Berg Books

Very well written, insightful, a joy to read while at the same time gaining wisdom.

Berg's work represents a highly original merger of art and philosophy. It engages the mind as much as the senses and is not limited by cultural perspectives.

You must "meet" Idabelle and Blackie "Ice" Berg in this wonderful book that truly captures a cat's personality, while combining it with humor and love. You'll experience a soothing escape from your day as you follow Blackie through his daily adventures, seeing nature and life through his eyes! Idabelle and Blackie have blended words and thoughts together in the most enjoyable collection I've read in a long time! You'll laugh through much of it, as well as feel deeply touched at parts. This is a fun read for many ages and walks of life. You will not be able to put it down and will be sad when you've finished it, resolving to read it again very soon because you'll have made a new friend through "Ice" whom you'll long to revisit. Idabelle is the most talented writer and illustrater in this area that I know! Thank you Idabelle and "Ice" Berg for all your love and insight, and for sharing your talent with the world in this wonderful collection!

I found this book to be a marvelous presentation of the antecedents of the English Industrial Revolution. It is lucid, apolitical in language, deeply researched, and tightly organized. It draws material from important but uncommon sources, like eighteenth century industrial commentators before Adam Smith. Best of all, the deep texture of its tapestry of ideas was a pleasure to receive into one's own mind.

Henning von Berg's ALPHA MALES is certainly far and away the best book of male nude photography of the year and the most engaging collection by a single artist since Paul Freeman's beautiful BONDI CLASSIC. This outstanding retrospective published by Bruno Gmunder, consisting of over a hundred photographs in color, black and white and sepia, is divided into three sections: "Germany", "North America" and "Round The World." Dr. Boris von Brauchitsch and David Leddick, himself the editor of several similar volumes of photography, have written brief introductions to the photographs. The photographer also includes an occasional quotation to accompany the images from Shakespeare as well as Quentin Crisp and Gore Vidal, whom he calls his "admired role models," along with Martin Luther King, Sir Ian McKellen and John Waters, for their "outspoken fight for equal rights, liberation and freedom," a strange accolade, however, for Mr. Crisp who was mostly famous for being Quentin Crisp and living so long.

While a few of these photographs are predictable-- "Twins," for example of a young god leaning against a mirror-- von Berg creates images over and over of the male animal in all his glory, often erect, without repeating himself, no small accomplishment. Furthermore, he is inclusive in his choice of models. Caucasians, blacks, Asians and Latinos, the musclebound, those sans muscles, the older (the model Leo Jackson) as well as the younger, the tattooed, the occasional cross-dresser, all get to do their thing before the photographer's lens.

There seems to be no end to either von Berg's creativity or humor. Some of his most effective shots include several naked men together, often doing risque things ("Domination IX" and "Domination I", "Intermezzo III" and "Intermezzo IV." Also "Exercising" and "Training," both photographs that are beautifully naturally lit from the windows, should you happen to notice.) Many of the images from North America are shot in the rugged desert of California far away from the madding crowd of censors. Some of these shots are scary-- for instance, in the photograph entitled "Hanging" the model is hanging just by his fingers from a ledge of a high buiding. Also "Cliff Dancer" in which the model clad only in a tutu appears to be stepping off a high mountain ridge. "The Milk Man" is shot just after having poured milk down the front of his body. Obviously von Berg is playing with words in his shot of the blond seated before a Hardman grand piano.

Some of my favorite photographs: "Brandenburg Gate" and "Stairway" from the Berlin series; "The Bat" in which the model, wearing a bat mask, is crouching on a high cliff; "Russian-Brazilian Hunk," aptly named and exquisitely lit; the last photograph in the book, "Sampson's Hair," albeit fake dreds; "Meditation IV," a brilliant juxtaposition of a naked man inside a beautiful church; and finally "Cook," of a thin young man wearing only women's platform shoes in a pose that Helmut Newton, one of the photographers von Berg lists as among his idols, would have approved of, accompanied by a quotation from the acerbic Mr. Crisp: "For flavor, instant sex will never supercede the stuff you have to peel and cook." The most amazing picture in the collection has to be "Antenna." When you see it, you'll understand why. (The pages in ALPHA MALES are not numbered so it is difficult to refer easily to the photographs.) The photographer does name his models, however, and gives the dates and locations of each shot. Most of the models are included more than once as well.

This book is one you will come back to again and again and that will bring you much pleasure.

Alfred Gell's book is both scholarly and (generally) accessable for laypeople and those (like Gell) who are anthropologists . He looks at opposing theories of time perception and how these fit with a human grasp of time. Some of the more theoretical (philosophical) sections are quite heavy. Persist and you shall be rewarded. I enjoyed this book and found it a real thought-provoker.

Came across this book in the public library when I was about fourteen. It was a paperback, jammed into a wire rack with the lurid romances and murder-mysteries and other "not worthy of being shelved" books. For some reason, I picked it up. Got hooked. Took it home. Renewed it over and over. Finally just stole it.

It became the compass that shaped my teenage years. I dreamed one future for myself: I would get out of school and then do what the author did -- bum around the world, having adventures in offbeat places and living by my wits. When I confessed my ambition, grown-ups laughed at me. But the passion and fire this book lit inside of me was unspeakably amazing.

Every kid needs a burning dream; this book crystallized mine. I was 22 when I struck out on my own at last. Thank you, Rick Berg! You'll never know how your little book hit one teenage girl square in the heart. If you're still out there, drop me a line :-)

It is really a shame that this book is out of print. I recently visited a class of 3rd graders and was asked by the teacher (a good friend) to read this book to the class. Being a director of community theater, as well as an actor, it sounded fun. Little did I know that I would be as engrossed in the enchantment of this book as much as the kids were!
Harriet Berg Schwartz creates a very believeable character in Clawdio the backstage cat. As he (she?) guides the reader around backstage during a production of Peter Pan, children (and adults, I might add) will be entranced as they get just a taste of the backstage magic of live theater. David Catrow's illustrations are both hilarious and captivating, giving you a much "bigger than life" look at the world behind the stage curtain.
This book should be in every Elementary School library, not to mention in every teacher's classroom!
A wonderful introduction to the world of theater!

A real classic. Some great effects by a master magician. This man has been in magic for many many years. The book itself is very hard, if not impossible, to find. You can't go wrong on this one.

Jean Horton Berg does a wonderful job of retelling Jesus' parable of The Good Samaritan. The author retains all the details from the Bible, and the reader learns who is a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves.

Berg sets the scene for the story by writing: "Once upon a time a certain man was traveling on the steep and lonely, rocky road from Jerusalem to Jericho." The illustrations by Gordon Laite are also excellent.

This book is one of a set of nine well-told Bible stories by Ms. Berg. Although out of print, this book is worth tracking down.