No comments about America's Treasures at Bayou Bend: Celebrating Fifty Years.

1 comments about An American View: Masterpieces from the Brooklyn Museum.

1. With all of the negativity engendered of late throughout the world about the image of America and Americans, this book (a catalogue from the Brooklyn Museum) is as refreshing as a full-scale Thanksgiving turkey dinner. Based on the exhibition AMERICAN VIEW: MASTERPIECES FROM THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM, this beautifully designed and composed book traces American art from 1824 to 2005, the bulk of the contents of the exhibition and catalogue are from the nineteenth century. Written with great clarity by Teresa A Carbone (she even offers a concise chronology for the span of time the exhibition covers), the works of John Singleton Copley, Charles Wilson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, Asher B. Durand, Abbot Handerson Thayer, George Inness, Raphaelle Peale, Edward Hicks, John Singer Sargent and George Bellows are just a few of the artists whose background with illustrations are offered.
   
   Carbone wisely allows the bulk of this catalogue to let the images speak for themselves and the book is primarily composed of full-page reproductions with complementing commentary opposite the image. Strolling through this book is nostalgic, enriching, and rewarding. The publication of this tome could not have come at a better time when our psyches need a bit of positive input! Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 06

1 comments about Edward Hopper: The Watercolors.

1. When I read a book on a specific artist, I approach it from three different angles. I am an artist first and foremost, a graphic designer by profession, and employed by a library. This book ranks five stars in all three categories. It's usually pretty easy to find an art book with really good color reproductions or with really good text, but to find one such as this with both is a true find. The author's insightful and intelligent writing combined with the wonderful color reproductions really puts you right in Edward Hoppers world. It's also what makes this book an excellent addition to anyones collection!

No comments about The History of History in American Schools of Architecture 1865-1975 (Buell Center Books in American Architectural History).

5 comments about Rick Steves' Mona Winks.

1. I have found all of Rick Steves' books to be worth their weight in gold. You will save so much time and money by using them. However, as loaded with good information as this one is, I found it rather useless once in the museums because I couldn't peel my eyes off the art to look at a book!! The thought of pouring through a book spoiled the mood, so I never used it while in the museums. However, if you wanted to, this is the book for you.



2. This book is a great resource for anyone traveling to Europe who plans to visit any museums.



3. I just used this book in Paris and Rome and do not recommend it. Maybe it is already outdated, I don't know, but it was nearly impossible to follow through the museums. And then if and when I did find the thing he was talking about I didn't care for the flip comments about the artwork. (I know he's trying to be funny, but I would have appreciated some more basic information on things. I found myself trying to read museum cards just to find out how old some of the works were!) Also, it really gave no additional information over what was in the regular Rick Steves travel books but added just one more not particularly helpful book to the luggage.



4. Quick, easy, painless guide to museums in Europe. Forget the drawn out and expensive audio guides. Great book.



5. I travel for art and frankly, this book was a big disappointment. I expected practical tips and got only a few. What I also got, much to my surprise was a dumbed down sister wendy approach to art-now class, look at this part of the statue and think this. This is not insider information, and to suggest that we should look at art with these descriptions in hand is extremely offensive. If you want to enjoy these museums, get the practical details in hand-a section, by the way, which I found amateur hour, and leave this puppy at home.

   I have toured just about all these museums, and these guys miss some outstanding parts of, for example, the British Museum. I grant you that the Louvre is impossible-and if this book helps some people at least get in the door perhaps it has a function. I will say the city walking tours are quite wonderful, but personally, I would never follow this guys tour of the Orsay, except perhaps for directions to the food. This book is an excellent example of fools going where angels fear to tread. You do not need this level of detail to tour the Rodin-it is easily accessible. Use this book if you must have detail to enjoy art (in other words you care who Rodin's last mistress was) but please form your own relationship with the works you see. Most children can do this without a guidebook-for goodness sake give yourself some credit, take a deep breath, and walk in the door, sans guidebook. You do not need a party planner, particularly a second rate party planner, now do you?!

No comments about Painted Ladies: Women at the Court of Charles II.

1 comments about Colombia Panoramica CD-ROM.

1. I bought two of these panoramic CD's of the country of Colombia for two friends who grew up in Bogotá. They were ecstatic! One said she could show her husband (American) all the places she'd like to take him on their next trip home! It is better than a coffee-table book because it's compact, light weight, has big photos on computer screen and you can look for the area you want to see. I'd give it an "A!"

1 comments about Objects of Culture: Ethnology and Ethnographic Museums in Imperial Germany.

1. This book, based on the author's doctoral thesis, is an excellent exploration of the development of ethnographic museums in Germany. These museums originally evolved from scattered ethnographic collections. They were developed and funded as a result of competition between different municipal governments. Originally the stated purpose of such institutions was to understand man kind by collecting exhaustive examples of material culture from "disappearing" societies with a view to understanding them through evaluating these materials. Later there was more of a focus on the public nature of museums and how certain types of displays could make human variation more accessible to the public. One major change was from typological arrangements to geographically oriented arrangements. Display cases went from being packed with examples of spears from a variety of cultures to thoughtful arrangements of objects from a single culture. He discusses problems such as lack of space, need for more labels and the focus on accumulating more and more objects at the expense of cataloging or evaluating them. He gives numerous interesting examples of political strife and also how collecting was carried out in the field in the colonial context including a descriptions of some less than ethical collectors. Overall, for someone who is interested in this topic, this is an excellent book which held my interest throughout.

No comments about William and Henry Walters, the Reticent Collectors.

No comments about Theodore Chasseriau: The Unkown Romantic.