I doubt any future book will cover the subject of black cast movie posters as well as this one. As a designer interested in the look of popular culture I was surprised that there were so many posters for this niche market. Over two-hundred are shown in this very well designed book (thanks to Debbie Glasserman) they are all in color and each has a very detailed caption. I must say though that as designs they are all uniformly uninspiring (except for Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1927 and The Green Pastures, 1936) but what they lack in stylish graphics and type they make up for in an exuberance of color, flamboyant images plus huge angled titles and cast lists, all to put across what the movie was about and pull the customer into a downtown picture palace.

Donald Bogle writes a short essay on the history of black movies but strangely makes no comment about the posters or who produced them. John Kisch, who collects black cast movie posters suggests in his Author's Note that frequently the poster artwork was more interesting than the movie itself. Get this book if you are into the graphic history of American movies, it covers one small historical part and does it very well.

The images of Black in the history of American cinema is in constant need of exploration. Too often what we are presented with are images and visions created by movie moguls and mavens that bear little resemblence to the rich vitality of Black life and culture in America. Mammies. Coons, and Sambos are omnipresent in most studies, adding a buffoonish, yet toxically inaccurate picture whenever Blacks are portrayed. Fortunately, "A Separate Cinema" is a move in the right direction of presenting an alternative view. Complete with colorful and vivid posters and information, the reader is returned to a period where such early pivotal Black auteurs as Oscar Micheaux attempt to show Black images on screen through Black eyes. Paul Robeson is shown in all of his splendor. The sauve and handsome Ralph Cooper makes his appearance. Movies that are now in the dustbin of history returns to the viewer. As a teacher of U.S. history and African-American history, "A separate Cinema" never fails to enlighten and impress my students - both Black and White. This book is a must for those willing to move beyond the stereotypical version offered by traditional hollywood accounts. It not only offers a Separate Cinema, but a separately created vision of reality. I highly recommend this book for all progressive students of American film history.

A simple love of movie-posters has turned into a serious interest of African-American cinema. Something I never really knew about. This book showes the viewer a history in pictures about pictures mostly unseen in The Netherlands or anywhere outside the US. If you just like posters, it is unmissable. If you like film-poster history, it's unmissable. If you're interested in anything besides pure Hollywood-soaked books and paraphernalia, this book is simply a must-have. Fantastic!

This is a wonderful book to own, both for the enjoyment of the art and to read and know more about Maynard Dixon. I am an aspiring watercolor painter myself and a lover of Western art. Several years ago I noted the stunning art work on the cover of the western Novel "The Streets of Laredo" in the Lonesome Dove series of books. I had no idea at the time who Maynard Dixon was, but I couldn't forget the image of the desert and the sky making the figures on horseback appear so small and fragile. This book provides so many great pictures, including my book cover, and it is also a fine biography of an inspiring life. If you like Western art, this might be described as a bridge between Remington and Russell and Edward Hopper. I know this is probably not technically a valid observation, but I think it the best way that I can describe Maynard Dixon's work.

If you've seen other books on Maynard Dixon, as I have, they will usually have strength more in one point rather than all points. For example: his landscapes, Indians, or pencil drawings. This is good but it would require another book to get satisfation on say "landscapes" if your book is on Indians or "Indians" if it's on landscapes! Desert Dream is a balanced, indepth and updated book that combines and augments all the previous books on Maynard Dixon that I have seen.

But it also does something more than tell us about an important, underrated American nationalists in the fine arts; Desert Dreams reveals in the first page the post world war II mentality that took over in the teaching of fine arts in 1946 which quite effectively eliminated the stature of native influenced Americans such as Maynard Dixon to whom Europe was not the panecea for himself as an artist or a man who thought deeply about art. In otherwords, the deliberate internationalization of art history in America has ill served the national appreciation of "cultural nationalism" within the context of fine arts in this country.

This small point is pregnant with implications.

At nearly 300 pages, the price is a real bargain!

What I also enjoyed about this book is the man himself and how unashamed he was to paint this country. It's land. It's people with an individualism that not only built his character but also builds countries, and sustains them as well.

As the husband of Dorethea Lange, it is unfortunate that his name is less well known than her's considering his place in California as an artist. Today, I cannot think any artist that could wear the mantle he did, from about 1900 until his death in1946, as California's most famous artist.

Color reproductions give a form and substance to this man and his art that is hard to come by otherwise, and this is due to the depth of Maynard Dixon's on own words which also are generously used in the book.

Though I'm writng about him as an artist, Maynard Dixon made a good accounting of himself as a poet too. Insightful, poignant words that are a far cry from the packaged language one often hears today. We need good poets to remind of deeper things, sublime things, good things. Like his painting, Maynard Dixon's poetry is also immortal.

I'd urge all to get a hold of this august book about and august man who can still teach us fundamentals in what is means to be American, an individual, a man. His constitution was written with brushes, pens, pencils, and other art means, but it still speaks freely, clearly, and with power to anyone who is willing to listen.

Take me at my word , but buy the book anyway.

This is a comprehensive and amazing inside look at John Wayne's greatest dream...to recreate on film the TRUE story of one of the most inspiring events in US History. The book explains how the Duke spent 14 years preparing for this film and an equal number of years working to pay the expenses this movie cost him PERSONALLY. He believed in this project so much that he risked EVERYTHING putting it on film....sparing NO EXPENSE...in time, effort and money. The book is packed with glossy color and b&w pictures....interviews, and background information about EVERY aspect of this great motion picture....The Alamo.

This is one of the greatest books concerning the making of Alamo movies. Full of rare pictures and interesting stories behind the making of the epic film. This is one you won't want to pass up

Unlike other books on Qigong, this one does not strive to provide scientific validation for Qigong, nor is it filled with scholarly references and parallelisms with other systems of excercise a/o health and healing. Neither is it a vast array of different Qigong practices presented as a catalog for the reader to pick and choose from.

Rather, this book chronicles Alton's experinces during the two-year period he spent in China learning Qigong from his teacher. Loosely chronological, Alton's story is freely interspersed with theoretical information on both Qigong and Chinese Medicine, presented the way a good teacher would present it to the student as he/she progresses in his/her learning. There are a couple of details which I've never heard any of my teachers mention, yet they make sense, both in theory and in practice. His Qigong set is presented at the end of the book, and although the author repeatedly emphasizes the need to learn from a good teacher, the set is simple enough to try it out yourself. It is one of the best Qigong routines I've ever practiced!

There are no extensive discussions on the hows and whys, yet all the main tenets and principles of Qigong practice are presented in this book, in a comprehensive, down-to-earth manner. This book, simple, slim, and full of wisdom, is also one of the deepest and most heartfelt discussions I've read on Qigong.

I am typically leery of books on the subject, but this is one book I highly recommend. Alton's treatment is comprehensive and surprisingly frank and impartial. Rather than deride Western science and praise the virtues of Chinese medicine, he takes an honest, open-minded view of both and applies cold logic to arrive at conclusions. In other words, he does not insult the reader's intelligence. The stress of the book is more on the exposition of the theory, rather than a how-to manual. Persons interested in taichi and qigong will find this book very informative, while practitioners will find it inspiring and enriching.

This book is both fascinating and broad enough to be reliable as a reference. Can be picked up and flicked through or read topically. Rivals Madigan et al. Excellent illustrations and on the right level for undergrads.

My professor intended this book to be a reference for the microbiology course he taught. I personally found the book to be so interesting and well done that I just dived right into it, and still find more new things each time I crack it open. As a dual Biochemistry and Microbiology major, this book is going on my reference shelf.

Heisey's Checklist of American Coverlet Weavers is an indispensible reference in the library of any collector of American woven coverlets. Although this addresses only the weavers of figured ("jacquard") coverlets, even those of us who concentrate on the geometric coverlets, such as myself, will find this a rewarding read.

If you surf the on-line auctions for coverlets keep this by your computer. Take it with you to live auctions, antique shows, and antique shops. Many a "sleeper" is hidden under the lack of knowledge about American coverlets. Heisey will provide you with the info needed to identify and save a rare and valuable old coverlet from an ignominious fate (such as being cut up for teddy bears...) It will also provide you with the data you need to expand your collection with significant, early, or regional examples

St. John, Poole, and Sims are internationally known experts in concrete petrography and their book brings together information from a wide range of sources. The primary focus of this book is the use of the petrological polarizing microscope for the study of concrete and related materials. Petrographic methods used for many years in geology are also valuable in the study of concrete. The book assumes a working knowledge of the petrographic techniques. Chapter two includes a brief description of petrographic examination techniques and chapter three discusses sample preparation. The main body of the work provides a detailed discussion of the use of petrographic microscopy to study the composition, appearance, and texture of concrete and related materials. A chapter on the examination of deteriorated and damaged concrete, also, is included. Color photomicrographs included throughout the book enhance its value. The detailed index makes locating specific information relatively easy.

Overall this is an excellent book but the audience is somewhat limited. It is most useful for petrographers studying concrete and related materials but should be useful to users involved with the characterization and testing of concrete who are not familiar with these methods. It is therefore recommended for university students.

ukiyo-e woodblock prints. I have been searching for this book for a couple of months. I orginally saw a copy of it in a japanese tattoo shop and fell in love with it. This book is printed on high quality paper using the best copies of the prints that can be found. The color is reproduced perfectly and it is an excellent example of this art form. If you can find it, buy it.

Although I am old enough to have been able to remember Don McNeill's Breakfast Club I have only heard of him, and wanted to learn more about this popular radio show. Author John Doolittle has done an excellent job in bringing out the personality of Don McNeill. Don was a devoted family man who, despite an extroverted personality when interviewing people, was more of an introvert away from the show. Don was devoted to the midwest and chose to keep his show in Chicago from various downtown locations. I would say the primary reason for the success of the show was his sincere interest in people in addition to his willingness to pay the price in preparation time. Those who filled in for him found out there is more involved than chatting with members of the studio audience. The silent prayer and the march around the breakfast table were interesting staples of this show that I wasn't aware of. Don McNeill was a sincere man both on the show and in his private life. The CD that came with the book I bought provides interesting snippets on some of his shows and was especially interesting to listen to after having read the book. Don McNeill was a giant of radio who had a lot to contribute to other people and did.

The "Breakfast Club" was a morning radio program staple in hundreds of thousands of homes across America beginning in 1933 until its final broadcast in December of 1968. Don McNeill hosted this program which was completely unscripted and involved a lot of studio audience participation. Now John Doolittle has memorialized that unique and beloved radio show host and his program in Don McNeill And His Breakfast Club. Here is the history of a man and a program that developed an enormous and loyal listenership in an era when broadcast radio was the major daily mass media for information and culture in the country. Doolittle's informative, enthusiastically recommended history is enriched with the inclusion of an accompanying CD with sample clips from the show to give the reader an authentic flavor of what the program was like and why it became (and stayed) one of the most popular components of morning radio.

The Don McNeill Breakfast Club was a comfort of home, a memory of cherished moments sitting by the radio with my family. When I heard that a book had been written about the program I had high expectations. I was more impressed than I could have imagined. Not only did I feel a stronger sense of who Don McNeill was, I also gained perspective on American History through radio, which was so perfectly encompassed in The Breakfast Club. For anyone who remembers the lazy mornings by the radio, or for anyone who is interested in American culture and history, this book is a must!

It is certainly one of the three best books about Marilyn. As for the other two, one is Maurice Zolotow's book that was published while she was alive (many libraries have it) and Anthony Summers' paperback "Goddess" that's still in print after 13 years.

Mr. Wolfe fits together many pieces of the puzzle, such as the bizarre role Patricia Newcomb has played in covering up the murder for 35 years. As late as the 1990s, when elder statesman Ted Kennedy had given up running for president, Patricia helped Donald Spoto write a wimpy book that tried to exonerate the Kennedys in the murder. Wolfe takes it apart very well. It is clear that Patricia, who now handles publicity for Barbra Streisand, never will divulge the truth unless a good district attorney puts her under oath.

May I please liberate us Marilyn fans from the book review format here and ask a question? Someone please post a "book review" to explain the following. Mr. Wolfe goes on for many pages about Eunice Murray, Ralph Greenson, Henry Weinstein and Walter Bernstein all belonging to the Communist Party. It's the one part of the mystery I don't get. Did these people's party memberships make them pro-Kennedy, anti-Kennedy or some shades in between? All right then, forget Weinstein and Bernstein, who were busy making silly film comedies that few people watch today. Why would Murray and Greenson, who spent so much time spying on Marilyn, do that for the sake of the Communist Party?

Also, Mr. Wolfe neglects to explain something about the day of the murder. Did Dr. Greenson push that needle into her chest with the intent to kill her? Maybe he was unaware of the drug that Bobby Kennedy and intelligence agent James Hamilton had given her a short time earlier. Maybe Dr. Greenson was trying to resuscitate Marilyn, and his needle hit the wrong place. We don't read about him using needles in other parts of this book or in any other Marilyn book. Maybe he was your typical 1960s psychoanalyst who spent 99 percent of his practice talking with patients and giving them pills, which they voluntarily swallowed. So the cause of Marilyn's death could be the homicidal dose given by RFK and Mr. Hamilton complicated by the clumsy resuscitation effort of Greenson. Mr. Wolfe doesn't explain how or if Greenson allied himself with the Kennedys before the moment of death. All we get is an alliance that started immediately after the death. True, an LAPD officer stopped their car for speeding as they sped away from Marilyn's house that night.

But that still makes it possible that Greenson accidentally finished her off, totally unaware of Bobby, and *then* Bobby approached him to say, "It's not your fault, doc, you just help us cover it up, please. The public is too stupid to understand your diagnosis of her mental state, so we'll make Mrs. Murray look like a kindly bespectacled old lady with no connection to show business or politics. Reporters aren't going to ask her about us Kennedys, J. Edgar Hoover, the telephone company records, Frank Sinatra, etc. Let Mrs. Murray and the coroner handle everything. They'll bore the Dickens out of everyone and the reporters will go away after a few days."

That's exactly what happened. Robert Slatzer and two newspaper people did some digging in 1962 (Florabel Muir and Joe Hyams, both based in New York), but no one published anything then.

Can anyone shed light on these issues of the Communist connection and Dr. Greenson's motive? The odds are great that never again will we get a book that addresses these issues. Future books on Marilyn will focus on her movies. Norman Jeffries, Eunice Murray and Ralph Greenson are all dead. Patricia Newcomb is still a professional liar, now doing damage control for Barbra Streisand. (Patricia doesn't want Bahh - bra to make a fool of herself over Vice President Lieberman.)

So, in the absence of another book on the Marilyn murder, and in the absence of a magazine or television piece, could someone please explain what the Communist memberships of Eunice Murray and Ralph Greenson have to do with Marilyn's death? And what was he doing with that needle as the Schaefer ambulance crew watched helplessly? Please post a "book review" with your thoughts. Thank you. If you haven't read the book, please do so. You can order it via the Web.

I've always been somewhat ambivalent about the conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn's death & have vacillated between the foul play line & that she took an accidental overdose. I read Anthony Summers' "Goddess" when it was first published & was certainly of the conviction that there was indeed foul play. Having just read the first part of this book & skipped to the end missing out the biographical element of the middle section, I am yet again convinced that at best there was one huge cover-up to protect RFK and at worst that he actually had a direct hand in the deed or was at least present when the fatal barbiturate dose was adminstered. Earlier books I've read have all indeed questioned the validity of Marilyn's bedroom being the scene of death, no water present, the body lying in an unusual position, no evidence of convulsions or vomit which is usually the case with overdoses etc etc etc

It is certainly difficult to refute the evidence presented in this book & the various testimonies that have only just come to light, ie those of Norman Jeffries (this I had never read about before & I've read numerous MM biogs) and of the ambulence driver James Hall. The events that the author concludes took place that night are totally plausible, but what is surprising is the fact that this disparate group of people present when MM died all conspired over the years & colluded in this cover up. The numerous versions of the suicide theory are all fatally flawed & key witnesses such as Eunice Murray the housekeeper have constantly changed their stories over the years - lending them no crediblity whatsoever. However, it is unfortunate that we will never ever know for sure as RFK, Ralph Greenson & Peter Lawford all took their secrets to the grave with them.

This is indeed a compelling read, although sometimes I found I was so bombarded with facts that it was a little difficult to absorb.

If you're an MM fan, then read this book & Anthony Summers'"Goddess".

When I first started reading this book, I thought to myself, "Oh no, not another book re-hashing the already revealed inconsistencies surrounding MM's death!" Boy, was I wrong! This book is one of the best ever written on the subject of MM's life and, especially, the mysterious and sinister circumstances surrounding her death. Someone should send a highlighted copy of this book to the LA District Attorneys office because this womans death screams out for justice! What amazed me was how Marilyn had no one in whom she could place her trust. The circle of people surrounding and insulating her in her last years were people who had known each other for years. They formed a tight circle around Marilyn and slowly but surely cut her off from people that really cared about her. Little did MM realize that anything she told one person in that circle (supposedly in confidence) was being shared with everyone else. The two most important new voices heard are those of John Minor (who strongly suspects foul play) and Mrs. Murray's (the maid's) nephew, who states that he was at Marilyn's home the night of her death. Their revelations alone are reason enough to re-open the investigation. History should reflect an accurate portrayal of past events, even if that accuracy serves to cast dark shadows on people that were once shining in the public spotlight. The people involved in the death of Marilyn Monroe should be no different. To this point, the "official" story as to MM's death has been nothing more than a piece of fiction. The question now is whether the LA District Attorney's office will have the courage to re-open the case with the new information provided, knowing that some big names might be implicated in a heinous crime. Let us all hope that they will find the strength of character and fortitude to do so.