2 comments about Apparel Product Development, 2nd Edition.

1. this book is a must for people seeking knowledge in the field of fashion & textile ,help in perparing for the gound realities of the trade ...



2. This book is the only book I found so far that has bring me up-to-speed in the apparel industry. It has explain a lot of details of the general business practices within the apparel industry and also give me a direction on how to start my apparel business.

2 comments about Bruce Davidson: Circus.

1. What a beautiful book and what stunning pictures. I can only repeat this, one of my favorite movie quotes: For those that like that sort of thing it is the sort of thing they like!



2. More amazing, mostly never before seen photos from one of the master of the humanistic school of photojournalism. Great production from the leading publishing house - Steidl. Worth the price.

5 comments about Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery.

1. Patricia Welsh turns, what at first glance could be considered a dry and dull subject, into an adventure of discovery. Alongside her obvious expertise and deep academic appreciation of her subject the writer has created a reference book where ideas are beautifully expressed in a clear, easy to read style. The result borders on what can only be described as academic story telling clearly indicating the extraordinary skill of the author. At no time is the reader left in any doubt that this is a work of true substance.
   
   This book has the ability to enthral as it subtly draws the reader in, to the point where each page is a compulsive read. This scholarly work is a treasure trove of amazing facts and figures to explain how Chinese design is a vehicle for communicating specific messages, some simple, some complex metaphors or puns. The culture and language are effectively related to history and symbols in a compelling way.
   
   All in all a first class reference book which surprisingly happens to be a good read into the bargain.



2. In the 20 years that I've been studying and enjoying Chinese culture, I have not come across a book that so comprehensively decodes the symbolism that permeates Chinese art. In 288 meticulously researched and beautifully illustrated pages, Ms. Welch precisely and clearly unlocks the meaning that imbues Chinese art.
   What this book reveals so eloquently is just how tightly interwoven visual symbols are with the Chinese language. Ms. Welch opens up the book with an excellent primer on Chinese art symbolism, explaining how Chinese art 'contains a whole code of symbols...based on the similarities of an object's attributes to another object (metaphor), while others are a play on a word's pronunciation (a pun or rebus).' The book is organized into 4 major sections, and 17 chapters, all indexed clearly and concisely at the front of the book, making the task of finding just what you're looking for all that much easier.
   Like the Chinese language itself, visual symbols in Chinese art can be mixed and matched in countless ways. Explanations of the symbolic meaning underlying Chinese art become a lesson on the power and beauty of the Chinese language. While it won't get the novice learner of Mandarin up and running on the streets of Shanghai - and that clearly is not its intent - the book does equip the reader with the linguistic foundation for understanding and appreciating Chinese art - and by way of that, Chinese culture more broadly. This book is like the Rosetta Stone of Chinese culture.
   The illustrations and photos are very well done throughout. This would make an excellent reference for the serious scholar of Chinese art and culture, or just a beautiful 'coffee table book' that you can dip in and out of at home. For the person who 'has it all', it would also make for an impressive and memorable gift.



3. Having long relied on auction catalogue descriptions and explanations only to find them often less than substantive (and sometimes just plain wrong), I have been looking for a good reference book that identifies the scenes and objects seen on the Chinese furniture, scrolls, carvings and screens I have inherited and collected. This book does it. Its well organized by subject matter (women, men, children, plants, flowers, fish, etc.); the explanations are brief but robust, and the footnotes at the end of each chapter hidden with little gems of stories, additional more esoteric information, or advice on where to turn for more information on the subject. It's also loaded with great reference pictures. I've bought additional copies for collector friends and highly recommend this book as a basic reference guide that should be in every Asian art collector's library.



4. Reading `Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery' is like taking a stroll around a museum, with the author, Patricia B. Welch playing the well-informed guide who tries to seamlessly weave an artful narrative to entertain the visitor by telling them as much as possible and yet without overwhelming them. This does not come as a surprise since Welch has had guiding experiences at museums in Boston, Bangkok and Singapore. Welch's writing style flows in a smooth fashion, taking the reader from a discussion on the cultural and historical contexts of certain symbols deemed imperative to Chinese art to a detailed analysis of religion and religious influences to the emergence of particular art forms to the specificities of colour, patterns, numbers and other inanimate objects. For instance, in a discussion on the usage of butterflies in Chinese art, Welch shows how in various contexts, butterflies take on different meanings; conjugal fidelity when represented with a flower, a `change of seasons' when represented with chrysanthemum, a `sympathetic way of expressing the desire that someone reach old age', happiness and longevity inter alia (pp. 91-93). Such details make the book an excellent reference material. The beauty of this book lies in the fact that Welch writes for a wide range of audience including specialists, amateurs and students, like myself, with little knowledge on Chinese art yet extremely fascinated by the subject. I have always been in search of a one-stop reference guide to pull out from the shelves to get information on just about anything pertaining to Chinese art and this book provides me with just about every detail I need and more.
   
   The book is divided into three parts: the first focusing on symbols from nature, the second on mortal and religious beings and the third on inanimate objects. Content aside, `Chinese Art' is filled with hundreds of rich pictures of art from all over the world, making it an excellent coffee-table book. The detailed chapter endnotes and bibliography show the arduous and meticulous research which Welch has done to put this book together and these act as excellent points of reference for those interested in further research into specific subject matters. `Chinese Art' is a joy to read and I highly recommend it to anyone who is fascinated by the subject.



5. "Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery" distinguishes itself from other art books as fresh and contemporary, capturing the timely explosion in world-wide interest in Chinese art. It is reminiscent of the publication of "Art of the Western World: From Ancient Greece to Postmodernism" by Bruce Cole, which brought an appreciation of Western Art to the general population in a manner not achieved previously. "Chinese Art" is a similarly beautiful example of book as work of art; and P. B. Welch has constructed a narrative that is inviting, concise, and intelligent. The text is balanced with a well-chosen mix of figures and images that illustrate the use and meaning of each motif across a variety of contexts.
   
   P.B. Welch has crafted a writing style such that the stories and background information will appeal not only to the beginning student of Chinese art but also to the expert museum curator. In addition, the choice to arrange the book into the three sections of symbols from nature, mortals and religious beings, and inanimate objects makes for easy reference if the reader is in search of a quick explanation. For example, one can quickly learn why the crab is a symbol of `harmony' and the reasoning behind bamboo representing `integrity' and `being a gentleman.' P. B. Welch further examines the multiple, and sometimes hidden, meanings in Chinese phrases, never missing an opportunity to share the humor, superstitions, traditions, or subtleties. Armed with the information in this book, a stroll through a Chinese museum becomes a transformative experience.

2 comments about Spectacle.

1. An enlighting experiences into the most miraculous community or urban places bringing places and ideas together. And it is particularly overwhelming to review this issue from the lens of an architect. A must Buy!!!



2. I didn't know what to expect when I opened up this book - but it's fair to say the whole world exploded (in a good way) before my eyes as I literally flew through the pages. Spectacle takes a look at the reasons why people gather together - sometimes in the most unwelcoming circumstances - to celebrate, to mourn, to affect change, to create.
   
   There's a beauty here that goes way beyond the amazing photographs - it's the study of the whys and hows behind the events and how the connective energies are the same regardless of ones attending a NASCAR race or the running of the bulls.
   
   I was tremendously moved by SPECTACLE.

5 comments about Typographic Design: Form and Communication.

1. I had the privilege to have Phil Meggs for Type I in which we used this book. This book in conjunction with his instruction provided me with an invaluable foundation in the understanding of type and it's use as a communication tool. It's a must in any graphic designers library.



2. I imagine this book working well as a text for an introductory course on typography. Part of that impression comes from the clear need for an instructor to tie the material together and bring it to life with practical exercises.
   
   The format addresses an audience that reasons in visual terms. Each two page spread, sometimes each page presents a complete thought. Illustration demonstrates each of the points made. The first section presents a history in sound-bites, highlighting the history of print and placing it in historical context. Next, about fifteen pages establish the anatomy of a character and typeface, and the words that describe it. Successive chapters describe basic visual hierarchy and composition, page formatting and legibility, technology as of 1993, and samples from typographic curricula at colleges around the US. The last and larger half of the book presents case studies in a few pages each, then nearly 100 pages of type specimens. Each specimen appears in enlarged form, making important details easily visible. Next, the specimen appears in several examples of body text, giving the font's real reading experience at several point sizes and spacings.
   
   This book does a fair job with the basics, and educators may find ideas that will help their own classrooms. Experienced typographers, even students taking their second course, will bottom out quickly. Your experience of this book will depend on how you use it. A good instructor could find it a helpful adjunct, but self-taught students won't get the direction they look for.
   
   -- wiredweird



3. Definitely a must have. If you are going to own only 3 books on design this should be one of them.
   
   Covers the basics of typography in great detail and then goes on to discuss how it has been implemented through history. Great solid content and great examples, like most of Meggs work.



4. This is a great text book for graphic designers to have in their library. It provides a lot of visuals and information designers should be familiarized with.



5. I have been a graphic designer for over 20 years. I teach typography at the university level. I learned typography the old-fashioned way: by specifying, setting, and manipulating it by hand. From that background I can confidently state that THE best way to truly understand how type works is through understanding the forms of letters, words, and groups of words.

   Students trying to understand typography today have a huge disincentive to slow down and truly study how type works and that is, the speed of the computer. It's easy to go right past the fundamentally subtle nature of letterforms and combinations thereof. You can't understand type at the pace that you can pull down a menu and select a typeface while rushing to get to the more exciting steps of design.

   This book is one of the very best for SHOWING what type is really about. Comments about the layout of the book and the size of artwork in it should not dissuade students and instructors; this book will show you what type IS and how it works in design.

5 comments about Encyclopedia of American Silver Manufacturers (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is an invaluable resource for any business or collector dealing in silver (coin, silverplate, or sterling). This was a gift I purchased for a collector's library and the third reprint I've purchased over the years. A must-have book for the silver research library.



2. I got this book through inter-library loan on the advice of an online silver seller and hobbyist? expert? We are restoring an 1800s farmhouse in New York state, and have found various bits of silver and pottery and other things. Everything is quite worn and dirty from being underground for decades. I did a number of online searches but it was this book which enabled me to identify, just in the course of one afternoon, two pieces of cutlery -- one old silver, one less old silverplate, and be fairly secure in the ID because this book tells a bit about some of the marks, such as their locale.
   
   No resource is infinite. This book shows many, many marks, and the text tells of the history and relationships among many of the manufacturers. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone else doing research. Don't forget your loupe or other strong magnifier!



3. This is a good book for American Hallmarks BUT, it is extremely out-of-date. Also, many entries do not have a picture of the mark, making identification difficult. There must be a better book out there somewhere!



4. This is a "must have" for anyone who collects, sells or loves sterling silver.



5. this is the book to have if you are an antique silver collector. Wonderful addition to my silver library

5 comments about Graffiti Brasil (Street Graphics / Street Art).

1. This is the normal story behind people who dont know graffiti in brasil writing a book about it! In this book you can see some of the most famous artists from são paulo and almost nothing on other states. Very nice pictures, but that is not credit to the author who didn't take them!! Good book for OsGemeos lovers though!!



2. Brazil has to showcase some of the best Graf talent the world has to offer, The 'Os-Gemeos Brothers' have to be one of my faves, and this book showcases loads of the awesome imagery this beautiful city is home to. This kind of "extreme' art (!?) has given the world a new appreciation for this type of medium & such distinct styles, It has refreshed the minds of all, and brought color to an otherwise, sometimes, dreary place, due to poverty etc, it's so great to see such ambitious artists expressing themselves to such an extent, and to see difficult political issues get represented, it's a good way for people to get a message across, also brings color & inspires people in this country.



3. The absolute be all and all for information on the capital of contemporary street art graffti style. From the hi to the lo, this book covers the anthropology of this growing art form.



4. Great book that shows a cross section of the Street Art scene in some of Brazil's cities. The author interviews some of the artists, and is able to talk to the history and techniques used, so it is more then just pretty pictures.



5. This is a nice book and all - the photographs are of high quality and the writing is relativley on point - but there is one glaring problem with the book. Considering that the title of the book is "Graffiti Brasil" I find it at the same time strange and disconcerting that all it ammounts to is a circle jerk for the Sao Paulo graff scene.
   
   Although littered with great shots of murals, throwups and pichacao from all over SP there are only a handfull of photos from Rio, Salvador, Minas, Curitiba or any of the other large cities in Brasil that sustain their own very unique scenes. And, to add insult to injury, the pictures collected of cities that are NOT Sao Paulo are shots of some of the most widley seen graffiti in each city. Hell, the one shot of any Bahian graffiti is a small piece of a huge mural in the middle of the tourist section of old town Salvador. Good job Tristian Marco, way to really go looking for new, unknown and unique pieces.
   
   If you're a Paulista or are afflicted with the notion that Brasil doesnt exist outside of SP, this book should be great. But, if you want to actualy LEARN anything about Brasilian graff, you'd be better off saving the money from buying this book and putting it towards a plane ticket.

3 comments about Color and Culture: Practice and Meaning from Antiquity to Abstraction.

1. This book shows you all you want to know about colours. It's not truly scientific but it showed me the best and most of colour-theory. I had some trouble with the science-language but hey, I'm Dutch, not a native "American" speaker! The only thing that I would change in this book is more pictures, and all in colour!



2. While I won't go to the trouble of selling this book, I do regret having purchased it. There are many other texts that do a much more nuanced and cogent exposition of the relationship between color and culture. My future use of this book will be as a visual reference, i.e. to refer to the various paintings and other works gorgeously reproduced in color.
   
   Otherwise, Gage's Color and Culture as well as Color and Meaning are best used as "intelligent" coffee table tomes.



3. This book is an excellant source of palette development, pigment uses and development as well as color theories throughout history. My students have worn out my copy -- needs to be reprinted and made known in college art departments. Good, solid informational writing and illustrations. A must-have book for artists and students. D. Swaim, Prof., M.C.C., Arizona

5 comments about The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

1. This is a great version of this classic poem at a reasonable price. Very lovely illustrations and just the right amount of annotation of antiquated phrases. A great book for adults who have not read the story, or to get children interested in poetry.
   
   Relic113



2. Dover puts out quite the book. This edition being in the $5 range is no exception. It's the size of a large coloring book with the writing on the left and the pictures on the right. Printed well and bound to last a great number of years with plenty of space to write commentary of your own if you are a student.
   
   There is added text, printed very small, to the left of the actual poem. Some of it is interesting and some of it is superfluous. Very easy to ignore if you're not a 'footnote' reading person.
   
   The plates run to the full edge of the paper and there is no white border if you are the 'cut it our of the book and hand it on my wall type'. No bashing here this book is cheap enough to buy one to read and one to be artistic with.



3. If you're familiar with the poem this illustrated volume is well worth having in your library. The drawings by Gustave Dore are beautiful and perfectly complememnt the text. A book that you can enjoy many times over whenever the mood strikes you.



4. "It's the structure of the reader's experience rather than any structures available on the page that should be the object of description" , says Stanley Fish in his essay. In parallel with Fish's this claim, Coleridge presents his poem, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", with marginal notes, each of which actually reifies the perspective of an "intended reader, the reader whose education, opinions, concerns make him capable of having the experience the author wished to provide". Coleridge gives a reading of his poem by creating an ideal reader, thus creating another kind of poet who "restructures" the poem. Therefore, the side notes should be thought to be an organic part of the poem "having meaning" rather than "leading to meaning". And this brings in a new understanding of the poem which is almost imposed on the actual reader by Coleridge's ideal one.
   The marginal notes of the poem, at first sight, seem to be the short summaries of the stanzas. However, when they are read closely, the first thing that strikes the eye is that some of them include some details and deductions which are not suggested in the poem. These details and deductions go beyond the borders of a summary and turn into commentaries which express the perspective of a certain individual. And this perspective reflects the tendencies of a reader who is inclined to emphasize certain points of the poem by giving extra details and making deductions. Coleridge's ideal reader makes all the deductions that the poet wants to provide in his lines. Even at the very beginning of the poem he gets the supernatural tone of the lines that Coleridge wants to give. For instance, the fifth stanza of the first part suggests that:
   "The wedding-guest sat on a stone:
   He cannot choose but to hear;
   Thus spake on that ancient man,
   The bright-eyed Mariner." (Part I, V, 17-20)
   And the marginal note gives the explanation of the stanza with these words: "The wedding guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale" (61). The related stanzas of the poem don't include any word directly related to "be spelled". It is true that a reader might come to such a conclusion but there is a possibility that s/he might not. As Fish says, there are different "interpretive communities" that can lead to different interpretations of a literary work. Therefore, a reader can explain the behavior of the wedding-guest in psychological terms while a different reader, for example the owner of the commentaries, can explain it in supernatural elements. The commentator's insistence upon supernatural explanation of the poem almost forces the readers to think in supernatural terms while they may interpret the experiences of the mariner, for instance, as products of hallucination or neurosis. The possible reason of this effect is that the marginal notes give a much more convincing impression as they don't seem to be parts of the poem and this caused them to lose their fictional side in the reader's eye. The reader unconsciously sees the commentator as an authority. For example, when the mariner kills the albatross without any reason, the weather and other conditions get worse. The mariner, an old man who kills a harmless albatross without any sensible reason, definitely believes that the conditions get worse so as to punish him for his crime. However, this approach to the changing conditions becomes more convincing when the commentator points out that, "And the Albatross begins to be avenged" (67). Moreover, the mariner never tells it as directly as the commentator although it is apparent that he believes it to be so. Coleridge, by creating his own ideal reader and giving his commentaries as marginal notes, almost forces the readers of the poem to believe in the "supernatural" experiences of the mariner. And he manages it without using the actual lines of the poem.
   In his article, Stanley Fish points out that, "In a sequence where a reader first structures the field he inhabits and then is asked to restructure it by changing an assignment of speaker or realigning attitudes and positions" . In parallel with Fish's suggestion, Coleridge's reader, the commentator, changes the actual lines of the poem by giving extra details just like the end notes of an author. For instance, in the second part of the poem, the following stanza describes the temporary good conditions just after the mariner kills the albatross:
   "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
   The furrow followed free;
   We were the first that ever burst
   Into that silent sea." (Part II, V, 103-106)
   
   And the marginal note of this stanza suggests that, "The fair breeze continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till reaches the Line" (67). It is apparent that the related lines of the poem don't include any information about the exact location or direction of the sail. However, the ideal reader of the poem is capable of locating the ship exactly on the Pacific Ocean and of giving its exact direction to the north. The commentator, as Fish suggests, "restructures" the lines of Coleridge by "realigning" the suggested directions of the wind which provide only ambiguous information about the location. And through his own experience, he himself creates the exact location of the sail as "the reader's experience is itself the product of a set of interpretive assumptions". Another example that shows the commentator's restructuring the lines of the poem is related to bad omens after the mariner's killing of Albatross. The related stanza in the second part of the poem says:
   "And some in dreams assured were
   Of the spirit that plagued us so;
   Nine fathom deep he had followed us
   From the land of mist and snow." (Part II, XII, 131-134)
   
   And the commentary of the stanza gives a detailed information about the features and origins of the spirit: "One of the invisible inhabitants of this planet, neither departed souls nor angels; concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus...may be consulted. They are very numerous,...."(69). As it is apparently seen, the commentator makes the interpretation of the stanza by using his own experience and education. He presents his background, imagination and his own point of view to other readers; therefore he offers his own interpretation and understanding of the poem. He changes or "realigns" the apparent meaning of the poem by bringing in a new perspective just like a painter's use of light on his/her painting from different angles. Thus, the commentator, like a gleam of light, illuminates the poem from a certain angle and creates a new appearance of it.
   While creating a specific perspective in the understanding of the poem, some of the commentaries have their own poetical tone although they just seem to be small summaries of the stanzas. The owner of the commentaries prefers to use a literary language with phrases in a melodious harmony with each other and with a perfect choice of words. For example, in the fifth part of the poem, the mariner describes the resurrection of the crew not with their own souls but spelled by the spirits. And he describes it with the following lines:
   "...`T was not those souls that fled in pain,
   Which to their corses came again,
   But a troop of spirits blest." (Part V, XIII, 347-349)
   
   When the commentary of these lines is read, almost a new poem with harmonious phrases and with a poetical tone comes out. When the commentary is turned into the lines of a poem, the poetic side of it becomes much more obvious:
   "But not by the souls of the men,
   Nor by demons of earth or middle air,
   But by a blessed troop of angelic spirits,
   Sent by the invocation of the guardian saint." (81)
   
   As it is clearly seen, the commentary owns a structure easily convertible into a stanza. Moreover, the phrases have a perfect parallelism with each other and there is a regular repetition of "by" in each line. And this tone and poetical structure of the commentary convincingly shows that Coleridge's ideal reader manages more than just understanding the poem and making comments on it. He becomes an indispensable part of the poem by getting closer and closer to the poet and by adopting his creative tone. He internalizes the poetical world of the poem and starts to read it with the energy of a poet which eventually leads to a harmonious language and rhetorical structure. He starts to ask rhetorical questions which encourage other readers of the poem to think on the poem, to question it and to deduce some conclusions. When the mariner describes the ship approaching "without a breeze, without a tide" (Part III, VI, 169), the ideal reader of Coleridge asks, "Can it be a ship that comes onward without wind or tide?" (71) so as to make other readers realize the strangeness of the situation and conclude that there must be a spiritual intervention. Therefore, the commentator emerges as a guide who tries to shape the reader's opinions and deductions.
   In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Coleridge creates his ideal reader in the small summaries of the poem in order to clarify the meaning he wants to provide by means of his ideal reader's experience, education and perspective. Coleridge, through his commentator, imposes the certain understanding of the poem on other readers who can have completely different interpretations and deductions. The commentator clarifies, interprets and "restructures" certain lines, asks questions and directs other readers in a way which his creator, Coleridge, wants them to follow. He almost forces the readers to look at the poem from one perspective and he manages it by using his position as an ideal reader and commentator endowed with authority by Coleridge himself. And throughout the poem, he ends up with being one of the poets of the poem by using his rights to interpret and "restructure" the actual lines of Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
   



5. I was suprised when I received The Modern Critical Interpretations edition of the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
   
   There are no woodcuts or any other pictures, there are no silver pages, there is no poem at all!
   
   This book is only modern critical interpretations - nothing more. Buy it if you are a scholar - and refer to a separate copy of the poem.
   
   I should have known from the edition but the editorial reviews were from a different book that was an edition of the actual poem.

5 comments about The Writer's Brush: Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture by Writers.

1. This is the bargain of the year. Wonderful full-color plates and extremely interesting biographies of the writer/artists.



2. I had seen a brief review of the book on t.v. prior to the holidays & ordered it for a friend of mine who is an avid reader & also dabbles in painting. He positively LOVED it, and this is a man who is not easy to please.....He said the book was insightful & gave glimpses into the other artistic side of writers....



3. This book is truly a treasure! Every page unveils little known talents and secrets of literary artists whose talents as painters, sculptors, and so on are every bit as fascinating as their written work. What is even more special is that the artists include such an immense variety of men and women from various periods of history. It is not a book to be read page-by-page, but like the greatest culinary delights from truffles to the purest chocolates, it needs to be savored in small, rich, fulfilling portions. I expect to see The Writer's Brush published in other languages, if that, indeed, has not already begun.



4. The Writer's Brush is a remarkable achievement. It's a unique work that is simultaneously a very interesting read and a valuable resource. The collection of artwork is a window into the oft unknown alternate lives of many of our best known writers. It is fascinating to see the artwork of Joseph Conrad, Winston Churchill, Emily Bronte and Kurt Vonnegut, Kipling, Ibsen and Ionesco... who knew that their talents transcended the page to the canvas. I am also enjoying learning about authors that I didn't recognize and then seeking our their writings. Bravo.



5. I just got this book, and it is one of the best literary compendia I have ever seen or read. I love learning more about some of my favorite writers and was surprised at how talented some were - some I never knew painted - and it was strange to see how some of the art would have been what you expect, and some wasn't. For example I am a huge Dostoyevsky fan and his drawings looked a little ragged and strange and dark like his characters. I didn't know he drew in the margins of his manuscripts. At over 400 pages I will probably spend the next 10 years taking this book down from the shelf to read the quick bio and look again at the art of a writer who comes up in conversation around our house or who I am reading...Really beautiful and inspiring book.