Europe Books

Review published in Library Journal, April 15, 1999. "This new series, focusing on France is a 'unique travel guide and handbook on contemporary art and architecture.' Stich, an art historian and curator, has brought together under one cover a complete, user-friendly guide to the French art world. She provides detailed descriptions of galleries, museums, film and video centers, public artworks, art bookstores, sculpture parks, and even a parking garage, sites that are not mentioned in other guidebooks. The main focus of the book is Paris, but there are chapters on day trips and excursions to other French provinces. Each chapter is organized by neighorhood and region and contains a map with numbers and site icons that are easy to distinguish. Stich's knowledge of and joy in the art world is evident throughout the book; a great addition to any travel collection."

Review published by NY art critic Walter Robinson in ArtNet "News", April 9, 1999: "Art lovers en route to France this summer will want to pick up a copy of Art-SITES FRANCE by curator and avid art traveler Sidra Stich. The $19.95 paperback blurbs all the important museums, art centers, galleries and public art works, famous and little known."

art-SITES, founded by art historian and museum curator Sidra Stich, is launching art-SITES FRANCE thic month and expects to release art-SITES GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND early next year. A travel guide and handbook on contemporary art and architecture, art-SITES FRANCE provides maps and commentary on vanguard buildings, art fairs, film centers, even a patisserie with superbly designed cakes. "It's museums, but not just museums, and we provide text that's a very readable course on art at the same time," said Stich.

"Forget the Louvre's Renaissance masterpieces. This guide focuses its attention on the great museum's I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid renovation. And in its pages Roy Lichtenstein trumps Toulouse-Lautrec. A San Francisco-based art historian, Stich casts a wide research net over this art-appreciative nation and offers a well-organized, well-written take on where to encounter the best painting, sculpture, architecture and film of the last few decades."

Sun. July 11, SF Examiner-Chronicle, Linda Watanabe McFerrin,(travel editor)wrote: "This is the inaugural book in an ambitious new series covering the world's contemporary art and architecture. Innovative, intriguing and refreshingly intellectual, it provides well-researched, well-informed guidance to the museums, art and film centers, galleries, bookstores, public art and notable buildings in France. Details about recent exhibitions and artists further familiarize readers with the often mystifying world of the avant-garde. Serious students of contemporary art will find it a satisfyingly comprehensive guidebook."

A work of art! You don't need a plane ticket to see what's inside some Italy's great churches and museums. Chock full of interesting details and artifacts, I was given a wonderful tour of Italy's "hidden treasures,'' many off the beaten path. As one who once lived in Italy, I would say this book is an essential guide for anyone who plans to visit one of the world's most beautiful countries.

Artful Italy is a wonderful book. I checked out Florence and Venice first because those are the cities that I really know. I was daring Artful Italy to come up with something I didn't know. And it did.. The Stibbert Museum which sounds like a delight I missed entirely. But the thing I really regret is not knowing about the Bomarzo Gardens, a bit of a trip from Florence; as a teen I was always after the odd, hidden statuary that you turned a corner and came suddenly upon.. Both sound like winners and make me eager to return to a place I thought I knew well.
Artful Italy's prose hits just the right tone, conversational without being condescending, funny without that guidebook jokiness that can be so off-putting. And it sometimes can take your breath away. When the 17th century architect , Borromini is compared to an origami master, suddenly we see again how Mannerist architects have turned stone into paper - to give just one example. And you have a nice discursive air that proves always to have a real point to it. The book is unique and a pleasure. It will make those who know Italy start looking for cheap air fares, and even those making a first trip to Italy will find the book valuable.

This book is for all visitors to Italy-even the jaded few who feel they have seen it all. Ann Brandon has covered
so much art that most of us have neither seen nor heard of. I was totally captivated by just reading the book, Ms. Brandon has great writing style and wonderful detail covering all of the pieces. What I found most exciting was visiting sites that I hadnt been to before-expanding upon the content. This book isnt just about museums!!-

I am recently back from a visit to Venice, where I used this outstanding new guide. I found it the ideal guidebook: highly readable, gets you off the beaten path to a combination of less mobbed attractions and some quirky fun places, and (my favorite) includes lots of fascinating historical and personal backgrouind on the sites and artists. This book is sure to enrich greatly your visit to Italy's major art destinations. And it's fun to read even if you are just dreaming about visiting Italy.

Even if one never travels to Italy, there'd be no harm in reading this book. It is well-written, entertaining, and loaded with fun and interesting facts. I disagree with the notion that this is a tour or travel guide; what it is in fact is a semi-scholarly appreciation of Italy off the beaten path. (It is meticulously researched and documented, to boot.)

Ann Brandon must be a kick at a cocktail party. Historical examples trip off her tongue and add just the right humor, import, and context for each bit of art appreciation. Reading this book is not a necessity for travel planning; the volume is a standalone orchestration of Ms. Brandon's love affair with Italy.

I have a few qualms with the book, but they are merely intellectual disagreements with some of its premises. First, I would not focus so much on art, but on the whole invisible lifestyle of the Italians, the life that "turisti" probably never see. I would also go beyond visual arts, and talk about music, as well as the culinary and design arts. Even in the visual arts there is so much architecture that one could find off the main trails. But Brandon promises more books in this vein, and will no doubt address these topics.

Second, I do not feel that the Parco dei Mostri qualifies as a hidden treasure. I consider it an excellent yet run-of-the-mill tourist attraction. A lot of people go there.

Finally, I disagree with the glowing assessment that Vasari's "Lives of the Artists." I have always considered this book at best uneven. It apparently draws its inspiration from Diogenes Laertius' "Lives of the Philosophers," which suffers from a similar spottiness in insight and accuracy. If I had to recommend a book that does what Brandon purports Vasari's does, it would be Burkhardt's "Civilization of the Renaissance."

All these quibbles aside, anyone who wants to learn about Italy should buy and read this book. It does not disappoint. I learned so much from this book, and it was as if Ann Brandon was telling me what I learned in a personal conversation. So warm is her style of writing that it just makes for a quick and delightful read!

Anyone with a serious interest in the late Habsburg Empire, Austria-Hungary, or Viennese culture should probably read this erudite, encyclopedic study. Johnston deserves praise for taking on a challenging subject. His extensive research and learning are obvious in the bibliography, notes, and the many names rescued from oblivion (many probably discussed here in English for the first time). Parts of this book are outstanding. That being said, I do not share the enthusiasm of other reviewers. In his search for overarching cultural forms or attitudes (such as "therapeutic nihilism"), Johnston makes too many sweeping generalizations, reducing individuals and their actions to sociological categories or cultural stereotypes. The people he describes often seem like caricatures. Not everyone in Vienna was neurotic, death-obsessed, or a dandy on the Ringstrasse. At one point he makes the far-fetched claim that the Hungarian language, by its very structure, causes Hungarians to become dreamers, disinclined to scrutinize reality. Johnston pigeonholes individuals by their ethnicity, religion, or nationality. He emphasizes conflicts among the different peoples and groups in the empire, but says little about the cultural cross-fertilization that also took place. He does recognize that the multilingual environment inspired reflection on the problems of language.

This is essentially a history of intellectual movements (who taught or influenced whom), not a social or cultural history, as the title might suggest. It does not say much about the politics of the era or the broader society (the section about Hungary is an exception). Johnston is at his best and most informative in discussing economists, legal theorists, and philosophers. The sections about philosophy and social theories are perhaps the most interesting, showing a range of thinkers, some of whom were very prescient concerning the future of Austria and Europe, and whose theories ranged from the utopian to the pessimistic to the sinister.

Johnston falters with literature and the arts. He treats Johann Strauss Jr. and his music in a rather dismissive way, seeming to overlook the fact that Strauss was a very good composer whose works quickly became popular all over the Western world and are still enjoyed more than a hundred years later. (For a better discussion of operetta as a cultural form, see Peter Hanak's book on Budapest and Vienna, "The Garden and the Workshop"). An artist as important as Oskar Kokoschka is quickly passed over in a few short paragraphs, conveying no sense at all of how Kokoschka's work developed and changed during his long productive lifetime. Other artists and works (Kolo Moser and the Wiener Werkstatte design studio, the operatic collaborations of Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss, Ernst Krenek) are not mentioned at all. This is too bad, because the art and music of this period are perhaps its most lasting legacy. By contrast, the stature of psychoanalysis has declined since the 1960s, when this book was written, and the presentation of Freud in particular seems dated.

Some details: Johnston does not translate any of the many German titles he cites, a disadvantage for those who don't read German. He often refers to the "Herrenhaus," the Upper House of Parliament, without explaining the term. He mentions Marcionism many times, but defines it only after more than two hundred pages. Ditto for Herbartianism. Readers should have some background knowledge before starting, and be prepared to question some of the author's analysis and conclusions.

This book is packed with detailed information, and we learn a great deal from it, but somehow the full color and complexity of life have gone missing. Its strength is in the details, not the synthesis. We do not come closer to understanding the forces behind the unique cultural flowering of Central Europe, and of fin-de-siecle Vienna in particular. The prodigious creativity of that place and time remain as mysterious as before.

This is a wonderful book for all intellectual historians, and cultural historians interested in fin-de-siecle Austro-Hungary. It's a tour de force if ever there were one! But it manages to remain accecible at the same time.

Also, while many have written about Freud, Wittgenstein, Schiele etc., Johnston talkes about the lesser known figures of the era. That is this book's niche.

Johnston's book may not have everything that you ever wanted to know about the intellectual and cultural life of Austria-Hungary under the Hapsburgs, but if ever a single volume came close to having everything, then this is it. It has discussions of not only the "usual suspects" like Mach, Freud, Wittgenstein, but it also provides coverage of important figures in economics (i.e. Carl Menger, Schumpeter, Hayek), jurisprudence (i.e. Hans Kelsen, Karl Renner, Anton Menger), men of letters (i.e. Musil), philosophers (i.e. Schlick, Neurath, Lukacs, Buber, Ebner), music (i.e. Mahler, Schonberg), and many, many other important people. Johnston's book also covers other less well known but important figures too. For example, he covers Hans Gross, a pioneer in the development of scientific police detection.

Anyone who has already read such books as Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmins' *Wittgenstein's Vienna*, Malachi Hacohen's *Karl Popper: The Formative Years 1902-1945* or even, Edmonds & Eidinows'*Wittgenstein's Poker*, will appreciate this fascinating and well written book.

This book is worth every cent, an amazingly well written and concise history of the culture, from all angles. I can't recommend it highly enough.

For anyone interested in the artistic, philosophical and psychological impact of Viennese culture, this is a must. Freud, Wittgenstein, Schiele, etc. Prof. of History at U. Mass., Amherst, Johnston writes clearly and with enthusiasm. See also his illustrated _Vienna, Vienna_.

As one reviewer mentions, this guide fits nicely into the big empty, underserved middle of guidebooks that cater neither to broke backpackers or the wealthy. It leans toward the lower end with its inclusion of hostels in the accommodations section, but overall it's a nice alternative to the extremes. I suppose Rick Steve and Frommer cover the midrange budget too, but this one does so with much more originality--its choices are usually a bit less bland or stuffy than those guides.

The guide is particularly welcome in its choices of many interesting cafes, bars and restaurants I did not find in any other guidebooks, including great casual and non-budget breaking neighborhood places for food, and small, atmospheric, authentic cafes frequented by ordinary locals, rather than the usual Paris choice of moneyed professional locals or tourists.

The guides to sights and neighborhoods are, on the other hand, disappointing, for the most part repeating standard guidebook recommendations or, worse, stating the obvious (we recommend you see the Eiffel tower!).

But the goods more than outweigh the bads. (With the exception of the astonishingly obnoxious cover--nothing can make up for that atrocity.)

There are unfortunately only two main kinds of travel books written in the English language today. You have the scruffy, nasty travel book that expects you to hitch hike, stay in hostels and wear a back pack. Think, "Lonely Planet" or "Let's Go." Then there are the ones that contain many color photos and only lists five star anything in five star cities; I suspect such things are written for wealthy retirees, or people who wish they were. Both kinds of travel book are pretty much useless to me.
I want travel books which tell me interesting things to do, and don't assume I'm going to live like a jerk on my trip abroad. I want a damn Vacation Book. Avant Guide writes the kinds of travel books I want. I've read all the ones they've published (unfortunately, too few). The Paris one is excellent. The descriptions are colorful, informative and useful, as are the maps. They do not assume I am a millionaire with a Yacht, or a wannabe Hobo who enjoys living like a dirtbag. Instead, they write for the rest of us: young professionals who might visit a city for a week or two. The franchise is small enough they are able to maintain the quality. Hopefully they stay that way.

I just got back from my first trip ever to Paris and sadly, had to leave my copy with a friend who lives there. In short, this guide was so good, so comprehensive, honest, easy to read and understand that she wanted it for herself. (And my copy wasn't even the current one!) I bought four other guide books "just in case" and found them useless compared to this one. I can't wait to buy other Avant-Guides for future trips.

I must say that when a friend gave me this Paris guide as a Christmas present last year I thought "oh great, another guide book." Once I started reading it, and after the first time I put the book down, I found myself obsessing about my trip to Paris. This guide is written in an unusually fun and kicky style - which is a big difference from other travel books. Wandering around Paris I found the information about each of the restaurants and bars was spot on. And better yet, I didn't feel so much like a tourist. This guidebook was the most useful I have ever come across! So I just wanted to let everyone know - superb guidebook. I'm certainly going to grab the Avant-Guide London for my next trip there. Maybe it will even change my opinion of that town!

This was the best guide that I've ever used for truly gaining a native's perspective of a city. (An almost impossible task in a tourist's timeframe!) I found Avant's information easy to get at, funny to read, and amazingly accurate for finding the hot spots, and also some hidden beauties I would have overlooked. The only major negative was the book's weight. Heavy paper stock and lots of photos definitely made you aware it's with you. After a few successful outings, I had friends from Paris asking to keep my book when I went home!!!

I originally had trouble reading this book until I went to the table of contents and read what pertained to me at that time. It even refers to other pages to reinforce the point there making.I actually have read this book completely but not in the order the chapters are in. Now I use this as an excellent reference tool and it helps me explain to the player in a more concise manner.Now the player realizes it's not all physical and he can have fun with basketball by thinking on his own.

This takes the mental aspects of basketball and applies fundamental techniques that anyone can use. I read it avidly and it is a source of reference now.

A simple method for a basketball players to know the mental effect of fantastic basketball game.

Jay Mikes has written a book that is a definitive guide to mental training and the analysis of the mental side of basketball fundamentals. He has managed this in a style that is not only captivating but also clear and concise. I found the book a great help in preparing young players for competetive basketball. This book not only helps in solving a crisis (eg: a shooting slump) but also in preventing them. A great read for coaches and players alike.

Basketball Fundamentals is equally valuable to coaches and players of the game. This easy to read book help players and coaches understand WHY certain things happen.

Why can't players afford to complain about reffing? Why can some players shoot well in practice and not in games? How can consistency be developed in players? In easy to read language, Jay Mikes not only offers answers to these question, but also solutions.

This book will be required reading for my Varsity players.

I am the foster sister of Harry Lee Yeatts, who was the child given up for social services. We grew up in the same foster home and have always wondered where we came from and what our roots were like. By Mr. Yeatts writing this book, he is giving my brother an opportunity to discover his roots. It was so exciting to see Harry's name in print and for him to discover a brother out there. Thank you Mr. Raymond for being so honest in your book. Five stars to a real honest writer.

After reading this book I was really moved at thinking of how a person could have lived with all the horrible memories of his experiences there all these years. As a child I always listened to my father's war stories and never really paid much attention to them. But after reading this book, now I truly realize how these accounts actually took over his whole life and that of his children. I will never again take forgranted the advice that my dad gives me still to this day and the way he always tells me how much he loves me and that I'm still his little girl. I am just really sorry that it took me 40 years to realize just how much my dad really means and why he has spoiled me so , all these years.

Yeatt's account of his experiences in WW II kept my attention. For everything he experienced during the war I was surprised by what he experienced when he returned home. If it had been a novel I would not have believed it. Yet this is life and you have to live with the cards you are dealt.

This powerful book reveals what goes on beneath the exploding surface of the battlefield. The author masterfully captures the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings of a warscape and tugs at the reader to join the frantic ride. Every sentence incarcerates the helpless reader and stretches his emotional balloon to the bursting point. Thank you, Mr. Yeatts for taking me to the front lines. Although I've never been there, done that, I'll never again be able to shrug my shoulders mundanely at war. Yeatt's book should be required reading for every student seeking a military career. A five-star general couldn't do better.

Mr. yeatts is an ordinary man with extraordinary power and strength, to actually realize that this is a very common story of many of the men who endured this tragedy of war and yet never speak of it. As Tom Jennings said of his book many of the men were reluctant to speak of their experiences of the war, it was like he had to pull it out of them . How fortunate are the children of Mr. yeatts to know first hand and to have him in their lives to hear him elaborate even in more details his experiences of this world event. He is deserving of the highest honors, May god bless you always Mr. Yeatts,

My wife and I have used this wonderful publication throughout France, and highly recommend it. When in a city, we find that it's sometimes helpful to contact the local tourist informtion office, if local B&B's are not shown in the referenced book. In both cases, we've had great experiences using these resources.

Traveling independently has its rewards! I feel compelled to share some of the B&B's that we have stayed in as a result of this book. When we look back on our trips, we remember the warmth of the hosts who shared their home with us and waved goodbye as we left.

# 359 en route to Lourdes. I felt like I was staying in a doll house. Everything was PERFECT! The hosts were lovely people. The evening meal was excellent.

# 334 just south of Toulouse. The owners will enchant you in this lovely farmhouse. They make sure that everyone has GOOD TIME at the evening meal! English is not necessary! The owner's have hosted guests from all over the world!!!

#386 Normandy. This a a perfectly lovely half-timbered farmhouse. The owners will make you feel like family!

We will be using this guide again for the 4th time this September. So far, I have chosen # 567, #672, #336 and #334 (listed above). I will keep you updated! I always choose B&B's where some English is spoken. I always look for comments concerning the hosts hospitality. You can spend as little as $. and take home memories that will last a lifetime!

...If we can help .... Spain or France???

...julie and gordon foster

"The best guide for the finest kind of vacation." Elle Magazine

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

What a great book! I actually am a lover of Paris and photography, and of course who can resist a dog, let alone two? I really hope the authors make this into a series, maybe London, Florence, Venice? The book reads like a childrens book, but the target audience does seem to be aimed at adults. Whomever reads this book, it's enjoyable and one of my favorites!

This book is a charmer. The pictures are delightful and some are hilarious. It is a perfect gift for anyone who (1) is a dog lover and (2) has a sense of humor. They did a wonderful and creative job.

Being a good friend of the family, you can see how hard Malyszko and Huges have worked on this terrific book. The photographs are sure to go down as wonderful photos and the short poems are nice and 'crisp'. If you want a fantastic book to look at, read, learn a little French, or just have on a coffee table for guests to marvel over,this is it! It is a splendid and interesting book. I highly recommend it!

This book was a gift from a friend who knows our love for dogs and Paris. My wife had just returned from the city of lights to our four "children" when the book arrived. What a delightful remembrance of the city seen trhough the keen photographic eye of Michael Maylszko. The text is complementary to a fault. A truely seamless product.

This should be enjoyed by anyone who understands the mind of a dog or who has been to Paris. It will be especially pleasing to those who appreicate both

The dogs on their own are adorable, the words on their own are wonderful, the sights of Paris are beautiful - but put them all together in this lovely book and you get the dreamy package that is "Betty & Rita Go to Paris". Excellent work! I look forward to Betty & Rita's next adventure.

The second part in the Black Cross/Red Star series focus on the air war between january - june 1942, perhaps the least know phase of the entire air war on the eastern front.

Knowledge of the air war on the eastern front has always been scarce in the west, and has mostly been influenced by the german point of view. This is a unfortunate result of the cold war, when access to soviet sources was almost nonexistant. But the cold war is over, and the soviet archives are slowly being opened for western scholars.

This book is full of interesting information about the equipment, aircraft, tactics and pilot training of the Luftwaffe and the V-VS (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily, Soviet Military Airforce. The included glossary is excellent!), not to mention the excellent photos and aircraft profiles.

Among the interesting information in this book are accounts of the V-VS and Luftwaffe activity during the soviet winter offensive, the airlifts at Kholm and Demyansk (with some very interesting observations the german leadership ought to have studied closer), the soviet attempt to resupply the trapped Second Assault Army at Lyuban and the air campain against Sevastopol.

The authors tries to give an impartial account on the events from the views of both sides, and I think they accomplish this task well. Few books on the war on the eastern front are so unbiased, and I have read many.

For the student of the air war in the east this book is necessary, as air, as bread.

I originally ordered this book in August, but delays in shipping prevented it from arriving in my hands until recently. Let me say that the wait is all the more frustrating because this is a wonderful book!

Volume 2 of Black Cross / Red Star retains the written quality of Christer Bergstrom and Andrey Mikhailov, but adds aviation color profiles done by such notables as Claes Sundin and Tom Tullis. Those in the aviation community are familiar with their excellent work.

When I reviewed Volume 1, I made comments about the quality of the maps and photos. The authors and publisher listened to reader feedback and made the necessary corrections. The maps are outstanding! No blurring and all place names are readable. This greatly assists the reader when following the myriad of battles on the Eastern Front.

The strength of Black Cross / Red Star has always been the team of Bergstrom and Mikhailov. They intermix dates, times, persons and events with first-person accounts by all protagonists. Using this formula, the numbers and facts are given a human face. Joy, triumph, sorrow and pain all lie beneath all military statistics. For every victor there is a defeated foe. The reader learns about them in their own words from diaries and interviews.

Every day, surviving veterans pass on. Books like Black Cross / Red Star will soon be the only resource by which they will be remembered.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a sprinkling of interest in historical aviation.

Looking at BC/RS as a series, the overwhelming weight of reviewers rate it 5-stars. I heartily agree. The authors are gifted, analyzing the multiple factors relevant to combat and battle outcomes, then expressing their findings in an easily readable way.

The text is authoritative. To see where they got such a boggling mix of information, check the back of the book: their "Sources" fill more than 4 pages. Their approach is even-handed, it relies on facts to give an unvarnished view of true history.

Events are organized by Eastern Front combat zones with the focus on how air battles affected the outcome of major battles. As with Volume 1, the authors continue to illuminate new material and go on to dig into reasons why. A prime example is their thought-provoking chapter on the Demyansk pocket airlift.

Throughout the text, outstanding pilots of both sides get recognition for their exploits and often enough the worthy but lesser knowns also get their due.

In one respect, volume 2 improves on its predecessor -- illustrations. Photos are better. Also, fresh, hi-quality profile art of representative aircraft is abundant. Captions often add interesting detail.

A brief review can not capture all the strengths of this work which breaks new ground and does it so well. I've tried to avoid being redundant with other reviewers and recommend that interested buyers also check into other comments, including those for Volume 1.

LIKE SO MANY OF THE OTHER REVIEWS, THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK IS SUPERB; HOWEVER, AFTER REVIEWING 17 COPIES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES, I HAVE CONCLUDED THAT THE PHYSICAL PRODUCTION IS ONE OF THE POOREST I HAVE EVER SEEN. FOLDED AND CREASED PAGES PROIR TO THE PRINTING AND SMEARED PRINTING INK ON NUMEROUS PAGES LOWER THE QUALITY AND VALUE OF THIS BOOK. FOR THOSE WISHING TO COLLECT THIS SERIES: BLACK CROSS/RED STAR, VOLUME II WAS A GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT COMPARED TO VOLUME I.

IF A CLEAN COPY OF VOLUME II DOES EXIST , I WOULD BE MOST INTERESTED IN PURCHASING IT, SO AS TO ADD IT TO MY COLLECTION OF VOLUME I.

THIS SERIES IS AN AMAZING WORK OF LITURATURE, AND HOPEFULLY, PRODUCTION OF THE REMANINING VOLUMES WILL NOT ENCOUNTER SUCH POOR WORKMANSHIP.

HANK PUSICH, hank_pusich2000@yahoo.com

Looking at BC/RS as a series, the overwhelming weight of reviewers rate it 5-stars. I heartily agree. The authors are gifted, analyzing the multiple factors relevant to combat and battle outcomes, then expressing their findings in an easily readable way.

The text is authoritative. To see where they got such a boggling mix of information, check the back of the book: their "Sources" fill more than 4 pages. Their approach is even-handed, it relies on facts to give an unvarnished view of true history.

Events are organized by Eastern Front combat zones with the focus on how air battles affected the outcome of major battles. As with Volume 1, the authors continue to illuminate new material and go on to dig into reasons why. A prime example is their thought-provoking chapter on the Demyansk pocket airlift.

Throughout the text, outstanding pilots of both sides get recognition for their exploits and often enough the worthy but lesser knowns also get their due.

In one respect, volume 2 improves on its predecessor -- illustrations. Photos are better. Also, fresh, hi-quality profile art of representative aircraft is abundant. Captions often add interesting detail.

A brief review can not capture all the strengths of this work which breaks new ground and does it so well. I've tried to avoid being redundant with other reviewers and recommend that interested buyers also check into other comments, including those for Volume 1.

Gorgeous photographs! He catches cats doing fairly ordinary cat things against a breath-takingly beautiful backdrop of Greek scenery.

If you love cats, you got to love the photos in this book.

You don't have to be a feline fancier to enjoy the 28 gorgeous photos by Ron Nelson. The cats are, of course, irresistible - a jet black adventurer leaping from a white wall, a covey of the gentle creatures gathered around a blue fence or a black and white watchman perched high atop a pillar looking out to sea.

While the cats are irresistible so are the settings - Santorini and Antiparos. For me, Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands in the world. The result of an enormous volcanic explosion thousands of years ago Santorini is now blessed with astounding natural beauty. Three huge cliffs define the island as it slopes down to the gorgeous Mediterranean, and in the island's center is a magnificent lagoon. Needless to say the view from Santorini is spectacular.

I've not had the pleasure of visiting Antiparos however, if Ron Nelson's photos are any indication, it would be an estimable destination. It boasts a picture postcard harbor, wide sandy beaches, and clear sparkling water.

Cats of the Greek Islands is a delight for armchair travelers, animal lovers, and those who enjoy beautiful scenes.

- Gail Cooke

Ron Nelson's camera captures the soft details of some amazing cats living in the Greek Isles. Their fur seems to be especially healthy and their bright eyes seem to speak of happy days laying out in the sun, a life lived outdoors in the fresh air and a content spirit.

Each picture is framed on a white page to bring out the contrast of the white stone walls and sapphire waters glistening in the distance. Some kittens are found sleeping on windowsills outside windows with lace curtains while others find their home in a café or wandering along sun-drenched stone walls with foliage set against a background of mountains and cooling blue waters.

The photography in this book goes beyond capturing moments and has additional elements of artistic excellence.

My husband has always wanted a pure black cat and the one in this book really captured his interest in a variety of pictures including the one where the cat jumps off the wall and where it looks like it is meditating or observing the view. The tiny black-and-white cat will make you laugh as it seems to have found itself atop a large white stone pillar and is quite happy to sleep the day away far from the crowd.

All of the cats look especially well groomed, very pampered and happy to be living in Greece. Blue Cats is one of the most beautiful books on cats I've ever seen due to the additional artistic flair of the photography and the beyond gorgeous settings.

~The Rebecca Review

"Blue Cats" is a new offering from renowned photographer Ron Nelson. Nelson specializes in both human and animal imagery, mostly in Europe, and is one of the best photographers working today. Cats are both photogenic but notoriously difficult to photograph due to their individuality and unpredictability, but here Nelson makes it look easy.

Greece has some of the most stunning architecture, landscapes, and waterscapes in the world, and is also known for a large and gregarious cat population. In this book Nelson captures the natural beauty of Greece and the graceful four-footed inhabitants of the coastal areas. The composition of these photographs is delicate and artistic, yet playful and relaxing. I am especially fond of the photographs depicting cats in motion, especially the two photos (numbers 26 and 27) "Jump Across" and "Shadow of a Jump" taken in Oia, Santorini which are exquisitely composed: the study of lighting and shadow is excellent throughout the book, but peaks with "Shadow of a Jump" in my opinion.

This book is excellent for anyone who loves excellent photography, cats, or travel (especially with pristine water backdrops); it is beautifully conceived and printed, and would look great on any coffee table or in any library. I highly recommend this book, and hope to see more from Ron Nelson in the future.