This was one book that I wouldn't have bought if I had "browsed" thru it in a book store. We are new to scrollsawing and therefore were buying various pattern books for ideas and such. The word "artistic" in this book's title should have tipped me off; the majority of the patterns are quite "artsy" by which I mean they are a little too odd for me; pretty modern stuff. I seem to favor patterns like those of Judy Gale Roberts.

This book included some interesting patterns with a modern flare that really caught my eye. I was very excited about using my scroll saw with metal, but my enthusiasm has been squelched by the lack of instruction! Patrick Spielman and Dan Kihl failed to include sufficient information for attempting the projects. They failed to indicate what thickness of metal should be used for the various projects as well as any detail regarding preparation for the patina finishes. I would give this book 3 stars for being the only book I found with a modern patterns, but unfortunately the patterns are of no use to me without sufficient instruction. I am glad that I now know that I can use my scroll saw for metal projects, but again I am disappointed that I will now need to buy another book to complete the metal projects from this book!

The patterns are definitely different & there are several that I want to tackle. Unfortunately, there are almost no instructions. Some of the color photos give a little info, such as wood type used & thickness. The items that I am most interested in, however, don't give me nearly enough to get started. There is a great-looking dragon table, but no construction info. The metal pieces say they are cut from copper, but not what thickness. It does say at the beginning of the book that woodworking instructions are covered in previous books , and at the end there is a very good 6 page review of other books by the author. I'm sure once I know what I'm doing, I will enjoy using this book.

I read this book some time ago and very much enjoyed the first chapter. After that it went a bit flat, though I did manage to finish it. For readers interested in the world Morely explores here, I'd recommend Liza Dalby's "Geisha," or perhaps Ian Buruma's "Behind the Mask." Probably best of all is "Memoirs of a Geisha," which is set in the 'water trade' and quite an astonishing book.

I'm afraid this is a bit of a howler, but after reading this book, which I thought fine, I searched J.D. Morley's name on the web and discovered that he's the one who wrote the Memoirs of a Geisha review in the Sunday NYTimes several years ago that I still remember! It was a real howler. He didn't seem to understand that the translator's note at the beginning of the novel was PART of the novel, and in various ways completely missed the point of the book in a way that few people have. Now that I've read Pix from the Water Trade, I suspect it was a matter of jealousy, which is really kind of sad. So what do I think of this book? Adequate; not bad, really. But the author will probably be remembered best for his ungenerous and in fact rather boneheaded review of a much better book that will survive the ages.

As an introduction to Japan this novel is superlative. It reads as a collection of memoirs on the Japanese lifestyle bound by a loose but well-sketched narrative. It covers the life of an English cultural visitor to Japan in the early 1970s, detailing the elements of Japanese culture, attitude and character that particularly affect him during his stay. The narrative parts of it are quite entertaining but it is the insghts that this book provides that make this a valuable text for understanding the Japanese.

While essential fare for John Waters completists, "Desperate Visions" does not offer much information about the director of "Pink Flamingos" and other cult classic films that cannot be found elsewhere. As far as literature about Waters' productions and his cast of crazies, I recommend reading his own "Shock Value" and "Crackpot." These books, which also feature interviews with dreamlanders and articulate in hilarious prose the director's views and philosophis, are every bit as outrageous as the films themselves. What "Desperate Visions" offers is an excellent introduction by Jack Stevenson that takes a probing look at how Waters' films work in a socio-political context. He does gush about the work, but he deconstructs it too, and in an interesting way. His handling of the interviews is less compelling, as he seems to be pushing for the various actors to wax as shocking and ludicrous as they are in the movies. This works only with Jean Hill, the 400-lb actress known for her turn as Griselda in "Desperate Living," whose insane segment is worth the price of the book alone. Also included are pictures from her photo shoot at Jumbo magazine that you really have to see to believe.

The second half of "Desperate Visions" is about Mike and George Kuchar, twin independant film-makers whose work had a tremendous influence on Waters. I didn't expect to get into this part considering I had only seen one Kuchar film prior to reading it, but what a fascinating read! Stevenson locates their work in the 1960's underground film movement and provides a history o f what was going on at that time. He also includes a number of written works by George Kuchar that are incredibly beautiful. And finally, there is a chunk of the book devoted to Marion Eaton, a cult celebrity who appeared in some of their films. I was left wishing that "Thundercrack!" had been released on video - hell, DVD - before it's untimely demise.

For fans of John Waters, Divine, the brothers Kuchar and the rest of this perverted cavalcade, this book is a must. The interviews are rather informative, almost a little too informative, being as how a lot of the content is focused on very personal experiences and unless you ran with the crowd in Baltimore you have no idea what Stevenson and Waters are talking about. The pictures are awesome. There are some nice shots of Waters' first flicks including Hag in a Black Leather Jacket and Eat your Makeup. The section on the Kuchars was not nearly as interesting to me because i am much more of a Waters fan. I am sure it is very well done if you are a fan of those Kucharian films. Still, it's hard not to feel left out of the loop. The filmography and index are especially helpful. Not something to just sit down and read. More of a film class research type piece. Also, many good quotes.

The overall basic information in this book is correct, but given that there are 2 species of water dragon, 3 Basilisk, and one Sailfin Lizard species discussed on only 15 text pages, and the remaining 35 pages consisting of caging, diet and health topics for all 6 lizard types, with commercial products suggested for use scattered throughout this section, I find this book to be too minimal to really help anyone but the newest of lizard keepers - and these new lizard keepers just might be better off with a book that goes into more detail.

Philippe de Vosjoli's "The general care and maintenance of Green water dragons, Sailfin lizards, and Basilisks" or Bartlett & Bartlett's "Anoles, Basilisks, and Water Dragons" would be better books for a new lizard keeper to start out with.

This book has a lot of pictures in it - 70 +, and while some of the lizard photographs are beautiful, many show stressed or ill looking lizards with captions that describe the pics as being a normal appearing or healthy lizard.

I thought this book was very helpful. It contained very important and reliable information. While the information was somewhat limited you should easily be able to find other information on the internet. The pictures were spectacular. They give you a feel of how a healthy Water Dragon should look and how a sickly Water Dragon should appear. If you are planning to purchase this book you might also have to look just a little for other more specific information. However if you want the basics on how to care for a Water Dragon I beleive that this book will be very helpful for you.

This book is one of the smoothest books i've ever ridden.

This full-color cookbook is a feast for all of your senses. With luxurious photography and pastel-colored pages, this cookbook will make you long for a potager garden of your own.

The authors were compelled to write this cookbook after twenty years of running Chez Panisse. The authors had a passion for freshness of ingredients that compelled them to snipping fresh rosemary while their neighbors were asleep!

The recipes are organized by seasons:
Spring: The Season of New Growth
Summer: The Season of Full Growth
Fall: The Crossover Season
Winter: The Dormant Season

The Recipes include:
Spring: Onion Pancakes with Dandelion Greens and Bacon, Fettuccine with Pea Pods and Mushrooms, and Fresh Cherry Tart
Summer: Red and Yellow Tomato Platter with Balsamic Vinegar, Cream of Ratatouille Soup with Savory Croutons, and Compote of Peaches and Plums
Fall: Cabbage Leaves Rolled with Roquefort, Pine Nuts, and Jambon Cru, Garlic-Rubbed Roast Chicken with Turnips, Carrots, and Wild Mushrooms, and Persimmon Flan.
Winter: Golden Stew of Pumpkin, Cabbage, and Turmeric with Riso, Civet of Rabbit with Pickled Wild Mushrooms and Caper Toasts, and Tarte Tatin of Quinces and Golden Raisins.

If you enjoy French cooking, and are seeking new tastes and new challenges, you will feast on this cookbook.

Ramm's review is right on. This book says little. It's like a shell for "Selling for Dummies" without the meat fully developed.

I was very excited about this book - until I started reading it. The first half of this book focuses on telling us why we need to have sales skills and insisting that salespeople are really not horrible people. (If I really wasn't interested in selling, I obviously wouldn't be reading the book in the first place!) The second half of the book covers several topics on living a productive life in general, such as striving for excellence rather than perfection. While all of this may be good advice, most of it is just common sense and there is virtually nothing that relates specifically to selling.

Brigid's book is a huge success so far! I've been using it as a training tool - one chapter at a time. I have one of her quotes "Nothing Happens Until Something is Sold" hanging at the front of my office. We talked about the quote and the importance of their selling activity in our last Sales Team Meeting. In a nut shell, projects are not going to land in our laps... nothing happens until something is sold!!! Simple but SO true!
I also copied the Short Quiz out of the book for everyone to take. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least! I expected that everyone would get one or two questions wrong. Surprisingly, it ranged from 2 to 7 incorrect answers out of the 20 in the quiz!! It got us all laughing - and it helped spark some great "training" conversations!
I read a lot of "selling" books and this one RUNS to the head of the class! Thank you for putting all of your wisdom in writing to share with all of us!

When I ordered this book I thought it was a collection of stories gathered from people who have moved off the grid with some techniques and practices thrown in. Instead what I've found is that it preaches to the choir.

The emphasis is on explaining how we waste energy through our daily on-the-grid lives and what doing so costs in "real" terms of "dead dinosaurs" turned crude oil deposits. If I'm buying this book then it's assumed I already have some concern for the environment and my energy usage, that I already want to "get off the oil" addiction my nation has. Why propound it over and over and over in this book. Why preach environmentalism in a book bought by environmentalists? Why not give them the info they need and the courage to do it through depicting others who've done it already?

There are some stories of how others have gotten off the grid but they are short and don't really go into any of the problems one may encounter or how they can be overcome.

A disappointing book that so easily could have been much much better.

I found this book very disappointing. I was looking for more of a "How-To" book which would provide answers and ideas for a mountain cabin. Instead I found it to contain warm hearted informtion in the form of short stories. At a minimum this books title should be modified to "The Independant Home - Good Hearted American Stories of Living Well with Power from the Sun, Wind, and Water.

Michael Potts traveled the country to interview the new pioneers who are generating their own power. He wound up with a book that is not so much a technical manual as an introduction to the many subjects that pertain to making an independent home: choosing a site and materials, power generation (photovoltaics, wind turbines, hybrid systems), storage batteries, inverters and control panels; appliances, maintenance and repair, gardening and waste disposal.

Independent living is, in short, a great opportunity for anyone compulsive about details, control, and doing it yourself. It is an opportunity to be a settler, and regain some independence, but with the benefit of today's technology.

It would be easy to dismiss the new pioneers as hippies. But at this point in our history, with mounting evidence about the dangers of relying on oil, the subject of renewable energy has become much more conventional. Far from Luddites, these people retain their high-tech habits and possessions, such as computers, TVs, stereos, cars, and air conditioners. But because they produce their own power, they are much more careful with it. Many of them are engineers. Nearly all of them have engineer's habits in their endless tinkering and tweaking, their love of gadgetry, and their search for the next technological improvement. I particularly enjoyed the brief interviews with some of the movement's leading lights: Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute; Karen and Richard Perez, the publishers of Home Power Magazine; and Paul Gipe, an owner of wind farms.

As Russell Kirk wrote, nothing is more conservative than conservation, so there is much here that ought to warm the conservative heart: family, localism, community, smallness, decentralization, independence, self-reliance, responsibility, resourcefulness, craftsmanship, and stewardship. The sort of lives that these people live are much more in tune with the local, decentralized United States outlined in the Constitution and The Federalist, the sort of country which existed before the Wilsonian fascism of 1914. By contrast, it was Marx who used the phrase "the idiocy of rural life" and who praised the breakup of traditional communities. The bureaucratic, multinational corporations of our time are much more socialistic in outlook and behavior, contemptuous of roots and continuity, dependent on government money, federal favors, and centralization of power.

This was my first venture into the field of independent home-building, and I had only a few reservations: some predictable left-wing cliches and cheerleading, lapses in organization, blurring of Potts' interviews with his own comments, and a loss of focus perhaps due to the ambitious attempt to write a "whole guide" to home-building rather than a modest introduction to a vast subject. When the book remains modest, it succeeds. It should fire up the pioneers among us.

There are other places for the information in this book. I was disappointed and would recommend other references over this one. More detailed information in softener operation, RO operation, etc. would make this book a definite plus. I won't call it useless, but, it could be improved. Handbooks should provide detailed information in a ready format. On a few occassions, I found water treatment data in this book. But, not in any depth. I found myself going to vendor data which defeats the purpose of a handbook. Also, detailed worked out examples would be highly useful in the next edition. Needs improvement.

I checked out this book to help me on a report on Garlic. I also had two other articles as reference and basically what was in the articles (which is significantly pages shorter than this book) could also be found in this book. The information about Garlic in this book was bascially repeated from the articles I read on Garlic beforehand.

The greatest disappointment would have to be Garlic's role in Vampire tales. I was hoping to obtain information on this subject through this book. I know already that Garlic has an chemical that turns the blood of Porphirya victims acidic. Porphirya victims have been known to suffer similar symptoms as 'vampires'. The chemical found in garlic basically makes the Porphirya victim uncomfortable, resulting in a heated retreat from the plant.

I hate having to supplement material missed in this book in a review. This book has nothing I don't already know. The Garlic Lover's Handbook is basically a text with recipes and ... for joining a garlic lover's society forum. Perhaps the only good thing about this book was the history on Garlic and its uses.