The Triumph of Art for the Public, 1785-1848 (Princeton Paperbacks)

Book Description

In Eyes with Winged Thoughts, the forty-four photographs and fifty-eight poems, reflecting on his long and extraordinary life, offer a rare glimpse of his thoughts and feelings about everything from romantic love to the Iraq war and the passing of Pope John Paul II.

He has done it all. Gordon Parks's life is an astonishing litany of firsts: in the 1940s he was the first African-American photographer to work for the Farm Security Administration and for Vogue and Life magazines; in the 1960s he would become the first African-American director of a major motion picture. A dominating figure in contemporary American culture, he is an artist of uncompromising vision and creativity.

In 2002 Parks received the Jackie Robinson Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame, just the latest in a series of honors that began when he received a prestigious Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1941 and which now includes an Emmy, a National Medal of the Arts, and over fifty honorary doctorates. Now in his nineties, he could easily rest on his laurels, but the luminous photographs on display in Eyes with Winged Thoughts and the poems -- some meditative and lyrical, some raw with emotion about the war in Iraq and the tragedy of the tsunami -- show that he is still a true American Renaissance man.

Customer Reviews:

RIp to a American Treasure.......2006-03-19

Gordon Parks to Me was the Black Andy Warhol. He truly was a Man who was always Hip&Knew what was happening. He was the Pulse of Life in America.Gordon Parks captured so many things through life be it through Photo,Poems,His Films,etc... this Book captures the full beauty of life,Liberty. the Man had a Zest for so much&it comes through loud&Clear in his work. He was a true Pioneer.

A Genius Distilled into Fearless Images & Words.......2006-02-04

Gordon Parks is a national treasure. That surely isn't news. But of all his many volumes (not to mention films, symphonies, photos, journalism, and on and on) this slender and profound volume stands alone in its fearlessness, poetic and heartbreaking beauty, and its unflinching spareness. If not for the wisdom and gravity of his words and images, one would think that the sheer spareness of this book came from a young firebrand. Timeless!

He speaks of war, peace, empathy. On a more personal note, there is love: Love of family, friends, the beauty of the world we live in despite -- and sometimes because of -- the squalor or desperate circumstances that coexist with being human.

If you never buy another Gordon Parks book, or if you just aren't up to a physically "big" book right now, treat yourself to this. It will be among one of the truly BIGGEST books you will ever luxuriate in.

Book Description

After the resounding success of Chicken Soup for the Soul Cartoons for Moms, the authors decided to take a humorous look at fatherhood, again from the perspective of internationally syndicated and award-winning cartoonist, John McPherson. So much of the joys-and frustrations-of fatherhood cannot be adequately expressed in words, and that's where this book fills the bill. A departure from the rest of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, this collection is 100 percent cartoons and guaranteed to make every dad grin, chuckle and laugh out loud. This mirth-filled gem will depict the years from expecting the first to the empty nest in a tribute to fatherhood that is filled with as much laughter as love. All fathers are sure to enjoy the 200-plus cartoons-each a John McPherson original-and will doubtless turn to this book again and again for a welcome smile or laugh.

Customer Reviews:

Very funny comics.......2004-08-07

I just happened to see this book sitting by the register at a bookstore, and I picked it up, not expecting to buy it. The very first comic I turned to was of a car driving down the highway, with two kids in the backseat, looking hopefully at the car they were passing. Mom and Dad were in the front driving, and the kids had a sign hanging out the back window that said (roughly paraphrased), "Please help. Our dad won't stop and ask for directions!"

This small book is stuffed full of comics in a similar vein. All of the comics are from the hilarious, slightly Far Side-esque but much less eccentric (but just as funny) Close to Home. The book is probably 98% comics and 2% quotations. Various quotations, also usually fun, about Dads and Children are sprinkled through the book.

It's just a cute, fun book. I haven't read any of the other Chicken Soup for the Soul books, so I can't compare it to that, but as a mini-treasury for "Close to Home," this book is well worth it.

Book Description

In the first-ever parody of one of the best-selling novels of all time, a nasty murder points to lots of sinister and important mysteries that will change the world. Why, for example, did the dead man leave so many bafflingly inane clues when a sticky note would have done? Why does our code-breaking hero know so much useless stuff, and why is he usually wrong about it anyway? And what’s the truth behind that frightfully sinister symbol, the publishers’ circle?

Customer Reviews:

An Enjoyable Alternative.......2006-08-02

"The Asti Spumante Code" kicks off in Brussels, with the murder of Gordon Sanitaire - curator of the city's Grande Bibliothèque. He proves to be the latest victim of the hirsute Stoat - so called because his hair (or, more accurately, `fur') changes colour with the season. (For this reason, he travels on two passports : one for the summer, the other for the winter). Stoat is a member of the Uxbridge Road Group, the militant wing of the English Book Guild. The Guild was founded with the aim of encouraging people to read and, although the URG's methods are extreme, they have also proved effective. Under the instructions of Brown Owl, Stoat is searching for the legendary Mûre-de-Paume, some sort of keystone.

The investigation into Sanitaire's death is headed up by Capitaine Taureau, who very quickly manages to point the finger at the book's hero : James Crack. Not only the Professor of Para-Literal Meta-Symbologist Studies at the University of Catt-Butt in Nebraska, Crack also proves to be an clueless, egotistical bore.

For those of us who hated "The Da Vinci Code", this is the easiest way of getting any pleasure from it. Brown's writing style is mocked perfectly : the chapters are ridiculously short, while every opportunity is taken to labour over the most minute and irrelevant point. Certain things are stated as fact, when they're clearly anything but true. Crack himself makes wild jumps of logic and stumbles across clues by means of blind luck rather than any form of skill. Recommended for those who read "The Da Vinci Code" and hated it.

Rare - a parody thats funny in its own right.......2006-06-19

Soundly beats to death the plot and writing style of the Da Vinci Code, as well as having a go at the publishing industry in general.

Unfortunately I have read the original, and found it dreadful. This parody beautifully sums up all my gripes about the original, in a way that had me laughing out loud.

Its sharp, its witty, its totally without mercy.
And the best part is you DONT need to read the DVC to enjoy this - though seeing the movie might help.

No wonder Dan Brown's fans hate this book..........2006-05-12

...as it nails Brown's pompous, overflowing-with-irrelevant-detail style to near-perfection. And the plot (concerning a worldwide conspiracy whose evidence can be found in an illustration in a "Thomas the Tank Engine" book) likewise skewers the ludicrous pseudo-historical claims of its predecessor. If you hated "The DaVinci Code," you'll love this book. If you loved "The DaVinci Code" (and, worse yet, believe it to be "factual")...well, it's probably best you not read this. After all, intelligence and humor are likely beyond you.

It was funny for 10 pages.......2005-12-20

After the first 10 pages or so, the joke got old.

OK, I get that it's a parody, but a parody can only go so far. Once you recognize that by Clements' exaggerating Dan Brown's hyperbolic writing just a little you realize what a bad writer - albeit great story-teller (not the same thing)- Brown truly is, "The Asti Spumante Code" gets very old very quickly.

I would only recommend the book with the caveat that it's silly.

A PATHETIC PARODY TO A GOOD BOOK.......2005-12-17

To set the record straight, I didn't think that "The Da Vinci Code" was all that excellent. I'd say an even 4 out of 5 stars. Maybe it was because I read "Angels and Demons" first--I liked that book much more.
Anyway, I am always open to parodies, even if they poke fun at books I like. "Bored of the Rings" was a great parody on Tolkien's epic series.
As for the "Asti Spumante Code", I have to admit that I got a short laugh at the beginning of this book and one more later on that involved a toilet, but after that I don't ever recall laughing and it got agonizing reading and reading, hoping to come across something funny. In fact, the last part of the book could almost pass as serious.

Two laughs = two stars

Average customer rating:

Asti Spumante Code a Parody
Toby Clements
Manufacturer: TIME WARNER PAPERBACKS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Parodies | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000SFCD16

Book Description

Hollywood's representation of blacks has been consistently misleading, promoting an artificially constructed mythology in place of historical fact. But how, James Snead asks, did black skin on screen develop into a complex code for various types of white supremacist discourse? In these essays, completed shortly before his death in 1989, James Snead offers a thoughtful inquiry into the intricate modes of racial coding in Hollywood cinema from 1915 to 1985.
Snead presents three major methods through which the racist ideology within film functions: mythification, in which black images are correlated in a larger sceme of semiotic valuation where the dominant ``I' needs the marginal ``other' in order to function effectively; marking, in which the color black is repeatedly over-determined and redundantly marked, as if to force the viewer to register the image's difference from white; and omission--the repetition of black absence from positions of autonomy and importance.

White Screens/Black Images offers an array of film texts, drawn from both classical Hollywood cinema and black independent film culture. Individual chapters analyze Birth of a Nation, King Kong, Shirley Temple in The Littlest Rebel and The Little Colonel, Mae West in I'm No Angel, Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus, Bette Davis in Jezebel, the racism of Disney's Song of the South, and Taxi Driver. Making skillful use of developments in both structuralist and post-structuralist film theory, Snead's work speaks not only to the centrality of race in Hollywood films, but to its centrality in the formation of modern American culture.

Book Description

Written primarily for the use of those to whom music is essentially a pastime, it is hoped that this little work, though far from claiming to be a textbook, may be of some service, even to others who have adopted music as a serious study. It was the author's aim to write in a style midway between the bare statement of facts on the one hand and over elaboration of detail on the other. Contents: birth of harmony; alliance of harmony and counterpoint; early technical practice; dawn of modern harmony; melodic ornamentation; chord ornamentation. Illustrated.

Average customer rating:

gunfighter notes

25 Gunfighter Patterns for Carvers: With Step-By-Step Carving Instructions (A Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)
Al Streetman
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Sculpture | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Fun with Paper & Wood, Stones & Knives | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Cowboy Carving With Cleve Taylor (Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)

29 Cowboy Patterns for Carvers

Hangin' in There: Creative Cowboy Carving (A Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)

Carving Mountain Men With Cleve Taylor (Schiffer Book for Woodcarvers)

Caricature Carving from Head to Toe: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Capturing Expression and Humor in Wood

ASIN: 0887407838

Book Description

Al Streetman goes west with a new carving and pattern book. This time he shares the secrets of carving the western gunfighter, and provides the carver with 25 creative patterns...enough for the O.K. Corral and more! Concise instruc-tions take the carver step-by-step through the project, from laying out the pattern to painting the finished work. The book is designed to be used by carvers of all levels, from novice to advanced. The results are delightful figures of which the artist will be proud. This book follows two other well-received carving books by Al Streetman, 41 Santa Patterns for Carvers and 25 Uncle Sam Patterns for Carvers., 150 color photos, 25 patterns, 8 1/2" x 11"

Customer Reviews:

gunfighter notes.......1999-12-21

This book was writen for those carvers who can't get enough cowboy patterns to fill their needs. One gunfighter is carved and painted in step-by-step detail, and patterns are provided for 24 more, using the same techniques as those presented in the photo project.

Average customer rating:

Comprehensive and Practical

Packed with Knowledge!

Written in stone, not in sand

More than just scenarios, a book on strategic thinking & mgt

Great content but writing style makes for hard reading

Scenarios: The Art of Strategic Conversation
Kees van der Heijden
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Communications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Running Meetings & Presentations | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

The Art of the Long View: Planning for the Future in an Uncertain World

Shell Global Scenarios to 2025

Scenario Planning: The Link Between Future and Strategy

Scenario Planning Handbook: Developing Strategies in Uncertain Times

The Sixth Sense: Accelerating Organisational Learning with Scenarios

ASIN: 0470023686

Book Description

Scenario planning allows companies to move away from linear thinking and better understand external change. Eight years (and 30,000 copies) after publication Scenarios is still acknowledged as the definitive work in the field. Now, Kees van der Heijden brings his bestseller up to date, following up on his original case studies and adding significant new material. The Second Edition changes focus slightly by providing more in-depth analysis and application of the concept of the 'strategic conversation'. While maintaining the underlying rigour of the first edition, van der Heijden revisits the text to make it far more practical and accessible, and in doing so gives you the tools you need to set out and negotiate a successful future course for your organization in the face of significant uncertainty.

Customer Reviews:

Comprehensive and Practical.......2007-03-08

I have found this book a delightful and enlightening read. I've been a fan of Scenario Planning since reading Peter Swartz's "Art of the Long View." This if the first book on the subject that i've read that actually provides the level of detail i wanted to see such that i could begin to practice scenario planning and incorporate the tools and language into my work environment. Great stuff.

Packed with Knowledge!.......2005-07-14

Many business books provide just enough information to whet executives' appetites for more advice accompanied by high consulting fees. Author Kees van der Heijden has written an exception. His comprehensive volume puts scenario building in historical context, explains its relationship to forecasting and tells you how to introduce scenario planning to your organization. Once you understand your corporate identity and your fundamental "Business Idea," he says, you can establish and enact informative scenarios that will prepare your company for several different versions of what lies ahead. In that way, scenario planning generates better decision making. We strongly recommend this book to top managers, strategists and planners, especially those who sense they're making decisions on the fly without having a structure for thinking deeply about future implications.

Written in stone, not in sand.......2005-05-27

I agree with the other reviewers, it is not a business novel. Fifteen pages per hour is a good score. However it is worth every minute. I recognise the strategy meetings that indeed most often strand in tactics at the very best. The idea of the Business Idea and the huge importance Kees lays on the need for an original, differentiating business element was for me the most important lesson. I am working for a 50 year old company, active in a domain that is under severe pressure of a rapidly changing business model,
after years and years of 'innovation' around the same theme. This work was an eye opener.

More than just scenarios, a book on strategic thinking & mgt.......2005-02-18

Disclaimer: This review is one of the assignments in a graduate course on forecasting.

First, I should say that this is an amazing book, but not necessarily an easy read. However, it repays the effort needed. A previous reviewer commented on the difficulty of the writing. I find the same thing, but it can be marked down to the Dutch/German writing style, which is both compact and tends toward longish sentences. Essentially this means that some sentences have to be read twice before the idea is absorbed. Let me be clear, this activity is well worth it!

This book is more than just about scenarios, offering a convincing and comprehensive understanding of how scenarios can and should be used as a form of strategic management.

Along the way, the reader is treated to clear and helpful explanations of such things as "the business idea of an organization" (ch. 3), "articulation of the business idea" in scenarios (ch. 8), "option planning" (ch. 11), and "the management of change" (ch. 12), among others.

Overall, scenarios as practiced and understood by Van Der Heijden (who spent 35 years at Shell and 6 years as an academic before writing this book), are useful tools. They are foremost organizational tools which are best used by entire organizations, not the solitary planner at their workbench.

If you want to understand how the future can be more accurately perceived (though not predicted), and how organizational learning can actually happen, then this is a worthy addition to the library of any management strategist or student of the future.

Great content but writing style makes for hard reading.......2002-10-17

Frankly I'm surprised at all the glowing reports without someone mentioning that this isn't the easiest book to read. Not that the language is difficult. Rather the sentences are long and often unclear, and there are too many reference to past and future chapters.

I'd suggest reading a few paragraphs before purchasing the book. You might find that this book is not for you -- it didn't do anything for me. I gave up half way through the book, maybe there was more value in the second half.

Average customer rating:
Scenarios, the art of strategic conversation [A book review from: European Journal of Operational Research]
J.D. Figueiredo
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000PDYHDI

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from European Journal of Operational Research, published by Elsevier in 2007. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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