More One-Story Homes: 475 Superb Home Plans from 810 to 5,400 Square Feet

Book Description

A Top 5 bestseller is reborn! A fresh look at the most popular type of house built today with More One-Story Homes, Second Edition. Accounting for half of all houses built today, the single-story home continues as the first choice of todays families, large and small. Our editors have done a thorough review of current and new designs, replacing over one third of the plans from the previous edition. This book opens with a home portfolio of beautiful colour photography and rich renderings.

Customer Reviews:

A good way to get a feel for what you want........2003-09-22

I found this book useful for narrowing down my choices in what I do and don't want in my new house. Ultimately, we will probably have our house custom-designed by a local architect, so we just used this book to get ideas. It has a wide variety of single story home plans, so after we got a feel for what we DID and DID NOT want based on these plans, we went to a few home plan websites to perform more detailed searches and narrow it down further.

I really didn't care for the organization of the book. The categories seemed a little too broad, and the plans didn't seem to be organized with much thought (not in ascending order by square footage like some other books we have looked at.)

Book Description

This second book in the Art Explorers series introduces kids to the world of impressionism, featuring the art of five famous impressionist artists: Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edward Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt. For each artist, a color reproduction of his or her famous artwork is paired with questions to get kids thinking about what they see. A short paragraph explains the artist's intentions, emphasizing facts of interest to kids. Easy-to-follow activities then provide hands-on experience with the artist's techniques, subject, and mediums, each illustrated with examples by actual kids. Techniques include drawing, painting, pastels, collage, watercolor resist painting, pointillism, sponge painting, mask-making, printmaking, sculpture, and more.

Customer Reviews:

Children Responding to Impressionism.......2005-03-09

"What is a television... to man, who has only to shut his eyes to see the most inaccessible regions of the seen and the never seen?" Salvador Dali

"Do not proceed according to rules and principles, but paint what you observe and feel." Camille Pissarro

"Nobody will give you freedom-you have to take it." Meret Oppenheim

"To be a Surrealist...means barring from your mind all remembrance of what you have seen, and being always on the lookout for what has never been." Rene Magritte

Picture This and Imagine That introduce children to great artists, art concepts and allow them to become artists themselves. They are the first two books in the Art Explorers series. Picture This introduces Impressionism, Imagine That acquaints us with Surrealism. The books begin with a Note To Adults, telling how to help children explore that particular school of art. This is followed by a Note to Kids, introducing them to that school of art and to the book. This is followed by one work each from 5 or 6 artists that are representative of that particular school. Each work of art has accompanying kid-friendly information about the art and the artist, and discussion questions. Then there are a few pages of art projects, to allow the child to respond by experimenting with different techniques and materials. The instructions for the projects are clear and include illustrations of a work in progress, and examples of actual children's art projects. In the back there is a little additional information about each artist.
For example, after looking at Personal Values by Rene Magritte, children cut pictures out of a magazine to "Make a fantasy room where everyday things are seen in crazy mixed-up ways.". Step by step instructions are explained and illustrated. Several examples of completed projects by children 8-9 years old are included. The second project is a cut paper collage of "your own sky, where everything is mixed up and anything can float or fly". Again, there are two full pages of instructions and examples. These two projects require colored paper, glue, scissors, old magazines, and drawing materials. Of course some of the other projects will most likely involve a trip to the craft store, but some, like these, will not.
On afternoons when the weather is crummy and there is a space available in the house somewhere to make a controlled mess, you could probably scrounge up stuff to keep the kids amused for a little while with one of these projects.
These books are recommended for ages 5-12, but the nature of the projects is such that children of different ages can participate together in many of them.
You can see some of the author's work on line and explore modern art at www.moma.org/artsafari . Look at some examples of modern art, talk about the discussion questions, and play author or detective.

Young Readers Get Active with Impressionism .......2005-02-09

It is an exploration in Impressionist paintings for young readers with art of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt and how-to fun activities (25 in all) such as:

**experiment and play with color
**painting outdoor scenes-storm, seaside, seasonal or garden
**try pointillism (dot to dot) using cotton balls

Included are interesting artist biographies of all five Impressionists mentioned above. Young readers will discover what is each artist's claim to fame. Who is the "father of Impressionism"? Who is the "leader of Impressionism"? Who is "known as one of the world's greatest artists"? Who is the "painter of happiness"? What city is common to all of these artists"?

PICTURE THIS! is designed to help young readers develop appreciation of art and their own interpretations. In addition, it helps to develop creative critical thinking and to "encourage different opinions." Children can experiment with different creative media such as pastels, abstract painting, watercolor, and plastic foam printing to mention only a few that are included.

PICTURE THIS! is an excellent introduction to Impressionist art and encouragement for creative ideas in young artists. I especially like the "Try this, too!" ideas to spark ideas that get the creative juices flowing.

Picture This! Activities and Adventures in Impressionism (Art Explorers)

Average customer rating:

Picture This! Activities and Adventures in Impressionism (Art Explorers)

Manufacturer: Watson-Guptill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0823025055

Book Description

This complete and easy-to-follow introduction to Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 shows you how to take this popular graphics and photo-editor program to new heights. Achieve professional-looking results quickly, using the author's comprehensive guidance and extensive photographic knowledge. The book includes a wide variety of real-life examples demonstrating how to broaden your image-making skills. Each chapter is filled with clear, step-by-step projects, eye-catching color visuals and numerous professional tips and tricks.

This is the ideal guide for anyone wanting to take their imaging skills to a higher level. It shows you how to optimize scans and digital photos, fix up old or damaged pictures and create a website from the ground up. There are also sections on how to add text to your pictures, create vector graphics and prepare images for print.

The associated website (www.guide2psp.com) gives you all the tools you need to fine-tune these essential skills. Pictures featured in the book are provided online so you can download them at your leisure and try the techniques as you progress through the book.

This comprehensive guide to Paint Shop Pro 8 ensures you have all the skills needed for producing professional standard work in a number of real-world applications.

* Save valuable time with this jargon free guide to digital image-making using Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8
* High quality color illustrations show you what you can achieve
* Creative examples and projects demonstrate the full power of Paint Shop Pro 8 for real-world use

Customer Reviews:

Definitely Not For Beginners.......2005-03-05

I purchased this book because it seemed to have a lot more info than any of the other books available on PSP 8. I rated it 3 stars because it's a lovely book with lots of colour illos, but the thing is, if you're a beginner, you have no idea to find what the author is talking about. Telling us to use a tool is great - but where do we find the tool? Then telling us to do something further with the image, great... but again, how? Without clear, easy steps to direct the beginning PSP user, I think this book is better for more experienced users.

I'm sure this book will be a wonderful addition to my library once I get more experience with PSP 8, but as of right now? Not so much.

very disappointing - not enough depth.......2004-07-20

I generally don't go on rants but this book was so disappointing, I felt compelled to write. This book is not good for beginners because it lacks clear direction and is no good for more advanced users because it covers the topics so minimally.

For example, on page 139 it says "layer masks can be quite confusing to undertand let alone use effictively." But the book offers no tutorial or hands-on exercise to help us understand this powerful tool, but instead gives us three pages of pictures that show what we could do, if only we understood it.

Most of what is covered is not telling us anything new -- especailly if you're at all familiar with PSP and photography. I'm very suprised that this level of mediocrity made it past the editors at Focal Press. 'Nuff said.

Lacks depth.......2004-07-01

Note: This review is from a photographer's point of view.

The book...

After finishing the book, I couldn't help but feel that it was a little shallow. It'd be perfect as an introduction to PSP, but intermediate and advanced users would fare better by navigating through PSP's help system.

Some of the advice the author gives regarding settings are off. For example, try using the unsharp mask at 5-10 pixels/100-200%/20 tolerance and you're definitely going create halos around your photos. The descriptions of commands and settings are really very general, and seems to be more like a glorified brochure.

Conclusion...

Buy this book if you're just starting out with photoediting. It does a good job of introducing you to the photoediting tools in PSP, and then some.

I've yet to find any good books targeting photoeditors using PSP. I'd suggest that intermediate/advance users turn to the abundance of web sites dedicated to digital photography to learn about photoediting. Most Photoshop commands have an equivalent in PSP, so both web sites and books dedicated to Photoshop can be applied to PSP.

Good luck, and good light.

Finally a book not written by pedestrians for beginners.......2004-06-16

Having heard what an excellent bargin Paint Shop Pro 8 was and having little experience in image editing I purchased Paint Shop Pro 8 and the following books:

Paint Shop Pro 8: The Guide to Creating Professional Images by Robin Nichols

How To Do Everything with Paint Shop Pro 8 by Dave Huss

Paint Shop Pro 8 Zero to Hero by Sally Beachman and Ron Lacey

Paint Shop Pro 8 Power by Lori Davis.

Although none of the books are 100% in coverage of the features in Paint Shop Pro 8 (there are so many) my experience has been that Paint Shop Pro 8 Zero to Hero was a complete waste of my money, written by what seemed 100% complete self taught authors who had zero creative talent and knew very little above surface knowledge that can be found in countless places on the Internet for free.

Dave Huss' book lacked a lot in coverage of from scratch design so probably should have been titled differently but if you are interested in digital photography and editing your photos in Paint Shop Pro 8 this is the book to get because it is evident that he is a professional photographer and is far more knowledgeable than the trial by error macjob surface approach of Beacham and Lacey in the coverage of photography, and also does much better at coverage on digital photography than Robin's book and Lori's book. Dave easily relates his wealth of professional experience to beginners terms, but still delves into the how and whys of each technique he discusses. His book is not good if you want to learn brushes and filters, and that is where Robin's book takes the forefront.

Robin's book is best for those intested in editing existing photos and graphics from scratch using filters and brushes. Robin seems to have a much better grasp of the theory, concepts and principles of graphic design than the other authors especially better than Beacham and Lacey who lack any creative juices of their own as far as I could tell. From Robin's book you not only get the how and whys, but also get a lot of creative ideas and suggested techniques to try out.

Lori's book is a good extension of the Paint Shop Pro 8 manual, but like the Beacham and Lacey book don't expect to discover how to design WOW type graphics or get even to get suggestions on how to do it because these authors do not appear to have the ability necessary to do it themselves. Technically Lori's book is more indepth than Beacham's and Laceys', but she lacks on the digital photography end. Lori does seem to know more about Paint Shop Pro than Beacham and Lacey, so her book is the better pick and certainly worth the purchase for any beginner.

If you have the cash get Dave Huss' book for digital photography interests, Robin's book for filter, brush and the more creative side of graphic design, and get Lori's book for a more technical approach to understanding Paint Shop Pro 8.

good book but not for beginners.......2004-04-21

If you've never worked with an image-editing software, this is not the best first book to get. If you just got a digital camera and you don't have experience editing digital photos, this might not be your best choice.

I got this book from my local library because it is the only book they have that is specifically written for Paint Shop Pro (PSP) version 8. I had version 7 for almost 2 years and was quite familiar with it. Version 8 has a lot of new features, and many of the old features are re-arranged so they're not where they were in version 7.

This book was helpful, but not completely what I was looking for. This book would be best if you want to work with digital (or scanned) photographs. The author seems to think that's the only thing PSP is good for, editing photos. He tells you lots of things you can do, so if that's what you want to do, and if you already have some experience with image editing software, this is the right book for you.

He doesn't hold your hand and go step-by-step, at least not for every concept he talks about. He sometimes, but not always, shows you where the tool he's talking about is located. He seems to assume the reader brings a certain amount of knowledge with him/her when they pick up the book. But if you've got dark photos, light photos, photos that are out of perspective, or if you want to learn ways to make your images really stand out, this book is very helpful. He also tells you steps to use to take several photos and put them together to make a panorama, and how to make it look like it was taken as one photograph. There are some very neat things you can learn in this book.

But, if you are like me, and your primary interest in PSP is creating images from scratch, for web sites or other publications, for stationary to be used in emails, you're not going to get much out of this book. The author says PSP's picture tube feature is "one of those esoteric tools that's almost impossible to find a proper use for." So if you're one of those people who has a huge collection of tubes, if you go surfing the net to find sites that have tubes that you can download for free, you can see that this author is not on the same page as you are. He does, however, give a step by step lesson in how to make your own picture tube, even if he's not so sure how you'd use it. It was interesting to me that the panorama photo he used, in it's final version, showed a seagull that was not in any of the original photos. I thought it might have been a tube, but he did't say. His chapter on text contains sections on vectors and brushes and doesn't show you step by step how to do many of the effects he illustrates.

So, if you are a digital photographer, you might want to buy this book. If you are a PSP artist, and you want to make your own images for web sites, this book might be of some help to you, but it wasn't written with you in mind.

Download Description

When Simon Kress returned to his home planet of Baldur from an offworld business trip, he was amused to find that his tank of Earth piranhas had cannibalized themselves into extinction, and of the two exotic animals that roamed his estate, only one remained. Now, in search of some new pets to satisfy his cruel pursuit of amusement, Simon finds a new shop in the city where he is intrigued by a new lifeform he has never heard of before ... a collection of multi-colored sandkings. The curator explains that the insect-like animals, no larger than Simon's fingernails, are not insects, but animals with a highly-evolved hive intelligence capable of staging wars between the different colors, and even religion--in the form of worship of their owner. The curator's warning to Simon about the regularity of their feeding, unfortunately, was not taken seriously.... "Outer Limits" Episode, Hugo Award Winner, Locus Poll Award Winner, Nebula Award® Winner

Customer Reviews:

Disappointingly!.......2006-10-26

This story is too simple. I didn't see that I want to see.
In a word, a man grows sandkings but maltreat them. And the end he came home to roost.
Disappointingly!

Consistently high quality.......2006-08-14

I'm sure that most of you reading this review know Martin from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series and have probably decided to look into his more obscure work, and possibly to see his roots; if this is the case this book makes for a cheap way to do just that and an excellent one at that.

I should admit at this point that (sacrilege that it is) I haven't read the books currently out in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series; this book is my introduction to Martin's work. And I must say, what an introduction it is! This effectively shows his diversity and ability to write in different idioms and consistently come up with quality material. The primary focus in most of the reviews has been (understandably) on the title story "Sandkings"; however, while this is the best story the other material is all of very high quality, too. It runs the gauntlet from sci-fi, to horror, to fantasy and has some philosophical ideas laid down in the under current of a few of the stories. A few details on each of them will follow; however, each description will be short so as not to give away any plot details.

The Way of Cross and Dragon -- As someone mentioned earlier this story takes a searing look at religion. It's told through the eyes of a priest that's turning into a skeptic and manages to cover a lot of ground despite being only twenty-two pages long, possibly the second strongest story contained in the book despite the brevity of it (albeit, this is a volume of short stories...).

Bitterblooms -- A mysterious fantasy tale based around primitive tribes, or rather, a particular member from one of the tribes.

In The House of the Worm -- A chilling horror tale that manages to evoke a very claustrophobic atmosphere, it's set underground in a realm where humans live underground and worship a worm god.

Fast-Friend -- A wonderful sci-fi tale about two romantic dreamers that want to live among the stars that's actually rather moving. (Believe me; it's not anywhere near as cheesy or saccharine as it sounds) I would probably rank this story third.

The Stone City -- A mysterious piece of sci-fi that takes place on a planet outside the 'human' realm; the main character is a man trapped on the planet.

Starlady -- Another piece of sci-fi; this one is about a couple that land on a planet unknown to them and are trapped there.

Sandkings -- Much has been said about this already so I'll attempt to say even less than I have with the other stories: It's a very strong horror story designed to make you think (it's one of the aforementioned stories with philosophical undertones). I can only think of one flaw, which is that the main character is such a [...]that some of the potential horror is taken away from the story as you have a hard time caring what happens to him, however, the truly chilling ending makes up for this.

This book is out of print so you'll have to pick it up used. I managed to get mine for $1 in a used bookstore; however, I doubt any here will have such luck. It's worth the current asking price(s) to get it used, though, so I highly suggest grabbing a copy while you still can, if you do prepare to be terrified, mystified, saddened, and very pleased.

King of Human Foibles.......2003-09-23

The thread running through Geore R. R. Martin's work is a powerful intuitive grasp of human weakness. Sandkings gives the reader the most direct look at the author's power through the medium of a lean, horrible, funny, and unforgettable short story.

Am I missing something?.......2003-07-14

... I thought the book was horrible. With th exception of the last 2 pages, the book was predictable, unnecessarily violent, repulsive, and basically a total turn off. Perhaps I'm missing something - but I don't think this short novel was worth my time. .

A sample of the versatility and imagination of GRRM.......2003-04-18

George R. R. Martin is not just one of the best fantasy or science fiction writers of our time, it is hard to pin him down into any genre. Some of the stories in this volume could better be described as horror rather than fantasy or science fiction.

Sandkings, the title story and easily the best of the lot falls into this category. Simon Kress, a rather unpleasant character, acquires as pets these exotic, quasi insect creatures comprised of a physically distinct body (with brain and alimentary functions) and a number of dispersed mobile units who serve as foragers and warriors. Picture an ant-nest or a beehive, except that the queen is of a vastly higher level of consciousness and intelligence and can command her mobiles to undertake more complex projects. Kress' selfishness and sadism wreak havoc on his pets till they transform from loyal subjects (almost disciples in a way) to something beyond scary. It is as if a people long oppressed finally turn on their master. This is just the bare outline, the story itself is compelling and left me gasping by the end (which I am not going to spoil for you - take my word that it is one of the most gripping finales you will read).

The other stories are shadowed by Sandkings but are excellent in themselves. I particularly liked The Way of Cross and Dragon, a searing look at religion and the religious hierarchy. Also Star Lady, a tale of the loss of innocence on a planet with no rule of law, and then in a way, a strange redemption as well.

The mood throughout the book is dark and this is not a book you want to read in a low mood. I strongly recommend it however as a superb example of storytelling and a sample of the versatility and imagination of George R. R. Martin.

Average customer rating:
Sandkings
George R. R. Martin
Manufacturer: Timescape/Pcoket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NQ76FS

Average customer rating:
Sandkings
George R. R. Martin
Manufacturer: A Timescape Book-(Pocket Books)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: B000BP5OZA

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Sandkings (Graphic Novel, SF 7)

Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Estonian | More Languages | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: B000FPDCSM

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Sandkings
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Manufacturer: Futura Publications/An Orbit Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000MS49MK

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Sandkings

Manufacturer: DC Comics, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000FRSTAQ

Product Description

Full color graphic novel in comic format adapted by Doug Moench, Pat Broderick and Neal McPheeters. Cover art by McPheeters.

Customer Reviews:

New Detective.......2005-01-08

Leave a Good-Looking Corpse grabs you right from the start. I found the characters to be appealing and much more real than previous books of this genre. Preston is a talented writer who has a gift for creating wonderful characters whom we all can relate to. I also found his sense of humor refreshing, at times I had to put the book down and describe what I had just read because I found it extremely funny. I look foward to reading the next T.R. Macdonald Thriller.

A Great Mystery and a Fun Read.......2003-08-06

Leave a Good-Looking Corpse left me wanting more books from James R. Preston. I was completely caught up in this great mystery set in Huntington Beach, California. T.R. Macdonald, intelligent, brash, and very likable, encounters many colorful and believable characters during his adventures. I liked the fact that T.R. is not a professional detective and is learning the ropes as he goes along. It gives the story tension as well as lots of humor. I found myself laughing out loud countless times. Mr. Preston is an awesome storyteller and Leave a Good-Looking Corpse is filled with suspense, intrigue, and a terrific unexpected ending. I read it in a day and a half. (I would have read it in one day, but I forced myself to finally put it down at 2 a.m.) I highly recommend this book; it was a lot of fun to read.

Leave a Good-Looking Corpse: A T.R. McDonald Thriller.......2002-08-28

Mr. Preston's "Leave a Good-Looking Corpse" is spellbinding. It grabs you starting with page one all the way to the last page. Not a dull moment. An excellent read. Keep them coming Mr. Preston! FYI - this novel was loaned to me by a friend and fan of Mr. Preston's, Ray Shinmachi. It is wonderful to share a good read with someone else to increase our knowledge of newer writers and gifted story tellers. I am pleased to be a new fan of the T. R. McDonald mystery series and am looking forward to future publications of Mr. Preston's writings of mystery and intrigue.

An excellent mystery thriller.......2002-08-21

I found the book very addictive. Once I started I didn't put it down until I finished. The details of various scenes were engaging to the point that I felt like I was right there as the action or story unfolded. I felt that the development of the various characters described real-world people that I may have personally encountered and therefore was able to relate and bond with the characters and situation drawing me into the book all the more. I am looking forward to the release of Mr. Preston's next book.

Book Description

A first-person view of the desperate conditions of tenement life in post-Soviet Russia, with a focus on the role of women. A critically-acclaimed book by the author of Ivan Petrov: Russia through a Shot Glass.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book!.......2003-10-28

If you want a glimpse of post-Soviet Russia, this is the author's experience living in one of thousands of tenements in a former factory town on the Volga river. Excellent insight and cultural perspective.

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