The Art of Looking Sideways

Amazon.com

Alan Fletcher's The Art of Looking Sideways is an absolutely extraordinary and inexhaustible "guide to visual awareness," a virtually indescribable concoction of anecdotes, quotes, images, and bizarre facts that offers a wonderfully twisted vision of the chaos of modern life. Fletcher is a renowned designer and art director, and the joy of The Art of Looking Sideways lies in its beautiful design. Loosely arranged in 72 chapters with titles like "Colour," "Noise," "Chance," "Camouflage," and "Handedness," Fletcher's book, which he describes as "a journey without a destination," is "a collection of shards" that captures the sensory overload of a world that simply contains too much information. In one typical section, entitled "Civilization," the reader encounters six Polish flags designed to represent the world, a photograph of an anthropomorphic handbag, Buzz Aldrin's boot print on the moon, drawings of Stone Age pebbles, a painting of "Ireland--as seen from Wales," and a dizzying array of quotations and snippets of information, including the wise words of Marcus Aurelius, Stephen Jay, and Gandhi's comment, "Western civilization? I think it would be a good idea." Fletcher's mastery of design mixes type, space, fonts, alphabets, color, and layout combined with a "jackdaw" eye for the strange and profound to produce a stunning book that cannot be read, but only experienced. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk

Book Description

The ultimate guide to visual awareness. Compiled over decades by one of today's most brilliant graphic designers, this is a panoply of curious facts, visual puns, anecdotes, serious science, insights, images, jokes, memories and reflections, with 700 illustrations and quotes from over 1000+ writers.

The Art of Looking Sideways is a primer in visual intelligence, an exploration of the workings of the eye, the hand, the brain and the imagination. It is an inexhaustible mine of anecdotes, quotations, images, curious facts and useless information, oddities, serious science, jokes, memories all concerned with the interplay between the verbal and the visual, and the limitless resources of the human mind. Loosely arranged in 72 'chapters', all this material is presented in a wonderfully inventive series of pages that are themselves masterly demonstrations of the expressive use of type, space, colour and imagery.

This book does not set out to teach lessons, but it is full of wisdom and insights collected from all over the world. Describing himself as a 'visual jackdaw', master designer Alan Fletcher has distilled a lifetime of experience and reflection into a brilliantly witty and inimitable exploration of such subjects as perception, colour, pattern, proportion, paradox, illusion, language, alphabets, words, letters, ideas, creativity, culture, style, aesthetics and value.

The Art of Looking Sideways is the ultimate guide to visual awareness, a magical compilation that will entertain and inspire all those who enjoy the interplay between word and image, and who relish the odd and the unexpected.

Customer Reviews:

The Master's view.......2007-07-22

The effect of Alan's work cannot be measured. Many generations of graphic designers around the globe could consider, even if it sounds irreverent, that the influence of his thinking exceeds that of his graphic works. Or, maybe, they are a part of the same view. I had the joy of working with (for) him surrounded by the mystic of a company where innovative values, methodology, and productive manner form a paradigm largely imitated, but never equalled.

The Art of looking Sideways is a real haemorrhage of precious stories, quotes and unique images taken from mankind's (and his) visual memory and it is a treasure not to be lost. The delicious, nonconformist, iconoclastic words and style create labyrinths and paths that merge with the contents in such a way that interaction is continuous and surprising. Each page is a different world. A reveal. Every page could be the last and we would close the book with a smile. Yet there is always another, even more exciting than the previous one.
We have always dreamt of this book. It really seems this work has been around for ever, not just now. Being timeless, plural, and with an enormous and generous vision becomes a milestone of design and its long history. (Could it also be a milestone in the history of every book?). This book had to exist.

Years of hard work, search, analysis, compilations, trips, references, treasons, stories, memories, fantasies and thoughts give way to this book with the most delicate and human sense of humour. A book lightened by a smile of genuine wisdom, that of somebody who has learnt everything from deep practice and tells it with the asceticism and the greatness of great folks. He mentions every day stuff, things that less sagacious views would have missed. As a street encyclopaedia he is saying, as Macedonio Fernandez once said "not everything is wakefulness when eyes are opened."
It is not a history of design, not even close. Nor an essay on semiotics. Nor a book on the theory of shapes. Nor a random encyclopaedia. It is nothing that could be explained in editorial terms. It is a book for designers, scientists, housewives, doctors, astronauts, children and adults, a book for everybody. You just need an open mind and to sit back and experience the difference between seeing and looking. As Jeremy Myerson says on his review, "I think Alan wrote this book for me". I believe we all feel the same. We all sense we had something to do with this piece of work, something that involves us, because it involves everybody. And everything. We all believe it has been dedicated to us.
Alan said: "This book is about many things that I have never been taught".

My "Giant Book".......2007-07-20

This has to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read / seen / encountered. First, although I have read every word of this amazing text, I cannot say that one reads it as much as experiences it. I received it from my amazingly perceptive and wise wife for Christmas of 2006, and I took it to the relatives' house that day. All day, while everyone else was playing Rummikube and watching football, I was browsing through my "giant book."
The design is gorgeous, with fascinating fonts and colors and layouts on every page. The content is an adventure, with information on everything from Salvadore Dali to ancient runes, to the power of an elephant's trunk. There is an amazing "shadow motorcycle" on page 48 which you must see to believe, and there's a photo of a faded cardboard box that the author found to be interesting.
When I finally finished it, I closed it sadly and told my wife that I'd read every word and studied every image in the "giant book." She asked, "What will you do now?"
"Read it again, of course," I replied.
When I was considering a birthday present for my 29 year old son who is a web designer for an advertising firm, this was my first and only thought. He liked it so much that he brought it to his workplace and told his colleagues to dip into it when they needed inspiration. They did, and they love it too.
Get this book. It will change your life! (A little).

sounds cooler than it is.......2007-05-12

I guess because this is such a huge book, they had to print on cheap, thin paper or else it would have weighed 100 pounds. It kind of took away from the designs however . The paper is a little thicker than newsprint. I also didn't see why it had to to be sooo honkin' big. I get the idea that you open the book at random and are exposed to different ideas and designs. I just thought it could have had a bit of editing as I found many of the designs and ideas repetitive. There is some interesting stuff here no doubt, but I was just not bowled over.

Amazing book!.......2007-03-11

This is one of those delicious finds that can reenergize any designer who's bored and needs a kick.

The book is full of ideas waiting to be created by you........2007-03-08

I buy books at random, not by selection. I look at something on the shelf and decided if it's inspiring to have. The Art of Looking Sideways is just that, the perspective is left up to the reader. You can flip through its randomness and find something that will spark your imagination and creativity. The book is so big that every time I look through it, I always find something new to read, enjoy, and ponder.

Like any art book, this ISN'T for everyone. This is for someone that can respect anything that's everything created by and made out of nothing. If you want to be intrigued, or just want something interesting to read, this is the book.

Book Description

Designed to help the underwater photographer make a smooth transition to digital imaging, this book discusses how to digitally refine, correct, and enhance underwater photographs. It details the equipment necessary for digital imaging for underwater photography, and includes a discussion on the essentials of scanning. There is extensive information on Adobe Photoshop, and how it can be used to edit underwater pictures. This book also investigates the ethics of photo manipulation and discusses the future of underwater photography.

Customer Reviews:

shoot underwater.......2007-03-26

The book seems to cover some of the basics. It does an ok job of covering the shoot part and and ok job of the editing part. If you are looking for details, I would consider a different book or two books...one specifically about getting the shot and one specifically about fixing the shot.

Good Start.......2006-03-13

This book is a good start for someone considering underwater photography with a digital camera. It touches on the important aspects of the subject and gives a very basic overview of what is involved. For the serious photographer, I would recommend the authpr's professional guide on the same subject. It has more detail and better images.

I should have read the reviews.......2004-08-25

It is a complete waste of money, like it sais in one of the reviews. Should have listened!!! This book is completely useless, the authors assume that you already know all about digital imaging and the book is just a review. You won't learn. Don't buy it.

Not what I was expecting at all.......2004-07-24

When I bought this book, I thought I would learn some ways to enhance my pictures with detailed examples. I was really disappointed when I saw that it wasn't the case. They show what they did with what tool but without any detailed explanations. "Before-and-after-color-balance" wasn't what I had in mind when I bought this book. I didn't need to pay 50$ to know that if I go through photoshop menus and do some tests, I would learn it sooner or later. I really think it should be mentionned that this book is intended for people that have beginner skills with computers. 30% of the book explains how to use a scanner...

The only way I would recommend this book is if you don't know much about computers and have no clue what photoshop is and want to know where the menu for Hue/Saturation is. Otherwise, don't waste any penny on that, instead, go to specialized website, you'll find tutorials that are a 100 times better than this book with real detailed examples.

A complete waste of money.......2004-07-21

I found this book to be a very poor educational source for digital photography and image editing. As a photographer who is switching from slide film to digital, I have read three other books on digital photography, including Peter Burian's "Mastering Digital Photography and Imaging". Burian's book (and the other two books) blow's the Drafahl's book out of the water(no pun intended). It's like comparing a Lexus to a Hugo. The Drafahl book is vague, poorly written, and provides minimal imformation on various topics. What's with the large print and skipped lines--it's as though they wanted to increase the number of pages to make it look like your getting more for your money. I have wasted my money to finance one of their dive trips.

Book Description

From the Father of the Graphic Novel. . .Fagin the Jewrecasts Oliver Twist from the perspective of Fagin. Eisner's fresh, compelling look at prejudice, poverty, and anti-Semitism portrays the notorious villain as a complex and troubled antihero and gives him the opportunity to tell his tale in his own words. Depicting Fagin's choices and actions within a historical context, Eisner captures the details of life in London's Ashkenazi community and brilliantly re-creates the social milieu of Dickensian England. Strongly recommended --Library Journal The Leonardo of the comic book form --Civilization

Fagin El Judío / Fagin The Jew (Fegin the Jew)

Average customer rating:

Fagin El Judío / Fagin The Jew (Fegin the Jew)
Will Eisner
Manufacturer: Norma Editorial Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 8484319563

Average customer rating:
People & other aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: World Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

United States | World Literature | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books | 18th Century | 19th Century | 20th Century | African American | Asian American | Classics | Collections & Readers | Drama | General | Hispanic | History & Criticism | Humor | Jewish American | Letters & Correspondence | Native American | Poetry | Short Stories | Women Writers
ASIN: B0006C0MQY

Average customer rating:
People & Other Aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GR5O6W

Average customer rating:
People & Other Aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: SIGNET BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UZ8XDG

Average customer rating:
People & Other Aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: The World Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UC3Z8W

Average customer rating:
People and Other Aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: Angus & R
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0207954666

Average customer rating:
People and Other Aggravations
Judith Viorst
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0451050169

Average customer rating:
People & Other Aggravations
Judith Vorst
Manufacturer: World Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NTBCFK

Average customer rating:

Easy to follow steps made the difference for me

Worth it's weight in gold

Finally - a book that really helps!

Write Winning Grants: A Grant Funder REVEALS Inside Secrets!
Heidi J. Kramer
Manufacturer: 1st Books Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Writing | Reference | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Winning Grants: Step by Step, 2nd Edition

ASIN: 1414057784

Customer Reviews:

Easy to follow steps made the difference for me.......2006-01-07

I looked around for a book to help me write a grant proposal, and found a dizzing array of books that went into more detail than I needed, without giving me a clear idea of where to start. I was thrilled when I found this book, because it is easy to read and understand, straightforward, and took me through the steps one at a time. I always knew where I was at in the process, and what to do next. From looking for funders, to reporting requirements, this little book is crammed with good, helpful information and advice.

Worth it's weight in gold.......2004-11-03

This one's the Real-Deal! I found the sections on Research and Words of Wisdom extremely helpful. Not only does this AUTHOR proclaim she actually worked with board of directors and foundations in the grant industry, her techniques really work. I wrote and received the last 3 grant requests I submitted.

Finally - a book that really helps!.......2004-11-03

Finally, a book that actually guides me right through the whole process! After wasting my money on DOZENS of grant writing books that left me confused and frustrated, this workbook taught me step-by-step everything I need to know. I love the practice worksheets and all the examples! Anyone and everyone could learn from the "Tricks of the Trade" and "Insider's Secrets" chapters. I used this workbook to help me write a grant for our local charity and I GOT IT! Thank you, thank you.

Book Description

The single most important change in the British labour market over the last two decades has been the re-emergence of mass unemployment. This study focuses on six areas: Aberdeen, Kirkcaldy, Rochdale, Coventry, Northampton, and Swindon, and investigates the effect of being unemployed on individuals' attitudes to work, their social relationships, and their psychological health. It breaks entirely new ground, using large-scale surveys that allow direct comparison with people in employment and taking into account a wide range of variables. It will become a standard work of reference on the subject. Contributors: Brendan Burchell, Richard Davies, Peter Elias, Jonathan Gershuny, Richard Lampard, Roger Penn, Duncan Gallie, Catherine Marsh, Carolyn Vogler

Customer Reviews:

A passionate call for full employment.......2001-08-04

The book analyses data from three surveys, documenting the experiences of a representative sample of employed and unemployed people in six towns in Britain in 1986 and 1987. The towns were Aberdeen and Kirkcaldy in Scotland, Northampton and Coventry in the Midlands, Rochdale in the North-west and Swindon in the South-west.

THE EFFECTS OF UNEMPLOYMENT

The book shows how unemployment damages people's health and welfare. The authors see unemployment as the extreme case of the almost universal phenomenon of job insecurity. "Those in insecure labour market positions suffered from a series of major disadvantages in terms of personal welfare. The unemployed, the insecure low-paid, and the insecure non-employed stood out from other groups in the degree of financial difficulty they confronted and in the extent to which they had been forced to cut living standards in recent years. Labour market insecurity was also linked to the type and quality of people's housing ... Those in more disadvantaged labour market positions had poorer psychological and physical health and were obliged to make more frequent use of local health services." "There is a direct causal link between job insecurity and poor psychological health." Unemployed people who moved into secure jobs got better; those who moved into insecure jobs got only a little better. Job loss also had a destructive effect on marriages and on social life. But, contrary to myth, the experience of unemployment led to a stronger attachment to collectivist principles.

The industrial genocide of the 1970s and 1980s hit young people most heavily, particularly those who would previously have gone into manufacturing jobs. Class origin determines occupation, due to the lack of education and of apprenticeships; and the nature of the occupation determines the chances of unemployment. Both links are getting stronger, because there is far less social mobility and far more inequality. So although all jobs are more insecure, manufacturing jobs are even more so.

THE CAUSES OF UNEMPLOYMENT

In the debate about the causes of the vast growth in unemployment, employers and their governments blame the 'supply-side', ie the working class. They say that wages and benefits are too high, that trade unions distort supply, that the unemployed are work-shy, that there is a 'culture of poverty' which distinguishes an 'under-class'.

The work attitudes of the unemployed were not different from those of the employed, and did not affect their vulnerability to unemployment. Nor were their work histories different: "The unemployed had not experienced significantly more jobs or shorter average tenure in their longest jobs." "Those that were currently unemployed were clearly not, on the evidence of their past work histories, inherently unstable members of the work-force." "There was no evidence that differences in either employment motivation or in the flexibility of attitudes to job search affected the time that it took people to find work again." Most significantly, work attitudes did not predict who did and who did not get jobs.

Welfare does not reduce employability, skill or will to work. Claimants and non-claimants seeking work had the same work attitudes. The level of benefits had no effect on the duration of unemployment. There is though a 'benefits effect' for women married to men who had been out of work for a year. Benefit rules take away any income earned by the wives of unemployed men on means-tested benefit, on a pound for pound basis, beyond a low threshold (£4 pre-1988). So lower-paid wives can face effective marginal 'taxation' rates of over 90% when they work.

In all, the book is an excellent piece of research, which refutes all the lies about unemployment. It shows that full employment is necessary for any society that wants to be able to call itself civilised.

Book Description

Exhaustive reference book containing up-to-date, accurate information - derived from an electronic database that's updated continually - on more than 3,000 generic and brand name medications.

Customer Reviews:

Incredibly useful.......2001-10-19

This book is the easiest to use of all the drug books I have seen. The page at a glance format shows you everything you need to know on one page, no flicking back and forth, and is especially good on interactions.

This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants a handy reference book in the house to refer to again and again, or who is looking for a really excellent gift for a friend or loved one.

Average customer rating:

A Bloody Business

A Bloody Buisness

play it again

Such a waste of paper

A good read...

A Bloody Business: America's War Zone Contractors and the Occupation of Iraq
Gerry Schumacher
Manufacturer: Zenith Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Company Profiles | Biography & History | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Iraq | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books
General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
Military Science | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army

Corporate Warriors (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)

WAR DOG: Fighting Other People's Wars -The Modern Mercenary in Combat

Roughneck Nine-One: The Extraordinary Story of a Special Forces A-team at War

ASIN: 0760323550

Book Description

As the U.S. Army shrinks, a private army steps into the breach. A Bloody Business offers an unprecedented look behind the scenes and into the ranks of this mercenary force (numbering as many as 15,000 today) who guard supply convoys, train foreign soldiers, provide security for foreign leaders and dignitariesand whose workplaces are the most dangerous hot spots on the planet. With its insights into who these men are, what drives them, where they come from, how they prepare, and what they do, this book provides a uniquely close-up and complete picture of the private army behind Americas military muscle.Author Schumacher interviewed security contractors and their families and high-ranking coalition officials. He was in Iraq, where he witnessed how private soldiers fought ambushes, trained Iraqi forces, escorted high-level officials in dangerous conditions, and saw the contractors side of the Iraq war.

Customer Reviews:

A Bloody Business.......2007-08-01

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I initially had a very negative view of military contractors, mostly due to the media bias in our country. The book spells out what type of contractors serve in Iraq and what I enjoyed the most, gives personal accounts of the contractors who serve. I am considering taking a position as an International Police Officer in Iraq and I found the personal accounts of the officers who served there quite compelling.

The author remains very politically neutral, unlike recent books I have read about this subject, and lets the reader decide how he or she feels about the involvement of "civilians" in the warzone. I only wish he could have dug a little deeper and gathered more personal accounts, but this is still a good read nevertheless.

A Bloody Buisness.......2007-03-31

Gerry Schumacher brings the gritty world of security contractors into focus in this very informative book. War stories from actual contractors, re-told from the vantage point of a battle seasoned veteran. Plus, the experiences of a retired soldier who was in Iraq, met the people, and ran some of the missions. If you are looking for a political agenda, this is not your book:) If you are looking for a window into life in Iraq, this is an excellent collection of stories that changed my view about contractors and about what life in Iraq is like outside the spin zone.

play it again.......2007-03-30

Not very well written, often redundent, but still a decent overall view of trials and tribulations of contractor life in a war zone.

Such a waste of paper.......2007-03-21

If glorifying an illegal murderous private army now is the job of a retired officer, he's done a good job.

A good read..........2007-03-10

Taking the book for what it is...one man's observations, it is an excellent book that allows you to grasp a better view of the contractors in Iraq.

A Bloody Business: America's War Zone Contractors and the Occupation of Iraq

Average customer rating:

A Bloody Business: America's War Zone Contractors and the Occupation of Iraq

Manufacturer: Zenith Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HZ1Q9W

Book Description

Integrating Central Europe investigates the political and economic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe since the 1989 revolutions, in terms of economic prosperity, social cohesion, democratic accountability and consolidation. Otto Holman critically analyses the dominant view that holds that stability in Central Europe depends on the successful introduction of free market economies, which subsequently results in economic growth and, more importantly, political modernization.

Book Description

The Encyclopedia of North American Birds describes and illustrates seventy-eight of the most common and familiar birds, from the magnificent bald eagle to the diminutive winter wren. It explores every type of habitat, from Arctic wastes to the subtropical Everglades, from the high Rockies to the wave-lashed coastlines, to the wide variety of bird life in North America. With over 200 color photographs and illustrations, an extensive glossary, resident-migrant-breeding distribution maps for every species covered, this beautiful encyclopedia is for every birder from the novice to the experienced academic.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books