5 comments about Living Jewels: The Natural Design of Beetles (Minis).

1. This is a beautiful book, with incredible photos of beetles. My sons (age 4 and 8) were constantly fighting over having a turn looking at it. Which leads me to the drawback of the book...it's TINY! Why doesn't the description say this? It's like a mini book. So, when the boys were fighting over it, I put it in my pocket, and then it got lost...so I am buying another one.



2. I got this as a Christmas gift for my stepdaughter, who likes beetles, and she loved it.



3. Despite reading other reviews, I didn't fully appreciate how small this book is until I saw it in person. The pictures are pretty, but this book is hardly worth $8.



4. Book is very tiny, less than five inches by 3 and a half inches. It is a mini taken from a full sized book. Way overpriced.



5. I was disappointed in this book,if I had seen it on a shelf before hand I would have bypassed it all together.
   Very little information and not enough listing for referrence use.
   Would not recommend to anyone.

3 comments about Daybook: The Journal of an Artist.

1. I wanted to share what May Sarton said about this book:
   "It has been an immense pleasure to read a journal so deep, succinct, and illuminating. The style is pared down and elegant as her sculpture appears to be as she writes about it. How rare to find an artist who can talk about her craft as she does!" (At Seventy - May Sarton)



2. I cannot say enough good things about this special book, which I discovered at an independent bookstore (and am forever grateful for that!) ... For anyone who is a fan of well-written journals and diaries, including those of May Sarton and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, this book will be a real treasure. I couldn't put it down, and consider it one of the best books on being an artist that I have ever read.
   
   I should add that it would be especially comforting and inspiring for women who want to be artists (or writers) yet still maintain close, loving families and home life. For many women today, it is an "either or" proposition, but I love the way Anne Truitt shows how her domestic life informs and balances her art. This viewpoint give us all courage if we want to attempt the same lifestyle. Truitt raised three children on her own, and made her mark as an artist -- and a wonderful writer as well. What an inspiration for us all.



3. In one of the greatest meditations on the artistic life ever written, Anne Truitt completes the trilogy of journals she began in 1979. In "Prospect" she discusses the joys of parenthood and grandparenthood, the perils of old age, and the way artists work. Each page is rich with insights and thought. Simply the best book I've read in five years. Her art is great, but it is for these books that Anne Truitt will be remembered, taking a place among diarists of historical significance.

3 comments about You Can't Take a Balloon into the Museum of Fine Arts (Fairytale Foil Books).

1. This wordless book follows the adventures of a grandmother amd her ever-expanding group of helpers as they chase her granddaughter's green balloon through historic sites of Boston. Many of the people they encounter along the way- some of whom join in the chase- are updated versions of the famous works of art that the rest of the family is viewing at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (or MFA, for those of us in the know).
   
   One of my favorite paintings in the museum is of the writer and his wife on honeymoon (I don't have the name in front of me right now), and one of my favorite places to hang out as a young teen was the reading room of the Boston Public Library. I was therefore moved when I saw the painting mimicked in the reading room by two young, collegiate-aged lovers.
   
   Some of the modern-day, Bostonian updates that worked were of the Indian god/juggler, the high-society horse riders/tennis players, and the modern art statue/umpire. Those I found to be creative and clever interpretations.
   
   In some cases, though, I thought the interpretations were forced, most glaringly the update of the famous Renoir painting of the dance that was updated to have Grandma running into someone else. I also felt that the authors painted a rosier picture of Boston than, frankly, the one my children and I experience every day. By and large, the people we see sleeping on the Commons are not college-students going for a snooze, but the homeless and mentally ill. Further, while I love the Chinatown area, it is, unfortunately, coarser and less bohemian than the one the author's illustrate.
   
   Finally, while I liked the idea of famous Bostonians hidden throughout the pages of the book, in many cases they were too well-hidden. While there is a reference I can use at the back of the book to find them, I just don't like to work that hard when I'm reading a book like this to my children, and neither do they.
   
   Overall, I think the book gives a view of some of the magic that is Boston, both through its art and history. However, I hope young readers and visitors won't be too disappointed by the fact that you might have to dig a little bit harder to find it in the real city.



2. The Preiss sisters are back and taking Boston by storm, or should I say balloon. As in their previous books, You Can't Take A Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum and You Can't Take A Balloon Into The National Gallery, a little balloon carrying girl and her brother visit the Museum of Fine Arts with Grandma and Grandpa. Everyone knows you can't take a balloon inside, so Grandma does the honors and waits outside on the steps, holding the treasured balloon, while the others go in and take their tour. In no time, the balloon escapes, and the fun begins. As life imitates the famous artwork the little girl is observing inside, Grandma chases the balloon all over the city from the Boston Library, Trinity Church, Chinatown, and the Boston Harbor, to Faneuil Hall, the Old North Church, Fenway Park, and many other famous landmarks along the way. This hilarious, joyous, manic romp, will mesmerize youngsters with it's exuberant and engaging pen and ink illustrations, with just a little color used here and there to highlight the action, and includes thirty-three hidden famous Bostonians, sprinkled throughout the comic book-like pages, to find and learn more about. Part art book, history lesson and travel brochure, this is a creative and inventive tour of one of America's great cities, and includes a map of the balloon's route, an informative list of artwork seen in the museum, and biographical sketches of the hidden "faces from history." Perfect for kids of all ages, You Can't Take A Balloon Into The Museum Of Fine Arts is a wonderful addition to an already terrific series, and guarantees hours of clever and imaginative, page-turning fun.



3. Building on the enormous popularity of "You Can't Take A Balloon Into The Metropolitan Museum" and "You Can't Take A Balloon Into The National Gallery" Weitzman and Glasser now offer a fun, colorful peek at the Museum of Fine Arts while presenting an affirming grandparent/grandchild relationship.

   Each full-color page bursts with vibrant energy as a little girl's balloon (not allowed inside the Museum) escapes her grandmother's grasp and soars away. Off we go, following the green orb through the streets of Boston. This chase is matched with the works of art the little girl is viewing.

   There's a bit of history here, a bit of whimsy, and a lot of entertainment...

1 comments about Women, Art, And Power And Other Essays (Icon Editions).

1. Nochlin's collection of essays really hits the mark. Accessible to both the casual art lover and the afficionado, "Women Art and Power" is a truly stunning contribution to the canon of feminine art theory.

No comments about Tina Modotti: Between Art and Revolution.

2 comments about Objects and Meaning: New Perspectives on Art and Craft.

1. I just read this book to gain a new perspective on the meaning of craft objects in an age where contemporary craft is about more than beauty or being well-made. The essays are thoughtful, approach the subject from many different viewpoints and are mostly easy to comprehend without having to know much about the artists or philosophers mentioned. I intend to use this book to train my museum volunteers and to encourage them to think of the meaning of objects beyond their obvious purpose. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a wider philosophical perspective on art.



2. I would consider this one of the most important books I have read about art in quite some time. I am so excited about this book I am trying to share it with people I believe will have the same excitement. It is full of ideas about objects as an art making process and entity and what that means in contemporary art and society. This is not a book for just "craft" people, but all those that have an interest in expanding their knowledge about an often misunderstood art. Don't let the textbook look or the lack of decent images put you off, this book is worth every penny of its investigation.

3 comments about Poker: The Ultimate Book.

1. I have read this book cover to cover and still find myself picking it up from time to time just for the facts, reminders, and history it shares. This is a great book and one which every poker player must have if not read.



2. This book is amazing. First off the box itself is very clever; mimicking a pack of cards. The book discusses the begining of Poker, where it is now, and where it's headed. It's a great, compact compilation of history and rules for all types of poker games. I'm sure there are other more complete and bigger books out there but this book is perfect for what it is. Hands down a good buy.



3. At last !! I was looking for something else than text books on how to improve one's poker. I could not find anything until I discovered this great illustrated books on the poker history, its legends and its myths.

2 comments about A Short Course in Photography (5th Edition).

1. I've been using SLR's & digital cameras since early high school, including use for some publication work. This book gives good, basic information, and would be good for a novice just learning to use a film-type camera. My copy is dated 1979, so it includes nothing about digital photography. The other reviewer referred to Chapter 9 as being nothing more than verse or poetry. That is somewhat puzzling as my copy only has 7 chapters. Also, unless there have been more current editions, this book is too dated to ever be used as a textbook for any current college course. However, if you are just looking for a basic reference on basic, film-type photography, or are a new hobbyist with a film camera, this book is certainly adequate, and one could do worse.



2. If you are talking a College level course that utilises this book as the main text, I truly pity you. You will learn more by simple self research via the internet and using your camera over the duration of the course than this book could ever teach you. By the final chapter you are left banging your head into your desk wondering why anyone would ever choose this offal as a required textbook. Don't believe me? Read Chapter 9 and notice that the vast majority of the text is simple poetic musings followed by references back to previous chapters, as the authors were too bloody lazy to expand upon their meager ideas. Pathetic.

5 comments about The Book of Old Silver: English * American * Foreign.

1. The photography in this book is minimal, black and white and grainy. Extensive and interesting background information, though (126 pages worth). VERY extensive coverage of maker's marks for all countries. Some marks are so small as to need a magnifying glass, however. (Hence the four stars)



2. The book was in or above the condition described and is the product I was looking for. I was glad that it was readily available through Amazon.



3. I bought this one, along withe another (Sterling Flatware Identification & Value Guide) for my mom and she uses it a lot. I think she uses the other one more but she always has both on hand. It has a lot of good info on how to id a piece, great pictures of hallmarks etc.



4. This book is a must have if you collect antique English silver. If you only want one book on the subject this is it. If you collect American or European silver, this book would not be my first choice. You can't get more info on antique English silver including hallmarks, history, and the different pieces of flatware and holloware that were made with any other Silver book I have ever read.



5. Talk, talk, talk. So much information about city hallmarks and nothing about purity marks. No way to really identfy general items that a novice collector would have. Is it real or not? Talks about fakes and again nothing about standards of silver and what they are. High brow attitude toward the subject with little or no information on Continental European silver in detail. Too little to late!

No comments about Basics Illustration: Thinking Visually (Basic Illustration).