Book Description
Literature, clothes, art, travel, decor, theatre, humor, comment, and entertainment...count on FLAIR to bring men and women of taste everywhere a new kind of magazine excitement.
Fifty years after it ceased publication, Flair is still one of the most talked-about and influential magazines ever created. It is remembered for its innovative design and production quality, its superb coverage of the arts, and its intuitive discovery of many artists and writers well before they achieved fame and fortune.
The Best of Flair is beautifully illustrated in full color and produced with all the innovative features of the magazine, including the best pieces from the original twelve issues and a selection of the famous die-cut covers, foldouts, and self-contained booklets. In print once again, The Best of Flair is a cultural event not to be missed.
Customer Reviews:
Fleur's flight of fancy........2002-07-14
These facsimile pages from the twelve issues of Flair are a celebration of Fleur Cowles zest for creativity in the arts. The 338 pages must have been a challenge for the Hong Kong printers, they had to cope with various foldout pages, die-cut holes, different paper stock and bind in several short pages, two concertina foldouts and five sixteen page booklets.
Sumptuous though the book is I feel that Flair is resting in its reputation. To my mind, having worked as a publication art director, the photos, typography and layouts are very conservative and do not show any particular innovative design. Other magazines and designers were much more creative in the fifties, 'Fortune' with Will Burtin, 'Glamour' with Cipe Pineless, 'Harper's Bazaar' with Alexey Brodovitch and 'Vogue' with Alexander Liberman. Certainly the covers with their die-cut holes (sadly only six of the twelve are included) and the bound in booklets were unique to consumer magazines at the time but I think that Flair should be remembered as a magazine concept rather than a magazine full of creativity.
Fleur Cowles writes a short piece about the origins of Flair (handwritten in gold on dark blue paper) but does not give enough detail (I believe each issue involved several printers and binders) and as there were only twelve issues a list of all the articles should have been included. Another reviewer has commented that the high price (reassuringly expensive?) and the cloth covered box the book comes in reflects snob appeal, I agree but I'm still pleased to have a copy.
The return of Flair.......2001-09-11
I first became acquainted with Fleur Cowles' revolutionary 'Flair' magazine during my childhood in the fifties. At that time the publication impressed me with its cultured blend of cosmopolitan sophistication and innovative design, although it didn't escape me that its pages also included a great deal of elitism, snobbery and self-congratulatory arrogance. Although I wasn't fortunate to keep any of the original issues, the magazine became a significant influence in the development of my literary and artistic tastes and in my life-long quest for beauty and elegance. For that I was grateful. So it was a joy to learn that a best-of compilation put together by Fleur Cowles herself had finally appeared. The original 1996 printing sold out before I could manage to acquire a copy and when Rizzoli recently published a second run I quickly got one. This edition has a foreword by writer-socialite Dominick Dunne. Now, is it really worth the rather steep price of [price]? Well... I think that for that kind of money the publishers could have managed to provide us with something much more substantial, for example: a slipcased set containing facsimile editions of all twelve original issues, rather than this comprehensive but ultimately limited look. A complete reprint would have given us the full impression of the range and period feel of a unique magazine, and at this price I think that they could have well afforded to do it. I understand that part of the reason for this expensive price tag is the snob appeal that has always been a part of the Flair mystique and that perhaps this offering is to be regarded as literary caviar for the more discerning (and well-off) among us. On the plus side I must say that the large-format book is lavishly printed, that the articles are indeed very well selected - containing not quite all but much of the best of the short-lived magazine - and that the presentation is very handsome indeed. Several of the covers are reproduced with their distinctive die-cuts and embossing and the book is housed in an elegant cloth-covered box. I still think it could have been more reasonably priced but there it is. Caviar lovers, enjoy it before it disappears again!
Grab it!.......2000-04-06
Get this book. Do anything you have to in order to own it. I paid $250 at the Art Institute of Chicago because I was afraid I would miss out...again. This is a collector's piece if you got the first edition. If not, don't hesitate. It is interesting, intriging, thought provoking, ahead of it's time....and not just for 'creative' types. Something good for everyone.
dazzling!.......1999-10-21
This is the most extraordinary book I've ever owned! I missed out when it was first published as a limited edition and I vowed that if it ever came back,I would grab one. Bravo to Rizzoli Publishers for re-issuing this hard-to-find classic!
Customer Reviews:
Social contract.......2007-02-15
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book after reading a review in a magazine and honestly, the sensual cover added to my curiosity. I should mention that the title could be misleading. The book is not for "girls," in the sense "children". The photos inside are of stylish women (mid 20s to mid 30s), which I guess might suggest that the content is to instruct young women/"girls" on the more adult matters of etiquette. But the book is not written in that tone, it really could be used throughout a woman's life.
Now after having read through most sections, I am very happy with the purchase. It's a very stylish and fun reference that I've enjoyed reading. And I'm very glad that as expected and hoped, the mudane and the pleasant and not so pleasant possible realities of life are covered. There is a light and gentle sophistication to the style that keeps the reading from becoming smug or arrogrant. I don't thinking anyone would go wrong using this book as a reminder or instruction on how best to treat others well.
Fascinating.......2007-02-07
I love this book. I am amazed at how polite I am already, and love what I've learned.
What manners?.......2007-01-19
I have not read the book; it was intended as a gift. I did scan through it, and it looked quite interesting.
Book Description
WINNER OF THE American Book Award in Translation for 1983, Richard Howard's version of this landmark work of modernist verse, published here in tandem with the French original. Embellished by a frontispiece portrait and nine floral monotypes by Michael Mazur.
Customer Reviews:
A Poor Translation.......2007-09-02
I've lived with these poems, in the original French, for forty years; when Howard's English translation came out twenty years ago, I read it through, but never felt that it was even worth reviewing. It doesn't rhyme, it doesn't scan, it changes the meaning of the original. Yecch, to put it bluntly.
The whole idea behind Baudelaire's verse is that it is exquisitely classical metre and rhyme, but contains feelings and images that are so advanced that we haven't really caught up with them, even 100 years later. It's the contrast between strictness of form and wildness of content that makes Baudelaire's poetry so incredible.
Enter Howard. His versification is so vague and unfocused, and his words and meaning so far from the original, that I can't recognize Baudelaire at all in this book. It's more like a riff or a sampling of the real thing, and just doesn't work - for me - either as poetry or as translation. I guess you could say that I'm deaf to Howard's music. Even if that is true, I'd stake my reputation that Howard is deaf to Baudelaire's music.
creep close until you lie upon my heart.......2006-11-25
Howard's translation of Baudelaire's masterpiece is not to be missed. This is the poetic decadence that began the belle epoque and influenced so much of what was to come in literature and the arts. Anyone seen reading this in public could be mobbed by attractive and intelligent members of the opposite and/or same sex: it has a libido boost that exceeds the music of Barry White. Go ahead, read "Lethe" to your sexy significant other while drinking absinthe and champagne; they'll be yours forever.
Baudelaire bowdlerized?.......2006-04-18
In some translations, Baudelaire creeps up and stabs you. In this one he just sits and broods, smoking a hookah.
Richard Howard reduces Baudelaire to a pleasant middle-voice from which he speaks with only occasional eloquence. The translator here is a poet who is sensitive to the meaning of each poem, but he hasn't focused his energy enough on crafting his translations to contribute much that is better than the translations already done.
His introduction reveals that he is concerned more with "articulating a sustained structure" (in which he succeeds) than with giving any poem its "individual varnish" (in which he fails). The result, of course, is that few of these poems are brilliantly presented IN THEMSELVES, and we can appreciate this translation only if we read all the poems in sequence, thinking about their relationships.
Translation of Baudelaire demands a focus on every word, every line, every cadence. This translation has an agenda; it tries to capture only a fraction of the poet.
Most of these translations do not rhyme; and yet they are not literal translations either. The popularity of this book is that Howard makes everything sound plain and sensible. It is only when you look at the French that you realize how uncanny the original poems are. This book does not convey Baudelaire's lyric intensity, mainly because it abandons the music of the original. Howard is so bent on making everything plain English that he utterly misses the thundering rhythms of a poem like "Le Vampire". He translates "Toi qui, comme un coup de couteau / Dans mon coeur plaintif es entree" as "Sudden as a knife you thrust / Into my sorry heart." Bleh! What a lazy translation! Of course you CAN translate it that way, but it destroys the music of the poem, which severely weakens the reading of Baudelaire.
N.B. It's awkward to review a whole book of translations, since certain attempts will obviously be more successful than others. Howard is quite sensitive to the poetry of the original (he never misinterprets) and certain lines in these translations are indeed wonderful moments of poetic understanding: such poems include "Sorrows of the Moon", "I spent the night..." and "L'Heautontimoroumenos" in which he writes "I am the vampire at my own veins." Such recasting of Baudelaire's phrases are the most significant contributions of this book. Unfortunately, they're the exceptions, and other translators have written stunning translations, full of Baudelaire's dark music, which are far more memorable and accomplished than the typical translation here.
The Crystal Flowers.......2005-12-11
Published in a most beautiful format. The pure essence of the Flowers.
It reads as smooth as silk. A tribute to the linguistic skill of Richard Howard, whose pre-eminence is undisputed.
"Satan Trismegistus subtly rocks
our ravished spirits on his wicked bed
until the precious metal of our will
is leached out by this cunning alchemist:..."
By a process of alchemical distillation the pure essence of the Flowers matures and comes to bloom in the upper regions. Held by a hand surpassing that of an Eastern Flower-Master the pure spirit is poured out to an indifferent world, by means of a golden trumpet set with a jewelled-encrusted rose. The elixir cascades and crystallizes in transparent space and hangs suspended like the many pendants of a crystal chandelier. Both by day and by night they glisten with scintillating colour and multifarious light. Those Crystal Flowers of Richard Howard.
Beyond.......2005-09-24
This book, these words, this particular translation takes me there. One of the only books on this planet which can move me to tears time and time again; a julien in my life.
Book Description
Controversial book of verse, first published in 1857, presented in a handsome dual-language edition, together with superb selection of great French poet’s other works: prose poems from "Spleen of Paris," critical essays on art, music and literature, as well as personal letters. Line-by-line English translation, with original French text on facing page.
Customer Reviews:
Not The Complete Les Fleurs.......2007-07-27
I purchased this book, misled (or perhaps just too hopeful) by its title and description, expecting that it would contain facing English translations of *all* the poems in Les Fleurs Du Mal. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and found only 50 of the 160 or so poems! I hope this brief notice prevents other readers from making a similar error. If you want all the poems, or better still, the complete works, in translation, then you will have to look elsewhere (I don't have a current recommendation, but will post one when I do).
That said, Wallace Fowlie's translations of the 50 selected poems are very accurate, and worth having for that reason alone. These are literal translations (what we used to call "ponies," although I am not sure why, in school.) He renders every line, pretty much word-for-word, into good understandable English, making no attempt to create a "literary" or "poetic" version. I would use these translations simply to check my understanding of the original French, and can recommend them very highly to students for that purpose.
Great Choice of French Poetry.......2004-10-09
Charles Baudelaire is a one of the finest French poets. Critics refer to his works as "les poemes obscures. If you like Edgar Alan Poe's style, you'll love Baudelaire. I recommend reading 2 poems in particular " La Beaute", and "L'ennemi".
If you are a bilingual reader, I'd recommend buying "Contes Francais". This is, again, a dual-language book with chosen stories from Voltaire, Balzac, Gide, et Camus...
A "success de scandale"..........2001-07-19
"All the bourgeois fools who incessantly utter the words immoral, immorality, morality in art, and other silly things remind me of Louise Villedieu, a five franc whore who, when accompanying me one day to the Louvre - where she had never been - started blushing and covering her face; and pulling all the time at my sleeve, she asked, before the immortal statues and paintings, how people could put such obscenities on public display" ~ Mon Coeur mis a nu (My heart laid bare)
The ministry of interior declared in 1857 that "Les Fleurs du Mal" constituted "an act of defiance in contempt of the laws which safeguard religion and morality" and both Baudelaire, the publisher and the printer was convicted on grounds of immorality, and all available copies of "Les Fleurs du Mal" was confiscated.
The courts verdict stated that whatever mitigating comments "Les Fleurs du Mal" might contain, nothing could dissipate the harmful effects of the images Mr. Baudelaire presents to the reader, and which, in the incriminated poems, inevitably lead to the arousal of the senses by crude and indecent realism.
"You know that I have only considered literature and the arts as pursuing a goal unrelated to morality, and that the beauty of conception and style alone are enough for me." ~ Baudelaire
The ban on the censored poems was not lifted until May 31, 1949!!
With "Les Fleurs du Mal" Baudelaire came to spearhead the Symbolist movement as a reaction against the prevailing naturalism in literature at the time. Baudelaire sublimated debauchery, spleen and hideousness to an art of studied elegance, but people often forget the wicked sense of cynical, black humour permeating many of his poems:
"I've just seen an adorable woman. She has the most beautiful eyes in the world - which she draws with a matchstick - the most provocative eyes - the brilliance of which is the clue solely to the khol on her eyelid - a voluptuous mouth - drawn with cochineal - and, on top of that, not a hair of her own - in short 'A GREAT ARTIST !` "
In Baudelaire's own words "A translation of poetry... may be an enticing dream, but can only ever be a dream" and therefore this dual-language book of "The Flowers of Evil/Les Fleurs du Mal" definetly is the one to get...
The Most Intriguing of Poets.......2001-02-08
Les Fleurs du Mal is a bittersweet compilation of poems by Charles Baudelaire, the master of forlorn sentiments who lived in Paris around 1850. Unique to his style is a juxtaposition of the realm of nature with that of the modern city (Paris). Baudelaire, like Gaugin, was one of the few artists of his cohort who had traveled out of his usual frame of reference (from Paris to the islands of La Reunion and back to Paris again), instilling in his vision a lust for the exotic and for realms of simple enchantment. While many perceive his works as pessimistic, it seems to me that the elements of humour and sarcasm woven throughout his works reveal an underlying transcendence over any serious lugubrious entrapment. The French-English text here helps to expose what may have been lost or altered in the translation. Ultimately the poems and their English counterparts here maintain the glory of Baudelaire- dark and uncanny rhymes often intertwined with florid beauty and intimations of the untarnished. A timeless works, the Flowers of Evil is sublimely written.
compare original and translation.......2000-11-18
Very interesting item! The best works by Charles Baudelaire in French original and in English translation. Except the great qualities of Baudelaire's poetry the value of this book is also in the possibility to compare original with translation. There are many academic disputes about translating of poetry. This book is a fine example of an effort to offer every reader a chance to judge for himself about quality of each and every translation. "Flowers of evil" are enough for five stars themselves. What to say then about this book which offers double-language edition of the forst modern collection of poetry and also some additional texts?
Average customer rating:
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La culture des fleurs
Jack Goody
Manufacturer: Seuil
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 2020177153 |
Average customer rating:
- charming book for all ages
- Art and Artistry
- One of the most important books in my life.
- Captivating text & artwork
- NEVER WILL YOU READ A BOOK AS CAPTIVATING AS THIS ONE!!
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Lion and Blue
Robert Vavra , and
Fleur Cowles
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0688611648 |
Customer Reviews:
charming book for all ages.......2005-08-29
I originally bought this book for my granddaughter but was so taken with the charm and love expressed in the paintings that I also got it for myself as well as for other nieces.....this belongs on your keep it forever shelf.
Art and Artistry.......2001-10-21
I loved to read to my daughters when they were little. I spared no expense in collecting unusual children's books for them. Lion and Blue was one of our favorites. The art and poetry worked together in a chemistry that is hard to explain. The illustrations are true art. The story, while easily appreciated by a child, was also appreciated by the mother. It takes a true look at love, which sees perfection and not the differences among us. To expose young minds to concepts such as this, while capturing the eye with vivid and beautiful pictures is to instill forever an appreciation in art and literature.
One of the most important books in my life........2000-10-10
I first read this book more than 20 years ago. It moved me to tears then. When I met the man who was eventually to become my husband, I gave him a copy of it. It illustrated the power of loyalty and true love. He gave me a blue butterfly pin as a reminder of the impact the book had on him. Even now when we see a butterfly, we can't help but think of the story. It is truly one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
Captivating text & artwork.......1999-08-11
This book has been a family favorite since my children were small. It holds both adults & children spellbound. I have never seen a book in which the text & artwork work together so beautifully, yet each can stand completely on it's own.
NEVER WILL YOU READ A BOOK AS CAPTIVATING AS THIS ONE!!.......1999-03-05
This book was read to me by my boyfriend (which was read to him by his mother when he was a child) and I never have heard a book that comes so close to reality. It is a true tale of devotion, friendship, loyalty, and most importantly, love. What made this book unique, other than the wonderful illustrations, was the fact that it carried a theme so powerful with only two main characters, a lion and a butterfly. A must read for anyone with a heart!
Book Description
A Hedonist's guide to London comprehensively explores Europe's most cosmopolitan city. London is already covered by many guides but Hg2 London looks beneath the surface to show the reader where the city's most stylish, hip and 'in' locations currently are. Our team of writers, drawn predominantly from the Sunday Times Style magazine, are among the best in town and have an indepth knowledge of London's finest, from the smartest hotels to the undeground clubs this is the essential guide for every visitor to own.
Customer Reviews:
Truly enlightening.......2005-06-08
This is really a delightful book. It's not exactly your basic biography, though. It gives the standard details of each person's life, then rounds out the story using actual contemporary accounts of events. Think of it as the 'color commentary' that would go along with a standard biography. I read it simultaneously with "The Lives of the Kings and Queens of France" by Duc de Castries and thoroughly enjoyed the added dimension this book brought to the experience. A great collector's item, too.
Customer Reviews:
For cooks who enjoy the process.......2004-08-13
Born in Alsace, Hubert Keller's culinary experiences include France, Brazil and San Francisco, all of which find an outlet here.
Organized by course, dishes range from the simple (Sundried Tomato, Herb and Fettucine Pancakes; Vegetable Risotto with Saffron), to the sublime (Truffled Vichyssoise; Mosaic of Tuna and Sea Scallops in Black Pepper Gelee).
Each recipe includes a chef's note giving preparation times and tips on ingredients, modifications, techniques and wine suggestions.
While many recipes require time and several steps - Marinated Venison Chops with Horseradish Crust and Currant Sauce; Ecuadorian Quinoa and Wild Rice Wrapped in Cabbage with Tomato and Cumin Seed Sauce - others can be on the table in less than an hour - Whole Red Snapper on Celery leaves with Orange, Lemon and Fennel; Chicken and Spinach Wraps with Hazelnut Sauce; The Best Crab Cakes (which include scallops).
A mouth-watering book for both browsing and cooking with beautiful photographs by Lois Ellen Frank.
A Cookbook Worth Buying.......2002-08-14
I asked for and received this book as a birthday gift. It was an excellent choice. At first I thought the recipes somewhat intimidating. A closer examination proved me wrong. The directions are as clear as can be, and suggestions in the side boxes are interesting, helpful and appropriate to the recipe. While I won't be using the recipes calling for fresh truffles or caviar (and they're very few), I will be trying out many others. The Seared Tuna on Creamed Spinach is worth the price of the book. The Black Pepper Polenta was perfect with it, but plain rice or coconut rice is very good, too.
Perfect Food.......2000-04-26
I met Hubert here in Brazil, and I love his food. The recepies were written carefully (Chantal, his wife tasted them all! ). I have a cooking school in São Paulo and so far I have not seen anything like him. His food is so elaborated in terms of taste and so simple in terms of wook. It is light, but with a lot of taste and charm. When you taste it, you will never forget!
Great modern French Food.......1999-10-19
I have to admit that I think Hubert Keller is one of the best chefs in the world, and his restaurant should have 3 Michelin stars. This is one beautiful book, and the receipes, while not for the beginner, are not difficult for the average cook at home. I have made many of the receipes and have found them all delicious. I also enjoyed Chef Kellers' story of growing up in Ribeauville and his professional history working with some of the best chefs in the world. Having taken cooking classes taught by Hubert, I can also say he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. From one Alsatian to another, thanks Hubert for a great book, and Vive L'Alsace!
Beautiful book, recipes may be too difficult for amateurs........1999-05-27
The photos in this book are dreamy, and the recipes are colossally imaginative. BUT ... many home cooks will find it difficult to recreate most of the dishes that Keller successfully renders at his restaurant, Fleur de Lys, and many ingredients will be challenging to find. The explanations of many classic French cooking techniques are top-notch, however, and the writing throughout the book is very, very good.
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