Origins: African Wisdom for Every Day (Offerings for Humanity)

Book Description

This third volume in Offerings for Humanity-the Föllmis' acclaimed series celebrating the spiritual heritage of various cultures-takes us to the heart of African life and thought. Olivier and Danielle Föllmi guide us on a voyage of discovery through this immense continent and its mosaic of peoples, from the Himba shepherds to the Peul nomads, from the deserts of Namibia to the savannah of Cameroon.Following the success of the first two books, Offerings and Wisdom, the Föllmis now plumb the cultural wealth of the African people, whose ancestral values have been passed on through the generations as part of a rich oral tradition. Inspiring reflections by leading African personalities-from Leopold Sedar Senghor to Nelson Mandela-are paired here with 365 beautiful and moving photographs. On the border of myth and reality, Origins opens a window onto Africa's untold treasures of exemplary teachings and inherited wisdom.

Customer Reviews:

A Must have.......2007-05-21

This book has so much to offer both visually, and in motivational comments to inspire thought and creativity.

Beautiful Book!!!.......2007-04-19

This is a beautiful book in more than one way. Everything about it is pretty exceptional. From the photographs, to the wise sayings and it's powered me and my girfriend through a couple of hard days already. DEFINITE INVALUABLE PURCHASE!

Fantastic Book.......2007-01-15

I gave this book as a Christmas gift and my cousin is still calling to thank me. The Afrocentric nature of this book, the daily inspirational proverbs and stories are beyond wonderful.

This blew me away..........2006-12-29

This book is not only stunning and bold in its photos, which is why i bought it, but the quotes are truly an amazing collection. One could teach a mini-course off the quotes in this book. It far exceeded my expectations, and I had to go back to order another copy to keep for myself. Thought-provoking, not hokey at all. Diverse, not all "traditional" or all "warm + fuzzy." It's so beautiful it could go on your coffee table. But it's so rich in messages and imagery it can be the "daily affirmation" you check out each morning as you pour your coffee. Bottom line: Buy one to give and another for yourself.

Origins: African Wisdom for Every Day (Offerings for Humanity).......2006-11-10

This is an excellent book! It gives a person daily inspiration from the Motherland! It is the type of book that keeps on giving. It makes a thoughtful gift for people!

The Shingle Style and the Stick Style: Architectural Theory and Design from Richardson to the Origins of Wright (Yale Publications in the History of Art)

Average customer rating:

A Skin of Shingles

The Shingle Style and the Stick Style: Architectural Theory and Design from Richardson to the Origins of Wright (Yale Publications in the History of Art)
Vincent Scully
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Design & Construction | Home Design | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Home & Garden Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Shingle Style Today: Or The Historian's Revenge
The Houses of McKim, Mead & White
Shingle Style: 155 Home Plans from Classic Colonials to Breezy Bungalows
The Architecture of McKim, Mead & White in Photographs, Plans and Elevations (Dover Books on Architecture)
American Country Houses of the Gilded Age (Sheldon's "Artistic Country-Seats")

ASIN: 0300015194

Customer Reviews:

A Skin of Shingles.......2000-09-03

An historical treasure, this book, The Shingle and the Stick Style: form Richardson to the Orgins of Wright, by Vincent Scully is a chest of Architectual masterpieces. Detailed descriptions, interior and exterior photos, and floor plans make this book a wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in Architecture. The book is laid out as most contempory Architecture books. It describes the perticular building, then has the number that corralates to the photo. There are so many historical photographs in this book, and it is all well explained. It takes you step though step from the beginning of the stick stlye to the evoloution to the shingle to the metamorphis of Wright. Ths book is so detailed it even has the architectual sketches of many houses build in Manchester-by-the-Sea at Cape Ann, Mass. For the price this book is a definate buy!

Ancient Marks: The Sacred Origins of Tattoos and Body Marking

Average customer rating:

Brilliant
Another Masterpiece
Outstanding tattoo and body marking portraits
Awesome book by a great photographer
Absolutely stunning!

Ancient Marks: The Sacred Origins of Tattoos and Body Marking
Chris Rainier
Manufacturer: Earth Aware Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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

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

Textile & Costume | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Portraits | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Tattoo Traditions of Hawaii
The World of Tattoo: An Illustrated History
Tattoos from Paradise: Traditional Polynesian Patterns
Spiritual Tattoo: A Cultural History of Tattooing, Piercing, Scarification, Branding, and Implants
The Tattoo History Source Book

ASIN: 1932771751

Book Description

Seven years, seven continents, and thirty countries, from the African savannah to the barrios of Los Angeles, from New Zealand to Egypt, and Brazil to Burkina Faso, Chris Rainier documented the traditions of tattooing, scarification, piercing, and other forms of body altering art, the origins of which date back to the dawn of humankind. Ancient Marks reveals not only the haunting beauty of these often mystical forms, but also connects them to humanity's enduring efforts to tell stories, forge identity, and create links to the divine. "The human form became, through the brillance of inspired artistry, a sacred geography of the soul, a map of culture and myth expressed by forms painted, carved, or incised upon the canvas of the body" — Wade Davis. A former apprentice to Ansel Adams, award-winning Chris Rainier is considered one of the leading documentary photographers working today. Co-director of the National Geographic Society's Cultural Ethnosphere Program, he has traveled to all seven continents, including extensive expeditions throughout Africa, Antarctica, and New Guinea. Rainier's photography has been featured in Time, Life, Smithsonian, The New York Times, Outside, and is a contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler, a contributing photographer for National Geographic Adventure and a contributing correspondent for NPR's Day to Day.

Customer Reviews:

Brilliant.......2007-09-07

Ancient Marks contains absolutely stunning photography. It was great to see some rock markings from Western Aus. This book delievered way more than i expected. It is so beautiful i was wasnt sure how to turn the pages without touching them and getting marks all over them. I was absolutely blown away at the quality
Great stuff

Another Masterpiece.......2007-05-13

This is truly a wonderful book. Rainier's other book, "Where Masks Still Dance: New Guinea" was fabulous in its presentation and images, but this book goes one better with a dvd enhanced with music by Anoushka Shankar which can be viewed on its own. The music perfectly complements the starkness of the haunting images. Tattoos,scarification, and other bodily modifications of many cultures are showcased here without calling unecessary attention to these adornments as bizarre/freakish as in some other books which are designed to shock/titillate.

Outstanding tattoo and body marking portraits.......2007-01-29

Beautifully photographed portraits of wearers of tattoos and body markings in many locations around the world.
A must for the library of anyone interested in the topic.

Awesome book by a great photographer.......2007-01-26

I bought this book as a gift for my girlfriend but stole it back. It isn't all about tattoos, which it may lead you to believe, but includes bits about all types of body modification techniques. The photographer is a well known National Geographic photographer, and his work certainly doesn't fail here. Good coffee table book if you have stuck up inlaws like I do that would be made uncomfortable by the sight of it.

Absolutely stunning!.......2006-07-04

The subtletly and artistry of this book is apparent from the very first turn of a page. Chris Ranier, one of the world's foremost documentary photographers, has created a artful, evocative record of the human canvass posed against the natural landscape. The photographs focus mostly on tattoing and scarification, and are oriented toward the tribal, both traditional and modern. This is an essential addition to any body art library, and at less than $30, the paperback version (which also includes a DVD) is a real bargain. I cannot recommend this enough.

The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan

Average customer rating:

The Raven Crown: The Origins of Buddhist Monarchy in Bhutan
Michael Aris
Manufacturer: Serindia Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Bhutan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

South Asia | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

General | Buddhism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Look Inside History Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Religion & Spirituality Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas
Bhutan Map (Travel Reference Map)
Bhutan: Himalayan Mountain Kingdom, Fifth Edition (Odyssey Illustrated Guides)
Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan
Blessings of Bhutan (A Latitude 20 Book)

ASIN: 0906026326

Product Description

The hereditary monarchy of the Wangchuk dynasty was established in 1907 in the independent Himalayan state of Bhutan, thus introducing one of the world's most recent experiments in kingship. The new order quickly replaced a theocracy founded in the seventeenth century by the first of the "Dharma Rajas", a lineage of reincarnating lamas known by the title of Shabdrung. The first king of the new dynasty, Ugyen Wangchuk (1862-1926), was a charismatic figure who came to power against a turbulent background of incessant and complex feuding. He adopted as the unique symbol of his authority a crown surmounted by the head of a raven. The bird represents a form of Mahakala, Bhutan's guardian deity. The prototype of the founding monarch's Raven Crown had first been devised as a battle helmet for his father, Jigme Namgyel (1825-81). Known as the Black Regent, he had worn it in bloody struggles against his many rivals within the country and against the British who tried, unsuccessfully, to subdue him. The story of the Wangchuk dynasty's rise and triumph moves from a picture of turmoil and chaos to one of relative peace and stability. In contrast with earlier published ac- counts based solely on the colonial records of British India, here the narrative is founded on the Bhutanese chronicles which offer a new perspective and bring many new details to light. The ethnic and historical context is outlined before recounting the turbulent career of the Black Regent, followed by the lives and achievements of the first two kings. The book is copiously illustrated with rare historical photographs that have come to light in private and public collections in the United Kingdom. Most of these vivid images have never previously been published. They provide a lively depth and focus to the unfolding narrative.

Rollei Tlr: The History : The Complete Book on the Origins of Twin-Lens Photography

Average customer rating:

fascinating Rollei history
disappointing for those really interested in this camera

Rollei Tlr: The History : The Complete Book on the Origins of Twin-Lens Photography

Manufacturer: Hove Foto Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Complete User's Manual for the Rollei Tlr: For All Rollei Tlr from 1928 to Present 2.8Gx
Complete Collector's Guide to the Rollei Tlr: Listing All Known Rollei Tlr Cameras 1928-1994

ASIN: 1874657009

Customer Reviews:

fascinating Rollei history.......2002-04-06

Wow, I simply couldn't disagree more with the other reviewer of this book. I found this book to be very interesting, packed with loads of information and great illustrations and photos about the cameras and the company and the personalities behind them. Granted, it's not a collector's guide (see Parker's other books for that), but for those of us with an abiding interest in these cameras, Rollei TLR: The History fills a real gap in our understanding. I recommend this book highly.

disappointing for those really interested in this camera.......1999-06-11

Except for the personalities of the manufacturers, there is little information here. There are no charts of serial numbers and manufacturing dates and models. The chapter on lenses is short. There is no mention of the Biometars,no comparison of the Zeiss and Schneider optics. Few dates or reasons given for the variety of optics used in these cameras .

The Painted Photograph 1839-1914: Origins, Techniques, Aspirations

Average customer rating:

Best book available on this (forgotten) subject.

The Painted Photograph 1839-1914: Origins, Techniques, Aspirations
Heinz K. Henisch , and Bridget Ann Henisch
Manufacturer: Pennsylvania State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

History | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Equipment | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Black & White | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0271015071

Book Description

A lavishly illustrated history of the overpainted photograph.

"This volume contributes a tremendous amount of knowledge to the history of the altered photograph."—Choice

"There is simply nothing else in the literature like The Painted Photograph. The authors, Heinz and Bridget Henisch, are, indisputably, two of the greatest and most admired of living photohistorians."—John Wood, author of The Art of the Autochrome: The Birth of Color Photography

As photography grew more popular following its invention in 1839, its admirers did not understand how a medium that rendered shapes and textures in exquisite detail could fail to render them in realistic color. Also disappointing was the tendency of the captured images to fade over time. Photographers, ever eager to please their public, began "painting" their photographs with substances ranging from water colors and oil to chalk and crayon. Images were enlarged, enhanced, and framed, to simulate the splendors of the traditional portrait.

With its rich variety of illustrations in color and duotone, The Painted Photograph is the first comprehensive history of overpainting, from its origins to World War I. The 131 illustrations featured draw upon original nineteenth- and early twentieth-century sources, most from America and Britain, but also representing Japan, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Poland, Canada, Bohemia, India, Australia, Norway, Holland, and Russia.

In describing a multitude of early techniques, the authors survey overpainting on various types of photographs, including daguerreotypes, tintypes, and imprinted porcelain, milk glass, enamel, magic lantern slides, and textiles. Particularly fascinating are discussions of overpainted death portraits, most commonly those of children, and the origins of popular "picture postcards" featuring overpainted landscape scenes. The Henisches address also the eager acceptance of the painted photograph throughout the world, despite the hostility of the art-critical establishment.

The Painted Photograph will appeal to a wide public interested in photography, history, sociology, social anthropology, folk art, popular fashion, and antiques.

Customer Reviews:

Best book available on this (forgotten) subject........2002-01-26

Very little information about the practice of painting (as opposed to tinting; there is a difference) photography has been available. This book covers incredible ground, pulling together material from advertisements, photography texts, archives and collections in order to present an overview of the climate, practice, and production of painted photography. Most other material extant focuses on individual artists who happened to overpaint their photographs, or of particular artworks which are photographs that have been painted on. Henisch shows the existence of a trend in early photography which seems to have been relegated to the sidelines as an analomy or as an isolated practice.
This is an incredible work, well - written, and evocative of Henisch's broad scope of scholarship.

Average customer rating:

Lost Africa: The Eyes Of Origin
Cyril Christo , and Marie Wilkinson
Manufacturer: Assouline
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Africa | Travel | Subjects | Books

A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005
On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa
In Vogue: The Illustrated History of the World's Most Famous Fashion Magazine

ASIN: 284323607X

Picturing Utopia: Bertha Shambaugh and the Amana Photographers

Average customer rating:

Beautiful Photographs of Communal Amana, Ia.

Picturing Utopia: Bertha Shambaugh and the Amana Photographers
Abigail Foerstner
Manufacturer: University Of Iowa Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0877456992

Book Description

More than 100 years ago, Bertha Shambaugh set out to photograph the Amana Colonies, the utopian religious community twenty miles northwest of Iowa City. Shambaugh brought to her project a clear social mission to tell the world mired in the upheavals of the 1890s about a kinder way of life. She easily won the trust of the community and began publishing photographs and articles about the society she so admired. Soon after, several Amana members ignored their community's prohibition on photography and took up cameras to record the people and events around them.

Picturing Utopia: Bertha Shambaugh and the Amana Photographers celebrates their artistic vision and offers a rare glimpse into a nineteenth-century religious utopia. Abigail Foerstner brings together this stunning collection of photographs along with the stories of the photographers who took them. Together the pictures and text fill in an untold chapter of American photographic history and provide an insider's view of life in Amana.

The photographs, preserved on glass plate negatives, provide an unbroken photographic record beginning with Shambaugh's work in the 1890s and continuing through the Colonies' transition to mainstream American life with the Great Change in 1932.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful Photographs of Communal Amana, Ia........2002-12-20

This is a book any one can enjoy. It is loaded with wonderful black and white photographs of a unique way of life in Iowa in the early 20th century. These are beautifully detailed photos reprinted from old glass plate negatives that you will pour over and come back to time and again. Schambaugh was a talented artist and a pioneer in early photography.
Foerstner has not only presented us with a book of unique photos, but has included a well-written documentary of Shambaugh and the life of photographers of her day. I think readers will also enjoy her insight into the Amana Colonies and their history. Most people only know the Amanas as a tourist mecca of shops and confuse them with the Amish. Just as Shambaugh was allowed a unique opportunity to enter and share an almost closed society - now readers can also share in the lives of a group of people that leave you reevaluating your life.

Face of Madness: Hugh W. Diamond and the Origin of Psychiatric Photography

Average customer rating:

Face of Madness: Hugh W. Diamond and the Origin of Psychiatric Photography
Sander L. Gilman
Manufacturer: Brunner/Mazel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Seeing the Insane

ASIN: 0876301324

Average customer rating:

China's Sacred Sites
Professor Nan Shunxun , and Beverly Foit-Albert
Manufacturer: Himalayan Institute Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

The Shadow Catcher: A Novel

ASIN: 0893892629

Product Description

From the heavenly peaks of the Five Sacred Mountains to the exotic shores of the Yangtze River, Chin'as majestic mountainscapes, scenic lakeshores and riverbanks, cliffs and caves are home to some of the world's most moving and breathtaking sacred architecture. China's Sacred Sites reveals how Chinese mountainscape culture merges architecture and nature, embodying the philosophical ideal of heaven, earth and man as one. Co-authros Nan Shunxun and Beverly Foit-Albert break new ground documenting more than 50 ancient, architectural and environmental sites--temples, monasteries, pagodas and pavilions, bridges and covered walkways, caves, cliffside and lakeshore dwellings--throughout Southern, Central and Northern China, many of which are being introduced outside China for the first time. Richly illustrated with over 250 color photographs and 100 architectural drawings, this unique book captures the mystery and heritage of China's past, revealing the historical roots of basic Chinese concepts of fengshui, yin and yang, and chi.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books