This book is appropriate for all ages. The illustrations are outstanding, vivid, creative, and cause children to notice every little detail. The illustrations and text are brilliantly enhanced by a special C.D. by the storyteller. This text brings the boy Jack of Jack in the Beanstalk fame into American culture. He arrived in America in colonial times and those who settled in Appalachia kept his memory alive through oral tradition. This book puts Jack in the same league as "Johnny Appleseed", "Paul Bunyun", and "Pecos Bill".

I found this volume perfectly presented. The warmly and colorfully told tales are matched by the rich and humorous illustrations. The style of the illustrations as well as the actual production of the book remind of classic books we grew up with. The audio CD add another layer of authenticity.

I bought this book for my grandchildren and loved it as did my grandchildren. Hicks is a famous appalachian story teller and although the stories are somewhat familiar, Hicks gives them his own twist. The best part and what makes the book are the illustrations-somewhat in the style of Thomas Hart Benton and very well suited and expressive of what are essentially country stories. Owen Smith, the illustrator has done many New Yorker magazine covers- let's hope he illustrates many more children's books.

To Mr. Ex-navyman: What's a dessert island? Are there parfait trees? Pudding ponds? Candy fish? Where do I get my ticket?

Having been at sea and on land during my experiences of the Vietnam war, knowing the importance of survival not only at sea, but also on land is the key factor to staying alive and being rescued. This matter in book form gives good accounts of how make do with what you have and at the same time show all the practical ways from dehydrating and starving to death not to mention going completely insane from pure boredom. Yes rowboats and luxury liners do sink as well as aircraft falling out of the sky. Ones ability to effectively take control of the situation and keep all parties alive through clear thinking and good judgement is the key to Survival not only at sea, but even on a waterless dessert island. All the material collect from naval research is founded on actual experineces of those that had to use there whits and enginuity to survive until rescued. A must for the international traveler

The cover alone is worth the price! Each stone in this photograph of 46 specimens of turquoise is identified at the start of the book. High quality natural stones from the most important mines of the Southwest are pictured side by side with treated and plastic versions.

The book is a collection of 10 articles written for New Mexico Magazine. Titles include "Turquoise and the Native American", "Buyer Beware: Hidden Facets of Turquoise", Young Native Jewelers Signal Change of Guard" and "The Plight of Old Pawn". High quality photographs of famous mines, artisans and jewelry, both historic and current, will whet the appetite of would-be collectors but also leave an impression of love and respect for the land and its native inhabitants.

Read this book under a strong light to catch the full depth of color!

When I think of watercolor, my mind wanders to the past where we were in art class trying to paint a still life. What a pity my teacher didn't have this book around. For some reason, I was always allowed to leave art class and go to the library where they felt I could be more useful. I guess I've been recently trying to "renew" my interest in drawing and painting.

There are just so many expenses when it comes to "art" projects. So, watercolor is a nice way to get your feet wet again.

Some great hints:

1. Stretching Watercolor Paper
2. Toning Paper - Gives your art a nice color background
3. How to use a sponge to soften details.
4. Letting each layer dry before building up the colors.
5. Expert Color Mixing Techniques.
6. How to Frame your art.

You will also learn interesting things about paintings of the past. How they mixed in egg yolk to make the pigment a stronger medium. Giovanna Garzoni's Still Life with a Bowl of Cherries looks tempting or you could just start by making a sketch of apples and cherries and coloring them in.

The "Gallery" sections feature works by artist like Philip O'Reilly, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, June Berry, Sue Sareen, Winslow Homer, Philip Fraser and Paul Cezanne.

Contents:

Materials: Pain brushes, Brushmarks, Other Marks, Gallery of Brushstrokes, Paper, Stretching and Toning, Gallery of Paper.

Techniques: Ways of working, capturing an Image, Composition, Drawing, Laying a Wash, Washes, Gallery of Washes, Tone and Color, Building up Layers, Sponging Out, Scratching Out, Resist Techniques, Using Gouache, Gallery of Techniques.

Color: The Language of Color, Color Mixing, Gallery of Limited Color, Warm and Cool Color, Complementary Color, Gallery of Complementaries, Color Influence, Exploring Composition, Harmonious Color, Gallery of composition, High-key Color, High-key Still Life, Low-key Color, Low-key Interior, Gallery of Light, Warm Summer Light, Cool Autumn Light, Gallery of Atmosphere, Expressive Color, Portrait Study, Color and Pattern, Pattern in Landscape, Gallery of Pattern and Shape, Abstract Color, Gallery of Abstracts.

Landscapes: Getting Started, Venturing Outside, Monochrome Study, Monochrome Gallery, Receding Color, Limited Color, Effective complementaries, Gallery of Trees, color Unity, Gallery of Light, Creating Atmosphere, Skies Gallery, Sketching Buildings, Painting the City, Gallery of Buildings, Sketching Water, Painting Water, Sketching Figures, Toward Abstraction, Abstract Landscape, Abstract Gallery.

Still Life: Introduction, Gallery of Colorists, Making Sketches, The Working Studio, Creating a Composition, Selection vs Inspiration, Seashore, gallery of composition, Light and Form, Tonal Painting, Creating Form and Tone, Negative Space, Gallery of Perception, Transparent Painting, Opaque Painting, Gallery of Paint Types, Day and Night, Special Effects, Gallery of Effects, Presenting Your work.

This is really a comprehensive introduction to Watercolor painting. All you need to get started is a small watercolor box, water, a couple of brushes and a pad of paper. If you follow the basic guidelines, you can achieve a surprising degree of expertise in a relatively short time.

Highly Recommended.

This book is great. Not only does it start out with the basics, it then takes you deeper, showing you supplies that are really worth gettting. After they show you the basics, they talk about different brush strokes, and color mixing. They show you why acrylic is such a great medium, and the different effects you can achieve using it. Then they begin to talk about light, and have an example painting that you can paint along with. They cover many different forms. Get this book if you want to know about acrylics.

this is an excellent book! It makes seemingly hard textures, forms and shapes, simple. It shows the colors and mediums you use. It makes it all so simple! I highly recomend this book for the watercolor landscape artist!

The stated intent of GURPS: TECHNOMANCER was to create a world where high-tech and magic co-existed WITHOUT it being cyberpunk. TECHNOMANCER accomplishes this intent very well. The book posits a world where the Trinity nuclear test ripped open the fabric of space and produced a Hellstorm that "irradiated" a good portion of the United States, producing areas of high mana where magic could be worked by anyone with the genes to be a mage. Magical mutation produced more and more mages over time to the modern day. Now set in the present, the world of TECHNOMANCER has been indelibly stamped with the workings of magic. This has resulted in such oddities as industrial-line mages, magical spies, dragons as part of the U.S. Forces in Vietnam, flying sports carpets, and Departments of Magic in certain universities. Although it is written for the GURPS game system (you must have a copy of the GURPS Main Rules to use the mechanics in this book), the wealth of ideas in this book can be adapted to any game system. Steve Jackson Games spoke of supporting TECHNOMANCER with future supplements. I hope they do! This is an excellent sourcebook, and is probably one of their best in a while.

This is perhaps the sine qua non of trail guides. You will be able to explore the Big South Fork with comfort and ease using Deavers book. If you want day hikes or more challenging distance hikes, this book will help you make your plans. Trail sections are thouroughly explained. Interesting information about the geology and cultural history abound.

Divided into 4 sections each of which builds on the lessons that came before: B&W technique, color technique, elements of picture making and subjects & styles. It's large, heavy and will keep you working for months....

This book has it all. It shows what types of materials are needed along with basic techniques. From drawing to mixed media, types of brushes, papers and art history - you can find it in here. A great volume for beginners. Loaded with information and lots of how to pictures.

I am nearly done reading this book and find it excellent, wonderful. I haven't painted in years and am looking forward to starting again. This book is very detailed in explanations of materials and techniques. Perfect for the beginner or intermediate painter. I think an experienced artist would already be aware of these techniques and would have done a great deal of experimentation already, but this is great for the rest of us!

I have wanted to learn more about art techniques for many years so that I could begin painting although I have no instinctual skills. This book provides step-by-step instruction with very good illustrations. For me, someone who could only draw stick men as art, can now paint something that I would hang on a wall. It was a wonderful investment for me and provides so much information that it will be quite some time before I will feel the need to buy another book to take me further - if ever. I hope that if you purchase this book that you will enjoy it as much as I do.