Art and Writing in the Maya Cities, AD 600-800: A Poetics of Line

Book Description

Art and Writing in the Maya Cities, AD 600–800 examines an important aspect of the visual cultures of the ancient Maya in southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. During a critical period of cultural evolution, artistic production changed significantly, as calligraphy became an increasingly important formal element in Maya aesthetics and was used extensively in monumental building, sculptural programs and small-scale utilitarian objects. Adam Herring’s study analyzes art works, visual programs, and cultural sites of memory, providing an anthropologically-informed description of ancient Maya culture, vision, and artistic practice. An inquiry into the contexts and perceptions of the ancient Maya city, his book melds epigraphic and iconographic methodologies with the critical tradition of art-historical interpretation.

Customer Reviews:

deciphering complex Mayan art work.......2005-10-17

The complex, seemingly highly stylized Mayan figurative and symbolic art work and calligraphic art work of the late, most advanced period of Mayan civilization was not merely, or even mainly, decorative; nor was it iconographic. Although for its skillfulness, composition, and prevalence, it is often presumed to be either. Rather, the Mayan visual art of this period "offered an expansive discourse of culture and power," mainly to the elites in the urban centers in what is today the Yucatan Peninsula and adjacent Central American countries. This art based on calligraphic tools, techniques, and intentions is known as "ts'ib'", a term which can be translated variously as line, painting, brushwork, and design, among other terms. As Associate Professor of Art History at Southern Methodist U. author Herring demonstrates, ts'ib' "was not so much a term of Maya calligraphy as it was a mode of visual attention and moral valuation within the sensory regime of Maya sociability." The discourse contained within this Maya art reflected values, concerns, and situations of the past while giving cautious, coded, guidance in changing circumstances of the evolving society, fading even as it was coming into its highest powers. Herring's treatment of the diverse, interrelated cultural and artistic matters ranges from broad historical views to analysis of minutiae of Mayan relics. At times he makes use of approaches and perspectives from the contemporary field of cultural studies.

Book Description

More an artist than a "make-up artist," Topolino is continually introducing new perspectives to our standards of beauty. Using feathers, flowers, paint and even metal, Topolino is a perfectionist, as well as a visionary, who has turned the rules of professional make-up upside down. For more than twenty years, he has worked with the greatest fashion photographers of our time, from Mondino to Nick Knight, creating his own parallel universe of color and excitement. Now, in Make-Up Games, he details his most spectacular creations.

Customer Reviews:

Great Visual Material.......2007-07-02

If you are expecting a book on "how to" then this book is probably not going to fulfill your needs. However, this book does provide the viewer with a pethora visual inspiration. Many of the images in this book are innovative, provocative, and a great resource for make-up artistry. The colors are bright and vivid and the make-up artistry is boundless. I certainly have enjoyed sharing this material with my fellow make-up artists.

Eye candy.......2005-12-29

Excellent book to have for inspiration for creative makeup artistry. This book is not for the beginning makeup artist nor does it provide step by step instructions. I highly recommend it for the visual appeal.

Disappointed.......2005-03-11

The book's dimensions are smaller than one would expect for a photography style book (shame on me for not paying closer attention). If you are looking for "inspiration" in styling this might be your book, but it contains no information on how effects were achieved and there are a good portion of the images that are obviously digitally manipulated to get additional effects. This is not the semi-educational guide to extremely creative make-up artistry that I was looking for.

Book Description

Earth braces for its final destruction in a collision with an onrushing planet, and only Dr. Zarkov can prevent doomsday. Taking Flash Gordon and Dale Arden captive, he takes off in a rocket to deflect the hurtling planet and save the world. The mad Zarkov, Flash and Dale survive a crash landing on Mongo, only to be captured by the diabolical Ming the Merciless. And the true adventure begins.

Customer Reviews:

Nice content, poor binding.......2007-09-17

The content itself is in great condition and very nice to look at, but the book itself is more of a children's book than a comic collection. It would've been great if they had decided to put it in a quality hardcover format.

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

1934, but almost doesn't seem like it. More dragons and monsters than you can shoot a light gun at. Introspective, this is not. Who else would you want for a hero, but a Yale polo champion? Polo skills are the perfect training for an interplanetary action hero, you would think. Not a horse to be seen, but this is great fun.

Classic adventure.......2007-05-27

The plots are ridiculous and the characters are thin, but that is all inconsequential. Flash Gordon is FUN.

It's hard to read Alex Raymond's comic strips without the Queen soundtrack running through my head from the early 1980s movie. And all the principals from that movie are from the comic strip: Dale Arden, the constant damsel-in-distress; Princess Aura, the manipulative yet beautiful woman out to seduce Flash; Prince Barin, the dashing rebel; King Vultan, the violent yet honorable Lord of the Hawkmen; and Hans Zarkov, the brilliant yet slightly mad scientist. And in the center of it is Flash Gordon, Yale graduate and world-renowned polo player and his arch-nemesis, the dreaded Ming the Merciless, Emperor of the planet Mongo.

Volume One kicks off the action pretty quickly: a mysterious planet (Mongo) is about to crash into Earth. Dr. Zarkov designs a rocket ship to divert the planet and forces Dale and Flash to come along; the mission is successful, but the three wind up marooned on Mongo. Quickly captured by Ming's soldiers, they are put in front of the Emperor himself. Ming falls for Dale (many men fall for her), while his daughter Aura falls for Flash (many women fall for him). And the adventures begin.

This first volume has four chapters. In "On the Planet Mongo", Flash and Dale have their first run-in with Ming. "Monsters of Mongo" has Flash, Dale, Barin and Zarkov as prisoners of the Hawkmen. "Tournaments of Mongo" offers Flash a chance at power, if he can survive a deadly contest. "Caverns of Mongo" takes Flash and Dale off to conquer mysterious cave people.

Almost every strip ends in a cliffhanger, but never fear: Flash is almost unbeatable in a fight. The great pleasure in the comic is the wonderful art with a world more fascinating that most of those offered on the comics page. Who cares if it's ludicrous; it is still a delight. In a way, it's like a Bugs Bunny cartoon: the laws of nature can be bent (or broken) as necessary and reality need not get in the way of telling the story. It's great fun, and the seeming flaws don't hurt the story, they enhance it. If you enjoy reading classic comics, this is one of the best.

Beautifully rendered.......2006-07-10

One of the best reprints of comic art I've seen. The pages are high quality, the images are large and the colors are amazing. The Publisher's Weekly review must have had a different version (as one of these reviews claims), because this book is amazing. If you're a fan of comic art, you won't do much better than this.

Be sure to read the comment below from the publisher........2005-07-30

Alex Raymond created Flash Gordon as a full page comic strip on January 7, 1934. The strip continues today, though only in reprint form, alas. There have been reprints from Kitchen Sink (these are the best), Dark Horse, Comics Revue, and many other publishers. Some of these are still in print, others can be found on ebay. This book, from Checker, reprises the Kitchen Sink material.

The strip had its ups and downs, but most collectors agree that it was in its prime in three eras, the Alex Raymond era from 1934 to 1944, the beginning of a revived daily strip, by Dan Barry, Frank Frazetta, Jack Davis, Wally Wood, Harvey Kurtzman, and just about the whole E.C. Comics gang, from 1951 to 1955, and the Harry Harrison era, from roughly 1958 to 1964. (Harry Harrison also contributed to E.C. Comics, and wrote The Stainless Steel Rat.)

It is good to see these strips back in print.

Amazon.com

Precise details change with the ages, but you can bet that the first story ever written had something to do with revenge. Sandra Brown continues the tradition with her latest brick of a book, Fat Tuesday. After a gruff 'n' tuff New Orleans narc, Burke Basile, mistakenly blows a hole in his partner's noggin, he vows revenge--not only on the thug who was directly involved, but also on the sleazy kingpin behind it all. And in finest cop-drama tradition, he vows to do it outside the law. Fat Tuesday only begins to cook after Basile turns in his badge and--mixing charm and coercion--enlists various underworld elements in his cause. It's all a little B movie-ish at times, but for every hooker with a heart of gold, there's a fresher character like Gregory, the homosexual hustler who uses his drama degree to Basile's benefit. The villains are bad (can't go wrong with a lawyer), the heroine good, and the hero a big, wounded warrior looking for true love. What's not to like?

Book Description

Burke Basile is a cop with nothing left to lose.Haunted by his partner's death, his marriage and his career over, he focuses on his nemesis, Pinkie Duvall, a flamboyant attorney who helps killers evade justice.Burke's shocking revenge centers around kidnapping Remy, the lawyer's trophy wife.But Burke hasn't planned on the electric attraction he'll feel for this desperate woman, who rose from the slums of New Orleans to marry a man she can never love.Nor can he predict the fierce duel that will explode as the clock ticks toward midnight on Fat Tuesday, when all masks will be stripped away--and Burke must confront his own terrifying secret.

Customer Reviews:

Gripping Thriller.......2007-02-14

Sandra Brown is great at creating skin-crawling villains, and this book is no exception to the rule in that department. In this glitzier version of the Richard Gere-Kim Basinger cinema classic "No Mercy," Burke Basile is a burned-out cop on the edge. When the man responsible for the death of his partner, Kev Stuart, beats a murder rap, and then Burke finds his wife in the shower with another man, he slips over the edge. He's helped along when he develops an obsession for the beautiful wife of his bitter enemy, defense attorney, Pinkie Duvall.

Pinkie is the slimy lawyer who got scumbag Wayne Bardo off when charged with Kev Stuart's murder. Because of corruption in the New Orleans Police Department, his power and influence, and connections with the city's criminal element, Pinkie is untouchable. Almost as untouchable as his gorgeous wife Remy, who he shows off like a playmate while she's on his arm, but is otherwise kept under lock and key. Pinkie acquired Remy when she was 17 and gave her not a moment of freedom since. Aside from the innocent people Pinkie would hurt if she left, Pinkie also holds Remy's 16-year-old sister over her head. Fearful of what Pinkie would do to Flarra, Remy gave up fighting long ago.

Then one day, Burke Basile snapped and devised a plan, with an unwilling sex offender posing as a priest to help him, to kidnap Remy Duvall. Feeling he has nothing to live for, he vows to avenge Kev Stuart's death, no matter if he dies or goes to prison in the process. While Burke hides Remy in the swamp, Pinkie Duvall sends the force of his manpower out to find her, while deflecting interference from the pesky FBI, who might delve into things he'd rather keep secret. At the same time, there's a dirty cop in the NOPD, and Burke Basile isn't sure who he can trust. The tension builds, practically from the first page, until the satisfying climax at Pinkie Duvall's blowout Fat Tuesday costume party.

In addition to her creepy villains, Sandra Brown has also created colorful protagonists, people with deep flaws and personal demons who find redemption in each other. Their love affair comprises only a small portion of this story, but it is no less important for its minimal presence. Remy and Burke had lost hope of having joy in their lives, had even resigned themselves to death, but when they found each other, it gave both a very strong reason to live, and more than a little hope. It is this that carries them through the insurmountable problems they face, and helps them take down a very dangerous and powerful man. The 90's spawned some of the best romantic suspense I've read, and this book is a fine example. Sandra Brown is an author not to miss.

Fat Tuesday.......2006-09-17

This was my first one of Sandra Brown's books to read and I was so impressed I shared it with all my friends. That began my love affair with her books and I still enjoy EVERY ONE of her thrillers. I love books that have New Orleans as setting, I once lived there and love that city.

Great plot suspense..........2006-06-01

Man, oh, man, talk about a terrific plot! This book has it all: revenge, driven characters, fast-paced action, steamy sex. This is one of Ms. Brown's older works, but it is absolutely at the top of my "must read" recommendation list.

A quintessential Brown romantic mystery.......2006-05-23

After accidentally killing his partner in a drug bust gone wrong, NOPD detective Burke Basile decides that the best way to get even with New Orleans corrupt lawyer and drug kingpin Pinkie Duvall is to take what he treasures most - his sexy and serene wife Remy. What Burke doesn't realize is that Remy hates Pinkie. As a child, she was sold by her prostitute mother and raised to become Pinkie's bride. She's his virtual prisoner in his ornate mansion. The only thing keeping her in Pinkie's house is her sister, whose safety Pinkie holds over her head. Burke falls under Remy's spell and soon he's plotting to help her while also extracting his revenge against his nemesis, culminating in events that'll leave all their lives changed forever. Will she be his lover or his betrayer?

Brown cleverly tells the story from the hero's point of view - a nice change of pace. While some readers found it disconcerting not to know what was going on in Remy's mind, I found that our lack of understanding Remy adds to the remoteness and ethereal quality of her character. This fast-paced action-packed story is quintessential Brown.

Fun reading, like watching a cartoon on television.......2006-04-27

One curious note about this book: No days of the week are mentioned at all, except for "Fat Tuesday." No Saturdays, Sundays, nothing else.

Does that tell you something? That it all happens in New Orleans (and the surrounding bayous)?

The characters are cartoon-like in their accentuated traits. Duvall and Bardo are cartoon bad guys (little devils, as it were). I mean these guys haven't a good bone in their bodies. They are evil through and through. They're like cartoons.

Burke is the cartoon good-guy; he's tough, but he's honest, and in the end, he bonds with the heroine. The heroine is Remy, the cartoon "babe." She's sensual but smart, and she's loyal to her younger sister.

Dredd is the cartoon "bud." He will do anything to help his friend, because his friend once helped him, and he's also loyal and good-hearted.

What more do you need to stay entertained for hours on end? You don't need television or even the Internet. But you have to enjoy being alone with a book. It's a great escape!

You may notice just how the Devil (Duvall) keeps all of his minions in line: The Devil knows what each of his minions fears the most, and uses that fear to gain control of him or her.

Doug Patout, chief cop, fears the loss of his career. He wants to be even "chiefier" than he is already, it seems. But, like all of Satan's minions, Patout ends up defeating his own egotistical purposes. He doesn't know how to let go of his worldly ambitions, so Satan Duvall has his way with him, until the denouement.

Most of the husbands fear their wives will become Duvall's targets, which is human nature. Satan Duvall may even target children. This man is not a man but an evil spirit. He's totally predictable, because he's always going to do the most evil thing you can imagine. That's why it's so much fun reading this book. It's like watching a cartoon.

Yet, here's a question for Sandra Brown aficionados: Why do Satan Duvall, and his little devil, Wayne Bardo, lack any semblance of personal histories?

Remy has a story, in fact a quite extensive one. Basile has a sketchy story. At least we know that his father died when he was a toddler. We know that Burke's first cop job was in Shreveport, and that he trained with Doug Patout, and that his wife is (conveniently, for him) disloyal to him.

But we know nothing about Pinky Duvall. It's as if he had no childhood, no parents, no siblings, never went to law school (but was awarded his license through an evil mystical source), had no early career, had no other paramours prior to marrying Remy, and came naturally into the "business" of selling illicit drugs.

Who does this describe? Is it a real human being with no background? No, this is not a real person, but the Devil himself.

Ditto for Mr. Bardo. He has no background story. I would have found it of interest to hear precisely how Wayne came to be such a chauvinistic pig: Was he abused as a child? Did he even know his parents?

Well, this novel is not a psychological treatise, but a cartoon. So just "take it on faith" (if you have one) that bad people are born that way and let it be. Believe it. Satan lives! Have fun.

Diximus

Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree: A Poetic Herbarium

Average customer rating:

More than a gardening book

Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree: A Poetic Herbarium
Ann Lewis
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0811813088

Amazon.com

The emphasis is on the "Poetic" of the subtitle. In this evocative collection of small essays, Ann Lewis paints lovely pictures in words, describing not only subtropical plants such as sea oats, magnolia, and kudzu, but also the (slightly fictionalized) people of her childhood in the South. Her spirit- of-place approach serves her, and the reader, very well. You've got to love a book that weaves together the graceful forget-me-not flower with a visit with an Elvis impersonator, wisteria and catalpa with William Faulkner--and that includes in the bargain an appendix listing "Towns with Good Names," among them Burnt Corn, Zip City, and Akbachoochee. Lewis's lovely prints, resembling herbarium pressings, accompany the text.

Book Description

A book for gardeners, travelers, and anyone who loves the lush landscape of the deep South, Confederate Jasmine and the Fat Tuesday Tree is an exquisite combination of delicate images and rich memoir an illustrated volume that is as beautiful as it is unique. Long haunted by the legacy of the South, writer and artist Ann Lewis returns, this time to draw links between the plants and settings she loved while growing up and the individuals and events she encounters as an adult. Collecting "specimens" of the varied plants of the area and weaving them into enchanting miniature collages each of which is accompanied by evocative, humorous, and often touching prose Lewis has created an artistic, lyrical homage to the South that charms and captivates.

Customer Reviews:

More than a gardening book.......2000-08-15

Writer Ann Lewis tells of her Southern heritage as she draws links to the plants she adored as a child and the people in her life. Ms. Lewis collects specimens of these plants and places them in small collages. This physically beautiful book is also verbally lush in the author's humorous and touching prose. Grab a glass of ice tea on a warm afternoon and indulge yourself in this treasure.

Average customer rating:

Fat Tuesday
Very Entertaining Book
Can't put it down

Fat Tuesday (Thomas Black Mysteries)
Earl Emerson
Manufacturer: Fawcett
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0345352238
Release Date: 1988-06-12

Book Description

When Fred Pugsley receives a dead rattlesnake in the mail, ex-Seattle cop Thomas Black and his friend, lawyer Kathy Birchfield, are called in to investigate. But when they get there, Fred is dead, and his stunned wife sits huddled in the kitchen, clutching a tool used on racing bicycles -- the murder weapon. But the wife says she's innocent, and suddenly there are plenty of other suspects. Just as Seattle stages its own Mardi Gras, Black is getting ready for a wild blow-out of his own . . .

Customer Reviews:

Fat Tuesday.......2001-02-28

Fat Tuesday is the fourth Thomas Black novel by Earl Emerson. When Black and his friend, lawyer Kathy Birchfield go to meet with Fred Pugsley, they find him dead in a pool of blood. His wife, Maggie is found holding the murder weapon, a bicycle sprocket remover. The police think Maggie killed him because of Fred's numerous affairs. Another prime suspect is Eric Castle, a cycler and former co-worker of Pugsley at Micro Darlings, a manufacturer of computer games. There are other suspects who may have killed him because Fred may have slept with their wives or girlfriends. Black's life is also in danger from a motorcycle "mama", a 3000-lb. bull named Aunt Mabel, and a crazy man. This is the most complex Black novel to date, and is an excellent read.

Very Entertaining Book.......2000-12-20

Fat Tuesday was my introduction to Earl Emerson and I intend to read all of his books. Fat Tuesday was funny, refreshing, and I found it to be a great page turner. Wonderful characters. The plot I didn't figure out. I enjoyed this book very much.

Can't put it down.......1999-07-07

A very fast paced, cleverly written suspense novel. The protagonist is one you will find interesting and will want to garnish your trust. You will read this book in less than a week. Kudos.

5 LITLE WHERE THERE'S SMOKE & WORDS OF SILK, WHITE HOT,HELLO, DARKNESS,FAT TUESDAY

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5 LITLE WHERE THERE'S SMOKE & WORDS OF SILK, WHITE HOT,HELLO, DARKNESS,FAT TUESDAY
SANDRA BROWN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000V0BXQY

Product Description

FIVE NOVELS BY SANDRA BROWN.

5 Titles By Sandra Brown - Mirror Image Charade The Witness Exclusive Fat Tuesday

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5 Titles By Sandra Brown - Mirror Image Charade The Witness Exclusive Fat Tuesday
Sandra Brown
Manufacturer: warner
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: B000M1FUDY

Product Description

5 Titles By Sandra Brown - Mirror Image Charade The Witness Exclusive Fat Tuesday. five mmpb books.

8 Mysteries by Sandra Brown - Mirror Image - Breath of Scandal - Charade - Witness - Exclusive - Fat Tuesday - Unspeakable - The Alibi

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8 Mysteries by Sandra Brown - Mirror Image - Breath of Scandal - Charade - Witness - Exclusive - Fat Tuesday - Unspeakable - The Alibi
Sandra Brown
Manufacturer: various
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000LUY4FG

Product Description

8 mmpb Mysteries by Sandra Brown - Mirror Image - Breath of Scandal - Charade - Witness - Exclusive - Fat Tuesday - Unspeakable - The Alibi

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BIG FAT TUESDAY
Vivian Cunnington
Manufacturer: Melbourne, Cheshire, (1963). Cloth, paper sl. yellowed else fine in sl. torn d/w, pp. 152.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LQYGSA

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Big Fat Tuesday, Stories

Manufacturer: F. W. Cheshire
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000FMFLMK

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Big fat Tuesday: Stories
Vivian Cunnington
Manufacturer: Jinki Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: 0908057008

CONFEDERATE JASMINE AND THE FAT TUESDAY TREE: A A POETIC HERBARIUM

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CONFEDERATE JASMINE AND THE FAT TUESDAY TREE: A A POETIC HERBARIUM
Ann Lewis
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IB6D0C

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