Part master craftsman, part zen-master. Part philosopher, part clown. This book deserves five stars because of its subject: Ray Johnson. Finally the world is treated to a decent monograph about this very important American artist and that is reason enough to run out and buy it while it's still on the shelves. Who knows how long it will stay in print. Every few years Johnson rises and falls from the public eye, always flittering in the collective unconscious of the world's cognoscenti. One either loves him or hasn't heard of him, but this screed underlines his importance once again. Better grab a copy while you can.

How important is Ray Johnson? He was one of the one of the first Pop artists. Perhaps the VERY first. He was one of the first Happenings/performance artists. Perhaps the VERY first. (He called them Nothings.) It is certainly obvious from the pictures in this book that Johnson was an important link if not THE MOST important link between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. But like Al Gore, Johnson's greatest contribution may be that he invented the Internet. Johnson really did it though-analogue style, with the help of the US postal system--stuffing paper fragments and found objects into envelopes, creating a non-linear, international communications system in the 1950s, a good five decades before anyone heard of the World Wide Web.

But not many have heard of Ray Johnson either. So what makes a book on him a must-read, must-see, must-own for anyone- not just those interested in art? Because this book is a journey into Johnson's unique world that will turn your own upside down. His intricate, witty, masterful work, printed here gorgeously in eye-popping color by Flammarion, the publishers, who deserve credit for their outstanding craftsmanship, will rise off the glossy pages and beckon you, the unsuspecting reader, to learn more. Johnson's art- both his collages and his mail art- can sometimes look out-of-control and over-the-top but a closer look reveals the steady craftsmanship and solid foundation that provides its strength and reveals, instead, that Johnson wasn't over-the-top but rather on-the-cutting-edge and remained there throughout his life. And what appears out-of -control is really one-of-a-kind thinking that gives the phrase "outside-the box" a whole new meaning. What I'm stressing here is that the printing job does it justice. Johnson was fully alive and so are the documents pictured in this book. Hang out with this book and you'll never see the world in quite the same way again.

I do beg to differ with the selection and sizing of the images... some that are reproduced large could have been small and vice versa. But Flammarion's obvious attention to detail in the printing process reproduces Johnson's delicate use of line and color admirably. I'm sure it was no easy task to translate the subtleties of his work to the book format. And an added bonus is the typography. The chapter headings are mechanically (if not digitally) reproduced doppelgangers of Johnson's calculating yet childlike lettering strategies.

Thus I recommend this book because it is the first major work on Johnson and while it won't be the last, it's a good start. So beat the rush. Get in while you can. The man was a genius. Another reason to buy the book is Johnson's priceless interview with Henry Martin in which many nuances of Johnson's quirky, clever modus operandi come through. So the late Ray Johnson himself has made this book something you've got to see. The rest isn't exactly fluff-- there are essays here by some very knowledgable people-- but if you buy this tome for the interview and the pictures, the rest is guaranteed to be delicious icing on the cake.

Is it perfect? No. Curator Donna De Salvo gets several things wrong in her introductory bio. For instance, she mentions in passing that Ray and Andy Warhol knew each other because of their graphic design work. Hello? They were good friends in the early 60's- before Andy hit it big and Johnson made his correspondence "school" official. Their relationship was important to the development and careers of both men. Andy became Andy and Ray became "the most famous unknown artist in the world." A glaring error, one of many, but at least DeSalvo had the sense to spend a few years of her life putting this project together. This book draws on much of the material that was in her show at the Whitney Museum but it is largely supplemented with work from Johnson's estate.

The artist presumably suicided in 1995 after jumping off a bridge near the east end of Long Island, New York. Johnson's mysterious death is not addressed much here and that is both a disappointment and a missed opportunity but the images in the book do bring to the fore many interesting "correspondences" with that event that make it indispensable reading for anyone who wants to explore that angle.

Archivist Muffet Jones has cobbled together a chronology that is a wonderful factual starting point, a notable gift to all future art and pop culture historians that will no doubt be added to and tweaked for years to come. Johnson's principal collector, William S. Wilson, contributes a valuable deconstruction of a rare Johnson manuscript, shedding light on the artist's arcane thought processes. Lucy Lippard finally chirps in with a follow-up to the single sentence she wrote about Johnson in her "Six Years" book on conceptual art over 30 years ago. She seems to have finally come to understand what is so important about Johnson and how his position in art history needs to be re-jiggered. (Johnson was doing conceptual art from the very beginning while always remaining delightfully unclassifiable.) Sharla Sava's essay on Johnson's 1970 mail art show at the Whitney Musueum in New York similarly begs the question "why have most people NOT heard of Ray Johnson?" She makes new connections and smart observations that provide fresh clarity.

This book is sure to change Johnson's status. There are several other essays and each does its best to illuminate the scintillating yet murky world of Ray Johnson, packed to the gills with synchronicity, serendipity and and good pop fun. Be the first on your block to buy it. Then, to be like Johnson, you could cut it up mail it to your friends.

Wonderful book full of great insight into the art of Ray Lago. The stunning artwork is worth the price alone!

For as long as almost anyone alive can remember, Ray Miller was the Edward R. Morrow of newscasters on the gulf coast of Texas.

With that nose for the news and being able to tell a story quickly and interestingly, in Ray Miller's Galveston, he tells the stories of pirates, wealthy families fighting to be Number 1, illegal gambling casinos and bawdy houses running full steam, all being stirred up every now and then by a furious hurricane (The 1900 Storm being one of the world's worse disasters of nature).

You'll meet legendary band leader Phil Harris, who married his wife Alice Faye there; rough and tough Chief of Police Willie Burns; and the famous Maceo, Moody, Kempner, Sealy and the "Johnny Come Lately" Mitchell families.

It's a serious chronicaling of a town who for years boasted that the lady atop the Texas Heroes' Monument in the middle of its main street was really there to point the way for Island visitors looking for the Red Light District, an! d that the other bronze sculptures surrounding her were merely there to keep the Texas Rangers from knowing the monument's REAL purpose.

It took me four weekends to read this anthology from cover to cover. I was blown away by the talent that these amateur writers have. I hope they continue writing and follow their dreams. One piece, Young Rebel by Winston Edmondson, brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of my youth.

Another poem, You Don't Know Me, really made me think twice about descrimination in the world today.

Great work everybody!

The novels were first published in London in the 1960's, the author himself stating it took this long for him to take a balanced view of the things he saw as a sailor during war and as a prisoner of war under the Japanese. His hand drawn pictures in these works were made whilst in Custody under threat of execution if seized.

Before the war, PARKIN was a professional sailor, after the war he studied as a classical artist, and worked on the wharfs of Melbourne as a tally clerk.

This description meets his works, his love of the sea, his artwork throughout the works, his beautiful descriptions, and his exacting detail.

The first novel is of a shipwreck survivor, it doesn't show it, but he is the hero portrait, it is a TRUE story. The second is a diary of his captivity on the Burma railway, and the third of his captivity in Japan, including the dropping of the A-Bomb. 'He states that a newspaper dropped in by air to Japan when he was first released has three momentous events, atomic weapons, jet propulsion and ball point pens'.

His works are not bitter, if anything appreciative of having lived a life less fortunate. Very Australian in it's style and language, it is as moving as any of the recognized greats. I will not wax lyrical about its style further, the editorials above do so far more eloquently than I could.

At times poetic, at times informative, and at times just entertaining, this book is a must for anyone who likes fish, fishing or just great art. The two guys who collaborated on this book found a fun way of sharing their fish passion with the reader. Ray Troll's artwork has a charming folk quality with a bit of twisted humor reminiscent of Gary Larsen. This book is a quick read and something you can pick up and enjoy again and again. Loved it!

Anyone who has had the opportunity to enjoy's Ray's Boathouse in Seattle knows what delicious food they serve! I was so excited to find that they had made a cookbook so that I could enjoy some of their dishes at home as well. From Dungeness Crab Cakes with Orange Tarragon Butter Sauce to Yakima Peach & Blackberry Crisp you will find making these Northwest treats easy and delicious for even the novice cook. The variety of seafood in the cookbook allows the rest of the country to experience the Northwest no matter where they live.

I think this is a very good book. I used to hate reading before I read this book. The book is about a girl named Summer that is engaged to a guy named Seth, but while he is in Cal. she is cheating on him with a guy named Austin. But what Summer doesn't know is that Seth cheated on Summer with her cousin, Diana. This is my favorite book!

I think that this is one of Ray Bradbury's best. Its a tale of a man who has to fight the society he's been excepted to after he meets a girl. I thought that it was one of the best books I've read. It was so brilliantly written and if you like books with lots of details and about messed up societies, this is your book!

Red Wing pottery has long been underestimated in it's beauty and diversity. Ray has managed to present the history and color of Red Wing pottery in such a way, as to spellbind the reader- even after the hundreth reading. As a tool for identifing Red Wing pottery, I have seen no equal. Heck- there is even an extensive price guide that lists the multitude of pottery shapes by page "or" shape number. If you are a long time collecter of Red Wing, you will appreciate the depth of the historical research. If you are new to Red Wing, you will certainly want to start collecting today. Oh- did I mention that the color photographs are nothing short of breathtaking.