5 comments about Costume: 1066 to the Present, Third Edition.

1. This sort of book might have been very helpful if you could rely on the pictures. It gives relatively many drawings for each period (though too few if you want to focus on one exact date), but I could never find out where the pictures came from, what were they based on, as I found so many obvious mistakes and fantasy elements that for a serious costumer, this would be an absolutely terrible and useless book. Besides, the pictures are not very well drawn, the illustrator wasn't as skilled as another painter of untrustworthy costumes, A.Racinet.
   
   This could be only help for people who want to have a general "overview" of the fashion history and its changes through decades, but I must add that the dresses depicted aren't always very typical for the period, which can spoil the general impression.



2. I got this book several years ago when I only had a minor interest in costumer design, now it's my career and I still find it useful. Peacock's illustrations are clear but relatively simple and great for a period overview and for sketching and silhouette references.
   
   The only thing I think this book is lacking is descriptive text and breakdown of the class of the people represented. This can't be your only research but should definitely be in the collection of anyone with even the slightest interest in costume and fashion history



3. Have used this book many times as a resource when making costurmes for the Renaissance Fair as well as for the local Model A Ford club. Clear, easy to interpret pictures and excellent captions.



4. Peacock puts together a book that focuses itself on British fashion of the royalty from 1066 through 2005. Pages are filled with designs that the royalty as well as the wealthy would have worn during this time period. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, and this book contains over 1000 pictures to demonstrate the changes in fashion over the years.
   
   The book has very little text in it. Each page is filled with 8 different designs, typically 4 are male fashion designs, and 4 are for women. What I do like about these designs is that each one has notes about trim, how garmets were fastened, hair styles, and information regarding proper head dress is also given. I feel if you are trying to recreate one of these designs this book would be helpful in getting the small details correct.
   
   While short on words, this book has many sketches, and much information is contained on each sketch. There is very little text, or any form of long dry reading here. You may even wished he spent more time going over the design changes in text. I feel this book does an excellent job of giving someone a feel for what clothing looked like in the time periods covered in this book.



5. I don't own the book, just saw it in a bookstore and flipped through it. The book contains sketches of male and female costume drawn in good detail, but definitely incorporates fantasy elements. For example, according to the sketches all female garments through 1400 have sleeves extending past the hand. I also did not notice any nationalities mentioned with the drawings. Like I said though, it was a flip through in a book store, and I'm not an expert. I just thought since there were no reviews yet, I'd give people an idea of what to expect.

3 comments about Needlepoint Trade Secrets: Great Tips about Organizing, Stitching, Threads, and Materials.

1. Perry is a gifted teacher and designer and writes an entertaining and educational on-line column, but this book is a waste of money unless you're a beginning needlepointer.
   
   Anyone who has been needlepointing for more than a few months can pick up these tips from fellow stitchers, from their local needlepoint shop and in classes.
   
   And anyone with an ounce of sense can figure out an organizing system that is more efficient and less expensive.
   
   Perry should stick to what she does best!



2. I have been waiting for months for this second edition to come out, having missed out on the first printing. If you are a needlepointer you will love reading this book! It is fun and easy to read and packed full of great ideas. Keep your highlighter handy!



3. In her introduction to Needlepoint Trade Secrets, Janet Perry states, "...even though I've been stitching for over 30 years, I still discover ways to make my stitching better, learn a new stitch, or rediscover something from times past." On her website, www.napaneedlepoint.com, Janet bills herself first and foremost as a teacher. She wrote the original edition of Needlepoint Trade Secrets in the interest of sharing her discoveries.
   
   And does she ever! She offers fantastic tips on everything from where to find design ideas (your favorite lifestyle magazine is a great place to start!), to color choices (a good color wheel is invaluable), to how to finish your completed canvas easily and inexpensively.
   
   As a 30-plus-year stitcher myself, I must admit that the most daunting question I face with a completed canvas is, "OK, now what do I do with this?" Most stitchers will tell you that their UFO pile is as large as it is, due to the expense of finishing. Janet's terrific suggestions include everything from how to beat the high cost of custom framing, to innovative uses for those gorgeous belt canvases.
   
   Although there is a lot in Needlepoint Trade Secrets, her breezy style makes this 119-page book an easy read. Its short, bullet-filled chapters make this a fast read. The revised edition's small size (the original book was 8-1/2 by 11) makes it ideal to keep in your stitching bag.
   
   Do those ever-changing airline rules make you unsure whether or not you'll be able to stitch on a plane? No problem! With Needlepoint Trade Secrets at hand, you can read about our favorite obsession when you're 50,000 feet up. Be sure to have a pen and plenty of Post-Its handy! You'll need them to mark your favorite tips for easy future reference.
   
   Michelle Hufford, Owner
   Come to the Point!
   [...]

1 comments about Make It in Clay: A Beginner's Guide to Ceramics.

1. When your professor comes over the first day of class and leafs through your brand new book and says, "Where did you get this...it's a great introduction to this class!" then proceeds to tell you he knows some of the potters and works pictured...you know it's a GREAT book. From learning where clay comes from and the techniques from pinching and coiling to the wheel and sculpture, I found great tips and photos to help me along and inspire my "creations." Then came texturing, coloring and glazing and firing techniques. I've actually bought the book as a gift for Mr. Pace (from amazon.com, naturally) and his future students because I found it SO helpful.

1 comments about Decorative Wrought Ironwork Projects for Beginners (Dover Craft Books).

1. This ia a book that you have once you have the basics , and you can start to develop your creative skills.

1 comments about Grading Techniques for Fashion Design Second Edition.

1. This book is not only an introduction to the amateur covering basic grading techniques on simple garments. It is a complete guide to grading women's clothes covering every possible style for the misses and junior size garments. Additional information on grading women and menswear size garments is also included.

   I am not an expert on the field of grading and this is why this book by J. Price and B. Zamkoff (who teach in the FIT) has proved to be of great help to me, as it is full of simple step by step instructions combined with many many clear diagrams. This is definitely a very practical book.

   The book comprises: Part1: A STUDY OF GRADING, including, types of grade, grading machines, computer grading, a guide to good grading, using the grading charts, grading chart etc. Part 2: GRADING BASIC DESIGNS, including, from bodice, back bodice with shoulder darts, back bodice with neck dart, torso, straight skirt, pants, set-in sleeve, collars, men's wear shirt Part 3: GRADING INTERMEDIATE DESIGNS, including, shawl collar, chemise dress, bodice and yoke, bodice and midriff, front princess bodice, back princess bodice, six gore skirt, circle skirt, sarong skirt, skirt with variations Part 4: GRADING ADVANCED DESIGNS, including, front kimono sleeves, back kimono sleeves, kimono raglan sleeve, square armhole, front gusset sleeve, back gusset sleeve, set-in raglan sleeve, princess bodice and sleeve-in-one, dropped shoulder sleeve, big shirt dolman sleeve Part 5: GRADING CREATIVE DESIGNS, including, halter bodice, assymetrical bodice, bustier, cowl neckline bodice, semi-fitted jumper, batwing sleeve with surplice bodice and peplum Part 6: ADDITIONAL DESIGNS FOR GRADING, including, from bodice with shoulder and waistline dart, armhole princess line bodice, front bodice with multiple darts or pleat, two-piece sleeve, puff sleeve, house gusset, shirtwaist sleeve with french cuff bishop sleeve with cuff bell sleeve with facing, shirt pocket, notch collar, cape, flared sleeve, cap sleeve, hood, skirt with circular flounce and shaped waistband, flared dress, culottes.

2 comments about The Painter's Manual of Dionysius of Fourna.

1. An invaluable manual for those exercising traditional painting and especially icon-painting. A brilliant translation from Greek. Worth of its price.



2. This book is a wonderful ref book for anyone who is writing Icons.

3 comments about Art Of The Postmodern Era: From The Late 1960s To The Early 1990s (Icon Editions).

1. I am considering assigning this as a textbook in my contemporary art class. The text IS accessible, and does not follow the conventional art history textbook format. Refreshing is Sandler's emphasis on art-world and other contexts. One emerges, after reading the book, feeling like one understands how the art came about in the first place, rather than simply feeling groundlessly familiar with a few key figures and their major works.



2. Because I believe in upfront honesty, I will say that I am by no means an Art buff. I've taken humanities courses, art history and so forth, but soley as electives. My main interest in academia has nothing what so ever to do with art and my interest in it is only casual.

   That having been said, let me say that after reading literally dozens of academic text books, reference materials, etc, including all those I used in my humanities and art history courses before, Sandlers "Art of the Postmodern Era..." wholly deserves the 1 star rating that I gave it. I say this not because the material doesn't interest me, but because Sandler makes it so terribly thick and impassable. Even if you've taken a small dose of art history before, the manner in which Sandler wrote this book will leave you're eyes bleeding.

   Worst of all, Sandler follows an almost tragic formula throughout the book. Introduce the topic with relevant fact, mention an artist or work, go on obscure tangent about said artist or work, throw in a few black and white (a disservice to both reader and artist) print of the work, then move on to another artist or work. Never do you return to a concrete discussion of the theoretical underpinnings of the movements he discusses. There are passing references to how each particular work or artist is connected with the movement being discussed, but never do you get a clean cut, definitive exploration of the movement. In essence, the only way you can gain any understanding is by finding these sometimes obscure portions of the chapter and putting it together. One should not have to read upwards of 70 pages in order to gain a paragraph's worth of insight about postminimalism.

   The entire book follows this dismall format. As a reference I would never recommend this book to anyone. The photographs are almost entirely devoid of color, not to mention a necessary amount of detail or perspective. The writing itself is dry, unimaginative and lacking in structure. I found myself falling asleep during every reading I've ever done out of this book, regardless of time of day or frame of mind. You simply cannot stay awake through any given chapter of this book, no matter how much coffee, caffine or sugar you keep on hand.

   Do yourself a favor and stay away from this....I would have to be paid a healthy sum of money before I would ever read this book of my own free will. What readings are required of me as part of the course are utter and complete torture, even for a hardcore academic like myself.

   I will not argue that Sandler is knowledgable as one can be about the subject, but a worldly art critic does not a good author make. Something to keep in mind.




3. Content is good but in my opinion, the book is overpriced for its size.

2 comments about From Margin to Center: The Spaces of Installation Art.

1. This book is the first stop for anybody serious about examining the history of Installation art in New York from its beginnings in the late 1950s to the early 1990s. The book provides insightful research and analysis based on multiple points of view: the artist, the curators, and the critics. Intelligent and carefully written, this book is a pleasure for art historians and anybody with an interest in contemporary art.



2. What is the place of art in contemporary/post-modern scenario, in the age of globalization and 'institutionalism' of art production we live in? This question has become one of the crucial subject matters to great artists and theorical authors of our time, and Mrs. Reiss appears to have the correct approach on this well-discussed aspect of contemporary art, specially from the early 70's.

5 comments about Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes from and Why.

1. If you're reading this, you're interested in art, either in making it or in experiencing it or both. How about animal behavior? Better still, biological anthropology? This the book for you, as it was for me. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say it was life-changing, in that so many things are now clear that didn't quite make sense or made no sense at all before I read it. This is definitely a book for those committed to Darwin. If you think the world, complete with cave paintings, was created 9000 years ago more or less as it stands now, this won't help you. But, if you would like to know about the profound survival value in "making special", this is fascinating. If you have been uncomfortable with some of the current rather rarified explanations for what "art" is, you will be relieved. It's a wonderful book on its own or in preparation for her most recent book, ART AND INTIMACY.



2. Dissanayake marshals an eclectic hodgepodge of research, ideas, data, theories, and counter-theories to advance the simple claim that the aesthetic experience is fundamentally and innately a biological act born out of human adaptationism along the Darwinian struggle for survival. She grants that the adaptationist mechanisms may have subsided in more recent times, but the imprinting over eons of evolution still motivate us, and are still at the core of our aesthetic esperience. While entirely sympathetic to her objectives, I believe her excesses defeat her purposes.
   
   Her core problem is wishing to remain with the 19th C. Tradition of "aesthetics" as the legacy of European Idealism while also appealing to more primitive understandings of "art." To straddle these disparate, indeed contradictory, traditions, one senses a desperation in throwing everything "including the kitchen sink" to defend her thesis. And yet, two primary resources she either does not know, or she choose to ignore, could have simplified her project immensely. But before adopting Aristotle and empirical empathy to her project, she would have to exclude the entire "aesthetic" tradition, which stands in opposition to it. She's unprepared to make that final leap, and that lack of daring in the end sabotages her project.
   
   "Aesthetics" is a recent concept born of late-18th C. German Idealism that has made artistic behavior elitist, metaphysical, and quasi-supernatural, which as long as she accepts that model, she'll never reconcile her thesis to a more primitive biological model that has firmer and much older roots in classical Greek thought. Prior to modern aesthetics, art was simply art, which was "making" and/or "crafting" that stood in contrast to "doing," a very elementary notion prevalent in the works of Aristotle and his lineage of intellectual thought, of which Dissanayake shows no cognizance (yet, she cites Platonic Forms of beauty with relish and frequency, which is precisely the heritage of the German Aesthetic Movement).
   
   When she thus appropriates "empathy" as a late-19th C. German Idealist heuristic device, again she ignores a richer, older, and empirical tradition prevalent in the 18th C. Scottish Enlightenment (i.e., Hutcheson, Hume, Smith, and Reid), which, unlike the German metaphysical version remains a viable, indeed prominent, biological model. Had she been aware/used either older tradition, she could have obviated much confusion and obfuscation, not to mention endlessly marginal studies to tinker with the Aesthetic Paradigm. She would not have needed to appeal to any and every alternative hypothesis, evidence, study, research, etc. to modify, refine, and thus, reform the Aesthetic Model in an unwieldy, untenable, and ultimately unsuccessful effort.
   
   In the end, the irreconcilable tension between opposing traditions remains unresolved, and instead of resolution, she simply adds nuance after nuance of qualification and refinement to tweak the Aesthetic Tradition towards a more Darwinian inclination. Then, in a odd move, she tries to deal with postmodernism, but on its terms, which already puts her behind the proverbial 8-ball. Yet, in her defense, she was a pioneer in her own field of aesthetics, and was stabbing at everything to get a foothold on a better conception of why humans make things. But as long as "aesthetics" figures into her overall conception, she straddles two opposing worlds that cannot be reconciled. She even appeals to the "ontological" in another context, but then fails to see her own problem as itself a deeply ontological one, as the biological and metaphysical ontologies are simply unbridgeable. And demonstrating this difficulty, even if unintentional, is its own rewarding reason to peruse this book.



3. Tracing evolutionary roots to human creativity is a risky endeavour. The Romantic Era dismissal of "nature red in tooth and claw" misapplied to humans has its adherents even today. In more modern terms, the "postmodernist school" attributes human creativity solely to cultural environment. Dissanayake takes up the challenge and responds to these allegations from widely spread scholarship sources. She makes a solid case for human universals in many areas of expression, from graphic art through music and dance to poetry and prose. Even spoken language is addressed with an eye to derivations and commonalties.
   
   She presents her support for a Darwinian basis for art and expression with flair and enthusiasm. There's no hesitation in offering new terms or definitions as means of breaking the bonds of tradition or rigid thinking. Acknowledging that some of her ideas are ironic, or even heretical, she intends to builds a new framework for where art truly sits in our lives. Among other "heresies", the author roundly denounces the notion that "art" is a separate or fleeting aspect of human existence. Instead, she contends, art is integrated with religion and other human social conditions. Some aspect of art is as necessary as eating or sleeping to our species. Dissanayake contends that art must be raised in importance when considering what is valuable to us.
   
   Perhaps, Dissanayake suggests, in order to break the bonds restricting our view of "art" we need a new term. She coins "making special" for various objects or activities we now call "art". The "special" relates to the common means all organisms have in separating the mundane from the unexpected - the "extra-ordinary". If something extraordinary can promote emotions of delight, we can recreate it as something "special" and pleasurable. It might be removed from the mundane aspects of life, but the mundane may become art. A pot is made for storage or cooking, but if it's decorated in ways that bring a sense of "good" or of "pleasure", elevating it to art isn't a false promotion. Noting that both Nature and artefacts can be beautiful, only the beautiful that is created can be considered art. Much of Nature is beautiful, but only humans can create beauty. Hence, she declares that considerations of art must be "species-centred" or "bioevolutionary". Species-centrism, she warns, must not be misconstrued as detaching us from the rest of Nature. Indeed, as part of our evolutionary heritage, "species-centrism" is essential to understanding who we are. And what we can achieve.
   
   In her final analysis, Dissanayake notes that a radical idea arose toward the end of the Enlightenment. Art was placed in a realm where only the few educated in its precepts could comprehend it. The "critic" became a mediator between the artist and the observer. The too-common expression, "I don't know about art, but I know what I like" represents this break. Later, the "French philosophers", known as the postmodernists, insisted that everything should be reduced to text. This concept has further widened the Enlightenment detachment of art from the beholder. She scorns this notion, reminding us that for nearly all of Homo sapiens' existence, none could read nor write, but art flourished. In contending with the postmodernists, the author hails the work of linguists who seek evidence of a Primordial Language [PL]. PL is another indication of the unity of expression among early humanity that was disrupted only by time and distance.
   
   Dissanayake's analysis, which has been enhanced but not supplanted, has been strangely overlooked. The attitude of art as "outside" reality or only a distant adjunct to daily life apparently has an even stronger hold on our thinking than she suggests. Although she hasn't updated the book with recent work in cognitive studies, which can provide further insight, others have taken up the challenge [see "The Mind In The Cave" by David Lewis-Williams for an innovative example], this comprehensive work is an excellent starting point for understanding why our view of "art", or "making special" needs reconsideration. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]



4. I just finished this book, and... for the record, there are over 40 pages of footnotes and references in the back of the book. I'm not a expert in the field, but Homo Aestheticus feels like a graduate level text, and is certainly more "scholarly" than most books you'll find in a bookstore.

   That said, I found Homo Aestheticus to be one of the most unique and insightful books I've read. A few spots were quite detailed and dry, but overall I found myself underlining interesting points like a madman. The concluding chapter was mindblowing. The author somehow cohesively pulled together such topics as human experience, modernism and postmoderism, literacy and writing, oral tradition, language, symbols, and thought, meaning and reality, human and culture evolution, and, of course, aesthetics and art. Certainly, it will have a lasting impact on my thinking about "art." Very much recommended for interdisciplinary thinkers.




5. Homo Aestheticus is a great attempt by Ellen Dissanayke to find the biological/physiological connection between humans and art or art making. She begins by discussing Darwin and invites us to accept that she has considered some scientific connection between the evolution of humans and why we included art/art making in our evolution. The devise to use science is intriguing and maybe somewhat convincing, but for those of us who require scholarship in research, Ms. Dissanayake misses all the marks.

   To write an essay of your own observations relieves the writer from the obligation of proving anything. Just write and hope someone cares. But to write about scientific fact, psychological studies, and human behavior, the writer is obligated to avoid such phrases as "Everyone knows," "It follows that," etc. Another problematic phrase when trying to prove a point of fact is "Research findings indicate" (154). If the goal is to convince me, then site the study. Her phrase "Making Special" just isn't scientific enough for me.

   This is the most unscholarly philosophy book I have ever encountered. I wouldn't be complaining about the book if it was billed as an easy-reading-personal-point-of-view thing, but when I must trudge through thick, factual material to get to the point of a thesis, I want my money's worth. I want to come away from the text feeling that I have just earned all those aches and pains from a great cerebral workout. If you want that kind of experience, it's not here in Home Aestheticus. You would more likely come closer to that kind of workout by chatting with someone at the gym than by reading this book.

1 comments about The Sculpture of Ruth Asawa: Contours in the Air.

1. It's a book that really deserves a place in whatever room you sit in to relax and spend your quiet time. I see many art mediums - including wire - in a whole new way, and that is just what I look for in a book of art. Definitely on of my best book purchases in the past year.