2 comments about Vintage Fashions for Women 1920S-1940s: With Values.

1. A must-have basic reference for women's fashions of the era. Lots of full color photos with detail shots, and all clothes are shown on real people. Good collecting and care tips, too



2. Clear, concise protrayl of beautiful and not-so-beautiful fashions of the 20s-40s. The pricing guide is helpful when buying or selling vintage clothing.

5 comments about The Coffee Table, Coffee Table Book.

1. how can someone bring an idea from the longest running, most popular sitcom in tv history into reality and not give any credit to that show. absolutely disgusting.



2. Well, you have to also consider the author of the book. Though everyone seems to know about the 'Seinfeld' episode, they don't seem to notice that Alexander Payne, of 'Sideways' and 'About Schmidt' fame, is the author. I'm fairly certain that he wasn't trying to pass this off as an original idea; he just thought it was a funny episode and, with his new found clout, decided to make the book a reality.



3. Probably the most interesting aspect of the "Coffee Table Book" is the obvious pun of the title; beyond that, it's basically a lot of avant-garde furniture. Most coffee table books are just giant books that sit and collect dust on people's coffee tables.
   
   But this? It's a book, and it's about coffee tables. Get it? Yeah, yeah. So did "Seinfeld's" Kramer. And without the kooky sidekick to give it an entertaining twist, the "Coffee Table Book" really comes across as rather boring, except to aficionados of interior design.
   
   The photography is quite pretty, and most of the coffee tables are interesting -- they range from futuristic to icky (a topless, leather-clad woman on all fours makes up the base of one -- shades of "Spinal Tap") to 100% ordinary. Some are flowing structures of metal, wood and glass, while others are garish blobs of plastic.
   
   The problem is, you can only look at pictures of coffee tables for so long. And it doesn't help that the little text blurbs accompanying each picture really don't illuminate much. A tiny shred of history, and maybe a quote are included. As a result, it feels like a hardcover furniture catalog, with only one item of furniture included.
   
   It's a cute idea, but the "Coffee Table Book" is too long and bland to be of any actual interest. It would be best on -- you guessed it -- the coffee table, so guests can chuckle at the title.



4. This is amazing. There is no credit given to "Seinfeld" anywhere in the text, not even in the full page of acknowledgments. The writers attempt to pass this off as their own idea, having assumed, I guess, that they are the only ones who have ever seen the most popular sitcom in history. I hope someone at NBC is suing.



5. Well... it's not *that* original!
   Seinfeld, episode 86 (The Opposite) - Kramer has this idea, a few episodes earlier about a coffee table book about coffee tables. In ep. 86 the idea is materialized and he presents it to Regis and Kathie Lee. It even has the little fold out legs.

   Still, I think it's great that someone actually did this - I thought it was cool back then, when I first saw the episode.

   Hope to read it soon!

   Best wishes!

2 comments about The Eye of the Lynx: Galileo, His Friends, and the Beginnings of Modern Natural History.

1. This book, by David Freedberg, tells the fascinating story of Freedberg's discovery, on a tip from the notorious spy and brilliant art historian Anthony Blunt, of a group of amazing antique drawings stashed away in an obscure cupboard in Windsor Castle. The images, gracefully drawn and beautifully colored, depicted a bizarre range of flora and fauna: deformed lemons with claw-like legs, flamingoes, dramatic portraits of badger faces, strange plants...

   The discovery marked the beginning of a great adventure told in the book--of Freedberg's search for and discovery of the source of the drawings: a 17th-century gang of noblemen and eccentrics based largely in Rome who took as their mission nothing less than the discovery, analysis, and visual record of all natural knowledge. They called themselves the Accademia Lincea, or Academy of Lynxes. This was the age of Galileo, who was in fact a member, and whose work the Lincea edited and published. With the aid of microscopes, telescopes, and other instruments, the Lincea and their peers began to develop a picture of the natural world in all its details that profoundly challenged traditional views of Heaven and Earth, supported by the Roman Catholic Church.

   Freedberg's manner is at once learned and accessible. He tells a gripping story of a group of fascinating characters, some brilliant, some insane, and their grand projects, including a decidedly obsessive interest in bees. Lavishly illustrated in color and black-and-white, this is surely one of the most attractive, novel, and important works of history this year.




2. Rich in breathtakingly beautiful illustrations (83 color plates, 89 halftones) "The Eye of the Lynx" is a must-have for those with a penchant for science and its history.

   We are told that author Freedberg, an art history professor and director of the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University, once happened upon a neglected cupboard in Windsor Castle holding hundreds of intricately precise drawings of plants and animals dating from the Old and New Worlds. He was acting on the word of Anthony Blount, an art historian and British spy. These drawings had been hidden and forgotten since the days of King George III.

   Later, after coming across countless more throughout Europe, Freedberg discovered their provenance - a small 17th century scientific group. Based in Italy it was called the Academy of Linceans for Lynx-eyed.

   This optimistic organization set as their goal the representation of all nature in pictures. The mighty task of the Linceans is recounted for the first time in English in this wondrous book. They, unlike their predecessors, focused on internal structures rather than external appearances.

   For its time, one of the most outre ideas proposed by the Linceans was the microscope. They simply turned Galileo's telescope around and exposed a once invisible world.
   
   Freedberg has rendered an enormous service in bringing to light this integral portion of the development of visuals as related to natural history.

   - Gail Cooke

3 comments about North American Indian Designs for Artists and Craftspeople (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. I do gourd pyrography and wanted a source of Indian designs to use in my pyrography. This book contains a nice selection and each group of designs includes an explaination of the design and when it was used.



2. There are notes for each page of designs detailing where the item was found and to what tribe they belong. There are also notes at the bottom of each "design" page. The information IS here.



3. This book is half filled with images, none of which have any descriptions as to which tribe the graphics are from. I am very dissapointed because this book is useless to me as an art teacher. If you want a good book on Tribal designs and motifs, check out another resource by Dover, titled, 'Ready-to-Use North American Indian Motifs.' It has 10 x's more graphics and each image is explained as far as tribe and geographical region.

1 comments about Gods and Deities CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1. These cd-rom and book series it's fantastic, every design about almost every thing that you can imagine for fun, work, school, hobbie and the price is really good

2 comments about Marilyn Monroe Paper Dolls.

1. this is a wonderful presentation of M Ms most famous outfits. the art work is superb. marilyn henry is a very talented artist and i own several of her pd books. i highly recommend this along with tom tierney's M M bbok for a complete collection.



2. I never received this product so I can't make a fair review.. Thank You Erica Koenig

2 comments about Mascots & Mugs: The Characters and Cartoons of Subway Graffiti.

1. Let me just start off by saying this book is OFF THE HOOK! This book is up there with Subway Art, Dondi White and Freight Train Graffiti. This is a book written by real artist that influenced the graff game at a whole other level. I was lucky enough in my youth to have met Todd "Reas" James and he was one of the coolest writers I ever met. He gave me outlines and would just kick it with me even though I was new to the scene. His style is still seen today in so many writers doing their thing today. The interviews in this book are amazing! The photos are clear and I like how they show the writers at that time and what influenced them. For anyone a fan of graffiti or any new writers looking to get schooled this is a must have.



2. In the same league as classic books like
   
   watching my name go by
   getting up
   subway art
   spraycan art
   dondi white

3 comments about A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks.

1. This book is very helpful, especially as a reference for anyone learning botanical illustration or anyone wanting to learn about specific botanical artists.
   
   It's beautiful art work also makes it very nice as a "coffee table" book for others to admire.



2. As a rank beginner in watercolor and pen and ink I much appreciate the effort it takes to produce great illustrations of natural objects. Shirley Sherwood has brought together her remarkable collection of modern botanical paintings (and some ink renderings) in "A Passion for Plants: Contemporary Botanical Masterworks" and made them accessible to the public. It is certainly an impressive effort.
   
   Unlike many styles of illustration, botanical art usually involved a finely detailed painting on a white background, occasionally with additional smaller drawings or paintings. Occasionally a background is also provided, but most have no background. The renditions of just about every artist featured are extremely well done and it is hard to pick a favorite. Kate Nessler's watercolor of Rose Hips & Oak Leaves, Mariko Imai's exquisite watercolors of carnivorous plants, Elizabeth Dowle's paintings of fruit, Francesca Anderson's detailed ink renditions of sunflowers and cacti, and John Wilkinson's ultra realistic (complete with insect damage and hover flies!) watercolor of Ligularia, are just a few of the treats in this magnificent book. It sure makes for a tough standard, but a worthy one, for us beginners!
   
   A great book for artists, botanists and anyone interested in plant illustration!



3. This is an excellent collection of botanical illustrations reproduced in very detailed, rich color on quality paper. Artists from all over the world are represented with brief biographies of each one. I think this book is one of the best books to have if you love botanical illustration and would like to see examples done by highly skilled, scientifically accurate illustrators. Just as good or better than the first Shirley Sherwood collection book.

2 comments about The Graphic Designer's Guide to Creative Marketing: Finding & Keeping Your Best Clients.

1. Linda Cooper Bowen's guide to creative marketing is an essential step-by-step tool for any design professional -- at any level -- seeking to generate new business and improve their image. With such diverse and relevant topics as the role of the marketing manager, positioning your image, and successful promotion programs, she presents solid methods and easy ways to grow even an established design studio. I particularly appreciate the chapter on finding (and keeping) the best clients. It's the most important part of my own job, and I can sense the ways my firm will benefit from Cooper Bowen's expertise.



2. Cooper-Bowen, much-published writer on the business of graphic design, usually addresses designers who are more comfortable with art than with profit-making. This book is no exception, but from that don't assume that the contents are either condescending or superficial. You should also not assume, if you already think of your practice as a sophisticated business, that this text will tell you nothing new. While we're not talking advanced economics here, the best advice Creative Marketing offers may be its frank assessment of when to rely on outside experts, and when to trust yourself. In plain language, the book tells you all the things you never learned in school about building a design business, with as much consideration for the artistic and personal rewards as the financial. Far from trying to force designers to fit a cold, big-business model, Cooper-Bowen's approach has everything to do with knowing exactly who you are. She encourages directness, individuality, and honesty as the best tools for long-term success. She presents experience-based (as opposed to theoretical) outlines for business plans, marketing plans, prospecting, and sales: explicit, 1-2-3 checklists structure a process most of us approach intuitively. That structure can help you stay objective as you define your own strengths, weakness, and goals-one of the hardest tasks of entrepreneuring. These nuts-and-bolts proceedures are illustrated by case studies of actual studios, showing Cooper-Bowen's ideas in action. The situations and personalities sound very familiar, and the solutions may elicit a few sighs of relief from those who've been struggling to remake themselves in some corporate mold. Creative Marketing gives great attention to personal and written communication, an area in which many visual communicators tend not to shine. Her clear guidelines for good letter, telephone, and personal presentation, backed by relevant and convincing examples, set realistic goals for effectively polishing your own image. Although I have to admit that, as an editor, I wish the author had given her own text-particularly her punctuation-another round of revision, the content itself is unusually realistic, and so precisely tailored to its audience as to be well worth the small investment for any small studio owner who suspects they could be doing better. I wish I'd read a book like this-and taken its advice-when I was struggling to make my freelance business fly. (from Nancy Bernard, Managing Editor of Critique Magazine.)

4 comments about Edward Fella: Letters on America.

1. This book is mainly a photography book. There are pages after pages of lettering of "vernacular" typography. Interspersed are a few pages of hand-drawn lettering by the author. We're talking about 8-10 pages total of typography by Ed Fella himself. I would have preferred to see more of the author's own work with fewer photographic references.



2. Edward Fella's book of 1134 Polaroid shots of vernacular signs gives a flavor of what can be seen in most US public places, these are the roadside typographic shouts of local commerce. Because the business of America is business signs are everywhere, usually colorful and just asking to be captured by any passing photographer. To avoid looking like other photo books of public lettering and signage the author deliberately goes for a tight shot and most of the photos only show letter parts but as Lewis Blackwell says in his introduction, Fella is not interested in what the letters say.

   With the tight photo cropping and a dull layout (all the photo pages are the same: nine, three by three inch Polaroid's, including their white border, butted up to each other, no captions or page numbers) I think this ends up as a very boring looking but nevertheless intensely personal book of public typography. The best images are the ones that have been produced by sign makers, or are obviously commercially printed. Vernacular signs, where someone has painted or scrawled some letters, are mostly produced by amateurs, who given the choice (and money) would much prefer to have something that looked professional, where any repeat letters look identical, have even spacing and all sit on the same base line. Vernacular neon signs do not exist because they can only be made by professionals.

   Between the photos there are twelve sections showing the author's own creative typography, loosely based on the vernacular letters he has photographed and consequently showing the same amateurish feel and more critically in my view, a high degree of un-readability. This individuality to type is also reflected in the books production. The few text pages with two columns per page appear to have been pasted up so that paragraphs do not line up, the imprint page and the cover flaps have type that is deliberately unaligned This silly messing about with the text stops short of doing anything to the back cover barcode though, commerce wins in the end!




3. If I hadn't been so lazy, or thought this had been done already, or thought maybe no one would care to publish this, then I might have done this book myself a few years ago. I wanted to do something similiar but didnt.
   However, I don't think I would have done as good a job as Ed did here. This is NOT a bunch of random snaps. The continuity of the medium and the cropping are what makes this a discplined, artful and well-done study. Nice work , Ed!
   (So-follow your dreams like Ed did)



4. I love books like this. I bought it after seeing some of his Polaroids in a recent issue of Dazed and Confused Magazine. He photographs and collects letters the way some do rare birds. This beautifully designed and edited book reproduces over a thousand of his snapshots as well as examples of his own uniquely personal approach to typography. It's an amazing testament to all the unseen hands that have left a mark on the American landscape.