Many moments to remember in a beautiful hardcover collection
591682
A very large hardback collection of Time's most memorable magazines. My daughter is a history buff and her whole face lit up when I handed this to her. She's been hibernating in her room with it since it arrived, so I suppose that means it's good reading!
378381
Beautiful collection!!! Would be great as a gift as well!
1619282
As you'd expect from Taschen, this book contains beautifully printed reproduction of Hiroshige's magnificent series. I practically get lost in them every time I open the book. It's not just that the imagery is so evocative or that the commentary helps bring each scene to life. I learn a bit about composition, especially as it applies to woodcuts, and can even study the grain of the printing blocks left in the images.

More than just the content, though, this is a wonderful artifact. There's the luxurious feel of any well made book, of course, but the slipcase with its faux-ivory closures and the stab binding  make this something unique. I have other very enjoyable books of ukiyo-e, but none that please so many of my senses.

-- wiredweird
638887
This beautiful hardcover book filled with pictures & the stories behind the items in Julian Lennon's personal collection of memorabilia is definitely worth getting for any fan of Julian Lennon and/or The Beatles.  In additon to the author's contribution to this book, Julian also shares some of his memories with us about his dad & some of the items he received from friends & purchased at various auctions over the years.

If you are a Beatles fan, you won't be disappointed to view his collection so far as there are a lot of Beatles items that you will be excited to see. But being more of a fan of Julian, himself, I found the more personal items he collected like the letters, post cards & the monkey bike he has so many fond memories of with his dad more fascinating & heartwarming.

Although, of all the pictures, I have to say that the last two in the very back of the book with a quote from Julian have to be my favorite. And it is so true! But what kind of reviewer would I be if I told you exactly how the book ends?  So you will just have to buy it to find out for yourself. ;)

Per Julian Lennon, all the proceeds are being donated to his charity organization, The White Feather Foundation, to help people around the world who are in need.
854257
Lush, busy, filled with delights and surprises.  This book is a steal; full of treats that more than compensate for the modest cost.  The tome reeks of the bizarre sort of arrangements of billings and posts the wizarding world seems to be caught up with, such as sideway headlines and very busy pages. The designers are the same people who did much of the set designing, and it is a madcap sort of book.
  Every page is a delight and an adventure.  The wonderful actors reflect on their roles and how they felt about being cast in their roles (don't miss Imelda Staunton's reaction at being considered a natural for the role of Dolores Umbridge).
  The movies are, of course, a pale reflection of the books; a memoir; maybe a Cliff's Notes production.  But this marvelous chronicle told me why, and pointed out the incredible magic that went into the production.
  Like a high school yearbook, but chronicling a decade of these youngsters' lives, this is a memorable volume.
  I so well understand now why the particulars of the various books were highlighted in the movies, and why so much I loved in the books had to be cut from the films.  This book is a true appreciation and reflection of the decade of concentrated effort it took to produce such a magnificent chronicle.
  If you love HP the books, and have enjoyed the movies, you need this book to wed the media.
1842774
This collection is beautiful!  At first, I thought "the Philosopher's Stone" was a mistake or a fake only to learn that it is in fact the original title from J.K.Rowling.  Feels good to own the originals here in the US.  The illustrations are wonderful and they make these books easy to read for any age.  These books are by far a better read than the small print paperbacks with the same words.
4880483
This a beautiful collection that I have enjoyed very much and have received many compliments on.
3070973
This is a lovely hardback book, a worthwhile addition to coffee-table collections as well as one artists will treasure.
3344465
As someone who is not generally inclined to pick up novella collections, I am so glad I made an exception for this one! Having read three out of the five contributing authors before, I was fairly certain I would enjoy the collection, but it ended up exceeding even that expectation. I genuinely loved it!

The collection begins with a prologue set in a monastery in Northern Ireland in AD 834. A monk, desperate for the Living Word to endure as they are attacked by Vikings, prays: Please, Father...If we perish, may hope yet live. A bronze vessel and the single parchment he manages to secure inside are that legacy of hope, and the five novellas that follow trace a small part that bronze vessels journey through the centuries, closing with an epilogue in modern-day California.

For me, the most attractive part of this series was the different settings, each so vividly brought to life. If I was pressed to nominate a favourite, I would still have to give two: A Song in the Night by Amanda Dykes, and The Swelling Sea by Joanne Bischof.

Amanda Dykes was one of the new-to-me authors in this collection, and not only did I love the Scottish setting (my own ancestry and a setting not frequently seen in Christian fiction), but I fell in love with her writing and her characters. As an extra bonus, the original performance of Handels Water Music features in the story! My music- and story-loving hearts united!

Joanne Bischofs heroine, Rosie, is one of the sweetest heroines I have come acrossa young woman who nearly drowned at the age of ten and still exhibits certain mannerisms that are considered childlike. Couple that with Joanne Bischofs beautifully sensitive writing and you have a captivating story.

But I would only single those ones out if I was REALLY pressed to nominate a favourite, because this is truly a stellar collection. Even if you are not normally a novella reader, I highly recommend this series. If you are a novella reader, put this one at the top of your list. Youre in for a real treat!

I received a copy of this book from the authors. This has not influenced the content of my review.
2916320
Terrific book. It's beautifully designed with tremendous attention to detail, making it a wonderful gift.  Also, it might be hard to tell from the photos, but it has heavy duty, durable front and back covers. I actually had to go back and look at the book description to see if it was technically a hard cover book. It's not exactly a hard cover, but I suppose you can call it a cross between paperback and hardcover. That was a nice surprise.

The content is wonderful too, with a fine collection of quotes from an eclectic range of famous folk - from Sophocles to Jack Dempsey - that will  challenge and inspire us all. Very highly recommended.
4699926
Here is a treasury of poems regarding a wide range of reflections and experiences, written over the course of several decades, reflecting this talented poets lifetime of meditations on moving moments.  Theyll touch and affect you as well.  Creatively organized by the names of hurricanes, each of which - as the opening quotation asserts - bears its own personality, the readers journey unfolds alphabetically, as the poems present themselves according to the orderly naming convention of those unique storms themselves.  Among my own favorites are Always, Never, Again, Kindling, Lincoln Center Reflecting Pool, and Reality.  Though all are affecting, with over 100 poignant entries you certainly will find those that speak specially to you.
4914906
It's been many years now since my father brought home this small coffee-table book for Christmas, but every year I find myself pulling it out along with the rest of the holiday decorations in order to browse through it. It's a beautifully designed and presented volume; not particularly big, but with glossy pages that are scented with Penhaligon's "The Winter Garden" scent (described as "cloves, cinnamon and fir cones"). Even if I don't have the time to read the contents, I still like burying my nose into the spine and taking a whiff.

The hardcover version comes with a thick slipcase, and the book itself is bound like a Victorian journal, complete with its own bookmark. With an introduction by editor Sheila Pickles, the book contains a collection of Christmas-related material: poems, carols, plays, opera lyrics, diary entries, letters, and extracts from novels. Everyone you would expect is included: Charles Dickens, D. H. Lawrence, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Hardy, G.K. Chesterton, Dylan Thomas, Mark Twain, James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Christina Rossetti, Alfred Tennyson, Virginia Woolf, and more. Though many of the works included may be unfamiliar to a modern reader (though this may well encourage them to seek out the source material), there are some inevitable favourites:&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/A-Christmas-Carol/dp/1449910416/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">A Christmas Carol</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Little-Women/dp/0451529308/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Little Women</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Wind-in-the-Willows/dp/0451530144/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Wind in the Willows</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Night-Before-Christmas/dp/0060081600/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Night Before Christmas</a>, and verses from&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Bible/dp/1565633253/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Bible</a>. Sadly, Francis Pharcellus Church's famous "Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" editorial is missing, though most of the content of this book comes from the 19th century, and so would have felt out of place here.

The book is beautifully presented and scented, and would make a lovely, thoughtful gift, especially for those with an interest in Victorian literature and/or poetry.
1878239
This beautiful collections of photographs, drawings and some writing presents us with a treasure chest filled with stickers and flowers and songs and brief moments of a youthful lagoon ready to be opened and cherished. This book is important because it brings togeher in print form images that only seem to find an outlet digitally-a book gives it a new dimension and relevance in this time. It is carefully and seemly effortlessly curated and the presentation is crisp, clean and beautiful.
3055955
This collection is very well assembled. I appreciated the chronological order, as it didn't attempt to add any extra meaning to the stories by way of assembly. The intro was the perfect context given by the publisher, and thus my appreciation of the stories was enhanced a lot; make sure that you read the intro. It recognizes that not all stories are created equal, and in reading the first 5 stories that already becomes clear. Nevertheless, it's a masterful collection by an important American author.
3762953
This is my second reading experience with Bradford Morrow, and it proved to be yet another memorable one. After reading Fall of the Birds, the chance of reading some gothic, some yummy noir by the same author was extremely tempting. I'm glad I fell pray to the temptation.

The 12 stories range from the troubling and touching to the disconcerting and unnerving, all in beautiful writing and emotionally gripping imagery. Some I've personally liked more then others, some are a tad too disturbing while others I fully and wholeheartedly loved. Together though, they form an interesting, exciting and scary journey into the human mind, an exploration into dusty nooks of the human soul.

The Hoarder, the first story of the collection, starts out deceivingly tame. Touching, beautiful, and deceitfully tame; as it progresses, the degree of  troubling slowly ascends to bring the reader a shock, then slowly subsides only to flare up again at the end. After that adventure, I was edified in respect to the type of read this collection would be: bold, fearless, subtle here and brutal there - in fewer words, a delight.

Amazing Grace and The Road to Nadeja were my personal favorites of the collection because the light they shine on the characters involved shows more then devious urges or pathologic needs; they show the simple but crushing darkness of solitude and the value of hope (pun intended regarding the second title). While dark and certainly troubling, they also have a bit of that inherent human shimmer of light.

Some of the stories, like Whom no hate stirs none dances, The Uninnocent or Tsunami, were on the disturbing side, some a lot disturbing in fact. I would have a hard time saying I enjoyed reading them, but I found it to be a truly interesting experience, and despite their somber and/or chilling quality they had a fascinating tone, so fascinating in fact that despite the fact I was cringing nearer the end I wouldn't have been able to stop reading them.
In fact, I will confess to having read some of the stories twice, or even three times before writing down these words. And I believe I will reread them again after I'll be done writing these words, they're so well written and so charismatic that I can't really move on. They're clinging to my thoughts with these shadowy tentacles, it's really strange but darkishly beautiful.

All things considered, I say if you like noir and you have the stomach to cringe at the multiple facets of the human soul without being horrified, you should definitely read this. But it's not a beginners dish, in my humble opinion, it's more like a treat for the connoisseur.
221430
This beautiful debut collection by Sara Loewen is one to savor. I was immediately pulled in to the book by her melodic writing style and her contemplative, gently humorous voice, and I found it hard to put down.

The subtle tensions in her essays spoke to me in several ways: as a parent "in the trenches," juggling endless demands and sleeplessness amid moments of precious bliss; as a partner trying to nurture myself as well as my relationship; and as an Alaskan making peace with isolation in exchange for pristine beauty and strong community. Ultimately, though, her writing has universal appeal, as it speaks to our experience with love and loneliness, our search for happiness, and our desire to live well and make our mark, despite our small and temporal existence. Loewen weaves a good deal of history with her own personal narratives, carefully and artistically finding meaningful points of contact between past, present, and future.

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite essay from this book, and I don't try. While each essay is beautiful in itself, the collection also shines as an entirety. It ebbs and flows with the seasons and the passing of time, and it ends with a hopefulness and anticipation of the daylight and all that it illuminates, both within and without our own framework (much like the gorgeous cover photo suggests).

Like a delicious, well-prepared meal, I wanted to consume this book start-to-finish in one setting, but I forced myself to slow down and enjoy every morsel, because I didn't want to miss the delicacies or rush the experience. I enjoyed reading her writing by approaching it almost as I would approach poetry, pausing to re-read beautiful phrases and sentences, stopping to appreciate her careful descriptions and deliberate wording. I managed to spread the experience out over a couple of days, and even then, I was almost sad to reach the final pages. Her words and images have stayed with me, though, and they still come to me at different moments throughout my day. I am glad I savored this book, and I am excited for anyone who is discovering it for the first time.
3484858
If you enjoy top-quality short stories, then you're going to love the ones in Volume 32 of Writers of the Future. I was fortunate to have purchased a trade paperback copy at the pre-release gala in Los Angeles in April, where the authors and illustrators featured in the anthology were recognized for their award winning stories and artwork.

First, allow me to say that the presentation of the trade paperback is stunning. The cover art features a steampunk theme, accompanied by a history of steampunk by Tim Powers. There are full-color illustrations in the back section of the book, one for each story. One of the sheer joys of reading is being able to visualize the story in my mind. To see an artist's interpretation adds to the delight of the experience. Second, the talent in this story collection is of the highest caliber. The stories are dynamic and varied (fantasy, science fiction and supernatural), representing thirteen award-winning authors and several bestselling authors of speculative fiction.

Each story brings to the table a central concept that elevates the gorgeous writing. Here are a few highlights:
- In "Images Across a Shattered Sea," by Stewart Baker, we learn of two peoples separated by future and past, and how they can intersect in a surprising way.
- In "The Star Tree," by Jon Lasser, we feel for a child who has lost a parent.
- In "The Jack of Souls," by Stephen Merlino, a gambler facing his last day takes an extraordinary chance.
- With "Dinosaur Dreams in Infinite Measure," by Rachael K. Jones, a daughter renews her bond with her mother through her mom's utterly unique invention and willingness to sacrifice the ugliness of the past.
- In "Cry Havoc," by Julie Frost, we get a feel of the wild west with a showdown of man versus werewolf.
- Matt Dovey spins a tale of a young worker whose hidden talent helps her set things right in "Squalor and Sympathy"
- "Swords Like Lightning, Hooves Like Thunder," by Kate Julicher, introduces us to a kingsdaughter of fierce spirit, trying to save her brother and her people.

The other stories are equally engaging, each bringing a different element to the table for the reader to enjoy. I give this collection of amazing fiction two big thumbs up and a buy recommendation.

Last note: if you have a choice between the eBook and trade paperback, go for the paperback. The full-color artwork alone makes it an instant classic and great addition to your collection of written works.