Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained

Book Description

Decode the mysterious symbolism that can make even the most familiar paintings elusive!

Discover the refreshingly new approach to art appreciation in Art. Using detailed annotation of 45 works from the world's greatest artists, Art provides a deeper understanding and richer enjoyment of the masterpieces of painting.

Great Art Made Accessible. This fascinating book takes an original approach to interpreting the lost language of art, using annotation to highlight everything you need to know to appreciate the world's favorite paintings, from Botticelli's The Birth of Venus to Picasso's Guernica. Art explains the artist's techniques and intentions and clarifies the meaning of obscure subjects, decoding the mysterious symbolism that can make even the most familiar painting elusive.

Art is like a gallery full of the world's most spectacular paintings, including the devotional icons of the Gothic period and early Renaissance and the awe-inspiring achievements of the High Renaissance. It shows the splendor of the Baroque and Rococo, and scrutinizes the drama of the Neoclassicists and the Romantics. The enchantment of the Impressionist school and the complexities of the Cubist movement are also revealed in glowing color. Biographical notes on the artist place each work in its true personal and historical context.

The book's generous size and faithful color reproduction allow every painting to be displayed accurately and in detail. At last, art lovers can truly enter the world of their favorite paintings.

Customer Reviews:

A great book!.......2007-02-24

This is an excellent book that can be used to teach art history, art appreciation or an introduction to art. The photos of the artwork are excellent and there are a vast array of subjects covered.

ART.......2007-02-18

This is a fine book for the novice who wants a quick review of what the paintings are about, some of the symbols that the masters have suppied for the deeper meanings, and a little about the masters themselves.

great for a lifetime of learning.......2007-01-18

This is a great book to use as a self-study course for art appreciation, to improve your knowledge of great artists or to study for a game show appearance. Each artist is represented by one painting which is then described (techniques, subject matter, history) in detail. For example you will learn all about Rembrant's Balshazzar's Feast. The story behind the painting, the meaning of "handwriting on the wall", the hebrew expression that is written, the people present in the painting (Rembrant's wife), you also get a short bit about each artist's life. I read the book cover to cover and learned so much. I have made it a goal to see as many of the painting as I can in each museum. Other members of my family have also enjoyed reading pages of the book. I first read this book as a library copy, but bought it to read, reread and share. I strongly recommend this as a book to someone who is into self improvement, or wants to learn about art for an appearance on Jeopardy!

Required Reading.......2006-01-27

If you love art and want to learn more about some of history's greatest paintings then this book is required reading. The paintings represented are famous or just plain inspiring. This book enables the reader to get the inside story behind these paintings and learn the histories, theories, intentions and effects behind them. This is a thought provoking and informative book on a higher and pleasing level than your usual art theory books. This book is quite original to say the very least.

Art; World's Greatest Paintings.......2005-07-26

This is like walking through a museum. Makes a great gift.

Art of Mary Beth Edelson, The
Average customer rating:
Art of Mary Beth Edelson, The
Linda Aleci , Paul Bloodgood , Laura Cottingham , Alissa Friedman , E. Ann Kaplan , Mary Beth Edelson , Nancy Spero , and Carolee Schneemann
Manufacturer: Seven Cycles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960465073
Release Date: 2002-06-02

Book Description

From the 70s ritual performances to the post-feminism of the new century, Mary Beth Edelson has been destabilizing preexisting representations of women. Whether in her version of the "Last Supper," in which Georgia O'Keeffe plays Christ to disciples Lee Krasner, Nancy Graves, Louise Bourgeois, and Yoko Ono; or in her performance "Cliffhanger," in which she hangs off a precipice; or in isolating images of "femmes fatales" of Hollywood films to project another narrative on their stereotyped scripts, Edelson never loses sight of what is at stake in her work: the construction, representation, and consumption of images of women. This book, a virtual scrapbook of the feminism movement, includes conversations between Edelson and such seminal feminist figures as Carolee Schneemann, Nancy Spero, and Miriam Schapiro. Designed by the artist and full of 30 years' worth of her multidisciplinary feminist and community-based work, The Art of Mary Beth Edelson offers Edelson the ultimate control over the construction of her own image in the present and the opportunity to recontextualize her past.

Average customer rating:

Seven Cycles: Public Rituals
Mary Beth Edelson
Manufacturer: Seven Cycles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960465006

Mary Beth Edelson, new work: An ancient thirst and a future vision : Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie-Mellon University, College of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Mary Beth Edelson, new work: An ancient thirst and a future vision : Hewlett Gallery, Carnegie-Mellon University, College of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mary Beth Edelson
Manufacturer: The Gallery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006E9K60

Mary Beth Edelson: Firsthand: photographs by Mary Beth Edelson 1973-1993 and Shooter series

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Mary Beth Edelson: Firsthand: photographs by Mary Beth Edelson 1973-1993 and Shooter series
Mary Beth Edelson
Manufacturer: M.B. Edelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006P0M9S

To Dance: Paintings and Drawings by Mary Beth Edelson with Performance in Mind

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To Dance: Paintings and Drawings by Mary Beth Edelson with Performance in Mind
Mary B. Edelson
Manufacturer: Mary Beth Edelson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0960465014

Book Description

Now in Paperback! Straight from the Horse's Mouth provides a fascinating, first-hand account of a unique filmmaker, who began his career as assistant cameraman on Hitchcock's first talkie, Blackmail, and went on to direct Maggie Smith, Judy Garland, Walter Matthau, and many other prominent performers. The book includes tales of the on-and-off-the-set antics of comedian George Formby, and original accounts of his experiences working with Noel Coward and David Lean. This is not simply an autobiography, but rather a history of British cinema from the 1920s through the 1960s, and Hollywood cinema from the 1960s through the present.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Ronald Neame: An Autobiography

Average customer rating:

Straight from my mouth. Just Great!
The Horses Mouth

Straight from the Horse's Mouth: Ronald Neame: An Autobiography
Ronald Neame , Barbara Roisman Cooper , and Michael Caine
Manufacturer: The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Movie Directors | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Cinematography | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Direction & Production | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810844907

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

Straight from my mouth. Just Great!.......2003-05-02

This book has it all, adventure, history, fun and it doesn't read like an autobiography, but more like a wonderful entertaining story. I heartily recommend it for anyone who loves film and who would appreciate being transported into the heyday of the film industry. Kudos to the writers who did such a beautiful job.

The Horses Mouth.......2003-03-25

This autobiography is fascinating and written in a very "readable" and easy manner. Mr. Neames' life is so interesting. The film industry is part of our history and is an important art form. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

Beetle Bailey Flying High
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Beetle Bailey Flying High
Mort Walker
Manufacturer: TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UDRLQI

Beetle Bailey: A Flying Beetle (Beetle Bailey)
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Beetle Bailey: A Flying Beetle (Beetle Bailey)
Mort Walker
Manufacturer: Tor Books
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: 0812508718

Flying High (beetle bailey)
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Flying High (beetle bailey)

Manufacturer: A Tom Doherty Associates Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 523490038X

Presumed Ignorant!: Over 400 Cases of Legal Looniness, Daffy Defendants, and Bloopers from the Bench
Average customer rating:

Somewhat disappointing

A eye opener for all!

Presumed Ignorant!: Over 400 Cases of Legal Looniness, Daffy Defendants, and Bloopers from the Bench
Leland Gregory
Manufacturer: Dell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Lawyers & Criminals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Political | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Legal System | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Law | Subjects | Books
Legal Systems | Perspectives on Law | Law | Subjects | Books
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Idiots in Love: Chronicles of Romantic Stupidity

Idiots at Work: Chronicles of Workplace Stupidity

ASIN: 0440507898
Release Date: 1998-07-06

Book Description

Oyez! Oyez! Here comes a hilarious expose of the most bizarre, outrageous, and hilarious acts ever perpetrated in the halls of justice. From the dumbest defenses ever dreamed up to the silliest law suits ever filed, it's an open and shut case of the law at its most lunatic.A Connecticut law forbids the sale of pickles which break or squish when dropped from one foot above the ground. "They should remain whole and even bounce." A defendant accused of theft showed up in court wearing his best suit in order to make a good impression. His dapper duds impressed the plaintiff most--the custom-made suit had been stolen from him! It is illegal for any driver of an automobile to be blindfolded while operating the vehicle in Birmingham, Alabama. A New York City inmate sued the correctional system for $8.5 million in damages because he smuggled a gun into prison--and then accidentally shot himself. And much, much more...Presumed Ignorant will make you laugh out loud at hundreds of the zaniest examples of our legal system in action.

Customer Reviews:

Somewhat disappointing.......2000-09-26

While this book indeed includes many funny or absurd courtroom showings or legislation extracts, it falls short, far short of my expectations towards careful referencing. I would really like to threaten to sue the tea shop in Wisconsin that serves me an apple pie without cheese, but where do I find the actual law? Is it still in effect or has this particular incongruity been dropped? And if I want to sue the friendly Georgian who just slapped my back, where do I find it? If Mr. Gregory really researched and found these absurdities, why didn't he reference them? In effect, I remain ignorant.

Then, not all inclusions in this book are really funny. Apparently, in Cleveland, OH, it is illegal to ride a bike with your hands off the handlebar. Why is this funny? It is a necessary law: riding a bike with your hands off the handlebars is possible, is done (at least here in Switzerland) and is, of course, more dangerous (braking takes much longer and sharp turns are impossible). This law is neither absurd nor unnecessary and only says something about Mr. Gregory's grasp of bicycling, not about the grey matter of whoever passed the law.

Having said all that, it still remains an amusing coffee table book or bathroom reader, and does point the finger at human irrationality gone rampant in US law. (I however believe other nations are not exempt of similar bloopers - they just don't have a market for this type of literary offerings.) If a law against throwing onions at people is the worst gaffe in the US legal system, all is well; but one specific example of an inmate being saved from execution 13 hours before they flipped the switch reminds us of the more serious problems with the US justice. Unfortunately, Mr. Gregory's book deflects our outrage from the important to the frivolous issues - its entertainment value is the only reason I rate it at three stars.

A eye opener for all!.......1998-11-12

This book has helped me realize how irresponsible I have been towards our government. I used to believe the media when I heard that tax increases will help. I now realize that if any business were to operate like our government, it would have filed bankrupcy a long time ago. We need to become active in our gov. and if it were not for this satire of truth, I would have never learned that. I am also now researching somethings and would like to know where to look. If I could somehow ask Mr Leland H. Gregory, III where to look, that would be tremendously helpful. Thankyou and I hope to hear from ya!~

The New Men of Power: America's Labor Leaders
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The New Men of Power: America's Labor Leaders
C. Wright Mills
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Industrial | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | 20th Century | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Labor Unions | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Urban | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 025206948X

The New Men of Power America's Labor Leaders
Average customer rating:
The New Men of Power America's Labor Leaders

Manufacturer: Harcourt ,Brace & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I8H8W2

The New Men of Power: America's Labor Leaders
Average customer rating:
The New Men of Power: America's Labor Leaders
C. Wright Mills
Manufacturer: University of Illinois Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OQ83KE

A Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam (Hellgate Memories Series.)
Average customer rating:

Remember the 1808!!

Survival against many odds

Honest and chilling

Thank God for Second Chances

The portrayal of a real hero.......

A Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam (Hellgate Memories Series.)
Ernest C. Brace
Manufacturer: Hellgate Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
Vietnam War | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | Vietnam | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
Southeast Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books
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Honor Bound: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973

ASIN: 1555716237

Book Description

This is the true story of a man's lonely triumph over adversity. Ernest C. Brace was a decorated Marine pilot, the first to fly one hundred missions in the Korean War. A little more than five years later, however, a fateful accident and a hastily made decision stripped him of his rank, and he was dishonorably discharged from the Marines.

Vowing to regain his lost honor, he flew secret supply missions to Laos as part of a C.I.A. operation during the Vietnam War. Captured in a surprise attack by the Pathet Lao, Brace was imprisoned and brought to an isolated outpost in North Vietnam, where he was confined in a bamboo cage, his head, hands, and feet bound. Though a civilian, he made it a point to live by the Military Code of Conduct: he resisted the enemy whenever he could, and attempted escape three times. But each run for freedom only led to crueler torments upon capture.

In this extraordinary memoir of courage, sacrifice, and the will to survive, Ernie Brace recounts his experiences in a way that is stirring, inspiring, and memorable. A CODE TO KEEP is destined to stand out as one of the key documents of America's involvement in Vietnam.

Customer Reviews:

Remember the 1808!!.......2006-02-09

"A Code to Keep" is the story of Ernest C. Brace. Brace was a former Marine pilot, who left the Corps in the early 1960s under a cloud. His plane had crashed on a training mission in Maryland and Brace simply abandoned the aircraft. In May of 1965, he was flying for USAID in Laos when captured by the Pathet Lao. Any connection to the CIA is unmentioned. He was soon turned over to the North Vietnamese and went on to suffer nearly eight years captivity until the general release of the POWs in the Spring of 1973. Though a civilian, Brace comported himself as a military man. Though not mistreated as badly as many fellow POWs, Brace sought no special privileges his civilian status might have given him. Every POW tale tells its' own special story and CTK is no different: CTK relates the continuing struggle of senior POWs to maintain a command structure in prison and to minimize any cooperation with the North Vietnamese captors. Senior POWs as McCain, Risner, Stockdale are here, as are other brave high raking Americans in Hanoi's captivity. So too is WO John Anton, author of the excellent "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" Brace deals less with the aspect of torture and mistreatment than other POW tales. He even portrays an almost neutral attitude toward his captors. Brace is also somewhat benign to those Americans who cooperated with their captors. He labels them "The Peace Idiots" rather than "collaborators". Perhaps the author has come to terms with these folks. Moreso to his credit. What bothered and disturbed this reviewer about CTK is Brace's status as a Laos captee. Only 9 Americans, Brace included, were ever repatriated alive from that mysterious country. All were released through Hanoi. The remains of close to 200 more men were also returned. Some 450+ are still unaccounted for! The author makes it crystal clear that the Laotian captees in Hanoi were justifiably worried that they would never come home. NVA Officers only encouraged that fear. Neither side wanted to admit having troops there! The affected Americans dubbed themselves LULUS - The Legendary Union of Laotian Unfortunates. Only a last minute intervention by President Nixon had the Lulus repatriated on schedule in 1973. RN remains the only American President to seriously address the POW/MIA issue. As of January 1, 1808 remain missing in 5 Asian countries. The bottom line is that CTK is yet one more solid entry of POW epics. A star is deducted for that old and ongoing malfaction: no Maps! Brace was so deep in the Laotian boonies that even a Rand McNally map does not help place him! Brace made a long trek to Hanoi; a decent map would have helped document his journey to ultimate freedom. As it says above, each tells its' own story. CTK yields yet another vantagepoint into that long Indochina War that affected so many of us. Fortunately for all, life does indeed go on after repatriation.

Survival against many odds.......2005-03-01

Among the very many Americans who were captured in Laos during the Vietnam War, Ernest C. Brace was among the handful few who came home. Brace was captured in 1965, and he wasn't allowed to return back home before 1973. While he was in captivity he was tortured and for many years he was held in a small bamboo cage. At one point this kind of treatment made him unable to stand on his feet.
Later on he was moved to Hanoi and after a while allowed company with fellow American POWs. The first American he came in contact with was John McCain. He taught Brace how to make use of his tin cup to make Morse signals. In this way the prisoners were able to communicate. Later on he was moved into a cell accompanied with other POWs who had been captured in Laos.

One of the things I liked the most with this book was that it had a happy ending. When Brace arrived home he once again proved that he was a survivor. He managed to survive freedom. The homecoming was a shock to him, since his wife had remarried and despite knowing differently, told the children their father was dead. Ernest C. Brace gives a lot of praise to his second wife, Nancy. She came into his life while he was still in hospital. His younger children moved in with them, and Ernest Brace got a new job and a career.

Ernest Brace ends his book in 2001 by telling us that he retired in 1993, and there is a photo of him together with M. and Raisa Gorbachev taken the same year. He tells that it was taken when he was asked to accompany the Russian couple on a trip from Washington D.C. to San Francisco.

Ernest Brace is a man who survived against the odds. This is a captivating book that makes you sit down and think long after you have finished it.

Honest and chilling.......2004-11-13

A unique perspective from a civilian prisoner of war in Vietnam, giving new meaning to semper fidelis. Well written and hard to put down.

Thank God for Second Chances.......2004-09-27

Teriffic!! Couldn't put it down. I read this book over a year ago, loaned it out to several people and have still never got it back. It made a big impression on me and I still can't get it out of my head. I've read virtually every book by former POWs in Vietnam but this one is entirely unique because of the bizarre background that Mr. Brace had prior to becoming a POW. As an attorney in the Army JAG Corps, I've both defended and prosecuted soldiers for committing crimes and misconduct similar to that of Ernie Brace which resulted in his court-martial conviction and dismissal from the Marine Corps. This book, written in total humility with no pretensions, really shows that we can all redeem ourselves and regain our honor and character, regardless of whether we have used poor judgement in life. It also helps to put a lot of what we consider to be "problems" in their proper perspective. Realizing what he went through, most of our hangups today are nothing in comparision. This is a great book to teach people about character, without stuffing it down your throat and being pious. It also has a fantastic ending.

The portrayal of a real hero..............2003-05-05

Former marine pilot Ernest C. Brace was employed as a U.S. contract pilot for USAID, flying in Laos supporting Vietnam war efforts, when his airstrip was overrun by enemy forces in May of 1965 and he was taken captive.

In his initial 3 years of captivity in Laos, Brace would be held alternately by Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese troops. Suffering inhuman conditions and being caged like an animal, he would end up attempting 3 daring escapes earning him brutal beatings and subsequent injuries that would affect him the rest of his life.

Upon being transferred to North Vietnam, Ernest Brace would continue his last four and a half years of imprisonment in the Hanoi Hilton, Plantation, and Briar Patch prison compounds. While confined in these locations, though not obligated to do so, he honorably followed the U.S. serviceman's code of conduct earning him the respect and admiration of all the American prisoners he was with.

Although never tortured like other POW's, Brace would risk this many times as he became a major junction for communications between prisoners which helped boost morale and also heightened resistance to captors. Offered early release due to his civilian status, he declined with the intention of only going home when the sum total of American servicemen were also released.

Upon repatriation from Vietnam in 1973, after almost 8 years in captivity (four and a half of those years in solitary confinement), Brace would find his return triumphant and bittersweet at the same time. Learning that his wife had remarried during his imprisonment and spending a full year in hospital visits to repair his injured body, he would eventually find success, happiness, and prosperity in the years to follow.

Ernest C. Brace, the longest held civilian POW of the Vietnam war, is a true American hero in every sense of the word and is an outstanding example of how patriotism, loyalty, courage, and inspiration are brought out in a person. So much so that he was awarded the highest civilian award given by the Department of Defense for his actions during confinement in Vietnam.

A Code To Keep is a well written and remarkable narrative on POW captivity and comes highly recommended to everyone.

The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) (Politically Incorrect Guides)
Average customer rating:

Shows common myths wrong but too many omissions and quite a bit of ranting

Hate some more people...thats all we need

PIG Islam

OH MY GOD!

Informative

The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades) (Politically Incorrect Guides)
Robert Spencer
Manufacturer: Regnery Publishing, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
History | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Science (Politically Incorrect Guides)

ASIN: 0895260131

Book Description

Islam expert Robert Spencer reveals Islam's ongoing, unshakable quest for global conquest and why the West today faces the same threat as the Crusaders did--and what we can learn from their experience.

Customer Reviews:

Shows common myths wrong but too many omissions and quite a bit of ranting.......2007-10-06

Following upon the runaway success of its guide to American history, Regnery Publishing decided to follow it with a guide to Islam, which fitted in with the paranoia about jihad taking over the West at the time.

"The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)" covers much the same territory as the author's former book Islam Unveiled. Having read about Muslims' own viewpoints of Islam through investigating the fatwa against Salman Rushdie, Spencer both in Islam Unveiled and this book provides a clear corrective to people who seemed reasonable people when I first read them but are in fact apologists for Islam. His illustration of the amount of violence in the Qur'an is in fact something I knew of very well from reading my father's copy as a child, but Spencer's illustration of how Muslim theologians actually regard the most violent verses as overturning less violent ones is something quite new (to me) and shocking.

His overview of the Crusades is essentially a repeat of Islam Unveiled, though for those who read other aspects of the period's history it seems strangely incomplete and not looking at other events of the time like Christianisation of northern Europe. There is also a lot of repetitive ranting about how Muslim rulers' apparent tolerance of other religions resulted from them relaxing Sharia law: Spencer makes no effort to explain why they relaxed it or failed to follow it (or even why they ended such practices). In a similar vein is his explanation of how Islam wiped out Zoroastrianism and Nestorian Christianity consequent upon its eastward spread. This may be a good explanation; however, there are two glaring omissions in this context.

The first is the absence of a chapter or two on the response of Hindu and Buddhist Asia to the spread of Islam. Given Spencer's statement that Hindu India is the only nation apart from the West that has successfully resisted jihad, this is surprising. The second is a discussion to the spread of Islam in southeast Asia between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Given that Islam in southeast Asia is often quoted (despite the terrorism in Indonesia today) by many who deny that Islam is by nature intolerant and violent, this omission is all the more serious. Spencer also does consider that modernisation is already seriously weakening traditions in most Muslim nations today, so that some of his claims about the Islamic future of the West come off as too familiar.

All in all, "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)" does offer some remarkably obvious correctives to myths about Islam and the Qur'an, as well as some almost-terrifying revelations about Islam and its founder. Its tone is at times very ranty, however, and there are a number of facets of Islamic history that the book omits to mention.

Hate some more people...thats all we need.......2007-09-28

This book reinforces the medias hold on our society...once you have been fed something for so long (in this case that Islam is bad) it is quite easy to belief when people start picking apart pieces...i embraced Islam 1 1/2 years ago and it was the best decision i have ever made...i do not prescribe to some of the most socially damaging behaviours of our time drinking/premarital sex/overindulgence in material possessions/environemenatl damage....Islam has put all these things in perspective for me and has given me a foundation and guidance as to how to achieve these things.....
I love all people and respect their beliefs and literature like this CREATES FURTHER DISTANCE BETWEEN HUMANKIND......like we need anymore hate and discrimination....

PIG Islam.......2007-09-24

Not as good as I thought it would be. Does not provide much insight, but makes you want to learn more.

OH MY GOD!.......2007-09-21

A MUST READ for every person living in Western Civilization! This book exposes this 'religion' as the expansionist political movement it is and the underground quiet revolution that is taking place using our legal system, our schools, our media, our gullibility and the mathematical inevitabilty of population demographics to impose their will on our society.
Even right thinking Muslims who practice only the spiritual and moral precepts by which they live their lives I doubt know the underlying and nefarious principles of Islam. And if they do shame on them for not publicly rejecting them.
Eye opening reading. Spend the money to buy this book. The more you know about Islam will allow you see through the politically correct smokescreen that the Islamist apologists (CAIR), our media and our government is putting forth. Our civilization and the future of your grandchildren are at stake. Buy it but more importantly read it cover to cover and then pass it on to a neighbor or friend.

Informative.......2007-09-18

A good read that's well argued. To anyone presenting Islam as peaceful, this book cross references the koran frequently and to good effect. Also explains a bit of history prior to the crusades that is commonly omitted from contemporary debate.

Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Library Edition)

Average customer rating:

Popular myths debunked with facts
Eye-opening, Thought-provoking, & Sure to irritate the Left-Wing
Simply propaganda. Neither politically incorrect nor a guide to Islam.

Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Library Edition)
Robert Spencer
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Islam | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion

ASIN: 0786175893

Product Description

Did you know that Islam teaches that Muslims must wage war to impose Islamic law on non-Muslim states, or that American Muslim groups are engaged in a huge cover-up of Islamic doctrine? These and other "politically incorrect" facts are revealed by Robert Spencer in The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades).

Customer Reviews:

Popular myths debunked with facts.......2006-10-14

Robert Spencer [...]

A For-Instance: the myth that the Crusades were unjust incursions by Europeans into the Middle East. Truth: they were reactions to centuries of conquest by Muslim warriors who not only seized previously Byzantine-Christian territories from Morocco to Syria but also threatened Europe itself. They effectively delayed for centures the Muslim takeover of the Continent that is in progress today because naive European socialist leaders don't know their history.

Spencer knows the whole Koran and all the hadith -- the primary written sources for the religion -- and he knows thoroughly the violent history of Muslim expansion from sources both Muslim and Western. The truth about Islam and its more bellicose adherents' designs on us and our Western society is so horrific that Spencer's expose sounds like propaganda, but it's not. Propaganda is what you read in statements by Hamas, Hezbollah, etc, and which get passed on by Western media written by writers who cannot believe that everybody in the world (except conservatives and Jews) is not good. Spencer is the antidote.

This book is a wake-up call. If you want to know what is really happening in the world with all the headlines about Islamist violence, Robert Spencer provides the background.

Eye-opening, Thought-provoking, & Sure to irritate the Left-Wing.......2006-08-05

As the title indicates, this book unfolds the history of Islam, revealing an often less-than-charitable religion. Some of the details were shocking to learn. The author uncovers details of Islamic culture that never see the light of the regularly syndicated T.V. and print media. This book is a must-read for anyone trying to make sense of the current conflicts around the world.

Simply propaganda. Neither politically incorrect nor a guide to Islam. .......2006-03-20

If you already believe or want to believe that Islam is evil/violent/etc., this will give you lots of ammunition, in a package that will sound scholarly to the nonscholarly.

If you want to see how the far right's propaganda works, this is a great example. Most of the language is that tired old "Liberal media and leftist academics don't want you to know this, but the Truth is..." stuff. Rather than a guide to Islam, we get a steady stream of "PC Myths", "Jesus versus Mohammed", "Book You're Not Supposed to Read", and "Some Islam Apologists will tell you that...". In other words, the audience for this work is not someone who wants to learn about Islam, but rather the conspiracy theorists who've arranged their belief system around that "liberal media" strategy of the right wing propagandists.

The sections begin with phrases like "Islam: Religion of War" and "Islam: Religion of Intolerance", with cherry-picked quotes to support the claims. They hired someone with an intelligent-sounding voice to read it, but the content is ranting, and as another reviewer pointed out, repetitive. The author crammed a half a CD's worth of material onto seven CDs.

I'm very open to the possibility that Islam is, at its core, violent. I suspect that it is (though I wouldn't claim to know), and was hoping to learn something about that question. But this work is so obviously just shallow propaganda, transparently aimed at persuading gullible readers against Islam, and so undermines its own persuasive goal if you're a fair-minded reader. You're more likely to come away thinking less of Christianity in light of the shamelessness of the author.

If you want to learn something about Islam, don't bother with this. Despite the title, the work is raw political correctness, and not a good source of information. However, again, if you're interested in the nature of right wing propaganda this is a solid example.

POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO ISLAM (AND THE CRUSADES)

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POLITICALLY INCORRECT GUIDE TO ISLAM (AND THE CRUSADES)
ROBERT SPENCER
Manufacturer: Regnery
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q04XDY

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Unabridged)

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The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) (Unabridged)
Robert Spencer
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000I0SF8G

Birdwatcher's Britain: The unique pocket guide to birdwatching walks
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Birdwatcher's Britain: The unique pocket guide to birdwatching walks

Manufacturer: Ordnance Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Ornithology | Zoology | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0319000206

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BIRDWATCHER'S BRITAIN: THE UNIQUE POCKET GUIDE TO BIRDWATCHING WALKS.

Manufacturer: BCA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HLUSE0

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