Watson Books

This is one of our families favorite books. My 16 month old son just loves it. In simple, flowing sentences and wonderfully painted portraits, the beauty in each and every person is made evident. And best of all is the mirror on the last page that asks, "what is beautiful about you?"

Finding the beauty in yourself is a gift that this book bestows...Maryjean and David Avery help all people celebrate...celebrate how beautiful each and every person is by giving this book...I give it to celebrate newborns, and those awfully hard 30, 40 & 50 milestones!!!!

What's the Big Idea? Follows in the style of Joyce Raimondo's other books in this series. I teach art education on a college level and use her books as a way to help my students understand that when you are creating art with children it is not just the activity or experience of making art that is fundamental. It is the balance that comes from discussions of looking at art that provides open ended thinking and questioning that prepares students to be creative. It is a process that encourages risk taking and validates expression in art.

From a mixed-up green face to a mobile that changes, abstract art is explored for kids using a little under fifty pages of full color art blended with questions and ideas for children ages 5-12. From easy art projects supporting art examples to color pictures of works by famous artists, WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA? ACTIVITIES AND ADVENTURES IN ABSTRACT ART is a winning art survey.

Bruce Allen Watson takes up a gauntlet that few professional full-time military historians would dare to touch. He treads that razor thin line of acceptability between military history and sociology, and in this offering he does so successfully. The result is a book that is a worthy addition to a professional military leader's library. Unfortunately the price attached to the book by the publisher makes this impractical for many that should own the work.
Several sociologists have attempted analysis of the profession of arms in the past; their works are of varying degrees of merit. The weaknesses of pure sociology when applied to warfare stem partially from a lack of rigorous historical studies cited to support the theories they put forward. Watson manages to avoid the pitfalls of many of the sociologists while at the same time incorporating the best of their ideas into a single work. As a multidisciplinary study this book is far better than most. Watson's topic alone ensures that the book has something new to offer. There are hundreds of books that study victory, several works studying military defeats, but almost none directly address the causes of the various massacres and related destructive orgies that sometimes find their way into traditional military histories under the innocuous title of "incidents."
Watson recognizes that there are "individuals who fall off the edge of acceptable conduct" while in combat. Yet this blanket explanation does not seem sufficient for him to explain the behavior of groups of men. He suggests that the aberrant behavior of some units in combat may be the result of the social disintegration of groups of men involved in the environment of combat. Following this thesis Watson offers six case studies from military history. These cases range from the massacre of innocent civilians (The Indian Mutiny of 1757, the Sand Creek Colorado Massacre of 1864, and the My Lai IV Massacre of 1968) to the mass surrender/defeat/mutiny of large units (French Army 1917, 106th ID (US) Battle of the Bulge, 1944) to the uncontrolled looting and subsequent disintegration of a unit following a siege (San Sebastian, 1813). While none of these studies derive from research in primary sources, and several contain minor errors or extremely broad generalizations, all of them are generally solid works of secondary history. Their primary value lies in the support they offer to Watson's theory.
Watson believes that four factors form a common thread in changing groups of men from military units into "crowds." These four factors are the failure of leadership, the collapse of the primary groups, and two sociologically defined processes known as "alienation" and "desperation." Once a military unit transitions to the condition of "crowd" it is, according to Watson, susceptible to collective behavior that might include the spontaneous emergence of new, alternative organizational forms, values and beliefs. The result, in some cases, is behavior that is contrary to the organizational goals and values of the military overall. Despite the apparent "touchy-feely" potential of the approach, if not the subject matter, Watson's greatest triumph here is that he brings complex theories down to the level of comprehension of the average reader. That alone is a feat in the notoriously complex field of sociology. This is a good book.

In this very readable work Watson analyses campaigns from the Siege of Jerusalem (1099) through Sand Creek, Colorado, to My Lai, Vietnam, to discover the elements which transform a military formation into a crowd, with predictably dismal results.
The author identifies failure of leadership, the collapse of primary groups, alienation, (with feelings of meaninglessness and powerlessness), and, finally, desperation as the components of disintegration, and examines each in turn to shed much-needed light on this hitherto neglected subject.
Finally, Watson notes that military organizations' handling of these occurances is characterized by trivialization, cover-up, and denial, and suggests that the moral dilemma will be carried into the future because of the disinclination of forces to face the ever-present possibility of disintegration.
(The numerical rating above is a default setting within Amazon's format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

This was a wonderful little book and like many other Japanese novels such as Junichiro Tanizaki's The Makioka Sisters very litle seems to actually happen. The thing it alot does happen One just has to search for the happenings in the elegent words of Mori Ogai. At first it seems that the main character of the book is the Narrator's best friend Okada who is a wel liked medical student. we soon learn that Okada has been noticed by and is noticing a beautiful woman named Otama who is in fact a mistress of Suezo a money lender. The main character, however, seems to be Otama. We see her gpoo through evert day trying to figure out how to talk the man she loves. It is pretty much that simple, but the reader is deeply affected by this book. I know I was, and i'll never eat makerel boiled in miso

One small incident CAN be made into an entire novel, as Ogai Mori shows us here. The actual action in The Wild Goose is quite small, even insignificant. But the way Ogai informs us of every thought of every character more than makes up for it. What I found to be truly compelling was the point of view -- the narrator is the best friend of Okada, one of the main characters. Just when it appears that the narrator knows way too much about what Otama (the girl) was thinking, he goes and leaves us with a mystery at the end that brings about what I thought was excellent closure. I would say that the main theme of this novel is "zero reciprocity" -- those of the characters who are in love are never truly loved back, like Otama, who silently longs for Okada, or even Suezo, the man who has taken Otama for his mistress. In this novel, people lie, people cheat, people hide the truth. And people never say what they truly feel. Just like real life. An excellent story.

The author and designer of this book has a great sense of humor. Her designs are realistic and her technique is simple and easy to understand. Gone is the pressure to be perfect because nature is not perfect. The color plates give excellent ideas on use of the various line drawings. Designs are presented so they may be mixed to create a realistic flower garden appearance.

The applique designs are lovely, realistic, and disarmingly simple. Watch out for small applique pieces. The individual flower designs seem to me to work better than the larger composition pieces shown, but all in all a refreshing new look.

Great book, easy to follow instructions for beginner or advanced.

I am not a big fan of buttonhole applique. This book has changed my mind and that if a few of my students. Jean Wells has created some beautiful, sophisticated designs. Her use of fabrics is inspiring. My favorite is the Forest Friends Quilt, which is shown in two different colorways, each giving it a whole new look.

This book is BEAUTIFUL! Not your typical quilt project book - this is filled with so much more! The project directions were easy to follow and the quilts lovely. Added features included winery information; tasting party ideas; recipes; crafts; and even listings of wineries and quilt shops in various regions of the country. Reading through the book, I felt like I was THERE in the wine country with the author. Very informative and interesting to see how the author combined her love of quilting with her new love of "Wine Country".

These nature-inspired quilts comprising Wine Country Quilts are truly gorgeous productions which focus on the outdoors and provide fifteen nature-inspired quilting projects, from easy pieced works to fusible-web designs and mini-quilts. The dual focus on American winemaking regions and vineyard quilts inspired form these traditions makes for an impressive collection which is as visually appealing as it is inviting and recommended to both avid beginners and experienced quilters.

Judy Chicago, feminist and more importantly, artist, colaborates a book with author and art critic, Edward Lucie Smith (Symbolist Art), on the history of women artist and women in art.

In a world like today, one might not understand the detest Degas had for women in some of his works (women bathing) which were to be women in humiliating situations. Or some of Picasso's pieces, (unless you know his history with women).

These and other "masterpieces" are applauded for their medium, composition, color, while the underlining message seems to get absorbed innocently into our society. Judy Chicago brutally points these out and makes us face perhaps how art could have had played a negative part in women in society throughout history.

I've enjoyed reading about the different feminist art that was happening at the age I was jumping rope. To have been a part of this would have been revolutionary. I thank all the women who've used their artisitc abilities to express the injustices women have been (and are currently) faced with.

I did, however, need to remove the jacket cover from this book. I'm not sure it this was meant to be ironic, but it deffinately sparked the curiousity of my ten year old son...

Judy Chicago and Edward Lucie-Smith's Women In Art considers why so much art by women finds so little public recognition. From images chosen by female artists to how men portray and perceive women's works, this provides an important study by an artist and art historian who select and analyze images of women by both male and female artists from throughout Western art history.

For all of us with enough money to buy computers and order books over them, this compilation of tales is a lesson in humility. Through translation and loving care the author has illuminated the lives and traditions of women that Westerners would normally never meet. The approach of these Egyptians, who have almost nothing, to life, family, children and friendship is a lesson to those of us who are better off.

How many of us are like the "Foolish Beetle"? We run around in circles, wasting our energy complaining about how hard life is, how hungry we are. We are so busy being miserable that we miss the juicy grubs in our path or the delicious dung heep that would feed our families for a week.

I loved the book. I loved the references to the zar and the Islamic spirit world. I loved the bonds of friendship that existed among these women, who often only had each other for support. I enjoyed how the author told the woman's life story and then followed it by her "tale". But what I loved most was how these women faced such adversity - with hope, compasion and a wonderful sense of humor.

This thoughtful and perceptive ethnography of women's lives is one of the best examples of ethnographic experimentation around. It attempts a new style formed around a coherent vision of what anthropology is about

I was elated to peruse this user-friendly guide to making the most imaginative and beautiful creations I've ever seen in print. Each project includes a detailed list of materials and equipment needed and step by step instructions.

The author includes full page color photographs of garlands, wreaths, table centerpieces, citrus fruit rings and other splendid creations, too numerous to mention.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in creating high-end wreaths for that special occasion.

I was elated to peruse this user-friendly guide to making the most imaginative and beautiful creations I've ever seen in print. Each project includes a detailed list of materials and equipment needed and step by step instructions.

The author includes full page color photographs of garlands, wreaths, table centerpieces, citrus fruit rings and other splendid creations, too numerous to mention.

I highly recommend this to anyone interested in creating high-end wreaths for that special occasion.