This book is beautifully written yet easy to understand, even for the novice. It is better than an Art History course at a University. The author clearly explains the origins and characteristics of Impressionalism through Abstract Art. The book is informative while being a pleasant reading experience.
Don't fail to read it!!

What a helpful book. Ms. Frank's primary message is "don't let the so-called experts intimidate you." In simple, down-to-earth prose she makes even neophytes feel as if their opinion and taste matter. Her book is chock full of stories and pearls of wisdom distilled from a lifetime of enjoying art. She explains terms, demystifies art criticism and tells charming tales from her career as an art buyer, dealer and collector.

this book is really very much demanded by the young animation student like my-self.so the publisher should try to reprint this kind of a goldmine of animation.and i am sure as the animation world is expandind day by day it will be demanded more and more.our library has a couple of book and some of the animators possess them but still every animator should carry this Bible the lifelong.

Finally, I found a used copy of this book in Chicago. I had heard it was the "Bible" of animation, but I was skeptical; I have seen too many glorified advertising campaigns sold in coffee table format. (Did we really need any background information on "Hercules?") But now that I actually own a copy and have been reading it - I am really blown away by how much I didn't know I didn't know.

This book gives a perspective on animation I have been searching for for a long time. Short of plunking down $10,000 to attend animation school, this book has helped me understand what is necessary to look for from an artistic angle when I am drawing. Over and over I have been told to draw more, but from what perspective, with what emphasis, to what end? All of that is covered in such an elementary way that I can't believe I never got it before now.

This book is worth all of the praise I have been hearing about it. It was also worth every ounce of energy I have used trying to find a copy to purchase. As for the negative comments I have heard about the reprint Hyperion version of this book, for me it simply doesn't matter. Can I see a difference in the plates? Sure I can. Is the information presented any less valuable or understandable? No. And that's the bottom line for me.

Amazing book. I can't believe it is out of print.

Dr. Strange is one of Marvel's most original and unusual superheroes. The stories represented in this volume are some of the best in his almost 40 year career.

This collecton presents Engelhart and Brunner's tales from the early seventies, reprinting the tail end of Doc's run in Marvel Premiere and the beginning issues of his second solo magazine. Englehart spins tales of the sorceror's most difficult times where he must make incredibly painful choices. You will read as the doctor must choose between killing his mentor or allowing evil to overtake the planet, travelling back in time and witnessing history with a being who will become God, and finally, realizing that all things come to an end and even he will not win every battle. Dr. Strange will die, only to be reborn more powerful than ever.

The dialog is as spectacular as the inspiring plot. The Doctor's lines show him as somewhat disconnected and aloof, without being ridiculous like the Roy Thomas days of the late sixties. This is as believable as comic fantasy gets.

Brunner's artwork is breathtaking. He gives us a solid view of reality and manages to incorporate the weird and fantastic seamlessly. It is truly a shame that these two are not working on the title today. Barring the Stern/Rogers/Austen run in the early eighties, this is the best since the original Stan Lee/Steve Ditko stories.

This is the pinnacle of 1970s "cosmic comics." Along with Jim Starlin's Warlock and Captain Marvel, this defines the brief but wonderful period when comics dared to tackle such weighty matters as Death, God, Religion, Life and the Occult. The writing was combined with an art style that straddled the line between the stream-of-consciousness style of the undergrounds and the ultra-polished mainstream look these comics broke new ground and expanded both the medium and the minds of its readers.

The early 1970s were a time of experimentation, both personal and artistic-in music, movies and even comics and nowhere does that experimentation bear more fruit than with these issues of Dr Strange. This slick, but affordable reprint is the perfect way to read these stories. Reprinted here are Marvel Premiere #s 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, and Dr Strange (2nd Series) #s 1, 2, 4, 5. The missing issues were reprints that had nothing to do with the story line (common in those days), and so this flows as one continuous tale. It was co-conceived and plotted by Frank Brunner and Steve Englehart (during long of sessions of "getting cosmic" and hashing ideas out). Brunner is the artist and Englehart is the writer. Both are masters in the comic field and at the top of their game. Brunner's art is absolutely stunning-on the slick pages of this full-color reprint his beautiful poetic imagery is even more sumptuous than on the faded pages of my originals. His art is smooth and flowing and yet eye-popping. Englehart's writing is top-notch. His Dr Strange has his own voice which may sound a bit stilted, but then, the "Master of the Mystic Arts" shouldn't sound any other way.

The story provides a lot to chew on, Dr Strange's mentor, the Ancient One dies (actually he becomes one with the universe) and passes the mantle of "Sorcerer Supreme" to Strange. Soon he finds himself pursuing a powerful magician backward through time. This particular time traveler has a curious scheme to go back in time absorbing all the magic until he himself is...God. Before it is all over Strange experiences death and takes a trip through his own personal Lewis Carroll-esque unreality before confronting mortality.

My only complaints with this compilation are that the wonder Brunner covers (nine in all) are crowded onto two pages. There is a one page introduction by comics historian Peter Sanderson, but little else to give this the deluxe treatment it deserves. Last, but not least, there is (GAH!) an ad page in the very back! Still, this is a slick, cheaply priced, convenient way to read some of the best comics of the 1970s-and I read it cover to cover and enjoyed every moment of it!

I have owned the book "Dodger Dogs to Fenway Franks" virtually since its publication in 1989. As a baseball fan for many years, I had always myself fantasized of taking the trip Mr Wood did to every baseball stadium in America. Bob Wood's book is quite simply, one of the best books I have ever read in my life. It is a combination of baseball, travel, thrill seeking, and a trip of pleasure that every baseball fan can dream of. While reading the book, I could feel what it would have been like to sit with Mr Wood in his car on that trip. Despite weather, a robbery of his possessions in Northern California, a tight budget, and incredibly long drive, and an impending baseball strike that threatened to wipe out his dream of getting to every stadium, Bob Wood perservered and finished his journey. He achieved his goal through it all, and provided an exciting book that any baseball fan who has ever dreamed of taking the trip should be proud to read. I salute Mr Wood and his accomplishment. While is is now 18 years after his trip, it remains my favorite book of all time, fiction or non fiction. Bravo, Bob, you have created a masterpiece. A book that baseball fans and any readers should be proud of and salute you for.

This enchanted ride through one summer of baseball and hot dogs is not to be missed. It feels as if you are actually riding shotgun with Mr. Wood. This book is often humorous, sometimes sad, and always entertaining. One of the best.

Most books only list lodgings that accept pets-- this book lists all kinds of things to do with your pet-- like outdoor concerts, restaurants, etc. This is the stuff you really need to know when vacationing with your pet. I, too, would love to see a Portland version!

Add this to your travel reference library! Not only does this book cover the most amazing part of North America, it includes excellently researched dog-friendly references and rates them on 4-paw scale (aren't we dog-lovers silly!). The author has taken the time to ask about the definition of "small" dog so I'm not wasting time on places that preclude my 80-pound love puppy. I have used it for park and lodging information in the Seattle and Victoria, BC areas and have found all to be accurate. The book covers the Seattle metro area, 11 counties in Western Washington and parts of British Columbia. Be advised that if you are traveling to Seattle with your pooch, it lacks the most current info on Seattle's trial off-leash program. Call Seattle or King County Animal Control for accurate, up-to-the-moment sites and restrictions which changes as often as the City Council and Parks Department like. If only this author would do a Portland version! They do have Bay Area, California, Boston and Atlanta versions as well. Happy reading & traveling! Woof!

I have been looking for this book in antique stores for 10 years. I was so pleased to see it had been reprinted. I remembered the title and the story about the split man. I have used this character as an illustration in many speeches that I have given. I wish that sometimes I could split myself so as to perform all the various tasks to be done. This book would be a good one for Disney productions to make into a movie! I am 71 years old now, so you can see that the original reading as achild had a lasting impression !

One of his most creative and wonderful books, Dot and Tot of Merryland enchanted me from the start. It is certianlly unusual, with a complete absence of any antagonists or even a coherent plot. It is just the journy of two chrildren through a silly, magical world where nothing is wrong and nothing ever changes. It is so pleasent to read and even better to read to a small child.

I've had the book for four years and read it front to back every off season to try and break bad habits picked up during the racing season.Frank breaks it down to simple terms and writes it to where it is fun to read. best money spent for a useful tool in everyone's tool box. Terry Bolin, Springdale, AR

This book is an excellent approach towards the sport of drag racing from a mental standpoint. Numerous examples, demonstrations, and mental tactics that are keys to success are reviewed, and they work! Also there are chassis tips, sponsorship techniques, and other aspects discussed. If you're a drag racer, or even just a spectator, this book make a great reading material for a true insight ito the mind of a drag racer.

I teach art in a middle school. When students have finished their assignments early, they may choose one of the how to draw books in my classroom. This book is always chosen first for those that like to draw fantasy pictures. I like to see their excitement after they try one of the pictures. I recommend this book for the 12-14 year old age group, because it is the most requested how to draw book in my classroom.

When I began to read this book I couldn't draw dragons for my life. Now I am the best dragon drawer in the class. It was really helpfull to me, and will be to you to!

Mr. Atkinson is a partisan Republican. He is upfront about it in his author's bio on the book's dustjacket, which mentions his numerous positions in the GOP. At times one senses his partisan glee as he chronicles the rise to power of the Republican party in the Old Dominion from the 1960's, when the Civil Rights movement and the administration of LBJ (who carried VA in 1964)identified the Democratic party with extreme liberalism, until the early 1990's, when Republican stock continued to soar statewide and nationwide. For the most part though he maintains objectivity and gives his readers a gripping account of this very important political transformation.

At times the book has the tension of a good thriller, along the lines of Advise and Consent or The Manchurian Candidate. Certainly Atkinson presents to us a genuine cast of characters and a series of ups and downs, successes and failures, conflicts and confrontations one would find in a novel. There is the collapse of the Harry Byrd machine in Virginia, which in election after election had delivered the state solidly to the Democrats; there is the election of Virginia's first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Linwood Holton, a man decidedly not a conservative in a very conservative party in a very conservative state; there is Mills Godwin's agonizing decision to quit a lifetime of membership in the Democratic party and become a Republican in order to stop "wildman" Henry Howell's ascension to the VA governorship; there is Richard Nixon's wholesale attempt to convert scores of conservative Virginia Democrats to the GOP, an effort killed, of course, by Nixon's own Watergate; there is the promise of good things cut short by the tragic deaths of Democrat Sergeant Reynolds and Republicans Richard Obershain and John Dalton; there is John Warner's campaigning for the U.S. Senate with that Hollywood apogee of glamor, Elizabeth Taylor, by his side; there is the appearance of Chuck Robb, as though a white knight upon a steed, to rescue the Democrats from yet another ignominious defeat at the hands of the GOP, and on and on. Atkinson's spares no detail in this very lively account, which portends good news for his party, less good news for us remaining Southern Jeffersonian Democrats.

Atkinson's title is a prescient one. In politics, as in much else, Virginia IS dynamic and changing all the time. One would welcome a sequel from Atkinson, or at least an updated edition of this fine book, in light of the election of Republican majorities to the VA legislature in 1999 and the more recent election of Democrat Mark Warner to the governorship, which some observers attribute in part to internecine warfare in the GOP.

In 1945, the Republican Party of Virginia was basically dead, having only four members in the 140 member General Assembly - two in the Senate and two in the House of Delegates, but in the last 50 years, the GOP has risen to a status of parity with Virginia's Democrats, who have been the majority party since Reconstruction. The Dynamic Dominion is an excellent account of the early history of the Republican Party's rise to preeminence in the Mother of Presidents. Mr. Atkinson goes into excellent detail about the events that helped to shape the future destiny of the party, especially those following the controversial 1978 State Republican Convention, in particular, the death of US Senate Nominee Richard Obenshain (whose name is still very much revered in Virginia Republican politics today) and the eventual nomination, candidacy, and election of John W. Warner, who was given invaluable assistance in his campaign by none other than famed actress Elizabeth Taylor. I would suggest that Mr. Atkinson's work be made required reading in political science courses at colleges and universities all across the country.

I got this book from the library for my 2 year old and he loves it! The illustrations are wonderfully colorful and eyecatching, instantly holding his attention. He wants me to read it over and over. I know this book is meant for kids a little older but the message is great for even the littlest children! Exellent!

A child makes friends with the earth and its creatures. When the earth gets sad because of trash and pollution, the child cleans up the garbage and makes the earth happy. The beautiful color illustrations captivated my daughter before she was one. Now it is still a favorite of hers, and she knows the words by heart and makes observations about the story.