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Another Way of Telling (Vintage International)
by John Berger"There are no photographs which can be denied. All photographs have the status of fact. What is to be examined is in what way photography can and cannot give meaning to facts." With these words, two of our most thoughtful and eloquent interrogators of the visual offer a singular meditation on the ambiguities of what is seemingly our straightforward art form. As constructed by John Berger and the renowned Swiss photographer Jean Mohr, that theory includes images as well as words; not only analysis, but anecdote and memoir. Another Way of Telling explores the tension between the photographer and the photographed, between the picture and its viewers, between the filmed moment and the memories that it so resembles. Combining the moral vision of the critic and the pratical engagement of the photgrapher, Berger and Mohr have produced a work that expands the frontiers of criticism first charged by Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, and Susan Sontag.
About Looking (Vintage International)
by John BergerAs a novelist, art critic, and cultural historian, John Berger is a writer of dazzling eloquence and arresting insight whose work amounts to a subtle, powerful critique of the canons of our civilization. In About Looking he explores our role as observers to reveal new layers of meaning in what we see. How do the animals we look at in zoos remind us of a relationship between man and beast all but lost in the twentieth century? What is it about looking at war photographs that doubles their already potent violence? How do the nudes of Rodin betray the threats to his authority and potency posed by clay and flesh? And how does solitude inform the art of Giacometti? In asking these and other questions, Berger quietly -- but fundamentally -- alters the vision of anyone who reads his work.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Cause: Reconstruction America 1863-1877
by Tonya BoldenAfter the destruction of the Civil War, the United States faced the immense challenge of rebuilding a ravaged South and incorporating millions of freed slaves into the life of the nation. On April 11, 1865, President Lincoln introduced his plan for reconstruction, warning that the coming years would be "fraught with great difficulty." Three days later he was assassinated. The years to come witnessed a time of complex and controversial change.From the Hardcover edition.
Nature Calls
by Dottie BoothThe crunch of leaves under your feet, the sounds of nature around you, the smell of . . . well, never mind. In this engaging volume, Dottie Booth answers the call with a one-of-a-kind photographic tour of outhouses and privies around the world. Full of personal stories, historical facts, folklore (what did people use before toilet paper? why the crescent moon?), and over 75 full-color photographs, this book will bring back memories for anyone who has ever used an outhouse, and provide a privy primer for those who haven't. An entertaining and personal portrait of a disappearing part of the landscape, NATURE CALLS is a unique addition to any architectural, photographic, or historical collection.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Dirty Wow Wow and Other Love Stories
by Jeffrey Katz Cheryl KatzIt'¬?s rare to find a child whose very first best friend wasn'¬?t a fuzzy teddy bear or downy blanket. Whether clutched securely in little arms each night or dragged gamely through the playground each day, these fiercely loved companions universally ease the uncertainties and loneliness of childhood. DIRTY WOW WOW AND OTHER LOVE STORIES celebrates the lives of fifty transitional love objects: a sweetly poignant collection of stuffies, blankies, lovies, and dolls who inspired and comforted their owners. Bundles of love and warmth fashioned from fluff and fur, these cherished friends have a lifetime of stories sewn up in their tattered bodies--a trip to Paris smushed in a suitcase, a secret hiding spot behind the family liquor cabinet, an interminable wait in the lost-and-found bin before a joyousreunion at home. With stunning photographs that reveal the personalities within, this thoughtful tribute is at once funny and oddly soothing-like a certain shabby buddy who'¬?s tucked away but never forgotten. Hear the NPR Weekend Edition interview with the authors of Dirty Wow Wow Reviews"This charming book would be a perfect gift for collectors and also an offbeat surprise for new parents."-Minneapolis Star Tribune"Dirty Wow Wow'¬?s striking photographs and brief narratives stir up vivid memories of . . . long-lost companions."-Southwest Spirit Magazine"This clever work, peppered with sumptuous snapshots of raggedy dolls, pays tribute to the beloved companions of childhood."-Entertainment Weekly'¬?s "Must List" View the gallery of entries from the Show Us your Dirty Wow Wow Contest From the Hardcover edition.
Hidden in Plain View: A Secret Story of Quilts and the Underground Railroad
by Jacqueline L. Tobin Raymond G. DobardThe fascinating story of a friendship, a lost tradition, and an incredible discovery, revealing how enslaved men and women made encoded quilts and then used them to navigate their escape on the Underground Railroad. In Hidden in Plain View, historian Jacqueline Tobin and scholar Raymond Dobard offer the first proof that certain quilt patterns, including a prominent one called the Charleston Code, were, in fact, essential tools for escape along the Underground Railroad. In 1993, historian Jacqueline Tobin met African American quilter Ozella Williams amid piles of beautiful handmade quilts in the Old Market Building of Charleston, South Carolina. With the admonition to "write this down," Williams began to describe how slaves made coded quilts and used them to navigate their escape on the Underground Railroad. But just as quickly as she started, Williams stopped, informing Tobin that she would learn the rest when she was "ready." During the three years it took for Williams's narrative to unfold—and as the friendship and trust between the two women grew—Tobin enlisted Raymond Dobard, Ph.D., an art history professor and well-known African American quilter, to help unravel the mystery.Part adventure and part history, Hidden in Plain View traces the origin of the Charleston Code from Africa to the Carolinas, from the low-country island Gullah peoples to free blacks living in the cities of the North, and shows how three people from completely different backgrounds pieced together one amazing American story.With a new afterword. Illlustrations and photographs throughout, including a full-color photo insert.
Clint Eastwood: A Biography
by Richard SchickelThrough extensive, exclusive interviews with Eastwood (and the friends and colleagues of a lifetime), Time magazine film critic Richard Schickel has penetrated a complex character who has always been understood too quickly, too superficially. Schickel pierces Eastwood's monumental reserve to reveal the anger and the shyness, the shrewdness and frankness, the humor and powerful will that have helped make him what he is today. of photos.
Stella Adler on Ibsen, Strindberg, and Chekhov
by Barry Paris Stella AdlerIn her long-awaited book, the legendary acting teacher Stella Adler gives us her extraordinary insights into the work of Henrik Ibsen ("The creation of the modern theater took a genius like Ibsen. . .Miller and Odets, Inge and O'Neill, Williams and Shaw, swallowed the whole of him"), August Strindberg ("He understood and predicted the forces that would break in our lives"), and Anton Chekhov ("Chekhov doesn't want a play, he wants what happens in life. In life, people don't usually kill each other. They talk").Through the plays of these masters, Adler discusses the arts of playwriting and script interpretation ("There are two aspects of the theater. One belongs to the author and the other to the actor. The actor thinks it all belongs to the author. . .The curtain goes up and all he knows are the lines. . .It is not enough. . .Script interpretation is your profession").She looks into aspects of society and class, and into our cultural past, as well as the evolution of the modern spirit ("The actor learns from Ibsen what is modern in the modern theater. There are no villains, no heroes. Ibsen understands, more than anything, there is more than one truth").Stella Adler--daughter of Jacob Adler, who was universally acknowledged to be the greatest actor of the Yiddish theater, and herself a disciple of Stanislavsky--examines the role of the actor and brings to life the plays from which all modern theater derives: Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder, An Enemy of the People, and A Doll's House; Strindberg's Miss Julie and The Father; Chekhov's The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, The Cherry Orchard, and Three Sisters ("Masha is the sister who is the mystery. You cannot reach her. You cannot reach the artist. There is no logical way. Keep her in a special pocket of feelings that are complex and different"). Adler discusses the ideas behind these plays and explores the world of the playwrights and the history--both familial and cultural--that informed their work. She illumines not only the dramatic essence of each play but its subtext as well, continually asking questions that deepen one's understanding of the work and of the human spirit. Adler's book, brilliantly edited by Barry Paris, puts her famous lectures into print for the first time.From the Hardcover edition.
Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, Revised Edition
by Brenda TharpA classic guide to creative nature photography, now updated for the digital world.Amateur and experienced photographers interested in taking more compelling, personal images will love this new edition of Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, now updated to address the exciting possibilities (and challenges) of digital image-making. Author Brenda Tharp's inspiring approach has garnered fans all over the world, as she teaches that magical skill no camera can do for you: learn how to "see." Readers expand their photographic vision and discover deep wellsprings of creativity as they learn to use light, balance, color, design, pattern, texture, composition, and many simple techniques to take a photo from ordinary to high-impact.Featuring more than 150 stunning, all-new images, Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography, Revised Edition is for anyone who understands the basic technical side to photography but wants to wake up their creative vision.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics: From the Legendary Creator of Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, X -Men, and Iron Man
by Stan Lee John Romita Gil Kane Neal Adams Jack KirbyIn Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics, Stan Lee reveals his secrets for: * Costumes * Penciling, Inking & Coloring * Lettering & Word Balloons * Digital Advances * Perspective & Foreshortening * What Makes Great Action * Page & Panel Layout * Covers * Creating a Portfolio * Getting WorkWhen it comes to comic books, one name says it all: Stan Lee. His characters are classics. His industry knowledge is vast. His creativity is boundless. And now, he's sharing what he knows with you, Grasshopper! His cohorts have always been--and still are--some of the best in the business: Jack Kirby, John Romita, Sr., Neal Adams, Gil Kane, Mike Deodato, Jr., Frank Cho, and Jonathan Lau, and many others, Stan includes their work here and discusses what exactly makes it so great. He touches on all the important stuff: anatomy, foreshortening, perspective, action, penciling, inking, hand lettering vs. digital lettering, color, character and costume design, panel flow, materials and tools, computers, file formats, and software. He includes an overview of the history and development of the comic book industry, and there's an extensive section on various types of covers--the super important element that makes the reader want to pick up that comic! In a world where good battles evil at every turn and the hero fights valiantly to get the girl, no stone is left unturned! Here you'll also find info on all the small details--that really aren't so small: word balloons, thought balloons, whisper balloons, bursts, sound effect lettering, and splash pages! And KA-BLAMMM! . . . once you've created your art, then what? Lest you think Stan would turn you out into the wilderness without a road map, fellow traveler, there's also information on preparing and submitting your portfolio, on getting work, and on suggested reading and schools. Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics features a cover that reunites long time collaborator John Romita Sr. and original cover artist of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. John Romita Sr. was most famous for his collaboration on The Amazing Spider-Man with Stan Lee!It's time for a new approach . . . "a cornucopia of cutting-edge, techno-savvy instructions to lead you down the freshly laid yellow brick road of creativity." It's time for a book that takes you on the new journey of creating comic books for the 21st century and beyond! Excelsior!From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression
by Gary FaiginArtists love this book, the definitive guide to capturing facial expressions. In a carefully organized, easy-to-use format, author Gary Faigin shows readers the expressions created by individual facial muscles, then draws them together in a section devoted to the six basic human emotions: sadness, anger, joy, fear, disgust, and surprise. Each emotion is shown in steadily increasing intensity, and Faigin's detailed renderings are supplemented by clear explanatory text, additional sketches, and finished work. An appendix includes yawning, wincing, and other physical reactions. Want to create portraits that capture the real person? Want to draw convincing illustrations? Want to show the range of human emotion in your artwork? Get The Artist's Complete Guide to Facial Expression!From the Trade Paperback edition.
Modeling the Head in Clay
by Margit Malmstrom Bruno LucchesiCreative techniques step-by-step. This book offers the reader an opportunity to watch one of our foremost contemporary sculptors at work, to see not just highlights of the creative process, but every step from beginning to end.In order to recreate the immediacy of an actual workshop situation, Bruno Lucchesi takes a single life-size head through all the stages of roughing in, modeling, refining the surface, and finishing and texturing, so that the reader can see exactly how he positions and models every detail.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Anatomy Lessons From the Great Masters
by Robert Beverly Hale Terence CoyleThis classic book, whose foremost author was one of the great artistic anatomy teachers of the twentieth century, is an invaluable instructor and reference guide for any professional, amateur, or student artist who depicts the human form. Revealing the drawing principles behind one hundred inspiring masterpieces, the book presents work by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, and other greats. These superb portrayers of figures knew that the secret of drawing them was seeing how underlying bone and muscle structures mold the body's surface forms. Readers are shown how to learn from these great examples as the authors guide them through all the steps they would take in a life class or studio working with live models.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Modeling the Figure in Clay, 30th Anniversary Edition
by Margit Malmstrom Bruno LucchesiFor thirty years, Modeling the Figure in Clay has been an indispensable anatomical resource for people who think, see, and understand form best in the round: sculptors. In the thirtieth anniversary edition of this classic work, master sculptor Bruno Lucchesi invites you on a guided tour of the human form. Follow him as he creates a figure in clay--literally from the inside out--starting with the skeleton, laying on the muscles to show male and female anatomy, and finishing with a complete figure sculpture with every detail of face and hair carefully modeled. BRUNO LUCCHESI's work has been added to the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Dallas Museum, among many others. Lucchesi has received awards from the National Academy, the National Arts Club, and the Architectural League. He was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1962-1963, he won a Gold Medal award from the National Academy of Design in 1990, and was awarded the Polich Tallix Foundry Prize from the National Sculpture Society in 2009.From the Trade Paperback edition.
How to Draw What You See
by Rudy De ReynaWhen it was originally published in 1970, How to Draw What You See zoomed to the top of Watson-Guptill's best-seller list--and it has remained there ever since. "I believe that you must be able to draw things as you see them--realistically," wrote Rudy de Reyna in his introduction. Today, generations of artists have learned to draw what they see, to truly capture the world around them, using de Reyna's methods. How to Draw What You See shows artists how to recognize the basic shape of an object--cube, cylinder, cone, or sphere--and use that shape to draw the object, no matter how much detail it contains.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Jewelry Concepts & Technology
by Oppi UntrachtThe definitive reference for jewelry makers of all levels of ability--a complete, profusely illustrated guide to design, materials, and techniques, as well as a fascinating exploration of jewelry-making throughout history.From the Hardcover edition.
Great Movie Lines
by Dale Thomajan"You must remember this . . . " A kiss is just a kiss, but famous movie lines last forever, and many have become permanently part of American culture. For silver-screen fanatics and current blockbuster buffs, GREAT MOVIE LINES collects and strings together the best of them into the longest and most famous scene of all time. Test your power of recall and challenge your friends. Then fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!
The Swiftly Tilting Worlds of Madeleine L'Engle
by Luci ShawIn honor of Madeleine L'Engle's 80th birthday, a host of prominent writers and academics gather to create this unique collection. Madeleine's circle of friends and peers (writers, poets, scholars, theologians) here provide an intimate portrait of L'Engle and respond to her writings and mentoring influence.Ranging from the personal to the academic, these essays illuminate the many worlds of Madeleine's writings: the private, the reflective, the theological, the scientific, the mythic, and the literary.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Givin' It Their All: The Backstreet Boys' Rise to the Top
by Sherri RifkinOUT OF THE BACKSTREETSINTO THE SPOTLIGHTThere's just no stopping these funky five from Florida. One of the hottest music groups around, the Backstreet Boys (BSB) launched themselves to superstardom in an amazingly short time, topping the charts and winning awards all over the world. Everyone's heard the smooth harmonies and jamming beats of these all-American heartthrobs, but do you really know what makes them tick?GIVIN' IT THEIR ALL is the ultimate source for finding out the real scoop about BSB. Learn the secret details of each and every Backstreet Boy--Kevin, the group's unofficial leader; A.J., the talker; Howie D., the peacemaker; Nick, the youngest boy in the pack; and B-Rok, the joker. Hear of the group's magical beginnings and discover how the boys first conquered the world overseas, then returned to the States to burn up the charts on their home turf. Plus, get the 411 on their love lives, future plans, slamming style, and the unique ways the dedicated fans are keeping the Backstreet Pride alive. An unauthorized biographyIncludes a Bonus BSB Resource Guide with info on how to find, access, and buy cool BSB stuff!From the Paperback edition.
No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting
by Anne MacdonaldExamines the history of the nation from the perspective of women and knitting, tracing the changes in day-to-day life and in women's roles in society from colonial times to the present.
An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood
by Neal GablerA provocative, original, and richly entertaining group biography of the Jewish immigrants who were the moving forces behind the creation of America's motion picture industry. The names Harry Cohn, William Fox, Carl Laemmle, Louis B. Mayer, Jack and Harry Warner, and Adolph Zucker are giants in the history of contemporary Hollywood, outsiders who dared to invent their own vision of the American Dream. Even to this day, the American values defined largely by the movies of these émigrés endure in American cinema and culture. Who these men were, how they came to dominate Hollywood, and what they gained and lost in the process is the exhilarating story of An Empire of Their Own.
Life: The Movie
by Neal Gabler"A thoughtful, in places chilling, account of the way entertainment values have hollowed out American life." --The New York Times Book ReviewFrom one of America's most original cultural critics and the author of Winchell, the story of how our bottomless appetite for novelty, gossip, glamour, and melodrama has turned everything of importance-from news and politics to religion and high culture-into one vast public entertainment.Neal Gabler calls them "lifies," those blockbusters written in the medium of life that dominate the media and the national conversation for weeks, months, even years: the death of Princess Diana, the trial of O.J. Simpson, Kenneth Starr vs. William Jefferson Clinton. Real Life as Entertainment is hardly a new phenomenon, but the movies, and now the new information technologies, have so accelerated it that it is now the reigning popular art form. How this came to pass, and just what it means for our culture and our personal lives, is the subject of this witty, concerned, and sometimes eye-opening book.From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Art of the Moving Picture (Modern Library Movies)
by Vachel Lindsay Stanley Kauffmann Kent Jones"In the field of film aesthetics, it is the first important American work, still important--The Art of the Moving Picture is astonishing."--Stanley Kauffmann. Written in 1915, The Art of the Moving Picture by poet Vachel Lindsay is the first book to treat movies as art. Lindsay writes a brilliant analysis of the early silent films (including several now lost films). He is extraordinarily prescient about the future of moviemaking--particularly about the business, the prominence of technology, and the emergence of the director as the author of the film. From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Furniture Doctor: A Guide to the Care, Repair, and Refinishing of Furniture
by George GrotzThe best-selling guide to keeping furniture in the finest and most beautiful condition, with complete information on proper repair and refinishing techniques from the legendary expert on antiques and their restoration.B & W photographs throughoutFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
OUT ON A LIMB
by Shirley MaclaineHer most controversial book is one you will never forget. An outspoken thinker, a celebrated actress, a truly independent woman, Shirley MacLaine goes beyond her previous two bestsellers to take us on an intimate yet powerful journey into her personal life and inner self. An intense, clandestine love affair with a prominent politician sparks Shirley MacLaine's quest of self-discovery. From Stockholm to Hawaii to the mountain vastness of Peru, from disbelief to radiant affirmation, she at last discovers the roots of her very existence. . . and the infinite possibilities of life. Shirley MacLaine opens her heart to explore the meaning of a great and enduring passion with her lover Gerry; the mystery of her soul's connection with her best friend David; the tantalizing secrets behind a great actor's inspiration with the late Peter Sellers. And through it all, Shirley MacLaine's courage and candor new doors, new insights, new revelations-and a luminous new world she invites us all to share.From the Paperback edition.