Chicano Sketches

Book Description

A key figure in the foundation of Chicano literature, Mario Suárez (1923-1998) was among the first writers to focus not only on Chicano characters but also on the multicultural space in which they live. This book presents eleven published stories along with eight others from the archive of his unpublished work, and also includes a biographical introduction and a critical analysis of the stories that will broaden readers' appreciation for his place in Chicano literature.

Customer Reviews:

Early Chicano Fiction Still Resonates.......2005-04-18

In their introduction to Chicano Sketches, the editors assert that the late short-story writer Mario Suarez "represents a unique case of an early Chicano author who remained faithful to his original purpose of creating a distinctively Chicano literary space." How early? The first eight of the 19 stories included in this collection were first published by the Arizona Quarterly between 1947 and 1950. The "distinctively Chicano literary space" Suarez created was grounded in the harsh realities of a barrio in Tucson called El Hoyo (literally "The Hole") which the editors term "an urban wasteland." Suarez, who was also a journalist, social activist and educator who relocated his family to Southern California in 1958, possessed a sharp eye for quotidian human experience. He populated his "sketches" (his term) with preening pachucos, avuncular barbers, unrepentant womanizers, chisme-loving comadres, clever swindlers and many other examples of humanity.

Suarez did not romanticize the Chicano experience; indeed, he acknowledged such social dysfunctions as alcohol abuse ("Cuco Goes to a Party" and "Loco-Chu"), indolence ("Kid Zopilote") and economic struggle ("The Migrant" and "Los Coyotes") while celebrating the beauty of Chicano culture ("Mexican Heaven"), human kindness ("Dona Clara" and "Senor Garza") and the work ethic ("Something Useful, Even Tailoring"). Quite often, Suarez relied on biting irony and comedic juxtapositions to illustrate his characters' vices and virtues. No collection of Chicano literature will be complete without this volume. [The full version of this review first appeared in Southwest BookViews.]

To and Fro in Southern California: With Sketches in Arizona and New Mexico (Chicano Heritage Series)

Average customer rating:

To and Fro in Southern California: With Sketches in Arizona and New Mexico (Chicano Heritage Series)
Emma H. Adams
Manufacturer: Ayer Co Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

North America | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0405094817

Average customer rating:
Saints and Sinners: Contains Paint Your Dragon and Open Sesame

Manufacturer: Orbit
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GRQD9Y

Customer Reviews:

Doctor Who in world's longest running war zone.......2000-10-11

The first round of novelisations of Doctor Who happened back in 1965. "The Crusaders" is the third of these. (Novelisations did not recommence until 1973 under the Target banner.)

The Doctor, Ian, Barbara and Vicki arrive in twelfth century Palestine, and are soon split up: Barbara is captured by the Saracens, while the rest fall in with King Richard the Lionhearted. While Ian is knighted and dispatched with a message to Saladin and to rescue Barbara, the Doctor and Vicki are caught up in court intrigue. Given the way things go, one could argue which of them is in the most danger.

Strong characterisation by David Whitaker (author of both the original script and this book) makes this book a very good read (sadly, we only have half of the story still existing on video), and yet again demonstrates that the historical stories were often very good, exceeding the science fiction stories in some cases.

This book is illustrated by line drawings. I wish it wasn't. They aren't very good.

Average customer rating:
Doctor Who and the Crusaders
Bill Strutton
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download

Doctor Who | Media | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000JLTC6I

Average customer rating:

informative and inspiring

"Meditate or organize a protest?"

Engaged Buddhism in the West
Christopher S. Queen
Manufacturer: Wisdom Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Social Work | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
General | Other Eastern Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia

The New Social Face of Buddhism: A Call to Action

Engaged Buddhist Reader

American Buddhism: Methods and Findings in Recent Scholarship

Buddhism in America

ASIN: 0861711599

Amazon.com

If Buddhism ever needed to prove itself in the field of social activism, the men and women featured in Engaged Buddhism in the West have gone beyond a shadow of a doubt. In sober, unadorned accounts, read about the dramatic life of Thich Nhat Hanh and the development of his worldwide Order of Interbeing, now numbering about 300 communities; learn about the acclaimed former mathematician turned Zen priest Bernie Glassman and his Peacemaker Order that works with the destitute and downtrodden; enter Naropa Institute, America's first accredited Buddhist-inspired college and its special program in Engaged Buddhism. Prison meditation groups, the Free Tibet Movement, walking for peace--the expressions of Buddhist activism turn out to be as varied and vibrant as the communities that spawn them. That goes for the communities of Europe, Africa, and Australia, in addition to those made up of women and gays, each of which is addressed here in a separate chapter. A collection of essays, many by academics, the tone of Engaged Buddhism in the West, can tend to the stale and analytic, with "three categories of this" and "four reasons for that." But the revelations outnumber the stumbling blocks and are sure to open many eyes. --Brian Bruya

Book Description

Selected as one of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles (2000), Engaged Buddhism in the West is founded on the belief that genuine spiritual practice requires an active involvement in society. This book illuminates the evolution of this newest chapter in the Buddhist tradition including its history, leadership, and teachings, and it addresses issues such as violence and peace, race and gender, homelessness, prisons, and the environment. Eighteen new studies explore the activism of renowned leaders and organizations, such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Bernard Glassman, Joanna Macy, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the Free Tibet Movement, and the emergence of a new Buddhism in North America, Europe, South Africa, and Australia.

Customer Reviews:

informative and inspiring.......2000-05-20

This book definitely provides A LOT of information about wonderful people, projects and ideas curently going on in engaged bouddhist movement. It helped me to fill part of a promising worldwide movement, exciting in many ways : this is one of the active scene of the transformative assimilation of the East by the West. Many references to other books allow to deepen the prefered subjects. This book will detroy the widespread idea that bouddhists spend there time looking at their belly button looking for some unhealthy nothingness. And also if you are buddhist, it really make you think your relationship to the world by facing the good questions : does buddhist engagement mean something ? is engagement in itself a practice or even a yana ? This book really reveals that through its very new contact with the west, buddhism is today already living a transformation, that will perheaps be as deep as the hynayana/mayana transition.

"Meditate or organize a protest?".......2000-05-04

This book is a follow up to Queen's 1996 "Engaged Buddhism," which I have not read. His new book is an inspiring, 544-page collection of nineteen essays (20 if you count his introduction), followed by a resourceful, 10-page bibliography. Each essay defines socially-engaged Buddhism by example, introducing us to Thich Nhat Hanh (who tells us all Buddhism is engaged), Bernie Glassman, Joanna Macy, and the 22-year-old Buddhist Peace Fellowship, among others. Their stories not only show that it is possible to engage oneself with social issues such as violence, race, gender, homelessness, and the environment on a meaningfull, daily basis, but that it is also possible through spiritual commitment to make a difference in our "high pressure, political world" (p. 174). It is reassuring, for instance, to find in these pages socially-engaged Buddhists quietly practicing in hospices, prisons, at nuclear test sites, and in old-growth redwood forests with positive results. Every moment in life presents an opportunity for engagement. The subject matter of this book deserves my 5-star rating. However, much of the writing here tends to be highly researched, footnoted, and tightly organized to the point that it might put many readers off. At times, this book reads more like a PhD dissertation than the handbook for social engagement it could be. But read it anyway!

G. Merritt

Average customer rating:

Hubley Book Focuses on Post-War Diecast

Hubley Book Focuses on Post-War Diecast

Hubley Toy Vehicles 1965 (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Steve Butler
Manufacturer: Schiffer+publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Toys | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Models | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Industrial, Manufacturing & Operational Systems | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Hubley Catalogs, 1946-1965 (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

O'Brien's Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks 4th Edition (Paperback) (Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks)

Collector's Guide to Tootsietoys: Identification & Values (Collectors Guide to Tootsietoys)

Kenton Cast Iron Toys: The Real Thing in Everything but Size

Cast Iron Automotive Toys (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

ASIN: 076431405X

Book Description

The Hubley Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1894 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and produced wonderful toys throughout its history. Early Hubley production consisted of numerous cast iron toys including various horse drawn vehicles, guns, household appliances, and more. With the automotive age, cars, trucks, and other transportation became their focus. This book details production from 1946 to 1965, when the company was purchased by Gabriel Industries. Information from a complete set of Hubley catalogs and over 500 beautiful color photographs of actual toys make this the most comprehensive treatment of Hubley toys. Charts record every vehicle offered with its variations, and a current price guide makes this a most valuable resource for the collector.

Customer Reviews:

Hubley Book Focuses on Post-War Diecast.......2002-10-16

Other books have covered Hubley toys in their text, but this is the first book devoted entirely to Hubley toys, at least those produced between 1946 and 1965. What it doesn't cover is the early cast iron toys produced as far back as the turn of the century, which is unfortunate since some of the rarest and most valuable Hubleys are those produced before WWII. For what it does cover, "Hubley Toy Vehicles: 1946-1965" provides excellent full color photos, accompanied by informative text and current values.

Hubley Book Focuses on Post-War Diecast.......2002-10-16

Amazon.com

If you're shopping for a new sewing machine, don't leave home without this book. But even if you're happy with the machine you've already got, you'll find useful information on all those fancy stitches and extra attachments that you've always been meaning to try and never quite knew what to do with. Fundamentals like threading the machine, winding a bobbin, adjusting the tension, making the perfect buttonhole, or topstitching may be second nature to the advanced sewer, but to the beginner a comfortable knowledge of such aspects can mean the difference between utter frustration and a lifelong love of sewing. Good photos and clear explanations cover not only these basics but many of the more advanced options like applique, ribbon embroidery, and lace insertion, as well as exactly how to use those funny-looking presser feet that let you attach cording, do free-motion stitching, create shirring or pintucks, and make ruffles. A section on technology in the sewing room outlines the amazing possibilities of the increasingly popular computerized sewing machines. --Amy Handy

Book Description

An invaluable reference for anyone interested in sewing clothes! This fully illustrated, comprehensive guide offers practical, expert instructions for all necessary techniques, including laying and cutting out patterns, pressing, and making darts, tucks, pleats, hems, plackets, buttonholes, collars, yokes, and pockets. Advice on choosing patterns and fabrics, as well as simple guidelines and foolproof shortcuts for making individual pieces such as blouses, dresses, jackets, skirts, and trousers, will enable any sewer to produce professional-looking garments every time. 160 pages (all in color), 8 1/2 x 11.

Book Description

This is the first monograph in Western Orientalism entirely devoted to the history of the birthday festival of the Prophet Muhammad (Arab. mawlid al-nabi). On the basis of historical sources, Chapters 1 and 2 examine what is known on the history of this festival in the Middle East until the beginning of the 7th/13th century. In Chapter 3 the existence of different views on the origin of the mawlid within Islam itself is examined. It is shown that these different opinions on the origin of the mawlid follows from discussions on the permissibility of its celebration. The rest of the book (Chapters 4 - 8) deals with the mawlid in the Western Muslim world up to the beginning of the 10th/16th century. The following dynasties are treated respectively: the bAzafids of Ceuta, the Marinids and the Wattasids, the Nasrids, the bAbd al-Wadids and the Hafsids.

Muhammad's Birthday Festival: Early History in the Central Muslim Lands and Development in the Muslim West Until the 10Th/16th Century

Average customer rating:

Muhammad's Birthday Festival: Early History in the Central Muslim Lands and Development in the Muslim West Until the 10Th/16th Century
N. J. G. Kaptein
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000MUBX5Y

Book Description

Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Stills, a series of 69 black-and-white photographs created between 1977 and 1980, is widely seen as one of the most original and influential achievements in recent art. Witty, provocative and searching, this lively catalogue of female roles inspired by the movies crystallizes widespread concerns in our culture, examining the ways we shape our personal identities and the role of the mass media in our lives. Sherman began making these pictures in 1977 when she was 23 years old. The first six were an experiment: fan-magazine glimpses into the life (or roles) of an imaginary blond actress, played by Sherman herself. The photographs look like movie stills--or perhaps publicity pix--purporting to catch the blond bombshell in unguarded moments at home. The protagonist is shown preening in the kitchen and lounging in the bedroom. Onto something big, Sherman tried other characters in other roles: the chic starlet at her seaside hideaway, the luscious librarian, the domesticated sex kitten, the hot-blooded woman of the people, the ice-cold sophisticate and a can-can line of other stereotypes. She eventually completed the series in 1980. She stopped, she has explained, when she ran out of clichas. Other artists had drawn upon popular culture but Sherman's strategy was new. For her the pop-culture image was not a subject (as it had been for Walker Evans) or raw material (as it had been for Andy Warhol) but a whole artistic vocabulary, ready-made. Her film stills look and function just like the real ones--those 8 x 10 glossies designed to lure us into a drama we find all the more compelling because we know it isn't real. In the Untitled Film Stills there are no Cleopatras, no ladies on trains, no women of a certain age. There are, of course, no men. The 69 solitary heroines map a particular constellation of fictional femininity that took hold in postwar America--the period of Sherman's youth and the starting point for our contemporary mythology. In finding a form for her own sensibility, Sherman touched a sensitive nerve in the culture at large. Although most of the characters are invented, we sense right away that we already know them. That twinge of instant recognition is what makes the series tick and it arises from Cindy Sherman's uncanny poise. There is no wink at the viewer, no open irony, no camp. In 1995, The Museum of Modern Art purchased the series from the artist, preserving the work in its entirety. This book marks the first time that the complete series will be published as a unified work, with Sherman herself arranging the pictures in sequence.

Customer Reviews:

Inventing Situations.......2007-07-24

Cindy Sherman has been called the most important female photographer of the 20th century. You'd never know it if you should happen to run into her on her bicycle in New York. If you've seen her recently, you might have found her riding around with an avid bicyclist and gray haired fellow who used to be in a band....can't remember "the name of this band".

Both Sherman and her beau, David something or another, have been at the forefront of the post or modern avant garde movement. What's striking about Sherman aside from the fact she looks at least a decade younger than she is, is how she blends in, and looks much like a "regular" handsome thirty or forty something (as opposed to my, at least, definition of a "performance artist").

The series of photos in this book are from her early days. In them, I guees she's portraying all the different characters who live in her mind. The range of personas she embodies is bewildering. If you didn't know it was her, you'd think they were photos of a series of different women, and if you didn't know they were staged, or that she's an artist, you'd think they were actresses from a bunch of different 60s movies. The photos are alternately mysterious, profoundly strange and beautiful, always emotionless, and at times hints at hidden eroticism.

She's been riding bikes and opening a more complete retrospective of her work in Europe this spring and early summer, a 300+ page book of which was published in March.

This book is a great introduction to Cindy Sherman. If you like it, go see her show, and buy the new book.

This book shows what is great about Cindy Sherman.......2006-05-03

At first glance, you might see ordinary, banal photos that resemble out takes from studio stills. Look deeper and you will see works of genius that expose a new way of seeing and exploring the inner self that have been highly influential in the art world. This book has the images that started it all for Cindy Sherman and for that reason, you should start with this book if you want to learn about this artist.

Who will like this book? I think just about anyone with an interest in art or photography would consider this a "must have" book for their personal library. Nothing in this book would embarrass you if you gave it as a gift; it is edgy, but not to the point of weirdness. I just gave a copy to my 10-year-old daughter for inspiration and she really enjoyed it (though probably not at the level of an adult). If you are willing to look, this book will reward you.

Like any great artist, she makes it look easy. Her singular vision is apparent in the location selection, "set" design, makeup and costuming. If you have ever tried to do this yourself, you will respect what she has accomplished. The end result is that Ms. Sherman reveals what she wants us to believe are her innermost thoughts and emotions. Like great cinema, these photos achieve true suspension of disbelief and challenge the viewer's own framework of emotional identity. In the end, we believe.

Arguably, these are the best work ever done by Ms. Sherman. One complaint about her newer work is that it seems to continue to retread the same themes and variations. Sure, her newest works are bigger and colorful in keeping with the latest trends in photography -- personally, my favorites are the images in this book. There is a freshness I don't find in her later work. But this human story, like her imagery, will always continue to be explored by artists as long as there are humans to explore.

Untitled Film Stills.......2006-03-08

This book along with the "Centerfolds" hardcover exhibition book provide the essential Cindy Sherman images. The film stills presented here are all in black and white, and her next project "Centerfolds" were all in color. Taken together you get the complete picture on Cindy Sherman.

Great Buy.......2006-02-22

This is a GREAT book. The pages are large and sturdy and show off her artwork well. A huge plus is the introduction written by Sherman...it gives you an inside look at some of the stories behind and the inspirations to some of the photographs. The book features a variety of her work through time. It is arranged very well.

wonderful........2006-02-21

great book and great artist. not sure what the person who wrote negative review was comparing it to, but she/he is a freak show who has way too much time on her/his hands. obviously bitter about something...possibly crazy?

Average customer rating:

Peter Lindbergh: Untitled 116

Manufacturer: Schirmer/Mosel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 3829601794

Book Description

Peter Lindbergh is courted by international fashion magazines and is loved for his sensitive portraits of the most beautiful women in the world. The renowned photographer who lives in Paris and New York and works all over the world has also published two earlier books with overwhelming success:

Ten Women (1996) with dream shots of ten dream models, and Images of Women (1997), a collection of famous fashion photographs of beautiful women.

As a climax in his third book, Untitled 116, Peter Lindbergh presents a collection of his most impressive photographs of 116 stars in the world of pop music, cinema and fashion, such as

Monica Bellucci, Juliette Binoche, Naomi Campbell, Geraldine Chaplin, Catherine Deneuve, Linda Evangelista, Aretha Franklin, Daryl Hannah, Milla Jovovich, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Demi Moore, Jeanne Moreau, Charlotte Rampling, Anna Nicole Smith, Sharon Stone, Tina Turner, Isabella Rossellini, Veruschka, and many others.

Average customer rating:

Visionary Photographer

Night Walk (Untitled)
Michael Kenna
Manufacturer: Friends of Photography Bookstore
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Kenna, Michael | ( J-L ) | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Le Notre's Gardens

Hokkaido

Retrospective Two

ASIN: 0933286511

Customer Reviews:

Visionary Photographer.......2000-04-14

"NightWalk" represents a collection of Kenna's earlier -- and best known -- work. These are Black and White, toned photographs that offer a unique vision and perspective of the natural landscape and some industrial sites. The subjects are always about form and light. Most taken at night or the early dawn or dusk reflect the solitude of that hour. This book -- if you can obtain a copy -- is a must for lovers of fine Black and White photography.

Untitled Autobiography Kris Kristofferson

Average customer rating:

It'll definately sell!!
Patience is a virtue!
Good - I'm Not The Only One Waiting
Not shipped
If you want to read about Kris in the meantime...

Untitled Autobiography Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Actors & Actresses | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1401301169

Customer Reviews:

It'll definately sell!!.......2007-10-18

I know I can't wait to read this book. I've been hoping it would happen for about 20 years now. Go on Kris... make it happen, there are bound to be thousands like me out there, dying to read your own story.
Pretty Please!!!

Patience is a virtue!.......2006-05-01

I have also been waiting for this book since November. Such excitement when I saw it was to be published so my husband ordered it for me for Christmas. I'm not sure which Christmas! Hope it's delivered soon! Jill Devon England

Good - I'm Not The Only One Waiting.......2006-04-13

I ordered it in September and according to my Open and Recent Orders, there's a delay - its supposed to be shipped in January, 2006!! Do you think maybe Amazon forgot about us?

Not shipped.......2006-04-10

I have been waiting for this book since November...Where is it???
Can not rate it, if I can not read it

If you want to read about Kris in the meantime..........2006-02-14

...while we wait for this sure-to-be-stunning autobiography... Check out "Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music." There is great interview stuff with Kris in there--about his own career, and Johnny Cash's--as well as fresh interviews about the state of the world and the state of country music with Willie, Merle, the Dixie Chicks, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Linda Ronstadt, Toby Keith, Bobby Braddock, Rosanne Cash, Ricky Skaggs, and a whole lot of other folks you'll recognize.

Light Years: The Friends of Photography 1967-1987 (Untitled 43)

Average customer rating:

Light Years: The Friends of Photography 1967-1987 (Untitled 43)

Manufacturer: Friends of Photography
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0933286481

Average customer rating:

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER
Body parts
Jeff Burton's work is deadpan view of popular culture.
Brilliant!! Gorgeous!!

Jeff Burton Untitled
Composite Press
Manufacturer: Composite Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Erotic Photography | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 4915877744

Customer Reviews:

GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER.......2007-01-24

Any of Jeff's book's are interesting ... you should own it -- if you are lucky to find it

Body parts.......1999-12-01

In ways that are best left to the pictures to prove, Burton is able to take the hyper-surreality of the Los Angeles porn scene and turn it into ruminations on commodification, body worship and culpability. Each image speaks not only to artistic ways of looking, but to critical ways of examination. No book has generated such intense and interesting discussions around my living room as has this one.

Jeff Burton's work is deadpan view of popular culture........1999-10-22

Bright saturated hyperreal colors, the ephemera of rooms, the in-between of bodies are what are distinguishable first in the photos of Jeff Burton. It appears there are some pornographic activities involved, but one sees instead a vague reflection in the polished enamel of a stove, or the carpet between 2 knees, or the pattern of wallpaper in the background. By absence & allusion a series of banal southern Californian interiors become loaded with a mysterious yet rather "pop" sexuality. Glimpses of tanned bodies next to anonymous tables, lamps, doors: the detritus of a film set. These are witty images of a culture in a perpetual contiuum of the present.

Brilliant!! Gorgeous!!.......1999-08-09

Jeff Burton's photographs capture beauty and color, no matter what the setting. His compositions create shapes with soft and hard lines, that are a joy to view. His use of the human body and inanimate objects is poetic.

Average customer rating:

Untitled Valdemar #1 (Valdemar)
Mercedes Lackey
Manufacturer: Brilliance Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 1423307976

Average customer rating:

AN EXPLORATION OF A UNIQUE WORLD

Untitled Passages by Henri Michaux

Manufacturer: Merrell
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Museums & Collections | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1858941202

Customer Reviews:

AN EXPLORATION OF A UNIQUE WORLD.......2001-01-14

Belgian-born poet/artist Henri Michaux was, depending upon your source, either an enigmatic genius or an enfant terrible. Maurice Blanchot called him "l'ange du bizarre." Whatever the appellation, his oeuvre was the surreal.

An inveterate traveler, Michaux made Paris his home in 1922. At about the same time the writer began drawing, and then wed his graphic works to his poetic endeavors. He wielded ink like a sword, parrying, jabbing, slashing it on paper. This was an exercise that he believed released subconscious expression. Later, he became accomplished in the use of watercolor.

Book Description

The perfume of old books and the smell of danger...

Publisher Alex Plumtree is in for the most astounding week of his life. First he comes into possession of a rare, centuries-old book, rumored destroyed on orders of King Edward IV. Then he receives an undreamed-of honor: an invitation to join a select society of book collectors...who are also some of the most powerful men and women in England.

But Alex's triumph quickly turns sour. The book vanishes from Alex's office. His initiation weekend with the Dibdin Club is rife with bizarre behavior, appalling accidents--and a death that sends Alex reeling. He quickly begins to suspect that his valuable find is even more than it seemed on first glance. For hidden in its pages is a shocking secret that could change the history of books forever...as well as the face of the modern world. And there are people--and foreign powers--who would do anything to keep this secret from coming to light.

All Alex has to do is figure out what that secret is. If he can stay alive long enough.

Customer Reviews:

Fasten your seat belt.......2007-04-26

Plausible - no. Entertaining - yes. It's not great literature, or even a great mystery, but Untitled is a fun romp full of adventure and incredible near misses. Think Indiana Jones in spirit, although Alex Plumtree is definitely no Indiana Jones. Enough plot twists and red herrings to keep you guessing. If you approach it from that angle, you'll have a good time; Kaewert is a literate writer, unlike many in the genre. Enjoy the ride!

Twists & turns galore............2002-02-09

As a fan of "books about books", I was excited to discover the existence of Kaewert's series. "Untitled" is jam-packed with literary allusions and plot twists, making it eminently readable. Be forewarned that it crams a slightly excessive number of plot twists into its pages--it may be difficult to figure out the motivations behind all the characters' actions.

A helpful hint: Buy the sequel once you start getting near the end of this one. I sincerely hope that it resolves the cliff-hanger ending of this title!

Interesting Series.......2001-08-22

In this third outing for Alex Plumtree, the owner of the Plumtree Press, he is invited to join the Dibdin Club just after finding a 15th century book hidden in his estate's library. But the book is stolen before he can enjoy it and the hunt is on.

While Kaewert writes well, there was just too much to this book. Too many subplots, too many characters, too many agendas, too many attempted murders, too many coincidences, etc. Kaewert did well in keeping everything straight, but all that detracted from the mystery and the ending was too pat.

I'll try the next in the series as well, but if the author continues to overwrite her books, I'll move on to another series with an author who can tell a good story in terser language.

Much improved over the first in the series.......2001-03-09

I read Kaewert's first in this Booklover's Mystery series and hoped that subsequent stories would show improvement. (Incidentally, the first one is Unsolicited, originally published in 1994, then reprinted by Bantam in 2000. Bantam would have you believe this is a new addition to the series when in fact it's a reprint of the first.) Untitled, the fourth in the series, is indeed much improved over the first. It is not slow in getting rolling and it has quite a complicated plot with twists and turns that leave you guessing. Just when you think you have things figured out, something is revealed which changes the picture again. The setting, with most characters and scenes revolving around the annual weekend gathering of an exclusive, high society British antique book collectors club at Castle Trefoyle, is definitely reminiscent of an Agatha Christie setting.

There is still too little in the way of British expressions and terminology used by her characters for them to be totally realistic, and one of the main characters, the protagonist's brother Max Plumtree, has an unbelievable character overhaul from book one. Also, a minor writing problem appears later in the story when the plot is disjointed in a couple of places. The ending doesn't explain or resolve everything, but this is obviously intentional and gives one the impression of being at least a partial lead-in to the next book in the series (Unsigned, which came out in January of 2001). The most unlikely, but still interesting, aspect of this story's plot is the tenuous nature of the relationship between the West, particularly England, and Iraq over the content of an antique book.

All in all, this is a good read, pretty much leaving you guessing to the end. Kaewert's series is better for this one and I will read more. I recommend it to British mystery fans, although it helps to have been introduced to the characters in a previous book of the series.

Gothic Lovers' Must.......2000-06-07

Kaewert's protagonist Alex Plumtree negiotiates between two worlds--the aristocracy and the modern day world of book publishing. Alex and his brother discover a rare old book in their private library, which leads them into an exciting adventure of thieves, would-be murders and an exclusive elitist bookclub. Kaewert writes a mystery that cannot be put down. The author's knowledge of book publishing and rare books provides an educational as well as believable text. Reading this book left me desperate to read her next book.

Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?) (Piano/Vocal/Chords, SHEET MUSIC)

Average customer rating:

Untitled (How Could This Happen to Me?) (Piano/Vocal/Chords, SHEET MUSIC)
Simple Plan
Manufacturer: ALFRED
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000O6YSFI

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books