Illustrated Letters: Artists and Writers Correspond

Customer Reviews:

Artists Books and Journals.......2004-04-25

When looking at the history, or attempting to discover the history of artists books and journals certainly one would want to include this well appointed book in one's library. It is an enriching experience to savour little bits of correspondence, renderings and illustrated journals of every man, but to be able to also explore the correspond and journals of the well known makes for a bonus. I thoroughly enjoyed receiving this book as a gift and recommend it as a gift to journalers, sketchers and all those visual.

Well Worth the Wait!.......2002-01-14

I loved this book-- I have had it on my wish list for a long, long time and my wonderful husband gave it (and three other books) to me for my birthday. It was so hard to not ignore everyone and just read it! There are letters from van Gogh, Gaugin, Collete-- all these famous people who corresponded with oftentimes other famous people. It really gives us a deeper understanding of who these people were by seeing what they wrote and how they interpretted their lives.

It is helping my daughter's French-- many letters are in French (with translations!) as well as giving us perspective on their lives and the times the writers were in. I have never sent a blank note to anyone and now thata I see how these letters are cherished years later, I resolve to keep up with my own work!

Artists and Writers Correspond and Sketch.......2000-01-05

The artists' musings in these provocative letters give us a fascinating insight into their fears and hopes, accompanied by charming and apparently impromptu sketches in watercolor and pen-and-ink drawings. Abrams as always has produced a first-class book. If there is any criticism to be made it is that some of the longer letters are completed in the appendix,making for some clumsy back-and-forth thumbing. Otherwise the editors have come up with some wonderful examples of the genre with illustrations ranging from elegant to fragile.This is a substantial volume that offers many absorbing hours of looking and reading.

Average customer rating:

A Rare Dish Indeed

Ebert is the best that film criticism has to offer today- maybe ever.

Makes me laugh

Ebert sees all the movies he reviews

I've semi-often found Ebert's reviews a little inaccurate

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2005
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2003

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2006 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2007 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)

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Roger Ebert's Video Companion 1998 (Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook)

ASIN: 0740747428

Book Description

The Movie Yearbook also contains the year's interviews and essays-perceptive profiles of actors such as Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe-and the biweekly "Questions for the Movie Answer Man," which never fails to unearth fascinating tidbits about filming particulars, per-screening revenues, and similar details, all based on reader-generated queries.To cap it off, the book highlights Ebert's film festival coverage from Cannes and includes a list of all movies previously appearing in a Video Companion or Movie Yearbook with Ebert's star ratings. The result is truly the bible for moviegoing readers everywhere. They know that Ebert is the source for all things cinema.

Customer Reviews:

A Rare Dish Indeed.......2005-09-10

Being given the chance to critique Roger Ebert is a heady dish indeed. Holding the microscope to the man who has held the microscope to so many others is a little like being divine, if just for a moment.

What do you say to the man who holds more sway over the movie-going public than any other critic? The easy answer is to criticize the obvious blunders he's made. How in the world could he not like Fight Club? It's the anthem for my generation, for God's sake. I'm also not sure I trust Roger's interpretation of foreign films either. He has a decidedly American view towards life and tends to look at the world through red, white and blue colored glasses. His negative review of 2046 is evidence of this. Roger Ebert is many things but a foolish man is not one of them. He knows which side his bread is buttered on. When a film like Fahrenheit 911 comes along, obviously pandering to the Hollywood liberal elite, you can trust Roger to fall in line with a good review.

Despite all this, whenever I want to know how good a movie is, the first person I go to is Roger Ebert. Roger is straightforward and intelligent and he usually likes the same kind of films I do. He's the critic I trust most and unlike most of his colleagues, he's already successful enough that he doesn't need to go out on a limb just to get noticed. He gets noticed for the insightfulness and intelligence of his reviews. Sometimes he makes me angry but maybe that's the mark of a good critic. Good, bad or indifferent, I always want to know what Roger has to say.

Ebert is the best that film criticism has to offer today- maybe ever........2005-07-08

Roger Ebert is not only a great Film Critic, but he is also an excellent writer.Mmore than just rehashing a film, Mr. Ebert finds the humanity and subtle nuances that exist in film, and finds the greatness in those traits. There has never been a year when I have seen every movie that is included in his annual movie yearbooks, but I could still read every review in the book! It is his prose, his wit, his love for film, and his desire to see the medium move forward, while recoginizing the gennius that can be found in [some] genre films. I highly recommend his writing- There is simply no one better.

Makes me laugh.......2005-07-01

I don't always agree with Roger Ebert's assessment of movies (especially comedies), but I do appreciate his sense of humor, which frequently surprises me. He does write with wit and his prose is usually a pleasure to read.

I also like his philosophy of trying to judge a film according to its purpose and how effectively it accomplishes its vision. That seems like a fair way to assess a film.

Ebert's reviews sure beat the bland summaries included in other movie books!

Ebert sees all the movies he reviews.......2005-02-24

And reviews them from the point of view of someone who actually likes movies. He likes more movies than I do, but his reviews do give me enough to know if I want to see the film - and that is really what it's all about. I buy the current book every year.
If you are worried about "accuracy" of his reviews - check out the big objections others have raised. Most people are aware there are more important things than obssessing over a minor detail from an F/X flick or the dialog in a 50 year old monster movie.

I've semi-often found Ebert's reviews a little inaccurate .......2005-01-22

In this book when he reviews the film The Day After Tomorrow Ebert claims the character of Sam's mother (you'll understand this if you've seen TDAT) is in New York taking care of a sick hospital patient even though the city is now frozen under ice. Actually, Sam's mother is in another american city (not NYC) taking care of the kid. Some years ago I found the way Ebert reviewed another film (called In THe Dead of Winter) also to be a little inaccurate as well. I think he should watch all the films he puts into books at least half a dozen times before he puts them into book form. He seemingly only watches some of them once and it shows in his work.

Average customer rating:

Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2005
Roger Ebert
Manufacturer: Andrews & McMeel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000JZCC8E

Average customer rating:

Great songwrting and production learning tool

Nauseating

Music Lover or Music Pro

Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation (Pop Culture)
Wayne Wadhams
Manufacturer: Berklee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Melody in Songwriting: Tools and Techniques for Writing Hit Songs (Berklee Guide)

The Essential Songwriter

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The Songwriter's Workshop: Harmony

ASIN: 0634014307

Book Description

How does a song become more than words and music to represent or influence the voice of a generation? Inside the Hits dissects more than 60 of the most powerful and memorable hit songs since the birth of rock and roll to reveal the roots of their success. Author Wayne Wadhams examines the key ingredients that made the songs work then and now, including: melody, lyrics, performance, production, artist image, promotion, and market timing. What really stopped Mick Jagger from getting "Satisfaction"? How did a secretary who was mistaken for a prostitute give Donna Summer her new sound? Find all the answers in Inside the Hits.

"Reading Inside the Hits was like reliving some of the most memorable moments in rock and roll. A captivating read for industry professionals and fans alike."
- Phil Ramone

Customer Reviews:

Great songwrting and production learning tool.......2005-11-01

"Inside the Hits "is an excellent resource tool and starting point for teachers and students who wish to analyze the song structure and production values of hit records. When I help my guitar students with their songwriting, I usually begin by guiding them through the deconstructing of a hit song. After all, why reinvent the wheel when the information from a hit song is right there for us to use? Song deconstruction, however, is time consuming. This book is a great help in speeding up the process. The author does an excellent job of outlining key areas of songwriting and production and writes extensively about the elements of the groove; the arrangement; signature elements of a song; melodic development; the chord/harmonic progression; effects and techniques used in the mix; a guide of how the song was mixed (mix map); lyrical structure; cultural relevance; performance values and interviews with the artists, songwriters and producers. I give this book 4 stars instead of 5 only because the selected songs stop at 1988 and do not venture into current writing and production trends. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in deconstructing hit songs for songwriting and production ideas.

Nauseating.......2003-10-20

Well what can one say about such a collection of pretentious, pompous, tenth-rate, sophomoric essays?

Ignore this drivel, at all costs.

Music Lover or Music Pro.......2002-03-19

If you've ever been moved by a pop song from the mid 50s thru the mid 80s but never known why - here's the answer.

Whether you're a music creator or music lover - it's all here and it's highly accessible for all. A truly remarkable contribution to our culture.

Book Description

Outstanding collection of nearly 200 crowd-pleasing mental magic feats (requiring no special equipment). Author offers insider’s tips and expert advice on techniques, presentation, diversions, patter, staging and all else needed to make any trick a foolproof success. Lucidly written, thoroughly diagrammed book by one of magic’s legendary figures.

Customer Reviews:

Not for beginners!!!.......2007-09-18

This is a great book on magic, but it is absolutely not for beginners. I can't do any of this stuff. My good friend is a magician and he loves it.

Outstanding in it's time........2007-07-19

Ted Annemann is still considered one of the greatest Mentalists to have taken the stage. Within this volume you will receive hundreds of dollars worth of ideas. Annemann was one of the most prolific and original inventors of magic effects in his short life. If "13 Steps to Mentalism" is the bible of mentalism, Practical Mental Magic is the Dead Sea Scrolls. The only down side to this excellent book is its antiquity, and may require some updating to work with more sophisticated modern audiences.

Wow this book was written in 1944.......2007-06-26

Im pretty sure any good magician would put this book as a must have, it probably is a bible but ... Although most of the tricks are good not even the typeface used is new, is like reading a manuscript written in a typewriter, with a few, hand drawn illustrations. It makes it heavy to read after a while. Too dense for me, I prefer a more graphical, photograph intensive book.

Didnt like it.......2007-03-15

If your a fan of magic and perhaps a hobby magician then stay away from this book. It has little to do with magic and my opinion is that its no good at all. Another book I wish i didnt buy.

One of the two mentalism Bibles.......2006-03-09

This, along with Corinda's "13 Steps to Mentalism" is an absolute essential for anybody that wants to get into the art of mindreading. It covers all of the main ruses, and Anneman's work with Billets is, in my opinion, unparalleled. Some effects are somewhat dated (i.e. some effects encorporate the "magician's force", which is now widly known by the layman), but considering it was first published in 1944 this is to be expected.
Beautifully written and compiled, and very cheap for the amount that you have to work with.
An absolute must.

The Superman Syndrome--The Magic of Myth in The Pursuit of Power: The Positive Mental Moxie of Myth for Personal Growth

Average customer rating:

A lot of pages that just reiterate the same point
God, how I love this book!

The Superman Syndrome--The Magic of Myth in The Pursuit of Power: The Positive Mental Moxie of Myth for Personal Growth
Gene N. Landrum
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595346979

Book Description

The Positive Mental Moxie of Myth for Personal Growth

Joseph Campbell defined a myth as “a life-shaping image, a metaphor that creates a hero out of those who heed it.” Author Dr. Gene Landrum takes Campbell's definition one step further by offering a variety of motivational techniques that will propel you to heroic success.

Dr. Landrum describes the “superman syndrome” as a series of common behaviors that permit an otherwise average person to rise above the norm. He points out that some of the world's most renowned visionaries—Catherine the Great, Walt Disney, and Ian Fleming—did not conform to tradition because they modeled their behavior on heroic ideals and mythical mentors.

Learn how to transform your life from ordinary to extraordinary by focusing on several key ideas:

Chasing money is entropic and the path to the poorhouse

Happiness is a side effect of being—never trying

Romance only comes to those not trying to find romance

Anxiety is a by-product of unrealistic expectations

Breakdown leads to breakthrough

Being stupid is the pathway to being smart

Do you have the Superman Syndrome? Test yourself to find out!

Customer Reviews:

A lot of pages that just reiterate the same point.......2007-08-11

I was really disappointed in this work after reading the positive reviews and making a decision to purchase this based upon the reviews. While I appreciate his premise and real life examples, there is nothing substantive in this book that could not have been encapsulated in two words; "dream big!" About half way through the book, I put it down.

God, how I love this book!.......2005-12-24

If you are already a fan of Dr. Landrum's work, stop reading this review and just click the "Buy Now" button. It's that good. If you're not familiar with his work, you soon will be. Landrum is, hands-down, *the* authority on what truly sets powerful people apart from the mediocre masses.

Do you think extremely successful people lead more balanced lives than the rest of us? Think they're better educated? Think they're more "realistic" thinkers? Do you think they're better long-term strategists? Think "luck" is on their side?

If so, think again. Dr. Landrum pulls back the curtain on some of the most powerful people in history and puts his finger on the very heart of what allows them to succeed. And along the way, he shows how this very power can be tapped by each and every person with the guts enough to claim it.

If there's a drawback to the book it's that it's a little rough around the edges. It has some typos and a few paragraphs that could have been tightened up a bit, but so what? That's like complaining that your million-dollar, winning lottery ticket has a little smudge on it. These minor blemishes are buried beneath a mountain of ideas so powerful that I literally found myself pacing the floor as I read. No kidding. If there is such a thing as literary amphetamines, this book is laced with them.

Don Juan and the Power of Medicine Dreaming: A Nagual Woman's Journey of Healing

Average customer rating:

Doesn't live up to its title.
Just a review
Shamanism and dream power
Really deep!

Don Juan and the Power of Medicine Dreaming: A Nagual Woman's Journey of Healing
Merilyn Tunneshende
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1879181932
Release Date: 2002-04-01

Book Description

A journey of healing and transformation through Toltec mysticism, shamanic dreaming, and the teachings of the Mayan prophecies.

• The author studied with don Juan Matus and the Nagual sorcerers who taught Carlos Castaneda.

• Includes numerous transcripts of Toltec Dreamwork sessions, providing examples of how dreamwork can transform personal life challenges.

Merilyn Tunneshende learned the secrets of Dream Power, energetic healing, and sorcery from don Juan Matus, the Toltec shaman who mentored Carlos Castaneda. This book is her personal story of over 30 years of interaction with the mystical guides, dreams, and prophecies of the Maya. Through her journey we learn of the power of transmutational energies and how they might be applied to heal and transform our world.

Like so many in the early 1970s, Merilyn Tunneshende had plans to travel the world beatnik-style, beginning with Mexico. Traumatized by the sudden death of her fiance after a series of premonitions, Merilyn found her adventurous trip transformed into a path of spiritual awakening, which took her into an intense apprenticeship with Toltec shaman don Juan Matus. After becoming a fully initiated Toltec sorceress and Nagual Dreaming Woman, she experienced a second trauma that threw her from the path of mystical study back into the everyday world of the West. For years she pursued her career as a teacher and linguist--all but dismissing her former mystical experiences as madness. When a series of dreams begin to pervade her consciousness and she received a heart-breaking diagnosis that she had AIDS, Merilyn returned to the world of Mayan prophecy and nagualist training in order to unleash the powers of transmutative energies in healing her own body and actualizing transcendent liberation.

Customer Reviews:

Doesn't live up to its title........2004-02-05

That the book is promoted as non-fiction is a miracle as it clearly is a cross between the latest lady's romance novel and a nickel&dime Indiana Jones comic.

- The characters she brings forth lack depth. Two dimensional are the words that are most appropiate here.

- The dreaming techniques that she is supossed to present in order to justify the title, which indicates that the book is about Medicine Dreaming, something that I know is possible hence my interest in the book, are totally absent. Thats right, there is absolutely nothing in the entire book on the topic of healing via the medium of dreams!

I wonder if the reviewers who are so wildly enthusiastic about this book are not confussing it with another.

A real let down. All in all, I have the impression that MT is a bored housewife who wrote down her own daydreams and presented them as fact.

Just a review.......2004-02-02

Hello fellow readers:

This book, which I wanted 'eagerly' to read, was given to me not so long ago. I read a few pages, I listened to one of her radio interviews. I just can say.. a few things about this book. And sorry before handm but I am very picky with these things.

It feels a bit "touristic", meaning that what she does a lot of times but not entirely in the first 60 pages or so is talk about Mexican food and places. It is okay if you do it a few times, but more than a few, it becomes a bit boring so I skipped some bunches of paragraphs.

To me it lacks a bit more of "going deeper into the matter". Apparently she is a natural dreamer. This aspect of being a "natural" is not well supported if she really is a natural. For example, in the case of Florinda (one of the witches from Castaneda's group), she had not only one, but several dreaming experiences that were described in her own book for her ability to dream awake. This was presented first thoroughly and then very much later, we found out she was a "natural". What I read was only one dreaming experience, which just turned out to be a little weird, and therefore she gets called "natural dreamer" based on one dream. The same is with other concepts. Sometimes it comes to mind that she knew everything before she met "don Juan" because not many things are explained or at least, the people she met, apparently do not seem to explain too much in depth.

Down to Don Juan. This Don Juan #2 is by far... so different from the don Juan #1 we read in Carlos' books that I do not see any relationship between the two. If she met don Juan#2, I have come to the conclusion it certainly wasn't the same don Juan#1 who instructed Carlos. One of my reasons come from the things #2 tells her, which seem to come more from readings I have done myself over the internet and some sense of the "new age" movement, instead of the new material presented by Carlos.

I like explanations. At least, I like books that elaborate everything, that explain terms from where they came from.
So from 1 to 5.. I give 1. I won't say that she did or not make it up, but it is just not as cohesive, explanatory, objective as I would have liked it to be. Sometimes the narration leans too much towards the romantic side with a few lapses of self-service.

There are chapters in which she exposes her dreaming experiences with the Mayans.. These facts are in the history books, so nothing new there.

The title refers to Medicine Dreaming which might be a bit misleading. Is the book supposed to explain and inform about Dreaming so one can heal oneself?. or is it just an account on how it works?. Either way, I did not find any of those answers. On the cover, she is referred to as a nagual woman, yet I never read anything to back-up this, nor was she ever referred as such by any of the characters involved.. just an observation.

On the other hand, I "believe" (because I have not proven this yet) that healing oneself is possible in Dreaming, but I do not see how this book could help anyone to achieve such feat.

Shamanism and dream power.......2003-10-04

This book relates the author's 30+ years of interaction with guides in the mystical world of the Toltec and Maya and discusses the power of the healing energies that may be applied in healing and transforming the world.

A meeting with the writer William Burroughs was the catalyst for a journey to Mexico. Here she was taught by Don Juan Matus, the same shaman that mentored Carlos Castaneda as documented in his best selling books. After the initial apprenticeship with Matus she spent 12 years as a linguist and teacher before returning to the world of Toltec/Maya esotericism after an AIDS diagnosis.

Her story makes interesting reading. The epilogue contains a novel view on four different categories of illness, the methods of discerning these and the proper treatments. This is a great book on shamanism, dream power, sorcery and healing that will definitely appeal to fans of the author Castaneda.

Really deep!.......2003-01-23

This is a fabulous book of transformation and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in ascension. Told from a Nagual woman's perspective, it is magical and refreshing.

It's also cool to read this woman's interaction with don Juan, the wise shaman from Carlos Castenedas' series. The author gives a strong visual, with regard to the choice we have, in moving outward from this dimension.

Average customer rating:
Annemann's Practical mental effects: A comprehensive collection of the best mental tricks of recent years
Theodore Annemann
Manufacturer: Tannen Magic Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007HOHRS

Average customer rating:
Practical Mental Magic
Theodore Annemann
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NQLYPQ

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