Miniature Books

We purchased this book to assist our son, who is almost 3, with our upcoming overseas move. While this book is not geared towards overseas moves, the pictures of the parents sorting their belongings, items going into a moving truck, and items being unloaded into a new home are wonderful. Our son has requested that we read this book many times -- it is in his "favorites" rotation.

This book is great to make moving to a new house, school, or city easier. It isn't one that we read again and again but it did give a great opening for conversations of topics related to the move. It is one that I will share with friends when moving. But I've never found a Usborne book that wasn't super.

Sir Alfred Chester Beatty (1875-1968)was an Anglo-American mining magnate who collected Islamic books during the height of the Guilded Age. During a relatively short period of twenty years, he assembled one of the finest collections of Mughal miniature art. It was a collection that he added onto for the next thirty years. Near the end of his life, Beatty fled high taxation rates in Great Britain and moved to Ireland where he established the Alfred Beatty Library. "Muraqqa", Persian for album, is a very high quality catalogue produced for a travelling American art exhibit.

One the hallmarks of Islamic civilization were the exquisitely executed books that rulers assembled to record their lives and the world they lived in. The art of the book reached one of its high points in the albums produced from 1600-1657 during the reign of the Mughal Emperors. Miniature art during this period reflected the heady mixture of Persian, Mongol, Hindu and Christian influences.

"Muraqq" is an exquisitely produced 500 page study of Beatty's album collection. Every aspect of the book is first rate. The reproductions are beautifully done and the text is well written and easy to follow. My only advice is purchase the hardback edition. This is a collectable book that will be passed down through the generations. Highly recommended.

This is the most comprehensive collection of Mughal miniatures that I have come across. Visually stunning, with highly readable text, this is a must-have for anyone who appreciates fine art. This is not just a reference book; it is a beautiful volume to browse. Take a trip through Mughal and Indian history with no time machine required!

Great book and interesting to see what Sylvia's view of the whole Anderson Empire was as it was all happening. Her contribution to all the great shows from "Twizzle" to "Space:1999" was considerable and she is often forgotten while eclipsed by the shadow of her ex-husband, Gerry Anderson. The book is large and contains many rare photos of the people who made Thunderbirds go as well as all the other Supermarionation programs most of us grew up with.

The highlight of this book is the great (and plentiful) behind-the-scenes photos, mostly in b/w that tell the story of the Andersons' company and the production of their timeless shows.

There is not a whole lot of technical detail regarding the production that hasn't already been revealed by earlier books and websites. What this book does cover in some depth, however, is the extended afterlife and public attention that shows like Thunderbirds have attained - testament to the great care lavished on the original productions.

The only serious criticism of this book is the occasional lapse in proof-reading. Ed White on Gemini made the first spacewalk during the Thunderbirds production timeframe, it was Armstrong on Apollo that was the first moonwalker, long after Thunderbirds was completed. The model that Sylvia is standing next to on page 32 is Thunderbird 3, not TB1.

Buy it for the pictures and the unique perspective of someone who is very proud of her accomplishments in family entertainment, and rightly so. The techniques and innovation pioneered by the Andersons and their talented crew have been emulated, but seldom matched in the thirty-some years since their heyday.

A quilting friend who spoke only English took a trip to Europe. How did she get other quilters to walk up to her on the street and introduce themselves? She wore a jacket with motifs from this book!

This is one of the CUTEST paper-piecing pattern books I've seen in a long time. Lots of blocks, lots of patterns and project ideas, and good instructions. I found it absolutely charming! - I've been recommending it to foundation-piecing loving students! If you need something special for your sewing room, or for sewing friends, this one is well worth the cost.

I purchased this book for my daughter when she was six years old. She is now 16, and the book is still her favorite. We both have fond memories of reading it at bedtime. But for a book to become a lasting favorite, especially for a child, it must have colorful and interesting pictures and a story that never becomes boring or out of date. "Nighty-Night, Little One", by Katerine Ross, illustrated by Lisa McCue, is such a book. The story gives a sensitive portrayal of various baby animals in their natural daily and nightly routines. Written simply yet very informative, the book gives a child an educational look at the similarities between their world and that of baby animals. The sentences are short and the words are easy for a child to learn and eventually read on their own. The illustrations are beautifully done in soft hues which serves to hightlight the sweetness of baby animals. Katherine Ross, together with Lisa McCue have created a timeless story that has the ability to hold a childs interest no matter how many times it is read. One last point, "Nighty-Night, Little One" is written in the "CHUNKY BOOK" format so it is small and the pages are thick making it easier for little hands to handle. This book doubles as the perfect bedtime story to help a child relax and get ready for sleep and as a wholesome story that can help bring the enjoyment of reading to child.

I love reading. I have passed that love on to my children, my grandchildren,and am now passing it to the children I care for in my Home Childcare. I am a firm believer that children are never too young to learn. The day the children come home from the hospital I begin teaching them to spell their name, using magnetic letters on the refrigerator. My oldest grandson was the first to hear "Nighty Night,Little One". At 1 1/2, it was his favorite book. Sometimes I would read it 5 or 6 times in a row. He knew the entire book. I would read the first part "Slow down little one, nighttime is here. The red sun is setting" and
he would finish "as bedtime draws near. Me: "But out in the forest your nocturnal friends, are just waking up: Isaiah, "as your busy day ends". It would go on until the end of the book. He loved the book and had it so often that I wasn't aware of the book's disappearance for quite a while. I have been trying to find a copy for about three years now. It is such a beautiful story, written in a way that keeps little ones interested and involved. It is books like these that help give children the appreciation for books and reading that carry them through life. The illustrations are wonderful. At the time that I purchased this book, I also purchased "The Little Quiet Book" also by Katherine Ross. I was able to find a copy of it and now the children are not allowed to touch it or read it unless we do it together. I want to have a copy of both books around always. I want ALL my grandchildren and Daycare babies to experience the magic and wonder of them.

OH WOW! THE MINIATURE QUILTS AND THEIR MAKERS AT THE MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN QUILTER'S SOCIETY is organized by quilter and provides a full page color reproduction of the winning miniature quilt accompanied by an author biography.

I'm biased of course because my quilt is in this book. Miniature quilts can be no larger than 24x24" and every aspect of the quilt must be small. Most of the time it takes as long to make a miniature quilt as it does to make it's full size counterpart. There are many wonderful quilts featured in this book. One side of the page is about the quiltmaker, the facing page is a photo of the quilt. These are amazing little works of art, and you will be given some insight about how and why the quilts were made

Louis IX, a king of thirteenth-century France, probably created this book. Originally the book contained no text. Subsequently over time it acquired text in Latin, Persian, and Judeo-Persian. This book is an unique artifact of historically and culturally situated sense of Hebrew scripture. I discuss this book in detail in Section III of "Sense in Communication," available at www.galbithink.org Pondering this book has been for me a valuable source of insight into the evolution of communications industry.

Amazing!
Old Testament Miniatures, or, The Maciejowski Bible, as it is known, is a phenomenal resource for armour and garb reference in the 13th century. But it has so much more too! Period illustrations of foot wear, siege weaponry, feasts and even underwear!

Well worth the price you pay. The plates are a large size (this is an Oversized Book) which allows a decent level of observable detail. The only downside is the book's gold inking from the plates seemed to be slightly damaged by the facing page. Not enough for me to send it back, but worth noting for those a bit pickier than myself.

Overall, a five start rating!

A real treasure! Beautifully done and very detailed! The seed pots are tiny works of art and certainly deserve to be written about! It is a new medium for an old art form and they are outstanding!

The core of this book is the outstanding collection of silver seed pots (spherical vessels with a rounded bottom and very small top opening) made by Native American artists, accumulated by Norman Sandfield with passion and enthusiasm. After decades of amassing these unique pieces of creativity, he donated the entire collection to the Heard Museum, the premier museum for Native American art.

This book is a testament to the collector's infatuation for this particular art form and to his supreme generosity. The reader will learn how Mr. Sandfield's zeal for collecting Native American silver pots became ignited, and how he was assisted by Martha Struever, a prominent gallery owner and patron of the artists, who wrote the preface. Each of the over two hundred pots in the collection is beautifully photographed, with pertinent information about the silver work and maker. Details about how the containers were created, the artists' motivation and inspiration, and their hallmarks, are included.

The author, Tricia Loscher, curator and program director of the Heard Museum North, here presents a significant text on the subject of silver work by Native Americans. A helpful glossary and bibliography are included.

Individuals interested in Native American art, contemporary crafts, and collecting will find this book a pleasure to read and keep as a reference.

This book has short plays that can be performed by only one person because there are only two characters on stage at any given time. There are patterns for the characters in each play as well as instructions and patterns for several different types of puppets, along with suggestions on how to finish them with hair and clothing. Even though the plays can be presented by only one person, there are enough parts for several kids if they each take one. My elementary students have used the plays for readers' theater and have also presented the them with puppets for other classes. The plays are simple and echo familiar fairy tales, but they are interesting enough even for 7th and 8th graders to enjoy. This book is great for anyone who teaches or presents to children.

I have several puppet script books that I use at my library for puppet shows and I return to this book over and over again. The scripts are simple to perform and there are not a lot of puppets or props required. It is perfect for libraries with limited budgets, limited staff and limited time to plan, practice and perform a show. I am finally buying my own, personal copy of the book.

When using the pedigree as a guide to an individual horse's genetic possibilities, one must consider the fact that pedigrees are only as good as the records that were kept on the individuals involved. Names alone do not predict the potential of an individual, and without good tracking back, the serious Miniature Horse breeder must rely more on the individual's conformation, performance, and production records. Outstanding Miniature Horse Mares presents the best of the best in easy to understand, attractive volumes-valuable research tools for breeders.

Elder researched and wrote the mare book in 2006, featuring over 200 individual mare pages with photograph, pedigree, owner information, performance and production records. After an overview of the art of breeding quality horses, the author devotes thirty-three pages to the foundation mares of the breed from the 1960's through the 1980's. The last section is devoted to dams of distinction and their impact on the breed: Buckaroos Southern Belle, Lazy N's Rowdys Ginger, Martins Chorus Girl Leo, and NFCs Sugar Boys Starlight are a few of the seventeen mares honored in this feature. A glossary and full index are included in this 328-page resource.

For anyone who has an interest in improving bloodlines and strengthening the breed, this book is a valuable resource, especially paired with its companion, Outstanding Miniature Horse Stallions: Past & Present - Vol. 1, also by Pat Elder.

This book is full of black and white photos and has detailed descriptions on many mares in the breed. Its great for breeders that want to look up a certain horse for pedigree info. The index is very thorough, you can search by horse, pedigree, owner. My only complaints-would love color photos, and would love to see more horses covered! Hopefully there will be future volumes!