My not-so-insignificant Otherbear and I are both fans of anything the British critic and photographer Edward Lucie-Smith puts his name on, so we both got off on both the Lucie-Smith bearish books of photos by Chris Nelson and Jack Fritscher which are Amazon.com musts for any serious bear collector of not-at-all-insignificant Otherbears, especially with the end of Bear magazine.

Chris Nelson's "Bear Cult" makes a perfect companion with Jack Fritscher's "American Men" which afterSeptember 11 terrorist attacks is an apt title. Both books came out about the same time---in fact, Fritscher is in Nelson's "Bear Cult." Do all bears know each other? Both are very different photographers. Nelson: stills only. Fritscher: stills backed with videos. British bear critic Edward Lucie Smith wrote the intro to both books. I confess I've used them both as art and as bearotica. Plus the bear look really is an American invention. These two prime bear photography books should lead the way to more bear photo books. I recommend both these landmark books for every gentleman's library.

Waaay back in the early days of Bear Magazine, Brahma studios was born... and with it wonderful photography. This book is a collection from those days. Simple, masculine, erotic. To call this 'bear porn' is a mistake. This is classic male erotic, with a wonderfully bear-ish 'slant'. (just wish it was hard back to allow it to stay open!)

Still a classic.

this book seeks to briefly encapsulate the history of the male figure in (western) art. it does a good job of providing a variety of styles and media, and the images are always very interesting. also, as a dancer, it is fascinating to note how the body becomes more and more realistic as anatomy is more fully studied and understood. it is a great resource for those interested in this branch of art history, as well as those who are interested in the way culture has looked at the male body.

Adam; The Male Figure in Art by Edward Lucie-Smith sets out to explore how artists have perceived and represented man as a subject in every form of the arts. With his characteristic enthusiasm and wit Lucie-Smith offers enough treasures of painting, sculpture, photography, murals from Egypt and Rome and Greece to satisfy even the most avid art historian. It is a pleasure to discover young contemporary artists along side the ancients and the grand masters. This is a potpouri, a delectable, energetic voyage that begs frequent return visits. A must from the current coffee table art book selection for the holidays!

Edward Lucie-Smith's inimitable style of writing endears him to his readers who might just be buying art books for the pictures - the ubiquitous coffeetable book. His approach to his subject (and his catalogue of published books on art is staggering in scope) is always 'Art first, Opinion second', which is another way of saying that he lets the work describe itself in the sensitive way in which he constructs his books.

AMERICAN REALISM is as much a sociological study of the American progress as it is a matrix to etch images that accompany that historical trek. In his fine introduction he sets the tone for the journey, then addresses early American art and begins his intensive presentation with the works of Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer. Subsequent chapters find new insights into American Still Life, the Impressists in America (Cassatt, Sargent, Chase, Hassam), then proceeds on through the Ashcan School, Regionalism (one of the most creative chapters), through the Urban and Social Realism of the likes of Hopper, Marsh, Soyer and Shahn. Here his style of writing diverges as he addresses the Revolution in American Art, or, what has America made that is uniquely her own. Of great interest here is his emphasis on painters such as Paul Cadmus, Philip Guston, Jared French, George Tooker, Andrew Wyeth, bringing to their works a sensitivity rarely written prior to this book. After Abstraction he once again returns to representational art and brings to life Fairfield Porter, Neil Welliver, Jane Freilicher, Larry Rivers, Richard Diebenkorn,Wayne Thiebaud, Chuck Close, John Nava, Alice Neel, Gregory Gillespie, Martha Mayer Erlebacher, Eric Fischl, Leon Golub, and yes, even Jeff Koons.

The sparkling and informative dialogue of this book is enhanced by superb reproductions of paintings in both color and black and white. This book is somewhat dated now, having been published in 1994 and newly released in paperback. One hopes that Lucie-Smith will write a sequel to this volume and bring the public up to date with the many artists who belong in this company, artists - like Wes Hempel, Gerard Huber, Michael Workman, Wade Reynolds, James Doolin, Willaim Fogg, Robert Peterson, Daniel Sprick..........and of course countless others. A 'must have' for any solid library.

I just adore this book, and it never fails to inspire me. This book is of particular interest to those who have already been fans of the Art Deco style-- both in its European and American manifestations-- for many years. Why? Because many survey books on Deco tend to include many of the same, familiar images of posters-- the Cassandre prints (albeit fabulous), etc. But this book is full of images which were utterly "new" to me-- perhaps only 3 or 4 did I recognize: some Sheeler, Stuart Davis, O'Keeffe. Lucie-Smith's essays are well-informed, too. If you love the extraordinarily sophisticated, cool, eclectic, clean look of Deco (which, IMHO, has never been surpassed for pure economy and chic-ness) then snap this book up. It will be worth its weight in gold to you alone, if it "turns you onto" the artwork of unsung British portraitist Meredith Frampton!

Michael Leonard's art is well known to admirers of Figurative Art and this difficult to find book of his paintings justifies his place of importance in the currrent resurgence of representational art. Leonard finds beautiful metaphors in the sanctity of the locker room and allows us a quiet view of young men ending or beginning physical nurturing of the body beautiful. The lighting effects are luminous and the brushwork is fastidious. Much is left to the viewer as to the interpretation of these paintings but Lincoln Kirstein's commentary adds much to the pleasure of this book.

A wonderful overview of the work of the premier cowboy/mythology artist. The color reproductions are excellent and the overall layout of the book has been carefully and expertly done. Any art fan of "cowboy as mythic creature" should enjoy this book

Edward Lucie-Smith has long been a champion of the Belgian artist Jean Rustin. Until recently there was a very impressive (in size and content) monograph of Rustin's paintings and drawings by Lucie-Smith, but unfortunately that wondrous volume is out of print. For those who are unfamiliar with the art of Jean Rustin, this little book will be a fine starting point.

Rustin limits his subject matter to figures seemingly incarcerated in mental institutions or old folks homes. Rustin doesn't pity these elderly people of questionable mental capacity; his paintings are tender, a bit voyeuristic at times, and explicit. His people seem to seek solace with each other, explore their bodies together and alone, seem sad and yet somehow complacent with or resigned to their plight. The drawings shown here are good, but the paintings not shown are more poignant. Rustin is not at all well known in the USA but should be. In a time when we are groping with our inevitable mortality, when we are producing a prolonged life spans that will fill retirement homes, Rustin's commentary seems particularly piquant. And as usual, Lucie-Smith pulls focus to an important painter with his terse commentary.

The book contains a wealth of information, and the prints are outsatnding. The world of Art series is a must for any true art student.

Very useful in my college Modern Art course. Good sized illustrations and summaries of significant modern artists such as Pollock, Dali, and Mondrian. Well explained modern art movements and effects they had. All in all, a great book, and highly recommended for the art student or any lover of modern art.

This is the only book that I've come across that presents the full spectrum of Albert Paley's work in crisp B/W and color photographs and that details a biography of the artist. My introduction to Paley came unexpectedly when at a function in the Wortham Center (Houston) I was greeted by his soaring Stairway Scuptures, which are included in this book. Paley goes beyond creating sculptures that stand as isolated works of art. His scuptures enhance the spaces in which they are placed and are themselves enhanced by those spaces. The author does a superb job of describing the experience of entering a vast architectural volume and the impact that Paley's monumental sculptures have by their positions within it. This book is the next best thing to having that experience for oneself. If you love Gaudi and other artists of the Art Nouveau movement, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

An excellent reference book concerning the work of Albert Paley. This book really drives at the esence of the sculptor's medium. Many fine examples of the artist's work are illustrated in black and white as well as full color pictures. This book does a great job of representing the scale of Paley's later public sculpture pieces and is a must have for any artist blacksmith.

One of the most inspirational metal artist's of the century. Very complete in it's cataloging.

Makes you want to go out and pound steel.