Art History Books

It's essential for any chick who is drawn to the darker things in life to own at least one Emily item but once you enter her bizarre world it's hard to go back. I received both "Emily's Book Of Strange" along with the 2004 calendar for my birthday and those were a perfect introduction to this quiet (but nowhere near shy) cat-luvin' Goth grrl who's preferred favorite color is everything black...or red. Her attitude is anything but cheery but sometimes us open-minded people have to shield ourselves from the ones that are afraid to venture outside the box and to explore what's beyond the edges. I could be wrong but I believe her image is a symbol of encouraging individuality. Or, in other words, to think for yourself without following the crowd by listening and dressing according to what's considered "normal".

There's not a lot of text within these pages (there's often a bare minimum of two words) but the illustrations by Rob Reger and Buzz Parker are creatively "strange" and pure (or is that tainted?) candy for the eyes.

I especially enjoy perusing this on cold, rainy days.

Hey there, my name is Emily, that's not why I love Emily The Strange. I am also 12 years old, but 2 years ago, thanks to someone special, I got into Emily stuff. My friend Ashley, well, her big sister showed me some of her Emily stuff, I really liked Emily then, she told me to look out for some Emily the Strange stuff and that it's probably right up my alley. And she's right, 2 years later, I'm an Emily the strange freak! I collect all the cards, I 've got tons of stuff, actually, I think that's all the stuff I have, Emily the Strange stuff. Maybe a few hello kitty stuff, but nothing else. I went onto hot topic, and spent some of my birthday money on Emily the Strange stuff, I have a really nice bed spread and pillow cases that match. Anyway, about the book, I love every single thing about it. It really inspires me. I like the way Emily can speak cat, I like the plan with the cats to attack the dog, I'm an animal lover, and I would never hurt one, I wouldn't hurt someone either. I like the way in one of the pages it says hell-o-kitty, you have to see that. I have 2 cats, who are very friendly, I have my own posse. This book is a must have, I do recommend the Emily's good nightmares book, I only have 2 of Emily's books, I'm looking out for the other one. I know Emily's morose code all by heart, so does my friend Ashley, we do all sorts of letters to each other with the morose code, that way, no one knows what it says but us!But this book is really cool, I like that it has such big, and discriptive pictures, but with such little words, I like that it's simple. A good item for a strange collection, like mine!
Now, get strange, or get lost!
Emily the strange, the stranger!

I actually had never heard of the Emily books, untill my friend showed me her autographed copy of this book & I fell in love, my copy is on the way via mail, this book has neat pictures with very cool secret writing on each page. A fun book for anyone.

I really like the Emily's Secret Book of Strange because it has really cool pictures. Although, it doesn't really have that many words in it either but the pictures are amazing and fun to look at. the secret messeges that are on the pages are really cool, but you have to look closely to see them. If you like to look at a lot of pictures, Emily's Book of the strange has a lot of them.

Emily is an intelligent little black and white child who started out as a small internet idea but spawned into a large merchandise line and nows the chance to see for yourself why this little goth girl is so popular. With wit, sarcasm, insight, and her four dangerous cats, Emily will show you the dark side of life that has already been favored by many of us. I love the awesome cover, the illustrations and each page in the book has many secret codes and messages for you to find. I've had this book for months and theres still things i find myself noticing for the very first time! Rock on Emily!

This incredible book for me is a totally new
way of illustrating a fairy tale.
The description of this fantasy world using
postcards is innovative and very interesting.
I strongly suggest this book to all the
art lovers.

As an artist of middle age, I sometimes think of my art as good and my growth as complete... that is, until I look at work like this.

Suddenly I feel like a beginner again, with nothing to do but learn and get better at my art. Mr. Scheurer teaches this teacher how to teach better, just by the inspirational settings he creates and the drawings he does from deep in his imagination. There is a whole world residing in him that is too fanciful to describe. He is my new favorite artist.

Even though this book, at first glance, appears to be an art book, there is a very charming story woven into the "stamp" descriptions, as well. Each page features an illustration of a stamp from the imaginary realm of "Entropia" and a description of the event or history the stamp is commemorating. I read this book in two sittings, only because I had an appointment to keep that tore me away from such a beautiful book. Once finished, this book left me with a strong desire to read and see more of Christian Lorenz Scheurer's "Entropia".

Christian is one of my favorite artist. This new book is full of great stories and wonderful pictures! It's great for all ages.

Bought this book as a gift for a friend but then ended up keeping it for myself.
The fantastic story and beautiful illustrations felt like a mix between Nick Bartock's Griffin and Sabine and Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
This is most inspiring fantasy book I read this year!:)

This book is a rich banquet of details about the films that Jeanette and Nelson made together. Beyond that are wonderful details about the stars themselves, the making of the films, tne circumstances and the other stars involved. It is the personal information which so enriches this book. Eleanor brings them to life in detail and with hundreds of wonderful pictures.. Eleanor is a fabulous writer who has brought these two to life for the reader to remember or learn about for the first time.
This is a must for every movie buff and for all those who remember the Golden Years when these two Stars ruled the musical screen.

There are no words to describe this wonderful book and Jeanette Macdonald and Nelson Eddy I always enjoy to have any thing that reminds them.

In the midst of all the wonderful detail every movie buff relishes, Eleanor Knowles never forgets a constant focus on Nelson and Jeanette, both as real people and Hollywood icons. Never bogging down in academic language, she writes with intensity, accuracy, and humor, in a direct style everyone can understand. If you are looking for definitive reference material or reflective insight on MacDonald and Eddy and those who surrounded them, it's all here. This re-edited edition is chock full of new information, and Ms. Knowles is THE authority to put it all together. Wow!

The original edition of this authoritative book provided me with many happy memories during my childhood and I was delighted to learn of its recent expanded and updated reissue. My glossy new copy has pride of place in my home!

Eleanor Knowles passion for these immortal personalities is obvious and shines on every page. She delivers a thoroughly detailed document leaving no stone unturned. The splendid THE FILMS OF JEANETTE MACDONALD AND NELSON EDDY is a landmark book in this genre and deserves to be in every public and private library. It is something one returns to to learn from the past. Profound thanks!

Eleanor Knowles' book on the films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy is the sort you keep coming back to. Each time you walk past it on your coffee table, you open at a page, read and are transported back to the Golden Era of movies. For someone who loves to find out all the little "behind the scenes" bits and pieces, this book is ideal. There is so much of interest. All the backgound information on the two stars, the cast of their films, how the films evolved - makes for interesting reading. Too many people have the misconception that once MacDonald and Eddy's film careers finished that they "disappeared off into the sunset of retirement". Not so. Eleanor presents two people who worked in various fields as long as they were able. If possible, Eleanor has improved on her original book and presents an intelligent, well-researched and lovingly crafted tome that should be on any serious movie buff's book shelf!

I used to have a copy of this book that I brought with me on overseas travels. Whenever I needed a laugh I could just sit down and read some of the radio plays in here, some of the funniest material I've ever read. They're no less funny for having been copied and redone in the decades since they were first broadcast (often by the Marx Brothers themselves) and it is so easy to hear the voices of Chico and Groucho reading their lines.

A great book!

This remarkable set of radio scripts from 1932-1933 almost brings the fast-talking Marx Brothers back to life. It seems that these scripts could only be performed by Groucho and Chico Marx in their hilarious and fast-insulting style. The scripts bring many laughs as the detectives go forth to flirt with women, uphold justice, and insult the stuffed shirts. These scripts bring many smiles, but are also a little depressing as no known tapes exist of these long-forgotten radio broadcasts from the pre-television era.

If I hadn't been a merchandiser for WaldenBooks when this priceless gem was published, I probably never would have heard of it. What a loss that would have been for me. If you've seen any of the Marx Brothers' movies, you'll actually hear their voices (and honks) as you read these hilarious scripts. You'll love it. One word of caution, though. Make it a point to read it before you climb into bed with your significant other, or you'll soon find yourself ejected for disturbing their rest with your frequent outbursts of laughter.

My proposal for a better world: make a package of this book together with Gideons'Bible and stick it onto hotel drawers everywhere in the planet! No wonder this is the surviving marxism, the ideology and enchantment of insulting boredom and its favorite characters. The book's a gem, a nugget. No wonder, too, it is rare and shaped to match the conoisseurs. Waldorf Tecumseh Flywheel and Emmanuel Ravelli are but the finest profiles of the western finest comedy tradition, navigating from naïve and deliciously childish circumstances up to blasting chaotic humor inferno. This is a book to taste like the best wines: one entire case at the time and with no hang overs...never ever! Groucho and Ravelli are stowaways as the ship arrives in New York. They were caught by the Captain but are confounded with a famous adventurer, Sir Roderick by an unaware airheaded socialite (they've had stollen Roderick's luggage and his name was printed on the tags). As the captain wanted to apologyse he says:

Cap - Pardon me.... Groucho - Now what are you going to beef about, captain? Cap - I want to apologyze, sir. I had no idea you were Sir Roderick Mortimer, the explorer. Groucho - Well, it came as a surprise to me, too.

Reading this book is just like watching a classic Marx Brothers movie. There are the same hilarious jokes, the same wacky conversations between Goucho and Chico. In fact, some pieces of dialogue in this book made it to the movies! As you read, you will be amazed at these comic geniuses and their perfect sense of comedic timing. A definite must for all Marx Brothers and comedy fans.

Vignettes of a host of nonviolent political conflicts: in Russia 1905, Ghandi in India, Poland and the USSR, U.S. civil rights, South Africa, El Salvador, Chile, Palestine, etc. Nicely written and easy to follow. Draws important lessons at the end for those interested in learning from the past. This is inspiring, useful and important stuff.

--Alan Zundel, the HeartAwake Center

This is a very important book and deserves consideration for inclusion in ALL history education classes in America, if not the world. Of course, many powers-that-be would be adverse to this subversive idea, since it would in effect, instruct people on how to take control of their own lives out of the hands of malfeasant, greedy politicians and instead empower democracy through democracy, rather than the current American vogue of democracy at the point of a gun. The book describes several of the well-known non-violent movements as well as lesser known ones, such as the German women who embarrassed the Nazis into returning their arrested Jewish husbands from certain death. The associated documentary is also outstanding. A must-have for anyone who hopes the world can save itself from itself (and I'm not sure I'm in that category.)

Why did revenge and vengeance dominate the 9-11 discussion by public officials and the media? Why do our public discourse and media images seem virtually bereft of the common sense that informs many other areas of life? This outstanding book could help fill the void. It consists of a dozen very well-written and well-documented case studies of the power of nonviolence in dealing with injustice on a national or international scale. And I mean the power of nonviolence like King and Gandhi lived it, not the stereotype of nonviolence as passivity or cowardice.

Good parents know revenge doesn't work with their children, good teachers know it doesn't work in the classroom, good citizens know it doesn't work in their community, and a growing proportion of the criminal justice world is embracing the vision of "restorative justice" as a much more functional grounding for most of their work. Even though the majority of people in the US know that revenge doesn't work, there is a lack of awareness of the power of nonviolence in the larger public arena, even though two thirds of the world's population has experienced nonviolent social change that was successful beyond anyone's wildest dreams in South Africa, Eastern Europe, the Philippines, Gandhi in India, the US civil rights movement, to name just a few case studies covered in this remarkable book.

As someone who has taught and worked in community centers in the highest crime areas of NYC and Oakland and directed conflict and peace studies programs for 80 public schools, a university, and several community and national organizations, I can affirm that people are hungry for the hope that comes from stories of nonviolence in action.

Excellent! One of the most powerful books I have ever read. Explodes the left-wing myth that revolutions only occur through violence a la Che Guevara, cites many examples where non-violence protest has ultimately changed the executive power of states from the Phillipines to El Salvador, and won people civil rights. Includes Gandhi and also the Civil Rights movement in the USA in the 60s as case studies.

If your a social activists, and you sometimes feel that "progress" is a lost cause... READ THIS BOOK. If you are a political organizer, and it just doesn't seem worth it anymore... READ THIS BOOK. If you really believe in the power of Direct Action, but feel all used up and stale in your efforts... READ THIS BOOK. This is one of the few books available for people with leftisits, or humanist, causes that will make you smile and give you hope, and remind you that sometimes "the good fight" is a long one - but well worth it. It also takes one out of a self centered reality, and pays homage to those who have faught so hard before us. (and I am not talking about soldiers or fireman..)

Un buon libro in cui è racchiuso l'essenziale. Molto curato e fuori dal comune per la ricchezza di particolari. Un'ottima idea regalo per chi vuole avvicinarsi alle opere di Frank Lloyd Wright.

This is clearly a labor of love. The solid box the book fits into is very cool. Keeps the book with about 9 clear sleeves with insert papers from gettin' smushed. A few nice big photos. Plenty a text. Other good smaller photos. And a cd of Wright speaking. It's nice to finally have some drawings to hold and unfold. I'm not sure all 18 or so of them are what I would have chosen. One in particular is pretty basic. But the mile high tower is 3 folded tall. And there's maybe 6 letters he sent out, modern letter writers might not recognize them with their notations and corrections because since computers we don't need to make such written corrections but in his day that's all they had. I'd easily have taken more and bigger drawings than any of the letters. As it is most of the drawings are 3 or 4 foldouts, very nice. Definitely worth the lower used price available on amazon.com. I think you do have to be a fan though to appreciate it. I'd love to see more books made this way, expanding the notion of what a book is or can be.

This is a unique book, nothing else like it around. A great coffee table book or a gift for anyone interested in architecture or the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Highly recommended.

A must-have for FLW fans. Can be found remaindered for less but this price is decent. Make sure its in good shape. Well-made, written & produced, worth every penny.

My first real adventure into FLW's buildings and his visions. I was amazed at the vast size of his buildings and use of nature and the surroundings. Hearing him on the DVD brought additional insights. Review his drawings and letters included. A world of new experience for me.

David Clayton has done a great job in assembling the stories of the individual players in the early days, how they came together, early struggles, eventual success etc. The reminicences of those who knew them and extracts from music magazines of the time make for interesting reading.

It is a sobering and sometimes depressing read about a band who should have been much larger, but instead were corrupted by eventual success after years of struggle and poverty.

Young up and coming bands would do well to read about, and try to avoid, the mistakes this band made regarding management, drugs, egos, song selection, and group parasites which all got in the way of the music.

this great book at second edition try the reader in a dimension as end '60 never forget and reach light on the hard times of the group.very fine photos but only black and white ,i think perhaps not could be a difficult thing to buyer for this splendid book.
i hope in a third edition with more accurate pages,photos colours and in a book only dedicated to my great guitar player and always inspiration source PAUL KOSSOFF.
peter from italy.

what a great and in depth biography. if you like Free or any of its members, this is a must for your book shelf or coffee table. can't say enough good things about it

Way back in the early eighties, intrigued by the components that made "All Right Now" such a great song, I went on a quest to find any and every recording of the late, great, lamented band, Free. I thought I was the only person on the planet who still listened to them. Thank God I was not. If you dig their music then you will want the book, and you'll love it. If you don't know about the music so well, then this book will definitely wet your appetite for it. They created their own oevre and instantly recognizable sound. The minimalism is addictive. Listen carefully. You will be moved.

My favorite band is Free, and Paul Kossoff my absolute favorite guitarist. They were an extreamly emotionally driven band. This book has been carefully written and A LOT of work has been put into to it! I'm proud that this book was written about Free. I'd like this oportunity to thank everyone who was involved in putting it together!!;) thank you!, I'm so happy so many people still remember Free and this is a truly AMAZING book!! The best story there is! So much of it remembering Paul Kossoff also, god I think about him every day. We miss him and his playing, we should have never lost him.

loving Free always, Lasse Suurmunne

Honestly, I'm thinking of buying another two copies of this book (I have one now) so that I can cut out and frame some of the pictures - (I want two copies because some of the images are back to back). The images are stunning, and there are clear examples that show the influence of Islamic and Moorish art on Christian cathedrals, especially in Spain. Truly a beautiful and scholarly introduction to this lovely part of the heritage of the whole human race.

I found the book superb. As a lover of Gothic arquitecture, I buyed it recently and I found lots of great color photographs, really interesting texts as they have been written by german experts, and more surprising, with an excellent price/quality ratio. After buying this book, I have completed the series buying the books dedicated to Romanesque, Baroque and Renaissance. All of them are really fantastic.

I first discovered this book in the library and I checked it out several times because I just loved looking at it so much. The pictures are so breathtaking, it increased my resolved to go to Europe and visit all these incredible places first hand. It's a great thourough book for anyone who is new to Gothic art forms as well as a visual reference for people who are already familiar with the style.

Hard to carry around, but very easy to read!

Having borrowed this book over and over from the library, I really had a hard time parting with it when I last returned it. The photographs are splendid, a joy to look at. Since it also qualifies as a reference book, I looked it up ..... to but [buy] a copy but was certain price would be ... more than in was. Now I'm about to by my third copy --it is an amazing bargain.

This is the most spectacular book for you if you like lots of HUGE clear photos of TONS of gothic cathedrals. There are MANY pages of history and other information about the making and restoring of the cathedrals. A MUST HAVE for any gothic-history lover.

Ample photos and interesting text...a fine book to own if one is interested in graffiti art in the LA area

By no exaggeration, this book is the best of its kind. It starts out with the history of gang writing then follows up with the evolution of the art including techniques, paint and cap types, run-ins with the law, etc. The pictures are as clear as can be, and the forever present artist commentary is the perfect compliment to the fantastic collection of pics. This is a must own for any fan of graffiti.

All I can say is get this book!!!!If you love that LA raw stuff.It's pretty well rounded,and gives you a whole look at what's going on past and present.If you have never been to LA.Here is your chance.Oh and it's focus is not on just one crew.Get this book first, on LA graff if you have to choose one.Plus an cd rom with photo's.You can't beat that.Good job Mr.Grody GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought this book for my bf, because he loves graffiti art, and used to have his own crew many years ago. He loves to look at the pictures, and see the deeper meanings that a lot of artists present in their graffiti along with murals. Finding the artist's tags in the art is also fun. We both enjoy looking through this book, and plan to buy similar items in the future.

Fifty years ago, graffiti was something written in restrooms and was relatively private. Now graffiti is an art form. You can think of it as vandalism; if it is your wall, or a public wall, and it is supposed to stay clean and undecorated, any unwanted spray-painting, no matter how fancy, is vandalism. But even if it is vandalism (and sometimes the owner of the wall invites the decoration, or the painting is done on canvas for a gallery), there is no arguing that graffiti now is some sort of art. This is especially obvious if you examine the hundreds of pictures in _Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art_ (Abrams) by Steve Grody. Grody loves the graffiti of Los Angeles, and booms, "Along with the myriad styles these artists have created, they have also evolved world-class graphic skills now comparable to the best aerosol work anywhere." It seems funny that anyone would be comparing "aerosol work" from any locales, but you don't have to know about the styles elsewhere to enjoy the astonishing colors and designs found here. Grody examines the ethical issues of this sort of work, but it is clear that such evaluation is secondary to the art itself. He includes interviews with many of the artists (they call themselves "writers"), examines techniques and styles, and shows an appreciation of how this peculiar form of art has redeemed many of its practitioners, and redeemed some blighted public spaces as well.

The spray can is the choice of the writers because it is easily concealed and is portable. On the wall's surface, its effects can be controlled, but it can also cover an area quickly. The furtiveness of making graffiti necessitates the use of the spray can, but writers use it even in gallery work. It is also used, when no concealment is needed, on a "permission wall", a surface donated by its owner for esthetic reasons to be the site of an elaborate piece. The writers quoted here have much to say about the work of others; it is clear that they have examined styles carefully and can give intelligent critiques of what they have seen, and that they admire the works of competent competitors. They know "bad can control" or excessive imitation when they see it. The writers are in danger of criminal prosecution if they are not working on permission walls, and are in physical danger if they are working on some surface that is elevated. There is little tangible reward to this type of artistry, which is mainly a means of self expression with little other benefit. Grody writes, "It is this creative passion in light of all the obstacles that gives the best work its pop pulp energy." There are numerous stories here about members who were at risk of descending into drug use or crimes worse than artistic vandalism, but were saved by joining a group of like-minded artists.

The descriptions here of classifications of the work, the social forces at play, and the lives of the writers are all good for putting the pictures here in context, but the pictures are the show in this big and glossy book. Not all the pictures could even get in here, as with the book there is a disk included of hundreds more, along with audio interviews. It is fun to try to make out the letters, which are clear in some of the examples shown here, but are often so stretched and stylized that even if you know the crew that has put its name up, it is hard to pick the letters out. The depiction of figures or portraits is sometimes hyper-realistic, but usually in a comic book style, and is (to my eyes) far less appealing than the letters shaped into abstractions of extraordinary complexity and color. Grody has a couple of pages to illustrate some basic techniques, like cuts, 3-D, or letter blends, but there is no need to acquire a technical eye to enjoy the shows of kinetic mural energy displayed here. There is still some moral ambiguity about some pieces and their execution, but one picture after another shows that this is a vibrant and valid form of folk art.

Green Cultural Studies was selected as a Choice magazine Outstanding Academic Title of 1999.

From Booknews: A work of cultural criticism arguing that destroying the boundaries between animal and human, between nature and technology, as mainstream green critics propose, would promote culture over and against the needs of nature. Offers instead a new way of thinking about difference. Also contends that the differences between culture and nature impact the treatment not only of nature, but also of human groups currently coded as race, class, gender, and sexuality. No index. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

cultural studies managed to ignore it and stay just the same, after all.

"Because it is one of the first sustained studies to use the analytical tools of cultural studies and to focus entirely on the environment, this volume is an important contribution to the literature. Hochman engages the greening of cultural studies, and in so doing strenuously foregrounds nature. In these highly adroit analyses, nature stops being backdrop and becomes primary subject. The author looks at many texts, including primary works such as Women in Love, Deliverance (the film), Beloved, and Silence of the Lambs and such scholarly discussions as Jacques Derrida's Of Grammatology (Ch, Jul '77) and Donna Haraway's Simians, Cyborgs, and Women (1991), the latter (along with Alexander Wilson's The Culture of Nature, Ch, Dec'92) a theoretical antagonist that informs Hochman's study. Ultimately, Hochman rails against the theorization of nature, insisting that the natural world is more worthy by far than to be commodified and diminished. Though Hochman at times indulges in overly sophisticated and ingenious readings and portmanteaus ("worldnature," "culturescape") and provides no clear rationale for separating the bibliography into two parts, this groundbreaking book is highly recommended for all upper division undergraduate and graduate programs in literature and environmental studies. It should greatly widen the appeal of ecocriticism.-B. Adler

Introduction

PART I: Theriomorphs and Anthropomorphs

1. A Theriomorphic Bestiary: The Silence of the Lambs

2. Human Parsites in Animal Hosts: Women in Love

PART II: The Forest and the Trees

3. The Forest Primarily Evil: Deliverance

4. A Peculiar Arborary: Beloved

PART III: For Land's (Not Property's) Sake

5. The Deed and Its Undoing: The Conservationist

6. Owning Up to Belonging: Daughters of the Dust

PART IV: Nature, In Theory

7. An Environmental Impact Report: Of Grammatology

8. Beyond a Creeping Metonymy: Simians, Cyborgs, and Women

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography/Filmography I

Bibliography II