This book is an excellent view into the highlights of M. Parkes work. One could sit for hours gazing at the paintings that are in this book. Also a very inexpensive way to preview prints I might buy in the future.

A beautiful book, one that you can keep as a reference on on the coffee table. Beautful, beautful book

This is a magnificent book. The large illustrations and text that accompany them are beautiful to look at and insightful. We all interpret his work in our own way, it's nice to see how the artist himself interprets his work. I have several of his books and like them all, but this is my favorite.

This is a finely written account of one of England's very best contemporary painters. The author in a learned but easy to read style gives a clear exposition of the painter from abstract rebel in the 1960's to representational painter in the 1980's and 90's.

This is a beautiful book highlighting in particular the truely brillant images of New York City. Bill Jacklin is an Englishman in New York who is building, in a fine body of work, a visual narrative of New York that few if any can match. His work is a more complete and more intrinsically sympathetic account of his chosen city than David Hockney's pictures of LA. Mr Taylor has done the painter and the readers of this book proud with a model monograph.

This is a soft-cover book, 9" by 10" covering about 50 of Roberto Gonzalez Fernandez's paintings of young men. Some of them are nudes of guys alone or with other men. The paintings cover a period from the late 70's thru 1987. Roberto's art is very gay, but definitely not camp. A lot of the men are very attractive, and the images are homo-erotic but not pornographic. The detail, moody lighting, and coloring of these paintings is beautiful. The paintings are so detailed and realistic they seem like photographs. Roberto is a wonderful Spanish painter, that's for sure.

I just wish there were more paintings to see. A lot of the paintings have a surrealistic quality. He reminds me a lot of Salvadore Dali, but with more emotion and eroticism. Hopefully, more of his paintings will be published in the near future. This is a great artist to enjoy over and over, and is highly recommended.

This book is, in a word, fabulous. The text is concise, yet flavorful, and of course the subject matter (Orson Welles) is ALWAYS interesting, but the real wealth here is in those delectable photographs. The barrage of images starts with the cover and doesn't quit until the last page. All of them are tasteful, well-chosen, and evocative. A must for any Orson Welles fan...

Parkes creates amazingly beautiful work of arts, and this book faithfully reproduces some of the most stunning pieces. I just wished there were more reproductions of his bronzes...

What can I say? I don't know how to best describe Michael Parkes artwork. Beautiful, imaginative, surreal? Michael Parkes has a lot of influence from master artists such as Klimt, but has created a world which is uniquely his own. Lovely winged maidens (often with mechanical wings) pose with elegant grace along with animals and mythological creatures. Men wear elegant masks, looking like sensual harlequins. What makes Parkes so fascinating is his ability to draw off many sources of classical myth and complie them into one image, it is not unusual in his world to see a Grecian style angel being visited by an egypian style feline, and yet it all works very harmoniously together. This book is wonderful eyecandy for all those drawn to imaginative, sensual mythology. I keep it for inspiration.

Michael Parkes is a brilliant artist, his style is unique and instantly recognisable. I searched forever to find this book, and it's truly fantastic.

This book is poorly written. That does not mean it is not a great story--it's just not a great novel. The Wizard of Oz is written in a very conversational style; it often does not flow, as if Baum were pausing to collect his thoughts or remember exactly how he last described the Wicked Witch. I think it is meant to be read aloud to a child or else you are missing something. I feel that the pauses and the stops and starts probably have more impact on a small child trying to fight off sleep with a wonderful tale than they do on a grown woman finally checking The Wizard of Oz off her "Things I Always Wanted to Read" list.
Please don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the story of The Wizard of Oz, and I think everyone should read it, especially those who enjoyed the movie. There is much more to it than the movie, many more adventures, more explanation, and more sarcasm and social criticism. There just isn't much more literary merit.

I bought this book years ago and am looking for another copy as a gift. This edition is the entire MGM script (including the lyrics to the songs) of the 1939 movie and is is wonderfully illustrated with stills from the movie. My family has practically worn out this oversized book and we need another! My husband recently witnessed my daughter's new boyfriend reading along as they watched the movie because he knew we were just fans and he had better catch up! Our families favorite book!

Here's a trivia question for you. When Dorothy killed the Wicked Witch of the West by dropping her house on the witch, was the witch wearing (a) ruby slippers? (b) silver shoes? (c) both?

If you answered "both," you have the correct answer. L. Frank Baum's original story (found in this book) has magical silver shoes in it. The movie version of the story, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy, had ruby slippers. Why the change? Well, ruby slippers film much better. So the Wicked Witch of the West wore both types of footwear, depending on whether you are reading the book or watching the movie.

I share that example with you because 9 people out of 10 have seen the movie, but never read the book. When I was a wee lad, I started in the opposite direction and was sorry to see how much of the Oz story was left out in the movie.

Now, you can make up for lost time by reading or rereading the original. I commend it to you for three primary reasons. First, the book version is built around the idea that the different parts of Oz cannot be easily traversed and the ensuing travel complications make for a better plot. Second, there are many more types of imaginative creatures in the book than in the movie. Third, the book has been lovingly enhanced by new illustrations done in turn of the 20th century style by Michael Hague. The illustrations encompass styles from immediately post van Gogh (yes, there are sunflowers) through Art Deco. I especially liked the water colors of gloomy and darkening skies.

If you are like me, you will chortle when you read L. Frank Baum's comment in the beginning that the story was "written solely to please children . . . a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained . . ." while the scary parts are left out. If you remember frightening moments, you are thinking about the movie. The book is much more gentle, which makes it more suitable for the youngsters. Yes, there are frightening villains, but they are quickly dispatched rather than being allowed to hang around to menace and frighten children just before bedtime. Still, children must have been braver in those days. This story is still scary enough for most to feel a deathly chill now and then.

Many of the ambiguities and confusing aspects of the movie are clearer and less disconcerting in the book, as well.

I won't go into a fine comparison of the two, because that will just spoil the plot for you. Do let me mention a few chapters that you will not recognize from the movie . . . just to whet your appetite for the book -- Away to the South, Attacked by the Fighting Trees, The Dainty China Country, and The Country of the Quadlings.

After you have finished enjoying the wonderful story and new illustrations, think about some of the lessons of the book. Notice that by teaming up, Dorothy and her friends could combine strengths to overcome individual weaknesses. This is the ultimate group of superheroes. How can you combine your talents with others so that all of you combined can accomplish vastly more than any one of you can individually?

Stay on the Yellow Brick Road with effective allies!

Hitchcock is my very favorite film director, and I think he's definitely one of the best, if not THE best, directors ever, so I was very disappointed to read this book which only skims over Hitch's life, giving some films barely a page or two. Taylor looks at Hitch's many movies with neither a critical or even historical eye--and many, many details are left out, and many facts are just plain backwards, especially that "Notorious" was based on an idea provided by David O. Selznick, and that "Spellbound" started as Hitch's idea (it was in fact the other way around, with the recently depression-cured Selznick wanting to make a film about analysis; in fact, in the few paragraphs afforded to "Spellbound," Mae Romm, Selznick's therapist who acted as an advisor on the film--and set--isn't even mentioned!). Donald Spoto's two books about Hitchcock, one a film-by-film analysis and the other a straight biography, are much better than this slight volume.

Highly readable and informative. Recommended for all Hitch fans as well as anyone interested in the history of cinema. Beyond the basic facts,there are lots of telling anecdotes and perceptive observations, such as Hitchcock's famous distinction between shock and suspense. My favorite Hitch quip: a father wrote to Hitchcock for some advice. After seeing Les Diaboliques his daughter refused to take a bath, and now after seeing Psycho she wouldn't take a shower either. "Have her dry-cleaned" was Hitchcock's cheerful reply.

This book was a really easy read. With tales of Hitch's career and providing insight - I believe - into the man behind the much misunderstood myth.

"Hitch" is mostly filled with tales from behind the scenes rather than an examination of Hitch's craft and technique. I enjoyed it because I think knowing the PERSON behind a picture will often explain his technique better than any self-proclaimed "expert" who will often take technical necessity and make it symbolist bull.

Well written and very interesting subject matter. A must for anyone!

Concise and to the point. I have found most of the mainstream theatre genres and practisioners I have looked up in it. I must admit that some historical details are just skimmed through, accentuating only the famous works of an author or director. For a full spectrum, I find myself alternating between the Cambridge Paperback Guide to Theatre and this dictionary.