A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2017\n'A brilliant, compelling, propulsively written, magnificent tour de force' Simon Sebag Montefiore, Evening Standard\n'The second volume of what will surely rank as one of the greatest historical achievements of our age ... The War and Peace of history: a book you fear you will never finish, but just cannot put down' Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times\nWell before 1929, Stalin had achieved dictatorial power over the Soviet empire, but now he decided that the largest peasant economy in the world would be transformed into socialist modernity, whatever it took.\nWhat it took, and what Stalin managed to force through, transformed the country and its ruler in profound and enduring ways. Rather than a tale of a deformed or paranoid personality creating a political system, this is a story of a political system shaping a personality. Building and running a dictatorship, with power of life or death over hundreds of millions, in conditions of capitalist self-encirclement, made Stalin the person he became.\nWholesale collectivization of agriculture, some 120 million peasants, necessitated levels of coercion that were extreme even for Russia, but Stalin did not flinch; the resulting mass starvation and death elicited criticism inside the party even from those Communists committed to the eradication of capitalism. By 1934, when the situation had stabilized and socialism had been built in the countryside too, the internal praise came for his uncanny success in anticapitalist terms. But Stalin never forgot and never forgave, with bloody consequences as he strove to consolidate the state with a brand new elite.\nStalin had revived a great power with a formidable industrialized military. But the Soviet Union was effectively alone, with no allies and enemies perceived everywhere. The quest to find security would bring Soviet Communism into an improbable pact with Nazi Germany. But that bargain did not work out as envisioned. The lives of Stalin and Hitler, and the fates of their respective countries, drew ever closer to collision.\nStalin: Waiting for Hitler: 1929-1941 is, like its predecessor Stalin: Paradoxes of Power: 1878-1928, nothing less than a history of the world from Stalin's desk. It is also, like its predecessor, a landmark achievement in the annals of the biographer's art. Kotkin's portrait captures the vast structures moving global events, and the intimate details of decision-making.

Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More (Mastering Ceramics)

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

Cobb, Sunshine

Crafts & Hobbies

Voyageur Press

From pinch pots to coiled boxes to soft slab tableware, mastering hand building is a lifelong pursuit. In this book, Sunshine Cobb covers all the foundational skills, with lessons for constructing both simple and complex forms from clay. Ceramic artists will also find a variety of next-level techniques and tips: designing templates and replicating pieces, lidded vessels, using molds, a variety of decorative techniques, and other avenues of exploration are all inside. Artist features and inspirational galleries include work from today's top working artists, such as Bryan Hopkins, Lindsay Oesterritter, Liz Zlot Summerfield, Bandana Pottery, Shoko Teruyama, Courtney Martin, Sam Chung, Deborah Schwartzkopf, and many more. Take your hand building skills—and your artwork—to the next level with Mastering Hand Building.

If you've ever wanted to try hand building with clay, or if you have ever taken a class and walked away wishing you knew more, it's time to step into the studio with Sunshine! In The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building, beloved ceramics teacher and best-selling author of Mastering Hand Building, Sunshine Cobb, offers her friendly support and expert instruction on how to create your own handbuilt pottery. You'll start at the beginning of the process with a tour through a typical ceramics studio, a discussion of the best clays for hand building, as well as a variety of helpful tips for keeping your body and mind ready to work.&nbsp;Then pick the path that's right for you in the chapters that follow. Develop new skills and unlock your own creativity as you explore: <ul> <li>Sculptural projects like flora, fauna, wall tiles, animals, and hanging clouds.</li> <li>Functional items like spoons/scoops, a citrus reamer, butter dish, tapas plates, and a coffee pour-over vessel.</li> <li>Mixed media projects including a candlestick holder, mobiles, and a soap dish.</li> <li>And of course, everything you need to finish your project, with a variety of surface decoration options.</li> </ul> Throughout the book, skill-building is front and center, with tips and tricks to help you crack the code and make pieces you're proud of. Gallery work from some of today's top artists&nbsp;are sure to inspire potters of all levels. What will you make first?

The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter (Essential Ceramics Skills, 2)

Arts & Photography

Sculpture

Quarry Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cobb, Sunshine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Cobb, Sunshine

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Cobb, Sunshine. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More (Mastering Ceramics)

Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More (Mastering Ceramics)

The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter (Essential Ceramics Skills, 2)