5 comments about Black Velvet Masterpieces: Highlights from the Collection of the Velveteria Museum.

1. BLACK VELVET MASTERPIECES is an incredible overview of the low-brow and high-art world of velvet painting. The book contains images from the entire history of velvet painting: from schlocky Elvises, insane clowns, frolicking unicorns, and sad-eyed children to delicately rendered South Sea island beauties and Old Master works - All of it intensely colorful and wildly inventive.
   
   I have also visited VELVETERIA in Portland, Oregon and it is well worth the trip. Seeing some of my favorite paintings from the book was an amazing experience and the ever-rotating collection on display will have you laughing, crying and leave you with a new-found respect for the medium. Check out the Black-Light room when you are there!
   
   Both the book and museum are highly recommended!



2. Black velvet paintings have been given surprisingly little attention so it's an exceptional pleasure to see a title that celebrates the art and offers up images from the authors' joint project the Velveteria Museum in Portland, Oregon. From Elvises and clowns to religious icons and tropical visions, nearly three hundred reproductions of these works accompany a history of the medium and provide a stunning photo catalog of black art achievement.



3. This is the most important book on art to appear since Aristotle's "Poetics"! Sure, the real-life noms de reality of the Velveteria's curators are Carl Baldwin and Caren Anderson, but the breadth and depth of their contribution to modern appreciation of art put them more in line spiritually with the Renaissance Medici family - for, like the Medicis, they know talent when they see (or in this case, feel) it. Like all true art patrons, they make art appreciation an art in and of itself, and have had the pizazz and wherewithal to pluck otherwise unheralded auteurs such as Richard Bustamante, Ce Ce Rodriguez, and "Juanita," from the slums of obscurity and put them in the sparkling art-world penthouse that is this book. This book has more entertaining photos in it than J. Edgar Hoover's secret files, circa 1968, but what will surprise the uninitiated is that it also is full of more wacky, wild, and woolly stories than the Warren Commission Report! Carl and Caren are true characters, and their passion for their art and each other comes through in spades here. They have a lust for life, a gift of gab, and a knack for picking the very best in Unicorns, 18-Wheeler Jesuses, nude Polynesians, Mexican Banditos, and Cigar-Smoking Filipina Hill Tribe Women. The Velveteria is the type of place the word "psychotronic" was invented for, and this book is the type of thing your credit card was issued to buy - that is, if you have a smidgen of coolness (and money) in you. Carl and Caren have done their part to make the world a weirder, cooler, freakier, more mind-expanding place - have you?



4. This wonderful book opened my eyes to the people and talent behind these mainly overlooked pieces of art.
   
   My initial impressions of velvet painting was that there probably wasn't much past the standard clowns and snarling Elvis. While that's what I was familiar with, this title brought to life an entirely different group of artists who produced artwork that I found to be both surprising and stunning.
   
   I truly enjoyed the writing style, the wonderful color photographs, the story behind building this collection and the way the book was broken into subjects make it a pleasure to thumb through. The actual velvet cover was simply the icing on the cake!
   
   Well done!



5. The full color photographs - approx. 200 - are gorgeous and are almost tactile in the way they convey the lush texture and rich color of the velvet paintings. I also enjoyed the authors' writing style: chatty and interesting, covering everything from the history of velvet painting and painters to the authors' personal collecting stories. So...great photos, great writing, and a front cover artfully decorated with black velvet - makes the book itself a bit of a Black Velvet Masterpiece!
   
   I was also lucky enough to visit the authors' Velveteria Museum in Portland and can attest it's well worth the trip.

No comments about Guide to Getting Arts Grants.

5 comments about Lethal Elegance.

1. THIS BOOK IS A MUST HAVE,IF YOU LOVE THE JAPANESE SWORD AND THE SAMURAI.TONS OF BEAUTIFUL PICTURES ALL IN COLOR.TSUBA AND FITTINGS.



2. Being relativelly new to the subject of Japanese swords and fittings I was quite impresse by two things:
   - Quality of the pictures
   - Description of the items
   I think this is worht having for anyone that trully appreciates the japanese swordmanship and art itself.



3. Very amazing photos, and quality information on each photo and sword. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.



4. This review is a joint effort with Laerte E. Ottaiano
   The book is very good . It has a few annoying errors. I give example of two of them: On page 171 there is a tsuba described as "Design of Egret and Crab" . However the Crab is not there . It is on the back of the Tsuba and is relatively ugly in our opinion . On page 193 there is a tsuba described as "Design of deer and the moon". Again the moon can not be seem. It is on the back of the tsuba and is very,very, beautifull. You can check what we told in the book by Ogawa Morihiro on the Boston Collection. The great thing of this book is that it presents a new way to way to apreciate Tsubas.Kinko( as oposed to steel , sukashi tsubas) were underrated in the USA and Canada. Only steel tsubas were considered old and of true use by Samurai.As this book teaches us this is not so. Kinko Tsubas were used by Samurai and Sukashi Steel ( or Iron ) Tsubas are not usualy so old . This came as a great relief for us . We always thought that Kinko tsubas were works of art. It is a grest relieve to find this in this book



5. On top on anything else, this book has the best pictures of japanese sword fittings that I've had the chance to see so far. There are many good close-ups that show well the work done by the craftmen.
   Earle goes through explaining the evolution of sword fittings by presenting the influence of History upon the samurai, and their needs.
   He also exposes techniques, although not in depth - it is not the purpose of this book - and materials used in the making of the tsuba and other fittings.
   I believe he succeeds in bringing the reader to understand the how and the why behind those very impressive works of art.
   The works chosen - among the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston; probably the greatest collection of japanese swords and sword fittings outside Japan - are just plain divine. The pictures were all taken using digital technology, and -as a photographer - I must say it is above anything I'd have expected from any technology and any subject. A must have for any japanese art/craft/design/sword lover.

5 comments about Art of the Western World: From Ancient Greece to Post Modernism.

1. The book is in great condition. No writing or highlighting and for a paperback book the cover is in excellent shape, no signs of wear. Thank you for a great book.



2. I find this book an excellent approach to the history of the Western philosophy. Relevant presentations of the main concepts necessary to interpret the development of philosophy. The book illustrates and summarizes the most essential characteristics of the numerous philosophical tendencies throughout history. It contains attractive pictures, notes, and commentaries. For anyone interested in the evolution of ideas in humankind this is a helpful tool. The only observation is that the letter size is too small and every time I read it I use a magnifier, which makes the reading a little uncomfortable.



3. I studied this book, watched the 8 associated videos and reviewed with WNET: 'Art of the Western World' study guide and only missed 7 questions on the DANTES/DSST test.



4. Book provides good introduction to history of art in Western World by time period. Does a particulary good job at showing how styles evolved and changed over time.



5. Art of the Western World, from Ancient Greece to Post-Modernist art, is covered admirably in this companion volume to the PBS series of the same name. Perhaps one of the reasons I find this book so interesting is that I have met the authors, as Bruce Cole and Adelheid Gealt are both part of the Art programmes here at Indiana University, and the book is dedicated to Herman Wells, recently deceased, but powerful administrator who built in his 50 years of work with the university an Ivy-League-like atmosphere and, for many departments and schools, reputation.

   The text is beautifully illustrated, with full-colour plates and glossy photographs of paintings, sculpture, stained glass, furniture, jewelry and architecture on every page. This is also a comprehensive volume of Western art - chapters include the art of Greece, Rome, Christian Art (including a special chapter devoted to cathedrals), Renaissance art (with special chapters on Italian and Dutch art), eighteenth and nineteenth century art, and then several chapters on modern artistic movements from Impressionism forward.

   This book is clear in writing and procedure - it avoids technical jargon whenever possible, and is good at explaining the necessary elements to increase appreciation of the art being shown. Often, a true appreciation of art requires a knowledge of the history and culture of the artists, and this volume provides some of the background to fill in the historical gaps.

   `Our art is part of us; in it flows the spiritual and intellectual lifeblood which still nourishes and sustains our ancient civilisation. It is also a living, redemptive force in an age that has witnessed the madness and destruction which is also, unfortunately, our Western heritage. Art can embody and transcend both its creators and its times to reveal enduring truths about the human condition; the more we understand art, the more we understand ourselves and the complexities of our world.'

   The volume features an introductory essay by Michael Wood, who served as the on-screen narrator of the PBS television series. Wood, a journalist, historian and filmmaker, is also author of the best-selling In Search of the Trojan War. In this essay, Wood argues that the tradition of Western art is not simply a tradition, but a series of complementary traditions that cross-pollinate with cultural, religious, and aesthetic differences. The flows toward and away from realism over time can often be explained in cultural-influence terms as well as aesthetic terms. He also asks the question, `Whither the future for Western art?'

   `There are more working artists and more consumers of art than ever before. As a business, art is booming. But it is plain now, with the spread of an electronic global culture, that we face the prospect of the erosion of all differences, the prospect of great conformity and simplification.... Now, with modernism, the West has become a state of mind, rather than a geographical region, and is perceived as such by other cultures-Islam, Africa, India, and the rest-who have felt its often destructive impact.'

   This is a fair warning, but this book by no means belittles the achievements and influence of Western art - it celebrates it gloriously, and looks forward to continuing developments and achievements, as the future may hold yet more creation and originality - while the West influences the rest of the world, the rest of the world is influencing the West, which throughout history has shown itself particularly susceptible to original influences from out.

No comments about Once Upon a Time . . .: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tale Illustrations.

No comments about Wiener Werkstatte Jewelry.

5 comments about Interpreting Our Heritage.

1. When one need to study and learn the basics, this is the original guidebook on guiding! The text is almost quaint (written in the 50's) as are the pictures, but there are still nuggets worth mining.
   
   I found myself highlighting the "do"s and "don't"s that are now features in other fields such as marketing and customer service. There aren't many reference books on the subject of interpretation, so this is a good place to start.



2. This book is a nice BASIC introduction for those who know nothing about what interpretation is in relation to a museum. I found it very dry and outdated. The author tries to spice it up a bit with humor and examples of national parks but all in all, i would not recommend it.



3. Interpretation is the art of making what is presented meaningful to the audience. This book is useful for anyone who wants to get others interested in a subject, whether it is for a presentation, an art exhibit, or the local park's visitor center. If an exhibit, lecture, presentation, or tour does or does not get you interested in the topic, this book will explain most of the reasons why. This is all sound wisdom, offered in the context of museums and national parks. It's easy to read and engaging, employing the principles within.

   I. Talk about what is being desplayed/described to the personality or experience of the visitor.
   II. Interpretation is revelation based on information.
   III. Interpretation is an art.
   IV. The goal is provocation, not instruction.
   V. Try to present the whole instead of the part.
   VI. Don't just dumb it down for kids.
   Tilden elaborates on these beautifully, with nice examples.

   After reading this book not only do I know how to improve upon my own interpretation, but I can critique other interpretation and at least know when to appreciate a good display when I see one. Just remember that there are more than 6 principles. Use this book to start thinking about interpretation as a skill and an art, instead of the bible of interpretation.

   Interpretation for the 21st Century: Fifteen Guiding Principles for Interpreting Nature and Culture is an updated version recommended to me but I haven't read it yet.




4. Ok, so in parts you can definitely tell this book was written in the 50's. However most of it is still extremely valid, and extremely useful. I would not hesitate to reccomend it, a very good read for interpreters or interpreters in training.



5. It's a decent, reasonable somewhat giddy book on interpreting the natural world. It is also practically required that National Park Service ranger's follow Tilden's principles for interpretation. So if you ever want to be a National Park Service Ranger, it'd be great to have this under your belt!

5 comments about Making the Mummies Dance : Inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

1. Hoving dishes the dirt as only he can, in this totally addictive romp through the world of collectors, dealers, and socialites. Hoving is clearly in love with his subject-himself!-but he gives such a rare and fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes in the lives of the movers and shakers that his self-involvement doesn't really detract much from what is just a great read. Highly recommend this book!



2. This book appeals to a select audience. Those who enjoy reading about the great chase for the treasures of the world. Treasures that wars have been fought over. Those who enjoy reading about the super-rich and their foibles. Those who enjoy reading about the intrigues and back stabbings in elite organizations (this book makes The Apprentice look like a pillow fight). And finally those who enjoy reading about a man's all consuming ambition to succeed and yet through it all remain passionate about great art. If any of the above is your cub of tea then you are going to love this. I absolutely recommend his later book 'False Impressions'. And yes, the author spares no punches in his analysis of alot of famous people.



3. This is a great book for reading and as a resource guide book. Makes you feel like your there



4. This is a refreshing book, about the author's personal quest to transform the Metropolitan Museum of Art of N.Y., during his tenure as director of the museum (1967-1977).
   When Hoving arrived as Director, he assessed the Met as a disorganized institution, a collection of collections, located in a mixture of buildings and architectures that gave "the impression of something worse than incomplete; it seemed forgotten and forlorn...." At the time Hoving was offered the post, he was commissioner of Parks, under the tenure of Mayor John Lindsay, whose mayoral campaign the author had joined with a leave of absence from... the Met, where, after receiving his Ph.D. in Art from Princeton University, he went from assistant curator to curator of the Medieval Department and the Cloisters. And indeed, it was Lindsay, when told the news about the directorship, who said: "...have you considered the boredom? Seems to me the place is dead. But, Hoving, you'll make the mummies dance." Hence the title of the book.
   The story is a fascinating, at times egotistical and gossipy account of what it took to revolutionize an institution like the Met. From the seduction of the patrons and trustees, such as Nelson Rockefeller, Walter Annenberg, Brooke Astor, Robert Lehman, to the development of a network of experts, smugglers and famous collectors, Hoving takes us on a journey that reveals a lot about the inner workings of power, expertise and glamour, in the art world.
   At the end, we are led to believe Hoving's final insight about his tenure:
   "With the creative energy of the Trustees who had been on my side and the stuff who supported me, the most sweeping revolution in the history of art museums had taken place. The Met, once an elitist, stiff, gray, and slightly moribund entity, came alive. THE MUMMIES DID DANCE......"



5. This lively look at the life and work of a director of a world-class art museum not only educates and entertains, it shocks. The mummies do, indeed, dance as Thomas Hoving takes on the Park Service to expand the museum, wiggles around UNESCO and fights a host of governments for his favorite works of art, plays one collection against another, trades, deals and bluffs his way toward making the Metropolitan Museum of Art what it is today.

   Hoving has a steam-roller personality, the energy of nuclear fission and no small amount of self-confidence. His educational background -- Princeton and an archeological expedition or two in Europe -- isn't as impressive as you'd expect, but he makes up any shortcomings with old-fashioned chutzpah.

   After some experience in minor jobs and a city job with the Parks Department, he's told he may be selected as director of the Metropolitan so he looks the place over and makes some notes: "The museum needs reform. Sprucing up. Dynamics. Electricity. The place is moribund. Gray. It's dying. The morale of staff is low. The energy seems to have vanished. You've been missing all the fine exhibits...."

   This book shows how MOMA gets from where it was then to what it is now -- the politics, infighting, backbiting, sneaking, smuggling and downright stealing it takes to make a museum one of the finest in the world. It's also a fairly realistic look at the glittering personalities and the haute monde of the New York City of a few decades ago.

   This is a rousing tale that should hold the interest of any reader, art lover or no. Never mind that Hoving doesn't hesitate to toot his own horn. This is, after all, his book. Even taking the stories with a massive grain of salt, they're always riveting and vastly amusing. No one will ever say of Thomas Hoving that he has no opinion on the people and the issues of the art world or that he hesitates to express them.

   I can't imagine anyone not being fascinated by this marvelous picture of the fabulous and often sham world of art museums and the people who support them and run them.

2 comments about The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour.

1. The book was small, but great! It filled in all the blanks and gave an excellent tour of the sights of Gettysburg. I want to actually go there after reading this book.



2. The editorial reviews on this paperback are right on the mark. It is an excellent 124-page booklet that follows the formal tour guide route.
   The front tour section starts by providing just the right amount of "selected" detail (with some well-cropped and selected photos)on each of the 16 stops (36 pages). I was able to take the book out and use it as a quick stop tour. I found the positons easily (as they were concisely marked), then read the short, but complete narrative. I really got the context of the complete battle by putting all the tour stops together because the "important details" were included at each stop.

   After the tour, an account of the fighting is described by day, hours and short descriptor, e.g."Action of Buford's Calvary, 8:00 to 10:00 am, July 1" (78 pages). Superb graphics that clearly sketch out positions with key topography markers help you fix on the formations. They are very distingushable as they are marked with reference to the modern day road structure in he park (e.g. you can tell the bulk of Pickett's division-by brigade-was originally lined up much farther south than the positon of Lee's statue in their charge by the Spangler house).
   
   The final pages of the book summarize the strength and losses by unit (i.e. numbers by brigade level, but specifying the regiments included) and a good one-page suggested reading list (that shows the better Gettysburg books).

   I have been to this field five times. It is a very good book for new and repeat visitors.

1 comments about Botanicals: Butterflies & Insects.

1. This is a very beautiful book, the full page botanical and insect illustrations are superb.I purchased this book as a Christmas present for my daughter who is a medical herbalist,but would really rather like to keep it for myself!
   Glennis.