This is a gorgeous book. As a filmmaker who makes films about rituals, celebrations, and ethnic traditions, I was delighted to see how the soul and culture of the people comes accross through their objects. And these objects are beautiful - textural and detailed to the point where one can almost touch them. The photographer did a great job using lighting that gives the work a three-dimensional look. But this is more than just a great photo book. The careful explanations that accompany each one demonstrate the sophistication and refined aesthetic of people who were once easily dismissed as "primitive". I found it interesting to note how vast their use of materials was - wood, metals, beads, ceramics, etc. Although not a collector in any way, I would have been glad to own any of these objects. Better yet, I now own the book, and would definately recommend it.

Marc Leepson is a genius. I wish he would write more than just books. If he wrote a movie script, I would watch the movie over and over. This man rules.

The cover alone is worth the price! Each stone in this photograph of 46 specimens of turquoise is identified at the start of the book. High quality natural stones from the most important mines of the Southwest are pictured side by side with treated and plastic versions.

The book is a collection of 10 articles written for New Mexico Magazine. Titles include "Turquoise and the Native American", "Buyer Beware: Hidden Facets of Turquoise", Young Native Jewelers Signal Change of Guard" and "The Plight of Old Pawn". High quality photographs of famous mines, artisans and jewelry, both historic and current, will whet the appetite of would-be collectors but also leave an impression of love and respect for the land and its native inhabitants.

Read this book under a strong light to catch the full depth of color!

The exhibit in Vienna was small but sensational (not in the "Sensation" sense). The curators really did a great job finding these works representative of 19th century painting. There are works by Church, Hassam, Sargent and more. The exhibit though small was quite overwhelming. It helps to have a catalogue that has scholarly readable articles that accompany the paintings.

I found this book to be an excellent way to "talk about" the events of 9/11 with my 9 year old child, and try to understand at her level (or younger) "why God let it happen". We read it together, discussing it as we went along. She looked forward to reading it together, which was an opening to talk about her feelings about that horrific day and giving some explanation of what happened to all who died on 9/11 and after.

I am the Publisher of this book and I want to inform you, that an English edition is now available "ARABESQUES, DECORATIVE ART IN MOROCCO" since spring of this year. The ISBN n° is 2-86770-124-4.

ACR Edition

I attended a lecture by Jean-Marc at Microsoft's MOSAIC (Microsymposium on Analysis and Synthesis of Intuitively Conceived Geometrical Art). Castera's work is unique and brilliant. The book is worth it for the hundreds, maybe thousands of giant color plates of Morroccan mosaics alone, and Castera's exposition of the artistic technique and culture of North Africa is excellent.

The core of his work, though, is the mathematical analysis of mosque mosaics, and his rigorous but accessible explanation of tiling rules is fantastic. He goes all the way from how to construct a Solomon's Seal on graph paper to multi-dimensional group theory and back again. I can't say enough good things about Castera's work and this book.

Consider it an investment in a lifetime fascination.

This is a near perfect book of poems. Dive in and find yourself in a world of words that fills your mind with thought provoking images. It is strong. It is simple yet challenges the creative side of your brain to see things differently. This is what fine poetry is all about. I only wish the book were longer...
Quite simply, beautiful.

This book, dedicated to prof. Andre Van Doorselaer, contains 42 articles from his colleagues and former students and includes all the fields in which prof. Van Doorselaer has been active throughout his academic career. His interest for the Celtic period, stimulated by his excavations on the Kemmelberg, is reflected in a first collection of articles. His BA thesis and doctoral study of the Gallo-Roman graveyards in Northwest Gaule was the basis for a cluster of essays on the Roman times. Yet, as a consequence of his study on the Merovingian graveyard located on the Zwijvekekouter at Dendermonde, a groupe of articles on the Late-Roman period and the continuity to the early middle ages was introduced. In addition, his interest for methodology gave him a broader view on archaeology as a science.

This series of books is so consistently good that I automatically order each one as soon as it's available. #21 keeps up the tradition. My daughter (just turned 8) loves it, as she has the previous 20. The only difference from the beginning of the series to the present, is that now she has to read each chapter to me before I'll read it to her. She's always excited when Marc Brown releases a new book.