This German-born Martin Luther was the most prominent of all the Sixteenth Century reformers (as well as counter-reformers). His life became his religious struggle. Though he won some and lost some, he became a symbol of religious defiance to his adversaries, and an anchor-point to his disciples.
This book did not detail us on the reason why some of his co-reformers parted ways with him; but I did enjoy the time I invested on reading it.

I picked this up at a Christian book store for half price. This is an abridged book in a series on famous Christians (mostly Protestant). The author, who is clearly sympathetic with Luther's cause, devotes more attention to Luther's personal relationships and political struggle than to his theology. However, this is probably appropriate for the intended audience (the book store located it near the young readers' section). I can't compare the book to others since this is the first I've read on the topic, but I've personally found it to be an enjoyable read.

This book presents a small collection of Mr. Strand's images, all titled and dated, and offers a glimpse of the entire span of his career. We are given a sense of his work through four of the major times and places during his life: his photographic apprenticeship in New York during the late 1910's, a sampling of his work done under commission in Mexico, his well known work in New England, and finally, images taken after his emigration to France, in 1950. A brief biography precedes the photographs that follow, and we are left to consider the images free from further didactic comment.

At first sight, one senses immediately the charm this man might have possessed in his relationships with both himself and those people and things surrounding his life. This sense is borne out in the wry humor of "Town Hall", with its off kilter framing, which we instantly recognize as Paul Strand. Ironically, a closer study of his personal life indicates Mr. Strand could be a difficult man. The well-known "Wall Street", an earlier piece of darkly shadowed monstrous windows overpowering passers by, is as close to the foggy pictorialist sense Strand will get, and the rest of the images show him breaking away from that style, and moving head first into the previsualized and almost straight photographic style that he was to help break ground for.

In this collection, several of the photographs stand out; but many seem rather innocuous, specifically the portraits of those he knew personally, and those he didn't - none seem to capture the viewers imagination like those of Mr. Strands' contemporaries might, Edward Weston for one. Instead, they seem unimaginative and emotionless. Furthermore, it doesn't help that, lacking that content, it may be that his reputation as an innovative technician in the darkroom goes unnoticed here, seeing these images only on the page (in small 7 inch by 6 inch reprint).

On the other hand, we are shown some photographs which show how powerful a view of quiet solitude can be. Of particular note,"Tir a'Mhurain" stands alone. A wide view of the silence surrounding three horses watering in the bay, and in the very left foreground, they are being watched from far above by a lone white horse. The leading of the three animals has turned its mane toward, and is eyeing the lone horse. The silvery water of the bay reflects the stand of horses, and more strongly, that of an immense and clouded sky, suggesting a powerful solemnity. Faintly, in mid-ground, wood buildings of a fishing village are left powerless in front of only a small mountain range. Taken in 1954, an American living in France (but not able to speak the language), Mr. Strand might have felt himself the lone horse. The obtrusive sky begging for silence. The artist contemplating his subject from afar.

"Driveway" was taken late in his life (in fact, three years prior to his death) where he lived in France. This poetic view leads us through an overgrowth, tunnel-like, of bare tree limbs and branches. Beneath this dark surrounding of hibernating growth, two parallel white cobblestone paths. Our eyes search the dark, shadowed background to where we are being lead; almost imperceptible, at the end of the driveway, we make out a decrepit structure: a country cottage, seemingly empty and abandoned. One cannot help but feel the author's probable recognition of the path of his own life, and the awful truth of life: of autumn, the oncoming winter, the drawing to a close, and of coming home to a place unknown.

In this collection, these are his strongest images, these landscapes. - whether "Fox River", from his acclaimed book "Time in New England", or the handful of New York cityscapes, or the country landscapes and village life scenes, such as "Marketplace", taken in Italy. Robert Adams has suggested that Mr. Strands work went into decline following his emigration to France in 1950 (1). In actuality, it is these images we wish for more of. Mr. Strand's capacity was not limited by time and place, but by subject and content. Seeing the images borne from his emigrated life, one is left wanting less of his still life's and portraits, and more of what showed a more genuine side of Mr. Strand through symbolic form. Not the modernist machine pictures like "Oil Refinery", or "Akeley Motion Picture Camera", but more of "Landscape, Sicily, Italy", with its bare, white birch trees having cloistered the villager's in their quiet homes.

However, in this book, as a simple compendium of Mr. Strand's oeuvre, the viewer is at least left with a closer understanding of a part of what this celebrated photographer was seeing throughout the varied stages and places, both known and foreign, of his life.

1. Adams, Robert Why People Photograph, Aperture Press, 1994. pg. 85

as a person who has been close with the Strand family for a long time, i have to say that out of personal relations and out of knowing the full potential for paul and his family, this book is amazing. you have to remember that there is a face and a mind behind this camera, and the amazing talent that people must have in the first place to even be able to spot beauty in the everyday things. if you can take the time to look at the power of these photographs as a human being with a powerfully capable mind and not as a critic, prone to hang on every little detail instead of fully trying to enjoy the pieces in question, i can garauntee that you will be completely satisfied with this collection. in my mind it will always be stunning.

This book has quite a few interesting stories, but as time has passed it has become less useful in practical terms. I think the authors were a bit behind even when the book was published in 1996 (they talk about BBS's and Genie and AOL, with barely any mention of the web). The internet changes so quickly, any book would probably be quickly outdated.

This is probably the most useful, most practical guide to online love, dating, and yes, over-the-'net sexual encounters. It's an even-handed, practical and commonsense guide to flirtation, love, and cybersex over the 'net--but it's not an alarmist approach, rather just a safe and sensible caution. This won't be the number-one book for those into voyeuristic thrills and saucy, erotic stories... but for anyone who finds the idea of online love intriguing but a bit daunting, challenging or scary, you definitely need to check out a copy of this book first. (Just be careful; you probably don't want to be reading this on the subway!) : )

What I like most about this book is that it presents the basics of scrapbooking in a well-written, simplistic format. All of the essential elements that experienced adult scrappers use are introduced page-by-page on a beginner's level. There are also many lettering and die cut examples to use, as well as simple lay outs to jump start one's creativity. i would not classify this as a "kids" book, but rather a primer on the art of scrapbooking. Well written and very colorful (something kids of all ages can appreciate!).

Cris Cunningham

This is a great book for the kids to get ideas and has great layout ideas. You can even provide feedback and get a small gift. There is step by step instructions on how the kids can get started complete with lettering and croping.

The title of the book is very misleading. It is not step-by-step, but more like skip a step and try and figure out how we did this. Not that great. Better books out there.

This book is for people who know how to use the programs covered (primarily Photoshop) and are familiar with the various tools, layers, paths, filters, channels, etc., as it explains and shows you how professionals achieved their results in areas ranging from imitating paint and canvas to batik to perfecting a pattern to hand-painted effects with channels to painting an intricate pattern to desktop silkscreening to building your own brushes and many more.

I admit I am fairly new to these programs and not yet confident in my understanding and use of their various tools and functions, nonetheless I found this book very helpful in not only taking me beyond the tutorials, but in showing me the vast capabilities of these graphics programs. There are many good techniques shown here that I know will be very useful to me as I become more proficient in the use of these programs.

I would like to comment on Typography Now, a book which showcases some examples of contemporary typographic design works. It is not easy to rate this book: when I first saw it a few years ago, I considered it to be excellent, but now I have to say it1s kind of average. I'm not saying that the author or the editor did not do a good job, it's just because that type of design seems a bit boring nowaday: layering type, shapes, PhotoShop effects and all that...all these have become a kind of visual cliche now, many young designers are doing very similar type of design and not knowing anything behind it, that's a problem. When you've seen enough works like this, you'll be amazed by the fact that the best examples of this type of design, are still the works done by designers such as Wolfgang Weinghart, Willi Kunz, Odermatt & Tissi...their works still stand even in today's design field. Fortunately Typography Now has featured some really good young talents such as 8vo, Philippe Apeloig and Mark Farrow. It is hard to avoid being trendy now, design writers/journalists tend to go after the "new" but not the basic quality, this is a fault that Typography Now has also made.

Although the examples of the new design in type seem "far out," this book is a must-have for any serious designer who doesn't want to be left behind in the world of 21st century design.

This book has aproximately 340 pages and softcover. Even so, I think it is a good book to consult the dosages in general that are used for small, large and exotic animals. Besides, it has others useful topics.
I have compared the dosages with others formularies and fortunately, these are the same or similar. And finally, because this book is small, you can take it with you to your vet's consults.

Firstly, this book does not have 840 pages and hardcover. It has aproximately 340 pages and softcover. Even so, I think it is a good book to consult the dosages in general that are used for small, large and exotic animals. Besides, it has others useful topics.
I have compared the dosages with others formularies and fortunately, these are the same or similar. And finally, because this book is small, you can take it with you to your vet's consults.

Finally, a book worth hanging onto. I've read this one before, but it's been long enough that I didn't remember whether I liked McDougall all that well, or whether the pack rat in me was holding onto this, so I took another spin through it. And I was holding onto it because it's good. McDougall writes short, to-the-point, and oftentimes very funny things that conceal the usual subjects of poetry-- pain, loss, existential crises. But it isn't often that they're presented with such good humor:

Coming Back, I Visit Myself

I knock twice on the door of the old apartment. A woman lets me in. My silver toiletries. My plants. My knife and fork and napkin. I look to see what has died or been given away but everything is here.

I say nothing. I am not supposed to say anything. I poke my head in the closet looking for the good green dress.

---

Oftentimes it seems that the best poetry is created with unexpected juxtaposition, just as the best humor is, and one wonders at times why humor is not used as a device more often in poetry. And while I'd hesitate to go so far as to draw a comparison between McDougall, a relatively understated humorist, and Mel Brooks, it's certainly not out of the question. This is a fine little book, one which will remain on my shelves to be read again after enough time has passed that I have let the memory of the small pleasures contained herein blur, and I'll likely be just as pleasantly surprised again at how good a book this is.

"The Woman in the Next Booth" is the quietly feminist, subtly pungent work of a woman I labeled in a review some years ago as "the most underrated poet . . . in America."

Like the rain in the Delta she comes from, McDougall's poems sneak up on you, catch you unawares. Their effect can be chilling or warming, and surprising either way.

If there's something wrong with this collection, it's the title--taken, as such titles are, from a poem within. The title might spur in many men, even of literary bent, a sniff of disdain, and give the whiff of something "too" feminine for male notice. Wrong: These poems punch, even as they whisper.

I've heard McDougall read, and I've heard an audience literally gasp, collectively, at one or other of her lines. And I hear her voice in this collection.

As a writer, I aspire to her delicacy and power. And, as a linguist and teacher, I delight in the way McDougall herself delights in licking the syllables.

If you're not chronically postmodern or terminally hip and you think there's something worth reading for in Ciardi, Frost, Sandburg, or Eliot, pick up "The Woman in the Next Booth"--or, for that matter, any of McDougall's collections. It won't be the last you'll buy.

For anyone planning a meeting, conference, or party, as icebreaker will help to get the event off to an excellent beginning. This book offers not only opening icebreakers but refreshers to use when the group is rnning down and a lot of "just for fun" games which would be adaptable to many age groups and types of gatherings.

The author provides easy to read and understand instructions for the icebreakers. Group size, materials needed (many require no preparation), time needed, and potential goal (if any) are laid out simply and are easy to find.

I would recommend this book highly. Good luck with your event planning.

Donna J. Booth has put together a wonderful book full of history and amusing anecdotes. Anyone who has ever walked through a cemetery knows that each reflects a community's history and unique personality. Hopefully this book will remind us all how important it is to preserve and protect that history. This is a really enjoyable book, even if you aren't from Alabama. Buy two, one for you and one for a friend!