2 comments about A Photographic Atlas for Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory.

1. Very good book to use for review and studying. Awesome and interesting pictures and good information. I suggest it for all Anatomy and Physiology students for lab and lecture.



2. i recieved my product on time and the condition it was described. I recommended to every one.

5 comments about Saudek.

1. Sometimes there are masterpieces hard to comment of.
   
   Perhaps, works by Daniela Mrázková known as Jan Saudek belong to this category.
   
   Live, deep, gay colours depicting controversially for even a modern viewer explicitly manifested homoeroticism and nudity, are surely shocking today as much as hundred years ago for then contemporaries.
   
   A very special picturesque philosophy of Jan Saudek places these masterworks in a line with the best in this area of visual arts immortally.



2. This remarkable (and massive) collection traces at least forty years of Jan Saudek's career, from the late 1950s to the end of the 1990s, or maybe a bit beyond. Like any living, developing artist, Saudek's technique, subject matter, and style have developed too. As a result, broad generalizations apply poorly to this collection's full breadth.
   
   The earliest work collected here tends strictly towards black and white, and the earliest chapter has a family oriention. With no clear break between phases of his career, Saudek's work in the early 1970s tended toward a more documentary style. Then, by the late 1970s, many features of his later work had emerged: studio nudes, often hand-colored, often set against a decrepit background, and with increasing sexual content. Paired photos, clothed and nude, appeared, as did time sequences. Saudek's quirky sense of humor came to the fore, also, expressed in terms of all the other features of his work. For example, the clothed/not and sexual themes came together in gender-bending sequences (like The Wedding, parts I and II) that elicit giggles along with confusion and careful attention. By the 1990s, Saudek's work added models well outside the usual range considered attractive, which added new facets to the sexuality and humor.
   
   This huge, beautiful book makes it easy to trace Saudek's changing esthetic through his images. Readers (in English, French, and German) also see biographical information covering Saudek's life inside and outside the gallery world. A book this vast and a career so varied can't be summarized briefly except to say this: it's an outstanding presentation of a strange and wonderful collection.
   
   -- wiredweird
   
   PS: The cover picture is actually half of something - the other half changes its meaning completely!



3. I saw Jan Saudek's work at his gallery in Amsterdam (1970's) and then on a series of postcards. Finally, I saw his stuff on the walls of Good Vibrations in San Francisco and realized two things about him:
   1. He hand paints his black and white images.
   2. He produced his images during the worst days of communist repression.
   
   He is a genius, His book will take your breath away. It is very representative of his work. You would have to see mounted pictures with the actual brush strokes to see what magic he truly weaves. You need this book.



4. Jan Saudek, the leading art photographer from the Czech Republic, is a dazzling artist who has found his own medium of expression for his fertile imagination. This thorough, splendidly produced (Taschen) monograph, edited by the esteemed curator and critic Daniela Mrázková, succeeds at every level: these are the finest 'reproductions' of Saudek's difficult, manipulated photographs available today and the accompanying biographical information is as richly detailed and illustrated as the body of work is explored. This is a large, heavy art book, now made affordable thanks to Amazon's pricing. It deserves the attention of those who respect art on the edge as well as collectors who appreciate the position Saudek has achieved internationally in the world of fine art.
   
   'Our life is a journey, a journey to the end of night' is a phrase from Saudek, quoted by editor/essayist Daniela Mrázková, in the opening biography of the artist, a biography that includes Saudek's birth in Prague in 1935, his internment in a Polish concentration camp for Jews, his survival and early life in Czechoslovakia, military service, multiple marriages and children, and his immigration to the United States where his reputation as an enfant terrible of photographic art grew steadily. All aspects of this interesting, diversified life are accompanied by photographs of the artist and his influences. They prepare the way very well for the generous catalogue of Saudek's unique art that follows.
   
   For those who are new to Saudek's art, this volume will explain his techniques thoroughly. Beginning as a black and white photographer, Saudek soon appreciated the fact that his vision of the world he wished to capture was a combination of reality pushed to extremes and fantasy overlay - and his finished products became hand colored enhanced images of physical feats, anatomical variations from normal, homage to the history of art, and explorations of sexuality that never offend but rather celebrate variants of dreams that seem to have no limits. He places himself in many of the works and seeks out the spectrum of models that range from the massively obese to the aged to the emaciated to midgets to accompany his tableaux vivants. Many of his works are narrative: one particularly beautiful work is entitled 'The Love Story' and is a sepia toned series of 12 images of a white rose in a glass of water beside a girl's photograph, the series showing the bud blooming then losing its petals and finally extracted from the glass which is then removed from the series in the last frame - a simple but deeply moving story of a love eroding to nothingness.
   
   Saudek's images are grouped into exhibitions: The Family of Man, Memories, Forbidden Fruit, The Game, The Fight, The Window, Tales of Love and Ruination, To Be or Not to Be, Every Woman is the Most Beautiful in the World, Sinners, Warriors of God, Paradise Lost, and A Journey without End, a Cry in Vain. Placing his photographs in context with theme allows the viewer a gallery walk where the complete idea of that exhibition can be explored. The images may disturb some, but isn't that a part of fine art's mission - to think in ways outside our frame of reference? In all the works are reproduced carefully, including the all-important margins of each photograph in which Saudek makes meaningful notes and manipulates time, a concept that remarks on his vision of the 'journey to the end of night'. It would be difficult to imagine a finer art monologue than this, and it is apropos that such an important and fascinating artist receive such a fine tribute to a long and very productive life. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, September 08



5. Fantastic! Simply the best Saudek book thus far. I wouldn't miss this one.

5 comments about Trek: David Carson, Recent Werk.

1. what i enjoy about carson's work, and what this book represents, is a lot of inspiration that can be applied anywhere. i've always felt carson works from a foundation of ideas that root the work, but then a certain immediateness, a looseness, that allows the work to feel fresh and contemporary. thank you, david, for another great book.



2. What else can you say to this book when you see 400 pages plus of David Carson recent works? This book is one of a kind design book that will answer all your design influence. This book is marveleous and superbly done and when the first time i open this book, the first thing that came out of my mouth is "Oh! My God!". For those who missed Ray Gun a lot, then Trek will answer all your misery of missing Ray Gun.
   
   If you a designer that love Pop Art and Fonts very much, then this book is the right answer. For me, this book is the dictionary of design influence and idea. Don't buy this book if you not a designer because you won't like it.
   
   From the first time i opened this book, i've been using this book as my guide book of all my design since then. Truly, David Carson is my idol!



3. Trek is a journey of David Carsons later works....proving that he has an eye for great 'instant' photographic images..the digital age..again a 'tool' in this techno age we live in...yet, Carson has the ability to place the image within a graphic context...making the work appear carefree and accidental..the volume of work and time, cocooned in this portable library is overwhelming..the dedication involved, along with the editing process are themselves masterpieces..take a look if you step outside the 'norm'...



4. This book got me real excited, before i'd even received it. I waited for it to come from the US to the UK so I could buy it at a price I could afford, and today it came. What a big, beautiful, inspiring book. I'm already a Carson fan, but this book is superb, it's got the lot. I've had and sold all of his earlier books, and figured that this one would make a good replacement for it. I underestimated it's value and content. This book is ten times better than all his other books rolled into one. It's got all the best bits, then some. It's up to date, it's full colour, it's a MASSIVE visual experience. Now I'm a painter, and occasionally a photographer, but I used to be a graphic designer. This book inspires me now. It makes we want to go paint, to go shoot photos, to make collage.
   
   Get it, now, while you can, you couldn't possibly regret it. It's an awesome bargain...



5. I think, its one of those books which are useless and less informative... yes it has unique visual appeal but thats not new now, since the age of photoshop all desktop artists are experimenting Design, Type and Photography...So thats what you will find in this book, after every 2 months i try to open it and try to make any sense of this huge,heavy dumb book...but invain. I think its better to buy his previous books rather than buying TREK or TRAP.
   Its Sick!

2 comments about Parisiennes: A Celebration of French Women.

1. Perhaps it's my oversight in not checking the publication date of this book. I thought it would share more of the easy style and elegance of the French throughout history. The pictures, although many, were dated from 20's - 40's with a
   sprinkle of 50's style. I was hoping to see more of a range of pictures and fashion. The photography is done well and cover is stylish, but the book does not evoke any feeling of elegance within the pages......have not felt compelled to read
   through yet.



2. I find this book fabulous. Pictures are beautiful, all of them in b/w and most of them of anonymous women, the proof of how french women (particularly parisiennes) are charming without the need of artificial effects such as money or marketing-made. They are rebels, mothers, lovers, elegants, self concious, self confidents, etc. But I think, that what is more important, they are very literate. They are always reading, writting....
   To sum up, my favorite part of the book are the quotes by writters, philosophers... about women, and parisiennes. But I must say, the original edition in french est plus charmante...

5 comments about Costume and Fashion: A Concise History (World of Art).

1. This is a nice *SMALL* (which is important when you are carrying it back and forth to class) book that is FULL of pictures. Don't by this book if you are looking for detailed explanations of the costumes...go to Boucher if you are looking for that... But if you want a good colour pictoral quick reference, this is the one to buy.

   I love it and use it all the time. It is cracked open to the picture of Rubens and Isabella Brant!




2. This classic by James Laver is a very good introduction to the subject. This is not an exhaustive history of clothing that one should consult for lengthy descriptions, or pinpoint accuracy tied to the latest scholarship. But what this book is (and is wonderfully) is an overview of a very vast subject distilled into one portable volume. The illustrations are excellent and worth the price of the book in themselves. Great amounts of detail are lacking, but the student of costume history can look elsewhere for in depth information in the works of Boucher, Davenport, Ribeiro, and others. This book can provide the basic knowledge one needs to approach the more advanced publications.

   There are discrepencies of terminology in comparison to other texts. This is especially true in his descriptions of Byzantine court costume; Laver uses some Greek terms as opposed to the Latin terms used by most other historians. Laver also has an ethnocentric bias and gives much information from an English point of view. As with Contini's "Fashion: A Social History" and Batterberry's "Fashion: The Mirror of History" (both sadly out of print), Laver's prose and scholarship are a little dated, and he predates political correctness. But the history of clothing is heavily tied to religion and superstitions, public morals and sexuality, gender and social hierarchy. To tell a politcally correct history of clothing is to apply a bias as skewed as the biases it would seek to rectify.

   This is a highly readable and succinct account of its subject and is strongly recommended. Given that the wonderful Contini and Batterberry books are not available, Laver's very accesible text is an excellent introduction for the beginning costume historian.




3. An easy read. Covers from 2900 B.C. to the 1990's with a particular emphasis on the 1800's. James Laver's writing style is wonderful, describing not only the clothing but the historical and social context for each style of dress. The fashions of each period are illustrated by a variety of historical evidence, including statutes, famous works of art, fashion drawings, diaries, cartoons and photographs. The book is not an in-depth study of each period but rather a very brief overview. The last chapter covering from 1940 to the 1990's was writen by Amy de la Haye and is markedly different in writing style. She does not discuss the social and historical context to the extent that Laver does but rather gives an overview of the major designers of each decade and their respective styles. As there is a lot to discuss in the last 50 years of fashion, I wish that this book had dedicated more than 31 pages to modern fashion.



4. This book is aptly titled. It gives just a little bit about everything from ancient Egyptian styles to fashion in the 1990s. Those of you looking for photos and descriptions with great attention to detail should look elsewhere, but those of you looking for just an overview of fashion, this would be a good introduction.

   The author discusses the rise and fall of fashion trends through the ages, and how society, industry, and particular people influenced them. The text in this book seems as informative, as it is concise. However, other reviewers seem to think that the author's information about pre-20th century costumes is inconsistent with other sources, but the post-20th century information is consistent with what I have learned from other sources.

   Therefore, I recommend this book with some hesitation. If you want a good overview of fashion history, especially a pictoral history, I would recommend this book. On the other hand, if you are looking to learn more about a particular era, especially ancient costumes, I would recommend choosing a book specifically written about that era.




5. Using only primary resources (paintings, statues, etc. from the periods being shown), this book is both concise and trustworthy. Unlike other books that try to cover an expansive period of time in Western costume, this one never uses original or after the fact illustrations, which can be misleading and/or inaccurate. The only downside is that there are only a few samples from each period, so the reader doesn't get as broad a sense of the time as one might hope. Still, if the idea is to get a broad understanding, the text with the pictures combine to make a decent starting point for Western fashion from Ancient times to the 1990's.

3 comments about When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do: The Clued-In Guide to German Life, Language, and Culture.

1. "When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do"
   Hyde Flippo
   ISBN 0-8442-2553-3

   Hyde Flippo has written another interesting book about German ways, for Americans planning to go to Germany. It is a good follow-up to "The German Way". Sometimes writers of travel books try to provide insights that turn out to be misleading. Mr. Flippo, however, is neither travel writer nor dilettante and seems to know Germany well.

   The book begins with a series of questions to test one's knowledge of things German. Despite having once lived in Germany, having traveled there several times recently, and being particularly interested in the German language and culture, out of the first ten questions, I could answer only three correctly.

   The German washing machine is a case in point. Any American who has ever tried to do laundry at a German laundromat has discovered differences in the process. For starters, there hardly are any German laundromats. Next, a German washing machine may have a two-hour wash cycle, it uses hotter water, since it heats its own, and it spins the laundry to a near dry state.

   Regarding the German language, Mr. Flippo cites a number of English sounding words commonly in use that Germans think are English words, which are not. A couple of examples are "die Basecap" which means "baseball cap", and "der Talkmaster", which refers to a "talk show host".

   Flippo touches on other "Germanisms" which I have encountered. One is the idea that drinking tap water is unhealthy and should be avoided. A waitress I encountered in Austria explained that although it was okay for Americans to drink tap water that it was not good for Germans and Austrians. Germans tend to drink bottled mineral water, and asking for tap water, "das Leitungswasser", will not uncommonly be regarded as fairly strange behavior.

   Another useful thing to know is that credit cards are not as universally accepted as they are in the U.S. Flippo warns that is best to never assume that a restaurant will accept your credit card. The same is true for smaller hotels and accommodations. As evidence, Flippo points out that although France has a population of about 58 million and Germany 82 million, 250,000 less locations in Germany accept credit cards.

   One of the most entertaining chapters in the book is about household garbage in Germany. One is not allowed to simply put anything in one's garbage can. There are strict local rules for the separation of the various types of waste. Glass waste is not to be mixed with biodegradable waste, for example. Break the rules, and your garbage does not get picked up. By the way, the garbage disposal is not to be found in Germany, and it is in fact illegal, due to pollution considerations.

   Despite previous familiarity with Germany, I acquired new information from this book and very much enjoyed reading it. Hopefully, in the future, Hyde Flippo will tell me some more that I do not know about the German-speaking world.




2. I truely had a lot of fun ready this book about Germans and German customs. I am myself German but I lived quite many years in foreign countries and read a lot of literature about other countries and there inhabitants. And I always wanted to read something about how others view the Germans. And I must say it was very amusing and the informations are realistic. And I recommended it to my friends, Germans and Non-Germans, as a good lecture. Everyone who can pass the test is really good prepared for staying in Germany. I must admit, that I could not answer everything correctly, but that way I even learned some interesting facts about my country, too.



3. I wish I could give this book a five start like the other reviewers, but I cannot due to my recent experience using this book in Germany.

   I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a quick and entertaining introduction to German Life, Language, and Culture. But to someone who has already been to Germany, has an understanding of Deutsche Kultur, and/or is studying German I would recommend keeping an open mind to how limiting this book can be. Let me elaborate:

   While the book does a superb job of starting with a quiz (and most Germans love quizes) and provides the quiz answers in the back, has supporting articles and web-sites throughout the book, and even has a map of the 16 Budesländer (federated States) it comes short of being Comprehensive or Authoritative.

   What I had found when I used this book (quiz) with my friends and relatives in Germany is that:
   a) Some answers may be debatable (section on 'Do As the Germans Do' and 'Know What the Germans Know').
   b) Some statistics may have changed (section on 'Time,' 'Quantity' and 'Laws and Regulations') since the time Hyde Flippo wrote the respective articles.

   In real life, Germans as a people are not as homogeneous as they come across when answering the quiz questions and reading the articles in this book. Many Germans identify first with the region (Bundesland) where they live in. Each region has their own traditions, festivals, and many time different public religious holidays (like the Catholic states in the southern part vs. the Protestant States central/northern Germany). As such, someone from Thüringen will answer some questions differently than someone from Berlin or someone from Hamburg. Nevertheless the sections on 'People,' 'Places' 'What's That?' are invaluable to anyone.

   A companion book that I would recommend is Richard Lord's "Culture Shock - Germany, A Guide to Customes and Etiquette."

1 comments about Turtles 2009 (Calendar).

1. I bought the Turtles 2008 calendar, and enjoy it every morning as I get dressed to go to work. My family had ~10 desert tortoises when I was growing up, and have since always loved tortoises/turtles. This calendar was a joy, and I look forward to enjoying the 2009 edition!

2 comments about The New West: Landscapes Along the Colorado Front Range.

1. The return of this beautiful book is as inspiring as the book itself. Never having seen the original however makes it hard to compare editions but as I am a BIG Adams fan the work is stunnning, the neat categories help the beginner to understand Mr Adams and where he is coming from.



2. The New West is one of the most significant works of photography in the 20th century, presenting the reality of the western landscape in harsh contrast to the mythology of the other Adams... The pictures cut straight to the bone, showing the damage done to a landscape by our progress, but always the light is perfect, the skies brilliant, and the distant horizon intact. This work is a challenge to photographers, to see the world clearly, and to others, who struggle to live with the earth, rather than on it.

5 comments about Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans.

1. Memories of when people come together to help those in need, no matter how many legs they have. It's great to see the results of human compassion.



2. Having worked at the sanctuary in Tylertown, MS where many of these animals were taken after the rescues documented in these extraordinary photographs, this book helps one vividly see what so many of these animals went through after the hurricane and before they arrived at our base camp. More can be said by these photos that captured how these beasts survived the days, weeks and sometimes months after Hurricane Katrina, than any written text can state.
   
   I was also pleased to see that one of the dogs we cared for in the Back 40 in Tylertown whom we named "Piglet" turned out to be the covergirl on this book! She was always so happy to see us when we'd approach her kennel and loved to have suntan lotion rubbed all over her belly -- it is really something to see her story in detail before she came to us at Tylertown. The happy ending is that she was adopted by a family and now has a very happy forever home. :)



3. Troy Snow and the Best Friends Animal Society, Not Left Behind: Rescuing the Pets of New Orleans (Yorkville Press, 2006)
   
   After Katrina hit, thousands upon thousands were forced to flee New Orleans and leave their pets behind. (The prevailing attitude of "we'll only be gone a few days, we'll leave a big bowl of food and some extra water" is reiterated here.) As the military worked on trying to get the city back into habitable condition and rescue any surviving people in the city, the best Friends Animal Society went to work trying to rescue the pets. Troy Snow, the group's photographer, documented the weeks they spent outside New Orleans, boating into the city every day to rescue animals that had been trapped by the flood. These are not happy fluffy bunny animal pictures, folks. If you prefer to think of your pooches as gamboling in the breeze, you might want to avoid this one. But Snow's pictures capture the dogged (pardon the pun) determination and will to live of the animals, and are a fitting tribute to their ability to survive. ****



4. This is one of the animal books that has touched my heart deeply. Imagine being a pet, dependent on your owner for basic survival, and then suddenly having no one there to protect, feed, care and nurture you. Imagine this going on for days, with no end in sight. That's what these animals went through. Many of these owners didn't realize how Hurricane Katrina would tear into their lives taking everything away from them including their precious pets. Happily, many of these animals were reunited with their owners again, and for those that weren't, "Best Friends" took care of them. However, these animals were desperate.
   
   Whenever I read about the 2 pit bulls trapped on the rooftop of a submerged car my eyes tear up. Who knows how long these 2 dogs were trapped on that roof, but when the one dog spotted the rescuers--who were in a rowboat due to the flooded streets--he was so desperate by then that he jumped into the water and swam the distance to the boat...which was quite a ways from his rooftop... he swam up to the boat, looked into the eyes of the photographer and just begged to be plucked out of the water, rescued and loved. He didn't even wait for them to get to him, he swam across the water just to get to them. I tear up everytime I think about that pitbull's desperation and feeling of abandonment.
   
   Anyway, read the book. And I have to say that Best Friends is one of best organizations I've ever heard of. They do so much on behalf of animals and they are just a wonderful, wonderful organization. Buy the book and visit www.bestfriends.org! It can be a great coffee table book too.



5. I wanted to have this book ever since I saw it: because I wouldve been there to help these people to help rescue all these animals if I could from day one.The photos in this book tell the story so well, its amazingly beautiful,tears have rolled down my eyes every time I watch these amazing pictures.Its the story of what unconditional love can acomplish when you let it happen.There are thousand of moving stories,the one of "dog in boat" was incredible, and the one of the big white dog that recovered that has her picture on the cover.But to me, my very favourite story of all, because I have a soft spot for Pit Bulls and the fact they are often extremely misunderstood by people, is the story of the Pit Bull couple who where together on top of a car hood, and when they spotted the little boat with the people, the male jumped into the water and started swimming towards them.That is my very favourite photo+special story.I vividly recommend this book to everyone, its a jewel!

5 comments about Hollywood Then and Now (Then & Now).

1. I was given this book by a friend because he knows I was raised in Hollywood and love the history of the area. The archival photographs are quite nicely reproduced, however, the current photographs are very poor. I enjoy digital photography and was in Hollywood a few weeks ago and visited the same historic scenes from this book. I quite easily found the angle of the original shots found in this book.. why this book showed those same shots but taken from different angles than the original photos is beyond me. The modern photos in this book are also very unflattering, out of focus and even amateur in appearance... not much more than snapshots.

   The worst thing about this book are the many obvious mistakes in locations and historic details. What a shame.




2. I had been so impressed with the quality and accuracy of Rosemary Lord's book LOS ANGELES THEN AND NOW that I was delighted to find her new book HOLLYWOOD THEN AND NOW. It is brilliant and fascinating. This is an impressive, informative history of Hollywood. I worked in the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry during much of this time and Lord has captured the world I remember so well. I was pleased to see this book on the L.A. Times Bestseller List in January when it first came out and have bought several copies as they make wonderful classy gifts. I look forward to her next book.



3. I had been so impressed with the quality and accuracy of Rosemary Lord's book LOS ANGELES THEN AND NOW that I was delighted to find this new book HOLLYWOOD THEN AND NOW. It is brilliant and fascinating. This is an impressive, informative history of Hollywood. I worked in the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry during much of this time and Lord has captured the world I remember so well. I was pleased to see this book on the L.A. Times Bestseller List in January when it first came out and have bought several copies as they make great gifts. I look forward to her next book.



4. Great book if you have ever been to Hollywood. Bought this after visiting Hollywood and enjoyed relating the sites I saw to how they looked originally



5. 
   As my title said, (in 50 words or less) this book is a "photographic display of HOLLYWOOD, -- then and in the early 2000's".
   
   I found the book highly informative and enjoyable. Yes, the photos are in black and white, however, I believe the author did this to show continuum.
   
   The book is filled with (mostly) large photos of Hollywood, before and after time had changed the topography and architectural styles of the area.