Design Books

Great book. Great timesaving techniques taught in this book that can be applied to many other projects. Great picures.

I like the book. It has easy to follow instractions and consept is very interesting. I recomend it to all quilters

Jan Krentz's Diamond Quilts & Beyond: From The Basics To Dazzling Designs tells how to turn a quilt literally into a work of art, using Impressionist painting inspirations to translate to fabric with diamond patterns. Particularly notable is a gallery of quilts which feature hand-painted and diamond patterns, flowers and figures in diamond quilts, and much more. An inspiriting collection.

The Diammond Quilts & Beyond book has so much information that I've already re-read it three times. The project directions are well written and thorough. But the concept really inspires me to design an original diamond quilt - the "Beyond" in the title!

Great book. Very good directions. Just what I had been looking for.

I LOVED this book. Diana Vreeland's "Why don't you..." suggestions are absolutely wild. They're obviously intended for women of *great* means (why don't you give a diamond bracelet as a gift to the wife of your favorite bandleader?). And some of the suggestions are so out there, I swear she was chewing magic mushrooms. My favorite is the suggestion to put in a private staircase from your bedroom to the library, and have it carpeted with a needlepoint rug that spells out the notes to your favorite tune. My god, you're right, I'll do that tomorrow!!
This book is great to read out loud at a party.

the strange thing is, I am not sure if it's intentionally funny. The author clearly admires Vreeland, and it's a very affectionate book with wonderful photographs.

It is definitely a great glimpse at another era, and at a level of society I can only imagine. To have the kind of money that allows you to do some of these things is beyond my wildest dreams. It's a fun fantasy trip, and a fun retro trip. Five stars.

This book is something to read on a rainy day. It is beautifully put together and very mood uplifting. The suggestions do not seem all that outrageous to me and indeed could add that very necessary flair or as Diana would say PIZAZZ to your life. I love her suggestions for interior decorating. She talks about the pursuit of the perfect RED. How lovely to imagine living a life where your most important concerns are finding the perfect RED. And yes this book is probably for people who are already fans of Diana. Great pictures too.
ACL

My only qualm: I wish there'd been more "Why don't you...?"s. Frankly, I couldn't get enough of them:

"Why don't you have your cigarettes stamped with a personal insignia as a well-known explorer did with a penguin?"

"Why don't you rinse your blond child's hair in dead champagne to keep its gold, as they do in France?"

"Why don't you wear violet velvet mittens with everything?"

Indeed, why don't I?

This slim book far outshines its company in the Diana Vreeland library, and especially "Allure," a gigantic coffee table book with photographs that appear to have been digitized with a $20 scanner.

Of course, you must know and love Mrs. Vreeland to be here in the first place. Given that you do, buy this book. Don't expect a compendium of her suggestions and aphorisms. Do expect a delightful hour's browse. Well worth the money.

Any info on D.V. is exciting to me. This pretty book is filled with great photos and listing of all the "Why Don't You" articles created by Diana during her days at Harpers. If you are a fan of Diana Vreeland (as I am) you must add this book to your collection.

Have you ever taken notes in class, which made perfect sense in the classroom setting watching the teacher demostrate a command, only to get home and try to recreate the steps to no avail?
This book is so helpful in that the commands are so clearly laid out in a visual, easy to understand manner. Since graduating from school, I have continued to pick this book up as a helpful resource to refresh my cad skills on numerous occasions. The answers have been there ever time.

Whether you're still in school or out in the work force, this book is a must-have resource for designers who may need a refresher course in CAD from time to time. The easy-to-read graphics, thorough index and step-by-step instructions allow both experienced users and/or newcomers to navigate successfully through the CAD program.

Great Book !!...no nonsense, step by step guide that uses conventional drafting methods and reference diagrams to explain what you NEED to know with out all of the ultra technical junk found in most CAD text. It provides the reader with the information needed to work in a REAL office in the REAL world.

AutoCAD is clearly the industry standard computer aided design software. If you type AutoCad into the search engine at Amazon you get 4,306 books about it. How do you possibly pick one out of this many. Or perhaps a better question is why pick this one.

First, this book is specifically oriented to architects and interior designers. That's what the examples show, that's the terminology used. You are not looking at gears or airplane wings.

Second, this book is aimed at the beginner. It starts with comparing AutoCad to conventional paper and T-Square drafting. It compares AutoCAD commands to common drafting implements like a pencil or compass.

Third, it is rather independent of the AutoCAD version. The concepts being taught here are the basic ones, so you can use the book with whatever version you have.

Fourth, it is a very visually oriented book. It has you quickly working on drawings, showing you in illustrations what you should be seeing on the screen.

Fifth, as a basis for starting your drawings the companion web site for the book has perhaps as much information as is contained in the book.

Conclusion. This is an excellent book to use to get started with AutoCAD, especially for architects and interior designers.

Clear illustrations and easy to follow step-by-step instructions make it easy to master AutoCAD commands with this book. Often, a single page covers an entire command (in words and illustrations) which makes it easy to learn the first time or refresh my memory.

I'm glad I found an AutoCAD book that does not require me to be a programmer to learn this software. I'll keep this one next to my computer for quick reference.

Book arrived in excellent condition in record time. Well written, very informative and will be an asset to my sewing library!

This is a truly fantastic book. Even if you don't want to learn how to actually digitize designs, you will benefit a great deal from learning how they are digitized, leading to better stitchouts and projects. The book is full of pictures that clearly demonstrate the easy-to-understand text. It takes what can be a very complicated process and breaks it down into simple steps that anyone can understand. I have an easier time choosing proper stabilizers and fabrics now that I understand the concepts this book presents. If you machine embroider, this definitely needs to be on your bookshelf!

I cannot recommend this book enough!! It is the only thing like it out on the market for the home embroiderer. It is not software specific. It picks up where the software manual leaves off. In this book John Deer talks about distortion, underlay, density, etc and shows lots of pictures that makes it really clear what he's talking about. You also get a cd with the book that has the designs that he uses as examples in the book. I asked the store where I teach embroidery software to stock this book & it's been flying off the shelves.

Up until now I feel like the commercial embroiderers were trying to keep their tips a secret from the home embroiderers. I have to thank John Deer for sharing all of his great tips with all of his sitting at home trying to figure this out on our own!!

A good generalized informative book on digitizing. I perhaps was looking for more specific ideas on shading, etc. I think I will be purchasing some of those books in the not too distant future.

I almost bought this book at a recent seminar and should have. John Deer has written a very easy to understand book on digitizing with information that can be used for any software format. His talents are among the top digitizers and we are fortunate that he is willing to share his procedures with the reading public.

I come from a long line of fantastic cooks. I read and reread cookbooks all the time. This is my favorite cookbook. I have tried many recipes from here and even though I am usually a try-something-new-cook some of these have become staples. Also the recipes lend well to improvisation. Really I can't say enough about this cookbook, my family covets it.

I couldn't wait to dive into the Junior League of Pasadena's Dining by Design cookbook. In addition to delicious and easy sounding recipes, it is full of all kinds of interesting nuggets of information. Things that you've always wanted to know but could never put your finger on in other cookbooks. It is also a lovely looking book, almost too pretty to be a cookbook. Try it, I think you'll really, really like it!

I couldn't wait to dive into the Junior League of Pasadena's Dining by Design cookbook. In addition to delicious and easy sounding recipes, it is full of all kinds of interesting nuggets of information. Things that you've always wanted to know but could never put your finger on in other cookbooks. It is also a lovely looking book, almost too pretty to be a cookbook. Try it, I think you'll really, really like it!

i recommend this book to absolutely everyone. i have yet to have a bad experience with any one of the recipes found in this beautiful book. Not only does the book contain tasty recipes but it contains valuable tips for cooking, decorating, entertaining and the like. this is a must buy for family and friends as well as for yourself. i sure hope the junior league of Pasadena, inc. will publish another:)

As expected, I was not disappointed by the Junior League of Pasadena's newest edition in their series of cookbooks. I didn't think anything could top their last, "California Sizzles", but "Dining by Design" is even better! I have dozens of cookbooks that remain dusty on the shelves, but both my Junior League of Pasadena cookbooks are very well worn from all of the recipes I use. Way to go! I recommend these delicious, easy to understand, easy to prepare recipes to everyone!

I gave this book to my brother, an avid skateboarder, for Christmas and he loved it. He's not much of a reader, so the majority of it being pictures really appealed to him. If you're looking for a gift for the skateboarder in your family, I would recommend this.

This book is jammed packed with great board graphics and interesting stories about the images on the decks and the skaters themselves. LOVE THIS BOOK!

The book could've been a bunch of pictures of skate decks slapped together, but this book presents the images with a behind-the-scenes feel to it. I love how Sean presents the book with an autobiographic feel which leaves you feeling like you're right there with him, working on some of these graphix. But then, Sean takes it to the next level. He presents a first hand account from the riders who rode the deck(s) or from the artist who created the artwork, which gives the reader a better understanding of what was happening behind the scenes. Now I look at some of these skate decks in a whole new level. It's like a book version of ESPN's Behind the Glory.
Sean, if you're reading this, maybe you should look into that!

Quite simply, this is a book that MUST be seen. The artwork, photographs and story are just perfect. Greatin authoring by Sean Cliver who gives a terribly detailed, painful, humorous and honest look at the behind-the-scenes of the skateboard industry. As a kid growing up and skating in the 80's (I started skating in 1984 when I was 9, this book took me down memory lane and, I must say, enjoyed every step. This book is a no-lose buy and I strongly encourage you purchase.

This book is excellent in that it has both awesome shots of over 1,000 skateboard decks and then the first hand stories of both the artists and skaters who created and rode them. It takes hours to absorb all the outrageous graphics and even longer to read all the accounts. The thing I really appreciated about this book is with all the different authors contributing and no story was repeated. So many times in similar books the same story is just retold in slightly different words and in this book that never happens. When finished I am left with huge admiration for Sean Cliver's labor of love effort and still can't believe how good the book is.

As expected the Donna Dewberry designs embroidered as well as your painted designs - I am very pleased with this first set of designs and look forward to more from her in the future.

Very nice book. Beautiful designs on CD. Very good value for the money.

I love this book and have truly enjoyed using the embroidery designs. They sew up beautifully and will be a wonderful addition to my embroidery library.

This is a lovely book both for the beginner as well as the experienced machine embroiderer. It is not a large book, but nevertheless is chock full of information. There are great ideas for using the embroideries on the enclosed cd, as well as providing inspiration for substituting one's own favorite designs. I used the "Pansies" design in creating an envelope pillow for a friend, coordinating the thread colors with the pansy tapestry fabric used in the pillow body. It turned out absolutely beautiful - the design stitched out gorgeous - much nicer even than the illustration in the book. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I was well pleased with not only the content of the book, the shape the book was in when received. I see great potential for utilization of these designs. Would recommend to any machine embroiderer that this type design appeals too.

I had no idea how to use dreamweaver. I purchased this book, went through it in a couple of days and now I can design a basic website without using those dreaded html codes. I highly recommend this book due to the fact that anyone can understand it. I'm now working through the Fireworks edition.

Dreamweaver 4 for Visual Learners is a user friendly manual packed full of information. There are tons of graphics and screen shots, and just enough text to explain everything thoroughly. I'm no Dreamweaver expert, and this book took me step by step through the basics; then some more advanced material without any of it going over my head. It will make a great reference for later on as well. Great manual Chris!!

I've read through several manuals learning different computer programs and none have helped me learn a program as fast as this book! The instructions and screen shots are clear and concise, and allow the user to focus on the actual work of creating a website. The author includes using the previous steps for extra practice before introducing the next skill(s). The spiral binding also allows the book to lie flat or be folded in half. A big advantage to users with small computer work areas. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to get started immediately. Visibooks are wonderful - thank you Mr. Charuhas. I'll definitely using your books in other subject areas!

I have been thru this book and used it to learn the basics of Dreamweaver... and I'm so glad I found it! Dreamweaver can be intimidating at first, and this book brought me understanding that only a visual book can do. I highly recommend it (and any of the other ...For Visual Learners books)!!!

As a computer training professional, I've read or reviewed dozens of training books/manuals and this is one of the most effective learning sources I've found. Mr. Charuhas takes the best training method available, visual learning, and incorporates it into a really well written training book. I would highly recommend this material to anyone interested in learning Dreamweaver in a down-to-earth and, more importantly, effective manner. Kudos to Mr. Charuhas.

As an artist interested in Marcel Duchamp and his works, I foud this book to be very informative. It's a book that will fascinate even those who have little interest in modern art.

I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful book to everyone who knows how to read English. Marcel Duchamp was perhaps the premier iconclast of the twentieth century, and the runners up might be Buckminster Fuller & Le Corbusier. The book is NOT a boring monograph; it is a lot of fun to read. Tompkins is a Duchamp enthusiast but manages to wade through the mythology and bull to present the reader with the rosetta stone of Duchamp's life and art. Whether you took a twentieth century art survey in college and only know Duchamp as the guy who wrote R. Mutt on an upside-down urinal or you have read any number of books about the artist you should read this book! Tompkins sucks the reader right into the mind of Duchamp on the first page with a discussion and analysis of The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even, one the the greatest and most misunderstood and unappreciated works of the last century. I was an Art History major in college and hence suffered through so many authoritative, pretentious, dry, bland, misinformed, prejudiced and yawn-inducing books that it was such a pleasure to stumble onto Tompkin's Duchamp, which is a reader's book, totally apt since Duchamp was a man's man, a genius, not a theorizing weasal. This book is important because it inspires everyone to question everything you take for granted, and enjoy puns and jokes and the lighter side of life, and that art is there for everyone, not for patrons and the elite, for you and me, and that the contrary notion is absurd.

You don't have to like modern art to enjoy this remarkable biography about the most influention and controversial artists of the twentieth century. Tompkins explores the various interpretations of the art of Marcel Duchamp, most amusing of which is that of the artist himself (he was very laissez-fair when it came to expounding upon his own art). If the reader is not a fan of modern art (least of all the Dada movement) he or she will still find pleasure in reading about the life and times of this man of extreme wit and humor. The book reads like a who's-who of the pre and post world war II art world. Dealers, artists, and collectors who filled Duchamps world are just as amusing as characters in a comical work of fiction. The day to day life of people like Peggy Guggenheim and Max Ernst, Francis Picabia and Gabrielle Buffet-Picabia, Katherine Dryer, and Andre Breton, and the ever popular and exclusive members of the surrealist group is explored in comical detail. This book can also be looked at as a crash course in twentieth art history. Duchamp is explored in the most scholarly manner, but Tompkins keeps his study on a level that makes it easy to read.

DUCHAMP: A BIOGRAPHY is a wonderful biography of the artist whom, Tompkins argues persuasively, is the most influential of our almost-completed century. That the art work must be a mental act (a 'cosa mentale,' Leonardo da Vinci had argued many years before); that to be truly creative we need to work AGAINST our esthetic expectations; that art should aspire to be 'non-retinal': these are only some of Duchamp's major perceptions included in this book. What is particularly enjoyable is the way in which Tompkins meshes DuChamps' remarkable life -- one of the most sexually attractive of men, a chess player at the highest levels, an extraordinarily charming and easy person (yet a man who, not matter how much he tried to avoid the repetitive patterns involved in 'art,' was always the consummate artist)with the works of art and 'readymades' which emerged in and from that life. Duchamp's life makes for wonderful reading. What I most recommend about the book is that it stimulates one's own thinking, challenging so much of our conventional beliefs -- in art, in convention, in the concepts of both accomplishment and genius.

The fantastic New Yorker art critic turns his eye towards one of his favorite artists. This book balances both a traditional historical biography of Duchamp along with a critique and examination of his art. A good read of an artist with an interesting (and pleasantly surprisingly un-tortured) life.

The steps in this book are easy for students and teachers to follow. Built a web site in a fairly short period of time. Students in my class created e-portfolios with very few problems. This book is a winner!

Teaching with technology can be a reality in the classroom and a success throughout the curriculum. E-Teaching is a tool that will shed new light on this daunting electronic age for veteran and up-and-coming educators alike. It is the perfect guide to supplementing and enriching the learning environment. I've had alot of success using the methods in this book.

Using technology in education today is one of the hottest topics around. This book addresses specific ways in which students and educators alike can use technology to enhance learning. It is well written and easy to understand (cuts through the technical jargon). You must pick up a copy of this book!

My students dove right into the web projects discussed in this book. The steps for creating a web site and web portfolio were very clearly outlined. Student electronic portfolios are the rage right now in education. A must read book for those who want to stay on the cutting edge!

No time for learning new technology, no capacity for electronic teaching methods, no idea how to create a Web page -- no longer! Linworth Publishing, Inc. introduces a book that will drive educators to conquer the Internet and energize student imaginations at the same time!

E-Teaching: Creating Web Sites and Student Web Portfolios Using Microsoft PowerPoint by Jay D'Ambrosio is just the tool educators need to step into the 21st century of teaching using the electronic resources available to them. This book demystifies the very valuable technological asset of Web design, making it very easy to incorporate into any educational setting. This new resource also details the effectiveness of using Web sites as electronic portfolios that will not only spark student enthusiasm but be used as an effective means of alternative assessment in the classroom.

To avoid being left behind in this technologically savvy world, educators must stay a step ahead of our students in learning to use the Internet as a tool to enhance student success and classroom instruction. Now educators can learn how to create, design and publish their own Web sites in a step-by-step method that assumes little or no prior knowledge of Web design and without using complex Web design software or html. Part One focuses on Web design for teachers using Microsoft PowerPoint, while Part Two provides information on assisting students in creating their own Web sites to use as electronic portfolios. Each chapter provides a "Library Media Connection" section that presents information and suggestions for librarians to collaborate with teachers and assist them in integrating technology into the learning environment.

Teaching with technology can be a reality in the classroom and a success throughout the curriculum. E-Teaching is a tool that will shed new light on this daunting electronic age for veteran and up-and-coming educators alike. It is the perfect guide to supplementing and enriching the learning environment.

Two of Jay D'Ambrosio's Web sites were recognized as "Best Bets in Education" by USA Today. He is the founder and owner of Atlantis Web Solutions, a Web development company that specializes in Web and wireless site design. Jay also teaches Adventures in World History at the Seneca Valley Middle School near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.