Commercial Books

I had this book as a young person and loved it. this is a replacement of a long lost friend. The illistrations are exceptional and the stories wonderful.

When it comes to illustration books, Froud and Lee's collaborative "Faeries" is, quite simply, divine. This book captures the subject matter unlike any other work(s) from any other fantasy artists. The real magic and majesty of the "Faerie Realm" of British Isles and Irish mythology come to life within the pages.
If you love great art, get this book. If you love great legends from ancient lands, get this book.

An amazing book, it totally takes me away when I'm reading it. Beautifully illustrated, the drawings are amazing, so detailed. This one specially is a superb edition, very well designed, and totally worth the price.

I totally love fantasy, folklore, and mythology, so this book was naturally of great interest to me. The pictures of various classes of mythical creatures were absolutely wonderful, and the text that described the myths upon which the pictures are based was interesting and fun to read. I would highly recommend this book for someone interested in a book about fairy folklore that's not overly academic.

I LOVE THIS BOOK ABOUT FAERIES. I READ IT OVER AND OVER.
THANK YOU
PEGGY BOND

...that will help you make better desisions (or keep you from making all the wrong, costly ones :-).

Pricey but helpful book. A lot of the same information can also be found online by searching "how to create a yellow pages ad".

This covers all print media and strategies for developing your marketing (complete with examples of what a strong ad looks like vs the "not so good"). If you need or want more assistance Barry and company offer their service (paid of course, but their fee structure is comprehensive and reasonable) includes analysis of your ad, suggestions for improvement in addition to (re)designing your ad to reach your target audience.

The two most important bits of information we came away with are these:
1. Unless you are in the ad design field you should _seriously_ consider hiring someone who knows their trade WELL. We needed to make some minor changes to our YP ad from the previous year, and although we started the process "early" (at least what our rep led us to believe was early - 2 months out from their `deadline') we still have NOTHING from the phone companies "design team".

The following sage advice rings true "...yellow page graphic artists are required to output a lot of work in a short period of time. Even the best artist cannot do a great ad in 30 minutes. You honestly want an artist to spend the entire day working on your advertisement, and you want to pay them for it... Graphic artists study art. They do not extensively study business, or copywriting, or marketing, or business law. They do not know about your company, your customers, your capabilities, or how you make money. If you really want effective yellow page advertising, hire the best graphic artist and the best advertising professional you can find [and afford - my emphasis]. Do not leave it for a kid with a computer".

At this point we would be glad to have paid for a quality job done because it would have saved us time lost in having to constantly call our YP rep to find out when the "design team" would have our ad back to be proofed (and our rep's boss wasn't any more helpful either -- this from the "leading" directory in our area, tsk, tsk, tsk), not to mention frustration in having to go through all of that nonsense. We are a small independent music teaching studio and we would have been better served and saved money in the long run by hiring a professional than leaving the design process to some over-worked, under-qualified and probably under-paid novice from the phone companies "design team".

2. Publishers carefully monitor phonebook circulation and usage data. They know exactly how much their book is being used and by whom. If they are not volunteering that information, be extra careful. Alternatively, publishers should also be able to give you information about their competitors. Ask how their book compares to their competition's book. Be persistent and insist on getting this information from them - you're paying for it (by way of placing an ad in their phone book).

This is the reason we are still trying to work out our yp advertising with the "leading" phone co/publisher. They're the one most used in our area. If that was not the case we would have dropped them like a hot sweaty sock!

Barry's book covers so many salient points about YP advertising and the industry that you could read, and re-read it and still find ways to improve your YP ad. A very good investment for any business owner (and the online source above compliments it well - MOO).

Good luck and fortune in all your business endeavors everyone!

If you want to create professional looking Yellow Page ad designs that will dominate your Yellow Page advertising competition, you should read this book. While it was written in the eighties, the concepts are still very important today.

--A.Strange, Founder, Ad Revamp * Yellow Page ad design
Personal service. Proven methods. Toll-free advice. www.adrevamp.com

Just so no one misunderstands, since the publisher's description of "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" has disappeared from this page, we (the author's office) posted both the media quotes below and the book description that follows. Neither of these is meant to be an impartial review but rather a description of what's in the book and what various media outlets have said about it.

These media quotes about "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" are being posted by the author's assistant, Steve Wilson, to show what the media thinks of the book. And we've got far more of these than we could ever post. The book truly is "the bible on how to advertise in the Yellow Pages."

"The definitive word on the subject."
-Home Office Computing magazine


"Barry Maher is the nation's leading independent authority on Yellow Pages advertising"
-Simba Information, Inc.
(Publishers, Yellow Pages & Directory Report)


"Discover effective design, layout and copy writing techniques . . . Learn how to design an ad that will get YOUR business the call, even when surrounded by others ads selling the same product or service."
-The Small Business Administration's Success Symposium


"Businesses may be spending 25% of their gross [in the Yellow Pages] and be spread too thin, or they may be overspending at 1%. To make key decisions to best business advantage, an independent and authoritative perspective is crucial. Barry Maher, offers [just that]."
-Retailer News


"This is the best information there is and should answer your questions as well as save you lots of time and money."
-Terry Johnson, President, Dial One


"Maher takes the mystery out of Yellow Pages Advertising. He tells you how to make it work and what to do when it doesn't. A great new resource for small businessmen."
-Ray Schultz, Editor, Direct Marketing News


"The nation's foremost authority on Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dealer Communicator


"The inside scoop on how to make your Yellow Pages advertising dollars pay off . . . Find out what the sales rep won't tell you. Design an ad that really pulls."
-Business Opportunities Digest


"You'll learn how to design an effective ad, keep score on your ad and deal with the sales people when they goof."
-Rudolf Solomon, San Francisco Examiner


"Takes on the topic of Yellow Pages with zeal and humor-while offering practical help in getting the directories to work for you."
-Instant & Small Commercial Printer


"Invaluable insights."
-Restaurant Management Today


"[Maher] has helped thousand of businesses turn their Yellow Pages into gold . . . a complete, step by step program for developing Yellow Pages ads that get the call."
-SBC


"A comprehensive approach to planning and implementing a successful Yellow Pages advertising program."
-Dentist


"Guides [business] on how to get the best return from their Yellow Pages advertising . . . improve response, enhance profits."
-SNIPS


"Provides the stimulus to get your advertising in gear."
-The Competitive Advantage


"Last year, American businesses spent $8 billion dollars on Yellow Pages advertising. For many small businesses, it was their only form of advertising. Yet many small business owners are unsure about how to get the most out of their Yellow Pages advertising. To help them, Barry Maher . . . [offers] a practical guide to Yellow Pages advertising . . . [providing] insights and advice for small business owners."
-Los Angeles Times


"If you now make use of yellow page advertising in telephone directories, you will be especially interested in what [Maher] . . . has to say about choosing the right ad size, creating the ad that will generate the most response, and how to select the right categories to advertise [under]."
-In Business


"[Packed] with cost cutting tips . . . a super resource. [From the author of] the bible of Yellow Pages advertising"
-Save Your Business a Bundle: 202 Ways to Cut Costs and Boost Profits Now by Daniel Kehrer, Simon & Schuster


"An informative overview of the entire process, including evaluating and selecting the right Yellow Pages book, choosing the right ad size, determining how many ads to run, creating the ad likely to generate the most calls,, and dealing effectively with the phone company and sales reps. He also offers guidance on tracking ads."
-Professional Electronics


"Practical advice on the complete process, from deciding whether to advertise at all to turning callers into customers . . . The advice is detailed and . . . should help improve the reader's directory-buying decisions."
-Fitness Management


"Anyone who has dealt with the Yellow Pages people would welcome the [information]. Wise ad people have said placing a substantial schedule in several phone books is only slightly more complicated than dealing with the U.S. Army."
-Des Moines Register

"The best yellow pages investment I've ever made, making every cent I'm spending on phone directory advertising the most effective it can possibly be. Eliminating every bit of waste. I fully intend to recommend it to all my associates. And none of my competition."
-Dr. S.R. Pampalone, Chatsworth Dental Center


"Many useful tips . . . I am looking forward to getting more clients from yellow pages advertising and, at the same time, saving a great deal of money."
-Vincent A. Lloyd, Lloyd, Hoskins & Pierce


"Tremendous insight into Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dr. Gregory S. Keller, Cosmetic Surgery Center


"An invaluable resource on getting the most bang per buck in advertising . . . [Maher] clears the way through the jungle of options and clearly delineates what is as well as what isn't effective. I recommend it wholeheartedly."
-Michael Parker, President Parker Plumbing


"PIP Printing's retail centers rely on yellow pages advertising to reach business printing consumers every day, but without following a carefully planned strategy, our yellow pages messages could be easily overlooked. Maher offers . . . straightforward guidelines for insuring maximum effectiveness for yellow pages advertising."
-Susan Falk, PIP


"A complete guide to creating a results-oriented program for advertising in the Yellow Pages. It's got everything from how to write an effective ad to where, when, and even when not to advertise."
-B. Dalton Bookseller


"A very valuable resource as I communicate with members of the American Rental Association on ways they can use the yellow pages most effectively."
-Frederick Anderson, American Rental Association


"Cash in on Yellow Pages advertising with [Barry Maher]."
-Pharmacy Newswire, NARD Journal

I would have never thought a book titled GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR YELLOW PAGE ADVERTISING would make for compelling reading, but I was wrong. Author and former yellow page rep Barry Maher grabbed my interest on the first page and held it firmly to the end. I would consider this book essential for small business owners or anyone who is interesting in producing yellow page copy.

Though certainly geared toward business owners, writing professionals will also find a tremendous amount of applicable information. Maher gives a brief history and evolution of yellow pages, then moves through a logical progression of determining need and on through the process of the finished product. For writing professionals, read through this and then thumb through the yellow pages and see the enormity of a market just screaming for professional assistance. I believe this a market largely untapped by commercial writers.

An outstanding feature of this book, and one found far too seldom, is an abundance of margin space for making notes and good, thick paper that highlighting doesn't bleed through. Business owners will pay for the price of this book a hundred times over and copywriters will find a resource for a niche market rich with possibilities.

Jim Randel shares his 30+ years of real estate experience in this outstanding book. You might not know that he leased Bed, Bath and Beyond space in one of his buildings and they tried to hire him to expand nationwide. He turned down the job. Also, he leased Martha Stewart her first store in the 1980s in Westport, CT. He has closed more than 5,000 transactions as an attorney and is one of the brightest real estate investors in the country. His self-deprecating writing style is refreshing. He once made almost $1,000,000 for an hour long meeting that resulted in a 50/50 split of a brokerage commission. You'll learn more about these stories and much more in "Confessions of a Real Estate Entrepreneur".

You simply must buy this book!

This book is absolutely excellent. Jim's writing is straightforward and easy to understand even when he is discussing fairly complex ideas. I highly recommend this book to anyone that is interested in any aspect of commercial Real Estate!

Finally a book for someone in the NE to read and understand NE real estate numbers, both insightful and inspirational.

This is the best commercial real estate primer I have ever read. I run a commercial real estate brokerage and this is required reading for all of my agents. I highly recommend it.

If you are looking for a step by step buy a house, rehab it, and get rich, please find another book. If you are looking for a dull textbook type presentation you should also pass.

If you are looking for clear explanations of concepts and illustrated with some small case studies to kick start your brain, then this might be just the thing to get you from dreaming to doing.

Although I knew almost all the concepts presented, this book made them much more concrete. I have already begun the process of actually doing instead of sitting on my butt thinking about doing!

Thank You!!

From story board to stunning completed product, an overview of Mr.Ross' DC comics work, focusing particularly on the big three; Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, with loving attention to the rest of the JLA as well.

Lots of beautiful 'work in progress to completion' pictures and even a few that never got to see the go light of editors.
Inspirational for the new painter or seasoned storybook artist - makes quite the case for gouache!

Please note! this is NOT an 'origins' book or even a story, this is meant to specifically address the artwork itself and the processes by which it is done.

By the by, many a comic book irritates me no end with its sexist imagery -this book is a rare exception in supehero comics.
None of the women are bimboes and the men are, dare I say, as beautiful as the ladies.

For my part, the explanations of the new Kingdom Come versions of the classic DC cast were the finest aspect of this book.
If you're at all a fan of Alex Ross' incredible way with a brush, you must own this, if only for the most drool worthy versions of beloved heroes.

If you love the classic DC pantheon, you need this book, 'nuff said!

Mythology collects the stellar art work of Alex Ross showcasing the worlds finest images of the major DC characters such as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. This book highlights key points of the characters beginnings and evolutions with clear and informative writing. Gorgeously illustrated by Alex Ross coupled with wonderfully laid out design work the reader will find it quite difficult to put down this handsome book.Mythology: The DC Comics Art of Alex Ross

An amazingly illustrated montage of Ross's work. A beautiful book for fans of comic book art and art in general.

AMAZING. Totally worth buying. If you like Alex Ross, you will not regret this purchase. The book includes Ross' comments on inspiration, collaborations, thoughts, insights, and much more. Truly inspiring.

It's a great work, detailing all the work of Alex Ross in DC Comics. In this book, we get the notions of how he figures out the characters, their concepts and ideologies, etc. Moreover, with this book we can see how the Art is transported from the artist's mind to the paper.
There's just one book better than this one: it's hardcover version, much more beautiful.

THE KEY TO ALL YOUR TROUBLES: How to Complain EFFECTIVELY
==========================================================

After reading the stories of many posters on this site, I can really feel the emotion and frustration and feeling of despair, like no one cares, coming through in your words. Many of you, I am sure, have asked yourself "Why won't the company help me? Aren't I the customer? Isn't the customer ALWAYS right? Isn't it against the company's best interest to deliver poor service to the consumer? Shouldn't these companies value their patrons, who make their continued existence possible?"

I bet many of you after asking those questions have been overcome by a resounding dead silience in which your mind seems to answer with a cold, heartless "NO". --No the company does not care about you, because they know, for the most part, that the small portion of people who actually do complain and try to contact the company, will eventually give up after running into un-navigable telephone menus, rude "service" and support people, and a barrage of deception and hostility that they know will take you more time to overcome,investigate, and pursue than the average busy person has available to them.

Has this happened to you more than once in your life? If so, you may be karmically reaping the fruit of your failure to address the matter the first time it happened, because you felt it was too HARD and TIME-CONSUMING. But, if you really think about it, aren't the things that take the most effort, usually the most satisfying when you finally triumph in the end? Would it be worth all the money, time, and potential for happiness you could lose in the future, to invest a little bit of time now to defend your right to be treated fairly as a consumer and an individual?

If you are already at the point where you are willing to invest a little time actively pursuing effective resolution, you may be asking yourself "But how?" Ahh, that is the rub, isn't it! Well, guess what: I think I may have the answer you are looking for. While doing an AMAZON search for books on complaint writing, I came across the title: "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed! How to Write Letters of Complaint That Get Results", by Ellen Phillips. I ordered this book from Barnes & Noble, along with others, and did my comparisons. Ms. Phillips' book won HANDS DOWN. I encourage you to do your own research, but if you feel you don't want to spend the time, I will give you a headstart. It is as if Ms. Phillips recognizes the labrynthian maze before us, and having travelled the maze before, she knows where the trapdoors are, how to avoid pitfalls, and she offers us the keys to the doors of opportunity and effective complaining.


Here are a few of the important keys Ms. Phillips provides:

===============

1) Try to talk to a representative on the phone. This is always the first step. If they agree to and follow-through on a solution you approve of, then you are good to go! You should even consider writing a commendation for them.
But, in case they are uncooperative, uncaring, ineffective
, and/or deceptive,

2) ALWAYS document EVERYTHING! This includes (for each person you speak with):

* Name of the person you talk to and their REPRESENTATIVE ID NUMBER
* Time you called
* Amount of time on hold
* What you called about
* The resolution you sought
* Level of cooperativeness of the representative
* Did the representative seem competent?
* What promises did they make? (dates, times, dollar amounts, when someone would call back, etc.)
* Did they refer you to someone else (a supervisor, or another department)?

3) The most effective route to satisfaction is ALMOST ALWAYS to write to the TOP person first. Don't bother with low-level, call-center representives, or counter clerks who likely have very little ability to take the action you would require (reimbursement, replacement, repair, apology, etc.). Instead, write to the CEO, President, Board Chair, etc., to ensure the best possibility of getting your concerns addressed in a timely and effecive manner.

4) Always send copies of your letters to regulatory agencies, and anyone else who is an interested party. In her book, Ms. Phillips lists the names of hundreds(?) of agencies for your convenience. In fact, the only real thing that is antiquated about this tome, are the SPECIFIC names for the officers of the listed organizations and regulatory bodies (eg: Attorney General - Janet Reno). It takes relatively little effort in this day and age to do a Google search for the current names.

5) Better Business Bureaus are useless. They have no real mandate or requirement to help you in your dispute with their member companies. From my own personal experience, I have known this to be disappointingly true. In my opinion, though you might find some informative articles and publications on their BBB sites, as a source of relief and satisfaction they really seem to miss the mark by a mile.

6) Ms. Philips concienciously makes us aware of special laws which apply in various scenarios, that the general public is mostly oblivious of.

These are only a few of the marvelous insights offered by "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed"!

===============


You may notice that the copyright on the book is 1998 (revised in 1999)--10 years ago (I am writing this 08/26/08). Never fear! This book is not antiquated in content. Ninety-Eight percent of the content in this book is still relevant today.

For those of you like me who prefer books that list various examples, scenarios, and case studies, this book does not disappoint! I highly recommend "Shocked, Appalled, and Dismayed" to anyone who wants to know how to complain effectively to resturants, airlines, hotels, car rental places, auto mechanics, dead-beat parents, etc. For a balanced view, there is even a small section, including multiple examples, on writing THANK YOU notes and letters.

It took me 3 hours to craft this recommendation. After the enormous satisfaction and cornucopia of information I received from Ms. Phillips' book, I would be karmically remiss were I not to write this recommendation. My goal is to help you help yourself by giving you a "map", if you will, to the small dirt path, that leads through a dense jungle, to a heavily guarded, forbidden city where you will FINALLY find all the answers you have been seeking. Again, don't take my word for it: do your own research and find out for yourself!

I hope you find this review helpful. Now, go out into the world and make it a better place by standing up for yourself and showing those who would hold you down that your are not going to take it ANYMORE!

Good Luck!

Peace and blessings,

Kristobal



**** [DISCLAIMER: This document is a collection of opions, not a statement of fact. Neither the author of this book (Ellen Phillips), nor the author of this review (Me) is responsible for actions you may or may not take based on your readings, understandings, and interpretations of this review.]

Clearly this book provides the basics on writing letters of complaint. Most of it is just common sense (not so common these days). If you treat business people the way you would want them to treat you, it usually works out in the end. I didn't find much new in it. The contact addresses are helpful, but then most of them can be found on the net.. and more current

Very insightful and useful. I have used some of her template letters for airline complaints. In the past, I used her writings for a labor complaint and got $18,000 from my former employer.

I wish this book was available in downloadable electronic form which will make it more useful in practice by cutting and pasting.

I have the book for several years and its contents have saved me time and money over and over again. It is rich in samples of real letters and complaints, with real cases.
I recommend to anyone that ever needs to write a complaint letter and/or need to reach government agencies.

Art of Modern Rock features some incredible art drawn from great artists and is a must not just for a rock aficionado, but for an art enthusiast, an artist, a designer or even a writer. The tremendous amount of variety and unique and powerful imagery makes looking through this book a great pleasure.

I've had this book for several years now and this is my all time favourite art book, and I own far too many to even be considered in the realm of normal. The Art of Modern Rock is a huge book (almost 500 pages) and the art diverse and inspiring. I just love this book!!

I purchased the Art of Modern Rock online for my son and his wife for Christmas. I usually have a difficult time finding a gift I think they will like. They have a rock band themselves, and my daughter-in-law is also interested in art, so I gave this book a try. Not only did they love it, but they are in it! I wish now that I had opened it and looked through it before I mailed it to them. I was pleased with the book, and the service from Amazon is always excellent!

This is one of the greatest books I've read in the last ten years about rock posters. All kind of rock music is here. If you really like rock'n'roll music, you must get this one.

This book is THE bible for poster art. Fantastic collection of art, with great interviews and history accompanying. Obviously a lot of hard work by a lot of people passionate about poster art. Highly recommended.

You need to read this book. It is the most comprehensive book of its kind. You will find all of the information necessary to help you make the right decision. Greys are the greatest breed of dog on the planet!

This book is an essential item for any who has or will be adopting a racing greyhound. Practical information presented in a logical, no nonsense way.

This book has a lot of important information about caring for your greyhound. I found it to be a great source!

I am a first time Greyhound adopter and I'm so glad this is one of the books that was a pre-adoption requirement. I enjoy how Cynthia is so in tune with these wonderful dogs and she gives you the info directly from her heart! They said any book by Cynthia Branigan is worth purchasing, so I'm going to buy her other book on Greyhounds next.

This book was such a help as the breed was new to me. I knew nothing about the personality of the breed or what to expect. This book will help any one interested in adopting a Grey through the first months and the life of the pet. The medical information is invaluble as these are things some vets don't know let alone the pet owner. The book not only assists you in knowing the breed before you bring one home, but can greatly assist you in deciding if this is the right pet for you.

I love Absolut ad's and have always wanted to get one. They are expensive new , so I got an used copy from an amazon seller. It came quickly and I flipped through the book for about 20 min when it arrived 2 days later. I love all the ads and they are all so clever. I might not get some of the modern art ones, but I love the city ones in particular. Anyway, I got this book for my new house and new coffee table book, I think it is one of the best hardcover coffee table book (marketing story book) ever.

Compulsory addition to the coffee table library. An excellent example of a clever, consistent, cutting edge branding campaign helping to position a generic product at the top of consumer mind. Absolut genius.

If you like the Absolut ads, this is a good book for you. It's what you'd expect - big pictures of the Absolut ads with explanations from the ad agency guys who made it happen. A fun coffeetable book.

Absolut is one of the best selling vodkas in the world and the advertsing for it is second to none. In this fabulous book were are told the inside story behind the marketing and selling of this tasty treat. The paper is first grade and the pictures are outstanding to say the least. Absolut original with a bottle looking like a Roman ruin is probably my favorite one but there are so many nice advertising ideas that have become stupendous posters. Absolute Enivironment is also a nice one. This is a good coffee table book and a nice gift for the person that likes vodka and to read.

This is a wonderful, informative, and beautiful book.
This book is about the Absolut Vodka advertising campaign. How it began, and what it is about. There are many beautiful, and breath taking images which makes you see the entire light of the campaign which looks so simple from the outside. Now, you get the inside looks and it isn't simple at all but an amazing experience.
WOW!!

I had an original post WWII copy of this book and gave it away when I moved from W.Va..... Boy, was that ever a mistake!!!! I needed a copy for an event here honoring the Veterans, and so I was very pleased to see this one in print..... Bill looks at war from the dogface's perspective, and I'm quite sure there's a Bill Mauldin in Iraq somewhere.... but he's tied to the Internet and I'm not sure if we'll get good pen and ink sketches outta him now..... Bill had the way of seeing the ironic, the humerous, and the just plain sorry, in the average G.I.'s battle to survive....... I'd recommend it to school teachers for a look at WWII (AND I'd hustle up some of the last survivors... that first hand look isn't going to be with us much longer).............the Students would actuall LEARN something useful!!!

I am very satisfied with my purchase.The book itself is a pleasure to look at.The drawings are just as funny as I found them as a kid.The writing itself is new to me,but superb.It will allways be among my favourit books.Again marvellous

Indispensable depiction of the face of the Second World War. War and the pity of war. The humour is in the pity.

Of course, this is not a novel. It's a collection of cartoons as they appeared in the Armed Services newspaper Stars and Stripes. The cartoon began to appear in 1944 as the invasion of Europe was underway and millions of Allied troops were fighting their way through Italy and France and into the heart of the third reich.
After a few false starts, Mauldin settled on two characters, Willie and Joe-infantry men. Willie and Joe (who were barely distinguishable from each other) were concerned with all the things that veterans said concerned them during the war. Lousy food was as much of a concern as enemy artillery, fear of cold, wet feet as annoying as the fear of death.
The cartoons, and Mauldin's self-effacing recollections together form a kind of narrative that is at once immensely personal and deeply historical. Mauldin was a pioneer. It was ten years before Cornelius Ryan The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Dayturned personal narratives into history and almost forty before Ken Burns came along.The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Mauldin was, in effect, the only war reporter who was relatively uncensored. Since his cartoons carried no strategic information, his only worry was the military's possible perception that he might be lowering troop morale with his swipes at the brass and the rear-echelon. Fortunately, some American sensibility that 'it's good to laugh at the boss even if the boss is us' prevailed.

Up Front was one of the few books that my parents kept by their bedside. This is the book that helped the post-war generation remember the war as it was fought by the men who did the hard work. A quiet masterpiece.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel

It's a gift, the ability to draw, to have perspective, to create, to be able to portray human misery as humor, for a reader to see the image and words and turn to laughter. Bill Mauldin had this gift that gained prominence in a time of war where talents rise to their greatest heights or sink to their lowest depths.

Truth is portrayed in humor or the humor isn't funny. Sergeant Bill Mauldin, an infantryman, barely twenty, and serving in Italy picks up a pencil and anything he can draw on, and begins to sketch two characters named Willy and Joe, two, brave, disheveled, irreverent, likeable and crusty infantry soldiers that give meaning to the names infantrymen were referred to as: ground-pounders, dogfaces, legs, and grunts. Mauldin portrays their grim and grimy existence with fatalistic pictures and captions--or grunts. One called "Breakfast in Bed" finds one of them waking up under a cow's utters, or the one where both are in a rain-filled foxhole and Willie touches Joe's shoulder saying, "Joe, yesterday ya saved my life an' I swore I'd pay ya back. Here's my last pair o' dry socks," or with rain pelting down on a scrawny dog facing the opening of their make-shift shelter, one of them says: "Let'im in. I wanna see a critter I kin feel sorry fer." My all-time favorite is a drunk German staggering toward a hidden Willie and Joe, holding a bottle of schnapps, unaware that he is wandering into American lines: "Don't startle `im, Joe. It's almost full."

These cartoons show the comradeship that soldiers developed for each other that would last a lifetime. Each man knew each other better than his own family or spouse ever would, and they could see the good and the bad in everything. They would carry a wounded lieutenant back to safety because he wasn't a "salutin' demon," or curse the Germans as vile, evil Nazis for scuttling a large keg of cognac before their retreat. These soldiers were miserable without being despondent. They were scared without being cowardly. They complained about their predicaments, but carried out their mission as American soldiers always do--attacking silently. The viewer cannot help but feeling empathy and admiration for soldiers who sometimes spent thirty months "in the line."

Mauldin goes further than just making us laugh at the miserable existence of two men trying to stay alive. His real success is that his humor defines the very best and most humane in the human character when it is engaged in its most destructive behavior. It is also timeless. Seventy years later, civilians and servicemen can still see the gallows humor in Willie and Joe's death-defying predicaments.

"Up Front" is Mauldin's account, of what he was doing when he created a particular drawing, why he made sure to include medics, engineers, chaplains, and even Tommies. The writing is matter of fact, well-written, and interesting, but without fascination. That was saved for the cartoons. The author is explaining each one in his text. It's the drawings and the captions that make this book a winner and a conversation piece.

Bill Mauldin died January 22, 2003. Willie and Joe occupying a foxhole filled with water and several cubic feet of complaints, live on.

Think about this the next time you put on a pair of dry socks, and marvel at the simple pleasure of just how good they feel.



May 26, 2008 Memorial Day (observed)

In Memory of the Fallen and all our Gold Star Mothers--especially today.

The ilustrations in this book portray you to another book that perfectly capture the original paints.

I read Edgar Rice Burroughs novels as a teen and will never forget the impact of the Frazetta covers. His heros, the settings and the creatures were so wild and vivid; plus I think he definitely set my ideals of feminine beauty for life. This collection is a must for anyone who wants a good biography of F.F. along with some great reproductions of his best work.

Frazetta is great and this book is swell... however (as one other reviewer also experienced) the cover came off my book after I had it for only one week! I couldn't believe it! To credit of the publisher they did send me a replacement. I think I will buy the sequel now. Too bad it's only available in hardcover, but at least that way the cover is much less likely to fall off. As for the third book, it seems to be completely unavailable except to those who are willing to pay over a hundred dollars for it!

Words cannot describe the beauty and passion in Frazetta's work; This book is filled with amazing art, from the original sketches to the final product; Lots of personal photographs and insightful narratives help to make this a satisfying package, but the artwork alone makes this book a must have. From his early career doing comic books and movie posters, to the grand scale of his fantasy art, this is a book that is sure to excite any and all who have a shred of creativity within them. Totally inspiring book!!!

When people think of fantasy artwork, they might think first of those Conan and Edgar Rice Burroughs paperback covers, or a berserker warrior on horseback, corpses of foes beneath him and dripping weapon above him. People think of Frazetta first, whether or not they know it's him they're thinking of. He's also done recognizable work for Mad magazine, Little Annie Fanny for Playboy, posters for Peter Sellers movies, and lots more.

Frazetta has done plenty of work in ink, especially for a range of comics, but his oil paintings are best known and most heavily represented here. It's easy to see how he became the inspiration for an entire generation of fantasy artists, and probably well into a second generation, too. No one captures the rippling sinews of barbarian warriors like Frazetta does, or beasts, half-men, dungeons, jungles, and every other fantasy-scape that he's rendered. Above all, no one comes close to the lush, rounded figures of his female characters. They can be warriors and wizards in their own right, or eldritch spirits, or even savable maidens. Some, as in "Moon's Rapture" or the standing figure in "Rogue Roman", show a rich and womanly figure at rest, but somehow promising as much raw physical power as any man.

I recommend this collection to anyone passionate about illustration or fantasy art. Any one of his paintings can be an entire course of study for a budding artist. They can also be seen as powerful narratives in imagery, or as a jumping-off point for dreams of far-away worlds and heroic adventures.

-- wiredweird