Villa: Italian Country Style (Library of Interior Detail)

Customer Reviews:

informative, lots of pictures.......2000-07-05

This book had some good information to allow the reader a beginning understanding of Tuscan interior decorating. The pictures were very helpful, but as a small book it couldn't go into too much detail.

Villa - Italian Country Style (Library of Interior Detail)

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Villa - Italian Country Style (Library of Interior Detail)
Elizabeth Hilliard
Manufacturer: Pavilion Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Decorating | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Interior Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Spanish | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Enter a dazzling world where light and color combine to create a fantasyland in glass. Beginning with the earliest examples of this most beautiful art form, trace its development from masterpieces in renowned cathedrals such as Chartres and Canterbury on though the art deco wonders of Tiffany, and discover what modern innovations revolutionized glassmaking techniques.

Customer Reviews:

Brief Info on Book.......2001-10-11

Large paperback, 143 pps, over 140 illustrations
A lovely book giving a terrific overview of stained glass, with an emphasis on modern and contemporary works.

Comprehensive overview of stained glass.......1999-11-19

This is a beautiful and comprehensive book on the art of stained glass from its origin through today. Both the religious masterpieces of the world and modern art glass are covered in detail.

The roots of stained glass are traced to the discovery of glass itself and the early ways of coloring it and methods of forming it, with stained glass as we know it appearing around the eleventh century.

The development of stained glass into a brilliant and dramatic art form is illustrated with magnificent examples from Saint Chapelle, Chartres, Canterbury and Cologne among others.

Much of the book, however, deals with the technical innovation and artistic variety of 20th century art glass. Many stunning examples by Tiffany, Wright, Chagall and others are presented.

Jewels of light: Stained glass at Washington Cathedral
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Jewels of light: Stained glass at Washington Cathedral
John Hocking Bayless
Manufacturer: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
North America | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006CJRIS

Jewels of Light the Stained Glass and mosaics of Washington Cathedral
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Jewels of Light the Stained Glass and mosaics of Washington Cathedral
Nancy and Marcia Johnson Montgomery
Manufacturer: Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UOALV4

Jewels of Light (The stained glass and mosaics of Washington Cathedral)
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Jewels of Light (The stained glass and mosaics of Washington Cathedral)

Manufacturer: Protestant Episcopal Cathedral
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000O0EIXQ

Jewels of Light: The Stained Glass and Mosaics of Washington's Cathedral
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Jewels of Light: The Stained Glass and Mosaics of Washington's Cathedral
Nancy S. & Marcia P Johnson (eds) Montgomery
Manufacturer: The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000TS6GXI

The Manual of photography;: Formerly the Ilford manual of photography
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THE BEST BOOK ABOUT ANYTHING OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

The Manual of photography;: Formerly the Ilford manual of photography

Manufacturer: Chilton Book Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | How-to | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0801956552

Customer Reviews:

THE BEST BOOK ABOUT ANYTHING OF PHOTOGRAPHY........1998-03-20

THE BOOK THAT TOLD YOU EVERYTHING, LIKE TECHS, CONCEPTS, PROBLEMS....,IT'S MY FAVORITE ONE.

The Manual of photography: Formerly the Ilford manual of photography

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The Manual of photography: Formerly the Ilford manual of photography

Manufacturer: Focal Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

From Ads to Riches: How to Write Dynamite Real Estate Classifieds and Harvest the Results
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Some good information

From Ads to Riches: How to Write Dynamite Real Estate Classifieds and Harvest the Results
Joan McLellan Tayler
Manufacturer: Mansion Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Sales | Real Estate | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Advertising | Marketing & Sales | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0964035502

Customer Reviews:

Some good information.......2004-05-03

Has some great information that I used a lot as a new realtor.

Book Description

Discover thousands of exciting and fun sites with this organized, easy-to-use online shopping directory.

Download Description

Discover thousands of exciting and fun sites with this organized, easy-to-use online shopping directory.

Customer Reviews:

Nicely Done.......2002-01-25

This Yellow Pages is a great resource for online shopping! If you are looking for great Internet guides for Kids & Family, High School, and College students, check out the You Are Here Internet series!

Takes the work out of shopping.......2000-11-11

I loved the convenience of shopping on the Internet but I had trouble finding the sites that sell what I want. Not any more! This book lists over one thousand sites that sell everything you can imagine. Where else could you find sites that sell spy and security goodies, decorator umbrellas and ladies lingerie all in the same book? You can even go to to the author's Internet site to find reviews of new shopping sites and, more importantly, the sites that have gone belly-up since the book was published.

Internet Shopping Yellow Pages: 2001 Edition

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Internet Shopping Yellow Pages: 2001 Edition
Robert Hansen, Beth E. Young Barbara Kasser
Manufacturer: Osborne/McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OFKLV4

Book Description

In the annals of espionage, one name towers above all others: that of H.A.R. “Kim” Philby, the ringleader of the legendary Cambridge spies. A member of the British establishment, Philby joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1940, rose to the head of Soviet counterintelligence, and, as MI6’s liaison with the CIA and the FBI, betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians, fatally compromising covert actions to roll back the Iron Curtain in the early years of the Cold War.

Written from Moscow in 1967, My Silent War shook the world and introduced a new archetype in fiction: the unrepentant spy. It inspired John le Carré’s Smiley novels and the later espionage novels of Graham Greene. Kim Philby was history’s most successful spy. He was also an exceptional writer who gave us the great iconic story of the Cold War and revolutionized, in the process, the art of espionage writing.

Customer Reviews:

WHERE SHALL THE TRAITOR REST?.......2007-09-15

Treason tends to get rather an unflattering press, however successful and elegant-minded the traitor. The basic question of loyalty goes back, I guess, to time immemorial. Moral philosophers have flailed at it incessantly, all to no purpose whatsoever in my own view. The issue comes down to this - each and every one of us recognises different, and often conflicting, loyalties. Socrates let himself be framed in court on a nonsensical charge and accepted the death penalty in the name of upholding the Law. More fool Socrates, I can only reflect, for all my general enthusiasm for the Rule of Law. Under what circumstances would any of us denounce others for what we would agree was wrongdoing? That would vary, I guess, but I never heard of anyone whose answer was `under any and all circumstances'. In particular, where national laws are involved, they are all in the last resort, as Britain's eminent late Lord Chancellor Quintin Hogg Lord Hailsham observed, `a con'. Nations are not some be-all nor yet any end-all unless we decide for ourselves that they shall be so.

The case of Philby is one where I find the opinions of the Great and the Good more enlightening and useful than I usually find them. Graham Greene goes straight to the main point - Philby has a chilling and unshakable certainty in his adopted communist faith. He offers no apologia for Stalin's atrocities, he just presents the faith to himself as more important and lasting; and that, as Greene says, is what Catholics have done for centuries. What did Philby have against his native land? Frankly, little or nothing that I can see. He is the English of the English. He despises Baldwin and Chamberlain, but so did many without giving their main loyalty to the Soviet Union as Philby did. John le Carre is too outraged to talk sense or fact (?Philby had `no women'? Apart from his being married four times, just read Muggeridge on Philby's proclivities as a womaniser. ?Philby had `no faith'? Well done Philby, if I understand that). Le Carre acknowledges some primacy of patriotism, whereas Greene does not. Nigel West has a different slant, and one that I find interesting. Philby, says West, was fundamentally an ego-tripper, embracing communism by way of exercising his superiority complex. That could be right, but I wouldn't bet much on it.

I simply cannot assess the `sincerity' of Philby's communist convictions: indeed I would not claim to know what I mean by that term. What I do say is that I find the personality put across in Philby's way of expressing himself to be enormously attractive and engaging. In another context, this might be the absolute exemplar of the English public-school product - articulate, elegant, witty, showing a sense of proportion and a delightful sense of the ridiculous. About his private life there is absolutely nothing in this book. He was widowed on one occasion, for all you could tell from this narrative - I found this fact out from the brief curriculum vitae at the back - and I can only wonder what it can have been like to live with a man living this kind of double life, indeed how he slept at all, let alone with someone else. The story-line is as good as Greene says it is - completely riveting and better than most spy novels (Mr le Carre please note). He got away with it all for 11 years after his elite Cambridge lefty friends from the 30's Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess fled to Russia on being unmasked as spies, and they never brought him to trial because he had gone to Moscow via Beirut when the rumbling suspicions were finally confirmed, never to leave.

Philby never really made the headlines in the way Burgess and Maclean did, partly because their discovery was at the height of the early cold war and the baleful era of Joseph McCarthy; partly because they were both homosexual, Maclean of the closet variety, Burgess a complete roarer. After their disappearance I still recall the cartoon by Bud Neil in the Glasgow Evening Times. Two workmen in flat caps were emerging from a manhole in the street, and one of Bud Neil's shapeless women says to another `It widnae be them?' Distance lends enchantment to the view, but Philby has brought a lot of the enchantment back. Eleu loro.

Precious Little Addition to Espionage.......2006-01-11

Page after page and line after line, this book is amazing in its power to frustrate even the most gawky-eyed initiate in the world of espionage-reading! Philby says pretty much nothing that will add to our knowledge of his ways and mechanics of operation. He is a fine writer, without doubt, but good writing befreft of content? He does not wax expansive on his faith - communism; he does not explain the hows of his first contact with the KGB; he does not even offer a strand of information on his life in Moscow, his marriage, his routine... aww, come on ...

Pick it up and read it one three-hour layover at the airport... then place it in your library so that you have a book (for the record) that was written by THE spy who outdid 'em all!

The Silent Man: Kim Philby.......2005-08-07

Although reviewers are correct in stating that this "autobiography" reveals very little about the author, it should be said that a Philby "expert", who spent a week in Moscow interviewing Philby for the Sunday Times, admitted that even he was not sure who the infamous spy really was. Perhaps Philby himself was doubtful. Philby remains, in essence, a chameleon throughout the book, and his "autobiography" fails to satisfy those who want the answers to two questions: why and how Philby managed to betray his country and bring down an entire intelligence service. There are great gaps in this book. It entirely skips over Philby's recruitment by Soviet agents at Cambridge, and although it begins with an exciting episode in Spain, it describes almost nothing about Philby's "other" work. In fact, there is so little mention of Philby's work as a double agent, that I began to forget that this man, while making great inroads in Turkey and Spain for his service, was betraying it at the very same instance. It is difficult to believe that Philby was a double agent when he shows obvious pleasure in the success of his plans, even when they work against the very people he is supposedly loyal to: the Soviets. At least one thing may be garnered from this autobiography: that Philby was not, as Nigel West pointed out, an "ideologue", but rather a theorist, and a manipulator, who was willing to sacrifice nearly everything to play his complex games of espionage.

If, however, you are content to read about the endless political manoeuvring and intriguing inherent in the British intelligence service, along with its restructuring and development during WW2 and post-war years, then this is the book for you. Just don't expect any gripping accounts of Philby's deception. This isn't what Philby's book is about: rather, it's an insider's look into the British intelligence service, with the gloves off.

"My Silent War" is, however, well-written, and is certainly not a piece of Communist propaganda, although the reader would do well to remember that the author's prejudice falls heavily on the side of that particular ideology, and therefore his account of several historical figures and events is rather suspect. Philby's arrogance is not altogether off-putting, and in some passages, he can be quite charming, even funny. Still, it is hardly a satisfying autobiography.

*I would instead recommend John Le Carre's novel, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", for those looking for a true tale of espionage. Though Le Carre's book is fictional, it is based on the Philby case, and shows the true devestation a "mole" can cause. Le Carre himself was a member of the SIS, and was even an acquaintance of Philby's, and therefore his novel is extremely true to life and makes for fascinating reading.

Kim Philby's Autobiography: a Must for Spy-Buffs.......2005-01-14

"My Silent War" presents a witty and literate glimpse into the subtle mind of one of the KGB's most successful spies, Kim Philby. The Cambridge graduate had thoroughly penetrated MI6 and was being groomed to be "C", or head of British Intelligence (although some writers including Nigel West dispute this) during World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, when he was finally unmasked because of the flight of his fellow Cambridge spies, Donald Maclean and Guy Burgess.

Kim Philby, according to Seale and McConville, has become a "caricature" of "Western demonology," a "byword of reproach," the deadly "viper" in the "trusting bosom of his country" ("Philby: The Long Road to Moscow," 1978, 13). Nigel West's characterization of "My Silent War" as a "vitriolic" memoir illustrates this (even though his assessment of Philby in "The Friends" [1988, 51-68], is otherwise balanced). As evidence of "vitriol" he presents Philby's judgment ("MSW,"109) of Sir Stewart Menzies ("C" of MI6) as an intellectually "unimpressive . . . fairly cloistered son of the upper levels of the British establishment" whose attitudes [as far as counterespionage was concerned] were "schoolboyish-- bars, beards, and blonds"--an assessment that West himself confirms in "The Friends" (117). "Vitriol" in this instance and truth do not seem to be mutually exclusive. Was Menzies truly "hounded" by Philby's words? In retrospect, they seem rather mild when compared to those of John Le Carre (a.k.a. David Cornwell of MI5--eternal rival of MI6) in respect to Philby in the MI5-agent-turned-best-selling-author's introduction to Page, Leitch, and Knightley's "Philby: The Spy who Betrayed a Generation" (1969, 24). Le Carre writes: "In ten year's time [Philby] may be stopping British tourists in the Moscow streets. Imagine that leaky-eye and whisky-voice, that hesitant, soft-footed charm [.]"

Now THAT is vitriol!

Demonizing only impedes historical truth, as far as it can ever be discerned. Yes, Philby wrote in Moscow under the noses of the KGB, and was therefore selective in his reminiscences, but "My Silent War," written in lucid prose, never ceases to fascinate. Raising as many questions as it answers, the book never sinks to Communist Propaganda-- Philby is too clever by far, and too competent a writer. An absorbing read, Kim Philby' s autobiography fully deserves its niche in the "Modern Library" series.

Fascinating.......2004-09-10

Sure it's not a tell- all book, but Philby wrote it in the middle of the cold war. I still found it fascinating because I am new to his story.I especially enjoyed the cat and mouse game when Maclean and Burgess disappear.I'd rather hear it from Philby than any biographer.I understand he probably held back alot of juicy details,and attacked people he didn't agree with politically or personally, but it's still a really enjoyable read.

Book Description

It has been more than hinted at by at least one person whose statement is entitled to every belief, that among the Cherokees dwelling in the mountains there existed certain artists whose professed occupation was the manufacture of stone pipes, which were by them transported to the coast and there bartered away for articles of use and ornament foreign to and highly esteemed among the members of their own tribe.

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Problem of the Ohio Mounds
Cyrus Thomas
Manufacturer: Scholarly Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0403036925

The C.L. Lewis Stone Mound ; and, The stone mound problem (Prehistory research series)

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The C.L. Lewis Stone Mound ; and, The stone mound problem (Prehistory research series)
James H Kellar
Manufacturer: Indiana Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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The Problem of the Ohio Mounds
Cyrus Thomas
Manufacturer: Government Printing Office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7BIG8

Amazon.com

He wanted to finally "do falconry right." Writer Dan O'Brien had a chance, with his physician wife leaving their South Dakota ranch on a year-long fellowship, to devote himself to training hunting falcons. O'Brien writes passionately about living close to nature, and provides a detailed and fascinating look at a very unusual avocation. Considering himself a hunter, O'Brien expresses outrage that he is "grouped with [National Rifle Association] cretins who use hunting season as an opportunity to prove something about their manhood." Equinox is a lyrical tale about the revelations of life, a story we haven't heard before told in crystalline prose.

Book Description

A story about his decision to devote himself to his greatest loves - falconry, his bird dogs, and the prairie he calls home.

Customer Reviews:

If I was a hunter, I'd fly falcons!.......2007-04-16

I've never hunted before - game or fowl. I grew up in the city, and have never held a shotgun in my 40 years. I had no understanding of hunting - it's potential for beauty and forging a connection with nature - until I read Dan O'Brien's Equinox.

Dan's connection with nature through falconry is moving, and at times tangible throughout Equinox. He reveals hunting as a truly noble sport - if approached with reverence for nature and respect for predator and prey.

Dan's prose is straightforward, without frills or fancy, well-suited to the rustic life he describes, stalking grouse on the South Dakota plains with bird and dog.

I think most people will enjoy Equinox, regardless of background, but I especially recommend it to people who have negative feelings about hunting but are open to thinking about it in a new way.

Couldn't put it down.......2004-04-20

I just finished reading the book in two settings, spending most of a Sunday afternoon and Monday evening enjoying this excellent novel. I was captivated by the people, dogs, birds, and environment. This is a must read. I loved it.

For The Birds.......2003-01-28

I liked this book. At times, there may have been too much emphasis on the dogs, or too much on just falcons (red-tailed hawk coverage would have been great, but the author caters to peregrine falcons, so it is obviously his choice). Regardless, the amount of detailed coverage is impressive and written very well. Fortunately, the author eases you into the detail and doesn't toss it in your lap like some books. Whenever a new falconry term is mentioned in the text, there is a small side-bar definition of that term.

Some have said that the author's attitude gets in the way. When I read the few pages from the website, I also got a little of that. However, when I read the rest of the book, I did not get that at all. Often, appearances can be deceiving.

Interesting, but too self-indulgent..........2002-10-24

Having begun working with birds of prey (in a rehabilitation center) in the last couple of years I have searched for books that gave more personal insights into the practice of falconry. Mr.O'Brien certainly knows his subject and does a fine job of describing the sport and the birds themselves. His accounts of hacking (early training) young peregrines in particular are excellent. I found his descriptions of what can go wrong, as well as right, in the caring and training of these birds quite illuminating and engrossing. His use of falconers-speak is well balanced with the story and the annotations quite helpful for those unfamiliar with the sport.
I unfortunately found the overall concept of a man in midlife attempting to convince the reader that he is on a quest for some sort of middle age epiphany a bit trying. His relationship with his wife - an anesthesiologist who spends the majority of her time in a sleep deprived state, taking hospital call, and generally supporting his rather indulgent and self-centered lifestyle- frustrated me and was distracting from an otherwise interesting story about the training of a gifted young peregrine falcon.
I give much credit to Mr. O'Brien for being a man in touch with nature and clearly environmentally sensitive and conservation oriented. But, as my wife said after finishing the book, he comes across as something of a jerk in his personal life. Given that Mr. O'Brien's skills in describing the beauty of the land he lives on and the animals he has the great privilege of interacting with are most enviable, it's a shame that this aspect diminishes an otherwise excellent story.

Great Story.......2000-11-23

I was surprised at how good this book was. I expected it to be a primer for my interest in falconry but found it to be so much more. It is a fantastic account of the training of a raptor and the relationship between man and bird. Obviously passionate about his undertaking the author describes the training process in vivid detail making a compelling story to the end. With an equally interesting personal story that parallels his bird of prey adventure this book makes for a very enjoyable read.

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