2 comments about Key West Houses.

1. Not only does this book capture the beauty of Key West architecture, it is very informative of the styles as well.



2. This book is full of wonderful photographs of Key West homes. I have not been yet, but would love to go and this book really inspires me.

No comments about Stieglitz: Camera Work (25th Anniversary Special Edtn).

5 comments about Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange.

1. 
   Restless spirit: The life and work of Dorothea LangeDorothea Lange provides us with a great insight into the human condition and the state of humanity. Her photographs are timeless works of excellence. Anyone interested in photography, history or humanity will find her work compelling.



2. I am a photography student, and we had to read and write a book report on a photographer for class. I selected Dorothea because I am became interested in the 1930's through the 1950's in America, particularly photographically.
   Let me say that Dorothea lived a lifestyle way ahead of her time. During a period in America when women stayed home with their children and husbands, Dorothea farmed out her children to be on the road and working.
   I really enjoyed this book. It had some of her well-known photographs i.e. The Migrant Mother, and others that I enjoyed seeing. I wish there had been more of her photography in the book and perhaps more details of her life.
   The story is written by the daughter of her life-long assistant Ron Partridge. Elizabeth Partridge does a good job with the information she has at hand. I particularly enjoyed her own memories of families Thanksgiving day dinners shared at Dorothea's 20' long table.
   Great book as a start of a collection of Lange's work. It is also a nice reference for information about the American Dust Bowl, The migrant workers, Japanese Interment Camps during WWII, and The Great Depression, and tenant farmers in the South and Southwest! The story has given me a different perspective on America during this period I apparently didn't know a lot about. The conditions that American's dealt with, and the photographs that show the story, are shocking. I grew up in "white bread" New York, and could not fathom that such heart-ache existed in another part of our country just a couple of decades before my youth.
   The story of Lange's life and dedication truly gave me a new respect for her work, and the type of sacrifaces a person has to make to accumulate a body of work such as Lange's.
   I would recommend this book.



3. This isn't the most comprehensive book on Dorothea Lange, a woman of some complication. However, it can be a great introduction and a stimulus to looking deeper into her life and work. Ms. Partridge brings a unique perspective to the book that 'outside' biographers can't offer. I've been a fan of hers since I grew up in the sixties; she spawned along with others, a new generation of activist photographers. Many of the photos in this book are standards to be found elsewhere. What I particularly enjoyed were the family photos which can't be found elsewhere. My overriding impression of this subject was a prickly and difficult woman who was driven by her problematic past, combined with genius and empathy that few have possessed. Recommended for anyone new to Lange and her work. Written for the younger reader.



4. Are you looking for non-fiction which is well-written and interesting, and covers topics over which students are generally tested for state proficiency or competency standards? This book fits all requirements. The author doesn't flinch at presenting the difficult, occasionally less-than-flattering side of the talented photographer, so that the reader comes away with a feeling of having met a "real" person, albeit one with tremendous talent. Yet, Partridge focuses on the life and times of her subject without "sensationalism". The book is well-written. Partridge never talks down to her readers, and her clear language and vocabulary should be well within the capabilities of 7th, 8th or 9th grade students. This book ties art, social studies and language arts together in perfect harmony for a study of the Depression Era of US history. Adults will enjoy this book as well.



5. Well I love photography and for thoes of you who do this is the best book. Dorthea Lange was the best photographer and is obviously my favorite. This book tells the great story of her life and has great classic photos. I highly recomend this book

5 comments about Lapdancer.

1. I liked this book but couldn't get through a lot of the letters, they were so fake seeming, though I'm sure they weren't. The general storyline was good and the pictures are telling in their crudeness. A nice "coffee table" book.



2. Juliana Beasley shows a real and sometimes shocking side of the strip club industry. The pictures are not of glamourous dancers, they are of real women who work in strip club, and their stories aren't always pretty. She is honest about what goes on in the lap dance rooms.
   
   As a dancer I can relate to what was written in this book. My experience has been different than the author's, but I recognize the stories she tells and I appreciate that she didn't sugar coat the truth of the matter. She was honest about her participation, and that is refreshing, and her photography is beautiful.



3. I was happy to get my hand on this book, since it truly changed my opinions about people in the sexy dancing industry. Who are the victims here? The dancers? The customers? None of them? All of them? There are no easy answers after looking in this amazing piece of work. Beasley has managed to really look into the human side of this world, which is all to often showed in a matter of cheap sensation. I would say this is documentary photography at it's very best. Moving, clever, passionate photographs that really makes a difference.



4. when I first saw this book, it captured my attention right away. Finally, a real life account of a woman with a plan who "chooses" the darker side of employment to find finacial security. Not only that, but it included short stories from the woman she worked with AND the customers they served.
   How could this get better?
   PICTURES! very real pictures of real people displaying the Grit, the Glamore, and sometimes the "I don't want to see that". I love artsy coffee table type books and this is now a permanent fixture in my living room.
   I've spent many a night in the loud, dark, smokey clubs filled with naked woman shaking their ass-ettes in my face. I never truly understood the truth behind their job or life style untill I picked up this book.
   This book is real, its raw, and it sheds a dim light on the subject of stripping. I recomend this book to anyone who has ever been to aa strip club, or entertained the idea of working at one.



5. Great book, the photo's are an insightful look into a world most of us never see.

   Beasely captures natural and spontaneous moments that at times were shocking and sensitive towards the subject matter. As a veteran stripper, she looks wisely at her own experience working as a lapdancer. The book is also interspersed with sincere interviews with customers and dancers. throughout the book.

   Unlike other readers in the review section, I was particuliarly moved by the humanization of the subjects instead of what one normally sees--sensationalized male fantasies. No Barbie dolls here! Most impressive are the customers' honest dire need for closeness and the dancers sincere ambivalence about their relationships and simultaneous cunning to make a good salary.

   I found this book a contradictory pleasure and at the same time a bolt disturbing reality of a world in which the lonely buy affection and attention.

   I'm thankful there are some artists out there who are not afraid of showing the truth without imbedding their own feminist agendas into the framework of a documetary book which is complete with photos and text.

   A must read!

5 comments about Land of Little Rivers: A Story in Photos of Catskill Fly Fishing.

1. This must be one of the visually most pleasing books in my posession. Lovely photos and a great backcast to the history of the Catskills Fly Fishing.



2. This is a wonderful book and the photos are fantastic.



3. If you fish the catskills, this book is a must. I have never seen such a great mixture of photographs and text in a fly fishing book. The books takes you through all the rivers, then presents the region's historic people, their fly tying, and their rods and reels.



4. This is by far the most interesting book I have ever read about fishing in the Catskills. Fly Fishing in America pretty much started there and this book explains in great detail everything there is to know about the History of Fly Fishing. Beautiful pictures on every page only add to the value of this book. Coming from someone who never takes the time to read through a 240 page book, I could not put in down. This happened during fishing season.



5. As I opened the package that contained my copy of Land of Little Rivers I expected a great book. I had read Mac FrancisÕs earlier book, Catskill Rivers, twice. Within minutes I realized the word "great" was wholly insufficient to describe this exquisite volume. At first I was caught by the, near mystical beauty of Enrico FerorelliÕs photographs--by themselves, more than worth the price of the book! But it is Mac FrancisÕs words that captured my heart and imagination completely. They carried me along, hour after hour, through this absorbing, beautifully told story of the birthplace of American fly fishing.

   The author ends his introduction, trying to define the almost supernatural power inherent in the Catskill fly-fishing tradition, with these words: "I believe it is this power -- call it passion, dedication, commitment, vision, love, or what you will -- that has inspired the myriad fly fishers who in small ways and large have created, fought for, and extended a great sporting tradition in a hallowed land, and I respect the honor of presenting them, their feats, and their little rivers in these pages."

   With this book, Mac Francis does more than simply honor a great tradition; he and Land of Little Rivers become a part of it.

5 comments about Babel: A Film by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Photo Books).

1. The story told by the extraordinary collection of photos is destined to be classic. The images are fit for any Magnum or National Geographic publication. It is certainly one of my favourite photography books, even after a year.



2. Wonderful book, great price and great shipping time. Book is worth a lot more than the selling price.



3. Powerful first class photography around a film that was equallly well shot and deeply moving. Even if you don't care for the celebrity angle (Brad and Cate), these are strong images in and of themselves. Classic B&W in Morocco, psychedelic color in Japan.



4. If like me, you were dazzled by the diverse imagery of director Alejandro González Iñárritu's most recent film, "Babel", you will likely take particular interest in this handsome coffee-table book that compiles an impressive gallery of stills within the context of his recollections of the filming. Four superb photographers - Mary Ellen Mark, Patrick Bard, Graciela Iturbide, and Miguel Rio Branco - are responsible for the vital, often seductive photos presented here, both production stills and behind-the-scenes shots. The combination gives a sense of the deep cultural immersion and the bold visual palette in capturing the lives in three distinct locales - Morocco, Tijuana and Tokyo. The result is comparable in quality to any National Geographic photography retrospective.
   
   Iñárritu's perceptive writing effectively reflects off the images to paint the broad political and emotional landscape of the film, while coming back to the common ground of people who are unable to communicate in some finite way but somehow find a bond with one other. What is most striking is how the film's story seems to mirror much of what went on with the real people during the production. There are illuminating essays by novelist and poet Eliseo Alberto and Gonzalez Iñárritu included in the introduction. As he has already proven with his first two films, "Amores Perros" and "21 Grams", Iñárritu shows an intractable grasp of loss and grief in familiar settings. That he is able to address the same themes and make them resonate even more on a global plain in "Babel" is quite astonishing. Fortunately, this book is a powerful testament to his talent as an imagemaker.



5. When a motion picture of such impact as Alejandro González Iñárritu's BABEL is released, then books such as this fine one become additive to the experience. The four stories that are so integrated into the whole become a bit more individually understandable with the time it takes to perruse this photography book. Together with cogent remarks about both the technical aspects of making this film as well as anecdotal comments about the locations, the cast and the crew that add to the pleasure are some stunning photographs both form the film and extra images.
   
   Still photographers Mary Ellen Mark, Patrick Bard, Graciela Iturbide, and Miguel Rio Branco add scenes from the film as well as images of the sets and creation of the film that make the experience live again. Yet as with the impact of the movie, the lasting impact of this addendum to the experience dwells in the mind after the covers are closed. BABEL is n important film: this book heightens the experience for those who have seen the movie and assists those who have yet to experience it. Grady Harp, November 06

No comments about X-Ray.

5 comments about New York Then and Now (Then & Now Views).

1. A very good Photographic book of the best city in the world, The then and now photo's are great.
   Highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in New York, The city has changed in a big way in the last 100 years and this book captures this in everyway.
   If your off to New York this book would great for you, go and find the place's in the book and check out to see how it has changed even more!.



2. The idea of taking old photos of Manhattan from the 1800s or early 1900s and then locating the same places and photographing them again in the 1970s was a work of genius. Not only is it a valuable historical resources but endlessly interesting to note such things as the differing quality of the photography(the older photos are superior to the 70s photos)how the areas have changed or in some cases not changed and seeing what has survived and what has not. It is even more educational to note the obliterations that have taken place within the last thirty years since the book was published as oppossed to nearly 100 in other cases when one finds the locations today. A great book for research and for the ambitious historical explorer.



3. I love 'then and now' books and this is the best one I've ever come across. The early photos are so clear and atmospheric, I feel totally transported back in time when I look at them.
   
   Being able to compare what are mostly early twentieth century photographs with the photographs often taken from almost exactly the same viewpoint circa 1974-75 is fun and fascinating.
   
   The mid-70's photographs have now taken on a wonderfully 'dated' quality of their own.
   
   The only reason I give just four as opposed to five stars is because I felt a lot of areas were very much over-looked. I'd like to have seen something of the older parts of the West Village, the East Village, more of the Upper Eastside. Whereas there seem to be a lot of photographs of real 'no-man's land' districts that are rather lifeless.
   
   I wish a follow up had been published to fill in the many holes.
   
   But I love this book very much and never get tired of flipping through and noticing new things.



4. Yes, the "now" photographs are 30 years old, But how great it is to be able to compare the same view in 1907, to 1974, to as you can see it in 2005! This book is a time capsule in itself, and in many ways even more interesting then when it was first published.
   
   In the mid-seventies, New York City was not a particularly kind place. The city was going bankrupt, Central Park's lawns were mainly dirt with patches of crab grass, and the subways were covered in graffiti. This book takes me right back there. It's amazing to see how desolate Broadway north of Houston was in the mid seventies and then to experience it today as a boulevard of high-end shops. The same thing goes for the Ladies' Mile shopping district on Sixth Avenue: formerly thriving, forlorn in the seventies, restored and vital today.
   
   The period photos are well chosen, with a ghostly, otherworldly quality. It's so hard to believe Manhattan could ever have been so bucolic, a city of horse-drawn carts in which church steeples were the tallest structures around.
   
   If you want a book that focuses on today, check out "New York Changing" by Douglas Levere, in which he painstakingly "rephotographs" 81 of the scenes captured by the great Berenice Abbott in the thirties. It's an amazing work for New York buffs, a real treat. Using a period camera, Levere went to great lengths to recreate the same shots, aided in one instance by the driver of a double-decker bus who pretended to have mechanical difficulties so that Levere, perched on the top deck, had time to compose his shot. But even Levere's book is a time capsule in that he was working before and after September 11, and several photos show the World Trade Center in all its looming enormousness. Time doesn't stand still, and these books do what they can to document the all-too-fleeting moment.



5. A city that has changed and continues to change with the speed and energy that New York does, invites books like these. Gillion's and Watson's "New York Then and Now" is a collection of photos of scenes from days past juxtaposed with recent shots. For me there are two effects of this juxtaposition: one is a sense of loss. So many of the old structures, now gone, were beautiful. But, more strongly, is the sense of admiration for New York's eternal dedication to progress. "New York Then and Now" gives the reader an appreciation of the labor that has gone into the building of the greatest city on Earth. However, because this is a reprint of an older book, too many of the "Now" shots are just as obsolete as the "Then" shots. It sorely needs to be updated.

5 comments about The John F. Kennedys: A Family Album.

1. This book about the Kennedy family is one of the best! I am a fan of them, and I love those pictures! My favorites are the ones of Caroline and her brother in Caroline's bedroom in the White House, and the ones of John-John and Caroline with their Father and Maud Shaw, the nanny, which I'm guessing is in early 1961. This book has no words, except for the intro and the back describing the pictures from the chapter. This is a definite need for anyone who is a Kennedy fan!!!



2. I am a fan of the Kennedys and I love this book! It is just pictures...pictures...pictures! It is so wonderful! I had to wait 6 long days for it to come to my house. But it was worth it! I love all of the photographs of Caroline as a 2 year old at the beach playing with her parents. I also like the ones of John at the beach with his mother.
   This book is wonderful. And I love it. If you buy it, it is worth the money! I paid 12 dollars for it! Mark Shaw did a good job!!!



3. Mark Shaw's book is a real treat. His loving, poignant photographs show the real love, the real bonds, the real ties within the most famous family. The pictures of little Caroline and John are among my favorites. Caroline and John from all accounts have remained so natural, so wonderfully, refreshingly normal. I loved seeing these two children at play. Pennsylvania Avenue could have been Main Street. To their parents' credit, they grew up unaffected. This book shows it.



4. This book has beautiful photographs of the former first family. Congradulations to Mark Shaw for a wonderful job!!!!!! FOR QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSIONS ON JACKIE ONASSIS, PLEASE E-MAIL ME AT MellissaLD@aol.com. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!



5. Mark Shaw's photographs capture the idyllic moments of John, Jackie, Caroline and John Jr., whether at play in the White House or laughing together on a Cape Cod beach. The simple yet stunning photos of this famous foursome will be as familiar to you as your own family photo album.

   To those who were there when John Kennedy was in the White House, this book will serve as a touching remembrance and to people who know about the Kennedys from just a historical standpoint, the photos and words will provide a more personal glimpse into the years that are commonly referred to as the Camelot era. Richard Reeves words are not overly sentimental but an accurate assessment of the life and times of this legendary family.

   Overall, The John F. Kennedys: A Family Album, is a pleasant, yet sometimes sad journey looking back at what was considered the perfect family of two successful, stunning parents and their adorable children. Behind the photos, all was not perfect but Mark Shaw's camera didn't lie -- in the end, they were like any other family with problems but in-between they knew how to have fun and simply enjoy each others company, as is evident in many of Shaw's photos, especially those showing them at play at their home on Cape Cod.

   Followers of the Kennedy's will no doubt enjoy this book, as will those who are interested in what life was like for a very public family who shared their private times with a talented photographer and with the world. If you like taking a look back in time, you will no doubt enjoy the journey Mark Shaw and Richard Reeves takes you on.

5 comments about How to Cheat in Photoshop : The art of creating photorealistic montages - updated for CS2 (How to Cheat in).

1. This product was bought as a gift for a bright 16 year old girl. It was purchased to fuel her interest in PhotoShop without her having to first wade through a ton of dry how to. This book allowed her to see what was possible so that she now seeks out the ways that she can do other more mundane applications of the program. It provided what it was purchase for. A match for a creative fire.



2. I purchased this book over a year ago, and I'm still using it. You give several examples in your chapters on how to do a certain task, in a down to earth writing style which I find very easy to understand. I've become so much more efficient in Photoshop thanks to your book.
   Cheers!



3. This is a very fun book to work thru. It comes with a CD that has photos to work with. You will install the CD and use the different effects over and over. I find myself going back to the book on many different projects. Most of the effects are ones that you can use in editing any type of photo. I loved the book and recomend it highly. Even beginners will find it easy to follow.



4. Just got into this book and I love it already. It may help for you to have another book along for tool and palette reference. The accompanying cd-rom is a great help, but i just wish that it had more videos. This book is definitely one of the top PAdobe Photoshop CS2 One-on-One (One-On-One)hotoshop books that I own.



5. This is an excellent hands-on tutorial in getting the most out of Photoshop CS2, Ostensibly about creating realistic-looking photomontages (though most of the examples wouldn't fool someone who's paying attention), this book is actually for anyone who has struggled to learn about layers and masks and levels. It's accessible and fun.