Art History Books

I am very pleased with this book and I think it gives a load of information for a very reasonable price.

The book (together with vol.2) is overfilled with all kinds of garments you can imagine and for each sort of garment there are always many styles.

It is not directly a drafting book, it does not tell you how to draft your own bodice etc. by using your measurements, but the method of using the patterns and the enlarging rulers is very close to that and, as I think, it might produce a very good substitution for a custom-drafted dress with saving a lot of your time and being very simple to do. It is something between custom drafting and pre-sized patterns, because you create the garments by using your bust and back length measurement, which are the two most important measurements for making a garment suited to your proportions and it will probably need only little easy modifications like adding/substracting from waist and hip width and maybe some changes for the front length. But all possible and most frequent modifications are very well explained in the book.

It is all written in such a way that even with no or little knowledge of drafting, you'll be able to produce a probably very well fitted garments.

For a drafting professional, it's a good help when doing things like skirts, especially draped overskirts and all garments creating a shape or silhouette that is hard to figure out. Even if you won't use the patterns for enlarging and draft the things yourself, you can very well keep to the shape of the patterns as you can see, unlike in so many pattern books, NUMBERS.

I think this book has the best ratio of the price and the information given of all costume book I've come through. It's a pity that there are no such books for earlier periods:-(

This is a great book for seamstresses with some experience(I think it would be too hard for beginners.It would be good if you have some comprehenesion on sizing(drafting patterns yourself for example)but that isn't even necessary.I think it would be easier though:)

Frances Grimble gives clear instructions for changing patterns to size and even to different body shapes(large bust, short back etc.
You do need to take some time for this, but well, you'll have an authentic pattern in your hands, how great is that?;)And there are so many in this book! I was having a very hard time finding real historical patterns in The Netherlands(so far found one french journal from 1902)and I feel like a kid in a candystore now.:)I <3 this book already.

You can make a complete outfit, from undergarments to overgarments.

If you have some sewing experience and you love this period it is really a great book!



Amazon's service is excellent too. It didn't take very long for the item to arrive(from US to the Netherlands)(with one step faster shipping, expidited?)it was even a lot faster then the estimated arrival time.

This book is wonderful. I believe I own every book Frances Grimble has written and anxiously await more. The variety of patterns is amazing and allows the experienced sewer to create their own designs from various components, like sleeves and collars. This sure beats trying to decipher the patterns in an original 1890's issue of Harpers!

This book contains patterns for the following:
corsets, hoopskirts and bustles (some)
underclothing and negligee wear (quite a few)
day and evening skirts (only about four)
day bodices (quite a few)
evening bodices (some)
overskirts (some)
polonaises (some)
day dresses (quite a few)

some = around ten
quite a few = over 20

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes victorian costuming. It not only works as a pattern book, but as a source book, having lots of pictures you can use for reference. Even if you just look through it, it really can help you understand the styles of that era.

The pictures and descriptions within the book are an excellent reference if you are researching and intending on recreating one of these beautiful designs. Advanced knowledge of sewing skills is a must for those who wish to recreate these (definantly not for the novice sewer). Frances Grimble, you've done it again. Please keep them coming. I will buy every book you put out.

I had this book for a Film History class, and it was great. I've used it every semester since and plan to keep it forever and sleep with it under my pillow.

Even though it isn't aimed at teaching film theory or basics, it's better at explaining the basics than Film Art by miles. It also makes theory more interesting and topical to learn since it goes chronologically and highlights films that were actually influential, instead of the ones that Film Art just happened to get the rights to print pictures of.

Highly recommend.

Due to a change of plans I didn't use this book this quarter. However, hearing from my follow film students this book details well about the history of film and not just North American film. All film. A must for a film student.

here's a short comparison I made between the following 3 film history books:

A History of the Cinema from Its Origins to 1970 (Eric Rhode)
A Short History of the Movies (Gerald Mast)
Film History: An Introduction, (Thompson-Bordwell)

I was looking for a technical/historical overview of the development of cinema, without idiosyncratic criticism and with emphasis on the origins of film techniques, genealogy of influences of filmmakers, relevant references to history, literature and other arts, and impartial accounts of filmmakers' careers.

Instead of a verdict, I will simply quote passages about two greats:

Rhode: [about Fellini] "Fellini's greatest works are inevitably works of laughter and tears. [...] Fellini gets into trouble when he deserts feeling for thought. La Dolce vita (1959) is a sterile thematic exercise [...] In the film's first sequence, a helicopter [...] The film, intellectualy, is over. Christ has been petrified into wood; he is the tool of modern machinery [...] Although the film has nothing more to say, Fellini continues for two hours, contrasting sensual things [...] Juliet of the Spirits [...] suffers from a similar over-schematization."

Mast: [about Antonioni] "Antonioni sometimes has trouble in allowing his images to accrete meaning [...] His failure to generalize experience was to be total in La notte (1960). Lacking any understanding of how writers think and feel, his portrait of the author, [...] is so unconvincing that the spectator may be tempted to think that Giovanni's crisis of conscience is no more than a rationalization of his inability to escape from his wife's purse-strings."

Thompson-Bordwell: [about Antonioni] "From the start of his career Antonioni demonstrated a mastery of deep focus (Fig. 19.30) and the long take with camera movement (pp. 427-429). The early works also pioneered [...] Antonioni's muted dramatization of shallow or paralyzed characters found a sympathetic response in an era that also welcomed Existentialism. [...] Juan Bardem, Miklos Jansco, and Theo Angelopoulos learned from his distinctive style. Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974) and Brian De Palma's Blow-Out (1981) derive directly from Blow-Up."


nuff said...

I used this book in a film studies class about four years ago and I kept it because of the wealth of information. For the first time I understood the different epochs of film not only in the U.S. but also around the world. I was introduced to a wider variety of international film and the work of Eisenstein, Renoir, Kurosawa, and others. I highly recommend this book for the concise language, easy explanations, and beautiful black and white and color reproductions from many films. This book is a page turner.

If you are interested in film history on the whole, please, give yourself a treat by purchasing this book. It is not cheap but it is worth every penny. I had it after a course in film history and despite being someone who usually sell or dump away my texts after graduation, I find it very hard to give this one away. Boy, am I glad I did not. As one's scope and experience in world cinema grows, so too does one's interest in this book. Bordwell and Thomas's style is academic but always enthusiastic, and theirs is the most comprehensive account of world cinema in English (pre-war Japanese cinema, anyone?). I have not found another general film book on world cinema history to match, and I will certainly be purchasing its third edition (what I have is the first) if that ever comes by.

"Five Stars" deserves five stars.

I read an early edition from Sutro Press, and "Five Stars" is truly a marvelous guide to making your dreams a reality, without any film school snobbery to weigh it down. The book surveys all the stuff you need to know to write credibly about movies, coaches you through the writing process, and even provides excellent tips on how to get your words published.

The author is a web entrepreneur, a seasoned magazine editor, and even a novelist, so he really knows what he's writing about, and that really comes through in the book. Whether you want to pursue film review as a career or even as an occasional hobby, or you just want to go see a lot of new movies and DVDs for free, this book is a fabulous way to start.

I love movies. I love to criticize movies. But I really just want to share my criticism with my friends, and I really don't care to be eloquent about it. Take the movie "Four Brothers" for instance. My review would run something like this: "WTF??? I gotta see that again!"

Now, if Christopher Null had written about how to become a food critic, I'd be all over that. I wonder if it would work to just replace words like "film" and "movie" with "food" and "eats", or "actor" and "actress" with "meat" and "potatoes". But then I would have to come up with all kinds of substitutes, and that would get complicated. Would I pick "flambe" or "brussel sprout" to replace "director", "chef" or "gourmet" for "producer", or "curry" or "whip cream" for "writer"? No I guess it wouldn't work.

Hopefully, Mr. Null has a food critic friend who will write a similarly great book entitled "Five Stars! How to Become a Food Critic, The Galaxy's Greatest Job." Let's face it, film critiquing may be great, but food critiquing, what could be better than eating for a living?

normally, i wouldn't want to be a film critic but christopher null makes you really think about it. a great critic...he's interesting and inventive--and has an appreciation for the out of the ordinary... just check out his wacky website. [...]

Other reviewers have gone into great detail about what's in this book so I won't repeat their efforts. Simply put, this book is written by a critic, Christopher Null, which knows movies and can put that knowledge on paper in an informative and still entertaining way. Each point he makes in this book includes at least one movie as an example and it's obvious by the movie titles he lists that he has watched thousands of them. This is a must buy for anyone that wants to be a film critic (or already believe they are one) and a highly recommended purchase for those of you, like me, that simply love watching movies.

If you're one of the millions who dream of turning your love of cinema into a lifelong vocation, you need to read Five Stars. This is the only book on the market today that tells you, step by step, exactly how to break into this business.

Without weighing you down with a bunch of worthless theory that means nothing in the real world, Five Stars quickly gets down to the nitty gritty. In this book, Christopher Null, one of the most widely published and respected movie critics on the internet, walks you through every phase of your personal development on the path to a successful career.

The tips in Five Stars clearly show you how to:
-Educate yourself about the larger world of cinema
-Become a smarter and more active movie goer
-Communicate your thoughts coherently
-Write lively, entertaining movie reviews
-Find outlets to publish your work

Even with the best guidance in the world, becoming a successful film critic isn't easy. But Five Stars will arm you with the knowledge you need to roll up your sleeves and put your talent to work. Whether you're a young upstart with a passion for movies or an established critic with years of experience, this book is a must-have for your personal library.

Andy establishes his position as the preeminent authority of an endangered writing instrument. The chronological and authoritative description of every major manufacturer is interlaced with some of the most beautiful and actual size photography of pens you'll ever see.

This volume is a work of art and effort of a true aficionado, the most comprehensive history of pens you'll ever see is inside this book, the book will become just as coveted as your most treasured pen.

Beautiful heavy stock paper ensures this volume will endure in your collection for decades.

Andy Lambrou's reputation is well deserved, and this is the work of art from the master.

I have always admired Lambrou's book, 'Fountain Pens of the World', but could not justify the price -- after all the cost of this book could go towards another fountain pen -- I WAS WRONG!!

I wished I bought my copy years ago, it would have saved me so much money in buying pens that were not exactly the model that the seller described (going to a few markets/pen shows and especially on-line auctions).

The history of pens from around the world is well documented. The pen manufacturers are grouped in chapters by country.

Every pen is life size. More than 2,300 pens are shown and the color representation is great. Even a Parker Snake, Aztec, Swastika, Forget-me-not and many, many more I just dream about! Only gripe -- no price list, but Lambrou states that people can abuse the information as the price list is only valid at the time of print.

To date, I 've yet to see any other book as well put together's as this one.

Don't use false economy like I did. Buy this book as soon as you can -- it gives many, many happy hours of pen collecting and reading!

My love affair with fountain pens - particularly vintage fountain pens - entered a new stage the day that my copy of Lambrou's Fountain Pens of the World arrived. Covered with a gorgeous dust jacket, weighing in at several pounds and measuring 9" by 12.5", the book made an impression before the first page had even been turned.

This first impression, positive as it was, in no way prepared me for what I was to find inside: over four hundred pages with glorious color plates. Literally thousands of pens - mostly vintage - spectacularly photographed, and presented exactly life size. (Ever wonder whether your newly purchased vacumatic is a sub-deb, debutante, junior, slender, standard, major, oversized, or Maxima? Just lay it over the photographs in Lambrou's book!) Fascinating reproductions of vintage advertisements. Detailed histories - model by model - of all major manufacturers and many lesser-known ones, including Edward Todd, Triad, Diamond Point, Chilton, Stephens, Mentmore, Summit, Wyvern, Burnham, Soennecken, Osmia, Tropen, and so on and so forth, covering the U.S., the U.K., Germany France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Japan. The book is, plain and simple, a work of art and of incredible beauty. I could spend weeks just browsing its pages.

In retrospect, my biggest mistake in fountain pen collecting was to wait for several years before purchasing a copy of Lambrou's Fountain Pens of the World...

I have always admired Lambrou's book, 'Fountain Pens of the World', but could not justify the price -- after all the cost of this book could go towards another fountain pen -- I WAS WRONG!!

I wished I bought my copy years ago, it would have saved me so much money in buying pens that were not exactly the model that the seller described (going to a few markets/pen shows and especially on-line auctions).

The history of pens from around the world is well documented. The pen manufacturers are grouped in chapters by country.

Every pen is life size. More than 2,300 pens are shown and the color representation is great. Even a Parker Snake, Aztec, Swastika, Forget-me-not and many, many more I just dream about! Only gripe -- no price list, but Lambrou states that people can abuse the information and the price list is only valid at the time of print.

To date, I 've yet to see any other book as well put together's as this one.

Don't use false economy like I did. Buy this book as soon as you can -- it gives many, many happy hours of pen collecting and reading!

This is it. If you buy only one book on fountain pens, or if you are serious about fountain pen collecting, this is THE book to get. Unfortunately, it is Really expensive. Look around for a used copy using the usual suspects on the Web. The photos are great and the captions clearly identify each pen shown. Numerous non-US pen companies are written about and many pens are pictured here and nowhere else (in other standard pen ID books). Highly recommended.

This book illustrates the link between the incredibly beautiful quilts produced by five generations of African American women in the South to the architecture they saw around them and to their own artistic vision. Their personal stories, contained in chapters toward the end of the book, are very moving and inspirational.

This book is gorgeous!!! It includes large photographs of tons of quilts, in a size that allows you to see the smallest details, such as topstitching. It also includes inspirational photos of details of the town. However, it's not your typical coffe table book, because it has probably equal parts very informative text and visuals. Since it's not small enough to carry with me on the train, it's been hard separating myself from this book-- it is beautiful!

I am really enjoying reading and looking at the pictures of the quilts in this book. I have met several of the ladies and decendants of the Gee' Bend Quilters and find their stories so interesting. The quilts definitely do define the quilters, their strengths and weaknesses, their ups and downs. I recomend this book to anyone who holds quilts near and dear to their hearts.

I like this book because it is full of information about the construction of the quilts and alot of trivia about the makers of the quilts. Very beautiful pictures! A great book for learning.

Wonderful book full of pictures and inspiration, and the story of the Gees Bend Quilts.

Thomas Schatz argues in this brilliantly detailed book that even more remarkable then the motion pictures Hollywood produced from the early 20's through about the end of the 40's, was the detailed process of how Hollywood was able to churn out these quality films on a routine basis.

Schatz does a remarkable job of diagraming the rise of the studio system in Hollywood. The book is remarkably easy to follow (compared to any of Andrew Sarris's works) and includes numerous photographs. He focuses most on the trials and tribulations of Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and MGM and their distinct, integrated studio styles (RKO is mentioned to a lesser extent as well).

Producers Irving Thalberg, David O. Selznick, Daryl Zanuck and director Alfred Hitchcock are featured prominently and rightfully so. Also, includes many of the behind the scene battles between studios and directors/producers.

There are some minor criticisms though. He almost completely ignores Paramount and Colombia Pictures. Paramount was as much a factory set-up as MGM and deserves more attention. And the decline of the studio system is sparse compared to the rise of. But aside from that, this book is an enjoyable read and recommend it to anyone who is fascinated with early Hollywood.

Schatz's book is well-rounded and nicely structured. It was a good decision on his part to take a round-robin focus on each studio instead of trying to mix them together, as some authors have. All of the studios had different ideas about what they wanted to achieve in their work, so this approach makes sense. Twentieth-Century Fox and Paramount were left out completely, but Schatz was clearly trying to choose one studio of each type of size and characteristic so as to keep control of the scope of the book.

I did find a glaring error--the finale to "Babes in Arms" was not the minstral number, but the song, "God's Country." In a book of this size, or of any size for that matter, errors will creep in, so it isn't the kiss of death. However, if the reader is familiar with MGM musicals, it may be a small turn-off.

Also, I wasn't satisfied with the epilogue. Instead of citing examples of the comeback of the studio system (LucasFilm, for instance), Schatz simply outlines the creative decline of Alfred Hitchcock. Huh.

Slight shortcomings aside, this book is very entertaining. I wish my film studies textbooks had been this interesting.

Film theorist Andre Bazin once wrote "The American cinema is a classical art, but why not then admire in it what is most admirable, i.e., not only the talent of this or that filmmaker, but the genius of the system." Quite simply author Thomas Schatz had done just that with this groundbreaking and wondrously entertaining history of the Hollywood studio era.

Up until its publication in 1988, film history had been defined by the "auteur" school of thinking where the director is the supreme artist who nurtured the art form. The studio executives- the money men- were relegated to the background and often depicted as crass capitalist who often hindered the creative process.

In Schatz's eyes, men like Carl Laemmle, Darryl F. Zanuck, David O. Selznick, Harry Warner, and Irving Thalberg were intuitive geniuses who understood the art of storytelling and were able to systematically deliver that art to the masses with drive and innovation. From the low rent beginnings of the Nickelodeon to steady decline of the studio system amid the dawn of Television, these men set standards that are sadly not met by today's faceless conglomerates. They all created "the movies" as we fondly perceive it and Schatz lets the creation of 20th century popular culture unfold with a finely turned narrative sweep.

Prof. Schatz does not suffer from the scholar's disease of academic-speak and writes a book that clearly demonstrates his expertise on the studio structure. Most books I have read extended the view of the outsider looking in at the star system and not the economics of the studios. "Genius of the System" chronicles the history of the studio's business, that is to say the economics and the people behind the economics.

If you want to read about the business structure of Hollywood during its beginnings, this is the book for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

An easy to read writer, Thomas Schatz details how the studio system worked from the silent era to its final collapse in the 1960s.

He illuminates both the art and the business of films, with keen analysis of how producers, directors and screenwriters created such fine art (and rich profits) -- especially the producers, who are more the authors of Hollywood films than any other group.

He convincingly portrays MGM's Irving Thalberg as a genius of art and commerce and MGM's Louis B. Mayer as a clod (except when dealing with difficult stars).

Schatz offers telling portraits of many others who did their best work under the constraints of the Hollywood system. He details the major studios' styles and how they evolved over the years. It's clear he has read file cabinets of documents, from endless -- but revealing -- memos to how much the stars made(!).

He also puts the film industry in social and cultural context; he even says the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1940s and 1950s were a disguised form of anti-semitism.

In the end, Schatz offers a convincing alternative to the auteur theory.

This volume is easily the most complete and well organized collection of Alchemical images ever published. The author begins with an incredibly insightful explanation and history of both the origin and meaning of hieroglyphics, and concisely explicates how these engravings are a natural intellectual evolution of the original Egyptian concept of pictorial language, one much more adept for conveying immense knowledge than written verse. And he does not rely solely on his own voice for this: crucial passages from the most relevant philosophers and scholars throughout history punctuate his discourse frequently to give the reader the most thorough explanation possible. He then trails into a brief history of how these collections first became available from a few dedicated publishers until they blossomed into a popular Hermetic movement, one that was responsible for the majority of the images contained within this book. Curiously, he ends his introduction with an incredibly cryptic passage on the Quest for the Philosopherýs Stone, rife with innuendo and subtle symbolism, an allusion which I am not fortunate enough to decipher.

The images themselves are presented chronologically, showing the original Latin, German, etc., prefaces with English translations immediately below. A short biography of both the author and circumstances surrounding the publication of their respective work is also listed faithfully, followed by the plates themselves in consecutive original order. At least a paragraph explaining the most obvious of the plateýs symbolism provided in the form of footnotes is given as well. There is no detail that escapes the authorýs eye, and he specifically tells how they relate to Alchemical process, once again adding commentary from other learned minds where relevant. It is obvious that this was an intense labor on Mr. DeRolaýs part, a product of many years spent honing an incredible grasp of the craft which he has so competently brought to us.

What is also obvious from the authorýs elusive admission is that Alchemy is not solely a process for the transmutation of metals so much as it is a purification of oneýs soul. This book is not an end all definitive manual for such things. Despite the authorýs profound understanding of this philosophy, he does not eagerly impart unto us the deeper meaning of alchemy. He remains quite prudent, but not selfish; within the text he gives many clues about how to penetrate the surface of this transcendentalism. Youýll find many references such as ýOne would be wise to pay close attention to this part of the frameý, or ýThe learned man should look past the obvious theme of this symbolý. In essence, this work will provide the most comprehensive reference of Alchemical engravings available short of an expensive trip to Europeýs most hallowed libraries. On a deeper level, Mr. DeRola lends a wise hand that may guide the more intuitive mind past tired folklore and into the realm that the most proficient Hermetic intellects strove to inhabit. An indispensable work, invaluably resourceful and seamlessly crafted.

As outside, so within, one might say. The construction of the book itself is sturdy and handsome, and no doubt able to deal with the occasional spilled alembic. Me, I got some coffee on it. It still looks good. Excellent qualifications for home-library fare.

But the *contents*. Good heavens. I was expecting page after page of illustrations with small-text captions. I bought it with an eye toward obscure imagery; I got it, but as an unexpected bonus there is a *wealth* of material explaining what it all means, and the sources, and the authors in whose works it appeared originally, and relevant snippets therefrom. Glorious! In addition to the images (and there are a great many, scrupulously reproduced and diverse, never fear) there is supplemental text on the history of the imagery and--among other things--why the 'hieroglyphics' of alchemy had such appeal to for alchemists and for the world of these illustrations' time. There are woodcuts, ink drawings, engravings and a few other media for the plates themselves. All look clear, or at least true to the original artist's shortcomings. Kings, queens, lions, baths, ovens, snakes, eggs, phoenixes and the like abound. That's not all, certainly: be assured that there are also rarer devices included. If I had it on my lap at the moment, I could blow the rest of my available space here with them. You will be satisfied with the breadth of the material, I'm certain.

It's *such* a good book to have. It stimulates both eyes and brain. Artists will draw inspiration from it, and the more scholarly folks will find it a gracious and sage read. I got it both ways. Lucky me.

This book is basicly the biography of many alchemist's from that period. Each alchemist featured starts with a brief bio of him and then the images of his engravings. After that is translations of the latin on the engravins and an inerpretation.

However, I must warn you that the translations from latin are very simple, they will say 'cook' when the word means 'cook by boiling down'. It is best to check any translations you wish to rely on. As for the authors interpretation's, that is strictly a matter of opinion.

This book is a true treasure for those who are working with alchemical emblems. Yes, there are not many explanations of the emblems, but then again the purpose of working with the alchemical emblems is to stimulate the emergence of the information coming from one's deeper wisdom, which is facilitated by contemplating and meditating upon the emblems.

Adam McLean has a number of courses which can assist those who don't know how to start working with emblems. They are excellent.

If you are interested in alchemical iconography this book will not disappoint. Ninety-nine percent of the book contains reproductions of engravings from alchemical works published in the 17th century. Also they are not the teeny-tiny pictures you find in a lot of other books on the subject.

The softcover edition (Thames & Hudson) is printed in Slovenia on glossy paper. The hardcover editions (Thames & Hudson/George Braziller) are both printed in the German Democratic Republic on what appears to be acid-free cream-colored paper.

The reproductions look slightly better in the softcover edition printed in Slovenia. Perhaps because the glossy paper provides a higher contrast. Or it could be that it was just printed better. (I think the German Democratic Republic in 1988 could have been the former East Germany.)

The George Braziller hardcover just slightly edges out the Thames & Hudson hardcover. Although some people might say the quality of the reproductions look the same.

None of the reproductions (which are probably photolithography) can compare to the original metal plates. Just look at the detail in any 100 to 200 year old book and you will see what I'm talking about.

Be that as it may I highly recommend this book. This is an important compilation of Alchemical art. Normally you would have to purchase many books to acquire what is contained in this one. Buy it before its gone; before you have to purchase a beat-up used copy, or an expensive out-of-print hardcover.

Probably the best in its field. No other work contains so much important information on galleys and naval power in the age of gunpowder and on the history of Mediterranean warfare of the period. It is also a must for anybody interested in the modern struggle between Islam and Western World. Just like now when only the modern Empire (USA) can save our civilisation, so in the 16° century only the superior Venetian technology at Lepanto saved Europe from the same barbarians.
Indeed an outstanding book.

I've read the older printing more than once. Author John Keegan once described it as one of the best 2 or 3 military history books he'd read. This research didn't become popular until years after the printer was done. I've seen used copies selling for $150 or more. Since Prof. Guilmartin wrote this, more reserchers have produced quality work on galley warfare, but this original needed very little improvement. I still get benefit every time I read it. There's just so much thinking in here, even passing remarks expose me to new trains of thought. Even if you're not greatly interested in galley warfare, I think you can be exposed to a lot of potentially valuable analysis in historical work. Gunpowder and Galleys examines 16th century Mediterranean warfare. This period saw a climax in fighting between the Moslem Ottoman Empire and countries of Catholic Christian Europe. If you ever thought the Battle of Lepanto was a simple brawl between violent armed men at sea, you'll learn a more intersting tale here. The Christians won, but very narrowly. Much of the arguing and complaining after the action can provide a vehicle for appreciating the skill and nerve that the flotilla commanders provided. For example, Gian Andrea Doria (a Genoese mercenary in the Spanish fleet) earned much criticism for his conduct in the battle. However, I tend to think he placed victory in Don John's hand by keeping Ottoman admiral Uluj Ali out of the fight just long enough. If you read this, there's much opportunity to learn about a fascinating period of history. (Information: Guilmartin was kind enough to mention me in his introduction)

I received Gunpowders and Galleys as a Christmas present and I am immensely pleased. This book deserves its reputation as not only a topnotch work of naval history, but history, period. The depth of scholarship, originality, good sense, readable style, and careful interweaving of multiple sources of information makes it a superb book that ought to provoke thought outside of the narrow field of galley warfare.

In particular, his insistence that the galley is intrinsically bound up with the economic, cultural, political, geographic, technical, tactical, strategic, and religious context is a powerful antidote to narrower and more regimented approaches to the study of history. Not to mention, it also helps to shed light on current events. Our current dilemma in Iraq would benefit from adopting Guilmartin's approach by broadening our sources of information and deepening our understanding; failure to do so runs the risk of winning the war and failing to achieve our goals.

In short, Guilmartin's book not only teaches us about its topic, but provokes us to think holistically about many historical and modern events.

Guilmartin's book offers an excellent fusion of military history and history of science. His wide-ranging work of course offers a thought provoking argument about the adaptability of traditional Mediterranean galley based naval warfare to gunpowder weapons,(which he finds initially effective but ultimately a technological dead end).
But there's a lot more to the book than that. His work challenges traditional thinking in a variety of areas,ranging from bronze metal cannon-casting, to the applicability of Mahanian ideas about sea power to the Mediterranean world,to the passing of the Asiatic horse archer. Although Guilmartin's conclusions have been challenged, Gunpowder and Galleys remains an outstanding work, which sets the bar very high. It's a pity that it is no longer in print.

For this reader, Gunpowder and Galleys is as much about the American Failure in Vietnam as it is about the 16th century. Read between the lines and you'll see.

The publisher owes it to the public to reprint this wonderful volume.

Great book I was sad when I finished it. Beautiful photos ans nice description about the journey to Appleby fair. This would make a wonderful
TV special. Beautiful Gypsy Horses. It will be a pleasure to keep this book in my collection forever. This is definitely a coffee table book.
If you love horses you will love this book. Expensive but well worth the cost.

This book is absolutely beautiful! The pictures are incredible and the information about the Romani people is intriguing. Even if you are not a horse lover, you will be awed by the incredible landscapes and beauty of these horses. Beautifully done.

Amazing collection of photos from a era that seems so long ago but still here today. Very well done! Great presentation of the people, horses and caravans.

Gypsy Horses and the Traveler's Way: The Road to Appleby Fair is a delightful book. The photographs are superb, and lovers of these gorgeous colored horses will be captivated by Mr. Hockensmith's eye for detail and his ability to capture mood. The horses are heart-stoppingly beautiful and Mr. Hockensmith's portrayals of them reflect his enthusiasm for this lovely breed. The people Hockensmith travels with are presented with respect and a refreshing lack of over-familiarity so often found in the work of those who write about, but cannot really know the Romany people.
The titular road is lovingly described, as is the destination. The burgeoning popularity of the "Gypsy Vanner" has made Appley Horse Fair an increasingly popular tourist destination, and no doubt there is much to see there. Here again, we see flowing manes and tails aplenty, but there is more. The minutia of Appleby is lovingly portrayed - but not varnished with romantic stereotyping,
The book is available in two bindings. There is a slipcased special editon available from the publisher's website, (Fine Art Editions Press), and the edition offered by Amazon which has a beautiful dustjacket and an attractive cloth binding. Either edition is well worth the asking price. Step for awhile into the world of Appleby, the people and the horses there. You will want to visit again and again.

Gypsy Horses and the Travelers' Way
By John Hockensmith
Hockensmith Fine Arts
146 E. Main St.
Georgetown, KY 40324
ISBN: 1599755971
Price: $49.95
Page Count: 184
December 8, 2006
Reviewer: Ann Allyn Slessman

While this is John Stephen Hockensmith's first book, it won't be his last. This beautiful book is what most would categorize as a "coffee table" book with one exception - Hockensmith's brilliant prose. One has to wonder why this man hasn't published before now. He writes as if he is having an intimate talk with his readers. And he hits the mark if this was his intention. I cannot imagine anyone panning this book. If they did so, it would surely be an act of jealousy. You will find after reading and perusing this book that his poems continue to live within your heart and mind.

John Stephen Hockensmith is well known in the Midwest for his photography skills. He has photographed the Kentucky Derby Winners' Print and Winners' Circle prints since the year 2000. He owns an art gallery in Georgetown, KY which exhibits equine and animal images sought after by collectors throughout the world.

This book is a treat for the reader's eyes as well as a great source of information on the Romani Gypsies and their beautifully bred Gypsy Horses. The imagery is without comparison and the prose is well written and quite visual in itself. The quality of this work dictates that it will surely outlive Hockensmith.

As the reader journeys through the images and prose of Gypsy Horses and The Travelers' Way they will find it hard not to be lured by the gypsy way of life. Their mysterious cavalier ways seem quite enchanting when compared to nine to fivers. The test - can a reader find their way back home after visiting this work? Read it and find out!

It would serve no useful purpose to write a review of Hamlet. It has already taken its rightful place among mankind's greatest works. The subject here is not Hamlet, but the manner in which it is presented:
Numbered, original text on the left hand page, modern, up-to-date language on the right hand page.

As with all of Spark Notes editors, an excellent way to present the play, for the first time junior high reader or for the 62-year old reader taking a Shakespeare course and reading Hamlet just for fun.

And as for Hamlet, the play? Like fine wine it gets better, much better, with age.

This is my second No Fear Shakespeahere book (last year had Macbeth) and I have come to love Shakespheare plays now that I actually know what each character is saying and what exactly is going on. The lines are clean and clear just like reading a modern play. I acutally find myself laughing at lines which is always a good sign meaning that I understand what's going on. Also I don't feel like I'm cheating like when people just read footnotes and summaries. I'm in college now and I've only read two shakespheare both using No Fear Shakespheare! Great product that I without a doubt will use in the future if needed!

This book is definitely God's gift to all college students. Truly easy to understand, I read the entire book in 1 day. Thanks to "No Fear" I got an "A" in my English class.

Bravo to the writers, editors, and publishers of the entire No Fear Shakespeare series. Rendering Shakespeare into prosaic, colloquial American English not only explains what Shakespeare was saying, but reveals how much better he said it! Here's a few examples from HAMLET:

Hamlet sees the Ghost, but his mother doesn't. In modern lingo, she says, "This is only a figment of your imagination." That's a cliche. In the original, she says, "This is the very coinage of your brain." That's vivid.

Rosencrantz tells Hamlet in modern lingo, "You're not doing yourself any good by refusing to tell your friends what's bothering you." Sounds like a reprimand. The original line sounds like a threat: "You do surely bar the door upon your own liberty if you deny your griefs to your friend."

Hamlet remembers his mother's relationship with his father: "She would hang on to him, and the more she was with him the more she wanted to be with him; she couldn't get enough of him." Sounds good, but the original sounds disturbing: "Why, she would hang on him / As if increase of appetitite had grown / By what it fed on . . ." Change the word "she" to "it" and you have the image of a parasite. That alone says a lot about Hamlet's view of women and sex.

I know of no better guide to reading, understanding, and appreciating Shakespeare than Spark Notes' No Fear Shakespeare series.

This is truly a No Fear way to understand Shakespeare. There is a modern day interpretation writing on one side of the book and the Shakespeare way on the other. It was a lifesaver!