2 comments about From Gutenberg to OpenType: An Illustrated History of Type from the Earliest Letterforms to the Latest Digital Fonts.

1. What every person needs to know anout the major fonts: their inventors, unique qualities their history, and their historical family of fonts.



2. From Gutenberg To Open Type: An Illustrated History Of Type From The Earliest Letterforms To The Latest Digital Fonts by Robin Dodd (Associate Lecturer, London College of Communications) is a seminal and detailed historical survey of the printed letter from the era of the Gutenberg press moveable fonts down to today's desktop publishing software typefaces. Profusely illustrated throughout, From Gutenberg To Open Type is especially recommended to the attention of academicians, authors, publishers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the history of printing as well as professionals, artists and designers who work with type design and print. Of special note are the side panels to the regular text that explains how to use individual typefaces, notes common pitfalls, and showcases specifically related benefits to a given font. Informed and informative, From Gutenberg To Open Type is a welcome addition to personal, professional, and academic library reference collections.

3 comments about Sculpture since 1945 (Oxford History of Art).

1. As an overview of a large amount of sculpture, this book is great. I think it would take multiple readings to get a full understanding since everything is discussed briefly. It's a perfect size to carry around instead of most art books that are about the size of textbooks.



2. This book is a effective and clear review of sculpture from 1945 up to the present. I enjoyed the color plates, the clear descriptions and use it often for resource.



3. I checked out this book from the public library and read it twice before I started learning sculpture. Now I finally bought it and I'm still reading it. It's a wonderful book a have to get inspired from the masterpieces. Know the trends and thoughts in the sculpture field. Helps you create artworks from a border point of view, also improve the criticism knowledge.

No comments about Art and Adolescence: Teaching Art at the Secondary Level.

No comments about Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius; Revised and Expanded Edition.

No comments about Fleming's Arts and Ideas, Volume I (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac ).

5 comments about The Elements of Typographic Style.

1. This was my first book on typography - nothing I've read since has come even close! Very much recommended.



2. An excellent book; extremely densely written. Everything you wanted to know about typography: rules, opinions and explanations of good typesetting, spacing, design, structure of the book, creating the page (with mathematical structural references and histories). There is a chapter on analphabetical symbols. Appendices A through E cover extensively the working alphabet (international)- including the alphabets of many type faces; characters; terms; type designers; and typefoundries. His first rule: respect the text.



3. Get reference book, has everything to know about type. Very heavy in content , not exactly a light read. A must have for anyone serious about typography. Very very good.



4. I'm a type geek -- for which I make neither excuse nor apology. And while your garden variety Barnes and Noble or Borders will have plenty books on typography (and more on calligraphy), this is a must-have for the serious type nerds out there. Bringhurst's book is an elegant example of all he writes about typography -- it's a pleasure to read the text itself precisely because of its beautiful design (in a paperback!) and typography.
   
   Be careful, though -- exposure to this is likely to significantly decrease your ability to tolerate the millions of poorly designed and typeset books out there. Bringhurst gets remarkably technical in areas (and I still don't understand his comparison between design proportions and musical scales), but this book is absolutely critical for any designer.



5. This book has tons of great information, but is massive, and very tough to hunt through for specific information.

5 comments about Bulgari.

1. This book is amazing. Brilliant photos and great to read the history of Bulgari. Definitely a great book for lovers of the brand and of gorgeous jewelry as well.



2. Bulgari
   Great book beautifully illustrated with great photography of their products. Interesting information regarding the company and designers.



3. What a beautiful book. I appreciated the jewellery before but this book is a lovely way to see how it is made, the desiging and the creating stages. The photographs alone make it a worthwhile investment. As a jewellery appreciator, I think it's a wonderful addition to my library. I don't get to see these pieces up close so this is a wonderful way to expand apreciation and understanding of jewellery.



4. Any college-level art library strong in jewelry history needs BULGARI: a lavish, oversized and powerful collection of color photos and archival pictures that trace the unique Bulgari style which was born in Rome in 1884. The book first appeared in 1996: its updated edition represents an extensive revision and reflects newly-discovered historical material and historical facts on the Bulgari firm, making it a top pick.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. I was pleasently surprised when I recieved this book. When I looked over the discription of the book I thought I'd enjoy it but didn't know just how much until it came. The images are beautiful, full color and the discriptions are well done. This book gives a great overview of the design house Bulgari. I would recommind this book to anyone interested in learning about Bulgari or if you are just a lover of beautiful jewelry.

5 comments about The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs.

1. If you're interested in Tibetan Buddhist iconography for whatever reason you can't go wrong with this detailed book. The author's original illustrations provide a wealth of examples of images in Tibetan art, and the text provides rich historical and doctrinal background for understanding why the symbols are important. Highly recommended.



2. Recieved the book promptly and in the condition promised. The book is an excellent source book. It does suffer from being without an index, for which the author apologizes. A source book without index is less than it should be. Still the images are excellent, and I assume the text is accurate. The author has spent a good portion of his working life in preparation: studying with Tibetan artists and craftspeople; and, becoming accomplished at rendering the brush drawings in an authentic manner. A good compaion book, especially as this does not have a index, is the "Handbook" by the same author



3. It's a more interesting and authoritative reference for this subject matter. This is due to Rinpoche being a qualified (I emphasise the word 'qualified') Lama and Tibetan scholar. Also at no point does Rinpoche compromise Tibetan Buddhism by giving away restricted information.



4. I love this book. Having found it a few years back at a tattoo shop in Santa Cruz, California, I was only able to look at it for a short time but I was able to gain so much knowledge as to the wealth of designs and deep meaning found in Tibetan art. This book stayed in my mind thereafter. Here it is a few years and a couple tattoos later and the book resurfaced on Amazon. Great price, great condition and prompt service. This book is great for one who has interest in Tibetan art and it's symbolic nature. The concepts are well articulated and with each 'type' placed into a different chapter it makes refrencing quite simple. If you are interested, get this book!



5. Great book, with lots of details. If you are interested in tibetan handicrafts, here you can get any tibetan design you can imagine.

No comments about Reading Pictures: What We Think About When We Look at Art.

5 comments about Painting Flowers in Watercolor with Charles Reid.

1. This is a good book which teaches step by step how to paint flowers and other still life objects. It starts off with easier projects and works up to more difficult ones. Each project lists what color of paints to use, along with pictures and instructions. Charles Reid also talks about what kinds of papers, paints, brushes, palettes and other materials you will need. Best of all his book is filled with beautiful full color pictures of his paintings. He is not a watercolor artist who uses many layers of transparent glazes, so if you are looking for that kind of instruction it is probably not for you. Highly recommend this book.



2. Looks great, haven't had time to read, but is similar to one he wrote (currently out of print) loaned to me by my art teacher.



3. I first met Charles Reid and his wife Judy in 1988 and it was the beginning of an endless learning process ever since. I have learnt so much about watercolour from his books over the years since then. Charles' books are amazing in that he holds nothing back and just discloses all his knowledge in a wonderful style that is easy to learn from. Invariably there are step by step demonstrations to illustrate his methods. Even if the reader doesn't particularly like his style but would rather paint in a more classic sense with lots of glazes and so forth you will still learn so much about how the colours interact with water and on the paper. Charles' workshops are a great delight and if you are fortunate to attend one you will find that he is a friendly man of great warmth and charm which is reflected in his books.



4. I discovered Charles Reid at my local library and was smitten with his loose, colorful, gorgeous pictures. This book is a clear, helpful guide to making juicy watercolors of still lifes that sing with color. He has practical tips on brushwork, contour drawing and composition that are easy to follow and clearly explained. He also has step-by-step instructions for several of his pictures that show you how he goes about making his own pictures (often from everyday objects and flowers on his kitchen counter). I'm fairly new to watercolors and I found this book invaluable to improving my pictures and getting me to loosen up and feel creative and find beauty in simple objects.



5. I wish I had had this book years ago. It contains exercises to enable the reader/student to experience and learn direct painting techniques that bring freshness, spontaneity, bright vivid color and realism to one's paintings--inspite of an "untidy" style. If you're serious about watercolor, Reid can take you where you really should go. Reid embodies the principles of the best of watercolor and painting teaching of the past (particularly Hawthorne, Henri, Manet). He puts it all together into what I call a meditative painting style (stroke on color and pause to consider, then soften, add other color wet-in-wet, and so on. Doing the exercises in this book can revolutionize your painting and will, at the very least, bring immediate and important improvements to your technique and approach to watercolor. If you like Reid's paintings--flower, figures, portraits, etc., do yourself a favor--get the book and the two corresponding videos.