By Subject Books

I will admit. This is good for teaching you how to draw horse heads. At least the first set of instructions is. I was exicited and thought this would be a great book when I went and drew an excellent, realistic picture of a horse head. I was aiming for arabian but got quarter horse, but I didnt care. It looked great. So I wanted to go on to bodies. And guess what I found Scribbles. Yes, scribbles. She just drew a bunch of circles, saying to go with the energy that you feel. I ddin't bother, and went on to draw another horse head using a different set of instructions I was so disapointed when I was done. The horse looked like something a 9 year old would draw if they grabbed the book. I looked back to the other picture. The other one was in a ocmpleately different class. After this, I tried to draw asaddles and bridles. But they didn't tell you how to draw them. They shpwed pictures of say, a racing saddle, and said trace this onto a horse you previously drew. I wouldn't request buying this book.

As the mother of an art student, this book totally broke through the obstacles my daughter was having with her beloved horse hobby. They say artist have the most trouble drawing the things they love the most, but the step-by-step instructions assisted my daughter to break out of her barrier. She uses the basic techniques to help her with her 3D work as well! Thank you!

This book is good,it teaches you how to draw a horse head,but not a horse.....It teaches you to draw lots of diffrent heads and expressions.When she is done she shades it .But does not teach you how,well she does but it is not step by step.It is like a huge step.

[...]

Not ANYONE can do it.Then she says to do SCRIBLES to draw a horse body,huh???A very deteiled head with a ¨Scribled Body¨that is not good! I like most of the book ,just that sometimes she jumps big steps,well too big for us!

Well go ahead and buy it it is not bad, teachs you lots of things,but a body....

This book is really good to learn from! I traced a few horse heads, then practiced free hand, and it came out really good! WHen I went onto a body, she drew a bunch of circles, and I was surprised, but I tried it-- it came out so good!! Ofcourse it took practice, but once you clean up the picture, shade it and add a saddle, you'd think this was a real peice of art in a gallery!! I really recomend this book!

Absolutely captivating photos! While accompanying text offers an Italian perspective and background about the photographer, the images speak for themselves - a great addition to any Beatles fan's collection!

What a delightful treat! Marcello Geppetti's photographs of the Beatles' 1965 tour in Rome is sure to captivate all who see them.

I loved coming across more information about Beatle concerts in Europe; these photographs bring home the fun, joy and laughter that the Beatles in 1965 shared.

I should have relied on the reviews and skipped this one. There's barely anything to it, and most of the photos are of poor quality. NOT a good value. Even the most fanatical Beatles devotee (a description in which I include myself)will be disappointed. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because at least the subject is worthwhile.

At one point in "A Hard Day's Night" Paul's grandfather (Wilfred Brambell) succinctly summarizes the tedium of touring when he complains, "I thought I was supposed to be getting a change of scenery. But so far I've been in a train and a room, a car and a room, and a room and a room."

Substitute plane for train, and Italy for England, and you pretty much have the content of this slim volume, which is ostensibly about their four Rome concerts in June 1965. In the twenty-eight photos reproduced, we see the group arriving at the airport, wandering the halls of their hotel (including a fuzzy balcony shot), seated at their press conference, and finally onstage at the Teatro Adriano. Sharp-eyed fans will recognize Beatle roadies Neil Aspinall and Mal Evans and manager Brian Epstein in several shots; there are no captions accompanying any of the photos.

The text, devoted to lauding Geppetti's candid photographic style, which we are reminded (again and again) gave birth to the paparazzi style of celebrity photography, would have been better suited to a retrospective of the man's oeuvre. Even commentary by Rolando Giambelli, who attended one of the shows and is identified as a member of The Beatle People Association of Italy, offers little on the group, presenting his recollections only as a context from which to further praise the photographer.

Marcello's photos would have been much better served illustrating a booklet accompanying a CD of their Rome press conference or (better yet) a Beatleg of their shows. This is the kind of niche Beatles book you could browse in five minutes and never miss reading again.

Save your money.

This collection of poetry, essays, and short stories by registered nurses has moved, inspired, and encouraged nurses here in the US and Canada and overseas. Many nurses, after reading this collection, have contacted me to say how these poems and stories reflect what they think and feel as they themselves are working with patients: the joys and moments of transcendance as well as the fears and frustrations. Nurses from all walks of healhcare--among them ICU nurses, homecare nurses, Hospice Nurses, OB/GYN nurses, Nursing Home nurses, office nurses--find words here that mirror what they feel during those amazing moments, the ones between the heartbeats, when they are standing by a patient's side. Death and dying are part of a nurse's day, just as surely as birth, healing, and grace are. These works speak of all aspects of caregiving, from the nurse's unique vantage point. Now in it's fourth printing, Between the Heartbeats is being translated into Japanese and a second, all-new volume is currently being assembled, a companion piece to the original volume offered here. As Frances Biley said in her review of Heartbeats in Nursing Times (3/20/96) "This book is essential. I dare you to read 'NICU' by Dana Schuster and not be moved. Beg, steal or borrow this book; if that fails, buy it."

As a nurse, when I purchased this book, I thought I would find some beautiful poetry about the profession of nursing and the art of caring. Instead, I found what I think may be the problem with nurses. As I read this book, I am struck with what appears to be repressed hostility and depression by these writers. Some of the poetry is morbid. And we wonder why there are nursing shortages?

Superb text for teaching creative approaches to caregiving through literature to nurses and other caregivers. I had the honor of using the book as a text book this past semester at Penn State University, Harrisburg, PA. The course explored the literature of nurses as well as traditional literature. The goal of this exploration was to redefine caring, to create new ways to teach preventive health care and nurturance, and to sensitively encourage caregivers to own their responsibility to intellectualize and write from their unique vantage point as observers of pain. Numerous and various clinical scenarios were available through the creative writing in BETWEEN THE HEARTBEATS and provided an opportunity to look at clinical situations with a refreshing perspective. My co-editor, Cortney Davis, and I have conducted many workshops but this was my first opportunity to use the book as a text for a three credit course. As might be guessed, I was personnally pleased that the book served so well as a text. Best wishes to any of you who may want to try it in your classroom.

Judy Schaefer, RNC, MA

Since this book was written by Edward Waldo Emerson, son of Ralph Waldo Emerson, he was obviously familiar with his subject. Henry David Thoreau spent time living in the Emerson house and was the substitute head of the household several times when Edward's father was out of town. He entertained the children and was remembered fondly by the young people of Concord. Here Edward includes those memories with his own and with excerpts from Thoreau's journal.

While these facts and quotes are valid, they don't paint a complete biography of the man. Some of the incidents make sense only to the savvy reader who already has a Thoreauvian background. And only the first 50 pages are text; the remaining 30 consist of expansive footnotes. If you want to glean the full story, you'll have to constantly page back and forth. Yes, it's a worthwhile view that comes from a friend, but it's not the best or most detailed chronicle. An optional read.

Thoreau was without a doubt one of the most fascinating literary figures in American history. While his essays and ideas are subject to much criticism, this small book gives you an interesting insight into the man that most people never knew he was. Written by Edward Waldo Emerson, we get a first hand account of Thoreau's life from a slightly biased, but none-the-less interesting point of view. This pieces includes a lot of anecdotes and things that we may have never learned about Thoreau without Emerson having shared them with us. Definitely made me respect the man more than I did prior to reading this memoir.

This book is a glowing account of Thoreau's character, written later in life by Ralph Waldo Emerson's son Edward. Edward knew Thoreau up until the latter's death in 1862, when Edward was about 17. He has supplemented his own memory with interviews and anectdotes given him by other Concord citizens who knew the Thoreau family. These writings are a valuable resource for anyone who is researching Thoreau, with its humanizing slant and defence of its subject against perceived misunderstandings by the public. Any Thoreau fan will find this brief tract illuminating and amusing.

All the good reviews you heard were true in some parts but not fully true. It only lets you draw a few villains. If you want to draw lots of the villains don't get this book. The villains are also in horrible poses.

This beautifully illustrated guide is an introductory book on the basic drawing techniques needed to accurately depict several cartoon characters from the Spider-man universe in their well-known Marvel Comics style.
The information and instructions contained in this book are logically organized and include a list of tools and materials you need to get started, guidelines on how to use the book and some basic information on perspective. It also contains some step-by-step examples on how to draw characters like Spiderman (and Peter Parker), Mary Jane, Black Cat, Daredevil, Venom, Dr. Octopus, Lizard, Mysterio and Vulture.
However, this book lacks information on several topics that include guidelines on basic figure drawing, head and figure proportions, movements and expressions, comparisons of male and female figure features, and perspective and foreshortening for backgrounds and figures. It also lacks some steps on its step-by-step instructions, better explanations on how to reach the finished drawings and a lot more useful advice on detailing the characters.
Buy this book only if you can't find any other references on how to draw Spider-man.
--Reviewed by Maritza Volmar

If you have kids who like reading comic books, (Spider-Man in particular) or drawing cartoon characters, this would be a good book to help teach them a few essentials, and it's pretty easy for kids to understand. Who knows, maybe your kid will some day get a career in the industry, then you can capitalize on the hundreds of dollars you spend buying them comics in the first place. It's a win/win situation...

Really great reference - breaks down how to sketch noses, eyes, etc. and shows some step by step portraits - each with different skin tones and hair colors. This also breaks down the relationship of nose, eye, etc if the face is turned.

Easy to follow, showing the same steps for different types of people ie redhead, blond male and female, different lighting. I found the book useful for basics.

This book is a good beginners book for learning the basics of portrait painting.

Finding accurate accounts of historical turning points warrants careful scanning and careful elimination. There is much information to be read in articles, books and in the minds of academics who can give tid-bits of how we got to where we are today in a world of art and technology. But there are few people who can provide us with a rigorous account that actually has (1) depth and substance; and (2) an actual birthing of an era. This book provides us with both.

For the disciplined reader, Roy Ascott and Edward Shanken provide alluring, inventive and down right smart accounts of the time frame in which art evolved into a 21st century discipline; for the lazy reader, Roy Ascott's sentences are a crisp and inviting story of what it could behoove the artist to pay attention to.

Natasha Vita-More

This collection offers a unique and valuable history of art and technology from the 1960s to the 2000s as chronicled through the brilliant writings of Roy Ascott. A pioneer of cybernetic and telematic art, Ascott is generally recognized as a leading figure in the field of new media. His theoretical writings are inventive, prescient, and provocative, and are required reading for students and professionals who are interested in learning about the ideas that shaped interactivity, media art, and net art.

Shanken's introduction offers an erudite but highly readable and insighful guide to Ascott's work as an artist, theorist, and teacher, placing his many contributions in a broad context of art history, the history of ideas, and the history of technology. At 94 pages, this essay offers one of the most extensive art historical treatments of art and technology currently in print and makes an invaluable addition to the literature.

The book may be a bit pricey, but it is well worth it and this is one volume you'll be glad to have in hard-cover.

E. Shanken writes like a baton twirler with a Ph.D.

I did not like this book. It is too simple, with little imagination from author. The pictures are the so called "postals" in the photographic argot. I would expect a more innovative and more interesting book on this subject.

Interestingly engaging photos. The less stagey conceptual ones towards the end of the book work better for me. But what is with the production values. Many of the shots look digitally oversharpened, with compression artifacts everywhere, as if they were shot with a department store digicam.

Most of the photos a very specials, with a good focus

Joe Deal is another of my favourite photographers, from the new Topography movement of the 70's. I have been long aware of this project of Mr. Deal's.

The insight into the process involved is indeed fascinating. I would however personally preferred the writing to have been more secondary in this book, perhaps using a different layout and approach. Still a great book with some stunning imagery.

The transformation of one of the most imposing "wild" parcels of land in Los Angeles into what is now the Getty Center (Museum, etc.) is the story of these stunning, beautiful black and white photographs. These images and thoughtful essays will be appreciated by anyone interested in art, landscapes, culture and/or modern architecture.

If you are just getting started this may be helpful to you. It goes over basic photography techniques and composition rules. I feel it leaves out much, and one may be better served by some of the other landscape photography books out there.

This is a very good starting point to digital landscape photography. The author explains everything you need to know to capture and print quality nature photographs. This book will get you moving in the right direction and improve your photographic skills.