Paula Pryke's Candles

The decade between the world wars witnessed an astonishing flowering of photography in Europe-- marked particularly by the unprecedented work of such figures as Man Ray, László Moholy-Nagy, and Alexander Rodchenko. Alongside the visual experiments ran a fascinating public discussion in which critics, artists, and the photographers themselves struggled to define the nature and possibilities of photography in the modern era. The seventy-one essays and documents collected in this book provide a concise, provocative introduction to the ideas and personalities that animated avant-garde photography during these years of artistic ferment and that continue to influence the medium today.

By turns poetic, analytical, and fiercely ideological, these diverse writings give expression to a very wide range of original ideas. Moholy-Nagy calls on photographers to create a powerful abstract vision that will transform our ability to see. Albert Renger-Patzsch argues for a quite different goal, a photography of revelatory realism that lays bare the essence of the subject before the lens. The French writer Pierre Mac Orlan explores psychologically compelling notions: that photography realizes "all that is curiously inhuman" and "creates death for a second." Photography is widely characterized as a modern machine-age art that supersedes the traditional fine arts. In the Soviet Union an extraordinary interchange pits the avant-gardist Rodchenko against opponents who insist that social usefulness is photography's primary responsibility.

While shedding important new light on the directions taken by photography during the twentieth century, these essays also illuminate such major movements as Futurism, Constructivism, Surrealism, and the New Objectivity. Most of the selections were not previously available in English and have been translated especially for this volume. Each appears with an informative headnote by Christopher Phillips, who in an introductory essay provides a lucid overview of the period and the context in which the writings first appeared.

With its wealth of new material, this collection is an essential resource for all those studying photography or seeking to understand the visual culture of this century.

This book is published on the occasion of the exhibition The New Vision: Photography Between the World Wars, Ford Motor Company Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, September 23-December 31, 1989.

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Hold the Fort, Snoopy!
Charles M. Schulz
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Comic Strips | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0449214893
Release Date: 1988-07-12

After the Y2K Fireworks: Business and Technology Strategies (Crc Press Advanced and Emerging Communications Technologies Series)

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Plan to make a potential Y2K Disaster your OPPORTUNITY!!!

After the Y2K Fireworks: Business and Technology Strategies (Crc Press Advanced and Emerging Communications Technologies Series)
Bhuvan Unhelkar
Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

MIS | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Programming | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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General | Hardware | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

After the Y2K Fireworks focuses on the business and technical aspects of surviving the year 2000 problem - from an author conversant with both business (particularly financial) and computer professionals. More companies than not will fail to prevent the problems arising from this potential programming disaster. After the Y2K Fireworks addresses this part of the market - putting the problem in perspective and examining all the various organizational and technical issues required to rebuild.

Overall, a must read for IT planners, managers and architects -- confronting what management guru Peter Drucker would have called "Managing in Turbulent Times".

Yes, I do agree that 2+ -unit multi-family properties are your best investment, outperforming the stock market by a factor of 3x and with low risk. However, I do not agree with the author's premise that your best bet is to pay off all the mortgages on your properties within 10 years and then live off the cash flow. This is NOT a strategy most knowledgeable investors would follow. Why? Because the money you are using to make additional principal payments on your existing properties could instead be used to buy more buildings, or improve the ones you own, resulting in significantly higher after-tax gains in the long term.

In reality, for the highest returns, your best bet is to leverage yourself to the max: Never put down more than 15% on a property, and try to put down the least amount you can and still get the property to "cash flow." (Just make sure you keep a cash reserve in the bank equal to at least 3 months of expenses.) If you do have excess cash flow, spend it on those building improvements that will allow you to directly raise rents as a result. After 5 years, either re-finance the property to pull your equity out and invest that in a new property (and repeat every 5 years), or "flip" this property into a larger property and do this repeatedly every 5 years.

Recommended reading instead of this book:
1.) "The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing" by Martin Stone and Spencer Strauss. (Practically REQUIRED for new or novice investors.)
2.) "How to Buy and Sell Apartment Buildings" by Eugene E. Vollucci. (Better for more seasoned investors than this book.)
3.) "The Income Stream" by Robert M. Goodman. (Shows how to calculate the real rate of return on investment properties....

But forgive me ... if you are reading this book, you probably endorse the basic principle. So what is it that we are supposed to do as parents, as a society? I walked away pleased that the author had taken the time to cover this very valuable principle, but not as clear on what to do next that wasn't, well, fairly obvious. But still, the book was very grounding and much appreciated.

Letters from a Sharpshooter : The Civil War Letters of William B. Greene, Co. G 2nd United States Sharpshooters (Berdan's) Army of the Potomac 1861-1865

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Letters from a Sharpshooter : The Civil War Letters of William B. Greene, Co. G 2nd United States Sharpshooters (Berdan's) Army of the Potomac 1861-1865
William H. Hastings
Manufacturer: Historic Publications (WI)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0963874403

Histoire du soldat: De la violence et des pouvoirs (Document)

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Histoire du soldat: De la violence et des pouvoirs (Document)
Alexandre Sanguinetti
Manufacturer: Ramsay
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

French | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

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All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2859560890

It is beautifully organized and illustrated. Birds are described by song, breeding habits, nesting, behavior, migration, population, flight pattern, conservation, as well as by the more obvious characteristics used for identification such as size, head, plummage, tail, markings, trill, and behavior.

Each page is laid out so nicely and with great clarity, and has space for notes on where and when the bird was sighted.

The silhouettes of the birds in flight was an interesting addition to the identification process.

The author(s) also included the variations within each species (variations due to sex, juvenile status, seasonal characteristics, and genetic differences).

One section contained the anatomy of a bird and another the orthinological terms, illustrated. Both were most interesting and added to making birds easier to identify.

This book is long (752 pages) and definitely hefty. No one but a true masochist would consider carrying it into the field. Consequently, in terms of helping with bird identification, this guide at best can serve as a supplement to other current field guides. In this capacity, the book will indeed be useful with respect to many birds. Each full-page treatment of a species includes lots of useful information, including key field marks, range, vocalizations, distinctive behavioral habits, nesting habits, and even flight patterns.

The key to whether or not this works for particular types of birds lies in Alsop's approach to bird illustration. Here, he relies mainly upon high-quality photographs. For most birds, particularly songbirds, this works adequately. However, as is just about always the case with bird guides illustrated with photos, the results are uneven. Some of the photos are spectacular, but a few are so-so. What's more important, however, is that Alsop's reliance upon a single large photo for each bird precludes adequate illustration of species for which inclusion of more than one picture is essential. This mainly includes species for which flight patterns are important, including gulls, terns, pelagics, hawks, shorebirds, waterfowl, swifts and swallows, and nightjars. This adds up to a lot of species.

Traditional field guides also provide additional illustrations to show immature or fall plumages. Alsop does try to include additional illustrations for some of these plumages, but these extra drawings mostly are so tiny as to be virtually useless. For some species, at least, he would have done better to limit some of the verbal information to accommodate more space for these additional illustrations.

One of the strengths of the book is Alsop's obvious commitment to providing the reader with information pertaining to each bird's behavior, nesting habits, and population/conservation. Because the author is combining this effort with identification material, however, the book doesn't measure up to certain others in terms of being a complete "natural history guide."

To his credit, Alsop includes some extra materials that are welcome and well-done. There is a section on extinct species (including the Ivory-billed woodpecker, which apparently may not be extinct after all), and also some "how to's" on birding as a pastime.

Overall, however, I can recommend this book mainly to people who really enjoy owning lots of bird books. A good strategy for birders generally is to purchase one (or more) good field guides for identification purposes, and then to supplement these with another good book that provides natural historical information. This volume certainly has its uses and contains lots of excellent information, but in trying to be both identification guide and natural history guide, it doesn't truly succeed in either function.

Featuring over 140 species of birds pictured in over 1,000 full-color photographs, Smithsonian Kids' Field Guides Birds of North America West helps your favorite young naturalist find and identify birds found in the western part of North America in their own backyard -- or farther afield! But remember, the most important thing about birding is to have fun, so get out there and spot some feathered friends.

A check-list of the fossil and prehistoric birds of North America and the West Indies (Smithsonian miscellaneous collections)

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A check-list of the fossil and prehistoric birds of North America and the West Indies (Smithsonian miscellaneous collections)
Alexander Wetmore
Manufacturer: Smithsonian Institution
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006AUU86