Short Reviews/Mentions of Last-Minute Gifts
Steve Brock
Here are several short reviews and mentions of books for last-
minute holiday shoppers:
Technical/Computers:
HAL'S LEGACY: 2001'S COMPUTER AS DREAM AND REALITY, edited by David
G. Stork. MIT Press, 55 Hayward St., Cambridge, MA 02142, (800)
356-0343, (617) 258-6779 FAX. Those on the Internet may place
orders by sending e-mail to mitpres...@mit.edu. MIT catalogs
are available on the Internet by telneting to techinfo.mit.edu
(login: anonymous, password: your complete e-mail address - at the
main menu, choose #2, then #21), by gophering to gopher.mit.edu
(choose #5), or by sending e-mail to mitpres...@mit.edu. On
the WWW, MIT Press is at http://www.mitpress.edu, and the book's
website is at http://www-mitpress.mit.edu/Hal/. Illustrated,
index. 405 pp., $22.50 cloth. 0-262-19378-7. A refreshing
collection of essays describing how far we still need to go to
create a computer with HAL's capabilities. Grade: A.
Art and Photography:
COMICS, COMIX & GRAPHIC NOVELS: A HISTORY OF COMIC ART by Roger
Sabin. Published by Phaidon Press Limited, distributed in the U.S.
exclusively by Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA
94103, (800) 722-6657, (800) 445-7577 in CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX.
Illustrated (over 600 total), index, list of further readings. 240
pp., $59.95 cloth. 0-7148-3008-9. In this sumptuous and superbly
illustrated work, Sabin documents the rise of humorous stories told
in pictures, from the woodcuts of the Middle Ages, to Bringing Up
Father and Moon Mullins, to Disney and MAD, to R. Crumb and ZAP.
Some of the illustrations are too small to be understood, but
Sabin's informative commentary on comic culture (which will never
be taken seriously), more than makes up for it. Grade: B+.
I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR by Nan Goldin. Scalo, distributed in the
United States by D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, 636 Broadway,
12th Floor, N.Y., NY 10012, (800) 338-2665, FAX: (212) 673-2887.
Illustrated (312 total, 294 in color), exhibition history,
catalogue of works, selected bibliography. 492 pp., $70.00 cloth.
3-931141-33-0. A catalog for an exhibition at New York's Whitney
Museum (through January 5), this photographic examination of the
sordid lives of many of Goldin's friends isn't for those not
accustomed to unsettling images, especially those of women showing
the wounds from spousal abuse and men dying from AIDS. Gritty, but
honest. Only appropriate as a gift for Goldin devotees. Grade:
B+.
DEGAS: BEYOND IMPRESSIONISM by Richard Kendall. Published by
National Gallery Publications, London, in association with The Art
Institute of Chicago. Distributed by Yale University Press, 302
Temple Street, New Haven, CT 06511, (203) 432-0960, FAX: (203) 432-
3111. The Yale University Press home page on the WWW is at
http://www.yale.edu/yup/. Illustrated, index, bibliography, notes,
chronology. 324 pp., $50.00 cloth. 1-85709-130-2. A catalog for
an exhibition (now at the Art Institute of Chicago through January
5) of Degas' later works, focusing on dancers and bathers as
subjects of his sequential pastels, paintings, and sculptures.
Grade: A-.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT: A LOOK AT CONTEMPORARY MULTIMEDIA PERFORMANCE,
photographs by Dona Ann McAdams. Aperture, 20 East 23rd St., N.Y.,
NY 10010, (212) 505-5555, FAX: (212) 979-7759. Illustrated (157
black-and-white duotone photographs), afterword. 128 pp., $40.00
cloth. 0-89381-680-9. A breathtaking and courageous chronicle of
performance art, includes the works of Allen Ginsberg, John Cage,
Holly Hughes, Meredith Monk, Eric Bogosian, with commentary.
Though some of the photographs lack a perspective on what is
observed, this is a strong and imaginative effort. Grade: B.
RICHARD MEIER HOUSES: 1962-1997. Rizzoli International Publica-
tions, 300 Park Avenue South, N.Y., NY 10010, (800) 221-7945, FAX:
(800) 258-2769. Illustrated (252 total, 225 in color), chronology.
250 pp., $75.00 cloth. 0-8478-1931-0. A retrospective of fourteen
commissions of the acclaimed utopian modernist and exclusive worker
in white, from his early works in the Northeast to his most recent
in Los Angeles. Not included are interior photographs of the just-
finished Rachofsky House in Dallas, said by many to be a vision in
perfection. Grade: B.
LISA FONSSAGRIVES: A PORTRAIT, edited by David Seidner. The
Vendome Press, 1370 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10010, (212)
957-8802, FAX: (212) 957-3480. Illustrated (120 color and
duotone). 149 pp., $75.00 cloth. 0-86565-978-8. A grand
portfolio of the elegant covergirl, during the early years of Vogue
and Harper's Bazaar, who many call "the first supermodel."
Photographers include Richard Avedon, Man Ray, and Irving Penn, her
husband. Grade: B+.
THE PLAYMATE BOOK: FIVE DECADES OF CENTERFOLDS by Gretchen Edgren.
General Publishing Group, Inc., 2701 Ocean Park Boulevard, Suite
140, Santa Monica, CA 90405, (800) 745-9000, FAX: (310) 915-9900.
Illustrated (over 1000 color and black-and-white photographs,
index, appendix. 384 pp., $50.00 cloth. 1-881649-95-4. Behind-
the-scenes and under-the-clothes glimpses of life as a centerfold,
as told by Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Anna Nicole Smith,
Pamela Anderson, and 510 others, along with an abundance of their
photographs. The bachelor gift of the season. Grade: B+.
THE 20TH CENTURY ART BOOK. Published by Phaidon Press Limited,
distributed in the U.S. exclusively by Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth
Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, (800) 722-6657, (800) 445-7577 in
CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX. Illustrated (over 500 total), glossary,
list of museums and galleries. 512 pp., $39.95 cloth. 0-7148-
3542-0. This weighty compendium is an A to Z dictionary featuring
over 500 artists. Each is given a full-page example of their work
with a short commentary on it, providing a few strange meetings, as
with the two Stellas (Frank and Joseph) on facing pages.
ANGELS, ANARCHISTS & GODS by Christopher Felver. Louisiana State
University Press, Baton Rouge, LA 70893, (504) 388-6666. Illustrated
(200 duotone photographs), index. 224 pp., $45.00 cloth.
0-8071-2085-5. If you remember the sixties, you were never really
there. These images of activists, writers, musicians, poets, and
artists will bring to mind foggy memories of the status quo being
evil incarnate. On Christmas Day, cover the names and play "Who's
That?" Grade: B.
SCASSI: A CUT ABOVE by Arnold Scassi, text by Bernardine Morris.
Rizzoli International Publications, 300 Park Avenue South, N.Y., NY
10010, (800) 221-7945, FAX: (800) 258-2769. Illustrated, index.
192 pp., $55.00 cloth. 0-8478-1987-6. A catalog for a retrospective
(now at the New York Historical Society through January 5) of
the Canadian fashion designer's 40-year career and the originals he
created for many Barbaras: Streisand, Bush, and Walters, as well as
Elizabeth Taylor, Ivana Trump, and Joan Rivers. Grade: B.
Royalties from sales will be donated to The Breast Cancer Research
Foundation.
Book/CD Sets:
GRAVIKORDS, WHIRLIES & PYROPHONES: EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,
compiled by Bart Hopkin. Ellipsis Arts, 20 Lumber Rd., Roslyn, NY 11576,
(800) 788-6670, FAX: (516) 621-2750. Illustrated book (96 pp., cloth),
one compact disc. The set is $29.95. 1-55961-382-3. Hopkin, publisher
of the "Experimental Music Journal," profiles thirty-seven contemporary
instrument inventors in the book, and demonstrates their unusual sounds on
the accompanying eighteen-track compact disc. Don't miss Wendy Mae
Chambers and her Car Horn Organ, playing "New York, New York." Grade: B.
THE LIVING CLARINET by Barrie Carson Turner. Alfred A. Knopf, 201
E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800) 638-6460, FAX: (212) 572-2593.
Knopf's home page on the WWW is at http://www.randomhouse.com/.
Illustrated, index, one compact disc. 48 pp., $25.00 cloth. For
ages 9 and up. 0-679-88179-4. An exceptional introduction to the
clarinet, with a history, manufacturing details, and profiles of
ten great composers for the clarinet. The full-length compact disc
alone is worth the price of the set. Grade: A. Also in the
series: "The Living Piano" and "The Living Flute."
Cookbooks:
CHARLIE TROTTER'S VEGETABLES by Charlie Trotter. Ten Speed Press,
Box 7123, Berkeley, CA 94707, (800) 841-BOOK, FAX: (510) 524-4588.
Illustrated, index, list of sources, six appendices. 239 pp.,
$50.00 cloth. 0-89815-838-9. Eighty sumptuous, though intricate,
recipes for every month of the season. Though some ingredients may
be hard to find, experienced cooks will be undaunted. Others will
simply want to move to Chicago, so they can say "Let's eat out
tonight." Grade: B+.
THE DEAN AND DELUCA COOKBOOK by David Rosengarten with Joel Dean
and Giorgio DeLuca. Random House, Inc., 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY
10022, (800) 733-3000, (800) 659-2436 FAX. The Random House home
page is at http://www.randomhouse.com, and the Dean and Deluca home
page is at http://www.dean-deluca.com. Index. 575 pp., $35.00
cloth. 0-679-43463-1. A journal of "a culinary odyssey,"
undertaken by a noted cable television personality ("Taste" on the
Television Food Network) and two food purveyors (who now offer a
line of gourmet and culinary products via mail-order), with over
600 recipes (that even YOU can make). Includes sage advice with a
touch of humor, and lots of recommendations to purchase from the
D&D catalog. Grade: A-.
Children:
CHILDREN'S CLASSICS SERIES: LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD AND OTHER
STORIES by Charles Perrault and SHERLOCK HOLMES by Arthur Conan
Doyle. Everyman's Library, 201 E. 50th St., N.Y., NY 10022, (800)
638-6460, FAX: (212) 572-2593. The Everyman's Library home page on
the WWW is at http://www.randomhouse.com/. Illustrated. "Little
Red Riding Hood" is 134 pp., $13.95 cloth (0-679-45103-X), and
"Sherlock Holmes" is 294 pp., $15.95 cloth (0-679-45104-8). For
ages 9 and up. These are the latest titles in the superb
Everyman's Library series of facsimile editions. Of the two,
"Little Red Riding Hood" is the more spectacular, with black-and-
white illustrations (and four plates in color) by W. Heath
Robinson. Stories include "Sleeping Beauty," "Tom Thumb,"
"Cinderella," and "Puss in Boots." Grade for "Little Red Riding
Hood:" A-, for "Sherlock Holmes:" B.
MISS SOFT 'N SHINY AMERICAN GIRLS BEAR from Pleasant Company, 8400
Fairway Place, Middleton, WI 53562-0998, (800) 845-0005. $28.00.
Catalog number AGBR3. ISBN for the Pleasant Company is 0-937275.
For ages 5 and up. This delightful mascot for American Girls
magazine has button eyes, velvet paws, moveable arms and legs, and
comes with a satin blouse, velour jumper, and "jeweled" headband.
Made to be cuddled, she's ready to be a special friend to the
special person who greets her on Christmas Day. Grade: A. Also
recommended: American Girls of Today Book Series, including "The
Care and Keeping of Friends," "Great Girl Food," "Jazz Up Your
Jeans," "Here's How," and "More Help." These make great stocking
stuffers.
ON THE DAY YOU WERE BORN: A STORYCONCERT WITH 3-D ANIMATION, read
by Debra Frasier with music by the Minnesota Orchestra. Published
by the Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall,
Minneapolis, MN 55403, (612) 371-5600, FAX: (612) 371-5661. One
30-minute VHS videocassette. A title in the NotesAlive! series
with animation and music that brings the story (celebrating the
birth of a child) to life, with a tour of the places that inspired
the author-illustrator to create the work. Grade: A.
Reference:
OXFORD CLASSICAL DICTIONARY (THIRD EDITION), edited by Susan
Hornblower and Antony Spawforth. Oxford University Press, Inc./The
Iona and Peter Opie Library of Children's Literature, 198 Madison
Ave., N.Y., NY 10016, (800) 451-7556, FAX: (212) 726-6455. The
Oxford University Press home page on the WWW is at http://www.oup-
usa.org/. Notes. 2148 pp., $75.00 cloth. 0-19-866172-X. A
comprehensive (and definitive) guide to all aspects of the Greco-
Roman world, in a major revision. Highly recommended as a gift for
the student majoring in Classical Studies. Grade: A.
Sports:
INSIDE TRACK: A PHOTODOCUMENTARY OF NASCAR STOCK CAR RACING by
Benny Parsons, photographs by George Bennett. Artisan, 708
Broadway, N.Y., NY 10003-9555, (800) 722-7202, FAX: (212) 254-8098.
Illustrated (120 duotone photographs). 144 pp., $24.95 cloth. 1-
885183-59-3. Parsons, a name synonymous with NASCAR, follows the
top drivers and their teams as they roar through a season of
Winston Cup competition. Written especially for those who
understand what "wunemracindeals" means, as well as those who
believe that the last four words in the national anthem are
"gentlemen start your engines." Man-O-Man! Grade: B.
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