While Mary Ellen Mark and husband,Martin Bell,were filming
their haunting masterpiece,Streetwise,in 1983,Mary Ellen was
also busy taking snap-shots of the runaways...and what a worthwhile effort this was!
Anyone who viewed the film will recognize most of the photographs of the Seattle runaways found in the same-titled book.
The Streetwise kids lived in a sad world of uncertainty.Many had fled from abusive homes.
Mary Ellen developed a closeness with many of her young subjects,including Dewayne and Lulu.Dewayne hanged himself in 1984,and Lulu died in a fight with a man in 1985.Mary Ellen has dedicated her book in their memories.
Like every other work that she has ever created,this book is a keep-sake.I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the film documentary and in the author`s work.
Jeffrey Bryan,White Oak,NC

While Mary Ellen Mark and husband,Martin Bell,were filming
their haunting masterpiece,Streetwise,in 1983,Mary Ellen was
also busy taking their snap-shots...and what a worthwhile effort
this was!
Anyone who viewed the film will recognize each photograph of
the runaways of Seattle found in Mark`s same-titled book.
The Streetwise kids lived in a sad world of uncertainty,many
having fled from their abusive homes.They searched for love and
happiness in a place which offered neither.
Mary Ellen developed a kin-ship with many of her young subjects
including Dewayne and Lulu.Dewayne hanged himself in 1984,and
Lulu died in a fight with a man in 1985.Mary Ellen has dedicated
this book in their memories.
Like every other work that she has ever published,this book
is definitely a keep-sake.I highly recommend it to everyone
who is interested in the documentary film and in Mary Ellen Mark.
Jeffrey Bryan
White Oak,NC

Mary Ellen Mark is an outstanding photographer. This is among her best work. Her superb technique complements her incisive portraiture. She has studied the circuses of India carefully and captured something of the soul of her subjects. Many of the performers that she photographs are young, and for all intents and purposes are indentured servants. Their lives are filled with pathos, but also with immense pride in what they do. It is impossible not to be moved by this wonderful book. I recommend it highly.

Irving Penn has, for decades, been one of the most remarkable fashion photographers, submitting clothes to his own crystal aesthetic in ways that bring their most interesting details to light. He is the perfect man to photograph the work of Issey Miyake, whose clothes demand an inventive and piercing eye to capture their astonishing detail and structure on film. This book, collecting dozens of Penn's photographs of Miyake clothes, spanning from the early 80s until now, shows that when Penn photographs Miyake's clothes, it is truly a collaboration (although Miyake is never present at the shoots and Penn has never been to a Miyake show), and the resulting photos are more perfect for the cooperation.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read this book and it was an excellent book. The photography is stunning and writing is superb. It is worth every penny for this book.

Collaboratively compiled and edited by Mark Amodio and Katherine O'Keeffe, Unlocking The Wordhord is a selection of essays by learned authors assembled especially to honor the memory of Anglo-Saxon Studies expert Edward B. Irving, Jr. Unlocking The Wordhord combines the wisdom of literary scholars who study Anglo-Saxon literature and culture in fine detail, ranging from a close reading of Brunanburh, to the vocabulary of bravery in Beowulf. An extensive and thoughtful compilation of literary criticism and analysis, Unlocking The Wordhord presents an impressive body of scholarship and is especially recommended for Anglo-Saxon Literary Studies collections.

This is an awesome idea! When I suddenly had an opportunity to travel to France for a short time with even less notice, I came across this book, and decided to make it somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage. I have often thought that there should be more to Christian historical travels than just Israel. We have been in a few other places. With the help of this book, I was able to have a much more invigorating and fulfilling trip. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. So I went backwards through time, visiting the Abbey de Citeaux, a reform movement that returned to simplicity and poverty. As the head of the Cisterians it became perhaps the biggest evangelistic outbreak in French history, with hundreds of monasteries throughout the world, from Great Britian to Asia, according to Hexham. I then traveled to Abbey de Cluny, out of which Citeaux came when Cluny became too worldly. Cluny itself was a reform movement, taking the power of the monasteries out of the hands of corrupt state officials and reporting only to the Pope. The abbot eventually became second only to the Pope in power in Roman Christianity. And then on to the birthplace of Christianity in Lyons, where the great Irenaeus once preached, and 20 of us were killed in about 200 AD in the first mention of the Christian sect in French history. And it was with sadness that I read and then observed the many cases where wars and especially the French Revolution had completely demolished Christian sites.

The flaws in the book were more of the nature that I wish there had been more to the book. For instance, I would have desired to actually visit sites of the Hugonauts and Waldensians, who seem to have the most revitalized Christianity in France since it's birth (despite certain heresies in the latter group). But there was only mention of what cities they had been active in. I wish there were more in this collection besides Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. It is definitely exciting to be able to locate places of one's history in different lands.

But I leave the best for last. Near Cluny I also stopped by another place, the Abbey de Taize. I am ashamed to say I had never heard of them before I read this book, and for that, I am greatly indebted to Hexham. Here is the only Protestant monastery since the Reformation, composed of monks from all over the world, and from the Roman and Orthodox churches as well. They have people regularly come from around the world to visit and worship together, coming up with a new form of worship and chanting called Taize chants, now practiced in many churches worldwide, wherein the same phrase is repeated many times in many languages. I went expecting perhaps 100 visitors. I was not expecting 3,000 people, and 4,000 more if I had made it there a few days earlier for Easter. Here people from the UK, America, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea, and many other countries had come to simply worship Jesus together. I believe some had come to do this and were not even Christian. They gather 3 times a day, every day, to sit and chant in the various languages, lead by the monks, and beautiful hymns of praise rise to God in front of a collection of icons and candles. Most stay a week in the very cheap room and board provided there. Some of those who visited in the past were the President of the EU, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary-General of the UN, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, and the Roman Pope. I am greatly glad I took the time to purchase this rather inexpensive book before my trip.

From the Library Journal, Vol. 126, No. 8, p. 117, 1 May 2001:
These guides do not lead tourists to the most popular bars or shopping districts but instead to the various Christian heritage sites in each country ... Each guide follows the same layout: Hexham begins with an overview of the history of each country from prehistoric times to the present. He then includes a chapter on literature, art, and architecture and lists what he considers the top ten Christian heritage sites in each country. Each entry thereafter is in alphabetical order ... Recommended for all public libraries.

I'm mad at author Mark Irving. I picked up his latest novel, "Sakura's Stratagem", on a recent evening, thinking I would read a few pages and then be off to Nod-Land. Fuhgedaboudit! At 3:30 A.M. I was craving sleep but couldn't put the book down, as I followed the exploits of agent Clint Jagger of the National Security Agency. Move over, James Bond. Clint has arrived! RWB (Sleepless in New Jersey)

When David Smith died in 1966 he left his own personal field of dreams at his home/studio in upstate New York. Over 80 gigantic sculptures populated the grounds, pitting man against nature and daring to compete in size and moxie with the mountains around them.

After an initial flirtation with New York City, Smith retreated to the solitude of the Adirondacks. These mountains formed a somber monumental backdrop to the brooding nature of the artist. The sculptures were the landscape of his imagination, his spiritual domain, and his homage to the majesty of being human. Additionally, Smith created drawings, paintings and collages that filled his home with the living presence of art.

This is a lavish book that clearly reflects the artist's magnificent obsessions.

This is an excellent starter book for stargazers, and fits into your pocket.