Art Books

Great Book. Full of Good Stuff to work with.

Very Speedy Mailing. Thanks.

This book is just another one of Patti Culea's delicious writings, complete with other people's work as well. Wonderful.

Creative Cloth Doll Beading: Designing and Embellishing with Beads



Creative Cloth Doll Beading
Designing and Embellishing with Beads
by Patti Medaris Culea with Anne Hesse and Laura McCabe

* Beaded Tattoo's - what more can I say? How COOL!

* The collaboration of these three stellar dollmakers brings out the best in each artist.

* Great new Techniques for wings, hair, creative clothing and beautiful faces! Also... detailed directions on making flowers - WOW!

I am not really a beader... so I sighed when I got this book "Oh... tedium, oh schemedum, oh little tiny bead-ium" but what I saw knocked that apathy right into a shocked puddle on the studio floor which was dangerously slick... what with all those beads rolling all over the place!


What a killer book! Patti gets some able assistance from two of the doll making worlds finest, Anne Hesse and Laura McCabe. Just as she did in the wonderful Creative Cloth Doll Couture, Patti provides one versatile doll pattern. This pattern is used by all three main artists and the many talented "gallery" artists, to create a flock of beautiful and unique dolls.

Patti does a chapter on flowers, making them look wickedly easy and raucously beautiful. Anne has the next chapter and with her two comrades, she leads us through a bead embroidered face, now THIS is exciting to me! Next Laura creates a "wood elf" and beads her leather garment with several cool techniques, my favorite being the bead stacking. Finally Patti returns at the end of the book and gives us "Franalizia of the North Sea" who has scales of beads, and a wealth of burned, melted and glued beading and embellishment techniques. She is a "Fairymaid" Upp you guessed it, a mermaid with wings, extremely clever!

Off to the right here... is my version of the beaded head... Ok, so I didn't draw the face onto the fabric and I didn't use a rubber stamp (tho this is a great idea!) , I basically didn't follow any of the directions, (tho they are great!) but I did get INSPIRED and I did LEARN about "Wedges", "Focal Beads" and "Fill Patterns". I also learned how to make fringe, and flowers and what a "bud" is. (this was welcome news to me as it associated with the "bezel" and I can't help but sit around snickering about "budding the bezel" or "bezelling the bud" - Yeah, just alittle easily amused... Ya think?!)

I highly recommend this book for us "regular folk" as well as the seasoned beaders. Hum, now where did my charolottes go, I need to do a basic bud on that bezel!

This would be a great gift

A must for your library. This book has easy to read instructions, wonderful instructive pictures and tons of inspiration! So very glad I purchased it!!!

I love Pattie's unusual style and I learn something new in everyone of her books and I have all but the faces one. My only complaint is having to add seam allowances on some pieces.I find it unnecessary and bothersome..but she must have a good reason for doing this I just don't like it. Also some of the instructions are vague for anyone with limited sewing skills. But it is always worth the time it takes to teach yourself if necessary.

I have briefly looked over some biographies about Marilyn Monroe and have got upset, but this book is the most touching I have read. There is not much truth that is told about the great baseball legend Joe Dimagio and his love for Marilyn. However, it is the Hollywood industry that makes up lies and untruths about her in ruining her image. We need to give credit to the author for being a caring and generous man who deeply respects Marilyn's memory. She would be in approval of this book because it can help her rest in peace. People need to know the truth and should really get to know that she is a good lady.

More than 600 books have been written about Marilyn Monroe since her death in 1962. While most of them have focused on the theories surrounding her apparent suicide at age 36, author Gary Vitacco-Robles focuses his new book on the actress' last home. Cursum Perficio: Marilyn Monroe's Brentwood Hacienda/The Story of Her Final Months reframes and redefines Marilyn through the context of her efforts to establish a secure home following a childhood spent in a succession of foster homes. The author theorizes that the actress was trying to correct her past by putting down roots of her own. While several previous authors depict her final months as tumultuous, Vitacco-Robles provides evidence that suggests Marilyn was trying to pull her life together and give it some personal meaning. During the spring and summer of 1962, Marilyn embraced her newfound domesticity by pulling weeds in her garden, writing recipes in her copy of The Joy of Cooking and actually using the pots and pans in her kitchen. The book contains actual photographs of the house, interspersed with realistic renderings of the home by artist Brandon Heidrick. The author divides the photos and illustrations with floor plans for each room and includes pictures of an architectural model that depicts the entire property as it appeared in 1962. After she purchased the 2,300 square foot house, Monroe began extensively researching authentic Mexican design, landscaping and furnishings in an effort to slowly transform it into the home of her dreams. She arranged for an 11-day trip to Mexico where she painstakingly selected fabrics, tapestries, painted tiles, pottery and art. Monroe met the native artists who had made by hand the objects that she would later display in her home. Vitacco-Robles is donating a portion of the royalties from sales of this book to Hollygrove Children and Family Services, formerly the Los Angeles Orphans Home Society, where Marilyn Monroe lived as a child.

There has been some confusion about the second edition of this book and the sales information on this site. According to the publisher, Iuniverse, the hardcover edition offered here is actually a "second edition" released in October 2003, although the release date printed is still listed as 2000. This is because it is a "re-do" under the same title previously released by the publisher. The new second edition cover for the paperback and hardcover depicts Marilyn standing beside the gates of her home and sell respectively for $20.95 and $30.95. The first edition was only published in paperback with a different cover for $11.95. The publisher says that vendors will continue to sell the first edition paperbacks until supplies depleted. The second edition contains new images, new chapters, re-worked chapters and information not included in the first. Having seen this book, the quality of photo reproduction in this new version are far superior than in the first. It also includes professional, "photorealistic-style" illustrations by artist Brandon Heidrick depicting the interior and exterior of Marilyn's home and furnishings. The images serve as a "virtual tour" of Marilyn's last home similar to the author's website.

I've been confused about the second edition of this book and the sales information on this site. Having spoken with the publisher, Iuniverse, I learned that the hardcover edition offered here is actually a "second edition" released in October 2003, although the release date printed is still listed as 2000. This is because it is a "re-do" under the same title previously released by the publisher. The new second edition cover for the paperback and hardcover depicts Marilyn standing beside the gates of her home and sell respectively for $20.95 and $30.95. The first edition was only published in paperback with a different cover for $11.95. I understand that vendors would continue to sell the first edition paperbacks until supplies depleted. I have both the first edition and second. The second edition contains new images, new chapters, re-worked chapters and information not included in the first. The quality of photo and illustration reproduction in this new version are far superior than in the first. All around, it is a better product and a great, new look at a lasting legend!

When I first received my copy of Cursum Perficio: Marilyn's Brentwood Hacienda, I wasn't sure what to expect. Much to my surprise, I was enthralled and fascinated by the details of Marilyn's final months, so eloquently chronicled by Gary Vitacco-Robles. Void of any media hype and speculation about the cause of her death, Vitacco-Robles explores how Marilyn searched and found the perfect place to call home...a respite from the choatic life she led in the media spotlight.
You will journey with her as she went on shopping sprees for furnishings and ornaments in a quest to make the only home she ever owned a reflection of herself.
The book contains a vast collection of actual photographs, as well as impressive photo-recreations of the home's interior as it looked in 1962 and now.
I applaud Vitacco-Robles for a superb testamant to the woman so many longed to know. This book reveals a whole other side of Marilyn that has never been revealed.
A MUST HAVE for any Marilyn enthusiast!

I am a clinical therapist and use this book to inspire adolescent and young adult women in their journey! This entire trilogy is priceless for anyone who is interested in being blessed by watching another soul "unfold" and take flight! I love hearing about Oriah's metamorphasis... i can see her "grow up" throughout her trilogy! Watching her go full circle in her discoveries touches my heart and inspires my soul. She is human and she is courageous enough to share her story. I recommend you read all three... The Invitation, The Dance and The Call. Thank you Oriah!

Within the pages of this beautiful little book, the reader finds magic, truth, beauty and healing.

As an author, Chinese Medicine & Healthy Weight Management, and healer, I recommend this book highly to my patients and friends, as well as to you.

Words themselves can become acts of beauty that awaken and strengthen our commitment to living our soul's desires. ~Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Oriah Mountain Dreamer blends daily existence with spiritual insight. She survived a violent marriage, chronic fatigue and living almost next door to her ex husband when he remarried. Her life is a study in patience, emotional turmoil resolved and survival of the most open heart.

The start of the book contains a poem and then each chapter is an expanded vision of the elements contained in a part of the poem. After the poem, Oriah dives right into a retelling of her life, the conflicts she has experienced and how as a spiritual teacher, she too struggles to maintain emotional equilibrium. There is a subtle comfort in knowing that if Oriah can survive her life, then we can too.

This is the beauty mingled with the various stunning insights Oriah has while trying to unburden her heart and pull us out on the dance floor of life. She loves to read and a number of the books she mentioned where books I had just recently read. She quotes Rainer Maria Rilke and Rumi. She discusses Daniel Ladinsky's translations of Hafiz. Her "headed for home" comments made me think of Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet.

Throughout this work Oriah focuses on connecting, serenity, joy, an authentic lifestyle, living with passion, retaining energy and focus, being honest and finding happiness within the complex. She also provides meditations on worthiness, surrender, slowing down and letting go.

This is not a five-step or a ten-step program, it is more an unfolding of experience through an exploration of Oriah's life experience. She has struggled, she has survived. She also knows there are no quick fixes and that many self-help programs are no match for real-life situations. Sometimes there is no easy way out of the pain and you have to endure heartache to learn your greatest lessons.

"Take me to the places on the earth that teach you how to dance,
the places where you can risk letting the world break your heart,
and I will take you to the places where the earth beneath my feet
and the stars overhead make my heart whole again and again."
~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer

What did I love most about this book? The section where she talks about her ultimate fantasy of reading in bed with the man she loves. Yes, this book is mostly about Oriah, or the people she has met throughout her life, but the way she draws on her inner wisdom is by experiencing life and dancing with difficulty.

~The Rebecca Review

The Dance is a great book. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last. Oriah is not just a writer; she is an artist, with a new perspective on life, and on events. Her thoughts flow smoothly, as if you were reading something you wrote, or something you already knew to be true. I am going to say it again, she is an artist.

Some parts of the book, you won't help but read out loud to someone you care for. I did that with my mother, and some other times with a friend of mine. Both of them want to borrow the book.

This book will help you dream, and here I will quote something from the author, as she wrote "To dream is to create the stories of how we live our lives, and these are the stories our children's children will remember. I write with as much honesty and frankness as I can, because I want to offer stories of being present with what is. I recite poetry when I speak, because I want offer beauty and the power of art to remind us of who and what we are. I share personal stories, because I want to cocreate a story of intimacy and cultivate our capacity for compassion in dealing with out human failings. I tell love stories because I want to learn how to love well." (p151)

I will buy The Call, and I know it will be as good as the Invitation and The Dance. And hopefully one day in the future I will make it to one of Oriah's retreats.

Several years ago I listened to the audio version of this book and I thought at the time that it was a nice diversion, but just typical New-Age feel-good stuff. Now in my 50s, when I listened to it again recently I was stunned by how powerfully honest the author is and how her poetic honesty brought strength and character to her message. This is not a "how to . . ." book. It is more likely to impact the reader who is a mature spiritual seeker (Christian or otherwise) who feels bogged down by mundane daily living and, like many spiritual seekers, tripped up by trying to DO before really knowing how to BE. That is no small distinction. This book addresses real issues like chronic illness, divorce, raising children, mid-life love, finances and regret all from a practical perspective that helps the reader assess where she is and where she hopes, someday, to be. Mountain Dreamer doesn't give formulas or pat answers--she even amusingly describes hearing a motivational speaker who's message sounds good, but doesn't ring true in any lasting, practical sense. The book is about both inner and outer balance, cutting yourself some slack while still holding yourself to standards of character that have meaning for you personally, and about offering the reader an opportunity to stop for a time and check his own spiritual development against his dreams. Her passage describing meeting a "significant other" thirty years after a teenage crush, and the clarity he was able to bring to her regarding how essentially true to her young self she had remained is priceless. The reader can find peace and hope merely by acknowledging having faced the issues discussed, and being willing to ask how they mattered.

I love dim sum. But I'll never be able to take my family to a dim sum restaurant because two of my sons have peanut allergies. I like cooking, so I thought I would attempt to make the things I liked best myself, so my kids could experience it.
I think this book is a gem. I really thank the author. She does not bite off too much in this nice little book-- yet many things are there, and many of the dishes I love. I am a busy mom, so I appreciate that she lists at the beginning dishes that can be prepared ahead and frozen without losing anything from them. I like that mostly the ingredients are things I can find in the local supermarket or organic food store. I like (as a healthcare professional who is trying to feed her family healthy food) that there are a variety of cooking methods used-- including steaming and baking and boiling, not solely frying. (although I must confess that I got a deep fryer, and things fried came out nicely too.) Her sample menus at the beginning have a nice balance of flavors, textures, and techniques. (I made a meal with one fried thing, baked pork buns, steamed fish dumplings, and greens. Just right.) My children love the "Chinese food"-- I fed them some tonight for my five year olds' birthdays. this was made easier by having some frozen ahead. I find the author's recipes clear and scaled for a reasonable amount so the cook does not make too little or (just as bad) find herself tired out with fifty more dumplings to go. (Many things make about 24. We're a family of 6 plus a baby, so that's good for now.) I am thinking about who else in my family might enjoy this cookbook. The drawings are beautiful and even relaxing to look at, too. Thank you for writing this book.

A friend has a copy of this book and last night we made the potstickers. Not only were they incredibly easy to make, the illustrations made it a snap to learn the 'fan fold' to make the dumpling pocket. The final product was as good, or better than I've eaten in many restaurants! Can hardly wait to buy my own copy of the book and try MORE recipes!!

I not only loved this as a cookbook but also for the stories that are recounted throughout.

I have loved Dim Sum from my first experiences in Singapore and wanted to try something at home that was more creative than normal. I have already tried 8 of the recipes with varying success (through NO fault of the book - only my lack of practice creating some of the delicate folds in the wheat starch dough).

Couple of hints:
1) Practice, practice, practice
2) Before doing a full meal, there is a resources section at books end that has great suggestions for combinations that can mostly be made ahead.
3) Finally - if you really want to do alot and often, invest in multiple bamboo steamers. I just purchased my fifth and sixth. Dinner table now reminds me of Dim Sum houses from my past...

Never thought I would make my own potsticker dough, but I did! The dough was easy to make and to work with; and it tastes so much better than the Wonton wrappers they have in the supermarket. This book inspires you to try the recipes. Clearly written and illustrated. Highly recommend it to add to your library!

Ellen Leong Blonder, Dim Sum: The Art of Chinese Tea Lunch (Clarkson Potter, 2002)

So we need another dim sum cookbook? Yeah, I think we do, if only because Ellen Leong Blonder does something completely different with this one. You're used to cookbooks with mouthwatering pictures of the food therein (pictures which, of course, your dishes will never look like). Blonder just takes away the pictorial-realism layer of the artificiality and substitutes really, really detailed watercolors. Ironically, the paintings look a lot more like food you could actually make in your home kitchen; there are no fancy backdrops, no hundred-dollar table settings, there's just food on a plate (and Blonder reserves her detail for the food; the plate could be anything). The watercolors alone are reason enough to buy this, but when you do, you will magically gain the ability to make your own steamed dumplings. Well, okay, it's not magic. I've made steamed dumplings before, and I'll tell you, it's a boatload of work even if you use store-bought wrappers (Blonder, of course, offers up a dough recipe). But you'll know how to make them, even if the dumpling fairies won't come and make them for you. And there are few things in life better than a good steamed dumpling. (And many of them are also to be found in the pages of this book.) ****

Based on the "Structural drama" we got a different option to see the incredible notes compiled after several interviews at Laramies' residents who was shock (as the rest of the world) for Matthew Shepards' case. I loved it.

The book was in excellent condition and was delivered even earlier than expected.Wonderful and smooth purchase.

Matthew Shepard was about two months short of his twenty-second birth when he was robbed, beaten, tied to a fence post and left to die in a rural area of Wyoming. The man who found him at first thought he was a scarecrow. Rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital at Fort Collins, he died on 12 October 1998--and when Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney were arrested for the crime they resorted to a defense known as "gay panic." Matthew Shepherd had propositioned them, they said, and they were so horrified that they killed him in response.

The gay community and numerous civil rights watchdog groups were outraged by the defense, and as more and more facts came to light it seemed that the crime was somewhat more complicated than Henderson and McKinney wanted the public to know. Witnesses stated that Henderson and McKinney had specifically targeted Shepherd because he was gay. After much legal wrangling, Henderson pled guilty and testified against McKinney, who was convicted; after still more legal wrangling, and at the request of Shepherd's parents, McKinney escaped the death penalty but has no chance of parole.

The case made headlines from end of the United States to the other and prompted numerous calls for Hate Crimes legislation, which had long been stalled both at the state and federal level. And in the midst of the confusion, chaos, and controversy, Moises Kaufman and the members of The Tectonic Theatre Project arrived on the scene, interviewing more than two hundred people about their thoughts and feelings on the case. These were shaped into THE LARAMIE PROJECT, a drama that debuted in 2000 and which has since shocked, impressed, and deeply moved audiences from coast to coast.

Playscripts are not really intended to be read; they are intended to be performed, and there can be a significant difference between how a script and how it plays. This is particularly true of THE LARAMIE PROJECT, which doesn't consist of scenes or acts but of "moments"--bits and pieces of monologue and dialogue and staging that non-play-readers will likely find difficult to envision. When performed, all those bits and pieces become like tiles in a mosaic: they may seem to mean different things individually, but when performed one right after another they become a unified whole.

Perhaps the single most impressive thing about THE LARAMIE PROJECT is its refusal to "take sides." The play presents its characters and their words with commenting in favor of them or against them; you are instead allowed to interpret for yourself. The result is uniquely powerful. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

We purchased this play because my son's High School principal decided not to allow the theater teacher to put it on at his school without even bothering to read the play before making this decision!!! Moreover, the principal essentially threatened to fire the teacher if the issue was pursued. We wanted to share this play with as many people as possible after that incident and so have been loaning it to friends, relatives, other teachers, anyone willing to read it. It is truly an important work, putting a human face on the people of Laramie, Wyoming. What happened there could happen anywhere, and we not only can't, but shouldn't, hide these difficult truths.

Like a quilt, each little piece of play is woven together beautifully. Some pieces are juxtaposed next to contrasting pieces, but step back -- the entire piece is a sight to see, and touch, and feel.

What a sad, revealing, fearful, fearless, exasperating and lovely work of theatre.

This truly is an American quilt -- the ugly, the bittersweet, the glorious.

Absolutely recommended for anyone mature enough to deal with a tragedy of hate.

Good Book, I wish it were updated & re-released!

Finally after all these years we have a book that tells us everything we ever wanted to know about the queen i love my copy since i got it a few weeks ago i've read it fron to back and found out some truly interesting things that i never even knew...hell i always thought i was an expert on Madonna but after reading just a few chapters i realised how little i knew about one of the most contoversial, and diverse women in the business today all the info in this book just go to show there will never be another that could come close to filling her shoes or have the global impact shes had
there never has been, never will or could be another MADONNA!!

Okay. So I bought this back when it came out in 1995. I remember reading it and thinking, "SO, there IS a fan out there that knows almost as much as I do about Madonna!" Although there is a lot of opinion expressed throughout the book and some missing detail, it is a book worthy of your shelf or coffee table. It may be outdated since Madonna has morph like fifty million times since this book was published. It still is a great book to ahve around, even if for camp purposes.

There are literally thousands of books that have been published over the years about everyone's favorite Material Girl. Regrettably, the vast majority of these books are incredibly sloppy and aren't even worth lining my birdcage with. But the "Encyclopedia Madonnica" is very unique. This is the most accurate book ever written about Madonna which is also the most informative and detailed. The author, Matthew Rettenmund who wrote this for fans from a fan's prospective speaks to the reader in both an entertaining and enlightening way. You will learn so much about a woman who everyone already thought they knew. My only complaint is that this lists the documentary "Blast 'Em" as part of Madonna's filmagraphy. I'm not sure why the author did that because "Blast 'Em" is not a Madonna movie or a movie that she agreed to appear in. It just includes clips of her being stalked by photographers and as a fan I looked for this movie for years simply because I wanted to have every single movie that she appeared it. When I finally got it I was very disappointed to learn that it was not one of her movies and perhaps it was simply an error on the author's part. If you're a fan who wants to read about Madonna there are really only 3 books you need to get. Besides the "Encyclopedia Madonnica," I also highly recommend I Dream of Madonna & The Madonna Scrapbook.

Matthew Rettenmund certainly has done his research. Encyclopedia Madonnica is the most informative book about the Material Girl that has ever been published. After reading this book, you will truly know everything there is to know about the most famous woman in the world. Well-written and organized, it's also chock full of often hilarious tid bits and witty rejoinders. Mr. Rettenmund should do an updated version of this book, to cover the years 1995 to the present. If you love Madonna, then you simply must own this book, along with Michael D. Craig's "Who's That Girl? The Ultimate Madonna Trivia Book!

This is the perfect book for anyone going to school to teach English or already teaching. I wish I had discovered this before I started. It has valuable information in it.

This book was recommended to me by many people--professors in my master's degree program and English teachers. I borrowed a copy and I knew right away I had to have my own. This book has it all--sound theory and excellent examples of practical techniques in action. It even discusses how to get a job. The portions on class room instruction were especially interesting to me because I see discussion as the most important thing that happens in an English class. This book is The Book to get if you're going to teach English (especially high school English). I have enjoyed all of Burke's books and I hope there are more to come.

This is a really good book with lots of great information and good ideas for teachers both new and experienced. However, you'll have to get by his "look at me" pompousness and the many errors. It looks like Mr. Burke decided to edit the book himself, as he's so good at what he does. While I'm sure he is a really great teacher, all writers need a really great editor. The deficiencies can be overlooked because of the variety of quality information. Putting his picture on both the front and back of the book was a bit overdone, though...

Full of Jim Burke's years of experience and his insightful ideas. The writing is very personal, entertaining, and truthful.

This book is very comprehensive in providing all that is valuable in teaching English and Language Arts. I used it has my second resource to prepare me to take the TEXES #117 ELAR 4-8 state exam. I plan on using it to guide me in lesson plan design.

My 2nd bio this month on Grant. I had seen some recent favorite movies of his. I'm certainly not an unbiased Grant fan; I have always loved his movies. I liked this book because of so many direct quotes by him. Assuming thsee are factual it gives you a great insight into his shy character which I had missed some of in the first bio I read. He was a great actor but had a sensitivity side that I had never seen. Nicely laid out. I'm more a fan now than I was!

"Evenings with Cary Grant" is the most incredible book. A sort of documentary on paper, Nancy Nelson uses an interview/intercut format and cleverly weaves a narrative through the most revealing and often amusing anecdotes. Cary Grant talks and then Gregory Peck. Katherine Hepburn says something, and then we hear from Audrey Hepburn. As one reviewer said, "When you get to the end, you feel as though you've lost a good friend." Nelson uses no conjecture or supposition. All her sources are primary. An announcement in a recent Sunday "New York Times" said that Nelson will speak about "The Cary Grant Few People Knew" at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on June 15. I've got my ticket!

Like other reviewers, I'm a big Cary Grant fan. I usually hesitate to read about the personal lives of actors because they often lead disappointing lives. But Nelson's collection of stories and personal accounts from Grant's friends introduced me to the wonderful man behind the handsome movie star. I'm looking forward to watching his movies again after reading this book -- there is information from him and co-stars about some of the films that will make it fun to watch them again.

I absolutely love old movies,old stars, new movies and their stars, but I LOVE Cary Grant!!! So I wanted to get a book about him and I always check up on the author and how much they knew about the person they are writing about,and when I saw this book and I had to get it.This Book shows the life of Archie Leach (we know him as Cary Grant)his life growing up,and his rise to stardom,his love life,his friends, and his wonderful sense of humor.I was so happy to find out that the man we all fell in love with was the same in real life that he was onscreen.I don't want you to have to read a long review but I just wanted to say how much I love this book and the writers style.Every body should own this book.It's worth reading more than one time.

It is no easy thing to become so successful in one's career and yet be universally loved and respected as Cary Grant was in his lifetime.

Thanks to the author for focusing on the good of the man and ignoring the rest. He was a good man and that is enough. Ms. Nelson does a good job in giving us an idea of who the man really was--a gentleman who was loyal to his friends, if not his wives...but in the end, even THEY still loved him after it was over.

My only disappointment (not the author's fault) was to find out that Cary Grant hated "Arsenic and Old Lace," one of my favorite movies.

I have read dozens of books covering this topic, but this is one of the most comprehensive guides on the market today.
There is no fluff here - Penny Sansevieri delivers nothing but non-stop tips from front to back. The sheer volume of suggested websites alone is worth the price of the book! I found myself constantly highlighting passages and web addresses and will spend hours on the Internet researching all of the leads.
This is a must for any author - because in this day and age, you WILL have to do most of the marketing yourself!

This is the most helpful and comprehensive book on how to market a book. I learned so much from Penny and recommend her book to all my writing students who are seeking publication. These days the author is responsible for marketing her book and it is worthwhile to know what you are doing in order to get the most from your publicity dollars.

I've marked, highlighted and dog-earred this book and I continually come back to it as a reference manual as I am publicizing my book RIGHT TO RECOVER: Winning the Political and Religious Wars Over Stem Cell Research in America. With the advice in this book I was able to put together a marketing plan for pre-publication that my publisher is very pleased with.

Yvonne Perry
yvonneperry.net

From Book to Bestseller by Penny Sansevieri is the book you need if you intend to self publish and also if you are published by a major publisher. The author, who has seven other titles to her credit, is an expert in how to promote yourself and your book on Television, radio, book signings and other ways. She discusses the secrets of writing books that sell, creating unique marketing campaigns, budgeting, and more. This is THE book that authors need! Excellent!

I admit, most of the contents of _From Book to Bestseller_ were not new to me because I've already read other books on marketing for self-publishers, which contained much of the same advice. I found this book to be rather breezy and fluffy in comparison. I also admit that I'm an editor as well as an author, and this book is in need of editorial work. To get my pet peeves out of the way, it's time for the copyeditor and layout artist to discover:

* Curved quotation marks
* That reviewers will not respect a publisher who calls an ARC an " advanced" reading copy (it should be "advance")
* A better use of white space in the layout--especially, using less of it
* And, that certain tips don't have to be repeated in multiple chapters, because this is a book, not a series of independently published reports

Having gotten all that off my chest: _From Book to Bestseller_ consists of a series of very short, bite-sized chapters, like little reports. Its real strength is its advice on radio and TV appearances, rather than on some other and often very successful marketing methods. There is little information on mailings to consumers, bookstores, and libraries; on the mechanics of writing catalog copy, ad copy, and press releases; or on the use of wholesalers and distributors.

This book makes little attempt to discuss the comparative values of different marketing methods, or on how to analyze whether a given method is working for your particular book. Because an infinite amount of time and money can be spent on marketing, but much of it will not bring results for a given book, this is a significant weakness. _From Book to Bestseller_ sometimes implies that just "getting exposure" automatically sells books. That is not in fact the case.

For example, there is an upbeat chapter on starting a syndicated column. A syndicated column can be a useful revenue stream for a professional journalist. But since it takes substantial time and effort to not only get syndication, but to write column after column after column, it's an exceedingly time-consuming way to just publicize a book. An author can hardly mention his or her book in every column. It is much easier, and just as effective, to do a one-time press release mailing to journalists already writing columns.

I would recommend _From Book to Bestseller_ only to authors and self-publishers who want to market their books primarily through TV, radio, and personal appearances--and who have already done research to determine whether these very time-consuming methods are likely to market their particular book well.

From Book to Bestseller is the full meal, from appetizer to dessert, on the art of marketing a book. Penny Sansevieri has written the definitive guide to the process of self promotion. If she does not cover it, you don't need to know it.

With so many books being published every day (statistic used in the book is 195,000 a year) it is up to the author to find a way to make his book standout from the rest. It is especially true for authors that so not have paid media specialists working for them. This resource guide gives both debut and experienced authors the tools and information to be able to get the word out about their books. The lay out of the book is conducive to easily accessing and processing the information. Large type lets the reader focus on understanding the suggestions, well thought out, complete chapters and sections form a logical progression through all the different stages of promotion. It is extremely thorough in addressing the many facets of book marketing from creating a successful media and press kits, It includes the addresses and contact names for many for radio stations, associated press, reviewers, and tv (even Oprah). Web addresses that cover a wide assortment of needs are also listed throughout the book and under Helpful Web Sites.

Her hints include such interesting information as the best time of year to pitch an idea, the best time of the week to have your book arrive at the reviewer's office and why mass emails are not a good idea. it is the strength of the book that it does cover such ideas that most authors will not have considered. It is truly specialized knowledge. For the simple cost of a book authors receive in depth information they can only get from a professional in the business of marketing and self promotion. Not a bad deal at all.

Although this book was written with authors as the target audience it could also be helpful for anyone beginning to market a new product or or even a new business. Sansevieri has an insiders knowledge about the business of promotion that can be translated into PR for authors or entrepreneurs.

(It is ironic that, with all her expertise, Ms Sanseviei would get her book to a review site she does not include in her book. Oh well- we can assume she will rectify that and add Front Street Reviews in future editions.)

As a gourd grower and artist this is a must have in your collections of gourd books. With great art pieces and techniques.
Bonnie is just "fabulous".

My husband and I work on gourds together. This is one of the best books we have seen. It has instructions as well as patterns.

this is a beautiful hard back book ,there are so many facinating projects featured that I don't know which one I want to try first!!

I have seen Bonnie Gibson's art in person and it is unlike any other. The book has great instruction and information and beautiful art pieces.

Crafters have long used gourds for cultural expression and as artistic presentations: GOURDS: SOUTHWEST GOURD TECHNIQUES & PROJECTS FROM SIMPLE TO SOPHISTICATED narrows the focus to the Southwest region, offering both an introduction to gourd art techniques and equipment and a survey of some 20 classic projects from petroglyph pottery motifs to later Indian art representations. The step-by-step color photos throughout lend to any library strong in pottery or crafts presentations.