Reaktion Books

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Reaktion Books
Founded1985
Country of origin United Kingdom
Headquarters location Islington, London
Distribution Grantham Book Services (UK)
Chicago Distribution Center (The Americas)
Publication types Books
Official website www.reaktionbooks.co.uk

Reaktion Books is an independent book publisher based in Islington, London, England. It was founded in 1985 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and moved to London in 1987. Reaktion originally focused on the fields of art, architecture, and design. In recent years it has broadened to include more areas and also publishes series of books.

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Reaktion originally focused on the fields of art, architecture, and design – its first book was Ian Hamilton Finlay: A Visual Primer [1] [2] by Yves Abrioux. In recent years Reaktion's list has broadened substantially, and now also encompasses animal studies, Asian art and culture, biography, cultural studies, current events, fashion, film, food history, geography, general history, music, philosophy, photography, politics, and sports history. Reaktion now produces around 70 new titles each year and has about 500 titles in print.

Among the monographs released by Reaktion are studies of the Ottoman architect Sinan and the artists Delaroche, Holbein, Tintoretto, Bellini, Malcolm Morley, Leon Golub, and Caspar David Friedrich, the last of which was awarded the 1992 Mitchell Prize for the History of Art. [3]

Reaktion also publishes many series of books, including Animal, [4] short natural and cultural histories of individual animals; Edible, [5] global histories of a particular food, drink, or ingredient; Critical Lives, [6] concise critical biographies of important cultural figures; and Earth, studies of the historical and cultural significance of natural phenomena.

Recent books of note from Reaktion include Twenty Minutes in Manhattan [7] by Michael Sorkin, Travels in the History of Architecture [8] by Robert Harbison, Werner Herzog – Ecstatic Truth and Other Useless Conquests [9] by Kristoffer Hegnsvad, Boxing: A Cultural History [10] by Kasia Boddy, and Owl by Desmond Morris.

Notes and references

  1. "Reaktionbooks". www.reaktionbooks.co.uk. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008.
  2. Prudence Carlson (28 October 1925). "Little Sparta Ian Hamilton Finlay". Ianhamiltonfinlay.com. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  3. "The Mitchell Prize for the History of Art". Digital Librarian. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
  4. Banks, Eric (18 October 2009). "Animals Reconsidered" . The Chronicle of Higher Education. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  5. "Book Review: Bonnie Benwick on the Edible Series". The Washington Post. 18 November 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  6. Lesley McDowell (2 August 2009). "Simone de Beauvoir, By Ursula Tidd - Reviews - Books". The Independent. London. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  7. "TLS - Times Literary Supplement".
  8. Stephens, Michael (15 June 2009). "Arts & Humanities. Reviews, and Views". Library Journal. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  9. Hegnsvad, Kristoffer (2021). Werner Herzog – Ecstatic Truth and Other Useless Conquests. Reaktion Books.
  10. Non-Fiction Reviews (6 June 2008). "Conflict in the boxing ring". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 27 August 2013.

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