Artists Books

An excellent biography of the funniest man who ever stole a gag from another comedian. Yes it's Benny Hill, a man who took a name because is sounded Jewish and wrote some of the funniest songs ever using the most recycled of jokes.

His humour was what the people wanted in the seventies, coarse slightly obscene and saucy. He deserved the title of the the worlds most popular comedian. It was a shame that Benny ended up as a target for feminists and other politically correct groups and was eventually sacked for his humour. The people that hounded him must have been very humourless, cold hearted people indeed.

The book is great though there are few mistakes here and there with respect to show titles and content. I recommend anyone who is interested in British actors and theatre read this book.

Tim Brimelow
Melbourne Australia

This is a fascinating, first-rate biography of one of the twentieth century's most beloved comedy figures; a man who is now largely overlooked in his home country despite having been its most successful comic export outside of Charlie Chaplin. Benny Hill was a complex man who led a simple (if somewhat peculiar) life, and this book provides tremendous insight into not only his personal foibles and professional endeavors, but also the motivations and reasons for his intriguing private behavior and public rise and fall. Drawing on extensive research and fresh interviews with many of the key figures in Benny's life, Mark Lewisohn's writing combines warmth, empathy and humor with analysis, objectivity and attention to detail -- the comic inventiveness and outright stealing of other artists' ideas; the abnormally excessive frugality; the sexual indulgences and hopelessly failed relationships... whether you want to know about the man's career, his love life or the fact that he just loved a quick game of Kalooki, it's all here. Buy this book!

This is one of the finest biographies I have read in years -- it penetrates deeply into the formative experiences and motivations of this strange and reclusive figure, and brings him vividly to life. Many interviewees discouraged the author from this task, but he persevered, and we have much to thank him for. All Benny Hill fans will now watch and enjoy his familiar sketches -- shamelessly recycled over the years -- with an added appreciation for their origins and rationale. Lewisohn helps us to delve into the psyche of this mysterious man, at once the embodiment of little Englishness, yet also a sensitive soul and a student of foreign cultures and languages.

The book is not unblemished. Benny's 50s farce, "Who Done It", is not nearly as abysmal as the author suggests (it's adequate slapstick with a few laughs -- how many 50s British movies has Lewisohn seen, there are many worse!). Benny's frugality is surely comprehensible in a man who had withstood wartime privations; and that character trait, combined with the much-hyped locker-room chit-chat with Bob Monkhouse, was regrettable but entirely standard male behavior for the 1950s. Despite all the conventional wisdom to the contrary, Benny did evolve. And--again with respect to Lewisohn--Benny scaled some of his finest heights of inspiration during his latest years with Thames. I am thinking of the Chubby Dodds documentary, and Murder on the Orient Express, and the "Family" skit, which bring smiles and laughter without fail, though I know them back to front. Of course, he was a comedian who operated rather too comfortably within his decent but clearly defined artistic parameters. Yet what was comforting for Benny was also reassuring for us... Lewisohn is right that Benny Hill's work will return to favor some day. It deserves to.

This book is a tremendously thorough examination of Benny's life, and there are some surprises here for those who are only aware of him through his television shows. Lewisohn pulls no punches and leaves very little unturned, both good and bad. It is unfortunate that Benny is now almost taboo in his own country. Having read this book, I will appreciate his comedy in a different light.

Good but slightly flawed

I bought this book not only because BCCA started to run the half-hour series again, but because I remembered reading a story in the paper a number of years ago how Benny Hill died alone in a sparsely furnished apartment, unloved.

What I got was a tremendous insight into English vaudeville and its morphing into radio and then television. I also got a tremendous amount of information about Hill's life, as other reviews note. I would, however, like to focus this review on the author's highly critical look at Benny Hill's work after he brought together the Hill's angels. The author unabashedly takes the feminist line that these programs were sexist, and there's no doubt that while the programs themselves were probably enough to get the feminists atwitter, now that BBCA is showing the uncut hour long shows, Hill's on air ridicule of the feminists was what really did it. I hadn't seen the hour long shows when I read the biography, so I more or less took the author at his word. Now that I've seen them, I have two comments. In no way are the Hill's Angels in any way objectionable. The author's comment, what did they have to do with comedy, is misdirected because they had everything to do with framing the skits that were carried within the performances. I think some of Hill's best work was done in these years.

My second comment is more of a revelation. I've always wondered exactly what it was that set Hill apart, the quality that no one else could or ever will duplicate. I realized watching these later shows that Hill had done something no one else had ever been able to do. He brought vaudeville, in its true form, to television. From childhood, he was steeped in, although unsuitable for, vaudeville. Television gave his strength, an acute eye for vaudeville, and his weakness, an inability to project beyond the tenth row of seats, the perfect format. It happened once, and that's the only time it will ever happen.

Finally, as to his death alone in a sparsely furnished room. The picture of Hill dead looks pretty bleak. However, the author makes one thing clear. Benny Hill did in life exactly as he pleased, lived his life exactly the way he wanted to live it, and knowing he was going to die soon, died exactly the way he wanted to die, eating candy bars, drinking, and watching his beloved TV. He had no regrets about anything in life and he was surrounded by people who loved him dearly. Even his failed romances weren't romances, but attempts to reach for unattainable women so he never had to make a commitment that would limit his freedom to do as he pleased. The one time he was expected to make a commitment, he ran fast. Hill did what he wanted in life, and to do that, he had to live and travel alone, and that's exactly what he did. Definitely buy this book, but don't let the author's prejudices dissuade you from enjoying all of Hill's work. As to the author's hope the British return to an appreciation of Hill, it'll never happen, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying him.

A must have for any person that appreciated the work of George Ohr.
Thank you Robert A. Ellison Jr. for this amazing book. If you can't see
the actual work this book is the next best thing.

The book is beautiful and the photos are superb, but I was somehow led to believe I'd find photos of early utilitarian pottery in this book and I did not. I will use the book. It does enhance my knowledge of George Ohr and his work, but I wanted to see the really old pieces from his work with his mentors and beyond.

If you like pottery and George Ohr this is an outstanding book. Amazing photo quality of some of George's coolest work..He was truly one of the worlds best at what he did..This has become one of our favorites, and we found it for less money on AMAZON.COM!!! Thanks,TESSRS

"Geo E Ohr has challenged any potter on earth! `You' Prove the Contrary!" These are the words painted by George Ohr on a sign at the 1895 Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition.

He did more than challenge fellow artists, he set a standard for them by digging his own clay, shaping his own pots, firing his own kiln, and creating forms that were unlike the currently popular shapes. In fact, his shapes were so outre at the time that he was called "The Mad Potter of Biloxi." As the world now knows he was prescient.

The words that he painted in 1895 followed the total destruction of his studio and some 10,000 pieces by fire, plus a devastating hurricane that hit the Mississippi coast prior to that. Obviously, he was a resilient and determined individual. Today, in the wake of Katrina, the Ohr O'Keefe Museum in Biloxi is being rebuilt. If he were still living Ohr would have it no other way.

Married and the father of ten children, he sold most of his works at expositions and fairs. He received only a modicum of artistic appreciation during his lifetime, although he was presented with the Silver Medal at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. It was not until the 1960s that a New Jersey antique dealer, Jim Carpenter, came to Biloxi and saw Ohr's works now housed in an auto repair shop. Carpenter eventually bought nearly 7000 pots and introduced Ohr to art aficionados in New York City. The potter's stature as an extraordinary artist has continued to grow.

Robert Ellison became an admirer of Ohr's and now owns some 370 pieces. His creation of this beautiful volume is a gift to all. With 192 color illustrations illuminated by scholarship George Ohr, Art Potter, is both a tribute to the artist and an outstanding reference for his work.

- Gail Cooke

Ohr does break the mold when it comes to art pottery. Whereas other potters, no matter how innovative or imaginative they are, stay within certain classic forms for vases, bowls, goblets, etc., Ohr often departs radically from the forms. His art pottery is perhaps best considered as free-form sculpture inspired by, but not made according to, traditional pottery. Thus, a "pot" has "elaborate configuration: sharp bends, angles, blades, swirls, and quasi-cylinders [making for] complexity from every angle." Another "pot" has "crinkling result[ing] in dramatically deep three-dimensional spaces...[which] radiate highlights that contrast with the dark-brown glaze...[giving] this piece...a brooding, enigmatic presence." The foregoing quotes are from captions of two of the color photographs of individual pieces of Ohr's pottery on nearly every page. The work is a tour through Ohr's artistic career from "The Early Years" to "A Final Phase" noting and illustrating phases of development and points of his individuality. With their colors and polymorphous, though mostly rounded, shapes, Ohr's pottery/sculpture has a deep earthiness, as if plucked whole from the ground's depths, though they patently demonstrate a clear, singular vision and matching consummate skill.

Best book I've read in a long time. I went into it with no expectations, and came out of it agreeing with almost everything the guy said. Absolutely worth the purchase price, or even check it out from a library if you're not sure you'll like it. I can't remember a book where I had this kind of a reaction. I'd say maybe 10% of the things John Stossel wrote I disagreed with strongly (which is fine, it still gives you something to think about) and another 10% I was very much torn between two viewpoints on, but the remaining 80% of the book I found myself unconsciously shaking my head yes and steadfastly agreeing with his viewpoints completely. His ideas and observaions are just so logical and plain-sense, it's amazing no one else writes like this. Recommended times a thousand!

It is so refreshing to have someone in the media accurately talk about issues that are importmant to the American people.

Contains what all narrow-minded left-wing lemmings hate the most... The TRUTH!

I've been a fan of John Stossel for more than 20 years.

I've always found his "give me a break" segments very entertaining. But what strikes me about the book is his growth of ideas from the "common" knowledge (lawyers are out to help you, the goverment is out to help you) to "leave me alone".

He ties in his views with his life. He's very much the
"accidental" media personality. While he's called a "right-winger" but some, he's really a libertarian. if you have an open mind, an watch his reports, you should definitely read this book.

I read this book in a few hours one afternoon. It was a collection of anecdotes from his many years as an investigative reporter. Stossel also shares the experiences that opened his eyes to the biases, both conscious and unconscious, that are prevalent in American Media. It is encouraging that despite his superiors universal disagreement with his viewpoint he was allowed to proceed and prosper.

Stossel shares first hand the many experiences over the last 30 years that have formed his libertarian world view. It is mostly compelling and persuasive. It also apparent that Stossel has read a great deal, I detected many allusions to Hayek, Milton Friedman, and Ayn Rand. Traditional big government liberals are not likely to enjoy this book, however, reading it would do them some good.

This book was rather lightweight but a thoroughly enjoyable read.

This is a charming and humorous book. It recalls humor from another perhaps less complicated era. Worthwhile.

This is by far my favorite collection of Ward's pinup art. From the gorgeous cover art and dust jacket to the high quality, glossy pages, this tops the other books available. Those of us lucky enough to have bought this rather limited release possess one of the best collections of pinup art from an undisputed master available.

I bought this book back in 2003 when it was freshly in print and it was, h'mmmm, $28.95 list (just checked the dust jacket). The $159 I referred to is what Amazon Marketplace dealers are asking for it as of late April 2007 - and that's the _least_ expensive price. Take it from me, though; this book is well worth the cost (and if you keep it in good condition, you'll find it appreciating further!) The first part of the book is given over to a comprehensive overview of Ward's life and career, with many illustrations (mostly in color). The heart of this volume, though, is the 130-some full-page reproductions, in B&W and sepia, of Ward's best cartoons featuring his sexy and elegant beauties from what I consider to be his finest body of work in the 1950's and 1960's. The theme-oriented chapters have headings such as "Phone Girls Part 1", "The Mating Game", "Working Girls", "Husbands and Wives", and all provide a splendid overview of Ward's unique "conte" drawing style and his fascination with the accouterments of feminine dress such as high heels, seamed stockings, figure-hugging dresses and gowns, picture hats and opera-length gloves. Compare and contrast with Taschen's new _The Wonderful World of Bill Ward_, which I will also be reviewing in the near future. Highly recommended, particularly in the hardback version (if you can afford it!!)

I don't think Bill Ward sits easily with what are generally considered pin-up artists like Elvgren, Petty, Vargas and the few dozen others who created the genre over the last seventy years but his huge output from 1950 to 1975 (which is the basis of this handsome book) means his work has to be considered.

Examples of Ward's comic art, shown in several color covers (Love Diary, Love Confessions, Love Scandals, Heart Throbs, Flaming Love and Torchy) clearly show how good a draughtsman he was but the clean-up of the market in the early fifties meant he had to find another publications to work for. Abe Goodman's Humorama titles solved the problem. These were cheaply-printed digest size magazines full of bad jokes, cheesecake photos and girlie cartoons. The author Alex Chun says Ward produced thirty cartoons a month for Humorama titles and over twenty-fives years probably drew an amazing 9,000 pin-ups.

Ward's Humorama art was probably the only reason anyone bought these tacky publications. Because he had to produce so much work quickly he developed his own unique style of using Conte crayon to draw pin-ups. This had the advantage of showing tonal quality almost like an airbrush and when the originals (up to eighteen by twenty-four inches) were reduced to the digest size pages they looked impressively slick.

There are 117 whole page Ward pin-ups, all from his Humorama period, in this book. The majority are printed in four-color sepia with white highlights (the front of the book has an essay and examples of his early comic and color pin-up work) and the sexually suggestive, exaggerated females with their black stockings, filmy negligees, skin-tight dresses, coiffure hair and impossibly high stilettos leap of the page. If you are interested in this little corner of American male pop culture I doubt there will be a better book of Bill Ward's voluptuous art.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This is a great book for fans of Bill Ward's pin-up art and features numerous full-page illustrations of his distinctive beauties. Most of the pin-ups are black and white Conte crayon drawings done on a beige colored paper. There are a few color pin-ups shown as well. The beginning of the book contains a concise biography of Ward along with samples of his comic-book art. There are several nice romance covers shown here. The book is printed on quality paper and the pin-ups shown at a nice size. This is an A+ effort. The only thing you could have asked for is more art, but at around 100 pin-ups this is a great tribute to Bill Ward.

As an artist with an Master's degree in painting, I was amazed by the stunning reproductions in this "children's" book, and kept looking at it, and looking at it. The reproductions are so vivid, the text so appropriate, and the book so well designed that I could almost imagine I was walking through the chapel myself. It was the first time I'd seen the frescos in an order the artist intended, which made them even more powerful. Eventually the book went to a friend who admires frescos, but there was such a sense of intimacy in it that I've been searching for another copy for well over a year. The text and the images meld beautifully, and I can honestly say it's the first story of Christ's life I've seen where I felt the illustrations or text didn't "get in the way". Even if you're a fesco fan who's more interested in Giotto than in the story, tear up your check for that expensive art book and buy this first.

I bought this as a gift for my niece/goddaughter about 11 years ago and have wished I'd got one for myself ever since. It is simply gorgeous with a very moving text. You don't have to be a committed believer to enjoy this lovely book.

I remember reading this book in the store when it first came out, and it has stuck with me since. Madeline L' Engle gives a thoughtful, sensitive twist on a timeless story, and writes iin such a prose that you could easily imagine reading aloud to young children. I have searched for it for years, and am pleased to discover it in print again.

As an art educator, church librarian, and special lecture person who links art with religion at my church, I can highly recommend this gorgeous book to you. Madeleine L'Engle is one of my favorite writers and she presents the life of Christ in flowing prose. I even picked up a few facts I did not know. The book is illustrated using various panels from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy which adds sumptuousness to its narrative. As a child I was drawn to picture books like this because of their medieval, almost Oriental appearance, so if you wish to influence your children to appreciate a good story well told and illustrated, select this book. The text is on an 9-13 year old level. The "glorious impossible" is something that cannot be explained but only rejoiced in, and I think that sums up God's gift of Jesus to us in a very satisfying way. Enjoy.

Are you looking for a book to read to your children to share your faith, tell the story of Christ, and inspire your child and yourself to feel the joys of giving, forgiveness, commitment, and love? This is THE book for you. L'Engle's extraodinary and inspiring writing style was never so beautiful as in this faithful retelling of the Gospels. It uses both simple, everyday language and the more complex quotes of the Bible to render a tale that is both easy to read and mystical- a hard task in Children's Bible literature. Her comments on the feelings and activities of both Jesus and others are so spiritually aware that adults will end up thinking about it long after the book is finished. In particular, her thoughts on Judas and his motivation were thoughtful, compassionate, and shed the first positive light I have ever seen given to this character. She brings up points I had never considered--- After Jesus rose He said "Peace be with you" not "Where were you when I needed you" - with such simplicity that one can't help wonder why they didn't consider it before. Along side L'Engle's rich prose is artwork beautiful enough to be awed over by adults, but detailed enough you'll laugh as children comment, "Hey, Lazarus really looks dead!" "The Glorious Impossible" is beautiful, gentle, rich, and assuring- a perfect book to introduce not only Christ but what he taught as well.

Priscilla Wilson's "Gourd Girls" is a rich and honest account of a life lived well.

The parallel stories of her struggle to live life to the fullest, both in her life and her life's work, are portrayed with honesty, humor, and sadness. You travel these twin journeys with her and her life partner Janice Lymburner and find yourself laughing with them as they learn the ropes of hoeing and gourd gathering and running a business as such delightful greenhorns, who are open to the lessons and generousity of their neighbors, friends, and some wacky strangers who all seem to become lifelong partners in the gourd life, as they call it. She also shares the sheer joy of life with her true love and the pain and fear of years in the closet.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It inspires and instructs and makes human the whole public debate on gay marriage and rights. It is a beautiful book.

Gourd Girls by Priscilla Wilson is the story of Janice Lymburner and Priscilla Wilson, two young women whose decision to begin a business soon came to be their most favored pastime. Readers will follow the two girls as they are discovering themselves and their knack for the unexpected, giving Gourd Girls a great and powerful intimacy as the community, their families, and their friends join the girls to create an inspiring unity amidst such an unlikely business as the growing and selling of gourds. A remarkable tale in its vividly written in familiar story telling narrative style, Gourd Girls is very strongly recommended reading for anyone who aspires to have a business of their own one day.

Gourd Girls came in the mail from a friend who told me that because it was self-published it is hard to find in mainstream bookstores. It is a lovely book in every way, and I'm delighted to see it is now available on Amazon. The writing style is straightforward and engaging. There's a nice mix of narrative about becoming entrepreneurs, creative and spiritual growth, and dealing with the uncomfortable-ness of an alternative lifestyle in a rural mountain area. There's also a good bit of hilarity and an infectious appreciation of what "foolishness" can do to lighten our burdens. I think you will like this book as much as I did.

You'll laugh; you'll cry; but mostly you'll LOVE the gourd girls! You'll delight to discover the playful spirit author Priscilla Wilson and her partner, Janice Lymburner, bring to everything they do, even as they struggle with financial, social and political issues. Engrossing, well-written, and straight from the heart, this is a fine memoir.

Whether this book catches your eye because it's about the struggles and romance of making a living as a craft artist in a rural area, or because it's about two women who love each other, you'll find it well worth reading. My strongest impression is of the integrity and spiritual strength of the author and her partner. Sometimes it's a bit sad, reading the book, to see them deliberately turn away from a choice that would probably prove lucrative. (This happens at several points in the story.) Instead, they always choose what keeps their spirit most alive. This--and their deep love for nature and each other--is a great gift from the book. So do I recommend it? Yes, of course!

I have used this book since it's publication and it is a wonderful classroom resource for anyone involved with handbuilding in clay. The examples are authentic--you know they really were made by children. The project ideas are very timely and especially geared to younger children. A must for any visual art library.

This book has been very helpful for myyoung children's clay classes. We successfully completed several projects from this book and everyone was happy: teacher, kids, parents. It was fun seeing the older kids come over from their wheels and be jealous of the little kids' projects. The book has also been a source of joy to me since the animal projects we did in class were so much fun, I continued the projects long after class was over.

The writing is clear, sometimes sparse, but the pictures are good. I also appreciated the associated learning that can accompany the projects (or vice versa).

The past three years I have had the privilege of chairing an exhibition of K-12 student work in clay for the NC Pottery Center located in Seagrove, NC. This year my grant was generous enough for me to present each teacher who participated in our exhibiton a copy of Ellen Kong's book, The Great Clay Adventure. Each receipient was thrilled and eager to begin new clay projects with students.

We at the Pottery Center feel confident that distributing this incredible and inspiring book across our clay rich state of 100 counties will definitely stimulate our next generation of potters!!! Thank you, Ellen Kong!!

The concise, clearly worded directions are easy to follow. No wasted words; no partial explanations. In the photographs accompanying each project, I like the mix of student and mature work. Also commendable are the explanations of how basic handbuilding techniques can be combined to produce lively ceramic art. All in all, The Great Clay Adventure stimulates the imagination. I highly recommend this book for clay artists, art teachers and school libraries.

Barbara McKenzie, Ph.D.
Professional Potter
Instructor, Durham Arts Council

I have been looking for just the right book to help me get started doing workshops with children in my small town. Today I came upon "The Great Clay Adventure" and I am delighted. The pictures are clear and colorful, the instructions easy to follow and 'extensions' given at the end of each chapter will enhance the total clay experience. I will add this book to my library and will use it often.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who would like to experience Klimt. I found it very inspirational and completed several study sketches using this book.

These 100 drawings are essential for any student of Klimt's work. Given that many times it is this stage of his work that is under-represented in books on his art, this book is advantageous. I've been looking at Klimt for years, and many times I've marveled at his intuitive, initial marks; they are records of a man obsessed with obervational drawing. The drawings in this book, rarely seen, are great examples of the first and most direct marks he would use and they attest to his amazing skill. They shed light on the finished works while standing nicely on their own. Even though the works shown here represent only a minute fraction of his drawings (thousands littered his studios at any given time), these particular pieces provide a unique view of this controversial artist. A good purchase.

this is an amazing book! as an amateur graphic artist, this has been an invaluable reference and inspiration to me. all of the drawings are of figures, mostly women, mostly naked. they were largely done without direction to his models while they lounged around his loft so they are very intimate, sensual, and sometimes erotic.
his style is so lucid, i can stare at the images forever. the line is so smooth and light(usually pencil, sometimes charcoal), that the images seem like stencils. the body is basically a contour drawing and then the hair is captured in typical art nouveau style, with stylized strands moving in one direction.
i can't say enough about this book. the work is so simple and stunning...when i try to relate what it means to me, i can't think of a thing to say.

Gustav Klimt is amazing. I love his work and I have most recently become more intrigued by his ideas and sketches. If you like Klimt, check out Auguste Rodin, and Egon Schiele also. They all have similar sketch stylizes and imagery. I am an art major and I specialize in painting portraits, so Klimt's sketches are a natural way for me to go. I love his work so I loved this book but as another reviewer stated, the images were too light. The drawings were awfully faint and on gray paper, I would have liked them to be printed darker or at least on white paper. Also there were a lot of his major sketches for his masterpieces missing that I've found in other books. Over all it's a very good book for a nice price.

this is an amazing book! as an amateur graphic artist, this has been an invaluable reference and inspiration to me. all of the drawings are of figures, mostly women, mostly naked. they were largely done without direction to his models while they lounged around his loft so they are very intimate, sensual, and sometimes erotic.
his style is so lucid, i can stare at the images forever. the line is so smooth and light(usually pencil, sometimes charcoal), that the images seem like stencils. the body is basically a contour drawing and then the hair is captured in typical art nouveau style, with stylized strands moving in one direction.
i can't say enough about this book. the work is so simple and stunning...when i try to relate what it means to me, i can't think of a thing to say.

The Golden Age of American Illustration ran from the 1880's to the years immediately following the First World War. It was a highly creative period that produced such notable artists as N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle and Frank Schnoover. This was the skilled artistic millieu in which Hal Foster began his career as a commercial illustrator.

Foster would have probably remained a talented but obscure illustrator if the Great Depression had not begun. In need of work, Foster began as illustrator for the Tarzan adventure strip. The comic strip became very successful but Foster did not receive the monetary compensation that he believed he deserved. In 1937, Hal Foster launched his own adventure strip, "Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur". Within a few years of the birth of Prince Valiant, Superman, Batman, and Flash Gordon were all created and the Golden Age of Comics books moved into full swing.

Although Prince Valiant never became as iconic as Batman or Superman, there can be little doubt that Hal Foster was the greatest technical artist of that period. For the nearly forty years that he produced Prince Valiant, Hal Foster was the master of composition, perspective and figurative detail.

Brian Kane's biography is filled with many unpublished sketches and color paintings. Having received the full cooperation of the Foster family, Kane also received access to unpublished letters which give many insights into Foster's character and creative process. I hesitate in giving this work five stars because this book is more of fan appreciation than it is a serious biography. Nevertheless, if you are a fan of Prince Valiant or the Golden Age of Comics, this book is a must purchase.

Brian Kane has a lot going for him to begin with; the cooperation of Hal Fosters grandchildren and extraordinary access to the Foster family and private papers; but without a sensible recognition of the importance of the sequence of events which lead to the assignment of Hal Foster onto the TARZAN strip, and the eventual culmination of Fosters aspiration to produce his own strip, the storytelling and illustration masterwork PRINCE VALIANT, this pedigree could have been lost or mislaid.
However the pedigree is not lost; this books remains a standard for anyone attempting to pay due homage to a historic artist, a master of his media, and a disciplined Professional who won awards within and outside of his field as a matter of course.
And one doesn't necessarily need to be a firm fan of Popular Culture to see, on the page, the initial artworks provided through family archives, but watch the commercial illustrator become the accomplished storyteller cartoonist/illustrator to the craftsman who transcends his adopted field.
A power read, yet eyefuls of narrative,illustrative, and evocative draughtsmanship which will allow anyone owning it to want to revisit this book as anyone reading the Sunday Funnies has revisited the two classics which Foster brought to pinnacles of powerful evocation : TARZAN and PRINCE VALIANT.
An affectionate and heartful reccommendation by a long time and familiar fan of Hal Foster; impossible to imagine anyone could have completed the task with more vigor and commitment and completedness.

I hope today's fans of comics and sequential art familiarize themselves with Foster's work. He is quite simply the greatest illustrator of the second half of the 20th century. Some fans of Frank Frazetta may disagree, and I love Frazetta's work too. But Foster's innate storytelling sense and incredible draftsmanship leaves the reader in awe. And what a body of work.......it's truly amazing he could maintain such a high level of craft on Prince Valiant decade after decade. Do not miss this book!

This is an excellent book. Best known for Prince Valiant, Hal Foster brought his creativity to many other areas. He not only developed his illustrative skills but understood story flow and had a great command of writing. The work he produced only confirms the mastery and artistry he wielded . His paintings, cover work, personal sketches, and Tarzan work will bring you pleasure even if you aren't a Prince Valiant reader. The writing is informative and clean, providing a very enjoyable read. Remembrances by other artists are a nice bonus. I highly recommend this retrospective of one of the classics.

Hal Foster is the Master of Cartoon Art, without peer, without equal, he is simply extraordinary. Little is known of his life--until now. Thanks so much for bringing us this book! Many terrific anecdotes, in depth stories of his life and influences and work habits. I have never seen many of the illustrations included here. A truly terrific book! Very handsome in every respect. I was delighted by this purchase.

While his younger Brother Medgar gets more attention. This man is a Mississippi legend as well. He is not afraid to admit his vices, his faults, and his triumphs. He is a college grad, fighter, ladies man, pimp, Civil rights Leader, Politician, a man who although he follows non-violence, is not afraid to confront White Racists or African-Americans he disagrees with. It is a interesting life story.

I first met Charles Evers in June of 1999, at my first Medger Evers/B.B. Homecoming Event. Charles Evers is a no frills, hardworking individual, who knows how to get things done! I finally picked up this book after my third homecoming. This year's homecoming took place on the 41st Anniversary of Medger's death. I, hereby salute Mr. Evers for everything he's ever done, for every risk he ever took, for all the successes he has made, and for writing this book. If you want to better understand what it was like for the negro people of Mississippi, in the 60's, 70's, and 80's READ THIS BOOK! If you want to know how a man can be riddled with hate and then go on to do the right things for his people, in a non-violent, yet persistant way, READ THIS BOOK! And then plan a trip to Jackson next June and pay homage to the Ever's brothers, attend the Medger's Memorial Service and meet many of the people who helped create the Mississippi we know today; then and have a great time mingling with the great people of Mississippi at the two, all-day music events, which are headlined by none other than Mr. B.B. King.

Gives a real sense of what it's like to grow up hated, and to learn to hate, and then to painstakingly give up hate. A loving ode to Medgar Evers, and an unflinching look at Charles Evers. Humor, too.

Written by Medgar Evers' lesser known brother, this is a powerful account of the civil rights movement in the south by someone who lived it. Order it. Buy it.

while I didn't agree with everything he said in the book I thought he was very honest in writing about his life and about his brother. it's defintley worth reading.