American Literature, Vol. 2: Realism to the Present

Book Description

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in tum-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

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Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life inturn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with itswinning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The classic lovestory takes place on the De la Garza ranch, as the tyrannical owner, Mama Elena, chops onions at the kitchen table in her final days of pregnancy.

While still in her mother's womb, her daughter-to-be weeps so violentlyshe causes an early labor, and little Tita slips out amid the spices andfixings for noodle soup. This early encounter with food soon becomes away of life, and Tita grows up to be a master chef. She shares specialpoints of her favorite preparations with listeners throughout the story.

"A tall tale, fairy tale, soap-opera romance, Mexican cookbook, andhome-remedy handbook all rolled into one."
   SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"A wondrous romantic tale. Esquivel has given us a banquet."
   LOS ANGELES TIMES

"Like Water for Chocolate is deceptively simple and simplywonderful. A story of love, sex, war, and the sweep of Mexican historythat belongs to women."
   BOSTON GLOBE

"A mystical, piquant novel. Like Water for Chocolate is a savoryand satisfying tale."
   PEOPLE

Customer Reviews:

To each their own..........2007-10-01

I picked this book up for free at an orchard, they have a great book give away system. I had heard of this before but never read it. It was okay, but I'm sure I'll never read it again. The story is about 3 sisters and their mom on a ranch is Mexico. The older sister marries the younger one's love, and the story takes off. The problem is, I didn't connect with any of these characters. They story would have grim reality, then fantasy in the next paragraph. I can undrestand why some people would enjoy this, but it's not my thing. I think this is one of those books that you'll love or hate. If you love this book, you'll be shaking your head and wondering what's wrong with me that I didn't like it. If you didn't care for it, you'll understand what I'm saying. Whatever, to each their own.

Delicious!.......2007-08-04

The story of Elena De la Garza, the youngest daughter of Tita, is told by Tita's granddaughter. Cultural tradition is that as the youngest daughter, Tita must remain with her mother, unmarried, to care for her until she dies.
Tita's sister Gertrudis marries Tita's love Pedro. Rosaura has love fire and goes off to the Revolution to couple with a general in the army and becomes an officer of the army herself. This book is fantasy, magic, emotion, reality of love, told in chapters headed by ancient Mexican recipes handed down for generations. Ingeniously constructed, with a beautiful voice, this book is a classic.

Wonderful book - one of my favorites!.......2007-07-20

Laura Esquival's story is about love and passion intertwined with food and family. Each chapter begins with a delicious recipe that connects to the story about Tita, the heroine of the book.

You fall in love with the characters, laugh and smile when good things happen, and cry when unfortunate events tear at their hearts. It's a page turner that fires up the imagination. It will make you hungry and want to fall in love at the same time.

This is one of my favorite books. I read it at least once a year.

Like water for chocolate .......2007-06-13

This book is a story is about a young girl that is in love with this young man. When he wants to go ask her hand in marriage Mama Elena says "No." The reason that she says no is because of a stupid tradition. That says that the youngest girl in the De la Garza family can not get married. They have to take care of there mother till she dies.

So when the young man finds out he thinks that the closes why he can get to Tita is by marring her sister. So he does. When Tita finds out she is heart broken. Not only did she just lose the man that she loved; now she had to live seeing him with her sister. What really hurt her most was that she had to make the wedding cake. When she was making some of her tears got into the ingredients and that mad the cake go bad. While her sister was eating it she felt sick and throw-up all over her white dress. Rosaura said that Tita was trying to ruin her wedding night by making her sick.

I really like the way that the author describes everything so good. Like when Tita was making dinner, how she was cutting the chilies, and the sound that the meat made when it touched the hot pan. I also liked the setting that the author had. Some thing that I would change would be the ending. But I had to read it two times to get it. But this is a really good book so you should read it if you like soap-opera romance,and fairy- tale.

magical mystical ride..........2007-05-30

Like Water for Chocolate is a wonderful, magical even mystical ride. A lyrical tale of food, love, romance and heartbreak. Highly recommended.
Laura Esquivel writes a beautiful story that will stay with you for years.

Average customer rating:

Reality Through the Arts (6th Edition)
Dennis J. Sporre
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Realism | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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The Creed: The Apostolic Faith in Contemporary Theology

ASIN: 0131958585

Book Description

This introductory exploration of basic artistic concepts and terms applies them to a skeletal multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural history of artistic styles. It treats all the arts–painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, music, theatre, dance, film, architecture, literature–uniformly, and uses a common outline to reinforce the relationship of terms and concepts to the perceptual process. The book also ties both artistic media and history to the theme of art as a reflection of human reality This examination focuses on the media of the arts, pictures, sculpture, music, theatre, cinema, dance, architecture, literature, the styles of the arts, ancient approaches, artistic reflections in the pre-modern world, as well as artistic styles in the emerging modern world and, the beginnings of modernism, pluralism in a post-modern age. For art enthusiasts and others interested exploring how artists express themselves.

International Relations Theory: Realism, Pluralism, Globalism, and Beyond (3rd Edition)

Average customer rating:

This book didn't have to be this difficult
A Decent Overview
An Excellent Graduate Level Textbook
Basic about realism, pluralism, globalism

International Relations Theory: Realism, Pluralism, Globalism, and Beyond (3rd Edition)
Paul R. Viotti , and Mark V. Kauppi
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

International | Current Events | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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The U.s. Intelligence Community

ASIN: 0205292534

Book Description

A rich and diverse collection of theoretical essays and excerpts, this volume divides and organizes the material by category for clarity and comprehensiveness. Selections range from the works of Thucydides to Alexander Wendt and comprise a rich and thorough overview of International Relations literature. Sections are organized by categories related to Globalism, Realism, and Pluralism. For anyone with an interest in International Relations Theories.

Customer Reviews:

This book didn't have to be this difficult.......2006-02-24

I am a joint law student/international affairs masters student. Surprisingly, after a year and a half of law school, I have never had a textbook as difficult to read and understand as this one. The authors take complicated ideas and make them even more complex.

It is almost as if the authors are competing with the experts in IR they include in this book, trying to see who can use more obscure words and incomprehensible sentences.

Reading this book, I keep telling myself, I could write this sentence or that sentence clearer. The authors should fire their current editor for the fourth edition and hire someone who is fluent in English, not technobabble.

The Glossary is sparse and the index is lacking many key ideas and phrases discussed in the textbook.

Professors, if you want your students to truly understand IR, pick another book which explains IR theory more clearly and without such convoluted jargon.

Terrible book.

A Decent Overview.......2004-11-01

This text seeks to combine a standard IR Theory reader with a IR theory general text. In its first endevor, this book excels. The texts chosen are from among the leaders of thier fields and are summerized clearly and cogently by the editors. In its second task, however, this book fails quite notably. The text written by the authors regarding Realism, Pluralism, and Globalism is poorly written and to broad to be of much use, although thier description of realism is far better than thier description of the others. I would reccomend this book only because of the excellent collection of articles found within. For a general IR theory text, I would look elsewhere.

An Excellent Graduate Level Textbook.......2002-03-22

Kauppi and Viotti's work gives a comprehensive comparison between the contending theories of International Relations. Each section is followed by key readings which helps clear any misunderstanding and introduces to the student some of the finest texts supporting each perspective. Truly informative, great book. Recommended to Political Science graduate students everywhere.

Basic about realism, pluralism, globalism.......1997-03-08

A very good comparative analysis of the international relations theory. The authors first introduce each theory and briefly characterize it, describe characteristic authors and explain the advantages and disadvantages of realists, pluralist and globalist. Following each brief review of a theory are a number of essays of typical authors. I personally used this book to prepare for my pre-exams in political science and there's nothing that comes close to it

Average customer rating:

Better Values Elsewhere

Edward Hopper: A Catalogue Raisonne

Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Modern | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 039303786X

Book Description

The definitive, complete catalogue of Edward Hopper's oils, watercolors, and illustrations published in a magnificent three-volume boxed set.

First published in 1995 at $750 and now available at one-third that price, this extraordinary collection includes essays on Hopper's place in American art, all his illustration work, 350 watercolors, 360 oils, related texts, and an easy-to-reference Windows CD with provenance, bibliographies, exhibition histories, and excerpts from the artist's own sketchbooks. 3 volumes boxed with Windows CD. 1,500 illustrations, 600 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Better Values Elsewhere.......2007-09-05

If you love Edward Hopper and must have the complete works, you'll buy this regardless of what I say. But if you are just a fan and want to see a bio and highlights there are better compendiums out there. While these books are bound well, the paper could be better quality as could the color reproduction. The biggest drawback is that the books don't lie flat for better viewing.

Again, if you want the complete, historical Edward Hopper - I'd consider this. But for the money and for someone who just admires his more popular works, there are better, and less expensive choices.

Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development

Average customer rating:

Good for the intermediate Flash programmer
Great Book
very limited discussion of incorporating physics
In-Depth game Development!
Specifics for beginners, bad habits for mid-levels

Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development
Glen Rhodes
Manufacturer: Charles River Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Graphic Design | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Video & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

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Beginning Flash Game Programming For Dummies
The Flash 8 Game Developing Handbook
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ASIN: 1584504870

Book Description

If you want to take your Flash Professional 8 skills to a new level while learning how to produce games that rival anything available on the web, this is the book for you. Macromedia Flash Professional 8 Game Development is written by a professional game developer. Using the power of Flash and the most recent advancements in ActionScript, the book progresses through the entire development process to teach programmers and Web developers how to create professional quality games quickly. It teaches techniques for producing fast 3D effects that can be used with "cheat" techniques to produce powerful, high-performance results. It details the actual science of game development, including design, character development, the physics and motion of a game, and audio issues. And in this new edition, all of the latest features of Flash Professional 8 are covered, including the new sound channels, bitmap caching, texture pages, and more. The book covers many advanced topics in a simple, easy to understand way. It emphasizes the incredible power of the new BitmapData class and teaches how it can be used to take the performance of Flash games to a whole new level. It has never been easier to get right down to the pixel level and manipulate things at blazing speeds, making previously impossible games a breeze to make. So get to your computer, insert the CD-ROM, and prepare to begin your journey into the world of Flash Professional 8 game development.

Customer Reviews:

Good for the intermediate Flash programmer.......2007-07-30

The book provides several examples that progress the reader through the programming of gradually more complex games. The reader should have a basic knowledge of Flash and Actionscript, as the book brushes over beginner-level concepts. At the time, the book is fairly up to date, however there is supposedly quite a jump between Flash 8 and Flash CS3, which uses Actionscript 3.0. Nonetheless, the concepts taught in the book are universally applicable regardless of what Flash version you are using. The inclusion of a CD-ROM is an added bonus and a must with this kind of book.

Great Book.......2007-06-11

I found the book easy to read and very practical. The use of examples to explain things is great. And of course, examples that do work is great also!!!

It's the right book for those that already know something about flash and actionscript (doesn't need to be an expert), and want to learn to develop some games in flash, and perhaps aplly those technics on other apllications.

The book is great fun!!!

very limited discussion of incorporating physics.......2007-05-29

As a physicist, I looked at the chapter on "Physics for Games". It's very introductory Newtonian mechanics. Applying these in time-discrete form for moving objects in the game. Gravity is considered for vertical motion, and wind is incorporated to affect horizontal motion. Freshman level stuff. If you are developing a game where you need to seriously incorporate physics, there are entire books devoted to it, like Physics for Game Developers.

Though to be fair, the book is about learning Flash and its effects. Other chapters offer code fragments. Of necessity, these are all elementary, from a programming complexity standpoint. But they help explain how to apply Flash.

The most intricate part of the book seems to be when you model a 3d world. Nice rendering examples. Doesn't go very deeply here. Flash almost certainly has more advanced functionality.

In-Depth game Development!.......2007-05-17

I've bought this book with the purpose of starting to make flash games. Well, i couldn't have chosen a better way! The book is very easy to read and understand and the the examples are incredible. It explores the appropriate tools to create games like the BitmapData while giving other tools an explanation too. 5 stars!

Specifics for beginners, bad habits for mid-levels.......2007-04-28

If you've worked with strongly type languages like Java/C++/etc then this book might make you cringe a bit. First, the code is very terse with clever tricks to shorten the number of lines. Eventually it makes sense but methods like makeFader() don't really make a fader, they do other things like remove a game object from the scene.

So along with softreferences ( for i to 10, make a variable box_i=i ) - ew, and bad naming conventions, it plays out more like an Oreilly Cookbook that encourages bad habits. Granted, I ordered it and I'll keep it as a book full of complete examples. But I think any of the examples that I copy/type/study, I'll refactor later to be more clear and well-coded.

It's a fast ramp-up to ActionScript 2.0. If you're looking for smarter and more mid-level code then maybe wait for a book on AS3.0 that is more class oriented and less procedural like this book. Else, if you just want to see end-to-end examples as fast as possible the author does a good job of explaining code blocks as he goes even if he's encouraging bad habits.

Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right

Average customer rating:

Strategic solutions for a familiar problem
Confronting Reality : Doing What Matters to Get Things Right
Look! A FOREST!!!
Excellent Business Book!
Bossidy should take his own advice

Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right
Larry Bossidy , and Ram Charan
Manufacturer: Crown Business
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Organizational Change | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right | Top 30 | Specialty Stores | Books
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Every Business is a Growth Business: How Your Company Can Prosper Year After Year

ASIN: 1400050847
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Amazon.com

In their 2002 bestseller, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan identify why people don't get results: they don't execute. Bossidy and Charan are back with another stellar study on organizational behavior that shows how companies can succeed if they return to reality and examine every part of their business. Confronting Reality is based on a simple concept, but many companies approach strategy and execution in a surprisingly unreal manner and even the simplest of measurement methods, like the business model, are not applied correctly.

Cisco, 3M, KLM, Home Depot, and the Thomson Corporation are just a few of the companies that Bossidy and Charan examine. To demonstrate how to examine a business using the business model, Bossidy and Charan map out external variables, financial targets, internal activities, and an iteration stage (defined as a time to "make tradeoffs, apply and develop business savvy") to prove how a dynamically evolving business model will help improve performance.

"The version of the business model we have developed is a robust, reality-based process for thinking about the specifics of your business in a holistic way. It shows you how to tie together the financial targets you must meet, the external realities of your business and internal activities such as strategy development, operating tactics, and selection and development of people."

Larry Bossidy, retired chairman and CEO of Honeywell International and Ram Charan, author of What the CEO Wants You to Know and Profitable Growth Is Everyone's Business, have once again shed industrial-strength light on how to run a successful business. --E. Brooke Gilbert

Amazon.com Exclusive Content

Amazon.com Interview: Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan are back with Confronting Reality to show how companies can succeed if they get back to reality and examine every part of their business. Amazon.com senior editor E. Brooke Gilbert interviewed Bossidy and Charan to discuss the current business climate, their new book, and future projections.
Read the interview.

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan Discuss the Airline Industry

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan discuss the airline industry's failure to confront reality based on a recent Wall Sreet Journal article and their new book as a backdrop.
Read their comments.

Book Description

Confronting Reality will change the way you think about and run your business. It is the first book that shows how to connect the big picture of the new era of business with the nitty-gritty of what to do about it. Through a completely new way to understand and use the business model as the primary tool for confronting reality—a breakthrough that will become the management innovation of this decade—you’ll know sooner rather than later whether your fundamental business premise is under assault, where your best opportunities lie, what you should change and what you should leave alone, and how to realistically plan the future of your business.

The fundamentals of how a business makes money are being rapidly and permanently altered by sweeping structural changes. With their extraordinary depth and breadth of experience, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan are the ideal guides for everyone—entrepreneur, mid-level manager, or CEO—about what is to be done so you can get things right in this challenging, radically changed world. They start by showing you how to understand the most fundamental element of any business: whether you can realistically make the money you hope to in the game you’re playing.

Bossidy and Charan show how to use the business model to develop a robust, reality-based process for thinking about the speci?cs of your business in a holistic way. They show how to tie together the financial targets you must meet, the external realities you face, and internal activities such as strategy development, operating tactics, and selection and development of people.

Through the lens of the business model, as well as the skillful use of initiatives and development of people with the right leadership characteristics, you’ll see how Robert Nardelli at Home Depot, Jim McNerney at 3M, Dick Harrington at the Thomson Corporation, Michael Wisbrun at KLM, Joseph Tucci at EMC, and John Chambers at Cisco confronted reality. Whether they faced crisis or opportunity, all made the right kinds of changes through a combination of business savvy (the art of understanding the fundamentals driving a business) and business model thinking.

Customer Reviews:

Strategic solutions for a familiar problem.......2006-12-11

Authors Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan start with what you know: the business world has dramatically, irrevocably changed. Companies confront the new reality of globalization, free capital flows and powerhouse retailers. The book's strength lies in its relentless insistence on a basic fact that business leaders know but have apparently been trying to deny: you must see the economic world as it really is. This is not new. You know the ground has shifted, but have you figured out everything that you need to do now? Most of today's business models describe how companies made money in the past - but survival now requires more than a model based on the old economy. You need that elusive, intuitive attribute Bossidy and Charan call "business savvy." Even if they can't quite seem to nail down a precise definition, their case studies illustrate how this super sense works, and why you need it. We recommend their book to managers and executives who want to learn how to rethink their businesses in today's environment.

Confronting Reality : Doing What Matters to Get Things Right.......2006-03-13

Clearly a reality check around the problems we all face as our customers and shareholders expectations are changing. In reviewing three major telecom institutions, Larry reminds us of the fundementals of we are in business. It's a good model for use when we're looking in the mirror at our own situation.

Definately worth the investment to read.

Look! A FOREST!!!.......2006-01-11

Instead of peicemealing a business to death: strategy, marketing, finance, etc. Bossidy and Charan give us a view of a whole business, from the chair of the savvy Entrepreneur or that of the CEO. They show hot to fit all the peices of a business together.

Bossidy and Charan use well-known examples and analyze the pitfalls and successes of these examples (Home Depot, Walmart, Thompson) according to a three-part business model: external environment, internal operations and financial targets. They also show you how to integrate by juggling the three simultaneously!

This was a great introductory book to orient businesspersons of any trade, level and experience to the whole shebang of business.

But. . .

Truthfully, i have read this 'business model' stuff before, with more depth and more analysis. I read the book "The Escher Cycle" by F. Jackson a couple of years back. That book goes into much more detail about most of Bossidy and Charan's three-part business model. Couple that book with "Value Migration" and you'll have a much better handle on the hurly-burly world of business.

Excellent Business Book!.......2005-12-25

Confronting Reality" is a gold-mine of perspective on how to get an organization properly focused - starting by confronting reality. It belongs on the bookshelf of every manager with bottom-line responsibility.

Bossidy begins by stating that any plan for a business has to answer three questions: 1)What's the nature of the game we're in? 2)Where is it going? 3)How do we make money in it? Incredibly, says Bossidy, in many organizations they rarely get asked, much less adequately answered.

Strategic plans of most companies don't work. A key reason is that little time, if any, is spent harmonizing the facts of the external environment, the financial targets that are set, and the internal capabilities of the business. People with a well-developed sense of business savvy seldom have a strategy ahead of time - instead, they devise their strategies as a means of meeting financial targets, not the other way around.

Buyers have much greater power today than in past years. Globalization + overcapacity (in many business lines) have shifted power to large buyers and intermediaries (Wal-Mart).

Questions that help detail the answers to the first three include: 1)Is the how of making money in my business and industry changing? 2)Who is winning in my industry, who is not, and why? 3)How, specifically, are the winners making money? 4)If my business is a winner, what do I need to do to stay on top? Conversely, if I need to change my game, what specifically should I be doing? 5)Am I in a growth industry or not? If not, and I want to continue, how do I change it or play it better than the competition? 6)Is my organization moving quickly to spot and take advantage of growth opportunities generated by these changes? 7)How do major customers see my products? 8)Am I bound by legacy costs (eg. pensions, healthcare) that make competing difficult?

Bossidy then identifies behaviors as common causes of failure to confront reality. (President Bush needs to read this section VERY CAREFULLY.) 1)Filtered Information: Possibly due to getting information only from those with the same point of view - typically in organizations looking at the world from the inside out rather than outside in. 2)Selective Hearing: The most common reasons are preconceived notions or the arrogance of past success. 3)Wishful Thinking: The merger will succeed because we need it to work (or have the best people on it). 4)Fear: Some tyrants fire people for disagreeing with them; more common is a situation where companies force-rank executives and use "attitude" as one of the criteria.

Summarizing - a well thought-out framework for realistic planning is provided by a highly credible former top executive.

Bossidy should take his own advice.......2005-11-08

This book is just a thinly-disguised argument for why all businesses should outsource. Every situation in the book is just a setup for the CEO to "confront reality" and outsource their business. Overly-simplistic advice which can be fatal to many companies. Outsourcing is only appropriate in a few circumstances and the reality is that outsourcing may have outlived its usefulness. Time for Bossidy to confront reality and do what is right - creating opportunities for American business in America.

The Russian Vision: The Art of Ilya Repin

Average customer rating:

A word from the author
A keystone of Russian Art
GREATTT!!
Took me twenty five years to get an Ilya Repin book!
The artist is wonderous, the reproductions atrocious.

The Russian Vision: The Art of Ilya Repin
Dr. David Jackson
Manufacturer: B.A.I. (Exhibitions International)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

John Singer Sargent: Figures and Landscapes, 1874-1882; Complete Paintings: Volume IV (John Singer Sargent)
Cecilia Beaux: A Modern Painter in the Gilded Age
Valentin Serov: Portraits of Russia's Silver Age (SRLT)
Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice
In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and His American Students

ASIN: 9085860016
Release Date: 2006-03-01

Book Description

This first comprehensive survey of Ilya Repin's work to be overseen by a Western art historian features a wealth of previously unseen paintings, eye-catching and dramatic works that bring to life Russian society in the last years of the tsars. Repin, who lived from 1844 to 1930, was the finest and most celebrated painter of his generation, and an important influence in shaping a distinctly Russian school within nineteenth-century Realism. His often-controversial works addressed subjects including the hard lives of the peasants, the fates of revolutionary activists, loaded episodes of Russian history and some of the nation's greatest cultural figures, many of whom he counted as personal friends, including Tolstoy, Musorgsky and Gorky. His vibrant, colorful and topical canvases offer a fascinating panorama of the issues that were swirling in the minds of his contemporaries, and an unusual view of all strata of life during this crucial period of historical change.

Customer Reviews:

A word from the author.......2007-08-30

As the author of this work I would like to thank all those who have made such complimentary remarks. In defence of my publisher I would like to point out that we relied solely for our reproductions on the images supplied by Russian museums and galleries, where quality control could be better. Many times we were faced with the dilemma either to go with the reproduction supplied, or show nothing, and given the range and scope of Repin's work we always felt it best to at least show something, rather than just write about it. Given that this is the only title on the market that is so extensively illustrated we hope it will serve its purpose of boosting Repin's appeal. Thanks again to everybody who has been so kind with their comments. It was indeed for me `a labour of love.'

A keystone of Russian Art.......2007-06-19

Westerners have little cultural exposure to Russian art, which is extremely unfortunate since there are several naturalist painters - Aivazovsky, Levitan, Repin and Shishkin come to mind - whose works should be widely known and appreciated for technical execution, even if the viewer is not a particular fan of representational painting. I was introduced to the painters above through a chapter in Paul Johnson's Art: A New History (a 5-star book), and based on the limited samples therein, I set about acquiring one good book on each of them.

The specific painting chosen by Johnson to celebrate Repin's skill is "The Return," a dramatic evocation of the family turmoil and shock created by the unexpected release of a political prisoner from a labor camp, and his entrance into the family sitting room. This painting is so compelling that acquiring a Repin book became a high priority. I had especially wanted to see other examples of his work detailing the environment of Russian political repression. After several years of false starts and trying to order books on perpetual back-order, I succeeded in locating this volume, which probably ranks as the definitive Repin book available in English.

It is true, as another reviewer stated, that the color reproductions leave something to be desired - and may even be atrocious - but the book showcases Repin's development as a painter, and his historical importance as a member of the Wanderers school. In particular, it demonstrates his mastery of many themes going far beyond the scope of "political repression," which is what Johnson's example and text discussion had led me to expect.

My quibble with the book is the dearth of color plates. Given that Repin's oeuvre is so inaccessible to Westerners, the more that could have been stuffed in the book, the better.

GREATTT!!.......2007-05-14

Repin is the great virtuoso of the russian art.This beautiful book showing his art and his period.Book's paper quality and binding extra fine.As well giant art catalog!If you want a repin book, you will order this!

Took me twenty five years to get an Ilya Repin book!.......2007-04-09

If you love art - wonderful meaningful art - get this book. If you need a gift idea for a culture vulture friend or a sentimental Russian - buy this book.
It is really a satisfying art book. I have over a thousand art books and this one floats my boat.

The artist is wonderous, the reproductions atrocious........2007-04-03

I haven't got the book with me so I can't point to the page that truly defines this effort but the painting it obliterates is Ivan the terrible and his son. Here is what they: It is important to remember that this is Repin's best known painting. Thus it gets a two page spread! On this two page spread there are two margins of about an inch, on each side of the painting. The key point, the focus for the entire painting is the face of Ivan and his son. This focal point is square in the middle of the binding, completely cut from view unless you want to tear the book out of its bindings (not a bad idea). Had they moved the painting off center by... say 3/4s of an inch either left or right they would have had the focal point in view. They could have also made it a one page picture and used close ups to see detail. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually matter because the reproduction is so dull that the blood, yes that is blood, is a rather bland greyish red. I understand that Repin was working from a limited palatte here and that the remainder of the painting is rather bland but not those reds. Now the written portion of this book is well done as far as I have read, so this isn't a complete loss but for good reproductions of Repin's work the wait continues.

Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World

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PTibbits review of Ethical Realism
assumes you know your world history
Not particularly profound
A blend of common sense and ethical realism
A New Vision out of a Great Tradtion of American Statesmanship

Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World
Anatol Lieven , and John Hulsman
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375424458
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Book Description

America today faces a world more complicated than ever before, but both political parties have failed to envision a foreign policy that addresses our greatest threats. As a result, the United States risks lurching from crisis to crisis. In Ethical Realism, Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman, two distinguished policy experts from different political camps, have joined forces to write an impassioned manifesto that illuminates a new way forward.

Rather than blindly asserting a mixture of American power and the transformative effects of democracy, Lieven and Hulsman call for a foreign policy that recognizes America’s real strengths and weaknesses, and those of other nations. They explain how the United States can successfully combine genuine morality with tough and practical common sense.

To achieve these goals, Lieven and Hulsman emphasize the core principles of the American tradition of ethical realism, as set out by Reinhold Niebuhr, Hans Morgenthau, and George Kennan: prudence, patriotism, responsibility, humility, and a deep understanding of other nations. They show how this spirit informed the strategies of Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower in the early years of the Cold War and how these presidents were able to contain Soviet expansionism while rejecting the pressure for disastrous preventive wars a threat that has returned since 9/11.

Drawing on this philosophy and these historical lessons, Lieven and Hulsman provide a set of concrete proposals for tackling the problems we face today, including the terrorist threat, Iran, Russia, the Middle East, and China. Their arguments are intended to establish American global power on a more limited but much firmer basis, with greater international support. Both morally stirring and deeply practical, this book shows us how to strengthen our national security, pursue our national interests, and restore American leadership in the world.

Customer Reviews:

PTibbits review of Ethical Realism.......2007-07-24

I was very impressed with this book. It took a liberal and conservative expert and found those concepts they could agree on. They present a review of the foreign policies that succeded and those that failed since WWII. They then present a view of how we should proceed in the future and concepts we should keep in mind as we try to determine how to react to events that occur. Although I did not agree with everything they said, I found their reasoning sound and it gave me a lot to think about. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in foreign policy, especially the candidated for president.

assumes you know your world history.......2007-07-19

and since i'm not an expert - found it difficult to follow until i got into the author's pattern. They take a position - anti administration - then offer an alternative - then try to give a historical reference to prove their point. Maybe it's intentional - to shake up the reader - but you're either already "for" or "against" US policy -and this book isn't going to change your mind.
If you're "for" don't bother with it - it's too high brow and insulting to work for that purpose.
But if you're looking for a conforting companion to bash the US thought process then you'll cheer while reading.
Very provoking both ways in that it puts in black and white, what none of the mainstream media will.

Not particularly profound.......2007-07-04

Should we let facts get in the way of our daydreams?

This is a question posed by Anatol Lieven and John Hulsman early in this book. And, of course, their answer is yes. Not surprisingly, I agree. Let's see if they are willing to do that themselves.

Well, Iraq is a big mess right now. And the authors do say that some folks overrated our attempts to introduce democracy there. That's fair. They also say that in addition to criticism, we need effective counterproposals. That's fair as well.

There's a good discussion of the Marshall Plan. I agree that this plan was both moral and realistic.

And there is a discussion of the Bush administration record in reacting to the events of 9/11/2001. Is our security better now? Actually, not much. We have also increased our budget and undermined (via the Iraq war) our "ability to intervene or even threaten anywhere else." These are good points.

What about "pre-emptive" war. As the authors explain, Harry Truman said that all such wars prevent is peace. But perhaps that quote is overrated. There may indeed be a time and place where pre-emptive wars make sense. On the other hand, I agree with the authors that its recent use has been of dubious merit at best.

Could America become a garrison state? Could we lose our values? Yes. That is one of the threats we face. And the authors explain that there still are threats of direct attacks on the United States, and that our most important statecraft task is to reduce that risk. I think that is an exaggeration, as appeasement is a risk as well, and we need to be careful about engaging in it just to try to reduce the risk of an immediate attack.

The authors want peace in the Levant. And they have some recommendations on a peace settlement. While a peace settlement such as the one they suggest might be fine if it were agreed to and implemented, I think they ought to take an opportunity right here to let facts get in the way of their daydreams.

"Regional concert" in Iraq seems to me to have even more of the same problem. Yes, we may have a duty to make matters better, not worse. But I see no reason to think that this "concert" will help.

Anyway, the book is okay, but not really special.

A blend of common sense and ethical realism .......2007-04-10

America faces a more complicated world than ever, but both political parties have failed to develop a foreign policy to address the increasing crises overseas. ETHICAL REALISM: A VISION FOR AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD hones in on the fallacies and repair of America's foreign policy, making it a top recommendation for college-level collections and public libraries alike. The authors call for a revamped foreign policy which takes advantage of America's real strengths and weaknesses, explaining how the U.S. can achieve morality overseas through a blend of common sense and ethical realism as set out by Reinhold Niebuhr and others.

A New Vision out of a Great Tradtion of American Statesmanship.......2007-04-03

This is an important book for a clear historical overview of the driving strategic philosophy which drove American Presidents from Truman and Eisenhower to Reagan and Bush I. That the "containment policy", so adroitly developed by George Kennan, was a success, is quite an understatement.

The authors well note that, the tremendous patience and wisdom which drove it, was not perfectly executed, and there were missteps, but that, by and large, variants of this policy were quite successful in confronting Communisim without the resort to thermonuclear war. The authors, themselves from opposite poltical camps, note that that to achieve success, presidents were often required to defeat poltical extremists, both from the left, and from the right...even, and I might add, especially, from their own parties......for almost 50 years.

There is an intersting chapter on Prudence, with reference to Augustine. Prudence, that first of the Cardinal Virtues of practical and perfectable right decision making, is correctly understood by these authors, as the central dictum of the "wisdom of the west", drawn as it is, from the first philsophical sources of the Greek, Roman and the Judeo-Christian traditions.

The prudent nation, and that nation's statesmen, know how the world is objectively, not how they might wish to it be, and not out of the blinkers of an ideology, but out of a nitty-gritty, clear eyed, and perfectably objective underestanding of reality. This is the prudence of a George Kennan in the contemplation of Stalin.

Out of this five fingered grasp, as enlightened by a clear awareness of our spiritual values, comes policy rooted in ethical realism. This is the process and policy that these authors wish for America....and it can be felt in each page of this book.

Their message for today is that Kennan's "ethical realism" can and should be applied to our own now post-communist world. The examples they give are thought provoking....but more than this, they give Americans hope to once again re-discover the true diplomatic path...that old path of ethical realism....for the good of our country, and for the good of our world.

Japan's Reluctant Realism: Foreign Policy Challenges in an Era of Uncertain Power

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an excellent book on Japanese foreign policy

Japan's Reluctant Realism: Foreign Policy Challenges in an Era of Uncertain Power
Michael Green
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Japan Rising: The Resurgence of Japanese Power And Purpose
Japanese Foreign Policy at the Crossroads: Challenges and Options for the Twenty-First Century
Securing Japan: Tokyo's Grand Strategy and the Future of East Asia (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs)
Koizumi Diplomacy: Japan's Kantei Approach to Foreign and Defense Affairs
Beyond Bilateralism: U.S.-Japan Relations in the New Asia-Pacific (Contemporary Issues in Asia and Pacific)

ASIN: 1403962359

Book Description

Has Japanese foreign policy changed in the post-Cold War era? On the surface, it appears to have been quite consistent since the end of World War II. It has stressed the US-Japanese security alliance, the use of economic tools, and constraints on the use of force. However, this book argues that new ideas and new patterns of diplomacy have in fact come about following the changes after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Using case studies that look at China, the Korean peninsula, Russia and Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and international institutions, Michael Green uncovers a more Japanese foreign policy in Japan. Though it still converges with the US on fundamental issues, it is increasingly independent. While remaining low-risk, it is more sensitive to balance-of-power issues. It is still reactive, but it is far less passive. Green argues that this emerging strategic view, what he calls "reluctant realism," is being shaped by a combination of changes in the international environment, insecurity about national power resources, and Japanese aspirations for a national identity that moves beyond the legacy of World War II. As a result, it is time for the US and the world to recognize Japan as an independent actor in Northeast Asia and to assess Japanese foreign policy on its own terms.

Customer Reviews:

an excellent book on Japanese foreign policy.......2001-06-29

This is an excellent book on Japanese foreign policy written by someone now working for the National Security Council. It draws upon on copious research including interviews conducted by the author, as well as Japanese and English language secondary source materials. Green convincingly argues that Japanese foreign policy is particularly driven by parochial domestic considerations, and in this respect the book is quite timely in light of the political changes occurring in Japan. I learned quite a bit from reading this book -- even regarding issues on which I thought my own prior knowledge was significant.

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