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ARCHITECTURE IN COMMUNION gave an excellent insight into the challenges and crises that Catholic church art has faced since the Second Vatican Council. Mr. Schloeder really understands the anguish that many traditional church artisans faced following the aftermath of the Council--when confusion seemed to leave traditional Catholic church arts at a crossroads.

"Architecture in Communion" is a detailed, yet highly approachable, weaving of theology, liturgy, architectural history, and iconography. Schloeder's vision for a restoration of beauty and meaning in Catholic church design is both original and solidly rooted in the traditions of the faith.

His central premise is that Catholic church architecture is essentially "sacramental", that is to say, the material building is meant to be an icon or an image of the spiritual reality of the Church. Drawing upon sources from Scripture, the Church Fathers, architectural history, conciliar documents, canon law, and the Catechism, Schloeder shows us the symbolical language that has traditionally underpinned Catholic church design, and examines each part of the church (nave, sanctuary, altar, ambo, baptistery, etc.) with respect to its function, traditional form, symbolic meaning, and canonical status.

The book is very nicely illustrated with over 300 photos and illustrations.

Steven Schloeder has written a book in which he attempts to capture what he describes as the 'true spirit of the Second Vatican Council' in architectural design for churches. Schloeder identifies difficulties in theology and liturgy that have, in his opinion, translated also in problem architecturally. With regard to modernism, he states, 'Many prominent Catholic thinkrs have not discerningly separated the wheat from the chaff and have accepted certain secondary issues as primary ones.' Among these are issues of the Eucharist being a sacrificial meal vs. a communal one, or the difference between the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of all being downplayed - these and others are issues that he discusses briefly in theological and historical terms, but quickly develops the way in which architecture shapes and is shaped by such ideas.

Schloeder's vision for the book is set out in the introduction: 'Our goal is to enliven the parish community - which is the true Church built of living stones in Christ - with a material church building designed to serve and further the primary vocation to become a community of love, which must mean a people of sacrifice and redemption.' This is a constant theme throughout the entire text, always present in the spirit of the photographs, drawings, and essays.

Even the structure of the book speaks of an underlying theological bent - three clusters of three chapters. The first three chapters explore issues of history, sociology, theology and liturgy with regard to the modern Catholic church building. The nature of the church is a primary consideration when considering what kind of design and structure its physical enclosure and manifestation should bear.

The second cluster of three chapters look at particular architectural aspects. One chapter examines the needs of the santuary itself, another chapter more broadly at other services and sacramental needs, and the final chapter the wider considerations of the church family and its place in the community. In this later aspect, the church building can grow from being the domus ecclesiae (house church, or home of the church) to being a civitas dei (a city of God).

The final three chapters look at artistic and aesthetic elements, particularly the icon; Schloeder strives to regain the iconographic aspect of the church in the community. The building itself can be a symbol and a work of art, and most certainly should be a sacramental space.

Schloeder is honest about this book not being an answer book - to many of the issues he explores, he has no concrete answers to offer, but rather serves to highlight particular issues for consideration. Indeed, in the creativity of modern architecture, there are often multiple solutions to the same problems.

This book has hundreds of photographs, examples of architecture modern, medieval and ancient, works of art, and outside symbols and examples. It is rather fun, for example, to see a picture of the British House of Commons chamber as an example of similar types of church architecture, then to know that the British HoC is modeled on the older structure in which the Members met in the choir stalls of a chapel.

The writing is crisp and flowing, and fits very well its topic and the surrounding images. This is a good book for all those interested in architecture, church design, liturgy, and the intersection of theology with material arts.

The Architecture of Oppression has all the hallmarks of Jaskot's articles: brilliant writing, impecable scholarship and surprising wit. It is likely to become the standard work in the field, and would also make an excellent primer on fascist architecture for the general reader.

The Architecture of Oppression has all the hallmarks of Jaskot's articles: brilliant writing, impecable scholarship and surprising wit. It is likely to become the standard work in the field, and would also make an excellent primer on fascist architecture for the general reader.

Really a fascinating book on the architecture of Hilter's so called Third Reich. German engineering and work ethic is legendary and even when used for evil, it is effective. This book give a chilling recount of the era of the Reich and you get a feel for the cold, but elegant architecture of Speer, the Reich's chief architect, it is amazing all that got built in such a short time, but what's really fascinating is what was planned, but never realized. Most of the Reich's building were destroyed during the war, but one that does still exist that gives a real feel for the architecture of the Reich is the Olympic Stadium, it is odd to think that this space that was used as a rallying cry for all German's to conquer the world, is today used for Soccer games and the World Cup, personally I think it should have gone the way of the Chancellery, but alas I was not asked, imagine that.

Mike is an artist, photographer and art director.

He can see great talent and know's how to put it to work. He has launched many careers in the process and has kept several great artists alive, by throwing them work, over the years.

Mike has worked with "The Best" in his 50 years of experiencs and has helped shape the present culture by utilizing his, and other's, talents.

This is a great collection of his work, presented with tongue in cheek humor. Totally entertaining and enlightening. Lots of smirks and laughs too. And... some cheesecake as well!

Mike Salisbury has long been one of my heroes, both for his innovative design work and strong knowledge of marketing. This book provides great insight into how Mike approaches a project and why he brings so much more than design talent. And the vivid examples from his extensive portfolio are inspirational, to say the least.

lotsa big bright pictures! An autobiographical account of this mike salisbury guy, a celebrity art director/graphic design type who came up with some of the most unforgetable commercial graphics and campaigns of the last 30 years (Joe Camel, Rolling Stone magazine, Jurassic Park, and even Micheal Jackson!). The guy's kinda pompous, but I guess that's the gig in the promotion and marketing game. Worth reading!

Inspiration is the first word that comes to mind after reading about Eric Carle's successful life as an author and illustrator. This book contains information about his childhood, his books, but most important his art. I especially enjoyed reading the section about where he gets his ideas. What is so special about Eric Carle's books? Many people all over the world could answer that question. My favorite answer is from a little boy named Paul, he said: "One reason I like your books is they do special things."

This is a great way to show students the process of Eric Carle's art and create a picture of thier own.

I picked up this book, expecting to find essentially a picture book. However, this book is so much more...and it is lovely.

The book begins with an introduction by Leonard Marcus, the children's book reviewer for Parenting Magazine and a well-known book critic and historian.

Following this is an autobiography with many personal photos. I found the story of Carle's early years interesting: how he was born in the United States but then his parents returned to Germany when he was six. His father was drafted into the German army during World War II and Carle never saw him again for 8 years, when he emerged from a Russian POW camp weighing 80 pounds. Carle was a lackluster student, mainly because his creativity was stifled, but he did have some empathetic art teachers in Germany. In his early 20s he returned to the U.S. where he was promptly drafted into the army!

The next section of this book was by Ann Beneduce, the first editor to publish Carle's work. She first commissioned him to illustrate a cookbook. After that, she decided to publish his first book "1,2,3 to the Zoo" but could find no one in the United States who could satisfactorily produce it, so she had it done in Japan.

Next, Viktor Christen, a German editor, wrote about Carle's vision and what it means to children.

Takeshi Matsumoto, the director of an art museum for picture books in Japan, wrote an essay about Carle's use of color.

The text of a speech, entitled "Where Do Ideas Come From?", given by Carle at the Library of Congress was the next section of this book. He gave this speech to librarians and educators in 1990 at the International Children's Book Day Celebration.

Next was a photo essay on his technique of paper coloring and collaging, which also explained why he colors white tissue paper rather than buying pre-colored papers (they fade with age).

Lastly was a section of illustrations from his books, in chronological order. I found it interesting to see how his art had changed and become much more detailed in 30 years.

This is a fantastic collection by a truly masterful illustrator. A must for any illustrator's library or lover of children's classics. This is one to cherish.

Wonderful book. I was very excited to get this book and, oh, what a joy it was to look through the pages! My only wish was to see more and more and more... Beautiful edition as well. If you are looking for the full biography of the artist and the descriptions of her drawings and styles, this book is not for you. The book presents only visual homage to the works of the interesting illustrator filling each page with the magic of fairy tales. To my mind, Lizbeth Zwerger stands in line with some of my favourite fairy tales illustrators: Rackham, Dulac, Bilibin. Her work delights and inspires.
My only disappointment was to see some of the Andersen's tales illustrations in a very small format. I really hope to see larger, more complete edition of her works some day.

As an art student intensely interested in children's book illustration, I was excited to find this Lisbeth Zwerger book. If you are looking for a showcase of the artist's delicate watercolor style - and not especially interested in much text or biographical info on the artist, you will find this well-designed book to be a treasure. I am thrilled to add it to my collection.

This highly recommended introduction covering the life of the artist Richard Power opens to a full-page color-embellished survey of 120 of the artist's fantasy images and contributions to the world of paperback illustrative art. An outstanding survey of images is created in an excellent keepsake edition for fans of science fiction and fantasy art.

The best cover artist of all time. No exaggeration. Some of the later work becomes, unfortunately, exceedingly literal--it's as if someone forced Powers to put Boris-Vallejo-like human figures into his abstract scenes in order to satisfy some PR/marketing goal. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Finally, a book dedicated solely to the works of the late Richard Powers... a dream come true. I was tired of always seeing him presented as one of many entries in books of sci-fi artists, shoved between others who were obviously not as talented as he. This is a true deal.... page after page of his beautiful/haunting/otherworldly art (yes, all 3 adjectives, and more, exist in each painting!). The reproductions are of a very high quality and clarity, some taking up 2 pages, allowing you to see the textures within the images. The text gives some very good insight on Powers' inspirations and personality, with some very funny stories. My only objections are - 1. There are a number of works produced in a fairly small format (4" x 4" or less) , and I would've gladly paid more if the publisher had enlarged them and expanded the page count. 2. No photos of Powers at work, just two self-portraits. 3. The text tends to ramble a bit, especially the first chapter, and I would have loved to see more art in place of it.

Rockefeller Center is one of the great Art Deco set pieces. It was conceived and built at the depths of the Great Depression, at the height of Art Deco and it's importance to the nation at the time is impossible to quantify. The art of the complex is arguably the most important assemblage of Art Deco artwork in the world. This book is a fantastic tribute to Rockefeller Center and all the artists and craftsman that built it. The text is highly informative, without feeling like an academic dissertation and the images are very well presented, though frankly there could have been more. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in Rockefeller Center or Art Deco.

The publishers, in a neat marketing move, issued this book in two editions. The 320 page version and a much smaller pocket-sized paperback that was invaluable when I visited the Center in 2006. Without it I don't think it would have been possible to find all the exterior treasures on the twenty-two acre site or read Roussel's text about them.

This Art book is a vastly expanded comprehensive look at all the exterior and interior public art contained in the fourteen buildings and spaces. It originated with Christine Roussel when her company was commissioned by the Rockefeller Center to restore all the artwork and the excellent contemporary color photos (after any restoration) are by Christine or her designer daughter Dianne. What I particularly like about the book are the historic photos of artists creating the works that you can see today. There are so many of these that I assume the Rockefeller's saw the PR potential of Fine Art in progress and arranged for as much of this as possible to be photographed.

There are more than a hundred pieces of art from forty artists presented in color and the very comprehensive text puts their work in context and in case you are wondering there is a full explanation about the destruction of Diego Rivera's fresco: Man at the Crossroads, which was to be in a prominent place on the main lobby wall of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Lee Lawrie contributed most to the Center with fourteen pieces and his Wisdom (Rockefeller Plaza) and Atlas (International Building) are now world famous. There are seven interesting historical photos about the making and positioning of Atlas in the book. Missing, I thought (and maybe as an Appendix) were a few photos showing the various stages of construction of the Center, it take nine years after all and a page or two, with photos, of the various roof gardens.

Rousell's book celebrates the public art of these remarkable New York buildings which are now registered as a National Historic Landmark. The book's production is first class (though unfortunately not sumptuous) with the photos in 175dpi on reasonable art paper. There is a slight editorial annoyance with a back page listing of the artists and technical details of their work, these really should have been presented on the relevant pages so the reader could avoid having to keep flipping back and forth to find out a bit of information.

The perfect complement to this book is Daniel Okrent's Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center telling in great detail how the Rockefeller Center was built.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

Built in the middle of the depression, Rockefeller Center became a part of and a symbol of America. The buildings of Rockefeller Center were not designed as the steel and glass monoliths of today. Art from some of the best artists of the day was incorporated into virtually all aspects of the building. The most famous is the statue of Prometheus delivering fire to the mortals of the earth amidst the waters of the Plaza. But there is much much more. There are the bas-relief stone carvings on the facade, there are murals, statues, even specially designed patterns for the carpets.

This book is the first comprehensive study of the art in the center. It is a large format, beautifully printed edition of the art as it is now, and in many cases historical photographs of the artists as it was being produced in the 1930's.

Ms. Roussel is the Archivist of Rockefeller center. To produce the book she had unprecedented access to the records and files of the center.

How interesting can old American cigar labels be? Enough to fill up a full color 250 page coffee table book, at least.

The book is more than just a compendium of old labels from deceased brands, but a history lesson, a seminar in the materials and processes used in generating the labels, and a discussion of the various themes explored in the artwork, i.e. patriotism, women, theater, sports and gambling, cowboys & indians, you name it. Finally, there is some very informative stuff on collecting cigar art, searching for historic labels and estimating value. The book is the most complete work on the subject of this type of collectable Americana, and as such is recommended to all interested in the field.

Any true collector will appreciate Davidson's initial edition, and followup version, "Smoker's Art". For those of us who pore over piles of stuff seaching for a winner, be it cigar labels or anything else, this book is a treasure trove of high quality art.

As a graphic designer this book has served me well on many projects. It is detailed with a large display of labels that are well reproduced for the viewer. The catagories add a variety subjects to the art of labels which is why many of us feel this book is like a bible. It is the most complete book so far on this subject.

Wonderful illustrations. Up-tu-date analyses & comments. For amateurs and specialists as well.

A magnificent volume, for those who might be interested in the miriad small and large details pertaining to the earliest artifacts of those primordial history writing civilizations. A great many details as to the History, Physical conditions, Geography, Economics, Foreign relations, Art, Religion, Litterature, Iconography, Archaeology and so on, both textual and visual. A most interesting book for those interested in the cradle of civilisation.

This is a superbly illustrated and written book, with photographs of renown artifacts from museums around the world, and even more outstanding essays by relevant scholars. I suspect anyone interested in Ancient Art from the formative stages (3000-2000 BCE) of the world's first civilizations will enjoy reading this book.

What do you like in art? Art Nouveau? Art Deco? Japanese art? You'll find it all in here as you see how, in the first decades of the 20th century, the lowly post card could become a work of fine art in Japan.
This beautifully designed and printed book, really a catalogue of the Boston MFA's exhibition, has more than 300 color illustrations as well as related essays by well-known scholars. The history of the post card, the kinds that were produced, subjects covered...all discussed. And, illustrative of a difference between these and contemporary Western pc's, a section of bio's of artists involved in the designs.
Particularly interesting are the examples showing the impact of the Russo-Japanese War, of Western Art Deco, ... and even of baseball ( in the form of pc's made for New Year's Day 1932 ).
There is serious history in here as well as strikingly interesting art...need an idea for a great Xmas present?

Score another home run for Boston's Museum of Fine Arts for recognizing the importance of the Lauder collection of Japanese postcards and then producing a significant book to commemorate the 2004 exhbition of these miniature masterpieces. The MFA has again assembled a cast of formidable experts to provide both historical and artistic perspective for the late 19th- and early 20th-century postcards produced by many of Japan's leading artists. It is thus the case that the text chapters that open "Art of the Japanese Postcard: Leonard A. Lauder Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston" help guide the reader through the changes in graphic art and design that followed Japan's opening to the West and the death of the classic "ukiyoe"-style woodblock art.

The postcards themselves are stunning, meriting repeated voyages through this beautifully designed and printed volume. And there are numerous other reasons to savor the images. For example, the cards that appear as numbers 9 through 60 in the catalogue/book all reflect Japan's contemporaneous take on the Russo-Japanese war of 1904-05. Then there are chapters that demonstrate the impact of the West's Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements on Japanese art sensibilities. Three other cards, my favorites, illustrate famous "haiku" poems, with the artist, Saito Shoshu, using the themes of the cards to stylize the calligraphy with which the poems are rendered. Delight here in a snail's slime trail blended into calligraphic brushwork, an underwater scene in which the calligraphy takes on a very fluid style, and a poem broken up to refelct the hopping of a frog.

The collaborative project of Anne Nishimura Morse, J. Thomas Rimer, and Kendall H. Brown, Art Of The Japanese Postcard is a gorgeous, full-color gallery of Japanese postcards from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Far more than casual items to mail, most of these cards were designed by prominent artists and feature striking use of color and imagery. A few companion essays delineate the history of this unique art form as well as the immortalization of heart-stirring pictures meant to be sent and shared. Art Of The Japanese Postcard is an impressive and seminal work which is particularly recommended to students of Japanese Popular Culture.