Arthur Books

Part historical piece and part gossip, GABLES AND FABLES: A PORTRAIT OF SAN FRANCISCO'S PACIFIC HEIGHTS tours over a hundred of the structures of one of San Francisco's richest neighborhoods, blending architectural observation with a social history of the city that is perfect for any California history library. Chapters survey changing ownerships, politics, and social life surrounding these structures, with line drawings by Kit Haskell rounding out the historical backgrounds.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is a wonderful presentation of many fabulous houses in San francisco. it is an easy read and very pleasurable.

If you love San Francisco and its neighborhoods, Gables and Fables is an outstanding entry to the list of fine books documenting Pacific Heights. This book offers a compilation of articles written with a light, engaging style reminiscent of your favorite tour guide. Pick it up, read a few vignettes and set it down satisfied by an insiders' tour of some of the neighborhood's fascinating homes. Anne and Arthur Bloomfield captured the essence of San Francisco and its unique flavor that includes the stories and secrets behind the doors.

The accompanying illustrations by Kit Haskell offer superb views of each subject. Sketched with care and an eye for architectural detail and flair, the artist captures the essence of the homes, buildings and architectural gems. An Illustration precedes every structure described by the authors, highlighting the topic and bringing it to life.

Each section includes a hand-drawn map. Put on your own home tour for visiting friends and show off your knowledge of the city. This book ranks high on my list of must haves for San Francisco aficionados.

We're not boat fans but really enjoyed the photography. Beautiful boats and lots of color, b/w and historic action and promo pics. Great

At the National Boating History Symposium in Cincinnati, Ohio on March 17, 2001, "Gar Wood Boats: Classics of a Golden Era," was selected as The Classic Boating Book-of-the-Year for 2001 by the National Boating Museum, Washington, DC. This prestigious selection is made annually to the book that contributes significant original research and valuable historic information related to boat building, design and performance. As the author of this book, I am pleased to share this information with potential readers.

A Wonderful Portrayal of Classic Wooden Boating A one of a kind historic journey with Gar Wood, one of the pioneers of motorized wooden boating. The author's insight and knowledge of the subject is quite evident in page after page of the book. The pictures and illustrations are exquisite and beautiful to look at. This is a must read for anyone who loves classic boating, boating in general and American history, as you are taken on an epic journey with one of America's leading industrialists of a Golden Era. My kudos to the author for a job well done and express my hope that boaters across the nation will add this tome to their maritime libraries!!!

The Gastronomical Tourist: Memories And Recipes Of A Bistro Crawler At Home And Abroad combines over 200 bistro recipes with an affectionate recollection of fine dining in small bistros around the world, and discusses such varied topics as what makes a Nicoise Salad, and memories of eating Peruvian Chowder in San Francisco. Mouth-watering descriptions blend with dishes which are equally appealing and surprisingly simple.

I was lucky enough to see an advance copy of this book and hear a reading from it. Bloomfield has the story-telling skills of Henry Miller or Garrison Keilor as applied to both the details and the romance of food preparation.

The background for the recipes is a range of travel, literary, and personal discoveries that give food and cooking a whole new dimension.

Starting with a table of contents laid out like a high-class menu with entrees salads fish meat chicken vegetables, and wrapping up with desserts, Bloomfield is like a Nabokov at the stove as he listens to the musical pitch of a simmering tomato sauce.

And that's a mere throwaway line in this welter of literary, culinary and travel interweavings.

He's like Miller in the way he includes multiple sensibilities both in his narratives and in his culinary instructions.

Bloomfield does for cooking what Miller does for sex--he makes it adventurous and really tasty again....

A great book to read to friends (before or after dinner).

Also recommended: Henry Miller Colossus of Maroussi

Copyright (c) 2002 by Daniel Duncan. All rights reserved.

This book combines great eating and great travel experiences into a unique reading experience. I can't imagine any reader putting down this book without either running eagerly into the kitchen or booking a flight to some of the romantic eating places described here. A wonderful bonus is the delightful writing style.

This catalogue to the current Dou exhibition in Washington (NGA - 4/16-10/6,2000) is as splendid and intimate as the show itself - 35 small, exquisitely crafted paintings by the Leiden master who was Rembrandt's pupil while that master was himself still a teenager. Wheelock reviews the critical history around Dou's work - the minutely detailed paintings, with their startlingly accurate and refined light effects were highly valued and admired until Thore-Burger and the early modern critics heralded the taste for broad, expressive brushwork. They labelled his work as superficial and heartless, but more recent work has rediscovered sophisiticated and thoughtful themes in such works as the Quack (included) and the Braamcamp triptych (two closely related works are included). Baer's essay outlines the career, working method and subject matter of Dou, exploring some aspects of his extraordinary "reality effect" as well, while Boersema explores his extraordinary, painstaking technique, reviewing such technical evidence as paint samples and reflectograms from the Lady at her Toilet and the Young Mother, both part of the show. There's not a lot of new work on Dou, so this catalogue is especially welcome to those of us who love Dutch Art of the Golden Age. This NGA cabinet gallery show moves to the London National Gallery for Sept and Nov, and the Hague's Mauritshuis from Dec to next Feb. This catalogue's gorgeous reproductions and substantial bibliography make it a solid, up-to-date reference on Dou too.

This exhibition catalogue contains enlightening and thoughtful essays on seventeenth-century Dutch painter, Gerrit Dou. Dou, one of Rembrandt's students, was highly esteemed during his lifetime for his exquisite technique in painting, but as Arthur Wheelock explains in one of the catalogue essays, his work began to lose favor in the middle of the nineteenth century. This catalogue is a wonderful account of Dou's rise and fall from fame, as well as a study of his masterful painting technique. In addition to the informative text, the color illustrations are beautifully rich, and they do justice to Dou's incredible paintings.

Although Rembrandt and Vermeer are the two most discussed and honored of the Dutch Masters, and deservedly so, Gerrit (or Gerard) Dou had a far more dramatic influence on 17th century art in the Netherlands than either of his better known countrymen. It is Rembrandt's later work, with an individuality so far ahead of its time, and Vermeer's penetrating psychological touches that make them fascinating to us in light of modern movements in art. But the paintings of Dou, by the laborious nature of their creation if not always their actual subject matter, give a much deeper insight into the culture and times in which he lived, and the growing taste for luxury from the then newly-emerged Dutch middle class. His images were themselves like jewels, with beauty almost impossible to imagine coming from a human hand, and the artistic perfection that began with Van Eyck found a worthy successor. When such virtuosity became less appreciated in the late 19th century, however, Dou then suffered the fate that Vermeer had known all along, and his name was all but forgotten. It is to the world's benefit that recent showings at the National Gallery in Washington, as well as this flawless book, are begining to change that. As with all of the other volumes that Arthur Wheelock has compiled and edited, this book provides a thoroughly detailed examination of Dou's work, with the kind of objective insight that can re-emphasize his importance to all those just learning about this amazing painter.

The first half of 'Gleanings in the Godhead'(which other publishers have titled'The Attributes of God')has been in print for over 30 years, one of the publishers being Baker Books. Chapel Library in Pensacola Florida has printed 'the Attributes...' in book form for over 10 years and had parts of the book in tract form for a number of years. I posted a review of 'The Attributes..' over 5 years ago on Amazon so the focus of this review will be the second half of this book. The second half of the book is entitled 'Excellencies which pertain to God the Son as Christ'and it is among the best Christological works that one could find anywhere. In Steele,Thomas and Quinns updated and expanded 'The Five Points of Calvinism' they commend Moody Press for keeping this book in print. I think the commendation is due to the importance of the Christological part of the book which is still accessible due to Moody Press' foresight and wisdom. If your understanding of what Christians believe on the person of christ is blurry this book will defintely help to crystalize your thoughts. One brief quote will be convincing as to Pink's ability to state complex truths with great precision and clarity, he writes on p.151 "Two seperate natures are united in one peerless person;but they are not fused into each other,instead,they remain distinct and different.The human nature is not divine nor has it been,intrinsically,deified,for it possesses none of the attributes of God. ...on the other hand,His deity is not a creature,and has none of the properties which pertain to such."The chapters are short and easy to digest and there are many rich and profound observations on the person and work of Christ. In almost any of A.W.Pinks books you get gleanings from choice servants of God who have written on the subject. Some of the men of God from the past quoted in this book are Matthew Henry,John Newton,John Calvin,John Flavel and John Gill (to name a few).Any person who wants to learn more about the Christ of the Scriptures will be richly rewarded by the time invested reading and meditating on this book.

Although this book isn't available anymore I gladly found an version online. Boy-o-boy, they don't write them like this anymore. Pink obviously had a very high view of God and holy fire shows through on these meditations. The author will choose one of God's wondrous attributes, bring in a healthy portion of relevant Scriptures thus allowing the Lord to speak for Himself, and then open it up a bit.

Case in point: the power of God. Pink quotes from Job 26:14 "Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him?" as speaking of what we behold in creation, providence and redemption but only a "little part." He follows with Habakkuk 3:4 "and there was the hiding of His power." The prophet was having a vision of God scattering the hills and overturning mountains. A demonstration of power? No, says Pink. "So inconceivable, so immense, so uncontrollable is the power of deity, that the fearful convulsions which He works in nature conceal more than they reveal of His infinite might!" Who'd think of that with the natural senses?

Gleanings In the Godhead is full of deep, deep revelations from the Holy Spirit like these that will enrich any Christian. It's like being kissed by angels. Thank you Mike Bickle for recommending this book.

*Note: It appears from the similarity of the chapter headings that this book is now available under the title of "the Nature of God."

It is a shame that this book is out of print. Of all the books written concerning the Person and character of God, this one belongs very near the top. Pink writes with the intent of letting God be just who He says He is, no punches pulled. In a day when we often redefine the Person of God by first making ourselves the standard, this book is desparately needed to be read by ministers and lay people alike. Maybe that's why it's out of print; far less people buy books today that let God be God at the expense of our exalted view of sinful man. Gleanings in the Godhead blows apart our habitual sin of making God in our own image. And it does so because it is a biblical book. Pink is only reiterating what God has already said about Himself.

This book gave me a competitive knowledge in my field.

A time honoured text book on Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery,each chapter written keeping the examination taking fellows in mind, with lucid description, a must read for all the Cardiothoracic fellows.

The division of the cardiovascular book in two parts (a congenital and an adult adquired pathologies) turn it easy for a quick review. Its single language and an objective view of cardiovascular and thoracic diseases, make this book an excellent option for who wants to learn anything more about cardiac surgery.

This is a good nature book that explains, in very general terms, a tree's ecosystem and reproductive cycle. It also deals gently and honestly with the topic of death -- the tree dies and falls down; perceptive children may make the connection between plant and animal life cycles, so if you are exploring that subject, this is a very good book to get the ball rolling. Nice straightforward story and simple, elegant text to match. (ReadThatAgain book reviews)

This was ordered for our Shade Tree Commission to do as an Arbor Day program at the public library - Great choice

This is a cute book for the preschool age about the things that trees provide to animals and how even after they die their children and grandchildren leave a lasting impression on this earth. It is a great way to introduce the topic of nature and the illustrations are lovely. The text is simple but well written. I've read this with my 2 year old and he has really enjoyed it.

The Grandparent Guide: The Definitive Guide To Coping With The Challenges Of Modern Grandparenting by child and family therapist Arthur Kornhaber (who is also the president and founder of the Foundation for Grandparenting) is an extensive and informative resource written especially for grandparents, and covers everything from adoption and baby-sitting, to gift giving, legal issues, parental and grandparent divorce, religious differences, mentoring, visitations, estate planning, and much, much more. The Grandparent Guide is strongly recommended for personal and community library Parenting Reference collections and guides as an in-depth, highly practical tome of solid wisdom, greatly needed in today's diverse and fast-paced world.

This book will help any brand new or veteran grandparent keep up with the changing face of grandparenthood. A must for every coffee table.

This is the latest, most up=to-date grandparenting book. Well-written and arranged in easy-to-reference chapters. Dr. Kornhaber covers a vast specturm of situations and circumstances. A must read for present and future grandparents.

I bought this with "Q's" On the Art of Reading. I'm halfway through this one and can't wait to start the other one. I'm constantly going back to review my old Latin/Greek HS and university readings and have enjoyed the process immensely.

This slender volume is the book that began Helene Hanff's journey -- a path that led eventually to her writing the 84, CHARING CROSS ROAD series. Because I loved her books, I wondered what the master who taught her might have had to say. All I knew of him was what I had learned through Ms. Hanff.

This series of lectures, delivered in England more than nine decades ago, sparkles with a dry wit that is utterly endearing. No wonder his students loved him. Still, for someone who is the product of a late-20th century education, I must admit I was appalled by my ignorance of the classical references he made, expecting that his students would follow them with ease. Not a light-weight book, despite its compact size.

His challenge to his students, put forth in the first lecture, was to become a person [he said a man, but the statement applies to all of us] "of unmistakable intellectual breeding, whose trained judgment we can trust to choose the better and reject the worse." Not a bad goal for anyone, is it?

A word of warning. He quotes in Greek here and there -- and does not translate it, since all his students were expected to understand that language. Ditto Latin.

If you can manage only two chapters, try the first "Inaugural" and the last "On Style."

This book is a classic on the subject of writing.It was a favorite of Helene Hanff, author of 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. In a third book, Q's Legacy, she relates how studying this book became the core of her writing education.She found Q to be both articulate and humorous.I find I agree.

Having read several of Mr. Graves's War of 1812 titles, I was quite intrigued about this particular and peculiar subject when I stumbled upon it during an internet search. Placing an order here on Amazon for the book, I was not disappointed in any way when it arrived at my door. Mr Graves has an eye for detail while weaving a good story that holds the reader's attention. I literally finished this book in one (albeit long) sitting.

Not only are the major personalties discussed, but the rank and file have their place as well. Tactics, uniforms, and weapons are covered but in such a way that the layman can understand. Both the Patriot Hunters and the British/Canadian forces are given their due during the course of the battle.

This is a book that no Canadian should dismiss, nor those of us who are wanna be Canucks!

The border between the United States and Canada is the longest unfortified and unguarded border between two sovereign nations in the world. The relations between the two countries is friendly and the countries are solid allies and trading partners. To travel to and in Canada is a joy and very rewarding (being referred to as 'English' in Quebec province is somewhat unsettling, though). It wasn't always so.

American armies have invaded Canada twice-in the War of the Revolution and the War of 1812, both times for territory and loot, and have met defeat twice in the strategic aims of the invansions. Canandians defended themselves with skill and valor, though most of the credit usually went to the British regular forces which, especially in the War of 1812, robbed Canadian units of the credit due them.

There was a small, completely unprovoked third 'invasion' of Canada in November 1838 when a small number of American 'liberators' (read terrorists) crossed the Canadian frontier to help 'free' Canada 'from the British yoke.' This relatively unknown incident is stirringly retold by Canadian historian Don Graves in this excellent volume which should be read by all interested in the history of the North American continent and hopefully will spark an interest in Canadian military history, which has been largely ignored by most historians. It is a rich history of devotion, valor, and selflessness by a people small in number but who have proven themselves the equal to all, and the superior to many, on the battlefields of the British Commonwealth and Empire.

The author is an excellent storyteller, and his research is flawless and thorough. An authority on the Niagara frontier of the War of 1812, his books are a must for all military history buffs and enthusiasts. He has earned a reputation as the master historian of the small battle, and he certainly demonstrates that in this book.

In the late 1830s, Canada was undergoing tething troubles politically, undoubtedly searching for a national identity within the constraints of British suzerainty. Agressive Americans intent on expansion again thought they could take advantage of this state of affairs and gain some of Canada for the US under the guise of 'freeing' the Canadians. What did happen was a violent incursion onto Canadian territory along the St. Lawrence, the seizure and 'siege' of a windmill along the waterway, and a bloody end to the problem, Canadians and British rallying to drive out the invaders. Royal Navy units were used in the river to bombard the American's position, even engaging in a battle in the river with a steamer the Americans had hijacked.

Royal Marines, British Regulars, and Canadian militia turned out to counter the American 'adventurers, to face a foe better armed than they, and also equipped with artillery. The fighting was intense, sometimes desperate, but the invaders were defeated, and the prisoners taken were subjected to 'Her Majesty's Justice', being confined in the citadel of Fort Henry at Kingston before the final, inevitable disposition of their crimes.

There are detailed appendices in the volume which give lists of those individuals and units that participated in the fighting. The book is also well-illustrated and thoroughly documented. It is a pleasure to read and study and is highly recommended. Although it is from an 'unfashionable' period of military history, it also gives an interesting and uncommon perspective of the American concept of 'Manifest Destiny.' It might also prompt the more thoughtful into a reappraisal of the Texas movement for independence and the other Alamo.

I have studied the Battle of Windmill Point, the central subject of "Guns Across the River", for twenty-five years. I have visited the major landmarks in the event, the windmill, Fort Wellington and Fort Henry in Ontario and Ogdensburg, N.Y. and I have lectured on the incident. I have sifted through several archives in libraries and historical societies and I have found that while Donald E. Graves book has a definite Canadian slant that U.S. readers may find slightly disorienting (Americans are not the heroes in this book) the book engagingly recounts a forgotten 1837 instance of American terrorism visited upon Canadians. While I may quibble with the omission of some details, overall, the events are compellingly told and Graves skillfully integrates their significance into the larger picture.