THE FINE ART OF TECHNICAL WRITING was recommended reading in a class I recently took on how to become a better technical writer and I must agree that the book earns its high recommendation. Carol Rosenblum Perry squeezes a lot into this thin volume, but wastes very little space. The author writes in a direct and to the point manner, so anyone afraid of reading pages and pages of dry material would do well to try this handy little book.

Many of the major discussion topics occupy less than a couple of pages, and this quick style really works to the benefit of the reader. The author will typically mention a topic in clear, easy-to-understand language, maybe give an example, and then swiftly move on to the next topic. The subject matter manages to cover virtually everything that the to-be technical writer would need to have a firm understanding of, including: how to construct a good framework, how to be concise, how to use language effectively, how to write an effective ending, and how to avoid the inevitable bout with writer's block (something familiar to everyone who does technical writing work).

I found this to be a very uncomplicated book that can be finished in a single sitting if desired. As a resource, it's a fairly handy volume to keep around as the shortness of the individual topics makes for fast referencing. In only one hundred pages the book manages to cover a wide range of topics, from the nitty-grittiness of grammar to making your writing flow smoothly to enhancing your prose style. Recommended for anyone learning how to write technical papers, or even for those who are already experienced but seeking to improve their writings.

This book is targetted at, and helpful for, anyone who needs to write non-fiction prose of any kind. I think that not only college students, but many kinds of professionals and academics, will find it useful. It addresses the general process of and strategies for writing -- the kind of information that is often actually glossed over in books on writing.

Perry's metaphor of a document as a vertebrate body provides an interesting new perspective for familiar pieces of advice, such as "use active voice."

This book will go on my shelf next to Strunk and White, and Joseph Williams' _Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace_.

Perry, following her own advice and techniques, condenses the 'fine' art of terse and succinct technical writing to 100 pages of blunt tips for student writers and excellent examples. Very accessible by students, and focuses on the entire process of writing...not just editing a final draft.

Robert Rosenblum is a true scholar in the world of art history. Throughout my undergraduate years, I had looked to his writings for guidance and to gain an understanding of the subject matter. While 1900, Art At The Crossroads is enjoyable and the color plates are stunning, it should be noted that it is companion piece to an exhibition and not a book for academic research. Overall, it is a fine book.

This book balances the often overpraised work of the impressionists with the reality of the Salon artists (academics) at that time and the rumblings of modernism to come. As a painter, this title is a real treat... it's always been so hard to find examples from this era, that have not been washed away from post 1920's revisionist art history. Accurately reconstructing the exhibits of that era and showing what was on the fringes speaks for itself.

Rosenblum edited feature films from the late 50s until early 80s, and is most noted for his collaborative efforts with Woody Allen in the 1970s. But his most interesting stories in the book are from a decade earlier when he was still experimenting. Though, I have only seen about half of the movies Rosenblum writes of, it makes the stories no less fascinating.

Rosenblum's major accomplishment in the book is to shed light on the importance of the film editor in motion pictures. He's not wrong in stating that their efforts have been largely ignored by critics and the public at large. What's interesting is that the editor as an influence in film is rarely even discussed by film critics and historians. It's probably because people are largely unsure of what an editor's true contributions are to any one motion picture.

Through the course of the book, Rosenblum takes apart THE RAID ON MINSKY'S, THE PAWNBROKER, and ANNIE HALL in depth. He also gives examples of how much an initial cut of a film can differ from the final cut.

I found the book quite informative, and learned more about film editing than I had expected.

This is a fascinating look inside filmmaking. Most of the examples are from the 1960s and 1970s, but that does not lessen the impact or relevance.

The author is a master of the film editing craft. He also writes with insight and emotion. As you read, you'll learn how a film is "cut", how a film evolves, and what makes a film "work."

This book deserves a place in the bookcase of any student of the filmmaking art or craft.

I'm glad I bought this book because it gives me an Idea of the kind of person Skoglund is, and interesting information on her work as well as many works I have never seen before. However, I was dissapointed by the image quality in that the pictures were very dark and the color-depth was off. I have several postcards with Skoglund's photography on them, and they knock the socks off the picture quality in the book. Maybe in a few years another book will be made.

Being an untrained creative person and artist, I thrive on drinking in the arts whenever I can. I took my 12 year old daughter Jessica to Sandy's lecture and opening night of her display show in Omaha, Nebraska. It can be difficult to find such inspiration at this level in the midwest. It is just not at our fingertips as in the case of those who live on the east and west coast.

Being new to the midwest from Southern California, I was thrilled when we joined Joslyn Art Museum and our first invitation was to Sandy's lecture and to view her collection. My daughter was so inspired she wanted to use her hard earned money to buy Sandy's book but time and again the book sold out at the museum bookstore. Finally I decided to add the book to her Christmas list and surprise her with it Christmas morning. I am so thrilled to finally find it here on Amazon.com and at such a reasonable price. We are so looking forward to Christmas morning and the joy she will feel when she opens this gift. She is so artistic and creative. We want to nurture this in her, she will go far with her talent. Sandy's wonderful, colorful, inspiring work in this book will be so perfect. The book truly does her work justice, in showing her work and the process she goes through in creating it.

What creativity and imagination! Sandy Skoglund (who went to school in my home town) has put together one of the most intriguing collections of photographs I've ever seen. Her pictures are so surreal and complicated it's almost impossible to describe them. Her use of sculptures, patterns and colors create whole worlds that are captured on film. Accompanying these pictures are several informative essays that delve into the mind of the artist and into the work that goes into her art. I hope others find out about this immensely talented woman so she receives the attention she deserves. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a healthy imagination and a love of the surreal.

I bought 3 vocabulary books for study during summer. Among those 3, this book has the worst quality. the words in this book are too old (1950s) Maybe my grand father found this book was useful in that days. But not now!. And the examples and explanations are so weak that these words don't make any chunk as they insist! Moreover, this book has unreasonable higher price than other vocablary books. the paper is so low quality . And the letters are too small to percieve. You might regret if you buy this low quality book. I recommend to buy "1100 words you need to know". That was really helpful.

I got this book while preparing to take the GRE. Their choice of words and their explanations are very good. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who does not just want to cramme the words for an exam. If you love english, you will love this book.

This is the most incredibly wonderful book written on the subject of words. The approach is not like wordlists but is full of stories and anecdotes. This book is an eyeopener for the wonderful world of words.

A must for anyone interested in words at any level.

Good way to approache to one of the most important and famous works of Gilbert and George. Losing their individuality, two people become an artist and transform their own life into an art work. For The Singing Sculpture, Gilbert & George become metalic living sculptures and repete a sequence of robotical movements and gestures again and again, while a song plays.

This book includes 20 color photographies of the presentation of The Singing Sculpture in Sonnabend Gallery, NY, in 1991 and B&W photos, documents, and reviews of early presentations (1969-1973). Excellent material if you have special interest in the works of Gilbert & George. A book about an art work only, but a very important, relevant, original, and controversial art work.

The first book about a woman whose name is often mentioned in histories of the 1920's and 1930's, GOLD DIGGER chronicles the glitzy life of Peggy Hopkins Joyce (born Marguerite Upton), a woman who lived her life balancing on the fine line between the lower levels of show business and the upper levels of prostitution. Author Constance Rosenblum clearly adores and admires her subject. Copious quotes from Peggy's memoirs and private papers succeed in bringing the racy, iconoclastic Peggy Joyce off the page and into our hearts. Indeed, it is very difficult not to like the "Peggy Hopkins Joyce" recreated in this book. However selfish, thoughtless and greedy she may have been, she was also charismatic, free-spirited and non-judgmental. Ms. Rosenblum's adoration of Joyce is the book's greatest strength and also its greatest weakness. Rosenblum's style, although engaging and witty, never rises above the level of "Entertainment Tonight" celebrity gloss. She deftly twists the sad facts of Joyce's empty life around in an attempt to claim her as some sort of feminist heroine, striking a blow for female self-determination everywhere by bilking yet another rich husband out of his time and money. Perhaps there is some truth in this, yet I noticed that Rosenblum spent the bulk of the book chronicling Joyce's years at the top, throwing together in a short chapter or two the last 20 years of Joyce's life, when the loss of her beauty and celebrity resulted in increasing alcoholism and mental instability. The book reads like some of Joyce's own publicity, which is entertaining, but ultimately we learn very little about who Peggy Hopkins Joyce really was, what propelled her into the spotlight, or what kept her there for years except a fast reputation and extravagant consumption habits. Ms. Rosenblum's attempts to connect Peggy's career to the meteoric rise of the tabloid press in the 1910's are promising, but under-researched. A few quotes from media critics Daniel Bell and Neil Postman suggest that Rosenblum has tried to do some thinking about the actual meaning of her subject's life in a broader historical perspective, but Rosenblum's literary and conceptual skills are not up to this task, and her use of these sources seems like an afterthought. Instead of being an intelligent look at the life of one unusual woman and what her fame meant in our "celebrity"-driven culture, GOLD DIGGER remains an amusing and often titillating bit of delicious fluff. It is very enjoyable on that level, but the book could have used another year's research and rewriting. A sadly wasted opportunity, but a fitting book for an historical figure whose most significant legacy is a box of old clippings from now-defunct newspapers.

Apparently Peggy Hopkins Joyce was a wild babe in her day with alot of juicy stories surroundng her escapades, however this book reads rather flat. The facts of Joyce's life may be there but the author has chosen a writing style that really does not bring her subject to full life. I found the book a page turner only because I was anticipating "dishy" descripton somewhere only to reach the last page thinking "is that it?" It may be that after all Constance Rosenblum didn't find much about Joyce to admire and saw her ultimately as a manufactured media phenomenon of her day. So be it, the book is worth reading if you have had any curiosity about Peggy Hopkins Joyce, the original "material girl."

Ever since the mail man delivered Constance Rosanblum's Gold Digger to us, I was unable to put the book down. Gold Digger is about the life of one of America's self-made, female millionaires at the turn of the 20th century. Lacking class, pedigree, education or talents, the heroine, Peggy Hopkins Joyce, turned herself into a millionaire by marrying millionaires. She was almost 100 years ahead of our times-and succeeded again and again when many of our contemporaries have failed to do so on television.

Peggy Joyce was a fascinating character. According to the author, she skillfully manipulated the budding but increasingly powerful media empire to follow her every outrageous moves and whims. Rosanblum's writing brings Peggy Joyce, her spirit, and the spirit of her times alive. Commenting on the rise of newspapers and the psyche of their readers in the 1910's and 20s, Connie writes (page 81): "The swelling audiences for these new papers included both Americans who had not gone past grade school and millions of immigrants struggling with the complexities of English; in recognition, the papers offered news that was simple, dramatic, and most of all fun to read. They did not dwell on the subtleties of foreign policy or the intricacies of political debate. Instead, they concentrated on the verities of human existence-love, hate, life, and death, the gorier the better. They cared not about abstractions but about the grit and glitter of real life-the sexy blonde, the pool of blood, the staccato of the gunman's bullets."

I was mesmerized. The book reads like an extended, captivating obituary by a passionate writer who tells us what determination can do to anyone who has it, the fluidity of human morals, the triumphs of a woman in a world dominated by men, and the rise of the ever dominating America media. Rosenblum's Gold Digger made me feel like I was viewing an episode of "American Masters" on TV. The book is a welcome distraction from a neurotic daily life. I learned a little more about modern American history; and I understand a little more about how hard it is to pass judgment on people and events.

Scholars' stones are magic objects. They open the mind to the realms of poetry, of religion and mythology, of literature and philosophy, of art. This magic is quite destroyed by this book's massive erudition. It is like a too ambitious teacher of literature who destroys poetry by analysing and disecting it. The illustrations are meager, they are after all of secondary importance - the only satisfying one is on the front cover. This book is recommended for all those who are not interested in the magic of its subject.

Having become interested recently in the art of Chinese scholar's rocks, I found it difficult to find much literature on the topic. What a wonderful delight it was to discover this book! As a catalogue for the collection and a scholarly examination of the many aspects of these stones, my appreciation and knowledge of the art has risen dramatically. The essays are thorough and well-written, and the photos are almost as good as the real thing. Having seen some of these pieces in museums, but knowing very little about them and their histories, it was enlightening to get such vast amounts of information on each piece in the catalogue. I encourage anyone who is interested in these stones to give it a try.