Literature in Art Books

Two years ago I paid $145 for this unabridged version, which had gone out of print. At that time, the only version in print had been eviscerated of several hundred pages highlighting Shakespeare's own examples of rhetorical craft. Now the the unabridged version is back at an amazingly affordable price and remains the best work yet for those who want to use or teach this invaluable science of style.

Paul Dry publishers should be commended for bringing this classic book back into print. I believe it had been out of print for decades and the fortunate few who had a copy or who were lucky enough to uncover a used copy, cherished this book as if it were a treasure. Sister Miriam Joseph displays an encyclopedic knowledge of Shakepeare's entire works including all the plays, the Sonnets & the narrative poems. She demonstrates Shakespeare's use of a wide variety of rhetorical terms as well as showing his use of the forms of argument, logic, and persuasion. Shakespeare's use of the rhetorical terms and the other "arts of language" is often the best example of anyone, ever! I really believe this book is of great value to a wide variety of readers and needs to be on more college and high school book lists; it is that good. Specifically, it will be of value to any writers; serious students of Shakespeare; or anyone interested in improving their communication skills. Close and careful study of this book will be time well spent.

My wife and I bought the Klimt book as a gift for a friend. Both my wife and I were delighted with the book and its lustrous presentation. We plan to buy four more for four other friends.

This is a beautiful book. It is geared toward older children, but the presentation and photo quality will make any adult take a second look. Klimt's work is often characterized by the use of gold leaf -- this book actually prints the paintings so that they have a gold surface. Each page discusses an aspect of Klimt's life or work-- his relationship with Emile Floge, his travels to Italy, his Beethoven Frieze, etc. The background of each page is beautifully decorated to correspond with the information and photographs.

I have several other books of Klimt's work-- this one has the best overview of his life and work, best reproductions, and by far my favorite in terms of how it presented the information. It is only 30 pages, but is truly a gem of a book.

If you are interested in art history or art in general, I also recommend the other Adventures in Art books, particulary the one on Van Gogh. The presentation is very similar to the Klimt book.

Having first discovered Vanessa Bell through an interest in her sister, Virginia Woolf, I consider myself entirely unqualified to judge her status as a painter. The woman who emerges from these short pieces, however, is witty, honest, and deeply intelligent. The memoirs of her childhood, which comprise the first three selections, are filled with humor and warmth, with the sharper side of her wit directed chiefly at her elder half-brother, George Duckworth. George is also the primary subject of the fourth essay, and it says much of Bell's writing that he comes across as ludicrous (at best) and yet utterly believable. The remaining memoirs are more generous and less acerbic, particularly one about Bell's friend and former lover Roger Fry, recalling the ways in which their love converged with the expansion and evolution of Vanessa's painting. The portrait of Fry is that of a kind, open-handed man, brilliant as a teacher if not as a painter; Vanessa, despite being "not a writer," manages to convey deep emotion with dignity and a wonderful lack of sentimentality.

Perhaps my favorite piece is the final one, a lecture Vanessa gave to students at her son's school. In addition to being hugely amusing, it's one of the clearest and least pretentious discussions I've yet seen on what it means to be a painter.

Read this book--not for the sake of Bloomsbury hype, or for the gossip-value of Bell's unconventional personal life; read it because she was an exceptional woman and artist in her own right and this is as close as we can come now to knowing her.

Having first discovered Vanessa Bell through an interest in her sister, Virginia Woolf, I consider myself entirely unqualified to judge her status as a painter. The woman who emerges from these short pieces, however, is witty, honest, and deeply intelligent. The memoirs of her childhood, which comprise the first three selections, are filled with humor and warmth, with the sharper side of her wit directed chiefly at her elder half-brother, George Duckworth. George is also the primary subject of the fourth essay, and it says much of Bell's writing that he comes across as ludicrous (at best) and yet utterly believable. The remaining memoirs are more generous and less acerbic, particularly one about Bell's friend and former lover Roger Fry, recalling the ways in which their love converged with the expansion and evolution of Vanessa's painting. The portrait of Fry is that of a kind, open-handed man, brilliant as a teacher if not as a painter; Vanessa, despite being "not a writer," manages to convey deep emotion with dignity and a wonderful lack of sentimentality.

Perhaps my favorite piece is the final one, a lecture Vanessa gave to students at her son's school. In addition to being hugely amusing, it's one of the clearest and least pretentious discussions I've yet seen on what it means to be a painter.

Read this book--not for the sake of Bloomsbury hype, or for the gossip-value of Bell's unconventional personal life; read it because she was an exceptional woman and artist in her own right and this is as close as we can come now to knowing her.

This book is a must-read by writers, those who would write, and those interested in human studies. It is particularly empowering for writers who struggle for time to write, the required solitude of the writer's life, the pervasive lack of attention by culture to poetry and literature, and the lack of sympathy or empathy from family and acquaintances. These varied essays are also testimonies for the human spirit. An uplifting as well as educational read.

I highly recommend this book as a collection of strong, creative women's writing. Essential for lovers of literature.

So why not write about it. SOLITARY PLEASURES explores masterbation in ways you've never thought about before. It's a rich academic anthology (watch out for those big words) with essays that are important to the study of sex and sexuality--"masterbation for the mind" is the way I like to think about this collection.

It was probably the best book that I've ever read on the topic, and believe me, I've read plenty. Anyone can read this book, except for the obvious, of course.

The title of my review says it all--this is an essential collection for anyone serious about sound art/theory/poetry or avant-garde music. The CD is a very nice bonus, full of unbelievable rarities as well.

By focusing on "earplay" in texts by James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and other modern writers, this collection's twelve essays investigates the relationship between acoustical technologies and 20th-century experimental poetics. The accompanying CD offers soundtracks of early radio sounds, poetry readings, Dada cabaret performances, jazzoetry, audio-poems and contemporary Caribbean DJ dub poetry.

I recently got this book out of the library in order to teach a poem on Gerard Manley Hopkins, one of the writers Buechner discusses in the text. I was astonished at Buechner's incredible diction, phrasing, and word pictures. I had not read anything else of his before, but now I want to buy this book! His writing has an incredibly mysitcal quality, which he uses to broaden our knowledge of ability to enjoy four notable authors, while showcasing his own unique vision and humility. The book is moving and gritty - it put me in tears on several occasions, and I do not cry easily. If you are at all a fan of Hopkins, Twain, Chesterton, or Shakeapeare you must read this book!

In this book, Buechner describes the lives and discusses some of the literary works of four well-known writers.

Each of the four has incorporated into his writing clues to some of the lessons learnt from the harsh realities of life. Buechner has always been a strong advocate of "telling it like it is", in contrast to a tendency in parts of the Christian Church to "say what we ought to say".

If you're looking for a writer who's prepared to face up to the sometimes very difficult aspects of life, but who maintains an active faith, this book (and Buechner's other books as well) should prove richly rewarding.

Strongly recommended!

Steal this plot isn't about stealing, its about borrowing ideas from popular fiction to create new stories. This is an older book, with an unremarkable cover that you can probably find only used, but its well worth tracking down if you can find a copy. I like the authors' breakdown of primary plot line and story 'spicer's (an interesting concept I think I will want to use), and the examples the authors give are well written and interesting. On the flipside, I didn't think each motivation needed to be quite so thoroughly explained as motivational forces such as "self-sacrifice" should be well understood by the average reader.

In particular, I liked the examples the authors gave on how to incorporate Greek/Roman myth into modern writing.

5 stars. Well worth picking up, some aspects a little pedantic, overall good.

if necessary, but get it onto your shelf of writers' indispensable books. The authors identify the 13 basic story patterns--Vengeance, Catastrophe, Love and Hate, the Chase, Grief and Loss, Rebellion, Betrayal, Persecution, Self-Sacrifice, etc., and draw upon classic examples to illustrate the obligatory beats to each story pattern. First, this will help you identify which pattern your story draws from; then, it will remind you of what you've forgotten--that's making your version of the story not work. Remember T. S. Eliot's comment: "Immature poets borrow. Mature poets steal." Yes, the Nobles also deal with the issue of "plagiarism," but that's NOT the focus of this excellent book.

Though this is primarily written for children, it has advice and sample stories that would help anyone who aspires to the high calling of storyteller. It is written in straightforward language and mixes in anecdotes and stories to keep its information-packed pages entertaining.
Mabel Barr, storyteller & author of Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie

This book is a wonderful supplement to one of the author's other books, Create Your Own Storytelling Stories. It begins with a VERY brief history of storytelling. From there the author writes about where and why kids are telling stories, and how the reader can join the fun.

Then there are several chapters about choosing stories for different situations. For instance, a storyteller might want to tell ghost stories or nature tales when at camp. A babysitter might want to use "creative toy stories" or "helper stories." There are simple project suggestions included in a few of these chapters.

In the next several chapters, the author presents some information on "how to tell a good story." This includes such topics as learning, practicing and telling the story. There is also information on using different types of props in one's storytelling, and a chapter on "mastering the art."

The final three chapters discuss the following topics:
1) how to hold a storytelling party
2) how to start a storytelling club
3) how to hold a young storytellers' festival.

This book, along with the book Create Your Own Storytelling Stories, would be a very good start for any young aspiring storyteller. It would also be helpful for the reader to have the help and encouragement of a trusted adult.

Check out the author's storytelling website for children. This is listed in the back of either book.

Happy Storytelling!

The book make some senses out of the film, no offense, the movie was well and carefully directed which leave me satisfaction and looking forward to see more. The details in this book show me tiny details that I could not catch from the film such as superman space suit (I like it better than the blue one, so cool!). I suppose that I will go back to see the film one more time. Anyway, the book is great value for money.

Continuing their long line of outstanding Visual film guides DK presents "Superman Returns: The Visual Guide" for perhaps the year's most anticipated film. Superman fans know that the fact that this film has finally come out is nothing short of a miracle. For over a decade now there have been rumors and speculation about a new Superman film and who would play the role with names such as Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage, and Kevin Smith all attached to various Superman film projects at one time or another. There was even discussion of a "World's Finest" version which would team Superman and Batman in the same film.

But finally we got Superman Returns and as usual, DK is on hand with another of their fantastic guides that takes fans through with spotlights on the story, the plots and sub-plots, the locales, and the characters, all with the same fantastic photography we're used to seeing in these books. Rather than focus on the actors, the book instead focuses on the characters and the story, taking us through Superman's birth on the planet Krypton, to his journey to earth where he would be found as an infant and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent. Although not a direct sequel to the Christopher Reeves Superman films, it does start with the premise that Superman has already been on Earth for some time and then abruptly disappeared, only to return six years later, just in the nick of time to rescue a plane from crashing.

Throughout the guide we'll explore things such as Lex Luthor's Yacht Gertrude, Superman's Fortress of Solitude, the city of Metropolis, and the Daily Planet building. And of course we will meet all of the major characters in depth including Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Luthor, and Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent. The photography is brilliant as usual with several two-page spreads including one with Superman performing one of his amazing feats of super strength, and another that closely examines Superman's suit that this time is functional as well as fashionable.

In short, this is a book that perfectly complements the film and a great addition to your own library.

Reviewed by Tim Janson