Illustration Books

I have the whole CIBA set of Frank Netter illustrations, and treasure them both for their fine artistic work and their value as medical reference resources. I found them invaluable during my medical school days, especially for my neuroanatomy classes, and still make reference to them from time to time in my clinical practice. The texts for some of the older volumes need a little updating, but the illustrations are still pertinent, helpful as ever. These are helpful adjuncts to medical students and residents alike.

I am an aerospace physician and I routinely use the Netter series, not just for my own personal reference, but to illustrate to patients the anatomy, as well as the pathology of disease processes that they may be facing. It is a well-organized series of illustrations, with excellent descriptions. It is an excellent consolidation of all the commonly required information regarding any given disease process, and functions well as an all-around reference, not just for anatomy. Though some of the text does need to be updated, it still serves as the benchmark of illustrative anatomy and pathology, and is an invaluable addition to the library of all medical personnel, both medical students and physicians alike.

My father is a doctor (both MD and PhD). He used this set of books once to explain anatomy to me so that I could understand a medical condition we were discussing. The drawings are incredible, Netter must have been a true genius with a passion for his work. What an excellent resource!

It is a praiseful book in a differnt cadence.
It is powerfful book in its illustrations.

Observing the closed book,one is captured by the clean and clear-cut designs in shades of black, white and gray on the cover. Upon opening it one sees a repetition of color in the illustrations that are depicted in black and white block prints.

The way in which the story poems are displayed invites one to read because the lines are usually short and a certain rhythm can be felt. The messages are very clear if you understand the dialect and if you have read the explanations be the author. This is very important. To neglect these interpretations will defeat much of the joy to be obtained from the reading. I enjoyed the special language immensly.

It is wise to follow the designated age/grade levels for the best use of the material. Here is an example: I gave copies of 'How God Fix Jonah" to two families that include grandnieces and nephews. One little five-year-old, who is an accomplished reader for her age, opened the book immediately and tried it out. In a little while she came over to me with the book in her hands. I asked her what she thought about it. She answered, "It sounds a little strange." I tried to explain that this is the way some foreign people talk before they know how to speak English very well. I suggested that she have her parents read it to her. On the other hand, an eleven-year-old has kept it on her nightstand ever since she received it eight months ago.

There is a great advantage in having this group of stories compiled and kudos are in order for the author's daughter and the publisher for their collaboration in bringing this work to fruition.

If you love words, their meanings, their sounds, and unexpected usage this book calls out to you. It is filled with Bible stories that are written according to the way that a young African lad would sound telling the stories in a mixture of his own language combined with the new language he is just learning, English. Read silently, you will discover immediately that it is pleading to be read aloud. Read it to children or adults, or a mixture thereof. When I discovered this unique book I had great success reading it to a large group of men, women, and children. They were entranced, mesmerized as they listened attentively. The applause at the end of my sharing was tremendous! Discover, too, individual stories in this book which were originally published as picture books. You will find so many uses for all of these books if only you will read one aloud -- just once!

This book was written and drawn by some of the original artists of Ed Roth's studio. It doesn't get any closer than this, great book!

My kids just loved this book. They are both aspiring artists and have done some great work since Christmas!

I bought this book for my husband, after several refferals from other hot rod friends. This book is better than described.

I heard him read some of his poems tonight and they are absolutely amazing!! I bought the book and absolutely love it!!

this is the most gorgeous book i've ever seen, and it's a date book so it's completely versatile. it's the perfect size to put in your bag and bring with you. there's also a description of each of the 4 minor solstices with a poem or legend about it. each page is filled with beautiful poetry written in caligraphy paired with artwork. it's the best book i've ever seen, and since it isn't year specific (there aren't days of the week along with the dates) you can buy a new one every year and use it all over again!!!

I never thought that I would fine a book like this! It was absolutely amazing because it was written so well. It helped me a great deal in finding out about Celtic traditions, folklore, and many other things! If you are at all interested in Celtic folklore and would like a book that's easy to read and understand, this is the book for you! I promise, you won't be disappointed! Happy reading!

Many of the illuminations in this text are also in The Golden Haggadah - refer to the latter for the art history and criticism related to the illuminations.

This volume is a traditional Haggadah in Hebrew and English with illuminations from Medieval texts in the British Library. The result is a splendid, visually appealing book. The illuminations run from vines running down the margins of the page, to elaborate Hebrew letters, folk illustrations, and icon-like depictions of Biblical scenes. Here and there a bit of commentary on the contents of the ritual is included. It is clear that the hope of the authors that the Haggadah be not only a beautiful book on your shelf but also be used as a beautiful book in the celebration of Passover.

This is a beautifully illustrated hagadah with rare images. The text is very easy to follow and the commentary is very helpful and insightful.

The Haggadah is beautiful and the text is authentic and easy to follow. It is not only an art book, it is a practical and useful haggadah for use during the seder. It brings Pesach to life and connects us to our history.

The publisher states this is for all ages. My interest in this book was my fascination with ABC books as a method of teaching my children the alphabet and to read as well as a budding interest in medieval times.

At least one of the pages is featured per letter; sometimes the illustration goes across two pages. The illustrations are beautiful and highly detailed. With each word there is a 3-4-sentence explanation of what the word is about. The author states he has gone to great lengths to make the illustrations historically accurate. The author quotes 15 references as the source of his information and he so loves all things medieval that he includes 5 recommended reading materials for readers who are interested in learning more. I love the purist stance the author takes and appreciate the recommended reading section. It is apparent that this is a labor of love for Mr. Hunt.

As the homeschooling mother of young children I say: The featured letter is shown in capital form only and highly decorated which is not conducive to teaching young children the alphabet. The words are medieval in nature and therefore not in everyday language of young children. Examples are excalibur and oriflamme. The text is written in language that may be difficult for even young readers to understand, let alone preschool-aged children. Older children with an interest in medieval times will love this book.

As an adult interested in medieval times, I found this a fun book with lovely illustrations. I enjoyed learning some basic information about some medieval terms.

I have taught at both the Middle and High School levels and found that Illuminations by Jonathan Hunt is a wonderful way to introduce the medieval period to young adults. This book is not just a childrens book. Illuminations introduces the students to important vocabulary words relating to the Middle Ages in a fun and visually stimulting manner. The author takes each letter of the alphabet and associates it with something medieval. The illustrations are breathtaking and compliment the students understanding of what illuminations were all about. I highly recommend this book to young and old alike.

"An illumination is a picture, design, or decoration drawn on a manuscript page" (Jonathan Hunt, from the "I" page in "Illuminations").

Jonathan Hunt uses this ancient--colorful and exquisitely detailed--method to introduce readers to a glossary of terms and concepts from the Middle Ages. Arranged in alphabetical order, readers are often introduced to more than one concept per letter, for example on the page devoted to "Knight," terms like chivalrous men-at-arms, king, lord, lady, page, squire, fief and the Round Table are mentioned.

As another reviewer suggests, this is not really an alphabet book for younger readers. Although "Illuminations" is done in picture book format--and the illustrations are a pleasure to browse--because of the way Hunt lovingly approaches his subject, it is an ideal introduction to Medieval times for upper elementary grade students, and perhaps all the way up through secondary. In reading it as a school librarian, I learned some things I didn't know before.

In my review of Marguerite De Angeli's Newbery Awarding winning Medieval novel, "The Door in the Wall," I suggested that a book like "Illuminations" would be ideal for introducing middle-grade readers to the language and terminology of this fascinating period of history. This is a resource that teachers and students in our elementary school often turn to. Highly recommended.

If you get this book, be sure to read "A Note From the Author;" About the Art;" "Suggested Reading;" and the Bibliography in the back.

This forms part of a set of four. I have posted my review on Part 1.

This forms a part of a set of four. I have posted my review in Part 1.

This book in the words of the New Oxford DNB is "a massive compendium of astrology, occult philosophy, and magic". What is offered here is incredibly good value: a readable facsimile reprint of a rare work at a very low price.

To start with what is not well explained, parts 1, 2 and 3 of "An Illustration..." need supplementing with the single volume "A Complete Illustration..." which provides pages 619-914, which are otherwise missing. That extra volume no matter what it says on its title page is in fact Volume 2 of part 2.
These four books form a whole, even though each is taken from different editions, and you will need to buy the full set. There is an index at the end of Part 3, and the page numbers of entries all correspond to the pages as they exist in this reprint.

If you are looking for a book on the art and practice of astrology, this is not for you. If you are studying the history of astrology in England c.1780 - 1800, this is a key text. One of Sibly's claims to fame is his chart of the American Revolution of which he was a supporter, and he also predicted in 1787 the advent of the French Revolution. He was involved in Free-Masonry of a radical kind that interpreted the revolutionary spirit of the age as an impending spiritual transformation of humanity.

This book is one that every single medical student or history enthusiast must own. It gives particularly accurate insight on the life and work of one of the most brilliant and important medical geniuses of the "rebirth". With unsurpassed detail and beautiful arrangement, anatomy has not been represented in such an incredible and accurate way, given the context and the times in which Andreas Vesalius developed his research (dissection was outlawed and Galenus' theories on anatomy, which were based on animal anatomy, were considered dogma) and the extremely poor conditions and knowledge of the human body up until that point in time. Like all great scientists and researchers, Vesalius' recognition came after his death, but it is still a great way to honor him to get to know a little about his life and work, which this book does in such a fine way. The quality of the paper in which it was printed lets the reader get the whole picture and because of it's oppasity you can enjoy all the details as if you were looking at the original work. The price is also quite a bargain, which, needless to say, is a fair trait in itself. As a personal note, when I first read and saw some of the paintings within Vesalius' "De Humani Corporis Fabrica", that was the moment when I realized my destiny was in the medical profession; and years later I can see it was not a bad choice at all.

I first heard about Andreas Vesalius when I read about his work in BODY OF KNOWLEDGE. His drawings have been the basis for THE ATLAS OF HUMAN ANATOMY and GRANT'S DISSECTOR and other reference books used in Anatomy classes at medical schools throughout the country.

What makes his work incredible is to think the fascinating illustrations of the human anatomy were researched and drawn by Vesalius in 1543. His book has been called "one of the most noble and magnificent volumes in the history of printing" and "one of the greatest treasures of Western Civilization". More incredible is the manner in which he performed the dissections and the relative accuracy of the drawings which have survived to this day.

The introduction gives an absorbing and enlightening account of Vesalius' life in the first half of the 16th century. The book is for the curious and those interested in anatomy, art, graphic arts and printing. You will read and look in awe and wonder about the history and progress of medicine and science.

Andreus Vesalius, whom I speculate was a student of Da Vinci, shows the body in all sorts of poses, while in each page you see the body "drips" off its skin and muscles all the way down to the bones. Some masterful work and imagination employed here! Just marvelous! Taken from his monumental work De Humani Corporis Fabrica, which is still used today in the medical fields. Also included are plates from his Epitome of the De Humani Corporis Fabrica and Tabulae Sex. Essentially this is only the illustrations, but it also includes a lengthy introduction as well as excerps from the original text. Highly reccomended to the art student and medical student for this indispensible reference. Also a great book just to appreciate some amazing art. Some of my favorite plates are of the nervous sytem in which it is a full body posed standing upright. I imagine how Andreas created this, and also realized how well he must have known the body's anatomy in order to attempt such a feat. Awesome!

While it is quite different from western art, Japanese art is no less distinctive and a visual description of the development of modern Japanese culture. In this book, the artwork is presented with a great deal of historical context. Each section begins with a combination of a historical and an art chronology. A great deal of textual explanation is included along with the figures, which is very helpful as it would be very difficult to understand many of the images without it.
The chronology begins with ancient Japan, from the first people who inhabited the islands roughly 4500 B. C. to approximately the year 500 C. E. with the existence of a discernable Japanese civilization. It concludes with the period immediately before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The final section deals with the Meiji restoration, industrialization and the wars of conquest against China and Russia.
From these images, you can see the development of the modern Japanese state, which can easily be dated as having started in 1868. It is a nation that moved from a feudal structure to a modern industrial power in little more than one generation. Fortunately for us all, that change was well chronicled by the Japanese artists and some of their best work has been collected into this book.

This is a book of incredible research,and art pictures.It is also a fantastic reference on Japan's History.It is divided into sections, so that the reader can follow in details the dates, the events, and the art that developed with time.
It has been a wonderful book for my references, and in teaching my students about Japan.Strongly,strongly recommended.

A hardcover with over 290 some pages full of artwork. From the bells found in tombs to more modern prints done in the early 20th century, this book is a must for either art lovers or lovers of Japan or both! The book not only shows you how the art changed, but how the lives of the Japanese people changed. Their ways of life ANd their beliefs. See prints and paintings and statues of street scenes and nobles and visions of hell. You can't get a better book and there are used ones for sale! BUY IT!

Jill Bossert has captured the essence of this fascinating artist from his immigrant beginnings to his lavish life style at the height of his career. It's a captivating story of a time when illustrators lived the life of celebrity equal to today's most famous movie stars. Bossert's sensitive descriptions of John La Gatta's work shows she's knowledgable about the art of illustration and that she appreciates the fact that La Gatta's work is worthy of acclaim.

This book communicates an era when illustration dictated taste and artists were as famous as rock stars. I recommend it to anyone interested in American popular culture. The reproductions are first rate, very high quality.

John La Gatta bridged the enormous gap between the disciples of the Pyle-Wyeth school and the candy box illustrators who eventually closed down a great century of American illustration. Unlike the photo-dependent noodlers who followed him, La Gatta carefully chose his models and worked directly from life, a fact clearly evident in the pieces selected for this well-crafted book. I would have liked an index and another signature or two to accomodate larger reproductions of his earlier work from the 1920s and 30s, which I feel would have more than justified a higher cover price. This book is a bargain considering the importance of John La Gatta and his place in the history of this uniquely American art form. La Gatta and his tasteful style of illustration are to art what Ellington and the American Songbook are to music.