Bright Ideas: Sunrooms & Conservatories (Schiffer Design Book)

Average customer rating:

just okay; there are much better books available

demonstrates versatility of pastels and techniques

Inspiring how-to book for beginners

Pastel Painting Techniques: 17 Pastel Painting Projects Illustrated Step-By-Step With Advice on Materials and Techniques
Guy Roddon
Manufacturer: North Light Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Pastel | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Pastel | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Pastel for the Serious Beginner: Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good Painter (Serious Beginner)

The Pastel Book

All About Techniques in Pastel (All About Techniques Art Series)

The Encyclopedia of Pastel Techniques

Painting the Landscape in Pastel

ASIN: 0891343962

Customer Reviews:

just okay; there are much better books available.......2001-11-06

Nothing special about this book. There are at least a half-dozen better books for begiiner and intermediate pastelists. It is not bad, just not exceptional, either.

demonstrates versatility of pastels and techniques.......1999-11-05

I really am glad that I have this book. I am a beginner pastelists. This book covers a lot of material on pastels, from paper selection to pastel types, etc. The examples are not as useful for me at this point, but would probably be of more use to an advanced artist. Yet the book is still good for beginners also because it covers several different topics and techniques on pastels.

Inspiring how-to book for beginners.......1997-02-18

This book shows 17 (anonymous) painters as they build up pastel paintings. Step-by-step colour photographs show each stage and intelligent commentary directs your attention to the important aspects. Each of the paintings is in a completely different style and they include a variety of landscape, interior, figure, and still life subjects.
The paintings step out from the formulaic heavily worked approach epitomized in Watson-Guptil books with many refreshing variations on familiar genres. Simple quick sketches to carefully worked out masterpieces show the vibrancy and flexibility of pastel painting at its best.
The various demonstrations use a variety of techniques, including mixed media: watercolour backgrounds, various blending and mixing methods, dry on wet, charcoal stick, conte ochre and black, and dry and wet overbrushed pastel. There are good hints on grounds, paper selection, and surface characteristics demonstrated in simple examples. Roddon even shows you how to make your own pastels!
A book to inspire you and to encourage experimentation and adventure.
Hedley Finger, Hand Holding Projects Pty Ltd
28 Regent Street, Burwood VIC 3125, Australia
Tel & fax: +61 3 9809 1229

Book Description

Superb color photography, an authoritative text, and an engaging and artistic approach make this the most inspiring guide to capturing the garden in all its varied splendor. With the invaluable information found here, photographers who already have a solid photographic grounding will reach their goal of taking publishable, magazine-quality pictures. Of course, all the general points are covered, such as equipment, film, composition, exposure, and light. But most importantly, there’s an in-depth focus on garden specifics, such as changes through the seasons, different locations, plant portraits, garden buildings, and backyard wildlife. With this knowledge, even amateur photographers will successfully make their pictures pay.

Customer Reviews:

Garden Photography : a professional guide.......2006-11-10

I ordered this book in September as a gift for a friend. The gift was wrapped and presented and when the book was leafed through it was discovered that there were problems in the binding of the book and that there are sections in the book that are bent, folded and damaged. I have written to Amazon and expressed my concern but as it is past the thirty day return limit and unfortunately I did not check the book thoroughly before gift wrapping... they will not respond. I need either a credit on this book so that I might purchase another gift for my friend or else I need a replacement book. Our family has always been happy with the service that we have received from Amazon and I can only imagine that my complaint has been overlooked.

Book Description

Pay to get in,
Pray to get out.

Johnny Silver is the world's soon-to-be biggest rock star, but on the eve of his debut concert in Los Angeles, he mysteriously disappears, causing global pandemonium. His friend Taj tries to discover the truth about his disappearance, which leads her to TAP.com and its shadowy founder, Sutton Werner, who throws the wildest parties in Bel-Air.

TAP started out innocently enough, as a website that dishes the dirt on the kids of Sunset Boulevard and beyond. But it has become something more. Membership is a privilege with responsibilities and consequences.

At Sutton's parties, anything goes, especially in the legendary backroom rituals nicknamed The Angels Practice. Rumors abound of a special drink handed out at the parties that tap into otherworldly sensations.

One night Taj meets Nick, a Westside preppie who doesn't buy into the TAP mayhem, especially since his kid sister never came home from attending one of its blow-out bashes. Slowly the two of them are drawn to TAP and to each other. But Taj just might know more than she's letting on....

Are you ready for the darker side of Tinsel-town's brightest lights?

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-02-24

TAP, The Angels of Practice, is all everyone can talk about. This website/drink/drug is intoxicating and no one can get enough of it. No one can explain what TAP really is, since it is all around them and they are so dependent on it. The company that owns it holds the most exclusive parties, grants everyone's material wishes, provides all the gossip and promotes the biggest rock star that everyone loves, Johnny Silver.

But then strange things begin to happen. Kids all over Sunset Boulevard are beginning to disappear, including Johnny Silver. No one knows why this is happening, and others are too busy with TAP to worry about what is going on. Everyone except for Nick and Taj, who are the only ones that don't buy into the whole TAP industry.

Before they know it, Taj and Nick find themselves together, trying to solve the mystery of what is happening and even developing a strong relationship with each other. Unfortunately, it may be too late for them to actually do anything about it.

Told through Nick and Taj's points of view, Melissa de la Cruz takes us into a world that is far from The Au Pairs. ANGELS ON SUNSET BOULEVARD captures the reader from the very first page with its unusual uniqueness. Each character brings a certain atmosphere that captivates the audience into wanting more. The reader becomes so involved in the story that they will soon become disappointed when the book has to end.

Now the only thing left to do is wait for the next novel, which may be a long wait (well, for me that is).

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Ghost Towns of the West (A Sunset Pictorial)

Average customer rating:

Ghost Towns of the West (A Sunset Pictorial)
William Carter
Manufacturer: Lane Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0376053143

Average customer rating:

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub for Bookreporter.com
Ray tries to open up a bit more
Clarification of previous review
Ray's storytelling is best suited to his songwriting.
More autobiographical than X-Ray

Waterloo Sunset Stories
Ray Davies
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

British | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0786865350

Customer Reviews:

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub for Bookreporter.com.......2000-03-28

The Kinks were part of the second wave of what was called "The Second British Invasion" in the 1960s, referring to what amounted to a wholesale takeover of the American music charts by British bands who repackaged American rhythm & blues and sold it back to white youths in the US. Watching it happen was kind of like watching Eskimos buying ice, but that's another story.

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and an all but forgotten band named The Dave Clark Five were part of the first wave. They opened the door, and The Kinks came blasting through with a killer single titled "You Really Got Me." The song, featuring a three chord change-up lifted from "Louie, Louie" was the first of many hits for the band. It was also one of their few lucky breaks; they were hounded by immigration problems, nervous breakdowns in and around the band, and internal dissension that has simmered for decades.

A good deal of the dissension in The Kinks was of the sibling variety, occurring between Dave Davies, the guitarist, and Ray Davies, the lead singer and writer of the overwhelming majority of their songs. Accounts of this are set forth in Ray Davies's autobiography X-RAY, which is quite entertaining even for those unfamiliar with the band. Ray Davies has now published a...novel?...collection of stories?...entitled WATERLOO SUNSET that, like his music, tweaks and toys with conventions of the medium in which he is working.

WATERLOO SUNSET, bearing the same title as The Kinks' classic tune of angst and nostalgia, is divided into two parts. The First, "Waterloo Sunset," is a series of vignettes dealing with Les Mulligan, an aging rock star who is attempting to jump-start his fading career. The narrative jumps back and forth in time and space as occurrences and places remind Mulligan of lovers and experiences of the past. At the same time, Mulligan finds himself out of touch, out of time, with contemporary music. A label is interested in him, but wants a "cutting edge" sound from him. He tries reworking some unfinished songs, but memories and a simmering madness, which threatens to boil over at any moment, keep getting in his way. Meanwhile, his erstwhile agent has his own problems.

Davies's story here is obviously painfully personal, and implicitly raises the issue of when, at what point, does a contemporary recording artist become a parody of himself. This is something that Davies, during his career, has struggled against; and has ultimately refused to do. Few, however, want to hear his new work. Where is the next "You Really Got Me"? Davies doesn't have one.

The second part of WATERLOO SUNSET is titled "Stories." This is not quite accurate. There are, indeed, short stories; but there is also a screenplay titled "Celluloid Heroes," after another classic Davies tune. Both stories and screenplay play and toy with principals introduced in the "Waterloo Sunset" portion of the book. Some stay true to character, some do not; what connects all of these offerings, however, both with each other and with the first part of WATERLOO SUNSET is a thin edge of sadness, of depression, of opportunities come and gone, of better times faded and lost.

It is not necessary to be familiar with Davies, or The Kinks, to appreciate WATERLOO SUNSET. Davies is a fine wordsmith and he has an ability to communicate, to gently and subtly touch multiple nerves with a few words. And, recent commercial failures notwithstanding, he is too talented to be considered a failure in any medium, whether it be music, literature, or whatever other form his art may take in the future. WATERLOO SUNSET is proof of this.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Ray tries to open up a bit more.......2000-02-21

I agree with the earlier review that this book is a bit more autobiographical of Ray Davies than X-Ray was. It seems by creating an new character Les, he was able to open up a bit more of how he felt about the music industry, his realtionships and how he incorportated songs into his life. If Les is supposed to be Ray, we learn more about the American years of the 70's and 80's when Ray was living in New York (X-Ray pretty much ended in 1973). I think Ray's strongest message to his fans is that while he is a complex person, you can learn anything about him through his songs. The hits, the concept albums, and all of his stories all come in the lyrics he writes so perfectly, but yet so subtely that we might not understand the meaning until after several times listening. It's a pretty good book and mostly an easy read. Not quite as confusing as X-Ray, but also not as straightforward as Kink by Dave Davies.

Clarification of previous review.......2000-02-18

Please note that my previous review printed below was of the British edition of this book. I understand that the American edition is a reworked version. Therefore, I may have to take a look at the new edition to see if I rate it higher.

Ray's storytelling is best suited to his songwriting........1999-06-02

I am a huge Kinks and Ray Davies fan. It is clear that Ray is playing up his new "Storyteller" image that he created with the first installment of the VH-1 series and his solo CD. But his storytelling is best suited to his songwriting and one-man show. The stories in this book are disjointed and make no sense. Ray may be trying too hard to be some kind of existentialist poet and pays too little attention to plot. For the benefit of Kinks fans, he throws in the lyrics to Kinks songs that have little to do with the stories except for their titles. The stories are a lot like his film "Return to Waterloo", which had little plot but benefitted from the great music. The music, of course, is missing from this book, unless you plan on playing each song mentioned as you read it.

More autobiographical than X-Ray.......1999-04-08

This second offering by Ray Davies is actually more autobiographical than his previous book "X-Ray" which was subtitled an "unauthorized autobiography". The short stories within these pages are a deeper glimpse into the inner mind of one of rock's most inscrutable minds!

A disease, men and a city: Being a paper delivered at the meeting of the Sunset Club February 25, 1948, and reproduced in this monograph for presentation to his fellow members

Average customer rating:

A disease, men and a city: Being a paper delivered at the meeting of the Sunset Club February 25, 1948, and reproduced in this monograph for presentation to his fellow members
Donald J Frick
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Diseases | Medicine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0007F2A2O

Frequent Traveler's State and City Atlas (Sunset S)

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Frequent Traveler's State and City Atlas (Sunset S)
Sunset Books
Manufacturer: Sunset Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0376090170

The Girl from Sunset Ranch, Or, Alone in a Great City (Books for Girls) (Books for Girls)

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The Girl from Sunset Ranch, Or, Alone in a Great City (Books for Girls) (Books for Girls)
Amy Bell Marlowe
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Los Angeles - Portrait of an Extraordinary City

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Los Angeles - Portrait of an Extraordinary City
Sunset Books and Sunset Magazine
Manufacturer: Lane Magazine and Book Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O679TU

Average customer rating:

Los Angeles: Portrait of an Extraordinary City
[Sunset Magazine]
Manufacturer: Lane Magazine & Book Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KV9VT0

Average customer rating:

Oak Tree, Sunset City, California 1932
Ansel Adams
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Poster

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Sunrise and Sunset Tables for Key Cities and Weather Stations in the U.S.

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Sunrise and Sunset Tables for Key Cities and Weather Stations in the U.S.
United States Nautical Almanac Office
Manufacturer: Gale Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0810304643

Book Description

In the second volume of his autobiography, Mencken recalls his early years as a reporter. On January 16, 1899, H.L. Mencken applied for a job with the Baltimore Morning Herald, much to the editor's amusement. But Mencken persisted, and came back to the offices night after night until finally, in February, the editor sent him out into a blizzard to see if anything worth printing was happening on the snow-covered streets. Soon, Mencken was assigned to the police beat, and then to city hall, where the really big crooks worked.

Mencken learned his craft so well that by 1901 he became the Herald 's Sunday editor, and by 1906 was hired as an editor of the Baltimore Sun, where he quickly attracted a national following. Sustained by a steady diet of crabs, cigars, whiskey, and beer, he haunted Baltimore's jails and courtrooms, its churches, theaters, and saloons, and chased fire wagons, interviewed cops and coroners, battled politicians and crusaders, and raced back to the newsroom to beat his deadline by a second or two.

Customer Reviews:

H.L. Mencken: The Sage of Baltimore.......2000-06-16

It's great to see that much of Mencken's work is still available to the common people. It shouldn't be isolated in Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library, and/or Johns Hopkins' University.

The H.L.Mencken room at the Pratt, has been called "the cradle of 20th Century literature." Alistair Cooke, said it exists..."for the comfort of sinners and the astonishment of the virtuous."

As you can see, the author of "Newspaper Days: 1899-1906", was regarded as an iconoclast during his lifetime, and is still celebrated for fresh, refreshing views and commentary. H.L. Mencken was, above all else, a critic.

Mencken wrote his autobiography in three separate volumes cumulatively known, in the world of journalism and literature, as the "Days Books". In addition to the work under consideration here: "Newspaper Days", the other two are "Happy Days: 1880-1892", and "Heathen Days: 1890-1936." As the title suggest, this book looks at H.L. Mencken's life from 1899, when at 19 he began his half-century career in journalism - at the now defunct Baltimore Morning Herald - through his move to the local newspaper of record: The Baltimore Evening Sun. This relationship with the Sun Papers (there was also a Morning Sun) lasted until 1950, when H.L.M. retired from the board of parent A.S. Abell Company.

It was apparent, even this early in the career of "the irreverent Mr. Mencken", that his niche was writing opinion and criticism; some of it shocking to the establishment; all of it entertaining.

Don't let the early period under discussion in this book (1899-1906) lead anyone to believe that the material is dated or old fashioned. Au contraire, Mencken is indeed talking of events which occured a long time ago, but evey word is perfect for the job it is called upon to do. His diction and syntax are all-important.

After all, the reason for remembering and reading a critic of an earlier time, like Mencken, is not the issues he wrote about, but the manner in which he said what he said. It is the WAY he said it -- he was a stylist.

Product Description

A continuation of the author's autobiographical memoit, noting his life as a reporter and editor in Maryland in this volume

Newspaper Days. An Autobiography. Edited by T.D. Nostwich.

Average customer rating:

Newspaper Days. An Autobiography. Edited by T.D. Nostwich.
Theodore. Dreiser
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UWQUI4

Some Day I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist's Life

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Some Day I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist's Life
Sam Venable
Manufacturer: Univ Tennessee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Journalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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One Size Fits All and Other Holiday Myths: A Walk Through the Four Seasons

ASIN: 1572336005

A maverick builds newspapers in Louisiana: An autobiography of the interesting days Marie and I have spent in Louisiana journalism

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A maverick builds newspapers in Louisiana: An autobiography of the interesting days Marie and I have spent in Louisiana journalism
Erbon W Wise
Manufacturer: Erbon W. Wise
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Journalism | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

Journalists | Professionals & Academics | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006S6BA4

Average customer rating:

Newspaper Days: An Autobiography
Theodore (edited by T.D. Nostwich) Dreiser
Manufacturer: Black Sparrow Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8SS7U

Book Description

What would it be like to pack up the family and go to live in China for three years? To swap the clean air and convenience of North America for the chaos and clamour of the worldÂ's most populous nation?

Journey with Sally Grattidge behind the bamboo curtain as she strives to raise a family, see some of the country and generally have a life while learning to cope with the culture, the language and the ubiquitous "China factor." From the exhilaration of mastering Mandarin and visiting fascinating places, to the despair and sheer frustration of trying to get the simplest things done, the narrative sweeps the reader along on an expatriate roller-coaster ride. Throughout it all, the author paints an intimate portrait of the Chinese people, as she discovers what they are really like beneath that inscrutable public face.

Customer Reviews:

Educational and Humorous Insight into China!.......2003-09-01

This book is compellingly entertaining and an absolute pleasure to read. Written by an expat from Canada, it will keep you learning AND laughing about the various cultural differences! Providing many useful, personal insights into the business culture, social culture, and day-to-day living in China, Sally Grattidge wends her way humorously through the frustrations and culture shocks faced by foreigners. A "must read" for anyone relocating to China.

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