Blasted Allegories: An Anthology of Writings by Contemporary Artists

Book Description

Blasted Allegories makes available the best and most representative examples of artists' writings from the past ten years, an era marked by such pluralism and eclecticism that the voice of the artist may be the clearest one to listen to.

The writings, which included both criticism and fiction, have been selected both for their intrinsic, quality and their usefulness; to an understanding of contemporary art.

Among the artists represented are Laurie Anderson, Eric Bogosian, Spalding Gray, Theresa Hak Kyng Cha, Dan Graham, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Matt Mullican, Richard Prince, Martha Roster, Allan Sekula, and William Wegman.

Brian Wallis an editor at Art in America. A publication of The New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York. Distributed by The MIT Press

Customer Reviews:

stunning collection.......2002-03-05

I found this book to be one of the most stunning collections of essays and short stories that I have ever run across. The works show these artists in a more personal light than we can access through their visual work. Absolute must for any contemporary artist fan.

Documenting 80's self-indulgence.......2000-10-03

I started reading this book (through the library) when it originally came out in 1987 and I was hooked on it. Finally, i thought, an open book into the thoughts (through writtings) of some of the most prominent contemporary artists of the day. Now, (2000) I have finally acquired my own copy, and I am thoroughly enjoying it again. Do not expect literary masterpieces from this anthology. These are not 'authors' in the strict sense of the words, but mostly visual and multi-media artists who included writings in their opus. They are not manifestos or critical pieces (not a lot of great 'ideas' either), but just 'writings': as self-indulgent as the 80's post-modern art to which they belong. If you like the art from these artists, you will enjoy their writings.

BLASTED ALLEGORIES: An anthology of writings by contemporary artists.

Average customer rating:

BLASTED ALLEGORIES: An anthology of writings by contemporary artists.
Ed. Brian Wallis
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR1H6A

Amazon.com

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question). Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow

Book Description

The Dark Knight Strikes Again is Frank Miller's follow-up to his hugely successful Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, one of the few comics that is widely recognized as not only reinventing the genre but also bringing it to a wider audience.Set three years after the events of The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again follows a similar structure: once again, Batman hauls himself out of his self-imposed retirement in order to set things right. However, where DKR was about him cleaning up his home city, Gotham, DKSA has him casting his net much wider: he's out to save the world.The thing is, most of the world doesn't realize that it needs to be saved--least of all Superman and Wonder Woman, who have become little more than superpowered enforcers of the status quo. So, the notoriously solitary Batman is forced to recruit some different superpowered allies. He also has his ever-present trusty sidekick, Robin, except that he is a she, and she is calling herself Catwoman. Together, these super-friends uncover a vast and far-reaching conspiracy that leads to the President of the United States (Lex Luthor) and beyond.The Dark Knight Strikes Again is largely an entertaining comic, but much of what made The Dark Knight Returns so good just doesn't work here. Miller's gritty, untidy artwork was perfect for DKR's grim depiction of the dark and seedy Gotham City, but it jars a bit for DKSA, which is meant to depict an ultra-glossy, futuristic technocracy. Lynn Varley's garish coloring attempts to add a slicker sheen, but the artwork is ultimately let down by that which worked so well for DKR--this time around, it just feels sloppy and rushed. The same is true of the book's denouement, which happens so quickly that it leaves the reader reeling and looking for more of an explanation. Moreover, DKSA is packed full of characters who will mean little to those unfamiliar with the DC Comics universe (e.g., the Atom, the Elongated Man, the Question).Perhaps the book's biggest failing is that where The Dark Knight Returns gave comic book fans a base from which to evangelize to theuninitiated, The Dark Knight Strikes Again is just preaching to the converted. Comic book superhero fans will find much to enjoy here, but others would be better off sticking with the original. --Robert Burrow

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Cassie, the young Robin has decided she would rather be Catgirl, instead. Being older, I guess she reckons she looks good in a catsuit.

Now a more experienced field operative, she leads missions for the Batman.

There is a Kingdom Come type feel to this story as the heroes who are government sanctioned, and those who are not, line up for or against the Dark Knight.

ugh..........2007-08-14

the artwork is too sloppy to look at, the story is a meandering wad of lard... what the hell, Frank, did you whip all this out in a week for some desperate need for cash? Give your fans the respect they deserve.

"Sequel" to the Legendary "Dark Knight Returns".......2007-07-19

Frank Miller raised the bar for comics when he released the original 4-issue prestige format mini-series in 1986. It was one of two books that redefined comics for the 21st century (the other is Alan Moore's Watchmen). Every comic book fan has read (or should have read) it. It should be on your bookshelf right now!

But here we have the less-than-spectacular sequel, "The Dark Knight Strikes Again." The sequel is much more standard capes-and-tights super-hero action than the darker "Dark Knight Returns," and can be avoided by all but the most diehard fans. It doesn't strike any of the same notes as the original series. What we have here could almost be considered Silver Age super-hero action, rather than the post-modernity of "Dark Knight Returns." Miller experimented by deviating from the formula that's worked for him on classics such as "Sin City" and "Daredevil," but by doing so leads readers into different territory that they may not be interested in following him to. This is a "sequel" in name only.

Wacky Wayne Chronicles.......2007-07-19

If you are expecting anything nearly as good as the Dark Knight Returns, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. While I was slightly disappointed with the book overall, I've gotta say that this is one of the craziest comics (graphic novel, whatever) that I've ever read in my entire life. It's worth reading at least and while it doesn't ruin the memory of the original Dark Knight Returns, it's just too out there for me. The art is really funky and kind of sloppy, the writing isn't Miller at his peak and the story is a weird mishmash of cameos and political satire.

And the fate of one character in particular (I don't want to ruin the surprise because the individual shows up literally out of nowhere as one of the piece's main villains and shows up almost nothing like you remember them) was just mind boggling.

Worth a read but I don't know about recommending a purchase on this.

Is it Superman or Batman?.......2007-06-12

What the hell, is this story suppossed to be about Superman or batman? This second part is not as good as the first one. It is more about Superman and other DC characters than Batman himself and in the end it doesn't make any sense. I guess, I have to read it again to undestand. Okay, if you are a Batman fan, like myself, but don't pay full price for it.

Batman DK2: The Dark Knight Strikes Again books 1-3 ENTIRE SET (The Sequel to The Dark Knight Returns ALL THREE BOOKS INCLUDED! ALL FIRST PRINTS!)

Average customer rating:

Batman DK2: The Dark Knight Strikes Again books 1-3 ENTIRE SET (The Sequel to The Dark Knight Returns ALL THREE BOOKS INCLUDED! ALL FIRST PRINTS!)
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000W24P5W

Product Description

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1-3 DK2

Average customer rating:

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1-3 DK2
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: Dc Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000NUJV4S

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1-3

Average customer rating:

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again #1-3
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000M73QCU

Average customer rating:

Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again

Manufacturer: Tandem Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417669381

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Dark Knight Strikes Again :Batman
Frank Miller
Manufacturer: DC COMICS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Batman | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N71WLG

Book Description

Read by the most sophisticated audiences in the world, Will Rogers also spoke to and for the great normal majority. He tackled the most complex ideas and cut them down to size. A flying reporter, he traveled the world and wrote about events as if they were happening in the next country.

Since the Will Rogers Memorial opened in November 1938, many of the 25 million visitors to the shrine have asked for his "gags," his jokes or his "sayings." Thousands of other folks have written to ask what Rogers had to say on particular topics -what sage remarks he made on Hoover, taxes, the depression or Hollywood, among other things.

Choice bits of his wit and wisdom on many subjects fill the pages of this book. Selected by the Memorial staff members form collected writings of Will Rogers, the sayings will make you nod your head and say, "You know, he's right about that!"

You will want to repeat them to friends over coffee. You can use them to spice up a speech or column. Or to do your heart good as you chuckle to yourself on a long plane trip.

Customer Reviews:

Will Rogers Says.......2007-09-05

I have been a student and "fan" of Will Rogers for many years and this book of quotes truly captures the essence of the man that he was. Will was, indeed, a man for the times and he helped a struggling country maintain a smile and a bit of humanity during some truly difficult years.

Will Rogers says--: Favorite quotations selected by the Will Rogers Memorial staff

Average customer rating:

Will Rogers says--: Favorite quotations selected by the Will Rogers Memorial staff
Will Rogers
Manufacturer: Will Rogers Heritage Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00071I9GO

Book Description

The old powers try to come back, and the planet is plunged into chaos, and civilization is destroyed, and it gets all violent and evil… the old legends tell that a hero… with the sacred turtle, always … Los Angeles, California. Neddie Wentworthstein is the guy with the turtle. Sandor Eucalyptus is the guy with the jellybean. Sholmos Bunyip wants the turtle . . . and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. This is the story of how Neddie, three good friends, a shaman, a ghost, and a little maneuver known as the French substitution determine the fate of the world.

Customer Reviews:

Great Reading, Wonderfully Imaginative.......2007-08-20

I've been a fan of Pinkwater's works for over 25 years, ever since I first bought a copy of Lizard Music as a child. I was delighted when my wife brought the audio tape version of The Neddiad for our family to listen to while on a road trip to the East Coast.

"The Neddiad" is classic Pinkwater and is delightful, easily ranking among his best. Mr. Pinkwater uses his unique style to bring these characters to life, and I could clearly envision the characters as the story unfolded. Better than anyone else I know, Mr. Pinkwater is able to view the world through the eyes of an 11-year-old (is that Neddie's age?) and to express his observations from that perspective.

The story seamlessly weaves together many subplots and concepts and kept our entire vanload engaged, (frequently) surprised, and laughing. My oldest son (entering 5th grade) complained every time we turned it off, even if only for a moment to pay tolls. After having listened to Pinkwater's own telling of the story, I will be buying this book and reading it for myself. Like Lizard Music (which is obliquely referred to in this book), it's an adventure that gets better with each re-reading.

turtles all the way down.......2007-06-13

I loved this book. I think I get what it is about, not worrying about things, resting in God (or on the great turtle). It reminds me of an essay by an Episcopalian minister, Barbara Brown Taylor (The Luminous Web, The Limits of Knowledge) She recounts this in the book: p. 87

"According to one Native American creation myth , the earth rests on the back of a giant turtle. When an ethnologist who was trying to get the story down on paper asked an elder what was underneath that turtle, the elder said "Another turtle."
"And under that?" the ethnologist asked.
"Oh, it's turtles all the way down".

I took this to mean to trust more because there are some things that just can't be pinned down. How can you not love a book whose hero saves the world by singing? WOW. I mean WOW! And I live in Albuquerque where an important part of the story takes place so it gets points for that. Also, the wonderfully quirky illustrations are by Calef Brown who wrote a great childrens book "Polkabats and Octupus Slacks." (Read his poem "Funky Snowman" for an optimists view of life.)

I'm giving this book to my nephew for his baptism. Not an obvious choice but I find this book to be deeply spiritual, as well as funny, charming, and tender.

Part school story, part adventure, part fantasy and all hilarious.......2007-06-05

Most of the world (or at least the segment that listens to public radio) knows Daniel Pinkwater primarily as that funny guy who talks about children's books on Saturday morning's "Weekend Edition" program. Pinkwater has been around for much longer than that, though, coming up with a string of consistently hilarious --- and consistently off-the-wall --- novels and picture books for as long as I can remember. From 1977's THE HOBOKEN CHICKEN EMERGENCY (about a 266-pound pet chicken) to 2005's irreverent take on school in THE EDUCATION OF ROBERT NIFKIN, Pinkwater has time and again proven himself as one of the funniest writers for young people.

Pinkwater's latest, THE NEDDIAD, is no exception. Part of Pinkwater's style is a certain playfulness, a wide-ranging imagination that relies on comic situations, one-liners and images as much as on plot. On the face of it, the concept of THE NEDDIAD might seem absurd; after all, its subtitle is "How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization." But Pinkwater manages to make it all make sense --- or at least, to make his readers laugh too hard to care whether it does or not.

Neddie Wentworthstein lives in Chicago a few years after World War II. When Neddie idly mentions that he'd love to eat at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, Neddie's enthusiastic father (who'd made a fortune selling shoelaces to the military) suggests that the whole family move to California to see the landmark for themselves. Neddie loves adventure --- and the movies --- so he's eager to have an adventure of his own. "I expected, we all expected, to do exciting things," he writes, "This is why going away on a big adventure all the way across the country seemed normal to me."

Neddie's trip probably won't seem normal to just about anyone else, though. Starting with Neddie's mysterious encounter with a Navajo shaman named Melvin, continuing with his acquisition of a highly desirable turtle figurine and his separation from his parents, and from there following Neddie all the way to Los Angeles, where he gains new friends, a new school and a whole slew of enemies, THE NEDDIAD is truly an epic journey.

Part road trip adventure, part school story, part adventure, part fantasy and all hilarious, THE NEDDIAD is outrageously unique and undeniably the work of Daniel Pinkwater's comic genius.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Best Pinkwater in Quite Some Time.......2007-05-30

Let me get this out of the way: I'm a solid Pinkwater fan and have been one since I was 8 or 9, and begged my parents for $1 to buy a copy of "Wingman." Having read a big chunk of his catalogue, I'd say that "The Neddiad" is one of my top five Pinkwater books...this from a guy who's written hundreds of books. It's got that classic Pinkwater deadpan humor, a great mystery that stretches back over eons, a quest, and turtles, turtles, turtles! Also, you learn about lots of cool stuff; don't let that turn you off the book, though. Wonderful! Keep writing, Daniel, and thanks.

Neddies all the way down?.......2007-05-10

from my blog:

Two parts Holes, three parts Guy Noir, one part Pinkwater. This book makes me feel like I just walked out of an old Nickelodeon after a Saturday afternoon marathon surrounded by rowdy kids and spitballs. I slowly rise/unstick from my seat still mentally replaying the final episode of "The Neddiad", which, interestingly, is how this book was born - in installments. Daniel Pinkwater, NPR commentator and children's book reviewer extraordinaire, gave us weekly chapters of Neddie Wentworthstein and his amazing adventures on trains, planes and automobiles starting back in the summer of 2006. As I started reading this book I vaguely remembered an NPR interview back in October about a train and a boy hanging out with his movie star idol D'Artagnan (aka Dart-Onion, aka Aaron Finn). I listened in and out and couldn't help but be reminded of another NPR staple A Prairie Home Companion's Guy Noir; I could almost hear the sound effects of the rattling rails and stomping feet. This is that book.

The gumshoe, Captain Billy's Whizbang feeling settles in by chapter 17 (very short chapters, remember? weekly installments?). By this time we've met the shoelace mogul Mr. Wentworthstein (a more happy-go-lucky version of Stanley Yelnats's splooge-inventing father), Mrs. Wentworthstein, the sister Eloise (one of two stellar and highly underrated young female characters), Aaron Finn, his son and Neddie's bud Seamus Finn, the turtle-gifting Melvin/Irving/Sheldon/whoever, Billy the Phantom Bellboy (who wins my never-before-bestowed award of going from the character I thought most unbelievable to my favorite) and of course, the bad guys - Sandor Eucalyptus and Sholmos Bunyip (you can almost hear the twisting handlebar moustaches). These are our players, running around Los Angeles in the 1940s trying to save the world with a turtle.

This is such a great book not only in its own right but as a safe, gratifying recommendation to ANYONE. I am always appreciative of a book about which I can get excited to read and to share without adding a disclaimer (another such treat is The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick). Give The Neddiad to upper elementary- to middle-schoolers and any other student with a sense of humor.

Fun fact about Bryn: I love surprises and to be really scared (this will relate to the book eventually, I promise). I'm a sucker for Stephen King and thriller movies. Not the gore, just the rush. I like them because it's rare that I actually get surprised or scared and appreciate it moreso when it happens. So, of course one of my favorite aspects of The Neddiad is that I counted at least a handful of moments where I actually gasped out loud, not because it was scary, but because I was completely taken by surprise. So many twists and turns. Pinkwater totally got me and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I could go on and on about the cool train lingo I learned, when Chief Crazy Wig chants about "walla walla bing bang" and "no child left behind", the shout-out to Dad's Old Fashioned Root Beer (a can of which my dad is sporting in a photo taken hours before I was born!) and Eloise and Iggy (two rockin' gals, necessarily overshadowed by the male characters).

Decide for yourself if it's an overactive imagination or Neddies all the way down!

The Hollywood Western: 90 Years of Cowboys and Indians, Train Robbers, Sheriffs and Gunslingers, and Assorted Heroes and Desperados

Average customer rating:

A must for any western film fan

The Hollywood Western: 90 Years of Cowboys and Indians, Train Robbers, Sheriffs and Gunslingers, and Assorted Heroes and Desperados
William K. Everson
Manufacturer: Carol Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Genre Films | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0806512563

Customer Reviews:

A must for any western film fan.......2002-07-27

Truly a must have for any western film enthusiast. Informative text and numerous photos (some quite unique and rare). Covers the real old movies as well as modern recent films too. Very large format makes the photos a real treasure!

Average customer rating:

Hollywood Trains (Hollywood)

Manufacturer: Thomasson Grant & Howell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1565660668

American Cinematographer Magazine August 1988 (Tunnels, Medium Straight, Sun Belt Saga, Night Train to Kathmandu, Best Shorts, Reflections IV, DOA, MotoCam, WIllow) (Vol. 69, No. 8)

Average customer rating:

American Cinematographer Magazine August 1988 (Tunnels, Medium Straight, Sun Belt Saga, Night Train to Kathmandu, Best Shorts, Reflections IV, DOA, MotoCam, WIllow) (Vol. 69, No. 8)

Manufacturer: American Cinematographer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GH00G6

American Cinematographer Magazine February 1988 (Once Upon A Texas Train, White Zombie, Reflections, Throw Momma From The Train, School Daze, Whilte Horses, Max Headroom) (Vol. 69, No. 2)

Average customer rating:

American Cinematographer Magazine February 1988 (Once Upon A Texas Train, White Zombie, Reflections, Throw Momma From The Train, School Daze, Whilte Horses, Max Headroom) (Vol. 69, No. 2)

Manufacturer: American Cinematographer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000GGY2SY

Product Description

Inspired by the Celtic circles of ancient Scotland, Bonnie paints a musical picture through time, joining the heavens and earth to the cycles of everyday life. Performed on Scottish fiddle with gold medal piper Eric Rigler on the Great Highland bagpipe, Scottish smallpipes and uilleann pipes. Also accompanied by guitar, Celtic harp, viola da gamba, hammered dulcimer, bass and bodhran. Includes North Highland tunes from The Patrick McDonald Collection, 1784, pipe marches, strathspeys, jigs and reels, laments and traditional favorites.

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100 Winning Duplicate Tips: For the Improving Tournament Player (Master Bridge Series)
Ron Klinger
Manufacturer: Cassell P L C
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Bridge | Card Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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100 Winning Bridge Tips: For the Improving Player (Master Bridge Series)

Better Bridge with a Better Memory: How Mnemonics Will Improve Your Game (Master Bridge Series)

Duplicate Bridge

The Complete Book of Duplicate Bridge

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ASIN: 0304366129

Book Description

Many players are frustrated by an apparent inability to score well at duplicate pairs. In this revised edition of his popular book, Ron Klinger shows you how to do it. There are five sections covering constructive bidding, competitive bidding, opening leads, declarer play, and defence, and they are full of well-chosen example hands and sound advice.

100 Winning Duplicate Tips: For the Improving Tournament Player

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100 Winning Duplicate Tips: For the Improving Tournament Player
Ron Klinger
Manufacturer: Cassell P L C
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSRN3K

Average customer rating:

Excellent for the Non Financial Dude

Good Concepts, But Goes Astray

Past history is indication of future results

One of the best

Don't Buy and Hold, Says Ed Easterling

Unexpected Returns: Understanding Secular Stock Market Cycles
Ed Easterling
Manufacturer: Cypress House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Stocks | Investing | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Just One Thing: Twelve of the World's Best Investors Reveal the One Strategy You Can't Overlook

Ahead of the Curve: A Commonsense Guide to Forecasting Business and Market Cycles

Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a Smoke and Mirrors Market

The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities (2nd Edition) (Wharton School Publishing Paperbacks)

The Little Book That Beats the Market

ASIN: 1879384620

Book Description

Winner ForeWord Magazine Bronze Award for Best Business/Economics Book of the Year. This investment book uses extensive full-color graphics to explain the fundamentals of the markets-an essential resource before reading how-to books or engaging investment advice. It is a unique combination of investment art and investment science that enables the reader to differentiate between irrational hope and a rational view of current market conditions.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent for the Non Financial Dude.......2007-06-27

I am not in the financial business, but purchased this book to help me just understand the market for my 401K and mutual funds. After reading it I am starting to feel like I have an understanding of what I'm looking for to start to purchase stocks in companies. This book explained everything perfect.

Good Concepts, But Goes Astray.......2007-06-11

Unexpected return has an excellent compilation of historical data and does a good job of presenting the case for secular bull and bear markets and the components that influence market results over the longer term. However, it goes badly when the author attempts to provide a formula to predict the future market. I read this book in early 2007. If you had followed the authors predictions, you would have missed out on close to a 20% increase in the market (inlcuding dividends) from the time he wrote it. That is the risk you take when trying to simply apply regression analysis to the future (remember the demise of Long-Term Capital Management!). Overall, I would still read the book for historical content and perspective, but if you think you can predict the market with simple formulas ... forget it.

Past history is indication of future results.......2007-03-21

Excellent book on the market. It is not a 'How to get rich fast' book, but one that explains the dynamics of the stock market and how the returns correlate.

The tables, graphs, and figures are extremely well done and the book is well laid out.

If you want to learn about the market (or playing field of the market) this is the book for you. It re-enforced a lot of the views of the market for me.

One of the best.......2007-03-16

This is a book that was referred to me on the chatroom at Dorsey Wright Associates. [...] you can view his information. I am a CFP, CIMC and have an MBA infinance form Pepperdine University CA. The information is layed out so anyone can understand it. Yes I do make recommendations on where the risk is in the market and how to avoid most of that risk. Dorsey Wright helps in that regurd.
Charles W Shirey
[...]

Don't Buy and Hold, Says Ed Easterling.......2006-11-26

Ed Easterling's "Unexpected Returns: Understanding Secular Stock Market Cycles"(2005)deals with the issue of bullish and bearish "seasons" in the stock market--such as the U.S. bear markets of 1901 to 1920, 1929-1932(the Great Crash)and 1966 to 1981 and bull markets from 1921 to 1928 (the Roaring 20's)and 1982 to 1999.

Easterling's somewhat dry title belies a rich and important book. Here is the argument in a nutshell:

For the investment horizons that matter to most investors, the time of entry and exit is critical. More specifically, buying into a market with a low price/earnings (P/E) ratio average and selling into a market with a high average P/E has produces by far the best returns, both absolutely and relatively, as well as the most favorable dispersion of returns and the fewest negative return periods.

Average P/E's rise (leading to outsize investment returns) when the economy moves toward a persistent low rate of inflation, of which about 1% per annum is optimal, from either a high level of inflation or deflation. [The same trend that is bullish for stocks is also bullish for bonds, an asset class that Easterling also treats, but with less detail than stocks.] In such an environment, the increasing P/E's attached to stocks multiply the effects of rising market earnings.

These findings imply says Easterling, an activist investment strategy: "rowing," not "sailing." An investor must make strenuous efforts to respond to prevailing market conditions. As a rule of thumb, average P/E's in the 20 times plus area (such as the U.S. equity market now sports) are not sustainable for long except under ideal conditions. On the other hand, market average P/E's of around 10 times or lower present a compelling opportunity for entry.

One problem facing those who would follow Easterling is that it may be difficult while in the midst of a long-term cycle to know when it is reaching a turning point. That will only be obvious in retrospect. Then too, many investors will not feel the luxury to stay out of the market for very long periods or to go short. The practice of spreading constant investment amounts over time intervals, called "dollar cost averaging," may in part address these issues.

Easterling made the prediction in his book, released in April 2005, that then prevailing P/E's implied a coming period of lackluster returns in U.S. stock averages.

Easterling acknowledges his debt to Robert Schiller of Yale for source data and data series method. His thesis is consistent with Schiller's cautionary views and provides an important corrective to the optimistic gloss of Jeremy Siegel's "Stocks for the Long Run," at least for investment horizons going out to about 20 years. Siegel's work remains valid and important to understand for those with investment horizons going out longer than this, as well as for those to whom the criterion is not optimal timing but rather probable outpeformance of stocks compared to alternative investment in US Treasury bills and bonds.

Easterling founded and is president of Crestmont Holdings, LLC, a Dallas-based fund of hedge funds manager. He publishes research at his CrestmontResearch site. The author believes his loftily named "financial physics" lend support to a diversified fund of funds strategy--an investment approach he lauds, while giving scant attention to the heavy burden of overhead costs it generally entails.

Andrew Szabo
(Greenwich Financial Management)

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