1 comments about Illustrated Dictionary of Ceramics.

1. This is quite the best specialist dictionary for collectors and dealers, and for translators like myself, checking that the English expression means what we hope. But there is a danger. Look up one expression and you find yourself reading several other entries as well, just for the fun of it. A most entertaining and erudite work. I know of nothing else to match it.

No comments about Looking for Mr. Fluxus: In the Footsteps of George Maciunas.

2 comments about Love: A Celebration in Art & Literature.

1. "Celebrate" is the perfect word to describe the content of this wonderful testament to creativity inspired by love. Poems, stories, artwork, and photographs testify to the perennial energy we call love. It's a bargain at the price, especially for those who want to give a gift slightly off the beaten path of crystal, china, and siverware. The book itself is a large, impressive hardback ("art book"), with a beautiful cover. Enjoy!



2. I just found this book at a book sale. It is like I have received a windfall apple. I didn't know what I was missing until I saw this. It is full of stories, quotes and fabulous art reproductions focusing on Love. The feeling you get when you look at and read this book is a profound longing for your loved one. It is really overwhelming. I was hooked from the author's introduction (and I rarely read the introductions). This book is a celebration of love between man and woman. Some of the stories are humorous sketches from authors such as Mark Twain, or poems from e e cummings or an excerpt from Hawthorn's Lady Chatterly's Lover. Overall, This book is a rare and powerful approach to such an awesome subject. (This would make an AWESOME wedding gift).

No comments about Vito Hannibal Acconci Studio.

1 comments about The Pin-Up Art of Bill Wenzel.

1. Bill Wenzel was so prolific that even I managed to snag a few of his original Humorama cartoons. This collection provides a nice sampling of his instantly recognizable work. However, the real value of this book is the biographical information supplied by his daughters.
   I would have liked to have seen more about his work for Playboy, more of the paperback covers, the men's magazines, etc. However, maybe that is for another day.
   My only quibble with this book is the green highlights (or background) in many of the cartoons. It looks like a way to mimic the cheesy 2-color effect in those cheap Humorama magazines and detracts from the work. IF this is the way they were published, it would have served Bill W well to go black and white.

1 comments about Mold Making for Ceramics.

1. This book is often referred to as the best on the market. Yes and no. True, it is the most professionally written book on mold making. However, if you are looking for technical instruction, this is not the book. I realize that definitive information about mold making is not acquired through any one single book. Yet, having read this book years ago in art school, I was not able to translate any of the information into practical use. The processes illustrated are industrial with zero creative applications. It is obvious that Frith is a master mold maker, but it is my opinion that he has forgotten what a beginner needs to know. Overall, the techniques shown (production pottery) are limited but depending on your background, perhaps some of the processes might be eye opening.

1 comments about Czechoslovakian Pottery: "Czeching" Out America.

1. This book is well worth the money. The pictures of Czech pottery are excellent. The names pottery patterns, the catalog of marks and price information are very helpful for all Czech pottery collectors.

No comments about Pots and Plays: Interactions between Tragedy and Greek Vase-painting of the Fourth Century B.C. (J. Paul Getty Museum).

2 comments about Black: The African Male Nude in Art Photography, Vol. 2.

1. This is a great peice of work..However, for those who cannot seem to get enuff of the Afrikan naked..oh well!! When u see a black man with a dynamite physique in the buff..believe me you have seen the best...Take it from me a woman who has been married to an afrikan for 30 yrs..and to those ** who love men.. i know u would agree...hmmmm..This is art at its best..quit hatin.



2. 
   Are you impressed by the photo on the cover? Do you want a dozen pages of that kind of hokey, over-staging? Me neither. This second-in-a-series doesn't match the quality of the first one. Frankly I was unimpressed by a number of the photos that seem more like the discards from a better project--focus not clear, composition not the best, artistry not of the highest level--especially the black-and-white ones and some of the ones by Klein, which look more like ordinary amateur snapshots. But then there are some striking photos, too--the kind you'd like on an artsy screen saver. It's a mix of the good and the not-so-good, and for that reason I think this paperback is pricey for what you get. I'm also put off by the inclusion of some old Calvin Anderson photos that have been around for years--and they aren't even from among his best ones. If money isn't an object for you, go ahead and get this one. But if you have to pick and choose, I'd suggest applying your money to the purchase of works by Tony Butcher, John Healy or certain other Janssen books, because this one doesn't consistently live up to Janssen's usual quality.

1 comments about A Royal Menagerie: Meissen Porcelain Animals.

1. Enhanced with 30 color and 17 b/w illustrations, A Royal Menagerie is a superbly presented survey of extraordinary 18th-century porcelain animals from Dresden in all its grandeur. The pieces were created between 1730 and 1735 at the Saxon royal porcelain manufactory in Meissen, near Dresden, were commissioned by Friedrich August I, Elector of Saxony. Samuel Wittwer draws upon his many years of experience and expertise as curator of the ceramics collections at the Prussian Palaces and Gardens Foundation, and the archives of the Royal Porcelain Manufactory, Berlin in writing an informative and insightful text. Published to accompany an exhibition at the Getty Museum which will run until January 2002, A Royal Menagerie is highly recommended for students and collectors of 18th century porcelain.