Henri prays a human's prayer. He says what we all say in times of change, fear, anger, yet he says more! What a wonderful book to read when life/stability/comfort are turned upside down and pain, loss, homesickness, fear etc. are flooding over you and sweeping you away into darkness and chaos. This is a man's (Henri's) cry from his heart, soul, and mind. An incredible spiritual expression of the human condition.

This relatively modest book is nevertheless the single best work to have appeared on Matisse's great cut-outs (with the exception of a 1977 National Gallery of Art catalogue), which he made from 1947-1954. John Elderfield's essay discusses the genesis of the cut-outs, and places them in the context of 20th century art in an elegant manner which is refreshingly free of art-historical jargon. Elderfield's essay is followed by a section of color plates which, for the most part, are superbly designed and arranged. Matisse's delicious eye-candy is allowed to speak for itself. The reader is continually dazzled by the purity of color and simplicity of form, and the chronological arrangement of the plates seems to re-create the genesis of the works as they evolved in the artist's mind. However, the single problem I have with this otherwise nearly perfect book is that a number of the plates are far too small, particularly the illustration of the "Large Decoration With ! Masks," which reduces a 30-foot cut-out to the size of a postage stamp, neatly destroying any ability to imagine the beauty of the original work. Also, the color reproduction could be better - the plates, except in one particular print run I have come across, have an odd, bleached or washed-out look that lessens the impact of Matisse's colors. Nevertheless, I still recommend the book for its excellent design and writing. It is a marvelous introduction to the aesthetics behind some of the most simple yet beautiful works of 20th century art.

Imagine time-traveling with a smart gentleman who is energetic, enthusiastic, sociable, and just happened to have lived there 'then.' This is the seamless, appropriately elaborate, and richly detailed adventure one experiences in reading this book. Troyat called this book a mere "sentimental promenade,' but he was much too modest. Biographer of Flaubert, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Elizabeth I and others, he had a pre-Revolutionary Russian early childhood, and the recollections of his (refugees-to-France) family members. In this book he enthusiastically and carefully recreates the sights, sounds, smells of daily life. The peasantry, workers and their everpresent sufferings and struggles, commerce, law, food, the gentry, the tsar and his retinue, social life, the hapless serfs, plus plans, hopes, and dreams. The chapter "Moscow's Many Faces" is reminiscence, and very informative. The research is the backbone of this work, which is greatly enriched and informed by Troyat's emotional ties to -- and sensory recall of -- the time and place.

Even if you speak French, this book is an indispensible source on the great, 20th. century poet Henri Michaux. One of the important things that David Ball establishes is the chronology of Michaux's publishings. Michaux often published a string of small books between major collections - the major books overlapping, partially containing and redacting the earlier books in a highly complex and confusing way. In some cases, the larger work even duplicates the title of a smaller work. Ball untangles this gnarly time-line once and for all.

This is the most extensive selection in English from all phases of Michaux's long poetic career. It includes excerpts from his prose works - the travel writings and the mescalin writings, although nothing was taken from A Barbarian in Asia and Miserable Miracle. There are some plates that provide a view of Michaux's often superb graphic art.

The translations stand up pretty well against Richard Ellman's in Selected Writings (also highly recommended); however, this is a much larger work. Ball is perhaps on the literal side as a translator, a respectable choice. Probably, the only way to translate a poet impeccably, is to have a team of accomplished poets working in direct collaboration with the living poet who also speaks the second language well. And, of course, that's not the case, here. As far as I know, among major 20th. century poets translated into English, only Jorge Luis Borges was tranlated in this arcadian manner. That said, there's nothing wrong with these translations, except that David Ball, though possessed of a good ear, is not himself a poet, or trying to use a translation of a poem as an occasion to write another poem. Again, this is a respectable choice. In a sense Michaux is easy to translate. His language, though highly individual, is clear and direct (except when he's creating his bombastic new words). It's this language and conscience (John Ashberry's critical insight) in service in service to a deep and powerful visionary faculty, that makes Michaux one of the truly great poets of the 20th. century.

This lavish coverage of the 1800s artist explores the range of Daumier's achievements, examining his success as a political and social satirist and examining his lithographs for political content as much as artistic expression. This provides the catalog for an exhibition of his work but stands well alone as a definitive survey of his craft.

Diane C. Donovan Reviewer

This is one of my favorite Dover art books. It conatins a huge amount of drawings done by Degas. Some of which are hard to find in other books because they were taken from a private collection. If you love Degas, then you must purchase this book. It is excellent.

Edgar Degas has a special place in my heart. No other artist used as many women as Degas did for subject. He is my favorite Impressionist artist and I regard his art as the finest, most realistic, meaningful and most beautiful of the late 19th century. Degas is most famous for his paintings of ballerinas, but he was a prolific artist and seemed to live only for his art.
When he died, he expressed his final wish: that during his funeral service, speeches must indicate that his greatest love was art and that he should be remembered as a great artist.

That's exactly how we remember him. This book provides a plethora of his paintings, and details about his life. It's very sad that this book is close to becoming out of print. I am honored to be the first to review this book. The cover painting is "L'Etoile" or "The Star on Stage". Degas painted ballerinas in the French opera-theaters in the 1870's. He was influenced by Japenese prints which enabled him to draw harmony and space. He was able to capture the transience of life, fleeting moments, as the ballerinas danced or moved in the stage during a performance. He also painted them during rehearsals and waiting in flocks in the wings. The pastels and oils were vibrant, colorful and made the ballerinas look nearly surreal in their artificial theatrical surrounding scenery. For contrast to the light and bright colors, he included gentlemen in dark suites waiting for the ballerinas backstage or observing them from a distance.

Edgar Degas, a gifted intellectual, had many friends in the art and literary world. Among his friends were the Naturalist writer Emile Zola and the Impressionist artist Edouard Manet. Degas participated in the Impressionist Exhibitions, was part of the movement by all means, although he considered himself a Realist painter of natural movement and contemporary society. He was a modern man in many respects and it was Degas who personally defended and helped Mary Cassat, the feminist and professional artist from America, exhibit with the Impressionists. This was a time when the art world was still very male-dominated. Mary Cassat and Edgar Degas remained good friends for many years.

This book seems to be Edgar Degas life through his paintings. Here, we see everything about him and we discover how unique and interesting he was. He never married, there was never any evidence that he fell in love, and although many accused him of voyeurism and presenting women as objects, this is not true. He loved women and respected them and treated them not only as works of great art but examples of people in motion. Later on, his subjects were prostitutes (albeit veiled by the guise of elegant high-class women in cafes), nightclub singers, and "bathers" as they fussed over their bodies and hair or other bedroom objects. Edgar Degas was incredibly gifted and a fine pro-feminist painter, despite what others might think.

To sum up everything he stood for, Degas himself said his art was intended to give "truth an illusion of madness". He was a true artist in the very sense of the word. No artist of the 19th century, in France, could compare to his dedication and his intelligence. Viva Edgar Degas! His paintings, originals, are still on display in the Louvre and in the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. A trip there is a pilgrimage to ballet lovers and fans of Degas paintings.

Henri Goursau is my cousin, so I'm biased. In addition to being my cousin, however, he's an engineer for Air France in Toulouse, and has worked in the aerospace arena for years. I've found that his dictionaries - generally compilations of current technical/aerospace/engineering terms translated from French to English or English to French - are an exceptional aid for anyone working in international technology. For example, if you need a French term for solar dynamic power technology, you'll find it. I haven't seen anything like his dictionaries in the U.S. market, and am truly pleased to see that they are part of Amazon.com's inventory

I found this book to be one of the best around. Its treatment of differential forms was complete, starting at the fundamentals. I can recommend it to everyone wanting to understand forms

My three year old who is obsessed with dinos just can't get enough of this book. Its spiral binding and sturdy laminated and transparent pages stand up to the continuous reading. There is just enough information to intrigue a child without being cumbersome. The two sided clear pages are simply facinating to a young reader. This is just one of the fabulous books in the First Discovery series