Right lets start off by skipping the origin stuff, the early years stuff, and who associated with whom stuff. Claudio Bravo is hands down the best artist there is still living, period. Fluff piece? not when merit is the order of the day. Practically self- taught Bravo paints with obvious skill and attention. He explains his approach, in the text, and within the still lifes, (his are the only ones I thought worth a damn.) and figurative work, whether in oil, pastel, chalk, or pencil, he commands his instinct to persue his vision. Don't like it? Tough, Bravo isn't ashamed, nor repentent about his skill as a realist, quasi- or otherwise. I saw the man's work at Duke in '88 and made my decision there and then to be an artist. I've never looked back, and his book is a confirmation of ideals badly missed in contemporary art, and I wish there were more copies so I could buy one. Now old boy is in the 60's U.S. take notice, this is one true artist not likely to come this way again, dig it. Adam Narcross

It took a long while to finally find this treasure but well worth it. This book really allows one to appreciate this master if only in a book. Mr. Bravo is nothing short of a genius.

This large book contains many excellent color reproductions of Bravo's oils and pastels, and also some beautiful reproductions of pencil, charcoal and sanguine drawings. While the reproductions are tiny compared to the originals, which are very large, the book is a wonderful treasure. I went to see some of the orignals at the gallery that represents Bravo in New York. Now, looking at the book, I am more conscious of the scale difference. But, there are two reproductions -- a portrait, and a still life of a hat, there are presented just slightly smaller than they were actually painted. These are especially interesting. I haven't seen any other same-size reproductions or details in catalogs. The book was published at $95. I looked for a copy for months and paid hundreds, but for me it was well worth it -- especially since I will never be able to afford an original (upper five figures for pastels and six figures for oils).

Hugo courses are some of the best I've seen (and I've checked out, bought and tried many) for anyone trying to learn a language without the help of a classroom course or actually living in a foreign country. These tapes and book helped me to become proficient enough that by the time I went to Germany I was delighted to discover I could hold intelligent conversations with non-english speaking Germans. The non-english speaking Germans were usually the older WWII generation since younger Germans have many years of compulsory english and thus most whom I met were excellent english speakers. Speaking to younger Germans was somewhat disappointing for me since it gave little opportunity to practice my language skills as they were far superior at speaking English than I was at German (3 1/2 months of speaking German doesn't begin to stand up to years of compulsory study and practice in speaking English). Despite this gap in years of foreign-language fluency - everyone I conversed with, young and old alike, agreed that I spoke German surprisingly well - particularly when they learned I'd only been studying it for 3 1/2 months with virtually NO other tools and NO ONE to practice with.

I was delighted to understand many of the newspapers, magazines, radio broadcasts and tv shows. And I had only been working with this exact course for about 3 1/2 months prior to going there. I followed the author and publisher's recommendations for studying effectively - i.e. 1 hour study sessions every night at home - but I also added listening to the tapes in my car when driving to/from work or errands. I used every spare moment I had when driving to listen to these tapes and practice speaking and it was always fun. I never found it a drudge or a bore.

I was so pleased with the easy and intelligent way this course was presented that I bought the Swedish and Japanese Hugo courses as well and have experienced similar results.

This book starts off easy and gradually works it's way up in a very easy manner. I must warn you that you should not just look over the vocabulary and grammer. I kept memorizing it until I knew it well and then I moved on. My Berliner friend who used to not speak any German to me now talks small sentences to me and says that I have improved dramatically. It's only been two weeks! You have to get this book if you want to learn German quickly. I also recommend Pronounce It Perfectly In German. Hugo's German in Three Months has a good pronunciation section, but this one leaves you talking like a native. They're the best!

The author has done an excellent job of making German approachable to a complete beginner. She begins slowly and proceeds in a clear and logical manner. If you stick with the program, you could actually be speaking a new language in a matter of months. Highly recommended to adult learners.

Great reading on those quiet Sunday evenings. The historical perspectives and timelines are the best part; really helps you understand the progression of literature as we know it. The Norton series (western literature) was used often in highschool for me, but I had quite narrow historical perspectives back then; this book has helped change that. I would also recommend Glimpes of World History by J. Nehru. Though it can be at times tedious, it is good accompaniment to this Norton anthology.

This book is very fascinating to read if you're insterested in early Greek and Roman culture. The many stories and translations make the reading easy and fun. I would recommend this book to anyone!

This book has it all! This is the GREATEST collection of books ever printed!

Having little knowlegde of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, I failed to realize how drastically different the Disney version was from reality. The story does not focus on a loveable hunchback who finds happiness in the end, rather it is about the cathedral itself. The action and characters all feed off of Notre Dame and represent its values, but they are merely secondary aspects of the book. It is also a violent, depressing, and sometimes even erotic book, none of which of course comes through in a Disney movie.

Many things make this book an incredible read. The most obvious is the incredible prose. Hugo was a beautiful writer and his writing flows so smoothly. He also described with incredible detail the Paris of the late 15th century--the city's skyline, its culture, some of the notable people, and the issues of the day. He spent three years researching the book and he turned his noted into an historical epic. Finally, the action and characters of the book are well developed, exciting, and unique while still representing the values and controversies Hugo wanted to explore.

I originally picked this book up when I was in the 7th grade and was unable to make it more than 20 pages without giving up in frustration, but having more knowlegde of European history, a greater appreciation for literature, and more patience with a book that admittedly starts slowly, I am very glad I came back to it. I don't think this is a book that a young reader will find interesting--though the story itself is great so an abridged version would keep them reading--but any fan of great literature, beautiful prose, French history, architecture, or Victor Hugo will love this book if they give it a chance and do sit patiently while it revs up for 30-40 pages. I highly recommend it.

If you've only seen the film adaptations of this story, for heaven's sake read this jewel of a book! Hugo's ability to see into the hearts of people, especially those in states of degradation, is unequalled. His style, even in translation, is immensely powerful. The scene between Claude and Esmeralda in the dungeon is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking bits of writing I have ever come across.

This is one of the greatest love stories ever written.

S. Marie has crafted a delicate poetic journey through one of the most difficult tragedies the human race can fathom. A very sensitive issue to explore her sensitive insights into the untimely suicide of her family, the generational recreation of suicide in her family history, and the impact that this earthshaking event had on Ms. Hugo pulls the reader captive. Artfully done with photographs it becomes more than one families private pain. It is a universal cry for those who lose someone to the act of self destruction.

S. Marie Hugo displays imagery of a broken heart and the healing of a young woman. Her vision is compelling and thoughtful. Her words expressed deeply. She took something tragic in her life and made it a journey of learning and acceptance. Acceptance of life, death and of God. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the world.

Tender Pain a poetic journey, is a well written book. The author S. Marie Hugo has taken adversity and turned it into something positive in her life. As a writer myself I appreciate the way she captured her feelings and expressed them so well on paper for the reader. An Author with feelings, ability and commitment to express her deepest thoughts with the reader. A lesson here we all should heed and remember. Well done and worth the time and money, an excellent choice.

Manara's art speaks for itself, so no need to go on and on about it. But the stories written by him are usually pointless sex tales. The difference with Indian Summer is that Pratt actually gave him a great story (the struggles of early settlers for survival, and their unpredictable relations with the native indians). Manara expresses the emotions of his characters beautifully through his pencil. For those who like action, there is plenty of that as well. The duo's other book 'El Gaucho' is also a powerful graphic novel. This was a $20 well spent. PS: I've reviewed hundreds of graphic novels at my personal web page. Give it a shot.

erotism for art sake

male character are as good as the females. He should draw both.

This really is a beautiful book. Lots of great pictures and the explanations to back them up. If you want a good introduction to learning the world of Harley, this is a great place to start.

Wonderful pictures and great engine exploration photos. Well done!

Great read, inspiring inside and out. If you read for pleasure you will also enjoy a Harley novel "The Second Coming Of Age" by: Curtiss de Vedrine

This is a good course, but you should know that there is no English on the tapes. So you have to sit down in front of the tape deck with the book in hand. That is the down side for me. I was looking for a way to learn Spanish during my daily commute - check out Pimsleur Quick and Simple Spanish. That being said what I have come to recognize from simply listening and repeating the phrases and words is that it's also nice to be able to look at how the word is spelled. So I'm glad I have both.

This is a good course - I'm definitely enjoying it - but I don't recommend you use it alone if you can afford any supplemental books. Almost all of the Hugo * In Three Months courses have a book and 4 accompanying cassettes - which this one does (a few like Hugo's Welsh in Three Months only have 2 cassettes).

The positive points about this set are the clear explanations of various points of grammar, numerous drills and the dialogues that end each chapter. There are vocabulary lists to learn immediately before each dialogue or drill and a mini Spanish-English dictionary at the back. There is also a key in the back to each exercise to check for accuracy. I also liked the approach taken with the drills. It is expected that you will work through them as both oral and written exercises. I liked that the author did not downplay reading or writing ability compared to speaking. The last chapter offers a section titled Reading Practice and offers excerpts from books and magazines by modern authors. Even at this late stage the author mentions to take note of new vocabulary words. By the time you've finished the book you should have a good working knowledge of Spanish and be able to be understood reasonably well in any Spanish speaking country. You won't be fluent since that takes years of practice but you will be able to be understood. Overall, I'm even more pleased with this Latin-American Spanish course than I am with their German set.

Even a course as good and thorough as this one can not cover everything a serious student will need to learn if he/she wants true proficiency. For one thing, even with all the oral exercises and dialogues on the tapes (and there are many) most people will need more repetition and practice than what it can provide. The simple fact that the book is only 255 pages also means the author must move rather quickly. Each page may have several new grammar points introduced and illustrated with only 1 to 3 sentences before moving on. These were just not enough examples for me to really feel like I was making all the progress I wanted. If you just want to get by while on vacation then this course will be more than enough. But if you're like me and wanting to learn for the joy of conversing intelligently in a foreign language you will need something more.

Fortunately there are 3 books which I believe are excellent complements to this course. The first is the Berlitz Self-Teacher:Spanish. The second is Margarita Madrigal's Magical Key to Spanish. The third, of course, is the all important Spanish-English/English-Spanish dictionary. Each reinforces your learning in different ways and your Spanish will be better than when using any one method alone. Use them together and amaze yourself and your friends with your newfound ability to speak Spanish.

It really works!

Jean Rouverol has written here a rather readable personal history of a very public assault on civil liberties (such as they were and are in the US) during the post-WWII Red Scare.

While it does not appear to have been her intention to delve into the politics of the period except as it pertained to women in general and her family (and the expatriate community in Mexico) in particular, especially during the blacklist, the inquiring reader is left wondering, for example, what happened to Rouverol's husband, screenwriter Hugo Butler, perhaps during their Mexican exile, to lead him to celebrate the display of Italian Communist Party banners in Rome even as he wishes that Party to lose the 1960 parliamentary election in Italy -- he, like his wife, having been a member of the Communist Party USA. But then, she tied up the loose ends of her family's Mexican experience somewhat hastily, leaving one to speculate as to whether Butler's political regression was a result of his overall mental deterioration -- a condition Rouverol noted. Nevertheless, her detailed account of their life in Mexico -- the focus of the book -- makes this a worthwhile record of survival during an intensely repressive time.

Jean Rouverol recreates those traumatic years with sensitivity, care and love. With a young family she and her husband not only managed to get away from, (rather than escape), the harrassment of anti-communism in Hollywood but also managed to create a new and productive live in Mexico. Her prose is crisp and very readable.Her sense of humour never fails. Her message is clear- if you believe in it you can do it! One of the few books I have read cover to cover in one sitting.

I was a teenager at Hollywood High during these dark years. Struggling to understand the turmoil and politics that my family was living through. Each day I saw the pain my loving, idealistic father was enduring as more and more of his friends and coworkers became ensnared in the stupid net of fear and accusation that was spreading through his industry.

Jean's story of their quick decision to slip across the border with their children and their day to day challenges of providing a good education and rich family life as exiles makes great reading.

I spent a week in Paris last year, and returned home wanting to know more about this Victor Hugo whom Parisians still revere as a God. And Robb's book did the trick! Since reading it I've tried to find an American to equate him with, but fall short: I must make do with a composite of Thomas Jefferson (for statesmanship in opposition to the crown), Henry David Thoreau (for drawing strength from nature for his writing) and William Jeferson Clinton (for his sexual appetite).

Graham Robb has done us all a great service with this admirable biography of Victor Hugo. Indeed, this volume is a shining example of how to write the story of a complex, and even amazing, life.

Victor Hugo is, and was, a figure of great importance, to the French nation and to the world. When he died, in the 1880's, over two million people came to his funeral; that's actually more than the population of Paris at that time! He was a man almost universally adored for his immense literary gifts; he was the prophetic soul who spoke for the entire French people and explained their own tumultuous history to them, especially in his huge,sprawling masterpiece, "Les Miserables," which Baudelaire dubbed "the legend of the 19th century."

Yet the man himself was quirky, and full of contradictions, which Graham Robb is at pains to explore in this lucid and compelling biography. Hugo was the son of a pro-Napoleonic father and an anti-Napoleonic mother, so Hugo's childhood was cleft by the immense chasm which divided the French nation (and Europe) during the nineteenth century. He was brought up by his mother, and, as the child of divorce, he came to value stability enormously. He began his literary life as a monarchist, and continued in that direction for a number of years. As a member of the French Assembly, he took it upon himself to attack (!) the barricades during a Parisian riot -- the very same barricades which he later made immortal in "Les Miserables!"

When Hugo finally came out on the side of freedom and liberty, and in opposition to that horrible, sneaking non-entity Louis Napoleon (whom he promptly dubbed "Napoleon The Little"), he found himself forced into exile from his beloved France. He lived on the islands of Guernsey and Jersey for many years, beginning an entirely new literary career there, and publishing many books which sold immensely well. When he finally returned to a free France,he was welcomed as a conquering hero. It is very difficult for us to understand how popular and revered he was: think of the Beatles during the Sixties and you are probably getting close.

In his youth, he was somewhat timid and full of middle-class fears; later in life he became an insatiable womanizer, whose secret diaries are full of references to appointments with famous actresses, courtesans, and ladies of the street. In his home on Jersey, he participated in spiritualistic seances, and had conversations with Jesus, Moses, the Sea, and Infinity. He is certainly one of the greatest French poets who ever lived; even those who grew to dislike him could never get away from his influence. (Gide was once asked who had been his greatest influence, and responded, "Hugo, alas!") To this day, he is one of the patron saints of the Cao Dai religion in Vietnam.

This book gets my highest recommendation!!!

This is the most enjoyable biography I've ever read, portraying someone who truly was larger than life. It's as complex, entertaining, and riveting as the man himself. Bravo! Now, how can we get Hugo's complete works translated into English?