please get in touch with me, I have a book that I have had for twenty some odd years I know that after researching Rockwell Kent that someone can give me a historical and monetary value, it was edited by Rockell Kent in 1939, it has the most beutiful paintings from world famous painters. Hence the title World famous Paintings.

North by East is truly one of the greatest sailing books I have ever read. High adventure through the eyes of a true poet and artist.

A glorious story of adventure when Kent and two friends sailed on a private schooner from Labrador and Newfoundland to Greenland. We are carried along through deep fogs, icebergs, storms and calms until the men are shipwrecked in a violent storm on Greenland's rocky shore. The story also presents an absorbing and tender tale of the relationships of Kent with the people of Newfoundland, his two shipmates and the Stone Age Eskimos of Greenland -- who threw him a highly successful party in spite of the language barrier. Kent illustrated the text with over 100 magnificent sketches and woodblock drawings that in themselves are worth the price.

The Story: The title refers to the name given to an enormous albino sperm whale who is being hunted by Captain Ahab, the ruthless, single-minded, driven master of a whaling ship. Ahab hunts Moby Dick because, in a previous hunt, Moby Dick amputated Ahab's leg in a failed attempt by Ahab to catch the white whale. The story is told in retrospect by a crewman, Ishmael, of the ship, who was a young, somewhat naive man at the time.

This is not a novel for everyone; it takes a patient and persistent reader to tackle the rich but complicated writing style of Melville, as well as the author's penchant for going off on detailed, descriptive tangents. However, the writing style almost becomes poetic at times, and symbolism and metaphor abound. The closest thing to Melville's style I've found amongst contemporary writers is Gene Wolfe ("The Book of the New Sun", "The Book of the Short Sun", "The Book of the Long Sun"). Wolfe also borrowed from Melville the device of telling the story from the viewpoint of young, naive observers, who report what they see with little bias or editorializing, which leaves the reader to interpret the story on his/her own. Melville drew a clear picture of life on a whaling vessel of that era.

To me, this story is a detailed and adventurous tale of obsession verging on insanity. Ahab is so focused on catching and killing Moby Dick that he loses sight of his own welfare and the welfare of his men. He never questions his own motives; he is out after revenge for losing his leg, as well as out to redress the insult of a simple beast not accepting the dominion of Man. Moby Dick's defiance of Mankind's superiority and sovereignty is seen as an outrage, a matter of honor for Captain Ahab to resolve. But, why did Moby Dick bite off Ahab's leg in the first place? Ahab sees it as an act of war by the whale, a refusal to bow down to the Master of the Earth (Mankind). Might it not just as easily be an animal naturally defending itself against a predator (Mankind) invading his (Moby Dick's) domain?

Jay Nussbaum wrote a book called "Blue Road to Atlantis" which is a gem of a story that retells Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" from the fish's point of view. Mr. Nussbaum could make quite a story out of Moby Dick's point of view of this puny maniac who keeps harassing him and trying to kill him.

I'm still reading the book, but this version is quite helpful because in the back it has explanations for Melville's sometimes confusing allusions.

The great humanist Rockwell Kent is represented well in the plates of this "lost Landscape" edition. The plates are great color, and the text fills you in on the complexity of his socialist political life. Kent is a superior mannerist as was his contemporary Grant Wood. It is heartening to see these works from the Soviet Union in such an inexpensive and reputable package. The book is true to the beauty and substance of this sometimes underappreciated legend! I was lucky enough to see some of the great Adirondack paintings at the Blue Mtn. museum last summer, which made me ravenous to get this book. I am thrilled! Buy it if you have an affinity for the works of Kent!

"Rockwell Kent's Forgotten Landscapes" presents 47 full-color, full-page paintings which he gave to Russia in 1960, and which have not been seen in the U.S. since. This treasure trove of his "forgotten" paintings was reproduced by Scott R. Ferris and Ellen Pearce in a 96-page coffee-table format.

By their direct simplicity, these paintings may startle viewers, especially those who revel in the nuances of paintings by impressionists, for Kent's pictures have sharp lines, bright colors, and deep shadows, and show the use of artistic license here and there. Edward Hopper's "houses" are done in a somewhat similar style. Kent's painting locales included the Adirondacks (his home), Greenland, Maine (Monhegan), Tierra del Fuego, Alaska and Ireland.

After studying the collection this reviewer emerged convinced that he has a better grasp of North Greenland, where the sun wheels around 360 degrees while hanging just above the horizon during summer months and casting a sort of perpetual evening light and long shadows. Kent's paintings often show no human or animal life, but there is enough inclusion of Indian activities as to cause cultural anthropologists to consider his paintings to be rare records of this primitive, by-gone lifestyle. Kent's portrait of Mount Assiniboine in the Canadian Rockies was so startling in color and composition as to make this reviewer actually gasp in wonder at its beauty.

In addition to the big color plates, the authors have included 36 smaller black & white pictures which amplify 15 pages of scholarly text by Ferris, in which he discusses the genealogies of selected pictures and their believed locations abroad. The text is backed by 95 footnotes, many of which are interesting in their own right.

Appendix I lists "variant titles to some of Kent's basic scenes." Appendix II organizes his "non-paintings" into engravings, lithographs, books and brochures, manuscripts and reproductions and portfolios -- all wonderful guides to other Kent works. Then there follow a Bibliography and Index.

Ellen Pearce's major contribution is a seven-page essay on the life and political entanglements of Rockwell Kent, which climaxed in his being summoned before Sen. Joseph McCarthy's Committee on Government Operations. Further, the State Department refused to renew his travel visa until the Supreme Court overturned its ruling. All this disheartened and embittered Kent and predisposed him to bequeath his "great collection" to the Russians, who had received an earlier show of his with warmth and enthusiasm.

For those who heretofore have known Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) only by his book and magazine illustrations, this is a grand introduction to his work in oils. One hopes another book someday will publish his collected works so that Americans can even better appreciate a great native-born but forgotten artist.

This comprehensive overview of the life of Rockwell Kent in the Adirondacks is part of a much needed revival on this incredible American Renaissance man.Some of the pastoral/mountain scenes are particularly well reproduced.Many of these works were gathered for this exhibit from individuals and some on loan from Russia. Kent's association with the soviets caused a virtual artistic rejection from his American art world.
The book is small,and unfortunately only in paperback, but the color is excellent. The documentation and historical data is accurate and engaging. This book is the first effort to group Kent's Adirondack paintings. The layout is lovely and the book has an intimate feel to it.The book also showcases some of his well known and not so well known illustrations.The book reminds us that Kent was also an adept typographer, as he was a consumate graphic artist.Some of his Adirondack inspired graphics reflect the "back to the land" sensibility he embodied. I also had the opportunity to hear Ms. Welsh( author, historian) in person at the Adirondack museum where many of the paintings have been for the last year(1999-2000). She is an astute scholar and admirable expert on Mr. Kent.Kent is sure to find a more secure place in art history, now that he has once again gained recognition for his energetic and artistic art spirit.Welcome back Rockwell, it's about time.

In the graceful Adirondack mountains, Rockwell Kent bought farmland, built a house and barn and set up his studio for painting. He named the place "Asgaard," Norse for "farm of the gods." Operating from this spot he painted exquisite landscapes of the region, many of which the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, NY, has compiled into an exhibit in keeping with its mandate "to preserve and interpret the cultural history of its region." Although it was designed to supplement the exhibit, this book stands strong and worthy in its own right. It contains an excellent, 19-page biography of Kent, probing his idealistic nature and strong political beliefs which time and again got him in trouble with (1) his dairy customers, who deserted him, (2) the federal government, which lifted his passport, and (3) Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who grilled him in public hearings. The biography of this very complex man is skillfully assembled by Caroline Welsh. Her co-author Scott Ferris writes a fascinating 23-page detailed essay on the spiritual Kent -- how his paintings reflect powerful social forces that drove him. Ferris discusses the allegorical nature of Kent's pictures, especially in relation to political events, including World War II and the dreadful cold war with Russia.

The book itself is beautiful: printed on heavy, coated stock, with clear pictures in color on virtually every page. Most are 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" in size, varnished to add extra sparkle for the reader. For those who wish to dig more deeply into the life of this remarkable man, Ferris provides a selected checklist of his Adironadack works with detailed notes on every entry including Adirondack paintings not in the museum exhibit). He also lists Kent's books, drawings and prints, and five pages of selected references for further reading. -- Allen Long, Arlington, VA.

Great bio of a talented artist and engraver. The plates are wonderful. Although a bit older (1950s) this book and artwork are timeless. I found this book at the New Britain Museum of Art and had to have it.

AJ

This effort may not appeal to everyone...certainly not as a coffee table book....but for those of us who follow Kent, his writings, his art and his life story, it is a commendable compliment to the study of his art. This book drove me nuts, so much so that I travelled to Greenland to see the Arctic light and shadows for myself. Kent captured the light and images of a unique land and this book provides a worthwhile reference to many of his Greenland landscapes. I sure would like to see one of his original landscapes hanging on my wall at home:-)

My father had several Modern Library books that were illustrated by Rockwell Kent, including "Moby Dick" and "The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer." For years I have assumed that those memorable plates were wood block prints, which seemed the best explanation for Kent's masterful use of black in his work. But reading "The Illustrations of Rockwell Kent: 231 Examples from Books, Magazines and Advertising Art" I am rather stunned to learn these are ink drawings. However, this only makes them even more impressive.

Rockwell Kent was arguably the most important American book illustrator of the 1920s and 1930s, although there are some early examples from 1914 and 1915 and work from as late as 1963, including some marvelous ship drawings for "A Treasury of Sea Stories." His art was highly individualized style of formalized realism that looks glorious in black & white. This volume represents the first time that the best of his illustrations from these various sources. In addition to the aforementioned classic books there are selections from "Candide," "Salamina," "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," and "Goethe's Faust." But the volume includes lesser-known works such as "A Basket of Poses," "Venus and Adonis," and "To Thee, America!"

This is not simply a collection of Kent's illustrations. Fridolf Johnson, editor of "The American Artist," not only helped select this artwork, he also provides a detailed introductory essay tracing Kent's development as an illustrator along with captions for the illustrations and an annotated bibliography. Because the reproductions are in black & white there are some illustrations that were originally done with tints in two colors (e.g., "The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio), so that effect is lost. But if you did not read the captions you would never know the reproductions were lacking in any regard. This volume should be especially appealing to both those who remember stumbling upon Kent's distinctive artwork in former days, or those who are interested in what can be accomplished with black ink on white paper.

Splendidly enhanced with 173 illustrations of classic bookplates, Rockwell Kent: The Art Of The Bookplate compiled and written by Don Roberts authoritatively examines the commissioned bookplates of Rockwell Kent and meticulously details the stories behind their creation. A most remarkable and absorbing artbook reflecting the dual love of the written word and the crafted picture, Rockwell Kent is commended to the attention of bibliophiles and art historians.

Armchair adventurers who love sailing, roughing it through forests, bogs and mountains in strange lands, and meeting new people in brief encounters will love "Voyaging," by Rockwell Kent. The book begins with a shocking confession in the Introduction, and carries the reader through 184 pages of high excitement and magnificent descriptions of one of the most desolate and forsaken places in the world -- the area about Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America.

The book's main characters are (1) Kent, about 50; (2) his mate, a Norwegian of 26 years who started his life by shipping to sea under his father when 14, who after a few months of beatings jumped ship, cursing as he went, apparently never to see his father again; (3) a lifeboat, which Kent bought for $20 and named Kathleen, and with a group of tradesmen modified to include cabin, mast and rigging for sails; (4) the West Wind, which whistled ceaselessly and tossed the little boat about dangerously, and (5) a menagerie of people along the way who extended hospitality, most with loving kindness, a few with malice.

A touching moment came on Bailey Island when Kent asked 20-year-old Margarita García, the name of her three-month-old suckling daughter. The baby has no name because she has not been baptized, Margarita replied. There in that inhospitable land Kent converted a dirty hovel into a cathedral and "baptized" the child, giving her his wife's name Kathleen Kent García. Kent writes that Father García, a murderer who earlier was released from a nearby prison after serving time, said "the ceremony had pleased him particularly as it was in truth the baptism of his child."

Characteristically, Kent illustrates the book well with black-and-white drawings of the stark landscape, and a few portraits of his new acquaintances. He also includes several maps by which the reader may follow the men's attempt to sail around Cape Horn -- an adventure that did not always go according to plan, as the reader will discover. -- Allen Long, Arlington, VA.

Candide is a very brief, yet wholly amusing satiric thrust at the Christian philosophy of perpetual optimism. Obviously Voltaire couldn't write anything without making a pointed statement of some sort, and in its entirety Candide is no different from his other works. It's a story, of course, but only secondarily; the writer left not a single word devoid of relevance to his point. In fact he tells his tale with very little attention to detail, only concerned with encompassing his main character's lengthy odyssey as quickly as possible. With such an approach, his sole aim was to simply get the message across. In Candide, Voltaire strives to refute the belief that we live in the best of all possible worlds. By documenting his young protagonist's horrendous sufferings and hardships, the philosopher more than implies that misfortune is certainly not part of any divine plan for us. And whether you agree with that or not, I'd still say this book manifests a great deal of provocative insight, not to mention a whole lot of dark, dark humor. I wouldn't call Candide a consistent knock-out -- most of its pages aren't quite laugh-out-loud funny -- but the whole of the story very well tickles the reader with its caustic narrative. So if you're just itching for a short read (most folks could complete this one in a single sitting, I'm sure), look no further. While it may be of very petite proportions, Candide is unarguably a literary classic, as entertaining and surprising and clever as one would hope.

I must be the only college student that wasnt forced to read this for a class. Anyway,this was an interesting book that really made me think. I didnt find it so much as funny as sad at depicting the horrors of the world but it does so in such a light, outragous way.Some of the best parts are at the end, like when they go visit the rich man who doesnt enjoy anything.The plot is over the top and outragous but this is still one of the most realistic books Ive read. I found it kind of bleak and depressing but I also found it intriguing.Voltaire exaggerates everything in Candide, all of the misfortunes everyone has to go through are too horrible to be even realistic. At least I hope no ones had quite as bad time of it as candide. Even if you dont agree with Voltire and even if you share views with Dr. Pangloss you should still read this book.One final thing, dont mourn overmuch for any of the characters when they die, theyll turn up again later.

Ever since philosophers began thinking about the meaning of life, a favorite question has been "Why do bad things happen to good people?". In Voltaire's day, this issue was primarily pursued either from the perspective of faith (everything that happens is God's will and must be for Divine purpose) or of reason (What do these events mean to you, as you interpret them subjectively?). Infuriated by the reaction by some members of the church to a horrible loss of life from an earthquake in Lisbon, Voltaire wrote this hard-biting satire of the human condition to explore these questions.

Before reading further, let me share a word of caution. This book is filled with human atrocities of the most gruesome sort. Anything that you can imagine could occur in war, an Inquisition, or during piracy happens in this book. If you find such matters distressing (as many will, and more should), this book will be unpleasant reading. You should find another book to read.

The book begins as Candide is raised in the household of a minor noble family in Westphalia, where he is educated by Dr. Pangloss, a student of metaphysical questions. Pangloss believes that this is the best of all possible worlds and deeply ingrains that view into his pupil. Candide is buoyed by that thought as he encounters many setbacks in the course of the book as he travels through many parts of Europe, Turkey, and South America.

All is well for Candide until he falls in love with the Baron's daughter and is caught kissing her hand by the Baron. The Baron immediately kicks Candide out of the castle (literally on the backside), and Candide's wanderings begin. Think of this as being like expulsion from the Garden of Eden for Adam. Soon the penniless Candide finds himself in the Bulgarian army, and receiving lots of beatings while he learns to drill.

The story grows more far-fetched with each subsequent incident. To the casual reader, this exaggeration can seem unnecessary and annoying. It will remind you of the most extreme parts of Swift in Gulliver's Travels and Rabelais in Gargantua and Pantagruel. But subtly, Voltaire is using the exaggeration to lure the reader into making complacent judgments about complacency itself that Voltaire wants to challenge. The result is a deliciously ironical work that undermines complacency at a more fundamental level than I have seen done elsewhere. Basically, Candide challenges any view you have about complacency that is defined in terms of the world-view of those who are complacent.

Significant changes of circumstances (good and ill) occur to all of the members of the Baron's household over the course of the story. Throughout, there is much comparing of who has had the worst luck, with much feeling sorry for oneself.

That is the surface story. Voltaire is, however, a master of misdirection. Beneath the surface, Voltaire has another purpose for the book. He also wants to expose the reader to questioning the many bad habits that people have that make matters worse for everyone. The major themes of these undercurrents are (1) competing rather than to cooperating, (2) employing inhumane means to accomplish worldly (and many spiritual) ends, (3) following expected rules of behavior to show one's superiority over others that harm and degrade others, (4) focusing on money and power rather than creating rich human relationships, (5) hypocritical behavior, and (6) pursuing ends that society approves of rather than ends that please oneself.

By the end of the story, the focus shifts again to a totally different question: How can humans achieve happiness? Then, you have to reassess what you thought about the book and what was going on in Voltaire's story. Many readers will choose to reread the book to better capture Voltaire's perspective on that final question, having been surprised by it.

Candide is one of my favorite books because it treats important philosophical questions in such an unusual way. Such unaccustomed matching of treatment and subject matters leaves an indelible impression that normal philosophical arguments can never match. Voltaire also has an amazing imagination. Few could concoct such a story (even by using illegal substances to stimulate the subconscious mind). I constantly find myself wondering what he will come up with next. The story is so absurd that it penetrates the consciousness at a very fundamental level, almost like doing improvisation. In so doing, Voltaire taps into that feeling of "what else can happen?" that overcomes us when we are at our most pessimistic. So, gradually you will find yourself identifying with the story -- even though nothing like this could ever happen to you. Like a good horror story, you are also relieved that you can read about others' troubles and can put your own into perspective. This last point is the fundamental humanity of the story. You see what a wonderful thing a kind word, a meal, or a helping hand can be. That will probably inspire you to offer those empathic actions more often.

After you have finished Candide, I suggest that you ask yourself where complacency about your life and circumstances is costing you and those you care about the potential for more health, happiness, peace, and prosperity. Then take Voltaire's solution, and look around you for those who enjoy the most of those four wonderful attributes. What do those people think and do differently from you?