Image Books

The above review of this book does a great job already, so I will try to complement it as best I can. Deleuze is a difficult thinker for newcomers. His ideas tend to refer to one another and have developed into a complex network of concepts over the course of his writings. The good news is that Deleuze is drawing an immense amount of interest in the US and UK now.
Deleuze sets out in the cinema books to create a theory of film and the image that stands in sharp contrast to the film theory we're most accustomed to. Deleuze does not accept that narrativity is a given in film. In fact, he wants to find a way of appreciating and describing what distinguishes film from language and narrative systems. For Deleuze, the moving image is not a system of reference. One doesn't refer to something through a segment of film. The filmic medium is direct, not referential.
Cinema 1 is thus a look at how the early cinema learned to produce the "movement image." It's a review of "auteur" film-makers and their experiments with the medium (in addition to those mentioned above are Welles, Godard, Eisenstein, Lang, Resnais, Hitchock...) to produce perception, affect, and action.
He contrasts montage with mise-en-scene. He shows how action corresponds to situations, either responding to situations or modifying them. He describes the discovery of depth of field, and use of affect in close ups and still images, the importance of shot and reverse shot sequences, and movement within the scene vs of the camera. He shows how pre-war film maintained a commitment to the whole. Characters' actions were motivated by situations, and films as a whole hung together.
The book concludes with Hitchcock's invention of the audience as a third term in the filmic experience: subject, object, audience. Audiences complete Peirce's sign system (firstness, secondness, thirdness) because they interpret the film. Indeed, Hitchcock's art was in showing the audience what the character would only discover later, and in making his films into logical puzzles rather than whodunits.
A dazzling book, I had to read it twice, and many of the films referenced won't be on dvd for years....

Gilles Delueze creates in his books on cinema a taxonomy, an attempt at the classification of cinematic images and signs. This classification is an insightful elaboration on Bergson's theses on movement and on Pierce's signs system. If this taxonomy is the core of the "movement-image" book, its heart is a brilliant and systematic history of aesthetic forms of the classical cinema. Some of the more interesting ideas are the two poles of the close-up, Goethe's theory of color and German expressionism, the space in Bresson, an account of Bunuel as naturalist, the difference between John Ford and Howard Hawks, the crisis of the action-image and the essence of comedy as in Lubitsch, Chaplin and Keaton. Nevertheless, it is not a book about cinema, nor is it a book of film history. It is the practice of concepts. Deleuze writes: "Philosophical theory is itself a practice, just as much as its object. It is no more abstract than its object...So that there is always a time, midday-midnight, when we must no longer ask ourselves 'What is cinema?' but 'What is philosophy?'". Only Deleuze, one of the greatest minds of our Century, could answer this question with so much elegance, profundity, ingenuity and mystical charm.

Our Hero Deleuze is back at it once again on his Bergsonian quest to conquer the movement-image.This time descending light from the plane of immanence will guide our hero through phenomenological blunders. Wow! what an amazing book! Deleuze has done it again, I mean talk about the varities! Perception-Image, Affect Image and Action Image. It totally clairfies any misconsceptions about the liquid, gasous and solid states. If there is such thing as a rhizomatic world, could the Time-Image be a prequel? Deleuze is smoking!!!!

I attended school here from kindergarten thru 9th grade.I'm in one of the class photos.My father managed the movie theatre.My mother worked at the bellevue diner.We lived in the apartment above Frisch's clothing store.(shown burning)before my dad was drafted to serve in the 2nd world war.After the war we returned to town and he resumed the managers position.We bought a home on silver lake drive,and I returned to school with most of my old friends.

I loved this book. I've lived in Clementon for 30 years and my mother has been in the area all of her life so it was really great when we looked at the book together and walked down memory lane. If you are from this area, I think you will enjoy it.

This book was a great insight into a sleepy little town in South Jersey. The seller, however, was great. Condition was as described and the shipment came quickly and without incident, so ITS ALL GOOD

I WAS VERY EXCITED TO RECIEVE THIS BOOK AND EVEN MORE AS I BEGAN TO READ IT! THANK YOU

It is remarkable how much information Frank Henkel crams into 128 pages. From the Cleveland Browns' beginnings in the mid-1940s, to the title teams of their first decade, to the club's "slump" in the late-1950s and early '60s, to Cleveland's last pro sports championship in 1964, to the near-misses of the late-'60s, to the Bad News Browns of the mid-70s, to the Kardiac Kids, to the Kosar era, to The Move, to the "return" of the Browns in 1999, to the troubled times of today, Henkel takes the reader on a unique path through the history of one of the most celebrated franchises in the NFL. Besides bringing to the reader the obvious highlights and lowlights of nearly 60 years of Browns football, Henkel also writes of players and happenings about which many fans may have forgotten. The author goes into great detail in the play-by-play of some very memorable games. He also adds spice by offering the reader an array of trivia tidbits throughout the book. If you are a fan of Cleveland Browns history, you will love Cleveland Browns History. It's that simple.

A very well written book. There is an amazing amount of information packed into 128 pages. The book is broken down in chronological order, starting in the early days of the All-American Football Leauge, through all the NFL and AFC championships, the hard years of the 1980's and 90's, the move out of Cleveland and the triumphant return in 1999. The book starts with Cleveland's utter domination of the AAFC and their move to the NFL. It covers Paul Brown's accomplishments and his eventual firing by Art Modell, the "Kardiac Kids" of 1979 - 1984, and the careers of Lyle Alzado and Bernie Kosar. The book draws to a close with the old Browns moving to Balitimore, the fans fight in Congress to keep the team in Cleveland, and the eventual rebirth of the new Cleveland Browns and their future, including the recent hiring of Romeo Crennel as the team's new head coach. Plus, there are countless black-and-white pictures and rich captions of Cleveland Browns history. The cool thing about b&w pictures is that it makes everything equally historical, from 2004 to 1946.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed this book about one of the most historic sports teams in history. I look forward to Mr. Henkel's next book. Perhaps he can work his magic over the Dallas Cowboys history.

Tom Matowitz is an air junkie like me. I very much enjoyed vintage aviation, as a historian of my Ohio hometown of Columbus. It was a treat to see a photo of Port Columbus under construction that I had never seen. What a treasure of Cleveland area photos he has assembled; I hope the book is a great seller. I only wish I had more info on the cover photo; who was the pilot and what was the plane in the background.

The perfect follow-up to Tom Matowitz' book, The Cleveland National Air Races. Wonderful images that have been rarely or never published before. Makes a great addition to any library or great as a gift. Anyone interested in Cleveland history, Aviation History or times-gone-by will love it.

Mr. Matowitz has "hit another home run" with his latest aviation book, Cleveland's Legacy of Flight. The book is very thoroughly researched and well written and presents hundreds of fascinating pictures. Any aviation enthusiast or persons interested in serious aviation history will enjoy this book.Cleveland's Legacy of Flight (Images of Aviation: Ohio)

A landmark book, Coastal Waters reflects the creative genius of a natural photographer in complete harmony with his world. Not since Ansel Adams's indepth studies of the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of the West has another artist been so in touch with the life and images in his daily world. Please give us more of this talented young man's work.

His best work since "Seashells of North Carolina." A talented photographic tribute to a treasured coastal area.

A "picture book" of the highest calibre. This is one of the most calming and beautiful books I've ever purchased. Mr. Taylor's hauntingly insightful photographs portray the true nature of Coastal Carolina and give the reader/viewer a true insight into the ways of life "Downeast." The Introduction and Forward are as comforting and peaceful as the photos. A book to dream through after a harried day. I'd move there in a minte if it weren't for the fact that (I'm proud to say) I already have. Heaven is truly closer here by North Carolina's "Coastal Waters."

It is time to clean up our financial situations and and apply this prophectic call to action which is presented in this masterpiece. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit is saying through this man of God. This could be the final call. A must read if you are serious about building and sowing into the kingdom of God as well as blessing your personal life.

"Finally a financial book that is fun and easy to read with a lot of meat and wisdom. This book will change how you look at money and how you handle it. Truly liberating, a must read for any person. More than financial wisdom taught here. "

I am a Financial Advisor who is also a Christian. Anyone who works in the financial service world knows that the current system is broken. A recent media statistic noted that the savings rate for Americans went negative in 2005 for the first time since the Great Depression. People are living in bondage because they have little concept of how to manage their money. Money is a great servant, but a terrible master. This book does an excellent job of pointing out that as Christians, if we follow God's principles for managing money, we will be blessed. This book is a call to action for the body of believers to wake up and honor God with their money and possessions, to the building of God's kingdom. A must read for all Christians.

Phenomenal book! I've been quoting and explaining scenes from this book to friends all week. In five pages these characters are given more depth than many new characters have in 5 years. Many twists, different genres of story telling. This is more than just a superhero book, it's a great book, period. Every story (or chapter) has a different artist as well, which gives each character their own feel. Each character could support their own book. Sometimes when many heroes are introduced quickly like this, the stories fall apart soon after (Ultraverse, early Image); but these characters are so well rounded you actually care and can't wait for the next issue.

Troy Hickman's COMMON GROUNDS is a truly unique look at the world of comic book superheroes, and a must buy for anyone even slightly interested in the genre. Going beyond the "SMASH!" "BANG!" "POW!" stereo-types, Hickman's wonderfully witty and insightful stories show the people underneath the masks at there most human, and humane.

Expertly illustrated by a variety of gifted artists, the strength of this collection is Troy Hickman's wonderful writing; which is humorous, touching, and completely unique.

I can't recommend this collection enough. Enjoy!

In one of the more unique superhero titles I've read in a long time, Top Cow presents "Common Grounds" written by Troy Hickman. Originally conceived by Hickman as a self-published mini-comic called Holey Crullers, it's been re-created by Top Cow as Common Grounds and features such stalwart artists as George Perez, Al Vey, Sam Keith, Dan Jurgens, and Chris Bachalo. Common Grounds is a chain of doughnut and coffee shops that caters especially to super types, both heroes and villains. It's a kind of neutral territory where they can kick back, relax, and small-talk, always observing the no fighting policy in the shop. Hickman gives us a glimpse at heroes in their downtime, putting a true-to-life spin on characters that have been glamorized for over sixty years. This 144 page trade paperback presents a baker's dozen of humorous, tragic, and always poignant stories of what it's like to be a superhero.

Among the stories in this volume are:

"Beyond the Speed of Life" A reporter who always dreamed of being a superhero gets a chance to interview the Speeding Bullet inside Common Grounds. He soon sees that the life of a superhero is not so glamorous as the hero's rapid metabolism forces him to eat almost constantly and spend an equal amount of time in the toilet. His life is one of loneliness and boredom as he finishes books in a few seconds. The reporter leaves cherishing his mundane life.

"Head Games" Mental Midget and one of his arch-enemies the Man-Witch happen to enter the bathroom at Common Grounds at the same time and sit in neighboring stalls. While doing their business they reflect on life with super powers and share thoughts on everyday life. Very funny story!

"Roles" Jenny is a waitress at Common Grounds and an aspiring actress whose just been told she can't act by a casting director. When she stops to help a stranded motorist, Jenny has to play the role of the lifetime when the man turns out to be a psychotic murderer.

"Time of Their Lives" Two old foes meet in the streets outside the Common Grounds. One the good looking, retired Commander Power, the other the down and out, and living on the streets Blackwatch, who went to prison when he accidentally killed a superhero. Appearances are not what they seem in this story of redemption.

"Fat Chance" Several extremely overweight heroes hold their regular support meeting at the Common Grounds and give their "Weight Watchers-esque" testimony about their weight problems.

"Glory Days" A hero named Lift-Off attends the 30th anniversary of the forming of "Liberty Balance" the greatest super team ever. He uses old trading cards to recognize and remember his former comrades but there's one in particular he's waiting to see...

"Where Monsters Dine" In a magnificent tribute to those off the wall Marvel sci-fi books of the late 50's and early 60's comes this hilarious story of gigantic monsters named Grondar, Crittor, and a dragon named Wang Dang Doodle, who live far from man, lamenting what their lives have become when they no longer are able to terrorize men. Just a great tribute to those wacky Kirby creations.

Common Grounds is a fabulous book filled with stories of side-splitting humor and deep sadness. Troy Hickman has given us a glimpse into the lives behind the superheroes. And while his heroes are unknown to comic fans, you'll see quite clearly many of the heroes that Hickman based his creations on such as Speeding Bullet and The Flash. This is an exceptionally well done book and highly recommended!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

This is one of the best workbooks I have found in training us to walk in daily communion with Jesus Christ. This is a MUST for all Christian leaders.

Learn about the spiritual world we often neglect; hear God's voice in your life; change your relationship with God forever.

Communion with God has blessed me tremendously. I learned how to quiet myself, listen to Him, write what He tells me and my life has been changed. I spend time with HIM. Quality time. This books tells you how! MUST read for EVERY Christian!

Anyone who visited Conneaut Lake Park in the late 60's or thru the Mid 70's such as myself will enjoy the large selection of photos, that tell the tale of this park from its early inception up to the present day. As the years went by I often thought of this Park and wondered if it even still existed. I was suprised to learn it was open many years, and yet sad to see some of the changes that took place, but ultimately gratefull, that it was still there. Many wonderfull childhood memories of this park. This book covers all from top to bottom, and I reccomend it for anyone who ever visited this unique and wonderfull park

Literally, I can't put the book down. I was using heavy duty glue earlier to mend my coffee table and I guess I had some left on my hand. I can't put the book down w/out ripping off its back cover, so I decided to read it. It's pretty good! I think I'll actually go back to Conneaut Lake and check it out again some time. Sure, brings back some memories. Now, I'm hungry for cotton candy...

I really enjoyed this book because it brings back a lot of happy memories from my childhood. Looking at the pictures from the early 1970's really brought a smile to my face. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed and appreciated Conneaut Lake Park.

Great book! I would recommend this book for all to read. It reminds me of Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" but from a Christian perspective. It is simply like sitting down and having a conversation with God face to face, raw, and completely honest. It will challenge you and bless you at the same time. It helped me to change my perspective on things like hate, control, and love and see them as they are. I HIGHLY recommend this book anyone :D. Give it a read. It wil bless you.

A fabulous book that has blessed me greatly. It has such great depth and honesty. I look forward to future books by Teri!

Ms. copley has undergone quite a transformation allowing her God to change her from a lonely woman working in the Hollywood machine to a fulfilled woman working to proclaim salvation to that same machine.
Her book is written in a conversational form allowing the reader to eavesdrop on her prayers with God & listen in on His answers to her sometimes innocent, always relevant questions. As the questions become more engaged and more difficult to answer, the replies given by her God remain easily understood and well defined allowing all readers from those who have no clear understanding of God to those with advanced studies in theology to follow the growth of this young Christians woman...a woman who learns to be the daughter of her Father.
This is an excellent read and a highly valued gift for anyone you know!

Rev. L. Traxler
www.freemp3bible.org