques, les biographies des acteurs ou réalisateurs, les détails insolites et une liste des récompenses ainsi que des clichés du film, des photos du tournage et l’affiche originale de chaque film. Chaque chapitre, consacré à une décennie, s’ouvre sur une introduction rappelant le contexte historique et social des films réalisés durant cette période.

“The most important book in the culinary arts since Escoffier.” —Tim Zagat

A revolution is underway in the art of cooking. Just as French Impressionists upended centuries of tradition, Modernist cuisine has in recent years blown through the boundaries of the culinary arts. Borrowing techniques from the laboratory, pioneering chefs at world-renowned restaurants such as elBulli, The Fat Duck, Alinea, and wd~50 have incorporated a deeper understanding of science and advances in cooking technology into their culinary art. The authors and their 20-person team at The Cooking Lab—scientists, inventors, and accomplished cooks in their own right—have achieved astounding new flavors and textures by using tools such as water baths, homogenizers, and centrifuges, and ingredients such as hydrocolloids, emulsifiers, and enzymes. Modernist Cuisine is a work destined to reinvent cooking.

How do you make an omelet light and tender on the outside, but rich and creamy inside? Or French fries with a light and fluffy interior and a delicate, crisp crust that doesn’t go soggy? Imagine being able to encase a mussel in a gelled sphere of its own sweet and briny juice. Or to create a silky-smooth pistachio cream made from nothing more than the nuts themselves. Modernist Cuisine offers step-by-step, illustrated instructions, as well as clear explanations of how these techniques work. Through thousands of original photographs and diagrams, the lavishly illustrated books make the science and technology of the culinary arts clear and engaging. Stunning new photographic techniques take the reader inside the food to see cooking in action all the way from microscopic meat fibers to an entire Weber grill in cross section. You will view cooking—and eating—in a whole new light.

A sampling of what you’ll discover: Why plunging food in ice water doesn’t stop the cooking process

When boiling cooks faster than steaming

Why raising the grill doesn’t lower the heat

Why baking is mostly a drying process

Why deep-fried food tastes best and browns better when the oil is older

How modern cooking techniques can achieve ideal results without the perfect timing or good luck that traditional methods demand

Many invaluable features include: Insights into the surprising science behind traditional food preparation methods such as grilling, smoking, and stir-frying

The most comprehensive guide yet published on cooking sous vide, including the best options for water baths, packaging materials, and sealing equipment; cooking strategies; and troubleshooting tips

More than 250 pages on meat and seafood and 144 pages on fruits, vegetables, and grains, including dozens of parametric recipes and step-by-step techniques

Extensive chapters explaining how to achieve amazing results by using modern thickeners, gels, emulsions, and foams, including example recipes and many formulas

Some 300 pages of new recipes for plated dishes suitable for service at top-tier restaurants, plus recipes adapted from master chefs including Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal, David Chang, Wylie Dufresne, David Kinch, and many others

Volume 1: History and Fundamentals

Volume 2: Techniques and Equipment

Volume 3: Animals and Plants

Volume 4: Ingredients and Preparations

Volume 5: Plated-Dish Recipes

Volume 6: Kitchen Manual with example recipes and extensive reference tables, printed on washable paper