1 comments about Selectscripts: Marriage (Selectscripts).

1. My wife and I do dramas on accocion for our church and we have to find ones that are 2 people based. This book was just that to help us when we run dry of creativity. With my wife and I having met them we can truely say that Paul and Nicole are truley blessed in this and their ministry let's it show in this title.

   Great Work indeed.

1 comments about Francis Bacon: The Papal Portraits of 1953.

1. Just when you thought you had every treatise about the edgy painter of confrontational imagery from the brush of Francis Bacon, up pops this well designed and written book on just how this amazing artist approached an image, an idea, and carried that to completion. Written by Bacon scholar Hugh Marlais Davies and including an interview with the artist that to my knowledge finds its first publication in this volume, this small but impressive book served as a catalogue for the exhibition FRANCIS BACON: THE PAPAL PORTRAITS OF 1953 presented by the Museum of Contemporary art of San Diego in La Jolla, California in 2001.
   
   The exhibition, and this accompanying catalogue, was powerful in that it focused on eight studies for the papal series (emphasizing the response to Velasquez' popes) that Bacon painted in three weeks time in 1953. Here is all of the energy and agony, the distillation of Bacon's view of the Church and the Universe, and the opportunity to scrutinize Bacon's technique of drawing to painting that makes these portrait studies so important to artist, scholar and art lover alike.
   
   As in the exhibition, the portraits are ordered in a circular fashion in the main hall, and this installation is reproduced well in this volume. Then each portrait study is individually presented with the exceptionally educational essay by Davies. One leaves this books the same way the exhibition impressed the visitors - informed, appalled, fascinated and moved. An important document in the books on the life and works of Francis Bacon. Grady Harp, March 05

No comments about Getting Started in Drama Ministry: A Complete Guide to Christian Drama.

2 comments about Symbols of Islam (Symbols of Religions).

1. I own every title in this glorious Editions Assouline series, to which--as you've, no doubt, noticed--nearly every reviewer has seen fit to ascribe four or five stars. The book is a delight to review, brimming from cover to cover with glorious photography that distills--as its author purports, and alone purports--the SYMBOLS of Islam. After reading the book, I found myself enthralled, fascinated, appreciative of the profound beauty of the Muslim artisan, and motivated to learn more of the faith that drove him to create. I neither found nor expected to find a deep theosophical treatise on Koranological foundations or eschatology. Explanations of various Muslim habits abound--though you must pick through mountains of detail to find them--in the appendices of Khalifa's annotated Quran. Ranging from most to least learned, Jordan's "Islam: An Illustrated History," Nomachi's "Mecca the Beautiful, Medina the Radiant," and Michaud's "The Orient in a Mirror" span the gamut of excellent Muslim-explanative (though markedly not Muslim-apologetic or Muslim-eschatologic) reading, and all offer breathtaking photographs and--at times--impart a distinct "you are there" feeling to the armchair traveler. Now, I grant William his right to stingily reserve but a single star for this book, but I must disagree as strongly as possible with him. He is clearly in the minority here. I have no handy titles on the jurisprudential aspects of fiqh to which to refer him--nor, indeed, am I oriented thither. (Of course, insofar as he dares to mention the holiness of Islam and the cancerous, muddled, rumor-mongering of Hadith in the same sentence, I could wonder about the purity of this aspiring softa in the first place, but I digress: let him devote his jihad to the appreciation of what the book has to offer, not to what it neither advertises to offer nor remotely could within such a short expanse.)



2. When I first ordered this book, I had high hopes that it would reveal and explain many of the "symbols" of the religion of Islam and its followers, the Muslims. That is one of the problems of buying a book unseen. (Apparently the book's author had some photographs from his travel through Islamic countries and needed to provide some text, and this booklet followed in a series of similar photo booklets regarding other religions.) The author wrote: "The original Muslim mission...began circa 610 and ended in June 632"(p.2). The reader is left wondering: What happened: did some government program run out of funds? The relevant sentence should have been written: "The original Muslim mission...began circa 610 when Mohammad began to receive spiritual visits from the angle Gabriel and ended with Mohammad's death in June 632." I had hoped that this booklet would have been more informative. The author wrote: "(T)he names of the first four Caliphs, called the 'Properly Guided Caliphs'...,because they, too, are models of virture, are held in very high esteem...."(p.19). What the author apparently doesn't realize is that they are called the 'Properly Guided Caliphs' because out of all of the Muslim caliphs, they were the only four to have known Mohammad and thereby studied his teachings first hand. The author fairly well describes the prayer ritual (riqa), but omits some details (such as towards the conclusion, the prayerful look both right and left and wish the adjacent person well). The author notes that "When dressing...Muslims favour long white tunics..." but doesn't explain why: because Mohammad in the hadith had voiced his preference for white clothing, and dictated bulky or shapeless clothing for women so that they become almost unnoticeable to men -- and therefore wouldn't prompt men to lose all self-control and ravish women wearing tight-fitting dresses. The author claims that "green" was the preferred color of Mohammad, but doesn't cite a source of his claim. During a Muslim's pilgrimage (al Hajj) to Mecca, the author notes that the pilgrims wear only white sheets for clothing, but is apparently unaware that after the pilgrimage Muslim keep these sacred sheets to be buried in. The author notes that pilgrims kiss or touch the "Black Stone" that is embedded in a corner of the Kaaba building, but doesn't note they do so in their belief that the stone sucks out evil traits from the pilgrim. The author notes he had some Muslims review the book for their insights; too bad he didn't ask many more. This booklet has small print, only about 50 photographs, really is not a serious research tome regarding Muslim symbols -- some text to go along with his photos. Read it at your library (if you are already there), but I'd recommend instead: "Understanding Islam and Muslim Traditions" by Tanya Gulevich.

No comments about The Celtic Cross (New Celtic Library).

1 comments about The Encyclopedia of Jewish Symbols.

1. As a crafter, particularly in needlework and quilting, I have found this book indispensable. I can find symbols for all kinds of concepts, and can also research what something I've seen on religious artwork and ornamentation. It really is a treasure.

3 comments about The Art of the Islamic Tile.

1. This is an excellent book, no matter how many times you go through it you are completely captivated by the pictures of the stunning mosques, mausoleums, palaces, etc. It actually makes you want to visit the whole muslim world country by country.
   
   From Esfahan, to Cairo, From Samarkand, to Cordova - (countries included: Morrocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India) obviously it can't have every country and every monument but it has the main ones and is reasonably priced.



2. This book is full of wonderful photos! An excellent resource book for anyone who is interested in studying the visual richness of this medium.



3. I understand that it is almost impossible to write about many different centres of Islamic tiles but at least the authors should try but not just put a lot of color pictures of the tiles and write short text about it. This books is just good title and size.

No comments about The Cloisters Cross: Its Art and Meaning.

No comments about Relics, Prayer, and Politics in Medieval Venetia.

No comments about Surgical And Medical Treatment in Art.