Interior Design Books

It is two-volume compendium following the scholarly enumeration of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It also includes the Hebrew and Aramaic text and newly edited English translations and summaries of all biblical and nonbiblical scrolls found at Qumran. This work was designed to accompany course work as a practical reference tool to facilitate research of the Scrolls. It lacks the general introductions and other interpretive matter of other translations that may bias a reading of the texts, but it does include bibliographical references to other translations and studies. Because of this more invisible editorial intervention the work will best serve students who are learning how to read and interperted these texts. As a handy reference work nothing else is as useful. Also this less expensive edition will make this a much perferred edition.

After many years of hearing about the Dead Sea Scrolls, but not being able to read the original texts, one is now able to read the Hebrew and Aramaic texts from Qumran in modern square script(some Greek texts are also contained). The texts are unpointed just as the manuscripts themselves are. Bibliographical information is listed for the Biblical texts, but their Hebrew/Aramaic/Greek content are not included in the book. In most cases the Biblical texts align with the Masoretic text. Having the Hebrew and English text in parallel allows people who know a little Hebrew to work with the text. The paperback edition is a better investment as there are errors within the book, most of them minor. Overall this book fills a huge void in Dead Sea Scrolls research and despite some flaws, it is a must for any student of the Qumran scrolls.

There are two reasons that _The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition_ is a notch above other comprehensive translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls. One is that it provides a transliteration of almost all of the manuscripts. The second is that not only non-biblical texts are translated. And since I have a Bruce Zuckerman photo of a couple of the DSS mss, I can verify the translation of the mss. Most of all, this two volume work includes extensive bibliographical work.

I know professional scholars who prefer _The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition_.

Even though it has been 50 years from the time these discoveries started to be published, this is the first time a Hebrew/English edition of the "published texts" has ever appeared. There have always been English translations available, regularly updated as the findings were gradually released, but students who wished to explore the original language always had to visit some college library and make copies from the journals or consult some edition that was in French or German. Individual scrolls or a particular grouping of text might appear in both languages, but nothing presented this corpus to English readers before this Study Edition.
The work itself is not a critical edition. It is actually more of a catalogue of the corpus of manuscripts, providing the non-Biblical texts in their original language (Hebrew or Aramaic) with an English translation on facing pages. As a result, many of the texts occur several times, because every manuscript of each work is provided. This reveals how some of the texts were recovered, as one set of fragments fills the gaps of another. But in each case, the "recovered" text is given in brackets, and the student is able to flip back and forth to see how the fragments are related. However, there are many reconstructions that are not supported by an actual manuscript, so this edition does make it possible to detect unsupported emendations, which is of the greatest importance to any student.
As for the subject of Qumran itself, the site, the caves, the dates of these materials, the place they hold in ancient literature and history, even their relation to the Bible, there is not a word. This is purely the sources without comment, and leaves you to still obtain a good edition of the non-Biblical materials we have always had (Enoch, Jubilees, Testament of the 12 Patriarchs, etc.)which are only represented by fragments in this collection, but essential to understand this corpus. Even worse then this, the Biblical book of Ecclesiasticus (Ben Syrah), also represented by fragments in the Dead Sea Scrolls, does not exist in such a convenient Hebrew/English edition.
While I find this work satisfying and useful, it has occurred to me that, after all these years, even if this edition was worth the wait, we must still wait for such materials as I listed above to be presented in a similar form.

This is a fantastic refernece book! It covers all aspects of the Western Esoteric movement, as well as Gnostic religions! A must for an student and scholar of these areas!

This insightful new dictionary is absolutely indispensable for academic research as well as for the spiritual seeker who wants to know more about ideas and practices of the traditions of Gnosis & Western Esotericism. Every article is a pleasure to read by style and structure. So before you know you are looking to other entries for more! This dictionary stands out for its rich contents on diverse topics, well divided into correlating articles about historical periods and systematically differing orientations, on many persons and organisations and so on, from the first to the twenty-first centuries. It is well organized. Most articles are very good; several excellent. There is to be found much stimulus and inspiration for further research as well as for study from more individual points of view.
So in one stroke we have now an indispensable goldmine of information about a once dark corner of our culture at our disposal. This is very good quality for sure. What has become visible now, is a vast field of academic knowledge - about topics despised of in the mainstream Western religions as heretic and dangerous as well as until recently more often than not neglected by the academic world. Which knowledge now also figures within the boundaries of many generally accepted paradigms or discussions shared by a large number of academic researchers, among which the writers of the articles in this dictionary.
The balance between general and special topics seems adequate for the time being, particularly as this is only the first edition. The attention to Judaism and Islam could easily have been more abundant than the rather limited information that is now given. The same applies to the relation with Eastern (and possibly other) religions - and of course their mystical, gnostical and esoterical sides (if relevant as such or to the subject in case) - which could have been dealt with more systematically. But this requires of course a network of participant researchers and writers which is still larger. To me in any case it is not understandable that not more attention is given to the context of Hellenistic and related surrounding (mystery) religions within which Gnosticism and Hermetism rose. Why much attention to the philosophical influences of Aristotelism and Neo-Platonism and not to these contextual and also influential religions? Religions always develop contextually. Again there is no systematic treatment of those influences and developments here, although it has to be said that the separate articles mention a lot of them. (For my complete review including info and comments about separate articles see http://www1.tip.nl/~t770268/lezen18.html#DGWE .)
The terms `gnosis' and `esotericism' have a connotation of rejection within dogmatical theology and reasonable science which often were far from neutral to these subjects of study. Or better said, within the course of fighting those phenomena they - or their forerunners - intentionally shaped this terminology with a negative connotation, that is defined those phenomena as to be judged negatively. Now my question is: by using the terminology coming from the enemies, does not the very title of the dictionary give in too much to 'standard' prejudices? If one as is done here, gives a neutral view of a subject field and sees that it can be treated the same as `normal' subject fields, why restricting oneself to this field only? Of course a problem with this is that a dictionary like this one is part of the academic discourse (as indeed is also the chair system on which the differentiation of subject fields within a university is based) and does not want to remove itself to much from this discourse - which itself is not a truth but a chosen method and viewpoint. But within the academic discourse there should be the possibility of - and often is much - discussion and fight about paradigms, and it has to be said that the subjects of this dictionary - as do religion and spirituality in general - give much occasion to that.
This dictionary is very well organized and edited. The design is also very good, a pleasure to see, to hold in your hand and to read (pleasant typography). The indexes on entries, persons and groups are very useful. There is however one great omission: an index on subjects you will not find. I remember having worked with many encyclopaedias, f.e. the RGG (Die Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart), and - I assume - without its index on subjects I would have had only half of the advantages compared with having this index. For example there are so many concepts or images of which the history and meaning becomes co much clearer if one can search for and look within the articles, that this omission within the dictionary really is a pity to me. Could one say that "Sophia / Wisdom" is deserving less of an entry than is "Reincarnation" (which has got an entry)? I urge the publisher to give attention to this omission for a following edition. However, one absolutely can say that this dictionary gives a sound and rather complete basis of information which in itself is indispensable for those who want to be up to date with current research.
So the strength of this well designed and edited dictionary is explicit in the well written articles on separate subjects, almost all from a remarkable neutral viewpoint that is without implicit or explicit prejudices. However in some broader and fundamental questions and topics this strength is still implicit only. But the information gathered within this goldmine will not easily be found elsewhere, and more than compensates for those of our desires which are not yet fulfilled in this magnificent first edition.

This book might be called 'Everything you wanted to know about religious subjects that lie outside the mainstream of Christian, Jewish, or Islamic religions.' In fact, although this is a book on Gnosis or Gnosistism, it admits (unusual for a dictionary) that Gnosis is a word that really can't be defined. At the very least, the concept of Gnosis has changed over time from a pejorative word to one with a presumption that it had to do with organized opposition to the early Christian church.

The book is in dictionary format, more or less, with the understanding that it contains some 400 entries. 400 entries spread out over 100 pages comes out to three pages per entry. And in actual usage, the page count is not even. 'Neoplatonism' for instance runs 8 pages, 'Perennial Philosophy' has only one word: Tradition.

There were approximately 180 contributors to the book, each an expert in a particular field, and coming from a world-wide range of countries. The main editor, Wouter J. Hanegraaff is a professor at the University of Amsterdam and the compilation of this work represents a task lasting six years, followed by two more years of work in producing the book. This book represents a momumental first effort. And it is likely to become a standard text in the field. I expect that over the years there will be later editions, but not frequently. It belongs in every religious library.

This is absolutely a treasure of dictionary, very well edited by scholars of this important field of ancient studies. Beautiful edition in hard cover, with the latest information on gnosticism, manichaeism and everything esoteric, but, best of all, from the point of view of serious scholars, which make this book such a great tool for the biginning of any scholarly research in these hidden fields of religion. Absolutately worth buying!

Yes, Versace's book is about an extravagant and sumptuous lifestyle, and yes, it is exquisitely portrayed in this heavy paean to his glorious mode de vie. But what is most compelling is the revelation of his creative genius, his definition of beauty and how he captured it in so many varying elements of design. It is his definitive vision of the way he viewed the world, and the power with which he communicated that vision, that blow the mind. This weighty book is a testimony not only to Versace himself but to the very times in which we live(d). Truly, genius.

I am a Gianni Versace fans, i got this book from my friend as a birthday gift. This book is great i like it very much. The layouts, the pictures, the style all of them are so Versace, it's glamorous, beautiful, and full of freedom of expressions. This Book is as great as Men Without Ties and Rock and Royalty, those who enjoy the creativity of Versace, must have this incredible one.

Gianni Versace's "Do Not Disturb" is perhaps his own way of bringing his extravagant and admirable lifestyle to immortality. The book brilliantly showcases his glamorous, erotic and luscious way of living. A look into Versace's homes, the photographs are adorned with incredible architecture, dazzling colours, and beautiful nude young men. A great insight into how extravantly life can be lived.

Standing on Ocean Drive in front of Versace's Casa Casaurina in South Beach, I wondered, what was behind those beautiful gates? Do not disturb satisfied my curiousity. This beautiful text not only displays Versace's immaculate home interior designs, but he was ever so gracious to open his three unbelieveable homes to our curious eyes. All three homes in Milan, Lake Como,Italy and South Beach are absolutely incredible and tasteful. This book bleeds of opulence and Mr. Versace's enourmous fetish for Baroque patterns. I also highly recommend Versace's other 5 treasures from Abbeville press; Vanitas, Signatures, Men without Ties, Rock and royalty, and The Art of being you.

This book provides an overview of a number of houses built by the Dutch colonist and their descendants in the former colony New Netherland. Beautiful photo's and an extensive historical description of eacht house and its area.

This is one of may favorite books featuring authentic Dutch colonials.

The pictures are wonderful as well as the text.
I had no idea as to the contribution the Dutch had not only in architecture but to the development of the country.

There are many distinctions in their details. There are also many commonalities. I've been able to sort through and incorporate some simple but memorable treatments in one of my projects thanks to this book.

It's a great reference for ideas as well as history and I turn to it often as of late.

This book contains some of the best visuals I have seen in quite a long time. The useage of lateral light to bring out texture, color, and ambience is striking. The authors have succedded in isolating commonplace daily scenes found in everything from common humble surroundings to the grandest settings. All scenes are presented equally well, and ,most important, in a new manner- Thus allowing the contemporary viewer to more than glimpse into the past. The visuals are accompainied with an informative, very readable text to greatly aid the reader in interpretation of the scenes depicted. Well done!

The material culture of the Dutch in America has always been misunderstood, mis-interrupted, and ignored. Now a book which gives visual evidence of the major contributions of the Dutch in the New World- how this culture in large part contributed to the newly emerging American culture and society.
This is a must read for anyone interested in early American history as well as the colonial era.

A very interesting collection from Acanthus Press: very well documented, pleasant to read with a real work of documentation from the author. Despite some peoples who tried to minimise her influence, Ms de Wolfe - Mendl was an extraordinary visionnaire and has given worldwide interiors a basis that can still be found in all discerning family houses nowadays.
A very fascinating book for all interested by beauty and taste!

An exclusive self-made member of the design cognoscenti, Elsie de Wolfe was a social climber and a tastemaker. This is an unrivalled publication of a woman who pretty much defined style in the early part of the 20th century and is recognized as being the first paid interior designer in America. Full of photographs (although in black and white) of her projects and her own homes, this is a great addition to the library of anyone who is interested in classic decorating and the history of decorative arts.

THIS BOOK IS AN HISTORICAL SENSATION....A WONDERFUL READ AND FULL OF STUNNING PICTURES; WELL WORTH HAVING; MAYBE TWO IN YOUR LIBRARY ONE TO KEEP AND ONE TO CONSTANTLY REFER TO FOR INSPIRATION......A MUST HAVE !!!!

Elsie de Wolfe, born in 1865 give or take a few years, was a woman ahead of her time. She is noted for her taste in interior decoration, although she did not begin that career until after she was 40 years of age. Her earlier life had been spent as a stage actress, an occupation that raised eyebrows during the Victorian era.

Nonetheless, when she turned to her new career it was with the following announcement: "I am going in now for interior decoration. By that I mean supplying objets d'art and giving advice regarding the decoration of their houses to wealthy persons who do not have the time, inclination, nor culture to do such work for themselves. It is nothing new. Women have done the same thing before."

Perhaps so, but probably not with de Wolfe's impressive client list, which included Anne Vanderbilt, the duke and duchess of Windsor, and Adelaide and Henry Clay Frick.

This fascinating volume holds some 300 color plates tracing her designs of numerous rooms for the rich and famous, as well as rooms at Barnard College, and perhaps her greatest love, the refurbishment of the Villa Trianon. For this reader, an intriguing section is the one devoted to de Wolfe's private residence in Paris. Marriage to Sir Charles Mendl, a press attache to the British Embassy in Paris, gave de Wolfe entree to English aristocracy, albeit not terribly high on the ladder. Nonetheless the new Lady Mendl needed a proper setting to entertain. In addition to the Mendls, the apartment she found became home to a journalist friend, John McMullin. Lord Mendl chose to also retain his bachelor dwelling. This apartment was pure de Wolfe, reflecting as she had once written: "It is the personality of the mistress that the home expresses. Men are forever guests in our houses, no matter how much happiness they may find there."

Later, she would decorate rooms for herself at New York's St. Regis, and the Plaza. After going to California in 1941, she refurbished her last house in Beverly Hills for herself and her husband.

She was a trendsetter and, undoubtedly, a self-promoter who lived life to the fullest and precisely as she chose to do so. This volume is apt tribute to her style, persistence, and ingenuity.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

If you want a book that can be used as a tool for deriving patterns and architectural forms, this is a great book to add to the library. Very innovative works.

this book is done very nicely and provides me with aesthetic and informative material !!

Excellent b+w illustrations and clear layout. Very informative and inspiring works.

The Greeks used the word LOGOS to refer to reasonable speech, articulated reasoning expressed in words. Our modern word LOGIC derives from this root. Erwin Hauer has, over the many years of his career as a working artist, elaborated a visible LOGOS, a logos not of words but of forms. These forms were initially realized to serve a commercial, architectural purpose -- they were built as walls or screens -- but the logic they embody will delight, or thrill, any observer who pays close attention to the display they present. One comes to suspect that this logic, and not just the commercial commision that occasioned them, is the driving force behind Hauer's investigation.

The book is designed and produced with an eye towards clarity and precision, making it totally in sympathy with the vision it presents. Anyone who enjoys seeing an idea recognized, seized, and elaborated with intense concentration will enjoy this book.

We work in the fashion industry, and this dictionary is very useful w/ lots of words. A great help anytime! Great price, too, @ Amazon!

I highly recommend this dictionary if you work in the fashion or textile industry. I refer to it very regularly and often use it as back-up when writing fabric descriptions in marketing material. The references are up to date and include many branded yarns, manufacturing techniques and fabric finishing terms.

5 ***** Worth buying

This is a great unique book for all textile related persons, it gives in details the perfect meaning of all the words used in todays textile field. I think this book is must for all textile related persons.

This book is great. I don't think I've ever gone to it and not found the word I was looking for. I wish it had a bit more pictures of some of the fabrics and such. But still, it is very good and there isn't one week that goes by that I don't reference it for one reason or another. I especially like that it offers origins of some textile words which is always interesting and helpful to know.

Highly recommend this book great to use if one is renovating a period house or likes period decorations.

The book is well illustrated and true to the topic. I thought a little too much time was spent on the dimensions of the illustrated work in how the book need to be adjusted for the size of the book and not any time spent explaining how the woodworkers of the time accomplished the work, Example how was a flute cut with the top end round and the bottom end flat. How are tongues added to a fluted column? There are no explanations of the wonderfully illustrated woodworking just where the work is located and how to measure the work.

"Federal Style Patterns 1780-1820" is the culmination of an astounding research project. The detailed drawings are based on design elements from homes built during the Federal Era in the New England region, and include detailed images of cornices, door and window casings, chair rails, baseboards and more.

All drawings are captured in a variety of formats on a CD-ROM that comes with the book, which is a helpful tool for modern day designers hoping to faithfully reproduce the elegance of Federal Style architecture.

For some time now, I have been fascinated with the Federal Style, so much so that I decided to decorate and furnish my new office as if it were a page from history, circa 1815. I was a bit confused how to adapt a door arch to my particular circumstance, so I e-mailed the authors of this book, MaryBeth Mudrick and Lawrence D. Smith, for advice. I was most pleased with the prompt and professional reply I received from them. Throughout the duration of my project, which stretched out for many months, MaryBeth and Lawrence provided invaluable guidance at many critical junctures, always with patience and a friendly touch. With my copy of their text close by at all times, these pros led me toward a Federal Style look that far exceeded my original expectations. Thomas Jefferson would have felt right at home!

Oh, this is an elegant book, with highly detailed drawings of every molding, mantels, doors, room designs, etc. that you can imagine, all in the beautiful American Federal Style. In this book, you can 'invade' historic homes and 'walk out' with measured detailed drawings of all of the best features -- without anyone catching you in the act.

I have used this book so much that it is starting to wear out! There are few books that contain so much detailed and useful information. I can honestly say that this book will produce positive results when instructions are followed.

I have read other books pertaining to Feng Shui and about lighting candles. None of the other books come close in providing the information like Tina Ketch's book Feng Shui Candle Lighting. Her indepth information and knowledge far succeed's where other authors fail to assist you in your everyday living. I never leave home without this book and I am always telling and teaching other individuals about how Tina's book out does other books about Feng Shui and Candle Lighting. HATS OFF TO TINA! WELL RESEARCHED AND INFORMATIVE!

I am amazed at the facts and descriptions in this book, all which make so much sense. In this book, we are priviledged to find that our life can be so good and so easy, if we will only go by what we learn hear to be true. By taking the ancient and spirtual art of candle lighting, and putting it together with the ancient and proven art of Feng Shui, we find that we can become the best we can - in an environment that is conducive to us doing just that. It all just makes so much sense - and it works!

Feng Shui Candle Lighting is the most advantageous book of our time. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities by combining two ancient, proven arts of self-improvement and self-motivation. It, also, provides the reader with the tools necessary to help keep others from interfering and/or standing in your way. It uses ancient art and common sense, spirituality and reality to help you create that which we all want, and some find hard to attain. If you're tired of beating your head against that proverbial wall, then MOVE THE WALL! Get this book and learn to LIVE and LIVE WELL!

Jane Butler-Biggs and editor Alison Daniels? We should bless their very socks and shoes, for in writing The Feng Shui Directory, they have given us a book that shines like a beacon out of the musty, dusty, teetering pile of current Feng Shui titles. Everytime I dip into this book, it starts my synapses zinging!
The Feng Shui Directory helps us to change our attitiudes, not just our furniture. It shows us how to PAY ATTENTION, giving us the skills to recognise how our homes affect us, and, reciprocally, how our behaviour and thinking affect our homes.
Consider the chapter on prosperity. It begins with several thought-provoking questions to ask ourselves regarding
abundance. It goes on to offer solutions for long-term patterns of poverty, a ritual to promote abundance and several methods to to invite sucess into our lives. With a wonderful assortment of practical techniques to apply all over the house and garden, it even informs us how many changes to make at a given time, how fast to do them and how to tell if youve gone a bit overboard boosting your wood energy!
The Feng Shui Directory is a really supportive book, written with much compassion, humour and crystal clear common-
sense. As a Feng Shui practitioner, I recommend this book to those clients, who, in the true spirit of transformation, really wish to explore the art behind the placement.
It 's a great book!

Excelent book of fheng shiu, easy, dinamic, well organice, interesting. The perfect book to underestand this ancient art of well living as a beginner.

The Feng Shui Directory is a great way to start Feng Shiu and learn more about it. Much more than a guide to interior decorating or an ancient scheme of superstitions, Feng Shui is presented along with all the psychological and scientific benefits.

This book isn't organized - like other books of it's sort - by the rooms in your home. Instead, chapters like "Family" or "Love and Realtionships" describe how to use Feng Shiu to change different areas of your life. Feng Shiu is presented as a way of thinking and getting in touch with yourself, not as a guide to rearranging furniture.

The authors take a minimalistic approach - change slowly, over time, and feel things out. You won't be told where the table must go, but how to tap into your intuition and figure out (within the guidelines of Feng Shui) where you might best place it.

The entire book is in full color, and the illustrations and "Quick Fixes" sections are a great addition. This book is probably too general for the experienced Feng Shui-er seeking to improve specific areas of his/her life, but overall it's a definite thumbs up.

This book is fabulous. I have purchased many feng shui books and this ranks as one of the best. It does a better job than any other book relating psychological issues to feng shui. It is very well laid out and easy to read in sections, or at one time. Much more thought provoking about how your life relates to your environment than the others. No trite cures here. It would be good to read a more basic feng shui book before this one so you understand the bagua etc. This book does not cover that, it seems to assume that you know the basics. A real winner. I have ordered more for friends.