Mexico Books

I've been a fan of Frida Kahlo since high school, and as an artist, I've been on a quest to find a book that includes all of her paintings and portrays their colors and contrast accurately. Many books increase the contrast so much that you can no longer see definition in the dark areas of her painting, but not this one! Likewise, many books only show a few of her more popular paintings, but this large volume dug many up from obscurity and presents them in vivid, full-page detail.

If you would like to own one book that covers all of Frida's works, this is it--look no further! This has a poetically written account of the political and social conditions she grew up and flourished in, as well as details of her paintings that are amazing.

Tired of reading all the Kahlo biographies full of facts in a "documentary style" format..? Then this book is for you. This Kahlo biography, with a splash of Mexican history, presents an in-depth look at the private life of this famous Mexican painter in the style of a novel. This book is written for young adult readers and is very well written, well organized, easy reading and full of tidbits of information not found in other books. Once you start to read it you can't put it down. When you're finished you will know and understand the real Frida Kahlo. Highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.

If you are looking for information on her paintings you won't find it here. Not much is said about her paintings and there are only 6 small color and 3 black & white illustrations of her paintings and 6 black & white photos. In the back of the book there is a very brief chronology.

This book is amazing. If you're a fan of Frida Kahlo, don't hesitate to check it out. For one thing, the book itself is well crafted. Along with the gorgeous prints (and various fold outs to show details), there's a good amount of photographs and a well-written biography.

Another great book on Kahlo is "Frida Kahlo: The Painter And Her Work" by Helga Prignitz-Poda. It has a slipcase so perhaps it'll appear to be "better," but Lozano's book is less than half the price, a bit larger and contains just as much, if not more.

I'd imagine poring over this book is as close as one can get to viewing her work in person without actually being there.

this book is an awesome collection of all the art that the gelmans had. i went to the exhibition with my mother and we decided to get the book, she actually worked with the gelmans in mexico as a young girl and she even remembers where some of the paintings where located in the house. this book is a book that would be a great gift for anyone who loves art.

If you are looking for a good art book that covers some of the best in Mexican Art than look no further. As part of an exhibition that toured Dallas, Phoenix and San Diego, where I was lucky enough to have seen the impressive collection, this book is full of varied works and styles. Although the emphasis is on Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, there are many more artists featured, including Nahum Zenil, Rufino Tamayo, Carlos Orozco Romero, Agustin Lazo, Maria Izquierdo, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Gunther Gerzo and of course the others in the "Three Greats," David Alfaro Siquieros and Jose Clemente Orozco to complete the triad masters of Mexican Art. Some of the art is breathtaking ,original and shocking but all pleasing. There are many more artists featured, to numerous to name, but suffice to say that the broad spectrum of Mexican Art is covered, including the works of contemporary artists as Natasha continued to collect into the 1990's, a decade after her husbands passing. As beautiful and magical as the art is, so varied in form, subject and media matter, the text is one that teaches about how this collection came to be. The outstanding essays reflect on the intriguing lives of the art collectors, beginning with their meeting and becoming naturalized Mexican citizens from their European exile. The relationship between Jacques Gelman and the Mexican movie comedian icon Cantinflas, who he discovered, is discussed and the stuff of legend. Jacques Hollywood connections are also featured, both in essay and pictures. The personal relationships both Jacques and Natasha had with Diego and Frida is now legendary. Although they have European(not featured here) Art in their private collection, their real love was for Mexican Art. The Gelmans devotion and dedication to Mexican Art was their baby they never had. They have nutured and shared their gifts with the rest of the world by keeping their collection intact and it speaks for itself as a collective art piece. If you missed the tour than by all means get this book which features all the exhibitions art pieces, short biographies of the artists and an interesting bilingual text. Recommended for art enthusiasts interested in the evolving art of Mexico.

Where can you find a collection of the best of Mexico's artists of the 20th century? Contained in these pages spanning four generations in the 20th century are some of the greatest names in Mexican art. The Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection presents for the first time a wide span view of the development of Mexico's greatest treasures in art.

Here you will find Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco and the other older greats of the muralist and painting traditions of Mexico. The art of these "Masters" are rich in their expressions of presenting the indigenous art of the people before the public. You will also find these "Masters" experimenting with impressionism, cubism and surrealism but in the end they develop a style unique to their cultural heritage.

Just viewing the "Masters" alone would be enough but Mexico's artists are progressive in their style as we view the work of the younger artists who have made their mark on the artistic scene. Francisco Toledo, Cisco Jimenez and Marco Arce explode upon the scene with their framented narrative texts, irreverance for religion and interpretations of the myths and legends of their land. Their works are just as stunning, provocative and controversial as their elders.

Such a diverse collection shows the viewer the varied styles and development of Mexican art through the 20th Century. Nothing can match it. Art lovers everywhere will appreciate the styles represented in this collection and will gain a deeper appreciation of Mexico's artistic tradition.

This book contains postcards depicting 30 of Frida Kahlo's famous paintings. All are in full color with painting titles printed on the back in English, German and French. Cards are suitable for mailing or framing. This book also contains a brief one page biography in English, German and French. A great gift for a "Frida Fan".

Tashchen brings Frida Kahlo's revolutionary art to life with these 30 stunning postcard reproductions. The colors are true and Frida's self-portraits are exceptional. These tear-out cards make wonderful "thinking of you" notes for friends and fellow Frida fans...or keep them all for yourself. I have many posted on my bulletin board at work, and on my refrigerator at home.

This gorgeous postcard book also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer - the holidays are right around the corner!!
JANA

If you are a fan of Frida Kahlo, this is a must have. This little book packs a big punch with stunning reproductions of some of Frida's famous self-portraits on postcards. The cards are printed in full color on quality heavy-duty paper (they survive well in the post). They tear out easily, so no rips occur.

All you have to do is write a note, put a stamp on and drop them in the mail. Your friends will enjoy getting something cool in the mail instead of just bills.

Even though the price in the book title is probably no longer applicable, the recommendations are. Especially the Tropicana Inn in San Jose del Cabo -- clean, safe, great location in downtown area. Near great shopping. Avoid the tourist trap of Cabo San Lucas -- go here! Marita Adair would never steer you wrong. We took a trip to hotels she recommended in Mexico and would go again -- our best recommendation!

I used this guide to plan my trip to Mexico in January 1997. Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the research. It is oriented toward budget-conscious travelers, who want clean, comfortable accomodations and bargain eats. It could use some more information about the history, culture and customs of the Mexican people.

I have purchased several editions of the Mexico on $__ A Day books, and have found them about the best for my moderate budget needs. And Marita Adair has done an excellent job of keeping the book updated; the 22nd edition may have been the best ever--certainly a classic guide! There has not been a Frommer's budget Mexico guide published since, and I have been very disappointed in the 1998 and 1999 editions of the general Frommer's Guide to Mexico--seem kind of flat with no really new information.

These are the first 3 of the 9 books with Bernard Samson as the major character. Game, Set and Match; Hook, Line and Sinker; Faith, Hope and Charity. Samson works for British intelligence during the cold war era. Samdon, although British, was raised in post WWII Berlin when his father was the Berlin chief of British Intelligence. There is a constant thread with Samson through each book, yet each book stands alone. All are good reads. Deighton is an historian and doesn't skimp on historical details. Deighton's explanation of Berliners reaction to President Kennedy's famous "Ich bin Berliner" speach alone is worth the read. The series, 9 books, gets a 5 star rating.

These are the first three of nine in the total series, all great reads and able to stand alone, definitely the best trilogy of the nine.

I would first like to say that this review is not only for "Game, Set and Match", but also for the other two trilogies, "Hook, Line and Sinker", and "Faith, Hope and Charity". I believe that all nine works must be spoken of here, or the mood that the author creates will have been lost.
From the first sentence in "Berlin Match" to the last paragraph of "Charity", Len Deighton has created a masterpiece of intrigue, double-dealing and the cloak and dagger mentality that is peculiar to the British Secret Service. Looking at Bernard Samson and his family, friends, enemies and detractors has made for an extremely interesting read: I believe that I read all nine in about a month and a half.
In a style similar to John LeCarre, Deighton takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride that starts out with trepidation, builds to a almost certain climax, only to finish with an entirely different ending than anticipated. I disagreed with the author's statement that each novel can stand alone and be read in any sequence. I believe that each book laid a groundwork that the following novel picked up and developed further.
I highly recommend this nine volume series and would welcome Mr. Deighton to write a final Bernard Samson work. Enjoy, and good readuing!

What a mesmorizing account of a woman's life! I could not put the book down and found that Dorothy McKibbin's image of being a "power girl" ignited my own need to move forward and make a difference in life. Steeper has done an incredibly thorough job capturing the details of not only McKibbin's life and life-long contributions, but also the events of the time period. I highly recommend this book and plan to buy more for my "power girl" girlfriends around the world!

What a mesmorizing account of a woman's life! I could not put the book down and found that Dorothy McKibbin's image of being a "power girl" ignited my own need to blast forward and make a difference in life. Steeper has done an incredibly thorough job capturing the details of not only McKibbin's life and life-long contributions, but also the events of the time period. I highly recommend this book and plan to buy more for my "power girl" girlfriends around the world!

Undoubtedly there were thousands of unique perspectives to World War II, but one of the most interesting views was had by a lone woman who sat behind a desk in a small office in the ancient adobe hacienda at 109 East Palace Avenue in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her name was Dorothy McKibbin. During the Manhattan Project, Robert Oppenheimer and his gathering of scientists at Los Alamos designed and produced the first atomic bomb. McKibbin took care of just about everything else. A Smith College grad, Dorothy McKibbin had seen some difficult times in her early life, despite coming from a well-to-do Kansas City family. She spent a year as a "lunger" in a sanitarium in the mid 1920s, and she was widowed with a10-month-old son at the age of 33. But McKibbin was a survivor, a woman of determination. She picked up her young child, pulled up roots, and started over in the small, off-the-beaten-path town that had captivated her as she recovered from tuberculosis in 1925-Santa Fe. The move placed her at a crossroads with history, where in 1942 she would become the Gatekeeper to Los Alamos. She arrived in Santa Fe in 1932 with no job nor any prospects of one, but soon she had a bookkeeper's position at a trading company and was building a stunning adobe home that is now one of Santa Fe's historic properties. She made friends with the "cultural mix" of the Santa Fe area, among them photographer Laura Gilpin, architects John Gaw Meem and Katherine Stinson Otero, poets Witter Bynner and Peggy Pond Church, artist Cady Wells, and such legendary locals as Edith Warner and Tilano Montoya. Life was unhurried and unaffected. Then, in 1942, she met Robert Oppenheimer and that all changed. She was offered a new job at that meeting and took it immediately, saying years later, "I never met a person with a magnetism that hit you so fast and so completely as his did." It was an overwhelming job, but, through it, she and Oppenheimer formed an extraordinary friendship. A strong bond developed between them that lasted throughout their lives. In his history of the Manhattan Project, David Hawkins said it best. "Dorothy loved Robert Oppenheimer. He was her special one, and she, his." Pricilla McMillan of Harvard University has summed up this book well in saying, "this is the story of the beautiful, high-spirited woman who helped Robert Oppenheimer create the Los Alamos Laboratory and became its link to the outside world during World War Two. . . . It is exciting to read and just really excellent in every way."

Hilarious, frequently savage comic novel about an American couple in Mexico who are forcibly befriended by Leander Starr, an expat American movie director -- clearly based on Orson Welles -- on the run from the IRS, more than one ex-wife, and his estranged daughter. Starr, egotistical, brilliant, and endlessly charming, contrives to put together an epic film of Mexican history, financed by a local drug lord and starring another ex, in hopes of salvaging his fortunes. Written with all Dennis's typical droll wit, this is a must for fans of Welles, who will recognize a cunning roman à clef of Welles's (mis)fortunes in the 50's and 60's.

Patrick Dennis's "Genius" is a jolly romp, wildly improbable yet oddly convincing. It is a much funnier book than "Auntie Mame," with much more interesting character development. I laughed till I cried in his description of the Mexican movie producer "who lived under the sad delusion that toenails took care of themselves . . ." Buy it, you'll like it.

Along with "The Joyous Season" this may be one of the best books by Patrick Dennis. Now, don't throw your copies of "Auntie Mame" at me, I defend that lady to my dying breath, but this book has a narrower topic and allows Dennis greater depth to skewer customs and mores of not one, but two countries.

In two other books, "Little Me" and "First Lady" he uses the broadest strokes to ridicule the foolish and stupid.This time we've a new set of the foolish and the stupid, but they have the virtue of not-quite-being caricatures and having some semblance of reality on their side. As is his custom, Dennis, this time with his wife, serves as the narrator telling a wildly amusing tale about a down and out movie director/producer trying to make a comeback. One may wonder, given the selected subject material, a come back to what but this is only the venue on which to layer interesting, funny, worldly people doing human, if mis-guided, things.

The dialogue is sharper, the social humor-always his greatest asset-more biting and more carefully examined. And the plot stays just close enough to the edge of reality to be plausible.

While the plot drives the book, it isn't much to worry about. Dennis' enormous ability to observer people and convey them is the story here. Imagine the greatest story teller you ever knew, over a Brandy by a roaring fires saying, "Well, once upon a time in Mexico, we got involved in the most inane ....."

Oh, and keep an Ace bandage handy to bind up the ribs you'll break either laughing or falling down while laughing.

For anyone interested in the vegetation of Sonora, Mexico this book is a must! Back in the early 1980s I was very fortunate to be able to buy a copy of the original Smithsonian book published in 1942 and this current version is a wonderful update of that earlier work. The new book includes additional plant accounts from years of plant collecting in southeast Sonora by botanists at the University of Arizona in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The authors are careful to keep Gentry's original accounts in parentheses.

Gentry spent a considerable amount of time traveling in the Alamos region of southeast Sonora during the late 1930s and during these travels he collected interesting information concerning the local names and medicinal uses of the plants of southern Sonora. In reading the plant descriptions and associated plant habitats you can almost envision the plant growing and flowering in its native habitat. This book is nicely complimented by "Sonoran Desert Plants" and "The Trees of Sonora, Mexico" which look with greater depth into the larger plants and trees of Sonora.

I was given the opportunity to catalog Dr. Gentry's herbarium collection at the Desert Botanical Garden in 1987-88. I haven't seen the new edition mentioned here, but read the original work at the time I was cataloging his herbarium specimens. Through it, I was able to share his experience as an explorer in the spirit of John Wesley Powell, someone who knew that the American southwest is best delineated by watersheds, not along false lat/long lines. I met Dr. Gentry a couple of times, and remember the occasions well. Last time I saw him, when I was cataloging his collection, I overheard a conversation between him and a consultant for the Fort McDowell Indian Community. The consultant was asking about desert-adapted crop plants. Dr. Gentry went into great detail describing many desert plants suited to agriculture - tepary beans, jojoba, Lippia (Mexican oregano), agave, chiltepines, gum arabic, etc. I learned a lot just by eavesdropping. The consultant listened, but did not hear the words. He recommended that the Fort McDowell people plant cotton. Not because it was best suited to desert agriculture - far from that. They planted cotton because it needs vast quantities of water. They did not want the best desert-adapted crops. What they wanted, instead, was the best crop for wasting water, so that they could establish valid rights to the water. Worse, I watched them clear off vast acreages of mesquite forests to make room for the water-wasting cotton crop. The Hopi call this koyaanisqatsi. This book should help folks in southwestern north America realize that we have a bounteous resource, if we can only learn to use it.

Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran Desert and the tropics,this region is well known for its biodiversity, thanks to a 1942 study by botanist Howard Scott Gentry. Revision of his classic work began before his death in 1993. For researchers, this is a must-read book. It provides a clear overview of botanical studies of the Rio Mayo, a contemporary view of the vegatation, excerpts from the original text and an annotated list of plants.

Ten-year-old Pancho is sensitive and loving. He is harassed by his cousin, worried about his mother, and trying to do everything he can to help his family. The story could happen anywhere, but it happens in 1930's Yucatan. Through Pancho's story, we learn about bullfighting, baseball in Yucatan, the nationalization of Chichen Itza, and Maya treasures in general. It's a fun and exciting way to learn.

This book is great as the other books. I loved it. Great characters and easy to understand

Trudy Sauri has combined the elements of good story telling in "Pancho's Quest." Pancho and his cousin Cisco come alive on the pages of this colorful story. The vivid color pictures of the Yucatan add authenticity to the adventure as Pancho goes in search of the entrance to the Xibalba and risks being caught by thieves to carry off a bag of treasured artifacts.

This is family reading at its best and includes a fictional adventure, insight into the Maya culture, the pain of loss felt in childhood, and moral decision making. This is an excellent book for family discussion and for capturing those opportune, exciting teaching moments.

Trudy has included a glossary that will give opportunity for a better glimpse into the culture of Mexico, the Yucatan, and the Maya. An intense study of the glossary will not only make the story more enjoyable but will help to understand more fully the culture, of our Spanish neighbors and the books to follow in the series.

I am eagerly looking forward to reading all of the books in the "Gift of the Yucatan" series.

I knew many of the people Laverne talked about in this book. In my teen years, I spent a few weeks staying with my uncle Jiggs Collins. Jiggs lived in Trinidad when I first stayed at his house. He had a wild baby bobcat residing in his living room that winter.

Jiggs introduced me to the songs of Ramblin Jack Elliot. Jiggs was a LADIES man. Lots of ladies loved the old guy. He was one of the nicest and most considerate men I ever met, except that he could not manage to keep appointments. Jiggs's brother Bob said that Jiggs "woke up in a new world every morning." I asked Laverne why she loved Jiggs. She said he was handsome and was a gentle lover. He was not gentle when he killed a bear or rode a horse.

Jiggs moved to Weston and built a stone house at age 60+. He built it from scratch, working the stone then setting it. I miss him.

I agree, this story would make a great movie.

You wouldn't guess at the power of this book from it's size. As finely written as the complicated, intricately tatted lace fancywork Laverne's mother tatted into bleached sugar sacks, "still whole after fifty years." Stories as gripping and gritty as anything Hemingway ever wrote, featuring hailstorms that break every window in the house, treacherous horses, dogs, and rattlesnakes, and scandalous cowboys. Frequent flashes of wise, deep humor, understated and droll, that catches you unawares and leaves you laughing out loud. This was a woman worthy of the name. Would make a terrific movie.

I wish you could all have met Dr. Hanners! Janet Reno wrote to Dr. Hanners praising her mutual memory of growing up wild and free while trying to control nature and nature in the form of a pony. These are real people, many of whom still live in Kenton, Oklahoma, population 52.