Hart Books

This is the eighth book in the Betsy-Tacy series, which follows Betsy Ray from kindergarten to marriage at the turn of the 20th century. Betsy, now in her early twenties with two years of college behind her, finally realizes her dream of traveling through Europe. The story unfolds in four main acts/settings: the voyage across the Atlantic, study and friendship in Munich, romance in Venice, and the inauguration of war in London. Artfully and intimately told, the story is also rich with cultural details that I appreciate more now than I did reading this book as a child: Betsy's excitement about gaining weight, her careful circumspection with regard to proper ladylike behavior, her sweet and chaste romances - all of this combined with a zest for life and an indefatigably adventuresome spirit.

Wonderful way for children and teens to learn about the life of children and teens in the early 1900s. I fully recommend it!

I was a bit disappointed when I opened this book up, and read the first sentence. I didn't think it was right of Mrs. Lovelace to just skip college, to think we missed it! So, I had to imagine college and Bob, and the relationship between Betsy and Joe.
Not only do you miss out on what happens in college, but it's somewhat odd to be going from high-school Betsy, to grown woman. I kept on wondering why there wasn't at least one book made about Betsy going to college.
Although I said this, I would still suggest reading this book, it's a great book, and Betsy doesn't change too much. But through the whole book I felt weird. It didn't matter how many friends and 'crowds' Betsy made, or how many admirers she gained. The original crowd just wasn't there.
But don't worry, Betsy is still pretty much the same, she makes friends, and there is quite a bit of romance in the book.

I'm kinda getting too old for this series, but I can't stay away from it. I'm a sucker for history.

I have read "Betsy and the Great World" so often that I know much of it by heart. When I travelled to Italy this spring, and stepped into St. Mark's Square, I could hear the Harvard Man yelling at Betsy's "tourist trick" with the pigeons. And when I went on a gondola ride, Betsy and her Marco were in the gondola that floated by on the other side of the Grand Canal. Any author who can make her characters live so completely deserves to be read. It takes a very special young woman to understand the pleasures of a simple life well-lived, but for her, this series will provide richness and memories to last a lifetime.

Beautiful, truly a collectors item. I buy it every year, it brings so much joy to my wall

I have been buying these calanders for many years now. I keep the calander in my sewing room where I spend much of my time. The calander always brighens the room and brings me much joy while I am sewing or working on craft items. I also enjoy using the beautiful cards and desk calader that come with it. I look forwad to each and every new calander. I have gone so far as to travel 500 miles to buy one.

Sincerely,
S. Thompson

I have been purchasing Cynthia Hart's Victorian calendar annually for ages, it seems. The images are always great. I try to keep myself from looking ahead to the following months till I get there, but that usually doesn't work. I love her images culled from 19th & early 20th Century trade cards, postcards, broadsides, catalogs and other ephemera.

I buy one of these calendars every year. They give a nice splash of color on my kitchen wall.

A gorgeous Victoriana calendar has hung in my kitchen every year since 1988. Each month's "picture page" is loaded with "antique paper items" that extend on to the page with the calendar itself. A theme appropriate to the season is presented every month with moms and babies in May and Santa and all the trimmings featured in December and so on. This year (2008) I was a little disappointed they don't have a Halloween theme for October (children is the focus) but I do especially like November which features both fruit and dogs. The major Christian and Jewish holidays are all marked as well as secular celebrations in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia as well as the U.S. A date book, some greeting cards and a small desk calendar have been included the last few years and while nice some new choices for us annual buyers would be appreciated as these extra items have been the same for awhile. I also would enjoy seeing the phases of the moon marked on the calendar though I do have other sources for that. The Victoriana calendar is also very recyclable in crafts and activities. I'm a teacher and I just used some of my old ones with my students to make lovely Mother's Day cards.

I love Hawaii and enjoy reading mysteries taking place there. This had a good plot and the descriptions of Hawaii were wonderful!

Henrie O is dreading the date of her husbands death. The day he fell off a cliff at the mountain home of his dear friend Belle. Then she receives a strange card that causes her to think maybe her husband was murdered.

Henrie digs through her husbands notebooks and sets out to research his last days. She ends up at Belle's mountain retreat on the anniversary of the death of Belle's daughter. It looks like the same person who killed CeeCee also killed Henrie's husband Richard and may be trying to kill her. It's a race to identify the killer before more people are killed.

Henry O visits Hawaii to try to find the cause of her husband's death. There is a conglomeration of characters, way to many for me to keep track of. Too much description of Hawaii's flora and fauna. Too much repetition of facts and events that had already occured. I skipped over a lot of the last several pages just to get this one done.

Henrie O still mourns the loss of her husband Richard. She has always assumed that his death was accidental, but an anonymous note to her implies that he was murdered. She can do nothing but follow up on this note and investigate Richard's death. Doing so involves trips to Texas and Kauai where she confronts Richard's friend Belle whom he was visiting at the time of his death. Henrie O had always been afraid that Richard's involvement with Belle was more than platonic and she vows to find out the truth behind their relationship, as well as the identity of the person who murdered Richard. There are no end of suspects on the island, all of them Belle's family or employees, and Henrie O has her work cut out for her trying to discern which one killed Richard. As always, author Hart crafts a well-written book and this one has an added emotional intensity because of Henrie O's love for her late husband. The setting of Kauai just adds to the ambiance of this excellent mystery.

doesn't mean you are dead - or worse, boring.

Carolyn Hart's series starring Henrietta O'Dwyer "Henrie O" Collins is an excellent and worthy read. Why?

This mystery series offer great characters with believeable dialogue, nice little plot twists, a kiss of humor, and a heroine - Henry O - who is NOT a gal in her 20's or 30's, with a fast mouth, a clumsy foot always determined to trip over one corpse after another, and a love interest that somehow always seems to elude the final stage of commitment - have any of you noticed just how many mystery novels seem to have this same type of heroine?!?

It is difficult to find truly good mysteries where the main character is actually a woman who is over 50, intelligent, clever, sometimes humorous, and even a little grouchy; yet if you are a true fan of mysteries you will know exactly how terrific it is to stumble across heroines like: Henri O, an Amelia Peabody, Mrs. Jeffries, Agatha Raisin, OR a Mrs. Polifax!!

I bought a book in the Mecha Mania series on how to draw warrior Robots and spaceships for a grandchild for Christmas.This book is wonderful for either an adult or a child who wants to draw the new anamie cartoons. The step by step drawings showing how to use basic shapes to make incredible robots and spaceships allow anyone to explore their creativity.

I BOUGHT SEVERAL OF THESE TYPES OF SKETCH BOOKS FOR MY SON. HE IS TAKING ART IN SCHOOL AND HE LOVES THE HELP THE BOOKS GIVE HIM IN HIS DRAWINGS. HE HAS LEARNED ALOT FROM THE BOOKS ALONE. WE ARE VERY PLEASED!!

I liked it pretty well. But I think it falls into the category "this is how you draw something. period." books. I think it should show you different kinds of guns for mecha, different joint types, head types, torso types, armor types, leg types, weapons in general types, shield types, jet pack/wing types and stuff. I don't think that there is enough things to inspire the mind for drawing original mecha. Instead, it tells you how to draw some limited robot examples.
So why did I give it a 4 if I'm being so negative?! Because as soon as I had merely READ it, without drawing any of the examples, was a ton better at drawing mecha. It also has some things to think about while drawing mecha that will help your drawings quit a bit. It has a little about special effects, which was nice. It tells you how to draw female cyborgs, which I thought most of which was garbage. It did have an interview with some guy from the creators of MechWarrior, which was pretty good. The book is worth the money, I think.

What is the point of this book? Each of the drawings gives just three steps, and the beginning step is very complex--there is no help in figuring out what basic shapes go into it, and it seems like the only thing you can do is copy exactly what the author has done. I wanted something that would teach me to draw this type of character, and instead I just got a book showing off the author's drawings. If it is supposed to be just a showcase, it should be called that--don't try to fool people into thinking it is a way to learn anything.

There are lots of "how-to-draw" robots/mecha books. IMHO this book simply follows the formula of breaking down the title subject into component simple shapes and embellishing with more detail. This is the formula of most how-to-draw books. It's fine to include this if your "mecha how-to" book has more about drawing aspects unique to mecha.

An astute earlier reviewer pointed out that Hart drew none of the examples in the book. How can he discuss a thought and design process that he didn't even contribute to in his own book?!? The art in the book is rarely inspired and in many cases rendered by artists who don't appear particularly interested in mecha.

To its credit, it's fun to read some of the text. Younger readers may enjoy the book as it may be helpful to beginning artists. The best pictures are from the Fasa interview in the back.

For those who want something more advanced, I'd recommend the excellent books by Sherard Jackson of Antarctic Press. He briefly covers the beginning steps of drawing mecha, but gives a meatier discussion on the unique aspects of drawing anime machines. The art definitely has a higher "coolness" quotient and he drew his own pictures!

Lawrence Christopher does an excellent job of taking his reader into his created world of "All About Mary." This story begins with Perry Rogers being arrested and charged with murdering Mary Jenkins his fiance.

Although Mary is deceased, this story tells the history of how the career minded and responsible Perry, met "street smart" Mary and her two young children Sapphire and Gerald. What starts out with Perry casually "kickin' it" with Mary, eventually grows into a loving, passionate, yet turbulent relationship.

The vivid display of imagery Lawrence Christopher has mastered, will leave his reader wanting to read far beyond the 87 pages of this novella. I was completely shocked to learn who actually did kill Mary Jenkins. This is a must read mystery that will have you turning page after page in anticipation of discovering... All About Mary!

'All About Mary' tells a story of a woman of misfortune from the time of her childhood up until her death. Rape, drugs, and sex for favors are functional parts of Mary's life cycle. Mary, who is described as a cheeseburger away from 200 pounds seems to have touched the lives of many of her male aquaintances, including Perry Rogers, her knight in shining armor. With him, she is given the opportunity to improve her standard of living and possibly change the dysfunctional cycle that is awaiting the true victims, her young children. Mary and her children may have a chance at happiness in the care of Perry, the one man who truly loves her. After the sudden, untimely violent death of Mary, Perry becomes the number one suspect. This case falls into the hands of Detective Mick Hart, who has seventy-two hours to clear Perry Roger's name. Was her death an act of love or mere unwarranted violence? These questions will continue to invade your thoughts as you take a short journey to learn 'All About Mary'.

Although one member of the book club considers the character Mary as a 'reformed call-girl on the rebound' and felt the story lacked character, the rest felt it was a short entertaining read, written in 'real-life' prose.

We, the members of Friends and Readers (FAR) book club, enjoyed discussing this novella in the present of Lawrence Christopher and we are looking forward to the sequel.

This book tells a woman's story from a man's point of view.

Mary, who has been victimized most of her life, has issues on top of issues. She meets a man who starts out with greedy intentions, but ends up opening his heart and life to her.

He becomes enthralled by her physical presence and sexual prowess, but later learns as much from her as she learns from him.

He actually listens to her and gives her an opportunity to view life and people in a different way than she has in the past.

This is a fantastic new work.

The murder mystery is woven through alternate points of view: Perry, the accused, is rambling towards a confession that just doesn't seem to make sense. Mick, the detective, is searching for the truth. Mary, the deceased, looms larger than life in the background - a woman whose reality transcends her death, and even the pages of the book.

It blends several universal themes:
- The pain of unrequited love
- The trouble of addiction
- The power of divine love
- The struggle in urban society

The story will ring a chord with anyone struggling to make their way in society, anyone on the wrong side of a 1 way relationship, and anyone struggling with the gap between a conviction and reality that don't mesh.

The novel displays outstanding depth in a mere 100some pages. You will read it in one sitting, and immediately crave the next from masterful new author Lawrence Christopher.

All About Mary was a different, but well written story. Mr. Christopher's fresh approach to the storyline kept my interest and I was entertained from beginning to end. The characters came to life and I can honestly say I know some folks like the ones in the story! Mr. Christopher created a story that has a "flava" not seen often, but it never takes away from the awesome plot and shocking ending. Kudos, Mr. Christopher, and I look forward to the stories that follow!

An excellent novel that gives deep insights into dfficulties experienced by a young girl who escaped Vietnam in the final days of the war. She enters a California university and faces many things that are new and different from what her life had been. One of her professors ,who was a Veteran of that same war,goes through great mental difficulties in dealing with the university establishment in his efforts to really help his students and get his own life back to normal.
The structure of the book is unlike any I have ever come across.There are no chapters at all.All the prose is in the form of journal entries of the student and her professor . There is no necessity to show which person's journal is being quoted.Tina,the student's journal entries are dated by day,month and date (Sunday,November 24) while the professor's are given numerials (11/26/85). This is very inovative and works surprisingly well.
The story is so well constructed and written that it is surprisingly easily understood and flows so well it is difficult to put down. That is not to suggest that the topics and emotions are simple;they are anything but. What the author has done so well is to put it all into a novel in a way that the reader has no difficulty in understanding the thoughts and emotions that these two people experienced.
This may be William Hart's first novel,but with the skills he has shown us with this one;I suspect and hope for many more from him in the future.
There are many little things that I found different in this story. Tina's dealings with other people,particularly roomates,present her as a very mature person for her age.No matter what difficultu she comes up against;she never falls for the "poor me" victim,syndome.She just takes a breather and pushes forward.Another little item is Tina's use of the word "wander".One never is in doubt of what she means.
If you were to read this book with a plain cover;it would be interesting to think what sort of picture would be appropriate.The picture on the cover is supurb and I just love looking at it .It will get a prominent spot on my bookshelf.
Aside from the story itself;I couldn't help but think of some of my own experiences in university.At the time it seemed that the professors just "appeared" at the lectern,gave their lecture,and then we all filed out. We were all more interested in the subject and our interests in passing the course and didn't give a whole lot of thought to the professor and his interests and problems. This book will make you think that "professors are people to".
There is another little thing that intrigued me on page 174.A method to numerically evaluate the quality of writing.I don't know if it is really used;but many years ago in a "Better Writing" course I learned about "The Fog Index" It was a way to evaluate numerically how easy a piece of prose was to understand. It worked and is given for many of the books listed on Amazon.The method of calculating it can be found on the net by searching "Fog Index"

This is a superb novel about Vietnam War veteran John Goddard and his ESL pupil, Vietnamese refugee Tien Le, as each confront past war traumas and current problems with the English Department's grading policies at a fictional California State University.

Hart presents a dual-first person narrative in the protagonists' journals, and this is where his mastery shows. Unlike other first-person novels (or dialogue in 3rd person), Hart gives John and Tina (her chosen Anglicized name) authentic voices true to their strengths and, most importantly, limitations. The bounds on their perceptions and emotional responses ring true: Goddard's cynical and sometimes sweeping moralizing tone, for example, seems appropriate for a man tuned into the "black and white" rather than the gray shades: "Then there's Memorial Day...here the underlying theme is human sacrifice by auto crash, as thundering engines and screaming gears are echoed a millionfold on the nation's highways." Though the book effectively attacks the ESL practices and the self-righteous administrators who impose them, Hart restrains from using his characters' voices as a proxy for his own; they do not suddenly become eloquent or insightful so that Hart can make a point.

The book's pace, character development, and alternating narratives show great balance. Hart is patient with his characters, letting them reveal explosive bits of the past in wider and wider circles as they approach their Vietnam experiences. Mr. Goddard initially confronts the past indirectly, seeking answers in the lives of other war survivors: Ulysses, the prototypical soldier and war refugee, humorist/Civil War veteran Ambrose Bierce, and in his own farcical but somewhat detached Vietnam novel. However, this intellectualizing does not abate his continuing symptoms strongly indicative of PTSD (e.g., nightmares, flashbacks, isolation, anger). Goddard (as well as Tina Le) gradually faces the past through his journal entries (and ultimately through some briefly mentioned therapy at a VA Medical Center and a Vet Center.)

Hart doesn't stereotype the hurting vet, he shows us Goddard's intelligence, compassion, and a cynical idealism that serve him well in his battles against the discrimination of the English Department. Similarly, Tien "Tina" Le is a well-rounded character, showing doubt, strength, and maturity. The writing, with very few exceptions, is excellent: "...the polyglot students of CSUM are quiet but tough...a leatherlike durability cured to absorb 10,000 blows without a flinch or whisper." Goddard also injects a somewhat mordant levity to the book:" Once our squad did a body count after a wall-to-wall carpet [bombing] our leader called...We confirmed 32 kills, although all the pieces could have come from-And I believe did come from-one unlucky water buffalo." Excellent. However, I did think that Rayneece, Tina Le's roommate, sometimes seems a bit "pasted" onto the story. But no matter, this is a great book.

What could have been a confining format becomes instead an insightful and exciting scope in to the protagonists' inner and outer lives. I can't help but compare "Never Fade Away" to Alice Walker's great "The Color Purple," though Walker's work covers deeper ground. Hart, like Walker, allows the characters to tell the story, and the overlapping perspectives give us a whole greater than its parts. He has found a true voice for each narrator. I recommend this book very highly, and look forward to more work from this outstanding writer.

NEVER FADE AWAY should be required reading for teachers at any level, especially those (which is now nearly all teachers) with students for whom English is a second language. It shows poignantly the frustrations and downright heroism of an immigrant student and of a teacher who risks his job to help her in defiance of a college administration that uses absurd standardized tests for academic cleansing.
Furthermore, this is a fine novel. Using a double epistolary form, alternating narratives by teacher and student, it evokes brilliantly the complementary perspectives of its two main characters. It keeps us intimately involved in their thoughts and feelings while it presents the social and political tangles in which they are wound. I literally did not put it down, reading it in a single sitting, something I have not done since reading Nabokov's PNIN many years ago.
I recommend it most highly.

This story hit, "Close to Home", for I am a Vietnam Vet and a member of a minority. It is for these reasons that I was very sympathetic, understanding, and emotionally drawn to the people in this story. William Hart has written a short, but powerful story that packs quite a punch.

It's a solid and touching story of the relationship between a teacher and his student, that could become romantic but does not quite reach that point. It's 1985, and a Vietnamese student, Tina Le, has signed up for an English Secondary Language (ESL) course at a Los Angeles college. John Goddard is her writing teacher and a Vietnam Vet, who is still experiencing flashbacks of the war. The story is told in alternating journal entries, so that we are exposed to the views of both characters daily lives. This creates a very personal and intimate method of telling the story. I think it brings us closer to the characters real feelings. The story unfolds as the English Department decides to flunk out the many Asian Students. Tina Le, a math major, has a talent for writing stories. She writes a heartfelt story on the suffering of her family back in Vietnam during the war. Goddard recognizes her literary talent and tries to reward her by having the story published. Soon Goddard finds out the university administrator plans to fail the overabundance of ethnic minority students, including Tina Le. Once Goddard finds out Tina Le has failed the course unfairly he strongly brings his objections to the university administrator, and soon finds himself fired from his job. After filing a grievance, they are given a hearing, and what follows is a courtroom like drama, where both Tina Le, who testifies for Goddard, and Goddard fight to save his job. During this time, Tina Le's and Goddard's relationship deepens, to the point where it could become romantic. Of course, this creates even more problems for both of them.

This is a short and easy read, and an impressive debut by a writer that is a force to be followed in the future. I especially enjoyed and related to his Vietnam experiences and the emotional and caring feelings he had for his ethnic and Vietnamese students. This is a book that's hard to put down, and a story that should touch almost any heart. Highly Recommended!

Joe Hanssen

"Never Fade Away", is William Hart's first novel. Dr. Hart has been a teacher of basic writing and (ESL) English As A Second Language at Los Angeles Universities, so how close this novel is to his experiences makes the moniker of novel less than absolute. His own experience clearly adds a great deal of credibility to the work, and this makes a strong message even more disturbing. The message that he shares is one that has gained in importance as events last fall have brought this country's immigration policies in to question. There are fine lines between prudent immigration law, xenophobia, and racism. As congress is getting itself prepared to crucify various governmental agencies hoping to score points for this November's elections the theme of this book only increases in relevance.

There have been disturbing books recently, and one specifically that spent a good deal of time on the bestseller list. They are opportunistic cheap self-promotion screeds that play on fear and ignorance and offer nothing of value. The people who read these books and those that write them are hardly Native Americans. Unless one is a full-blooded Native American, all of us have immigrated here or are the descendents of immigrants. For those who thought the Witch Hunts of McCarthy were a thing of the past, wait for these hearings. They have already been carefully scheduled so that the initial hearings are closed to the public, congress will adjourn to craft their campaign speeches laced with accusations that are indefensible, and then return for public hearings in September, and we all will be the worse for it.

The book takes the form of journal entries of a teacher and one of his students. This student and all others like her must pass a certain proficiency level in written English to stay in school regardless of their performance overall. It is reasonable to expect people that wish to make their home in The United States to have the abilities to write and speak competently. It is not appropriate to use these educational hurdles as institutional racism. And this is the environment that the book's teacher and his students struggle against. If the tests in reality are as described in the book a substantial number of us who have been hear for generations would fail.

Many may ridicule that last sentence, but I offer this. Recently national testing for history was done in our schools and when given the list of the primary combatants in WWII less than half of High School students provided the correct multiple-choice answer. The winner and third place occupant of the recent National Geographic Geography competition were both home-schooled.

"Never Fade Away", has other elements that were hard for me to justify. I don't know if I am being fair, or if the primary issue is just so volatile. For me some of the flashbacks and personal history seemed a bit awkward, but others may find these facets appropriate.

I enjoy the work of new authors, as there are so many names that seem to have a production line for their work. Small publishers have brought to readers new writers that may not be as polished as familiar names, and for that I thank them. Too much of contemporary fiction is occupied by different takes on tired themes, so make the leap occasionally to writers you know nothing of, and you will often be rewarded.

Very well written tributes to some very interesting people in the sports entertainment business. Honest and forthright; this is an excellent collector's item.

For Chris Benoit (1967-2007)

Young & strong beautiful one
One that we embraced so close
Is gone
Was torn away

With candles with flowers
He was one of ours
One of ours

Why don't you let him be?
He's gone
We know
Give his mother & father peace
Your vulture's candor
Your casual slander
Will murder his memory
He's gone
We know
And it's nothing but a tragedy

Lay to rest your soul and body
Lay beside your name
Lay to rest your rage
Your hunger and amazing grace

With candles, with flowers
You were one of ours
One of ours

I saw cameras expose your life
I heard rumors explode with lies
I saw children with tears
Cry and crowd around the sight
Of where you had collapsed that day
Where your last breath & word
Had been sighed
Where your heart had burst
Where you had died

I saw how they were lost in grieving
All half-believing you were gone
The loss and pain of it
Crime and the shame of it
You were gone
It was such a nightmare raving,
"how could we save him
From himself?"

(Natalie Merchant - River)

A solid, well written work for those interested in the real people behind the characters of wrestling. A well considered foreword from Bret Hart showing how far things have come from the "kay fabe" days.
Mr. Meltzer's book puts a very human perspective on the individuals who punish themselves physically and mentally and the unfortunate toll that befalls some of these athletes/entertainers. A very good read for those with even a casual interest in wrestling.

I have read Tributes II once in Barnes and Nobles and it was a great read. Professional Wrestling has always lost wrestlers in their prime. This is a perfect example of those we lost to heart failure, overdoses and living the hard life. The exception was Owen Hart, who died very tragically in the ring due to a faulty harness, basically doing what he did best, WRESTLING. As I read the book, and the beautiful tributes by Mr. Meltzer, I shed a few tears and remembered these men we lost as wrestling fans. Two more names can be added to those tributes, as we lost the Big Boss Man in 2004, and Eddie Guerrero in 2005. Although all these men are all in a better place, they never left us, and neither do the memories.

Dave Meltzer - through his Wrestling Observer Newsletter - has brought to fans the true business of professional wrestling as seen through the eyes of sources in the corporate boardrooms and the trust he has obtained over the years with wrestlers worldwide.

But pro wrestling has a rich tradition that is oftentimes overlooked or quickly forgotten after a star from yesterday passes away. Some of Meltzer's most powerful writing has been remembering the greats who have passed, as his candid accounts of their lives inside the squared-circle and outside the arena truly brings the legends to life, perhaps for the first and/or last time.

In Tributes II, his second book of profiles from the newsletter, Meltzer includes his articles on Lou Thesz, The Sheik, Johnny Valentine, Wahoo McDaniel, Rick Rude and Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, along with an expanded tribute to Andre the Giant.

The forward is written by Bret Hart and the book touches his family in such a tragic way. The lives of his father - Stu Hart - and brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith, are chronicled by Meltzer, along with a new profile on Bret's brother, Owen Hart, who tragically fell to his death before a sold-out arena and cable TV pay-per-view audience in a risky stunt that went so terribly wrong.

Included in the book is a one-hour DVD where Meltzer provides additional information on the wrestlers. The DVD alone is worth the purchase price.

Each profile is a touching tribute that celebrates the lives of those who entertained with style and class.

When I bought this book, I was a budding historical seamstress. It is a marvelous representation of historical dress! The pictures are lovely, but the design sketch of each garment is what really sets this book apart. The descriptions explain the construction as well. A smart purchase you won't regret!

The photo close ups showed the amazing details of the craftmanship in that time period. I only wish there were more French pieces.

I purchased this book to see more examples of dress from the time period. I was very satisfied with the pictures it shows of the clothing. It shows a pencil drawing of the entire garment and then there is a colored photo of certain details on an actual garment from the period. In the pictures you can even seee some of the hand stitching. Many of the dresses are very detailed with embroidery which of course someone must have taken forever to stitch on. The garments are beautiful examples to look at for anyone interested in this time period.

A great read for all seriously interested in the history of fashion. Very detailed photos with clear text. The work nicely fills the gap where costume books who concentrate on whole garments can gloss over. Dovetails nicely with the Janet Arnold and Norah Waugh more scholarly works. Totally recommended for those who want more!

It did not have most of the information I was seeking. I wanted to find info on the style of the time in detail. Although a few years had detail and were helpful for my needs, I was expecting to see more years be explained in detail by the title. It spent to much of the book talking about things that for my mind didn't tell what the fashion styles were. For the most part I found the book disappointing.

This is a well-written collection of gay erotica and I enjoyed just about every story. For those of you who like a couple pages of teasing action and then a rush to the main event this is the collection for you. Occasionally I like more story than sex but I generally read erotica for the good parts and Lucky's 13 has plenty of those. Some stories even have multiple sex scenes. The men are hot (Lucky's the hottest guy in male erotica I'm come across in a long time) and the sex scenes are even hotter. There's group sex between friends, sex with men in uniform, and an all-out orgy on Halloween night. I'd move to Maine just to spend one night with Lucky!

This is a great collection of gay erotica. Lucky, the main character, is the hottest guy I've read about in years! The stories are quick, the action fast and sex non-stop. This collection doesn't weigh itself down with too much plot. Hart sets up the flirtation with skill and the reader can feel the foreplay between the characters to the point that you can't wait for the good stuff to happen. And when Hart gets there the results are explosive! Many aspects of gay erotica are represented here so there's something for everyone. I hope the author writes more collections as this was a great one!

This is a great collection of gay erotica. My only problem with it is the length! I wish there were more stories to read featuring Lucky and I hope another collection comes out soon! Now if they could just make some movies with these stories I'd be all set! Definitely a fun read!

This is a straight-forward erotic read that utilizes imaginative settings and circumstances to get the reader hot and bothered. Lucky is the sexiest character I've read about in a long time. His comments are wry and funny and when the clothes are off Mr. Hart's writing comes alive! I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's light and uncomplicated and filled with a wide variety of sexual situations. For pure fun I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good time! Also check out this author's non-erotic book Through The Ruins

I read the reviews before purchasing this book and I have to say that I loved the stories in the book. Yes, there were a few areas where the plot could have been improved but that doesn't take away from the sex. Mr Hart handles the raw and raunchy scenes with great finesse. In porn, I can overlook the occasional mis-step in plot- but I can not forgive problems with the sex scenes and Mr Hart has no issues in that area. Lucky's 13 is a fun, sexy read. I wish it was longer but isn't that always the way with sex? If you're looking to escape in some fun sexual fantasy Lucky's 13 is the perfect escape! Even as I'm typing this review I keep going back to the Halloween orgy and the threesome at the new year. Lucky is a truly sexy guy and I hope Starbooks Press publishes more in the series! Plus the cover is fantastic!!!!

A look inside the real world of modeling and it's past and present stars. TONS of information about the history of modeling in here. It drags on a little bit at times but is otherwise very interesting and entertaining. I'd def recommend it to anyone in the biz or interested in becoming a part of it. :)

This is a wonderful read with a perfect pace. It has a variety of viewpoints from a balanced business analysis, to a thoughtful integration of modeling into the cultural fabric to a taste for gossip which sizzles. Where else could one find out that Grace Kelly was turned down for a beauty contest because she was too thin or that Lauren Hutton chose her first name after Lauren Bacall because her first choice Laurence was too long for her Playboy bunny name tag? I was also impressed by Gross' skill at giving the reader a sense of the individual life story in just a page or two in an almost complete sense without any sense of skimping, no small feat. He covers America and Europe with a true feel for both areas, he zooms in close and also moves quickly. This is a remarkable book.

I very much enjoy following fashion and modeling, and I have to give credit to author Michael Gross for touching on virtually every aspect of the modeling biz from 1915 - 1995. However, what started out as an interesting historical perspective turned quickly into essentially a blow-by-blow account of influence peddling and [sort of] slave trading over many decades. "Ugly business" is right.

For me, the major problem with "Model" is that it reads like a massive chronology of "who's screwing whom" (literally and figuratively), and practically everyone gets an entry: agents, bookers, photographers, backers, models and the playboys who pursue them. In the author's own words (p. 494): "The model business remains, as it has always been, a seething morass of beauty and money, grace and envy, sensuality and lust, yearning and backstabbing, glamour, greed, and glory beyond measure.

The progression of the business story is well thought out. The title of each main chapter relates to a time frame associated with the prevailing modeling fees. In between the main chapters are dialogues/interviews with key models of each period (Veruschka, Lauren Hutton, Janice Dickinson, and Veronica Webb, to name a few). I would have preferred more focus on the models as the primary subject matter, but the business is huge, with many players influencing everything from an agency's viability to which models get work (or don't). For me, there were too many never-heard-of-before names in the cast of characters. One look at the index proves that Mr. Gross has undertaken an exhaustive accounting of modeling business: 14-pages of tiny type, consisting of virtually every name associated with the modeling business one can think of. Yet, in a book of 500 pages, I'm wondering why Gia Carangi's life encompassed but a couple of paragraphs.

It's tough to put a number value on "Model," so consider me on the fence with a 3. For me the soap opera-ish tone of this book detracted far too much from the exhaustive historical accounting. It's a monumental work, but I just can't recommend it to everyone.

God..... this book was a hot mess and I loved it!!!
I wish that I could have been a top model in the 70's.
Making a truck load of money......doing blow at studio 54 with liza, halston, truman, janice, gia, andy, bianca and all the rest....getting banged in the balcony by all the hot male models and photographers!!!!!
Or hanging out backstage at the versace show with naomi, cindy, christie, claudia and linda.....smoking, drinking, cussing and fighting!!!
Christ....I loved this book...now I may not get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day!!!!!!!!!!!!

This book was less gossipy than I thought it would be. The first 2/3rds are great. The book serves as a wonderful primer for anyone going into the modeling industry or just interested in its origins.

The book starts out with the first official models, which were generally socialites. You get to read about how modeling agencies first formed and who the first models and clients were. The book follows along as agencies and models fall out and new ones come along. Close to the chapters around the 1980s/1990s you learn more about the all out "model wars" and the switching of models between agencies. Mixed in with all this history are bio chapters highlighting the stories of specific models along the years.

The book is very interesting and makes me miss seeing the models on the cover of magazines! The book is slightly dated now but the history provided is still accurate and informative.