UK Books

If you are into the British folk and blues scene of the early 60s, then this is the book for you. It vividly describes the burgeoning Edinburgh folk scene of the Scottish revival where Jansch developed his unique guitar style, drawing heavily upon such blues stylists as Big Bill Broonzy and Brownie McGee. London had its own burgeoning folk scene, dominated by larger than life personalities like Ewan McColl, A.L.Loyd, Dominic Behan, and Davy Graham, who was furrowing a similar furrow to Jansch. Jansch drifted down to London where he met the English folk singer, Annie Briggs. They struck up a close relationship. He learnt a large part of his repertoire from her, to which he would apply his own blues oriented stylistic approach. This would bloom with his third album, "Jack Orion", where he approached traditional English folk songs as if he were a blues artist. For instance, "The Gardener" is sung in a wordless vocal similar to Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was The Night-Cold Was The Ground," while on the title track, he extends phrases and repeats them over and over again for a hypnotic and spellbinding 9 minutes. There had been nothing like this in folk music before. With this album, he extended and fully realised the folk-boroque style, which drew upon folk, blues, and jazz, and which was pioneered by Davy Graham.

Jansch was not only a unique and masterly guitarist and singer, but an excellent songwriter. Steering clear of politics, to the disgust of McColl, he honed in on the personal. He celebrated personal independence with "Strolling Down The Highway" and "Rambling's Going To Be The Death Of Me." He wrote incredibly moving love songs such as "A Dream, A Dream, A Dream" and "Oh How Your Love Is Strong." His anti-drug song, "Needle of Death", was greatly admired by Neil Young, and was to influence Young's own collection of anti-drug songs, "Tonight's the Night."

Jansch met up with John Renbourne and found someone who was not only on the same musical wavelength but who could match him for ability. They recorded "Bert & John" together, a beautiful album of guitar duets, and then they went on to form Pentangle, which had Bert and John on guitars, backed by a jazz rhythm section, and fronted by a traditional English folk singer. It was here that they hit the big time, touring the world and raking in the money.

Jansch is a private man, permanently scruffy and reserved, seemingly unconcerned with the trappings of stardom. However, Colin Harper has successfully brought this man to life, describing Jansch's weakness for alcohol, his failed marriages, and his various friendships, the most important of which seem to be Annie Briggs and John Renbourne. The best part of the book is the first half where he describes Jansch's developing talent and the music scene in which he developed it. The latter part of the book is not so interesting because Jansch is himself less interesting, no longer pioneering, and living off his past reputation.

If you love Jansch then you will want to read this book. If you love the British folk and blues revival, then you will also want to read it, because the period and the characters that dominated it are brought vividly to life. Colin Harper deserves credit for that.

Anyone with an interest in Scottish born guitarist Bert Jansch will know that author Colin Harper has been collecting material for this biography for some years now. Colin has collected interviews with friends, fans and family and those involved in the "business affairs" of Bert's past and present and has wove them into an in -depth, objective volume on the respected and, to many, awe -inspiring musician. Covering Bert's introduction to folk song and blues as a young man in Glasgow, to the 60s London scene, through difficult "health problems" during the 80s and the Bert "renaissance" of the 90s, Colin treats his subject with objective respect and just a touch of the fan enthusiasm one would hope for to make this a wonderful read. Well done Colin!

The dangerous world of a private detective is superbly captured in this gripping thriller as he searches for his kidnapped daughter and the gangsters responsible for her abduction. The characters are well-defined, the action and suspence is non-stop and the ending is a genuine tear-jerker. If you're thinking of reading Hutson's books this is a good one to start on. I would also recommend Assassins, Deathday and Slugs.

I first heard of Shaun Hutson as being a British horror writer who was being compared to people like James Herbert (somebody even called him 'Herbert's little brother'). With this novel I found out he can write about so much more than just 'slugs' and 'ghouls in the graveyard'. I understand that since he's steered even more away from the horrorgenre with his later efforts. That may be a pity, but if it's to be his 'evolvement' as a writer...so be it.

I guess it started (partially?) with this one. DEADHEAD is more of a suspense/ thriller novel than a horror one. I think Hutson's roots do show in the excessive amounts of violence though. And besides that there are also some unsettling rape and torture scenes...so beware!

The book is about this English P.I. who first finds out than he has terminal cancer and than learns that his daughter has been kidnapped by a bunch of pornmovie making perverts.
Next he will do anything to free her. The fact that he doesn't have long to live makes him a loose cannon. Much of the extreme violence sprawls from that.
Also, don't go thinking there will be a happy ending. Let's be honest, in a novel like this there almost can't be one!

I found DEADHEAD to be a quick, thrilling read. I read the novel almost a year ago and parts of it have stayed with me since. I guess that makes it a pretty strong book (I have read a lot of other books since).
To sum it up, it's extreme and in no way mainstream (for all you Nicci French/ John Grisham lovers outthere). But I'm a horrorgeek and I am not easily disturbed by a little mayhem and gore. So, I sure was pleased with what mister Hutson dished out for me!
Keep up the good work Shaun!

Cather, who is famous for the lyrical quality of her sensitive writing, does not disappoint in this spectacular novel. She creates a rich and sensitive tapestry of human experience, spinning a yarn of struggle, revelation, love, cruelty, adaptation, and ultimate triumph. She never yields to the temptations of fatuous romanticism or trite platitudes. This book is an experience that transports the reader into another time in another place, but then provides the most insightful among us with the material needed to extrapolate from this experience, and apply it to other places in other times. This is a uniquely American masterpiece that will resonate with those who may have grown out of spy thrillers and whodunits.

To be honest, the title was not one that I would have picked up on my own, and the book was recommended to me several times before I decided to read it. (You can't tell a book by it's Title) Worthy of all of it's critical acclaim, I have read this novel over several times, not only for it's splendid story line, but for the sheer brilliance of it, each time marveling at it's beauty and style. Though it deals with religion, it does it tastefully, openly, and allows the reader to see the underside of the human element that powers it.

Though all men may be "created equal", their characters are not, and this story is powerful in that regard as it exposes men of the cloth that are there simply as users of others, as opposed to the devoted, the sincere who's life work has been striven to the good.

The novel is timeless. The story unfolds in France and Italy, is about two boyhood friends who study for the priesthood together and subsequently end up doing their life's work together in the wild, open country of the New Mexico and Arizona frontiers. This work spans their entire lives, and the adventures, trials and hardships are many. The artistry that Willa Cather employs as she takes her reader through the magnificent, lonely expanses of sage and cactus, to the Mexican people in remote areas; the lawless exiles who hope to disappear into it's wilderness, is all accomplished as though a painter is at work beside her, shaping her words into visuals, makes this work one of her best, in my view.

I agree wholeheartedly with the review below and would like to add that
this book far outstrips its predecessors in the series (I haven't seen DGTC 5 yet).

The initial sections are divided by color type (pales, pastels, brights, neutrals, greys, deeps, darks), while the follow-up sections show combinations of colors, often matching colors from one section with another. I found myself thinking "I would never have thought to put those colors together but, wow! they look great!")

It would be hard to over-endorse Designer's Guide to Color 4. This book is wonderful for anyone who works with color, from the fine art student trying to get a handle on color harmony, to the mom attempting to teach her pre-teen son how not to leave the house looking like a demented clown.

Whether you need a basic reference on tried-n-true color groupings or fresh new design ideas, this book will fit the bill. Thank you, Ikuyoshu Shibukawa!

This book is a treasure when searching for innovative color combinations. Just when I thought I had run out of ideas, I found this book. It helps you use color in ways that you would not have thought of using them. The listing of the CMYK color is useful for print and can be transposed with the use of any graphics program into the RGB color. It is a great reference for web as well as print designers.

To call Devin Murfin's Central American odyssey exciting is an understatement;to call it a thriller would be reductive for it is so much more:it is a rich record of his complex emotions as he struggles to stay alive in the midst of unimagined horror; to call it contemporary is accurate because it is the documentation of Murfin's struggle to center his grief-soaked soul on the seesaw of sanity. It is the story of a man who embarks on a journey to find himself, but gets terribly lost along the way.
Murfin's tale of survival, and eventual escape, is as breathtaking as any other written. Almost uncannily, his narrator as a witness, complex character development and compelling voice ranks among the best: a new man on the literary scene he may be, but his narrative powers are staggering for their originality and authenticity. Like a fictional Marlowe, or Huck, Devin's persona makes this piece of creative non-fiction a thriller that challenges category.
Murfin pulls no punches:his confession is full of a man's most intimate and feared fantasies realized. The book oozes with erotic experiences (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual; incest, prostitution). It is riddled with explicit details of his own 'open marriage'; of encounters with Havana's prostitutes and lumpen drug dealers; of Honduran and Guatemalan murderers and of awesome acts of violence; of a reeling human spirit that is forced to commit abhorrent acts that are at once magnificent for one man's dignified refusal to fall.
Only the most indifferent reader will be able to put this book down.

This is a true account of one young backpacker's horrifying ordeal traveling through the jugular vein of Central America's most dangerous drug route (Honduras, Guatemala). It is a must-read for anyone who loves a thriller with substance and relevance mingled with the lyricism and control of a master storyteller.

Here is a an experience which could have come straight from the pages of a Cormac McCarthy novel: a man is deceived, kidnapped, tortured,and pursued by corrupt killer policemen--and even more murderous monsters--the drug lords and their death squads, thugs capable of unimaginable atrocities.

But Devin survives, heroically making his way to the safety of the American Embassy, only to be tracked down again.

Like any survivor's account, much of this story will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, your neck hairs standing on end. Many will think, "No, this cannot be true", but as someone who has researched the "social cleansing", the making of snuff films, the rape and murder of women and children, and the routine daily atrocities being committed against the innocent in the region, I know such experiences occur daily, and are all too true. It is rare for anyone to survive once in the hands of such men, much less to survive strong enough to give the world a first hand account as a victim of their crimes.

Anyone who cares about Latin America, the injustices committed against the poor by the powerful, the the criminality of the drug trade, the sexual exploitation by pornographers, and the truth being told, MUST read this book; our humanity requires we do so.

A MUST-READ!!

This is a story of how a wilful girl who feels unloved and inferior, and who believes that the whole world is at fault except her, experiences a life-changing situation when she wakes up one day to find herself changed into a stegosaurus.

Ostracised by her teachers and peers, and people on the street as a result of her condition, and worst still, being made used of by a scheming medical specialist who wants to use her condition to make himself famous, she reaches despondence.

That's when she realises how much her family loves and cares for her. Even her little brother, Mark, who is usually always at odds with her chooses to courageously save her from captivity.

This is a story of a girl who discovers that the true and strongest love comes from her family, and that while she may not be perfect looking, it is really how she chooses to view herself and the world that matters in the end.

This book is really good. I think its also good for adultes! Jermy Strong is the best writer in the world!

It's often hard to find books about real actors, well I have to say also author since Dirk Bogarde was not only an effective and surprising actor, but also author of very steemed books. In this book, I could find very nice pictures taken through his whole life and also a lot of information that matched perfectly with the ones in his autobiography.

A really great masterpiece not only for the Bogarde fans, but also for anyone who is interested to see and reas a multitalented human being.

Highly recommended.

A stunning look at one of the great talents of the 20th century. This is the same man of The Servant, Death in Venice, Darling, The Damned, the man, that face, that voice. The photos tell the entire story of this man who had an impact on film and cinema history not soon forgotten. This book is a Bogarde fans dream come true.

This is a great book; extremely funny with great characters. You will love Jamie and her pals as they explore Las Vegas and hit the big-time. A really excellent, beach novel - if you like British "Chick-Lit" you will not be disappointed.

This is a real groovy good read; about two girls Jamie and Izzy who go to Las Vegas in search of husbands to wed.
Izzy's the wild one, getting involved with Lars (the stripper), and the elvis presly impersonator, and then finally Reed Mahoney (the tubby businessman), whom she gets married to. Jamie's the one with all the crushes, first CJ/christian, Zane, and Finn. But my favourite characters in the book definitely are Christian and Scott. Christian reminds me of the boy-next-door with gorgeous green eyes and the oh-so-preppy-but-sexy-at-the-same-time look. Jones really had me going with her vivid description of Christian and Scott (brad pitt, anyone?). I felt for Jamie as she got crushed by CJ(the young christian)and Zane. Jones keeps making the readers guess who Jamie's new beau would be, going round and round about christian, who seemingly pines for Jamie as he prepares getting married to Nadine, only for Nadine to reveal a shocking revalation towards the end of the book.
This book is typically not your average preppy romance book where there only revolves around 2 people, but every other character. Two thumbs up for Jones; keep the good books rolling in!!

After jumping head-first into the world of Doctor Who a few months ago, I quickly found that simply watching the show was not enough. I decided to take the plunge and start reading the novels too. This happened to be the book I chose and wow, I could not have picked a better one! Mike Tucker really knows his Ten, and Rose - their voices and interaction with each other are spot-on! The story itself is very well-written; it's scary, thought-provoking, and even funny at times, just as all good DW adventures should be!

I've since read three more of the DW novels, and have found that none of them compare to this one - in quality of writing, character development, or plot. If you're interested in getting into these books, this is certainly the place to start!

The Dr. Who books, devoted to the last three years, are formulistic and basicially themed alike. Ordinarily this would be a problem, but with these chracters it is a delight. Kind of like the Bond films and Sherlock Holmes pistaches. We expect something of The Doctor and we are not let down. Certainly "The Nightmare of Black Island" does not let the reader down and it is fast moving from cover to cover. As I said in a previous review, the books that have Rose Tyler make you miss her even more. However, the new partner on TV has grown on my family and I look forward to the books that include her. What has helped in this series of books is that the authors know who they are writing about Some, like Mike Tucker, have been associated with the TV series.

An excellent reference for anyone interested in the history of documentary photography... It covers the time period of the mid-1800s all the way up to the time the book was written. The good thing about this particular book is that the photos take center stage, with large high quality images on nearly every page. When there is text, it is usually short and to the point, explaining the events surrounding each photograph, the artists interpretation or motivations. The photographs are allowed to speak for themselves... This is exactly as such a book should be in my opinion...
Some very joyous, moving and sometimes disturbing images are included in the book, such as scenes of wars, famines, depressions, child labour, poverty, etc, but in all cases the images are tastful and not exploitive in nature...
A great book to pick up and browse through...you just might come away with a greater understanding of the world we live in

I saw this book mentioned in the bibliographies of a couple of books dealing with the history of American photography and I thought I would get a copy, though it is well out of print. It turned to be a sort of magical mystery tour of several versions probably because Time/Life published different books in their library collections but with the same title. I eventually found the original 1972 edition and varying in price from a few dollars to over fifty.

My copy is ten inches square with a silver cover and black and white photos throughout (I think later editions had color work) and I thought the contents rather impressive considering it was published for the mass market. The six chapters with more than a 190 photos from thirty-seven documentary photographers like Lartique, Atget and Riis up to Arbus and Freed in the late sixties. Each get a few prints to give an impression of their work. Chapter three about the Photo League, featuring fifteen photographers was fascinating. The League and its activities could well make an art book in itself.

Considering the book is over three decades old the presentation doesn't look dated. The layout is simple with page size photos and using Helvetica throughout but there is something about the printing that makes it look special. As far as I can tell the photos seem to be duotones printed with matt black and silver inks with 150 and 200dpi screens. This gives the images an unusual feeling of depth because the dark area are really black and yet the lighter parts (with the help of the silver) look much more dimensional. Nicely the printing technique gives familiar photos a new look.

If you can find an inexpensive copy of this 1972 edition you'll have a wonderful book of great documentary photos.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.