Charles M. Russell, Word Painter: Letters 1887-1926

Book Description

The most comprehensive book written on Charles M. Russell's letter, this is a beautifully done hardbound book with dustjacket, 435 pages, extensively illustrated with 764 images, 474 of these in full color.

Average customer rating:

Took me by the hand and led me through screenprinting!

Ideal Intro to Screenprinting

Great introductory book

screenprinting book good for hooby crafters

Told me everything I needed to know!

Simple Screenprinting: Basic Techniques & Creative Projects
Annie Stromquist
Manufacturer: Lark Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Printmaking | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Screenprinting: The Complete Water-Based System

Home Screen Printing Workshop: Do It Yourself Techniques, Design Ideas, and Tips for Graphic Prints

How to Print T-Shirts for Fun and Profit!

PhotoShop 7.0 Screen Printing (Wordware Applications Library)

The Complete Book of Silk Screen Printing Production

ASIN: 1579906648

Book Description

From decorative paper bags to elegant home furnishings, the 26 attractive projects in this beginner’s manual will win converts to the simple, fabulous craft of screen printing. The entire printing process receives in-depth explanations and unfolds in numerous detailed photos. Find out how to select and mix inks, print a picture evenly, care for screens, and transform basic sketches into scale images for a design. Make a light exposure unit to create prints of drawings, photographs, and found objects. The fun begins when these techniques turn into projects, including a pretty hand-stamped pillow, a lovely embellished table runner, and a keepsake picture album that features a screen-printed family photo on its cover. Gallery-quality items pictured throughout provide extra inspiration.

Customer Reviews:

Took me by the hand and led me through screenprinting!.......2007-09-12

[...]Have you ever tried the silkscreen printing process? An excellent, well thought out book that can get you started is Simple Screenprinting (Basic Techniques & Creative Projects) by Annie Stromquist, published by Lark books in 2004. (ISBN 1-57990-490-4). The eye of an artist is evidenced throughout this book, which is a visual joy, filled with clear, colorful photographs and appropriate use of "white space."

Assuming the reader is a total novice to screen printing, Ms. Stromquist begins with a brief history of screen-printing, then describes the tools and inks that are used. Next, selection and preparation of the screen itself is clearly described. This is followed by an illustration showing attachment of the frame to special hinges and backboard. As the method is further developed, a paper stencil for defining the printed image is shown and the first project, a stenciled postcard, is begun. The more advanced printmaker will find later in the book that photo emulsion preparations allow a simple and accurate means to create a screen that offers the ability to print photographically derived images. The reader is shown how to register the print so that multiple screens may be used in order to print with different colors and to ensure the image is properly aligned. A very clearly descriptive section shows exactly how to use registration pins and tabs to maintain correct and accurate image registration. The reader quickly discovers that many parallels exist between overcoming screen-printing problems and intaglio or lithographic printing problems that use multiple color plates. This book goes beyond printing only on paper by exploring and explaining how screen-printing is done on fabric. One such project shows how to create place mats or even how to print aprons for a group (maybe even Maryland Printmakers print shop aprons!)

Traditionally, this method had been called "silk screen" printing, but polyester material is now used in place of silk simply because polyester is more readily available and far less costly. Density of the weave of the fabric will dictate the screen's ability to register detail and the system of grading the screen fabric densities is also explained.

Opaque or transparent inks used for screen-printing may be either water- or oil-based. Ms. Stromquist explains how to test the inks using colors with different levels of transparency and shows how the colors combine to create different color results when they are printed one color over another.

There are twenty-six screen-printing projects included in the book. Each one uses a different method to produce the image. The projects begin with a simple single color stenciled post card. This teaches the basic skills and acquaints the user with the tools and technique. Each project requires using a new technique, and as the artist proceeds through the book, competency is developed as the level of sophistication in printmaking increases. Each new technique becomes the basis for learning the next level. T-shirts, Aprons for a Group, posters, a greeting card, and photo-booth portrait are all part of the succession of learning projects. By the time you have walked your way through the projects, you will be a well-qualified screen-print maker and well on your way to producing some interesting new art.

Making difficult and complex concepts so very easy to understand are hallmarks of an experienced and skilled teacher / author. It is a joy to discover a book that is useful, friendly, and easy to understand, and this book is all of that.

Ideal Intro to Screenprinting.......2007-09-02

This book is well set out with plenty of colour photographs stepping the reader through the processes of screen printing. Written instructions and advice is thorough and simple to understand. Projects are ideal for a novice and provide ideas for imagination. The inclusion of the gallery of other works is inspiring.

Great introductory book.......2007-06-14

I recently decided to take up screen printing and bought this book to help me learn the techniques. I've been very pleased with it so far. The instructions are simple to follow and explained well. There are also images illustrating most steps described in the text, useful for visual people. The author goes through the basics, such as choosing a suitable screen and paint and the equipment necessary, so it's easy to get started right away. The specific projects outlined in the book are fun and interesting, though perhaps best used as inspiration for your own designs. Best of all, the author describes several different ways to make prints, including some that don't involve any toxic chemicals.

This book might not be appropriate for advanced screen printers as I'm sure the information contained in it is pretty simplistic. However, it's great for someone like me who knew nothing about screenprinting before I bought this book. I've created some really great images following the instructions of the authors, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

screenprinting book good for hooby crafters.......2007-02-01

As a screenprinting teacher, I am always on the lookout for good screenprinting manuals to recommend to my students. Unfortunately, this is not one. It is an OK book if you know NOTHING about screenprinting and want to do it for a hobby to make some cards or do projects with your kids, but I do not recommend it for someone who is looking to get into screenprinting more seriously.

Told me everything I needed to know!.......2006-11-04

This book was so helpful! My husband and I are trying to start a t-shirt company and we didn't know were to start. This book showed us all of the different techniques and really spelled out how to do each of them. It was very easy to understand, gave us some great ideas and it even showed us how to make our screen from scratch. I would recommend getting this book if you are wondering how to screen print.

Average customer rating:

Good and Bad Advice on a Variety of Creative Techniques.
A Must Have for Creative and Advanced Photographers
Great instructions
Essential for learning to create speical effects
Great techniques, great images and great instructions

Creative Photo Printmaking
Theresa Airey
Manufacturer: Amphoto Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Color | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Darkroom & Processing | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Reference | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0817437258

Customer Reviews:

Good and Bad Advice on a Variety of Creative Techniques........2004-10-27

In "Creative Photo Printmaking", author Theresa Airey attempts to cover 9 different photo and printmaking techniques that are alternative or supplementary to conventional practices, and which will expand any photographer's means of creative expression. I have found that books that discuss a variety of photographic skills, instead of being an exhaustive study of just one, tend to be cursory, serving as an introduction to their subjects more than in-depth guides. That's fine as long as they are solid, accurate introductions. "Creative Photo Printmaking" isn't one of the better multi-skill books that I've read. Some chapters are reasonably good, while others are, frankly, bad. Organized lists of necessary supplies and equipment are generally absent.

"Manipulating Polaroids" (Chapter 1) is a decent introduction to Polaroid "Time Zero" (SX-70) film. Advice on manipulating the film is adequate, and there are instructions for modifying modern 600 Series Polaroid cameras to accept SX-70 film. There is an interesting section about sandwiching SX-70 prints by removing the emulsion. The recommendation to duplicate and enlarge your prints by copying them to slide is outdated. Now you would simply scan them. Oddly, there is advice about printing slides onto Time Zero film with a conventional enlarger, but not with a DayLab, which is more common practice.

"Infrared Photos" (Chapter 2) is about black-and-white infrared film, which is prized for its ability to record increased tonal separation in the midtones while decreasing tonal separation in light and dark tones, creating a "luminescence" in light skin tones. This is the worst chapter in the book, as it is filled with misinformation. Infrared film does not record heat. Red filters do not allow more IR to pass through them; they block out the rest of the spectrum. Surface veins can be eliminated by increasing exposure. IR negatives should not be dense and difficult to print. The author has drastically overexposed her negatives, something that I would expect of a novice. The book advocates doing a lot of exposure tests to achieve correct exposure. If they didn't help the author, I don't think they'll help you. Set the ISO on your camera to 100. Set the exposure to 1/125 at f/11 on a sunny day. Use any yellow, orange, or light red filter. Pay no attention to filter factors; infrared light passes through the filter. Bracket your exposures by one stop over and under that exposure. Be sure to load and unload film in total darkness. You'll do fine. Ignore everything in this chapter. It's disgraceful.

"Bleaching and Toning" (Chapter 3) introduces several toning techniques. Toning with selenium then bleaching down the skin areas on portraits until a flesh tone is achieved produces a beautiful result on the demonstration print. Another technique is copper split-toning that literally produces a metallic copper effect that is quite striking, but is not explained in detail. There is also brief discussion of color posterization, which produces unreal colors.

"Working with Liquid Emulsions" (Chapter 4) explains the use of both Silverprint and Liquid Light, coating emulsions that are applied to various surfaces in order to make them susceptible to photographic printing. The instructions for coating, developing, bleaching, and troubleshooting Silverprint are quite detailed. Liquid Light requires longer exposures, and its instructions are not as detailed.

"Image Transfers and Emulsion Lifts" (Chapter 5) are two popular Polaroid techniques. Image Transfers are made from peel-apart Polaroid films when the negative is peeled from the substrate and applied to another surface. Instructions are given for paper selection, printing a slide onto the film with a DayLab, Vivitar slide printer, or an enlarger, separating the negative, making the transfer, reducing (bleaching) the print, and troubleshooting. Emulsion lifts remove the gelatin emulsion from the paper backing of a Polaroid print and transfer the emulsion, which is semi-translucent, to another surface. Step-by-step instructions are provided, as well as advice on transferring emulsions to glass, silk, and wood.

"Polaroid Instant Slide Films" (Chapter 6) is dedicated to films that are no longer available, but were when this book was written. Two types of instant slide film, Polapan and Polachrome, are described and examples of photos with various filter combinations are given. Polaroid instant slide films were discontinued because the law enforcement and scientific uses of the film have been usurped by digital, and the fine arts community was not enough to make these films profitable. I admire the films a great deal. If you ever have the opportunity to use them, I recommend the Polachrome for manmade, especially industrial, subjects and the Polapan for architecture or portraits. The author has used them in rural scenes, which show the films off poorly. But the way, Polachrome came in two varieties. The high contrast version was intended to photograph graphics and is less suitable to fine art.

"Solarization" (Chapter 7) discusses the reversal effect (light becomes dark, dark becomes light) that can be achieved by re-exposing a print when it is partially developed. Papers and developers are recommended, and the procedure is described. The author also gives advice on how to copy a solarized negative or slide onto film, but the films she mentions are no longer available.

"Photo Transfers" (Chapter 8) are photocopies of photographs that are transferred to the artists' paper of your choice. This chapter takes you through choosing a suitable print, copying it on a color laser copier, selecting an artists' paper, and making the transfer.

"Handcoloring Photographs" (Chapter 9) provides very little instruction on handcoloring. The author prefers coloring with pencils, which is unusual. Most handcolorists use photo oils in conjunction with pencils for details. This chapter describes a variety of products, but not what to do with them. The author does a lot of handcoloring on artists' papers, not photographic papers, and she discusses methods of dealing with the challenges of applying oils to them. If you are in this situation, her advice might help you. But the instructions for preparing photographic prints for coloring are inadequate and confusing.

A Must Have for Creative and Advanced Photographers.......2002-09-06

Theresa Airey's Creative Photo Printmaking book is filled with her beautiful photographic art and detailed instructions on how to accomplish similar results.

Any photographer and dark room enthusiast/student will benefit from this book which provides more than adequate instructional information on processes such as: infrared, printing on artist papers, wood, or glass, polaroid images, handcoloring, bleaching & toning, and copystand work only to name a few. I particularly enjoyed the bleaching & toning over handcoloring for adding color to my black & whites and her example photographs for this process are inspirational.

We used this particular book in our creative photo class. My fellow classmates became very enthusiastic about their accomplishments, and attributed their successes, in class, to this book. Theresa Airey has an MFA in photography and fine arts and has put together a splendid book that will be an asset to any photographer's library.

Great instructions.......2001-09-26

The author has done a great job with this book. It is highly readable and useable. I was especially impressed when I saw that included was her workspace setup for doing photo transfers. I was having a problem setting up my workspace with the trays, the electrical things vs. the water things...and was amazed that she thought to include it.

Essential for learning to create speical effects.......2001-06-12

This is an essential book for any photographer who wants to learn to how to create stunning photographic artwork by manipulating photos. A wide variety of unusual and spectacular effects are presented. The beautiful examples have really inspired me.

First it covers manipulating, hand coloring, scanning and even recycling mistakes made with time-zero Polaroid film. Then black and white infrared photography using filters, metering and flash is covered along with film processing and printing. Bleaching and toning are next including great sections on copper split toning, posterization effects and creating pseudo flesh tones. Then emulsion transfers are shown including silverprint and liquid light. These create some great effects on non-traditional surfaces.

Image transfers and emulsion lifts follow. You are shown how to used a slide printer to make a print, make a projection print and transfer images onto non-paper surfaces like glass or silk, even getting two prints from one. Lastly, Polaroid instant slide films, solarization, photo transfers and hand coloring are discussed in detail.

All the instructions are excellent and thorough, covering everything from loading the camera to choosing and developing the film. There are a few demonstrations, lots of examples and great troubleshooting sections for each technique.

The appendixes in the back are very helpful. They include paper selection and characteristics, instructions on working with a copystand and a list of suppliers. This is a wonderful book to help the photographer with some darkroom experience move on to create awesome special effects photos.

Great techniques, great images and great instructions.......2000-12-03

This book gives comprehensive step by step instruction for so many different techniques I was amazed that only one photographer wrote it. She certainly knows her stuff! It was easy to understand and to work with. I learned so much from this book that I felt guilty only paying [as muchas I did] for it. Great book and great images. I love it. L.P.

Average customer rating:

Wow... This was riveting

Never Believed it...

The most interesting story I've read for some time.

X-23: Innocence Lost TPB
Craig Kyle , Christopher Yost , and Billy Tan
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Marvel | Publishers | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

NYX: Wannabe (collects NYX #1-7)

New X-Men: Childhood's End, Vol. 1

New X-Men: Childhood's End, Vol. 2

New X-Men: Childhood's End, Vol. 3

New X-Men: Childhood's End, Vol. 4

ASIN: B000LSBSKC

Book Description

Now it can be told. The full story behind the origin of X-23 - who she is, where she came from and the exact nature of her relationship to Wolverine. You think you know, but you have no idea. Collects X-23 #1-6.

Customer Reviews:

Wow... This was riveting.......2007-04-05

What a story. Ugly & brutal and yet heart-wrenching. This is truly an extraordinary graphic novel. If I had one complaint, it would be that the artwork definitely follows the anime tradition, and I personally prefer more a realistic style.

Never Believed it..........2007-03-27

...Would be soo good. I mean, Wow! that was a pretty stupid idea to make a Wolverine's daughter. But ut actually came out great! don't believe it? Just try it out!

A must for every X-Men fan.

The most interesting story I've read for some time........2006-06-09

First of all, I am new to the X-Men, so I can't very well judge what the seasoned fanatics will think of this. After all, the X-Men themselves don't even appear- except for a flashback showing Wolverine.

But make no mistake- this story is brilliant.

Here's what you should note:

1.) The drama is very real here. It is a highly emotional plot that works so well that it would probably make a darn good movie.

2.) There is plenty of action, all of which is wonderfully illustrated- and note that there is more than a little bloodshed.

I hope this is enough to help you make a judgement. But please, even if you don't read it now, read it SOON. The story is absolutely engrossing and I believe that the character X-23/Laura has the potential to become exceptionally popular among fans.

Book Description

"Donalson's pioneering text . . . will become an indispensable resource for general students, undergraduate and graduate students, and the general reader. It will be a major contribution to American and African American film studies and popular culture." --Wilfred D. Samuels, Associate Professor of English, University of Utah Hollywood film directors are some of the world's most powerful storytellers, shaping the fantasies and aspirations of people around the globe. Since the 1960s, African Americans have increasingly joined their ranks, bringing fresh insights to movie characterizations, plots, and themes and depicting areas of African American culture that were previously absent from mainstream films. Today, black directors are making films in all popular genres, while inventing new ones to speak directly from and to the black experience. This book offers a first comprehensive look at the work of black directors in Hollywood, from pioneers such as Gordon Parks, Melvin Van Peebles, and Ossie Davis to current talents including Spike Lee, John Singleton, Kasi Lemmons, and Carl Franklin. Discussing 67 individuals and over 135 films, Melvin Donalson thoroughly explores how black directors' storytelling skills and film techniques have widened both the thematic focus and visual style of American cinema. Assessing the meanings and messages in their films, he convincingly demonstrates that black directors are balancing Hollywood's demand for box office success with artistic achievement and responsibility to ethnic, cultural, and gender issues.

Average customer rating:

Black Directors in Hollywood
Melvin Donalson
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORCMZK

Average customer rating:

Black Directors in Hollywood
Melvin Donalson
Manufacturer: University of Texas Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OR9JCE

The Western film: Hollywood myths and one Black reality : prepared for the Black Frontier Series : sponsored by the Great Plains Black Museum and the Omaha ... Library, Omaha, Nebraska, March 30, 1985

Average customer rating:

The Western film: Hollywood myths and one Black reality : prepared for the Black Frontier Series : sponsored by the Great Plains Black Museum and the Omaha ... Library, Omaha, Nebraska, March 30, 1985
Waliyy Gill
Manufacturer: s.n.]
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00072U6OG

Book Description

Aspects of Teaching Secondary Music provides a practical illustration of the skills, knowledge and understanding required to teach music in the secondary classroom. Musical concepts and ideas are discussed and a critical examination of key issues is given. This encourages the reader to engage with these thoughts and consider their views and beliefs in terms of how they will influence their potential to teach music in an inspired and effective manner.
Gary Spruce draws on his long experience as a practitioner for the good of this book, with can be used along side the reader: Teaching Music in the Secondary School to form a comprehensive resource for those studying for the PGCE. These combinations of practical and theoretical books are available in a range of subjects to accommodate all on the course.

Average customer rating:

An excellent book

Terrific Guide for A to C Players

Good advice

Highly Practical Advice For Less-Experienced Players

Full of practical advice for Experts and Class players

The Chess Player's Battle Manual: Equip Yourself for Competitive Play
Nigel Davies
Manufacturer: Batsford
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Chess | Board Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

The Game of Chess (Algebraic Edition)

Strategic Chess: Mastering the Closed Game

Pawn Structure Chess

How to Build Your Chess Opening Repertoire

How to Choose a Chess Move (Batsford Chess Books)

ASIN: 0713470437

Book Description

Working on the theory that within every player there is a better player waiting to be unleashed, this renowned chess teacher uses examples from his teaching practice to reveal the key elements in the makeup of strong players. He then shows players how to acquire these skills by examining how games are won and lost and how results can be improved with common sense and practical measures.

Beginner

Customer Reviews:

An excellent book.......2004-07-09

This book is exactly what I've needed. I'm at the point where I want to play some tournament chess (despite my mediocre ability) and I fortunately came across this book. Nigel Davies offers some sound and practical advice, and does so in a highly readable and down-to-earth manner. In particular I found his advice on building an opening repertoir useful; common sense when you think of it, but for many budding chess players, the whole notion of learning all of the openings has them frantically trying to memorize every conceivable line. Unrealistic and unnecessary, to say the least. Anyway, before I launch into a total summary of the book, I'll just close by recommending this book to any novice who wants to start playing in tournaments.

Terrific Guide for A to C Players.......2002-08-08

Nigel Davies is a Grandmaster who has a keen understanding of the needs and limitations of club players. In working with club players, he has analyzed thousands of club level games. This, coupled with his Grandmaster status, gives him a unique view of the club player's needs and desires. His book The Chess Player's Battle Manual: Equip Yourself for Competitive Play is perfect for club players looking to improve.

Davies offers tactical improvement advice in his first chapter ("The Vision Thing"). Tactics are the basis of victories for most club players. The biggest problem seems to occur in creating a tactically friendly environment. Most club players take one of three approaches: The first approach is to try to memorize the mountains of opening theory in the hope of getting to a good middlegame position, the second approach is to view the memorization of opening theory as too daunting, and therefore not worth the energy. This group just "wings it." Lastly, some club players try to find lines with little theory to memorize. These can be quirky off-beat lines or solid openings that rely on the understanding of certain themes. I personally moved from the first approach after getting my brains beat in while trying to play the Sicilian Defense (Dragon Variation) to the third option, playing the KIA as white, and the Caro Kann and Kings Indian Defense as black. I have since moved from the KID to the Dutch as I could not keep up with the mountains of theory in the KID.

The Chess Player's Battle Manual addresses the need for understanding where the opening leads the player. Chapter two (A Game Plan) addresses this issue. Though Davies does not use the quote,"Any fool can know, the point is to understand" by Albert Einstein, that is the gist of his second chapter. Davies tells the reader that "memorization alone is not enough". He also explains why players continue to rely on memorization without understanding. He tells the reader to study positions that arise in the openings they play. Davies understands the time limitations club players have, and stresses that understanding of the positions will benefit the club player at least as much as rote memoization of opening lines.

In chapter three (Building an Opening Reportoire), Davies addresses a problematic area connected to chapter two that all club players face, "What openings should I play?" We have all been there. We learn the Ruy Lopez early and are told that this is probably the best opening for white. Then we discover the huge memorization task in front of us. We try the Sicilian Defense because it offers black the best chance to win. We play the Kings Indian Defense because it can be played against all other lines, or we play QGD defenses, because they seem natural. Before we know it we are buried in theory. These are all great openings, but require a great deal of time to learn. Many players, like myself, get shocked into more passive positional type games, that we may or may not be suited for. I switched to the Kings Indian Attack with a decent level of success, but always felt that I should be able to really punish weaker players. I always had the desire to play a more attacking style. Davies speaks to this subject saying that in his "experience the majority of players at club level and beyond like to hold the initiative and attack." To that end he recommends 1. e4. But he does not leave it there, he goes further saying, "If your time is limited I suggest you use a more practical approach." He goes on to suggest that the aggressive club player play opening lines of lesser known attacking grandmasters like Victor Kupreichik. It is Davies' belief that these lines may startle your opponents. He gives ideas for gambiteers and ideas for repertoire lines against the many varied defenses the club player will face. The section of this chapter I found most interesting (as I had been toying with the Colle System and the Stonewall Attack) was 1.d4 repertiore suggestions. He suggests studying the games of GM Ranier Knaak an attacking d4 player. He also mentions what he calls "The d4 charge" which he covers in the next chapter. Against 1.e4 he recommends the Sicilian Accelerated Dragon which yields sharp Dragon formations with a much more limited amount of theory (and without the dangers of the Yugoslav Attack). Against 1.d4, he lauds the KID, but suggests the Dutch as an aggressive but much less studied alternative.

Chapters 4,5, and 6 deal with handling three faddish openings at the club level. Davies does a nice job of giving good advice on the handling of these dangerous openings (The d4 Charge - Colle, Stonewall type attacks, the Trompowsky and the Grand Prix Attack in the Sicilian. I was so intrued by The d4 Charge chapter that I have begun to play it as white (with good success). These three chapters are not just fill, as they are helpful to club players.

Chapter 7 deal with the often neglected , but very important "Endgame." Davies correctly advises players with limited spare that "study of the endgames is the single most effective means of improving results." I won my first tournament game as an unrated player verses a 1710 player by outplaying him in the endgame. This is a vital and oft neglected area.

Chapter 8 deals with playing against and using computers, while chapter 9 offers advice good advice on practical play.

Chapters 10 and 11 are small tactical puzzle sections.

If you are going to play me in the future, please don't buy this book, however if you want to improve your chess playing ability, and you are an A to C and possibly D player, this is one of the books you want.

Good advice.......2001-05-30

Grandmaster Davies is one of Britain's better Chess players and teachers and it shows in his writing. It's eminently readable, simple and clear. The advice given is filled with common sense and the reader should be able to utilise them without too much trouble. A slight drawback is the fact that there isn't that much new or original material (hence the four instead of five starts).

Highly Practical Advice For Less-Experienced Players.......1999-07-07

This book is definitely more valuable to 1800 and below USCF-rated players than Tisdall's or Nunn's (although those are interesting reads too). Davies' experience as a chess coach shows: he focuses on practical tips for improving "the vision thing": calculating, tactics, plans, developing opening repertoires, etc. Unlike Nunn, he doesn't drift (e.g., into a detailed, intricate discussion of an endgame that only strong masters could truly appreciate). Unlike Tisdall, Davies offers advice on opening repertoires, computer chess, and elementary pawn formations. The biggest drawback to this book is the impression, from the middle three chapters (on playing against three different current faddish openings), that Davies simply wanted to fill out the book. If he had, instead, integrated his earlier chapters, with an exposition on three different possible opening reps, that would have been more logical and timeless. Too bad - Davies is truly an author in line with his target audience, the others, I think, aim a little high.

Full of practical advice for Experts and Class players.......1999-05-29

This book is in danger of being lost in the shuffle as it came out at about the same time as similar efforts by Nunn and Tisdall, but - speaking as an Expert - I found this as informative and entertaining as the other two. The weaker you are, the more I would recommend Davies's book. He is well-known in Britain as a chess coach, especially of juniors and what we call average club players. Here he really does provide practical tips that will act as a battle manual for the tournament player.

Amazon.com

If you can learn to communicate as clearly and succinctly as this itsy-bitsy book will communicate its key points to you, you're in good shape. In this pocket-size handbook, you'll find practical techniques for holding an audience, briefing effectively, structuring a message, and giving verbal rewards--not to mention for improving your listening skills, reading more efficiently, chairing meetings, communicating to sell, negotiating to win, and much more, including using PR and advertising effectively. Along the way, clear text and illustrations cover every aspect of formal and informal communications, and simple checklists will help you become a more powerful communicator. Granted, if you're looking for very specific or in-depth guidance, you may find this book too cursory and general in its approach. But if you're looking for a thumbnail guide to the basics, it'll do you just fine.

It's worth mentioning that the book is also part of reference publisher Dorling Kindersley's Essential Managers series--20 itty-bitty li'l books on business and career topics ranging from communication, leadership, and decision making to the management of time, budgets, change, meetings, people, projects, and teams. Combining the For Dummies book series's talent for breaking down a lot of information into bite-size bits and sidebars with Dorling Kindersley's signature design style of crisp, classy graphics on a gleaming white backdrop, they don't represent the cutting edge of business thinking and they don't necessarily reflect any unique individual perspective. Instead, it's as though someone collated the best general thinking on these 20 topics and rolled them out into 72 brightly designed and easy-to-read pages, studded along the way with boxed tips, color shots of a multiracial cast of "coworkers" animatedly hashing through the workplace issues of the day, and a self-test of one's skills in the topic at hand on the last few pages of each volume. Again, they're not for anyone looking for more in-depth or focused help on any of the subjects they cover, but they're perfect as a quickie general-interest reference... and let's face it, they're so damned cute and look so smart in a neat little stack or row that you'll probably want to buy a whole bunch to give as gifts to your entire staff or department. --Timothy Murphy

Book Description

Make sure your message is heard with this important guide to business communications.

Learn all you need to know about successful communication, from interpreting body language to writing letters, optimizing meetings, and speaking on the telephone. Communicate Clearly shows you how to hold an audience when making presentations and how to take notes or compile reports, and it also provides practical techniques for you to try in different settings. Power tips help you handle real-life situations and develop the first-class communication skills that are the key to a productive and informed workplace. The Essential Manager have sold more than 1.9 million copies worldwide! Experienced and novice managers alike can benefit from these compact guides that slip easily into a briefcase or a portfolio. The topics are relevant to every work environment, from large corporations to small businesses. Concise treatments of dozens of business techniques, skills, methods, and problems are presented with hundreds of photos, charts, and diagrams. It is the most exciting and accessible approach to business and self-improvement available.

Customer Reviews:

Small but Comprehensive book on Communication.......2006-03-07

"Communicate Clearly" is a small book packed with a lot of valuable and useful information complete with illustrations on the basics of effective communication. It covers a wide range of issues pertaining to communication including the communication process, improving listening skills, good writing skills, and effective presentation, conducting productive meetings, win-win negotiations and effective use of body language as well as using the latest information communication technology tools such as e-mails.

The book shows that anyone can learn to improve their communication skills, ranging from using the telephone to chairing meetings successfully. The book is very comprehensive and includes subjects that one does not usually come across in typical books on communication such as advertising effectively, use of neurolinguistic programming and how to read efficiently.

The book is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket so that one can easily read it whilst waiting for an airline flight or whilst in a queue for something. The book is a useful companion should one need quick reference, for example on the effective use of gestures or any other area of interest.

The advantage of the small size of the book is also its shortcoming. It results in the material not being covered in detail. This tends to limit the usefulness of the book to those seeking basic understanding of the important and critical skills of communicating effectively. For teachers or consultants in the field of communication, the book is a useful checklist to ensure that all the critical areas of the subject are covered.

Key to Success.......2004-01-10

Communication is the key to success! Universal truth yet this book gives lessons to better communicating using methods for sure results. Various methods combined together works. The five groups mentioned in this book are:
1. written word
2. spoken word
3. Symbolic gestures
4. Visual Images
5. Multimedia
Interesting is a comment here that Americans like communicating via rallies and slogans with strong use of visuals. (Pg.8) Learning to listen techniques are vital and using Listening skills is well explained in the book with Empathizing, analyzing and synthesizing. Reading, Taking Notes,using phone, writing letters & proposals, using technology, chairing meetings, reaching audience, communicating to sell, etc. are the major parts covered up which makes the book, a thorough handy guide for Key to Success. Sometimes, it is getting ready to Negotiate to win, mastering the techniques and be prepared for 'Talks' - This is exactly we do 'Talk' but when it comes to negotiating and passing the word/message through, we fail most of the time due to lack of many supported things. This book ultimately helps to overcome our weaker traits while communication spells disaster if right techniques aren't mastered properly. A good Pick.

Some Useful Pointers, But More Needed.......2001-07-23

My first reaction when I read Robert Heller's Communicate Clearly was that the mini-text (only 72 pages) was extremely well laid out and designed: the 101 pointers are underscored in yellow boxes, pictures of people are used to demonstrate the learned skills, and diagrams abound.

However, when I began reading the content of Communicate Clearly, I felt that the content was extremely basic. For example, the first and second pointers highlighted in the book are "Encourage your company to improve all types of communication" and "Note that good communicators make better managers".

The reader may get turned off by such obvious platitudes, and feel that there is not much to be gained by Communicate Clearly. This would be a mistake for all but the veteran communicator. There are some true gems in the book. For example, the following are some of Heller's suggestions that I found useful:

(1) "Tilting your head slightly shows you are listening"

(2) Body language: "Hands on hips indicate determination and ablity to take control"

(3) "The first five seconds are more important than the next five minutes"

(4) "Take a slow deep breath to relax"

(5) Use Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) techniques to mirror an individual's verbal and physical expressions

(6) After studying, one should wait for a few minutes, review what was studied, then wait a much longer time period before another review

(7) Eliminate regressions because after re-reading text, one's comprehension is not significantly increased while reading time is almost doubled

(8) Read your notes when the context of the conversation is still remembered

(9) "The most effective meetings are small with only the vital people attending"

(10) In a negotiation the first person to name a price is at a disadvantage

(11) Work social events may be good opportunities to gather informal feedback

There are other useful communication tips, but the usefulness of these other techniques will depend on your workplace experience. If you are new to the workplace or are truly deficient in the art of communication, this book will be incredibly useful.

Oddly enough, I found that the most useful techniques in the book were those on note taking and speed reading, rather than those on communication skills.

Paul Erdos

A Little Bit About Everything for New Managers.......2001-03-16

Lack of effective communications differentiates the most least successful organizations and managers from successful ones more than anything else. It doesn't matter how good your ideas and effort are if no one else is able to coordinate with you!

Handling this important a subject in these few, small pages is a very daunting task! I'm glad that I was not asked to author this volume. I admire Mr. Heller's courage very much in taking this on.

Mr. Heller has packed far more into this book than I would have thought possible. As a result, the book becomes a great check list for thinking through a communications task before you start. Whether you are about to meet with a prospect, hold a staff meeting, write a proposal, or handle a reporter's question, this book has valuable material for you. Because it covers so much territory, it will be especially valuable to CEOs of small companies. Brand-new managers will find this volume can help them avoid terrible mistakes.

The advice touches on all of the better sources of information about communication that I am aware of, whether it be framing your body language, how to generate and benefit from public relations, use neuro-linguistic programming, or write a concise one-page letter.

I would particularly like to praise the effective use of photographs and examples in the book. These pictures are worth more than the proverbial thousand words each to make the advice practical, specific, and memorable.

If I were grading this book solely on its breadth and for being up-to-date on the subject, it would clearly be about a 6 star book or so.

But I did discern some weaknesses that caused me to grade the book down somewhat.

First, the most important lesson I have found about communication is to ask the person or people you are communicating with to you tell you or write to you what they have read or heard just as soon as you have made the initial communication. Then, you can keep repeating this checking until the information has gotten through. Elements of this approach show up here and there in the book, but not nearly strongly enough. If you only did this, you might not be an elegant communicator . . . but you would communicate clearly.

Second, the next most important lesson I have learned is that messages don't begin to be absorbed and internalized until after the 30th repetition. And the more frequently and consistently repeated, the better absorbed and understood is the message. The book doesn't say enough about repetition, and how to pursue it.

Third, the other important point is to have very few things to communicate about. Set up information flows so that people can ask and answer their own questions to achieve their own objectives (see E-Business Intelligence). Keep everything else to 3 ideas or less.

Beyond those points, in most of these subjects a manager will need more depth. The book would have been enormously more valuable if the best book in each of 10 or so major areas had been referenced for those who want more. That would have taken less than half a page in total, and more than doubled the value of the book. Clearly, a lot of these ideas came from reading other peoples' work, and citations were noticeably missing. That's poor communication in my view, by failing to give credit due to others.

After you have begun to benefit from this fine summary handbook, I suggest that you try to identify patterns of when your communications are working well and when they are not. Then, be sure you vary what you are doing until your effectiveness improves in both types of situations. Remember, the burden is on you to get the message across . . . as well as to be sure you receive the messages aimed for you.

Treat communications as precious and worthy gifts to give . . . and receive!

Communicate Clearly.......2000-04-22

The Essential Managers series is just wonderful. The techniques were easy to utilize with the visual assistance the book provided.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books