3 comments about Henry VIII and His Wives (Coloring Book).

1. This book is great, I love it!
   
   In fact it contains 9 paper dolls, since King Henry VIII is shown in different ages. All other queens than Catherine Parr have at least one extra gown. There are several armours for the King. Garments are really detailed, clear and well drawn. Some of the details are actually so tiny, that it would be almost impossible to color them.
   
   Since I want to enjoy this lovely book for many coming years, I have taken copies. If you zoom each page 135% and copy it on A3 sheet you will easily have even more magnificient paperdolls and your pencils can reach the exquisite details of gowns and jewels.
   
   I recommend this coloring book highly for every fashion history enthusiast, recreator, renaissance lover or advanced colorist. I guess it will become one of your treasures!



2. When I saw the paintings of the various Tudors in history books, most of the time the color jobs were so poor you could not see any detail of the clothing. Now, with these wonderful line drawings, you can not only get an idea of what the clothing looked like, but you can color them yourself. Plus, the synopsis of each person's life history sums up the most interesting aspects of that person's life without getting judgemental or too risque for children.



3. I found the book witty and informative and so many levels. THere are very few instances in which I can extrapolate so much from a coloring expeirience. I would highly recoomend this book to anyone with a masters or higher in the areas of coloring or bookdrawing genres.

No comments about Textile Print Design: A How-To-Do-It Book of Surface Design (F.I.T. Collection).

5 comments about Obsessed by Dress.

1. What a delicious selection of quotes about fashion! This book would really help me explain to people why I am obsessed with getting all dressed up in costumes, outfits and accessories. The gorgeous illustrations add to the charming cuteness of the book. These quotes show that there is real meaning and philosophy behind fashion and it's form of self-expression. Clothes and appearance really do make a difference!
   An essential book for fashionistas. I shall cherish this book forever!



2. Toby Tobias' adorable book takes the questioning element out of my daily clothing puzzle. This morning, Edith Sitwell told me to 'be myself'! The in-put from great minds of the past is a radiant rainbow of fun, humor, delight and wit. Ballerina@Large.Dash-Dot



3. Tobi Tobias' new book, Obsessed by Dress, brings delight far beyond the sensual pleasure of holding a book that is exactly the right hand heft for the object itself. It corroborates ones joy of personal adornment through quotes from those who have the wit and style through the ages to say what you have been thinking and feeling all along about why have arrived a this particular persona. You become marvelous in your own eyes.



4. One doesn't have to be a clothing aficionado to have a rewarding time with Tobi Tobias's "Obsessed By Dress." A small-size book with a biggness of content, "Obsessed" is alive with famous-person clothing quotes, meticulously researched by Tobias, reflecting her passion for Dress and great writing. Dickens, Proust, Virgil, Keats, Dior, Dorothy Parker, and RuPaul are among those quoted.



5. This is a lovely book, full of wit and surprises. It's obvious that Tobias has chosen quotes from books with which she is familiar, rather than compiling a hodgepodge of witty bon mots, selected at random. The bonus, in addition to making one think about fashion and its place in civilization, is reminders of books one has read, or wants to read, or should.

   Armed with a few quotes from this book and a little black dress, one could conquer any cocktail party in fine style!

No comments about Marie-Antoinette.

No comments about Swinging Sixties.

No comments about Naughty Victorians & Edwardians: Early Images Of Bathing Beauties.

5 comments about Medieval Costume, Armour and Weapons.

1. As a historical costumer by trade, I had borrowed this book from a local library so often that buying my own copy just made sense. It covers all classes of dress from peasant to noble in Medieval Europe,focused primarily on the area around Prague. This book has also been used by family as a resource for research papers due to its detailed historical data. Our medieval re-enactment society has used its armor & weapons data to base some of our armor & weapons upon to use in battle re-enactments.
   To anyone seeking detailed, documented data regarding Medieval European dress, armor & weapons, I highly recommend this book.



2. I especially like this book because it's almost the only one that gives information about Bohemian clothing and weapons. I'm a costumer, so the costume section is much more interesting to me than the weapon section, but I think this book gives quite a lot of information about weapons, there is quite a number of paintings and sources they came from. As for the costume section text, it all guides you through the fashion change in the half of the 14th century to the 15th century and gives several examples and proofs. Nevertheless, there are some facts that seem to be a bit confusing, like stating that there were "detachable sleeves" without giving any proofs etc.



3. Heaps of pictures, particularly good for people interested in 14th and 15th century eastern european stuff.



4. I've seen some of the originals these images are taken from and they are quite well done. As the drawings are from art works they are not as detailed as some costume books so be carefull if using them as references for garment making. A great idea to have a wide range of weapons, clothing and armour in one book.



5. This book contains an enormous amount of drawings, most from the bible of King Wenceslas and a variety of others. The book covers many items of medieval life from 1350 to 1450, like the title promises and then some. The drawings are not so great, but most are provided with backgound information, dates, who the person was and from which source it may have been taken. This book has been hard to find and I can recommend it to anybody who is interested in recreating the middle ages.

3 comments about Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957.

1. Christian Dior: The Early Years provides the inside story at the House of Dior, from its introduction of the 'New Look' to 1957, upon Dior's sudden death. When Christian Dior presented his first collection, the young designer presented clothing which featured narrow waists and beautiful evening dresses: a new look for the fashion world of the mid1940s. He drew each dress himself and his designs would change the fashion world of his times. The oversized presentation of this volume allows for fullpage displays of his works accompanying a biography of his life and achievements.



2. Born in a small village in Normandy, Christian Dior did not hesitate to disobey a parental injunction to undertake a "serious occupation." He knew what he wanted and fled to Paris where he became a designer at Robert Piguet.

   The City of Lights was gray in 1946; there had been the war, German occupation, and rationing. But, luck was with Dior. He met the country's richest and most powerful industrialist, Marcel Boussac, who offered to back the young designer. Space became available at 28-30 Avenue Montaigne, an address well known to fashion aficionados today.
   
   In 1947 Dior introduced his first collection, and the world was ready for his innovative return to the feminine figure with narrow waists, long skirts, and an attractive bustline. The rest, as they say, is history.

   All interested in the world of fashion will delight in this detailed history of the workings of Dior's fashion house, and the remarkable people who worked for him in developing a boutique and perfume which would enjoy worldwide acclaim. Also included are stories of his famous clients, such as Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, Rita Hayworth, Ingrid Bergman, and the Duchess of Windsor.

   Enriched with some 100 illustrations this keepsake volume concludes with "Monsieur Dior's Fashion Vocabulary" and a timeline noting events after Dior's death in 1957 to the present day.

   - Gail Cooke




3. Christian Dior: The Early Years 1947-1957 by Esmeralda de Rethy (daughter of Princess Liliane of Belgium who was one of Christian Dior's very first clients) and fashion historian Jean-Louis Perreau is an incredible, superbly illustrated and informative coffee table book providing a vivid fashion record perfectly capturing the founding of an empire of style in the post-World War II decade. Full-page photographs, some color, some black and white, many nearly half a century old, adorn the pages along with Dior's original sketches and commentary. The text traces the travails, efforts, and world-class achievements in clothing, style, and love of life in this high society treasury. Christian Dior is very highly recommended reading for students of 20th Century fashion history in general, and the influential contributions of Christian Dior in particular.

3 comments about The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, Vol. 1: To 1740.

1. i never recived my textbook i ordered.....now i want a refund!



2. This is a fascinating history of Western civilization that goes beyond the customary emphasis on kings and battles to looking also at changes in the culture and ideas of people over the centuries. It's so enjoyable that it is bedside reading for me, though still very authoritative. The many illustrations, often of period art, add to its appeal. It will tremendously broaden your understanding of how our society came to be what it is today.



3. I receieved my book in great condition! It was on time and packaged very well. Thank you!!

1 comments about Khaki: Cut from the Original Cloth.

1. Whoever would have believed that you could produce a beautiful, interesting book of photographs of people in khaki trousers, but here is is. KHAKI: CUT FROM THE ORIGINAL CLOTH is a collection of over 100 photographs by sixty-six photographers including George Platt Lynes, Duane Michaels, Herb Ritts, Weegee, Edward Weston, Annie Leibovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Claxton, Richard Gere, Allen Ginsberg, Greg Gorman, Milton H. Greene, Philippe Halsman, Robert Capa, George Hurrell et al. There are photographs of the rich and/or famous as well as ordinary souls: the Kennedys, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, Paul Bowles, Teddy Roosevelt, Clark Gable (at least three times), General Douglas MacArthur, Marilyn Monroe (thought she isn't in khakis), Amelia Earhart et al.
   
   What makes this volume so inviting is that the photographs are all so different and I wager that you would never guess the unifying theme of khaki trousers if you didn't know that already. Some of my favorites: William Faulker (photographer unknown, p. 125. He is dressed in a coat and tie with rumpled khakis that are all too familiar to us who live in them.) Christoper Isherwood photographed by George Platt Lynes. The natural side lighting makes this fine photograph (p. 44). The series of photographs by Duane Michaels, "John Takes His Pants Off" (pp. 2-3), and what I would call a narrative photograph on page 74 of soldiers in World War II getting their feet inspected by someone I assume is an officer. (The photographer is Hulton Getty; the date is January 1, 1943). Picasso strolling on the beach with his son and his mistress photographed by Robert Capa in 1951 (pp. 126-127). Finally the most mysterious photograph of all, "Night Duty," photographed in 1941 by Weegee (p. 116). The two men appear to be guards or police officers. They are carrying pistols and wearing only caps and khaki trousers.
   
   Gallery owner and authority on photography David Fahey (co-designer of the enormously successful exhibit of Herb Ritts "WORK" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1997) edited this most entertaining book, Elton John wrote the preface, and Richard Martin wrote a brief essay on the history of khaki. KHAKI will both surprise and delight you.