George Books

Life in the colony of Virginia in the 1730's and 1740's -- the time that George Washington was growing up -- is described in lively detail with wonderful watercolor illustrations! Food, clothing, work, games, education, news, fashion, medicine and more are all brought to life for young readers.

How wonderful for children to get an idea of what kind of childhood formed the mind of our first American President.

I have several of the "If You Grew Up...." titles in my free-reading area of my sixth grade classroom. The George Washington title is one of the most-often chosen titles--probably because they are curious about our first president. This title also gives a good description of what life was like for the gentry class of Virginia in the 1740s-1760s. Students have been able to use the information to write comparison pieces about GW's life and their own. I highly recommend this title and the others in the series for both the literature and social studies classroom. Weak readers have a high interest in the subject matter; strong readers enjoy a quick read.

Outstanding look backwards in time to discover what it would have been like to grow up with George Washington. The book answers lots of questions; What kind of clothes would you wear?, What about the bathroom?, What did children do to have fun?, What would you learn in school? How did people carry their tabacco around?, Who made the laws for the colony? and many more... Loads of cheery illustrations cover the pages.

Although I don't have all the books in this series ("if you..."), the six that I have are so fun and interesting, that I intend to get them all asap. My three children (3-8), my husband and I LOVE them.

With the grace of a ballerina transposed to the page, Barbara Milberg Fisher's memoir, In Balanchine's Company, captures the ephemeral art and rigorous discipline of dance in the New York City Ballet during its early and formative years. From her childhood on a tree-lined street in Brooklyn leaping over mud puddles, when her Russian emigre parents told her to practice the piano to keep her out of mischief, and gave her ballet lessons as an antidote to her hoydenish exploits, to the afternoon when George Balanchine discovered her playing Schubert's C Minor sonata in an empty studio, she describes the education of an artist en route from Flatbush to the world's most glittering stages. In recounting her own journey, Ms. Fisher sheds light on the creative process of George Balanchine and the many extraordinary dancers, musicians, costume and set designers who worked with his fledgling company.

"Sometimes," she wrote, "it seemed as if the company was flowing out of his veins." But while Mr. Balanchine was the presiding genius, it was the passion and dedication of his dancers, their unquestioning sense of mission, long hours, and sweat that brought his dreams to fruition. Ms. Fisher takes us into the studios with the tinkling pianos where for hours each day the young dancers did barre exercises and floor work under the watchful eyes of their beloved ballet masters, and, later, practiced and critiqued each other over and over until their lungs were bursting and the dancing looked effortless. She describes the patient way Mr. Balanchine worked with individual dancers, keenly aware of the natural ways they moved, creating ballets that used their special talents and gifts, recreating the role of Firebird to fit Maria Tallchief's style of movement, "a brilliant whirling creature," restoring the candy cane hoop dance to the Nutcracker to fit Robert Barnet's tireless vitality. She gives us insight into the making of avant garde masterpieces such as Opus 34, in which she appeared as a bandaged corpse, and Agon, which opened with Melissa Hayden's high speed footwork, and in which Balanchine experimented with silent arm gestures invented by the dancers themselves (which were cut from the final version). She shows us the theatres they performed in throughout Europe and across America, dark, drafty stages and blinding spotlights, how they rehearsed to the point of exhaustion, and, how, undeterred by blisters and sprains, they danced their hearts out on ancient splintered floors, thin wood planks laid on concrete, "raked" stages that tilted downward, in splendid costumes, or in worn toe shoes stuffed with paper, dazzling audiences wherever they went.

Ms. Fisher weaves her personal story with that of Balanchine's company as she rose from the corps de ballet to soloist in works such as Illuminations and Afternoon of a Faun, traveled, made lasting friends, read voraciously and indiscriminately, and from time to time questioned Mr. Balanchine, on one occasion asking why the father in Prodigal doesn't help the boy in the end. She recalls her whirlwind courtship, marriage, touring with Jerome Robbins' company as a principal dancer after leaving the New York City Ballet, and performing at the White House. She retired at age thirty-one following the birth of her second child, and went on to become a Professor of English at City College, where her deep appreciation for poetry was an inspiration to her students. Written with lively and precise detail that is a pleasure to read, her memoir is a story with legs.

I highly recommend this book, which is beautifully written. When you finish "In Balanchine's Company," you'll be searching Amazon to see what other books Ms. Fisher has written. I look forward to reading more!

My ballet experience is limited to one class I took as a 5 year old and a handful of ballets that I have gone to see over the years. And yet I was captivated by the glimpse of the world of a professional ballerina, particularly since it seems that Barbara Milberg Fisher was a participant in an important era in the development of American ballet.

I have to admit that I do know Barbara personally as the mother of a college friend, but that had nothing to do with how much I enjoyed the book, except perhaps that it gave me new respect for her. Barbara's life as a young talented dancer seems so removed from the woman I knew as an English professor and the hard-working single mother of my friend. To be sure, her wit and quirky sense of humor are certainly recognizable in the book. And the "voice" is definitely hers. But it seemed incredible that the relatively modest woman I knew could have led such an exciting and impressive life as a young woman.

I very much like that the book is about her experiences and yet is not at all a self-centered book. I suppose I'm guilty of believing in stereotypes (or in press accounts of the actions of famous dancers), as I tend to think of ballerinas as being vain, demanding, and self-absorbed. And yet even when the story is about something that happened to her, Barbara's focus is often on the other people rather than on herself. And she is quite honest in divulging some of her own mistakes and embarrassing moments.

Her stories are humorous and even sometimes quite suspenseful (such as when she snuck into across the Berlin Wall). Her youthful exuberance, defiance, as well as dedication to ballet, are shown clearly in her vivid descriptions. I found that in reading the book, I learned about dance and dance history, world history, and even some lessons about dealing with people, all while being delightfully entertained.

Barbara Fisher is obviously a remarkable person who has a lot to tell us about the rigors of a life in dance as well as delightful stories about her interactions with Balanchine and many other key figures in the dance world, including Stravinsky. The book is a perfect gift for anyone who cares about the art of dance.

This is one book where you must read the introduction. and then when you read the book you find out thatthe book can be interpreted in at least one other way. i think everybody would take out something different but that would always be refreshing. i could not stop myself from saying 'aha' at many places. still, i think he sometimes is contradicting himself. he thinks that socialism and liberalism can go together. maybe he is right. i dont think so.

Russell became famous as a mathematician and philosopher.

But when he won the Nobel Prize, it was for Literature. When you read this book of essays, you will see why.

It is beautifully written and has all of Russell's virtues: clarity, wit, humor, forcefulness, simplicity.

Even better, it is a brief education in itself. Most of the essays were written just as the Great Depression was beginning, and Russell gets right to the heart of a problem Capitalists and Socialists do not usually address: How much work is needed, and what is the ultimate point? He constantly stresses that we do too much work, and most of it is unneeded, and makes life grim. He never ceases to remind us that we should work to live, not live to work.

He addresses this point in many ways--through economics, through architecture, through the then-raging problems of Fascism and Communism. And though he treats serious problems seriously, he always has time for the breathtaking perspective and the ligtht touch--as with the essay, "Man Versus Insects."

A wonderful, even life-changing book.

Written by a very advanced thinker, this book represents a shattering statement against the Christian petit-burgois morality of work, a true revolution and evolution in man's thinking.

+++++

Controversial philosopher and Nobel Prize winner Lord Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) has written fifteen scintillating essays on which to whet our intellectual appetites. These short essays were written between 1925 and 1935.

Russell writes in an elegant, readable, and understandable style. His arguments are well thought out.

These essays consider social questions not discussed in politics. The general theme that ties these essays together is that the world suffers from dogmatism and narrowness; what is needed is the willingness to question dogma.

These essays are a blend of philosophy with other disciplines such as psychology, economics, science, and history. All the essays are brutally honest and forthright. Each is packed with loads of wisdom. What's amazing is that these essays are as current today as when they were first written and their messages will probably remain relevant in the future.

My five favorite essays in this collection include the following:

(1) "In Praise of Idleness." Discusses work and the importance of leisure. In order to get an idea of Russell's insight that permeates this book, here's a sample sentence from this essay: "The morality of work is the morality of slaves, and the modern world has no need of slavery."

(2) "'Useless' Knowledge." Points out that all knowledge is useful not only that which has a practical value.

(3) "The Case for Socialism." Russell gives many arguments in favor of socialism, most notably the need for preventing war.

(4) "Western Civilization." Discusses its characteristics. Sample sentence: "I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent utility."

(5) "Education and Discipline." Sample sentence: "Education...must be something more positive than mere opportunity for growth...it must...also provide a mental and moral equipment [for] children."

In conclusion, this book is Bertrand Russell at his best. Enjoy!

+++++

Peter David is the author of some of the best Hulk stories. In this collection are two of his best. Finally reprinted in hardcover and together, these two stories show why Hulk is a great character and loved by so many fans. Please check out all the Peter David Hulk reprints and see the best in the green (and grey) skinned goliath!

Marvel finally had the good sense to re-print two modern classic Hulk stories with Hulk: Future Imperfect and Hulk: The End; both of which are written by legendary Hulk scribe Peter David and collected here in this handsome hardcover. Future Imperfect is a two-issue smash that finds the Hulk transported to the future to duke it out with an older, stronger, and tyrannical future version of himself, which goes by the name of the Maestro. Loaded with action and a surprisingly intelligent storyline and plot, Future Imperfect is made even better by the stellar, highly detailed artwork of the great George Perez, who wonderfully illustrates one of the best smackdowns the Hulk has ever been involved with. The second story is the Hulk: The End one-shot (and the first of Marvel's line of "The End" stories, unless you count the older and aptly titled "Last Avengers Story" as being a part of this line, which was written by, guess who, Peter David) which finds an old, decrepit Bruce Banner as being the last living human on Earth, and still wrestling with the monster inside. Surrounded by nothing but desolation and giant cockroaches (yes, you read that right), Banner attempts to finally rid himself of his lonely existence, but naturally, Hulk will have nothing of that. While nowhere near as enjoyable as Future Imperfect, Hulk: The End is a startlingly poignant and even somewhat frightening tale of a would-be demise of the jade giant, which is made all the more memorable by the artwork of Pitt artist Dale Keown, who made a name for himself illustrating the Hulk during David's prolific run on the title. All in all, it's great to see both these stories finally get re-printed, and needless to say, if you've ever considered yourself a Hulk fan, this collection deserves a place on your shelf.

I mostly bought this collection because it included Future Imperfect which I have been dying to read and own for around a decade and I have read some of Marvel's other "The End" books and found them mildly interesting and, since this is a hardcover I would definetely say it's worth the price. Future Imperfect has excellently detailed artwork provided by THE greatest comic artist ever: George Perez and The End has art by Dale Keown who, as another reviewer mentioned, teamed with Peter David on a long run of Hulk comics in the past.

While I've never been a huge Hulk fan, I have to say "Future Imperfect" remains one of my all-time favorite comic book stories. The idea of The Maestro is even more possible if you've read the recent World War Hulk storyline. No matter which incarnation of the Hulk is currently in charge (smart, dumb, green, gray, red, etc), it's obvious Marvel holds him in high regard as the most under-rated but possibly terrifying character they own.

"Future Imperfect" gives us a glimpse of the future as "the smart Hulk" (when he had Banner's mind in Hulk's body) is pulled into the future to face a villain known as The Maestro who is ruling the world with an iron fist. The world is without heroes now, and no one is left to oppose this tyrant...until the Hulk shows up. Of course, he's been there all along too. Confused? Get the story. There can be no doubt this is the best fight the Hulk has ever had. Matched evenly in intellect and out-gunned in strength, Banner must find a way to destroy this villain or die! Excellent artwork and storytelling.

"The Hulk: The End" is a different kind of story. While FI is filled with action and dialogue, The End is more subdued. The Hulk is literally the last man on Earth and has to find a way to make peace with both aspects of his personality, Banner and the Hulk, before they kill each other. A little gross in parts (mostly dealing with the mutant roaches), but still good.

To find these two stories collected together in hardcover format is a real treat. Marvel is really coming around with their "Premiere Classic" line, and this is a great addition to it. You won't be disappointed with this collection!

This book is a great resource to get introduced into the information graphics field and to brush up on your skills in order to make clean, concise news graphics. Everything you need to help you understand what the business is all about is explained in a clear, easy-to-understand format. For classrooms, the author helps you structure your lessons wonderfully, and for professionals, she reminds you what to strive for.

This book is great for the young reporter just getting started and as a reference in the newsroom. I especially recommend it to introductory and intermediate graphics programs at journalism schools everywhere!

Confused about how to conceptualize and execute information graphics? For journalists and graphic artists alike, this book is an invaluable resource for how to bring the two crafts together. The author takes care to provide real world examples that are clear and to-the-point and illustrate the topics at hand. This is an invaluable resource for small and medium-sized newsrooms in particular, as well as classrooms or individuals wanting to brush up on the state of the art of news graphics presentation.

This book is clean, simple, easy to understand. It's full of examples from daily graphics to large-scale graphics media thrive on. But, best of all, it gets right to the point of explaining why those graphics work. If you're an expert, you should get a copy as a reminder of what to shoot for and help check your work. If you're a student, you need one.

I agree with the other reviewers'comments. I purchased the book over 20 years ago because I was looking(here in America, and pre-internet, pre-google days!!) for German tunes I'd heard as a child...and was clueless as to the names of the tunes, etc. This book is such a joy to have, a lovely reminder of lovely childhood memories. For the German tunes, the melodies/chord changes/lyrics (and interesting background information) seem accurate. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Many of the carols in this book would be hard to locate anywhere else. A person who misses Christmas music from his/her youth in a foreign nation will be especially pleased to find a source. It would also be useful for anyone trying to learn about Christmas in other lands. Each piece has the original language as well as English lyrics. Included are carols from English (including African American Spirituals), French, German, Scandinavian, Slavic, Italian, Spanish and Latin sources. Most of the piano music is playable by a person with average ability at the piano. I turn back to this book every year at Christmas.

I bought this book a number of years ago and now have a personal tradition of playing through each and every carol in the book during the Christmas season. Through it, I have learned many carols popular in other countries that we seldom hear in the United States, and some of them have become new favorites of mine. I have used this book so much that the pages have yellowed and the original spiral-bound binding is coming loose, so I am considering buying a new copy. The edition sold here has a different cover and does not appear to be spiral-bound. In any event, I highly recommend this book for anyone sick and tired of hearing nothing but "Jingle Bell Rock" every December.

This is a very good piano-vocal (+guitar chord) anthology of tunes from Europe and America. It is particularly strong in the English, French, German and Scandinavian selections. The Spanish section comprises Catalonian, Puerto Rican, Mexican and other regional carols, yet seems somwhat weak compared to the offerings in other languages. All songs include English translations; many of these translations are lyrical (i.e., they rhyme and fit the meter of the song) rather than literal. A note for choirmasters hoping to include foreign carols in Christmas pageants: there aren't any pronunciation guides or phonetic transliterations of the original lyrics, so if you want to sing the foreign language lyrics, you must be familiar with that language. The book also includes historical notes for most but not all songs, a first-line index and title index, and a guitar chord chart. The illustrations in our edition are rather lame, but musically this is a great book to own!

Leon Trotsky asked George Novack to study this topic, give the lectures involved, write this book. George always saw this as his task in memorial to the OLD MAN, and his duty to take up the cudgels of Marxist Philosophy. Once real Marxism is revived in the world, George Novack will become know as the leading Marxist Philsopher after the Russians, Lenin, Trotsky, Plekhanov and all the revisionist, pseudo marxist, academic fools will be known for what they are. This is a book that registers the transformation of a man, what being a revolutionist can bring into your life. It is simple, clear, but not superficial, and it begins your trip through the many texts George wrote continuing what Marx Lenin and Trotsky taught. Maybe you can get the flame and continue the battle forward.

While Amazon may not always have this book available for regular order it is always available from booksfromPathfinder which you can find by clicking on new and used books on the top o fthe page!

This book is the compilation of a lecture series in which a scholar lad bare a fundamental shortcoming underlying how science is understood and viewed in modern society and -- true to form -- offered an improvement.

Mr. Novack carefully cultivated his skill in fulfilling one of the unwritten rules of science: he proved a profound understanding of rigorous concepts by rendering them in everyday terms. The result is gems like this one.

So why is philosophy important? There is much wisdom in the proverb, "nothing is more practical than a good theory." If you can't think your way out of a paper bag, how can you change the world? The contradictions and misconceptions of "globalization" must be understood on their own terms so as to be able to break through them and establish a new order.

This is precisely the type of push-pull interaction that exemplifies the dialectical nature of reality Novack explained so clearly in this volume.

Read it. Reason is what will build the foundations for a reasonable world. If you, too, are disgusted by how much creative energy is wasted by designing and advertising useless products, if you're revolted by the logic of a society that can justify bombing the world's poorest nations, killing a dozen or a hundred of their citizens daily, as a perfectly reasonable way of keeping its economic indexes from slipping a fraction of a point: then George Novack is for you!

George Novack claims in the beginning of the book that, "in fighting against the mad chaos of capitalism for a socialist system free from class exploitation and oppression, wars, crises, imperialist enslavement and barbarism, we Marxists are the most reasonable individuals alive."

The book begins by explaining the necessity for revolutionists to ground their strategy in a materialist, scientific approach to reality. Materialism is the fundamental method of science; to begin with the facts-no preconceptions, biases, or prejudices to interfere with understanding the world as it really is. Only those who understand the how capitalism really works can lead the way to overcoming it.

Novack explains the development of the two fundamental forms of logic-formal and dialectical-from their origins among the classical Greek thinkers. Formal logic, developed most completely in antiquity by Aristotle, divides up the world into objects that have limited and fixed definitions. Within the system of formal logic objects can change in many ways, but there is no way of analyzing the necessity for anything to perish, or to give rise to anything really new. Formal logic treats the world as if it were a perpetually fixed structure, an aggregation of essentially unchanging objects.

Dialectical logic, on the other hand, while it recognizes the limited usefulness of formal logic for dealing with familiar objects on a day-to-day basis, goes beyond it and penetrates deep into the processes of change. Dialectics, starting from the ideas of Heraclitus and other ancients and culminating in Hegel's system at the beginning of the 19th century, analyzes the clash of opposing forces that drive changes in the form and nature of matter. Small changes in form accumulate, ultimately precipitating a radical transformation in the quality of an object. Dialectics treats the world as it is: in motion and dynamic flux. Stability is always relative, and hinges on a balance of opposing forces. There are striking contrasts between inner reality and external appearance; hidden potentials bring forth new elements. This way of thinking is characteristic of science, but only Marxism has applied this method to the science of human society and history.

This small book, by the American revolutionary George Novack, is a great intro into the philosophical underpinnings of Marxism. A must for all people beginning a study of Marxism. For all young Communists out there, this book provides a way to systemize and understand all those theories we've read about, and act as a jumping off point for further reading and study. Only drawback: It's open to capitalist accusations of being "outdated" since it was written in the 40s.

...but at the forefront, always sincere. Nicole is NOT just a young, sarcastic hipster, as is often the case in arts and entertainment nowadays. She gives thought to the people, community, family, friends, reality, and things beyond just herself. The initial sighting of her own pets, her commissioned pet portraits, or her anthropomorphous animal artwork might suggest surface kitschy cuteness, but through her zine work you see she has an obvious empathy for animals that extends towards real pet and animal issues.

Lastly, her comic-diaries are FUN, as fun as any graphic work out there. A perfect balance of intelligence, realism, animation creativity, and humor.

Reading this book reminded me that even ordinary moments carry magic. Riding your bike is important. Having your morning coffee is important. Not in a narcissistic way, but in a mindful way. This collection of stories was like freshly mowed grass. Like a day spent thrift shopping with your best friend. A perfect example of life as art.

I'm a total fan of Nicole Georges' work. Not only are her scenarios witty and her humor charming, her drawing is beautiful in its sweetness.

This beautiful anthology compiles Nicole's first 8 issues of her self-published zine plus some new material. Nicole is a beloved fixture in the Portland zine scene, and she does that scene proud in this book. You really get a feel for her life in PDX; her jobs, friends, dogs, her many cups of coffee per day. Her drawings seem ripped right from her sketchbooks, which gives them a real spontaneity. She draws herself like a little girl or inner child version of herself, perhaps that's why I found her comics so innocent and endearing. Many of us can relate to wanting to settle down but feeling unsettled about it. I like Nicole's stories because she's searching, at times with hesitancy, at times with blind bravery, she explores and tries to live the way that feels right to her. There are many obstacles to this, hence, comics for us to read and learn from. . . . Reviewed by Kelly Froh.

An un-typical and highly organized political thriller whose athletic prose has enough phoilosophical and historical currents running through it- women's lib, big oil, espionage, nuclear misadventure- to qualify it for the pantheon of Ludlum, Clancy, Forsythe and Higgins. The villainous element is highly effective- the Daughters of Isis, an elitist band of women bent on revenge and sexual chaos, are Terror in female form, making them the flip-side to Charlie's Angels. Prophetic and hard-hitting.

A very graphic peep show into the world of espionage and global power. The characters are realistic and memorable, and I found the action elements- the intrigue and the military and political angles- exceptionally well-researched. The erotica is hi-profile and steamy, and the book has a novel twist on the battle of the sexes- it shows how people, and especially women, can sacrifice their values for the sake of joining mis-directed causes.

A political thriller with totally unorthodox views on feminism coupled with world domination- although really unique, this book is very well-crafted. Its settings, concerning high levels of global intrigue, are by turns terrific, but peopled with characters both passionate and real.

The exceptional heroine of this book, Michelle Lovelace, is already a role model for me- her intellect, ambition, and open lifestyle. She's also a champion of worthy causes (such as the rights of Islamic women), an award-winning film actress (Best Actress at Venice), and an international sexual adventuress. However, her dedication to her dynastic role within the ISIS circle becomes in the end a fatal trap. Sensational, yet at the same time highly developed, this book is full of surprises. Also, the humor was very subtle and refreshing.

a collection of keiths works, from the beginning to the very end. installations, sculptures, as well as his paintings on buildings and objects grace the pages of this large format book. a definite for every fan of this kutztown boy. describes keiths life through letters and stories from friends, photos, and many beautiful full color works by the artist. bright and bold, just like his life.

A VERY COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT WORKS FROM THE WHOLE OF KEITH HARING'S RELATIVELY SHORT CAREER, YOU GET A DEFINITE FEELING OF HIS WORK CHANGING BEFORE YOUR EYES. THE TEXT, OF WHICH THERE IS AROUND 20 PAGES, MORE THAN ADEQUATELY SUMS UP THE THEMES AND AIMS OF THE ARTIST . THERE IS ALL YOU COULD WANT REALLY:

· ART HISTORICAL CRITICISM( WITH FREQUENT REFERENCE TO THE ONSUING PLATES) · INTERVIEWS WITH KEITH HARING HIMSELF · A FULL LIST OF ALL THE EXHIBITIONS AND STREET ART HE DID · SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY · 182 PLATES

YOU GET A REAL FEEL FOR WHAT THE ARTIST WAS ABOUT, SO WOULD BE AN IDEAL FIRST BOOK ON KEITH HARING, AND A GOOD REFERENCE BOOK FOR THE ART HISTORY STUDENT!

I know a bargain when I see one. Sussman's book juxtaposes Keith's drawings and paintings alongside interviews with Keith's contemporaries (they even bring in Junior Vasquez), without any attempt at being complete. The price is lowered because of a black Sharpie line on the top of the pages. That's it! If you have any interest in Keith Haring or even art in general, this is a great way to look at a great artist.

This is a book I picked up at the Whitney exhibit in 1997 - it's a great variety of all Keith's work. His style has varied over the years and this book does a great job showing his evolution. My favorite part is the fact that many of his pieces from his youngest years are included. It's always interesting to see where your favorite artist started.