No comments about Paul Mccarthy: Brain Box, Dream Box.

1 comments about Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works.

1. This book is an excellent historical reference on Henry Chapman Mercer and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works. Many fine photos accompany very informative writing.

1 comments about Throwing Pots (Ceramics Handbooks).

1. I first took this book out of the library, but after wearing out the pages, I decided to buy my own copy. It is logical in its progression of explanations from centering the clay to teapots. The pieces shown in color photography are delicious and gave me lots of ideas for developing my own pots etc. It is short but parallels the descriptions by the teacher in the course I am taking. You will not go wrong with this purchase. It is short which is great too, so it is not overwhelming.

No comments about Porcelain Stories: From China to Europe.

No comments about The World of Wade Ireland.

No comments about Daniel Buren: Prospettive (BSI Art Collection Lugano).

3 comments about Pin Ups (TASCHEN Icons Series).

1. Pin-ups, by well known publisher of erotica and photo books Taschen, contains generally well scanned and well printed covers of 40's and 50's mens magazines: Wink, Eyeful, Titter, Flirt. And some content from interior pages.
   
   However, Taschen has badly cropped most of the cover images. Many of the images have ~30% of the image area missing. It's been cut off!. Rather than adding extra white space around the images so that the book will offer a good viewing experience, they are run into the binding!
   
   Avoid this poor edition! Instead I suggest The book: The Great American Pin-up.



2. This is for the pin-up artist fan and for anyone curious about the ages of yore. These aren't nudes - they are pretty much just pin-up paintings or little silly skits of women in bikinis or underwear or props hiding the vitals, looking and acting sexy, but coming over more like a housewife who thinks it's all silly. A modern bikini magazine with the models flirting their heat is far more sexy ... Overall: black and white pictures, pin-up covers. ...

   Actually I found it interesting that one lady hammered together a scooter out of office furniture casters and wood; and Betty Paige is in a silly skit riding a scooter that looks like the ancestor of today's hot new inline aluminum crazes. ...

   Mediocre. For the fans of older artwork and tame pin-up photos, and for photo buffs who like looking back into the past to see just how much like today people were back then - some things considered.




3. When I saw this book, I was expecting (and hoping) to see only pin-up art, and that is all I saw when I quickly browsed through it. However in a more thorough look through, this book is an equal mix of pin-up art and pin-up photography from the 40s and 50s.

   The book starts off with a brief history of pin-up magazines in the US during the 40s and 50s. In the usual Taschen style, it is given in English, German and French.

   The magazines covered in the book are Wink, Eyeful, Beauty Parade, Flirt and Titter. Each magazine is allocated a section in the book, and start of with full pages replications of some magazine covers, then some black and white pictorials with extremely corny captions. The pictorials are by todays standards tame, and there is almost no nudity.

   Pin-ups was worth my while just for the pin-up art, but the pictorials, I thought were not my cup of tea, although it did give me some sort of insight into glamour of the 40s and 50s.

1 comments about Windows and Mirrors: Interaction Design, Digital Art, and the Myth of Transparency (Leonardo Books).

1. First, this book in not a novel.
   
   Second, some reviewers miss the subtle points raised in this text. Perhaps if unfamiliar with the theoretical bases to the discussion--and it should be mentioned that the theory informing this discussion is acknowledged at the outset, but pointedly left aside in favour of practice--one might, in fact, not grasp the extent of the points raised here.
   
   For example, it is rather beside the point that the discussion surrounds various installments at SIGGRAPH 2000--this should not be taken as an indication of an out-dated approach, as, again, some readers might be apt to think. In fact, what the authors discuss are the more generic (as in genre) questions and that digital art and design prompt, not to mention those raised by the historical and social imperatives "embedded" in a media-saturated culture like ours.
   
   The use of metaphors like windows and mirrors might be a bit too cute and/ or convenient, and the writing itself tends toward the over-simple and somewhat plodding (to the extent that some readers might wonder whether, a writer declaring a preference for a non-theoretical text is an excuse for a prose style targeted toward highschoolers). This is, of course, in spite of the writers' apparent desire to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.
   
   So, yes, the book is easy to read, and while this shouldn't take away from its overall impact, I think it can. IN other words, by writing for a wider, less theoretically-inclined audience, the authors may irk those who fail to grasp the bigger issues this book reflects. This, they do even while excluding (potentially) those looking for something more outwardly sophisticated and capable of sustaining a place in the discourse from which Bolter and Gromala both come.
   
   All in all, however, Bolter and Gromala have brought us an interesting and thought provoking discussion that contextualizes digital design within the larger realm of the computer and its future as both a visible and an invisible medium of human (ironic, get it?) expression.

2 comments about The Tile Decorating Book: Designing and Hand-Painting Tiles : A Practical Guide.

1. This book overflows with colorful, instructive step by step photos that help ANYONE create gorgeous and unique tiles for anywhere in the house or as great gifts. The many ideas range from stenceling your own tiles, making tabletops and planters, to making bedheads. The book also has a helpful history on tiles and a section on templates. I was given this book as a gift and, as an artist, have treasured it as the best gift I've ever received!



2. This is a good book for both beginner and experienced tile users. The historical information about different types of tiles and their origins is interesting. Many of the decorative ideas were new to me, such as the mosaic bed and door panels. The photographs of tile-working tools and techniques are especially helpful. The patterns from projects shown in the book are included, and are a definite bonus.

No comments about Divisionism/Neo-Impressionism: Arcadia & Anarchy.