Product Description
A biography of the innovative American architect whose ideas influenced the direction of design in the twentieth century. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (4)

A lucid portrait of a master and his times
François-Auguste-René Rodin was regarded by many in his lifetime as the successor of Michelangelo. His career spanned a epoch scarred by the Franco-Prussian War, Commune, fall of Napoleon III, and World War I. Despite civic calamity, he thrived with luminous contemporaries like Bonnard, Degas, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Gauguin, Cézanne, Matisse, Hugo, Zola, Mirbeau, Proust, Debussy, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Chabrier, Bizet, Lalo, Gounod, and Ofenbach. How these legends flourished in adversity is the great paradox of the period.

The age, celebrated by expositions and landmarks like the controversial 300m Eiffel tower, heralded innovation that broadened travel and extended publicity. Rodin was wise enough to leverage both to become an international celebrity. His century-old legacy remains fresh, vital and expressive: in many respects it's still unsurpassed.

This amply illustrated text explores Rodin's provenance, training, influences, bohemian lifestyle, amorous liaisons, travels, influences, works, altier production, contemporaries, publicity, and honors in a lucid narrative of a seminal artist and his age.

Highly recommended.

No stone left unturned
I think the author has done a heroic job of pulling together all the scraps of information about Rodin's life into a single tome.Rodin himself would have approved of the characterization of himself as a misunderstood genius who worked without compromise or the least hint of encouragement until he was almost 40.

But at over 600 pages in length (of which the first 80 page cover his family history and the first 35 years of his life), this is a book for the serious student or the masochist.Rodin is carefully described in context with the turn of the 20th century artist community he lived in and the rich society patrons who bought his art, the letters they wrote, the parties they attended.A story told in an enormous amount of detail with a single unwavering spotlight.

Plain Coarse Meal - Feeding
A block plainly stating.Nihil bouleversing.I was unaware of the man's way 'til Frederic so kindly sacrificed years of his life, I'm sure, in elaborating he so elaborately done so before.A worthy portrait clear.I recommend to the layman with time.

Fabulous Biography
It is hard to believe that this book did not engender more attention or acclaim.It is absolutely the best I have ever read on Rodin the man and the artist.His life and background is presented in remarkable detail and photographs of many of his most famous works are presented.

His views on religion, love, sex, France, art- everything is here for the asking. His workings and interaction with the many artists are captured, and this is especially important since this was a particularly vibrant and intellectually fertile time in the history of art.His love for France and for all things French is expressed over and over.His letters give us a glimpse into the "real" man, the artist who finally married his lover toward the end of their lives.He was the man who challenged the world, leading the army of Romanticism forward, only to be called old-fashioned and out of date when he refused to change with the times.What a life and what a book! ... Read more

Product Description
Mary Colter may well be the best-known unknown architect in the world: her buildings at the Grand Canyon National Park-which include Lookout Tower, Hopi House, Bright Angel Lodge, and many others-are admired by almost five million visitors a year.

This extraordinary book about an extraordinary woman weaves together three stories-the remarkable career of a woman in a man's profession during the late 19th century; the creation of a building and interior style drawn from regional history and landscape; and the exploitation, largely at the hands of the railroads, of the American Southwest for leisure travel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Filled with photos and details, very interesting to read and look at!
This book is fascinating on many levels, not just because it's about Mary Colter. She was truly a great woman, and when seeing the buildings she created and while reading this book our appreciation of her continues to grow. But a reader of this book will get, not only information about her, but photos and information about the buildings she designed and important features of the world at that time. She drew her inspiration for her building styles from the local inhabitants and the history of the areas they were to be built in, and was pleased to pay homage to them in her works. She truly loved the styles she worked with and knew how to create atmosphere and ambiance in her works that complimented the areas in which they were built and enhanced their purpose, creating emotionally and physically enjoyable and very practical architecture. I still feel amazed that she was able to provide us with such appropriate, well engineered, long standing Indian and frontier inspired buildings for the Grand Canyon National Parks in particular, and many other enjoyable buildings that are still enhancing our world. I think it would be an especially important book for a young woman or for any architect. I think it's also very inspiring to anyone interested in learning more about the past and the effect individuals have had on the world we live in today.

Mary Colter, Pioneer Architect
I enjoyed this book very much, as I love the Southwest. Mary Colter was a gifted architect, who designed many beautiful places, with some of them being at the Grand Canyon. She was also the chief architect and decorator for the Fred Harvey Company from 1902 to 1948. She created buildings that blended into natural landscapes. There are many beautiful pictures in this book, along with the stories. Mary was a true pioneer. What a remarkable woman.

Mary Colter Architecture of the Southwest
I love the book.I only wish it had arrived BEFORE we left home for the Southwest.

A Suitable Tibute.
Having recently visited the Grand Canyon and been in the Hopi House and the Tower at Desert View I have become an admirer of the work of Mary Colter.This book is a suitable tribute to her and contains many fascinating pictures. Her work to preserve Native Indian customs, designs and artefracts is amazing.

quick service
I believe I have already reviewed this transaction.The delivery of the book was very fast, book was in stated condition and I couldn't have asked for better service. ... Read more

Product Description
Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) is perhaps best known for his spiritually rich, technically unsurpassed photos of his surroundings, friends, family and the many women he loved, including his second wife, Georgia O'Keeffe. By detailing his many pursuits and passions, his turbulent relationships and pioneering work, this first full-scale biography of Stieglitz is a fascinating chronicle of American art. 28 photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

American photography and art in New York early 1900's
A very interesting read on photography and modern art in America. It builds a foundation of knowledge on this subject. So many famous names of that era are mentioned and how they got involved in the art world. With out this man the art world would have been so different.

The author does a good job of describing Alfred's life and all the exhibits in room 291 and 303.The beginning of great museums in New York and all the European artist that displayed and sold art in New York.

This book was a great source of information to get other books on this subject. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

A great story that's very hard to follow
I found the book extremely hard to follow for a couple of reasons.First is the type font and the layout.The book seems to have been condensed to save space for some unknown reason.The font is extremely small, letters are compressed together and the spaces are extremely tight within a paragraph which will make your eyes strain to read and ultimatley will give you a headache.Second and most important, the book was translated from French to English and the translation is difficult to comprehend at times causing to re-read what you have just read.It reads like someone who is learing English and writing for the first time and the sentence structure is baffling through out most the read.You will have to do your own interpretations of what is attempted to be said.I haven't even made it through two chapters yet I am already frustrated trying to get into this stroy.Having been written in 1931 also doesn't help matters since it seems wtiting styles were very different back then just adds to the difficulty in reading this book.But, I will continue on hoping that I can learn more about the life of Van Gogh which is why is bought this book in the first place.

Wonderful Biography
I just finished this excellent biography this afternoon. After reading Stone's Lust for Life, I was curious to read a regular biography about Van Gogh. This is not exactly a "regular" biography, but I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. Meier-Graefe blurs the line between historical fiction and biographical nonfiction. The result is really fantastic. I felt like I got a sense of Van Gogh's tortured soul, his complex relationships (with his brother, with Gauguin..), and how it all worked together to create his art. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fascinating Look during Mies' Formative Years in Germany
I have read this edition twice over the years and I have started to read it again. Architects of Fortune: Mies van der Rohe and the Third Reich received excellent reviews when published for its superb research, scholarship, unbiased view and writing style. It is biography the way it should be written. It has fascinating photographs to support the text.

Architects of Fortune is not only about Mies van der Rohe during the rise of Nazi Germany, but also touches on his fellow architects and designers during the Bauhaus era.These were all creative people on the cutting edge of design and architecture whose craft was suppressed by the Nazi regime. The book successfully examines Mies' view toward the Nazi government during the time--and it was one of ambivalence.

Mies van der Rohe was at odds with the Third Reich because he was a modernist and the Nazis were not, basically. That was true of many in the Bauhaus. They could not successfully perform their craft, so like Mies, they left Germany.The author Elaine Hochman states the fact succinctly in the Preface: "He left not because he opposed Hitler, but because Hitler had very strong architectural views.Mies left, in fact, because Hitler fancied himself an architect."

This book covers a very important phase of Mies van der Rohe's life and it is a shame it is not still in print. Used copies, of course, are available through Amazon.com and that is how I got my copy. This should be on the bookshelf of every lover of Mies' superb architecture, and those wanting to know more about this icon of modern architecture, how he functioned during the rise of Nazi Germany, and why he really left Germany for America. Fortunately for all of us, he did. ... Read more

Product Description
Picasso has often been called the greatest artist of this century. This biography defines his greatness: his accomplishment and versatility as a painter, sculptor, graphic artist, ceramicist, and designer. Most of the innovations in twentieth century art are associated not only with his work but with the legend he built of himself as the quintessential modern artist. Rollyson, an experienced biographer who has taught Picasso in college classrooms, explores the artist?s early years in Spain, the treatment of women in his art and his life, and the influence of contemporary French writers on his experimentation with a number of different styles . Picasso?s greatest works of art, such as ?Les Demoiselles D?Avignon? and ?Guernica? become focal points of this biography, establishing the artist?s central place in international culture. Rollyson concludes with an assessment of Picasso's importance and the qualities of his best work that are likely to continue to influence artists in the future. With a detailed timeline, annotated bibliography, videography, glossary, and listing of important websites, this biography is the place to start for an introduction to Picasso?s life and work. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the fabled "three Napoleons" of New York (with Raymond Hood and Ralph Walker) yet almost unknown today, Ely Jacques Kahn had a nearly half-century career and some three dozen of his buildings still grace the New York cityscape.
Trained at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts,he was known for his modern polychromedecoration and setback skyscrapers. 30 color, 200 black-and-white ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A definitive guide.
Ely Jacques Kahn was a 20th century architect of commercial buildings: you'll most readily recognize his works and signature style in the city of New York - or in Jewel Stern & John A. Stuart's Ely Jacques Kahn, Architect, which provides a study of his work - the first to see print. Kahn's buildings are keys to understanding New York's skyline: his body of work is featured here in a pairing of black and white images with in-depth architectural and biographical notes, making this a definitive guide.

great book
Following on Ms Stern's iconic book on American silver, she has another hit. This book ends the lack of info on one of the most important and least famous of the mid-20th NY architects.It is well written and crammed full of photos.I find it to be a great addition to my library. Once again, Amazon had great availability and the best price. ... Read more

Product Description
Ferruccio Vitale is America's forgotten landscape architect. Though his works like Skylands and Longwood Gardens are well known, his name has been eclipsed by his contemporary, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. Yet Vitale's influence on the modern direction of landscape design and his promotion of it as a profession is arguably more significant than Olmsted's. His unique designs and philosophy, which challenged the then-dominant pictorial mode of landscape architecture, influenced generations of followers, and is still felt today.

Vitale (1875-1933) developed his rationale designs, based on the principles of composition from the fine arts and architecture, in both civic commissions and, most notably, at the country estates of captains of industry and finance. He introduced an idealized and abstracted type of formal design that created beautiful spaces, structured large sites, and reflected informal and relaxed plant compositions.

Ferruccio Vitale tours over 40 of his masterworks, photographed by some of the best landscape photographers of the time, including Samuel Gottscho. It recounts the compelling story of a life in the early twentieth century, influenced by immigrant dreams, social clubs, and professional connections, and its culmination in some of the greatest landscapes of the 20th century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Gorgeous photos
This book is beautiful.The art director should be chastized, though, for overlaying the cover text on a portion of a photo that should have shown a majestic tree, balancing the majestic tree on the left.

I did not find the writing terribly compelling, but I am not an academic.

Buy it for the pictures and you won't be disappointed.

Vitale - a significant figure in landscape architecture
Ferruccio Vitale: Landscape Architect of the Country Place Era, covers a critically important, previously unpublished period in the history of landscape architecture.It defines and illustrates, for the first time to my knowledge, the European design philosophy that formed the roots and shaped the art of contemporary landscape architectural design.

The book describes through words and beautiful historic photographs, significant gardens, public parks and landscapes.It presents the professional developments of landscape architecture at the beginning of this century and the amazing accomplishments of Vitale in the advancement of landscape architecture as a profession.

This book should appeal to landscape architects, architects and designers throughout the nation. ... Read more

Product Description
In his 1985 autobiography, Ansel Adams presented a life almost as neatly cropped and printed as his magnificent pictures. Here, Mary Street Alinder--who collaborated with Adams on his memoir and was his assistant in later life--is not reticent about the major emotional episodes in Adams's life, including his marriage and extramarital affairs, and his not-altogether-successful fatherhood. She explores the major artistic influences on his work and gives in-depth profiles of the significant figures in his circle. She also explains the technique and style Adams developed to obtain his unique vision, as well as his uneasiness at becoming a commodity. Ansel Adams: A Biography is an intimate and provocative portrait of the world's most famous photographer.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Literary Portrait
This beautiful literary portrait of photography's greatest hero was written by his last assistant.Mary Street Alinder assisted the Master during a time in his life when he finally, yet half-begrudgingly, accepted his position as an artistic celebrity.The price of his art was sky-rocketing as he continued to explore the latest advances of his chosen medium as well as revisit some of his old favorites in the darkroom.

This book is about the man himself more than the one by Jonathan Spaulding (also a good read).This is a direct result of the fact that Alinder had a very intimate friendship with Ansel.This unauthorized version of his life is more candid than the autobiography she helped him write (published postumously in 1985).

An outstanding biography
Rarely do I start rereading a book immediately after I finish the last page, and it is even more rare for the book to be a biography. Mary Street Alinder's biography of Ansel Adams is one of these.

I have studied and admired Ansel Adams' photography for many years: his mastery of composition and virtuosity in the darkroom are unrivaled. His books on photographic and darkroom technique are well read and have a prominent place in my technical library. I did not know anything about Ansel Adams the man.

Mary Street Alinder was Adams' assistant during the final years of his life, becoming a close confidant and co-authoring his autobiography and later collecting and publishing his letters. In that unique position she had access to almost 70 years of correspondence, tens of thousands unprinted negatives, and more important of all close access to Ansel and his family.

The image of Adams that develops through the pages of the book is a difficult one to interpret. His friendships with other photographers, naturalists, and numerous female assistants were deep and life long (though in the case of the latter never intimate). His relationship to his family was a different matter, and this is where the difficulty lies: Ansel was first and foremost dedicated to, if not obsessed by, his art, at the expense of his wife and children. In this he comes through as less than likable. But it also becomes clear that inside Ansel was always a child, excited by all around him and exuberant with life and a single self-centered focus towards doing what he could for the places he loved.

Alinder's writing is clear and concise. The organization of the book is not strictly chronological. Instead each chapter documents specific events, people, places, or photographs. This can be disconcerting at first, but it is an effective approach that leads to a more interesting read. Chapter 13, "Moonrise," is especially fascinating. It is Alinder's favorite picture, and she was fortunate enough to be in the darkroom with him as he made a print from the original negative. The description of Ansel's process is musical.

Alinder is not an apologist for Ansel's personality flaws: she presents him honestly, though not critically. The book is rife with citations: there are over 60 pages of notes supporting the story.

If you want insight into Ansel Adams the Photographer, the Naturalist, and most importantly, the Man, then I highly recommend this book.

A nice book...I just discovered I don't care much for Adams!
The book is interesting and quite well written, if you don't mind the non-chronology of it.I just came away thinking even less of Mr. Adams than I did going in and that was a let-down for me.I think some of his photographs are very pretty, but I would never call them art!They don't "move" me and neither did this book.

simplicty and thought
I thought it was very interesting it was of thought and simplicity it had lots of interseting perspectives about one's own life....

The real AA
Alinder has written a superb book, which for the first time, gives us the real Ansel Adams.

And here on the printed page we find what has been whispered about for decades: Ansel wasn't exactly a nice guy. Poor Virginia(his wife who tolerated his infidelity); poor Michael and Anne (his kidswho rarely saw him).

Adams joins the ranks of Weston and Stieglitz, whowe've also learned were not saints at all. Not even very nice people. Butexceptionally gifted artists nonetheless. ... Read more

Product Description
Traces the life and work of the twentieth-century American architect who called his innovative ideas "organic architecture." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Major Reviewers Rave About Guberman's "Stella"
San Francisco Chronicle: "Guberman's affable style and his fund of New York art world reminiscencesand gossip make the book fascinating to anyone interested in the hurly-burly of 20th centuryAmerican art."Kenneth Baker, January 28, 1966

The Atlanta Journal/Constitution: " This book is much more about the making of the art than the making of the life, although the main events of the latter are recounted quite interestingly..... Few artist biographies have told us this much about the process behind what the casual viewer notices--literally behind it.....Guberman captures something of Stella's restless spirit in his telling of the tale." Jerry Cullum, February 11, 1996

New York Times Book Review:"He (Mr. Guberman) is at his best when he addresses the art directly, as in his explanations of the relatively complicated working techniques that Mr. Stella used to make his irregular frames and surfaces or serious sculptural depth."Ted Loos, May 5, 1996 ... Read more

Product Description
The work of modern architect Albert Frey (1903-98) is beautifully presented in this volume on his life and work. Frey arrived in the United States in 1930, the first of Le Corbusier's disciples to begin building in America. In 1934 he moved to Palm Springs, California, where he established the style that we now know as desert modernism, and where most of his work still stands.In addition to providing architectural and biographical details on the architect's career, Albert Frey, Architect also contains a list of all structures designed by Frey, bibliography of writings on and by Frey, and reprints of letters between Frey and Le Corbusier. Some of the projects in this collection are the Aluminaire House, Loewy House, Palm Springs City Hall, North Shore Yacht Club, and Frey's own houses. Numerous duotone photographs, many taken by Julius Shulman, as well as plans and sketches are also included. An introduction by David Gebhard discusses Frey's relevance within the Modern Movement and Frey's connection to nature and to historical precedent in his designs. This title is an updated and redesigned edition of a 1990 publication. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Highly recommended for students of Frey's work.
Frey's life and architectural achievement is presented in an updated, redesigned edition of a 1990 classic. Archival research by Rosa and interviews with Frey and his colleagues are enhanced with black and whitephotos of his notable achievements, lending to an important guide.

A splendid addition to architectural studies collections.
Albert Frey established the architectural style known as "desert modernism". His technological ingenuity and sensitivity to landscape are a perfect harmony of place and time. Albert Frey, Architect showcasesthe best of his work, profusely illustrated with duotone photographs, plansand sketches. Albert Frey, Architect is enhanced further with an annotatedlist of structures designed by Frey, a bibliography of writings on and byFrey, and reprints of letters between Frey and famed architect LeCorbusier. Albert Frey, Architect is a highly recommended addition to anypersonal, professional, or academic architectural studies collection.

Beautiful book, floor plans and photos.
This is a wonderful book about a fascinating architect.It covers his career from beginning to 1987. Lots of information, lots of photographs.I have spent hours and hours poring over every page.I love his work.Onlydrawback was choice of bold typeface for various large areas of text. Princeton Architectural Press plans to republish it in December 1999.I amlooking for a used copy to give someone for his birthday in March.Knowanyone with a copy to spare??? ... Read more

Product Description
Robert Hooke stood out as an inventive, versatile, and prolific scientist and architect in an age of brilliant minds. But for three hundred years his reputation has been overshadowed by those of his two great contemporaries, his friend Sir Christopher Wren and his rival Sir Isaac Newton. He was an inventor, astronomer, and anatomist, as well as a candid diarist, braggart, hoarder of money and secrets, and an implacable rival.
In Stephen Inwood’s biography of this forgotten genius, Hooke and his world are vividly recreated with all their contradictions, successes, and failures. The Forgotten Genius is an absorbing and compelling study of this unduly overlooked man.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Robert Hooke Biography
I found this review of the life of Robert Hooke to be quite fascinating.His breadth of interest and commitment to science was far greater than that of anybody else in that period.He laid out the pattern for our modern understanding of the universe.Interestingly, most scientists have never heard of him, or are only aware of his work in passing. The book is an eye-opener.

Evocative History of Science
A thoroughly readable and enjoyable book about the intellectual colleague and contemporary of Christopher Wren and Isaac Newton in 17th century London.The writing is witty and engaging and provides a vivid look at the social, scientific and physical structure of London after the Great Fire.I especially enjoyed the author's humorous descriptions of the machinations behind the scenes of the Royal Society and the often dangerous and bizarre experiments that Hooke and others would perform for the Society.A great peep into the development of many engineering, physics, astronomical chemistry and architectural discoveries.

A biography well worth your time
This book provides a great deal of information about Robert Hooke not only as a contributor to modern science, but as a person during his lifetime. The issue of Newton being an antagonistic force in Hooke's life is emphasized greatly, and helps the reader understand how much power Hooke had to exert in order to make his ideas and discoveries known.

The book is enjoyable due to the fact that it does not solely focus on the science related aspect of Hooke's career. Having known little about him before I opened the book, I was surprised to find that he had a great deal of influence on structural architecture during the seventeenth century. The book provided me with a substantial amount of knowledge regarding Hooke's inventions and discoveries, as well as his personal feelings and reactions to certain people or occurrences, through the many quotations of his present throughout the reading.

This book is a fantastic source for one who is interested in learning about every aspect of Hooke's life, from the contributions to science as a general subject to his contributions to architecture and his involvement in technology during his time period. Not only was I able to gain a better understanding of the scientist and inventor within Hooke, but I was also able to understand him as a person and his life as well.

The Man Who Knew Too Much
As a physics teacher, I had been well aware of Robert Hooke.Every year I teach Hooke's Law of elasticity to my students.Additionally, I had been aware of the importance of his book Micrographia and, since I consider myself a bit of a student on Isaac Newton, I had known something of his conflict with Newton over the Principia.However, I admit my knowledge of Hooke was sketchy.As a student of scientific history, I wanted that rectified so I turned to this book.It was certainly a rewarding experience.

Without a doubt, I learned much more than I ever knew about Robert Hooke and I gained a new respect for the man.Hooke's areas of interest were wide and his curiosity unbounded.I was completely unaware of his work with Christopher Wren and his own contributions to architecture and the reconstruction of London after the Great Fire.Additionally, I came to admire his willingness to stand behind the virtues of science (as in his prescient speculations on evolution) in the face of religious prejudice.And, apart from learning about Hooke, this book gives a deeper understanding of what it was like to be a working scientist in the early years of scientific exploration.It is certainly an excellent example of scientific biography.

There are a couple weaknesses with the book that kept coming back to me as I read, however.The first has to do with style; particularly, the style that I've noticed most often in British histories of science.Namely, the overabundance of information.This book is packed with detail.Much more detail than is really necessary in telling Hooke's story.Inwood often used Hooke's diary to make excellent points about the man often with respect to his day-to-day life, relationships and personalities but he also used it to excess in describing the myriad details of Hooke's work and investigations.Fortunately, I'm used to this style of writing and even enjoy it to an extent but even I found some of the lists of Hooke's doings and travels tedious going.

Still, it is the second flaw I find to be much more serious.One of Inwood's main goals seems to be to rehabilitate Hooke and give him his rightful place among history's great scientists.In this, I feel Inwood failed.In England this book was published as The Man Who Knew Too Much and this seems to me to be about right.But in America we say "a jack of all trades and a master of none."Hooke never comes across to me as a genius.Extraordinarily energetic and technically brilliant, he didn't seem to me to have the kind of mind that Newton and Huygens had.Perhaps if he had focused his abilities more he would have had their kind of triumphs but I doubt it.

And Inwood did nothing to dispel the image of Hooke as a bitter man who tried to claim the better work of others as his own.The repetition of Hooke's own claims to priority in his diary, letters and in the Royal Society records are probably only a fraction of the claims he made in his life and these alone are tedious.Inwood tries to make the point that the bitter man history describes could not have maintained the kind of friendships Hooke did in his life but I find that to be an argument without merit.Even the worst men have friends and Hooke was by no means a bad man.Inwood's book gives a picture of a lower class man trying throughout his life to gain the respect of the upper class and basically failing.We can sympathize with Hooke's struggles but that does not change the fact that, though often unfairly treated, many of his problems were of his own making.

In the final analysis, however, this is a very worthwhile book for anyone interested in the history of science.Hooke was, in his own way, an amazing man and it is fascinating to see this revolutionary time in science through the eyes of one of its most important supporters.In Hooke we see the forerunner of every man and woman who puts their all into science and tries tirelessly to make great discoveries.He may not be at the pinnacle but he deserves his place in scientific history. ... Read more

Product Description
"The best biography of Picasso."—Kenneth ClarkPatrick O'Brian's outstanding biography of Picasso is here available in paperback for the first time. It is the most comprehensive yet written, and the only biography fully to appreciate the distinctly Mediterranean origins of Picasso's character and art.

Everything about Picasso, except his physical stature, was on an enormous scale. No painter of the first rank has been so awe-inspiringly productive. No painter of any rank has made so much money. A few painters have rivaled his life span of ninety years, but none has attracted so avid, so insatiable, a public interest.

Patrick O'Brian knew Picasso sufficiently well to have a strong sense of his personality. The man that emerges from this scholarly, passionate, and brilliantly written biography is one of many contradictions: hard and tender, mean and generous, affectionate and cold, private despite the relish of his fame. In his later years he professed communism, yet in O'Brian's view retained to the end of his life a residual Catholic outlook.

Not that such matters were allowed to interfere with his vigorous sensuality. Sex and money, eating and drinking, friends and quarrels, comedies and tragedies, suicides and wars tumble one another in the vast chaos of his experience. he was "a man almost as lonely as the sun, but one who glowed with much the same fierce, burning life." It is with that impression of its subject that this book leaves its readers.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

I doubt even Picasso would have enjoyed this book.
I purchased this book as a text book for a class on Psychology of Art History.I only read the first 70 pages and was completely turned off by the author's blind worship of Picasso.(Not to mention his laborious style and paragraph-long sentences with too much needless information.)It is literally the worst book I've ever read in my life.Picasso must surely be one of the most interesting characters in the history of art, but this books is mind-numbingly boring.There is a whole chapter about the weather where Picasso lived as a boy, but only one sentence on how he lost his virginity.

Accomplished, readable and very worthwhile
Patrick O'Brian was not an art historian or a professional biographer. He was an accomplished writer with a wide range of interests and knowledge. He is, of course, the author of the celebrated Aubrey/Maturin nautical novels ("The best historical novels ever written" - New York Times), but was much more than that. Among other things, he was the first to translate Simone de Beauvoir's works into English, and was the author of a fine biography of the English scientific luminary Joseph Banks. He was also a close friend of Picasso's.

O'Brian's familiarity with Picasso, his wide range of interests and knowledge, and his attention to historical context and detail is a recipe for a wide-ranging and very personal account of the artist. It attends carefully to the material and geographical circumstances of Picasso's origins and life; it is filled with real truth about the artist and how his life and history are reflected in his art. It is not a treatise on Picasso's contribution to 20th century painting, but is nonetheless a wonderfully written and engaging perspective on the man and his work. Highly recommended.

A note: Amazon lists several versions of this title. Most of them are imports that will take 1 to 4 months for delivery, and the more current one from Norton doesn't show up in a search on Picasso and O'Brian. Do a search on ISBN 0393311074, listing just the number, to get the most current edition.

Amazingly literate biography
I have read two other books about Picasso ("Picasso's Women" and "Picasso's War".This give a much more-rounded (and affectionate) view of the great man, and also gives much insight into his work and the critical reception of it.Highly recommended.

A pleasant read without much effort.
After having read many books about Picasso. It was a pleasure to enjoy the author's prose. The subject was a keen interest of Mr.O'Brian's as were his other bio. clients who form a wide range of characters. It is apparent that it is the writing rather than exacting erudition which is the author's trademark.

The opening of the book which describes Malaga and its history is fascinating and sets the stage for Picasso's development. One can easily understand Picasso absorbing this rich culture.

On comparison with Richardson this volume comes off rather poorly and subscribes to some well known anecdotes which are now known to be false. One such incident was when Picasso's father is supposed to have given up painting altogether after seeing how good his son was. Picasso was fourteen or fifteen at the time yet there exist paintings of pigeons signed by Don Ruiz up until his death.

The narrative follows Picasso from Spain to France and rightly emphasises the entire cubist episode. The usual list of early characters are present, e.g. Max Jacob, Guillaume Apollinaire, Fernande Olivier, etc.

What struck me as the best of this book was the author's willingness to describe Picasso's terrible behaviour, especially in his latter years when he would ignore or reject official plaudits. His treatment of women including the terrible initiation of Jacqueline Roque is not spared and yet it is not written with malice but with an understanding that it was all the sycophants and their scraping that only served to isolate Picasso even further.

Nevertheless, when Picasso was faced with an equal (Matisse or Braque) or someone even older than himself whom he may have known as a youngster (Pallares)he was a gracious and tactful host.

This is not the best biography of Picasso (that honour belong's to John Richardson) but it is perfectly readable and does contain some insights that are unique.

A fascinatingand well-written portrait
It is a pleasure to find a work of non-fiction in which the writing flows smoothly across the page, and in which a rich portrait of the subjectemerges without recourse to over-wrought speculation. This sympathetic, yetdetailed account of Picasso is both fun to read for its own sake, andfascinating for the sake of its subject. A very readable biography. ... Read more

Product Description
Now back in print, this life of George Eastman is the first biography since 1930 of the man who transformed the world of photography. In this revealing and informative work, Brayer shows us how such key innovations as roll film and the light, hand-held camera helped the Eastman Kodak Company dominate the world market. More importantly, Brayer draws a vivid portrait of the man behind the money. Eastman worked hard at staying out of the limelight and even insisted that his donations be kept anonymous, prompting the Boston Globe to call him "America's most modest and least-known millionaire."Despite his retirement in 1925, Eastman showed little sign of slowing down. Making money had been interesting, but putting money to work became more so. In the 1920s he designed a special camera for use in orthodontia and established elaborate dental clinics for needy children around the world. He oversaw the building of the Eastman theatre and the Eastman School of Music. His contributions built a new campus for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a new medical school for the University of Rochester. Finally, he became the largest contributor to the education of African Americans during the 1920s and the Tuskegee Institute's most important benefactor. Elizabeth Brayer lives in Rochester, NY. For the past 18 years she has served on both the George Eastman Legacy and the Landscape committees at the George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film. She writes about the history of central and Western New York State. George Eastman: A Biography was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1996.Amazon.com Review
The innovative founder of the Eastman Kodak Company was notgenerally known for his thirst for adventure, his love of art andclassical music, or his philanthropic activities, yet these were allimportant aspects of the man. George Eastman (1854-1932) was acomplicated individual who lived most of his long, industrious lifeout of the public eye; his private affairs both admirable and dubiousare now out in the open, thanks to this scholarly and scrupulousbiography. Eastman is revealed as cold, shrewd, modest, andsurprisingly generous in this colorful portrait. The text isappropriately enhanced by a number of rare photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

it sucked
I think they should explain how th invention works

Eastman comes alive as a real person.
George Eastman was one of the seminal figures in the development of photography. Eastman was the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company. Brayer's scholarly biography is long and definitive.

Eastman was perhaps thefirst scientist-engineer entrepreneur, a model followed later by men likeEdwin Land and Bill Gates. Brayer skillfully weaves his engineering featswith his financier skills into a highly readable biography. Eastman waslike Gates and Land, a hands-on entrepreneur. Stories abound aboutEastman's midnight haunts through his factory, showing up in the wee hoursunannounced to some startled employee working late on a project.

I wasconstantly amazed at Eastman's ingenuity. Eastman the inventory of flexiblefilm, made his first commercial batches by spreading the celluloid out onlevel 100-foot long glass topped tables. It wasn't until many years laterthey finally found a way to machine make it.

For my taste there was fartoo much information on the architecture and building of Eastman House.Since Brayer, as I understand it, was or maybe still is, an employee ofEastman House, now a foundation supported museum of photography, this isunderstandable. I did find it amusing that Eastman used Belgian importedglass plates that were to be used in the factory as a film base as windowglass in the House. Window glass will have an occassional ripple or bubble,but not these. George always had to have the very best.

Brayer has shedsome new light on several of the patent infringement lawsuits that wentagainst Eastman.

In many biographies, the subject is just that, asubject. Brayer does an exceptional job of bringing Eastman to life. If youhave an interest in photographic history or in financial history, this isan exceptional book. This is the first freely written biography of Eastman.Earlier attempts were quite controlled by the Trust and Eastman himself. ... Read more

Product Description
A fascinating view of a successful and famous inventor, innovator, financier, and entrepreneur. ... Read more