Design Books

In this world where unexpected suprises are not always welcome - and if your thoughts lean toward keeping an eye on things, this publication will certainly help. There are chapters the younger set would appreciate as well the seasoned info gatherer will not hesitate to start putting something together.
Not electronic savvy? Not a concern. Just a few of the ideas presented here will get you headed in the right direction with property protection, keeping tabs, and real time viewing scenarios.

Before reading this I thought; "Get a camera, put it up, check it once in awhile." Wrong. This easy reading material will get you thinking in important directions about surveilance you probably haven't thought of previously, unless you were a professional.

This is a fun book, with lots of great ideas. However, it really needed tighter editing. There are several instances where the text did not agree with the schematics (schematic has 50K ohm pot, text discusses 50 ohm, etc). This is unfortunate, since novice readers may not spot the problems, and end up with circuits which don't work.

I'd also recommend a more traditional, left-to-right layout of the schematics. Some are left-right top-down, others are right-left. This makes it more difficult to follow the "flow" through the circuits.

Regardless of these hiccups, I'd recommend this book to those who'd like to tinker with "spy gear" or who are looking for simplier project ideas.

I got this for my friend's 16 year old son and he LOVES it! He is so excited about just knowing how all these things work, even though his mother refuses to let him into a Radio Shack in case he tries to build some of it! I've made him promise not to use any of his evil knowledge against our family and in return, I'll get him book 2 for his birthday! Great fun!

One will need an electronics background to understand this book. The author has some amazingly great ideas, I just wish I could understand half of what he wrote! I persuaded my uncle, who is an engineer, to explain them to me. This book is not meant for laymen. The series needs a prequel teaching the basics of electronics, and the parts the book that try to explain electronic basics is still too advanced for us regular people. So either take a class in 'electronics 101' or have an electronic engineer tutor you in this book. Too demanding for my intellect. However, it still deserves 5 stars for innovation.

Great book most of the projects cost under $30 (which would have been nice to know before I bought the book cuz I'm BROKE :( )also do not buy this book if you do not own a soldering iron or have a bad education with electronics But anyways Great Book and detailed instructions that even I can follow ;)

Yes, you can still learn of lot from this book, as noted in the other reviews. But it is now showing its age. This book was written for Sketchup 4.0 when only a time-limited trial was available for free. Sketchup is now at version 6.0 and free from Google (except for the pro version). The advice in this book on how to squeeze a tutorial session into a time-limited trial is just distracting. More importantly, you will not be introduced to the new features in 6.0, such as styles and better organization of model structure. It would be very useful to have Dennis Fukai's advice on how best to use Sketchup 6.0.

When the book/CD came I had problems getting the CD to work Didn't know if it was me or the CD or my PC. I contacted Mr.Fukai and he e-mailed me back immediatly. He stayed with me through a dozen Emails trying to help me.
The CD was bad BTW and he had his wife send me out a new one that worked just fine.
I was a bit exhausted from it all by the time the CD came but stuff happens to the best of us.
The CD is incredably helpful along with the book of illustrations. I haven't gotten through even half of it due to my work load but I'm sure when I continue with it I won't have much trouble in spite of being PC challenged.
Mr.Fukai I think has this book geared for people like myself as well as hard core PC users.
He seems to be doing his best to take you through it one step at a time slowly and deliberate.
I highly recommend this book/CD

I am sure if you are a Google fan you now know that they offer SketchUp for free. Dr. Fukai's book assumed you had a limited amount of time (480 minutes) using the SketchUp 4.0 trial version included with his book. I can say that his book is truly one fantastic way to learn a lot about the details of modeling with SketchUp. Dr. Fukai's interactive "shorties" allows you to go over as often as needed to learn the details of this 3D software. I was having some difficulty part way through the tutorials and emailed Dr. Fukai and received detailed instructions on how to proceed. He is an excellent teacher and his book is highly recommended.

The book is awsome! The instructions are so detailed and outlined. I plan on building my own family home, this is the Book!

As for the author, a master of his craft!

Mr. Fukai and Mrs. Babara Fukai, You have both left a wonderful lasting memory in my mind!

Thanks You

Michael in San Antonio Texas

I study architecture in Havana, Cuba. I'd like to learn more about this matter specially 3d Architectural Working Drawings but, I can not have possibilities to buy any of yor books. Can you help me out? thanks, Roany.

Loved this book - a keeper for sure. Rick Darke does a great job of writing - I found his prose to be both instructive and inspiring-one really gets a sense from his writing that he knows his plants in intimate and fond detail. Photography is stunning as he captures the spirit of the woodlands and plants he shows in the book. I especially love how he depicts the changing beauty & contrast throughout the seasons of a local scene as he drove by on his way to and from work. What a treat it is to be a gardener and have gems like this one to read and enjoy.

This man is the best photographer of the woodlands and a great speaker. Would purchase any book by him.

Whether you are planning a woodland garden, look out on a woodland garden, or just dream of woodland gardens, this book is a must have. It is the most beautiful, awe-inspiring garden book I've ever encountered.

The photos are the first layer of beauty. The descriptions of the plants are the second layer of beauty. The suggested arrangements of trees, shrubs and flowers are the third layer of beauty. You could spend weeks reading this book and not get through the layers. Mr. Darke has produced a true gift for those of us who treasure woodlands.

If you live near the edge of woodlands as we do, you'll find this book to be a valuable source of information. It's a challenge to landscape the transition from woodland to home, but this book provides the knowledge needed to make that happen. And if you love to live in or near woodland areas as much as we do, you'll appreciate the wonderful photographs.

I am a novice gardener but this book gives great advice and great choices from groundcover to shrubs and trees for the woodsy landscape. I refer to this book all the time.

It's Hayao Miyazaki again. What can I say. One of the most amazing animated film ever. And book explores so much of the movie. Amazing learning and reference book. Every animation/comic lover must have it.

The reson why I purchased this book is because of the art inside. It brought me back to the movie Spirited Away.. I ordered the book with a hardcover.. That's nice to have. The product is such fine quality. I am proud to have it and share the Art of Miyazaki with others. I know more about Miyazaki after purchasing this book.

i dont know what to say aside from the fact that miyazakisan is an incredible artist/storyboard creator. and bravo to everyone at studio ghibli

I'm a fan of the Ghibli animators, I'm a graphic designer and illustrator. This kind of book is a must have for anyone who is in the same situation that I am.
There is only one problem: compared to the original edition, in Japanese, the material used in the cover is different (VIZ used hard cover, against Tokuma Shoten's soft cover with canvas-textured paper) what changes the sense of this book, putting it onto a higher level - but that's only a design book for animation.

If you like the movie Spirited away, and are the least interested in art, you will enjoy this book. Even the tenth time I pick up the book, I get stuck just turning the pages and looking at the wonderful images.

Maybe 50% of the images are directly from the film; the rest are sketches, background images, concept arts, and similar. In many cases, the images are complemented by brief texts written by people involved in making the movie.
The last section of the book contains the screenplay of the movie, and is basically free of images.
In my opinion, the screenplay could be left out for some more art, and the written comments are often not that interesting.

Comparing this book to The Art of Howl's Moving Castle, I find this book much richer: After writing down at least ten Spirited images I would like to put on my wall, I skimmed through the art of Howl's. The result was, surprisingly, that none of the Howl's images seemed that good when compared to Spirited Away.
(The reason for this is probably not superior art, but art that is better fit to non-moving pictures. And more time in making the movie, I suppose.)

Anyway; if you're thinking about bying this book, you can be sure that you will enjoy it. Price is another issue, but you will get something for your money.

WHEN A MAN GETS TO A POINT WHERE THEY DON'T WANT TO LOOK TRENDY ANYMORE,AND START TO FOCUS ON QUALITY AND STYLE, THIS IS THE REFERENCE BOOK TO READ AND OWN,TEACHES YOU HOW TO TIE A BOWTIE AND SEVERAL TIE KNOTS,ALSO COVERS WHAT SHIRT COLLAR FITS YOUR FACE,THIS IS A UNIVERSAL REFERENCE BOOK FOR FINE DRESSING......

If you could buy only one book to have as a reference on men's clothes, this would be it!! If you are choosing between this book and A.F.'s "updated" later version, get this one. The updated one has less information and also a questionable section on modern casual wear. The book's illustrations are excellently clear, and it is a great learning and reference tool.

I have Dressing the man which is almost as good. Clothes and the man was the first book I bought on mens clothing just as I was starting out on my own 14 years ago and I am glad I did..
Flusser taught me everything I know about clothes and then some. This book is well wiritten with practical advice on how a man should dress.

I've now read several highly recommended books on men's style. This book is the best out of all of them. In my opinion 'Clothes and the Man' is a little better than Flusser's more well-known 'Dressing the Man' (seen stacked in Ralph Lauren stores). 'Clothes and the Man' delves deeper into the subject laying out specific guidelines to build season-specific wardrobes. Unfortunately the book is out of print now...fairly easy to find on the net though!

This is a quick, one-day read, but a lifetime keeper for reference.

Mr. Flusser covers all the essentials in detail: suit coats; suit trousers; sport coats; blazers; dress shirts; neckties; handkerchiefs; hose (socks); shoes; hats; and jewelery.

He covers sportswear such as cable-knit pullover sweaters and cardigans very briefly.

Mr. Flusser asserts the lines, look, and feel of all fine mens wear can be traced to the timespan of the 1930s - 1950s. This was the Golden Age of Hollywood when men dressed well (Cary Grant; Fred Astaire; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.; Adolph Menjou; and England's Edward, Prince of Wales). Mr. Flusser's point is that if you want a suit that will not be out of date in five or ten years, ensure it is grounded in 1930s - 1950s style, with emphasis on the 1930s.

The only thing I disagreed with in the entire book was his reverence for the four-in-hand necktie knot in all settings. This knot is asymmetrical and does not belong in the boardroom or office. It is a knot that is to be worn casually to a club or in some other social setting. The Windsor or Half Windsor should be worn to the office.

This is somewhat a digression, but there is more to fine dressing than just the fabric against your body, or the leather upon your feet. Care must be taken to groom the hair inside your nose, so that it does not protrude outward. The hair on and in the ear must be cut. Nothing looks worse than looking at a man in fine clothes and seeing he has a thick patch of hair growing out of each ear cavity. Andy Rooney eyebrows are also verboten. Hair, beards, moustaches, eyebrows, ears, nose, teeth...all of these must be groomed/maintained properly to accentuate the look of fine clothes. Without these grooming basics in place, no suit is going to make you look good. Mr. Flusser elected not to cover grooming as essential to the "total package," yet he devoted many areas of the book to items that were not strictly related to clothing. I feel it was a mistake to neglect grooming.

Clothes and the Man is now 21 years old. It is as relevant now as when it was written. This book is a timeless masterpiece, fully deserving five stars.

This is a good read and fairly quick too. Make no mistake that it is a sales tool for the web site and the healing process available there. If you are looking for an instructional book this is not a book to buy. If you are open to some interesting research and insights into an interesting healing modality you will like what's here.
I rated it four stars because of the research references and Bibliography otherwise I would have given it a three.

If you want to understand the workings behind a man who created a very simple yet hopefully revolutionary Sate of the Art Medicine. If you like the book Future of the Body, then you will like this one. Even more so because it is so much shorter. I recommend both to anyone.

I love this book. There's such a rich mixture of literary, scientific and metaphysical insights and ideas. I love the whole description of the process of healing involving conscious co-creation. I keep coming back to the illustrations that speak so clearly to how we fundamentally both influence and are influenced by our electromagnetic environment. As one who has walked my own journey of healing and awakening it makes SO much sense to address healing at the blueprint level. Thanks Sol for the gift of the work and this book!
Alara T Bears Regenetics Facilitator

I have read the book several times. I am so thrilled to learn more about some of the science to back up what I suspected about the extent to which we can and do transact with DNA and the role consciousness plays in all of life's processes that I have been reading about in other texts. The writer's courage to put some very controversial texts together with the science was so gratifying for me. I really enjoy the way he writes about these things. Luckman's writing and the way he explains and connect things put a lot of disparate pieces of so many puzzles together for me. I also appreciate Mr. Luckman's generosity to tell the story about his own body. His story and those found in the back of the book concretely demonstrate that miracles are possible.

If you are familiar with the chakras, idea of experiencing your beliefs, and enlightenment, but are looking for a new kind of healing, this book wraps these ideas together in it's explanation of DNA. It presents scientific information in a readable and interesting way. It does not, however, offer techniques you can try on your own. The therapy described in the book must be performed by the author either in person or through his website.

Great book for reference and self study if you remember your circuit analysis and laplace transforms. Very detailed with out making ones eyes gloss over. Do wish it had a few more d examples but overall cant complain.

Mulling through some old reviews, I noticed that I left a technical error (more of a technical glossing-over) in my review of Franco's opus. It's high time I corrected it, since it's been there for more than a year, no doubt befuddling readers who thought they knew something about analog electronics. Specifically, I had said that the designation of the input terminals as '+' and '-' really made no difference: it's more reflective of convention, sciz. (assuming something other than a difference amplifier), the significant input network is attached to '-'--with '+' grounded--if the configuration is inverting, but to '+' (with '-' grounded) if the configuration is non-inverting. That's the truth, but it isn't the whole truth. When we examine border cases--those that tax the operational limits of the device, straying outside the "passband," analogically speaking (yes, I know, that typically refers to a frequency range, but here I use it to address an input voltage difference range)--the otherwise cosmetic or mnemonic choice of '+' or '-' terminal becomes rather more manifest. Remember that the amplifier actually amplifies the input voltage difference in the microscopic sense--even though it implements a semantically notable linear operation in the macroscopic sense--relying upon the feedback network to remanufacture an appropriate input voltage difference that maintains the nominal purpose of the circuit. When things go ape and the input voltage difference is much too high or, alternatively, much too low (and that may be a tough nut to crack), the output characteristic will be dependent upon what was connected to '+' and what, to '-'.

Now, wasn't that as clear as mud? Remember, I'm constrained to use words, and words alone, as my medium of communication, and, since I have only a fraction of a thousand words, I have only a fraction of a picture!

This book can be an excellent resource for any Analog Integrated Circuit Design Electrical Engineering student or practicing engineer. The book can assist in the modeling of IC devices such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors. It also sensibly covers the building blocks of analog integrated circuits: gain stages, output stages, level shifters, current sources and mirrors.

The reader is expected to have a general understanding of electronics, frequency-domain analysis procedures, and understand basic Pspice operations. The book generally covers enough material for a half-year of courses at the upper-division/graduate level although the book could certainly be useful for a single class.

The material generally starts out as basic and proceeds to a complex level. There are helpful figures and diagrams on nearly every page and the organization is generally sensible and intuitive. There are many worked examples and hundreds of end-of-chapter problems. The text is supported by a website that offers downloadable design projects, additional examples, and design software. Franco has done an admiral job at presenting a complicated subject.

Here's a brief description of SOME of the topics found in each chapter:

1) Basic amplifier concepts and arrangements are explored. Also covers negative feedback, the loop gain, and basic circuit analysis.

2) Current-to-Voltage & Voltage-to-Current Converters, Current, Difference, Instrumentation, and Transducer Bridge Amplifiers.

3) Active Filters. Transfer Function, 1st order, KRC, multiple-feedback, state-variable, audio, and biquad filters.

4) Filter Approximations, switched-capacitor, universal sc filters, and cascade design.

5) Low-input bias-current Op amps, low-input-offset-voltage Op Amps, Op Amp Circuit Diagrams, and Input offset Voltage.

6) Open and Closed loop response. Transient Response, Input and Output Impedances, and effect of Finite GBP on Filters and Integrator Circuits.

7) Noise Dynamics and Properties. Sources of Noise and Low-Noise Op Amps.

8) Stability problems. Stability of CFA Circuits and in Constant-GBP Op Amp Circuits. Internal and External Frequency Compensation.

9) Schmitt Triggers, analog switches, voltage comparators, and precision rectifiers.

10) Sine, Triangular, Sawtooth, and Monolithic Wave Generators. Also Multivibrators and V-F and F-V Converters.

11) Voltage References and Regulators. Switching, linear, and monolithic switching regulators.

12) Performance Specifications, D-A and A-D Conversion Techniques. Oversampling Converters and Multiplying DAC Applications.

13) Nonlinear Amplifiers. Phase-Locked Loops, Monolithic PLLs, Analog Multipliers. Log/Antilog and Operational Transconductance Amplifiers.

This is an excellent book on linear circuit design, the best I have read to-date. It covers feedback theory, ideal op amps, active filter design & most importantly practical op amp limitations. It also covers voltage regulators, voltage references, ADCs, DACs, op amp noise & more. What I liked most was the combination of mathematical circuit analysis & practical design. Too many books show useful circuits without bothering to explain anything about how they work. It also has plenty of exercises to tax the brain.

Really a top notch book on op-amps and almost anything you'd ever do with them. Has math where it's needed and rules of thumb where it isn't. Actually is just a great analog design book altogether. Really the definative text on the subject of designing with op-amps.

This is a great reference for any artist or art teacher. I learned design as a freshman in college. That was about 20 years ago. Design is still a very important part of what I do especially since now I must teach it. This book will help any artist improve her/his work. It will also enable teachers to better instruct their students in the elements and principles of design. Highly recommended.

Great book. Easy to understand and use.Great for anyone yearning to learn about design in the 3d aspect.

Amazing, incredible, & inspiring, this book makes you want to create art! I would very highly recommend this book to any student of art, whether beginner or seasoned artist. A fine collection of the diversity of styles and forms.

As a beginning student of design, I've been looking at a number of texts. This is the best I've come across so far. The concepts are presented concisely and in a well-organized format. The illustrations are superb, drawing from a number of crafts, media, and styles. The tone is friendly and encouraging. Recommended highly!

This book is a very good choice if you are looking to broaden your horizons in design. There are lots of pictures for examples, and the text is easy reading.

I haven't really had a chance to play a lot with this book since I got it a month ago, but so far, I like it. There are very colorful designs, croquis', and many illustrations. It seems like it gives a lot of information in a short amount of time.

This book didn't seem to help me much. Except how I should present my drawings. Yes, it is a ok book. But, Fashion sketchbook is hands down much better than this book.

I'm wanting to become a fashion designer and i bought this book and i was amazed. it really teaches you how to draw fashion models (and people in general) in all different poses. it shows you so many different poses both with an actual person modeling the pose and then a block figure showing you how to draw it. after the structure is learned, it teaches you in a really easy way how to flesh it out, and then how to draw the clothes and how the clothes are supposed to look at folds and creases. if you like this book, i recommend Draw Fashion Models! by Lee Hammond, a great book that goes in depth into more poses and how you should draw the clothes and how they look when the arms are raised, when you're leaning on one hip, etc.

i really recommend buying this amazing book, it's straightforward and very helpful!

I bought this book for my 16 yr old daughter who is an aspiring fashion designer. To get into design school & possibly qualify for a scholarship, she must prepare a portfolio. She expressed concern that her sketching skills would look amateurish so she asked for a book to help her.

This book shows in picture and text detail the supplies needed to do a project & an easy format to follow. She loved it and was so excited to have a guide to help her. This book not only helps in this regard, but has several sections that gives pointers on design elements and much more pertinent information.

If you or someone you know is an aspiring fashion designer, do not hesitate to get this book. It will be a valuable tool that will be put t good use.

This ended up being a great book for our teenaged friend who wants to be a designer. It was one of very few that didn't dwell on drawing nude figures...a plus when you're giving it to kids :)

I saw a program on this garden on HGTV but had no idea that there was a book! I was not disappointed. Visually beautiful as is the garden and inspiring for a gardener like myself. I want them to come and work in my garden, but the book will have to do. Like dessert w/o the calories.

I first saw an article on Little and Lewis in a gardening magazine and had to have this book. I was mesmerized by what they had done.

The sculptures, greenery and landscaping are absolutely exquisite. I bought a copy of the book and sent it to a gardener friend of mine and he raved about it, also.

I think this book would appeal to fine arts people who are into gardening--people who want to create their own statuary, garden sculptures and unique landscaping and who need a creative impetus.

This is a wonderful, imformative and very useful book. The service in receiving it was excellent and the condition of the book was perfect.

We actually visited the gardens of Little and Lewis on Bainbridge Island, WA and they are every bit as good as shown in the book. Ordered two books for good measure!

What a wonderful, inspirational book. For the already accomplished gardener, this is a book not so much about "how to", as it is full of the great ideas and very personal vision of the author. Imaginative and full of pictures. I can't imagine a better gift if you have a gardener on your Christmas list.