Street

I know & love Mary and her husband, however I can in all honesty recommend adding this book to your fine art library, whether you are an artist or an art collector. She captures her subjects with remarkable finesse. You, the viewer, can sense her connection with the models - she has captured the true natures of her subjects on paper, in a professional and skillful manner. And, if you can, meet her and walk with her through a crowd, as she talks about the faces that interest her. You'll understand the magic she has rendered!

Mary Heussenstamm has compiled a book of some of the most warm and loving pictures of individuals I have ever encountered. She has taken people from the streets of Los Angeles and has depicted them with loving care. Her subjects blossom, through her art, with warm personalities. The paintings are not only realistic but they are real. These are real people with personalities and they are beautifully portrayed.

Unencumbered as I am by any preconceived notions of art, and with barely a sliver of artistic ability, I feel free to give sometimes outrageous opinions about the subject. Perhaps if I knew the proper attitudes one is supposed to have regarding art and art criticism, I might be better able to know what I like in paintings, especially watercolors, of which I am a lifelong aficionado.Despite my shortcomings in the world of art, I know instinctively what I like and I ignore current trends or schools or what people say I'm supposed to like. One thing for sure, though: I know I like Mary Heussenstamm's watercolor portraits. It may be pure instinct on my part but that doesn't detract from the validity of my appreciation. "Like" is perhaps too weak a word, really, for my strong feelings. "Obsession" might be more like it. But I challenge anyone to look at Mary Heussenstamm's portraits without feeling something instinctual, something almost visceral, which is not to say that her watercolors don't appeal to the intellect as well. They certainly do to mine!I think the strongest and most lasting impression the portraits make on me is the inherent dignity and respect regarding the subjects, the people she encountered on the steeets of Los Angeles. The richness and variety of skin color--yes; the pleasing, sometimes startling facial shapes, the variation of human features--they are all there. These are nothing short of magnificent, but it is the awe, the warmth, and the affection that the artist reveals in her face-to-face encounters while she holds her one versatile brush and works with no more than seven tubes of colors that speak to me as much or even more than the mastery of technique of that most difficult of media--watercolors.I like to study one portrait at a time, sometimes even one a day, so that no person's face is lost among a host of other fascinating faces. This is just my approach to the almost 100 portraits. Others may wish to be overwhelmed by the "crowed," and an unforgettable one it is!Fifty years ago I bought a book I have never tired of: "The Family of Man." It consists of thoughtful, often joyous photographs of people throughout the world as they go about their lives. Mary Heussenstamm's people, as we see them in her paintings, are, for me, a part of that wonderful family.

It's a wonderful book, heartfelt and fascinating. The illustrations, too, are delightful. Highly recommended!

Elsa Okon Rael is making a true place for herself in young children's literature. Both this book and her earlier Zeesie story evoke a time in immigrant history, but more, bring to life a very real little girl amid her loving family. There is no better gift for a grandmother to give her grandchild or one that will be reread so often.

This book captures you quickly and holds you the length of the story. I found the story enlightening as it explained one of the Jewish holidays with reverence and warmth. A wonderful book for younger children of any religion!

The Ambassador From Wall Street is a fasciating tale of one of the great financial leaders of the 20th Century. As a retired New York banker who started work in 1950 and who held some quite responsible positions, I found the book contained messages for bankers that are as true today as they were in the life of Mr. Lamont, particularly on how to avoid undue risk and how to manage the inevitable messes when they occur. The book seems to have been well researched by the arthor, a Grandson of the subject,and takes us through the many economic and financial developments of the first half of the twentieth century. Its scope allows the reader to have a broad view of the financial world, a useful benefit in this age of globalization. I particularly recommend the book to young students of finance. The lessons learned will enhance their careers.

Alethea W. Hawley's review offers an excellent summary of a well researched account of the life and impact of Mr. Thomas W. Lamont and his importance to the major economic and political powers of his era and why this account deserves a five star rating.

This biography of Thomas W. Lamont, J.P. Morgan's Chief Executive is a thoroughly researched account of the legendary financier during the first half of the twentieth century, when the powerful banking firm was at the pinnacle of international finance. The author, his grandson has written this lively biography based on his independent research and his personal collection of family papers and Thomas Lamont's letters.The reader will become acquainted with the economic and political history of the period, the many crucial world events that were transpiring, as well as a full roster of leaders such as Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Wilson and Hoover, who all sought advice from Lamont. Along with all of the above, the author portrays the luxurious lifestyle of his grandfather, such as commuting from his home to Wall Street by yacht. There are social vignettes such as a house party at Lady Astor's Cliveden, as well as a Lamont soiree during which a Federal judge broke the nose of Walter Lippman's charming wife. The reader is also given glimpses of such luminaries as Charles Lindbergh and H.G. Wells, who were among Thomas Lamont's close friends. John Kenneth Galbraith praised this volume and characterized it as "affectionate and well researched...We are in debt to Edward Lamont for this literate and thoroughly interesting biography." Book List and Publishers Weekly contributed highly enthusiastic reviews, and recommended it for those interested in history, banking and foreign affairs. Written in a brisk and informative style, Lamont interjects his wit at just the right places so as to present a very balanced, straight forward, and informative piece of work.

Rudolf Besier's "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" is an excellent play based on a turbulent period in the life of the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Elizabeth is an invalid who along with her many brothers and sisters lives in terror of her borderline insane father. He rules his house with an iron fist, forbidding any of his children to marry or even have friends.

Into this nightmare comes fellow poet Robert Browning, who through a combination of tender ardor and sheer stubbornness forever changes the life of Elizabeth, and ultimately all of the Barretts. The final scene, where the family comes to terms with a great shock, is both frightening and triumphant.

Besier's play is rooted in fact and tightly paced, with an incredibly suspenseful ending, especially since most people know how Barrett's life turned out. Good, solid dialogue and an interesting historical backdrop make this play well worth reading.

GRADE: A-

Well this play started off slow, but once Robert Browning was introduced, I was completely entranced. The play is set in the bedroom of Elizabeth Barrett, and it tells of the dynamics of living in a home with a domineering father. I felt deeply for Elizabeth's situation, and the fact that it's based on her actual life is amazing. It helped me see how such great work can come forth from such a tortured soul.

The point where she meets Robert Browning warmed my heart and sent excitement through me as I read it. Rudolf Besier did a wonderful job in conveying the depth of love and commitment of Robert Browning. I missed Robert Browning when he wasn't in a scene, and I relished every scene that had him.

Also, the scenes with Elizabeth's father were electrifying. The way the play described the father's relationship with his children was very well done. Besier definitely walked the line without being too obvious.

Overall this was a magnificent play. I enjoyed it tremendously.

I'm a student in the university I will introduce Rudolf Besier. I read the book. I need information about the biography of Rudolf Besier. I have no enough time. I think The Barrets of Wimpole Street is the most successful work of Rudolf Besier

There have been major shifts and changes in the American financial world over the past two decades driven by the aging baby boom generation, the Internet and computerized day trading, global economic crises, and the "democratization" of the stock and markets. In Bull Run: Wall Street, The Democrats, And The New Politics Of Personal Finance, Daniel Gross examines how the changes in attitudes and policies of the Democratic party under the influence of the Clinton administration has led to an unprecedented period of sustained stability and growth in the American financial community, the rapidly increasing percentage of Americans owning stocks and mutual funds, with the result that today a majority of citizens have a personal stake in public equity and debt markets. Gross offers provocative opinions backed with true-life stories illustrating the new relationship and interdependence of politics and finance, Wall Street, Main Street, and Washington. Bull Run is highly recommended, informative reading for do-it-yourself investors seeking to understand American financial markets -- and what the on-coming decade might bring.

No Bull. Anyone with even a passing interest in national politics will find this book invaluable. The author, clearly a Jack of many trades, brings a wealth of evidence to show a shift in the political landscape that may well affect the outcome of the next election and certainly clarifies positions taken by each party. The stories, facts and humor made it eminently readable.

This book was a quick read and explained in an entertaining manner with wit and stories about the public policy issues and players in today's economy. There was a laugh a paragraph and it was a quick read. I enjoyed the characterization of his parents as academics who accrued wealth through TIAA-CREF.

My son (30 months old) falls in love with this book. He loves to know about the adventures of Elmo, pretend the animals in the book, such as duck, frog, elephant to tell Elmo how to get to Seseame Street. This book captures the imagination of the my little boy.

If you are like me, you'll be humming the theme song of Sesame Street to yourself as you read this book. The book provides a remarkable set of images about finding Sesame Street that will be conjured up every time you hear the theme song. The story provides great support for the fun of books, and trusting to your purpose despite apparent hurdles to overcome. As such, it will be an important contribution to your library of beginning reader books. The book's fine illustrations help reinforce the words in the story, to make learning to read easier, and to make the story more fun to read.

The book opens with Elmo surrounded by books.

"Elmo likes books."

"Fat books. Funny books. Bat books. Bunny books. Bear-in-the-chair books. Kite-in-the-air books."

With this beginning, the story quickly takes Elmo on a wonderful kite adventure. I liked this approach very much because it shows how books can be the launching pad for many interesting thoughts and experiences. Further, you can use your imagination to build on what's in the books. The bulk of the story then involves what happens when Elmo's kite pulls him off the ground and into the air. How will he get back to Sesame Street?

By suggesting that this could be a pretend adventure, it also takes the potential fright out of the story for many children. If your child is easily upset by danger, you may want to wait until she or he can be more objective before introducing this story.

In the course of the adventure, many strange and unexpected things occur. But Elmo is always flexible and imaginative. As a result, the results of challenges turn out well. You can use this story as a metaphor for how life tends to be in talking with your child. We all have to realize that the unexpected is usually just around the corner.

After you have read the book several times, encourage your child to read the repeated words like "books" aloud when they appear. This will help with decoding words and letters. Like many excellent beginning readers, this book features lots of that valuable repetition. There are a number of situations where only one letter is different (as in "there" and "where"). When your child is ready, help him or her to differentiate between them and to then read the two aloud to you when they appear in the story.

Build reading skill through repetition within the context of an interesting and entertaining story like this one!

Both my two year old and 4 year old love this book. Elmo's kite adventure keeps little ones turning the pages. My kids just love Elmo and loved this simple fun and easy to read book.

First recommendation of Alan Durning: read the book in a bus. Last recomendation: give the book to the person next to you in the same bus. He has reflexion not only about transportation but also for urban planning, and how to avoid policies that in a middle term affect your transportation.

By far the best indictment of cities built for cars, this pithy, straight-shooting, quick read is full of logical solutions to car addiction. Bristling with facts about the actual cost of cars and car infrastructure, moved along by the success story of Vancouver, B.C.'s West End, suggestions for improving cities livability run the gamut from city planning solutions, to innovative ideas for auto insurance. This book is an indisputable must for city planners, developers, politicians and citizens concerned about the livability of their cities. It's themes are applicable well outside of the Northwest.

This exceptional book makes it enjoyable and quick to understand what's wrong with how we currently design our towns and cities: making them easier to drive through, rather than making them better to actually be in! Durning provides clear examples and suggests concrete steps for making things better, all the while keeping it simple and human, not dry and technical. A must for citizens and local officials interested in addressing traffic problems and building more livable communities. (See also The Geography of Nowhere, by J. H. Kunstler.)

This is a "must have" for Metzker fans and other late 20th century photography afficianados. These are starkly contrasted b/w photos that are both abstract design and life commentary. You will want to cut out each image and hang it on your wall. But don't. The book itself is too elegant.

The photos of this book further the photographer's thinking as it is conveyed through a photograph. The photos display strong evidence of a conscious mind behind a camera interpreting what is in front of it. The photos are graceful, delightful and engulfing. Their rending in the book itself is spectacular. The prints being seen for the first time are strongly supported by the remaining work. Together they lend towards the viewer's discovery of the photographer's thinking in making these photographs. Several varied series of photographs are displayed. Truely a gift to look so far into the creative process.

This is a fantastic collection of street photography by an often overlooked photographer. Metzer's photographs are brilliant scenes of bright light and deep shadow. The deep chiaroscuro of film noir cinematography is the first thing that comes to mind. His juxapositions of shadows, buildings and people are simply beautiful, and at the same time very lonely. If you can, I would recommend seeing this exhibit in person (at the Laurence Miller Gallery, NYC). Otherwise, definitely pick up this book.

Can you imagine Merlin, Modred and Morgan in Boston or New York in the year 2200? The usual power sources have been depleted and now the world runs on magic as some run on java. Experience the adventure of Wyrdrune, Kira and a couple of other characters in a world once again full of magic and see the first experience with the dark ones after eons. Definitely a book worth reading.

Simon Hawke brings about a unique look at the tales of Merlin as his long slumber had ended. He awakens to see a world gone mad. The world goverments are in chaos as all types of power are gone. They call it the Collapse. Merlin realizes that he and he alone can bring the world from ruin and he does so. Now it is the 22nd century almost fifty years since he cam back to the world. Fifty years of magic users and that with which to bring humanity back from despair. The world has seen a new age and with it things that the old world never saw until that fateful day. An acution house has many things to offer from a dig in the euprahties among them three gems engraved with symbols of untold of power. A young warlock currently thrown out of magic college for a spell that went wild tries to steal them right in front of the people willing to bid on them. this young man thinks they might be his ticket to get back in and study once again at the feet of Merlin himself. This young man is named William Kerpinsjy his magical name is. At the same time a young thief going by the name of Kira also has idea of stealing the gems. Unknown to them both the worlds greatest assasin Moprheus wants these gems as well. Unlike those going to steal them he intends to buy them. All seems to be going to each others plan until the true maddness happens. I won't give to much of this wonderful novel. I read these in high school and loved them. If you can find a copy of this book read it.

I am not much of a book reviewer. I just know what I like and I really liked this book and all the books that follow in the series (I think there were 7) and even the spin-off novel from The Wizard of Santa Fe called Cats Eye Gomez.

If you enjoy a creative twist in your reading then you will find Simon Hawke's books are a joy to read.

I just wish I could find his books somewhere so I could share them with my friends and nephew.

Kirk Alex isn't kidding when he refers to the "hard side of the street" in his book's title. This collection of stories and poems shows us the streets of L.A. through the eyes of a tough yet world-weary taxi driver. His stories offer an endless stream of down-on-their luck people, including prostitutes, wanna-be actors, eccentrics and, not least of all, the narrator, who is as lonely and hurt as the people he meets but more self-aware. He's hardened to life, bitter from heartbreak and years of struggling just to get by, but also wise...yet at the same time, always on the verge of suicide. These hard-luck tales have a working-class realism that at times recalls a less-repetitive, not-quite-as-alcohol-and-sex-obsessed Bukowski. The short stories--generally only a few pages in length each--are introspective and moving but also filled with humor, surreal moments and oddball characters. It's a compelling read that successfully brings you into the mind of a conflicted, complicated man...

This is a group of short stories and poems about life in present-day Hollywood, as seen from the bottom looking up.

Alex is a native of Sarajevo who found himself in Los Angeles by way of Brussels and Chicago (plus an Army stint in Vietnam). He had writing in his blood, and figured L.A. was the place to go. While amassing rejection slips, he worked a variety of jobs, including furniture moving, painting apartments, TV repos and delivering phone books door-to-door.

Much of the book concerns his experiences behind the wheel of a taxi. Some of those he meets are decent, reasonable people; others can be described in terms much less complimentary. One day, an older woman gets into his cab and says that she is Maria Callas, the international opera star. The only problem is that Maria Callas died several months previously. When apprised of the fact, "Ms. Callas" gets very angry and belligerent and refuses to pay her fare. She is taken away by the police.

Later in the book, Alex sells his cab and goes in with some friends on the making of a horror film to break into the video market. Called Bloodsucking Geeks (written by Alex), the budget can best be described as tiny. All of the video distributors are either not interested, or they want total control on a vague promise of future payment. After several months, with no job and no money to buy a cab and return to the streets, Alex finds himself experiencing involuntary dieting (also called starvation).

City of Angels? Maybe for that couple of percent of people who get anywhere near that thing called "fame and fortune." Everyone else is just trying to get by in a place where, if you don't have the right job and a flashy car, the odds are very much stacked against you.

This book is excellent. It's full of honest, heartfelt writing that certainly shows a very different view of Hollywood. It's also highly recommended.

Working The Hard Side Of The Street: Selected Stories, Poems, Screams is an anthology of powerful, caustic, original tales and poems Kirk Alex about the ups, downs, and hard knocks of Hollywood's seamy underbelly. The perspective of a 'fly-on-the-wall' cab driver provides a piercing realism and insight into the vicious clashes and personal struggles that lie hidden underneath the entertainment capital's glossy, photo-touched exterior. Working The Hard Side Of The Street is recommended as a gut-wrenching read for both its candor and bravado.