V Books

This is a great series! Absolutely worth to begin an excellent Star Wars series! The art is great and there are a lot of details and things to watch in these magazines.

Excellent story and artwork. Brings forth 2 new villians Asajj Ventress a dark jedi and Durge the bounty hunter. Dark horse comics truely know what they are doing with these comics. i deffinetly recommended this comic.

This comic- excuse me, 'graphic novel' is part of one of my favorite series. The artwork is OK, but some of the characters look a little odd at certain angles. However, the slight flaws in the art disappear form your mind as you get wrapped up in the plot and the new characters- Durge (he's really cool, even though he's really evil) and Asajj Ventress (who isn't technically new because she appeared on Volume 1. This was the first time she and Obi-Wan met) This one also interested me because Obi-Wan was the most featured character. Everyone mostly thinks about Anakin and his turn to the dark side, and not about the other important and interesting characters, like Mace Windu, Obi-Wan, Quinlan Vos, Darth Maul (yeah, he didn't last that long, but wasn't he cool anyway?) and General Grievous. At least Vol.1 had a lot of Mace in it. Anyway, the first story is about the Seperatists bio-weapon, and the first Obi-Wan vs Ventress fight. The second story is about Obi-Wan's mission to find the antidote to the weapon, and he teams up with four jedi legends to do it. We learn about their histories breifly, then a detailed acount of "how their histories ended" anyway, as a lame way to finish this, this is good. Buy it with vol.1.

This GN was better than vol. 1 in many ways. The main reason is that it focuses on Obi-Wan for a change instead of Anakin(Yay!). Contains an excellent story about a Seperatist bio-weapon. It involves Durge and Asajj Ventress, which makes everything much more fun. Also, Durge is much improved from his cartoon version in how he knows how to talk. To improve things, what he has to say is usually intelligent (and funny), contrast from most little-known Star Wars villains.
A good Durge quote:

Durge: "You know, it's been over a century since I killed a Jedi... and today, I get to kill four of you. Add that to the Gungans I already murdered, the hostages I'm going to kill later, and all the Naboo who will die tomorrow, and it's a damn good week."

Out of the first 4 Clone Wars novels, this is the best.

After the disappointing Volume 1, this was a much better story. It introduces an extremely interesting Jedi named Master Fay, who is much too short lived. I know that tons of tons of Jedi die in the clone war, but it doesn't make it any easier when it does happen. I'm much more a fan of the prequels because of the Jedi and the abundance of them. Luke Skywalker is so weak whines even more than Anakin and is never really a real Jedi. Even though I was born in the mid 70's, the classic era isn't as interesting and the victories seem so far fetched, just like all the death of the Jedi seem in the Clone Wars. Anyway, both Asajj Ventress and Durge are present in this book for fans of those two characters.

ANTES DE QUE SE METAN EN PROBLEMAS, O CUANDO COMIENZAN CON MALOS PASOS.
Una NOVELA-VERDAD
Te lo recomiendo para tus hijos de trece años para adelante...

QUE PUEDEN ENCONTRAR LOS MUCHACHOS!
Es una novela que les indica los puntos de peligro que rodean la vida de los jovenes, ya sea el alcohol, las drogas, la velocidad o hasta ser promiscuos..
Un verdadera lección en una obra tan apasionanbte, que ningun chico puede evitar leerla...
De verdad, amigos: LA MEJOR LECCION DEL MUNDO !
En las secundarias de Mexico se usa como texto de consulta, y los maestros reportan grandes cambios positivos en los chicos !

y estremecedora!
NO dejes de leerla...Cuando la comienzas, ya no la puedes dejar

Es un historia terrible, ya que a cualquiera de nosotros nos puede pasar con nuestros hijos, hay que estar al pendiente de ellos, para nosotros los padres es un tema muy interesante para que estemos al tanto de ellos.

make them the most PRECIOUS GIFT: This novel that shows them the real perils that stalk them...

If you don't, but like good,short novels..It's a magnificent reading

Dr. Ann Graber's book is an extraordinary resource for health and social service providers serving a wide range of clients. As a scholar, pastoral counselor and teacher of Logotherapy, Ann Graber has a profound understanding of the work of Dr. Viktor Frankl. She conveys the essence of Frankl's Logotherapy along with the social and historical context that impacts its application in today's world. Finding meaning regardless of age or circumstances is a universal longing and provides bedrock for the work of counselors and other health and social service providers. I recommend this book most highly for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges of our times.

I found Dr. Graber's book to be an eroductical study of the history, the significance, and the practice of logotherapy. Extensive research went into the Austrian history of psychoanalysis; from Sigmund Freud, to Alfred Adler, and finally to Viktor Frankl. The case studies of the therapy sessions using the logotherapy method were educational and insightful. Congratulations, Ann, on an excellent endeavor.

I found Ann's book very informative, and consider it an excellent resource for teaching, especialliy in the domain of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction. Thanks Ann for such a succinct yet comprehensive work.
Gerry Grace M.DIV, MA.

A clear, comprehensive, picture of Viktor Frankl`s teaching about the nature of being human, particularly the capacity for self-transcendence. Dr. Graber presents a compelling vision with practical applications for living in this confusing time.

As a clinical counselor, born in Brazil (where religious issues and spirituality is part of one's daily conversation), I found Dr. Graber's book a valuable tool for those therapists facing the dilemma to reconcile psychology and spirituality in this country. Frankl's noetic (spiritual) dimension is well integrated and naturally applied throughout the book and the cases she presented. In her book, I experienced many insights and derived appropriate language and techniques to apply to my own career.

Aces High is a high class, and high up restaurant catering to the Aces, the Wild Card victims with powers. It is expensive and snooty, run by one of their own, a man named Hiram Worchester, who has the ability to control weight.

The Aces have two serious problems in this book, and the stories all relate to these somehow, the menace of the alien Swarm, and the crazy black magic style power use of the Astronomer, a geeky crazed black magician type.

The other memorable nasty, Demise, with his death gaze and regeneration abilities, also is introduced in "If Looks Could Kill".

Wild Cards 02 : 01 Pennies from Hell - Lewis Shiner
Wild Cards 02 : 02 Jube: One - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 03 Unto the Sixth Generation: Prologue - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 04 Jube: Two - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 05 Ashes to Ashes - Roger Zelazny
Wild Cards 02 : 06 Unto the Sixth Generation: Part One - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 07 Unto the Sixth Generation: Part Two - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 08 Jube: Three - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 09 If Looks Could Kill - Walton Simons
Wild Cards 02 : 10 Jube: Four - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 11 Unto the Sixth Generation: Epilogue - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 12 Winter's Chill - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 13 Jube: Five - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 14 Relative Difficulties - Melinda M. Snodgrass
Wild Cards 02 : 15 With a Little Help From His Friends - Victor Milán
Wild Cards 02 : 16 Jube: Six - George R. R. Martin
Wild Cards 02 : 17 By Lost Ways - Pat Cadigan
Wild Cards 02 : 18 Mr. Koyama's Comet - Walter Jon Williams
Wild Cards 02 : 19 Half Past Dead - John J. Miller
Wild Cards 02 : 20 Jube: Seven - George R. R. Martin



Fortunato meets a nice girl to go along with his geisha collection, but his pursuit of the Masons through rare coins has terrible consequences.

5 out of 5


Walrus boy ain't what he seems.

4 out of 5


An ally makes a desperate teleportation attempt to warn Jube of the Swarm.

4 out of 5


The death of his alien ally and the loss of the singularity shifter and a garbled message of warning distracts Jube from the xmas cheer.

4 out of 5


The death of his alien ally and the loss of the singularity shifter and a garbled message of warning distracts Jube from the xmas cheer.

4 out of 5


Jube hires Croyd to find the alien corpse, and anything with it. Devil John biffo.

4 out of 5


Modular Man made, Swarm invade.

4 out of 5


Singularity shifting. Don't try and mind-control androids.

3.5 out of 5


When Jube realises his ally meant the Swarm, he knows he needs the power of the Singularity Shifter rather more urgently.

3.5 out of 5


Astronomer hires Demise eyes.

4.5 out of 5


Jube enlists the transparent infobroker.

3 out of 5


Punks find Shifter.

2.5 out of 5


Girl shy Turtle.

4.5 out of 5


Astronomer, Swarm, Takisians all prove to be a little overwhelming.

3 out of 5


Captain Trips drops back in, as Tachyon's relatives show bad timing, capture them, Turtle, and others.

5 out of 5


Tachyon and Trips vs Takisians and Swarm for the fate of the world.

5 out of 5


On the Mason trail.

3 out of 5


Astronomer has hostages and Shakhti machine, but the Aces rally for a raid.

4 out of 5


Swarm sighting.

3 out of 5


Yeoman finds the Singularity Shifter while taking out Egrets. When Tachyon learns of this, he has a plan to take the fight to the Swarm.

5 out of 5


Jube tells Red about some aliens and decides his allegiances are local.

3.5 out of 5

This is the second book in the Wildcards series. This book focuses on the lives of many of the aces of the wildcards universe, with the main unifying plot of the stories being the threat of an alien invasion.

Aces High is a more focused book, dealing with a smaller group of aces and returning to them more often rather than the sampler that the first book was. Many of the favorites return; Fortunato, Dr. Tachyon, The Great and Powerful Turtle, but there are some really nasty villians that appear in this book, as well. The villians are not nice people, so be warned, but they are interesting characters. The leader is pretty much evil to the core, but his hirelings are much more human, each with their own motivations which are explained pretty well in the book. They aren't all evil; many are just looking to get ahead and backing the team that they think will win. Well, and perhaps are a bit more accepting of the "win at any cost" mentality.

I can't think of a story I didn't enjoy in this book, either. All were well written, and were tied together well. I think my favorite story may have been the exploits of Modular Man, but Captain Tripps is a very interesting character as well. I hope to see more of them in future books.

So far, it seems that these books should be read in order, so if you skip Wildcards 1 and start here, you may be lost. Just a word of warning, since I know the books can be hard to find.
I recommend this book to all Wildcards fans and any superhero fan that has not read this series yet is doing themselves a disservice.

A great installment in the Wild Cards universe. An alien swarm is headed on a collision course with earth and the Aces must unite to fight the impending doom of the world. However, "the Astronomer" - a super-villain- is trying to stop the heroes, and employs any devious methods to reach his ends... There are new characters presented such as Demise - who can look in your eyes forcing you to relive his death, and thus die yourself...and Jube, the walrus-like newspaper salesman with bad taste in jokes and equally bad fashion sense... who knows what motives he has?

This is a great story, and I can't help but think that the wild cards would make an excellent series on the sci-fi channel.
I look forward to the next episode!

Relic113

The continuing short story collection set in the shared world as introduced in 'Wild Cards,' this is the continuing stories of those Aces and Jokers (and sometimes plain old natural humans) in the fallout of the genetic Wild Card virus. We're in the eighties now, and a new menace looms on the horizon - a dark alien organism is on its way, and the Swarm Mother sends terrible creatures down to attack earth in many places - and who else can stop them but the super-powered Aces?

The nice thing is the story-arc merely starts with the swarm assault, and from there, the weaving in of new and old characters is superb. We revisit some of the best characters from the first volume (The Great and Powerful Turtle is my favourite so far), and the story of the Swarm Mother certainly doesn't end in that single attack. This is solid stuff, and very well organized to say that it's a shared world.

Now I've ordered book three in with the last of my online gift certificates, and hope it arrives soon! Nothing quite like a new literary addiction.

'Nathan

Over a dozen years ago I received the first two Wild Cards books as a birthday present. I read the first one, enjoyed it, but wasn't so sure about the series. But I already had the second one, so I might as well give it a shot, right? What a difference a second chance made.

Wild Cards Volume 2 (Aces High) is, for me, where the Wild Cards series really began. Unlike the first book, which is a series of introductory and mostly unconnected plots, this one features several central plotlines as the storylines all begin to converge. An alien race known as the Swarm is heading for Earth. The Astronomer, leader of the Masons, is preparing for his own conquest. And when one of your greatest defenders is a pimp whose powers only activate when he engages in tantric sex, well, you're in big trouble.

There's so much great stuff in this book it's hard to leave any of it out. Lewis Shiner's "Pennies from Heaven" establishes the Astronomer as a real threat, setting the stage for both this and the next book. Walter Jon Williams's "Unto the Sixth Generation" is one of the cornerstones of the book, both introducing the Swarm into the Wild Cards universe, as well as Williams's robotic hero Modular Man. Several other stories introduce new, very-long-running characters; Walton Simons's "If Looks Could Kill" brings aboard the very dangerous James Spector (aka Demise). "By Lost Ways" has Pat Cadigan bring aboard Jane Dow, the Water Lily who really would be happy to just slink into the background and whose story is more important than one might think at first... Last but not least, George R.R. Martin's "Jube" story twists and turns its way through the book, uniting the short stories almost effortlessly.

Old favorites still abound, of course. Roger Zelazny's "Ashes to Ashes" is a hysterical romp through Jokertown as the ever-unpredictable Croyd tries to go on a simple seek-and-locate mission with predictably disastrous results. George R.R. Martin's "Winter's Chill" has Tom Tudbury discover that being an Ace doesn't make your life great at all; in fact, sometimes it can downright ruin it. Melinda M. Snodgrass and Victor Milan coordinate their stories "Relative Difficulties" and "With A Little Help From His Friends" as Dr. Tachyon and Dr. Trips have to join forces (not once but twice) to deal with Tachyon's not-very-happy relations. John J. Miller's "Half Past Dead" is both an epilogue to the Swarm story as well as continuing the story of Yeoman.

There are very, very few books in the Wild Cards series where every single story hits a home run, but this is one of them (the next book, Jokers Wild, also manages to do this). If you were on the fence after the first book, trust me--this is the one you definitely can't miss.

I recently bought all the box sets of X-Files DVD's and have been watching them in order when I came across this book on Amazon. It was a valuable source of information and trivia for all the episodes for that season. I only wish I had gotten the earlier volumes of this series and that it had continued for seasons 8 and 9.

After a much anticipated wait, I was glad to have this book appear in my mailbox shortly after it delayed in publishing. Happy as a clam I thumbed through the pages, seeing each episode written in a "short story" style with dialougue taken from the scripts. I am also glad to see that they kept the title "all things" in lower case, as Gillian Anderson had when naming the episode she had written and directed. I have all season guides and I must say this is one of the best ones put out.

This Book would have to be my all time favorite that only adds to my collection of vol.3-6 now. If you want more x-files, and want to learn more about Season 7, I suggest buying this book. Of course, like the other volumes it has in-depth details of each episode as well as black & white pictures to accommodate them. There are eight pages of color pictures: X-Cops, Je Souhaite, Fight Club, FPS, and, Hollywood A.D.. Very Cool! I enjoy this book very much, despite the delay in publishing, but beleive me, it was worth the wait. There's also the back story of why the ending of Requiem was kept a secret, why Chris waited until the last day of shooting Requiem to write the finale, and why only 2 people knew of it's true ending. . . . All in All, an Excellent Book to add to your X-Files Paraphernalia!

This book has great photo, dialogue each show, the cast, interviews, and intersting facts about the show. This is a must have in any one x-files colection.:) :) :) :) :)

I had some apprehensions about this book before it even came out. First, the release date for this volume was pushed back, which is not typically a very good sign. And second, this volume was being drafted by Marc Shapiro and not Andy Meisler (who did such a wonderful job with the previous two volumes). But after having read through it, I can happily allay any apprehensions about this book not living up to its predecessors. Volume 6 in this series is just as good, if not better, than those volumes that came out before it.

Marc Shapiro does a great job in delivering the goods behind every episode. I was very impressed with this from Andy Meisler, and Marc Shapiro doesn't disappoint. There is interesting background information on all the episodes - things like the time-crunch in making "Requiem" and the fact that Gillian Anderson had to wear a wig in a car scene in "The Goldberg Variation" because it was shot after her hair stylist had sheared off her lovely locks.

Included in this book are eight full-color pages of images from the seventh season. Those images selected are fine enough, but they only focus on about four or five episodes, which doesn't do such a great season justice. It would have been nice to see more of a mix - some mythology episodes ("The Sixth Extinction" and "Sein Und Zeit") and stand-alone episodes ("En Ami" and "All Things"). But this is a minor detraction from an overall sharp-looking book.

Any fans of the series should have this volume sitting on their bookshelves. This is a must-have, and it is an enjoyable read. Well worth the wait in the time it took to get it published.

For some time now, I've been telling anyone that would listen that Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules! is the best comic book for young readers to have been published in YEARS. Now, Gownley has begun reprinting the run in the handy digest format that the kids seem to dig these days.

The Whole World's Crazy reprints the first several issues in the tale of Amelia McBride, a girl who has to leave the excitement of New York City when her parents get divorced and she and her mother move to a small town to live with her aunt. The stories in this book deal with many of Amelia's firsts: her first day at a new school, her first Halloween and Christmas in her new town, and the first trip with her father after the divorce. In the comic as a whole, and in this volume in particular, Gownley frequently touches upon rather serious topics (divorce, for example) that young children have to deal with without really understanding. However, Gownley handles these subjects in a way that will help his young readers learn to handle their problems, with a blend of humor and wisdom that kids need. He's never frightening, never patronizing, and always entertaining. Amelia and her friends are wonderful characters, characters that kids can find themselves in, helping to open the door for them to embrace the story even further.

If I ever have kids -- especially daughters -- these are some of the first comics I'll get for them.

Amelia Louise McBride, a 9 year old facing divorce, moving, and the weirdest school of all time. With Wicked Witch Bloom, Mad Dog Barkley, No Neck Norris, and Old Man Biggers as teachers, "So then Noah says, "Sorry Zeke you gotta dog paddle." :-) Owen, fan of the Feds, Mary Violet, with the Mall God and Searing Hand of the Devil, Earth Dog the poet, as well as the "nerds," Reggie Grabinsky, holder of best sneeze-barfer and best superhero wanna be, Rhonda Bleenie, annoyed by sister goodie Reenie, and silent Pajamaman, who attracts s with softee chicken backpacks and being a Latchky kid. Living with her mom and Aunt Tanner, the with the straight A student motto. Facing ups like Santa, and downs like Softee Dad, this is a six star book!

When my 7-year old son is fighting with my 9-year old daughter for his turn to read AMELIA RULES!, you know these books are going to be a hit. The artwork is beautiful, the dialogue full of great humor and pathos, the stories engaging. But what appeals most to the kids, I think, is the characters themselves. Amelia is out-and-out fascinating--a perfect combination of pre-teen girl and tomboy--and her friends are as lively and entertaining as any you'll find in American literature.

In fact, this IS literature, and if you're the kind of parent who thinks comics are no better for kids than TV, AMELIA RULES! will prove you completely and utterly wrong. Get these books. Your kids won't be able to put them down--and neither will you.

I was reading this last night and was laughing my head off. It's brilliant and funny. My 4th grade daughter likes it a lot too, though she doesn't get all the jokes. Get this for your kid or get it for yourself - just get it!

Amelia Rules! is a tough gem, a weepy comedy, a painful joy and an hysterically funny tragedy waiting to happen. Amelia and her buds--Reggie, Rhonda and Pajamaman--are struggling with the ins and outs of 4th Grade society, the very real problem of poverty, divorce and just pure meanness. The situations are SO realistic that, in the wrong hands, they could become maudlin and cliche.
But Gownley doesn't do cliche. To relieve the pain, he breathes each situation full of snappy humor and the awe you first felt when you discovered something "new." Reggie is obsessed, not only with superheroes, but with telling colorful background tales for the most mundane of concepts (the "Latchky Kids"--yes, the spelling is correct--is priceless); Pajamaman is the silent loner who sees all and who acts as everyone's therapist. Rhonda Bleenie is that delicate mix of lovestruck girl and amazon tough guy. And then there is Amelia, miss mouth, confused about her place in the universe and worried that she is the reason for her parents' divorce, even as she yells at them for getting their divorce. The kids are so real it's impossible not to want to reach into the frames of the comic and hug them all. If you loved Calvin (another very real little boy) and Hobbes (a pretty
realistic imaginary tiger) you will also love Amelia and the Gang.

This is a book you'll want to keep! Buy an extra for a friend. It's supurb!!!

One of the best books ever. Great writing, authentic, entertaining. You won't want to put it down.

I also recommend "The Ozark Clan of Elkhead Creek" - about growing up on a ranch and VERY good.

I've read some of the stories in this book 4 or 5 times. It's simply as authentic and well-written as it gets. I'm not an old-West fan at all, but a friend let me borrow their copy and now I'm hooked. I'm on my way to Colorado to visit some of the places FitzPatrick writes about. This book is a real treat! And it's beautifully done also - wonderful cover!

I also just finished FitzPatrick's other book, "Red Twilight." It's about his experiences with the Ute Indians. Also high quality and well-written - highly recommend.

Here's a book with atmosphere. You can almost smell the campfire and the Arbuckles' Coffee brewing over it, right alongside the scent of horses, cattle, and sage. "The Arbuckle Cafe: Classic Cowboy Stories" creates its own setting and Val FitzPatrick's style is such that you almost hear the cowboys swapping the yarns around the fire. However, there's far more truth to the tales than the title suggests. Although FitzPatrick, a Colorado native born in 1886, missed trailing the big herds, he began cowboying at age 13 for the K Diamond Cattle Company. At age 14 he began working for the Two-Bar Cattle Company, which was "the goal of nearly every young man in the area." Cowboying left its mark: FitzPatrick learned to appreciate a good tale and how to tell it.

Written by a genuine turn-of-the-century cowpuncher, The Arbuckle Cafe: Classic Cowboy Stories offers modern readers an informative and entertaining window in time to the great roundups, trail drives, humor and hardships of handling cattle in the American west of yesteryear. Also included are pioneer anecdotes of northwest Colorado told with all the drama of tales around a campfire. The stories include: Dogies, Dust, and the Drink; Hired Killers and Winter Underwear; The Great Elk Migration; The Hermit of Yampa Canyon, Riding with Butch Cassidy; Buzzards Don't Talk; The Wild Horse Man; Dirty Cattle Thieves; Tom Horn; Queen Ann Bassett, and more. Of special note is the epilogue: The Demise of the Two-Bar Rooster. The Arbuckle Cafe is highly recommended reading for students of western lore and literature, and anyone who has ever day dreamed of what it would have really been like to punch cows on one of the last frontiers of the American west.

A lot of people hear the word "Art" and think of a painting on the wall or a sculpture proudly displayed on a table or mantle. The lush images in this book remind us that we can incorporate "Art" into every physical part of our lives. There's no need to sacrifice form for function or beauty for utility. All you have to do is look at the woodwork, the floors, the lighting, the walls, and, yes, the decorative objects--in short, every aspect of an art nouveau home--to see "Art" in the smallest detail. Art Nouveau exemplifies the principle of "Art for Life".

First off, thank you Paul! I have loved Art Nouveau from childhood, before I ever knew what the style was called. It is somewhere in my blood. ART NOUVEAU, 1890-1914 (pronounced Art Newvo) is like something from a dream. The photographs alone are worth buying this book for!

Here are the chapters along with two or more of my favorite works from each:

1 THE STYLE AND THE AGE
Emile Galle' "Hand." Hot-worked glass with patination. French, 1904. Victor Horta, Hotel Tassel (Tassel House) First-floor landing with view towards staircase. Brussels, 1893.
2 ALTERNATE HISTORIES
Gustav Klimt, Pallas Athene. Oil on Canvas, Austrian, 1898. Museen der Stadt Wien, Vienna. / Doorway with two jambs and a pillar from the 11th-century church at Urnes, Norway. Late 19th-century plaster cast.
3 THE CULT OF NATURE
Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, pair of magnolia lamps. Gilt bronze and carved glass. French, c.1903. / Louis Majorelle and Daum Freres, Le Figuier de Barbarie. Lamp of patinated bronze and carved glass. French, 1903.
4 SYMBOLS OF THE SACRED AND PROFANE
"Spiritualism: In philosophy the state or condition of mind opposed to materialism or a material conception of things." Madame Blavatsky, Theosophic Glossary, 1892.
Rene Lilique, Dragonfly Woman*** corsage ornament. Gold, enamel, chrysoprase, moonstones and diamonds. French, c.1897-98. Calouste Gullbenkian Museum, Lisbon. / Gustav Klimt, Judith II (Salome). Oil on canvas. Austrian, 1909.
5 THE LITERARY HERITAGE
6 ORIENT AND OCCIDENT
Tsuba (sword guard). Iron with gold and silver inlay. Japanese, c.1700-1800. / Inro (small container). Wood with black, gold and brown lacquer and glazed pottery., Japanese, c. 1775-1800. Signed Mochizuki Hanzan.
7 ARABESQUES: NORTH AFRICA, ARABIA AND EUROPE
(left and right) Glass flasks from Persia (Iran). c, 1885. / (centre) Glass flask by L.C. Tiffany & Co. ***American, 1896.
8 LE STYLE ANGLAIS: ENGLISH ROOTS OF THE NEW ART

James McNeill Whistler, Peacock Room for the Frederic Leyland Hourse, 1876. Courtesy of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. / Alexander Fisher, peacock sconce.** Steel, bronze, silver, brass and enamel. English, c.1889.
9 THE AGE OF PAPER
Camille Martin, Portfolio, L'Estampe orignale.* Tooled mosaic leather. French, 1893. / Henri Bellery-Desfontaines, L'Enigme. Colour lithograph. French, 1898.
10 MOULDING WOOD: CRAFTSMANSHIP IN FURNITURE
Rupert Carabin, table, Wood. French, 1896. [I wish you could see this photo.** Two nude women on either side of the rectangular table have arms outstretched to hold the x top left of it, and their heads are the top right side of the x and their knees are bent to go down the bottom right of the x respectively.] / Eugene Gaillard, dining room** [black and white but oh I can see it in full color!] L'Art Nouveau Bing, Expositioin Universelle, Paris, 1900.
11 THE NEW TEXTILES
Henry van de Velde, dress** Belgian, 1900. / Otto Eckmann, Five Swans. Woven tapestry. German, 1896-97.
12 THE NEW CERAMICS: ENGAGING WITH THE SPIRIT
Agathon Leonard, part of a table setting: Jeu de l'echarpe. Porcelain.* French, 1898. / Weduwe N.S.A. Brantjes, dish.** Earthenware, Dutch, c.1900.
13 THE NEW GLASS: A SYNTHESIS OF TECHNOLOGY AND DREAMS
Louise Comfort Tiffany, vase.** Glass with applied and marvered colours, combed. American, 1895.
14 MODERN METAL
Horta House, view from the music room towards the dining room. *** 1898-1900. /Fernand Dubois, candelabra.** Electro-plated bronze. Belgian, c.1889.
15 JEWELLERY AND THE ART OF THE GOLDSMITH [one of my favorite chapters]
Phillipe Wolfers, orchid hair ornament, gold, enamel, diamonds and rubies.*** Belgian, 1902. / Ren' Lilique, iris bracelet.*** Gold, enamel and opals. French, 1897. / Rene Lalique, damselflies necklace.*** Gold, enamel, aquamarines and diamonds. French, c.1900-02. / Rene Lalique, winged female figure.*** Bronze. French, c.1899-1900. / Alphonse Mucha, bodice ornament.*** Gold, ivory, enamel, opals, pearls, and coloured gemstones. Czech, c.1900.

Ok, time for just the chapter titles and most essential loves listed from each chapter. This gives you an idea of how comprehensive this book is!

16 THE CONCENTRATED ESSENCE OF A WRIGGLE: ART NOUVEAU SCULPTURE
Jean Dampt, The Fairy Melusine and the Knight Raymondin. French, 1894.
17 THE PARISIAN SITUATION: HECTOR GUIMARD AND THE EMERGENCE OF ART NOUVEAU
Hector Guimard, principal entrance to Le Castel Beranger.** Paris, 1898.
18 VICTOR HORTA AND BRUSSELS
All the photos from the Victor Horta House!
19 MUNICH: SECESSION AND JUGENDSTIL
Franz von Stuck, The Sin. Oil on canvas. German, c.1906.
20 SECESSION IN VIENNA
Josef Hoffmann, Palais Stoclet, detail of tower.** Brussels, 1905-11.
21 GLASGOW: THE DARK DAUGHTER OF THE NORTH
22 LOUIS SULLIVAN AND THE SPIRIT OF NATURE
Adler and Sullivan, Transportation Building, Columbian Worlds Fair. Chicago, 1893.
23 BARCELONA: SPIRITUALITY AND MODERNITY
Lluis Domenech i Montaner, auditorium of Palau de Musica Catalana.*** Barcelona, 1905-08. / Antoni Gaudi, Casa Batllo, detail of fascade.*** Barcelona, 1904-06. / And all photos of Antoni Gaudi, Sagrada Familia!***
24 BUDAPEST: INTERNATIONAL METROPOLIS AND NATIONAL CAPITAL
Odon Lechner, interior of The Museum of Applied Arts.*** Budapest, 1896./ Zsolnay factory, vase. Prcelain-faience covered in Eozin glaze.** Hungarian, 1899.
25 THE NEW ART IN PRAGUE (where my violin was made)
Oswald Polivka, entrance to the Novak Building.** Nove Mesto, prague, 1901-04./ Interior and exterior photos of Osvald Polivka and Antonin Balsanek, the Municipal House
26 HELINSINKI: SAARINEN AND FINNISH JUGEND
27 MOSCOW MODERN
Elena Polenova, plate from Mir Isskustva. St. Petersburg, 1900.
/ Fyodor Shekhtel, both photos from the Riabushinsky mansion.*** Moscow 1900-02.
28 LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY AND NEW YORK [another one of my favorite chapters--I adore L.C.T!]
Everything! Four Seasons window. Leaded favrile glass. American, 1897.
29 TURIN: STILE FLOREALE, A LIBERTY FOR ITALY?
The coolest chair I've seen in a long time: Carlo Bugatti, chair.*** Parchment over wood, copper, paint. Italian, 1902.
30 A STRANGE DEATH...
"Decorative Art can no longer exist any more than the 'style' themselves...Culture has taken a step forward and the hierarchical system of decoration has collapsed." Le Corbusier, L'Art decoratif d'aujourd'hui, 1925.
ILLUSTRATED OBJECT LIST: ART NOUVEAU 1890-1914 EXHIBITION, NATIONAL GALERY OF ART, WASHINGTON. Perhaps the best for last, has thumbnails of 375 additional pieces! I love it!

Listening to King Crimson The Power to Believe...awesome too.
Soar!

This is the book to get on Art Nouveau. The authoritative essays are well annotated, and an excellent bibliography is included. The illustrations are very fine. Of course this is a nice "coffee table book," but really this is a wonderful reference book for scholars of the Fin de Siècle-Belle Époque. Highly recommended!

A book of incredible detail and beauty. I first saw this book in my local library and decided I simply must have it. There are print art, furniture and jewellry, arcitecture examples and more. Worth the purchase price to the last penny!

This is a rare gem among art histories: A well researched book that an average person will enjoy as much as a researcher. What makes this book stand out from other books about art nouveau is how thorough it is (It is phone book thick) and the quantity and quality of the pictures. All the reproductions of art in this book are color, with the obvious exception of older photographs of artists and occasionally architecture or artifacts that no longer exist except in black and white pictures.

The book takes the theory that art nouveau was part of a social response to industrialization. So the art is defined as art that used a return to nature or investigation into magic to try to make sense of the world. Art works are organized by what materials they were created from (jewelry, ceramics, textile, commercial advertising prints). Paintings and some examples of the other medias are grouped by country with a historical write on art nouveau in that geographical region.

This book is great. The high quality color reproductions and so many of them are worth looking through again and again. If you are at all into art nouveau then you are likely to love this book. Libraries should make this available because of the wonderful high quality color reproductions.

This textbook was purchased to fulfill a required "humanaties" course, while attending college. It's informative, easy to read, and guides you into becoming a "trained observer" in the art of watching films. As part of the curriculum I was instructed to watch several films selected by my professor. Some of the assigned films I would have never viewed by choice, including classics. However, this textbook has definitely given me a whole new perspective when attending a movie theater or at home watching a DVD. I've also acquired a deeper appreciation and understanding for all the hard work that goes into film making. Buy it for school or as a guide to help you enjoy your next movie experience.

product was exactly how seller describe. the book gives great insight to understanding all the components and theatrical elements of a film. Every element in a film is purposely selected in order to catch the audience attention and emotions. Highly recommend this book.

Used this book in an intro to film class. I will keep it on the shelf as a reference book. For class it has smooth reading that is cohesive, didn't seem like it has filler information in it. It was fun to read. The context was very helpful in class for lectures, and movie analyzation. Goes over key aspects of film as well as very detailed examples of what to look for, how to see it.

This book was a required text for a film class I took. It is very well done and the price was less than if I had purchased it at the college bookstore.

This may come as no surprise but I only bought this book for a college class. It turns out that it was a great class. The book isn't nearly as dry as I expected but still, it is a text book. I took the class at the University of Phoenix just to fill some elective credits. Turns out the class was great and the instructor was too. The book was good for a text book and the service from Amazon was well above anything you'll get from a uiversity shop or even most online retailers. If you have to get the book I suggest getting it at Amazon. :)

One of the best Christmas books I have read. This will be a must read EVERY year for me.

At The Manger: The Stories Of Those Who Were There by Peter V. Orullian is a touching and imaginative novel about what it must have truly been like to witness the birth of Jesus Christ. Presenting viewpoints of this monumental event from a wide variety of perspectives imbued with humility and respectful wonder, At The Manger is highly recommended as uplifting, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining reading.

This book is a work of fiction surrounding the nativity. It doesn't tell the stories of anyone the Gospels identify as being there-- Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men (though indications are the wise men arrived a year or two after Jesus' birth, long after Joseph and Mary settled into a house in Bethlehem)-- but rather speculates on what other people might have been drawn to the manger, telling their tales from their perspectives. In general, the stories were touching and inspiring and I enjoyed the book. It was a quick read. Each story stood on its own, but there was a connecting thread between them, so the book was, indeed, a book rather than simply a collection of stories centered around the manger.

I did, however, have some... not really complaints so much as vague disaffections with the book.

For one, few of the people in the book were drawn to the manger by the shepherds' story, as one might suppose. Rather, most of them seem to have stumbled upon the scene or been drawn there by the star. That bothered me a bit. I've never felt that the star was particularly spectacular-- only the wise men, who were stargazers by profession, are ever mentioned as having even noticed it. The angels didn't instruct the shepherds to follow it, but rather to seek a child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Nevertheless, various people in the stories follow the star to the manger, where they recall half-forgotten tales their parents or grandparents or whoever told them that lead them to immediately conclude that this baby must be the Messiah.

Which is, in fact, my second problem. While the prophecies are there in the Old Testament, they're not all in one place and until Jesus fulfilled them, weren't often seen as referring to the Messiah. That's why so many Jews then and to this day do not recognise Jesus as (having been) the Messiah. He didn't fit what they expected. Now, people who heard the shepherds' story might be expected to think the baby Jesus might be the Messiah, but those having just stumbled on the manger? I'm just not so sure.

My third problem is a little more difficult to explain. But I had a sense of dissatisfaction with the author's selection of characters whose tales make up the book. Oh, the characters were realistic enough, well-rounded and realised. But, they were all people who were down on their luck, unrepentant dregs of society, and/or in despair. While the birth of the Christ certainly speaks to those people, then, today and in the future, the story isn't just for them. I felt by leaving out the well-to-do (and those who were perhaps not wealthy but getting by adequately and mostly happy with their life) that the author somehow implied that the Christmas story has nothing for them, doesn't apply to them.

So, while it was an enjoyable read, to me it felt unfinished, as if the stories of the other people who, surely, must have been there got left out. While these stories were wonderful, I would like to read those other stories, too.

This is an amazing new Christmas story. I love books that make me think and take me out of my comfort zone. "At the Manger" was a cause for personal reflection and a series of short stories that all weave together the lessons of giving and personal sacrifice. At the Manger TOUCHED MY HEART. It is an awesome book to add to your collection.

I must admit I am not usually a reader of Christmas stories. In fact, I only picked this book up on the recommendation of a friend. Upon reading it, however, I found it to be a great read, with excellent writing and intriguing plotlines, brought together by the central event. I would definitely recommend this book for those who enjoy Christmas stories, as well as those who just enjoy a well written, well crafted read!