Robertson Books

As an early music scholar and enthusiast, I find, unfortunately, that too many scholarly books on the subject are overpriced and frightfully boring. Not this one! Author Anne Walters Robertson expounds not only on the structure of Guillaume de Machaut's work, but on the mystical side - and answers the often-pondered question of why a celibate priest like Guillaume would produce a huge body of poems and songs about passionate, romantic love. This is one of the few Cambridge University Press books (and I have consulted a lot of them) that I could actually sit down and read - and not only learn from it, but enjoy it as well. Congratulation to author Robertson for producing such a fine volume!

I am just finishing up this book in preparation for presenting new insights into Machaut's Motets to my colleagues in a doctoral level choral literature seminar. In short, this book is a brilliant contribution to our understanding of the works of Machaut, and a must have for any serious student of the Middle Ages, especially musicologists.

Dr. Robertson's strikingly clear and original points are firmly supported by her familiarity with an exceptionally large and significant number of sources from that time. It is abundantly clear that she knows what she's talking about, and, indeed, what she knows is a great deal.

Additionally, it is apparent that Dr. Robertson possesses that rare gift found in only the finest of scholars: the ability to organize and convey her ideas with a clarity and vitality that is both riviting and a delight to read.

One hopes this is only one of several such landmark offerings in the history of music and culture that this exceptional scholar is capable of bequeathing the world.

For a whole host of reasons, this book belongs on your shelf.

Douglas Thompson
Tucson, AZ

This is a great book. My son first read it at school and wanted a copy of his own. We read it and read it and I still don't tire of it.

Hieronymous Betts has a large menagerie of strange mixed beasts as pets. From his slugapotamus to his whatchamacallit, we are introduced to an array of disgustingly fun pets. But Hieronymous knows of something even stranger--his brother! As a celebration of the absurd and the joy of brothers, children will enjoy rereading this book over and over to study the strange beasts and relive the surprise ending. A lighthearted romp through the imagination with an ending full of brotherly love.

Highly recommended.

Pair with another new release with a more serious tone:
Mixed Beasts
illustrated by Wallace Edwards
verses by Kenyon Cox

Rockoff gives a brilliant account of the history of the American Economy and is possibly the best American economic historian in US history.

This is definitely the best introductory book there is on the subject. This was a supplemental book for an undergraduate class of mine, but I read it anyway. The authors lucid writing allows this book to be thoroughly understood by all readers despite their backround in economics. I truly believe that this book should be required reading for all history, political science, finance, sociology, and economics majors.

Unlike most books on the history of anything, this book starts from the beginning. The authors start off discussing explorers and empires and then go into colonization. Extremely informative on the economics of different regions in colonial America and the Industrial Revolution.

Any horse lover like me will never be able to put this one down. An endless amount of awesome pictures, cool facts, and other $hit like that really do make this book THE HORSE LOVER'S COMPANION!

Filled with beautiful illustrations and amazing facts about horses, this is the ultiate guide to people who are crazy about horses. It's kind of like a calder in abook used to keep dates and records, but it is also filled with pictures, facts and tales about who else? HORSES! HORSES RULE!

This information provided as LCCI description is incorrect. Table Of Contents: The Art of Dancing, The First Step, The Fox Trot, The Waltz & its variations, The Rumba, The Mambo, The Cha-Cha, The Tango, The Samba, The Merengue, Swing, Rock N Roll, Dance Secrets, Dance Etiquette, Dancing for Children. Drawings, diagrams.

Arthur Murray is perhaps the most acclaimed teacher of dance technique EVER. This book offers detailed text, illustrations and diagrams on a wide variety of basic and unique dance styles. A very usueful instructional/reference book!!

I am a friend of the Author Dan Robertson. And I own his book. It is halarious. He is a brilliant man and has some funny cartoons in it. Everyone should own this book.

This is definitely quality humor. I'm so tired of magazines and newspapers being flooded with dull humor. This book is great for hunters and any other cartoon enthusiasts. It's rare to look in an Outdoor Life magazine or Hunter magazine and see a cartoon that is funny. I loved this book and hope Dan and Ron put out another one, or something that has all sorts of cartoons targeted to everyone. I recommend this book to every hunter, fisher and outdoor enthusiast out there. This is the best stuff since Gary Larsen. Thanks Dan and Ron.

The latest title in the Reader's Digest "Pathfinders" series for young readers, Insects And Spiders incorporates six paths to learning: Visual Section Opener (stimulates curiosity); Inside Story (puts a human face on important scientific discoveries); Hands On (describes projects and activities for an interactive approach to learning); Word Builders (delves into the fascinating history of words and phrases); That's Amazing! (highlights extraordinary facts and figures); Pathfinder (provides creative cross-references to other pages, enabling children to let their interest guide them through this 64 page, full color, impressively illustrated and informative book). Another highly recommended "Pathfinder" title from Reader's Digest Children's Publishing for home, school, and community libraries is Earthquakes And Volcanoes.

I'd say the illustrations are fantastic! And I think the book is fascinating. I really think you should look at the beetle picture page. You can learn a lot about different insects and bugs by reading this book. I think it is the best book I have read. Matt, age 8.

I have read and "studied" several of Mr.Kunstler's books and enjoyed them all.I particularly enjoy the artists comments as to why he does some of the things the way he does.This book is different in that his art is not accompanied by his explanations but by another writer's text.This text is very good and really brings out the personalities of these great characters.As one who believes that it is important to understand the personalities of the people involved if one is to understand why things happened the way they did;this is very well done.
As to the title of my review;I find eyes fascinating.The first thing I look at in Mr.Kunstler's paintings is the eyes.Let me point out Confederate Sunset on pg.56 both Lee's and Jackson's eyes are very beady and staring resulting in them looking like figures in a wax museum;giving the painting a posed and unnatural feeling.Other examples are of Jackson on pages 38and 40.Note the difference in Jackson's eyes on page44.Another thing I like to study is how some paintings look very stiff,posed almost like a diorama in a museum,eg.The Return of Stuart on pg.126.Compare this to The Last Council on pg.102 which is so realistic. Am I alone in seeing this aspect of Mr.Kunstler's work?

Outstanding compilation of information, and the best images of primiere Civil War artist Mort Kunstler. A "must have" for all serious students of the American Civil War.

This book is short, but it integrates two diferents area as mathematics and phycology. The author makes a comparation between mathematical vision and phycological vision about the world, the integrating medium of these visions are the archetypes which exists as platonic ideals in mathematics and as collective unconcious in the people.

Drawing on the initial concept advanced by Pythagoras that reality is number and Plato's later theory that there exist a world of perfect ideas which transcends the world we live in, the author sketches the scientific advances made from the Renaissance through the 20th century. He skillfully explains Descartes' geometry, the calculus of Newton and Leibniz, Cantor's theory of infinite sets, Freud's theory of personality, Jung's model of the psyche, and Godel's Incompleteness Theorems. Utilizing the above mentioned background material, Robertson then explains how Jung and Godel both posited that a Platonic world of ideas (archetypes) exist beyond physical reality and the inner world of the psyche. And his well reasoned conclusion is that these archetypes are Pythagoras' simple counting numbers. This is a marvelous and thought provoking book which is also readable. A must buy for anyone interested in mathematics, psychology, philosophy, or archetypes.

Excellent book to teach kids woodworking. Well organized so you can just have fun with them.

NAILING DOWN A HOLIDAY PRESENT FOR THE YOUNG CARPENTER ON YOUR LIST

A family partnership has waved a magic wand over how-to books and brought out a present not only for the holiday season, but for all year long -- "The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids & Parents to Build Together."

"We hope to share enough tips, give enough good advice, and create enough enthusiasm to allow parents and children to develop basic carpentry skills," Barbara Robertson, former director of education at the Williams College Museum of Art, said of her book.

With her husband J. Craig, an experienced carpenter, and her daughters Camille and Allegra, the family has come up with projects to help children master basic woodworking, beginning at age six with adult supervision.

"Most kids can learn to hammer at age six and our kids could use saws by age seven. Eight-year-olds can do a beautiful job with simple power tools like drills, as long as a parent is right there working with them," she said in an interview with The Sacramento Bee.

While some parents don't allow children to use tools, hoping to avoid blackened fingernails and Band-Aids, this also means that many children don't get to master the use of simple tools at a young age.

The first section of the book, "Setting up Shop: Getting to Know Your Tools," introduces beginners to basic woodworking. Robertson covers hammering to block planing, and introduces simple projects to reinforce those skills.

The second section, "Down to Business: Building Your Own Projects," offers 12 kid-friendly projects from simplest to most challenging. Burgeoning carpenters begin with string art, a project that builds nailing technique, and progress to full-size lemonade stands and puppet theaters.

The book is written in clear, precise language that is accessible to both children and adults.

Robertson's upbeat instructions are interspersed with tips addressed to parents. Robertson's daughter Camille addresses her tips to kids. There is an emphasis on safety, creativity, and experimentation.

"Everything gets nailed backward the first time. The trick is knowing how to take a nail out and start over again," Robertson says. "Mistakes are part of the learning process. Making them helps kids learn that mistakes are OK as long as you don't give up."

"The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together" is published by Storey Kids. It is available on amazon.com.

Robertson directed the Williams College Museum of Art's education department for more than a decade. She coordinated hands-on workshops, community outreach programs, museum tours, and installations. Under her leadership, the museum was recognized with the 2000 Distinguished Cultural Institution Award from the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education for its "instructional excellence and innovative approaches to art education."