No comments about Women and the Making of the Modern House.

5 comments about The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention.

1. This is a wonderful addition to any coffee table! I learned so much about this creative couple that I never knew before. The pictures are A+ & very well done. If you are a fan of Eames furniture, you cannot live without this book!!



2. Words don't do justice to the work & imagination of Ray & Charles Eames! This is a beautiful book covering the creative minds of two of the best modern furniture designers. Filled with great pictures, & very complete text of their design & the many other things they created besides furniture.The Eames' are my biased favorite, if you love modern 50's furniture,fabric, & art you must have this book.They worked for the infamous Herman Miller company, who has reissued many of the Eames furniture pieces available again today.As creator of the modern molded fiberglass chair, & molded plywood, the Museaum Of Modern Art has Charles' chairs as Art, which they are & comfortable too!More than comparable to their Danish counterparts,this couple brought us sleek,smooth lined furniture that will take us into the space age for at least another fifty years!(check out A.I.-incredible backgrounds of modern furniture!)



3. Charles and Ray Eames were not only creative artistic talents, they were also commercial geniuses (just like George Nelson was). These two talents provided the secret for success that would reward them throughout their life. This book gives a good view about the creative talent of Charles and Ray Eames had.
   But I would also suggest to purchase the book "Eames Design" by John Neuhart which I also thought was wonderful. If you like modern design I also suggest to visit the wonderful online archive about George Nelson at WWW.GEORGENELSON.ORG and if you like 1960's design also check the museum archive from Verner Panton at WWW.VERNERPANTON.COM



4. An interesting couple who remained highly creative through the span of their careers. I first discovered their work as a child when I saw their brilliant film "Powers of 10". I intend on picking up more books of their work. Great reference for designers and architects.



5. This book is comprehensive guide for Eames works. If you want to know overall works from archtecture design to furniture by Eams, this is recommended. However, if you want to see especially Eames design furnitures, this is not for you.

5 comments about AutoCAD 2000: No Experience Required.

1. I am a new user and is the first time to explore autocad .I bought autocad 2000 of David Frey, but without the disk I can not use it. I need help, I am appreciated for those who would help me how to get a disk to apply this book.
   Again, thank you very much



2. Iv'e had the book for two days now and am on page 243,. Very easy to use (almost too good of a job explaining)
   This book IS for begginers ,as the title says but i went from scatching my head to doing my own projects in a day



3. Although this book is based on architectural drawing, Frey walks
   you through this with the intention of showing you all (most?)
   of the possibilities with AutoCad, so you can pick up and go
   where he lets you off.
   
   I started with no knowledge of this program and before I have
   finished the book, I can already see how I can do my electrical
   drawings quite easily.
   
   This is a 'must have' book for beginners, and I think even
   experienced users may have their eyes opened with this one.



4. I am a brand new AutoCad user and found this book to be exactly what I was looking for.This book delivers a lot of information at a steady pace but is not suited for someone who wants a crash course. You need to do the project in order to learn and this takes time, so be prepared to commit to it.



5. This an excellent manual for any one who has no idea how to work with AutoCad. The author takes you through each task step by step making some of the difficult steps seem easy, as though you have done them before. There is no flipping back and forth to different pages to try to figure something out that you had already done.

5 comments about The Complete Colored Pencil Book.

1. I have a personal library of over twenty books on colored pencil and unfortunately, this is the weakest book I own on the topic. There is very little on technique and there is a general lack of substance. If you are looking for an overview on colored pencil, there are far better books available. One that comes to mind is Exploring Colored Pencil by Sandra Angelo. And if you are looking for technique or practical information this book simply doesn't cut it.



2. This is one of the excellent books on Colored Pencil fine art.I have read or used nearly a dozen of such books.The author gives a nice balance between skills/techniques and the fine art aspects to develop masterly paintings.The text is simple and easy to follow.The author being a portrait artist, the chapter on portraits is well written and valuable.The art work and the illustrations are very instructive.
   I like the author not only exhibiting his own work, but a few selected paintings of well-known CP artists like Vera Curnow and Gary Greene.Another nice aspect is that the author does not endorse any particular brand of Colored pencils or support, thus commercialise book writing,as many authors do, but give sensible and technical suggestions.The book is a good buy for any serious CP artist.



3. I always read the reviews before purchases and the very first one is as far as I got for this book. It said how great the book was and the person was speaking after purchasing a decent amount of books.
   
   Well if I read a little further I would have read the negative one saying this book offers nothing.
   
   
   THIS BOOK OFFERS NOTHING
   
   It is just eye candy and not very much of it. All you see are pencil pictures and comments about them. This book teaches you nothing. It doesn't even go over how to do anything!! It just shows you pictures of what it is it is showing ex: this is a sample of texture.
   
   Ok I knew that, but how did that happen? I wasn't looking for step by step although sometimes that helps out a lot.
   
   This book was a complete waste.
   
   Don't bother



4. I've drawn casually for years, but when I finally got around to buying professional grade colored pencils, I wanted to learn specifically how to use them as a media. This was the first book I read on the subject, and it was a sore disappointment.
   
   The author is a good artist, but the book does very little actual teaching. As someone else mentioned, it shows a lot of pictures of artwork and tells that they were made using certain techniques, but it never shows how to do it yourself.
   
   What really bugged me was that there was a huge section just on the author's personal workshop--how he built it, what materials he used, even copies of the blueprints! How many casual art students are going to build their own studios, including tables and countertops and shelves and cupboards? It's obvious that the author is proud of what he did, and he has every right to be. But, he might have done well to write a separate book just on how to build and furnish your own studio, rather than wasting space he could have used to give instructions on how to draw with colored pencils.
   
   Between that and all the examples of artwork with no instructions, it really seemed like the book was written more to show off the author's accomplishments, rather than teaching new artists. It might be better being read by someone who already has plenty of experience with colored pencils, but I wouldn't recommend it for beginners.
   
   If you're looking for good instructional books, try "Drawing and Painting with Colored Pencils" by Kristy Kutch, along with "The Colored Pencil Solution Book" by Janie Gildow & Barbara Benedetti.



5. Excellent artwork in the book. Don't judge the artwork by the cover, or even the back. OPEN IT, the work gets better.
   
   Don't let the title fool you either. The author/artist even says in his introduction that he is offering you a "...'GLIMPSE' into the versatile and vibrant medium..." He is basically wanting to show the reader that colored pencil can render high value artwork just as those created in oil. Just getting the recognition it deserves. So, that is where the artist/author is coming from.
   
   It is not a step by step book or how to draw book. He explains some techniques and gives alot of verbal information about each work presented in the book. He gives you things to think about when you start to approach your own projects, as would a college art instructor. But gives you the freedom to create your own and be an individual and expressive. Instead of step-by-step how to do the exact artwork in the book, he shows you how to do your own artwork, and inspires you to do so. Much of the work in the book is his, but he does show other artists work as examples as well. There are many subjects covered which is great. The best way to like this book and learn from it, is to really READ it and study it.
   
   He is guiding you, not holding your hand. So beginners, don't buy this book.

1 comments about Stickley's Craftsman Home.

1. This book is a dream if you love Stickley's homes. This book has all of Stickley's plans, and I found it a fascinating read. I really loved dreaming while reading, and the pictures and info were wonderful.

3 comments about Quick & Clever Watercolor Pencils.

1. this book initially looks interesting - nice cover and it has projects throughout and tips too, sadly the projects are poorly thought out and the tips are very poor. the book has nothing to offer, poor instruction and overall it won't help anyone not ever the most clueless beginner ! it would be hard to recommend this book to anyone.



2. Nothing quite fills me with ire much more than putting down some money for an art instruction book, and then I find out that it's a dud. Such was the case with British author Charles Evans' book, Quick & Clever Watercolor Pencils.
   
   I had spotted it in a catalog offering from an art book publisher, and decided, why not? I've been experimenting with the use of watercolour pencils for more than a decade now, and it's a medium that I like and enjoy. I enjoy using it because it's a very portable means of sketching -- all I really need a pad of paper that will handle getting wet, a bundle of pencils and brushes, and something to put fresh water in. A paper cup is good for that.
   
   As with most art books, this one follows the standard format -- an introduction by the artist, chapters on tools and techniques, materials, and the various ways to use the pencils and brushes to create washes, details, mixing colours and suchlike. The majority of the book is taken up by the projects that progress from fairly easy to progressively harder. Finally, there is an index.
   
   Each project has some new technique to offer. The earliest paintings are not much more than scribbling with a wash or damp brush run over it. Sometimes a waterproof marker is added to create some definition or a seabird trundling about.
   
   Now for the complaints about this book. Rarely does Evans let you see the work as a whole while it is in process. Instead, he just makes a close up on the pencil or brush or fingertip smudging away, and it makes it very difficult to get an idea of just where you're at in the painting. Too, there's a real lack of information in the chapters -- he blithely assumes that you already know what he's doing and how he got there without telling just how he did it. Now, I'm not asking for him to take me by the hand, but a little direction would have certainly helped.
   
   My biggest complaint is that he also assumes that you know what pencils and tools you're going to be needing for each project. Instead, he just tacks it on somewhere in the caption, and the poor artist is left to scramble about in the toolbox looking for the elusive item. By the time you find it, the damp area has dried, and now either the picture is ruined or you have to rewet everything. It slows the work down, and tends to kill any enthusiasm that the artist had to start the project in the first place.
   
   The colour choices that Evans makes are strange to say the least. Magenta occurs regularly, especially in one glaring example of a bridge, or in the shadows cast by trees. So too does manganese blue, a brilliant, chemical sort of blue that doesn't occur much in nature. Most of his style involves scribbling, but then he doesn't give any indication as to how much force or lightness is to be used either -- it's another fast way to wreck a project.
   
   Finally, the author's tone in his writing and instructions is annoying. It's patronizing, with a smug I know it all, and you better be grateful, you slag smarminess to him. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was ready to smack him.
   
   Summing up, while I do recommend this medium, this is not the book to find instruction in how to use it. Evans' smart-aleck attitude, tiny examples, and lack of skill at teaching shows from beginning to end, and this is not a book that I would recommend to anyone. My suggestion is to find some student grade paper, a tin of Derwent watercolour pencils, and some time to play and experiment on your own. You'll get more satisfaction that way.
   
   One and one half stars at best, and I'm being generous with that.
   
   Not Recommended.



3. I rate this higher than the previous reviewers because it fills a niche. It isn't a 12 page basic, how to use watercolor pencils booklet that comes with a starter kit. It also isn't a book that expects you to want to spend hours on a painting and only has examples for folks that can already draw and paint like pros. So, I suggest it as a mid-step on a beginner's route to the art.
   
   I do agree that the magenta is not a good color choice for the shadows, but each artist to their own taste. Suggestion: get a decent (or almost any) watercolor instruction book that includes shadows. There are much better and easy ways to mix VERY good and realistic shadows that will make your artwork look professional. The magenta detracts from the art in this book.
   
   Again, a good step between how to get pencil on paper and wet it in 12 basic steps - and how to do experienced art.
   
   Also, keep in mind that this book is not to show how to spend hours drawing, layering, blending, and reworking to end up with a realistic picture of nature. It is a way to make a sketchbook study in the field that you can then use back in the studio.
   
   PS. I'm a watercolorist, so my interest in watercolor pencils is not to sell the medium as artwork, but to get journal sketches down quickly and on the run in order to capture ideas. So, I think the book works JUST FINE for that.

5 comments about Painting With Water-Soluble Colored Pencils.

1. As an experienced artist but a beginner in this particular medium, I found this book to be very informative. I noticed that some of the reviewers complained about the cherry paintings, but I found them to be quite helpful. I enjoyed seeing how one subject looked painted several different ways. Though some of the sample step-by-step paintings are pretty substandard, a few are quite good (such as the one of the three parrots). Though probably not the most inspiring art book in the world, this is the best book I have found as an introduction to water soluble colored pencils.



2. This book was a gift so I have no knowledge of the contents other than that the gift recipient was pleased with the content and found it helpful in learning to paint with watercolors.



3. I don't understand the complaint with the cherries by some of the other reviewers. Gary is just introducing the reader step-by-step to the techniques using cherrys as the example AT FIRST. There are 13 cherry techniques covered over 20 pages, but there are 128 pages in the book. Hmmmm, could there be more? WHY YES! As a matter of fact there is.
   
   He then proceeds to use these techniques on other images that DO NOT repeat themselves. He covers stuff like portraits, animals, landscapes, textures, flowers and a bit of the abstract. There is a large variety. AND WAIT, theres more! He also demonstrates the varying techniques step-by-step with these other various non-repeating works of art! So, don't be fooled by the complaints about cherrys. It's just covered in Chapter 2 and then he goes into more depth in all the other chapters. (Chapter 1 is the usual materials tools and color charts.)
   
   Okay, so it is not for beginners. You should know how to draw well, and be confident in your drawing. You know... be able to create the illusion of 3D on 2D. Or else you'll be one of those reviewers who says "I'm disapointed in this book, I expected more."



4. This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn the nuances of using watercolor pencils. The author's illustrations show the remarkable results that can be attained with this medium.
   
   I especially want to comment on the series of cherries, which other reviewers have referred to. The cherries are the most useful and important part of the book, in my opinion, and the feature that distinguishes this book from others in this field. By repeating the same subject (the cherries) over and over, but as painted by different techniques, the author demonstrates the variety of achievable effects. I was surprised just how different each set of cherries looked when painted in the various techniques. Those demonstrations, along with other instruction in the book, make for valuable instruction. This is a great book for anyone who wants to become skilled in this medium.



5. Everything by him is good so it's no surprise that this is a wonderfully helpful book!

5 comments about The Inner Harmony of the Japanese House.

1. The original title in japanese was "The Japanese and the house" and that should have been the English title. Don't expect a sales-advertisement trying to sell you japanese architecture as the world's most perfect, showing you only the most perfect examples, like most books on the subject do; this book was written by a Japanese for the Japanese, so it's not trying to fool anyone. Instead, it addresses the good, the bad and the (very) ugly of Japanese architecture in the 1970s, and gives a lot of recommendations for future development. In this sense, this book feels a lot like "A Pattern Language", from Christopher Alexander.
   
   I finished this book in a weekend. Unlike many other translated books on Japanese architecture, it is written in clear English and talks about daily life issues anyone can understand, and does it with a good (sometimes hilarious) sense of humor. It does not go high on insipid philosophical discussions, but goes deep into the roots of current day virtues and vices of Japanese architecture.
   
   Don't expect color photographs, floor plans or sections; this books was not illustrated by the author, but by the editor. The original work is text-only. Even if it were to be stripped from the b/w photos it has, it is still a very entertaining book, that reads almost like a novel, and will make you learn a lot of things about the realities and problems of Japan while having some good laughs. It's really refreshing to find a book on architecture that talks about real life needs instead of difficult-to-understand philosophical concepts.



2. What a fascinating book. I bought it because I am interested in Japanese architecture, but found so much more. The reasons and explanations of the construction gave me a deeper understanding of the people and their customs.
   I liked the book so well that I bought it for my daughter, who is also a
   lover of Japan.
   
   Diana Van Vleet



3. Bought the book thinking it would show ideas on how to decorate with Japanese furniture and art. All the pictures are in Black and White. Gives more information on "What a Japanese house is", then decorating ideas.



4. On of the few architectural books that is actually a pleasure to read, simple and direct, explains with no fuss the characteristics of a Japanese Home. This book is indeed a Bible on the understanding of the Japanese architecture's historical evolution. This book would be almost perfect if it had better pictures and more examples, all photos are black and white, and very few. In spite of the lack and quality of images, the book is a pleasure to read, let's hope the editors reconsider their inclusion of more examples for a future re-editions.



5. Badly written, disorganized, minimally illustrated, far less poetic than the subject matter. More historical than harmonious.

4 comments about Structure as Architecture: A Source Book for Architects and Structural Engineers.

1. I am a student studying architecture, and have found this book to be a very useful reference.
   
   The first time I used it, I was looking for specific examples of "expressive" architecture. In the index, I found a long list of qualities such as "grounded", "light", "dynamic" etc. with references to pages illustrating specific projects whose structure has those qualities. The clear, full colour photos really help you get the feel of the buildings.
   
   I don't know of any other book that I could have looked to for that purpose. Of course, the content is useful for numerous other reasons as well.



2. As per name, this book provides an excellent reference to building structures that expresses its architectural ideas. The book is well written and provides examples from around the world! ^_^



3. Although Architecture and Engineering are really only different sides of the same coin, they are often treated in completely different ways. Certainly they are normally approached from different directions. Charleson's book addresses this lack of continuity, and reduces structural diagrams down to a simple level (good for architecture students) as well as opening up the ideas of light and air and structure to thoseof a more engineering bent... And from all accounts he's a pretty inspirational lecturer as well, with the students fizzing away with excitement.
   
   End result: if you are a student of Architecture or Engineering, then rush out and buy this book. Invaluable source of knowledge - guaranteed to help you through those exams...



4. If architecture is viewed as ideas of establishing different relationships between people and space, then structure is the first step to achieve these relationship in reality. How do we appropriately use different structure elements in reality, what kind of architectural effects will them create? These questions are answered in Andrew W.Charleson's book 'Structure as architecture'. The book is divided into chapters such as function/exterior/interior of buildings,structural detailing, light and structures and so on, which are discussed from both theoretical and practical approach. With enormous amount of first hand photo illustrations, the book also gives a comprehensive visual case studies to the reader. It is enjoyable to read and I recommend this stunning book to all architectural, building science students as well as architects and engineers in practice.

5 comments about When Did Ignorance Become A Point Of View.

1. I enjoy the Dilbert cartoons as much as most fans and have found many office truths in the skillful cartoons. Yet, a typical company workplace does not only consist of office life. In most companies there are also extensive research and develoment departments and an array of managers from technical to the self-important CEOs, which are rarely mentioned and dealt with in these cartoons. In this way I find the Dilbert cartoons to be limited and one-sided in their portrayal of real company worklife. I worked in a major company for many years, so I felt much has been left out. If you'd like to get a better feel for the kind of true-to-life examples of workplace "vices" and managerial traits that can eventually lead to ENRON, Worldcom etc., then I would like to suggest the real sharp satire, "MANAGEMENT BY VICE" by C.B. Don. It does have a sprinkling of hilarious pen&ink drawings, but it is the fast flowing text that is really worth reading and thinking about. Well, Dilbert has his famous place in the office and many cheers for that, but I believe that "Management By Vice" complements the Dilbert cartoons with a whole new, company-wide perspective...after all, you don't see the inside scoop on a grievance procedure or the meaning of the "Doughnut Deal" in the Dilbert series...and even the flippant Company CEO and his self-serving management staff are deservedly exposed!



2. Title says it all, another hilarious book by Scott Adams.



3. Laugh-out-loud funny and insightful ... sometimes a bit too insightful, to a scary degree, on the joys of cubicle life.
   
   Well worth your hard-earned wage-slave dollars.



4. I read this as slowly as possible because I don't want to get to the end.



5. And that's saying quite a lot, given how funny all of the "Dilbert" books are. For those of you who've just stepped off a plane from outer Mongolia, or some other sufficiently isolated place that you're unfamiliar with the "Dilbert" books, the basic concept is that they are collections of newspaper comic strips dealing with life in corporate America; the characters generally resonate with anyone who's had to work in a modern office and deal with the foolishness foisted on employees by clueless bureaucrats and other bosses.
   
   Any "Dilbert" book is worth reading; this one is one of the best.