Bax Books

This is a major compilation of the work of the intriguing graphic artist, M. C. Escher. Remember seeing depictions of events that seem plausible but, under closer analysis, involve impossibilities? That describes some of Escher's most interesting works.
The book provides just about everything Escher produced (appearing in the "Catalog" section of the book), including his earliest works compiled during his teens. Among the most well known (and fascinating) include "The Waterfall," "Ascending and Descending March," "Convex and Concave," "Liberation," "Synthesis," "House of Stairs," and so on. The catalog section is fun, for one thing, simply to trace the evolution of his art.

But there is more to this volume than the works themselves. The volume provides context, with a brief description of his father's life as well as a more detailed analysis of Escher's life, from his birth in 1898 to his death in 1972.

There is also a most useful chapter labeled "The Vision of a Mathematician" (featuring the thoughts of mathematics teacher Bruno Ernst). It begins by noting two periods in the work of Escher--(page 135): ". . .pre 1935, in which landscapes predominate, and post 1937, which is characterized by a marked mathematical tendency." Ernst describes the mathematical principles in some detail (for those interested in this, a fascinating discussion). The textual portion of the book concludes with an essay by Escher himself on "The Regular Division of the Plane," including his reflections on his art.

This book has been around a while, but it is a valuable backdrop to getting a sense of the art of M. C. Escher.

I love everything Escher. I have several books, numerous calendars, as well as large jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts, magnets and mini jigsaw puzzles. Because of the detail in this book, I will never need to add another book to my collection. I especially appreciate the explanations. I am nowhere near smart enough to figure out what Escher was doing in each of his artworks. The detailed lesson on what each piece means is much appreciated by an art fan who is not an art scholar. I think this book would be great for any Escher fan, but I feel the need to tell you it is very large. Make sure you have room for it.

And c'mon - if you've seen his work, you're a fan.

The great thing about this book is not just the extensive and readable biography, but the complete (so they say) catalog of his graphic works. Even people very familiar with Escher's ouvre will be surprised by some of the entries here. They go back to work he did at ages 18 and 19, and show the devleopment of the Escher that has become so famous. It's just a little disappointing that the catalog is printed only in black and white, when so many of his works used color. The catalog reproductions are just that - a listing of his work, not a gallery, so the quarter-page size of most pieces is adequate for recognizing a piece, if not for appreciating it fully.

It is fascinating to see Escher's style develop though his (and the twentieth century's) twenties. Various influences early on suggest Beardsley (cat. 49, 67), Picasso (cat. 51, 58), or the pervasive Art Deco of his time (cat.34). Even then, some of Escher's later fascinations begin to emerge, including hands and reflective balls (cat. 88 and 80), symmetries and tilings (cat. 61, 65), and complex interactions of many figures in a repeating structure (cat. 90). The lesser-known parts of his work also start to emerge by the time he's 30, including delicate lithographs (cat. 129, 132). As much as I love his visual paradoxes and flirtation with the infinite, the lithos and mezzotints are the pieces that truly move me. "Snow" and "Blowball" (cat. 278 and 330) have an eloquent simplicity. "Eye" and "Drop" (cat. 344 and 356) demonstrate his classical sense and his perseverance with the demanding medium of mezzotint.

The text is also thorough and enjoyable - a good thing, since it takes up half of this heavy book, including its own set of illustrations. I admit that I have only skipped around this section, which starts by describing Escher's father. It's small wonder that his father was an engineer and that his son Arthur studied geology. Although an artist to the core, Escher had fruitful contact with mathematicians and crystallographers. He is one of very few artists that have successfully incorporated hard science into their artistic vision at such a visceral level, and the scientists appreciated that as much as anyone.

Although out of print, this book is available inexpensively on the used market. It's one of the best bargains around; if you've read this far, you'll probably find it well worth having.

//wiredweird

I haven't even had a chance to go through all of this remarkable book yet, but I am so impressed with it so far I cannot burble enough about how delighted I am with my purchase. This is a beautifully produced, designed, and wonderfully complete book. Many tales of the personal life an vision of the artist, countless, cleanly reproduced graphics, many works I have never seen or heard of before. Terrific! Can't recommend enough!!!

Definitely the first book every Escher fan should purchase. It's helpful in getting to know about the man himself as well as his brilliant artwork. It may seem pricey, but it's totally worth it, being hardcover (at least the one I got), and high quality photos of his work. It also shows his lesser known works (ones never released apparently), as well as photos of himself and his family. A very informative read and a quality edition.

If you had this book, you'd know that Agar-Agar is a seaweed and Zahtar is a blend of sumac, roasted sesame seeds, and ground thyme. Encylopedia indeed! I purchased this book to learn about herbs and spices so that I could cook flavorful while cutting salt, fat, mayo, and other bad things in my diet. If you only get one one kitchen reference on this subject, make it this one. I started giving this book as a gift to friends and family and now they're giving it as a gift as well. It's divided into the following sections:

-Introduction
-Kitchen Herbs
-Kitchen Spices
-Flavors of the World (Characteristics of the world's cuisines)
-Vegetable and Fruit Flavorings
-Extracts, Essences, and Sweeteners
-Edible Leaves and Flowers
-Oils, Vinegars, and Dairy Products
-Sauces, Preserves, and Condiments
-Coffee, Tea, and Spiced Drinks

'Nough said. Buy this book, you can't beat the price and you'll love the content! Check out the sample pages for a glimpse of what you're in for.

Herbs enhance and enliven meals. Herbs are the leaves of fresh or dried plants. Spices are the aromatic parts: buds, fruit, berries, roots or bark. Most spices thrive in tropical regions, while herbs can be grown in your own garden or indoors in a sunny place. Some herbs can also produce spices.

If you think of the Coriander/Cilantro plant, cilantro is the herb and the seeds are known as coriander. This is why this book is so helpful as it explains the plants in detail. I didn't realize the root was also used in Thai curries. A recipe for Guacamole is included on the same two-page spread.

Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz is an authority on herbs and spices and international cuisine. She created this sourcebook in order to guide the reader to information on more than 200 herbs, spices, essences, edible flowers and leaves, aromatics, vinegars, oils, teas, coffees and just about every seasoning a modern cook needs to produce flavorful foods.

With 750 spectacular full-color photographs and 185 recipes you will learn how to create characteristic flavors that define cuisines of the world.

The Contents Include:

Growing and Harvesting Herbs
Drying and Preserving herbs
Edible Gifts

Kitchen Herbs: Chives, Dill, Angelica, Chervil, Tarragon, Borage, Tansy, Coriander/Cilantro, Lemongrass, Fennel, Hyssop, Bay, Lovage, Lemon Balm, Mint, Bee Balm, Sweet Cicely, Basil, Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Burnet, Rosemary, Sorrel, Sage, Savory, Thyme and Lemon Verbena.

Kitchen Spices: Galangal, Celery Seed, Annatto, Sassafras, Mustard, Chili, Paprika, Ajowan, Caraway, Spice Mixtures, Cassia, Cinnamon, Saffron, Cumin, Turmeric, Curry Powerders, Cardamom, cloves, Asafoetida, Star Anise, Juniper, Mace & Nutmeg, Nigella, Poppy Seeds, Allspice, Anise, Pepper, Sumac, Sesame Seeds,. Salt, Tamarind, Fenugreek, Vanilla and Ginger.

Flavors of the World: An absolutely amazing section on the traditional ingredients used in cultural cuisine all over the globe.

Vegetable and Fruit Flavorings
Extracts, Essences & Sweeteners
Edible Leaves & Flowers
Oils, Vinegars & Dairy Products
Sauces, Preserves & Condiments
Coffee, Tea & Spiced Drinks

Some of the recipes you might enjoy: Chiles Rellenos, Fruit Salad with Cardamom, Moroccan Preserved Lemons, Gingerbread Cookies, Rose Petal Ice Cream, Beet Salad with Walnut Oil Dressing and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.

Did I mention how amazing this book is? If you love to cook, this is a must-have resource for your cookbook collection. It is also just pure fun to read!

Gorgeous Photography and oh, so wonderfully organized!

Books I know you will love is you enjoy this one:

The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld
How to Cook by Delia Smith
The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White, M.D.
Cooking A to Z by Jane Horn
Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts by Steven Labensky
The Quotable Cook by Kate Rowinski

~The Rebecca Review

For hundreds of spices familiar & unknown, the author gives you history, variations, recipes, tips, oddball facts, and beautiful color pictures. You can cook from it, you can use it as a reference, you can curl up with a cup of tea & browse in it for hours. A fantastic book.

This is a nice book. It has a fair number of spices and herbs listed, I would say the ones most commonly used in the American kitchen. It also includes international recipes and even a chapter on Flavorings as listed in the title. Overall a good source of information and a good read. Beware however this is by no means comprehensive, there are other books out there with much more detailed information on spices and hebs, unfortunately I am still searching to find one that I used to own that desrved the title encyclopedia. When I find it I will re-post.

I brought this book home with me after a trip to England 8 years ago. Now that it is available in North America I can recommend it for anyone wanting to figure out what really grows in an herb garden. I was looking for a book to explain all the herbs I previously had only read about on the menus I was eating from. Full pages are devoted to most of the world's common herbs & spices. The digrams are exceptional for Food ID and each item includes an example recipe, handling, prep, and storage techniques. The more I have learned about cooking, the more details I have found hidden in the pictures and text. It even rivals my best coffee table books!

One of two mandatory books for gardeners who can't afford the $200 Ortho book. First comes Sunset's Western Garden Book and then comes this Burpee seed book - ever wonder how come those Dogwood never seem to germinate - or how come Trillium, despite your twenty years of trying, just seem to lie there mocking you? This book explains all those arcane secrets that seem to defy any logic you can come up with.

I found this book to be an excellent resource and highly recommend it to my customers!

This is the first book I've found that specializes in growing from seed. It gives some good advice on equipment, and some good insights into procedure. It is published by Burpee and somewhat biased toward Burpee products. A few of the charts in the appendix are indespensible -- such as first- and last-frost dates by city, and recommended seed-starting and planting times for vegetables. Unfortunately there is not also such a list for flowers and seed-fruit, but it is a good starting place. It should also be noted that 155 of the books 256 pages are spent on a plant-by-plant index that provides information similar to that provided in other garden books, only scewed slightly towards growing from seed. So less than half the book is really focused on seed-starting.

One of two mandatory books for gardeners who can't afford the $200 Ortho book. First comes Sunset's Western Garden Book and then comes this Burpee seed book - ever wonder how come those Dogwood never seem to germinate - or how come Trillium, despite your twenty years of trying, just seem to lie there mocking you? This book explains all those arcane secrets that seem to defy any logic you can come up with.

If you want to successfully grow seeds indoors or outdoors, read this book! You will find detailed information on the time of year to sow the seeds, germination hints, and plant descriptions.

"Creative Progagation" was just the nicest book for me the hobby Greenhouse Buff.....I have tons of books on propagating and greenhouse techniques I have gotten for gifts over the 4 years I have had my greenhouse and some I have purchased myself and this one is by far one of the TOP FAV'S of all the ones in my bookshelf I refer to all the time!!!! Great Great Book and I recommend it for anyone who has a greenhouse for a hobby.....neat good ideas!!!!!

A must have if your a serious propagator or student looking for real answers. Easy to read, In conclusion a well rounded book that gets results.

Dr. Gary D. Robbins P.hd

I rated this book as four-star for this two reasons:

First, because I cannot understand why this book is printed in special glossy paper, if 80% of it is mostly text. And we know how special paper adds to price and that must be the reason why this book is quite expensive for my taste.

The second reason is that for a book with this price tag, I'd expect a lot more illustrations and maybe some real pictures, instead of drawings.

Now into the the good aspects! This book is solidly written and covers all aspects of plant propagation. From trees to flowers and bulbs, etc...

There is a good section on propagation from cuttings and all the info you need to start growing plants from seeds, which were my main objectives when I bought this book.

The stratification process of seeds in the refrigerator is also covered, as well as there are some very useful instructions about how should we properly long-term store our own seeds.

As someone said before, there is a very handy chart by the end of the book, with plenty of useful information on the propagation of most of the plants you'd ever think of propagating.

As I said before, I think this book is a bit expensive and not as illustrated as I wish it was, but overall I think it is a good investment for people interested in propagating plants.

It is the kind of complete book that you will keep in your shelf and go search for answers when more doubts arise, as you get more experienced in this loving art.

If you just want to propagate some plants or maybe grow some seeds, I'd also suggest Alan Toogood's book on growing, which is more simple than this one, but on the other hand has plenty of pictures and may be easier for a beginner to follow.

I am a gardener of many years who has tried propagating plants with some luck. This book is wonderful. On my first try last August (1999) I took about 30 azalea cuttings and every one of them "took". My problem now is what do I do with all of them. :) The propagation table at the end of the book (that lists plants alphabetically)is one of the best I've ever seen. It tells if a plant can be started by seed, cutting or divisions and what time of the year is best. I also did some hydrangeas (100% success) and some crepe myrtle (75%). I have already recommended this book to all my gardening friends and I recommend it to anyone who likes to be surrounded with lots of "plant babies". :)

Easy to read and complete. Good size to take in to the feild. This book was suggested to me by the Masters at Mt. SI Bonzai, now Eden Gardens (Barton, Ore.) and has proved to be the the only book needed by us as we began to propagate more and more variety at our Puget Sound area nursery.

Let me say that Jo Ann Gardner is one of my favorite garden writers. Her books are filled tried and true herbal information.She writes from her own experiences.Her advice is easy to apply in your own garden.

As an Herb Educator/Speaker I find she gives accurate and well written herbal history to use in my presentations.I turn to her books often.

Livind With Herbs is a great read. Try making "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden Herb Salt" on page 186. If you don't already grow the herbs in this recipe (or any other metioned in the book) Jo Ann gives you the advice to make you feel you can succeed .

Who new there was so much to write about on herbs. This book loaded with useful information about herbs and how you can use them. I would recomend this book to anybody who love's herbs or even plants. I would mention some of the parts of the book that I found intresting but I don't want to spoil the book on anyone. I really enjoyed the book Jo Ann, Thanks.

This book was so helpful. I went to the library for books on herb gardening and returned home with a bag full. This book was the only one I felt compelled to purchase. It contains tons of great information accompanied by interesting annecdotes. This book is a must for anyone interested in growing and--more importantly--using herbs everyday. Oh, it also has lots of great recipes!!

Pick up the May/June issue of The American Gardener or September issue of Herb Companion and you will find an article by Jo Ann Gardner about herbs. Gardner wrote LIVING WITH HERBS a few years back, so in some ways the information in her book should reflect her thinking then, while the articles should reflect her experiences since writing the book. For example, she began harvesting herbs drying them in bunches (some not all herbs dry well using this approach) and discovered that other ways of preserving the essences of the herbs worked better with some plants. First she used string and then she moved to the use of rubber bands. I too use rubber bands because they contract as the herb stems shrink, and you are less likely to loose a bunch of dried herbs. And, while Gardner eschews them, I use paper sacks as they catch falling material, particularly lavender buds/blossoms and the like. However, the current Herb Companion shows a photo accompanying Gardners article where of bunches of herbs are drying on a nifty `under-window' rack, and tied with string, some stems are falling on the floor!!

Gardner says some herbs dry best hanging in bunches and some on drying racks (you can cheat by drying some of them in an oven on low heat), and some should be macerated while green and frozen or put up or in jars of oil or vinegar. LIVING WITH HERBS is a useful book, because you not only read about Gardner's experience with 100 or so of her favorite herbs (growing, preserving, using) you also discover some culinary applications (jellies, rolls, breads, salts, etc.) If you don't grown herbs yourself, you can order them from a number of sources. Gardner has provided a useful if somewhat out-of-date bibliography that lists books and sources she prefers, but her gardening information is still useful.

" Though herb books are everywhere you turn these days, a classic guide for the home gardener hasn't been produced in my opinion since Adelma Simmons'HERB GARDENING IN FIVE SEASONS. Until now. Jo Ann Gardener's new book should be the herb classic for this generation. It was refreshing to read an herb book so full of deep, personal, first hand knowledge...Gardener grows her herbs in the harsh environs of a farm on a windy peninsula in Cape Breton. Isolated, with no phone or vehicle, she's has to rely on her resourcefulness to make her herb gardens work. They became so abundant she was able to start her own business, "Jo Ann's Kitchen & Garden". In her book, she shares all the methods she's developed over the years for growing and harvesting herbs, using them in the home and intergrating them into the landscape. Though I've looked through lots of herb books over the years, I found many, many fresh original ideas here. In the heart of the book, "The Herbs in MY Life: 74 Herb Portraits" all the information is based on Gardener's experience. They are deeply personal rather than encyclopedic and a true joy to read...A definite classic for the herb garden book shelf. Pinetree Garden Seeds Catalog, New Gloucester, Maine"

I am what most people consider an advanced amateur photographer. Last week I went down to Portalnd on Business and used David's book as my guide on a little detour I took on the coast.

I had only one day to drive through the coast. The book was extremely valuable in helping prioritize where to go, and save time by driving right to the good spots. Thanks to this book I was able to take amazing pictures in Cannon Beach and other places.

Absolutely recommended for anyone visiting Oregon, even if you are not a photographer, this book is much better than any tourism guide I have seen.

Covers alot of ground and offers more photo op suggestions than one could ever hope to take in one visit. Used it extensively to plan a photography vacation on Highway 101.

This book was amazingly specific in directions of how to best view an incredible scenery. It was great more for its direction of where to go, park, or stand than the photography tips. The author gave great detail such as tips for how to find the best parking lots, how to avoid the tourist packed spots, and how to find unmarked trails to find fantastic angles in isolation. We used it as our primary guide for three days down the coast and really loved it. Note that the order of the book is generally north to south.

Having this along with my on my recent trip up the Oregon Coast was absolutely invaluable. It helped me choose which turnouts to take and which to bypass. I loved the included suggestions of what to do according to the weather, since several of my days were overcast and drizzle, rendering some of the views drab or nonexistant. I wish there were more books like this available for everywhere I want to go!

I am from New England and have Dave Middleton's books for Vermont & Maine. They have provided me with wonderful opportunities for photography. Having never been to Oregon I'm sure after reading this book that my up coming trip will be that much more successful from having read this book. It was exactly what I was looking for to plan a photography trip to Oregon which included the Oregon coast.

I just received this book as a gift.Mr Paul Bax, goes into very detailed and in depth questions .So much untold stories are revealed in this book .I highly recommend it to any Bruce Lee fan or Jeet Kune Do practitioner .The book is a must read ,you will not put it down ....

The book contains many interviews with second gerneration instructors. Some very well written details and insights. Every JKD Branch is covered and the reader will get a very good overview about how JKD has developed and is trained/taught today.

The book itself is well written with lots of info from great JKD Instructors from all around.

2nd Generation students with their insight on Jeet Kune Do.

Paul Bax has hit on a sure fire method for pleasing the greatest audience. Just about every currently active OBLS is represented in Paul's newest contribution to the JKD literature. You can learn first hand how each version of JKD was formulated as you read the testimony from actual students who have risen to the top of their respective classes. After reading the book I can only say that JKD is in good hands.

If you want to start with and understand digital image processing from its basic, this is the right book. Without too much maths it gets you to the point of what can be done, and how it can be done. It helped me to achieve a basic understanding from the zero level.

This older book is an excellent gentle introduction to digital image processing for those who have not yet had calculus, or for those who want to understand the basics before taking on the more daunting task of reading and understanding something like Gonzales & Woods, which is the standard graduate image processing text. The book begins with the basics of the various color spaces and how images are perceived by the human vision system. From that point, the chapters are grouped into the types of image transformations. Formulas are explained either graphically or with very simple mathematical notation. Before and after pictures are provided for each transformation. In chapter five, the author goes into some introductory computer vision and object recognition techniques. The handling of morphological processing is exceptional. The chapter on image compression does a good basic job of getting its ideas across to the reader. However, only the most basic compression techniques are explained in detail such as truncation and Huffman coding. JPEG and motion compression are just verbally described, due to the introductory nature of this text. More recent compression methods such as those involving wavelets are omitted. Part four of the book, "Image Operation Studies", is effective at hammering home what was discussed in the first three parts of the book. In part four, the author describes the algorithmic implementation of 39 of the image transformations described in the book, with the resulting images. This makes for an excellent summary and review for the student. The software on the book's companion disk has long ago become obsolete, but the ideas presented in the book are clear and great for any beginner in the field.

Warning: if you read -even browse- this book, you're in danger to get hooked to hellebores for life. The authors know what they are writing about, and shovel sage advice in every page. Several expert growers offer also their knowledge. Not to talk about the simply wonderful colour photographs, that will let you dreaming on hellebores for weeks and weeks and... Simply the best book to enter in Hellebore Land.

Hellebores are some of the best perennial flowers, blooming especially in the dead of winter, and easy to grow, but American gardeners don't seem to know much about them. Here's the best book on the subject, by wellknown garden writer Graham Rice and plantswoman Liz Strangman, who celebrate an extraordinary variety of types and species.

Beautifully-illustrated (with many excellent group shots of single flowers), the text sparkles (as is Graham Rice's penchant), covering such topics as hybrids in the wild and in gardens, an encyclopedia section of the species, how to breed hellebores, the national collections in britain, cultivation, plant associations, with an entire chapter devoted just to the orientalis hybrids. There's also a chapter devoted to "people and their plants" with such sections as "confessions of a hellebore addict" and "margery fish and hellebores at East Lambrook".

Even though these are British authors, this is an easy book to transpose into American growing, with a chapter devoted to "Hellebores in America".

This is a splendid book, well worth buying.

I am both a social worker and a divorced mother and I can tell you this book is terrific. While the book's title says it is for divorced mothers, fathers and therapists would find it helpful as well. I noticed that it is updated with the latest information, including an intriguing chapter on technology and visitation. The issues it addresses are modern as is the advice from professionals and parents. I plan to recommend it to colleagues and clients.

Women going through a divorce will find this book extremely helpful and even comforting. It's well-written and well-organized. Here's everything you need to know to negotiate a good outcome for yourself and your family.