Black and White Books

Vivian Paley's groundbreaking work, White Teacher, ushers one through an array of intimate experiences with and reflections about the challenges she faced as a white teacher, working to develop a pedagogy free of the marginalization and neglect that disproportionately affect the educational experiences of many non-white children. Paley's evolving understanding of the complexities of teaching white and black students together in the racialized America of the 1970's emerges from the frozen frames of the United States' educational past as uniquely relevant for teachers in the twenty-first century. Within the first four lines of the forward of her 2000 reprinting of White Teacher, Paley is praised by James P. Comer, M.D. and Alvin Poussaint, M.D. for, among other things, her ability to "remain objective" in the midst of her "deep personal involvement." Considering the essentiality of critical thinking to the pedagogy of effective and influential teachers, I find these practitioners' reference to objectivity not only inappropriate and harmful for all teachers, but also offensive, especially to the generations of teachers, whose voices and contributions have been habitually and historically excluded from major conversations in education because they have been deemed too subjective.

Whether it be intentional or not, applying the label of objectivity to Paley's writing, evokes associations with scientific inquiry and thus to the notion of "an objective truth," which unjustifiably elevate the status of White Teacher and in effect, belittle the opinions of educators perceived by outsiders as unable to estrange themselves from their students - most often in terms of a shared racial or gender identification. I believe Paley understood and meant for White Teacher to document her personal recollections of and working conclusions about how to promote equity as a white teacher in a classroom in which black and white children learn together. Paradoxically, Comer and Poussaint's attempt to validate Paley's words silence the individuals about whom she was writing, unveiling the common and potentially detrimental conclusion many teachers have reached after reading White Teacher. For educators to denote Paley's depictions as objective implies or necessitates the existence of a subjective and therefore inferior "other." The understanding that underlies and maintains this reciprocal relationship has no place in teacher education because it hinders the ability of teachers to question and think critically. Furthermore, assertions about the objectivity of Paley's work subtly undermine and invalidate the knowledge, experiences, and opinions of the marginalized children and educators to whom Paley sought to give a voice through her impassioned writing.

This book helped me overcome my color blindness. As a teacher of 17 years, I always thought the best way to address differences was to just igore them and embrace similarities. White teacher taught me that we need to also celebrate each others differences.

I have only gotten half way through this book, but so far it is really good. I am studying to be in the education field and this book is an insight to how different children are and how you have to appeal to each one of them. Paley is a wonderful author and is good at describing her situations. I would recommend this book to anyone intereted in teaching children and anyone who wants an insight to how children behave and why. Definately a good book.

Used this for a college class! Great book! Paley was very ahead of her time in dealing with multi-cultural issues in early childhood education settings.

This book will really bring to light exactly how children learn to identify themselves. This book will reinforce the truth that prejudice is learned and that adults play a huge role in the value systems that children adopt. You'll also find a few things in here that make you giggle...after all the book is about a kindergarten class.

Rich and evocative, funny and moving, these stories are a real gem in modern science-fiction. The characters are original and sympathetic, and I couldn't help compare those stories to the Time Patrol stories of Poul Anderson. "Zeus" seems a rather more sinister employer than Anderson's organization, and certainly it's more like Asimov's "Eternity" in ruthless engineering of human history. I find this book and the "Company" series a very pleasant, intriguing and worthy read. Asimov would have loved the Shakespeare story, I think.

Obviously running around in time and space would take a lot out on a body so why not use cyborgs? Why not use robots actually? Perhaps cyborgs look and act more human and thus can mingle better. As interesting as Kage Baker's "Company" is I liked the Alex Checkerfield stories the best. The boy who isn't as "made for" his society is a very real character and an interesting commentary on the idea that society must protect people can be taken to the extreme.

Kage Baker has created a fascinating world where cyborgs, human beings who have been enhanced, augmented and made immortal live through the ages doing the bidding of the Dr Zeus Corporation in the 24th century. They collect artifact, rare plants, and anything else that has monetary value in the dreary world of the future. This collection of short storys, some previously published, shows snippets of the very longs lives of Mendoza, Budu, Lewis and other cyborgs who appear in the novels of the Company.

Alec Checkerfield, also a creation of Dr Zeus but not a cyborg - well, not like the others - is featured in four stories. These are part of the foundation for the novel `The Life on the World To Come', also by Baker.

I love what Baker has created and enjoyed each of the stories. While they stand alone as written, the reader will enjoy them more if the previous novels in this series are read as well. They fill in many of the holes that the stories expose (but cannot fill without turning into a novel). Since the setting of the series is the entire planet and all of recorded history (plus the future up until 2355) there is plenty of room for more stories of this type and I hope to see more soon.

I have very mixed feelings about these stories. I don't know how comprehensible they would be to someone who hasn't had Baker's universe explained to them, but the stories are enthralling, wise and witty. One might want to first read at least the beginning of In the Garden of Iden (The Company) where the premise is explained. I thoroughly enjoyed reading most of them. They just aren't very good science fiction - Baker's universe is losing the integrity that separates science fiction from fiction with fantastic touches.

The Company novels are based on the premise that written history cannot be altered, but unrecorded history can. This is apparently "cannot" in the strict sense of the word, as in not possible, not "cannot" in the sense of forbidden or imprudent. This is a pretty weak premise: how can being recorded fix history, especially given that historical accounts are often contradictory? If the only account is actually inaccurate, does that alter history? What happens when the accepted account is altered by new material or archeological evidence? However, I am generally willing to allow one weak premise to get a good story going.

There is a distinction here: there are anomolies that the characters notice, and which supply part of the plot. I am referring here to oddities that none of them seem to see.

Reading these short stories seriously strains the premise: in one story, an operative saves a doomed infant - are we to understand that this must mean that the infant's society wouldn't have recorded his early death? Or that at no time in his life will his existence be noted, he won't have children? Would the medical procedures would have mysteriously failed if he belonged to a society that kept detailed records, or if his mother kept a diary or if he had descendents who would one day enter the written record?

Much of the activity of the Company agents is recovering and secreting items that were historically lost. Logically, however, the items could not be found before the order went out to rescue them (in the 24th century) or written history would be altered if the rediscovery of the artifact is noted. The recovery is often the focus of the plot in these stories: in one of the short stories, papers are taken out of an Egyptian tomb opened in 1914; at least one of them shows up in the 22d century and thereafter dramatically affects history. The story is gripping and hysterically funny, but this violation of the logic of Baker's universe bothers me.

I found the story "The Hotel at Harlan's Landing" haunting and reminiscent of the Twilight Zone. I was spellbound while reading it, but later I couldn't help wondering why the Courier cyborg in "Facts Relating to the Arrest of Dr. Kulagin" has a locater beacon that goes off when it is damaged and the damaged cyborg in this story doesn't. And why would someone unnecessarily force a physical confrontation when at a numerical disadvantage?

Several of the stories are about Alex, who I suspect is connected with Nicholas and Edward, featured in the novels. I enjoyed the stories as a comment on overly-organized and protective societies, but his sidekick "Captain Henry Morgan" is a bit too twee for me. I have this horrible feeling that Alex will be appearing in a swooning novel in the future.

Readers presumably know their own tastes. The reader that doesn't avoid science fiction, or who isn't bothered by logical inconsistencies will have some wonderful writing to enjoy.

Before reading the Company novels, I was introduced to the idea through her short stories in the pages of Asmiov's. I feel that the shorter works are the strength of Baker and are better than the novels.

The idea of immortal cyborgs hiding in the shadows of history to plunder artifacts recorded as lost or destroyed is clever and provides the opportunity to place stories in a myriad of periods and cultures as well as dealing with famous and not so famous historical characters.

We not only get to see the two main characters, Joseph and Mendoza in these stories, but some more amusing operatives such as Kalugin and Lewin, providing more breadth on the operations of the company. In fact we get to see the early cyborgs, pre homo sapiens designed for enforcement rather than preservation or faciliation. A broad history of the company is painted in these short tales.

All the stories are quite good, as enjoyable in this collection as they were on the first read. The one caveat is that all together they are a bit much particularly if read in one sitting. Other than that I think the Company tales are first rate storytelling and Kage Baker a wonderful author.

A lot of formulas, critical advice, honest opinions. But also, a lot of missing practical advice, a lot of missing result comparisons. You have to buy it though since there is nothing else out there...it is really a two-star, but the fact that you cannot buy anything else at its level makes it a four star book.

Bill Troop has been very well connected to a lot of people in photography over the years and was heavily engaged with developers at Kodak in Rochester. He accumulated a significant amount of subjective information and has pretty much pushed it all right into this book. It's prefect for the darkroom enthusiast who is intrigued with historic processes and how they might effect ones creative options. Note that this is not an instructional book for beginners but something more targeted at the advanced enthusiast whose interest has grown beyond the use of commonly available processes.

Things you never knew about the developing process are in this. I was quite impressed, and am enthusiastic about re-reading it.

very useful, it goes deep in the film developing as expected. It's a good starting point to make the own recipe and to learn *how works this kind of developer*. And many many more useful storic and pratic informations. Simply I love it. Dedicated to everyone feels to be an hero in this digital war against the true, pure, black and white...

I bought this book as the other books I have are now a bit dated. As the understanding of film development is always evolving, I thought this book would give me the latest ideas and knowledge.
It does to some extent, but I could not help feeling the authors did not take the time to fully research and comprehend the details. Where they have quoted chemists / researchers the details are clear. However where they have tried to interpret or discuss aspects in some places it appears they do not clearly understand what they are trying to explain. The result is that they contradict themselves, fail to make things clear, or just plain get things wrong. They also only seem to address research by Kodak and a few independent researchers. The book thus misses out on research done by Fuji, Agfa, Ilford, etc. which is a significant omission in my opinion.

So is the book worth it ? I think that I would still buy it as there are very few sources of up to date information available. And to be fair, they seem to have taken care in reproducing the formula. However, I would be sure to read some of the older books on developers, and cross check the information before relying on it.

RACE MANNERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY is a valuable book that seeks to open up dialogue about race in America. Since the author, Bruce Jacobs, is African-American and shares many of his personal experiences, the book deals primarily with issues about blacks and whites in this country. However, in this new, revised version, there is also some attention paid to other "race manners," particularly the post-9/11 treatment of Muslims and people of Arab descent. The book is well organized and each chapter includes "Survival Suggestions" at the end of the discussion of the various themes. RACE MANNERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY touches on such subjects as Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, black music, ethnic jokes, and interracial relationships. I particularly enjoyed the discussion on what the author calls "rage radio," which highlighted the impact of the wave of ultra-conservative talk show hosts have on limiting dialogue about important topics. I also found the chapter on commonly held bigoted views useful.

RACE MANNERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY should be read by anyone living in this country. While there is a slant towards issues of black and white, the author does an excellent job sharing his perspective and experience as a black man living in America. Some readers may disagree with his views on various subjects, but the purpose of the book is not to agree with Jacobs, but rather to discuss the subjects openly and honestly. To that end, the book is filled with suggestions on how to put topics of race on the table and discuss them intelligently. Avoiding talks about race doesn't make those issues go away and RACE MANNERS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY provides a toolkit to help navigate these conversations.

Reviewed by Stacey Seay
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This one of the best books on American society that I have ever read! This book is what people who try hard to understand the source of racial tension in this country have been waiting for. There is really something in here for everyone and must be read from cover to cover. No matter who you are, examples extracted from life in this book will disturb you in its honesty and you actually see yourself. This is not an overly intellectual essay but an accessible and poignant work that is completely plucked from real life and experience. It just required a brilliant author to put it all together.

Put simply, this quick read of a book is one of many to be experienced by anyone who truly wants to gain some operational insight on race -- one of the final frontiers of human understanding. Until we come up with a workable (or definitive) solution to the strange phenomenon that is "race," (other than complete avoidance of the topic, that is,) 'Race Manners' does a good job of being one of many tools for one's sociological 'toolkit.' It doesn't have all the answers...but then again, who does?

This book is an excellent examination for Race in America. Mr. Jacobs offers insight and solutions. He is honest and compassionate. I have even tried some of the recommendations in this book with excellent results. Don't just read it, buy one for a friend.

There are several points made in the book that get the reader to think about how they view races. However, it is definitely slanted towards black views. I think the book could be very powerful if re-written with a white co-author. I was hoping to find a 50/50 view. It was more of a 70/30.

The Sears and Roebuck catalog has been a huge help in writing my historical romance set in the 1890s. There are saddles, surreys, and patent medicines. This visual aid has made it so much easier for me to give an accurate depiction of the times.

Imagine having an invention which would allow you to review various products from the comfort of your own home. An invention which would enable you to purchase food, clothing, books, tools, medicines, transportation, furniture and virtually any other consumer need. An invention which would permit you to choose various delivery options which varied by cost and speed. Oh and by the way the year is 1897. After reading this book I have to say that the 1897 Sears Roebuck Catalogue was truly the Internet of its day. The book lists literally thousands of items which could all be purchased from the Sears Roebuck Company. Many of the items are farming equipment and provide a look at what was needed to raise food in the small family ran farms of the day as opposed to our world of largely corporate farming. The drawings of the home entertainment options available show how much easier we have it today. The product descriptions, especially of the medical products are eye opening (you could actually buy opium) and the overall feel is that a person in the late 1800s, even if stuck in a small rural town, truly had access to the world provided he had a copy of the Sears Roebuck Catalogue.

This is such a great look into turn of century catalogue shopping. You'll be shocked at cheap things like violins and three piece suits used to be. For history or shopping buffs, this is a really, really neat buy.

I love it! It is fun to look at the the prices of the items that were sold back at the turn of the century.

This book is utterly fascinating for those who hold any sort of interest in bygone times. While not a step-by-step guide, it inadvertantly thrusts the reader into the role of a home owner of limited means in the late 1800s. You find yourself shopping, suckered in by the richly worded item desciptions and enticed by the promises of "best on the market," "guaranteed for a lifetime," and "will cure all diseases of the nervous system."

Unconsciously, you create your own little shopping list and envision a home where the husband builds everything from the buggy to the bathrooms while the wife prepares all the meals and pretties herself with skin whiteners and hair lotions.

I am so glad to have bought this catalogue. I use it as a writing prompt for my high school students, to encourage creative and analytical thought, and they delight in it. I implore everyone to investigate this book.

Barry Thornton's masterful book is all about what you have to do to take those razor-sharp, etching-clear B&W photos. And it's all about film types and film-speeds and focal lengths and tripods and skylight and development chemistry and enlargement lenses and so on. The book is full of excellent guidance, test set-ups you should be doing to confirm the focus of your camera or the film-speed settings or the alignment of your enlarger or the various developer mixes that are available for B&W chemistry and how each produces sharper or less-sharp images.
Over and over again, he demonstrates that the sharpest photos don't necessarily come from the finest-grained films or the biggest lenses or the most commonly used developer chemistry. In fact, there's a point at which the actual graininess of a film/print -- something you'd think would detract from the sharpness of the image -- actually contributes to the eye's perception of sharpness, of acuity!
This is one of the best written photography books I've ever read -- right up there with Ansel Adams' classic trilogy and the National Geographic Field Guides to Photography.
He starts each chapter with a personal event or story about his life, a place he found and photographed, a person who influenced his work. Then, he takes this narrative subject and makes it the illustration of whatever the topic of the chapter is. Beautifully written. A joy to read! And that's really saying something about a book on photographic techniques!
Of course, the book is printed on high-quality clay paper and is full of exquisite reproductions of Thornton's works. And, like a true technical book, every photo is accompanied by a blurb on the camera, lens, film, development chemistry and times, printing chemistry and times, coatings ..., really, much more information than most readers would care about. But all is meticulously documented and, as you go through the chapters, you come to understand the significance of these technical bits of data -- and the differences in the images they produce.
This is truly an outstanding book on photography, one of the very best I've read -- and I've read dozens! Yes, it's about B&W scenics, mostly. But the lessons it teaches are applicable to ALL photography and will help any photographer to improve. I highly recommend this well-written and very readable book.

As an amateur photographer striving for technical excellence, I found Barry's book and approach extremely useful. I like the way he breaks down the necessary elements of image sharpness and quality into chapters. I can digest them one at a time and try to correct my own shortcomings. The photographs are marvelous and I would have been proud to have created any of them. I only wish Barry were still alive to continue his easy style and dedication to helping photographers. May your memory be eternal!

The author's holy grail is sharpness, real and perceived. Type of film, type of developer, type of tripod and camera format, all slanted towards crisp and sharp photos. Nothing about tonality really: There are comparative photos only to show a difference in sharpness, except for a couple at the end showing bleaching techniques.
A good book for someone who takes architecture or landscape photos (with the requisite time to set up) and who also likes to noodle with their own developers.
The author's use of anecdotal stories to begin each chapter is a nice touch.

What a delightful book! Once you've mastered Adam's beautiful books and the other books about serious zone system work this is the sort of book you hope for. Part memoir, part advanced how-to, and part philosophy put to paper in a delightful prose style.
Not exactly for beginners -- the author assumes you know the zone system and are serious about doing your own darkroom work. It also doesn't hurt to have read Anchell's Film Developing Cookbook and the Book of Pyro but not needed. The photos in the book are beautifully printed and yet the cost is reasonable. I hope this publisher will continue in this vein.

Probably one of the best books on B&W processing I've read in the past 20 years. Too bad the first one published by B.Thornton "Elements" is no longer available. Thornton takes on one myth after another and clearly separates truth from myth in the B&W process flow in the darkroom. Just outstanding reading.... highly recommended.

Vladimir

Betsy (Shirley Temple) is a little orphan girl who knows that the world should just all "smile, smile! Smile and be happy!" Her cheery attitude gets her adopted into a theatrical family who resides at a hotel, but the landlady wants her money, and the troupe has none. Fortunately for Betsy, the landlady's nephew (George Murphy) is sympathetic to their cause and wants to help.

Little Miss Broadway is pleasant but standard. The story is absolutely unimportant; the stars are really the highlight.

One of the most exciting things about this movie is the brilliant supporting cast, a bunch of character actors with plenty of personality. The most famous one is Jimmy Durante whose trademark nose and gravelly voice are just foundation for smiles. Donald Meek and Edna Mae Oliver play well off of each other as spouses who never agree. El Brendel appears in the jazz band and has a few cute scenes with a penguin. I have found that most people dislike him, but I adore his childlike grin and phoney accent. George and Olive Brasno appear as (what else) two midgets from a show; they are best remembered today for their several appearances in the Our Gang films.

Little Miss Broadway is yet another charming movie that stars the great Shirley Temple. The plot moves along at a good pace and I thought that the acting was very convincing.

The action begins when Betsy Shea (Shirley Temple) is adopted out of a girl's orphanage by William J. "Pop" Shea (Edward Ellis), who manages the Hotel Variety in New York. Betsy will be living in the Hotel with "Pop," his daughter Barbara Shea (Phyllis Brooks) and a host of actors and vaudevillians who are mostly out of work.

Things heat up when Sarah Wendling (Edna May Oliver), who owns the Hotel Variety, finds out that the hotel is back due on the rent--to the tune of $2,500! That was very big money in those days; and Sarah Wendling eventually gets so angry with the situation she plans to tear down the hotel. Meanwhile, her nephew Roger Wendling (George Murphy) falls in love with Barbara Shea--and things get very complicated and messy.

Will Sarah Wendling tear down the hotel and leave dozens of people homeless? She certainly won't be willing to help her nephew Roger financially if he has anything to do with Barbara Shea. Will "Pop" Shea and the others living in the hotel be able to raise the required back due rent money? How does Betsy figure into the plot? Will she stay at the hotel or will she return to the orphanage? No spoilers here, folks--you'll have to watch the movie to find out.

The choreography shines in the final ten minutes of the film when there's a lot of singing and dancing numbers; look for a wonderful number featuring George Murphy and Shirley Temple.

The DVD comes with the glorious black and white version of the movie; the restoration is wonderful. There is also an option to watch a colorized version of the movie instead.

Overall, Little Miss Broadway is a charming Shirley Temple vehicle that leaves you smiling and wanting more. I thoroughly enjoyed this film and I recommend it for Shirley Temple fans and people who want their children to "discover" Shirley Temple. Look also for a fine performance by Jimmy Durante as one of the entertainers living in the hotel.

LITTLE MISS BROADWAY stars Shirley Temple in another harmless musical confection especially tailored to her talents. As in most of her film vehicles, she plays an orphaned show-biz wiz who comes to the rescue.

Temple plays the sparky orphan Betsy Brown, who lives with her surrogate family at the Hotel Variety, a favourite spot for showbusiness types. Things look grim when the hotel is to be torn down for a new development. Betsy decides to appeal for help from the cranky landlady Sarah Wendling (Edna May Oliver).

There are plenty of prime opportunities here for Temple to display her musical skills ("Be Optimistic", "How Can I Thank You?", "We Should Be Together", "If All the World Were Paper", "Swing Me an Old-Fashioned Song"). She is joined by a talented cast, not least of which Jimmy Durante, who turns in a spirited performance. Edna May Oliver was unrivalled when it came to playing snooty society dames, and she doesn't disappoint, playing the foil for Temple's sweetness. George Murphy and Phyllis Brooks supply the romance.

LITTLE MISS BROADWAY will be a charming addition to your Shirley Temple collection!

Legend Films and 20th Century Fox present "LITTLE MISS BROADWAY" (released: 16 September 1938) (72 mins) (B&W/Color Versions) - Under Irving Cummings (Director), David Hempstead (Producer), Darryl F. Zanuck (Producer), Harry Tugend (Screenwriter), Jack Yellen (Screenwriter),Walter Bullock - Composer (Music Score) / Songwriter), Louis Silvers - Musical Direction/Supervision / Composer (Music Score), Harold Spina (Songwriter / Composer (Music Score), Walter Thompson (Editor), Nick Castle (Choreography), Geneva Sawyer (Choreography) - - - - - - Shirley's an optimistic orphan who is adopted by a Vaudeville hotel "owner" and his daughter. She meets a guy (George Murphy, who is FABULOUS dancing with Shirley on the number "We Should be Together") trying to convince his aunt (Edna May Oliver, the real owner) to not close the hotel --- Incidentally, outtakes of Little Miss Broadway exist showing Shirley Temple doing a frighteningly accurate impersonation of her costar Jimmy Durante (ha-cha-cha-cha-cha!)

the cast includes:
Shirley Temple ... Betsy Brown Shea
George Murphy ... Roger Wendling, Sarah's nephew
Jimmy Durante ... Jimmy Clayton, Jazz Bandits bandleader
Phyllis Brooks ... Barbara Shea
Edna May Oliver ... Sarah Wendling, owner, Hotel Variety
George Barbier ... Fiske, attorney
Edward Ellis ... William J. 'Pop' Shea, manager, Hotel Variety
Jane Darwell ... Miss Hutchins, orphanage matron
El Brendel ... Ole
Donald Meek ... Willoughby Wendling

BIOS:
1. Shirley Temple
Date of Birth: 23 April 1928 - Santa Monica, California
Date of Death: Still Living

2. Jimmy Durante
Date of Birth: 10 February 1893 - New York, New York
Date of Death: 29 January 1980 - Santa Monica, California

3. Irving Cummings (Director)
Date of Birth: 9 October 1888 - New York, New York
Date of Death: 18 April 1959 - Los Angeles, California

If you enjoyed this film, check out Legend Films and 20th Century Fox present "The Shirley Temple - America's Sweetheart Collection, Vol. 1" (Heidi/Curly Top/Little Miss Broadway) (Fully Restored/Dolby Digitally Remastered) --- now in COLOR and Glorious Black and White --- In 2004, Shirley Temple teamed with Legend Films to restore, colorize and release her earliest black and white films, as well as episodes of her 1960 television series, The Shirley Temple Storybook Collection --- a patented coloring and remastering process makes her picture perfect charm more vivd than ever --- no one can resist Shirley's charm in all her heart warming films.

Hats off and thanks to Barry B. Sandrew Ph.D. (Founder, COO, CTO & Board Member) and his Legend Films Staff --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage era of the '20s, '30s & '40s --- order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on DVD --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out Legend Films where they are experts in releasing long forgotten films and treasures to the collector --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 72 mins on DVD ~ Legend Films Video. ~ (8/30/2005)

This is a great collection and a MUST have for any Shirley Temple Collector! But who doesn't love the original Child Superstar? She is funny and timeless, way before even my Mom's time and both my Mom and I and my nieces love her! This is a non-generational must watch family movies, that not only are funny, fun and entertaining, but help instill values that seem to have been lost in our times! This collection will make you laugh and cry as Shirley draws you in with every word.

The book was in amazing condition and the price was very reasonable. It also arrived right on time! VERY VERY helpful book.

Best material in Black and White photography. The text is perfect. The pictures and the print quality have a lot to desire. This is a book you will not buy for its looks. But, the content is fantastic. For all your answers to necessary techniques in B&W you will not find a better more concise text. After reading the book cover to cover I have to say that the worst (print/looks) is insignificant when compared to the material and information covered. I wish the book is reprinted in higher quality. Five stars for a book that delivers what its title claims.

This book, as reviewed by others, is not for first time photographers but is a first class help to those who wish to advance into something a little more technical, but essentially
"on the ball" photography. I found the book to be thoroughly comprehensive, sometimes over technical and needing real concentration to understand these basic principles, but well worth the cost of the book. It is a first class addition to any black and white photographer's library. I wish this sort of volume was available when I first started black and white photography 50 years ago!

I have used this text in my introduction to black and white photography course for just over a year. Student response has been universally positive. We have all found it thorough, well written and easily understood by into students. My only "wish" is that the author had included a section on negative faults such as found in Horenstein's: Black and White Photograpy: A Basic Manual.

This revised edition of Bernhard J. Seuss darkroom classic Mastering Black And White Photography provides contemporary photographers with the basic skills needed to achieve expert status. Digital imaging and Internet technology are included in this updated and expanded edition, which deftly covers the entire photographic process from locating subjects to creating beautiful results in black and white.

This book does live up to its title in my opinion. The illustrations are very well organized with the text, moving from simple to more complex.

All digital imaging technologies become altered by sucessive innovations, but this kind of text lays down a foundation for you to proceed into the future. Amadou doesn't give detailed workflows for every ink, media, and printer out there for the simple reason that the rate in which ALL of these inksets, rips, and printers are changing would made such an endeavor impossible, and certainly out of date by the time of publishing. That is the fault of our era not the fault of the author.

I agree with the other poster who stated that Amadou's book is equally useful for many color imaging concepts. In a way it is the foundation for them. For someone venturing into this territory for the first time it lets you know who the players are in monochrome inkjet imaging, and where the technology has been in the recent past, and where the information will be available in the future.

John

Extremely useful for any serious photographer interested in printing in high quality black and white.

Very good book but extremely technical. Not a quick read but is chock-full of useful and practical information. Recommend it as a good addition to your personal reference library.

Very good overview and very timely. The samples of solutions available in the marletplace are up to date for 2007.

Good photography transcends whether the image was captured in full color or black-and-white, and Amadou Diallo recognizes that fact in presenting this excellent guidebook for imaging in monochrome. Virtually everything in this book has applications in color photography as well, whether it's the description of proper calibration to the invaluable tips on tonality. If you aspire to be a better photographer, this book is a good place to start. You'll find that after you've mastered black-and-white image capture and output, you'll be well on the road to mastery of all aspects of good photography. Recommended.

After i got other Lemon's book(colorful "nude&glamour photography") i sworn to never get anything from same author. Well i broke this oath, buying this B&W book.

Dont get me wrong - photos in book are , mostly , good. In fact this book is better than colour, one, as it at least has more system to it and got light setups.

Unfortunately - thats about it. Its is not "professional secrets" its "here, i had this model, and took this picture, setting up lights". If you had ever read a single good book on light... I'd skip this book. Its not particularly good on posing either - in fact you can find more posing guides online nowdays, for free, than you will see in this book.

If i would be just starting up - may be i'd appetiate book as a thing "do as i am and you will make good shot". Unfortunately (?) i am not, so it was browsing through book for 30 mins, and now its dead paperweight.

Bill has a great mode of teaching, he shows you how to do your job and push you to do it better. Great book from a great artist.

Light and beauty go together like the sky and the sun. When a professional photographer is in harmony with beautiful models and their environment they will create images that reflects this light and beauty. That's what you will find in Bill Lemons new book "Professional Secrets Of Nude & Beauty Photography". This book is full of exceptional images illustrating outstanding lighting techniques and beautiful models posed in flattering ways.

This book is more then just beautiful people and well-lit sets. There is substance here as well. "Nude & Beauty Photography" is full of instruction, inspiration and creative tips. Each setup is outlined in a narrative, with lighting graphics and equipment/film details. The reader can learn tips on posing, camera angles, composition, lighting, selecting models and much more.

Bill Lemon knows his craft and illustrates it with provocative and creative images. Further, he knows how to explain his techniques in ways that are understandable to average photographer. He gives you just the right balance between instruction and enjoyment. If you?re just a 'looker' or want to be a 'learner' I can highly recommend "Nude & Beauty Photography".

Bill Lemon does it right. Its a simple, and easy to read book on photographing women. It covers positions and lighting that work consistantly. Nice diagrams and examples with enough text to inform. Should be in every photographers library.

A fantastic book with great ideas, fantastic posing and an inspiration for any photographer that wants to photograph women. Personally I find Lemon's books easy to follow and find his posing techniques superlative. He has the ability to make average women look stunning with his beauty lighting, posing and make-up. Bill Lemon is a master of Beauty, Glamour and Nude photography