No comments about Official Price Guide to Fine Art: 2nd Edition.

No comments about Miller's: Collecting Modern Design.

No comments about More Roycroft Art Metal: With Price Guide (Schiffer Book for Collectors).

No comments about Miller's: Victorian: Antiques Checklist (Miller's Antiques Checklist).

2 comments about Art Deco Sculpture and Metalwares.

1. Disappointing book. The title should be Germanic influenced metalwork from 1910 through 1935 to be more realistic. Does not cover the wide spectrum of Art Deco sculpture in Western Europe, deals mainly with European sculpture and metalwork east of the Rhine river.



2. The chryselephantine sculpture is disappointingly covered both in content (just worth a couple of lines) and pictures (awful, tasteless and neglected duotone photos). Clearly, the author focuses just on arty sculpture rather than serial manufacture, missing the point of art deco sculpture, a blend of art and craftmanship.

2 comments about Mexican Folk Art: from Oaxacan Artist Families.

1. I've visited Oaxaca City and some of the surrouding craft villages on a trip about 8 years ago. I'm going again in October 2008. I decided to purchase this book so that I could have a better understanding of the various crafts, who makes them and where they are located. I hoped to have more knowledge then the average tourist who might simply go on a tour and only visit the craftsmen they were shown. With the information this book provided I could hire a driver and tell him which places I want to visit. I found the history of how the crafts were started in various families and then passed down interesting. The author mentions that some are going to be more expensive then others and that she tries to provide a range of options within the same craft category (pottery, wood carvings, weavings, etc.). It would have been helpful to have been provided an average price range per craftsman. Once I'm back from my trip this book will be a happy reminder of many good travelling and shopping memories!



2. This is a great book, that shows over 40 families in Mexico who make Mexican folk arts. There is a short history of each family and pictures of what they craft with the price and address to order it. There are also tons of beautiful pictures :) This is a great book !

No comments about Public Sculpture in Australia.

No comments about Neo Shunga: An Introduction to Japanese Pop Erotica.

No comments about Hearst the Collector.

5 comments about John Hedgecoe's New Introductory Photography Course.

1. Ok book, but I expected much more. The "assignments" don't really explain what is expected! I'm looking for a better book to help me grow.



2. It is funny world. It is world where clueless morons who should demonstrate reverence and compassion to great master who teach them great art can "critique" his work and his approach. Even more funny they do it with a stance, they judge the /excellence/ of John Hedgecoe's photography and even do not understand how preposterous and ridiculous they are. You should simply learn from the book. Take page after page and work it trough. This book is a gift by unbelievably knowledgeable and gifted artist who inspired generations of great photographers. When was a kid I was taught to avoid broad statements especially about subjects that I have very sketchy understanding.
   This book is a real TRAESURE for anyone who is open minded and photographically, artistically gifted. This book provides that level of information that only super duper expensive full blown course can provide. It teaches effective approach to composition, to elements of frame design, to mood creation, to developing of artistic vision. It offers to you a chance for a couple of $ step into world of really BIG photography. It is probably the best book that will teach you to fill in a frame. The photos presented are wonderfully illustrative for every subject they are bound to. This is not a book for quick scrolling on a toilet sitting. It is a book for careful contemplation and observation, for analysis. It brings to your attention subjects of many levels most of which are not that obvious for a novice photographer. This book teaches the relationship between elements of composition to exposure and to light.
   I do photography for 32 years and John Hedgecoe's books are most competent and most thoughtful photography guides one can find. As a great work this book is still relevant at digital age: when everybody speaks about megapixels and few about composition and design. In short, this book is an indicator: if you can't swallow it you always will be one of these who open first two pages of another book for beginners, close them and felt him/herself attached to great art. This book requires work, required completing of projects, examining and analyzing the results. It is book for a future PHOTOGRAPHER, looking for beauty, inspired and vigorous.



3. Currently taking a Intro to Photography class and my instructor insisted that we get this book. Though it is a bit old 1998, and does not refer to digital cameras a great read. To make up for no digital reference we are also reading a book by Scott Kelby, the Digital photographer. Buy the book used, I spent $3.10 and it looks as good as new.



4. I bought this book because it is used in a photography class I'm going to take. First the good things: a hard cover book, full color print, nice thick paper, a pleasing format and good pictures. What else to expect from a book about photography?
   
   First of all, most of the pictures are good, but not /excellent/, and quite frankly, that's what I would expect.
   
   Second of all, it contains a lot of pictures, neatly organized by theme or concept. But it doesn't judge any of the pictures. Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but it would be nice if the author said "the reason picture x isn't working as well as picture y is abc". Now, the style is more like "different angles will give different result for pictures. This picture was taken from the front. This picture was taken from the side".
   
   It's not a bad book, and you can learn a lot from studying the pictures and discussing them (I guess that's why the photography class uses it), but it doesn't give 'recipes' on how to be a better photographer, and why to take pictures 'x' and not 'y'. The book is marvelous if you're not looking for those recipes.
   
   But with a title 'introductionary course' is do expect them.



5. Although I've never taken high school or college photography, I've been very interested in the heart. I bought this book to learn the "tricks of the trade" & additional information on lighting, angles, composition, balance, etc. The book stepped up & served me well. I've even managed to win photography awards since purchasing this book!