Designers Books

It looks like another winner. these books are all so funny and at the same time touching. Truly wonderful.

I read the frist one in the series then this one I love it too and it checks up on the characters in the previous book! I hope Barbara writes a few more!

Fledgling dress designer Cindy Reilly hoped to design dresses that would be in major stores someday. She hoped to have a happy ending like Cinderella. Cindy already had her prince, or so she thought. Heir to Strawbridge & Fitz department stores, Franklin Cameron Fitz III, saw Cindy and knew she was the one he wanted. But what about the boyfriend? On the night of Cindy's greatest triumph to date, a sale to Fitz's store, she catches her fiance with another woman, a sophisticated city woman. Cindy asks Franklin to help her make herself over, giving him time to be with Cindy.

A gentle tale of learning to separate fact from fiction, seeing what's real and not what you want to be real.

I love the Jan Karon-esque qualities of Barbara's books. I had already visited Pilchick and been introduced to Cindy in Barb's other hometown adventures and now we have become better aquainted. The love, caring, pettiness, quirks, foibles, heroes and crackpots of Smalltown, America are true to life and full of giggles. I plan to visit again and again. More, please!

This book is perfect for when you want to escape from the cares of the world. It makes you laugh and warms your heart. I also like how Ms. Hicks brings out important issues, like excepting yourself for who you are and how important it is to follow your dreams.

All the glamour.
Great photography.
Great shots.
Rich.
Beautiful colors.
Stars!
The whole nine yards!
I love it!!!

If fashion is your addiction, meet your quick fix. This book is beautiful, accessible and comprehensive. For all students, followers, trend-setters of fashion design and style, it would make a wonderful addition to your library.
It must be stated that the book is more a look into American fashion designers, from the end of the 1920's to 2007, than American fashion itself. After all, the book is published by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. The best way to analogize how this fact affects the book is to compare it to a history of American Cinema, published by the American Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the Oscar-awarding organization.) This absolutely colors, biases and focuses the approach the book follows into what is by definition a vast subject. Throughout, it places the designer as the determining and dictating factor of style within the culture. Whether it makes a good argument for this is up to you to decide... Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that this helps keep the book focused, yet detailed.
The photography included in the book is exquisite and sharp. Especially true of the mid-century photography, it far exceeds the quality of that available in vintage fashion magazines.
Whether you are a novice/hobbyist or an established member of the industry, this is a delightful, insightful and thorough look at the subject. Even if its true title should be "American Fashion Designers: An Illustrated History."

This is a beautiful book, with stunning pictures and the text no doubt forms an authoritative picture of the evolution of American fashion from the 30's to the present. I was disappointed, however, that there weren't more "nostalgia" pictures, for lack of a better term. Everything was so artistic that there weren't the pictures of, say, Cybill Shepard in classic 60's mod taken from Glamour, that I would have liked to see and that would have made things more accessible. This is more a book for fashion professionals or students than the casual reader which still makes it an excellent buy and great book, but just not for me.

What a lush, lovely, can't help-looking-at volume! If you like fashion, you'll find something to oooh and ahhh over on all 318 pages of this coffee table gem, an opulent history of fashion in America.

We begin with 1930s Hollywood and New York at a time when there was much to celebrate - the end of Prohibition. Nylon stockings were first introduced, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who supported the fashions of the times, was First Lady.

Moving ahead to the 1940s our country is at war, and Rosie the Riveter is the iconic image of American womanhood, while 1946 Paris saw the first modern style bikini. The 1950s were a showcase of opposite modes from Audrey Hepburn with her model figure and dancer's grace to the eye-popping Marilyn Monroe, both influenced what women wore.

TV's Charlie's Angels set the standard for glamour in 1976, and Diane Keaton gave us Annie Hall complete with trousers, tie, and vest. Donna Karan introduced her first women's collection in 1985; about the same time that one more bombshell made a sometimes outrageous fashion statement of her own - Madonna, of course.

Enriched with some 250 illustrations American Fashion reminds us of the truly glamorous and the unparalleled debonair - a young Katharine Hepburn in a black Hawes gown posed for Harper's Bazaar, the unforgettable Marlene Dietrich smolders in a black velvet coat embroidered with white. And, of course, even now Fred Astaire remains the epitome of the well-dressed American man.

This volume celebrates the work of over 100 American designers with photographs and illustrations by the finest artists of our century. Our country is a proud melange of colors and ideas as is our fashion.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

American Fashion....finally a fashion book based on American fashion trends and beauty. This book really illustrates the ever changing trends of the past beautifully. I encourage anyone who is in love with reading about fashion to get this book. It is a great add to your fashion library collection.

I loved reading and re-reading this book. Simple language and it's a thriller for sure. I love how great it is and how in depth it becomes - describing the medical and scientific parts in a clearly understandable way. The chemistry in this book made me fall in love with my organic chemistry class before I even took it.

We are passing the book around the family now. The farther has PD. It has been great for us to gain an understanding of this mysterious illness.

A must for all Parkinson's Disease interested persons. A spellbinding tale depicting the beginning of modern science research into the causes of PD brought about by a very unlikely source. Hard to set aside once started. E. Jack Savely

A relation between a disease know for its unknown causes and a new "designer" drug made to bypass the actual laws, drug that actually caused the addicts to get the Parkinson's disease, then the overwhelmed reaction to the medical research community that could make a disaster by spreading the disease amongst researchers unaware of precautions to take manipulating the chemicals that caused the six drug addicts to be sick. This book is great from the begining to the end, as entertaining as the best fiction book even though it is a very factual book. I do not have a strong medical background, but I clearly understood this book and enjoyed reading it.

When I bought this book I didn't know what to expect - I thought it would be similar in style to Oliver Sacks' "Awakenings" (i.e. a series of case histories). While I enjoyed Awakenings I would have to say that this book is much better - it truly reads like an un-put-downable thriller. The plot has all the ingredients for a great story - whatever we might think of heroin addiction and the criminal backgrounds of many of the frozen addicts, we can only feel sympathy for their terrible fate; Langston is a perspicacious but poorly funded neurologist who must fight the prejudices of the medical establishment (and ultimately the government and President) in order to develop an exciting but controversial new treatment that will give the addicts the only hope of release from their living hell. It's great stuff, made all the better of course because its based on truth. The book is also hugely informative and gives a sobering insight into the suffering endured by victims of Parkinsons and other neurodegenerative diseases; as well as offering hope in the form of future treatments. It is also superbly written. What more can I say?

I used to be afraid of art until I bought this book and shared it with my 5-year-old daughter. I thought fine art was for the sophisticated -- certainly not for a regular person like me.

"Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children" introduces kids to great works of art in a very gentle way. The whole point of beginning to enjoy art is simply to start looking at it. Each two-page spread covers one piece of art. On the left page is the print, nearly filling the page, with information about the artist, name of the piece, date, and where it is located (such as a gallery or private collection). The right-hand page has a few questions the parent can ask the child and discuss together, such as, "What do you think the child is looking at? What makes you think so?" and, "The artist used a lot of different lines in this painting. Find a straight line. ..."

There are no wrong answers. The questions are designed to get the children looking -- really looking -- at the art. Then at the bottom is a brief narrative about the artwork and the artist, explaining what is happening in the picture or how and why the artist created it. Each spread is an art appreciation lesson, without it ever feeling like a lesson. It's even easy for someone like me with no prior art background.

I like that this book starts author Gladys Blizzard's series of books with pictures of children, as it's easy for children to get into paintings of kids their own ages.

Now that I'm not afraid to look at art and take it all in, it's fun to explore it further. My daughter and I are able to talk about artwork we see. We talk about how it was created, what the artist might have been feeling, and we compare it to other art we have seen. I wish I had been exposed to art like this when I was 5 years old!

We started with this book and I have already purchased couple more in the series.

Some things we have done at home to extend the learning from this book: I bought an inexpensive table-top easel and set the book up in our living room, opened to the artwork we studied that week. Every time we walk by we can appreciate it even more and even notice new things. We add the artist's birth-death dates in a timeline we keep for history and geography. Once my daughter wanted to try to recreate one of the paintings, so we sketched it ourselves. One of my favorite moments as a homeschooling mother was when our family had the chance to go to the Art Institute of Chicago and see one of the paintings. We were able to enjoy it and talk about it intelligently. My daughter was not bored at the art gallery as I would have been at her age. She was fascinated, all thanks to "Come Look with Me!"

The artwork is accompanied by questions to get the viewer thinking. It works great with homeschool or for anytime.

We just started "looking" at Ms Blizzard's book, and it has already opened a whole new world for my children to discover. The format (full page color pictures accompanied by historical reference and discussion questions) is as enjoyable for the children as it is for adults. As a homeschool mother I appreciate the opportunity it provides to take a moment and wonder what the artist may have had in mind when they created their work. I also thank the author for the corresponding list of open ended discussion questions she provides. Take a moment to really look at a picture and let the child interpret it. You may be surprized at how they respond. I know I was. It has become especially popular with my 3 year old who considers the children her friends. We look at it daily and can't wait to add to our collection with another edition of the authors works. A wonderful introduction to art appreciation for all ages. Thank you Ms. Blizzard for a wonderful book! This series is sure to be a hit with all who appreciate art.

after borrowing it so many times from the library, just decided to go ahead and get it. this is one of sonlight's recommended resources for kindergarten (art appreciation)

This is a good book for adults and children. There is a picture on one page and on the next page there is a little bit of information about the picture and some questions to inspire thinking about the picture.

Examples of questions might be- what are the childrenn in this painting feeling? What makes you think so? What is the father in this painting thinking about?

This book inspires young children to look at pictures in a different way. It inspires them to put the story to the painting and to explore what the painting is trying to 'say'. Because of this it is a good introduction to art for young children.

Enjoy.

As of date, built the cedar lattice & pine bracket birdhouse illustrated on the cover. I enjoy working with cedar, using cheap cedar fencing which I put through a planner bringing out a smooth nice wood grain finish. A coat of Tung Oil further brings out the wood grain and seals the wood.
Electric tools I used were bandsaw, drill press, 12" planner and belt sander.
The instructions are easy to follow. All 20 birdhouses are of unique design and easy to make. I will probably make most of these just to add variety and color to my yard.

The adjective that leaped to mind when I firsst read Designer Birdhouses by Richard T. Banks was: impressive. This book is a visual phenomenon...with instuctions. Whether one is a master carpenter unequalled or a would-be carpenter challenged by a hammer and nail, Designer Birdhouses is unrivaled in its beautiful illustrations, ease of understanding as well as clarity of instructions. In a brief perusal of the book, it becomes readily apparent that Banks executed a brilliant accomplishment in his ability to tie together the relationship between birds and their nesting habits. This relationship is imbedded in the many birdhouse designs.
Banks is a professional architect, author and artist. There is some evidence in the pages of Designer Birdhouses that he has accepted Southern culture, language and some of the humor, e.g. in the design element called "Baffles" he wrote "it's from below that you need to thwart those clinbing critters." For the unfamiliar, "climbing critters" may be squirrels, possums or cats. Later on, in forgiving the would-be carpenter's faulty transgressions he wrote "birds are creatures of he wild...they don't go about measuring holes or potential nesting boxes. So, Mr. spprentice, stop worrying about your mistakes.
Designer Birdhouses covers all aspects of design, building and placement of the completed birdhouse. Note the clever idea of starting many of the designs with a "basic box". this concept would show the apprentice carpenter that he has the ability to recognize and build a "basic box" then move forward with various design embellishments. To assist the apprentice carpenter even further, Banks asks the question, "What makes a good birdhouse?" He answers that question in simple relevant terms. Wow! What more can one ask for in a specialty book such as Designer Birdhouses.
Designer Birdhouses sets a new standard and ranks in the summa cum laude category. It would make a wonderful gift for bird enthusiasts as well as do-it-yourselfers and other hobbyists.

I can't believe this book didn't come up as one of the first when I was looking for birdhouse building ideas. If you like contemporary innovative designs this is the book for you. The designer is an architect and it shows in the original designs. Colorful photos and detailed instructions. I highly recommend.

I recieved this book as a christmas present and I love it. It's really easy to follow, the pictures and diagrams are wonderful. My favorite birdhouse is the Board and Batton Shingle house. I recommend this book if you enjoy interesting and stylish birdhouses.

Great for grandparents to make a special project with grandchildren. You can premeasure & cut as needed depending on their age and ability. The houses are made with common materials which makes them very do-able. The designs and colors are fantastic. Inspirational for all!

This book is contains the essential information for designing low phase noise VCO's. It also contains the references to the prior work as well.

this is a very well written book. it includes many explanations plus it reviews all the necessary basics too

a reader from France

Compared to other books on oscillators, this is a clear text including state-of-the art knowledge about operation of oscillators. Writing style is clear and to the point. Backed with theory that is understandable to the ordinary designer, authors skillfully guide reader to a how-to of actual desigins with practical specs.

I was the editor for this book and I wanted to let you know that if you wished to find out more about it before your ordered it, you can go to its home page, which can be found at http://www.designers-guide.com/Books/. It contains considerably more information about the book, including excerpts.

I found this book to be the best I've seen on oscillator design. It is very practical while offering great insight to designers.

-Ken

This book is a summary of the journal articles by the three authors. They have done a good job of rewriting them into a coherent, logically flowing book.

The title is misleading as the book deals exclusively with silicon MOS transistors and oscillator types that are suitable for integration including the passive parts.

If you make such circuits, this will be a good book for you. If you design BJT or JFET oscillators you will not find this book very useful.

Needs some updating with the changes in the industry, but a great book for the beginner.

Excellent information on a huge range of topics. Highly recommend book.

This is the best resource book I have ever seen about all aspects of digital design. It covers computer basics then has sections on print and web. Descriptions are clear, easy to understand, beautifully illustrated and absolutely up to date. This is a must-have book for teachers.

This is something a new graphic/web designer will refer to, if he/she needs to know about certain terms used in the business or about the tools that he/she may need to get his/her job done. It doesn't go into details but provides enough information to go further. Excellent layout, design and printing.

I am a newbie to digital design and this book covers everything, from color management to printing processes to how to price your work and manage work flow.
A MUST for any beginner...this is the best reference I have come across by far.

We took this to the National Gallery when we took out kids there for the first time (they were 6 and 9) on our first big European trip. We asked for the specific location of the four paintings mentioned in the book, and went looking for them. It was great! The children loved spotting them, and we loved looking at everything else (a bit too fast for my liking but hey at least we got to see them!) on the way.

What a great story - dogs from actual paintings in the National Gallery in London having one night a year, "special night out" to run around free in the Gallery.....and then get mixed up and go back in the wrong paintings. My kids LOVE this book - it sets their minds racing! And hey, next time you're in London, why not take your kids to check out the paintings? (And see if the dogs are back where they belong!) This is a fantastic book... everyone (not just dog-lovers and lovers of art)will enjoy it.

There are so few kids books that make both the parent and child feel the wink of knowing what is going on while characters in the story do not. This is one of those rare rare books that succeeds on so many levels - the story unfolds visually and in the text as you gather what is going on. You aren't told - the dogs jump out of the paintings. You infer it. You aren't told the dogs re-enter the wrong paintings. You see it as various museum patrons react to the strangeness of paintings they thought they knew. And how wonderful is it to introduce grand masterpieces to kids in a way that is so much fun! My daughter loved this book, insisted we go to the art museum afterward and find dogs in other paintings. She imagined what would happen if other animals jumped off paintings and secretly partied after hours in the museum. 'Cats night out' 'Horses Night Out', etc. Run and get this book. You will be delighted.

The dogs come out of the paintings in the museum one night a year for a party. One year the remnants of a human cocktail party lead them to eat too much food and wine, and when it is time to crawl back into their paintings for another year there is a grand mixup. The paintings are real ones from the National Gallery in London. Great book. We loved it!

With 7 grandchildren, I'm always on the look out for suitable reading matter for them. Today I found a really nice book for the age group 5 to 9yrs. Dogs' Night by Meredith Hooper, fits all the requirements.

The story is set in an art museum : One night of the year, all the dogs in the paintings, jump down and have a high old time, running riot in the museum, when the staff and the public have left. This time things were just a little different! The museum hosted an art lovers function and the dogs had to wait until it was over, before they could escape their paintings and have a good time doing the things dogs do. The humans hadn't cleared away the left overs, so the dogs ate, and drank *fizzy drinks*. When it was time for them to go back into their pictures, 4 of them ended up in the wrong ones! The dog from Jan van Eyck's Painting *The Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife, Giovnna Cenami* a cute hairy little beast, ends up in Gainsborough's *Mr & Mrs.Andrews. Their dog, a brown hunting dog with a white muzzle, goes to visit *Madame de Pompadour* by Francois-Hubert Drouais. Her cute little black dog with a wavy tail, finds itself down by the river in *Bathers at Asnieres* by Georges-Pierre Seurat! So...that leaves the red dog with the floppy ears from the Bathers, in the bedroom of the Arnolfini family!

Their mistake is discovered first by a little girl and then by the public. At first the Gallery staff think there is a theft, but realize that the paintings are the originals, with some very odd changes made. The media and the general public flock to the Gallery and it becomes the most popular one in the world.

A year later...it's Dogs' Night again. All the dogs in the Gallery paintings leave their pictures and run around madly doing dog things, but this time there is no *fizzy drink* to muddle them up. When it's time to climb back into the pictures, they all manage to end up in their original paintings. No one knows how it's happened...except the Dogs!

I thoroughly recommend this little book. The story is clever and well told in easy language. The illustrations are enchanting.Reproductions of the original art work have been used with permission from the National Gallery in London. It's a nice way to get kids interested in Art, even if it is looking to find the *dog* in the picture.

I'd give it a 5! Oh...and my *soon to be 5* granddaughter will have it under the tree waiting for her Christmas morning!

Vickie Bowman..Callahan's Saloon at Delphi.com.

This book is fantastic simply for the amount of information it contains, both about designers and info about the particular decade of fashion. Just buy it, especially if u r a student on a limited budget.

One reviewer said if you have "Couture" dont buy this. Remember Couture is 20 years out-of-date and mostly black and white. This is the book for every fashion student who wants to know each decade's celebrities, looks, designers, etc. It is the whole course in a nutshell (well rather a big heavy nutshell) but still, if you only buy one, buy this one.

Excellent photographic journey of 20th century style -- not only clothing, but hair and make-up as well. Very similar to COUTURE: THE GREAT DESIGNERS by Caroline Milbank and includes many of the same photos and drawings. FASHION is about 200 pages longer than COUTURE, however, and therefore includes more information, plus is somewhat less costly. If you already have COUTURE, you already have FASHION -- no need to buy both unless it's an area of detailed research.

This is the book on fashion - if you only want to buy one book about fashion in the twentieth century, this is the one to buy. Even if you have many books already, buy this anyway. The pictures are fantastic - a great mix of the classics (Dovima and the Elephants is of course included) and some you may not have seen before - and the prose is great, not too flowery but still capturing the art and drama that is fashion. Organised chronologically by decade, this book includes not just an overview of each era, but also informative sections on most of the major designers, including some of the oft-forgotten pioneers such as Lanvin, Fortuny, McCardell and Capucci. There are also articles on various aspects of the fashion industry, from how the clothes are made the idols of each era, costumes in the movies and many more. A beautiful book to look at as well as one of the most informative non-scholarly, this is a fantastic book for any fashionista, whether a total devotee or someone just new to the charms of fashion.he

"Fashion" by Seeling is the best book out on the market today when it comes to a survey of 20th century fashion. It is full of fabulous photographs, great historical data, and lists a plethora of designers including more current ones that "Couture" does not. This book is being used as the course textbook for the class "The Great Designers" at Marymount University in Arlington, VA. Thank you to Seeling for providing us with such a great "jumping off" point for our class discussions!

the book title says it all, this book is fast and fun. it has so many projects in it that i want to make. very good instructions, very helpful hints included with each project. this is just one of those great books that you come across every once in a while.

I rate Fast, Fun and Fabulous Quilts an 8 only because of the applique projects of which I'm not a big fan. The instructions are clear and takes the guesswork out of determing fabric yardage. Each project has tips to make the cutting and piecing more efficient. If you like stars, hearts, houses and teddy bears, get this book but it has lots more.

This book is one I bought for our guild library because of the incredible variety contained in it. There are projects that are quick and fun or take longer and are just as fun! It has excellent step by step photos when necessary, well written directions and very tastful projects from designers that any quilter who is getting their feet wet will recognize the name of. The quilts are made from a variety of techniques, so if you have a preference or want to learn something new, this book is for you. ENJOY, it is a keeper!

I own a lot of quilting books and this is one of my best. Eye-catching patterns and originality abound. I love the stars the most. You just feel good looking through this book! I am going to make one of these quilts one day!!

This book is the best quilting/patchwork/appique book I have ever seen! As soon as I bought it I just had to start a project from it, and now I'm starting another one. I've looked through it a million times already, it's very inspiring! Beautiful colour photos, and clear instructions. Also has alot of tips on how you can change the overall look with different fabrics etc.