Koncocoo

Best Typography

The Complete Book of Chalk Lettering: Create and Develop Your Own Style
And finally, 12 projects to show off your newfound skills: including a Winter Wonderland Snow Globe; a smartphone-themed birthday card to text friends and family; a one-of-a-kind party invitation to create, photograph, and mail; and a bake sale sign guaranteed to put everyone who sees it in the mood for a cupcake! Say It with Chalk In more than 60 lessons learn the art of hand-drawn chalk lettering from an Etsy superstar.
Reviews
"This book does a fabulous job of making the art of chalk lettering and illustration accessible."
"Most of them were not helpful because they contained only one or two lessons and then a ton of empty pages for you to practice on (that's what my notebook and scratch paper is for - thank you very much). There is detailed discussion on how to draw more attention to some words within a phrase so that they catch the reader's eye by making them bigger or bolder or shaded."
"I've been wanting to up my game with calligraphy and chalk lettering... What tools you need, how to prepare your chalkboard for battle, typography 101 courses, lots and lots of styles and tips to achieve your lettering goals... Imma go play with it because it is addictive."
"I purchased the Allary Chalk Cartridge Set, sold here on Amazon, to go along with this purchase and LOVE them. They are a great companion to the book as they are thin chalks in a mechanical pencil type holder that don't need to be sharpened (but can be) and I was very surprised that they weren't waxy."
"After several attempts at the script lettering, following the book's instructions, I have concluded that my below average ability still shines through in the letters."
"Still a hassle flipping back and forth between page I'm trying to copy and boards to some degree, but done very well."
"It provides explanations and instruction of chalk letter techniques and styles and really does give you the tools you need to succeed at chalk lettering if you have the time to devote to practicing and perfecting your skills."
"I have gone over the book once and am going over it again so I can build my confidants and learn what I missed the first time reading it."
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Learn Calligraphy: The Complete Book of Lettering and Design
In this book, Margaret Shepherd, America's premier calligrapher, shows you that calligraphy is not simply a craft you can learn, but an elegant art form that you can make your own. * Provide context for calligraphy as an art, exploring the rich tradition of hand-lettering and mapping the evolution of the most popular styles. In this book, Margaret Shepherd, America's premier calligrapher, shows you that calligraphy is not simply a craft you can learn, but an elegant art form that you can make your own. Margaret Shepherd makes this ancient art form accessible in a completely hand-lettered technical guide that will: * Provide context for calligraphy as an art, exploring the rich tradition of hand-lettering and mapping the evolution of the most popular styles. In Margaret Shepherd's own words, "Calligraphy trains not only your eye and hand, but your mind as well."
Reviews
"Of the many books on calligraphy that I've purchased, this one had the most useful, everyday ideas for simple calligraphy."
"I recommend three manuals for the novice calligrapher: Calligraphy and Illumination: A History and Practical Guide by Patricia Lovett, The Calligrapher's Bible by David Harris (see my reviews of both texts) and this text, Learn Calligraphy by Margaret Shepherd, one of the foremost experts on the subject."
"And, for other occasions like addressing a birthday card, or a love note to my wife, I wanted something to make people say, “Oooh! I can’t imagine the work it took to write the entire book by hand. Additionally, the book is good at teaching you to write calligraphy, which is exceedingly helpful in a book called “Learn Calligraphy.” I disagree slightly with the author’s choice to begin with the Roman font, however. Even though I don’t prefer it, I’m going to follow her instructions and go through the book little by little, doing the exercises, and learning the letters and strokes as she presents them. It’s meant to teach you the movements and habits that make calligraphy possible. In Roman, she covers the basic letter construction and then shows you five variations with serifs. It’s not huge, but I would argue that each style of serif does change the character and feel of the letters. She also shows a few examples of projects done with the Roman hand so you can see how it could be applied to your own artwork. Finally, she shows the “narrow” or Rustica version and “wide” or Quadrata forms of the Roman alphabet. Shepherd also includes some history on each alphabet and the book is arranged chronologically."
"Got this as part of a Christmas gift for a friend who invested in a calligraphy pens but has never learned calligraphy."
"This is not an appropriate book for beginners."
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Marcel's Letters: A Font and the Search for One Man's Fate
Finalist for the 2018 Minnesota Book Award. A graphic designer’s search for inspiration leads to a cache of letters and the mystery of one man’s fate during World War II. Having developed a profound sense of responsibility for one man’s lost history, Carolyn Porter follows the clues scattered in his letters to his family. Her story bursts with the excitement of discovery and culminates with the indescribable honor of returning fragments of a forgotten history to the people they were meant for.” ―Glenn Kurtz, author of Three Minutes in Poland: Discovering a Lost World in a 1938 Family Film "Carolyn Porter takes us on her offbeat quest to solve a transatlantic history mystery and unearths an intriguing pocket of our past along the way." Prince, author of American Daredevil: The Extraordinary Life of Richard Halliburton, the World’s First Celebrity Travel Writer. " Marcel’s Letters is a gripping page-turner about one type designer’s efforts to uncover (and recover) the destiny of a French forced laborer during Word War II." "Fascinated by the handwriting, Carolyn Porter’s chance purchase of a few letters led her to a remarkable adventure in font design, research to understand the wartime separation of a father from his wife and children, and a quest to uncover Marcel’s fate in the Second World War and that of his family. "It's a pleasure to read Porter's romantic dive into the depths of the lost art of letter writing and contained worlds. As impressive as her detective work is, it is Marcel and his letters―real, honest, heartfelt, and brave―that are undoubtedly the star of this marvelous book." "An absolutely engaging and inherently fascinating read from first page to last, Marcel's Letters is an extraordinary story—one that will linger in the mind and memory long after the book it finished and set back upon the shelf. "It's evident on every page that Porter put her heart and soul into her research, and an equally passionate and tenacious support group aided her in uncovering all of Marcel's secrets.
Reviews
""Marcel's Letters" is a fabulous read on three-plus levels: it's great for anyone interested in (a) history/WWII, (b) design/art direction/type and/or (c) biographies/true stories!!!!"
"This is a beautifully told story of a woman's passion for design but even greater passion to unravel the poignant story of one man's experience during the war."
"I loved every step along the way in this book."
"So many events in this book to discuss, the mystery around Marcel's story: finding his family, the search for more letters and how they arrived in the US."
"I certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in conditions in France during WWII, to anyone interested in solving genealogical mysteries, and to anyone interested in the development of new fonts."
"This is a fascinating book that describes the angst and perseverance required to solve a small historical mystery."
"The book was well written and I loved that the author provided pictures of the letters, Marcel and his relatives, and the font."
"Having only read a few chapters of this book, I attended Carolyn's book launch in June."
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Best Graphic Design Pen & Ink Drawing

DOODLE ART HANDBOOK: The Non-Artist’s Guide in Creative Drawing
The Handbook contains: 25 original tangle patterns with many variations divided into 5 sections from beginner to expert level.
Reviews
"Also, the designs are all different but have similar design elements from page to page so the lack of variety in the details might not appeal to some, Otherwise I love the book myself and highly recommend it."
"Who would have thought that my little doodles could really turn into a something besides a post it note scribble. If you are thinking about learning how to turn your post it note desk art into something beautiful this might be the book for you..maybe."
"Release the creative beast within you with this very unconventional book."
"Excellent book with easy-to-understand instructions and detail."
"So with this regards, Doodle Art is one of the best to have."
"There is a good variety of doodles and levels of difficulty, but favourite doodle style is speculo - it looks awesome :)."
"Love the instruction and inspiration with examples!"
"I have seen this book but would not pay $9.99 for a kindle book."
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Best Craft & Hobby Stenciling

The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering
With illustrated step-by-step instructions, The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering shows the complete beginner how to master the art of hand lettering, the composition/design of phrases on the page, and flourishes to embellish the design. The Big Awesome Book of Hand & Chalk Lettering covers 15 lettering styles-from Black Letter and "melting" to circus and Victorian, as well as serifs and scripts-along with numerous borders, corners, banners, bursts, frames and other accents. Dina Rodriguez is a freelance hand lettering artist.
Reviews
"I have purchased several hand lettering guides and this one is definitely a great addition to my collection."
"and that's it - there are tons of tips and guides to go through each alphabet step by step."
"I found this book so inspirational!"
"Nice, big book perfectly full of beautiful examples and how-to's."
"Simple and direct instructions, A+."
"I'm enjoying the book very much!"
"The book !"
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Best Lithography

Aquarium Keeping: Aquarium Keeping Essentials(Aquarium keeping, aquarium keeping course, complete guide to aquarium keeping, aquarium fish keeping books, aquarium keeping and management)
Get this Amazon best seller for just $3. Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device Tetra breeding Pearl Gourami Betta Aquarium Maintenance Protein Skimmer Tilapia breeding African cichlids Arulius barb Much, much, more!
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Best Graphic Arts

Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
In chapters such as You Don’t Have to Be a Genius ; Share Something Small Every Day ; and Stick Around , Kleon creates a user’s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity— what he calls the “ecology of talent.” From broader life lessons about work (you can’t find your voice if you don’t use it) to the etiquette of sharing—and the dangers of oversharing—to the practicalities of Internet life (build a good domain name; give credit when credit is due), it’s an inspiring manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age. His 10-step journey in this beginner’s guide to self-promotion emphasizes audience building and explains the how and why of such approaches as thinking about process rather than product, sharing something each day, teaching what you know, learning to take a punch, and developing staying power. Kleon’s use of artists’ quotes, photographs, and organizational diagrams enhances the text as he reminds readers of how interested people are in the creative process. --Whitney Scott "[Show Your Work is] timeless; readers can return to it repeatedly throughout life and still glean useful ideas and tips... In this creatively designed pocket-sized book, Kleon offers the latter group effective strategies that allow them to share their work without leaving their comfort zone . Fast Company Kleon addresses with equal parts humility, honesty, and humor one of the quintessential questions of the creative life: How do you get discovered ? In some ways, the book is the mirror-image of Kleon s debut rather than encouraging you to steal from others it offers a blueprint to making your work influential enough to be theft-worthy.
Reviews
"Here is some of the advice you'll receive: - Put your work out there, share it with others regularly. - Meet up with people in real life, not just on the Internet. - Don't be afraid to make money off your creative work. - Keep going. - Maintain an e-mail list. - Give proper credit when you refer to other people's work. I won't spoil the rest--if you do read the book, you'll see that I'm not simplifying anything in that list. I will probably still buy his next book, but I hope I won't have to return it like this one."
"Full of logic and wisdom: not much we don't already instinctively "know" but the information organized in a fun, easy to understand way which makes us think about how we manage our creativity and our lives."
"The reasons for this are many: you gain followers, you build a portfolio of sorts, you find like-minded artists, and you establish a presence. Even if you aren’t planning on becoming a writer, there is enough good advice in here to help any sort of career — musicians, content creators, photographers, journalists, all, I believe, will find something helpful in these pages."
"Austin is exploring the issue of showing your work through internet, and particularly social media. Some examples to the uniqueness of the book: It’s giving good advice about the need to compromise between perfectionism and neglecting quality or over-sharing. Mostly, I don’t think this chapter belongs in this book, because mostly it’s not about “SHOW your work” but about DO your work. It gives fantastic advice, but I think it belongs in a separate book."
"The book is artistic in every way, has the friendly and easy style of passing a load of information lightly, and has the humour that brings a smile on your face!"
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Best Calligraphy in Graphic Design

Hand Lettering for Relaxation: An Inspirational Workbook for Creating Beautiful Lettered Art
While hand lettering can look intimidating, artist and blogger Amy Latta has a friendly and down-toearth approach that will give you the confidence to draw impressive designs with ease. With 46 unique workshops, each with a featured motivational design, you will gain enough proficiency to proudly share your lettered art on social media, make personalized gifts and even decorate your home. Her fun-loving word art coupled with whimsical line work is overflowing with personality―you can't help but want to join in the fun!”―Jen Goode, creativity adventurer at 100Directions.com. Amy Latta is an artist, hand lettering designer and the founder of the blog One Artsy Mama, where she shares honest inspiration for everyday life.
Reviews
"The book is made with quality paper and the book opens flat, so you can write comfortably on each page."
"It teaches you one technique and you can spend as much time practicing as you want before creating your "final piece" at the end of the tutorial. There's only one practice page for each tutorial which is fine by me because I didn't want to buy a book with a ton of blank pages...I can use a notebook to practice."
"I've found that hand lettering really is a relaxing hobby, and while I originally planned to learn it for my bullet journaling, I can see myself being able to use Amy's techniques in a variety of different situations."
"This is a perfect book for a beginner in lettering and simple art. It explains how to mix different types of fonts, how to blend colors together for font, how to place various words (such as curving some words while leaving other words straight), how to write in numerous font styles, how to create watercolor backgrounds, how to make monograms, how to overlap text, how to digitize your work and how to do some basic drawing."
"It is on great quality paper and I love the blank pages that allow you to practice."
"Looking forward to learning something new."
"Ms. Latta has written and demonstrated easy to understand directions and I was able to accomplish the first lesson easily and (I think) pretty successfully!"
"I started learning lettering on my own and my work came out horrible. I depended on myself too much when trying to learn how to practice the examples in the book- I would look carefully at my work and the example in the book and try to figure out how to improve my work. In short: This book is for fun and not for the serious artist/crafter who wants to incorporate beautiful hand-lettered messages into their work. I would give it 4 starts if you want to get it aiming to spend a few afternoons having fun."
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Best Design

Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills
Within these pages, you'll find 80 creative challenges that will help you achieve a breadth of stronger design solutions, in various media, within any set time period. Just like today's real world of design, the tools freely cross boundaries between graphic, product and interaction design. David is currently an Interaction Design Director at frog, a global innovation firm, where he helps to guide the research, strategy and design of novel products and services for some of today's leading companies and nonprofit organizations. He has spoken and conducted workshops at events such as SxSW, Interaction 11, HOW Design Live, as well as at several design schools around the world.
Reviews
"It was less for organizating a group workshop and more for individual brainstorming methods."
"This book offers a nice change of pace and offers projects to make you better at designing and applying new concepts to your current work."
"The item arrived in reasonable time."
"I highly recommend this book for beginner and advanced designers alike."
"I have learned a lot doing these exercises and would like to buy a Volume 2 of this book!!"
"Thick."
"It's a great mental workout, you can do the challenges daily, or weekly, or whenever, but they're a nice workout to get your creative juices flowing."
"I am not so creative, and that is where this book comes in."
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Best Printmaking

Pastel Innovations: 60+ Creative Techniques and Exercises for Painting with Pastels
40+ innovative pastel painting techniques : Feel inspired as you learn new approaches to using pastel to build up and reveal layers, incorporate monotypes as underpaintings, create texture that cannot be duplicated by drawing or painting, and more. Dawn's work is featured in Strokes of Genius and she has written numerous articles for Pastel Journal.
Reviews
"The tips, self critique prompts and the different ways of using your materials is the true core of this book. For a beginner, you will learn some great ideas and how to critique your work to take it to another level. The writing style is right to the point and includes the whys and the Artists thoughts."
"With the word "Pastel" written boldly on the cover, I expected the book to be primarily about the medium of pastel."
"So many new things to try."
"Dawn Emerson is a wonderful artist, and she has put together a delightful and clear book on how to work freely with pastels."
"great ideas in this book, helped me to be a bit looser!!"
"Dawn Emerson is awesome with this book."
"This is an excellent book for anyone wanting to expand upon their drawing skills and wake up their artistic vision."
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Best Animation Graphic Design

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Search Part 1
For years, fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have burned with one question—what happened to Fire Lord Zuko's mother? He has since written and drawn a number of titles, including "Duncan s Kingdom", "The Rosary Comic Book", "Prime Baby" and "Animal Crackers".
Reviews
"We find out Toph went on to start a metalbending school (and we meet a few characters--her students, whom she calls "lily livers"), and we see that Aang and Katara have officially cemented their relationship."
"The Firelord is cooling his heels in prison and his son, Zuko, is doing his best to work with the other kingdoms and restore order and balance to the world. But trying to undo a hundred years of occupation of the other kingdoms has unexpected consequences."
"It is not in whatever way predictable, in my opinion, and the complicated relationships in the Royal FIre Nation family are more fleshed out than ever before. As for the artwork, the artistic team continues to produce illustration that shows great attention to detail, including the very obvious physical and mental changes that the characters experience as they go through adolescence."
"It continues the life of Aang, Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Toph, Mai, Suki, Iroh and Ozai. This trilogy is named the promise because of the relationship that Zuko and Aang have after the war. The books revolves around this Promise. I suspect this comes from Sokka repeatedly calling Aang and Katara's PDA, Oogie."
"So I was thrilled when I head about this continuation graphic novel series, and preordered it immediatly. Everything we love about the series is there - the humor, the story, the incredible characters. And it picks up immediatly after we left off in season 3, even giving flashbacks to scenes I know I loved the first time. I'm excited for the next book, and I will be preordering that as well so I can read it ASAP."
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Best Graphic Design Drawing

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 are so many cool things in this book that even I as a 36 year old mother of 3, would love to learn how to draw."
"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)."
"My 13 year old is using this book and I'm finding that her artistic abilities are growing exponentially."
"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."
"You really get the basics in this book."
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Best Airbrush Graphic Design

Airbrushing: The Essential Guide
Topics covered include: Technical illustration; Watercolour landscapes; Portraits; Painting scale models; Cake decorating; T-shirts and leather; Custom painting vehicles. This step-by-step guide to techniques and maintenance explains how to run and maintain an airbrush and gives step-by-step examples of a range of projects. The airbrush student has to learn significant new skills - to master not only colour and shade, but also air pressure, paint consistency and the diverse ways of masking and shading that can help to achieve such wonderful results.” —Professor Andy Penaluna.
Reviews
"I purchased the Kindle version for my Mac and love having it with me when I forget a technique or try a new method for my airbrush work."
"Got it for my friend for Christmas."
"Awesome book with lots of usefull info."
"In this 2013 hardcover book, Crellin takes the inexperienced or part-experienced airbrusher through the development of the airbrush, choosing and maintaining an airbrush and the materials and equipment needed before getting down to the different techniques involved: basic patterns, landscapes, masks, freehand airbrushing, frisket film and cutting stencils using a computer."
"The first half of this book gives a lot of good information about airbrush history, use, care, maintenance, and troubleshooting."
"The details of maintenance and use with all the intricate parts told me I would probably be spending more time. fussing with it than actually using it productively."
"This book is filled with some great tips and airbrushing how to instructions."
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Best Graphic Design Clip Art

Animals: 1,419 Copyright-Free Illustrations of Mammals, Birds, Fish, Insects, etc (Dover Pictorial Archive)
Selected for their visual impact and usability by artist-collagist Jim Harter, these illustrations form one of the most extensive, copyright-free pictorial sourcebooks of animals ever assembled for the specific use of illustrators, graphic designers, craftspeople, decoupeurs, and collagists. Selected for their visual impact and usability by artist-collagist Jim Harter, these illustrations form one of the most extensive, copyright-free pictorial sourcebooks of animals ever assembled for the specific use of illustrators, graphic designers, craftspeople, decoupeurs, and collagists. Jim Harter is a successful artist and editor of several Dover Pictura CD-ROM Books, including Harter's Picture Archive for Collage and Illustration, Landscapes and Cityscapes for Artists and Craftspeople, Nautical Illustrations , and more.
Reviews
"For the price and amount of material, I have not found a better book then this one."
"Well written and illustrated."
"This book is a mammoth treasury of animal and insect illustrations."
"Unfortunately the images are quite dark and the book is very thick (you get your money's worth - image-wise), so scanning them for use in various artistic media is difficult."
"I love this book!"
"So many pictures!!!"
"I love this old book of animal illustrations and as an artist, I've used some of the images to help inspire me and understand the anatomy of various animals."
"Slightly more than 'used' with a lower corner either chewed off or in very bad shape and taped up."
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Best Cartooning in Graphic Design

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
So how did he go from hapless office worker and serial failure to the creator of Dilbert , one of the world’s most famous syndicated comic strips, in just a few years? In How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big , Adams shares the game plan he’s followed since he was a teen: invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket. As Adams explains, your best bet is to study the ways of others who made it big and try to glean some tricks and strategies that make sense for you. Adams pulls back the covers on his own unusual life and shares how he turned one failure after another—including his corporate career, his inventions, his investments, and his two restaurants—into something good and lasting. Adams’ own list of failures is—given his spectacular success as a cartoonist—surprisingly lengthy: a couple of unsuccessful restaurants as well as computer games, inventions, and online businesses that all tanked. --David Pitt “Adams has a funny, refreshingly considered set of ideas about how to find success—and what that success will look like when one gets there.”. — Kirkus Reviews “Scott Adams has drawn nearly 9,000 Dilbert cartoons since the strip began, in 1989, and his cynical take on management ideas, the effectiveness of bosses, and cubicle life has affected the worldview of millions.
Reviews
"The book was a joy to read. His key ideas are easy to follow because he keeps it simple and Scott Adams writes in a clear and witty manner. For example the chapter on applying a system vs setting goals and trying to follow them was worth the price of the book many times over for me (and this is reinforced through the book)."
"My official score, being a tough grader, is a 4.6/5.0 and I wouldn't resell it for twice what I paid ... especially now that it's fully highlighted and sticky-noted throughout (which makes the book more valuable to me now because I've identified the portions that spoke directly to me and my own experiences). For instance, choosing an opportunity for which one has some sort of inherent advantage rather than blindly prescribing "you can do whatever you want" appeals to my pragmatic mind. This is where Scott talks about his mental model of not wanting to sell his time due to limited upside and finding a product that is infinitely scalable. Having a system that embraces and anticipates failure, in particular, is an essential tool to avoid letting temporary results bleed over into derailing what could be a highly successful longer-term career choice. Plan on a good chunk of your initial tests, ideas and hypotheses being off the mark and blindly plowing time and effort at soft-starts is a recipe for disaster. Scott urges the reader to not accept anything at face value, and my personal model embraces a good chunk of this body of wisdom with a few of my own twists."
"I read this book on the recommendation of a friend who is a life coach."
"This book offers common sense in a whimsical tone characteristic of its author."
"From the way we mark the passage of time to the ordinary routines of household and society, we are surrounded by systems. At times, it reads like a series of blog posts, and there are a few whole chapters that are simply two pages."
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Best Commercial Graphic Design

Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour
From burlesque show to fashion runway, magazine cover to Internet video, fashion icon and “burlesque superheroine” ( Vanity Fair ) Dita Von Teese has undergone more strokes of red lipstick, bursts of hair spray, boxes of blue-black hair dye and pats of powder in a month than a drag queen could dream of in a lifetime. “When you stand next to Dita, it is hard not to wonder how such clarity and delicacy of beauty not only exists but is so consistent, so fresh—like a spring rose that is always blooming…We are all lucky to have some inside information on how to follow her regimen.” (Sharon Stone). Whether sitting front row at Dior or relaxing in a giant martini glass, Miss Von Teese is always the chic-est girl in the room.” (Simon Doonan). From burlesque show to fashion runway, magazine cover to Internet video, style icon and "burlesque superheroine" ( Vanity Fair ) Dita Von Teese has undergone more strokes of red lipstick, bursts of hair spray, boxes of blue-black hair dye, and pats of powder in a month than a drag queen could dream of in a lifetime. Whether she's dazzling audiences while swirling in a towering martini glass in Swarovski-crystal-covered pasties and stilettos or sparking camera flashes on the red carpet, one reality is constant: for this self-styled star, beauty is an art. Packed with sound nutrition and exercise guidance, skin care and scent insight, as well as accessible techniques for creating bombshell hairstyles and makeup looks and more, this inspiring resource shares the skills, history, and lessons you need to enhance your individual gifts and realize your own beauty mark.
Reviews
"I'll probably read it again tomorrow. I'm getting to read about my beloved Dita and, as a bonus, getting to discover more about new lovely people. Love you Dita!!!"
"The photos are small, however, they seem more like reference photos with written instructions. Overall a great book, gorgeous photos, and new information."
"I peek inside this beautiful huge book and I can't wait to start reading it."
"I wish the digital copy was included with purchase of the hardcover as it would be much easier to read digital but the images make it worth having as a coffee table book or conversation piece."
"Unlike the many fashion books I've purchased where most of them were about purchasing designer fashions to look your best and no real ideas about visualizing the thoughts on the page, this book is just the opposite."
"It was worth waiting for!"
"One request - please record this book on Audible - I would love to listen to it as well as read."
"I felt the only item noticeably absent was clothing...she seems to have set herself up to write a book on fashion somewhere down the line. Much to my dismay though, the one beauty item I really wanted specifics on, her favored eye shadow brands and palettes were never mentioned. I've been dying my own hair black for years and received much criticism for it not looking natural (though plenty of compliments, too), but Dita has reminded me how important it is to please yourself, not others. Fake tans, skin bronzer, nude lips and white jeans just don't match everyone's style. I believe that the overall voice heard here is that of Rose Apodaca, serving as Dita's interpreter, and initially I found her writing to be not as clear and concise as I usually prefer."
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Best Pop Culture in Graphic Design

The Heroin Diaries: Ten Year Anniversary Edition: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
In honor of the ten-year anniversary of The Heroin Diaries , Nikki Sixx’s definitive and bestselling memoir on drug addiction is reissued with exclusive new content. Joining him are Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Slash, Rick Nielsen, Bob Rock, and a host of ex-managers, ex-lovers, and more. International rock icon Nikki Sixx is one of the founding members of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M., a two-time New York Times bestselling author of The Heroin Diaries and This Is Gonna Hurt , co-founder of rock couture fashion line Royal Underground, philanthropist, photographer, and host of the nationally syndicated radio show Sixx Sense, which airs on over 115 stations, and The Side Show Countdown. In addition to selling over 100 million albums with Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M., songs written by Sixx have been used in national commercials, his photographs have been published by the New York Post , and he’s raised several hundred thousand dollars through his Running Wild In The Night charity for Covenant House California. They haven't been crouched naked under a Christmas tree with a needle in their arm like an insane person in a mansion in Van Nuys. They're not out of their minds and writing in a diary and they're not watching their holiday spirit coagulating in a spoon. I didn't speak to a single person today...I thought of calling Bob Timmons, but why should I ruin his Christmas? So if I die, at least I leave a paper trail of my life (nice lil suicide note). BOB TIMMONS: By Christmas 1986, Nikki had been addicted to heroin and cocaine for at least a year, possibly longer. As a drug counselor, I first met Nikki when M?tley Cr?e's manager, Doc McGhee, called me in to work with the band's singer, Vince Neil. Over the years I have worked with platinum-selling artists from the Rolling Stones to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and all points in between, and let me make one thing clear from the start-M?tley Cr?e, more than anybody, wrote the book for decadence and partying. He came mooching in, with his greasy James Dean hair and his junkie eyes that are sunk so deep in his elongated face that he looks like he's wearing makeup, and he stood by the tree and asked me how my Christmas had been. Oh, she's nice enuff, but I know on the inside I'm just her meal ticket to an easier, softer life. Not just for the junk, they make enuff off me to maintain their cheap little habits, but she likes to decorate their little one-room rat's nest with the extra money they have left over. That's the real reason she demands he comes at my beck and call...she likes that extra cash for thrift shops and secondhand stores. I used to ride a Honda Shadow motorcycle around the Valleys with my shirt off, totally out of my mind. Yet as soon as I hit the pipe, within 30 seconds all hell breaks lose in my brain...and I keep on doing it and doing it and doing it and doing it, and I can't stop. Sixx and I, in particular, took a lot of narcotics, and he would always want to push things: "Hey, how about taking these two drugs together? Right now it seems impossible that cops are peering in from the trees outside or people are looking at me thru the peeohole at the front door. I would start out freebasing or mainlining anywhere in the house: the front room, the kitchen, the bathroom. I would huddle in there, surrounded by my drug paraphernalia and guns, convinced that people were in the house trying to get me, or a SWAT team was outside preparing to bust me. ROSS HALFIN: As a photographer I've shot M?tley Cr?e many times over the years for magazines and got particularly close to Nikki. I remember the first time I ever met him in LA we got on pretty well and decided to go for a drink that night.
Reviews
"After he asked for help & we got him into the in-house rehab, based upon AA/NA principles, he came home on a day pass & we took him to eat @ the restaurant of his choice & then to to see the movie of his choice. Afterward, I asked him what helped him make the decision to become clean...first, he said us, then, he said he'd read the Heroine Diaries by Nikki Sixx, which he first checked out @ the local library...& then asked me to get as an ebook."
"The story is told as a year of actual diary entries that Nikki kept during the Girls, Girls, Girls period of Motley Crue."
"There's always some kind of pseudo-wise moral subtext in these books - "Don't do drugs, they'll ruin your life", "get yourself together and learn to live with yourself". Oh, and one more thing - it's sweet how in the end there is zero understanding of the reasons for the downward spiral we're reading about."
"A bunch of stuff was added to this edition and I absolutely love it."
"It's a paperback book which I was not expecting, but the pages look super cool."
"I haven't followed the Crue since I was about 14, so I was interested to see what they had been up to four the past 30 years...Wow!"
"I have heard about this book over the years but never really was interested in reading it."
"It's a great book to read."
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