Here is a great little book worth reading. Start with a terrific title and follow with a witty, intelligent book in which there are no wasted words and which does not ever seem "interminable" and you've got a great combination. Highly recommended for the fisherman and anyone else in your family.

As an artist, I've found inspiration time and again in Robert Hughes'books and the American Visions series. As a third-generation Floridian growing up on the Hillsborough River, I instinctively came by an appreciation of both the mystique of the water and the way fishing linked me to it. As a mostly-vegetarian who still succumbs to seafood, I feel some sense of guilt and sadness for the realities of the commercial fishing industry. This is a poignant and amusing little book, and a clarion call to those who don't give much thought to where their salmon filet came from. Robert Hughes is an inspired writer; this book demonstrates how his holistic take on cultural history translates into wonderful insights in seemingly disparate fields. This is a book I'll re-read every summer!

I bought this for my 19 year old son who has a passion for fishing. I'll admit it, I just don't understand the allure. I picked it up one night and was caught up in the storytelling. there is a bit of fishing history and plenty of fish stories. I still don't understand fishing, but found this brief book a good read.

a book with a text written by one of the most important art critics. Finally quilts seen as art pieces. An incredibly beautiful collection of amish quilts to show you the world of this religious group artistic crafts. If you look for new ideas for your quilting palette, don't miss this book.

Amish: The Art of the Quilt by Robert Hughes chronicles the quilt collection at Esprit corporate headquarters in San Francisco. Begun haphazardly by Doug Tompkins in 1971 as a way to cover bare office walls, it has evolved into a showcase of exquisite examples of Amish artistry.

Robert Hughes writes a concise history of the Amish people and their distinctive quilts. But best of all are the 9" by 9" full-color plates of 82 representative quilts. Julie Silber, who became the collection's curator in 1983, shares her comments on each quilt, pointing out its adherence to or deviation from Amish tradition.

This book represents an excellent investment for all lovers of the vibrant colors and intricate stitching so characteristic of Amish quiltmaking.

reviewed by Andrea R. Huelsenbeck

I had to give this book five stars because it is the only comprehensive work devoted to Arthur Hughes. I have been attracted to Hughes' paintings for some time, but he has recently become a part of my graduate research. To my surprise, there is little research out there. Even though he did not achieve the critical acclaim of other Pre-Raphaelite artists, he is considered a major artist in the Movement. Granted this book is mainly in catalogue form, but this section contains hard-to-find information. It's also great for listing past exhibitions of individual paintings and newspaper/journal/book leads for more information. Lots of black/white reproductions and some nice colors ones. The analytical introduction is shorter than I would have liked, but the comprehensive catalogue is a great asset.

As a serious student of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and their associates, I have noticed a curious lack of materials regarding Arthur Hughes and his work. This is perhaps due to the unfortunate destruction (evidently) of much of the papers and materials that would give better light to his biography, as well as his partial detraction from oil painting to produce much illustration work. No less important, in truth, is likely the fact that he was not one of the most successful of Victorian age painters. However, the charm of coloring and subjects in his unique style certainly warrants a serious treatment and _Arthur Hughes: His Life and Works_ is an admirable and well-produced effort. Not only that, but it is the only one that I have yet to discover. With this fact in mind, I can only give it the highest of recommendations to anyone fortunate enough to have a similar taste for his work. The reproductions are excellent, the biography informative, and the content far more complete than the fragmented references to him to be found elsewhere.

I first became aware of Rian a while back, but stumbled across his website and his excellent collection of fonts. Then I spotted the drawing on the front whilst walking past it in the bookshop and I couldn't resist but to get it.

It's filled with many of his excellent designs, enough to give anyone inspiration, with design commentaries on many of them establishing the reason behind them.

If you love bright bold vector based art, you'll love the book and the freebie CD!

I first became aware of Rian Hughes in the pages of a trendy independent comics magazine called ESCAPE, in 1983. The short strip I read there, NORM, is included in this book, but it's just a tiny fraction of a fraction of the broad range of Commercial Art Rian has produced during the course of the past twenty years.

Part Retro, Part Techno, Rian's Hip Fifties-influenced style remains remarkably unique and instantly identifiable. His negative space logo for the Vertigo comic book, THE INVISIBLES is just one of a thousand brilliant designs he has graciously collected together in this beautiful hardcover collection.

The book includes a CD of font samples and desktop patterns. Buy two and give one to a friend for Christmas.I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you're not familiar with his work, you can get a taste of it over at his Device website.

The Ern Malley affair is still something of an embarrassment to literate Australians. Ern Malley was the creation of two poets, James McAuley and Harold Stewart, who wanted to show up what they regarded as the insufferable pretensions of an Australian literary magazine called Angry Penguins. They concocted the fictitious Ern, gave him an irresistibly romantic biography, wrote a dozen supposedly awful poems under his name, and sent off the result. To their glee, the editor Max Harris swallowed the bait and published a special issue in Ern's memory. Then the facts came out, and avant-gardists all over Australia were made to look stupid.

That would be it, except for the bewildering irony that the Ern Malley poems aren't nearly as bad and incoherent as their authors suggested. Well, not all the time. (Heyward helpfully reprints them as an appendix so you can judge for yourself.) They oscillate in the strangest way between genius and gibberish; I have one highly-educated Aussie friend who thinks that they're the most genuinely avant-garde poetry Australia has ever produced, and Heyward is inclined to agree. The Angry Penguin crowd claimed as much, saying that the authors had surpassed themselves in their attempt to turn off conscious control over their own work. They certainly contain some haunting, extraordinary lines ("I am still / The black swan of trespass on alien waters", "I have split the infinitive. Beyond is anything.") The fact that these lines were never meant seriously by their authors raises important questions about the usefulness of discussing intention in matters of literary criticism.

Heyward's story is lucidly and wittily told. There are no clear-cut villains and heroes. Max Harris comes across as appealingly open-minded and imaginative, as well as gullible. The hoaxers weren't cynical hacks but talented and serious poets in their own right. Amongst those taken in by Ern was Australia's greatest modern painter, Sidney Nolan, who (perhaps rightly) said that it didn't matter whether the poems were "authentic" or not, so long as they worked on some level.

A remarkable book, not only in its picture of mid-century Australian cultural history but also in the tricky questions it asks about sense vs. nonsense in art and the motives behind cultural battles.

A brilliantly researched and wittily written chronicle of a great literary hoax. In the nineteen forties Australia's avant-garde arts magazine ANGRY PENGUINS received a package of poems from a woman calling herself Ethel Malley, purportedly the work of her recently deceased brother Ern. The magazine's editor was so overwhelmed with the poems that he published the entire oeuvre in a special edition of the magazine. Then word began to get about that neither Ethel nor Ern Malley actually existed, and that the poems were a hoax. The hunt for the culprits was on. The is a great read: a literary detective story, an intriguing picture of the cultural landscape of postwar Australia, and a book which confronts the reader with crucial questions about the elusive nature of aesthetic judgement.

~This book is very well-written, composed of many short (c. 2 pg) articles on various subjects relating to biology/medicine, such as Sickle Cell disorder and Huntington's Disease. Not only are these articles very informative, they are interesting. ~On top of that, there are some really great pictures, including a pull-out poster of deadly microbes. ~The material covered in this book is fascinating, but it's not something that you think about every day (unless you're a biologist or you're really into biomedicine). It stimulates thought, and brings you to the realization that, yes, this is sort of cool. I was somewhat interested in the broad category of biology and medicine, but when I bought this book, I was affirmed in my belief that biomedicine is a remarkably intriguing field of study. ~I would strongly recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in biomedicine. It is a truly amazing book! 5 stars!

Exploring the Biomedical Revolution examines the work of frontline scientists and how they are changing the face of modern medicine, with chapters presenting articles on research enhanced by vivid color photos. Many titles on biomedicine are inaccessible to lay audiences; not so this book, which focuses on explanations which are easy to understand, yet with plenty of scientific detail added for those involved in health care. Highly recommended.

This book is essential for anyone performing a restoration on or buying a DB4-6. The author is extremely knowledgable, having owned a number of Astons including some real clunkers. Not only does he know what to look for in terms of originality but his knowledge of what can go wrong makes this book a buyers guide in addition to an aid to restoration.

As usual in the "Original" serie, the author goes through every possible detail of the various cars, covering the models: DB4, GT, Zagato (including the Sanction II re-edition), DB5 and DB6, with the Convertible, Volante and Vantage variations, plus the Estate conversions and the Lagonda Rapide (? not sure about the name) which shared the same chassis with the DB serie.

The only proper definition for the book is ANAL... it is! every little aspect, down to the correct colors for the distribution wires, is covered. That's why is the DEFINITIVE guide if you intend to buy a DB and have it restored to the showroom conditions, or check if what you're about to buy is what's claimed to be.

now, if the author would kindly give me a DB4 Series I as a present for this excellent review, I'd be extremely grateful! :-)

I've read this series serveral times and it always has held my attention (i.e. caused sleep to be lost). Hughes is a clever and enjoyable author.

I have read I would imagine some four to five thousand fantasy and SF books, and quite a number of others besides, and yet this book - the first of a series of three (Pelmen the Powershaper) is one that I simply return to again and again - rereading is like revisiting and old good freind.

The Characters are very real, the plot amazing, the combination of both is enchanting. Picking up the book you just cannot let it down. The humour that Don Huges shows is masterful, and the twists and turns of it leave you amazed.

I would suggest the book to Fantasy and Non-Fantasy readers alike - it would leave anyone with a wonderful feeling - GARANTEED!

Frances Parkman was a man who lived and breathed his history. He not only researched his subjects thoroughly, but seems to have crawled inside their heads as well.

Parkman's gift for bringing people alive is nowhere more evident than in this complex story of Robert Cavalier de la Salle's attempt to realize his dream of making France a leader in the new world. Parkman's skillful examination of the man behind the story lets the reader understand why LaSalle and his ideas were the cause of such controversy. At the same time, Parkman paints a vivid picture of the new world frontier as it existed in LaSalle's time. This is a book that can be savored on many levels: as an entertaining adventure story, a psychological thriller, and a historical reference.

Parkman's prose is rich and full of details you will need to understand the complexity of the charcters and the consciousness of the times. Therefore, you should be prepared to spend time working your way through this book. Whenever I tried to hurry through a section, I found that I missed something important that was needed later on. In other words, patience is needed, but well worth it. Parkman was a true lover of history and the people who shaped it and it shows.

I picked this up on a lark and found I couldn't put it down. A fascinating story, extremely well written and a pure pleasure to read. I travel extensively and found it amazing how many places I go to regularly have a direct link to La Salle. Couldn't recommend it more.

While there is a new Introduction, this is the historic account of Robert LaSalle's exploration of the Louisiana territory in the 1680s. Parkman first published this treatise in 1869; it has since been reprinted numerous times. An excellent, thoroughly engrossing recounting of the exploration of the territory which LaSalle claimed for France in 1682, through which the reader not only learns of the daily travails of the little band of explorers, but also, the human frailties of the man, Robert Cavelier, known as LaSalle. This book gives life to a name from history, and exemplifies the methodical research done by Parkman in the days before telephones, faxes, and copiers. I was thoroughly impressed by the subject and the writer. Excellent; informative, totally enthralling reading-writers of today should take note! Kudos to the publishers (and Krakauer) for bringing this series (back) to life!

In my line of work, I often find myself in the position of writing for others as well as myself: letters, paragraphs and sometimes longer pieces. Rules of Thumb is exactly what I need as someone who loves grammar, but has been out of school for 15+ years and needs a quick...you guessed it..."rule of thumb" on a particular topic. I highly recommend it for the workplace. The pages are laid out in such a way that merely thumbing through the book allows your eye to land on the topic you're looking for. When all you need is a quick reminder, or even consise 'how, why, when and where' examples -- this is the book to choose!

This book provides a complete, easy to understand description of all aspects of grammatically correct writing. But what makes this book truly exceptional is the integral quick reference guides in every chapter that allow you to make a quick check when you are in the midst of your writing project. I have not found any other book that works this well for me; I have used it in place of the corresponding required text for my college English classes.

This book contains information that can be reached in moments and is most time-saving. Had I been exposed to this while in school, I'm sure my writing would have been on a much higher level. Orchids to Jay, Elaine and Diana.