Biographic

"Many people know that Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a Mexican artist who lived in the famous Blue House and whose work includes The Two Fridas. What, perhaps, they don't know is that 55 of her 143 artworks are self-portrait; that her painting Two Nudes in a Forest holds the record for a Latin American artwork, have sold for $8 million in 2016; that she married her husband twice; or that she arrived in an ambulance for her first solo exhibition in Mexico. Biographic: Kahlo casts a modern eye over her life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the artist behind the pictures."--Back cover

Many people know that Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was a pioneering guitarist and songwriter whose electric playing and performances were at the heart of Sixties pop culture. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he trained as a paratrooper in the Army; that his first guitar cost only $5, while the guitar he set light to at the Monterey Pop Festival later sold for $380,000; that the Jimi Hendrix Experience recorded only 3 studio albums; and that he is one of many rock stars to have died at the age of 27. This book presents an instant impression of his life, work and fame, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the artist behind the music.

Most people know that Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) was a Hollywood movie star and world famous fashion icon. What, perhaps, they don't know is that she is one of a few select people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony; that she could speak five different languages; that she owned a pet deer named Pippin; and that she broke her back after being thrown off her horse during the filming of Unforgiven. This book presents an instant impression of her life, work and legacy, with an array of facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the actor behind the movies.

Many people know that Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) was a 19th-century Dutch artist, a leading light of the Post-Impressionist movement who painted Sunflowers and cut off his own ear. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he sold, in his lifetime, only one of the 2,100 artworks he painted; that his work Dr Paul Gachet sold for $152 million; that he wrote over 800 letters; and that he sent that famous ear wrapped in brown paper to a brothel. This book presents an instant impression of his life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the artist behind the pictures.

Most people know that Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was one of the greatest novelists of the Victorian era, whose works include 'David Copperfield' and 'Great Expectations'. What, perhaps, they don't know is that he invented more than 200 original words and phrases; that he always slept facing north, in his attempts to battle insomnia; and that he kept a pet raven called Grip, which he ordered to be stuffed after its death. Biographic: Dickens casts a modern eye over his life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the writer behind the words. The Biographic series presents an entirely new way of looking at the lives of the world's greatest thinkers and creatives. It takes the 50 defining facts, dates, thoughts, habits and achievements of each subject, and uses infographics to convey all of them in vivid snapshots.

Many people know that Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (1883-1971) was a prolific French fashion designer and founder of the House of Chanel, who ruled over Parisian haute couture for almost six decades. What, perhaps, they don't know is that, she was taught to sew by nuns and started Chanel by making hats; that she lived in a suite at the Ritz Hotel, Paris, for 37 years; that, in 1935, she was recognized as the world's wealthiest woman; and that, prior to her fashion career, she worked as a singer, famously gaining the nickname "Coco" from one of her songs. This book presents a visual catwalk through her life and work, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the genius behind the garments.

In this innovative study, six women and men from Eastern Indonesia narrate their own lives by talking about their possessions--domestic objects used to construct a coherent identity through a process of identification and self-historicizing. Janet Hoskins explores how things are given biographical significance and entangled in sexual politics, expressed in dualistic metaphors where the familiar distinctions between person and object and female and male are drawn in unfamiliar ways. Biographical Objects is an ethnography of persons which takes the form of a study of things, showing how the object is not only a metaphor for the self but a pivot for reflexivity and introspection, a tool for autobiographic elaboration, a way of knowing oneself through things.

"Most people know that Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was a Hollywood icon, and at one time the most famous movie star on the planet. What, perhaps, they don't know is that she lived in 43 different homes; that she performed as a singer to an audience of 100,000 servicemen in Korea; that her dress from The Seven Year Itch sold at auction for $4.6 million; and that she was born in the same year as Harper Lee, and was reading To Kill a Mocking Bird at the time of her death. Biographic: Marilyn presents an instant impression of her life, work and legacy, with an array of irresistible facts and figures converted into infographics to reveal the actor behind the movies"--Page 4 of cover