Illustration Books

SANDRO BOTTICELLI'S DANTE'S DIVINE COMEDY IS NO MORE BETTER.
MERCI FOR THE AUTEUR-EDITION .

i heard of this drawings thru a brief documentary on Dante's Divine Comedy,and managed to track down a book about this subject, finally consulted Amazon to get it .Frankly when i saw the relatively modest price tag ,i did not imagine that in fact the book is not only a first class Art book worth( in an ideal world a bit less insane that the present one)much more than some 40 euros ,with a magisterially commented analysis ,and a magnificent one at that,for each of these trascendental drawings.Moreover the riproduction of the drawings is excellent,and the close examination of each of them with a magnifying lens can only leave a passionate of both Dante and of Great Painting simply speechless.Congratulations to authors,editors and everybody who made this available, from a humble old lover of Dante,of Painting and Music , those things that can stiil distinguish us from the "bestie', the "bruti" ,sincerely,guido zargani

This book brought Dante to life in a way for which I was unprepared. From the moment I saw Boticelli's depictions of the damned I was sure he must have had an "inside" look into what Dnate was writing about. A wonderful coffee-table book that will get your guests to talking.

This is an extraordinary book. It's like finding a rare and beautiful volume in an antiquarian bookstore. The book consists of almost a hundred drawings by Botticelli, made around 1500 to illustrate Dante's Divine Comedy of 1300.

The drawings are marvelous. The devils and monsters are rather tame by modern standards but the thousands of individual characters are beautifully drawn and are easily recognizable as Botticelli's work even to the untrained eye. Botticelli illustrates each canto like a modern day story board or sequence of drawings in a cartoon strip. The action follows all of the events described in each canto. I pored over the drawings every evening for a month. I used a recent translation of the Inferno as my guide to this section. Opposite each drawing is a short but comprehensive summary of the canto together with a description of the drawing. The summary was sufficient to carry me through the Purgatorio and Paradiso sections and the descriptions were extremely helpful and never pedantic.

The book is superbly produced with informative essays and excellent photographs of paintings by Botticelli to illustrate his style. Even the dust cover is well-made and robust. It is illustrated with a scene of Dante and Virgil crossing a bridge over a pit of burning souls (the evil counselors). The hard cover of the book is embossed with the flames from the same scene, making it a very attractive volume.

Most of the drawings, which were intended to be colored, are unfinished, but this adds to the interest since it's possible to see how the artist worked. In some, the drawings are so dense and complex that you might need a magnifying glass to see them. On each such occasion the producers of the book have provided an enlargement of the drawing on the following page, anticipating the reader's needs. A particularly fine example of the complex drawing is the illustration for canto X of the Purgatorio. The scene shows marble reliefs on the walls of the mountain terrace illustrating example of humility. There are three tableaux of such detail and intensity that each could represent a sketch for a fresco on the wall of a cathedral and yet the complete drawing is on a piece of sheepskin parchment measuring about 14 x 16 inches.

As a former museum photographer, I can speak to the fine reproductions in this volume. The complexity of reproducing drawings of such fine detail in print is quite difficult if not impossible. One would expect to find this quality at a much greater price. This volume is not only a master work of techical ability, but the history revealed in the essays is astounding. I actually could not put it down. As a painter working with the subject matter, it provided an invaluable resource.

Have you added sensual massage to your lovemaking? Let me tell you, there is nothing better than light massaging and soft caresses to get a woman going. And these cards will instantly turn you into an expert masseur or masseuse.

This set of 60 cards has cards for massaging the chest, head, arms, legs, feet and back, and each card has instructions and illustrating photos. The cards come in a box with 2 push-pins and 3 fee of elastic string. So, all you have to do is sort through the cards, and choose a massage course, then string them together and you are ready to go! Hey wait, why the string? The string allows you to keep the cards handy, and yet out of the way.

Overall I think that this is a great product, which will greatly enhance your lovemaking. I really recommend these cards! (By the way, get a good massage oil - I recommend Kama Sutra's Pleasure Garden.)

(Review of Sensual Massage on a String)

This innovative deck is much better than a book or video if you want to learn how to do massaage at home for your loved one, as I did. You can handle the cards during a massage, without fear of damaging them. You certainly wouldn't want to handle a book or video while you have massage oil on your hands!

The instructions really couldn't be easier to follow. I saw myself turn into a sensual masseur the first time I tried it and the proof was the profound gratitude from my loved one. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend this to anyone who is truly interested in learing how to do massage.

Gordon Inkeles has done it again.
This deck is stunning! If you want to learn how to give a great massage (or get that special someone to give you one) then this card deck is just what you need.

I use this amazing deck to do massage all the time, and have benefited from nearly every one of the routines personally as well. Massage as presented here is very enjoyable and not at all difficult to master. I have also given this as a gift. It's very well made and gets noticed--and put to work, often on me, personally!

Good stuff!

Gorgeous presentation with truly incredible photos and art on virtually every card. This little masterpiece belongs in the home of anyone who loves massage. It's a breakthrough product, that will bring much happiness to those who bring it home.

I loved the way the cards can be hung from the elastic cord over the massage area. That really makes it easy to learn what to do on every part of the body. There's no need to worry about oil stains (like with a book) because the cards are laminated. In fact the whole package is extremely high quality.

The technique represents the very best from the famous Inkeles books. It works fast and is really easy to learn. Great instructions, with no wasted words or "asides."

You will be thanked again and again for giving the experience of a sensual massage to others. This is a very beautiful deck. The technique is immensly relaxing and can also be very sexy in the right circumstances. I love it.

MUCH RECOMMENDED!!

This book is exactly the book I need to continue developing as a space artist. The book has a number of step-by-step exercises, each of different levels of complexity/expertise. Even if you don't use the very same techniques he uses, you can still get a lot out of seeing a painting develop. This development was exactly the Rosetta Stone I needed.
Thanks Mike!

SPACE ART: HOW TO DRAW AND PAINT PLANETS, MOONS, AND LANDSCAPES OF ALIEN WORLDS comes from a leading astronomical artist who explains the basics of styles and paints needed to produce the hues and excitement of alien worlds. Carroll has been a professional space art painter for over 25 years: his experience lends to a blend of science and art ideas which not only provides an overview of techniques, but provides some fourteen paintings, building in complexity, for step-by-step teaching. Any general-interest or art library will find it easily accessible and a popular pick.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I bought this book to gain an idea of how to paint western backdrops for a model railroad. The book is thouroughly illustrated with progressive views of how to create different images. Work of multiple artists are presented, so it goes beyond just one style. Explanations are given over the use of color. I have found it to be a very useful guide, and did I mention, it has lots of pictures!

I learned to paint from the wonderful Walter Foster art book series, which featured titles such as "How to Paint Landscapes," "How to Draw and Paint Seascapes," etc. Every niche of hobbyist painting was covered, from sunsets to still lifes. Typically, each subject would be explored through a series of illustrations showing the development of a painting from simple charcoal sketch, to rough color, to the finished work. Popular masters of the 50's and 60's such as Robert Wood and Violet Parkhurst let us look over their shoulders, sharing their "secrets" with struggling beginners. How I wish Michael Carroll's Space Art had existed back then!

Space Art is not a primer on painting, although a beginner can pick up valuable techniques unlikely to be covered in more traditional "how to" books. While there is a good, brief discussion of media and tools, and an excellent presentation on color, the book assumes a basic knowledge of how to mix and work acrylics. What the beginning painter might find particularly useful, however, is Carroll's discussion, throughout the book, on how to "see" -- how to observe and depict the interplay of light and objects and atmosphere.

Any basic art book will contain a diagram showing how to render and shade the cube, cone, and sphere, but Space Art links this exercise to nature in a way that traditional art books generally do not. For example, most landscape artists rarely paint the moon correctly, either depicting it as a featureless white disk or a weird, banana-shaped crescent. This is, I think, because they haven't made the conceptual leap that allows them to see the moon as a sphere, subject to the same rules of lighting as is an orange in a fruit bowl. They don't see the illuminated part of the moon as its "day" side, and the dark part as its "night." They haven't realized that the dividing line between day and night -- the terminator, to use astronomical parlance -- is an arc of an ellipse: the shape of a great circle seen in perspective. After reading Space Art and attempting its exercises, beginning painters will have a deeper understanding of light and shadow that will make them better artists in any genre of painting.

Space Art takes the reader through fourteen exercises, ranging from the the almost mundane -- "Earth seen from the Moon" -- to the science-fictional landscapes of extrasolar worlds with binary suns. Brief essays by established space artists punctuate the exercises. These essays touch only lightly on technique, but delve more deeply into how space artists interpret the raw data of science and apply this knowledge to imaginatively portray a subject in a way that transcends a mere photograph. The sample illustrations by these guest artists range stylistically from plein air sketches to digital photographic realism. Carroll wisely restricts his exercises to techniques available to the beginner. Although he may sometimes use the airbrush or computer in his commercial work, subtle gradients in the exercises are created using fan brushes and sponges.

Space Art is not only a useful book, but a beautiful one, well printed and rich with color. A reader is likely to learn a bit of astronomy and geology along the way, and Carroll's impish sense of humor comes through in the text, maintaining the friendly tone of a teacher who loves his work. Again, I wish some time traveler had brought this book to me forty years ago. Highly recommended for beginning -- and developing -- artists, in any genre.

Michael Carroll has written, once again,a very fine book. This one meets a specific need in the artistic painting market of today. Space Art is a unique topic that is a favorite of the author's and it shows. The narrative is presented clearly with step-by-step, easy-to-follow directions, including which colors to use, how to create textures, and specific tricks of the trade used to make the artist's space paintings as realistic as possible. The book portrays painting lessons, with colorful thumbnail views, for all levels of students, from beginners to intermediate through to advanced. Michael has also included educational highlights to broaden the painter's knowledge of his/her favorite space subject as they seek to broaden their painting experience to include the wonderful world of Space. It's a great book and very helpful.

The Spectrum series is a collection of contemporary and fantastic art illustrations. I recommend it to anyone looking for discovering interesting work and contemporary artists. The work ranges from cover illustrations, paintings, sculptures to some toys, action figures and graphic novel work. The selection is usually very well done. I think the sculpture section is not as good as the graphic and painting area.

It is interesting to notice in the volume 10 the diversity of techniques presented. There are some pure digital art, but most of it is made of traditional media, or a mix with digital tools and some other technique. I imagine that the next volumes will gradually include some more digital art. From this series I ended up finding some artists I looked for entire work monographs like the sci-fi ilustrator Stephan Martinieri.

This is a wonderful book and I would recommend this to anyone interested in sci-fi/fantasy art. This book is even better than it's predessesors also. I think anyone who enjoyed the other spectrum books will enjoy this.

I recently purchased Spectrum 9, 10, and 11. These books are absolutely wonderful, and I would recommend them to any artist or fan of fantasy/sci fi art. They are extremely well put together, of high quality (reproduction wise), have a large number and variety of artists, and contain some of the most beautiful works of art I have seen. Some of the subject matter can be disturbing or somewhat sexual in nature (certainly nothing explicit, but not exactly innocent either), so I wouldn't recomend them for the very young (12 or under?) if you are a parent. These books are worth every penny and highly recommended.

I've been picking up the Spectrum collections since # 7 and I've notice an improvement both in quality and variety in the artwork presented.Within its 176 pages you'll find 300 plus reproductions. The book is divided into seven sections displaying work from advertising, book, comics, dimensional, editorial, institutional and unpublished sources.A cornucopia of styles and approaches grace SPECTRUM 10's pages. From the photo(sur)realism of Paul Bonner's watercolors portraying Orks and Minotaur to Kinuko Y. Craft's Pre-Raphaelite inspired BEAUTY AND THE BEAST to Brom's patented creepy/sexy gothic leather bound babes to Peter d Seve's delightful character studies in pencil for Disney Studios' Treasure Planet you'll find an eclectic cross section of SF/fantasy/horror illustrators working today. Jon joster (winner of the Gold Award in the comics' category) is my favorite here with his retro robots and expressive compositions.Only one thing irritates me in this book, and the only reason I gave 4 stars out of 5: these are the resin statuettes of comic book characters found in the "dimensional" section. These kitsch saturated figurines have no other purpose than to serve as "must haves" for pathological collectoholics and slightly mar this book for me. (Sorry about the soapbox spiel-guess I'm now assured of getting a good number of "I did not find this review helpful" votes.)Dispite this one caveat I highly recommend this beautiful book to anyone who appreciates fine illustration.

Sci-Fi and Fantasy artists have always seemed like illustration's poor step-children, often ignored (and sometimes sneered at) while the historical and Western painters wore the mantel of respectability. Thank goodness Spectrum came along to point out to the naysayers that Art is Art and that the practitioners of "fantastic" art are as gifted as anyone working today (if not better).

Spectrum 10 is chocked-full of beautiful and imaginative work by veterans and fresh faces alike. Personal favorites include the previously unpublished gallery paintings by jillion-times-Hugo-winner Michael Whelan, the Expressionist-flavored space ships by John Berkey, the monsterously proportioned toy robots by Eric Joyner, and the fantasy scenarios of Paul Bonner. There's art for films, paintings for books, sculptures (which I personally enjoy seeing), and work from comics; serious, mature pieces followed by wonderfully whacky and whimisical images. There's really something for everyone. It's fun to go through the book and compare the judges' selection of award-winners in each category with what *I* think should have won.

And thank goodness someone has finally acknowledged Michael Kaluta (#10's Grand Master Award recipient) as one of the most worthwhile illustrators working today. Kudos to the Spectrum Board!

About the only downsides are the occasional typos and several pages with cramped lay-outs, but all-in-all a must-have book for anyone with an imagination--and at a bargain price at that!

The Spectrum series is a collection of contemporary and fantastic art illustrations. I recommend it to anyone looking for discovering interesting work and contemporary artists. The work ranges from cover illustrations, paintings, sculptures to some toys, action figures and graphic novel work. The selection is usually very well done. I think the sculpture section is not as good as the graphic and painting area.

It is interesting to notice in the volume 9 the diversity of techniques presented there. There are some pure digital art, but most of it is made of traditional media, or a mix with digital tools and some other technique.

I recently purchased Spectrum 9, 10, and 11. These books are absolutely wonderful, and I would recommend them to any artist or fan of fantasy/sci fi art. They are extremely well put together, of high quality (reproduction wise), have a large number and variety of artists, and contain some of the most beautiful works of art I have seen. Some of the subject matter can be disturbing or somewhat sexual in nature (certainly nothing explicit, but not exactly innocent either), so I wouldn't recomend them for the very young (12 or under?) if you are a parent. These books are worth every penny and highly recommended.

This book is like a kick-ass mobile art gallery. Anyone interested in some cool artists with real talent that you can't find in museums or galleries should have this edition on their coffee tables or on their mantles. A visual cornicopia of excellently presented ideas compiled in a book that will have you closely staring at the pages. Really cool.

Not unlike the other titles in the Spectrum series, Spectrum 9 provides a great overview of contemporary fantastic art, the best emerging artists, new trends, and samples of the forever-loved art. The artwork is much better documented with sources listed for further study of fantastic art.

If you've ever admired a cover on a sci-fi book, cool credits in a fantasy movie, or even action figures of your favorite super heroes, this book might be for you. The nice thing about the Spectrum series is that you do not need to reach for a specific volume to look at specific form of art. Each volume offers a pretty even and ,personally I think, good cross section of the current fantastic art and design.

I have been patiently waiting (OK, maybe not so patiently) since November for Spectrum 9 to be released. Even though I had to wait an extra month and a half, it was well worth the wait. Once again, the Spectrum series provides us with the best in contemporary and fantastic art, and it IS fantastic. Entries range from weird, to gory, to funny, to beautiful. I began this series with Spectrum 8, then bought 7. Unfortunately, the other 6 are out of print (and cost a pretty penny), but these 3 will do. If you like sci-fi/fantasy art, this is the book for you. There's something for everyone, and in my opinion, there is not one bad painting in the whole book. Buy this today - you will get more than your money's worth.

This is the best cross-stitch book I own. It has many familiar characters from children's literature, like Madeline, Spot and Winnie-the-Pooh. I've used the designs to make center squares for baby quilts! I hate to give them up. I hope Ms. Souter does another--how about Curious George, Arthur and the Richard Scarry bunch?

A great resource for anyone who stitches for children. With hard to find cross stitch patterns for many beloved characters, such as: classic Pooh, Angelina Ballerina, Madeline, Apple Tree Farm, Spot, and others. Easy to follow charts and beautiful pictures of finished pieces. A must have for any cross stitcher!

These designs are adorable, like others have said, but I had to add--this is not just a same ol' Peter Rabbit / Pooh Bear book. As a new mom, I was a bit tired of finding baby designs for the nursery in nothing but Peter and Pooh. Nothing against these characters, mind you, but I wanted something a little . . . different. Well, I've had great success with this book! I had heard of Duck, but really wasn't too familiar with him--but he and his pals are adorable. Ditto for the "Apple Tree Farm" section (which you can do as a sampler or separate designs). Very Britishy, and perfect for an anglophile like me! Made me a big fan of the illustrator (Stephen Cartwright). Also, this book has a section on Miffy! Wow! You don't find that just anywhere. I, too, wish Gillian Souter would do a sequel to this great book! I'd like to see Little Critter, Wild Things, Lilly (of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse), and some Rosemary Wells characters. One last note. The designs here are very well done--the transfer of an illustration to the cross-stitch format is very smooth, and my completed designs were very much like the actual illustrations! A nice addition is the alphabet patterns in the back for you to personalize your designs. They're a good couple of fonts which I've used repeatedly.

I have selected 12 of the exceptional designs from Gillian Souter's book to creat a quilt for my granddaughter. Among the choices (hard to make) were: Babar/Celeste, Madeline, Paddington, Pooh, Angelina, Spot and Duck. Her designs are easy to follow. I am using an 18-count afghan type (washable) fabric and DMC floss. I would recommend this book to "Grammies" everywhere. Many good projects; I just happen to be making a quilt at present.

I bought this book especially for the Classic Pooh patterns I couldn't seem to find anywhere. However, every pattern in here is adorable and the ones I completed charm me still every time I look at them. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys children's patterns, or wants to give an adorable gift to someone.

I collect children's book because many are like this one: an elegant and visual treat. Gennady Spirin does the most detailed illustrations and the borders of each page echo the story line. There is a dreamlike quality to the illustrations as they are not sharply defined but slightly misty. The theme of the youngest son triumphing is an old one and enjoyable with its Russian flavour here. This will be one of my special books to share with my grandchildren when they are older.

My son loves this book. Esecially since the wolf changes shapes. The detail and art is gorgeous and the story kep the attention of my 5 yr old, a very high spirited individual

Beautifully illustrated and very well written--an excellent present for any child. I bought this as a Christmas present for my friend's child. Nex Christmas I'm buying more of these books for other kids as presents. Absolutely stunning!

I am a big fan of Gennady Spirin's artwork. His FIREBIRD epitomizes classic Russian-style painting with it's ornate touches. He is a genius.

The artwork is fantastic, evocative, and gorgeous, combining a gold palette and northern winter-evening moonlit scenes, and featuring intricate folk art border illustrations. The tale is in some ways charming, including a sympathetic wolf, though there is no emotional or character development (It's more of a quick, amalgamated introduction to Russian fairytales), and it offers no lessons you'd want to impart to a child, other than: Go have adventures with a magical wolf at your back! (Also lurking in the story may be a morality tale for those in a position to run an imperialist power: Don't be afraid to buck cautious counsel and be acquisitive with regard to allies' possessions, but follow counsel when it comes to preparing for war. I sincerely doubt this is a useful lesson for your typical middle/working class kid, what with her/his lack of imperial power.) Plot synopsis: A magical, powerful wolf takes a few days out of his or her life to really help the fortunate youngest prince undertake successive adventures, culminating in the prince gaining all sorts of booty: a lovely mate, a golden-maned horse, a magical sword, kingdoms, adulation, and a spectacular peacock in a golden cage.

Ergenbright strikes again in this slender volume of gorgeous photography. He and Pastor John Piper both write wonderful introductions about their purpose in creating the book and their hope that it will draw the reader closer to God.
The theme, as the title suggests, is to focus on the Scripture that tells us to think of all praiseworthy things in the world that are God-inspired. Fulfilling this Scripture, the book offers not only striking pictures of landscapes and oceans, but also pictures of magnificent man-made structures, reminding us of our God-given desire to create great things, and wonderful pictures of people, namely children whose sweet smiles and shining innocence remind us of the nature that God wishes us to have when we approach Him. Accompanied with all this is more wonderful Scripture.

From fairytale castles to a gorgeous storm cloud roiling over a lonely road, this book offers a variety of beauty. Several of the nature photographs will either have you in awe or set your heart at rest, and the priceless children will make you smile until your face hurts. I highly recommend this gem for any soul to remind us of all the beauty in God's world!

I have been very pleased with my purchase. The book was in great condition. Our family has enjoyed reflecting on God's greatness as He has revealed Himself in His marvolous creation.

At the recent Christian Booksellers Convention in Atlanta, 'THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS' was awarded the Gold Medallion as the Best Christian Gift Book of 2004.

A beautiful combination of art and biblical thought. To be read and re-read many times.

Once again, after 'THE ART OF GOD' and 'THE IMAGE OF GOD,' Ric Ergenbright shows his mastery of the art of photography and his dedication to the word of the Bible. You may open any page, from those depicting the rocky coasts of New England and Italy to the far reaches of India and South America, and find inspiration. THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS can be read over and over and never will you arrive at the same thought. Things that are going to last take a long time to build, and Ric Ergenbright has reminded us, with an enchanted eloquence, from whence came the cornerstones.

Wyeth, Pyle and the others captivate my imagination and this book captures their mastery. Strongly recommended!

This book covers very well some of the most important people in American History. N.C. Wyeth,Howard Pyle, Dean Cornwell,Harvey Dunn, Frank Schoonover and Philip Goodwin have illustrated the turn of the 1800's to 1900's with the same spirited passion that bred our great country. It's this great passion that is given to the pictures that they created that seperates their work from photographs which are just taken. Looking at the Illustrations shows you that Pyle was successful in creating an American art which will always be a foundation for Illustrators to follow.

Visions Of Adventure surveys the arts of N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine artists, providing a lavish display packed with color plates and paintings by Pyle, Wyeth, Dunn, and others. Histories and backgrounds of each featured work accompany the fold-out and full-page illustrations and make for an excellent review. Highly recommended.

Incredible collection of paintings and the stories that go along with them. Colorful with spectacular detail of the famous paintings of a time gone by. Amazing how the author was able to put together a collection of this magnitude. A must have for anyone who appreciates art. It is perfect as a gift to that special person you care about.

i m french so i say it with my word : c'est trés beau !

William Joyce's energetic cover is the first thing that grabs your attention is the, and that energy continues through out the whole book. Joyce talks about his childhood and how he stared drawing. He also describes the books he has written. I enjoyed reading this book because it was different. The text changes on each page and does not go straight across the page, but instead it sometimes went around in circles or up and down. The illustrations were great as well. He creates a great enthusiasm for the arts, and it makes you want to go right out and start drawing. Another interesting part about this book was that Joyce explained how he decorated is house on Halloween, and it was amazing.

Readers will find this a pleasant excursion into the thought process and creative impulses that go into Joyce's imaginative art. Joyce describes how the people and objects from his childhood and adult life can find their way into pictures, and what sort of transformation they undergo as they become part of a story. I really enjoyed the photos and illustrations, and it was very interesting to get a peek into the way this artist works. I recommend this high-quality, beautifully illustrated book for both kids and adults who enjoy the work of William Joyce, and also for those who are interested in reading about art, the making of children's books, and biographies about artists.

William Joyce is one of the most creative, imaginative, and joyful author/illustrators in children's literature. Don't do yourself a disservice and write Joyce off as just for kids. His books are an absolute delight. It is fitting, then, that this book is a very unscholarly and very clever look at his work. Joyce not only explains how he got the ideas for such great books as "The Leaf Men" or "Bentley & Egg" but offers a glimpse at his home life. I would definitely like to visit his house on any major holiday! This book is both accessible to kids and entertaining for grown ups. Delight yourself and buy it today.

This self-portrait of William Joyce comes across so whimsical and fantastical, children will want to read it again and again. It's especially inspiring for children with creative spirits or ones with large imaginations. Joyce's sweet innoncence delicately provides a fun-loving world any child or adult would enjoy. The illustrations and text make me want to transform my home into the same wonderful playland Joyce's children enjoy. He explains his day and how he's inspired to illustrate and write. Any question a little one could possibly ask, he answers in this book. He also gives insight to what he was feeling on certain books he wrote too. I especially enjoyed hearing about what emotions and things in his life inspired what books.

This book is wonderful and delightful, in the literal senses of those words. Every page is filled to capacity with things that will amaze and fascinate: an abundance of previously unpublished illustrations by Joyce, details of the creation of his books, and photographs of his astonishingly elaborate holiday celebrations (that will make you want nothing in the world more than to be his friend and neighbor). My only complaint is about the book's brevity--I would have liked a hundred more pages of this. That, however, is an adult's complaint; a young reader will probably find the book to be just the right length.