This book is a simple (yet not simplistic), well-rounded and very well illustrated primer to Cosmorgaphy / Cosmology. It is definitely recommended to anyone who wants to acquire a basic understanding of the subject.

The best parts of the book in my opinion are a few schematics explaining the different types of galaxies, the processes of star creation and death, the creation of the various chemical elements, etc. and the associated text. Overall this is a well balanced book with a "Documents" section appropriately short and author's opinions kept to a minimum.

The only negative aspect of the book is dwelling more than it was warranted on the spherical aberration of the Hubble space telescope and its consequences. The author was aware of the planned effort to correct the problem and should probably have spent less time mentioning it in anticipation of the pending corrective action.

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.

The photographs by John Bigelow Taylor are wonderful, but this book has a paucity of explanatory text. I don't just like to look at pretty pictures. I want to know about the jewelry. Who made it? How was it made? Who wears it? How is it worn? Why was it worn? What is the human history behind it? I particularly want to know all this about ethnic jewelry. You won't get it here.

No people are shown wearing the jewelry, so the book is sterile. There is no cultural context. It's a lot to pay for no additional knowledge about ethnic jewelry.

This is, indeed, a very beautifully photographed book. The represented pieces are all exquisite.

Though, it's true that there could have been more background information provided, giving the book a rating of one star, as the first reviewer did, is grossly unjust - an act of spite rather than of informed criticism. Clearly, the book was never meant to be a exhaustive examination of all the ethnological aspects of each piece (though there is ample annotation); such a book would have run to 2000 pages rather than 250! So the Splendor of Ethnic Jewelry is not a doctoral thesis but rather a stroll thru a museum; in this case, the Ghysels Collection. A coffee-table book if you want, but beautiful none the less and of the highest standard.

If you have previously had no interest in ethnic jewelry per se, this book will open your eyes to the extraordinary artistry of these ornaments created by the world's non-industrial peoples. Each object in itself says much more than an accompanying treatise ever could, and I cannot imagine anyone coming away from this book without a desire to learn more.

A second copy purchased for a friend who deals in ethnic jewelry was very much appreciated.

This is a HUGE book filled with georgeous close-ups of really inspirational jewelry. A favorite of mine!