Publications Books

As a professional comprehensive healing practitioner I have read hundreds upon hundreds of resources, always seeking out key elements and information written in layman's terms to share with clients, resources that help clients empower themselves. Let me tell you, they are hard to come by!

I bought Colleen Deatsman's book and read it cover to cover, then went through it again and applied every single exercise, meditation, etc., doing so from a client's point of view. Was this something I could easily and without reservation recommend to clients? Was this a resource the average person could read, understand, and apply with ease? Astoundingly, throughout the entire book, through each and every method shared by Colleen, the answer is an astounding "YES!" to every question. This is _the_ book I had been looking for. (My only complaint, and it's a small one, is the section on Energy Cord Cutting. Because of my work and research with energy cords, I have discovered that pulling and other non-cutting methods tend to be safer and more effective. - Sorry, Colleen! =p)

Because of the amazing benefits of applying Colleen's knowledge I have seen incredible results, with myself, and with clients. Numerous clients who have purchased this title have written or called afterward to tell me of their amazing results, especially when combined with treatment from an esoteric energy practitioner.

This has become the **number one book** (and CD) I recommend to clients, colleagues, family, and friends. "Energy for Life" is worth 20,000 times its weight in gold. It is a must-have resource for anyone in the healing arts, and for those simply looking for result-oriented methods they can easily apply themselves, in the comfort of their own homes.

An amazing explination of energy and how to stay connected and energized in our lives. One of the best written books on the subject I have ever seen. An absolute must for any healer, lightworker, shaman, or just anyone who wants to learn valuable techniques for taking control of your life and claiming all the power that is yours.

This is a book full of exercises dealing with energy, visualizations and so on. If that's what you were looking for, great; this is the book for you. But I was looking instead for a book not so "practical", but rather focusing on a better general management of your energy, so as to keep always in control of your energy level and prevent getting depleted when you are tired, or get suddenly angry, for instance.
I guess I will have to keep looking for that other book. Anyway, this book could be of help to you if what you are looking for is a daily exercise program to keep "fitness", energetically speaking.

"Energy for Life" is a very valuable resource for those of you looking for ways to activate your energy. So many of us are stressed out from having to figure out how to survive in today's world.

Colleen Deatsman teaches us how to thrive and not just survive. She brilliantly teaches what energy is, how to activate your own life-force energy, release blockages, stop energy leakages, and connect with the source of life.

I really appreciate how Collen takes some complex metaphysical concepts and can speak about them in a way that is easy to follow showing us how to work with energy on a day to day level in our lives.

I also appreciate her own journey as "a wounded healer". For she overcame chronic illness using the techniques she shares in her book. She knows the path that we must all walk on our healing journey.

I highly recommend this book to learn how to rejuvenate and heal. She also included a CD of guided meditations which are simple and relaxing to work with.

All in all "Energy for Life" is a gift for all of us living in today's world. It's well written, easy to follow, engaging and gives us practical ways to change our health as well as our lives.

I am interested in energy work from a metaphysical standpoint but that should not stop anyone else who is interested in raising their energy levels and getting connected with their center core. One just needs an open mind not a religious affiliation or context to benefit from the information contained within.

The CD was amazing although I wish there were other mediations from the book that could have been added to the CD which would have made this package out of this world.

As with anything else, meditations differ from person to person, I tend to prefer the more concise practices rather than the drag me out 40 minute editions which one does not always have time for. Thank goodness of the 5 meditations only one was longer than 20 minutes and it turned out to be my least favorite anyway.

Overall this book and CD are worth the price.

"Facets of Unity: The Enneagram of Holy Ideas" by A.H. Almas is a transformative book.

The Enneagram reflects nine personality types that form spiritual realities for you to experience through your interactions in day to day life. Keys are given to unlock 'fixations' in your life in order for you to move on and experience personal life transformation. Great insights expounded about enlightenment.

Powerful for freeing you from limitations.

Even better when read together with "Nexus" a New Age novel that is a true psychological and spiritual adventure.

Nexus: A Neo Novel

Reading "Facets of Unity" was a transformational experience for me. I experienced my foundamental connection to all that is as I read it. Love and light became more real than the bed I was sitting on. My ego seemed transparent. I highlighted several key parts, and I regularly go back and read those when I need to reground myself and get perspective beyond my story.

This exploration is a most valuable contribution to the understanding of Gurdjieff's Holy Ideas. I found it to be very seminal and I am sure that for some time to come it will be an often referred source.

This is truthfully the best book ever. If you know anything about the enneagram, this book will let you know what the enneagram is made for. Alright, it's fun to think about all the frilly little quirks inherent in the enneagram that the "other" books like to get stuck on, but this book is actually the real thing. The JUICE. The whole point lies between these covers. If you are looking at this review, you need to buy this book. Get it used if you are low on money, just get it and read it.

Touching, warm, gentle and precise. Almaas explains how we get fixated on certain enneatypes, and also points the way out of fixations. Reaching far deeper than the 'standard' personality approaches to the enneagram, this book really opens the gates to those who are seriously pursuing the Work of self-liberation.

This is my third copy of the Cosmic Ray book; the other copies have been "borrowed" and not returned. The maps are amusing, and it fits into a jacket pocket pretty easy...Good book if you like a cartoon type picture.

I have both hiking books--Best of Phoenix and Best of Flagstaff/Sedona. In fact, I am on my second copy of both as I have lent my first Phoenix copy to a friend (it disappeared) and wore out the first copy of my the Flagstaff/Sedona book. The maps are easy to follow and the topographical maps are awesome. Whenever I go hiking, I have two little girls (ages 1 and 4) in tow, so it is necessary to know the terrain inside and out before ever leaving home... Cosmic Ray is so detailed and so accurate that I never worry about being misinformed. Buy a copy for yourself and buy one for a friend... That way yours won't go missing!

Just got back from Arizona- and we used this book extensively as it was easy to read, the maps accurate, and the book is quite entertaining. My 6 year old son stated that the Lava River Cave trail "changed his life" (in a good way). The trail trips turned out to be the highlight of our trip!! The authors advise is excellent and the designation of level of difficulty is on target.

This is it...look no further...

Trail maps and information as well as local business area beta....covers all the well-known hikes and even some of the lesser known...

A must hiking guide for Northern Arizona.

Both Sedona and Flagstaff are covered....the book is stout and put together very well; this sturdiness provides needed protection in your pack!!

As a transplanted Montanan, I don't trust much advice on hiking in Arizona. I thank you for the Favorite Hikes book. I used to hike in the Glacier and Bozeman area but have been out of the action for a few years since moving to Flagstaff and having a baby. I have found this guide to be accurate and reliable when planning hikes with my son and/or dog. Thanks again. Buying this book is the best 10 bucks I ever spent.

As a young idealistic college student protesting on behalf of humankind I was arrested on one occasion. And when they took all my "valuables" from me, I happened to have a copy of this book in my pocket. The police officer said, "Yeah, Every Man for Himself, that is just what we need more of in this country." And I said, this is not a selfish book about every man acting out of personal greed and selfishness, this is a book about how Mankind could serve its own interest in trying to do good for one another. And he said "Yeah, yeah, yeah - put this butt-head in cell # 4.
So as you can imagine this book has a significant personal memory for me. I will bet if I read it over today there is not that much that I would disagree with. I am now 65.

In this book the author gives an overview of his thinking on humanistic ethics, which is interesting from a speculative/philosophical viewpoint, but falls somewhat short if viewed from a scientific perspective. The book has an optimistic tone, as do many others by the author, and this makes the reading more palatable. If the ideas in it could be fleshed out with real scientific analysis, with supporting data, it would be a significant advance in the study of human psychology.

The author explains his optimism, interestingly, by reference to his experience with patients in his psychoanalytic practice. He speaks of encountering the strength of the strivings for happiness and health exhibited by his patients, which he believes is the natural embodiment of humans. "There is less reason", he says, "to be puzzled by the fact that there are so many neurotic people than by the phenomenon that most people are relatively healthy in spite of the many adverse influences they are exposed to". The statistics supporting this are overwhelming, and without a doubt are on the side of optimism.

The book is not a "pop-psychology", "self-help" book though, but instead a theoretical attempt to shed light on the problem of ethics and psychology. The author's goal is to get the reader to ask questions, and not to expect to find advice on how to obtain "happiness". The author's main goal is to find a validation for humanistic ethics that does not collapse into moral relativism but is based upon human nature and human's inherent qualities. The character structure of the mature and "integrated personality" is the origin of virtue, and vice originates from the ignoring of the self and "self-mutilation". To have confidence in values, the author argues, one must know oneself and be aware of one's capacity for doing good and being a productive human being.

The author carefully distinguishes between humanistic and authoritarian ethics, with the ethical norms of the former originating from humans themselves, while the latter some other entity. It is important for him to clarify the definition of "authority", one being "rational" authority, whose source is "competence", and "irrational" authority, whose source is always power over people. Rational authority he says, is based on the equality of the authority and the subject, with both of them differing only in the skill level in their respective fields and always having mutual respect for each other. Irrational authority on the other hand is based inherently on inequality, and denies the human capacity to know what is good or bad.

In humanistic ethics, as the author sees it, is formally based on the principle that only humans can determine the criteria for good and evil, and completely rejects any transcendent source of values. What is "good" is what is good for humans, and the "bad" is what acts to their detriment. Humanistic ethics, far from suppressing individuality and self-realization, encourages it, and there is no room in it for ethical doctrines that do not take into account the needs and nature of human beings. It is a life-affirming ethical philosophy, one that taps the human capacity for genius, and encourages responsibility for one's own existence. The crippling of human powers is the ultimate vice.

The problem then for humanistic ethics is to find out exactly what humans do in fact need in order to develop a healthy psychology. Throughout the book, the author attempts to characterize what such a psychology would be. In many instances throughout the book he makes some unexpected commentary, if judged by the overall theme of optimism in the book. For example, he views the human capacity for reason as both a "blessing" and a "curse". Viewing reason as a distinctly human capacity, not shared by other organisms (and this is troubling from the standpoint of current evidence to the contrary from biology), the author puts humans into a state of "constant and unavoidable disequilibrium". No matter what the level of accomplishment, humans will always be discontented and perplexed, and consequently driven to find new solutions, resulting in an endless restless cycle of achievement and discontent. But many humans do not fit into his sweeping generalizations here, but instead are very contented with their lives on this planet, and find the challenge of life fascinating, and who mourn only the prospect of it ending.

Because of his professional status as a psychoanalyst, it is not surprising perhaps to see a somewhat elaborate classification of what constitutes a healthy versus a non-healthy personality. There are "receptive", "exploitative", "hoarding", and "marketing" characters, which are non-productive and signs of personality "disorder" in his view. He gives detailed descriptions of these different types, but unfortunately does not quote case studies or any studies in the literature to support his views. Do individuals who have these personalities find it difficult to live and adjust in soceity? The author would probably argue that such an "adjustment" could be done, but that by itself does not mean that the individual at hand is not following a healthy course of action. The author seems to be getting quite dogmatic in his classifications here, and leaves the reader with a somewhat narrow view of what constitutes a truly healthy personality.

With more scientific research and justification put into his ideas, the author could have given the reader a more accurate view of what constitutes a healthy, integrated personality. The book is a good start though, philosophically speaking. Sometimes philosophy can encourage further scientific research, and sometimes it can clarify the issues involved in such research, but it can never take the place of science. The author's optimistic view of human nature is, to repeat, totally justified from a statistical point of view. And his view is somewhat rare, surprisingly, if one examines the statistics: the vast majority of humans are healthy, productive, and proud of their inner capacity for genius, and are without doubt fine examples of the humanistic ethic.

"There is no meaning to life except the meaning man gives his life by the unfolding of his powers." This sentence may be one of the most important themes in this wonderful book.

....and toward a celebration of human-centered values: Fromm makes his case for it in psychological terms not to be missed. (He'd have liked Herbert's distinction between law and justice.) And yet, and yet...while this book is splendid, I can't buy making man the measure of all things; somehow there ought to be a recognition that some situations may harm and even kill the self (as in "self-actualization") that nevertheless feed the soul. Anyhow, well worth the read.

Can there be an ethical system that does not rely on moral absolutes on the one hand or moral relativism on the other? Is there any other way? This book says yes and -- amazingly, brilliantly -- lays it out in a way that makes perfect sense. The only value we can know, the only value we need, and the only value that can have any real claim on us is OUR value, human value, and that is neither absolute nor relativistic. If this sounds absurd or offensive to you, skip this book. If you see the brilliance in it, you're in for a treat. I've read this book several times and can't get enough. Fromm is an underappreciated genius.

This was a wonderful book. It was well organized and very informative. Any person who is serious about owning and caring for a ferret will be well versed in the responsibilities associated with that duty after reading it.

This book was extremely helpful in my decision-making for my ferret. This is pretty much what sealed the deal for me. I had always thought about it, then I bought this book and knew a ferret was the right pet for me! Lots of great starter information here, plus some facts that will be helpful for me! I still recommend other books, but I think this is a helpful book as well!

This book tells you alot about farrets, their habitats, what they eat, and other useful information about them. It tells you ways to fight diseases and how to keep them healthy and active. So if you owned a farret defenatly get this book to start you off on a good start.

One of the very best all around ferret books available. Detailed, up-to-date information on housing, feeding, ferret-specific ailments and training. This book gets into the nuts and bolts of day-to-day living with and caring for ferrets, its a must have book for both novice and experienced ferret owners. If you can only afford one ferret book, this is the one to get!

This book has everything I needed to know and more. The advice on feeding, types of food extended their life span, and safed me major medical expenses down the road. Oh and my Ferrets don't bite any more. I can't say enough about this book. "BIG Bravo Zulu"

Both the plot and the characters are vivid and engaging. The main and supporting characters are unique, interesting, and have detailed backgrounds (details are hinted at just enough to be fascinating but not slow down the plot). The universe is well thought out and populated with all sorts of amazing, strange, and internally consistent beings and cultures. The plot moves fast, and it is impossible to put this book down until finished. If she writes more in this series, I will mail Ann Maxwell a kilo of chocolate and a dozen roses, for brightening my weekend. And if she doesn't return to this series, I will remain glad she gave us these delightful three books to appreciate.

I have read many of Lowell's books, this was the first of her sci fi, though. The character's are so complex and well drawn, a great story. My only warning is that this is the first novel in an unfinished series. But it is GREAT! I absolutely loved it. The relationship between the main characters is just wonderful.

A terrific blend of romance and sci-fi. the character are absorbing and you plot fixes your interest. whether a sci fi fan or a romance fan you will like this book. I've read this as well as the other two I only hope the series continues soom

I read the unfinished Dancer series (Fire Dancer, Dancer's Luck and Dancer's Illusion) as a kid and I wanted to re-read the books as an adult. I bought a used book online and it's even better than I remembered.

It's very much a pulp sci-fi (almost fantasy) adventure series. This book is in the romance section because of her other books, but this truly is an action adventure story not a romance.

Ann Maxwell does a great job at writing compelling characters. The fire dancer Rheba is exotic and exciting. Her mentor Kirtn, the furry Bre'n, is an interesting and unexpected counterpoint. Additional side characters are so interesting that I wish she had written whole books about them such as the mercenary fighters on planet Loo. When I read the book as a kid, I didn't care for the young boy (I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there), but now I have more empathy for his character. Maxwell is just extremely creative.

Another strength to her writing is that she keeps the plot moving fast. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger or some other twist on the story. This book is an easy, fun read with some sparkling creativity.

On the downside, the main characters get a little too lucky a little too often toward the end.... there are some gaps in believability that allow the plot to keep moving at a lightning pace. However, the book is so enjoyable that my only real complaint is that I wish she had written more books!

I'm not certain why this series has been placed in the romance section, there really isn't any romance involved, it should be placed in the sci-fi section!

Firedancer is the story of a young girl who has lost her planet and people in the supernova of her system's sun. As far as she knows, only she and her Bre'n (her partner-protector-symbiote, not reproductively compatible) have escaped. As she seeks other of her kind who might have been off-planet for the disaster, she runs into more trouble than she expected...

Initially picked this one up for my personal use. Was looking for ways to detour myself away from the stressful, negative routines I seemed to be following more and more frequently these days. Then, I brought it into my tobacco cessation program- and it really grabbed the attention of the participants.(I would use one of the exercises as a 'meditation' to end each session). Members soon began to recommend it to friends and relatives. Next, I brought it into another program for patients who have chronic conditions and who are trying to cope with the stress of the diagnosis, and overcome that crippling inner, negative, sabotaging voice.
What a treat this entire series of books is!
I absolutely recommend these to anyone wanting to jumpstart their efforts to de-stress, make major changes in their lives...or even, just get that elusive good night's sleep.

i use this all the time. Hard job so I need a wind down.

I love this book. It offers great ways to stay calm & focused in just five minutes.

I picked up this book thinking, "Ahhh, a small, fluffy, 'try this or try that' collection of tips in a book form. How.... splendid." I am always glad when I find out how wrong I was about a really valuable resource such as this one!

The book is broken into sections - an introduction which explains the premise of the book, the foundation - incredibly valuable section, and then four sections filled with exercises to try. The exercise sections include Leaving Work at Work, Enriching Your Home Life, Reconnecting with Yourself and Others, and Preparing for a Good Night's Rest.

The Foundation includes an explanation (and practice) of the basic Mindful breathing and Mindful listening techniques. This section alone is worth the investment of the book. You could read that over and over (and apply it, over and over) and change your life significantly.

The practices are icing on the cake, a wide menu of ideas to try out and see what works the best for you.

Highly recommended.

What a great resource to have on the bedside table - or keep it in your car and carve out 5 minutes before shifting from work to home.

This book has a thorough introduction for those new to the practice of mindfulness. It is full of brief meditations, visualizations and exercises to help you leave work at work, enrich your home life, reconnect with self and others and preparing for a good night's rest. As a performance coach, I work with many elite competitors and business people who have trouble winding down at night or getting a good night's sleep. There are some gems in this book to help work through these challenges.

I personally found that after using the book for a short while, just seeing the book was enough to create a mental shift back to being truly present at home in the evening and not letting my mind get pulled back to work when I wanted to be giving my family my full attention. I love my family and I love my work. One of the keys to balancing this equation is being fully present wherever I am at the moment.

Highly recommended for all. Special recommendation as tool for working mothers who are under such high demands to switch from super woman at work to super mom upon walking in the front door at night.

Give yourself the gift of this book and 5 minutes each evening to learn how to better unwind and create more for yourself so you can take better care of those you love. You really can create big changes in a short amount of time. Who does not have or is not worth this type of 5 minute daily investment? If you really don't think so and won't do it for yourself, then do it for your family.

Mollie Marti, Ph.D., J.D.
Author, Selling: Powerful New Strategies for Sales Success

As a teacher of the gifted I find reader's theatre a creative avenue for teaching literacy and creative dramatics. Aaron Shepard does a great job providing interesting, well organized scripts with a rich selection of myths, folktales, and legends. I greatly appreciate this valuable resource!

I love all of Aaron's books. As a future teacher who believes today's students don't know enough of the world's folktales, I know I will be using this book in my future classroom. I especially like the story of "The Sea King's Daughter." It is a wonderful story and Aaron Shepherd has done a wonderful job of adapting it and the other stories in this collection for readers' theater. I can't wait to see what he will do next.

Do you want an engaging activity to use with elementary students that fosters reading, performing and listening skills? Aaron Shephard's book is a wonderful resource for K-8 teachers to use in the classroom. This book has a variety of texts adapted for Reader's Theater from all parts of the world. It has been a great addition to our reading lessons!

The grade and school where I teach stresses folktales, legends and myths. I also wanted to try to get this in a "Reader's Theater" format. This book does just that! Bravo!

As a teacher of children with learning disabilities, I rarely find an activity that relates to the standards, a child's IEP, and is one that students rave about. This is entertaining as well as educational.

Some have commented that Weinberg's brilliance surpasses that even of his illustrious father. This tour de force through the Humash gives us ample reason to suspect that this is true. And yet, there remains within me a fundamental uneasiness about the theses of this book. While filled with virtousity and exegesis, one wonders whether this book can really be called Torah. Where are the mekoros from chazal? Why does he expand so much on peshutto shel mikra. One wonders.....

Over the millennia, the human drive to uncover and explore the book of Genesis has never ceased. Today, the contributions keep on coming, as new approaches and perspectives are being added to this ever-expanding enterprise of Biblical exegesis. Frameworks is a novel and extraordinary addition to our corpus.

Rabbi Weinberg presents a remarkably lucid and involving exploration of these ancient texts. Wonderfully didactic and filled with a subtle and sensible appreciation for divergent approaches and methodologies, Frameworks takes nothing for granted. Always fresh yet always grounded in the traditional Jewish 'framework', this book will gently force you to encounter the deeper currents and concepts floating underneath. Weinberg steers clear from the moralizing pulpit that so many unfortunately revert to. I don't know exactly what the previous reviewer means by stating that there are no 'mekoros' in the book. Hardly a page goes by without numerous quotes and insights from across the whole gamut of Torah thought. The `peshuto shel mikra' that he refers to is the bedrock of our understanding and involvement with the text, and Weinberg carries no illusions into his journey, staying remarkably close to the text and its' graphical texture.

This book continuously surprises me. It has been a wonderful comrade throughout the year. The writing is deft and sensitive, poetically charged yet almost never straying into romantic effusiveness. Sources are abundant and apparently Rabbi Weinberg takes great joy in presenting quotes in multicolored and varied hues, as the book is teeming with relevant metaphors. Along with a precious few other new releases in the Jewish academic world, this book is a profound treasure.

Over the millennia, the human drive to uncover and explore the book of Genesis has never ceased. Today, the contributions keep on coming, as new approaches and perspectives are being added to this ever-expanding enterprise of Biblical exegesis. Frameworks is a novel and extraordinary addition to our corpus.

Rabbi Weinberg presents a remarkably lucid and involving exploration of these ancient texts. Wonderfully didactic and filled with a subtle and sensible appreciation for divergent approaches and methodologies, Frameworks takes nothing for granted. Always fresh yet always grounded in the traditional Jewish 'framework', this book will gently force you to encounter the deeper currents and concepts floating underneath. Weinberg steers clear from the moralizing pulpit that so many unfortunately revert to. I don't know exactly what the previous reviewer means by stating that there are no 'mekoros' in the book. Hardly a page goes by without numerous quotes and insights from across the whole gamut of Torah thought. The �peshuto shel mikra� that he refers to is the bedrock of our understanding and involvement with the text, and Weinberg carries no illusions into his journey, staying remarkably close to the text and its� graphical texture.

This book continuously surprises me. It has been a wonderful comrade throughout the year. The writing is deft and sensitive, poetically charged yet almost never straying into romantic effusiveness. Sources are abundant and apparently Rabbi Weinberg takes great joy in presenting quotes in multicolored and varied hues, as the book is teeming with relevant metaphors. Along with a precious few other new releases in the Jewish academic world, this book is a profound treasure.

Many of us have grown up hearing that "none of the Torah's words are extra", that the parashot are not arbitrarily cut off, and that every detail is meaningful. These are truism that are hardly examined, or if they are, are quietly pushed away . Because much as we hate to admit it--many datails DO see arbitrary,the stories often seem to go nowhere, and there ARE words that appear superflouse.

In this book, the author has managed to show that all these truism are, in fact, true. Through a series of essays on the traditional sections (the parashot) of Genesis, Weinberg examines different aspects of each parasha, bringing out the hidden patterns and the message that is being conveying through the choice of words or setup.

The essays range over a wide veriety of subjects, exposing us to the Torah's attitude to ageing, individuality, love, medicine, dreams and jealousy...the impressive list goes on. The result is a book that is both beautiful and meaningful. It exposes some of the undercurrents in the Bible narrative, showing us what is being said without preaching.

The writing is poetic, and Weinberg's eloquence and brilliance left me feeling shaken with the depht of truth in the Torah. These essays are alive and passionate and real. I found myself nearly crying at times, and being turned introspective with many.

In addition to the classic commentaries, Midrash and Kabbala, Weinberg also brings a wide range of sources from a divergent list that runs from Shakespeare to Gould, Tennyson to Oliver Sacks. With its many cross-references to biology, psychology, liturature and the arts, this book can change the way you look and Torah, religion and --I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with the side flap--even life.

rabbi weinberg has a unique ability to take the torah portions and their themes and create a vision of reality. based almost entirely on text he shows how the torah teaches more than just "religious practice" but is infact life. this makes every word of the parshiot ring not only with truth but with life and allows the reader to find themselves therein. gone is the childish reading of "bible stories" what we now find are practical thematic views on life.

This is a nice book an the subject. Nice large plates, a must for any good art book. That's it--if you like paintings from this genre buy it.

I saw the collection that the Met had last year of this artwork and it was just amazing. It was provocative and raw, and just incredible. I can't wait for the paperback to come out of this so that I can afford it.

Finally an excellent review of what the first World War did to German culture and psyche. This book lays it all out. Hitler was a logical consequence. Unfortunately the Western world did not pay enough attention to these portentious signs. The book has beautiful color reproductions, great detailed commentary on each artist featured and enaough historical commentary to make it all plausible.

This is the catalogue for a beautiful exhibition held at the Met last year. The paintings reproduced here are among the best examples of the New Objectivity, a movement that was able to depict the atmosphere, the soul, the world of the Weimar Republic, that brief time span when pre-war Germany enjoyed freedom in the arts and in the minds. These gripping paintings show how ultimately doomed that world was and how the artists were the first to sense the tragic developments that were to succeed it. The front cover, a detail of one of Christian Schad's best known paintings, is a perfect illustration of a society that seems to have enjoyed life knowing that death would come too soon, with the end of that joyful and poetic decadence that was the Berlin of the 1920's.

Twice viewed the exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum here in New York. German art in the 20s is raw, obscene and decadent. A raucus reflection on hard times there. They had just suffered WW1, in the midst of fascism, insane inflation, etc.
Highlight: Otto Dix is a wild artist, forever a favorite now. Also a DaDa artist.
I am a frequent art museum visitor. Therefore, in my opinion, this catalogue did the show great justice which is not aways the case.