Dupont Circle: A Novel

Average customer rating:

Not Kafka, but not meant to be.

One-Dimensional Characters and Plot

This book doesn't end, it just stops.

I'm glad I forced down the first few pages

Good But Not Great

Dupont Circle: A Novel
Paul Kafka-Gibbons
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0618219188

Book Description

Set in the nation's capital, this delightful comedy of manners centers on the busy intersection of Dupont Circle, where old meets young, gay meets straight, rich meets poor, and past meets present. Love and family intersect in similar ways in Paul Kafka-Gibbons's witty and entertaining novel. In a plot revolving around a judicial hearing on gay marriage, Kafka-Gibbons explores the lives of three distinctly different couples, examining marriage and domesticity in all its contemporary guises. With great charm and goodwill, DUPONT CIRCLE engages the issues as well as the heart.

Customer Reviews:

Not Kafka, but not meant to be........2006-12-26

This book isn't about to be added to the cannon, but it was definitely a pleasurable read. At the time I purchased it, I was living in D.C., so I especially enjoyed the references to local spots. There weren't many surprises, but sometimes it's nice to have a book turn out the way you'd expect it to. Kafka-Gibbons has a very down-to-earth style that I'd like to see more often.

One-Dimensional Characters and Plot.......2005-11-30

I was so disappointed in this book! I echo the same thoughts as some of the other reviewers: (1) the characters were one-dimensional, undeveloped, shallow, hyper-politically correct sterotypes, and (2) the book's theme/ agenda was crammed down our throats repeatedly. As someone who has lived in Dupont Circle for over 10 years and graduated from GW law school, I can say that the book did not ring true to me at all.

This book doesn't end, it just stops........2004-12-28

The sole purpose of this book seems to be to name drop various
Washington locales. It seems to work on some level, because
Kramer books features the book in it's front window. But when
the author messes up, it's clear he doesn't know DC (the Black
Cat isn't a jazz club, no one in their right mind would drive
on Rock Creek Parkway to get to Lulu's from Dupont).
The characters lack motivation or depth. To avoid having to
develope them, the author keeps introducing characters up until
the end of the book. At the end of the book, you're just left
wondering why you should even care about any of these people.
Time. The book takes place over a year. Yet the author is so bad
at conveing this, that he actually has to declare the month every
few chapters.
Where rich meets poor? Not in this book. Well, that's sort of
what is happening to Dupont Circle(the actual D.C. location) so
maybe he's right on the money.
The other thing is, the book takes place in an alternative future
that may have seem quaint and hopefull at the time, but after the
last election seems far far away. A future where gay marriage is
not only possible, but already legal in a few states.
I actually read this for the D.C. Bad Book Club, and it proved
itself worthy. It should be a real confidence booster to any
writer. As long as you can write better characters then this,
you have a chance of getting published.

I'm glad I forced down the first few pages.......2003-09-02

Definitly a book with an agenda, and it makes no bones about that. In fact, by the fifth page or so the agenda has been so drilled into your head that you may be ready to give up, but perservere, and you will be rewarded.
Although all of the characters are intruiging for the most part and the three couples are all quite endearing I found that the fledgling relationship between the older lawyer and his much younger housemate struck the most resounding chord with me. Kafka-Gibbons has done a terrific job with this story although his political agenda makes it draggy at times and you will find yourself biting your nails along with them.

Good But Not Great.......2003-02-11

This book started off well and captured my attention from the start but failed to engage me all the way through to the end. The characters were colorful but undeveloped and there were many characters introduced but never fully fleshed out.
Bailey and Louisa fall in love but why? Jon and Peter are happy but why? Eve and Max continue their relationship but why? The relationship problems are dwelled upon but the resolutions come almost as an afterthought. Sometimes the resolutions just appear, without any discussion.
The characters in this book don't really have any serious problems and everything seems to sort itself out. The conflicts are few and amiable and do not feel like real life. The happy ending is of course expected because nothing really bad happens to these people and only confirmed my view that this book was good but not great. An enjoyable read but nothing I will recommend or remember in a few weeks.

Book Description

Over and again, the aged seeress Tamis scried all the possible tomorrows. In every one, dark forces threatened Greece; terrible evil was poised to reenter the world. The future held only one hope: a half-caste Spartan boy, Parmenion. So Tamis made it her mission to see that Parmenion would before the deadliest warrior in the world -- no matter what the cost.
Raised to manhood in Sparta, bullied and forced to fight for his life every day, Parmenion had no notion of the unseen dimensions of magic and mystery that shaped his fate. He grew in strength and cunning. His military genius earned him the title Strategos in Sparta. His triumphs for the city of Thebes made him a hero. And finally his fate led him to the service of Philip of Macedon.
As Tamis had foreseen, Parmenion's destiny was tied to the Dark God, to Philip, and to the yet-unborn Alexander. All too soon the future was upon them. Parmenion stood poised to defeat evil -- or to open the gate for the Dark God to reenter the world.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Written Well, But Nothing New..........2007-06-27

I absolutely love David Gemmell, but this book was definitely not on par with some of his others. The writing was still crisp and clean, the action excellent, the characters interesting, entertaining, and three-dimensional, but the storyline fell short. I will always recommend any of David Gemmell's writing, but I would recommend some of his others first before the Lion of Macedon.

Parmenion is part Macedonian and part Spartan. Growing up in Sparta, he is never accepted by the other youth. Hate builds in his heart for Sparta and is fully realized after he defeats one of Sparta's best warriors. From then on his mission is to destroy the world's best fighting force. Sparta has never been defeated in battle when they have an equal or greater number of warriors.

Tamis is a seeress that has seen the future and found that there is only one man who can defend the world from the evil that is descending upon it. She ostracizes Parmenion from everything that he loves so he can become the deadliest warrior and general in the world and combat the evil coming.

David Gemmell continues with his excellent writing, but this story has been played out many times. He wrote a book in his Drenai tales that is similar to the Lion of Macedon (The King Beyond the Gate). I still recommend this book to those who love reading about ancient Greece and avid fantasy readers. Enjoy!

Great example of historical fiction.......2007-04-24

This and Dark Prince are both some very good reading for any fan of historical fiction. Gemmell really did his homework on Sparta and the Greeks for these couple of books. Reading them both was a great plessure for me. Parmenian is a great lead character and Gemmell finds plenty of other likable characters to further the story. The battles are great as can be expected from Gemmel. Really historical fiction as it ought to be written.

Magic and mystery in Classical Greece.......2006-11-24

Young Spartan warrior Parmenion has had his life manipulated by a seer/witch in order to help her fight the birth of the Dark God. Along the way he is taught soldiering skills by the warrior-based society of the ancient Spartans, eventually taught stratagy, and becomes a great mercenary general in the Persian-Greek world. He is finally hired on by Philip of Macadonia to whip up an army to help protect against invasions, but ends up playing a major role in the life of yet unborn Alexander the Great. But with his greatness in war comes the price; he is an outcast as a child in Sparta because he is a half breed, in Thebes he makes a major mistake with a young woman that costs them both, and he suffers from a brain tumor, though that is taken care of by magic.

The book is a bit long, but it is never boring. The action is streight forward, but always exciting. The characters are alive and feel so real. David Gemmell dose such a great job with the real people as well as the fictional ones. Philip wants a great lagacy for his son and Aristotle is a pretty cool wizard reminecient of Obi-Wan Kanobi. If I had one complaint it is that when Parmenion goes into Hades on his missio toward the end, there really wasn't a lot of detail about it. I wasn't expecting Dante's "Divine Comedy", but I was hoping for some more details. Oh well.

Great light historical fantasy though don't think this is a gospel for what life was like back then. Still great adventure and fu8n reading.

Bullied youth makes good..........2006-08-03

Gemmell's ambitious book takes an intimate look at a name that is associated with Alexander the Great, but not much else is known about him.
He is Parmenion, called the Death of Nations.
This is a very underrated book within David Gemmell's ever-increasing back catalouge. As guessed, it is situated in ancient Greece, several decades before the emergence of the great conqueror Alexander the Great.
We get to meet the main character, Parmenion, when he is just a young boy. He is a half-Spartan who is victimised, bullied, and despised by the Spartans. The Spartans are a warrior race who value military skills above all others. Their prejudice towards outsiders is just as legendary as their prowess on the battlefield.
Will Parmenion be able to rise above this, will he become bitter and twisted, will there be any joy in the life of this sorrowful, but brilliant boy? These are the kind of questions you will ask yourself as you read through the novel. I couldn't put it down! In the best of Greek tradition, the story is essentially a tragedy. Just when you thik good things will happen for our character, they will be just as quickly snatched away.
I think anybody who had a rough childhood would really relate to Parmenion. David Gemmell gives him life through the pages without descending into maudlin sentimentality. The reader can appreciate the motives for his actions, you are swept into his world and will cheer his triumphs against the odds, and you may shed a tear or two when things just don't work out for him.
I loved this book. Read it if you enjoyed the new Troy novel, or the films Alexander or Troy. Or just read it if you want to read about a boy rising past the abuse of his peers to become one of the greatest generals yet known.

Great book.......2006-04-05

Indeed, this is Gemmell's best work. A breathtaking, fast paced action / fantasy narrative filled with great characters, heroic deeds, passion, battles and death. Congratulations. Unfortunately, this book is so good that the follow-up to it, DARK PRINCE, is a little bit of a let down.

Average customer rating:

Lion of Macedon
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Legend
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000M67X0W

Average customer rating:

Dark Prince (Lion of Macedon, #2)

Manufacturer: Century
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000HKHIJY

Average customer rating:

Alexander as it might have been...
Greek myths come alive!
Incredible Greek fantasy epic !!

Dark Prince (Lion of Macedon, #2)
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Random House of Canada, Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0712634924

Amazon.com

Reading this sequel to Lion of Macedon is like reading a compressed, accelerated Lord of the Rings crossed with the classic Star Trek episode, "Mirror, Mirror." Preternaturally precocious 4-year-old Alexander is kidnapped by Philippos, a demonic parallel-universe twin of King Philip of Macedon. Philip's strategos (chief general and strategist), Parmenion, and Philip's assassin, Attalus, form an uneasy alliance in order to retrieve Alexander. Passed (by the sorcerer Aristotle) through a portal to Makedones, a world geographically similar to but historically different from their own, they must first find Alexander and then make their way through hostile, enchanted territory inhabited by magical creatures to a rendezvous with Aristotle. But Philip of Macedon isn't the only person who has a twin in this parallel world, and as Parmenion discovers more about Makedones, he finds that the similarities rather than the differences are the most troubling.

There are two stories here. First, Alexander's mystic quest for redemption (carried out by the chosen few) and Parmenion and the Spartans' parallel last-ditch battle (fought with ordinary weapons); then, David Gemmell follows Alexander and Parmenion home. Although they have beaten a horrific demon in Makedones, they have yet to face the demons of Macedon: Alexander's life and soul are at stake in another battle against darkness.

Book Description

The chaos spirit had chosen the child Alexander to be its human host. But Parmenion, most powerful warrior of ancient Greece, had won a small victory over the darkness that sought to rule through Alexander. The boy's soul had not been destroyed by evil, but instead had merged with it -- and now Parmenion aided Alexander in the battle between light and dark that constantly raged within him.
But there was another world, where the creatures of Greece's legends still flourished. There, the chaos spirit already ruled, through a demon king. In this Greece, there was a prophecy that a child of great power, the legendary golden child, would come and restore the fading magic of the land to the creatures of myth. The demon king believed also that devouring the heart of this fabled child would give him immortality. He believed Alexander, with the power of the chaos spirit within him, to be that child. And so he called Alexander into his world . . .
Only Parmenion, guided by the seeress Derae, his lost love from another life, could hope to save Alexander from the demon king. But who could save the young prince from the chaos spirit that threatened to conquer his soul?

Customer Reviews:

Alexander as it might have been..........2006-08-03

This is a companion review to Lion of Macedon.
Dark Prince takes us back to the David Gemmell reconstructed world of ancient Greece. There are a whole heap of goings-on that occurred in Lion of Macedon that led to certain events in Dark Prince, but to tell you them would ruin Lion of Macedon for you, so I won't.
Anyway, this is rather a strange book. It retains some of the feel of Lion of Macedon but is completely different in many aspects. A significant portion of the novel is spent in an alternate reality Greece where mythical creatures such as centaurs and minotaurs still roam the Earth. There is also an evil Phillippos of Makedon to contend with.
Alexander is an extraordinary child in many aspects. He has an extreme constitution and a very high intelligence for one supposedly four years old (in the first third of the book). Actually, despite the possession of the Chaos Spirit, I did still struggle to deal with the adult-like conversations and concerns of the toddler Alexander.
The book improved for me greatly when the setting resumed in the Greece we knew from Lion of Macedon.
Still, in all, this novel had what one expects from a David Gemmell. Heaps of battles, the odd love scene, sword fights a-plenty, revenge, betrayals...
If you pick up this novel expecting an historically accurate re-telling of the Alexander myth, then this is not the novel for you. But, if you are looking for a rousing tale of friendship and loyalty set in a similar world to the ancient Greece we know and love, and a familiar David Gemmell world, then you will not be disappointed.
In my opinion, this sequel does not live up to the heights of Lion of Macedon though. However, it had a satisfying ending that tied together loose strings very nicely.

Greek myths come alive!.......1998-03-27

This book was wonderfully written. Gemmel had a wonderful idea with this book of the series. Although I must say, this book is not for young readers. Yet, to others, I must say you need to read this book if you like mythology.

Incredible Greek fantasy epic !!.......1997-09-05

This sequel to The Lion of Macedon takes the great General Parmenion to a mythical Greece, where fantastic creatures of legend and myth still live...satyrs, dryads and centaurs abound. Parmenion must survive in this new land to find his son, Alexander, before the Dark God does. This is an epic struggle where he must save his son and the world, from this horrible evil, and his own heart, over the one true love he thought lost to him forever. A wonderful book for hours of enjoyment! A ten is given overall, the author is able to make you feel powerful emotions with the story and gives you characters that you truly know. Don't miss this book!!Also look for Stones of Power references inside, such as: Pendarric, Fallen King of Atlantis (Aristotle), and the Sipstrassi stones (gold veined with black)

Average customer rating:

Lion of Macedon
David Gemmell
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OVPIIO

Download Description

An epic novel of human expansion across the stars.

Customer Reviews:

One of my all time favorites.......2006-01-22

I think this is my first amazon review ever and I chose my all time favorite sci-fi book "Birthright: the book of man" to finally break my silence *grin*

I read this as a kid when it came out in the early 80's and again when i was an adult. Each chapter is a different short story of characters and situations and taking place at different periods of time in the future and different worlds all over the galaxy.

This is suitable for pre-teens and above. If you have a child that is interested in reading or interested in sci-fi, give them this book, most of the short chapters are enthralling sci-fi stories! My favorite was the human olympic athlete competing against the alien on the alien's homeworld in a footrace being broadcast across the galaxy. No 'man' had ever lost against any of the alien species in any sport, *ever*, so this human had the weight of the entire human race on his shoulders. The question was: would this be the event that man was shown to be no better than the rest of the galaxy's species? *grin*

Very different.......2004-12-28

The other reviewers have done a good job of explaining why they think this is a good book and I'm not going to disagree with them. The primary reason I'm writing this review is because I don't think the other reviewers have given a completely accurate view of the book. I've just finished the book and have very mixed feelings about it which I don't think the other reviewers give justice.

My first and biggest argument with the book is that it is completely based on the mankind-exploits-everything viewpoint. A quick look at our collective history does not disagree with that viewpoint, but a more detailed look at history does. Mankind has been evolving as a social critter at a fantastic rate for the last 600 years or so. Things that came naturally in the Dark and Middle Ages in Europe such as witch-burning and stoning people to death are now viewed with total revulsion. Cynics (pragmatists?) will argue that these barbaric methods of repression have been replaced by more effective forms of repression. I'd like to think that they are not looking at the long term history of humanity.

This book, on the other hand, covers the long term very nicely , 17,000+ years of human history running from the near future to the total extermination of humanity by tens of thousands of enraged alien races. The 26 short stories that cover this era give you plenty to think about regarding the human race. Every possible human virtue and sin is in full display here as humanity strives to achieve total domination of the galaxy and then fritters away every last advantage in wanton stupidity and cruelty when we finally succeed. I'm not saying that it isn't reasonable, I'm just saying that I'd like to think that some faction of humanity would survive, that ever-adaptable humanity would find some way to avoid getting totally exterminated.

My other major problem is that the stories are only loosely linked together. We get to meet hundreds of individuals, know them briefly, and then never see them again. This is a natural result of trying to tell 26 very different stores in about 300 pages but the result feels like reading an encyclopedia by reading one paragraph of one entry per letter of the alphabet. You are left with the feeling that there is an extraordinary amount of interesting material all around you that you are never going to be allowed to see. Very frustrating for me personally.

If you feel that I'm trashing the book, please consider the fact that I gave it 3 stars. All I'm saying is that this is not a book that can or should be consumed in one sitting and don't be surprised if you have some very strong emotions when you are done.

You HAVE to read it. It's about you. I promise........1999-06-07

Do you belong to the race of man? Then this book is about you. Resnick has brought all five billion of us along on this magnificent journey. You will feel joy and grief, burning shame and blazing pride. Birthright shows humanity's potential- for good, for evil, and for humanity. This book is very personal- for everyone.

The most underated and under published sci-fi book ever........1999-01-09

I'm not sure why this book was out of print for so long. I hoarded copies of it, loaning it out to only my most trusted friends for years. It is certainly a book up there with Greg Bear's Eon, Frank Herbert's Jesus Incident and Dune and the Foundation series.

If you're a fan of sci-fi, Galactic strategy games or scathing social commentary, you will completely enjoy Birthright.

Stick with Resnick and you won't go wrong- GUARANTEED!.......1998-10-01

If this is as good as his collection, "Kirinyaga", expect excellent, thought-provoking, award-winnig level prose (He recently won yet another Hugo for Short Story).

Average customer rating:

Birthright: The Book of Man
Mike Resnick
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000NLOERQ

Book Description

The thirteen essays collected in this volume investigate the possibility that the word “God” can be understood now, at the end of the twentieth century, in a meaningful way. Nine of the essays appear in English translation for the first time.

Among Levinas’s writings, this volume distinguishes itself, both for students of his thought and for a wider audience, by the range of issues it addresses. Levinas not only rehearses the ethical themes that have led him to be regarded as one of the most original thinkers working out of the phenomenological tradition, but he also takes up philosophical questions concerning politics, language, and religion. The volume situates his thought in a broader intellectual context than have his previous works. In these essays, alongside the detailed investigations of Husserl, Heidegger, Rosenzweig, and Buber that characterize all his writings, Levinas also addresses the thought of Kierkegaard, Marx, Bloch, and Derrida.

Some essays provide lucid expositions not available elsewhere to key areas of Levinas’s thought. “God and Philosophy” is perhaps the single most important text for understanding Levinas and is in many respects the best introduction to his works. “From Consciousness to Wakefulness” illuminates Levinas’s relation to Husserl and thus to phenomenology, which is always his starting point, even if he never abides by the limits it imposes. In “The Thinking of Being and the Question of the Other,” Levinas not only addresses Derrida’s Speech and Phenomenon but also develops an answer to the later Heidegger’s account of the history of Being by suggesting another way of reading that history.

Among the other topics examined in the essays are the Marxist concept of ideology, death, hermeneutics, the concept of evil, the philosophy of dialogue, the relation of language to the Other, and the acts of communication and mutual understanding.

Customer Reviews:

Not For the Daily Commute.......2001-12-14

"The Infinite concerns me and encircles me, speaking to me through my own mouth. And there is no pure witnessing except of the Infinite. This is not a psychological wonder, but the modality according to which the Infinite comes to pass, signifying through him to whom it signifies, understood insofar as, before any engagement, I respond for the other (p.75)" Thus spoke Emmanuel Levinas. Provocative, illuminating, largely inaccessible as only Levinas can be, this text considers the relationship of the self to the other through the epistemological lens of the a priori existence of a God to whom we respond before understanding the nature of the order. Levinas asserts that, in responding for the other - in taking our neighbor as our brother - we become, in fact, his hostage. For Levinas, this is the necessary trauma of awakening. Some portions of the text are totally incomprehensible, but this is to be expected, and is part of the labor of understanding his philosophy. If you want an easy read, this is not it - hence, don't take it on the train to work!

Average customer rating:
Plum Crazy, a Book About Beach Plums
Elizabeth Post Mirel
Manufacturer: Parnassus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 094016034X

Average customer rating:
Plum Crazy: A Book About Beach Plums
Elizabeth Post Mirel
Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NOWZQA

Average customer rating:
PLUM CRAZY: A BOOK ABOUT BEACH PLUMS. Drawings by Betty Fraser
Elizabeth Post. Mirel
Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7I5UW

Average customer rating:

So Many Toasters...

This book goes in to depth about toasters and other thins

Toasters 1909-1960: A Look at the Ingenuity and Design of Toaster Makers
E. Townsend Artman
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Collector's Guide to Toasters & Accessories: Identification & Values (Collector's Guide to)

ASIN: 0887409563

Customer Reviews:

So Many Toasters..........2000-05-05

Mr. Artman has compiled a fascinating book. Painstakingly researched, light-hearted presentation. Very enjoyable reading.

This book goes in to depth about toasters and other thins.......1999-04-26

This book goes in to depth about toasters and other things i thought it was a very interesting book

Average customer rating:

Add exciting variety to your embroidery designs!

An invaluable and unique reference source!!

A unique, definitive, valuable work.

A unique, definitive, valuable work.

An invaluable and unique reference source!!

The Arco Encyclopedia of Embroidery Stitches
Anne Butler
Manufacturer: Arco Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Textile Arts | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Art of Embroidery: Inspirational Stitches, Textures, and Surfaces

ASIN: 0668047992

Customer Reviews:

Add exciting variety to your embroidery designs!.......2004-01-03

A great book, allowing you to discover exciting new ways of adding interest and variety to your embroidery designs. Here, you can choose from some five hundred individual stitches used in embroidery throughout the centuries. Each example has been worked by the author and photographed to the same scale to illustrate the complete stitch. Accompanying each photograph are clear diagrams explaining the step-by-step method of working the stitch.

An invaluable and unique reference source!!.......2003-12-30

The result of extensive research and experience, this book brings together some five hundred individual stitches used in embroidery through the centuries. Each example has been worked by the author and photographed to the same scale, illustrating the complete stitch, while additional diagrams explain step-by-step the method of working the stitch. A wonderful and very useful book!

A unique, definitive, valuable work........2003-12-24

Here is a unique work of reference for the embroiderer. As a result of extensive research and experience, Anne Butler brings together some five hundred individual stitches used in embroidery through the centuries. Each example has been worked by the author and photographed, to the same scale, to illustrate the complete stitch. Accompanying each photograph are diagrams explaining the step by step method of working the stitch. For ease of reference and identification, Anne Butler has grouped the stitches under families and these include: Line; Couchings; Stem; Running and back; Herringbone; Feather; Fly; Cretan; Buttonhole; Chain; Straight (including cross); Single Unit (such as woven wheels); Edgings; and Filling stitches. The colour plates show the working of the more complex stitches. Anne Butler (now Professor Anne Morrell) lectured at several schools and colleges before becoming Principal Lecturer and Head of the Embroidery School at Manchester Polytechnic (later Manchester Metropolitan University). Examples of her work have been exhibited all over the world, and her embroidery is much sought after by private collectors, with many items purchased for public display. This definitive encyclopedia of embroidery stitches will be of the utmost value to everybody interested in embroidery, regardless of age or ability, and it is a book which no student of embroidery, at any level, should be without.

A unique, definitive, valuable work........2001-09-21

Here is a unique work of reference for the embroiderer. As a result of extensive research and experience, Anne Butler brings together some five hundred individual stitches used in embroidery through the centuries. Each example has been worked by the author and photographed, to the same scale, to illustrate the complete stitch. Accompanying each photograph are diagrams explaining the step by step method of working the stitch. For ease of reference and identification, Anne Butler has grouped the stitches under families and these include: Line; Couchings; Stem; Running and back; Herringbone; Feather; Fly; Cretan; Buttonhole; Chain; Straight (including cross); Single Unit (such as woven wheels); Edgings; and Filling stitches. The colour plates show the working of the more complex stitches. Anne Butler (now Professor Anne Morrell) lectured at several schools and colleges before becoming Principal Lecturer and Head of the Embroidery School at Manchester Polytechnic (later Manchester Metropolitan University). Examples of her work have been exhibited all over the world, and her embroidery is much sought after by provate collectors, with many items purchased for public display. This definitive encyclopedia of embroidery stitches will be of the utmost value to everybody interested in embroidery, regardless of age or ability, and it is a book which no student of embroidery, at any level, should be without.

An invaluable and unique reference source!!.......1999-02-05

The result of extensive research and experience, this book brings together some five hundred individual stitches used in embroidery through the centuries. Each example has been worked by the author and photographed to the same scale, illustrating the complete stitch- additional diagrams explain step-by-step the method of working the stitch.

Book Description

The luxury sailing yacht--that sublime marriage of form and function--is plush yet sleek, indulgent yet built for speed. Thirteen of the very finest of these boats are displayed here, from lovingly restored schooners and cutters built in the early twentieth century to the new generation of high-tech yachts. The author, a sailor himself, discusses each boat's history and characteristics, above and belowdecks, including her origins, racing record, and more intricate explanations about her fittings and design elements. Lush photographs show the boats under sail, as well as details like the original fireplace in the nearly century-old, 147-foot Orion; the bronze blocks on Linnet's deck, re-created from designer Nathanael Herreshoff's 1904 drawings; and the Mariette's forward cockpit, resplendent with monogrammed cushions, designed to keep passengers dry during a close-hauled tack. Burnished wooden staircases leading to well-appointed cabins and orderly galleys stocked with specially inscribed silver and crockery epitomize elegance afloat.

Customer Reviews:

Thirteen of the plushest, sleekest, most inspiring yachts.......2001-06-07

Under Sail: Aboard The World's Finest Boats showcases thirteen of the plushest, sleekest, most inspiring yachts ever build for the high seas. "Yachting World" writer and sailor David Glenn's informative text is the perfect commentary for Simon McBride's superlative, full color photography. The histories of each yacht featured is provided and includes origins, racing records, and intricate explanations of appointments and design elements. An international appendix identifies shipyards, designers, charters, and specialist suppliers for any reader inspired to actually pursue the acquisition of a yacht of their own and sailing it over ocean waters.

Book Description

The Web Site Graphics series presents some of the best Web site design work being created today. Selected by designers for designers, each book in the series focuses on an important facet of graphic design online: together the collection is a terrific, affordable resource of Web site design inspiration.

Web Site Graphics: Homepage and Splashpage presents over a hundred Web sites with homepages and splashpages that work. Each design is accompanied by in-depth text examining what works and why, describing colon graphics, typography, and tables, as well as technical and design issues relating specifically to the Web. As well as featuring real Web sites which will inspire both professional and amateur designers, this book provides tricks and techniques from professional Web designers for creating homepages that make a splash.

Customer Reviews:

The series is a ripoff.......2001-08-03

I knew very well that when I bought this book it was only for inspiration. And that's all it is. But when I purchased the other book in the series "Navigation 2" site unseen, I got ... .... This book contains approximately 75% of the Splashpage book. Image for image. The people from Rockport should be ashamed for trying to pull such .... I won't even attempt to look at the rest of the series.

As far as the review. There is no "in-depth" text examining the pages. 1 paragraph of someones opinion of how it looks.

Also the publisher review states "Offers inspiration as well as informative text on the design process and tools used to achieve the final design."

Uh-no. There is no mention of design process or tools used.

This is just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Great Imagery if you're looking for inspiration.......2001-01-17

In my web design work, I'm constantly looking for ideas. This entire series of books is filled with screen shots of hundreds of interesting web sites (including URLs so you can visit the sites displayed). Text is limited to brief captions on each site. If you are looking for a "how to" book, forget this. This book is for visual inspiration and stimulation only. But's that's a big 'only'. I own perhaps a dozen books of web imagery, but this series is easily the best for the price. If you need visual inspiration for web design, you can't go wrong.

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