Graphics Books

this book cotains hundreds of photo's of paintings, drawings and refrences photo's of tim hildebrants artwork. It also cotains the original sketches of the paintings of lord of the rings paintings. highly recommended.

I hadn't actually heard of the Hildebrandt brothers,but got this book for the simple fact that it bore the name of Tolkien.I opened it up and there it was,scenes I pictured in my head were now right in front of me,in richly painted acrylic colors,with moods of sadness,fear,peace,and courage.I recommend this book and give it five stars!Get it come on you know you want to....

The Bros. Hildebrandt were *the* Tolkien artists of my youth, and even today, when I find my own artistic interpretion of the scenes varies so much from theirs, I still deeply appreciate what they did, and am thrilled to see their calendar work -- with the associated sketches and model photos -- reproduced here.

The childhood anecdotes by the author -- son of one of the Brothers -- are occasionally interesting, more often annoying. But the art itself remains glorious.

As any Brothers Hildebrandt fan knows, Greg and Tim's first Tolkein calender went on to become a worldwide bestseller. Some of the art,such as Unexpected Party or Gandalf with the Balrog was simply brilliant. Some of it looks dated today such as the hideous 1976 granny dress that Galadriel wears or the Sgt. Pepper mustache on Aragorn and the silly looking Fell beasts ridden by Nazgul who look like they're about to fall off at any minute. Oh well. Nobody got out of the 70s without some style howlers. Laugh at the funny stuff and be awed by the great.

One of the strongest and most charming elements of the book is the descriptions from Greg Hildebrant's son who was five when the brothers began working on the calenders. Young Greg's memories are full of wonder that's in keeper with what his uncle and father were working on. It's not all sweetness and light however, young Greg remembers that toward the middle of the project things got increasingly difficult in the studio. The pressures of the deadline, creative disagreements and artistic disappointments (Among other things the brothers didn't have time to do a huge battle scene that they'd planned) and the need to do separate projects are all mentioned.

Besides all three Hildebrandt calenders, the book has pictures of privately commissioned works (some of which are better than the orginal paintings), prelim sketches, and photos of the models. If you loved the work of the brothers or have just discovered it this will be a highly entertaining treat for you.

I loved the Hildebrandts' art as a kid, and I appreciate being able to revisit it in this handsome volume. Engaging scenes, fabulous detail, vivid colors, and some of the best Tolkien paintings ever (the Ring of Galadriel, Old Man Willow, the Pillars of the Kings, Saruman and the Palantir). Their influence can be seen in many subsequent interpretations of Tolkien (compare the Hildebrandts' "Eowyn and the [left-handed] Nazgul" with the same scene in the 2004 Ted Nasmith calendar) and in much "generic" fantasy art.

But... Some of the earlier works have odd perspective (check out the chimney in "Gandalf visits Bilbo"). The hobbits look like children (the 5-year-old Greg Hildebrandt Jr. was the model). Shadowfax just fell off the carousel. Treebeard is a cartoon. Rivendell looks like a gingerbread house. Smaug appears to be made of plastic. The Nazgul fly around on rubber chickens (really, that's what they used as the model). And Aragorn's mustache! Perhaps it looked majestic in the 70s, but now it's just laughable.

It is interesting to see the sketches (some of which are superior to the final painting) and reference photos. The text is annoyingly told from the author's perspective as a 5-year-old model, but contains some amusing nuggets like the rubber chicken fell beast. I didn't think much of the pullout poster -- it's certainly not their best work. Still, on balance I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Tolkien (unless you already have the calendars).

I bought this for my 10 year old son and he loved it. My 14 year old and I also read it and we agree, it's a winner. The pictures are great and its packed with information for any new hamster owner. If you are adding a hamster to your home, get this book!

This book is fun for children and adults. It gives much much information about caring for hamsters that can really be of use. Take it from me; this book has helped me so much! It talks about your hamster's needs and wants, "do"s and "don't"s, breeding, cage information and much more! This book is highly recommended by me.

I bought this book for my daughters 9th birthday because we decided to let her get a hamster. The book is very informative, has bright colorful pictures, and simply makes you want to read it! My daughter read the entire book in one setting, as did I. I liked the fact that each chapte focuses on the child reading the book, explaining everything in simple terms and then on the very last page of the chapter there is a just for parents list of everything that was covered in the chapter. I know I learned a few things from reading this book and I'm sure you child will too!

I'm huge Hamtaro fan (Anime and Manga). I had been a Hamtaro fan for about a year or more when my best friend decided to get a hamster of her own. I went to a sleepover and had met her new hamster "Harmony" named after Harmony in the 2nd Hamtaro game and future character in the Hamtaro Anime Series. With that her parnets had got her this Hamster Care Book. I only looked at a few pages and I really enjoyed it. A month later, after begging, my mom finally got me a hamster (Who's name is "Bijou"). She didn't get me any books because I had already researched about Hamsters and my brother had one a few years ago (But my brother didn't know how to take care of him). I decided to buy and borrow Hamster Care Books to gether more information about Hamsters. Along one of these books, I finally got the Hamtaro Hamster Care Book and I loved it more then the other books I had collected. My little cousin (Who's 5) who's planning on getting a hamster had looked at the book and understood it right away (Without me explaining any thing). I highly suggest this to any Hamtaro fan, hamster fan, animal fan, or someone who getting a hamster.

When I found a review of this book on hamsterific I thought it was a book about the cartoon Hamtaro, but I was wrong. It's filled with very good hamster information that's easy to read, but still more comprehensive than other hamster books I've read.
Hamtaro is just there as eye-candy.
This book is fantastic, the authors really seem to have a different, more serious perspective on hamster care.

"This book is intended for researchers, practicing engineers, and students who wish to understand and / or develop fingerprint-based recognition systems." So the introduction, and right they are. The authors have chosen a more informal style, but still give some of the Mathematics necessary. The references are extensive and ultimately the reader will have to go to them to make a contribution.

I would recommend buying this book with "Automatic Fingerprint Recognition Systems" by Ratha and Bolle (ed.) It would be hard for me to make a decision between these two books.

Lo recomiendo si desean implementar nuevos algoritmos para reconocimiento de huellas dactilares y/o una revision a profundidad de como funcionan los metodos existentes.

Imprescindible concimiento de gradientes y algoritmos digitales en el tratamiento de imagenes.. para comprender el contenido.

This book is a "must". Very useful for my research on Biometrics and Multibiometrics Systems. No wonder this book received the 2003 PSP Award (Computer Science) from the Association of American Publishers.

This book first describes the different biometric systems that exist. It describes different methods of acquiring the fingerprints and the advantages and drawbacks from each method. Then it handles the different analysis methods for fingerprints in depth. The matching algorithms that are known with their evaluation is handled throughly with their indexing and classification methods. It discusses methods for fingerprint evaluation with the databases of NIST on DVD and the software sfinge for artificially making the fingerprints.

The part that is really new is the multimodal biometric system and performance measures of these systems. It also handles the individuality of fingerprints themselves and finally it gives an overview of methods for attacking fingerprints systems (denial of service, fake fingers, trojan horses, replay but also the electronic storage systems behind them). If you are in biometrics and also in forensic science, you certainly should consider reading this book.

The applications of Biometrics technology range from federated identity management to digital rights management, time and attendance, background checking, and homeland security. None of the biometric characteristics has received more attention till date than fingerprints. Fingerprint recognition is the most cost effective and accurate biometrics, which is evident from its rapid deployment in the widest range of security applications.

This book contains a plethora of information on every aspect of fingerprint recognition technology - introduction to biometrics and fingerprints, fingerprint sensing devices, feature extraction, matching, classification, synthetic fingerprint generation, multimodal systems, secure design, fingerprint individuality - you name it. The DVD accompanying this book will save you a lot of money and trouble of collecting your own data to test your algorithms.

The authors of this book - Davide Maltoni, Dario Maio, Salil Prabhakar, and Anil K. Jain - are undoubtedly some of the most well known and respected experts in the world on the topic of fingerprint recognition. It is no surprise that such extraordinary researchers have produced such an exceptional masterpiece.

Whether you are an inventor, developer, practitioner, forensic specialist, or system manager in this field looking for an excellent reference or just a novice looking for basic information on biometrics and fingerprint recognition technology, you must read this outstanding book.

it was excellent,funny and everthing i was looking for.my 2daughters loved it alot. they are excited for more of it.i think it is the best.thank you so much victoria blair

About six months ago I came across a display of manga books. Although I've never been a big comic book fan, I fell in love with the beautiful cover illustrations and began to browse through them. One manga in particular caught my attention, not just for the cover art but also for the book description. The story of a teen psychic and her guardian demon is a tale that sounds right up my alley. However, I just wasn't sure. After all I am a bit older than your usual manga fan. For months every time I would into a book store I headed to the manga section, pick it up and put it down again. Last weekend I finally decided to buy the first of the series. I'm so glad I did! Despite my confusion over the format (read back to front and, I think, in the opposite direction of American books) and the very short actual reading time spent on the book, I found it facinating. I loved the storylines about malevolent spirits, the innocent girl and her overprotective guardian. In fact, I not only read it once, I've re-read it four times already. I totally recommend it to anyone who enjoys horror/romance and the supernatural.

How can you not like this manga? I admit, the cover was the first thing that had attracted me-bondages maybe? After glancing at the artwork, I soon fell in love. Ayume and Hyoue are two very likeable characters, each filling in what the other person lacked. I always find myself looking for the next volume when I go to a bookstore. Amazing storyline, I would recommend it to everyone.

Ok, I love these newer mangas now making it to the USA that have female leads with submissive but strong male partners. Reminds me of the knight-lady dynamic in romances. Yet these aren't overtly romantic and the lady in question is quite strong and capable if somewhat naive to begin with. Amane is a wonderful character trying to fit into a new school and a new life and Hyoue is her faithful everything until she starts making new friends. But I think these friends are going to make her stronger and that will only make her possession of Hyoue even better. I plan to keep reading to find out.

I didn't want to like Her Majesty's Dog....I realy, really didn't. But I can't help it. I like--no, I REALLY like it. At first I didn't want to read it because at the time of it's release I was SO into InuYasha, and one day I was casually flipping through shojo beat magazine and I saw an ad for Her Majesty's Dog. When I saw the cover , I was like "it's a shojo version of InuYasha! What a rip-off!". Then, when I was at Borders one day, I saw the book and, just to see what it was like, I took a look at it. I decided, when I read the back cover and had read the first few pages, that it was a total copy of InuYasha! The fact that Hyoue protects Amane like InuYasha protects Kagome was especially hard to enjoy, and Hyoue's personality was almost exactly like InuYahsa's (almost always angry, over-protective, easily jealous, etc.). Amane even looks like Kagome to some extent. But about a year after Her Majesty's Dog was first released, I had grown tired of InuYasha (it's just so long and the story never gets anywhere). I was once again at Borders and I decided to give this another try. And I am so glad that I did. Her Majesty's Dog may sound a bit weak form the outside, but once you've read it, you see that it is deep and very entertaining. Mick Takeuchi has beautiful artwork and her story is very good, actually. Now, when I look back, I hardly see any similairities at all between Her Majesty's Dog and InuYasha. So far, my favorite thing about the books are the relationships between the characters and the little omakes at the beginning of each volume (the ones where Amane is treating Hyoue like a dog: for example, in this volume she is in chibi form and telling him to stay in his dog house and Hyoue is glaring up at the sky. It is very very funny and cute). So, for anyone who is suspicious about trying Her Majesty's Dog, I ask you to give it a shot. It is much better than it appears.

I'll have to say that this artist has a way with the graphic art form that I feel few others have demontrated thus far in the genre. The sincerity conveyed through simplicity in order to portray a wonderful series of elements that characterise the human condition is refreshing...not to mention that zombies, mummies and monsters in general NEED to be in our lives!

I just found a first edition of this wonderful story and I must say that after reading Dylan Horrock's small quote on the rear cover I was quite interested.

I lost my childhood friend to suicide three years ago and this story, while not similar in that fate, really helped me see what I have been holding inside. Guilt is a terrible suitcase, one not easily discarded, but it's nice to see no one is alone.

I knew little of the book before literally stumbling onto it and I am very glad I did. It now sits in my large collection of comics and such and will be one of my favorite conversation pieces in my local comic shop in weeks to come. I highly recommend it to all!

"Hey, Wait.." TP, is a book conceived and drawn both by Jason.This terse graphic novella uses no words,but all-pantomine.It is an allegorical genre, tackling by stretching out gradually the life of a young boy leading up, maturing & his becoming of a young man.

My givings of this short precis` is about two pubescent boys spending jovially on one of there school summer vacations. The twosome literally smell the happy air of there school-free environment, exuberantly eating the ticking time heedfully the rest of there holliday lives, & they just simply wallow the concurrent moments of what in store for them during these cherished times. However one day, a fortutious event diverges the path they both tread for the rest of there lives permanently. The other one simply could not accept the happenstance what predestined by fate. So he cope with it antipathetically as his life sinks spirally to the toilet, & as well, he tries to endure this guilt for the remainder of his adult life.

Essentially, this comic book is broken down to two halves. The first chapter is all about exploring fully the childhood lives of these two young boys. While the latter half shown us by sifting through the lives of the protagonists & that wretched and tragedic repercussions. By the way, this book utilizes anthropomorphic characters or in other words, uses animals as oppose to humans as way to smoothly deliver the story as what the author intended it to be.

Jason is a very talented & well-rounded comic book creator. he artfully etched out the story to life with his true-to-life and accurate rendition of diverse & realistic emotions of each circumstances upon dictated spontaneously by the story itself. The story turns out very profound in the dimensions of emotions and rich in psychological dealings,at least in reference to subtle, not blatant aspects. Likewise,the story is very poignant, dark & melancholic, heartbreaking and ultimately, heart-rending.

However, the grandest talent of Jason based by critique-ing this work, is his ability to leverage panels to his pluses per page (6 panels a page). He skillfully by fully delineating lucidly the essences to fruition such as those articulated prior, such as the psychological, emotional, and allegorical ranges. Most of the times, his panels do not even show people nor any interactions, neither a situation at all.Ironically, merely illustrated a tree or any object for that matter & completed, then presenting to us, only the tree & its environment for example, for all 6 panels, with the author sole purpose to starkly immersing the reader to every inch of significant emotions & other nuances of what Jason deemed neccessary & clever.

This slender graphic novella constitutes only for 64 pages, all in B&W & comic book format, softbounded & with sturdy frontage cover. A good buy and a "must own".

A bonafide, quasi literary piece of work. In the same breath alongside "Maus" by. Art Spiegelmann; "Four Women" by. Sam Kieth; "To the Heart of the Storm" by. Will Eisner & " A Jew in Communist Prague" by. Vittorio Giardino.

Highly recommended for story, price and Jason.

Jason's comic coming-of-age story has many gems. His simplistic style and steady pacing with the use of the same comic panels on every page forge a universe made of a very personal visual language. The lines between adulthood and childhood are clearly drawn (so to speak): adults are tired, working-class that rarely smile as they tread the streets on stilts; the two kids in the story have boundless imagination and their world is populated by undead bullies and comic monsters.

The second part does not read as cleverly as the first, though done with the same care. The symbolism of the first half is only seen when the main character hits his lowest ebb. Its not clear why this character is made to suffer so much as his guilt succumbs to an unsatisfying life. Jason's very linear narrative could have used a little more complexity on this end but is otherwise a work that strikes a dark chord in regards to lost innocence and lost life and the parallels between the two.

Jason, Hey, Wait... (Fantagraphics, 2001)

Graphic novel artist Jason made a huge splash with this slim volume when it first came out a few years back. It's pretty easy to see why; with a minimum of dialogue and a ot of abstraction, Jason paints a deeply affecting pastiche.

The story concerns two childhood friends who decide to start a fan club. While they're planning out the initiation, something goes horribly wrong, and the rest of the book deals with one friend's lifelong reaction to a life-changing event.

Hey, Wait... is unflinching. If you haven't yet come to the world of graphic novels, this is a great place to start; even the toughest critics of graphic novels, I should think, would be hard-pressed to deny the emotional power of this little tale (and it certainly puts to bed the idea that all comics are for kids). **** ½

this is greate book , not only becouse it was the knock off of the classic lord of the rings trilogy and all other story and legends regarding middle earth. but the story to this book was terrific. i must admit it starts off a little slow when it first intoduces mr baggins, but the story will pick up i promis you.
its hard for me to detail to you how greate it is without giving away the story but its just a never ending journy even for those do not have intrest in midth or legend books. this is a easy to read story about an adventure that all will find entertaining.
not that its at a flat pase or anything but its easy to read due to that its told from third person point of veiw so well, its almost like being told the story in person.
id recommend it to all ages.

I remember when I was seven, I was in bed one evening. My dad brought me this book to read."What is it about?" I ask."A hobbit," he says."What is a hobbit?" I reply. If I was a few years older it would have been 'what the bloody hell is a hobbit?'My first thought was a small creature with furry feet sounded dumb and boring.I was wrong.

"The Hobbit or There and Back Again" is the first story of Middle-Earth that was ever read by the masses. And to this day it remains a beloved favorite due to Tolkien's exceptional writing, realistic and lovable characters, and the fantastic, complicated world with its unlikely hero: a fuzzy-footed hobbit.

Bilbo Baggins lives a pleasantly stodgy and dull life in the Shire, in a luxurious hole under a hill. ("It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort") But his life is completely turned upside-down by the arrival of the wizard Gandalf and thirteen dwarves. The dwarves, led by the exiled king-in-waiting Thorin Oakenshield, want to regain the Lonely Mountain (and a lot of treasure) from the dragon Smaug, who drove out the dwarves long ago. Why do they want Bilbo? Because Gandalf has told them that he'd make a good burglar (even though Bilbo has never burgled in his life).

So before Bilbo is entirely sure what is going on, he is being swept off on a very unrespectable -- and dangerous -- adventure. Bilbo and the Dwarves battle goblins and spiders, are nearly eaten twice, are captured and Bilbo is forced to riddle with the treacherous, withered Gollum, and ends up escaping with a magical Ring. But even after these obstacles, the dragon Smaug is still in the Lonely Mountain, and Bilbo is not entirely sure what to do to deal with this enemy.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien had been crafting his mythos of Elves, Dwarves, Wizards and Men for years before writing "The Hobbit," but "The Hobbit" is the first story that people had the opportunity to read. It began as a line scrawled on a sheet of blank paper, and then into a bedtime story for his children. And even though it's overshadowed by "Lord of the Rings" and "Silmarillion," this book is an essential link. It's definitely sillier and lighter, but it provides the springboard for a lot of the stuff in "Lord of the Rings" -- especially the magical Ring that Bilbo finds in Gollum's cavern.

The concept of hobbits started in this book -- the quintessential peaceful "wee" people, based on British countryfolk, with simple pleasures and unexpected depths of strength and resourcefulness. And, of course, fuzz on their large feet. Tolkien's Elves are a little more ethereal and less dignified, and his dwarves are a bit more comical and less grim. But Elrond hints at the full majesty of the Elves, and Thorin Oakenshield is still the most dignified, proud and impressively flawed dwarf there is. The last chapters of the book hint at the epic majesty of "Lord of the Rings," and some of the same victory/loss themes. And of course, the idea that even little people -- like a hobbit or a bird -- can change the world.

Tolkien's writing is quick and light, while providing sufficient detail to let you picture what's going on. The dialogue is less influenced by Old English, and the pace is a lot faster (not surprising, since it was originally read to his kids before bedtime). Bilbo is a likable little guy -- he seems to be the last person whom you'd expect to be a courageous hero, but he shows incredibly strength and smarts when he's under pressure. Supporting characters like Thorin, Bard the Guardsman-turned-King, the king of the wood-elves, and even Smaug himself are never cookie-cutter, but multidimensional and immensely interesting to read about.

"The Hobbit" was written for children, but adults can appreciate and enjoy it just as much. So read this book, then scoop up "The Fellowship of the Ring" and continue reading. A timeless treasure and classic.

The Hobbit is probably Tolkien's most famous work after The Lord of the Rings, and for a good reason: it's an amazing book! I became an extremely devoted fan of all of Tokien's works after seeing The Lord of the Rings films, and they really opened up the richness of Tolkien's world for me. I read The Hobbit, believe it or not, for the first time only a few months ago but wanted a better looking copy of the book than an old paper back edition I bought second hand that is practically falling apart. I found this edition here and what caught my eye was the front cover and the illustration by David Wyatt. I received the book to be only mildly disappointed because the actual book cover looks a little different than what the picture shows here. However, the book still has David Wyatt's beautiful Smaug illustration, so I'm content. The Hobbit is an amazing book and this is a great edition to have.

The interesting thing about The Hobbit is how close it came to never seeing the light of day. J.R.R. Tolkien's classic children's fantasy book only exists because he was bored while grading his students' papers and accidentally created the mythical creatures known as Hobbits.
But I think The Hobbit in particular came into being because Tolkien loved the old fairy tales and myths and couldn't find any contemporary books like the old ones he enjoyed reading. The Hobbit is such a fun book to read that it's almost sinful to admit it. Treasure-hoarding dragons, greedy song-singing dwarves, a jestful old wizard, and the trickssy Gollum all add up to creating a wonderful classic.
The Hobbit is a throw back to a much older tradition of fantasy stories than what we're used to nowadays. I recommend this book in particular to everyone familiar with The Lord of the Rings, since it will help to fill in the gaps on what happened before the events in that story.

The shipping was really fast. I bought this book as a gift and they liked it!

This book is so good it's scary it teaches stuff from poses to move ment step by step so you can get it really easyly. At first I was terrible at drawing movement so every piture I drew was a charater standing but then I got this book at the libray. And now I know how to draw people jumping running and much more. Very helpful and useful it should have ten stars. Cool as it gets the person who made this book worked for Studio Ghibli!
~*~Purin~*~

I must say, I really enjoyed this book. I love how the book displays the body in different views and in different positions. This is especially useful when you can't draw a character from a certain sitting position. For those who are a little concerned about nudity, don't worry. There is some nudity, but it's mostly the guys. I really wouldn't call it nudity though, since they do not draw the nipples on the females at all. It's merely a silhouette of the naked form. Other than that, this book is a must have. It really shows daily activities (like the book suggests)it also has some activities like karaoke. I wouldn't call that a daily activity, but that pose can come in handy if one wishes to draw a karaoke scene in their manga.

The third book in the series picks up right after the last with perspective. The first chapter is dedicated to it, and provides many great tips. It then moves on to basic character movements such as walking, running, sitting, sleeping, and much more. From there it even goes into greater detail by showing you variations of the previously mentioned movements, and a lot of them. After all, no two people are made the same. This is a great book for any artist period who wants to learn the different poses of the body.

Ozawa does a wonderful job again! He inititally starts the book on drawing your character using perspective giving a numerous amount of pointers and examples. Then giving basic action poses (walking, running, sitting, standing, laying down, etc) and going into variations of those actions by using multiple examples of characters. A typical example page consists of a stick figure in a particular pose, a block figure, and the actual finished character in the same pose. Front and back, or other view of the pose is common and he even gives pointers and tips of details to look out for.

Besides teaching you how to draw real believable characters, this book is an excellent edition that you may later use as a reference book for poses. Like his earlier books, Ozawa covers nudity tastefully and this book can be used by young artists without fear. A book well worth the money, imo.

For those of us who struggle from time to time with drawing animals, especially if the animal is sitting or standing a certain way then this is a great book to buy. Another book from the brilliant Hikaru Hayashi, he shows you some steps of drawing the animals with the use of shapes to start off with so that you can give the animal form. He also give you examples of each animal from different angles, as well as their routines. The only bad thing about this book would be that he doesn't give you detail throughout the whole entire book. Only the the first couple of pages start you off with shapes. I would definately recommend this book for those who already know how to draw to some extent and above. I do not recommend it for beginners. The only nude picture in this book would be of a woman holding her cat, but her back is facing towards you, so it really isn't a big deal at all. This book is far from tasteless.

I WAS SO LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THIS BOOK. JUST RECENTLY STARTED DRAWING MANGA AND ANIME, AND LOVING IT. THIS BOOK IS GREAT FOR THE VARIETY OF ANIMAL IT COVERS, BUT I REALLY FAIL TO SEE HOW THEY ARE MANGA ANIMALS. I HAVE MANY BOOKS ON DRAWING ANIMALS, AND COULD HAVE JUST ADDED MANGA "EYES" TO THEM AND SAVED MY MONEY. LOTS OF PICTURES BUT LACKS INSTRUCTIONS.

I'm glad to see thay made a book on how to draw animals i am especialy happy to see they show how to draw ferrets and other animals u realy don't think abou drawing.

This book waa really helpful. It has a lot of pictures that makes up for its lack of information. It includes a lot of different animals from the simple hamster to the complexity of the orangatang and the lion.

It is broken down into four main sections. The first section includes basic information. While the other three include the actual animals.

The Second section has most household animals but also a few exotic ones such as meerkats. The first few pages are mostly dogs and then it goes into cats. I believe that these are the animals that the author goes into most detail. But for each animal it has a number of different poses and includes a look inside their mouths which I find helpful when drawing bite marks.

The third section includes wild animals and also becomes more difficult. It gives a huge variety but the sections become increasingly smaller. And the last chapter labeled birds is very small and has a lot of detail but seems very crammed to the point where you can become confused. This section also includes one page of fish, angel fish and goldfish, which was pretty upsetting. They could have included a lot more bony fish and on more than one page.

If you need written instuctions on how to draw an animal, this is not the book for you. But if you can look a step by step drawn instructions then you should do fine and will find it very helpful.

ok, this book is one of the BETTER BOOKS in the HTDM series (the male book is pretty good too) and it does have a nice variety of animals in it, like giraffes, camels, tapirs, birds (tho not many *frown*) etc...it WILL NOT show step by step, so beginners beware...it just provides basics, and it kinda expects you to be able to take methods and put them to use in drawing animals...

out of all the books i own and have seen, this is probably one of the only books that is realy useful...it actualy teaches you something, in which others do not, b/c all manga books in this series have naked girls in them (disturbing...so utterly disturbing...everytime i see the HTDM female book, i feel like im going to lose my lunch)...tho wat DID get to me is even tho this book is SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO TEACH YOU TO DRAW ANIMALS, IT STILL MANAGES TO STICK A FEW UNCLOTHED WOMEN IN THE CAT SECTION...my response, as you can guess, was "wat...the...crap?"...i thought it was animals only, not humans! geez! that aside, the book helps w/ geting the animal proportions down right, and differences between some species and genders...

one of the only books you should get if you like manga...most others are useless, and a big waste of money...the ones you should also consider when learning to draw are listed below:
Tadashi Ozawa's 5 Volume collection "HTDM: Anime and Game Characters" (they have the pretty colorful covers...they teach u how to draw different types of characters, expressions, and actions both daily and battle)
HTDM Bodies and Anatomy (female nudity, males r covered...just get it for the muscle structure)
HTDM Male Characters (nudity curiously omitted...*raises eyes b/c all others make sure "body parts" on women are very detailed*)
HTDM Animals (but you already knew about this one *laugh*)

I work in graphic design and have to say that Illusive is in my top 5 favourite art books. If you like good quality art books then this it. Illusive is filled with inspiring art from artists around the world with a broad scope of different styles. My favourite artists in the book include Henry Obasi, Stephane Manel,and Sophie Toulouse. This book makes a great coffee table book and would make an excellent gift for those interested in graphic design, illustration and art.

Anything you need to stay up-to-date with the most recent works on the field of illustration.

This book is better than I expected, way better. Illusive has become a bottomless well of inspiration to me. Some of the art is a little out there and impractical, but thats what's great about this book. The art is both cutting edge and simple at times. My favorite chapter is the one that covers handmade elements combined with digital elements. If you're into cutting edge art and want to expand your skill set buy this book ASAP!!!!

For all illustrators and designers!
This book is a must have.
It contains the most amazing collection of art works.
I am graphic designer and illustrator.
This book gives me tons of inspirations.
I highly recommend to add this book to your collection.

I bought this book along with the "Bologna Annual Illustrators of Children's Books" catalogue and leave both of them on my coffee table. The illustrations as well as graphic artwork for anything from books to band posters and advertisements are beautiful and very inspiring. I find myself sitting on the couch flipping through it regularly. Well worth the money!

This is a detail review of Garfield. Not only Garfield but also the products of Garfield in whole world. If you didn't know much about garfield, you can find a lot of information in the book. It's a great book for Garfield's Fans.

If your a Garfield fan this book is a must! It's great!! It gives you lots of info on what's become of Garfield over the years. Jim Davis is the "King of Humor" to have come up with so many funny ideas. I was a fan when I was growing up and now my step-kids are all fans thanks to all my old books.
I bought this book for the kids but I ended up reading it as well. This book is the link of where Garfield came from, and celabrates his wonderful 25 years.
Thanks for making people laugh for so many years all around the world Jim Davis!

This book makes a wonderful gift for anyone! You'd wish you got one for yourself too!

If there is one thing from my childhood that has remained a part of my life as an adult, it is my love for that fat, orange, cranky tabby cat named Garfield. I recently received "In Dog Years I'd Be Dead: Garfield at 25" as a present. It is a coffee table book that looks back at the history of the fat, orange tabby. This book is an extremely comprehensive look at everything Garfield. It goes into details about everything from commercial ads to the classic cartoon series "Garfield and Friends". As a diehard Garfield fan and an artist, I appreciated seeing the earlier, rough sketches of Garfield strips. This book may be a couple of years old but it certainly covers pretty much everything that the fat cat has given to the public. I especially loved seeing some of the more sillier photos of Jim Davis and Garfield. Another favorite moment is the section with all the counterfeit Garfield products. For some reason, I find something fascinating about something as ugly as those counterfeit products. "In Dog Years I'd Be Dead..." is the ideal coffee table book for diehard Garfield fans. Great intro by columnist Dave Barry.

This book is soooo awesome! it was so cool to see what the old garfield comics looked like! I recomend this book for any garfield fan! Soooo AWESOME!!!