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Frances Shore has been warned about Saudi Arabia from the word go. En route to join her uncommunicative engineer husband, she tries to ignore the rumors and rumblings she has already heard--women can't drive, alcohol is illegal, morality regulated. But even she is surprised by the airline steward's surreal lesson. The Saudis are "too bloody secretive to have maps," he tells her. "Besides, the streets are never in the same place for more than a few weeks altogether." Frances's first morning in her new home is not quite what she might have expected. There is no telephone, and Andrew has locked the back door behind him (the previous occupant had the front door bricked up so his wife wouldn't encounter her male neighbors). It is, however, similar to the days to come, which oscillate between boredom and fear--the nights broken only by tedious business dinners and sub rosa distilling. When she is allowed outside, she is assailed by official warnings--highway signs reading "YOU ARE FAST, BUT DANGER IS FASTER," a library handout begging, "PLEASE make EVERY effort to return your books if you have to leave the Kingdom hurriedly and unexpectedly." The outside world is ominous enough, but there's also something odd going on in the apartment building: noise from the supposedly empty flat above. The title of this blackly humorous, frightening novel begins to sound like a reprieve: Frances and Andrew Shore will at least be able to leave the country after 8 months. But Hilary Mantel's final twist destroys any dreams of leaving. As one character had earlier warned: "It isn't the roads in town that are dangerous, it's the roads out."
Book Description
When Frances Shore moves to Saudi Arabia, she settles in a nondescript sublet, sure that common sense and an open mind will serve her well with her Muslim neighbors. But in the dim, airless flat, Frances spends lonely days writing in her diary, hearing the sounds of sobs through the pipes from the floor above, and seeing the flitting shadows of men on the stairwell. It’s all in her imagination, she’s told by her neighbors; the upstairs flat is empty, no one uses the roof. But Frances knows otherwise, and day by day, her sense of foreboding grows even as her sense of herself begins to disintegrate.
Customer Reviews:
Don't use this one as a reference to Saudi .......2007-03-28
If you like extremely ambiguous thrillers with an open ending that seems to indicate (only if you go back to the first page) that the heroine and her husband get offed in the end, this is fine.
However, if you're looking for information on the "real" Saudi Arabia, it's far from fine.
The claim is that Hilary Mantel lived in Saudi Arabia, but she doesn't write as if she did. I lived there for six years, and her version of expat life is nothing like what I experienced. To begin with, Jeddah is the most Westernized city in Saudi, a really happening place with lots and lots of foreigners, who enjoy life hugely and manage to skate around the restrictions without letting them get in the way. NO ONE I knew just sat in their apartment and moped! There were parties, concerts, art shows, plays, classes, picnics, camping in the desert, and fishing and swimming outings.
No legal alcohol? Home brew. Women can't drive? Tons of taxis, plus a modern bus service.
Shopping? Most of the shop assistants are from Ceylon, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Bangladesh, Phillipines, Taiwan, etc., etc. The idea that they "don't see a woman as a person" is ludicrous! Also, even Saudi men, who traditionally avert their eyes from unrelated women out of politeness, have mostly learned that Western women can and do have minds and opinions, and can be conversed with.
I had a good laugh when someone on the airplane says "Cartographers are redundant. They don't have maps." She wrote that in 1988. However, when my husband and I left in 1985, there WERE maps. We used them to drive around the country.
There are people from all over the world living in the Kingdom, in addition to Americans. Getting to know people from so many countries and cultures was an adventure by itself. My best friends while I was there were Lebanese, Mexican, Canadian and British. My husband and I were invited to visit Saudis, who were invariably as friendly and curious to know about us and our lives as we were about them. Language, by the way, is rarely a problem, as English is used as a sort of lingua franca.
In my opinion, Mantel wanted to write a thriller about a woman in a place where she couldn't depend on anything she used to know, and she chose Saudi Arabia, then cherry-picked the negative elements and exaggerated them.
If you want a more authentic view on Saudi, try "At the Drop of a Veil" by Marianne Alireza. She was probably the first American to marry a Saudi, and while she doesn't avoid the difficulties or the negative things, she also gives a wonderful view of the fascinating culture of the country, and the warmth of the Saudi family she married into.
Lost in Jedda . . ........2007-03-20
Mantel's book brings to mind the films "Blow-Up" and "The Conversation," in which evidence of some kind of malfeasance is discovered by an otherwise innocent observer, then takes on a life of its own, while the observer is swept up in a growing tide of paranoia. The narrator in this chilling novel is a woman whose husband has taken a job in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, in the 1980s. Husband and wife are immediately submerged in a culture far different from any they've known, where appearance and reality are seldom clear and fear and rumor dominate their lives.
Trapped in the claustrophobic flat provided by her husband's employer, the narrator comes to suspect that the empty flat above her is not empty at all. Looking for clues to the real nature of its use, she comes to know the wives of two other men who live in the building, who try to dismiss her concerns while reassuring her that the restrictive role of women in this Muslim country is quite reasonable, and repeating to her firmly held beliefs about the West that are wild exaggerations and outright myths. As suspicion points in every direction, the reader begins to doubt the veracity of everyone, including the other western expatriates who make up the central character's social circle.
Finally, the novel is a discourse on the impossibility of discovering the truth, especially when covering it up or ignoring it serves the interests of enough people. Meanwhile, it finds much to say about gender politics, whether under the dictates of Islam or the double standards still to be found in the democratic West. This is a page-turner that is also sharply written. Its characters are vividly created and the dialogue among them is often withering. Not likely to be embraced by Saudi readers, it portrays the Kingdom in ways that are far from flattering. Readers of this book may also be interested in Peter Theroux' memoir, "Sandstorms: Days and Nights in Arabia."
Interesting, although less so when you realize it is only a novel!.......2006-04-09
I picked up this book, the cover photo on the one I read was very similar to the one of Sally Field on "Not Without My Daughter". About a third of the way through the book I suddenly realized it was a novel -however, it is still a good read.
Frances is a British woman of the world, she has travelled well, lived in Africa for over five years and worked as a cartographer (maps). Her husband is a civil engineer and when work is drying up, he is offered a job in Saudi Arabia.
Frances can't work and needs to follow the laws of Islam, down to dressing modestly, and quickly becomes incredibly bored. Meanwhile, in between reading her crime novels she is sure she can hear sobbing coming from the empty apartment upstairs...
I thought the book was interesting, but would have enjoyed it more is the woman of the book didn't immediatly retreat into herself and become so much like the women she wanted to not be like. A complete drip, who occasionally came out of her shell to act modern and feisty with her questions. Just a bit predictable -having said that the ending was a shocker and I read every page to the end. Well written and interesting.
The dark at the top of the stairs.......2004-11-21
Frances Shore is a worldly, well-traveled woman, who would never entertain paranoia. When her husband is posted to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 1984, after their last few years in Africa, the couple has no idea of the cultural adjustments that await them, but look forward to a new city and its opportunities. In Saudi Arabia, the Europeans make a useful contribution to the infrastructure of a country with a surplus of oil and wealth. Happy to oblige for spectacular remuneration, the men are not nearly as constricted as the few wives who accompany their husbands.
Living quarters are provided through the construction company Andrew Shore has contracted with, as well as a daily stipend and a set of rules unlike any in their experience.
Before the journey, Frances educates herself about the country where she will reside, understanding the complex cultural and religious differences of this new posting. What she isn't prepared for is the emotional toll of living in a repressed society, the streets patrolled by vigilant religious police. Increasing her uneasiness, watchful, mocking eyes follow her every move. Curiosity is fleeting to those who live in the Kingdom; not all information is available, but foreigners will be told whatever they are allowed to know.
Much is forbidden and it is imperative not to offend the host country. Their apartment complex is surrounded by walls blocking any view of the outside world; women cannot drive, but must be driven by a male. At the mercy of such restrictions, Fran draws inward, conscious of those who live in the building but are never seen, watching and listening. Thus begins an assault on Fran's senses; in her hyper-vigilant state, Fran becomes convinced that something sinister is going on in the empty apartment above theirs. "First unease and then fear become her habitual state of mind."
Mantel has masterfully created a psychological thriller that takes root Frances's first day on Ghazzah Street. Surrounded by oppressive silence and mysterious comings and goings, Frances Shore is more than a victim of her own fears and delusions, a reality that time and tragedy will bear out. It isn't that no one wants to listen to Frances' concerns; rather, they are fearful for their own safety, trying to maintain a delicate balance in a host country intolerant of Western arrogance, contemptuous of Western values. Eventually, even Andrew Shore is forced to admit that not everything is as it seems. The Shores have one last hurdle: no one leaves the Kingdom without permission. Luan Gaines/2004.
No Place For A Woman...Or For A Man Either.......2004-09-25
British citizen Frances Shore accompanies her husband to his new job in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The author, Hilary Mantel, lived there herself for five years, so the reader can place some trust in her description of life there. Frances stay home in their little apartment, and cleans, and watches the giant cockroaches who also live there. A cartographer by profession, she really has no hope of working while living in the Kingdom. The heat is oppressive, and the air is full of blowing dust. All the expatriates make beer and wine in their bathtub because liquor is a big no-no. You never call the police about anything because you might end up in jail yourself. Traffic is horrible, and if you are in an accident you better have enough cash on hand to bribe your way out trouble with the police. When in the store with your husband the clerks will only speak with him, as you, the wife, don't exist. Frances is not timid, and sometimes walks the streets alone, which causes every male driver to shout obscenities at her as he drives by.
So far it's an interesting sort of travelogue story, but something sinister seems to be developing in a supposedly unused apartment directly above the Shore's flat. Then there are her new neighbor friends, a Saudi couple, and a Pakistani family. Are they somehow involved in the strange goings on? A tale that so far has been about women and their adaptation to the rigors of Saudi life now turns into a thriller.
Hilary Mantel writes intelligent novels, and is known for her sometimes black humor. This novel is particularly interesting because of the locale. On finishing it you will probably immediately cross Saudi Arabia off your list of places to visit.
Book Description
In this third novel in her acclaimed Tears of Artamon saga, Sarah Ash once again transports readers to a realm where sorcery collides with political intrigue...and where one man haunted by a dark legacy is locked in a fierce struggle between the forces of good and evil battling for supremacy within him....
Gavril Nagarian is believed dead–perished in the heat of battle. But the Lord Drakhaon of Azhkendir lives on. Now he is entrusted with a sacred mission: to rescue the aged Magus, who has been kidnapped and in whose possession are the five priceless rubies that compose the fabled Tears of Artamon. Ancient law decrees that whoever possesses the coveted stones has the power to impose his rule over the five princedoms in the Empire of New Rossiya.
But the task exacts a cost. The Drakhaoul that destroyed his forebears has penetrated Gavril’s psyche and is gaining power over his soul. With the dark forces inside him seeking immortality, Gavril must feed on the blood of innocents–or die.
Toppled by the loss of the Tears of Artamon, Emperor Eugene of Tielen is tormented by his own daemon. Now he must defend his lands against King Enguerrand of Francia, who claims ownership of the Tears. But both men share a common goal: to destroy Gavril Nagarian and the Drakhaoul that lives within him once and for all.
Ingenious and unforgettable,
Children of the Serpent Gate delivers a thrilling conclusion to the epic trials of a man of honor in a world run amok–a calamity that can be laid to rest only by an Emperor’s Tears.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Children of the Serpent Gate.......2006-11-01
Children of the Serpent Gate is a rollicking tale of dragons, dastardly deeds, magic and love. Sarah Ash did an excellent job weaving fantastical creatures, colorful characters, and incredible adventures into one volume of great entertainment.
Obsessed With a Mission.......2006-10-26
Children of the Serpent Gate (2005) is the third Fantasy novel in the Tears of Artamon trilogy, following Prisoner of the Iron Tower. In the previous volume, Gavril Nagarian once more became possessed by a daemon and escaped his prison. Emperor Eugene traveled with Magus Linnaius to Ty Nagar, where he became possessed by another daemon. Astasia fled from Mirom with her daemon possessed brother Andrei. Kiukiu barely escaped from the Realm of Shadows. And the Francian fleet sailed to invade Tielen.
In this novel, Kiukiu finds herself an old woman from her extended stay in the Shadow Realm. She learns that Gavril is still alive, despite Linnaius's declarations, but she cannot bear his gaze; she is OLD. When she falls asleep from Malusha's draught, Gavril questions her grandmother about Linnaius's elixir of youth.
Later, Gavril finds himself holding a dead woman in his arms. Once again, Khezef has taken blood from a young gullible girl. Gavril abhors the practice, yet does nothing to dissociate himself from the daemon.
Pavel Velamir is taken as a spy by Iovan Kirneli, but Minister Vashteli saves him for the information he holds. She puts him to work as her interpreter and he is also told to listen to the private conversations of the Francians. Then Pavel sees Raisa Kirneli wearing a mourning dress.
Kaspar Linnaius wakes aboard ship. Using his air magery, he raises a storm to free him from the ship, but Celestine binds his magic with a spell. Later, Linnaius is delivered to the Commanderie, tried for his practice of heretical and forbidden arts, and convicted of these crimes. He is sentenced to burning at the stake.
The Emperor Eugene checks his appearance in the mirror before his meeting with the Francian ambassador. Since he has been possessed by the daemon Belberith, the scars and proud flesh have vanished. When the ambassador arrives, Eugene demands the return of the Tears of Artamon. The ambassador refuses and Eugene dismisses him. Apparently diplomacy isn't working, so the Tears will have to be retrieved in another way.
Tielen Captain Nils Lindgren learns that an unusually large number of pilgrims have gone to the Monastery of Saint Sergius. He asks Sosia whether a festival in honor the saint is being held at this time, but she replies in the negative. Lindgren approaches Bogatyr Askold with a request that the Drakhaon's druzhina investigate this anomaly and detain anyone acting suspiciously. Askold insists that his men be armed and Lindgren agrees.
Doctor Frieda Hildegarde has been sent by the Emperor to the Monastery of Saint Sergius to research the lives of Artamon's sons. She finds a puzzling reference to the sons being possessed by daemons and becoming puppets to their demonic masters. Also, Artamon had ordered the archimandrite Sergius to send these daemons back to the Realm of Shadows even if his sons must perish.
The Empress Astasia enters the chateau at Belle Garde with her brother Andrei. Andrei is possessed by the daemon Adramelech, but is being manipulated by Queen Alienor, the Francian King's mother. As Astasia is attempting to escape, Andrei leads the guards who stop her.
In this story, daemons possess King Enguerrand of Francia, Prince Oskar, Gavril, Andrei and Eugene. Now all five once more have human hosts. Is the end of the world soon to come?
Recommended for Sarah Ash fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of daemonic possession, political intrigue and selfless love.
-Arthur W. Jordin
Satisfying ending to a great trilogy.......2006-10-19
"Children of the Serpent Gate" is the satisfying final installment of Sarah Ash's fantasy trilogy, the Tears of Artamon series.
In this book, the Drakhaouls have been released to due to Eugene's quest for magical power. The Drakhaouls, once summoned by former emperor Artamon's five sons, seek out his descendants in order to unleash their personal plan, while the current princes are busy with their own political power games.
Ash moves along her complex plot at a breakneck pace, with side stories (such as Kiukiu's search for a fountain of youth in a distant land) being introduced and then neatly wrapped up with few conflicts. Since the main story involving the Drakhaouls and the descendants of Artamon was much more intriguing, I didn't mind that - there were so many side stories that to flesh them out more would probably have bogged the entire novel down.
I did have trouble placing one of her characters. Ash reintoduces Oskar Alvborg, who becomes a major player in this book. But since we only met him briefly in Book One, it might take readers a while to figure out who he is and how he relates to the other characters. I know it did for me. Spending most of the novel asking myself, "Who IS he?" (and of course, not wanting to go back to the other books to reference the name) detracted a little from my enjoyment of the book. Since I've read the books in succession (it wasn't that long ago that I finished book one!) it might have been nice to see more of him in Book Two, so readers know he's a bigger character than he first seems to be.
Ash leaves enough loose ends that a sequel might prove interesting, but they're not so huge as to compromise the actual ending.
Overall, a great book and trilogy.
The finale...well done!.......2006-08-11
A good conclusion to this excellent fantasy trilogy.
Well written and easy to read, I found this book had just about everything one could ask for in a good (bordering on great) fantasy story; that being love, deceit, unexpected twists and turns, creatures and people with special talents and of course a liberal dose of magic sprinkled through out the entire novel.
The Pros:
a.)There was substantial character development through out the entire series, and not just the main characters. The good guys had some faults and the bad guys usually had a few redeeming traits.
b.)Multiple, complex and convoluted story lines; just when things seem to be leveling out something else happens to reshape the scheme of things
The Cons:
a.)I found it easy to get a little confused at times because of the number of twists and turns that occurred, especially in the third book.
b.)Kuikui...I found that Kuikui's trips to the nether world to save children a bit too frequent and repetitious; even more annoying was the fact that she had to be rescued herself on several occasion by others.
c.)And last, I took one star off the rating because, as one of the others reviewers noted, the later third of this book seemed really rushed; so many loose ends and major battles hurriedly finished off in the last 25 or so pages. Maybe the author was getting tired (or had publishing deadlines) and just wanted to finished.
A good finale for this trilogy; it is an extremely interesting and complex fantasy adventure. Recommended!
4 Stars.
The tears flow..........2006-03-28
I have to say, I am sad it's over. Sarah Ash has given me many hours of good reading and I cherished them all. This book I found a little different than the previous two in that things were moving along at a standard pace and the next thing you know; bam, bam, bam, it's over. It seemed like she just decided it was time to finish it, so she did. Don't get me wrong I loved it, but I felt like she left a few things out. Sarah hasn't really kept any secrets in the books and when she did they were eventually revealed. Not the case with this book unfortunately. Perhaps I missed it, but I want to know what happened with Kaspar Linnaius. Heck, I'd like to see a book about nothing but him. I hope Sarah continues to write quality material like she has, if she does..... I'll read em'. I would suggest putting an extra fifty pages in to finish the book and give us the imagery and story we love and honestly for reading the two previous books...deserve.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent and thought provoking series.......2001-10-20
These books depict a journey both physical and spiritual. The hero, Rikardon, and his partner Tarani make many discoveries about themselves and the world they inhabit. Many of the discoveries are a surprise and I won't give them away.
Suffice to say this series is very well written with well fleshed out characters (both human and non), a good historical background woven into the story, and a fast paced and detailed storyline which makes the book(s) hard to put down. They should not be out of print.
Exceptionally good read.......2000-04-07
My husband and i, always avid scifi readers, devoured all seven of these books in the early 1980's. At that time, these books .. this story .. were among the most satisfying i had ever read (that august catagory includes the likes of Tolkien's stuff, the Dune books, etc). We moved recently and in the process of readying ourselves for that upheaval, we went through the bookcases and tossed books we'll never open again (gasp! heresy! ). During that process, however, i came across these books and sank to the carpet, caught immediately. Now i'm fully immersed in this world again and lost in this great story.
I can't believe they're out of print. That's just wrong.
Simply astounding.......2000-02-26
All seven of this wonderful series will keep you intrigued. Full of mystery, color and wonderfully sarcastic cats, the surprise ending with shock you. I never saw it coming and in a day where everything is so cut and dry, something as creative as this is a diamond in the rough. I was lucky enough to find all seven book at a half price book store and was shocked to now discover them out of print. These series should be on the shelves for ages to come.
Absolutely perplexing...A book that really makes you wonder........1999-10-26
A exceptionally well written book dealing with the ever befuddling question of "where do we come from?" Or better yet, "What happens if..?". If you are a person that likes to think about such things, you will really enjoy this book. It is told in the context of a fantasy story, but the basic underlying concepts and ideas are there. A wonderfully spun story of dealing with self-discovery and with circumstances beyond control.
A series that will never get bumped from my bookshelves!.......1999-09-10
I picked up the first volume in a yard sale, and couldn't put it down. The entire series is amongst my most treasured titles, and I feel lucky to have found them all. PLEASE re-release these titles (preferably all in one hardcover) so others can enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Smaller Churches are the Right Size.......2004-09-22
This should be required reading for pastors and members of churches with less than 100 members. No, make that indispensable reading material for churches of all sizes. So often churches struggle to grow when they are already the right size. With affirmation, Dr. Ray guides the reader to understand and finally appreciate the beauty and benfits of the small church. Let this book be your guide to a healthier church.
Integrates Theory, Theology, and Practice.......2004-07-24
The Indispensable Guide for Smaller Churches is one of those rare books that successfully integrate theory, theology, and practice. While it may not be indispensable, it is a truly valuable resource for ministers and lay leaders in smaller congregations.
David Ray clearly loves smaller churches. This is not one of those books that try to turn smaller churches into larger churches, or to use one of Ray's analogies, to "try to turn a Volkswagen into a Winnebago." Instead, this book will help make smaller churches into better churches regardless of size.
In the first three chapters, Ray lays a solid foundation for the rest of the book. First, he provides thumbnail sketches of 20 smaller congregations. These churches serve as examples throughout the rest of the book. Second, Ray outlines his theological perspective. In general, Ray is a moderate-to-liberal Christian. As it applies to smaller churches, he emphasizes concepts of Christian community and the immanence of God. Third, Ray surveys and critiques several theoretical perspectives that inform the study of smaller churches. Ray's own theoretical contribution is a list of 30 characteristics common to smaller churches.
The middle four chapters focus on what Ray sees as the four key tasks of a church: worship, education, caring, and mission. Ray provides both general principles and concrete suggestions for small churches to improve in each of these areas. He also references his own experience and the experiences of smaller congregations described earlier.
The final four chapters focus on some special concerns of smaller churches: morale, growth, finances, and leadership. Ray considers morale to be the most important factor influencing the success of smaller churches. Growth is seen as an outgrowth of a healthy church, rather than an end in itself, and Ray provides some suggestions for healthy church growth. In tackling the difficult issue of affording to be a small church, Ray provides solid advice and a multitude of alternatives. Finally, Ray considers several alternatives for leadership: full time ministers, part time ministers, bivocational ministers, lay pastors, and lay teams.
Overall, I found the writing style to be lively, even inspirational. Ray writes with the conviction of someone who has been successful as a small church pastor and who has loved nearly every minute of it. Yet, for all its inspirational character, this is still a highly practical book. It is filled with processes, resources, and concrete suggestions just waiting to be discussed and implemented by smaller congregations. If you help lead a small congregation, as clergy or layperson, I highly recommend The Indispensable Guide for Smaller Churches.
Ray is currently the pastor of First Congregational Church in San Rafael, CA and has over thirty years of experience with smaller churches. He has written several books on the subject: Small Churches Are the Right Size (1982), The Big Small Church Book (1992), and Wonderful Worship in Smaller Churches (2000). Some material from the previous books is repeated or expanded upon here.
Book Description
The old adage "you are what you eat" may be more accurate than anyone could have ever imagined. This unprecedented interdisciplinary effort by scholars in primatology, biological anthropology, archaeology, nutrition, psychology, agricultural economics, and cultural anthropology suggests that there is a systematic theory behind why humans eat what they eat.
Includes discussions ranging in time from prehistory to the present, and from the most simple societies to the most complex, including South American Indian groups, African hunter-gatherers, and countries such as India, Bangladesh, Peru, and Mexico.
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The Best of Costume Jewelry (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Nancy Schiffer , and
Tim Scott
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Children's Books
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ASIN: 0764300016 |
Book Description
A fascinating look at many of the most beautiful costume jewelry pieces made since the 1940s is presented with full color photographs. In chapters arranged chronologically, the jewelry is seen to reflect the changing retail market and manufacturing changes in materials, techniques, and colors. An introduction was written by Lawrence Feldman of Fior in London. The effects of popular heroes and competition are seen to have shaped the costume jewelry industry. The jewelry of such well-known manufacturers as Boucher, Coro, Christian Dior, Grosse, Jomaz, Kramer of New York, Mitchell Maer, Trifari, and many others are displayed and a separate price guide is included. The book portrays the affordable opulence and sheer beauty of costume jewelry.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Westchester County Business Journal, published by Westfair Communications, Inc. on November 4, 2002. The length of the article is 540 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Diamonds still a girl's best friend. (Focus: The Bridal Industry).
Author: David J. Glenn
Publication:
Westchester County Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 4, 2002
Publisher: Westfair Communications, Inc.
Volume: 41
Issue: 44
Page: 19(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Navajo wedding baskets and Apache water baskets; sweetgrass and black ash splint baskets from New York State; rattan hanging baskets from Bangladesh; raffia embroidery from China; Japanese bamboo openwork; Berber baskets from Morocco; Zulu coiled pots; rope-rim baskets from Catalonia; black maple from Hungary; birch-bark strips from Finland; picnic baskets from France; horsehair from Chile; plaited yucca from Mexico...Baskets, with their simplicity and versatility, have survived the rise and fall of all the world's great civilizations. So functional that they were once taken for granted, today they are collected and displayed for their elegance, the decorative power of their immemorial patterns, the respect of their makers for natural materials, and—not least—their affordability. While basketmaking as a living art and craft has an extensive modern literature, this is the first book to provide a worldwide survey, revealing common solutions to design and construction within a dazzling range of styles. The book is organized into five principal sections, containing over eighty individual topics, each richly illustrated.
• Materials: from bamboo and bark, rattan and rushes, to palms and grasses and leaf fibers.
• Techniques: from twining and plaiting to coiling, linking, and looping.
• Decoration: from natural colors and dyes to embroidery and embellishment.
• Everyday basketry: from cradles, fishing, and storage to rites of passage.
• Wider applications: from art to hats, architecture to transport.
With over 800 illustrations of baskets and basketry, a guide to collecting, a glossary, information on where to see baskets, and a bibliography, this survey will prove essential for anyone concerned with art, craft, decorative objects, and interior design. 830 illustrations, 697 in color.
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Natural Style: Decorating Approaches for a Pure, Simple Home
Lindsay Porter
Manufacturer: Lorenz Books
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1859675921 |
Book Description
You can improve your Website's results by designing its pages to accommodate your visitors' perceptions, preferences, and communication processes. Keep them interested and make it easy for them to understand your message, and they tend to stay longer and respond favorably. Appropriately designed pages help do that.
According to one Internet expert, poor Web design cost e-businesses three billion dollars in lost sales in 1999. Web technology is a recent development, and the Internet has modified some people's behaviors to some extent. However, human nature has been essentially the same for thousands of years, and all of us still operate with the same communication processes humans have always used.
The time-tested principles still work, and they are essential to effective Web design - especially the 57 principles Influencing with Integrity on the Internet identifies. Using those principles, the 128-page book clearly explains and demonstrates 57 specific, easy-to-follow steps to designing a Web page most likely to engage your visitors' interest and impart your message in ways they can easily understand and respond to. Simple exercises guide you through the steps, and you can see each step illustrated on a picture of an actual Web page.
For readers who want in-depth explanations of the principles, the book has an extensive bibliography of key references in advertising, anatomy, physiology and neurology, brain skills, business, color and type, creativity, graphics, linguistics, marketing, negotiation, neurolinguisics, philosophy, psychology, sales, sociology, systems theory, and training and development.
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Anarchist cinema
Alan Lovell
Manufacturer: Gordon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Performing Arts
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ASIN: 0879681896 |
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Complete Jean Vigo Zero for Conduct Latalante
Jean Vigo
Manufacturer: HarperCollins (paper)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0856470716 |
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Ecrits sur le cinema, suivi de memoires (Collection Institut Jean Vigo)
Jacques de Baroncelli
Manufacturer: Institut Jean Vigo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: 2906027073 |
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Jean Vigo
Paulo Sales Gomes
Manufacturer: Circe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Entertainment
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Women
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Spanish
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General
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General
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Entretenimiento
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| Artes de Actuación
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| Humor
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General
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| Artes de Actuación
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Comediantes
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Mujeres
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Estudios de los Medios de Comunicación
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ASIN: 8477651663 |
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Jean Vigo
P.E. Salles Gomes
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000K7GE0I |
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Jean Vigo
John M Smith
Manufacturer: PRAEGER PUBLISHERS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WE36ZA |
Average customer rating:
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Jean Vigo
P. E. Salles Gomes
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Performing Arts
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General
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ASIN: 0520016769 |
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Jean Vigo (Collection Cinema classique)
Pierre Lherminier
Manufacturer: Lherminier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
Performing Arts
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General
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French
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ASIN: 2862440302 |
Books:
- Erotic Anthology: Bedtime Stories (Indigo After Dark)
- Exactly What Happened
- Family and Other Accidents: A Novel
- Flyboy Action Figure Comes with Gasmask
- Gilligan's Wake: A Novel
- Grow Old Along with Me : The Best Is Yet to Be
- Hollywood Wives - The New Generation
- Human Oddities: Stories
- In The Gloaming: Stories
- Jardin des Plantes: A Novel
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