This beautiful book is a lovely elegy to an artist who, sadly, we lost to AIDS earlier this year. Though the pages don't quite do justice to the art itself, you can see the pieces themselves, for a short time only, at Buffalo's Albright-Knox Museum through the spring of 2003. If you can't experience the art, this sumptuously produced book, using his farm in western New York as an inspiration, is nearly as good. My prediction is that Frank Moore's star will be in the ascendant for many years to come. Though he is no longer with us, his talent and joy of surprise will delight us for many years to come. And isn't that what art's about after all?

Full-page color photos of Frank Moore's paintings are especially strong in Between Life And Death: images of nature drawn from a folk art influence. From cameos of large insects and flowers and diminutive humans to folk art cards and a closeup of book titles, this is filled with images of species and interactions between objects and man.

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the current art scene, but I was not familiar with Frank Moore's amazing work. I just came from DisneyWorld with my parents and happily discovered a show at the Orlando Art Museum of these beautiful and haunting images. Though on first glance these paintings and drawings seem direct and quite simple, it becomes obvious upon closer inspection that they were actually highly planned and worked out. The balance between science, medicine, and nature itself is beautifully maintained and the introduction of death metaphors seems quite appropriate given the state of our current health-care system. I am truly sorry to hear of the loss of this supremely gifted artist but glad to have stumbled upon this beautifully done work and book about it.

_Jack the Modernist_. When I found this novel by Robert Gluck on the shelves of my local gay bookstore, it was originally the title that seduced me. What about this book, I wondered, warrants the inclusion of the word "modernist" in the title? Tired by the omnipresent coming-out novel, the promise of homoerotic literature marked with modernist experimentation was infinitely enticing. Gluck certainly did not disappoint. Almost from the first page, one is seduced by his viciously beautiful style. The short pages are filled with an intensely dense imagery that appeals alternately to sight, sound, and taste. The narrator's walk with his dog on page three becomes a virtual orgy of the senses. A visit to the movies at the end of the novel becomes a visual and philosophical adventure. Sex between the characters is so vivid that one can virtually feel it. One is consistently confronted by metaphors so strikingly unusual, by language so sonorously melodic that one cannot help but read it aloud and tremble. Gluck is modern not just in his intense bombardment of imagery but his use of "found art" -- images that the author has collected and has included in the text to illustrate certain metaphors or points. The book literally becomes a multimedia experience. Meanwhile, Gluck blurs the traditional lines of fiction and non-fiction by assigning the narrator his own name and by revealing that certain elements of the plot do not match his actual experience with "Jack," the title character. Gluck also experiments with the narrative form itself by occasionally breaking into dramatic form, marking each character's dialogue with a name and a colon. Such characteristics are almost unheard of in the relatively naturalistic world of gay fiction, save perhaps in the recent works of Jeanette Winterson. Ultimately, it is the marvelous, unique style is in the end that elevates this work so far above many works of gay interest. To all interested in either gay literature or narrative experimentation, this book is a must

With this set of plans and assembly guide, Almost anyone can build a pedal steel guitar worth up to $5,000 or more, at a price that will be far, far less that even the cost of a used one. A pedal steel guitar can be a very expensive instrument to purchase, either new or used. By building your own pedal steel guitar, you can save hundreds, even thousands (depending on the facilities you have available)and have exactly what you want.

Dante's Inferno grips the reader throughout the journey to Inferno, or hell. With Virgil as his guide, Dante the author stars himself as the main character: a timid, curious man traveling among spirits through the nine levels of hell. On his journey he comes across every imaginable type of sinner, from the unbaptized to barrators to betrayers. He makes it through beasts, monsters, rivers, fires, and taunting spirits with the help of his master. Dante, as author, combines ancient mythological references with Christian beliefs to form a background and adventures for his Inferno; which reflect the lifestyle in Italy during a time of political and secular corruption. Pinsky translated this superb piece of literature with grace, transforming the Italian rhyme into a pleasing English translation with a terza rima scheme. A marvelous job indeed.

Dante's Inferno, by far the most interesting volume of Dante's Divine Comedy, is a must for any reader who wishes to cultivate their knowledge of the classics. Reading it would aid a reader in understanding later, highly allusive works, such as those of Joyce, or Eliot, since both writers allude to Dante in abundance.

Pinsky's translation is erudite and a credit to his own poetic ability. Steering away from pure rhyme and instead using blank verse, he has avoided limiting himself, and the freedom he has gained has created a far more convincing and authoritative translation than others have achieved.

An essential read, and a timeless work.

It says a lot that of all the books we read during the year in a rigorous English curriculum, many of my best readers picked the Pinksy Inferno as their favorite book of the year. I'm a Mandelbaum fan too (I still like his Aeneid since it's by far the closest to Virgil's Latin and was even helpful when I worked on translating books 4 and 6), but I prefer Pinsky's rendition of Dante's poem. It makes the text alive for generations of new readers. My class appreciated Nicole Pinsky's notes at the end of the book which add greatly to students' comprehension of historical background and context. Hats off to Pinsky for a great work of art that has made Dante more accessible to a new generation of potential fans.

Although I think it was supposed to, the book didn't shock me. If Christian mystics knew about it, it might enrage some of them, though others think MK was a hysteric. The counterpoint of Bob's passion for L, who has other needs than to be consumed by Bob's needs, is more interesting to me, but is very sketchy. Neither Bob, presumably the author, nor L is much developed as a character, alas. What is distinctive about this particular reluctant beloved and passionate lover? Religion and class, yeah. Don't they all say they show love in different ways (than the lover wants, needs, and, above all, demands)? And L is an eager bottom (which I thought Glück was from ecstasies described in Jack, the Modernist-so perhaps he is Margery rather than Bob here?

Margery Kempe deserves to be seen by a readership that responds to the same stunning language that characterizes Joyce' best work, and the profound sense of longing that hasn't been rendered since McCullers. There aren't many works of fiction today that take such risk, and this risk has little to do with the sense of erotic in the portrayal of Jesus. Rather, the risk is in the completely raw characterization of Margery and her unabashed expressions of abandon that symbolize desire at its most powerful and destructive. Here is a female protagonist that loves what she loves and is not concerned with forming a humble or pretty picture. She is a "failed saint" because she is a raw, real character. Gluck has built an incredible story around both Kempe and her modern, parallel "brother."

Mr. Gluck weaves us a tapestry of many and shifting tones. Offers us a city entered at dusk, or at dawn, and perhaps midnight. These stories together and apart speak to a rich internal life. One as comfortable with the sensual as the intellectual. As evocative of the moment as much as history. A book moving in many directions and in all directions moving. Thank you, Mr. Gluck.

No, I would not reccomed this "book" (more like a collection of ramblings) to any one with the intent of making a guitar from it. As was mentioned before the quality of the physical text and photographs is extremely poor. It looks as though the pages were photocopied. This book also suffers from an extreme lack of organization, and in general has the literary value of a seventh grader's journal scribblings. For example, Gluck describes the purpose of the truss rod, fully and in detail. Then he rambles on about something else and rehashes the same discussion about truss rods that was covered two pages ago. This repeating of information goes on and on throughout the book. I'm not sure, but I think the author is assuming his readers have the attention span of a bumble bee. In all fairness Gluck does present an "unique" method of making an archtop, but unless you are searching for every concievable written word about archtops, I'd give this book the blow by. Some of his methods are highly unconventional and in my mind not good practice. He mostly stresses the cheapie type approach, using lauan underlayment plywood for the plates etc. Please do yourself a favor and buy Bob Benedetto's book Making An Archtop Guitar. It is extremely informative and a work of art in its own right.

The first thing you will notice is the low print quality of this 'book'. It looks like it was printed on someone's home computer. It has the look and feel of a small business report or a high school term paper. This should not detract from the content but I would expect better with a 24.95 price tag.

It is both unfair and inevitable that this book will be compared with the Benedetto book and videos "Making an Archtop Guitar ". It is inevitable because the finished guitar has the same basic shape. It is unfair because they are building drastically different guitars. Benedetto is showing you how he builds a high quality acoustic instrument. You can attach a pickup or not. Mr. Gluck is showing you how to make a cool looking electric guitar out of plywood and easily obtainable lumber. You could make an acoustic guitar but with the plywood construction and unusual bracing I would not recommend it.

The bottom line: If you want to make yourself a cool looking electric this book could help you. If you want to get into archtop making as a hobby or business get the Benedetto book. In either case the book is only a starting point. No single book covers every aspect of guitar making and the quality of the finished guitar will depend on your carpentry skills.