Owens Books

Gosh I loved this series! It's one of those series you'd like to go on forever. All the characters in this book stayed with me long after the last page was read, and I know I will go back and re-read all 4 books many times in the future. I would recommend all 4 books, this is a series no one should miss!

I felt disappointed in this fourth instalment. These were my feelings regarding Tobias,Noah,Phantom. All three had lost their uniqueness and sexiness. Tobias was not portrayed as the strong DOM that really pushed Noah to his limits.There was one brief scene with sensory deprivation, which wasn't a complete success for Noah, but it was not pursued in the book. It felt like Tobias was 60 years old instead of 40.
Also, why reference the trip to Paris and 'scenes' over there, and not give the reader a glimpse? Why put it in the book at all?
I could not see or feel Noah's sexiness or edginess in wanting Sir to continually 'push' him. That was gone. I did not feel that he dressed sexy for a 'scene' anymore.
And finally Phantom.The very toubled sexy,horny,beautiful boy who needed a strong hand and was looking for more than Bradford could give him.We had a taste of his needs and I hoped that these would have been explored in a more intense way.
I did not think the 'scenes' were as intense as in the previous 3 books. There didn't seem to be the careful attention to detail in setting up a scene for the reader;consequently, for me, no eroticsm coming through in the scenes. It all had the feel of 'a sameness' in the scenes since it was mostly spanking,whipping. Nothing new, nothing interesting, nothing surprising.
Suddenly Noah & Phantom became sweet pizza eating kids, with kisses & hugs for everyone, always a bathtime, soapsuds and cuddles. I 'lost'their ages and uniqueness.
I am not saying this is wrong in a story..but not in relation to the previous Deviation books. I was very disappointed. Of course, relationships,problems had to be resolved in this book - it just left me feeling flat, lost,empty. It lost it's impact.
No trips to the barn,no pushing Noah
The story seemed empty. And when it seemed Owen and Payne had nothing to write about they had Noah and Phantom ordering pizzas!

After an impatient wait I was more than surprised with events and to be honest, a little disappointed in some ways. Phan isn't my overall favourite and I felt he intruded on what has been built up over the course of three books between Noah and Tobias. The writers went some way to convincing me though and by the end and I actually enjoyed it - even though it wasn't quite where I'd imagined the book going.

I did end up liking Phan after finding him irritating in book one and him slowly growing on me - his bouncy fizzy personality is hard to dislike. Though the manner of his inclusion wasn't something I was overjoyed to read, and came as a frown of surprise, it was made to work and as such, I enjoyed it more than I expected to. It almost seemd though, that the writers wanted to cure Phan's problems as early on as they could and shoehorn him in with our leads to get on with the hot threeways which was a shame but understandable I guess.

The sex scenes are plentiful and sizzling and the writing is bang on target with the characters well fleshed out, as ever. I can't agree with a fellow reviewer who found Tobias's penchant for switching, off putting - personally I loved it. A strong toppy charcter suddenly submitting or switching, for me, was a delicious and satisfying bonus. It was handled in a way that didn't jar with their natural roles and personalities which is a credit to the writing.

I was disappointed by elements of the book and overjoyed by others: I disliked what happened with Noah's job, I felt it was a big part of his identity and gave him a strength and a strong sense of individuality. The changes at the club and Tobias's new position are great, however and I loved so much seeing a chink more through Bradford's armour.

Personally, forget the Phan spin off and give me more Bradford and Nikki. I would love to delve deeper into Bradford's story after seeing a little more of him and his humour here. His and Tobias's toppy teasing of one another is fun and very sexually charged. As for the rest of the club, it is certainly a melting pot of ancillary charcters begging for expansion - newcomer Tom piqued my interest especially.

Overall, solid writing, highly charged and erotic sex and role play scenes and wonderful characters with a depth not often seen in this type of erotica.

Back from their Parisian vacation, things couldn't be better for Tobias and his submissive, Noah. With a new open-ended contract, plans to move in together, and an intense emotional connection that transcends their D/s relationship, the pair is more stable and centered than ever.

For Phantom, Tobias' former submissive and now Noah's close friend, things are spinning out of control. While making real progress in therapy for childhood issues that caused his split with Tobias, Phan is now forced to make some difficult decisions that could profoundly affect Tobias and Noah. Will Tobias and Noah have the strength, yet again, to take their relationship beyond its limits and come out stronger for it?

Knowing Deviations: Bondage was the final installment of a four book series with which I am completely and utterly in love, I had very high expectations. With Deviations: Bondage Chris Owen and Jodi Payne most unexpectedly gave me everything I secretly wished for. All I can say is just, Yay!!

Ms. Owen and Ms. Payne never fail to astound me. Their stories are filled with rich, authentic characters and real emotional depth. The blistering hot sex only adds to the intensity of the story.

One of my favorite things about the Deviations books is the different levels of Tobias and Noah's relationship and their exploration of roles. Theirs is not simply a straight Dominant/submissive bond. They have evolved into much more. Tobias' yielding to Noah is further explored with sizzling hot scenes, while at the same time their innate connection flourishes and grows.

The captivating Phan shines ever brighter here. I have been fascinated with him since he first licked Tobias' boots in book one. It's his emotional struggle and his seemingly limitless cheek that makes me want to snuggle him up and keep him safe.

For me though, Noah is the true star of Deviations: Bondage. His growth over the four books is amazing. Noah's inner strength and belief in Tobias' love leaves me breathless. He has truly blossomed under Tobias' hand to an astonishing depth.

Emotionally charged and intensely erotic, Deviations: Bondage is a satisfying journey of love. I can't recommend this book, and the Deviations series, enough!! They are an absolute must read!

Cheryl
reviewed for Joyfully Reveiwed

I truly enjoyed the first three books in the Deviations series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. And, it was well worth the wait. The first two novels concentrated heavily on Tobias and Noah's budding romance while exploring the BDSM world they have chosen. Though the BDSM element is represented just as strongly as in the first three installments, there is more plot development here to build the romance to a crescendo. In particular, Tobias and Noah's jobs start to wear on them and affect their relationship. Noah questions why he became a cop after getting involved in a dangerous situation; Tobias begins to see that he can't be a full-time vet, a full-time Dom and manage his farm. One part that was especially good - readers get to see how complex Tobias' relationship with Bradford is, which subsequently fleshes that character out to be more three-dimensional. And then there is Phantom.

Phantom Shaw, Tobias' former submissive, was a minor character in the first two books. In volume three, his character was expanded upon and impacted the story more. So much so, that I expected him to have his own novel after Tobias and Noah's story was wrapped up. Instead, the authors created an unexpected plot twist for him in this final book. Though I never imagined the story going in the direction it went, it made for a very satisfying conclusion. His issues of self-esteem and addiction to pain take a major role in the story. Noah must examine his own feelings about Phan as well - can he accept that Tobias needs to help Phan? What role can or should Phan have in their relationship? And, does he love Phan too?

Though I am sad to see the series conclude, it was a very good ending. The sex was inventive, steamy and playful. Oh, and did I mention plentiful?! The characters were fully realized and the plot well done. These books have always been more than just "kinky" stories. These could be real people; they have real problems; and, they have real love. Overall, I highly recommend the entire Deviations series.

This book has a very attractive cover and the photos inside are just as good. Lots of 'eye candy'. The author goes in depth over the many materials that can be used, techniques, how to make some stitches and a few flowers and leafy plants, walls, and a historical background in every chapter. The problem is, there are no charts for any of the gorgeous designs shown or for simpler ones to allow the reader understand and get acquainted with the stitches and see first hand how a project comes together.
The design is left to our imagination, but I don't expect many readers will be too inspired just by going over this book.
Could the author be considering a follow up book of charts?

Excellent reference book for projects of this type. Enabled me to finish a UFO after some years of inaction. Highly recommend.

What an inspirational book!! Thanks to Owen for a tremendous effort in creating something totally different from the norm!!!! Looking forward to trying some things out myself now.

I found this book a must have for the ones amoung us who are tired of the simple, standard, old fashion canvas work. You will see that with the number of stiches and threads available nowadays, one can really give life to a needlework project similar to embroidery.

As a professional garden designer and aspiring textile artist, I find this book inspiring in the extreme. The instructions are excellent, the garden design advice (intended for non-professionals) is surprisingly good. I appreciate the attention to real plants and environment, while also being loose with the representation (for instance, a brick wall is embroidered with the lower portion in darker, greener colors because there would be more moss at the bottom!).

I have poured over this book so much, I think I have it memorized. I've designed a dozen fantasy gardens for these techniques, which I am working on learning and hope to implement someday. The book keeps me excited to learn the techniques as I imagine my own garden designs in thread and yarn....and then I imagine them in art museums and as heirlooms....it is that inspiring!

Good photography, darling and detail-oriented gardens, and real plants inspiring it all.....leave it to the brits.

I would love to see more unconventional gardens done, too, but this book stuck to formal gardens, especially knot gardens (not surprisingly, given the title). This hardly matters, though, because it is clear that the creative needleworker will be able to adapt to any kind of garden desired.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book, and viewing the documentary that was based on it. Tom Lewis crafted an interesting, well-written story, and did his research. His facts are almost all correct, and Empire of the Air does a service in reviving interest in the history of the single most-important technological leap of the past century. (It is even more important than the Internet; the Internet has precedents--computers, telephones, TV, FAX, etc.--but radio had no precedent. It was the very first instantaneous mass-communication system in the world.)

Empire of the Air likewise portrays the personalities of "the Men Who Made Radio" almost flawlessly. In all, this is a book not only worth reading, but worth owning.

But I have one problem with Empire of the Air. How is it that How is it that Powel Crosley, Jr., the man who built the most powerful commercial radio station in the U.S. is mentioned only once, referred to in passing as an inventor in a garage? Crosley, the creator of one of the first 100 radio stations in the U.S., a man who consistently led in breaking the barriers to higher power for more than a decade, and who almost single-handedly established the market for radios (something Sarnoff tried to do six years earlier--and failed). Crosley, who bested Sarnoff's RCA in a 7-year legal battle? I can't blame Tom for the omission; I believe it is part of the aftermath of Sarnoff's revenge of persuading his contemporaries to omit Crosley from history. (There's an argument for that, but this is not the place to propound it.)

That aside, Empire of the Air deserves a place on your history bookshelf. It's on mine.
--Mike

"Empire of The Air: The Men Who Made Radio," by Tom Lewis, HarperCollins, New York, 1991. This 421 page paperback is the book that accompanied the 1990s PBS series, a three-hour presentation of the story of radio. It emphasized the role of three individuals: Lee DeForest, Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff. Lee DeForest invented the audion tube by inserting a grid between the plate and the filament in a vacuum tube. Howard Armstrong perfected the invention with a series of circuits that made the vacuum tube more sensitive as a radio receiver and suitable as a transmitter. Later he invented FM radio, which greatly reduced static and distortions. David Sarnoff envisioned broadcast radio and provided leadership in its successful commercialization. Later, his company, RCA, also pioneered network radio, television and color television. Modern electronics owe their origins to the electric telegraph, which first brought wires and electricity into communities across the country. Indeed, Thomas Edison and David Sarnoff both began as telegraph operators.

Although the subject of the series was radio, the true subject was Radio Corporation of America or RCA. The book covers the technical developments that made broadcast radio possible and ends with RCA being acquired by General Electric in 1985.

DeForest billed himself as "The Father of Radio," but we learn he was a tinkerer who did not understand how the audion tube worked. In an age when white Anglo-Saxon (Calvinist) Protestants attended Ivy League colleges, and ran most corporations, you would expect Armstrong to win. He was a Presbyterian, educated at Columbia University, under the then leading professor of electrical engineering, Michael Pupin. He was reportedly shy and introverted, but his intelligence was recognized early, and he began experimenting with electronics as a teenager. DeForest, on the other hand, also Presbyterian was educated at Yale University, but his father, a minister, was president of a black college in the South, Talladega College. DeForest is described as an outgoing extrovert, but as a carpetbagger in the South, he had few friends. He spent his time reading patents in the college library, where he resolved to become an inventor. He selected electricity as a promising field of study. DeForest attended Dwight Moody's prep school in Mt. Herman, MA, on his way to Yale, but his rural background meant he did not fit-in with classmates.

Sarnoff was a poor immigrant (Russian) Jew, who was forced to support the family after his father died. After selling newspapers, he learned Morse code in the telegraph department at the New York Herald. From that experience, he got a job at American Marconi, the famous radio telegraph company. When RCA it was formed, he moved into management ranks, and functioned as the technical visionary who promoted broadcast radio as a more profitable venture than the radio telegraphy business. He arranged to have "music boxes" built, and demonstrated their utility. It was Sarnoff who recognized the technical superiority of Armstrong's regenerative circuit and recommended that Marconi license it. Later, he co-operated with Armstrong's demonstration of FM radio. But it was Sarnoff, who decided to invest in television, to resist FM and then to develop alternative circuits, which he claimed were outside of Armstrong's patents. The result was a patent fight, which proved expensive to Armstrong, and ultimately led to his suicide.

American Marconi was the US branch of the Italian Marconi firm. It had been founded by Guglielmo Marconi, based on his invention of radio telegraphy. He had improved the primitive art and greatly increased signal range. He is famous for having transmitted the coded letter S across the Atlantic, but the main use for radiotelegraphy was ship to ship and ship to shore communications (as became clear after the sinking of the Titanic in 1912), plus the flexibility of building stations without the need to install cabling. Unlike the fly-by-night radio telegraph companies founded by DeForest (which set up demonstrations in various cities, sold stock, and then disappeared often without even trying to build a successful business), Marconi was an honest businessman who provided a quality service at a fair price. (DeForest was charged with fraud for one of his ventures, but was judged not guilty in a jury trial. He had been duped by promoters who ran the business end of his ventures, often leaving him with debts and taking off with the cash.)

The PBS series told the story well, but some of the details omitted should be mentioned. In spite of pending challenges to his audion patent, DeForest sold nonexclusive rights to American Telephone & Telegraph Co., i.e., the phone company--in July, 1913. They used the technology in a practical amplifier, which made possible coast-to-coast long-distance telephone service by 1915.

A Canadian university professor named Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, working in Pittsburgh, invented a spade detector that advanced the art of radio telegraphy. He successfully broadcast a playing violin to radio operators in 1906. Later he sold his patents to Westinghouse, who set up, KDKA in Pittsburgh as the first broadcast radio station in November, 1916.

RCA came about because the most powerful transmitter at the time was the alternator. General Electric became expert at manufacturing the device, but a proliferation of patents made it difficult to operate without licenses under competitors patents. GE and American Marconi decided to set up RCA, when it was realized that the American government would not allow a foreign corporation to own a technology considered essential to the national defense. Germany operated an undersea telegraph cable to the Americas, but it was promptly severed in World War I. That made Germany dependent on radio telegraphy for communications and emphasized the importance of radio as a critical national defense technology.

Others soon realized the advantage of contributing their radio patents to RCA in return for part ownership. Westinghouse and AT&T participated, but General Electric was the major shareholder, and had greatest control. Both Westinghouse and AT&T had broadcast radio stations, which they contributed to the venture. It was GE's Owen Young, who recognized Sarnoff's talents and saw to his promotion in spite of the anti-Semitic practices of the day.

World War I had a major impact on radio. Thousands of soldiers were trained in the basics of radio during their military service. After the war, they came home to build crystal sets, and some times one or two tube radio sets constructed from kits. These sets were the audience for early broadcast radio. As with the personal computer, initially it was a hobbyist market. But Sarnoff believed radio should be made available to the average man on the street with a handsome set suitable for the living room with a speaker instead of headphones.

The quest for talking movies began in about 1919. DeForest was an early participant. His technology, called Phonofilm, proved cumbersome. Warner Brothers issued the first talking films using Vitaphone, a record synchronized to the film. In 1928, RCA and GE followed with the photocell film track technology, called pallophotophone. They with Joseph Kennedy formed RKO Radio Pictures to make and distribute talking films by the purchase of the Keith-Albee-Orphium theater chain. (At the time, theater chains showed only the films produced by their companies.) RCA owned 25%. The book does not say so but apparently AT&T/Western Electric was a key developer of talking film technology especially working with Warner Brothers. They built the large speaker amplifier system that filled the theater with sound. RCA came later to the business but entered into an agreement making films with either system compatible on the same projection equipment.

RCA repeatedly encountered challenges from Federal antitrust authorities. In a settlement reached in 1926, AT&T sold its broadcast radio stations to RCA in return for an agreement to be the exclusive carrier of NBC network transmissions to its affiliated stations for a $1MM annual fee. (William Paley founded CBS independently in 1928.) In 1930, an antitrust suit forced the founding companies to divest their interests in RCA, to discontinue manufacture of radio equipment for 30 months, and to cease any non-compete agreements regarding radio equipment. RCA would license its radio technology to others resulting in a proliferation of competing brands of radio sets. In addition, Sarnoff was freed of board members of the sponsoring companies allowing him total control of RCA and its board. ABC was created in 1945 after NBC was forced to divest itself of the blue network.

Television came to RCA almost as a lark. Vladimir Zworykin, a research assistant at Westinghouse, had taken out a patent on a primitive TV camera, but Westinghouse failed to invest in the technology. Sarnoff hired him to work in RCA's Camden, NJ laboratories (on the manufacturing site of the Victor Phonograph Co. which RCA had acquired in 1929 after working with it to provide radio phonograph combinations since 1924). The Sarnoff Labs in Princeton, NJ were constructed in 1941.

RCA became the leading manufacturer of vacuum tubes. DeForest had offered his audion tube for sale almost from the beginning, but he was unable to manufacture tubes with consistent performance. RCA reduced them to standardized designs with predictable characteristics. The Princeton Lab was a developer of over 150 new types of radio tubes. In 1940, a manufacturing plant for vacuum tubes was built in Lancaster, PA. It made 20MM tubes by the end of the war in 2000 types.

Early television technology relied on unreliable, mechanical devices to receive a moving picture. RCA was forced to license Philo Farnsworth's electronic television patents. However, it galled David Sarnoff to pay for such technology. It is said he resolved never to be bested again in patent negotiations. Perhaps that is the reason he fought so hard to avoid licensing FM rights from Howard Armstrong (after Armstrong rejected his offer).

This book is loaded with historical details that make interesting reading. It includes extensive references and notes as well as a bibliography. Indexed.

As a radio professional myself, I very much enjoyed reading about the evolution of radio and the marvelous myriad of personalities involved. Since the beginning radio has been filled with colorful and interesting people. It reinforced in me that I picked the right profession to dedicate my life to.

I would recommend this book to any professional broadcaster. If we fail to have an appreciation of history, we fail to grasp the big picture.

Jeffrey McAndrew
WHBL News Anchor and Editor and author of "Our Brown-Eyed Boy"

I didn't just read this book, I've read it three times and will probably read it at least two more times, slowly. It's easily the best recounting of an industrial development that I've ever been through in any medium. The amount of detail about the invention of "radio" is almost overwhelming. The way that the lives of the major figures are professionally interwoven and spiced up with backstabbing, deceit, lying and tragedy is also keeps the reader's eyes glued to the pages. You also begin to realise why the work of honest inventors needs to be protected.

However, the authors distinction between "wireless" and "radio" is pretty thin in my opinion and his use of that to exclude Marconi from the group is a bit ungenerous and just flat-out, technically wrong. The inclusion of Sarnoff is just as wrong. Sarnoff was a classic, ruthless American entrepreneur- not an inventor. He was no doubt a great visionary but he also appropriated for himself events to which he was not connected. Sarnoff more properly belongs in a second volume with Paley and others who raised broadcasting to the level of a major industry. They gave alot to their country, but, not as inventors.

It's an all round great read and I highly recommend it. Tom Lewis did a fantastic job and I've got an opinion thanks to his incredible research. In fact, his book has caused me to do even more reading on the subject.

Finally, I think there's also an accidental, back-door warning in there about the debasement of the American economy. As radio grew, it created hard, marketable skills and spread the wealth into just about every town and household. That's not happening today in an economy that's based on endless consumption, paper debt, cheap unskilled labour, easy credit, no savings and a manufacturing heartland that is anywhere but the USA.

Subtitled "The Men Who Made Radio," this book is concerned with the principal actors developing radio: Marconi, Sarnoff, Armstrong, and De Forrest. Sarnoff ("The General") was the egoist who founded RCA, and Armstrong was the secretive inventor of FM who refused to compromise and lost everything (and committed suicide). The first half of the book is the best; it's all about the inventors and their new inventions and is very interesting. The second half suffers from being mostly about the legal hassling that occurred among the principals. Recommended.

A cryptic story that blurs the lines between fiction and memoir. As the tale opens a publisher is hunting the streets for a writer who may not exist and it forces me to ask myself is my life like this. Am I a guy no one knows with a tale no one could understand written in a language that perhaps only I am privy too. Is the truth out there to be had and found or is it always hidden away in tongues we have to struggle to learn. You always learn as a child that language exists to ease communication between two people. It exists to make it possible for two people to talk to each other about thier loves and passions. The Everly's is a lonely reminder that not all of which we say is understood. It is a reminder to me that in some way we all bark our alien tongues to each other in the sometimes vain hope that some will understand and bark back.

this is the kind of writing that should be what all writing strives for: the creation of a new universe and a new language.

Plot is thrust into your face by the insistent language; it's exhilaratingly "difficult" to utter, even reading it aloud in your head...mystery enhanced by disorienting, deterritorialized English. congratulations, this is a great read!

Owens demands attentive readers: his prose feels as if it were meant to be read aloud and, indeed, employs language like music. The story of a man who finds a manuscript and becomes immersed in its world may not be the freshest concept around, but I suspect Owens' take will involve some twists that are.

Although I am not entirely certain -- because all I get to read is an excerpt -- I think Owens is treating the concept of identity and THAT is going to make this book important. Lines like "I'm not sure he even exists" give us a sense of what is at stake. We hear two narrative voices in the first sections of this book: the man to whom the manuscript is delivered and the voice of the writer. I'd like to see their voices as different in more textured ways: at the moment the difference seems to be that the writer just gets denser while the narrator is easier to access.

A minor quibble: the numerous contractions in some sentences take away from the music -- an easy fix.

Owens is unquestionably channeling "A Clockwork Orange" in this piece -- and this choice will not be for every reader. But the pop culture and political asides are marvelous -- the language beautiful. There is nothing wrong with demanding attentive readers and I applaud Owens for doing so.

A low rent vanity press publisher finds a biography in his mailbox. The prose is sealed up in a manila envelope and purports to be from The Everlys, a musical duo. This duo does good prose:

"The language is a carousel, a linguistic carnival barked out by a word-stocked auctioneer." And, the second refrain, "the language is so musical I believe the imaginary Teddy Everly real."

The publisher follows the track of the manila envelope only to find contradictory clues. The narrative reads like part "Clockwork Orange" and another part the love-child of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed's talking blues. If you read with rhythm, it makes more sense--at least sometimes. This piece definitely challenges your cultural quotient.

Is "The Everly's" ready for publication? I'll leave that to abler hands than I. James Owens certainly has a deft hand at weaving words into a rhythm that's a joy to read. The excerpt also ended well, which earns points. Kudos to James Owens and best of luck to him.

I was disappointed of this book a lot~~
There are only letteres, NO photos.
It's hard to understand easily about contents of this book.

it is a great source of insperation for stylists to get ideas for photo work and new hair designs.

I had been looking for a good history of beards and unfortunately the only two titles I could find specifically on this topic were unsatisfactory in historical breadth and research value. Thanks to Amazon.com reviews I was alerted to this title which covers the entire history of hair (face and head) throughout the centuries. There are literally hundreds of illustrations of beards and hairstyles from ancient Egypt to the present and highly detailed and entertaining chapters on the social, historical and religious elements that influenced something as "trivial" as hairstyle. If you're looking for a good book on the history of hairstyles this is it and if you're looking for a good, solid history of beards this is definitely the book to buy...perhaps the only one. If one could possibly have any quibble it would be that it focuses primarily on North America and Europe with much less comprehensive coverage of Asian or Middle Eastern societies. The book was first published in the 1960's and has been updated every few years since. I'm certain that the only reason it's less known than it should be is because of the price which appears to be aiming the title toward the professional stage and film artisan rather than the "lay" reader who would find the text an unmitigated pleasure.

If you're a hair-designer (or a costumer) for the theatre, this is an invaluable resource. There's nothing else like it... and that's why it costs what it does. The truth is- it's worth it:

As a "quick reference" it's faster, easier, more specific, and much more reliable than searching the INTERNET (and that's saying a LOT)...

While, as an "in-depth reference" it's also a great resource- with articles explaining the history -and significance- of developments in Men's AND Women's hairstyles.


Note: This book is amazing for historical research and inspiration -however- It does NOT claim to teach you HOW to recreate these hair styles... you need to do that on your own!

This book truly is a bible (no offence).It covers every period and every hairstyle that appeared somewhere in this period. It covers everything from different countries, for men, women and children. It even covers facial hair!
It is a very valuable source of info and works best together with 'fashions in make-up' also by Corson.
Not to go without!!!!!!!!

The story flows well as told through the experiences and thoughts of Nigel and Flick, a couple that complements each other in story telling, sluething and personally. Their characters are developed well and it is easy to become swept up in the mystery through them. The dialoque is fun, the plot believable and the comfortable way the story is built and unfolds made me sorry that the story couldn't have gone on and on. A great book to read if you are, or want to be, relaxed and taken away from reality for a bit.

It was enjoyable. I look forward to the next one in the series.

I recently read Dead as a Scone, the first book in this series, and I wasn't overly impressed. However, this book was much better written and I found that it didn't have the same flaws as the first book. It kept my interest throughout and the historical parts of the book were implemented into the story instead of being a break from the rest of the book. The mystery was captivating and it was thoroughly enjoyed.

The one problem I had with the book was the fact that there was a short "Christian" section in the middle and vague references throughout but it didn't really tie into the story. I don't appreciate authors throwing Christian content into books just to market it to a specific audience and that is what this felt like. It didn't turn me off of the book or story I just felt that it could have been written differently. If it had tied into the story better I would have no problem with it. As it was, the content felt as if it was added into the story and didn't feel natural to the book or the characters.

Otherwise, this was a great cozy and I liked it very much. Now I'm off to find some tea and scones as the many references to such in the book has made me long for an English tea!

I've read both "Dead as a Scone" and "The Final Crumpet". Both were very entertaining mysteries with satisfying endings that make sense. It is neat to see Flick muddle her way through the different culture and how English is spoken in England rather than here. ( a torch is flashlight, etc). The passages on tea are very educational and the book reads fast.

The only strange thing is that in the middle of "The Final Crumpet" both characters and a supporting one (Polly) start talking about their religious beliefs (Jesus is something like a dustbin--I know that's not the actual quote but something akin to it). I really like some analogies and thoughts about their faith but it seemed the authors threw those paragraphs in there to add some Christian basis to the novels. There was no preliminary buildup--it happened in the middle of muddling in the mystery. The first book had a reason why the Bible was quoted that was vital to the mystery but this book, though very good, had spots of Christianity thrown it as if an afterthought and it was somewhat distracting. If the authors can manage to weave in the character's faith throughout the book, it would be fantastic and add a whole new dimension and depth to the entire mystery.

"The Final Crumpet" is the second offering in the marvelous "Royal Tunbridge Wells Mystery" series written by Ron and Janet Benrey. Once again, the Benreys allow us to share the adventures of Nigel Owens and Flick Adams, the director and the curator of the Royal Tunbridge Wells Tea Museum in Tunbridge Wells, England.

While tending to some rather sick Assam bushes in the museum's garden, a body is uncovered. It turns out to be the remains of Britain's noted "Tea Sage," Etienne Makepeace, missing for forty years. When news gets out that the famous tea expert has been found, the media descend like locusts upon the hapless museum staff. As Nigel and Flick try valiantly to handle the situation, the bank that funds the museum threatens to withdraw their support, appalled by the unwelcome notoriety. Nigel and Flick, who are falling in love, must discover just how Makepeace found his way into their garden. It is clear that solving the mystery might be their only chance to save the museum. But the secrets that may have led to the tea expert's early demise are not the love struck pair's only problem. They each house their own deeply held secrets. The real mystery lies not only in the truth about Etienne Makepeace but in the ability of the wily sleuths to handle the truth about each other.

Written in a style reminiscent of Agatha Christie, this cozy is a mystery lover's delight. Nigel's British sensibilities create the perfect foil for his American partner's lovable spontaneity. "The Final Crumpet" is a novel that requires a cozy fire, a comfy chair, and a delicious cuppa. It is highly recommended.

This was a book I could not put down until I had finished reading
it. An excellent book with elements of history, exploration,
archaeology, forensics, and mystery, all concerning the courageous and tragic Franklin expedition. I was inspired to read this book after seeing Sir Franklin's
epitaph in Westminster Abbey: "Not Here, The Frozen North Doth
Have thy Bones. And Thou Heroic Sailor Soul Travels Onward
Toward No Earthly Pole."

I have read many, many books on Arctic Exploration and Franklin's "lost" expedition and found this to be one of the best. The photos are hard to look at and yet haunting. Franklin's mens saga is one of the great real life mystery story ever.

This book is very interestings because lets you understand how corageous were people more then hundred years ago. Life was completely different and you feel that difference. I would say, people went to an expedition, almost knowing they were not coming back. This makes you wonder.

I first bought this book in the UK, read it and re-read it a number of times. I originally had no interest in this subject, but now, due to the excellent presentation, I find myself thinking of the hardships those men went through. I moved to the US and left the book behind. I now find myself desperately seeking a copy. That is the impact of this book. It's images will stay with the reader for the rest of their lives.

This book was great and I hope you will check it out! It gave great detail to the 1984-6 expeditions headed by Owen Beattie that searched into the fatal artic expedition of 1845. In 1845, Sir John Franklin, known for his previous polar exploration, took two ships and 128 crew members into the icy north. Their goal was to find a northwest passage above Canada, but nobody ever heard from them again. Many have tried to solve the mystery, and much information has been handed down through time, but Beattie's group was the first which found traces of lead poisoning, which led them to believe that faulty food containers may have added to the loss of the men from these expedition. The most interesting thing about the book is the detailed explanations of exhuming the graves of three sailors from Sir Franklin's failed attempt. Pictures add to the excitement and looking into the frozen faces of men who died 150 years ago, excite the imagination. You will also be left with a feeling of sadness at the terrible fate of those men and all who perished with them in the arctic wilderness. May they rest in peace.

It's a lucid account of some Gnostic groups who were active in the early centuries of Christianity.

What I have perceived as a flaw is the total lack of links with the great variety of sacred texts which were circulating at the time and which were surely read and debated by the various groups. In other words, who read what? So, on this premise, it can't be considered as an academic work but, probably, the author didn't want to write for this kind of audience.

All in all, it can be considered as a valid sort of narrative, since it's well written and flows smoothly.

This book has in its first sections a quite well-done introduction to early Gnostic principles and metaphysics, as well as meditations on what little is known of the first "fathers" of the Gnosis such as Simon Magus. These are presented not as dry, scholarly text, but more of a speculative account bound together with enthralling prose.

In later parts, however, the author becomes increasingly hung-up on the practices of certain groups of supposed Gnostic disciples whose actual adherence to Gnostic teaching is questionable at best. More serious scholars like Mead are quick to discount the accounts of feticidal and orgiastic rites as either total fabrications by anti-heretical authors, or as the practice of only a few, marginalized followers who would have been more harshly berated by other Gnostics (who were often real ascetics) than by the orthodox church.

It cannot be seen as entirely the author's fault that the religion is presented in this skewed perspective however, as most of the surviving writings on Gnosticism are those of proto-Catholic apologists like Irenaeus. Naturally, these writings aimed more to repulse the reader than present the facts. All in all, I still recommend this book for those interested in beginning study of Gnosticism due to readability and breadth of material covered. Just bear in mind the two thousand year-old pitfall the author fails to recognize.

Beautifully written reflection on how far man's mind can take him into the dark. Not all early Gnostics came to these dire conclusions, but certainly a great many did. Any thinking soul, not enslaved by some power-mad political machine or God-crazed religious system, can hardly be blamed for seeing life in all its terrible manifestations of sorrow and horror as somehow "evil," or "lost," or "less." No mystic sees life this way, and gnosis itself is a mystic's adventure. Gnosis is waking up. Gnosis is "knowing" with a direct certainty that makes such things as Christians believe perfect twaddle, and makes the teachings of Gnosticism (grown thorny with endless thinking, and without the mind-expanding experience of actual gnosis itself) sad, self-defeating, and unnecessary.

I would imagine the French, gloomy existentialists, or at least posing as gloomy existentialists, would understand the basic tenets of Gnosticism easily. Not so any who had experienced actual gnosis, or enlightenment. The world is an illusion, it is what we make of it. It is not, as Gnosticism teaches, a place we have, poor us, fallen into, in which we find ourselves helpless and trapped. And yet, I admire the thinking. It's certainly finer thinking that Augustine ever did, benighted soul that he was. And it is all a product of thinking...not "knowing." More than that, I admire the stand against the vicious Christian majority who cut these people down as if they were weeds.

Other than that, this book was written almost 30 years ago and scholarship has come a fair way since then. Lacarriere assumes the early Gnostics took some of their elements from the "Christian gospels." This might very well be the reverse...that Christians took symbolic Gnostic gospels literally, and made of them what we think of as Christianity today.

...you will benefit from this "forbidden fruit." If you are aware that so much of what passes for truth is in fact so much wishful thinking, conditioning, and convenience, then you will enjoy this history. Read beyond the initial discussion of Gnostic metaphysics, and by book's end you may well have an enhanced perspective of some of the greatest questions of all.

This is an excellent essay written with a somewhat literary style. The information it offers is fascinating, provided one has an open mind. I enjoyed reading it and have reread it several times over the past few years.

This book is amazing. The pictures are absolutely breathtaking. Schatz's pictures are unique and varied - switching from elegant and erotic to surreal and abstract and back again. The book is really large, so the pictures get a chance to really stand out and allow the viewer to examine them in detail. I think a smaller format would have taken away from the impact of the photos, so I'm glad the publisher chose this size. Each page could be its own print. The price of the book is absolutely worth it.

This book is great for artistic reference, and has a very classical quality to it. The unique approach of using water in each photograph is a nice touch, but not the strength of the work. Great photography and subject matter.

Howard Schatz has created another beautiful underwater photography compilation of female models. The subject matter is similar to his two prior underwater books, Pool Light and Water Dance. Some photographs were taken from Cirque du Soleil performers in the show "O". The picture composition is excellent as the models appear weightless in the water and the lighting is perfect. This book is great for the coffee table and for serious collectors of color photography.

H2O exemplifies a master artisan working at the height of his powers. Howard Schatz showcases once again his unparalleled genius in capturing the elegance of the human form. And short of attending Cirque du Soleil tripping on peyote, this work is unlike anything you'll ever experience again. It's one of those rare publications that literally transport the viewer into another realm; a dreamworld where beautiful, swanlike models float like angels in a surreal water ballet. Where reality is twisted into some sort of magical, impressionistic state of being. Refracted light, color, even the airy magnificence of water bubbles all go into engineering each impossibly delicate image.

It's no secret nor a coincidence that Schatz uses professional dancers, ballerinas, and athletes to populate his underwater stage - few others could so gracefully perform the unimaginably beautiful feats that construct this work.

For all its variety, this collection has one underlying theme: water. The most dramatic photos in the collection are like the cover shot, dancers floating underwater. The amazing results shown here come from an equally amazing adventure in developing the techniques for taking these pictures.

In most of the photos, the artist and model both release their breath underwater until the air in their lungs no longer floats them to the surface. Then, the model is free to pose in ways that would be impossible in air. The model need not worry about balance or support against gravity, true. The water has subtler effects on the figure, too - for example, breasts float, giving them higher, rounder forms than gravity normally allows. Schatz's one zoftig model, Alexandra Beller, has the curves to show that effect in the most striking way. And, as the cover shows, hair and gauzy drapes can reach a flowing lightness that just isn't possible elsewhere.

Schatz found that dancers, and very few others, could work as his models. For one thing, they had the muscle knowledge and physical skill to use weightlessness effectively - after all, hadn't so many dancers been trying for that all along? For another, most women naturally bob to the top of pool. Dancers and other athletes typically have more lean mass, so can reach netural buoyancy much more easily.

Although the free-floating forms caught my attention most firmly, Schatz uses water on other ways, too. Its reflective surface, whether seen from above or below, creates baffling mirror-pairs of arms or legs that pierce that surface. Underwater bubbles or above-water droplets adorn the models, and bubble-trails create unearthly auras. Then to push his imagery even farther from the world of gravity, Schatz somtimes rotates or inverts his photos. In a few, the model faces her rippled reflection in the water's surface - but the image is turned so the surface of the pool appears to be a vertical plane.

It's a stunning collection, and not just because of the gorgeous figure studies. Schatz has done something truly new: he has freed the figure from gravity, and in doing so he has changed the shape of the figure itself.

-- wiredweird

I first read this book in college, having already read the author's "Poetic Diction" (and having had an experience reading it like the author's experience of awakening from a spell on first reading Romantic poetry). "Saving the Appearances" was stranger and even more thrilling, but I think I wasn't really able or willing to take it in at that time. Later, after reading Norman O. Brown's astonishing "Love's Body," and finding references to it, I went back to "Saving the Appearances" with more peace of heart and sat with it for longer periods.

Nothing could have seemed weirder or more exotic at that time than the suggestion that Catholic Christianity--Anglican, Roman, Eastern Orthodox or otherwise--had something profound and urgent to teach our generation, something quite different from what Buddhism had to teach, something about a dimension of reality about which Buddhism had not chosen to speak. It seemed to me then, as it still does now, many years later, one of the handful of truly important books published in the last century on the topic of "Christology," the heart of Christian existence.

Did he owe these insights to Rudolf Steiner? To the circle of Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien? To his own spiritual experiences? I never followed up on these questions, though the book still seems to me a great treasure.

It taught me a perspective which I think we've scarcely yet begun to understand, although Norman O. Brown (and UC Santa Cruz) & others before him and after him have tried to bring it before our spaced out attention and to map its landscapes--a perspective through time, through history, a history of "geist" or "consciousness."

Is that mysterious time two millennia past merely a late entry in the unfolding of the axial age? Or was it the earliest sign of another age, a first light too long hid beneath a "sacred" bushel that we still have not entirely lifted and set aside? Did Jesus set in motion the gradual arrival of something like a second axial age? an age of incarnational mysticism? a trinitarian age?

I feel grateful to Owen Barfield for this small book that helped to light a path for me through dark times to some recovery of a hope in love & love's body. And to some recovery of trust in the world-shattering, world-disclosing emancipatory power of words.

One of the most unduly under-appreciated books of the second half of the 20th century.

I felt that Barfield made some very good, interesting, arguments especially concerning the "views of the world" as they existed prior to our own in history, the structure of language, the meaning of religion, philosophy and the ideas of participation which he expounded throughout the book.

I also had some difficulty in following some of the concepts, Barfield appeared to write in an old style no doubt due to his classical education, the book being written in the earlier half of the 20th century. I felt some elucidation of his concepts such as "the unrepresented", "alpha-thinking" etc could have been deeper and more fully described. His ideas of collective representaion is sound athough it is certainly his deep thinking about the way people thought about the world or what the world meant to them which are the highlights of the book. He very correctly criticises the "normal" approach taken when talking about ancient or older literature/writing. It is pointed out that the "obvious" world view now popular is not necessarily that practised in earlier times, even the way a text must be interpreted/seen is a context dependent activity, where, by context we mean the world view present at the time; such as how a person of the middle ages saw the physical aspects of the world eg a stone faling, a bird flying etc. For these arguments alone the book should be commended. The idea relating to participation is also relevant especially the divisions of original and final participation and the "scientific age" in between. Barfield does not merely accept the popularly held belief the ancients had it all wrong but rather looks at why the ancients thought the way they did, they were human beings like us and ceratinly not unintelligent as the writings of Aristotle, Plato, St Augustine, Giordano Bruno etc etc demonstrate.

There is much that is commendable in Saving the Appearances", far more than is not, but given the comments above one does feel that Barfield leads up to a way of thought he considers correct or more correct than any other through his own subjective beliefs which appear to colour the development of his ideas mainly near the end of the book. In other words although everyone has such a way of looking at the world to some degree, Barfield appears to bring it to the fore as a seeming be all and end all and a view not extendable or changable into something better. In this way one progresses through the book from an enlightened stance in the criticism and then the development of his own ideas to an almost Catholic worldview which superficially appears the culmination of the earlier development but is in fact an addendum to the truly original ideas mentioned earlier.

Very good investigation into the history of world views.

I finish this book thinking that it might have changed my life; if it has, I might not know it, since I don't understand lots of it, but I find my mind going back to play with the concepts, like an emerging tooth, probing just where my ignorance hurts, trying to tug the sure worthwhile thing out of the sting.

Barfield writes a history of consciousness from undifferentiation to differentiation. At first, humanity perceived themselves at one with all things (he names it, eventually, pantheism). Then, humans began to separate items out of that indiscriminate morass and think about them. Next, humans began to compile these various meditations into patterns. This necessarily separates the humans themselves from the things they analyze. We feel alienated from the world, individual. This is about where we are presently on the history of consciousness.

Barfield proposes, as best I understand it (and I write this review for myself as well, to nail these things to my memory), that only by the imaginative capacity, the creation of meaning (from within the human by the Spirit of God), can we achieve full participation in and unity with what we perceive around us, a mature participation of true knowledge, not the blind instinctive participation of the older time. We are evolving toward this final, spiritual participation--the sanctified imagination. At the same time, we fight off the tendency to create dead perceptions of reality and call them idols.

Those who object to this prescription as an element foreign to Barfield's more religiously innocuous historical commentary would do well to consider why Barfield believes humans originally participated with the world--we and nature are both perceptions of the Divine, and therefore related.

The terms are rather hazy in the book; this isn't my discipline, and I was still trying to decipher some bedrock vocabulary by page 127 (which is a very good page and clarified some things for me, although I spent a disproportionate amount of time on it). It's a mercilessly difficult read. Barfield does crack a joke in the second chapter; see if you can find it. Otherwise, matters are a bit murky, chiefly because of his terminology, which for definition relies on an equally opaque context.

Questions which remain for me: what exactly are idols? I'll have to read the book again sometime to find out. I understand (better) how the human race has evolved in consciousness as we relate to the world around us---how does this theory apply to our social relationships with other humans (and God)?

At any rate, this metanarrative carves a tremendous amount of sense from ancient, medieval, church, Romantic, scientific, and modern worldviews, and in some ways anticipates the postmodern, although I do not think Barfield would have predicted it or considered it an evolutionary advance. Consciousness is perhaps the fundamental issue of human existence. This book, despite its difficulty, explains consciousness better than anything else I've seen (which, I admit, may not say much for my outside reading).

I first ran across this book in a seminary course back in the mid -70's. I realized then that it gave me an intellectual handle on the basic religious thought process. It became foundational for me in my understanding of how we religious folk see our world and function in it. I think it is a terrific book for introducing people to one of the most basic principles of "religious thinking," if not to one of the most basic principles of cultural and social thought. It does have its drawbacks. I mean the author was English and has a fairly definite "Western" world-view, but once you get past that his basic approach is very useful as an introduction to what makes religious people "tick!" I highly recommend it!