4 comments about Rare Creatures: Portraits of Models.

1. "Rare Creatures" is a wonderful book, adding depth and intensity to a seemingly easy subject matter, making the beautiful more beautiful. Images move beyond shape, transcending sexuality and seduction. As we are drawn into the picture, she ceases to be distant, becoming one that I have always known at the same moment that she becomes timeless; remaining for eternity what we wish to be, what we dream we are. If a picture is able to paint a thousand words, "Rare Creatures" speaks a thousand poems.



2. Radiant beauties glow with ethereal light. Young women from all corners of the world are captured in intimate, evocative portraits, nudes, and digitally hand-tinted transmutations. In just over a decade, photographer and digital master Howard Schatz and his wife and collaborator Beverly Ornstein have created an incredible body of work for both the advertising and editorial realms, including more than a dozen books. Among the latest, Rare Creatures is a stunning paean to youthful beauty. Elegant, evocative, both sexy and sensuous, Rare Creatures is beautifully conceived and sumptuously printed.-HM



3. I bought this book after reading many reviews, unfortunately I did not like the book at all. The authenticity of Schatz is over, in the book you find photos giving you the feeling of a "deja vu". It's a collection of model's books not conveying at all the particular touch Schatz always had in the past.
   Photography is continuous research, but why trying to have it paid by the money of past admirers, poor readers or collectors, using the name of a past glory? Such a tendency continues, Schatz is now in Milano at the Armani cafè with Athlets, great images, sensuous masses, but the exhibition could be a graduation essay of an Adobe Photoshop class. Bye Howard.



4. Once again, Howard Schatz has taken the merely beautiful and made it gorgeous.

   "Rare Creatures" is a compilation of 103 beautiful women who passed through his studio in casting sessions. The elegance of Howard's lighting, rapport with his subjects, and mastery of post production are all beautifully evident in this smoldering small book.

   Christopher Dean
   Freelance Creative Director

1 comments about Versace: Signatures.

1. "The first English language monograph of Italy's great couturier, Versace/Signatures presents a kaleidoscopic array of the designer's best clothes for men and women, for dancers and singers and stars. Hundreds of full-color photographs document his work from recent years - the bright printed silks and painted tights, the bodices festooned with beads, the playful reappropriation of leather straps and chains - with an oocasional glance back to the pieces that first made Versace famous: the wide shoulders and supple leather jackets and metal mesh of the early '80s. The book, which was the companion volume to the triumphant 1992 New York show at the Fashion Institute of Technology, closes with a survey of his theatrical costumes and chronology of the designer's career. Versace's sources were everywhere, ranging from his mother, a seamstress 'who always made the sign of the cross before she cut into the fabric,' to the sophisticated forms of royal ancient Egypt and the rich variety of Russian folk costumes. Art Deco, Pop Art, and Op Art all served as springboards for his imagination, together with the tradtions of the Baroque and Rococo. All this is conveyed in powerful photographs by Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Bruce Weber, Herb Ritts, and many others; and the book is peppered with witty quotes chosen from Wilde and Proust. In addition, there are comments on Versace's work by experts as diverse as art critic Ingrid Sischy, choreographer Maurice Bejart, director Robert Wilson, and fashion observers Anna Wintour, Polly Mellen, and Liz Tilberis."

No comments about Candace Wheeler.

1 comments about Lagerfeld's Sketchbook: Karl Lagerfeld's Illustrated Fashion Journal of Anna Piaggi.

1. Karl scetches the legendary Italian fashion icon Anna Piaggi and her fantastic wardrobe. Many photograghs of anna in her younger days

No comments about Moschino (Made in Italy).

1 comments about S/he: Changing Sex and Changing Clothes (Dress, Body, Culture).

1. Despite being a male to female transsexual herself, Claudine Griggs seems to have done a one-sided research by collecting more information regarding female to male transsexuals. If you belong to the latter group, you might like this book.

No comments about Prehistoric Sandals from Northeastern Arizona: The Earl H. Morris and Ann Axtell Morris Research (Anthropological Papers of the University of Arizona).

5 comments about Vintage Halloween Collectibles: Identification & Price Guide.

1. This book tells you what to look for (and what to avoid) in the facinating world of vintage Halloween collecting. The photography is great, and the prose is informative and entertaining. Even if you're not an avid Halloween collector, the "haunting" images from these bygone days are truly works of art, full of whimsy & fun. For the serious collector, the price guide is an absolute must have.



2. So far this is the best book I've found on Vintage Halloween in the sense of information, layout and the broad spectrum of items covered. It is evident that Mark Ledenbach is truly passionate about his collection. The photos are high quality and well laid out. The information is thought provoking and facsinating to any Halloween enthusiast. I do wish there were more item information regarding usage or other interesting tidbits, however this book does give the reader what it promises.
   A must have for the Halloween aficionado.



3. Another Halloween has come and gone but for some people like myself, the Halloween holiday lives on 365 days a year due to my love of the holiday and my passion for Halloween décor. When I was a kid, I used to be rather afraid of the old decorations in my grandmother's house. These were quite a bit scarier than those jointed cardboard skeletons and plastic light-up pumpkins that I was used to...Little did I know then just how valuable those pieces were. When she passed away about ten years ago my wife and I scoured her house for those trinkets but alas, they were nowhere to be found, most likely tossed in the trash years ago.
   
   Vintage Halloween Collectibles from Krause Publications is yet another outstanding edition to their library of collectibles books. When I first received the book I literally sat down for a couple of hours and just browsed through the book from cover-to-cover, looking for the items my Grandmother used to have as well as finding the few items that I've been able to collect. Collecting vintage Halloween decorations is no easy task Halloween wasn't nearly as big and commercialized decades ago as it is today. Vintage Christmas items show up endlessly at flea markets and garage sales but vintage Halloween items are much harder to come by because there just wasn't as much made, not too mention that much of it was made out of paper and simply didn't last as long.
   
   This 256 page trade paperback book covers some 1600 items and features over 1100 full-color photos. The book lists the item with country of origin, manufacturer, date of manufacture, dimensions, current value, and, perhaps most importantly, a scarcity index on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the rarest and 5 being the most common. Naturally, the items my grandmother had fell into the common arena but still were fairly valuable, all things considered. The items are broken down into eight different category chapters including games, candy containers and figures, noisemakers, and decorations.
   
   I found it interesting that there were so many games that involved fortune telling that were made in the 30's and 40's. This is certainly a sign of that era's infatuation with mysticism. One motif that seemed so common back in the first half of the 20the century that you don't see much today is devil and demon décor. The stereotypical red horned devil was a very common theme that has nearly disappeared from modern décor...I guess that's' a sign of OUR times. The other overwhelming common theme was the black cat. The book contains hundreds of black cat items from figurines to paper lanterns. The lanterns are things I remember distinctly from my youth and I am still amazed at the intricate detail of these rather delicate Halloween decorations. The book has dozens of examples of paper lanterns adorned by witches, black cats, pumpkins, and skeletons. These items are beautiful and Krause has done a great job with clear, beautiful photography of these rarities.
   
   One of the most interesting chapters is simply called "A Nice Variety" because the items didn't fit into any of the other categories. These feature items such as paper aprons, candy boxes, candles and candleholders, books and magazines. The covers to the books published by Dennison's in the 20's and 30's are gorgeous. These books were geared towards the woman of the house with ideas for recipes, decorations, and Halloween games. I also loved the die-cut chapter because those are the decorations I remember my mother having as a young kid and still fondly remember. But again, those red devil die-cuts, circa the 1930's are just wonderful. These items may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do, there is simply no better resource than this book from Krause Publications.
   
   REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON



4. When I started discovering vintage Halloween items, I came upon Mark Ledenbach's book. It became my leading guide while investigating on eBay. On his web site I could contact him an ask for advice. He was very friendly and helpful. The photos and lay out of his book are fantastic and it is better organized then other books I own. I could not have enjoyed the beautiful graphics and usual, rare items if it were not for this book. You must purchase this whether you are a serious collector or not. Have fun!



5. Price guides frequently suffer from poor photography. This book breaks the mold showing clear color photographs of amazing piece's in Mark's Collection. Halloween ephemera continues to be a popular collectible and this book should be part every collectors library.

No comments about Gail Selfridge's Sweater Design Workbook.

1 comments about Twentieth-Century Pattern Design.

1. Great Book! The physical book itself has a great feeling to it, but also is candy for the eyes. I enjoy looking at the pictures for pleasure as well as inspiration for textures and color combinations. The images themselves are valuable, but the book also goes into the history of why what was important/popular when. I'm an in house graphic designer and my co-workers like to borrow it on a regular basis as well. Good value for a good book!