The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Companion Guide and History

Book Description

This beautiful book is the first comprehensive guide written in a generation to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, home of one of the preeminent collections of art in the United States with more than 2,500 treasures, ranging from ancient Chinese bronzes to Titian`s Europa to the first Matisse acquired by an American museum.

Customer Reviews:

A guide to Isabella's life and her home.......2006-07-30

This small museum guide available at ISGM bookshop in great quantity but difficult to find elsewhere (amazon has it)is a delight to read. Differently from other museum guides it dosen't only deal with the works exposed in Isabella Stewart Gardner's home Fenway Court, but it also briefly reviews this brillant and eccentric woman's life and so brings us even closer to her.
The visit to the ISGM is a great experience because what we see is not a museum but a person's house, a house used for receiving, entertaining, exposing unusual things and precious objects, a house for praying and reading, and meditating, a house full of lifetimes memories and loved masterpieces. Illustrating the intermingling of Mrs. Gardner's life and her masterpiece was not easy. Mr. Goldfarb, director of the Museum is at the height of this task and with a few well done strokes draws Isabella's portrait and at the same time describes in great detail not only the works of art contained in the mansion but also their history, the way they came into the collection and many interesting news on their artists.
The book is well illustrated with expecial focus on the disposition of the pieces and the complete description of all the rooms of the house.
A useful tool for ISGM visit but also a book that is enjoyable before, after and also without the visit.

A must-read prior to seeing the museum.......2005-08-31

Having been to the ISGM (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum) before reading either "Mrs. Jack" or this book, if planning a trip to the museum I highly recommend you read at least one of these books. The museum is truly magnificent, however my only criticism is that the administration of the museum cannot seem to decide if they have a "house museum" (like the Newport mansions) or an art museum. There is precious little information posted within the meusum to tell you what it is you're looking at - the guidebooks available at the museum woefully inadequate. After reading Mrs. Jack I realize that much of this may have been stipulated by Isabella herself - she expected you to know what it was you were seeing without cheats like descriptions. Art for art's sake. It did not matter if Rembrandt painted a canvas - you either like it or you don't - merely wanting to see it because it's a priceless Rembrandt is too bourgeois for Isabella to have considered. In her day, in her level of society, you could still buy a Rembrandt or a Vermeer, 100 years later this is a lot harder to do, making these paintings more rare to us than her. She knew John Singer Sargent personally, so having your portrait painted by him was probably less of a big deal than we see it as today - anyone in her level of society could hire him, so to her - what was the big deal? 100 years more time has made it a big deal to us.

One Woman's Way to Make a Home.......2004-12-08

More than a few of my well-traveled friends have raved about The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston as their favorite museum in all the world. And why not? Wait until you see it--you'll feel right at home.

Imagine creating for yourself a life that is perfectly delicious. Imagine creating for the world a home museum experience unequaled in all the world. The Hyde Museum in Glens Falls, NY, held that honor for me until I learned the story and saw the pictural views of Fenway Court Isabella Gardner created as her home, which after her death in 1924 was changed to be called The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Most museum books have wonderful pictures without so rich a story of a strong, courageous woman of impeccable, impassioned taste. No one could have created Fenway Court except Isabella Gardner. Few have created such a wonderful life for themselves and left such an amazing legacy. And, she also managed to maintain her beauty and figure. And what a negotiator she was to gain possession of a piece of art she felt Fenway must own.

I feel empowered to have learned her story.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum A Companion Guide and History

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum A Companion Guide and History
Goldfarb Hilliard T.
Manufacturer: Yale UP
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UD2OLA

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The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: A Companion Guide and History
Hilliard T. Goldfarb Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORUYY6

Book Description

Tattoos, body piercings, wild hairstyles -- people all over the world have been decorating and changing their bodies for as long as anyone can remember. Body Bizarre, Body Beautiful fills you in on the how, why, and when of what people have done in the past, and what they're doing now.

Customer Reviews:

FASCINATING!.......2003-10-19

This book is exactly what I wrote in the title- fascinating! There are all kinds of different things people do for beauty. The person before me rated it a 1 star for not being detailed enough, but I think the point of the book was to go over several different things and not specifically pinpoint one topic. Anyway, I like the book, and I think those who like to know little bits of interesting information would like it as well.

disapointment.......2001-09-04

It touched such a variety of areas and it was so broad that it was never specific. It contained quoteswhich were not at all insightful or informative. It attempted to address so many topics(eg: nail painting, hair, makeup, neckenlargement, footbinding, tattooing, piercing...) that there was no space for real detail and always talked in general terms(plus its a thin book.)
It was not what I expected to receivefor i had been given the impressionthatit would have a main focus on body piercing and tattooing(in the whole book there were only about 10 pages on these subjects).

Book Description

Now a classic, The World in a Frame covers the history of popular American films from the 1930s to the 1970s. Leo Braudy, one of America's leading film critics, gives an account of the histories of visual style and film genres, as ell as techniques of characterization—all in an evolving cultural context. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition includes a new preface addressing developments in film since 1976.

Book Description

The great baritone Leonard Warren was history's most notable interpreter of Verdi, making his mark in the title roles of Rigoletto, Macbeth and Simon Boccanegra. Warren's dramatic death over 40 years ago is famous: he collapsed and died onstage at the Met on March 4, 1960 in a performance as Carlo in La forza del destino. In this definitive biography, Mary Jane Phillips-Matz, author of an acclaimed biography of Giuseppe Verdi, offers an intimate portrait of a beloved opera star, based on hundreds of interviews. More than 100 rare photographs capture Warren in his great roles as well as in private moments. HARDCOVER.

Customer Reviews:

disappointingly poor biography of a great singer.......2000-07-31

Leonard Warren was certainly one of America's greatest singers, ranking only after Merrill & Tibbett when it comes to baritones. In the 40 years since his death on stage at the Met during a performance of LA FORZA DEL DESTINO this is the first full-length biography devoted to him. Unfortunately, he deserves better. Much better.

After having read other books by the author, I was surprised at the ill-flowing, disjointed narrative here. She relies far too much on family recollections instead of objectivity. She repeats the story of Jan Peerce's anger at Warren's cobersion to Catholicism far too often as well as relying on Warren's sister. The recollections of fellow artists are few, of little importance, and were made mostly in conjunction with articles written decades ago. Except for some anonymous recording sessions in 1940, early in Warren's career, there is nothing about later sessions when he made his complete operas. Did he just show up, sing, and go home? Usually there are interesting stories to repeat (they could have at least borrowed Culshaw's about the GIOCONDA sessions). Likewise, there is no comment on why Warren was used only once by Toscanini. Did something happen? Were Valdengo or Merrill easier to work with than Warren? The author is silent. She also spends an inordinate amount of paper and ink huffily asking why Warren didn't progress faster to stardom at the Met - then answers he own questions by telling about other (and far more seasoned) artists like Tibbett & Bonelli, both of whom had senority over the newcomer Warren.

The index is worthless since there are no references to any of Warren's roles or even an entry for "Warren, Leonard." Are researchers expected to plow through this badly-written book for themselves?

The discography is also poorly organized and touts commercial releases plus those sponsored by the Warren Foundation, a release of VAI from the 1940 sessions and their own 2-CD set. Other issues, especially a superb 2-CD set on Romophone or a competing CD of the 1940 sessions on Minerva, are ignored or merely mentioned in passing.

By the way, anyone interested in the 2-CD Warren Foundation set might first look on their shelves. Except for 4 tracks, everything is already available elsewhere. They missed an excellent chance to use live material.

It may be a long time before we get anotehr Warren biography but this one isn't worth the time or effort.

this isn't the book we expected or deserve.......2000-06-28

It seems American publishers today are reluctant to touch any opera singers aside from three aging tenors. Amadeus Press is the notable exception. Stars such as Astrid Varnay, Martha Modl, Hans Hotter, and James King have had to turn to German publishers. In that atmosphere we opera fans should be happy to get ANY biographies of great singers. And, regrettably, this is probably the only biography of Leonard Warren we are likely to get for some time.

I use the term "regret" because Warren deserves a biography worthy of his stature as one of the finest singers America has produced. This isn't it. The writing style is more appropriate to a series of magazine articles than a smooth-flowing narrative. The content smacks more of a fan than an objective author. Too often we are bombarded by phrases from reviews and family memoirs. Why quote a family "review" of a Met performance that had Met manager Edward Johnson "almost falling out of his box" and a "five-minute ovation" when the newspapers presented a more restrained demonstration? The author also takes many pains to ask why Warren wasn't given starring roles earlier in his career when a more objective author would have been aware of the serious competition at the Met with Tibbett having considerable seniority as well as popularity. There are many aspects of Warren's career that the auhtor ignores (presumably because there was no family member present) such as the one concert with Toscanini and why Warren was never used again by Toscanini. Was Warren's arrogance at fault there as well? Recording sessions are ignored except for the first anonymous 1940 sessions. The index is terrible and almost useless. Entries are confined to names only, no works - and there is no entry for "Warren, Leonard" which limits this book as a reference. How are researchers to look up specifics about his life or career? They can't. Very lazy! The discography is equally difficult with such tables as combinations of studio plus "selected" live performances and studio sessions that include not only the complete operas but every time these were used in excerpts. The discography also fails to include several CDs of Warren's material (such as Minerva and Romophone that apparently compete with the 2-CD set from the Leonard Warren Foundation).

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on September 1, 2001. The length of the article is 728 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: Leonard Warren: American Baritone.(Review)
Author: Richard Lesueur
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2001
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 58 Issue: 1 Page: 104

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Leonard Warren: American Baritone.
MARY JANE PHILLIPS-MATZ
Manufacturer: See notes
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RQT6L6

Average customer rating:

An excellent self-teaching tool

Starting Out: Modern Benoni (Starting Out - Everyman Chess)
Endre Vegh
Manufacturer: Everyman Chess
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Starting Out: Slav & Semi-Slav (Starting Out - Everyman Chess)

ASIN: 1857443667

Book Description

In this user-friendly book, International Master Endre Vegh goes back to basics, studying the fundamental principles of the Modern Benoni and its many variations. Throughout the book there are an abundance of notes, tips, warnings, and exercises to help improving players, while key strategies, ideas, and tactics for both sides are clearly illustrated.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent self-teaching tool .......2005-04-11

Written bay Endre Vegh, an International Chess Master and coach, Starting Out: Modern Benoni discusses the Modern Benoni, one of Black's most creative and aggressive defenses to the queen's pawn opening, which has been put to good use by such great players as Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov. Allowing Black to create a drastic position imbalance from the beginning, it offers the chance for great advances but requires that both players press ahead boldly as to hesitate where the Modern Benoni is involved is sure to inspire disaster. Illustrating its points and examples with sample games and chessboard diagrams, Starting Out: Modern Benoni is an excellent self-teaching tool and a highly recommended resource for avid chess players of intermediate to advanced skill level.

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A Great Introductory Investment Real Estate Overview

Great Read, Extremely Valuable.

If you don't yet know how you want to invest.....

Well written guide

4.5 stars for another good book by Steve Berges

The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings
Steve Berges
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Make More Money Investing in Multiunits: A Step-by-Step Guide

ASIN: 0471684058

Book Description

Whether youre a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand youll find profits easy to come by.

Download Description

Whether you¿re a first-time real estate investor or a seasoned professional, The Complete Guide to Buying and Selling Apartment Buildings helps you map out your future, find apartment buildings at a fair price, finance purchases, and manage your properties. Now revised and expanded, this Second Edition includes tax planning advice, case studies of real acquisitions, and appendixes that add detail to the big picture. Plus, it includes a handy glossary of all the terms investors need to know, helpful sample forms that make paperwork quick and easy, and updated real estate forecasts. With this comprehensive guide at hand you¿ll find profits easy to come by.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Introductory Investment Real Estate Overview.......2007-05-16

I've read several realestate investment books and this is the most comprehensive. It covers all aspects of finding, negotiating, financing and managing apartment building investments. Additional reading and investigation will still be required; however this is a great place to begin.

Great Read, Extremely Valuable........2007-04-22

With all the hype out there in the real estate investing space, it's refreshing to read a book that is honest, intellectual, and driven by a solid foundation in financial analysis.

Steve Berges does an outstanding job of walking the reader through general concepts, straight-forward examples, and detailed case studies. The financial analysis might be a little overwhelming to someone who is being introduced to so many financial concepts for the first time. If you don't have an understanding of finance, I'd recommend hitting Google or a Finance textbook to help get through the financial sections.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and thought it was packed full of valuable tips and information. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in adding apartment buildings to their real estate repertoire.

If you don't yet know how you want to invest............2007-04-11

...this is an excellent read. I had never given apartments a thought until reading Steve Berges. Now they are in the mix. The charts in Chapter 8 are a bit tedious, especially to a beginner, but by the time you get to the end of the book, you will know if buying and selling (or keeping) apartments is for you. Pay attention to what Berges says about the value play (Chapter4).

Well written guide.......2006-08-20

This book is a concise well written guide to the core issues of buying, owning and selling multifamily buildings. It was extremely valuable in evaluating our first purchase of a multi-family structure.

4.5 stars for another good book by Steve Berges.......2006-08-17

As a real estate investor and author myself, I read a lot of real estate books. Many, if not most, are written by folks who do not invest in real estate themselves; they only write about it. Berges is not one of them. He knows his stuff and it's clear that he practices what he preaches. I have read three of his books and, I must say, he's one of my favorite real estate authors. You can trust what he says. Experienced investors may want a bit more detail from Steve, but what he does say is accurate and safe. This is a good book on buying apartments. In fact, in my own book, "Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes & Quads," I list the best books I've read on different areas of real estate. This book is the ONLY book I recommend on investing in commercial multifamily (ie, apartments of 5 units and up) properties.

Having given those accolades, here are a few of my constructive criticisms:

1. On pages 37 and 38, Steve gives nice charts illustrating the long-term financial benefits of investing in multifamily properties. On page 39, however, there is an error in referring to the big numbers shown. The reference is made to Investor A's "equity" of $2.1 million and Investor B's (the multifamily property investor) equity of $92 million. I just don't think Steve caught this, but those numbers don't refer to the investor's equity, but to the fair market value of his collective assets (his properties). The investor's equity might be in the range of 20% of that. I do like the charts, however, and I used a similar analysis in my recent book. One other note on the charts - they presume selling and buying exactly at the end of one year - a difficult task as Steve would surely admit. On average, I think 18 months to two years is a better time frame for flipping apartments.

2. Refinancing - Steve didn't give a chart showing the long-range effect of the "buy, hold and refy" strategy (using proceeds to buy again, but retaining the first property). In addition, Steve only mentioned the general banking guideline that you can only pull out cash up to 80% of the new appraised value (i.e., the bank has an LTV of 80%). However, you can get around this. I've done it. It requires a second lender giving a second mortgage, with a CLTV (combined loan to value) of up to 90%. As such, you can pull out much more cash.

3. GRM - gross rent multiplier. In his financial analysis section, Steve doesn't give much detail or provide real life examples on this crucial analysis factor. Granted, the cap rate is the analysis primarily used for commercial real estate, while the GRM is the one used for residential multifamily (2-4 units) real estate. Since many owners and selling brokers will "fudge" on expenses, a cap rate can be very hard to verify. The GRM, however, is fairly simple - just look at the lease agreements.

4. Lack of coverage on residential multifamily apartments. In fact, this is why I wrote my book on this topic. If Steve had covered it here, I would not have written mine. I like Steve's writing style and he knows his stuff. But for investing in small multifamily properties (certainly on residential, but probably up to about 10 units), we really have to cover valuation and selection of properties using the GRM. That and I felt like the "buy, hold, and refy" strategy needed much more coverage.

But for investing in commercial multifamily properties, I recommend this book as the only good one on the market.

Larry Loftis
Author: Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes and Quads: The Fastest and Safest Way to Real Estate Wealth

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