David Dewey's text on watercolor is not just another vanity book showcasing one artist's personal work, but a thorough in-depth introduction to both visualizing & handling a most difficult medium. Nor does it pretend to be an easy does it 1-2-3 & your painting watercolors type of book. Rather it is layered & dense with information that could easily keep you preoccupied for a year or more worth of instruction. Start with the monochromatic exercises in the beginning of the book & follow them religiously till you know them blindfolded. Do the same with the invaluable content on color theory & the related exercises. The lessons provided will reward you with a mastery of the medium & help you to find your own voice in watercolor. This book is not another feeble attempt at learning to carbon copy of someone else's technique. The many examples of various watercolor artist's work & their analysis is excellent as well.

This is a model of concise instruction, wise advice, deceptively simple exercises, and compact design. Like they say on TV: if you buy just one watercolor book, make it this one.

Dewey gives equal emphasis to materials, theory, technique, the principles of design, and simple practice. He sees the whole art. He begins with an overview of paint manufacturers, brushes, papers and other supplies, and closes with an invitation to try mixed media and a step-by-step explanation of how to do a large studio painting. There are penetrating discussions of color theory and mixing paints, on selecting the palette for each painting, and on building a painting from value sketches.

The technical advice in this book is exceptionally accurate and easy to understand. The four pages explaining how to paint washes avoid the errors or omissions common in most other books. All topics are illustrated with pictures that add information rather than decorate the page. Dewey includes several traditional techniques that other methods don't mention: pen and ink wash drawings, value design sketches, using a sketchbook, monochrome paintings, color chords for color design, the "color" of gray, and much more. The book is so compactly organized that many gems of advice are tucked in the picture captions; the book can be studied repeatedly and still teach something new.

Dewey has painted the student lessons and technical examples displayed throughout the book. The more advanced lessons build on simple but beautifully designed demonstration paintings (my favorite is the still life on a patterned rug). Everything comes together in a harmonious vision of watercolor art, a reference and inspiration for many hours of happy experimentation and learning.

An outstanding book for the watercolor enthusiast. Dewey's chapters cover materials, subject matter and technique that even the advanced watercolorist can learn from. The book is a handy item to help both the practicing artist and teacher. Not so much a step by step study, but rather information that can be applied to the artists individual style and subject matter.

This book is so fabulous! When my first brother was little I used to read it to him all the time. And, it was the first book that he learned to read. He took it everywhere with him, and now there is only one page, and the cover left. I found one copy used for him for Christmas, and now want five more, one for each of my other 3 brothers, one for my mom, and one for me. The poetry describing all the "busy machines" working is great, and the illustrations are wonderful too.

I remember reading this book to my baby brother eons ago, and it was his very favorite! Now my own daughter is into "big trucks" and nothing currently out there comes close to comparing with this book. It had all the machines from loaders and backhoes to graders and pavers. It tells you what each machine does in a catchy, rhyming way. Now if I could only find a copy of it...

This book is very well-written. Out of all the books available, this book contained every piece of information that I needed.

This is the very first book that my father bought for me. I learned all about fixing cars while using this volume to keep my 1967 Olds Cutlass running. Within the pages I discovered more than enough info and proceedures that I actually went on to become an ASE/FORD certified mechanic. I still use and recommend all Chilton's volumes.

Stanley Changnon and his colleagues have written the best, and most comprehensive analysis of what really happened with the biggest climate event of the century, the 1997-1998 El Nino. What is unique about this book is that they carefully look at both the devastation that occured and the positive impacts from the mild winter -- fewer deaths from ice storms, more shopping when people went out in milder weather, less fuel oil. They also point out the places where the forecast worked, and where it had problems. As society gets more and more sensitive to weather events, we will need more thoughtful probing into how we have responded and how we will respond. This book sets the stage, and is written by experts who have analyzed other big weather events. I strongly recommend it.

Stanley Chagnon and his colleagues have written the best, and most comprehensive analysis of what really happened with the biggest climate event of the century, the 1997-1998 El Nino. What is unique about this book is that they carefully look at both the devastation that occured and the positive impacts from the mild winter -- fewer deaths from ice storms, more shopping when people went out in milder weather, less fuel oil. They also point out the places where the forecast worked, and where it had problems. As society gets more and more sensitive to weather events, we will need more thoughtful probing into how we have responded and how we will respond. This book sets the stage, and is written by experts who have analyzed other big weather events. I strongly recommend it.

Dr. Eisenberg is one of the poineers of the Integartive medicine in US ( which is a fussion between the conventional and alternative therapies). Western medicine has achieved things that seemed imposible 1-2 centuries ago, but it seems to be stuck with its overly rationalistic approach toward disease...is the body functioning depending from the mind? Can attitude affect one's well- being? Could ther e be somthing that we still do not know about human physiology? Western science is just entering the realm of mind/body medicine( neuroscience), while some nations (like Chinese) have millenia long history of practicing and perfecting those methods of treatment....so why not learn to use those methods? Why not integrate them into conventional western medicine? Partly because the public and the medical proffessionals are not aware of all those options, and also because there is still some stigma in medical society about the alternative practices. Dr. Eisengberg's book disspels part of that stigma in a very easy to read, livelly and plesant style...

David Eisenberg, MD, embarked upon a pilgrimage under the auspices of Harvard to China to see if ancient medical alternatives hold new promise for Western medicine. His entrepreneurial approach is admirable and opens new possibilities for the West that have been already embraced by hundreds of millions of Chinese in some cases for many centuries. The shift in interest to Oriental medicine in the quest for new alternatives commands attention. The most critical asset for Western minds viewing Oriental medicine would seem to be an open mind. Yes, the West has made great medical strides but we don't have all the answers. Why should Western bias pre-empt potentially viable solutions that have attained credence through the tests of time and strength of following elsewhere? The Afterword in this edition suggests that Americans by the tens of millions are searching for new options, especially when patients face chronic pain thwarted by Western approaches. I congratulate Dr. Eisenberg for his creative approach and imagination and hope that appropriate testing protocol will help validate those remedies that have the greatest potential in the U.S. and elsewhere. The potential upside benefit for the quality of life of millions should drive progress on this frontier emerging in the West.

David Lee has created for himself a solid niche in the literary scene: who else writes narrative poetry set in grimy, failure, male domination .... and makes of it a wise observation of the universal human story? David Lee succeeds in this again and again.

In the case of The Fish, hubbie cuts out on chores to go fishing and get drunk, only to find his wife won't clean the fish, make coffee ... until it becomes a contest of determination ... at the end you'll even feel a bit fond of him even if admitting he's wrong is beyond his capability - sort of.

David Lee may not appeal to everyone but his sense of oral language and of narrative give him a large audience.

I heard Mr. Lee read this narrative poem in April at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah. It was absolutely beyond awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone who has ever fought with a spouse or significant other.

This is a thoughtful and thought provoking book that could offer middle schoolers a look at how one kid made it through the trials and tribulations of a difficult time in life while being part of an alcoholic home. It is entertaining, informative, and interesting for all ages, and could definitely be used to good effect in the classroom.

So many people say they wish they could forget their early teen years. This author remembers them clearly-the best and the worst of them-and skillfully blends the real life and vivid fantasies of his young hero.
This book does not idealize childhood-it recreates it. It's easy to forget that we are not listening to a teenage boy, living in his imagination, rather than he in ours.
(As a bonus, we're also treated to several of the author's clever cartoons.)

Dave Lee, with News From Down to the Cafe, has brought us closer to the oral tradition which is at the center of what poetry should always strive to be. To be experienced fully, the poems must be read aloud, and not just at the author's urging, but because all poetry should be read out loud. "Poetry is a participation sport," Lee has said more than once. With this book, and others of his this is not hyperbole--- a vocal reading is essential. Dave Lee paints not just pictures with his words, his poems are vast murals of what it is like to live in a small town where things are done a bit differently. In "The Twenty-One Gun Salute," Lee shows how the collective mind of the small town works by exploring the skewed perception of what a funeral must have in order to be a real funeral. "The Fish" takes on marriage and the determination of a husband and wife, both unwilling to give in to the other. However, what I found of particular interest and delight in this collection of poems, was the inclusion of E.U. Washburn. Having grown up in a small town (though not as small as the author's), I have seen many of the same people included in Lee's books, in my own life. E.U. Washburn literally sends a chill down my back. Not because every small town has someone like E.U., or because there is the chance that I knew the one from my town, but because E.U. Washburn is so complete. I actually ask myself at times whether E.U. is actually a manifestation of the poet in the third person. My conclusion is that E.U. Washburn is at least in part, autobiographical. Dave Lee seems to be a democratic poet, because he chooses to write about what he knows, with a voice that he has known all of his life. Lee has studied for the ministry, taken a Ph.D. in literature, taught at Southern Utah University, but has also raised pigs, been a professional pitcher, and soldier. These things and more have shaped his voice into one of the truly unique voices in American Poetry. To pass by this book, or Lee's other works without reading them, would leave a blind spot in anyone's literary experience.

Did you ever sit at the counter of a small coffee shop, where everyone not only knows your name, but your life story as well? That's what reading David Lee's latest is like. The poems are the stories of the people , alive and dead, who reside in this small town. The characters recur, with us learning more about them each time. For the most enjoyment, read the stories aloud, to yourself, your friends, or your cat. Read slowly, so you can hear the true voices, and have fun.

A must read for anyone who thought that they know about Reggea, Rock Steady, Ska - Jamaican music in general. This book must be the ultimate documentary of music as well as the music scene in Jamaica during the 60's,70's, and 80's. It's not just a book about Scratch; it is a book about all Jamaican musicians, singers and procuders of the period. It's the best documented piece of Jamaican history. Someday it will become the most sought after Jamaican history book!

David Kratz ensures that the reader lives moment by moment with almost every musician, producers, and Jamaican artist of the period - some of whom have long been forgotten. He takes you into the studios, delves into the background of each and every artist mentioned in the book, takes to the UK and US with Scratch and Bob Marley, then brings you back to the Black Art Studio where Scratch produced some of the most revolutionary and influential Jamaican music.

Any Jamaican who reads this book will certainly say: "Me know da music deh, but me didn't know sey a Scratch do it." The reader will soon learn that Scratch is the greatest Jamaican music producer. No other producer will ever come close to matching his skill and artistry of Scratch in the studio. Nuff respect to Scratch. He is a true genious! And hat's off to David Katz. He certainly knows how to "ride de rythm". The book is a master piece!

Scratch your Lee Perry itch. I am awed to have in my hands 536 pages of all things Upsetting. Buy this book, if a so a so.

Don't let the title fool you, these are outstanding pieces of humor and drama written on a unique subject matter.

This book could single-handedly create a popular audience for poetry. Poets and non-poets alike will enjoy these poems. In these inter-connected poems, John, Dave, Jan, and Blackula toil into our hearts. You'll never forget the heartbreaking "For Jan, With Love," where Jan's "little hands" labor all night to save John's red sow. Meanwhile, poems like "The Chain Letter (An American Tragedy)" will have you and your friends in stitches (these poems are splendid read aloud).

I've often asked my college-level students to read this book, and it's never failed to please every student. Some students come to it reluctant to read about pigs in the dialect of a rural farmer, but Lee's humor and humanity wins everyone over.

David Clewell has said of David Lee, "He doesn't have time for small talk, he's too busy with real and vital things to say: he entertains us, enlightens us, makes us laugh and feel good laughing, makes us taste the sadness of our world."

If you buy one book of poetry in your life, buy this one.