Reviews (2)

Well worth the money-Entertaining, colorful & well-written!!
I love American Idol and I loved reading this book. The photos are great and so are the interviews. I read stuff in this book that I didn't hear anywhere else. Anyone who is an American Idol fan will really enjoy the inside look that this book provides. Kudos to the author and the photographer! The book gives great insight into the whole audition process and what it's really like to be a contestant trying out for the show. The free poster was a great bonus too!

I love American Idol!!!
This book is awesome. It has tons of great interviews and photos. I love this show and I love this book. If you want to learn all about American Idol and see behind-the-scenes stuff, read the book!!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Directed at the expert, fine for the fan, too!
I would like to add to the reviews below that this book is a pleasure to hold and to view because it is so well made. If there is any 'art' book that should be made for posterity it is the catalog raisonne of an artist. In this instance, the publisher has done the artist's audience a real service for, the book is beautifully printed and bound in Italy by Amilcare Pizzi; Italy seeming to have usurped Switzerland's place as the world's premier art book printer. The pages are thick and glossy and the reproduction is top notch.
For those of you who are unaware of what a catalog raisonne is, it is meant to be a compilation and historical record of an artist's work that documents execution date, medium, size of image or plate, size of edition if a print, whether signed or unsigned, etc. This information is used by artists, historians, collectors and dealers to attribute a piece of art and place it in the artist's oevre, and of course to aid in placing relative value on it. Here too, the archivists, publisher, and editor have done a fine job of documenting the relevant facts. This is especially important in the case of Warhol who was a serial printer, sometimes to the point of intentional promiscuity. So, the fact that wherever possible relevant information is provided speaks volumes about the prodigious effort that must have gone into this undertaking. I rate this book four stars because I fear that since this is the third edition, there will be yet another edition published that renders this one obsolete. I understand this is precisely because Warhol was an inprecise documentarian, when he chose to do so at all, but I don't relish having to purchase another high dollar, though valuable book that is only slightly different from the one I already own. For people who don't give a darn, the book rates a five.

Andy Warhol Prints
This 3rd edition of Andy Warhol Prints gives much information to someone who is interested in the various published and unpublished works which Warhol created. In addition to providing color photographs of the prints, the book gives details about the edition size and characteristics of each individual portfolio. This book will be quite useful for the Warhol fan, art students, as well as collectors of Warhol's work. It is the most definitive book of his prints available.

Definitive Guide to Warhol
Prints, proofs, paintings -- everything is here, plus essays that explicate and set context.

The best catalog of Andy's Prints
This gem of a book gets into all the details of Warhol's print making. See source images as well as artist's and printer's proofs. A must for any collector wanting to explore Warhol's work as well as a real eye opener as to how busy this man really kept himself. ... Read more

Book Description

Frank Frazetta's paintings and illustrations have set the standard for fantasy artists for the past 50 years. This collection focuses on his influence in a variety of media and genres and on his place in 20th century art history. Coedited by Hugo Award-winning editor Arnie Fenner, it includes many of Frazetta's most memorable paintings as well as revised and previously unpublished works. The art is accompanied by the artist's own observations and commentary by a number of his contemporaries. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A fine collection of fantastic images
"Legacy: Selected Drawings & Paintings by Frank Frazetta" brings together many examples from the career of this distinctive artist. The book has been edited by Arnie Fenner and Cathy Fenner, and includes a foreword by Danton Burroughs.

"Legacy" gives examples of Frazetta's covers for books, magazines, and comic books, as well as movie posters and even comedy album covers. Many memorable characters from pop culture are depicted: King Kong, Dracula, Tarzan, etc. I especially liked the illustrations from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, with their six-limbed Martian apes and tusked, green-skinned warriors.

Some of Frazetta's illustrations are haunting, even melancholy, and others are exciting and action-packed. A sorcerer summoning a demon, a scuba diver facing a sea monster, and of course, voluptuous maidens will be found in this book. In some cases, alternate versions of the same commission are given (making this book especially useful for art students and cultural historians). I recommend this book to those interested in the visual art of the sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure genres.

Comics emphasis, plus more famous paintings. Whoa!
This is book 2 of a trilogy. This one seems to have more emphasis on his comic book and comic strip work, than what appears in the other two books of the trilogy, "Icon" and "Testament." This one includes an 8-page romance comic book story by Frank, from 1952.

There are also plenty more Tarzan/Burroughs/John Carter of Mars works, and terrific paintings of Savage Pellucidar.

Frank's work for Warren magazines, like Eerie, Creepy, and Vampirella get shown and discussed in this book (and also in the other two books of this series).

All of the different eras and decades of Frank's life and career are discussed and shown, in all three books, but always with different paintings, drawings, personal photos, and different commentary by different friends and business associates.

I would recommend starting with "Icon" if you're new to Frazetta's work, but "Legacy" is a close second, containing the works that he is best known for. "Testament" has a focus on unpublished, never before seen work.

One thing that is surprising in all three of these books is seeing how Frazetta would often paint over his paintings, to improve them and change major elements, after they were originally published. So, many of his paintings look different than the way they were printed on paperback covers in the 1960's and '70's.

I am very pleased with all three of these books, but "Legacy" is my favorite of the three, if I really had to choose.

The end of an era
Frank Frazetta is a once in an era painter. He was as much an inspiration to my own large scale figure art as was Michaelangelo. This book is brimming with lush and lavish color reproductions. Frazetta, a true natural and the father of powerful and darkly and richly, colorful, anatomically creative, fantasy art. He has been imitated by dozenz, surpassed by none of them. One would have to go back to the Renaissance to find anyone more free, comfortable and creative in use of anatomy and composition. He would hold his own with the great painters of the past 700 years. This is a great book for artists and art lovers. I bought several for my grandchildren, it will be a valuable collectible in 5-10 years.

Frank Frazetta is leaving a Legacy
I bought the book ICON at the same time I bought this book. LEGACY has a slightly different tone than the ICON book. It is a wonderful tone and in complete harmony with the other book. It's kind of like two tubes on a wind chime. I use this analogy in hopes that more chimes, I mean books will come along to complete the symphony.

The ink sketches are great too. I'm partial to the full color oil paintings. What colors, what force, what passion jumps from the pages of this book. These Frazetta books are not only a legacy to the artist but to art in our culture. Imagine Frank painting in the same studio as say... N.C. Wyeth; or even Hal Foster of Prince Valiant fame. I wonder how each artist would influence the other. I bet Mr. Frazetta would set the tone.

Once again, you can't go wrong buying this book. To read more remarks about the Frazetta books, please see my review of the book ICON.

A thing of beauty...
I'm a Frazetta fan, and knew before hand that I would love this book. However, I was surprised and amused to discover so much about the artist's personality, how he describes his love & respect for women, etc...

There's also a great painting of his wife, without (obviously) any of the violence & eroticism that Frazetta is mostly known for. It's just a sweet, beautiful painting of a nice looking, every day person... Very interesting... ... Read more

Book Description

Colorful and cosmic, Peter Max's art has been an integral part of contemporary American culture for more than three decades. Beginning in the 1960s, when his bold, bright paintings embodied the spirit of the times, up to the present day, his prolific output has inspired people in every corner of the world. Premier art institutions regularly exhibit solo shows of his work, and his trademark posters have achieved international popularity. From being named Official Artist of the Grammy Awards for five successive years to painting a Continental Airlines 777 plane, Max's projects always garner enormous media attention.

In this comprehensive Max retrospective, 350 full-color images-many never before published-illustrate the artist's life and prolific career. Author Charles A. Riley II considers Max's uncanny ability to create fine art with tremendous popular appeal. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Peter Max in Boston!
The book was awesome, I loved looking at all the images. It brought back memories of a Peter Max beach towel I had over many summers.
I hear that Peter Max is in Boston this week, at "Wentworth Gallery" on Newbury St. I think it was thursday night. It would be so great to meet him and see his original artwork.

Beautiful job reproducing beautiful art
First off I want to correct the often repeated false statement in a previous review: Heinz Edelman was the artist behind The Beatles Yellow Submarine, Peter Max had absolutely nothing to do with it, and was in no way the inspiration behind it. Edelman was already doing Yellow Sub style art before Max's style became famous. For the complete background read "Inside the Yellow Submarine".

That said, this is a wonderful, long over due collection of the art of Peter Max. I don't think this book could have been printed any better, it is stunning. For me, the only thing that could make it better would be to add even more pages of art. The classic 60s-70s period gets the short end of the stick being overshadowed by the newer works. It is all beautiful work either way, but my preference would have been for more of the older pieces.

People will be magnetically drawn to this sitting on your coffee table. This is also a great companion to "The Art of Rock" the 2-ton book of classic old Fillmore concert posters that was out about 15 years ago. They don't make art like this anymore...unfortunately.

Peter Max
Everyone knows the genius of Peter Max and the fun of his art. I won't presume to review either. Instead, let's talk about the book! Beautiful printing on quality paper. The included commentary and history put a perspective to each piece of art that most readers wouldn't have otherwise. Peter Max inspired my wife to become an artist. She'll cherish this book for years to come. If you are a Max fan, so will you. As all coffee table books are, a bit pricey but an excellent work to enjoy again and again!

Finally! A Collection of Classic Max Paintings & Drawings
Peter Max's influence was strongest in the 1960's when his style influenced everything from the Pop generation look to the Beatles film, "The Yellow Submarine." I became most of aware of Max's work as a resident of New York City after 9/11, when streetpost banners with his art tout the city's great landmarks, such as Lincoln Center and the Empire State Building.

This book is the first published collection I've seen, save for a couple of European books and one he did in 1976, that shows the breadth of his work. The son of immigrant parents, Max's later work seems to be most strongly associated with his renditions of American icons, such as the Statue of Liberty and the American flag. Some of his work, such as his Amazon-influenced "Better World" series, is stunning. Other work, such as Umbrella Man and Zero don't appeal to me quite as much. Back in the 60's, I think he was known mostly for his bold colors and psychadelic images. But environmentalism plays a bigger role in his late 80s and 90s work. His posters for the Rainforest Foundation and 1992 Earth Summit are stunning examples of this.

There's never been anyone quite like Peter Max, for better or for worse. I'd highly recommend this book to even casual fans as the reproductions are beautifully done and the vibrant colors leap off the page. Patrick O'Connell, NYC ... Read more

Book Description

The team behind the blockbuster animated hit Ice Age --Twentieth Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios, and Academy Award®-winning director Chris Wedge -- joined forces with acclaimed children's author William Joyce to create another visually magnificent, animated classic in Robots. Conceptualized by this stellar creative team and voiced by stars such as Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Mel Brooks, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear, and Amanda Bynes, Robots is a magical contribution to the art of animation. Here to celebrate the film is The Art of Robots, offering a sneak peek at the early visual developmental stages of the film. Featuring the spectacular concept art created by the team at Blue Sky Studios and by producer and production designer William Joyce, this innovative and imaginative book is an exclusive backstage pass to the hidden animation artistry behind Robots. ... Read more

Book Description

Swappers, swingers, transvestites, nymphos, hookers, dominatrixes, lesbians: in the 1960s, these stock characters were staples of the naughty novel, and their lurid antics formed an entire genre dubbed "sleaze" by legions of avid modern-day collectors. Uncovering a racy repository of American fantasies and fears from more than 40 years ago, Sin-A-Rama ravishes readers with the splendidly spicy cover art of the period's top illustrators as well as entertaining excerpts from the best and worst of the genre. Cultural commentary is featured as well, including fascinating accounts of the ways in which the genre's publishers - often mobsters - would distribute their titles to the public. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Sleaze by the million

It soon becomes apparent when reading the first few chapters of this interesting book that in this tiny part of the publishing industry were an equally small number of people (mostly males, obviously) yet they were responsible for producing millions of trash paperbacks that sold in the Fifties, Sixties and early Seventies.This book is a celebration of their endeavours.

Because of the very competitive arena in which these publishers worked, with twenty or more new titles each month the covers were the main selling point and the three hundred plus reproduced in this book show that you don't mess with a successful formulae.They had to show a female (unless it was for the gay market) as provocatively posed as possible with a two or three word title to complete the package.It has to be said though that the quality of these illustrations is pretty poor which only makes the work of one or two artists really stand out.Robert Bonfils, in particular, consistently turned out quality art and sleaze artists like Stanton, Bilbrew and Bill Ward were made for this market.No cover design could be too tacky for this publishing genre.

The bulk of the book are the cover reproductions (each with date, publisher, author and artist credits) with several short essays in the front.The two about soft core publishing on the East and West coasts were interesting because they actually explain the background to the publishers and more importantly how the books were distributed through the network of adult book stores in most cities and towns.The back has a useful list of publishers and authors pseudonyms.I was slightly disappointed with the books production though, there is no real page design, paragraphs are excessively long and columns just fall short because no one bothered to make adjustments to the picture sizes to compensate.Despite this 'Sin-a-rama' will probably be the only book to comprehensively cover the publishing world of paperback sleaze.

An eye-opening visual survey
Sin-A-Rama: Sleaze Sex Paperbacks of the Sixties is a full-color gallery of paperback cover artwork from "sleazy" sex-themed paperback books of the 1960's. An introduction surveys the industry and history behind such publications, but most of the text within Sin-A-Rama consists of excerpts from the paperbacks themselves. The covers, done in the realism style with muted shades so common in the 60's, are often quite revealing; bare breasts and nipples are not uncommon, as are a number of kinky, if exaggerated situations. An eye-opening visual survey of the sensuality marketed to popular American culture during the era of the sexual revolution.

Great historical & pictorial depiction of sleaze paperbacks!
Sin-A-Rama is the only book on this subject on the market today.Sure, there have been plenty of books discussing the 1940's/1950's pulp paperbacks (sci fi, mystery, etc titles) but this is the only one thus far to delve into the realm of the taboo world of 1960's sleaze paperbacks!The editors do a wonderful job constructing the historical basis for these lurid gems, while also providing the reader with pages and pages of full-color pictures of these naughty novels.The book features great articles by Jay A. Gertzman, Brittany A. Daley, Earl Kemp, and Steve Gertz to name a few.Furthermore, the book features excellent reference material at the back including lists of pen names by Earl Kemp and a publisher's catalog by Brittany A. Daley. The book is also littered with interesting quotes from these rule-breaking books.I would highly advise readers to seek out this book! Oh and I don't know if Amazon.com's personnel ever reads these reviews but there is an error on this book's order page.The editor list is incorrect as the editors were actually (as listed on the back of the book): Brittany A. Daley, Hedi El Kholti, Earl Kemp, Miriam Linna, and Adam Parfrey.

colorful, informative survey of popular paperbacks
The countless lurid, sexually suggestive pictures of the covers of the mass-market paperbacks of the decade of the 1960s are what cannot help but attract the most attention. But there's more to this retrospective than the sensationalistic covers for enthusiasts of popular culture and paperback book collectors. An inside view of the "sleaze paperback" industry of the time is recounted in essays by four writers; one of whom spent some time in jail for peddling [...]. Passages from some of the books illustrate the genre's elliptical, yet unmistakable style for dealing with the sexual subjects and scenes so the books could get by the [...] censorship. The hundreds of paperbacks identified by their covers with author, publisher, and artist in the caption are divided into main categories appealing to readers of different backgrounds and sexual fantasies. "Sick Suburb," "Butch Swish," and "Sin Revue" are some of these. Another feature beyond the pictures is 15 interviews with writers in the field. A listing of the publishers, an index of pseudonyms used by most of the writers working in the genre, and a second index of the authors real names followed by their pseudonyms are found in the back matter. All in all, a copious collection of a vein of book cover art which also has material on the genre as an area of popular culture flourishing in the 1960s and influencing the culture's regard of sexual matter and treatment of it in following decades.
... Read more

Reviews (29)

Entertaining and educational
It does not happen often that a new facet of American pop culture that has not been recognized before gets discovered. With his Book of Tiki Sven Kirsten succeeds in establishing a style that has been overlooked by art critics and historians alike. Through an amazing amount of visuals Kirsten proves how Tiki in it's heyday influenced every walk of American life, from architecture, design and graphics to food and drink.

In addition to the rich imagery (which affords the viewer an almost physical experience of the phenomenon) Kirsten's writing traces back the origins of the style to the Western fascination with Polynesia and, without becoming too analytical and dry, enlightens the reader on the motives for this escapism.
The chronicler's ironic enthusiasm for his subject saves him from becoming judgmental and falling for easy, politically correct conclusions.
We are guided through the history of Polynesia as an eternal metaphor for an earthly Eden up to the point where Americans fell in love with this vision.
Here Kirsten conveys how the post-war need for more moral freedom coincided with the tales of Pacific war theater veterans and the 50s idealization of Hawaii as a dream vacation destination.
In taking the guise of an urban archeologist who (as is done in classic archeology) discovers a lost culture through it's objects and artifacts, Kirsten accomplishes to throw light on a fascinating chapter of American pop that has so far lingered in obscurity.

it's tiki-tastic!
What a fabulous book! The definitive book on tiki culture! I can't imagine that anyelse could ever surpass the excellent work done by Sven Kirsten. This book is truly a joy. I'll often rush through a new book but I took my time with this beauty. Entertaining, absorbing and stylish, it's just as much fun to merely look at as it is to read it. Each page is an adventure. I was impressed by the scope of the book - it deals with not just restaurants but with motels, apartment buildings, home entertaining, etc. Sven Kirsten also profiles the major innovators and originators of tiki culture. The best part is that the book is presented (tongue in cheek) as a guide to the urban archaeologist, interested in uncovering the remmnants and traces of the now-extinct tiki culture.

A must-have book!

More Tiki Than You Can Shake A Torch At
Like all Taschen books, this book is visually STUNNING! Just leafing through the pictures never gets boring. The real treat is the book is also jam packed facts, folklore, drink recipies, and so much more. More information about Tiki than I ever knew existed.

Plenty of eye-candy in this book, but very well balanced with informative and fun content. A must have for the Tiki enthusiast!

Excellent book on Tiki, though a bit artsy
This book is a must have for anyone interested in Tiki or kitsch art. Describing themselves as "urban archaeologists" seeking remnants of Tiki culture, the authors provide a fun and informative look at this vanishing art form. The book does an acceptable job presenting the evolutionary history of Tiki, from the 1920s to the present. Key events, such as the establishment of Trader Vic's, and the Kon Tiki craze of the late 40s, are looked at in further detail. There is also a good look at the "artifacts" of Tiki art and architecture throughout the United States. The book is packed with color photos of Tiki mugs, matchbooks, buildings, and much more.

However, the book does lean a bit too much towards making the book eye candy. The Book of Tiki uses intense colors, and ultra-hip page compositions that make it difficult to read (typically Taschen, but I still found it distracting). Also, a consolidation of information would have made it easier to reference, such as a table differentiating the different "Trader" Tiki businesses. Also, some of the text ("Exotica and the Tiki style were denounced as contrived rituals of the imperialist establishment at the same time that the Vietnam war developed into and ugly mistake, with native huts and palm trees burning on TV."), had me wondering if they were being tounge-in-cheek, or were actually serious.

Nevertheless, this book is the current bible for Tiki aficionados, and is well worth having on your bookshelf.

This is the start of things to come
This is an excellent picture book filled with great stories about the good old days. It will bring back memories of a tiki age gone. Why dont we have these kinds of places anymore? Maybe that will change soon but in the mean time this is a great book for all who love this period in our American History or for the island dreamer. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful Book!! A Tribute To The Dark Knight!!!
I just recently received this book,and I can tell you it is well worth having. True, there are definitely some covers that are missing (in my opinion all of Jim Lee's covers should have been here from the Hush series. OUTSTANDING!!!) A beautifully done book to add to your Batman collection. This book does not cover all of Batman's many comic book covers, but this was not to be expected. Instead they point out some of his most daring and bold covers. Batman has had the benefit of being drawn by some of the greatest comic book artist ever. I beleive you will find it truly amazing how each one has their own distinctive style on creating the Dark Knight. So make sure you own this one. You won't be sorry. Hey, maybe they'll make a volume 2.

It's about time, for someone like Batman
Well first, it's Batman; that might be enough reason to buy it, even for the price. (I'm a collector anyway, so what's some bucks?) Anyway, it features a number of cool and "forgotten" covers done over the 65+ years of Batman being in comics. I was even surprised some of the covers of War Games got in, really nice. There are some well-written commentaries too, by artists and editors and the like, and what cover they picked.

The cover of the book itself is great. I thought it was just a hardbound book; it turns out, the dust jacket reveals some more to it. I was in awe when I opened it, well done.

My only rant, not all of the covers I wished to be there was not there. Well, that's how it is. Tec#700 and Strange Apparitons, I think, should've been in the list. Well, all in all if you have the money and would really have something to keep for a number of years, get this. Well, if not, I hope you can browse through it when you get a chance. It would be great.

... Read more

Book Description

The greatest cultural accomplishments in history have never been the result of the brainstorms of marketing men, corporate focus groups, or any homogenized methods; they have always happened organically. More often than not, these manifestations have been the result of a few like-minded people coming together to create something new and original for no other purpose than a common love of doing it. In the 1990s, a loose-knit group of American artists and creators, many just out of their teens, began their careers in just such a way. Influenced by the popular underground youth subcultures of the day, such as skateboarding, graffiti, street fashion, and independent music, artists like Shepard Fairey, Mark Gonzales, Spike Jonze, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Phil Frost, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, and Ed Templeton began to create art that reflected the lifestyles they led. Many had no formal training and almost no conception of the inner workings of the art world. They learned their crafts through practice, trial and error, and good old-fashioned innovation. Not since the Beat Generation have we seen a group of creative individuals with such a unified aesthetic sense and varied cultural facets. The world of art has been greatly affected by their accomplishments as have the worlds of fashion, music, literature, film, and, ironically, athletics. Over the years, the group has matured, and many have become more establishment-oriented; but no matter, their independent spirit has remained steadfast.
Beautiful Losers is a retrospective celebration of this spirit, with hundreds of artworks by over two dozen artists, from precursors like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Larry Clark, to more recent adherents Ryan McGinniss, KAWS, and Geoff McFetridge. Work in all conceivable mediums is included, plus reproductions of reams of ephemera. The accompanying essays are contributed by a half-dozen writers who have championed these beautiful losers from the start.

Edited by Aaron Rose andChristian Strike.~Essays by Alex Baker,Thom Collins, Jeffrey Deitch, Rene deGuzman, Carlo McCormick and Jocko Weyland.

Paperback, 8.5 x 11 in./272 pgs / 200 color and 200 b & w. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Since the publication of its first issue in 1992, Ray Gun has set the perimeters of the cutting edge in publishing. Abandoning such conventions as headlines, columns, and even page numbers, the alternative rock-and-roll magazine created a chaotic, abstract style that broke all the rules, clearing the way for a slew of fringe magazines devoted as much to style as to substance. This self-consciously hip, unconventional approach soon emerged on album covers, concert posters, and MTV, signaling the birth of a bona fide movement. The same irreverent approach to production is applied to Ray Gun: Out of Control, forcing you to wade through a maze of random graphics and typefaces to unearth the articles and essays. The search is half the fun, though, as the pieces are enough to capture your interest, even against the backdrop of so much graphic noise. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

ray gun - out of control
this book is a collection of spreads from the early years of raygun and other magazines whose art direction was lead by david carson. there is a lot of controversy surrounding carson's work, and carson as a graphic designer. i find the work visually stimulating and closer to art than most design i've encountered. i personally admire the intuitive beauty of this book and have spent countless hours looking at it. while i do not recomend carson's other books i do recomend this one.

Collection on the shelf
This book is for the Raygun collectors who admires clever typographic layout. A collector's item.

out of gas
As the elite of contemporary typograhpy will tell you, Art Director David Carsons was neither type designer nor graphic designer, but instead adept collector of typefaces and free favors from young talent. This book is an attempt, on the eve of the sellout of the Ray Gun Empire, to solidify the merit of a magazine built on 2 things: hype, and the desire of the design community and its afficionados to find a voice for the explosion of creativity ignited by the early macintosh design pioneers and their disciple, Ed Fella,while, initially at least, disregarding the need for relevant indie music reporting. Don't buy it.

Out of Control pushes the envelope
Use this book for ideas that will stun and amaze your staid audience whether it be in print or on the Web. I look at it as one giant idea book - it pushes the limit of type and design and gives us a new art form

A magazine picture book?
"Out of Control?" I don't get it. Is this a picture book, or a book that is supposed to honor the magazine? Magazines are about content and design, but here all we get is design. Now, I like design, I like it a lot, and hope to one day get into magazine desiggn, but this book seems to undermine what the magazine should be about. Design vs. Content. How well does the design and presentation relate to the article? I have no idea from looking at this. This is a picture book. From looking at this from a distance (which you are apparently supposed to do) Ray Gun is a nicely laid out and designed magazine. But what's it about? I love design, but I don't give a damn about a publication about information (no matter hhow good the design) if I can't have access to that information. As far as I'm concerned, this collection should showcase and celebrate the representation of information. IAs I've said, I enjoy the design and designers, but Ray Gun was started as a great means of maing the aarticles fun to read...lure the reader in with the design and hook 'em with the words. This may or may not have worked, but the intention was there. No matter how much of a design magazine this is, Ray Gun is the bible of mushc ansstyle, not a graphic design monthly. I think that this collection is a slap in the face to the people who wrote the articles in the mag. Buy "Out of Control" if you want a picture book, but if you want to get any idea at all about what the actual magazine is about, bo to the periodicals section and pick it up. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (10)

The New York Pop-Up Book
I purchased this Pop Up Book for a 14 year old friend who enjoys Pop Up Books. At the last minute, I decided to purchase one for myself. Both of us are going to New York in the future and thought it might be a good guide. This book is absolutely wonderful. I have enjoyed each page. The detail is tremendous. The writing is entertaining and informative. The Pop Ups give you a feeling of "being there".

a book of surprises
As one who dreams to some day live in New York, this pop-up book was great fun and most certainly made the dream that much more real. The facts was most interesting, the write-up in the form of "reflections" by New Yorkers themselves, also provided an insight into what life in the Big Apple is like. I recommend it to any New York freak like me!

Not complete
The Top of the Empire State Building are not in the book. The edges of the the book are really in a bad condition.I think, it's a seller problem!

Very disappointed
I have to use my fingers to make them pop-up. Not interesting pop-ups at all-- just plain and simple.

The Pop-Ups don't
The first thing that happened when I opened this book is that the Statue of Liberty fell out into my lap. Then I discovered that the Empire State Building doesn't actually pop up; you have to pry it up, and hope that you're not wrecking something in the process. This is true of most of the "pop-ups" in the book. Also, lift-up tabs get in the way of some of the pop-ups (or vice-versa). I'd say it's a lot of clever ideas badly executed. Probably the makers were trying to do too much. But in spite of all this, I still like it, and if you collect pop-up books, you probably will too. Just be ready to re-construct and re-glue a lot of the stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Contemporary Jewellery in Australia and New Zealand
This is a really thorough review of recent work in the two countries... with some familiar names and some lesser known artists. It's a nice change of pace from american and european jewelry. ... Read more

Book Description

Here in a single volume is a practical, comprehensive training course for budding illustrators working to master comic book art, graphic novels, fantasy posters, sci-fi book covers and illustrations, and computer games. The author, a highly successful fantasy artist, teaches the basics of human anatomical drawing and musculature, as well as perspective and composition. He then instructs on ways to distort, develop, and transform the human figure, giving it features that range from monstrous or magical to super-agile or larger than life. Detailed artist’s references and step-by-step instructions show how to build bodies that truly stretch the imagination—mighty alien warriors, kick-boxing cyber-punks, and mega-muscled superheroes, to name just a few. Art students also learn how to show their characters in many different dynamic action poses, such as flying, spinning, punching, and jumping, as well as how to express each character’s emotions through facial expressions. More than 300 color illustrations. ... Read more

Book Description

What is love? What does it look like? Visionaire, the highly respected--and highly-sought after--fashion and art publication, featuring the work of some of the world's most prominent artists and image makers, offers Visionaire 38 Love in collaboration with Tiffany & Co. For this issue Visionaire returns to its roots with a hand-crafted volume depicting romantic love, love for life, love for all things beautiful, love for work, love for family, love for friends, what we do for love, and what we do with love. Images and tokens of love, including a special inclusion designed by Elsa Peretti, will be inserted into authentic vintage hard-cover novels, making each copy of this 4,000-run limited edition a unique work.

Do you love me because I am beautiful, or am I beautiful because you love me? --Cinderella
Love is the only gold. --Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Who, being loved, is poor? --Oscar Wilde
I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved. --George Elliot
If you have it [love], you don't need to have anything else. If you don't have it, it doesn't matter much what else you have. --Sir James M. Barrie
All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. --Leo Tolstoy
LOVE: The irresistable desire to be irresistibly desired. --Mark Twain
What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork. --Pearl Bailey
Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or burn down your house, you can never tell. --Joan Crawford
Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love. --Albert Einstein

Casebound in Tiffany blue box with white satin ribbon. Specially designed sterling silver pendant/bookmark by Elsa Peretti. Variable dimensions for each vintage hardcover novel. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

What is LOVE?
Well, love is many things to many different people and in this issue Visionaire asks "what is LOVE" to the various contributors.

The concept itself is fairly original which I like. Every issue is a real vintage book (obscure romance novels, all having something to do with love) with the work tipped in various pages throughout. Mine seems to be a novel from the 70's about a love triangle set in some college town. The book itself comes in a felt bag with a pendant/bookmark designed by Elsa Peretti that should be worth the price alone. Then the whole thing is in a Tiffany blue box.

I would have given this issue 5 stars, but there are some production problems that I find too troubling to justify the cost. For one thing, I find that a lot of the pictures are falling out of my issue, the glue that was used (or maybe it's a chemical reaction to the old pages that they didn't foresee) to stick the pictures into the book isn't holding. I'm just ending up with the loose pictures with yellow marks (the glue) loose in the book instead of them being stuck onto the pages of the book.

Another problem has to do with the box the book comes in. It's falling apart, again, perhaps due to the glue that was used. It's hard to describe without a picture of the inside, but there's another box half glued to the inside to create a clamshell effect, but it's gotten loose to reveal that the glue holding it together is no better than that rubber cement type of adhesive that holds samples in magazines. Once it came off, you can't stick it back on.

All in all, buy this issue if you are an avid collector, but be wary of the possiblility of something this expensive falling apart on you... which may not be a bad thing if you want to read the novel underneath the art. Perhaps they meant for it to fall apart, is it a comment on how love can be fleeting? Who knows! ; )

Finally a new issue!
They've kept us waiting for a very long time but now they're back with a new issue! Number 38: Love is the book of the season! Every fan of Visionaire should really buy this issue. Don't be suprised if this issue sells out very quickly. The book comes in a great blue Tiffany box and is really suprising! When you open the box there's a tiffany blue sleeperbag with inside a very old book. Around the outside is a silk string with a silver heart attached to it. This very exclusive heart is designed by Elsa Peretti for Tiffany & Co. and can be worn as a necklace. When you open the book music starts playing. And then the journey begins. The journey to find out what Love really is........ ... Read more

Book Description

Authoritative, eye-popping, and massive, Art of Modern Rock is the first and last word on contemporary concert posters. An art form that has grown hand-in-hand with the independent music scene, heralding small and large gigs alike, the posters have emerged from visually creative street-level notices to prized collectibles rendered in a variety of styles and media. Today's poster artists combine the expressive freedom pioneered in the poster revolution of the 1960s with the attitude and the do-it-yourself approach of the punk scene, creating an unprecedented surge of innovative poster production on an international scale. Featuring over 1,600 exemplary rock posters and flyers from over 200 international studios and artists, Art of Modern Rock is the long-anticipated sequel to coauthor Paul Grushkin's The Art of Rock. Profiles and quotes from the pioneers in the field and their emerging heirs share nearly 500 gloriously packed pages of poster after mind-blowing poster. As brash and colorful as the burgeoning scene it documents, Art of Modern Rock is the must-have book for music and poster fans and collectors. ... Read more

Book Description

It’s like something out of a Hollywood potboiler: start out in the mailroom, end up a mogul. Only for dozens of Hollywood’s brightest, it happens to be true. Some of the biggest names in entertainment—including David Geffen, Barry Diller, and Mike Ovitz—began as trainees in musty talent agency mailrooms. Now, in this fascinating new book, veteran Hollywood writer David Rensin travels behind the scenes and through sixty-five years of show business history to tell the real stories of the marvelous careers that began—and in some cases ended––in the mailroom.

Based on more than two hundred interviews, Rensin unfolds the never-before-told history of an American institution––in the voices of the people who lived it. Through seven decades of glamour and humiliation, lousy pay and incredible perks, killer egos and a kill-or-be-killed ethos, you’ll go where the trainees go, do what they must do to get ahead, and hear the best insider stories from the Hollywood everyone knows about but no one really knows. The kids in The Mailroom have done it all: from hanging out with Elvis to delivering a senior agent’s urine sample to the doctor; from pouring drinks for Sinatra to sending ice to Johnny Carson on the Nile; from crashing the Academy Awards ceremony to hoping to deliver more than just the mail to sexy actresses’ homes.

The Mailroom reveals why Harvard MBAs fight to turn down secure six-digit corporate salaries to start work at a major agency for less than $400 a week; what it takes to appease impossible bosses, outsmart the competition, and “agent” the agents; and how a hungry, star-struck kid can become the next Geffen or Diller by sorting mail, eavesdropping on crucial conversations, and trying anything to get noticed.

Full of revealing stories and delicious dish, The Mailroom is not only a non-stop, engrossing read, but a crash course, taught by the experts, on how to succeed in Hollywood through hard work, shrewd manipulation, and a hell of a lot of nerve. The Mailroom is classic Hollywood—a vibrant and complex tapestry of dreams, desire, exploitation, power, and genuine talent. If you want to know who rules Hollywood and how they got their power, if you want to know how to start with nothing and get ahead in any business, this is the book you must read. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

I'd rate this one 15 stars if I could!
If you have an interest in the entertainment industry, this is an absorbing must-read, absolutely fascinating from cover to cover, the kind you don't want to put down. Can't recommend it highly enough!

SO?????????
A Studs Terkel-like verbal history of the role of the talent agency in Hollywood; with a particular focus on the Mailroom where the movers and shakers get their start. The book is a never ending compilation of interviews with the men who made it after paying their dues in the servitude of the Mail Room. For those in the industry it is probably fascinating lore. For me, it was one big bore.

The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up
Anyone that wants to be in the agent or management business should read this book. David Rensin provides a compulation of agents starting from the ground up (in the mailroom).

This book truly inspired me to work harder, never give up and provides great ideas for anyone trying to run a successful agency.

The downside is that there is alot of nepotism here.
Find out how certian stars became stars because Uncle so and so was an agent or a lawyer for, etc.

Witty, informative anecdotes of the low rung on the ladder
I love entertainment business books and this one does not disappoint. Unless you're in the biz, which I'm not, almost all of the names will be unfamiliar. This book has no story. It's a known fact that a way into the entertainment industry is to work in an agency's mailroom, eat sh*t, and hope for your break. This book is a series of interviews with the former mailroom attendees on the good, the bad, and the mental make-up of the wannabes struggling to get out of "mailroom jail". It's funny, informative, and one of those books you can't put down.

Many industries have a proving ground. In investment banking we put them on as a trading or sales assistant hoping they will pick up the lingo and learn on the fly. But the agency mailroom seems to be about feeding egos of senior agent's with much more screaming, yelling and attention paid to personal chores. They do mention many of the nice agents as well as the agents who were best at teaching the mailroom guys. My favorite stories are about CAA because it is next door to my favorite hotel the Peninsula and because of the Mike Ovitz aura. Mike doesn't come off particularly well in the book but partner Ron Meyer does come off as a particularly sharp and nice guy.

The positives and negatives of the mailroom run from taking your bosses stool sample in the doctor to having nude actresses answer the door. I also enjoyed the stories of the CAA mailroom which had a particularly high level of paranoia. I had met media mogul and former agent, Mike Medavoy so it was interesting seeing his son's quotes who was eventually fired due to information leaked to his father.

If you have any interest in the business side of Hollywood, you'll like this book. Other books of interest would be "Wannabe" about an MBA's attempt to succeed at the low levels of Hollywood, and Lynda Obst's book "Hello, He Lied" about her journey from journalist to producer.

Hilarious. Brutal. True.
After suffering through an agency mailroom through to promotion I can vouch for the veracity of this book. The book would have been perfect if Rensin were able to get an interview out of Mike Ovitz... he's had more than a few words to get off his chest lately anyway. Still a good read for anybody who wants to start out in Hollywood the right way... hopefully it will scare some sense into you and make you choose a real career/life! ... Read more

Book Description

Anyone who brings home this book will be in big trouble. Renowned artist Brian Froud and scholar Ari Berk have conducted a thorough investigation into the goblin realm. (For the uninformed, goblins, a subspecies of faery, are those maleficent creatures that cause all manner of havoc in the human realm.) The fruit of their labor, however, turned out to be a rotten apple: the book is infected with goblins.

Now, thanks largely to Froud and Berk's continuing carelessness, the noxious, viscid, and largely nonsensical volume has been unleashed on an unsuspecting public. Among its pages are reproductions of the ancient, odoriferous Codex Goblinensis; a glossary of common goblins and their markings; and a gazetteer of goblin photographs taken with the arcane Goblin Camera. Those fearing an infestation can refer to the section detailing how to determine if you've "got goblins" and, if so, what you can do about it. (There is nothing you can do about it.)

Combining the folkloric approach of Faeries with the utter wackiness of Lady Cottington, this is the team's most visually rich and outrageous opus yet. ... Read more