2 comments about Fetish & Fetters: A Selection of Art Work by The Hun.

1. I have a problem with this book: I do not like Hun's style. I find his men too raw, unfinished. They have this barbaric faces I do not find sexy but ugly.
   
   This aside, I can find no fault with his drawings: Hun surely knows his job, has his own personal drawing style and is able to convey the sexy situations he has in mind. His men are not only huge but dirty, rough and involved in extremely hot acts.
   
   The similarity to Tom of Finland is very superficial.
   
   This is why the five stars: I do not like his art but I can find no fault in it.



2. Bill "The Hun" Schmeling has been pushing us to our limits artistically for over 30 years. His vision of men echoes that of the late Tom Of Finland, in that enormously exaggerated physiques with outrageously proportioned genitalia threaten or face peril on every page. Fluids spew, sweat flies, lips leer. This is danger in pen and ink.
   
   But there is something else at work here. Collected among the more than 100 images are perilous situations and the men are frequently at the edge in their playing, but The Hun's work often carries a wickedly subversive sense of humor. If you read the captions on the "walls" of some of these drawings, you'll find a delightfully (and I mean this in the most complimentary of fashions) sick mind at work, with a host of bad puns and backwoods humor. It makes for some strange juxtapositions in a book filled with so many images of terror and pain.
   
   Probably one of the most exciting things about The Hun's work is that it runs right up against taboo items and slams into them with no holds barred. There are scenes here that will cause you to question exactly why these images stimulate you, because they are most certainly NOT politically correct. If The Hun can keep you at the edge of your seat now, as he has through four decades, then you know exactly why "Fetishes And Fetters" is such an essential, must have book.

No comments about Atelier Le Tallec: Hand Painted Limoges Porcelain (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Ceramics in America 2004 (Ceramics in America).

No comments about The Loves of Poets.

2 comments about Shelley Tea Ware Patterns.

1. Though a little expensive, this book is a "must have" resource for any Shelley collector. As an avid collector myself, I use this book on a daily basis and have found it to be 99.99% accurate on patterns and descriptions. It does appear that the dollar value placed on items may be a little high, but that may be due to the fact the author lives in England and her values in pounds need to be "translated" into current dollar equivalency. Highly recommended resource for a Shelley collector!



2. This is a great reference book for Shelley china collectors. It shows pattern shapes, pattern numbers and color photos of the hundreds of Shelley tea sets. Great for a beginning collector or for someone who wants
   to catalog their collection. Also,it gives the history of the Shelley company from 1860 to its end in 1966. I like this reference book the best of all the Shelley books I have collected.

4 comments about The Complete Practical Potter: A Comprehensive Guide to Ceramics, with Step-by-Step Projects and Techniques.

1. This book is quite informative. The same book appears to be available in a smaller (and much cheaper!) version titled "The Practical Potter". [My full review is at isbn 1843092069.] However the print is smaller, so if that will bother you, get this physically larger edition.



2. This is a great easy-to-read overview for anyone who is beginning to work in pottery. It covers all of the main areas of clay - from the wheel to slab with wonderful photos and clear language. Great projects are suggested with complete instructions. It's well worth the price!



3. What a GREAT book! For the accomplished to the beginning potter, this book is so very informative. With great new ideas, twists on some old ideas and the wonderful step-by-step projects, you'll find this book in your hands again and again. FABULOUS color pictures and written in down-to-earth english. An essential to any potter!



4. I am a starter for pottery and I find this book really COMPLETE and PRACTICAL! It covers everything: from handbuilding, throwing to glazing, firing... It also has beautiful colored picture of samples. I believe it is very useful and I don't need another book on pottery for a couple of years.

No comments about Francis Alys: The Modern Procession.

No comments about Tonal Values: How to See Them, How to Paint Them.

1 comments about Ceramica y Cultura: The Story of Spanish and Mexican May�lica.

1. This book is one of the most complete sources on this ceramic ware, which came from Spain with the Conquest and continues today in the center of Mexico.

5 comments about Calligraphy and Illumination: A History and Practical Guide.

1. Being a newcommer to calligraphy and illumination, I was looking for a book that covered both. Reviews I read here, and suggestions from others steered me to this book. I love the book for the amount of history it covers, the details on how to write each hand, how the hands progressed, and the wealth of information it covers on gold illumination, heraldry, even how paper is made is wonderful. If you want to make your own gesso sizing for gold illumination, it provides the recipe. It even covers how to make a little money from your calligraphic skills.
   
   My only disappointment comes in the lack of detailed information in the various styles of illumination. It gives you a couple of projects to illuminate and paint, and it gives good information on choosing basic paint colors. It even describes egg tempera mixtures so you can mix your own paints. But it does not give you information on the various historical styles of decorative work, such as the vine/ivy style, knotwork, or other styles, or even how to apply your paints in what order. For that, you will have to look elsewhere, as I am trying to do.



2. This book is the #1 book in my scribal library. I only wish I hadn't waited so long to get it.
   
   It not only talks about the technique in lettering, but it has examples of the hand from period in full color photos. It has how to make the tools, be it a quill or a reed pen, with step by step photos! It talks about which tool is used for which hand. It has step by step instructions on Illumination as well, including guilding! There is more about how the paper or parchment is made, the inks and paints.
   
   But it's not just for the Medieval Scribe, it also has some instruction and projects for using calligraphy for making cards, bookmarks and little booklets for modern use or gifts.
   
   This book is worth every penny for a scribe of -any- level.



3. Without a doubt, this is the best book on calligraphy and illumination ever in print, and the chapters on heraldry are as detailed and lucid as any other text devoted solely to that subject. Whether you are interested in this book to learn calligraphic technique or simply desire it for coffee-table 'eye candy,' you will be genuinely pleased with your purchase.



4. I *LOVE* this book. It is a gorgeous hardcover, which puts to shame many skimpy books at the same price (or much higher). The directions are clear and explicit, covering virtually every aspect of this exquisite art.

   In addition to all the basic essentials of illuminated calligraphy (including in depth descriptions and directions for gilding), this even includes explicit directions for coats of arms and similar heraldry -- which is very often an important part of illuminated calligraphy, but which I've never before seen addressed in print, much less with such detailed descriptions and explicit directions. (It not only relates the components of the coat of arms, but what they're based on, how to have one designed and assigned if your family history doesn't include a "legal" one, etc. -- as well as how to decorate this for illuminated calligraphy.) From how to make essential paint mixtures (color, fish glue, or whatever) to how to make the decorations, this book includes everything. The pictures are beautiful, the text is priceless, the directions are invaluable, etc. -- for anyone seriously interested in illuminated calligraphy, this book would be worth many times its modest cost -- and, I never expected to describe 29.95 as a "modest cost", but that really seems to apply to this book when I compare it with other books on the subject.




5. I'm a long-time calligrapher. This book is a must have for any calligrapher. Not only does it cover all the basics, such as materials, historical alphabets, layout, etc, but also covers Illumination, including gilding and Heraldry, including how to design and paint a coat of arms and touches on Copperplate and handwriting, something not usually found in a calligraphy reference manual. My favorite chapter is on "Working to Commission", which is VERY practical.

   The book is very easy to read, and quite enjoyable. I read it from cover to cover like a novel. The author did such a good job summarizing all the important details of each subject. The text is heavily supported by wonderful illustrations, from ranging sources as medieval manuscripts to modern calligrapher's work. Each "hand" is laid out with the keystrokes, and organized by "key features".

   A must have for all calligraphers, beginners and masters included!