4 comments about 100 Days in Photographs: Pivotal Events That Changed the World.

1. A very good visual history book about different climatic events over the last 100 years.



2. 100 Days In Photographs gives a snap shot of great pictures in history. If you are a history buff and enjoy the details; this book is an excellent look into history with pictures. I am almost to the twenty-first century.



3. This is an amazing book and a great gift! Amazing photographs, high quality prints... One of the best book I bought this year!



4. The photos are amazing but I was not expecting some of the graphic nature on a lot of these photos (dead bodies mainly). I was hoping for a coffee table book but because it is so graphic and I have young children, I am not going to be able to display.

No comments about Photojournalism: Content and Technique.

2 comments about Gilbert's Living with Art w. CD-ROM and Timeline.

1. I was suppose to receive my book no later than september 7th and I just received it on sept 17th. also the bag was torn the c.d. with the book is gone and there is no packageing slip. I had never had this type of experience I am very disappointed



2. This book is excellent for the beginner, intermediate and advanced art enthusiast. It crosses over all cultures and eras and connects them all using unique and interesting themes. It also covers the basic design elements and visual fundamentals and can be used again and again for any art class: drawing, painting, sculpture, art appreciation.

5 comments about Chicago Then and Now (Then & Now Thunder Bay).

1. This book has a relatively unusual format. A picture (often dating from before 1900) of a building or structure is shown on the left page, and a modern picture of the same building or structure is shown on the right facing page. A number of reviewers have complained about the fact that the comparative pictures were not usually taken from the same spot. I am unsure how easy it is to take a new picture of a structure from the exact location of a previous photo, at least without special technical assistance. In addition, the spot from which an old photo was taken may have been an empty lot which now contains a building--thus ruling out a new photo getting taken from the exact same spot as the old.
   
   Besides the familiar Chicago landmarks, this book contains some pictures of churches. I especially appreciated the photos of St. Ignatius Church and St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.



2. Great pictures on every page of this wonderful book. Only Chicagoans will appreciate it however. The photos are large and grand, and the author has tried hard to recreate the original angle mostly. That's my only complaint. Lovely book.



3. I enjoyed this book. Some of the pictures do not compare well because they were taken at different angles or from a different side of the street. Nevertheless, this is a great book. I found lots of stuff to compare. Native Chicagoans, who take an interest in the city, will like it. I purchased it for my brother for Christmas...liked it so much I purchased one for myself.



4. I have several of these "then and now" books, and I would say this is the weakest of the bunch. I dearly love Chicago, and some of the old photographs were very interesting, but the book has a few problems. First, the photographic perspectives are rarely in synch, so it is difficult to compare the two pictures directly; either the angle is off to the side, or it's at a different distance. This seems rather to defeat the purpose of a "then and now" theme, which is to facilitate comparison. Secondly, a great many of the buildings and scenes are virtually identical to what they were, so one wonders why they were included. Finally, a map should have been included.

   On the positive side, many of Chicago's key spots are targeted, such as the Water Tower, the stockyards and Hull House, and the paragraphs that accompany each picture do convey a lot of interesting information.

   If you are interested in Chicago or urban history you will undoubtedly still enjoy this volume, but lower your expectations a bit before the book arrives so you won't be disappointed.




5. An interesting look at Chicago as it appeared in the past, compared to now. More than just a picture book, it also gives some historical perspective for each location. If you're a Chicagoan, this is a must have. There are two problems that keep this from getting a top ranking. First, the focus of a "then and now" book should be to compare and contrast, so we can see how much has changed. There's several locations shown here that haven't really changed, and you wonder why they were included. Also, the "then" and "now" pictures should be shot from roughly the same location, showing the same perspective. That's not always the case here, and you may have to spend some time figuring out how to get things lined up. Still, it's a good way to see how the city used to look, and a rare look at some of the now-missing architectural treasures.

5 comments about The Century.

1. The Century is a 15-CD retelling of American history, from the start of the 20th century to the late 1990s. Told by the bold and compelling voice of Peter Jennings, and interspersed with interviews and music like that heard on the nightly news, it is easy to listen to and easy to break up if listening while commuting.
   
   As can be expected with any attempt to cover 100 years of history in a short space, the level of analysis or introspection is low. It is mostly a recounting of the main events, along with personal reactions by those who were there or who lived through the period. It does provide a good overview of the cultural, moral and social changes that American society went through with each decade.
   
   This is unlikely to be appealing to history buffs. But for those with a few holes in their knowledge, The Century provides a good overview of what America has been through in the past ten decades and what shaped it into the country and people it is today.



2. It arrived in new condition. Very good experience. Would purchase from them again



3. The publication date pf 1998 is just shy of a century, which is the title of the textbook. I personally think the book is excellent (I am a history lover) but to stay true to the title, the book probably should have been published in 2001, which would then incorporate a century (1900-2000). All in all, it is an excellent book and compares favorably with other historic accounts of the decades.



4. This is a very fine overview of much of the last century. US history is about 50% of the book, and there is not too much "US -centrism", as one might expect.Drawbacks include overdone pieces on entertainment personages like Elvis and Marilyn, not to mention a lot on US Consumer culture, especially since the 1950's. There are nice sections on "Levittowns", the A-Bombs, the McCarthy era,Chambers-Hiss, the Cuba Missle Crisis, Civil Rights into the present day.Even better is that WW2 coverage includes the war from the German and especially the Russian viewpoints, including an outstanding section on the siege of Leningrad, including a photo of a dead mother held by her (living)child. The Russian effort in WW2 is too often downplayed in US based histories. Also a fine section on the Chinese Revolution and Korean War. In fact,as an intro, this about as good as it gets, either for the student, or as a capsule for the amateur/armchair historian. Definitely a keeper,with great photos, and timeless as well!



5. The CENTURY is an excellent collection of narrative and photography from the last century. If you know who Peter Jennings is and what he sounds like, you can hear his voice as you read this book. It is not a fast read, more of a coffee table book to browse thru and most likely to spark conversation. Some of the photos could have been better edited.-ex. There is a BEATLES photo that catches all four of them with their eyes in between blinks. That seemed to be a poor choice by the editors of this book.

No comments about Magic Lantern PRO Guides: Nikon AF Speedlight Flash System: Master the Creative Lighting System! (Magic Lantern Guides).

5 comments about Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT/EOS 350D (A Lark Photography Book).

1. Wasn't for my XTI and very useful anyway. Different approach and you can always count on the Magic Lantern Series for being well written.



2. Good book on basic abilities of Canon Rebel EOS XT digital SLR camera. A little dated but the XT is alittle long in the tooth, being the Mark II chipset processor, now that the new Rebel TSi will be out April 27, 2008.



3. If you want to learn all about your Rebel XT camera, this is the book to buy. If you are happy with the manual, then you may not need this book.



4. After reading some of the other reviews, I was hesitant to buy this book. I did anyway, and found it to be exactly what I was looking for - a book on how to use this camera to it's fullest. If this is what you're looking for, then buy this book.



5. This is a must if you have the camera. Like I've read, the instruction manual is lacking.....especially if you're a novice. I plan to buy one for my daughter who just now bought the camera. It answers a lot of questions.

5 comments about Professional Children's Portrait Photography: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers (Pro Photo Workshop).

1. I was really looking forward to this book and bought it without reading the reviews first. I wish I had read all of them before making this purchase.
   
   Well, another reviewer had it right: mostly fluff, little substance. I have to second that opinion of this book. The images are fantastic and there is some decent advice to photographers but the book doesn't promise what it implies in the title: Techniques. You get a few tiny tidbits here and there but nowhere near what I would have liked or would have expected considering the full title.
   
   You can think of this book as basically a 14 chapter interview of 14 different photographers. That's all it is. A question is asked and answered in much the same fashion as a magazine article of a celebrity. The question is written out, which is then followed by the answer and not all the answers are as in depth as you might like.
   
   It didn't meet my expectations to the point that I'm going to return the book and I got it only an hour ago!



2. This product is a Question and Answer style book where photographer will give there insights, methods, techniques and equipments used in shooting children/baby portrait. Nice book :)



3. If you want to be inspired then you need this book. The photographers stories are great!! It's one that I will read over and over for the Techniques.



4. After reading several books on children photography this last year, THIS is the one that I was most satisfied with.



5. The subtitle of this book is a bit misleading: Techniques and Images from Master Protographers. There are a lot of interesting images in the book, but no discussion of how to achieve the look and feel of those images in your own studio. The book reads like a scripted interview of 15 different working pros on various topics: Their background, their studio, their equipment, whether they shoot digital or film, some useless naritive on lighting, how they book sessions, etc. It makes the text read like an interview of Scott Baio in Teen Beat magazine. (I feel like the interviewer is next going to ask the photographer what their favorite color is). All of the responses are too broad, vague, and undeveloped to be of much value.
   
   There also doesn't seem to be a lot of variety in the type of work the photographers that were selected do. They all see themselves as 'mid to high end' and seem to see themselves as 'fine art' or 'photojournalistic'.
   
   When you get down to it, this book is mostly fluff. If you are looking for posing ideas, lighting ideas, concrete ideas on running or promoting your studio, you won't find them in this book. If you are looking for a general narrative on how children's photographers feel about being a photographer, I guess you might get something out of this book.

5 comments about How to Do Everything with Your Zune (How to Do Everything).

1. Most of the stuff is informative, but links to programs and internet urls are old and nonexistant. The software pictured looks nothing like the new Zune software and things just don't work as written. My fault, should have bought an ipod:(



2. Very well-organized overview of the zune and how to use it. This is an excellent option for those whose lives are far too full to spend endless hours on the Internet pulling out the information piece by piece by piece. Although it doesn't cover the latest zune, the 80, you should find everything you need to get started. If you do have the 80, the websites the author recommends will cover the changes, although most of them just make the zune work better (e.g. lots more storage). Broida is a wonderful writer for this kind of book -- like a smart and entertaining friend who knows how to have fun and shows you how, too!



3. I liked the book and did learn a lot but it is very out of date. The Zune has changed and the book hasn't



4. Just operating a Zune straight out of the box may be easy for a teenager but, for the "mature" user, a manual that you can actually read is so much better.
   
   I found this an easy read and quickly helped me get up and running with the Zune.
   
   I recommend this to anyone above the age of 13. ;-)



5. This book is great. My husband and I both read it and found it extremely helpful and easy to read (great informative pictures). We have the original 30gb Zune model-which is what the book covers. If you have the 2nd generation Zune, it may not be quite as helpful-we can only attest to its value for people who have the 30gb version. We bought two more copies for gifts to other family memebers who own the 30gb Zune. You will learn a lot!

2 comments about Hands-On Digital Photography: A Step-by-Step Course in Camera Controls, Software Techniques, and Successful Imaging.

1. Many years ago I had the pleasure of taking a course with George Schaub in 35mm photography & lighting. He is a role model and photographic hero of mine. I love his work. The easy-going style found in his mannerisms and his lectures is clearly present in this book.
   
   In that class I would always be struck by the quality of his photographs - this book is no different than that experience. You are first stunned by the artistic beauty of his work and then he breaks down the steps required to create a similar result.
   
   The format questions are addressed in clear terms. If you ever wondered about RAW images versus TIFF versus JPEG, your questions will be answered. This book describes file size when saved in different formats and thsn the quality of the photo with the best enlargement outcomes.
   
   The step-by-step guide that he offers is easy to understand and laid out in a way that you can literally walk through his process. He first describes how the process works. What are the mechanics of this effect? He then moves into 'try it,' so that you are walked through how to get there. Advanced options is where he offers some creative license to those who may be daring to try something else. This is his approach throughout the book. You get to see photographs that reflect many shooting situations that the serious photographer is always on the look out for capturing.
   
   If you are seriously looking into or have a DLSR - you will LOVE this book. If you are catching up to the digital age from the 35mm age, you too will enjoy this book. If you want to learn how to love your camera and photography, you will catch what George Schaub embodies in his work and his life and that is his love of photography. That's what I caught from him years ago and it's still growing. Happy reading.



2. There are plenty of how-to guides on digital photography on the market, but libraries seeing a solid general reference should take a look at this: it provides a step-by-step course in common digital camera controls and photography and presents learn-as-you-go projects to help readers learn to work with a camera. Novices receive a guide which encourages them to experiment with pictures in a survey which even includes RAW converter step-by-step processes: if only one digital photography guide were to be purchased for a discriminating library with general-interest lending requirements, it should be this one.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch