Schools and Instruction Books

First off, this book it not going to have you speaking japanese once you finish reading it. What is will do, and do VERY well, is explain to you the complicated and heady rules and structures of japanese sentences and grammar. I found it to be a fabulous tool in showing everything from conjugating verbs to structuring simple sentences, all the way up to more comlicated sentences. Until I bought and used this book, I found that most books on Japanese were very vague on japanese grammar. The method of teaching tended to revolve around loosely explaining, and then showing students different sentences over and over until the meanings and usages eventually sunk in. The author here(who states early on that he is an engineer by career) uses a much more logical and systematic approach. He uses flow charts and lays out the stuctures of the senteces bare, explaining each part and how it works. Rather than naturally figuring it out ( which could take a great deal of time) he points out how everything works and encourages you to make use of this knowledge. In this manner you are shown the things you would learn naturally and then shown how to corelate it to equivlant english meanings. This is the way that adult brains glean knowledge best. Given a bit of time and practice, the english associations soon fade away and you can look a Japanese sentence and understand both its meaning and its stucture!
As you progress through the book, the sentences get more challenging and build on things you've learned in previous chapters, so it becomes a natural preogress for your mind to learn the next step. It's a very effective and rewarding method, because as you may know when learning a language, the more you learn, the more you WANT to learn...it becomes fun and addicting. Struggling to memorize the usages of particles and verb versus noun cojugations only slows down the process and can take away the students' desire to stay at it. "Japanese Step by Step" helps alleviate this; it really helps you feel like Japanese is not an impenetrable force...just another language that's a little different than your own.
However, as i first stated, this book alone is not going to have you speaking perfect japanese. It's a terrific resource that I think every student of the language should have...in ADDITION to at least one other comprehensive text (and/or audio lessons, and even better, live classes). My only complaint is that this book WAS designed for IBM employees originally, and as such teaches strictly very formal, professional japanese...the type an educated adult would use in the office or workplace. This is not a bad thing per se, but if you strictly learned to speak like this, you would sound rather awkward in social or family situations, particuarly among the younger crowd. But again, I don't recommend this as your sole learning source, just a strong supplement!
Anyone who's fist dipping into the Japanese language will find a lot of help in this book, and any intermediate student can benefit from it as an informative reference text. There's a lot to be learned here; I know I wasn't disappointed!!

This book isn't so bad when paired with several other study aids. The slant of the text is done from a far more technically linguistic perspective. While I can appreciate (and actually enjoyed it from that point of view), it's far less efficient than, say, using the Genki study system on your own, or the infamous Rosetta Stone program. Either of those two will probably suit you far better. This makes an excellent supplement and reinforcement to either. If you're technically minded it might also be interesting from that viewpoint, as well.

In any case, I find it a useful addition to my Japanese library. It's come in handy for some nice changes in scenery while studying. You may find this as well, if you're collecting books to augment your studies.

This is the best book for learning Japanese on your own, that I have bought. It is as good or better than most textbooks that I have read.
There are lots of examples and vocab as well as grammer. Only complaint is that the book uses different size letters to teach you the correct pitch for each word, but it is nothing you can't get used to.

This book was also a pretty good add to my collection. Although I found some parts of the book to be rather dry and somewhat boring, I feel that this it would prove to be a rather excellent tool for beginners.

This was the first book I bought when I decided to study japanese and I will never regret it. In fact, when I look through some other books on the same subject I almost think that I would never have continued studying if I had not bought this book.

This book starts of with presenting the structure behind simple japanese sentences so that you can say "That building is high" or "I like apples" after the first 1-2 chapters (say 30 minutes of reading).

Come chapter 4, time, place, adverbs and other things are covered and although it is impossible to learn how all the particles are used in different situations the first time you read about them you will always have some of their usages explained as a valuable reference.

Once you progress through chapter 4 you will have a solid foundation on which to build upon. The author then covers bits and pieces that appear again and again in common japanese speech and can really help you improve your japanese through almost no work at all.

I strongly recommend reading about these bits and pieces and then watching a japanese film. You will notice that these expressions appear again and again with different verbs in different situations. And as you hear them, you will remember what they meant and understanding will no longer be a problem.

I hope this review was somewhat coherent. I like this book and I have tried to explain why.

I'm a sorter. I organize. I put things in boxes. Color doesn't want to go in boxes. Or categories, or areas, or mix well with others. It drove me nuts. Sometimes it was too bright and sometimes it was so dull it hurt like a toothache. This book began my understanding of why color does what it does. Michael Wilcox put together a dictionary which unravels for me the complexities of color and the how's and why's of hue, tint, and shade. He has broken down the chemical compounds of color in an understandable way and broken the secret codes of the paint manufacturers so that you and I can read the labels. Now we can purchase exactly what colors we want and either mix our own exact shades and tints or get the individual paint supplier's.

Ever wonder why you sweat in your sister's bathroom and not in your's? Her's is painted peach and your's is blue. Why that works, now, is someone else's story. And then there's black. Who knew there were so many different kinds of black? There's a black to fit each room in your house, made out of every color in the room in which it is to reside. And it matches perfectly. Amazing.

Now when I see two shades of lemon yellow I don't see yellow at all. I see either greenish yellow or brownish yellow and refer to them as green or brown. It's very tricky to see the primary hue over the secondary color anymore. Huh. I guess that's what an educated color sense sees nowadays. Never thought about it before. Three cheers for Michael Wilcox and PO3, PV15, PY3 and others! I get true colors every time.

This ia a fabulous book for any artist or aspiring artist. From a pallet of only 12 colors he show you the hows and especially the whys of mixing just about any color you want. Especially good for water colorists. You'll never be mixing "mud" again.

Ben Albert

this book gets more interest for its paradoxical (and inaccurate) title than for its contents, which are straight out of 18th century color theory and painting practice. for a review of this book and links to background materials, google "wilcox handprint" and click the first few links. i should add that some of the positive reviews posted here appear verbatim at the wilcox "school of colour" website and are therefore just viral marketing.

the quiller book "color choices" and the hilary page book "color right from the start" are excellent resources. this book is heavy on simplification, routine, and computer generated color samples.

I am very pleased with this book. It is filled with valuable information for the painter which is presented in terms that are easy to comprehend. I am currently working my way through the exercises and by doing so can already see where the book has been worth every penny. As someone well acquainted with "mud" I think the book will save me a fortune in paint down the road. I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to recommend this book to anyone interested in painting whether new to painting or an experienced artist. We can all learn something new from it. In fact, I think it would make a great text book.

Before reading this book, I already had a good basis in the basic color theory: the primaries, secondaries, tertiaries, and the ideas of complementary and analogous colors. I even knew that mixing complementaries would result in browns to blacks.

However, I hadn't learned how to apply that knowledge in the way this book presents it. As a result, sometimes I would mix colors that were muddy or shaded, and I didn't know why. This book explains it all so clearly and so simply that you are sure to retain and use the information with ease.

In summary, this book tells you how to mix any color you want, reliably and with confidence, just using six colors, two of each primary color. Everyone who understands color knows that yellows fall on a range from almost-orange to almost green, blues fall on a range from almost-green to almost-purple, and reds fall on a range from almost-purple to almost orange. The fact that these colors are in a range means that, when you mix them, you will get different results depending on where the colors fall in that range.

This book tells how to determine where a color falls in those ranges, and also gives you a clear and understandable way of knowing what to expect when mixing different primaries. The system works.

One nice thing is that, with the price of paints today, if you need to, you can only purchase six colors and you will pretty much be set. Accordingly, this book recommends that you purchase those six colors, two from each primary, with one color each that tends toward each end of each primary (a green-yellow and an orange-yellow, for example).

Of course, you can always buy a larger range of colors, but armed with the information in this book, when you do so, you can confidently purchase and mix those colors and have a good idea of what the results will be each time.

If you are impatient with theory, you can skip all the stuff about reflected light, additive versus subtractive color mixing, color perception in the brain, and so on; it may or may not all be true, and is anyway only Mr. Wilcox's theory about *why* his system works. Instead, if you are impatient, just read the juicy stuff about the colors themselves. It will definitely improve your ability to mix colors well. If I were making a list of "must have" books in an artist's reference library, this would be one of them.

Reinventing Comics has one strength that makes it timeless: Scott McCloud systematically explains what was wrong with the comics that were created through the end of the 20th century. When he switches over to what's needed to overcome those issues, the book becomes more idealistic than practical in many areas. The book is particularly hobbled by a limited appreciation of how comics might blur with (and be surpassed by) electronic gaming.

His basic optimism is that the comics genre can expand to satisfy more readers' needs by:

1. Becoming more like literature.
2. Developing as an art form.
3. Providing creators with more rights.
4. Changing the industry business model to serve everyone's needs better
5. Improving public image.
6. Reducing the heavy hand of governmental overview.
7. Appeal to females.
8. Represent all kinds of people.
9. Diversify in subgenres.
10. Employing improved digital production methods.
11. Providing digital delivery.
12. Exploring the potential of digital comics.

Basically, he sees escaping the box of limited distribution by providing online, direct distribution. This method is potentially cheaper and could provide for more creators while eliminating many intermediaries.

I suspect that some of his optimism will be "over the rainbow" for quite a while yet.

It's interesting that even the blockbuster success of so many comic-based characters hasn't helped to reinvigorate the comics business more. I think that's where he doesn't realize that in a world of video, comics seem dated and static.

Will comics go the way of high art and become something primarily for older aficionados? I doubt it. Comics are like candy to boys of a certain age. Comics help them to dream. Can comics go beyond that heritage? It's possible, but is it likely? Books like this one will have to do more than point the way: Breakthrough success is needed to draw an audience and more inspired creators.

I hope Mr. McCloud is right. I still like comics.

A fascinating look at how the comics business has changed with the advent of the internet and new media markets. Not for everyone but definitely well-written and well-illustrated. It will make you think!

Most of the books of Scott McCloud have been "eye-openers" to me, as they illustrate aspects of the comic storytelling that went unnoticed and that really server to improve my craft.
This reinventing comics, with his fresh approach to using modern technologies applied to comic book creation is also very illustrative and gives the basis to try new visual experiences - based on current technology.
Totally recommended book!

No other word for it. Mcloud strikes again with another amazing insite to comics, specifically to comics' future. The ideas presented in this book are feasible and inspiring for comic artists and readers. The possibilities are endless and Mcloud gives a good fertile starting ground.

Want 3 of the best-ever books on the general topic of comics? Here they are! (each generally sold separately)

1.*Understanding Comics- A *landmark* & bestselling examination of the medium. A comicbook on comics! While I try not to use the "genius" label *too* liberally, with Understanding Comics it really seems to fit(!). 5 Stars!

2.*Reinventing Comics- Maybe his best *looking* book (in my opinion), it's basically split into 2 sections: The 12 Revolutions in comics; and then basic Internet/Computer/Web Comics. The 12 Revolutions is a look at 12 aspects of the comicbook industry; areas that need continual development & improvement. I found this book fascinating, but it's certainly not for everyone. These areas include: comics as literature; comics as art; creator's rights; industry innovation; public perception; institutional scrutiny; gender balance; minority representation; diversity of genre; digital production; digital delivery; and digital comics. It's these last three that make up the second part of the book. Some people seem annoyed with McCloud's seemingly rapid success as a spokesperson for the industry, but I'm not. After writing Understanding Comics, I think he's earned at *least* a seat at the table of high profile industry personalities. I guess the criticism is that his actual comicbook work lacks bestseller status. But if his comicbooks *on* comics are bestsellers, his contributions seem valid enough to me. Reinventing Comics is the least popular & practical in the Trilogy, yet I still really like it! 4-1/2 Stars.

3.*Making Comics- It's like Understanding Comics refined, as well as a "hands-on" introduction to the medium. It competes with that 1st title for most popular in the Trilogy, and it's highly recommended to anyone who wants to make comics! I like it! 5 Stars.

In conclusion: His 1st & 3rd books being the most popular, Reinventing Comics is *great* for the digitally minded(!).

On the back of my copy, it says "the best book of its kind I have ever seen - deems taylor"

I don't know if the latest edition still says that, but it's important to know what KIND of book this is. It was written in 1939, and its chapter on "Contemporary Music" is about composers who died long ago.

It's not exactly a "complete idiot's guide" to the subject of what goes on with classical music, but it's close.

Despite its age, it really is beautifully written and contains loads of good information about listening to classical music.

Not easy to read but the easiest, useful book on the subject. Revisions excellent.

This is a classic. I recommend it for anyone that wants to expand their viewpoint of Classical music. I had lost this treasure in Katrina and I purchased it to replace it for my reference. Copland is one of Americas finest composers and his insights are useful to both musicians and non musicians alike.

i bought this book because it's so cheap. I was curious about what Copland would say in the book. In fact, it reminds me a lot of thing I have forgotten about writing the music, which is great.

My orchestra director recommended this book because it is the next logical step in musical development. I am a private music teacher and principal cellist in a symphony. Michael, my director, teaches at a university and asks his students to purchase this book. I found it absolutely fascinating and it helps to understand the differing styles and composers. Worth every penny! Aaron Copland is a genius.

A great book for kids 5 and under, it covers the basic information kids need to know about how babies are made, okay/not okay touches and families. Its fun cartoon illustrations make it an engaging read for the preschool set.

I love the drawings of naked boys and girls that show how we are alike and different. At this age, kids are very curious about body parts, both public and private, and this book gives them a safe place to check out the opposite sex.

Remember to read it yourself before you read it to your kids - maybe even out loud. Saying "penis enters the vagina" gets easier the more times you say it!

We purchased this book to read with our 10 1/2 year old. It's a very age appropriate book and a great introduction to the "birds and the bees". It gives just enough information without being overwhelming for little minds and it helps to open the door to communication with your kids abut sex. We highly recommend this book.

This is a keeper and will be on our shelf for a long time. It's wonderful to see Marc Brown's familiar illustration style and Laurie Krasny's clear explanations of the mysteries of growing up. Great job and thank you!

I had my son to read this book- I read thru it first, and then I gave it to him to read on his own. When he was finished, I asked if he had any questions, and opened the room for discussion. I feel this book was very helpful in answering everything he was curious about- it was just the right amount of straight forward, yet age appropriate information.

I bought this book to explain sex to my 10 year old daughter. I read it first then hide it fast! I didn't let my daughter read it. The book was good until it talked about masturbation. It says, "Touching and rubbing your genitals to feel good is called masturbation." This is not something I want her to know about yet. It also says 'sexual intercourse feels wonderful.' Well, I don't want her to know that either. (I don't want to lie to the girl!) So the hunt is back on for the perfect sex book.

I am not completely finished reading the book. However, so far, I have found it entertaining and educational. It is amazing to me how the pygmies can exist in the forest with virtually none of what we would view as essentials. A very simple way of life.

I love this book, it is well written, informative and interesting;
The story of the Molimo gave me great joy!

This beautiful anthropoligical work told in a srory is extrenmle fascinating.THE FOREST PEOPLE echoes such works as USURPER AND OTHER STORIE, and SAN PEOPLE. I was completely captivated by this book, which is why I read it four times this winter. It is taking me a step forward in coming to terms with life's different perspectives.

This beautiful anthropoligical work told in a srory is extrenmle fascinating.THE FOREST PEOPLE echoes such works as USURPER AND OTHER STORIE, and SAN PEOPLE. I was completely captivated by this book, which is why I read it four times this winter. It is taking me a step forward in coming to terms with life's different perspectives.

I can only agree with the "common humanity" sentiments expressed- especially that feature of humans leading them to take the piss out of newcomers.
Turbull utterly uncritically accepts what he is told. He takes a pygmy out onto the plain and drives him up to a Buffalo and the guy expresses surprise at Turnbull's ability to turn an insect (buffalo far away) into a large creature close up.
Come off it!
This pygmy hunts for food and can probably knock a monkey off a branch at 50 yards and he has no depth perception? He's having a laugh at Turnbulls expense!
Read Chagnon on the tricks th Yanomamo used to play on him. A much better anthropologist and less patronising too.

"Chatty." "An easy read." "Humorous." These comments seemed to surface again and again in class discussion about this book. The book is an easy read, and the author's personality is evident throughout. While reading the chapters, I never had to set the book aside, as I have had to do with other grammar books. The author's wit, along with his ability to avoid the use of technical jargon, allowed me to flip through the pages with interest and ease.

The intended audience is language arts teachers. However, due to the simplicity of explanations and the numerous examples and activities, this book could be useful for nearly any writer, from middle school to grad school.

Two premises introduced in the first chapter are the "countertradition" and "mythrules." The countertradition basically challenges the notion that "children learn parts of speech by means of definitions" (18). Although it isn't discussed in every chapter, the author does address it often. For example, in chapter two Schuster shares the traditional definition of a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea), and then acknowledges that this traditional definition is inadequate. Mythrules, which the second premise is based on, are "rules that rule no one-other than perhaps a handful of pop-grammarians and hardened purists who look for their authority somewhere in the sky rather than here on earth." (xii) Schuster addresses and negates these so-called rules, such as "Avoid I and me at all costs" in several chapters. The premises seem to provide a solid focus throughout the book.

Although I think this book is an excellent resource overall, Schuster's biases toward certain grammar topics are evident. In one chapter, he shares a traumatic experience he had involving pronouns in tenth grade. He then goes on to discuss pronouns in depth for nearly five pages. Later in the chapter, less than two pages are dedicated to the appositive.

While a more balanced focus on each of the topics would be helpful, I wouldn't exchange this book for another grammar text. Overall, I found it very engaging and helpful, and I would recommend it for any language arts teacher or intermediate to advanced writer.

Warning! Breaking the Rules is not for people who like boring, stuffy traditional grammar books! It's almost fun to read. Edgar H. Schuster writes in a chatty manner and uses humor to prove his points.
This book is written for teachers, and it's obvious from his examples that Schuster has taught before. I found topics like grading students' papers and commonly confused words to be especially relevant to what a teacher may need to know. Schuster states information plainly and doesn't go into too much detail explaining it. Schuster pushes teachers not to make grammar lessons stuffy, but to change because grammar changes.
There aren't many examples in Breaking the Rules, so if you want lists of examples this book is not for you. Schuster includes lesson plans that are diverse, encouraging students to explore different parts of grammar. This book is for teachers and includes activities and information that may not be useful to others. My favorite activity is about personal pronouns. This activity is on pages 23-26 and it is designed to show students that they already know a great deal about personal pronouns. This specific activity will make grammar seem less intimidating. The activities are adaptable and can be used for high school or younger aged children.
I liked this book because it's different. Breaking the Rules should be on every teacher's bookshelf. It teaches teachers to think out of the box and to learn more about teaching the English language. A quote by Frank McCourt sums up why teachers should read this book: "If you're teaching and you're not learning then you're not teaching." This book will teach, if you are willing and accepting.

If you are looking for an untraditional and creative means of helping students become better writers then this book is for you. breaking the rules by Edgar Schuster is a idealistic book about grammar that goes beyond traditional instruction. This book is meant for anyone who is interested in a better instruction of grammar, which includes college students and reflective teachers.
In the book Schuster suggest that teachers look at the works of students, writers, and other professionals and then after reviewing the works, the teachers need to decide which language rules are practical and which ones on be broken, for example the case of Finlay McQuade during the late 1970's. McQuade took a good look at his Editorial Skills class and found out that teaching grammar in a traditionally way is a failure (p. xviii.) There is too many rules in traditional grammar that has no space in the realities of spoken or written language today.
The book is full of real life anecdotes that makes it easy to read. For example, Schuster used himself in an example about a student who was told that the definition of a pronoun was a word that replaces a noun. So the student used words such as writer for author and book for novel. There are detailed instructions on how grammar rules are used, and if possible, how the rule can be broken to enhance the writing. The book includes many topics from the definition of a noun to tips on revising and editing. There are also many activities in the book that make it easier for the reader to understand the concept.
This is a wonderful book to keep on hand for a reference for anyone who is going into the field of teaching or anyone else who is interested in improving his or her writing.

Break the rules of English! It sounds like an appealing idea. Edgar Schuster presents this very thought in his book, Breaking the Rules. He gives insight on how teachers and writers can free themselves from the constricting boundaries of traditional English grammar. Schuster encourages freedom by presenting an extraordinary amount of research to support his ideas. His research shows how the traditional rules have been broken over the years and how modern authors continue to break them today.

However, after reading a chapter of this book, his research becomes too much to bear; in fact, it makes Breaking the Rules one of the most frustrating grammar books I have ever read. Schuster spends such an exhaustive amount of time supporting why and how rules can be broken that I forget what the rule is in the first place. I have to consult another grammar book to understand what is going on. Traditional grammar actually seems less complex than Schuster's resentation of what is wrong with it.

On the other hand, Breaking the Rules seems to offer a lot to English teachers. The book is loaded with many classroom exercises and alternative ways to teach concepts. I even learn a lot from a section in chapter three, titled Twenty-seven Commonly Confused Words: A Glossary with a Difference. In this section, Schuster provides alternative ways of understanding the differences between advise/advice, than/then, and others. I am impressed with how he uses the acronym VANE to explain the differences in how a writer uses affect and effect. He says to look at how the word functions in a sentence: "If you need a verb, write affect. If you need a noun, write effect (77)."

I am reading this book as a part of my Grammar and Composition class. I find it disappointing because I want to learn the "rules." Although I am learning pieces of the rules of writing that will stick with me and make me a better writer, I do not think it is worth the amount of time I put into reading it. Even though I feel BTR makes little contribution to the skill of the general writer, it still may serve a purpose for teachers. There are a lot of ideas that teachers can use to teach their students. The book may also help teachers understand that "breaking the rules" is not the end of the world.

Breaking the Rules: Liberating writers through innovative grammar instruction, by Edgar H. Schuster, could not be a more awesome grammar book. He truly follows his title by breaking the time-old traditional grammar rules. This is by far the most innovative grammar instruction I have ever seen. This book can be used by anyone from the novice writer to the future English teacher. Schuster is all about breaking the rules of traditional grammar and making them easier for the average person to understand. One of the major concepts that he stresses throughout the entire book is not to sacrifice the writing for content (meaning, a grammatically perfect essay does not make an interesting essay).
Why fret about breaking rules in a class? Rules that professional authors break in their published novels all the time? Schuster says that you should not. On page xv of the Introduction, Schuster writes that "[n]ot to allow students to break rules is to deny them full access to the linguistic resources of English; resources that people need to express themselves and achieve their own voices." He could not be more correct in my eyes. How interesting is it to read a paper that follows every grammar rule to a T, but is so dull one cannot get through a single paragraph without either feeling completely overwhelmed, or desperately fighting off sleep yawns? Not very interesting I can tell you that, which is one of the reasons why this book is so easy to both read and understand.
Schuster writes as if he is speaking with the reader, with a very conversational tone. I have found that this tone makes reading this book seem as if I am actually speaking with him, rather than having the information beat into me. However, sometimes due to his rather informal
tone, he tends to get a bit carried away. Like, for instance, he put so much time and research into finding examples to support his claims that sometimes he includes so many of them for one subject that one can get a tad tired of reading them all. All of the lessons and activities that Schuster uses to support the grammar subjects he covers are very fun and inventive, he flips the world of grammar instruction upside down. One of his Verb lessons just totally caught my eye. The goal of this lesson on page 29 is "To demonstrate that one learns the part of speech of a word automatically, at the same time one learns its meaning." How often has anyone seen this as a goal for a grammar lesson? Usually teachers assume that students are not capable of learning more than one thing at a time, but Schuster understands that students are not stupid.
While many college professors may look at Breaking the Rules and cringe, or even cry, I look at it and say "Thank my lucky stars, I could not have done it with out you!" I really cannot say that I have ever enjoyed reading a text book more in my life. If you are a novice writer, or just a little confused with grammar, I definitely recommend reading this book.

This book has some of the most original models I've seen among origami books (including a particularly impressive clock). However, many of the instructions are vague or extremely difficult to fold as described. Some of the more advanced models will take lots of experimentation to figure out what the intended fold is.

An excellent book for beginners and continuing students of origami. Many color photo step-by-step illustrations of simple and more complicated models. Well worth buying.

I have enjoyed this book for the past 18 years, and have figured out about three quarters of the full content. But I have been frustrated for the past 18 years, too... I have never been able to go past the 32nd step of the grand piano figure... and I wonder if anybody has ever been able to figure out how to finish the whole model!!! I wish Mr. Lang would demonstrate how he does it himself in one of his videos... and then I would be so much happier!!!

I agree with several of the reviewers here. As a "purist" I object to models that don't start with a square, of which there are many here. I am also bothered by measurements that do not arise from the creases themselves (eg "fold into thirds".) Finally, Lang jumps from very easy to very advanced, with virtually nothing in-between (and uses harder folding sequences than neccessary IMO, Montroll achieves similar complexity in his finished models with far less difficulty.)
If you are willing to look past these objections, the finished models themselves are frequently amazing.

this book would fit nicely on a shelf in bill gates mansion. If you're a hardcore nerd and grew up within the 80s and 70s, played with erector sets and studied quantum physics at the age of 2 then you may be able to decode the rocket science behind the drawings and instructions given in this book. nay on the origamay

This is a good book to read on the partial history of online learning. Maeroff is predicting that in the coming years Â"online courses will edge closer to the mainstream Â... so that eventually few distinctions will be made between courses taken online, courses taken in the classroom, and courses that incorporate attributes of both settingsÂ" (xii-xii). But Maeroff should have added URLÂ's for the reader to easily assess.

I believe that Mr. Maeroff gets our wheels to turning and opens up the discussion on online learning as a real plus for America. He gives, in his opinion, the ups and downs according to educational teachers and universities about how they feel somewhat threatened as the "new age" love online classes vs. the classroom. Mr. Maeroff states, "Online courses are here to stay. They are revolutionary because they represent a fundamentally different delivery system that breaks the monopoly of the classroom, forcing an examination of habits of teaching and learning that for too long have defied scrutiny. Online learning will not banish the many problems of teaching and learning, but it offers one more tool for tying to deal with them." I as an online student totally agree with him.

This textbook is a wonderful resource for educators as well as online students. Maeroff chronicles the history of online education and its impact on higher education as well as grades k-12. I found it informative and useful for me, both as a student and instructor.

Maeroff provides detail on the progression of online learning. Online students must be motivated and disciplined but as he states not everyone has equal opportunity to persue an online education due to economic factors. Maeroff demonstrates how online learning can benefit the non-traditional student, rural communities, and disabled students. He also points out how faculty have to be trained to adapt to the new delivery system of instruction and he also explores the global impact of sharing education.

It is an in-depth read, but overall a thorough examination of online learning.

Maeroff provides a very insightful, detailed and unbiased perspective on the advancement of online education. He goes to great lengths to provide a thorough explanation of the historical development of online education. In addition to the history he delivers to the reader honest comparisons of traditional "brick and mortar" education, previous forms of distance education and online education.

His book does not just attack the idea of online education in higher education, but to my surprise discusses the advancement of online education in elementary and secondary levels as well. As a current online student, I found it very interesting to observe how accurate many of his projections from the 2002 book have been. I have a much greater understanding of the depth of online education and the impact it is having in the education industry. Reading "A Classroom of One" has given me an appreciation of the history and the intricacies that make this opportunity possible.

I was assigned this book by Gene Maeroff's by a professor. This is not a book I would have read if it was not for a grade this book is said to be a report from the front lines on the status of online learning in the United States and around the world. Maeroff examines what is facing online education and how online classes will affect education in the world. It examines what problems face educators, colleges and students young and old. One part of the book I found very interesting and I believe all students should consider before taking online classes is the support during the class, discipline you need to continue and the extra work that online class work has compared to taking a class "in class". This book has gave me a new way of thinking about online class and also new resources to help me over come obstacles while taking my online classes.

I believe this book would be a good book for Older students taking an online class or for parents that are helping children. I also believe this is another book on Pros and cons. Over all I enjoyed the book as a self help tool and new ways of thinking.

This book is correct in one way and it really made me think, not all people should take an online class and not all classes should be done online some classes need extra support and more on hands direction

I am working on my MFA in art. While I am not a strict conservative in the tradition of painting, I am very serious about my training in the techniques of the old masters. Many new books have been published that claim to give you the substance needed, but most of these books show you what you can do, not how you can do it. We are in a period of time in art education where the late modernist and early postmodernist curriculum is strongly emphasized. It is a rare opportunity to find a teacher that has the information this book contains. A true painter ought to know where his materials come from and how they are made. This book gives direct translations from the old masters on how to create pigments and vehicles for oil painting. Like the fact that masters would save the bones from dinner and them char them to create lamp black. This book also gives techniques for purifying raw linseed oil. Little facts like these have been a mystery to me for so long because few teachers know this information.

This is actually a two volume book compiled into one. The first volume deals primarily with recipes of the masters and correlating schools of their time. The second volume deals with techniques such as sfumato(Da Vinci) chiaroscuro(Caravaggio) and other important concepts in painting.

If you learn more about the materials you work with, you will be a better artist, no matter what type of art you do. I recommend this book to the traditionalist, modernist, and postmodernist.

It took me several days to bull through the first 50 pages. I found out that must cultures used some sort of "drying oil" -- linseed or other for oil painting. This discovery astounded me so much, that Ii have been unable to continue reading. Perhaps the people who gave it a high rating could tell me something to encourage further reading.

By the way this system won't let me give this book a zero star rating.

A seminal work - referred to by authorities (Ralph mayer, etc) on painting technique. A must have if you're interested in painting technique throught the centuries.

Out of the thousands of dollars I've spent on art books over the years to understand and improve my knowledge as a realist artist, this has to be the only one I've ever bought so far that I found completly useless.
If you want to impress another artist, sure, hit them over the head with it. But apart from that I can't really see the point of it being marketed to modern day artists. Written in 1847 with language to match, it just simply describes what most realist artists can usually figure out for themselves by looking at the pictures. And come to much clearer conclusions. Something that your average artist without a generous income and the time to travel round europe during that time period probably couldn't do. Hence the reason I imagine, this book was written.

As a teaching aid for your modern day realist artist, in my opinion forget it. If you want a book this thick and scholastic that will actually help you, get Ralph Mayers 'The Artist's Handbook of Materials & Techniques' instead.

Beware of impressive, studious sounding reviews - I'm sorry I wasted my money on it.

My initial reaction on receiving this book was "Bloody hell is it big enough!?" At 1024 pages you're certainly getting a lot of information for your buck.

Eastlake (1793-1865) was a former president of the British Royal Academy, director of the National Gallery, and in his day an major expert on painting techniques. Do note the book was first published in 1847, hence the writing style can be somewhat turbid. Perseverance pays with there being more information in here than you can shake a stick at.

My comment about caution is based upon recent studies of old master paintings. The old masters would typically have a team of apprentices working alongside them, mixing paint, painting parts of the painting that the master was probably too bored to bother with (as well as good training for the apprentice) etc. The Master/Apprentice setup allowed for a continuous stream of knowledge being passed along the generations. However as oil paint technology advanced, in particular the ability to buy premixed paints off the shelf, the painter no longer needed a team of apprentices. He could pretty much get by on his own. Hence there was no longer anyone for the painter to pass on his knowledge to. This resulted in a considerable amount of technical knowledge being lost. (A good example is the recent theory promulgated by David Hockney that the old masters were able to paint such realistic paintings as they used rudimentary projection techniques to place a guide image on the canvas, overwhich they painted. No one knows if he is right or wrong).

From the 1800's on, technical experts such as Eastlake and Max Doerner ("The Materials of the Artist") began to impart their wisdom on how the old master paintings were created. But the techniques thay had available were very rudimentary, more often than not being a case of the expert trying to reproduce a certain style and looking at the painting surface close up. The experts proferred their theories and techniques, often with much aplomb leaving no room for doubt. Unfortunately they were often quite off the mark - they could emulate a style somewhat but never 100%. There are too many variables involved even for a discerning eye. It has only been with recent advances in scientific analysis, chemical and visual, that a truer understanding of the old master technique is finally being determined. Van Wettering's excellent "Rembrandt - the painter at work" book details the findings of extensive research carried out on a number of paintings considered to have been painted by Rembrandt. The book is 340 pages, and they still haven't got all the answers. But what they have done is to throw in to doubt the theories and techniques of the 19th/20th C experts.

There is a welter of information in this book, but if you are trying to perfectly replicate a certain old master painterly technique, and failing to do so, then be warned the experts might not be such experts afterall.

All said and done, I do recommend this book for the wealth of information it contains. Numerous recipes for mediums, varnishes etc. along with many techniques that it lends itself to study in its own right. Dover books have once again provided an excellent product at an excellent price.