The Art of Pastel Portraiture

Customer Reviews:

Well Thought Out Pastel Overview.......2006-04-06

A couple of ways to tell if a book on art is good is if the paintings or drawings look like something you'd like to do yourself, and the writers are known for their accomplishments. The rest involves having professionals help with the layout and organization. Seems like all of these qualities exist in this book. The host of contributors is a who's who among successful pastelists as is the main author. The paintings and drawings are superior. The book is well organized into all the major topics you'd want to cover with this as a new medium for an experienced artist.

My only criticism of this book is it does not get into alot of detail for beginners. The section on materials is very good for beginners but the artistic process is not all that well detailed. I think of this book as more an assembly of tips on suggested practices, and a vehicle for pros to pat themselves on the back.

But for a serious pastelist or portrait artist, this is definitely something to read and have in the library.

Beginning Portraiture to Intermediate Portraiture.......2001-09-08

The book is a great place to start with regards to pastels and portraits. It covers the basic anatomical features of the face as well as layout and design of the portrait.

Average customer rating:
Mordillo: Cartoons/opus 2 : Where Words Fail, Pictures Speak Clearly - and Vice Versa
Guillermo Mordillo
Manufacturer: Arrow (A Division of Random House Group)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0091469406

Book Description

Black and white photographs reflect the landscapes of Acadia National Park along with poems that reveal its natural beauty.

Customer Reviews:

Waves of Praise.......2000-02-15

Poetry has gone out of fashion in our obsession with things that take no work and require no thought. Recently my wife and I hosted a dinner in Washington at which Jack spoke. He read from and commented on his poems. For an old broadcast journalist to attempt something like this before an audience of other, mostly cynical journalists was very brave, indeed. But Jack brought it off in a way that had people listening respectfully and then responding enthusiastically. Many promised to immediately purchase their own copies. Whatever relationship you may or may not have with Maine, "Acadia" will do something for your heart that few other contemporary books can do. I highly recommend it as a gift, or for your own consumption and enjoyment. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

A treasure of vision and verse.......1999-11-29

I became aware of this book by seeing Jack Perkins interviewed on Maine Public Television about it. It was a wonderful interview and he read some of his poems and explained how the book came to be. It has always been a secret hope of mine that I might bump into Jack some place in Maine, but it has not happened yet. The next best thing is to own his book, and then he can talk to you and share his vision of this unique area of our lovely state. His talent is not limited to his high profile experiences in television journalisim for NBC. He is an accomplished photographer and poet and he has a wonderful heart.

Book Description

The preeminent work by one of France's most celebrated comic artists, this book tells the unique story of a rabbi, his daughter, and their talking cat - a philosopher brimming with scathing humor and surprising tenderness. Rich with the colors, textures, and flavors of Algeria's Jewish community, it brings a lost world vibrantly to life - a time and place where Jews and Arabs coexisted - and fills it with endearing, thoroughly human characters, and one truly unforgettable cat.

Book Description

In this unique and original book Mr. Brooks will take you for a "joy ride" through the simple usage of one's turn signals (and these would be…?) to the all too often comedic (or what he calls idiotic) methods we use in operating a motor vehicle, with hilarious anecdotes such as "Go home, tear up your license and call a cab" or when referring to your attempts to enter a highway "It is not my responsibility to let you on the freeway" and so many more. You will learn some facts you may not have known and you may possibly recognize yourself as one of Mr. Brooks' "targets"! . At the very least you will laugh out loud! Jump in and take the wheel for the funniest drive of your life!

Book Description

Scholars and performers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries attempted to revive music that could evoke the Middle Ages. They invented new sounds and new ways of understanding medieval music. This is the fascinating story of the musicians and the societies in which they worked to remake a lost musical world.

Customer Reviews:

How early music performers got that way.......2003-02-10

The author tells us how medieval and early Renaissance music acquired its voices-cum-instruments interpretation, then shows that the recent shift to unaccompanied voices in music of these periods is the recovery of an earlier understanding. The first chapter, "The invention of the voices-and-instruments hypothesis," shows that those who rediscovered old music in the 19th century considered it purely vocal music. Even Hugo Riemann in his Musik Lexicon (1892 and 1893 editions) agreed completely. But in his 1905 edition, Riemann insisted that untexted parts of polyphonic songs were played on instruments, and many phrases of texted melodies were actually instrumental preludes, interludes and postludes. This soon became the standard point of view, for Riemann's book was a popular and influential reference. Guido Adler was one of the few scholars who disagreed. Medieval illustrations of singers and instrumentalists were misinterpreted to reinforce this thinking. In chapter 2, "The re-invention of the a cappella hypothesis," he recounts the early reaction to this orthodoxy in the 1950s and the turning point of Christopher Page's 1977 article in Early Music. Since then, Page, Andrew Parrott and Paul Hillier have led many performances and recordings that demonstrated the sound of early music without instruments, and David Fallows supported their efforts in his writings. Two more chapters fill in the background of the arguments. National prejudices and Nazi ideology come into play, and details are provided. No one who listens to early music will want to pass up this magisterial treatment of its 20th-century evolution. The fight is not yet over, for most recordings of this music still use instruments in the fashion that Leech-Wilkinson thoroughly discredits in this engaging book.

The Modern Invention of Medieval Music: Scholarship, Ideology, Performance.(Book Review): An article from: Notes

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The Modern Invention of Medieval Music: Scholarship, Ideology, Performance.(Book Review): An article from: Notes
Martin Picker
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2543 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Modern Invention of Medieval Music: Scholarship, Ideology, Performance.(Book Review)
Author: Martin Picker
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2004
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 60 Issue: 3 Page: 662(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Solid history, but an uphill read

Wry Panoramic Look of the Social Roles of Flattery

Great book!

Flippancy and Flattery

Good, But Not Great

You're Too Kind : A Brief History of Flattery
Richard Stengel
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Trade Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0684854929

Amazon.com

Not so long ago, someone with too much time on his hands conducted a study that indicated that waiters who drew little smiley faces at the bottom of their checks received tips that were, on average, 10 percent higher than those of waiters who just brought their customers an unadorned check. This practice makes use of flattery insofar as it makes us feel that our waiter was happy to serve us, instead of just doing his job. We feel good about ourselves. We feel good about the waiter. We give him money.

Over the years, people have offered many different definitions of and opinions on flattery, and flattery itself has changed "from flattery as a technique for persuading a whole class of people to flattery as a technique for influencing a single person." Is it venal? Is it a victimless crime? Is it a diluted form of praise? Is it merely, as Lord Chesterfield suggested, "a complaisant indulgence for people's weaknesses"? Or is it just lying? In his book You're Too Kind, Richard Stengel ponders the meaning of flattery and charts a droll and whimsical history, starting with the Egyptians ("Laugh after he laughs, and it will be very pleasing to his heart," recommends Vizier Ptahhotep), and concluding with handy hints on how to flatter without getting caught: "Never be candid when a person asks you to be candid." In between, he asks questions such as "What is circumcision, really, but a kind of divinely enforced flattery?" in an irreverent discourse around the covenant with the Israelites, and looks at everyone from troubadours to Dale Carnegie, Puritans to Hollywood D-girls.

The dust jacket sports plaudits by impresario of flattery Jay Leno and spinmeister George Stephanopoulos, who vouch that You're Too Kind is indeed a diverting book for the reader--like yourself--with taste, discretion, and, ahem, humor. --J. Riches

Book Description

Okay, who was the first flatterer? If you guessed Satan, you'd be close, but according to You're Too Kind, flattery began with chimpanzees, who groom each other all day long. In fact, flattery is an adaptive behavior that has helped us survive since prehistoric times.

Our flattery is strategic praise, and to illustrate its myriad forms, Richard Stengel takes us on a witty, idiosyncratic tour, from chimps to the God of the Old Testament to the troubadour poets of the Middle Ages, all the way through Dale Carnegie and Monica Lewinsky's adoring love letters to her "Big Creep."

Flattery thrives in hierarchical settings like royal courts or Fortune 500 boardrooms, and it flows both upward and downward. Downward is usually easier, but studies show it works best on those who already have high opinions of themselves.

Stengel sees public flattery as an epidemic in our society, and private praise as being all too scarce. Most often, though, flattery these days is just a harmless deception, a victimless crime that often ends up making both the giver and the receiver feel a little better. In short, flattery works.

Customer Reviews:

Solid history, but an uphill read.......2001-02-24

YOU'RE TOO KIND covers all the bases of flattery, from its early origins in the Egyptian courts, to the modern conceptions we have today. Along the way, there are fascinating facts to be learned. And by the end, the reader will feel armed-and-dangerous with a myriad dinner-party-ready tidbits, as well as a solid understanding in the art of flattery (and, more importantly, how not to be detected).

The problem remains, this book just really doesn't know what it is. In many ways, it's a scholarly treatise, detailing the conventions of flattery through time, chock with allusion to historical text. But inevitably, it seems to be purposely injected with modern-day relativisms. Stengel writes in a casual, jocular manner, but inevitably, these comparisons denigrate his credibility as a scholar and end up distracting from the issues (is there ANY possible historical relevance to the movie "Titanic"??).

Despite the painstakingly detailed and incredibly interesting tracing of flattery through the ages, I still had to battle through the end of it. (And would that there were another word for flattery--that, in itself, made it all the more frustrating.)

Stengel's done some good work here. But the concept of the book is ultimately flawed.

***

NOTE TO BROWNNOSERS: skip to the epilogue for a condensed how-to on flattery.

Wry Panoramic Look of the Social Roles of Flattery.......2000-11-02

Without intending to be too kind, the question this book really raises is who should read it. Some will love it while others will hate it. What will be your reaction?

Flattery is one of those subjects that most people cannot and do not want to take seriously. If you like a little humor with your social commentaries, you will enjoy this book.

If you want a how-to book on being a more successful flatterer, you will find some helpful hints towards the end of the book. But you will feel unrewarded by the histories of flattery, beginning with studies of chimpanzee behavior.

If you want to learn how to defend yourself against flattery's corrupting influences, there are useful ideas here and there. But you will probably still feel vulnerable in this regard ( . . . at least until someone praises you for avoiding being taken in by flattery . . . assuming the praise is genuine, and not just flattery).

If you want a guide for how to praise, rather than flatter, you will find some ideas here. But that's also not the book's purpose. You belong elsewhere to serve your purpose.

If you take a very reverent attitude towards the Old Testament, you may be offended by what the author has to say about God in that context. You should skip at least that chapter or perhaps the entire book. If you are an agnostic or an atheist, you should probably start there in chapter three.

If you have read widely on flattery (animal experiments about how "alpha" males are created, Machiavelli, Castiglione, Franklin, Bacon, Dale Carnegie, Chesterfield, and troubadour verse), you will find little new in this book except for the quips. Now, the quips are quite good, so you may like the book anyway. But be aware that about eighty percent of the book is providing such historical perspectives.

On the other hand, if you want to add to your repertoire of cocktail party stories, this book is excellent. You get humorous glimpses into the foibles and virtues of those who wrote about flattery, as well as their writing. Mr. Stengel is a witty story teller, who makes it all much more interesting than it really is. For example, anyone who likes Dale Carnegie books or courses should read about Mr. Carnegie's background as an unpopular young person and ineffective salesman.

There are many legitimate ways to attract attention from people that are different from flattery (in the sense of "false praise"). For example, you can simply be very attentive because you respect all other people. You can tell funny stories because you like to amuse. You can help people accomplish things they care about, because you like to make life better for others.

Whatever you do, be sure that you choose how you want to be sociable, however, rather than simply falling into the habits of flattery without thinking about what you are doing. The unconscious desire to please may take you along paths you don't really want to trod.

Have true friends and a meaningful life!

Great book!.......2000-10-01

Sam Rayburn was a towering Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in an era when the Speaker was king. His advice to new members of congress: If you want to get along, go along. This is Stengel's advice -- in spades! And he has the history to prove it.

But this is no more a self-help, climb-the-corporate-ladder book (although if you take his advice you will help your self and, perhaps, reach the top of the ladder) than was Alexander Pope's Essay on Man, which also was a guide through the shoals of life.

You're Too Kind is a witty, colorful, fast-paced trip through history -- the thread of flattery makes an engaging guide. This is a book you will enjoy from the first sentence to the last; and this is no mere flattery! :)

Flippancy and Flattery.......2000-08-24

This book makes some good points and includes some interesting perspectives on flattery and grovelling. At the same time, it is decidedly "popular" rather than scholarly. The most irritating aspect of the book is the author's breezy flippancy; he tries much too hard to be much too clever, and the result is merely tiresome. I wish I could have checked this out of the library for a few days instead of buying it. For those with a serious interest in the subject, Alfons Silbermann's "Grovelling and Other Vices" is clearly superior.

Good, But Not Great.......2000-07-28

I bought this book with high hopes, and did enjoy it. But. It does bounce around, from the fascinating history of flattery to great tips about flattery to research concerning flattery.

There's much to be learned from this book, and I'm glad I bought it, but I can't really say it's an enjoyable read. It's just not laid out well.

Book Description

In Britain, America, and many other countries, television audiences and advertising revenues are declining. At the same time digital television and new models are emerging. This book looks at the reinvention of television, and answers many essential questions about the future of this fickle industry.

Book Description

When SWAT teams rely too heavily on radios, operations are subject to compromise. This book covers radio operating procedure and equipment as well as hand signals, telephones, pyrotechnics, light signals, messengers and other alternatives that help ensure clear, secure communications under any circumstances.

Customer Reviews:

This book is a must have.......2000-06-15

I found this book very informative. I am not a profesional, but rather a TACSIM buff. This book is great for people who play tactical style airsoft or paitball.

Book Description

"A book that shines with the splendor of engaged thought."—The Brooklyn Rail

Judith Butler is one of America's most daring and vibrant thinkers. In this profound appraisal of post-September 11th America, now with a new foreword, Judith Butler considers the conditions of heightened fear and aggression that followed the attack on the Twin Towers, and the US government's decision to attack Afghanistan and Iraq. She critiques this use of violence as a response to loss and grief, and argues that the vulnerability the West now feels offers a chance to imagine a world without violence, a world where the interdependency of peoples and nations becomes the basis for a global political community.

Through five impassioned and personal essays, Butler responds to the current US policies to wage perpetual war, and calls for a deeper understanding of how mourning and violence might instead inspire solidarity and a quest for global justice.

Customer Reviews:

Provocative book.......2007-01-19

I read this book yesterday and just ate it up. It's not the usual esoteric examination by Butler. (Not that anything is wrong with that and I've read her other work, as well).

That said, the book is written for a lay audience and I think that this book needed to be published, since the responses of feminists to or after Sept 11th have been far and few. (Aftershock is a great book to read about Sept 11th from a feminist point of view).

I can't pinpoint what my favourite section of the book was, however, I enjoyed it all. It was refreshing to see a political theorist write about something "real" that is taking place today that many are discussing or living through.

This is a wonderful addition to her writing repertoire. I do hope to see her write more for a lay audience, since hopefully they will get their curiosity piqued and read more Butler.

Another Other.......2004-12-13

Judith Butler is out of her depth in her discussions of Israel,
and (the new) anti-semitism.Readers searching for understanding of post-9/11 politics will encounter lopsided arguments here.

Excellent social commentary.......2004-06-28

Judith Butler is a multi-talented scholar who can write for both specialized and general audiences (which is why many, I believe, envy her). This book is quite accessible and rightly so; it is concerned with the contemporary predicaments we are currently in at this point in history. An extremely important book, Butler's "Precarious Life" has much to offer.

The only Judith Butler book.......2004-05-30

I thought Precarious Life was great. Her previous work always sounded like a dreary parody of "postmodern criticism" to me, and I couldn't be bothered trying to slog through any of it. She's obviously going for a wider audience with this new one. It's working.

Nothing new.......2004-05-22

I had much anticipation of Butler's _Precarious Lives_ considering her position as one of the foremost cultural and literary theorists. However, I was highly disappointed that the arguments she makes in the text are no greater than those of most academics, including those of grad students. I'd wait for the paperback edition and buy it used as it is somewhat useful for citations. Other than that, the argument is really over-stated these days and seems like much less than what one could or "should" expect from Butler.

La vida precaria.(Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence)(Reseña de libro): An article from: Letras Libres

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La vida precaria.(Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence)(Reseña de libro): An article from: Letras Libres
Cristina Rivera-Garza
Manufacturer: Editorial Vuelta, S.A. de C.V.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Letras Libres, published by Editorial Vuelta, S.A. de C.V. on October 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1005 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: La vida precaria.(Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence)(ReseÃ±a de libro)
Author: Cristina Rivera-Garza
Publication: Letras Libres (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2004
Publisher: Editorial Vuelta, S.A. de C.V.
Volume: 6 Issue: 70 Page: 85(2)

Article Type: ReseÃ±a de libro

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence.(Book Review): An article from: Colorlines Magazine

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Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence.(Book Review): An article from: Colorlines Magazine
Meghana V. Nayak
Manufacturer: Color Lines Magazine
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000973XU8
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Colorlines Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on March 22, 2005. The length of the article is 511 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Precarious Life: The Powers of Mourning and Violence.(Book Review)
Author: Meghana V. Nayak
Publication: Colorlines Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Page: 54(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Precarious Life: the Power of Mourning and Violence

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Precarious Life: the Power of Mourning and Violence
Judith P. Butler
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7FHQM

Precarious Life: the Powers of Mourning and Violence

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Precarious Life: the Powers of Mourning and Violence
Judith Butler
Manufacturer: Verso
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7FG9K

Book Description

If you've ever wondered how an eagle flies, where to see migrating wood ducks, what a yellow-bellied sapsucker really looks like, or how to photograph a hummingbird in flight, then this is the book for you. In addition, you will learn background information about the anatomy, physiology, and behavior of different birds.

Customer Reviews:

Everything you ever wanted to know about winged friends........2000-07-22

If enjoying nature is an essential component of your contentment with living; if the innate behavior of birds is a fascinating wonder that leads you to investigate deserted nests, lie down on the lawn and see how close a bird will come, or if you drape threads and the hairs from your brush on your shrubbery, then you may want to get your hands on this lovely, mesmerizing volume for bird lovers. Ortho Books provides an informative guide for identifying birds, explaining their behaviors, attracting the birds in your area, interpreting their flight, migration, and navigation, capturing birds in photographs, delineating the evolution and ecology of species, and gives a detailed picture gallery of the birds that live in North America. I wanted this book because I am a very curious person and relish learning about anything. Animals fascinate me. They are all around us and yet are distant. When I look at this book, I always uncover new information about the birds I enjoy. I especially love watching them build their nests and care for their young. I always have nests just outside my back door, so every summer, I get to see the learning process of flight. This summer I had to keep my naughty cat at bay while a parent called to it's young on the ground. This volume can help you to solve problems birds may have in your yard. Birds are very particular about their nesting materials and this volume lists appropriate items that you can make accessible for your area. Attracting birds is always a priority for nature lovers. The reader will find in this book information and renderings of backyard bird habitats to emulate for the maximum drawing power.You will learn to make simple birdhouses and feeders to provide the birds you love with a welcoming environment and create a nature retreat for yourself and your loved ones.

The Birds around us.......2000-01-08

This is one of the best bird books I have ever read.. The chapter on how to out-smart squirrels is outstanding.

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