5 comments about History of the Theatre (8th Edition).

1. Some theatre students and teachers take this book for a theatre history bible of sorts. Unfortunately, this results in readers switching off their critical thinking skills and accepting Dr. Brockett's values and opinions as facts. The scholar makes history and Brockett's history privileges debated concepts such as ritual-origin theory and drastically undervalues accomplishments of othered groups such as 17th century English actresses. (They get a whopping two sentences!) While this book is good for pedestrian and generalized descriptions of major figures and events (from a 20th century perspective), it is far from exhaustive. Alternative historical theories are not given much thought and the author presents opinion and theory as empirical fact regularly throughout the text.
   God is dead.



2. Having taken a course that required reading the book I can safely say that it is dry in some sections of history due to the "PC" nature of it's telling. But it's mostly an interesting resource and reference book for theatre buffs and history buffs alike.



3. I had the pleasure of being Brock's student for three years at the University of Texas. The book is phenomenal, easy to read and amazingly complete. The History of the Theatre experience should also be augmented by the opportunity to hear Brockett speak. He is erudite, funny, a lively teacher and an incredible intellect. There is no other book to serve as a reference and introduction to theatre history. No other book and no other teacher so expertly and informatively makes you realize the interweaving of theatre and society throughout its long history. IMHO, Brockett should write the history not just of theatre but of everything. His non-didactic, straight-forward and lively prose would make any work of history or criticism on any subject a delight.



4. As a former student of Franklin J. Hildy's, and a reader of the Brockett text for several theater courses, I must highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a detailed, yet expansive, overview of the history of the theatrical arts throughout the world. Dr. Hildy's passion for and knowledge of the subject matter is rivaled by none and the complete scope of this project would have daunted many editors less competent to undertake such a task. A great reference text as well as course material. I often find mine useful in day-to-day queries as well as research on period and scenic styles.



5. No other theatrical historian today commands the respect and authority that Oscar Brockett receives, and "The History of the Theatre" is his master work. As complete a guide to theatre history as any on the market, this book abounds with illustrations, maps, and helpful details. When you want ideas about theatre history, find an article. When you want facts and answers, consult the Brockett. A "must have" for any true scholar of the theatre.

1 comments about Introduction to Play Analysis.

1. I am lucky enough to know one of the authors, and have been able to study this book in his class. I loved the class, and loved the book.

2 comments about Dancing With Dogs: Easy-to-learn Techniques and Fun Routines for You and Your Dog.

1. Mary Ray, one of the best freestyle dancers in the world, has done an excellent job in writing this book for all those who want to learn more about doing Freestyle with their dogs. It gives step by step instructions using pictures and diagrams on how to teach certain moves making them very easy to follow. It gives ideas of what kind of moves look good in a dance including starting and finishing poses. There is a section on how to plan a dance out on paper, including music, props and costumes. It concludes with an entire section of Mary Rays dance routines with an explanation of the moves, costumes and music. This book is a "must have" to both the novice and the more advanced freestyle enthusiast.



2. I'm giving the book a paws up. The layout is very inviting -
   spacious with lots of pictures and easy to read. From cover to cover,
   the book probably takes about 2 hours to read. To perform all the
   training and routines in the book would take a lifetime.
   
   Some of the information is very general - clicker training on a single
   page. However, the general information does includes the most
   important aspects of training concepts.
   
   Much of the strength of the book is in the Dance Routines shown in the
   later chapters. She's got routines for Star and Stripes, Singing in
   the Rain, Puppet on a String, and others. She outlines the steps and
   tricks in the routine and supplements the written description with
   pictures. She suggests music to use with the routines, films to watch,
   and tips for improving your performance.
   
   The book would be a fabulous resource for a 4H club, anyone trying to
   put together his or her first routine, or an expercienced freestyler
   looking for some new ideas. A book you might refer to over and over, picking up something new each time. At the price you can't beat it.

1 comments about The Beauty of the Beasts: Tales of Hollywood's Wild Animal Stars.

1. This book was very interesting and well-written. It is reassuring to read about how Helfer was so dedicated to keeping these working animals safe and well.

2 comments about The Young and the Restless, Special Silver Anniversary Collector's Edition.

1. Ithink this book is pretty neat and I got it for Christmas and I started reading it right away. In the wedding album though, you forgot to mention Victor and Ashley's marriage and Jack and Nikki's marriage. Why was that?



2. An avid fan since the beginning, I have truly enjoyed going down memory lane and filling in the blanks of storylines long forgotten. This book covers every detail and depth of the characters and their development. Truly a must-have for anyone who has grown to love the people of Genoa City.

No comments about John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath.

4 comments about Decoding Wagner: An Invitation to His World of Music Drama (includes 2 CDs).

1. This well writen book has an analysis of all Wagner operas. I found it helpful, used together with the Metropolitan Opera site.



2. I used to be an opera singer and I have to say this is a fabulous book for any fan of Wagner. Tom May has done a terrific job of making this difficult material accessible, and the accompanying CDs help considerably. Even if you feel you have read everything there is to read about the maestro, you will find this book absorbing and very illuminating. Plus you'll probably want to buy a new recording of Tristan und Isolde as well [maybe the most beautiful music ever written, in my humble opinion]. I think Amazon may sell that too. LOL



3. I found this to be an excellent overview of Wagner and his operas in a book of only 200 pages or so. This book is for someone who is fairly familiar with the plots of Wagner's operas -- no plot summaries are presented -- and gives a good sense of how Wagner developed as both a composer and dramatist. The book is written mostly around the ten major operas wrote -- a chapter for each with an extra chapter to introduce the Ring. Although the book is relatively short, the reader learns a lot about Wagner's sources, his use of these sources, and key features of the individual operas. A portion of the discussion of the operas is tied to the CDs - one for the Ring and the other for the non-Ring operas. The CDs are primarily "greatest hits" - from the operas, with text making reference to different points on the CD in terms of timing.
   
   This book is probably not the first book you read on Wagner -- I would recommend "Wagner Without Fear" by William Berger as an introduction to Wagner and his work. For other readers, this book really provides quite a bit of diverse information in a small space. The book is well-written and meets the needs of many readers in that it written around individual operas. A reader can go right to the opera of interest, but I think may will also want to read through the entire book to better understand the context of individual operas and their place in Wagner's development.
   
   The book has a good bibliography (though it would have been nice to have some annotation).
   
   The book is a good value as is, but with the 2 CDs (primarily BMG recordings), it becomes an excellent value. Any reader interested in Wagner should consider owning this book. 5 stars.



4. This is a terrific read: entertaining and briskly paced. May considers historical and social factors in Wagner's work without bogging down the reader with theory or dull historicism. In fact, this work brings me a greater appreciation for Wagner than I thought possible (I'm not, my apologies, an opera fan). I would recommend it to the casual theater goer, the fine arts critic, opera fans, and anyone interested in music or 19th century theater.

3 comments about Storytelling through Animation (Graphics).

1. I've read a lot of animation books over the years, but this is one I don't think I'll ever look at again. Most of these "one stop shop" type books that cover every single aspect of filmmaking end up not saying much no matter how long winded they are.
   
   There's no shortage of information in this book. The problem is little, if any of it is in a form you can be readily applied to your own work. Complex thoughts with little elaboration. Highly visual ideas with no pictures explain things. Just a glut of film making tibits with little actual learning.
   
   The CD content is better than ones in some other books I've read, but it doesn't help if the disc takes the place of illustrations in the book. That way I'm forced to be at my computer while I'm reading to get the most out of the book. Overall I think the CD added more to the price of the book than it did the content.
   
   For my time and money, books like CGI Filmmaking: The Creation of Ghost Warrior are a much better buy.



2. Lovely book, it has very interesting bits of information to guide students in animation.



3. First, this is not a book on the mechanics of producing animation. Instead it is a book that comes before that. It's about how to tell a story through animation. It's about the first steps that must be done right if the story is to be told at all.
   
   It all begins with the story. Without a story, animation is just a bunch of pictures. How do you make the story better? How do you make it fit animation as opposed to live action?
   
   How do you create the character? How do you make the image, the story give the character a personality? What kind of a background, a world do you design?
   
   From here the book goes through the whole production process. Once again, this is not a book on how to use a software package to produce the animation, it's a step before that. The author is a professional at film making. In addition he interviews quite a number of professionals from the major studios to get their view of the process.
   
   Finally the CD included with the book include film strips that you can use to evaluate just how well these guys did in following the precepts of the book.

1 comments about The Servant of Two Masters: And Other Italian Classics (Eric Bentley's Dramatic Repertoire, Vol 4).

1. This is a great book for high school drama groups. Easy to perform plays! My drama group enjoyed putting this one on.

2 comments about Acting: Advanced Techniques for the Actor, Director, and Teacher.

1. So you have the talent to be an actor, but you need training: turn to Terry Schrieber's Acting: Advanced Techniques For The Actor, Director And Teacher to cover the techniques of his own noted actor training program. Actors are given a 'tool bag' of exercises to help break into character, practice interpreting scenes, and more. From relaxation techniques to sharpening awareness and making characters seem more real, Acting: Advanced Techniques For The Actor, Director And Teacher is packed with solid ideas for improvement.



2. As an actress, in reading this book I was amazed at not only how well the book was written or at the way in which the author communicated his knowledge to the reader, but I was astounded at how honest and open the works embedded in this new book are. I recomend this book to actors, teachers, or anyone interested in learning the truth about acting.