{"title":"James Stourton","description":"\u003cp\u003eJames Stourton's works invite readers to explore the rich tapestry of history and heritage through detailed and engaging narratives. His books delve into the stories behind iconic buildings, influential figures, and cultural landmarks, offering a captivating blend of travel, history, and education.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for enthusiasts of \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTravel \u0026amp; Adventure\u003c\/em\u003e, Stourton’s writing combines scholarly insight with accessible storytelling. Whether uncovering the grandeur of London’s great houses or tracing the lives of remarkable characters, his books provide a thoughtful reflection on Britain’s past and its lasting impact.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rogues-and-scholars-by-james-stourton-9781804541975","title":"Rogues and Scholars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Times\u003c\/i\u003e Best Art Book of the Year, 2024\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A riot of a book' – \u003ci\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/i\u003e's Books of the Year, 2024\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe modern art market was born on a single night. On 15 October 1958, Sotheby’s of Bond Street staged an ‘event sale’ of Impressionist paintings from the collection of an American banker, Erwin Goldschmidt: three Manets, two Cézannes, one Van Gogh, and a Renoir. Movie stars and other celebrities attended in black tie and saw the seven lots go for £781,000 – at the time, the highest price for a single art sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOvernight, London became the world centre of the art market and Sotheby’s an international auction house. The event signalled a shift in power from dealers to auctioneers and pointed the way for Impressionist paintings to dominate the market for the next forty years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn this climate, Sotheby’s and Christie’s became a great business duopoly – as aggressive, dominant, and competitive in the field of art sales as Pepsi and Coca-Cola were in soft drinks. The resulting expansion of the market was accompanied by rocketing prices, colourful scandals, and legal dramas. Over the decades, London transformed itself from a place of old master sales to a revitalised centre of contemporary art, a process crowned by the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJames Stourton tells the story of the London art market from the immediate postwar period to the turn of the millennium in an engaging and fast-paced style, populating his richly entertaining narrative with a glorious rogues’ gallery of clever amateurs, eccentric scholars, brilliant emigrés, cockney traders, and grandees with a flair for the deal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRogues and Scholars\u003c\/i\u003e by James Stourton is an insightful exploration of this transformative era in the art world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849943732460,"sku":"9781804541975","price":74.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/835da2030a2c3923a6403a13fcae8a3b.jpg?v=1759082647"},{"product_id":"great-houses-of-london-by-james-stourton-9780711276284","title":"Great Houses of London","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"This lavishly illustrated compendium suggest that the age of elegance endures\" - \u003ci\u003eMail on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe great houses of London represent one of the marvels of English architecture and yet they are almost entirely unknown. They are for the most part disguised behind sober facades, but their riches within are astonishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere are many architectural wonders, among them Robert Adams' 20 St James's Square and William Burges's Tower House. Several, including Bridgewater House with its Raphaels and Titians, have held great art collections. These are houses that hold extraordinary stories: half the Cabinet resigned after breakfast at Stratford House; and on 4 August 1914, at 9 Carlton House Terrace—then the German Embassy—young duty clerk Harold Nicholson deftly substituted one declaration of war for another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith photography by the world-famous and multi-award-winning Fritz von der Schulenbur, this title brings these houses to life in all their grandeur, and text from historian and author James Stourton delves into the many fascinating stories hidden behind the walls of these homes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eGreat Houses of London\u003c\/i\u003e opens the door to some of the greatest and grandest houses in the world to tell the stories of their owners and occupants, artists and architects, their restoration, adaptation, and change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47072272941292,"sku":"9780711276284","price":79.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/3c30505ebc598a9280a7f8f29812e490.jpg?v=1765103994"},{"product_id":"rogues-and-scholars-by-james-stourton-9781804541982","title":"Rogues and Scholars","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTimes\u003c\/em\u003e Best Art Book of the Year, 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A riot of a book' – \u003cem\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/em\u003e's Books of the Year, 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe modern art market was born on a single night. On 15 October 1958, Sotheby’s of Bond Street staged an ‘event sale’ of Impressionist paintings from the collection of an American banker, Erwin Goldschmidt: three Manets, two Cézannes, one Van Gogh, and a Renoir. Movie stars and other celebrities attended in black tie and saw the seven lots go for £781,000 – at the time the highest price for a single art sale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOvernight, London became the world centre of the art market and Sotheby’s an international auction house. The event signaled a shift in power from dealers to auctioneers and pointed the way for Impressionist paintings to dominate the market for the next forty years. In this climate, Sotheby’s and Christie’s became a great business duopoly – as aggressive, dominant and competitive in the field of art sales as Pepsi and Coca-Cola were in soft drinks. The resulting expansion of the market was accompanied by rocketing prices, colourful scandals, and legal dramas. Over the decades, London transformed itself from a place of old master sales to a revitalised centre of contemporary art, a process crowned by the opening of Tate Modern in 2000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJames Stourton tells the story of the London art market from the immediate postwar period to the turn of the millennium in engaging and fast-paced style, populating his richly entertaining narrative with a glorious rogues’ gallery of clever amateurs, eccentric scholars, brilliant emigrés, cockney traders and grandees with a flair for the deal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47432274804972,"sku":"9781804541982","price":26.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781804541982.jpg?v=1774555485"},{"product_id":"heritage-by-james-stourton-9781838933173","title":"Heritage","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat is heritage? When was it invented? What is its place in the world today? What is its place tomorrow?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eHeritage\u003c\/i\u003e is all around us: millions belong to its organisations, tens of thousands volunteer for it, and politicians pay lip service to it. When the Victorians began to employ the term in something approaching the modern sense, they applied it to cathedrals, castles, villages and certain landscapes. Since then, a multiplicity of heritage labels have arisen, cultural and commercial, tangible and intangible. For just as every era has its notion of heritage, so does every social group, and every generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eHeritage\u003c\/i\u003e, James Stourton focuses on elements of our cultural and natural environment that have been deliberately preserved: the British countryside and national parks, buildings such as Blenheim Palace and Tattershall Castle, and the works of art inside them. He charts two heroic periods of conservation — the 1880s and the 1960s — and considers whether threats of wealth, rampant development and complacency are similar in the present day. \u003ci\u003eHeritage\u003c\/i\u003e is both a story of crisis and profound change in public perception, and one of hope and regeneration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596576211180,"sku":"9781838933173","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/d358ad612fa199bb1f53b5196baec0d1.jpg?v=1777936039"},{"product_id":"heritage-by-james-stourton-9781838933166","title":"Heritage","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is heritage? When was it invented? What is its place in the world today? What is its place tomorrow?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeritage is all around us: millions belong to its organisations, tens of thousands volunteer for it, and politicians pay lip service to it. When the Victorians began to employ the term in something approaching the modern sense, they applied it to cathedrals, castles, villages and certain landscapes. Since then a multiplicity of heritage labels have arisen, cultural and commercial, tangible and intangible – for just as every era has its notion of heritage, so does every social group, and every generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eHeritage\u003c\/em\u003e, James Stourton focuses on elements of our cultural and natural environment that have been deliberately preserved: the British countryside and national parks, buildings such as Blenheim Palace and Tattershall Castle, and the works of art inside them. He charts two heroic periods of conservation – the 1880s and the 1960s – and considers whether threats of wealth, rampant development and complacency are similar in the present day. \u003cem\u003eHeritage\u003c\/em\u003e is both a story of crisis and profound change in public perception, and one of hope and regeneration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47596576342252,"sku":"9781838933166","price":84.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/f7e3c4af1f9b9d6d624e4401569e715f.jpg?v=1777936033"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/james-stourton.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}