No comments about Etruscan Art (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art).

3 comments about Letterhead & Logo Design 6.

1. The ideas in this book will get your own creative juices flowing. Innovation meets modern design.



2. "Letterhead and Logo Design 6" is a great addition to the library of any graphic artist. Although I marginally preferred volume four in the series, this edition contains many examples of brilliant logo and letterhead design. I gave the book four stars rather than five because the conceptual explanations from the designers seen in earlier volumes are largely gone from this edition. That in no way takes away from the brilliance of most of the designs exhibited in this book, however.
   
   I was drawn especially to some of the more stark, monochrome designs, especially those with a single element of color strategically positioned: classic examples are the effort from Christian Nielinger on page 23, and the material for Process Solutions on page 63 from Howard Levy. Some other designers elected to use color as a main element of the design with stunning effects: I was particularly pleased with the use of elemental orange in the design for Clark Printing (page 53) skillfully executed by designers Perry Chua and Nancy Yeasting of Big Eye Creative.
   
   Tonality, shading, and shadow really come into their own as integral design elements in this volume with a brilliant design (page 42) from Emanuel Barbosa for Vector XXI, and the sublime design from Hellen Rayner of Blue i Design on page 93, which is perhaps my favorite of all showcased designs in the book.
   
   While not every design in the book is great, all are very original, and are certainly worth evaluating, whether you are a designer or a corporate representative looking for a new corporate image. For those who do see something they like, there is a helpful directory of participants in the back of the book.
   
   For anyone with an interest in logo and letterhead design, whether casual or professional, this is a very good book and I recommend it without reservation.



3. for anyone interested in having a good source of inspiration when it comes to well though letterhead and logo designs this might be the book for you. however, if you were expecting a 'how to book' or a recipe on designing logos, you are better of looking elsewhere.

   it covers ideas from a large range of industries with a nice arrangement of logos, by themselves, on business cards, and as on letterheads. it is extremely applicable to most industries and even web design for the 2000s.

   great book over all for your graphic design literature collection.

No comments about About Michael Baxandall (Art History Special Issues).

2 comments about John Steuart Curry: The Road Home.

1. This book is an outstanding sample of art and artisans from the Heartland of the USA - Kansas! The author has put together a fantastic collection of the artwork of John Steuart Curry, thus creating not only an enjoyably educational picture book for children - but for anyone of any age!
   You never tire of going through this book, looking at the awe-inspiring images of the murals painted on the walls of the Capital building in Topeka, Kansas. The artwork is captured in excellent reproduction and the story is told from the heart - as only a fellow Kansas artist could have accomplished!
   My compliments to the author!
   And, my compliments to Leathers Publishing (another Kansas great) for producing another literary gem!
   A must-have for anyone's library - and a wonderful coffee-table book for home and office.
   
   
   
   If This Old Tree Could Talk to Me!
   The Curse of Catunkhamun
   The Best Of Kerry Livgren



2. This is a beautiful book and the murals are almost as incredible as they are in the State House in Topeka!

2 comments about The Art of Diamond Cutting Second Edition.

1. I have been faceting colored stones for a few years and am hoping to start cutting diamonds. The editorial description of the book sounded great "... all you need to know about polishing and production of the popular round brilliant diamond." The book's introduction also looked great and I was excited. I read the book, got to the end, and figured that I must have missed something - so I read it again.
   
   The critical information that is missing from this book is information about equipment. Diamond cutting is an equipment intensive hobby (that is really part of the fun) and is the limiting factor when getting started. I am no closer to knowing what equipment I need, and that is the information that I need to get started in this hobby.
   
   There is a book with a similar title "Diamond Cutting by Basil Watermeyer," ISBN 0 629 30756, that I found online for around $75. This 400 page book far better suited my needs and contained all of the information that I was looking for.



2. I have read many books on diamond cutting but this is truly the best of all.To become a complete diamond cutter one must read this book.

3 comments about Dignifying Science: Stories About Women Scientists.

1. This well-meant companion volume to the author's _Two Fisted Science_ is, unfortunately, not nearly as successful as graphic fiction. This time, five women artists tell the stories of five women scientists. While trying to focus on lesser-known people, Ottaviani finally broke down and included a fore-and-aft pair of shorts on Marie Curie. If you've read Watson's _The Double Helix,_ you may already have heard of Rosalind Franklin, who came very close to discovering the essential shape of DNA before Crick and Watson -- had she only not moved in the wrong direction on a couple of minor points (and possessed a less abrasive personality). Barbara McClintock picked up a Nobel for her work on the corn genome, you'd really never know what her field was from the badly written story (though the art is okay). Biruté Galdikas has become the world's leading authority on orangutans (yes, she's still out there in the jungles of Borneo) and you'll learn a lot about them -- and her -- from Anne Timmons's nicely done piece. But the story of mathematician Lise Meitner is also pretty indistinct. The best of the collection, actually, is Carl Speed McNeil's very well told and drawn story of the scientific side of Hedy Lamarr, of all people. Hedy (not Heddy) actually held some wartime patents in electronics (which became a crucial part of cell phone technology), but still was treated like a bimbo both by her first husband and by Louis B. Mayer after she escaped to the U.S. This book could have been much, much better.



2. A single writer partnered with 12 different artists in stories about 6 different women scientists. Some stories obviously succeed better than others.

   For young people who like graphic novels and have some interest in science, I recommend it highly. But as a women's history buff and a comic book fan I find it a little disappointing. The comic format is ideal for high drama stories but is not always used at it's full potential here.

   For example, in the life of Barbara McClintock, two pages cover the time period from 1951 to 1983. They show her lecturing to men in business suits with their hands over their ears. The crowd thins out in the 60's and then begins to swell with more casually dressed people, both male and female, who don't have their hands over their ears. Then she gets the Nobel prize. The faces in the crowds are consistently expressionless. I think this misses the real drama of McClintock's life. She was so brilliant that her theory was not understood when she first presented it. She chose to continue her research even when it was not reaching a receptive audience and because she documented it for decades, when other researchers later repeated her experiments and discovered her documentation, she received the recognition she deserved.

   This was seldom the case with earlier women scientists, for example, Rosalind Franklin. Franklin's fascinating story, unfortunately, is difficult to follow through time and four different artists' styles.

   And, in an interesting bit of reverse sexism, Birute Galdikas' story is told without once mentioning (or picturing) her first husband who worked beside her daily for 20 years. OK, so her whole life story had to be told in only 21 pages, but the ghosts of all the women scientists whose husbands' got credit for all their work recognize a kindred spirit when they see one.

   In a format that's known for pounding points home, the drama here is often implied and understated. Perhaps less would be missed if the format was full color instead of black and white. Better yet, read some biographies of these women and discuss with your children how you would tell their stories to preserve the real drama.

   This is a good introduction to some fascinating women for those who like the graphic novel format. Use it as a starting point.




3. Ottaviani's DIGNIFYING SCIENCE is a well illustrated and well written work. It does what a lot of good nonfiction has done recently - it focuses on those often forgotten people and events that were important and influential on the better known ideas and forces that shape our world today. In this instance, Ottaviani has centered his attention on women scientists, inventors and researchers who discovered, researched, and supported major scientific achievements in the last century. He and the women artists who illustrate the book do a superb job of introducing us to the contributions of these people who we never knew or knew little, but to whom we owe a collective, and enormous, debt.

2 comments about American Silverplate.

1. Some useful information, but really poor organization. When I found Middletown Plate company it was one page from where the index said it was. This turned out to be the case when I looked up several other companies. Once the error was two pages.
   According to the table of contents the preface was on page 12. Page 12 was blank. Instruction in how to use the book would have been helpful.
   Rainwater, Rainwater and Felger seem to know their field, but I found the book thinner on detail than I would have preferred.
   Lastly, the language is at times intrusively mannered and cultured. It is irritating and breaks good communication.
   The book gets a three. The authors know what they're talking about, but it's a slog finding their knowledge in this book.
   DM, Syracuse, NY.



2. If you buy or sell silverplate, this is one of the must have reference books. This is a complete history of silverplate in America, with the companies and the lines they produced. Contains many photos taken from catalogs. Figural napkin rings or holders, butter dishes, mechanical jewelry boxes, candlesticks, many different holloware forms and the companies who made them. It is additionally a cultural history that reflects the lifestyle of Americans through their silverplated products. Carefully researched, this is the third edition, an indication that it is a useful book that has remained in print. A chapter on care and restoration. Five stars!

1 comments about Georgia O'Keeffe (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists).

1. "Georgia often rearranged the natural things she saw, and simplified them", p. 8

   The young reader will learn about O'Keeffe's young years on her family's big Wisconsin farm, her years in Texas teaching art and during her free moments painting, her years with Stieglitz in New York painting, and her years in New Mexico painting.

   O'Keeffe's choice of enlarging objects in her paintings makes this a perfect choice for young children. Everything is larger than life for the young. If there is anyone who will have nearly an innate appreciation for O'Keeffe's style it will be the young. They will readily identify her objects. Her color choices in her paintings are few and therefore not busy and distracting. The young reader will be drawn in by her bold and bright selection of colors.

   Venezia's illustrations are humorous. His narrative is delightfully entertaining. His approach brings the artist within reach of the young. His re-enactment of an opening at Stieglitz's gallery of new artists' paintings is precious.

   The size of the book is perfect for smaller hands. It enables the young to have art within their grasp. Venezia gives the locations of the paintings and as result if the child lives near one of the museums or will be near one on vacation, she/he would be able to see the original.

   This is the 15th in Venezia's "Getting to know the World's Greatest Artist" series. He also has similar series on composers. Venezia's back cover illustrations tie back to the subject. "Like O'Keeffe, Mike searches near his home for objects in their natural surroundings ...".

   The price of the book is well worth paying. The book contains the following: O'Keeffe's Paintings - 18, Photos of O'Keeffe - 3, Venezia's Illustrations - 8, Others' paintings - 3.

4 comments about Draw Manga Monsters! (XTreme Art).

1. This book is not manga not at all. The art is way to chidish and cartoony. If you want to learn real manga try the "How to draw more manga" book by Katy Coope.It teaches how to draw manga monsters and people. Plus it is real art not these cartoons by Mr.Hart!



2. This book is way to american! In manga the monsters don't look like that. Manga monsters are not expressionet like the cartoons in this book. This is more of a how to draw neo-pets(which is american animated.)book.Over all this book is far to cartoony and not real manga. So if you want to just learn how to draw cartoon monsters add four more stars. If you want real manga don't buy this book.
   
   ~*~Purin~*~



3. He really needed to work on his fine motor skills and has had great difficulty with other drawing books. Yet, this one just pulled him in like a magnet. For hours he was working on the various exercises and producing incredible monsters with amazing high quality. He especially liked the step by step approach so that the he could get from a blank piece of paper to the finished product...all without tracing. Now I'm looking for other books in the series.



4. My children loved this book. They have been busy with this book for the past two weeks. The technique that Christopher Hart developed to teach young artists is a winner. Highly recommended

2 comments about Designing for Quality.

1. As a quality assurance manager whose educational background is in management rather than engineering, I had the privilege of using this book as a college text.
   I cannot say how well I would have fared by using this book as a stand-alone tool, but it was a valuable tool in my college Design of Experiments course.
   We use DOE to a point in my company, a plastics molder. In our business, however, many quality inspections are of the attribute properties, such as appearance, rather than actual, measurable variables. That is no fault of this book; however, it is frustrating that I am not able to utilize DOE more.
   The book delivers its message fairly clearly, keeping in mind that I went through it page by page with an experienced instructor. It is not necessary to be a mathematical wizard to use this book, although an understanding of basic statistics would be helpful.
   Anyone involved in a manufacturing operation with mutliple variables in the process would be advised to learn more about DOE, and this book would be a valuable resource, particularly for those with an engineering background.



2. This book was recommended to me by a quality manager of long experience and it was a very good recommendation. Having aquired an engineering degree before DOE became very widespread, I have largely had to educate myself in DOE methodology. "Designing for Quality" is written in plain language and has easy to understand directions and tables to use both in designing your experiments and analysing the resulting data. With this book, I planned, conducted and analysed data from several experiments before I ever had the assistance of a knowlegable practitioner of DOE. When I gained such assistance, I had my results and conclusions from these experiments confirmed. I am now Quality Manager for a plant of 650 employees and when I need to teach DOE, whether to an experienced engineer or a novice technician, "Designing for Quality" is the text I always use.