Form-3 Books

Mike is an artist, photographer and art director.

He can see great talent and know's how to put it to work. He has launched many careers in the process and has kept several great artists alive, by throwing them work, over the years.

Mike has worked with "The Best" in his 50 years of experiencs and has helped shape the present culture by utilizing his, and other's, talents.

This is a great collection of his work, presented with tongue in cheek humor. Totally entertaining and enlightening. Lots of smirks and laughs too. And... some cheesecake as well!

Mike Salisbury has long been one of my heroes, both for his innovative design work and strong knowledge of marketing. This book provides great insight into how Mike approaches a project and why he brings so much more than design talent. And the vivid examples from his extensive portfolio are inspirational, to say the least.

lotsa big bright pictures! An autobiographical account of this mike salisbury guy, a celebrity art director/graphic design type who came up with some of the most unforgetable commercial graphics and campaigns of the last 30 years (Joe Camel, Rolling Stone magazine, Jurassic Park, and even Micheal Jackson!). The guy's kinda pompous, but I guess that's the gig in the promotion and marketing game. Worth reading!

This highly recommended introduction covering the life of the artist Richard Power opens to a full-page color-embellished survey of 120 of the artist's fantasy images and contributions to the world of paperback illustrative art. An outstanding survey of images is created in an excellent keepsake edition for fans of science fiction and fantasy art.

The best cover artist of all time. No exaggeration. Some of the later work becomes, unfortunately, exceedingly literal--it's as if someone forced Powers to put Boris-Vallejo-like human figures into his abstract scenes in order to satisfy some PR/marketing goal. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Finally, a book dedicated solely to the works of the late Richard Powers... a dream come true. I was tired of always seeing him presented as one of many entries in books of sci-fi artists, shoved between others who were obviously not as talented as he. This is a true deal.... page after page of his beautiful/haunting/otherworldly art (yes, all 3 adjectives, and more, exist in each painting!). The reproductions are of a very high quality and clarity, some taking up 2 pages, allowing you to see the textures within the images. The text gives some very good insight on Powers' inspirations and personality, with some very funny stories. My only objections are - 1. There are a number of works produced in a fairly small format (4" x 4" or less) , and I would've gladly paid more if the publisher had enlarged them and expanded the page count. 2. No photos of Powers at work, just two self-portraits. 3. The text tends to ramble a bit, especially the first chapter, and I would have loved to see more art in place of it.

I was fortunate to hear the author speak the other night at an exhibition and she is charming and articulate. Her sculpture and her thoughts are wrapped in layers of subtlety. This book is very much like the author.

Ms. King is not only a great artist but an original thinker. Her sculptures, mechanical self-portraits fashioned from wood and metal, are amazingly realistic and beautiful yet at the same time a step beyond reality. As a craftsman, she is truly gifted with her hands. As a writer, she is able to examine the fields of history, philosophy, and science through the lens of her art and make us rethink the meaning of the human brain and senses. Especially fascinating was her research into the history of the homunculus.

As an added bonus, the book is beautifully designed (even won an award for book design).

A crystalline romp reflecting tension and reverie involved in the creation of that which is in our image. King's prose is elegant, pithy, never prolix, illuminating topics from the Golem to ETA Hoffman's Olympia while passing on the way thorough Jacquard's loom and Vaucanson's creations.

Throughout this shimmering work are dispersed aching photographs of King's Pupil, a jointed movable sculpture; her Galetea, who seems, at any moment, about to spring to life.

I without reservation recommend this work to anyone interested in the creation of works in the image of "Man," from sculptors to professors of AI.

This is my favorite from the queen of family humor. Here's what hilarity happens when the ordinary human tries on psychology fads as if they were dresses on a bargain rack.

Erma Bombeck is on a quest to perfect herself in this book. As she searches for the greatsest self-help book she can find, she searches to become more sexy, smarter, thinner, and all together more perfect. I don't know if she reaches her goal, but she does decide to like herself anyway! This book is hilarious! "I don't want to participate in any sport that has an ambulance at the bottom of the hill". Enjoy this wonderful, humorous book . . . and take a second look on what it means to be happy!

Erma Bombeck chronicles a year in the 80s when she devoted her time and energy to self-help books, like the "Total Woman."

A reader both feels sympathy for Erma's somewhat bumbling attempts to become what these books demand of her, and for her harried husband, who must have woken up every morning to wonder who his wife is today. She is pressed by an apparently lunatic friend to read "The Sub-Total Woman", attempting to act sexy and wifely to save her marriage, but only ends up weirding out her husband and burning up her nightgown.

Other chapters involve Transcendental Meditation, thrift, the guests from hell, astrology guilt, other people's middle-aged pregnancies, jogging, and the ultimate frontier: satisfaction. You'll want to jeer at the bizarre ladies at the end of this, but you definitely won't regret buying it.

This is the greatest, most enjoyable story ever! It's so right on point. I wish it would be republished. Get ready to laugh, smile, perhaps shed a tear but a 'good' tear, and nod your head as you begin to feel better about whatever......Right on!!!!!

I have enjoyed this book every time I have read it, and it is many times. I have given this book to most of my dog loving friends, and many will get it this year for Christmas! What a great look into how dogs think and behave. Thank you buck!

An enjoyable read for pet owners or others, "Barking at Prozac" is a hilarious first-"paw" narrative of Buck the beagle. McNichol succeeds at funny and descriptive accounts of everyday life from the four-legged perspective. Readers (or their pets) needn't be on puppy uppers to appreciate the humor of "Barking." It will tickle their funny bone.

This is an excellent knmihimo book for beginners and the experienced. It outlines everything in detail and steps you through the process. It is also filled with wonderful colorful pictures. There are many patterns provided for variety as well. Highly recommended.

Love this book, espically if you are into kumihimo and beading this book is a must for something beautiful and different when it comes to beading and braiding...

This book is a wonderful reference for anyone with a little experience in Kumihimo braiding and moderate experience in beading. The illustrations are beautiful and the technique diagrams easy to understand. Highly recommend this for bead and fiber artists wanting to expand their knowledge and ideas.

Beautiful work that shows the souls of women, and how they arrange their personal space to display what is important to them.

Many of the illustrations and texts focus on Mexican and Mexican-American women and their Catholic shrines/altars (this is what the author has studied the most), but there are also illustrations of Goddess, Celtic, African, Hindu, Buddhist, and Orthodox altars pictured in the book. The text is well written, but the pictures are definitely the highlight of the book.

Kay Turner's Beautiful Necessity graces its readers with balance and bounty. In its image-filled pages, one finds scholarship and story, history and anecdote, ritual and spontaneity, tradition and innovation, honor and humor: in all, the elements of a living altar. For those versed in altar tradition and practice, Beautiful Necessity affirms the sacred act of connection to that larger than the self; for those new to the tradition, welcome after welcome is given. Anyone who has ever -- who hasn't? -- found or made a meaningful connection to the sacred through objects or images will see themselves reflected here. One surprise after another greets readers throughout the book: perhaps one of the biggest surprises is the enduring and unquestionable connection between the altars themselves, made by women separated by time, place and history. Turner focuses on the ritual gestures of offering -- physical, spiritual, incantatory, conversational-- and manages, through carefully distinct chapters, to bring together the whole of altar practice via attention to distinct aspects and traditions; detail after detail stands out, and still the different altars come together into a practice, a way of being. This is remarkable, since even the contemporary altars vary from ephemeral performance art installations in New York City to long-enduring, cherished domestic altars in homes on several continents. Buy the book. Read the book. Make an altar, or return to the altar you have, or to your appreciation of another, refreshed and restored by this wide-ranging illumination of spiritual and artistic practice and belief. You need this book.

This book provides a thorough and well written discussion of various aspects of women's altars. If you maintain a home altar, you may experience a deep revelation of how women across cultures and religions have similar practices and understandings of the sacred altar space. Turner's book does a wonderful job with photographic images of altars created by women practicing different traditions, including Goddess worship, Catholicism, and Buddhism. I was unaware of how altar traditions are often passed down through women in the family or that women are the primary caretakers of altars in certain cultures. Turner's discussion of techniques that are shared by women, such as collage, was wonderful to read. I thought some of the practices I had been doing were unique to me, since I was not taught them. How great to discover women share these creative practices and approaches to the spiritual realm collectively. This book is a true gift.

This is a cute and clever book of classic stories with a feline twist. Not sure the cats will care either way but I can see how cat lovers will get a kick from this book. Makes a great gift!!!

This is a great book for the child who is a cat lover.

Author of "Hobo Finds A Home"

Finally, a book just for me! I got this book as a christmas gift and my pet-person read the bedtime stories to me. I must say it worked like a charm! she was out like a light in minutes, leaving me free to roam the house and climb the christmas tree ;-)

Snowball the wonder cat

The entire cast of characters at Camp Swampy are reporting to the frontlines of the comics for laugh duty, SIR!

Beetle Bailey, the central character is the world's laziest, most lovable soldier in creation. He devises one funny scheme after anothe to test Sarge's mettle, lead his fellow enlisted men into hilarious stunts and in general, turns Camp Swampy into a comedy club. (Check out the part when Sarge raids the showers. That part will leave you laughing for a long time).

Yes, this book is such a worthwhile treat to have. Hop into your Government Issue Jeep and head on over to Camp Swampy!

I'm not exactly sure when these strips were first published but if I had to guess I'd say sometime around the 60's. These strips are done in comic book fashion rather than the normal comic strip fashion (meaning they tell little, humorous stories). A fine addition to any Beetle Bailey fan's collection!

Sarge has it comin' when he busts in on his troops in the shower....don't ask don't tell baby!

I love this book! I've never explored any art history books before, but this was a great first experience. Hibbard has a gift for explaining all of the details of Bernini's works, without bombarding you with unknown lingo or being long-winded. I would highly recommend this book, especially if you plan on going to Italy someday.

The content i.e details of Bernini's sculpture is very interesting to know.
The author makes us look at the sculptures in an expert way by mentioning things like - one sculpture having an inaccurate centre of gravity. The concept of one medium used to look like the other being immoral was new to me.
And just one sentence that I needed to know, about how Bernini viewed his work -' he considered most of his works far inferior to the Beauty that he knew and conceived in his mind'. Bernini's work and his interest in it seems like 'progressive improvement'. So It was interesting to know that he was inspired in a way that didnt stop at one work or with the greater beauty that he saw, he never seems to have been at loss for inspiration.
My favourite is Cornaro Chapel.

Hibbard is one of the world's most respected and informed historians of sculpture. And he's a good writer too. That sums up my review. Enjoy the reading and the wonderful photographs!!!