{"title":"Nina Edwards","description":"\u003cp\u003eNina Edwards invites readers on an intriguing journey through the overlooked aspects of life. With her collection that includes \u003cem\u003ePazazz\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Virtues of Underwear\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eWeeds\u003c\/em\u003e, Edwards showcases her talent for exploring the beauty and complexity within the everyday. Her books, nestled within the Science \u0026amp; Nature category, encourage us to view the world through a different lens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePazazz\u003c\/em\u003e delves into the flamboyant and fascinating, bringing attention to the exceptional elements often disregarded in mundane settings. \u003cem\u003eThe Virtues of Underwear\u003c\/em\u003e is a whimsical exploration of one of humanity's ubiquitous essentials, examining its social and cultural impacts throughout history. In \u003cem\u003eWeeds\u003c\/em\u003e, Edwards challenges perceptions by celebrating the resilience and unexpected beauty of plants often dismissed as mere nuisances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNina Edwards' writing is an invitation to discover the remarkable in the ordinary, making her works perfect for those with a curious mind and an appreciation for the subtleties of the natural world. Her unique perspective offers readers a chance to engage with the familiar in new and thought-provoking ways.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"pazazz-by-nina-edwards-9781789146851","title":"Pazazz","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom bridal gowns and White Parties to shrouds, an illuminating look at the power of our palest apparel.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePazazz\u003c\/em\u003e examines the complex meanings of white clothing throughout history. Delicate and impractical, white cloth in the past was difficult to obtain, as well as to keep clean. It is a symbol of purity but also of class superiority, privilege, and the display of leisure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt represents the menace of the Ku Klux Klan, but also the transition of a bride to the married state. It can be the appropriate dress for mourning and shrouds. White lace is ethereal; straitjackets are tough stuff. White clothing has been a marker of innocence and simplicity for women, but also of calculated, high-maintenance fashion. And for men, white can be evidence of power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut for many, white is a startling absence of colour, the epitome of elegance. No matter how you view this lightest of hues and its place in your wardrobe, \u003cem\u003ePazazz\u003c\/em\u003e sheds a bright white light on the complex nature of fair fashion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'From bridal wear to the Ku Klux Klan, an exploration of the complex meanings of white clothing throughout history; sometimes a symbol of purity but also of class superiority, privilege and the display of leisure.' - Bookseller\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'A truly fascinating, even radiant book: a long-needed history of the no-colour-and super-colour-that can clothe us in virtue, cleanness, light. Edwards illuminates the ambiguity of this colour of life and death, its difficult practicalities, and its luxuries and delights.' - John Harvey, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Story of Black\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Edwards looks beyond white as the colour of purity and virtuous cleanliness to reveal a deeper and sometimes sinister history of white clothing as a tool for moral and social distinction. From the supernatural to the authoritative, and from cradle to grave, white clothing enshrouds human life.' - Serena Dyer, lecturer in history of design and material culture, De Montfort University, and author of \u003cem\u003eMaterial Lives: Women Makers and Consumer Culture in the Eighteenth Century\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'In these intriguing pages discover the power of white clothing, from the Athenian gods of fashion to Jackie Kennedy's love for this \"most ceremonial colour.\"' - Peter McNeil, distinguished professor in design history, University of Technology Sydney\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46854741197036,"sku":"9781789146851","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1e172b1715e10a0de2fe71ba8b315f64.jpg?v=1759265598"},{"product_id":"the-virtues-of-underwear-by-nina-edwards-9781789149562","title":"The Virtues of Underwear","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLaced with illustrations of undergarments both prosaic and exotic, a global expose of the hidden meaning of knickers, lingerie, and everything in between.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Virtues of Underwear\u003c\/i\u003e unravels the intimate narratives woven into the fabric of our most personal garments. From the first loincloths to the intricate layers of shapewear, the narrative explores the concealed world of underwear as a silent communicator of individual desire and societal affiliation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs an indicator of the pulse of fashion, underwear has evolved from minimalism to intricate designs with new materials. Beyond its role in denying our corporeal nature, underwear safeguards and exposes, reflecting our innermost desires and past experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom clean underclothing resisting carnal urges to the protective embrace of fabric, this book illuminates the profound, often hidden stories told by the garments beneath our outer layers. It rewards the reader with historical insights into both women's and men's underwear and global cultures of dress.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855314473196,"sku":"9781789149562","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/f4e1a3c38e1b187f483f58a1aa1486e7.jpg?v=1759279086"},{"product_id":"weeds-by-nina-edwards-9781789149586","title":"Weeds","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wide-ranging scientific and cultural history of weeds that reveals just how interesting and useful these seemingly annoying plants can be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe spray them, pluck them, and bury them under mulch; and we curse their resilience when they spring back into place. To most of us, weeds are a nuisance, not worth the dirt they are growing in. But the fact is weeds are a plant just like any other, and it is only we who designate them as a weed or not, as a plant we will dote over or one we will tear out of the earth with abandon. And as Nina Edwards shows in this history, that designation is constantly changing. Balancing popular history with botanical science, she tells the story of the lowly, but proud, weed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs Edwards shows, the idea of the weed is a slippery one, constantly changing under different needs, fashions, and contexts. In a tightly controlled field of corn, a scarlet poppy is a bright red intruder, but in other parts of the world it is an important cultural symbol, a potent and lucrative pharmaceutical source, or simply a beautiful, lakeside ornament. What we consider a pest, \u003ci\u003eAristolochia Rotunda\u003c\/i\u003e, or 'fat hen', was, in Neolithic times, a staple crop, its seeds an important source of nutrition. Sprinkled with personal anecdotes and loads of useful information, \u003ci\u003eWeeds\u003c\/i\u003e sketches history after history of the fashions and attitudes that have shaped our gardens, showing us that it is just as important what we keep out of them as what we put in, and that just because we despise one species does not mean that there haven't been others whose very lives have depended on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This latest in Reaktion's \u003ci\u003eBotanical\u003c\/i\u003e series, which is an engaging amalgam of natural and cultural history, is well suited to such treatment because it focuses on plants that have been our companions since our species first began to leave its mark on the planet, such as goosegrass and darnel (the \"tares\" mentioned in the Bible). Reading Nina Edwards's entertaining account of their place in our fields, cities, art, and even diet gave me a new respect for these resilient plants.' — \u003ci\u003eBBC Wildlife Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Is it a weed? Good question. Nina Edward's main point in this well-written book is that it all depends on what you mean...There is plenty more of this food for thought here — and, indeed, some food for eating. Recipes are given for ground-elder quiche and dandelion fritters...All this dense discussion is thought-provoking.' — \u003ci\u003eCountry Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855480508652,"sku":"9781789149586","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/7ac6327a0cd5aafa7b9554af0774c62d.jpg?v=1759278189"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/nina-edwards.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}