Hilla Rebay: In Search of the Spirit in Art

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Hilla Rebay: In Search of the Spirit in Art
Joan Lukach
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Art Of Tomorrow: Hillay Rebay And Solomon R. Guggenheim

ASIN: 0807610674

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HILLA REBAY: IN SEARCH OF THE SPIRIT IN ART.
Joan M. Lukach
Manufacturer: George Braziller,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000Q00RKC

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Hilla Rebay: In Search of the Spirit in Art.

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000ICAZNC

Book Description

At once the supreme manifesto, the lavish catalog, and the journalistic revelation of the sneaker-collecting universe, Sneaker Freaker is the perfect, must-have document of a thriving subculture just now surfacing in the mainstream. The most prized sneakers are going for at least ten times their retail price on eBay. Celebrities and famous artists are being commissioned to design their own lines of sneakers. The release of a new pair of Nikes or Adidas-often produced especially for the thousands upon thousands of collectors-can set off all-night vigils and mini-riots in cities across the globe.

Customer Reviews:

Sneakers presented the way they should be........2007-07-04

With a look that's very much in keeping with sneaker culture and history and anecdotes which could make even the least interested develop a sneaker fetish, this is a must have book for anyone with a love of sneakers, shoes or fashion in general.

great book pretty pictures.......2006-01-06

this is a great book for anyone who's into sneakers. you don't have to be a "head" to enjoy the pretty pictures and the interviews. it's great that the author talked about where to hunt for sneakers in various cities around the world. now if only the book was bigger in size so the details of the sneakers can be appreciated more....

Sneaker Freaker: The Ultimate Handbook by, for, and About the Sneaker-obsessed

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Sneaker Freaker: The Ultimate Handbook by, for, and About the Sneaker-obsessed
Sneaker Freaker Magazine
Manufacturer: Riverhead Books,U.S.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N7INPE

Book Description

Graphic, cyberpunk and philosophical, Eden is a place where endearing heroes face a constant struggle for survival and violent surprises wait around every corner! After a large portion of humanity is wiped out by a brutal, new virus, an organization known as the Propator seeks to wrest control of the world from the United Nations. Elijah, a young survivor with immunity to the virus, crosses paths with a group of supposed freedom fighters. His companion, an artificially intelligent combat robot named Cherubim, is appropriated and reprogrammed, and Elijah is pulled into a world of relentless peril and intrigue! Cybernetic enhancements! Extreme violence! This breathtaking ride is just getting started!

Customer Reviews:

If you have an open mind, take a trip to EDEN..........2007-08-24

Eden is a really good series so far. Do yourself a favor and check it out. By vol. 2 here I was hooked. Smart storytelling and great action. Recommended.

TAKE NO PRISONERS.......2006-06-15

The first volume of Eden was a little ambiguous in terms of setting and the reasons why Elijah was in the middle of nowhere with the human-like security robot Cherubim. He was taken captive by a group of fighters led by Colonel Kahn who wanted to use his vehicle to get out of Propater controlled territory. As it turns out in this second volume, most of South America is a battleground between Propater and the United Nations and various assorted warlords, drug kingpins, and bandits. It's pretty much like the Wild West where the person with the most firepower usually wins an argument. When Colonel Kahn's group wipes out a bandit emplacement, they unwittingly pick up two new members, Kachua and Helena, two women who were going to be sex slaves for the competing armies on the frontlines. The problem is that Kahn and the others don't like loose ends or baggage, so they might end up dead anyway, unless Elijah can save them! And Propater soldiers are hot on their tail!

I think Eden is great. The art is perfectly rendered and beautiful, beyond anything Western comic book artists are doing. Hiroki Endo captures the complexity of human beings, especially in their out-loud thinking sililoquies on the state of the world one minute showing gentleness and caring and then the next slicing through an enemies neck with blood bursting all over the place. That's really what Eden is all about, terrible moments of battle and violence and then in the quiet afterwards, the battle between staying human or becoming a mindless killing machine. Cherubim doesn't have a choice at this point, he can simply be programmed to murder, but the humans have a choice! I look forward to great things from this series.

Brilliance Once Again.......2006-05-29

The first volume of Eden had me hooked almost instantly. I blasted through those pages wanting nothing more than to see more of what our world has become within the pages of Eden, and to meet the people who are forced to live in this world and survive. Though the story unfolded very slowly, it seemed almost literary with the way in which the plot elements were introduced, and no manga I've read has ever achieved this level of excellence (maybe Monster is close).

Volume two continues that, only this time it presents most of the major players, as well as the major conflict that the seeming hero, Elijah, must go through. Guerrilla warfare fills a lot of the pages, and Elijah, along with a prostitute named Helena and Kachua, a village girl, are forced to witness the brutal and bloody battles while finding a way to stay alive themselves. This volume also takes a glimpse into Elijah's past, thus linking him to the prologue in volume one, and answering a lot of the earlier questions that arose (like who Elijah is and where he came from, and why he has Cherubim, the fighting robot that was restored early in the prologue in volume one). Though it still doesn't get too deep into it, by the end of this volume it's very clear who the protagonists and antagonists are.

The similarities this series has to Akira are astonishing, and one of those similarities happens to be a commitment to story-telling excellence. Eden is for anyone who enjoys post-apocalyptic anime or manga, and I'd even go as far as to recommend this to older people who want to explore what manga has to offer.

Average customer rating:

A bit slow, but some great moments

Boys Suck! According to me (...)

just out in a paperback version and this means I can own it!

I love these writers

For Typicals only

I'm with Stupid: One Man. One Woman. 10,000 Years of Misunderstanding Between the Sexes Cleared Right Up
Gene Weingarten , and Gina Barreca
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Babes in Boyland: A Personal History of Co-Education in the Ivy League

ASIN: 0743244206

Book Description

Is God male or female? Why do women, but not men, flush public toilets with their feet? Why are men, but not women, obsessed with parallel parking? Why do women, but not men, leave eleven-minute messages on answering machines? Why do men feel guilty about nothing, and women feel guilty about everything? Was Marilyn Monroe...fat?

These philosophical quandaries, and more, are finally debated in I'm with Stupid, an uproariously funny dialogue between Gene Weingarten, the gleefully misogynistic Washington Post humor columnist, and Gina Barreca, the gleefully feminist University of Connecticut professor.

The first significant book about men and women actually written by a man and a woman, I'm with Stupid is privy to the dark secrets of both sexes. It's not a lecture, but an extended argument, a combustion of viewpoints that winds up unearthing startling truths. In the words of Gene and Gina: "Our Mars and Venus breach their orbits and collide in a screaming fireball from Hell."

The subject matter spans art and expression, science and technology, politics and history, spirituality and religion, sex and sexuality, as well as the complex etiology, sociology, and etymology of dirty jokes. Men: Learn at last how to know for sure when you are having a fight. Women: Learn what he really means when he says "I'm sorry." Take sides as Gene and Gina face off in a haggling challenge in which the winner manages to get the lowest price for a Mercedes S500. Or just take in the show.

I'm with Stupid is the book that finally establishes, conclusively, that women are funnier than men. And vice versa.

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Customer Reviews:

A bit slow, but some great moments.......2006-07-31

I got this book for our first datingaversary (anniversary between those not yet married or engaged) -- great gift idea, by the way, since it was a hit with the boyfriend and his friends found the gift idea pretty funny as well.

If you're familiar with Gene and Gina, then this book is very similar to the articles featured in the Washington Post. Be prepared for the same sort of slow build-up, then laughing-so-hard-sides-aching humour that Gene and Gina put together. Some weeks are gems, other weeks are a bit off. My only major criticism of this book is that Gina is so polar to the point where it is ridiculous exaggeration or just plain unbelievable that someone could be that ornery and bitchy. Her polemic ideas and thoughts do set up for some of the best *zings!* though.

All in all, not a bad book, you'd just bookmark the funny chapters and only reread those parts.

Boys Suck! According to me (...).......2006-02-27

This book was excellent. When I saw the title of this book in the bookstore I knew I would love it. I relate to this book in so many ways. Sadly every boy I know annoys me. I wanted to be friends with boys but I just didn't know how at this age. Then I read this book,it showed me how different the male and female sex is. It helped me realize how to ignore boy's stupidity (to a point) and just know for the most part boys are funny and fun to be with. This book was hilarious and I loved it. It's a little over the top but still definitely worth reading.If your interested in realistic-fiction you should definetly read this book. Also write your own review,so other teens like you and me can read this great book.

just out in a paperback version and this means I can own it!.......2006-01-28

I saw these guys at a reading a couple of years ago but couldn't afford to buy it which is why I moved to a better job in a new city but now that the paperback is out I am getting it for anybody I know who complains about their relationship, which is everybody! because they make it impossible not to laugh at yourself and your partner. It is an easy read, keep it next to the bathroom! and you'll laugh at every page.

I love these writers.......2006-01-26

This is a funny, funy book. They are a great team. No where else can you get 2 people who give you ideas of what it is like from the other person's perspective. This is a book to read more than once. W. is a great writer.

For Typicals only.......2006-01-18

If you are a "typical," meaning, you're typically female or typically male, you will enjoy this book.

As an atypical female, I am offended by Regina's acceptance only of women who are just like she is. Any woman who does not fit her pre-identified mold of "woman" is not welcomed in the world at large, nor is she represented in this "book." Having read "I'm with Stupid" only affirms my stance as proud-to-be-atypical.

This "book" reads exactly as it is: several IM/email sessions between two strangers who have never met, and who, at the end of the "book," debate on whether or not they should meet in the future. After all, they have "written a book together." (rolleyes) When all is said and done, these are two middle aged writers who thought this concept would be "cool," but instead, they come across as the only two people who think this "concept" is cool.

Other reviewers have mentioned funny banter, and this is present. However, reading both sides' inane explanations, excuses and reasonings to back up his/her theories as fact is for those who are satisfied with the current state of men vs women, male v female.

Enough already with the battle of the sexes!!! We're always asking men to change for women but perhaps if women changed how they did things (face things with integrity rather than manipulation), men would really wise up and start paying attention, because then they would be able to respect women. Until then, let's not look to Regina Barreca for her outdated thoughts on this subject.

Book Description

"The most detailed and up-to-date book on independent cinema, an invaluable reference work." -Molly Haskell, The Washington Post

"Thoughtful and substantial" -Stuart Klawans, The Nation

"At a time when independent American films are more visible and important than ever before, this is an invaluable study. Emanuel Levy's writing is wise, passionate, and amazingly well-informed." -Roger Ebert

"Levy gives us a comprehensive examination of the American independent film movement, with a level-headed, in-depth assessment of the movies it has produced. This is an indispensable text for anyone who wants to understand the independent world." -David Ansen, Newsweek

"The time is ripe for an intelligent, informed, well-organized book on the world of independent cinema-and Emanuel Levy has given us just that." -Leonard Maltin

A Los Angeles Times Bestseller

The most important development in American culture of the last two decades is the emergence of independent cinema as a viable alternative to Hollywood. Indeed, while Hollywood's studios devote much of their time and energy to churning out big-budget, star-studded event movies, a renegade independent cinema that challenges mainstream fare continues to flourish with strong critical support and loyal audiences.

Cinema of Outsiders is the first and only comprehensive chronicle of contemporary independent movies from the late 1970s up to the present. From the hip, audacious early works of maverick David Lynch, Jim Jarmusch, and Spike Lee, to the contemporary Oscar-winning success of indie dynamos, such as the Coen brothers (Fargo), Quentin Tarentino (Pulp Fiction), and Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade), Levy describes in a lucid and accessible manner the innovation and diversity of American indies in theme, sensibility, and style.

Documenting the socio-economic, political and artistic forces that led to the rise of American independent film, Cinema of Outsiders depicts the pivotal role of indie guru Robert Redford and his Sundance Film Festival in creating a showcase for indies, the function of film schools in supplying talent, and the continuous tension between indies and Hollywood as two distinct industries with their own structure, finance, talent and audience.

Levy describes the major cycles in the indie film movement: regional cinema, the New York school of film, African-American, Asian American, gay and lesbian, and movies made by women. Based on exhaustive research of over 1,000 movies made between 1977 and 1999, Levy evaluates some 200 quintessential indies, including Choose Me, Stranger Than Paradise, Blood Simple, Blue Velvet, Desperately Seeking Susan, Slacker, Poison, Reservoir Dogs, Gas Food Lodging, Menace II Society, Clerks, In the Company of Men, Chasing Amy, The Apostle, The Opposite of Sex, and Happiness.

Cinema of Outsiders reveals the artistic and political impact of bold and provocative independent movies in displaying the cinema of "outsiders"-the cinema of the "other America."

Customer Reviews:

Very comprehensive, maybe too much?.......2006-12-29

This book is quite comprehensive, and appears to be one of the better ones in its genre. It covers a lot of directors and explains the contexts in which they worked quite adequately. The index/timeline features in the back are a nice touch for people doing research.

The only thing I really disliked about this book was the author's tendency to go on and on about a director's particular film--just when you think he's said enough about the movie, a few more paragraphs follow, which after a while one ends up wanting to skip over. I can see where this might be a useful feature, but for me it tended to break up the continuity of the text.

Cinema of Outsiders.......1999-12-12

"CINEMA OF OUTSIDERS: The Rise of American Independent Film"

A BOOK REVIEW by Harvey Karten, film_critic@compuserve.com

Emanuel Levy, "Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film," New York: New York University Press, cl999, 601pp.

Emanuel Levy among those who prefer the challenging, edgy, sometimes outrageous movies that are released outside of the Hollywood studios' network. The author of six books with yet another, a biography of critic Andrew Sarris, in the works, Levy is a senior editor with "Variety" magazine. He does not at any time come right out and declare his partiality to the indies, but his passion for the concept of non-mainstream cinema (or at least for the good ones) surfaces on every page. Ironically, "Variety," the slick trade publication for the entertainment industry which regularly promotes and writes about the biggies, should be the last place Levy wouldembrace as a home. Yet the critic--who

habitually knocks out prescient reviews of the latest pictures using that publication's popular jargon such as "pix," "thesps," and "helmers"--has an overall contempt for the safe, for the movies made strictly to appeal to the lowest common denominator and therefore bring in the big bucks for the studios. This is not to say that he glorifies the entire independent ouevre. Discussing three hundred films albeit not in great depth, Levy gradually unfolds to the reader what he likes and what he does not among indies released from 1977 to the present and has the same disdain for poor quality individualistic films as he has for the blockbusters. He derides the studied, the predictable, the simplistic, the not credible, the subjects which are inadequate for full-length treatment, the charmless, the absent-of-wit--all the deadly sins for which blockbusters are often culpable.

The bulk of the 601-page text is taken up with an encyclopedic survey of indie films released during the past thirty-two years, the sort of scan you can find in most of the popular annuals which capsule-review cinematic output in alphabetical order. Neither alphabetical nor chronological, Levy's book treats the films thematically. Chapters have such titles as "Fathers and Sons," "The New York School of Indies," "The Resurrection of Noir," "Challenging Stereotypes," "The New Gay and Lesbian Cinema," "Female/Feminist Sensibility," and "The New African American Cinema." This body of commentary makes the book a must for public libraries and for the home bookshelves of all who have a passion for thoughtful, cutting-edge movies. While much of what Levy says is duplicated by Leonard Maltin, Roger Ebert, and David Thomson in annuals and studies that review and comment upon the pictures and their makers, Levy's commentary provides a distinctive voice, one which extols the independent movies to a greater degree than

do the other popular critics. I would have preferred that he downplay the laundry list of films in favor of presenting even more detail about trends in current cinema and the effect of these films on the audience and on the previously-ignored segments of the population regularly dealt with by these movies.

Copyright Harvey S. Karten

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Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film.(Review) (book review): An article from: Cineaste
Cleo Cacoulidis
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008H9V9Q
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on March 22, 2000. The length of the article is 803 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: Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film.(Review) (book review)
Author: Cleo Cacoulidis
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2000
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Page: 67

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Justifiably in print after more than fifty years. Superbly done.

Historical Anthology of Music, Volume I, Oriental, Medieval, and Renaissance Music: Revised Edition (Oriental, Medieval, & Renaissance Music)

Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0674393007

Book Description

This great anthology of music literature makes available to all music lovers a wonderful storehouse of hitherto inaccessible treasure. The volume includes the development of Oriental, Medieval, and Renaissance music from the beginning to 1600. Its more than 200 representative examples are individually complete compositions, each of sufficient length to illustrate clearly a form or style. The authors provide an explanatory commentary with bibliography, English translations of foreign texts, and an index. The Library Journal says of it, "in short, Volume 1 of the music historian's classic dreams…No competitors on the market. Highly recommended."

Customer Reviews:

Justifiably in print after more than fifty years. Superbly done........2005-11-15

Willi Apel and Archibald Davidson put together the two-volume "Historical Anthology of Music" with such intelligence, taste, and care that it is still a definitive resource after fifty years in print. This volume begins with some fragments of ancient Oriental and Greek music and then moves to medieval music and that of the Renaissance.

The examples are quite diverse, and while there are samples of the ancient notation, most of the pieces are provided in modern notation for ease of understanding by students. There is a nice balance of instrumental and vocal music, of sacred and secular music, and of various geographical locals and different times over the centuries.

There is commentary on the pieces in the back along with translations of the texts into English. The book has a nice large format and is wonderfully easy to read.

Average customer rating:

A very handy resource

Cheap? yes. Usefull? Not so much.

Cute Addition to the Collection

A very good book.

Great for everyone

Hero Builder's Guidebook (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying)
Ryan Dancey , David Noonan , and John Rateliff
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0786916478
Release Date: 2000-12-01

Book Description

Give your character every advantage.

When you sit down to create a character, let your mind do the work -- don't just leave it to the dice. The Hero Builder's Guidebook puts at your fingertops everything you need to know before your character's first adventure. With this book, you will:

Maximize your charactger's potential with step-by-step character advancement guides.

Create a compelling backstory for your characer, including family, friends, and enemies.

Pick from more than 70 variants to the class descriptions in the Player's Handbook.

Choose personality traits to bring your character to life at the gaming table.

Both players and Dungeon Masters benefit from the detailed character backgrounds in this book.

Customer Reviews:

A very handy resource.......2007-05-08

Most of the reviews of this book have a common theme that this book is for noobs only and that experienced players will have little or no use for it. My opinion is that they couldn't be more wrong.

While the book does have some annoying and/or pointless aspects, there is a wealth of information that experienced players can use.

The book breaks down into the following 7 segments:
1. Introduction
2. Rolling your Ability Scores
3. Choosing your Race and Class
4. Creating Your Personal History
5. Selecting Your Alignment
6. Planning Your Future Career
7. Appendix: The Rule of Names

Firstly, the introduction. Yes it does state that the game of D&D is about heroes and while that may be self-evident I think alot of reviewers are taking the sentance too literally. Reading this sentance should instantly conjure certain images in the reader's mind and this I think sets the tone for the rest of the book.

Secondly, the segment on rolling ability scores. This was one of the annoying segments for me. For me, buying this book was all about ideas and inspiration for hero's and I find this kind of information pointless. You can't play the game without the PH and DMG and this information is covering in those publications and no-one should be allowed to run a game unless they can explain dice rolling conventions and the bellcurve to thier players.

Thirdly, choosing race and class. Usually most players already have a concept in mind and this quickly manifests in race and class. Covering pages 8 - 36 this is easily the largest section in the book and I look at this segment with mixed feelings. On one hand it provides some good basic information about the mixture of class and race on the other hand there is alot of repetition which had me flipping through pages faster than I could possibly read them - which meant that I missed a couple of gems when it came to suggested race/class variants, which I only picked up on during a second, more thorough reading.

The fourth segment (character's history) is quite simply the best part of this book! Despite what other reviewers have said about people lacking time and/or creativity - this section is brilliant!! I have lost count of the amount of times that I've had players who go through the routine of rolling dice, choosing skills, feats, blah, blah and are then ready to play. No explanation as to where their character came from, how they got to where they are today, or where they are going or even why they are going there! There was a previous review which mentioned the fun that can be had when different tables produce what initally appear to be conflicting results.

My only complaint with these tables would be that they are too sparse with their enteries. However, they should only ever be looked at as a starting point in developing your character's 'back story'. By adding events and/or the amount of rolls on particular tables you can come up with some truly spectacular character stories.

The fifth segment also offers an interesting take on choosing an alignment. All too often players choose role-playing friendly alignment options such as Chaotic Neutral or Neutral Good. If they do choose one of the 'harder' alignments they usually lack a true understanding of the alignment and how a person with this moral/ethical outlook would interact with a real world.

This part of the book once again reverts to tables, but in a very interesting way. It poses a number of questions under some general headings; such as under 'Relationship to King and Country' there are questions about how you would act if your country was racked by famine and if offered money would you spy for a foreign nation. Some answers are self-explanatory for certain characters (especially Paladins - a class I personally hate). But anyway, this part of the book offers alot of insight into some murky areas of morals and ethics. In each of my own campaigns I've used this as a test of sorts to which I've added alot of questions that I've drawn from various pop-pyschology tests found online.

The best way to use this section is to create the character excluding alignment and name. Let the player review the information, especially the back story and then take the character sheet away from them. Then run through the questions with them. More often than not the mixutre of half-remembered back-story and the mental character concept combine to produce some very interesting characters. Don't rubbish it until you've tried it!

The second to last section is on planning your character. There is some interesting information and guidelines for 1st level characters, but becuase the game gives itself over to so many permutations of characters, it is simply impossible to plot out the different paths that can be taken and the authors don't even really attempt to - although they do try to plot 'sterotypical' paths, which I think defeats the whole purpose of the book!

The section then goes on to detail some different 'kits' or 'templates' and what skills and feats should be taken to fit into these archetypes. Again, I think this defeats the whole purpose of the book, which is to create unique hero's. They would have been better off using the pages to either expand on the personal history or alignment tables!!

The last segment is probably the most important, but most overlooked! It's only four pages, but are probably the most important! As the book rightly states, a name can evoke all sorts of images and preconceptions and a badly named character does a disservice to this powerful role-playing aspect. A character with a truly great name can often inspire the player to truly fantastic levels of role-playing. I'll never forget my fighter Maximus Brutus (Every critical hit was Maximum Brutality! He was far too brash, I should have realised he'd never make it pass 4th level!) Or one player I had whose wizard was called Nostradamus the Black (but only because his parents had orignally named him Norman!).

The book ends with several blocks of names for the various races, which serves as a good jumping off point for developing the perfect name for your character.

Overall, the book deserves its four stars and given that I bought it for .93c on Amazon I certainly don't regret the purchase!

Cheap? yes. Usefull? Not so much........2007-03-26

You can pick this book up for $2.00 or less. It is 3rd edition not 3.5 and the cover has the only color pics you will see. The tables for character creation are vague in the extreme. The only good thing about them is that they are a quick and easy way to add a little (not a lot) flair to an NPC. Other reviews said that this product is good for beginers. I would say save your money and make up your own tables.

Cute Addition to the Collection.......2004-12-01

The Hero Builder's Guidebook doesn't scream "Experienced Players BUY ME!" and it shouldn't, either.

After all, the first line is: "The D&D game is a game about heroes."

No, this is a book for newbie D&D players, and thank you for it, Wizards of the Coast. When I bought this book three years ago, I didn't need a good lot of it because of my own previous experience with the game. However, the ENORMOUS class & race combinations amazed me and my comrades. We were so excited to see Variant ideas for each race and class (unexpected and so good).

The Personal History Creation section may seem a bit wishy-washy for some of the hardcore veterans, but I can tell you straightforwardly and proudly: I created the most in-depth character using the basics in that section. After all, D&D is about using your imagination, and the tables allowed me to get a huge group of ideas and expand even further on them. The cleverness of figuring out why things occurred together - IE. your character lives with a wandering troupe, but owns a home and has bad ethics - is fun, too.

The Alignment Test never fails to prove my character's alignment, and my DM secretly uses it when no one's looking for his NPCs.

The Hero Builder's Guidebook is a very good buy, regardless of your level of experience. New and moderately new players can get a lot from the book, but veteran players may feel the book beneath them.

A very good book........2004-08-05

I have been a Game Master for over 8 years and I can say the following about this book:

It is a -great- addition to anyone who really wants to learn the concept of roleplaying and the way roleplaying was meant to be: building your your character's personality, traits, background etc. This book is one of the few books that actually promotes -roleplaying- and character depth. My compliments to the writers!

Everyone who thinks this book is bad are all powerplayers who mostly play to Win a game and/ or play to get treasure and defeat monsters. If you want a hack and slash game, play games like Diablo II. The word Roleplaying should get its value back and by reading this book you are really encouraged to roleplay with an in depth character. Creating a great background is a good idea. Also the illustrations, eventhough they are black and white, are cheerful, fitting and well placed.

A lot of people disadvice this book because they are not -real- roleplayers, which is a bit of a pity. But anyone who wants to play roleplaying as the word was meant to be should buy this book as a supplement. The content is good.

The only thing that is not in there which I would have liked to see are character advantages/ disadvantages/ flaws. They have been in the second edition of Dungeons and Dragons.

Kind regards,

Chris van Zuiden

Great for everyone.......2004-07-20

I bought this book against the opinion of everyone I knew. It turned out that this book really changed my perspective on characters in role-playing games. As a long time player of D&D, I found that the insights on different class/race combinations was extreamley helpful in overcomming my fantasy realm racial stigmas. I never really liked to play anything except human characters till I read this book and explored the interesting flavor of the class combos.
If you want to get a really helpful book for creating a memorable character, buy this book.

Hero Builder's Guidebook - Dungeons & Dragons

Average customer rating:

Hero Builder's Guidebook - Dungeons & Dragons
Ryan; Noonan, David; and Rateliff, John D.; Wizards Of The Coast Dancey
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1RCQE

Average customer rating:

Nice read for unexperienced entrepeneurs

There are books that tell you how do it, others inspire

Better than His Other Books

Inspirational but somewhat outdated

A decent collection of stories, quotes and advice

Rules For Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services
Guy Kawasaki , and Michele Moreno
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Crossing the Chasm

Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

ASIN: 088730995X
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Amazon.com

Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist at Apple Computer and an iconoclastic corporate tactician who now works with high-tech startups in Silicon Valley, is back in print with his seventh book: Rules for Revolutionaries: The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services. Entertainingly written in collaboration with previous coauthor Michele Moreno, it lays out Kawasaki's decidedly audacious (but personally experienced) strategies for besting the competition and triumphing in today's hypercharged business environment. The book is divided into three sections, whose titles alone epitomize its thrust and tone. The first, "Create Like a God," discusses the way that radical new products and services must really be developed. The second, "Command Like a King," explains why take-charge leaders are truly necessary in order for such developments to succeed. And the third, "Work Like a Slave," focuses on the commitment that is actually required to beat the odds and change the world. A concluding section is filled with entertaining and inspirational quotes on topics like technology, transportation, politics, entertainment, and medicine that show how even some of our era's most successful ideas and people--the telephone, Louis Pasteur, and Yahoo! among them--have prevailed despite the scoffing of naysayers. --Howard Rothman

Book Description

Guy Kawasaki, CEO of garage.com and former chief evangelist of Apple Computer, Inc., presents his manifesto for world-changing innovation, using his battle-tested lessons to help revolutionaries become visionaries.

* Create Like a God *

Turn conventional wisdom on its head-create revolutionary products and services by analyzing how to approach the problems at hand.

* Command Like a King *

Take charge and make tough, insightful, and strategic decisions-break down the barriers that prevent product adoption and avoid "death magnets" (the stupid mistakes just about everyone makes).

* Work Like a Slave *

Get ready for hard work, and lots of it. To go from revolutionary to visionary, you'll need to eat like a bird-relentlessly absorbing knowledge about your industry, customers, and competition--and poop like an elephant--spreading the large amount of information and knowledge that you've gained.

Filled with insights from top innovators such as Amazon.com, Dell, Hallmark, and Gillette and rich with hands-on experience from the front lines of business, Rules for Revolutionaries will empower you--whether you're an entrepreneur, engineer, inventor, manager, or small business owner--to turn your dreams into reality, your reality into products, and your products into customer magnets.

Customer Reviews:

Nice read for unexperienced entrepeneurs.......2007-07-04

I like this book a lot, it's clear, simple and fun to read. It has a step by step approach. And if you like to know certain clues about how nice products like the iPod and the Macs have created their way into the consumer's world, you will like this book even better.

There are books that tell you how do it, others inspire.......2006-10-29

I will start by saying that I have not finish reading it. It took me over a year to complete Art of the Start, and the reason is that there was so much inspiration, that I felt it was going to be eclipsed by the excitment of the next chapter.

Its not a how-to book, is how to face yourself and ispire you to get throgh the obstacles, inner or outer, that will surge along the way.

Better than His Other Books.......2006-08-12

Kawasaki presents foundational theories for starting new companies or providing new services in this book. The reader benefits greatly from Kawasaki's experiences and knowledge. Further, the book is written in an open, readable manner.

Inspirational but somewhat outdated.......2006-08-07

Being an Apple fan I read GK's books. This is basically a book of quotes and biz examples from organizations and people that have done innovative things. GK sprinkles some of his own toughts from years of experience at Apple and other startups that he has been involved with.

The only problem I had was some the advice is not really easy to follow in the real world. For example: ignoring market research and with your gut. Fine that may work for small biz but larger corporations simply do not approve a project unless there is positive market research behind it.

Also some of the biz that are mentioned here are companies that were either acquired or no longer in biz. Also the recommended reading is mostly works that are outdated.

If you like GK you may enjoy this one otherwise you might want to pass on it.

A decent collection of stories, quotes and advice.......2006-07-27

Overall this book feels a bit dated, it was written in a pre-Google era that feels like it was decades ago.

The book is too short but has a few good ideas. Don't be fooled by the excellent marketing behind it: Create like a God, Command like a King, Work like a slave. This is what made me buy the book, but the chapters on these subjects are paltry and offer little in hands-on practical advice.

A very decent quick read, but not worth the price.

Rules for Revolutionaries The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services

Average customer rating:

Rules for Revolutionaries The Capitalist Manifesto for Creating and Marketing New Products and Services
Guy with Michele Moreno Kawasaki
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J0TB9M

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