5 comments about Hannibal Rising.

1. I enjoyed this book. Was glad it was not blatantly 'apologistic' for Hannibal's horrible crimes. You can feel sympathy for the young Hannibal while not condoning his later crimes.



2. Had someone other than Thomas Harris written this book, it would not have been published.
   
   Unbelievable story with an appalling lack of character development. I would have rather read a collection of raw half finished back story notes than this sorry fare.



3. Wow. Cash in, much?
   
   Christ, man. You're a fantastic writer. I've read all of your novels. This dreck is beneath you.



4. This book is, in some ways, more chilling than the previous installments of Harris' Hannibal Lecter books. Set during and after World War II, we see how wartime horrors bend the already unique mind of a brilliant, sensitive child, and how, in the search for postwar revenge, a monster emerges.
   
   What makes it chilling is less the young Lecter's ingeniously murderous capabilities, than it is what triggers them. If the subject of the worst atrocities being visited upon children disturbs you - as it should - you may need, as I did, to stop reading from time to time. It's still a fine book. Lecter's unique persona - his exquisite intelligence combined with his psychopathic creativity - helps drive all these books, and getting inside his mind to see how it was shaped puts this a cut above the usual murder story.



5. Let me preface this review with the fact that I am a Hannibal Lector/Tom Harris fan. However that does not mean I must give all of his works five stars out of slavish devotion.
   
   'Hannibal Rising' I thought was good, but definately not the best of this series. First of all as it is a prequel to a well know series and character, the tension can only be ratcheted up so high. We know that Hannibal lives a long and relatively happy life with only a brief stop in prison. Essentially he gets to live the majority of his life doing those things that bring him...ahem...joy. So in that respect I think that this book would have benefited as being more of a case study than a dramatic narrative.
   
   Now I disagree with other reviwers that the experience in the hunting lodge isn't enough to break him down to such a degree that it kills him in all ways except physical. I can see this as being what brings him to being "Hannibal the Cannibal". In his quest to met out to Mischa's killers and his tormenters exactly what they had done to him, he ends up becoming them. Between the horrific events in the lodge and his actions afterwards, he loses too much of himself to ever truly be put back together again. So that I can get behind.
   
   However where all of this wonderful potential gets bogged down is in the execution. Hannibal becomes too sympathetic of a character. Instead of being a villian, he becomes an anti-hero. You may not whole heartedly approve of his actions, but you can't really fault him for them either. It stops becoming a descent into madness and instead becomes a meditation on justice and vengence. You get the feeling that too much of Hannibal losing his mind and, perhaps, eating other people that have nothing to do with his mission of revenge is happening off the page (and later, in the film, off screen).
   
   So, in my opinion, this book is good to read. However in the end it is not essential to the Hannibal character. If you feel the urge to complete your set, buy it and read it in good health. Otherwise, it won't kill you not to have this book.

1 comments about American Bisque: A Collector's Guide With Prices (A Schiffer Book for Collectors).

1. This book is very well done and easy to use as a reference guide. It has extensive collections of planters, banks and cookie jars as well as other ware produced by the American Bisque Pottery. The history of the pottery was extensively researched and really interesting. The photography is just fabulous and there are some very rare pieces shown here. In my opinion, having collected cookie jars for over 20 years, I think this book is a "must have" in your research library. If you're like me, you will enjoy looking at it over and over just for the pleasure of it, but it will also help you put together an awesome collection of your own and prevent you from mistaking reproductions for the real thing. In today's world that could save you a bundle! I recommend this book very highly.

No comments about Graphic Surf: Decals, Patches, Stickers.

No comments about Vintage Hats & Bonnets.

1 comments about Georg Jensen Jewelry (Published in Association with the Bard Graduate Centre for Studies in the Decorative Arts, Design and Culture).

1. My family has collected Georg Jensen flatware and jewelry for many years and we have been to many shows. There are so many pieces in this book that we have never seen the likes of before - the inventory of images in this book is staggeringly complete and we were so impressed with the quality of the book that we not only gave it as a gift, but purchased a second copy for our own library. Compared to other books of this level (e.g. those by Janet Drucker) the price of this book makes it a must have for anyone interested in Art Nouveau silver, the metal arts, or the Jensen collector.

No comments about Lace History and Fashion.

1 comments about Ferdinand Preiss: Art Deco Sculptor--The Fire and the Flame.

1. Ferdinand Preiss was one of the greatest, (if not the greatest) art deco bonze and ivory sculptors. His work sells for huge sums but despite this nobody has attempted to publish a book about him.....until now. Alberto Shayo has done a fine job. The book itself is a lavish production of full colour photographs of Ferdinands works. There is also a good biography of Preiss and his times (trying to operate as an artist in nazi Germany when not a party member).Shayo has carried out much research and really brings the artist to life. On the negative side, this is not a complete record of Preiss's works and the pieces are only given as illustrations, for example, there is little discussion of the different sculptures, variations or chronology. Anybody who is interested in art deco or naturalistic sculpture will really love this work.

No comments about Scandinavian Modern Furnishing, 1930-1970: Designed for Life (Schiffer Book for Designers and Collectors).

3 comments about Classic Lanterns: A Guide and Reference.

1. Author Dennis Pearson has written a wonderful book that not only gives the history of the kerosene (and precursor fuels) lantern, but is filled with some 200 photographs and illustrations of lanterns past and present. The color photographs are simply superb. These are not snapshots of lanterns, they are studio-lit celebrations of the lantern of the quality you would expect to see in a magazine ad. Pearson's work concentrates on the barn lantern, but the major types and manufacturers of railroad lanterns, as well as other types, are also presented with the author himself pointing out that a number of books have already been written concentrating on the railroad lantern. If you're looking for the details that will help you date a lantern they are here, but you may have to do some page flipping, as a single model of lantern may have been made over such a long time that it spans the author's dividing lines: all solder construction, machine and solder construction, and all machine construction. There are chapters on how to date a lantern, the operation of lanterns, and restoring old lanterns. Finally, Pearson gives a "lantern value calculator" that enables you to calculate the rough value of any lantern, and a price guide to some 130 lanterns, including the more common railroad types and some foreign lanterns. Unlike some other books of this type, Pearson's prices seem to match pretty closely with the real world. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in kerosene lanterns.



2. Of all my books on lantern collecting, this is the one that I would recommend most highly for the beginning or advanced collector alike. It covers a number of lanterns from different manufacturers with great pictures and thorough, accurate descriptions. It also gives the history of the different major manufacturers, restoration tips, and a priceguide. While it does not cover every lantern made, it does not pretend to. It instead educates the reader, so that he/she may age (by construction methods and lantern chacteristics), and determine value of the lantern without the need of reference. In my opinion, you can not go wrong with this book. Mine is dog earred from being read so many times. This is a "must have" for the lantern collector.



3. A definitive work on the subject of American made lanterns. A wonderful documentation of the history, contribution and technological progress of lanterns in the United States. An engaging photographic investigation of companies, people, places, uses and prices of kerosene lanterns from 1830 to the present. Contains a wonderful restoration chapter with great hints. It is safe to say that it is a complete treatment.

No comments about The Corning Museum of Glass: A Decade of Glass Collecting, 1990-1999.