Alvar Aalto: Towards a Human Modernism (Prestel Art)

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"The Lord created paper for drawing architecture. Everything else is--for me, at least--misuse of paper," Alvar Aalto, the Finnish modernist architect, once remarked. The quote begs the question of what Aalto--who, according to his close friend and biographer Goran Schildt, was also quite modest--would have thought of this book: a collection of 11 essays, almost entirely laudatory in tone, focusing on various aspects of his work, which spanned from the 1920s to the 1970s. Of the fare offered here, volume editor Winfried Nerdinger's kickoff, "Alvar Aalto's Human Modernism," provides the best general overview of Aalto's life work, "greatest hits" and guiding principles, while Schildt's character study, "The Many Faces of Alvar Aalto," positions the man as an egoless "secret opponent within the Modern Movement" in contrast to the rigid, self-important formalism of Corbusier and Company. These are followed by meditations on Aalto's relationship with cities and city planning, on private houses, and on his philosophical and professional ties to the U.S. (where he was particularly influenced by the teachings of Lewis Mumford, and where he taught, at MIT, after World War II), Sweden, Vienna, Switzerland, North Germany, and Wolfsburg, Germany (site of three major Aalto projects from the early '60s, including the Holy Spirit Community Center with its super-mod hood-shaped roof and autonomous slim white bell tower).

The only Aalto project to get its own essay here is the dazzling Villa Mairea in Noormarkku, Finland (1938-39), in which Aalto fused modernist, Finnish vernacular, and Japanese and French influences to create one of those homes, like Fallingwater or the Villa Savoye, that transcends the stylistic strictures of the era and inhabits its own timeless realm of beauty and intrigue. Unfortunately, the accompanying photos of the house are-like those of Aalto's many other stylish and unique projects discussed herein--small and black-and-white. If you're really, deeply into Aalto--i.e., if you want to read theory about his work more than simply look at it--you'll like this rather academic volume. But if you first want to get to know his work better visually, then short of visiting the sites themselves, you're better off starting with a full-color monograph for a real photo, uh, Finnish. --Timothy Murphy

Customer Reviews:

More than Creative Low-Budget Design.......2001-04-06

This book is a great marketing resource. The thinking behind the examples is what is really inspiring. The book goes beyond being a useful guide and idea resource. It demonstrates how to get results and think creatively whatever your budget.

I've worked in both for-profit and non-profit organizations and Mary Pretzer's book has been a great help for projects in both situations.

Creative Low-Budget Publication Design goes on my list of marketing classics.

The bearable lightness of nickeling-and-diming.......2000-08-22

The nine sections of CREATIVE LOW-BUDGET PUBLICATION DESIGN show high-impact graphics cutting costs with clip art and on-hand photos, imaginative grids and typefaces, and one- or two-color ink printing. What it comes down to on any budget is readability, with easy-to-relate-to centers of attention, designs, and moods. On a shoestring, it also helps to proofread early against corrective reprints and to minimize design and paper expenses, the latter of which can be 50 percent of all costs.

I especially like Mary Pretzer's information on color. Black elegantly organizes while a second color accents. Also, two colors together can create the illusion of a third color, known as the adjacency factor.

Excellent evidence backs each budget measure, and the do-it-yourself section example of a coffee stain scanned for background art proves great ideas can be inexpensive. With a good index and well-explained terms, the book gets along with Val Adkins' CREATIVE BROCHURES & BOOKLETS, Poppy Evans' THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN, Steven Heller's NEWSLETTERS NOW, and Rita and Roberta Street's CREATIVE NEWSLETTERS & ANNUAL REPORTS. Anyone interested in desktop publishing, graphic arts, marketing or just painlessly learning something new should walk away a happy camper.

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Canon Rangefinder books

"must-have" for Canon camera collectors

Canon Rangefinder Cameras 1933-68 (Hove Collectors Books)
Peter Dechert
Manufacturer: Hove Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

A complete history of the Canon Rangefinder cameras. Every model is described, as well as their lenses, variations, numbers, etc.

Customer Reviews:

Canon Rangefinder books.......2007-05-13

One of the few excellent books on Canon rangefinder cameras. Worth the price.

"must-have" for Canon camera collectors.......2005-01-20

A very detailed description of the early Canon camera history ("Leica copies") with technical details, dates and pictures of each model. Probably the best research work ever can be expected from a private author. A little less on lenses: some pictures, reports but not detailed. Nice to read.

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Comparative study of IT developments in government programs, electronic service delivery mechanisms and the means being developed to engage the citizen in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States while showing that there are increasingly different views as to what constitutes electronic democracy.

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The new edition of this popular exam guide will provide your students with the skills they need to pass the exam the first time. Based on the Promissor content outline, this text features 800 exam-style questions and five review tests for countless hours of drill-and-practice exam preparation. Highlights: -Over 800 exam-style questions with rationales pinpoint subjects that require additional review -Five 80-questions Review Tests help students prepare for the licensing exam -Math Review gives students extra practice with this often difficult subject

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional method........2007-01-04

If you follow the text and answer all the questions as presented you can't help but learn. I am already licensed and use this as one of my first references. Tip, don't enter the answers to the test question into the book, prepare a seperate answer sheet. If you do that you won't ruin the book for futuer reviews.

If you want to pass your Real Estate Exam, this book is a must have!.......2005-10-22

I passed my test the first time. This book is smaller, easier, simpler, and straight to the point.It's very easy to understand. I cannot say enough good things about it.The other real estate books, were three times as big, and very overwhelming. I loved the promissor book. Plus it has sample tests in the back of the book that really helped. This will help you pass your test. It is worth it!

Promissor Real Estate Exam Preparation Guide

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Don't take a chance with just any exam prep guide when preparing for your real estate licensing exam. Thomson's PROMISSOR REAL ESTATE EXAM PREP GUIDE is the "SMART" way to passing your real estate licensing exam with confidence. This guide is organized into eight sections with a total of 500 exam-style multiple choice questions plus practice salesperson and broker exams based on the Promissor real estate exam content outline. Each of the eight sections provide a key point review along with test-taking tips and exam strategies. In addition, there is a 100-question salesperson exam and 100-question broker exam both following the Promissor exam format. Answers and rationale for all questions and exam are included for self-paced study. Use the extensive glossary to further prepare for your passing your real estate exam with confidence.

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Copy protection ruins this CD - Be careful!

Real Estate Exam Guide Software Designed for Promissor (ASI) Sales and Broker Exams, Version 3.0
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Customer Reviews:

Copy protection ruins this CD - Be careful!.......2006-11-08

This is an excellent learning tool.....WHEN IT DECIDES TO LOAD AND RUN!!!

I don't know what kind of copy protection they are using but it prevents me from using the CD most of the time. Other CDs are recognised but not not this one. This piece of *#(* will only be recognised as a CD with data after rebooting and then only a small percentage of the time.

That's a shame too. If not for that fact I would rate it highly but as it mostly useless and not heavy enough for a paper weight I give it 1 star.

BTW. I contacted the tech support and they accused me of using an illegal copy. They had no answers.

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From his researches in the communication of the trenches of military history, Max Hastings has assembled a fascinating collection of anecdotes which illuminate the condition of the soldier through the ages in barracks and on the battlefield. The selection embraces both the tragic and the comic, finding room for eccentrics as well as heroes, rankers, and generals. Extending from biblical times to conflicts of the twentieth century, it presents an absorbing record of the glories and tribulations of military life.

Customer Reviews:

Diverse collection for the historian or average reader.......2004-09-09

Max Hastings has compiled a truly stellar group of personal stories of campaigns dating from the Bible to the Falklands War. Each item is briefly introduced, with any background needed to understand the context of the story as it relates to the battle or campaign. It being the "Oxford Book of Military Anecdotes" the emphasis is on British history, but there's also a fair number of French, and American stories thrown in as well. Active or retired military members of most countries will especially enjoy the fights against bureaucracy going back to the Napoleonic Wars-plus ca change I guess. Anyway, it's too bad though, that almost no German or Russian stories are included-but any anthology requires some fairly tough editing to make publication. In fairness, Mr Hastings explains that there just weren't "that many" German anecdotes, and I expect that linguistic difficulties and sources (my copy is dated 1985) excluded the Russians. A more surprising omission is a lack of ancient Greek military stories, a few of which are almost common knowledge (at least in military circles.)
The publishing date is, I think, the only real issue I have with the book. After almost ten years, a new edition with Ancient Greece, plus maybe the Vietnam, and Gulf I/II would further enchance an excellent book. Highly recommended.

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Ranging from the early explorations of New France to recent peace-keeping efforts with the United Nations, these anecdotes capture the Canadian experience of war: the warmth of wartime friendships, the sudden anguish of loss, the chaos and, at times, comic confusion of the battle field.

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Between Columbus' first expedition in 1492 and the Peace of Paris in 1763, West Europeans created empires of trade and settlement that re-made the social, economic, and political environments not only of their own peoples, but also those of the other societies around the North Atlantic. This study invites readers new to early modern Atlantic Studies to consider from some possible explanations for these extraordinary transformations of the lives of millions of people, free and unfree, and of the political powers of societies that previously had been separated by rather than linked by the ocean. In particular, Seymour invites readers to ponder how the first century of, in effect, Iberian monopoly, became displaced by an Anglophone hegemony. This volume is constructed around the questions to be addressed in any consideration of the early modern North Atlantic; reflections upon the factors contributing to the processes--technical, technological, economic, and social; the availability of alternatives to Atlantic empires; possible environmental factors; then a brief survey of interpretative themes in the period, divided into distinct chronological phases. In conclusion, the author suggests that, because the eventual "triumph" of an Anglophone Atlantic may not be regarded as inevitable, we should be conscious in the present of the unpredictability of the historical experience.

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The white-breasted nuthatch, blue-headed vireo, tufted titmouse, and green jay are just a few of the amazing birds spotlighted in this yearâ€™s Songbirds calendar. With full-color photographs throughout, Songbirds delivers a front-row seat from which to enjoy these backyard beauties every day. Let the authority of the National Audubon Society be your guide to natureâ€™s musical theater. Songbirds and Other Backyard Birds is the perfect calendar for this yearâ€™s most passionate birder.

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Beautiful Birds every day of the year!.......2006-03-09

I truly appreciate learning about birds every day from looking at my Audobon 365 Birds Calendar. Thanks for the beauty and the learning!

Backyard Bird Calendar Rocks!.......2006-02-25

If you find yourself for a lack of avian indoor splendor, check-out this calendar. Every day has a bird or bird-related picture on it, plus a giant opposite-facing bird picture. It's stylishly formated & tastefully decorated. More than adequate block size allows for numerous tasks/appointments for each day. This calendar is finely sized and made from quality materials. Being Audubon, the picture quality of our feathered friends is excellent in many aspects. I highly recommend it. It'll add lift to your year!

Great calendar for bird lovers.......2006-02-01

I've seen a lot of bird calendars and this is by far my favorite. What better than a bird a day for every day of the year?!? Great photos! I love it!

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