I bought this book and I never regret of getting another Parrish art book again. This artbook is excellent with deep details of Parrish's way of study through his paintings. Theories based on his view of perspective and composition, it is something great to read about! However, one little thing I personally find missing is the "Dream Days" series, that is missing from this artbook and should have been included. Otherwise, get the book and you'll fall in love with Parrish blue all over again.

This book is excellent! It has one of the best Maxfield Parrish selected works. A lot of prints and images for you to be inspired all over again. It also contains pages of great readings, such as a section about Parrish's perspective theory and theory. It also show close-ups of Parrish's studies. It is a great read! However, the only thing disappoints me is the absence of the "Dream Days" series. Other than that, get it and you won't regret it!

Fabulous retrospective of Maxfield Parrish's finest work. The illustrations are superb. This book is expensive, but worth the money. If you're looking for a price guide, I suggest Erwin Flack's book. -- James Halperin, sf novelist and Parrish fanatic.

If you are picking up this book, you most likely have read its companion, THE GOLDEN AGE. This book continues the exploits of the children introduced in the first volume. Veddy, veddy English. Completely delightful, though.

I am not sure today's children would enjoy this book. The 19th Century British-isms will probably be quite tedious to any but the most precocious of children. And nothing really "happens" so to speak. No adventures of overwhelming magnitude. Rather, the children's imagination governs what happens throughout the book. Small things are turned into events of great importance. Children brought up with video games will most likely be bored. But for an adult, ahhh! This is a find. It will make you yearn for the idyllic childhood you never had or anybody had for that matter.

Each chapter is like sunlight shining on a bead of dew in April. Or something similarily poetic. Grahame's the better writer anyway.

I'm sorry to see that Grahame's "Dream Days" is so unavailable. It's a deeply enjoyable book that demonstrates the power of "stories" to pull us out of the here and now and make us to stand up straighter, to imagine ourselves as knights and ladies. Grahame's book would be great for older children (young ones may find themselves fidgeting - there is a certain amount of description and archaic language). Adults may actually enjoy this one more than kids. Reading it brought back to me the days of my youth, when a good story could fire my imagination for days, and the characters lived right along side of me, as sort of doppelgangers. This story reminds me of E. Nesbit, another great Edwardian children's writer. Children should read these books, they are well-written and can help foster a love for the "right word" and the well-turned phrase. Try to find a copy with Parrish's illustrations. This whole book is just a wonderful aesthetic experience.

Many books have profiled Parrish's art; Maxfield Parrish and the Illustrators of the Golden Age reproduces 70 works of Parrish and other illustrators of his times, using the archives of the Americana Illustrators Gallery and other resources to present works by a range of painters. Chapters provide plenty of text history of the works of these illustrators and their related styles. Highly recommended, this goes beyond most singular Parrish focuses.

In concise but informative prose, Margaret Wagner illuminatesnot just the work of the timelessly popular Maxfield Parrish, but sheplaces him firmly within the context of his time. Ms. Wagner accomplishes this by introducing readers to some of Parrish's lesser known contemporaries (though the book has a rich selection of his work too) and by not falling prey to histrionically trumpeting his "greatness." Parrish's fans might even learn something from this book.

Of all the books on Parrish, these authors are the most responsible in the history of the artist, in their analysis of the art works, and their research of the genre!! The illustrations are directly from the original paintings and glow as do the originals themselves.

Who can go wrong at $9.99 with such printing quality as this hardback?

Kenneth Grahame's rich, elegant writing make "The Golden Age" a joy to read and reread. While it is a story of children in late Victorian England, it is not a childish book. Rather, it is an examination of how children view the world and are confounded by the actions of the adults around them. Grahame had a wonderful knack for presenting the child's point of view without being cutesy or condescending - no other author has as successfully done this. Nor does he present the typical Victorian view that children are all little angels and always innocent. All adults should read this book - it makes one stop and examine one's priorities and will encourage you recapture a zest for life and imagination.

this book is wonderful. it makes me want to read the book because this book is just the illustrations. But it is well worth your money if you enjoy maxfeilds work.

Incredibly useful. I believe Flacks has written the most accurate and convenient pricing guide available for Maxfield Parrish collectors and anyone else who wants to figure out what a Parrish item is worth. If you're looking for a great coffee table book, I suggest Alma Gilbert's The Masterworks. -- James Halperin, sf novelist (The Truth Machine & The First Immortal) and Parrish collector.

A definite must if you want to be inspired

Recently, I had the pleasure of viewing the Parrish exhibit mounted by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. My experience was that much more enjoyable as a result of owning and reading Ludwig's book. The book, aside from the dutiful enumeration of Parrish's accomplishments, provides a treasure trove of Parrish's work; so much so that only three or four of the works were "new" to me. The explaination of Parrish's techniques is an absolute necessity to Parrish afficianados. It makes you crave a viewing of the actual works.

While some of the color prints fail to do the artist justice and there are far too many black and white reproductions, the book is a wonderful catalog of Parrish's work. Oddly, I was surprised to learn of Parrish's obsession with model/muse, Susan Lewin; a woman completly eliminated in Ludwig's treatment of Parrish. To gain an more complete appreciation of Parrish, one should understand that relationship. Perhaps, in addition to purchasing this book, one should obtain the PAFA'a catalog of their Parrish exhibition

I, like you, want to own Daybreak--perhaps more so than any other painting. Sometimes an illustration entertains, perhaps greatly. Some evoke admiration, even gaping admiration. In the case of several Parrish paintings, admiration is merely the aftertaste of a much more powerful emotion: the craving to be in the space the artist has created, to have or to be the characters therein. A desire to truly exit this world and remain in the other. The list of works that affect me in that way starts off like this: It's A Wonderful Life, Oz, Narnia, Harry Potter's magical England, Parrish's Daybreak & Land of Make-Believe & Air Castles et al., Robert Heinlein's Glory Road, ERB's A Princess Of Mars... We read or watch or view them over and over again in an attempt to ease the longing.

This volume satisfied that craving long enough for me to catch my breath.

I have always enjoyed Maxfield Parrish. I have a friend who purchased this book for me as a gift. I recently aquired a print that I enjoy!! The book has made me more of an avid fan of Maxfield Parrish.

Some of these poems are for children. Some are merely about children. Some are for grown ups who love children. Some are for children who have no idea how dear they are to the grown ups in their lives.

Despite having had my copy of 'Poems of Childhood' for ten years, I know absolutely nothing about Eugene Field save what I can infer from the poems in this collection. From their recurring themes, and the order in which they appear, I can guess that Field lost a child who was very precious to him . . . was slowly healed of his grief by the love and presence of other children . . . and was given a second chance with the birth of a new baby.

There are about 15 poems that hint of that lost child and a handful that juxtapose sleep and death, making me wonder if the baby died in its sleep. Other sad poems are merely wistful about beloved children who have grown up. Thankfully, there are just as many happy poems as sad ones: cheery verses about toys, imaginary creatures, and playground games. Field also wrote several 'lullabies' that are perfect for rocking children to sleep, whether or not they are put to music.

I don't know any other poet who has brought such dignity to "babytalk." Toddlers in his poems are called names like Pittypat, Tippytoe, Googly-Goo and Luddy-Dud. His imaginary fairies include Amberglee, Daisybright and Pilfercurds. Moreover, I'm sure that no other collection of children's poems has this many terms for "dreamland"--Blinkiwink garden, Shut-Eye town, and Hushaby street, to name a few.

Though Field could be accused of writing the same poems over and over again, most of his verses have such distinctive _personalities_ that this is not entirely true. What they _all_ have in common is his delicate touch--yes, even the ones in which his voice turns rustic and homey--that has endeared him to children and grown ups alike.

This was a book from my childhood and which I have searched for many years. So happy to find it at Amazon's. Maxfield Parrish, the illustrator , with his imagination was the right choice for this book of poetry. Eugene Field's love of children and the sadness which was part of his life makes the poetry memorable.

I received this book as a gift when I was about 8 or 10, and it was one of my favorite all time books. The poems are dear and the illustrations are simply magical. This volume had poems I had heard before, like "Winken, Blinken, and Nod", and many that were new to me. Over the years, when I had to memorize a poem for school, it was always one of these I chose -- "Jest 'Fore Christmas", "The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat", and "the Dickey bird is singing in the Amphalula tree."