Watson Books

I have enjoyed reading the young adult Star Wars books. I've read many Young Jedi Knight books and loved them. I also enjoyed reading this book. My favorite section was the first one with Dooku as a Padawan. Finally, this book was just the right length for me.

This book gave a really good look at Dooku. He is, in my opinion, a very unexplored character and the two stories with him in them really added more to his character.

The part with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan was excellent as well. I think my favorite part of the whole book was the little scene where they had their conversation about Qui-Gon not always knowing what Obi-Wan was thinking and Obi-Wan still being hungry after not being able to finish his meal. (Or something like that, it's been awhile since I've read that part.) I don't know why but this part just kind of hit something and it seemed very sweet.

The part with Anakin was enjoyable too. Anakin is one of my least favorite characters but his role in this book was still good.

And of course the reoccuring character whose name I can't remember at this exact moment. (Again, it's been awhile) He added a lot to the overall story and by the end you loved and you hated him.

All the way around, this was a satisfying read.

i LOVE this book! i am glad i liked it, due to the fact that i spent my 10th birthday money on it! you don't have to be a kid to enjoy this book!

This book is an excellent insight into the life of a Jedi student and Knight. If you're one of the fans who likes to picture themselves with a lightsaber, this book will help you make it clearer.
The stories of how each Padawaan is phychologicly affected by their masters, such as Qui-gon's feelings on betrayel. Also gives a good description of the rebirth of Qui-Gon and Obi Wan's reconnection (See other Jude Watson novels).
Also gives good details of the Clone Wars and Anakin's renewed attitude since Episode II.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I'm well over the suggested age range. I've read many of Watson's books to my 7-year-old son, who's under the suggested age range, and we've both gotten hooked on them. I like the character bits and dialogue; he likes the fight scenes!

This one is divided into 4 sections, each focusing on a different generation of Jedi. The first is about Dooku as a Padawan, the second is about Dooku as a Knight with Qui-Gon as his Padawan, the third covers Qui-Gon as master with Obi-Wan as his Padawan, and the fourth is set in the early stages of the Clone Wars with Obi-Wan and Anakin. Linking them all together is a character who appears in all four sections, a onetime friend of Dooku's named Lorian Nod who has several run-ins with the Jedi.

Watson is a master of characterization and what I enjoyed most about this book was getting to see what Dooku was like at age 13, what he was like later on as Qui-Gon's master, and some of the events that shaped his life. Even more fun was seeing a young Qui-Gon and the early manifestations of his reserve, his rebellious nature and his compassionate desire to help beings whom no one else will help. One gets a sense of how difficult it must have been for Qui-Gon to have been Dooku's apprentice, given Qui-Gon's strong living force connection and Dooku's almost total lack of empathy for other beings.

Part four was a mixed bag for me. I loved the scene where Obi-Wan was rude to Lorian Nod in the Jedi Council room. It's such unusual behavior for Obi-Wan, and yet it was completely in character. But the ending of the book kind of fizzled out for me; I was expecting a bigger payoff out of the redemption storyline and the ending felt rushed somehow.

But overall, this is a very fun and thought-provoking book. You have four generations of important Jedi from the movies, two of which will never stray from the Jedi path, and two of which will ultimately betray the Order and become Sith. If you are thoughtful about this sort of thing you can wonder, did events concerned with Lorian Nod cause Dooku to fall, or was he doomed to fall because he could never control his pride or even see it as a fault? And similarly, did Anakin fall because of the events in his life, or because Obi-Wan failed him, or because of inherent and unchangeable personality traits? The book doesn't answer these questions but it gives the reader plenty to think about.

There are 4 or 5 books in the Mercy Watson series now, all wonderful. My girls, 5 and 3, want me to read them to them every night. You can't go wrong.

I bought this book for my 1st grade daughter. She wanted chapter books. She is not too much interested in reading by herself but with this book not only she reads but she wants to keep reading to find more about the story. Plus the illustrations are nice and funny. I am on Amazon tonight to buy the other 3 books. In fact, I suggest buying this Mercy Watson: Princess in disguise first and if you like it then the box has the other 3 titles. Its more for K-1, it might be easy for 2nd graders. Hopefully the author will come out with more soon.

This is a great addition to the DiCamillo series for early readers. I've been recommending Mercy to every teacher and parent I know. Lots of humor, great story lines and characters, and delightful illustrations. A wonderful book for developing readers. More Mercy please.

Every parent/child should know Kate DiCamillo, a wonderful author with fabulous books. Mercy Watson books are so cute.

We loved this one so much that we went out to the library the next day to find the others. My son read them in no time and wanted to read them over again-something he hasn't wanted to do in a long time. Love it!!!!

BEST guide book you could ever want to have in your possession before, during and after your cruise!!!!
These guys really have done their research and we are glad they did so we could have a wonderful, relaxing and informative cruise.
Thanks!!!!!

This book was an excellent resource in planning my second Disney cruise. I like to research as much as possible before taking a vacation and this guide gave me lots of information I needed. I especially used the reveiws and ratings of the shore excursions to help select which ones were best for my family. They also offer great budget and planning information and offer a behind-the-scenes look at what fun activites there are to do on the ship. I would never have thought to participate in the treasure hunt on Castaway Cay without them. The links to other websites to find more information was also a big help. Finally, they have a great website where you can get the most recent updates to whatever your edition is missing and color downloads of the ships deck plans. Overall, it's an excellent resource!

Once again, Jennifer Watson and Dave Marx have done an outstanding job with the new edition of the Passporter Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line! This volume is comprehensive, informative and easy-to-use. The authors are genuine Disneyphiles and their affection for all things Disney is evident in every page of this book. However, they are not blind to its (few) flaws and are careful to let readers know aspects of their trips did not meet their standards. This book is very carefully researched, right down to which meals and restaurants are the best, which cabins are quietest, which cabins have "secret" portholes and which on-shore excursions are best value for the money. Readers will really appreciate their insider tips on how to get the most from their Disney cruise. And the information in the book is regularly updated on the authors' website. I have been vacationing at Disney for decades and Passporter has been my vacation guide ever since they started publishing it. You're going to be spending thousands of dollars on your Disney cruise...spend a few dollars more and you'll be investing in a book that will really help you get the most out of your vacation. Passporter is outstanding and worth every cent!

Don't bother buying both. This one is much more useful and easy to use. I agree with the comments above. Start your cruise early by buying this guide and really get the most for your money! I feel like it is stretching the experience and giving me a head start by familiarizing me with what to expect.

Do consider ditching your nice luggage for nylon totes/something easily compactable or at least nesting - we are bringing the ones we use to pack our camping gear in when we travel because they are thin, strong and hold a lot, plus they collapse completely and will take up much less space in our cabin.

As first-time cruisers, we had much to learn. This guide explains everything, answered all of my questions and provided a wonderful overview of the cruise. This book is a must if you're taking the Disney cruise!

What a refreshing way to introduce a person to watercolor painting! As a lifelong teacher I can appreciate the step by step, non-intimidating approach used by this author, and as a newbie to painting, I love the comfort level engendered. I have bought my supplies and cannot wait to begin. This would be a great gift for someone.

This book unwraps the path to creativity and joyful expression, savoring color and light, and making the making of art accessible to anyone. I was in tears just reading the first few pages. What's more, I was in action: I cleared an area so I would have an artist's corner; I got out my dusty water colors (put away in discouragement after my last university class in the medium), and started to experiment with paint. What fun! The author simply won't let us get stopped or stuck by the noises in our overly critical heads. This book is like an invitation to come out and play, and this is one playground I want to explore for a long time to come. I have no aspirations to become a professional artist, but having this kind of access to the creativity inside has affected every area of my professional and personal life. My family and clients thank you for who I am becoming. Thank you, Ann K. Lindsay, wherever you are. You've helped this coach and writer blast through artist's block.

I am a newcomer to painting and I found Ann K. Lindsay's Watercolor: A New Beginning to be extremely helpful! The book is full of information, presented in a way that those of us who don't have experience or education in art can understand. I found her teaching exercises to be both fun and useful. Linsay has a talent for encouraging the reader to tap into their own creativity, using water color as the means. I highly recommend this book for anyone wanting to explore the art of watercolor painting.

This book was a little too touchy-feely for me. It is a very basic book almost as if it was written for children. I will say that the illustrations are beautiful and very fanciful, but there aren't enough examples of actual paintings and too many examples of student's doodles.

Ms. Lindsay can really explain the basic "how to" in a simple easy to understand manner. At the same time she helps you really enjoy the learning experience, removing the frustration that you usually get from "self teaching" books...

This book is great for beginers and good for someone a little further along. It gives you most airbrush tricks that you'l need to paint whatever you want to paint.

... this is the one.

Covers the mechanical stuff more briefly than many, and has a nice section on fixing problems, including straightening a bent needle. Gets briskly on to the =use= of the thing, and runs a series of exercises to help you get the hang of techniques, including learning how to draw freehand. This guy is not hung up on anal-compulsive frisket cutting, but recommends a "universal mask" you can make out of a styrene or metal sheet that will do for a lot of work.

Service was great and the book was awesome. Answered every question I had and taught me things I never thought of.

I hate to gush but this is, imho, the single best book on airbrushing that I've seen. It covers technique from beginner to advanced. The instructions are straight forward. I suppose they could seem boring if you're an advanced artist. Since I learn from even a rehash of what I already new, I wasn't bored.

Unlike other reviewers, I wasn't disappointed because it doesn't cover painting motorcycles or helmets. The title is fairly straightforward and a good clue to what the book covers. If you're only interested in painting motorcycles, try How to Custom Paint Graphics here on Amazon.

If on the other hand, you see an airbrush as another tool in expressing yourself through art, get this book. Vero is a master at solidifying visualization. He introduced the use of shields and the book contains a template for his design for one of the most versatile shields around.

When you aren't using it for reference, I recommend putting it on the coffee table. People who drop by my apartment are instantly drawn to the cover which features an illustration of Vero's "Study of a Girl". Instant conversation starter!

Rado Vero is recognized as one of the greatest illustrators who ever lived. Reading his thoughts on airbrush and different ways to create are as invaluable as reading Da Vinci's ideas on creating perspective. It didn't bother me that it was first printed in 1983. Nothing in this book has been outmoded. In fact, many of his ideas, such as use of shields, are now the standard in art schools. I expect it to be equally as valid in 2083.

I have bought multiple copies of this book and given them to friends who are just getting into airbrushing. I expect that I will buy quite a few more before it's over.

Excellent book however as the title states relates mainly to studio applications and technical details. Not really applicable to air brush enthusiasts wanting to style cars or helmets etc.

This book will be a very helpful tool for anyone using the new image-editing software to improve drawings and paintings. There are a number of examples that show what today's software will allow an artist to do. It gave me new ideas to try as I experimented with software, my scanner and digital camera. This book would be great for anyone who is looking for some great ideas and new approaches to art!

As a novice artist and computer user, I found this book so important and useful. It is a one of a kind book, extremely innovative and ties together both the art world and todays technology. Not only is it timely for today but will be important for the future. Bravo!!

This book was extremely helpful. It provides clear instruction and beautiful examples of how many different artists have used computer software to explore innumerable possibilities for a painting in a short period of time. Pollard and Little have presented the material in an easy to read style. It gets right to the point. An excellent tool for any artist.

This book encouraged me to buy Photoshop Elements and get started learning this powerful and complex software (I have used Microsoft's Picture It! and a watered-down version of Phtoshop before, the latter for several years). This book coveres several types of media. A number of different artists put together paintings using the software to aid in explorations of graphic ideas and planning. Basically, it is an introduction to using Photoshop (or, "...Elements") or other image editing program that demonstates the advantages, and some of the ways, a computer can be used by artists. It's chief value lies in getting you excited about expanding your tools and shows you how a computer can enhance your creativity, making it easier and quicker to explore the possibilites.

As an artist taking a Photoshop class, i was hopelessly lost in a deluge of material. This book sorts through the material and focuses only on what is necessary for an artist. Great way to take the pain out of thumbnails and value studies!

Are you an aspiring artist looking for anatomy basics and need to know a bit about muscle and bone structure?

This book is for you. It's not an "all you can do with a pencil guide or anything of that nature." Instead it focuses on anatomy with bone, muscle, and skin structure. It gives you three steps for every drawing, starting with the skeleton and let me tell you I've been drawing skulls repeatedly to gain an understanding of the human skull and how it works. It's splendid, if you're wanting to splurge into the human anatomy and don't have deep pockets, this is a great buy. Buy it if you need to study the human skull, bones in general, or practice life drawing. Every drawing has a completed and shaded model to boot. I will purchase more anatomy books for additional knowledge but this is a great buy for the aspiring artist.

Excellent book.Draving are fantastic and informative.I just bought the book and would recommend it to everyone who needs help in drawing a human figure.

As someone else mentioned, this goes in with my George Bridgman books. The terminology is simple, and doesn't get too medical. I really loved the variety of figures used, though I'd love to see more plus sized models in the male side and a more plump female figure.

Sheppard lays out key points in observing how muscles and bones affect the surface anatomy of a figure. It shows you how for example the pelvis shows up and how muscle and fat distribution affects the legs, hips etc.

Sheppard is rather concise and to the point, where many other anatomy books become too technical and you end up getting lost in the details.

The other thing to mention is the price. Bridgman and Sheppard's books are rather inexpensive compared to many other anatomy and figure drawing books out there. This is a definite selling point!

Between the simplified cartoon anatomy books, popular today, and the detailed treatments inspired by medical textbooks, is this fine work. This book is built from the ground up for artists. By focusing on surface anatomy, showing its relation to underlying muscle and bone structure, and then presenting it all with a multitude of useful and expertly done drawings, Sheppard has produced what may be the finest anatomical artist reference.

Most professional artists recommend Bridgeman's works. I don't doubt the usefulness of Bridgeman to a true working professional, but for me, and maybe other amateurs, the concepts in Bridgeman never seem to reveal themselves. Sheppard will be useful the first time you open the book and will certainly clear much of the confusion in figure drawing.

THIS BOOK IS A "MUST HAVE". It is not the only drawing book that you need in your personal library, but it is one of the most essential.

The book includes about seventy well-drawn male and female nude drawings, grouped by type of pose (standing, crouching, twisting, etc.). Each of the seventy poses is drawn three times --
(1) as an annotated finished drawing,
(2) as an annotated (identically sized) skeleton in the same pose, and
(3) as an annotated (identically sized) muscle diagram in the same pose.

The anatomy is at a level of detail designed for the figure-drawing artist, not for the medical illustrator. As such, only those muscles and bones that are significant to a particular pose are labeled, and are described with simplified nomenclature.

I remember complaining to my instructor that I could discern the rib cage in our male model, but not in this rounded-back posed female model. This book is the ideal reference for seeing the support infrastructure in such situations.

Although there are many approaches to figure drawing, understanding the effects that underlying anatomical infrastructure have on surface anatomy is essential to realistic drawing. In addition to this book, you should also have other books in your figure drawing library, that cover croquis, circles & guidelines, tonal masses, planes, gestures, cylinders, lighting, proportions, contours, and other techniques. But Joseph Sheppard's "Drawing the Living Figure" will be your primary anatomical reference.

I read this book when first published - and it has remained one of the most interesting, thought provoking and passionate books I have ever read.

With the recent interest in quantum physics (What the Bleep do I Know) and the resurgance of interest in application (the Secret) - it fascinates me that in this book - written a full 30 years before either of these two recent phenomena achieved cult following - Watson wrote about his observations as a scientist, of things he could not quite explain, and which make perfect sense after exposure to quantum physics and the power of intentional thought.

Best of all, Watson writes in a clear, easy prose - with beautiful descriptions, gentle humor and an ability to express himself without attemping to convert the reader towards thinking 'his way'.

You draw your own conclusions - and yet - this book also dares you to dream.

Absoltuely loved this book. Mr. Watson inspires me to search further for my lost connection to the world around me.

I read this for a psychology Senior Seminar class at Univ. Maine @ Farmington... The intersection of scientific knowledge and inexplicable phenomena was awe inspiring... It is amazing how the natural world has yet to be sufficiently explained by science. This book was extremely easy to read, as I read most of it backwards (the chapters are broken down into sections). This is one of those books you can easily read twice!

Biologist Lyall Watson travels to Indonesia in search of magic... and finds a 'dancing island' and a girl who comes of age to become a shaman and healer. For those who simply enjoy a good story, this is an excellent book. For those who realize that the magic described in this book is real, it's even better. Watson is a first-rate story-teller, and I would give this book ten stars if such a thing were possible!

This is an incredable little book on the "magic" of other lands. I like the writings of Lyall, but this was a late comer to my list. It has absolutely captivated my imagination and heart. I am one of those that believe that what is narrated is "real" - is just that is in that other realm of "other ways of knowing". I constanly quote it and suggest it as reading for others. It is an eye and mind opener. It is a book that challenges our "Western" ways of knowing. It is a book that easily can be denied as true, but if one has read other books impossible to believe or has had similar "weird" experiences in life, then it has that intuition that it might be true and it can then be accept it as patentable possible.
I highly recommend it to anyone, you will be surprised!

A very enjoyable book. Just the high quality reproduction of the covers would make this a great book.
A richly savory festival of imagination, creativity, insight (cultural, sociological, philosophical, etc.) and, of course, delightful humor and splendiferous transcendental artwork. Lots of charming tidbits including photos, extra art reproductions, etc.
Thanks Frank and The Usual Gang for this inundation of funshine and good cheer!

(After you've seen the covers you'd probably like to peek inside). Check out: Absolutely MAD Magazine - 50+ Years

If there are better sight gags than those on the cover of Mad magazine, then I have yet to see them. This book is a collection of the first 400 covers and some of them had me hysterical with laughter. My favorite was the one where Alfred is holding a hard taco shell behind a Mexican dog that is straining mightily. Others were just as funny, although some did require explanation. The producers of the magazine were not above applying a little duplicity when creating the covers.
The only drawback for younger readers will be that knowledge of the current events of the time is a precondition if you are to get the joke. For example, some covers feature political figures, and if you don't know anything about them, the joke is lost. Other covers are spoofs of hit movies of the time, so the explanatory captions are a welcome addition. Having lived through those times, I understood most of them, but there were a few times when I didn't understand the joke until I read the caption.
This book is very funny and you cannot help but be impressed by the quality of the artwork and the zany intelligence that went into the covers of Mad. The producers of Mad constantly lampooned themselves as idiots, but they were without question geniuses.

this book is well designd and gives all the information about the covers over the years, including notes about the spacial covers.
i highly recomand this book to any mad reader.

I loved this book , mostly because Im a mad magazine FAN!!! BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!! GREAT BOOK

The first copy of Mad I saw was issue 29 in September 1956 (still got it too) and I was hooked. How could a magazine be so funny and be so spot-on with its satire? Easy, just employ the `usual gang of idiots' that's how. I kind of grew out of it when I discovered the National Lampoon, how could a magazine be so funny etc, etc. But I have always had a soft spot for Mad and this book of covers is a super addition to my back issues and other Mad books.

All 399 (up to November 2000) covers are in this well designed and printed book Mostly one or two covers to a page sometimes with Frank Jacobs' commentary and with a lot of the latter covers you get to see the preliminary cover roughs. As the years go by you can see how the covers changed from simple visual gags into ones that are much more graphic and busy because they have to work harder on the newsstand. The ideas are still very funny after all these years though. My favorite is issue 35 (October 1957) a wraparound that celebrated the fifth anniversary with a great painting from Norman Mingo showing a few dozen very famous American merchandising characters seated round a dining table, Alfred's at one end grinning. I would love this as a poster.

I think it is worth mentioning for Mad fans the seven CD-ROM `Totally Mad' set, every page from the issue one thru to December 1998, the interface is very user friendly and the discs have a lot of additional aural and visual surprises.

BTW, Robert Silver's photmosaic book cover, made up from the magazines covers, is stunning.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

A comprehensive survey of the artist's work, it covers not just his paintings, but also his posters, advertising and magazine and book illustration and the murals. Very well illustrated and with a comprehensive text it chronicles the artist's development and his vast array of work.

One of the most interesting chapters is that which explains in detail the methods Parrish employed to achieve his remarkable results. This includes his use of photography and the painstaking glazing techniques he employed.

A very interesting and useful publication; it is not one that sits idly on my book shelf.

The version of this book that I own is from the second printing (1974). What a beautiful book! In some ways Parrish seems to be the dreamy counterpart to Norman Rockwell. An amazing attention to detail and lighting. To reiterate a point raised in other reviews, this book would benefit from more color plates, but that is a minor criticism. While I have not yet purchased any of the other books in print on Maxfield's work...this is a fine place to start. There is a generous sampling of landscapes, product advertisements and magazine covers. Recommended!

Note: I made some immature person angry by giving negative reviews of books written to "prove the Book of Mormon." Rather than answer my criticism, this person automatically gives my reviews negative votes. Oh, well.

Your "helpful" votes are appreciated, and please remember that a short review is not necessarily a bad review if it leads you to a great book.

I love "Daybreak" (see cover) with a nude figure standing above a girl sleeping in a columned pavilion. If you like this painting, then check out different reproductions (the colors vary widely and change the nature and mood of the painting. Really change it.

"Twilight" is another great painting. For me, it is evocative of a great mystery. You want to step into that farm yard and explore the house and barn. No people are shown, but it gives me the feeling that ghosts live there (without being scary--in a dreamy sense).

"Afterglow" is also intreguing, showing a New England church as the stars come out.

The book is full of both color and black-and-white illustrations. I would love to see "Landing of the Brazen Boatman" in color. A robed figure is walking down some stairs of a strange temple while a boatman awaits.

What a gift of imagination Maxfield Parrish left to the world!

Highly recommended.

This book has always been the "essential" Maxfield Parrish reference for me. It contains page after page of information about the artist's incredible personal and professional life. It also goes into great depth detailing the illustrator's perfected (and tedious) technique of creating illustrations. From crafting meticulous miniatures for layout to the final process of layering oil glazes onto the canvas. It's all there.

I would highly recommend this book to Illustrators, art teachers, and overall art enthusiasts who want to expand their knowledge about illustration and a true master of the past. This book has been cited in other publications such as "Step by Step Graphics" for the depth analysis of his technique.

My only small criticism is that I would've liked to seen more color prints within the book. A few too many black and white reproductions of the artwork. That aside, I feel this book is of tremendous value.

I, like you, want to own Daybreak--perhaps more so than any other painting. Sometimes an illustration entertains, perhaps greatly. Some evoke admiration, even gaping admiration. In the case of several Parrish paintings, admiration is merely the aftertaste of a much more powerful emotion: the craving to be in the space the artist has created, to have or to be the characters therein. A desire to truly exit this world and remain in the other. The list of works that affect me in that way starts off like this: It's A Wonderful Life, Oz, Narnia, Harry Potter's magical England, Parrish's Daybreak & Land of Make-Believe & Air Castles et al., Robert Heinlein's Glory Road, ERB's A Princess Of Mars... We read or watch or view them over and over again in an attempt to ease the longing.

This volume satisfied that craving long enough for me to catch my breath.