No comments about What People Wore When: A Complete Illustrated History of Costume from Ancient Times to the Nineteenth Century for Every Level of Society.

No comments about Study Guide for Gardner's Art Through the Ages, Volume II (Chapters 19-34), 12th.

5 comments about The Human Machine.

1. where is my book?,,, i never reviced.
   or Tell to me, where can i call or send a email, to ask about it.



2. I've been a fan of George Bridgman's books ever since I bought Constructive Anatomy, and followed it with the 100 hands book. I found the Human Machine and ordered it because I wanted to see more references in regards to how the body movies. I'm not severely disappointed but I suppose I was expecting a bit more. I was hoping for more full body references which would separate the book from Constructive Anatomy. Unfortunately it didn't deliver.
   
   I did find the information in this book highly useful, but I have to agree that the print quality of the illustrations can be frustrating for some people. I am not bothered by it because I want something that is loose and interpretive, but explanatory. The problem with many art books is that they get so detailed in anatomy an artist trying to learn life drawing isn't learning to interpret the information but simply copies it.
   
   You need illustrations like this to help your juices flow and act more creatively. If everything is drawn out for you in explicit detail how do you learn to fill in the gaps and experiment? That is why I found Bridgman's books more valuable to me than the super detailed anatomy books. His methods of construction have helped me out greatly in learning to flesh out my figures from stick forms.
   
   The other value of this book is it's price. Why waste 30 dollars or more when these books are usually 10 dollars or less? My other book is becoming worn from extreme use, but at least I know I can easily replace the book at a low cost!



3. In reality, this book didn't teach me anything I didn't know already. The illustrations may be handy for someone who hasn't had much experience with body-mechanics, bending, joints, etc. This book was neither outstanding nor worthless, thus my bland 3 star review...



4. Maybe 3-1/2 stars. (Idea & Layout= 5 stars. Drawing quality= 2 stars.)
   
   Bridgman's The Human Machine is *exceedingly* ambitious in its scope, and could have been exceedingly successful to match, were it not for its *one* pretty obviously glaring problem: these drawings are exceedingly sketchy!
   
   Originally published in 1939, Bridgman passed away in 1943. He was approximately 75 when he made this- possibly a factor in the lack of clarity throughout. If only he had made this at the height of his career(!)- This book is a perfect example of 'what could have been'.
   
   Many people revere this work in spite of all this. It may not compare at 1st glance with the slick, computer-aided & enhanced books of today, but if you're willing to get past the obvious sketchiness here you'll find a veritable gold mine of visual information. Take the overall layout & structure for example. In my opinion, this book's presentation easily rivals that of his more polished & refined work- Constructive Anatomy, which has a more awkward interplay between its words & pictures. The Human Machine moves rapidly & logically, building the figure with simple lines first, then showing how bones & muscles interact with eachother & with the figure's simplified outline, to give an impression of the whole figure & its parts, all at once in a few detailed pages. It's this *overall* conception of the human figure that appeals to the many who give this work a chance. Bridgman applies all this to the figure's actions & mechanisms as well- it's not just about bones & muscles here, like so many anatomy books tend to be. And Bridgman's lines, though sketchy here, still tend to be an accurate record of the figure, worthy of study. He *usually* chooses his lines with the precision & beauty we've come to expect. But the overall lack of visual clarity here hurts; leaving this genius idea still somewhat unrealized.
   
   Overall: The basic *point* of Bridgman's Human Machine is to help people to draw figures more convincingly, and from memory. To a great degree, at least in my opinion, this book still succeeds in a very effective way...
   
   P.S. This book is definitely *not* for beginners! Only *Intermediate-level* artists need apply.



5. I bought 16 different Anatomy Drawing books and this is the only one that I actually felt compelled to give away. When the other people say the drawings are faded and sketchy that is an understatement. This is not a good book to learn by and it was not very effective in the design approach. Your much better off with some Dynamic Figure Drawing, Dynamic Hands, Dynamic Wrinkles, Artistic Anatomy, Anatomy for Artists, An Atlas of Anatomy For Artists, etc etc etc. Some of the other books I listed are almost the same price and are 10 times better. Its night and day between this book and the other Anatomy Drawing books.

3 comments about Introduction to Two-Dimensional Design: Understanding Form and Function.

1. Only a few pages of images are in color, the rest are printed in black and white. This makes the book considerably less helpful because color is such an essential element of graphic and two-dimensional design.



2. I've been a Graphic Designer for 20 years. While taking a 2-D course recently, I found this book a well-written resource.



3. I am certainly recommend to any body who is involved with basic design education in communication design

5 comments about The Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces.

1. The Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces
   I took this book out of a library for a couple of weeks and needed to extend the time because I loved it so much. The thought process and fiber manipulation taken from nature and developed into many different types of product, are fab. I am continually looking at this book again and again and always find it inspiring and motivating. If you love to design and create using your own ideas this is a must have. Not a "how to" book with little in the way of instructions. You need to have a sound understanding of embroidery, both hand and machine to help you nut out what they have done to achieve the results shown. An amazing book of photos, ideas and exploration to take you where you may not have thought to go.



2. I adore this book! It is really and truly inspirational. As someone else said, it is NOT a how to book - and it is not meant to be. It is what it says - inspiration. If you are a creative stitcher you will love this book and it will be like mine, a constant companion, even in your dreams.
   The stunning photographs of the natural world and their translation into stitch is excellent, informative and again, inspiring. The ideas are innovative, modern and lead you into your own creative pathways. The photography is excellent and if stitch instruction are sparse you can see what to do from the pictures. Colour use is great and again, you can learn a lot just from the pictures.
   
   Highly RecommendedThe Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces



3. As a new hand to embroidery I bought several books with stitches and then got stuck with what next? Not being prone to use kits and wanting to explore nature with texture and stitches, The Art of Embroidery seemed the perfect choice. The photos of nature and of her designs reproducing nature with stitches on fabric are incredible! My sewing background helped when it came to filling in the details of the instructions from time to time. I have already made several things inspired by this book AND I have preordered her next book on felt!



4. This is not a "how to" book. No patterns here. It's a wonderful exploration of breaking boundries, and moving away from rules. A great book for those seeking inspiration to look beyond the norm. Love it, but not for everyone. Lucious photography in the 'artsy' mode. A great companion the the 'The Art of Knitting' book by the same author.



5. If an artsy representation of nature in embroidered forms is your thing, and you have every other possible embroidery publication, buy this one--but only if you want a complete literature on the subject. It is not a 'how-to' and not particularly inspirational unless you are a student of textile arts.

2 comments about Richard Prince.

1. Since I will not be lucky enough to see the exhibition at the Guggenheim, I am very happy to be able to say that this is one of the best art books I have ordered so far. It lists and illustrates the bulk of Prince's major series (the original ad pictures from the 1970's, stripped of all text, the cowboy photos,the joke paintings, the nurse paintings,the latest 2006 "De Kooning" paintings which are a complete discovery, and many more). The illustrations are wonderful and do justice to the scope and depth of the artist's oeuvre.
   
   The book starts with an enlightening essay by curator Nancy Spector who shows how Prince's appropriation art resulted in one of the most profound analyses of contemporary American culture. Another valuable chapter of the book is a collection of interviews of various personalities (collectors, intellectuals, magazine editors, writers, cartoonists...)who have been in some way or other in contact with Richard Prince and his works and who give their own often sensible and knowledgeable opinion on it.
   
   Highly recommended.



2. The book is pretty decent but pricey. Multiple languages are a pain in the neck.

No comments about The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change, Volume 1.

2 comments about Roman Sculpture (Yale Publications in the History of Art).

1. THis book is part of what I have to read in my introduction course in greek/roman art. In this respect it is maby not optimal, the autor focuses too much on works of art that no longer excicsts, and works that aren't that well known. I wish she would focus more on the really famous pieces. What is realle good is that it follows the Emperors cronologically, and that makes it easier too understand the connecton between art and society. For people with special interests in the field, it is probably wonderfull, but with 460 pages it is long and a bit too much information for a new student.



2. Ms. Kleiner does indeed show how eclectic Roman sculpture is/was. But she also shows and explains how artists wrought texture out of stone, their flare for facial features, the thoughtful tilt of the head or the significance of a raised eyebrow. There is more to Romans than conquest. This book makes that clear. This book also does an excellent job of relating historical events to tastes in sculpture.

5 comments about Celtic and Old Norse Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. I bought this book looking for inspiration for a Celtic or Viking tattoo design. Hearing what a revered artist Courtney Davis was, I thought I couldn't go wrong with this book. Unfortunately, all the drawings were incredibly unsophisticated and they remind me more of an amateur's work (perhaps at copying Courtney Davis). All of the designs were in black and white and many of them were just plain - and I *do* mean plain - knotwork patterns better suited to tablecloths than tattoos. There is none of the beautiful intricacy you find in real Celtic art - almost all of the patterns have huge unfilled or "blackened" spaces.
   
   If you're looking for inspiration in Celtic design, buy a reproduction of the Book of Kells. I know that will put the shoddiness of this work to light. I suspect this was just a cheap attempt at making money and that Courtney himself does not prize this work.
   
   The good news is - it's cheap, so it wasn't a total waste.



2. I purchased this book as an artistic tool. In the process of ultimately developing my own designs in this stylistic vein, I wanted to be able to refer to line art renderings of actual ancient Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, and Nordic designs. This book has proved to be an excellent resource. The representations featured here make up a top-notch selection, and I appreciate the basic geographic and chronological labels for each piece. The renderings are nicely detailed, but they're not so intricate as to prove impossible to mimic in a sketch book.



3. Most of the designs in CELTIC AND OLD NORSE DESIGNS by Courtney Davis appear to have been copied from items found in and around archelogical sites that date from around 1,000 B.C.E. to about 1,000 C.E., now housed in museums. Davis does not inform the reader of the specific aspects of these pieces. In fact, her text is almost non-existent.

   Some of the items shown appear to match items that precede Roman times, others seem to coincide with Roman and early Christian times, and others are very similar to items discoved in Anglo-Saxon tombs like Sutton Hoo, or Viking sites in Scandanavia and are thus contemporary with the early Middle Ages. Some designs are found on spoons, horse collars, or weather vanes, while others are taken from church sculpture or graveyard crosses.

   As the elements shown are not categoried by historical period, or referenced or sourced, this is not the scholarly work that I hoped it might be. However, if you don't care it does not matter. I will be using the book for children's artwork projects this summer (i.e. coloring books).




4. This is a great resourse for those looking for charted scrollwork, knotwork and other Celtic or Norse motifs.



5. STRONGLY recommend this book as THE best source for Norse type designs! Bold and true, this book is highly usable to impart the Nordic of Old flavor to your work!

5 comments about Sell & Re-Sell Your Photos.

1. So much has changed in the photography world since this was written and updated in 1997. Advice how how to submit slides and why not to buy a Mac (because hardly anyone has them) seems very odd these days. Also the formulas for creating "great stock pictures" have become outdated as well. I have no doubt this would have been a great and informative book in the 80's or 90's but because of the rapid changes in digital technology this book is kind of like reading a "How to Operate Your BetaMax" manual. Perhaps the newer versions would be money better spent.



2. The best "how-to" book I have ever read. Rohn does not miss a detail and hands out consistently useful advice.



3. I am new to photography and I want to make money. This book is filled with a wealth of information. I highly recommend it!



4. I was about to forray into stock photography when I borrowed this book. After a couple of hours I decided to preserve my sensibility and returned the book. The only reason why this book got a three star instead of a 1 is that it made me realise how stupid the whole idea of getting into stock was, perhaps more strongly than is actually warranted by the genre of stock photography. This book starts of with a boisterous principle with the authors name. Such simplified ideas are good but they should be served simply; not in the form of some corny equation. For me, it indicates the shallowness of the author which is again amply proved but the innumerable unimaginative photos which were critiqued and made to look like they were compositional masterpieces. Well if you did not really know that background, theme etc make a good photo then by all means dig it but if you have even an inch of respect for your creativity and sensibility then just run. Having said that, if you are really keen on selling photos this way no matter what, then this might be a good book for you especially with all the information on how to get tax benefits from your business of stock photography; I am pretty sure though that if you dig this book and can be with it till the end then tax and accounting should be your forte and you won't really need much of the information in the book.



5. I received this book 3 months ago, and it never leaves my side. As a budding would-be professional photographer,I learned more about the Photography business than I ever imagined. Just what I was looking for in the first place. eg: What photos sell,and what Photo buyers are looking for - Surprise! Surprise. How to get started professionally - a real eye-opener. Resources to search out etc. Excellent!
   My only criticism - I am left with all these questions that need answers and maybe that was the idea, so that me, the reader, will reach out for more information and spur me on to find more keys to moving forward. Please write another book Ronn Engh