Graphics Books

Not that more to say than the title... This book contains many great photos made by a master, and the print quality makes justice to them (well, to confirm another review, there is one image that went too far on the reds, and has a deceptive burnt look - while many are great, and the splitND use is far more unobtrusive than Rowell's eg, with due respect ;o).
Page layout is more conservative than in other Muench books I have (I think to Primal Forces, great images but layout on the kitsch side), and that suits me well.

This is the first David Muench book that i've purchased and because of the beautiful photos inside it will not be my last.

Besides the several landscape books from Muench, I have collected quite a few other landscape books from other famous photographers. By far, this is the one I like most (together with one by Apse called "New Zealand Landscape"). The photos in the book fully demonstrate that one can always breathe new life to old scenes with enough skill, perception and perseverence.

This is a gorgeous book of southwest photographs. It has many examples of how to take great photographs. An interesting feature is the photographers comments about each photograph, found in the back of the book. There are only a few flaws in my humble view. Some of the photographs were printed with very exagerated color saturation. This is painful in some cases. Another problem is Mr. Muench's use of a split density magenta filter for several of the photographs. He tries to give the scenes a warm glow but the magenta color looks totally fake, especially when one sees it only across the top of the photograph. Please throw that split density magenta filter away and let the southwest present its beauty naturally. Still a great and valuable book to own.

This book offers a breathtaking view of the Colorado plateau. The full-page color photos are so incredibly vivid they almost jump off the page. It really makes you feel like you are there.

You get a look at towering mountains & magnificent nature made stone sculptures. Cascading waterfalls, meandering steams, peaceful snowscapes, brilliant autumn leaves, beautiful flowers & endless skies take your breath away.

Muench is a master at capturing detail and light, and this setting shows off his talent to the maximum. A narrative by James Lawrence provides a history of the area and conveys the feelings inspired by this natural wonderland.

Some images have small quotes & poems under them. In the back, each photo is shown in miniature with comments from photographer and technical details. This book provides a beautiful world to get lost in.

Another excellent compendium of early Americana and social history as illustrated in the E. C. Segar Thimble Theatre comic pages. Nothing sanitised or homogenised about this. A must for the Popeye enthusiast. A delight on any coffee table or bedside stand.

I am a danish cartoonist/illustrator, and my style is on the funny side.
When I was a kid in the 50's I came to know some of the original Segar strips from some books an aunt of mine had in her shelf. That I never forgot. I have often returned to Popeye, and have exposed my son to him as well. When he was about 5 years old, he was a huge fan of the old black and white animated movies, and I had to paint an anchor on his arms every morning before he went to kindergarden. I gave him a small corn pipe as well, and he went around like Popeye in the movies, with his arms out to the side. And on day his teacher came and said: "I think he has a problem with his eyes, maybe you should take him to a doctor." But I could tell her, that it was just because he was playing Popeye, walking around with his right eye closed.
After my childhood came many frustrating years, where the only Popeye cartoons were the ones Segars successors made, and they were just a faint copy of the masters work. It was a seldom thing to fall over one of Segars original works.
So how can I describe how happy I was when Fantagraphics began this project. I bought the first volume, and could hardly wait for the next. I will follow this project to the very end.
I have noticed that the drawing style has rubbed off on my own style in the later years, and I love the humor.
Segar's original Popeye cartoons are a milestone in comic book history!!!

For someone raised on early 20th century comics, the series this book is volume 2 in is a real treasure. Elzie Chris Segar was a comic genius on a par with Carl Barks, Mort Walker, and Charles Schultz. His original newspaper Popeye comics are some of the greatest created. Stories are original and ludicrously inventive and the humor is top of the line. It's not for everyone, but connoisseurs of really great comics will have to have this.

E. C. Segar was a comic genius, but just how great a genius becomes clear as you read his Popeye stories in this beautifully reproduced new series from Fantagraphics. Popeye himself is one of the most fascinating and complex characters in American fiction, a tender-hearted ruffian who clobbers not just big thugs but also puny bystanders, and yet somehow never seems the least bit like a bully. Popeye was still taking shape in Popeye Vol. 1: "I Yam What I Yam" (Popeye), but he's completely present in the new book, and now it's the turn of supporting characters like Roughhouse and Wimpy--Segar's second-greatest comic creation--to emerge before our eyes. I hope these wonderful books are getting the support they deserve. Their only drawback is that it's a year between volumes.

Volume one featured the world's first introduction to Popeye. In this volume the character of Popeye continues to take shape. As the book progresses Castor Oyl slowly fades from the scene until Popeye and Olive are left standing as the undisputed centerpieces of Elzie Segar's Thimble Theater. Popeye's physical appearance improves significantly bringing him much closer to his traditional look particularly in his chin which looked kind of droopy in the first volume.

You can sense a bit of a moral dilemma on the part of Segar. On the one hand the humor of Popeye revolves around his violent nature and inhuman ability to take and deliver punishment. On the other hand Segar clearly wants to make Popeye a likable even admirable character. His solution seemed to be to always add at least a hint of obnoxiousness to everyone he punches so that one can make an argument that the recipient of Popeye's punishment had it coming to them. Although this means that Popeye's neighborhood (never referred to as Sweethaven as far as I've seen) is packed with men itching for a fight. Every once in awhile Popeye socks someone for no good reason like an American Indian who Popeye assumes might try and scalp him. In this case Olive Oyl acts as the voice of reason telling Popeye it's wrong to abuse American Indians. This also seems to be a way for Segar to let people know that he is aware that some of Popeye's actions are morally dubious. In this volume Popeye becomes an almost Mother Theresa type humanitarian, opening up a one-way bank using a $25,000 the reward he received. He ends up giving out money to the poor until he's left with nothing for himself. This seems to be a continuing theme with him repeatedly using money he earns to help out the poor. Popeye has also become a hero and protector of children and in one comic Popeye tries to help a small boy learn to fight. He does this by punching out random men walking down the street.

Volume 2 features some famous firsts. The first appearances of Wimpy and Roughhouse and the first time Popeye is shown powering up with spinach. It's difficult for me to express how much I loved these comics. Elzie Segar's Popeye is a surprisingly multidimensional character compared to his later incarnations. At one point, after a particularly harsh verbal barrage from Olive, Popeye slaps her to the ground. It's a shocking moment even more so because earlier in the book Popeye had financially assisted a woman who had been battered by her husband. When Olive scolds him for the slap Popeye replies, `I yam what I yam' but in that instant with his head held low he might as well have said, `I can't help what I yam'. Quite a difference from the cardboard hero he became as the years went by. Where else would you find a cartoon character wrestle with his own penchant for violence or later express such honest and heartfelt love for a girl?

Volume one was five star material but volume two is even better. I never would have expected a comic over seventy five years old to be this edgy and legitimately funny. It's also amazing how much Elzie Segar's drawings improve over a very short period of time. There is one strip in particular that had me laughing hard. Popeye has gotten himself involved in a war and, in one of his last appearances; Castor Oyl tells Popeye that King Blozo wants to see him immediately. Suddenly a cannonball flies up and smacks Popeye in the rear sending him sailing like a rag doll through the air, through a pole, through the castle wall landing him at the king's feet. Castor says something like, "It wasn't THAT urgent". The visual of Popeye sailing through the air is absolutely hilarious and the punch line was perfect

If you're reading this review you're likely debating whether you should get this book and if you're debating let me assure you, you should. The only downside is we have to wait until fall 2008 to get the next volume.

The BEST collection of pulp genre ever. Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Is there a Doc Savage in the house? Can I get that Fu Manchu to go? how about some Lovecraft? I guess it all should have warped us, but it didn't, and all that we watch and read today has drawn strength from these wonderfully cheap reads. Totally sweet from design to content. Robinson knows his stuff and it all makes for a CHERISHED collectible book!

This is a fully revised edition of the first pictorial history of the pulp magazines to be published and the authors finally got it right. There is a complete index of magazine titles and the artists who painted their covers, the images have been rescanned to eliminate any "moire" patterns that may have degraded the paintings, and the most unusual cover ever published has now been included (a painting by John Held Jr., famous for his "sheiks and shebas" of the Jazz Age). The cover has been redesigned and features the image of a pirate far more fearsome than Johnny Depp. This is the book that started it all and the price is now more than right. --Frank M. Robinson (I'm one of the authors).

I puchased this book for 50% off, and after reading it, I can say that even at full price, it would have been worth it. Page after page of bright clear reproductions of pulp covers, many almost full-page, with any extra space filled with smaller images. The book is divided into chapters based on subject matter: Westerns, Super Heroes, Sci-Fi, Horror, Gangsters, etc. The text is informative, but minimal - it provides just enough background on each chapter's subject and then lets the art speak for itself. Each cover is accompanied with information on the issue and artist, plus some informative personal commentary from the author. Plenty of top-notch artists are included, such as Wyeth, Baumhofer, etc. Don't buy this for an in-depth analysis of pulp magazines; the star here is definitely the art, and it delivers in spades.

Hard-boiled Detectives, mysterious heroes, shadowy villains, evil oriental masterminds, and dames in distress...they are the stuff of the pulp magazines and the subject of this wonderful book by Frank Robinson which traces the history of pulp magazines and provides covers to hundreds of these great pulp magazines, so many lost in the antiquity of time...not to mention paper drives of the 1940's war years.

Robinson begins by tracing the roots of the pulps back to the dime novels of the late 1800's. Argosy would premiere as the first true pulp back in 1896 and before long dozens of competitors would emerge such as Popular Magazine, All-Story Weekly, New Story and so many more. Street & Smith, long a major publisher of dime novels would convert their Nick Carter series into Detective Story Magazine in 1915. The pulps were born!

Early on, adventure pulps were the most popular as they transported readers to strange and exotic lands in a time when few would ever leave their own state. It's where we first read the exploits of Tarzan, and heard the names of writers such as Burroughs, Mundy and Rohmer. Adventure magazine was among the most popular of those early days and they even had their own organization you could join called "The Legion" which would one day evolve into the American Legion. Adventure printed more than just fiction, they had many regular columns including "Wanted: Men & Adventurers" where real life mercenaries could advertise their skills for hire.

In the 1930's, detective pulps became the most popular as there were literally dozens of detective pulps being published. Among the most prominent pulps of the day was Black Mask Magazine, started by prominent newspaperman and political commentator H.L. Mencken. But he considered the pulps so low-brow that he didn't want his name associated with them. Still, Blackmask was a breeding ground for some for some of the great mystery and detective writers ever to pen a story including Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner, Lester Dent, and Raymond Chandler.

Robinson's narrative moves from one pulp genre to the next, with a short, but concise history of each. He examines the Western pulps and the interesting history of the man known as Max Brand. Brand was the most prolific pulp writer ever, appearing in 622 issues of Western Story magazine from 1920 - 1935. From there it's on to the hero pulps and the birth of the most famous pulp characters of all including "The Shadow", "Doc Savage", and "The Spider". The Shadow's covers were always among the most evocative and terrifying, especially those by the great George Rozen.

But the genre that gave us the most outrageous and grisly covers of the pulp era belongs to the "shudder pulps". Bondage, torture, sadism, nudity...nothing was held back in covers for such pulps as "Terror Tales" and "Horror Stories". These pulps are some of the most sought after today by collectors.

Romance, spicy adventures, sports, war...all of these get their just do in Pulp Culture but it's the sci-fi and fantasy section that will be a major appeal for many fans. It was here where some of the most famous and long-running pulps made their mark. Hugo Gernsback would usher in the age of Sci-fi pulps in 1926 with Amazing Stories. Soon there were dozens of competitors including Wonder Stories, Astounding Stories, and many more. And then there is perhaps the most famous, most collectible of all pulps, Weird Tales. Weird Tales would unleash the enormous talents of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, August Derleth, and countless others with stories that would endure, and continue to be reprinted, decades after their original publication. There are dozens of covers provided featuring the works of artists like Margaret Brundage and Virgil Finlay.

Robinson closes his book by providing an appendix to a handful of pulp dealers and notes on pulp values. This book would be worth the $40 price tag alone JUST for the hundreds of stunning covers re-printed, but Robinson's concise history of pulps just adds to the luster of the book. Simply a magnificent book for any fan or collector of pulp magazines.

Reviewed By Tim Janson

This book is a marvelous journey to a time that will not come back.Guided by two wonderful connoisseurs: writer ,pulp magazines scholar and collector Frank M. Robinson and Lawrence Davidson,"PULP CULTURE" was a beautiful gift that I bought(via Amazon.com ,from the NIGHT OWL CAFE Bookshop in North Hampton,NH) for myself.Reviewing this work for January magazine,David Middleton said:"For me it's mostly about covers.Those lurid,sensational covers." Well,for me it's about everything.I love the covers,of course(see the HANNES BOK painting for the November 1941 cover of WEIRD TALES),but I admire, too,the stories and writers.The adventure tales written by H.BEDFORD JONES and TALBOT MUNDY;the mystery and detective stories created by legends like DASHIELL HAMMETT and RAYMOND CHANDLER;the western yarns concocted by pulp giants like MAX BRAND and FRANK GRUBER.And the Magazines!It's titles!It's alluring titles:THE ARGOSY,THE ALL-STORY,BLACK MASK,DIME DETECTIVE MAGAZINE,ADVENTURE,THE BLUE BOOK,THE POPULAR MAGAZINE,WESTERN STORY,THE SHADOW MAGAZINE,G-8 AND HIS BATTLE ACES,TERROR TALES,HORROR STORIES,STRANGE STORIES,AMAZING STORIES,ASTOUNDING STORIES,FANTASTIC ADVENTURES,FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES,THRILLING WONDER STORIES,PLANET STORIES and so on...I have a good envy of collectors like Frank M. Robinson who owns hundreds and hundreds of these shiny magazines with their garish covers,a happy guardian of these rare and precious popular art objects.
The books published by Collectors Press are already much sought after for it's exquisite design and intrinsic quality."PULP CULTURE" is one of them.

Every once in a while, there is a comic book story that haunts and disturbs you. The Punisher MAX Vol. 5 trade paperback is one of the few that you will encounter within the super-hero genre.

Garth Ennis is known for his over-the-top violence and theatrical dialogue while The Punisher is a one-dimensional character that serves to act out our vigilante desires. I was expecting to revel in my guilty pleasure when everything I thought I knew about a Garth Ennis Punisher script was replaced by the tale of an all too real predicament of human wickedness.

The Slavers story arc makes the reader aware of an escalating commerce that is growing within the borders of the Ukraine, Albania and other Eastern European countries that have a newfound clientele within the United States. The practices of which the governments of such countries appear to approve are forced prostitution, rape, and infanticide. An endless supply of young children are utilized as commodities to satisfy the sexual whims and depraved desires of the monsters that walk among us. Ennis brilliantly blends the complex topic of human trafficking and the fantasy world of the Marvel Universe to offer the reader a moment of wishful thinking. This is quite the welcome change of pace from the usual Punisher tale where his enemies are evil comedic versions of the character that breathes his last in a most creative way.

Throughout the years, a list of great artists have pencilled one of the various Punisher titles that were published by Marvel Comics but few have been able to portray the severe world of Frank Castle like Leandro Fernandez. With inker Scott Koblish, Fernandez's realistic style conveys the cruel settings of a fate no child deserves to suffer. The action scenes are larger than life yet still contain that much needed plausibility to convince the reader that what is transpiring is believable.

Where lesser writers would have faltered with a subject of such social significance, Garth Ennis does not walk down the road of morality or ethics. True to the essence of the Punisher, this is a tale of brutality, violence and bloodshed. It may not be the reality that we would hope for those who profit on innocent beings but The Slavers trade paperback gives us an oppurtunity to dream about such a situation, and enjoy it.

Review by Brian Grindrod

The Entire Max series is awsome this is yet another thrilling tale by the Master Garth Ennis.

This is as good a piece of genre fiction that you will ever read. Brilliant, brutal, and haunting. The last page will stay with you for a long time. What they should have used as a the storyline for the upcoming Punisher movie.

The Slavers examines a highly important but often overlooked social problem: forced prostitution.

The catastrophic Tsunami in Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2005 saw a huge inflow of scumbag smugglers seeking out small children as sex slaves. Garth Ennis cites this all too real atrocity in The Slavers to underscore the ruthless predation of women by sex slave gangs.

Gratifyingly, Frank dishes out truly vicous punishment. The interrogation of the sex slavery mastermind recalls Marv's chop job on Kevin in Sin City but in an even gorier way. And Frank delivers a powerful message to other would-be slavers with a real hot videotape at the end.

Tim Bradstreet's cover art is brilliant, as usual. Leandro Fernandez provides gritty realism. His art features well drawn figures and cityscapes with heavy, moody blacks and shadows. A lot of effort and care has gone into making Garth Ennis' script come alive and it shows.

Slavers satisfies because in the real world, the victims of forced prostitution aren't getting justice.

This is the best story arc in the Ennis run on the Punisher thus far. The story starts simply enough, but progresses to a powerful and cathartic crescendo. It deals with disturbing topics (forced prostitution, rape, and infanticide) and does an excellent job of showing the horror while not overwhelming the reader with excessively graphic accounts (both in the text and the art.) This is what the Punisher title should be: Not silly cross-overs with ridiculous and redundant "super-heroes," nor overwhelming villains that are simply caricatures of the Punisher himself, i.e., the Russian or Barracuda, but a dark anti-hero doing what we many of us wish we could to despicable men (and women.) The end of "The Slavers" is breathtaking in its violent justice; it is a dark masterpiece of the medium.

This book of poems is really the best book of poems I have ever read!!! The introduction to this book is very touching but the poem "The Raven" took my breath away! I couldn't believe that such a poem can make me feel this way!!!

With the emphasis so much on his horror writing, the poetry of Edgar Allen Poe is often overlooked. Which is unfortunate, his poetry has many classic lines, and there is no segment better than the opening line of "The Raven."

"One upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,"

The following poems appear in this collection, The Raven, Annabel Lee, Lines on Ale, The City in the Sea, The Sleeper, Eldorado, Alone, The Haunted Place and The Conquerer Worm.
While some traditionalists may decry the "Classics Illustrated" approach to poetry, I have little time for those arguments. Poe is best when served up illustrated, and the illustrations in this book are excellent. My favorites are the caricatures of Poe in his study that accompany `The Raven." The big eyes and oversized cranium give him the appearance of dark despair. In my opinion, anything that presents the classics in a format that will appeal to young people is to be encouraged, which is why I recommend this book.

...while I pondered weak and weary over many a quant and curious volume of forgotten lore..."
Who can't pass up the mystique and somber terror of one Poe's poems? Don't deny yourself this chance at book full of great literature. Poe might have had a troubled life but his life's work was, and still is, incredible.

Many reknown Literary Critics who live in "Intellectual Ivory Towers" consider this collection of poems to be a so called "Classic". I however tend to disagree with them and unless I woke up in Russia or Communist China this morning I believe I have every right to exercise my Freedom Of Speech. My least favourite poem in this book would have to be "The Raven". Perhaps one can understand the erratic meter of this poem when one learns that it was written in one hour in a cocaine induced frenzy. Sadly Writing and Substance Abuse are not a good combination. I give this book 5 stars because so many people are under the impression that Edgar Allen Poe was a genius instead of a drug addled illicit substance abuser.

This is one of the many poems by Edgar Allan Poe. It is a very good poem but at first I didn't really understand it. It took awhile before I fully understood it even after I had been told the main idea. In this poem raven represents death. What I believe that that the man in this poem is going to die and death is tapping at his door. This poem uses lots of figurative speech and it makes it sound very pretty. Such as "Prophet!,' said I, 'Thing of evil! Prophet still if bird or devil! Whether Tempter sent or tossed thee here ashore, Desolate ye tall undaunted, On this home by horror haunted-tell me truly, I implore- Is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me I implore!' Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore." It would be a good idea to read The Raven.

From the editor of the Hoppin Readin Review on Blogspot

I have all RenderMan books on the market.
This one is impressed me!
The authors explain step by step and that make readers understand RenderMan more.

Same as other reviews, lacking of CD is the shame.
However, overall still be very good to me.
And if you consider the price is very worth for money.
That's why I think this book should be given 5 stars.
Hopefully, There will be more good RenderMan books available soon.

Tee

The RenderMan Shading Language Guide is an excellent resource. It contains numerous examples of shader code, to help get you started with writing your own shaders. I was happy to see the robust section on illumination models, with some sl code provided for most of them. I found the section that had common functions (like gamma() and remap()) very helpful, and appreciated the disscussion on more sophisticated components of the shading language (like subsurface scattering and global illumination). In addition, for the user who is new to the process of writing and compiling shaders, a number of pages are devoted to explaining how to achieve these goals. All in all, I would highly recommend this book to any user who wants to learn how to write his/her own RenderMan shaders.

I caught wind that this book was coming out well before it actually came out and could hardly contain my excitement. I had it ordered before it was even off the press.

Let's face it, trying to learn Renderman online is like trying to ride a bike with a flat tire. You can go, but not very fast or very far. I own several other renderman books but found them to be a bit out of date and lacking in areas. Since leaving school and entering into the industry I had actually been considering writing a Renderman book myself. I am glad to say that now I don't have to!

I have been enjoying my copy of the book since december of last year. I admit that I was thrown off by all the refrences to the accompanying cd, as well as a few typos throughout. I was overjoyed however to find the website today! This is the book that I have needed for a long time. It is well worth what you pay for it.

I have read many technical manuals relating to the 3D Animation and Visual Effects industries, and I can honestly say that this is easily one of the best available.

Given the limited library of Renderman books, I'd call this an absolute must have for any Lighting/Rendering/Shader TD, or any artist or technical director involved in the look development and shot finaling pipelines.

Even if you haven't yet worked within a Renderman pipeline, this is the perfect publication to introduce you to, and bring you up to speed in, the Renderman Shading Language (RSL).

I've found that the majority of technical manuals suffer from a number of common flaws:

1. The information is presented chaotically, and with minimal use of examples or descriptions, resulting in a publication that would readable only by those that already know everything it has to teach.

2. The information is presented so laboriously that what should take a paragraph instead takes up three chapters.

The Renderman Shading Language Guide is perfectly paced for beginners and intermediate users alike, and indeed when I showed the book to a couple of highly experienced Renderman TDs, they were surprised by the sheer volume of information and ordered copies for themselves.

Everything is presented in short blocks with an easily readable description, examples, shortcuts and conclusions. There is no unecessarily complicated geek speek, and neither is the reader treated like a 4 year old.

Even though I barely remember my high school math, and in the most flattering estimation I'd be considered a competent beginner when it comes to the math involved in RSL, I found the examples relatively easy to follow for the most part. And in those parts where the math went well over my head, I found the simple descriptions and concise, well explained instructions to be all I needed to quickly understand the topic.

From cover to cover this book is crammed full of useful information. There is no wastage of space in these pages. It seems that every conceivable question is answered - every possible topic covered from introduction to an advanced level of understanding and a practical and immmediately useful conclusion.

And at the price? This book is a steal.

One very minor complaint I would make is in regards to the occasional typographical error. An equation or two is printed with "?" in place of "*" or another symbol, and there are a few spelling and grammatical errors. But as I said, it is a minor complaint.

Also, I would have liked to have seen more complete shader examples demonstrated in a step-by-step process, as while this book is overflowing with informative mini-tutorials, it all seems a little incongruous. It would have been good to see a few more examples where the information was brought together in real-world ways to create some amazing completed shaders. Perhaps in a sequel? ;)

All in all, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, from an industry Lead Lighting TD.

9.5/10

I'm quite pleased with the depth of this book. So many of the CGI titles I've bought that claim to be intermediate or advanced aren't. While the RenderMan Shading Language Guide assumes that you have no starting knowledge of RSL, it immediately dives into technical details without overwhelming the novice. For someone wishing to learn RSL (or even just shader theory), this book is wonderfully paced, containing a great depth of information, very well explained.

At the same time, this isn't a book for dabblers. To get much out of the RenderMan Shading Language Guide, you need to be willing to put some effort and practice into it. This is a textbook and needs to be treated as a subject of study, rather than a casual enhancement for playing with CGI. If RenderMan intrigues you, but you don't want to get too deep into the technical (and programing/scripting) aspects, you'd be better off getting Pixar's RenderMan for Maya and a Digital Tutors or similar training DVD. You'll learn more of the simple, day-to-day things and get started making renderings faster.

As another poster mentioned, the text mentions an included disk which isn't. The website doesn't have downloads either. That omission would knock the book down to 4.5 stars, but since I can't rate with half-stars, 5 stars more accurately reflects the value of the book than 4.

What an absolutely awesome book! Mr. Kohler did a wonderful job. I love this book and recommend it to everyone interested in retro gaming. It is packed full of useful and insiteful information. To top it all off, the book is in a fun, easy-to-read and enjoyable format. I can't recommend it enough.

I hope Mr. Kohler does a revised and updated edition of this book. The information in it is too good to be allowed to just fade away. I'll definately buy an updated copy.

Just one comment to the author Chris Kohler should he read this review: How about a hack about the Scot Adam's text adventure series for the section of your book on Text Adventure games? Scot Adam's was big in the early 80s.

Thanks!

A great reference for those who like to tinker with the hardware side of retro games. I found this book to be a very good reference, well thought out and very applicable to the hobby of retro gaming and will appeal to the enthusiast at all levels.

Chris Kohler's RETRO GAMING HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR PLAYING THE CLASSICS tells how to emulate classic games on cell phones to computers, how to locate vintage game hardware, how to convert gaming tools, and how to write your own retro-style games in various programs. From playing old games on original hardware or making conversions, RETRO GAMING HACKS is for avid gamers who want to tweak the experience.

Some of these 'hacks' I knew about, many i did not. But every 'hack' in here offered some level of detail that made my retro gaming experience just that much better.

The bulk of the hacks are focused on emulators - how to get them, how to use them, etc. Which means that you will be Retro-gaming on your PC. Before I nabbed this book, I thought that would be a slightly less than awesome experience. Mainly because the controls leave a lot to be desired (who wants to use a keyboard to play Satan's Hollow.) But thanks to one of the hacks, I now know where to go to get retro game controllers that fit right into your PC.

While retro-gaming on the PC is the the focus of the book, it by no means describes all the content. There is tunds of cruncy goodness in here on obtaining old platforms and cartridges, to hacking your old cartidges / games into your modern platform.

All in all a joy to read, and even more fun to implement. Pick it up! Its a good 'un.

Are you an avid game player, programmer or video game journalist? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Chris Kohler, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you everything you need to know to get your retro game on.

Kohler, begins by showing you how to play the real thing, setting up classic game systems, fixing broken hardware, and getting good deals on buying games. Then, the author covers new hardware and software that plays old games, whether on an all-in-one joystick or on the PalyStation 2. He continues by covering MAME from all the angles, learning how to play classic arcade games on the PC and other platforms. Next, the author shows you how to play classic console games. Then, the author brings back those classic computers, showing you how to set them up or emulate them. He also shows you how to play with text adventures. Then, he shows you how to get DOS games to work properly under modern operating systems, or even get DOS up and running again. The author continues by showing you how to play at game design. Finally, the author shows you how to hack around inside games, exploring glitches and bugs to your advantage.

The author of this most excellent book shows you how to emulate classic games on everything from cell phones to computers. More importantly, after reading this book, you will have everything you need to have to rediscover classic games in style.

My five year old loved this book and has read it several times. The pictures are very cool and make the time soldiers more realistic.

"Rex", the first of the Time Soldier series by Robert Gould is a well written and beautifully photographed kid's adventure story in the time of the dinosaurs. Five boys and a girl travel back into a prehistoric age through a time warp portal in their neighborhood forest. "Rex" is written at an appropriate reading level for elementary age children and contains educational facts on dinosaurs and their environment. The younger children can concentrate on the excellent photography if they are not yet up to the reading level, while the older children can learn new vocabulary from reading the text. The fantastic computer generated images of the dinosaurs are very detailed, down to the wrinkles on the hides and gleam in their eyes. The story line emphasizes the friends helping each to survive the difficulties that they encounter. I highly recommend this book for elementary school age children.

I really love Rex 1 and Rex 2. The books are visually stunning and wonderfully written. These books make kids want to read them and I enjoyed reading them, too. The Books are exiting and good-clean fun. I am keeping a set for my daughter and myself and gave copies as gifts to my friend's son and my nephew. I hope we can look forward to a Rex 3! -Aleta

My mother's testimonial is absolutely true. I am an absolute fossil fan - dedicated to anything dinosaur. I have read my share of good dino and adventure books, and I would rate both Rex and Rex 2 as being among the top best for kids (as well as for everyone else). I am fifteen, with a seven year old cousin, and we both absolutely love the series. Unlike most children's tales, it is not "dumbed down" nor dull in any way. It is creatively exiting, fun, and even a little misterious. The artwork is incredible, using superimposed images of real and artistically drawn creatures. The unusual perspectives and beautiful artwork in Rex 2 alone makes this book worthy of any youngster's library. But, above all, the stories are what give the books their unique charm. The harrowing adventures of the boys in delightful situations such as exploring a Cretaceous forest or having to track down a tyrannosaurus rex in an jungle known as a city have enough activities and goings-on that you get wrapped into the action. In addition, you will not see a T.Rex eating frightened victims or destroying buildings for the fun of it; you will see a prehistoric monarch acting like what it really was ... a magnificant and powerful animal of times long gone. I would undeniably rate these stories as the crem-de-la-crem of children's books. -Inga

As a teacher in the east county of San Diego I have just used this book with my class and it was a huge success. The children and the adults in my class were quite taken with the local connection. They enjoyed realizing that the photos were taken close to home and the story kept their interest. It was fun to read and to listen to. I met the authors and they were very informative and I enjoyed talking with them.
Thanks

I was shown this book by a family member just before my grandchildren came to visit from across the country. My grandson is 6 years old and had not yet entered the first grade. All it took was a look at the cover and he was into it.
He studied each of the pages and turned to me with a desperate voice (while holding my face with his hands and making me look into his eyes)"TEACH ME TO READ GRANDMA! I want to know what they are doing"!
Well, I think that says it all. This is a kid that does not sit still for a minute and here he was asking to learn to read!
The concept of photography of real kids, and the fabulous graphic arts, really drew my little guy into the book. I am hoping there are more to come. Books about "Time Soldiers" and grandchildren! tee hee...

For me, a book like Robot Dreams is just begging to be read. When our new book order came in last week, there it was in the stacks, quietly making itself known. Call me a sucker for the decidedly doodle-esque cover art, but I was ready to give this one a once-over. I picked it up, I sat back, I opened it up ... wait a minute - where are the words?! I then recalled the author's previous work and it all started to make sense. But, being down with all forms of literacy, the wordless format did not sway me from my mission of digesting this volume in one big gulp. I "read" on.

I'm pretty happy I did. The story begins with Dog purchasing and assembling Robot. The two become fast friends, bonding over videos checked out from the local library (who says DVDs don't belong?).

It is their fateful summer trip to the beach, however, that sets the story in motion. Unaware of his being made of metal, Robot follows Dog into the surf - with rusty results. Robot seizes up. With no way to carry him, Dog heads home alone. Over the course of the fall, winter, and spring Dog is repeatedly rebuffed in his attempts to retrieve his friend. On the beach Robot has dreams of what will happen to him (and his friendship with Dog) in the meantime. As robot is slowly disassembled for parts by various passersby, the reader is left wondering if the two will ever be reunited.

Dog and Robot do cross paths again, but not in the way you would expect. The, shall we say "circular", ending may leave some readers unsatisfied. For me however, it was an appropriate way to wrap up this rewarding and surprisingly mature story of friendship.

This beautifully drawn book is skillfully evocative of the joys and pains of friendship. From 12 to 25 to 50, readers in my family were engaged by this story that is told without words.

This was the first--and only--graphic novel I've ever read, let alone purchased. Long after I finished I found myself thinking about it, and also brooding over the memories that this book evoked, of failed friendships. Then I started to cry. This story ought to click with anyone who's ever had a friend, because I think it's a pretty universal thing about the human condition that all friendships change, and some don't last. The book is a bittersweet reminder of that.

I found out about Robot Dreams through a comic publisher's website. I thought the pictures looked evocative and I was not disappointed with my purchase. While the images look like they might belong in a children's book, the ensuing story is filled with emotion and superb narrative. Even without words, the story speaks so keenly of the fragility of friendship and the impact one simple experience can have on our lives. A wonderful book that will stay on my favorites shelf forever.

An emotional journey of friendship, one that every person can relate to. This simple, wordless story reflects the joy and pain of friendship, but ultimately, how each relationship in our lives shapes us. Friends come and go, but they always remain within us. This book will act as a catalyst for discussion and reflection of friendship and relationships among readers of all ages. It is a rare feat for a book to evoke such emotion. Way to go, Sara Varon! You've created a timeless work of art!

Bernhard simiply reminds us of the beauty of the female body. It is a study of perfect lighting and posing.

I recently purchased this book and why did I wait this long? All I can say is breathtaking. Being a photographer who sometimes does nudes for personal project, it is a challenging task to compose and light the human body avoiding from making it "pornlike" or overtly sexual. Each style has its own place in the marketplace; however, the former requires much more skills than just a good looking model.

"Half a century of Bernhard's reserved, sensual, and ethereal female nudes collected in 50 beautifully produced duo tones. An insightful text enhances our understanding of a pre-eminent American photographer. 'Outstanding...the greatest photographer of the nude'--Ansel Adams"--© zebraz

Ansel Adams declared Berhard "the greatest photographer of the nude." Perhaps she is, but I haven't wholly understood why - not because the work is obscure (it's not at all), but because it's deep.

This book contains plenty of evidence. These fifty B&W pictures span forty years of her career, in chronological order. In the 1930s, "In the Circle" and "Embryo" use simple props to contrast the harsh geometries of human products with the softness of the human herself. Other photos from that era use running water or draping to highlight the figure. By the 1950s, though, Berhard had simplified down to just the figure itself, as in "Dancer's Hips," making her work plainer, but bolder and more monumental. Still later, Berhard added back in screens to soften focus and create a new play of shadow. Although interesting, I'm still more moved by the compositions in terms of figure alone, including "Crossover," "Two Forms," and "Sand Dune."

Throughout, Bernhard examines the female models with a female eye, celebrating the feminine in the figure for what it is. "Early Nude," "Harvest," and "Hourglass," among others, emphasize curves that embody strength - curves that other photographers, especially male, could have made awkward. It's a wonderful collection, one that I know I'll keep coming back to. I have much to learn from it.

-- wiredweird

Well, it's four stars worth of disappointed...and I realize it's something of a heresy to be less than thrilled by the work of this pioneer artist in the field of the photographic nude. This softbound book is a touch under a foot square, and the 50 photographs are of nearly that size. They are all black-and-white, though there is a great range of experimental treatment that belies the suggestion of sameness. Some superimpose female figures and subjects from nature ("Harvest," e.g., is the midriff of a very pregnant woman superimposed with a field of grain); some are highly abstract, utilizing very high-intensity light with shadow contrasts, delivering a very impressionistic human torso; and others utilize transparent material and the like to create unique effects.

Why didn't I like it better? I don't like impressionistic, highly stylized nudes, but realistic skin tones and recognizable features. Beauty counts more for me than technical fireworks. You may feel otherwise, especially if you are a professional photographer.