4 comments about Found Object Art (Schiffer Art Book).

1. Few books on Assemblage Art begin to encompass the scope and quality of the work in Dorothy Spencer's 'Found Object Art'. It features the wonderful and inspiring creations of 85 artists, and their work is beautifully photographed. From jewellery to furniture, sculpture to art cars, and every medium known to mankind, this collection does justice to the talented array of eccentrics and story tellers that use the worlds cast offs as their raw materials. While each artists profile includes a small statement of inspiration or intent, the focus of this book is its richly detailed and clearly presented photographs.
   
   The only aspect that keeps this book from being 5 Star in my opinion is a poorly defined layout. Many artists get two or three pages of images devoted to their work, yet the very nature of assemblage often means that if one artists work ends on a left hand page, it is occasionally very difficult to establish that the right hand page is now a new artist. Photos are captioned by Title, Size, Materials, Date etc, but not the Artist; this leads to confusion (in my mind) more often than should be the case, for such a rich and important overview of this art form. Despite that, whether you're an artist or collector, you want this book.



2. Page after page of wonderful artists (one behind bars!) that found something considered old and worthless and turned it into a piece that inspires, amuses, teaches, and leaves me in awe. It's creativity at its best. Wish there were a dozen more books like this in print! Must have book for collage, outsider art, and mixed media artists.....



3. It may be a matter of personal taste, but I felt the book was a jumble of mostly overdone product without a sense of relationship between materials that were chosen for the finished piece. It is possible that the photography played a part in this - was color accurate? I have used a lot of found materials - many discarded and worn with much more subtle results. Where is the mystery?



4. The breadth of artists, materials and objects featured in this book is impressive. Ms. Spencer knows her stuff and this book can be considered a primer on "Found Object" art.

1 comments about Sticks and Stones (Dover Books on Architecture).

1. Toward the end of the college course "Introduction to the Humanities", Louis Mumford's book "Sticks and Stones" appeared on the reading required list. It was our introduction to the world of modern architecture, to Frank Lloyd Wright and other glorious makers of modern architecture. Tonight on Public Television he appeared to comment on the Brooklyn Bridge. It has been 66 years since I heard his name, but his comments are timeless. The book "Sticks and Stones" is not only a tribute to modern architecture, but also a historical landmark in the development of architecture.

2 comments about Child-Size Masterpieces for Step Four: For Learning The Names Of The Artists.

1. We have enjoyed this whole series of artcards with our children. We find them easy to use and the children(ages 10 and 12)are able to view the cards and then memorize the names of the artists. The one great thing about this set of cards is that there are no nudes to deal with...I appreciate that.



2. I would strongly suggest that prior to buying this book you buy the parents guide to child size masterpieces. In the parents guide are the directions using these postcards to introduce art, artists, schools of art and paintings to your young child.

   Basically this book is a set of postcards that you can use to introduce artists and their famous paintings to your young child. You can match pictures, match names to paintings and more.

   My son really enjoys looking at these paintings. I'm glad we have this book. Although it's really not a book anymore since we cut up the postcards to play matching games with them.

1 comments about Thomas Jefferson's Monticello: An Intimate Portrait.

1. Photographer Robert Lautman has taken and assembled a remarkable set of photographs depicting scenes which a visitor would see upon touring the wonder that is called Monticello. Near the beginning of this book are two architectural drawings showing the first floor room layouts. Numbers appear on these drawings and they indicate the approximate camera positions for each black and white photographic plate.This is an outstanding photo-tour of Jefferson's custom built mansion. I would have given it a 10 rating had it not been for a few little features and omissions which detracted from the work. The major distraction centered on an obviously retouched photograph showing the surrounding hills as seen from Monticello. The photographer, in an attempt to show what the view might have looked like for Jefferson, had to manipulate the photograph to remove or minimize modern distractions such as houses, roads and other man-made edifices. While the intent to recapture a lost vision is a good one the execution wanting. It would have been nice to see more than one photograph of the second floor rooms.

5 comments about The Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass: Identification And Values (American Art Glass Identification and Values).

1. Definitely some great pieces of glass in this book. However, I found the printing of the images rather dark and sometimes lacking clarity....the pictures are a little fuzzy or out of focus on some pages. Some pages were much better than others for photo detail. In addition, there was a large section devoted to pictures of stained glass catalogs and glass factory postcards that I didn't find particularly useful...I guess I'm a little disappointed in the book overall, despite it still being a good reference for American art glass.



2. This is an excellent piece of work. It will be of much interest to any serious collector of American glass. The photographs are very good, the historical perspective is to be commended, and the pricing of pieces seems to be well researched. Of course, the focus is on high end items and categories of glass so that it is not a stand alone reference for all "art glass" produced in the United States. Nor should it be. It is a fine book to be part of a collector's resources on the subject.



3. The second updated edition of Collector's Encyclopedia of American Art Glass is a winner: it packs in full pages of color photos on each and every page, pairs these with written descriptions, and includes the latest updated values. Pieces come from a range of collections, so they aren't limited by collection or ownership, and glass examples were chosen with readers' interests in mind. From glassmaking tools and their history to logos and design insights, this is an outstanding survey and a 'must' for any serious collector.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This book displays an illustrative and educational summary on may forms of American art glass. Beautifully done with colorful photographs and a large variety of glass. Improvement could be done in value and time periods, however and excellent book.



5. This hardcover book shows colored examples with prices and an informative text on each type of antique American Art Glass. Logos used by a variety of companies on their glass and quadruple plate holders are also shown. Numerous other sections provide information on the following: tools, chemical formulas, and early catalogue/newspaper ads. A book worth owning and enjoying!

No comments about Framing the Nineteenth Century.

1 comments about Popular Art Deco: Depression Era Style and Design.

1. Most books about Art Deco rightly cover the fine art aspects of the movement but the authors of this lovely book explore the way commerce used deco styling in mass produced products available on any Main Street. It would be a good few years before an art style was used again to sell things, namely pop art in the mid-Sixties.
   
   Look at the many photographs of everyday items in the book and it is clear that manufacturers copied whatever deco style elements they wanted to enhance the sales potential of their products, at the same time a group of industrial designers where developing America's unique design style, streamline and contributing more elements to be copied, a good example are the three speed lines that popped up on many products.
   
   I think the illustrations in the book are well chosen and they really do cover everyday items in use during the Depression years and nicely the text is broken up with various interesting sidebars like the one on Dolores Del Rio's moderne house or festive season graphics or Deco Mexicana. To compliment this excellent survey have a look at 'Streamline' (ISBN 0811806626) by Steven Heller and Louise Fili, basically a visual book with several hundred examples of everyday graphics. Both books cover so well two exuberant art styles that everyone could share and so were truly democratic.
   
   ***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

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

5 comments about The Art of Buying Art: An Insider's Guide to Collecting Contemporary Art.

1. I've just started exploring art collection and discovered this book. I thought the book had some great advice about how to get started thinking about what art I want to collect and why. As the author says "art should be fun." After reading this book I realized that my approach was all wrong, I was dealing with galleries that weren't fun and it was nice to hear someone in the business tell me that it doesn't have to be that way for beginners like me.



2. "The Art of Buying Art" is a wonderfully comprehensive primer for anyone interested in real art collection for real people with real budgets (but sophisticated taste levels to boot).
   
   The author's unpretentious take on collecting is a refreshing point of view, and the scads of illustrations and pics help introduce new contemporary artists and new art styles that a fledgling collector may otherwise overlook. As a budding collector myself, I came away with an "I can actually do this" attitude, and look forward to applying this book's lessons to building my own little gallery in my own apartment.



3. For anyone leery of investing in art, anyone interested in starting collecting, and anyone simply interested in learning more about contemporary art, Ms. West's book is essential. "Buying Art" is well written, engaging and very informative and will make you a much more knowledgeable and shrewd collector.



4. I'm not particularly well-versed in art history, and visit museums infrequently (there are few notable ones near my home), but have always intended to learn more about fine art, and particularly contemporary art. Either from the perspective of a novice collector or someone who wishes to educate him/herself, I highly recommend this title. The book is accessible and informative, infuses the reader with the writer's clear sense of enthusiasm for the subject, and lacks the condescending or arcane tone taken by some of its similarly-themed predecessors. If you want to familiarize yourself with the basics of the fine art trade, sharpen your tastes, and/or eventually own a small collection, I strongly recommend this title.



5. When someone recommended this book I was skeptical, as I thought of art collecting as something beyond my means. But Paige West does a good job of demystifying the art world, with solid advice on understanding, selecting, buying and living with contemporary art. It's an easy and enjoyable read, and the book is packed with examples of works from emerging artists. Some I don't care for, but there were others whose work I'll seek out. Fortunately, the book also explains how galleries work, and how to find artists you like. This book is not a coffee table decoration - read it and use it.

4 comments about Collecting Japanese Antiques.

1. If you love Japanese antiques, you cannot live without this survey, with superb photography, spectacular taste, ecclectic choice, and scholarly background by the editor of Daruma magazine. All of the major collectible fields are covered with practical, informative text, and beautifully photographed select finds. The photographic choices are representative, varied and exquisite. Not merely an introduction, the work serves as a springboard to understanding and appreciating many of the accessible antiques from the Edo and Meiji periods in particular. If the book had an index of marks for each type of collectible, it would be perfection. As-is, I like the book so much that I have bought extra copies for my friends, and a new copy when mine started to get worn.



2. This is not your typical collector's handbook listing objects and possibly briefly describing them and listing going prices. This coffee-table quality book with the title "Collecting Japanese Antiques" is a survey of Japanese art works and cultural items with sections of advice for collectors. The historical and cultural background on the different items favors what would be of interest to collectors. But it is also informative and relevant simply for its artistic, historical, and cultural material. Readers looking for concentrated information on Japanese art and culture accompanied by attractive color photographs would find this work exceptionally suitable. For the collectors it is meant for particularly, there's sections on "Tides and Trends in Collecting," guidance in developing collections of certain items (e. g., baskets), lists of artists, notable regions and schools for certain antiques, and especially desirable objects in certain categories. Seton also moves to the technical subjects of materials, production, and workmanship which are important for collectors not only in appreciating items and assessing their value, but in making a preliminary decision about their age and authenticity. Among Seton's 13 categories of antiques are screens and scrolls, ceramics, furniture, sculpture and metalwork, dolls, and tea ceremony utensils. Seton has lived in Japan since 1972, where he currently teaches Japanese art and poetry. In 1993, he founded the quarterly magazine "Daruma" to cover Japanese art and antiques; which he still edits. "Collecting Japanese Antiques" is a work any collector or lover of Japanese art and antique objects will want for sound education and easy reference, and at times for enjoyably looking at the numerous color photos of the varied Japanese objects.



3. This book is a real treasure. If you buy just one book about Japanese art and antiques, this is it. Its presentation, descriptions and explanations are excellent. Reading this book is learning and pleasure at the same time.
   I know the author personally and one can really see in this book his love and dedication to Japanese art.
   For everybody who wants to learn more about Japanese art and antiques I strongly recommend the magazine "Daruma" which is edited by Alistair Seton.
   Markus Zenhaeusern, Kobe, Japan



4. The photos in this book are stunning. The author is knowledgeable.
   If you can't live in Japan to be near the beauty of its art, then this is second best. Rarely will you be able to get such thorough descriptions, history and feeling for the art and antiques of Japan.
   
   Cyndee Nagy, Kobe, Japan