Bradley Collins first suggested in his book on Leonardo da Vinci that psychoanalysis had great untapped potential in its application to the art history and the analysis of individual artworks. In his second book, Van Gogh and Gauguin, Electric Arguments and Utopian Dreams, Collins certainly makes good on his promise. Virtually every sentence in this book is a bullet. Exceptionally readable and zestful, Bradley Collins never fails to move the reader along merrily during this delightful tour de force. The section on Van Gogh leads off and with a wealth of primary material, letters, early sketches, notes and even recollections by contemporaries and other artists, Collins nails his powerful points with clarity and conviction. Van Gogh's conflicts are clearly linked to earlier infantile repressed syndromes which are then in turn brought into connection with his artworks. Collins is never dogmatic. He gives the reader freedom to doubt and hold back. The Gauguin section has less of an overwhelming primary material avalanche because we lack the enormous correspondence. Collins disarmingly admits this problem and comfortably proceeds within the limitations of the evidence. At all times, Collins wide ranging erudition in art history shines. His polished prose never has the feel of jargon yet he sent me to the dictionary a number of times and he will stretch the reader frequently. The choice of illustrations is superb and extremely helpful in supporting not only Collins' closely reasoned Freudian position but in enveloping the reader in this wonderful aesthetic journey. Collins use of footnotes is judicious and illuminating. One example: In one footnote Collins notes that at the time of Van Gogh's ear mutilation there was a concurrent rage among Japanese prostitutes for amputation and gift of a fingertip to keep the wandering hearts of a wavering client, and since Van Gogh like many of the avant garde artists of his day was a fanatic admirer of Japanese culture it is quite possible that he knew of this bizarre masochist practice when he cut his ear. Collins has mastered the art of putting more in his footnotes than many of his contemporary authors manage to put in their entire books.
This is a must read for anyone interested in art history, psychoanalysis or general cultural debate. One can only hope that Collins will continue to write on the topic of psychoanalysis and art history, which although it is not an especially popular topic, it is a field in which Bradley Collins may now be justly considered perhaps America's leading specialist. In my opinion, there were signs of genius on every page of Van Gogh and Gauguin, Electric Arguments and Utopian Dreams. Bravo to Collins. A book of such quality is only encountered perhaps once a decade. It is a real gem.

It is surprising to think a subject as well-covered as the Civil War could be brought to life with a treasure of facts and personalities as is uncovered in Falls Church, Virginia: A Virginia Village Goes to War. Authored by Falls Church historian and researcher Brad Gernand, the book is full of detailed stories, photographs, and other artwork revealing the difficulties faced by a northern Virginia community resulting from the competition between North and South for the hearts and minds of local residents, along with the back-and-forth of Union and Confederate troops competing for military control of geographic vantage points. As a potential gateway to Washington, the village of Falls Church has not received a great deal of focus in the Civil War context. Logically, as history has detailed the great battles of the War, this work moves into some of the intrigue that surrounded the Capital City. It is an entertaining read, based largely on the personal research of the author who I understand has written other books on the region.

Audiences for the performing arts are growing, and this growth can be largely attributed to a new attitude among American presenters of the arts. Arts administrators are no longer content to present to audiences who are the usual mix of the wealthy and highly educated. Somewhere out there is a diverse audience waiting to discover a love for the arts, and this book gives a great deal of advice on how to reach those individuals. For the arts administrator who is interested in building an audience base that is young, diverse, adventurous, and appreciative, this book is a wonderful tool. Morrison and Dalgleish's passion for the arts is evident through their entertaining, informative writing.

This riveting and mature collection from boyish newcomer R.W. Bradley is filled with meaty and sophisticated poetry harkening back to the likes of James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Auden and Thomas, with a smattering of Eliot and a dab of Wilde.

Bradley's almost maniacal angst can be felt strongly in the purple passages, which rise and fall with a weight not seen since the birth of Teddy Roosevelt. If you long for the sort of night table reading that will keep you awake well into the following morning, try Bradley. He is a robust Cabernet to the venison that is contemporary literature.

Don't waste money on multiple lesser books. Buy this one! You won't regret it. Especially if you want a natural look, such as plants to the edge of the water or easing into the water. This is my key reference for constructing my water garden. Excellent construction techniques for natural edges - no necklace of rocks - and stream flow and finishing to mimic natural creeks and streams. Very inspirational photos of water features that will surprise you that they are man-made, and sized for average gardens as well as larger acreages. Line drawings detail construction techniques showing placement of liner, underlayment and structural (concrete) support for heavy rocks, etc. Several options shown for each. Written such that homeowner could do it themselves. Only caveat is that the designs are based in Britain and may (or may not) need adjustment for severe winter regions. Although primarily a construction guide, excellent photos of completed gardens provide inspiration for plantings. There is a brief review of major species adapted to this sort of garden. I am looking forward to the new edition, due out in Fall 2002, which promises inclusion of some U.S. information. Don't accept less. Raise your expectations of what your water feature can look like. Buy this book.

In the book's foreword, Tom Bradley, then mayor of Los Angeles in March 1987, calls the Watts towers "a symbol of Rodia's talent and tenacity." An Italian immigrant, Sabato (Sam) Rodia, came to central California in 1926 with a vision which culminated in a "miniature walled city" -- folk art which grew in what was then a rural community, crisscrossed by railroad tracks, on the fringe of Los Angeles. The author Whiteson describes it as a "sleepy urban village edged with onion fields and swamplands." There Rodia built his dream: towers which reached 99.5 feet high at the peak, with spires, gazebos and fountains, embellished with green Seven Up and blue Milk of Magnesia bottles, and endless bits of crockery -- all with no financial assistance from anyone.

Until 1987 he worked with steel rods & concrete, giving this gift of identity to the community. In 1954 Rodia deeded the property to a neighbor and left, never to return. From the helpful TIME LINE we learn that the city engineers conducted structural tests in 1959 and the towers were allowed to stand. The Watts riots followed in August of 1965; in 1975 the long-neglected masterpiece was donated to the city. In 1985 a Conservation Conference was held to draw up an extensive repair program which is still being implemented. The story is fascinating; the reality even more so.

-and found a mystery as old as time...

Were the Sawls the friendly, primative people they seem to the marooned Terran scientific and mining expedition? Or did their mazelike Cave cities house secrets humans weren't meant to learn? Would conventional Terran science ever explain the baffling extremes in the planet's weather? Or should the expedition pay more attention to the Sawl myths of rival Godesses, warring with fire and flood?

The Terrans were seeking both knowledge and minerals, but on Fiix knowledge could be as deadly as the weather - and could force humans to choose sides in a battle that would prove the salvation - or the end - of the Sawls...

Most of the time, ten-year-old Lizzie Baker is happy with her family's life on the Tennessee frontier in the 1790s. Except for every fall, when Lizzie's asthma becomes so terrible that she can barely breathe. And this fall, it was so bad that Lizzie nearly died. The doctors and the local midwife try several treatments, but none of them really seem to work. Lizzie resigns herself to dying, and decides to just try and enjoy the year she has left until next fall, which she surely won't survive - each fall, her asthma gets worse and worse, and she couldn't possibly survive an attack worse than the last one. Lizzie enjoys spending time with visitors to the community - a wealthy surveyor and his wife and son. The wealthy family, the Beaumonts, live by the sea in South Carolina. Some people say that the sea air might help Lizzie's lungs. When the Beaumonts offer to adopt Lizzie and take her to South Carolina, she must make a choice - stay in Tennessee, where she will surely die but with the comfort of her family nearby, or go far away where she could still die, far from home? I highly reccomend this book. It's a great historical novel and an inspiring story about a young girl's amazing courage and determination. I don't think I could ever be as brave as Lizzie.

This book is the sequence of the facts and "karmas" that were created in Web of Light. The story of Domaris, the oldest sister, who fell in love to Micon (from Atlantis) and had his son. She needs to survive Micon death and deal with it. It's also the story of Deoris, the youngest sister, that starts her studies with Riveda, a man who she falls in love, and it's consequences. This book show the relationship of these two women, feelings and emotions that would change the world balance and actions that would last trough generations. One special note is that if you read carefully the book Ghostlight from MZB you will have a surprise...