3 comments about Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications).

1. I found this book very dry. I am a Tiffany fan and create Tiffany stained glass reproductions as a hobby. I think anyone who is not already a devotee should think twice about this book. I really doesn't add much to the information already out there. Cut and paste literature at best.



2. This is an excellent and scholarly book filled with incredible photos and descriptions of LCT's home, Laurelton Hall. The author has written a series of fine chapters that look at all aspects of this magnificent residence. What the fire at Laurelton destroyed, this book restores with words and photos. For all of you who love Tiffany's artistry, this book is not to be missed!



3. Nicely put together and informative for those who are seriously interested in the life and works of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

No comments about Minimal Art: A Critical Anthology.

3 comments about Nightclub Nights: Art, Legend, and Style 1920-1960.

1. This book is a beautiful look at the night club era of pre-disco.
   When getting a table in a nightclub meant something. My heart is saddened that I came too late to see this era of true entertainment and deco design. It must have been magical. Some beautiful images, color graphics, and type from the era.
   Hardback is linen.



2. A handsomely bound book with lots of colour and a real feeling of nostalgia throughout. I thought the book was well set up for easy reading and the enclosed anecdotes were usually charming and interesting. Some very sharp looking sepia-toned photos throughout the book along with colorful graphics and photos. Nice reproduced images of the various clubs' promotional material as well. I would have myself liked to see more photos of the people who worked in these establishments in "action" so to speak. Meaning, photos of flashy bartenders mixing up a martini, or beautiful cigarette girls, or a waiter with a tray full of fancy drinks, etc. I would have also liked to know what ever happened to the clubs themselves after they closed. Were they bulldozed? Do some still exist albeit in another form? However, the book is one of the few tributes in printed form to the period of the luxurious dinner clubs and night clubs of the first half of the 20th century. That alone makes it a must have for enthusiasts of the long gone cocktail "set". I was in the club industry for most of my working years, so I do know a little of the lifestlye! Wish I could have been around the "French Casino" or the "Cocoanut Grove" back in the heyday. It looked like a marvelous time to be alive in America and enjoy the true meaning of "a night on the town".



3. I am here to actually review the author, Susan. I know how hard she works and her committment to presenting the best is phenomenal. Susan is an amazing author and I am honored to call her my cousin!!

5 comments about Coal Hollow: Photographs and Oral Histories (Series in Contemporary Photography, Vol. 4).

1. I attended a talk Ken Light gave at the Photo SF show this past summer in San Francisco. He discussed this book at length, and shared stories from his career. I also met his wife, Melanie, who conducted the interviews and wrote the text of the book. They are both wonderfully committed to social justice and the use of photography and oral history as a mechanism for communication. I purchased the book later and found the photographs to be both beautiful and informative. Ken remains committed to film and uses medium format cameras. The quality of the images shows that it really works for him. The quality of writing is superb and adds tremendously to the enjoyment of the images. This is a model for anyone interested in documentary story telling and could be used as a complementary text for a course in this subject. I'm glad that Black and White images, along with stories from the "visits" Melanie and Ken had with the families still can find a publisher.



2. I am a native of McDowell County where many of these photographs were taken, and I cannot recall ever seeing people living in such squalor as was depicted in this book. I am surprised that the Lights were able to come up with so many photographs that represent the southern part of West Virginia in such a bad light. West Virginia does suffer from a depressed economy, but locations with the appalling conditions shown in these photos are not typical of the area. This must be a work of fiction. I hope people won't judge my beautiful state by this book.



3. Having lived in southern West Virginia for nearly 50 years, I find this work to be insulting to the people of southern West Virginia. The Lights must have looked long and hard to find places with the appalling conditions that have been depicted in this book. Granted, the economy of West Virginia is not stellar, but the majority of its citizens and its communities are not represented in this book. Yes, this state has been shaped by its coal heritage, but it has not been destroyed by it. Southern West Virginia still struggles, but not to the extent implied in these photographs. Those seeking a more accurate portrayal of life in coal communities should look elsewhere, or, better yet, visit and see for themselves.



4. While Light's pictures are moving and brilliantly taken, he uses his talent to make a second rate piece of agitprop.
   
   This book would have been an accurate representation of coal mining in Appalachia in the 1920's, but it is grossly misrepresenting of this way of life as it exists today and it plays off some of the worst stereotypes of Appalachia including toothless hillbillies and Klansmen. Contemporary coal mining is dangerous work, and always will be, but mineworkers are well paid highly trained individuals who take pride in their ability to survive lean times.
   
   Anyone interested in Appalachia should forego this piece of garbage, get in a car and go see it for themselves.



5. It doesn't get much better than this, which I guess you should expect from the Professor of Photojournalism at Berkeley! In classic style, Ken Light has captured,with stunning photography, a clear slice of life in the backwaters of the US. Wife Melanie Light has added excellent context with a series of oral histories. Some of it is shocking, some of it is amusing. It is all a riveting read and a must have book for collectors and the curious.

No comments about A Flower With Love.

2 comments about Obey the Giant: Life in the Image World.

1. rick poyner has done it again. i think that if you are interested in design and cultural landscape, you will thourougly appreciate this book. you really can't find a better examination of culture meeting design. obey the giant.



2. Rick Poyner chimes in on pop culture throughout this series of essays, which collectively produce a loud, clanging wake-up call. If you are a creative professional or student, you MUST read this book!

   Mr. Poyner provides an accessible, but unflinching look at the role of our profession and it's impact on humanity. In this book, the cute, hip, self-referential "Irony" of the last decade is no longer a revelation, and Poyner questions what it means now that "respected" corporations and self-promoting advertisers and designers have co-opted it.

   As an instructor of Commuication Design, I have for years preached to my students to "be responsible for every mark that you make" in order to communicate effectively. This little book has fueled that fire for me with it's view of the bigger picture and has forever altered my perception of my role not only as a designer and a consumer, but as a human.

No comments about Terry Rodgers: Apotheosis of Pleasure.

3 comments about The Wit and Whimsy of Mary Engelbreit.

1. This book makes me feel good. Mary Engelbreit's art uses wonderful, feel good colors. Beautiful and inspiring.



2. This compact book has a beautiful hardcover design and a frosted dust jacket. The author is creator of greeting cards plus more. This colorful artwork is wonderful as the pages reflect warm and witty insights. Just look at the minute details in each picture. Every little thing is in it's place, adding to the dimension. The author is truly a gifted artist. It is beautiful....MzRizz



3. This book is filled with more wonderful illustrations from Engelbreit. Each one will warm your heart. It is a welcome addition to any books you may already own by this illustrator because it focuses so much on the art. Mary Engelbreit is the kind of person you would have over for dinner and this is the kind of book you would have sitting out on the coffee table.

5 comments about A Midsummer Night's Faery Tale.

1. Just like The Winter Child and The Faeries of Spring Cottage this is very lovely book. Both adults and children will enjoy the pictures and lovely story. This is a must have for all children and Froudians.



2. An excellent book for children. My daughter loved the heroic faery. The illustrations are first rate. After getting this book for my little girl, I tried out Terri Windling's "The Wood Wife" which is written for more adult readers. I am glad I stumbled onto Ms. Windling's work. Both books were excellent. She is a very good story teller.



3. Sneezle, you ask? What exactly is a Sneezle? Well, Sneezle is our little root faery hero, that's who! This is a wonderful book with a very good lesson that teaches us that everyone in life has been put here for a reason. Sometimes it may seem that certain people in life have better luck, are more beautiful, are thinner, have a better voice, etc but this book shows us that there is something special in everyone, even when we least expect it. Sneezle shows us that the pure of heart will always prevail over the forces of evil.

   The artwork in this book is also PHENOMINAL (please forgive me if my spelling is incorrect.) Every time I look at the pictures, I find something new. The creatures, the landscapes, the settings are all GLORIOUS! Although this is a "children's" book, I highly recommend it for both the young and old at heart.




4. Wendy Froud is every bit the genius as her husband. This book is absolutly enchanting. Her dolls and her vision coupled with Terry Windling's adorable story create a world that young and old will want to escape to time and again. A must have for all fans of Frouds and faeries.



5. The book refers all to faeries, the story is good but what I was interested on was the art. Wendy Froud created the dolls for the story and since my interest is doll making, this was a great book full of details. She has another book named "The Winter Child" in which she uses the same dolls but there is different story line. If you are interested in books with great pictures, this is the one or if you enjoy reading good stories to children you will greatly enjoy it. Wendy Froud is the wife of Bryan Froud the great illustrator of "Good Faeries, Bad Faeries" and "The Faeries' Oracle".

5 comments about The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America: Discover Creative Communities, Fresh Air, and Affordable Living.

1. I thought this book was a good read. Coming from canada we were not aware of all the many so- called arts towns in the usa. I sincerely doubt that the author has done any extensive research on the subject of moving and costs of living. The author also seems to have an extreme left wing bias. We have visited a number of these so- called arts towns. Many of them are either over- priced or in sad shape. I suggest mr. villani stay in the land of disenchantment new mexico, were his leftist , ideological view of the country can remain. Save your money , get it at the library.



2. A friend of mine and I both recently read this book, and were dismayed at the places it did not include. I live near Kingston, NY, recently named one of the ten best places (of any size) in the US for artists to live, and near Woodstock, NY. Neither was mentioned by Villani. Kingston has become a great town for artists only recently, so the book is merely out of date with respect to Kingston, but Woodstock has been an artists' colony for a century. The air is great in Woodstock; though there is only a little affordable housing there, there is plenty in nearby villages.



3. The key word in Villani's title is ART, and we've got plenty of it in Hot Springs. With over 27 non-profits directly related to the visual and performing arts, the author hits right on the money to concentrate on the Hot Springs Music Festival, held first two weeks of June every year; the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in October, one of four preliminary sites for the Academy Awards; and 200 consecutive monthly Gallery Walks in Historic Downtown. Affordable? We think so. Refreshing? Absolutely. For more information, see www.nativecuriosity.blogspot.com.



4. I bought this book last year, and while it may have some good ideas about which towns to go to, the prices of the housing is completely out of date. You cannot buy a house in any of these places for the prices he quotes. Obviously the real estate boom has made this resource obsolete. I wish he would write another book like this, but with up -to -date home prices.



5. The city of Fort Myers, FL is disparraged in this book as a menagerie of NASCAR fans and strip clubs. Anyone who's spent time in Fort Myers knows that there aren't many strip clubs and the ones that are here aren't a big part of the local scene (what to do on a random Saturday night) like they are in other parts of Florida, like Tampa, Clearwater, or Miami.