5 comments about Ferrari: 1947-1997.

1. Exhaustively chronicled and well presented, this is the benchmark for books on the icon Ferrari. This car is and always has been a piece of art, the cars are beautifully created and the most stylish. The perfect car for the continental Italian. Ferrari is like everything italian, it just get's better with age. If you have any interest whatsoever in Ferrari, then i highly recommend this book, the images alone are worth the purchase, the book looks like it was designed by Ferrari.



2. Antonio Ghini's book contains whatever lies below the "Prancing Horse" badge, for models produced in the 50 years period; moreover, it helps to understand and find answers of today's automotive & motorsports technologies' innovational questions which are solved decades before. The online version of the book is available at CuoreSPORTIVO ICEO Web Site with pictures.



3. This is the true story - from Enzo's days as an Alfa Romeo engineer and race mechanic, up to his death...and beyond. It's refreshing to find the story so well summed up - while it's not an unbiased account, it's exactly what you'd expect from the folks who make some of the most amazing machines on the face of this earth. What an awesome story, and great pictures to boot!



4. This book accomplish quite properly it mission. To give us a shallow look at the first 50 years of the make. Good and some very rare pictures, diagrams explaining technical solutions and good but condensed text. A must.



5. If you are interested in a broad sweep of Ferrari racing history, this is the book. If you are interested in Ferrari road cars, buy "Ferrari" by Hartmut Lehbrink instead. This is an excellent book, large and heavy with great color pictures and cut-aways. It does gloss over the road cars and has great summary color thumbnails of all Ferrari's (racing and road)in the back. A worthy addition to any Ferrari library.

5 comments about The San Fernando Valley: America's Suburb.

1. During my stay in the United States more than a year and half ago, while doing my errands, I happened to arrive at the end of the MTA Orange Line bus on its westbound extremity, in a station called "Warner Center". I jumped out of the bus and started strolling with no specific purpose in mind. Seriously, this place I've arrived at has absolutely no touristic appeal at all. Not much people walking around, traffic wasn't intense (I guess this was because it was around 10 in the morning - the rush to work was over), green yards, large boulevards and peacefulness all across. Definitely, this was not a typical Los Angeles neighborhood like Hollywood, Echo Park, Eagle Rock and Venice, much less like South L.A. and Watts. What I saw was a world apart not so far away from the "original L.A." mess, though this was also a Los Angeles neighborhood, with a different atmosphere, aiming constantly to reach perfection.
   
   Even missing that touristic appeal, I thought this was the best spot I've been in during my Southern California trip. No kidding. Laugh at me if you want to. Even the paradisiac beaches which were so close to me wasn't that special. The impact of being at SFV hit hard on me. I know this place has the typical problems that any other major area also has, but it's still enchanting. This fascination led me to purchase this book so I could learn more about it.
   
   Just finished reading the book and my advice is:
   
   This book is simply a "must-have" for every Southern California native or lover who wants to know about the history of San Fernando Valley. Kevin Rodnick did an excellent job describing nicely and in chronological order the happenings that made this once empty space where Spaniards settled in the 1700s the most representative icon of the America's suburb and a - why not - peaceful refuge in the so-troubled Los Angeles area today.
   
   Get it!



2. A great book on the history of the valley. For those of us that grew up in the 60s and 70s this book lacks pictures and stories of that time. If you are looking for memories this book will not bring them back.



3. Very enjoyable. I grew up in the west end of the San Fernando Valley; Van Nuys to Canoga Park. A good friend's grandfather was William Paul Whitsett. She would tell me interesting stories about him. It saddens me to see the condition of the Valley now. I remember the orange groves and horse ranches, but now nothing but houses, houses, houses. Can't go home again, but this book takes me back to a better time and place.



4. As someone who was born and raised in the valley, this book is a great look at the history of the San Fernando Valley from the pioneers who settled it on to modern day. Contains many wonderful photos as well. A fine read for anyone living here who would like to discover a little of it's past and for those of us born and raised here it is an essential look back on the place we call home. Much of the photos will make you say " I remember that!" It did for me upon seeing Lucy and Desi in their home which was located at Devonshire and Tampa and is now a gated housing complex. I grew up in the Porter Ranch area and that home and land are always part of my memories of the area.



5. For those who grew up in the Valley, this book provides a wonderful mix of 'answers-to-trivia-questions' and a solid background in many aspects of its history. For those who've never lived in the Valley or never been there, Kevin Roderick's book will tell you that your culture is far more shaped by the Valley and the people in it than you ever knew.

1 comments about Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps/a Travel Guide to History.

1. The information and directions included in this book are very informative, but not in a lot of depth. Photos were fantastic. Buy it with another book whose emphasis is Arizona history with more specific directions and it will be a winning combination.

5 comments about Profitable Photography in Digital Age: Strategies for Success.

1. The best book on the Photography business to date. It may be hard for some to swallow, but sometimes when you are forced to look in the mirror and evaluate the decisions you have made in your life and career, it's easy to criticize the one forcing you to do so. Dan has written a book that should be a classic for anyone even thinking about making money from photography at any level, be it just an amateur wanting to make a few bucks to support his equipment habit, or the serious photography looking to make a true career in the business. A must read for the new and the seasoned.



2. While this book was intended to be directed to photographers, I feel it is firstly just another sales book. The jargon and hairsplitting discussion on career direction and the importance of branding your product had a few nuggets of helpful information, nonetheless finding a way to apply it to my needs was a stretch.



3. I wanted to love this book. I was impressed by Mr Heller's web site and his straight forward talk there, I thought the book would be a continuation from his web sit. Well, he talks a lot, almost chatter. Sure, it all makes sense but most of it is just plain old common sense. I wish I had saved my money.



4. It's what you need to know. The good, the bad, and the ugly truths about the photography business. If you only want to buy one book on this topic, this is it.



5. I thoughly enjoyed reading this book. It has very up to date info about the internet. I also thought he covered many topics like business types, stock agencies, and webpages better than other books I have read. Highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to go into stock photography business. This book mainly deals with stock photography business, not other types of businesses.

3 comments about Ackermann's Costume Plates.

1. Rudolph Ackermann was one of the premier fashion illustrators of the early 19th century, and many of his finest works from 1818 to 1828 (many in color) are preserved in this high-quality paperback from Dover Publications, kings of vintage-fashion books. Everyone wanting to know what women wore in the years between Waterloo and the height of the Romantic Era will want this book, and for that reason I give it 5 stars.
   
   However...we really, really, REALLY need Dover to put out a book or two on fashions of the Napoleonic and Regency era from 1789 to 1815. There are plenty of fashion plates available from the period, for instance in the well-known magazines "La Belle Assemblee" and "Lady's Monthly Museum", and there are any number of Regency-fashion enthusiasts who have put together exhaustive websites on the topic. So how about it, Dover? Jane Austen fans everywhere will blow out Amazon's servers ordering such a book if you publish one! :)



2. For those of us who love to indulge in poring over antique fashion plates, this book is an excellent acquisition. I recommend it not for someone particularly new to costume history, but for those who need good reproductions of this particular period as a resource. Well worth the extremely reasonable price. Be aware that these plates were the "ideal" in fashion at this time. Look at our own fashion magazines and think about how close everyday clothes are to those images and you'll understand my caution.



3. As the title of this book suggests, the subject matter isprimarily reproductions of many ladies fashion plates from the higheststyle journal of the English Regency. Sadly, too few of the plates are reproduced in color, however, the editorial choices made by Stella Blum (at one time curator of the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Collection) about which plates to reproduce, and which ones to print in color are intelligent, and her brief essay of introduction is highly informative. This book is a must for people wanting to see what Regency Fashion looked like, or for people who wish to identify Fashion Plates. People who need a more through text on the subject should also buy "Jane Austen : In Style" by Susan Watkins, Hugh Palmer. People who want guidance on how to make these clothes should also seek out "Federalist & Regency Costume : 1790-1819" ed. by R.L Shep. END

No comments about Wolfgang Tillmans: Portraits.

1 comments about Muroc: Where The Hot Rods Ran.

1. There are very few books that are able to give the reader an insight into the early history of man and machine, their bond and intermingling like a separate species of creation. We look into the past and we faint shallow of understanding,...close but not close enough. Photography can say much more than any words penned by any man or woman of any day or age, to give attest to the wonders of the pioneers that paved the way in the world of hot rodding. Sadly, the world of hot rodding came to an end in the 1950s, with the advent of the drag cars, and show cars. Now our ears burn at the very mention of "Rat rods" and "street rods",..terms that had come of age far away in a time of automobile molestation! True hot rodding was and will always be about the ability to make an average jalopy do unimaginable things that it shouldnt be able to do....not how rusty and fragile or how much paint one can mix and make shine like the cosmos!
   
   William Carrol is one of the most important pieces to the puzzle of the world of hot rodding,..true hot rodding!
   
   Thank you for giving us a past to look upon and study,..a feast for the eyes and a fire in our bellies to savor more history with every page!

1 comments about Finger Lakes Splendor.

1. I needed a picture book with minimal text to give to a non-english speaker showing them my home. Finally, I found it. It's hefty and thus expensive to ship, but it's worth it. A really nice balance of seasons, landscapes, people and places of western ny.

3 comments about Guatemala: Eternal Spring Eternal Tyranny.

1. It is a rare instance to use a book as a base for creating such a moving experience. This book presents in raw, guttural and palpable images the cruel reality that has affected so many so close to us. Guatemala is still a dychotomy of social classes, of race, religion, power. The eternal tyranny has not yet devoured the precious landscapes nor its people... as long as people who produce books like this give a voice to the victims and put an image of injustice, oppresion, abuse, to teach us that when a people suffer, we all suffer with them. Guatemala, so beautiful, is not yet healed from this wound. I cannot feel but worry for all those who continue strugglig for survival, identity, and a life free of oppresion. This book is but the tip of the iceberg... I have done many interviews (informal conversations) with former Kaibil and G-2 officials (brutes, killing machines) who have applied for political assylum here in the US, who surprisingly are living a pretty much normal life. They have retold (not acknowledging any guilt, of course) killings of innocents which took place time and time again...The pictures bring out the bloodshed so the people who died are not forgotten. The book will give you just enough. You will be amazed to find out how this book was realized. Please don't just look at it, share it with those who need to be touched with human suffering and people like you and I who want to make a difference...



2. One has to understand the purpose of this amnesty international book. The sole intent is to demonstrate the deplorable human rights situation in guatemala. There is no intent to present a balanced picture. Basically it is a summarization of guatemala in the 1980s a terrible decade for that country. No punches are pulled here, just page after page of horror upon horror all presented in vivid color. The photograpahy is wonderful and i can't think of many books about guatemala with better photos. They capture the beauty of the land and people and the blatant tragedy at hand.

   This book isn't for the squeamish. I first read it as i was preparing to travel there to study spanish. This book scared me to death but more than that it outraged me and i think that was the purpose. Secondly it does educate at a basic level what has been going on in guatemala.

   A good primer about the human rights atrocities in guatemala.

   .................socks




3. I ran across a used copy of this book before my first trip to Guatemala, and it radicalized me, preparing me for the devastating effects of the country's 35-year-long civil war. While the war is officially over, this book still has relevance to the plight Guatemala's indigenous population -- 90% of its people. It is remarkable that the author -- a woman, a photographer, a human rights activist, and a foreigner -- was able to get as close to her subjects as she did. This extremely moving photo-and-text essay is not for the faint of heart, but if you want a taste of what present-day Guatemalans have lived through, this book delivers it.

4 comments about Waterfalls and Gorges of the Finger Lakes.

1. Excellent assortment of waterfall and gorge photos! Great photo composition and seasonal color were well planned into all of these shots. These photos are also great for painting or sewing landscape references which is why I purchased it, besides just loving waterfalls!
   
   Locations of the pictured waterfalls are certainly a bonus, but the pictures themselves are enough reason to own this book - very enjoyable!



2. While this is a book of wonderful travel photos that reveals the treasures in Upstaters' own backyards, it's more than that.
   Doeffinger also provides an 8-page introduction to the geology that created these beauties and the history of their discovery and preservation, plus 4 pages of detailed photographic information--he works at Kodak, for whom he writes photography books. And there's a detailed map section showing all the locations and information on 10 publicly-accessible sites. These include hiking difficulty and time, directions (many of these falls are within State Parks and none say just "at the back of the parking lot"), with special highlights to look for.
   I don't think it was meant to be anything beyond what it is: a handsome compilation of the somewhat homey pleasures that Upstate affords to day-trippers, family outings, and homesick ex-pats. It may be too poetic to be the scientific treatise Mordant1 was expecting, and apparantly not up to his photographic standards either, but he does offer some equally deep insights on modern music in his review of the latest Brittney Spears opus.



3. Splendid. The best of its kind. An exquisite ode to the subtle beauty of this region. This is a photographic essay of extraordinary depth, which whispers the gentle magic of upstate NY. Read it for the sheer love of nature and life, even if you are unfamiliar with this corner of the world.



4. I live within a hour or two of all these beautiful spots and am ashamed to have only visited a couple. We will use these gorgeous photos as a guidebook for the Spring, Summer and Fall to make certain we don't miss a one.

   Why did I think I have to travel far for scenery of this caliber.?