5 comments about Anatomy of a Typeface.

1. I bought this because I was told it was one of the three best books for studying typography (the others being "The Elements of Typographic Style" and "Letters of Credit"). Based on the title, I was hoping this would give me a better sense of the visual/technical vocabulary and structure of typefaces in general. Instead it is basically a history of the important type faces and designers, tracing the reasons why different styles moved in and out of fashion/use as printing technology and publishing in general progressed. I found it very dry, and less useful than the other two books, but I can see where any designer should have at least a passing understanding of the content of this book. I just think it should have a different title. "Letters of Credit" talks more about the "anatomy" of typefaces, so I might recommend starting there.



2. While this is not a bad book, I don't think it deserves the five-star reviews it got above.
   
   Each chapter is an article (or perhaps adapted from an article) originally for a magazine called Printing Impressions. As a result they stand alone better than they fit together: some stories are duplicated or unnecessarily scattered over several chapters, while others seem more compressed than they had to be (such as his discussions of sans-serif typefaces.) The type samples are good, often original, which is wonderful for history (but will be a disappointment if you wanted side-by-side comparisons.)
   
   The discussion of the workshop process of making metal type is tantalising but not all that helpful to understanding. And while it has pretty old engravings, they aren't labled or explained to help distinguish essential parts from workshop quirks.
   
   I'd certainly recommend reading Robert Bringhurst's Elements of Typographic Style first. I've not yet read James Felici's Complete Manual of Typography but people say good things. From browsing it seems to be more specific than Bringhurst, with more focus on technology, and less on timelessness. (It's hard to tell but I doubt it has his wonderful prose.)



3. Lawson has created a wonderful, readable historical account. The first 30 chapters each present one typeface ('font' for computer folk). A typeface's chapter analyzes the structural features of the sorts ('glyphs'), noting how the typeface fits into the usual bins labelled 'black letter', or 'modern', etc. That discussion tends to be spotty, though, and the successful reader already knows a few different ways for serifs to differ from each other, for line weight to vary, and lots more.
   
   What this book does well is present specimens of different typefaces within each family, showing how the letterforms drifted through time, or how they evolved to meet specific demands of paper, ink, and press. The typefaces are arranged in a chronological order, of sorts, but one type face's era may overlap another a large margin. Within each chapter, Lawson explores the development of that typeface, from the calligraphy and earlier letterforms that preceded it up through its contemporary appearance and use. The many examples also show the relationships between members of the same evolutionary tree. A few times, though, the samples could have been bigger, e.g. for pointing out differences in bracketing of the serifs.
   
   This is very much a history of the type designers, printers, and other people in the history of type. It also gives some history of printing and typefounding technology. That motivates discussions of typefaces that were created to solve specific problems of paper, ink, and press, as well as esthetics. Historical information about punchcutting technology and modern type creation tools also explains the changing business relationships between font designers, distributors, and users.
   
   Knowledge of history may help the reader in speccing type appropriate to some printing task, but there's very little here that would help in setting up a page of text. It's a book for another purpose, though. It's about the typefaces that are (or should be, or should not be) important to today's typographers, and why.
   
   //wiredweird



4. A friend told me about this great book. It is possibly the best book about type and type designers that I have. Alexander Lawson does a superb job telling the history of the designers and the type faces back to the beginning. Excellent illustrated examples of the type faces. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in type and letterforms.



5. This book does not take into account the digital type revolution of the past twelve years, but it's an excellent critical review of all the important types still in use. Some of these types may have had their genesis several hundred years ago, but Lawson also takes into account their twentieth-century incarnations. Especially valuable are the examples of old typography, which never fail to fascinate and enchant. Not only a worthy reference, but an entertaining read.

No comments about Thinking Through Craft.

4 comments about To Have and To Hold.

1. 
   In this excellent book,Philipp Bloom tackles a subject that knows no bounds.Anyone who has been a collector of anything knows what a madness collecting can become. Blom covers the subject from the earliest days ,when the idea of collecting was only something that was in the world of the extremely rich and powerful;and covers how through history it has changed to become a pursuit by anyone and at any level;and with the objects being collected being endless.
   Over and over again ,throughout the book ;we see that no matter how great and extensive a collection is;the owner of the collection must face the reality of death,and the collection of objects must pass on as well.The book is loaded with maxims that apply to all collecting;
   
   Just a couple are;
   
   "In order to take objects out of circulation or to devote oneself to finding useless things,one has to be able to afford the time and resources to do so."
   
   "The most important object of a collection is the next one."
   
   "Whatever we collect,we have to kill."
   
   "Can one be a collector without collecting?"
   
   "Show me your library and I'll tell you who you are."
   
   "Every passion borders on chaos,that of the collector on the chaos of memory."
   
   "Those who own more find dying harder."
   
   Reading this book is somewhat like visiting "The Smithonion";but only having a couple of hours to do so.It is well written,so it is still a pleasure.It is filled with interesting stories,unbelievable pursuits,amazingly addicted people,and something new,interesting and different on every page.
   In the last 200 years,collecting has changed so much that it is something that can ,and is, taken up by the "common man" There are no rules and no limits as to what can be collected;and the only limits are time and imagination. Of course,money can be an issue,but not a necessity.
   One of my favorite books is "Cadallac Jack" by Larry McMurtry,about an antique buyer and collections in the southern United States.It is filled with eccentric collectors.Imagine a collector in Texas who filled his house with bird nests. A great read for any collector.
   I have collected several things over the years.Stamps,in my youth.Rocks,Minerals and Fossils,Puzzles,Yo-Yo's,and of course books. I retired at 56,and my "collections" give me endless enjoyment.
   I think the thing that is most thoughtful about this book is the question "Can one be a collector without collecting?" Many people build collections such as playing different golf courses,visiting different countries,sport events,etc. I am also an avid Birdwatcher.I have seen 598 different birds in North America. We call that a "life List" and it is as much a personal collection as someone who attempts to the most World Series or any other events. I consdider my Bird Life List just as much of a collection as my other collections.
   Blom has also included copious notes that give the reader a wealth of references if he wants to dig deeper into subjects he mentions in the book.



2. This is a book that takes you on a fascinating journey, is an enjoyable read and is also historically well-researched, so it can therefore be used by the student or academic as a useful reference. I came upon it quite by accident but now find it a very useful addition to my bookshelf. The story of the Ashmolean Museum's foundation was one of my particular favourites and really made my blood boil! Such stories are not often told about museum collections! I take my hat off to the author!



3. At first I thought this was going to be a survey of some eccentric collectors in history, on which is does not disappoint, but it turns out to be a lot richer and contain some real pearls of wisdom about life in general, and flashes of historical insight.
   
   Reading through the chapters of this book was a lot like rummaging through a private collectors cabinet of curiosities. The chapter titles alone don't provide direction and only after a few pages does it begin to reveal its treasure. Chapters cover aspects of collecting as diverse as: people who collected experiences with women (Casanova), the collecting of body parts (religious relics), collecting memories, American billionaires who bought up European heritage (JP Morgan, Hearst), collectors of mass-produced items (milk bottles, food wrappers), Princes and Kings such as Rudolf of Hapsburg (17th C) who filled his castle with the worlds greatest collections and slowly went mad, collecting as a madness, as a substitute for love, as a form of autism, as psychology, as crime - and in the end, as a warning to all those who take it too far.



4. Absorbing and beautifully written, with a great bibliography to lead you on in your travels through this fascinating genre. Blom does for the general subject of collecting what Basbanes did for bibliophilia in A Gentle Madness. Well worth the read.

3 comments about The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell.

1. This book is a must see! The artist really have an eye for detail. I love it!



2. Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell are the best fantasy artists in the planet! This collection of their works depicting fantasy women is by far one of the best fantasy art collections you will find in the bookshops! The art is wonderfully reproduced in the printed form with text that explain their aims, experience and motivations regarding each of the paintings. I highly recommend this book and all of the other Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell books!



3. 100 great paintings without buying 100 books. Simply a great book. I am a big fan of fantasy books and I am very familiar with many of the works from this artistic pair. They have done books, magazines, calendars, posters, and even movie posters and I believe even a music cd cover. Their artwork is fantastic and this book displays the best of their best. But there are a couple of things that make this book stand out from the average compilation of art work.
   It isn't just about gorgeous women with swords. It is a tribute to the mercurial spirit of the female form. You can see this spirit in its full spectrum throughout the book. It is sensitive, passionate, battle-enraged, fiery, determined, innocent,or just plain sensual. Each work has a defined theme.
   Another thing I really like about this book is the comments and notes by Julie and Boris. They tell you a little bit about the works, explaining the symbology of each work, or what they were trying to achieve. It is a great bonus to be able to take a peek into the mind of the artist and it helps you see the paintings in a new way.
   And then there are the models; many of whom are real women like the scorchingly gorgeous Julie Strain or the brainy/beautiful queen of the B Horror Movie Brinke Stevens.
   If you are a fan of fantasy art or a fan of fantasy novels this is a great book for your coffee table but this is not your fathers coffee table book! Of all the range of expression the models portray in this book modesty is not one of them!

5 comments about Art:21: Art in the Twenty-First Century 4 (Art in the Twenty-First Century).

1. I am a practicing artist and really enjoyed listening to other artists share themselves and their art in a very intimate and informative format,



2. This book was required for my Contemporary Art class. Great pictures....the accompaning DVD goes into more depth about each artist and provides more info about each artist than does the book.



3. This is an excellent book and an excellent series for anyone who wants to know more about art being creating today. My Art History professor uses this book at the text book for her Contemporary Art class. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in seeing art history in the making.



4. I am a faithful follower of this series, and use the dvds in my contemporary art history class. The companion books make wonderful text to supplement the television series.



5. I have the first two books in the series and hope to spend the rest of my life watching the PBS program and looking and thinking about the artwork presented both on video and in the beautifully crafted texts.

2 comments about Sound Art: Beyond Music, Between Categories (Book & CD).

1. This is one of the worst books on sound art I have ever read. Its like reading an article in college newspaper. The research is incredibly week, it is as if Licht referred only to The Wire for his information. He makes many mistakes concerning John Cage (who made Sound Art in the early 60s and NOT just for "the stage") He takes cheap shots at Stockhausen of whom he seems to know NOTHING about (Cardew was wrong by the way). There is more to sound art than what can be found on Forcedexposure. This book is just awful, and I am afraid it will be used and referred to by teachers and curators in the future, which is a crying shame. And if you think I'm wrong, do some research on Sound Art and you will see that there are many many many books better than this one. After I bought it, I brought it right back and got a full refund I then used that money to order a Stockhausen CD. Please shop around before you buy this book.



2. Years ago, a critic remarked that so-called Performance Art might have been called either Theater or Dance if those media were less uptight. That's how I feel about sound art - if Music were more open as a discipline, we wouldn't need to have a special category of stuff called sound art. We would simply recognize that for most of the 20th century, music and visual art blurred into each other, and the artistic use of so-called non-musical sounds became increasingly important. Today, in the age of the sample, where Foley artists and composers are often one and the same, and most undergrad art students have made at least one sound piece in their lives, it's useful to have Alan Licht's clearly written, well-illustrated, handsomely designed volume on how composers and artists have worked with sound in the 20th century. Licht hits all the significant movements (Futurism, Dada, Fluxus, etc.) that contributed to sound art, and does a good job of exploring the range of possibilities (from sound sculpture to sound installation to Christian Marclay's floor covered with vinyl records). While I might wish that some of the younger contemporary artists working with sound got more space, you can't have everything. A few years ago, the Pompidou Center in Paris did an exhibit called Son et Lumiére, and if you can find the catalog (and read French) it provides the history of the connection of music and visual art missing in Licht's book. But until that's available in an affordable English version, Licht's book is probably the best available on the topic. And the handy CD included means you can use your ears as well as your eyes to consider the topic, a welcome addition.

5 comments about The World of Faery: An Inspirational Collection of Art for Faery Lovers.

1. The most beautiful collection of mature Faery Art I have ever seen.
   A great gallery book for inspiration but lacking in artistic tips.



2. This book is an incredible journey into the beautiful world of imagination.
   I highly recomend this book to anyone who wishes to enter the realm of the Fae.
   Fantastic!



3. I just wish id not waited a whole year before ordering this book..Ive had it saved in my file for that long and just finaly took the plunge..Boy am glad I did..its a nice book..beautiful...and lists many faery artists...so one can easly follow up on what strikes your fancy....B.W.



4. I really love this book. There are so many pictures that inspire me to create new art. I like that this book has featured so many different artists, as now I have been introduced to some new artists that I didn't know before. Also, from this book I have discovered several different art forms. I love looking at the pictures and reading about the aritsts.



5. Ok, it's a nice coffee table book but other than that, I think I'll be happier viewing the images online and ordering the prints of the ones I really like.

3 comments about New Flowering: 1000 Years of Botanical Art.

1. Being a big fan of Shirley Sherwood's previous publications Contemporary Botanical Artists (1996) and A Passion for Plants (2001), I have been eagerly awaiting any further publications from this collector. I immediately purchased A New Flowering - 1000 years of Botanical Art when it was released in late 2005, but unfortunately I was quite disappointed. Rather than a whole new collection of wondrous botanical art, A New Flowering is principally an exhibition catalogue emanating from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England, in mid 2005 containing many works seen in the previously mentioned books.
   
   The title is somewhat of a misnomer. This is not a history of botanical art. There is one reference and illustration of a herbal dating from 1080 - 1090. From there the text jumps to around the mid 1400s. From there we have chapters covering the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well as chapters dealing with Ehret, Jacquin, the Bauer brothers, Redoute, and Ruskin. There are examples of the works of these historical figures interspersed with comparable examples of similar plants by contemporary artists.
   
   Unfortunately, of the 107 contemporary illustrations, 72 have already appeared in either Contemporary Botanical Artists (38) or A Passion for Plants (34). Those seeking a new collection of modern botanical works may well be disappointed. There are approximately 60 historical examples, but readers already familiar with Wilfred Blunt's The Art of Botanical Illustration or similar works will find nothing new here.
   
   There is a short chapter dealing with the scientific aspects of botanical illustration, and another with a broad description of the various techniques used, but neither are covered in any depth.
   
   For those who do not own either of Shirley Sherwood's previous publications, A New Flowering would be a pleasant addition to their botanical illustration library, but I would not recommend it to anyone looking for new inspirational material.



2. Shirley Sherwood and her editors have published a magnificent book on botanical art history. The narrative is well written, the art is outstanding. One walks away from reading ths book a better person.
   
   It is a better book than Sherwood's "Contemporary Botanical Masters" hard cover -- which has some wonderful art by contemporary botanic artists, but was printed cheaply, with many pages of compelling artwork by the best watercolorists looking fuzzy.
   
   Never the less, Sherwood has taken time to organize the best collection of botanical art I have seen. She has done us all a public service by promoting great artists like Jean Emmons, Kate Nessler, Carol Woodin here in the US (just a few of many artists from around the world) and educating this reader of botanical art's history, too.
   
   Ms. Sherwood was on the Board of the Kew Botanic Gardens -- may still be. She is part of the aristocracy of elite wealth -- most of whom are hoarders and greedy. But she has given the world a gift that no money can buy in editing and publishing this book on 1000 Years of Botanical Art.



3. *If you're a painter trying to pick up techniques*, "Contemporary Botanical Artists" would be better because 1) the reproductions are larger (better for seeing small details) and 2) most of the art is from the mid-1990s, so the format might be closer to what you'd be producing (for example, a watercolor instead of an illuminated manuscript), and 3) the reproductions are somehow a little higher quality, to my eye. "Contemporary" is organized alphabetically by artists' last name, which is handy if you like to see one person's style applied to several works, shown next to each other. Also, because most of the paintings were done within the past 12-15 years (vs. 200-1000 years ago) the supports and paints are similar to what's available now.
   
   *If you're a painter and considering different styles of presentation*, the concept of "1000 Years" might be more useful. "1000 Years" presents paintings in pairs or groups, for example, contrasting a fritillaria 'sketch' from Ruskin with a watercolor painting from 10 years ago. The book also includes such different formats as an oil painting on glass, or panels, or illuminated manuscripts. So, if you know _how_ to paint what you want but are looking for ideas on themes or surfaces or styling, "1000 Years" would be more useful.
   
   If you have one volume and are considering getting another, keep in mind that several illustrations are in both books, and some of the commentary is also understandably similar. (I wasn't sure what to expect in that regard...) Both are very nice books and, if you know what to expect, worth having.
   
   On the subject of watercolor technique, I would also recommend "Painting Flowers in Watercolour: A Naturalistic Approach" (C. Guest), more so than "Botanical Illustration in Watercolor" (E. Wunderlich), if you aspire to the illustrations in either Sherwood book but feel stuck at a "reasonable but not stunning" level. In my opinion, Guest's book expects you to be an intermediate or advanced watercolorist who wants to paint flowers, not a beginner painter. The life-size illustrations are also more useful. Btw, C. Guest's work in included in "Contemporary", and S. Sherwood supplied a foreword for Guest's book.

4 comments about Kandinsky: Complete Writings On Art.

1. A densely translated book. A must have reference for any artist's library.



2. This book deserves a commanding coign of vantage on the shelf of any reader desiring a deeper understanding of the creative process. In extending its reach beyond the requisite inclusion of Kandinsky's On the Spiritual in Art and Point and Line to Plane, the work embraces nearly 900 pages of life-giving insight by the master and driving force of nonobjective art.
   
   To cast a light on any one Kandinsky commentary is to risk a plunge of the whole into shadow. We nevertheless salute in general the author's reflections on his fellow artists, for as Kandinsky finds characteristics to praise he provides a refreshing view of art's operating mechanisms. To select but a single example, in a charming commentary on the paintings of musician Arnold Schoenberg the author skewers the popular idea that an artist achieves full realization through a discovery of a "corresponding form" recognizable to all comers. In fact, it is the very discovery of what Kandinsky calls a "dying form" which is to the artist "fatal." As for the converse, the artist who produces an ever-changing series of works representing in their form the development of a more sensitive and robust inner soul discovers, ironically, his works condemned for a lack of stylistic conformance. And so, says Kandinsky, "the dead passes for the living, and vice versa." Schoenberg, the author assures us, is one of the living for in each of his disparate works "the inner desire of the artist speaks forth in a form appropriate to it."
   
   If Kandinsky's control of the linguistic levers fails to rise to a degree of calibration one imagines appropriate to the vital topic, and if the author very often satisfies himself with the bold proposition which arrests the reader and inspires a healthy suspicion as to a deliberate reduction of the author's encircling vision, his conclusions are fired by a robust soul attuned to the finest strands of the real, and it only remains to add that in terms of abstraction this work must to the archway of understanding provide a requisite keystone.



3. This book is as thorough of a collection of writings by an individual as you will ever find. Including every major treatise, essay, and book by Kandisky, it goes a few steps further with every Kandisky poem (English and German translations) and play. Moreover, the book includes innumerable pamphlets and the like from the earlier late-Expressionist exhibits; also incorporated are several corrspondances between Kandinsky and contemporaries, particularly atonal composer Arnold Schoenburg--illuminating how each other's theories were mutually related and held a reciprocal influence. A little known fact, Schoenburg himself was a non-objective painter--photos of his works are among these pages, as well! Before each section is a contextual introduction to that particular writing. And much much more.



4. An obligatory text for any visual, aural, or literary artist, and a necessity for any true understanding of the nature of artistic creation.

1 comments about Mysteries of the Rectangle: Essays on Painting.

1. Siri Hustvedt is a fine writer and an even finer essayist. She is able to communicate volumes of historical and observational information while reassuring the reader that what she is sharing is not THE way of approaching her subject, but rather merely HER musings about art and the concept of the meaning of art. It is a relaxing manner of writing, allowing the reader to learn from her inquiries and research, yet encouraging the reader to personally move in front of a painting and pause long enough to experience that frozen moment in time surrounded safely by a 'Rectangle' of frame, and discover the personal mysteries that travel from the eye to the mind and heart.
   
   After a typically personal declaration of an introduction that boldly suggests that each of us is as fair a judge of art as she or as art historians, Hustvedt sets out to explore different artists and share her own confrontations with their art, and in doing so she describes in the most sincere manner a means of art appreciation for the beginner to the devotee. Beginning with a student exposure to a small painting, 'The Tempest' by Giorgione, Hustvedt writes about how memory plays a role in the way we respond to art. From there she examines her own reaction to Vermeer's 'Woman with a Pearl Necklace', a painting that for years has befuddled art historians. But in this encounter with the Vermeer, Hustvedt finds a recreation of the Annunciation and compares Vermeer's mysterious painting about the concept of light from some special place announcing the otherworldly pregnancy of a young girl. It is stunning writing.
   
   Goya has long drawn Hustvedt's attention, especially to the late work 'Los Caprichos' which she examines in detail, sharing her own interpretation about the influence of Goya's health: Goya probably suffered from Meniere's disease - inner ear dysfunction causing tinnitus, dizziness, vomiting, vertigo, abnormal eye movements, and deafness. But she does not assign the total impact of 'Los Caprichos' to that sickness. Instead she languishes about Goya's response to the Church, to delusions and illogical monsters, to bizarre depictions of bodily functions, and yet each of these aspects pulsates positively within the series that makes the set of etchings one of the great art works of history.
   
   Hustvedt also discusses the still life paintings through history to the present, including a brilliant essay on Morandi and one on Joan Mitchell, and closes her set of art lessons/aids with a discussion of Gerhard Richter. Each of these extended essays are accompanied by color art reproductions of the works discussed and the design of the book is an artwork in and of itself. As evidence of Siri Hustvedt's dignity this book includes a Colophon that attributes the design and typography of the volume to William Drental and Don Whelan of Winterhouse Studios, Falls Village, Connecticut. It is a quiet homage to the art of book making that is entirely in keeping with the first class presentation of this beautiful and important book. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, March 06