5 comments about Symbols, Signs and Signets (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1. I am currently taking a graphic symbolism class and I found this book to be useless. It does not even have the meaning on the symbol listed on the same page as the drawing which makes it hard to use as reference material. Also, even though the book is a fairly decent size it does not contain a wide range of symbols, signs, or signets. It might be a good reference if this is your first book exploring the subject. I would not recommend to advanced readers on the subject.



2. This is one of my favorite books on symbols
   only thing is the description or title of the symbol
   is listed at the beginning of each chapter I found it
   annoying always having to flip back but still love this
   book



3. I am primarily interested in Christian symbolism and this book has quite a few, though not meant as an exhaustive resource on any particular set of symbols. I enjoyed the broad range of symbols this book presents - Mayan, Egyptian, metaphysical, Asian, and even some hobo symbols (plus lots more). This book is truly a good general reference for symbol meanings. It is a bit sparse on the origins of the symbols, but certainly supplies enough information to get my interest piqued in different symbols!



4. Dover Publications scores yet again! This book hits a home run with bases loaded for many reasons.

   First, it is jam-packed with thousands of symbols, signs, marks, inscriptions and engravings. All are in black and white, and all are excellent quality.

   Second, the book presents a fascinating range of symbols, organized by subject, including: Symbolic Gods and Dieties (included are Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek/Roman, Nordic and Aztec Gods), Astronomy and Astrology, Alchemy, Magic, Church and Religion, Heraldry, Japanese Crests, Cattle Brands, and a large section containing some of the distinctive marks of the medieval european craftsman/guild marks and signets.

   Third, this is a surprisingly useful reference. For writers, historian, artists, and the incurably curious, here is a book that sets out, for example, all of the alchemical signs for the materials (gold, silver, etc) and alchemical processes, a host of Catholic and other ancient christian religious symbols, nice engravings of all the important Egyptian gods, etc etc.

   Highly Recommended.




5. This book has over 200 pages of various symbols, ranging from simple drawings to intricate designs. They are arranged in historical order, begin with various gods and end with hobo signs. Each chapter is preceded with a list of references (the signs are identified by number) and the symbols included are grouped like so:

   Symbolic Gods & Deities; Astronomy & Astrology; Alchemy; Magic & Mystic; Church Religion; Heraldry; Monsters & Imaginary Figures; Japanese Crests; Marks & Signets; Watermarks; Printers Marks; Cattle Brands; and Hobo Signs.

   There are over 1350 illustrations contained in this book, and all are crisply printed in black and white. Each section has a short blurb in front of it, but not an extensive history. This book would appeal to history lovers, graphic designers, and other symbol geeks. And for the price, it's worth buying.

No comments about The Sunlight Print Kit: Materials, Techniques, and Projects for Homemade Photography.

5 comments about The Basic Book of Photography, Fifth Edition.

1. I give it four stars instead of 5 because it is not a book for everyone. It will not show you how to be a great photographer, nor will it step-by-step for dummies teach you to compose pictures. It will, however, educate you on the details and basics of photography.
   
   I've used a lot of point and clicks, and I've used several SLRs. All in all, even with today's set it and forget it cameras, you can take a good picture but you can't take a great photograph without knowing the technicals of what's going on behind the lens.
   
   Start here if you are patient and want to learn what photography is all about.



2. After doing photography my whole life with a point and shoot camera I finally bought a "real" camera. A Canon SLR that I had no idea how to use. So after a lot of research at the bookstore I settled on this book, and I am very happy I did. It teaches a beginner all the different important functions on your camera that you need to learn and why you need to know it. This book is very concise and detailed. All the functions on my camera are explained in detail in this book. If you have a new SLR that you don't know how to use I highly recommend this book.



3. I found this book to be a nice reference for beginners like me. It does not require you to read it from cover to cover. You can pick and read any chapter you like. The illustrations are good enough and the book is not overfilled with them tunlike some other books that focus so much on illustrations that they never take time to write those simple concepts.
   I think its worth having this book on your shelf if you are gradually starting photography as a hobby.



4. The first print of the book came out in 1974. Needless to say, photography has changed a great deal since 1974. Noted, this book is "fully updated" to cover the digital world, but I advice you if you have any desire to learn about the details of any apsect of photography this is not the book for you. The book reflects the fast changing field of photography-so many pages were devoted to films, instant Polarids, darkroom techniques, processing and protecting films..all extremely important but OUTDATED topics. Photography has mostly gone digital--very few people still take film (I perfer film, but I am a rare exception) and digital world was covered in the most basic way. To be fair, I believe that the samples of photos to illustrate authors' points were welll-chosen. (Many woderful color photos are inculded) However, a comprehensive discussion from film speed ratings to different types of flash gave a reader a strong feeling that this is a "Jack-of-all-trades" and "master-of-none" book. Another words, the book contains every thing basic (ie how to hold a camera) but if you want to learn how to covert RAW digital images from your Cannon to JPAGs for easy internet postings , good luck!



5. I recently decided to really learn something about photography, so I could stop taking lifeless snapshots and actually take some meaningful pictures instead. Until now, I have just snapped away with disposable cameras or an early model, low-quality digital point-and-shoot camera. I recently decided to buy a more sophisticated digital camera and learn to use it effectively.
   
   This book is a great guide for someone who wants to step up to taking some real pictures. It assumes no amount of expertise on the part of the reader, which was a problem I had encountered in other books; you will not find yourself reading jargon that goes unexplained. On the other hand, you don't have to worry about it being over-simplified; it will give you all that you need to really become competent. Not only does it present a wide variety of information, it is organized and composed very well. It is very readable, very well-written.
   
   The only way the book could be improved would be to write a new edition dedicated solely to those who are venturing into photography for the first time in the present digital age, without ever getting involved in film photography. The most recent edition of this book was released in 2003, when the changeover to digital photography was underway but by no means complete. 3 years later, in 2006, most people deciding to take up photography as a hobby are now going to straight to the digital world without bothering to familiarize themselves with film photography. Readers of "The Basic Book of Photography" should know that they will be educated in the field of photography first through film, and then that knowledge will be used to explain digital photography later in the book. 3 years ago when this edition was published, writing most of the book about film and then attaching digital may have been the right way to write a book about photography, but that has changed. Now it is probably time to write a book about digital photography that has one little chapter on film, not a whole book about film with one special chapter on digital. That having been said, you will still benefit enormously from reading everything in this book because the digital photo world evolved from film; if you understand its origins, you will still be learning things valuable to a digital photographer.
   
   The bottom line is this: if you've been taking snapshots your whole life but now you want to know how to really turn photography into a serious hobby, buy and read this book. If you only buy one book on photography, make it this one.

2 comments about A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan and North-East Asia.

1. I'm overall happy with this book. I prefer field guides with art, but I had little choice in a bird book for Japan, and most of the photos look pretty good to me. There are photos for most species of the birds in alternate and basic plumage, including both males and females if sexually dimorphic. The written text per species is fairly short, but main points are covered for identification.
   
   I haven't used the book in Japan yet but I think it will work alright in the field. Species are organized in the same order usually seen in bird books in the west (loons to buntings), but I wish the groups were color coded along the edge of the book--so I could quickly find the sparrow section, for example. Since the book was published in the UK, British common names are used for the species. Scientific names are given for all, so ultimately there is no confusion.
   
   An appendix in the back has a chart of what the names of the birds are in Japanese, but only in romaji (Japanese characters written as they sound with English letters) obviously so people who know no Japanese can pronounce them, but since I am learning Japanese, I wish they were shown in kanji, too. I also wish the Japanese name was given on the actual species account, but it isn't.
   
   Notably missing is a check list for recording sightings. There are legible range maps as well as notes on when and where the species occurs in Japan. A map of Japan and north-east Asia is also included. A 20-page introduction has some useful information for those seeking birds in the area. The bird topography map on page 23 is functional, but the art is highly pixelated and, in my opinion, unattractive.
   
   Overall, I think this book will fulfill my needs and I'm happy I bought it, though it's not quite a Peterson's.



2. Basics: 2007, softcover, 504 pages, 1,500+ color photos, 600 species, range map for each bird
   
   This photographic guide follows the same vein as other recent photographic books; it offers hundreds of color photos with good clarity and color but of a small size. Most pages have three small photos displaying an even smaller bird in the photo. It seems at least half of the photograph shows only the background. It would have been better to zoom/crop in on the bird, especially with the warblers and sparrows. I could easily cover many of the birds with just the tip of my finger.
   
   The quality of the text is average, giving a fair description of the bird along with its voice and, sometimes a reference to a similar species. The small maps use three seasonal colors and give a general depiction of the bird's range over eastern Asia.
   
   Is this book useful? Yes, but not as a reliable identification or field guide. It's good to see an actual photo of a bird; and, most of the photos are pretty good. This book will help the birder learn the birds of Japan, Korea, or eastern China before a visit. However, if you're serious about a pure birding trip, it wil be necessary to supplement this book with something else.
   
   There are several other superior photographic guides to Japan, but they are written in only Japanese. Despite the language barrier, I prefer these books in tandem with an English field guide. The Japanese books are available on amazon.co.jp.
   
   Other Related Books:
   1) A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Japan (4582542301) in Japanese
   2) Wild Birds of Japan by Kanouchi (4635070077) in Japanese
   3) Birds of Japan: Photographic Field Book 15 (4635060721) in Japanese
   4) Birds of Japan: Photographic Pocket Guide (4635062171) in Japanese
   5) A Field Guide to the Birds of Japan by the Wild Bird Society of Japan
   6) A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea by Lee/Koo/Park
   7) Wild Birds of Korea by Yoon
   8) A Field Guide to the Birds of China by MacKinnon/Phillipps
   9) Atlas of the Beijing Birds by Zhao

2 comments about Retrospective Two.

1. I've been a Kenna fan for over 15 years. I have sorted through stacks of his images in galleries. I've never seen an image of his that I truly disliked, and have seen hundreds that I would love to have. This book is a continuation of his uncanny work in landscape photography. I don't have anything negative to say about this book.



2. Retrospective collection of photographs. Destined to be another Michael Kenna collectible. A handsomely elegant production by Chris Pichler and Hideyuki Taguchi: Oversize-volume format in square shape. A very tall and thick book. Peach silk cloth boards with embossed titles on cover and spine, as issued. Photographs by Michael Kenna. Essay, "Inventing Peace", by Anne Wilkes Tucker in the English original and Japanese translation. As difficult as it may be to imagine, Kenna's following in Japan is larger than in the United States. Extensive Biography and List of Plates appended at the end. In pictorial DJ with white and gray titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Published as a companion book to the artist's first retrospective, the new collection presents an overview of Kenna's landscape photographs made between 1994 and 2004, at the height of his fame. "Michael Kenna is arguably the most influential landscape photographer of his generation. The subject of over 20 books and hundreds of solo exhibitions throughout Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States, Michael Kenna often works at dawn or during the night. He concentrates primarily on the interaction between the ephemeral atmospheric conditions of the natural landscape, human-made structures and sculptural mass. Kenna's exquisitely crafted prints are included in such Permanent Museum Collections as The National Gallery Washington, DC, The Museum of Decorative Arts Prague and The Victoria and Albert Museum London. In 2001, Michael Kenna was made a Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters by the Ministry of Culture in France. Born in Widnes, England in 1953, he currently lives in Portland, Oregon" (Publisher's blurb). Anne Wilkes Tucker's illuminating essay examines Kenna's influence and impact on contemporary photography. One of the best single introductions to the art of an important photographer. © 2006, ModernRare.com

No comments about Babeth Djian: Babeth.

5 comments about XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits.

1. This book has wonderful photography and stories. The text is large clear and easy to read, the photos are also large, stunning and in full color. They feature porn stars clothed and nude, topless or completely naked. When you look at the pictures you start to wonder if them taking off their clothes is the same as them putting on a costume.
   
   Also the stories are all informative and giving intriguing insight into the business and the actors and actresses in it.



2. the title says it all.
   It's definitely interesting to see side by side the dressed/undressed photographs, but I was expecting more insight into their life and jobs...



3. I think this collection of photos is just great. You get to see the two sides of the adult stars. Their real selves and they stage persona. It's a wonderful contrast.
   The pictures are wonderfully done and the models look great. I highly recommend this book.



4. This project was interesting, and the photography is good but not moving or exceptional. The essays are very diverse and I can honestly say I read it for the articles. [grin] I want his octabox and large-format camera, though. It shows the character that only these tools can bring, which is lost on the pro-am photographers who are not at this level.
   
   I bought it as "bargain bin" expecting it to be marked or remaindered in some way, but it arrived wrapped and unmarred in any obvious way, making it an amazing value for the price. Your mileage may vary.



5. The photographs reminicent of Richard Avedon are excellent -- infact all photos are often framed like those of Avedon -- with the negative holders shown (albeit, they are digitally overlaid). The book also includes a collection of essays and diptychs of men and women (who happen to be porn stars). Each subject consists of a clothed portrait, followed by a nude photo (full frontals to 1/2 upper body shots). The concept of a pair of portraits, one clothed and one nude is facinating regardless of whether or not they are porn stars.
   
   The book also includes essays on the subject of porngraphy -- some written by [...], mainstream actors, porns star themselves etc on the subject of pornography. Most of the writings are uninteresting and I believe are included in the book to "legitimize" the portfolio so that this coffee table book can be taken as a collection of "serious" photography.
   
   I wish the photographer, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders had (ahem) "the balls" to simply captioned his work with a brief title rather than boring pseudo-intellectual babble in order to substatiate his work.
   
   More interesting than the essays are the short concise bios written by the pornstar themselves at the end of the book.

5 comments about Elvis Presley: The Family Album.

1. I am wondering what inspired a book as boring as this. I guess the Estate needed someone else in the spotlight other than Jerry Schilling. Folks if you want an Elvis book that has all these guys in one spot being interviewed read Remember Elvis. It is probably the most intensive interview book ever released. George Klein and every member of the Memphis Mafia is in there. I just hope George's real book is going to be better than this.



2. Good quality book with so many beutiful pictures of Elvis and his friends. A great tribute to Elvis



3. This is a great book written by a Gentleman that was there with Elvis from his High School Days. Great photos and some new ones that I had not seen before. The best part is that he captions and explains the photos which so many people do not do. Loved the Book GK- You are a great Gentleman. See you again Soon.



4. I think this may have been a rush job but it is well done and has some very nice pictures. It is made to look like a real family album and it does the job well. Nothing very new, but if you collect Elvis books like me you will not be disappointed.



5. I bought this book and I really love it. I think GK did a wonderful job. Its a beautiful book to have sitting in any room of the house for everyone to enjoy.

No comments about David Lynch: Snowmen.

2 comments about The Kathleen Hawkins Guide to Sales and Marketing for Professional Photographers.

1. Contained within this book are many ideas and strategies for stimulating financial gains. This is addressed in areas such as building on skills used to generate clients and maintain customer loyalty as well as tailoring to their needs. A great how-to book that is easy to follow and easy to apply.



2. I'll start by saying that I am a big fan of Amherst Media books. They are concise and informative. I am a regular "textbook" reader and Amherst Media seems to offer the best selections of photography books available. I am extremely impressed with their products!!!
   
   "Sales and Marketing for Professional Photographers" is actually my first photography marketing / business book. Therefore, in all fairness, I don't have much with which to compare. However, does it really matter? If you test drive a car and really like it, why not buy it if it's what you are looking for and if it fits your budget?! For you Libras, with birthdays between 9/23 - 10/23, you're excluded from the previous statement.....
   
   Having read many other BUSINESS books, this particular guide is rather similar in what it discusses. The chapters are well organized and walk you through various business principles. How to bond with your client and how to maintain client loyalty is the common theme throughout the book. It discusses market position and how to set yourself apart from other photography businesses in your area. The nice thing about this book is that not only does it discuss and suggest ideas, but it also provides actual ways of doing it. Kathleen will give you some of her time tested methods of making things happen for you. Will they work? That's for you to try and see.
   
   I highly recommend this as a recipe book for ideas. It is actually loaded with them! Grab a good snack, something delicious to drink, and find a comfy chair. Start reading this book. I think you'll find it to be an excellent acquisition.