Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning

Book Description

Takashi Murakami is one of the most thoughtful-and thought-provoking-Japanese artists of the 1990s. His work ranges from cartoony paintings to quasi-minimalist sculptures to giant inflatable balloons to performance events to factory-produced watches, T-shirts, and other products, many emblazoned with his signature character, Mr. DOB. Murakami mixes and morphs on canvas, light boxes, posters, and other mediums. His rich body of work reflects his voracious appetite for postwar history, art, and popular culture from Japan and the West, and has attracted the attention of the international art world.

Takashi Murakami is the first monograph on this important artist. With reproductions of dozens of Murakami's works, insightful essays, and an exuberant Tokyo-pop design, this book will appeal to contemporary art fans as well as people interested in anime (animation films), manga (comics), and other aspects of Japanese popular culture.

110 illustrations, 93 in full color, 9 1/2 x 11 1/2"

AMADA CRUZ is director of the Center for Curatorial Studies Museum at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York.

DANA FRIIS-HANSEN is chief curator at the Austin Museum of Art, Texas.

MIDORI MATSUI is associate professor of American Studies at Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Customer Reviews:

slow shipping.......2005-10-24

it states the book will be ship in 12 days, but my order back to sepetmebr still havent get shipped, I suspect they will cancel it in the end after made me wait for 2-3 months.

Mark Kostabi strikes again!!!.......2005-04-08

Murakami wants soooooo badly to be Andy Warhol a father of a Genre, so he picks obvious young people to promote who will never overshadow his image with a little content and abilities. One artist who acctually had some content Makoto Aida has essentially been eliminated from this flawed controlled discourse for fear of disclosing that there are many ideas abounding in actual contemporary Japanese art. See MIWA YANAGI, TSUKASA YOKOZAWA, RYOICHI MAJIMA, NAOYA HATAKEYAMA, SHINKO OKUHARA, TADASHI KAWAMATA...

Surreal Shiny Pop Tart Explosion.......2001-06-25

TMNM presents a recent exhibition of the work of Takashi Murakami, a rising star in the Japanese art world. His work uses a wide range of media, including huge latex balloons, hypersexual life size sculptures and even merchandise produced in his Warhol-like Factory. His artistic style combines elements of surrealism, vibrant pop, and the irrepressible energy of manga (comic books and films characterized most recognizably by the large eyed women, giant robots, and high levels of detail provided in exchange for halting, sequential rather than fluid movement.) TMNM provides a good introduction for americans catching their first glimpse at this formidable talent. The book consists of two halves, the first features essays by Amanda Cruz, Midori Matsui, and Dana Friis-Hansen which attempt to interpret if not explain Murakami's works. While all were very thorough, each relied heavily on obuse art-speak, fine for those with some experience in the field but it may prove too much at times for casual appreciators of the arts. The second half features a series of high quality full color prints of the artist's work. The photographer does an amiable job of presenting the three dimensional installations, providing detail shots where neccesary, however at least one plate (DOB in the Strange Forest) is too dingy in some places and while in others the lights bouncing off the sculpture's surface further obscure fine detail. The book overall is quite good, and an excellent addition to the collection of anyone who appreciates pop art or anime.

Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning

Average customer rating:

Takashi Murakami: The Meaning of the Nonsense of the Meaning
Amada Cruz
Manufacturer: HARRY N. ABRAMS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 1399908286

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Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: Mid 1950s (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Tina Skinner
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fashion Design | Commercial | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Fashion | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Fashionable Clothing: From the Sears Catalogs, Early 1950s (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

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Fashinonable Clothing From the Sears Catalogs Early 1960s

Fashionable Clothing from the Sears Catalogs: Early 1940s (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

ASIN: 0764316206

Book Description

One in a series of books from Schiffer Publishing documenting fashion trends in America. These books are an invaluable resource for costume designers working to recreate an era, for collectors trying to document vintage clothing, and for fashion designers looking to revive and rework retro styles. A visual treasure chest, this book has nearly 400 images, with thousands of items of clothing pictured. Here is a picture encyclopedia of hats and hairstyles, gloves and galoshes. A complete catalog of America's mainstream clothing, with images of everything from collars to pant cuffs.

Customer Reviews:

Practical Aspects of Moving to a Small Town.......1998-06-04

Moving to Small-Town America is practical in purpose and broad in scope. Author William Seavey starts out by examining why so many people are unhappy in cities. He then helps the future emigrant plan for a move with a checklist of priliminary steps to take, consideration of financial expectations, and advice about job-hunting from afar. A subsequent chapter focuses on entrepreneurship in small towns. He discusses factors that contribute to livability, presenting some interesting information and ideas about population, growth, and city limits. Pros and cons of "meccas" are presented and suggestions given as to how to gather information about a prospective new locale. Disposing of an urban dwelling and finding rural housing as well as practical advice about the moving process itself are also covered. In the final chapter the author recounts his expeiences with gaining acceptance into new communities by volunteering. William Seavey is the founder of the Greener Pastures Insuitute, a firm specializing in rural relocation. Not surprisingly, the book is peppered with plugs for its services. Nevertheless, it contains much useful information and many interesting ideas. He makes many references to the land and admonishes his readers to fight to keep their adopted home towns as attractive and livable as when they were lured there themselves. Although there is some overlapping, this book and John Clayton's Small Town Bound are complimentary. Clayton emphasizes social adaptation in a new community as the most important criterion of prosperity. Seavey, while not neglecting this aspect, focuses more on the practical details of the migration--how to disengage from the old place, the actual moving, and the settling in in the new place. Both books have appendices listing many useful resources.

Book Description

More than 3,500 reviews of the best and the worst creature features of all time fill this largest, most comprehensive volume ever published on the subject-a record of dark fantasy on film to thrill horror and science-fiction fans of all ages. Classics range from Frankenstein, Dracula, and Wolfman films of the 1930s and 1940s to later cheesy horror movies exported from Japan, Mexico, and the Philippines, plus selected episodes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek, and The X-Files. Arranged alphabetically for easy reference, each review includes cast and background information and remake and sequel listings. Brief sketches of key actors and directors are liberally sprinkled throughout this look at a century of the world's greatest fiends, demons, and creatures of the night.

Customer Reviews:

Not completely "essential" but worthwhile anyway.......2005-10-27

I received this book as a gift, or I definitely would never have purchased it. It is lacking any sense of direction, as other reviews illustrate here, with obvious misses present: "The Birds", "Rosemary's Baby", "The Invisible Man", "The Black Cat"(1934), "Island of Lost Souls", "Jaws", "Curse of the Demon"(aka-Night of the Demon), "The Fearless Vampire Killers...", "Haxan-Witchcraft Through the Ages", "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Them!", "The Exorcist"(I'm surprised the horror geeks aren't rattling their cages about this one alone). Maybe "Psycho" wouldn't be found in a 'Monster Movie Guide', but why is "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" present and, yet, not Ridley Scott's "Alien" or its sequels? It is also very difficult to follow, with "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" under "M" for just "Meet Frankenstein"(perhaps this was an original title or something, but, in all the guides I've ever seen, it's always been under A & C's names), with no explanation here for why Jones uses this title. Although, on the other hand, there are several early silent versions of lots of the classic monsters-as, for example, several "Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde" versions included that predate even John Barrymore's turn as the part in 1920! Also, there are obscure but relatively important TV notations that are, often, well worth the look-as "Nightmare the Birth of Horror"(although the title actually was "Nightmare! The Birth of Victorian Horror"). These are a great find, if one can locate this BBC miniseries on the genesis of the books and characters of the classic gothic monsters-ie. Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", Bram Stoker's "Dracula". These are a must-see for any true fan. Now, different, and refreshing, are the more subjective descriptions of film titles, with Jones using his own point of view as opposed to the standard run-of-the-mill descriptions. The downside, here, though, is that his "taste" is often lacking. I don't consider myself a fan of any particular date or style from the horror genre, but to critique FW Murnau's silent vampire film, "Nosferatu"-which is brilliant-as "overlong and dull", with a rating of above average(???), and the plodding British Hammer "Dracula(aka-Horror of Dracula)" of 1958 as having an "action-packed script"(I guess I apparently looked away for a moment), adding that it's only "a little slow in places", are simply a couple examples of Jones' consistancy for ludicrous assessments. Buyer beware: do yourself a favor and find this one used-or as cheaply as possible-and get the recent Leonard Maltin Movie Guide(released yearly, the newest has only just been released). This guide will give better direction and explanation, on a much more realistic and objective level, than Jones' book. Even Maltin's guide is not perfect, but the information is deeper(without Jones' obvious mistakes) and the ratings are much more realistic. Basically, just protect yourself from wasting time and money on one of Jones' favorites when it's really a clunker. "Creature Features" looks like a more interesting purchase, but not owning it, I won't judge. Both it and Jones' book offer obscure TV, though, with titles crossing over, like the BBC "Count Dracula" with Louis Jourdan, for example.

The Essential Monster Guide to Porn..........2005-09-11

What's missing from this book?

Well, Rosemary's Baby, Evil Dead, The Shining, Suspiria, the Godizilla films and countless other classics.

What will you find?

Well, Nude Nasty Dripping Wet Vampires, Cleopatra Queen of Bondage, the Rocky Porno Video Show, and the ever popular horror film: The Sexual Life of Frankenstein. At one point, a review even laments the fact that a movie doesn't have any sex in it! Perhaps, he should write a porn guide since that seems to be his main interest. He certainly doesn't like horror all that much.

Oh and he includes such other popular 'horror' classics as: Three Men and a Little Lady, 21 Jump Street, Porky's II, and The Monkees (?!)

The sad part is, Mr. Jones went more into detailed descriptions with the hardcore and the 'nothing to do with horror' movies and tv shows, than with the real horror movies. Get this from the library for a hoot, but don't spend money on it.

What were they thinking?.......2005-09-10

This is a mess. It's difficult to imagine who this is aimed at. There's far too little information to use it as a 'what to watch' guide for the casual viewer. Horror fans will find their blood boiling as cult classics are panned while borderline mainstream dreck enjoys generous appraisal. Many masterpieces simply aren't there while a worryingly large number of nominally horror-based porn and kids cartoon shows take their place. Most of these aren't easily available, I get the impression the author hasn't seen a lot of them, and I can't imagine many horror fans wanting to anyhow. No 'Masque of the Red Death'? Don't worry, here's a few episodes of 'The Flintstones' featuring Count Rockula! Bizarre.

Maybe it started out as an attempt to be definitive, then gave up as deadlines loomed. Who knows? Stephen Jones - at least I assume this is the same author - has penned numerous books and articles on the horror genre, but judging by this, has burnt out on monsters somewhere along the line. Which is fair enough, but expecting those who still relish all things creepy and ghoulish to put up with this limp effort is not. Very poor and faintly insulting to the genre it attempts, and conspicuously fails to cover.

Hardly comprehensive.......2004-05-04

Besides the fact that Stephen Jones sounds like he is not a big fan of the genre, his "comprehensive" volume excludes a large number of horror movies for the sake of including way too many "erotic" horror movies and horror cartoons. The fact that he has a low opinion of some of the most popular horror movies of all time is annoying, but I realize everyone is entitled to their opinion. There are instances, too, where I have read his synopsis of a movie and it appears, to me, that he clearly hadn't seen the movie. Even though this is one of the very few horror movie guides available, I can't recommend it.

not quite.......2004-03-16

i did a fast skimming through this book and noticed that for an Essential Monster Movie Guide, it certainly doesn't praise or hype the genre that well. this book comes across like it was written by an elitist who's too good for horror. nearly every movie/special gets a low rating and i can't understand why a book like this that could've been a good companion to the horror fan would be so anti-horror as a whole. horror fans, in general, want to be be entertained and or scared...i for one don't want logical stories and things that make sense IF it detracts from the entertainment factor because typically what makes sense and uses logic in horror is BORING. it gets 2 stars from me because it offers a diverse selection of films and includes mini biographies of horror legends like Vincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff, etc. But for a horror movie book, the writers certainly didn't help their genre by bad-mouthing it so much in this book.

THE ESSENTIAL MONSTER MOVIE GUIDE - A CENTURY OF CREATURE FEATURES ON FILM, TV AND VIDEO

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THE ESSENTIAL MONSTER MOVIE GUIDE - A CENTURY OF CREATURE FEATURES ON FILM, TV AND VIDEO
Stephen Jones
Manufacturer: Titan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000P0TV2S

Average customer rating:

Stay away from this book! :)

Another Wonderful Book by the Best Chess Author Ever

of the first 3/4 of the 20th century...

Overlaps many other collections

Chernev's Masterpiece

Twelve Great Chess Players and Their Best Games
Irving Chernev
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0486286746

Book Description

Noted authority selects 12 greatest players—Capablanca, Alekhine, Lasker, Fischer, Botvinnik, Petrosian, Tal, Smyslov, Spassky, Bronstein, Rubinstein and Nimzowitsch—and presents 115 memorable games that show these masters at their most brilliant. Games include author’s choice of the greatest game ever played. 12 photos. Indexes. Bibliography.

Customer Reviews:

Stay away from this book! :).......2007-01-05

Don't even think of going through all the games. I did, and my rating jumped 300 points. See, the problem is, when you actually play through the games, you learn all sorts of things, like Strategy and Tactics. Awful stuff really. I can't imagine a single person who wouldn't improve their chess with this book. Send me your copy, I'll take care of it promptly! :)

Another Wonderful Book by the Best Chess Author Ever.......2005-06-18

Irving Chernev is without a doubt the best chess author in my opinion. He generates genuine chess interest in his readers and his passion for the game is clearly seen when reading over his annotations.

This book, of course, is a book on twelve grandmasters and 9 games of theirs each, respectively. Since the book was written some time ago, the selection of chess greats excludes those of the modern era(Karpov and Kasparov for sure), although Fischer is included. That isn't to say that the selection is bad or that the games aren't instructive and great.

The grandmasters are presented chapter by chapter according to their rating among the top 12(according to Chernev). Each grandmaster is preseneted with a quality biography about the man, and then follows with nine gems(many against other GM's, not just NN{no name} victories).

The games themselves are of a very high caliber, and my limited analysis with Deep Fritz 8 shows that for the most part Chernev's annotation is right on. You have to remember that he wrote this book long before the Fritz age.

The book itself is quite large, but thin, which allows it to be held open very easily and makes the book that much more accessible.

Since the book is a Chernev, and it's old, it's written in descriptive notation. I've covered my feelings on this in other reviews, but to sum it up: Descriptive Notation is NOT a deal breaker. It's extremely easy to learn, and many of the best(and cheapest!) chess books are written in it. Don't let that keep you from owning this classic.

I would suggest anyone about to buy this book to read Chernev's two other classics first(Logical Chess, and Most Instructional Games, in that order). The difficulty level of the book is probably on par with his Most Instructional Games book, so if you enjoyed and got something out of that book, you should have a great time with this one.

of the first 3/4 of the 20th century..........2005-02-24

Chernev's books are entertaining and well-prepared. Each book has a clear topic, Ex: "Logical Chess...", "Golden Dozen..." (now Twelve Great Chess Players), "Most Instructive..." (I failed to see the logical order of this book, however it's very educational to me). Chernev picked HIS twelve favorite chess masters and their masterpieces to compile this book. When we see the twelfth great is Nimzovich, we know this book is at a very high level. This book was written before Fischer became the World Champion; therefore other great players after him would not have a spot in this "platoon". (Sorry, Karpov, Kasparov, Anand.) I am surprised not to see some of brilliant players like Tarrasch, Schlechter, Reti and Keres in the book. Of course then we have to make the list of top 50. Even in the list of 50 best players of NBA and NFL, we could see some of our favorites omitted. The book biography shows how many collections Chernev had to sort through to pick his favorite games. Even so, the best game of Fischer and entire of his 11-0 "clean-sweep" of '64 tournament is not mentioned, not a single-one. Chernev's explanation often took the viewpoint of the victor. There are a few games not understandable (by me). In game 56, all Petrosian's pieces except the Queen are on the back rank, I wonder whether Pilnik could lose if he didn't make mistake by being overly aggressive. In the famous game 88 between Lasker and Capa, how could Lasker's Knights over power Capa's Bishops? Very strange. In the game 104, again Bernstein was trying too hard to win a Pawn from Capa, and then fell victim to a vulnerable back rank. And in the game 109, Chernev praised Capa's 10th move (un-developing the QB and locking it out for the next many moves) enthusiacally both in this book and in "The Most Instructive..." I don't understand it. Capa had 2 isolated and doubled Pawns on the Q-side. To compensate for this, Capa had two open files for his Rooks. With a packed center, I guessed Janowsky could play conservatively (of course, it's "un-sportmanship" for the player with the white pieces) and hold a draw. I tend to agree with GM Yermo in "The Road to Chess Improvement" that Janowsky eagerly played for the win and over-extended his position.
Anyway, Chernev cared very much about his books, and always made his books entertaining. Each player in this book had about 10 of his (where are the famous female champions?) typical games. It's good to have a collection for many famous players in one place, so we can compare their styles to others and through the time by themselves. The stories in the player introduction and game introduction are valuable and instructive.

Overlaps many other collections.......2003-11-13

Being a "best of" book, the 115 games here are easy to find elsewhere. For example, all 10 of Alekhine's section are in 'Alekhine's Best Games', and only 4 of Capablanca's were not in 'Capablanca's Best Games' (and 3 of those are in 'The Unknown Capablanca'). And of course, there is some overlap with 'The Mammoth Book of The Greatest Games of Chess' and other such books.

So if you already have several collections, you probably do not need this book.

If you don't (yet) own several collections, then you would be happier with something else by Chernev. Beginners can learn much from 'Logical Chess Move By Move', and intermediate players would find more value in 'Most Instructive Chess Games of All Time'. The games in 'Twelve' can be quite subtle in their exactness, which is not very instructive.

Still, this is easily a 5-star book. So who would enjoy it? If you're interested in the question, "Who's the best player ever?", then you'll enjoy going through this collection of 12 of the top candidates.

Read in that frame of mind, this book is a joy, a sort of Tournament of the Century. If only it were a Top 20, instead of a Top 12! Missing are Reshevsky, Keres, Fine, Euwe, Reti, Steinitz, Anderssen, Morphy, and of course anybody after the publication date of the book.

[By the way, the break-down of games by each player provided by another reviewer only accounts for wins.]

Chernev's Masterpiece.......2002-01-12

Maybe Irving Chernev's Best Book

If you can get it, I promise you that you will not be sorry. A real masterpiece. For people who love the game AND players who are looking to improve ... Chernev was one of the greatest chess writers of all time!

Amazon.com

Most books about career advancement are either weighty examinations about success in the workplace (e.g., How to Be a Star at Work and Working with Emotional Intelligence) or flippant, humorous takes on surviving the countless inanities of modern work life (e.g., Working Wounded). Jeffrey Fox's book, How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization is neither. Instead, Fox presents 75 commonsense rules about successfully conducting your career.

Rules like "Know Everybody by Their First Name" and "No Goals No Glory" may seem obvious; others, such as "Don't Take Work Home from the Office" or "Don't Have a Drink with the Gang" may not. Each is accompanied by page or two of succinct and thought-provoking explanation. For example, for rule 27, "Don't Hide an Elephant," Fox writes, "Big problems always surface. If they have been hidden, even unintentionally, the negative fallout is always worse. The 'hiders' always get burned, regardless of complicity. The 'discoverers' always are safe, regardless of complicity." Wise and to the point, How to Become CEO will help just about anybody's career, whether you want to become CEO or not. --Harry C. Edwards

Book Description

Jeffrey J. Fox's business bestseller How To Become A CEO shows you all of the techniques you need to get the topno matter what kind of organization you work for.

Customer Reviews:

How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization.......2007-03-14

100% satisify, very good service and the packing is good to protect my book.

limited info but useful.......2007-03-09

This book has limited information, some of which should be deemed as "common sense", but it can be useful to some.

How to become CEO!.......2007-02-11

GREAT LEADERSHIP BOOK!! TAKE IT WITH ME EVERYWHERE I GO!! this book will give you the get up and go to build your way up into your company!!

The first book to read on the climb.......2006-08-26

"How to become CEO" should be mandatory reading for anyone considering climbing to the top. I agree with almost all recommendations in this book. That is why, I must have given at least 20 copies as a present. The best part is; you can go back and read the chapters randomly once in a while to refresh the basic rules. I have also read the other books of the author, liked most, but this one is by far my favorite.

Excellent Book.......2006-06-19

I recently bought this book....I will recommend it to all the ambitious people out there. This is an awsome book....I am very impressed by all the things author has listed in the book.

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