From the 1950s, this is all about turning everyday junk into neat crafts. It was especially good for about 10 years old up to mid teens. 'Was' becauseFrom the 1950s, this is all about turning everyday junk into neat crafts. It was especially good for about 10 years old up to mid teens. 'Was' because a lot of the stuff used isn't available any more. How often can a kid get his hands on a lady's felt hat any more? They're the exception, not the rule. Cutting bottles by wrapping them with kerosene soaked yarn & setting them on fire to crack is a pretty iffy method, but he gives another for floating in boiling paraffin that looks like it might work better, especially if you ran an ice cube around the outside at the same time.
There's some neat looking candle holders made from cutting tin cans up, bending them, & coating with fingernail polish. None of the projects are great, but there are a few neat ideas. Most of my enjoyment came from the way it would make most parents faint at thought of doing half these things today. There's some neat old methods & stuff, too. Mostly, this is just nostalgic....more
I hadn't known Harrison was an illustrator & did comics before he became one of my favorite SF authors, but he was, did, & so I expected great things I hadn't known Harrison was an illustrator & did comics before he became one of my favorite SF authors, but he was, did, & so I expected great things from this book. I was somewhat disappointed. I guess I got my hopes up too high.
The book has 9 chapters & is 118 pages long. The first 7 chapters, up to page 91, were basically very well known facts with some snarky & obvious commentary. I think The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How it Changed America covered it better, but Harrison did add some fun details such as his own work in the both the comic book & pulp magazine industry. He starts page 68 with, "There were, and are, no good writers in comics. Just good artists. Many good writers have passed through the comics field with only a brief stop."
The pulp covers promised a lot of sex, but the text had none due to censorship. The covers really didn't need much commentary, but I wonder if they evolved at all over the first couple of decades in any meaningful way. A girl in a brass bra or an alien with a spaceship in his lap is self-evident & seemed fairly standard throughout. I was hoping to find out, but all the old pulp covers & pictures rarely had captions with the artist & date or issue. Those it did have often skipped around. Many were published in France & didn't seem to have much connection with the points he was vaguely making about the US. (Hint: Look at page 116 for blank frames that usually give dates & artists.)
Chapters 8 & 9 were very good, just what I was expecting all along. The text was much more interesting & there were more captions, even some dates. Chapter 8 is about SF finally casting off the chains of sexual repression in the text of the pulps. He puts the first as The Lovers by Philip José Farmer in July 1952, Vol 27, number 1 of Startling Stories edited by Samuel Mines. Correctly, he gives as much credit to the editor for printing it as the author for writing it. He points out that no dam broke & it took the underground press of the 1960s to really get the ball rolling & has some very interesting insights into the whole process.
So, it wasn't as good as I hoped, but was worth buying & reading. It will become part of my collection....more
A quicky autobiography by Stan Lee. I wish he'd narrated more than the intro, but the other narrators were good. There were a lot of sound effects & sA quicky autobiography by Stan Lee. I wish he'd narrated more than the intro, but the other narrators were good. There were a lot of sound effects & some explanation to make up for the lack of graphics, so a good production.
It's very much from Stan's side of the fence. I've never paid too much attention to his falling out with Jack Kirby, but heard a couple of versions. This one was very brief. Stan claims ignorance & agrees that he & all the other artists are co-creators. Says he's made a lot of statements & even written a letter to that effect. His overview of the creative process certainly bears this out. Apparently he'd come up with a rough idea, tell them to draw it, & then go back & write the dialog afterward. I would have been interested in more details.
He mentioned his cameos & I agree that they're fun & have become expected. He briefly mentioned Stripperlla, although not the law suit & that it only lasted one season. That was a shame. It's a great cartoon - basically secret agent Pamela Anderson who hides her identity behind her pole dancing. What's not to love about that?
I hadn't realized all the fuss with corporate buy-outs, name changes, & the rest. Sounds like a real mess, but he paints a fast, rosy picture. He was born in 1922, so is now 96 years old, but seems to be going strong, thankfully. It will be a sad day when we lose him.
I'd guess that the paper version would be better, but this was fun....more
Fantasy & SF book covers originally drew me into reading through their fantastic art work. It was Frank Frazetta Jr.'s covers for the Lancer editions Fantasy & SF book covers originally drew me into reading through their fantastic art work. It was Frank Frazetta Jr.'s covers for the Lancer editions of the Conan books & while he is still my favorite, Vallejo comes in a close second.
It's great to compare the two. While their subject matter is similar, their styles are completely different. Frazetta's oils are raw. A muscle is drawn with one stroke of the brush, the thickness of the paint causes the definition in some cases. Vallejo's style with oils is completely different. He builds up layers using tissue paper for an almost lacquered look - very smooth & fine. Later, he got more into acrylics & now does really awesome comic book characters with Julie Bell such as Superheroes: The Heroic Visions of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, another fantastic book.
If you're into printing, this is a must-read. The Marcus sisters did a great job of tracing the history of printing from early woodblocks to modern ofIf you're into printing, this is a must-read. The Marcus sisters did a great job of tracing the history of printing from early woodblocks to modern off-set printing. Kat wrote the text (German in one column, English in the other) while Barbara did great pen sketches. Be warned though, it's not a book for beginners or for casual browsing. The descriptions are concise & do contain words specific to the art. While they're explained briefly, I've never read anything on the subject before so found myself looking things up on the Internet & getting lost in places. I had to go back & figure out what a word meant or look in the back.
I wouldn't have read this except I became Kat's friend through her books on horses & then noticed this one. Unfortunately, it's only sold in Europe, but when I expressed an interest, she sent me a copy autographed by her & Barbara. I then sent her a bowl turned from local poplar.
Anyway, I had no plans to do anything save browse the book, but then found it fascinating. Some of the early techniques might be interesting to try for decorating my woodworking. ...more
One of the best biographies I've ever read in a book of this type. They're an amazing pair, though. Imagine two people, even identical twins, who can One of the best biographies I've ever read in a book of this type. They're an amazing pair, though. Imagine two people, even identical twins, who can pain the same picture from opposite sides & meet in the middle without anyone being able to tell the difference!!! Incredible.
Again, I don't care for most of their fantasy art as much as Frazetta's, but they do have some great ones. Those for Coke are super as were some of the Hobbit ones. Their Old Man Willow is fantastic....more
This was good & interesting to read. I don't like her stuff as much as Frazetta's, but she's very good. Each picture has a couple of sentences about iThis was good & interesting to read. I don't like her stuff as much as Frazetta's, but she's very good. Each picture has a couple of sentences about it. I appreciate that. It doesn't take long to look through any of these & I always get a kick out of it when I recognize a book cover. It's fun to see what was cut out & to see them in a larger format. I love calendars like this, too....more
This is far more art than reference or trees/woodworking. Moon took gorgeous pictures of some amazing trees & then processed them in a special way (plThis is far more art than reference or trees/woodworking. Moon took gorgeous pictures of some amazing trees & then processed them in a special way (platinum/paladium mix?) to make them last forever. They're kind of B&W, but glow a bit more even on the printed page. Lovely. And the trees are incredible as is the way she captured them.
Unfortunately, she made the decision to put just a plate on each page, then put a separate section in the back with thumbnails & a very brief explanation for each. At least she got the Latin names & locations for them. She could have easily put the explanation on most pages & on a facing page otherwise. Wish she had. Flipping back & forth sucked. The paucity of information was just plain frustrating. Luckily, I do have good references.
As a coffee table book for someone who really appreciates photography & trees, this is a darn good book. I'm such a person as is my wife. Still, I could have been a lot happier....more
I finally finished this & sent it off to my DIL. I gave her my good old Canon Rebel with several lenses, too. She's got the time & interest & this booI finally finished this & sent it off to my DIL. I gave her my good old Canon Rebel with several lenses, too. She's got the time & interest & this book proved to me I don't any more. Great advice, especially for film cameras or the better digital ones, if you want to fiddle with manual settings. I think the old Kodak book I had (KODAK Guide To 35MM Photography or The Complete Kodak Book Of Photography) was actually better at teaching me about framing, color, & other aspects of photography. This one was more specialized & frankly went beyond me & what I want to do. Still, it was well worth reading....more
I'm not much on poetry, but this was good, quick & fun. Super art!!! We'll be reading it to our grandkids. It tells a great story of young horses & faI'm not much on poetry, but this was good, quick & fun. Super art!!! We'll be reading it to our grandkids. It tells a great story of young horses & fairies, a rescue, & wondrous land. More books by this talented duo are available here: http://www.marylascelles.co.uk/books
Apparently I was reading the two I got about the time Mary died. That's so sad....more
Marg got this book at the BWTA Terrier Trials. Great illustrations. Apparently Mary died about the time I was reading this & possibly her illustrator,Marg got this book at the BWTA Terrier Trials. Great illustrations. Apparently Mary died about the time I was reading this & possibly her illustrator, Jacquie, did, too. Her books are "Adventures of the Creek Ponies", "Badgers in Danger", (one or two books?) & "Ponies & Dreams". This book's title page lists no date of publishing. I'm now in touch with her son & getting her author page set up.
This was great! It took me a while to get through because I'm not much on poetry, but all of this was very good & understandable. Still, I can only read so much poetry in a night & Marg was reading it occasionally when I had time. Each poem was about a different horse or facet of horse life.
The drawings & painting were incredible. Loved them. Some were full blown water colors, others sketches, some in between. Wonderful style. I liked them far better than the poetry & intend to look through them regularly....more
A very quick read, but full of wonderful sketches by Sloane. Unfortunately, I've seen many of them before in his other books. Actually, I'm not sure iA very quick read, but full of wonderful sketches by Sloane. Unfortunately, I've seen many of them before in his other books. Actually, I'm not sure if there is any new material in this book, but it was still great to look through. In one short space, he discusses his B&W art, from its origins to his present (1974) doodling while on the phone. It is his best, IMO. While I love his paintings of old barns, houses & covered bridges, his pen sketches of those same subjects are even better. His sketches of trees, old tools, & scenes have always been my favorite since they're usually accompanied by his concise explanations & dry wit. (His sky paintings are my least favorite.)
This was another AbeBook score for about $4 & is even in hardback, although it is an older library copy. Neither the years nor the few stamp marks have hurt it any. A few of the notes were even interesting. ...more
Frazetta did a lot of the cover art for fantasy & SF books. His covers for the Lancer editions of the Conan books were what got me interested in him. Frazetta did a lot of the cover art for fantasy & SF books. His covers for the Lancer editions of the Conan books were what got me interested in him. Later, I recognized his style & bought a book just for the cover art - my first Kane book, by Karl Wagner. He's done a wide range including a lot of the Barsoom series for the Martian books by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Also some Tarzan. He also illustrated for Playboy or Penthouse - I think he did the 'Little Annie Fanny' cartoons for a while.
I'm not a real art critic. His paintings seem extraordinary to me. In closeups of some subjects in the book, you can see where a single stroke of his brush creates muscle line. It's really fantastic. The washed out horrors in the backgrounds of some just become more & more eerie as you study them. His women are voluptuous, generous curves & scanty clothing. His humor is fantastic too. ...more
Putting this in no-fiction because it is a great source on these fantastic creatures & the artwork is wonderful. It's worth buying just to look at thePutting this in no-fiction because it is a great source on these fantastic creatures & the artwork is wonderful. It's worth buying just to look at the pictures....more
March 2012: The boys bought me a copy for my birthday. It's even better on a re-read. It's not truly an autobiography, although it is mostly autobiogrMarch 2012: The boys bought me a copy for my birthday. It's even better on a re-read. It's not truly an autobiography, although it is mostly autobiographical information. More like very well written ramblings of a fine artist who loved skies, trees & Colonial times.
Sloane had a wide range of interests & a very quick mind. When he wanted to research a subject, he wrote a book about it. No, most weren't masterpieces, but they were good & speak directly to the reader, leading us into an understanding of the subject with a spontaneity & casual approach that really works for me.
He rubbed elbows with a lot of famous people over the years. Amelia Earhart & many others are mentioned. He apparently hung around with the flying crowd & painted many of their planes. He once did a sketch with a chocolate bar that was framed. Robert Redford bought one of his painting. All kinds of fun stuff.
While I really enjoyed going through an excellent selection of his paintings & sketches, I found that I'm not quite as fond of his paintings as I used to be. They're pretty good, if you're into realistic land & sky scapes, which I am. Still, it's his sketches in books like A Reverence for Wood or American Barns and Covered Bridges that I really like. He captures the soul of Colonial construction.
2003: He was a very good artist & this chronicles his work in a good overview. Good enough that someone swiped my copy. ...more
It's cheap used. I just got it for under $5 delivered from AbeBooks.com. It is a regular hardback size, so the drawings show a little better than in the smaller paperback editions of these 3 books, but not as well as they do in the large format hardbacks. Still, if you want an introduction to Sloane or a glimpse of Colonial American life, this is probably one of the best buys you'll find.
Diary of an Early American Boy: Sloane found the diary of Noah Blake, a boy who wrote it when he was 15 years old in 1805. The actual journal entries are brief, but Sloane discusses what they mean in a very readable format that fleshes out the life of this farm boy, his family, friends & the area in an amazingly thorough way given how short the book is. Even better, Sloane's amazing ink sketches convey thousands of words each starting with a map of the farm over a decade or so. Any place an image might speak better than words, he's put one. It positively pops.
If you have any interest in Colonial history, farming, wood or metal work, I highly recommend this little gem. I found it used for $4 including shipping on Abe Books, but it is priceless.
A Museum of Early American Tools: 17Nov2012 Review: I originally read this in the large format hardback & it's definitely better that way, but the small paperback isn't bad. The pictures, all pen sketches by Sloane, still show up well & his comments are quite legible. It's a quick read, but packed with information & shows us some aspects of the Colonial world that most probably never guessed at.
I did have one quibble this time with his writing; he romanticizes the historic worker & puts down the modern one too much. He continually harps on how the old ways were better, even when they weren't. For instance, one of the last chapters was about hammers & he says we use one type today with handles that don't fit us the way they used to. Wrong.
Every serious carpenter that I've known has at least a general & framing hammer, many have trim hammers as well. Every job site has a few sizes of mauls & each type of pro has a different set of hammers. Our jobs are more specialized.
As a generalist, a remodeler who does/did a bit of everything, I have a dozen or more different kinds of hammers for different uses. Some of the modern handles are so superior to wood that it's incredible. For instance those on my Plumb carpenter hammers. I have a 20oz curved claw, smooth face for most general work, even trim. My 26 oz, rough faced, straight claw is for framing. Its longer handle has a rubber grip & fiberglass/composite that is quite lively & allows me to easily put in a 16d nail with a tap & a hit. It's far stronger & better than the hickory & ash handles that I have. Some are home made & I do know how to make them well. They're split out & shaped for my hand. I still like the Plumb handles better. (No, I don't care for the Eastwing design.)
The above was just one case, but there were others. I'm fairly familiar with a lot of the old tools he writes about & have used them - do use them regularly - but only if they're a better fit for the job. Often they aren't. There's a lot to be said for power tools, too. I find a balance between the two is the best way to live.
Construction is different now. Was it really better in the old days? Yes & no. Sure they used to use a 10 or 12" square beam where we now use an I beam glued up out of wood chips, but whose fault is that? It might have something to do with their wasting all that timber, don't you think? It's also a different age. Our housing needs have changed a lot & continue to change as technology grows. The permanence of old construction techniques isn't wanted or needed in many cases. Have you ever tried to run wires or pipes through an old log cabin or insulate one better? It's a pain, they're not built for such modern necessities. Oh, they can be fitted with them, but it's cumbersome compared to the ease of a frame built house.
Another thing to remember is that Sloane is seeing the very best of the past. If it wasn't, it rusted or rotted away by the time he got to looking. So take his romantic view with a grain of salt. Not all workmen today do a shoddy job or use crappy materials. Be willing to pay for quality, though. Most people aren't, they go with the lowest bidder, & they get what they deserve.
2007 Review: Like so many of Sloane's books, this is a good, quick overview of the subject. In this case, the tools that the Colonists of the US used, about mid 1700's to early 1800's. His sketches are wonderful (he was a very talented artist) & his understanding of the subject is such that he doesn't overwhelm the novice with too much information, yet has enough that even someone very familiar with the subject will find it a joy to read. He not only explains the tools, but how & why they were used, albeit briefly.
Many a fantasy author who writes about low tech worlds could benefit by reading this book. I use many of these tools as a hobby & one of my pet peeves is an author misunderstanding the use of basic hand tools. ---------------------- A Reverence for Wood: I've read this several times as a standalone. It delves into some interesting history of Colonial America. Sloane tends to deify the old woodworkers a bit too much & makes up a few fictional conversations, but it's all good as he shows just how important wood was in their lives & in so many different ways.
The last dozen pages or so are fantastic. I'm interested in identifying trees & knowing their uses in woodworking. The last section of this book is one of the best for someone new to identifying trees, filled with Sloane's wonderful sketches that quickly show identifying features. It's quick & doesn't go into a lot of detail, but gives an excellent overview....more
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