Amazon.com
Since their debut with Blood Simple in 1984, Joel and Ethan Coen have created a unique body of work that seems to project their combined imaginations directly onto the movie screen. By concentrating on the filming of their homage to Raymond Chandler, The Big Lebowski, this book provides a great deal of insight into the way that these extraordinary filmmakers take an idea and transform it into a movie.
Text and illustrations combine to reveal the Coens' combination of quirkiness and craft, and the ways that the singular (or is it binary?) vision of the brothers combines with actors and crew in the group effort necessary to produce a finished film. This book doesn't attempt a critical analysis of the work of Joel and Ethan Coen--the complexity of their vision resists such an approach. Instead, we're treated to a fly-on-the-wall view of the creative process, and it's enough to get the most casual film lover to grab a notebook, rent a camera, and start making movies! --Simon Leake
Customer Reviews:
Worst "book report" ever.......2007-09-15
I've never felt so intellectually abused by a book as to resort to writing a scathing review like this on Amazon. This book is mind-bogglingly aweful! It reads like an 8th grade book report. It has no pretense of a plot and does amazingly little to actually delve into the making of the Big Lebowski. Don't buy it! Half of it is literally just the author monotonously describing what *happens* in the Big Lebowski. YES, repeating what you've watched in the movie!! Page upon page reads like "and then the dude goes into...and then...and then..." Much of the rest is an incredibly egotistical author bragging about how "in" he is with the Coens and prattling on about his interactions with them and how well he knows them. The author's grasp of english is profoundly poor and his "hip" slang falls utterly flat and non-sensical as he tries to invent numerous non-words. Even the pictures have nothing to do with their placement in the text. The ONLY redeeming characteristic of the book is that the author includes many long quotes from the Coens and the people who work closely with them.
A Great Read For Filmmaking Enthusiasts.......2007-04-30
Every once and while I look for books to re-inspire my need to make films. This is one of those useful books for people interested in the real filmmaking process. This book doesn't have useless interviews about how much fun the actors had working with a director but covers every thought and decision the crew had to make in the production. If you're a Coen Brother's fan, you'll also be interested to gain some insight into how they invent and produce their signiture films.
One of the best books written about the Coens.......2004-03-27
This book was co-written by William Preston Robertson who is someone, if you've studied the end credits of the Coens' early film, who has worked on their films in various capacities. He's often provided voiceovers where needed and even offered a place for them to crash when they developed writer's block while working on the screenplay for Miller's Crossing.
So, he writes this book with an insider's perspective. At every opportunity he makes fun of them (as only a close friend can) and spends the first part of the book tracing their career up to The Big Lebowski. The rest of the book plays out as a quasi-Making Of that is quite an entertaining read. For example, he places their film in the grand tradition of bowling noir, a very rarified subgenre of the film noir. Robertson is quite funny as he pontificates about this subgenre at some length.
If I had one complaint about the book is the amount of detail that is gone into about the storyboarding process which I could have done without. But this is a minor quibble at best.
Robertson's style of writing is very casual and easy to read--it won't take you long to get through this book. If you are a hardcore fan of the Coens, then you will definitely enjoy this book and all the little, inside jokes. It will certainly deepen your appreciation for the film and acts as a great companion-piece.
more about the Coens than the film.......2003-08-23
The Big Lebowski is my all-time favorite movie; I bought this book hoping to read lengthy interviews with the cast, see behind-the-scenes photos and stills from the film, etc. Instead, this book deals with the technicalities of the Coen brothers' film making in general, with The Big Lebowski only serving as the most-often referenced case-in-point. So I'd say read this if you're interested in the Coens' film making technique, but if you're interested in The Big Lebowski specifically you won't really find much here.
Gotta love..........2000-09-05
Got to love the Coens, and thheir style of filmmaking. Read it.
Average customer rating:
- This book has had a great impact on how "Messiah" is performed nowadays
- Classic scholarship on a classic work
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Handel's Messiah: Origins, Composition, Sources
Jens Peter Larsen
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Handel, George
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Handel: Messiah (Cambridge Music Handbooks)
ASIN: 0393306283 |
Book Description
This monograph, translated from the original Danish, concentrates on the plan and execution of 'Messiah', its singers and performances, manuscripts and editions, and aesthetics. . . . For all scholarly collections. Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
This book has had a great impact on how "Messiah" is performed nowadays.......2005-12-14
One of the great contributions of musicology over the past several decades is helping us see more clearly how composers in previous eras worked. Before the era of, say, Beethoven, music was never conceived as a permanent work that would stay in a single form for all eternity. It was put together for performance (or a few performances) and then it was off to the next work. Occasionally works would be revived, but that was more the exception than the rule. Playing works from previous eras was not a common practice until the mid-nineteenth century and is more a factor in our time than in any previous century.
This great work by the Dutch musicologist Jens Peter Larsen is a scholarly work rather than a book for a general reader, but it is still immensely interesting for anyone interested in understanding how this culturally irreplaceable work came into being, how it was performed and adapted the pieces to the forces Handel had available each time he performed the work. One of the interesting things we learn about the composer's work habits is that he wrote so rapidly and often carelessly ("Messiah" was put together in only twenty-three days) was due to his expectation that things would be worked out in rehearsing for the live performance. Errors could be fixed, pieces could be re-written for the singer, pieces could be cut, another could be composed and added if needed, and so forth.
Another thing that helped Handel write so quickly (it was his normal method of working) is that he often re-used (recycled is our word, I guess) earlier music. This was quite acceptable because, again, music was performed and then let go. It was expected that new music would be constantly written and that might include borrowing from one of your earlier works, or even re-working ideas from another composer. That was the method of the time and their views on copyright and what we call plagiarism were not theirs.
The chapters covering a survey of "Messiah" and changing versions are most interesting. It is also fascinating to look at the plates of the actual working copies of the score (even if they are very hard to read in this small format).
This book has had a tremendous influence on the way the oratorio has been performed since the early 1980s. Those wonderfully lively and clear performances you hear nowadays are partly the result of this fascinating book.
Classic scholarship on a classic work.......2004-12-30
Handel's Messiah is by now so familiar to concertgoers that it might seem as if there is not much to say about it. This classic monograph by Larsen triumphantly dispels that false notion. Besides penetrating analyses of the individual numbers of the oratorio, valuable enough in themselves, Larsen offers a concise history of Handelian oratorio, comparisons between differing versions of various numbers, and conclusions about which versions of Messiah are most "valid," based on careful research of the available source material, everything from the manuscripts and copies themselves, to books of words, to pencilled annotations of singers' names on the margins of working scores. After all of this time, Larsen's towering achievement in musical scholarship as it relates to this single cornerstone of the repertoire has yet to be surpassed. I doubt it ever will be.
Book Description
In the third and final volume of his series on the French Defence, Steffen Pedersen covers all of White's alternatives to 3 Nc3 and 3 Nd2. These include the aggressive Advance, the quiet Exchange, and side-variations such as the Two Knights, King's Indian Attack and the Wing Gambit. In these lines, it is White who determines the central structure and sets the pace of the game.
With the Advance Variation, White establishes a space advantage, and will often seek to exploit this by creating attacking chances on the kingside, or a bind on the queenside. Both sides have a variety of systems at their disposal, and the player who is better acquainted with the intricacies of these lines will tend to come out on top. It is a perennial favourite among players with a direct aggressive style: Shirov has played the Advance many times in recent years, while it has been employed by Sveshnikov and Kupreichik throughout their careers.
The Exchange Variation leads to open and generally symmetrical positions. Pedersen carefully examines White's attempts to seize the initiative, and also recommends ways for Black to create play if White adopts a more stolid approach.
Customer Reviews:
Great book.......2007-07-21
It tells you everything you need to know of this variation. Very easy to follow and understand
Book Description
The Worldly Philosophers is a bestselling classic that not only enables us to see more deeply into our history but helps us better understand our own times. In this seventh edition, Robert L. Heilbroner provides a new theme that connects thinkers as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. The theme is the common focus of their highly varied ideas -- namely, the search to understand how a capitalist society works. It is a focus never more needed than in this age of confusing economic headlines.
In a bold new concluding chapter entitled "The End of the Worldly Philosophy?" Heilbroner reminds us that the word "end" refers to both the purpose and limits of economics. This chapter conveys a concern that today's increasingly "scientific" economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics. Thus, unlike its predecessors, this new edition provides not just an indispensable illumination of our past but a call to action for our future.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-12
Whenever anyone says to me: I would like to learn something about economics, but where do I start - this is where you start. It is simple, easy, accurate, enjoyable and written for the lay reader. If you want to know more about economics this should be your first challenge. I guarantee after reading this book, you will know more and want to learn more. It could be the best introductory economics book ever. You can trust this guy.
This Classic Remains A Great Read!.......2007-09-10
I read this book 25 years ago, and recently reread parts of it. What a great book! Many of the most prominent living economists have justly heaped praise on Heilbroner's masterpiece. I can only add my hearty agreement.
Excellent compilation of short biographies of major economists.......2007-07-27
Heilbroner (H) does a very good job of providing the beginning ,novice reader in economic history and economic thought a very general summary of the major ideas of the economists he covers.He provides many interesting anecdotal comments,such as Keynes's interest in the size and shape of other people's hands,that are worth the price of purchasing the book.There are,however,some major analytic gaps in H's coverage.I will cover two of these below.
The first major omission occurs on p.68, in the chapter covering Adam Smith,on Smith's view of the role of government in a capitalist economy.Smith spends pp.734-741 of the Wealth of Nations[Modern Library(Cannan)edition] alerting the reader to the existence of a major undepletable,detrimental externality ,with major negative impacts, that resulted from the operation of the Invisible Hand (comparative advantage + division of labor + economic self interest).These negative impacts affect all aspects of the workers' lives-social,political,moral or ethical,intellectual,and martial.It is not just a case of "...the stultifying effect of mass production..." leading to a " ...decline in manly virtues."(Heilbroner,p.68).On pp.9-10 of the WN,Smith discussed the significant role of the worker in providing a continuing series of marginal improvements in the workings of the machinery used in the production process.All such contributions come to a complete stop if the externality problem is not dealt with because the result will be "...the almost complete corruption and degeneracy of the great body of the people".(Smith,p.734).The work force will not be able to make any contribution to the political decision making process of the country.Conflicts will break out both within the family and between families.Smith includes in his solution,which is that general education and religious instruction be provided for all even if they are unable to afford it,the requirement that the workers be taught the basics(reading,writing,and arithmetic) plus geometry and mechanics.The middle class is to also be taught philosophy and science.
The second omission in Heilbroner concerns the discussion of Keynes's GT fiscal policies on pp.274-279.H does not make it clear that Keynes is opposed to cutting income taxes in order to stimulate private consumption spending.Keynes's plan is to seperate the budget into a current and a capital account.The capital account will include borrowed funds(loan expenditure) to finance long run spending on infreastructure projects and public goods that will pay for themselves in the long run.The p.131 quote given by H about the government burying bank notes in abandoned mines for private enterprise to dig up from the GT is misleading.
If I could give 10 stars I would.......2007-07-03
Best book I've read in a long time! I have exams in economics, and usually I read some light "for fun" books during exam times in order to relax. This is one of those books, and I'm learning something!!! Excellent writer!
Fascinating Story.......2007-05-08
The Worldly Philosophers by Robert L. Heilbroner provides a collection of short biographies of great thinkers in the world of economics over the past few hundred years. The book includes well-known economists like Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes, as well as lesser-known individuals such as Robert Owen and Frederic Bastiat. Heilbroner tells the story of economic and political history using the famous economists, or worldly philosophers, in a way that explains economic concepts as they developed within a historical context. The book provides a comprehensive explanation of developments and theories that have led to current economic philosophy.
Heilbroner puts a human side to the often-bleak science of economics by describing the personalities and social situation of the various characters in the story. This makes it easy to understand what was possibly behind their political beliefs and economic models. It also makes it easy to understand their views on issues like the motives of individuals, the motives of the wealthy, the role of labor and land in economic thought, and beliefs about the cause of imperialism. Models of production, consumption, and the distribution of wealth evolved with the growth of society and of political-economic systems supporting capitalism, socialism, and communism. This evolution of economic thought is best understood within the philosophical concept of Hegelian dialectics. Economic ideas changed because of synthesis of previous ideas challenged by new and opposing ideas that result in a new concept or synthesis, which is closer to the truth than the previous thoughts. This appears to be the approach used by many of the economic philosophers. It is also the approach used by Heilbroner to help pull the historical story together throughout his book.
Heilbroner clarifies or provokes thinking on a number of issues and questions that politicians and economists continue to debate and attempt to understand. First, he shines a light on the dichotomy between capitalism and socialism and drives thinking on where along the continuum societies have evolved. He also drives thinking on the interplay between economic models and the larger socio-political environment. This brings into question the impact of government and society on economic models and theories. Economic models are developed given assumptions about how citizens and governments behave under a given set of conditions. The thinking of citizens and governments evolve which could render established economic models relatively ineffective. For example, established economic thinking and models were changed by the industrial revolution. The current technological revolution and information age is again causing a rethink of economic assumptions. No one would have predicted the events of September 11, 2001 and the impact it had on the thinking of citizens and the U.S. government. Reading and thinking about the book's content also left me asking the question - do the fundamentals of economics as a science steer the direction of society or vice versa? Which has a greater influence on the other? This then also led me to ask the question - are economic models largely predictive or explanative?
While Heilbroner provided a comprehensive historical story of great economic thinkers, he left me wondering about who are the more recent economic thinkers. The book was last revised in 1998. However, there is no mention made of recent economists like Milton Friedman and John Kenneth Galbraith. According to the Economist, Friedman is the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century and quite possibly all of it. Keynesian economic theory is discussed in detail, but Heilbroner did not discuss monetarist economic theory or Hayek's philosophy on neoliberalism.
Product Description
This is the story of those academic scribblers-from Adam Smith through Malthus and Ricardo, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, Lord Keynes himself, to the economists now wrestling with the problems of our contemporary world. Their subject-economics-has been called the dismal science, but their private lives were full of strange and curious events, and the private worlds of ideas they built around themselves make fascinating reading. This is a scholarly book about the thinkers whose ideas about business and society have become the causes for which men work and fight and die.
Customer Reviews:
Worldly Philosophers.......2007-08-26
This book was a required read for my son's senior year in high school. It arrived promptly. Thanks!
A lively read about "the dismal science".......2007-04-25
"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.
I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.
Customer Reviews:
A lively read about "the dismal science".......2007-04-25
"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.
I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.
Product Description
Paul Samuelson Sinclair Lewis's Arrowsmith inspired several readers to become Nobel laureates in biology. Robert Heilbroner's new edition of The Worldly Philosophers will inspire a new generation of economists.
Provides a theme that connects thinkers as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx, namely, the search to understand how a captialist society works. Provides an illumination to our past and a call to action for our future.
Customer Reviews:
A lively read about "the dismal science".......2007-04-25
"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.
I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.
Customer Reviews:
A lively read about "the dismal science".......2007-04-25
"Worldly Philosophers" is probably the best, most authoritative title on the development and growth of economic theory. "Worldly Philosophers" is an outgrowth of Heilbroner's 1953 doctoral thesis and with each edition he's further refined and polished it and in the process it has gone on to sell four million copies, making it the second best selling book on the subject of economics. Heilbroner gives a great overview of the economic process in early societies up until the time of Adam Smith and his revolutionary "The Wealth of Nations." Heilbroner carries the reader onwards as successive economists attempt to make sense of the world around them, introducing the reader to the theories of Ricardo, Malthus, Marx, Veblen, and Keynes, among others. Heilbroner charts the expansion of economic theory in a straightforward linear fashion and shows how these varied economists questioned the theories of those before and postulated their own theories based on how they saw the world.
I hadn't expected "Worldly Philosophers" to be such a lively and enjoyable read, which says a lot about Heilbroner's clarity and caliber of writing. It is far more enjoyable than his later "Making of Economic Society," which borrows liberally from this tome. If you are looking for a concise, well written history of economics, you need look no further than here.
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