Amazon.com
For the ambition and creativity he displays alone, Ben Marcus has written a very memorable debut novel with Notable American Women. Marcus demonstrates an extraordinary stylistic ability in this challenging and bizarre account of family life within an oppressive cult. The author places himself within the novel as a character whose mother joins and hosts a feminist group known as the Silentists, whose goal is to put "an end to motion and noise" for the purpose of complete "emotion removal."
The strange and fantastical novel is composed primarily of the fictional Marcus's explanation of the leaders, rules, and history of the Silentists, as well as a description of his youth spent in the group's Ohio compound as a test subject and sire for a planned "emotion-free" society. Most accurately classified as science fiction (though often darkly humorous), Women maintains an unsettling balance between absurdity and horror, shifting its subject from the academic to the domestic. Yet throughout, the narrators maintain a cold distance between themselves and the events they're describing, reflecting their lack of emotion through an objective tone and placing the reader squarely in the emotional vacuum in which the fictional Marcus is raised. The effect is akin to viewing the world from behind glass, or from behind a layer of shed skin, as the fictional Marcus does when he wears the empty husk of his sister. A heart can be found in the novel, however, that is well worth discovering: beyond its detached creepiness lies an allegory deeply concerned with the dangers of conformity and the maniacal pursuit of human advancement. --Ross Doll
Book Description
Ben Marcus achieved cult status and gained the admiration of his peers with his first book, The Age of Wire and String. With
Notable American Women he goes well beyond that first achievement to create something radically wonderful, a novel set in a world so fully imagined that it creates its own reality.
On a farm in Ohio, American women led by Jane Dark practice all means of behavior modification in an attempt to attain complete stillness and silence. Witnessing (and subjected to) their cultish actions is one Ben Marcus, whose father, Michael Marcus, may be buried in the back yard, and whose mother, Jane Marcus, enthusiastically condones the use of her son for (generally unsuccessful) breeding purposes, among other things. Inventing his own uses for language, the author Ben Marcus has written a harrowing, hilarious, strangely moving, altogether engrossing work of fiction that will be read and argued over for years to come.
Customer Reviews:
Pretentious and bad.......2007-01-14
Marcus is one of those contemporary writers who thinks that "challenging" prose is somehow a substitute for a good story. His writing relys more on wordplay and mangling the English language in a pointless effort to be "clever" than it does on storytelling. Yes, a reader can be expected to work harder with some novels than with others, but an author who expects work out of reader while giving him only broken metphors, nonsensical analogies, and sentence structure inspired by train wrecks is an unreasonable author, and to blame the reader is the refuge of the scoundrel. Its as if rampant obfuscation is a goal for him, rather than the bane of good writing.
Marcus may very well have a good story here, though if he had spent more time writing it and less time trying to dazzle us with his heterodoxy, he might have actually been able to tell it.
A Book I'll Never Forget.......2006-04-28
Like 1984, A Clockwork Orange, and (oh, why not say it) Rush 2112, Notable American Women is a dystopian fantasy. Dystopian is basically the opposite of Utopian. Marcus' imaginary and futuristic world is a society controlled by fascist, totalitarian leaders. In NAW, dystopia is taken to the extreme.
Coincidentally, the protagonist is also named Ben Marcus! It's a tough read at times because of Marcus' invented words. These words exist in the book's world, but not in ours. Whether you like the book or not, you have to admit it IS creative and original. It's also uncomfortable at times, but never boring.
Ben Marcus (the character) exists for the sole purpose of a behavioral experiment and mating (but taking pleasure in it is not allowed). In fact, love, or any other emotions, are forbidden in this society. The ruling women, also known as the Silentists, fear movement of the air so their goal is to keep everyone still and silent as much as possible. His role as a dehumanized object makes him question his own existence at times. I'm not sure that he even knows he is a person, since in one chapter he talks about the joy he finds in his new friend (and lover), yet he doesn't realize that his friend is actually a dog. The dog provides the only "human" contact Ben ever experiences. As bleak, and often disturbing, as the story is there are moments of odd humor in it; including the quote by Ben's father on the back book cover (click on the book on this page, you can read it). Marcus (the author) also weaves a "handbook" into the story, so that you can understand things mentioned in the book e.g. apparatus, diet, etc.
I like unconventional weird stuff, so this book appealed to me, although, I can see how others might not like it. If you're debating whether to read it or not, I say try anything once. It's definitely a new reading experience.
Not for everyone.......2005-12-06
This gorgeously writtenl mind-bender of a novel is not for people who are afraid to think. Read it and savor the delicate, bracing flavor of brainpops made of cognitive salami. Masticate crunchy kernels of nostalgia and sadness. Treat yourself by decoding this codex of mysterious time-loops and emotional wordplay. Dress yourself in bacon. Challenge yourself. Read it and weep.
Maybe you'll like it too.......2004-03-08
Mr. Marcus seems to be a little misunderstood and rightly so; he is not completely interested in being completely understood as far as I can tell. Notable American Women by Ben Marcus is probably not for everyone (and yes, some books are or should be). First, if you are interested in notable American women, this book isn't about that. If you are happy by nature or genuinely miss diagramming sentences, you may not like this book. I mean that with no innuendo. The book is boldly, perhaps brazenly, creative, cynical and hilarious. But if the near-incessant cynicism is unpalatable to you, it simply won't be that funny. For me, when this book is not completely on the mark nailing Skinnerian human nature (not nailing it to anything, mind you, just hammering it), Marcus' use of language is enough to completely engage me. This book is a matter of words more so than most books. There is great insight, humanity and humor here (I laughed out loud often), but your enjoyment, I think, will ultimately depend on your patience with a creative and relatively unrestrained lyrical prose that is more purely portrayed in Marcus' The Age of Wire and String. In my opinion, a plot helps, so I enjoyed this book more than I did Wire and String. There is talk of Notable American Women being science fiction, I dunno, maybe, sorta, sure. I give it 5 stars because that's how much I liked it.
Properly Ordered Words but Thin.......2003-10-10
Just didn't work. Instead, read Kafka, Beckett, Borges, anybody with soul and adult concerns. There is something silly and insulting about the use of Ohio, as if name dropping a place in the Midwest is enough to give the stories depth.
Average customer rating:
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Willa Cather (Lives of Notable Gay Men and Lesbians)
Sharon O'Brien
Manufacturer: Chelsea House Publications
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ASIN: 0791023028 |
Customer Reviews:
Ignore the picture on the cover; this book was very good.......2004-12-27
I thought the book was wonderful. I would like to have had a
few more pages at the end, though. It ended a bit abruptly for me, but it was a good ending. Ignore the cheesy cover -- neither
Eric or Maddlyn look anything like the couple on the cover. I
rather doubt they had [...] implants back in the 1800's, as
Maddlyn's picture would suggest on the cover. Eric had a bit of
a hairy chest in the book, but the fellow on the cover has the
typical hair-free look. Also, Maddlyn (aka Goldilocks) hair was
blonde, not nearly so red as the picture on the cover, and the
clothes she is (almost)wearing on the cover are not the clothes
she wore in the book. I enjoyed the funny moments in the book,
especially the way Karl & Conrad always kept Eric & Maddlyn at
a safe distance from one another.
a very enjoyable book........2002-04-06
I really like these Faerie Tale romances that Linda Jones has been writting. This is the 3rd one I've read and I'll continue to buy them. I like the characters because the women are strong yet not over powering and the men are strong yet sensitive. They are protective yet yielding.
This is the story of Goldielocks and the three bears. Goldie is Maddalyn Kelly a soon to be school teacher who escapes being killed in a stagecoach robbery up a mountain only to encounter the cabin of the three bears, Karl, Conrad, and Eric Barrett. She sneaks in and eats some of thier food and then sleeps in thier beds and is suddenly caught sleeping in Eric's bed. Eric is attracked to her instantly but is very guarded around "ladies" and tries to keep his distance. Maddalyn falls for Eric right away but can't tell him because of his feelings towards "ladies". She ends up playing matchmaker for the brothers and finds herself part of a family who really cares for her. Eric must overcome the way he feels about her before they can find the love they both really need and desire.
This book is very touching and I really enjoyed reading it. I read it all in one day.
Lovely story ^___^.......2001-10-15
I really like this book.... This is my very first book of Linda Jones, and after I finish reading it, I found myself hunting for her other's books ^o^. I suggest you to buy this book and enjoy it =). It's full of laughs and romantic moments that could bring the smile in you faces... ^___^
Goldilocks meets the 3 lonely handsome mountain men.......2000-01-29
A keeper I carry with me on trips to lighten the travel time! I love this book! From the first moment you meet the feisty Maddalyn, to the times she tries out the food, chairs, and beds of a discovered cabin (her favorites are always Eric's), to the wonderful humor of trying to socialize the other two brothers so they too can meet acceptable women, this book is a joy. Maddalyn mutters to herself (I smile each time I read her comments) and once kissed by the lonely Eric, can't keep her thoughts (or kisses!) from him. Try this book. I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
Amazon.com
Dark matter: the nonluminous matter, not yet detected, that nonetheless has detectable gravitational effects on the universe.
Dark matter: the Afro-American presence and influences unseen or unacknowledged by Euro-American culture.
Dark Matter: the first anthology to illuminate the presence and influence of black writers in speculative fiction, with 25 stories, three novel excerpts, and five essays.
This anthology's critical and historical importance is indisputable. But that's not why it will prove to be the best anthology of 2000 in both the speculative and the literary fiction fields. It's because the stories are great: entertaining, imaginative, insightful, sharply characterized, and beautifully written. The earliest story in Dark Matter is acclaimed literary author Charles W. Chesnutt's "The Goophered Grapevine" (1887), in which an aging ex-slave tells a chilling tale of cursed land to a white Northerner buying a Southern plantation. In "The Comet" (1920), W.E.B. Du Bois portrays the rich white woman and the poor black man who may be the only survivors of an astronomical near-miss. In George S. Schuyler's "Black No More" (1931), an excerpt from the satirical novel of the same name, an African American scientist invents a machine that can turn blacks white. More recent reprints include science fiction master Samuel R. Delany's Nebula Award-winning "Aye, and Gomorrah..." (1967), which delineates the socio-sexual effects of asexual astronauts; Charles R. Saunders's heroic fantasy "Gimmile's Songs" (1984), in which a woman warrior encounters a singer with a frightening, compelling magic in ancient West Africa; MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Octavia E. Butler's powerful "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" (1987), in which the cure for cancer creates a terrifying new disease of compulsive self-mutilation; and Derrick Bell's angry, riveting "The Space Traders" (1992), in which aliens offer to trade their advanced technology to the U.S. in exchange for its black population. Other reprints include "Ark of Bones" (1974) by author-poet-folklorist Henry Dumas; "Future Christmas" (1982) by master satirist Ishmael Reed; "Rhythm Travel" (1996) by playwright-poet-critic Amiri Baraka (who has also written as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amiri Baraka); and "The African Origins of UFOs" (2000) by London-based West Indian author Anthony Joseph.
Most of the stories in Dark Matter are original; these range even more widely in their concerns and themes. In the generation ship of Linda Addison's "Twice, at Once, Separated," a Yanomami Indian tribe preserves its culture in coexistence with technology, while visions tear a young woman from her own wedding. Bestselling novelist Steven Barnes examines degrees of privilege and deprivation when an African American woman artist is trapped in an African concentration camp in his unflinching contribution, "The Woman in the Wall." In John W. Campbell Award winner Nalo Hopkinson's sexy, scary "Ganger (Ball Lightning)," two lovers drifting apart try to reconnect through the separation of virtual sex. A mystic power awakens in the devastated future of Ama Patterson's gorgeous and tough "Hussy Strutt." An artist's infidelity changes two generations in Leone Ross's astute, magic-realist "Tasting Songs." In Nisi Shawl's sharp, witty mythic fantasy "At the Huts of Ajala," the spirit of a modern woman must outwit a god before she is even born. Others contributing new stories are Tananarive Due, Robert Fleming, Jewelle Gomez, Akua Lezli Hope, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, Kalamu ya Salaam, Kiini Ibura Salaam, Evie Shockley, and Darryl A. Smith. --Cynthia Ward
Book Description
Dark matter: the nonluminous matter, not yet detected, that nonethelesshas detectable gravitational effects on the universe.Dark matter: the Afro-American presence and influences unseen or unacknowledgedby Euro-American culture. Dark Matter: the first anthology to illuminate the presence and influenceof black writers in speculative fiction, with 25 stories, three novel excerpts,and five essays.This anthology's critical and historical importance is indisputable. But that'snot why it will prove to be the best anthology of 2000 in both the speculativeand the literary fiction fields. It's because the stories are great:entertaining, imaginative, insightful, sharply characterized, and beautifullywritten. The earliest story in Dark Matter is acclaimed literary authorCharles W. Chesnutt's "The Goophered Grapevine" (1887), in which an agingex-slave tells a chilling tale of cursed land to a white Northerner buying aSouthern plantation. In "The Comet" (1920), W.E.B. Du Bois portrays the richwhite woman and the poor black man who may be the only survivors of anastronomical near-miss. In George S. Schuyler's "Black No More" (1931), anexcerpt from the satirical novel of the same name, an African American scientistinvents a machine that can turn blacks white. More recent reprints includescience fiction master Samuel R. Delany's Nebula Award-winning "Aye, andGomorrah..." (1967), which delineates the socio-sexual effects of asexualastronauts; Charles R. Saunders's heroic fantasy "Gimmile's Songs" (1984), inwhich a woman warrior encounters a singer with a frightening, compelling magicin ancient West Africa; MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Octavia E. Butler'spowerful "The Evening and the Morning and the Night" (1987), in which the curefor cancer creates a terrifying new disease of compulsive self-mutilation; andDerrick Bell's angry, riveting "The Space Traders" (1992), in which aliens offerto trade their advanced technology to the U.S. in exchange for its blackpopulation. Other reprints include "Ark of Bones" (1974) byauthor-poet-folklorist Henry Dumas; "Future Christmas" (1982) by master satiristIshmael Reed; "Rhythm Travel" (1996) by playwright-poet-critic Amiri Baraka (whohas also written as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amiri Baraka); and "The AfricanOrigins of UFOs" (2000) by London-based West Indian author Anthony Joseph.Most of the stories in Dark Matter are original; these range even morewidely in their concerns and themes. In the generation ship of Linda Addison's"Twice, at Once, Separated," a Yanomami Indian tribe preserves its culture incoexistence with technology, while visions tear a young woman from her ownwedding. Bestselling novelist Steven Barnes examines degrees of privilege anddeprivation when an African American woman artist is trapped in an Africanconcentration camp in his unflinching contribution, "The Woman in the Wall." InJohn W. Campbell Award winner Nalo Hopkinson's sexy, scary "Ganger (BallLightning)," two lovers drifting apart try to reconnect through the separationof virtual sex. A mystic power awakens in the devastated future of AmaPatterson's gorgeous and tough "Hussy Strutt." An artist's infidelity changestwo generations in Leone Ross's astute, magic-realist "Tasting Songs." In NisiShawl's sharp, witty mythic fantasy "At the Huts of Ajala," the spirit of amodern woman must outwit a god before she is even born. Others contributing newstories are Tananarive Due, Robert Fleming, Jewelle Gomez, Akua Lezli Hope,Honor+e Fanonne Jeffers, Kalamu ya Salaam, Kiini Ibura Salaam, EvieShockley, and Darryl A. Smith. --Cynthia Ward
Customer Reviews:
The Darkness Matters.......2004-07-30
This is a collection that the literary world needed badly. Typical 'speculative fiction' (encompassing sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and other literary persuasions) often features humanity uniting against common enemies or disasters. But for people of color, the alternative present or near-future utopia/dystopia in any speculative story probably won't be so rosy. Technological advancement, alien contact, or astronomical disasters probably won't eliminate prejudice and inequality, as the writers of African descent collected here show us in consistently hard-hitting ways.
The settings and themes of these short stories are uniformly fascinating and thought-provoking for any intelligent reader. As with any collection of works from various writers, the quality of the stories varies a bit, and this book does have a few bumps in the road that deserve the thumbs-down for heavy-handedness. Examples include the predictable melodrama of 'The Woman in the Wall' by Steven Barnes, or the poorly-plotted conspiracy theories of 'The Space Traders' by Derrick Bell. However, these are minor quibbles, and even these stories contribute to the sheer fascination of this book as a whole.
My favorites include the supremely moving Jazz Age vampire story 'Chicago 1927' by Jewelle Gomez, an outstanding look at the human costs of cloning in 'Like Daughter' by Tananarive Due, the creepy erotic thriller 'Ganger (Ball Lightning)' by Nalo Hopkinson, and the heartbreaking dark fantasy of 'Gimmile's Songs' by Charles Saunders. Of historical interest we have 'Aye, and Gomorrah...' from the master Samuel Delany, the groundbreaking 'The Goophered Grapevine' from way back in 1887 by Charles Chesnutt, and the very chilling 'The Comet' by W.E.B. DuBois (I had forgotten that DuBois wrote fiction, and his important stories are ripe for rediscovery). Kudos to Sheree Thomas for creating this hugely important, haunting, and illuminating anthology. [~doomsdayer520~]
A look into the history of Black writers in Spec Fic........2004-01-31
Writers of African descent have played a long and important role in the history of speculative literature, even though that's not always recognized, either in the past or today. But this book opened my eyes to how much wonderful talent has gone underappreciated until now. Often raw, but always colorful and deep, many of the stories in this collection have the quality to be compared with the masters of the past and present. As both a reader and a writer, this collection inspired me greatly.
I highly recommend it to anyone who's a true officianado of speculative literature.
Excellent Sci Fi.......2003-10-05
I am 56 and have been reading sci fi/fantasy since, oh, about 10. This is one of the best collection of stories I have ever read. You'll be glad you read it. The fact of the color of the writers is interesting, but not important. I have read so much sci fi, and even taken a writing course. The bottom line - this is great science fiction.
Worthy of a Hugo........2002-04-02
I've long suspected there were more writers of color out there besides Octivia Butler and Samuel Delany. Ms. Thomas introduces a rich collection spanning decades. My only question is when will volume 2 be published? If you love SF, add this brilliant work to your collection.
Get this book!.......2002-03-13
A huge sci-fi and fantasy reader I am also getting ready to be a high school teacher of special ed, reading & English. This is a book that will go on my list of books to write lesson plans about and to make sure my students read. The one complaint I have about this book is that I'd read the Butler, Delany & Saunders already. Couldn't we have gotten new stories for this historic anthology? But other writers were a revelation to me.
A great book! Nalo Hopkinson's story about a (...)gone amuck, Tannarive Due's story about the very human side of cloning and Steven Barnes' chilling almost apocalytic picture of a modern African state after a coup are all terrific reading-- and why my students -- and you -- should be excited!
Book Description
Known as one of the most challenging and charismatic leaders in Christianity, Joan Chittister is a Benedictine sister with an ecumenical outreach and vision. Listen with the Heart is her insightful, personal call to reach beyond the immediacy of a moment in everyday life and savor the sacred rituals that underlie it. This volume encompasses such rituals as Blessing, Fasting, Prayer, Community, Music, and Waiting - Sr. Joan makes the ordinary gleam with light and meaning. Each of the 12 chapters begins with an introduction on that topic, followed by a collection of meditations. Listen with the Heart is an inspiring invitation to stretch the soul and understand the messages of rituals that are common to monasticism and, in many ways, to us all.
Customer Reviews:
reflections on 12 themes of ordinary life.......2007-01-18
Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun, has written over twenty books that map the terrain of the Christian life, with special attention paid to issues of feminism, international justice, the monastics, and reform in the Catholic Church. I especially enjoyed her work Scarred By Struggle, Transformed By Hope (2003). In this slender volume she organizes her thoughts around a dozen themes of everyday, ordinary life: blessing, light, fasting, prayer, naming, ordinary time, community, rituals, music, table fellowship, the mystery of death, and waiting. She introduces each of these twelve chapters with a 1-2 page overview, followed by about 30 aphoristic, pithy reflections on the given theme. One of the couple dozen notes about prayer, for example, reads: "Prayer is not an escape into spiritual narcissism. It is an attempt to put on the mind of God, to see the world as God sees the world, to respond to the needs around us as God responds to ours" (p. 38). Or on community: "It's what we owe the rest of humanity that drives us into communities large enough to deal with large questions. None of us has the right to ignore what is eating the heart out of the world and call ourselves human" (p. 67). On death: "There's a time in life when we start reading the obituaries before we read the headlines of the daily paper. That's the sign that we have finally figured out how precious life really is. If it hasn't happened to you yet, pray God it will" (p. 107).
The book's format of short introductions, followed by thirty or so separate, independent thoughts on the theme, makes for awkward reading. This is not a book to sit down and read straight through. Nor is the quality of reflection and introspection even throughout. While some of her insights shine, others feel pedantic and over written. But I can easily imagine using this book in a small group as a conversation-starter across a 12 week period (one week for each chapter and theme). Chittister's passion for a deep, authentic Christian experience, her familiarity with church history and especially monasticism, her appreciation for the daily rhythms of ordinary people and events, and her willingness to share her own personal experiences make this, like much of her writing, worth the read.
Book Description
Whip up an eye-popping, lip-smacking, giggle-producing cake for every special occasion and every favorite person (adults too, don't let the title fool you). Choose from 22 basic designs, plus tips for endless variations, from Sketchbook, Computer, and Racing Car to Horrible Bug, Princess, Fishing Pond, and Fairy Town--even microwave cakes that cook in four minutes, designs that start with store-bought cakes, and cool cakes kids can help make. No artistic talent, cake-decorating experience, or special tools needed (except a cake smoother and frosting tubes). Start with a cake and ready-to-roll sugarpaste icing from the supermarket, follow the clear directions, and produce the perfect centerpiece for any celebration--birthday or bon voyage, first day of school or 50th anniversary.
Customer Reviews:
Very Disappointing!.......2007-05-23
I like Carol Deacon's designs but was very disappointed with this book because a lot of the designs were repeats from other Carol Deacon books that I already had. In fact, I bought two (2) new books by Carol Deacon and found the books to be over half-filled with repeat designs from other books by this author.
If you are looking for new cake design ideas like I was and already have book/s by this author, do not bother to buy this book - try someone else.
Perfect for beginners.......2003-09-15
This book is wonderful. Includes step by step instructions to make the cakes illustrated in the book or you can simply take ideas from it and design your own. Includes easy to make recipes for sugarpaste, etc. This book is a great place to start if you're just venturing into cake decorating. You can go from having no experience to making professional looking cakes that will wow everybody!
Book Description
#1 BEST SELLER FOR 30 YEARS!
The first, favorite, and most trusted price guide for all types of dolls is more colorful and reader-friendly in its 16th edition. It is organized into an "Antique" section and "Modern" section. The Antique section covers the manufacturers of bisque, china, wax, wood, cloth, and papier-mâché dolls from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The "Modern" section covers the doll artists and makers of composition, hard plastic, vinyl and more. The 16th Blue Book features an easy-to-use index arranged alphabetically by manufacturer and has over 500 photographs - all in color!
This reliable and authoritative doll price guide has been chosen by collectors as the #1 price guide they trust and have used for 30 years. The Blue Book is considered the "bible" with collectors and is the one doll book that is used whether you have one doll or an entire collection of antique or contemporary dolls.
This is the one book that doll collectors cannot live without!
Customer Reviews:
doll book.......2007-06-28
Very helpful book - have really been enjoying this book as I have wanted this book for years, finally got it!
Very disappointing!.......2007-05-13
I bought this book to help me determine the value of a collection of high quality dolls that my aunt wants to help her sell. Our of five doll designers, only one of the designers was even listed in her book. This was a waste of my money, for sure!
Doll value.......2007-05-07
I am formilair with this book. It is a great book IF you know the name of your doll. If you don't it is not a good one for you.
Blue Book Dolls and Values, 16th Edition (Blue Book Dolls and Values).......2006-07-17
THE resource for all your doll questions on values and dolls.
Misses the mark in several categories.......2006-05-10
Although the Blue Book is the avid doll collectors' favorite price guide, it contains numerous categories that have not been updated for quite a number of years. China, parian, papier mache, and wooden, some of the earliest dolls in existence, have been gaining in popularity for several years now and the market prices, both at auction and online have been rising considerably. The Blue Book has not caught up with this trend.
Also, it would be extremely helpful if there were a comprehensive section that described the methods used in compiling the information as well as the sources of this information. Some of the prices are so far off the mark in actual market prices realized, that it makes the professional wonder if the numbers are merely picked out of blue sky.
The book is well structured and is the easiest to use on a daily basis, of all the price guides, however, serious updating and a description of the price compilation process, would improve it immensely.
Book Description
The first, favorite, and most trusted, price guide to all types of dolls is even more colorful and reader-friendly in its 15th edition. It is organized into an "Antique" section which covers the manufacturers of the bisque, china, wax, wood, cloth and papier-mache dolls of the 19th and early 20th century and a "Modern" section which covers the makers of composition, hard plastic, vinyl, artists' dolls and more. Arranged alphabetically by manufacturer, the Blue Book features over 560 photographs - all in color!
Whether one has just one doll or an entire collection, antique dolls or dolls of today, this is the one doll book that you will use. Every collector will need the latest "bible" for collector's prices and identification!
Customer Reviews:
The Best Doll price guide book-Bible of Doll collecting!.......2003-10-30
If you buy ONE doll price guide book, this is the one to buy.
EXCELLENT!
Book Description
Everything old is new again. We're talking retro and crafters can't get enough of this major trend. Retro Mania! is the first book to show how to use the hot images and graphics from everyone's favorite decades. Readers will find:
-50 projects that feature popular decade-inspired motifs, such as the swellegant 40s, the fabulous 50s, the psychedelic 60s and the groovy 70s
-Stylish ideas for card making, rubber stamping, scrapbooking, paper crafts, and more
-Fun facts about each era and tips on customizing every project
Whether the mood is hip, swinging, or funky, this title is sure to jive with crafters of any experience and age, including tweens and teens.
Customer Reviews:
retro a go-go.......2007-09-10
so i totally dig the retro inspired ideas in this book. they have tons of stamping ideas and lots of invitation and card ideas. more of a card book that a scrapbook idea book but it does have a few scrapbook pages. directions are easy to follow.
Great for retro ideas.......2006-09-08
I bought this book because I plan to create retro-themed wedding invitations. It provides lots of ideas on how to combine different types of retro paper and stamps. The designs are flexible enough so that you can use your own papers and stamps--no need to follow the book to the letter. The cards are fairly simple, but even an expert cardmaker could use the paper/stamp combinations shown here to create more intricate cards. Resources for paper, stamps, and supplies are given in the back of the book, as well as templates for various cut-out elements.
An excellent display of fun projects tied with ideas for entertainment and gift-giving.......2006-03-06
Judi Watanabe, Alison Eads and Laurie Dewberry's Retro Mania! is a craft title to delight the eye: over sixty cards, party decorations, and scrapbook layouts demonstrate the retro style from the 1940s through the 70s, suggesting flashy ideas for themes and offering 'recipes' for success which include explicit directions on card stock and types, gift boxes and cans to make, and more. An excellent display of fun projects tied with ideas for entertainment and gift-giving.
Nothing but a big advertisement!.......2005-12-14
This book is a complete waste of time and money. I ordered it for my arts and crafts store, sight unseen, and was insulted by the contents. Fortunately, I always order a single copy of a book until I know what is in the contents. I have taken it off the shelf and designated it as a 'reference' book. I would not feel right selling this to a customer.
Of the 60 projects, almost 30 require the ownership of specific JudiKins stamps. Almost all projects need more than just one stamp and several require 7 or 8 distinct JudiKins stamps. Another 5 have you purchasing rubber stamps from companies other than JudiKins.
The same thing applies to paper and cardstock. The majority of the projects require very specific papers and cardstock from designated companies. Again, some have you using 7 or 8 of these certain papers, which are integral to the design (as are the rubber stamps).
You will be unable to recreate more than half of this book unless you're addicted to JudiKins stamps and have a scrabooking store in your backyard, in which you can access all the specific papers and cardstock.
It's quite obvious who sponsored this publication.
Book Description
Randy Florke--a Country Living contributor who has also been featured in the New York Times and on the Today show--presents the most accessible (and easiest) decorating primer ever created. His beautiful and affordable heartland sensibility, which he refers to as "anti keeping up with the Joneses," is irresistible.
Interior decorator and Country Living contributing editor Randy Florke hails from Iowa-and his inviting design style captures the warmth and homey appeal of heartland America. Every beautiful color photograph here presents real-life examples of rooms that radiate charm and practically invite readers to step inside and make themselves at home. Using a friendly, personal approach, Florke explores what he calls the "three muses" of design: comfort, economy, and color. Comfort resides in line-dried quilts and overstuffed sofas. Economy means items chosen from flea markets, thrift stores, or grandmother's attic. Country color is the faded blue of crockery and the pale shades of damask tablecloths. Anyone hoping to transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary will find thrifty and stylish ways to design. A Selection of the Homestyle Book Club.
Having traveled the world as a model, Randy Florke takes great pleasure in mixing his far-flung influences with those from his boyhood days on a Midwestern farm. His busy life includes a growing family and homes in New York City, Larrabee, Iowa and Sullivan County, New York.
Customer Reviews:
Visually Pleasing, Inspiring, & Great narration .......2007-09-28
Loved everything about this book. He has a lot of interesting observations and ideas. I found it extremely inspiring for my home. We are a family of 5 with dogs and I appreciate his use of the found objects. Not only is it economical but if it withstood use by another family then it can take what we have to dish out. And on the plus side the older stuff is much more interesting looking. Highly recommend this book.
I Just Bought Another Copy.......2007-01-04
I'm liking Your House Your Home so much that I just ordered another copy for a friend who I know will love it also.
I thought it was the most practical and down-to-earth and realistic decorating book that I've ever seen. The photographs are beautiful, and the advice the kind of thing a real person can easily use.
My Favorite Country Decorating Book.......2005-12-19
I own almost every book on country homes and decorating published over the past 5 years. This by far is the essential and best. The text is really great - hits the spot. Five Stars!
Not so good..........2005-12-07
I love Randy Florke's style of decorating, but didn't enjoy this book. If you read Country Living magazine, the photos in this book will be all too familiar. I expected that there'd be some photos from the magazine, but this book had absolutely nothing new. The text is also disappointing and seems to be written for readers who've never given a thought to decorating prior to opening the book. It's hard to imagine that fans of this simple, yet sophisticated style would need to be told that "paintings add color to white walls," or "when furnishing a porch, refrain from using old automobile seats or broken down couches."
Beautiful pictures, but..........2005-11-15
I'm sure this gentleman Randy Florke is immensely talented. I certainly LOVE the rooms featured in Country Living magazine. But I honestly didn't find many ideas I could actually use in my small 1300 sq. ft. 1800's house with 7 ft. ceilings.
I'd have to agree with Nancy's review that many of the ideas are not practical. How are my kids going to sit on those metal chairs? And with dogs, I could NEVER put out the kind of accessories lower than 3 ft. or they'd be munchie snacks. I guess I was hoping for more inspiration.
I did like his use of large paintings in small spaces to open up that one room. Beautiful style, but not a real how-to book. Show the problem, and show the solution. That's the kind of book I need.
Book Description
The Crisp Training Essentials Learning Track includes the best self-directed study books at a significant cost savings. To help you learn the essentials of training, this bundle combines the best Fifty-Minute Series books and additional Crisp publications to provide in-depth knowledge of the subject matter. Relevant case studies, self-evaluations, and practical examples help to reinforce key concepts. Instead of ordering one book at a time, simply order the bundle and start your library today.
Average customer rating:
- a look deep inside michelle pfeiffer's life
|
Michelle Pfeiffer: A Biography
Bruce Crowther
Manufacturer: Robert Hale Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 070905226X |
Customer Reviews:
a look deep inside michelle pfeiffer's life.......2001-10-27
this book will give you a little insight to what makes michelle pfeiffer the person she is today. it gives details about the love life that she likes to keep personal, it also gives a look into the many friendships she has made and kept with other hollywood stars like cher and glenn close. all in all this is a true peice of michelle pfeiffer for any fan to own.
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