5 comments about What It Is.

1. I recommend this to anyone who loves Linda Barry. This book is supposedto be a condensed version of her wrtining workshop. Mostly, it is L. B. collages and drawings. It explores many of the issues that arise during the creative process.



2. 
   One of the most important aspects of writing anything-- memoir, fiction, poetry--is the ability to remember. Sounds simple, but we forget so much naturally and are actively encouraged to forget what doesn't suit the needs of any particular group, usually family. Lynda Barry's wonderful primer on how to being to probe the images of your life is just grand
   and will doubtless serve many artists and writers as they explore their lives and the lives of others. An exercise as simple as try to recall the earliest phone number you had and try to picture that phone seem so simple, but take you to places that you'd long forgotten.
   
   Like everything by Barry, it's humane and masterful and compassionate and smart. A wonderful addition to any artist's desk.



3. Lynda Barry is idiosyncratic, funny, dreamy, hardcore etc. etc. She's also a practicing pragmatist. Anyone needing a refresher course on disassembling the obstacles to creativity could probably benefit from this book. The collages are elaborate, beautiful and tender but I think I actually like the hand drawn asides that bring the reader into the world of the artist's upbringing and self-talk, the area at which she's always excelled. It's by being herself that Barry becomes Everyman for every man and woman.



4. This life enhancing activity toybox of a book does not merely instruct, it transcends, uplifts, jumps levels, like a good fairy tale. Follow Lynda Barry's breadcrumb trail through the tangled forest of Creativity to uncover your own treasure chest of images, stories, and creative insights. This book is Lynda Barry's Gingerbread Cottage---with full instructions on how to bake and decorate your own. Five stars? Not nearly enough!



5. Lynda Barry is such an inspiration and all her publications are moving, hysterical, intense and inspiring. Her latest, "What It Is" is no exception. Through pages of wild collage, drawings, and her signature comic style Lynda guides us through a wild journey of creation. She asks us all to step out of the usual boxes we put ourselves in and try new ways of writing and creating. The main focus of the book is writing, but I find it visually so stimulating that I immediately want to go make some art after looking at it. It's a really fun book full of many invitations to play. I think it would be great for any creative person who is feeling stuck!

3 comments about The Big Penis Book.

1. To my surprise, this hefty volume featuring wonderful male anatomy arrived at my doorstep today. I can't complain much because, well... this book is big... and full of many, many photos, intriguing stories, and glimpses into the photographers and model's lives.
   
   I have only two nit-picky complaints to this highly anticipated release. One, being (upon arrival) the clear dust jacket featuring undies, which keeps the book somewhat less provocative came warped, wrinkled, and virtually unpresentable. This is less than what I come to expect from Tashen books. I'm willing to overlook this factor because this may simply be an isolated case.
   
   The other thing is, many of the photographs in The Big Penis Book seemed somewhat repetitive... same pose, different model. Again, just a little quirk I noticed. Despite that, this hardcover remains a wonderful addition to your collection to flaunt to guests. Great for those ice breaker moments!
   
   In so many words, I recommend this book to everyone who can appreciate erotic photography as an art form - and of course - those fascinated with the male member.



2. I am a straight female who got this book out of pure curiosity. Come on girls, a book that is solely dedicated to big penises! Well, it is a big book, and it does have a LOT of penis in it. Real photographs of naked men. I was sadly disappointed though, because the book just gave me a "gay" vibe while thumbing through all those pages of penis. It has chapters of the history of different male photographers, all gay, who have their pictures of their photographed men. Most of the men are really unattractive, and some of the penises too. Well, if you are a gay man, you are probably going to LOVE this book and put it on your coffee table with pride! Otherwise, you might want to hold on to your cash.
   P.S. I'm going to sell mine back through Amazon.



3. Although this book does add to the "growing" body of vintage gay erotica and pornography documentation, a review of the truly big site www.timinvermont.com would have allowed the author and editors to identify many of the unidentified models, some of whom are identified elsewhere in the book.

5 comments about PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives.

1. I found this book fantastic on a number of different levels. First, it was artistic...people sending in postcards that were original and/or altered to fit their mood. Second, it was truth...or at least something close to it. People sharing their deepest secrets, expunging their soul and saying what they really think. The collection goes from high drama to low comedy from page to page, and kept me enthralled from dust jacket to dust jacket.



2. I've been a fan of the PostSecret site for awhile now. It's a project started by Frank Warren back in late 2004 involving blank postcards. He spread them around and asked people to share a secret on the card, decorate it as they saw fit, and then mail it anonymously to him. In short order, the project took on a life of its own, and Warren started receiving cards and letters from around the world. The book PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives is a full-color compilation of some of these mailings, and it's fascinating.
   
   Behind the cover of anonymity, people are willing to 'fess up to numerous things that are dark secrets never before revealed. Going through the book, you see secrets such as "He's been in prison for two years because of what I did. 9 more to go.", "I wish my parents could see me for what I am, instead of what I didn't become.", and "I am contemptuous of others so it hurts less then they are indifferent to me." The words themselves can be funny, haunting, sad, or shocking, but the real impact is the artwork that adorns the cards. It's there that you get the full emotional impact of what the writer is saying. For instance... A "Hello, My name is..." tag with the space filled in as "I force new acquaintances to address me by my shortened name because it makes me forget my past.". Or there's the picture of the wrecked car with the hand-written note "I almost decided not to get out, once I knew I'd hit the river."
   
   Not all the items are as dark as what I've noted above. There's "I believe in destiny, and I think I know mine. :) :) :)", "I had a cyst on my face that ruined 7th and 8th grade. Now I love it because it makes me different.", and my favorite (written on a Starbucks cupholder)... "I give decaf to customers who are RUDE to me!"
   
   I guess part of the fascination with PostSecret is the lurid stuff that shows up. But it's also a reminder that what you see on the outside of someone is in all likelihood far different than what they see on the inside. It once again reminds me that everyone is struggling with something in their lives.
   
   There are other books in the PostSecret series, and I have them on hold at the library. This book was excellent in a thought-provoking way, and I look forward to more.



3. "Some of the most beautiful postcards in this collection came from very painful feelings and memories. I believe that each of us has the ability to discover, share, and grow our own dark secrets into something meaningful and beautiful." ~ Frank Warren
   
   There are some things you wouldn't even tell your best friend. Instead, you might consider telling Frank by sending him a creative postcard. What started off as an idea for a community art project has morphed into numerous books.
   
   Some of the postcards show a sense of humor, while others show a dark side inspired by people's psychological pain. You may be shocked by some of the vindictive thoughts or even surprised by your own emotional response to the honesty in the messages. Here are a few I can actually include in a review (others are too private to post):
   
   "I put coins in other people's parking meters."
   "I am home-less and no one (not even my family) knows about it."
   "I give decaf to customers who are rude to me."
   
   One thing I know for sure is that some people have given me regular coffee instead of decaf! In this book such a dark side is now revealed.
   
   This book is a fairly quick read because most of the postcards have just a few sentences. Most of the postcards are artistic and represent the feelings and moods of the writer. That is what makes so many of them unique. While reading I had thoughts about sending in a postcard with my own secrets. This book is sure to inspire you in such a direction.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



4. Each of the Post Secret books gives you a window into the human soul. Sending in a post card is a cathartic experience. Laugh, cry and connect with insightful journeymen in the human experience. Read the books. Share them with friends. Subscribe to the blog.



5. 
   I was not aware of the website until I got this book as a birthday gift. It was one of the best birthday gifts I have ever received. The book is amazing. The boldness of some of the messages is astonishing. You can learn here what the REAL world is all about. Some of the messages are funny, some sad, but most of them will make you stop and think about the way we interact with others, what are desires are, etc. I think the reader will often well relate with many of the messages. I definitely encourage everybody to either get the book or at least visit the website.
   Another great title i recommend is Naked Pictures of Famous People

5 comments about A People's History of American Empire.

1. Zinn's greatest work. Fascinating, Frightening, Reality. This cartoon book is completely historically accurate. Zinn's work is impeccable; he has received rave reviews from the NY Times for his People's History of the United States.
   
   A must read. I will be giving this book to many friends.



2. unlike the displeased idelogues who gave this book a one star rating I will actually review the book.
   
   the book provides many important facts about american history that largely go unnoticed in public schools.
   
   the book moves beyond history as a national monument that is heavily sanitized and politicized to reflect the values of private and state power, and clearly points to the mounting skeletons in our closet.
   
   enough information is provided in comic book form that if a reader wants to read further in more scholarly directions they will know what to look for and verify the validity of the information Zinn provides.



3. This was a great read. Seeing history through comic images was unusual and fun. The history is obviously biased, but I learned a lot that I had not known.



4. I was honestly disappointed when I saw it was a "comic book".
   But after reading the first few pages I realized it was just as good as the full original people's history of the u.s.
   I think it is very accessible for high school students and for someone who suspects they have an interest but not willing to put forth the time and effort to read the original non-graphic form.
   I recommend it as "light" heavy reading.
   Neil Gahn



5. It takes a while to get through the book, because you can't take too much at one sitting. Make sure you've got your meds. We killed the Indians, but you know that, and dominated the Chinese of the canneries and the railroads, and enslaved the blacks, and shot the people who joined unions, locked up the Japanese ... hey but that's only in this country. You should see what we've been doing on in the rest of the world.

5 comments about A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book.

1. This book is delightful and moving. I love the artwork of the postcards and will go back again and again to just browse through them. The personal messages on each card are beautiful - some tragic and some funny but all very human. After I read this book I felt that we are not alone with our problems and struggles. We all have things that make us feel sad or ashamed.



2. I've been reading the Post Secret website for well over a year, but the title of this one is what made me decide to purchase it. The book itself was inspiring in that the secrets were so personal, heart-wrenching in some cases. They inspired me to look at my life differently, to be more appreciative for what I have. It also inspired me to send in my own secret.



3. OK... I've now gone through all the PostSecret books at our library with the completion of A Lifetime of Secrets: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren. As you might be able to tell, there's a bit of a theme on this one. Warren has created a compilation of his PostSecret items ranging from submissions from the very young to the quite-a-bit older. It goes to show that secrets and regrets cut across our entire lifetime, and age doesn't necessarily make them any less or more painful or funny.
   
   The book starts out with secrets that many of us have had or experienced at some time in our adolesence... "I love him. He loves her."; "Dad, I can do anything... as long as your working by me."; "I wonder if my dad ever thinks 'I'm home' when he pulls in the driveway to get me here at my moms."; "I wasted my childhood trying to be grown-up. Now I'm a teenager and it sucks." Secrets drift through the middle years... (Over a drawing of a singer on stage) "When you said I wasn't good enough to be your girlfriend, I used it as my inspiration. Congratulations @sshole, you're famous."; (over a picture of a female archeologist) "I hope that someday he'll bury an engagement ring in the dirt for me to find!"; "Just because I try not to talk about it... does not mean I'm over it, that I feel better, or that I'm ever going to be okay. I just don't want to be a burden."; "I wish I could be someone's hero." As the book winds down, you hear the voice of old age opening up their soul... "Today is my 64th birthday. No one but me knows how lucky I am and how content and happy I feel!"; "I'm 52, male, single and childless. I've played my part in four abortions and a miscarriage. All I ever wanted was a family."; "I will die alone and happy."
   
   About halfway through this book, I started thinking... what if one of these secrets had been written by someone about me? It makes you slow down just a bit when you wonder if you've been responsible for someone's pain, if you've injured someone without thinking, or if you've been the secret longing of someone who never had enough courage to speak up. That whole mindset added yet another layer of feeling over the things I read. I'm sorry to have finished the books, as I had quite the emotional impact from them. And I find that getting in touch with feelings like that is all too uncommon in my life.



4. my friend brought this book to school one day (she was returning it to someone) and i managed to read over the first few pages in homeroom and almost began to cry.
   
   to the critics who say this book looses its depth and personality because an artist decided to add color and photos, who cares? i think that the words themselves had a very powerful effect alone...this book really isnt about the art anyhow, but more about people facing embarrestment, shame, guilt...a book about people's lives and human qualities.
   
   JUST READ IT FOR YOURSELF.



5. I was interested in this book because it was to be a moment in time, a written captured thought. A thought someone might have agonized over sharing or shared with joy either way. The fact that the cards and letters were blown up to fit the page, or cut and pasted or whatever that took them out of their original submitted state, really took away the personal touch for me. I was disappointed. I bet in their original state these cards and letter were more than representative. Just let them be what they are. I would not purchase this book again and will think twice about F Warren in the future, it felt mass produced and created.

5 comments about The Marvel Encyclopedia.

1. This is one of the best superheroe books ive ever read, very well explained and pictured, recomend it to every Marvel fan.



2. If you love comic books, you will love the Marvel Encyclopedia. If you're new to the whole comic book thing, you will LOVE the Marvel Encyclopedia! :) It's a great little reference to have!



3. I bought this for my brother for Christmas. The bookstore at the mall was selling this book for twice what I paid on Amazon! My brother loves the book and his friends even call him when they need a Marvel character question answered. My brother is 24, my husband is 37, my sons are ages 2 and 5, and they all LOVED looking through this book.



4. My husband & I bought this for my son's 8th birthday over two weeks ago and he won't put it down. The images are great quality and are very detailed. He is driving us crazy with all the Marvel facts. Definitely a must buy for all ages.



5. Received merchandise in a timely manner. And for the price we paid (half off cover) the condition of the book was good

5 comments about Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History.

1. Maus, A Survivor's Tale is a son's pictorial version of his father's story of survival during WWII.
   
   Both haunting and mesmerizing, sometimes funny and touching, this is a story of perseverance and about what the Jews had to suffer through at the hands of the Nazis in WWII Poland. Spiegleman never sugar-coats what his father had to endure in order to keep he and his wife alive. A true work of art.



2. Horribly distorts the true suffering of WWII victims. The Poles who are portrayed as pigs and the Jews who are portrayed as RATS is not a good beginning. The Poles and the Jews suffered the most. The Polish Catholics lost 3 million, in what has become known as the Forgotten Holocaust. The Poles lost another 2 Million to Stalins barbaric Gulags. When the Nazis were defeated, the Soviet Communists took over and were more barbaric to the Poles than the Nazis, although both brutally oppressive and cruel to the Polish nation. Maus/Rat, whatever you call it, uses a horrible and untrue depiction of the Poles. The Poles were the first to go to Auschwitz and die. Polish teachers, school children (giggling and playing having no idea what horror awaited them, my God), professors, nuns, priests were the first victims of Auschwits, for the wars first 2 years. Jews were not taken to auschwitz until May of 1942! The Germans had already slaughtered 1 Million Polish Catholics before the Jewish campaign even started! The Poles still defide Hitler saving more Jews than any other country. What makes this more incredible is that, Only in Poland were entire Polish-Catholic families, towns and villages executed for, as little as, handing a Jew an apple. in Denmark, Sweden, Hollannd, Norway, a slap on the hand was given - that's it! These countries, also had some of the most brutal Nazi organizations,.i.e., they collaborated eith the Nazis, as Poland DID NOT! For a true and purely objective learning, and not one man's version, bias or hate towards the tortured Poles, and other nations, read a short but to the point book with tons of info, perfect for Jr, High, High School and Adults: Andrew Hempels" Poland in WORLD WAR II; also Richard lukas' The FORGOTTEN HOLOCAUST;Poles Under Nazi Occupation (talks about everyone's suffering); finally, and a great litttle book on Auschwitz with big returns is AUSCHWITZ by Sybille Steinbacher. Steinbacher's book is easy to read and very clear; gets to the point and very objective. These books are so centered and incredibly objective,i.e., no embellishments, just truth and fact. The Rat book is a despicable generalization and distortion of truth. Scholars and Educators: Please, be sensitive and 'Take the bull by the horns.' Enjoy the summer - you.ve earned it.



3. One (two actually since there are two volumes) of the best submissions about the Holocaust which is designed to reach a broad audience. Maus and Maus II are written in the vernacular, personalizing the experiences of a camp survivor who is interviewed by his son. Excellent supplement to any Holocaust discussion.



4. When I included this and Perseplos & Maus 2 I was informed that they are not graphic novels and that I could not have one free. AMAZING! Of course after I asked for the distric manager's name/number there was a sudden change of heart BUT NOT a good instore experience from BORDERS at ALL. The GRAPHIC NOVEL is great. Borders are not.



5. This book is a survivors tale of being a Jew in Nazi Germany. The author tells his father's memories of the horrors of the holocaust. It is written in the form of a comic book. The author uses a metaphor for the people in WW2. The Jews are mice and the Germans are cats. The book talks about the author's father being a succesful person and then being captured by the Germans and finally freed from his POW camp, but forced to live in the Ghettos and hide from the Nazis who want to send them to Austwitch. The book leaves off as he is being shipped to Austwitch (a Nazi Concentation/death Camp).
   This is one of the best books I've read about the Jewish experience in Nazi Germany. It's easy to read and surprisingly informative. I would most defenintely recommend this book for someone else to read.

5 comments about Charlotte Moss: A Flair for Living.

1. This lovely book has exquist photos and is well written. I also like that it does not look like all the other recent books that show the "new look" but that she has shown us rooms that are timeless and not trendy. It is easy to follow the current fashions, but much harder to creat a room or a series of rooms that indeed look fresh through generations. You only need to make a few minor changes and the room is updated while with the "new look" you will be dated in no time and have to redo everything.
   I disagree with those who have express distain for her wealth.Who cares that she is rich and can afford wonderful things. The point here is to take her look and adapt it to your budget. It can be done. You just can't buy her look at Target and Pier 1. I strongly recommend this book.



2. A Flair for Living is indeed an exquisite book! However, it lacked the magic and visceral emotions of her earlier works. This is a product of grandiose interiors, name dropping provenances of her collection and a "flair" for conspicious consumption.
   I have all of her books, but none moved me like A Passion for Detail. In this book she sprinkled her decorative thoughts with memories from her Southern family, and encouraged her reader to be resourceful with collecting ideas as she with "clippings and files she kept under her bed and desk and in "leased" space in her husband's library," and to be creative and "Maybe you'll turn grandma's vase into a lamp or display your collection of clay circus animals..."
   At an earlier time of her life she was a passionate, breathless, new cache in her field and empowered the reader with such passion.



3. Really love this book. This hardback oversized edition allows one to see the details. As I collect French and English flatware as we well as antique china and all, I was very happy with the closeups of table settings. Nice.



4. I've been a great fan of Charlotte Moss interior design (beginning with my exposure to her Lexington Avenue shop in the 1980's/1990's) and books from her very first, Passion for Detail, published in 1991. Her last, Flair for Living, is a beautiful, over-sized coffee table book with spectacular photos of rooms she designed for her newest home (New York City townhouse) and others she designed for clients.
   
   While I recommend this book based on the gorgeous photos of absolutely stunning rooms, I am a little disappointed because I feel her style has over time become extremely grand and essentially beyond anything anyone who is not exceptionally wealthy could possibly hope to achieve. (As she, herself, states throughout this and earlier books, she is married to a very high-profile investment banker -- he is named in all of her books and, if you're curious, do a Google search!).
   
   There is quite a lot a name-dropping in Flair for Living and more than a little ego. Unlike her earlier books (for example, Passion for Detail, Creating a Room, Winter House), Flair for Living, cannot really be seen as a "how to" book, unless one's resources are quite unlimited. The text is full of references to her purchases of fabulous furniture, one-of-a-kind collector's items, accessories and art once owned by, for example, Jackie Kennedy, Doris Duke, the Duchess of Windsor, famous decorators Nancy Lancaster, Elsie DeWolfe, Madeline Castaing -- even Marie Antoinette! Her life-style -- the "Flair for Living" that is the title of this book -- does not come cheap: she writes in the impeccably landscaped garden of her New York City townhouse, she has a "drawing room" full of Louis XVI furniture, she entertains in a dining room with floors that are "antique parquet de Versailles, salvaged from a chateau in France", she has a "breakfast room" with a domed ceiling painted with morning glories, she sleeps in a luxuriously curtained "lit a la Polonaise", she bathes by the candle-light emanating from gilt-bronze candlesticks, in a specially commissioned free-standing polished nickel tub, bath towels stacked nearby on an antique gilt-wood chair, and so on. Nothing is beyond her resources and the book is full of references to custom-designed items ("Sometimes I can't find the kind of mirror I want, so I'll have it made".) But her taste is impeccable; her eye (for example, "custom-made embroidery on the pale green silk faille covering an eighteen-century French fauteuil") is a sharp as her as her pockets are deep.
   
   Do you detect a note of envy on my part? Of course, you do and I freely admit it -- my fantasy is to have a home designed by Charlotte Moss, but a fantasy it will be until I'm a sole Powerball lottery winner (a mere million or two would be inadequate!). Bottom line: buy this book as you might buy a coffee table book on Versailles -- with photos to dazzle and delight the eye, to sigh or salivate over, but not for real inspiration in decorating your own home -- unless your financial position allows it (in which case, you may as well go ahead and hire her to do it for you!).



5. Received today and was thoroughly disappointed. Its physical size is way too big for a dearth of photos and text. For "decorating" books, try Bunny Williams' "An affair with a house" or her "Point of View." Also, highly recommended is Armelle Baron's "Alex Vervoordt: Timeless Interiors." Now these are some books that you can sink your teeth into; high in content and low in ego.

5 comments about Wall and Piece.

1. This book is great. Page after page after page of stencils and stories. There are so many things to look at, it's well-organized, and includes a little something to read on almost every page. Some of the things in this book made me laugh, and other pages really made me think about the world I live in. I guess that's the point.
   
   If you want to get into stencil painting, this book will open your eyes and give you lots to think about.



2. ONE OF THE SMARTEST, MOST PRODUCTIVE, HUMOROUS, STREET ARTISTS AROUND. WHAT ALL GOOD GRAFFITI ATTEMPTS, BUT OFTEN FALL SHORT OF A MUST FOR THE STREET ART LOVER!



3. it is interesting and entertaining. the stuff he does is really cool. some of them are a bit strange, but others are hilarious. he likes to make fun of various people and things, so someone who is a bobby, or british cop, might not like it as much. otherwise, he just does stuff for fun, such as writing "what are you looking at?" in front of a security camera. its fun to just look through the stuff he's done. he is an amazing artist. and very creative guy.



4. If you know Banksy, you know everything he has ever done is worth 5 stars. But in case you are concerned about their presentation, this book goes far to present his work with beautiful imagery and insightful commentary from the Banksy, itself!!
   
   If you do not know Banksy yet and you enjoy stencil, symbolism, absurdism, political art, graffiti or taking risks to prove a point- just buy this book, you will not regret it!



5. this is a nice coffee table book for suburbans like me who want to appear edgy. banksy's work is brilliant.

5 comments about Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking.

1. (This is Frank's wife writing.)
   My daughter who is a struggling artists recommended this book to us. It's short, but packed with good thoughts about making art and coping with one's fears about the process. It's not only helpful for artists in dealing with their thoughts about why they make art, but also to their friends and relatives. The explanation of the essence art vs. craft (a topic that has long interested me) is excellent. The writing is clear and accessible. There are examples of how real artists in various genres have dealt with the basic problems of making art. The book works for both the professional artist as well as the amateur, regardless of medium.



2. By naming the fears that artist experience, and giving simple and direct answers to those fears; David and Ted have given artists a tool to name their own fears and overcome them. The book had a profound impact on me and how I approach my work as a potter. I owe a lot to having read this book, in the confidence I gained, and the risks I am willing to take becasue of their writing. I have already recommended it to friends, and have it on display in my gallery. It is the best book on Fear that I have read, outside of the Bible.



3. I just graduated from art school, major in design & illustration. I've found this book amazingly helpful. I'm not that kind of person who like to read self help book...but this book is just wonderful. Things i've learn from this book: the right attitude of making art, determination over talent, the importance of communication between you and your art, small goals get you going, making art will expose your inner self...etc.
   
   Highly recommended book for designer and illustrator.



4. A friend recommended this book for me and after reading it bought two copies for other friends. It is practical, realistic and wise. If you need some perspective and engage in any form of creating, this is the book!



5. This is an absolute must for anyone that "creates", especially if they believe that what they create is "Art". If a person's interest is in the "meaning" of what they create, "Art and Fear" presents, with clarity, sensitivity, and insight, the risks and rewards of the process and the ultimate importance of the effort.