Proceed and Be Bold: Rural Studio After Samuel Mockbee

Book Description

"Everyone, rich or poor, deserves a shelter for the soul."—Samuel Mockbee

Based on this simple premise, in 1992 Samuel Mockbee launched the Rural Studio to create homes and community buildings for the poor while offering hands-on architecture training for coming generations. Choosing impoverished Hale County, Alabama, for his bold experiment, Mockbee and his Auburn University students peppered this left-behind corner of the rural South with striking buildings of exceptional design. Most use recycled and curious materials: hay bales, surplus tires, leftover carpet tiles, even discarded 1980 Chevy Caprice windshields. The publication of Rural Studio brought this innovative work to the public, and—five printings later—continues to affect the way people view architecture.

Since Mockbee's death in 2001, the Rural Studio has continued to thrive, a tribute to its founder's vision. In 2004, the American Institute of Architects posthumously awarded Mockbee its highest honor, the Gold Medal for Architecture. Under Mockbee's successor, Andrew Freear, the studio has seeded southwest Alabama with an additional seventeen architectural landmarks, and all are shown here. With thoughtful text from Andrea Oppenheimer Dean and stunning photographs by Timothy Hursley, this new book explains the changes the studio has undergone during the last four years and its continuing ability to "proceed and be bold," as Mockbee counseled.

Customer Reviews:

Draw Medieval Fantasies.......2006-06-28

My [...] son loves this book. He's begining to uderstand the concept of shapes as building blocks and I see it in his other drawings as well. Nicely written. Thanks

A wonderful, inspirational book for beginners!.......2006-02-03

As part of a new job working with animators and designers, I felt that I should probably learn how to gain competency with a pencil so I could clearly present some of my ideas. Having never been able to draw anything more complicated than a stick figure my entire life (I'm 24), I decided to give drawing a serious effort after coming across a copy of Damon Reinagle's book. His easy to follow, step by step instruction focusing on how to see the common shapes that unify the world around us made me believe that drawing was actually something I could learn. Sure enough, after only about an hour of practice I found that I could draw fantastic pictures that were hitherto a total mystery to me. Thanks to Damon Reinagle, I feel as though I've awakened a new part of myself and have decided to take up drawing as a hobby as well as applying it practically to my work.

Not Recommended.......2004-03-11

I found this book to be not at all helpful, and too A-to-B-to-C. It was very "Copy what you see here.", and overall, unoriginal, and boring.

Easy first step.......2000-04-08

This book is a very good start for people who wish to startlearning the basic of fantasy drawing. It works with you step by stepwith precise instructions and examples and, unlike other books of it's kind, progresses fast so you can see some results in a matter of hours. that is extremly importent since it will give you the needed motivation to continue and try to work more complicated figures. The books teaches you to draw warriors, some monsters, dragons, castles and a few heroic figures.

The only fallback is that is where you'll get - basic figures, who will look diffrent from each other by your determination of color, armor, horns and hight of it's turrets, but no more change then that.

At the bottome line it is a great and easy books for begginers, like myself. after a great search for a book just like this one I can say it hits the spot.

Great book.......2000-04-07

The directions are easy to follow and well worded. the book isnt too technical and stays on-topic. This is a great book and easy to follow. strongly recomended!

Book Description

Harness the power of 3ds max 5! Harnessing 3ds max 5 is the perfect tool for learning the world?s most popular 3D graphics program. The authors lead you through the complex world of 3ds max step by step, so you?ll build experience and confidence as you progress through the book. Clear and concise explanations, ample illustrations, and easy-to-follow tutorials make Harnessing 3ds max 5 the ideal choice for users of computer graphics, both inside and outside the classroom. This book gives a practical introduction to 3ds max, and provides many real-world examples of its most powerful features. When you finish this book, you will be able to: ? understand concepts of computer graphics and 3D space ? navigate effortlessly through the 3ds max interface ? use powerful modeling techniques ? design natural-looking materials ? use lighting to affect the look of your scene ? control virtual cameras ? animate with forward and inverse kinematics ? create special effects with particles, atmospheres, and Render Effects 3ds max 5 has many new features to create high-end 3D graphics and animation. This book covers many of these new tools, including: ? incredible modeling tools within the Editable Poly object ? Set Key interface for greater animation control ? better animation editing with the Dope Sheet and Curve Editor ? improved character setup with Skin and Bones ? photo-realistic Advanced Lighting ? Ink ?n Paint material for quality renderings of cartoons and line drawings

Customer Reviews:

If you want to learn 3ds max only this book will help you.......2005-02-19

I didn't want to spend so much money on a book so I have searched in the libraries and reviewed in book stores many books about 3ds max. After waisting about 2 weeks in reviewing book after book I can give you my honest oppinion this is the best book on the market. This is the only book which will give you full explanation how to use 3ds max and why the things work in a certain way. You don't need to have any previous experience to understand the concept of this book. All the other books comparing to this one need experience in programing or at least 3d graphics. Most of them are thousants of pages talking and not saying anything to you.

ALMOST COMPLETE!!.......2003-12-31

This books is a must-have and the author known about max and, he give a lot of usefull tips. For example, the author talk about "activeshades" in the render.. they say how usefullness it can be BUT he also say that activeshades are not useable for all thinks.. even more he show the pro and cons about it.

The only problems is in the arts.. the models are simple or ugly (not bad modelled but ugly). You must complement this book with a 3d artistic book.

This books is for newbs, intermediated and even veterans.

The best book ever.......2003-10-23

Just recently, I started to get into 3D design. For past 2 months I worked in Plasma since it was a slimmed down version of 3ds Max. Then finally, I decided to learn it and dig deeper into the program. Without prior experience it was a little hard for me so I bought this book. From the start, I can see how valuable this book is. I read all the posts above and they were dead on. Also, they were part of the reason I picked up this book. The author really explains the 3D design in detail which is very easy to understand for a person who is just starting out. As I only read close to 100 pages of the book, I already feel like I can get around the program lot easier. Not only the techniquest are explained, but also, why things happen and work the way they do. If you have graphic - web design experience and can get around Photoshop, armed with this book and 3dsMax, you will be able to desing some mean layouts. Simply said: The best 42 bucks I spend on a book. GO AND BUY IT! Oh yeah, the book comes with CDROM which includes excersizes for EACH chapter along with AVI movies!!!

REHASH!!!.......2003-10-02

Most of this text is a rehash of Ms. Bousquet's 2 previous works on 3DSTUDIO MAX 3, and 3DS MAX 4, respectively. Even the tutorials are the same! Outrageous!!!

Excellent book for 3ds Max.......2003-08-26

I bought this book having no experience in 3ds max or any other 3d program really. After a few weeks of reading and following the tutorials, I feel like I've got the program down pretty well (and that's saying a lot for 3D Studio). The writing, tutorials and examples are excellent and it taught me how to do much more than I ever expected I'd be able to with this program.

Book Description

Relive the Golden Age of comics with America's first super patriot. A hero with great power, strength and courage who donned the colors of the American flag. A hero who lived for democracy and protected the world from the foes of freedom! No, it's not who you think... it's THE SHIELD, who predated his well known counterpart by over a year. This historic full color trade paperback reprints his first 8 stories from PEP and SHIELD/WIZARD Comics. It includes his first appearance and origin, along with the covers of the comics they originally appeared in. This high quality book features a foreword by Golden Age comics historian Robert M. Overstreet and a cover by Stephanie & Mark Heike of AC Comics.

Customer Reviews:

A CLASSIC FROM THE GOLDEN AGE!.......2005-04-05

A new superhero hit the newsstands in January,1940. A hero that would wear a costume featuring the red, white, and blue of old glory. A patriotic superhero who defended America from its enemies...Nope, if you guessed Captain America you were wrong. It was The Shield, who would make his debut a full year before Captain America, in the pages of Pep Comics #1 from MLJ. This trade paperback, billed as America's First Patriotic Comic Book Hero, collects eight classic stories from the Golden Age of comics.

While the Shield certainly influenced the creation of Captain America, The Shield was influenced no doubt by Superman. With the creation of a special chemical formula and a suit that allowed him to absorb those chemicals, the Shield had enormous powers, allowing him to withstand temperatures of 2000 degrees, bend steel walls, leap great distances and travel as swiftly as a bullet. In his secret identity, he was Joe Higgins, a G-Man working directly for J. Edgar Hoover. This volume collects the Shield stories from Pep Comics #1 - 5, and the three stories from Shield-Wizard #1.

In the opening story, the Shield is sent on a mission by Hoover to break up a "Stokian" spy ring operating in the U.S. and creating great havoc. In those days the villains were fictional such as the "Stokians" or the "Mosconians" but it isn't too hard to tell who they are supposed to be. In the second story, American oil tankers are disappearing near Puerto Rico and The Shield is sent to investigate. He finds the "Nordics" are pirating the ships of their precious oil and the Shield metes out some serious justice.

From Pep Comics #3 comes a tale with a very futuristic slant as mysterious enemy planes are dropping mines into the N.Y. Harbor. The enemy planes are too fast to be caught by our planes and the Shield takes on the case. He finds the planes can transform from aircraft to watercraft and follows them to a great, undersea lair.

Story four is a two-part epic. In a tale that pre-dates the attack on Pearl Harbor by over a year, the Shield travels to Pearl to foil a plan of the Mosconians to cause a volcanic eruption that will wipe out the island. The story concludes in Pep Comics #5 as the Shield tracks the Mosconians back to their Washington D.C. hideout for the climactic battle. The final three stories are actually prequels to the above as we see the Shield's origin told in detail for the first time and we follow him on his first few cases as a G-Man as he battles saboteurs and a crime syndicate.

Also included on the back cover is reprint from Pep Comics #66 from 1948, where the Shield says his goodbye to the members of his fan club as he turns the club over to Archie Andrews. By the late 1940's, superhero titles had fallen out of fashion with kids and the Shield was no different. But like so many Golden Age heroes he would be re-born in the Silver Age, but that's a story for another time.

The Shield was created by writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick, one of the greats of the Golden Age. These stories bring back such a sense of wonder and awe that is lacking in many superhero books today. Novick's style was simple, but clean and very representative of the era. The Shield's stories were eerily prophetic, especially those stories about Pearl Harbor, written well before December 7, 1941.

So many classic Golden Age heroes have been lost over the decades and faded to obscurity. What a credit it is to the people at Archie Comics to put these classic stories into a great collection like this and to preserve such an important piece of Americana.

Book Description

Lyrical, beautifully written tales of life in Africa

Africa evokes a deep sense of mystery. It is a place that retains what most of the world has lost: space, roots, traditions, awesome beauty, true wilderness, rare animals, and extraordinary people. In this wonderful and haunting collection of stories, Kuki Gallmann writes of her life in Africa, where every day brings challenge and adventure. African Nights is a treasury of memories, in which fascinating people and places are brought to life. The healing powers Africa can have on those who embrace the land as a place of mystery, superstition, danger, and beauty.

Customer Reviews:

A collection of anecdotes that depict a true reality, beautifully.......2007-09-02

My family and I visited Kenya last year and were utterly overwhelmed by the experience. Following that trip we read several books on Africa and amongst them was firstly "I dreamed of Africa" and latterly "African Nights". On a subsequent trip to Oman, I was reading the former book on the plane and had to stop, lest the flight attendants and fellow passengers witness me breaking down in tears. (Kuki's words at her son's funeral service). The spirit and the eloquence of her writing and indeed of her very experiences touched our hearts deeply. So much so that we traveled this year (August 2007) to Likepia, to her 'ranch' (now a conservation area), as a kind of pilgrimage to an Africa that has mostly vanished, swallowed up in commercialism, in over-grazing and exploitation. What did we find? An incredibly special place where conservation efforts harmonise with nature; where people are valued. Where students from all over the world come to research 'projects', encouraged by the owner of the land - Kuki. We met a variety of people, both African and otherwise. Pokot Tribespeople. Belgium guides. Eastern European Photographers. Kenyan Musicians. Village children at the custom built school... An eclectic mix of people with a common passion - for Africa, for its people and for its land. All inspired by one person. An author of two books.

The grammar in Kuki's second book may, according to several reviews, not be immaculate or even American, but given the life that Kuki has led, and indeed continues to lead, I believe that people should simply get past such utterly insignificant details and try to feel the reality that the author describes.

Kuki tells her story her way, and obviously leads her life her way. She has suffered loss and tragedy, but this is an author who has 'moved on', in control of her destiny and embracing change with a passion and an artistry that the vast majority of us could not hope to emulate.

Perhaps her sentences may be deemed a bit long by some. But when she describes a vignette of her family, of Africa.... you are there with her: With her husband at the coast. With her son catching snakes by the lake... And in being there through her writing, you are actually the closest you'll likely come to a very special part of Africa. A part that isn't on the tourist trail. A part that is rapidly encroached by charcoal burning; by agriculture, by population explosion. But a part that is still home to both Elephant and to Lion and to a very special community.

Put criticism of grammar or sentence structure behind you. These matters do not rate for much in the overall tapestry of life. And it is that tapestry that Kuki so artfully weaves, allowing you to enter her world, and become a part of her life by doing so.

An Attentiveness That's Admirable.......2005-07-12

How she does it I don't know. She's incredible, seeing beauty in everything, painting vivid pictures for all to delight in. Presuming it to be only remnants from her perfect book I Dreamed of Africa, I doubted the caliber of this work. I was skeptical but willing - but Gallmann has proved that everything she touches illuminates in melodious detail. Whether it is the amplification of a salmon pink sky, silhouettes at dusk, a tree that appears imbued with knowledge, or a night sky saturated with the sounds that are Africa, Kuki's awareness and ensuing stories are exceptional - encroaching inspirational. There is something in every story that appeals to heart and soul. I almost wanted to frame each story separately as if it were a sapphire or quartz rarity, explicit, precious and real. I'm so impressed by her writing and the lighted manner in which she takes in Africa. It's wonderful.

I liked this book.

Life on a pedestal of African oppression.......2005-05-31

I was quite offended by this white settler's life of endless parties, adventures, gourmet foods and travel around the world and throughout the stunning countryside of Kenya. Based on the colonial legacy of British, one of the many brutal European powers that profited from the domination of Africa, Gallmann was able to purchase 100,000 acres of land, stolen through the colonial system. All of Africa is in fact the birthright of the African people themselves. Gallmann's book is full of idealized and romanticized stories in which she is the central star. For a more realistic view of Kenya where nearly 60 percent of the people still live on less than $2 a day with a life expectancy of only 45 years, see, for example, Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins. This is the story of the British slaughter of the Kikuyu people of Kenya in the 1950s who were put by the millions in concentration camps and murdered when they were rightfully struggling for the liberation of their homeland.

Avoid This Book.......2005-03-22

If there is such a thing as "the ugly American abroad," then this book is proof that there is also an "ugly Italian abroad." The book is poorly written and the author has no cultural sensitivity whatsoever. I grew up in Africa, and can't imagine that there is a reason for anyone to read this book.

African Nights by Kuki Gallmann.......2001-08-05

This book was very interesting, descriptive, mystical and provocative. I enjoyed reading the details that painted a picture of Kenya in my head. The short stories were often touching, tragic, joyful, and sometimes unbelievable. I thought this was definitly worth reading, but you should borrow it from a friend, the library or buy it used because it isn't nearly as good as Kuki's first book I Dreamed of Africa.

Average customer rating:

A captivating story of Africa, personal courage and love
OUTRAGOUS!
I Dreamed of Africa and Woke Up Reading an Awful Book
Disappointing
The Beauty That Is Africa

I Dreamed of Africa (tie-in edition)
Kuki Gallmann
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140287442

Customer Reviews:

A captivating story of Africa, personal courage and love.......2007-02-21

I Dreamed of Africa is a fascinating, compelling story of an indominatable, larger than life individual, Kuki Gallman, and her life's journey from aristocratic beginnings in Italy to settling in the Great Rift Valley area of Kenya, Africa, with her adventuring, glamorous second husband, Paolo and her son Emanuele. The book is a personal and touching story of discovery, transformation, overcoming major tragedy, and the land, dreams and hopes of Kuki's Africa.

OUTRAGOUS!.......2006-10-20

It was a heart warming story and its one of the things where the book is better than the movie. And it is so sad that it makes it good. I love it and going to get the movie when it comes out and also I'm going to save the book for a long time.

I Dreamed of Africa and Woke Up Reading an Awful Book.......2006-06-18

I Dreamed of Africa is a ponderous, meandering book about a woman's experience setting up a ranch/home in Africa. Along the way, she loses both her husband and son to totally avoidable accidents. I have read many, many books about Africa and this one clearly falls under the guise of "European Aristocrat Who Values Nature and Other Aristocrats More Than Africans." There is countless name dropping, frequent references to noble lineages, and absolutely no mention of how this woman can maintain an extravagant lifestyle including multiple servants, a sprawling estate in a region known for sprawling estates owned by White colonialists, an airplane (if they are such a necessity in Africa - why don't all Kenyans own one???), and a graceful home in Nairobi. She and her husband pick up and move to Africa on a whim...nice gig if you have the cash and lack any real commitments. Her life seems to be a neverending circle of cocktail parties, interspersed with tragedies that wear thin - especially when her family members have a reckless streak that begets an early and untimely death. Africans are relegated to the role of anthropological relics, while the author cavorts with the really strange cast of white folks that are long-term Kenyan residents (such as the Dellameres - one of whom is on trial in 2005-2006 for murdering a Kenyan game warden and facing the death penalty). Much time is dedicated to expounding upon the wonders of her son (a genius, psychic, great with the ladies, budding scientist, etc - you get the idea) - who she lets raise poisonous snakes that eventually (SURPRISE!) kill him. If one did not know any better and judged all Whites in Africa by this book, they would erroneously think Robert Mugabe took just action confiscating White-owned farms in Zimbabwe, after reading this book. Spare yourself the trouble and stay clear of this book.

Disappointing.......2005-09-23

While Kuki Gallman may not be this way in real life, she does come across in her book as a self-indulgent privileged white woman. Although she speaks about her fascination for Africa starting from her childhood, it is never presented to the reader in tangible or inspirational terms. Okay, a few of the hunting scenes and descriptions of the wildlife were vivid, but the land and the people are never really made interesting enough for the reader. The reader should be aware that this book is a very personal account and one made to show the writer in the best light. I think many important things were conveniently glossed over. Such as, how did her and her husband Paolo buy the ranch? Her affair with a married man and the unspoken 'complication' that ended their relationship to name a few.

She has, undoubtedly, suffered many horrible tragedies in her life and I did feel sad reading about them but towards the end it was like, 'enough already'. I felt like she was just running off lists of the latest person to die. The good work she has actually done in the area of conservation almost gets lost amongst all the tales of woe.

The way she talks about Africa and the Kenyans also reminded me of the 19th century 'noble savage' cliche. While her family and friends are portrayed for their inate specialness, we never get to know much about the African people, other than their role as her servants. In fact, it seems that her staff have no other life than the one that revolves around her, her parties, and the tragedies she suffers. The only one she really gives much praise to is the cook and that was only because he was apparently 'clever' enough to learn the European style of cooking that would impress Kuki's VIP guests. Given that this book is set in the 1970's and 1980's these parts just made me cringe.

I wouldn't recommend this book at all, unfortunately.

The Beauty That Is Africa.......2005-06-13

I Dreamed of Africa is one of those books that gets assimilated into your bloodstream and becomes a part of you. Kuki's perspective on Kenya's landscape and the lifestyle she afforded there is remarkable. It touches you in places you knew existed but havent visited in a while. She takes all her love, all her pain, and all her strength and uses words as the medium, converting them into truth and beauty. The wonder of this world is seen through the African lens. This is one of the better books out there.

I Dreamed I Was a Big Baboon (I Dreamed I Was)

Average customer rating:

I Dreamed I Was a Big Baboon (I Dreamed I Was)
Debra A. Johnson
Manufacturer: Abdo Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

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ASIN: 1562393057

Average customer rating:

I DREAMED OF AFRICA
Kuki Gallmann
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000QAYPWS

Average customer rating:

I Dreamed of Africa
GALLMANN KUKI
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ4GWK

Average customer rating:

Amazing & inspiring

I Dreamed of Africa
Kuki Gallman
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000U3XYQ4

Customer Reviews:

Amazing & inspiring.......2007-08-19

Since I was a little girl, I have wanted to see Africa, and now as an adult I am going - and Ms. Gallmann & her work are my inspiration. This is an amazing story of an amazing family who lived through real life adventures: tragedy, laughter, fantasy turned reality. Imagine an elephant in your garden, a lion in your front yard. Once you read this story you will understand how vital it is to keep these animals safe from harm and this country growing.

Average customer rating:

I Dreamed of Africa

Manufacturer: Viking Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H7GDTS

Average customer rating:

I DREAMED OF AFRICA
Illustrated by Photographs Kuki Gallmann
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIZRQ0

African Nights : True Stories from the Author of I Dreamed of Africa

Average customer rating:

African Nights : True Stories from the Author of I Dreamed of Africa
Kuki Gallmann
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OEZIP4

Average customer rating:

I DREAMED OF AFRICA
Kuki Gallman
Manufacturer: Viking New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IWS5BQ

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