This is the accompanying book to the exhibition by the same name. It is classified by country and covers from Ireland on the Western edge of Europe to Turkey on the East. Within each country there no further classification by date, location or any other criteria. Photographs are less striking than his usual magnum style but has a certain peaceful effect to most of them. Photos from Russia are exceptionally good.

Cartier-Bresson is a God of Photography. This is his best album that I know.

Review Summary: This book is a brilliant expansion of M. Cartier-Bresson's 1955 show designed to emphasize the similarities that exist from country to country throughout Europe in the way people live together. M. Jean Clair has done a marvelous job of adding earlier and more recent images to extend and magnify this theme. As a result you will see an "unquestionable family likeness" for the Europeans that emerges from "the obstinate reworking of a chosen subject." The book contains 200 duotone images to make that point.

Reader Caution: While there is relatively little nudity in this book, there is one final image of two female models resting on a couch that would probably cost this material an R rating if it were a motion picture. If you skip that photograph, you will probably not find the other partial female nudity offensive. This one work is actually asexual, in portraying posing nude as hard work from which one needs a totally relaxing break.

Review: Since World War II, Europeans have been struggling with their common heritage and how to balance it with the national, religious, and cultural ones. Gradually, the differences are being homogenized. Brilliantly, Henri Cartier-Bresson understood early on that the connections were stronger than most other people probably realized. By showing the similarities across countries and cultures, he creates an awareness of potential for friendship that would escape those who had never visited all of these countries.

The work revolves around unnamed themes. But any casual viewer will spot children playing, men and women enjoying a relaxed moment together, public observances of religion and politics, how humans are dominated by nature, the contrasts between rich and poor, and the artificial nature of much modern life. His work also explores the subtle ways that natural and human-made objects display the same forms and outlines.

Here are my favorite images in the book: Guilvines, Brittany, France, 1956; On the banks of the Seine, France, 1936; Palais-Royal, Paris, France, 1959: Amarante, Alto Douro, Portugal, 1955; Lamego, Beira Alta, Portugal, 1955; Madrid, Spain, 1932; Ariza, Aragon, Spain, 1953; Aquila, the Abruzzi, Italy, 1951; Torcello, Italy, 1953; Zurich, Switzerland, 1953; Ridnik, Serbia, Yugoslavia, 1965; Gyor, Hungary, 1964; Near Linz, Upper Austria, 1953; Tug-boat pilots on the Rhine, Germany, 1952; Warsaw, Poland, 1931; Moscow, USSR, 1954; Fishermen, near Suzdal, USSR, 1972; George VI's Coronation, London, England, 1937; Queen Charlotte's Ball, London, England, 1959; and Break between drawing poses, Paris, France, 1989.

You will also be intrigued by how much of the political content of what is portrayed here has changed since it was photographed. The scenes of celebrating Soviet Communism and its founders are gone. The Berlin Wall is gone. The positive identification with everything royal in England is diminished.

Naturally, there's a less pleasant side of this convergence that M. Cartier-Bresson did not choose to portray -- the dominance of mass culture with world brands and forms of entertainment, often from outside Europe. In fact, some have argued that the gravity pulling Europe together is that people like to have more choices when they shop. Isn't it interesting that this dimension was ignored?

M. Cartier-Bresson has a masterly touch for composition that is seen again and again in these photographs. The large two-page landscapes with small people in them show the kind of sophistication that only the most successful painters achieve in the oversized paintings you see in the Paris museums. M. Cartier-Bresson also shows his love for people by portraying them in attractive, positive ways . . . even when they come from different ends of the religious and political spectrum. How wonderful it must have been for him to see people so positively!

Those who are long-time Cartier-Bresson fans will be disappointed a little in the images here. You are probably used to seeing them reproduced in somewhat larger sizes. The sizes used here work, but bigger in this case would have been better.

After you read this book and enjoy its wonderful images, I suggest that you think about how people can make connections with one another that move from a deep spiritual commitment to helping one another, regardless of the basis for that commitment. Otherwise, all we may find we have in common in the future is that it will look like we all shopped in the same mall.

Stand taller by assisting those who want to receive a willing heart!

This is good sports story with an interesting off the court plot. This whole series is full of good lessons for kids that older sports fans might find corny. I had some of the original Hilton books as a boy and simply loved them. I read them so many times that I, however, feel betrayed by some of the revisions that the authors chose to make when they re-released the books. The changes sometimes create confusion and may cause inconsistencies in later books in the series. For example, one player who is 6-5 in the original version, is 6-10 in this revised version. No big deal in this story, but a later book in the series deals with the team's lack of a big man. If you are a Hilton fanatic, I think you will see what I mean. Still, this is one of the better stories in the series.

What a great book! The Chip Hilton Sports Series is filled with good sports action and characters I can relate to. Soapy is really terrific in this book, and Chip Hilton is always somebody to look up to. I recommend this book and all the books in the Chip Hilton Series.

When I was younger I used to read the Hardy Boys books, which were great. Then my dad gave me some of his old Chip Hilton books from when he was young. They were just like the Hardys, except with sports. I didn't know they were back in print until now, but they are definately worth the $5 or so, whether for yourself or a gift for a 10-12 year old.

The French artist Balthus, considered one of the world's greatest realist painters, has died at the age of 92.

Balthus, whose full name was Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, died on February 2001. He was known for his disturbing and erotic works of girls on the verge of womanhood. In the early 30s, he held exhibitions displaying his paintings of young women, groups of people and scenes from both the town and countryside.
Balthus inspired and influenced the art world for more than six decades but remained a mystery to all but a handful of intimate friends.
He also agreed to publication of photographs of a lavish fancy dress party for his 92nd birthday, where guests included actor Tony Curtis and U2's Bono.

The painter Balthus, nee Balthazar Klossowski, is one of the most original and disturbing of European modern painters.He is something of a cult. I am happy to have received, promptly, this rather smart, large book dedicated entirely to his enigmatic work. This is the capricious plastic world of the elusive painter Balthus, where females endlessly appear, like succubus, gracing an artistic landscape that's both alluring and repulsive. One cannot help but compare some of the imagery in the Interpretation of Dreams by Freud, to the visions depicting Balthus sexual agonies. Look up Balthus 'La Chambre' on page 329, perhaps one of the most inspired and perverse canvases, ever. There is no other painter like him. Like Picasso he shocks, but with a much more simple and personal vocabulary. There is something of El Greco here, the angst. He is limited like Modigliani though soon his ouvre becomes very telling. A persistent parade of pictorially enticing nubiles that is both delicious and repellent. The book by Rizzoli is a treasure almost 500 pages in all. Part art book part encyclopedic tome. Many color pages. In this book by Jean Clair there are, along the many art pages, also photographs, sketches, private correspondence, etc. A lot of personal information offered us fascinated by Balthus. It's a big book that can double as an object d'art. I'm more than pleased with it.

Championship Ball was a great book! It is mainly about a boy, named Chip Hilton, who goes through his junior year with a broken leg. When he breaks his leg he can't play basketball so, he becomes the team manager. At first, he thinks he will have a terrible year but, later he finds out that he has learned more about basketball with his broken leg than he ever will. He learns about friendships and coaching more in this basketball season than his whole junior year put together. Chip coaches the team all the way to the championship. That's where Chip gets the winning ball. His team tells him about what a great manager he was. That's when Chip finally realizes that he had been the greatest manager ever.
In my opinion Championship Ball rocked my court! Chip Hilton has a great group of friends. His friends never do anything bad and never put anyone down. This book has great tone. The author puts in a great sense of joy throughout the whole book. There are only about a few places that I can point out were the author has used bad tone. This is a great book for boys who want to learn about basketball and yet, there is many great examples of doing what is right. So I say, get it and see what happens to my favorite manager, Chip Hilton.

There's a good blend of the past and present in this book. In comparing it to the original, I like the updates that have been done without offending us older readers. The spirit of teamwork is still relevant to any age. I still get misty-eyed at the end.

Rita Bingham has included a lot of great recipes. I've learned a lot from her informational section on storing, grinding, soaking and preparing beans for different uses. I also appreciate her list of places that sell supplies.

This book is a great incentive to do more with beans than you ever thought possible. How to include them in everything from breakfast to main dishes to cookies and desserts. Also how to make tofu. A very inspiring book!

Wonderful ideas and examples of western/cowboy interiors for every room of the house. Great index in the back of the book. However, the authors should have included where to buy and or locate the different pictured products next to the items for easy access!

The pictures are high quality and provide a real sense of "Cowboy Country." The listings on the back of the book provide all the manufacturers, retailers that you can contact to order cowboy artifacts. I had been searching for a book with a Ralph Lauren look to decorate our new home. The information and history was very interesting and informative.

A very interesting book that details many aspects of voodoo rituals in Brazil. The author lived in Brazil and this is written from his perspective while discovering the various practices. Because the book was written some time ago, there is a hint of prejudice in his writing style, but it is easily overlooked if one considers the attitudes of the time. A nice book for researchers or collectors.

This book provides a solid background on Voodoo practices in Brazil. Some darker rituals are detailed with appropriate cautions. Use this book with extreme caution because you may invoke things you cannot control. Excellent book for anyone interested in the Occult.

I use this book for a course in the first semester. The students are not familiar with deeper mathematical ideas (not even with the one of a limit), but still thanks to Klir's book they are able to follow a kind of up-to-date mathematics. One of the advantages of the book is that all the principal ideas (operations, relations, logic) are firstly explained in the crisp case and then in the fuzzy case.

I'm quite impressed with the clarity and style of Klir's introduction to fuzzy set theory. The book starts with the absolute basics of classical logic and then builds to classical set theory. This half of the book is actually far superior to any of my other logic books since it puts all the truely relevant material together in a very cogent manner.

The second half of the book goes into the details of fuzzy logic and set theory while maintaining the easy style and excellent examples of the previous sections. This book, while intended as a textbook, is quite readable for those who just wish to have better knowledge of fuzzy logic. I suspect that many of the Aristotelian-based classical logicians will be hard-pressed to surpass Klir's clear explanations for their home turf.

Klir delves into the philosophical basis for the existence of fuzzy logic and I feel he does an excellent job. Haack should really read this again and then reconsider her grand statement that "I believe truth does not come in degrees" with some of the open-mindedness evidenced by Klir.

Highly recommended.

StClair has made a brief summary of the followers of Freudian psychodynamic thought in the book. It is nice to see the outline of the theories of many important theorists in the field. For me, the book was a good guide to enter the object relations and self psychology. The book gives a global look on recent psychoanalytic teories. After reading the book I found myself closer to some of the theorists concerned in the book and went on exploring more on them. It was a good start for a beginner like me.

This book offers a really good introduction to many of the primary post-Freudian theorists. It was clear to read and really provided a sound introduction to some complicated ideas. This book was better than the others of its type. Worth the investment.

In his final year of high school Chip Hilton, All-State quarterback, is ready to lead his veteran Valley Falls High School team to a second straight championship. Tragedy strikes when coach Henry Rockwell is hospitalized and is fighting for his life. One of the towns leading citizens and the head of the school board conspire to oust the "Rock". They bring in an unscrupulous outsider and install him against Rockwell's recommendation. He quickly causes disharmony and chaos on the team. Hilton is suspended from the team several times. The way that Chip deals with adversity and fights back, makes great reading. It also teaches excellent values to young folks. A must read for Chip Hilton fans

I have read just about all of the 20+ volumes in the Hilton series and this has always been my favorite. In addition to being good sports stories, Chip always had to overcome some evil forces to triumph in the end. The evil is so strong in this story, that I want to punch the air in satisfaction when Chip wins out - no matter how many times I have read the book. If you are new to the series, however, I would suggest you start with the first story - "Touchdown Pass" - and go from there.

This volume seems to be one of the favorites of Chip Hilton fans everywhere. The forces of evil mobilized against Chip are particularly bad and the final scene actually a bit violent (well, at least by the standards of fifty years ago). Read and see how far we, as a people, have fallen in half a century. Of course, better still, read the original. The current edition has been updated to satisfy the dogmas of feminism and the cliches of youth culture. Gosh, doesn't anyone get that it was those very forces which destroyed the world of Chip and Coach Rockwell and gave us America of 1999?!