Book Description
An examination of the life and works of a major architect whose buildings today surpass him in recognition.
In the early twentieth century—a time when modernism was favored over classicism, and architectural iconoclasm over tradition—the commissions of Ralph Adams Cram and his partners, including the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, were inspired by elegant practicality, mystical philosophies, and a keen sense of history and place. 200 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
GREAT ARCHITECT, LAZY BOOK.......2007-06-10
I could not agree more with the reviewer above, he nails this very mediocre book and I totally agree on the cover shot, looking through Crams fabulous Lovett Hall at the horrible John Staub designed Fondren Library. I mean, where are all the great images of Crams work, where is all the insight from this author that is suppose to be an authority on Cram. Ralph Adams Cram was a singular talent and deserves better than this poorly done tome. In a word: DISAPPOINTING.
very valuable view of a forgotten architect.......2007-05-15
This book concentrates on the architecture of Cram, a neo-gothic master who at one time was ranked among our most important architects. Responsible for the campuses of much of Princeton and Rice, as well as the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NY, Cram was a crucial exponent of the gothic tradition. While the book is somewhat short on its subject's life, it does full justice--both in words and pictures--to the architecture.
Seriously Flawed.......2007-05-01
From the front cover of a building at Rice University not even by Cram, well the foreground arch is, to the many factual errors this book is rather a disappointment. The rather short Cram biography which opens the book adds not much to our understanding of Cram, and the errors begin here, from Cram being received into the "Anglican Communion of the Catholic Church" to the description of the Oxford Movement as a renwal movement in the Catholic Church after the Catholic Emancipation in England. The author dismisses previous works by Shand-Tucci, which at least gave us a three-dimensional person, even if controversial, and Shand-Tucci certainly understood the religious aspect of Cram's art. This intro biography is rather like an encyclopedia article. What makes the book worthwhile is the chronological review of the firm's work through presentation drawings and archival photos. There are some missing buildings which it would have been nice to see covered, and St John the Divine doesn't actually merit any photographs, just a few drawings. The captions to the photos are cursory and some are labeled incorrectly i.e. a photo of Bodley's model for Washington Cathedral identified as a model of Cram's for a DC Presbyterian Church. The chapel for Holy Cross in West Park as being for the Society of St John the Evangelist. Really fundamental things which should have been caught in editing. None of Cram's decorative works are really covered, and there seems to be little understanding of Cram's deep faith being the underpinning of all his art. There are errors in the projects list as well which don't warrant discussing here. It would have been nice to see some color photos, of which there are none. I would recommend buying this book only for the coverage of some lesser known works, as it's not terribly expensive, but all in all it is not a book which adds to our understanding of Cram and being by the President of Cram's firm it is rather lacking.
Book Description
Comprehensive archive of motifs — easily adaptable as templates for stained glass work — offers a magnificent array of designs: landscapes, florals, geometric shapes, birds and wildlife, much more. Varied shapes and sizes make these designs ideal for windows, mirrors, panels, sidelights, other uses. Immediately usable and royalty-free.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent pattern book.......2006-10-19
I have this book and have referred to it many times and have used several of the patterns. There is a nice variety and the patterns cover a broad collection of interests and tastes. Excellent book and a must have in the stained glass studio.
It is Ok but..........2005-07-19
The designs are wonderful;however, they are all in black and white.. I expected more...
great designs abound.......2003-09-14
Not only were there great traditional designs, but I also found some beautiful and unique nature designs which I hadn't seen in other stained glass books and I was definitely pleased. The contemporary designs range from fairly simple to complex, but do not contain patterns that are unrecognizable as some stained glass patterns books do. This book definitely has variety, variety, variety.
A regular source of inspiration for me.......2000-11-22
I have used a good number of the designs presented in this book for my own creations. Lots of contemporary floral designs and some traditional victorian patterns. Projects range from relatively simple to very complex - designs that fit very well in homes as in commercial establishments. I have adapted one design in this book to be placed in a piece of furniture that I created. All is in black and white, no pictures of completed projects.
Book Description
Get ready to view your photographs as more than simply the images they have captured as you learn how to digitally transform them. Rather than a traditional step-by-step guide to photography, "Digital Abstract & Macro Photography" is meant to inspire with its images. It offers digital photographers a glimpse into the world of possibilities that exist for transforming traditional photographs into unique, abstract works of art. Each featured photograph is accompanied by a series of images, reflecting the major stages of the creation process. Take your vision to the next level as you discover the eye-catching techniques that can be applied to your photographs.
Customer Reviews:
For the creative person.......2007-07-28
Although most of the images in the book are truly abstract, few are "true" macro photography. And as other reviewers have stated, the author uses Photoshop plug-ins on most of the images. In fact there were so many plug-ins used, I thought the book might've been published (or sponsored) by some association of companies that offer Photoshop plug-ins. The plug-ins that the author uses throughout the book are:
1.Corel KPT Collection (Color Equalizer, Channel Surfing filter, Reaction, Screen Norm blend, Collection Blur, Gel, Lens Flare, Notch Blur, Spin Blur, Zoom Blur, Fiber Optic)
2. Imaging factory (Color Correction & Color Equalizer)
3. Color Efex Pro (Infrared, Sepia, Bi-color, Pop Art filters, BW Dynamic Contrast, Pen tool)
4. Power Retouche (Sharpen & Color Editor, Edgeline)
5. Flaming Pear (Glitterato, Aetherize, Glow, Glare)
6. Dfine (noise removal)
7. USM (sharpening)
8. Auto/FX (Auto Eye, Mystical Lighting Enhance Strength, Mystical Tint Tone & Color (Antique Photo
Sepia, Soft Posterize, Color Mixer)
9. Corel Painter(Lighting, 3D Surface Texture)
10. Focal Blade Pro (sharpening)
11. Buzz Pro 3 (watercolor filter, Edges Color)
12. Andromedia (Reflection, Scatter Light, Star, Velociraptor, Etch filters)
13. Xaos Tools (Paint Alchemy Abstract, Segmation)
14. Alien Skin (Xenofex 2 Constellation filter, Edges, Diamond Plate, Bevel Boss)
15. Fred Miranda's (Highligh/Shadow)
16. Neat Image (Noise Removal)
17. Photo Wiz Focal Blade (sharpen)
18. Eye Candy 4000 (Water drops, Fire, Drip, Bevel Boss, Nature, Swirl)
19. Photokit (Sharpener)
20. Movie Prime (Lens Flare)
21. Grain Surgey (Noise removal)
However, many of the above effects that are done with these plug-ins can be accomplished with the tools and filters provided in CS2 or 3.
If you set aside all of the negatives, you will find the book to be inspiring. There are a few images in the book that say "wow!" and are well worth the price of the book. If you are a creative person, it's an absolute must buy.
Great pictures, not much useful advice........2007-03-10
This book has beautiful full color abstract photos and some general ideas on how to create them. The problem is (as stated by the author in the introduction) that he uses a number of 3rd party filters and tools which can be quite expensive for the non professional. Most of these effects can be achieved with Photoshop alone and the book would be much better if he described those methods in addition to the 3rd party techniques.
digital overkill is not abstract.......2005-08-12
While it would be correct to say that most of the photographs in this book are abstract, it would be more accurate to describe them as poor and overprocessed in photoshop, with instantly recognizable digital effects such as edge detect, posterize, charcoal, glowing edges, wild tinting and colorization, etc. Gratuitous applications of various fringe filters, ilke Photo Wiz Focal Blade or Xaos Segmation, abound.
In the "Salsa" photograph, you can clearly see the accidental click with a photoshop brush (it happens on Windows when you try to bring a window to the front and accidentally plant a blotch of foreground color).
What the author has done, for the most part, is taken the most average-looking, uninspired photographs, like that of the bottom of his sneaker, and tried to make them work by applying "interesting" effects. The problem is that abstract or not, a picture needs an idea to give it a reason to exist.
To be fair to the author, the very first few photographs look very reasonable and are done in taste. But once the author exhausts the repertoire of contrast, sharpen, and curves, it seems that he begins to grow increasingly desperate trying to fill the rest of the book with content.
The macro section is particularly disappointing: featuring just nine photographs out of the total of over a hundred, with almost non-existent depth of field, and instances of dirt, hair, cigarette butts, magnified slime, sprinkled generously with magnified digital noise, it's underwhelming considering that Macro is in the title of the book.
Beautiful Book.......2005-06-22
Not only is this book an inspirational, it is also chock full of easy to follow techniques. What struck me about this book was that theinformation is not your run of the mill Photoshop, boring, overused techniques. Rather the author comes up with many techniques that differ from what everyone else is doing. I am a graphic designer who is learning to do his own photography so I will have more control over the final product. I am glad I purchased this one and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to do some awesome photographic technques.
Wonderful Inspiration.......2005-06-21
As a Web Designer I am always looking for inspiration and creative ideas. It's easy for me to whip up a Web design but there are times when I need something truly inspirational and unique. I am sometimes "creatively challenged" and need outside inspiration. Ken's book is pure inspiration. The book is what it says it is, a book which is "meant to inspire with its images"
I recommend this book to any creative person who needs that spark of inspiration or to anyone who wants to expand the possibilities with their digital imagery.
Average customer rating:
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From Kessab to Watertown: A Modern Saga
Houbanner Suspissian
Manufacturer: Ohan Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
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ASIN: 1929966024 |
Book Description
The autobiography of a teacher and writer from Kessab, Turkey (then Syria), who taught in various schools in Alexandretta such as St. Paul's Institute and the School of Religion in Athens and Beirut. Other detailed writings are added on the geography and history of the region, facts about Kessab and genealogies of his family and his wife's family. This is a translation by Hagop Sarkissian from the original Armenian.
Average customer rating:
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World Cup Diary
Jack Charlton , and
Peter Byrne
Manufacturer: Gill & Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 071711788X |
Average customer rating:
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Baby stuff: A no-nonsense shopping guide for every parent's lifestyle \
Ari Lipper
Manufacturer: Dell Trade Paperback
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Parenting
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ASIN: B0006F71TM |
Book Description
The Hard Hand of War explores the Union army's policy of destructive attacks upon Southern property and civilian morale--how it evolved, what it was like in practice. From an initial policy of deliberate restraint, extending even to the active protection of Southerners' property and constitutional rights, Union armies gradually adopted measures that were expressly intended to demoralize Southern civilians and to ruin the Confederate economy. Yet the ultimate "hard war" policy was far from the indiscriminate fury of legend. Union policy makers promoted a program of directed severity, and Professor Grimsley demonstrates how and why it worked. This volume fits into an emerging interpretation of the Civil War that questions its status as a "total war" and instead emphasizes the survival of political logic and control even in the midst of a sweeping struggle for the nation's future: the primary goal of the Federal government remained the restoration of the Union, not the devastation of the South. Intertwined with a political logic, and sometimes indistinguishable from it, was also a deep sense of moral justice--a belief that, whatever the claims of military necessity, the innocent deserved some pity, and that even the guilty should suffer in rough proportion to the extent of their sins. Through comparisons with earlier European wars and through the testimony of Union soldiers and Southern civilians alike, Grimsley shows that Union soldiers exercised restraint even as they made war against the Confederate civilian population.
Customer Reviews:
For Specialists Only!.......2004-01-18
This is a conversion of the author's graduate thesis, composed while he was a student at The Ohio State University. The subject of the study is evident in the subtitle of the book: Union Military Policy toward Southern Civilians 1861-1865. The central theme of the book is that the policy mentioned evolved over time, getting more and more harsh with the civilians that the army encountered. The evolution, however, didn't go nearly as far as some later alleged, and the supposed depredations of the Union army in the various Southern states in the last year of the war are, as far as the author is concerned, mostly exaggerations.
This is a good overview of the subject, and the author goes over things with a good analytical eye. I disagree with the other reviewer, who thinks that he's unfairly easy on the Union soldiers who foraged "liberally" during the latter part of the Civil War. I did notice one shortcoming of the book's central argument: the author went over the motivation for attacking things like houses in retaliation for ambushes and attacks against Union troops, but overlooked the possibility that the troops themselves needed to feel that they were somehow retaliating for being attacked. Burning down a house, even if it had no effect on the Southerners who ambushed them, did serve the purpose of making the Union soldiers think that they were doing *something*.
This is a thesis, reworked as a book. It's sprinkled with footnotes, and written in a scholarly, dry tone. The result is a lot of information, with interesting and well-reasoned arguments stemming from them, written in rather wooden prose that's not very easy to read. I would recommend this book to hard core Civil War buffs who want to know more about the subject, but only to them.
Hard Hand of War.......2002-06-04
The thesis of this study of Union military policy toward Southern civilians during the Civil War boils down to "it wasn't all that bad, and here's why." Grimsley sets out to study what the combination of severity (for example, destroying civilian property) and restraint (for example, not shooting civilians on sight) meant, and concludes that it reflected the continued working of political logic and a sense of moral justice. He chronicles an evolution in Union policy toward "hard war". It's an interesting study, apparently valid on a broad scale, though breaking down somewhat when applied to local area studies. Grimsley doesn't really deal well with border areas, and although he could have used parts of the mountain South to compare Confederate with Union policies toward dissenting civilians, he doesn't do so. Some of his arguments seem tendentious: is it necessary to construct an elaborate theory of class conflict to explain the fact that plantation houses were more often robbed than one-room cabins? Surely the fact that the plantation houses had more to steal played a part, as well as any ideology. It also seems to me that Grimsley minimizes the abuse of civilians which did in fact take place, and has little to say about the trauma even of relatively restrained foraging. A rather jingoistic bit of characterization--rampaging Continental soldiers were "brutes", whereas American volunteers were democrats--is used as one more reason for restraint. Use of sources is good, though enforcers of the policies are overrepresented compared to victims of them.
There is definitely useful information here, especially in the portrayal of international legal theory and the evolution of official policy, but I'm not sure how well some of it stands up upon close examination.
Book Description
Alan Baker considers locational geographies and spatial histories, environmental geographies and environmental histories, landscape geographies and landscape histories, and regional geographies and regional histories. Seeking to bridge the "Great Divide" between history and geography, Baker identifies basic principles relating historical geography not only to history but also to geography, a reworking which signifies a "new beginning" for this scholarly hybrid.
Average customer rating:
- Anthropology Heaven
- Darian-Smith gets to the essence of English identity
|
Bridging Divides: The Channel Tunnel and English Legal Identity in the New Europe
Eve Darian-Smith
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0520216113 |
Book Description
In a study that is original and timely, Eve Darian-Smith uses the Channel Tunnel between England and France to explore the shifting geographies of nationalism, postcolonialism, and legal autonomy in the formation of the European Union. Conducting ethnographic research in Kent, the county at the English mouth of the Tunnel, she looks at regional differences in feelings about Europe and at the vocabulary used in discussing the Tunnel. Visual representations--political cartoons, photographs, etchings--regarding the Tunnel are also examined.
Two hundred years after Napoleon planned to invade England via a tunnel, the completion in 1994 of a fast rail link between Great Britain and the European mainland symbolizes the disintegration of conventional state borders. While the Tunnel precariously affirms the ideal of a united Europe, it also brings to the fore questions of boundaries between the first and third worlds, colonizers and colonized, and the "East" and the "West." Bridging Divides is about much more than an engineering feat. By exploring historical narratives, tunnel stories, and legal myths, Darian-Smith's study shows the interconnections between people's memories of the past and current history.
Customer Reviews:
Anthropology Heaven.......2001-11-30
Though it gets to be a little think at sometimes, and goes crazy with the details, this is an excellent analysis of the issue or sovereignity and nationalism in the new Europe. Great anthropological study with LOTS of outside resources.
Darian-Smith gets to the essence of English identity.......1999-10-25
Eve Darian-Smith's book, Bridging Divides, does a good job of getting to the core of English questions about identity. Using the Channel Tunnel as both symbol and monument, she constructs a good argument on the changing face of the way the English view themselves. She says that land, or more specifically, how we experience and relate with our land, serves as the foundation for the principles we choose to organize ourselves by. That is to say our social order, or as she says, our legal code is a function of the landscape around us. And it is this code in particular which forms the identity groups of people use to label and differentiate themselves by.
The best part of her book comes as she initially puts forth her research on the matter by detailing the importance of the English Garden in history. She covers it's evolution and it's meaning over time reflecting upon concerns such as gender, property law and sensory engagement.
But the book weakens as it moves through the history of the tunnel itself, a progress she calls "repetitive and boring." But she arrives at the end of the book by pressing the correct questions drawn from the study: which histories will the English choose in the future, and which sorts of new identities will these new histories reveal?
Some of her logic fails to overcome opposition arguments, such as her comments regarding Foucault's differing opinions on territory and power. She does succeed in using a solid amount of research to support a streamlined argument. However, the folks she chooses to study tend to be those who have made the most fuss over the matter of the tunnel. She mentions in passing that there is a huge block of people which do not see the tunnel as a threat at all, but still goes on to quote unverifiable interviews with (sometimes nameless) townspeople who clearly have a bone to pick. The strength of her study, the research, is severely diluted because of this unfortunate narrowness of focus. If the English identity is so widely at risk, that risk should be felt far more widely than the retired Conservative mayors and MP's that she relies upon.
Book Description
This digital document is a journal article from Journal of Historical Geography, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Description:
Customer Reviews:
Horrible.......2007-10-02
There might be something interesting or even brilliant in this book, but it's impossible to get past his hubris. The reader is supposed to be impressed with his lifestyle and his exploits, but it's just arrogant drivel. It's like a pathetic nerd's "American Psycho", but the butchering of his contemporaries' ideas is only in his imagination.
Hard to get past Kosko's arrogance.......2007-06-19
When FT sticks to rigorous exposition -- of the science, history, and philosophical underpinnings of Fuzzy Logic -- it's a fine book. For all of BK's obvious intelligence (he's a major contributor to the fuzzy science field and a deep thinker on a range of subjects), he is also exceedingly, distractingly, and tiresomely arrogant -- the arrogance of youth, perhaps. I'll be interested to read BK's scientific writings, but am less inclined to read his other popular works. FT has a lot of wheat, but loads and loads of chaff as well.
An important book that failed.......2007-03-24
Denotation and connotation ... fuzzy logic is losing the battle of Semantics to the ordinary.
Fozzy is a cute bear in a children's puppet show.
and fuzzy logic is "bad thinking" in the popular mind and usage.
"Gradu-Weighted Logic" would be more effective usage than fuzzy logic
no matter what it has come to mean to philosophers, mathematicians engineers and even musicians.
In the long run the philosophical aspect is probably
the most important while fuzzy engineering has turned into a Japanese fad.
We needed this book ( which is well written and informative) , but we needed more
the ideas behind "fuzzy thinking" to
be taken seriously. Fuzzy Engineering
Fuzzily Verboze and seriously zilly book.......2005-09-25
Somehow raced through the book ... could fuzzily make out that the author could be an intelligent guy having contributed to the knowledge of fuzzy theory and practice... but (he) could have stayed thus if only he didn't write this book ... so Aristotlian-wise 100% lousy a book but Buddha wise some 5% good a book...
Title is apt.......2004-08-25
Unfortunately, this book says more about the author than the subject. If you want a book that demonstrates a problem, illustrates a potential solution and its applications; then don't buy this. This is a very personal and hence cloudy view of the subject matter. There is some useful information in this book but it is hidden behind the grand philosophical statements or buried in the foot notes.
Has this author ever met an empirical scientist, rather than mathematicians or philosophers. Scientists love measuring things.
No scientist would ask the question 'Is an apple red or green?' They would pose the question 'How much pigment (in milligrams) of each of a series of colours does each apple have?' Or in truth something far more obtuse. In fact the fuzzy logic treatment would be a bit black and white for most scientists.
I suspect that there is a great deal more to the subject that the author communicates and I felt a bit cheated that there was not more substance in this book.
Did I miss something? If I did then the book did not work to convey the subject. If I didn't then fuzzy logic is one of a myriad of tools to handle uncertainty, and thus is a small branch of probability.
Average customer rating:
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Fuzzy Thinking the New Science of Fuzzy
Bart Kosko
Manufacturer: Harpercollins Uk
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Fuzzy Logic
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| History & Philosophy
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Logic
| Pure Mathematics
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ASIN: 000255352X |
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![Book Review; Geography and History: Bridging the Divide [A book review from: Journal of Historical Geography]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21MD7K622EL.jpg)
