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- Face-to-Face Comparisons Reveal Warhol's Perspectives
- A less familiar Warhol
- An influence that continues down to the present
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Andy Warhol Portraits
Tony Shafrazi ,
Carter Ratcliffe , and
Robert Rosenblum
Manufacturer: Phaidon Press
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0714846678 |
Book Description
First Book to Feature over 300 of Warhol's Famous Faces
"I think everybody is my friend." -Andy Warhol
To the general public, Andy Warhol is known as a painter of legendary icons, from Marilyn and Jackie O to his own ever-changing self-portrait. Less known are the portraits he made of socialites, art dealers, collectors, politicians, fashion designers and a variety of contemporary cult figures, mostly commissioned work that helped finance Warhol's many other artistic activities. Never before has there been a book that provides a comprehensive overview of all of Warhol's famous faces.
ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS by Tony Shafrazi, is the first book to provide a complete overview of Warhol's many celebrity portraits, from the famous to the infamous. It features over 300 glamorous portraits including many works largely unknown even by avid fans.
ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS grew out of an exhibition that was organized by the Tony Shafrazi Gallery, New York in 2005. Shafrazi paid homage to a seminal display of Warhol's portraits that took place at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1979-80. The Whitney exhibition presented for the first time a large array of the commissioned portraits that the artist began in the early 1970s as a way to offset the cost of multiplying activities at the Factory. Shafrazi's exhibition included many portraits from the original Whitney exhibition as well as others. ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS takes Shafrazi's exhibition even further, nearly doubling the number of works shown.
On the 20th anniversary of Warhol's death in 1987, there has never been a better time to reflect on Warhol's life and influence on pop culture today. According to a recent interview with Charlotte Abbot from Publishers Weekly, "It's a good moment for Andy Warhol. Culturally, he is still on top."
Art historians and critics have long neglected this body of Warhol's work, preferring to discuss and study the more iconic Marilyns or Campbell Soup Cans of the 1960's. ANDY WARHOL PORTRAITS includes, in addition to famous portraits of Marlon Brando, Liz Taylor and Dennis Hopper, lesser-known images of actors Bill Murray and Meryl Streep, fellow artists Donald Judd and Cy Twombly and royal family members such as Princess Diana and Princess Caroline. It also features a number of musicians, including Prince and Dolly Parton, and fashion icons including Diane von Furstenberg and Giorgio Armani.
The book begins with an introduction by Tony Shafrazi, and features essays by established art historians/critics Carter Ratcliff and Robert Rosenblum, who lend insight into one of the least fully known but nevertheless prolific aspects of Warhol's endlessly fascinating career. The book makes the perfect gift for any pop culture fan.
Customer Reviews:
Face-to-Face Comparisons Reveal Warhol's Perspectives.......2007-05-08
When most people think of Andy Warhol, images of Campbell's soup cans and a vividly colored Chairman Mao come to mind. For those who know Warhol better, memories also include Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy, most wanted posters, and self-portraits of the artist.
What few appreciate is that portraiture was the bread-and-butter that Warhol used to finance his experimental work at the Factory. Before this book, you could not see the full range of this work. Unframed and grouped with similar and complementary works in the same time period, these 300 portraits show a considerable range of style and expression that will be a new perspective for all but collectors of Warhol portraits. I found the work to be so impressive that it totally changed my sense of who Warhol was as an artist.
In this book, the portraits do the talking. The brief essays merely describe the processes that Warhol used and that he tried to make people look good . . . and larger than life. But you knew that already, didn't you?
The range of the ways he captured the spirit of his subjects is what's most impressive in this volume. Repetition of the same image in one work with different treatments could help us see many different expressions of the person (see Natalie 1962). In other places, many images of the same person in one work express mood, movement, and a story (see Sixteen Jackies 1964). In other cases, multiple images of the same subject give us deep insight into personality (see Ethel Scull 1963). In other cases, the multiple images show the reality as well as the personality (see Merce Cunningham 1963 and Triple Rauschenberg 1963).
Exploring different use of colors and backgrounds, Warhol could totally change our emotions as viewers (Silver Liz 1963 gives us a sense of coolness and elegance while Liz 1963 shows a woman of great emotion and passion).
In Warhol's process, subjects were photographed around 100 times using a Polaroid camera. The subject then picked the images (or image) that she or he liked best. The images were turned into silk screens. Then, Warhol added the background and color to capture what the mere shape could not. The degree of focus also creates more or less power and immediacy (compare Donald Judd 1967 and Robert Rauschenberg 1967).
The portraits also create dialogues, such as when married couples had their portraits done around the same time. In the book, these images are often on facing pages. You'll be arrested to see Nelson Rockefeller 1967 and Happy Rockefeller 1968 looking off into the same spot in space . . . but not each other. The color overlap is minimal, emphasizing their differences.
These images are even more arresting when the pair are portrayed looking away from one another as with Gianni Agnelli 1972 and Marella Agnelli 1972.
In places, painterly backgrounds add remarkable depth and power to the images as with the Agnellis.
In places, the painterly treatment is sufficient to remind one of the work of Degas such as Lee Radziwell, 1972.
Portrait creators have always arranged sitters carefully to emphasize a certain point. Warhol does this in a very minimal way, often adding more than part of a hand touching the face or a bit of clothing. Because of its slight use, the impact is much stronger.
How do the subjects fare? Those with strong personalities do best. Those with complex personalities are rendered beautifully, but aren't as accessible. Subjects who want to look physically attractive often appear merely decorative, like a background model at a party.
Warhol's talent can best be seen by comparing the various ways he renders eyes. Male and female subjects alike receive slashes of color that sometimes resemble eye shadow and other times seem like tiny masks.
There isn't much that's soulful about these works. They are more about promotion than about moral uplift. It's all the more surprising when that soulfulness appears as in Farah Dibah Pahlavai (Empress of Iran) 1977.
Seeing Judy Garland 1979 and Liza Minelli 1979 made me wish that Warhol had done more mother-daughter combinations. These two stunners crawl right inside you.
Part of Warhol's art comes in knowing something about the person. Where the subject is unknown, you'll find yourself a little more baffled about what the message is. Think of each of the celebrity portraits then as being in part a reflection of the public image and our current perceptions. Warhol uses this celebrity awareness to good purpose in creating very minimal works that express the dominant impression of a person (see Martha Graham 1980).
As his career continued, the works became more daring. I was particularly drawn to the line drawings with bold bands of color such as in Paul Delvaux 1981 and Jean Cocteau 1985.
Some of these portraits will cause you to stop and rethink what you know about the people. I had that reaction to the pairing of Prince Charles 1982 (coolly displayed as a young symbol of the monarchy) with the almost flirtatious Princess Diana 1982 (appearing as a powerful force with an earthy grounding).
The portrait of John Lennon is simply stunning (1985-86).
For a good sense of Warhol's progress, you'll enjoy seeing many of his self-portraits.
Enjoy a good look!
A less familiar Warhol.......2007-04-28
This book enables the reader to discover some rarely seen paintings by Warhol, representing many personalities from the sixties, seventies and eighties, from O.J. Simpson to Pelé, from the Queen of England to the Shah of Iran, artists, art dealers, art collectors, musicians (John Lennon...), actors, fashion designers and friends of the artist's. Even though it was this kind of work that drew the harshest criticism (Robert Hughes, critic for Time Magazine, dubbed Warhol the new Van Dongen, meaning by that that he only painted superficial portraits of the rich and famous of his time), they still show the scope and depth of Warhol's creative power. The book is lavishly illustrated and the text was written by leading Warhol authorities (dealer or critic). A very complete checklist of all the portraits illustrated is given at the end of the book. A valuable addition to the albeit extensive Warhol literature.
An influence that continues down to the present.......2007-04-10
Andy Warhol is one of the best known American artists of the 1960s and renowned for his uncoventional life and art as well as is enduring influence on American pop culture. An influence that continues down to the present time several decades after his death. Famous for his iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell Soup Cans, he also made art out of the facial images of political, social, entertainment, sports, and music celebrities of his day. This particular body of his work has been compiled and edited by Tony Shafrazi, who enhances this 320-page coffee table art book with 350 color illustrations and informative essays by art critic Carter Ratcliff and art historian Robert Rosenblum. The men and women whose images were made immortal by Warhol range from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Giorgio Armani, Truman Capote, Jimmy Carter, Joan Collins, Clint Eastwood, Herman Hesse, Alfred Hitcock, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Lenin, Robert Mapplethorpe, Liza Minnelli, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, O.J. Simpson, Elizabeth Taylor, Tennessee Williams, Natalie Wood, Mao Zedong, and hundreds of others. An important contribution to academic library 20th Century American Art History reference collections, "Andy Warhol Portraits" is a 'must' for the personal collections of Warhol's legions of admirers.
Book Description
Here, for the first time, is the story of Pink Floyd from the inside out. With 116 million albums sold worldwide and 25 years on the pop charts to their credit, Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock groups in history, yet their story until now is one of the least known. The only continuous member of the band through its entire 40-year history, Nick Mason has witnessed every twist, turn, and sommersault from behind his drum kit. The journey begins with the band's origins as the darlings of London's late 1960s underground and the creation of the classic Pink Floyd sound, all the way through to The Wall and those legendary stadium shows. Here are the players who shaped the band's history and the story behind the story the inside perspective on, for example, the deterioration and departure of Syd Barrett; the overwhelming success of The Dark Side of the Moon and the resulting pressures and conflicts within the band, including the rift with Roger Waters; and Nick and David Gilmour's decision to put their reputations on the line and continue as Pink Floyd. Packed with rare photographs and vintage Floyd graphics from Nick Mason's extensive private archive, Inside Out is an eye-opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group. And, in keeping with the classic Floyd style, the book's cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, creator of such iconic images as the Dark Side pyramid. Always candid, by turns poignant and funny, Nick's own memories are augmented with extensive research and interviews, making Inside Out a comprehensive history of one of the most brilliant and imaginative bands the world has known and a masterly memoir of rock and roll.
Customer Reviews:
item in excellent condition and fast shipment!!!.......2007-09-14
As a true Pink Floyd fan I can sincerely say that this book does a great job in telling the story of this great band.
Awesome book .......2007-01-11
I purchased this item for my son who has been a Pink Flyod/Waters fan since high school. He told me about this book at Christmas, and he is absolutely thrilled with it. The photos are wonderful and the history of Floyd incredible. If you are a die-hard fan, get this book. You won't be disappointed!
Awesome!!.......2007-01-09
As a Floyd fan and a musician, I found this book incredibly interesting. Mason does an perfect job in describing Floyd from it's embryonic state to it's final performance, to it's unlikely Live 8 appearance.
I loved it. I bought it for my girlfriend for Christmas. I ended up reading it from Christmas morning through the following days.
My only negative criticism was that I wish more time had been spent on the why's and how's the in fighting become so overwhelming and so difficult for these guys that they had no choice but to disband. Other than that a great book.
A must for every Pink Floyd fan.......2006-11-03
I was amazed by the size of this book, is huge. Packed with photos and can only be compared with the Beatles Anthology. Nick Mason tells Pink Floyd's history in a cautious and funny way. Learn everything from Syd's decay to David's feud with Waters and everything you wanted to know about The Wall and Dark Side Of The Moon. Is a good reading and a very interesting view of the band from it's early days to Live 8. Get this book now and get The Pink Floyd.
Pink Floyd - The Book.......2006-10-12
If you're a fan of Pink Floyd for their music, you'll probably love this book. I think a lot of the people reviewing this book are forgetting that it was put together by a rock and roll drummer. The book may not go terribly deep into the psychological nuonces of the group, but it sure does lay out one hell of a collection of images for you to make what you will of their career. This book is kind of like looking through Nick Mason's photo album and reading captions he wrote to remind himself of what was going on in the pictures. The text won't let you in on the stuff you would've missed by not being there, but the photos give you a glimpse of his memories and experiences. Don't treat this book as a Pink Floyd biography, it's best viewed as a giant booklet included in a giant box set, the box set being Pink Floyd's entire musical career (which most people buying this book probably already own).
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
A fresh look at Darwin's most radical idea, and the mysteriously slow process by which he revealed it.
Evolution, during the early nineteenth century, was an idea in the air. Other thinkers had suggested it, but no one had proposed a cogent explanation for how evolution occurs. Then, in September 1838, a young Englishman named Charles Darwin hit upon the idea that "natural selection" among competing individuals would lead to wondrous adaptations and species diversity. Twenty-one years passed between that epiphany and publication of On the Origin of Species. The human drama and scientific basis of Darwin's twenty-one-year delay constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin is a book for everyone who has ever wondered about who this man was and what he said. Drawing from Darwin's secret "transmutation" notebooks and his personal letters, David Quammen has sketched a vivid life portrait of the man whose work never ceases to be controversial.
Customer Reviews:
Beware the audio book verson.......2007-09-13
Be forewarned: the narrator of the audio book version is an unfortunate cross between J. Peterman from Seinfeld, Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes, and the narrator of old elementary school film strips. The content is very good (as described in other reviews posted here) but you should have a friendly warning about the audio version. The narrator will put you to sleep.
Short, Fast, and Informative.......2007-04-25
"The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" by David Quammen is a concise, fun, and fast read. If you want to learn the bullet points about Charles Darwin's life and the formative people, events, and intellectual and social climate that surrounded Darwin's publication of the On the Origin of Species, then this book is for you. Quammen does not spend too much time on any one point, but maintains a theme that Darwin was not lazy in publishing his famous book many years after his voyage but reluctant, wanting to make sure his ideas were sound and well evidenced.
An outline of Darwin's life can be found in many places, even Wikipedia, but what makes Quammen's book particularly helpful is the sections he devotes to writing about Darwin's contemporaries and their contributions to natural history and Darwin's work. Quammen writes about Charles Lyell and his advocacy of the idea of uniformitarianism, the idea that was formed by slow-moving processes, which opposed the idea of catastrophism, the idea that was consistent with Christian theology of the times and based on the belief that certain catastrophes shaped the geologic features of the earth as it is today. Quammen also writes about John-Baptiste Lamarck and his idea of the inheritance of acquired traits, an idea that has been found to be incorrect, but one that Darwin uses in his famous book. These sections in "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin" give historical and scientific context to Darwin's work and allow the reader to more completely appreciate the specific and significant contribution that Darwin made in advocating the idea of evolution by natural selection.
Another important aspect of Quammen's book was how Quammen made it a point to show the evolution of Darwin's famous publication from its infancy, where he first wrote his ideas in journals titled Journal A, Journal B, Journal C, and so on to his obsession with writing a tome that covered every possible argument and objection to his idea with as much evidence as possible to his final rushed publishing of On the Origin of Species due to the threat of Alfred Russel Wallace nearly publishing the same theory before Darwin himself.
This book definitely gives the reader a good picture of Darwin and the social and scientific climate in which he lived. I came away from the book having what I felt was a basic yet complete understanding of Darwin's life.
On the Evolution of Darwin.......2007-04-25
I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick read on the life and works of Charles Darwin. David Quammen beautifully integrates excerpts from primary sources into this biography, really making the work a book, and not just a really long research paper. The sections are smartly headed and the writing style is engaging and makes the biography an easy and interesting read.
The biography itself provides an intimate portrait of Charles Darwin the son, husband, father, friend, etc., which also reveals much about his tendencies as a scientist. The author gives a good overview of all the theories regarding speciation that had already been discussed throughout the intellectual community before Darwin came up with his idea on the "transmutation" of species. It was particularly interesting when trying to imagine a society before the theory of evolution. My struggles to do so only further demonstrate how much Darwin has impacted our modern thinking. Quammen's summary on the ideas and examples provided in "The Origin of Species" may be interesting to many who do not wish to read the 500 pages or so of the actual book, but in my opinion, it was unnecessarily dry and seemed out of place in an otherwise interesting and engaging work.
However, one point that I particularly enjoyed was the fact that Quammen explored the evolution of Darwin's theory of evolution: from the beginnings of its fabrication in "notebook B" to its revealing to the public in the first edition of "Origins" to subsequent subtle changes in order to rectify problems brought up by opponents and finally to its modern applications in the field of molecular biology. The author definitely provided a persuading argument on the "fitness" of Darwin's great idea.
The Reluctant Mr. Darwin by David Quammen.......2007-03-31
This book is by far one of the best I have read on Darwin. David Quammen puts you inside the period in Enland as well as providing a great understanding of Darwins personal thinking and self doubt as he formulated his theories on evolution. This is an excellent book for anyone but especially a non-scientist such as myself.
Larry Wilkinson
Howell, Michigan
Quammen on Darwin.......2007-03-12
This work focuses on the post Beagle period of Darwins life, and although I would have liked more included on Wallace, Lyell,and Huxley, Darwin was the deserving subject.
David Quammen is an excellent writer on science and scientists, and if you are starting with this work, you should check out his other works.
Amazon.com
It speaks to the failure of medieval Europe, writes popular historian William Manchester, that "in the year 1500, after a thousand years of neglect, the roads built by the Romans were still the best on the continent." European powers were so absorbed in destroying each other and in suppressing peasant revolts and religious reform that they never quite got around to realizing the possibilities of contemporary innovations in public health, civil engineering, and other peaceful pursuits. Instead, they waged war in faraway lands, created and lost fortunes, and squandered millions of lives. For all the wastefulness of medieval societies, however, Manchester notes, the era created the foundation for the extraordinary creative explosion of the Renaissance. Drawing on a cast of characters numbering in the hundreds, Manchester does a solid job of reconstructing the medieval world, although some scholars may disagree with his interpretations.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-08
When I saw this book I couldn't believe that it was written by my William Manchester - but it was. What was he doing in Medieval times and not World War II or post war America? I enjoyed the book. I see that it has brought a lot of medieval critics and experts out of the catacombs. I'm no medieval expert. For me it was a fun a interesting read. It was Manchester throughout and I had no trouble keeping up an interest. When I finished I said to myself, This guy can make anything interesting. He had a great knack. He was a darn good writer.
The Essence of the Dark Ages.......2007-08-18
A World Lit Only by Fire is a fascinating study of the end of the Middle Ages in Europe and the beginning of the Renaissance. Originally intended as an introduction to a biography of Ferdinand Magellan, A World Lit Only by Fire is an engaging introduction to medieval and Renaissance cultures.
Not a scholarly study based on first hand research, the work is intended for the general audience. However, Manchester is an accomplished historian and biographer of prominent 20th Century figures. This is arguably a strength in writing this book. Manchester brings both a professional historian's critical eye and a fresh outlook to examine a pivotal historical period.
The book contains two chapters only: a 25-page overview of the Middle Ages and a 264-page portrait of the pivotal people and ideas responsible for destroying the medieval (primarily Roman Catholic) world view.
Manchester begins by examining what made the Dark and Middle Ages so dark and so middling. His answer is: the death of classical civilization and the subsequent dominance of the Catholic Church. He captures this stifling dominance when he writes, "the entire medieval millennium took on the aspect of triumphant Christendom....the life of every European, from baptism through matrimony to burial, was governed by popes, cardinals, prelates, monsignors, archbishops, bishops, and village priests."
Manchester's general descriptions of the Medieval period's darkness are particularly interesting in the various sad, fascinating, and little known details he provides. For example, "in the year 1500, after a thousand years of neglect, the roads built by the Romans were still the best on the continent." He describes a Yorkshire gravestone that attests to the reality of Robin Hood, and he provides some details behind the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, who was more a sadistic pedophile than a fairy tale enchanter.
The author captures an essential aspect of Medieval world in describing the lack of individuality among most Europeans: "The most baffling, elusive, yet in many ways the most significant dimensions of the medieval mind were invisible and silent. One was the medieval man's total lack of ego. Even those with creative powers had no sense of self." He notes that most Europeans of the time had no surnames, and that the builders of Medievaldom's most famous creations, the soaring gothic cathedrals, were anonymous.
The ugliness and brutality of medieval life, Manchester argues, was made possible by an institutionalized mindless. The people and their leaders considered most worthwhile knowledge to be already known - and since much of that knowledge was based on religious authority, to challenge it was usually considered heresy. He quotes Saint Vincent of Lerins saying the Church was, "a faithful and ever watchful guardian of the dogmas which have been committed to her charge. In this secret deposit she changes nothing, takes nothing from it, she adds nothing to it." Manchester quotes another cardinal who asserted, "The Church is not susceptible of being reformed in her doctrines. The Church is the work of an Incarnate God. Like all God's works, it is perfect. It is, therefore, incapable of reform." Thus, to "appeal from the living voice of the Church," was "a treason.' "
The absolute authority of the medieval papacy resulted in its abuse of power, as exemplified by the Borgia popes. Their political and religious corruption was matched only by their sexual depravity. These pontiffs would hardly be recognized by today's masses of Catholics who adore the papacy.
Both in spite of and because of the Church's disgraceful behavior during this period, the seeds of the Renaissance were planted by prominent Catholics. With the rediscovery of classic Greek and Roman literature, many Renaissance artists and intellectuals became prominent within the bosom of the Catholic establishment itself. Manchester covers several, including such illustrious figures as Di Vinci, Copernicus, Michelangelo, Thomas Moore, and Erasmus.
Manchester also provides a vivid portrait Martin Luther, depicting him as both a conservative and a radical individual - driven by a devout religious idealism and tormented by demons from his abusive childhood. This young German theologian would come to change the face of Christianity by his obstinate refusal to accept the absolute power of the Vatican. The tremendous bloodshed resulting from the subsequent Protestant Reformation occurred not only between Catholic and Protestant, but within each group. Protestant sects became ever more zealous in trying to purify their lives and faiths, leading to absolutist Christian religious theocracies, such as that in Geneva led by John Calvin. On the other side, the Catholic counter-Reformation and the Inquisition became infamous for their wide-spread practices of torture and murder of anyone suspected of being a heretic or a Jew.
In the end, Manchester returns to Ferdinand Magellan, presenting an inspiring portrait of the man whose story was the impetus for this book. We see Magellan as a microcosm and culmination of the age. A mariner of almost unbelievable fortitude and courage, Magellan's iron will forced his tiny armada of five ships onward and onward, covering vast stretches of the world's oceans, overcoming mutinies and horrific living conditions. Though Magellan did not survive the journey, due to an overzealous evangelistic streak, the historic first circumnavigation of the globe he made possible forever shattered the medieval world view by providing European society with visceral, convincing evidence - lacking in more theoretical demonstrations - that the Earth is a sphere. This feat was instrumental in destroying the mindless inertia that was the essence of the medieval mind. In fracturing the Church's philosophic dominance, Magellan achievement directed men's eyes outward toward the horizon and the promise of life on this Earth, instead of upward or downward toward the mysteries of the next life.
A World Lit Only by Fire provides an engaging view of the death of the medieval world and the rebirth of Western civilization. Manchester thereby demonstrates the power of ideas to significantly change the course of history. Excellent reading.
Full of falsehoods and totally biased........2007-08-16
This book is completely irresponsible. It is full of falsehoods, some of which are slanderous. And it is extremely biased.
For example, early in the book, Manchester accuses St. Augustine of holding that sex was evil. On the next page he goes even further and says that Augustinians considered even procreation to be evil! This couldn't be further from the truth. Augustine was so clear in recognizing the goodness and legitimacy of sexuality that he wrote an entire treatise entitled "The Good of Marriage." In this treatise he defends the legitimacy and goodness of marriage AND the sexuality and procreation associated with it.
The bias of the book is apparent in every way, although by the title of the book this should not be surprising. In his own introduction to the book, Manchester notes that he is not a medieval historian, and prior to writing the book, had only a typical educated man's familiarity with the time period. And he notes that the real medieval historians that he had look over his work took an enormous number of exceptions to what he wrote. There's a shocker!
If you want to learn about the history of the middle ages, try The Civilization of the Middle Ages: A Completely Revised and Expanded Edition of Medieval History. If you want to read a tabloid, they're available at your local grocery store.
William Manchester.......2007-08-13
If you like history, you'll love this. Manchester has a wonderful approach to discussing the medieval peoples and how they thought and acted. A great read.
A good, wrong read!.......2007-08-03
I'm a medievalist. Yes, Manchester got a lot of the Middle Ages stuff wrong, or at least very distorted. He doesn't make facts up, but he presents some *highly* selected facts and bases fairly wild conclusions on that selection.
He says, for instance, that no technological progress happened in the Middle Ages, but reading even the title of the book "Horsecollar, Waterwheel, and Cathedral" proves otherwise. For another instance, he professes to believe that medieval man had no sense of self, "a total lack of ego," because there are no signatures or records of those who built the cathedrals. Yet if we look at any modern construction project -- bridge, skyscraper, or jet plane -- we likewise find no signatures, no egos except those of the corporation which built it. Are we modern people, then, also without ego? Not exactly.
Furthermore, it's true that Manchester seems to thoroughly enjoy the R-rated aspects of the medieval church, so much so that's it's hard to believe this is the same man who wrote the somber, dignified "Death of a President" or most of Churchill's biography, "The Last Lion." I can only assume that, having survived the serious illness that he mentions at the start of this book, Manchester was in a "what the hell!" mood, and just let 'er rip.
For the record, medieval society did make advances in the lives of common folks; for just one example, the invention of the horse-collar, which sounds mundane now, enabled animals to pull loads and heavy plows so much more easily that whole areas of Europe were opened up for agriculture for the first time.
And the medieval church, while it surely had its bad apples, also kept literacy and science alive and provided all the social services that governments struggle to provide today.
Furthermore, the great Renaissance men he admires weren't always all that great. Manchester here uses the familiar trick of criticising the "enemy" for what he *does," while praising the "good guys" for what they *think.* For instance, Galileo's science was indeed wonderful, but the way he treated his two young daughters -- forcing them unwilling into a convent at ages 12 and 10, so that the younger went insane -- might be reasonably set alongside the antics of rotten old Pope Alexander VI as a way *not* to treat your children.
So, yes, Manchester's wrong about a lot of things. But he has so much fun with it that I, for one medievalist, don't grudge him his pleasure. The book is lively and entertaining, which most medieval histories are not. Those readers who go away thinking that the Middle Ages was stagnant and the popes were evil will at least have learned a few things about Renaissance advances in science. Other readers may be tempted, by this spicy taste of history, to look further and deeper. Either way, it's good.
Average customer rating:
- An American Icon
- As a glamour photographer myself...
- ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL
- Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits
- EXCELLENT BOOK! Vieira's mastery of the written word brings that era to life.
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Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits
Mark A. Vieira
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
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ASIN: 0810934345 |
Amazon.com
They had faces then, in the golden age of Hollywood when a publicity photo could make or break a star. The visual power of George Hurrell's portraits, with their Rembrandtesque lighting and dramatic poses, shaped the careers of such stars as Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, and Jane Russell, and did as much or more to establish them as their film performances. Mark Vieira, who adopted Hurrell's techniques and uses them to this day, explains how the master portraitist lit and retouched his photographs--a portrait of Crawford before and after retouching reveals what an artist the one-time painter really was--and analyzes their impact.
Customer Reviews:
An American Icon.......2007-08-25
George Hurrell is universally acknowledged THE Hollywood portrait photographer, the man who recreated during the talkies much of the mystery of the silent stars through his breathtaking photographs. At a time when the finest still photography was becoming more incisive and natural, Hurrell managed to balance this new naturalism and directness in highly manipulated ways, producing in his best work iconic images of the great stars of MGM. After the second World War his work became largely passe, appearing too contrived and built up for an age demanding grit and spontaneity and an off-hand naturalness.
This work seeks to both show and tell the story of Hurrell's highwater era as not only the major photographer of the stars, and MGM in particular, but also his development as artist. Hurrell's flamboyant personality, his novel and sometimes off-putting behavior during shootings, seems now unfortunately taken as role template by many lesser fashion photographers. In his day and at his height during the late twenties through the beginnings of World War II Hurrell dominates a demanding and highly accomplished professional field.
Whether you live in a sumptious penthouse overlooking Central Park, need a single book for the coffee table in the living room of that restored Neutra you just purchased, or just enjoy reasonably priced fashion books, Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits fits the bill. At a significantly reduced price its a lovely reminder of one of the nicer advantages of democratic publishing: not every fine art book is a prohibitively expensive limited edition printed by a small press.
As a glamour photographer myself..........2007-04-13
As a glamour photographer myself, this is a book I own and use for inspiration. I love the way Hurrell not only captures the inner-beauty of the subjects, but his photojournalistic approach. I often graze through this book as I've read it many times over--the grazing gets me going when it comes to my own glamour photography. I recommend anyone interested in this book, buy it now! If you'd like to see how it's affected my career, also check out the following books, Garage Glamour: Digital Nude and Beauty Photography Made Simple, Rolando Gomez's Glamour Photography: Professional Techniques and Images and even a book where I have a chapter, Professional Portrait Lighting: Techniques and Images from Master Photographers (Photo Pro Workshop series) This book should not only be on a collector's list, but for any student of photography--we're always learning no matter what level your photography. ---Rolando Gomez, contributing writer, Studio Photography magazine
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.......2006-08-19
This book -- how beautiful. I have photography books by several of the great portrait photographers of the 20th Century, and this one is the best. There are a wealth of photographs, and the story of Hurrell's life is also interesting. If you ever thought about seriously learning about photography and taking some good pictures, this book will take any hesitation out of your mind. Gorgeous!!
Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits.......2006-07-25
This book is everything I expected. The pictures are great and the text very informative. I am enjoying it very much and it is a valued addition to my film library.
EXCELLENT BOOK! Vieira's mastery of the written word brings that era to life........2005-12-03
I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through and then reading this beautiful tribute to the legendary work of George Hurrell. As compelling as Hurrell's photos are it is the author's indepth knowledge and understanding of Hollywood and Hurrell that set this book apart.
Mark Vieira's own photographic artistry is based on Hurrell's techniques, providing current-day enthusiasts with authentic glamour photography of their own.
Book Description
In 2001, the Smithsonian Institution presented the landmark photographic exhibition History Through Deaf Eyes, representing nearly 200 years of United States deaf history. Drawing heavily on the extensive archives at Gallaudet University, the curators created an exhibition that drew more than 400,000 people viewed at the Smithsonian and in 12 cities during a five-year national tour. Its popularity prompted the production of a documentary film for national broadcast on the Public Broadcasting System. Now, the photographs, quotes, and stories from this remarkable exhibit and documentary have been assembled in a book of stunning beauty and poignant images, Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic History of an American Community.
Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs, Through Deaf Eyes depicts the story of Deaf America and also affords readers the opportunity to learn about the nation’s broader history. The values and judgments of society have had an impact on the education, employment, and family life of deaf people, while historical eras often can be illuminated by examination through a Deaf lens. Photographs reveal the character of Deaf people in school settings, the workplace, during wartime, and using their cultural signature, American Sign Language. For both deaf and hearing readers, the Deaf community portrayed in Through Deaf Eyes offers a unique and fascinating perspective on the value of human difference.
Customer Reviews:
A superb and appreciated contribution to personal, academic, and community American History reference collections.......2007-09-03
The combined effort of Douglas C. Baynton (Associate Professor of History, University of Iowa), Jack R. Gannon (Curator of the History Through Deaf Eyes exhibition), and Jean Lindquist Borgey (Director of the History Through Deaf Eyes Project, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC), "Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic History Of An American Community" is the companion volume to an acclaimed PBS television documentary based on a landmark photographic exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in 2001 celebrating almost 200 years of United States Deaf History. The deaf have been a cultural and linguistic minority in America almost from its inception. The more than 200 photographs, the many quotes, and compelling stories compiled in "Through Deaf Eyes" provides the reader with informed and informative insights into a fascinating and specialized aspect of American history with respect to deaf people in school settings, the workplace, during wartime, the development and impact of American Sign Language, and more. "Through Deaf Eyes" is a superb and appreciated contribution to personal, academic, and community American History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.
Through Deaf Eyes: .......2007-06-28
What a wonderful, well put together book about Deaf History. I am a hearing person, who is taking American sign language. I have been reading many books on Deaf culture to get a better understanding about the deaf people over time,and the opsticals that they have had/ and still have to overcome. I found this book very well put together and I enjoyed reading it very much. If you are intrested in American sign language, I would recommend others to include this book into your library collection. The photos were wonderful to look as as well.
Photographic Narrative of American Deaf History.......2007-05-18
What began as photographic exhibit at the Smithsonian from the archives of Gallaudet University evolved into the DVD by the same name as this companion book.
This is well done photo collection with written narrative of the 200 year story of deaf among us, with their accomplishments, frustrations and striving to be a part of the American mosaic.
They do pull it off, even against the obstacles of the oralism, and treatment as handicapped rather than language/cultural minority.
Worth having as companion with the DVD.
Book Description
The year is 1527. The great portraitist Hans Holbein, who has fled the reformation in Europe, is making his first trip to England under commission to Sir Thomas More. In the course of six years, Holbein will become a close friend to the More family and paint two nearly identical family portraits. But closer examination of the paintings reveals that the second holds several mysteries...
Set against the turmoil, intrigue and, tragedy of Henry VIII's court, Portrait of an Unknown Woman vividly evokes sixteenth-century England on the verge of enormous change. As the Protestant Reformation sweeps across Europe to lap at England's shores, relations between her king and the Catholic Church begin to plummet-driven by Henry VIII's insatiable need for a male heir and the urgings of his cunning mistress Anne Boleyn-and heresy begins to take hold. As tensions rise, Henry VIII turns to his most trusted servant and defender of Catholic orthodoxy, Sir Thomas More to keep peace in England, but soon the entire More family find their own lives at risk.
At the center of Portrait of an Unknown Woman is Meg Gigg's, Sir Thomas More's twenty-three year old adopted daughter. Intelligent, headstrong, and tender-hearted, Meg has been schooled in the healing arts. And though she is devoted to her family, events conspire that will cause Meg to question everything she thought she knew-including the desires of her own heart. As the danger to More and his family increases, two men will vie for Meg's affections: John Clement, her former tutor and More's protégé who shares Meg's passion for medicine, but whose true identity will become unclear, and the great Holbein, who's artistic vision will forever alter her understanding of the world.
With a striking sense of period detail Portrait of an Unknown Woman is an unforgettable story of sin and religion, desire and deception. It is the story of a young woman on the brink of sensual awakening and of a country on the edge of mayhem.
Customer Reviews:
Art History and History Unite.......2007-07-23
If you are interested in art history, as well as interested in a good historical novel, this one is for you.
Find insights into English history and the techniques of Holbein.
Find out why Thomas More is depicted wtih red velvet sleeves.
Google More family and Holbein, and see the sketch of the characters, and the knowledge of the significance of the items included will delight you.
I bought this for my cousin who is an art teacher, and I got a copy for myself, too, since I know I'll read it again.Portrait of an Unknown Woman: A Novel
More fiction than history, but oh what a story ..........2007-07-15
PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN WOMAN is a story of love and betrayal, secrets and forgiveness, and courage in the face of fear. While it borrows from history - particularly the characters of Thomas More and his family - it is a timeless story that could be told in almost any setting.
The author outlines accepted historical fact at the end of the novel. If you are unfamiliar with the time period - roughly 1520 to 1532 - read the outline first. It will give you the historical background against which this highly imaginative story takes place.
The author's main supposition (and there are several) is: What if the princes in the tower (rumored to have been killed by Richard III) lived? With whom would they have lived? How could their existence remain secret? What kind of people would they have turned out to be?
Within the context of this fictional accounting of the princes (particularly Richard), the story also relates the contradictions of the man, Sir Thomas More. (Ironically, it is his erroneous history of Richard III that was responsible for the bad information about the man and his reign until its debunking in recent times.) How can a fanatic also be a saint?
The novel's weakness is twofold: First and foremost, it tries to deal with too many complex issues in just over 400 pages. (Sharon Kay Penman could have made a trilogy out of the plot and sub-plots!) Second, the author gives these Renaissance characters modern ways of thinking. For this latter reason, I found the main character - More's adopted daughter, Meg Gibbs - mostly unbelievable.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the story. With the small exception of some of the interpretations of the art work, I found it hard to put down. I think it might have been better as a longer book with more room for exploring the complexities, but that's a minor gripe.
I look forward to the author's next work.
Quite disappointing..........2007-07-01
Pretty disappointing historical fiction. Not innaccurate per se, but untrue to the famously moral More family, and characters have an all too modern self-awareness and interior life. Too much plot exposition via "She wondered to herself if..." kind of thing. (Lazy writing IMHO.) Main plot device is based around a bit of a crack-pot theory about differences between two extant versions of Hans Holbein's group portrait of Sir Thomas More's family. In this regard, Bennett tries to pull a 'Da Vinci Code' out of her hat and fails. If you want Tudor era historical fiction, stick with Philippa Gregory's novels, esp. 'The Other Boleyn Girl' or 'Dissolution' C. J. Sansom's mystery.
Historical fiction at its best!.......2007-06-16
From the moment I picked up this book,I was entranced: by the writing,the story, the pace,the details. The author writes fluently,lyricaly and makes
you care for the characters. I wanted to know what would happen next and why. Fiction will play with the facts and with what a character "might"
do or feel in any given situation so there is no reason to look for a history text here. I loved this book. I hated to finish it. There was nothing I would have changed. Meg Giggs was the perfect narrator;the author makes her feel horror at More's actions and yet retains her love of him. This is a must read. By the way, I don't reveal
the secrets of a book..
An Excellent and Absorbing Novel.......2007-05-15
This is an excellent and absorbing historical novel, beautifully written and full of evocative period detail. Even better, the characters are sensitively and convincingly drawn, especially Sir Thomas More, that almost-legendary figure of English history, who comes across as a much more complicated and ambiguous individual than the two-dimensional hero usually presented to readers. Through the eyes of the central character Meg Giggs, one of More's wards, or foster children, we also see him as a religious fanatic, a man capable of personally inflicting torture on Protestant "heretics," and of ordering them burned at the stake.
The novel ends shortly before More is betrayed and then beheaded at the orders of King Henry VIII, for refusing to condone the king's divorce and remarriage to Ann Boleyn. Oddly, the author nowhere mentions this event, not even in an epilogue. Readers who pick up this book will probably know about More's fate, but those who do not will miss the underlying menace that pervades the story: the knowledge of More's eventual martyrdom.
The author's imaginative contributions are curious, especially making the character of John Clements into one of the famous "princes in the tower," imprisoned there by the usurper, King Richard III, and whose fates remain unknown. Her assertion that Meg Giggs was Thomas More's illegitimate daughter is also a bit jarring, although More was a man of strong physical appetites who could have fathered an out-of-wedlock child. The portrait of Hans Holbein is quite good and remains true to at least some of the painter's characteristics, although we know very little about his inner life. The author pointedly ignores the fact (and it is a fact) that Holbein had a mistress in London, with whom he fathered several children, but perhaps that occurred later, in the years after the novel's conclusion.
Book Description
What role has photography played in shaping our ideas about race, nation, and selfhood? How has the camera been used to construct and contrast images of racial difference? To create or debunk stereotypes and romantic myths about specific ethnic groups? This groundbreaking book is the first to thoroughly investigate the impact that photography has had on race and racial identity in America-among the most profound and explosive issues in our nation's history and everyday life.
From Dorothea Lange's portrait of Mexican braceros brought to the United States as farm workers, to Anthony Aziz & Sammy Cucher's digitally manipulated, idealized nudes, Only Skin Deep presents historical and contemporary images and embraces a wide range of genres and movements, including portraiture, social documentary, ethnographic photography, fine-art photography, and photojournalism. Complementing the images are four original essays on race and photography, eight reprint essays that have served as foundational documents in the discussion of race, and five case studies that focus more narrowly on representations of specific cultural groups. The book will accompany a national touring exhibition prepared by the International Center of Photography in New York.
Customer Reviews:
GRAND VISION/HARD VIEWING.......2004-02-28
An enormous and fasinating series of discussions surrounding "raced looking" in America's history of photography is central to this group of essays by many of the cultural critics working today. A massive tome with outstanding visuals, some not seen in the exhibition, provide extensive background and analysis to the area of how race has intervened in American culture today. For museums who felt the race subject had been addressed in the 90s post-Quincentennary exhibition, it is obvious that much more in depth examination is necessary and relevant. An outstanding effort for a museum catalogue and exhibition. All should be commended. Required reading for anyone working and teaching in cultural studies, ethnic studies, humanities, and the arts.
Book Description
First published on Veteran’s Day 2003 to glowing reviews (“Powerful”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer), energetic cross-country events, and instant national bestseller status, Medal of Honor has now been revised, updated, and augmented into an even more important and newsworthy second edition. New features include:
- A multimedia DVD rich in historical footage and first-person reflections of these ultimate acts of courage
- Full coverage of 22 additional Medal recipients by National Book Award nominee Peter Collier
- Heart-rending new portraits by award-winning photographer Nick Del Calzo
- Introductory essay by Victor Davis Hanson, military history scholar and author of A War Like No Other, The Western Way of War, and The Soul of Battle
The 116 living Medal of Honor recipients fought in conflicts from World War II to Vietnam, serving in every branch of the armed services, and here is their ultimate record—the only book sponsored and endorsed by the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation.
Customer Reviews:
Proud great niece!!.......2007-06-19
I first saw this book in a Borders and looked in it on a whim. Knowing that my great uncle had be awarded the medal of honor. I was happily surprised that he was in there (pg. 223) and even more to find he is also on the CD! My son never got to meet him since he passed away just before my son turned one so now I have a way of showing my son what his family has done! Great book many other great heroes in it. I will be buying more for my family and friends.
Incomplete.......2007-02-16
Not worth the price. It was a disappointment. It does not cover all the Medal of Honor recipient. It is incomplete. How can you forget Audi Murphy the most decorated person of any war.
best gift ever for anyone interested in heros.......2007-02-01
i bought one of these books for my husband for christmas and he read it from cover to cover in less than 5 days. it is now in his office and he has many people ask if they can stay a little longer to read after he has finished working on their vehicles. he bought one for a friend and he loves it also.
Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty.......2007-01-16
This book is a must for anyone whose interested in military history. The stories are truly inspiring.
A perfect gift for husband, brother or son.......2007-01-10
This book is exquisite--in every way. Together with the DVD, it provides powerful witness to acts of remarkable heroism. These rare individuals talk about the danger that unfolded around them and through which they emerged as heroes. They are spellbinding as they sweep us onto the battlefield with them. It is a unique opportunity to see that they are just like ourselves--unremarkable, until that moment when they knew what had to be done and then did it. This book is about those parts of our history when American individuals have risen to acts of honor; courage in the face of overwhelming fear; and, great humanity--poignantly told in their own words.
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