Beauty Books

This book is remarkable and uplifting in seeing the beauty in "Average Janes" and telling their stories through both stories and photos. A wonderful gift for women of all ages.

In this work by Nancy Bruno, I found delicate tales of true life, and pictures of intense beauty. No, not the kind that is plastered all over the television, or printed in magazines, but the beauty that life brings; the hidden beauty that we all need to see, and appreciate.
Inside the pages of this book, we are graced to read life experiences from 35-women. The strength, courage, accomplishments of each is the true beauty that shines. The black and white pictures add the visual that completes and satisfies the perfection of this beauty. A reminder of truth for all. Beautiful Women, celebrates the true essence of the pure beauty of women, and brings it forth for all to appreciate and enjoy. A lovely work.

This book focuses on you and how you look. It has great ideasfor keeping your nails and hair looking great, helping you find ahaircut that really fits you. It also gives you step-by-step instructions on having great, healthy skin and makeup that works for you. And the best chapter is "Fashion Workshop". It gives you all the information you should know about dressing great. There is a great article on finding your true colors, as well as a guide to the basics. Plus there is an article about being a pro shopper. this book is a must have for every girl or women!

"BeautifulYou," helped me to decide what haircut would look best on me. I liked that it told me how to keep my hair, skin and me healthy. Instead of telling me what to do, it gave me quizzes to figure out what my best colors are. I did the other quizzes to, but I liked that one the best. I would highly recommend this book, and I will be looking for more books by Lori Stacy.

A REAL-LIFE FAIRY TALE

Like her very own knight in shining armor, rancher Joe Crawford emerged from the mist to rescue Anna Pointer from a desperate situation. Widowed and raising two children alone, Anna could not refuse Joe's offer of assistance, though she was determined to ignore her attraction for the wealthy bachelor.

A man of few words, Joe had always kept to himself. But Anna claimed to see beyond his beastly demeanor, giving this solitary man hope that a happily ever after was within his grasp... if only he dared to risk all that he was and become the prince this beauty believed him to be.

Joe Crawford has a face only a mother could love. Fortunately, beautiful widow Anna Pointer is a mother with two young children who need a father. Anna is a fighter who won't ask anyone for anything, but when Joe rescues her from two attackers, she can't help notice the kind and loving man. A man who is wonderful to her children and gives her thrills that her late husband never even attempted. Still, when Joe starts talking marriage, Anna knows he is crazy. He may love her children, but he's never mentioned the 'L' word about her.

Best-selling author Judy Christenberry loves fairy tale romances and BEAUTY & THE BEASTLY RANCHER is a classic fairy tale. Perhaps love will tame this beast, but neither Anna nor Joe is willing to open their hearts--and their marriage seems doomed to crumble when it faces a crisis--as it must. Rich and successful Joe might not be cover-model material, but he's tall and strong and a cowboy--plenty to build a fantasy on.

Christenberry uses secondary characters--Joe's mother, sisters-in-law, and especially Anna's daughter, as matchmakers, driving the relationship forward and giving the reader assurance that the two really are meant for one another--once they dare to trust.

This book is approachable, thorough and excellent reading. The book explores the nature of Beauty in a historical perspective from Da Vinci's time to the present.

Author Prettejohn has written an excellent book, accessible to all, on the relation of beauty to art. She starts with Johann Winckelmann in the 1700s who felt that beauty was important, but not definable. Philosopher Immanuel Kant stated that beauty cannot be objective. Beauty is not in the object, but is in the contemplation of the viewer. We should view art in a state of disinterest, not encumbered by our self interest. In other words anyone in any culture should be able to see the beauty in a work of art.

Madame de Stael takes Kant a bit further and says that art's purpose is to elevate the soul. Victor Cousin in the 19th century constructs a scale going from physical to intellectual to moral beauty. Art should not be a close imitation of nature, but should improve on nature. The artist Delacroix writes that the individuality of the artist produces the beautiful. It makes the bridge between the artist's soul and the observer. Academic painter Ingres felt there was no difference between the beauty of art and that of nature. Then we get to Baudelaire who hated realism. To him art should do something more imaginative than servile imitation of nature.

From there we move on to modernism and postmodernism where beauty seems no longer necessary to art. Color and form become important. The canvas is a two dimensional medium, and thus considered unsuited to scenic representation. Representational art thus takes a dive, and modern critic Greenberg substitutes the word taste for beauty. Taste, in his opinion is based on consensus. If those in the know agree that a work of art is good, then it is good. Of course Greenberg felt his sense of taste was superior.

This is really an excellent introduction to the concept of beauty as applied to visual art. Fortunately, unlike many books on aesthetics, Prettejohn's book contains numerous (127) color prints that help illustrate the concepts being discussed. The book is constantly engrossing, and never pedantic.

This was one of my favorite books that I owned years ago when I was a child, the story and the pictures are great. The copy I own also came with an audio cassette so it was great to listen and read along.

this is the first book i owned that was illustrated by karen and it continues to be my favorite. i love to see how her techinique has developed over the years! and, honestly, i'm not saying this because you're my aunt, karen!

It's so cute and magical. I like that Beauty isn't ever really worried about how the Beast looks. And the scene when they talk at dinner is so sweet. Definitely recommend this.

I've loved the story of Beauty and the Beast all my life, and of the 30+ versions that I own, this is one of the best. While it is less traditional in style than others, the prose is incomparably beautiful and includes details, and a pivotal exchange between the title characters, that bring home the oldest moral of this story: beauty comes from within.

This is by far the best book on the subject of 'Beauty and the Beast' ever written. Betsy Hearne takes an insightful look at the fairy tale and its many versions throughout the centuries. Unfortunately its time span is only from the 1700's to the early 1980's, thus excluding any discussion of the Ron Koslow television series or the 1991 Disney animated film. But even with this, the book is well worth several readings if you are at all interested in studying this 'tale as old as time.'

I found this book serveral years ago, and bought it becuae, well, I love Beauty and the Beast (with the possible exception of the Disney verson....) and this was reccomended as one of the better basic resources. It was originally writen as a thesis , so basically it's all that research available without the bother of looking it up yourself. She discusses the shift of the story from the folktales to the novels and other adaptations of today. Unfortunately it was written BEFORE Disney, but I found a review she did of the movie later. It was pretty funny. It has a copy of one of the oldest printed versions (Mme Le Prince du Beaumont) and a transcription of a French folk version as resources at the end. (I wish I could read French.)

This is a very well-written account of the fine and private press in the United States, including accounts of the Limited Editions Club and Bruce Rogers and all those people. It attacks the self-indulgence, or at least exposes, of the era. I am more and more convinced that Bruce Rogers simply did not know what he was doing except for a few instances. His work is devoid of character and completely lacking in the intelligent use of white space. The same must be said for Dwiggins' misguided attempt at a title page for H. G. Wells' The Time Machine, which is a disaster in my view. The only people that look interesting here is the Black Sun Press. A good read all in all, makes you think, made my change my assumptions about a lot of things. She exposes the fact that most of these books were machine printed, machine bound, on machine made paper.

This cultural history of post-World War I publishing and fine editions provides a narrower focus than most books on publishing, considering how deluxe editions evolved, how publishers came to specialize in the limited edition book market, and how their personalities influenced their creations. Any bibliophile will find this outstanding and involving.

2nd. in the Comet Bob trilogy & it's Rosemary's time to get what is coming to her. All 3 stories run parallel with each other, & I can't wait to read Kirby's story next. My one disapointment will be to see this series end, I absolutely love it.

Comet "Bob" is back and the town of Endicott, Indiana is celebrating. Why the comet passes over this town is a mystery, but some still believe in the legend: when someone born in the year of the comet makes a wish when Bob passes over the town, the wish will come true on his next visit. Rosemary wished her nemesis Willis would get "what is coming to him" when she was 15. Now he's back to study the comet-from her attic!! And seeing Willis grown and gorgeous may have what Rosemary really felt for him all those years ago coming back; little did she know he felt the same... (This follows "Bride of the Bad Boy" and precedes "The Virgin and the Vagabond.")

Dr. Christopher Smith describes his work as similar to the cleaning of Michelangelo's frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. People had become so accustomed to the layers of accumulated debris on the ceiling that they were stunned to see the vivid colors emerging through the thorough cleaning in recent years. The cleaning has given a whole new vitality to the experience of visiting this global landmark.

That's precisely what Smith has tried to accomplish in new editions of the Bible produced for the non-profit International Bible Society. Those new Bible editions -- both a complete Protestant Bible and various shorter sections of scripture bound in paperback editions -- are not presently available on Amazon or in bookstores as of early 2008. That's because this Bible Society only distributes its editions through non-profit avenues. But there are at least discussions underway of bringing out an edition of Smith's newly redesigned Bible in commercial editions -- so stay tuned. Or, it's also quite easy to locate the Bible Society's Web site and pick up editions at a remarkably low cost.

However you find those Bibles -- and the Bible Society distributes millions of copies of the Bible each year, so this isn't a barrier -- then, you're going to want Smith's companion book, here, to help introduce this new edition for group discussion.

Thousands of churches across the U.S. host thousands of small groups. What Smith has helped to spearhead is a superb way to inspire fresh interest in Bible reading. Among the many changes he has made, this new approach to the Bible removes distracting chapter and verse numbers. The biblical text is printed across the page like any normal book -- rather than squeezed into narrow columns. Books like Luke and Acts, which once were recognized as a single unit of scripture, are restored to their original order in this Bible -- adding new insights as we read the restored narrative as a single sacred masterpiece once again.

Smith's companion book is full of fascinating historical background on how our Bible came to be -- the sort of stuff that fans of the "History Channel" or the "Discovery Channel" will enjoy in your congregation.

In his book, Smith recalls a friend once complaining that the Bible is tough to pick up and enjoy because it "looks like a bad technical manual that you don't want to read." Smith offers a creative new design for the world's all-time bestseller in the hopes that more people, like his friend, will actually become regular readers of the original "Good Book."

Rev. Dr. Smith's book "The Beauty Behind the Mask" is succinctly laid out into four great-reading chapters (readers will be relieved when they see that sentences are not numbered). Anyone who's had the previous privilege of reading Chris' 10-chapter on-line "The Bible Without Chapters or Verses" will notice that this outline to rediscovering the Books of the Bible does an equally good job of whetting the appetite of scripture-readers like me who've always wondered why all the numbers appear in the books in the first place.

"The Beauty Behind the Mask" should also appeal to anyone `tempted' to look into God's word for the first time, but who might be intimidated by it's present 'numbering system'. And skeptics of the `new' presentation of the Bible, who might think, "who's messing with God's word?" should definitely read Chris' book.

The book is well thought out, succinct and convincing. Just when you get to a point where you might think, "well, that's only one example", or that one of Chris's arguments might be confined, he presents the reader with additional levels of nicely researched, well thought-out and detailed support. I liked that; and all that in four chapters. Well done!

All of Chris' investigation presented in the book can be used by other researchers as a springboard for further studies. That means Chris' "scratching of the surface" will be worth more than convincing the reader to `trust' the new presentation of the Bible and understand why and how it came to be in print. "The Beauty" is almost essential to have as a companion to "The Books of the Bible".

Chris' research into the history of the development of the Bible's numbering (and ordering) system is packaged nicely into these four chapters. He sites many convincing examples as to how the historic numbering / ordering systems of the Bible books and letters could mislead the most astute Bible reader. He very satisfactorily supports an argument in favor of studying the Bible as it was handed down from the earliest original manuscripts.

"The Beauty Behind the Mask" is highly recommended.