Koncocoo

Best Religious 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
"It is hard for me to understand why admirers became addicted to Caravaggio or any artist."
"I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and academia, and can think of nothing better than spending hours in the basement of an Italian provincial villa reading through ancient accounts...(really)."
"A refreshing non-fiction book on the discovery of a Caravaggio masterpiece, the story flowed like a mystery."
"This true story traces the dogged detective work required to track down a lost Caravaggio painting worth tens of millions of dollars."
"Reads like a spy novel."
"Wonderful non-fiction."
"Insightful plotting renders this exhaustively researched saga a page-turner with its heart in art history."
"Slow Going."
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The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican
The Shocking Secrets of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Artwork. “This book of astounding revelations is built on careful scholarship, lucid exposition, and it is, above all, compelling reading.” Rabbi Benjamin Blech is an internationally recognized educator, religious leader, author, and lecturer.
Reviews
"Very interesting book about Michelangelo and the painting of the Sistine Chapel."
"This book on the Sistine Chapel was excellent."
"I read this on the Kindle app on a a large iPad so I was able to view and zoom on the black and white plates; there are a few color plates at the end of the book as well, but this book may not look as nice on a non-KindleFire."
"I never knew that the Jewish religion played such a huge part in the makeup of the scenes and the figures."
"Wonderful background of Michelangelo's life and the many Hebrew references he included in the Sistine Chapel."
"We read both the iPad & paperback versions before visiting the Sistine and it made the visit extremely enjoyable -- my wife & I were able to spot almost all of the hidden messages in the paintings...we knew more than our guide, so if you read this book, you can skip paying for a guide except to shortcut the line!"
"I wish I had read it before I visited the Sistine Chapel, but you are hearted through like cattle so it probably didn't matter."
"NO PICTURES AVAILABLE IN KINDLE FORMAT!!"
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Mother of God Similar to Fire
Words and images reflect the perennial appeal of Mary-source of compassion, gentle consoler, fierce protector, feminine face of the divine. Described by Time as being among the most famous creators of Christian iconic images in the world, his work has been featured in several books, including You Will Be My Witnesses, The Bride, Christ, All Merciful, and Mary, Mother of All Nations. She has translated and written introductions for works by St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, and has edited writings of St. Francis and Hildegard of Bingen.
Reviews
"Mother of God Similar to Fire is a wonderful instrument for deepening one's appreciation and love of Mary, Mother of God and our Mother."
"The book Mother of God Similar to Fire is one of the most beautiful publications I've ever seen. Each icon is moving, captivating, and is literally a doorway into heaven as you sit and allow it to lead you into prayer. I particularly liked the work on page 49, where she says, "Mother of Mercy, if I stay awake all night, vigilant and grateful, will you drop your protective veil over my vulnerable heart?""
"This is a beautiful book."
"I use McNichols' rendering of icons as an iconographer as they speak to the present age with beauty, simplicity, and reverence."
"Excellent, Every piece of writing speaks to my heart."
"Beautiful, spiritually and artistically generous."
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Best Renaissance Art

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern
That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic, On the Nature of Things , by Lucretius—a beautiful poem of the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles in eternal motion, colliding and swerving in new directions. '”. - New York Times “In this gloriously learned page-turner, both biography and intellectual history, Harvard Shakespearean scholar Greenblatt turns his attention to the front end of the Renaissance as the origin of Western culture's foundation: the free questioning of truth.”. - starred review, Publishers Weekly. “In this outstandingly constructed assessment of the birth of philosophical modernity, renowned Shakespeare scholar Greenblatt deftly transports reader to the dawn of the Renaissance...Readers from across the humanities will find this enthralling account irresistible.”. - starred review, Library Journal. “Every tale of the preservation of intellectual history should be as rich and satisfying as Stephen Greenblatt's history of the reclamation and acclamation of Lucretius's De rerum natura from obscurity.”. - John McFarland, Shelf Awareness. In this outstandingly constructed assessment of the birth of philosophical modernity, renowned Shakespeare scholar Greenblatt deftly transports reader to the dawn of the Renaissance...Readers from across the humanities will find this enthralling account irresistible.--starred review.
Reviews
"Absolutely a must read to get a very good feel about how a tenacious humanist finally discovered a magnificent and important copy of a nearly lost manuscript."
"Excellent book and filled with fascinating, descriptive details from Greenblatt's extensive historical research."
"This book provides a wonderful look at the key points in 2000 years of history that shaped our current society."
"The Swerve brings to life the inspiration and desires of the humanist movement."
"The physical inscription process, the recordings man has made of his life and times on caves to stone tablets and then onto papyrus, parchment, paper to the digital age is itself filled with intrigue as the agendas of not only the authors but those who continued to transcribe their original works is a fabulous journey."
"Incidentally, I read it in Kindle on my iPad, a format which works well with continual reference to the "footnotes"."
"The Swerve is an attempt to build a bridge from Roman era thought to the humanitarian thinking of early Renaissance."
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Best Surrealism Art

GK Quiz:GK Quiz Cream 2016(General Knowledge Quiz, Basic General Knowledge Quiz, Best General Knowledge Quiz 2016, Business General Knowledge Quiz, Computer General Knowledge Quiz)
Get this Amazon best seller for just $3. Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device General Knowledge Quiz Current Affairs Quiz World Quiz Business Quiz History Quiz Science Quiz Much, much, more!
Reviews
"Interesting book on various quizzes and trivia around the world."
"This is a very interesting book."
"Very interesting book."
"Very interesting book."
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Best Counseling Children

A Father's Guide to Raising Daughters: How to Boost Her Self-Esteem, Self-Image and Self-Respect
What you need to know about her broken confidence (and how to fix it right away) (For New Dads Only) The truth about fatherhood no one talks about How you can help your daughter gain self-respect starting today How to talk to your daughter so she'll listen every time How to help her persevere when she wants to quit The secret to helping her overcome adversity And much more. This parenting book contains case studies, advice and interviews with real dads to help you encourage your daughter before she becomes a teenager. Imagine having other dads come to you for advice with their kids. Dads - do yourself and your daughters a huge favor - buy this book!" - Megan C. Scott, author, Low Carb Egg Cookbook "For fathers who are raising daughters and are looking for a down-to-earth, practical and inspirational source material, this is the book you want." All fathers should get this book to take home with them from the hospital when their daughter is born." What you need to know about her broken confidence (and how you can fix it right away) How you can help your daughter gain self-respect starting today How to get your daughter to listen to you over and over again (And For New Dads) Discover the truth about fatherhood no one talks about And much, much more.
Reviews
"I want to be a good Uncle and here is a sample of what I learned as a guy with no kids of his own. "Kill negative thoughts...it's not enough to have her just think rainbows and butterflies all day long.""
"I think this book gives fathers new & old some useful tips on how to be a father to their daughters."
"In a generation where grandparents, or babysitters, or teachers, or coaches are raising people's kids, this is a timely book."
"Yet he turns the tables and reminds dads that they should model good behavior and choices in front of their daughter. "Kill negative thoughts, act positively, be kind, stand straight, encourage your daughter, project a proper appearance, watch what you say and how you say it, and RESPECT yourself and others. Notice how those bikini-clad models affect your daughter's behavior and what you will do to help her deal with her feelings."
"This is an excellent book which I recommend all fathers read."
"This is an excellent book for all fathers."
"Best of all, it's crystal clear how much this man values his daughters and wants them to grow up to be strong, confident women."
"Better content can be found in any parenting magazine."
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Best Sculpture

Make Animal Sculptures with Paper Mache Clay: How to Create Stunning Wildlife Art Using Patterns and My Easy-to-Make, No-Mess Paper Mache Recipe
Join thousands who have rediscovered their creative talent, using Jonni's revolutionary techniques and recipes. The sculpting techniques shown in this book have been used by middle school kids, university art students, theater prop-makers, and adults of all ages who have rediscovered their love for sculpting, using methods and materials that are affordable for everyone.
Reviews
"this book is about a new type of papermache recipe making it easy to. create any thing you have ever wanted to copy and make yourself in an. easy to follow description,with easy to obtain ingredients."
"She gives clear, precise directions, lots of pictures, and really walks you through everything thoroughly."
"When I became interested in paper mache."
"My 7-year-old made the MOST AMAZING penguin sculpture for a class project based on the information in this book."
"Extremely good value for the money."
"Just received my book over a week early!"
"The author is a talented artist who generously shares her talent in a very user-friendly style."
"She is good about telling you which brand she uses for the ingredients--for the brand of toilet paper, for example, can make a difference."
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Best European Art History

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 Caribbean & Latin American Art History

KETOGENIC DIET FOR BEGINNERS: KETO FOR BEGINNERS, KETO MEAL PLAN COOKBOOK, KETO SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK, KETO DESSERTS RECIPES (Keto Diet)
Pork keto slow cooker recipes Beef and game slow cooker recipes Poultry keto slow cooker recipes Fish & seafood keto slow cooker recipes Soup & other originl dishes keto slow cooker recipes Sweet keto slow cooker recipes ….each recipe is detailed with nutrition values and total and net carb calculation Book 4: KETO DESSERTS RECIPES (with macros and totl/net carb figures). Ketoessentials: the essential equipment to become a real ketochef Getting to know the ingredients of the Keto dessert Chef: Sweeteners Getting to know the ingredients of the Keto dessert chef: Flours Fat bomb recipes Keto cake recipes Keto chocolate recipes Keto mousses & cream recipes Keto ice creams Keto traditional festivity recipes Nutrition facts of the Keto dessert chef’s main ingredients GRAB YOUR COPY NOW!
Reviews
"Very good recipes cook great and since they are in a slow cooker, I can eat when I get home from work and not have to worry about preparing food....."
"KETOGENIC DIET FOR BEGINNERS consists of 4 books on keto diet combined into one."
"Walker incorporates fundamental ketogenic data at the front of the book & tips for consuming from home toward the end."
"The book gives me a real understanding of how our body breaks down fat as opposed to carbs,I was impressed by a short article on ketogenic diet in social media and bought this Kindle edition to understand the concept better.If you are a starter of Ketogenic, I can say that this book is good fit for you."
"Ketogenic diet is well explained.The book also shows how this kind of diet works."
"All recipes are very tasty, healthy, quick and easy to prepare."
"A very comprehensive guide for ketogenic diet enthusiasts as the author explained well what ketogenic is, the foods suitable for this diet, the nutritional value per meal, the 30 day diet plan and the recipes, which for me sounds tempting especially the keto desserts recipes."
"Keto for learners, keto dinner outline cookbook, keto direct cooker cookbook, keto treats recipes, which are clear and take in the wake of, containing unfathomable equations and strong information."
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Best Erotic Art

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. #1 New York Times Best SellerAmazon's Best Book of 2014 in Crafts, Home & Garden. "Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. A totally reasonable, scary cult that works, doesn’t kill people (a bonus), but does drastically change your life. the Japanese expert’s ode to decluttering is simple and easy to follow." "Reading it, you glimpse a glittering mental freedom from the unread/uncrafted/unworn, buyer’s remorse, the nervous eyeing of real estate listings. "All hail the new decluttering queen Marie Kondo, whose mess-busting bestseller has prompted a craze for tidying in homes across the world . "How could this pocket-sized book, which has already sold over 2 million copies and sits firmly atop the New York Times Best Seller list, make such a big promise? Marie “KonMari” Kondo runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best seller in Japan, Germany, and the UK, with more than two million copies sold worldwide, and has been turned into a television drama for Japanese TV. She has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time , featured on more than thirty major Japanese television and radio programs, and profiled in the Sunday Times , Red magazine, You magazine, the New York Times , USA Today , NPR's Here & Now , Slate , Family Circle , and the London Times, who has deemed her “Japan’s preeminent guru of tidiness, a warrior princess in the war on clutter.”.
Reviews
"I grew up in a cluttered house and married the King of Clutter (he's the type of person who'll open a credit card bill, pay it online, and then just leave the empty envelope, inserts, and bill itself randomly strewn on whatever surface happens to be nearby). It's a breath of fresh air and positive energy that brings real joy to the process of "tidying up." My clothes are all mine (which also means that they're in nowhere near as terrible a state as other things in my house), so going through them affects only me and involves only my own feelings. Her advice may sound silly at first, but if your belongings inspire feelings of unhappiness, guilt, etc., her anthropomorphism of them can really help you change your viewpoint in a positive direction. That is likely to carry a different level of meaning for someone in Japan than in the U.S. Other references to spiritual practice and feng-shui are not likely to resonate the same way for an American audience. There is a lot of discussion of travel toiletries, but very little about kitchen utensils, toys, or other items found most often in a family home. I'm now a week in, and 6 months seems like hardly enough time to tackle all the junk in my house, but I can fully see how this can be a life-changing process."
"I was browsing Pinterest one day and stumbled upon the "konmari method" and was intrigued, so I bought this book for kindle and read it in about an hour. I always thought I was a very organized person (because everything I owned had a designated, labelled place and my house was always super clean), but after reading this book I realized I was nothing more than a skilled hoarder. I probably discarded well over 100 bags of clutter in that 6 weeks and earned over $400 selling the big-ticket items via social media, which I used to make my house prettier."
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Best Art History

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing. #1 New York Times Best SellerAmazon's Best Book of 2014 in Crafts, Home & Garden. "Ms. Kondo delivers her tidy manifesto like a kind of Zen nanny, both hortatory and animistic." a literal how-to-heave-ho, and I recommend it for anyone who struggles with the material excess of living in a privileged society. A totally reasonable, scary cult that works, doesn’t kill people (a bonus), but does drastically change your life. the Japanese expert’s ode to decluttering is simple and easy to follow." "Reading it, you glimpse a glittering mental freedom from the unread/uncrafted/unworn, buyer’s remorse, the nervous eyeing of real estate listings. "All hail the new decluttering queen Marie Kondo, whose mess-busting bestseller has prompted a craze for tidying in homes across the world . "How could this pocket-sized book, which has already sold over 2 million copies and sits firmly atop the New York Times Best Seller list, make such a big promise? Marie “KonMari” Kondo runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up is a best seller in Japan, Germany, and the UK, with more than two million copies sold worldwide, and has been turned into a television drama for Japanese TV. She has been named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time , featured on more than thirty major Japanese television and radio programs, and profiled in the Sunday Times , Red magazine, You magazine, the New York Times , USA Today , NPR's Here & Now , Slate , Family Circle , and the London Times, who has deemed her “Japan’s preeminent guru of tidiness, a warrior princess in the war on clutter.”.
Reviews
"I grew up in a cluttered house and married the King of Clutter (he's the type of person who'll open a credit card bill, pay it online, and then just leave the empty envelope, inserts, and bill itself randomly strewn on whatever surface happens to be nearby). It's a breath of fresh air and positive energy that brings real joy to the process of "tidying up." My clothes are all mine (which also means that they're in nowhere near as terrible a state as other things in my house), so going through them affects only me and involves only my own feelings. Her advice may sound silly at first, but if your belongings inspire feelings of unhappiness, guilt, etc., her anthropomorphism of them can really help you change your viewpoint in a positive direction. That is likely to carry a different level of meaning for someone in Japan than in the U.S. Other references to spiritual practice and feng-shui are not likely to resonate the same way for an American audience. There is a lot of discussion of travel toiletries, but very little about kitchen utensils, toys, or other items found most often in a family home. I'm now a week in, and 6 months seems like hardly enough time to tackle all the junk in my house, but I can fully see how this can be a life-changing process."
"I was browsing Pinterest one day and stumbled upon the "konmari method" and was intrigued, so I bought this book for kindle and read it in about an hour. I always thought I was a very organized person (because everything I owned had a designated, labelled place and my house was always super clean), but after reading this book I realized I was nothing more than a skilled hoarder. I probably discarded well over 100 bags of clutter in that 6 weeks and earned over $400 selling the big-ticket items via social media, which I used to make my house prettier."
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Best Painting

Daily Painting: Paint Small and Often To Become a More Creative, Productive, and SuccessfulArtist
With her encouraging tone and useful exercises, Marine teaches you to: -Master composition and value. -Become confident in any medium including oil painting, acrylic painting, watercolors, and other media. -Choose subjects wisely. -Stay fresh and loose. -Photograph, post, and sell your art online. -Become connected to the growing movement of daily painters around the world. She is a member of Daily Paintworks, a distinguished group of daily painters, and she teaches daily painting workshops around the country.
Reviews
"She sought out advice from well-known artists and over and over again, she was whispered the same thing: do some art every single day. It can be discouraging to be an artist and find yourself with a trunk full of creative endeavors and no where for them to go. That's where Carol's book takes us through the twists and turns of a career as an artist. Not only does it go through the basics of painting (materials, value, composition, color mixing), but the artist-author shares her secrets to becoming a successful artist. She and her programmer husband created an unique website, www.DailyPaintworks.com, where non-juried artists (read: you don't have to prove your talent or be selected by a committee) post their daily works. Big, beautiful paintings are wonderful, but not everyone can afford $10,000 for one piece of art. But, with a small project - a 6x6 canvas - you can play with lots of different mediums, textures, concepts, what-have-you and no matter how it comes out, tomorrow is literally a new day. It showcases Carol's talent, as well as a myriad of others, and shows you the nuts and bolts of being an artist. The final chapters shed light on how to sell your art online, where to go, and how to stage it for photographs."
"So since 2006, Marine has been painting daily, and selling her work online. Marine talks about her experience on painting daily, where she finds inspiration and subjects to draw, techniques involved and how you can sell your paintings online. Tips for better online sales. I really like the idea of painting small. Somethings the size of a blank canvas can be intimidating. It's difficult for a small painting to match a big one in terms of impact, but it's likely to sell better because it's more affordable. However her tips and techniques can often apply to other media as well except for things specific to oil, such as wiping a canvas and starting over again. The best part about the book is it shows you the possibility of selling your work online. It's great to see other artists make a living using this method and it's something that anyone can get into."
"I bought this book in order to learn how to be more 'painterly'."
"A friend looked through the book and immediately went to purchase one for herself."
"Inspiration, first of all, from just looking at the artist's work - she has mastered the art of bringing out color and showing light. and she delivers the information: everything from materials to proportion of saturated and unsaturated color, to placing highlights, to composition and how to get objects placed correctly on the canvas (including illusive ellipses), to her own unique method of what order to paint the various parts of an object in."
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Best Museums & Art Collections

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. (Coincidentally or not, this book appears only briefly after Ilaria Dagnini Brey's The Venus Fixers: The Untold Story of the Allied Soldiers Who Saved Italy's Art During World War II , Reviews, June 1.). Our task, I believe, was truly important - we were restoring to Europe evidence of its own civilization, which the War seemed virtually to have destroyed - and I was lucky to have had a chance to participate. -- Anne Olivier Bell "Highly Readable ... a remarkable history" * Washington Post * "Engaging and inspiring" * Publishers Weekly *.
Reviews
"The book pretty much ensures that a reader will both understand the logistical difficulties (no actual unit, no access to transportation, constantly having to ask other military personnel for help), the danger (booby-trapped caches of loot, dank salt mines filled with art and explosives, German soldier ambush), and the heroic nature of the Monument Men's job (especially those who worked in Germany and had to reconcile risk to life and limb to save cultural heritage sites like Aachen Cathedral after touring devastating places like Dachau). I particularly enjoyed learning about Lincoln Kirstein (my name doppelganger) who I thought mostly of as a ballet guy, but who turned out to be more of a Renaissance man in his abilities and proclivities than I had understood."
"And thereafter during the war, it was their responsibility to locate the five million movable works and cultural artifacts that were stolen by the Nazis, which included works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Donatello and the pieces that were the highlight of Edsel’s book, the Ghent Altar pieces, Bayeaux Tapestry, and painting of Mother and Child. And their training such as Stout’s focused on understanding raw materials, degradation and cause of deterioration, and preparation to prevent deterioration and damage, which would be beneficial once he delved in the race against time to save the artworks. For the Kindle edition, maps may have been helpful and the photographs may have been dispersed within each chapter rather than at the end of the book."
"My major criticism of this book, and the reason why I could not award the fifth star, is the actual writing, both on the sentence level and the paragraph level, even the chapter arrangements. As a retired Professor of English I was frequently reaching for my non-existent red pen (I read the book on Kindle) to make the sentence-level writing clearer, and also frequently looking back to earlier paragraphs to check on dates and events because the chronology had become confusing."
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Best Art Instruction & Reference

How to Draw Cool Stuff: A Drawing Guide for Teachers and Students
How to Draw Cool Stuff shows simple step-by-step illustrations that make it easy for anyone to draw cool stuff with precision and confidence. It will be really useful during drawing sessions to guide students in a very practical and methodical way. Some of the ideas given are fun and unique and it is also a stress-free way of learning which makes it very useful guide for those who enjoy drawing and also for those who are trying to get into drawing."
Reviews
"As adults, we over-complicate so much, and this book teaches us that maybe slowing things down and using just the basics can give very surprising results."
"There is a good reason why every reviewer is giving this book 5 Stars. To open the book, the author provides an extensive section on suggestions for teachers helping the beginning artist. From the Introduction: "Through Art we have the opportunity to showcase our personal strengths in a meaningful way." Some of my favorite drawing lessons: The "Ancient Masks" section, the "Basketball Hoop" drawing, and the "Foreshortened person" lesson. ▲ Honestly, Catherine Holmes has produced a MAGNIFICENT book for students and teachers alike. The amount of time spent producing this book must have been enormous."
"A discussion with a friend got me interested in trying out sketching and drawing as a fun and creative outlet. This is a great eBook for two groups of beginners: 1) the instant gratification type: you just got your pencils and sketch pad and you just want to start drawing things. Okay, drawing attempts is a better description, but my bad art is not what's reviewed here :). The second group of beginners are ones who want to learn more, in an easy to digest format. So we can't have it both ways :). The ebook is comfortable to read on the 7 inch Kindle Fire tablet (or anything larger), and you can zoom on the pictures whether you have your device in portrait or landscape orientation. Some of them have a semi-usable image zoom option (Paperwhite, classic Kindle with Keyboard), so if you are patient, you can also go through the drawing exercises with those. The tiny basic Kindle does not have image zoom, so it's not very useful if you are doing the drawing exercises (but still fine if you want to read the text parts)."
"9 year old who is an amazing artist already understood when I showed her the steps."
"Will want to buy the other books in this series now."
"This was a present for my daughter and she said it is the most helpful instruction guide she has ever gotten."
"This book was so awesome that I couldn't stop reading it's the best on the market I even read it when ever I have time."
"Super cool book inspires my son."
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Best Other Media

The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who "burned like a comet" in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost the only thing remaining of their vast empire was a collection of 264 wood and ivory carvings, none of them larger than a matchbox. Ephrussi and his cosmopolitan family were imprisoned or scattered, and Hitler's theorist on the "Jewish question" appropriated their magnificent palace on the Ringstrasse. Amazon Best of the Month, September 2010 : At the heart of Edmund de Waal's strange and graceful family memoir, The Hare with Amber Eyes , is a one-of-a-kind inherited collection of ornamental Japanese carvings known as netsuke. He's also drawn to the story behind them, and for years he put aside his own work as a world-renowned potter and curator to uncover the rich and tragic family history of which the carvings are one of the few concrete legacies. Beginning with his art connoisseur ancestor Charles (a model for Proust's Swann), who acquired the netsuke during the European rage for Japonisme, de Waal traces the collection from Japan to Europe--where they were saved from the brutal bureaucracy of the Nazi Anschluss in the pockets of a family servant--and back to Japan and Europe again.
Reviews
"His efforts with the innumerable German, Viennese and French words in de Waal's book go from bad to comically miserable to utterly mystifying."
"Instead of a predictable tale from Mitteleuropa about lost grandeur, the author takes a (slightly Proustian) shortcut that leads to unexpected and sometimes deeply moving places. One of the illustrious ancestors collected tiny but incredibly intricate Japanese carvings called netsuke used in early modern Japan as toggles for purse strings. Through this device, De Waal manages to both narrate the story of the rise and fall of the Ephrussi and also sketch the myriad objects they owned and collected during their century and a half of eminence."
"Having just completed this book, I feel so genuinely overwhelmed with a strange emotion and expect, that for the near future, my perception of life will be altered from what it was before."
"I read the paperback version, using Google to follow along when paintings/artists were mentioned: the fate of his mistress; the identification of the young JEWISH girls in Renoirs portraits, etc."
"This is the story of the author's amazing family history, which opens up art, architecture, and the history of the last 140 years in Paris, Vienna, and Japan. The book is also the story of his obsession with researching his family around the world."
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