I've read a lot of books on type and this is the only one with a practical guide on how to create your own typefaces. I'm sure more people who read this book aren't going to start making their own metal type but the lessons learned in this book easily translate to the world of creating digital typefaces. After reading this it changed the way I design typefaces, completely. Now, instean of merely moving bezier control points, I imagine myself cutting metal and re-using counterpunches. Sometimes I "oversize" my counters a bit, as if I were hammering them in a bit more. If you're a type designer, or just interested in type, put this one in your shopping cart immediately.

This is a wonderful book. To write it, Fred Smeijers looked closely at printed books and type punches in museums. He read contemporary accounts of sixteenth century type making. And, informed by his experience as a digital type designer, he understood the problems the sixteenth century type makers faced and how they solved them. Some of these problems, like readability, economy and visual texture, are still with us.

Most remarkably, he also taught himself to make his own steel type punches - his practical experiments shone new light on the subject and showed the implausibility of some accepted accounts of how things were done.

The book is engagingly written. It's a visual delight too, with text set in the author's 'Renard' type and illustrated with his pencil sketches.

Mr Smeijers has crafted a fine book, as all three other reviews have noted. Incisive, insightful, instructive.

Look closely at the cover of this volume. After you've read it, and understand the counterpunch/punch process, you see that the entire story is told on the cover in a bit of brilliant graphic design.

This is probably THE serious book to have if one is going to immerse oneself in the California intertidal. Originally produced by Ed Ricketts (of Steinbeck/Cannery Row/Log From The Sea Of Cortez fame) the book has been upgraded, revised, re-edited by a plethora of "co-authors" since Ricketts' untimely death. It still retains much of Ricketts' then-revolutionary Habitat focus, which will either work for you (it does for me) or annoy the hard-core systematists out there. This ISN'T a light book to lug into the field or a light book to read -if you are just day-tripping The UC Press has a number of smaller & more accessibly illustrated field guides that I would reccomend, But if you are seriously into mmarine Bio and have some time on your hands along the California Coastline, you owe it to yourself to get this book. Even here on the Coast of Maine and twenty years removed from the West I still fid myself referring to it...

I can't believe that someone else has not reviewed this excellent guide to the intertidal biota of the Pacific Coast. This book has set the standard for reference guides to marine life along the Pacific Coast, as well as other locations. It is much more than a field guide -- though it also serves that role. This book describes the intertidal zonation patterns of the Pacific Coast as well as the ecology and aspects of the natural history of the organisms that live there. The book contains good taxonomic references as well. This is the book that many of the country's marine scientists cut their professional teeth on. If you are interested in marine biology, the diversity of life, or the ecology of nearshore habitats, this book is definitely for you. The main strength of the book is the logical organization by type of habitat and vertical elevation on the intertidal zone. The main challenge of a book like this is to remain up to date, which the publisher has managed by producing revised editions on regular basis. This book is a must for any field or arm chair marine naturalist!

Ed Ricketts was to marine ecology what Alan Watts was to Zen, Timothy Leary was to LSD, and Jack Kerouac was to beat, and he was a little of all three. This is the monumental work that put Ricketts permanently on the map as a marine ecologist, and one of the first. This book is a must-have reference for anyone who visits the seashore. I am particularly interested in the fact that persons who have ordered this book have also ordered books by Thomas Pynchon. Anyone else out there besides me get the connection? Please let me know!

Not only is this book well-researched and documented but it is an easy read. The times of Europe in the l6th century are colorfully presented and the characterizations are believable. It's easy to get caught up in the intrigues. I'll now view Peter Bruegel's works in a new light. Well-worth a read!

I picked this up blind from the new book bin at the Kailua-Kona public library, and boy, I'm glad I did. I've always enjoyed Bruegel, but this novel really makes you look at each picture with new eyes. Thank goodness I had an art book (Phaidon) of Bruegel at home with big color plates, which really complemented the text of this book. I love the feeling of delving into the past, but with good friends, which is how I think of Bruegel now that I've read this book.

FOUR TO MIDNIGHT is a very unusual police novel. As a good, juicy page-turner, it delivers the goods and then some - Flander's handling of action sequences is particularly exciting, and very nearly cinematic (I'd definitely like to see the movie of this one). But it's also an exceptional portrait of a city and the cultures within it - Philadelphia, its neighborhoods, its citizens and their multiple mindsets are all conveyed intimately and immediately, so that you instantly feel like you know this place and these people. Finally, the writing is quietly brilliant. There are very few great stylists in this genre, but Flander, in this book, announces himself as one of them - he has drawn together plot, theme, character and place seamlessly and masterfully, creating, not only a great read, but a great novel.

In Philadelphia, two white police officers Mutt and Roy, call for supervisory help. Sergeant Eddie North arrives only to have African-American Councilman Sonny Knight scream at him to get the two cops away from him. Later, Sonny accuses Mutt and Roy of beating him up and adds Eddie to his list of accusation. Both officers deny ever touching Sonny and Eddie believes them because he knows he is innocent and neither of the policemen on the scene showed any sins of using force, let alone excessive.

However, the brass, the politicians, and the media think otherwise forcing an Internal Affairs investigation. As this scenario further splits a city divided over another controversial case, Eddie tries to learn why Sonny lied, but soon finds he is drowning in a polluted cesspool of corruption, bad cops, and duality racism.

The inquiries made by the IA staff and by Eddie are intelligent and entertaining so that police procedural fans have a powerful enjoyable tale. However, FOUR TO MIDNIGHT is more than another urban police story. Instead the theme focuses on how racism engulfs everyone in a swamp and destroys the innocent and their friendships. Thus the audience receives a superb police procedural with a cleverly interwoven powerful message.

Harriet Klausner

"In Flanders Fields" is the most celebrate poem dealing with the subject of war written in the 20th century. The poet was John McCrae, an idealistic army doctor who wrote the "In Flanders Fields" during the terrible Second Battle of Ypres in 1915. The poem derives its simple but potent power from combining a respect for the fallen soldiers with a longing for peace. It is, in simple terms, an anti-war poem.

Author Linda Granfield breaks McCrae's 15-line poem into three parts, each line illustrated by Janet Wilson's paintings. In between Granfield provides information about World War I and details on what life was like in the trenches for the soldiers, as well as McCrae's experiences in his field hospital and the story of how the doctor came to write "In Flanders Fields." This book is also illustrated with archival posters, postcards, photographs, and other artifacts that put the poem in historic context.

McCrae's poem is short, but by giving each line its own page and illustration, Granfield and Wilson insure that the poem itself is not overwhelmed by background information. In fact, more pages in the book are devoted to the actual poem than the story behind it. The result is a book perfectly composed to provide young students with an appreciation for both the poem and the fallen soldiers it memorializes. It would certainly be nice to see this idea extended to other poems, but it might not have the same effectiveness as this nice little book.

I read this book while resting my feet at Book Expo 2000. At least three people stopped to ask me about it because they were so taken by the illustrations. This picture book for young people intersperses breathtaking illustrations for the poem "In Flanders Field" with background on World War I and the story of the writing of this poem. A deeply affecting and touching book, it will give young people a personal view of war, particularly this war. Unfortunately, many children as well as adults know nothing about World War I. This book is a fine introduction and a good war to broach a painful topic. By any standard, it is well-well written and thoughtful.

These two radio shows expose us not only to the great Sherlock Holmes but to English culture.

This radio series, which aired in the 1940's, is still as fresh as the day Boucher and Green borrowed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's pen and decided to write some "further" adventures of the great man. Their stories are based on incidents suggested in the original Doyle tales and are brought to life in splendid fashion by the consumate radio and screen duet of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. The sound effects are superior, the mood is at times dark, often humourous and always mysterious and entertaining.

Listen, as great three masted sailing ships take to the sky, cargo holds packed with winged sheeps and the fabulous flying Frombork. Sky pirates appear of the port bow, and only Captain Jack with his Lightning Sword and magical Top Hat can save the day.

The Incredible Adventures of Jack Flanders is an enchanting audio fantasy. It is packed with High Adventure and Magic, and a fair amount of wisdom. The story begins when Jack recieves a Large Overstuffed Green Velvet chair in the mail. At midnight, when he slumbers in the chair, his mind travels to the fantastic realms of the Nevermind. His travels take him aboard the Sky Galleon "Blue Swallow," where he clashes swords with the pirate queen "The Black Mona Lisa." He encounters Little Freida, with the piggy tales and havana cigars. He travels to the Velvet Realms and bargins with the Lords of Death.

A very satisfying adventure.

Not really an audiobook, this full fledged RADIO PLAY brings to life an amazing cast of characters. Complete with talanted voice actors and a producer who truly understands the art of telling a story through sound, this is a grand adventure of the mind. Imagine huge sky galleons doing mid air battle with cargo holds of winged sheep. Have a bad day at Dragon's Breath along with Little Frieda, she of the piggy tales and huge Havana cigars. Learn the Art of Far Seeing from that old caretaker, Far Seeing Art. Bargin with the Lords of Death along side the Marquis of Carumbas. Or just nestle back into a Overstuffed Green Velvet chair and just let your mind take off. I could not recomend this enough!

OKay, I admit it. I have a problem.
The real reason I read books like this one is that I am constantly searching for something that will bring to life my old crush on an Economics teacher of mine. I have come to consider myself a connoisseur of the teacher-student love story.

The prognosis of Flanders Point?
It is the BEST teacher-student love story I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The breakdown in the tension does take a long time in coming, but when it does... ah. It's worth it. Brian is well likable. We identify with Charlotte. And Gordon handles each side of the story with grace and reason in a sometimes dark and unreasonable cliche of a storyline.

Simply put, I loved it. I've read other teacher-student stories like it, "Innocents" by Cathy Coote, "A Kiss Remembered" by Sandra Brown, "Treacherous Love" by Beatrice Sparks, "Pure" by Rebecca Ray. But they just don't create the same emotional attachment to the characters that Gordon has accomplished with Flanders Point.
Check it out, Buy it, Just get your hands on it!!!

From the very beginning, I couldn't put this book down. When I wasn't reading it, I just seemed to keep thinking about the characters and the story. Jacquie Gordon paints a glorious picture of a forbidden relationship. This is a definite must-read if you're in the mood for a sentimentle, beautiful love story!

Jacquie Gordon has drawn an exquisitely detailed and joyful portrait of the relationship between a precocious teenager and her young teacher. The growing tension between them, set against a backdrop of life in a 1950s private school, will keep you glued to its pages way past your bedtime. I adored Ms. Gordon's sensitive biography, Give Me One Wish, of her daughter Christine and am delighted to find this wonderful fictional debut is just as fascinating.

SON OF WEB PAGES THAT SUCK
AUTHOR: Vincent Flanders with Dean Peters and a Cast of Hundreds
PUBLISHER: Sybex
REVIEWED BY: Barbara Rhoades

BOOK REVIEW: Sometimes looking at something bad can help you see what a web page should look like. You immediately begin to say, 'I would NEVER do that on a web site'. This begins the creative thought process that, in turn, helps you design a web site everyone will be able to navigate and enjoy.

The first thing you should do after purchasing Son of Web Pages That Suck' is check out the CD that is included. It contains over a dozen programs that can help the web designer to create better pages. A few of the programs that you might want to try are Snag It (captures anything you see on the Windows Desktop), Top Style Pro (checks for cross-browser problems as you work), Color Schemer (helps create color themes) and Screen Ruler (a virtual ruler that you can drag around the screen). These are trial programs and can be purchased for permanent use.

There is a section called 'Two Minute Offense'. This is an exercise designed to getting you thinking in two minutes of all the problems that show on the web page displayed in that section. There are other 'side bars' to help you learn also such as Sucks Not and Sucks a Lot. Both titles are self-explanatory. Don't forget to check out the 'What Did You Learn' at the end of each chapter. This section will review what went on in the chapter and gives you a chance to be sure you saw everything in that chapter.

Remember that wonderful font you found and always wanted to use? Probably on a web page is not the place for it. And be careful of color. Too much color in the same line of text can be a problem. These are only a few of the problems that 'Son of Web Pages That Suck' points out. It is a book you will be hard pressed to not wear it out as its pages contain so much information you will want to read it many times.

SOWPTS is entertaining but never enough so the core principle gets lost - "Don't do anything that gets in the way of the sale". How easy this point is missed, even by professional web designers and in-house artists.

The essence: the most valuable aid in designing sites that appeal to your audience is first understanding what turns them off. Turn-offs are a dreary subject, yes, but Flanders excels here. He should know, running a site like "Web Pages That Suck" for a half-decade. You should tap into his knowledge.

Web design is new compared to other media, and the rules still aren't clear. "I want 12 point Garamond!" doesn't fly on the pop-star-of-the-month's site, while perfect for a "Mumble, Stumble, and Fumble at Law" site. Or maybe not so perfect - see Chapter 11 on Text (and fonts).

Understanding the people you're trying to sell is crucial - Flanders provides solid research on things like platforms/browsers, and links that will guide you long after the book is published.

This book should be the first thing you should read, either if you're on your first web project, or an experienced designer who's facing a client/employer about to make serious mistakes. You know, the CEO who insists on putting his face on the home page of your company that makes ball bearings for the lawn-mower industry. But on a site for the (unnamed) pop star mentioned above - not putting a face on the home page is death - and Flash is nearly expected. Flanders understands all this, and doesn't dismiss any technique - until you "get in the way of the sale."

The CD-ROM with the book ain't bad, but there is better. I vastly prefer WS_FTP to Voyager, but my company buys me tools that best several packages on the CD. For a price, of course. But the CD is a good starting place.

Put it on your bookshelf (or better, your hands) today. Let your competition wind up on the "Daily Sucker" at WPTS rather than you.

Book - Son of Web Pages That Suck: Learn Good Design by Looking at Bad
Design
By Vincent Flanders with Dean Peters
Publisher - Sybex
List [...]>ISBN: 0-7821-4020-3
Rating - 5 out 5

Son of Web Pages That Suck is the follow up to the very successful book Web Pages That Suck by Vincent Flanders. The book consists of 279 pages, broken down into 14 chapters. The book also comes with a CD containing links to the websites listed throughout the book. Son of Web Pages That Suck is my first book on web design and will probably be the only one in my library for quite some time (until Daughter of Web Pages That Suck comes out). As the title suggests, Son of Web Pages That Suck teaches good web design by having the reader look at examples of bad web design. Throughout the book, Flanders explains why a web page does or does not suck.

The book's best quality lies in the very humorous and understandable way it's written. This is one computer book that isn't going to put you to sleep or bore you to death. One of the key points the author stresses throughout the book is "web design is not about art, it's about making money." Each chapter begins with a short introduction explaining what's going to be covered in the preceding chapter and ends with a summary covering the key points discussed in that chapter. One of the not-so obvious things Flanders covers is that you can make a web page that sucks without using tons of flashy graphics or other crazy design elements. Thankfully, he also discusses how to avoid making these same mistakes. Some of the more obvious web design topics Flanders covers include things like appropriate page and image size, how to stay on the right side of copyright law, professionalism, and why things like splash pages and "Welcome to my page" lines are bad. Another important point Flanders discusses is that while a certain theme or design might make one web page suck, it may make another rock-- depending on the target audience .If you've ever visited a Flash intensive website on a dial up connection, you'll appreciate Flanders chapter "Jumpin' Jack Flash."

I could continue to talk about all the great topics Flanders covers in his book Son of Web Pages That Suck, but that would take far too much space for a book review. I highly recommend that you go and buy the book and read it for yourself. I give Son of Web Pages That Suck a highly deserved 5 out of 5 rating.

As a new and first time owner of a Bouvier des Flandres puppy, I appreciated many of the details, historical, raising and breeding. The book emphasizes the Bouvier as a Schultzhund dog, which is the author's perogative. I would have appreciated more information on training of a Bouvier for a pet. Many dog owners desire a lovable pet not a champion police dog. The author is an important breeder of Bouviers and he has many valid points to keep the Bouviers to a standard. I myself researched breeders for several months as it is a problem. My summary statement is that the book is worth the money. If there is a revision, I hope the author will broaden his interests in the breed for the general dog owner.

A most informative easy to read book, giving accurate detail and information about the Bouvier des Flandres.

Engle does an excellant job of portraying Bouviers as the working family dog they really are. All Bouvier owners should read this book. Kathleen Ryan