Books for the Artist in Your Life

Discover a lost world of farmers cutting hay with scythes and dancing to fiddle music on barn floors through the Long Island paintings of William Sidney Mount.

Explore vivid depictions of people of color, presented with great humanity when racist caricatures were the norm.

This landmark book reveals the lives of Rachel, the eel spearer; Henry Brazier, the left-handed fiddler; George Freeman, model for the jaunty banjo player, and other agricultural laborers, domestic workers, and musicians who posed for the artist.

Authors Katherine Kirkpatrick and Vivian Nicholson-Mueller take readers on a fascinating historical journey as they publicly honor, by name, the once-anonymous Black and mixed-race models whose images have achieved international recognition.

Chronicles the life of Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), a New-England born American novelist and short story writer, best known as the author of The Scarlet Letter.

The Short Biographies Series from Applewood Books are intriguing and entertaining short biographies that tell the details, insights and stories of renowned lives.

As Florida Southern College embarked upon an ambitious building program in the 1930s, the serendipitous arrival of Frank Lloyd Wright transformed the future of the school.

Pres. Ludd Myrl Spivey was a leader with limitless imagination, and he realized the virtue in bringing an architect of Wright's renown to Lakeland. Wright's first visit to the lakeside campus was in 1938. He envisioned a grand 18-unit Child of the Sun campus, where buildings would grow from the Florida sand into the light. The buildings are especially suited to the landscape and are connected thematically by a series of covered walkways Wright called the Esplanade. Over the next 20 years, 12 of these unique structures were constructed at Florida Southern, and today they comprise the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. The campus attracts thousands of visitors annually, and preservation and restoration projects are ongoing. The Florida Southern College Architectural District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

A life in buildings

The son of Oregon pioneers, Walter D. Pugh spent his career as an architect building landmarks throughout his home state. From designing the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and supervising the installation of the State Capitol dome in Salem to drawing the plans for the Crook County Courthouse in Prineville, Pugh had a hand in a wide variety of buildings. In less than twenty-five years, he worked on more than a hundred projects before fading into obscurity. Many of these structures are still standing, a testament to his skill even after his contributions have been all but forgotten.

Join author and historian Terence Emmons as he explores the life and legacy of one of Oregon's foremost architects.

Quotes from America's Beloved Architect and Iconoclast

This elegant pocket-sized hardcover gift book, part of Applewood's Quotations of Great Americans series, contains nearly one hundred quotes from builder, Architect, political commentator and cultural rabble-rouser, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Casting the Cowboy State’s Past

Wyoming’s history is enshrined in the bronze sculptures lining Capitol Avenue and across Cheyenne. The idea, conceived only a decade prior, rapidly grew into the most successful public arts project in city history. Inspired by and committed to preserving the history of the state, private citizens donated bronze sculptures depicting important figures and contributions. Tribal leaders, explorers and governors are represented. The contributions of architects, artists and suffragettes are celebrated. And dedication to service in politics, agriculture and the military are honored. Authors Starley Talbott and Michael Kassel explore the state’s rich past cast in bronze. 

Tour a stunning gallery of Gulf Coast artists that includes the overlooked treasures of nineteenth-century studios, the heroic advocacy of the Galveston Art League and the visual pioneers who earned the island community its overdue acclaim.

Since Audubon visited Galveston in 1837, artists have flocked to the island, some just passing through and others staying their entire lives. But because Galveston remained remote from the nation's cultural centers, its artistic contributions were initially largely ignored. However, the recovery effort from Great Storm of 1900 spurred a new sense of local pride and civic determination. The Cotton Carnivals attracted people throughout the state, the city's artists united to promote local art through the creation of the Galveston Art League, and photographers modernized their practices. In the early 1920s, a new generation, freed from nineteenth century traditions, started to gain attention both on and off the island. Explore Galveston's artistic heritage with Patricia Jakobi, from the landscapes of Boyer Gonzales to the sculptural portraits of Caroline Burton Claassen.

As Florida Southern College embarked upon an ambitious building program in the 1930s, the serendipitous arrival of Frank Lloyd Wright transformed the future of the school.

Pres. Ludd Myrl Spivey was a leader with limitless imagination, and he realized the virtue in bringing an architect of Wright's renown to Lakeland. Wright's first visit to the lakeside campus was in 1938. He envisioned a grand 18-unit Child of the Sun campus, where buildings would grow from the Florida sand into the light. The buildings are especially suited to the landscape and are connected thematically by a series of covered walkways Wright called the Esplanade. Over the next 20 years, 12 of these unique structures were constructed at Florida Southern, and today they comprise the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. The campus attracts thousands of visitors annually, and preservation and restoration projects are ongoing. The Florida Southern College Architectural District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Enjoy the rich legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work at Florida Southern College in this collection of 15 historic black-and-white postcards.

John Singer Sargent was an American painter whop spent little time in the US. He grew up in a privileged, somewhat nomadic family living in Italy and the France. Exposure to European art from an early age guided his exquisite paintings that captured both everyday life and portraits with drama and elegance. The Short Bio series from Applewood Books features short, intriguing, and entertaining biographies of world-renowned figures. These hardback gems will become souvenirs of a favorite artist or a memorable trip to a museum. 

First published in 1920, this is one of the first and best books on the art of animation. Edward Lutz's classic contains many shortcuts to the process of film animation.

These shortscuts were a trademark of Lutz's teaching. This book offers tips on drawing anatomy and motion and gives detailed instructions on how animated pictures are made and work. Walt Disney used an original copy of this book, relying heavily on its advice and teaching. This is both a valuable guide to animation and an extremely collectible classic.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir filled his paintings with light and beauty. Unlike his contemporaries, plain-air painters of landscapers, he filled his canvases with human movement: the swish of a silk; the crackle of crinoline. The Short Biographies series from Applewood Books features short, intriguing, and entertaining biographies of world-renowned figures. These hardcover gems are beloved souvenirs of a favorite artist or a memorable trip to a museum.