5 comments about The Blizzard of '78.

1. I was There, Great book. Boston was under snow for a week it was like living back before cars. This book has it all. Thank you



2. Having gone through the Blizzard of 78 I was pleased there was mention that about two weeks before the Blizzard there was a substantial snow storm with plenty of snow still on the ground. This made the actual Blizzard much worse that it may otherwise have been. The book is interesting and shows pictures from many areas, along the coast, on Rt. 128 (now part is I95) and other places. The coast was extensively eroded and D Troop 5th Cav. had it's tracks on the seashore rescuing people. My son joined them seven years later.



3. As a Mass. native and a local history buff I must say that Mike Tougias has done an excellent job recounting and enlivening the blizzard of 78. The book is an essential for anyone doing research on New England weather, but Tougias' commentary along with plenty of great photographs also make it a great read for anybody who wants to relive snow bound memories or is even just curious about the subject. Blizzard of 78 was certainly worth the time and money I put into it and I strongly reccomend it for anybody interested in meteorology and/or New England.



4. "The Blizzard of '78" is an engaging and fun read. I loved the pictures, which brought back the innocence of that time, when there was no school for two weeks and everyone had to pull together to survive.

   I think this makes a great gift and can start some wonderful conversations. Anyone in New England who lived through the great "Blizzard of '78" and has a story to tell, will enjoy this book as a keepsake and rememberance.




5. I was surprised to receive a copy of a book called The Blizzard of '78 for Christmas. I had totally forgotten that the 25th anniversary was in February. The pictures and stories have brought back many memories. It's funny how many folks I talk to can tell me where they were, what they were doing, and how much snow was in their part of MA. This ain't a book for the scientific meteorologist folks. This is a scrapbook for those that were there, in The Blizz of '78. Thanks to the author Mike Tougias. Great job!

5 comments about East Side Stories: Gang Life in East LA.

1. i read the book in about 2 days. most of it is pictures, which is what i like to see in gang books since you do not see alot of pics in gang books... i think the book could have had more stories from the members in the book..but then again in the book the members did request certain things to not be said or photgraphed. the book is short... lots of pics. the author said he mostly wanted to center on the family and what they go thru... which when i bought the book, i wanted to hear more about the members and what they go thru instead of the family. it's pretty self explanatory what a family will go thru if their kid is involved in anything bad...
   
   the author also complains about in his book how he pretty much refused to take pics of violence or the members showing some guns or other things. he said for some reason violence sells... he wanted to photograph a diff side of the culture i guess, the non-violent side... as a reader of these books, i do like to see some of the violent stuff since like i said, there is hardly any pics in these kind of books... i'm not saying i want to see a photo of a crime in action, but i like to see the members, the tattoos... match a face to the name in the book.. which in this book, you can do sometimes...
   
   it's gets the 4 stars cuase of some of things i pointed out that i didn't like... but it's a good read...



2. One would think that this book would describe gang life more thoroughly. But, well over half the pages are pictures. Also, a lot of the rest of the pages either have a only few sentences or they are totally blank. I am very disappointed.



3. It doesn't get any more real than this!! I really enjoyed this book. It lets you really get to know the people in the book who are real and not just some made up characters. I hope to see more of these type of books from Joseph Rodriguez. I also like the idea that someone made above about the author doing an update to this book. That would be great!!!



4. Finally someone writes a book and tells the truth i grew up in East los and believe me it was hard but something we chose,we chose to gangbang and finally someone was real about it and wrote this book showing the way it really is and what we really go threw.........THANKS,VBTP



5. I live in East L.A., and I know two of the young guys that were in the book. This is what life for us is really like.Im 19, and the guys that came out in the book are around 22 now. I think that this guy has come a really long way and hopefully when he looks back at this book he will realize that he has turned into a better and smarter person.The author has my support in whatever he does. To come here to the neighborhood and write about what goes on in here is opening society's eyes to the everyday struggles and pressures that our young Chicano men have to go through. Behind every picture that Joseph has taken there is a story,and the people that live through it are the authors. I am sure that Joseph has some how helped these guys, because when I first met Porky the first thing he told me was that Pony and him had came out in a book!I think that this book should be updated and see how everyone is doing now.I recommend this book to anyone that wants to see some of the hardships of life.Pony died after this book was made but his smile and memory are always with me.When you see his face in this book don't think of it as another gang member, but as someone who was sill a kid that got caught up in the gang life.

No comments about Mapplethorpe: The Complete Flowers.

3 comments about Araki (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series).

1. This book is heavy, thick, very well printed and in a beautifull box...
   The content is basically what I was looking for: a little bit from all his work, in high quality prints.
   So, i't's nice if you are looking for "ONE" book about Araki's work.
   The bad part is that the order of the pics is nosense, I thinks this is because Araki thinks that the "time" and moment where the pic was done is irelevant.



2. if you like japanese bondage and dirty old man type of stuff this book is for you. I can't really comment on this book because it's just not my thing. i see what dude is going for but i wasn't that interested. tying girls up, trying to make fruit and flowers look like genitalia. not real fun for me. but that's what he's known for. he does it here. if you're a fan im sure you'll like it if not, you could easily pass on this book



3. Araki, currently Japan's most notarized and sought photographer, blurs the line between obscenity and art. However there is no denying that ALL of his works are photographed with the precision and skill that can challenge even the works of Robert Mapplethorp.
   
   
   
   This particular book, assembled by Taschen, is perfectly executed. All facets of Araki's work are prominently displayed. The cityscapes flow with the eye's movement, the images of flowers are so sharp your nose will be fooled, the nudes capture the models' spirit, and most importantly works from Araki's first book "Sentimental Journey" and "Winter Journey" (images of his marriage, honeymoon & death of his wife) are contained within and elicit emotion like no other.
   
   
   
   I highly recommend this publication for anyone who has a serious interest in Erotica, art and/or photography. Again these images are not for the faint of heart: fornication, S & M, prostitution, deprivation, are just to name a few of the subjects!

1 comments about Personal Exposures.

1. This collection reminds us that photography can be not only a harrowing journalistic document, or some supreme aesthetic achievement, but can also be just plain fun. Erwitt seems like the kind of guy who always carries a camera wherever he goes and snaps uncounted numbers of pictures to get a few witty gems. This is THE Erwitt collection, and the lengthy introduction gives some biographical context to the photos. Of course, knowing something of the personal context of a photographer's work isn't absolutely necessary (the photos speak for themselves if they are any good) but these are styled "PERSONAL Exposures" after all, so it makes sense to know a little about the man. This is a big, generous book, and the photos were obviously selected and ordered with care. An excellent overview of an interesting career.

No comments about The Moon.

1 comments about KODAK New Pocket Guide to Digital Photography: Quick advice on getting great pictures!.

1. Good info for folks who are into digital photography for a while. A little to technical for novice users. User manuals would be more helpful for novices.

5 comments about Ethiopia: Peoples of the Omo Valley.

1. Totally under-valued and under-appreciated... the story is told literally, with the camera and expressed in photo imagery.
   
   I suspect in the years to come, this volume will become an investment- expensive to "price-less"...



2. I had been looking for a book about tribal Africa, when I stumbled by chance upon this 2-volume set. I browsed the web in search of some pictures taken from the book and as soon as I laid my eyes on them, I knew this was the book I was looking for. Apart from the pictures, which are truly gorgeous (I can't honestly imagine anything better about the subject), this set is awesome in every aspect (size, quality of the paper, colors, binding, make-up, even the font chosen is very elegant - being Italian, I couldn't help noticing that the set has been printed and bound in Italy) it's very clear that the publisher has gone a long way to produce quality stuff, and not just another book on Africa. If you are remotely interested in anything African, this book is for you. Swept away by the beauty of some pictures, you'll probably end up, as I did, asking yourself questions about our own civilization and its alleged "superiority" over the South of the world. But this is another story.



3. i had been to ethiopia but,unfortunately,not to the omo valley
   very magnificent photos to see cultural images of people of the omo valley even though in a book,i recommend everyone to purchase this item
   definitely you will appreciate it



4. This is a best vision of the people of the Omo Valley.
   Ethiopia is a anknow contry with marvellous people.



5. 
   I hated to shell out the big bucks, but I've hit rock bottom and I admit I'm a junkie for books on places where I've been in tribal Africa. So I had to do it--and I'm glad I did.
   
   It's hard to imagine having any books at all on tribal life anywhere in the world and not have this two-volume set. The photography and its richness of color as printed on the page just can't be topped. Is it just me, or are more people "discovering" the Omo Valley these days? It's in southern Ethiopia, where people still live much as they have for centuries--they still compete against nature for sustenance, tribes still fight each other for grazing land, women still wear goat skins and the men of some tribes still consider the most minimal of clothing optional. It is one of the few places in the world where tribal attire and body painting is the real, every-day thing--not something put on for tourists. Silvester represents it well in this set. And unlike so many coffee table books, in which any kind of meaningful narrative is catch as catch can, Silvester's narrative is informative and engaging--more anecdotal than a scholarly treatise.
   
   Good news: no thumbnails in the back, where you have to go for captions. Captions are with the pictures, but I wish more of the pictures were captioned.
   
   I was apprehensive about the second volume. The editorial review can be interpreted as meaning photos of the body paintings have been turned into abstract art. I didn't really want to pay for something like that. But again, I wasn't disappointed. The second volume is just photos, not photos reworked into abstract art. The art on their bodies already is abstract art. I swear, I have seen far less impressive paintings hanging in art galleries, commanding many thousands of dollars! Page after page, you will say aloud, "This is amazing!"
   
   Some will hate Silvester's work. As we've seen in other reviews of books covering tribal Africa, there will always be some who seem embarrassed by all the nudity. They will angrily denounce such books as somehow "false," claiming such Africa no longer exists. Weird wishful thinking, I suppose, probably having something to do with internalized racism. This 2-volume set, then, is not for them. This photographer does not select for publication only those shots where an elbow or a leaf just happens to shield the viewer from prudish sensitivities. And that gives you a sense of honesty about the work. You don't feel manipulated as you might if you felt the photographer had an agenda or was trying to be gentle with you. You don't have a vague sense of wondering what else he doesn't want you to know.
   
   The lives and culture of the Omo Valley peoples are so different from ours in the West that we can find them shocking at first take. Sylvester addresses this. "When you see how these people live, you can't help asking: 'What is a savage?' What do we understand by the term 'primitive'?" I wouldn't have used the word "savage," not even in the context of the question, because it might imply the people really are more or less savage unless granted some kind of special, sympathetic interpretation of the depiction. I would not want to remotely suggest they could be seen as "savage." (Perhaps the translation from Silvester's German wasn't the best in this instance.) In any case, once you spend time with these people--in his case, I think it was 9 trips over 3 years--the mystery and the oddities quickly become not so odd or mysterious. Should the photographer, then, produce a work that carefully considers Western unfamiliarity and shock, or a work that caters more to authenticity? He goes for the authentic.
   
   Check out Giansanti's work, and Beckwith & Fisher. Those are great too. But don't come up short without this one, either. It will take you on a wonderful, close-up journey into the harsh but beautiful land, and the hard but beautiful lives of the people of the Omo Valley.

1 comments about Creative Scrapbooking with Your Computer (Memory Makers).

1. I really liked this one, unlike another "digital" one I got which was actually about paper (Point and Click Scrapbooking). This one is 100% digital with lots of ideas and layouts to snag ideas from. One of the best things about it is that it doesn't waste pages with projects that I would never do. It's just page after page of full color wonderful layouts showcasing a subject/concept/idea. There are a few pages on equipment and such, but not enough to deter from the layouts/ideas.

No comments about Playgirl 2009 Calendar.