julia margaret cameron's women contains 63 different plates representing magnificent victorian portraits photographed back in 1864 to 1874. every plates are monochromed in sepia or black & white. ...5 pages are consacrated to her models biographies,her favorite ones like: julia prinsep jackson (mother of virginia woolf & painter vanessa bell), mary ann hillier (her maid,cameron described her as one of the most beautiful & constant of her models.) , Alice Pleasance Liddell (aka the little girl from whom Lewis Caroll wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1865)..etc.. - 5 other pages focuses on cameron's Literary & mythological subjects:from "DAPHNE" (nymph pursued by the god Apollo) to "OPHELIA" (from shakespeare's "Hamlet")..all are well explained and presented...the rest of the 242 pages are dedicated to margaret's life, her debuts,her Illustrations to tennyson's "Idylls of the king", her different relations... - all fans of painting & photography should own this book! it is a unique reference! cameron was and still is one of the greatest portrait photographers of all time...

other interesting books in this genre: "Reflections in a looking Glass" a centennial celebration of Lewis carroll. , "Photo Historica" landmarks in photography , "a new history of photography" edited by michel frizot.

This amazing book is well worth the investment. These photos still have the power to knock one over the head with their dizzying beauty. Too often people look to the men who made up the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood for an ideal of the Victorian woman. For a fresh look, one should explore Victoriana through the eyes of the women themselves. Cameron's photography is the perfect counterpart to Christina Rosetti's poetry. Enjoy.

Most photographs here were made in ca. 1870. Looking through the book, I imagine that at that time photography was still so new, so unprecedented, that no one yet had idea of what portrait photography was to become. An art? Or a detailed recording of what the eye perceives? In this ambiguity, Julia Margaret Cameron shows herself in this volume to be great artist, a portrait photographer second to none. In the faces of her women, I can see stories and history as recorded nowhere else.

Most notable is the series of images of Julia Jackson. (She also appears on the front and back covers.) One can see her life evolve over the time span of the photos. These images become even more interesting upon learning she was mother of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. So here at last is the real Mrs. Ramsey.

The haunting York trilogy continues in "Faces in the Water," picking up the threads that the first book left dangling, and weaves them expertly into further complexity.

Dan has returned from York with some haunting memories of the odd gypsy family of Ambrose Faw, visions of Romans and Picts, and the discovery of a hereditary family disease. Now he's determined to leave the unusual vacation behind him, and spend some time with his kindly grandmother Blossom. But his time in York keeps intruding on the present.

His grandmother has hired a migrant worker named Lonnie, who reminds Dan of one of the gypsies from York. A letter comes from Joe, saying that the Faw family wants the silver denarius that was given to Dan at the end of the first book. Blossom makes some cryptic comments about Huntington's disease being an "evil" handed down through the family. And when Dan goes into the basement, where a stream runs through, he sees the face of Ambrose Faw watching him from the water.

When a magpie begins following him, Dan captures the bird and later sets it free. He is swept back in time over a thousand years, to York in the declining years of the Roman Empire, where he encounters an ancient parallel to the Faw family. How does this connect to the present, and how can he help the beautiful gypsy Orlenda?

The plot picks up the pace in "Faces," as some of the puzzles of "Shadows" are solved, but produce more questions as they are solved. For example, we see why Dan saw Jaspar as a wild man; but why does he see the Faw family sixteen hundred years in the past? What is the connection between these events and Huntington's disease? Or the connection between Blossom and the Faws? And what is up with those magpies?

Naylor's atmospheric writing is still present, with the nuanced dialogue and intricate characterizations of the first book. Not everyone is revealed on the outside, and that adds an aura of mystery to all the characters except Dan, who is our window to the events of the book. And though time travel is a well-worn cliche, Naylor manages to make it feel fresh and intriguing. It's virtually impossible to predict what is ahead for the characters or the plotline, and that's a delightful change from the usual ghost stories.

Undoubtedly "Footsteps at the Window" will be as good as "Shadows" and "Faces," as the second book leaves the readers waiting for the answers to its many questions. Excellent fantasy story for kids and adults alike.

Phyllis Ann Naylor's haunting York trilogy dips back into time travel and the haunting presence of the gypsy family. Though it doesn't answer all the questions, "Footprints at the Window" gives a note of finality to this trilogy.

It's been a stressful summer for Dan: He's found that Huntington's Disease runs in his family and may strike him down when he's in his forties, his father is being tested, and he is haunted by magpies and visions of the Faws, gypsies, whom he encountered in York -- even to the point of being drawn back into the waning days of the Roman Empire. Now a family of gypsies has come to the land near where his grandmother lives, and it's making Dan nervous.

What he finds is seemingly another Faw family, a few years down the line and with radically different names. And while trying to help the girl Oriole -- who bears a striking resemblance to Orlenda -- Dan is drawn back in time. Now it's the Middle-Ages, during the time of the Black Death, and he is the only person to recover from the disease. He encounters another incarnation of the Faw family, and for the second time tries to help the beautiful Orlenda escape to safety. What will happen will change Dan's life forever...

Perhaps the only flaw of this trilogy is that in the third book, some of the threads are left dangling. For example, I was never entirely sure why it is that Joe, Dan, and the Faws are repeatedly featured in the past; the implication seems to be that they were reincarnated, especially since Blossom refers to her grandfather being the exact image of Ambrose Faw.

Naylor hasn't lost her talent for atmosphere, either between the characters or in a given place. Dan shows a plausible growth in character, and a new philosophical bent that he did not have in the first book. This new maturity is reflected in his actions in the Middle-Ages and his increased acceptance of "what will come will come."

As the story progresses, we also see that it is less a story about gypsies, past lives or incarnations, or time travel, but rather a story about Dan and the inner struggles that are brought into focus and greater clarity by the events of the trilogy. Gratifyingly, there is also a note both of finality and of "starting again" in this book, a wistful acceptance, and a very real sense that sometimes a thing like Huntington's Disease can't be predicted.

A good conclusion to an extremely good trilogy, "Footprints" is definitely worth checking out.

As a children's librarian, I always picked this book up first during storyhour. Here is a hint! I use a dog puppet to tell the story for me! Then each child can meet and greet the puppet after the reading is over. Very interactive. Try to talk to kids about being kind to animals after you read this one - it will make them really listen to your message.

My two year old son absolutely loves this story. The cute rhyme-style keeps his attention...and the colorful, detailed pictures keep him pointing and talking for quite some time. We particularly like all of the colorful characters who enter the taxi...this book is a real winner in our home.

My 2-year-old absolutely loves this book. He can't get enough of it. Fortunately, it's a nice story so I don't mind reading it 15 times a day.

If parents haven't yet accepted the fact that their child's dreadful behavior is the child's responsibility, then this book is probably helpful. For parents who have accepted this fact anf who need really practical advice, this book doesn't make it. Doesn't make it at all. All it says is "Go to a Toughlove support group."

I have had this book in my book case since the 1980's. Today it is shop worn as it has gone through so many parents hands. It was given to me when I was having trouble with my 14 year old daughter. Don't purchase this book if you want 'warm & fuzzy'. If you are still in the warm fuzzy zone then your problems will continue. This book is about getting you to face facts and start you off on a new journey. It is merely a guideline and I like the fact that they present the information in such a way that you and your teen have to do the work yourself. Why does everyone want to get off the hook? This book puts things in perspective and makes you deal with reality. It addresses the real issues and opens your eyes. If you are at your wits end with a teen that is acting out this is a great start-up book to help you identify your problems. It really shows how Tough Love can work. It also shows how we as parents find excuses for our children rather than deal with the real issues. This book helps you to start making yourself and your teen accountable for all actions and decisions. It's a winner in my eyes! It pulled me thru time and time again.

Tough love is not for young people who respond to the support network we provide to help them with their problems and make them feel accepted. Does your young person trash the house, terrorize his/her parents with profanity, beatings and ejection from the house, deal dope, commit larceny or arson and sneer at all socialization? Then, your network is not working! In vain will you seek "techniques" of control, which do not apply here. The tough love method is not to condone uncivilized behavior but to initiate social action (courts, police, agencies) if necessary (and it usually is) and to let the young person take the consequences of his/her actions without interference, asserting that you love this person and stand ready to reward any repentance. The latter is usually a long time in coming. Meanwhile, you desperately require the support of your peers, and that is the reason for the group. Don't underestimate it. It may be all you have. The chance to share your specific problem with others possibly worse off is invaluable. Go to the group!

I really didn't like this book very well. I thought it was boring and also a little confusing. It is the first book in a 3 part series, but there is no way that I would want to read the other two books. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for reading when I had to read the book, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Fans of ghosts, fantasy, history and haunting writing will find a gem in Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's "Shadows on the Wall," the first book of the York trilogy.

Dan Roberts is unexpectedly plucked from his everyday life for a vacation in York, with his parents. He's delighted by the vacation, but puzzled by how his parents are acting. One minute they are gushing and effusive, the next cold and silent. He soon discovers why: His father has found that their familiy has a hereditary nerve disease called Huntington's Disease, which his father might have -- and might have passed on to him.

As Dan struggles with the knowledge that he might have a terrible disease, that might affect whether he can marry and have kids, he encounters a friendly cab driver named Joe Stanton, and a group of mysterious gypsies led by Ambrose Faw. The strange ways of the gypsies are intermingled with visions of Roman soldiers, and a mysterious feeling of dread that Dan gets every now and then. He is inclined to think the visions and dread are hallucinations -- but Joe sees them too...

Haunting writing abounds in this novel. Without a single word of dialogue, Naylor can provoke feelings of dread, mystery, sadness, fear, and surreality. Her dialogue is unpretentious and thoroughly ordinar, as you would expect a teenage boy and his friends and parents to talk; yet the reader can detect the undercurrents of emotion underneath them. Atmosphere is expertly done, especially in scenes with the gypsies. Their differences are noted but not judged, and she does a good job with Dan's reactions to such things as the casual planning of a funeral before the person is dead.

It's also interesting that she wove together two different kinds of "haunting." Dan is haunted by his fear of having Huntington's Disease, a very realistic fear. At the same time, we view Joe and Dan both seeing visions of the past, such as a mute gypsy boy momentarily transforming into a lime-covered primitive tribesman, or the face of a Roman appearing in a pond.

This book is the first of a trilogy, and it shows. Though it can be considered a standalone story in its own right, it nevertheless has a feeling of "to be continued" on the last pages. And there are threads left dangling that undoubtedly are picked up in the second and third book.

Fans of ghost stories will undoubtedly enjoy this book, and race to read "Faces in the Water" and "Footprints at the Window."

The back of the book:

fifteen-year old Dan Roberts is confused about alot of things. Why did his parents decide they must suddenly take a juoney to York, England and why have they been acting so stangely since they arrived?

Beyond that, what is the sense of doom and draed Dan gets that Dan himself feels as he approches certain ancheint ruins in the City? Are the moving shadows he sees on the walls real, or just is he beginning to lose his mind?

And what of his new friend, the cab driver Joe Stanton, And their enconters with the gypsies? When they're together a stange sensation takes hold of Dan as the distant past melds with the present and dreams become reality.

If that doesnt intrige you what will?

Good illustrations, tight bios of the buildings, not very gripping. For Main Line fans.