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Book reviews for "Zamoyta,_Vincent_C." sorted by average review score:

The Art of Richard Powers
Published in Hardcover by Sterling Publications (2001)
Authors: Jane Frank, Richard Gid Powers, and Vincent Di Fate
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Shamefully underrated
The best cover artist of all time. No exaggeration. Some of the later work becomes, unfortunately, exceedingly literal--it's as if someone forced Powers to put Boris-Vallejo-like human figures into his abstract scenes in order to satisfy some PR/marketing goal. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

120 of the artist's fantasy images
This highly recommended introduction covering the life of the artist Richard Power opens to a full-page color-embellished survey of 120 of the artist's fantasy images and contributions to the world of paperback illustrative art. An outstanding survey of images is created in an excellent keepsake edition for fans of science fiction and fantasy art.

Great artist, great book, great price!
Finally, a book dedicated solely to the works of the late Richard Powers... a dream come true. I was tired of always seeing him presented as one of many entries in books of sci-fi artists, shoved between others who were obviously not as talented as he. This is a true deal.... page after page of his beautiful/haunting/otherworldly art (yes, all 3 adjectives, and more, exist in each painting!). The reproductions are of a very high quality and clarity, some taking up 2 pages, allowing you to see the textures within the images. The text gives some very good insight on Powers' inspirations and personality, with some very funny stories. My only objections are - 1. There are a number of works produced in a fairly small format (4" x 4" or less) , and I would've gladly paid more if the publisher had enlarged them and expanded the page count. 2. No photos of Powers at work, just two self-portraits. 3. The text tends to ramble a bit, especially the first chapter, and I would have loved to see more art in place of it.


Build the Musashi: The Birth and Death of the World's Greatest Battleship
Published in Hardcover by Kodansha International (1992)
Authors: Akira Yoshimura and Vincent Murphy
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Reprinting
This book has been reprinted with the new title: Battleship Musashi, The Making and Sinking of the World's Biggest Battleship.

If I could give this book more than five stars, I would!
This is one of my favorite books on one of these behemoths. Before reading this book, I had very little information on the Musashi, except that which I could gather up from other books I have read. This is one of the best.

Outstanding insight into secret construction of a behemoth!
This is an easily readable, attention-holding account of the secret construction of one of the three largest ships ever built up to 1944. The author gives detailed insight into the naval architects, the naval commanders, shipyard workers, and ship's personnel who planned, built, commanded, and lived in the Musashi. Central to this story is the incredible extent the Japanese went to in order to hide the battleship's existence from the outside world. Monumental camoflage efforts, security procedures, and clandestine actions fill the chapters. Detailed descriptions are provided on the technical aspects of building and launching a 68,000 hunk of steel carrying the largest (18.1" dia. shells) naval guns in the world. The political infighting amongst the Japanese military factions in developing the strategies to use the Musashi and her two sisters, Yamato and Shinano (converted to an aircraft carrier) is covered quite well. Photographs and descriptions of the Musashi's combat employment and eventual sinking by an overwhelming amount of ordnance in the Sibuyan Sea in October 1944 are well done and clearly constructed. This book is a fast-reading saga which gives us a fascinating picture of a determined people and the pride they placed in creating a magnificent seagoing monument to the last of the Japanese warrior empire.


Christianity Rediscovered
Published in Paperback by Orbis Books (2003)
Author: Vincent J. Donovan
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Questions answered
I heard a sermon by Father Donovan in Brevard NC a few years ago and was so inspired that I spoke to him afterwards and asked him if he had written a book...he told me about this one. This book has and continues to answer questions I have about the Christian faith. Father Donovan is a remarkable person with great insight and compassion. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who has doubts about the Christian faith and where they fit in...there is room for everyone.

A "must-read" for Christians preparing for the mission field
This book presents a thoughtful and refreshing response to the question, "What is the nature of mission work?" Donovan made a point to strip the Gospel of its "cultural accretions from the West", and so present the Masai with a Christ free to be the God of all tribes and nations, as He was really meant to be. Donovan's mission to the Masai paints a beautiful and awe-inspiring picture of our Lord, and of the church that is His body. As an American, my picture of the Body of Christ is often, and unfortunately, very American. Ethnocentrism is a fault that all Christians must address and overcome, and this book richly illustrates one man's struggle to find and share the essence of our Faith, beneath and beyond all colours and cultures. His journey is remarkable in its depth, outstanding in its experience of the One, True God. This is inspiring and informative reading, poetically analytical, and spiritually enlightening. I strongly recommend it to a! ny Christian appreciative of the diversity of the Body, interested in the proclamation of the Good News to pagan peoples, or desiring a new understanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God.

This book is truly the essence of Christianity
Donovan's Christianity Rediscovered is a hallmark book all Christians should have. The real experience the missionary Donovan had while working with the Masai tribe in East Africa tells of how God acts in the world and why there is still an importance to spread the Gospel, and continue Christ's Great Commission. The book is not for the person wanting to remain prejudiced or enclosed in their own Christianity; for Christianity is universal, and God is the God of all Nations. The book is an answer to postmodern pluralism if there ever was one, and an easy, beautiful read. I recommend it to all persons, and I think it is mandatory for all Christians of all walks.


Collected sonnets of Edna St. Vincent Millay
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Author: Edna St. Vincent Millay
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beautiful poetry
I've seen some collections of the "best" poetry and among others, Edna St. Vincent Millay's work is not featured. Perhaps her work is regarded as too "light weight" or perhaps structure and an ear for how a poem sounds is not as important as it once was - I don't know. But I recommend this book to help correct the lack of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry.

I think that Edna St. Vincent Millay is one of the best poets ever, male or female, of any time period. So of course it would follow that I think this book is great, too.

Treat your senses to her wonderful lyrics and you will see what I mean. The sonnet form is a strict one, one that few poets master yet M's Millay makes it work so wonderfully for her.
There are love sonnets, of course - but there are just as many that have nothing to do with love. All of these sonnets are great, of course I have my favorites - read throught the book and you'll probably have your own picks, too.

Beautifully Crafted Work by a Major Poet
Millay was a master of prosody, and her gifts are on brilliant display in this collection of her sonnets. Form and diction that have sometimes been dismissed as out-moded or affected were tools that Millay was able to use deftly and in service of deeply felt and considered experience. Her work hasn't really been given its due yet, but why wait for the academy to catch up? This is wonderful, unforgettable work.

A great collection from America's greatest 20th-century poet
In this work of sonnets, selected for inclusion in this volume by Millay herself, the reader will find genius with heart and soul. Millay wrote many more kinds of poems than just sonnets, of course, but even when restricted to the old, old pattern of 14 lines and strict meter, she manages to convey profound and intimate thoughts on a wide variety of subjects: love, life, death, injustice, war, beauty, and the nature of humankind as a race of beings, to name a few. In this work one finds that some of the poems carry a dedication. There is a pair of sonnets written in memory of Sacco and Vanzetti who were executed in 1927; Millay records the tragedy of that injustice as she experienced it then, long before the more recent pronouncements of justice gone awry that we have heard during the past 25 years. Another sonnet of hers was read in the U.S. capitol in 1923 at the dedication of a statue of three feminist leaders who crusaded for equal rights. That same statue made the news in recent years, having been relegated to the Capitol basement on account of its weight and because of a proposal to hollow out its base so it can be replaced on the main floor. I was suprised -- and gratified -- to learn that Millay was part of its inauguration. Vincent, as her family and friends called her, held issues of justice close to her heart. Her greatest gift, I think, was the ability to write about intensely personal experiences and disclose them to the reader as common to everyone who is willing to look inward to the self. I've read other poets who have lived and worked since Millay's death in 1950 and I venture to say that we have not seen the like of her since. I wholeheartedly recommend her words to everyone because, having read them, I find myself more of a human being and more deeply committed to those things that really matter, given my ultimate mortality. --Todd Victor Leone


Color Your Own Van Gogh Paintings
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (1999)
Authors: Vincent Van Gogh and Marty Noble
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Color your own Van Gogh Paintings at your own kitchen table
As this book points out, Vincent van Gogh's individualized style was defined by expressive brushwork, an intense emotionality, and the heightened use of color. The 30 Van Gogh masterpieces rendered by Marty Noble in this Color Your Own Art Masterpieces coloring book obviously lose out on the expressive brushwork, but you have your own chance to add the other two qualities when your color these yourself. You can either copy the originals that are shown in color on the back cover or you can pick your own palette. My preference is for the latter, not only because I do not think they make a collection of crayons big enough to really do justice to the originals, but also because these are IMPRESSIONIST paintings and I ascribe to the idea that your impressions are just as valid as van Gogh in this regard. Noble's renderings are okay (I think there are inherent limitations to line drawings of these works), which means they look more like standard coloring book drawings than black and white reproductions of van Gogh's masterpieces, which includes "Sunflowers," "Starry Night," "The Church at Awers," and even "Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear and Pipe." But they are just so much fun to color and there is still something to be said for doing such things by hand instead of using your computer. I would look elsewhere to provide youngsters with an introduction to Vincent van Gogh's life and art, but "Color Your Own Van Gogh Paintings" is a nice little way of letting them explore impressionist art.

Good adult therapy
I was looking for a good "adult therapy" style coloring book, and this is exactly what I was hoping for. Since I can't draw, I satisfy my creative yearning with coloring. The pictures have a enough detail to be absorbing, but not so much detail as to be tedious. The paper and granularity of the drawings are perfect for crayons, which I prefer over markers or pencil. My husband still teases me for playing with crayons, but at least my subjects are adult now.

Color Your Own VAN GOGH Paintings
"Color Your Own VAN GOGH Paintings" is a great way to introduce children to a famous painter. As an elementary art teacher (grades K-6), I'm always looking for creative ways to introduce famous painters and techniques to students. This book will be a great asset to the Van Gogh study I introduce to the kindergarten class. We currently read "Camille and the Sunflowers", a book about Van Gogh, and then do a Van Gogh-like sunflower painting. This book will give them another look at Van Gogh's work... and THEY get to give his pictures life by coloring them in! There are 30 meticulously rendered black-and-white drawings of some of his masterpieces. (Also included are the 30 accompanying full-color illustrations depicted on the covers!)


The Complete Teacher's Guide to Retirement Wealth
Published in Paperback by Rainbow's End Co (05 November, 1999)
Author: Vincent D. Tate
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A great investment manual for teachers
This book provides great insight into 403(b) investing. Not only does it answer just about every question one might have with concern to 403(b) plan investing, the manual also covers a wide spectrum of financial concepts that should be learned by every investor, not just those who teach.

Every teacher should own this book
I first learned of this book on the Morningstar web site where it is listed as a resource. After seeing it recommended on 3 other financial web sites I decided to purchase the book. I truly believe every teacher should own this book. It is well-written with a friendly "person-to-person" writing style that makes for easy reading. The charts and graphs which appear throughout the book are fully explained and easily understood, even by a rank amateur like me. I would recommend this book to any teacher who has or should have supplemental retirement investments.

Every teacher should own this book
Not only does this book educate one to the perils of 403(b) plan investing, it also gives a complete outline for successful retirement planning - from setting goals, choosing funds, allocating assets, to estate planning. It is very easy to understand and is a great reference book for teachers.


Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills: Preschool (Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills)
Published in Paperback by Amer Education Pub (1994)
Authors: Garret Christopher, Bonita Rio Ferraro, Barbara Reeves, Vincent Douglas, and Don Robison
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Hope this is the same book I have...
...At any rate, if this is the same book...I LOVE it and highly recommend it!! I have several preschool level workbooks, and this one is the last one I bought, wish I'd bought it and nothing else! It really has everything you need to cover the necessary preschool skills: colors, shapes, same/different, matching games, letters, numbers, beginning sounds. The pages are very colorful without being too "busy". I've coupled this workbook along with some flashcards and hands-on learning activities, and we've had great success!

A big jumpstart on kindergarten
I used this book with my daughter the year and a half before kindergarten. She enjoyed the characters and exercises. She also felt very comfortable with the learning material in kindergarten, and did extremely well on the tests. I know it is not all attributable to the book, but I had fun going through it with her and she really enjoyed the 'homework' activites with Mom, and I'm certain that is beneficial for any child. I have recently reviewed my daughter's completed workbook and plan on buying one for my preschool-age son.

Make Learning Fun!
This book covers all the basics in a colorful, fun, yet no-nonsense way that does not waste either the home teacher's or student's time. I was very impressed with the worksheet format, as the pages are perforated and can be torn out and worked on. Using familiar Sesame Street characters is a big plus too. An answer key is also included, along with many helpful suggestions to the home teacher. This book will give value far exceeding its cost.


Either/Or 1: Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol. 3
Published in Paperback by Princeton Univ Pr (01 January, 1988)
Authors: Soren Kierkegaard, Howard Vincent Hong, and Edna H. Hong
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The first book in Kierkegaard's remarkable Authorship
Although Kierkegaard had written other books before this one, mainly some literary critical works as well as his dissertation THE CONCEPT OF IRONY, this is the book that begins what he calls his "Authorship." The works constituting his Authorship have two main things in common: 1) they are all written by Pseudonymous Authors that represent points of view that do not precisely correspond with Kierkegaard's beliefs and 2) they are intent on delineating what Kierkegaard called the three stages of existence: the aesthetic, the ethical, and religious stages.

Of all the great philosophical writers, Kierkegaard was one of the greatest masters of literary form. In each work, he adapts a style and form that is appropriate to the particular point of view he is attempting to illustrate. In EITHER/OR I, he is concerned with showing various aspects of the Aesthetic Stage of Existence. Unlike the later stages of existence, the Aesthetic is extremely diverse, and can take more forms and be expressed in a larger number of shapes. Kierkegaard therefore writes a series of essays that bring out various aspects of the Aesthetic stage. Some of these are among his most famous writings. His essay on Mozart's DON GIOVANNI, "The Immediate Erotic Stages or The Musical-Erotic" ranks among the most famous pieces of musical criticism ever written. Perhaps even more famous is "The Seducer's Diary," in which an individual records his attempts to snare a young woman, though more in the sense of a Mephistopheles than a Don Juan. My favorite section, and the one that illustrates an especially developed form of the aesthetic is "The Rotation of Crops," in which our anonymous author attempts to deal with the one great difficulty facing the Aesthetic Mode of Existence: boredom. As he writes, "Boredom is the root of all evil." Therefore, the challenge to the Aesthetic is to thrust away continually boredom, and in this essay our writer provides a guide to making life as interesting as possible. We are required to continually find new friends, new jobs, new interests, since all obligations lead to tedium. Marriage is, of course, to be avoided, since this is boring (the contrary to this will be asserted in EITHER/OR II). That this task is impossible is taken up in later works by Kierkegaard.

EITHER/OR begins in classic Kierkegaardian fashion. Kierkegaard was probably the greatest master of the Preface in the history of literature. His Prefaces are such masterpieces that they can profitably be read on their own, and he himself delighted in writing them to such a degree that he wrote one book that consisted in nothing but Prefaces. In the one to both volumes of EITHER/OR, a gentleman by the name of Victor Eremita explains how he accidentally discovered the papers filling the two volumes that had been hidden in a desk. He separates them into two groups, "A" and "B". He possesses no great certainty as to the authorship, but believes that one person may have written the first group, and another the second group. Or, alternately, that the author of the "A" papers may have written the "B" papers later in life. The latter is probably what Kierkegaard wants us to believe, for it is his fundamental belief that the Aesthetic mode of existence is doomed to failure, and that it is possible (though not necessary) that this could lead to a higher level of existence, The Ethical. This new stage is dealt with in the second volume of EITHER/OR.

Seriously, this is not a serious book!
You will have the most fun reading the first book of Either/Or. The book is actually the master fisherman's best hook -much like Socrates was a midwife of thoughts- to bring you out into reflection of the question at hand: Either the esthetic or the ethical life. This book and the second part is this elaborate question concerning two opposing ways of life. This first book is ironically and seductively entertaining. He deals with various subjects like Mozart, Drama, unhappiness, Boredom and finallly the seduction of young girl. If anything else, read the last two portions of the book. One of the things that I like about the way K writes is his ability to use words from other disciplines and to incorporate them into his language so beautifully that reading him is literally an excursion.

this is the key to emotional realization
Kierkegaard's brilliance lies in his ability to take such deeply personal experiences--love, lust, sorrow--and comment universally in a way that is at least unmatched in philosphy and probably in all of literature. He understands life in a way that seems obvious but is in actual fact merely fundamental to all of us. The book is a collection of papers and texts on a variety of subjects that at first seem disconnected but in the end all tie perfectly together with the truly brilliant "seducer's diary". Philosophy is a literary discipline that generally provokes either intimidation or a feeling of pointlessness (by this I mean that people wonder why should I care what someone else thinks if it is all unprovable anyway). I feel that Kierkegaard represents everything that is good about philosphy and is worth an attempt at least even if one is trepedatious. This book will not overwhelm you in complex language or termanology, rather it will leave you invigorated with fresh ideas and new questions about everything around. Everyone should read this book.


Fear and Trembling/Repetition : Kierkegaard's Writings, Vol. 6
Published in Hardcover by Princeton Univ Pr (1983)
Authors: Soren Kierkegaard, Howard Vincent Hong, and Edna H. Hong
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Was Kierkegaard a "Knight of faith"?
In addition to the parallels between this story and SK's relation with his father mentioned by previous reviewers, another important parallel is his failed engagement with Regine Olsen. She is his Isaac, who he must sacrifice. Perhaps he thinks his own calling, means that he too can "teleologically suspend" the ethical (duties to Regine). Its remarkable, that we now should be so concerned about the private live of a pseudonymous author. Is Johannes de Silentio a poetic side of Kierkegaard? Poetic yes, but paradoxically he also says he is purely dialectic.

The different takes of the Abraham story, remind me of Rabbinical midrash. The four different accounts did not happen, but they might have. It is a way of stretching the story, and a way to introduce his "faith by virtue of the absurd". The tragic hero remains in the ethical, but Abraham is different that this, and is related to the Absolute. Very thought provoking!

The meaning of Repetition
These two books are twins: published on the same day, with the same purpose: the failed explications of an essential Kierkegaardian concept: Repetiton. Why, when an author clearly knows the meaning of a concept in his own terminology, would he fail to be able to explain it? Why would an author make failure part of the purpose of a book? There is a reasons. The authors of both books are pseudonyms. Kierkegaard does not use nom de plumes. He creates characters and then writes the book from that perspective. Johannes de Silento (the author of "Fear and Trembling")is a poet. Constantine Constantinus (the author of "Repetition") is an experimental psychologist. These characters attempt to define repetition, but their methods will not allow them. Repetition is not reducible to poetry (romanticism) or science (reason). Now why is that? It is necessary to Kierkegaard's project (the book "Repetition" shows that it is necessary) because his project is essentially Christian and Revelation cannot be derived philosophically (Hence Constantine Constantinus' failure). But how do you get to discuss Christian ideas, then? By an elaborate method of importation and laundering. For instance, Constantine Constantinus introduces Repetition by comparing it to Platonic recollection. But the real source for importation is the Old Testament. Fear and Trembling is an elaborate interpretation of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Repetition ends with the Young Man (the guinea pig for Constantine Constantius' psychological experiments) writting on the Book of Job. In each case, something is sacrificed and yet the one who sacrifices finds the sacrifice restored to him. Much ink has been spilt showing how this copncept relates to Kierkegaard's abortive engagement or his relations to his father (and I am sure SK appreciates this muddying of the waters; he never liked an audit trail), but the primary image is that of God the Father sacrificing his Son, and, through the Ressurrection (as Johannes de Silento would say, by virtue of the absurd) receiving him back again.

A brilliancy prize
SK once claimed had he written no other book, Fear and Trembling would have sufficed to make his reputation as one of the greats of literature. A fair assessment, but he did indeed write other books and Fear and Trembling needs to fit within that context. This is especially the case in relation to its twin: Repetition. This is even more urgent when you recognize Fear and Trembling's subject matter, which is: Repetition. SK introduces the concept with typical irony: neither Constantine Constantinus nor the Young Man, nor Johannes de Silento actually achieve repetition. Repetition is negatively defined: we are told not what it is, but what it is not. We are told that repetiton occurs "by virtue of the absurd." Sartre took this construction directly into his philosophy and made himself a laughing stock. This goes to show that either you keep you sense of humor fully operational in reading SK's books or he will make you look like a jerk. People who do not laugh long and loud at these books will not be able to interpret them without claiming for themselves absolute idiocy. And people who do not understand Repetition may as well stop wasting their time on Kierkegaard. Perhaps the can do Nietzsche and perspectivism instead?


Flash! The Associated Press Covers the World
Published in Hardcover by Harry N Abrams (1998)
Authors: Vincent Alabiso, Kelly Smith Tunney, Chuck Zoeller, Associated Press, and Peter Arnett
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Great!!!
I'm a brazilian journalismo student and have seen many of the book's photos in brazilian newspaper. But all together is the best! Congratulations. Tomaz Cavalieri

True to Form
I am a big photojournalist buff. This is everything and more. Photos that are world famous are in this book. If you are into it as much as I am, you should get it.

BULLETIN BUY
You know, when rival news organizations argue about who amoung them is the best, The Associated Press simply reports their battles. The cooperative wrote the book on journalism (actually several of them.) Mark Twain is quoted on the back cover "There are only two forces that can carry light to all corners of the globe, the sun in the heavens and The Associated Press down here." Who else can claim that endorsement? Of course it was Mohandas K. Gandhi who said "I suppose when I go to the Hereafter and stand at the Golden Gate, the first person I shall meet will be a correspondent of The Assocated Press."


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