Words, Script, and Pictures: Semiotics of Visual Language

Customer Reviews:

Words, Script, and Pictures: Semiotics of Visual Language.......2000-06-22

Unaware that Meyer Schapiro is considered to have been one of America's greatest art historians, I wasn't prepared by the title of his book for an historical account of visual language going back to the 10th century. Although initially feeling somewhat disappointed that this wasn't a more "contemporary" approach to the subject, by the middle of the first essay I was engaged by Schapiro's rich narrative on the relatively narrow subject--Exodus 17:9-13: how artists chose to illustrate not only the text, but how the illustrations reflected the culture in which those texts were considered. I found the second essay to be even better as it covered a longer period in exploring how artists have incorporated text within their illustrations, and how the rendering itself exemplified a period. These two essays aren't easy reading, but if you're willing to invest some mental energy, Schapiro documents a rich tradition of how pictures have been used not only to illustrate text, but to create meanings beyond the text. This historical perspective informs a growing interest in visual language and communication.

Words, Script, and Pictures: Semiotics of Visual Language.......2000-06-22

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Words, Script, and Pictures: Semiotics of Visual Language
Meyer Schapiro
Manufacturer: George Braziller
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MAM6V4

Book Description

Is there a peculiarly English 'look' and if so how does one define it?From the 'traditional' dress of the Victorian rural working class through to the contemporary collections of Vivienne Westwood and a younger generation of London-based designers, notions of Englishness, either real or imagined, have always been at play in considerations of English fashion and clothing. This provocative book explores how far these fraught ideals can be applied to the dress of the past and present. English expressions of taste and creativity have had a profound influence on style over the last three centuries, and the pursuit and subversion of an English 'look' have shaped conceptions of fashionability from the pastoralism of the eighteenth-century through to the eras of Twiggy, Punk and beyond. But are these simply stereotypical characterizations that relate to an imagined 'Englishness', or is there some concrete basis for them? If the former, what has led to their development? If the latter, what definitions can be employed to unravel such complicated conceptions of national identity? What role has social decorum played in developing an 'English' style, and is this preoccupation with etiquette in fact unique to England ?With chapters authored by leading scholars in the fields of costume history, social history and cultural studies, this is the first book to examine the ways in which fashion and dress might be considered in the context of national identities as they apply in England. Presenting an overview of how particular designers and consumer groups have striven to present or contest versions of Englishness through clothing from the 18th through to the 21st centuries, it will fascinate anyone interested in dress history, national and ethnic identity or English cultural history.

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Great Gift

Welcome to the very conserative world of nuclear families.

Two Plus One Equals Lots of Laughs

Two Plus One Is Enough: Baby Blues Scrapbook #18 (Baby Blues Scrapbook)
Jerry Scott , and Rick Kirkman
Manufacturer: Andrews McMeel Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0740741403

Book Description

By their third child, most folks have parenting figured out and could teach Dr. Spock a thing or two. Yeah, right! Baby Blues is back with even more of the hilarious trials and tribulations of the growing young MacPherson family. Two Plus One Is Enough is the latest collection of the stupendously popular comic strip, which appears in nearly 900 newspapers and 20 periodicals, with 40 million fans. Baby Wren is raising the chaos level in the MacPherson household to a new level as Zoe and Hammie compete as only siblings can. Parents Darryl and Wanda somehow keep up their good humor despite a tight budget, their mischievous but adorable older children, and a wailing infant.Precocious Zoe's learning to read-and to point out the inconsistencies in children's books. After Zoe reads about a bear, Wanda corrects her. "That word is 'dog,' not 'bear.'" Zoe astutely observes that the picture looks like a dog: "So which is spelled right' The word or the picture'" Zoe asks. And Hammie must make sure his baby sister isn't gaining on him, in age or in weight. Two Plus One Is Enough offers plenty of laughs from one of America's favorite families.

Customer Reviews:

Great Gift.......2005-10-24

Mom's and Mom's to be will find it an indespensible source of humor.

Welcome to the very conserative world of nuclear families........2004-06-09

This is the world where all men are dorky, guilt-driven daddies with soft, jelly-like bellies. This is the world where all women are milk-gushing baby machines. And this is the world where all spoiled, smart-mouthed rugrats rule. And of course, this world is filled with playgrounds, mini-vans, and slobbering dogs that no one can ever get out.

Once again, Wanda has popped out still another baby (to keep the baby strip going, of course) and this one baby probably would remain a baby for all eternity to come, unless Wanda is willing enough to birth 20 more babies to support the cartoonists for the rest of their natural lives. However, I still love the rather cynical bite added to such a harried, closed-in family life of endless cleaning up, changing filthy diapers, soothing colicky demands, pumping dairy products from private parts, enduring catty competition with a next-door bimbo who bragged about spawning a double order of male heirs (and remaining svelte to boot), and finally dropping off womb fruits at a place called "kindergarten" for the first time. Family fun for the conserative readers who all live by the same old traditions as their ancient baby-boomer ancestors.

And neither Zoe, nor Hamface are wiggly little infants anymore - they are now big-headed little midgets to add more cute, cute, cute than ever to the whole mess!;)

Two Plus One Equals Lots of Laughs.......2004-05-06

The McPhersons are in a period of adjustment. Baby Wren has arrived, and Zoe and Hammie haven't quite figured out where they fit in the family any more. Plus, they want everything to be fair for all three of them, even though they are growing and facing different things. For example, Hammie is going to his first sleep over. And if that isn't enough, Bunny is naming her identical twins identically. Fortunately, Wanda and Darryl are facing life with a quip and sarcasm as always.

I've always loved this strip of its real if slightly exaggerated look at every day life in a loving family. This set continues the grand tradition with more fun and laughter with this ever growing family. Every page held a smile and chuckle, with many having laugh out loud moments. Sometimes, they hit a little too close to home, but with some funny lines I appreciated.

If you need a humorous look at family life the way it really is, read this strip. And if you already know and love the McPhersons, this book is exactly what you're looking for to get the next chapter in the life of this funny family.

Average customer rating:

Steingarten is great on food, hit-and-miss on diet

Good to eat

Best food book I've read so far

Best. Book. Ever.

Fun, Tasty and Smart

The Man Who Ate Everything
Jeffrey Steingarten
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Essays | Gastronomy | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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The Art of Eating

ASIN: 0375702024
Release Date: 1998-10-27

Amazon.com

When Jeffrey Steingarten was made food critic of Vogue in 1989, he began by systematically learning to like all the food he had previously avoided. From clams to Greek food to Indian desserts with the consistency of face cream, Steingarten undertook an extraordinary program of self-inflicted behavior modification to prepare himself for his new career. He describes the experience in this collection's first piece, before setting out on a series of culinary adventures that take him around the world.

It's clear that Vogue gave Steingarten carte blanche to write on whatever subjects tickled his taste buds, and the result is a frequently hilarious collection of essays that emphasize good eating over an obsession with health. "Salad, the Silent Killer" is a catalog of the toxins lurking in every bowl of raw vegetables, while "Fries" follows a heroic attempt to create the perfect French fry--cooked in horse fat. Whether baking sourdough bread in his Manhattan loft or spraying miso soup across a Kyoto restaurant, Steingarten is an ideal guide to the wilder reaches of gastronomy, a cross between M.F.K. Fisher and H.L. Mencken.

Book Description

Winner of the Julia Child Book Award

A James Beard Book Award Finalist

When Jeffrey Steingarten was appointed food critic for Vogue, he systematically set out to overcome his distaste for such things as kimchi, lard, Greek cuisine, and blue food. He succeeded at all but the last: Steingarten is "fairly sure that God meant the color blue mainly for food that has gone bad." In this impassioned, mouth-watering, and outrageously funny book, Steingarten devotes the same Zen-like discipline and gluttonous curiosity to practically everything that anyone anywhere has ever called "dinner."

Follow Steingarten as he jets off to sample choucroute in Alsace, hand-massaged beef in Japan, and the mother of all ice creams in Sicily. Sweat with him as he tries to re-create the perfect sourdough, bottle his own mineral water, and drop excess poundage at a luxury spa. Join him as he mounts a heroic--and hilarious--defense of salt, sugar, and fat (though he has some nice things to say about Olestra). Stuffed with offbeat erudition and recipes so good they ought to be illegal, The Man Who Ate Everything is a gift for anyone who loves food.

Customer Reviews:

Steingarten is great on food, hit-and-miss on diet.......2007-07-10

I had a mostly love, slightly hate relationship with this book. If you cut out the middle few chapters, dealing with diet and nutrition, I think it would be an easy 5 stars. As it stands it's a 4.5, rounded up.

Steingarten's writing is witty, insightful and very entertaining. His food essays are uniquely charming in that he often approaches the subject as at best a novice, and shares his (sometimes disastrous) learning experiences with the reader. His love of food shines through brilliantly in the writing; his descriptions of dishes, ingredients and techniques occasionally caused me to actually salivate, a neat trick in an all-text medium.

The breadth of topics covered is phenomenal. While he is a New York, NY foodie and that obviously colors his writing and tastes somewhat, he's nowhere near as NY/Paris-centric as many food writers from those locales are. He runs the gamut from unusual foreign cuisines to American classics to rural European local specialties. All topics are approached with the same keen palate and enthusiasm.

Steingarten only gets into trouble when he ventures into the more nutritional and social aspects of food consumption. While these are certainly incredibly important topics, his casual investigations into dietary fads, questionable eating habits and urban legends about the health effects of food felt weakly researched and myopic. While they were occasionally entertaining, they just didn't feel essential or worthy of inclusion in an otherwise outstanding collection.

Overall, highly recommended for anyone interested in food!

Good to eat.......2006-05-21

I read about half of this book to my pre teen sons last year. Although they asked me to read something else before the end, they still talk about it. We learned some fascinating facts about food, and some of the chapters were hilarious. Eventually the book bogged down, but I can recommend it to foodies, info junkies, and anyone who enjoy a good laugh.

Best food book I've read so far.......2006-04-02

This was the best foor book I've read so far. I learned a lot and was entertained.

Best. Book. Ever........2006-03-17

Absolutely hilarious. If you are not already obsessed with food, you will be when you are done reading.

Fun, Tasty and Smart.......2006-02-27

Buy it if you love humor and experimenting with food. This book is all science and great humor.

It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything

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Great read
Steingarten is hands down the best food writer in America
Highly entertaining
As appetising as his "The Man Who Ate Everything"
Superb Tutorial in How to think about Food. Buy It!

It Must've Been Something I Ate: The Return of the Man Who Ate Everything
Jeffrey Steingarten
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Baking | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0375412808
Release Date: 2002-11-05

Book Description

Thirty-eight outrageous, deliciously provocative pieces from Vogue's indomitable food critic-the man who eats everything, dreams perpetually of the ultimate food experience, and compulsively searches out the truth about how, why, and what we eat.

Each section of his new book is a savory course of a splendid feast: For starters, in "Who Is Having All the Fun?," join Steingarten as he dons costly fishing gear and sets out on an epic hunt for bluefin tuna (whose raw belly meat is one of the most delicious things on earth), or read about how he was assaulted by toxic airline food (and be glad you didn't taste that little green leaf).

Then, in "A Deep and Blinding Insight," partake of his investigative pursuits as he takes on salt chic (salt is salt, after all-isn't it?), assaults the FDA for banning succulent whole-milk cheeses in the name of hygienic sterility, and starts cooking dinners of braised short ribs for his dog when he can no longer withstand the baleful looks from his golden retriever confronted with desiccated dog-food pellets while his master sizzles sausages for himself. "There Is a God in Heaven," you'll find, be it in "Chocolate Dreams," "Caviar Emptor," or in the luscious taste of a superb boysenberry from the Chinos' farm.

But for every reward, there is first "An Intense Hunt for the Facts": knowing the lobster includes understanding its sex life, the secret to supergoose is brining, and you have to aim a Raynger ST-8 at your baking stone in order to determine the heat for the perfect pizza.

This is only a sampling of the gloriously entertaining menus that The Man Who Ate Everything dishes up this time around. You'll even find tucked under the plate some special recipes that he has climbed every mountain to obtain.

Lucky for his audience that Jeffrey Steingarten is insatiable.

Customer Reviews:

Great read.......2007-05-16

So well written. Easy to read even if you are just a mild foodie. Jeffrey is so funny and personable on paper.

Steingarten is hands down the best food writer in America.......2007-01-04

The long-time Vogue food critic (and frequent Iron Chef America judge) returns with his second, and equally excellent, compilation of his best foodie columns. He again provides whimsical yet detailed accounts of his various food-related forages. His highly entertaining food pilgrimages and other food-related adventures as well as plenty of self-depricating humor make this one very delicious and very funny read cover to cover. Few books are this entertaining and educating at the same time. His topics are always well-researched. The information always beyond reproach and presented as only Steingarten can. I don't think you need to be a serious food person to really enjoy this book. If you enjoy reading about the history, quality, and preparation of food from around the world, then your copy will soon be well-worn. I have bought several copies for friends and family.
If you missed his first book, "The Man Who Ate Everything," save yourself the time and order it now, too - the preface alone is hilarious, and both books are equally enjoyable. I can't wait for his next book, which will certainly be much more fun than wading through the ridiculous over-abundance of overly-sexed and perfumed ads in Vogue magazine to hunt down his fine work.

Highly entertaining.......2006-02-01

This book was a gift that I was not excited about receiving, but I picked it up one evening when I was desperate for something to read. At that point I was unfamiliar with this Steingarten fellow and did not expect much, as I do not find it terribly enjoyable to read about food. As it turns out, the book was a good read that kept me entertained and wanting more. I thought a few of the chapters dragged a bit, but most were about the right length. The bit on pizza was a highlight that inspired me to try his recipes for the sauce and dough. The sauce was not anything special, but the pizza dough recipe is another story. After trying literally dozens of recipes in search of the perfect dough, I can finally rest because this book provided it. That alone was worth the price of admission!

As appetising as his "The Man Who Ate Everything".......2005-08-24

It is interesting that a lawyer can write so well about food as to make one salivate! Entertaining, funny (perhaps witty) and informative, sprinkled with social commentary and hugely entertaining. Buy both books if you love food and its history, preparation and glories.

Superb Tutorial in How to think about Food. Buy It!.......2005-08-04

`It Must've Been Something I Ate' is Jeffrey Steingarten's second collection of Vogue columns, following the earlier `The Man Who Ate Everything'. Monsieur Steingarten is certainly better recognized these days among the foodie masses as he has appeared as the anchor judge on many of the new Food Network `Iron Chef America' shows, and adds gravity to the show as one of the few people who can trump commentator Alton Brown's perceptions on food.

I was always puzzled by the fact that a magazine like Vogue, which I have never once picked up to read, and which I perceived as a home largely of advertisements for goods appealing to women who have more money than they know what to do with (sic). I was chastised somewhat when I discovered that Mr. Steingarten's role at Vogue was formerly staffed by none other than Elizabeth David, one of the most interesting and respected culinary writers of the 20th century.

Mr. Steingarten's writing has a `family resemblance' to Ms. David's work, but they are really doing a slightly different kind of dialogue with their readers. Elizabeth David took conventional food writing with recipe plus commentary and elevated it to its highest level. Her closest students were Jane Grigson and Claudia Roden. Like James Beard with American cooking, her knowledge of food, especially European and Mediterranean food was encyclopedic.

Steingarten is doing something different! I would even argue with the blurb on the cover of my Vintage edition that states that he `knows more about food than any man now eating'. That perception may be due to the fact that Steingarten looks into food issues more deeply than almost any other writer I can cite, with the possible exception of Harold McGee. But Steingarten is a much better writer than McGee, so he is much more enjoyable to read. I think of him as being a culinary Sherlock Holmes who uses, or who has friends who use all of the very best scientific methods for tracking down the scoop on interesting food issues.

A classic example of his `modus operandi' is the article on differences in the varieties of salt. The jumping off point for the story is the fact that appreciation for salt has reached levels formerly lavished on olive oils. The heavy of the story is fellow food writer Robert Wolke who published a series of articles that claimed that the differences from one salt to the next are small and are largely due to the shape of the salt crystals. Like me, Wolke comes to culinary matters from a background in chemistry. And, since I know, like Wolke, that virtually all forms of salt are simply 98% Sodium Chloride. And, the odds are that the remaining one or two percent of the chemical composition is composed of inorganic compounds which simply do not register either on our tongue or nose. This is not to say that there are not important differences between salts. Kosher(ing) salt, for example is truly superior to table salt for seasoning simply because it is easier to handle while cooking.

Since Steingarten and his colleagues are more attuned to the culinary aspects of things than chemist Wolke, Steingarten felt Wolke was missing something. So, he enlists some pretty serious medical and statistical talent to conduct a true double blind test of the differences in taste. To make the experiment even better, the differences in crystal shape is factored out by doing the tasting of a 2% solution. I am very quickly getting the feeling that it is not Steingarten but the famous science writer, Stephen Jay Gould who I am reading.

Since it makes a great story, Steingarten is not at all shy in confessing that statistically, the first experiment showed very little difference in the various salts. Steingarten did not lose me when he felt that further investigation was needed. The aesthetic perception of something that not everyone can appreciate is an entirely familiar story. Just scratch the opinions of ten people at random to ask them what they think of Jackson Pollack's oil paintings and you will find more than half believing they are shams. Steingarten and his high priced scientific talent repeat the experiment with somewhat different conditions but with no loss of scientific rigor and come up with some, but not compelling statistical basis for saying that the tastes of one or two of the salts was different from the table salt controls.

Steingarten was probably constrained by the space allotted him on the pages of Vogue, but I would have liked him to take things just one step further and consider the relative costs of the `artisinal' salts compared to the perceived differences in taste. I suspect that Steingarten won this battle, but the salt enthusiasts may have lost the war to establish the greater culinary cachet of arcane salts.

But, unlike scientist Gould's work, this book is simply not about whether Steingarten reaches either the right or the desired conclusion. It is about the vistas opened to ways of thinking for yourself about food and the enjoyment you get from Mr. Steingarten's immensely talented way of writing about food. As with the case of the investigation into salt, I may have agreed with Professor Wolke's conclusion, but I think Steingarten was superior in every way in how he approached the issue. Wolke is good, but Steingarten is better.

Very highly recommended culinary reading!

The Man Who Ate Everything : And Other Gastronomic Feats, Disputes, and Pleasurable Pursuits

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The Man Who Ate Everything : And Other Gastronomic Feats, Disputes, and Pleasurable Pursuits
Jeffrey Steingarten
Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KPU0KU

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MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING : AND OTHER GASTRONOMIC FEATS, DISPUTES, AND PLEASURABLE PURSUITS
JEFFREY STEINGARTEN
Manufacturer: VINTAGE BOOKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000KUMP76

Book Description

Amadeus . . . Yankee Doodle Dandy . . . Swanee River . . . Rhapsody in Blue. Even before movies had sound, filmmakers dramatized the lives of composers. Movie biographies—or biopics—have depicted composers as diverse as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George M. Cohan, Stephen Foster, and George Gershwin. In this enticing book, the first devoted entirely to such films, John C. Tibbetts surveys different styles and periods from the Hollywood of the 1920s and 1930s to the international cinema of today, exploring the role that film biographies play in our understanding of history and culture.
Tibbetts delves into such questions as: How historically accurate are composer biopics? How and why have inaccuracies and distortions been perpetrated? What strategies have been used to represent visually the creative process? The book examines the films in several contexts and considers their role in commodifying and popularizing music. Extensive archival research, dozens of illustrations, and numerous interviews make this an appealing book for film and music enthusiasts at all levels.

Customer Reviews:

Movies better than the book.......2006-12-17

Tedious, repetitive, incoherent. Poor writing, editing, and proofreading. A compendium of disparate lecture notes. Yale University Press should be embarrassed. No need to do the reading: watch the movies instead.

Not worth the price.......2006-04-26

Avoid this book! The idea far surpasses the execution. Tibbets first discusses virtually all the American and British composer movies made between 1930 and 1960. This section is very interesting, but a less sober tone and less academic jargon would have made it more enjoyable. Next he devotes a long chapter each to Ken Russell and Tony Palmer, discussing their films in great detail. This is fascinating, but it is also rather frustrating because only a few of the films can be seen. Rather than examining all the post-1960 composer films Tibbets looks at only three that he considers significant (and two of them are unavailable for viewing). Early in the book he promises a detailed discussion of the Hollywood Production Code and its effect on earlier biopics, but this is nowhere to be found. Also, the book is very sloppily edited, with a great many typos and errors. Perhaps the author barely made a deadline? This subject could be treated much more fully and entertainingly; this book is certainly not worth the hefty asking price.

Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography.(Book review): An article from: Notes

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Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography.(Book review): An article from: Notes
Steven York
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Thomson Gale on June 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1573 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: Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography.(Book review)
Author: Steven York
Publication: Notes (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 62 Issue: 4 Page: 979(3)

Article Type: Book review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography

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Composers in the Movies: Studies in Musical Biography
John C. Tibbetts
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OSBL6K

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Miles Davis - Originals Vol. 2
Miles Davis
Manufacturer: Hal Leonard Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0634005588

Book Description

Features 14 Davis originals transcribed note-for-note for trumpet exactly as he recorded them. Includes: Agitation * All Blues * Bitches Brew * Country Son * Eighty One * Filles De Kilimanjaro * Four * Miles * Miles Runs the Voodoo Down * No Blues * Petits Machins * Seven Steps to Heaven * So What * and Spanish Key, plus a biography of this gifted jazz genius. Also available: Miles Davis Originals, Volume 1 00672448 $19.95

Customer Reviews:

A good compendium, but not an essential one..........2000-05-04

The Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II, is an interesting addition to the collection of any DM interested to run adventures on the outer planes. However this book will only be of minor interest to anybody else. The artwork in the book, done by DiTerlizzi, is pretty good, altough I prefer the job he did on the first compendium. A lot of the monsters included in this book had not been featured in any other supplement before. Exemples of what you will be getting for your monney are: a new race usable for the PC'S (Aasimar), 3 new angelic species (Eladrin, Lupinal, Guardinal), and a new tanari ( Maurezhi). To sum it up the book is interesting, but considering the high cost of these Planescape's Compendiums you should only buy it if you intend to run most of your campaign on the outer planes.

Finally - original monsters!.......2000-01-09

While this is easily the least useful volume of the Planescape Appendices ( one containing the Baatezu and the Tanar'ri, three focusing on the Elementals), Number Two readily catches my eye with the fact that most of the creatures within have never apeared in print before, and the few that have haven't been heard from in many years (on the other hand, numbers one and three usually simply take a random, and probably well-known creature from one of the older supplements, change its stats and name, and - voila! - a "new" monster!). I find this volume to be a most enjoyable resource of absurd creatures I use to knock the ground from under my PCs' feet.

Adds whole new dimensions to the monsters of Planescape........1998-12-16

The new Sects contained in this suppliment are invaluable when you are in a clinch to make a new encounter. The monsters are a little more balanced than the ones in the other expansions and include some pretty freaky concepts.

Great artwork and descriptions!!!.......1998-09-15

Although I found the artwork excellent, and I really enjoyed the descriptions; I found the lack of timestream entries somewhat disconcerting.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2602)

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Fantastic artwork and tons of material to use in your campaign
I love it; my players shiver when I pull it out
An excellent monster supplement
The Bare Necessities
The most essential monstrous compendium accessory out there.

Monstrous Compendium Appendix (Planescape) (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2602)

Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1560768622

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic artwork and tons of material to use in your campaign.......2006-04-28

Planescape has always been my personal favorite D&D campaign setting. The crazy, far off locales, a reality that's constantly shifting, abstract ideals given form and flesh, it's all the best stuff TSR ever came out with. The Monstrous Compendium Appendix is a must have if you are planning on running a Planescape campaign. Besides just giving the dungeon master some cannon fodder to throw at the players, there is a wealth of additional Planescape material presented. The hierarchy of the Aasimon, Baatezu, and Tanar'ri are all clearly explained, along with the background history and normal behaviors of the major races common to Planescape - such as the Githzerai and Bariaur. After having played the Wizards of the Coast (3rd Edition) D&D, and then going back and seeing all the old AD&D Planescape material, you'll be quite supprised by how much things have changed. The Slaad and Tanar'ri creatures look completely different between the two additions. Also, check out the descriptions of the "Marut" creature in this book versus the Marut (listed as in "Inevitable") in the 3rd Edition Monster Manual. While they have retained the same basic look, they are completely different creatures all together.

The artwork here is superb! DiTerlizzi has a style all his own that you don't really see done elsewhere, and it definetely fits the mood of the Planescape campaign. Every creature has it's own individual picture, and it's clear a good deal of effort was put forth to ensure each monster looks exactly as it should. The best part of any Planescape accesory is the commentary, and it abounds here. Every few pages a little quote is given, along with the name and title of the quoter. The little details they give really flesh out the setting as a whole. My favorite here is on the listing for the "Maelephant" creature (a quite large elephant type creature that stands on two legs). Two quotes sit side by side here, both of which say the same thing "You know, a herd of maelephants might be just the thing we need...", what makes the quotes funny is when you see who said them. The first is Factol Haskar of the guvners, pondering how best to institute law and order in the city of Sigil. The second quote is a snippet of conversation heard between two anarchists in a tavern.

My only complaints would have to be that the book seems kind of short, and that it's a flimsy paperback, instead of a longer lasting hardcover (and since this book is no longer in print, you'll have to get a used one - which will probably be quite battered and worn). To be fair, there are quite a few creatures presented and with lots of extra details, but this supplement seems much smaller than the standard "Monster Manuals". Overall an excellent addition to the Planescape world. You should get your hands on it if you can.

I love it; my players shiver when I pull it out.......2001-03-23

I have been DMing with the same group for almost five years now and while some of the PCs are new, they seem to have all the basic monsters and rules memorized. They're also high level, ranging from 9th to 12th.

Problem is: I have to change the appearances of most monsters and appearances to fool the group.

What I love about this item is: it's got a ton of powerful creatures in it with new pictures that the PCs can't distinguish from . . . and, moreover, they don't know the special powers of these creatures and it works very well against high level PCs.

About half of this book encompasses the Yugoloth, devils and demons. All worthy foes.

The pictures are fantastic, for the most part, and you can cover up the other page and show the picture to the PCs to give them a visual.

You do not need to be running a PLANESCAPE campaign to use these creatures. Besides, most of these creatures were from the AD&D first edition.

Would recommend but only if you are running or planning to run for players with a median average of at least 7th or 8th level.

An excellent monster supplement.......2000-05-31

The first monstrous compendium to come out of the planescape setting is a success. The terrific illustrations by DiTerlizzi and the well organised & detailled notes on the different monsters listed inside breath new life into some old favorite from the planes. demons & devils have never looked so good, and I can finally make sense of the hierarchy of the Aasimon (archon) & Yugoloth (daevil).There is a great continuity in this work and you get the feeling that every monster included in this book belongs here. A short table at the end of the book helps you by sorting out the monster by planes, making it easier to create your own encounter tables. The only importants omissions of this book are the modron (included in the Planescape boxed set) and the demon & devil lord (sadly, they seems to have been forgotten in the planescape campaign...). In short this book is the most usefull of the 3 monster compendiums made for the planescape setting, and the only one most people will ever need. Easily adaptable to any other campaign setting, smartly written and with great illustrations to look at, this supplement is an excellent purchase.

The Bare Necessities.......2000-04-01

This is one of those books you just can't live without. It is one of the most useful guides to monsters and mayhem there is. It is another one of the many fine TSR products that has made role-playing games like Advanced Dungeons & Dragons alive and kicking all the way into the new millenium.

The most essential monstrous compendium accessory out there........2000-03-11

If a person is running a low-powered, prime material campaign, then they canusually get by on nothing more than the monstrous manual and their own made-up monsters. As the PC's inevitably progress higher and higher in level while their characters are still young and unwilling to retire... books like this one are very handy. The artwork is very nice (though I must agree that some of the baatezu/tanar'ri don't look so terrible; and the pit fiend looks downright silly) and the text is useful in describing thier combat abilities. Any DM who can't make up just enough ecology for the players to buy it should buy the appropriate supplement (for Baatezu, the Guide to hell, etc.) For example, when the PC's stumble across a baatezu or tanar'ri it should be one of the weaker types. If, on the other hand, you decide that their home plane just became the newest battleground in the Blood War, and they're spending all their time going after Pit Fiends and Balor, then this book is not only useful but essential. The toned-down XP values are much closer to reasonable than the exaggerated numbers given in the MM. A warning, however- some of these beasties really are insanely powerful. The Solar, for example, is worth about 10,000 XP too little, the Marut is a roaming machine of death, and the average Maralith is a minor goddess of war with seven solid attacks per round and lots of HP. Use these sparingly until your PC's are all around level 12+.

Monstrous Compendium, Appendix III (Planescape; Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2635)

Average customer rating:

The most original& the weirdest Monster Manual on the market
Paraelementals, Quasielementals, Fundamentals..
Simply incredible!
A must for all DMs
Planescape does a great job making monsters more than stats

Monstrous Compendium, Appendix III (Planescape; Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, Accessory/2635)
Monte Cook
Manufacturer: Wizards of the Coast
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0786907517

Customer Reviews:

The most original& the weirdest Monster Manual on the market.......2000-07-14

For their third compendium release, the planescape team (directed by Monte Cook) decided to concentrate on monsters from the inner planes. The idea is a good one and the new monsters presented in this book are among the strangest players will ever come across. As for the older monsters, most of them taken from the original Monster Manuals they fit very well in the book and the new informations & drawings of them are excellent. The result make for a refreshing book that I definitly recomend to experienced players & Dm who are tired of the same old monsters and think they have seen it all. However if you are just starting a campaign or do not intend to adventure on the planes this book will only hold a marginal interest for your campaign.

Paraelementals, Quasielementals, Fundamentals.........2000-01-05

WOW! The best monstrous compendium(other than ravenloft) ever created! It has all the elementals one could ever want, including Ice, Ash, radiance, magma, ooze, and even Vacuum! An almost-Must-have for any party with a high level wizard with access to the conjuration/summoning school! The other animals in this book are also incredibly cool. also includedin the front and back of the book are guides to the way creatures react with each other, and harmless residents of the inner planes!

Simply incredible!.......1999-12-05

Wow!

All I can say is........WOW! This is the treasure trove of the unique, original, and inspiring creatures I have always longed for... The art is amazing, the text is well-written, the book is sturdy and very attractive, and the content is....... simply put, oustanding. This is a sort of book that you lift up and say " why haven't I heard of this earlier! " or " why haven't they released this a couple years ago! ". Every single creature is so original and unique, they fully deserve to have legends written about them. BUY THIS BOOK!

A must for all DMs.......1999-10-17

Just what I need. Finnally, that "Summon Planar Creature" spell can summon more than just Imps and Baatzu.

Planescape does a great job making monsters more than stats.......1999-08-13

This is a great addition to Planescape material. Finally, attention is given to the Inner planes. But it is much more than your typical "monsters by the numbers" treatment. There is lots of background and mood envoking text to make these creatures more than the sum of their hit dice. In fact, in some ways there is more new material about the inner planes themselves than in the Inner Planes supplument. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting detailed creatures of a more bizarre nature.

Book Description

Good news for those who think they cannot scrape together a down payment and get approved for a mortgage

This latest book from million-selling real estate author Bob Irwin brings a ray a hope to the millions who dream of owning their own homes but who either aren't sure they can afford one or lack the "official" financial qualifications for a mortgage. Pitched exclusively to the needs of this market, How to Buy a Home When You Can't Afford It is a treasure trove of innovative tactics, tips, strategies, and methods for finding financing and closing on a home. Irwin shows readers how to determine how much they're really worth, how to uncover hidden assets they never new they had, and how virtually anyone can improve his or her credit rating in just six months. He then cuts right to the chase with dozens of proven options, including:

First-time home owner benefits
Creative ways to cover closing costs
Bargaining down sellers
Obtaining "sweat equity" government homes

Customer Reviews:

Impractical advice.......2005-07-22

I found this book to lack usefulness, more of a "cheerleader" for "Yay you CAN buy a house" rather than a useful tool to help you do so.

Practical Reference For Home Buyers.......2005-07-10

This is a practical book for home buyers. However, it does not contain a wide-spectrum of information one'd expect. For example, information about town-house and condo are superficial. And there are other sections I'd expect the author to go a little bit more in detail. Even with all these concerns, this book and author should get credit where credit is due. It gives good guidelines and portrays a clear system of how to determine a good house buy.

From San Francisco Chronicle 12/8/02 (by Robert J. Bruss).......2002-12-11

#1 of year's 10 top real estate books. This survey book explains virtually all the home-purchase alternatives, such as different types of houses and condos, as well as low-cost finance alternatives. Aimed at first-time buyers, this well-designed book explains home-buying techniques that less-than-perfect buyers should consider.

This is not Just a Catchy Title.......2002-10-13

This book is a godsend to anyone who feels there is no way they will ever be able to afford a house. In the last few years many things have changed in the home mortgage market and this book walks you through how to buy a house with 0% down, how to avoid PMI insurance with a 80/20 Loan , not to mention where to look for bargains, how to low-ball etc.

This book is worth every penny. It is well-written, researched and up to date. If you would like to buy a home and are waiting to save up for a downpayment order this book today. You won't be sorry!

Average customer rating:
How to Buy a Home When You Can't Afford It
Robert Irwin
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGD2JQ

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