Book Description
John Peacock was senior costume designer for BBC Television. His many books include Shoes, 20th Century Fashion, Fashion Accessories, and 20th Century Jewelry.
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable resource.......2007-01-11
Have used this book many times as a resource when making costurmes for the Renaissance Fair as well as for the local Model A Ford club. Clear, easy to interpret pictures and excellent captions.
A good guide for period costume.......2006-11-06
Peacock puts together a book that focuses itself on British fashion of the royalty from 1066 through 2005. Pages are filled with designs that the royalty as well as the wealthy would have worn during this time period. They say a picture is worth 1000 words, and this book contains over 1000 pictures to demonstrate the changes in fashion over the years.
The book has very little text in it. Each page is filled with 8 different designs, typically 4 are male fashion designs, and 4 are for women. What I do like about these designs is that each one has notes about trim, how garmets were fastened, hair styles, and information regarding proper head dress is also given. I feel if you are trying to recreate one of these designs this book would be helpful in getting the small details correct.
While short on words, this book has many sketches, and much information is contained on each sketch. There is very little text, or any form of long dry reading here. You may even wished he spent more time going over the design changes in text. I feel this book does an excellent job of giving someone a feel for what clothing looked like in the time periods covered in this book.
theatrical, not historical.......2006-07-07
I don't own the book, just saw it in a bookstore and flipped through it. The book contains sketches of male and female costume drawn in good detail, but definitely incorporates fantasy elements. For example, according to the sketches all female garments through 1400 have sleeves extending past the hand. I also did not notice any nationalities mentioned with the drawings. Like I said though, it was a flip through in a book store, and I'm not an expert. I just thought since there were no reviews yet, I'd give people an idea of what to expect.
Average customer rating:
- a wonderful book for all Warhol fans.
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The Warhol Look: Glamour, Style, Fashion
Mark Francis
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Fashion
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0821225944 |
Customer Reviews:
a wonderful book for all Warhol fans........2000-06-11
This beautifully illustrated book was issued to accompany the 1998/99 major travelling exhibition of the same name.
It focuses on some of the different stages of Warhol's career starting with his fashion illustrations and shop window-dressing from the fifties and early sixties. It then goes on to the 'Factory' style of the sixties and the nightclub and celebrity scenes of the seventies and eighties.
'The Warhol Look' is packed full of wonderful images and photographs, not just by Warhol but also by other artists, designers and photographers. This is especially true of the middles section Covering the sixties. Many forgotten images and magazine spreads are illustrated, providing extra clues as to how mainstream culture viewed Warhol and his associates.
Perhaps the most illuminating parts of the book are devoted to Warhol's fascination with transvestites and Warhol's side line of modelling. The essays accompanying the latter especially provides a fresh insight into Warhol the man and Warhol as a mirror.
The book provides yet more conclusive proof of Warhol's influence on mainstream fashion, art, design, and even, with 'interview' magazine publishing. It examines his links with the downtown avant-garde and underground scenes of the sixties and his distancing from it after his shooting in 1968. It then illustrates his growing obsession with celebrity and fame in the seventies and eighties.
Overall, this is a wonderful book for all Warhol fans, and for anyone interested in fashion, design and the various New York downtown scenes in between 1950's and the 1980's.
Customer Reviews:
Disneyana: Classic Collectibles 1928-1958 .......2006-11-10
It's a verry good book, every collector should have it.
Average customer rating:
- Clever and witty read
- Jan Speilmann, New York City
- It was cute, but not as funny as the title promised
- We were a little disappointed
- Positively rippin'! Hilarious entertainment!
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Heat, Gin, Despair: Palm Beach Idles
E. E. Liberty
Manufacturer: Egalite Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Humor
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0976289016 |
Customer Reviews:
Clever and witty read.......2005-11-26
As dry as a good martini, E.E. Liberty writes a clever tribute to the good and not so good people of South Florida. Funny and
and tart, I enjoyed it and am waiting for the sequel.
Jan Speilmann, New York City.......2005-11-22
I discovered "Heat, Gin, Despair" at my local bookstore (the cover is eye-catching) - started to read it and could not put it down. What fun - to spend time with the whacky characters and lounge about the pool drinking gin in Palm Beach! I recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh (and who doesn't?).
It was cute, but not as funny as the title promised.......2005-11-16
I picked this up because I loved the title. I thought it would be very funny, but I found it a bit tiresome after awhile. Everyone spoke the same. The characters didn't really develop, and even though this was supposed to be amusing, I did want to see them and the plot go further. Not bad, but not really involving, either.
We were a little disappointed.......2005-11-15
My partner Robert and I were given this book by other friends who lived in Florida and thought it was fabulous. We didn't enjoy it at all, however. It was such stereotypical humor. No character development. Robert was particularly insulted by the British "types," since he is from Sussex originally. We felt this had been done better before. Can't recommend it.
Positively rippin'! Hilarious entertainment!.......2005-09-14
The book lets you magically experience how your perception of the characters changes as you grow more familiar to their environment and their way of life.
The guy that starts out as a complete nutcase ends up being the only one whose grip on sanity is more than just tentative.
A most enjoyable read for a long, luxurious and loungy weekend! Don't forget the gin!
Book Description
Baltimore Sun movie critic Stephen Hunter takes aim at 13 years (1981-94) of popular movies, from film noir to teenage slashers, gangster flicks to sci-fi pics, and examines the current, and often violent, culture of modern cinema. Organized by topic, this book is a fascinating chronicle of today's increasingly violent and alienating culture.
Customer Reviews:
A favorite author of thrillers is a movie critic.......2004-11-10
I've read many of Stephen Hunter's novels, and have some more yet to read. This book, Violent Screen, intrigued me by its title because I have long noted that Hollywood, populated as it is with a preponderance of liberal, anti-gun, anti-violence sob sisters, cannot seem to make a movie without featuring gun violence, homicidal car chases, and other socially unacceptable action on a grand scale.
The average citizen of the United States has never, WILL never, in a normal lifetime, be witness, even once, to most of the violent acts that, if you judge our society by what Hollywood portrays, is a normal daily occurrence on our streets.
The so-called "Wild West," for example, depicted by Hollywood, with its stand-up quick-draw shoot-outs, is the product of the fevered imaginations of screenwriters and Eastern pulp fiction purveyors. If the truth were known, Eastern cities were far more violent than the Western villages of the nineteenth century.
But, Stephen Hunter is not judgmental about such things. His appreciation for their product goes beyond such judgments. His criticism is of their craft, not their agenda. Perhaps that is as it should be.
Despite the fact that his novels show evidence of a writer with encyclopedic knowledge of firearms, and it is evident that he is a shooter, which he himself confesses, his movie reviews show a different man: one who is sensitive to the feminist cause, and a sensitive portrayal of the "alternate life-style." While his novels, particularly the Bob Lee Swagger series, are filled with violence, crude language, torture, and denigrating racial depictions, in Violent Screen another writer emerges: a thoughtful, careful thinker whose sensitivities are subtle and nuanced.
There is no doubt that Stephen Hunter is a skilled writer, with an extraordinary vocabulary, and a wonderful ability to tell a story that holds you entranced. What this book shows me is that he is also a man I'd like to know. He is a critical thinker of the first rank, whose opinions I can respect.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
the thinking person's action-movie guide.......2004-07-15
Hunter's capsule reviews of several dozen violent movies of various genres is a great read for the film fanatic. Like Roger Ebert, you often find yourself recognizing the truth of what he is saying even as he is bashing some of your favorite films. Hunter is a perceptive critic who can provide great insight into specific films, yet somehow the scope of the book seems too narrow, despite several broader articles about films interspersed between the reviews; THE DEER HUNTER, for instance, is dismissed as a minor and flawed piece of film-making in just a few lines without going in-depth into why he feels this way. It is frustrating little things like this which prevent me from giving it five stars. Still, this book provides much food for thought for the film buff.
Insightful? I think not.......2003-06-09
Stephen Hunter's book first attracted me because of the blunt manner in which he confronts America's obsession with violence, as characterized by the movies we love. This initial fondness for his boldness soon drifts away, as I read his various selections on individual movies.
I think Hunter misses the point; he does not understand the contradictions he forms in his numerous, faulty reviews. He criticizes such films that deal with cruel portayals of violence, yet he seems utterly captivated with documentaries of real-life American crime.
His harsh undermining of "Unforgiven" leaves me with several questions. How can someone so opionated with violence on-screen by so opposed to a movie that is so blatantly a cry against violence? Did Hunter miss the point? Does he think Eastwood's character is supposed to be likeable?
Hunter nearly ruins his book in one line: "it wasn't even a good picture" (referring to "The Deer Hunter"). He claims that it was a horrible portrayal of racism and an ultimate "technical blunder." Yet, Hunter deals with this movie in a mere four lines, while giving the gun selection of the cast in "The Wild Bunch" several pages.
The one highlight of the book is the epilogue, a haunting look at Hunter's father. This portrayal of a "Father of Darkness" is where Hunter's talent as a writer truly shows through. It is a shame, then, to remember the precedeing 380 pages after reading this troubling portrait.
Sleaze and evil on screen.......2003-03-21
This book gives a a short look at some of the most controversial movies Hollywood has made. It separates movies into different categories like action-adventure, film noir, horr, war, etc., so you can expect what you are about to read. Finally, it asks a question: If our nation is against violence so much, why are we supporting movies that contain so much of it?
I enjoyed reading Violent Screen somewhat. It showcased a few of my favorite movies such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dongs, and my all-time favorite, True Romance, all directed by Quentin Tarintono. But I got bored by reading about movies I can't stand like Born on the Fourth of July and Scarface. Author Steven Hunter also included reviews of movies like Thelma and Louise; that confused me. I didn't feel that it was violent or controversial enough to be featured in this book. Atfer reading other reviews, such as that of Romeo Is Bleeding, I wanted to see the movie as soon as possible.
Overall, I found Violent Screen a mediocre book. I enjoyed reading about some of my favorite movies, but flipped the pages of the ones that bored me. There were a few movies that made me wonder why they were even in the book. I enjoyed reading Hunter's opinions. Part of the "fun" of this book was seeing what he thought about my favorite movies. I agreed with the author about half of the time, but you are not always supposed to agree with a movie review. Also, I found the book to be a bit too long. If I were to recommend this book to someone, it would be to a person who likes violent movies. Anyone else should stay as far away as possible.
Short bursts in this book........2002-02-26
America is often seen by the world as a society that glorifies violence, as demonstrated by our movies. This book takes on that topic head on. The reviews themselves are very helpful. Some movies receive praise, others the opposite. Violent movies expose our flaws and show our conscience. Read this book if you are interested in good movies.
By the way, it takes about a minute to read each vignette. This makes for good bedtime reading or for the subway--anywhere that you have only a short amount of time to read.
Average customer rating:
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Selling Britten: Music and the Market Place
Paul Kildea
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Britten, Benjamin
| Composers
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Business
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Composers & Musicians
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
20th Century
| England
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Ireland
| Europe
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0198167156 |
Book Description
At the end of the nineteenth century Britain was a country without an opera culture, and in the concert halls the Austro-Germanic symphonic repertory reigned supreme. In the following fifty years the art-music culture changed dramatically. Radio, the gramophone and the recording industry, government arts subsidies, Covent Garden, and a post-war resurgence in national and civic pride which contributed to the spread of music festivals, were the agents of change. Born in 1913, Benjamin Britten was well placed to take advantage of these market forces, which he did consistently and skilfully from the 1930s onwards. His relationships with Boosey and Hawkes, Decca, Covent Garden, the Aldeburgh Festival, the English Opera Group, and the Arts Council, had a huge influence on the music he wrote. This book explores the effect of these commercial and national institutions on the music of one of the foremost British composers of the twentieth century.
Book Description
Digital photography is hot, and kids want to get in on the fun. This comprehensive instructional guide, created especially for youngsters, tells them exactly what they need to know to capture those birthday parties, school events, sleepovers, and family vacations. Every important question gets an easy-to-understand answer: What’s a pixel? What is resolution and why does it matter? How can I make computers, scanners, and printers work with my camera? Children will get creative with software that alters and enhances images, and learn new ways to add text, adjust color and brightness, and change a background. Fifteen appealing projects, from turning snapshots into puzzles to crafting unique CD covers, photo magnets, and digital scrapbooks, make this a no-brainer for the budding photographer.
Customer Reviews:
Not for young children........2007-08-14
Although the cover shows a young girl and a young boy on the back cover who appear to be 7-8 yrs old, in my opinion this book is not for 5-8 yr old children. It is too complicated, the computer work, editing, layering, templates, internet, webpages, etc, are more appropriate for 8-12 yr old kids. It should clearly indicate (on the front or back cover) what age child it is for. We bought it for a 6yr old, by the time we hang on to it for 2-3 yrs, digital photo technology, software, will likely have advanced... The book would be good for older kids.
Kids guide to digital photography.......2007-03-16
Wonderful guide for kids, and those of us who are starting with photography. Great descriptions and clear directions.
great book for kids or beginners.......2007-02-07
this book covers the basics. easily written for a kid to understand. my daughter is 11 and that seems about the right level for her. i wish it covered more setting up a good composition. it covers the basics on camera use and scanners and fixing photos after in the computer. i wish photo books would stick to teaching how to take good pictures and not so much on fixing them up in the computer afterwards, but every book seems to spend a lot of time on that. overall, its the best book i could find for a kid. it's written in language that i think they will relate to well.
Wow! What a Great Book!.......2006-07-23
While there may not be a "perfect" guide for digital photography, this one comes as close as I've ever seen.
It covers everything from choosing a camera (and how to get the most out of it) to editing, printing and even using the web.
It even covers areas that many adults seem to have problems with, like the "Reality Check" regarding built in flash.
Focus, composition, exposure and even ISO are all covered. Granted, some subjects are just touched on rather than discussed in depth but remember the intended reader. (In my case, my 12-year old.) If the kid really wants to learn about any given subject there are countless specialized books to be found.
Overall I have to say that I highly recommend this book.
I'd even go so far to say that I would even buy it for an adult, especially one that might be a bit technophobic.
Customer Reviews:
A good start.......2005-01-13
Photography Guide For Kids is a slim, informative, quick read for kids who like to take creative pictures. I bought this for my son who is ten years old and has been snapping shots since he got his first Fisher Price camera when he was five. I noticed his interest in photography when he would ask to go for walks to test out his new camera on fenced in dogs barking at him and the buses going by. He read this book front to back in two days and took from it a bit more of an understanding in capturing mood, speed and creative portraits in different ways. I read this book myself and found it easy to understand the explanations on different cameras, film speed and black and white photos. Although not really a learning tool, I do feel this is a helpful guide to open up the minds of children interested in taking pictures. And the fact it's not a large text book, and is written on an age appropiate level makes it a good start for children who may not think they can learn all there is to learn about photography and may motivate them to capture their own memories and feelings in a creative way. And maybe they'll give the Nintendo a break.
Product Description
How to shoot, save, play with and print your digital photos.
Book Description
Revised following the 2004 presidential election, a graphic portrait of the growing gap between the rich and everyone else in America.
• In 1968, African Americans earned 55 cents for every dollar of white income. At the current pace, it would take 581 years for African Americans to achieve income parity.
• States including Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia tax food and basic needs at a higher rate than income from investments.
• Welfare for very low income people totaled $193 billion in 2004. Aid to "dependent corporations" exceeded $800 billion.
This updated edition of the widely touted Economic Apartheid in America looks at the causes and manifestations of wealth disparities in the United States, including tax policy in light of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and recent corporate scandals.
Published with two leading organizations dedicated to addressing economic inequality, the book looks at recent changes in income and wealth distribution and examines the economic policies and shifts in power that have fueled the growing divide.
Praised by Sojurners as "a clear blueprint on how to combat growing inequality," Economic Apartheid in America provides "much-needed groundwork for more democratic discussion and participation in economic life" (Tikkun). With "a wealth of eye-opening data" (The Beacon) focusing on the decline of organized labor and civic institutions, the battle over global trade, and the growing inequality of income and wages, it argues that most Americans are shut out of the discussion of the rules governing their economic lives.
Accessible and engaging and illustrated throughout with charts, graphs, and political cartoons, the book lays out a comprehensive plan for action. Charts, graphs, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.
Customer Reviews:
More of a primer.......2007-07-11
This book isn't bad. But the content makes it difficult to be entertaining. I would compare it to a college freshmen economic textbook. But it's not just boring text. There are interesting graphs and charts. And even some lame cartoons. But it's done very well and has some excellent commentary. It's almost entertaining. But again, it's tough to sit down and actually read content about labor unions and minimum wage and stay excited. But as far as the books that I've seen or read that paint a big picture of our economy and it's current state . . . this is the best.
Informative, important, and easy to read.......2007-04-17
Co-authors Chuck Collins and Felice Yeskel discuss the widening gap between America's rich and poor, and why it's in our interest to pay attention.
With clarity and conviction, Economic Apartheid In America details the reasons for this country's increasing disparity between the wealthiest and everyone else. It begins with a discussion of the societal risks economic inequality poses, including a decrease in family security, threats to our democratic institutions, and the decay of social cohesion. The book indicates that families in all but the highest earning brackets face declining real incomes, increasing personal debt, a virtual disappearance in both retirement and personal savings, and unavailable or unaffordable health care coverage. In addition, education and child care costs are on the rise and the federal minimum wage is so outdated it can no longer realistically keep a family of four above the poverty line.
The authors explain how high concentrations of wealth place excessive power in the hands of too few, primarily through political influence and corporate disenfranchisement of workers. This has resulted in an uneven playing field on which the wealthiest individuals and corporations enjoy higher income, numerous tax breaks, and greater returns on investment, while the poorest are expected to bear higher living costs, declining income, and an ever-increasing tax burden. The book also discusses the persistent disparities in earning power for minorities and women.
Collins and Yeskel point out that it wasn't always this way. In the post World War II era families in every income bracket enjoyed comparably sized increases in earnings, allowing a more even distribution of wealth and, with the notable exceptions of women and minorities, a greater level of overall prosperity. Now, in the post-Reagan era of globalization and the proliferation of "free-market capitalism," corporations have compromised wage-earner security through downsizing, outsourcing, and excessive executive compensation.
The book admonishes readers to effect change through the use of grassroots organizing efforts, the support of political leaders who favor limits on corporate welfare and an increase in the minimum wage, the reinvigoration of unionized labor, and the creation/adaptation of government social services that support working families. In addition, several strategies, from socially responsible investing to publicly funded elections, are offered as methods to close the economic divide.
Other notable topics discussed in the book include the Federal Reserve's over-aversion to inflation, the abuse of commonwealth resources, a cultural shift towards greed and consumerism, and the perpetuation of class divide via intergenerational retention of wealth. While at times the book suffers from a tone of activist desperation, overall it offers an informed summation and practical solutions for a critical issue facing society.
Books:
- Dads: Special Thoughts for Some of the World's Greatest People (Standard-Size Daybrightener Calender)
- David Blackwood: Master Printmaker
- Day With Josephine And Her Friends, A:: Inspired By the Art of Honor C. Appleton
- Desert, Deserts, Die Wuste (Terrail Photo Series)
- Dessins d'Ingres: Catalogue raisonne des dessins du Musee de Montauban
- Discovering Oceanic Art
- Drawing With Crayons, Pastels, Sanguine, and Chalks (The Complete Course on Painting and Drawing)
- Earthworks: Art and the Landscape of the Sixties
- Empire: Impressions of China (Imago Mundi series)
- Enchanted World: The Art of Anne Sudworth
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
- Pinball Perspectives: Ace High to World's Series
- Tatiana and Alexander
- Showdown at Centerpoint
- Photography
- Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook
- Philosophical Foundations of Historical Knowledge
- Reported Sightings: Art Chronicles, 1957-1987
- Mushrooms of the World with Pictures to Color
- Functional Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals
Costume and Fashion: A Concise History (World of Art)
The Complete Fashion Sourcebook
Fashion Accessories: The Complete 20th Century Sourcebook
Twentieth-Century Fashion : The Complete Sourcebook
The Story of Costume
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