5 comments about The Moment It Clicks: Photography secrets from one of the world's top shooters (Voices That Matter).

1. The cover copy of The Moment It Clicks by Joe McNally says that the book has "one foot on the coffee table," and this is fair enough. Joe is a top shooter of the National Geographic, Life Magazine, and editorial assignment ilk. I throughly enjoyed looking through the photos in this book, and reading the stories behind them. I thought Joe's general advice was invariably accurate ("If you want something to look interesting, don't light all of it.").
   
   Those are the pros (yes, pun intended). The con for this book is that unless you have mega access to celebrities, lavish budgets for sets, and assistants to schlepp all kinds of lighting accessories around with you, this book won't help you much with pragmatic issues.
   
   I also wish Joe would swim a little more with digital. You know, the answer isn't to always do it in the camera, or to always do it in Photoshop. It's to figure out which is best and easiest in a specific situation. Joe could save himself some grief at the shooting end if he better appreciated what Photoshop can do.
   
   This is a superb book, and I recommend it for every photographer's shelf, despite the quibbles found in my review.



2. This lovely book floods you with the culture of photography. You feel the passion and learn the technique without realizing you are being taught. A great inspiration and a favorite in my library. Thanks Mr. McNally.



3. Short review here,since the others have given it a good summary. This is half 'how I did it' photography book, and half 'conversation with a great photographer with some hidden nuggets'. Great for photographers and those who are just interested in seeing some really excellent photos.



4. I picked up this book in a bookshop when browsing for something else. I love this book! It is more about the "art" and "feelings" of photography and less about the "box" you are using to shoot the pictures. Many photography books I have accumulated I give away when I am finished reading them--this one is a keeper.



5. I was expecting a well written book by a expert in his field. This book was well reccomended by Scott Kelby which was good enough for me. I was highly dissapointed. The entire book was based around how he used thousands of dollars worth of lighting to get ordinary pictures. I understand lighting is important but 240 pages of how he lit his pictures was to much. No real insite to how he composed or planned the pictures. Or even the camera set up he used. I am no expert but I do know when something is written to make a couple of dollars. The last 14 pages of the book is a glossary of the terms he used in the book (some made up). I read the entire book in a evening. Some comments were interesting but woke up the next morning trying to remember a single thing I liked about the book. Only thing I can remember is that he uses a lot of very expensive lighting for his shots.
   Shame on Scott Kelby for reccomending this book.

5 comments about The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.

1. I decided that I wanted to try to learn how to draw again. Years ago I picked up a couple of "learn to draw books" and was then convinced that you had to be "born with it" to draw. I recieved this book and the exercises convinced me that I could learn to draw. No one had talked about a "picture plane" before and I never experienced it before. I learn better with instruction, and this book gave me the confidence to enroll in an introductory class at SCAD. The instructor, Thomas Key, was absolutely great, and I have been drawing a picture a day ever since, even if it is just, "an apple a day". If it were not for this book I would have never enrolled in a drawing class. It opened my eyes to a new way of looking at things.



2. I've heard that my whole life and never understood that artist draw with their eyes - - until this book. Betty Edwards is like an evangelist for proclaiming this message, and I found out that she's right!
   
   The problem is that we usually think of art as something magical, given at birth to a select few; but the reality is that anyone can draw. I found this out a couple of years ago at a course based on the book at the local senior center. I took the course because I have always loved art, and even if I could only do stick men, I would at least learn to appreciate the great artists more. Well, I found out I could actually draw! I could even do faces that looked recognizable as to who they represented. I was amazed and happy!
   
   Betty Edwards says the key is using your right brain instead of your left brain to draw. Your right brain sees things as they actually are and the left brain sees symbols that represent things instead. The trick is getting into `R-mode' and she has several strategies for doing so: such as painting something upside down, and something called contour drawing. I'll let you read the book for details, but it actually works! She says her book is probably the first practical application of Nobel-prize winning Dr. Roger Speer's studies on the functions of the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
   
   I can't recommend this book too strongly!



3. This is an excellent book to use when learning to draw, or as a means of "seeing" what you want to draw.



4. i used this book and it help me improve my drawing skill. i also recommend another book called "How to Think like Leonardo Da Vinci."



5. I am not experienced in the art of drawing and this book has been a tremendous help to me. I find that I can draw much better than i thought. I highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood.

1. I feel I learned more about the history of Iran through the eyes of a little girl who was practically forced to become an adult by the age of 14 than most textbooks. Marjane Satrapi, or "Marji" captured my attention, thanks to the successful marriage of her "crudely-drawn" panels and approachable narrative. While I have yet to read the sequel, I feel I know this individual on a personal level as the book fills us in on her deepest fears and hopes and conflicts.



2. Although this book is written like a comic book, don't take it lightly. The story is a deep and meaningful one. It is a pretty fast read but not as fast as you'd think...I highly recommend it!



3. This book was a very easy read. Unfortunately, the plot was a little too easy to follow, and certain parts have nothing to do with the rest of the book. The illustrations, however, have a quirky charm, and the story telling is sweet and entertaining.



4. Our local community college is using this book as a common book experience for all incoming freshmen. It's a good choice for three reasons: 1) the subject matter (a young girl's experiences in revolutionary Iran) is timely and meaningful for coming-of-age college freshmen trying "to find themselves" 2) the graphic novel format is immediately engaging and easy to digest, and 3) the protagonist's story lends itself to myriad thematic explorations. In all, I was interested in and satisfied with this book. In fact, I couldn't put it down--I read it in an hour and a half. Apparently, there's a movie, too. That's next on my list.



5. Authentic childhood story. The emotions ring true. Brings back to life the tragedy of a great civilization torn apart, first by the Shah, and then by the Islamic madmen.

2 comments about The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century.

1. I am a fan of Edward Dolnick's book The Rescue Artist, but I have to say that I was disappointed in The Forger's Spell. I bought it as soon as it came out because I was interested in the story of Han Van Meegeren. Van Meegeren was a fascinating crook who figured out how to fool people into seeing what they wanted to see. But I had already read Van Meegeren's story in John Kilbracken's book The Master Forger and, unfortunately, I didn't learn anything new in Dolnick's book. Anyone interested in Van Meegeren should look at Kilbracken's book, which does a better job of bringing the story to life. I wouldn't recommend The Forger's Spell.



2. I loved this book. The story of how a brilliant conman, (who happened to be a terrible painter) fooled the world is astonishing, as gripping as a thriller. Dolnick is an expert storyteller, weaving back and forth between art history, World War II, forgery how-to lessons, and the tale of Van Meegeren. We meet Nazi villains like the clownish Goering; Vermeer, the mysterious and divinely talented master; blowhard "experts" and bigtime frauds. Dolnick is an expert explainer, but he's also funny and has a winning voice. There are novelistic touches throughout, and vivid scenes that will stay with you. The narrative zips along to a dramatic ending. If you like a good yarn, you'll really enjoy The Forger's Spell.

5 comments about A Time it Was: Bobby Kennedy in the Sixties.

1. Bought this for my dad for father's day. Great pictures of a memorable time in history with a visonary who lost his light too soon!



2. This book and its images were all the more gripping having been an observer at the time. The photos and the words provide an image of a nation trying to be the sum of its promise, only to be plunged into a tragic self assessment after the assassination.
   It is paramount, 40 years later, that we take the opportunity to remember how far we have come. This book reminds us that we can do better, that we must do better, that we are better.



3. it's photgraphs of the campain are stunning the brief narrative gives a true sense of sumer 1968



4. This book of pictures was a wonderful walk down memory lane for me. At 16 I was to join the Kennedy campaign as a volunteer after the California primary. On the morning I was to depart, my parents woke me with the news of his shooting. This book, however, reminded me of the promise unfulfilled Robert Kennedy represented--how much better we would have been as a people, as a country, as a government had he been president in 1969 instead of Richard Nixon.



5. I got plenty of information about this order. When it was slightly delayed, I was informed, as well as when it shipped. I was very impressed with the service.

5 comments about Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.

1. This is one of my favourite book of all time. I first read it twenty years ago as an undergraduate on my computer science degree. The nice thing about getting older, but still remaining young, is that you can go back and revistit master works - and lets make no bones about it, this is a master work. As such, it requires time, effort and mastery of the ideas.
   This is not a book that you can just pick up and read in a couple of days. Of course you can delve into it and loose yourself for a few hours, but to obtain mastery will take serious time and effort. Using Howard Gardener's terminology, Hofstadter synthesises across the domains of music, maths and art. This is no mean feat.
   Buy it, only if you have the time for it. Treasure it, enjot it and love it as much as I do.



2. The author complains in the new preface that a vast majority of the reviewers, including those who have rated this book very highly, seem to have no idea of what he has been trying to say. In my opinion, this is a self-indictment that does not leave much for others to say. If the author cannot get his ideas across in 700 pages, perhaps people should not waste their time on him. I have learnt it the hard way: after buying this book, five years ago, on high recommendations of friends, only to find it so boring and confused that I could never go beyond a few pages even though I gave it innumerable attempts.



3. I realized after recommending this to a friend that I've never reviewed it. Strange, since it's one of the dozen most important books I've ever read in my nearly half-century on this planet. I first read it over 20 years ago, and continue to refer to its literate and well-crafted pages frequently.
   
   This book is Doug Hofstadter's religion. Since it's so good and so right about so many things, people run off into strange places with Hofstadter's words, sort of like the Bible. GEB (the shorthand name for the book) is, for me, a meta-level examination of what it is to be human. Some people see the shadows of the gods in there. I'm not trying to be melodramatic, nor do I believe I'm overstating the value of this book.
   
   Hofstadter takes the reader along on a Carrollian trip using metaphor and fable. Then he employs pedagogical, practical exercises, and good old-fashion lecture. Rinse and repeat, again and again. When he tells you to get pen and paper, please do it. Take your time with this book. I tried and failed on my first attempt. When I finally settled into it, it took me three months to joyously work my way through it. Take a year if you need it.
   
   Reception, analysis, recursion, reapplication. Hofstadter examines the basic evidences of intelligence, forms sensible, fundamental meta-rules, and builds from there. This book - as others have said - is hard work, like climbing a mountain. But at the end of the endeavor, the view is dazzling.



4. I have not completed this book, and I am not sure you can ever say that you are complete with a book of this magnitude, however, it will certainly be a book I will review again and again. If you want to be challenged intellectually, this book would be the ticket. I enjoy a good challenge, and although it isn't a 'fun' read, it is valuable book to have in your personal library if you are interested in a paradigm shift in your reality.



5. After studying Douglas R. Hofstader's brilliant book, I discovered an error in the proof of Godel's first incompleteness theorem that invalidates the proof. The same error is in Newman & Nagel's book Godel's Proof.
   The error occurs on page 447. The incorrect statement is, "a' is the arithmoquinification of u." The statement should read: a' is the arithmoquinification of the numeric value of the Godel number u. The term u represents the Godel number of a specific formula, and the word arithmoquinification is a portmanteau word coined by the author.
   Godel's theorem is derived by arithmoquining a formula that Hofstader calls the "uncle" formula. On page 447, he writes,"Now all we need to do
   is-arithmoquine this very uncle! What this entails is 'booting out' all the free variables-of which there is only one,namely a"-and putting in the
   numeral for u everywhere. This gives us: ~Ea:Ea': where the number of S's equals the numeral for u." That is Hofstader's version of Godel's theorem or G. On page 447
   he offers this interpretation of the theorem,"There do not exist numbers a
   & a' that both(1)they form a TNT-proof-pair, and(2)a' is the arithmoquinification of u." But,as I have pointed out Godel's theorem does
   not declare part(2)of his interpretation. Instead, the correct interpretation of part(2)is, a' is the arithmoquinification of the numeral of the Godel number u. The numeral of the Godel number u cannot be
   arithmoquined because it is not a formula and therefore has neither a Godel number nor a free variable.
   This invalidates the proof because we no longer have a true statement: a'
   is the arithmoquinification of u that cannot be proven. Instead we have a
   false statement that cannot be proven. For more info & essays on this subject,please go to www.jimssciencepage.info

5 comments about New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain Workbook: Guided Practice in the Five Basic Skills of Drawing.

1. This is a very fine guide for learning to draw, understanding the principles of drawing, and practicing drawing in a practical way/



2. Great book for those of us with a creative bent but not sure how to proceed. Recommended by Daniel Pink.



3. i have read the book drawing on the right side of the brain. what this book is can be also taken right out of the original book. it is just more of what it says a work book. or you could just use some drawing pad to do the exercises in it. It takes out of the book the lessons, so save your money and just by the book. which by the way actually is also a very useful book to learn and understand drawing . It is not that it is a bad book, it is just wiser to save your money and buy the actual book to read itself. everything in the workbook is taken from the reading book.



4. This is a good guide for students and a great-abbreviated version of the full-length instruction book. It makes it easy to keep a record of your progress especially if you are not interested in keeping a journal while you are learning to draw.



5. I have a family that is full of artists, and always felt really sad that I couldn't draw even a stick figure! A little while ago I realised something important - that drawing is a form of literacy, like writing, and so many of us don't make it past kindergarten.
   
   Visual communication is really under-rated in our school systems, which pretty much relegates most of us to the category of 'non-drawers'. Betty Edwards' book changes that!
   
   
   The work book is really all you need, although if you would like to go into the reasons behind her book, then the text is great. I bought both and am very glad I did.
   
   I am only part-way through the workbook, but it's amazing to see what can be produced in such a short time. If you want to climb that wall that has been bordering in your creativity, then I can't recommend this book highly enough!

5 comments about Acrylic Revolution: New Tricks and Techniques for Working with the World's Most Versatile Medium.

1. Great! Was a gift for my Father who just took up painting at the age of 74. He loves it!



2. I bought it last week and it can totally be called a reference for you to deal with mixed-media acrylic painting techniques. The only lack of it is that the author does not deal with paintings made by more than one specific technique.
   By the way, is it a necessity? :))



3. I am experimenting with all the techniques and having fun learning. It seems easy to follow.



4. Yes, that's right, this book is so much a part of what I do that it has paint spatters on the pages. And I think that's a real recommendation. This is not a book sitting pretty on my shelf, it's a living companion working with me in my daily art practice. How cool is that? Buy this book...



5. There were some techniques in here that I am truly enjoying in my mixed media work. It is a great book, and the instructions are well written and the pictures are just glorious. A MUST HAVE for every mixed media artist!

5 comments about Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs).

1. A nice book for bathroom reading, but hardly a desk reference or textbook caliber tome. Look for "Design form and Communication" by Rob Carter for a more thorough source on all things type related. Pick this one up for 10 min refresher reading while you're..killing time.



2. I like this book a great deal. The next time I have a chance to use this in a class (to teach) I will. There are lots of good examples, the language is clear, and it's not too ethereal or esoteric. I think it's a great introduction to typography and laid out very well.



3. I love type, but I lack an educated background on its use. I was so looking forward to learning about such details as when to prefer a sans-serif versus a serif in certain situations, how people react to various different families of faces, prescriptions for when to apply different types of layouts, and so forth.
   
   When I got was a partially complete history lesson on how different types of faces and families evolved, an introduction to grid layouts with very little prescriptive advice, and weirdly, a brief editorial primer teaching how to mark up the printed page with pen.
   
   To its credit, the book is full of examples of layouts. As I read, I expected any minute I'd penetrate the entry level "Here we see an example of a layout" to the real meat, but it never ever happened.
   
   To the author's credit, the book was meticulously assembled and was clearly the product of a great deal of effort. And, this is not the first design-related book I've discovered that lacked meaningful depth.
   
   But to any practicing designer looking for some guidance for taking their use of type to the next level, or understanding beyond his own innate instincts when to apply certain techniques, this is not the book for you. In fact, I'm not sure who this book is for.



4. It's informative, it's inspirational, it's philosophically engaging, it's warm and welcoming. But it might not turn you into a master typographer.
   
   A beautiful read, this book presents history and theory into well-thought, easy to swallow bite-sized chunks. Along with exercises, this kinda gives it away as a student's textbook, which might be less than what you're after, if you're a working designer wanting to advance your typographic skills. It might still worth getting the book. Did you knew Gutenberg used alternate glyphs and ligatures? I know now. Smart guy, this Gutenberg.



5. Simple and elegant this book has engaged me even further in my exploration of good use of typography. Anne's fresh and encompassing approach makes it easy to get involved in using type well. The book has several exercises and a wealth of information that helps appreciate type, and use typography. The advice is not software specific making it useful for many years to come, and encompasses the printed page and web/screen use of type. A great grounding book in Type and Typography.

5 comments about Masters: Art Quilts: Major Works by Leading Artists (The Masters).

1. The publisher and the curator of this book have created something very special for those of us who follow the fiber arts world. The featured artists selected represent what is really happening right now and that is what makes this publication so special. It is wonderful to read about and see images from fiber artists that helped start this revolution and especially wonderful to see what they are creating NOW. With the amount of fiber artits there are in this world, it must have been very difficult to wack down the list to those included in this book. Espcially wonderful to see more than one image and to read their comments about their own work and how it's impacted the art world.



2. Whether or not you're a quilter you would find it hard not to find inspiration in the pages of this book. Page after page of the most incredible quilts await you in this 400-page book. The photographs are clean, clear and placed on pages with no background clutter to detract the reader's eye. This is a book to be savored one page at a time and one that you'll find yourself picking up and flipping through over and over again. A must have for any fiber artists library.



3. Martha Sielman has put together a book documenting and celebrating 40 quilt makers and their art with beautiful photography, an insightful intro for each artist by Sielman, and commentary from the artist. Every page is a visual treat. A book of this type of art was long overdue, and this volume is everything one interested in quilt art (or any textile art) could hope for. Bravo!



4. There is so much eye candy in this book that I ran the risk of diabetic shock just browsing it! This is an amazing collection of fiber art, a plethora of inspiration and a joy to own. I would give it a 7 star rating if there were one. It's a "must have" in every fiber artist book collection! Bravo Martha!
   
   Reviewed by:
   Normajean Brevik
   [...]



5. I highly recommend this book for your quilt library whether you create or just admire fine art quilts. The artists selected are varied and talented. The format allows the reader to follow the growth of each artist over a period of years. The photos are wonderful and inspiring. When my quilting friends saw this book, they rushed to order it.