Design Books

Bought this book for my 17 year old son. He loves it. A must have for anyone seriously interested in Chevy engines and car restoration.

A very helpful guide with easy to read text and super pictures.
Thank You
Jeff Lacy

I Purchased this book 1 year ago and learned more from it in that time than from 5 years of bench racing with buddies. It not only shows the levels of performance and economy attainable by the venerable Chevy V8, but the theories this book teaches can be applied to most other forms of automotive engine building. So much information in such a small book, that is written with such eloquence that even the most amateur of amateuers can grasp, and fully comprehend it's writings. David Vizard, the author, is an accomplished engineer with a background in the aerospace industry, and is also a seasoned automobile racer. This book is a true summary of several of his other books, which go much farther into detail than this one does. From basic cylinder head porting, to rotating assembly prep and carbuerator tuning, this book covers so many bases that it is a must have in any garage.

david vizard is the best performance auther i have ever read. he only relies on things he has personally proven, and he shows you how he has proven it. he doesn't seem to be as oppinionated as other authors. i would recommend reading any of his books

Vizard delivers exactly what the title is all about. He helps you balance power & longevity against the pocketbook. He also substantiates his claims with his own companies dyno or flow data. Rebuilds range from a minimum of $600@300hp to a maximum of $3000@550hp. Add some nitrous (he talks about this too) and you have a 800hp engine for under $3500 bucks! Be warned, he is blunt and opinionated but backs up his claims.

While the book is great and Amazon itself did a great job of shipping and giving me a good quality undamaged book. It took me almost a month dealing with Amazon's partners who offered the book much cheaper and claiming to have it in stock before I was able to cancel and order with Amazon directly. Days and weeks after submitting the orders both sellers all of a sudden claimed that the item is out of stock but they would be getting it in. Why are they allowed to offer it as available when it is not? This to me is false advertising and a bait and switch scheme that Amazon needs to look into. After dealing with these partners I ordered from Amazon directly and they were quick and efficient.

- Kevin Johnson

I've read a number of books about webcomics and this is by far the most complete. I recommend to anyone who wants to publish their comic online.

Scott, Brad, Kris and Dave draw upon everyday household items you might have laying around to create a time machine or a flying car. For good measure they also pass on the secret to eternal youth and the location of the lost Ark.

Well, they might as well have.

Starting from the idea that the reader can already draw enough to make a comic (there is no "How to draw a..." section), they mold the reader into a writer, agent, techie and business person. They pass on all of their secrets in a full confession sharefest that reads like a conversation between the authors (similar to the discussions on their "Webcomics Weekly" Podcast).

The book is full of humor and brilliant ideas. The art comes from each contributor's comics and really adds to the points of the book.

You should buy two books as one will likely fall apart from constant use and you will need the second to give to your children someday. I bought four extra copies and hidden them at the corners of the world, and in my will I have clues to find each copy in an elaborate race to determine who I will leave my entire fortune to.

As someone who's been creating a webcomic for many years (Pewfell), I found this book to be very well put together, helpful and inspirational. I would definitely cite it as being essential reading for anyone hoping to monetize their own webcomic. Though much of it was stuff I already knew, I still found very many useful insights from these four guys who've actually walked the walk. All the information is put together in a fun, lighthearted, easy-to-read and well-thought-out way with lots of practical examples, great illustrations and comic strips. Great work & thanks for sharing, guys!

Not many books manage to give a decent introduction to combining being an artist and a businessman. Guigar, Kellett, Kurtz and Straub do this excellently. I bought this book because I'm writing a Master's thesis on webcomics -- and "How to make webcomics" will definitely be quoted heavily in it -- but reading this book also gave me a renewed interest in making my *own* webcomic.

The best authors for books on how to make webcomics are definitely webcomics creators who love what they do. Guigar, Kellett, Kurtz and Straub show an enthusiasm in this book that rubs off, and in a wonderful mix of creative chapters (writing, creating your characters), practical chapters (scanning your comic, making a website) and business-related chapters (making an income out of your webcomic), it becomes very clear that the authors love what they do, and that anyone who loves webcomics may one day compete with them on the webcomics arena. You learn that you have to love webcomics to make one, as they won't give you much income the first couple of years, but you also learn to not feel guilty for monetizing on your work. This is the perfect combination of a "how-to-be-creative"-book and "how-to-sell-your-art"-book.

If there is one thing I hope will change in the second edition, I wish for a more global perspective. The book is great, but many of the points stated in it aren't really that useful for non-Americans. For instance, when I make a webcomic in Norwegian, I will probably never get ten thousand readers. I could write it in English, but that would create problems with a store, since I'm still physically based in Norway and won't be able to send books and T-shirts to USA or UK without charging a lot for sending them -- probably more than my readers want to pay. And if I need to use print-on-demand, there aren't really anyone over here that can offer that, ... and so on, and so on. I hope that a future "How to make webcomics" will be able to have a chapter answering some of the additional questions that rise when creating a webcomic outside the US.

But that is nitpicking, really. This is the epitome of a five-star book.

I loved this story. I still cry sometimes as I read the ending. the artwork is fun and interesting to look at. The story is about how this clever girl teaches the king about how he can find happiness by helping out his people instead of focusing on making more gold. I love reading this to my little girl. She is 18 months and asks for it. I don't know how much of it she gets but I certainly think children younger than 4 can really enjoy this book.

This inspiring take on Rumpelstiltskin is fabulous. Stories that model awesome choice making inspire people to make good choices. I love to read this story to my kids. I love the message that family is more important than vanity and worldly glory.

This children's story is 29 un-numbered pages in a large format. The cover size is 9 x 12 inches. It is well illustated with large, full-color illustrations.

It is a delightful retelling of the story of Rumpelstiltskin. In this version, the miller's daughter finds Rumpelstiltskin more attractive than the greedy king, and escapes with him to take up a new life on a farm. But, later, the king discovers their daughter, and kidnaps the daughter to try to force her to spin his straw into gold.

The daughter is certainly not attracted to a greedy old king in his dotage, expecially one that her mother had already rejected when he was younger. But the daughter has plans of her own for rescuing the kingdom, and she is a lot smarter than the king.

Like many good children's stories, this one has gone out of print. One could hope that the publisher will reissue this one.

This book has a great message for young girls (and boys!), and the illustrations are very clever. I think I enjoy this book as much as my daughters do! It makes a great gift.

I *love* this book! And so does my 3 year old daughter. The artwork is beautiful and so wonderful to look at. The story is *awesome* and just great for little girls [and boys!].

The author has a superb wit and a gift for storytelling. This has quickly become one of our very favorites and my daughter spends lots of time now pretending to be "Rumplestiltskin's Daughter" [who also had a name!]. I'm very happy with the impact this tale has had on her sense of what it is to be a woman.

This tale encourages girls to be clever and self sufficient without being tedious or overbearingly feminist. [And without being anti-male]. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

After several trips to car shows with my husband, I had lots of beautiful photos sitting in iPhoto ready to print. I thought a DVD would be more useful and enjoyable for him, and tried to make a DVD project - NOT! Having already used The Missing Manual books, I promptly went out and bought this one. Great choice, as it filled in the blanks and gave me lots of ideas also. I am a photographer, not a tech person, and am pretty clueless when it comes to creating projects on the computer.

This series suits me perfectly and the book is highly recommended - with the aid of the book I sat down and promptly made a beautiful DVD, with lots of lovely effects, great music, and best of all it was easy. My husband was very happy with his DVD and watches it often.

The manual is clear, concise, easy to read and enjoyable. Unlike so many texts, it is not dry or overly technical. Anyone can make a great DVD easily with this reference. Next project - a video. Ready.....

This is the book you really want if you use iMovie at all!

I had recently started using a Mac at work, and suddenly I was put in a position to work with video on the Mac. Mr. Pogue's other books had been very helpful to me as I began to learn my way around the Mac, so I thought I would pick up this one to help me with my video work. I was very glad that I did. You see, iMovie HD has tools that help your movie look professional, but the iMovie HD help files are very tedious to go through. There is a great deal of referencing, cross-referencing, and nothing is smoothly laid out. This book is another story, as it is very well laid out with clear instructions and illustrations. It is very long, but since these applications are powerful, it would be expected that any clear explanation of them is going to require some space.
What is particularly good about this book is that the author doesn't assume you are a professional video author, and he spends part one of the book helping you learn how to shoot videos and shares tricks that will make you good at it. Part 2 is dedicated to iMovie, and shares not just how to use the application, but the little extras that will make your video special - transitions, effects, titles, captions, and even how to work with sound in your movie. Part 3, on finding your audience, was another unexpected treat. There the author shows you how to move between iMovie and Quicktime, and how to post your movie to your phone and to the web. Part 4 of the book is on iDVD. I particularly liked the chapter on iDVD secrets, where the author shows how you can use AppleScript to customize iDVD itself.
It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't even know how to use a Mac, and now I am quite the fan, especially when it comes to multimedia applications. I notice Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
Part 1: CAPTURING DV FOOTAGE
1. The DV Camcorder
2. Turning Home Video into Pro Video
3. Special Event Filming
Part 2: EDITING IN IMOVIE
4. Camcorder Meets Mac
5. Building the Movie
6. Transitions and Effects
7. Titles, Captions, and Credits
8. Narration, Music, and Sound
9. Still Pictures and QuickTime Movies
10. Professional Editing Techniques
Part 3: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE
11. Back to the Camcorder
12. From iMovie to QuickTime
13. Movies on the Web - And on the Phone
14. QuickTime Player
Part 4: iDVD5
15. From iMovie to iDVD
16. iDVD Projects by Hand
17. Designing iDVD Themes
18. iDVD Secrets
Part 5: Appendixes
A. iMovie HD: Menu by Menu
B. Troubleshooting
C. Master Keyboard Shortcut List

Very informative AND entertaining! If you feel you are even the least bit interested in breaking into digital film making this book is fantastic. I have been using iMovie for several years now and have a camcorder. However, I thought this book might help me kick things up a notch. It certainly will. I have only gotten through the first fifty pages, but I've already learned enough justify this purchase.

When I first received this rather intimidating 450+ page book I thought I would use it mainly for reference. Well, that was before I started reading it. Now I find it hard put down. It is very well written and arranged by areas of interest.

This book is great for everyone, from beginner to expert. It will undoubtedly prove to be a very valuable reference book in the future, but for now it's a great read.

If you're a heavy user of iMovieHD and iDVD, this book is a must. Most questions that users have about both software can be found in this manual (though he doesn't read like a boring manual). Pogue not only provides all the how-tos for learning the software, he also helps you troubleshoot problems that will crop in movie and DVD productions. There's hardly no aspect of either software that I didn't find covered in this book.

This tells you how to design a house for you. Not just a house out of a book, but one that takes your living patterns into account. Don't want a formal living room? Don't put one in! Also reminds you if you want to live in the house a long time, to make room for handicapped access that may be needed later. Design your kitchen and baths the way you live! Have fun! ;-)

This is the first book I've found that actually addresses living patterns in home design. The book describes the fact that people can be uncomfortable sitting in a huge living space and actually crave the need for smaller spaces like alcoves. Social behaviours and traffic patterns while entertaining are studied and factually explains what makes a room feel comfortable or homey. With traffic patterns and accessibility as the basis for the design half of the book, Clark provides a solid foundation for design fundementals and the why behind it.

The second half of the book covers home building. A s a complete novice in this area, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the information, but it does seem quite comprehensive in its description, demystifying the building process, and empowering owners to monitor their contractors with an informed eye, while giving insight to the bigger picture and mindset of contractors. I think this understanding will help communication between owners and contractors and make homebuilding a smoother process. Of particular interest, I found the load calculations for foundations fascinating as it wasn't something I had ever considered in home building as it is something the architecht waves his magic pencil to produce.

The book is written in a familiar tone the layperson will relate and understand, and while it doesn't shirk the industry jargon, explainations are forthcoming, making it easy to understand and simple to follow.

I've read quite a few books on home building and have done extensive research on the internet. This book covers design priciples and the why not found elsewhere. I highly recommend this book as the foundation to anyone planning and building their own home.

Sam Clark uses up half the book before he gets into the nitty-gritty of construction methods. This really IS a book about house DESIGN as well as construction. As such, it's an EXCELLENT book for someone who's starting from scratch to create their own house. The approach is extremely methodical, treating mindsets and goals as elements of the design process equal in importance to elevation drawings.

The illustrations bear particular attention. The (black and white) photographs are well composed, and have high contrast to clearly delineate the features that are supposed to be of interest. The line drawings are rather funky looking (in part because Clark appears not to own a ruler), but nevertheless do a very good job of illustrating what the text is talking about. This is the case for three reasons: (1) they were created by the author, who knew EXACTLY what part of the text needed visual aids; (2) their rulerless nature means that Clark can emphasize particular features rather than focus on strict scale drawings; and (3) each one is sized independently to take up as much space as is required to depict the subject matter, without worrying about "wasting" some page area. The end result is that the text and illustrations fit together well to make a unified whole.

For more detail on the Building part of creating a house, I'd recommend "Do-It-Yourself HOUSEBUILDING" by George Nash. But because Nash's book doesn't come close to Clark's for clarity, I'd first read Clark's book cover-to-cover. Then I'd keep Sam Clark's book open to the same subject area so that you can step back and get a clear overview as you get confused in the details of the Nash book.

I have been researching owner building for almost a year now and this is the first and only book I've found that both had all the information I needed, and presented it in a way that a layman could understand. Five thumbs up.

For the owner-builder looking to educate her/himself, sifting thru the oceans of books to read is tough. This one is definitely worth the time. Clark takes a no-nonsense, unpretentious approach. The text is easy to read and in plain language that lay people can understand. Focuses mostly on conventional stick-building, but there are lots of great ideas (in the "doing it yourself on a budget" theme) that apply to any building style.

I do NOT have a french or english country estate, so decorating books showing large rooms are not helpful for me. I hate French country decor, with the stupid ugly chickens and everything painted mustard and blue. Pottery Barn, Res Hardware and Crate and Barrel are handy but cookie cutter... This book is not any one of these things and I really love it! Some of the decorating styles, like "Alienated" are a bit too eccentric even for me but I love seeing the ideas taken to completion with out appology. It's not about shabby chic, it's more eccentric than that, like vintage photos of show girls, morrocan lamps and velvet couches... I really hate decorating books where everything is painted flat white, like an apartment, and cutsy little flowers everywhere. Too girly. No punch. This book is using what you love, even if, or especially if, its odd to create atmosphere with attitude. I think this is especially good for people with old houses or apartments, who are good at found art and collage. If your mother was an antique dealer like mine and you have mis matched yet interesting things, there are very useful ideas here. Medieval enthusiasts and goth kids would love this book. People with Magickal households that have unusual things would love this book, as well.

I have mixed feelings about this book, despite the 5 stars. I don't actually like clutter myself. I take its presence as a sign that somebody needs to tidy up and/or throw a few things out.

Still, whose home is neat and organized all the time? Through great effort, I can get mine to lose that just-been-burglerized look for about 5 minutes a week.

So I was delighted to find Purcell's book, much of which is devoted to making clutter actually look good, a process she refers to as "hooshing."

She also appreciates that few people's household belongings are new, unstained or well-matched.

--which is (IMO) why the rooms in this book bear some resemblance to places people actually live.

The main deviation from TRULY realistic decor derives from the fact that HER piles of clutter consist of things like old globes, brocade samples, hardcover books etc., whereas most people's clutter is stuff like old newspapers and dead plants. But for an interior decorating book, it's close enough.

This is more of an analysis of your artistic style than one of those cookie cutter decorating books--every page is amazing. If you are artistic & don't like to follow current trends, you will love the offbeat, quirky ideas. Worth every penny--sequel, please?

Firstoff the four stars is hard to explain. I want to give this item five. But there is a few things I cannot overlook. However, this book is amazing. It is a decorating eden, filled with wonderous things you should look into and explore. If you look at this book and you think "ack, $$$!! I do not have the money to pull off these styles" you will miss the entire point of the book. The entire book is about doing it yourself, and she does it on a penny. she explains throughout - its possible to get the look and spend a reasonable amount of money. The book is not about buying the most expensive antique. Its about creating. Its about making something yours from junk. Its about hooshing - making it yourself; spending no money. It is a tome of creativity.

The only reason I cannot give it 5 is the one chapter 'Humble' - while the style is visually appealing she seems to forget a few things, like sanitation. The cute little guest cottage is made out of an old large chicken coop, where the walls have sustained beautiful natural water damage. While asthetically pleasing, its mold. Also, chickens carry alot of airborn diseases that if you mess around in their dried feces (like oh say, in a chicken coop) you can inhale and get terrible things like meningitis. (It happened to a friend's brother of mine while he was cleaning out a similar coop to the one she uses. Not something to mess around with. And he was wearing an air filter and construction gear.)
While this chapter can be completely overlooked and ideas still gained from it, it completely ignores hygine and health. But honestly, this shouldn't make you ignore this book. Its a diamond in the rough. No book is perfect, but this - is pretty darn close.

I adore this book. I found a copy of it mysteriously in my office (I'm a set dresser) and it has completely overhauled my beliefs in decorating. The pictures are feasts for your eyes... There's just so much to look at, all layered so perfectly. I can't wait to create my own lofted bed, my own hooshes, and mysteriously curtained nooks. I feel like I finally fit into a design catagory.

Even if this book doesn't quite mesh as well with your design style, it is still interesting to look at the unique ways of decorating, and the text is lively and quite non-snore inducing (which most decorating books tend to be).

Amazing book. Buy it, you won't be disappointed. It will leave you yearning for another one from the very creative Rebecca Prucell.

My brief research before the purchase of this book lead me to believe, that this is currently (July 2008) the best book on jQuery. After getting started with the book, I still think that's the case. Except if I consider online docs and tutorials as well. Online tutorials benefit jQuery from the fact that you can really try out and see what's happening. Sure you could download the code or type it down from the book, but the fact is that I ended up learning more about jQuery following interactive online tutorials than from reading the book.
Usually, I prefer reading a book on the couch instead of on a computer screen, but that's not how you learn jQuery. You have to try it. You have to play with it. And if you have to sit in front of your PC or Mac anyway, you might as well just follow an online tutorial.

I rarely write reviews for the books I read, but with this one a review isn't that hard. First and foremost, this book assumes that you already have some solid knowledge on web design (CSS, HTML, and Javascript). There is a quick chapter on javascript in the appendix that helps but it's more of a friendly reminder of javascript concepts that anything else. It's also good to have an understanding of some of the more advanced CSS selectors that are in the CSS3 specification. This isn't a requirement but you'll get a bit more out of it if you do. jQuery has some very powerful ways of selecting elements and you can use some of the CSS3 selector statements even if the browser doesn't support it. Very cool stuff! The authors do a great job of explaining things with detailed code and real-world examples (which you can download and run yourself if you wish to follow along). They also do a good job of breaking everything down into a linear fashion that is easy to absorb and don't get ahead of themselves all that often. All in all, this is probably one of the best web development/design related books I've read in a while. I haven't quite finished yet but the half I have read is reqlly well written. I already feel like I have a firm grasp of the basic concepts of jQuery and could probably start using it a bit. Bravo to the authors for writing a solid book on jQuery!

I have solid JavaScript skills and plenty of experience, but at first I wasn't feeling 100% comfortable using jQuery; I was able to be productive very quickly, but failed to feel at home using it. This book was exactly what I was looking for. jQuery has its own way to approach many problems and, in my case, I almost had to "unlearn" certain habits and embrace the idiomatic alternatives offered by the library. jQuery in Action helped me a lot in the process, saved me some time and made the whole learning process much more enjoyable. I wish there was more space dedicated to ui.jQuery, but I understand that's a topic worth a dedicated book.

I found this book to be a great resource for learning about jQuery. I was able to apply what I learned right away.

This is just an excellent book all around. It's well-written. No BS to wade through (just the stuff you need to get going with jQuery). It has excellent online tools to download so you can really get into jQuery and how it works (they call it a Lab page -- it's a set of HTML pages that you download and use to test tasks or theories in jQuery).

I haven't read too many books solely on Ajax frameworks but I cannot recommend this one enough. You'll be up and running with jQuery faster than you can imagine.

This book incapsulates a genius and his gift of insight and ability to create such mind blowing beauty. The book tell of his childhood and goes through a multitude of experience that shaped his life and nurtured his personal creativity. It also shows a number of his clients and people he has worked with and they offer comments and goodbyes to Aucoin, who has died recently. It is well rounded and very hard to put down. I have all of the books related to him and recommend them all to anyone who is in advertising, fashion, beauty, and commercial art industry. His story is one of struggles and accomplishments. It is tragic that we lost this brilliant, intelligent, inspiring individual, it is evident that he was just getting started.

For those who really love Kevyn, this is a must read. I am a huge fan, and have all of his other books. It was so sad to see such talent pass so soon, but this book really celebrates his life and talent. Great pictures and commentary from celebrities and those closest to Kevyn.

Anyone seriously interested in the art of makeup must be familiar with the name Kevyn Aucoin. In the era of the supermodel, he was the super makeup artist. Aucoin was not only an exceptional artist, but an exceptional person. I could rave on and on about my late teens and early twenties, when I went through a period of self hatred because of the way I percieved myself. Kevyn's books encouraged readers to be adventurous in their exploration of self-image, teaching good techniques and smart tricks. It may sound trite, but I honestly believe those books did a lot for my self-esteem as well as my makeup skills. Even if you don't own his other books, this one is worth having for sure.

I thought this book would be more of a "how to" book more than a biography, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and am more inspired than ever to take my makeup artistry to the next level. It is easy to read and very interesting. No matter who you are or what your goals are, this book is proof that EVERYONE has obstacles to overcome. There is a small portion of the book dedicated to "how-to" in the back and I read the book cover to cover. I think I will still get some other beauty how-to books, but I was not disappointed in this at all even though it did not turn out to be what I originally thought.

I did not want this book to end. Kevyn Aucoin was an amazingly talented artist, but more importantly he was an amazing person. This book tells his story from his beginning in Louisiana, to the glamour of the super model era, to Kevyn becoming the most famous artist in his field. It is touching, detailed, and even helpful with the included makeup tips. a beautiful tribute to a beautiful person.

the paradigma of a comprete works of any architect, a presentation that has influenced all architects between its publication and S,M,L,XL.

I received the package fairly quickly and the books were in great condition, but the protective sleeve was bandaged and beat up. However I was pretty satisfied with my purchase.

A comprehensive overlook on the work of the most influential architect of the 20th century. The print quality of this edition is not as good as the original but the price is now affordable.

The books are amazing and I was happy to get them for so cheap and in new condition. The shipping was also very fast.

While there have been many monographs of Le Corbusier, this is the definitive edition. It is the set of volumes that inspired everyone from Alvar Aalto to Zaha Hadid, shaping the way we look at Modern Architecture. There is a typo in the number of pages. This set is massive but it doesn't weigh in at 176,000 pages. The 8 volumes, about 200 pages each, were originally released individually from 1929 to 1969 with Boesinger and Stonorov working directly with Le Corbusier. These are the original drawings and photographs, so if you are looking for glossy prints of Corbu's more famous works, I suggest purchasing monographs by Kenneth Frampton or William Curtis, which have contemporary photos of his better known buildings. Also, much of the text is not translated, presented in the original French. You have to have a great appreciation for Corbu's work to consider such a purchase, but given how rare first editions are, not to mention expensive, this is the best price by far for this invaluable collection.

This a wonderful book portraying an incredible time of Picassos life and also of the other great artists of that time period with whom he was sharing this spectacular period of creativity with.

John Richardson has outdone himself and this book is a must for all art lovers!!!

Mr. Richardson has out done himself on his Picasso opus. He displays Picasso in the light of his work and his influences without fluff and sensation. The book is a pleasant and interesting read sans the dry, academic, and often inaccurate writing of other books on Picasso. He also down plays the sensationalism producing a sensative and revealing portrait of the greatest artist of the twentieth century. As an artist myself, (www.arteespanol.us), I found this book extremely informative, useful, and entertaining. I highly recommend this, and Mr. Richardson's previous books on Picasso to art lovers and lay people alike.

John Richardson's long awaited third of four volumes of "A Life of Picasso" does not disappoint. The writing is insightful due to the author's personal relationship and knowledge of the artist. The first two works provided more than simply a lesson in art history, rather, an encompassing view of the life and times of the man and his culture. This most recent work continues the saga in the same well written manner.

I love Picasso and to read about him as a regular guy living his life is very revealing in that he is human as well as a protean god of Art. Loved this book as it continues the story along. The only real criticism I have of J. Richardson is that it seems he's in a rush. Quite a difference from the slow but sure tone of the first two books. It seems for some reason that he went in and took out a lot of stuff some stupid editor told him was too much for any one to care about. Wrong. I sure hope he finishes the proposed 7 volume series but for as long as it is taking him to write it, well, I will keep my fingers crossed because he writes in a honest way the story of one man who changed the world.

If you think you know Picasso's work, this book will convince you otherwise. John Richardson has done a tremendous service by sorting out when Picasso produced his greatest works between 1917 and 1932, what sources he "borrowed" from, what he was trying to accomplish, and how all of these works affected his career. This book was quite a revelation to me. Simply by seeing a lot of his work (as you can do at Musee Picasso, for example), you quickly realize that Picasso constantly copied himself. And, of course, it is well known that he borrowed much while trying to establish a style and while working with Braque to develop cubism. But Picasso borrowed early and often in ways I didn't realize. In that sense, he was a supreme stylist who could execute someone else's idea in a more profound way. I came away with a new appreciation for that aspect of his talent.

While Picasso was alive, very little was said in books about his mistreatment of women and the motives behind his paintings of his wives and lovers. While his second life was alive, people were still pretty circumspect on this point. But now we know that Picasso was louse when it came to women and his family. This book gives you the full story of his first marriage, relationship with his young mistress who inspired so many joyous works, Marie-Therese Walter, and his constant attraction to prostitutes.

There are some other surprises in this book including how central his work with ballet was in creating interest in his paintings and sculptures. It was through Diaghilev that Picasso met his first wife, Olga Khokhlova, a ballerina in the Ballets Russes. Picasso decided it was time to settle down and marry. Despite having had long relationships with women before, he now was looking for someone who would help make him respectable. In the process, Picasso adopted the lifestyle of one of the first wealthy artists (famously being driven around in one of the world's most expensive cars by a chauffeur in the middle of the world-wide economic depression).

As good as John Richardson is on those subjects, he can be most annoying in other ways. For example, Mr. Richardson seems to have an obsession with Jean Cocteau and writes a lot about him even though Picasso didn't like Cocteau very much and Cocteau didn't influence Picasso very much either. Mr. Richardson also has a writing style that can be enormously elusive, describing what happened without saying anything. Picasso's wife seems to have had a lot of physical and mental problems but these are mentioned without providing much real information other than when they occurred. A greater problem comes in that Mr. Richardson likes to drop in lots of French phrases (I read French so I had no problem), but if you don't read French it makes the text harder to follow. Some will also find some of Mr. Richardson's put downs of those who disagree with as being rude and high handed. Perhaps the most annoying problem comes in using academic words to describe distasteful aspects of Picasso's personality and behavior. It's like putting lipstick on a pig.

But I advise you to read the book while being prepared for its weaknesses. I'm afraid there is no substitute. The generously represented art makes up for the weaknesses.