Williams Books

Love it! Although some of the ingredients don't exist in the grocery stores I frequent, I was still able to make some great items. Love the toum!

This superb book has a wide variety of easy and delicious Mediterranean recipes ranging from the simple to the extremely complex. All, however, are wonderful!

I work in Dearborn, Michigan, home to 30,000 people of Arab origin. I therefore often eat authentic cuisine from that part of the Mediterranean and all the recipes I've tried from this book stand up to what I find on the streets (OK, in the restaurants) here. I'm also lucky that I can go to a local Arab grocery and easily find some of the specialty items she uses, like preserved lemons. You don't need that, though, to succeed with her recipes. You can even buy your spices at the grocery, but, really, wouldn't you rather get the quality stuff from Penzey's?

The Turkish seasoned kabobs (p. 158) are now one of my sumer grilling specialties. I pair them with the feta cheese salad (p. 33) and a crisp rose or sauvignon blanc. Try the garlic sauce ("Thum") on p. 72, but understand that she's right when she says "...it will make you a social leper for a day or two afterward." The garlic exudes from your pores, but oh, it was delicious going in!

All of the recipes that I have made from this book have been excellent. My personal favorite so far has been the lamb and chickpea stew. The recipes are easy to follow and Ms. Helou's accompanying stories are a great addition to the book. I found all of the recipes to be very simple and most make great light meals. There are a few recipes with hard/impossible-to-find ingredients, but for someone who enjoys reading about food they are still interesting, and Ms. Helou does a great job of offering ideas for alternative ingredients. A+

`Mediterranean Street Food' by Lebanese culinary writer Anissa Helou is an example of my second most favorite type of cookbook (first being good single dish or single ingredient books on things such as soups, casseroles, potatoes, or eggs) in that it gives us recipes which all fit into an excellent theme of dishes for entertaining, while being both informative and entertaining while discussing its subject. Other great titles in this vein are Joyce Goldstein's `Enoteca' (Italian wine bar cuisine) and Ellen Leong Blonder's `Dim Sum' on the famous Chinese (primarily Cantonese) `tea lunch' cuisine so well transplanted to San Francisco and other American Chinatowns.

The first thing which recommends Ms. Helou's book is that while it presents something from virtually all the great cuisines of the Mediterranean, there is a relatively small space devoted to dishes from Spain, southern France, and Italy. Even though Italy is the 900 pound gorilla of Mediterranean cuisine, it doesn't contribute much to this book because the author is much more familiar with the food of the Levant and North Africa and Italy, France, and Spain have such great restaurant traditions, there is little true street food to be found in these countries. One byproduct of this fact is that this book teaches us a new word for Italian eatery to join the lexicon of restaurante, trattoria, osteria, and enoteca. This is a friggitorie or `fry shop' which may be indoors, but traditionally serves people at a counter at which they stand to eat. From Italy, most of Ms. Helou's examples seem to come from either Liguria (Genoa) or Sicily. But, far more of the dishes come from the Arab and Berber influenced part of the Mediterranean.

The first relatively short chapter is on soups. This is no surprise, as soup dispensing and eating requires a lot more equipment and involvement than a snack you can hold in your hand. The most instructive aspect of these five recipes is that a lot of this street food seems to be based on cheap ingredients, either on beans or animal parts such as tripe which are but a step from being discarded offal. The exception that proves the rule is the snail soup based on a Mediterranean delicacy.

The second, much longer chapter is on `Snacks, Salads, and Dips'. This chapter has a lot of old favorites such as the Spanish potato omelet (tortilla), the Italian spinach omelet (frittata), Italian vegetable meatloaf (polpettone), salads with feta, cabbage, beans, and eggplant, plus lots and lots of fried foods and dips. Frying, grilling, and breads seem to be the most common styles of street food, which seems odd to Americans, where the most common street food is steamed hot dogs.

Breads, including pizzas and flatbreads is the next, second longest chapter. This may be the most interesting chapter in the book, as once you remove the pizza and foccacia recipes, you are left with a great source of breads from North Africa, the Levant, and Asia Minor (Turkey). By far the most familiar of these is the pita, but there are many others.

Now that we have done breads, the next chapter is on sandwiches, which in most cases are more like Greek wraps than Italian paninis. By far the most unusual recipe in this chapter is for two variations on a `French Fries' sandwich. The author identifies the origin of this `delicacy' to Tripoli, but states that it is actually much easier to find in Paris now than in Northern Africa. What will those crazy French eat next? For Americans, the most interesting recipes may be for lamb and chicken `shawarma'. It took a bit of careful reading and attention to the pictures to discover that this is the Lebanese version of a very popular Greek dish called souvlaki, and often in Greek-American restaurants called gyros. What makes these recipes interesting is that they do not require the great vertical rotating skewer and heat source.

The next chapter is on `barbecues', but, as so many people do, these are not true American barbecue using smoke and slow cooking, they are really grilling recipes, primarily kebabs, brochettes, and kefta (highly seasoned balls of meat skewered and grilled like a kebab).

Next is another major category, one pot meals, which has a lot of fairly familiar recipes such as baked pasta, stewed lamb, couscous, and paella.

The last chapter is on `Sweets and Desserts'. Most of the recipes involve a whole lot more sugar than the classic Italian desserts. Here we have puddings, syrups, compotes, pancakes, clotted cream, cakes, pies, fritters, shortbread, cookies, granitas and ice creams.

Another novelty discovered in this book is the fact that the Tunisians have a habit of naming things in totally inappropriate ways when compared to dishes using these names from other parts of the Mediterranean. The Tunisian tagine is not the same as the famous Moroccan stew; it is a `cross between a quiche and a tortilla, thicker and denser than either'. What makes this interesting rather than confusing is the fact that our good author always gives both the native name of the dish and a clear English translation. The only times this scheme is less than ideal is when some Italian and Spanish dishes are given an English name of omelet, when almost all readers of this book will know the name frittata and tortilla, and consider the name `omelet', a distinctly French dish with an equally distinct technique, to be a misnomer. But then, not everyone is as finicky about words as I am, so I'm sure everyone will survive to enjoy this delightfully written book.

Recommended for entertaining to a street food theme as a means to broaden your culinary horizons.

We checked this book out of the library and our 5 yr old daughter just loved it! I like it because it's clever, quality literature for little ones that makes all ages laugh. The illustrations are also fantastic and add wonderful depth to the humor.

I had this book when I was younger- I'm 20 now. I was thinking about a story I read when I was younger about a couple who moved a mountian (or at least thought they did). I also remembered the Reading Rainbow rendition. I searched all over the Internet for the title because I no longer have it, or can't find it. Then I remembered it was a Scholastics! book. Here it is 10+ years later and I still want to read it.

Ming Lo and his wife love their home, but not that their house is at the bottom of a big mountain, which caused them nothing but unhappiness. Their roof always had holes from falling rock. It rained often under the mountain and with a roof full of holes it meant their rooms where damp and when the sun did shine it's warmth warmed the house and it was difficult to grow anything.

One day Ming Lo's wife told him he must move the mountain so that they may enjoy their house in peace. Ming lo replies that he's just man, how can he move a mountain? Ming Lo's wife knows of a wise man who lives in the village and tells him he should go and ask this wise man. And so Ming Lo does. Each time doing exactly as the wise man tells him and each time the mountain did not move. Finally the wise man told Ming that he must take his house apart stick by stick .They would carry these bundles in their arms and on their heads, and then face the mountain and close their eyes. Next the wise man said you must dance the dance of the moving mountain. You must do this for many hours and when you open your eyes you will see the mountain has moved. So Ming Lo and his wife did as they where told and when they opened their eyes... the mountain dance had worked and the mountain was now far away!

Arnold Lobel has a beautiful book with soft colored drawing! A great book to have as part of your childs' library.

what I liked about the book was that it was kind of funny. Because ming lo had to go back and forth to his house and to the wise man .But the wise man always told the wrong thin like to give some bread because the mountain might be hungry and thats why it didn't move.And also like to hit the montain with
wood and make alot of noise, but at the end the wise man told
ming lo to take all his stuff far from the mountain and they
were never have problem with the mountain agin.

Ming Lo and his wife live next to a mountain. The mountain constantly drops rocks on their house; clouds form at the peak and rain falls on their house (through the holes the rocks have already made) and it blocks the sun. Eventually, they have had enough!!

Ming Lo's wife sends him off to the village wise man that first tells them to run at the mountain with a large pole-this will knock the mountain far away. Of course, it doesn't work, so Ming Lo returns to the wise man many times to ask his advice. Each suggestion grows more and more silly until the last one that actually works!!

Mr. Label is most well known for his Frog and Toad books. The illustration style is similar with "Ming Lo", sharing similar muted colors but with softer outlines. The pictures highlight the foolishness of Ming Lo and his wife as they bang pots and pans at the mountain to scare it away or bring food to the summit to appease the mountain god. The wise man is an amusing character, sitting under a small pagoda in purple robes smoking a pipe (he produces more and more smoke each time that Ming Lo comes to ask him questions, to the point that he can barely be seen).

The story is easy to read and fun without being ridiculous. It's an excellent book for beginning readers and will keep children interested as they read on to find out what Ming Lo and his wife will be up to next! Highly recommended.

It was delightful to read and look at. Since I also enjoy reading movie scripts- it's even better to SEE what's going on in the movie at that time. Plus, there's a load of deleted scenes, and fantastic movie pictures as well. This is a MUST for all MirrorMask fans.

First of all, i must say that i'm a big fan of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi book's, film's and graphic novel's.
As a painter, short stories writer, and graphic novella's author i may say that the Mirrormask is a great ''drive trough'' the world of magic, fantasy, and imagination of today's acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman, and my favorite painter, photographer, and one of a kind artist Dave McKean.
I'll make this short.
All of you that are interested in a way of making a good scenario, and a great storyboard, you SHOULD have this amazing book!
It helped me to see and to realise how to think, and how to make my own ideas come true!
Dave McKean is one of my favorite artists, and trust me, you'll like this book!
Also, i want to recommend you his earlier work, such as Violent Cases, Black Orchid, and Batman - Arkham Asylum.
So much about this now, and be well my friends!
Greetings from wounded city of magic: Sarajevo!

...in black...

If I had to sum up MirrorMask in one sentence, I would describe it as 'an allegory about Individuation'. This was Jung's term for the process by which we integrate or align the personal with the universal consciousness and ultimately become whole.

If Neil's script seems lacking in emotional fluidity at times, it is probably a deliberate mechanism to convey the varying degrees of emotional shutdown that people experience when transitioning between developmental states.

Just as with Alice In Wonderland, Snow White, Peter Pan and The Wizard Of Oz, the story involves a young female's transition to womanhood and all of the pantheon of archetypal combatants that invokes.

While Dorothy needed the mechanism of the ruby slippers (the moonblood of the Sacred Feminine) to get back 'Home' and restore order - the sacrificed Feminine - it is the magic of the MirrorMask itself that enables the healing of spiritual wounds (identity/alienation) in Neil and Dave's visually striking masterpiece.

The bottom line? Oz is Kansas.

Lord knows when I'll get to see the film, but having read this stunning 'guide', I can't wait, damn it. Ten stars.

There's a light, over at the Gaiman place...

Writer Neil Gaiman has crafted dozens of dark fantasy books and graphic novels over the years; the only thing to expect from him is stuff that is a bit twisted and bizarre. In a good way, that is.

But in 2001, he embarked on a different kind of creative journey: Penning "Mirrormask," a Carroll-ian fantasy movie, directed by book illustrator (and Gaiman collaborator) Dave McKean. While the movie isn't yet out, the screenplay is a lavish affair with concept art, photos and background information.

Helena is a bored young girl in the circus, wanting a taste of real life. But then real life strikes: During a performance, her mother falls seriously ill and is hospitalized. Unhappy and directionless, Helena falls into another world -- a bizarre place full of masked people, griffins, orbiting giants and malevolent shadows.

She is soon told by the Prime Minister that an evil princess (who resembles her) has stolen a magical charm, sending the Queen of that city into a coma -- and her city into chaos. With the comically mercenary Valentine at her side, Helena finds herself sent on a dangerous quest to find the charm -- the mysterious Mirrormask.

Half of "Mirrormask"'s appeal is the eerie presentation, along with an archetypical heroine and opposing light/dark kingdoms. And it's a credit to both McKean and Gaiman that their screenplay is a good read on its own, letting eager fans know what to expect when the film finally sees the light of day.

What sets "Mirrormask: The Illustrated Film Script" apart from most screenplays? The fact that Gaiman and McKean included storyboard pictures with the dialogue. It's not easy to visualize what's happening in a movie just by reading the script, and so the storyboard images let the readers follow the dialogue more easily.

And of course: the photographs -- weird ones, usually patched together with surreal CGI, computer animation and wild makeup. Valentine's masklike face in particular is odd, but strangely convincing. There are even some behind-the-scenes photographs, including bluescreen shots and faux-aged pictures of anti-Helena.

To add to the wealth of information, the correspondence between McKean and Gaiman about this film, abbreviations and grammatical errors intact. "Fantasy stories rely on cliche too much, fairy stories about fairies I think are pointless, fairy stories about the people who need to believe in fairies I think are fascinating," McKean writes in one letter.

"Mirrormask" seems to be what one would expect from a Gaiman creation: Weird, strange, and surreal, yet also funny and touching. And for anyone anticipating the film, "Mirrormask: the Illustrated Script" is a must-have.

This is a great book, not similar to illustrated graphic novel of McKean or a text book from Gaiman but this book has entire script and storyboards of the film. What a great share what a great book idea thanks. Very useful source for both cinema and design students or professionals beyond to get taste for makin of this magic film.

I bought this knowing only part of the story(Norman Clyde finding Starr's body) but had little idea of the complete tail. If you have ever hiked in the Minarets area, this is a must read. Just the research notes are a story in and of themselves.

This book was a sheer delight for me to read, and I hated to see it end. As a 50+ year Bishop resident who served as an aquatic biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game during much of this time, the book brought back any number of memories and nostalgia for those "days past." Much of my work was done in the Shadow Creek basin in the Lake Ediza area and other tributary lakes to Shadow Creek and close-by drainages. Norman Clyde was a good friend, and we spent many hours discussing things of mutual interest (and there were many of them). During backpacking ventures following WWII, "Starr's Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region" was our guide book. There were no others at that time. William Alsup has done a superb job in researching and writing this marvelous book. I wish there more of them of this quality.

I never knew about the actual people until I read this book. These people the book discussed where the actual people the Minarets were named for. This story gave me a taste of history, such as the early days of the Sierra Club.

This book talked about the actual events that may have lead to the death of a scholar, Stanford grad, and lawyer. He was from a well-to-do family and he had charisma. The book discusses how this fellow was "called" to the mountains. He loved to be in the mountains.

The determination of one man Norman Clyde (Clyde Minaret is named for) to find him on Michael Minaret.

The book addresses various theories that could have lead to his death. His remains are entombed in the very mountain for where he died.

I really enjoyed this book, although, it was a tragedy. I keep in mind of the details that may have caused this tragic result. This keeps me aware of more things should I ever hiking alone. The book is a good example of why the buddy system is a good idea.

I wish there were more books like this about the history of the Sierra and the early explorers. While the book centers on the search for Peter Starr, it is filled with wonderful background on the legendary early mountaineers and explorers of the Sierra. This was one book that ended too soon for me.

Very moving account of the search for Walter Starr, Jr. The energy and dedication of the searchers (especially Norman Clyde) was truly heroic. Great photos and personal accounts brought the story into clear focus. The Sierras are a wondrous, beautiful place; they are a challenge and even to the experienced climber, can be deadly. This saga brought the "back country" home to me again. Although I know I will never enjoy it first-hand again, I can still visit it vicariously through stories such as this. I heartily endorse this book and encourage any lover of the high country to read it. Thank you.

This book is so great I had a old copy that was my moms when she was litle then mine, so I bought a new one for my daughter it is GREAT, very interesting and good for the imagimation. However there were some coffe stains in the book when the seller listed it as new.

Over the years I continue to love this book. Part of the reason is that it is a well told story involving animals. I also love the drawings.
I recently purchased this book for my niece and for the older children of two families who will be having a new addition. When I was asked to present a child's book to my class in middle school this was the book I chose.

MY DAUGHTER LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, THAT WHEN SHE WAS SELECTED TO READ TO OTHERS DURING LIBRARY WEEK, SHE CHOSE THE MITTEN. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAVORITE OF OUR FAMILY'S AND NOW I AM ORDERING THIS ONE FOR MY FIRST GRANDCHILD. A READER FROM CA.

Even though I buy them for my daughter, I try not to review items that I owned or remember from my childhood as I feel I am biased towards them simply because of the nostalgic factor. However, I do think I would still love this book even if I had just recently come upon it. For starters it has such vibrant colors with the alternating turquoise background and the bright red and gold Ukrainian clothing. And what child wouldn't love the thought of woodland creatures taking refuge from the snow in his or her lost mitten, although the story is just folklore and the product of a child's imagination...or is it?

What a treasure: the illustrations and the story go hand in hand so wonderfully, quiet and witty and authentic. If you have Slavic roots, the Ukrainian illustrator's work may have extra resonance for you. Yaroslava drew the animals wearing Ukrainian costume, but with subtle touches of real life; this one's boots have creases, see the wrinkles in that one's heavy coat. I always wondered if there was an anti-Soviet subtext to the characters all insisting on sharing one living-space until it bursts at the seams (literally)...

I bought this book for the retail price and have been happy with it ever since. It is truly worth every penny -if you like Greek food and if you like to cook. I fall into both of those categories. I have another book about Greek cooking as well that was produced by some ladies of a Greek Orthodox church, and of course there are some of the same recipes, but they do differ somewhat. I find that the author of this book has better recipes overall. They seem to be a bit updated and perhaps more healthy as well.

A lot of these traditional Greek recipes seemed intimidating at first. I always liked Greek cuisine, but felt that the recipes may be too labor intensive. I was also very afraid to work with fillo. I'm not anymore! I absolutely love his recipe for spanikopita! Using his recipe, I've feel that I've made better spanikopita than any I've tried elsewhere. It's a joy to make and completely worth the effort and cost of ingredients. I could go on and on about how much fun it is to make your own Greek dishes at home. They are quite often better than what I get in restaurants and Greek festivals!

I agree that the layout of the book is nice and it does have beautiful pictures. All of this combined makes a great book!

I picked up this Greek cookbook mostly because of the wonderful photographs. A novice cook like myself feels much more confident if they can see what the dish is supposed to look like when cooked. Now I have to say that on top of making these recipes for the first time, I also can not cook/bake with gluten so I've had to substitute some of the ingredients with gluten-free versions...but all of my recipes from this book turned out amazing! I've made the skordalia, fried zucchini, Cod w/Leek rice, Fried Cheese, Spinach Pie (Used Thai rice paper to replace Filo - not as good as real filo but got a new GF Filo recipe to try next time), Greek country salad, prawns with feta & tomatoes(OUT OF THIS WORLD!), Spinach rice, Chicken rice with lemon egg sauce, Peas, baked chicken with yoghurt on top, and a gluten free version of the semolina pudding (Replaced most of the flour with a mix of hazelnut flour and some rice flour.) Absolutely everything I have made so far has turned out tasty! I adore this cookbook and plan continue cooking meals from it for my family often.

I was looking for a Greek cookbook because of the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. I had virtually no experience of Greek food, so I wanted recipes that were accessible to both my imagination and my ordinary local shopping. I was attracted to this book by the beautiful images as others have mentioned, but also because the recipes themselves are interesting, achievable and largely healthy. And they are delicious!

First, let me just mention that the photography alone is going to inspire you to make a bee-line to your produce aisle or farmer's market, fish market and then to your kitchen. That said, the stunning photos, as I remind myself, are of the very dishes this genius author has put into his cookbook. It is clear that this book is filled with a dedicated, thoughtful collection of recipes, all of which are worthy of trying and tweaking to your heart's content. I can attest to the truth of that (mmmm!).

If you want help thinking in new, healthy, Mediterranean ways for your diet, then this book is going to send you well on your way. Personally, I can't stand following recipes to the "tee" very often; with this book I find no shortage inspiration, recalling vividly my days in Chicago when I was privileged to experience authentic Greek cuisine. Do yourself a favor. Treat yourself to this book whether or not you're a vegetarian, omnivore or vege-wondarian or whatever other label you want to call yourself based on your diet preference. Life is finite so get over the live forever concept. Enjoy your food however you need to and this book will give you plenty to go on; I can say that it sent me on a journey that made me want to visit Greece yet it embraces the life of westerners, all without being condescending to the possibility of our having limited resources (or presumtuous that we don't have any limits, unlike some books I've read). This book is a new favorite and I highly recommend it.

By the way, the basic ingredients for the kitchen from the perspective of the author is in the back of the book, unlike many other books I have come across.

Sophisticated flavors. Easy to follow instructions. Greek food requires a time commitment to prepare but well worth the effort.

Little Hannah is worried because every time something happens, her mommy has a different pet name for her. She keeps reminding her mommy that she's not all these other names, but her mother just keeps coming up with 'em. What Hannah doesn't realize is that her mommy is just being silly and fun and sometimes making light of situations to reassure Hannah that all is well. Mommy finally gives in and hugs Hannah and tells her that she really does know that she's Hannah.

Cute story, good illustrations. Shows kids that mommies can be silly too. We always enjoy reading this and my daughter always likes to do the "I'm not______, I'm Hannah!" parts.

This is a delightful book for children. It makes you and them feel warm and fuzzy. It addresses the pet names parents often lovingly use for their children. It's adorable.

This engaging story takes its cue from the endearments all parents use with their kids--pumpkin, funny monkey, alligator, etc. Each time Mommy uses one of these cute phrases, Hannah replies "I'm not a _____, I'm Hannah!" The illustrations are adorable. Substitute your child's name for "Hannah" when reading it to him or her for a sure winner! Ages 2-4 or 5.

We've had to put a new one on our son's wish list because his first copy is already looking, um, well-loved! We have to read it about a bazillion times a day. He just LOVES it.

If my child doesn't grow up with multiple personalities it will be a miracle. I have found myself calling my Maddie everything but the name I gave her so I wonder if she feels like Hannah. This story is so cute and it's fun to read. I love the pictures and my Maddie likes to hear this over and over.

I love this book! I have been taking it with me everywhere. It's beautiful, written in a very personable style, and contains tons of information and insight about a pragmatic approach to gardening - using native plants, most of which are happy in the shade (which I happen to have a lot of, and don't want to change!). If you're tired of "fighting city hall" in the shady spots in your yard, this is a great source of inspiration and fresh perspective.

Cullina knows whereof he writes. This is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in using ferns, mosses or grasses in his landscaping. You are not going to find advice like this at your local nursery, much less a big box retailer.

When it comes to native vegetation, Cullina,s books are the bible for me. This is no exception. He's taken on ferns, grasses and mosses all of which are hard to differentiate and different in the way they propogate. He,s done a masterful job in helping me identify them, know where to plant them and how to propogate them.

William Cullina provides the opportunity to see the natural beauty around us and realize its potential. Excellent resource and spectacular photographs.

A must have for the gardener who wants to propagate their own ferns. Plus much, much more.

I programmed his trading system and contacted David Watts to see what he thought of it, it's not the holy grail but it does work for stocks and futures that are moving either up or down quickly and are about to reverse. This system is not one I choose to use because I'm comfortable with my own trading style (profitunity trading as outlined in Bill William's book "New Trading Dimensions" ) but it did confirm for me the general movement principles that all stocks, bonds and futures exibit...

It features several trading systems that can tell me when/where to buy, where to place stops, how to protect profits and when/where to pyramid mechanically.

Somewhat obselete now, but certainly an epic book when it was written. I can see elements of LBR, Victoria Pearson and Joe Ross from this book and it's fairly obvious they were influenced from it. Lots of very basic, logical price action and even the most experienced trader can pick up a few things here and there.

The best method I have ever tried for a position trader. Works best with high liquidity stocks and stock indexes on weekly data. Use ADX 14 and 20 MA to confirm the presignal. On stock index (S&P 500 and Ridex funds for the short part)I enter with a 1/4 at presignal if confirmed. This is a must buy text book. How come nobody says anything abot this method in any other books I've read or seminars attended. One of the best secrets kept together with "The Taylor Trading Technique" by George D. Taylor or "Steidlmayer on Markets"s last few pages. Good trading!

I programmed this system into Tradestation 2000i, it took me almost 3 weeks just to conceptualize how I would program all it's rules properly but after I finished I realized that this is really a gem, you can tell that the author really has an understanding of the structure of how the markets work, of course you will have to pick stocks or commodities that are already moving by using ADX or etc but this really is a good system especially in catching changes in the direction in trends hopefully I'll have it programmed for Metastock before the end of the year also. I don't use it myself I prefer Bill Williams method ("New Trading Dimensions"). There is no magic grail so again selection is important but the sytems holds it's own....

This is a collection of black and white photographs mostly taken during the Prohibition and Depression eras for the tabloid "The Daily News". Most of what could be said about this book is already here in the reviews listed, nevertheless, it is worth repeating that "New York Noir" is an important addition to any collection of books on photography, and essential for anyone with an interest in the history of photojournalism. It would also be useful for anyone with an interest in social history; particularly of big city life during the American 1930s, 40s & 50s.

Most of the photos here are of crime scenes, and a few suicides thrown in. Crime scenes are mysteries; we all sense there is a story there. But the real mystery in this book is who were the guys who took these photographs? Whoever they were, they had no idea they were setting down an arena for further developments in creativity - in film, in fiction and in graphic design. This was working class photography and these guys were simply on the job, trying to outdo each other in the quest for a better shot in time for the next issue, sparing little thought over notions of higher-order art. Except perhaps for Arthur Fellig (aka Weegee), who was apparently more astute when it came to ensuring acknowledgement for his work, most of the guys who worked for the newspapers were largely unheralded. They are now just names, long dead and forgotten. Many of the shots reproduced in this book are only credited with a surname, or are simply credited as "Daily News" photos - nobody can work out now who took the shot.

[...]The conditions under which these guys were working forged a new creative genre, now commonly known as `NOIR'. It was an oppressive era, politically and socially, equipment was still heavy and unwieldy, they had to contend with light (additional lighting was used where it was deemed necessary to illuminate, not for artistic effect) and weather variables and while access to crime scenes were not yet barred to newspaper folks, access was sometimes restricted for other reasons. Check "The Trigger's Squeezed" and "Empire State Suicide"; both demonstrate how restricted access forced the photographers to use unusual camera angles, resulting in distant shots with long lines and deep, extended shadows which, together with the subject matter concerned, creates a sense of oppressiveness, of callous unconcern, of cold doom, and of finality (this can be keenly sensed in "Killer's End"); these are what are now regarded as the essential ingredients of good, classic noir film and associated imagery.

What makes a photograph (and for that matter, any piece of good art) a `classic' is that it alludes to a story, or it at least contains something that will intrigue viewers through the ages. While much of the information for the shots in this book, including the names of the persons involved could be traced (the corresponding synopses are listed at the back), there remain unanswered questions. How was it that the two ladies could tolerate each other's presence at the grave of their man in "A Bigamist Mourned"? What was it that a pretty doll such as Anna Downey saw in John Collins, a hardened killer? ("Until Death Do Us Part"). Why did the gangsters have such flippant attitudes? Check the aspect of Louis Capone on his way to Sing Sing in "En Route To The Chair".

There are other questions for which answers could have been provided in the book somewhere, after some further research. It would have been helpful to know the process and exactly why some of the photos were "touched-up" to ensure they were fit for publication. And who were some of these photographers? And what was the system for acknowledgement and payment? Something could have been said about the cops; perhaps some reasoning for their attitudes and conduct with the public. [...]

Regardless of all of this, the book is very exciting. The images reflect the developments in technology, particularly with the flash; first the bar flash, then the bulb, and then finally the `flash gun'. The sharper and clearer shots, including those taken under brilliant light are perhaps the most striking, and what are most easily recognized as `noir' imagery. All together, these are shots of a period in history which will never return. The assemblage of ephemera of that age; the hats, the shoes and clothing styles, the hair styles, the cars, the buildings and everything else can never be reproduced. And there is something very sexy about it all.

For a further exploration in this photography genre, I strongly recommend "City of Shadows: Sydney Police Photographs 1912-1948"; with shots of folks who were colder, cheaper and meaner, and where things seem even more surreal. To see how such newspaper shots influenced photography in a creative sense, see if you can find "Retail Fictions: The Commercial Photography of Ralph Bartholomew Jr." - still around in some `seconds' bookshops.

I got this for my sister-in-law and was afraid it might be too graphic for her (she's a bit squeamish about blood). It's not nearly as explicit as I feared. Unfortunately, it's not as interesting as I'd hoped, either. Lots of pictures of rather anonymous people in very sharp clothing. I think she'll like it, but if you're already fairly used to postmortem or morgue photos, you won't be very impressed.

If you are a fan of photography, this book is definately for you. NEW YORK NOIR is chock full of amazing photographs that were the staple of the "New York Daily News." In this book, you get to see some of the poignant images that help define the term noir, and its connection to the silver screen industry, not to mention its effects on tabloid journalism. Many of these same black and white photogrpahs were often used as references to assist in making modern day motion pictures, helping to give a look into the past. From the days of "Three-Gun" Turner to the electrocution of Ruth Snyder, this book captures New York's horrid crime life in a candid, in-your-face style. There is nothing but unhidden truth in each and every photograph. NEW YORK NOIR is a well designed book loaded with powerful images and somewhat detailed descriptions. It is fascinating, riveting, and gives you a decent look at the roots of photojournalism. You can't help but be intrigued by the gritty, graphic photos that once graced the pages of a daily newspaper. It is one amazingly good book.

Warning: don't expect this book to be easy on the eyes, it is far from that. This is not for children, weak stomaches, or people with heart conditions. The shock is enough to make your heart race when viewing some of these photos. Yet you find yourself staring, sometimes maybe wondering what the photographer was thinking as he took these shots. The book is well done, but you have to be interested in true crime to, if you will, appreciate this collection of photos. It also helps if you appreciate life, then these photos will really have an effect on you, but it also shows you that society really did not change that much since these photos were taken. NOT a good coffee table book, though.

The "Daily News" debuted in New York City in 1919. It was to be a newspaper for the common man, which meant not especially literate and frequently immigrant. Its currency was images, the more sensational the better. Nothing sold like sex, murder, and mayhem, graphically illustrated. By 1925, the "Daily News" was the best-selling newspaper in the nation. By 1930, twenty-three per cent of its pages were devoted to crime.

"New York Noir" is a selection of about 125 images from the "Daily News" archives, taken from the 1920s through the 1950s. Some are sad, some comical, some grotesque. They're an interesting comment on American urban culture of the time. Many of these photos would spark outrage if any newspaper were to print them today. Their lurid content earned the "Daily News" pointed criticism from many a moralist at the time. But that never hurt business. The style of the photographs had an immistakable influence on cinema and popular culture which continues to this day. The technical limitations that produced starkly flashed foregrounds and pitch-black backgrounds are instantly recognizable in Hollywood films, just as the corruption displayed in the photographs was reflected in popular entertainment. The demeanor of gangsters and thugs -often posed for the photographers- became iconic. Tabloid photojournalists may have wanted only to get the shot that no one else could, but they produced some incredible -and incredibly influential- photographs that have only become more fascinating with time.

Luc Sante introduces "New York Noir" with an essay about the history of tabloid journalism. Editor William Hannigan follows with a history of the "Daily News" and its influence on Film Noir. Both of these essays are very readable and worthwhile. The photographs are mostly one-to-a-page and quite sharp. They are all captioned. There is a section of "Synopses" in the back of the book, which provides further information about the stories behind each photograph, when available. I really appreciate this section, which is conveniently organized by page number. Some of the photos really leave the reader hanging, wondering who those people are and how things turned out. You can find out by turning to the back of the book.

I recommend "New York Noir" to photography and film noir buffs. Some of these evocative photographs are not for the squeamish, but they have made , and continue to make, quite an impression.