This book celebrates visual humor in its many forms: whimsy, wit, parody, irony, satire, and nonsense. Nearly two hundred reproductions (many in color) are used to illustrate humor as an art form. Various types of visual humor are traced using comic iconography found in early history down through the ages to contemporary times. Both 2-D and 3-D forms of humorous art are considered as the author explores ways in which artists transform ordinary subjects into strange and unconventional ones.

Nick Ray has been forgotton by many and only remembered as 'the guy who directed "Rebel Without a Cause"'. True, "Rebel..." is a great film, but it is by no way the best of Ray's films. This book gives a new-comer to Ray an intriguing glimpse at his moments of genius from the inside out, giving them a taste of his films and then making them desperate to see them. For a more informed veiwer it embellishes Ray's work, giving personal insight into the complex films. Ray shows that his belief in serious film making (which the French Cahiers du Cinema critics lauded as auterism) was committed and honest. The resulting films are wonderful and unique, as is this book, which is informative, fascinating and sometimes tragic. Read it.

This book was recommended to me by an elder actor I respect some years ago. I found it a hilarious read, a very dry send-up of pretentious theatrical "how-to"s/biographies. He later revealed to me that this book is a barometer of actors he works with. If you get it, you'll actually learn a lot from it, if not - you'll wonder how this absolutely awful human being Nicholas Craig ever was asked to write a book on acting.

Because make no mistake, Nicholas Craig is the hallmark of narcissitic actors. The actor that looks down his nose at the technical staff with whimsical faux-respect; who cannot fully appreciate the work of any peer without self-comparison. The actor who simply knows he is too good to have a film career.

THERE ARE SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD, DON'T GO ON IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM!

There is no wink to the audience here, no hint of the satire being put across. This book became the inspiration for a BBC tv series entitled "The Naked Actor." Craig discusses his own career, acting concepts like "Truthpumping","Actoplasm", and gives a handy chart for ad libs in different situations.

I can't recommend this book highly enough to anyone in the theatre. Since I got it as a gift several years ago, I've given many copies as gifts myself. It's a great, great read and a must for any actor you respect. It's one of the funniest things I've ever read.

This is a core-text of industrial engineering undergraduate studies- a well referenced, attractively presented, comprehensive users guide [pre-1990] to robotics for industrial applications. Beyond that, is the demonstration of the engineering approach to systems development in complex environments (e.g. business) that has a far wider application.

Topics addressed include: the fundamentals, robot technology (control systems and components, robot motion analysis and control, robot end-effectors, sensors in robotics, and machine vision), robot programming and languages (including an introduction to AI), applications engineering for manufacturing (robot cell design and control, and economic analysis for robotics), robot applications in manufacturing (material transfer and machine loading/unloading, processing operations, assembly and inspection), implementation principles and issues (including safety, training, maintenance and quality), and social issues and the future of robotics.

I suspect that a more recent revised version (if available), would be a similarly useful treatment of the subject.

Information superhighways Multimedia Users and Futures is a very good book to read, it gives a clear details about most of the multimedia features and how to utilize these features for our benefit. Some excellent examples mentioned in this book like remote education using Internet, Telecommunication and ISDN, Video Phone and Video Conferencing and the new Applications using these new technologies. The book is full of references which also you can read. I encourage all whom they need now about Multimedia to read this book.

This book seems to be one of the books looking forward in future. I think it is useful who is interested in knowing the concept in Agent Technology for distributed application development.

This book is aesthetically beautiful. It offers instructions for around 40 different gumpaste flowers from different parts of the world. Grouping them in different sections geographically, Lodge gives you step-by-step instructions for each, with clear photographs of many of the steps. It even includes their botanical names, as well as some interesting highlights about the regions in which they are most commonly found. The instructions are easy to follow, and the photographs are a helpful complement. Also, for each geographical area featured he presents "final product" arrangements of flowers on a featured celebration cake. Brief descriptions on the materials used to decorate the cakes pictured would have been helpful to those that may wish to reproduce this final presentation at least in part. Not exactly a book for beginners, as the work presented is intricate in its detail.

A well balanced, unique mix of ethology and sociobiology, with strong emphasis on the biologic and evolutionary sides of behaviour. It is concise but is easy reading. A must have, for those seriously interested in the field.

When I was a student at Oxford I specialised in Roman law. The tutorial system was very good at providing education in detail but bad at giving the wider picture. I survived on Nicholas to keep my sanity. Other writers deal with the subject in greater depth (von Lubtow, Daube, Jolovicz, Schulz etc) but he does a unique job, so far as I am aware, in producing a comprehensible overall map. I reccomend it highly to anyone interested in Roman law.

I have been trying to find a book that CLEARLY explains astronomy to me and one that explains itself not only with really clear words, but one that has many illustrations to make clear the commentary.

I actually understood retrograde, the seasonal shifts, eclipses from an astronomical view point. Where was this when I went to school? I wish this wasn't out of print anymore. I would recommend the paperback version, if there were one, to my students as a reference. Thank you.