1 comments about Silhouette Designs for Artists and Craftspeople.

1. This is one of my favorite and most-used clip art books - full of fairies, dragons, mermaids, butterflies, dancing people, and more. I typically use it as a resource for making handcarved stamps for my journal. I highly recommend it!

5 comments about Fifth Chinese Daughter.

1. I first read The Fifth Chinese Daughter in about 1963 when I was 13 and living 30 miles south of San Francisco. Visiting Chinatown was my first exposure to a foreign culture. It was mysterious and exotic, and I wondered what went on behind the building fronts lining the narrow bustling streets. This book gave me my first glimpse into this other world; very heady stuff for a 13 year old girl. Fast forward 45 years, and I'm looking for a book to recommend to my book club. I had never forgotten The Fifth Chinese Daughter but assumed it was out of print. Imagine my surprise when I found two copies on the shelf of our local bookstore. I snapped up both copies and jumped in. The Fifth Chinese Daughter was just as captivating and poignant to me at age 57. I can now appreciate it from a new perspective, viewing this work as a precursor to the wonderful Chinese American literature that followed. I could go on....but suffice to say, read this book.



2. I became interested in buying this book after reading the author's fascinating story in the L.A. Times last year. Since reading Fifth Chinese Daughter a few months ago, I have given it as a gift to three friends who also found this young woman's story as heartwarming and courageous as I did. Side benefit: I learned a great deal about Chinese-American culture and about American history, circa 1930s - 1950s.
   
   It's also a great book for teen girls. Reading about Jade Snow's sometimes difficult youth and teen years and how she met her goals will be very inspirational to that age group.



3. I usually don't write negative reviews, but I really was surprised by all the glowing reviews here. I truly think this is a terrible book and here is why.

   1). The characters are only skin deep. We never really get to know them beyond their attitudes toward Jade Snow. And Jade Snow herself is very opaque as well, we don't get to know more of her except that she is filial, hard-working and eager to please people. The insides of these characters are not alive and they resemble dull automatons carrying out the actions of a pre-determined script.

   2). The prose is very flat, so the end result reads like a very long summary of the plot rather than the book itself. The author crammed in many minutae of her life into the writing, with a emphasis on the details of food preparation. but most of the details are not evocative and fails to enrich the world she is trying to portray.

   3). A streak of very patronizing attitude to Asians Americans run through out the book. It culminate with a cringe-inducing climax of self-hate at the very end of the last chapter, in a scene meant to be the big emotional pay-off for the whole book. Jade Snow's father tearfully confess that he had done wrong by raising her under the backward Chinese culture, and that he should have raised her in the superior, freedom-loving Christian way.




4. "You must have confidence that I shall remain true to the spirit of your teachings. I shall bring back to you the knowledge of whatever I learn." Fifth Chinese Daughter is an inspiring autobiography that traces the life of Jade Snow Wong from childhood to adulthood in San Francisco's Chinatown. In her book, Jade Snow describes the numerous hardships and rewards that shaped her life. Through her vivid descriptions, the reader is immersed in the Asian culture of early twentieth-century America. Looking through Jade Snow's eyes, the reader is able to experience the conflicting cultural experiences of the middle daughter of a large family of Chinese immigrants.
   Conforming to Chinese tradition, Jade Snow felt that her worth as an individual was dictated by her family. Although Jade Snow's father took pride in educating his daughters in both Chinese and American customs, he valued the future potential of his sons over that of his daughters. Jade Snow's childhood is tainted by unjust punishment and suppressed emotion. Such experiences led her to pursue independence and acknowledgment in a country that offered numerous opportunities for well-educated young woman. However, from her difficult childhood, Jade Snow learned discipline and respect, qualities that allowed her to succeed and gain respect from her family. It is fascinating to witness her transformation from a submissive child to a woman of integrity and perseverance.
   As Jade Snow tirelessly worked her way through college, she came to understand the injustices of Chinese tradition. Ironically, at this time, she also developed a greater appreciation for her Chinese heritage and through it discovered her life's passions. Despite the heavy skepticism and criticism of her family, Jade Snow pursued her dreams with optimistic determination, suffering many hardships along the way. In each of her life's stories she proves to us that great rewards come from hard work and unfailing belief in one's self. If you ever feel hopeless or just want to be inspired, Jade Snow's story will lift you out of your darkness.



5. In the book Fifth Chinese Daughter by Jade Snow Wong, the author tells readers about her childhood as a Chinese girl living in San Francisco. Ms. Wong gives readers a chance to see what life was like growing up during the early 1900�s as a Chinese girl. Throughout the book, you learn many things Chinese-Americans do which are different from American customs. Readers are given an idea of how Chinese-American�s raised their families during that time. The author shows in vivid detail what happened to her and what she had to work for in her childhood.
   Jade Snow was brought up in a household that made sure their children knew their native culture as well as the culture around them. Since an early age, Jade was given Chinese lessons by her father until she was old enough to attend Chinese school everyday after her American classes were over. The book chronicles Jade�s life from her early childhood to when she becomes a young woman living on her own. Throughout the book, you see Jade learn to do the shopping for the family, cope with problems in school like discrimination, get into college on her own, and find jobs for herself.
   There were many things I liked about this book. Even though, this book isn�t like the books I normally read, it was very hard to put down. The author writes her story in
   graphic details, which pulled me into the book. I loved how she talked about her father in many ways, how some days he believed in her and others, he had no confidence in her. Also, I believe that Jade was a strong girl throughout her childhood. This is because she had to live with such strict rules in her household like respecting her elders, and how if she or her siblings did anything wrong, they would get punished by getting whipped.
   If I were to compare this novel with others I have read, I would have to say that this novel is in my top 50 books I have ever read. I found that every page I turned in this book, I was wondering what would happen next. This novel was very fun to read because I liked learning about what life was like for a young Chinese-American Women growing up during the early 1900�s.
   I would most likely recommend this novel to another, unless the person did not like autobiographies. I would recommend this book to people who like reading about people of different cultures. Jade Snow�s book is geared more to people who like to read about people�s cultures, but I think many would find this book very interesting.

5 comments about The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze & Color Development.

1. I read it in only few days and I learned more than a year of reading other books on ceramics and on the process of doing glazes.
   It teach you how to master the very hard work of doing glazes in a right way letting you to follow your ideas but with strong bases and by using your brain.
   It teach you also how to work in easy ways with the right organisation of your ceramist job.
   This is the most useful book I have read in these last years together with two other books,that is : Clay and Glazes for the Potter and The Potter's Dictionary of Materials and Techniques



2. The Ceramic Spectrum is filled with detailed information and wonderful color pictures of glazing procedures and results. Extremely detailed color pictures of different glazes, errors made during glazing as well as mixing or modifying glazes from existing compounds. This book covers details from simple glazing techniques to complex crystalline glazes, and textural glaze applications. It has detailed explanations of glaze testing, color testing, glaze application and application faults. Almost all subjects are covered with color pictures of different techniques, faults and treatments. A totally complex subject treated in understandable terms. If you want to mix glazes, understand glaze procedures and techniques, avoid common errors, etc. this is the book for you. Excellent.



3. It is comparativelly expensive and with little procedural information.
   More than a tutorial it may work as a reference for materials.
   
   Buy it if you have extra shelf space and 30 bucks.



4. This book has more information on glazes and colorants than any other book I own. Robin Hopper's explanation on the breakdown of glaze and color development is truly amazing. This is not a book for the "I want it done easy person", but a book for the the person who wants to know how something is done. He leaves computer technology out and leaves knowledge up to human resource and personal experience. Unlike other books, I truly LEARNED something from this one.



5. This book has information that I've long been looking for, especially related to color development in ceramic glazes. I've learned quite alot in the short time that I've had the book (only 1 week).

   Highly recommended.

5 comments about Glazes Cone 6: 1240 C / 2264 F (Ceramics Handbooks).

1. This book is interesting for anyone who studies glaze or wants to make some glazes of their own (even if their working at different temperatures).



2. After Snail Scott's review, there's not much to say, as she gives an excellent and in my opinion, accurate overview of the book.
   
   I myself was disappointed, however. A few factual errors are indicative: zinc is NOT an alkaline earth, but a transition metal; and while magnesite is ideally magnesium carbonate, not all magnesium carbonate is magnesite, that is, the two are NOT synonymous. Also, I was perplexed by the insistence on using zinc oxide in nearly all the bases; not only is it expensive, but it also has a powerful (and usually undesirable) effect on most colourants.
   
   Maybe I just got used to superb glaze references, and was expecting more. Even so ... a decent buy, and it gave me a few good ideas, but I'm slightly regretting having bought it. (I would, however, recommend Clay and Glazes for the Potter and The Ceramic Spectrum: A Simplified Approach to Glaze and Color Development.)



3. This book contains a few interesting recipes that you cannot find from Internet. Providing with more recipes and color images of examples,it is more fun to read than the Cone6 glaze book written by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy. Some of the raw materials are only available in UK but we probably can find substitutes here in US.



4. While this book does a great job of explaining certain aspects of glaze theory, the way in which it is approached did not leave me, an American potter, with a lot of useful information.
   The first half of the book goes into great detail about glaze theory, with many clear charts and graphs to illustrate the author's points. I found it to be easy to understand and very thorough. Proportions of silica, alumina, and fluxes are discussed, explained, and diagrammed. Also, there are many glaze tests illustrated.
   The second half of the book deals with specialty glazes and provides recipes from potters. These are also well documented and illustrated.
   This book was written in the UK and seems to be geared almost exclusively to the UK potter. This is not a bad thing for a UK potter, but does make it less useful in the US in terms of the way that we usually formulate glazes here. In my experience, most Cone 6 glazes in the US are formulated with boron. So learning about boron's effect on glaze analysis is essential. The author declares at the outset that he will not be explaining boron in terms of glaze theory, and it is discussed only in terms of its use in a specialty Chun-type glaze. Also in the US, we tend to avoid the use of zinc in glazes, since it has a negative effect on many colors. Almost every glaze analyzed in this book has a significant portion of zinc.
   Although the theory is clearly explained and this book may be a useful reference for that part, I found much of it to be useless for my work because of the exclusion of boron and the use of zinc.



5. This is not a recipe book or a catalog of glazes, nor is it a chemistry textbook. It focuses specifically on cone six oxidation (electrically-fired) glazes, with easy-to-understand charts of glaze properties, and simple explanations of the materials that create the different properties of glazes. This presentation allows the glaze creator to predict where any glaze they make may fall in terms of its firing properties, with particular emphasis on coefficient of expansion. This is an important factor in glaze design since it determines 'glaze fit': whether a particular glaze will craze or even cause cracking in the clay beneath it. This topic has seldom been explained with such clarity and simplicity.

   Each broad type of cone six glaze (matte, glossy, low-expansion, porcelain, etc.) is discussed, and charted for comparison with other cone six glaze types. 'Special' glaze types are also mentioned, including Chun glazes, Bristol glazes, crystalline glazes and single-firing glazes for greenware.

   Methods of calculating glaze formulas are reviewed in this book also, covering the conversion of a recipe to its unity formula and percentage analysis. Not an in-depth course in calculation, but a basic introduction for the novice, or a handy review for the more experienced (but not yet expert) glaze developer.

   Recipes are given for each glaze type, but they serve less as suggestions for glazes to use than as typical examples for comparison. Colorants are discussed in a basic way, but are not the focus of this book.

   Photos are given for each example discussed, featuring test tiles of each glaze arranged for easy comparison. Not many pictures of pretty pots here, just consistent, representative photos of glaze samples of the sort shown on the cover, and pictures of a few actual ceramic objects to demonstrate the appropriateness of various glazes in practice.

   The appendix contains a useful chart of the chemical compositions of many common ceramic materials used in the US and UK (where the author resides).

   This book is an excellent aid to making cone six glazes from scratch. It's not quite a 'start from zero' book, but a useful supplement to the standard studio-ceramics textbooks. Easy to understand, not scary, and does not presume an extensive chemistry or mathematics education, though a high-school-level background will be helpful. This is a book for the ceramist who has been using existing glaze recipes, but is now ready to find out how they work and to develop their own.

5 comments about The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide (Japanese Arts Library).

1. Although the title is a bit misleading, as the book also includes other edge weapons besides swords as well as their fittings, it was informative for a novice collector. The color photographs are outstanding.



2. 
   This is one of the BEST books on the Japanese Sword including history, terminology, et cetera. I really don't know how anyone could have a sword collection or interest without this book. A friend bought this for me as a gift, way before I was interested in swords... now I have hundreds of books (mainly on swords), and this is certainly my favorite. Great book, GREAT illustrations and photographs, superb glossary. You certainly wont be disappointed.



3. This book is exactly what the title says it is. It truly is a comprehensive guide to various japanese swords detailing the types and nomenclature of the swords.



4. i loved this book it gave me all the information i needed on the art of the japanese swords.



5. IF YOU COLLECT JAPANESE SWORDS YOU MUST HAVE THIS EXCELLEBT BOOK

No comments about Conversations on Sculpture (Perspectives on Contemporary Sculpture).

5 comments about Sculpture: Principles and Practice.

1. If you purchase this book knowing you are getting an outdated book you may enjoy it more. It has some good info in a few areas, especially in basic clay-up, but lacks in most modern mold making techniques. The sculpture in this book is basically classical to put it simply. I would still reccomend this book especially to beginners.



2. I was thinking that this book would give me tips and ideas... its more of a history then how to.



3. If you are a beginning sculpture student, this might be a book for you. Althought the information is somewhat dated (original copyright is 1949) the book is fairly direct and straight-forward in its writing style. Primary interest of the author--and the bulk of written information--is directed to modeling in clay and casting in plaster. The section on stone carving is short, but fairly complete. The woodcarving section is sketchy and, other than a good list of the tools needed, inadequate.
   The sections on cast stone (concrete) and casting metal are outdated. Certain steps are still the same, but the materials currently in use are so different as to be almost another whole chapter.
   A great deal of space is given to architectural sculpture, but again, the info is outdated. The book gives information on producing a stone monument, but does not address the cost factors (nor the steps in computing costs)of assembling the materials and placing the finished work. Nowadays that is of prime importance if a sculptor wants to compete for art in public places.



4. I agree with the comment below - this is a beginner's book. More power to it. It was written by someone who has taught as well as practiced & focuses on the sculpting process rather than on artistic technique. Some of the mediums he covers (casting stone, glue molds) have advanced in ease of use since this book was written, but this guide has stood the test of time.



5. I found this book to be overly simplfied and not very helpful accept maybe to the most novice sculptor. The appoach is that of amateur craft not serious art. I thought the photos of examples to be most uninspiring.

5 comments about Silverplated Flatware.

1. Please see my review of "Sterling Flatware Identification & Value Guide". This is a good companion guide, but for silverplated flatware. It's just a little more complicated to navigate, as there are so many silverplated patterns, and so many manufacturers. However, once you become familiar with the way it is set up, and with a lot of patience, you can ID silverplated flatware very nicely. I keep both right at hand..can't do without them.



2. This is a great book for collectors of silverplate flatware!! I have worn out one and found another one here on Amazon. Highly reccommend the book and Amazon. Claudia Cope



3. This book helped in the identification and listing the ages of different flatware I have found at yard sales, flea markets and thrift stores. I have shared it with several friends.
   Thank you
   Tom



4. I found many of the patterns I collect covered in Hagan's book. The drawings are large and easy to use to identify your pieces. I also bought Hagan's Sterling Flatware which is set up in a similar manner. You can also use both books to note which patterns you want to search for. The dates given in the books allowed me to note which patterns were contemporary with the china I collect.
   I've looked at other silver identification books and I liked these best.



5. I have owned this book for at least 3 years, it is the most used book I own. If you are interested in identifying many pieces of silver plate, this is the book for you. Very easy to use. I was just on Amazon to see if there was an updated version yet, or I am trying to decide if I should buy a new one. Mine looks ragged, I have used it so much.

1 comments about Passages in Modern Sculpture.

1. This is Krauss's first book, and the one I like best. Her history of modern sculpture from Rodin to Robert Smithson is grounded in a sophisticated theoretical perspective, but it's not collapsing under the weight of theory like many later Krauss's texts. Her theoretical framework in this early book is phenomenological -- she made a transition to structuralist and poststructuralist theories later in the seventies. Phenomenology -- in particular, Merleau-Pontyan phenomenology -- allows for many thought-provoking readings of modern sculpture. However, the basic assumption of the book -- viz., that there have been some parallels between the development of modern sculpture and phenomenological thought -- is flawed. There is no evidence that the artists discussed by Krauss heard of Husserl and Merleau-Ponty and their theories. Many other authors beside Krauss make a similar unjustified assumption of various "parallelisms" and "influences." Basically, this is historicism -- a belief in some sort of Zeitgeist at work in all cultural forms of a particular age. Still, the book makes for a much more rewarding read that coutless superficial, merely descriptive histories of modern sculpture, or modern art in general.

2 comments about Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths.

1. I have to say that this book isn't for everyone. It is for the person that enjoys learning some new info on things that one takes for granted. In conjunction with their avocation. Since it was published in 1978 some of the information at first glance may seem a rehash of the basics. That is far from the truth, The author does go over the things like the role of the formal shells, soldering,raising, planishing, layouts, tubing, hinges and linkages. In each of the sections or chapters he does go into things in somewhat more detail than the more modern books.Having been in metalsmithing off and on for over 40 years. Since high school I learned more from this book than I have from some classes I have taken over the years. The surface enrichment,refinement and finishing chapter and the one on the spout. Were of interest if for no other reason it pointed out things I never thought of in regards to the design of the opening in the spout. Having only made items with a spout for general shop work. No tea services ect. But the info will still work.
   The art work is done by the author and are numerous. Since he was doing the drawing they reflect what he was thinking to a fine point. The pictures are in the style of the 70's brightly lit black and white. Each chapter has definitions of all things described. The glossary at the end of the book is illustrated with the drawings of the author ,the generic terminology,alternative terminology and etymological origins.
   Having heard,and read all the artsy,2 dollars words thrown about by people that have no idea what they mean in relationship to the forms they are describing. It was a enjoyable read and I do own it.



2. it was a good book to read through but not buy alltogether