No comments about Miller's Antiques Checklist: Porcelain (Miller's Antiques Checklists).

5 comments about Modern Fiesta: 1986-Present.

1. I was expecting a lot more info on the products and did not expect as much personal information on the author.



2. I find Schiffer collector books in general to be amateurish and of poor quality and this one is no exception. Many of the photos suffer from unprofessional lighting, rendering the supposed colors unrecognizable. There are also numerous typos, and the writing style is more of a personal narrative than a factual account. Some people might find this chatty style appealing but I find it distracting. I also don't think we need so much coverage of the "artistry of John Parry," especially of his jewelry. I'm sure he was a very nice man, but I think this info would have been better put at the end of the book as an appendix rather than in the front. Most people buy collector books in order to readily identify and price their items--the biographical information, and the stuff about "morgue" items is interesting, but shouldn't take up so much space. I recommend the next edition go more in-depth on the officially licensed go-along items, as these are more likely to be encountered by the average collector than some of the more obscure decaled lines that have pages written about them.



3. I found the book to be insightful and full of a plethora of information that experienced and new collectors could use. It is a worth while edition to any fiesta library. I also was thrilled to see the paintings of artist Philip Carroll in the book and on the back cover of paintings using fiesta. What a wonderful concept!



4. I was very pleased w- this book! I have been a Fiesta collector for several years & found this book not only extremely informative, but a very useful tool too. The writing is superb! This book carries current values for lilac, sapphire, & other HTF pieces. Because post 86 Fiesta is currently in production & "readily available", I understand that it is impossible to put values on anything else. I was especially fascinated & intrigued with the many great pictures, espeically of the rare & morgue pieces. Overall, this book is the best post 86 book on the market; it is definitely a must have for any collector!!!



5. I was very pleased w- this book! I have been a Fiesta collector for several years & found this book not only extremely informative, but a very useful tool too. The writing is superb! This book carries current values for lilac, sapphire, & other HTF pieces. Because post 86 Fiesta is currently in production & "readily available", I understand that it is impossible to put values on anything else. I was especially fascinated & intrigued with the many great pictures, espeically of the rare & morgue pieces. Overall, this book is the best post 86 book on the market; it is definitely a must have for any collector!!!

3 comments about Staffordshire Animals: A Collector's Guide to History, Styles, and Values.

1. This book is well worth the money if you are an avid collector of Straffordshire pieces. Many detailed photographs, identifiying marks and interesting history make this book a must for your collection. Highly recommend.



2. In words of one syllable, YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK! As the owner of an antiques business and one who sells Staffordshire figures, I endorse this book without reservation. Narrowing the subject to one category of Staffordshire collecting and an in-depth study makes this reference text as unique as Adele Kenny's other books and numerous articles that have been published in widely circulated periodicals like The Antiques News, Antiques & Auction News, and Carter's Antiques & Collectables (Australia). This is MUCH more than the usual Stafforshire picture book (although the hundreds of illustrations are marvelous). The presentation is wonderful, the book design and quality are superior, and the content is without equal. Staffordshire Animals is destined to become a standard reference in the field.



3. This specialized and comprehensive reference book is a must-have for collectors and dealers! Unlike those large and unwieldy "catalogs" of little more than picture after picture, Kenny has included interesting amd informative text that provides invaluable insights into pottery making in Staffordshire as well as a substantial sampling of illustrations. Suggested values give an accurate sense of current, and rising, market. Kenny's book is well-organized and beautifully presented. Her writing style is intelligent, lively, and very reader-friendly. If you love Staffordshire figures, you'll love this book!

4 comments about Mosaic Workshop: A Guide to Designing & Creating Mosaics.

1. As a relatively new mosaicist, I own several hardcover books by the well-known international artists. This is becoming my favorite. I often go to it to revisit a certain technique, or mosaic for inspiration or review, just to find myself rereading whole sections. When you are working on a new project, the perspective with which you read changes to accomodate the current work. The data on the page is the same, but you synthesize it in a new way. Because there is so much depth to the design aspects in this book, its like reading a new book each time. If I had to pick just one of my current books, this would be it.



2. I have acquired quite a few mosaic books and written reviews for them on Amazon, and although all of them are useful to some extent, this mosaic book has really impressed me! There are many photos of absolutely gorgeous mosaic designs which follow a more traditional style, using only tiles and not other objects such as rocks, shells, marbles, etc., like you find in some mosaic books. The designs are exquisite in color and workmanship as well. There are many "gallery" items which are examples of professional work, and there are quite a few featured projects with a form of instructions called "Method Tips" which, rather than giving explicit step-by-step instructions, give instructions with advice, suggestions and options for color, materials, positioning, etc. Because of this, and because the designs are rather sophisticated and complex, this is not a mosaic book for beginners. However, truly motivated beginners could get started trying out a couple of the simpler projects.

   Besides the gorgeous designs, this book is impressive in its extensive teaching about design, light, color, contrast, background, and several methods of laying mosaic. I get the feeling I'm in the hands of a skillful and professional mosaicist, and that this is a book to be studied to gain useful insight for building my own skills. These are not designs for someone to quickly throw together; rather this book is an excellent resource for serious mosaicists.




3. If you want to learn about mosaic, this is a good book. Many ilustrations help you to understand how easy is create a mosaic.



4. Wow - this is an amazing book that explores colour, tone, texture and technique in sufficient detail with great photos to match. Excellent for inspiration and learning the finer points of the mosaic art but not really suited for beginners. It only loses a star because the format is not the easiest to follow even though it is well laid out, and at first glance, it doesn't appear to be a workbook. But mosaic afficienados should really include this book on their "must-have" list, if not for the photos alone. Definitely recommended.

No comments about Delftware: History of a National Product..

1 comments about The Art of Mitch Byrd Volume One.

1. Mitch Byrd isn't the typical SQP Glamour/pin-up artist. If there's one guy who really seems to be out to create a unique niche for himself it's Byrd. Mitch got his start in comics working first for Malibu comics before working for DC on Guy Gardner: Warrior and Starman, for Marvel on Generation X, and later for a variety of other publishers on such characters as Shi, Predator, and Lady Death. Byrd has shown he has the talent to work in any genre from horror to fantasy, to sci-fi, to crime and superhero, and, it seems, basically anything under the sun.
   
   This book represents an overall sampling of Mitch's art from all of these genres. The Byrd woman isn't the svelte, supermodel type you're probably used to seeing in most of the great books from SQP. Mitch's women are curvy, buxom, and full of attitude, fully looking as if they'd just be as happy to punch out your lights as have a drink with you. To me his work reminds me a bit of Richard Corben, slightly in style but more in attitude.
   
   Check page 14 with a wonderful jungle drawing of a great ape striding through some ancient ruins as a large-hipped, and very nude woman looks on with a startled expression. The work conjures up the feel of those old 30's and 40's jungle action pulp magazines. Another pure Byrd piece is the one on page 35 that features a nude woman lying seductively as a comedic, squat, Hindu man can barely contain his glee as he strokes her legs.
   
   The Byrd woman is fearless as evidenced by the drawings on pages 29 & 59. The first showing a female warrior fighting off a hulking minotaur and the second showing a nude female about to battle a gigantic, coiled snake. Strange aliens, voracious beasts, powerful heroes, treacherous villains...gun blazing action and epic space battles; It's all to be found in this fantastic 64 page collection of Mitch's art.
   
   Reviewed by Tim Janson

No comments about Victorian Floral Illustrations: 344 Wood Engravings of Exotic Flowers and Plants (Dover Pictorial Archives).

1 comments about Color Woodcut International: Japan, Britain, and America in the Early Twentieth Century (Chazen Museum of Art Catalogs).

1. In his seminal 1915 work, "Chats on Japanese Prints", Arthur Davison Ficke lists five periods of development in Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints starting from roughly 1500 and ending at approximately 1850, just before the arrival of the Peary expedition in 1850. He then proclaims the end of the tradition of the classical Japanese woodblock print. This volume essentally corrects Mr. Ficke and tells the fascinating story of the Japanese woodblock after it left its homeland. It can very much be described as a sequel to Mr. Ficke's work, but it is better seen as a major advance in art history on its own merits.
   
   In December of 2006, the Chazen Art Museum of the University of Madison-Wisconsin held an exhibition of the Van Vleck print collection. This collection documents the renaissance of woodblock printmaking in the West around the turn of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This volume is the print guide to that showing and most of the works contained are from the Van Vleck collection. There are also important essays on this period by renowned art authorities.
   
   Following the Peary expedition, there was an outpouring of trade and information exchange between Japan and the West. This allowed Western artists and collectors to see and study Japanese artforms and creative techniques for the first time. The result was an explosion of interest in and influence by Japanese art on the West. The resulting cross-currents of influences on the Japanese print from English-speaking, Continental and indigenous sources resulted in an International Style of color print that was a tremendous influence on the art and aesthetics of the twentieth century that continues into the twenty-first.
   
   In common with Japan, traditional woodblock printing in the late nineteenth century was on the wane, ill-suited as it was to modern print technology. It was William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement he helped found that revived woodblock printing as a means of creative expression. Perhaps the greatest English woodblock printer is Frank Morley Fletcher, whose synthesis of Japanese influence and the traditional English landscape can be best seen in such prints as his "Mt. Shasta, California". Among the other fascinating artist personalities profiled in Nancy Green's essay is that of Mokuchu Urushibahara, who was trained in printmaking in Japan, emigrated to Great Britain and subsequently trained British artists, becoming an important link in the cultural interchange between East and West as well as an accomplished artist in his own right.
   
   In America, the American Arts and Crafts movement was largely led by Arthur Wesley Dow. Here, the traditional woodblock met American innovation in the Provincetown or white line print that revolutionized modern art printing. Andrew Stevens' essay reflects on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the American print, introducing us to such topics as the Provincetown artists' colony in Massachusetts and the Printmakers' Society of Los Angeles (later the Print Makers Society of California).
   
   The massive reception of Japanese prints and print-making rebounded back to its country of origin in the form of the soseku hanga (art print) and shin hanga (new print) styles that tried to re-introduce the print. Many of the artists cited are obscure and hopefully more attention will be given to them in future. Kendall H. Brown's essay tells the fascinating story of these movements and their efforts to gain recognition both in their homeland and abroad.
   
   Among the British artists whose works are presented are Frank Morley Fletcher, Ethel Kirkpatrick and William Nicholson. American artists include Arthur Wesley Dow, Bertha Lum and Frances Gearhart. Japanese artists include Yoshida Hiroshi who later immigrated to the USA and Tsuguharu Foujita who later was a prominent part of the Paris art scene in the '20's.
   
   Finally, attention is also paid to Continental, particularly French, artists such as Henri Riviere, Gustave Baumann and Paul Jacoulet.
   
   For those persistent students of art who aren't satisfied with textbook descriptions of 'Japanese influences on modern art', who would rather see, touch and feel the passion, the personalities and the hard work that made these trends possible, then this volume is a worthwhile investment. No doubt, the modern viewer and reader will also be taken aback by how views on inter-cultural relationships expressed today echo those of a century ago.

No comments about More Porcelain Enamel Advertising (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about The Third Hand: Collaboration in Art from Conceptualism to Postmodernism.