1 comments about African Vodun: Art, Psychology, and Power.

1. This is a refreshing work that views Vodun from an artistic and psychological perspective, versus a religious or Hoo-Doo search. There is alot of material here you won't readily find anywhere else about the culture of Vodun. There is also great information in one chapter on the realities and impact of the slave trade within Africa that provides a clearer perspective than most such articles.
   
   A very excellent, and intellectual read I enjoyed and is well worth the price. Plainly, Ms. Blier put great effort and thought into this work, and it shows. This is one of the top 10 books a serious student of Vodou should aspire to have and read.

4 comments about Origami Flowers (Origami).

1. What struck me most about Origami Flowers was the horrible quality of all photographs in the book. It looks like they were digitized at low resolution and then enlarged way more than possible. Instead of a picture you get several squares in varying shades of gray all arranged together. Darker squares near the center tell you that there would be a flower there if the editor had bothered to make it so.
   
   The actual flower patterns are fine and the diagrams printed OK. The actual diagrams are terrible to follow. I am decent at origami and had trouble figuring out what I was supposed to do. I think they were trying to draw three dimensional diagrams, but had never heard of perspective.
   
   Another problem is that with only indistinct blobs where photos of the finished products should be you have fold the flower before you can see what it will look like. So you can't thumb through and find a design to use.
   
   I have always been a fan of Dover Books. I was shocked. What happened? How could this book ship looking like this?
   
   AVOID THIS BOOK
   BLANK PAPER IS WORTH MORE
   THIS BOOK IS POST CONSUMER WASTE



2. The illustrations are terrible in this book. Even though the book is black and white, the illustrations of completed projects are fuzzy and grainy. They look like a bad fax.

   I found the folding instructions difficult to follow and haven't been able to make any of these flowers. I would consider myself an intermediate folder.

   I have several origami books and this is the worst one, overall. I would not recommend the purchase of this book.




3. This is a horrible book! The illustrations are cryptic and what little written instruction there is is poor. The entire book is in Black and White and makes it difficult to read the folding instructions. If you're looking for a fun and simple time creating origami flowers LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE! This book is only filled with hours of frustration and headaches. I've been trying to fold the flowers in this book for a week and have yet to complete a single one!



4. I was very disappointed with this book. Folding directions weren'twell illustrated. No easily identifiable end result was shown. Veryfew flowers were included. And the layout of the book was difficult to follow. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you are highly skilled in Origami to begin with.

No comments about Calder Sculpture.

No comments about Sheela-na-gigs: Unravelling an Enigma.

1 comments about Masks of Mexico: Tigers, Devils, and the Dance of Life.

1. The author assigned herself the task of publishing a representative sample of masks from the many Mexican states with strong traditions of mask use, drawing from the previously underdisplayed collections of the Museum of International Folk Art, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

   The book brings together a number of interesting photographs of masked dancers, to augment the excellent mask photos. Some of these have appeared in other books on Mexican masking, accessible or inaccessible, others are fresh and new, to the reviewer at least.

   In terms of the actual masks, a number of these are rather old, attractive or uncommon, rarely seen or described in books or exhibits; some others are not so old or rare, but nevertheless very interesting. A minority of others are familiar from other standard reference works, and add little to this volume. Their inclusion follows from the goal to present the broad spectrum of Mexican masking.

   On the other hand, there appear to be virtually no decorative masks among all those illustrated, which is a credit to the excellent scholarship of the author. Indeed, she has taken great care to identify the carvers, the towns, the estimated age, and the indigenous traditions of each mask, to the extent that this could be documented. The estimated ages are refreshing in their modesty, in contrast to the florid attribution of great age to any demonstrable wear, that one so commonly encounters in books about masks.

   In the end, a book about Mexican dance masks must rise or fall on the strength of the material and the quality of the photographs; from this perspective the book is a must buy for any Mexican mask collector or aficionado.

5 comments about American Sterling Silver Flatware 1830's - 1990's: A Collector's Identification and Value Guide.

1. I bought this book along with Sterling Flatware by Tere Hagan. I find it difficult to use and poorly organized. She has a lot of information on certian patterns and makers but little on others. There is no index and information is incomplete. I use it as a back up to Hagan's book as she sometimes will have a pattern that Hagen dosen't have. Neither book is complete and this book has some information and a couple of Manufactures that Hagan dosen't cover still both books are valuable but even together not complete. I still have quite a few unknowns in my collection.



2. The 1880s to 1990s American Sterling Silver Flatware is a reference guide to 23 of the major American Sterling Silver Flatware makers and their production. It provides an overview of the patterns and the individual pieces produced in this 100 or so years time frame. For someone who loves silver it is lovely to look at. Some of the images are, just as they are on the front cover; beautifully photographed images. Others seem to be poor quality computer scanned images that produce, in many cases, barely acceptable illustrations or examples of the pattern.
   If you know the name of the company you will be able to find the name of the pattern, the date of issue and an approximate price for four components. Not necessarily the basic four components of a place setting, as I understand it to be, i.e. a Dinner Knife, Dinner Fork, Dessert/Salad Fork and Tea Spoon. One also has access to a list of pieces that were originally produced. Here again, the guide could offer so much more. It does not provide insight into the difference between a Master Butter Knife and a Butter Knife nor does it include the measurements of different pieces, which I would have found invaluable. It is very useful to know that a Place fork or Luncheon Fork might be slightly less than 7 inches in length and that a Dinner Fork may be 7 ½ inches. And just what does an Orange Knife look like, or Strawberry Spoon an as compared to an Almond Spoon. More importantly, how does a Five Oclock Spoon differ from the more Basic Tea Spoon and those, which are mentioned as Full Size Trade Tea Spoon, Full Size Regular Tea Spoon, Full Size Heavy Tea Spoon, or Full Size Massive Tea Spoon. Again, the weight of different items would have been useful. While this book is a very valuable guide to American Silver Pattern, which does have a place in a collectors basic library, I feel it falls short of its possibilities as an Identification and Value guide.



3. I was simply much too impatient for quick and easy answers the last time I wrote a review for this book, and I am a bit ashamed of myself for having been so negative and hypercritical. After much more time and education on the subject of American Sterling flatware, I realized that Ms. Dolan's approach is actually rather pragmatic and useful (organized alphabetically, by manufacturer, with hallmarks being displayed before each section). I would have appreciated an entire section devoted solely to identifying hallmarks, a wider range of American manufacturers, and an index, but this book has indeed proven useful for me, regardless (even though I am only able to reference between 50 to 60% of the patterns in any given pile of mixed antique American Sterling flatware, using solely this book - but still). Though by no means a complete reference in itself, Ms. Dolan's book should indeed be included in any collection of American Sterling flatware reference material, and seems to fill some of the gaps in other existing reference guides.



4. This book purports to be for the identification and value of American silver flatware. It is woefully incomplete. Where is Tiffany & Co.? Where are all the patterns that I would like to identify? Why is the layout so reader-unfriendly? And who cares that "Baltimore City lies 200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean..."?



5. As a collector, I have some sterling flatware purchased for daily use. However, I was unable to find one pattern in this book that matched the 50+ pieces I have. The photos and drawerings, however, are clear and detailed. Hopefully, someday I will be able to match a piece with the book!

No comments about Anish Kapoor.

2 comments about Midsummer Snowballs.

1. An excellent overveiw of an Andy Goldsworthy project. Great Huge Images to get your teeth into.



2. Midsummer Snowballs. The very idea puts a smile on your face. If that doesn't, then a few photographs of this Summer 2000 exhibition by Andy Goldsworthy will.

   This book is a photo essay and journal entries on the creation of this facinating exhibition. I was enticed by the photos, and then had to go back and read the journal to learn more about the creation of this display. A highly enjoyable, but light read by the artist. A great book to give to other people, since it's very unlikely they'd ever buy it for themselves.

3 comments about The Jewels of Queen Elizabeth II: Her Personal Collection.

1. If you love royal jewels like me then you need to get this book... the pictures are fabulous. There is not a whole lot of text and explanation about all the pieces you view in the book but there is enough for you to get a general history of most of the pieces. I highly recommend this book!!!!!



2. "Amazing" is the only word to describe the impressive array of jewels in Her Majesty's collection. Tiaras, bracelets, earrings... all delicately made and intricate in their structure. Whether they are gifts from other heads of state, inheritance, or personal presents from her parents, the Queen's jewels will take your breath away.
   
   Now when you see pictures of the Queen and her female relations - whether on television or in magazines - you'll be able to name the tiara, place the bracelet, identify the earrings, and swoon over the plate-sized gems pinned to dresses. Brilliant!
   
   © 2005 www.mandysroyalty.org



3. A well written guide to QE II's elaborate collection of precious stones. Comes complete with her family tree as a reference, which you may find handy to refer to as the author traces back how most of the pieces came to the Queen through her ancestors. Many pictures, however, there are almost as many of Queen Mary as there are of Queen Elizabeth II! I especially liked the way it was discussed how some older pieces have been taken apart, reset, and reconfigured to make them do duty in the 20th and 21st centuries. A very well researched book that any royal watcher will enjoy. I would love to see the author devote a publication to the jewelry (real and paste) of the late Princess of Wales.

4 comments about A Sculptor's Guide to Tools and Materials.

1. Rather boring lay-out, but it does provide info useful to help when looking for ideas not currently thought of when setting up projects. We use it in a fossil preparation laboratory for general review, but again, there are probably other texts that might fit the bill. Nevertheless I am glad our lab has it...too many young "creators" forget the obvious and this book helps remedy this problem.



2. As a beginning rock sculptor, I found this book very helpful. I would have liked more information on the "how" the tools are used and more information on which tools were best for which materials, but it really helped me to get started on my rocks. I would recommend this book for anyone getting into rock sculpting.



3. This book contains some nice little tidbits of info but it is sorely lacking due to its lack of pictures. The 18 page long list of tool dimensions and weights gives you no real info without pics to show what they're talking about. With only 5 images in the entire book (including the front cover) I feel that 80% of the potential value of the book is missing.
   
   Without pictures, this book is simply an expanded glossary of sculptural terms.



4. I took up sculpting several months ago, and I've found my "niche" with polymer clay doll-making. I've dabbled in ceramic and terra-cotta medium, but I'm also willing to try different methods of creations in the 3D World. I bought this book to give me some insight into different techniques, and that's just what it contains. Unlike so many books that try to be everything to everyone, this book gets down to the facts quickly, giving the reader a good idea of what a venture into a new sculpting medium will mean in terms of equipment and expertise. There are plenty of books that will walk a reader through every little step to create a clone of what the writer or artist has created. This book guides the reader towards the tools and different methods, without incringing on the reader's own creativity. I hope to find other books like this one on subjects like painting and photography, although sculpting is quickly becoming a passion and consuming most of my "art time". Bravo to the writer(s) and publishers of this book, and thank you!!