Public Cowboy No. 1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry

Book Description

The only performer to earn 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame--for film, recordings, TV, radio, and live performance--Gene Autry was the singing cowboy king of American entertainment. Now, in Public Cowboy No.1, Holly George-Warren offers the first serious biography of this singular individual, in a fascinating narrative that traces Autry's climb from small-town farm boy to multimillionaire. Here for the first time Autry the legend becomes a flesh-and-blood man--with all the passions, triumphs, and tragedies of a flawed icon. George-Warren recounts stories never before told, including revelations about Autry's impoverished boyhood, his adventures as an up-and-coming singer, and the impact his unbelievable success had on his personal life. She describes Autry's loving but doomed mother, who died on the brink of her son's success, and his ne'er-do-well father, who married five times and wandered the west. Autry battled his own demons but emerges here in a positive light, an immensely personable man, one of America's most charitable benefactors, known for his boundless generosity, and a patriot who enlisted during World War II. The book provides equally colorful details of Autry's lengthy radio and recording career, which included such classics as "Back in the Saddle Again" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"; his movie career, where he breathed new life into the Western genre; and his role in early television, being the first movie star to develop his own TV shows. And along the way, we see how he invested shrewdly in radio, real-estate, and television, becoming the owner of the California Angels and the only entertainer listed among 1990's Fortune 400. Based on exclusive access to Gene Autry's personal papers, as well as interviews with more than 100 relatives, employees, colleagues, and friends, this engaging biography brings to life a major Hollywood star--a man who, more than anyone else, put Western music and style on the American cultural map.

Customer Reviews:

All About Gene.......2007-09-25

This is a big book all about the career of Gene Autry, and not enough about his personal life, which is usually what I like to read. I don't need to know about every record he made and when and every performance, etc., etc., etc. And I don't need to know about all his business dealings. But I like to know about what stars did behind the scenes, etc., and surprisingly this seemed to involve a lot of drinking and womanizing which I didn't think Autry had done. Oh well. There just wasn't enough about him personally for my reading taste, but the guy had no children and had a solid marriage, so I guess there isn't much dirt on him.

Autry Fans - Buy It!.......2007-08-12

Anyone who was a fan of Gene Autry or who liked westerns during their golden years or who just enjoys good biography will find this a very compelling story. It tells the story of a very good, but a very complex man who grew up in poverty, endured a difficult childhood, and displayed very human flaws. This book is endorsed by the Gene Autry Corporation but doesn't coverup or sugarcoat the fact that, despite his image, Gene drank heavily after WW2, maybe to the point of alcholism, and was not always faithful to his wife. Yet he never failed to visit children's hospitals, give supergenerously to those in need, take care of family and non-family alike, and do much good for many people. This includes several generations of children to whom he was always the ideal role model.
Holly George-Warren did an admirable job and deserves to be congratulated. One criticism: I wish Ms George-Warren had gone into greater depth into the extraordinarily complicated relationship between Gene and his wife Ina.

Memories of one of my favorite cowboys.......2007-07-31

This book brought back many great memories of Saturday matinees at our
neighborhood theatre. Gene Autry was one of my favorite western movie
stars. My favorite western movie star was Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid.
Our local movie "show" was a Columbia theatre which showed Columbia
movies including Columbia serials, the Durango Kid and assorted Columbia
"B" movies susitable for the kids' matinees. I enjoyed the Gene Autry 30's
and early '40's westerns more then the later ones he made. This book will
certainly return one to the "days of yesteryear." Excellent book!

Gene Autry, An American Idol.......2007-05-31

Public Cowboy No.1: The Life And Times Of Gene Autry, by Holly George-Warren
A book review by Jerry Rojo, May, 2007

Gene Autry, An American Idol
Holly George-Warrne's biographic tome is a definitive must-read, not only for the worldwide legions of the American cowboy moviegoing public, young and old, but also, anyone interested in a prototypical American dreamer on a lifelong trek, as defined by the arts and entertainment industry's dream factories from Hollywood to Madison Avenue. George-Warren's impeccably researched Gene Autry story, interestingly, is somewhat reminiscent of Doris Kerns-Goodwin's recent Abraham Lincoln book, Team Of Rivals, that chronicles the president's rags-to-riches life in the political arena. Both authors masterfully use the biographic form to convey their respective visions, yet provide the reader scholarly researched stories to ponder any number of themes and ideas about their subject. Like Lincoln, Autry was dirt poor, grassroots, self-made and ambitious; carefully grooming his career with a lifelong, unrelenting, innate ability to charm colleagues, friends and the public at large. Lincoln, too, was a performer. He cherished the spoken/written word, and the theatre, to the chagrin of his aristocratic, snobbish cabinet. Ironically, he was assassinated by a Shakespearean actor. The Autry book, like Lincoln's, defines his respective context/time in America. The political-rodeo arena is a metaphor for our country's so-called "culture", epitomized by the American Idol phenomena, with its demigod-like celebrities from respective realms of, popular entertainment, sports, politics. religion and, now a days, big corporations, all of which defines the current American ethos.

My can't-put-down read of George-Warren was fueled not only by her writing, but by my own childhood spent idolizing Gene Autry while growing up in Illinois, and, my subsequent professional interest in dramatic arts adds to the attraction. A compelling aspect of the book traces Autry's genealogy from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to pre-great depression Texas/Oklahoma, where Autry's story begins. During that period, one is amazed by his personal and professional character development, growing up in a family of six in abject poverty, with an on-and-off absentee, hard-drinking father, and by contrast, a deeply religious and nurturing mother. Everyone knows Autry's interest in the great American pastime, baseball, but a telling tidbit reveals that he was a pretty good sandlot player, and was offered a chance to play for a minor league team, but, declined because he was making more money working on the railroad and needed to support his family. That anecdote helps define this complex man. His devotion and generosity to family, friends and associates throughout his long life was always balanced by his knack for good judgment when it came to decisions about human welfare and the business of life.

It was during the seven odd years in the late 20s early 30s, while in the Chicago/Midwest, that young Autry began his "singing cowboy" career. But there was no overnight success here, instead, an astonishing story of how to succeed in show business--a methodology that paved the way for popular entertainers ever since. With a modicum of musical talent Autry used love of performing, hard work, determination, his WASPish good looks and savvy business acumen to mold a career that would lead to five-star recognition at the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The book documents, in wonderful detail how he shrewdly evolved his signature persona-image, which, once established, never changed. At 91 he died with his boots on.

Before his Chicago days, Autry didn't start out as a cowboy singing around the campfire soothing a restless herd of cattle. He had his sights set on the popular music of the roaring 20s tin pan alley, which featured the likes of Gene Austin and Rudy Vallee (Autry's first name, Orvon, was substituted for Austin's). Ultimately, Gene Autry changed his musical style by literally imitating yodeling Jimmie Rodgers, the father of country/hillbilly music, who's great popularity appealed to blue-collar folks from the South and Midwest. After a brief trip to the Big Apple--before giving up his day job on the railroad--a failed audition with a record company sent Autry home to gain experience singing on local radio stations and other venues. He actually sang with a medicine show, a lesson learned, hawking products. Professional contacts and an established country-folk sound led him back to New York to make records. His recordings caught on, and with astute self-promotion Autry's popularity grew, garnering a spot on Chicago's popular WLS radio station's National Barn Dance program. There, his image was transformed to The Singing Cowboy.

With royalties from a national smash hit record, "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine" in his hip pocket, a newly minted Martin guitar with his ivory signature on the frets, a new Hollywood-like-Tom Mix cowboy "look" and Buick automobile, he barnstormed the environs of Chicago, Illinois. There, he discovered a key player on the road to success, the highly talented musician, singer, song writer and naturally gifted comedic performer, Smiley Brunette. Autry always had a keen eye for talented associates, musical and otherwise. Back in Chicago on the airwaves, and on tour, they soon developed their signature hero/sidekick routine.
Unlike the multitude of American denizens, then and now, seeking instant success in golden California, Autry didn't go to Hollywood; Hollywood came to Autry. He was already a "star", self-made, and, at a time when the Great Depression was raging world wide. Now, only in his late 20s, part two of his odyssey begins at a B-Western studio factory that Autry would bale-out of near financial ruin, Republic Pictures. Here, Ms George-Warren really delivers the goods with a compendium of data-based facts of tinsel-town fiction that chronicles Autry's American idol success story.

It was 1934, but he didn't have an auspicious start in the movies. After an initial bit part in a Ken Maynard flick, studio executives had reservations--with good reason--about Autry's abilities. It seemed clear, he excelled at nothing cinematic: a marginal singer-guitarist, bad acting, awkward in the saddle and, most of all, he lacked gunslinger machismo, a staple at the time. But, no matter, the audience Autry already established, had a different opinion. He had something!! And it didn't take but a couple of years or so for the Studio and Autry, tinkering with the chemistry, to come up with THE original Gene Autry that would become a one-of-a-kind icon. By 1939 he was in the big leagues with Clark Gable/Gone With The Wind, if you consider audience appeal and box-office numbers. Now, cash-cow-boy Autry played to millions of adoring fans of, so called, sophisticated folks from the East, NYC to Boston, and, Great Britain, where he seduced hundreds of thousands from across the island empire, evidenced by massive turnouts on tour. It was 1942, a turning point in Gene Autry's fame if not fortune. Here again, he makes a watershed career decision. Much to the dismay of Republic Pictures/Hollywood, he joins the military to fight in World War II. George-Warren reveals insightful, detailed stories of the war years that further defines this remarkable man. For example, why, arguably, at the pinnacle of popularity and performance-form does he do it? Is he a consummate patriot, or as he says, protecting his image-based code of cowboy ethics? He survives air force missions, military boredom and keeps in tune doing a stint with the USO at the end of the war, meanwhile at home, movie reruns and other strategies kept him in the public mind's eye. After the war Autry picked up where he left off with his still adoring fans, donning his cowboy persona, producing and performing a mind-boggling schedule of entertainment engagements, including burgeoning TV (he was the first Hollywood star to do so); but, it WAS the beginning of the end and not the end of the beginning, as Churchill coined. Then, in the early to mid 60s the fame-flame goes out, but the fortune doesn't. Now, Gene Autry transitions to the business tycoon still wearing cowboy clothes, occasionally sporting an LA Angels baseball cap. Autry scrupulously designed and protected his public image that, except for in the military, never changed. As entertainer he performed the SELF and when he hung up the guitar in the early 60s he took on the role of CEO, Gene Autry Enterprises, but little else changed.

But what was at the heart of that masked man? It's all there in Holly George-Warren's biography that unearths the Man UNDER the persona, and as she perceives you don't need his purely business-life endgame story. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone, public or private that hated or disrespected Gene Autry, then or now. And he was no pushover while wheeling and dealing in either his business interests or performance career. That's evident by his tough, recalcitrant stance with the tightfisted studio honchos, which, by the way, help lead to Actors's Equity and the independent film makers of today. And yes, the book gets into the nitty-gritty of his postwar performing years of womanizing and binge drinking but that served to make him more human and strengthen his character. A shrink would have a field day, given young Autry's polarized parenting. As a 10y.o. boy I idolized that innovative kind of cowboy-man who was good and strong, and that seemed to portray the best of American values (My grandsons have his 10 Cowboy Commandments, framed.). Singing and playing the guitar as a real-life person his pictures were action-filled musical westerns, portraying the American mantra during that time: talk softly and carry a big stick; he toted a six shooter but never killing the bad guy. My growing up after the war, it was easy to see his weakness as an aging performer and ever more commercializing career strategy, but in the long run, that never led to diminishing the demigod I worshiped circa 1942.

Gene Autry represented as performer and citizen the "God and Country" ideology. The ancient Greek and Romans worshipped a pantheon of Gods who were half-God and half-Human. A recent book, The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins offers a view on the subject of the human need for God/demigods: it's in the genes, a kind of inner quest for survival. The American mystique seems particularly wedded to the phenomena of super hero, professing a particular moral/ethical/ism standard, albeit augmented by commercialism. Some Heroes are good and others not so, Abraham Lincoln/Adolph Hitler obvious opposites, others, Brittany Spears, Babe Ruth, Jerry Falwell, and Bill Gates fall somewhere in between. Gene Autry was clearly one of the good guys/entertainers, among American's pantheon of God/demigods, further identified in the Epilogue, that points to the multimillions he gave to charity in his lifetime, contributing to schools, hospitals and building a world-class western art museum and institute for western studies. Holly George-Warren's book gives us the arc of this complex quintessential American, who was Gene Autry.

A VERY PUBLIC COWBOY by John Paddy Browne.......2007-05-10

Whatever Holly George-Warren says in her new biography of Gene Autry; however much detail she covers; however many previously unpublished facts she unearths, she is never going to please everyone. Even a monumental biography such as this one, packed to bursting as it is with dates and names and stories, will never record everything that we, the readers, will want to see.

The problem is not Ms George-Warren's. When she says she could have written a book twice this size, I believe her.

No, the problem was created by Autry himself. He lived to a mighty age, and into that great expanse of time he packed enough life experiences to fuel any number of books and magazines and newspaper articles. One glance at George-Warren's footnotes and bibliography shows how the world has been flooded with Autry newsprint throughout a career - no, several careers - that spanned 70 years. And that doesn't take account of his austere childhood (a story in itself that George-Warren tells in remarkable detail), or the vast amount of Autry material that has appeared since his death in 1998: the DVDs, the CDs, the books, the websites - even the belated victory of his Angels team in the World Series. Look at any of the online auction sites any day of the week and you will get an idea of just how much stuff Autry left behind: the supply seems endless, and endlessly varied, and all of this is merely an illusion of the man's actual working life.

Autry was a workaholic, driven, it seems, to be always doing something. When his contemporaries Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy and Tyrone Power finished their day's work at the studio, they went home and put their feet up. Not Autry. As George-Warren records in breathless detail, even while shooting a movie, Autry would be called to the phone to deal with some other business in which he was involved elsewhere: or he would receive commercial partners for discussions on set. There simply weren't enough hours in the day for him.

This handsome biography could never hope to cover everything in such an industrious life, and some of the material that is missing has been judiciously excised for purely logistical, editorial reasons. Quite rightly, the author almost completely eschews Autry's involvement in baseball (a blessed relief for those of us not interested in sports), and instead concentrates a good deal of time to his early radio and recording work. A fascinating account of Autry's notorious shoot-out with Herb Yates at Republic Studios, usng the evidence of surviving documents, brings that painful episode to vivid life. George-Warren skirts around the hackneyed stories, veracious or otherwise, that Autry told so many times that he eventually believed them himself. She neither confirms them or denies them, but puts them into a sort of context from which the reader may draw his or her own conclusions about their probability.

Not that any of this matters, except insofar as how it paints a picture of a man who was as much a media creation as a real-life figure, and possibly more so since he carried the cowboy image into his private life by wearing his Western-styled clothes - his uniform - in public and at home, away from the working environment of the studios. He put on this uniform in the same way that Superman or Santa Claus put on their uniforms, and became a figment of our collective imagination. It was how he made money.

And money is the one constant in Gene Autry's life. Whatever he did, and he did an inordinate number of different things, money was at the heart of it. "Working with figures is what I do best," he allegedly said. "What I do less well is act, sing and play the guitar." There is no hint whatever in the 400-plus pages of Holly George-Warren's book that Autry ever did anything for the love of it. He frequently spoke about how "proud" he was of certain of his achievements, and he had every reason to be proud of them - but that's not the same as "love". No-one ever got him to say that he sang certain songs because he loved them, in the way that, say, folk singers might sing songs for the love of them. Autry sang stuff that would make him money, and that was the criterion for performing and recording it.

His pursuit of money, indeed, seems to have been the one true love-affair of his life - and he has said as much. No-one will begrudge the man becoming one of the richest people in America when he worked so diligently and tirelessly to attain that pleasant state. Nobody gave him his wealth: he went out and worked for it. Ms George-Warren could easily have published a page from any one of Autry's touring schedules (and I've seen them) that would have shown him to be working in a different town or city every single day for months at a stretch. None of your two-days-on and four-days-off for him.

Along the way he gave the illusion of being a happy, carefree cowboy, bestowing a bounty of delight on his fans - fans who would carry their affection for him and loyalty to him into their old age. Autry's trick, if this does not sound too cynical, is that he made them feel that they all mattered to him when, in fact, everything he did, be it hospital visits to chat with sick children, merchandising his name relentlessly, [...] or claiming writing credits for someone else's work - and even his enlistment into the armed forces in World War 2 - all of it had a "money handle" - and he saw it all as a means of furthering his career.

Autry's publicity as high-flying business magnate, which so fascinated the Hollywood press, has done his artistic reputation no favors. Dismissed as "commercial" and superficial by many, it has been an uphill struggle for those of us trying to keep his memory alive, to justify his place at the top of so many lists of achievements in the arts. Indeed, the juxtaposition of the name "Autry" with the word "art" is almost an oxymoron - a contradiction. Yet the trail that Autry left behind him, that so many fledgling artists have followed to their benefit, speaks volumes for the influence he has had on the cultivation and development of the Country and popular music of America and other English-speaking countries. Academically, though, he was never recognised in his lifetime, nor was his work and contribution ever seriously analyzed or documented.

At the end of the day we, his fans, seem not to be troubled by any of this, and even Holly George-Warren's commendably open, impartial and well-written book, with its tales of risque songs, binge drinking, and amorous dalliances with his leading ladies (and some of his female Fan Club members) does nothing to lessen the man's stature. If anything, it reveals him to be more human than the singing cowboy of the screen ever was: the sort of man we are able to relate to: a flawed hero we can identify with.

And if this flies in the face of that famous remark made by the fictional editor of the Shinbone Star: "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!" what it may do is make the legendary figure of Gene Autry a more approachable figure to a new generation of admirers. And in our hero, the Singing Cowboy, they will find a great deal to admire. Holly George-Warren has seen to that. --JOHN PADDY BROWNE

Average customer rating:

Great book with a lot of highpoints.
Not what I expected
Amazing Book
An Unexpected Book!
Cryptozoological Fun!

Beasts!

Manufacturer: Fantagraphics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 156097768X

Book Description

A bestiary of the ages by a cavalcade of popular artists.

Beasts! is a classic mythological menagerie, comprised only of creatures that were thought at one time to actually exist, depicted by about a hundred of the most acclaimed artists and cartoonists coming from the most avant-garde ambits of the art world. The Beasts project has fired the imaginations of luminaries such as Craig Thompson, Souther Salazar, Jeff Soto, Glenn Barr, Dave Cooper, Tim Biskup, Seonna Hong, Jeremy Fish and Jay Ryan, who will present never-before-seen art completely original to this book, superbly laid out in breathtaking, full-color two-page spreads.

Beasts! collects many of the best visual artists from the worlds of comics, skateboarding, rock graphics, science-fiction, children's books, commercial and fine art. The book is conceived and designed by Jacob Covey, lead art director for Fantagraphics (Dennis the Menace, Billy Hazelnuts, Hanging Out With the Dream King, etc.) and a well-regarded designer and artist in his own right in the Northwest rock and arts community. Other contributors include: Anders Nilsen, Art Chantry, Brian Chippendale, Brian Ralph, Bwana Spoons, Colleen Coover, Jason Miles, Jesse LeDoux, Johnny Ryan, Jordan Crane, Keith Shore, Kevin Scalzo, Marc Bell, Martin Cendreda, Mat Brinkman, R. Kikuo Johnson, Richard Sala, Sammy Harkham, Stan Sakai, S. Britt, Steven Weissman, Ted Jouflas, Tom Gauld and many more!

Customer Reviews:

Great book with a lot of highpoints........2007-08-29

I expected to like this book since it features several of my favorite artists such as Richard Sala and Dave Cooper. But I was surprised by how cool this book is. The production and design are top-notch and the different artists really turned out some of their best work. Even people you've never heard of will impress you. Everyone seems to have had fun with this idea.
To sum up-this is one of the best purchases I've made all year.

Not what I expected.......2007-06-27

A collection of short (not even half a page) descriptions and some creative artwork make this book seem interesting yet it is not what I expected.

You should know that first and foremost this is an art book. It is a collection of work by artists who create comics, skate graphics, rock posters, and children's books so it pretty much looks like a comic book. Yes, I know, it is the artist's interpretation of the beast and the charm of the book for many, just not for me. I think it was interesting to depict Cerberus, the hound of hell as a weenie-dog attacking a mildly distracted mail carrier's knee and the Harpy as something that looks like Popeye with wings and breasts.

If you are into this type of artwork you will probably like this book. However, if you are looking for a book about beasts and mythological monsters, this isn't it. The descriptive text is short and the artwork seems to be more of a distraction than an enhancement.

I obviously didn't read enough about the book before I ordered it as I did so based on the subject matter. However, this is an art book and the artwork is the central feature, not the descriptive text.

Amazing Book.......2007-04-06

I've never seen anything like it, highly original and entertaining. A fascinating look at creatures and the span of artistic style throughout the various fields of art. Ranging from gig poster designers to children's book illustrators. It's a solid addition to anyone's collection.

An Unexpected Book!.......2007-03-15

If you're really into vampires, trolls, loch ness monsters, and beasts that don't even have a name but were finally given one just so they could have a place in this book because they were just so darn interesting (seems like it, though apparently that's not ~really~ the case), then this is the book for you. A really beautiful binding plus lovely artwork and snappy but smart descriptions makes the perfect Beasts! book.

The descriptions probably won't go over three sentences long and are snappy and to the point. There are times when I wish they could have provided more information, but really, they've just managed the right amount to keep the book engaging but not overactive with information, and it's nice to know how such a truly different book can make you go, "how weird but cool". You wouldn't believe what some of these beasts can do and what kind of names they have - Laestrygonians, man-eating giants, for instance.

All of the illustrations are delightfully creative and stay true to form. They all match their descriptions extremely well and just harmonize with the page, giving you an excellent visual representation of the beast. They're not like creatures from Pan's Labryinth sketchbook or whatever, but they each have distinctive style from the other and the imagination is just amazing. One of my favorites is the vampire image - just so clean with so much contrast, long, needle-point fangs, a bloody mouth and arm, and piercing, white eyes; it really makes me scared. All of the illustrations are fantastic, really.

This book will make an interesting add to your bedside, coffee, work, or whatever table you put it on. The monsters are something to look at, and you'll just admire how everything was done from the layout to the pictures to the nice descriptions. Personally, I also love the cover of the book. It looks even more elaborate and beautiful in real-life.

Cryptozoological Fun!.......2007-02-05

Over 90 modern artits are in this book.Including Tony Millionaire, Jordan Crane ,Dan Yeagle, and my fav Josh Cochran. Assembled is a great book of monsters given form by many modern artists. Some monster you'll like some you'll hate, but you'll have fun looking them up through this book. It took about three years for this to come out and with so many artists invovled I can understand why.

I waited forever for this to come out. I actually found out about it because of art show mix up. One of the artists apperaing in the book had some pieces in another art show called COVER TO COVER. They used his work from this book on the flyer and that was the only reason I went to the art show. Well that piece wasn't there and I was pissed. Then I found out about this book a couple months later and have been waiting for it to come out. Then I found out there was a art show for this books release and so I went and actually met the guy who did the piece that intially grabbed me. Tritons by Josh Cochran. He even signed my book. So did fiften other artists.

Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents

Average customer rating:

Great reference
Good Gift
Wonderfully Concise, Marvelous Photographs
A Great Pictorial Documentary of Street Art
ohhh.... but I like those slate grey concrete walls

Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents
Nicholas Ganz
Manufacturer: Harry N. Abrams
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810949792

Book Description

Ever since anonymous spray-can art began appearing on city walls in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s, graffiti has been a ubiquitous presence in the urban landscape, its artists largely unsung heroes. As hip-hop culture spread from America, graffiti became a worldwide phenomenon, emerging in the 1980s as the symbolic artistic language of young people everywhere and one of the most potent influences on youth-oriented marketing and design. With more than 2,000 illustrations by over 150 artists from all over the world and interviews with many of them, this visually arresting book is the most comprehensive survey of graffiti art ever published.

Today's young graffiti artists incorporate a variety of mediums-including stickers, stencils, oils, acrylics, and oil-based chalk-as well as an ever-expanding range of social commentary. This evolution in style and subject matter has earned graffiti the respect of the art world and guaranteed its long-lasting influence on art, graphic design, and style around the world. Great fun for graffiti and pop-culture buffs, the book is also an essential reference work for anyone involved in the visual arts today. AUTHOR BIO: Nicholas Ganz (also known as Keinom, his pen name) is a graffiti artist who has traveled around the world to gather material for this book. He lives in Essen, Germany. Tristan Manco is a graphic artist and director of Bristol-based Tijuana Design. He is the author of Stencil Graffiti and Street Logos.

Customer Reviews:

Great reference.......2007-08-06

I'm an art teacher, and I have this book in my room for ninth graders to look at during "down" time. It is so popular that I have had to repair it with book-binding tape after only two years. Many of the students just enjoy looking at the variety of impressive artwork, and some of them enjoy copying the styles of letters to create their own names or phrases. There are hundreds and hundreds of photos from around the world, showcasing a wide variety of styles. I find it hard to believe that someone could not be impressed with the artwork contained in this book.

Good Gift.......2007-07-14

I bought this book for my sister on her birthday and it's awesome... but some of the art in this book is not as spectacular as I thought it would be. The book is very enjoyable regardless.

Wonderfully Concise, Marvelous Photographs.......2007-06-22

I got just what I wanted from this book; a vivid depiction of some of the best works of graffiti in the entire world. I was certainly not disappointed. The art presented here ranges from simple, stark icons plastered in street signs to massive photorealistic portraits on the sides of enormous buildings, and everything in between.

A Great Pictorial Documentary of Street Art.......2007-06-01

Beautiful, glossy images, with many styles and influences...

ohhh.... but I like those slate grey concrete walls.......2007-04-05

To the previous reviewer:

Quote "It just goes to show how brainwashed everybody is into thinking this act of vandalism is an artform"

Of course you are entitled to your opinion, however the sad thing is that you are actually the one who is brainwashed. I guess it is not your fault that years of conditioning have created a closed mind that is unable to appreciate art in forms other than a nice little square canvas hanging on your living room wall.
Try to remove those blinkers once in a while you may be surprised.

peace

OK, as for the book itself.....
Pros: It covers a good spectrum of street art from many countries and is loaded with thousands of photos, making it a great coffee table book. When you open the book and flick through a few of the glossy pages the quality is obvious you really feel like you got your moneys worth.
Pretty good mix of moonlight pieces and the legal stuff.

Cons: The text is pretty minimal and offers only a brief intro to the artists, but I guess most people will be buying this book for the pictures anyway.
I also thought it could have included some larger format pictures considering the page size, pretty minor complaint tho.

Most people will find it a nice gentle intro in to the world of graf art, others a useful reference.

Average customer rating:

Cash, The Autobiography
Cash does what he does best
"Why Do I Always Wear Black?"
He walked the line
Honest writing.

Cash: The Autobiography
Johnny Cash
Manufacturer: HarperOne
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060727535

Book Description

He was the "Man in Black," a country music legend, and the quintessential American troubadour. He was an icon of rugged individualism who had been to hell and back, telling the tale as never before. In his unforgettable autobiography, Johnny Cash tells the truth about the highs and lows, the struggles and hard-won triumphs, and the people who shaped him.

In his own words, Cash set the record straight -- and dispelled a few myths -- as he looked unsparingly at his remarkable life: from the joys of his boyhood in Dyess, Arkansas to superstardom in Nashville, Tennessee, the road of Cash's life has been anything but smooth. Cash writes of the thrill of playing with Elvis, the comfort of praying with Billy Graham; of his battles with addiction and of the devotion of his wife, June; of his gratitude for life, and of his thoughts on what the afterlife may bring. Here, too, are the friends of a lifetime, including Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and Kris Kristofferson. As powerful and memorable as one of his classic songs, Cash is filled with the candor, wit, and wisdom of a man who truly "walked the line."

Customer Reviews:

Cash, The Autobiography.......2007-08-24

I really liked the book and I am glad I bought it but it wasn't as in depth as I was hoping it would be. Some of the names he drops would have been easier to follow if he had used last names and the book assumes you have kept up with his history and his career but what it does do is makes me want to purchase "Man in Black" just that much more.

Cash does what he does best.......2007-08-21

In this book Cash does what he does best and that's tell stories. Anybody who's even remotely familiar with his career and music knows he is a master storyteller. Cash the Autobiography is the perfect forum for the man to bear his soul and talk about his life. Never one to hold back he gives us highs lows and everything in between. This legend lived harder and faster than most rock stars could ever dream of. Get this and listen to the man in black tell you his story.

"Why Do I Always Wear Black?".......2007-07-27

This book is something like a guilty pleasure for me. Don't get me wrong-- Johnny Cash is no guilty pleasure, but that's his music. I have no guilt at all about how much I have appreciated his music over the years. One of my biggest musical regrets is that I never had the chance to see either him or June live before the end.

But writing isn't singing. I enjoyed the book, because I'm a real fan. I also enjoys it because Cash clearly likes to write. If you've got any of the Rubin recordings, then you've seen the liner notes. I have to say that I enjoy him a little bit better when not filtered through a ghost writer. But I also have to admit that Mr. Carr probably keeps it as readable and as structured as it ends up being-- I get the impression that neither of those skills were really high on his literary list.

Many readers are turned off by the very Christian nature of this book. It didn't bother me. It is a big part of Cash-- you can't take him without taking his devout Christianity. I never get the sense that he is judgemental or unfair or part of any kind of Christian right. He credits religion, together with June, as being the things that kept him from dying like Faron Young. I tend to think that one needs to give him credit for that-- and also credit for speaking out about his faith.

What I mostly got out of it was little anecdotes that filled in the history that I already knew. It also sent me scrambling for some artists who I knew existed, but didn't know exactly what they sounded like. I've been listening to my Faron Young all morning (shamefully, all I have is the Greatest Hits) and wondering why I don't listen to it more often.

I can't really imagine that this book would appeal to someone who isn't a fan. But if you are, you may well enjoy it. I did. Great vacation reading.

He walked the line.......2007-07-22

Johnny Cash is one of my heroes. I could never aspire to the kind of artistic achievement that he left us with and I don't particularly want to become a musician. But he was a real man of faith and an insightful observer and participant of the human condition. His songs reach deep into my soul and his words in this book inspired me no end. He has so many great stories to tell that it's hard to believe he's just lived one lifetime. There is much to admire in his character and also much to deplore. Which means that he was a genuine human being with faults but also a greatness that transcends generations.

The book's style is breezily conversational, which gives you the sense (as at least one other reviewer has noticed) that you are with him, relaxing over a cup of coffee, sharing in his most intimate experience. To be sure, the pacing and structure are quite uneven. This is not a conventional biography, starting from birth up till the present. The material to some extent is organized around his various domiciles (like Bon Aqua, Cinnamon Hill, his bus which he affectionately calls Unit One) but even so there's no clear structure. He just tells the stories as he remembers them. While affecting, this style occasionally makes for a disjointed reading experience. But the stories he has to tell are well-worth hearing, whether it is of the people he's worked with professionally (a veritable who's who of music legends, such as Carl Perkins, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Pressley, etc.), those dearest to his heart, how he came to write some of his songs or what have you.

Reading this book makes you realize that the movie "Walk the Line", great as it was, exaggerates or distorts certain events in his life. While sometimes this is necessary to fit the format of a movie, there are instances in which events omitted would have had a greater dramatic effect. He recounts the story of his first music teacher, who upon hearing his performance of several songs immediately refused to teach him, so that she wouldn't change the amazing voice that he had.

All in all, this is a thoroughly enjoyable read. As a Christian I was inspired by his profound but simple faith which thoroughly infused every aspect of his life. I have no doubt that he was inspired by God to reach the lonely and the downtrodden and to be a witness for Him.

Honest writing........2007-05-26

After seeing the movie, I was compelled to pick this up . I wasn't disappointed . I enjoyed his writing style and his raw honesty about his addictions. If you liked walk the line , or his music, pick this up.

The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor

Average customer rating:

Love that shabby chic French style!
Lovely book
Dangerous Liasons
Fabulous Book!
French Flea Market (if you like that look)

The New Eighteenth-Century Style: Rediscovering a French Décor
Michele Lalande
Manufacturer: "Harry N. Abrams, Inc."
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0810954966

Book Description

Whoever said “Everything old is new again” could have been talking about French Pompadour Style. The flamboyant, opulent, refined aesthetic—so characteristic of the eighteenth century—has enjoyed a spectacular revival in recent years. In The New Eighteenth-Century Style, journalist Michèle Lalande and photographer Gilles Trillard, both experts in the field of interior décor, survey 30 examples of this quintessential blending of exquisite detail and ostentatious affluence. From lush velvet upholstery to the emblematic use of turquoise with gold accents, these perfectly captured interiors beguile the reader with well-worn extravagance. In an era of “shabby chic” the more refined, more pristine accents of Pompadour may be just what the world of interior décor needs—and this beautiful book provides an indispensable guide.

Customer Reviews:

Love that shabby chic French style!.......2007-06-01

An absolutely smashing book, full of details. After all, it is the details that make the room finishesd and unique. This is a classic look in my way of thinking, but then again, it is my style! A decorator by trade, I am always open to new concepts, and I found the book to offer many different perspectives on the same style, pages after pages of them. Excellent book layout and design, and wonderful photography.

Lovely book.......2007-04-04

I'm an artist & antique collector and not an interior designer by trade, so I am totally enjoying this book. I find it to be a lovely book full of great photography and many interesting details to spark one's imagination. Regardless of the fact that all the styles are not necessarily my own taste, the book as a whole is great fun to look at and I found it inspiring. Each time I looked at a room, I found some new little detail that I'd missed the first time around. It made me itch to re-vamp a room, stat, and I consider anything that inspires me or makes me feel creative money well spent.

Dangerous Liasons.......2007-02-09

This is a pretty, pretty book with lots of great stuff to look it, lots of interesting vignettes. It's French shabby, chippy _hit, uh, I mean chic. This was a great trend in the mid 1990's here in the USA before Rachel A. made shabby and chic a brand. Big style on a budget using detrius no one wanted. And it was cheap back then. Just took a can of white paint to chic up everything.
These French 18th century and 18th century inspired objets in this book, are not cheap. They are shabby and they are beautiful. The vignettes look like the Broadway stage set for the play Dangerous Liasons - decay, messy, artful, romantic, monochromatic and mad.
Like many decor books, the vignettes are impossible to see as life like - like does anyone really live in these vignettes. Still, they are beautiful to look at. The new 18th century style is a little like the new emperor's clothes. Smoke and mirrors to the highest degree of accomplishment. Get this book for the fun of it.

Fabulous Book! .......2006-11-18

If you're style is that of a Paris flea market, the bazaar in Bombay or a eclectic old shop somewhere in Eastern Europe, you'll love this book. Great photography; the individualism of each space comes through with color and texture. My new favorite. The highlight is more photos of the Stockholm attic apartment, which is a true style icon.

French Flea Market (if you like that look).......2006-11-02

More like Madame Pompadour is probably rolling over in her grave. I hope to goodness gracious that this isn't the new 18th century style. If you like 18th century style on a seriously tight budget then you may enjoy this book. It's full of pages of colorless 'schemes', seriously abused furniture and icy cold lighting. Was it all photographed in rooms with Northern exposure? The editors of Veranda will love this book. I am an interior designer who collects period 18th century furniture and art. I have truly studied 18th century furniture, decorative arts and customs for years and this is a popular look although I find it horribly depressing. On the positive side - the photography in this book is very well done. If you like French flea market 'junk' then you'll love this. I gave it a 4 vs. a 2 because the quality of the book is excellent and the photography is excellent but much of my disdain for this book is from this horrendous & prevalent style that I wish would go away.

Average customer rating:

Story of the Trapp Family Singers
Inspirational family
wholesome and heartwarming
A Refreshing, Straightforward Story
A pleasure to read and learn of the real Trapp family

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers
Maria Augusta Trapp
Manufacturer: Harper Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060005777
Release Date: 2001-12-24

Book Description

With nearly 1,500 Broadway performances, six Tony Awards, more than three million albums sold, and five Academy Awards, The Sound of Music, based on the lives of Maria, the baron, and their singing children, is as familiar to most of us as our own family history. But much about the real-life woman and her family was left untold.

Here, Baroness Maria Augusta Trapp tells in her own beautiful, simple words the extraordinary story of her romance with the baron, their escape from Nazi-occupied Austria, and their life in America.

Now with photographs from the original edition.

Customer Reviews:

Story of the Trapp Family Singers.......2007-05-08

Excellent writing--My mother has enjoying reading the book. I have enjoying reading it also.

Inspirational family.......2006-11-06

You will enjoy this true story of the "Sound of Music" family. It is both historical and charming. The family's adventures and trials will keep you turning the pages.

wholesome and heartwarming.......2006-08-18

I smile whenever I see this book on my shelf...

Picture a large, creative, talented family seated around a fireplace in the evenings--playing with dolls or whittling--while the mother reads aloud. Later, they sing together...imagine that...a family singing together for fun!

German occupied Austria in 1938...I can only envision what it would have been like. Its intriguing to see it through Maria's eyes. One of my favorite quotes in this book is: "you can't say no three times to Hitler." My second favorite quote is: "The Americans never seemed to ask, "Who are you?" but "How good are you? Let's see."

I've read this book several times, and I always enjoy it!

A Refreshing, Straightforward Story.......2006-07-01

Okay, "War and Peace" it ain't, but what it is is a charming rendering of the Trapp Family history. Told in an almost childlike voice, it was refreshing to learn about this amazing woman and her struggles to keep her family afloat during a turbulent time in the world. After hearing so much about Paris Hilton and Tori Spelling these days it was refreshing to come back to reality and see how insipid today's youth can be. Maria was a strong woman who didn't flinch in the face of adversity. I enjoyed hearing about her faith, as well, being a rather lax Catholic, my interest in my own faith has been inspired by reading her book. I enjoyed her exuberance over the simplest things and it made me appreciate everything I have. I would recommend this book to everyone...young, old, religious, atheists, etc. There is something to learn from Maria von Trapp and this delightful book now goes on my short list of "All Time Favorites". Read this book and share it with someone you love, or better yet, share it with someone you hate.

A pleasure to read and learn of the real Trapp family.......2006-04-29

The book was a joy to read, one filled with hope, love, struggle and triumph through faith and hard work. The true value is in learning how different the Trapp family's life was from the Sound of Music and quite different indeed it was.

I was unaware of just how musically gifted the family really was, how much of a struggle their early years in America were and just how deep their faith in God was throughout their lives.

I would have given it 5 stars but the tale of the romance between the Captain and Maria and their escape from Austria were brief to non-existent . I would have liked to have heard more from Maria on those chapters of their life.

On the plus side, her writing is from the heart, and filled with wonder on her part on the goodness of people wherever she went.
The path of a family who succeeded by faith, hard work and personal responsibility was a real inspiration.

Pick up this book, read their true story, and be inspired.

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt

Average customer rating:

Amazing Visuals, Informative Text!
Another Gee's Bend book
An exciting look at quilts as modern art
Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt by Paul Arnett, William Arnett
A great book on a legendary art

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt
Paul Arnett , William Arnett , Bernard Herman , Maggi Gordon , Diane Mott , Dilys Blum , Lauren Whitley , Amei Wallach , and Joanne Cubbs
Manufacturer: Tinwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0971910456

Book Description

In 2002, Gee’s Bend burst into international prominence through the success of Tinwood’s Quilts of Gee’s Bend exhibition and book, which revealed an important and previously invisible art tradition from the African American South. Critics and popular audiences alike marveled at these quilts that combined the best of contemporary design with a deeply rooted ethnic heritage and compelling human stories about the women. Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt is a major book and museum exhibition that will premiere at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), in June 2006 before traveling to seven American museums through 2008. The book's 330 color illustrations and insightful text bring home the exciting experience to readers while displaying all the cultural heritage and craftsmanship that have gone into these remarkable quilts.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing Visuals, Informative Text!.......2007-09-17

This book is gorgeous!!! It includes large photographs of tons of quilts, in a size that allows you to see the smallest details, such as topstitching. It also includes inspirational photos of details of the town. However, it's not your typical coffe table book, because it has probably equal parts very informative text and visuals. Since it's not small enough to carry with me on the train, it's been hard separating myself from this book-- it is beautiful!

Another Gee's Bend book.......2007-05-13

I like this book because it is full of information about the construction of the quilts and alot of trivia about the makers of the quilts. Very beautiful pictures! A great book for learning.

An exciting look at quilts as modern art.......2007-02-08

This book illustrates the link between the incredibly beautiful quilts produced by five generations of African American women in the South to the architecture they saw around them and to their own artistic vision. Their personal stories, contained in chapters toward the end of the book, are very moving and inspirational.

Gee's Bend: The Architecture of the Quilt by Paul Arnett, William Arnett .......2007-01-12

Wonderful book full of pictures and inspiration, and the story of the Gees Bend Quilts.

A great book on a legendary art.......2007-01-04

This book shows the Gees Bend quilts in all their gorgeous and unself-conscious art, as well as telling the story of these women, descended from slaves in an isolated community, who created this amazing abstract art. A wonderful book, with many color photos of the quilts.

The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place

Average customer rating:

exceptional
.........a superb keepsake of a memorable trip.
The Quilts of Gee's Bend
Memories which must be kept 'real'
The Heart and Souls....

The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place
William Arnett , Alvia Wardlaw , Jane Livingston , and John Beardsley
Manufacturer: Tinwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0965376648

Book Description

Since the 19th century, the women of Gee’s Bend in southern Alabama have created stunning, vibrant quilts. Beautifully illustrated with 110 color illustrations, The Quilts of Gee’s Bend includes a historical overview of the two hundred years of extraordinary quilt-making in this African-American community, its people, and their art-making tradition. This book is being·released in conjunction with a national exhibition tour including The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Customer Reviews:

exceptional.......2007-03-30

I remember the first time I saw photographs of the quilts of Gee's Bend in a magazine about seven years ago. I couldn't wait to learn about the amazing artists whose vision the quilts portray. This book is more outstanding than I imagined it could be. It is powerful, beautiful, sensitive, and historically accurate. I recommend The Quilts of Gee's Bend to anyone with an eye for artistic genius and a love for discovering a community of women willing to express themselves outside the box of convention. How refreshing and inspiring! Simply Exceptional!!

.........a superb keepsake of a memorable trip. .......2007-03-08

Who is more qualified to help provide us with a book about the quilts of Gee's Bend, but Mr. Bill Arnett who has championed the makers of these quilts and their works since 'discovering' them years ago in the tiny community of Gee's Bend about thirty miles southwest of Selma, Alabama?

The quilts first went on tour in 2002 and have been touring ever since. I learned of the ladies of Gee's Bend and their quilts from a PBS documentary first aired in 2003 and have anxiously hoped they would one day come to my part of the country. When, earlier this year, I found the quilts would indeed be coming to the Orlando Museum of Art, I purchased, The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place, documenting the quilts, and the lives of their various makers, with beautiful, full-color illustrations of the quilts.

In February, 2007, when I was finally able to enjoy the quilts in person, I was happy to discover the book had accurately depicted the quilts, and their makers, paralleling an exhibition that should be seen and appreciated by all.

I purchased a copy of The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place, for the art teacher of my children's school. This beautiful book encouraged her to take her middle and high school art students to the exhibition. The book helped the students to first see and read about what they were going to view and then became a superb keepsake of a most memorable trip.

The Quilts of Gee's Bend.......2007-03-08

This is a beautiful book about both the women and the quilts of Gee's Bend. The photos make me feel as if I am back at the Gee's Bend Quilt Show.

Memories which must be kept 'real'.......2007-03-08

This book is already a treasure and one I can love and then bequeath to another art and tradition and people lover...
At the end of October in 2003, I was in Milwaukee to see this Quilt exhibition. Friends of Art from Indiana University drove to Chicago and then on to the marvelous museum in Milwaukee to experience the Quilts. What an awakening! That day I bought a Video. Since that time I have purchased the DVD and (when I found it online) the hardback book The Quilts of Gee's Bend! What a treasure! I am overjoyed to have this book and to have had the viewing experience! [I also use the USPS stamps and the book of postcards!] --Sarah K. Robinson

The Heart and Souls...........2007-01-27

The heart and souls of women are exposed in this poignant book of quilts, along with their "stories" past and present---of slavery on through the civil rights era, and now, life as it is in rural Alabama. The quilts, made out of necessity for their warmth, have become acclaimed Objects d' Art throughout the Art World. Having seen the documentary on television and the Quilt exhibit in San Francisco, I was compelled to purchase this beautiful book containing a compilation of these quilts and self-expressed comments from the community of women who have kept their quilt-making alive. I have purchased this book for myself and several others as gifts.

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts: Two-volume Set

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The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts: Two-volume Set
Gordon Campbell
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature (4 Volume Set)

ASIN: 0195189485

Book Description

The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts covers thousands of years of decorative arts production throughout western and non-western culture. With over 1,000 entries, as well as hundreds drawn from the 34-volume Dictionary of Art, this topical collection is a valuable resource for those interested in the history, practice, and mechanics of the decorative arts. Accompanied by almost 100 color and more than 500 black and white illustrations, the 1,290 pages of this title include hundreds of entries on artists and craftsmen, the qualities and historic uses of materials, as well as concise definitions on art forms and style. Explore the works of Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, and the Wiener Wekstatte, or delve into the history of Navajo blankets and wing chairs in thousands of entries on artists, craftsmen, designers, workshops, and decorative art forms.

Average customer rating:

Lone Wolf...
Revealing
Great Book about Waylon
Waylon an autobiography
WAYLON RULES!

Waylon: An Autobiography
Waylon Jennings , and Lenny Kaye
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0446518654

Customer Reviews:

Lone Wolf..........2007-09-20

Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to Richie Valens in that fateful plane crash that claimed the lives of Valens, Buddy Holly and the big Bopper. It would not be the last time he skirted death. A fact filled and story filled book that reads like a Waylon Jennings song filled with bravado, heart and longing. One of the original "outlaws" of country music Waylon was above all else his own man and along with Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson formed the legendary "Highwaymen". This temperamental artist tells of his many travails with his personal demons and the love of his life, Jessi Colter. Good stuff.

Revealing.......2007-01-16

This is an interesting book for country music enthusiasts as it provides details reaching back to the Bob Wills days, the Buddy Holley times, the horrible drug use in Nashville and some of those involved. I read it with great interest and I keep it handy on my bookshelf.

Great Book about Waylon.......2006-11-05

If you are a Waylong Jennings fan as I am you will love this book. It is true account of Waylons life told by him.

I would highly recommend this book.

Waylon an autobiography.......2006-02-24

Fantastic! A must read for anyone...country music lover or not.

WAYLON RULES!.......2004-11-18

If you are a fan of Ol Waylon! This book covers in detail all that you need to know about Waylon. I laughed and Cried reading that book not because I am huge fan of Waylon. But, also because the stories were well written and to the best of my knowledge looked like Waylon was honest when he wrote the book.

I only hope Jessi Colter write a book as well. that also would be very intersting, Seeing the story from her point of view, and learning about her as an artist and a wonderful human being.

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