Winslow Homer: The Nature of Observation

Book Description

With close analysis of Homer's art and of the personal challenges he faced throughout his life, Winslow Homer: The Nature of Observation is the most comprehensive study to date of the relationship between the artist's work and the psychological stages of his life. Elizabeth Johns uses theories advanced by Erik Erikson and Daniel Levinson to look at Homer's evolution as a painter and a person within the context of the continuing dynamics of his family. Her incisive and absorbing readings of the artist's work take into account the developmental stages of young, middle, and late adulthood, analyzing what Homer painted at the various turning points in his life.
With this psychosocial approach, Johns examines the wood-engraved illustrations of Homer's early career in relationship to the values of his family; his images of the Civil War in the context of his young manhood; his paintings of the social scene and young women's place in it in connection with his own potential for marriage; his images of fisherwomen at Cullercoats and fishermen at Prout's Neck as they relate to his interior vision during middle age; and his intrigue with the sea in his late works as an identification with the larger processes of the universe. With more than seventy-five black-and-white illustrations and forty color plates of arresting images by this American master, Winslow Homer takes into account all available documentation, including the rich trove of the artist's correspondence at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, and his entire body of work--illustrations for wood engravings, watercolors, and oils.

Customer Reviews:

Winslow Homer.......2007-03-09

This is one of the most instructive books on painting that I have read. I could understand the concepts so well. Now I hope I can make use of them. Beautiful!

Insightful Adjunct to the Art of Winslow Homer.......2005-11-26

Considered by most art historians to be one of the more important American artists, Winslow Homer was essentially self-taught and that fact informs his prolific span of works as much from the progressive technical maturity of his paintings and drawings as from the intuitive approach to his subjects that, at time, 'over-schooling' can flatten.

Elizabeth Johns has written an engrossing study of how Homer's life and psychological development are evident in the various stages of his work. Never cloying or intrusive in demeanor, Johns intertwines facts gleaned from correspondence and from criticism and Homer's responses to same to paint her own portrait of a man at odds with the world in some ways and in other ways as an integral observer of such phenomena as his passion for the sea.

Johns' writing is so facile that the book could comfortably exist without illustration, but add to the power of her writing the fine reproductions of both black and white and richly colored plates of Homer's paintings and this becomes a book that will satisfy even those who have questioned Homer's importance in American art history. A fine read. Grady Harp, November 05

Book Description

The most significant of the more than 175 varieties of Japanese ornamental trees featured, along with a discussion of Japanese garden design, and cultivation tips for home gardeners.

Customer Reviews:

4.5 Stars.......2006-10-01

This is an excellent book if you would like to get an overview and history of Washington DC's Cherry Blossom Festival. There's some really good historical photographs and drawings and it was enjoyable to read about the development, meaning, symbolism, etc. of the Cherry Blossom Festival. I would rate this book 4.5 stars only because while there are some great photos of the spectacular trees there aren't nearly as many as there should be. This is a great book if you are new to Washington and/or looking for a gift.

History of the Cherry Blossom Festival........2005-04-09

The book is very detailed and wonderfully illustrated. It starts with the traditions and roots of Cherry Blossom Festivals from Japan. Then it explians how the cherry blossom trees came to Washington and how the US picked up the traditions of the Cherry Blossom Festival. It ends with a chapter about how to care for cherry blossoms and how they exist, not only in cities of Japan and Washington, D.C., but also in other parts of the US, such as New York and Ohio, Missouri and California. Lovely book.
Funny enough, the book was printed in China.

I have not seen this book, this is what I've read about it.......2005-03-24

Lots of illustrations and facts about the role of the cherry blossom tree in diplomacy and landscapes. Info on the trees' cultivation, how the U.S. got the trees, places outside of Washington, DC to see them.

The author has worked at the Smithsonian and is a resident of D.C.

Average customer rating:

A Celebration of Japanese Gardens

Manufacturer: Books Nippan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Japanese Gardens | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 4766107446

Amazon.com

Steve Martin has always been one of the most intelligent of comedians (you won't find Adam Sandler writing a play about Einstein and Picasso anytime soon), but this intelligence is manifested in gymnastically absurdist flights of fancy, rather than the politically informed riffs typical of performers like Lenny Bruce. Pure Drivel is a collection of pieces, most of them written for the New Yorker, that demonstrate Martin's playful way with words and his unerring ability to create a feeling of serendipitous improvisation even on the printed page. Here's a passage from a piece that announces a shortage of periods in the Times Roman font:

"Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences," said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts, since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods, indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers to believe that the article actually contains periods!"

Although some of these pieces flirted with topicality when they first appeared, Martin is most successful when he leaves the real world behind and gives his wit free rein. This collection preserves the best (so far) of his glorious improvisations. --Simon Leake

Amazon.com Audiobook Review

Don't listen to Steve Martin read this hysterical compilation of his most absurdly funny writings if you're recovering from abdominal surgery or have taken a vow of silence. Martin's brilliant, juxtaposed wordplay, sly commentary, and hilarious observations are delivered with such a droll wit that only a dead person will avoid unabashed laughter. Genius is in the ear of the beholder and Martin's metronomic timing allows each sentence to unravel perfectly. His deadpan delivery is often clever enough to make you laugh twice at the same line and makes it clear why he has enjoyed such remarkable success as an actor, screenwriter, playwright, and author. (Running time: two hours, two cassettes) --George Laney

Book Description

Steve Martin's talent has always defied definition: an actor who's kept us riveted for over 25 years, a razor-sharp screenwriter, an acclaimed playwright. In this ingeniously funny collection of humorous riffs, those who thought Martin's gifts were confined to the screen will discover what readers of The New Yorker magazine already know: that Martin is a master of the written word.

Hilariously funny and intelligent in their skewering of the topic at hand, the audiobook's pieces, some of which first appeared in The New Yorker, feature Martin at his finest.

With a playwright's ear for dialogue, a sense of irony only Steve Martin could muster, and a first-class comic ability to perfectly time the punch line, Pure Drivel will have listeners crying with laughter, and marveling at the fact that in addition to all of his many talents, Steve Martin is also a superb writer.

Customer Reviews:

A book you'll enjoy even more if you listen to it!.......2007-09-14

D. Heard a taped version of PURE DRIVEL, written and read by Steve Martin,
and I liked parts of it very much . . . the book is a collection of his short stories,
many of which first appeared in THE NEW YORKER.

If you're going to get hold of it, I strongly suggest that this is one
time where the audio version far succeeds the written copy . . . by
listening to it, you'll almost feel like you are getting to hear Steve
Martin in a private performance--given just for you.

One piece, in particular, had me laughing out loud . . . it described
the breakup of a couple who had been dating for only a few
months . . . yet the guy kept writing after the relationship
was over and each time he did, his letters became increasingly
stupider . . . the amazing thing about this tale is that it is sooooo
true; i.e., I've actually seen both men and women do something similar.

I also liked this passage from a piece that announced a shortage
of periods in the Times Roman font:

Most vulnerable are writers who work in short, choppy sentences,"
said a spokesperson for Times Roman, who continued, "We are trying
to remedy the situation and have suggested alternatives, like umlauts,
since we have plenty of umlauts--and, in fact, have more umlauts than
we could possibly use in a lifetime! Don't forget, umlauts can really
spice up a page with their delicate symmetry--resting often midway
in a word, letters spilling on either side--and not only indicate the
pronunciation of a word but also contribute to a writer's greater glory
because they're fancy, not to mention that they even look like periods,
indeed, are indistinguishable from periods, and will lead casual readers
to believe that the article actually contains periods!

PURE DRIVEL does have a few clinkers, though fortunately, there aren't
many of them.

Drivel or otherwise, I can't get enough........2007-03-09

This is truly one of the most delightful books I have ever read. In a very uncharacteristic move, I have made a mental note to hang on to this book so I can go back to it periodically. Martin's writing is just plain funny. I am a tough customer when it comes to humor, but this book had me laughing out loud. Not that it was ever in question, but in this book you begin to see just how intelligent Steve Martin is. Some of the comedy I am sure was over my head, but there was plenty that was not. (Sometimes such intelligent writing may be a pitfall when it might make the book funny to a smaller number of people.)

Steve Martin writes with witty prose in a manner that is comfortable to read and easy to understand. Like many avid readers, I too have that hope in the back of my mind that one day I will be a published author so that I may tease the emotions of readers similar to how I like mine teased. I have read books before which I have visualized myself emulating in my own writing, but before this book I had never felt so strongly an appreciation for the author. This, for the most part, is how I wish I could write.

Pure Drivel is a series of short stories, which I normally avoid because I have had a few bad experiences. I had no problems and I have nothing bad to say about this book. I loved it and have had multiple conversations about it with a friend to whom I lent it. She loved it, too. The book is very light reading when you are in the mood for something quick and minimally involved. The writing is complex and the ideas are abstract, but that should not contradict the previous sentence. I am not ashamed to admit how embarrassingly out loud I laughed at this book.

Yes, Drivel.......2007-03-08

I chuckled a few times, but it wasn't nearly as good as his other stuff. It was, aptly, Pure Drivel.

Steve the Great!.......2006-11-07

the is one of my favourite books of all time. I love you Steve!

Pure Steve Martin... the New Yorker version.......2006-10-24

Unfortunately for Steve Martin, memories of him making "animal" balloons, lusting after Roxanne, playing the banjo, and being a "wild and crazy guy" abound. If it looks, sounds, and walks like a comic, it must be a comic!

This book is a collection of short stories. Pure Drivel is funny, usually. My favorite is "Side Effects." It is not rib-splitting, "Did you hear the one about the..." funny. Much of the humor is subtle. The story "Mensa" is a good example of this. Many stories have a decidedly non-humorous focus, telling more about the human condition (Martin's book, Shopgirl, is an example of this, as is the short story, "Cruel Shoes," in the book of the same name).

I haven't "read" this "book". Instead, I "listened" to it on "CD" (with apologies to the story "Pure Drivel," "The Apology," Amazon dot com, my computer, and the Hans Furniture Company who made the desk my computer sits on).

Steve Martin is the right person to narrate this book. I actually can't imagine how I would rate the book if I had read it (since I didn't). His voice is well matched with his writing style (but who would you expect... PeeWee Herman's voice?). All in all, a nicely engineered book on CD.

Average customer rating:

Pure Drivel
Steve Martin
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J6YNBC

Average customer rating:

Pure Drivel
Steve Martin
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OITS6A

Average customer rating:

Pure Drivel Uk Edition Inscribed
Steve Martin
Manufacturer: VIKING
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000WDTIMQ

Pure Drivel.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review

Average customer rating:

Pure Drivel.(Review)(Brief Article): An article from: The Antioch Review
Jon Saari
Manufacturer: Antioch Review, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Antioch Review, published by Antioch Review, Inc. on March 22, 2000. The length of the article is 335 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Pure Drivel.(Review)(Brief Article)
Author: Jon Saari
Publication: The Antioch Review (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2000
Publisher: Antioch Review, Inc.
Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Page: 243

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Surprising Look at the Nazi Film Industry

Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and Its Afterlife
Eric Rentschler
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film (Princeton Classic Editions)

Propaganda and the German Cinema, 1933-1945 (Cinema and Society)

Iconography of Power: Soviet Political Posters under Lenin and Stalin (Studies on the History of Society and Culture, 27)

Propaganda

Entertaining the Third Reich: Illusions of Wholeness in Nazi Cinema (Post-Contemporary Interventions)

ASIN: 0674576403

Book Description

German cinema of the Third Reich, even a half-century after Hitler's demise, still provokes extreme reactions. "Never before and in no other country," observes director Wim Wenders, "have images and language been abused so unscrupulously as here, never before and nowhere else have they been debased so deeply as vehicles to transmit lies." More than a thousand German feature films that premiered during the reign of National Socialism survive as mementoes of what many regard as film history's darkest hour.

As Eric Rentschler argues, however, cinema in the Third Reich emanated from a Ministry of Illusion and not from a Ministry of Fear. Party vehicles such as Hitler Youth Quex and anti-Semitic hate films such as Jew Süss may warrant the epithet "Nazi propaganda," but they amount to a mere fraction of the productions from this era. The vast majority of the epoch's films seemed to be "unpolitical"--melodramas, biopix, and frothy entertainments set in cozy urbane surroundings, places where one rarely sees a swastika or hears a "Sieg Heil."

Minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, Rentschler shows, endeavored to maximize film's seductive potential, to cloak party priorities in alluring cinematic shapes. Hitler and Goebbels were master showmen enamored of their media images, the Third Reich was a grand production, the Second World War a continuing movie of the week. The Nazis were movie mad, and the Third Reich was movie made. Rentschler's analysis of the sophisticated media culture of this period demonstrates in an unprecedented way the potent and destructive powers of fascination and fantasy. Nazi feature films--both as entities that unreeled in moviehouses during the regime and as productions that continue to enjoy wide attention today--show that entertainment is often much more than innocent pleasure.

Customer Reviews:

Surprising Look at the Nazi Film Industry.......2001-08-10

When one thinks of the Third Reich and its movies, the first thing that comes to mind is "Triumph of the Will," or "Olympia," both by Leni Riefenstahl and usually the only cinematic examples from the Third Reich shown on television.

It might surprise many to note that the vast majority of the over 1,000 films produced in the Third Reich contained no overt propaganda whatsoever. It might also surprise many to read that the Third Reich also produced musicals and even screwball comedies.

This is just one of the little known facts presented in this extremely important and entertaining book. The Nazis never had to invent a cinema from the ground up; the Germany they inherited had perhaps the most sophisticated film industry this side of Hollywood. Add the fact that the Nazi hierarchy were film fanatics and it is somewhat easier to see why the cinema of the Third Reich developed as it did.

Eric Rentschler points out that instead of overt propaganda, Joseph Goebbles preferred as subliminal message instead. Too many preachy films would turn off the audience; instead, if films were enrobed in traditional German values, the message is all the easier not only to get across, but to gain acceptance. The most frightening aspect of "Jew Suss" (the most notorious Anti-Semitic film ever made)is how the message is presented so matter-of-factly. No over the top drama, but an effective use of melodramatic elements to get the point across.

An added bonus for film researchers is a listing of films released by year and a filmography of the more noted directors. Essential for those interested in film or the social hisotry of Nazi Germany.

Average customer rating:
The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and its Afterlife.(Review) : An article from: Cineaste
Robert Sklar
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00098OA5Y
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on June 22, 1998. The length of the article is 963 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Ministry of Illusion: Nazi Cinema and its Afterlife.(Review)
Author: Robert Sklar
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 1998
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 23 Issue: 3 Page: 47(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:
Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre
Paul Oliver , Tony Russell , Robert M. W. Dixon , John Godrich , and Howard Rye
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Blues | Musical Genres | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Story Of The Blues

Big Road Blues: Tradition and Creativity in the Folk Blues (Da Capo Paperback)

Early Downhome Blues: A Musical and Cultural Analysis (Cultural Studies of the United States)

Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads

Feel Like Going Home: Portraits in Blues and Rock 'n' Roll

ASIN: 0521787777

Book Description

This book combines three influential and much-quoted books Savannah Syncopators; Blacks, Whites and Blues and Recording the Blues, updated with additional new essays, which collectively confront the problem of how, when and from where the blues emerged and developed. It emphasizes the significance of the African heritage, the mutuality of much white and black music and the role of recording in consolidating the blues. Redressing some of the misconceptions that persist in writing on African-American music, it will be essential reading for all enthusiasts of blues, jazz and country music.

Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre. (Book Reviews: Popular Musics).(Book Review): An article from: Notes

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Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre. (Book Reviews: Popular Musics).(Book Review): An article from: Notes
Edward Komara
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 2003. The length of the article is 1415 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Yonder Come the Blues: The Evolution of a Genre. (Book Reviews: Popular Musics).(Book Review)
Author: Edward Komara
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2003
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 59 Issue: 3 Page: 618(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Customer Reviews:

do not buy this book.......2006-05-06

This book is really very bad, full of non-sequiturs and won't help you with your game one little bit.

Interesting 100 pages in a 250-page book........2005-12-26

This book aims to marry "The Psychology of Poker" by Schoonmaker, with Caro's Book of Poker Tells. The overriding theme is that Caro's Tells have to be interpreted in terms of the personality of the person making the tell and the specific circumstance when the suspected tell is being made.

The author presents six personality types, that corresponds to Schoonmaker's matrix of Tight/Loose and Passive/Aggressive play. The difference is that McKenna bases it on personality type, instead of Poker play. However, he shows that the latter is a reflection of the former, so both systems are analogous. (McKenna comes up with six types because he distinguishes between extreme Loose/Aggressive (which he terms "Party Hardy", instead of Maniac) and a less extreme form that he terms "High Roller". Likewise, the extreme form of Tight/Passive he associates with a Loner personality, and a less extreme form that he characterizes as a "System Player".) He describes each type in terms of: their perception of life, their personality style, strengths and weaknesses, general body language, traits and preferences, and the percent of the US population that fit each category. He not only discusses how to identify these types (as is done by Schoonmaker), but goes a step beyond to discuss how they relate to others, how to relate to them and how to setup a pleasing atmosphere for them.

My main fault with the book is that the first 90 pages are more "psychology of life" and are not directly focused on Poker. He is laying the groundwork for the following, but you can skim this material without much loss. There are then 100 pages associated with defining the player types and how this influences their tells. There are then another 20 pages of general psychology. The most useful part of this book is contained in a 4-page Appendix where he reinstates Caro's tells and how they are influenced by player type. You need the preceding material to fully understand this appendix, so this is more than a four-page book.

Read Caro's book first, or this one will not make very much sense. It is also an interesting adjunct to "The Psychology of Poker". This book is very useful if you have not figured out that Caro's tells can be misleading for some people, i.e., passive players respond passively, even when they are not trying to feign weakness and aggressive players can play aggressively even when they have a good hand. McKenna tries to give some guidance as to how to distinguish "normal" play from an attempt to mislead. His guidance is somewhat general, however, but still useful if it gets one to think "Beyond Tells".

slow starter...just don't quit too soon.......2005-10-12

I am always looking for new ideas and this title intrigued me. It started very slowly for me and I almost added it to the maybe someday stack. If I had stopped after the first 30 or 40 pages I would probably have given it 1 or 2 stars also, but the chapter on meta tells is some of the freshest thinking on poker to come along in quite a while and very useful in the real world. It goes beyond the basic tells of Mike Caro's book but you need to have read Caro's book to fully appreciate this one. I would also agree that the writing is not as good as one would think given the author's academic background and I did find myself rereading numerous sections because of lack of flow. This is why only 4 stars instead of 5. One other thing, the section on meta tells is really the entire value of the book in my opinion but you need to wade through the earlier portions of the book as they lay the foundation for the meta tells section. This approach to using tells and refining them based on player personality is fascinating and useful. Overall a very insightful and useable book if you can get past the slow start. Don't quit too soon and you will have some excellent new tools to add to your poker toolbox.

Beyond Math Poker.......2005-08-15

A book on poker tells that is a useful companion to Mike Caro's definitive "Book of Tells".

Beyond readability.......2005-07-17

Wish I could give this book more stars. I wanted to like it - the author's credentials as a psychologist and columnist for "Poker Player" seemed promising - but it's too badly written and too lacking in fresh ideas. It's the same old story, somewhat mangled and dressed up in the author's pet jargon.

For tells, you're still better off with the Caro book, even though it's dated; and for poker psychology, you're much, much better off reading the two 2+2 titles - the Alan Schoonmaker book, "The Psychology of Poker," and the John Feeney book, "Inside the Poker Mind."

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