When I read a book on a specific artist, I approach it from three different angles. I am an artist first and foremost, a graphic designer by profession, and employed by a library. This book ranks five stars in all three categories. It's usually pretty easy to find an art book with really good color reproductions or with really good text, but to find one such as this with both is a true find. The author's insightful and intelligent writing combined with the wonderful color reproductions really puts you right in Edward Hoppers world. It's also what makes this book an excellent addition to anyones collection!

This fully-illustrated hardback has come out to coincide with the like-named exhibition at Telfair Museum of Art. It may be the largest retrospective show of Frieseke's work to date (it is certainly NOT the first). Many well-illustrated catalogs of his work have been published in the past - I have six of them on my shelf - but this is by far the most comprehensive. The primary author, Nicholas Kilmer, also wrote the highly-acclaimed _A Place in Normandy_ and the Fred Taylor mysteries (_Harmony in Flesh and Black_, etc.). Contributions by David Sellin, Virginia Mecklenburg, H. Barbara Weinberg, and Linda McWhorter (coordinator of both exhibition and catalog) flesh out the text. The reproductions are magnificent. Do a web search on Frieseke, and see how many paintings you recognize. It is high time that this painter of well-known images should gain "name-recognition"!

When Bill Gates bought a George Bellows oil for twenty-seven-and-a-half million dollars in November of 1999, the national media at last took notice of what may be the most important genre of American art - the Ashcan period of the early 1900's. This wonderful book captures the lives, times, and works of the six artists who brought the streets of turn-of-the-century New York City to thrilling life. Bellows, Sloan, Henri, Glackens, Luks, and Shinn shared a collective talent and daring unseen before or since in the United States, and the book presents their best works in gorgeous color. It also delves into both the men's and the city's history to place the art in context.

Alfred Lord Tennyson once praised Rudyard Kipling for his 'divine fire.' Of the six artists here, Bellows, Sloan, and Henri clearly possessed that fire.

Bellows's unflinching depiction of New York's seedy side reveals a city simultaneously frightening, comical, and beautiful. Sloan's more affectionate touch finds warm delight in the common and mundane. The vitality of Henri's portraits is nothing short of remarkable.

If you buy this book for nothing else, buy it for Sloan. Beautiful, accessible, challenging paintings. And you won't find yourself in a competition with Bill Gates. =)

This is a very well-crafted printing. The book sports a real leather
cover, which you don't see very often. But the quality goes
further. The paper the book is printed on has a very expensive feel,
like soft vellum.

In addition, the text has an old-time Colonial
days look about it, as if the letters were written with a quill pen!
The font is not hard to read at all, but if you look closely, you will
see slight irregularities that remind one of words written with the
old Colonial writing implement. The old-style production and printing
compliments the focus of the story, putting the reader even more into
the history being presented.

The story surrounds the days following
the battles of Concord and Lexington, and the subsequent signing of
the Declaration of Independence.

The story begins with a wide range
of characters in a small North Carolina town. Local politics, debates,
and the general reaction to events are well written, with attention to
period detail.

The Jack of "Jack's Resolve" is a courier
who is charged with bringing his local government's dispatchs to the
Continental Congress, and his travels are the focus of the second half
of the book.

I give the book only four stars because I found the
cast somewhat confusing. Some characters are refered to by more than
one name or title, and it occasionally mixed me up as to who was
who. This may be tough reading for high school level students, but is
certainly suitable for college-level readers interested in
Revolutionary War/Colonial politics and related events.

For the
price, I doubt you will find a better quality printing. The story is
engaging and gives the reader a "you are there" feeling. The
dialogue and attitudes are spot-on for the day, unlike the recent Mel
Gibson movie "The Patriot".

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially the short story by Robert Inman, which had me laughing my head off! I've lived my entire life in Charlotte and wasn't aware that we had so many talented folks here. Keep up the good work, Charlotteans!