Flowers of the Himalaya: A Supplement

Book Description

This supplement to Flowers of the Himalaya (Oxford, 1984) covers species that were not included in the previous book, with much new photographic material that has since become available. It also includes illustrations of species that were given only a written description or which were
illustrated by simple drawings. Many tropical species and some exotics are included. In all, 584 species are described and illustrated in color. In conjunction with the previous volume, which covered more than a thousand species, this supplement provides the most comprehensive field guide
available for the plants of the Himalayan region.

Flowers of the Himalaya: A Supplement (Oxford India Paperbacks)

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Flowers of the Himalaya: A Supplement (Oxford India Paperbacks)
Adam Stainton
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OL20S0

Book Description

Drink in the culture, history and - of course - the world-famous wines of the region, famed as much for its high-adrenaline activities as its possibilities for sheer indulgence. From prehistoric art to upbeat city bars, explore it all with this in-depth guide.

49 detailed maps, including wine-region and surfing maps
latest information on a wide range of outdoor activities, from cycling the Atlantic coast to parasailing off a mountain
special colour section for wining and dining your way through the region
extensive accommodation options from mountain refuges to chic hotels
comprehensive language guide

Book Description

Nothing in the history of empire is stranger than the creation of British rule in India, where a small European island became master of a subcontinent ranging from the Indian Ocean to the Himalayas. In the late 18th century the person most responsible for this was Warren Hastings, Britain's first governor-general of India. Jeremy Bernstein brings Hastings's story vividly to life amidst the rise of British power. His impeachment trial, one of the great spectacles of the age, forms the conclusion to this fascinating, unusual, and ultimately powerful narrative. A riveting book, beautifully researched and narrated....It has opened a whole chapter, many chapters, of social and political history for me. --Oliver Sacks

Customer Reviews:

An interesting miscellany, not a successful biography .......2005-04-22

Most of this book is interesting, but it is very cursory either as a biography of Warren Hastings or as a history of the beginning of the Raj. It contains a lot of marginally relevant information that I enjoyed reading, but which doesn't contribute enough towards the alleged main purpose of the book to explain the number of pages devoted to it. If this were an exhaustive multi-volume work, I might understand why it includes so much information on George Bogle, Robert Oppenheimer and Fanny Burney, but as it is, the biographical information on Hastings is skimpy and some of it is repetitive. There are two somewhat contradictory stories of one duel, separated by a number of pages without any apparent recognition that they don't quite fit together.

The book opens with a chapter on Bogle's trip to Tibet at the direction of Hastings. This shows something about Hastings' activities in India and his breadth of mind, but Bernstein carefully chronicles Bogle's childhood, family, etc., in a surprising amount of detail. Intriguing, but not precisely part of the main story.

Hasting's early life is chronicled in appropriate detail, but once he reaches adulthood, I am baffled as to exactly what he did and why he was made Governor-General. The story moves in a series of brief hops from Hastings' first employment to India quickly to his quarrels during his administration with other members of the Company. There is very little detail in between. Bernstein chronicles the events that would figure in his trial, but I am left with no coherent picture of Hastings' tenure nor his significance in the shift from the East India Tea Company's dealings with India to the official takeover by the British government. I found most of these chapters rather dull because I could make little sense of them. Were Hastings' activities actually important in the shift, or was he, as Bernstein seems to suggest in his discussion of the trials, simply seized upon as a pawn to pursue political ends that had little to do with him as an individual?

Fanny Burney seems to occupy more of the book that Mrs. Hastings or Eliza Hitchcock, Hasting's goddaughter and supposed illegitimate daughter, who had a continuing relationship with him. I have learned far more about the latter from biographies of Jane Austen, Eliza's cousin and sister-in-law. Burney's life is carefully explained in unnecessary, though enjoyable detail. It is interesting that she wrote about the trial, but why this requires more than a passing reference is beyond me.

Bernstein compares the treatment of Hastings to the travails of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Why, I am not sure. I am an American, and 52; frankly, while I have heard a great deal about Oppenheimer and the atom bomb, I was totally unaware of his problems with Congress. They occurred when I was a small child. If Bernstein thinks that he is illuminating Hastings' situation by comparing it with Oppenheimer's, I believe that he is mistaken: I don't think that enough people are aware of the details of the latter case. Perhaps Bernstein thinks that we ought to be more knowledgeable, but that's another book. (And that book would be American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.)

The explanation of the trial itself is interesting, especially for its essential pointlessness. Bernstein seems oddly puzzled that after four years, Hastings changed his mind about how he would like the trial conducted - I think it was obvious, Hastings wanted to get it over with! The trial was conducted in small installments over a period of seven years with the result that very few of the Lords determining Hastings' fate had heard all the evidence. I read this part and the epilogue on his latter years with great interest.

I can't say reading the book was a waste of time: there was a lot of interesting material. It was a disappointment as a biography, however, which was why I wanted to read it.

Very frustrating.......2001-08-06

Given the title, I was hoping to learn about the Warren Hastings's role in establishing the British Raj. Unfortunately, I was misled. Hastings, according to the author, spent 36 years in India, 13 of which as Governor-General of Bengal. Quite how Hastings rose to these heights and what he did whilst he was in power remain much of a mystery to me. This is because the book lacks a true focus as to its subject matter, and because of the author's seeming inability to grapple with the historically important issues for both India and Britain.

For much of the book, Hastings either assumes a secondary role, or completely disappears from the scene. I have already mentioned that Hastings's rise in the East India Company is not analysed - what were his abilities, and why were they so suitable for advancement in the Company? The reader gets little indication of this beyond Hastings's willingness to learn the local languages and his interest in Indian culture. Later, when the story arrives at Hastings's trial, a whole perambulatory chapter is devoted to the life of Fanny Burney. Indeed, the author relies heavily on Burney's account of the trial. As a result, what the reader gets is akin to an English drawing-room drama rather than a deep analysis of the issues. Even if Burney had been the only available source, was she reliable? On the one hand, she stated "my first knowledge of [Hastings] was almost immediately upon his coming from India" admitting she was ignorant of the issues, yet on the other hand she opined "I cannot believe Mr Hastings guilty; I feel in myself a strong internal evidence [!] of his innocence."

The funadamental flaw in the book, however, is the lack of analysis of Hastings's rule in India, beyond the squabbles within the East India Company's Council in Calcutta (surely the differences of opinion were based upon more fundamental issues than personal antipathy?). As an aside, when describing the duel with Francis, the author states that Hastings came to the view that the only way out of the impasse was to kill Francis - this is put in the narrative as a throw-away line. Quite extraordinary!

The author touches upon what may have been issues deserving closer inspection: for example, when the East India Company (via Clive) was granted the "diwani" (tax raising powers) in Bengal, the role of the Company changed. This appears to have been crucial - but what was the effect on the Company and the local people? There was a need for a socio-economic analysis at this point. Yet, all the author does is absolve the Company from responsibility for the Bengal famine. However, if the granting of the diwani conferred governmental responsibilities upon the Company (this is the author's opinion) then it is not enough to absolve the Company from all responsibility for the famine - the causes may have been beyond its control, yet was alleviation also outside its remit? If so, why?

What were the main issues of principle in the trial? Were not Edmund Burke et al concerned with the connection between governance and the responsibility of governments towards the governed? Given the problems with the American Colonies, it would not be surprising if this did not feature. If other issues were at stake, what were they? Was the real British position as Lord Thurlow stated in his defence of Hastings that "it was the duty of Hastings to preserve the empire" by the best means he could find? Was not that the nub of the problem as far as Burke was concerned - especially important given the fact that later on the Wellesleys went far beyond Hastings's practices (according to the author), and that direct rule was not in fact imposed until 1858?

Would events in India have been ignored had the Company not been so important to the British economy, or had it succeeded in maintaining its dividend payments? One thinks of the economic success of Hong Kong and the fact that we only discovered that democracy was a good idea for that colony shortly before the lease ran out. Was the trial a mere exercise in salving British consciences? Was it indicative of an unease with Empire which found greater expression in the nineteenth century through Gladstone?

All such issues were missed.

Historical treatise that reads as smoothly as a great novel........2000-08-05

The life and trials of Warren Hastings are followed in this story of early British rule in India, recommended for students of India history and for those researching early legal issues. Dawning of the Raj reads like a novel at times but is packed with facts about the trials of Warren Hastings, following the man's life and achievements.

The Dawning of the Raj: The Life and Trials of Warren Hastings

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The Dawning of the Raj: The Life and Trials of Warren Hastings
Jeremy Bernstein
Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VXHRYI

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The Earps of Tombstone: The truth about the OK Corral gun fight and other events in which Wyatt Earp and his brothers participated /Douglas O. Martin
Douglas O Martin
Manufacturer: Tombstone Epitaph
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0007KEU2M

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A Catalog, Not a Biography

Only For the Seriously Obsessed

one of the best..

Not nearly as easy or enjoyable reading as a legal brief...

The most definitive work I've found on the subject

Truth about Wyatt Earp
Richard E. Erwin
Manufacturer: O. K. Press, the
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Bat Masterson: The Man and the Legend

ASIN: 0963393014

Book Description

The Truth About Wyatt Earp is the result of extensive research done by the author, Richard E. Erwin. After retiring from his career as a Criminal Defense Lawyer, he took up the task of ferreting out the truth surrounding the life and times of Wyatt Earp.

He presents here solid evidence, based on old newspaper accounts, public records, documents buried in museums, state and national archives and libraries and reports of other researchers, to substantiate his view of what he believes to be The Truth About Wyatt Earp.

Did you know...

That Wyatt Earp was once indicted for horse stealing (He was never convicted.)?

That there were four witnesses who could have testified that Tom McLaury was armed at the commencement of the O.K. Corral fight?

That both Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday spent more than two weeks in jail in the custody of John Behan while the hearing on the O.K. Corral shoot-out was going on?

The truth comes out in this illuminating essay on one of the most fascinating characters in history.

Customer Reviews:

A Catalog, Not a Biography.......2003-10-20

Any bright High School kid could have compiled this book as Richard Erwin obviously did, by taking snippets of everything previously written on his subject (unless it didn't prove his pre-selected conclusions) and pasting them onto the page with his own, not too well-informed opinions, added. Nothing new. Much erroneous. A typographical nightmare of misspellings and erroneous words. Save your money.

Only For the Seriously Obsessed.......2003-05-05

I looked forward to reading this book, and like one reviewer, looked forward to a pleasant evening of reading. This book is painfully researched and definitely not an enjoyable read. I have no doubt the author knows what he is writing about, but unless you are really an Earp fanatic, you will not enjoy a pleasant read about a colorful western persona. The book would have been much more enjoyable if the author had presented his version of the history of Wyatt Earp first. It was very distracting with the constant reporting of descrepancies he found in other texts in every chapter, and at least for novices, would have been appreciated at the end of the book as a summary of research.

one of the best.........2001-11-09

This is one of the best books on Earp that has been writen. It is easy to read and is hard to put down. The facts are there and are well documented.

Not nearly as easy or enjoyable reading as a legal brief..........1999-09-26

I checked out Mr Erwin's book, (You can't tell a book by its cover!) and planned an evening of enjoyable reading.

I first want to thank Mr. Erwin for his great effort and research. Saying that ...

Richard E. Erwin has apparently set forth what he believes are the true facts. However unless you're a lawyer or one of those college professors whose writings are unreadable except to one of their own kind you will NOT enjoy this.

Without studying his book as you would one of your old history books just before a test, you likely will not be able to figure out what facts Mr. Erwin sees as true and false. They may be found within his book, but you better start a blank truth table as well as a flow chart and begin completing it as you read each sentence.

Perhaps, Mr Richare E. Erwin can pursuade someone such as Steven Ambrose or Kenneth Davis to put his trurh into their words.

Perhaps Mr. Erwin can do so himself without the lawyerese. I would likely enjoy such a book. And it would probably sell well at museums and tourist areas in the Western United States.

The most definitive work I've found on the subject.......1998-05-19

Mr. Erwin's book becomes almost tedious when one tries to plow through all the documentation and disparities surrounding the many versions of the story. But, with patience and attention, the true story comes to light, blowing most of the others out of the water.

An Arizona vendetta: The truth about Wyatt Earp

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An Arizona vendetta: The truth about Wyatt Earp
Forrestine C Hooker
Manufacturer: Earl Chafin Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Book Description

Bringing a new kitten or cat into your life can be either one of the most rewarding or one of the most frustrating experiences you will ever have. This complete guide to starting off right with your new feline companion is the perfect place to begin. Inside you'll discover how to:
* Make sure you're ready for a cat.
* Get your home ready for the cat.
* Feed, groom, and exercise your cat.
* Housetrain your cat.

Starting Out Right With Your New Cat will ensure that you have the expectations and information you need to launch a lifetime of loving feline companionship.

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Needed space

Organization, plus...

Organizing, Organizing

Not what I thought it was

Useful for inspiration, but not a lot of practical suggestions

Organizing Your Craft Space
Jo Packham
Manufacturer: Sterling/Chapelle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Cleaning, Caretaking & Relocating | How-to & Home Improvements | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women

Dream Sewing Spaces: Design & Organization for Spaces Large & Small

Creating Your Perfect Quilting Space: Sewing-Room Makeovers for Any Space And Any Budget

How to Organize Your Scrapbook Workspace: Storage Solutions for Any Budget

Fanciful Paper Projects: Making Your Own Posh Little Follies

ASIN: 1402716028

Customer Reviews:

Needed space.......2007-07-24

Excellent in case you don't know how to organize in a small space. I already had the same ideas as in the book but found a few more to make my craft room cleaner and not so messy.

Organization, plus..........2007-05-17

This is a great follow-up to her other book, "Where Women Create". After reading it, I felt I wanted more..."how" to organize my space. Well, here it is, how to organize all the little stuff and the big stuff. Great book, great ideas! When I'm organized, I accomplish more, and enjoy my art so much more.

Organizing, Organizing.......2007-02-02

Fabulous book as it deals with all types of crafts so I will be able to take bits from each section that applies to me and design my workspace

Not what I thought it was.......2006-09-09

I bought the books in hopes it would help me figure out better ways to organize all my craft hobbies - stamping, scrapbooking, painting, etc. The book wasn't helpful at all. Has a few good pictures but didn't really explain some of the things used. Wish author went into more detail.

Useful for inspiration, but not a lot of practical suggestions.......2006-08-16

Our craft room is a mess. We do a lot of crafts -- quilting, stained glass, woodworking, needlework. Most of the furniture in the room (built to be a bedroom) are castoffs from other parts of the house, or the inexpensive plastic drawers you get at an office supply company. We can never find what we want, and things are "stored" by piling them on the floor.

So you can imagine how interested I was in Organizing Your Craft Space.

I've mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it has a lot of great photos, showing different ways to organize craft rooms. After an introductory chapter, there are chapters devoted to each of several popular crafts: stained glass and mosaics, rubber stamping and stenciling, scrapbooking, paper crafts, beading, yarn crafts and needlework, and quilting. You'll also find photo spreads for "guest artists," people who do that craft professionally, showing how each individual organized her work space.

You can learn a lot by looking at the pictures, and getting your own ideas from them. Even though I found that most of the rooms shown were "let's look pretty" rather than "let's get to work," I had at least one "Aha!" of my own. (Perhaps I can better organize my fabric stash by using one of those hanging closet dividers! And the tip of using metal tins with magnets on the bottom *might* be useful.)

That's a good thing, because I don't think you'll get a lot of inspiration from the text. I had expected a lot more practical guidance, not suggestions like "Categorizing books should be accomplished according to a system that works for you."

For instance, one problem we struggle with is finding a way to store large sheets of glass; the section on stained glass showed a photo of a craft room with a space built-in for the purpose, but did not include any discussion of the criteria in designing your own solution. If I have a large sheet of red fusible glass, a smaller sheet that was cut from it, and some red scraps from previous projects -- how can I inventory them so that I don't look for the glass in three places, or cut down a larger sheet unnecessarily? This book gives me no clue; I'm no wiser than when I began.

I don't think the book is useless, not by a long shot. Some of the general suggestions are worthwhile, though I'm not sure you need to be told to label boxes or to separate items by function. Even if you "know" something, it can help to have someone remind you -- with examples. The photos can provide some inspiration, too.

Would I recommend the book? Hmmm... it's okay. I enjoyed looking through it once, maybe twice, but I don't think it will have a long term effect in getting our own craft space organized.

Book Description

There are over 281 species of woody plants and 32 species of cacti in the South Texas ecological region. The vast majority of these are found in the lower Rio Grande Valley, which is part of the subtropical Tamaulipan biotic province. Many of the plant species in this area reach their northernmost boundary here. The 44 plants described in this guide represent an estimated 75% of the overall brush biomass of the South Texas ecological region, excluding the lower Rio Grande Valley.

The plants are grouped into thorned and thornless categories and alphabetized by family. Distinguishing characteristics have been italicized for easy reference. Similar species are also noted. In this guide, plants are not ranked by importance because their value to animals can differ from ranch to ranch, depending on the plant's availability and the ranch's location, soil type, and land management practices. In case a plant is not found in this guide or more information is desired, a list of additional references is included.

Customer Reviews:

Nice.......2003-12-04

This book(let) has much to commend it. It is excellently printed on glossy paper. Picture quality generally is excellent. The text is neatly organized, with botanical names properly written (even synonyms provided where necessary, in footnotes).

Still, it feels like something is missing. Maybe it is that I would expect a book(let) that focuses on 44 species to offer extensive pictorial coverage. Ususally a book will have many species with few pictures each or few species with many pictures each (or at least full-sized ones). Maybe it is the fact that although the title promises "shrubs" the plants covered are all over the place (including two Cacti, one Yucca, many trees and even a "perennial shrub" on p84).

There does appear to be nothing really wrong here (disregarding the allegation that Ephedra has "fruit") and it is a really nice book(let), but still somewhat unsatisfying.

Why This Book Is Great.......2002-08-24

I use this book with 7th and 8th grade students when doing field ecology studies. The reason I really like it is because it not only provides a closeup photograph of the leaves, wood and seeds but ALSO provides a photograph of the entire plant, as it looks to a student walking up to it. Additionally it gives data on the nutritional value to wildlife and livestock as well as native uses. Botany is a personal weakness, but I find the book easy to use. A field guide for botany bozos. Experts may like it too, but I cannot speak to that. (We use it to identify vegetation in West Texas too.)

Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides)

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Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South

Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South (Taylor's Weekend Gardening Guides)
Rita Buchanan
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Landscape | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Garden Design | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Ornamental Plants | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Accessories:

Garden Weasel Gold Garden Claw Cultivator #91306

ASIN: 0395596815

Customer Reviews:

Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South.......2000-04-17

Online Review: Taylor's Guide to Gardening in the South, published by Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. Reviewed by Russell Lipp on 4/17/2000. Email rlipp@compuserve.com.

This 391 page illustrated guide to gardening in the southeastern part of the United States is an excellent value. There are 145 pages of color plates. Overall, what makes this guide appealing are the following points: - The guide is laid out in a logical sequence for both experienced and new gardeners. - All the basic gardening ideas and steps are clearly explained. - The color plates provide botanic and common names, plant height, unique characteristics, best growing region and reference pages to detail information. - The guide's price is lower than other regional gardening books. - There is a very good index, as well as several appendices that include a list of public gardens and their addresses, seed and plant sources and references.

This guide is not meant to be a thoroughly complete treatise for all southern gardening. As such, it is weak on the following points: - It does not cover annual flowers (and thereby saves considerable bulk). - Some of the color plates have photographs taken from a distance so that close-up details cannot be seen. - Some of the specie lists are incomplete, such as the Hosta plant. While the text mentions there are 25 Hosta species, only 5 are described.

There are 16 gardening books in the Taylor's Guide series. Eight authors contributed to this guide. The book cover states that this book provides a "guide to the best plants specifically selected for the region". The primary emphasis is to describe those plants that do well in each of the southeast regions of the country. This guide succeeds very well in this respect.

It is very important to read this book from the beginning, and not to skip portions or start in the middle. Earlier sections provide the basic information for succeeding sections. For example, the section on Garden Design is dependent on and builds on the earlier information provided for the regions and their climatic differences.

All of the "advice" information is contained in the front of the guide. This includes Regional maps, Garden Design, Old Standbys and Favorites, Native Plants, Southern Lawns and the Gardening Year. These sections are followed by the color plates. The last major part is the Plant Encyclopedia. The color plates and Plant Encyclopedia are cross-referenced for ease of lookup.

An experienced gardener might want to take more time to read the Old Standbys and Regional Favorites section, and take less time reading the Garden Design section. While there is useful information for all levels of gardeners, any book on gardening can go just so far. There is still the need to visit local nurseries and gardens to talk with experts about their plants. This "local" advice will supplement this guide, and provide answers to most of your questions.

I enjoyed reading and reviewing this book, and can strongly recommend it to anyone interested in gardening in the south.

Book Description

The author shows parents and teachers how to harness the media's influence to teach boys the lessons they need in today's confusing moral environment. The author gives particular ethical lessons for many great movies and books.

Customer Reviews:

Hmmm...why you might not need to buy this book.......2006-03-25

I love Amazon's Search Inside the Book feature but in this case is it doing the author any favors when it lists most of the books (listed by age group) which he suggests are appropriate? If you can see the books and movies, why buy the book?

ALso, just by glancing over the contents I could see which movies would work for my kids and which they'd seen or didn't like. This was enough to convince me that the book had nothing new to say to me that I hadn't already seen by using this feature.

Sorry. But that's my take.

A good foundation.......2005-11-29

This book has great age-appropriate movie and book suggestions. The topics of discussion have been very useful for us... our 5 year old son now specfically asks us to pause the movie or book so that he can get clarification regarding the concepts or words he does not understand. On the inside cover, I jot down the newer books or movies that strike me as being potentially inspiring for my son in the future. I REALLY wish Mr. Gurian would write a version of this book for girls! I have had to start my own list for my daughter.

useful.......2005-10-11

I find this book useful in choosing movies for my son and in pulling out character building topics to discuss with him. This book acknowledges that boys connect with media and gives specific ideas how parents can USE that power rather than simply be subject to it. I do have to agree with the other reviewers, I'd like to see more; a little more depth and an updated version to include more recent books and movies.

Simple & straight to the heart.......2004-03-10

A wonderful list. Yes, as other reviewers point out, there is 'nothing new here'. But parents today are bombarded with books and videos for kids and don't often have time to sift through them all as thoughtfully as the authors have done here. They've done a wonderful job of reviewing stories we know and love from a boy's perspective. My 6 year old gets way too much pressure to act like a girl, I'm grateful for movie & book reviews that acknowledge not just that it's ok to be a boy, but actually quite wonderful. The discussion questions may not be the ones you want to ask, but they get you thinking along the right lines.

Excellent Idea, But Left Out The Best One.......2002-01-29

This book is an excellent idea. However, the authors left out what I have found to be the best one for our sons AND OUR DAUGHTERS. Add the book, "West Point" by Norman Thomas Remick to your list (in fact, this should be first as it gives the basics). It's a veritable education in character and leadership.

Customer Reviews:

An Unvarnished, Unsympathetic, Portrait.......2000-06-02

I'm a realist when it comes to human beings, holding no illusions about how cruel we can be. But after reading this book I wish I had not read it. Either I buy into Eisler's portrait of O'Keefe and Stieglitz -- which consistently paints them as self-centered persons who nearly qualify as anti-social personalities -- or I assume that Eisler's presentation borders on slander. Most of the content of the book appears to be there to justify the author's "psychological" conclusions about their personalities. This leads me to question what is actually driving the presentation -- the sources or Eisler's harsh theory about their personalities. There were so few instances where you would find an instance where they were presented in a favorable light that it leaves me wondering, "Were they this unredeemable, or is this a simplistic reduction that has not sufficiently presented the complex nature of their personalities?" Since this is the only book I've read about them, I have nothing to compare it to. Eisler could be dead on and fair. Frankly, I hope not.

A fascinating study of two complex and gifted personalities.......1999-08-24

An amazing insight into the lives of two of America's great artists of this century. Thanks to the fine research of the author and the fact that so many important people in the lives of O'Keeffe and Stieglitz corresponded by letter and, more importantly, saved the letters, we are able to share many moments in their personal and professional lives in NYC, at Lake George and in New Mexico. Their psychological development over time and the effect of that on their work and their relationship is fairly mind boggling. One problem, the author never really explains what it is about Stieglitz that makes O'Keeffe love him and keeps her tied to him.

This book is astounding.......1998-07-09

I got this book as a gift. It is a little intimidating in size but is a fascinating look at the extraordinary flawed lives of these two individuals. It sounds cliche but it is very hard to put down. In part I think it has such an "inside" nature to it due to the prolific letter writers involved. Everyone wrote, and luckily seemed to save all their correspondence. The look at the New York Art world in the 1920's is such a bonus.

Book Description

"Stieglitz is as scholarly a production as anyone could wish, crammed with facts and trailing informative appendixes. It is also a loving and occasionally exasperated look at a contentious relative and the intimate circumstances that formed him." --Time A tireless exponent of the avant-garde and of photography as a fine art, as well as a consummate photographer in his own right, Alfred Stieglitz was both the embodiment of rebellious New York modernism and an oddly domestic man who retained a lifelong attachment to his family's country estate. In Stieglitz: A Memoir/Biography, author Sue Davidson Lowe, Stieglitz's grand-neice, presents the man in all of his complexity, tracing his background and revealing the interplay between his character and his multifaceted career. She offers new insight into Stieglitz's relationships with artists such as Marin, Hartley, Dove, Steichen, and O'Keefe; his pioneering promotion of Europe's most radical artists through the Photo-Secession group and the 291 gallery; and his creation of some of our century's most enduring photographic images. Gracefully weaving personal reminiscence and verifiable fact as she lucidly interweaves Stieglitz's career with his personal life, Lowe presents a uniquely compelling and intimate portrait of a hugely influential, hugely enigmatic American artist.

Customer Reviews:

a thoroughly nuanced account of a problematic figure.......2006-07-07

My interest in this biography was piqued by my mounting scepticism of the claims of early 20th century modernist artists and their promoters, whether critics, collectors or curators. Much of what we think we know about early American modernism is little more than oft repeated hand-me-down information that manifests the bearer's uncritical satisfaction with the modernist enterprise. Such information serves to maintain the artist's place in the modernist temple that subsequent enthusiasts and fans have constructed and served as keepers of the flame. Critical, layered and thorough historical study reveals such notions as ideology, mere mythologizing constructs.

Readers of Ms. Lowe's exceptionally well written biography will find a fair and balanced AND critically engaged account of an adequately talented photographer who was one of the principal apologists of modernist ideas in New York, with a reputation in Europe as well. With his small enclosed (are modernist gatherings ever open?) circle of artists and holding court in his galleries, Alfred Stieglitz combatively denounced skeptical visitors who didn't or wouldn't "get it." This was was the Stieglitzian modernist "my way or the highway" pronouncement which cowed fawning acolytes.

A vorcious AND impressionable reader, he embraced Freudian ideas subsequently discredited in the later 20th century. Believing in the "pure artist untainted by commerce,Stieglitz turned against his young associate Edward Steichen when the latter became successful as an artistic commercial photographer (his career was also characterized by attracting the public; Stieglitz's publications always shed their subscribers who got fed-up with his sermonizing enthusiasms that strayed from photographic matters) Mind you, Steichen accomplished a multi-faceted career without "daddy's money," with which Stieglitz was bankrolled for much of his bohemian life (danke, PaPa!). He seems to also have been his mother's favorite.

Among the book's strong sections are its coverage of the regular gatherings of the Stieglitz clan at the family's summer house in upstate New York. Here family dynamics were played out that revealingly throw Stieglitz's personality into contrast with those of his siblings, friends and younger lover Georgia O'Keefe (one of the more over-rated American artists of the 20th century) who also shared his inflexible termperament.

The author, who spent years meticulously researching available archives (some still remain sealed), has produced a fully-orbed account of the glories and contradictions of an archetypal American modernist. It is a definitive study of Steiglitz and his personal world.

Entirely worthwhile read........2001-07-25

This is an excellent biography. Written by Sue Davidson Lowe, Alfred Stieglitz's niece, "Stieglitz : A Memoir/Biography" is written objectively, yet with the knowingness and acceptance of a relative. This book presents a well-balanced picture of Stieglitz, his accomplishments (not only his own artistic endeavors, but his efforts to make photography an accepted art form), friends, family, and life. When I was done reading this biography, I felt that I had been presented with a coherent, entertaining, and candid portrayal of Stieglitz. I have read many biographies and autobiographies, of these, I have felt that about one-fourth are well-written and worth reading -- this Stieglitz biography is one of them.

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Stieglitz a Memoir Biography
Sue Davidson Lowe
Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing+group Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0704300567

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Stieglitz: a Memoir / Biography
Sue Davidson Lowe
Manufacturer: Farrar Strauss Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRBQ62

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Stieglitz: A Memoir/Biography
Sue Davidson Lowe
Manufacturer: Farrar Straus & Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V2O2FG

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Stieglitz : A Memoir/Biography
Sue Davidson Lowe
Manufacturer: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OLSJ6C

Stieglitz : A Memoir/Biography (artWorks)

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Stieglitz : A Memoir/Biography (artWorks)
Alfred] Lowe, Sue Davidson [Stieglitz
Manufacturer: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L5B5H6

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