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Best Art History

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia
Look for the sequels to The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia , with The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts and the upcoming Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia due out April 24th 2018. He is the series producer and manager of The Legend of Zelda and won the Golden Joystick Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Reviews
"The opening letter from Shigeru Miyamoto sets a wonderful, celebratory tone for the rest of the book. The first third of the book, entitled "The Legend Begins: The World of Skyward Sword" is devoted to said title, the most recently released Zelda game we all played and loved. It's filled to the brim with the concept and official art that inspired Skyward's Sword brilliant aesthetic style. As one who views Skyward Sword as one of the most beautiful and brilliantly inspired video games ever made in terms of its art design and visuals, this is just fine with me. There's tons here, including a lot of really interesting ideas for characters that didn't make it into the game, like a floating Fi in a massive suit of armor or Zelda designs that are decidedly more elegant and fancy. There's also a good amount of location art that is simply gorgeous and really captures your imagination, just like the settings in the game did. What is even better about this section is the following 70 or so pages that actually chronicles, in great detail, the events of each timeline in chronological order. Sprinkled liberally through all of this are nice screenshots and art, as well as fascinating tidbits, like boxes that fully decipher the various Hylian/Hyrulean dialect text that appear in the games. This section closes with a very nice letter from Eiji Aonuma, arguably the second most important man behind the Legend of Zelda, after Shigeru Miyamoto of course. The lay-outs are nice, the printing quality is vibrantly beautiful and sharp as a tack, and the pages are crisp and clean. The binding is also high quality, which is important because this is a big book that would fall apart relatively quickly if it wasn't bound well. There are few games that capture the sense of beauty, imagination, and adventure like the Legend of Zelda effortlessly does with each and every release."
"As a Zelda fan it's wonderful to have a physical book of all game events (from 1986=2011), concept images and developer interviews."
"There's translations of some of the games in-game language systems and explanations for why certain things are as they are, for example hinting that timeshift stones and the ocarina of time are made of the same time-travel capable material. If I had to say anything negative, it would be that perhaps learning about the development decisions made during other games would have been nice, particularly Majora's mask, instead of just showing Skyward Sword concept art."
"One thing that I wish this had, and I don't know why I assumed it would... but I have a Nintendo Power magazine of Zelda from the 90's that was pretty cool."
"I say, anything that will hold his attention for that long and he will read in it daily, I consider it a great buy."
"After going through Amazon in search of gift ideas, I came across this particular one and decided it might be a good gift to purchase for him."
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Chanel: Collections and Creations
The book explores five central themes―the suit, the camellia, jewelry, makeup and perfume, the little black dress―and follows the threads from past to present to show how these key items have been rediscovered and reinvented by new designers. Danièle Bott is a journalist specializing in fashion and beauty, who has written for Vogue and many other magazines.
Reviews
"Very nice books good Reading Nice pictures."
"Gorgeous coffe table book!"
"it is a beautiful book, I like the range from the begin to the present."
"Beautiful coffee table book!"
"This is one of my favourite coffee table book, makes for not only excellent read but also never fails to intrigue those who visit and in the end they succumb and reach for it!"
"Not only is this a beautiful book, it is a very readable one as well."
"It goes well with the décor of my client's room and the client is happy with the decision I made on their behalf."
"Makes a beautiful coffee table book!"
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Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer
A comprehensive and breathtakingly illustrated presentation of the genius of Michelangelo by the world’s leading expert on the artist The Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) was especially celebrated for his disegno , a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design. Carmen C. Bambach is curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Reviews
"Good deal on a great book!"
"I thought I was getting a 392-page coffee table book but to my disappointment, the final 100 pages of this book (or 25% of total pages) are comprised of exhibition notes and bibliographical text -- and this does not include the essays in the earlier chapters of the book."
"The exhibit book arrived in perfect condition and in a timely manner."
"This is a stunning book, detailed text with beautiful images from Michelangelo’s work."
"A comprehensive and enlightening text accompanied by exquisite images."
"My father almost cried when he saw this for Christmas."
"most excellent, it is a Christmas present for a friend ,, what a beautiful book and at such a great price .. thanks so much ..."
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Best Art History

History of Modern Art (Paperback) (7th Edition)
History of Modern Art is a visual comprehensive overview of the modern art field. The best text for a course on Modern Art.”. “I am pleased with the inclusion of more women and artists of color and with the context, technique and source boxes.
Reviews
"Bought for class, but really easy to read and love the photos."
"Technology has truly brought new avenues to education."
"Just the book I needed for my Art History class- at a great price (way less than buying it)!"
"Perfect condition."
"book was fine but the late fee attached was absurd!"
"The book was in fine condition, but it was rather boring."
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Best Baroque Art

The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece
An Italian village on a hilltop near the Adriatic coast, a decaying palazzo facing the sea, and in the basement, cobwebbed and dusty, lit by a single bulb, an archive unknown to scholars. Here, a young graduate student from Rome, Francesca Cappelletti, makes a discovery that inspires a search for a work of art of incalculable value, a painting lost for almost two centuries. Four hundred years ago, he drank and brawled in the taverns and streets of Rome, moving from one rooming house to another, constantly in and out of jail, all the while painting works of transcendent emotional and visual power. Prizewinning author Jonathan Harr embarks on an spellbinding journey to discover the long-lost painting known as The Taking of Christ–its mysterious fate and the circumstances of its disappearance have captivated Caravaggio devotees for years. Told with consummate skill by the writer of the bestselling, award-winning A Civil Action , The Lost Painting is a remarkable synthesis of history and detective story. [you'll] enjoy Harr's more clearly reported details about life in the city, as when--one of my favorite moments in the whole book--Francesca and another young colleague try to calm their nerves before a crucial meeting with a forbidding professor by eating gelato. "Jonathan Harr has taken the story of the lost painting, and woven from it a deeply moving narrative about history, art and taste--and about the greed, envy, covetousness and professional jealousy of people who fall prey to obsession. In 1992 a young art student uncovered a clue in an obscure Italian archive that led to the discovery of Caravaggio's original The Taking of the Christ , a painting that had been presumed lost for over 200 years. Broken into short, succinct chapters, the narrative unfolds at a brisk pace, skipping quickly from the perspective of 91-year-old Caravaggio scholar Sir Denis Mahon to that of young, enterprising Francesca Cappelletti, a graduate student at the University of Rome researching the disappearance of The Taking of Christ . But while adept at coordinating dates and analyzing hairline fractures in aged paint, Harr often seems overly concerned with the step-by-step process of tracking down The Taking of the Christ , as if the specific artist who created it were irrelevant.
Reviews
"A refreshing non-fiction book on the discovery of a Caravaggio masterpiece, the story flowed like a mystery."
"Reads like a spy novel."
"Wonderful non-fiction."
"Insightful plotting renders this exhaustively researched saga a page-turner with its heart in art history."
"I am a great fan of the artist."
"Not the kind of book I would usually read."
"If you are into Italian art history you will appreciate this thoughtfully researched and enjoyable nonfiction story."
"Slow Going."
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Best Applique

Wool Appliqué Folk Art: Traditional Projects Inspired by 19th-Century American Life
Appliqué pillows, bed toppers, and table runners from woven wools, felted wools, and wool felt—including repurposed fibers and fabrics! I particularly liked the 14 updated traditional projects in Rebekah's book, which included bed covers, wall hangings and table runners.
Reviews
"As the title suggests all the projects in this book follow the folk art (primitive) aesthetic and were inspired by artifacts of the 19th century and this is reflected in both the motifs and colors used throughout. Also given are illustrated instructions for the easy embroidery stitches used in the projects: blanket, outline, running, whipstitch, French knot, and stars. The tools and supplies list for creating the projects is a fairly short one with easy to obtain items that most sewists probably already have, such as: scissors, rotary cutter/mat/ruler, Sharpie marker, various needles, pins, freezer paper (I get mine at Walmart), and embroidery floss."
"The artist has shared some beautiful hand applique projects for us to create."
"Excellant source for primitive Americana wool applique stitches and method."
"REBEKAH SMITH IS A BEAUTIFUL WOOL APPLIQUE STITCHER."
"Something I really want to do and think the directions are great making wool applique look doable for me."
"I love working with wool and this book makes me want to make every project."
"Good ideas, well written, easy to understand, I changed up the colors as it is rather civil war drab, but good book."
"There's not enough information in this book for someone that knows nothing about wool appliqué."
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Best Paleontology

Paleoart: Visions of the Prehistoric Past
Dinosaurs Are Forever A pictorial history of paleoart. It was 1830 when an English scientist named Henry De la Beche painted the first piece of paleoart, a dazzling, deliciously macabre vision of prehistoric reptiles battling underwater. “One of the most extraordinary and beautiful volumes on the topic yet conceived.” ( The Economist 1843, London ).
Reviews
"Recent decades have produced torrents of it, and off the top of my head I can name many contemporary paleoartists: Mauricio Anton, Julius Csotonyi, John Gurche, James Gurney, Doug Henderson, Raul Martin, Gregory S. Paul, Luis Rey, William Stout, Peter Trusler. This painting depicts life in the Jurassic based on fossils from Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast of England. Ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, fish, and pterosaurs, are shown in violent interaction, with crinoids, squids, and ammonites in the background. Therefore, their restoration was heavily influenced by modern reptiles; they were depicted as a mix of giant lizard, crocodile, and rhinoceros (all quadrupeds). Megalosaurus was drawn as a shortened ridged-back crocodile with a frog-like mouth full of sharp teeth (we now know it was a bipedal theropod). The first reason is that painter and sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (1807-1894) designed public exhibits of prehistoric life for Victorian audiences in England, particularly life-size models of dinosaurs as they were understood at the time. He established a studio in New York and had planned a “Paleozoic Museum” for Central Park, similar to the Crystal Palace. The second reason for a boost in paleoart is that the American west was being explored by famous paleontologists, especially the rivals Edward Cope and O.C. Clearly the dinosaurs in early movies like “King Kong” and “The Lost World” were copied from his paintings, and almost all the current paleoartists say that they were inspired by his work. A very interesting detail about Knight is that he was legally blind for most of his life and needed assistance to complete large works like murals. The most famous (and probably the largest, at 110 feet long) single work of paleoart is probably “The Age of Reptiles” which is a fresco mural at the Peabody museum at Yale. The mural depicts several dozen species of reptiles walking through a detailed environment which appears to be shimmering with light. Zdenek Burian (1905-1981), a Czech artist who worked in the period 1930’s to the 1980’s, is probably the most prolific paleoartist; it is estimated he produced somewhere over 15,000 paintings and sketches. My favorite work shows an aquarium view of two Brachiosaurus neck deep in water (although we now know sauropods were generally land animals, and it would be physiologically impossible to breath in such a situation). Heinrich Harder (1858-1935) is known for painting collectable cards of prehistoric life that were distributed by one of Germany’s leading chocolate manufacturers in 1916. Those of us who follow the literature about the dinosaur origin of birds often hear about the horrible wrong turn the field took because of a book published by Gerhard Heilmann (1859-1946) in Danish in 1916 and in English in 1926: “The Origin of Birds.” In this book it is argued that dinosaurs could not be the ancestors of birds because they lacked wishbones. “Paleoart” discusses two English artists that I was only vaguely aware of, who worked in the 1950’s and 1960’s: Neave Parker (1910-1961) and Maurice Wilson (1914-1987). Parker did contrasty monochromatic “chalk and charcoal” paintings and Wilson imitated the soft style of Japanese watercolors. The most unfamiliar artists to me (and to most people in the West) are the “Soviet era” (1930’s-1980’s) Russians: Konstantin Konstantinovich Flyorov, Vassily Alexeyevich Vatagin, Alexei Nikanorovich Komarov, and Andrei Rostislavovich Lopatin. He had preference for saturated colors and Impressionistic brush technique, and he seemingly payed little attention to fossil evidence. The latest piece discussed in “Paleoart” is the 60 ft high ceramic mosaic “The Tree of Life” built in 1986 by Alexander Belashov (1933-) for the new Orlov Museum."
"The book is beautiful and was immediately loved by my stepson."
"Amazing book showing and detailing the art bringing prehistoric life ( dinosaurs) alive visually!"
"I love the evolution of dinosaur art through the years."
"Paleoart is a visually stunning book. The subject of the book is the deceptions themselves, and the artists behind them."
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Best Individual Architects & Firms

The Louvre: All the Paintings
For the first time ever, The Louvre: All the Paintings collects all 3,022 paintings currently on display in the permanent collection in one beautifully curated volume.Organized and divided into the four main painting collections of the museum— the Italian School, the Northern School, the Spanish School, and the French School— the paintings are then presented chronologically by the artist's date of birth.Four hundred of the most iconic and significant paintings are illuminated with 300-word discussions by art historians Anja Grebe and Vincent Pomarède on the key attributes of the work, what to look for when viewing the painting, the artist's inspirations and techniques, biographical information on the artist, the artist's impact on the history of art, and more. All 3,022 paintings are fully annotated with the name of the painting and artist, the date of the work, the birth and death dates of the artist, the medium that was used, the size of the painting, the Louvre catalog number, and the room in the Louvre in which the painting is found. He created the Erich Lessing Culture and Fine Arts Archive which is an extensive image library featuring over 40,000 high resolution images from over 500 museums and private collections throughout the world, including a thorough coverage of such institutions as: The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the Uffizi in Florence, the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, the Prado in Madrid, and many more. He lives in Vienna and travels regularly to Paris and other art capitals of the world.
Reviews
"This theoretical DVD only holds 228 MB of data including the software program which doesn't work very well for viewing the images; a CD holds almost 700 MB of data."
"Their Internet site offers far more data than would fit on a DVD."
"It really requires a table top lectern for ease of viewing and study."
"My mother recently traveled to Paris and went to the Louvre where this book was for sale for twice the price."
"It is a good compilation of Louvre collection."
"I was going to pick it up in Paris, but it is so big and heavy it would have put me over the weight limit on my luggage and besides, it was less expensive to buy through Amazon even with shipping."
"The book itself is a work of art."
"Then I got the book."
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Best Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Published to coincide with an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art organized by The Costume Institute, this stunning book includes a preface by Andrew Bolton; an introduction by Susannah Frankel; an interview by Tim Blanks with Sarah Burton, creative director of the house of Alexander McQueen; illuminating quotes from the designer himself; provocative and captivating new photography by renowned photographer Sølve Sundsbø; and a lenticular cover by Gary James McQueen. "For those still wanting to view McQueen's fashion creations, the book shines on. "The catalog—with its gorgeous images places alongside provocative, incisive, and often puzzling conversational quotes from the designer himself—makes for an interesting way to get a peek at the show for those of us who won’t be lucky enough to make it to New York this summer. The most radical designs of his career are presented here, with critical analysis perfect for any arts or fashion library. "The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum's Alexander McQueen retrospective has proven so popular that the exhibit has been extended until August 7. But if that still isn't enough time for you to get down to see it, the next best thing to a New York City jaunt is the definitive monograph, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty. ".
Reviews
"I was not really familiar with Alexander McQueen but I have heard his name mentioned in the fashion world and when I saw this book I was curious so I bought it."
"High quality binding with a fun visual on the cover."
"Great coffee table book!"
"If you are interested in McQueen revolutionary work this book is for you."
"This really is a book about the art and not a biography as some have criticized it for lacking keep that in mind."
"This book is a wonderful, beautiful collection of photographs and quotes that celebrate this genius and artist."
"This book is a beautifully put together compilation or MANY (not all) of his brilliant clothes from his first collection up until the posthumous Angels and Demons."
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Best Art History by Theme

Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors
Growing out of President Bush’s own outreach and the ongoing work of the George W. Bush Institute's Military Service Initiative, Portraits of Courage brings together sixty-six full-color portraits and a four-panel mural painted by President Bush of members of the United States military who have served our nation with honor since 9/11—and whom he has come to know personally. President Bush will donate his net author proceeds from PORTRAITS OF COURAGE to the George W. Bush Presidential Center, a non-profit organization whose Military Service Initiative works to ensure that post-9/11 veterans and their families make successful transitions to civilian life with a focus on gaining meaningful employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war. It’s also a tale of life’s capacity to surprise, its ability to hand up new and unexpected lives not only to these veterans but also to their constitutional commander.” -Seth Lipsky, New York Post. After staring at the haunting close-up portraits of wounded warriors and reading the searing accounts of their suffering, I’m beginning to understand why this beautifully published book went to No. “Most of [the portraits] show the head and face full size, seemingly bursting out of the frame with genuine presence and considerable expressive energy . “[It’s] impossible to look at these 98 extraordinary images without thinking deeply about the artist who made them: A leader who sent troops off to the battlefield, and who, so many years later, spends his days channeling the damaged but determined warriors who came home .
Reviews
"I'm an artist and a Liberal."
"So while I don't want to cross the line into the contentious, I have to be perfectly honest and say I never would have expected myself purchasing one of President Bush's books. But I watched an interview with him from Jimmy Kimmel's show while he was promoting this book, and when he mentioned that all the proceeds to to supporting causes for veterans, I said “I'm in”. I read a piece a couple years back by some artists and critics who weren't very flattering in their assessments, so I imagine he's already been exposed to some of that. I took a drawing class in college and got a B on a project...the professor's only reason was she hated my subject matter, thought it wasn't mature enough, the thrust of her criticism was not about my technique."
"The love and honor is expressed in every brush stroke of the portraits."
"The president took on art (painting) after leaving the office, without any previous art background, but his desire to paint lead to this book; Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors. The title of the book is kind of self-explanatory, it deals with the courageous men and women who served in the military. It will make a great coffee table book and something special to keep in anyone's personal library. Lastly, the president did not just paint these men and women, but he has met with most of them personally multiple of times."
"These portraits seemed crude to me at first glance, but once I read each story and looked a bit longer at each portrait, I could see that the president managed to capture each person's character in the eyes or mouth, or some other aspect of that individual's personality."
"Proud that my spouse served while President Bush was the commander in chief."
"So inspirational to read the stories of our warriors."
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Best Arts & Photography Criticism

Mastering Manga with Mark Crilley: 30 drawing lessons from the creator of Akiko
In these action-packed pages, graphic novelist Mark Crilley shows you step-by-step how to achieve an authentic manga style—from drawing faces and figures to laying out awesome, high-drama spreads. This is the book fans have been requesting for years, packed with expert tips on everything from hairstyles and clothing to word bubbles and sound effects, delivered in the same friendly, easy-to-follow style that has made Mark Crilley one of the "25 Most Subscribed to Gurus on YouTube." Mark Crilley is the creator of several manga books, including the Akiko series, Miki Falls , the Billy Clikk novels and Brody's Ghost .
Reviews
"I've watched lots of Mark Crilley's tutorials, but there's something special about seeing the drawing printed on the page in front of me, there as a reference. The written instructions give tips about showing the gender, age and personality of the characters. There's information about inking drawings, laying out panels and adding speech bubbles and sound effects. Everything included in the book is great and it's absolutely packed with helpful information on every page, but I do think the author has even more to offer and I'd love it if this turned out to be the first part of a series. One final note: There's no nudity in this book; all figures are drawn either fully clothed or wearing simple underclothes."
"My son loves to draw and he uses this for his artwork."
"my daughter and niece draws these even before the book."
"I bought this for my son who loves to draw."
"I'm currently going to University for Art, so I already have a bit of training in drawing, but I don't think this would be very hard for absolute beginners to understand."
"I've been wanting to grab this book for ages, but the paper copy was cost-prohibitive for me at the time."
"but what i think of this book is that the art isn't very "eye-catching"."
"I saw other books with more pages, but this seems to be newer."
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