4 comments about Spectrum 2: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art.

1. The only one I missed (because of moving to the Netherlands). Happy to see a reprint finally of this book. The series is complete now (until next issue arrives of course). Every annual has been worth it and this one's no exception, even after 12 years!



2. This book with it's supurb collection of fantastic art comes to us reprinted from the 1995 edition of the same name. Here are 200 plus color illustrations from that era and cover the range from magazine covers, book dust jackets, or in many cases the book itself. Here are art works to illustrate stories or advertisements.
   
   Spectrum 2 has been long out of print, after all, Spectrum 13 should be in your book store soon, and Spectrum 14's entry forms are now available. Each issue of the annual tends to go out of print fairly quickly, and I suspect this reprint will also. If interested, I suggest ordering your copy fairly quickly.
   
   The mission of the organization is 'To promote the fantastic arts and provide an annual showcase for contemporary artists.' They have done a supurb job, not only with the annuals, but with museum exhibits and exhibits at shows around the country.



3. I have collected all but 1 of this great series and would have to say that this was probably my least favourite. My main issue is the lay out, with the size of a lot of the pictures being too small with lots of white space around them. I suppose it was only the second one in the series and they rectified this in later versions.
   
   That said, it still have some great art in it and I would recommend it to anyone interested in sci-fi art



4. Over 134 pages of full color glossy fantasy and sci fi artwork. The same high quality selection as the other spectrum series books. Has a digital work of "death" (Neil Gaiman's story character) and many popular book cover artists throughout.

No comments about Like Breath on Glass: Whistler, Inness, and the Art of Painting Softly (Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute).

5 comments about Three Trees Make a Forest.

1. Okay, my review title is a little sappy. But this collection of artwork is absolutely outstanding. Every page holds a little gem. Ronnie Del Carmen, Tadhiro Uesugi & Enrico Casarosa are design geniuses. This book does not disappoint.



2. Nice illustrations make this book a gem. It's nice to see a new breed of artist bringing a new twist to the 60's illustration period.



3. Not sure why all the hype. Perhaps that is why I expected huge but had to give it a four rating. Actually, some very beautiful, mysterious illustrations here by very talented artists.



4. Del Carmen, Uesugi and Tadahiro are the roots to the trees in this graphic rainbow of magic they have published. I only wish I could have seen the show it was from. I love the sensibility, the drawing, the passion and love you can feel in the intuitive glory of the work. Even if you are not an artist your mind will understand these three geniuses, and who they are as people.
   
   I recommend that every commercial artist have a copy next to their drawing tables, with the tea, open window and Autumn breeze. That is the mood this collection creates.
   It's worth your time, your money and your creative soul to enjoy Three Trees...
   ...when you get the book, look at it under a tree and relax and you'll see why I took time to write this review.
   As an artist, I am thrilled to own this work.
   
   -Gene D.



5. These illustrations are simply wonderful. This book is great for everyone who loves images, whether it be used as a coffeetable book or for inspiration for artists. I keep mine within an armslength of my desk.

No comments about Reclaimed: Paintings from the Collection of Jacques Goudstikker.

5 comments about Ghost Towns of Colorado (Pictorial Discovery Guide).

1. Definitely the best ghost towns book in CO. I have read few and this one is only one I had purchased some time ago. So far I did not seen any better. My husband and I traveled to every location listed in this book, I have taken the same pics you see in this book and all is the way this books describes and more! A must for history lovers and/or offroaders.



2. Provides some interesting information about the ghost towns. This book has more meat than many of the others I looked at. It really gives good background information about the ghost towns.



3. This is one of the best Colorado ghost town books I have seen, probably the best one. It does a good job of dividing Colorado up into specific areas that have many ghost towns to see. Then it divides those areas into principle sites and lesser sites. It gives you great driving directions and history of the towns. Overall, It is brilliantly put together.
   I wasn't even going to write this review if it weren't for some of the reviews below mine. They got it all wrong. There are many great ghost towns left in Colorado. The reviewer that says they are just towns with an empty building or two, obvoiusly didn't look very hard or travel very far from his home in greater Denver. He probably didn't even get out of his Chevy Cavalier to explore. Maybe ghost towns are not for city slickers who don't understand. Some of the best ghost towns in the book are not all that easy to get to. I guarantee you that he did not venture anywhere near Animas Forks, Crystal, Marble, Buckskin Joe, Gothic or many other picturesque Colorado ghost towns worthy of post cards or old westerns. Yes, there are a few towns in the book that still have inhabitants in or near them. But they are most likely listed due to their great history and amazing buildings that still stand (Leadville).
   I guarantee you that if you buy this book you will not be displeased. This book has the most wonderful pictures of ghost towns and Colorado history. I will also tell you from experience that you will not find a better Colorado ghost town book out there. This Author knows what he is doing, he has also written the best Arizona ghost town book available.



4. I found this book very interesting and informative as a Colorado resident and avid ghost towns explorer. The pictures are beautiful, and the maps and directions are helpful. I keep this book whenever I drive out of town.



5. For people thinking they might seek out these "ghost towns" be warned. The definition of "ghost town" for the purpose of this book seems to be a town that was once larger than it currently is that has an abandoned building or two somewhere near it. The examples from the book that I've gone to see are pretty much ghost-free small mountain towns filled with more than a few current non-ghost residents. The book makes things appear desolate, and exotic but, for what I've experience so far, it's painting a pretty romantic picture of nothing too exotic.

No comments about Cutting-Edge Patterns and Textures (Book & CD Rom).

5 comments about Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 (Chip Kidd).

1. After I picked up Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky, I happened to look at the cover-design credit and recognized the name Chip Kidd. After a moment's reflection as to the source of my familiarity with the designer, I walked over to my bookshelf and picked up a volume from my collection of Osamu Tezuka's Buddha. Sure enough, Kidd had designed the covers for the entire series (incidentally, I found the design one part frustrating and one part inspiring, as the spines line up nicely and thematically but the half-jacket is kind of obnoxious to deal with).
   
   After that, I went through my shelves and picked out any of the books that I thought had interesting covers. At least half of those were designed by Kidd as well. Kafka on the Shore. Pagan Babies. The Enigma of Japanese Power. Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans. Et cetera.
   
   I was intrigued, Googled our dear designer, and found that he was more popular than I had properly imagined. This piqued still further my curiosity. And so now I have another book with a cover designed by Kidd: Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006, a 400-page volume exhibiting a sample of his book-jacket designwork from the last twenty years.
   
   The book itself is a treasure. A visual smorgasbord of styles and themes. A veritable cornucopia of novel treatments. While there is an occasional overlap of feel or technique (or some other abstract quantification equally obscured and subjective), the breadth of design direction is truly impressive.
   
   Kidd is clearly a creative devil.
   
   And this collection of his work is impressively presented. Book One is a treat for both the eyes and the mind. While a mere presentation of the jacket designs themselves would be a worthwhile scheme for a design collection such as this, the work is elevated by helpful descriptions both of product and process by the creator himself as well as reactions penned by authors/victims of his creative process. Kidd's text shows both a joy in his work and a look into what goes into the crafting of a book jacket that enlarges upon the work it containsand does so with humour and more apparent humility than I would have expected.
   
   I found the book so interesting that I blew through the entire thing in two days. Doubtlessly, I'll return to it time and again over the coming months and years. In any case, I highly recommend it to those interested in thoughtful design, a pairing of words too rare in our day.
   
   NOTE: a big bone of contention is not the visual design of the volume's cover but its physical properties. While its dimensions are perfectly suitable for an art collection/coffee table read, the unique composition of its cover can be difficult to negotiate. The hardback cover only extends (front and back) to the point of the spine of the book photographed on the cover. Inside the hardback cover is a paperback cover that extends to house the rest of the book. It is awkward, certainly, and took a bit of getting used to, but once I became accustomed to the book, holding it comfortably ceased to be a difficulty. Heh, a book with a physical learning curvethat was a new one for me.



2. This is a great, great book. If you're a fan of Kidd's work, by all means buy this book. If you are at all interested in truly inspirational graphic design, this book is a must-have.
   
   PROS: having so many of Kidd's designs in one place is worth the price of admission, inclusion of the development and back story of each cover is interesting and elucidating, stories of his adventures in the trade are well-written and fun to learn about.
   
   CONS: the cover is awkward, the shape of the book makes it hard to hold while reading - you really have to put it on something flat - it's sometimes difficult to decipher exactly which pictures the captions are referencing.
   
   There is a definite form-over-function issue with the book, but the content is what counts - and that gets 5 stars from me without a quibble.



3. I HAD to buy this book after having read about it in another forum. Kidd's artworks are superb!



4. This book is bound with a split hardback/softback cover, so if you appreciate design -- which I assume you do since you're considering a compilation of book designs -- the book is worth buying for this odd cover arrangement alone.



5. This an excellent ,colorful book with very useful and informative comments,they are also humorous.Kidd mentions that he shows failed designs when he lectures to show that even a successful designer has failures.Unfortunately,in my opinion,the jacket for this volume falls in this category,its clever but not practical.because the cover is split in two parts its an irritation to hold and eventually the cover will be bent when laying down or storing in shelf.Still a must have in this genre.Now how about a Susan Mitchell collection?
   ps.i followed my advice and bought the hardcover .Amazing its even more unwieldy,the cover is half hard and half soft,yikes!I ended up buying the soft cover to keep and treat it very carefully ,was that the point of this nutty design?I guess this cover will enter the hall of fame and certainly will be a collectors item if its never opened.Argghh!!!

2 comments about Whose Muse?: Art Museums and the Public Trust.

1. With everything from motorcycles, cars, boats, Jackie O's clothes, Star Wars artifacts, elephant dung and more finding their way into the museum, this is probably a good time to examine just what the museum is and who it is for. Art Institute of Chicago director James Cuno has assembled a veritable who's who of major museum directors to hold forth on this topic. Taken together, the essays provide rare insight into how museums are being shaped in the 20th century. With sometimes surprising candor the directors make their case for how and why the museum is beholden to the public trust. A roundtable discussion at the book's end further amplifies the issues set forth in the essays. This is an important book.



2. This is a compilation of essays written by directors of major art museums: Cuno from the Art Institute of Chicago, De Montebello from the Met, Lowry from the MoMA, MacGregor from the British Museum, Walsh of the Getty in LA, and Wood, formerly of the AIC. Each addresses how museums can cultivate public trust in cultural institutions, the kinds of authority museums have, and how they should manage their responsibilities. MacGregor's essay was my personal favorite; it includes two amazing stories of how art proves to be valued for its emotional power during times of crisis (specifically on 9/11 and during WWII). Walsh offers suggestions as to how museums can offer its visitors a more genuine experience through curatorial choices and placement of lighting and seats. Lowry and De Montebello write about the relationship of the entertainment industry to museums. A very accessible, jargon-free text that is surprisingly interesting.

5 comments about Beautiful Losers.

1. ok- this book is pretty brilliant... despite the fact that the artwork included is a catalogue of some of the most important, interesting and (previously- time will tell??) underground /fringe dwelling artists and contemporary contributors in the last 25 or so years and that in itself is reason enough to love this book, you would be CRAZY not to read the essays... they are insane- so brilliant and you are not even touching the surface of this book unless you read them..
   if you have any interest in graf/ skating/ contempory artists / beautiful things / whats going down then youll love beautiful losers and regret very badly that you didnt get to see the exhibition...like i am now.



2. If you like street and pop art... I kindly raccomend this book to you!
   
   Peace and 420!



3. I ordered this book from Amazon as a graduation gift and it says that it will ship in 1-4 weeks. BEWARE! I placed my order in mid-May and received a third delay notice today saying that it will not ship until mid-August. BOLLOCKS!! I finally canceled my order, as my "happy graduation" note is no longer applicable and my guy will likely be in school for the fall semester by the time the book actually arrives.



4. Beautiful Losers exhibition is a document of an epoch centered on the twenty year history of street art and culture from the walls of urban landscapes across America to the walls of the dopest west and east coast galleries. Really great essays. Read the one by McCormick, its especially good. Well printed and designed. Everything in this book is imperative to know about if you are an artist, especially young artists in their formative years.



5. Its definately worth $25.17, or whatever price theyve stuck on it by now. Its includes pictures of, and interesting stories about a few of the Beautiful Losers aswell as full pages of artwork (in color). Its no picture book either, in addition to the stories, its got the histories of various subcultures that influenced the artists (skateboarding, graffiti, etc.) So it'll keep you busy for a minute.

5 comments about Pierre & Gilles: Double Je, 1976-2007.

1. If you're looking for art, move on.
   
   If you're looking for male beauty, move on.
   
   This book is over fifty percent kitschy photographs of women, by two gay guys with tattoos all over their bodies.
   
   The objectionable "post-modernism" of this book lies in its throwing everything in one heap together, Buddhism, Christianity, and pornography.
   
   The objectionable "kitsch" -- well, if you can't see that, I can't help you. All cultures are equal, and equally good. Especially when photographed with loud, vibrant colors and absurd sentimentalism.
   
   But all art is equal, and equally good?
   
   So bray the professors of today. Let's wait a century or two, and see who survives -- Praxiteles, or these guys?



2. I have always loved Pierre et Gilles, and this book is a wonderful retrospective of their work over the last 30 years. They are bequiling, daring, provocative, and all about love. A wonderful addition to any coffee table or bookshelf.



3. What to say about these guys. There work is just amazing. It's hard to flip through this book and not be provoked, entertained, and drawn into their unique and amazing art.
   
   Insanely great.



4. There are no words to describe the masterpiece. Nobody can miss this publication. Pure delight. Pierre et Gilles are my favorite contemporary artists.



5. This is outstanding. Breath-taking. I really have no more words. You have to taste it. The Best Taschen Book released this year so far.