Amazon.com
On a mythic island of women "where on our skin, the warm rain fell like pomegranate seeds" powerful spices like cinnamon, turmeric, and fenugreek whisper their secrets to young acolytes. Ordained after trial by fire, each new spice mistress is sent to a far-off land to cure the life pains of all Indian seekers, while keeping a cool distance from the mortals. Only stubborn, passionate Tilo, disguised as an old woman merchant in present-day Oakland, California, fails to heed the vengeful spices' warnings. Fragrant with spice and sensuality, this winning tale rolls off the tongue. Written in the soaring, poetic tradition of China Men and Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
Book Description
Magical, tantalizing, and sensual, The Mistress of Spices is the story of Tilo, a young woman born in another time, in a faraway place, who is trained in the ancient art of spices and ordained as a mistress charged with special powers. Once fully initiated in a rite of fire, the now immortal Tilo--in the gnarled and arthritic body of an old woman--travels through time to Oakland, California, where she opens a shop from which she administers spices as curatives to her customers. An unexpected romance with a handsome stranger eventually forces her to choose between the supernatural life of an immortal and the vicissitudes of modern life. Spellbinding and hypnotizing, The Mistress of Spices is a tale of joy and sorrow and one special woman's magical powers.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, born in India, is an award-winning poet who teaches creative writing at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, where she also serves as president of MAITRI, a helpline for South Asian women. In 1995 her short story collection Arranged Marriage was awarded the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Prize for Fiction, the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award for Fiction, and an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. Her fourth poetry collection, Leaving Yuba City, was published by Anchor in August 1997.
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely delicious!.......2007-10-06
Tilo was a pain in the neck as a child. She had "powers" and her powers made life very good for her family but she developed into quite a naughty little brat. However, her fame as "seer" managed to get her kidnapped by pirates and, ultimately, landed her on an island where she learned the ministry of spice. Thus our stories begins.
The story of Tilo, running a spice bazaar in a contemporary American city, is entertaining but even more engaging is the lush and beautiful use of language that Divakaruni uses so well. Tilo becomes involved in the lives of the Indian's who come into her store an her compassion for them grows. Then one day another "Indian" arrives in the person of a handsome, sexy, and seductive Native American man who sees through Tilo's appearance and falls in love with her.
Reading this book is as delicious as the spices Tilo uses. I particularly loved her descriptions of the "bouganvilla girls" with their "fizzy" laughter. This is a lovely book and a real treat to savor.
Not a favorite.......2007-07-16
This book was reviewed by my book club.The only member who enjoyed it was
the one who recommended it to us. I thought it was boring until the end,
which was slightly interesting.
What would you be willing to give up for love?.......2006-09-17
The author's love for her characters (even just her walk-ons) is all over this book. The Main character, Tilo, the `Mistress', is a work of art in herself ... headstrong, bold, and caring she introduces us all to the magic of spices and made me wish for someone like her in everyone's life.
Spiced up by spin-off stories of her customers as well as by the stories of the spices themselves, this is a novel to be savored.
Why?.......2006-08-04
I have tried to pick up this book twice and tried reading it sincerely but I couldn't go past chapter 2.
I couldn't understand Tilo's worlds (more of a fantasy) and I felt very bored very quickly, which is usually a big sign for me to get rid of the book in my hand and find a better replacement.
Now I have even viewed the trailer of the film made on this movie, acted by Aishwarya Rai...I couldn't bear to watch it!
I'm sorry Ms. Chitra, this one didn't digest too well. Better luck next time, hun!
The Power of Sacred Vows and Spicey San Francisco.......2006-07-01
This is the most heart stirring tale of a woman on an intense spiritual path in San Francisco. A mystic Indian mistress of spices brings the magical seeds ordained by fire in a special island to heal the ails of Indian-Americans in California. The challenge with vows is that they are stronger than promises... they are binding. And betraying your vows is asking for some serious karmic trouble. Of course, what else can tempt the betrayal of vows other than love? Even though Tilo is unmarried as is her suitor, she incurs the wrath of the spices nonetheless to consequences that she cannot avoid.
Book Description
In this, the second book in Robert van Gulik's classic mystery series of ancient China, Judge Dee must look into the murder of his predecessor. His job is complicated by the simultaneous disappearance of his chief clerk and the new bride of a wealthy local shipowner.
Meanwhile, a tiger is terrorizing the district, the ghost of the murdered magistrate stalks the tribunal, a prostitute has a secret message for Dee, and the body of a murdered monk is discovered to be in the wrong grave. In the end, the judge, with his deft powers of deduction, uncovers the one cause for all of these seemingly unrelated events.
Customer Reviews:
excellent mystery, very misleading about chinese justice system.......2007-09-04
I have read all the Judge Dee mysteries at least twice, and really love them. However, I have just read a number of books on China and discover that van Gulik has purposefully mislead readers to make ancient Chinese justice just like Western justice and rather appealing. The truth is almost the exact opposite.
If you are interested, a standard history of china by harvard professor John Fairbank and Merle Goldman, China A History, explains that the Chinese justice system was openly corrupt (corruption did not have to be secret - it was and is the accepted way), relied on torture of both plaintiff and defendent, had no consistent laws, no equal punishments for the same offence (everything was based on class and kinship status) and bascially was just like modern Communist law: it was a vehicle for the state to control behavior. The goal was not 'justice' in the Judeo-Christian sense but state control.
Also like Communist China under Mao, imperial law relied on collective punishment to terrorize the populace. The entire population was divided into groups of ten and one hundred families, and if anyone in the whole group was condemned, the entire group could be executed. For serious offenses, thousands of families would all be executed.
Van Gulik is always showing citizens bringing disputes before the court. In reality, this was never done - as both sides could be tortured and both sides had to pay the court and both sides had to bribe the court. Instead, people relied on their village elders or clan heads to rule on disputes, as the court system was too dangerous.
Most of the ideals that Van Gulik gives to Judge Dee of fairness, protecting the weak against the strong etc. are Christian values that go back to the Jewish Bible (God creating all men equal, protect the weak and the stranger, equality before the law etc). They are antithetical to Chinese values from imperial to modern times. It is very important not to pretend that foreign cultures are the same as we are...or that our values are universal. They are very special treasures that we should be incredibly grateful for.
The Judge Dee books also mention women's tiny feet at times, but he never tells the reader that until 1900, all upper class and middle class women in China had their feet broken and maimed leading to their being crippled for life, unable to walk normally (euphemism - binding their feet). From the 19th century, this custom of torturing and crippling women spread among the peasants also. 10% of girls probably died from this treatment.
Van Gulik prominently features 'courtesans' and 'prostitutes.' A more accurate term might be slaves or sex slaves.
We are often told that China was 'more advanced' than the west until modern times. In truth, they were most comparable to ancient Rome, a cruel and despotic slave-owning culture with admirable roads and art. But Rome at least had rule of law, something China never had.
So, enjoy Judge Dee - but take it for what it is, bascially a fun Western mystery story set in a lovingly recreated period piece, kind of like most Hollywood movies - great costumes, great settings, fun plots, endearing characters - all basically unrealistic.
Like no other Book.......2005-10-16
If you are looking for something completely different in mysteries, I recommend the Judge Dee books. Set in China in the 600's. Judge Dee is compared to Sherlock Holmes. Very well written with a lot of cultural information. Never dull.
The Chinese Gold Murders introduces Dee and his cohorts. Solving murders in oriental fashion. Not sparing detail on the punishment of the guilty.
superb Asian-flavored mystery.......2005-03-11
Rebeccasreads highly recommends THE CHINESE GOLD MURDERS in which Judge Dee Dee investigates the murder of his predecessor -- a Magistrate who now stalks the neighborhood as a ghost.
Judge Dee-Jen Dijeh (630-700 A.D.) was a Magistrate known for his wisdom & wit in China, & his stories were a part of the local folklore. Robert Van Gulik, who had a historian's interest in China in the early 1950s, was fascinated by the tales of this judge, & finally collected & fictionalized them into four volumes.
The wit, ingenuity, & genius of Judge Dee is well reflected. Remember the old tales of King Solomon the Just -- well, give them an Asian flavor, a touch of Old China -- & you get Judge Dee.
All of Judge Dee's books are most pleasurable - - worthy of 10 stars!
DEE-LIGHTFUL!.......2004-08-30
Imagine a Sherlock Holmes from the 6th century China, complete with flowy beards and costumes to match. Folklores. Long horse rides. Noodles and ricewine in roadside restaurants. Mysterious drunks and poets in clandestine wenches. Warriors turned highway men. Weretigers (I had to look it up), the feline equivalents of werewolves.
And cast amidst this historically vivid milieu, a gory murder of a district magistrate, whose ghost has scared many since his sudden demise.
For its twisted and edge-of-the-seat plot alone, this hidden little gem bags my higest recommendation. Most mystery thrillers have the reader thinking of prospective culprits as they read along, but I had a tough time establishing some sort of motive or identifying targets until nearly the end of the Gold Murders.
And that's only half the fun. Gulik's measured prose has a cultured elegance that brings China's simple yet layered world of nearly two centuries ago springing back to life. It's witty. It's ribald, with a tight economy of description, which makes it twice as juicy. And it's chockfull of deceit and honour in the noblest of ways.
An engaging but human good old fashioned tale of intrigue. Easily one of the best detective novels I've ever had the luxury of devouring.
Great opening entry to a fascinating series!.......2001-05-11
This is the first of a series of Judge Dee novels set in seventh-century China. Judge Dee is an Imperial Magistrate who in the course of his job, is posted all over the Imperial Chinese Empire. He has a keen interest in solving crimes and is interested in interacting actively with the people around him. The novel opens with Dee leaving the imperial capital for the district of Peng-lai, near the Korean border. This is his first posting as District Magistrate. He leaves accompanied by his adviser Sergeant Hoong and on the way, meets two highwaymen, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai. Impressed by his forceful personality, the two men decide to give up their life of crime and become officers of the tribunal under Judge Dee. Upon arrival in Peng-lai, Judge Dee has to deal with multiple crimes; his predecessor was murdered, the wife of a prominent businessman has disappeared, a tiger is terrorizing the locals, the judge's chief clerk has gone missing and there are suspicions that Peng-lai is a center for gold smuggling into Korea! Into this hotbed of crime, comes Judge Dee who is able to pull all the threads together and solve the crimes. I loved the wealth of historical detail in the book as well as the actual mysteries, and Judge Dee himself is refreshingly human and is amused by the antics of his underlings! Would highly recommend the book to all those interested in historical mysteries - it's great fun!
Customer Reviews:
You MUST read this book!!!!.......1999-04-08
This is a delightful book chockful of awful puns, skies literally dripping live poultry (at points during the book, it rains canaries, sea gulls, and cranes, amongst other birds), ferocious, vicious, merciless pirates who just happen to be fluffy, cuddly sheep as well, a sarcastic, drunk cat, dragons, fairies, kings both evil and good, and stupid guards. Who could ask for more? I couldn't, and that's for sure! I saw this book and immediately snatched it up, afraid someone else would get it if I didn't! And you should too!
Average customer rating:
- Majyk by hook or crook
- Very cool!! A must read for all!!!!!
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Majyk by Hook or Crook
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9994445383 |
Customer Reviews:
Majyk by hook or crook.......1999-11-26
As good as the last one if not better! Complex characters who you want to follow on ALL of thier adventures. Good for all ages!
Very cool!! A must read for all!!!!!.......1999-03-30
The rightful ruler of the land of Wingdingo has been usurped, and until he reigns again it's going to rain live poultry over half of Orbix. Would-be master magician Kendar Gangle- and his earth-cat Scandal- must set things right. Before feathers stop flying, Kendar and Scandal will have to face an army of evil, murderous, pirate sheep, a visious fairy and a devilish dragon. Only Kendar's majyk cand stop this catastrophy- can he survive? Totally awesome!!! Do not miss this book for anything. I picked it up while library browsing and finished all 262 pages by the next morning. The ending was slightly dissapointing but the book is one of my favorites anyway. I've scoured the library for it's prequel but it's not there. My advice- just read it! It's also very, very funny.
Book Description
Homeopathy uses unique remedies prescribed to match precisely the symptoms of a sick person. This book includes the principles of homeopathy, a therapeutic guide to the treatment of a range of conditions, and lists of appropriate homeopathics.
Customer Reviews:
The first book I reach for.......2007-09-16
I have a small library of homeopathic books, and this is the first one I consult when a problem arises. It is a repertory, not a materia medica, so then I cross check myself with other books to confirm.
The first section which discusses about homeopathy is concise and useful, including discussion of potencies and modalities. The next part is body system charts to quickly refer you to the rest of the book which is organized by problem alphabetically, each with a list of possible remedies, each remedy with a brief description characterizing it so you can choose the most appropriate.
A Quick and Easy Guide to Common Disorders and Their Homeopathic Treatments.......2007-03-08
A very quick and easy reference that everyone who uses homeopathy or is interested in homeopathy should have in there library.
The book to get.......2006-08-26
If you buy one book on homeopathy to use to find treatments, this is the one. Homeopath I've known for years tells those who come to him for treatment to buy it.
Homeopathic Guide.......2006-06-27
I have many books on Homeopathy that I have used for years however, I truly consider this find a gem. This book is excellent because of how it is organized and how it incorporates common and uncommon remedies. He provides orderly, comprehensive information that is easily understood to even the less experienced lay person. I wish that he would write more on homeopathy and I would definately recommend as a 1st book or an addition to current collection.
Almost as good as his herbal reference.......2005-10-27
*Almost a mirror image of his herbal remedy book, I recommend them as companion guides*
Like his other book on herbal remedies, Asa Hershoff, ND, divides the source into an easily readable guide. He started out with a long chapter on homeopathic advantages, research on the remedies, their types, history of, and more. This include types of pain, taking the remedies, doses, and processes. The treatment index guide is broken into sections identical to the herbal guide. Each condition is listed alphabetically under its condition, with a brief intro on the problem and how to solve it, followed then by a list of homeopathic remedies by name only then 3-4 lines below. Each line has a different reason for using it. Stars are by the homeopathic remedy, signifying how recommended it is. One star means a weaker treatment, while five is obviously highly regarded.
While in no means a comprehensive 'teaching' text, it's not meant to be. Instead it's a reference that allows easy location of conditions and their treatment, with notes jotted down. Concise, clear, and good to grab in a pinch.
Book Description
Developed from the Hope Collective, a popular punk venue in Dublin, Ireland, this unique cookbook links healthy eating with the punk rock community and subculture. With over 120 vegan recipes and personal anecdotes collected from bands who performed at the club, Please Feed Me presents tasty offerings such as Fugazi Chocolate Cake, Bikini Kill Chili non Carne, and Neurosis and Pincer Martin Tomato and Orange Soup. Also included are thoughts on punk rock culture as a vital underground network, and insider stories of well-known U.S. and international bands.
Customer Reviews:
deadly.......2006-05-30
i lived through the time spoken about in this book and it shares many good memories with the reader. The recipes are straightforward vegan fare but good enough to eat. I found it the sort of book you could pick up and open on any page and read about how bands like Green Day and NOFX played in Dublin with no contracts and to crowds of 50 people. You can then try the recipe associated with that gig and feel part of this wonderful punk rock community
The collaborative effort of more than 120 people who donated their vegan recipes.......2005-07-04
Please Feed Me: A Punk Vegan Cookbook is a unique and welcome addition to any avant garde music enthusiasts cookbook collection because every recipe is accompanied by an anecdote by a band that performed at the Hope Collective -- a popular punk event in Dublin, Ireland, which Niall McGuirk helped to maintain for over a decade and which became a kind of template and inspiration for punk music events across Ireland and the United Kingdom. The collaborative effort of more than 120 people who donated their vegan recipes and thoughts on the importance of the punk rock community and culture, Please Feed Me uniquely illustrates the connections between community, art, activism, health, and the vegan diet.
Strange little cookbook.......2005-04-28
This presents first as a memoir rather than a cookbook. Must have been a magical era in punk music-- I'm dead envious reading about the musical experience. The food is somewhat remote, no pictures except of the bands. The recipes come from the bands as well, and can be chaotic. Which is fine-- it is, after all, a punk cookbook. Not well organized from the cookbook point of view-- contents are presented according to concert playlists, and not well indexed. I haven't made any of the food, but it's an interesting read, if repetitive. The intro is pieced together from the recipe copy-- you'll recognize entire sections as you skim along. I was hoping for something more like Cooking with the Dead, by Grateful Dead writer Elizabeth Zipern, which is more approachable from the food angle. I'm going to try a few recipes to see if this one is worth keeping long term. It'll be tough to judge, though, as all the recipes are by different cooks. So, overall interesting, but definately not an overview of fundamental vegan cooking. This one is more of a curiosity, a vivid portrayal of a period in punk music, complete history of the Hope Collective, with probably a few recipe gems. If you were fortunate enough to be in Ireland with these guys, it'll be a treasured keepsake.
Support the little guy.......2005-03-16
Buy this book from www.akpress.org. I'm not affiliated with them, but they're great!
Please feed me.......2005-01-14
Alright, I got this last night and read through most of it. About half of the text is devoted to telling the story of a volunteer-run club and all of the punk bands and experiences that the people who worked there have. The other half of the text is devoted to vegan recipes that they collected from the bands.
I'd say the best part about the recipes is that they all seem really cheap - lots of lentils, rice, potatoes, and other cheapo-staples.
The recipes are fun, but you could definetly get by without this if you have much experience. There are ALOT of curries and like 3 guacamole recipes. There are several things like burritos that are just obvious - crumbles, veggies, salsa, and guac. Then there are some really cool ones. There was a squatter that had a recipe that involved finding a hubcap, sterilizing it with booze, mixing in all the crusts, skins, (and no, not crusties or skinheads, but it's funny that I wrote that without thinking) or any kind of food that you can and put it in with either water or more booze, then cook it over a campfire. There was also a "bread sandwhich" recipe, which was a slice of bread in between 2 slices of bread.
I'd say for me, it was worth the $10 because I enjoyed reading it and probably will make the stuff that seems really cheap, and alot of the curries too. There was a sheapard's pie that I'm itching to make in it too. Plus I had fun reading about all the punks and how the collective operated. I'm not sure if the average person would be into it though.
Book Description
Think, talk, and act like an expert!
Learn the language of teapot collecting, and the answers to these questions and more:
• What is the difference between a teapot and a kettle?
• What kind of teapot is used in a Japanese tea ceremony?
• What distinguishes a craft teapot from a manufactured teapot?
•What is the difference between pottery, stoneware, and porcelain?
This
one-of-a-kind resource on the history of tea and teapots also includes online resources, museums, books, magazines and newsletters, tea and teapot emporia, clubs, societies, and associations.
Book Description
"It is a beautiful thing," says Maricristin Sealey, "to craft a doll with your own hands, sew it together with love, then make a gift of it to your child with the words, 'I made this for you!'"
This comprehensive, well illustrated book will give even the most nervous beginner the confidence to produce a unique, handcrafted toy from natural materials. Once you have mastered the basic baby dolls, you can progress to a more ambitious limbed or jointed doll.
Included are ten designs including soft, baggy, pouch, angel, sack and limbed dolls; instructions for knitted, sewn and embroidered hairstyles, lots of patterns for dolls' clothes and accessories; help with tools, techniques and materials; ideas for recycling clothing for dollmaking and where to get materials.
Customer Reviews:
Very Authoritative Book.......2007-06-11
I disagree with the last reviewer regarding the content of Maricristin's book. This book has everything you need to make a wide variety of Waldorf-style dolls. I have made three versions already, and I am working my way through the rest of the patterns. The instructions are clear and complete. The book doesn't have big pretty pictures, true, but it has all the information needed to make dolls. And that is really what matters. This is a niche market book, and it is one of very few available. In my opinion, the chapter on hair alone is worth over $30.
Pricey, but Good.......2007-03-10
This book gives good, clear instruction, with patterns that are easily copied/augmented. However, for the price, I was expecting much more content, maybe some photographs, etc. There are no photos, just line drawings. It really irritates me that just because something has "Waldorf" in the name that it gets double the price as a similar item in the same category. I feel that goes against what Waldorf philosophies stand for period. It is really hypocritical. But the book content itself is good--just expected more of it.
Book Description
This comprehensive guide for beginners and experienced doll makers shows how to create many different kinds of handcrafted dolls from natural materials. Handmade dolls with their simplicity of expression and design leave children's imaginations free, rather than being confined by perfectly finished dolls made of artificial materials. Instead, these dolls encourage the magic of creative play and bring children the gift of imagination in which they see themselves as “makers.”
Included are:
· Ten designs, including soft, baggy, angel, pouch, sack, and limbed dolls
· Twelve basic clothes patterns and ethnic variations
· Tools, techniques, and materials
· Safety guidelines and sewing methods
· Recycling tips and where to get materials
Average customer rating:
- Fails to inspire, very disappointing!
- Time-Saver Concise is Precisely Right
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Time-Saver Standards Concise Plans for Adding-On and Remodeling
Jerold L. Axelrod
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0071352368 |
Book Description
Remodel any type of room...in any type of house-fast! Save start-up time on your next improvement project with Time-Saver Standards Concise Plans for Adding On and Remodeling, by Jerold L. Axelrod. Whether you're an architect or construction specialist or a homeowner eager to expand living space and increase the value of your home, this one-of-a-kind guide puts over 300 design ideas and easy-to-follow, workable plans at your fingertips. An ultra-handy book/CD-ROM combo, this package gives you customizable, click-of-a-mouse access to the pre-designed plans in 3-D and in various materials.
Customer Reviews:
Fails to inspire, very disappointing!.......2005-04-21
I purchased this book through a book club, and i have to say I couldn't disagree more with the only other reviewer, who gave it five stars. I'd give zero if it were an option. This book sits on my shelf, with no chance of my referring to it for anything at all.
The plans are poorly thought out, showing various generic examples of room additions (here's what a one story addition would look like, here's two stories, here's a bay window). Some of the elevations and roof lines of the examples presented are horrendous!
Rather than give 400 plans, one third of which are worth exploring further, I'd have been better served by the author maybe developing the ones with potential a bit further.
Time-Saver Concise is Precisely Right.......2000-06-19
With over 400 floorplans and illustrations, this book packs a powerful bunch of information from cover to cover. For those who are familiar with floorplans and possess an eye to visualize, this book is for you.
The author does a great job of providing you with instructions on how to pick appropriate floorplans to meet your particular remodeling needs by helping the reader to create an architectural program.
Next, the reader can use this program to determine which floorplan(s) will best meet their remodeling needs. The author concludes the book by providing the reader with specific construction details not ordinarily found in most remodeling CD's that will help the reader tailor the plans to remodel his or her home.
In a nutshell, this book has the potential to save the savvy reader who is remodeling a home thousands of dollars and much frustration by helping the reader develop a professional plan which will meet his or her needs. In order to use the accompanying CD, you must realize that the CD is not a program, but drawings that must be imported into a program using Auto CAD releases 12 or 14. Try ordering an Auto CAD before you purchase this book if you intend to use the CD.
Average customer rating:
- best painter
- best painter
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Kandinsky: Watercolours and Other Works on Paper
Frank Whitford , and
Wassily Kandinsky
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0500092893 |
Amazon.com
Vasily Kandinsky was one of the most pivotal figures in the development of modernist painting. He was born in the mid 19th-century, and by the time of his death in 1944 he had played a key role in revolutionizing the nature of European painting, and laying the groundwork for future movements. Most significant among his contributions to high modernism are his involvements with the Blue Rider group, Russian constructivism, and the later years of the Bauhaus. By the end of 1910 Kandinsky had developed a purely abstract style--arguably one of the first--in his paintings, particularly the watercolors.
This beautiful book, designed to accompany the first full-scale exhibition of Kandinsky's work in London at the Royal Academy of Arts, traces his development from an unremarkable painter of Russian folk scenes to the geometrically precise and clinical draftsman of the later abstract creations. His image-making culminated during his final years with paintings of strangely micro-organic-looking works. Art historian Frank Whitford's introductory essay charts Kandinsky's career with wonderful lucidity, and is particularly good on the tension between the artist's theory and practice. He is less clear on the significance of the works on paper and outlining Kandinsky's legacy; but perhaps the book will provide the possibilities for just such a reassessment of the painter's standing within the history of modern art. --Jerry Brotton, Amazon.co.uk
168 color illustrations
Book Description
Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) is one of the most important and influential painters of the twentieth century. A pioneer in creating art without figurative motifs, he was also the earliest abstract painter to explain and justify what he was doing. His theoretical writings, including Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1912), are among the most significant texts written by an artist in the last hundred years. Published to accompany the recent exhibition of his work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, Kandinsky Watercolours spans the artist's whole career and consists entirely of works on paper--watercolors, prints, and drawings. It is in these works that Kandinsky's spontaneity of expression is most clearly illustrated, and it is through watercolor that the artist achieved the luminosity and intensity of color that he sought. In addition to the beautifully reproduced watercolors are the artist's outstanding prints, including little-known woodcuts and lithographs. Frank Whitford, the curator for the exhibition, has organized this catalogue, which includes essays on Kandinsky's life and work; his time in Munich, Russia, and Paris; and his participation in the Bauhaus. Aya Soika contributes descriptions of Kandinsky through the eyes of his contemporaries, and a chronology.
Customer Reviews:
best painter.......2001-08-09
it is a very good book. i enjoyed it expecially because I LOVE Kandinsky. It is worth it
best painter.......2001-08-09
it is a very good book. i enjoyed it expecially because I LOVE Kandinsky. It is worth it
Average customer rating:
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Impressionist and Modern Drawings and Watercolors, November 15, 1984
Sotheby Staff
Manufacturer: Sotheby's New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Morisot, Berthe
| ( M-O )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Rouault, Georges
| ( P-R )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Vlaminck, Maurice de
| ( V-Z )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Dufy, Raoul
| ( D-F )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000N6AMV8 |
Product Description
Auction catalog. Sale 5240. Features 116 works of art, shown with both b/w & color plate illustrations. Includes works by Chagall; Dali; Grosz; Van Gogh; Kandinsky; Klee; Leger; Miro; Matisse; Moore; Morisot; Picasso; Pissarro; Rouault; Seconzac; Vlaminck; Dufy; Foujita; Cezanne; Ernst; Utrillo & more.
Average customer rating:
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Impressionist and Modern Drawings and Watercolors, November 6, 1981
Sotheby's
Manufacturer: Sotheby Parke Bernet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Brancusi, Constantin
| ( A-C )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Morisot, Berthe
| ( M-O )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Rouault, Georges
| ( P-R )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000N5ZU98 |
Product Description
Auction catalog. Sale 4723M. Features 115 works of art, shown with both b/w & color plate illustrations. Includes works by Brancusi; Chagall; Dali; Delaunay; Grosz; Van Gogh; Kaninsky; Klee; Leger; Manet; Matisse; Miro; Moore; Picasso; Pissarro; Renoir; Rouault; Schiele; Segonzac; Vlamink.
Average customer rating:
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Impressionist and Modern Drawings and Watercolors, October 23, 1980
Sotheby's New York
Manufacturer: Sotheby Parke Bernet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Morisot, Berthe
| ( M-O )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Rouault, Georges
| ( P-R )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Vlaminck, Maurice de
| ( V-Z )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Dufy, Raoul
| ( D-F )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Kupka, Frantisek
| ( J-L )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Utrillo, Maurice
| ( S-U )
| Artists, A-Z
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000N6AR5E |
Product Description
Auction catalog. Sale 4444M. Features 86 works of art, shown with both b/w & color plate illustrations. Includes works by Chagall; Calder; Dali; Degas; Van Gogh; Kandinsky; Klee; Leger; Miro; Matisse; Moore; Morisot; Picasso; Rouault; Vlaminck; Dufy; Foujita; Cezanne; Utrillo; Kupka & more.
Average customer rating:
- Exceptional and illuminating collection
- Wonderful!!
|
Kandinsky: Watercolors and drawings
Wassily Kandinsky
Manufacturer: Distributed in the USA and Canada by te Neues Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Architecture
| Artists, A-Z
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Drawing
| Fashion
| General
| History & Criticism
| Instructional & How-To
| Museums & Collections
| Other Media
| Painting
| Performing Arts
| Photography
| Reference
| Religious
| Schools, Periods & Styles
| Sculpture
ASIN: 3791311956 |
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional and illuminating collection.......2007-08-04
This book is a must-read for Kandinsky enthusiasts. It's also a must-read for anyone who's confused by some of Kandinsky's unstructured, semi-representational works.
I was one of the latter. I love Kandinsky's early, representational work. His eye for color and balance almost sing in his later structured, geometric works. But, the in-between works baffled me until I studied this book.
I'm delighted with the chapter by Armin Zweite, "Free the Line for the Inner Sound." It explains a tremendous amount in the illustrations and discussion related to Small Pleasures and its forerunner, the glass painting called With Sun.
Once I started comparing their composition and design elements to many of Kandinsky's later works, I realized that he used these same themes over & over again. He was exhausting the form of his expression, rather than constantly looking for new subjects.
When I understood that, far more of Kandinsky's work made sense to me. And, it opened doors for my own artwork.
Although it's important to study Kandinsky's entire body of work, including his oil paintings, this book is a vital resource for anyone interested in Kandinsky's art and philosophies.
Wonderful!!.......1999-03-29
The definitive collection! A must for any fan
Amazon.com
This isn't a book you'll want to pull out on a crowded train, with clinical terms like clitoris and vulvologist, not to mention earthier ones like the F word, on virtually every page to attract the startled attention of the passenger in the next seat. Bluntly describing her yearlong effort to deal with a searing pain in her vagina, Susanna Kaysen doesn't stint on the details of what this malady did to her relationship with her boyfriend (nothing good), nor is she forgiving of the callousness and stupidity displayed by some of her doctors and various alternative health practitioners. Yet her appalling saga is compulsively readable, thanks to Kaysen's propulsive prose and sharp dialogue. She's particularly good at capturing the way people talk about their ailments over dinner and in the middle of other activities. Conversations with friends ramble from her medical problem to tiger maple furniture in an utterly convincing way, and one darkly funny scene shows a pal urging Kaysen to buy a coral necklace following a particularly horrid visit to the doctor because, "You have to get a nice thing after that appointment." Kaysen's laconic humor keeps the book from seeming self-pitying, though her terseness tends to muffle its emotional impact; she expresses her emotions without really conveying them to the reader in any depth. Nonetheless, the pared-down candor that made her portrait of mental illness so gripping in Girl, Interrupted also distinguishes this account of a decidedly physical affliction. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
Susanna Kaysen, who wrote about her teenage depression in the bestseller Girl, Interrupted, now takes on another taboo: her vagina–which suddenly and inexplicably starts to hurt. And neither Kaysen’s cheery gynecologist, nor her internist, nor a laconic “vulvologist” has the cure. An alternative health nurse suggests direct application of tea, baking soda, and boric acid. Others recommend novocaine, oatmeal, “bio-feedback,” and anti-depressants. Nothing works. As sex becomes more and more painful, Kaysen’s relationship with her boyfriend disintegrates and she turns to her best friends, her wicked sense of humor, and finally wry self-reflection to get herself through.
Using this unusual lens, Kaysen challenges us to think in new ways about the centrality and power of sexuality.
The Camera My Mother Gave Me is an unexpected and revelatory book from one of our most candid, insightful and consistently surprising writers.
Download Description
The Camera My Mother Gave Me takes us through Susanna Kaysen's often comic, sometimes surreal encounters with all kinds of doctors -- internists, gynecologists, "alternative health" experts -- as well as with her boyfriend and her friends, when suddenly, inexplicably, "something went wrong" with her vagina.
The title comes from Luis Buñuel's film Viridiana. Some peasants are at a banquet in a country mansion. They ask a maid to take a group snapshot, and she obliges, lifting up her skirt and using the "camera" that's underneath.
Kaysen's The Camera My Mother Gave Me observes what happens when sexual pleasure is replaced by pain. "When eros goes away," she writes, "it's as if I'm colorblind. The world is gray." But is this a problem of body, or mind? And can clinicians tease out the difference between the two?
Spare, frank, and altogether original, The Camera My Mother Gave Me challenges us to think in new ways about the centrality and power of sexuality. It is an extraordinary investigation into the role sex plays in perception and our notions of ourselves -- and into what happens when the erotic impulse meets the world of medicine.
"An engrossing examination of pain and the psychology and philosophy used to confront it. Kaysen's lack of conceit and straightforward prose keeps her story clean and absorbing. [She] successfully avoids the self-pity that often seeps into contemporary memoirs. Eve Ensler... pulled a private part out from under the covers. Kaysen dives back in, taking readers with her for a closer look. Even those who still blush when they utter the "V" word will find themselves completely enveloped."
SUSANNA BAIRD, BOSTON MAGAZINE
"A vagina dialogue: pithy, funny, adventurous, sexy, and eye-opening.... Disguised as plain, brown memoir, [this is] a voluptuous exploration of sexuality, aging, the failures of modern medicine, attempts at self-knowledge, and the meaning of pain."
KIRKUS REVIEW
Customer Reviews:
Just a short, simple book.......2007-08-29
This book reads really fast. A light book compared to the authors other memoir of being in an institution.
Not worth it.......2007-08-25
I'm not sure which book the other reviewers are talking about when they say this book is funny. I didn't find it funny at all. In fact, I found it tiresome. The author is whiny. The fact that she starts so many sentences off with, "My vagina..." and uses the f-word so much just gets old. At some point, the use of the word becomes gratuitous and unnecessary. Her delivery is bland and dispassionate for someone who is narrating her own book. This book bored me stiff.
Informative and Witty.......2006-08-19
Kaysen is an excellent writer and that is why I decided to read "the Camera My Mother Gave Me." The book worries me because I am a woman - all though I do not suffer from any kind of vulva illness. My opinion is that every woman should be worried to a certain degree about "problems" that can and may occur in our lifetimes. That is why I do recommend this novel, because I now am aware of what other women may be suffering from. And what could at some point happen to me.
not so good.......2006-04-29
I read this book and after getting through about a third of it I started to get frustrated. I kept asking myself why she didn't go see another doctor. I feel like if I were in that much pain and my regular doctor couldn't provide answers I would keep seeing different people until I came across someone who could give me answer. It's like if someone has been diagnosed with cancer she usually gets a second or third opinion. It was just frustrating to me all the things she was trying. And if that weren't enough, by the end of the book no progress had been made. I felt like she could very well have ended the book in the middle and I would have been left with the same dissatisfied feeling I had at the end. I got this book on sale at Barnes and Noble for 2 or 3 dollars and I'm glad I only paid that much for it.
Left hanging.......2005-05-13
While the book was a quick, funny read the end left me hanging. Did she try acupuncture? Did she ever get better? Was she happy or sad at the end?
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