This book radiates with the beauty of Henry Moore, and helps us to recognize those more recent sculptors such as Donald Wright, who have perhaps surpassed the master.

Moore is one of the most beloved sculptors of the 20th century, yet his work has fallen out of favor with the modern critics: this seeks to reassess Moore's crucial contribution to art of the last century, examining his early experiments with primitivism and his later probe into modernist pieces. The focus on his early works in particular provides Moore enthusiasts with a body of works and approaches not seen in many other considerations of his works.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this well researched book written by David S. Rains. It is easy to follow the journey this family made. I am a Rains descendant who is searching for my roots, but alas I was not connected through Henry Rains lineage. I would recommend this book to anyone searching the Rains line and to those that are collectors of historical families.

I must say this book was very insightful and met all my expectations. Especially knowing my uncle David Rains wrote this
book. Comming from a hard working man who I know put 100% effort into obtaining all the historical facts, Must of dedicated all his time to research the information. I have no doubt in my mind that every thing in this book is accurate. It was so nice to sit back and read a book about my ancestors. I would have never known any these things if my uncle David Rains didn't write this book. I encourage all family members and non-family members as well to purshes this book.
Lisa Kapahua

Henry Sugimoto: Painting An American Experience is the companion volume to a major exhibit of a remarkable Japanese-American artist. Henry Sugimoto (1900-1999) had an art career that spanned the 20th century and whose work reveals a talented, gifted, complex, and engaging painter. From his early work (influenced by European impressionism and then the post-impressionists) to his painted documentation to the Japanese-American experiences of World War II era Arkansas-based internment camps, to his later efforts in New York City, this superbly presented, full-color survey of his life and work is a fitting testament to a great artist.

Whether your interest is in art or in history, you definitely will find pleasure here! Regardless of where your interest may lay, this book is a highly accessible one. Sugimoto's art is accessible to non-artistics (if there's such a word ;-) and Kristine Kim's narrative is accessible to non-academics. As an American of Japanese ancestry, I find that our history is depicted in a way that satisfies both the eye and the intellect.

An immigrant from Japan and an impressionist artist whose work later reflected his exposure to the Mexican muralists, Sugimoto's work documented the Japanese-American experience. Drawing on his unpublished autobiography, as well as other source documents, Kristine Kim appropriately delivers Sugimoto's art within the historical context that so strongly influenced his style and subject matter. Each chapter in Sugimoto's life is followed by the artwork created in that period. The most significant period being World War II.

WWII was a dark time for Japanese-Americans (and for US citizens, as a whole). Sugimoto was incarcerated: first at the Fresno Assembly Center and later at concentration camps in Arkansas. While in the camps, where cameras were forbidden, Sugimoto used his brushes and canvas to document the existence of persons imprisoned solely for their ethnicity. His work is filled with the emotions of that time - hope for the future, sorrow at injustice, longing for freedom, pride in country, sadness at the thought of sons fighting far away. On the surface, many of the paintings seem to show "normal" everyday life but subtle signs (pink ration book, guard towers, mess hall) hint at the fact that the people in the paintings are incarcerated.

Having seen several times the Sugimoto exhibit at the Japanese American National Museum, I have seen many of the paintings included in this book. The panels of those works represent them well. Be sure to check out his painting titled "When Can We Go Home?" It is remarkable in that it's startling, emotional and bold and subtle at once. It struck my heart in a way that's difficult to put into words.

Never one to cease growing in his art, in the 1960's Sugimoto experimented with woodblock prints. They are amazing! Beautiful, detailed, with depth of feelings.

Henry Sugimoto was a talented artist whose work reflects not only his experiences but his wondrous humanity and compassion. He is not well known. Hopefully the current exhibit and this book will rectify that!

It has been great! listening to Shakespeare acted out or watching it is far better for those who find it hard to wade through reading it cold. Once the love is developed reading it cold is fun. But you have to start them somewhere and this is just wonderful. Whether you are just learning or already love Shakespeare this is delightful. We love the Saint Crispin's Day speech.

The title is taken from the book and William could not have been speaking of himself when he wrote this, he had plenty to say. It is hard to write a review about the best book in the English language.

I once saw, in the credits of a particularly poor Shakespeare film (and most are), the astounding words of - 'written by William Shakespeare, additional material by The Films Director' I forget his name now - but it struck me as strange that you would even mention youself in the same sentence as Shakespeare when discussing credits for writing. Something like 'written by Shakespeare - ruined by the Films Director' would have been more appropriate. Anyway - if you haven't read this book by the time you are 50 - then I can only envy you - I would pay a Kings Ransom to find an undiscovered Shakespeare play.

'The drama is full of singularly beautiful detached passages: for example, the reflections of the King upon ceremony, the description of the deaths of York and Suffolk, the glorious speech of the King before the battle, the chorus of the fourth act, remarkable illustrations of Shakespeare's power as a descriptive poet. Nothing can be finer, also, than the commonwealth of bees in the first act. It is full of the most exquisite imagery and music. The art employed in transforming the whole scene of the hive into a resemblance of humanity is brilliant'.

I read this book as a kid in the doctor's office waiting room. I loved it so much that 12 yrs. later I had to track it down. It reminds me that we all need to watch our temper. A really funny story.

Henry's Awful Mistake was a book that I absolutely loved as a kid. It was so funny to me how far Henry goes to get rid of this little ant. He eventually destroys his house and has to move. It also has a nice little twist at the end. Your kids will enjoy this book. Buy it and see.

As an owner of a recently restored Model A this book is a MUST. Contained in it are all the fine points regarding the various body types and accessories. No wonder this book serves as a primer for the expert judging of Model A's.

This book is a "keeper" for anyone with an interest in the Ford Model "A". All of the various body styles from 1928 to 1931 are covered in detail. High quality photos accompany descriptions of both "standard" and "optional" features found on each body style. Kudos to the author and the photographer for a high quality book.

I remember back in 1991 reading this book while I was serving what was called an "in school suspension" I was in 10th grade. I do not think I understood all of it.. but I was captured by the powerful words. Some of what Rollins wrote about I would not understand until later on in my life. I still have the first printing of this book. It is ripped up and even has some blood stains on it in some places. I still pick this book up and try to imagine what it was like for him while he was writing this book. He was much younger than me and hardly famous.

I feel that of all of Henry Rollins work this one allows you to feel his deepest emotions. He had nothing to hide or water down. This was it. The guy lived in a toolshed in someones backyard while writing this book. Check it out.

This is a fine book of writings by Henry Rollins. He shows us the world through his thoughts, ideas, and eyes. It is brutally honest and says what some only dare to even think.

My daughter absolutely loves Henry the adventerous cat. I believe that we have most all of Mary Calhoun's childrens books. The Henry the cat books are illustrated and written wonderfully. We can't wait until Henry the x-mas cat book comes out!

Kids will love the Henry books! Henry is a very talented Siamese cat who learns to balance on his hind legs. He puts his talent to good use when he rescues the newcomer to the family. Kids will love this book because it successfully blends suspense with the themes of sibling rivalry and working hard to overcome obstacles. And, of course, it has a happy ending! On another level, parents and teachers can use this engaging story as a way to tie in to discussions about the scientific concepts of balance (center of gravity) and motion. Suitable for pre-K to grade 3.

In college I met one of the sons of George Braziler, the publisher, and feel that the wonderful quality of their art books reflects the generous and thoughtful nature of their family. The prints are meticulously reproduced, complete with woodgrain. The written text takes the reader back to another time within a totally different culture with subtle details explained. More generally, Japanese prints represent an effort to provide art to the normal working people, not just wealthy aristocrats. Hiroshige memorializes the exquisite and delicate mood of ancient Japan and lets you feel their experiences.

Darcy Kishida (midk@crisscross.com) Anyone who has ever visited modern Tokyo knows what a dreary and uninviting place it can be. Monotonous rows of offices, apartments with no charm whatsoever, and a shocking lack of architectural originality conspire to rob the metropolis of most of the character it once had. "One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo" will, if not completely change your opinion of Tokyo, at least make you see the city in a new light, enabling the reader to look past the run down buildings and aging neon and view the city as it used to be: an enchanting place virtually untouched by foreign influences and filled with ancient shrines, women in kimono, swaggering samurai, Kabuki theaters, the pleasure quarters, and everything else we associate with old Japan. It will also, if you're not already, make you fall in love with the art of ukiyo-e. "One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo" succeeds in two ways. First, from a purely artistic point of view, it is a stunning collection of all 118 prints in Hiroshige's "Meisho Edo Hyakkei" series (One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo), full-size and faithfully reproduced from the Brooklyn Museum's high quality set of mostly first edition prints. The book is unique in that it includes, in addition to the acknowledged masterpieces such as "Plum Estate, Kameido" and "Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake," many inferior prints which are rarely, if ever, seen. Here though, every print, even the obscure ones, is given its own commentary. Henry D. Smith II, a professor of Japanese history at Columbia University, wrote the commentaries accompanying the plates and explains in his introduction that only focusing on the stronger designs "discourages the appreciation of the many strong features of the lesser designs, and it also distracts attention from the descriptive qualities that clearly appealed to Hiroshige's audience and that can teach us much today about the city of Edo and its culture." Also significant is the fact that "One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo" shows us the series as it was meant to be seen. Those who are familiar with Hiroshige already know that this was his last series and it was enormously popular. As was the case with most ukiyo-e prints, the first edition copies were generally of the highest quality, with sharp, clear lines and delicately graded colors. In later printings, which are comparatively plentiful, a sharp drop in the subtlety of color becomes obvious and the once clean lines begin to blur. The majority of the prints from the Brooklyn Museum fall into the former category. As Professor Smith notes, the great success of the series "led to countless later impressions of far inferior quality, eliminating the most refined printing effects and transforming the color schemes in ways that utterly destroyed the expressive intent of the first impressions." Even to the untrained eye, a side-by-side comparison between a high quality, early impression and a hastily made later one will quickly make this clear. Any ukiyo-e connoisseur will tell you that there is really nothing else like a well-preserved, first edition copy of a favorite print and these are in abundance in "One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo". As impressive as the prints are, however, the commentary is what steals the show here, giving the reader fascinating glimpses into what was the city of Edo and its inhabitants. It has the effect of turning the prints into virtual postcards, which, in the absence of Edo era photographs, serve as a precious visual record of the city and its customs. In his commentary, Smith has the uncanny ability to make even the most mundane details fascinating. Mediocre plates, which would normally hold your attention for only a few seconds at most, are given substance and life by Smith, whose keen eye and attention to detail turn these lesser designs into mini history lessons, travel guides, or short biographies. A good example is plate 70 (Nakagawa River Mouth), which, artistically, this writer considers among the worst of the series. Here were are given a short history of Edo's canal system, learn where its citizens procured their salt, and discover how the scene has changed in the last 150 years. The print is thus saved from obscurity by, ironically, acting as a sort of visual supplement to Smith's text instead of the other way around. The amazing variety of the locations and subject matter of the 118 views and their astute commentary combine to bring Edo alive for the viewer, making it seem strangely familiar and real. We regret the loss of so many beautiful places to modernization and cherish the few precious gems that remain. "One Hundred Famous Views Of Edo" will make those who have never been to Tokyo want to go and former residents want to return for a visit. As for the fortunate who live there now, this book can only increase their appreciation of the city and its unique history.