No comments about Meissen Figures 1730-1775: The Kaendler Period (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

5 comments about Universal.

1. The sepia tone and setting add to sensuality of the well defined male form. It's good to see well toned male body that is not the overly developed muscle form. Keeping it on end table for all to see.



2. The book wasn't the best I've purchased, but it was definately a good book. My friends and enjoyed the imagery. However, the photographs are mostly in sepia style.



3. As a photographer, I collect a wide variety of photo art books. Of all of the male figure study books I've collected, this would be my least favorite. To me, it seems far less about art and more about the photographer's obsession with very well-hung men and hangs closer to porn than art. I don't have a problem with porn, but it's not what I was shopping for and I probably won't be holding on to this book.
   
   That said, there are a handful of creative and intriguing photos in here. But not many.



4. If you like em big then you'll like this one! I was however not pleased with the clarity of the photos. I found that the black and white coupled with the somewhat distorted look of the photos was not all that appealing. Not sure I'd put this one on my coffee table though, I suppose it all depends on what you put/have on it! Definitely worth the sticker!



5. UNIVERSAL is a successful collaborative effort between Kingdome 19 (the well known carpenter/graphic artist turned photographer) and Henning von Berg (an equally well known architectural engineer turned photographer), both artists from Germany and both highly respected in Europe and now the USA. Their subject matter is the male nude and their similarities are their focus on non-studio settings and on their brave depiction of the aroused male.
   
   From von Berg's vast collection of photographs, Kingdome 19 re-worked many in his developing room, adding graphic details, works, markings, and other artistic elements, enhancing von Berg's sometimes static works immensely. But the book also shares many of Kingdome 19's own photographs, all presented in sepia toning, all with some degree of handcrafted manipulation to enhance the artistic aspect of the finished product, and all sensually beautiful in the casual manner in which he shares his models' willingness to be totally free with their posing.
   
   As the art world (since Mapplethorpe) has matured more and more to the point that male nudity, and even aroused male images, is becoming more accepted. Certainly at the top of the list of brave photographers is the always exciting work of Kingdome 19. This book contains nearly 150 images that are strong and challenging. Another fine book from Bruno Gmunder Verlag GmbH. Grady Harp, January 07

2 comments about Fired by Ideals: Arequipa Pottery and the Arts and Crafts Movement.

1. Collaboratively presented by Suzanne Raizerman (Imogene Gieling Curator of Crafts and Decorative Arts, Oakland Museum, California), Lynn Downey (History, Levi Strauss and Company); and John Taki (California College of Arts and Crafts and President, Leslie Ceramic Supply Company, Berkeley, California) Fired By Ideals: Arequipa Pottery And The Arts & Crafts Movement is a truly impressive, 136 page artbook showcasing a unique selection of historical ceramic pottery sculpture. In 1911, after the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco triggered a tuberculosis epidemic, a special treatment center called the Arequipa Sanatorium was founded for working women afflicted by the disease. Pottery became daily practice, both as an outlet for creativity/healing and to create marketable wares. The most amazing samples of this fine pottery are displayed in full color in Fired By Ideals, along with descriptive captions and a narrated history of the Sanatorium that created them. A fascinating catalogue filled with thoughtful and meaningful wares, Fired By Ideals is a unique and enthusiastically recommended addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library arts and crafts reference collections.



2. Fired By Design surveys Arequipa pottery and the Arts and Crafts movement, using vintage photos and color reproductions to display the works generated by a tuberculosis sanatarium in rural Marin County in 1906. Dr. Brown was influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement sought to provide his female patients not just with rest, but with creative art pursuits: pottery was his choice and Fired By Design displays the wealth produced by his patients.

3 comments about Encyclopedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks.

1. If you deal in or collect antique English pottery and/or porcelain this is the only book on marks you will ever need. It is worth the money. It is known in the trade as the 'Bible on English marks' and its authority is never questioned. The maker and historical notes included with every identification, give you direction if more research is desired.



2. This book is a must reference for all pottery collectors. It has all the marks and makers in an easy to find format. Trilogy Antiques



3. Geoffrey Godden's concise and comprehensive volume is universally recognized as the cornerstone of the serious student's refernece library. Identifying and dating decorative and utilitarian wares fashioned through the prior 300 years by the English is a fulfilling occupation. A grasp of the history and of the people of England brings with it a reverence for the spirit of the times captured and made tangible by these links to their makers. Godden's work is the "bookmark" directory to those links.

No comments about Ken Matsuzaki: Burning Tradition.

No comments about Scandinavian Ceramics & Glass: 1940S to 1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

5 comments about The Penland Book of Ceramics: Masterclasses in Ceramic Techniques.

1. I really enjoy this book. I say that in the present tense because this is not a book you sit and read cover to cover. You select parts as selecting a piece of chocolate from a box of candy, read it, savor it, and save the rest for later. It offers wonderful artist profiles and then these featured artists offer a gallery of their favorite artists' works. It is biographical, inspirational, and instructional at an advanced level.



2. I especially enjoyed the work of Sergei Isupov and Michael Sherrill, but none of the other artists were less than spectacular including the gallery of complementary work. I'm especially appreciative of the artists for sharing their inovative techniques with us. Thanks to the Penland School, also, for bringing their art to our attention.



3. The title of the book leads one to expect to receive the technical information needed to try any of the techniques demonstrated. The book does not always live up to this promise. For example, the multilayered slip technique presented by Mary Barringer demonstrates the use of slips before and after bisquing. The most critical factor here would be the composition of the slip to accommodate the shrinkage of the bisque. Granted, there are many slip recipes out there, but not all will work here. I don't need to see pictures of her brushing the slip on. That is the stuff of beginner books (if even) not "Master classes". The physical techniqes of building , modelling and shaping are well illustrated, and so the book does have its value. Michael Sherril's use of extruded clay to make his fantastic sculptures was eyeopening, and well demonstrated.



4. The pictures were great, also I liked the instructional part. The example of how to tell if the glaze is deflocuulated by putting your hands in and watch how it flows was so visual, I have used it every time I defluculated a glaze.
   It also shwed a different way to have your way with the clay, like those things that look like bananaas, how do you do that with clay, the book explained it in enough detail for your to copy,in your own style. I am very pleased with this book.



5. THE PENLAND BOOK OF CERAMICS is certainly large and colorful. The Penland School of Crafts, located in the mountains of North Carolina, seems large enough to be considered a community. "Today the school encompasses 43 buildings located on 400 acres of land. Each year approximately 1,200 people come to Penland for instruction and another 12,000 pass through as visitors." (p. 205). I expected to find more pictures in the book of the interesting three-dimensional conglomeration on the cover, which is probably not a bunch of bananas, but maybe the artist thought it was. The colors are similar to the "Yellowstone Rhododendron, 2001" and "Mountain Magnolia, 2001" shown on page 53. Even if it is supposed to be a bunch of bananas, that would not make it the most surreal thing in this book.

   I have had difficulty thinking about objects that appear to be weird in three dimensions, so the complexity of many of the pieces seems miraculous to me, but the step-by-step explanations of the process of constructing a few items demonstrate the possibilities of getting there bit by bit. The first artist featured in the book, Clara "Kitty" Couch, produces terra cotta vessels that open out at the top with an edge so thin, looking so flimsy, that the first picture in the hands on series, "Rolling out the slab" (p. 17), showing the clay under a rolling pin, ought to produce an immense leap in the understanding of how the material is originally flattened before it is formed. There are also pictures of Joe Bova "Rolling out a 12-pound (5.4 kg) slab to a thickness of at least 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) on a piece of plywood" (p. 152) and Mary Barringer "applying texture with a tectured roller" (p.198). A description of Kitty Couch's work is called "Contemplative Coilings" (p. 12), but she does not try to make it all from one long rope. She describes adding flat coils, one at a time, "When the base has become firm so that it can support itself." (p. 13). More complicated layers of clay were used to produce Becky Gray's "Autumn Leaf Bowl" shown on page 24.

   The works which I found most imaginative were by Sergei Isupov on pages 168 to 185. By painting faces at odd places, such as under the armpits of a figure called "To Cast a Spell" (pp. 168, 176 - 185 and back cover), the spooky line of Rilke's poem, "Archaic Torso of Apollo," `there is no spot that does not see you' (Translated by Walter Kaufmann in 20 German Poets, pp. 220-223) seems aptly illustrated.

   There are some specialized techniques and equipment in this book that I will not try to describe. Some combinations are so much like architecture that it is not surprising to see a box that actually looks like a building, Angelica Pozo's "White Oak Temple Box, 1997. 17 3/4 x 10 3/4 x 16 inches (46.6 x 27.3 x 40.6 cm). Cut, carved, extruded, press-molded, and hand-formed mosaic tile from terra cotta; terra sigillata; glaze cone 04; glass mosaic. Photo by artist." (p. 27).

1 comments about The Legacy of Maria Poveka Martinez.

1. I found the Spivey book entitled Maria to be a great asset to my library of books on Indian pottery. The multitude of close up pictures is very helpful in knowing the details of her pottery and that of her family. The easy to read narrative resulting from a personal relationship with Maria and others in the Pueblo make a very intimate kind of reading. The chapter of Maria's own statements certainly reveals the warmth of her spirit and generosity. I would recommend the book to anyone who is considering the purchase of the best in Pueblo pottery or anyone seeking identification of pottery they already have.

2 comments about Mimbres Pottery: Ancient Art of the American Southwest.

1. This is classic Mibres at its best. If you don't have this one in your library - WHY NOT?!



2. This book is hard to find in libraries but is an excellent resource. Excellent photographs of bowls and clear description of styles and meaning makes the book invaluable. We use it in our class.

5 comments about Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show.

1. This book really started my serious fascination with Burlesque Striptease. It truly deserves status as an art form. Shteir has broken it down and explained the history of the style from its inception, in a studied and reverant way. If you really seek a firm understanding of the history of this art form (perhaps to better appreciate the burlesque revival we are currently experiencing) this is a wonderful book for you. Ladies will enjoy the astute feminist take on the topic, as well as the empowered women of the Burlesque world. Gentlemen with likely appreciate the eye-candy, as well as the vintage element of the tease--buy a copy, and tell prospective girlfriends that you are "...so tired of explicit internet images..."



2. After Ms. Shteir wrote a "hatchet job" of an article on a recent conference I organized, I had to take a look at her book. I wish I had done so before I had allowed her to attend and write about our conference. Her article was so filled with errors, misquotes, and mean-spiritedness. I was reassured to read the reviews online here about her book and to find that many others shared my concern about her sloppy attention to facts. She is the most unprofessional writer I have encountered. In breezing through her book, I had no faith in her historical accounts and noticed a style more concerned with its own edgy language than in conveying an authentic and accurate description and mood of its subject matter. I would alert any potential reader of this book to beware. It is self-serving, self-promoting, and provocative for the sake of being provocative. I'm sure there must be better books on this subject.



3. Shteir's thorough research is fleshed-out by her concise writing and moderate tone. This is a scholarly but entertaining review of how show-business from the early 19th century to the present has explored its outer limits, and how the clientele have responded. It will take its place in due course with contemporary accounts of gladiatorial contests, bear-baiting and the bullring: those times and places where entertainment as either the living spectacle, or the distant retrospective confronts us with just what sort of people we are, that we get our jollys in such a medium.



4. This was probably the worse book I have ever had the misfortune to examine. Did the author check anything she wrote in the book, or did she just blindly copy her "National Enquirer" type sources? Dixie Evans is NOT an alcoholic and Rose LaRose was NOT a pornographer.
   
   Burning to death from tap shoes is probably the silliest thing I have ever read!
   
   Stick to "Gypsy" or "My Journey Burlesque" for first hand accounts. There are other excellent reference books available.



5. I own a number of burlesque-themed films on VHS, mostly actual stage performances from the 1940's and 1950's. These films are discussed in the book, and I was surprised to find descriptions that sometimes seem drawn from thin air.
   
   On page 287, author Shteir tells us, "For example, in A Night At the Follies (1956), a murder provides an excuse to see undressed women backstage." There is no murder nor any other plot and no visits backstage -- it simply films an actual burlesque show.
   
   On page 287 - 288, stripper Tempest Storm in A Night In Hollywood is described as "guiding audiences through an evening of burlesque striptease, comedy, ragtime and jazz music, and stripping." Storm doesn't guide anybody through anything. She does not appear until the very end of the show, as was the custom for the star, and dances for eight minutes without one audible word.
   
   On page 288, describing female impersonator Vicki Lynn's act in Varietease, "In the last moments, Lynn takes off the wig to reveal her bald head." Actually Lynn has a full head of hair, without any sign of baldness.
   
   On page 289, turning to mainstream movies, Shteir comments on the 1958 hit The Naked and the Dead, and stripper Lili St. Cyr's role. She tells us the movie "pumped up the sex and violence considerably, partly by casting St. Cyr to play Croft's wife." Wrong. Sergeant Croft's wife was played by Barbara Nichols. Lili St. Cyr played Private Wilson's girlfriend, and she was only in the film for two minutes. Shteir does not mention the brevity of St. Cyr's role, but tells us, "St. Cyr plays a selfish, cold, neurotic, sexually omnivorous stripper - a cartoon of a woman." Wrong, wrong, wrong. The only thing right is that St. Cyr played a stripper. Everything else is completely at odds with the film, where Lili is a warm, smiling, light-hearted woman who knows she'll be arrested if she strips but performs as usual because, "I gotta have integrity with my public, even if I gotta pay for it." All we see of her act is a slow dance that resembles a hula (and reveals less). Wilson adores her, and she sends him money when he's overseas.
   
   Shteir has academic credentials and a reputable publisher, but I wouldn't trust anything she says.