5 comments about Books Unbound.

1. I bought this book after reading all of the wonderful reviews of it. I've been making handmade books and I have several other books on the subject and wanted to add another to my idea arsenal. What a disappointment this book is! I won't make a single project, and although I read the book cover-to-cover there is nothing I'll take with me. If you are interested in making paper art sculptures to display (and collect dust), then this book may be perfect for you! If you are interested in making BOOKS that are practical and useful and actually resemble BOOKS then look elsewhere.



2. There are not enough positive words in the dictionary for this book. It's far better than I anticipated.



3. I bought this book thinking that my granddaughter(7) and I could use it to guide us in making books, but the designs were elaborate and artsy. I sold it on e-bay shortly after I received it.



4. Absolutely Michael's best work to date and the book only he could do justice to. This book really has it all and is not only perfectly written with THE most concise instructions that one could hope for and anyone can follow ... each project becomes more exciting than the last.
   As an author, project designer and workshop instructor, working with my amazingly talented husband Opie, we truly believe the success of a how-to book depends on the quality of instruction given and this book is like having Michael with you, 24/7.
   The entire book appeals to us on every level and I particularly love the range of creativity shown in the alternate endings. Every project is eye candy and i'm totally blown away by both the Sky House and the Story House books. If you have an interest in bookmaking, paper, sculpture or just appreciate beautiful things in general, then this book is a definite must-have. Highly recommended by Linda and Opie O'Brien, authors of Metal Craft Discovery Workshop.



5. My book shelves are full of books on bookmaking. Many repeat the usual instructions for traditional bindings, sometimes with a little twist or inovation. However this book takes inovation a giant step forward. I have made matchbook drawers and pyramid boxes before but Michael Jacobs sent my imagination reeling. His creations are so exuberant and so inspiring but not beyond the capabilities of an average crafter. The illustrations and instructions are well laid out and easy to follow. This book is a "must have."

2 comments about Techniques of the Observer: On Vision and Modernity in the 19th Century (October Books).

1. HUGE thumbs up. Crary historicizes technological vision and illuminates an underrepresented point: things we're taught to think of as objective, such as cameras and vision, are in fact quite subjective and historical. They're ideas first, which means social/cultural ideas, from design to usage. Gradually these cultural ideas plus economic and technological possibility fuse into 'things'. The social aspects get invisibly embedded into these 'things' through myths of objectivity and modern people's desire to be taken care of by machines. When cultural values become things we are conditioned not to see the subjective part. Why? Our primary way of thinking is still the way of the Enlightenment -- from the 18th century -- which loves measuring and equating and separates 'myth' from 'science'. [Which is which? as Roger Waters asks, Do you think you can tell?] Western high culture privileges thinking and seeing over affect and body, imagining they are separate and valuing one over the other. Really it's just an excuse for laziness and cultural arrogance.
   
   Read this book along with Eric Michaels' _Bad Aboriginal Art_ and Adorno and Horkheimer's _Dialectic of Enlightenment_ to begin to see glimpses of Western cultural values and narratives embedded in today's supposedly 'objective' media such as photography, video, TV, vision, etc. Do the work and eventually technology will be a mirror of your own social/historical context.



2. Crary presents some interesting views on the perception of art. I found that it took a while for his ideas to formulate - the writing tends to be a bit wordy. I would recommend the book with reservations - really only for the serious academic reader. Not a casual bedside book.

5 comments about The Pocket Muse.

1. This book is good if you just need a writing exercise. I find it very useful when I have writers block. I can just flip through it and usually write about something completely off-topic, but it help me to clear my mind and relax. It's a good fun book.



2. A(muse)ingly inspiring collection of prompts, and advice to free your creativity.
   
   A fun to read book with suggestions that I plan to try, in the coming year, to spur my own writing.



3. (To be read in the voice of an infomercial host...)
   
   Attention all writers! Ever catch a nasty case of that pesky writer's block? Of course you have! Oh sure, the writing is smooth sailing today, you say, but what about tomorrow? Everyone, at some point or another, will hit a big rock that is, more likely than not, hard to heave out of your way.
   
   Fear not!
   
   "The Pocket Muse" is an instant cure for writer's block! Just open to this handsome/highly-portable book--yes, that's right, to ANY page--and an inspirational passage, writing advice, or even a picture will leap off these beautifully glossed pages and you will be instantly cured. And if not? Once again, fear not! Just flip to another page, people, there's something here for everyone!
   
   (/Infomercial-Voice)
   
   On a serious note, my fellow writers, this is a great little book. It's not a how-to-write, though. It's a book for people who DO write, who have already established or are READY to establish a writing life, and this book will help you with what you need to maintain that life. As I said before, not every idea or every page will help everyone, but there is indeed something that anyone and everyone will take out of the book as a whole. It's filled with so many differing ideas that it would be impossible not to benefit from the advice/push that this book gives you. As a writer myself, I highly recommend this book.
   
   9/10



4. In all honesty, I just basically scanned through this book. It did have some interesting 'prompts' that I pulled out for my own writing, but as writing ideas/prompts are all around us I doubt I would pay for a book that was basically just writing ideas. Although if you are that stuck that you need something to give you that push then there are some spark igniter's in this book.



5. Creative stimulation is what this book is about. Anyone who writes needs books like this on their shelves to grab when they get stuck or need new ideas or inspiration.
   
   Random pictures, quotes, ideas, horoscopes, advice, tips, excercises and writing prompts are what you'll find here. It's a fun, interesting little book. There were many ideas that appealed to me that I'll definately try.
   
   This is a book that you can read through or pick it up and randomly thumb thru until you find something that you feel like trying. Besides that, books like this are just great for writers to have because we get so involved with writing great things that we can forget the basic ordinary stuff that's important. Great gift idea for the writer in your life.

4 comments about Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

1. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, an essay in architecture, takes readers on a historical tour of the third U.S. president's cherished home near Charlottesville, Virginia, through well-written text and gorgeous, full-color photography. The book includes floor plans and photographs of Jefferson's original architectual elevations, as well as drawings of the finished building that we are most familiar with today. It describes Jefferson as art collector and plantation life on Monticello's farms, and it explores the four seasons in Monticello's gardens. Published in 2002 by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, Inc.



2. This work successfully links the many unique qualities of Thomas Jefferson's personality to the unique qualities of the home that he designed and spent most of his life building and rebuilding. All of the intriguing features of this home are covered.
   Anyone interested in this remarkable man and his home who is unable to visit Monticello in person should strongly consider this work.



3. This is a highly informative, well documented book covering all aspects of the design and building of Thomas Jefferson's home, plus insights into why things were done the way they were done, through Jefferson's own notes, sketches and correspondence. Plus,the photographs are exquisite.



4. One of the clichés about Monticello is that few houses do so good a job revealing the personality of its builder. But clichés get to be such generally because there's truth to them, and that's definitely the case here. If Thomas Jefferson was one of the most interesting figures in American history (and I think that's unquestionably true), then Monticello may well be one of America's most interesting houses. And for this colorful book produced by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, we are guided through the house and grounds by people who know their stuff.

   Specifically, the chapters of this title are written by Monticello's director of restoration, the curator, the director of gardens and grounds, and other experts associated with the Foundation. Large, colorful photos are accompanied by informed commentary and all the requisite history, as well as documentation of the decades of restoration work it has taken to get the house and grounds to its current condition. A book doesn't make up for a visit in person -- if anything, I wished for more photos of the interior, especially of the book room and "cabinet." But for a general overview of the house, grounds, and collection, and an insight into the man himself, this book is hard to beat. I recommend it as a souvenir, as well as a nice companion to a Jefferson biography.

2 comments about How to Draw (How to Draw (Dover)).

1. This book is for those who wants to teach their student or children very basic drawing.



2. I bought this as a present for my six year old. She loves to draw and has a passion for art. I feared the book might be too advanced for her skills however I was wrong. The book was a hit! In fact the whole family is having fun drawing pictures!

3 comments about Greek Art and Archaeology, 4th Edition.

1. I am so happy i got this book from amazon. It shipped fast and came in perfect condition. Best of all i got it for $75, instead of $130 if i bought it from my school.



2. Great if you like archaeology, get the hardcover version too, its worth it, wont die over time!



3. This was a required text for an art history course I took in college, and, being an art history major, I found this to be an easy read. It made the material easy to understand, and the color and black-white photographs were excellent. Pedley covers the entire spectrum of Greek art admirably, makes connections to primary sources, and outlines the various styles so that even a student NOT interested in the subject comes away with something. Anyone needing a reference on Ancient Greek Art or wanting to learn about the subject will find his book to be invaluable!

5 comments about How to Draw Anime & Game Characters, Vol. 2: Expressing Emotions.

1. If your really wish to learn how to draw anime and manga this is the book you are looking for. The vol 2 of the series "How to Draw Anime & Game characters" is all about emotions and expressions, some of the most important characteristics of Manga. Who doesn't love those cute faces, goofy expressions and unique gestures of some Manga characters? Great product,hard to find.



2. This will keep you drawing at a professional level and will give beginners further understanding and methods of drawing



3. I took a chance on this book because its title, "Expressing Emotions", promised to reveal the content I've been seeking for so long: a book that shows how to create facial expressions for a range of emotions. And this book really does that, and does it well.
   
   Another book by the same artist, Tadashi Ozawa, offered a similar promise, but failed to deliver. Let's Draw Manga: Bodies And Emotions doesn't focus on faces at all; it focuses only on expressing emotion by posing the body in certain ways. Indeed, half the drawings don't have faces at all. Another book, Manga Moods, shows a huge range of emotions, but with only a single picture for each emotion and no advice on drawing.
   
   Half this book is dedicated to facial expressions, and the other half gives corresponding full-body versions of some of these expressions. Everything is very well-annotated, with a number of notes on each drawing explaining exactly what was done to achieve the emotive effect. The drawings are clean and well-done, and the text is very clear.
   
   But what could be a strength for this book turns out to be a weakness as well. Fourteen characters are used, a broad range of male and female characters typical of various styles of anime and games. Each character is shown with 14 facial expressions, then later with eight full-body poses. But pretty much the same 14 expressions are used for all the characters, and it just doesn't feel like it's enough to express the full range of emotions. Consider that Manga Moods has 40 expressions, and very few of them are redundant.
   
   It's a nice touch to see the differences between how the emotion of anger is expressed by the young male detective and by the catgirl, or how smugness is expressed by the schoolgirl and the male giant-robot pilot. But I really rather would have seen more emotions reflected in this book, even at the expense of showing fewer characters.
   
   This is still the best book I've found for learning how to draw emotions, and I'm sure I'll use it for reference quite often. I only wish there was more focus on a wider range of emotions -- how to differentiate between gloom and discomfort rather than just "unease", or defiance and confidence rather than just "smugness", for example.



4. This is a great book that provides drawing instructions on expressing emotion in anime and game characters. Helpful illustrations.



5. excellent! i was very pleazed w/ the first volume, and couldnt wait to get the second...and now i cant wait to get the last 3, this set is just plain awesome!
   it starts off simple, like the previous, showing just smiley face expressions...then he shows u a varity of MALE and FEMALE characters using just their heads and faces to portray emotion. continue on, and he will explain how each individual character uses his/her body to express emotion. he even shows u a couple of "do's and dont's", depending on which character ur drawing...
   an example would be the male game character...when sad, he doesnt cry, but when angry he forms fists and is shouting...for another male character, anger is portrayed more as protest, and when upset he actually shows it...
   he gives u a small but helpful section on how to put ur new characters into a comic too, giving helpful tips on where the "camera" should be in a particular scene, and who should or shouldnt be in the shot, etc...neat.
   its a great book, and can be used by beginners who have the basic idea of the body down, and experts, of course!
   happy sketching! :-D

3 comments about From Abacus to Zeus: A Handbook of Art History.

1. I recieved this book from Amazon via Usedbooks 123 and recieved wrong addition. I did send e-mail to try to get correct edition, but instead they stated "I could keep the text and they would refund my money"...I have yet to recieve a refund!



2. I recently purchased this text along with Janson's History of Art (5th ed.). Although this handbook was written with Janson's 6th edition in mind, it has not taken away from my cross-referenced learning experience. Throughout the text, there are references to examples (illustrations) in History of Art (or other popular art history texts) which help in applying the "theory" (if you can call it that) with the "application."

   The text has a wide range of art terms key to the study and analysis of art history. The section on Christian subjects, signs and symbols has helped me decipher the icons depicted in Christian-themed pieces of the Renaissance.

   My copy of the text is bound somewhat backwards towards the end. The Index and Artist Chronology pages, for example, are divided and unordered ... but it does not take away from the text's usablity!

   All in all, I believe this text has been a great investment.




3. In Abacus to Zeus, you will find a wonderful, concise, approachable 'quick and dirty' reference for those new to studying the visual arts. James Pierce brings together many of the pesky, essential--and formerly, ellusive--details in an accessible reference. Deffinitions with illustrations, terms and stories of mythology, religious art,and a chronology of artists and architects (complete with pronunciation guide--indespensible for those of us who remain unilingual) work well together to make this book a find!

1 comments about Perspective and Other Optical Illusions (Wooden Books).

1. My nephew requested for his eleventh birthday. He was found under his blankets with a flashlight reading the book. Highly recommended

No comments about A Short Life of Trouble: Forty Years in the New York Art World.