Art History Books

Jane Powell is THE bungalow author to read. As a remodeler who specializes in 1920's bungalows, it pleases me to no end to read an author who really knows what she is talking about. Every Jane Powell book I have read is like a college course on that aspect of bungalow history, preservation, and renovation. This book is no exception. And she is really funny! Beautiful photos (as usual)by Linda Svendsen.

I enjoy this book and look at pretty regularly. I plan on using some of the details on future construction projects. However, the author is a bit too politically correct for my tastes. She keeps reminding us how "poison" vinyl is. That sort of bothered me. I am sure, given a choice, most people would choose to live a beautiful wooden or stone home rather than a vinyl clad manufactured home or tract home.. however lets be realistic. Those types of home are often what is affordable to the average family. Other than that issue.. I would recommend the book.. it has some great pictures and lots of information about bungalow exterior details.

I don't live in a Craftsman bungalow, but I'm adding a number of Craftsman details to my existing NW cabin style house. Over the years I have collected numerous books full of photographs of various bungalows but I have sold all of them now that I have this book. This one book contains information on nearly every exterior detail you are likely to need, and is lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings. It's an excellent reference for buffs and restorers. I have already pre-ordered the next volume which will cover interiors. Shame I have to wait 6 months!

Together writer Jane Powell and photographer Linda Svendsen create the best bungalow books on the market -- full of information, not just fluff. Whether you are thinking of remodelling your house, changing a few details, or just want to understand the history of your bungalow, this is the book to buy... and really, this book is very cheap compared to the price of a bad remodel.

In my opinion the chapter on avoiding replacement window scams, while energy-retrofitting your house, should be required reading for all homebuyers.

This book became and instant reference for our home project and I have quite a few in my collection. If you are looking for good examples to put the finishing touches on a bungalow or arts and crafts project, Ilike this one!

I've seen nicer books coming in at several hundred dollars but for the ~$5 you really can't beat this one Plenty of beautiful full color plates this makes an excellent student edition and a reference book for home. If you're purchasing for an all out art reference library you should look into a different edition.

This is a nice overview of the work of Caravaggio.. and the price is very good - I saw a similar collection (though it was hardcover) for nearly $100 - I am satisfied with this general overview for much cheaper. I think the colors are pretty good - and the artwork is, of course, timeless!

This book contains many beautiful full page photos of the works of Caravaggio. Each painting is accompanied with a brief explanation. References and comparisons are made to other famous works by great artistic masters. A great book to begin your art book collection!

I have recently returned from the met and observed the great colour used by Caravaggio and was inspired to by the book. This contains a great of information and has great paintings on my favourite artist--Caravaggio. God bless

Someone made a reference in 1999 that this is an 80 page book. It is 127 pages and filled with quality color plates. The paper's a bit thin, but certainly adequate, as is the text. I have just finished reading 'The Lost Painting', and wanted to peruse some of the works discussed in the book (a fascinating read and/or listen with the audio book). Another reviewer noted this is as a wonderful book to begin a collection. The publisher, Phaidon, really puts out some fine materials. I own three of their publications now, one being '50 Self-Portraits' and another on Tadema. If you have an inclination to dwell awhile on the stunning legacy of Caravaggio, this should more than do the job.

All of Bruce Henderon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL!

As previous reviewers stated, this is a marvelous book, & it does have far too many Disney & Popeye posters in it. Considering the wealth of other 'vintage' cartoon posters that are around (even just searching on the net), Im suprised they didnt have a better selection for us to look at. Otherwise, Im very happy to have this book, and I'd LOVE to see a volume 2 some day!!!

I'll be truthful: I received Bruce Hershenson's CARTOON MOVIE POSTERS as part of a "grab-bag" special he was throwing a couple of years back. My tastes lie in the somewhat more arcane area of Horror & Science Fiction posters. What would a guy like me who covets copies of posters like BEAST WITH 1,000,000 EYES want with...harmless, namby-pamby kid's stuff? Plenty, as I soon discovered once I opened this excellent book. First-the reason I had been so unaware of cartoon posters, especially ones from the seven minute variety, is that so many of them are practically extinct. Cartoons, being the VERY bottom of the bill, were treated as 4th-class citizens, and if the studios bothered to make a poster at all, there weren't very many of them and the vast majority of those were tossed. What a shame! This book, which contains close to 400 exqusitely printed images, is an absolute riot of color and imagination that easily rivals any of my beloved fantasy pieces. Starting from cartoon pioneer Windsor McCay in 1911 and ending with the X-rated FRITZ THE CAT in 1972,(and touching on all points in between), Bruce includes examples ranging from the obvious (Disney, Warner Bros, & Fleischer) to the wonderfully obscure (there are several pages of pictures from Ub Iwerks'fairy tale cartoons from the 30s that are gorgeous, more than a little strange, and as rare as hen's teeth.) If you have even a passing interest in movie posters, it is mandatory that you order at least a couple of Hershenson's poster volumes. If you are a rabid, hopeless poster fiend like myself, they are invaluable for both reference and entertainment. Everything about them is first-rate: the printing, the choice of posters (ah, those 30s & 40s Disney 1-sheets...!)the short, inobtrusive, well-written snippets regarding the history of various posters: it's very tough to find fault here. This is the perfect gift for hard-core poster geeks and casual film/cartoon aficonados alike. Five stars all the way, and...abbah-dee, abbah-dee, abbah-dee....That's All, Folks!

Everyone has their own favorite film genre (animation, action and adventure, science fiction, etc.). Next to crime/film noir films, animation is mine. The beautiful thing about this book is the unexpected. Rather than delve into the standard Disney fare (which is included in great detail nevertheless), this book includes artwork from posters from "lesser seen or only mildly popular" titles. Besides Disney, everything from Fleischer to Avery is represented, works of art that can only be bought for thousands of dollars today at many of America's high echelon auction houses. If you are the least bit interested in the jaw-dropping beauty of what has become a lost art -- the exercise of drawing images associated with the advertising of a Hollywood film -- this is the book to have. This book is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with animated films, illustrates innumerable examples whereby despite the restrictive nature of the genre (cartoons), not all posters went in the same direction in terms of style and presentation. From Pinocchio to Popeye, Hershenson and Allen have built an incredible archive (and legacy) of images in all of his books, capturing a period (when all posters were drawn by hand and then printed, as opposed to today's method of using photographic stock and manipulating them digitally and printing them by the thousands) that would otherwise be lost forever. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com).

This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION, for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.

I haven't read the screenplay, yet. In fact, I'm debating on buying it or not after watching the movie, itself. As far as I know, a friend of a friend got the movie off from an editing reel...my friends remaining undisclosed at this time. I was never into the whole Charles Manson scene...in fact, this is the first piece of info. about Charles Manson that I've seen/read. The only thing I could base my thoughts about it is from what other have said about it. Then one day, me and quite a large group of my buddies were getting hammered, and my friend asked if we wanted to watch something. The way he described it was 3 hours of the sickest things you've ever seen, progressively getting worse, having graphic scenes of the twin towers blowing up, with porn scenes and football mixed together, followed by that midget "beetlejuice" doing obscene acts of...well...you don't want to know. But after watching this, I saw a side of the Manson murders that I never even fathomed of wanting to see. So, in conclusion....i would say that this is excellent reading material for the daily american psychopath, but you better make sure you have a lead stomach, cause' you're in for a bumpy ride. Email me if you want to add something.

~Jeff

Great book, the pictures were clear and crisp. I can't wait for this to come out on DVD!

This is something of a first, a published edition of the Screenplay of one of the best Underground films never to have been distributed. Up until now, only the lucky few attendees of Film festivals have been able to catch a glimpse of Jim Vanbebber's radical reworking of the Manson Family story since the Film has yet to have been distributed to Theaters. Now, while Vanbebber finishes his final cut, you can read the screenplay itself, browse the photos and add his take on the crime spree to your collection of classics like HELTER SKELTER. Of course, I can hardly wait for the film, but in the meantime... I'll take this. The retelling itself focuses on a theory of the crimes that has not been in the forefront. Vanbebber's take on the big question of WHY the murders took place is disturbing since it demystifies the crimes and shows them for the dirty, filthy, stupid and brutal murders they actually were rather than some statement on a fictional Race War. Ultimately, I feel his telling of the stories is more disturbing as a result of his refusal to be swayed by media myths.

I've been hearing about CHARLIE'S FAMILY for over five years and ever since I've been dying to see Underground Wunderkind, Jim Van Bebber's retelling of the Manson story. Sadly, it seems that the film is either not yet finished or has not yet acquired a Distributor. In a year when Blair Witch made so much money on such a false pretense, I gotta ask myself why this film hasn't seen the light of day? Still, Creation has now published the screenplay to this long-awaited project along with lots of groovy production stills which has calmed me down some. However, after reading the story which is a poignant but slightly sardonic look at Tabloid Culture, I only want to see the film more and more. Even so, I think anyone interested in Van Bebber's work (My Sweet Satan) can appreciate his narrative style and enjoy reading this screenplay. One advantage to reading it as a screenplay instead of some novelization is that you can see in your mind's eye, what shape the film will take place. It's like a secret glimpse into the creative process that few people outside of a studio ever get access to. The story itself is very up to date even if it is about Manson. The wrap-around story brings the moral questions of the Manson mystique into focus while the flashback scenes transport us back into the harrowing summer of 1969 when the Hippie movement jumped the tracks and a small band of Free-lovers and their ex-con Guru, Charlie, decide it's End Of The World Time and take their paranoia to the streets. The back then and then and the Here and Now of this telling blend very well and make us all wonder if it's very wise to objectify the monsters of our past. Personally, I'd like to see the author move on to a serious, sociological exploration of Manson-Worship but I doubt even he could stand to wallow in the Manson story much longer. Still, if you can overcome your reluctance to read a screenplay, you won't be sorry because in here are all the big answers to the questions raised by the Manson Murders, not the least of which is WHY ON EARTH they happened in the first place. Oh.. and the answer has very little to do with Helter Skelter.

I have purchased five copies of this book already and probably will buy more as gifts. This is a MUST HAVE BOOK for True Crime readers. Yes, I know, It's a screenplay. Even so, it manages to put across more hard info about the transformation of Charlie from Love Guru to General Charlie of the Acid Apocolypse than any book, article or expose since Ed Sanders' THE FAMILY. If you have a heart at all, the scenes recounting the murders of first Gary Hinman, the forgotten Manson Victim and then Sharon Tate and friends and then the poor La Biancas will leave you broken and weeping. I felt that for the first time, a work about Manson has put the Victims first. Not much else to say except buy this, read it, think about it and tell anyone else who might be falling into that "Manson was a misunderstood genius" rap that they NEED to read this book too.

while in France recently at Chalon-sur-Soane I visited their photography museum. They were doing a special exhibit of this work. I was so totally impressed on how Miller could capture these photos while seeming to be invisable to his subjects that I investigated when I returned and discovered that this book was available. I bought TWO; one for myself and one for my daughter who is a serious photographer.

These striking images of Bronzeville -- "Chicago's Harlem" -- will blow you away. The humanity they portray, in all its beaten-down, lifted-up, heartbreaking reality, makes me wish I knew personally every man and woman depicted herein.

Wayne Miller, a white photographer now well into his 80s, went into the Bronzeville ghetto over a two-year period and made these touching pictures; then they "went into a drawer" for 40 years, until finally the Univ of Calif Press published this book. (The book itself is as well-produced a book of photographs as you are likely to find anywhere.)

My grandfather Nathan Joseph ran the States Theatre at 3507 S. State St., in the heart of Bronzeville, for some 50 years (unfortunately the States is not depicted herein). I myself have written a novel of Bronzeville called "To Love Mercy" (Mid-Atlantic Highlands, ISBN 0-9744785-3-9). A historical Afterword appears at the end of "To Love Mercy;" it is an oral history of Bronzeville, in the voices of a dozen people who lived there in the '40s and '50s. This Afterword is illustrated with seven of Wayne Miller's photos from "Chicago South Side, 1946-1948."

I have given close to a dozen copies of "Chicago South Side" as gifts. I was coming to Amazon to buy two more copies when I saw this opportunity to write a review.

These photos have moved me to tears. Buy this book.

This is a marvelous collection of images from everyday Balck Chicago life in the late 1940s. There are scenes of street life, back alleys, patrons at a pool hall and tavern, and night life ranging from a female personator dressing to Duke Ellington hunched at a piano at rehearsal and an ebullient Louis Jordan on stage.

This book is a treasure. I wish I could find more by this photographer (my searches have come up empty). The photographs take you right inside each scene, and often pack a powerful punch of sadness, joy, intimacy, life. The printing quality is excellent. If the publisher can collect more of his work, I will be the first customer.

This is one of the best photographic books I've seen -- ever. Wayne Miller manages to make personal contact with the human beings who lived on Chicago's South Side in a way that few photographers have ever matched. The warmth and complexity of these photographs, the compassion and human understanding involved, are most remarkable -- especially since the photographer stood on the other side of America's terrible racial divide from his subjects. Anyone who loves classic documentary photography, or who simply loves human beings in their complexity, should order this book.

This volume assuredly would be a welcome addition to the libary of anyone who loves Charles Dickens and/or the history of film. The style of writing is quite engaging, yet it does not descend into sentimentality or nostalgia.

The opening chapters, which provide a relatively brief yet surprisingly insightful treatment of Dickens' Christmas writings and social conscience, are a concise picture of the setting in which Dickens brought his classic to life. For those unfamiliar with the period, I would find this to be an essential background, lest A Christmas Carol be reduced to a fairy tale, as it is in certain film treatments. Those who are acquainted with these matters undoubtedly would find the quotations from Dickens' more obscure Christmas writings, and references to such other Christmas scenes as those in The Pickwick Papers, to form a comprehensive image of the combination of commentary and imagination in these works, and underlying themes which influenced a Christmas Carol itself.

The treatment of film adaptations, including the earliest silents, is extremely well researched and comprehensive. Even the biggest fan of "Scrooge pictures" would find some in this collection which were unknown. The classic films (for example, Alastair Sims' version) are analysed with an insightfulness that would increase anyone's understanding and enjoyment of their content.

As a Dickens lover, and also as one who is a "Christmas nut" (for whom the insights in this volume were a welcome and lovely nutcracker), I would highly recommend this book on all counts.

Dickens dose a great job introducing this book. He has very high vocabulary and his words are sometimes very confusing. However, that should not cloud over the book because it is a great read. In my opinion it is a must read. I think if any Christmas hater reads this book they will love it. It certainly was interesting.

Fred Guida has presented an incredibly well researched and beautifully written book that blends the literary history of this story along with the history of its various screen presentations. Thank you for this unique presentation.

I've been a fan of the 1953 version of a the Carol for as long as I remember. It was family tradition every Christmas eve to watch it. I've looked at as many possible versions and have yet to find it's match. This book is an amazing resource of all the various interpretations of the Dicken's classic has gone through from early lantern projected pictures, through the silent era, talking films, television, and animated specials. The early version were fascinating and I found it a special bonus that the author made note of various television shows which featured a special Christmas episode inspired by A Christmas Carol. Who could ever forget the "Six Million Dollar Man" Christmas special using the ideas from the novel. This brought back a lot of great television special memories. I was even able to track down two hard to find T.V. animated specials shown in the early 1970's but not seen since. (I found them on Amazon). All in all a great read, especially for fans. I did not agree with all of the criticisms, and the text is a rather dry read, maybe a little too academic. But still great stuff!!

Everyone has a favorite film or television version of Dickens beloved "A Christmas Carol." But few of us have any idea how very many adaptations there have been. Mr. Guida's wonderful book examines first the written "Carol," then goes on to detail some of the hundreds of adaptations and variations, from the early stage versions and magic lantern slides to modern made-for-television Carols. Mr. Guida discusses the major Carols with wit and humor as well as rare discernment: his love for his subject is evident. Minor Carols and variations are also covered, albeit more briefly. If you cannot find your favorite version in the text, you are sure to find it in the superb and very thorough filmography. The filmography is worth browsing in and of itself; did you know that there have been Western, country-western, rock-and-roll, and even science-fiction variations on "A Christmas Carol"? Or that actors as disparate as Cicely Tyson, Basil Rathbone, and Mr. Magoo have played Scrooge? If you love "A Christmas Carol" or simply dote on film trivia, I promise you will enjoy this book.

"....In this universe of painted manuscripts [from ancient Mexico) an extraordinary volume has recently appeared--a study of the Codex Telleriano-Remensis by Eloise Quiñones Keber. This primary source for the study of Aztec history and ritual is one of the few surviving codices from this culture and presents to the reader a treasury of information about the people of Mesoamerica. This high-quality facimile edition focuses especially on the Aztecs prior to and after the Conquest. But above all, congratulations go to Quiñones Keber, whose excellent work and years of dedication and research have been recognized by the granting of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, given...in 1996 for her 'outstanding contribution to humanistic learning.' The University of Texas Press is also to be congratulated for this superior production, as is the Getty Foundation, which has made the fine volume available to scholars, libraires, and art lovers...."

"Few codices exist that provide scholars of the Aztecs (Nahuas) with a pictorial version of native depiction of the Aztecs' origins, culture, and history prior to and after the Spanish conquest that began in 1519. Among them is a manuscript now housed in the Bibliothèque Nationale of France, the so-called Codex Telleriano-Remensis, named after the man who contributed it to the library of Louis XIV....Fifty folios in length, this fragile and irreplaceable source was microfilmed in color in 1990. Thanks to the interest of the University of Texas Press and a subvention from the Getty Grant Program, a full-color published facsimile of the images and commentary is now available to scholars, students, and others fascinated by the Aztecs. Splendidly annotated by Dr. Quiñones Keber, a well-known specialist in Mesoamerican art and iconography, this volume truly must be seen to be fully appreciated...."

"The 16th-century Codex Telleriano-Remensis was a rare colonial enterprise: an intercultural exchange between Indian artists and Spanish overseers. It was created in an attempt to understand Aztec culture in light of its transformed present. The result was a well-organized manuscript with invaluable information about the Aztec calendar, mythology, rituals, history, and politics. Through the centuries, the Codex has been a fruitful source of knowledge for academics and a source of cultural identity and power for the diminishing Aztec (Nahua) survivors. This new edition includes a full-color photographic facsimile of the entire Codex as well as an English translation of the Spanish commentaries that explain the work's intense visual imagery. It contains over 100 pages of brilliant visions of bellicose earth-mother goddesses and other mythical creatures. [Quiñones] Keber is professor of art history at Baruch College and The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. She provides a comprehensive text that complements these images with core information about Aztec culture and gives the reader a deeper appreciation for the art of Aztec manuscript painting. Most people will never see the original manuscript, now well guarded at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, but [Quiñones] Keber provides the immediacy and excitement of actually holding a copy of the ancient text. She has opened a window onto a unique cultural fusion born of the encounter between old and new worlds. Silvia Heredia '95C"

Couple with the Herbal Codex, this lays the superfluous groundwork for the understanding of Spanish/Aztec integration and the loss of indigeniuos knowledge. What this really does is preserves the spiritual awareness the Pre Meso-American people knew as a intimate interaction with Mother Earth/Father Sky representative gods. A must for those needing to know where your place is in the world order and for those whose spiritual growth has stopped. Leads you to the Aztec Calender and, with little promting, shows the coorelational ideas of modern myths, legends, and assumptions that modern religions make. Does time really have one dimension? Does the etheral body remain on this plain or steps to make its assendence to the Higher Divine? With little knowledge of ritual rites, show materialism is a major modern flaw.This helps to bridge old mythogical rituals into understandable terms.

"....In this universe of painted manuscripts [from ancient Mexico) an extraordinary volume has recently appeared--a study of the Codex Telleriano-Remensis by Eloise Quiñones Keber. This primary source for the study of Aztec history and ritual is one of the few surviving codices from this culture and presents to the reader a treasury of information about the people of Mesoamerica. This high-quality facimile edition focuses especially on the Aztecs prior to and after the Conquest. But above all, congratulations go to Quiñones Keber, whose excellent work and years of dedication and research have been recognized by the granting of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, given...in 1996 for her 'outstanding contribution to humanistic learning.' The University of Texas Press is also to be congratulated for this superior production, as is the Getty Foundation, which has made the fine volume available to scholars, libraires, and art lovers...."

I agree with every word written in the previous reviews: this is a stunning work and one of my most prized possessions, ranging across manuscript illumination from the very earliest known through early to late Middle Ages and Renaissance, and geographically also ranging much more widely (i.e. outside Europe) than any work I've come across.

I paid £37 for it in the UK when it first came out ($75), and still thought it was an absolute bargain. So I am mystified why it is suddenly available (October 2007) at a fraction of the price: this must be being sold at a loss - or are Taschen simply offloading all unsold copies to Amazon? It might be worth Amazon specifying if this indeed the same as the original edition. You'll note that the cover picture is slighlty different from the one you get when you follow the link to the more expensive 'other editions' (even if the text content and reviews are identical).

This book is worth every penny! It has fantastic HUGE pictures full of great detail. As an artist who specialises in ancient illuminated manuscripts, I value this book above all others in my personal library. So many great manuscripts are represented here. Truely high art!

"Masterpieces of Illumination: The World's Most Beautiful Illuminated Manuscripts from 400 to 1600" is essentially a reprint of "Codices illustres: The World's Most Famous Illuminated Manuscripts 400 to 1600." The former is one of many 25th anniversary Taschen editions, and bears the series logo on its dust-jacket and bright green cover (rather than the classier illumination of the Limburg Brother's Anatomical Man that adorns the cover of the latter). "Masterpieces" is also slightly smaller (9 ¾" x 12 ½") than the original (10 ¼" x 13 ¼"). There are a few other slight differences between the two editions: different endpapers; white paper for the appendix in "Masterpieces," ivory in "Codices"; and slightly darker illustrations in Masterpieces (only noticeable if you actually compare the editions side by side). Otherwise the two editions are virtually identical.
This is a truly wonderful book. It contains discussions and representative illuminations from 167 of the most famous and influential extant codices, books of hours, psalters, Bibles and histories from Europe and Asia (23 or the 167 are from Persia, turkey and India) during the 1200 years in which manuscript illumination flourished as an art form (and at the end of the text proper are samples from yet another 29 manuscripts). The full-color and often full-page illustrations are beautifully and accurately rendered, and the accompanying descriptions are both authoritative and unusually informative. The appendix contains artist biographies, along with a comprehensive bibliography, glossary, and index. In short, this is more than just a coffee-table book; in fact, I use it in my university course on manuscript illumination (along with Christopher De Hamel's excellent "A History of Illuminated Manuscripts," which forms the perfect companion piece to this volume.).
At the current retail price ($29.95) this book is an absolute steal. If you only get one book on the subject of manuscript illumination, this should be the one!

This book deserves a seven stars score, as it is magnificent in every sense: Paper, Colour palette reproduction, basic and reliable information accompanying every depicted facsimil, and specially because of the scope of the compendium, involving manuscript examples from arabic countries as well as a XIII century mexican manuscript (The Borgia Codex currently held at the Biblioteca Vaticana) This collection shows (as rarely done by supossedly comprehensive treatises) that Mesoamerican, Chinese and Arabic cultures do also possess a very rich medieval heritage, characterised by a colourful tradition in art production. I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Medieval illumination, as well as for those modern illuminators concerned with applying only authentic medieval colours (mostly inorganic compounds) in their manuscript reproductions and finally, this book serves also as a comprehensive guide for visiting great libraries and museums all around the world where some of these manuscripts are exhibited (Do not forget to visit the Condé Museum and The Marmottan-Monet Museum in France).

Illumination has fascinated me since I was a boy. This is the best book I have seen of illuminations. The scope includes books in Greek, Latin, Old Church Slavonic, Persian, and Mayan. The printing is superb. Detailed descriptions tell who did the work, who patronized it, who owned the book, where it is now, and so forth. Great for browsing for enjoyment and as a source of inspiration. I expect this book to be a favorite for many years to come. Anybody who enjoys calligraphy and illumination would be delighted to own this book.

...and yes, someone needs to undertake a follow-up volume for the new episodes. However, this would be an intimidating task because Dawidziak has writen such a tremendous volume.

This is a fine book - I've read it cover-to-cover. It's all you need if you are interested in the fumbling, bumbling ways of this great detective.

I hope that Mark Dawidziak revises it someday to include the newer additions to the Columbo saga.

This is a great book rich with detail and exclusive interviews. I've read - and reread - the book a number of times.

This fine book shows just the sort of attention to detail the great detective would appreciate. It is a work of love, and is a good read for any fan of Columbo. The only problem is that the book is a little out of date now - well over a dozen episodes have screened since the last one listed. A new edition is in order. Please, please, give us the REST of the story!

I refer to the book many times when I watch Columbo episodes I've taped over the years. I think it's a great book, but like others, I think it should either be updated, or a sequel book, possibly titled "The Columbo Phile - Just One More Thing" that just covers the newer cases and updates the statistics (such as how many times William Shatner has been a murderer on Columbo, which used to be 1 and now is 2). Maybe they could use color photos in it, too.

I borrowed The Complete Beatles Chronicle from the library hoping to get more info on the making of the White Album (my favorite). But, because of how well the book is written, I wound up starting from page one.

This book is interesting because it doesn't miss the big picture. At the beginning of each year is a concise chronicle of what happen that year and its significance. One needn't get bogged down in the details. Just read the first few pages of each chapter for a good overview.

But, if you read the whole account, you'll discover the true genius of the four lads from Liverpool and how they somehow managed to create high-quality songs in between appearances on TV shows, sitting in on radio broadcasts, making movies, going on far-flung concert tours and dealing with mobs of desperate Beatlemaniacs.

Some of this data must be conjecture (even though it's not presented as such). For example, unless it was revealed in an interview, how would the author know that Billy Preston was brought into the Get Back sessions in order to break the tension within the group.

Still, it's an easy read filled with facts. I must now buy this book. So should you.

[DW]

Since publishers and editions change from time to time, I am not certain that I am reviewing the exact book. This book will be interesting mainly to those who were teenagers during the 1960s. These persons will recall the first time they heard each of the Beatles' albums, or they will recall the event of buying these albums. For example, I first heard Sgt.Pepper at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. The album was played before the performers went on stage -- that was Cream on their first American tour, along with Gary Burton Quartet and the Flaming Groovies (a last minute replacement for the Electric Flag). Anyway, the book takes the form of a diary detailing when and under what circumstances many of the songs were composed, recorded, and performed. The book contains 360 pages of small print, and almost every page has a 1/4 page photograph, though some are 1/8 page or 1/2 page, in size. The latter part of the book contains color photos. The reproductions of the photos are better than one might expect -- nice contrast and sharp focus. We learn that the original name of the Beatles was the Quarry Men, where this name came from Quarry Bank High School for Boys (page 12). We learn that the Quarry Men (John, Paul, George, and John Lowe (drums)) made their first recording in 1958 (page 13). We learn that Ringo was the drummer for a band called "Al Caldwell's Texans" even before he (Ringo) jointed "Rory Storm and the Hurricanes." (page 16) We learn that the first appearance of the lineup of John, Paul, George, and Ringo took place on August 18, 1962, and this was at Hulme Hall, where the occasion was the Horticultural Society's annual dance (page 75). We learn that the Beatles' first U.S. performances were in February 1964. An interesting fact is that Charles Finley, then owner of the Kansas City Athletics baseball team, paid $150,000 out of his own pocket to persuade the Beatles to play in Kansas City, and that the manager of the hotel in Kansas City cut up the Beatles' bed linen into 3-inch squares, and sold them for $10 each (page 139). We learn that the trumpet players on Strawberry Fields Forever were Tony Fisher, Greg Bowen, Derek Watkins, and Stanley Roderick (page 234) and that Dave Mason played the B-flat piccolo trumpet on Penny Lane (page 240). We learn that Maxwell's Silver Hammer took 27 takes, that She Came In Through the Bathroom Window took 39 takes, and that Here Comes the Sun had 13 takes (pages 324-327). Again, the reading is fairly dry and fun facts are encountered only on occasion. There is essentially no information on the Beatles' social lives. But for those who were teenagers during the 60s, the book is likely to be a page turner.

The best book about the Beatles, with "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions", of same author.

This is the kind of book that you would read cover to cover. But if you were a fussy fan you would want this book in your collection for reference.

Mark Lewisohn set a new standard for primary source research in rock music. This vastly informative book combines, in slightly truncated form, his brilliant day-by-day books "The Beatles Recording Sessions" and "The Beatles Live." Also included are film and radio appearances. Along the way are many suitable and wonderful photographs. Great for browsing or for obsessive fans to devour start to finish.