3 comments about In Camera: Francis Bacon: Photography, Film and the Practice of Painting.

1. This book is an essential tool to better understand the process in which Francis Bacon produced his master works. As an artist, this book demystifies the painter while testifying his genius.



2. It seems the number of books about British artist Francis Bacon, both biography and art monograph, grows each year, an indication of just how important this innovative and strange painter is in the spectrum of art history. IN CAMERA FRANCIS BACON: PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND THE PRACTIVE OF PAINTING is an erudite and fascinating work that opens previously sealed windows into the dark life and immensely controversial creativity of this daring genius.
   
   Bacon, unlike most artists of his time and even of the present, had no problems discussing the fact that he utilized the art of photography in gathering information and inspiration for his huge canvases. Bacon saw the camera as a ready resource of information from which products he then could study, cut and paste, distort and wildly mix as the impetus of his own painted creations. But the extent to which Bacon immersed himself in the images he collected and deposited in the ungainly mess of his studio at 7 Reece Mews is now brought to light by author Martin Harrison.
   
   Harrison not only understands photography's history and impact, he also understands painting. He wisely interviewed Bacon's last lover and inheritor of Bacon's estate until his death, John Edwards, and through Edwards' auspices Harrison gained access to many of the never before seen images that grace this book. Here are sketches, manipulated and notated photographs, photographic images of some of Bacon's destroyed canvases and plates of drawings and paintings not included elsewhere, making this volume of information invaluable to the Bacon devotees, no matter the number of volumes on their library shelves!
   
   Harrison writes with the style of the scholar he is and at times the writing itself is rather dry and academic. But if the reader perseveres these thick passages of documentation, the reward is new knowledge of just how Bacon utilized photos, newsprint snaps, movies, and all manner of the camera's output to gain the spark of brilliance that resulted in his amazing output. The book is on the finest paper and is filled with superb reproductions of the photographic stimuli and the resultant paintings. This is an invaluable volume for the study of Bacon's art. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, January 06



3. "In Camera" is one of the most interesting books on Francis Bacon, one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, ever published for several reasons: First, it takes good advantage of the meanwhile fairly large array of books, catalogs and articles which have been published on Bacon. Second, Harrison had access to materials, mainly photographs that have not been published before. Third, he was able to interview several persons close to Bacon, notably John Edwards, Bacon's last companion. Fourth, and most importantly, the book has a clear thesis that the author is able to present convincingly. It is Harrison's position that Bacon used mainly photographs either taken by photographers by his request or from books and magazines to the effect that they: "triggered decisive turning points in his stylistic development" (from book jacket).
   
   In five chapters Harrison explores different type of media and images and how these affected Bacon's painting: Motion pictures, Interior Design, different artists such as Picasso and Michelangelo, the photography of Eadweard Muybridge, and the photographers that he hired to take photographs for him such as Deakin and Edwards. From the thousands of objects found in Bacon's studio at his death many were photographs from the above mentioned sources, but also taken from magazines and torn from books. Of these many had paint splatters and finger smudges in paint proving that Bacon used these for his paintings. A cut out photo of George Dyer, Bacon's lover from the 60's until his suicide in 1971 was even used as a template for several paintings. For many paintings Harrison shows the painting and the image or photograph that it was based on side by side. For example the Triptych (1991) used a front cover of "The Correspondent Magazine", a Muybridge photograph of mane wrestling, and a photo of Bacon. The book has over 270 excellent illustrations, of which at least 100 I saw for the first time and I own an extensive collection of Bacon books and catalogs.
   
   The fact that Bacon used other images for inspiration does not mean that he merely copied these. One look at Bacon's paintings will prove that this is not the case. It is well-known that Bacon did not use models for his paintings and the images acted as catalysts for Bacon triggering other images, emotions or memories which then manifested themselves in his extraordinary paintings. Bacon was always reluctant to discuss the meaning of his paintings, insisting that they had none. Harrison goes farther than any book since the Sylvester interviews in proving that this is not the case and that the paintings were highly personal. The following two quotes from the end of the book are in my opinion right on the mark:
   
   "..it should be remembered that most of Bacon's paintings were explorations of selfhood". (p.228)
   
   "He conveyed his inner life without compromise, but in code, in his paintings." (p.229)
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Bacon's art and Bacon the artist and man. The book is well presented, written and organized and the many images are fascinating. Though published by Thames & Hudson, it is printed and bound by Steidl an excellent German printer.
   
   For more information on books about Francis Bacon, please see the listmania list I compiled. Readers are also welcome to email me for more information on Bacon books and web sites.
   
   Review by Walter O. Koenig

No comments about Charles I: A Life of Religion, War and Treason.

2 comments about Open Secret.

1. 
   This is the first autobiography of the first female head of MI5, the UK's internal security agency. It was published in 2001, to a wave of negative publicity. Apart from the politicians who disparaged the apparent breach of security, there were quite a few negative reviews stating that Ms. Rimington wrote out of feeling of guilt at having disrupted her daughters lives by her choice of career.
   Overall the book does not reveal anything about MI5, other than the thinking behind the decision to openly acknowledge its existence, and expose it to more parliamentary oversight, which happened during the 1990s. Ms. Rimington does describe in convincing terms the struggle to be taken seriously, as a female professional, during her time in MI5 from the late 1960s. She seems to have met the challenges with great determination. Her personal life seems to have been greatly affected by her work, though her marriage seems to have been rocky in any case. She lived with her daughters in London, however there were many intrusions and changes of address necessitated by
   The needs of security and the fear of exposure and publicity. There is an authentic feel from one story, where she was secretly meeting a potential agent in London, when she got a call that her daughter was ill, Rimington had to borrow money from the potential agent for taxi fare, cut short the meeting and go to pick up her daughter.
   I liked the book, as I had not expected much information about MI5, and found it very honest about her personal struggle. There is the usual stuff about MI5's failures being public and its successes being secret, and what a motivated bunch they are. I would have preferred some discussion about how MI5 (along with other agencies) missed the collapse of the USSR, did not forecast the IRA ceasefire; however I was not expecting it.
   One indication of the difficulties Rimington experienced in getting the book published is the ending - there is an Afterword, a Postcript and an Epilogue; all in various ways trying to counter the criticism she was enduring.



2. I purchased this book after hearing an interview with Ms. Rimington on BBC 4, and I must say, I found her engaging both on the radio and in print. She is a talented writer, whose eventful life--from childhood during the blitz, through her days as a diplomatic wife in India; her experiences as an archivist; and her almost accidental career in MI5 [the old-school-tie male bastion which she penetrated with panache]--is related with considerable charm and humor (essential requirements for being an effective spy).
   
   On the back of the book, under a series of rave blurbs is a negative one by an individual of the male persuasion, whose non-endorsement guaranteed my determination to read the book. And I quote: "The most effective Secret Service is the one which is secret. She should shut up."
   
   Well, that horse was stolen from the barn years ago, and the service that once dared not speak its name has long since--thanks to ex-intelligence officers writing their memoirs right and left--become the service that will not shut up!
   
   Stella Rimington, the intelligent woman who made it to the director-generalship of MI5, adds a refreshing perspective to the male-dominated literature of British intelligence.

4 comments about Diana Remembered 1961-1997 (Diana Princess of Wales).

1. It's been a while since I've read it but the preceding reviews seem to tell it like I remember the book being. You read some reporters reminiscing about Diana, especially towards the last, and you see some good photos.



2. This is a book which I truly liked for many, many reasons. First, for all die-hard Diana fans, like myself, it covers every aspect of her life. Second, there are are selections about Diana, Princess of Wales, which are not long, but get to the point. Third, each story is accompanied by beautiful pictures of Diana. Last, but probably best of all, the book was put together by people who covered her services and, unlike so many others, donated all royalties from the sales of the book to the DIANA MEMORIAL APPEAL.

   "W. F. Deedes has had a long association with the DAILY TELEGRAPH as writer, columnist and former editor, and was a personal friend of the Princess."

   "The contributors of this book Sandra Barwick, Caroline Davies, Elizabeth Grice and Colin Randall are all senior staff journalists on the DAILY TELEGRAPH and were part of the reporting team covering the events in the aftermath of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales."

   I shall close with a few of my favorite quotaions from the book. "Her beauty was her triumph, her mark of courage and her ability to accommodate her own sorrows. That, instinctively and perhaps subconciously, is why people loved her: because she had come throught and in the process had grown into someone quite different and much larger than the person she had been before. In some ways some of us have never recognised before, we loved her." ADAM NICHOLSON in the TELEGRAPH. page 117.

   "You could not do my work and I could not do yours. We are both working for God. Let us both do something beautiful for Him." MOTHER TERESA page 118.

   "I want to walk into a room, be it a hospital for the dying or a hospital for sick children and feel that I am needed. I want to do, not just to be." DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, page 118.

   "If I should die and leave you here awhile,/ Be not like others, sore undone who keep/ Long vigils by the silent dust and weep./ For my sake - turn again to life and smile,/ Nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do/ Something to comfort other hearts than thine/ Complete those dear unfinished tasks of mine/ And I, perchance, may therein comfort you."/ A poem by A. PRICE HUGHES which was read at Diana's funeral by her sister LADY SARAH McCORQUODALE. page 120.

   This is a hardback book which consist of 120 pages and measures 9"x111/4".




3. This book is filled with many large color photos showing the happy times in the life of the Princess of Wales. For true blue Diana fans the pictures have all been seen before but are of high quality and worth seeing again. The text is done so that every part of her life is looked at ( even her final resting place ). None of the writtings are very long and all done by different writters who knew and liked her. The book ends with qutoes about Diana, some even made by herself. Overall this a good book, one that any Diana fan would like to own. It should also be noted that all royalties from the book go to the Diana Memorial Appeal which helps victims of anti-personnel mines( a cause she loved to help).



4. THIS BOOK PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE WONDERFUL PRINCESS OF WALES, PRINCESS DIANA. I THINK THIS BOOK IS A GOOD BOOK TO READ. IT EXERCISES YOUR MIND, AND YOU ARE ABLE TO READ FREELY. IT'S NOT LIKE OTHER BOOKS WHERE YOU WANT TO TAKE BREAKS ALL THE TIME. NO THIS BOOK, YOU NEVER WANT TO PUT IT DOWN.

No comments about Selected Letters (Oxford World's Classics).

5 comments about The Way We Were: Remembering Diana.

1. in this book you get a better feel of diana's day to day life and the pictures of the interior of her private quarters at kensington palace were very interesting to see. i am surprised that he was able to publish the pictures in his book. and what is buried in the garden really shocked me, just wonder what the outcome of that will be. her relationship with dr. hasnat was rather sweet and sad, never resolved. if di had lived i believe there would have been more to come with that relationship.paul also lets us in on the love hasnat had for diana. in many reports i read he seemed rather distant, but that wasnt the case at all. OH THE WHAT IF'S. the pictures alone are worth the price of the book. good read and i learned things i did not know... even after reading many books on diana.



2. Just as in a Royal Duty, in The way we were Paul Burrell allows us to know a little more about his life serving Princess Diana, as a butler and as a friend (friendship that other peolple didn't accept and gave him lots of problems after she died). Here he also reveals some secrets that let us know how Diana really was and who she was really in love with when she died. That information was a shock to me because I guess we all try to believe what the media sells not knowing that sometimes that's not the truth.
   I loved this book!



3. This is an excellent heart warming book that to me, gives a more accurate review of Princess Diana's life. It shows that she was human, compassionate and like the rest of us in this world had her own problems. It also shows a girl marrying an older controlling man and gave up her life the day she said "I do". I am not sure such a young person knew what she was about to give up. This book only allows me to admire this young Princess more today than yesterday. It is a book that I could not put down until I was finished through the final account of Diana's life, in tears. Worth every penny I paid for it.



4. The author deserves to be knighted for his contribution to the public in writing this book.
   He is the only person who can be trusted to write truthfully and respectfully about Princess Diana. The book is poignant and I cried buckets of tears through every chapter. However, I found it to be emotionally healing and therapeutic too. If you loved Princess Diana and want to find some closure after the tragedy of her death, this book is a must.



5. No one knew the multi-faceted Diana, Princess of Wales like Paul Burrell did. Once again he evokes her memory and captures the majesty of the delicate chameleon we knew, simply and lovingly, as Diana. In a lifetime that was all too brief she accomplished what no other "Royal" has. Until the reign of Elizabeth II, no one really bothered about the monarchy. We came into the age of television and reached toward the age of technology as Elizabeth II was crowned and reached toward her reign as Queen in an age of enlightenment. I am quite certain she could never foresee the likelihood of a modern day Princess reaching out to the people in the way H.R.H. Diana extended herself and touched those she would never know or may never see again. The Monarchy seemed to be hidden behind palace doors, but not Diana...never Diana. The Queen has possession and guardianship of the crown jewels during her reign. The brightest of those was one she could never possess or pass on. The most brilliant and brightest star was Diana, the "Queen of Hearts" and the "People's Princess" who served her people by being out among them and giving of herself to them whenever and wherever she could. The charity in her heart was endless as she was tireless in her contribution to those who suffered. The Queen always thought she knew her people well. The death of Diana proved that to be a total misconception. It is my belief that since the British people had been exposed to another way of being and another way of doing things, they weren't going back to a time when things happened around them. It is also my belief that the next reign will take a lesson from Diana's ways and rule with true spirit, openess and generosity of heart. Thank you Paul, for another glimpse into your world with Diana!

5 comments about To School Through The Fields.

1. What a delight this little book is! Within the space of only 151 pages of standard typeface, Alice Taylor has told many a tale, charmed us with her warmhearted stories from her childhood.



2. If Angela's Ashes and it's clones is your only taste of Ireland during the economic hard times, you're only getting half the story. This best seller speaks of the Ireland our grandparent's held dear to their hearts. It's short vignette structure makes it an excellant read for those using public transportation. Warning: people who feel good writing must be driven by inner turmoil will hate this book. To all others Taylor's work is breath of fresh air!



3. I laughed, I cried, I remembered my own childhood in County Ireland as I ran barefoot through the daisies. I especially loved the bit about 'Old Dan'who loves to be near children. I knew a guy JUST like that when I was seven. Alice Taylor's book is a TRIUMPH. It is nothing less. We need more books about the poverty and ignorance of Ireland, written by an ordinary housewife like Alice, in her deceptively accessible style. In these weary times, her book is like three hundred milligrammes of morphine to a man with a headache. She deserves the pulitzer! Well done Alice!!



4. If you love the simple life (not to be confused with easy), nature, simple people and their idiosyncracies, then you will love this book. Alice Taylor takes us back to the communal farm life of Ireland. She "shows" us vividly how she grew up in County Cork Ireland in a rural farming community where the community came before the individual; unheard of in our current paradigm. Everything that nature had to offer was used in daily life, including the grease from cooked geese to oil leather boots. Life was about pulling your weight, helping your neighbor, integrity, and respecting God and His creations. This book sooths my soul and slows me down. If you live a busy "city" life, but long for nature and simplicity, I highly recommend this book. It will make you smile and comfort your spirit.



5. I'd rather read this book than have Irish bread w. freshly whipped butter, w. farm-fresh eggs, tomato, sausage and Irish breakfast tea! And that's a lot! This affectionate novel is a jewel. A very special woman wrote this book and shared with us her very special childhood. If you're Irish, of Irish descent, have been to Ireland, or enjoy a charming, well-written, enchanting true tale, you'll love this book and keep a copy and recommend it to loved ones. Did you enjoy the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE books as a child? Or have you read, THE ROAD FROM COORAIN by Jill Ker Conway? Then you'll truly enjoy this book

No comments about Shakespeare: The Life, The Works, The Treasures.

3 comments about Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf.

1. This book is remarkable historical background for anyone who enjoys the Jack Aubrey, Lord Ramage, Horatio Hornblower sets of historic fiction.
   The biographer details many of the challenges met by those fictional characters, including the pervasive corruption of the British admiralty system, which fictional heroes endure and which Thomas Cochrance fought against his entire life.
   Donald Serrell Thomas highlights a few of the many ship-to-ship actions from 1793-1808. But he spends as much time investigating the politics of the pre-reform parliamentary system where a few powerful purses controlled the representation from numerous "rotten boroughs" -- one of which elected Cochrane.
   The author also outlines the details of a remarkably modern-sounding stock market fraud case, in which Cochrane was found to be a co-conspirator. The author thinks (as most of Britain came to think) that Cochrane was innocent, although another recent study came to an opposite conclusion based on the same evidence.
   If you're a fan of the "Sharpe's Rifles" series, read "Sharpe's Devil" before you read this book. But read both!



2. As the blurb on the back cover says: forget Horatio Hornblower, forget Jack Aubrey. Even the license given to them as fictional characters can't surpass the facts of Lord Cochrane's extraordinary life. A supremely creative tactician and breathtaking improviser at sea (it was no less a person than Napoleon who nicknamed him the 'Sea Wolf') his story ashore is worthy of a book in itself.

   This book has it all: blood, guts and glory pitted against both the enemy abroad and the corrupt establishment at home. Once read, there's no forgetting this man and his story.




3. This book was first published in 1978 but has now been re-released to the benefit of all who enjoy a fast-paced historical account. After reading this book I am amazed that it has taken nearly twenty years to be re-released. What a great story Mr. Thomas tells of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, later the 10th Earl of Dundonald. From his birth through to his death covering all his exploits in numerous sea battles and actions, so many in fact that you find it hard to believe that he survived.

   The book covers Cochrane's battles during the Napoleonic Wars during which, on many occasions, he sent his ship in action against overwhelming odds. It was during this period that he was recognized, as one of Britain's most daring and successful captains. It was also during this period that he made many enemies, although he pressed hard in every action and took many risks, he always considered the well being of the men under his command. This later led to his single-handed campaign against corruption in the Admiralty.

   Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 Cochrane commenced an extraordinary career as a mercenary admiral. He subsequently commanded the navies of Chile and Brazil and launched campaigns against their protagonists, Spain and Portugal. After finishing his 'little wars' in South America he took command of elements of the Greek navy in their war against the Turks. In all these campaigns Cochrane again showed that he was one of the best naval commanders of his time.

   The narrative flowed along smoothly and although I have no great knowledge of maritime history I had no problems in following this story. In over 350 pages of text along with a number of black & white plates and a few maps Mr. Thomas tells a wonderful and exciting story. This is the type of book, which I am sure any person who has a love for history or who enjoys the novels of C. S. Forester and Patrick O'Brien will just love. A must for any serious student of naval tactics or Napoleonic warfare.

1 comments about The Ocean of Truth: The Story of Sir Isaac Newton.

1. I read this book to my five and nine year old and they both loved it. A well written story that is told from Newton's early childhood and on to his adult years in a way that will help young readers remember the facts of his life.

   to rem