Flood: A Romance of Our Time (Voices of the South)

Flood: A Romance of Our Time (Voices of the South)
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A Marathon of Poetry and Humanity

Flood: A Romance of Our Time (Voices of the South)
Robert Penn Warren
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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World Enough and Time (Voices of the South)

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ASIN: 0807129186

Customer Reviews:

A Marathon of Poetry and Humanity.......2004-11-04

This is the third Robert Penn Warren book that I've read. The first was All The King's Men, followed by At Heaven's Gate. If I were to rank them, ATKM would be first followed by Flood then AHG.

If you're familiar with Robert Penn Warren's writing you will know that it is rich in poetry and deep in meaning. His characters have profound ideas and there is a large scope of understanding within which they express themselves. In this book more than in his other two that I've read, RPW's storyline is driven by his characters and their interactions and less from a sense of action and plot. While I don't clamor for a detective-style fueled-up page ripper, I think giving the story a bit more of an internal engine would have eased the demands on this novel's sometimes fatiguing characters.

The main idea and plot begin with a town that is being flooded to make room for a dam. After reading over breakfast a newspaper article about these plans, a famous filmmaker comes to the little town of Fiddlersburg to make a film. He is joined by one of Fiddlersburg's more famous progeny, and the local reunites with his roots.

The book brings us to understand that this little town breeds a dispossessed clan who cannot make connections with the outside world but are never free from the self-consciousness of their own insularity.

Flood could be one of the best books of our time. I say that it *could* because I found the book to be flawed in some respects. At times it was too opaque and idle in its dreamy meditation of the characters' experience and circumstance. Yet I got to know the importance of Place from which people come and continue to grow, and I felt a tangible loss as this connection was lifted away and the waters rose and the people began to lament. I think this is a great comment on modernity.

RPW has written another long and very good book.

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FLOOD, A ROMANCE OF OUR TIMES

Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IK40YE

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Flood : A Romance of Our Time
Robert Penn Warren
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RPWYIE

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Flood a Romance of Our Time
Robert Penn Warren
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NPPGBA

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Flood: A Romance of Our Time
Robert Penn Warren
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NSFQ62

Flood a Romance of Our Time 1ST Edition Signed

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Flood a Romance of Our Time 1ST Edition Signed
Robert Penn Warren
Manufacturer: RANDOM HOUSE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PV13QY

Issola (Vlad)
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Not Free SF Reader

Vlad Taltos story number nine

Yet Another Excellent Read

It took nine to get it right

everything I love about Brust
Issola (Vlad)
Steven Brust
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Brust, Steven | ( B ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Dragon (Vlad)

The Book of Athyra

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Dzur (Vlad)

Sethra Lavode (V of A)

ASIN: 0812589173

Book Description

Okay, so maybe I've been living in the woods too long, where you can't even get a decent cup of klava first thing in the morning. So who should turn up but Lady Teldra, the courtly servant of my old friend the Dragonlord Morrolan?Teldra wants my help, because Morrolan and Aliera have disappeared, and according to Sethra Lavode, it looks like they may be in the hands of the Jenoine. Do I want to mess with them? The guys who made this place? And I thought I had problems before....Oh well, what's a little cosmic battle with beings who control time and space? It's better than hunkering down in the woods without even so much as a drinkable cup of klava.

Customer Reviews:

Not Free SF Reader.......2007-09-03

Vlad is still on the lam, when, to his surprise, the Lady Teldra turns up. Aliera and Morrolan have vanished, and the high and mighty of Dragaera again need Vlad's help. They go off to visit the mightiest, Sethra Lavode.

They trace Morrolan thanks to Spellbreaker, and find out the Jenoine have him. When Teldra tries to make a deal, they agree. They are happy to let them go, as long as Vlad kills the goddess Verra.

In this book, we learn the nature of reality and why Dragaera exists, and the forces that are at work around it.

The book ends in a serious battle, as the gods, Sethra, Vlad, Morrolan, Teldra and others have to face the Jenoine, and the battle doesn't go too well, in one respect.

Vlad does gain a Great Weapon.

Vlad Taltos story number nine.......2007-01-31

In which Vlad gets caught up in a battle between Gods ...

This highly entertaining comic fantasy novel is number nine in the story of Vladimir Taltos. It is set shortly after "Orca" and is immediately followed by "Dzur."

If you have not previously read any of Steven Brust's "Vlad Taltos" novels or "Khaavren" romances, they are all set in a world of magic, where there are several intelligent species, including two types of men and women. Humans like ourselves are usually referred to as "Easterners," the other type of men and women call themselves humans but are usually referred to in the books as "Dragaerans" or occasionally as Elves. Dragaerans are much taller than humans, live 2,000 to 3,000 years or so, and then after death are eligible for reincarnation provided they have not annoyed a God too much or had their soul destroyed by a "Morganti" weapon or a "Great Weapon."

Morganti weapons are used between mortals when they are really angry with someone because they don't just kill you, but destroy your soul. "Great Weapons," are particularly deadly Morganti weapons which can even kill Gods. Tradition said that there are exactly seventeen Great Weapons.

In one of the earlier books, a powerful magician makes an ambiguous remark to Vlad, suggesting that he both is and isn't carrying a Great Weapon. Baffled Vlad asks if a partular item is a Great Weapon and gets the reply "Not Yet." In "Issola" we find out what this cryptic remark meant.

All Dragaerans belong to one of seventeen "Great Houses" named after animals of the fantasy world in which the novels are set. Nine of the ten novels featuring Vlad Taltos, including "Issola" are named after one of these great houses, usually also featuring a member of that house in a prominent role: if Steven Brust is planning to write a novel for each house we are about half way through the series.

Most of the great houses also have a preferred occupation. For examples: "Dragons" and "Dzurlords" are soldiers, "Tecla" are peasants, "Chreotha" are merchants, "Orcas" are sailors, pirates or - wait for it - bankers, and "Jhereg" are gangsters or assassins. Issola seem to be butlers, stewards etc: the Issola who gives her house name to this book is Lady Teldra, who is Lord Morrolan's seneschal and who is one of the nicest people in any of the Dragaeran novels.

The hero, Baronet Vladimir Taltos, is an assassin and minor sorcerer, who used to be a prominent crimelord within House Jhereg, but is now on the run from them after developing an unfortunate case of principles, which he tries very hard to hide. He has two companions, Loiosh and Rocza who are actual Jhereg - that is to say, they are small intelligent flying reptiles.

Taltos narrates these stories with a wonderful dry wit which is one of the best aspects of the novels.

Stven Brust makes some attempt to recognise that some readers might be new to this book and not have read the previous novels in the series. This does not IMHO make it a good idea to start with this book, but it is still sometimes useful in helping previous readers who don't have a memory like a computer to follow the complex plot. Those who have not read the previous books will still probably find "Issola" hard going.

Be warned, it is also quite a sad story - the ending is much more downbeat than any of the other Vlad Taltos books.

The books are not written in a regular chronological sequence: for example, the fourth novel, "Taltos" is a prequel set before the main action of any of the others, and Dragon, number eight by publication order is the second in chronological sequence, mostly set just after "Taltos." Indeed, Issola and the following book, Dzur, are currently the only ones which occupy the same place in publication and chronological order.

You will get most out of these books if you read them in something close to the "official" order.

If you are interested in these books, my recommendation would be to start with either the first book written, "Jhereg" or the chronologically first book, "Taltos." If you then decide to read the rest, I recommend that you follow something like the order the books were published. Here is a list of the books in publication order, with the chronological place of the main action of each book in brackets after:

1) Jhereg (4th)
2) Yendi (3rd)
3) Tecla (5th)
4) Taltos (1st)
5) Phoenix (6th)
6) Athyra (7th)
7) Orca (8th)
8) Dragon (2nd)
9) Issola (9th)
10) Dzur (10th).

If you enjoy the Taltos novels, you might be interested in another sequence of books which Steven Brust has set in the same country, but quite a few centuries earlier. These are something between a parody and a homage to the novels of Alexandre Dumas. He's called them the "Khaavren Romances" after the central character of the first two novels, who corresponds very closely to D'Artagnan. Obviously none of the human characters overlap, but some of the Dragaerans do: Khaavren himself meets Vlad briefly in "Tecla" and has a sort of offstage cameo in the Vlad Taltos book "Orca." Two of the major characters in the Taltos novels, Sethra Lavode and Lord Morrolan of Castle Black, are also important enough in the Khaavren novels to have books named after them.

The five Khaavren romances, in sequence, are

1) "The Phoenix Guards" (equivalent to "The Three Musketeers")
2)"Five Hundred Years After" (equivalent to "Twenty years after")

Then a trilogy "The Viscount of Adrilankha" (e.g. "The Count of Monte Cristo") which comprises

3) The Paths of the Dead
4) The Lord of Castle Black
5) Sethra Lavode

Overall I found both the "Taltos" novels and the "Khaavren Romances" very entertaining: I recommend both series and this book.

Yet Another Excellent Read.......2007-01-08

Mr. Brust is one of my favorite author's, and "Issola" does not disappoint.

It took nine to get it right.......2006-08-17

Don't get me wrong I love his work, but the story line jumps around so much it can be a bit frustrating. Now back to whats truly important, Issola. Book nine brings a closing to all your questions except for maybe one. This book is splendid I couldn't put it down. 24 hours well spent.

everything I love about Brust.......2006-06-01

While this book is a mild departure from his other books about vlad, the sensitive assasin, I find myself reading it over and over, but then again, I'ver read many of his books may times and still manage to appreciate and discover new witty humor and treats that go undiscoverd.

For some reason brust reminds me of quintin tarenteno movies where the dialog amd character interacton plays the leading role to the plot, which is still entertaining as it answeres questions as quickly as it opens others.

All in all a wonderfull addition to a wonderfull collection of novels written in my preference of the frst person, filled with both verbal and physical swordplay.

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Dragon & Issola
Steven Brust
Manufacturer: SFBC Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Dzur (Vlad)
The Book of Athyra
The Book of Taltos
The Book of Jhereg (Vlad Taltos)
Sethra Lavode (V of A)

ASIN: 0739420313

Product Description

Celebrated as one of fantasy's freshest and liveliest voices, Steven Brust is perhaps best know for his witty and wildly popular swashbuckling tales Jhereg, Yendi, and Teckla, in which assassin and crimlord Vlad Taltos struggles to make a living int he perilous Empire of the Dragaerans. Now, in one handy volume, are the two newest adventures of Vlad Taltos, human in a world of near-immortal Dragaeran "elfs," witch and telepathic partner to the winged-lizard Loiosh. Dragon tells the story htat has bedeviled Vlad's fans for years: how a self-respecting assassin ended up as a soldier on the losing side of the famous Battle of Baritt's Tomb -- an apocalyptic war between two sorcerous armies. Since Vlad much prefers the shadows to daylight, and a knife in the back to massed magical battle, you know the answer involves the words "kicking and screaming"... Issola finds an older and slightly wiser Vlad on the run from his employers, the house of jhereg, over the small matter of a double-cross. Unfortunately, he's going to wish he had only the jhereg to worry about, since two of his most powerful friends have been kidnapped by teh Jenoine -- the enigmatic race that may have created the Dragaerans hundreds of thousands of years ago and who are masters of time and space itself. And if that's not enough, the Jenoine apparently want to hire Vlad to kill a God....

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Issola
Steven Brust
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTNKR2

Dogs of Truth: New and Uncollected Stories
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Horror with a Twist

Too Cute

Dogs of Truth: New and Uncollected Stories
Kit Reed
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reed, Kit | ( R ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Thinner Than Thou

The Prisoner Pear: Stories from the Lake

ASIN: 0765314142
Release Date: 2005-08-11

Book Description

Kit Reed is one of modern science fictions most striking voices; her latest novel, Thinner Than Thou, was acclaimed in both the mainstream and science fiction press. Dogs of Truth presents seventeen new or previously uncollected short stories by a writer The New York Times Book Review hails as visionary. Three brand new stories are the centerpiece of Dogs of Truth. They tell of the Grand Opening of the worlds largest mega-mall, study the relationship of a writer and his muse in Getting it Back, and take a dark look at the child-free lifestyle in The Shop of Little Horrors. Stories never-before published in book form include High Rise High, about a student revolt at the ultimate secure high school; Focus Group, where a star-struck fan and cutting edge biochips dictate what the rest of us see on TV; Escape from Shark Island, where Attachment Parenting and the family bed are taken to extremes; and Precautions, in which germ-phobia reigns supreme.

Customer Reviews:

Horror with a Twist.......2007-04-14

Ordinarily, when reading a book of short stories in the horror genre, the more normal the lead-in and middle of the story, the more horrible the ending. The reader comes to expect this, anticipate it, and therefore, discount it. Not so with these stories. Ms. Reed still manages to surprise the reader with the twists at the end, or the way in which the "normal" part draws you in, only to shock in the wrap up. Based on her short stories, Ms. Reed is an excellent author, and this is a much better than "normal" book of short stories.

Too Cute.......2007-01-13

A few in this book are gems but most are a little too cute and contrived.
Keep this as a "C" List selection.

Book Description

America's most collected living artist reveals how the creative process can provide a path to greater spiritual awareness. Drawing on his personal experiences and insights on the artistic process, renowned 'Painter of Light' Thomas Kinkade offers this unique and inspiring prescription to help readers deepen their daily spiritual journey and turn everyday tasks into a meaningful expression of God's goodness. Through a series of enjoyable exercises and personal anecdotes, THEARTOFCREATIVE LIVING teaches not only artists, but everyone, how to 'live in the light of creativity' by thoughtfully applying creative intention to the real-world challenges of family, worship and faith, fitness, conflict, and relationships. Filled with uplifting advice that's accompanied by 40 four-color images of Thomas Kinkade's signature artwork, this book is a gift for anyone seeking a more joyful, creatively fulfilled life.

Customer Reviews:

Illuminating.......2005-10-16

I was astonished to find that there weren't dozens of reviews up for this book by Thomas Kincaid. This is a very creative book, discussing the kind of creativity and artistry that can be found in each of us.

Kincaid, a painter by profession and vocation, starts with the basic question - how does an artist do what she or he does? How does one turn a blank canvas or a block of stone (or materials even less 'naturally' artistic in mode) into something that is a work or art, a creative work? Kincaid says that the mechanics of the process are necessary, but far from being the whole story. Kincaid states that the artist needs to believe that she or he can create, that there is inside something that has the power to produce something wonderful.

Creativity is not something confined to the visual or aesthetic arts. Creativity is something that belongs to all things in life - from things as basic as everyday cooking to relationships and spirituality, from business to hobbies to art in its more pure forms, these things all afford opportunities for creative living and creative expression.

Kincaid touches on spiritual and religious ideas and images throughout this text, but it is not a philosophical/theological text by any means. This is much more practical guide of thinking about and incorporating a sense of the creative and the creator in all that we do. Kincaid writes in a broadly ecumenical way, not being tied to the dogma or doctrine of any particular faith, but rather providing insights that can prove valuable to those of many different kinds of faith and religious practice.

Some of Kincaid's suggestions are very practical - finding space for oneself, both inner and outer, physical space; minimising distractions, etc. He incorporates elements of spiritual practice into these - for example, once one has found the inner and outer space in which to explore one's creative side, has gratitude been expressed. 'Your special place of solitude - defined by both your inward values and your chosen work area - is an essential "brushstroke" in your life if you hope to become truly adept at the art of creation. So accept this current place of yours with thanksgiving.'

Kincaid draws on the arts and artists from throughout the ages, but also draws from popular and familiar culture as well. For example, he uses the character of Rob Petrie from the television series 'The Dick Van Dyke Show' as an example of a creative soul, highlighting in this particular example the aspect of creativity that is hopeful and optimistic - 'chronically optimistic' in Kincaid's words.

One of the very nice aspects of the organisation of this book is that the chapter subdivisions are set at a length so that they can be easily read even by the slowest of readers in one sitting. This is not heavy reading by any means, but those who read over it too quickly will be bound to miss something - the creative process, like the reading of this book, should be a deliberate task, one that often fails in the mad rush of the pace of the world today.

This is a wonderful book, with a nice look-and-feel to it, Kincaid's pictures adorning the chapter headings, and the typeface, white-space and page layouts done in a very pleasing manner.

In Kincaid's final chapter, he writes, 'worship itself is a creative act.' Kincaid sees the vocation of creation as one of God's highest callings, and can be a form of prayer and praise.

The Art of Creative Living- Making Every Day a Radiant Masterpiece [Doubleday Large Print Home Library Edition]

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The Art of Creative Living- Making Every Day a Radiant Masterpiece [Doubleday Large Print Home Library Edition]

Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0739454544

Art of Creative Living: Making Every Day a Radiant Masterpiece (uncorrected proof)

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Art of Creative Living: Making Every Day a Radiant Masterpiece (uncorrected proof)
Thomas Kinkade
Manufacturer: Warner Faith
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UF4KJW

Book Description

"This detailed analysis of the gendered nature of American cookbooks surveys more cookbooks than any other work I'm aware of. The clear and consistent thesis is that these cookbooks reflect and reinforce a long-standing ideology of domesticity that situates women as the primary cooks, caretakers, and nurturers of the idealized nuclear family. With sound scholarship and a focus on prescriptive food literature, Manly Meals makes an original and useful contribution to our understanding of how gender roles are institutionalized and perpetuated." -- Warren Belasco, senior editor of The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink

From the first edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook to the latest works by today's celebrity chefs, cookbooks reflect more than just passing culinary fads. As historical artifacts, they offer a unique perspective on the cultures that produced them. In Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking, Jessamyn Neuhaus offers a perceptive and piquant analysis of the tone and content of American cookbooks published between the 1890s and the 1960s, adroitly uncovering the cultural assumptions and anxieties -- particularly about women and domesticity -- they contain.

Neuhaus's in-depth survey of these cookbooks questions the supposedly straightforward lessons about food preparation they imparted. While she finds that cookbooks aimed to make readers -- mainly white, middle-class women -- into effective, modern-age homemakers who saw joy, not drudgery, in their domestic tasks, she notes that the phenomenal popularity of Peg Bracken's 1960 cookbook, The I Hate to Cook Book, attests to the limitations of this kind of indoctrination. At the same time, she explores the proliferation of bachelor cookbooks aimed at "the man in the kitchen" and the biases they display about male and female abilities, tastes, and responsibilities.

Neuhaus also addresses the impact of World War II rationing on homefront cuisine; the introduction of new culinary technologies, gourmet sensibilities, and ethnic foods into American kitchens; and developments in the cookbook industry since the 1960s. More than a history of the cookbook, Manly Meals and Mom's Home Cooking provides an absorbing and enlightening account of gender and food in modern America.

Scandinavian Art Pottery: Denmark And Sweden (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
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Satisfied reader from Scandinavia

More appropriately titled: My Danish Art Pottery collection

great introduction to Scandinavian art pottery

Scandinavian Art Pottery: Denmark And Sweden (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Robin Hecht Minardi , and Robin Hecht
Manufacturer: Schiffer Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Pottery & Ceramics | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Scandinavian Ceramics & Glass: 1940S to 1980s (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Scandinavian Ceramics and Glass in the 20th Century

Scandinavian Glass 1930-2000: Fire & Sea

Scandinavian Glass, 1930-2000: Smoke & Ice

ASIN: 0764322397

Book Description

Scandinavian art pottery, long appreciated regionally, has enjoyed a rediscovery by international collectors over the past five years. Using almost 500 dramatic color photos, this book explores the major factories, workshops, and studios that initiated and created ceramic modernism in Scandinavia, including Royal Copenhagen, Saxbo, Kahler Keramiks, Ipsen, Gustavsberg, and Tobo. Also recounted are brief histories of Denmark and Sweden's most influential designers, including Patrick Nordstrom, Axel Salto, Nils Thorsson, Cathinka Olsen, Gertrud Vasegaard, Josef Ekberg, and Gunnar Nylund. Written by a recognized expert in the field, this long anticipated book provides well researched, up-to-date information on the factories and ceramicists that collectors are most interested in, plus accurate information on marks, dating, and updated values. Clearly photographed and written, this essential reference will provide collectors with the knowledge necessary to enhance and build unique and valuable collections of some of the finest art pottery ever created.

Customer Reviews:

Satisfied reader from Scandinavia.......2007-03-08

This is the best available introduction to Danish and Swedish pottery that I know of. Especially the chapters on "Royal Copenhagen", "Saxbo" and "Arne Bang" are excellent. The material on Swedish pottery are not at all that good but still O.K.

More appropriately titled: My Danish Art Pottery collection.......2000-12-25

I'll begin by stating that I am an avid collector with extensive knowledge of Scandinavian studio art pottery. And while I don't consider myself necessarily and authority on the topic, I'm not writing a book on it either. I found Hecht's book informative on some levels and largely misinformative or under-informative on others. The information gathered here filled a gap in collector's books that was long overdue. It is unfortunate, however, that this book is littered with very poor and inaccurate references to its topic. It contains either false, nebulous or no reference at all to some pottery marks and their meanings & rarity. Some of the most significant factories and artists are often barely touched on or left out completely while several pages will be devoted to others that are comparatively far less significant. I also found that of those artists featured, many have no reference to their most representative work. Not to mention, 3/4 of the book is devoted to Danish work, with the last afterthought 1/4 to Sweden, which is, in my opinion, diametrically allocated. And as for values, I don't know where these came from -- some are strangely through the roof while the very few absolute hottest collectible artists will be strangely undervalued. I hate to think that the author is providing this to help sell her own collection at terribly inflated values alongside her Fleetwood Mac albums and tour buttons on eBay while picking up the best pieces at lower prices. Some of us are not fooled.

great introduction to Scandinavian art pottery.......2000-03-26

I'm not a collector of pottery of any kind. I saw this book at a friend's and started reading it. The history of the pottery houses and different genres are very well explained here and it's a compelling read. I was able to even see styles and artists that matched my sensibilities. Overall, I learned something new and saw many pieces of art pottery that I enjoy. I understand why Scandinavian art pottery is so collectable now.

Stained Glass: How To Make Stunning Stained Glass Items Using Modern Materials And Traditional Techniques-11 Projects (Contemporary Crafts)
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Old and new coming nicely together

Stained Glass: How To Make Stunning Stained Glass Items Using Modern Materials And Traditional Techniques-11 Projects (Contemporary Crafts)
Marc S. Gerstein , and Lynette Wrigley
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Glass & Glassware | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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Basic Stained Glass Making: All the Skills and Tools You Need to Get Started (Stackpole Basics)

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Quick Success Stained Glass: A Beginner's Instruction Guide

Ornamental Flower Stained Glass Pattern Book: 83 Designs for Workable Projects (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

The Stained Glass Garden: Projects & Patterns

ASIN: 0805042660

Book Description

A lavishly illustrated guide offering complete instructions in how to make stunning stained glass items using modern materials and traditional techniques. Eleven projects, including: lamp shade, fish bowl, window pane, glass gem mirror, Mondrian clock, leaded light, glass jewelry, terrarium, Aladdin mirror, frosted vase, and candle holders.

Customer Reviews:

Old and new coming nicely together.......2000-07-05

These projects are well graded for the beginner and the more advanced worker. The text and photographs are of a high quality, clear and not over wordy. Patterns are well crafted and will make good copies. Nice combination of traditional ways of working with more progressive ideas Easily understood for this beginner. I highly recommend this book to those looking for a bit of inspiration!

Book Description

Less a single visual approach than an attitude toward design, the romantic style satisfies our desire for rooms that we and those we love will find pleasurable. Homes decorated in the romantic style range from delightfully casual disorder to elaborate stagings of domestic theater. Whether whimsically enchanted or elegantly restrained, they beckon with the promise of comfort. Warmly lit and dressed in alluring fabrics, they soothe the spirit and tantalize the eye. Unconventional, unrestricted by tradition, and not limited to one historical period or particular geography, the romantic style draws upon many varied tastes and cultural influences. It marries, for example, the femininity of Victorian fashion with the charm of country French or the glamour of Art Deco with the exoticism of the Orient. In the Romantic Style shows how to transform simple, everyday rooms into objects of desire and how, even without an aristocratic purse, it is possible to make romantic rooms out of majestic dreams. It explores the history of romantic design and describes in informative detail how curtains can soften an interior, details can entice the eye, and finishes can make rooms more seductive. 149 color photographs and illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Romancing the Home.......2001-06-29

A unique book! The allure of this decorating style lies in the marriage of rustic and architectural elements with classic, traditional and elegant elements. From distressed textured walls bedecked with art and mirrors, to gorgeous french antiques, statues & busts, furniture and textiles. Beautiful photographs, many of which are from Jessica McClintock's home. This one is a keeper.

Romancing the Home.......2001-06-29

Old World Style.......2001-06-29

In the Romantic Style: Creating Intimacy, Fantasy and Charm in the Contemporary Home

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In the Romantic Style: Creating Intimacy, Fantasy and Charm in the Contemporary Home
Linda; Cerwinske, Laura Chase
Manufacturer: Thames & Hudson
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG5RU8

Customer Reviews:

An extremely helpful book for beginners.......2000-06-20

Roberson gives a lot of good information in a concise and easy to read manner. It is a good book for general information and reference, but it lacks the depth that I was looking for.

Amazon.com

Rampersad, one of our foremost African-American scholars, is an apt biographer for Hughes (1902-67), our greatest black poet. I, Too, Sing America (volume 1) covers the years during which Hughes produced his best work and was most politically active; I Dream a World (volume 2) chronicles his artistic decline due to overwork in= response to perpetual financial difficulties. Both volumes are psychologically astute, critically penetrating and masterful in their intermingling of Hughes' story with a chronicle of the enormous changes that took place in black America during his lifetime.

Book Description

February 1, 2002 marks the 100th birthday of Langston Hughes. To commemorate the centennial of his birth, Arnold Rampersad has contributed new Afterwords to both volumes of his highly-praised biography of this most extraordinary and prolific American writer. In young adulthood Hughes possessed a nomadic but dedicated spirit that led him from Mexico to Africa and the Soviet Union to Japan, and countless other stops around the globe. Associating with political activists, patrons, and fellow artists, and drawing inspiration from both Walt Whitman and the vibrant Afro-American culture, Hughes soon became the most original and revered of black poets. In the first volume's Afterword, Rampersad looks back at the significant early works Hughes produced, the genres he explored, and offers a new perspective on Hughes's lasting literary influence. Exhaustively researched in archival collections throughout the country, especially in the Langston Hughes papers at Yale University's Beinecke Library, and featuring fifty illustrations per volume, this anniversary edition will offer a new generation of readers entrance to the life and mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.

Customer Reviews:

An Excellent Read.......2005-04-06

Long before the advent of the 1960's motto of black pride and black beauty, there was Langston Hughes who championed and celebrated black pride and black beauty, both African and black American, at the height racial inequality in the United States.

The two definitive biographies of Langston Hughes are written by Faith Berry, LANGSTON HUGHES: BEFORE AND BEYOND HARLEM, and, the two by Arnold Rampersad's, THE LIFE OF LANGSTON HUGHES VOLS. 1 AND 2. For those able to do it, I would recommend reading Berry's biography first and then DEFINITLY follow it by reading Rampersad two exquisite biographies of Hughes. Reading the two is the only real way to get a complete and accurate picture of Langston Hughes. Both books briefly address Hughes family background which isn't unique to him alone in the black American community as those non-persons of African decent on the outside repeatedly fail to understand. Both books address Hughes' humanity despite of the racism he faced as an extremely confident and proud African-American. Both acknowledge Hughes dislike of those blacks like Toomer ashamed of being black and their African heritage. Both reveal his living through all the moments in early 20th century American history like the Harlem Renaissance and meeting and befriending such figures as Dubois and facing McCarthy on charges of communism while punctuated moments of his life with wanderlust in world travels. Both books address the obstacles and triumphs he faced as being only the second black American to earn a living by writing , the first being Paul Lawrence Dunbar who was also Hughes idol and influence alongside Whitman and Sandburg. Both books take care to explain how Hughes relationships with his parents and grandmother may have shadowed his other relationships in terms of his race pride and the half hearted and insincere assignations with women he was linked to.

Where the two books differ is in discussing Hughes being gay. Berry appears unbridled by prejudice in acknowledging use as gay. Rampersad, a conservative black scholar and now part executor of the Hughes estate, is too eagerly fulsome in his attempts to deny Hughes being gay along with the coded references Hughes used to describe his affections for black men in poems which are similar to those used by Whitman in describing his same sex interest. This dangerously borders the homophobic line. (** READ the recent appendix in Rampersad biography where he rightfully takes issue with being called homophobic by his critics.**) This has been the chief criticism by many of Rampersad two biographies of Hughes. The great irony is that Rampersad actually confirms Hughes being gay by indicating the price Hughes would have paid if he was openly identified as gay at the wrong time in history (even in some circles of the black community today for that matter). Plus, in volume 2 of the LIFE OF HUGHES, Rampersad is less virulent in denying Hughes being gay and pretty much comes close to acknowledging him being gay but holds back for reasons of
his own.

Moreover, Berry discusses Hughes in a straight foreword manner. Rampersad biography is almost lyrical in its historical documentation of Hughes life like a number of biographies being written these days by certain scholars. Rampersad goes into great psychological analysis of Hughes and barring certain before mentioned instances gets it right.

Passionate, cruel, Honey-lipped, syphilitic.......2004-10-22

"'The Africans looked at me and would not believe I was a Negro': ...
`You - white man'," they said. Repudiating the idea that he was not one of them,
Hughes asserted "the unity of blacks everywhere." Hughes' choice to embrace
his African-American heritage is a major theme of Rampersad's biography.
Hughes rejected his father's path and the chance to pass, to escape prejudice
and win easy acceptance as a member of Mexican society. Poetic inspiration
came from Harlem, from Jazz, and from anger at prejudice. Despite, or because of
its format, with chapters divided by years, this book made riveting summer reading.
Along the way it introduced me to wonderful poetry in the context of the life:
-----
Mercedes is a jungle-lily in a death house.
Mercedes is a doomed star.
Mercedes is a charnel rose. ... ----
AND:
Passionate, cruel,
Honey-lipped, syphilitic -
That is the South.
And I, who am black, would love her
But she spits in my face . . .

Rampersad at his best!!.......2004-09-28

This is the most complete writing on Hughes' life. Beautifully written yet very thorough. Arnold Rampersad is probably the most talented biographer alive.

A WONDERFUL BOOK!.......2000-04-27

I thought this was a very interesting book. It is VERY well written, I recomend it!

The Life of Langston Hughes. Volume 1: 1902 - 1941. I, Too, Sing America

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The Life of Langston Hughes. Volume 1: 1902 - 1941. I, Too, Sing America

Manufacturer: Oxford University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HJN524

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