Artists Books

All Evelyn Cameron wanted was to be able to say she had lived a worthy life. By the end of her life, she thought she had not achieved that goal, but this book proves otherwise.

I was fascinated by Evelyn's life, especially the hardships she endured, trying to make a living off the dry summer land and the bitter winter cold in eastern Montana, with a husband who barely lifted a finger to help her work the ranch.

It was Evelyn, a woman brought up to live a leisure life in England, who milked cows, churned butter, did laundry by hand, plowed fields, tended a huge garden, dug coal, patched openings between slats in the house, painted walls, butchered livestock, broke horses, autopsied her own animals trying to discover what caused their deaths, and even stitched her own wound when she accidentally cut herself with an ax. She went on Fall hunting trips to provide meat to last through Montana's extreme winters. While her husband hunted, it was left to Evelyn to skin and dress the meat. She accompanied her husband while he researched Montana's birds, often waiting for hours for the perfect photographic shot from dangerously high rocky outgrowths.

She rode horses for miles to sell her vegetables and to photograph other farmers, cowboys, and sheep herders far afield. Her neighbors counted on her when they wanted a photo to send to family, but Evelyn was also the person everyone called on when they were in need. She was a no-nonsense woman who learned to eke out a living in the worst of conditions. (After a month of such hard work, I would have been on the train back east.)

Yet Evelyn not only worked like a horse all day, she found time to read and keep a detailed diary every day. She listed chores she had completed, how long it took to churn and how much butter resulted, every penny earned and spent, copied every letter she sent ---creating an invaluable record of her life. Some of her details were also invaluable to her ---figuring exactly how much coal was used one year so that she could estimate how much to dig for the next winter. When she became interested in photography, her detailed records of lighting conditions and exposure times helped improve her craft.

Her photographs create a comprehensive record of her life and the times in which she lived. Considering she had to carry heavy camera equipment and fragile glass plates in unbearable heat (or cold) on horseback, deal with dust on the plates and guess at exposure times, her photos are remarkable.

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in photography, women, or frontier life. (You could give this book to your teenager the next time s/he complains about doing a few chores around the house.)

(I learned about Photographing Montana by reading Bad Land by Jonathan Raban. Raban found photographing Montana extremely difficult, thus he admired Cameron's photographs that much more for his own failures.)

The main feature of this book is its 150 photographs taken by photographer Evelyn Cameron in eastern Montana during the years of its earliest settlement, first by ranchers in the late 19th century and then by streams of homesteaders in the early decades of the 20th century. In the latter regard, it is an excellent companion to Jonathan Raban's "Bad Land." Most amazing is the vast range of photographs, including family portraits, group shots of cowboys, threshers, and sheep shearers, ranch buildings, open prairie, wild life, store fronts, wild horses, herds of sheep and cattle, badlands, social gatherings, and farm equipment.

We get glimpses into the lives of the wealthy and the dirt poor. None of the photographs were shot in a studio, and taken together they represent a broad sweep of frontier life across a handful of decades. The text provides a detailed life of the photographer herself, a remarkably spirited and self-sufficient English woman who has left us this marvelous and revealing record of a time long passed.

This book, by Time-Life books editor Donna Lucey, has some very interesting photographs of Montana, taken about halfway between the Lewis and Clark expedition of two hundred years ago and today. Yes, the early 1900s were right in the middle of Evelyn Cameron's career.

Cameron, nee Flower, was one tough and talented lady. She moved to Montana with her husband Ewen, going there initially in 1889, on a hunting trip for their honeymoon. I found the stories and pictures of life in Montana fascinating. Much of the book deals with the growth of Terry, a town in the eastern part of the state, on the Yellowstone river.

At the time, the Kodak camera was the instrument of choice for most American photographers, however Cameron did much of her work with a 5x7 Graflex. There are dozens of her photos in this book.

Although Cameron died in 1928, Lucey was lucky enough to obtain many of Cameron's photos from one of Cameron's friends, Janet Williams, who was 95 years old by the time Lucey met her in August of 1979.

In 2002, PBS began shooting a documentary about Cameron, and it was released last year. It includes over 200 of Cameron's photos (over 100 of which are not in this book), and it won four regional Emmy awards. It was the first high-definition documentary for Montana PBS.

I recommend this book.

This work is a treasure. Evelyn Cameron and her husband, born into English society, established a ranch in eastern Montana early in the development of that part of the west. A need for additional income and a love of photography lead Evelyn to produce a large number of high quality photographs. Those photographs represent a historical archive of enormous value. The photos show the people of the time, how they made a living, and the tools that they used. My personal favorite is a photo Evelyn took of herself in her kitchen; she sent it to relatives in England to show them her life on the Montana frontier. It was a life of hardship, but also of achievement. The quality of Cameron's work is the equal of other great western photographers of the era, such as Jackson or Huffman, and it records a side of life not represented by anyone else. There is a balance in this book between text and reproduced photographs. It is a biography of Evelyn Cameron, including excerpts from her journals, as well as an exhibition of her photographs. A museum and gallery in Terry, Montana, is a repository of Evelyn Cameron's work and the total number of photographs is several times what this book is able to present. One hopes that other volumes of Cameron's photos will be published in the near future.

I live in the area of the photographer's subjects, and totally enjoyed the book and its' subject. The photographs, along with Evelyn Cameron's diary accounts of daily happenings, gave a captivating decription of what many of our homesteading ancestors endured. This is very enjoyable reading for anyone.

What can I add to the previous reviews praising for this book?
I wonder nothing... or little...

But lets list some important issues about "Processing", at least for me. (1) The errata shown in the processing site (www.processing.org) is already corrected in the current printing. (2) My goal in reading this book is to learn enough Processing to be able to give an impulse to my child -- which loves arts, and spends much of hers Net-surfing time in deviantART -- to learn and develop programming skills. (3) The book is itself a piece of art. (4) It has a nice and beautiful hardcover package. (5) Greetings to MIT Press and the editor(s) of the book for achieving such a nice product. (6) Although having about 700 pages, the book nevertheless has a size which allows one to read it at bed, before going to sleep. (7) In a few weeks, interspersed with the many other readings I have to do each day, I managed to read already almost 1/3 of the book and plan to go till the end. (8) Finally, Processing is a Java/C/C++/C#/Python/Perl... kind of language, what makes the absorption of the language semantics and syntax very easy for a veteran like me.

And perhaps one of these days I become a digital artist :-)

This is a great text, from the authors of the software itself. I'm only through the first hundred pages or so, but it's a fairly well-presented volume of information split into easily digested chapters, on everything from the command structure for creating graphics to the math that governs such efforts. The authors cover not only the rationale behind their own programming language, but also touch on the thinking behind digital graphic and artworks as a whole...

While the chapters are a little scattered for the linear reader (e.g., certain of the mathematical function chapters are broken and split into chapters that would flow a little better with no break between them), the authors are fairly clear in their intro and table of contents that the text is meant to be read and digested in a variety of ways, linear being only one method.

There are a few problems with the explanations of some of the syntax and command structure, but overall, the book is a sound investment for a newby like myself, who hasn't visited programming in a number of years, and needs a primer/refresher, as well as a source for the more advanced coding artist. I recommend the book without reservation.

So far (hey!, its a big book, and dense material) this is an excellent book covering the basics of processing. I plan on spending some quality time with this on my vacation.

I hope to post some video on it later, as well as some examples of programs I make on my blog.

Tim

This book is, quite simply, a godsend. If you are an artist that enjoys tinkering with all things technological (especially an artist that enjoyed mathematics or beating up your computer in high school lab class) than it's certainly for you. If, on the other hand, you are the type of person that hopes to breeze though this and start applying "techie things" to your video art, then you are in for a let-down...it IS a bit tough for someone that has never played with a computer programming language. No way around it, you're going to have to WORK!!

But, that's the thing. You're supposed to work, massage, twist, graft, apply, subtract and otherwise mangle these functions and commands until they do some (random, unexpected) beautiful thing. This is exactly what the authors want you to do. Take their simple equations and use your imagination to change them up a bit and make your own.

And, a big plus is how the whole book is structured. It starts with simple enough topics and progressively increases in difficulty, BUT, and here is the stroke of genius for artsy types, it does so by switching the topics here and there from shapes, to type, to math, to random, to trig, to type again, back to shapes...etc. So, you see, it's structured (if you read from cover to cover in a linear fashion) in a way that will NOT bore the reader in any way. It's as if Reas and Fry knew that most of us artsy types were (completely and hopelessly) ADHD and needed this kind of variety to keep our interest (lord knows they probably wish they did, coming from artistic backgrounds before entering MIT as grads). And, as an added bonus, if you are the kind of person that likes the topics all neatly together, there is a second topical index behind the main index so you can jump through the book by topic.

In closing, Reas and Fry have done us "new media" types a great service by developing a trimmed-down form of Java programming so that we don't have to do the heavy work and learn full-blown Java or C++ on our own (though, after using this language, the hope is that it WILL get us "artsies" to learn those higher level languages and make genre-smashing art). So, get going!

P.S. The only thing I wish this book had were MORE Exercises at the end of each topic. Or, a workbook that had more problems to solve, like my old Calculus text that had 30 problems after each section. Guys, could we, just maybe, extend the problem sets in a future edition, from three to maybe 10? It would be much appreciated! :)

I have been watching the development of processing and the processing community for a few years but until now haven't explored it much.
I create live visuals for musical performances - mostly within the chiptunes music scene (people using game console hardware to create new music). Originally I did all of my work with PureData, GEM and other libraries but then decided to move to performing with handhelds, writing code for the GP2X and Gameboy Advance (because unlike newer machines, the GBA has video out).

For an upcoming project, I decided that I wanted to create a web "playable" version of the software that I have created for the gp2x (where the visuals react to the joystick, button presses, etc) - enter Processing!
I decided that Processing would be the best tool for this job because it is easy to deliver on the web, has functions for interactivity (key presses, mouse actions, etc), and is open source which is important to me.

After looking at the Processing.org website, I decided that while there is a good reference there, a book might be nice. I was pleased to find the book "Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists" written by the creators of Processing, Casey Reas and Ben Fry and thought that no matter how useful it would be, it was good to support the developers of the project.

The pleasant surprise was that book is great!
I was expecting something like an extended reference book but it is much more than that. For one, this is a book that teaches programming concepts regardless of the language used to implement them. Although I have previous programming experience, I know that I could give this book to someone with no previous experience and they would be able to follow along and not only learn Processing, but learn programming. Sure, you can learn programming by reading C (or name your favorite language here) tutorials, writing text to the screen, reading and writing to files, etc. but ... I think that for some people it's much more exciting and motivating to see cool things happen, shapes moving, colors changing, etc. when they type in commands, learn about functions, conditionals, objects and so on. This book does that.

Another interesting thing about the book is that periodically there are interviews with visual artists who create with software - and not all with processing but with various types of software. I liked these and could imagine seeing more (or just new ones) in future editions of the book or online. I'll admit that I only use open source software so I am biased, but could imagine seeing more mention of Pd (Pure Data) as alternative to Max/Jitter.

[...]

Overall, the book is very well written and enjoyable to read even when you aren't in front of a computer (I read much while traveling) - the authors make reference to many pioneers of computing, visualization, motion graphics, film, etc. and I had fun looking up those whose works I wasn't familiar with. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in creating visuals with computers.

This is a great book for anyone interesed in becoming a Trooper or other Law Enforcement Officer. It helps people understand the inherent risks of the job, but it also shows the amount of respect the North Carolina Highway Patrol receives (and deserves). It details several deaths of NC troopers (such as Giles Harmon and Bobby Coggins). It is an older book and very difficult to find copies of now.

A great read, hard to put down once you start

Firstly, this book is a credit to the North Carolina Highway Patrol -- a fine highway patrol organization.

I first read this book in late 1990, shortly after graduating from the Illinois State Police Academy. I enjoyed it, but didn't really connect with it on a "5 star level", as it didn't quite fit my concept of what highway patrol work is about and what my career would be like.

Now, 18 years later, I have thumbed through the book and find that it uncannily portrays exactly what patrol work is about. Some humor, some horror, some drudgery, some satisfying public service. Most of us love it, as witnessed by the almost non-existent resignation rate. The author did an outstanding job of selecting tales and retelling events.

The book is a bit unsettling to me since, as indicated by the title, it rather focuses on true fatal events that have happened out on the road (North Carolina highways, in this case). Almost all troopers have had countless gun battles in their sleeping dreams . . . no glory, just horror. Not to mention the even greater hazard of getting run over. As policeman/author David Hunter so accurately phrased it, "Every traffic enforcement stop contains the seeds of death". He was correct.

This is a very good book. Not everyone will connect with it, but if you're interested in the topic matter, I recommend it.

This book is great if you have ever thought about a career in the Highway Patrol. Just realize though it was written back in the 1980's and things have changed alot in the orgainization as a whole, but the people are still as crazy and dangerous as ever. The Stories are real and you can't put this book down.

This is an excellent guide to discovering who stands behind the badges of the highway patrol. I have a new found appreciation for the men and women who risk their lives every day. Even when they have to do so in an environment of decreasing respect and increasing firepower. I strongly reccomend this book.

This is a most enjoyable approach to some different type of watercolor painting options. I am enjoying each demonstration so far and plan to go through each one individually.

Patricia C. Grimes

I now own all three of Karlyn's books and they are what I'd dash in to rescue if my house were burning down. She teaches and she includes other talented teachers for such a variety of creativity. Not your "do this, do that" instruction book, but more suggestions allowing the painter to be far more creative than those.
Her art work is superb as is that of all the other artists.
I was not surprised to see her first two books, which I am so glad I own, to jump in price. I'll never sell mine!

This book is beautifully done, and very inspirational. It can get your creative juices flowing. It is a must if you love watercolor.

One of the best watercolor books I have used. Knowledgeable, well written. Great organization. Love the spiral bound format--you can keep it flat while you are working.

She is fun and excellant teacher. She always has something new to try and
very clear in her direction.

You can't beat this book on Giger's art as a general showcase of all of his achievements over the years. It's also great value for money at what is really chump change for everything you get.

It's allure is it's broad spectrum covering his phases of art production, but at the same time this also becomes this book's only weakness. Because it covers everything in passing, it also lacks in-depth coverage of the aspects of his art. It's good starting point for anyone that would like to get to know his art in detail, and from this book you move on to more specific books that showcase certain areas.

I have been looking for a Giger book for some time and most of them were pretty expensive, even though great looking. Finally I found this great book from Taschen that portrays Giger at its best, painter, sculptor, architect. The book is amazing and the 3D images are spectacular. This is a must for any Giger fan. Cheers and enjoy his work.

I own the first print of www.HRGiger.com book & I wasnt sure if I needed buy this updated edition but after scanning thru the entire book I realized the answer was Yes! Lots of cool new stuff has been added & the book is laid out better & even more informative not to mention the amazingly cheap price of this book. I own every book Giger has ever put out including the hard to find stuff from the 70's I've been collecting his stuff since the mid 80's. If you're new to HR Giger there is no book better than this one as a starting point into his creative genius. Buy Now!

I picked up this book at my local Borders. I was there on a whim, browsing the art section, when I saw this gem. After noting the VERY attractive price, I decided on the spot it had to come home with me, as I'm a fan of Giger's work.

As I perused this volume, I fell in love with more than just the art (admittedly, Giger is just not to everyone's taste...if you're not a Giger fan, then this book and this review will do nothing for you, and it's not an attempt to convince you to otherwise). Designed and penned by Giger, it contains prints of finished art and sketches, photographs, selected images from Giger's personal collection of art (that is, art by other people that he collects)--which I think is VERY insightful; it's interesting to see what kind of art an artist appreciates.

As an artist, myself, I revel in the collections of sketches... Sketches can be a chronicle of how a finished work comes to be, and it's interesting to get a glimpse of how other artists--especially masters, such as Giger--work through their ideas and arrive at a final product. Sometimes sketches are just a fleeting idea that gets caught on a page. These are just as fascinating, because they are an insight into how an artist captures a thought and translates it into something visual. Excellent stuff!

Another detail I want to elaborate on are the "3D" versions of a few of Giger's paintings. I hesitate to say "Magic Eye", because those are often horribly muddy, chaotic and nonsensical when viewed normally, and the Giger images in this section are not at all like that. These images are crisply defined and look "normal" at a glance, but nevertheless have that 3D "popping" effect when you view them correctly. Of course, they're accompanied by commentary from Giger. It's an unexpected and delightful treasure to find tucked away in these pages.

Overall, if you're a fan of Giger's work, this is a very worthy addition to your collection. I've poked around, and there are other versions of this title available, some of which are very limited (and expensive) editions. If you haven't the luxury of purchasing one of those, this "no frills" edition is still very solid, and will be a pleasure to thumb through again and again.

While browsing sale books I found an amusing little item. With a title like WWW HR GIGER COM I was intrigued.

This book was designed by H.R. Giger and contains commentary from the artist about his various interests and his art. Among the pages of art and commentary is a section devoted to the Giger Bar in Tokyo. Giger designed all of the furnishing from the front door all the way to the lavatories. Now, I don't know about you but the idea of being in a building designed by H.R. Giger while getting drunk sounds like a hair raising experience.

This book, having been designed by the artist, is a bit different than others portraying Giger's work. If anything, this one is superior in the detail it provides. I recommend this book to Giger collectors and if you can't find a copy just log on to www.HRGiger.com like the title suggests.

Very good book for the price, has a good collection of her artwork as well as information about her processes and her life.

I was first introduced to the art of Bev Doolittle when I lived in Alaska back in 1994. I bought my first print in 1997 followed by this book and several more prints. I find her "hidden" imagery fascinating and mesmerizing. I love showing my prints and this book to guests, waiting for their inevitable reaction of surprise when they see the "whole" painting. She really is a rare talent and this book brings her whole collection (at that time) to you. I know some of her original prints are worth thousands now and its unlikely I'll ever own them. But at least I have high quality fold out "mini" prints to enjoy!

To be a part of Bev Doolittle's art is, in itself a gift. I saver each

picture as an example of anothers insite into " my West ".

The book arrived sooner than expected abd was given as a gift. the receipient was very pleased. I have been very pleased with every order I have received from Amazon.

Bev Doolittle's definitive collection (you don't need anything else of hers if you have this one) is a glorious compendium of richly detailed full-color reproductions of her paintings. The optical tricks alone are worth the book's price tag, and the minuteness and authenticity of Doolittle's details rival the paintings of Frank C. McCarthy (another favorite of mine). Anyone who loves illustrations of horses, American Indians, or both cannot call their collection complete without this title.

The book contains very good information. We were looking to buy a couple of prints for collectible purposes. Thought the book might have a few more pictures than it had, but we were able to decide what we wanted to purchase and we are very pleased.

As an art dealer specializing in original Audubon prints, I hear from many people who hope the Carolina Parrot print they found in the attic will turn out to be worth a fortune. Finally, there is a book that will help them...and me!

This well-illustrated book is the first to read if you have an interest (old or new) in Audubon prints. The book covers the original prints, the valuable full-sized facsimiles, and the not-so-valuable undersized reproductions. Steiner discusses all the major categories (and editions) of original prints including octavo (small) and folio (large), the birds and animals, the copper-plate etchings and the stone lithographs. He also provides a helpful overview of the vast number of facsimile and reproduction editions in circulation. While not complete, it is remarkably comprehensive and will help answer many an Audubon newcomer's questions.

Novice collectors will find everything they need to begin either a serious or casual exploration of Audubon's art--biography, glossary of terms, authentication guidelines (much easier than you may think!), sample prices, information on dealers and guidance on how to buy or sell prints. Seasoned collectors will find previously unpublished information that disproves or amends rules-of thumb that have been gospel for years; they will also find many new sources for prints, books, and educational pursuits.

Steiner has strong opinions and personal interests with regard to Audubon, and they are reflected in the text, but he is diligent about labeling them as such, and putting the more esoteric of his interests where they belong--in one of the book's many appendices. Overall, he has done an excellent job pulling together information from disparate sources, making available to collectors for the first time much "dealer lore"--information previously known only by Audubon specialists. This is a quick-reading book, and one that both dealers and collectors will refer to for years to come.

Compiled by field ecologist and veteran bird-watcher Bill Steiner, Audubon Art Prints: A Collector's Guide To Every Edition is a first-rate guide to the many distinctive avian prints and paintings of John James Audubon (1785-1851). The informative and scholarly text definitively recounts what these great works of art have sold for, as well as the stories behind the creation of the individual artworks. A superb resource for collectors and an indispensable addition to academic American Art History reference collections, Audubon Art Prints is a superbly organized and very strongly recommended presentation enhanced with twenty-two color illustrations and fifty-five halftones.

One of the most common stories you hear while visiting purveyors of original Audubon prints is how they constantly receive phone calls asking "is my Audubon print an original?" Of course, this is due to the combination of two phenomena - people have the general notion that Audubon prints are valuable, but there are millions of reproductions out there which, although they may be aesthetically pleasing, are not worth much. How to tell if you hit the jackpot (an Antiques Roadshow moment) without making that phone call? Buy this book. Bill Steiner has written the first extensive treatment on Audubon prints from the viewpoint of the collector. There are lots of books about Audubon out there, and some scholarly books on the original prints (most notably by Susanne Low). But, this book lays out all the knowledge gathered by an avid collector, accumulated over many years of poking through print shops and galleries and examining large numbers of Audubon prints, of all kinds. If you don't have the time to learn all these details the old fashioned way, as Bill Steiner did, then this is your best key to the world of collecting Audubon prints. It is written in an almost folksy style, and is very accessible to the reader. Of great importance to anyone thinking of starting to obtain some of those actually genuine original Audubon prints is an evaluation of how to do this via auction, and in particular, via online auction sites. But, this book is more than just for the beginner, and long-time connoisseurs of Audubon will immensely enjoy it, both for validation of what they already knew, as well as to see if the author knows something they don't!

I got my copy a few months ago from Amazon.Com, and essentially read through it cover-to-cover, so to speak. I am an amateur collector of Audubon prints, and an enthusiast of Audubon's life, and the legacy he left behind for all the Americans. I think Bill Steiner's book is an invaluable resource that fills a major void about Audubon's prints - - It provides information on what to look for in collecting prints, which prints have significant value now and likely to appreciate in future, the technical details of production of Havells, Imperials, Biens, and the Octavos, some details on restoration and conservation, tips on internet-based sales, his own assesment of the Quality of various double-elephant folio prints (including modern day real high-quality reproductions such as the Amsterdams and the Princetons),and the names of several Audubon galleries (I didn't know some of them existed until after reading the book). Last but not the least, I enjoyed Bill's sense of humor (I particularly had a good laugh reading the recount of his experience at Christie's Auction House). I only wish his book were available to me a couple of years ago when I first started collecting the prints ! I recommend this book highly.

I was fortunate enough to read this book very early in '06 and to receive a siged hardcover as Elizabeth was making her book signing rounds on the East Coast in New York and cross country. The reviews posted previous to this one express many eloquent words that all indicate that this writing, by Rosner, is a different flair than the "Speed of Light" which I have read many times. "Blue Nude" is as much a piece of artwork as the picture it illustrates on its front cover. One could frame the text as the words do paint a marvelous portrait that comes to its ending much too quickly as it is hard to put down. However, when relating Rosner's story to a photograhic artist who devotes his life to the study of both light and form, in Alexandria, during a posh fine art show something he said made great sense. After purchasing a start to collecting his work, he turned to me, smiled, and said, "Rosner's artist has just begun and there is more in him to tell". I agree. It is my hope that Elizabeth Rosner can dig deeper within herself and grace us with a sequel. I am absolutely confident that she is capable of even more like this one!

Blue Nude tells us a thought provoking story that reads like a beautiful painting whose brush strokes evoke poetry, memory and drama. This novel weaves its way forward and backward through time and ultimately lands us in the present, perched and ready for new beginnings.

This is a beautiful book! The way Merav and Danzig dance with one another is a perfect metaphor for the larger theme: how any two peoples with a very troubled past can approach reconciliation. The reader can tell that Ms. Rosner is a poet. The book is lyrical, and written with compassion and restraint.

On a day when I needed to rejuvenate myself, I headed up a mountain between San Francisco and rural Marin County, the settings of Elizabeth Rosner's new book Blue Nude. I have my dog and the book in tow and settle into finishing this fine description of two divergent souls who meet on a creative journey. What I found so compelling in finishing this book is that it took me into a creative trance, usually only achieved when intimately involved in my own creative process. As an analytical type, I found myself not studying the writing or the characters, but instead being swept away by the accumulation of their experiences that result in art.

In Ms. Rosner's first book, The Speed of Light, I was captivated by the experience of feeling the second-hand smoke of genocide, seen through the eyes of children of Holocaust survivors. It also gave us a more fresh and raw view of man against man, and the inhumanity that unfortunately is experienced by many peoples throughout the world. Blue Nude continues in this vein and explores characters not just for their own experience, but also the experience that have shaped the people that have shaped them. And Ms. Rosner doles out this information in a way that keeps us curious and expectant, while not feeling that any of it is predicable.

I thoroughly enjoyed both books, not just for the story and the characters, but for the feelings they invoked in me while reading. These books are thought provoking beyond their last pages.

Bestselling author and poet Elizabeth Rosner's second novel (following THE SPEED OF LIGHT) is a rousing tour-de-force --- a window into the artistic lives of two strangers whose pasts, presents and futures are irrevocably intertwined. With delicate yet persistent hands, Rosner explores a multilayered landscape of loss, unrequited desire, passion and isolationism, and weaves a dark and textured story out of what she finds. Her characters are larger than life at times --- bursting with their own specific energies, passions and identities, and righteous in their attempts to make meaning out of the world around them. Yet, they are also nameless receptacles of the universal experience --- mere forms chasing the same questions that have been chased and debated for centuries.

BLUE NUDE is the story of the complex union between two artists in San Francisco --- the elder and once-prominent German painter turned professor, Danzig, and Merav, a youthful Israeli beauty and former art student who makes a living working as a nude model. The two have deep and guarded pasts, both dating back to lives in foreign countries, separate yet intricately connected. Although they are many years apart in both age and experience, their sordid histories haunt their present lives and profoundly influence their decisions, actions and relationships.

Danzig was born immediately following World War II, to an abusive father who played a major role (hinted at, but never explicitly named) in the destruction of the Jews during the war; a painfully submissive mother who did nothing to stand between her violent husband, his post-occupation sullied reputation, and his undeserving offspring; and a depressed and guilt-ridden sister who took her own life when Danzig was seven years old. As he grew older, Danzig became increasingly aware of the events that shaped his upbringing and was disgusted by his father's vulgarity, his mother's lack of self-esteem and inability to protect herself or her children, and his sister's resignation to what she viewed as life's insurmountable injustices. He found solace in painting, however, and eventually left home permanently to relocate to San Francisco in order to explore his art more freely.

Also an expatriate, Merav spent her childhood on a kibbutz in Tel-Aviv and lived with her mother Isabelle and her grandmother Esther, who miraculously survived persecution by the Germans. She learned how to explore herself and life's richness through painting and discovered at a young age the beauty of expression without words. Her neighbor, Yossi, was her best friend, confidant and eventual lover, and taught her that passion could be contained or exchanged in a single touch. They both served their two-year stint in the Israeli army, traveling the vast desert learning (or, in her case, trying not to learn) to kill. Tragically, he was killed after the bus he was on exploded because of an undetected bomb --- an incident that broke her heart (especially because he had just informed her that he was about to marry someone else) and pushed her to move away from a country riddled with death to one where she could begin anew.

In a way, their chance meeting in his classroom in San Francisco --- he, the art teacher, and she, the substitute nude model --- serves as the gateway to their mutually independent yet intertwined rebirth, and infuses life into the deeper, humming themes that resonate throughout BLUE NUDE. Later, as she poses for him, exposed and naked in his studio, he is finally able to move past and through his wrecked childhood, the damaging and ill-fated affairs with two previous models, and resulting period of maddening artistic blockage, to a space ripe with inspiration, confidence and inner peace. She, too, transcends the consequences of her upbringing, Yossi's death, and failed marriage to a photographer who loved her only as a sum of photographable body parts, and walks willingly into a future alive with hope. "She does not want to live as if about to be annihilated. She will not accept that as the truth." Neither will he. Life begets Art begets Life.

BLUE NUDE is an exquisite and quietly beautiful story, told by a writer with surefire talent, grace and profound insight into human frailty. Elizabeth Rosner's knack for waxing poetic is witnessed on every page --- her sentences, deliciously thick with implication and symbolism; her characters, flawed yet persistent, each grappling with life's choices in his or her own way. There are a number of captivating moments that readers will relish and languish on, as they burrow through chapters that jump back and forth in time in each character's life, and shift from perspective to perspective. Of course, the ubiquitous relationship between Art, Truth and Life pulsates throughout these well-drawn pages, offering up many burning and delightfully unanswerable questions so vital to the human experience. Stunning.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

After days of a dry spell, in trying to figure out a design problem; I started to flip through this fabulous book. Maya Lin's Boundaries; is a book that is food for the soul of an architect. Ironically, the title of the book is Boundaries, but the whole essence and poetic journey allows for one to see the world with out "Boundaries".

Traveling through each project, Lin is able to take us from her thought process through a complete execution on each project. She is so delicate in describing each event, from growing up, the Vietnam memorial, to her goals in the future. The reader can travel with her, through each process, struggle, and creating architecture that is able to resonate within it's setting.

Thinking with her hands, Lin describes each event, each challenge, and solution, allowing for the the reader to gain an inside, touching the souls of what every architect and designer needs.

This book accomplishes for me what Maya Lin set out to do - it provides a well of knowledge that I keep coming back to. I have shared her philosophy with friends and family providing a direct and intimate dialogue with her work.
I first came across 'Boundaries' while doing research on public controversy and sculpture. I felt that I was listening to Lin's voice and began to understand why she depicted the works as she did. I was drawn to the simplicity of her designs that left space for human participation. When the book had to be returned to the library I had to have a copy for myself to continue my understanding of her works.
The aesthetic set-out of the book draws the viewer into the designs with more understanding. It is not just a coffee table book, but one that encourages one to rethink and revalue ideas.

Sometimes I felt really sad that I don't have enough money to bring this book home.Maya lin should be an architect who can be also known as a good writter.Her writting had combined both beauty architecturally and verbally,like a stream of purity norished readers'heart,explained her designs with pleasure of sights.She got similar passion as her famous aunt lin huiyin,composed a melody of life,mastered the way a human being might uneasy to see.I am appreciated her way of representation.That she inheritaged from Lin's family.She absolutely knew that poetics in their family traditions,a symbol of very special abilities.

Maya Lin's "Boundaries" is both creative and stimulating.

This book is not an autobiography and it is not an art book, but rather an extension of Lin's work. Many know Lin for creating the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and like the memorial "Boundaries" provides a medium-both public and private-to observe and interpret what we sometimes don't even consider.

If you like photography, architecture, or simply wish to know more about an idea behind one of Lin's works then this book is for you. I love the format. It is easy to read and the pictures are of high quality. The pages are numbered from 1:00 to 12:00 and each chapter starts with a new hour. "Boundaries" is refreshing- it's truly unique and inspiring.

There are two ways to read this book, as Lin points out in the preface. First is just as a coffee table picture book. In that role, "Boundaries" gives a photographic tour of many varied monuments and installations. Lin is best known for the Vietnam Veteran's memorial. At the time, it was an unprecendented look and a deep controversy. Since then, I think it has become what Lin had hoped: one of the most personally involving war memorials ever. Lin has moved on since then, and this book shows many of her more recent works.

Although her family heritage is Chinese, Lin identifies herself as American. That gives her the freedom to use concepts from many Asian traditions. Many of her later works show a sense that I see as Zen-like. They are centered on stone, water, earth, and light. Like that first memorial, they invite the viewer to touch and become involved in the work. "Waves", for example, is a large-scale earthwork to be explored, offering surprising privacy in an open, sunlit lawn.

The second reading of this book comes from its text. It explains Lin's approach to her work. I was quite surprised to fined out how important collaboration is for her. Most of her installations are undertaken with archtitects, writers, or preparators of various kinds, quite opposite the 'lonely artist' stereotype. I was also surprised to learn that her first conception of most pieces is narrative, not pictorial. To me, translating word into image and structure is a complete mystery. My own thoughts work in the other direction. That difference intrigues me.

The book itself is a pleasant artifact. It's well printed, well organized, and displays some thoughtful, unusual typography. It's a vehicle well suited to the material it carries.

"Boundaries" was printed in 2000. That means that the catalog of Lin's work has developed since then. More of her work surely exists that was locked out by the publication date. I look forward to the next book documenting her work, and I look forward to her future development as an artist.

From Gary Chapman. I was tired of hearing all these stories about Teddi Winograd from my ever-loving wife, Ingrid. After reading Chit Chat, however, I know why she admires her. Ingrid credits Teddi with giving her so much savvy about the ways of business. And I've picked up some ideas that are helping me in my own field, too. I still can't believe that Teddi Winograd went from earning 20 cents an hour to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. It only took thirty hard years!

From Merrill "Moe" and Maxine Ordesky. Chit Chat reads better the second time around--especially when you wrote about me and the trials and tribulations of working together while I was at The Broadway Department Store. Maxine re-reads a chapter a night. I think I'll take it away from her!

From Paul and Megan Holmberg. We had the good fortune to meet Teddi Winograd at a conference in Washington, DC recently. What an interesting life she has led! She even told us the year she was born. (Of course, a woman who tells you the truth about her age, will tell you anything!) And she did!

Raechel Donahue, a freelance writer in Los Angeles, writes that Teddi Winograd tells a fashionable and romantic tale.

The title for Teddi Winograd's auto-biography is somewhat misleading. "Chit Chat This 'n that: The Rocky Road to Success" promises (and delivers) a fair amount of dish, but don't think that the only lesson between the covers is "Don't kiss and tell." Instead, the woman behind Teddi of California offers a primer on the fashion industry and a parallel historical chronology that entails much more than the rise and fall of hemlines.

From her grandfather's emigration from Russia to her rise to the top of the fashion elite, Teddi's narrative combines romance and captivating anecdotes with a remarkable insight into the apparel business. Alongside the poignant story of Teddi's unflagging devotion to her beloved husband, Sam, and their adored children is a meticulous record of the progress of women's rights in the increasingly inter-twined worlds of business, society, politics and family. An added bonus is the wonderful collection of personal photos, fashion sketches and advertising artwork. From the 40's through the 90's, Teddi Winograd was the bellwether of each trend, interpreting the needs of women and effectively creating a convergence of fashion and function.

Although peppered with famous names from Chairman Mao to Ronald Reagan, the only delicious tidbits in Chit Chat are the offhanded revelations of scandals-the This 'n That. Straightforward recollections of spy tactics in the cutthroat clothing business, shame-less betting 'shenanigans' in sports and frightening revelations of the machinations of wealth and politics are tossed off with an equanimity that could only come from having earned success by honest means.

If Danielle Steele wrote it, it would be a captivating bit of fiction. But Teddi's story is true, and that makes it all the more amazing.

From John P. Nucklos

Teddi Winograd, has a story to tell. It's her own personal story and she tells it in over 400 pages of compelling detail in her book, Chit Chat This 'n That: The Rocky Road to Success. Prompted by her grandson's searching questions about his family history, Teddi decided to record her history in a way that would enlighten and entertain her family for generations to come.

"When I sharpened my pencil and delved into my past, I realized my life-which spanned over seventy years-was a microcosm of our times," says Teddi. From the Roaring Twenties, through the Market Crash of the Thirties, to the Internet Boom of today, Teddi offers a unique and personal twist to the vast sweep of history and change of the last three quarters of a century.

Dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Sam, to whom she celebrated over 50 years of loving companionship, Teddi not only tells how she and Sam created a successful apparel company out of nothing, but she also relates the personal triumphs and setbacks that accompanies them on their "rocky road to success." Full of the type of personal observations and nuances that are often lost as a generation passes on, the book is sure to be a lasting legacy to her children and grandchildren. "Personal history gives you a wonderful opportunity to put your life in order and see how you arrived to where you are now; for your family, it offers a powerful narrative on how the family developed," says Professor Gerald Larue of the Andrus Gerontology Center. "The best kind of personal history is one that you write and then pass on to other family members to enrich with their own memories and stories."

Not only will Teddi's story be a pleasure to read for her family, but it is sure to be an inspiration to anyone who aspires to fulfill their own American dreams.