Clay Books

Well folks she's done it again! Christi Friesen's cats are cute, fun, and very stylish. Her instruction and step by step photos make her projects very easy to follow. I don't even like cats but, I have enjoyed this book.

When I received my book the first thing that ran thru my mind was this can't be the right book but upon opening the package I was not diappointed by the book itself altho I also bought the Dragon book and this kind of was much less than I expected.Upon reading thru it there are valuable tips ,and having bought it used because I will not spend alot of money on books I buy a lot of.The book was brand new and I am happy to add it to my inspirational section for my sculpting! Thank you hope this review helps you decide to go for it snd buy it.

This was the 2nd book I purchased written by this artist. Her instructions are easy, but the writing is soooooo entertaining and light hearted. No serious stuff here. She make learning her techniques a joy.
Also, this was another used book I bought and the condition was immaculate! Saved lots of $$ this way.

I purchased the other books in this series and was pleased with them. This one is a huge let down. There is not much in it and I am not happy with the basic three cats used to make everything else. All the other books had much more material. I hope the next one will be up to the standards of the first three.

Christi's directions are clear & encouraging; to do your own thing 'or' follow along with her. She gives many hints & tips along the way.
The examples are clear, relatively easy for the novice or intermediate 'clayer'. There are lots of examples to choose from & to expand your own creativity.
I have all of Christi's books; this is my favorite, but each offers a delightfull exploration of clay & imagination.

My Dad is still waiting for this cookbook which should have arrived long before Fathers' Day. Wish I knew it would take so long to fill this order when I placed it. IF and WHEN he gets it, I'm sure he'll enjoy using it with his new clay roaster (that did arrive on time).

The revised edition of a classic guide, Cooking in Clay, comes from an author with a degree in both biology and the Cordon Bleu School of Cooking, and it doesn't disappoint, providing over a hundred dishes for clay pot fare ranging from soups to seafoods and breads. Success is nearly guaranteed through numerous tips and insights on how clay cooking works, paired with appealing dishes such as a Ham and Raisin Stuffing or Garlic Braised Spareribs. Highly recommended for any clay pot owner, whether new or seasoned cook.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

I bought this book after I created several clay pots myself in my pottery studio. Not only did the pots work great with many of the books recipes, I found myself making more casseroles for friends and relatives.

Would you believe microwave cooking? How about oatmeal cake with coconut frosting, bouillabaisse or whole wheat cinnamon rolls? I had no idea how versatile a clay cooker is. This book not only gave me recipes for a variety of foods, but gave me information on care and storage and how to convert standard recipes to cook in clay. The recipes are wonderful and easy to follow. If you've ever thought about cooking in clay, this book will make convince you. I loved it. I use it all the time.

This is a vastly overrated book. The recipes are pedestrian at best, in lineal descent from Betty Crocker. The author apparently thinks of food as 'food products.' Touted as including microwave cooking in clay, it does not, just offers a page of advice. If you like to cook, buy a different book.

Ok, its beautiful, the colors are stunning, its all rather lovely, well articulated with notations, but the text and images are itsy-bitsy! I believe that the "search inside preview" is actually bigger than the book itself. And that's the conundrum.

This book was first published in 1856 and is a design classic! Owen Jones was born in 1809 and is a key figure in the history of British design. He was an architect and designer who taught in London during the 1850s.

He traveled in Europe and the Near East, were he helped to bring back ideas to improve the quality of Western design. This collection is a result of his comprehensive analysis of patterns. The sumptuous illustrations are presented in these sections:

Ornament of Savage Tribes

Egyptian Ornament
Assyrian and Persian Ornament
Greek Ornament
Pompeian Ornament
Roman Ornament
Byzantine Ornament
Arabian Ornament
Turkish Ornament
Moresque Ornament from the Alhambra
Persian Ornament
Indian Ornament
Hindoo Ornament
Chinese Ornament
Celtic Ornament
Mediaeval Ornament
Renaissance Ornament
Elizabethan Ornament
Italian Ornament
Leaves and Flowers from Nature

The original Preface to Owen Jones's original folio edition has been preserved and included. The general principles in the arrangement of form and color are listed so you can see which are advocated throughout this book.

If you are interested in reading about over 2,350 classic patterns (color engravings representing a vast range of ornamental styles), this is the book for you! More than likely, you will gravitate to one form of the other and concentrate your reading efforts on those sections.

The actual pictures are all numbered and the mediaeval section is especially beautiful.

Iain Zaczek has contributed to the commentaries in this work. He is an art historian and has written on a wide variety of subjects. He is also the author of The Essential William Morris, The essential Art Deco, and the Art of Illuminated Manuscripts.

~The Rebecca Review

If you are looking for pure details for specific styles, this book is for you. If you are looking for overviews or full pictures, this may not be for you. If you are into design, I think it is a great resource to put on your shelf!

I was disappointed when I first received this book. I had bought it as recommended reading for my design course and ordered it blindly. I don't know what I had expected but this wasn't it. Then, one day, I pulled it off my bookcase, looking for information on a certain type of design - and suddenly found myself enthralled with the beauty of this book. Let it not fool you, it's a beautiful little gem packed with design and information. Not a centimetre wasted.

I have the thin booklet as a reference to the CD, which I purchased some years ago. If you do Webpage design this CD is a must have. Unlike other CDs of Grammar of Ornament this one has the images in EPSF, JPEG and PDF form. Others I've looked at only had PDF and that doesn't do me any good. I've used Fireworks from Macromedia's Studio MX Suite to make backgrounds and buttons for webpages made with Flash and Dreamweaver. If you can get your hands on this CD or any of the other CDs Direct Imagination has created, do it. I do think Grammar of Ornament is the best of all the ones Direct Imagination produced. Having the book for reference with it is handy, but if you can only get the CD alone, do it anyway. After a while you just know which plate has which graphic.

I don't know if the previous reviewer is looking at the same book I am, but my copy of "Making Beautiful Beads" has a lot more than torches and glass in it. About a quarter of the book covers how to make glass beads with a torch. Another quarter gives you an intro to metal-smithing. Another covers polymer clay. The remaining section has some very unusual felted beads and cast paper beads.

This books covers a lot of ground, so if you are already experienced in several of these disciplines, then you may not need it. On the other hand, if you're curious about what it takes to get into torching your own glass beads or how to get started making beads with polymer clay, this is a great reference.

Each section gives you a good feel for what you'll need in the way of supplies and how to start with each medium. Lots of step-by-step photos and clear instructions.

The book is worth the price for the gallery sections, alone. I don't much care for fiber jewelry as a rule, but some of these hand-felted ornaments are beautiful! The polymer clay, glass and metal galleries are even more inspiring - gorgeous work from a variety of artists and crafters.

Lark books has done it again with a very well written and photographed book on a cross section of media to make beads with. I will admit that I am already a big fan of Adams and Gollberg's work.

Having no interest at this time in felt or paper work. The sections were interesting reading in passing. The clay section has some nice touches. All things covered in this book are for the beginner or somebody that wants to get a handle on the hobby of beads/jewelry.
Yes in the glass beads there is torch work but how many homes today don't have a maap torch for plumbing. Same thing with the metal work Joanna gives it in two sections. The cold working and the hot working. So you can start out with a small investment or none if you have a handy type house.
The pictures are clear bright and show the area that the description tags cover, not work bench scenic shots.

The gallery's have an assortment of other peoples work for wider scope of styles than just the featured artists. I own it and use it

I love this book. This is a great book for the bead artist. The variety of projects and materials is great and many of the techniques for one medium can be translated to other mediums. The polymer clay section is especially good. Not the only book to own on making beads, but definitely full of excellent inspiration.

I found this to be a great book. The photos were beautiful and the instructions were detailed. I enjoyed the section on polymer clay. The book has chapters on making beads of out felt, paper, metal, glass, & polymer clay. If you enjoy making beads or thinking of starting beadmaking, this book is for you.

This is a wonderful book for "how to's" on various methods of making beads including polymer clay, fiber, metal and glass. For any beadmaker or aspiring beadmaker, this book will provide inspiration and instructions for making beads. It gives a great overview of the various methods to wet your appetite! A must have book.

After moving to Pittsburgh I toured Frick's mansion, Clayton. I find it to be so interesting that I picked this book up from the bookstore on the way home.

It turned out to be a fascinating read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. The author is able to make the history come alive and make the personalities of Carnegie and Frick identifiable.

Immediately after I finished I gave it to my wife and she loves it too.

Reading this book is a little like watching a reality TV show: two overbearing captains of industry stuck together in a bubble, unwittingly entertaining the public. Though there is little new revealed in "Meet You in Hell," Les Standiford's biography of this infamous business partnership, its value is how the book wonderfully tracks, in tandem, the two robber barons. There are already a dozen biographies of these men, but this book is the first to train its camera solely on the relationship, both business and personal. That's a great leap forward. Thank you, Les Standiford.

Les Standiford's work is, overall, a good period piece evoking the culture and events of late nineteenth century industrial America. He retains a critical perspective without damning his subjects as "robber barons," etc., seeing them in the context of their times and their essential humanity - even when behaving inhumanly.

There are a few inaccuracies, inconsistencies, irrelevancies, and just plain head scratchers: as on page 29, where he states: "In the wake of Ireland's Great Potato Famine, the family sold everything and came, as so many of their fellow Scotsmen did, to America." While this is factually true, one wonders what the Irish potato famine had to do with Scottish immigrants, particularly the Carnegies of Dunfermline. The relevance to the subject remains obscure, unless there's a connection that Mr. Standiford is not sharing with his readers. (?)

In general, though, it's a good read, and a good introduction for the general reader who's just learning about the era, the fruits of which are still part of the life around him: from the 19th century buildings which yet remain in northern US cities, to the remnants of American industry, and the great financial institutions of Wall Street.

"Meet You In Hell" tells the fascinating stories of Steel King Andrew Carnegie and Coke King Henry Clay Frick and their interactions which shaped much of American Industrial history. It begins with sections on their personal and business backgrounds. It explains how their careers became intertwined as Frick's coke company became a primary supplier to Carnegie Steel. The breaking point of their relationship was the riot at the Homestead Mill, which was opposed by Frick while Carnegie remained in Scotland. Thereafter they became bitter rivals to their deaths.

As readers of my Amazon reviews are aware, I am an avid reader of history. This, while being history, is neither political nor military and, thereby, provides a different insight into forces which molded our nation.

Two ways that I evaluate books is by whether they teach me things that I did not know or if they do whet my appetite to read more on the subject. "Meet You In Hell" scores well on both tests. I was aware that Pinkerton agents were often used by management in labor disputes. The narrative dealing with the Battle of Homestead illustrates just how violent those disputes were. I had often seen Carnegie Libraries, but I did not realize that he was so resented among the laboring classes. After reading this I cannot wait until I can read another book on Industrial History. Any book that can ace both of these tests merits high marks.

Apart from retelling some ancient gossip, it's hard to figure out why "Meet You in Hell" was written.

That the rise of the American steel and (in a supporting role) coke industries changed the way we live is not news. That the partnership between Carnegie (steel) and Frick (coke) was bitter was, so far as anything this book shows, immaterial to that. The outcome would not have been different if they had gotten along well.

There is an enormous literature about steel and the different approaches of the American and British makers, the consequences of having the foundries concentrated so far east as Pittsburgh when the demand was moving west, metallurgical innovations etc. "Meet You in Hell" is innocent of all that.

A lot of time is spent ruminating over Carnegie's well-known inconsistencies about being rich. How that changed America is not explained. Standiford makes much of the "facts" that Carnegie was the richest man in the world and the most spectacular philanthropist -- neither of which was actually true.

Nor it is explained why Carnegie's philanthropy, which arose from ideas he was forming before he met Frick, had much to do with the partnership. Had Carnegie gone bust -- as might have happened -- Rockefeller would have given away twice as much, and Rockefeller's philanthropy also was based on what he decided in his young manhood.

For a time, while reading the book, I thought Standiford was going to do something with the Homestead strike of 1892, which really was a watershed in the way Americans behave. However, he doesn't do much to explain how labor conditions were trending before the Homestead violence, nor how they did so afterward. Besides, although Carnegie and Frick were feuding about lots of things, they were as one during Homestead.

"Meet You in Hell" adds nothing to what has long been known about Carnegie and Frick. If the intention was to introduce the episode to a new generation that never heard of either man, then the book is short on background.

If you've got other books by any of these artists, you may want to re-think buying it. It is repackaged material. If you're new to clay or don't own a lot of other books, it's a wealth of information. Otherwise, it may be a waste of your money.

This is an amazing book. There are so many things in here that can help the beginner and someone who is more experienced. Me, I'm the beginner and I found soooooo many items I am going to try. I know I can grow as a polymer clay artist just by following and making some of the projects in this great book.

I love this book. It is great if you're interested in making gems, pearls, or other precious stones using Polymer Clay. The techniques are very clear and easy to understand. This is really a great book.

I am a clay book junkie and this one is number one.. HUGE! It's about an inch thick and many designs and techniques I've never seen.. Great book!

This book is great for all levels of clayers. It does use info that can be found in other books on polymer clay but I find it helpful to have this info in one book.

No color pictures, patchy clinical relevance and weak chapter sub headings make this a very marginal product. Try this instead. Escourolle and Poirier's Manual of Basic Neuropathology

When I first saw this book, I thought it was too simple to be useful. But, then I read it, and found it quite useful. It's a good book for a motivated medical student (bound for either neurology or pathology), or as a "starter" book for a resident. It's easy reading, and one should be able to finish it comfortably in a month's rotation. There are many tables, and he tends to highlight the board review type topics. Unfortunately, it is a bit too basic in many places (he's aimed at a fairly wide audience according to the preface), there are no review questions, and everything is in black and white (makes Marinesco bodies look quite a lot like Lewy bodies, for example). Nonetheless, it is a very good introduction for the novice neurology resident prepping for the NRITE (but I plan to acquire some larger books such as Scheithauer's Surgical Pathology of the Nervous System and Carpenter's Pathology of Skeletal Muscle to use as references). Certainly a good purchase and the best entry-level review book I have seen for the neurology resident (definitely will NOT be adequate for path residents, tho').

If there is 7 stars rating i will do.
Well written straight forward, No BS.
Outstanding tables
could master Neuropatholgy (only to answer your Board question)in a week.
The only thing . hehehe, i had to read it backward!!
I guess thats have to do with me as a neurosurgeon !!
Wish it to be Online!! or as an E.Book or PDA format!!
Needs Review questions at the end of each chapter.
***
I wrote my First Evaluation on March 2003 befor my American and Canadian Board exams, Now I can tell you the out come,,
I passed both the American and Canadian Board of Neurosurgery, and this book was more helfull for me to answer the NEUROLOGY questions in the American board which i got 99% in that part,but still Iam Proud of My Pathology Score in the test, while it help me to master the pathology questions in the Canadian Board, but i needed a push from the WHO Pathology atlas for the colored pics, and again Dr. Fuller should do 2 things in my openion:
1)Add Case senarios that contains CT/MRI/EEG at the begining of each part, followed by review MCQ at the END
2)add a CD that contain live lectures for him to help with the text, so you can feel in class room with the full TASTE of Fuller's Pathology, he is really lots of Fun To listen too and make you feel so freindly to Neuropathology and Neuropathologists!! even if you are a Neurosurgeon!!.

It is still a 5 stars, for the little time it needs to master the basics, especially if you have no time to study!!

GOOD LUCK!!

I liked this book. It is quite readable and has useful tables. Plus, it is a bargain compared to other neuropathology books. Unfortunately, the pictures are in B&W which makes the microscopic slides look a little bland and confusing. When you are told about the "red neuron," you want to see one that is actually RED!

Some improvements that would make this book great:
- color pictures
- review questions
- CD-ROM of pictures and/or questions

Amazingly enough a concise, clear AND entertaining book about neuropathology. The only minus: The pictures are black and white - but on the other hand by this we are trained to memorize structures, not colours. So for me as a resident in neurology, a very good match - not a textbook but I do not want to become a neuropathologist but a neurologist to begin with...

A simple, practical guide to the basics of Sporting Clay shooting. This book will assist everyone taking up the sport to improve their scores and techniques.

Good Book. Read it back in 1995. Thought it was one of the best until i kept reading. Some other titles : Shotgunning by Brister, The sporting clays handbook by Meyer, Sporting Clays by Atwill, Precision shooting by Russel .

If your primary focus is sporting clays, this is a good read. From the start of "Taking More Birds...", the author states that the book is directed at the sporting clay enthusiast. I was a little vibed because I bought the book to improve my wingshooting. My decision to buy it was largely based on its title (last time I checked clay pigeons didn't have actual wings). There is a lot of good information and much of it does transfer to wingshooting. But if you are more interested in wingshooting, I would pick up the Brister book or the Orvis book (heck, even the author of "Taking More Birds..." refers to them - what does that tell you?). It's a good addition to a shooter's library, but definitely not the bible.

You don't need an instructor to improve your scores with this book. Its the best there is.

I know at the range we call our clays "birds" but I thought the title was a little misleading. The book is very helpful for range work and "taking more clays" but was disappointed when I found only a small section indicating that the technique would be helpful in the field. Upland bird hunting is considerably different than range shooting and those differences deserve much more attention than this book provides.

Lovely book of polymer clay art objects, very inspirtional to try new things--not a "how to" book, but viewing other artist's work! Great transaction, speedy shipping, would recommend seller! Thanks!

After first purchasing a dud, I was skeptical that this book was all the reviews said it was. I was wrong! This book was exactly what I, as an experienced artist new to polymer clay, was looking for. I will wear this one out looking at the ideas and techniques.

For any reader of Nan Roche's "The New Clay," this new book, "Artists At Work: Polymer Clay Comes of Age", is a refreshing addition to communicate the beauty, imagination, and intricacy of the polmer clay medium. Having personally seen the works of the the authors as well as contributing artists, this book demonstrates the limitless ways this medium allows artistic expression, from whimisical to serious. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in seeing the best of polymer clay artists "performing" today. Laura Darlington Washington, D.C. ldarlington@comsysinc.com

This is an absolutely incredible book packed with unique artworkby over 50 different & highly talented artists. As an intermediatepolymer clay artist I look to this book when I need new ideas & inspiration.

Background information is given on each artist including education, technique & style. One or more the artists' best works are then displayed with basic information on the how the artwork was created.

Contact information for all the artists in located in the back along with a small dictionary & a list of reference books the artists' use. Several of the artists also answer questions about their working techniques.

Some on my favorite pieces are a chess set, a mosaic sunflower, a mushroom fairie & a millefiori trade rattle made out of a gourd. I also enjoyed the numerous pieces of jewelry including butterfly, fan & African animal pins.

I have no need for a picture book. I am looking only for tutorial types of books, at this time. I want to learn and understand how to do this beautiful art form. It had nothing to help someone that is trying to learn. There were 4 things in the entire book that even caught my eye. Good for others that enjoy just seeing the works of other people, I guess. I totally loved the work by Laura Liska Oakes, hope she has another book showing us how to do some of her beautiful pieces!

Urban history of European capitals has become a popular thing to write about it and Large does not disappoint. This tracks Berlins troubled history from the early days, through Prussia, German dominance, reforms by Hitler to the modern day with the renovations of Alexander square. Like most of these books if you have never visited the city it will not hold the same allure. For those who have been to Berlin this is well worth reading and getting a sense of the city. It is clearly written and does not get bogged down on details. It is through enough without making it a year by year update of the changes. It covers the social and political aspects as well. Overall if you want to know about how Berlin developed this is the only book for you.

Large can certainly write a smooth and engaging narrative. But that's about all that I can recommend about this book. Large's caustic and cynical view of Berlin and Berliners is can be extremely off-putting, bordering at times on the offensive. I found his particular comment that the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church looked better after the carpet bombing of World War II than before to be extremley offensive, especially in light of how many thousands of Berlin's civilians were killed during that particular episode of "architectural improvement."

Add to this that the book seems to lack any sort of historical context, placing artistic, social and political movements apart from similar movements that were sweeping through other European cities of the time, and I find it very difficult to recommend this book to anybody.

Any fan of the city must read this book. This history of Berlin from its time as the Prussian capital to today covers such varied topics as music under the Nazis (I learned some things about Richard Strauss and Herbert von Karajan I hadn't known before!), Wall escape attempts, and the problems of reunification, among others. It's liberally sprinkled with examples of the famous Berliner sense of humor. A great read for the novice or the experienced Berlinophile. My one major grumble: the Cold War era section covers the western half of the city far more extensively than the eastern half. I would have liked to see more about life on the "other side". Minor quibble: being a first edition, it suffers from a very noticeable number of typos. Still a fantastic introduction -- or reintroduction -- to the city on the Spree.

Though at first the size of the book seems to be huge, Large infused every page of this wonderful novel with sensory rich descriptions that helped the reader feel what life in Berlin was like during the city's many different stages. Clearly an expert in this field, Large provides amusing and interesting details about famous landmarks, areas, and figures throughout the cities turbulant history. Having read the book only weeks before my planned trip to the German capital, I now look at the book as an indepth tour guide of the city. I got goosebumps sometimes even seeing a street sign named after an important figure in the city's history who after reading the book, I was able to recall the impact this person had on creating the atmosphere of the vibrant city of modern Berlin, now one of my very favorite in all the world.

Once again David C. Large proposes that college required reading and a sense of humor can be assimilated. Stating that the "Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church looked better after the carpet bombing of World War II than before" is comical, yet sadly true! Large educates the reader about Europe's most captivating city, Berlin! He manages to not only remind us of its beauty, but that it is a romantisch city that need not be known only as the former Nazi capital. A consistent and entertaining book, an asset to history itself. Steve Newman