Art History Books

Though I could have lived without some of the articles, mostly this is a great guide book to movies. I laughed while I read it, and I liked the movie picks a lot.

At first glance, this is a book you think you might want to pass up, but it's the perfect guide! These four girls have very different tastes, but each of them have a lot to offer. With little side-bars, and essays, this book is as fun as they come! They have made some very good recommendations for me. If it weren't for these four, I wouldn't be able to expand my horizons. But they're the type who make you open your mind. I mean, I hadn't even heard of 'Gas, Food, Lodging' before this book and let me tell you, it's a good movie! So get this book and see what these girls have to say. You might find a gem of a movie that you enjoy just as much as they say you will.

This can be read as a reference guide OR for just plain pure pleasure--for me the latter...these woman have a great, unigue voice.

I first became familiar with the Girls on Film through their Website. Amazingly, I almost always agree with their movie critiques. That's why I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with this guide. It's more of the same conversational tone and is filled with a lot of movies I know, but also a fair ammount I haven't seen (yet). I'm looking forward to making my way to the video store. The Girls are friends who make you feel welcome- a great movie guide with multiple gen-x style blurbs which are very amusing!

Though far from an all-encompassing movie guide, it is still well-worth the price of admission. I didn't always agree with the choices they made (I mean, Andrea, come on! "My Fellow Americans"???). But I enjoyed every page of the book and found it to be among the wittiest I've read this year. My one complaint? It was too short. I wished there were more!

Even though I have read a number of books about ancient Mesopotamia, many of which are focussed on political and economic history rather than on beliefs and religious practices, I am was still very confused about who were the principal gods and goddesses, during what period of time and where they became prominent, and why they were worshipped. The uniformly positive customer reviews of this 192 page book were what persuaded me to buy it , and I was not disappointed.

When I buy a book, however, I do prefer to read it from start to finish, so reading a dictionary in this way is somewhat difficult and it is probably not the best way to read this one. The "gods and goddesses " entry in this dictionary indicate that more than 3000 names have been recovered, and while the book doesn't attempt to describe all of these, it does provide a significant amount of interesting reference material about the beliefs and religious practices of the peoples of Ancient Mesopotamia. Perhaps it would be better to use the term "ruler" or "the elite" rather than the term "peoples" since it is clear that nearly all the available information about the gods, demons, and symbols comes from inscriptions which were either from the rulers or from the priests of the religious institutions.

At the beginning of the book there is a useful author's note on the variant spellings of ancient names which explains the scholarly consensus on the probable pronunciation of the Akkadian and Sumerian languages. This is followed, by a concise introduction which provides summaries on the places and peoples of Mesopotamia, their mythology and legends, their art and iconography and the periods of the various dynasties and a helpful one page chronological table. At the end of the book there is also a short bibliography listing books recommended for further reading.

The bulk of the book consists of about a thousand entries (I didn't count them) on the different deities, religious objects, icons, symbols, and practices, of the peoples of ancient Mesopotamia. Most of these are quite short, although there are a few which run to three or four pages. At least half of them refer to one or more illustrations which are liberally sprinkled throughout the book, and this approach definitely enhanced my understanding of what I was reading. I did get the impression, though, that much of the information about the earlier period comes from the Assyrian kings of the 1st millennium, and while they were heirs to the Sumerian and Akkadian traditions, it is still not clear to me how much of a bias they brought into their inscriptions in order to better serve their own interests

There are 159 illustrations in all, which are a mixture of drawings and very clear black and white photographs. The drawings by Tessa Rickards, the illustrator, are beautifully done, elegantly simple, and in my opinion, bring out the essence of the object of the illustration. While most illustrations are embedded in the text close to the most relevant entry, there are a number which are referred to by several different entries. I found it was quite time consuming to flip around the book to find the references of those which were not close by, so I ended up by using book markers to speed up my search for the most important, which were the groups of illustrations on demons, monsters, and symbols for the gods, and the genealogical table of gods and goddesses. Perhaps there is no way around this, but I think it would have been helpful if there had been an index of the illustrations referenced by time period and page number. It may also have been easier to refer to them if they were included one place, perhaps at the back of the book.

Notwithstanding these minor quibbles about the organization and content of the book, I found that reading it the way I did, was an effective and time efficient way of increasing my depth of knowledge about this aspect of ancient Mesopotamia. It will serve as a useful reference tool for my other books on the civilizations and dynasties of Mesopotamia, and I certainly recommend it to other students who are focussing their studies on this particular subject.

This illustrated dictionary is excellant, and informative. The authors have a knack for noting out of the ordinary tidbits, which enhance their profiles. Unfortunately, they do not recognize that Mythology is 95%
Propaganda. Thus, Ea, called "favorable to man", is in fact the Ultimate
Architect of Evil, who along with his "two-faced" minister Usmu, and the
scribe Nabu, propagated a Revisionist Mythology, that has subjugated and
subverted the 5% Truth, ever since.

"Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia" (An Illustrated Dictionary) is the best resource on the Gods of the different cultures from that region that exists. Though they call it a dictionary, Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (editors) have put together an encyclopedia of knowledge on the subject. They cover Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hurrian mythologies, and touch on several more as well. This review is based off of the fifth edition of the book, which was published in 2003 by the University of Texas Press.

There is a lot of material here, and it would be easy to give this book five stars based on what it does provide. However, as I use this resource I often think about what more they could have done to make it more useful. One big thing would have been more visual resources. I would have liked to see a map section where it shows the various eras and empires and the extent of their control. There is one map near the front of the book, but it provides only a limited view.

A big area of improvement would have been to provide sections instead of including all the material together from A to Z. For example the maps mentioned above could have gone into a geography section which could have also shown the evolution of the city names as they spanned eras, including the modern names for those which still exist. Another section could have covered the kings, queens, and heroes for each of the empires. The section on deities could have covered the evolution of deities as they were adopted by the later empires, as well as the new deities which arose during the passage of time. You will find that some of this material is scattered throughout the resource, but it is not complete, and it is difficult to find unless you already know where to look.

Despite all the things I would have liked to have, I still think this is a very good reference, and one which anyone who studies the ancient history of that region will want to have in their library. It is easy to come up with ideas of ways to improve things, but the work that was done in putting together this reference was exceptional, and as with most things which whet one's appetite, it leaves the reader wanting more.

Excellent resource listing much more than the title would suggest. Black really knows his stuff and generously shares his knowledge. Much better than I thought it would be. Includes all kinds of definitions in great detail. Well written. Highly recommend.

I am saddened to see that this is no longer available. If you are interested in ancient Mesopotamian religion, then this book is needed. It is a perfect resource to get quick information, and provides enough information to conduct further research in the areas. If you are a student taking a class on Mesopotamia, a religious historian, or a Reconstructionist, then this will give you the facts you need at your fingertips.

Well, what can I say?

This is a great book for anyone even remotely interested in this period. It gives you the broad perspective, as well as details. Best of all the author gives ample archeological evidence and often comments on how he was able (or not) to use the weaponry.

You really get to feel the period with the Greek politics and Roman tenacity and understand how thing happened.

This might not be your book if your interest primarily is about wargaming. But if you want more than only a game then this is the book to buy and get a better understanding why battles were won and Nations lost.

I have always been an avid history buff, especially during the Hellenistic, Greco-Roman Era, and was very impressed with Peter Connolly's book. I teach history courses at a local Junior College and have used this book in my curriculum on many occasions. I would highly recommend this book to all ages. Good pictures, good research, and very interesting dialogue.

It is one of the best books I' ve ever read! What I liked the most was the siege warfare, the siege weapons and the reconstruction of soldiers and battle formations! Being a Greek, I can assure you that the Greek section of the book is very helpful in learning ancient warfare!

Connolly's Greece and Rome at war is the best one-volume work on warfare in the classical age. The book begins with a detailed account of the Second Persian invasion of Greece. It goes on to describe (in the most scrupulous fashion) the appearance, arms, armor, tactics, organization, and leadership structures of the Greek armies.

Connolly tackles Macedon and Alexander the Great next, describing the fine details of Hellenistic soldiers.

The book then switches focus to the Western Mediterranean and Italy. Connolly gives a thorough description of the early Italian military system. Using information from both archaeological and ancient literary sources, he paints pictures (literally and figuratively) of the Etruscan, Latin, Celtic, Sabine, Samnite, and early Roman militaries.

Following the Italian section, Connolly gives an account of the "Great Wars"--the Punic Wars and the subsequent/parallel struggles in Greece and the near east. He makes reference to his own travels and explorations in the Mediterranean, describing (among other things) the exact route of Hannibal through the alps and into Italy. He also interprets Polybius and redeems characters such as Flaminius, Longus, and Varro, whom Polybius was obliged to condemn as inept commanders due to his relationship with Scipio Aemilianus.

The book also has accounts of the early, middle, and late imperial army in the same detailed fashion that Connolly provided for Greece, Macedonia, Italy, and early Rome. Appendices on naval warfare and siege/defense tactics are included as well.

Conolly's superb artwork makes this work a true masterpiece. Almost every page is beautifully decorated with paintings of troops, armor, weapons, or sculptures from the classical world.

This book is a must have for anyone interested on the topic.

This book is a very well illustrated study on the armour, weaponry, tactics and soldiers of both the Greeks and the Romans. This is a great book for someone starting off in this subject and yet it is thorough enough to be used and referenced by proper scholars as well. I think this book is a must-have for anyone interested in classical warfare but I have noticed that on the American site this book is listed as out of print. Therefore I highly reccomend that anyone who wishes to purchase this book for a decent price (since I have noticed that the used books available on here go up to $80!!) go to the UK Amazon site (www.amazon.co.uk) where this is still in print and is around 19pounds and shipping to the states is very reasonable. Enjoy!!

Marshall McLuhan's _The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man_ (University of Toronto Press, 1962) is 45 years ahead of its time because not very many persons have understood it very well. With bold strokes, McLuhan has delineated how Western culture is different from other cultures in the world today. For Western culture is still a residual form of print culture, whereas other cultures in the world today are to one degree or another residual forms of oral cultures.

Drawing on Walter J. Ong's account of visualist tendencies in Western philosophic thought in _Ramus, Method, and the Decay of Dialogue: From the Art of Discourse to the Art of Reason_ (Harvard University Press, 1958; 3rd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2004), McLuhan also calls attention to visualist tendencies in Western thought.

In the late 1950s, McLuhan, a Canadian convert to Roman Catholicism, read _Insight: A Study of Human Understanding_ by the Canadian Jesuit philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan. Lonergan calls attention to the tendency in Western philosophic thought to equate knowing with "taking a good look." Thus McLuhan was drawing not only on Ong's account of visualist tendencies in Western philosophic thought, but also on Lonergan's.

In the 1994 "Introduction to the Transaction Edition" of his book _Belief and Unbelief_, Michael Novak, who studied under Lonergan as a young seminarian in Rome, nicely paraphrases Lonergan's critique of visualist tendencies in his own words:

"Rorty thinks that in showing that the mind is not "the mirror of nature" he has disproved the correspondence theory of truth. What he has really shown is that activities of the human mind cannot be fully expressed by metaphors based upon the operations of the human eye. We do not know simply through "looking at" reality as though our minds were simply mirrors of reality. One needs to be very careful not to confuse the activities of the mind with the operations of any (or all) of the bodily senses. In describing how our minds work, one needs to beware of being bewitched by the metaphors that spring from the operations of our senses. Our minds are not like our eyes; or, rather, their activities are far richer, more complex, and more subtle than those of our eyes. It is true that we often say, on getting the point, "Oh, I see!" But putting things together and getting the point normally involve a lot more than "seeing," and all that we need to do to get to that point can scarcely be met simply by following the imperative, "Look!" Even when the point, once grasped, may seem to have been (as it were) right in front of us all along, the reasons why it did not dawn upon us immediately may be many, including the fact that our imaginations were ill-arranged, so that we were expecting and "looking for" the wrong thing. To get to the point at which the evidence finally hits us, we may have to undergo quite a lot of dialectical argument and self-correction." (p. xv)

In summary, Western philosophical thought from antiquity down to the invention of the Gutenberg printing press around 1450 carried a strong visualist orientation, as Ong has detailed. Then with the advent of the Gutenberg printing press visualist tendencies were much more strongly culturally conditioned than ever before. As is well known, print culture in the West with its strong orientation toward visualism saw not only the spread of the Protestant Reformation, but also the emergence of modern science, modern capitalism, modern democracy, the Industrial Revolution, and the Romantic Movement. Thus the strong orientation toward visualism in the West has helped set Western culture off from other cultures of the world.

However, today modern capitalism as developed in print culture with its strong orientation toward visualism is being globalized through economic globalization. Thus capitalism today is making inroads into parts of the world where print culture did not have the historical impact that it had in Western culture. To varying degrees, the other cultures are residual forms of oral culture, as McLuhan describes oral culture in this book.

Thus McLuhan's pioneering study of print culture can enable us to better understand the world situation as we live through the upheavals of economic globalization.

--Thomas J. Farrell, author of Walter Ong's Contributions to Cultural Studies: The Phenomenology of the Word and I-Thou Communication (Media Ecology)

Definitely more of an academically written book than McLuhan's more famous "Understanding Media." For new McLuhan readers, I recommend reading "Understanding Me" or "Understanding Media" first.

This book expands on the views of McLuhan's teacher Harold Innis, who distingusihed oral and written cultures. The book argues that oral cultures are synaesthetic and work with synthetic logic, while cultures of writing push the mind toward singulation of senses, logic and 'perspective'.

McLuhan 'glosses' through a wide range of scattered historical pieces of information to show how oral, written and print cultures have different patterns. He ably shows how printing also transformed art, architecture, society and industry.

The book is thoroughly historical, dense and rich in informative detail. It forms the foundation for McLuhan's clearer theoretical articulation of his ideas in 'Understanding Media', but is more accessible to the layman.

This book belongs to a pantheon of books that revolve around similar ideas like Harold Innis's 'Empire and Communications' & 'The Bias of Communication'; Walter J. Ong's 'Orality and Literacy' and William J. Ivins's 'Print and Visual Culture' and 'Art and Geometry'. But this is the most sweeping, convincing, dramatic statement of the common theory proposed by these various writers.

And for those who love theory with a dose of history, this makes for really delightful reading.

The Gutenberg Galaxy, McLuhan's second book, is one of his best, but the reader should be forewarned that it is also one of his most difficult to read and does not make a good introduction for the beginner. One of the reasons for this difficulty is that it is written in mosaic style, in which McLuhan -- like Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project -- creates a text that is largely composed of quotations from mostly obscure authors stitched together with his own commentaries in between. These quotations are from works written in classical academic style, and none of them are easy reading. They require concentration and the book itself takes time to read carefully.

The book is a cultural archaeology of the effects of the rise of print upon Western society in the period between 1450 - 1850. It is concerned with analyzing the new kinds of social and cultural structures which typography brought into being, such as nationalism, the concept of individuality, the idea of authorship and intellectual private property, new genres such as the literary essay and the novel. The rise of the printing press, McLuhan points out, was coincident with the rise of the mastery of depth perspective in Renaissance painting, and this is not an accident, for both the new Euclidean space conception and typography had in common an emphasis upon the organization of the world around the eye favored as a sense organ at the detriment and exlusion of all the other senses. During the manuscript culture of the Middle Ages, the senses were still synesthetically woven together like a tapestry, and no single one of them was favored to quite the degree of exclusion which the favoring of vision brought about in the Renaissance. Illuminated manuscripts, according to McLuhan, have a textural feel to them that still relies heavily on the sense of touch, and Medieval art, with its disproportionate sense of space in which one character -- such as Christ -- will be represented as larger than everyone else primarily due to the emphasis upon his spiritual importance rather than his inclusion as one individual among many occupying the same field of homogeneous space, is similarly haptic. Gothic lettering, he points out, is hard on the eye and difficult to read because it is tactile and still appeals to the sense of touch. Roman lettering, together with Arabic numerals, was favored by print, and this had the effect of streamlining the ability to read such that silent reading became common. Printers began to do new things like number the pages, create indices and Tables of Contents, and this had the effect of emphasizing authorship since it now became possible to track citations properly. Typography, McLuhan never tires of pointing out, favors the eye at the expense of all the other senses, and it tends to favor an abstract view of space as a container within which objects are placed in an arrangement that takes all spatial relations into account.

All of this began to change in the nineteenth century with the rise of electric technology and the favoring of discontinuities brought about by the telegraph and the newspaper. This kind of syncopated feeling for space, in which each object begins to occupy its own space no longer held in relation to other objects, began to erode and change the old typographic world of the Gutenberg Galaxy. Electric culture, which McLuhan does not discuss much in this book, favors tribalism, spatial discontinuity, erosion of individuality and the rise of corporatism, decentralization and so on.

This book should be read together with Understanding Media, for the latter volume picks up where The Gutenberg Galaxy leaves off, at the threshold of the Electric Society.

It is a masterpiece of scholarship by one of the greatest intellects America has ever produced, an intellect that easily puts the French po-mo philosophers in the shade. You will get more useful ideas out of any one of McLuhan's books than you would out of a whole crate of books by postmodern French philosophers.

--John David Ebert, author of Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons: Film as the Mythology of Electronic Society

This is the first McLuhan book I read, back in the late 1960s. It took me about a month to get through, because each short chapter contained so many new ideas and insights I had to think about them before going on. I didn't always understand them, but what I did comprehend was intoxicatingly exciting.

Many readers of McLuhan treat his probes as absolute statements of truth. Then, if they disagree with him, they reject his whole approach. One important fact to keep in mind while reading this or any of McLuhan's books is that he himself refers to the clever slogans which sum up many of his insights ("The medium is the message" being the best known, of course) as "probes", not facts. Their purpose is to explore an idea in order to stimulate thought. Even if you ultimately disagree with the concept set forth, if it makes you think about it, the probe has accomplished its principal purpose.

First off, the paper and print is very good. Some of the posters in this book are great, specifically the Sean Connery "From Russia with Love" posters (which there are a lot of). My only issue is really that many of the Bond posters are awful. Specifically the Roger Moore era... The posters are so bad that they are in some cases comical. Overall, there's enough content to please fans, but I think it would be great if there were even more classic and foreign posters.

I purchased this for my James Bond fan and he loved it--much larger than I expected and a very cool collection of posters and images.

I bought this book as a present for the huge James Bond fan in my life and it was perfect. He really enjoyed looking at all of the classic posters from the various movies. If you have someone who really is a Bond fanatic, this is the way to go!

I bought this for my husband's birthday, he's a HUGE Bond fan...he was really excited about this book, and i was impressed with the large format and the posters from around the world for the different Bond films. Definitely worth buying, even as a book to leave on the coffee table for people to flip through.

This is a wonderful collection of James Bond Movie Posters. The illustrations and quality of the images are outstanding. They are crisp and sharp and very colorful. This book covers Bond posters from all over the world. The composition of the Japanese posters are quite eye catching and innovative. This is a wonderful and essential book for James Bond enthusiasts.

great purchase for any kid at heart who grew up in th 80's. could've been more inclusive. may i suggest a part 2?

I am a big 80's fan and this book seemed interesting so I figured that I would give it a shot. I am soo glad that I did. I love the writers sarcasm and memories about the toys mentioned in this book. The book is like a trapper keeper, with the opening on the side. There are 32 toys mentioned in this book. I think I'm a little to young to remember some of them , but I know most of them. I showed the book to my brother who just flipping through it was laughing. It was so fun to talk about the toys.

After buying this book for my brother for Christmas (which he loved too btw) I Got this book yesterday for myself and read it all last night:):):) it's exactly what I was looking for a great nostalgia filled trip down memory lane....I thought I was a complete 80's geek but some stuff in this book I hadn't even heard of.....even though it's written by two guys and has a lot of "boy" toys....there were still all the major "girl" toys in there too....and I loved the candid stories they shared especially the babysitters club and punky brewster doll (sorry action figure) too cute:):):)it is nicely set out and presented really well.....a great gift for 80's children everywhere:):)I hope they will do another one from the 80's tv shows/fads etc.....and even the 90's too:):):)good job guys:):)

There's a certain innocence about the 80's that seems very transparent by today's standards. But in the 80's... we all thought that we were living a revolution of cutting edge pop culture. Little did we know that those years would pale in comparison to the childhood trends of the 90's & 2000's. I really believed that I had dismissed from my mind most of the decade and rightly so, it seemed so 20 something years ago. But honestly this book made me really appreciate what I had forgotten. Being a kid of the Reagan Era, I lived through the 90's thumbing my nose at most of these pop culture icons (and listening to grudge rock). I bought "Just Can't Get Enough" as a passing fancy (being a follower of vintage toys), not knowing that the personal stories and memories of the authors would be the gems within.

The Book Itself - It's pretty neat really. The chapters are each a certain 80's icon, divided into small subsections with titles like, "The Story" or "The Products" or "What Does It All Mean?" All of this wrapped up in a suedo-Trapper Keeper style cover with a velcro clasp. When reading the chapters, you begin to appreciate how much time and effort was put into this book. With chapters devoted to Transformers, He-Man, Madballs, Scratch N' Sniff stickers, Garbage Pail Kids, etc., the book gives equal focus, regardless of obscurity. I particularly liked the toys that I remembered fondly from childhood, but also enjoyed the great details about toys I never knew - i.e. Pogo Ball or "Pogo Bal" as the writers note humorously. The authors treat us to most of the usual suspects of the decade, but there are a few rarely honored candidates such as Crossbows And Catapults, Choose Your Own Adventure books, and Hit-Stix among others. Also, there are some obvious misses such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Get Along Gang, Shirt Tales, Smurfs, Pound Puppies, etc. Hopefully these oversights make way for a follow-up volume. But what you do get makes up for anything not included. First thing you will notice is the great writing style. I particularly like the sarcastic overtone that seems to permeate from every page, pure "Gen X" humor at its best. These authors go to great lengths to make each chapter witty and nostalgic. In fact, if you are unable to feel an overwhelming sense of nostalgia after reading this book, then you most likely were born after Operation Desert Shield... or during the hay days of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Whether you relive the 80's regularly or haven't looked back since 1990 - this book is going to trigger fond memories... or at least jar something loose from the painfully hidden recesses of the mind.

My Personal Reaction - I found myself on several occasions laughing out loud. My girlfriend seemed frustrated with me continually interrupting her TV watching by loudly exclaiming, "listen to this" as I read aloud large passages time and time again. Finally she picked up the book, which was a big mistake for me... since it took me quite a while to get it back. She appreciated different sections (the My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Rainbow Brite). It was like going to Toys 'R Us from your childhood; you either were in the boys section or over in the pink section if you were a girl - no matter which, it was fun. So I can say, there is something for everyone, boys and girls alike. Personally, I was pleasantly surprised by my fascination with chapters like the game Guess Who?, which I actually hated as a child. The more ridiculous the idea the funnier the commentary became as the authors put it all in perspective. And when I say perspective, I mean being a 20 something or 30 something adult. There is some crude humor in here that is not at all pointed to the young kids we once were. But honestly, do we expect any children today to even bother reading this? I can plainly put that to rest - kids today would never "get" what this book is about. Once you start reading, remember this isn't just a book about the items; it's a book about how they all relate to us - the children of the 80's. So don't get caught up expecting a long treatise on the history of everything 1980's, that's not what it's about.

Final Thoughts - I read this only wanting more. The only fix for your "jonesing" would be to share this with others. If you buy this book, then don't forget to invite your other Gen X friends or siblings or whoevers to a fun filled day in the way-back machine. I highly recommend this book as a fan of humor and 80's pop culture. But, if you only want to see details of 80's toys - minus the nifty sarcasm, then check out Action Figures of the 1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors) - it's loaded with great pictures. But be warned, that book doesn't have a one-tenth the laughs of "Just Can't Get Enough." If the authors do nothing else, then this book is still a masterpiece in its own right and worthy of a notable writing career. I hope this isn't the end though; there are plenty of unvisited pop culture products still lurking in our memories for "Just Can't Get Enough"... Volume 2.

I bought this book before Thanksgiving this year and after reading it through myself, I had to take it back home with me for the holiday. My cousins and I sat around reading out loud many of the hilarious comments about all the toys we loved growing up and laughing at all the ridiculous (or should I say redonkulous?) toys from our youths. The book jogged our memories on all the toys we couldn't remember on our own now and really made us long for the silliness of the toys of the 80s. It's a hilarious book and really fun to sit around with friends and just remember the good times with the redonkulous toys of the 80s. (and for the record, I STILL want the U.S.S. Flag!!)

This book stands as the best introduction to one of the best comic strips ever produced. Not only is it packed with hard to find "Krazy Kat" strips, but it also includes a biography of the artist, George Herriman. Some consider Herriman the first African-American mainstream cartoonist. His colleagues didn't know his ethnicity (and Herriman didn't tell them) so some called him "the Greek". He felt he had to hide some of his features from the public. For example, he kept his very curly hair closely cut and hidden under a hat. Not only that, his birth certificate shows his parent's ethnicity as "colored". The prejudices of the time likely would not have allowed an African-American the mainstream status and freedom allowed to George Herriman. So through "Krazy Kat" we get a glimpse of what early 20th century American culture may have missed out on due to its racial myopia. For "Krazy Kat" stands as an absolute masterpiece of its genre.

Herriman found some modicum of fame in his lifetime. William Randolph Hearst (the newspaper magnate) loved Herriman's work and rewarded him with a lifetime contract (according to the biography in the book, Hearst once read a "Krazy Kat" Sunday page and immediately demanded a raise for the artist). Herriman's success didn't come quickly, however. His first big break came in 1897 with the sale of a sketch to the Los Angeles Herald. Around 1901 he landed his first job as a "Staff Cartoonist" (a person who literally reported to the office every day and rattled off strip after strip; very different from today's cartoonists). Between 1901 and 1916 Herriman penned numerous strips (the book includes samples of many of these strips - many in color), including: "Musical Mose" (this strip's overt racial humor would not fly today), "Professor Otto and His Auto", "Acrobatic Archie", "Two Jolly Jackies", "Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade", "Home Sweet Home", "Baron Mooch", "Mary's Home From College", "Gooseberry Sprig" (considered to be a direct forerunner to "Krazy Kat"), "Alexander the Cat", "Daniel and Pansy", and finally, in 1910, "The Dingbat Family" (which changed its name briefly to "The Family Upstairs"; it was Herriman's first hit). It was in a "Dingbat Family" strip in 1910 that a mouse first "beaned" a "Kat" with a projectile (in the "running boards" of the strip). Eventually the Kat and mouse sideshow surpassed the main strip's popularity, and "Krazy Kat" debuted as a daily in October 1913 (the famous Sunday pages began in 1916). Herriman kept experimenting with other strips through 1923 when he finally placed his focus squarely on "Krazy Kat".

From roughly 1913 to 1944 (when Herriman passed away leaving a week's worth of unfinished Krazy Kat's on his drawing table) "Krazy Kat" developed from a "Kat" and mouse game (filled with puns, misunderstandings, and musings on the imperfections of language) into a complex love triangle between Krazy (the "Kat"), Ignatz (the mouse) and Offisa Pupp (the dog). Ignatz's entire being revolves around "beaning" the "Kat" with a brick, and Krazy interprets this as an act of love (unbeknownst to Ignatz). Offisa Pupp loves Krazy (in a fatherly sort of way) and his obsession revolves around catching Ignatz in the act and jailing him. Three obsessions collide in an almost jazz-style derivation of themes. Herriman developed this theme brilliantly over 30 years of strips. But overall it defies analysis: the strip can only speak for itself.

Sadly, though "Krazy Kat" counted such dignatiries as e.e. cummings, George Gershwin, Gilbert Seldes, James Joyce, and other literati, as fans, its popularity waned dramatically throughout the 1930s (as it became more surreal, esoteric and unabashedly uncommercial). It was kept in print by Hearst himself. The book does not cover the frustration of Hearst editors at the inclusion of the strip in their papers. They rebelled against it in some cases. Many simply tried to remove it from circulation only to find Hearst himself yelling "keep it in!" So we have, of all people, the controversial William Randolph Hearst to thank for the continuation of "Krazy Kat". By the end of its run "Krazy Kat" only appeared in some 30 papers.

The main focus of this book lies in its numerous incredible strips. The book includes daily strips (most dating from 1938 to 1944) and Sunday pages (dating from 1916 to 1944 with some in color; it also includes both the first and last Sunday pages). If one reason exists to purchase this book, here it is. The strips retain their amazing character even after decades of aging. And the artwork remains astounding. Not only that, the book includes samples of hand colored drawings of Herriman's, and photos of Herriman and his family. All in all, this book opens the door on one of the comic strip medium's most celebrated strips. Those that get hooked should continue thier obsessions (in the true spirit of Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp) with the Fantagraphics' series of Sunday pages, and the Pacific Comics club's reprints of daily strips. Someday every Krazy Kat strip Herriman drew will finally appear in printed form. We can hope, at least.

This is a wonderful book for Krazy Katz fans to own. It is large, colorful and very informative on one of Americas great cartoonists. The delivery through Amazon was fast and effortless. The book, a treasure to own. Worth the lower price through Amazon.

This is what all popular art forms should be. A social commentary as love poem. And poem this is. There is very little that someone can write about the Krazy experience without treading in the same terran as this wonderful book. This is were your Krazy love afair begins. And unlike Ignatz you don't show your love with a brick.

This is a wonderful introduction to George Herriman's great comic strip Krazy Kat that ran for several decades in the early twentieth century. This introduction provides biographical background to Herriman's art, a survey of some of his influences, and a very healthy dose of Krazy Kat panels, both color and black & white. It also discusses the way that Krazy Kat became a cultural phenomenon, easily one of the most highly regarded comics of the century, and permeating many other arts as well.

The Krazy Kat strip is utterly insane, surreal stuff. Here is the premise: Krazy Kat (who is usually female but is sometimes apparently male) is in love with Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz loathes Krazy, and to prove it konstantly kreases that kat's krown with a brick. Incredibly, Krazy sees this as proof of Ignatz's affection, and falls even more deeply in love (many panels show hearts rising from Krazy's heart when she is hit by one of Ignatz's bricks). Officer Pup, the town constable, is in love with Krazy and frequently throws Ignatz into jail for hitting Krazy, which causes Krazy to pine for her would-be lover. This is merely the barest sketch of this weird and wild world. The town of Concocino is populated by a host of equally outrageous characters, though the focus continually comes back to the three principals.

Though even the most recent of these strips are over sixty years old, Krazy Kat has stood up magnificently over the years. Part of the reason surely lies with Herriman's enormous gifts as an illustrator. The Sunday strips in particular are things of great beauty, with the frames arcing around the page in spectacular designs of considerable innovation and complexity. The content of the comics reflects a genuine wit and substantial intelligence, while the bizarre love triangle possesses endless possibilities for both humor and pathos. This truly is one of the most unique comics in the history of the medium, and even those who do not usually respond to the genre are apt to find this enormously entertaining.

When I noticed that many of my favourite cartoonists have said that Herriman's 'Krazy Kat' is the greatest comic strip ever, I decided I should check it out. It didn't take long before I agreed with them.

George Herriman is one of those rare individuals who genuinely deserves to be called a genius. That's a word that gets thrown around a little too casually perhaps, but in Herriman's case it is almost an understatement.

He was a brilliantly inventive artist, but his writing is what really sets him apart. A lot of the dialogue is written phonetically in bizarre dialects, a tricky thing to do, but he uses it to great effect.

Whereas space restrictions force cartoonists today to avoid using more words than is necessary, Herriman would often use a lot more, and much of the pleasure of reading 'Krazy Kat' comes from the sheer virtuosity with which Herriman uses language.

That a comic strip could be as funny, as intellectually stimulating, and as beautiful to look at as 'Krazy Kat' seems to me to be some kind of miracle. This book is a great introduction to Herriman and his work. There's a generous helping of 'Krazy Kat' strips, as well as some of Herriman's other work. Anyone who loves comics should have it. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Abandoned for centuries and overgrown by dense subtropical forest, this awesome city in the sky has been the subject of speculation and conjecture since Hiram Bingham first disclosed it in 1911. Now, for the first time, the wonders of Machu Picchus' construction and water supply are revealed in a new book by Kenneth R. Wright and Alfredo Valencia Zegarra. Anyone who has read Bingham's Lost City of the Incas, or who has visited this ancient city of the Incas or who yearns to journey there, should read this new and searching volume that delves into and solves many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu. Why was it built, how the site was selected, and what were the critical criterial criteria that were met to make the ridge top site suitable for an alternate home for the Inca Pachacuti? Machu Picchu served as a residence, a fortress and a holy place. The developement of a water supply, the construction of terraces for agriculture and the remarkable and enduring granite structures were well concealed by its unique location. Near vertical cliffs, the roaring Urubamba river all contributed to the concealment of Machu Picchu from the Spanish invaders How an ancient people, without the written word, without instruments and steel tools so capably built and prospered there for more than a century is now revealed in this landmark book that will increase both the awe and respect of the reader for the Inca people.

Don't let the title scare you if you are not an engineer. Reading through the book is like taking a stroll with the ancient men who planned, designed and built this great site. It is a "must take along" if you are planning a visit. Even if you cannot afford to visit, the book is worth the read to be able to admire the skills of ancient people.

For the University of Denver Water Law Review,
Vol. 6, Issue 1, Fall 2002

Coloradans Ken and Ruth Wright have teamed with Peruvian archeologist Alfredo Valencia to place back in working order the sixteen fountains of Machu Picchu. You can see for yourself.

The Inca were master water handlers. They chose Machu Picchu as a ceremonial center because the mountains and the river spoke to them of life-giving power. The Urubamba River far below snakes triangular around the base of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu mountains. A saddle between these peaks cradles the temples, rock shrines, dwelling places, and agricultural terraces that dance between the clouds in early morning and emerge to sunlight by Noon.

Water at the center of it all. The paleo-hydrologic studies of the Wrights and Valencia reveal how the Inca predicated the design and construction of Machu Picchu upon the flow of a spring. From high on the side of Machu Picchu Mountain, a canal brings water across an agricultural terrace to the first fountain just above the Temple of the Sun. From there, sixteen fountains splash, spout, and sing down a staircase to the Temple of the Condor.

The May 2002, issue of National Geographic Magazine contains yet another map of Machu Picchu deriving from the Wright-Valencia partnership. This map shows how magnificent Machu Picchu must have looked with its thatched roofs uplifted to the condor sky.
Underneath your feet at every turn is the invisible sixty-percent of Machu Picchu. In their Civil Engineering book, Ken and Alfredo describe the genius of Machu Picchu's foundational structure. The Inca edifices and agricultural terraces stand the test of time because of careful drainage and methodical trenchwork. The visible forty-percent of Machu Picchu rests on mountain bedrock and the skill of people who learned through ancestral experience how to counter earthquake and erosion's despoiling effect.

Ken and Alfredo deduce from their studies that the Inca did not irrigate the agricultural terraces at Machu Picchu, though they did elsewhere. Here, the rainy season and supplemental importation of agricultural products met the needs of the small resident population and the influx of those attending rituals. The Inca ruler Pachacuti began Machu Picchu as a ceremonial retreat in A.D. 1450. It likely ceased normal operation by A.D. 1540 due to the collapse of the Inca Empire under Spanish invasion.

Ken and Alfredo explain that Machu Picchu's durability stems from high quality professional workmanship:

"Machu Picchu's technical planning is surely the key to the site's longevity and functionality. The Inca's careful use of hydraulic, drainage, and construction techniques ensured that the retreat was not reduced to rubble during its many years of abandonment. These techniques, combined with a strong knowledge of hydrology, were what made it a grand and operational retreat high in the most rugged of terrain."

The Civil Engineering book is easily readable, yet contains much study and analysis of Machu Picchu's structural accomplishment. Ken and Alfredo devote chapters to (1) setting, geology, climate, and site selection; (2) city planning and engineering infrastructure; (3) hydrogeology, collection works, water requirements, and water supplies; (4) hydraulic engineering, water supply canal, and fountains; (5) drainage infrastructure, surface runoff and drainage criteria, agricultural terraces, and urban sector; (6) agriculture, hand-placed soil, crop water needs, and adequacy of nutrient production; (7) building foundations and stone walls; (8) construction methods, rock quarry, transporting and lifting rocks, using wood and vegetation, roof structures, canal stones, floors and plaster, bridges, and tools of the trade; (9) cultural background and Inca heritage; and (10) a walking tour of the engineering works (Ruth's contribution).

Dr. Gordon McEwan, excavator of Pikillacta and Chokepukio, illuminates the cultural background of the Inca in a fine chapter he contributes to the Civil Engineering work (chapter 9). He further explains in a June 2002 National Geographic Magazine article how the Inca culture built upon the Wari culture (A.D. 600-1000). At Pikillacta, the Wari relied on an aqueduct whose portals also served as their gateways and guardways to the Cusco Valley. Before the Wari, dating from B.C. 200, the Pukara and the Tiwanaku peoples conducted water for pragmatic and religious purposes.

The Inca were religious and practical people. They revered the earth, the mountains, and the sky, as their descendants the Quechua still do. On mountain torsos they saw visages of the serpent, the puma, and the condor. Rocks and dead ancestors were equally alive to inform and inspire them by daily consultation in community. They were expert engineers, architects, and water workers. Joseph and Pharaoh-like, they dreamed of drought and famine; so, they stored the plentiful crop against the certitude of impending scarcity. The Inca exacted a tax in the form of labor. In return, the community benefited from stored food and ritual celebrations.

In the third summer of a North American western drought (A.D.2002), with the published work of Ken, Ruth, and Alfredo in hand, I could see it too--how water works at Machu Picchu for domestic water supply, aesthetic, and spiritual needs. The Inca water containment and delivery structures join those of the Mayans at Tikal, the Anasazi at Mesa Verde, and the Hopi at their mesas in a centuries-old mosaic of water use in the Western Hemisphere.

In scarcity lies the opportunity for community. The native peoples of the Americas practiced the art of water works construction out of ingenuity and necessity, praying to the gods for rain to fill their earth-constructed hope against despair. The native peoples also demonstrated that water supply planning and infrastructure is a core responsibility of those who would govern in the public interest. Westerners always come round to the practical and symbolic value of water for people and the environment.

Great book that goes way beyond the standard guide book fare. It inspired me to make the trip after reading it, to see first hand how the ancient Inca Empire created a complete fortified city in the sky, to trace the old Inca trails by the watchtower, the drawbrige and into the main gate with the view of city and the peak beyond. Other travel books have beautiful pictures and "where to eat and where to stay" for this citadel but very little information on how the city itself came into being and survived.

City maps and commentary in the book are far better than you can get on-site. Don't leave home without it. Even if you are just an armchair traveler you will be amazed with the accomplishments of the Inca Empire.

The story of Machu Picchu is a tribute to the prehistoric Native Americans who planned and built this mystical mountaintop royal estate for Emperor Pachacuti between AD 1450 and 1540. The authors have, at last, defined for scientists and layman alike what makes Machu Picchu such a beautiful and special place: the innumerable details of Machu Picchu, when combined into a whole, create a visual and spiritual experience that is unparalleled in the New World.

Properly, this book is dedicated to the young Yale explorer Hiram Bingham, John Rowe and Pat Lyons of the University of California/Berkeley, Richard Burger and Lucy Salazar of Yale University, and several others who had a hand in supporting the research work in both the United States and Peru.

Ten chapters, 160 photographs, many sketches and maps, in conjunction with a detailed index, provide both the scholar and casual tourist with a description of Machu Picchu that is a must-read before leaving Cusco for the trip down the Urubamba River to see this most important archaeological ruin of the Western Hemisphere. The book is designed so that much of the story can be appreciated even if one only looks at the photographs and reads the captions; much like a National Geographic magazine.

Chapter 1 explains the when, where and why of Machu Picchu along with it ancient climate. Site selection reasons are described; here you will learn why the Inca chose such a difficult site for construction and how the mountain and water played a major role in its choice. In Chapter 2, you will learn about the Inca-period planning that went into the royal estate so that it would function. For instance, based on engineering evidence, the Inca spring and canal layout details were established before the Inca Royal Residence and the Temple of the Sun locations were chosen. It is no coincidence that the one-half-mile-long canal ends near the Royal Residence and Fountain No. 1 so that the emperor would have the first use of the domestic water supply.

Without the Inca Spring on the north side of Machu Picchu Mountain, there would be no archaeological ruin here. The Inca water source is described in Chapter 3. The hydrology of the spring and its flow are presented in an easy-to-understand manner; the reader will learn why the water supply is a child of the geologic faulting, upthrusts and related cracking of the granite bedrock and that the spring flow rises and falls throughout the year with a several-month lag time between the rainfall. But most of all, the chapter describes the original spring works and its water supply so that its technical significance to the Inca engineer can be fully appreciated. For water quality aficionados, a detailed water quality table of constituents is described; you will learn that the water supply of Machu Picchu was and is clear and pure.

Also in Chapter 3, the remarkable recent discoveries of long lost water supplies are explained. A previously unknown extension of the Inca Trail down to the Urubamba River is also described. One fountain is shown flowing in 1999 after nearly five centuries of being buried under the forest floor.

Chapter 4 explains the hydraulic engineering of Machu Picchu and the meticulous fountain work that delivered water to the heart of Machu Picchu. Hydraulic works such as the Abandoned Canal are pictured to show that even when Machu Picchu was left to the forest in AD 1540, the royal estate was still under construction. Machu Picchu represented a pinnacle of the Inca architectural and engineering achievements.

The author explains in Chapter 5 that, without good drainage, Machu Picchu would not have endured through the centuries. The drainage system is analyzed using modern methods to prove the type of planning and engineering that preceded the actual building construction, all with figures and photographs so that the drainage components can be examined in the field to provide a greater appreciation. Discovery of the first and only gold at Machu Picchu in 1996 is a story that illustrates the Machu Picchu mysteries that still await discovery; a gold bracelet was found in and amongst the stone chips that underlie the Playa. A photograph of the gold bracelet shows its graceful curves.

The agriculture of Machu Picchu is amply illustrated and described in Chapter 6, along with the nutrient producing capabilities of the hundreds of terraces. It was determined that the terraces would provide food for no more than 55 people and, therefore, food was brought into Machu Picchu from elsewhere. Actually, the terraces were used mostly for growing corn, probably to produce the ceremonial Inca beer known as chi cha.

Chapters 7 and 8 satisfy one's need to know about how the Machu Picchu stonework was built and why it has endured. Eighteen types of stonework wall patterns are illustrated and lintel beams are described along with many special-use stones. Methods of construction are analyzed to show how large stones were moved, shaped and placed. Evidence of potential Inca renegade stonemasons is shown on page 77, a controversy on which Inca scholars still disagree.

One of the best descriptions of how the Inca were able to do so much in such a short time is given in Chapter 9, prepared by scholar Gordon McEwan, in a chapter on cultural background and the Inca heritage.

The final chapter of the book provides a capstone in the form of a walking tour that takes the reader to each and every Machu Picchu highlight, complete with 44 figures and photographs. The four pages of Machu Picchu mapping helps the armchair traveler know just where he or she is at all times.

This book, parading as a civil engineering guide to Machu Picchu, is actually a detailed guide that covers the scientific aspects of the archaeological site in a way that any and all readers can appreciate. I recommend it to all. Don't miss it if you are planning to visit there.

Medieval Calligraphy; Its history and technique, is a comprehensive book on the whys and wherefores of Medieval Calligraphy.
It covers the development of different scripts and letterings. It gives a bit of background on each script, how it was used and when it was used. It then gives details of each letter and some variations as well as how to form the letter.
As well as the focus on calligraphy itself this book puts scripts into context. It gives individuals the tools to use the scripts to complete a project with a medieval tone and flavour. It talks about page layouts, how to alter scripts for capitals, additions of ligatures and numbers. The book also covers materials that can be used to produce a completed piece that looks very close to medieval without going to all the bother of making the inks and other items yourself- although this too is covered.
This book is fantastic for anyone with a serious interest in calligraphy in the middle ages.

The book provided an excellent history of the evolution of letter formations used in medieval manuscripts. Especially interesting was the impact that the Emperor Charlemagne and a Benedictine monk had on standardization of text forms throughout much of Europe.

Pros: Nearly half the book covers the history of calligraphy as well a selection of various scripts. The other half covers basic technique and specific instructions for 13 different scripts plus numerals.

Con: No colour images of period examples.

Great for SCA/reenactor

This is an excellent book with the exception of the glaring lack of colour in the photos.
Great explanations, good connnections between the different eras and styles, but again, if one is depending on a book for colour suggestion, this is not the tome.

Medieval Calligraphy by Marc Drogin is comprehensive and historically informative, certainly worth having in your collection.

This is a good book for any John Mellencamp fan. He expresses himself beautifully in his paintings as well as the written essays that accompany the artwork in the book. I was lucky enough to see his paintings on display in a gallery here in the midwest and they are even more colorful and vivid up close in real life.

Words can not express the way I feel about his art work. It is just too beautiful.

John expresses himself quite well in his paintings. I have always been a big fan of his music and his paintings just complement his music and allows me to understand a little bit more about John Mellencamp, the person.

What an Artist! Lyrically, Mellencamp has the ability to make the listener FEEL what is going on in the song, and relate it to his/her own life. He carries this talent into his paintings also. I don't know all that much about painting, but I do know that I can look at the face of any of Mellencamp's characters, and FEEL their pain, sorrow, see the hope in their eyes...

The book is a must for anyone who enjoys John Mellencamp. All the proceeds are given to elementary school children for music. I think this is a great way for John to give back to his fans and to the world in general. Go get yours now!