4 comments about Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society.

1. I taught college level painting and art history courses for ten years. This is one of the most memorable books I used as source material. Usually a treatment of Impressionism will write of it as a movement in response to the paintings of the Academy; an inquiry into the play of light and instantaneity. Fine, fine, but how many books do we really need that say the same thing ? This book looks at changes in the architecture of Paris which changed the city from a network of villages into a web of wide boulevards and massive, sometimes monotonous buildings. People (many of them young) were moving into the city and feeling the displacement and dehumanization which we usually associate with depictions of Victorian era London.

   Herbert spends a good bit of time looking at the clothing of individuals portrayed in paintings to ruminate about their social standing. His keen eye for gesture picks up a lot. Looking at an outdoor cafe scene by Manet, he notices that the young man at the table with a woman is actually kneeling next to her, not seated there. From this he infers that the man is trying to pick up the jeune fille. The rather prudish look on her face seems to confirm that this is what's happening.

   The copious illustrations are wonderful. Many are of paintings which are infrequently reproduced in art books. There are also a lot of works by Gustave Caillebotte whose compositions are so fascinating. The writing is lively. I think this is a terrific book for a lover of Impressionism and/or a lover of Paris. It's a wonderful fusion of images and prose. I'm just so glad to find it available at such a reasonable price.




2. This was one of the most informative books I have read on the subject of Impressionism. I found the writing easy to follow and Mr.Herbert's command of his subject matter is fantastic. The narrative was so that one could grasp the concepts and his writing style was a delight. If I were to rate this, it would be at the very top of my list of recommended reading, not only for artists or historians, but for anyone interested in the subject.



3. I must say that I've read quite a few Impressionist books in recent years. In no way do they come close to the entertainment and ease which I found in this book! As I began to read it, more for pleasure than anything else, I found that I was actually interested enough to continue reading it until the end! There was no overtly boring or tedious sections to the book and the full page photos only helped to enliven my imagination. An excellent read and an easy study!



4. The book "Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society" by Robert L. Herbert gives reader a very interesting insight into the lifestyles of Parisians of the early 1860's to mid-1880's. Generally received very well and highly recommended to broad audiences, the book makes an excellent material for course reading. The factor that makes it innovative and especially interesting for a wide audience of readers is the author's insight, his relation of emergence and development of Impressionism to the social institutions and changes in the lifestyles of the French and especially those of the Parisians. The book is very well structured and gives a good overview of the early Impressionism. The author refrains from using terms unknown to a common reader. The style of writing and language are very pleasant, which makes the reading rather delightful. What makes it especially interesting is the inclusion of the accounts by contemporary visitors, who express their ideas on the new "Haussmannian" Paris. The new Paris with its broad boulevards in author's opinion is directly related to emergence of the new trend in art, the Impressionism. Supplied with a broad variety of images (311), which include paintings of the leading impressionists, such as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Edgar Degas, as well as contemporary prints and posters, photographs, plans and maps of Paris and its surroundings, the material is colourful and exciting. Each chapter of the book discusses in detail a particular subject, an aspect of Parisian social scene. Robert L. Herbert also employs an unusual comparison of the paintings in his book: rather than comparing impressionist pieces to works of earlier periods, he makes comparisons among the impressionist paintings always tying the theme of the pieces to the social situation. He also ties the main motifs in each of the artist's works to their social background and upbringing. Overall, the book is very interesting and the author expresses some innovative and intriguing ideas. Nevertheless some criticism can be made. The manner, in which Robert L. Herbert has divided his book into chapters, makes it evident that the book has been developed on the basis of lecture notes. Restricted timeframe, the period from the early 1860's to mid-1880's, and specific attachment to Parisian social scene bring out constricting boundaries on the development of the subject of Impressionism in general. Perhaps, that is the reason why the author overlooks some themes in the impressionism, such as still life, landscape, riverscape, portraiture, series paintings and painting in the Southern France, Italy and England. Such restrictions also permit the author to ignore late Impressionism as well as Post Impressionism, which could have made the book on Impressionism more complete. The book focuses on social history of Impressionism, and taking into consideration the above-mentioned restrictions, the book covers the themes of Parisian social life very well. Nevertheless, being a book on Impressionism the alternative manner of structuring such a piece could have been either by artist or in chronological order, which could have been advantageous in a way that the present structure could have been preserved to an extent, but there would not have been such a heavy reliance on only four artists, Manet, Monet, Renoir and Degas, and the author could have paid more attention to such artists as Camille Pissaro, Alfred Sisley and Gustave Caillebotte, whom he mentions rather marginally. The female impressionists are briefly represented by Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, which indeed could have been developed into a topic on its own. The book gives a rather detailed description of style of life of the Parisians of the mid to late 19th century. However the author is rather limited in discussion on style of each artist. Moreover Herbert lacks an important topic: change of style throughout the course of the career of such artists as Degas and Monet, which could have made an interesting issue. Interesting parallel between the backgrounds of each of the artists, mentioned in the very last chapter of the book could have been broadened and perhaps supplied with a brief biography of each one of the key impressionists. In addition, although the author does it in several cases, he could have used more comparisons of the impressionist pieces to earlier works. This does not necessarily imply looking for similar themes in earlier pieces for each of the impressionist paintings. It would have been a little bit more exciting to have images of Titian's Venus of Urbino and Edouard Manet's Olympia next to each other, rather than having to be satisfied with a verbal comparison. It is evident that the approach taken by Robert L. Herbert toward Impressionism in his book "Impressionism: Art, Leisure, and Parisian Society" is that of a social historian, rather than that of a traditional art historian. Such manner brings out very interesting and often times omitted issues, such as the social structures, status and institutions and their role in the development of art. Certainly, this brings about a very peculiar angle to the subject. However it also limits the discussion to a particular physical setting, in this case to the city and surroundings of Paris, as well as to a limited timeframe, which clearly does not reflect the full extent of Impressionism. Instead the structure chosen by the author permits the reader only the review of the early Impressionism, rather the examination of the entire style.

5 comments about You Can Write a Mystery (You Can Write).

1. This book is very well written. I really enjoyed reading this, and the information in the end of this book is priceless!!! Gillian Roberts did an excellent job, and she keeps it simple. I would highly recommend this book for any aspiring writer. I look forward to reading more of Ms. Robert's work. Thanks so Much. Take Care Mikey.



2. You Can Write a Mystery is not as valuable to me as a writer as, say, Funk and White's Elements of Style. It does however, have it's place in a writer's toolbox. It is a valuable piece of equipment.
   
   The magic of this short but powerful book, is that it has many rules and points of interst that you did know, but also many that you may have forgotten. The points you did know are reminders ringing like little bells as each of them are reinserted into your writing thought process.
   
   Buy it. Read it. Live it.



3. This book is a wonderful collection of mystery writing dos and don'ts. If you're even considering authoring a mystery book, then this book will give you great tips and hints at perfecting your craft.



4. I purchased this book for a seminar. It pleased me to find this slender work contains so much information. It's not wordy, repetitive or crammed with filler like many of these kinds of books. And best yet, it helped me work through some of the kinks in my novel TRUE/FALSE. Thank you Gillian Roberts. I highly recommend this book to anyone writing a mystery novel or story.



5. I did not know Gillian Roberts as an author but had the fortunate encounter with her few months back. I bought this book after her talk in the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. This book proved my belief she is a very good teacher of fiction.
   To begin with, the book is only 124 pages (including an index).
   As I open the book now to write this review, I find lines highlighted on practically every page.
   The first chapter gives us fifteen commandments. Since I finished the book every day I open it and briefly go through them. I loved the three like 'thou shalt begin and keep going till you're through. Thou shalt write for yourself, not the market and thou shalt not wait for visits from the muse.'
   In the second chapter you've 7 Cs: Character, Conflict, Causality, Complications, Change, Crisis, Closure. She writes all the ingredients that we need.
   How to get ideas is another eye opening chapter. I knew it is important to develop characters in any genre but the way G Roberts guides us through character development is not only thorough but entertaining.
   The rest of the book has the usual ingredients like setting (physical as well as emotional), points of view, using five senses, back story, flashbacks. I particularly liked the page on building the plot with false leads.
   Then we hear: Tell yourself your story often.
   Interaction with others is dramatic and provides tension.
   It can be useful to think in terms of stage and screen.
   Another important chapter is "What you don't know." This is about developing credibility to your setting and characters. I also learnt about the structure when you have all the material like opening and closing scenes, length of the chapters, pacing and important: not to cheat the readers to build the suspense.
   G Roberts doesn't leave dialogue out of the guide and finally, not also the marketing aspects.
   I found this book very useful and I feel it is indespensable for anyone who is planning to write a mystery.

1 comments about Art Education and Human Development (Occasional Papers, Series 3).

1. Being an artist and teaching art, I found that Gardner's paper put into words so much of what an artist does naturally. Incorporating reflection about one's own artwork, about a classmate's, and about the "masters" is so very important in teaching art and in bringing children to think critically and creatively. By interweaving reflection with expression, Gardner has identified the cognitive science that can take place so naturally in the art classroom. Another book which also expounds on the importance of thinking skills and how naturally that can be achieved in art education is Perkin's Intelligent Eye. I highly recommend Gardner's book, especially to art educators in the field.

5 comments about Instant Expert: Collecting Watches (Instant Expert).

1. Beaucarmen shows noon on his watch. I'm getting groceries. Sure, I want to wait, but not until we marry. Can show the date not being interested in fakes of anything, Beaucarmen might sing Allentown only in the shower. Doing this risks the ruin of his tan line. Difficult to catch the bus without boasting a timepiece, the bearded time traveling only disciple capable of a Class-D license sees the display, spits out. These contenders. Tricky slider windows of pull-in, push down. The last day with graded papers into it goes shrubs. But those final drafts.



2. I bought this with a few other books on the same subject. The material is presented well, but I'm still deciding my interest level, so I'll use it for reference more than for current information.



3. This book is more or less a repeat of the introduction to the Complete Price Guide to Watches, by the same author. Save yourself time and money by buying the latter work, which is much more informative on watch pricing and contains all the information in this one.



4. The book is well written, and is primarely about watches produced in the USA, and pocket watches at that. There are a lot of illustrations, and describtions of most of the principles of the art of watchmaking.



5. This book is primarily written for collectors of pocket watches and only gives cursory information regarding wristwatches. Should be titled: Collecting Pocket Watches

5 comments about John Singer Sargent: Portraits of the 1890s.

1. I think we cannot be deceived by a book on Sargent. This is a so so good painter! This book is packed with beautiful big well chosen pictures and great text on Sargent's work. I was really happy to have this one!



2. complete and lots of colour pics. good price: at the sargent exhibition in paris more than twice as expensive! very happy with my purchase.



3. I own the entire series, and I wouldn't part with any one of them. For Sargent fans, this series is a dream come true. I hope they would publish some "poster books" with large reproductions eventually, as that would really complete the series.



4. This is the second in a series of three and it is just as quality as the other two. I read the review of the reader who was disappointed in this book and thus did not order the other two with shear amazement. I really recommend that she look at another copy, all I can figure is that she got a poor copy, which unfortunitely does happen even at the best publishing houses. I am highly discriminatory about poor quality pictures and overall book quality and I can assure you this book is top shelf. I highly recommend it to anyone who has an appreciation for great portrature.



5. I have purchased "Portraits of the 1890s" primarily for the images and I have to say that I am dissapointed. Sargent definitely deserves a monograph with better reproductions. I lost my initial desire to order remaining two books in this series (fortunately, I haven't ordered all three as I intended).
   
   The reproductions never do justice to the originals, but this is too much. The lighter colors are washed out (for instance, one of Sargent's most famous works - portrait of Lady Agnew) and many reproductions have yellowish or reddish cast. There are even images (as in case of portrait of Helen Sears) who are washed out and, in addition, have a yellowish cast.
   
   The values on some other reproductions (portrait of W. Graham Robertson, for instance) are compressed to the point of absurd.
   There are lot of preparatory sketches and drawings in this book, but they are very small - barely larger than a postage stamps. If you're interested in that part of Sargent's oeuvre, I can recommend Dover's book "Sargent Portrait Drawings".
   For truth's sake, I have to say that not all reproductions in this book are bad - half of them are tolerable (I didn't see any who is superb, though).
   Being both - a painter and art history professor my standards on this particular issue may be a bit higher than those of the non artists but, generally speaking, I just don't see the point of printing poor quality reproductions in an artbook or monograph.

5 comments about Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style, Third Edition.

1. This is where to go for anyone seeking an in-depth appreciation of film noir. There are lots of good books on the subject, but start here, if for no other reason than the exhaustive list of films from the classic cycle.
   
   And to the guy below who gave this book a one star rating, Sweet Smell of Success IS included in the alphabetical list of films. The Third Man is not, for one simple reason: it's a British-produced film. A strong argument could also be made for the inclusion of French films like Rififi and Diabolique, but the authors clearly made a conscious choice to only include films produced by American studios.



2. I have been exchanging noir themed dvds with a Canadian friend for the past two and a half years or so. Unfortunately, none of the production details for the intriguing films that I received recently are provided in this book.
   
   That underscores the difficulty with books of this type. Completists are going to be displeased to find their latest discoveries and long time favorites are omitted. The approach to the material by the contributors and editors is pedantic to the point of being boring. Many of the summaries contain mistakes and occasional plot spoilers. As a reference resource, the book is somewhat worthwhile, but do not fool yourself into thinking that you are going to read it from cover to cover or that it is going to be a page turner. It is more of a thick catalogue or a ponderous textbook. I would not recommend this book as a gift to a casual film noir enthusiast.
   
   The book has been revised and updated, but the newest entries do not always contain full descriptions. Some of the films are simply listed with cast and crew credits. One would have wished that the revision process would have included editorial corrections of prior mistakes, but the changes seem to consist wholly of new appendices of film titles that were omitted in earlier editions of the book. The latest version also contains listings of neo-noir films to. My personal preferences run to obscure titles and "B" films, so the book is something of a disappointment as Silver and Ward seem to have a bias in favor of big budget productions. Very few of my favorites from Poverty Row made the grade by being included here.
   
   On the positive side, the essentials are included in the book and it contains sufficient information to direct you to other more specific resources or to find films that are new to you. One such book is "The Noir Style" by the same author (with James Ursini). I found that collection of photo essays to be far more entertaining.



3. This book is a reference book and not the type of book you just sit down
   and read for fun. It is a very comprehensive work on the film noir culture. Just about any information that you will want to know about the film noir classics will be found in this work. Fun to flip through and make a mental note of the format and where to look for your future inquiries.



4. If I could give this book ZERO stars, I would. I ordered this book, looked inside for about 2 minutes and promptly returned it. It excluded my 2 favorite film noir movies, The Sweet Smell of Success and ...what I deem, next to the Maltese Falcon and Sunset Blvd., as the absolute epitome of film noir....The Third Man. Not even a mention, even though it is #2 on the all time favorite film noir movie list at the IMDB website.
   
   I thumbed through the book for a sec or two and noticed MANY full technicolor movies, some of which, because of the content of the movie, I thought had absolutely no place in a film noir book, technicolor or not. The genre is not as wide open as this author believes it is. C'mon....Dirty Harry? Sorry, but that is NOT a film noir. I did not read the book, but whatever definition of film noir he is using, it CERTAINLY comes nowhere near MY definition of film noir. And according to Wikepedia.org, my definition is correct...color films have no place whatsoever according to the "purist" view. But I'm openminded, you know, it can be in color and it can be made after 1970....I don't have a huge list of criteria. I only asked that it include a few of my favorites, but when it didn't even meet my needs with the very first glance at the index, I pretty much discounted it as hogwash. Yeah, it has loads of obscure gumshoe B movies and if that's what you're interested it, go for it. But if you think all film noir movies should be in black & white and contain the Third Man, et al, pass it by.



5. This book is the bible of film noir, and the 1992 revisions of the 3rd edition make it even more useful than before. Want to know who plays every bit part in one of your favorite films noirs? The info is here. Want to know when shooting started? When it was released into theaters? Ditto. Want a chronological list of the great noirs? Or more "inside" film lists, organized by directors, stars, even cinematographers? They're here. One of the old criticisms of the previous editions of the book is that its plot summaries were sometimes incorrect in the details. The authors cleaned up some of those problems in this edition, although they decided not to add or change text that would disrupt the original page layout. This means that the new language is a compromise for space, and it doesn't quite live up to the original. And some developments of the past decade, like the discovery of a print of the silent noir "The Racket," are too recent for corrections - the bible still says, "This film is lost today." This not-so-new edition includes a great essay on neo-noir and a fine list of neo-noir films (although I miss the obsessive detail of the original listings). Also, it's paperbound instead of hardbound. But it's still a superb reference work for the film noir fanatic - so treat it well until Silver and Ward get a 4th edition on the stands.

5 comments about Michelangelo and The Pope's Ceiling.

1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Many of the stories are things I have heard before, but woven seemlessly into an insightful narrative. King's assessment of Michelangelo's ceiling and its radical importance in pictorial history is correct in its context and amplitude; my knowledge thereby enhanced. However, I found the author's unflappable and professional approach a bit disturbing; as though he personally missed out on an epiphany. I am also not a fan of the restoration, to say the least. However, I enjoyed both receiving and giving this book as a gift.



2. More than the story of the tumultuous relationship between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II, this well documented offering from Ross King breathes life into a period in history that was populated by the great artists, Michelangelo, DaVinci, Raphael, etc. and some of the most bizarre characters in church history. Mystery, intrigue, sex, betrayal, deceit..... all the makings of a great page turning novel. But, this is fact not fiction. Art history buffs, I think, will love the stories "behind the canvas" and "outside the frame". History buffs will appreciate the way the threads of the church, the politics, the art and the artists come together in a fascinating tapestry. If you enjoy it, try the Judgment of Paris or Bruneleschi's Dome by the same author.



3. We saw the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and I wanted to know more about the person and the era that it was created. This book helped fill in the gaps of my knowledge.



4. This is one of the finest historical books I have read. It is well researched and insightful, as well as occasionally funny. King has an amazing way of bringing historical figures to life and placing them in context. I read it as I travelled Italy and finished as we visited the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Perhaps that brought it to life more for me. I recommend this book to anyone who is even mildly interested in Michelangelo or art. It is a great read.



5. If you have come this far, you really should go ahead and get this book and read it. Make sure you have some time set aside, because once you start you will not want to put this book down. This is the third Ross King art history book I have read. It meets my two criteria for an Amazon review: Is it worth the time? Is it worth the money? Yes and yes. It is highly readable, factual and entertaining. It provides insight into the works of Michaelangelo, which constitute some of the great cultural artifacts of civilization. At the same time, King sticks to his subject - The Chapel Vault- thus he has little discussion of early Medici years, many of the great sculptures, the Last Judgement and even the architecture of St Peter's. This is focused on this special period and task. The events of Julius II's reign and his military campaign are the core of discussion - one is tempted to wonder what aesthetic motives drove this man. We are made aware of Raphael working across the way and Bramante and his group fishing for influence. The point of view is decidedly in favor of Michaelango's side in controversies, but evidence is somewhat balanced. Whatever happens in your reading program, do not miss this one.

5 comments about Illustrators 49 (Illustrators).

1. I just received my copy yesterday and spent most of the evening looking at the amazing illustrations of highly talented artists. The cover piece is one of the best one ever and I recently started collecting back issues of of this series. Also, I was thrilled to find Gary Keley and Edward Windsor Kemble side by side in the Hall of Fame section.
   
   The scholarship section also provided a sneak preview of the next batch talents that will soon grace the futue issues.



2. The last five editions of this superbly produced book have become a highly valued resource and an inspiration. It is heartening to see that the homogenous end products of digital illustration have not yet denied the hand of the artist. If illustrator was once a second-class term, the superb artwork of these professionals completely nullifies such high-art bigotry. This is a contemporary art that speaks in visual metaphors that are both accessible and valuable. I for one cannot wait for no.'50'. The printing itself is absolutely superb and only serves to enhance the publication.



3. This is a great book to know who floats at the top of the commercial side of illustration. There are lots of artist to look up and many different styles and that is why I chose to buy this book. Also there is an image of James Jean and for so long, there have been blurry or profile shots of his face but now a full dead-on frontal shot of his face. But this is a very good resource book and it also has the artist contact in the back if you are further interested in their work and such.



4. I purchased this book with the idea of studying the current state of the art in illustration, being a beginning illustrator/artist. This book was everything I had hoped.
   
   Initially, I was disappointed when looking through the images because only rarely was the medium of each image listed. As I progressed through the book though, I found the index in the back, which lists each image alphabetically by author, and includes the medium used.
   
   The color reproductions are excellent, and the book uses high quality paper, although some of the images are a bit small. Of course, considering that the image used for the cover required both front and back fold-outs which still didn't show the entire image, it's understandable that when that same image was reproduced inside the book that it would be really small.
   
   Amazon's discount from the cover price of the book was a big help in my decision to purchase the book. Not being a full-fledged illustrator, $45 is a bit steep to satisfy my curiosity. The book arrived well in advance of its scheduled delivery time and in perfect shape.



5. The annual is always a pleasure to slowly page through every year. The same goes for this year's issue, for the most part. But, I feel that some less than stellar artwork made it into this book. There is 'bad drawing' galore and there are a few pieces that seem to have made it into the show more because of the fame of the artists who created them. Still, overall, it's a good book. I'm looking forward to number 50.

2 comments about 1300 Real and Fanciful Animals: From Seventeenth-Century Engravings (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. This is a nicely done book of woodcuts and pen and ink illustrations for anyone looking for a different style of illustration. There is little clean-up involved on these nice clean illustrations if you decide to scan them. They also convert nicely to vector with the Live-Trace feature in Adobe Illustrator CS3.



2. This book is a collection of images and engravings of mythological animals. For the artist who is in search of period imagery, I highly reccomend this book; the engravings are beautiful and wierd--enough to stimulate anyone's imagination! For one who wants content and description of these creatures, this book isn't for you--there is not much text. Overall, a great resource book for artists.

4 comments about Print, Pattern & Colour.

1. Excellent overview of various print methods as well as visual stimulus
   to create your own designs.



2. Ruth's enthusiasism for color and textiles comes through on every page. Her specific advice and instructions make one get into the workroom right away and start experimenting.



3. Print, Pattern & Colour
   
   I have quite a few books on surface design, dyeing and so on, but found this book well worth buying, unlike the previous reviewer. After all, how many NEW techniques are there? The photos are sumptuous and eyecatching, techniques are well-summarised, and there were ideas in there that I haven't tried before. A good buy as far as I'm concerned.



4. Disappointing - no real eye candy or new approaches. Processes have been around for a while and their application, as demonstrated by the images in the book, are pretty ordinary. I liked previous books by this author but think this one is a waste of my funds.