Renaissance Books

Well put together, very encompassing, good explanations...... It doesn't need a paragraph to describe it. If you like Da Vinci or want to learn more about him, this is a great place to start!

I never imagined that through a "child book" I would learn about this master-genious and moreover to be capable to comprehend the "details" about his art. I really enojoyed reading this book, I learn more about his famous paints and why they are considered pieces of art. I was motivaded to read more over the other great art's men such as Picasso or Michael Angel Buonorrati; I never thought that could be an easy way to understand this genious. I strongly recommend this book and the other series too; you can not only learn but also share with your child and encourage him to develop his talents or just enhance your "general culture" reading this great book. The talent consist in explaing complex ideas using a "simple language" that everybody can understand. There is not reason to became so sophisticated and not be able to "share" what you learn with the rest of the world. When you learn a good joke you want to tell the rest about it; it is meaningless if you just keep it for yourself...

This excellent book focuses on Leonardo's drawings in the Royal Library at Windsor. Everyone has seen the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but Leonardo's greatest achievments are found in his drawings. Vivid HIGH QUALITY color reproductions are accompanied by insightful commentary and historical/biographical information. The book covers the whole breadth of Leonardo's intellectual development. 100 color drawings by history's greatest draftsman, and indeed one of most powerful minds the world has ever seen. As the book says "...[Leonardo's] drawings [are] the pure expression of his genius, boundless and magnificent."
What more could one want in a book? 5/5

It's not the best Da vinci book, but it has a LOT of drawings.

This book seems to be a prelude to "Mazda MX-5 Miata: The Book of the World's Favourite Sportscar" both by the same author. I'd suggest the "....World's Favourite Sportscar" as a more complete history since it covers the 3rd generation.

Brian Long has in essence, fully researched the history of the Miata Roadster. This is a timeless keepsake which traces the origins of the Mazda corporation and the step by step development of an incredible automobile. I applaud his attention to the chronology and details of the car's history. From the initial design team sketches to the clay models to the smallest details which came together to capture the spirit of the old British roadsters. It's a great source of information and details which most enthusiasts aren't aware of. If you're a fan of the Miata, or of the simplicity of the British roadsters then this one's a winner!

Great Pictures and life story of the miata includes EVERYTHING!!! About miatas and fun to read.

This book was great! The perfect book for the Mazda Miata enthusiast. Great color pictures and the most complete history of the car Ive ever seen. Highly recommend. A+++++

Yes, you are correct in that -to some extent- we are able to choose what we consume. Corporations market their products to specific audiences, people who are likely to buy the product. Thats why sugared cereal commercials are aired on Saturday-mornings. Things get a bit dicey, however, when we begin to market toxic substances in this same way.

For someone who claimed to be African American, I found it quite interesting that you often referred to the black communities as "their communities". You must be one of "those" african americans. You know the ones who are either too comfortable or too ignorrant to beleive that their may be some sort of systematic plan to hold the poor down. Notice I said poor, not black or "ghetto" communities, poor people. It's "those" type of blacks that aren't ready to admit that racism in this country is a strong as it ever was. It's "those" type of blacks that finger point once they get beyond arms length of the struggle that poor people go through. It's "those" types of african americans that will beleive whatever Fox news or Peter Jennings reports, but can't entertain the progressive and educated opinions brought forth by Mr. Powell.

It is about economics, but it's also about who profits from these economics. Who profits? Is it you Mr. "African American"? I doubt it. The same ones are profiting today as were profitting since the 16th century. The same ones who figured out way earlier than you did that it is about economics, and the only way to sustain that economic hunger is to make the masses consumer starved. You can put fake nails, alcohol, drugs and guns in ANY community of ANY ethnicity and if there's nothing there except unemployment, poverty and a systematic blueprint for exactly that to happen, then you'll get the same results everytime.

This is a class society, and for that to work someone has to be in the lower class. Last time I checked there were more non-blacks in that category than anyone else, but that gets past some of "those" african americans. They'd rather fall victim to mass media and pop culture and look at "those" people with disdain and contempt. Pay no mind to who is profiting from this blueprint of destruction, just focus on judging the victims of their genius economic plans. As long as you do that you'll never really know who is paying the ultimate price for Americas economic growth. It's the same ones that have been paying the price since 1558.

First - I am a collector of what is commonly called "Breweria" - that is, all things related to beer and the brewing industry (cans, bottles, trays, ads..you get the idea). I became aware of this work through a discussion of the book in an internet forum and "had" to have it in my beer book collection.

After reading the book I didn't know whether to bust out laughing or be in a state of total outrage. I am leaning, however, towards laughter. The author's analysis of the labeling and marketing of beer and malt liquor ranges from fascinating and even bordering on credible to absolutely gut-busting. For instance, he analyzes the name "Schlitz" yet makes no reference to the fact that Joseph Schlitz was a German immigrant who started a brewery in the 19th century. In another example, he would have the reader believe that Miller Brewing's "Red Dog" Beer was marketed entirely toward the African-American population. Perhaps if he had done any legit research he would have known that the beer was also marketed heavily to NASCAR fans (a group not well known for African-American representation!). These are just a few examples - don't want to spoil it for you!

As with most books of this genre, it is filled with strange machinations of numbers and letters and other contrived means of establishing the author's point.

If you buy any of this - you'll be outraged. But you'll more than likely be amused.

If you love this type of conspiracy theory book - buy this one, you'll love it. If you collect breweria books, this will make a great (and possibly unique) addition to your collection and might even get you interested in 40's - I recently started collecting in this arena and find it fascinating myself. So head down to your local corner store, pick up a couple 40's and sit back for a great easy read (sorry Coach, they sell 40's other places than in "the hood").

I found this book to extremely interesting. Not only is it an excellent addition to the other conspiracy literature that is available, but it lends a new twist to the victim theories that many African Americans subscribe to.

The market and people move to wherever money is made. If money is made in the black community in alcohol, drugs, fake nails, check cashing places or weapons, those are the products that will be sold. It isn't conspiracy, it's economics. What you choose to buy determines what will be sold.

You and your communities are only victims if you choose to be. If you choose to buy alcohol, drugs, weapons, fake nails and use check cashing places, that is what will be sold.

And, how do I know............I'm African American too.

This is a good introduction, although it does not offer a lot more than the introduction by Howard Hibbard. I prefer it to the one by Linda Murray in the World of Art-series. The book by Hughes offers a more balanced view on the works it describes, in the way that it usually gives several opinions of other writers, then sometimes gives a preference for one opinion in particular, but also sometimes states that there is simply not enough evidence to substantiate the views of other writers. Therefore it is a pity that Hughes does not always substantiate his own views, he doesn't tell us why a particular view is better than another.
Nevertheless the book is full of interesting information and easy to read.

Firstly, I was thoughroughly impressed by the quality of this little book. The layout of the pages, the quality of the paper, everything. I'm glad to report that the content matches its presentation: Very clean, clear text featuring an unbiased look at Michelangelo's life. The book often cites former biographers (specifically Vasari and Condivi) and more often than not, it tries to find the right history. Very good illustrations of his more famous artwork as well as some drawings. Excellent!

You know how rare that is! But this book is one you don't want to put down. It is so well written, educational, and has so many great illustrations. I enjoyed it a lot.

Hughes gives a lot of info in a short book, and paints a very well balanced idea of Michelangelo the man. I felt bad for
Buonaratti after reading this. He truly was a miserable man, yet his committment to his art was never diminished for a moment. In the end the story of his life is inspiring and humbling. Inspiring because it proves what man can acheive, humbling in the sacrifices that were made in order to fulfill his destiny as one of the great geniuses to have ever lived.

I bought this book for art research purposes, to paint my own Mona Lisa perhaps with less cracking :) , but was blown away by the amount of information presented for a single painting, albeit one of the most famous and valuable. You get full information on the support itself (which has shrunk a bit) , the cracks, the pigments and composition, and even the retouching it has undergone due to conservation, or worse, attacks by vandals. There are photos of the painting in various wavelengths of light, including infrared, uv, radiograph, and more. This is combined with digital analysis in various forms, showing the topography of the support, cracking and other. In between all this are very fine views of a painting which is usually found shown elsewhere as badly lit or overly contrasty.

The book is very high quality and large enough to almost feel as if it is large as the actual Mona Lisa. There is only one flaw I feel which is mentioned by another reviewer and that is the lack of a digitally 'restored' version of the painting with the varnish removed and colors enhanced to their likely original appearance. The example at the author's site is too small and mostly useless for reference or just basic viewing on today's monitors. I would hope that any future edition of this includes such a final work, as it would reveal the original in a new splendor, and give yet more purpose to all the work and photography that is this book. Despite the omission currently, this is a great book you should be glad to own, and you can't beat the price.

This oversized coffee table book will delight all art lovers, particularly those who are into art history and restoration.
It deserves 6 stars, actually, but I gave it 4 because for some reason authors chosed not to include Mona Lisa photo with digitally removed varnish. It can be seen on this link
http://www.lumiere-technology.com/Pages/News/news3.htm
and I had hoped that this book will feature it also, since one of the main advantages of this new technology is virtual removal of darkened varnish without touching or damaging the paintings.
However, there is LOT of photos and large closeups in this book and I would recommend it to everyone interested in visual arts in general and Leonardo and renaissance painting in particular.

This book is absolutely a must-have for any fan of the Mona Lisa. The scientific breakdown of the painting, the intricate images and graphs, the descriptions of the colors and form all combine to create a intriguing and gripping look at one of the world's most famous paintings. If you are fascinated by art restoration and the use of technology to analyse paintings then this book is an essential resource, but even a casual dabbler like me will find hours of entertainment within its pages. Everyone who has opened the book at my house "just to see" has been lost to the party, and several have picked up their own copies for more in-depth perusal.

There's no other word for it: simply fabulous! Any art historian, student or just anyone interested in Leonardo's paintings will want to have this wonderful work. It peels away layers of varnish and paint like an onion and reveals Leonardo's technique in all its wonders.

As a hobbyist who is always looking for images of the middle ages to use in design work, I found this book packed with images, many of which I have never seen before. I treasure this book.

Margaret Aston's, Panorama of the Renaissance is a nice visual introduction to the subject. The numerous pictures of sculpture, architecture, paintings, and books have served as a very useful companion to my other books on the Renaissance. There is only a single informational map (not including pictures of maps produced in this era) at the back of the book and the timelines are rather brief. You will need to look elswhere if these interest you e.g. The Cultural Atlas of the World: The Renaissance. The Biographical Dictionary at the end is nice; though I'd suggest using Who's Who: Europe 1450-1750 as a supplement.

This book is not a detailed treatise on the Renaissance. Nor do I think it was intended to be. Instead you will find a brief narrative running throughout the book, supplemented with a wealth of pictures, that gives a glimpse of what fuelled the Renaissance and how it affects us today. Scholarly books tend to be mostly text interspersed with a few line drawings or maps. It is easy to get lost in the words and The Panorama of the Renaissance serves as a visual reference or supplement to help get you back on the path. The narrative is somewhat too brief to stand on its on in my opinion but the pictures are often stunning.

TO AMAZON: YESTERDAY I SENT A REVIEW ON THIS BOOK. FOR SOME REASON, THE LAST SENTENCE WAS OMMITED: ...can enjoy the Renaissance treasures. Of great merit are the different kinds of references at the end of the book: Bibliographical Dictionary, Timelines of Renaissance History and Culture, Maps, Glossary, Gazeteer of Museums and Galeries, Bibliography, Sources of Illustrations and Index. This book is a duty in every house.

Renaissance is a french concept meaning revival or to be born again but many people think that Renaissance means only Art - painting and sculptures. The Renaissance initiated in Italy in the 14th century and continued for more than 2 centuries, changing every aspect in life: science, war, religion, fashion, architecture, music, banking, business, phylosophy, women, eroticism and daily life. With more than 1000 brilliant illustrations, Margaret Aston explains the beauty of every facet of life, changed by Renaissance. In our times, it's a cultural need for everyone to read, understand and be delighted by the beauty of this epoch which is one of the greatest summits of humankind. Italy is the center of the Renaissance. So, don't even think about traveling to this country before you read this book. You'll be also familiar with all the museums, outside Italy, where you can enjoy the Renaissance treasures. Of great merit, are the different kinds of references at the end of the book: Bibliographical Dictionary, Timelines of Renaissance History and Culture, Maps, Glossary, Gazeteer of Museums and Galleries, Bibliography, Sources of Illustrations and Index. This book is a duty in every house.

Este libro cuenta con magnificas ilustraciones de las pinturas. La información sobre el artista es muy detallada y el libro es de buena calidad en cuanto a material y estructura.

WOW! What a collection in this book!

For any Renoir lover, student, artist, teacher or simply someone who wants to see a fantastic collection by one artist in one book.

Unsurpassed as a coffee-table conversation piece.

"A Dream of Harmony"!

I'm in love with The Impressionists in general and with Auguste Renoir in particular.
His palette is full of light; soft pink, greens and blues are a joy to watch time and again. As most Impressionists Renoir paint wonderful every day scenes, mainly outside as his magnificent: "The Luncheon of the Boating Party" (1881), "The Swing" (1876) and "Le Moulin de la Galette" (1876), whose careful reproductions are shown here.
He was an artist that loved life and wanted to reflect it as he perceived: full of little moments of simple joy and relax.
He was also a masterful portrayer as you may see from his "On the Terrace" (1881) in the cover of this book or "Two Girls in Black" (1881).
Another subject that attracted his fancy was the dancing couple, which he depicts with tenderness and accuracy. It doesn't matter if the dancers are from the high class as in "City Dance" or commoners as in "Dance at Bougival" both from 1883.
At the end of his life his paintings evolve and produce for our delight: "Seated Bather" (1914) and "The Nymphs" (1918).
His life and works are described and commented by the author with keen penetration and endearment.
Reproductions are awesome and do justice to the Artist.
Do not miss this book!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) represented by far, one the lofty painters of the second half of the XIX Century. His enslaving talent allowed to make a true sweep through the most diverse tendencies. His visible influences received from Courbet, Van Gogh and Delacroix, did not leave on him, a perennial trace. The presence of Cézanne and Monet irrupted strongly in the necessity of rejecting the conservative patterns and raid in new stylistic proposals. He was not only a notable Realist artist but also crossed the Impressionist threshold, in an untiring process of self renovation and fervent conveyance.

"Nowadays there is a tendency to explain everything. But if I could explain painting, it would not an artwork. Must I tell you what qualities constitute to my judge, the true art? It must be indescribable and inimitable...The artwork must captive the watcher, bundle him, drag him. Through it, the artist communicates his passion; it is the current that emits and through includes the watcher in itself:" Renoir.

Admirable and compelling biography that it will catch you from the first page.

Spicer and Ginsberg influenced one another, as is clearly shown in this book. Ginsberg stole a lot of his ideas from Spicer, but he was still the greater poet because he touched upon the conversation of his times, while Spicer went whacko and had no real impact on his culture. Academics have taken up Spicer, but this has again had no echo at all in the popular culture.

It's particularly interesting to study the automatic side of Spicer's poetics from surrealism forward -- the relinquishing of choice for a ouija board automaticism that resulted in odd nonsense that probably did not come from the dead, but resulted in an arcane verse that did indeed catalyze some of the lazier aspects of SF poetry but which was a dead end.

Magisterial biography that brings to life a tormented alcoholic who was not even trying to be nice, or even well-dressed, enough, to enter into the public forum.

His best work is the discussions he offered in The House that Jack Built -- astounding to see what he could do when he DID enter into the public conversation. Too often in his poetry he seems to be mumbling to himself. Poets need to reconnect to the real world -- because the world is real -- it has an ecology and texture, and the poets who got this will survive. Others form dead ends into their lost selves.

Gnosticism is a dead end.

I find that the Kirkus review available here does ill-service to this important biography of Jack Spicer. One would have no inkling, from reading this review, that Spicer's poetry is one of the most influential sources for postmodern poetry and poetics in the 1990s. It is not some recent academic fad to study Spicer; rather, Spicer has been a crucial poet for many younger writers for over three decades. This biography, published at the same time with his collected lectures, should provide the opportunity for even more serious study of his work.

Poets in the 1950s and 1960s have been well served by some of their biographers, and in this thrilling critical treatment of Jack Spicer and the poets of the San Francisco Renaissance, Ellingham and Killian join the ranks of Peter Davison (The Fading Smile: Boston Poets from Lowell to Plath) and Bill Berkson and Joe LeSeur (Homage to Frank O'Hara) in magically capturing the soul of an important school in the poetic ferment of those years. The San Francisco circle around Spicer was intense, prolific and inspired, but they didn't get the publicity that the New York poets received or that the Beats had showered on them. Lack of media attention didn't stop them. They were dedicated to a pure vision of poetry as an almost religious vocation. On his hospital death bed in 1965 (he died at 40 from acute alcohlism), Spicer told friend Warren Tallman, "I was trapped inside my own vocabulary." His genius/mania to use that vocabulary in service of the Muse produced great work and reminded others of the seriousness of their purpose. Spicer, in all his contradictions and drives, leaps from these pages. The book as a whole bristles with the very energy it celebrates, both poetic and sexual (intrigue was in their blood), and is essential reading for all of us interested in the circles that nurture poetry in every creative center. As if that is not enough, the quotations from a vast number of interviews of the surviving participants make this a delicious oral history as well as a compendium of hair-raising gossip of the wild times in North Beach before tourists took it over fom artists.

I have read Poet Be Like God, and I wish neither to rate it (but there's no option available that allows one to opt out of the rating game) nor review it, but to make a correction to the idiotic Kirkus review: Jack Spicer was NOT a "Beat" poet. There were a group of Beat poets in San Francisco in the late 1950s, early 1960s (e.g.,Bob Kaufman), but Spicer wasn't one of them. His intentions in poetry were different from theirs; naturally, so was his aesthetic. Spicer was part of a triumverate of poets that included Robert Duncan and Robin Blaser who met at the end of World War II in Berkeley, Ca., and were sometimes known as the Berkeley Renaissance group, or more simply, and more accurately, as part of the San Francisco poetry scene (which was part of the New American Poetry movement). That the Kirkus reviewer could make such an elementary and stupid mistake should be taken as a clear indicator of the idiocy of the rest of the Kirkus piece of schlock.

Devlin Brown and Sarah Tolliver, two strong, independent women, first introduced in Tumbleweed Fever, are jolted right into the middle of a catastrophic event after they receive a visit from a Shaman with a mysterious message. Along with trying to decipher this "message" Sarah and Devlin are also dealing with the recent loss of a loved one and desperately trying to find time for themselves. When they are unable to understand the visitor, Devlin takes them home to The Clan where their Medicine Man learns the details of the message......a message foretelling impending "doom" for all who do not heed the warning.

Who is the mysterious visitor? Why were they sent on a quest to find Devlin and Sarah? What is this catastrophe and when is it supposed to happen? Will Devlin and Sarah be able to convince both the ranchers and the Choctaw tribe to join together to fight this common enemy? And what does all of this have to do with Sarah's "true identity" in The Clan?

The writer takes you on a fantastic journey into the Native American's world. You, as the reader will gain wonderful insight into life as it would have been in the "old west days" - along with an appreciation for both the values of the "old ways" and the culture of our Native American ancestors. Do NOT miss this journey, you will be doing yourself a great disservice if you do.

I love L.J. Maas' writing style. I get completly drawn into the story and its characters. The relationship between the main characters is very romantic. I loved the strong sence of morality shown both in the main characters and the American Indian culture.

What a great follow-up to `Tumbleweed Fever.' In this sequel, Maas brings back the characters of Devlin Brown and Sarah Tolliver as they deal with the aftermath of the death of Sarah's uncle. These two beautiful, smart, lovable characters take separate physical journeys through this book, but remain forever spiritually bound.

After being visited by a dying Shaman from a foreign tribe, Sarah begins to realize her power as a medicine woman. She has a vision that convinces her all fences must come down to save the buffalo and, ultimately, the people of the Oklahoma Territory. After finding a surprising ally in her quest to convince the neighboring ranchers, Sarah returns to the Choctaw camp to explore her newfound calling. While Sarah is learning, Dev is leading a cattle drive and taking the local ranchers' animals to market. There are many dangers in such an undertaking and Dev overcomes them all. When the two halves of one soul are finally reunited, it's a homecoming of unprecedented proportion.

This reader hung on every word of every page of this book. There is no substitute for a truly-talented author and Maas definitely falls into that category.

THIS CONTINUING SAGA OF DEV AND SARAH(TUMBLEWEED FEVER)QUENCHES THAT THIRST YOU HAD WHEN YOU READ THE LAST LINE OF "TUMBLEWEED FEVER". L.J. MAAS JUST HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. HER CHARACTERS ARE MULTI FACETED,FLAWED(HUMAN),BUT ALSO HEROIC.HER IMAGERY BRINGS YOU TO THE PLAINS AND THE INDIAN VILLAGE AND THEIR LIFE STYLE AND WHAT THE TIMES WERE LIKE BACK THEN.
THE BUILDUP OF THE LOVE AND PASSION BETWEEN SARAH AND DEVLIN KEEPS YOU TEETERING ON THE EDGE AND JUST WHEN YOU CAN'T WAIT ANYMORE SHE TAKES YOU THERE. AND YOU ARE NOT LET DOWN.
BY ACCIDENT I READ TUMBLEWEED FEVER FIRST.I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PRAIRIE FIRE. IT WORKS BEST IF YOU DO. BUT IF YOU DON'T IT'S JUST FINE TO GO BACK TO HOW DEV AND SARAH FIRST CAME TOGETHER AND WHAT THEY ARE ALL ABOUT.
WHAT MORE CAN I SAY.
ONE OF THE OTHER REVIEWS SAYS THERE'S ANOTHER LJ MAAS COMING OUT "REBECCA'S COVE"...CAN'T WAIT!!!

Mr. Patrick sets out to write a "new story for a new age" and accomplishes that and more. Mr. Patrick's work and his life sing out in strange voices never heard before. His mind focuses the light from a million stars and spills it in warm radiant rainbows on the page. The words and the book themselves are less important than what they represent: a wonderful fanciful impossible quixotic dream made real. Thomas Patrick is not a myth. He is a legend of the road, a true rambler, and what a long strange trip it's been!

I enjoyed this book and felt Patrick has a strong command of connectiviety. By this I mean building logical bridge between multiple thought disiplines which creates greater meaning than the individual componest by themselves.

I enjoyed this book and felt Patrick has a strong command of connectiviety. By this I mean building logical bridge between multiple thought disiplines which creates greater meaning than the individual componest by themselves.

Mr. Patrick turns a critical eye toward the US while offering educated and insightful recommendations on how to keep us all safe from ourselves. Tackling issues of economics, religion and politics, he asks the question as to whether we can find a path lit with hope for our future. This no-holds-barred, straight shooting, fact-laden essay is presented with wit and insight resulting in a composition that is sure to raise the hackles of fundamentalists, conservatives, and isolationists alike. Thoroughly enjoyable and right on the money. READ THIS BOOK!!!