Average customer rating:
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Had gadya: The Only Kid: Facsimile of El Lissitzky's Edition of 1919 (Resources Series)
Manufacturer: Getty Trust Publications: Getty Research Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Airbrush
| Animation
| Books
| Calligraphy
| Clip Art
| Commercial
| Graphic Arts
| Lithography
| Pop Culture
| Printmaking
| Silk Screen & Batik
| Typography
Lissitzky, El
| ( J-L )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Religion & Spirituality
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General
| Judaism
| Religion & Spirituality
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Jewish Life
| Judaism
| Religion & Spirituality
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ASIN: 089236744X |
Book Description
This illustrated version of the popular Passover song "Had gadya" was the wonderfully playful offspring of the avant-garde artist El Lissitzky (1890-1941). It dates to a little-known period early in his career when he immersed himself in the Jewish cultural renaissance that flourished in
Russia from roughly 1912 to the early 1920s. Signed with his Hebrew given name, this volume-with its wraparound cover, colorful lithographic montages, and stylized use of Yiddish and Aramaic words-celebrates Lissitzky's interest in Jewish folk traditions while looking forward to the dynamic graphic
and typographic designs for which he is best remembered.
This near-scale facsimile-including the rarely seen cover-allows readers to experience Lissitzky's Had gadya as originally envisioned. It is accompanied here by Nancy Perloff's discussion of the work's cultural and artistic contexts, Arnold J. Band's English translation of Lissitzky's Yiddish
version of the song, sections on Lissitzky's iconography and vocabulary, and lyrics set to music.
Book Description
Time-tested lighting strategies that will improve the quality of a portrait are detailed in this book for beginning photographers. Terminology used by industry pros is explained, the equipment needed to create professional results is outlined, and the unique role that each element of the lighting setup plays in the studio is explored. Photographers learn how color, direction, form, and contrast affect the final portrait. The concise text, photo examples, and lighting diagrams enable photographers to easily achieve traditional lighting styles that have been the basis of good portraiture since the advent of the art.
Customer Reviews:
For the advanced Photographers.......2007-09-10
I read the book and one thing that I did learn is that I need to take some Photo classes and learn more about taking photos. Some of the subject matter was over my head.
Good book, great guide, very helpful.......2007-08-10
I am halfway through this book and find the instructions, diagrams and pictures very helpful. I do not understand some of the criticisms because this is about staged lighting and studio portrait and will always be "posed". I am amazed at the length of detail that the author has gone through and appreciate the multiple portrait examples in various lightings.
Great for spawning lighting ideas..........2007-08-09
This book met and even exceeded my expectations. Much like "The Portrait Photographer's Guide to Posing", this book is an excellent reference book that you will find yourself re-reading for inspiration and technique. The examples and photos are great and the book is very easy to follow. I am glad that I ordered this book.
An impressive book that teaches it all.......2007-07-03
I am a photo prothusiast. I love photography and use it in my profession. Recently I have toyed with the idea of shooting portraits on the side for a little extra cash. I thought I'd bone up on my portrait lighting techniques. I bought a few books, including Christopher Grey's Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers.
I have to say, Christopher's book is my favorite. I have had a blast working through the techniques he teaches in this book. He starts out by giving a rundown of lighting gear on the market. He weighs the pros and cons of different lighting systems and shares his favorites.
The book gets really exciting when he starts teaching lighting techniques. He uses actual photographs so you can see the results, comparing light settings and placement. He demonstrates many configurations, each more beautiful than the last.
I have taken this book seriously. I love to grab a subject and get busy, trying out his different light scenarios and seeing if I can match his quality. In some cases I have, in others I need practice.
I would highly recommend this book for both pros and beginners. It is an excellent reference that I have found invaluable.
Thank you, Christopher.
I hope this helps.
-Craig Nybo, co-author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System
Great Buy!.......2007-06-20
I have learned tons of information from this book on lighting. You must have it if you are a little or alot confused about studio lighting and how to do it right!
Pam Vasquez
Average customer rating:
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Master Lighting Guide for Wedding Photographers
Bill Hurter
Manufacturer: Amherst Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Lighting
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Portraits
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| How-to
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
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Equipment
| Photography
| Arts & Photography
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General
| Weddings
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1584282193 |
Book Description
Master the demanding lighting needs for weddings of any variety with this comprehensive guide from an industry expert. All the basics are covered, including how to choose and use the right equipment, how to control light and shadow while outdoors, how to utilize ambient room light and natural light, and how to ensure the best color balance for each image. Technical tips from 40 top wedding photographers cover such specifics as producing window-light images and using such tools as scrims, umbrellas, and gobos. With the right lighting know-how, a photographer can capture with ease the candid looks and pure emotions of the wedding party.
Book Description
Relive meek Dr. Donald Blake's transformation into the legendary God of Thunder in this collection of the Mighty Thor's earliest classic adventures! With his mystical hammer Mjolnir at his side, Thor sets out to bring justice to Earth. Collects Journey Into Mystery #83-112.
Customer Reviews:
A Super Read!.......2007-06-08
This assortment of Thor's earliest adventures is a great showcase of one of Marvel's greatest heroes!
Uneven stories and artwork.......2007-04-29
This Essential volume of Thor is significant because it contains his first appearances in Marvel Comics. However, I was a tad disappointed with some of the stories, and the fact that artist Jack Kirby was missing from several of the issues. At this early stage, the Thor character was not really developed yet, and many of the villains were rather uninteresting.
Thor was one of marvels good ideas.......2006-08-21
Although not as good as the Xmen, or Spiderman, Thor is pretty good compared to most of the other comic lines at that time. The villains are decent and the artwork is alright. Stories get a bit repetitive, as there are very few storylines that go beyond one comic. Still a decent read.
Classic Kirby Thor.......2006-05-02
This is a very interesting collection, in that it brings together many of the early Thor tales by the master--Jack Kirby. Not only do you get some classic first appearances (ie: Hercules), but you also get to see the evolution of Thor in these very early appearances.
These issues will be particularly revealing to modern fans, who haven't been exposed to Thor's range of powers, or to the amazing things that Odin can do when written properly.
These are classic comic stories, and are highly recommended.
Early tales of the Thunder God.......2006-03-03
In certain ways, the Sixties were a simpler time. Sure, there were things like Vietnam, the civil rights movement and assorted assassinations to make things complicated, but at least with comic books, it was a gentler era. Although the storytelling might have been constrained by the Comics Code, there were still the opportunities to tell good tales. Stan Lee, one of the principal creative forces of the period, put together a lot of good stories. Unfortunately, while The Mighty Thor is not bad, it is also not Lee's best writing of the period.
The Essential Thor #1 covers the earliest Thor stories, back in the days when the magazine was officially named Journey into Mystery. Donald Blake, a vacationing doctor, stumbles upon a stick that, when struck against the ground, transforms him into the god Thor. Within the issues covered, Thor battles such adversaries as the Cobra, Mr. Hyde, the Enchantress, the Executioner and assorted aliens, but his chief adversary is his step-brother, Loki. In addition to the main stories, we are also provided tales of the Norse Gods in the land of Asgard.
While plot-wise, these stories are all decent, they suffer from characters who are relatively bland or ill-defined. I've noticed that the Lee's strongest writing in this era is with the Fantastic Four and Spiderman, where not only are the characters more interesting, but there is a decent supporting cast as well. Here, there are few supporting characters. Love interest Jane Foster is a stereotypical comic book woman of the era; she pines after Thor, faints a lot and is in constant danger. Outside of villains, the only other recurring character of note is Odin, Thor's very powerful father. Odin's behavior is erratic; although described as having great wisdom, he is constantly being duped by Loki.
The character of Thor himself is problematic. While it is clear that Thor and Blake share the same identity (this is not a Jekyll-and-Hyde thing), it is rather hazy as to who is the true version: is it Don Blake, who (like Spiderman), came across a super power, or is it Thor, who merely adopts Blake as a mild-mannered alter ego (like the early Superman disguising himself as Clark Kent)? This is rather inconsistently dealt with, and in fact, there are no real answers within this volume.
I know that I may be overanalyzing this material; after all, these are just comics, aren't they? Yet, I can compare this to other works of the same time (like the previously mentioned FF and Spiderman) and find this to be an inferior work: not bad, but not great: a high three-stars at best. While many will find this entertaining, I cannot recommend this as a first choice in the Essentials series. Instead, I would look elsewhere and come to this book later.
Customer Reviews:
A quick read for the Dave Barry fan.......2007-09-10
I can't see reading this book over and over, but the "Mr. Dip Lip" is funny every time I imagine some poor, hungover fool waking up to, "Hello Bob, WELCOME TO HELL!"
Barry can do much better..........2006-06-05
Like several of the other reviewers, I try to read anything that I can find written by Dave Barry. Unlike most of the other reviewers, however, I would not list this book among his best. There were certainly a few moments when I had that standard "laugh out loud" response to Barry's wit. However, this book really read to me like an excuse to publish and sell a book without too much work. Most of his other books that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed included a lot more text and fewer pictures. The genius of Barry's writing is his ability to use everybody language in hysterical ways, and this "Gift Guide" doesn't allow him a platform for his usual linguistic shenanigans.
In short, it's a quick and easy read with a lot of pictures. It does offer a few good laughs. But given the body of his work, I would recommend his other books well ahead of this one.
a VERY breif review.......2000-12-03
A very good book of cool gifts.
The Perfect Gift.......2000-08-06
Ever want an "Auto Security Spider," the cheap alternative to "The Club?" How about a game of "Roadkill Bingo" for the kids? Perhaps a "High-Tech Loudspeaker Hat" for your loved one who has it all? These are just a few of the items listed and described in detail in this wacky book.
Dave Barry is one of the funniest writes of all time, but he is usually at his best when it comes to him poking fun at the truth. This book, slightly dated written in 1994, is a virtual catalogue of items that you can actually purchase. Trust me. These gifts are better given than received.
It's a really fast read, and Dave Barry is truly at his best. It 's just non-stop laughter, and there are some decent gift ideas in the book. If fact, Dave Barry's Gift Guide to End All Gift Guides would make a pretty nice gift itself.
Great fun!.......1998-11-11
Dave Barry's always fun, but never more so when he riffs on real stuff. This book is full of his take on some of the stupidest products available. The fact that I am one of the alert readers who sent him an idea (that he used in the book) has no bearing on my favorable review ;-)
Customer Reviews:
Great investment........2002-11-04
Word of caution: If you can track down a seller of this screenplay, it may be the novelization of the SP instead of the SP. I made the mistake of purchasing from a marketplace seller that didn't have immacualte feedback, and got the wrong book. Anyhow, I did happen to run across the SP finally at a book wholesaler. It's great to see the stuff in the movie explained a little more. Certain lines I have never been able to make out you can see spelled out for you. There is a glossary in the back of the book that's extremely helpful and explains lingo I have never run across after reading several poker books. So yeah, even if you're not a fan of screenplays as literature, I highly recommend this.
Only Card Players Understand.......2002-02-07
When you read a review on this movie (or any movie), critics focus on the typical, simple minded aspects of the movie like how well characters and relationships are established and how "hollywoodish" the movie is. For this reason, film critics (and the average mainstream movie goer) just didn't understand Rounders. As a card player and occassional gambler, I strongly recommend this movie to anyone who plays cards at an "advanced level" or enjoys the thrill of gambling. Most movies that put a hollywood star in a role like this will stray away from technical aspects that your mainstream movie goer doesn't notice and focus on the obvious: love, romance, happy endings, etc. Rounders never falls into this trap which is why I rate it in my top five movies of all time. Rather than try and appeal to everyone, this movie was written for us. Damon likes to play cards and he doesn't let a relationship stop him. Most movies would result in the female (or male) saving the poor, mislead gamblers life, putting him on the road to recovery and ending happily in marriage. Damon cans the girl, goes back to playing 10/20 hold 'em, looks for his opponents tell, flops a nut straight and has the patience to wait it out. If you understand this last sentence, see this movie immediately. If not, go see Rush Hour again.
A lean, tightly-weaved scenario.......1999-03-04
The coveted "good read" for any screenwriting enthusiasts. ROUNDERS needs to be included in your screenplay library!
Old Wine In A New Bottle.......1998-10-22
This script has its roots in the Western genre: A lone gunfighter goes into retirement, usually because of a near-death(in this case metaphorical)experience in a duel with the antagonist, then something or someone, usually a friend or bounty, brings the reluctant gunfighter out for one last stand with the antagonist. Yes, we saw it before in films like UNFORGIVEN.
What makes ROUNDERS a good read, however, is it takes a familiar genre and plops it in the story of high stakes card playing. We enter a world were few are allowed to go. They speak a language all their own in this special world (thank goodness a glossary was included in the back!)
For screenwriters, fans of the film, or anyone interested in the scenario form, ROUNDERS is worth a look. It has a fast-paced, minimalistic style that keeps you hooked to the end.
It's a great example of script crafting, image, and language.
Average customer rating:
- Very, very dense
- Give this book a chance!!!
- Trendy jargon galore
- Erlmann's Global Imagination develops valuable framework
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Music, Modernity, and the Global Imagination: South Africa and the West
Veit Erlmann
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Ethnomusicology
| Ethnic & International
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
South Africa
| Africa
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Anthropology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Cultural
| Ethnobotany
| Ethnology
| Evolution
| General
| History & Philosophy
| Physical
| Primitive
| Religious
| Sociobiology
General
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Ethnic Studies
| Special Groups
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Culture
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0195123670 |
Book Description
How was Africa seen by the West during the colonial period? How do Europeans and Americans conceive of Africa in today's postcolonial era? Such questions have preoccupied anthropologists, historians, and literary scholars for years. But few have asked the reverse: how did--and do--Africans see Europe and the United States? Fewer still have wondered how Western images of Africa and African representations of the West might mirror one another. In a detailed study spanning from the late nineteenth century to the present, renowned anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Veit Erlmann examines the very creation of a global imagination for black South Africans, Europeans, and African Americans. To this end, he explores two striking episodes in the history of black South African music. The first is a pair of tours made by two black South African choirs in England and America in the early 1890s; the second is a series of engagements with the international music industry as experienced by the premier choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo after the release of Paul Simon's celebrated Graceland album in 1986. Readers will find the cast of characters involved in these intertwined and international dramas at once telling and impressive. Among the many players are African National Congress co-founder Saul Msane, Queen Victoria, African-American musician and impresario Orpheus McAdoo, Xhosa Christian prophet Ntsikana, W. E. B. Du Bois, Michael Jackson, and Spike Lee. Music, Modernity, and the Global Imagination tells the story of how these artists, activists, and agents effectively invented each other in travel diaries, religious hymns, concert performances, music videos, Broadway plays, and autobiographies. Erlmann also argues that the resultant mixture of myths and fictions--as distinctly imagined by these diverse historical actors--entangled South Africa and the West in ways that often obscured the newly emergent global imbalances of power, or else blurred the polarities of the colonial and postcolonial world. Ultimately, this book reports on a transatlantic dialogue that carries direct and profound implications for the world's arts and cultures. It is the black diasporic discussion between South Africa and the West, and it is a conversation--about society, music, and Utopia--that is still in progress.
Customer Reviews:
Very, very dense.......2004-04-06
I see the earlier reviewer's point about the book's being impenetrable. However, this leads me to believe that the reader read the first 80 pages and gave up. This is a tragedy, as the first 80 pages, while incredibly complex and filled with references to numerous thinkers, is resolved and made clear throughout the rest of the book.
To better explain, Erlmann views the 20th Century's globalization as more a continuation of trends in the 19th Century. Additionally, he discusses the communication and mutual dependence that Europe and its Others had with one another - indeed their very identities were defined through one another.
The first part of his book uses the tours of two African choirs to England and the US respectively to illustrate his views on 19th century colonialism, and then turns to Ladysmith Black Mambazo's involvement in Paul Simon's Graceland and beyond for Part II to illustrate the continuities. When he reaches Part II, a number of the complex, seemingly imprenetrable thoughts of Part I come into focus; it is brilliant scholarship, but requires patience.
That said, I would only suggest this book to people who are studying South African music - it's probably a bit too dense for anyone thinking of reading it for interest or pleasure.
Give this book a chance!!!.......2003-10-29
Quite simply, I feel compelled to write a review of this book because of the rather harsh slandering it received from the previous critic. I agree that there are many academic books out there that are ultimately filled with nothing but trendy, pretentious jargon, a mere jumble of mixed and incoherent messages. To throw this book into that category means the reader simply hasn't taken the time to decipher or just doesn't understand the rather complex, and in my opinion, extremely well-thought out and important arguments made in this book. Sometimes books can be tough reading; this one deserves your patience!
I can sum up the main argument in a few sentences: globalization is typically seen as a rupture with the past, as a fundamentally new process. Authors like Arjun Appadurai tend to link this process with the rise of electronic media, which has the ability to create new kinds of communities. Erlmann, on the other hand, sees globalization as more of a continuation of the 19th-century than a fundamental break with the past. He thinks that to understand the complex layers of signification which occur in the 'global imagination' today (such as in world music), one must ultimately return to an examination of the colonial period, especially to Enlightenment thought and the constructions of identity within European culture at that time - constructions which ultimately depended on the colonizing experience itself. Thus, in my view, it is rather ingenious that the first half of the book focuses on the tours of two 19th-century African choirs, and the second half of the book on Paul Simon's Graceland - he demonstrates for us the continuity of ideas born in the modernist era (the concept of the panorama, the Great Exhibitions, biography, travel writing) with what the world music movement of the 1980s. But he does far more than just claim Paul Simon is resuscitating the same old, colonialist predicament - he examines in much detail the history of isicathamiya, and displays how the Graceland album both does and does not mark a change from its traditional performance practice (for example, isicathamiya is seen as a genre that thrives on throwing otherwise disparate messages and lyrical images together to create new meaning, and the song 'Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes' continues that tradition, when Ladysmith Black Mambazo's views of womanhood are juxtaposed next to Paul Simon's). The upshot: this book should be required reading for ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and those interested in post-colonial studies and globalization.
Trendy jargon galore.......2001-08-03
This is a fascinating topic and some useful data is provided, but that is all. Surprisingly, this book was given quite an appropriate review in the journal, Ethnomusicology. Its style is an example of what is wrong with academic writing today. Unfortunately, the publishing establishment tends not to notice that such books are intentionally written so as to be inpenetrable to readers. Academics write this way to avoid criticism. Since nobody can tell what exactly they mean, nobody can challenge them or prove them wrong on any points. Some readers feign complete understanding of such books in order not to seem ignorant. Presses should not exascerbate the problem further by printing such things.
Erlmann's Global Imagination develops valuable framework.......2000-06-30
In what he describes as a "topography of global culture," Erlmann attempts to discet the global fictions of modern statehood, national identity, history, subjectivity, the arts etc. showing how they are not representations of fixed realities, or one sided determinations but rather processes that take form and develop through what he calls the global imagination, "the means by which people shift the contexts of their knowledge and endow phenomena with significance beyond their immediate realm of personal experience." The book examines how cross cultural interaction between different senses of modernity over the past 100 years have shaped the constitutive categories of race, class and gender. The book ultimately argues that the cultural topography of a "world that is now truly one" is based on the interdependency of people the world over. Erlmann explores the workings of this global imagination through two examples of interaction between South Africa, England, and the United States. The first of these is a tour of two African chiors in the 1890s, and the second is the work of Ladysmith Black Mambazo after 1986. Erlmann does not attempt a historical or narrative continuity between or within the two examples, but rather examines aspects of each as texts within their specific political and historical context. The author gets at the complexities of each example from many angles, examining the significance of biography, dance, composition, politics, religion etc. The diversity of focus makes the book read somewhat like a collection of articles, but Earlmann speaks authoritatively on every page. The value I find in the book is how assumptions of race, identity and authenticity (among others) are examined in context of global interaction and change with a result that is much more vialbe than many essentialist ideas of the colonial encounter and African/ African American music. Erlmann also gives emphasis to agency, a focus that is denied in too many other works in contemporary theory. The book is written for the academic audience, but should find wide interest outside of Antropology and Ethnomusicology.
Product Description
Race to the Finish! The megacorp probe race to be the first to reach Halley's Comet is in its final rounds. With only a few contenders left, your shadowrunner team can make a difference, deciding who wins and who loses. Wake of the Comet includes three adventure that wrap up the probe race first detailed in Year of the Comet. Time is running out as the shadowrunners are hired to sabotage the competition and ensure that only one corp reaches the comet first. Wake of the Comet is for players and gamemasters of all experience levels. For use with Shadowrun, Third Edition.
Book Description
Today's real estate market is a house of cards--learn what homeowners can do to prepare for its pending collapse
Soaring home prices and 50-year low interest rates have lulled homebuyers into a false sense of security. But plummeting consumer confidence and record-high personal debt threaten to blindside overextended homeowners and real estate investors.
The Coming Crash in the Housing Marketshows homeowners how to avoid owing more to lenders than their houses are worth--known as an "underwater" mortgage--and reveals commonsense steps for protecting one's assets when the bottom falls out.
In this compelling, well-documented book, renowned economic consultant John Talbot tells current and potential homeowners how to survive and thrive in tomorrow's world of slashed home values. He presents:
- Convincing reasons why the housing market will likely crash within two years
- Startling similarities between this and previous economic disasters
Customer Reviews:
Bad advice, bad person.......2007-04-21
Mr Talbott actually suggests in this book that you either sell your house or buy put options on Fannie Mae... and that is after he convincingly shows that house prices only ever go up...
That is both stupid and unAmerican. No wonder Goldman Sachs fired him.
Verdict:
Ignore
Too much terminology, out-of-date, but Talbott was right.......2006-12-15
Mr. Talbott was correct, sort of. Housing DID crash in late 2003. Or, at least, it should have. By 2003, the pool of qualified buyers had begun to dry up. Lenders and homebuilders, desperate to find fresh buyers to keep the party going, began to allow the issuing of interest-only loans, negative amortization loans, and other creative financing tools to the sub-prime market. The low interest rates, which had been dropped in order to recover from the dot-com bust, fed the frenzy.
However, this books mentions "interest-only" loans only in passing. Obviously, Talbott knew about I/O and Neg-am as sophisticated investment tools. But I guess Talbott -- being a levelheaded and sensible guy -- thought that even the greediest mortgage brokers wouldn't be so loony as to offer them to the masses. But, so it went. Talbott's fatal flaw was to underestimate (overestimate?) his financial collegaues. The popularity, and market share, of I/O and other creative mortgages took off right about the time this book was written. If Talbott had taken creative financing into account, he would simply have written this book three years later, and still been correct.
Sorry John, you called it right, but you called only half of it and left the important half out. I have to take off a star.
That said, the text of the book itself is NOT for beginners. Talbott tries to prove, in financial terms, how the stats from Wall Street portend the housing bust, but fails to draw a good connection between equities and housing. I was expecting discourse about events on the ground -- like supply of houses and demand for houses, the effect of interest rates, median vs. average, secondary MBS markets, buyer pools, regional bubbles, and don't forget the cash-out refi's! Instead, Talbott waxes long-winded about retrenchments and leveraged buyouts in private banks. What does this all have to do with the housing market? Well, maybe there's a connection somewhere, but judging from this book, not much. I got the impression that Talbott was adding LBO filler material because his experience is in LBO. I had to keep looking up terms in a separate glossary. Whom did you write this book for, John, average Joe Schmoe or your buddies?
Sorry dude, there goes another star.
The last problem is that book is now dreadfully out of date. Yes, I concluded he was right on the whole, but I didn't get that information from this book; I got it elsewhere. So why bother buy this book? (I myself got it from the library.) At the time it was published, this book was inaccurate. Now, it's still no good, not even as a post-mortem.
Whoops, one more star gone.
You get two stars for at least addressing the subject matter when nobody else had the guts to.
Housing Crash Believer.......2006-10-14
Two years ago, by chance, I purchased two books dealing with the coming crash of residential real estate: this one by John Talbott and one by John Rubino. At that time there seemed to be little discussion or thought of a popping of the housing bubble. How things have changed during these past two years. There is increasing evidence that throughout the country housing inventories are rising and prices are dropping. Foreclosures are at record levels. Some of the reviewers of the Talbott book and the Rubino book thought these authors were not in touch with reality because "house prices will only continue to go up".
My house was on the market for over a year, and it sold in January of 2006. I will rent until housing prices are again reasonable. I am eternally grateful to Mr. Talbott and Mr. Rubino for their excellent and timely advice. Being debt free and having money in the bank is a wonderful feeling.
The last couple of paragraphs on page 152 contain tremendous insight. It reminds us that real estate is truly not a liquid asset. And "In 10 years the world will be made up of those who cashed in on the technology bubble at its peak and sold their homes when prices were still high, and those that took the ride up and back down again with nothing to show for it."
lol, 3 years later and things are just starting to level off.......2006-07-20
when i bought my home in fountain valley, ca in late 03 i was given this book to read by a concerned friend. they honestly thought i was going to lose everything due to reading this book. fortunately for me, they (and the author of this book) were almost 100% wrong about where the market was going. i bought my home for 425K, and was offered 775K for it about a month ago. am i concerned abotu prices going down? yes, i am, but even in a scenario laid out by the author, if my property drops 20% in value i will still be in the black by over 300K (i owe less than 300K on the home).
are certain areas going to drop in value? of course. areas with heavy condo markets are always hit the hardest first. but for people who plan on staying put and not "flipping" this book means absolutely nothing.
Save your money and don't reward a guesser.......2006-04-06
I bought the book several years ago and listened to John Talbott and others that have been harping on this topic forever. Sure, a boom or bust will happen eventually but who knows when and how bad it will be. In the meantime houses may double, triple, quadruple, etc. The fact of the matter is many bubbleheads have been calling the top for several years and each year they are proven grossly wrong.
"The Coming Crash in the Housing Market" was written in 2003. In the meantime, house values have doubled and my personal savings to buy a house are now worth 50 cents on the dollar. Thanks Mr. Talbott! In order for Talbott to be remotely creditable housing would first need to plunge to 2003 levels, roughly a 50% drop, and then it would need to fall more on top of that to account for what he argues in his book.
The sad thing is that when housing eventually does see a modest drop, the media will immediately praise Talbott and others like him as great visionaries. Just wait and see.
The lesson I took away from this is that Talbott and other bubbleheads are fortunetellers and, in reality, have absolutely no clue what is going to happen. They capitalize on peoples fears and make money doing so.
Save your money and do not reward the guessers with the purchase of this book and books like it.
Books:
- Hendrik Petrus Berlage: Thoughts on Style, 1886-1909 (Texts and Documents Series)
- Henry Edwards Huntington: His Life and Collections: A Docent Guide
- Hi, How Are You?: The Life, Art, & Music of Daniel Johnston
- Hot And Cold: essays poems lyrics notebooks pictures fiction
- How to Draw Cartoon Baby Animals (How to Draw (Watson Guptill))
- In the Traces: Railroad Paintings of Ted Rose (Railroads Past and Present)
- Inside the Fashion Business (6th Edition)
- Key Art Terms for Beginners
- Kids Play: Igniting Children's Creativity
- Killing Ground: The Civil War and the Changing American Landscape (Creating the North American Landscape)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
- Smarts: Are We Hardwired for Success
- The Cat Who Came to Breakfast
- Spider-Man: Torment!
- Photography
- Organic Chemistry Laboratory: Standard and Microscale Experiments
- The Brandenburger Commandos: Germany's Elite Warrior Spies in World War II
- Ships and Seascapes: An Introduction to Maritime Prints, Drawings and Watercolours
- Pisces Guide to Venomous & Toxic Marine Life of the World
- National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region - Revised Edition
