Book Description
Music, according to Sufi teaching, is really a small expression of the overwhelming and perfect harmony of the whole universe—and that is the secret of its amazing power to move us. The Indian Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), the first teacher to bring the Islamic mystical tradition to the West, was an accomplished musician himself. His lucid exposition of music's divine nature has become a modern classic, beloved only by those interested in Sufism but by musicians of all kinds.
Customer Reviews:
the mysticism of sound and music.......2007-05-31
great book, inspiring and enlightening, I enjoyed every page of it. I would recomend this any musician and any body who's interested in the eastern philosophy of how laws in music are so supernatural and connected to life.
Divine words..........2007-05-20
This is indeed one of my most treasured books and very close to my heart. Khan's words flow easily as balm from Heaven to the ear and to the mind and heart. Understand how our thoughts and words affect the world... their intent, sound and vibration have far reaching results. "The music of life shows its melody and harmony in our daily experiences. Every spoken word is either a true or a false note, according to the scale of our ideal." The prose of Khan's words flows as beautifully as a concerto and straight to the heart.
Enlightenment through Music.......2005-09-16
The challenging part about reading a book by an enlightened being is that the author is writing from an experience of consciousness (non-duality) that is impossible for the ego (duality) to comprehend. However, Hazrat Inayat Khan's writing is easily understood and could be valuable to both spiritual aspirants on the path to enlightenment and/or musicians looking for deeper levels in their artistry. This is a book to be studied, not just read. In it are keys to understanding the mysticism of sound, music, color, words, and silence.
The wave-like aspect of Life, not just about music.......2004-12-13
Other reviewers already dealt with the music side of the book, so i won't elaborate on that. There is in addition the purely sound-related aspect of reality. All words, thoughts, and emotions, carry on some power due to their vibratory nature. Everything, whatever it is can be seen as a wave. So don't think it is just about what you hear. All there is can be described in that way.
This book is of interest not for its esoteric nature, but rather to give the reader an intuition of what mystics perceive of reality, which is everything but magic. Science is currently concerned with a part of reality, namely those frequencies that can be detected and thus measured through physical (material) instruments. But the vibratory nature of the world goes beyond that. You as humans have access to more than the physical realm (mental, emotional, and let's say "spiritual" to give a rough picture). This books hints at those aspects captured by the concept of "sound", that are of utmost importance for all humans to uncover the possibilities life has given them. Everything you think, say or feel has an impact on you and your surroundings, so reading this book can help you to realize how important every single event of our life has, through its wave-like aspect. This book is about your very life.
Good Vibrations.......2004-08-31
This book is a compilation of the teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, a Sufi mystic from the early part of the Twentieth century. Born in India, Khan was thoroughly familiar with both Hindu beliefs and Islam and he also knew Christian scriptures well. In this book, Khan explains the central tenets of his Sufi sect. He begins with the belief that vibration is the ultimate connection to God, and states that this belief is found in Christian, Muslim, and Hindu scriptures by reading "word" as sound, and sound as vibration. All else flows from this. Khan finds spiritual direction through seeking harmony with all and finding and matching the appropriate rhythm of things. Music, (of the serious type, not jazz, for instance) provides a means of worship and union with the Almighty. But the highest form of sound is abstract, a topic whose details are reserved for Sufi initiates because others might misuse such knowledge.
The book contains chapters on topics such as: the music of the spheres, color and sound, music in Indian culture, music of the dervishes, dance and music, music and psychology, the healing powers of music, memory, will, reason, intuition and dreams, the Ego, inspiration, and the value of repetition. It also contains short collections of aphorisms and phrases to be repeated. The editing of the volume is exceptionally well-done. Khan did not write these selections as a book; instead, they were collected and organized from various lectures and articles that he prepared dating from about 1913 to 1926. The editors have managed to create a cohesive text from very disparate sources. Some ideas are presented repeatedly, but unlike so many similar compilations of articles by other authors, the presentation of Khan's ideas in this book are consistent each time they are mentioned. The original sources and dates for each chapter are listed at the end of the book. The book contains an index, but no glossary.
I picked up this book because of the picture on the cover of Khan playing the vina. As a struggling student of Indian music, I hoped that Khan might say a word or two about the vina. Indeed, he does, explaining how the quiet sounds of the vina make it ideal as an instrument for mediation, but not for playing large public concerts. Much of my previous reading about Indian music has been by authors who seek to present strictly objective information about the music and culture of India, but in taking such a secular approach, they miss the whole feeling of the topic. Reading this book has given me a much greater understanding of and appreciation for how music is central to Indian religious practices and beliefs, whether among the Hindus or the Sufis, or even among members of the Indian Muslim community, such as musicians. Nevertheless, one point remains unclear- -harmony. In Indian music, harmony seems to play a much smaller or very different role than in Western music. Throughout this book, Khan speaks of harmony and its importance, but what kind of harmony is he speaking of? The kind of harmony that results when two differing notes are played simultaneously with an agreeable affect? Or is he talking about vibrations joining to create a repeatable, predictable pattern? Or lining up rhythmic cycles so that the beats fall together in a pattern? He wasn't specific on this point, and I'm not sure that the concept of harmony carries over with the same meaning across musical cultures. Harmony is clearly important in the East as well as the West, but the word may refer to very different phenomena and so his message could potentially be interpreted differently according to the culture of the reader.
This book is one of the clearest on Sufi beliefs that I have found. I appreciate Khan's scholarship and his open-mindedness regarding all religious beliefs. He never preaches that one must abandon one's own religion, but instead tries to show that the core beliefs of all religions reach ultimately to the same source. In this light, the book is full of little surprises, like when Khan points out the etymological relationship between our Christian word Alleluia, and Muslim Allah. Points to ponder leap from every page, such as "It is never too late to go onto the spiritual path, but it is never too early." Khan is exceptionally clever at using metaphors for explanation. I'm not ready to take everything he says at face value, but he's given me a lot to think about.
Product Description
First published in 1923, this classic volume by the Indian Sufi mystic and musician, Inayat Khan (1882-1927), contains timeless teachings on the nature of vibration as the basis of all creation. In simple language this Indian musical master explores the essential mysticism of the science of vibrations and harmony and their effect in the world of human nature and relations. Transcending the barriers of religious traditions, The Mysticism of Sound explores profound and universal truths in a personable and appealing fashion. One of the earliest works to suggest a common essence of the mystical and the scientific, The Mysticism of Sound has been a treasured companion to many seekers. The new edition has been re-edited to reflect gender inclusive language.
Average customer rating:
- mmmm
- Lots of wonderful Discriptions and Pics, but no Names
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Barbie: Four Decades in Fashion (Mini Series)
Laura Jacobs
Manufacturer: Abbeville Press
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ASIN: 0789205521 |
Customer Reviews:
mmmm.......2002-01-12
yea um, i thot this was pretty awesum, like totally cool dude!yea um, definately buy it, go barbie!
ryan hudge
Lots of wonderful Discriptions and Pics, but no Names.......1999-04-10
This is a great book...it shows lots of great pictures of the fashions of Barbie from 1959 to 1998, however the name of the dolls were not included, just a short discription of the fashion. This was kind of disappointing, but if you are not interested in the identity of the dolls, then this book is a perfect pictorial of Barbie's world of fashion.
Average customer rating:
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Fashions of a Decade Series
Facts on File Inc , and
Serie Valerie Cumming and Elane Feldman
Manufacturer: Facts on File
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Book Description
In the 1920s, during an era when Americans were crazy for magic, Dai Vernon earned a reputation as a genius of the magical arts. When hard times descended after the crash of 29, the lights of New York faded, audiences dwindled, and Vernon headed west. Little did he realize that his life was about to change. In Wichita, Kansas, while swapping secrets with a Mexican gambler, Vernon was told a story he didnt quite believe, the tale of a legendary cardsharp who could pull off the impossibledealing perfectly from the center of the deck. Vernon set out to find the reclusive cardsharp, discovering a fascinating and dangerous kingdom of games and tricksters along the way. Did he finally get his man or did the greatest cardsharp who ever lived just vanish into thin air? A story with the nostalgic quality of an old-fashioned fable, The Magician and the Cardsharp is a unique and endlessly entertaining piece of history.
Customer Reviews:
More than just a magic read..........2007-08-01
This book goes far beyond most biographical treatments that you see in the field of magic. Yes, it talks about Vernon and his search for Bill Kennedy, and yes, it delves into the magic that they shared (although it was not magic to Kennedy; it was a way of making a living). "Magician and the Cardsharp" reads more like time travel. Johnson superbly takes you back into the past, and gives you a true "you are there" feeling. It reads like a novel, and that is an excellent thing...because you find yourself caring about the characters and seeing how they relate to their surroundings. Superb book; highest recommendation, even if you don't care about magic at all.
Great piece of investigative journalism that gives you a real flavor of early 20th century America .......2006-12-05
This is the story of how one of the century's greatest magicians tracked down a gambler who could do what most slight-of-hand artists only dreamed about: deal cards from the center of the deck. This move, the "holy grail" of card manipulation is really just little more than the MacGuffin in this intriguing page-turner of a story.
Even if you are not the slightest bit interested in magic, card tricks or gambling, this is a fascinating read.
You will be transported to the first third of the 20th century into a story full of memorable and colorful characters. Johnson's attention to detail and the thoroughness of his investigation is nothing short of miraculous.
One of the most purely entertaining books I've read in quite some time.
Transport You Back to Another America - Amazing Research.......2006-02-13
For budding and practicing magicians who love history about their art - hard to go wrong in reading and absorbing this book throughly.
For general readers (like myself) - you can appreciate this book two ways, it's an amazing transport back to another America. Back to a time of riverboat gamblers, railroad card sharps, prohibitions, etc, etc ... and the author's journey in tracing and tracking the whereabouts of a near mythical card trick. You learn about an amazing sub-culture that most of us were vaguely aware of and you learn about the daily lives of magicians and card sharps back in the day.
The other thing you learn to really appreciate and marvel at is that in case you thought non-fiction writers were all lazy (or liars these days :-), Karl Johnson proves them wrong. He literally leaves no stone unturned. If someone remarks that he met so and so on a rainy day. Karl went back and unearthed the meteorological from at least two newspaper to verify if that memory rings true ... and by doing so, he paints a very detailed picture of these small towns (and some not so small) and life in America in the years prior to WWII.
So, even if you're just mildly interested in card tricks or magic, the author has woven a very intricate journey of an interesting subculture and portraits of daily small town America in the 1920's and 1930's that's interesting in itself. Afterwards, you almost feel the need to dust yourself off from the Kansas winds ...
The only people who might be disappointed in this book are people who are looking for card trick tips how to. This is not that kind of book - this book literally shows you that the journey is the reward.
The True Story Told Finally and Faithfully.......2005-12-16
We just finished reading The Magician and the Cardsharp by Karl Johnson and are blown away.
If you do not already have this book, get it. Mr. Johnson tells the story of Dai Vernon's hunt for the middle-deal with such excitement, detail, and interest; you would swear he was a magician.
He's not one of us but he is the next best thing; a career journalist who knows how to write a good detective story.
The story of Dai Vernon's pursuit of what many considered a myth - the center deal - is well-known to most magicians (or at least the ones as old as us).
Some magicians assumed Mr. Vernon fabricated the entire story. There is no such thing as undetectable middle-deal, they grumble. And even if there was, no card mechanic would or could ever use it in a real game.
Tony Giorgio's writings against the myth of the center deal has been addressed several times on the Inside Magic web site. We see no need to go into it again other than to suggest this book supports a loud "told you so."
It is difficult to write a book about magic. We've all read the horrible efforts of non-magicians who either describe effects impossible to perform, or expose effects we depend on for our sustenance.
Jim Steinmeyer's approach to writing about the history of our great art deserves praise. We don't believe he unnecessarily exposes magic secrets in his writings.
We thought his balance was perfect in his two latest books: the recently released The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, aka Chung Ling Soo, the "Marvelous Chinese Conjurer" and the incredible Hiding the Elephant: How Magicians Invented the Impossible and Learned to Disappear.
Some may agree with us, some will not.
As much as we loved Mr. Steinmeyer's work -- and we really do -- Mr. Johnson's book on Dai Vernon's hunt for the mythical move surpasses all we've read.
Mr. Johnson's works real magic in his descriptions of the hunt for Allen Kennedy - the card mechanic - and the move magicians either dismissed as impossible to perfect, or irrelevant for a true gambler.
We read Jamy Ian Swiss' review of the book in one of our favorite magic magazines before we picked it up.
Mr. Swiss certainly knows his way around a deck of cards and knows what is possible. Mr. Swiss makes a convincing case that a gambler would learn to perfect the center deal despite the fact that it had limited (or according to Mr. Giorgio no) value in a real card game.
By the way, is it just us, or is Jamy Ian Swiss one of the best writers in our business? The guy is good. In fact, we think he's a gooder writer than us any day.
Some have asked, why would any mechanic take the time necessary to perfect a move that promised no advantage in a card game?
After all, assuming there is a stack you would like to use or preserve, you most certainly would not put the stack approximately in the center of the deck.
Remember, in a card game there would be a cut required after shuffling. The cut would certainly change the order of the bottom or top stack but and certainly not in a predictable sequence.
("Trust everyone but always cut the cards")
The book makes it clear the center deal can be done. Mr. Johnson points out, however, Mr. Vernon dedicated approximately two-years of daily practice to effectively present it.
Let's assume for the sake of argument Mr. Swiss and Mr. Vernon's skills with a deck of cards exceeds the average internet magic blog editor. If it would take them two years of daily practice to perfect the move for use in a magic trick, why would a gambler spend the time to learn the move or ever use it in a game when his moves are being burned by fellow gamers?
This is essentially Mr. Giorgio's point.
The Magician and the Cardsharp convincingly answers this question. We don't want to ruin the incredible drama of Mr. Vernon and Mr. Kennedy's meeting -- but we are sorely tempted because it is such great literature. You'll need to pick-up the book for yourself and read about the encounter. We think it is almost more exhilarating than the story of how Mr. Vernon finally located the card shark.
One of our favorite scenes leading up to the meeting with Mr. Kennedy, has Mr. Vernon and Charlie Miller meeting the underworld boss of the greater Kansas City area.
We never thought of Mr. Miller as being anything other than one of the very elite, cool members of the Dai Vernon mafia. His skills were legendary. But he had to start somewhere and the description of his first undercover test is hysterical and human.
We don't want to disclose too much. But at the same time, we're aching to tell. It's a great moment.
Please buy the book. Read it, buy copies for your magic and non-magic friends. This is a great story and as such transcends the traditional limitations of genre.
(...)
the magician and the cardsharp.......2005-10-09
A book not for everyone, but well written about subjects I rarely am interested in...magic and gambling. True life, the dark side of small towns and of common folks drawn in.
Product Description
How to perform amazing close-up tricks, baffling optical illusions, and incredible mental magic. Reveals the secrets of over 120 magic tricks, with over 1,000 color photographs. Includes magic with cards, matches, rope, silk, thimbles and money.
Book Description
With over 100 magic tricks with step by step instructions and more than 1000 color photos, this is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in magic.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from U.S. Catholic, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2006. The length of the article is 811 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Magic act: with a little sleight of hand and a lot of laughter, John Bosco connected people to the art of joy.
Author: Angelo Stagnaro
Publication:
U.S. Catholic (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 71
Issue: 4
Page: 46(2)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
If you've ever found yourself looking at funny images and thinking "Hey, how'd they do that?", this is the book that will give you the answer! Learn how to have fun with photos-swapping pictures of historical inventions with modern-day appliances or combining images of animals to produce unrealistic characters. "When Pancakes Go Bad" is infused with humor and behind-the-scenes tutorials that impart useful, easy-to-understand tips in a lighthearted manner. Organized into chapters by the general theme of the images, this book is packed with fun and interesting photos that will keep you entertained until the end.
Customer Reviews:
Photoshopping your head on a supermodel..........2007-05-23
While this book doesn't quite go into making pictures of yourself look like the ideal person, it does go a long way towards giving you the know-how and showing you the tools to make it happen. I was surprised with how easy some of the more difficult looking pictures were to duplicate.
I recommend this book for anyone who is familiar with Photoshop and wants to learn how to do more the program.
Not for beginners, but a good book........2006-12-16
This book is not for beginners, if you want to learn how to use Photoshop by books from the Friends Of Ed series (also on Amazon.com)
The author covers how to perform various acts of digital trickery and photo editing in this book. Just glancing at the book and fooling with Photoshop for an hour so, I was able to create some pretty disturbingly funny images.
I'd say this book is for people with intermediate to advanced photoshop knowledge.
Highly NOT Recommended.......2006-06-10
In my work as a Photoshop "Master," I am asked by people all over the country for recommendations on books. While I am much more likely to push a good book than drag a bad one back, in this case some of the things written in other reviews bothers me to the point of saying something.
I have taught workshops and classes to beginners and experts in Photoshop, and look at nearly everything that comes out. While many volumes dig into processes that produce finished, professional results, this particular book is only acceptable for an individual who wants examples of how to get into an image quickly, hack a change that is amusing at best, and close the file. Finely tuned, printable images are next to impossible to achieve through the examples and processes included.
It is cute to cut an image from one source and place it on another, or to put teeth on a pancake, but plain and simple... these methods are simply not believable, largely in part to poor methodology. Blurring and distorting creates soft pixelization, which is then dropped into sharp images and hacked together. Parts of images are roughly isolated and the colors changed through simple methods, leaving the image looking clearly as what it is... a color piece with an isolated image with a color shift (ooooo).
If I brought this book into a classroom it would be used as an example of what people THINK they can get away with, but in fact is a recipe to be always one of those frustrated people who wonder how the pros really do it.
Clearly written, but didn't reveal all........2005-10-17
This book is a very fascinating read for an ameture photoshop user. The techniques explained in this book are more for a person who wants to make "modern" art. The tutorials are clearly written and understandable.
The only disappointing thing was that the author didn't show how to do all of the pictures presented in the book.
What You Can Do With Photos.......2005-07-19
I only checked out this book because the official Weird Al website told me about it and the funny altered photographs of Weird Al it contained but there's more to this great book than just a laugh for Weird Al fans. There's altered road signs, wildlife, famous historic paintings, food and a heap of other stuff. There is also an explanation in the form of a step by step do it yourself guide along with original images showing how every altered photo in this book was done. If you've got Photoshop this is an excellent helpful instruction book. If you don't this book is still enjoyable. It's like funny e-mail photographs people send as attachments all in the one hard copy book. Very impressive!
Books:
- The Pink Floyd Encyclopedia
- The Portable Henry Rollins
- The Reader's Digest Merry Christmas Songbook
- The Robert Shaw Reader
- The Rough Guide To Classical Music (Rough Guide Music Reference) - 4th edition
- The Secret Power of Music: The Transformation of Self and Society Through Musical Energy
- The Singer's Musical Theatre Anthology - Volume 2: Tenor Accompaniment CDs (Vocal Collection)
- The Tube Amp Book: Deluxe Revised Edition
- The Violin-Makers of the Guarneri Family (1626-1762)
- Treatise on Harmony
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