5 comments about Books of Hours (Phaidon Miniature Editions).

1. I'm an art student, and we often study books of hours, but it's always just slides, so we don't get to hold an example. This little book is a wonderful example of the actual books of hours from this time period. It really gives you an appreciation for the craftsmanship of the artists; the intricate detail is so delicate and tiny, and it's clearly printed in this book. I highly recommend it!



2. In this tiny book are brought together a limited choice of the most exquisite medieval miniatures from 1230 ( artist William de Brailes ) until 1522. Other important artists are Jan Van Eyck, Jean Fouquet, and Simon Bening.
   
   Of course in large manuscripts most of the illuminations could hardly be called miniatures but were full paintings, so to speak, with their own set of aesthetic rules. The format of the Books of Hours are ideal to study miniatures. You will find in this little book ( approximate the same size as the miniatures included ) an amazing collection of breathtaking miniatures with very vivid and beautiful colors. It's eye candy, I agree, but that made the Books of Hours popular in the Middle Ages. Let's face it, the success of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages depended - for a substantial part - upon the cultural wealth that was displayed in churches and cathedrals, in the Vatican and its sumptuous Library, and in the Books of hours with their initials decorated with burnished gold.
   
   Indeed, you could say that the luminous colors of the miniatures in this collection are making the Dark Ages less dark.



3. Lovely tiny book with absolutely gorgeous illustrations from real medieval books of hours, with jewel tones and lovely compositions. The binding should be different to allow it to more easily open fully.



4. Although this is literally a miniature publication from Phaidon, it truly encompasses the character of the Book of Hours. Historically, these were popular items, especially among pious woman to "show off" their devotion to God. The illustrations are just beautiful and so intricate. This is a true gem. A compact way to view illuminated manuscript.



5. A very small book containing 85 color plates of miniatures culled from various books of hours. The plates are reproduced at or near their original size, giving an idea of just how truly small most of these pictures actually are.

   The plates come from the best manuscripts owned by several museums. Most of the art is Franco-Flemish from 1475-1525, but there are a few earlier works and/or Italian works represented, as well.

   There is very little text. This book is intended, I believe, to provide just enough information to pique the curious. The art is splendid, though, and a better, more portable visual reference could not be found. I liked this book so much that I bought two copies; one to use as a reference when painting, and another to just enjoy perusing.

3 comments about Fantasy Art Now: The Very Best in Contemporary Fantasy Art & Illustration.

1. The work in this book of illustrations are absolutely amazing. The imaginations of these artists are beyond all boundaries.



2. While the product description claims the book features "leading fantasy artists and rising stars," the bulk of the works here are by the latter. Comparable work is easily found all over the internet, which is where I'm guessing the author found it, himself. The nice thing for him: unknown artists come cheap, if not free. The nice thing for the artists: obviously, exposure. What this means for the reader: pass, or pick it up cheap used, here on Amazon.



3. I found the art work in this book mind boggling. These pictures stretch the
   imagination to the limit and send the mind off in all sorts of directions
   and suggests many possibilities.

5 comments about ActionScript for Flash MX: The Definitive Guide, Second Edition.

1. This book looks pretty good and the first chapter was very promising. However I must tell my experience so at least people don't waste time and get frustrated like I did.
   
   The very first example of the book, the Multiple-Choice Quiz will NOT run on latest Flash CS3. It turns out that Flash CS3 (ActionScript3) decided to kill backwards compatibility and throw away the onRelease method for its buttons. So you get a bunch of compile errors. I managed to find out by myself that with AS3 you must use addEventListener to handle clicks to SimpleButton.
   
   Anyways, the line:
   
   totalOutput_txt.text = "Your final score is: " + totalCorrect + "/2.";
   
   Is not compiling either with the error:
   
   1120: Access of undefined property totalOutput_txt.
   
   The totalOutput_txt is being created by "reflection" with the line:
   
   createTextField("totalOutput_txt", 1, 150, 200, 200, 20);
   
   But it looks like Flash CS3 does not like this. Again, another compatibility problem with CS3...
   
   There goes my first star out. Now comes my second start out:
   
   This book assumes that you DO KNOW how to play with FLASH, how to play with the timeline, etc. It does make a good effort to guide you through the steps to create the movie frames, etc, but I felt that I needed a flash designer near me to explain me what was going on.
   
   Anyway, I was looking for a book like: Flash + AS for Java Programmers, but I guess I am asking too much. If anyone has a recommendation for me, please reply in this comment!



2. This book proved to be valuable for looking up new ways of implementing Action Script into my Flash projects. There were many examples of action script that can easily be found in the books index.



3. Was going through my books looking to get some space on the shelf for new ones and had this in my hand ready to go but for some reason couldn't do it. I hadn't done Flash/Flex (Flesh? Flax?) in a couple of years (moved mostly to C#) then recently I got a chance to do the quirky & kludgey beast of computing again with Flash8 and This Old Book Still Had The Goods.
   
   If you don't own it, buy it. If you are thinking it's past its prime... buy it anyway :)
   
   Oh, gotta say this: if you're thinking of buying into FMS... buy Wowza instead - it's more flexible and it's not priced as arrogantly as the ancient "Adobe" server.



4. Hands down, the best ActionScript book in my library. Good for building a solid understanding of AS, but definitely not for someone looking for a few quick tricks, effects or tutorials.
   
   A good book for coders, but designers will probably want something far less intense.



5. It is a book that directly is recommendable for whatever it wants to program with ActionScript.
   
   
   
   
   
   It is not necessary to enter the details of the book because everything is recommendable.
   
   
   
   
   
   All the proportionate examples are practical and functional.
   
   
   
   
   
   The author is a recognized programmer of ActionScript and has the Web www.moock.org.
   
   
   
   
   
   It is necessary to consider that includes neither the components nor classes MX.
   
   
   
   
   
   To be a programmer it is necessary to know how everything what the book author explains.
   
   
   
   
   
   Directly recommendable, whatever the direction that is wanted to give later to the programming with ActionScript.
   
   
   
   
   
   Next to this book also it is recommendable "Essential ActionScript 2.0" of he same author.

2 comments about The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Graphic Design and Designers (World of Art).

1. This book was of no use in a history of graphic design class I took for which the text was Megg's History of Graphic Design.



2. I think this book is ok, it is informative but i also think that there is a lot that is being left out. There is a lot of design terminology that i think should be included for this to be called a real Dictionary of design.

2 comments about Old-Time Anatomical Illustrations CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1. After watching a demo done by Andrew "Android" Jones I sought these CD rom books out to use them as patterns in Corel Painter. I love some of the illustrations in this book which really look interesting with Painter's effects. This is one of my favorite books in the series and I wish there were more illustrations focusing on skulls and more body parts at different angles and sizes.



2. Truly a doctor's love of anatomy would appreciate this clip art book. The detail reminds me of Gray's Anatomy, but in the historic pen and ink drawings that are copyright free. Less detail would be nice for typical folks using clip art in artistic projects, especially some of the fine details don't come through well when printed or copied. However, as a science person, I love it as a learning tool.

1 comments about American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920-1960.

1. 
   Roger Remington has written a fascinating survey of American graphic design and I enjoyed looking at the dozens of illustrations especially those from the late fifties onwards when I was familiar with the work of so many American designers. The work of Otto Storch on McCall's, Lou Dorfsman at CBS and naturally the typography of Herb Lubalin was a strong influence on my work as a publication designer.
   
   The author writes about the development of Modernism in Europe and how it spread to the US with the arrival of many European graphic designers escaping the oppression in Europe during the Thirties. In America they found a receptive country open to new ways of designing for print, which flowered, with the explosion of creativity in the Fifties and Sixties. On page 179 there is a list of many great designers, whose work is the basis of this book, who have died and Remington rightly says that their absence denies emerging young designers creative role models.
   
   The design of the book is first-class (a tip of the hat to Brad Yendle) the images are well selected with a good mix of posters, advertisements, corporate graphics, magazine covers and logos. I would have preferred to see more magazine spreads and at least one example of the amazing 'Upper & Lower Case' publication. All the illustrations have good long explanatory captions.
   
   If you are involved with commercial graphic design and want to learn about its history in America this book can't be beat. I mentioned earlier two designers whose work I love and the following two books are well worth searching out, 'Dorfsman & CBS' by Dick Hess and Marion Muller, 'Herb Lubalin' by Gertrude Snyder and Alan Peckolick. The book that really got me interested in expressive typography and I still think is valid in this digital age is 'Typography' by Aaron Burns, published in 1961.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

5 comments about Essential CG Lighting Techniques with 3ds Max (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation).

1. I have read this book from cover to cover and multiple times for some chapters. There are two reasons I like this book
   
   First, most chapters start with basic theories and offer some tutorials which reader can try themselves. The tutorials are very easy to follow. The structure help learn new concepts as well as how to use Max.
   
   Second, this book almost touches every aspect of CG application in Max, such as radiosity, indoor, outdoor, MR, texture baking for games, shadow etc. By reading the book, it also help navigate and read Max help contents which are usually boring to read.
   
   In short, it is a good book especially for persons who already know something about CG and interested in 3ds Max.



2. 416 page which explain how to use light on 3ds...once finish it you'll be a light creator master!



3. Advanced user aren't going to learn anything revolutionary, but over all this is a good beginner/intermediate level guide to CG lighting. As with many other Focal Press titles, much of this book's contents are covered in Max 9's own tutorials and user reference.



4. This is a good looking book with full color prints. One of the tutorials was highlighted in 3D Magazine as an example of 3 point lighting. I experienced some difficulty with some files when I tried to use the radiosity plugin. Also, one tutorial has missing files. The instructions kind of jumble together in think prose. Not easy to follow. The material, however, touches on light theory, shadows, HDI, and renderers. The HDI tutorial is a good one to introduce you to the concept and yes, HDI maps are included. I think this is a good cocktail table book. Nice discussions and great graphics. Can't take learning specifics about Max lights seriously. But good discussion and some good examples.



5. It is a good book. It really helps to understand different notions about the cg lighting. Well structured and uses everyday language.
   Tutorials are good, sometimes maybe to long, but they help to structure and have an overview of the matter.
   I recommend the book to everyone who want to have an understanding of how to set up lights in 3dsmax with maximum efficiency.

5 comments about Drawing Crime Noir: For Comics and Graphic Novels.

1. Great tips for using expressions, postures and shadows. Package arrived in good conditions and on the expected time.



2. Great job of deveoping this genere. Hart, gets to the point-it is all about the mood and drama! His artistic ability to state the obvious shows that he dosen't mess around with the sissified PC crowd. Attitude with brooding emotion is what this life is all about and Hart is the master at pushing you in the right direction to capture this in your art.



3. I've purchased a number of Christopher Hart's books on drawing certain genres and facets of comic books; as a self-taught artist, I'm always looking out for the next book to help me out. Paging through "Drawing Crime Noir" I was initially impressed, and decided to pick it up.
   
   This book offers a number of interesting sections: discussions of character, clothing and accessories, drawing composition, and, of course, the all-important chiaroscuro shading. However, nice to look at as all of this is, little of it is really "teachable" - in other words, this book talks a good game, but frequently doesn't really "show" you, step-by-step, how to develop principles in creating your own scenes. Probably the most useful section is on drawing costumes for femme fatale characters - it will help a great deal those who are having difficulty drawing the more "cutting edge" fashions. Most disappointing is what one might think would be the most important section, the one on shading. It shows you some different shading options, but doesn't really delve helpfully in how to apply these principles across the board.
   
   Overall, this is a well illustrated book, but it lacks a really hands-on, helpful tutorial style. Definitely for artists of the intermediate skill level and above.



4. Nice little intro to the concepts and style of crime noir comics. Covers basic fundamentals of drawing and mood for genre. Great for neophytes and novices. A little too specific in dictating the author's view of how the genre should be depicted. Overall a great little book that's fun and insightful.



5. Many images. Little explanation.
   As another reviewer wrote, Watson-Guptill is very good at cutting cost in producing books.
   Christopher Hart books are theme-centered books designed with publishers to titill you curiosity and your wish to study art.
   His books are only complemental books. No foundation of study/construction here. Its marketing hype just like the almigthy marketing power of microsoft.
   If you want to study art seriously, get the real bibles of Art by Andrew loomis.
   1.Figure drawing for all it's worth
   2.Drawing the Head and Hands
   3.Successful Drawing
   4.Creative Illustration
   5.Fun with a Pencil
   I would not be surprised if Christopher Hart himself studied from Andrew Loomis.
   Beware though, Watson-Guptill has done it again!!!!!
   The revered Drawing the Head and Hands has been trimmed to another book Drawing: The Head (HT197) of only 32 pages and
   Figure drawing for all it's worth trimmed to Drawing: Figures in Action (HT191)
   Get the genuine ones. They are pricey but it's worth every penny of your cash!
   NB: It's a pity these loomis books don't have a 'search inside' facility.
   Many students are passing by just because they can't get an evaluation of the contents.

4 comments about Traditional Japanese Stencil Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. I am soooo glad I got this book. The designs are superb, and can be used in a zillion ways for design, fine art, etc. Just the inspiration I was looking for, and more. Good flow to the designs in terms of pattern, light and dark, and variety. Good for graphic design basis and logo thinking, too, but I will use it in my paintings and sculpture textures.



2. Unlike the first reviewer who gave this book 1 star, this is actually an excellent book showing designs taken from one of the many complex arts and crafts traditions of Japan. These are actual designs from stencils, which were carefully cut from mulberry paper and used for printing designs on cloth.The stencils are called katagami. Some of these are still being made, and by the fine traditional craftsmen of Japan working with simple, traditional tools to produce amazing patterns. The first reviewer has not bothered to look carefully into Japanese art forms, and so is, I believe speaking from ignorance. Not a book for tatoo designs, granted, but I think most people who would like design references from a somewhat obscure Japanese art tradition would find this book of interest. If you'd like more detail on the art tradition of stencil cutting or carving, you might want to look at
   "Carved Paper: The Art of the Japanese Stencil." You can also see an example with some explanations here: http://www.sohe.wisc.edu/depts/hlatc/pixelsexhibit/katagami.html
   Although these stencils were/are made for the purpose of dyeing cloth, they can be considered artforms in their own right. (I own a couple of these.) The Dover book is a nice reference.



3. As a previous reviewer has noted, Clarence Hornung's "Traditional Japanese Stencil Designs" is not the book to purchase if you are seeking inspiration for tattoos. It is, however, of exceptional value if your interests include Japanese aesthetics in general and textile motifs in particular or if you are seeking sophisticated patterns that can be manipulated and reproduced as graphic designs.

   The stencils included were originally designed for monochromatic printing on cotton textiles but are also typical of the patterns imprinted on deer-skin goods and traditional Japanese wrapping papers. More than any other volume in Dover's generously-sized library of books on Japanese design, Hornung's testifies to the Japanese genius for manipulating a few design elements into subtle and classically beautiful patterns. Some of the patterns are abstract and without specific meaning, but the overwhelming majority are rich in symbolism. Hornung's introduction discusses the most important of these symbolic meanings. However, the usefulness of the introduction is compromised by his failure to number the stencils and then identify for the reader precisely which plates represent each thematic motif.




4. If you are at all trying to find sources for Japanese art, this is NOT the place to do it! Not only are the designs in the book non-Japanese they are worthless if you are using them for illustration or any reference to draw from. If you are looking for a source book for tattooing like I was, this is not it. To say this book was weak is a compliment. The biggest waste of money I've spent in a long time!

3 comments about Cowboy Boots.

1. This book is so fun! My passion for cowboy boots started several years ago, but it hasn't been till recently that I started paying for the best. This book is better than bad sex for sure! The craftsmanship that goes into some of those books is amazing. Every page is like a new piece of tantalizing candy. I love it so much that I show it off at my restaurant in Seattle for all to enjoy!



2. Cowboy Boots picks up where Tyler & Jim's "Art of the Boot" leaves off. This book has more than 51 known makers, and nearly 400 pairs of cowboy boots... all photographed in crisp detail by Jim Arndt. Wow.
   
   Here are just a couple of the very speical pairs:
   
   Page 143. "The Mexican" is a remarkable pair of boots made by the El Paso company called Tres Outlaws. Your eye is naturally drawn to the 22 rare Mexcian coins inlayed across the pair...but what is more astounding is to discover that the tooling pattern on this "matching pair" each completely different on the right and left boot. The difference is difficult to detect because the design is so well balanced. An amazing tribute to the rich history and culture of Mexico.
   
   Page 25. "Ray Jones Boots 1960-1970s with Eagle Inlay." Ray Jones was famous for the "plain" stitched boots he made for working cowboys. These boots show us another side of this maker's skill.
   
   This book's small size lends itself to endless page flipping. After 3 years, I'm still inspired by the boots I find inside.



3. TYLER AND I THINK THAT THIS IS ONE 'KICKIN' BOOK !!!
   A GREAT COMPANION TO OUR OTHER BOOKS, 'THE COWBOY BOOT BOOK', ART OF THE BOOT', AND 'ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF WESTERN WEAR'. ENJOY!
   TYLER AND JIM