1 comments about The Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints.

1. A truly outstanding publication, the two-volume work stands as a monument to the Japanese art of woodblock print that has so captured the imagination of artists and collectors alike in the past 400 years.
   
   Volume I contains the meat of the book. Broadly divided into three historical periods - the Edo Period (1603-1868), the Meiji Period (1868-1912), and the Late Meiji to Taisho eras (early 1900-1926), the volume shares with readers numerous insightful articles written by scholars, from both sides of the Pacific Ocean, on Japanese history and arts, covering topics ranging from the origin of the woodblock prints, the various forms of prints (Ukiyo-e, Nagasaki-e, Sumo prints, etc.), seminal and landmark publishers of these masterpieces, to collecting and preserving woodblock prints. Last of which was particularly helpful since it brought up things to consider in collecting Ukiyo-e prints (quality, condition, and rarity) and the ways to discern originals prints from reproductions - though short in its coverage, it nevertheless highlights mistakes that casual collectors make on purchasing prints from shops and, especially, from on-line sources such as eBay. This volume also has many wonderfully reproduced woodblock prints.
   
   Volume II (a thinner 180-page volume) provides further useful information. Contained within the volume are a 93-page glossary of print artists (including designers, illustrators, and collectors) and woodblock print terms, artist index in conjunction with lineage charts with information on major schools of print designers and their teacher/student relationships, artist signature facsimiles which can be used to identify artist's name on the print, censor seals, publisher seals, and an extensive and excellent bibliography.
   
   The book is truly impressive in its breadth of coverage. As a novice to the world of Japanese woodblock prints, the two-volume work serves me well as an excellent introduction to this splendid art form. Any serious students of the subject will be well served to have this publication in their library. Although Amazon gives a generous discount to the book, it is still a fairly pricey item. If you don't want to purchase a copy, you can still marvel its contents by getting a copy from your local library (mostly likely via their interlibrary loan program). Either way, you will not be disappointed.

5 comments about Phaidon Design Classics (3 Volume Set) (Design Classics).

1. this set is absolutely terrific the items shown in all 3 volumes are perfectly described and the photos addded to each of them gives you perfect view of the thing described - not only the contents of each entry is very precisely formulated and does not cantain many mistakes but you can also see that the form of each entry fits to what is described
   
   I recommend this set to everyone with no exception - it gives you much pleasure and also will learn you more about things you were using for ages but didn't know how they came into their existence and who created them



2. Same as the case for a couple of other reviewers, this product was broken and banged up when it arrived because it was poorly packed. One later reviewer said their's was packaged quite well and perhaps Amazon had learned their lesson; well they hadn't. Although a full refund is promised, it'll still be a hassle to take to a shipping drop-off. It's hard to believe that a virtual business depending 100% on 3rd party shippers doesn't know how to pack merchandise, particularly a product with a history of shipping issues documented on it's own web site. I'll buy the replacement at Barnes and Noble where I can make sure the merchandise isn't damaged before I pick it up.



3. The 3 books are nice. They include a lot of designs that span a good time range. There is a picture or 2 and a description for each of the designs that are in the book.
   
   The books can be tough to carry around (they are a bit heavy), and the carrying case that comes with the set can be easily broken when you try to get it open to take the books out.
   
   I recommend this 3 book set to anyone who is interested in design of products ranging from things like cars, planes, trains, to pencils, chairs, and the GameBoy. For a total of 999 Industrial Designed products.



4. Please beware, This package will reach you with the case for the books broken. Yes, this book set comes with a plastic case, when they send it to you it breaks in transit. I should know they sent it to me twice. When i asked to have the case sent alone, I received an automated reply that had nothing to do with my question. Maybe you will have better luck!



5. Excellent overview of some of the best designed contemporary objects - even includes some everyday items that at first thought would not rate, however in the context of the books certainlay deserve to do so (e.g. Bic crystal pen).
   
   A must for anyone interested in design.

5 comments about I Bought Andy Warhol.

1. Being an artist, I really got a charge out of seeing the buyers' side of the art world.
   
   Andy Warhol is my favorite artist so, needless to say, the title caught my eye and I HAD to buy it. The book reminded me of little boys who buy and trade baseball cards. It's made the business side of the art world less threatening and more fun.
   
   I found this book well written and a very enjoyable read.



2. I've been on an Andy Warhol kick lately; I go through cyclical periods where I review his Diaries and read a book or two written about Warhol. This was my latest find and it was very enjoyable, with a novel premise: Polsky's story is about his pursuit of buying an Andy Warhol painting. Polsky recounts meeting Warhol briefly in 1986, shortly before Warhol's death, when he purchased a "minor" Warhol painting (one of the "$" paintings). With engaging prose, Polsky details the ups and downs of the art market in the 1990s. I have to admit that some of Polsky's anecdotes and comments about the art world's top dealers and celebrated artists were embarrassing. It somehow gets tied together nicely, though, as the ever elusive Warhol masterpiece darts in and out of Polsky's hands.



3. Alhthough Polsky has some interesting insights on the art market, they are relatively few, and are separated by numerous pointless anecdotes and even more pointless details. For example, in describing a visit to a colleague staying at an upscale Manhattan hotel, Polsky writes that (in case he wanted to stay there in the future) he decided to ask a few questions of the concierge, "a moderately attractive young lady, who was wearing a very businesslike skirt, jacket, silk blouse, and matching bow." (p. 208). Why exactly does it matter that the concierge was "moderately attractive"? So we can gauge how excited Polksy was? So the reader can decide whether he or she would rather stay at a hotel where the concierges are more than "moderately" attractive? Notably, Polsky then does not even have any questions for the concierge -- so it appears that the whole event was not designed to give him an opportunity to find out if he'd want to stay there in the future (as he claims), but simply so he can decide how "attractive" the concierge is. The book abounds in such pointless detail. The author comes across as self-impressed to an extraordinary degree, and while his occasional insights on the art world are interesting, the reader must suffer through a remarkable amount of banal detail. Not recommended.



4. I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction because I find at times the text to be dry and boring but I was so pleasantly surprised when I read this book! As a student of art history, I knew very little about the actual dealings that go on behind closed doors in galleries and auction houses, so this book was a wonderful eye-opener. This is not just a book about Polsky's quest to purchase his own Warhol but it is about the crazy personalities and deals that go on in the art world.
   
   This is a great book that gives a lot of information on Warhol himself and the kind of struggle one might face if thinking of buying a contemporary art piece. A must read for any art enthusiast!



5. Don't worry if you're not an art aficionado. Regardless of whether there's a Warhol - or a crush-velvet Elvis - hanging behind your own couch, this book is a fantastic read. Richard Polsky has written a brutally honest and, at times, hilarious assessment of what goes on behind the scenes in the high-stakes, high drama

1 comments about Studios by the Sea: Artists of Long Island's East End.

1. This is a beautiful book, with great shots of the studios of different artists. The studios are as different
   from each other as the artists are themselves. It has given me great inspiration in designing my own
   studio.

2 comments about Departed Angels: The Lost Paintings.

1. This is a remarkable work about a remarkable artist - a real eye opener and worth every penny



2. The text and paintings here are revealing of Keroauc's soul as an artist tho without doubt his greatest paintings were done with words... and the numerous paintings and drawings reflect talent... however, most of the off the cuff pencil drawings are cartoonish and at times viewable for no more than 10 seconds. One thing he could rarily get right was a person's face, particularly the nose...very weird... The writer's pedantic analysis of Kerouac's work is alright at first particularly in setting the historical artistic context for modernist American painting, but begins to wear..and his assessment of Kerouac's work is inflated...There is no doubt Kerouac took his painting seriously. Paintings like The Eagle, the Ghost over Lowell at tenament dusk, the abstract paintings, the Clothesline, the woman with guitar and the pencil drawing of Buddha are all accomplished works..really quite surprising! (I would have liked to have seen his painting of Charlie Parker..but that is not in this collection). This book is recommended because, for once in the last ten years, we have some new insight into the man and his artistic vision.

2 comments about The Power of Icons: Russian and Greek Icons 15th-19th Century.

1. Lovely book. Lavish with illustrations. Perfect for what I wanted.



2. This is one of the best books on the subject to have been published in recent years. It is very informative and well written - there are one or two minor spelling mistakes, but that does not affect the overall quality. So many books are repetetive and pedestrian that it is refreshing to find one which covers so much including the history of the thought behind the Icon as well as technical details. If anyone only wants two or three books on the Icon this should be one of them.

1 comments about Roman Art from the Louvre.

1. Cecile Giorire and Daniel Roger's ROMAN ART FROM THE LOUVRE covers the Roman art works at the Louvre, a huge collection of objects, and accompanies a traveling exhibition organized by the Louvre. Any in-depth art library specializing in antiquities will appreciate the detail, which blends photos of each piece with extensive background history covering both artistic focus and developments and general historical background. The scholarship is exquisite: any college-level collection strong in Roman history or art will relish it.

1 comments about Wayshowing: A Guide to Environmental Signage Principles and Practices.

1. Fun book about environmental and installation design and graphics. Author is particularly fond of Swiss design and the best practice examples bend toward this aesthetic. A dash of diversity would be great in WayShowing v2. Mollerup nails the practical idea of symbolic vocabulary and designing language independent information.

5 comments about First Four Hundred : New York and the Gilded Age.

1. For those of us who are not overly familiar with NYC in the Gilded Age, Jerry Patterson's book is a wonderful introduction. In the book, he covers noteworthy personalities such as Mr. Brown, the Grace Church warden, Ward McAllister, the writer of the list that included the first four hundred, and briefly gives an introduction to Caroline Astor, leader of NYC Society. Many customs, traditions, and amusements of this lavish era are described. Overall, the book is very engrossing and informative.



2. Caroline Astor, unlike Alva Belmont,was not a racist.Mrs Astor's values about race became the moral standard in New York and Newport high society until Alva Belmont reduced the standard. Belmont was the daughter of an Alabama cotton planter. "I was a natural dictator," Belmont wrote of herself. "I enjoyed nothing so much as tyrannizing over the little slave children on my father's cotton plantation." Patterson could have devoted a chapter to attutudes about race in the Gilded Age. This book is well written. I highly recommend this book.



3. Caroline Astor, unlike Alva Belmont,was not a racist.Mrs Astor's values about race became the moral standard in New York and Newport high society until Alva Belmont reduced the standard. Belmont was the daughter of an Alabama cotton planter. "I was a natural dictator," Belmont wrote of herself. "I enjoyed nothing so much as tyrannizing over the little slave children on my father's cotton plantation." Patterson could have devoted a chapter to attutudes about race in the Gilded Age. This book is well written. I highly recommend this book.



4. The book misses the personality differences between Caroline Astor and Alva Belmont. Caroline Astor could likely be reincarnated in today's Queen Elizabeth II. Alva Belmont could likely be reincarnated in today's Leona Hemsley.



5. This is a lovely and attractive book with wonderful pictures and even a listing of the complete "400." I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the Gilded Age in NYC. Also, you might want to join this yahoo group to discuss it further: [URL]

4 comments about The California Pop-Up Book.

1. Now I know why I love California so much - this pop-up book tells it all! Well worth the money.



2. Even with lack of proper stereoscopic vision, due to serious lazy eye, the figures appear vivid and dimensional. The book includes a set of postcards that may be sent to taunt the less fortunate who haven't witnessed the wonders herein.



3. As a California historian and author of the book: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MISCELLANY, I found this California pop-up to be a charmingly fun novelty book to share when company comes over.



4. The book looks like it might just be a decorative coffee table item, but the content belies that impression. The pop-ups are fun and attractive, but the real story is in the choice of objects and the writing. The selections speak to the myth of California that was consciously created by early explorers, developers, and movie moguls but became its own reality as people migrated to the state ready to play the roles the myth-makers created for them. In exposing the history through objects and some remarkable writing by such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Carolyn See, Graham Nash, Alice Waters, Terry Gilliam, and Richard Rodriguez, the pre-mythic history and the development of a true California culture emerges...one in which the tinsel is a little tarnished around the edges, but glows as brightly as ever with its own special light.