2 comments about Art Deco (Dk Collectors Guides).

1. I had expected more general treatment of the collectables, such as materials, form, etc., and perhaps less in the line of the Very High Priced items. Still, it is a good reference to get the general idea of Art Deco style. Great photos, and some amazing pieces in here. Couldn't beat the used price, either. (under $10.00)



2. This book is devided into eight chapters: furniture, textiles; glass; ceramics; jewlery; silver and metal ware; sculpture; and posters and graphics. Each chapter opens with an introductory overview that discusses the historical background of the medium and its place in the history of Art Deco. Profiles of the most important Art Deco designers and factories are given and then followed with examples of their work. Each page is filled with beautiful photographs of Art Deco objects and 2005 estimated prices.
   
   Many books on the history of Art Deco and Modernism profile the same iconic pieces. These are works that are mainly in museums and in the hands of very wealthy collectors. The beauty of this book is that a potential collector can get an idea of the wide range of Art Deco pieces that are still readily available to be purchased.
   
   The term Art Deco covers a wide range of material objects and this book should not be seen as a guide to help one determine the price of particular items. This book is a general reference and it is unlikely that one will find the exact items pictured in the book.
   
   Finally, this book is published by DK and in usual DK fashion it is jammed with beautifully photographed objects. This book is a visual pleasure.

1 comments about Hislop's Official International Price Guide to Fine Art, 2nd Edition (Hislops Official International Price Guide to Fine Art).

1. Useful. Compact, reliable, most important sales are well documented, and even minor names of artists are registered. I do regret of not buying it before. Highly professional, well-balanced and calm approach - Hislop's is not boasting about multi-million sales, or trends, or tendencies - it gives you the information on the hammer prices within a certain period of time. Great job

No comments about Framing the Nineteenth Century.

2 comments about Child-Size Masterpieces for Step Four: For Learning The Names Of The Artists.

1. We have enjoyed this whole series of artcards with our children. We find them easy to use and the children(ages 10 and 12)are able to view the cards and then memorize the names of the artists. The one great thing about this set of cards is that there are no nudes to deal with...I appreciate that.



2. I would strongly suggest that prior to buying this book you buy the parents guide to child size masterpieces. In the parents guide are the directions using these postcards to introduce art, artists, schools of art and paintings to your young child.

   Basically this book is a set of postcards that you can use to introduce artists and their famous paintings to your young child. You can match pictures, match names to paintings and more.

   My son really enjoys looking at these paintings. I'm glad we have this book. Although it's really not a book anymore since we cut up the postcards to play matching games with them.

2 comments about Bronzes: Sculptors and Founders, 1800-1930.

1. I love and colect bronze sculputers. This book will help me a lot to complete my colection.



2. Harold Berman has done an enormous favor for all who have a love of traditional-representational bronzes. He has put together the most complete collection of photographs of table-top bronzes that I have seen in print. The books focus on works completed between 1800-1930 and each bronze is well photographed, many with additional "detail-closeups." Each work is accompanied by text giving sculptor, date and dimensions(in some instances, even foundry). As a bronze sculptor, I have found the series invalueable. The works are broken down into categories such as: Equestrian, Child renderings, Soldiers, etc. If you have even the slightest interest in the bronzes that were produced during said time period, you will find this series an absolute joy. Any person who owns statuary of the time and would like more information on their pieces would probably find what they need in these books. Auction houses, museums and individual collectors should not be without this series. Another book of similar subject matter that could interest readers is "Bronzes of the American West."

No comments about The Arts & Crafts Collector's Guide.

2 comments about Soviet Impressionist Painting.

1. Covering Soviet realist art from the 1930s to the 1980s, this impressive volume Soviet Impressionist Painting is a revelation. The well written and accessible text is both interesting and informative, explaining the prevailing conditions which influenced the artists and their work. The reproductions of the paintings are interspersed with the text, and vary from smaller than postcard size to the double page spread, one quibble here is that the text and the image to which it refers rarely appear on the same page, but usually two or three pages apart; with illustrations on every page this seems an odd arrangement. It concludes with a twenty five page chronology of Soviet art.
   
   Perhaps because of their initial impact, the first impression is that the majority of pictures here depict happy workers off to the field, smiling families and cheerful youths. However this is not strictly the case, there are more pensive portraits and groups, and there is a fair sprinkling of landscapes along with a few still life and some nudes.
   
   What really stands out, regardless of subject matter, is the quality of the painting; vibrant and energetic, with lively brush work and a strong sense of light these pictures cannot fail to appeal. Here the quality of the photography and printing come to the fore, one can sense the texture of paint and the brush work, adding greatly to the vitality of the work. The colour reproduction is superb, rich and at times vivid or even luminous; the paintings truly come to life on the page.
   
   This is genuinely a sumptuous volume, lavishly illustrated almost entirely in colour. Grab a copy while you can before this one goes out of print.



2. I thought I would never own this book as the out of print version was running from $300 up to $800!!!!?!?. That was for a book only a few years old. This one will be the same. This publisher tends toward the lower print runs so I suspect this item will be history (so to speak). As an artist my point of view is all about the images. I read the books that are honest assesments of the work and not deconstructionis bs (read Michael Fried). This book offers a fair assesment of the work being shown with no illusions regarding the setting within which the art work was created. In the introduction we read, "...they (critical western writers) imagined that in a controlled society all art was necessarily bad, because artists can only create in absolute freedom. Yet few in the West could name a single Soviet artist or visualize any of their paintings. What we had were blanket dismissals from the ill-informed." This book is about dispelling those blanket dismissals. Apart from all that, when the artwork is taken at face value, the work presented is a mindblowing celebration of talent. With awe I read artists name after name without any recongnition and realized the treasure this book begins to expose. The images are beautiful. The editors were not afraid to run an image over the gutter to show its best impact within the confines of the book. This is a book that will be read and studied for years. If you are a fan of Sorov, Sorolla, Fechen, etc....this is the mother load. The cover art is a good representation of the quality and kind of work you will find inside.

No comments about Treasures of State: Fine and Decorative Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Rooms of the U.S. Department of State.

No comments about History of the Restoration and Conservation of Works of Art.

1 comments about Sam Loyd's Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles tricks and Conundrums with Answers.

1. This book is so full of atmosphere of the USA prior to WW 1, with its thousands of puzzles, sly problems and riddles, that there is nothing like it, and never will be due to racial overtones. This is not intentional slurs, but instead how things were at the time, and illuminates what US citizens saw in their daily paper. I guess it could be censored "for clarity", as were the thin Dover books with their extracted, cleaned-up puzzles, but the genuine is the best, if read with understanding. Since the original book goes for close to $1000 in worn shape, seeing a good sharp reprint for around $10 is amazing- jump on it!
   
   Loyd's Cyclopedia has been put into the public domain so you can now download all 384 large pages and print it yourself, but this would likely cost more than the Pinnacle edition anyway and you'd have no binding either. So if you see this review, and a copy is available, just buy it if it's at all affordable. You get an unforgettable tour of Loyd's massive talent with wonderful illustrations that will last you for literally decades.