If you want a better understanding of David Hockney buy this book. It is a wonderful display of illustrations and information of a great British artist.

"David Hockney: Paintings" is well written and organized to foster a greater understanding of how Hockney evolves over the course of his career. Moreover, you will be impressed by the outstanding quality of the the black & white and color illustrations.

Authors Paul Melia and Ulrich Luckhardt provide the reader an excellent insight to the artistic thoughts of David Hockney. It also studies and explains the tremendous global popularity of the artist. This is a great book to have in the house.

Being a tremendous fan of Hockney's work, I was delighted to find this beautiful and informative book.

I liked the chronological organization as the book traced the artist's development over the years. I always find this such an interesting perspective, seeing how an artist's vision changes and evolves. And I also liked the way that the relationship between Hockney's life and his art is explored.

The illustrations were grand too!

A worthwhile book and a good study of Hockney, his life, and his works.

I was more than pleasantly surprised by the extremely high quality of the reproductions. The book is split up in six chapters covering the main artistic phases in Hockney's live and giving a lot of information about his paintings.
I find it extremely interesting not just to see Hockney's work but also to read the details on the creative process leading up to the finished painting. A wonderful book!

The exhibit was astounding - this museum is HUGE! The works of art featured are very diverse, both in theme, style and culture. The book really is a nice tribute to this grand exhibition. Any Californian who likes both popular art and "marginal" or underground art would be satisfied with this book.

Finally, an expansive and critical, although bewildering, survey of California's visual culture and its impact on American culture at large! Beautiful in its design and generous in illustrations, the catalog offers insight into the complexities of America's "wild frontier." What makes this catalog/exhibtion most intriguing is its inclusion of ephemera, framed by the organizers as important historical and cultural documents of life in California. Often overlooked, these items are often more telling than the cultural productions of visual artists and offer interesting juxtapositions to the art also presented. In addition to the discourse between hi and low culture, is the discussion of the cultural and racial diversity of California's population and its effect on culture and identity. The writers and curators bring together important documents, visuals, and art that construct diverse racial, gender, and sexual identities and also offer critical insight to these.

It should have been a time of mourning and private grief for Jane Austen as she contemplates the recent death of her beloved sister-in-law, Elizabeth. But it can hardly be that, not when Sir Henry Towbridge, one of England's most trusted of advisors and her own Gentleman Rogue, bursts in on her life again with a tale of betrayal, treachery and intrigue.

Sir Harold has but recently returned from Oporto (in Portugal), where he made the acquittance of (and became quite smitten with) a beautiful, rich widow, Sophia Challoner. Sir Harold now firmly believes that Sophia is actually a French agent and that she has some evil and dastardly plan up her sleeve that she means to carry out now that she's installed herself at Netley Lodge in Southampton. Because he's well known to the lady, Sir Harold wants Jane to keep an eye Sophia, to note all her comings and goings as well as who all her visitors are. Fortunately for Jane, a fortuitous turn of events brings her to Sophia's notice, and the two strike up a friendship. But the more time Jane spends with Sophia, the more she begins to wonder about Sir Harold's allegations against Sophia. Is she the treacherous and heartless spy Sir Harold believes her to be? Or could Sir Harold be wrong about Sophia? As acts of sabotage and murder begin to mount, Jane finds herself torn between her two friends and not at all sure what she should do...

While a lot of the novel did focus on the question as to whether or not Sophia Challoner was a treacherous French spy, the authour did take great care to pepper her mystery-intrigue plot with plenty of other suspects, several likely scenarios as to what was really going on, as well as a few rather interesting plot twists, in order to keep things humming and the reader guessing. Told with plenty of interesting historical facts and gossipy tidbits, and in a prose style that managed to be authentic without seeming anachronistic, I thoroughly enjoyed "Jane and the Ghosts of Netley" and had to finish it in one sitting. "Jane and the Ghosts of Netley" proved to be truly riveting reading.

I have been waiting (impatiently) for two years for the next book in the Jane Austen mystery series. The Ghosts of Netley does not disappoint! Barron fans will be engrossed in this page-turner with its smart dialogue and clever intrigues. Warning: have box of tissues ready as you near the end. My only complaint is the abrupt ending leaves us having to face the torture of waiting a year or two for the story to pick up again. Stephanie, please don't let us wait so long!

It has been over two years since Jane Austen has last seen Lord Harold Trowbridge, the second son of the fifth duke of Wilborugh. Most of the realm sees him as a rakehell and a rogue, but Jane knows that is his public persona. Behind the scenes he works for the government as a spymaster looking for ways to defeat Napoleon. In 1808 in the port town of Southampton, Lord Harold asks Jane to spy upon the new woman into town.

Sophia Challoner, a woman he believes is a spy for Napoleon, left the besieged town of Oporto, Portugal to reside in Netley Lodge. While Jane watches the home, someone sets fire to the docks and the new ship that was ready to be put to sea. While Harold thinks the culprit is one of Sophia's agents, Jane isn't so sure because she has come to know and like the woman. When a local servant is killed, someone sets up Harold to take the blame. Before a jury can judge his guilt, Harold's servant, who is supposed to give evidence diappears and he is afraid that his valet is Sophia's latest victim.

Fans of historical novels, Regency readers and espionage thriller buffs are going to find JANE AND THE GHOSTS OF NETLEY very much to their taste as the heroine finally acknowledges her true feelings for the Duke's son while readers see why Harold might reciprocate. She is an independent free thinker who doesn't always play by society's rules. The first person narrative allows the audience to understand how the heroine feels about the restrictions placed upon women and how she gently maneuvers events to do what she wants. Stephanie Barron has written an exciting cerebral mystery thriller that will keep readers turning the pages until they uncover the identity of the spy.

Harriet Klausner

by now it's presumably common knowledge that the nazi's had very firm ideas on art. Other than pictures of heroic nazis, grandiose mountain views and happy peasants, all modern art was considered degenerate, especially if it was painted by a jew. It's not enough just to know this, however, one wants to see what the fuss was all about. This book brings the reader reproductions of the censured works in question and provides excellent essays that discuss the painters, their work and what happened to them under the nazis. This is a work which is essentially an excellent idea. It's a fascinating period for anyone interested in the role of the state in the production of art. What is perhaps even more fascinating is that the "modern" art which was the main target of the nazis, is so often the subject, to this day, of layperson's attacks on art. Think of the classic cliche remark, "oh, my three year old could have done that". This link raises many questions about the link between the fascist outlook and many commonly held views. We are appalled by the nazis and yet their views on art are not neccessarily radical in comparison to many commonly held views. What does that mean about our political leanings? what does that have to say about democracy? Can people truly handle freedom? Or at heart do they want somebody just to step in and take care of things for them? Why is it that people find it so hard to deal with the strange, disturbing and indeed, occasionally absurd images that artists come up with when they are truly are free to express their visions? I have nothing bad to say about this book on any technical level. The essays are uniformly brilliant and useful and the art speaks for itself. the book serves not only as an excellent resource for all those interested in art history, but as a beautiful and necessary tribute to the memory of so many persecuted artists. It reminds us of the importance of artistic freedom, particularly when the results are not to our liking, or are unsettling, or disturbing. It also happens to serve as a useful primer and introduction to a lot of the great art of that time period. I salute the authors and highly recommend this book.

If the Barron/Guenther book were only about the pictures, it would still rate five stars. It has to catalog "degenerate art" (a weak translation of "entartete Kunst", but the one that has become standard) better than most of its competitors.

But Barron and Guenther were not content to stop with a catalog. Even without the pictures, this book would rate five stars. Guenther for one writes about having viewed this exhibit as a 17-year-old, giving true historical context for the gallery.

From an essay on music (which tackles the sticky wicket of Wilhelm Furtwaengler) to an explanation of the structure of the Nazi art and culture hierarchy, "Degenerate Art" provides literate and precise insight to the cultural philosophy of the Third Reich. It remains as objective as you can be about that era, refusing to stoop to shouting "rabid Nazi idiots" -- Barron and Guenther allow their readers to come to that conclusion all on their own.

The unsolved riddle, however, is one we have yet to resolve for ourselves. Witness Rudy G., and the dung-laden Virgin. How can art and government live side by side? One is empty without the other, but how do we define fine lines?

Barron and Guenther's book does not answer that question, but it certainly gives both sides of the debate a ton of ammunition.

I purchased this book for a family member with an interest in the German Expressionist artist movement. He was delighted with this book and has spent countless hours enjoying the beautiful paintings and reading about the subject matter. A wonderful gift for the art appreciator.

This book may well have been titled: The Golden Age of German Culture. This book gives a very, very full view of early twentieth entury German culture. One pleasant surprise was a section on Nietzsche (You really must read Thus Spoke Zarathustra...)and his influence during that time. Munch did a painting of him and Otto Dix a bust. But anyway... If you love E. L. Kirchner or Otto Dix, this is your book. The plates cover Kirchner excellently (They include the famous 1913 Berlin Street Scene) despite the fact the they omit earlier works like Street (1907). Kandinsky and Der Blaue Reiter, however, were not covered so well, but Kandinsky's phenomenal Improvisation 30 (Cannons) is included. Otherwise there were only two other Kandinsky paintings. This book is supremely interesting and does not have eye-strained print. As a proof of this I read it with pink eye without a problem. Buy this book.

The style is fabulous, the footnotes lend that authentic air, but unfortunately the means and the culprit are all too transparent in Jane Austen's fourth outing as a detective. Familiar characters from the first three books put in appearances, and as a whole are well-drawn (although with nine kids in the house I'd like to at least know who they all are...). The murder here is more gruesome than some of the earlier ones, but let's face it, as soon as the body is discovered you know how the trick was played, and a certain other scene, related by a jealous would-be suitor, lays the whole thing open. I spent the last two hundred pages or so enjoying the writing but thinking "Get a clue!" I'd recommend any of the others over this one, but for those (like me) who tend to collect an entire series no matter what, it's not a waste of money by any means. At the very least, you get to exult in how smart you are, which is always fun, right? As an aside, the landscaping descriptions are great; even for those who haven't traveled to Canterbury (which is probably most people) it's a cinch to close your eyes and visualize the countryside.

Having just finished reading this book, I find myself wanting more. I felt lost after closing the book and missed Barron's characters, which grow on the reader with time. Although this book was harder to "get into to", it all came together in the end, albeit somewhat confusingly.

I would definately say this book in the Jane Austen Mystery series was more difficult to follow. Others who have read this one have agreed with me in that the characters are introduced briefly and quickly. The setting could be described a bit more too.

Overall, this work of Barron's is fun and interesting to read. I prefer her first novel more, as it seems a little more gentler and subtle. With this, the fourth in the series, one cannot help becoming attached to the main characters.

Stephanie Barron does justice to the time period and the speech of the day. Nothing is worse than to read a period book and find modern day phrases throughout. Let us hope Barron continues her meticulous work and continues to bring forth more of Jane Austen for those of us who can never get enough!

There are more than a few literary tragedies -- the burning of the Library at Alexandria and Coleridge's ill-timed caller come to mind -- and among them one must list Cassandra Austen's burning of the majority of her sister Jane's letters. Despite the loss of this treasure trove, Stephanie Barron manages to capture the style and spirit of Miss Jane's lovely prose, and she does so within the framework of cozy murder mysteries. The series is highly entertaining, and this fourth installment is no exception. Though the mystery is fairly transparent (It's easy to figure out what happened, though it takes a while to figure out whodunit), the language is elegant and witty and we learn a lot about Britain's Great Terror, landscaping, horses and even Jane Austen and her family. My next visit to England will definitely include a visit to Godmersham! Though I would appreciate an author's note detailing the fictional status of the characters, I am puzzled by the complaints about learning. When knowledge is gained so painlessly, why would one choose mindless entertainment?

This story takes place near Jane's brother Edward's estate, Godmersham, in Kent, at the time if the Canterbury Races. At first I was disappointed that some of the series' most endearing characters were missing -- Eliza and Sir Harold Trowbridge are only mentioned or appear briefly. I was not as disappointed to have Jane's mother and sister absent, as Cassandra is basically a wet blanket in this series and Mother is very annoying. But I was pleasantly surprised to become better acquainted not only with Jane's brothers Neddie and Henry, but also Neddie's wife Lizzy and daughter Fanny. These characters are a lot of fun, and scenes of the family gathering to try and reason out matters are particularly engaging. I agree with the reviewer who said that Julian Sothey's devotion to Anne Sharpe did not seem justified, but otherwise thought that the characters here were quite engaging and beautifully drawn.

In addition to being historically accurate, Ms. Barron takes pains to incorporate real events from Jane Austen's experience into the story, and if you also have a copy of Jane Austen's Letters, you will be delighted to read those from the same time period and find the correspondence (so to speak) between events real and fictional.

One trusts Miss Jane would approve.

There is much worthy of praise in Ms. Barron's Jane Austen series. The very concept of Austen as a sleuth is fun, and even fitting -- after all, PD James has argued persuasively that "Emma" has all the elements of a good mystery novel. The footnotes in the Austen mysteries give significant insight into the people, places, and lifestyles of Regency England, even if the "feel" of the books sometimes tends to the Edwardian. The sweep and pace of the first two books provided a welcome diversion from the gloomy skies during a recent vacation in Florida.

But after "Wandering Eye", I'm giving up. Barron simply does not have the skill to pull off the complicated plots she attempts. She feels obligated to spin everything on its head in the final pages, and "Wandering Eye" left MY eyes glazed over as I tried to sort out which of the suspects had what relationship with which young lady, including one mentioned only in passing and who is dead before the book even begins. Complicated is fine, confusing is not, and this book tends toward the latter. Three down, more to go, but I'm not gonna bother.

I really enjoyed the third book in the Jane Austen series of mysteries, even more than the first two (Jane and Secret of Scargrave Manor, Jane and the Man of the Cloth) because I think that the author is really beginning to show promise in her crafting of the mystery plot and the characters.

In this mystery Jane is introduced into theatrical company, and if you enjoy late 18th and early 19th century British theater I think you will enjoy being immersed in those circles, as well. In addition, the main clue of the mystery is one of the "eye portraits" fashionable in the late 18th century. When an eye portrait is found on the dead body at the center of the mystery, Jane turns her attention into discovering whose "wandering eye" this is.

If you enjoy Jane Austen and are fully cognizant that Stephanie Barron is not and can never be Jane Austen, you should give this series of mysteries a try. They are very entertaining, extremely well-written for a historical mystery (except the liberal sprinkling of footnotes which I still find annoying), and provide an interesting first-person narrative (because the mystery consists of Jane's journal entries).

I enjoy these Jane Austen-as-sleuth novels. Author Stephanie Barron is a fine writer who emulates Austen's elegant prose style with success. This third installment of the series takes place in 1804 Bath, where Jane's family has moved, in part to accommodate father George's declining health, and Jane dislikes intensely living in a place of such "dissipation". A murder has occurred during a fancy dress party Jane attends, and she is drawn into the mystery by her old friend, Lord Harold Trowbridge.

I had some minor quibbles with the book -- Austen's renowned wit is missing, too many characters (in costumes, no less!) and relationships make the plot confusing -- but in general I enjoyed this book very much, and appreciate the opportunity to spend time with our beloved Jane as the author deftly weaves historical and biographical facts into her story.

Personally I enjoy the footnotes, which are infrequent, informative and not at all intrusive.

I have enjoyed the whole series of Jane Austin mysteries. I think this one is a bit weaker than the earlier ones, but entertaining nonetheless. My main concern here is that the action in this seems a little farfetched. I know that the time of Jane Austin was much more liberal more women than the Victorian age, but I have a very difficult time imagining that Jane would actually have been able to do all the things that she does here. Rowing out to a burning prison hulk and nursing French sailers in a military prison seem unlikely, even for a character of Jane's pluck.

There is plenty of action here--the story is engaging and the characters are good. I continue to like the way this series is developing.

Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House is the sixth book in Stephanie Barron's series based on discovered material supposedly written by Austen herself. This time around the action takes place in Southampton and Portsmouth and involves a naval captain who has been accused of murdering the captain of a captured French ship. What follows is a somewhat tangled plot as Jane and her brother Frank attempt to discover what really happened. The only thing missing is an appearance by the Gentleman Rogue, although this lack is somewhat made up for by the introduction of Etienne Laforge. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am eagerly anticipating the next in the series!

In 1807, novelist Jane Austen is in Southampton with her brother Frank as he attempts to secure himself a ship. When one of his friends and fellow officers in the British navy is accused of a particularly foul murder, Frank flounders, certain of his friend's innocence yet unable to determine a plan of action. Fortunately for Frank, and for Frank's friend, Jane is only too willing to take on the mystery. Before long there are suspects for a frame and dead bodies, all in the context of proper Jane Austen manners.

Author Stephanie Barron does an excellent job describing England at war with Napoleon, on the verge of the industrial age, and in the transition to the modern world. Manners, position in society, and inherited wealth still play major roles, and marrying the right man is the ultimate goal for the proper woman. Barron is obviously sympathetic with her heroine, a novelist whose personal life is far from ideal, while not attempting to give Austen unduly modern attitudes.

Mixed in with the pleasurable historical view and literary references, Barron manages to deliver an exciting mystery as well. With a prisoner of war camp, a dramatic rescue at sea, and plenty of evil and simply naughty red herrings on the scene, Austen has all she can do to keep her senses and sensibilities about her and help prevent a terrible injustice. JANE AND THE PRISONER OF WOOL HOUSE is a lot of fun.

Jane and the Man of the Cloth is the second in the series of Jane Austen mysteries by Stephanie Barron. In this tale Jane and her family visit Lyme for a restful time by the sea. Before they reach the town, however, the Austens are beset by storms and forced to take refuge in the house of the secretive but arresting Mr. Sidmouth. After reaching Lyme, Jane is soon woken to the sight of a gibbet erected on Lyme's Cobb (think of the French Lieutenant's Woman!). Rest Jane does not get, but there are hints of romance, smuggling, and the aftermath of the French Revolution to keep the reader entertained.

I personally found the mystery slightly more engaging than that in Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, which I found completely predictable. This plot did not surprise, but it did go down some surprising blind alleys on the way to its conclusion.

I would recommend this book to anyone travelling to England on a plane, to someone vacationing by the sea for good recreational reading, and to people fond of Jane Austen. (I just wish the author would stop footnoting her novels! )

I discovered this series quite by accident when browsing through the bookstore, and I'm so glad I did! What a novel (no pun intended!) idea, to take Jane Austen and place her in the role of sleuth, complete with wonderful Regency England settings and history. Footnotes at the bottom of almost every other page educate the reader on items that might be unfamiliar, such as the name of a popular dance or the reason behind a particular social custom, and these little tidbits are almost as enjoyable as the story itself. I was a little wary at first before I read the first installment (Scargrave Manor), but was soon swept away. I didn't find this second book boring in any way, though I noticed some others did. I enjoyed the setting - a seaside town where the Austens are vacationing, the characters - including Jane's sister Cassandra and scandalous sister-in-law Eliza, and Barron's writing is wonderful. She does a fantastic job of echoing Austen's style, as well as the times, while modernizing it enough for the contemporary reader to thoroughly enjoy. Now, I'm just waiting for the series to come out in Audiobook format! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Having read way too many Jane Austen biographies in which so-called scholars took what I consider inexplicable leaps of logic with the events of her life, I really don't have a problem with Stephanie Barron making Jane into a sleuth (at least we KNOW this is fiction). If one is willing to accept the central conceit of the series, that the gaps in Jane Austen's letters as well as her celebrated eye for observation lay open a path for imagination to fill, then you will have a good time with these books. Ms. Barron needs to ramp up her research on Jane's life and times (Jane would not have referred to her papa as "Reverend Austen," but "THE Reverend MR. Austen"--sorry, nitpicky pet peeve of mine) and I really don't think Mrs. Austen was quite so silly as she was portrayed here, but lemme tell ya, I couldn't put this book down, nor the first one in the series. I didn't find the resolutions obvious at all--the discovery of both of the culprits were a surprise to me. Of course, I don't read a lot of mysteries so maybe I'm just a cheap date. But I love the idea of Jane having these little semi-romances with dark, mysterious rogues, as well as a few adventures. I really think she would have gotten a kick out of these books. People sometimes forget that Jane had a great sense of humor and that she could be whimsical. I'll be checking out the rest of the series, and from what I hear, they only get better.