›I'm no musician,‹ says Donna Leon. ›I can't read music. I know nothing about musical theory. I'm a follower, a groupie, call me what you will: I am a heart with a pair of ears stuck on, one that for over ten years has been listening almost exclusively to music by Handel.‹ While listening, it struck Donna Leon that Handel's music is teeming with animals, that he again and again gives voice to animals through his notation. What is Handel's intention when a snake hisses through an aria or when armies of frogs penetrate the King's chambers? Donna Leon investigates. She tells us how animals have informed the imagination, beliefs and superstitions since year dot. Handel's Bestiary reveals a different side to Donna Leon: she is not only an appreciator of music, but also an expert in the symbolism of medieval bestiaries. Michael Sowa has also taken inspiration from those animals to create these marvellous images.
The arias on the attached CD are performed by the Handel expert Alan Curtis and his orchestra, Il Complesso Barocco. Divertimento fantastico!

Delicacies with and without calories: 91 recipes as Paola cooks them in the Brunetti novels, written down by Donna Leon’s friend and favourite cook Roberta Pianaro. As a calorie free intermediate course, there are six culinary stories by Donna Leon as well as beautiful vignettes by Tatjana Hauptmann.

Food plays an important role in Donna Leon’s novels. Roberta Pianaro lets readers in on the cooking secrets of Paola Brunetti. Brunetti’s favourite dish, that of the kids, Paola’s apple pie, but also a recipe from Brunetti’s mother and Donna Leon’s favourite meal – they can all be found in this book.

Plus a foreword and six culinary stories by Donna Leon. At Table with the Brunettis is a literary cookbook about Venetian cuisine, for browsing – and for trying out the recipes at home.

Did you know that Donna Leon has an American friend who built a gondola all on his own? Such a thing is unheard of. And this is not the only story she has to tell about Venice's most prominent symbol, the icon so familiar to us all. Did you know, for example, that a gondola is constructed from over 200 pieces and 8 different types of wood? In this richly illustrated book Donna Leon has interesting, astonishing and amusing facts to tell. During the golden age of the Serenissima in the 17th and 18th centuries, the European nobility indulged in extravagant Carnival festivities. Back then, both visitors and inhabitants were listening to the barcarole. A selection of these beautiful songs in Venetian dialect can be heard on the enclosed cd, enframed with instrumental music. The singer Vincenzo Capezzuto is accompanied by the recently created ensemble ›Il Pomo d'Oro‹ conducted by Riccardo Minasi.

The updated edition on the occasion of Brunetti’s 30th case.

In Brunetti’s footsteps: 13 literary walks through 30 criminal cases.

Calli, campi and cafes: throughout all these years, the Commissario has not just remained loyal to his family, but also to his favourite corners of the city. Toni Sepeda has meticulously traced Brunetti's whereabouts in the alleys of Venice, compiling what takes place around the Questura, in San Polo or at the Ospedale Civile. She allows readers to discover Brunetti's Venice on location or at home.

In ›Venetian Curiosities‹ Donna Leon tells amazing tales from the Venetian past, whilst ›Il Complesso Barocco‹ offers virtuosities by Antonio Vivaldi on the CD which accompanies this book. Venice is unique. And so is its history. But what is most remarkable are the stories that the inhabitants tell each other about what happened in the past. Donna Leon has picked up the most intriguing customs and events recounting anecdotes that might or might not be true, and thus the Serenissima is seen from an astonishing side. An elephant seeks refuge in the church of S. Antonin, courtesans are supposed to convert men to proper heterosexual behaviour, gamblers bet their palazzos, people are convicted though they prove to be innocent – Venice is full of curious and odd episodes. These stories are of as rich a diversity as the music of Antonio Vivaldi: The CD presents seven solo concerts: Violin, cello, oboe and bassoon, viola, violone and harpsichord, they all play their part. ›Il Complesso Barocco‹, founded in 1979 by Alan Curtis, is an international ensemble dedicated to Baroque music on original instruments. It has played a fundamental role in the modern revival of Baroque operas, especially those of Monteverdi, Vivaldi and Handel. ›Il Complesso Barocco‹ received the ›Antonio Vivaldi International Recording Prize‹ in 1997 as best production in the vocal section. For their Handel recordings they were awarded the ›Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik‹ in 2003 as well as, on several occasions, the international ›Handel Recording Prize‹.

One can neither teach nor learn how to raise children, writes Reinhart Lempp. In this book, however, he deals with the most important stages of a child's life and reveals how seemingly large problems can be mastered with small but helpful tricks.

Whether it’s on the ostrich farm, at the gym, the currywurst stand or the beach, in this hidden object book you'll find countless people, animals and little stories on every page – and in their midst, Hazel Brugger and Thomas Spitzer. For their series Deutschland Was Geht, these two comedians visited bizarre locations and events all over the country. Children will love this hidden object book, and fans will find familiar locations and details.

More than 200 German folk songs and children's songs from the 14th to the 20th century, compiled by Anne Diekmann with the help of Willi Gohl. Illustrated with more than 150 pictures by Tomi Ungerer.

Florian wants to organise a fashion show in memory of his lover Alfred who died of cancer a year ago. The idea is to show a particularly fine example from each collection: a tomato-coloured wrap-around dress from 1996, black cashmere trousers from 1998, a cream satin sheathe from 1999 – and naturally the blue dress from spring 2000. During his search for one of the models, Florian comes across Babette who bought the blue dress, a dream made of Mediterranean blue organza. »The dress will change your life!« Alfred had said when he saw Babette stepping gingerly out of the cabin. And he did not promise too much, for a great deal happened since then.

Loriot is the only one who has managed to condense Richard Wagner's 16 hour-long ›Ring of the Nibelung‹ to one evening; and equally as reliably he filters the essence from shorter works of other composers. For years, Loriot's original interpretations of operas have been in high demand by enthusiastic readers.

Collected here in this stunning box set edition, The Complete Ripley Novels celebrates one of fiction’s most iconic literary characters. This collector’s item, featuring all five classic Ripley novels – The Talented Mr. Ripley, Ripley Under Ground, Ripley’s Game, The Boy Who Followed Ripley and Ripley Under Water – is published to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of Patricia Highsmith’s death in 1995. The Highsmith literary renaissance, initially sparked by a 1999 film adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley – which re-introduced fans and new readers alike to the unforgettable Tom Ripley, the debonair confidence man with a talent for self-invention and murder – continues in full force with three major Highsmith movies in the offing as well as the publication of this volume, »the most sinister and strangely alluring quintet the crime fiction genre has ever produced« (Entertainment Weekly).

On April 19th, 1947, Dürrenmatt’s first play, »It is Written«, premiered at the Schauspielhaus, Zurich. It was a calamity, and the audience whistled so loudly that the police had to intervene. Nevertheless, the author, 26 years of age at the time, went on to achieve world fame and attract an audience of millions as a dramatist. »Romulus The Great«, »The Visit«, »The Physicists« and many more remain among the most performed plays on the German stage to this day, as well as being (beloved!) school reading and »universally renowned, modern myths« (Le Monde, Paris). This edition features all plays with detailed references to performance and publication history, as well as a chronicle of Dürrenmatt’s life and work.

As Novalis said, »Everything is a fairy tale.« But not all fairy tale anthologies are like The Giant Book of Fairy Tales by Tatjana Hauptmann – a true classic for the entire family, a book of magical beauty. This collection of the 100 best fairy tales from Europe is magnificently adorned with a colourful and enchanting palette of 600 drawings and watercolours.

Christoph Niemann's travel drawings are enchanting. They transport the viewer to where the illustrator picked up his pencil and paintbrush, gifting us with a snapshot of the world. Stripped down and restrained, in vibrant colours, they awaken the desire for travel and adventure. You find yourself wanting to embark on a journey with these images again and again, to continually discover new details in them. Whether it's the glut of sunshine in the midday languor of Spanish towns; the incessant rush and motion of a big city intersection, captured in one moment; the earthy colours and heavy light of Asia or the view from a window into a peaceful garden - every picture is unique, captivatingly beautiful and alive.

A beautifully designed art book featuring over 150 ink and pencil drawings.

Christoph Niemann has provided covers for the New Yorker and New York Times Magazine and was commissioned to create a special edition of Zeit Magazin in 2016.

Christoph Niemann’s pictures tell stories of unfamiliar places. They are observations on travelling, arriving, and immersing oneself, on the melancholy of being on the road and the adventure of discovering new places. Virtuoso iconic sketches, capable of capturing the magic, light and mood of a place in a handful of strokes.

One of the most talented and inventive artists of our times: Christoph Niemann at Diogenes.