No comments about Lawrence Weiner: Deep Blue Sky/Light Blue Sky.

No comments about Double Consciousness.

No comments about Pro Forma: Language/Text/Visual Art.

No comments about Creative Effects in Porcelain and Ceramics.

3 comments about Collector's Encyclopedia of Howard Pierce Porcelain: Identification and Values.

1. This encyclopedia created an incitefull look at a great mans work and an intersting look at his life. Great photography.



2. This book was a wonderful look at Mr. Pierce's personal background and his pottery



3. wonderful insight into his personal life and his potter

No comments about Big Book of Optical Illusions: Over 200 Original Deceptive Artworks & Brain-fooling Images (Barron's Educational).

4 comments about Staffordshire Spaniels: A Collector's Guide to History, Styles, and Values (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is for lovers of these beautiful dogs or those interested in their beginnings. Very informative book,and lots of colored pictures to help with ones selection of a spaniel. I recommend as this be number 1 book of choice about these Staffordshire dogs.



2. This terrific book traces the history, manufacture, and various styles of the traditional Comforter Spaniel made in Staffordshire, England during the 19th century. It is a comprehensive study with substantial text and beautiful illustrations, and it is written in a style that keeps the reader turning pages. As a collector and dealer, I have found this book to be extremely useful - I can't keep enough copies in my store, and I keep it at the top of the stack on my coffee table at home. This is a perfect reference and a perfect gift for anyone who appreciates the primitive beauty of the well-known Staffordshire Spaniel. Be sure to check out its companion text, Staffordshire Animals, by the same author and publisher!



3. This book, the only one I know of that deals specifically with Staffordshire Spaniels, is an invaluable reference for collectors and dealers alike. It offers a wide range of over 285 superb full-color illustrations, descriptive captions, and suggested values that reflect various market and regional trends. The book is packed with important historical and production information. Sections on reproductions and tips for collectors round out this comprehensive and informative study. This is NOT just another Staffordshire picture book or boring catalog of image after image. This specialized book offers so much more. The author's writing style is reader-friendly and touched by the sense of fun that Staffordshire collecting is meant to be. Synonymous with Staffordshire figures, Spaniels are the quintessential Victorian decorative accessory -- no Victorian interior is complete without at least one pair, and no collector or dealer's library is complete without this book! Enjoy!



4. This book contains nice photographs. However, the prices of pieces are unrealistic. Some quotes seem extremely low and other extremely high. The author doesn't mention the condition of the piece when quoting prices The greatest factor the effects the price of pottery is the condition of the piece. A price should never be given without a discription of the condition of the piece. The book would be a nice reference for a novice collector. But price information should be ignored.

5 comments about The Skillful Huntsman: Visual Development of a Grimm Tale at Art Center College of Design.

1. Ever wondered what students work at art center looks like? look no further, both the skillful huntsmen and into the future are absolutely stunning books for the students at art center. For anyone who has ever dreamed of pursuing concept art as a career, these two books are amazing!



2. Very informative book. its good being able to get a glimpse of the creative design process.
   
   i thought it was kind of intersting (a little unexpected) that the 3 artists being featured are asian, even though i myself am asian as well.
   
   i wonder if other nationality of artists have different styles and processes? That would be interesting to see
   
   also, having the teacher's critique right under the student's explanation was a good idea! a compare and contrast to new and seasoned talents!



3. Here's an overview of Art Center's Entertainment Design teaching process, as told by several of its most gifted students. Shows Entertainment Design work at a high level, though it doesn't reach the level of the best graphic novels. (should one expect such maturity from student work?) This book illustrates the didactic process of nurturing the next generation of visual storytellers.



4. I have been looking for good concept art books and have yet to find one I like as much as this one. If you are like me you have looked through tons of book store for good art books, but only manage to find lame kiddie stuff. I was so tired of "how too" books on comic heros and magna, that were drawn at a 4th grade level. If you are looking for quality art, this is some of the best freehand skething I have seen.
   This book really is not an instruction book or anything of that nature, but if you need good drawing refrences or inspiration for new and creative comic like ideas this is the book for you.



5. Amazing work for such young artists. It was interesting to see how Scott Robertson (the teacher) coached the students and explained some of the different methods they used for exploring ideas. I would also liked to have seen the instructions and techniques that Scott used to explain some of the ideation concepts to the students also. This is an amazing book - the drawings are so loose and beautiful - they inspire and astound.

5 comments about Pin Ups (TASCHEN Icons Series).

1. There are very few books on the subject of men's magazines that are perfect. Yes, the printer over-trimmed this title--it has its flaws. However, I have yet to find a thicker, more colorful collection showing the covers of vintage men's mags. Every page is an eye-catcher, and I'm happy to have this book on my shelf.



2. This book is flawed but if you want the covers from Robert Harrison's magazines by famous pin-up artists this is good. One problem is the cropped covers that prevent the reader from seeing the whole effect. The images also cover the full page so there is no white margin to absorb finger marks and other edge damage from use without harming the image. Taschen should have focused on the pin-up artists rather than trying to make a book cover all of Robert Harrison's magazines. By changing focus to the artists they could have dumped the black and white photos and shrunk the book. They then could have published full covers in an oversized book.
   
   Taschen has published the same material in two other books but they are also flawed. First, is the original volume "Girlie Magazines." With 60 fewer pages it is a significantly thicker volume because the pages are thicker. While "1000 Pin-Ups is a good value, in my opinion "Girlie Magazines" remains the better book, with better paper quality. Second, is a small selection of covers from "Girlie Magazines" titled "Pin-Ups" in the Icons Series by Giles Neret. I would just buy a good used version of "Girlie Magazines" for a little more and get 3-4X the illustrations.



3. 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.



4. 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.




5. The contents of Robert Harrison's pulp girlie titles, Beauty Parade, Eyeful, Titter, Wink, Whisper and Flirt form the contents of this book They were published between 1942 and 1958 and they mostly showed black and white photos of scantily clad ladies (Harrison did not approve of nudity) in slapstick situations, with copy written to accompany the photos as puerile and clichéd ridden as you will ever read. These photos are all very tame by today's standards. The book reproduces covers and spreads (and some of the down-market ads) from these magazines.
   
   The contents of these titles are basically trash but they do have one thing of interest, their covers, these were paintings rather than photos. Pin-up artist Peter Driben painted hundreds of covers for the six titles and dozens are shown in this book, some other pin-up artists are included as well.
   
   Before you rush out and buy the book you need to know that all the covers and the spreads have been sized slightly bigger than the book. This does not matter too much with the reproduced spreads but all the covers have been ruined because of this enlargement, the title logos and coverlines run of the side of the page.

   Two better Taschen cheesecake titles are 'The Rottenberg Collection', seven hundred pages of American pin-ups (mostly nudes) from the forties to the sixties from the collection of Mark Rottenberg. European pin-ups are covered in 'Serge Jacques' by Gilles Neret. Both these titles are far superior to `1000 Pin-Ups' BTW, the book was originally published under the title of 'The Best of American Girlie Magazines' by the same author.

No comments about Majestika: The Art of Monte Moore.