Southern Rooms II: The Timeless Beauty of the American South

Book Description

The South has a palpable charm and a lively sense of identity. Though defined by a specific geography, elements of Southern style permeate and influence design all over the country and all over the world.

Southern Rooms, Volume 2: Magnolia Style—Southern Rooms Redefined is an inspirational collection of the current trends in Southern interior decoration created by well-known interior designers and is written by top-notch design journalist Shannon Howard.

The book highlights designers' vision, challenges, inspirations, and their individual style, and offers practical tips and ideas that readers might use in their own homes. Howard looks at what gives the South its unique appeal and what defines Southern style, and she provides answers as to why the South is a hotbed for new ideas and great design. She looks at the South's take on traditional, casual, eclectic, and rustic décor and provides a guide for shopping “magnolia style.”

Customer Reviews:

Perfectly captures the character of the South.......2005-06-27

I'm a big fan of Southern Accents magazine, so I was thrilled to get this book as a gift. Many of my favorite Southern designers (Phillip Sides, Suzanne Kasler, etc) are featured in it, with GORGEOUS photos of their projects and sometimes their homes. I usually don't read the text in decorating magazines, but this book is incredibly well-written. I loved the story of the woman who hired the mountain man to build her log cabin, and how he lived in a tent on her property for six months! The author did a great job of capturing the character of each designer, and really letting their Southern quirks shine through. If you're looking for inspiration and excellent design tips (along with a little Southern history), buy this book today!

Book Description

"The Best of Colored Pencil 4" showcases winners from the Fourth Annual Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) International Exhibition. Features 145 of the best artwork selected from 1,000 entries in a beautiful full-color volume. Gives insights into the artists' thoughts, processes, and inspiration for the winning works. Includes a range of subjects from the traditional to the whimsical and humorous. Presents every style and technique in visual art expression - graphic design to fine art. An inspirational and educational treasure for every artist - professional and amateur alike.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful coffee table book, inspirational.......2001-06-12

This coffee-table book is packed with beautiful colored pencil art covering a wide variety of subjects including people, nature, still life, and fantasy. Styles also vary from abstract and impressionistic to photo-realistic. It is a great source of inspiration and ideas.

I like it that there is only one piece of artwork on a page and you get more information than just the size, surface, artist and title. Each artist writes about themselves and the artwork. I think these added remarks really help you understand appreciate the artwork better.

Some of my favorites include an adorable bird on a fishing reel by Sylvia Westgard and a sunflower by Nancy Huges. I also loved another called Garden Party II by Priscilla Heussner featuring flowers floating in balloons. I enjoyed a portrait of ballet dancers by Thomas Thayer and an unusual fantasy tree with musical leaves by Mike Russell.

In the back there is a glossary and a directory of artists in case you wish to contact them. The variety here shows off the wonderful range of possibilities in this medium. This makes a great gift for any colored pencil artist or enthusiast.

Excellent gallery and inspiration book.......1999-09-25

I picked this up (discovering there was a Colored Pencil series) at a used book store, and the artwork in it is truly amazing. Who would have thought you could do such things with colored pencil? It's a book you go through again and again, picking up different details every time. Plenty of ideas and imagess and colors for inspiration!

Best of the series !!!.......1997-10-05

The Best of Colored Pencil volumes 1,2,& 3 are in my library, and they are great. Volume 4 is an excellent addition and I feel the best of the four. The addition of the artist's comments, insights, and technical information makes this more than a "flip through" coffee table book. If colored pencils are your choice of media or if it is one you're considering, this book belongs in your library.

Average customer rating:

Wondrous Photography By A New England Master!

Enjoyable, Educational and Most of All,...Inspirational!

A delightful book of photographs that inspire me daily.

Pictures from the Country: A Guide to Photographing Rural Life and Landscapes
Richard W. Brown
Manufacturer: Camden House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Soul of Vermont

The View from the Kingdom: A New England Album

ASIN: 0944475175

Customer Reviews:

Wondrous Photography By A New England Master!.......2003-08-12

I first remember seeing one of Richard Brown's spectacular photographs on he cover of Country Journal, a magazine devoted to celebrating rural life styles that ran a span of several years in the early to late 1980s. Brown's stunning photographic style showcased the day-to-day confluence of ordinary Vermonters living their lives in the rural splendor of the Northeast Kingdom in the far reaches of the lovely "People's Republic Of Vermont". Often Country Journal would feature a number of his photos inside each issue, so one subscribing the magazine began to look for them both on the cover and inside, as well. Indeed, his work was what made me search for the latest issue at the beginning of each month.

Here he stuns us with the majesty of Vermont as it transpires through its incredibly beautiful cycle of seasons in a way that only a photographer of such obvious abilities could. Herein he shares many of his favorites, and several of these I have seen before in other venues. The problem with a book filled with such gorgeously shot, developed and produced rural photographs is that one is tempted to carefully extract them for framing on the wall. They are really that terrific! Photographs range from shots of landscapes to silhouettes of a farmhouse steaming against the winter cold, from children walking down a dirt-covered tree lined country road exploding into autumn's extravagance to an elderly gentleman leaning against a barn with his favorite cat. One sits transfixed by the sheer variety of scenes and colors so native to the rural landscapes and personal portraits. This is a wonderful travelogue into the heart of New England.

Brown shows us all of the changes that transpire in the North country, a place where the changes are so frequent and so momentous that they comprise six seasons, adding both the dreaded mud season of early springtime on the one hand, and the so-called 'off-season' after the autumn glory has been swept away, leaving cold bare trees and a hauntingly spare and vacant atmosphere to settle over the region on the other. Listen a few times to folksinger Tom Rush's rendition of "Urge For Going" a few times on the CD player and you will get the idea. Brown's imaginative hand is lovingly apparent in this book, displaying both the soulful visages of local inhabitants and the unique flavor of the haunting ever-changing scenery so typically Vermont. This is a distinctive and memorable recreation of what we love so much about being native new Englanders! Enjoy!

Enjoyable, Educational and Most of All,...Inspirational!.......2000-07-12

This is a book that I constantly go to for photographic inspiration ever since I purchased it back in 1995. The photos are classic and the words are a pleasure to read for whatever reason you need, be it for pure enjoyment, to learn something or to break from a photographic rut.

A delightful book of photographs that inspire me daily........1998-03-23

A delightful volume of Vermont landscapes that are rural scenes of a vanishing lifestyle. As a photographer myself this volume which I have owned since publication in 1991 is a constant source of inspiration which I return to again and again.

Pictures from the Country: A Guide to Photographing Rural Life and Landscapes

Average customer rating:

Pictures from the Country: A Guide to Photographing Rural Life and Landscapes
Richard W. Brown
Manufacturer: Camden House Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K6JVC2

Book Description

With a new Afterword by the author and a new Foreword by Mark Cuban

In this commanding big-picture analysis of what went wrong in corporate America, Alex Berenson, a top financial investigative reporter for The New York Times, examines the common thread connecting Enron, Worldcom, Halliburton, Computer Associates, Tyco, and other recent corporate scandals: the cult of the number.

Every three months, 14,000 publicly traded companies report sales and profits to their shareholders. Nothing is more important in these quarterly announcements than earnings per share, the lodestar that investors—and these days, that’s most of us—use to judge the health of corporate America. earnings per share is the number for which all other numbers are sacrificed. It is the distilled truth of a company’s health.

Too bad it’s often a lie.

Alex Berenson’s The Number provides a comprehensiv, brutally factual overview of how Wall Street and corporate America lost their way during the great bull market that began in 1982. With wit and a broad historical perspective, Berenson puts recent corporate accounting (or accountability) disasters in their proper context. He explains how the wheels came off the wagon, giving readers the information and analysis they need to understand Enron, Tyco, WorldCom, Halliburton, and the rest of the corporate calamities of our times.

Customer Reviews:

A must read for any who would invest in financial markets.......2005-03-02

Alex Berenson has done the public a huge public service with this book. He clearly and logically describes serious problems with the US Stock markets, based on corporate avarice, greed and cowardly, dishonest politicians. His sections on the creation then the gutting of the SEC are perceptive and insightful. His overview of the decline of corporate accounting standards, led by the big US accounting firms, including, of course Arthur Anderson give a clear picture of the problems and what needs to be done.
We need transparent and honest markets. We don't have them.
A great book for experienced investors and for novices.

The Number.......2004-11-08

A book about accounting written by a nonaccountant. A waste of your time and money. My copy went into the trash.

Very good.......2004-11-04

Concise and crisply written. Shows in a way how the 1990s were an inevitable outcome of prior history

What Might Those Quarterly Earnings Mean?.......2004-06-25

New York Times business reporter Alex Berenson has written a book that every investor should read. "The Number" traces the history of Wall Street trends, bubbles, busts, and the accounting fashions that accompanied them from the 1920s to the present day. He explains how the cult of The Number was born, making quarterly earnings reports the last word on any company's health, and how this facilitated the chicanery at Enron, Tyco, and the scandalously large paydays for incompetent corporate executives that have made headlines across the nation in recent years. "The Number"'s primary focus is actually on the evolution of accounting practices over the past 80 years. Berenson asserts that a disintegration of standards and an increase in conflicts of interest in the accounting profession prevent potential and current shareholders from understanding any company's health or its stock's true value. In other words, accounting slight of hand is such that it would take a detective to figure out if a company is making money or losing it. In explaining how and why, "The Number" gives us a fascinating, very readable history of the numbers and the people behind the trends since this nation first went crazy over the stock market in the 1920s. Mr. Berenson definitely has a viewpoint. He is in favor of stricter regulation for the accounting industry, perhaps more than is necessary or practical. But he makes some good points. And "The Number"'s chronicle of how things are on Wall Street and how they got that way is invaluable for any investor. Alex Berenson's writing is interesting, easy for anyone to understand, and his insights are essential to understanding what quarterly earnings reports do and don't mean, whether they be for big corporations that are the backbone of our economy, or little ones that may make or break your nest egg.

Equity investors out to know this material (and then some).......2004-03-23

Mr. Berenson takes a very interesting approach to explaining the rise of the 90s bubble economy. The book opens with a wonderfully apt quote from Upton Sinclair: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it." The drive for Earnings Per Share (EPS) by analysts and investors guided by them, according to the author, leads them astray because the number is inherently imprecise. Earnings are stated by the company as an exact figure and EPS is simply that number divided by the number of outstanding shares of common stock.

However, earnings depend a great deal on the methods of accounting used by the firm. In the 90s we saw a rise in very aggressive accounting. Any system of rules that is intended to be applied generally over a wide range differing conditions is going to have gaps and unintended effects that distort the intention of the rules. General rules rely upon the good will and integrity of the participants to keep the intention or spirit of the rules in tact in order for the rules to have any real meaning in application. In sports we also have referees to keep the game fair, but both teams still have to intend to follow the rules completely. No game could be played if the participants tried to push every rule to an extreme interpretation. Aggressive accounting uses extreme interpretations of the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to present as favorable earnings number as possible. This results in a higher (and therefore more pleasing) EPS number.

Analysts started giving forecasts of coming EPS reports for firms and those that met or slightly exceeded that forecast were rewarded with higher share prices because investors competed for their shares. Those that missed the forecast by even a penny per share were punished as investors abandoned their stock. Mr. Berenson demonstrates that many companies had reserves and other accounting tricks to make sure their EPS forecasts were always met. However, as companies grow this becomes harder to do. And for companies such as Tyco, Enron, Adelphia, and even the mighty General Electric, it finally became impossible. The most aggressive companies had presented such a distorted picture of reality that they collapsed. Those that were still within shouting distance of reality remained solvent, but still suffered a significant depression in their stock price.

Since the EPS is inherently inexact it seems strange that the markets would react so strongly to that single measure. Mr. Berenson calls the number a lie. I think he does that for rhetorical effect and one time he does admit it is a white lie. I think he has a very strong point for those companies using aggressive interpretations of GAAP. The author also provides a history of the SEC and calls for stronger enforcement powers and the staff to provide that enforcement. While there is certainly a good case to have an effective SEC with sufficient resources (there will be a debate on what this level is), Mr. Berenson has more faith in regulation than I do.

Even if I fully concede his point and support an SEC of enormous size, it still could not provide the necessary enforcement to keep companies in line if the market keeps rewarding companies for fudging the numbers. The market will provide what people want to buy even if they want to buy lies. I agree with Mr. Berenson that INVESTORS need to become better educated and make more demands of the management of the companies in which they invest. Investors, by NOT investing in companies who use very aggressive accounting, could affect the way finances are reported than any regulatory body.

Not every company can be a growth company. Heck, even Microsoft isn't a Microsoft anymore. Investors have to demand that financial statements actually present a real picture of the financial state of the firm rather then providing a manufactured dream of ever expanding growth. One of the strengths of this book is the compelling evidence Mr. Berenson provides of management spinning these euphoric visions just long enough to cash out and then let the bad news (read reality) come to light on someone else's watch.

This is a fine book. I think that anyone who has investments in public companies ought to read it and better educated themselves on the realities of the equities marketplace. I think Mr. Berenson's recommendations for public policy are measured and good for debate even if I don't personally agree with all of them. There are a few minor quibbles I have with some of his explanations, but they don't affect my recommendation.

The book has a couple of short appendices to help the reader understand the accounting issues involved. There are helpful notes for sources and an index.

Book Description

Offers parents of elementary-grade children practical advice on helping their child in math and science while fostering creative, independent thinking and a life long love of learning. Based on sound educational research, this accessible resource stresses that a child's academic success depends in large part on parent involvement, and there are many things even the busiest parents can do.

Customer Reviews:

OK as a reference.......2007-05-04

Already being actively engaged in my child's schooling and "broader education," I did not find the chapter content in this book very enlightening. I did, however, make note of many of the additional resources this book cites, as well as get many ideas from the pull-out stories and checklists throughout the book. There are a lot of those, which almost made up for the deficiency in the practical guide part. If you are looking to enrich your child's math and science education at home, or trying to find ways to help out at his school, this would be a good book to refer to. Just check it out at the library.

Book Description

Moving from the White House to the B-52 cockpits to the missile sites and POW camps of Hanoi, The Eleven Days of Christmas is a gripping tale of heroism and incompetence in a battle whose political and military legacy is still a matter of controversy.

Customer Reviews:

Real SAC operations.......2007-10-01

This is a totally accurate view of the B-52 bomber operations leading up to and during the bombing of Hanoi. It shows what the bomber pilots were feeling and how SAC screwed up life for them. Totally real; I was there too.

An excellent book.......2006-03-19

I am very impressed with this book. It is a combination of history, great story telling, and analysis of the huge air battle fought over N. Vietnam during Nixon's "Christmas bombing." And if you like the mighty B-52, its even better.

It gives a brief background of SAC, and how LeMay's thinking carried over into the Vietnam War. He was, like anyone, flawed at times, and he left SAC in something of a tight spot. It only did things one way. Flexibility was lacking when it would have been very helpful. The bombers over North Vietnam did things in a set pattern, and that went back to SAC, and the days of LeMay. Someone should have been able to look ahead, and change the path of the bombers as they left their bomb runs.

It also gives the reader a good look at the bureaucratic bungling, micro-management, and political thinking which increased the losses of the B-52 crews. That is hardly new in war. It still hurts and frustrates to have to see the results. Lives could have been saved with a realistic response from those who should have known better. Careers can end up being more important than lives. Too bad it has to happen in the military, where some wonderful people risk so much for their country.

This was a huge, and terribly dangerous undertaking. The B-52 crews flew into some very tough air defenses, and risked a great deal to help bring the U.S. involvement in Vietnam to an end. One cannot help but wish it had been done years before. Think of the lives and heartache decisive action could have saved.

It also made me miss the good qualities of Nixon--and yes, he had them. The man was willing to show great courage when he finally unleashed the B-52s, and let them do their work. If only it had been done much, much sooner.

A great read--techinical details which interest and add, political backgrouind which is useful, and a damned good story as well. First rate.

From the Vietnamese point of view.......2006-02-09

Throughout the years I've read so many books written in English about the Vietnam War and I notice that they all so biased in favor of the U.S in virtually every aspect. From the Vietnamese point of view, this operation is called "Dien Bien Phu Tren Khong", which means "Dien Bien Phu in the air". This is a great victory for the Vietnamese side because they were able to force the U.S to agree to the demand that the Vietnamese had been demanded throughout the entire war, the demand was to withdraw all troops from Vietnam before any peace deal could be sign, other than that, the fighting would be carried on indefinitely. In 1972, the U.S agreed to the demand of the North Vietnamese that's why the North agreed to sign the peace deal. According to Vietnamese sources and eyewitnesses on the ground during this campaign, there were a total of 31 B-52 bombers that were shot down, not the 15 like the U.S or English sources have been claiming throughout the years and a combined total of 81 aircrafts were shot down. North Vietnam shot a total of around 540 missiles, not 1200 and at the end of the 11th day, missiles reinforcement was coming in masses from the city of Haiphong and it is not the myth that the North was running out of missiles. Furthermore, the total combined numbers of Migs fighters of the North throughout the war never exceeded 200 so it was impossible for the North to lose "hundreds" of aircrafts in air-to-air combat against the U.S that so many English-written sources have been claiming. In fact, the total number of Migs lost during the entire war including operational losses is believed to be no more than 50 because at the beginning of this Christmas bombing, the North still had around 150-160 Migs fighters left. I think history has to be examined from both sides, not just from the English-written sources only.

Great book.......2005-11-24

I thought the book was great. Just because we lost a few B-52's during the first couple of days of bombing Hanoi, it made me want to jump out of my seat and continue it. Clearly the research and planning for this mission should have been better. I was also amazed out how the Secretary of Defense at the time dragged his feet when the President ordered the bombing! If Nixon were un-obstructed, I think he could have ended the war sooner and with greater returns than what happend after the Xmas bombings over Hanoi. A must read book.

How Air Force Generals covered their butts........2005-10-24

This is a great read. I read this book in less than 24 hours because it was so interesting. Michel did a great job of detailing the Christmas bombing campaign of 1972. The B-52s (or BUFFs)were sent to take the war to the North Vietnamese. The target was Hanoi and Haiphong. The campaign covered only 11 days. THe North Vietnamese and their SA-2s and Fan Song radar shot down 15 BUFFs.

What is so interesting is how the SAC generals made lots of mistakes and then covered them up. The centralized approach to the war by SAC sounded like they were imitating Soviet generals. This centralized approach had a lot to do with how SAC was structured. Also interesting was the sharp turn following the bombing run. The bomber crews did this because we always did it this way. However this turn made the radar jamming inoperable during this activity. The first four nights of the bombing run were predictable and it was like a line of ants going to a picnic. The North Vietnamese practiced their skill at lining the missles up and shooting at the opportune time. The lack of missles was the only thing preventing more losses to the USAF BUFFs. General Sullivan commanding the Thailand base was the only one who voiced his opinion of these bad tactics. Once the losses were high, his voice was heard. He was subsequently put on the slow track and later retired.

This is a good book. Lots of great information on this last battle of the Vietnam War. The one thing distracting about this book is the poor grammar used throughout it. This book needed a good proof reader and unfornately this was not done well. However, the information and story within this book more than made up for this deficit.

THE ELEVEN DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: AMERICA'S LAST VIETNAM BATTLE

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THE ELEVEN DAYS OF CHRISTMAS: AMERICA'S LAST VIETNAM BATTLE
Marshall Michel
Manufacturer: Encounter books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3ZC42

Book Description

The fullest account to date of German Jews' struggle for economic survival under the Third Reich.

From Boycott to Annihilation : The Economic Struggle of German Jews, 1933-1943 (Tauber Institute Ser.)

Average customer rating:

From Boycott to Annihilation : The Economic Struggle of German Jews, 1933-1943 (Tauber Institute Ser.)
Avraham; Templer, William (translator) Barkai
Manufacturer: University Press of New England
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N5BFGK

Book Description

Focuses on cutting-edge developments in medicine and biotechnology.

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