From the Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author of How to Be an Artist, a deliciously readable survey of the art world in turbulent times. 

“The world’s most famous and celebrated contemporary art critic.” -GQ

“One of the most powerful art critics today.” -Time Out

“Senior art critic and columnist for New York magazine, Jerry Saltz is as influential as they come. He demystifies the art world in refreshing plain speak and his latest book, focusing on the two decades since 9/11, promises to be another must-listen.” – Irish Times

Jerry Saltz is one of our most-watched writers about art and artists, and a passionate champion of the importance of art in our shared cultural life. Since the 1990s he has been an indispensable cultural voice: witty and provocative, he has attracted contemporary readers to fine art as few critics have.

Now, in Art Is Life, Jerry Saltz draws on two decades of work to offer a real-time survey of contemporary art as a barometer of our times. Chronicling a period punctuated by dramatic turning points – from the cultural reset of 9/11 to the rolling social crises of today – Saltz traces how visionary artists have both documented and challenged the culture. Art Is Life offers Saltz’s eye-opening appraisals of trailblazers like Kara Walker, Hilma af Klint and Jasper Johns; provocateurs like Jeff Koons, Richard Prince and Marina Abramovic; and visionaries like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. With his signature blend of candour and conviction, Jerry Saltz argues in Art Is Life for the importance of the fearless artist. The result is an openhearted and irresistibly readable appraisal by one of our most important cultural observers.

Praise for How to Be an Artist:

“I wish I had read these rules forty years ago and carried them around like a bible. They are the generous, loving, enthusiastic, bullshit-free advice of a master communicator, just reading them makes me want to charge back into the studio” – Grayson Perry

“Being an artist is a lonely pursuit – twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for the rest of your life. Most of the time it hurts. This book will help the pain” – Tracey Emin

“Joy is palpable in these pages. We need such thinking right now” – Apollo Magazine

‘The thought began to form in my mind that many people would have a powerful story to tell about a turning point that led to them finding their purpose — their passion.’

When historian Mary Ryllis Clark came across her copy of Austrian philosopher and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s A Man’s Search for Meaning, she was struck by the idea that ‘the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose’. This propelled her on a journey to seek out and interview those individuals whose stories had inspired her.

Historian Henry Reynolds could not keep silent about the racial injustice he witnessed in Australian life, and it changed the course of his career. Whistleblower Andrew Wilkie made the brave decision to tell the truth about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Actor Jack Charles‘s discovery of the Malumani healing program, developed by a fellow survivor of the Stolen Generation, set him on a path of self-discovery. Anthony Bartl, who has no use of his limbs, was not expected to survive after a terrible accident, yet he has travelled widely and is an inspiration to people living with a disability.

From Julie Spriggs, who became the seventh physiotherapist working in Ethiopia, treating tuberculosis, to Gia-Yen Luong, the daughter of Vietnamese refugees who is committed to raising the standard of education in state schools in Australia, the 25 individuals in this collection all share a moment that changed the course of their future, sparking them to live a life of passion and purpose — and in turn enriching the lives of others.

With a foreword by Brenda Niall, this collection brings to life stories of triumph and tragedy, hope and survival. Other contributors include Robyn Davidson, Gillian Triggs, Inala Cooper, Anna Funder, Peter Doherty, Allan Fels, Fiona Patten and Elizabeth Chong.

‘There is something to wonder at on every page. You wonder at the choices made and at the way human willpower, ingenuity and courage combined to change so many lives. As you read you realise that by action or example each actor in a human drama has shown the way to countless others. Each turning point is a beginning…It’s the risktakers whose stories interest Mary Ryllis Clark. Everyone who reads Turning Points will find reasons to rejoice and to admire.’ — Brenda Niall

A “superb fantasy saga” (Helene Wecker) of martial arts and magic, about what happens when a prophesied hero is not the chosen one after all—but has to work with a band of unlikely allies to save the kingdom anyway, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lives of Tao

“An ambitious and touching exploration of disillusionment in faith, tradition, and family—a glorious reinvention of fantasy and wuxia tropes.”—Naomi Novik, New York Times bestselling author of A Deadly Education

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Kirkus Reviews

So many stories begin the same way: With a prophecy. A chosen one. And the inevitable quest to slay a villain, save the kingdom, and fulfill a grand destiny.

But this is not that kind of story.

It does begin with a prophecy: A child will rise to defeat the Eternal Khan, a cruel immortal god-king, and save the kingdom.

And that prophecy did anoint a hero, Jian, raised since birth in luxury and splendor, and celebrated before he has won a single battle.

But that’s when the story hits its first twist: The prophecy is wrong.

What follows is a story more wondrous than any prophecy could foresee, and with many unexpected heroes: Taishi, an older woman who is the greatest grandmaster of magical martial arts in the kingdom but who thought her adventuring days were all behind her; Sali, a straitlaced warrior who learns the rules may no longer apply when the leader to whom she pledged her life is gone; and Qisami, a chaotic assassin who takes a little too much pleasure in the kill.

And Jian himself, who has to find a way to become what he no longer believes he can be—a hero after all.

Luka loved this thoughtful and frank memoir, and had this to say about it:

You may have heard of Chelsea Manning. At 23, she leaked what would become known as the Iraq War logs—“to show the true cost of war,” she said. It was in the name of this “transparency” that she was charged and jailed—in a men’s prison, despite having come out as a transgender woman. Manning’s years in prison became well-known—both for the advocacy she accomplished in trans prisoners’ access to gender-affirming care, and for the horrific abuses she faced while imprisoned.

Yes, the content is often gut-wrenching, and Manning only spares the details which are technically capital-c Classified. But her frankness and unparalleled wit is highly readable. I was fascinated but appalled while reading about the cruel and often arbitrary bureaucracy behind the scenes of Manning’s military deployment. It was also really interesting to read about the lives of LGBT+ people in the early 2000s, and how they were able to access safe communities, particularly in the days of early internet.

README.txt is a fascinating, charged memoir about transparency, modern warfare, and authenticity. I highly recommend it. – Luka

‘Janina Ramirez is a born storyteller, and in Femina she is at the peak of her powers. This is bravura narrative history underpinned by passionate advocacy for the women whom medieval history has too often ignored or overlooked. Femina is essential reading’ – Dan Jones, bestselling author of The Plantagenets and Powers and Thrones

I am the fiery life of divine substance, I blaze above the beauty of the fields, I shine in the waters, I burn in sun, moon and stars. – Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179)

The middle ages are seen as a bloodthirsty time of Vikings, saints and kings- a patriarchal society which oppressed and excluded women. But when we dig a little deeper into the truth, we can see that the ‘dark’ ages were anything but.

Oxford and BBC historian Janina Ramirez has uncovered countless influential women’s names struck out of historical records, with the word FEMINA annotated beside them. As gatekeepers of the past ordered books to be burnt, artworks to be destroyed, and new versions of myths, legends and historical documents to be produced, our view of history has been manipulated.

Only now, through a careful examination of the artefacts, writings and possessions they left behind, are the influential and multifaceted lives of women emerging. Femina goes beyond the official records to uncover the true impact of women like Jadwiga, the only female King in Europe, Margery Kempe, who exploited her image and story to ensure her notoriety, and the Loftus Princess, whose existence gives us clues about the beginnings of Christianity in England. See the medieval world with fresh eyes and discover why these remarkable women were removed from our collective memories.

‘Funny, devastating, miraculous, and delightful. This is an extraordinary life story, extraordinarily told.’ Bri Lee, author of Eggshell Skull

‘[Rose] takes us to the edge of a volcanic crater of grief, passion and spirituality. Dazzling and devastating.’ Tim Rogers, author of Detours

Born on the island of Tasmania, Heather Rose falls in love with nature, but a family tragedy at age twelve sets her on a course to explore life and all its mysteries.

Here is a wild barefoot girl keen for adventure, a seeker of truth initiated in ancient rituals, a fledgling writer who becomes one of Australia’s most acclaimed authors, a fierce mother whose body may falter at any moment.

Nothing Bad Ever Happens Here is a luminous, compelling and utterly surprising memoir by the bestselling author of Stella Prize-winner The Museum of Modern Love and Bruny. Heartbreaking and beautiful, this is a love story brimming with courage and joy against all odds, one that will bring wonder, light and comfort to all who read it.

Cormac McCarthy – author of twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays and two short stories – is one of the most enigmatic and reclusive superstars of the modern literary world.

Living and writing from El Paso, Texas, he has shunned all requests for interviews, appearances at bookshops or literary festivals. Nonetheless, he remains one of the most admired writers of the last fifty years. His novels have received extraordinary reviews, being hailed as masterpieces of American literature. The Passenger is his first novel since The Road (2006).

 ‘McCarthy writes prose as clean as a bullet cutting through the air and constructs tales as compelling as any you will read’ – Telegraph 

1980, PASS CHRISTIAN, MISSISSIPPI: It is three in the morning when Bobby Western zips the jacket of his wetsuit and plunges from the boat deck into darkness. His divelight illuminates the sunken jet, nine bodies still buckled in their seats, hair floating, eyes devoid of speculation. Missing from the crash site are the pilot’s flightbag, the plane’s black box, and the tenth passenger. But how? A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed in body and spirit – by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul. Traversing the American South, from the garrulous bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, The Passenger is a breathtaking novel of morality and science, the legacy of sin, and the madness that is human consciousness. Look for Stella Maris, the second volume in The Passenger series, available December 2022.

I loved this latest collection from the Booker Prize-winning master of the short story form. With his trademark sharp, smart prose, Saunders effortlessly explores what it means to be human, in all its contradictory complexity.

These nine stories are deeply resonant; they are joyful, warm, and challenging. As a collection, it is subversive and profound, and one of my top reads this year. This is Saunders’ first short story collection in more than ten years, and it was worth the wait! – Brock

A dinosaur for every day of the year!

Immerse yourself in this year-long encounter with the most astonishing creatures ever to walk the Earth. From ferocious Tyrannosaurus to gentle giant Titanosaurus. You’ll find familiar and lesser-known names, alongside newly discovered species, all brought to life with stunning illustrations and fascinating facts!

With a foreword by Robert Smith

The definitive collection of renowned photographer Tom Sheehan’s images of The Cure – with photographs seen here for the very first time.

Spanning three decades, more than 20 sessions and hundreds of images, Tom Sheehan’s photographs of The Cure are a breathtaking visual chronicle of the most important alternative rock band in the world.

Encompassing early portraits, epic live shows, studio sessions and snatched moments on tour around the world, Sheehan’s photographs capture the band’s journey from cult heroes to global rock stars. Many of the images published in this brand new book have never been seen anywhere before now.

Beautifully presented in a cloth-bound hardback and featuring a new, original four-part biography by acclaimed author Simon Goddard, this is the ultimate collection of Sheehan’s work, indispensable to any fan of The Cure.