4 comments about Men of WW II: Fighting Men at Ease.

1. Author Evan Bachner returns two years later with a follow-up to his first book, "At Ease". If you thoroughly enjoyed his first book, as I did, you wont be disappointed. Filled with over 150 photos of sailors and soldiers looking quite peaceful,even though a war raged around them. Being a Navy veteran, I couldn't help but notice how familiar some of these images seem. A perfect companion to the first book.



2. This picture book is a work of art. There are over 150 pictures of military men in the middle of a war, yet clearly at peace within themselves.



3. This was quite a let down from his first photo book. It's not that their isn't any good work in it, it's just that I feel this was published just for the extra buck.



4. I loved this book almost as much as the first one......A great addition to own!

1 comments about Baby Photography NOW!: Shooting Stylish Portraits with Your Digital Camera (A Lark Photography Book).

1. I bought this book for a friend who is having a new born baby. Both of the parents just bought a Digital SLR camera and want to learn some basic technique while photographing the baby and the pregnant mother. This book provides the exact things they are looking for. Inside in this book includes excellent photos and provides easy to learn techniques. My friend is very happy about this book. What's more, it's also a great book to put on the coffee table for guest to read. The photos are that gorgeous!

5 comments about City of Darkness - Life In Kowloon City.

1. I was born in Hong Kong and lived in the Walled City for 2 years with my mother when I was 10. Love the photos, history, and facts about the walled city, bring back lots of memories.



2. Everyone who I have ever shown this book to has had a deep reaction to it. I wouldn't handicap this book by calling it a photography book alone, although the photos are very powerful and prominent, but the text deserves recognition aswell. Plenty of personal stories of how people made this decaying city their home. Both epic and intimate. A testament of the human animal's ability to adapt and thrive. Thank god the authors got in to Kowloon before its destruction to create this book.
   
   Also, as a side note: Any artist wanting reference material for decaying urban sprawl, look no further. This book makes for great city or science fiction reference, with unbelievable details (electrical boxes, pipes, hallways, stairwells, etc...)



3. the book offers great insight in the extreme circumstances under which people lived in the kowloon walled city. superb photografic material covering a wide aspect of the city and relevant text. a must for people interested in urban vernacular architecture.



4. This book tells a story of a place most people have never heard of and no longer exists, but was the most densely populated place in the entire world at one point. It does it by well-written text, interviews with people that lived in this one-of-a-kind place, and priceless pictures. Google "The walled city of Kowloon", read up on it, and you won't be able to resist getting this book.



5. I hate to do this, but other buyers should be aware: I have the July 2005 printing (paperback; the only one available from Amazon) and it has the absolute cheapest, flimsiest glue binding I have ever seen on a book. The cover became detached before I was done looking through it the first time, and now that I have looked through it exactly once, the page sections are starting to fall away from the remaining glue strip. And I am being very careful with it. What a disappointment as the photos are stunning, the text and interviews fascinating, and the quality of the photo pages themselves excellent.

2 comments about Classical Thought (History of Western Philosophy Series).

1. This book is one in a series of small paperbacks printed by Oxford University Press as part of a history of Western Philosophy. This volume (#1)is a survey of classical philosophy beginning with Homer and Hesiod, covering Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle and continuing to St. Augustine. The aim of this book and this series is to offer an introduction to the main philosophical issues and thinkers of this period. I would recommend it as a good start to someone who was completely unfamiliar with the philosophy of this period. For someone who is looking for more information, this book would not be worth buying. If you were looking for more depth than Copleston's History of Philosophy would be better. Another choice might be the Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy. Other than this complaint, I would say that the chapters are clearly written and that the concepts which are discussed are explained in a way that the average reader would be able to understand. Not a bad book to begin with at all!



2. To be honest, I don't quite know what to do with this book. It is somewhat puzzling to me. It isn't a bad book, but it is a peculiar book indeed. It is the first book in a series on the history of western philosophy, but as it's title Classical Thought suggests, there's more here than just philosophy in a strict sense. And there's nothing wrong with that. However, Irwin leaves out some very important stuff in Greek philosophy, and I wonder whether it was worth sacrificing it to be able to broaden the scope of the book. Was it even a necessary sacrifice?
   
   In the 2nd chapter Irwin deals with Homer, Hesiod and the background, one might say, of Greek thought. As Irwin explains in the 1st chapter (the introduction), the starting point is not completely arbitrary. Homer, after all, had a profound influence on all subsequent Greek thought and even philosophy. On the other hand, Irwin leaves out such prominent figures in Early Greek philosophy as Parmenides (who is mentioned only once in the book, during the discussion of St. Augustin), but instead we get to read about the historian Herodotus. Of course, it is perfectly admissible to include Herodotus in a book on classical thought, but I have doubts about doing it at the expense of Parmenides. Irwin has also omitted most of scepticism, as he himself points out in the introduction. Sextus Empiricus and Pyrrhon (thus written in the book) are each only mentioned once in an endnote. Moreover, Empedocles is not mentioned at all. Is it not peculiar that in a book on classical thought, published in a series on the history of western philosophy, the philosopher Empedocles is nowhere mentioned, but the emperor Nero is mentioned three times? Plato's later thought is not discussed nor is there any discussion of ancient logic in the book.
   
   In my oppinion, this book would have benefited greatly if Irwin had added about 25 pages to it; ten or so on the presocratics, ten or so on the sceptics and maybe five on Plato's later thought. I don't know why the editor of the series should refuse to do so. This book is only 288 pages long, whereas Copenhaver and Schmitt's book on Renaissance philosophy (in the same series) is 464 pages long. But even so, I cannot help feel that this is perhaps not the right book to cover antiquity in a series on the history of western philosophy. Perhaps it should have been a book more on hardcore philosophy.
   
   Having said that, I do admit that this book is lucidly written and inviting. It is easy to read and may be of much use to someone wanting quickly to familiarize himself with ancient thought. But as a first introduction to ancient philosophy proper or for a more thorough discussion of any topic in ancient philosophy (whether Irwin discusses it or not) I would have to recommend another book, e.g. Classical Philosophy by Christopher Shield, The Blackwell Guide to Ancient Philosophy or The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy.

5 comments about Canon EOS 30D Digital Field Guide.

1. The portion of the book that explains camera functions didn't expand very much
   beyond the original instruction manual.
   
   The sections on different types of photography, i.e. portraits, macro, landsace,
   etc. were too cursory to be of much value. Canon EOS 30D Digital Field Guide



2. The book is awesome. It really breaks down all of the information in an easy to comprehend presentation and format. This is one of the best instructional books I have ever read. I was torn between this book and another 30D instructional book. I'm so glad I had the wisdom to choose the correct one. I have learned so much about the Canon 30D by reading this book. Kudos to the author and the illustrator........THEY GOT IT RIGHT!!!!!! Yes, THEY GOT IT RIGHT!!!!!!



3. This book has all the basics you need to know for your 30D. It's a great book for anyone new to the 30D. It reads well and is easy to understand.



4. THIS BOOK IS HEAVILY PADDED WITH SHALLOW, PRETENTIOUS ADVICE FOR DOING ARCHITECTURAL, CANDID, AND FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY, PHOTOJOURNALISM, ETC, BUT FAILS TO INCUDE USEFUL INFORMATION SUCH AS WHERE TO PLUG IN THE REMOTE. HALF OF THIS GUIDE COULD BE THROWN AWAY WITH NO LOSS.



5. Great feature of this book is it lists each function in a step-by-step manner. I can learn this way and then extrapolate. If you are looking for more of a deep reference guide, this is probably not the book for you. If you are saying to yourself, "self - I wonder how I could do x with my Canon 30D", chances are this guide will have the step-by-step for most amateur photographers.

1 comments about Photography & Digital Imaging.

1. I'm a photojournalism major and i've bought a lot of photography books for school & myself. This book explains it all in depth its great for info. on lenses, filters, lighting, flash, b/w photography even careers in photography. A friend purchased the book for $90 and it was still worth the price.

5 comments about Postcards from the Boys.

1. this book is a plesent suprise each page contains an postcard sent to ringo by one or more of the beatles.along with each card comes a comentary on the card such as time,place,background.this is a whole different way to see the beatles back in the past.a history lesson if you will.



2. Attractively presented catalog of postcards to Ringo from the Boys with enlightening annotation. Great conversation piece for the coffee table.



3. A nice collection of real postcards sent to Ringo from "the boys" John, Paul, and George, that range in date from the late 60s to the late 80s, when they went on vacation. The postcards are a testament to the friendship that continued even after the Beatles broke up in the 70s(at least with Ringo).
   
   Each side of the postcard is photographed and displayed on two pages so you can read the personal notes left by the sender along with little drawings etc. Ringo writes a brief description for each postcard and what was going on at that time (when he can remember) so you won't be left in the dark.
   
   I found the book touching even though it was hard to read John's handwriting. :)



4. Postcards From The Boys by Ringo Starr, What a wonderful personal look into Ringo's personal friendships with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon. Included in this colorful book are reprints of actual postcards sent to Ringo by the other Beatles from exotic locations around the world. Lennon and McCartney even illustrate them with drawings.
   This is a rare inside look at the "Fab Four" outside of the media. A must for every Beatle fan or collector. Thank You Ringo for sharing this with us!



5. This book is a wonderful addition to the collections of fans of the Beatles! The postcards and notes/comments are mostly hilarious and very nostalgic in reminding us of the times in which they were written. What a great bit of insight into the lives, loves and travels of the Fab Four. I highly recommend "Postcards From The Boys".

1 comments about Architectural Photography: Inside and Out.

1. This is a useful, no-nonsense guide to architectural photography, yet full of inspiring shots. I find it interesting that the author chooses so many of his examples from modern structures; you won't see too many old churches or castles here. The book seems to be aimed primarily at the professional shooting film with at least a medium or large format camera, but there is also a bit of attention paid to the digital shooter and the amateur. The scope of the book is pretty wide; everything from artistic considerations to practical business and marketing concerns is covered in some depth. It's a slim volume nevertheless, and - as I mentioned before - the photographs will inspire you to get out and shoot. And like any good guide book, it is re-readable.

1 comments about The Places We Live.

1. Each shanty is unfolded in panoptic four-page form (each page a wall of the room); the magic of the layout is in the incongruous edges of the sub-images, which collectively force the reader to interpolate and extrapolate the space between an artificially objective environment. The effect is furthered by the many dead-pan poses of the inhabitants, no doubt dressed their best, whose proud prose accompanies the visuals and forces the reader to think long and hard about the kind of empathy he should award.

No comments about Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi/450D For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech)).