By Subject Books

I've always been interested in paleontology and fossils, and in my wildest dreams I never hoped for a book as wonderful as this one. Barbara Page has created three-dimensional panels that track the evolution of life on earth, and this book reproduces them so superbly that the two-dimensional surfaces of the pages almost become three dimensional. Fossil ammonites and trilobites, fishes, reptiles, birds, and mammals emerge from the panels to illustrate the history of life in an entirely new way. Here a fragment of a wing, there a piece of dinosaur jaw, just as the fossils emerge from rock. The full color printing is gorgeous, and the text is terrific--not overwhelming but supporting the marvelous art. If you know of any amateur of professional fossil fan, this is THE gift book of the year! It cannot disappoint. Wow!

Impeccably designed and magnificently printed, this book offers the reader a remarkable opportunity to view Barbara Page's important work in another venue before final installation at the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, New York.

It is rare to experience a combination of intelligent and informative prose as that of Rosamund Wolff Purcell and Warren Allmon with such truly breathtaking art as the work of Barbara Page in one edition. This book celebrates what those of us in publishing know to be true--there will ALWAYS be a hunger for beautiful and important books on ink-printed pages.

One piece of art can mean so much to so many people. "The Rublev Trinity" is a look at a monk named Andrei Rublev. Around 1400 A.D., he painted his depiction of the holy trinity of Christianity, which has stayed in the minds of practicing Eastern Orthodox Christians for the following six centuries. With a scholarly history on iconographic traditions of the western world and the power of Rublev's painting all the way up to the modern day, "The Rublev Trinity" is highly recommended to anyone studying the strong connection that exists between art and religion.

An important event in the renewal of iconography occurred in Russia in 1904. This was the year that a commission was created to restore Rublev's "Holy Trinity" icon, then nearly four hundred years old. As was the case with many old icons, over time the smoke of candles had been absorbed by the varnish, gradually hiding the brilliant image beneath the varnish.

In the centuries when no safe method existed for removing the varnish without harming the image, the cure for blackened images was the repainting of icons. Thus a similar, often cruder, image was painted over the older one. In many cases, ancient icons bear several icons layered one on top of the other.

Often a more permanent solution was to place an oklad over the icon: a relief image in metal - silver or gold - that covered everything but the faces and hands. In 1904, the restoration commission carefully removed the oklad covering the Trinity icon. Then began the slow and painstaking removal of the layers of overpainting that masked Rublev's work. It took years, but what their effort finally revealed has ever since amazed those who have been privileged to stand in front of the actual icon (now in the care of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow). The uncovering of the icon was a momentous event, doing much to inspire the return to classic iconography, and the restoration of a great many other old icons.

The author of this handsomely published book, the Benedictine monk Gabriel Bunge, has undertaken a parallel work of restoration, exploring many earlier images of the three angels who were the guests of Abraham and Sarah's hospitality by the oaks of Mamre, a story related in Genesis.

In this work of profound theological examination, the reader discovers how many centuries of meditation, biblical reflection and earlier artistic effort lie behind the icon painted by Rublev early in the 16th century.

The book is also a presentation of one of the most loved but least known Russian saints, Sergii of Radonezh. As the author writes in a chapter analyzing the Rublev image: "[The martyr and saint] Father Pavel Florensky was not completely wrong when he maintained that St. Sergii was, alongside Andrei Rublev, the true creator of [the icon]. One may even go a step further and suggest that this icon, painted in `the dwelling place of the Holy Trinity' built by Sergii, is intended to depict this mystery of the grace of the Holy Spirit... The attributes that Rublev used to make visible his interpretation are the postures and gestures of the three angels."

For anyone who seeks a deeper appreciation of icons in general, or of the Trinity icon in particular, this fine book, with its many color illustrations, is a treasure.

BEAUTIFUL BOOK AND IN GOOD CONDITION. THANK YOU.

This magical book of beguiling photos and writing seduced me with the beauty of the world its authors captured. These aren't just colorful shots of India, but shots and text so vivid that I felt as if I were partaking in this "masti," the Indian philosophy which Bloch describes at one point as not so much seizing the day as letting the day seize you. I've been to India, but with Bloch and Bijleveld as guides, I felt I could move beyond the "rich surfaces" of the place, as Bloch aptly calls them, to the treasure beneath. The very first picture takes us inside: we're looking through two doors, the first giving onto a courtyard where someone minds a child, the second into a room beyond where a squatting couple polish gem,stones in their primitive shop. Whether the pictures are of tea pickers at lunch, their babies in baskets by their sides, or a naked holy man or a stonecutter using the heels of his powdery feet to steady his saw, there's masti in every one. Bijleveld's colors, the warmth of his eye, the brazen light suffuse each scene with human feeling and fellowship, of the viewer and the viewed. Masti is in Bloch's stories of encounters with barbers and fishermen, hijra and Sufis. It's in his descriptions of a man's "driftwood" face, a sari enveloping a woman like "a pod," the "soothing growl" of the yoga master, the dance of old women who "brace their feet against their partner's, clasp each other's wrinkled hands, and lean back and start spinning, their gaunt arms fully extended." This isn't just a great holiday gift, it's a joyous holiday in itself.

The Shakers inventoried their communities in two-dimensional drawings. These were not the works of trained artists or draftsmen, but are examples of the works of the cultural tradition that brought us such useful items as the circular saw. In our world, where we hurry from one activity to the next, it is helpful to have an insight into another way of life, where hurry-sickness had not caught hold. The illustrations are beautiful. Mr. Emlen's commentary is scholarly and, at the same time, readable.

Insightful, clear, and well-structured analysis of Shaker Art. The author presents the information alongside beautiful Shaker images. A must-read for a good backround in Shaker art, and in my opinion, the definitive work on the subject.

"Shooting Blind" is a fascinating photographic study, as all the contributors are visually impaired. Accompanying interviews with the photographers indicate that many of them wanted to represent how they see the world - an impression of what it is like to experience a vision loss. They've accomplished this admirably by using an innovative flashlight technique, creating eerie light and shadows. This photographic technique is interesting in its own right, and its usage in the photographs can also be viewed purely as art, with no compelling need to know about the photographer's vision loss. One particularly magical photo is that of a violinist, with light and mist rising from the instrument, giving it an ethereal mystical quality, almost allowing the viewer to see the music flowing from the violin. "Shooting Blind" had a profound effect on me - allowing me to enter the world of people who are visually impaired, while at the same time making me realize that art doesn't have to be bound by our own limitations.

My eyes went wet when I browse through the striking images printed in "Shooting Blind: Photographs by the Visually Impaired". These unpretentious and sensual portraitures knock me down like a hammer strike. My colleagues ask me (I showed them the publication) if the blind photograhers could see their end products and I told him this does not really matter and we should treat the images as a gift to us (those who can really 'see'?!), a gift which could lead us thinking the meaning and the quest of seeing. These images are amazing graces!

For decades our so called Art World and mainstream Art History merely focus upon 'sophisticated' works and have neglected voices from minorities. The institutionalization of Art (with a capital A) by museum, gallery, collectors, curators and academics have buried the original essential nature of perceptual
experience and creative will.

I treat the photographers in this book a violate act up against the stagnated world. I truly hope the publisher Aperture or other Art dealers not to give a price tag to these honest images and leave them away from the fateful destinations and genres of Postmodern Photography.

Spanish Still Life is the catalogue that accompanied a National Gallery, London, exhibition of 1995. To be honest, I've mostly skipped the text in favor of dropping my jaw (check out Juan Sanchez Cotan) in response to the images, which prove how important and radical a genre still life was from 1600 through Goya (1746-1828). There is plenty here to fuel the fires of romantics, painters, photographers, logicians, dreamers, minimalists, environmentalists, animal activists, and those enamored with the domestic sphere. Still life, in this age, was not humble. It was intimate, political, religious, intellectual and incredibly visceral. I missed the show, but I have the book. Small comfort, perhaps, yet I would rescue this book from a burning house.

I saw this exhibit and think of it often. The only memento I have is this catalog and I'm so glad I do. The earliest paintings have such a modern feel to them that it's hard to believe they were painted while Shakespeare was still writing. Glad I don't have to spend $250 for it.

What an outstanding collection of images this book contains. They are of very high quality indeed, and the book explores an unusual thesis. Quoting Emmanuel Cooper, " Jo Brunenberg's spare, minimal photographs, explore the paradox between geometrical symmetry and the sensual lines of the body ... Taut and finely crafted, his work uses the male nude and homoerotic desire to touch on issues of personal freedom and the need for order as well as on the illusory and everchanging nature of reality."

I think this is art critic speak for "these will draw you back again and again in wonder".

A really terrific addition to my collection.

A very interesting variety of male nude photographs. Beautifull print quality.

Intended for young people ages four to seven (grades K-1), Verbal Math Lesson Level 1: Step-by-Step Math without Pencil or Paper is a guide that parents and educators can use to help bright young people learn math with quizzes and word problems - and no writing! Developed by a pediatrician, Verbal Math Lesson Level 1 uses age-appropriate lessons to teach simple and efficient mental shortcuts. A great way to help one's child get a good head start for later grades. Also highly recommended is the second volume in the series, Verbal Math Lesson Level 2 (9780913063125,, $12.95), ideal for children ages 7-8 (grades 1-2).

This book is turning out to be the perfect next step for us. It does make math very applicable to my seven year old in his daily life. The questions are interesting to him and I already notice that he is applying math to describe events that happened during his day. I can see a renewed interest in learning how math applies to his life. I highly recommend this and think it is a wonderful skill for a person to learn "on their feet." I was one who learned with paper and pencil first..so without a pencil I'm hopeless and hoping the problem goes away instead of being able to "think" to get the answer and have a sense of confidence although I have spent many years in math classes.

This book is teaching us to work with numbers and get familiar with order, something that I didn't realize was missing and the cause of our struggle when we started doing subtraction and is really the foundation. I completely agree with the Author and am thankful that they have pointed out the short comings of using paper & pencil. Now we just practice writing our numbers just like we practice writing our letters and have moved away from the math sheets temporarily until we get this foundation. When it comes to math calculations we go to this verbal Math book and just have that to think about. We are not thinking about two things at the same time..1) what is the answer and 2) am I writing this number right. And they are correct..children are faster in math. I think people are probably better in math than they realize..they just never just thought about numbers. Yesterday, my son said.."Six is an important age." I said "why?" He said.."because it is the next set of numbers" 1,2,3,4,5 being the first set, 6,7,8,9,10 being the next set. This book is helping us tremendously with learning the skills to do subtraction quickly. Easy excercies we can pick from and then to mix it up interesting questions. After completing the Reading Lesson Book with great success..my son can read..he is already enjoying thinking things out in numbers. The author is correct in my opinion..now I know why I didn't understand algebra. Thanks so much for not repeating the old educational gap. I like it and hope this review is helpful.

There is no other book like this. This book represents a Stonewall of the API lesbigay women: a watershed moment, a beginning of the epoch, a springtime, a birth, with the concurrent cheerfulness and optimism about what we can all be....

And no, it's not sappy, new Age, melodramatic. The writers just tell it like it is, unvarnished. The worst fault is that in some works, there is this cute bravado found only in individuals who have not quite experienced a broken heart or betrayal or demoralization. These are inevitable in the development of any political movement. Again, this anthology is about a beginning, not a history: there hasn't been time to have a long history, and there aren't that many of us to begin with (hundreds or thousands?).

It's well edited. This is not one of those anthologies where everyone and anyone is allowed to put in whatever. I think the editor had a firm, guiding hand in putting all the work in best but truthful light possible.

The voices represented are truly varied ethnically. There are essays, poetry, some visual art.

It would be difficult to do a follow up to this great anthology, although I think a nice postscript, a "whatever happened to..." is in order.

This anthology is emotionally engaging--the poetry is both moving and funny. Personal essays and more academic analyses make this a well rounded text about API Lesbians and Bisexual women.

"Chi Chi Larue's Warning, excellent photography by Greg Thompson. The men are steamy and too much to bare!.. The sexiest men and you should have a look. You owe it to yourself to take a glimpse or two. Don't Miss this 2006 Collector's Edition! FULL COLOR!"--© zebraz

I just bought this book...I love it!...Great pics that get the juices flowing.