Each photo includes a brief caption (printed too small and in a hard-to-read gray - but really, the only flaw in an otherwise perfect book, and including such gems as "highland guides entertained by the fact they were about to shoot their arrows within centimetres of my head as a joke") and map showing where it was taken. And while the text is minimal, the visuals are stunning enough to send me to Google to look up the differencce between Huli wigmen and Asaro mudmen, as well as Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.*
As this was printed in Australia, I have no idea how it ended up in a used book store in Virginia, (indeed, this wasn't even listed on Goodreads, so had to add it myself) - but good news for my Down Unda friends who may be able to find it locally. (You can also see more of Kirkland's work at www.kirklandphotos.com.)
* So Melanesia is basically PNG, Fiji and Vanuatu; Polynesia is the more easterly islands of Hawaii, Samoa, Easter Island and (oddly, at least to me) New Zealand; and Micronesia contains the scattered smaller islands of Palau, Nauru and the Marshalls (hence the "micro")....more
Not merely "everything you could ever want to know about flags, but indeed "way more than you could every want…;" but that's a good thing for we oddbaNot merely "everything you could ever want to know about flags, but indeed "way more than you could every want…;" but that's a good thing for we oddball followers of flags/stamps/coins/banknotes/etc.* Aside from the obligatory "flags of the world" section (which takes up nearly half the book, and includes all sorts of "I never knew that" detail on how each flag came to be), there are sections on the origins and history of flags; military flags/banners; flag "families;" etc. Interesting if not riveting stuff, best read…I dunno, one chapter or half a dozen countries every other month?
* I also learned that the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags is called vexillilogy. Who knew?? _____________________________________________
(Another under $3 find at McKay Used Books in Manassas)...more
While previous editions of this book were already excellent, this 2020 revised edition is even better, as it came out shortly after the major, multi-yWhile previous editions of this book were already excellent, this 2020 revised edition is even better, as it came out shortly after the major, multi-year renovation of the Fossil Hall - right before the 2019 opening and then immediate closing due to COVID.
While the book could have used more dinosaurs (you can never have too many dinosaurs), it's a truly complete, hall-by-hall overview of one of the world's premiere natural history museums - right up there with the American in New York. Can't wait to revisit!!
Highly recommended addition to the bookshelf of any natural history nerd (they're a thing, right?) - especially if you can find it for under $3, as I did at Manassas' famous "McKay Used Books" this weekend. An afternoon very well spent :)...more
Wow, this one was heavy - both literally and figuratively.
I continue to marvel at "Corey's" intricate plotting, especially as we approach the conclusiWow, this one was heavy - both literally and figuratively.
I continue to marvel at "Corey's" intricate plotting, especially as we approach the conclusion to the overall Expanse saga; no idea how he/they have managed to keep everything straight, but this was an absolute - if somewhat convoluted - barn-burner and page-turner.
What with the increasing weirdness of the protomolecule, there were an increasing number of "blink-of-an-eye" moments that changed everything, and a surprising number of high-profile casualties - including both humans and spacecraft, many of which have been with us from the very beginning. (Not a spoiler per se, but I found it ironic that the one major crewmember who dies in the TV series (view spoiler)[ - Alex - (hide spoiler)] is one of the ones who actually makes it to the end.)
Plotting aside, the authors remain masters at dialogue - each main character has such a distinct voice that you can almost always tell who's talking even without actual identification. And then both plotting and dialogue further aside, there's also some really tasty descriptive writing here as well:
"Done," Jillian said, the single syllable sharp and hard as a thrown rock.
…followed just two sentences later with:
Her crew were being pressed back into their couches like God had his palm on their chests.
And okay, maybe the final set piece is just a little too "Rogue One," but that's a minor complaint.
Am already mourning the fact that there's only one more book to go - but then our library just got in the first book of Corey's new trilogy, The Mercy of Gods, which I'm just praying is even half as good....more
Extremely guilty pleasure, this one - but I just couldn't resist when I saw it on sale at our local "Ollie's Bargain Outlet." Didn't realize I was thaExtremely guilty pleasure, this one - but I just couldn't resist when I saw it on sale at our local "Ollie's Bargain Outlet." Didn't realize I was that serious a Rush fan until I thumbed through it and realized yup, I have every CD from "Signal" (when Geddy finally stopped screeching and started singing) to "Feedback." So my mornings lately have been a cup of coffee and going through this chapter by chapter, while listening to the corresponding album on YouTube. Still working through the first nine, all of which make my ears bleed thanks to Lee's truly painful vocals - but there are some interesting early Lifeson licks in there, and I'm hearing some Peart solos I hadn't before, which is always a treasure....more
Not to be confused with Kipling's "Jungle Book" story of the same name, this was on a library rack of Australian fiction. As it was written by the samNot to be confused with Kipling's "Jungle Book" story of the same name, this was on a library rack of Australian fiction. As it was written by the same guy who wrote Correlli's Mandolin, I thought this would be an adult novel, or at least as semi-adult as most dog-based fiction is. However, this is seriously in the middle grade range at best, (even though the library hadn't shelved it with YA or juvenile - will have to mention when I return).
That said - a quick, enjoyable read that's as much about the hardy folks of the Australian far west as it is about Red Dog (who reminded me a lot of a more macho "Hachi") himself. A tough dry people in a tough dry place that's so scorchingly hot, fuel tanks will literally explode if left out in the blazing sun. So, y'know, where we're all headed…...more
Read this together with The World War I Book, another DK book in their new and so-far-interesting series of "Big Ideas Simply Explained," (which I'll Read this together with The World War I Book, another DK book in their new and so-far-interesting series of "Big Ideas Simply Explained," (which I'll review separately when finished*). However, as that one is considerably longer (it's a wordy "grown-up" book, vs. these EYEWITNESS books which are much more graphic/pictorial and so probably aimed at young readers, although I also really like 'em), I got through this one much faster. In fact, this book was pretty much like spending an afternoon looking at the exhibits and reading the signs in a very well-done war museum, like any of the excellent WWI museums in Belgium, or any of the major Civil War museums not far from where I live now.
So five stars for the book itself, as I'm a sucker for both the DK style and anything WWI. However…this has got to be at least the third if not fourth major redesign of the EYEWITNESS books since I starting reading them in the early '90s, and must say I'm not really enamored of the new design. But like all such print makeovers - magazines, newspapers, etc. - it usually takes a while to get used to the changes, and so I'm sure I'll eventually like this new format as well. Still, a jarring change from the earlier cover.
*Meanwhile, just two of the astonishingly horrific facts I learned in this book: during just the first day of the battle of the Somme, Germany killed or injured two British soldiers along every 3 feet of the 16-mile front; and by mid-1917, the British were firing over a million artillery shells PER DAY. And this was just the FIRST world war; since then we’ve obviously had a second, and I increasingly worry that we’re on the brink of a third - i.e., final - one…...more
This book is an update to the original Money, which I first bought and read when it came out in 1990, but which I spotted in the library and so thoughThis book is an update to the original Money, which I first bought and read when it came out in 1990, but which I spotted in the library and so thought I'd take another look at to see what had changed in the past 25 years.
Since the bulk of the book is historical, most of the layout remains unchanged; i.e., same photos in the same places.* But the text throughout the whole book has been both slightly enlarged and massively dumbed down, an apparent concession to today's generally dumber readership and lower educational standards. A few "before and after" examples:
Original text:
"This demon-dispelling Chinese coin sword was hung above the bed of a sick person to ward of eil spirits. Sometimes a coin-shaped exorcism charm (top right) was used instead. In Britain, monarchs gave sick subjects a gold coin (center) to help cure them. In Germany, silver medals like to one to the right were thought to protect a persona from the plague."
Updated text:
"This Chinese coin sword was meant to ward off evil spirits. British monarchs gave sick subjects gold coins to cure them. In Germany, silver medals prevented the plague."
Original text:
"Corfu and the other Ionian islands were for a long time the only parts of Greece to escae Turkish Ottoman rule. From 1402 until 1797 they were ruled by Venice, then passed briefly through the hands of France, Russia, Turkey and France again until 1815, when Britain took control. In 1863, they finally became a part of Greece."
Updated text:
"For a long time, Corfu and the other Ionian islands were the only parts of Greece to escae Turkish Ottoman rule. From 1402 until 1797 they were ruled by Venice. They became a part of Greece in 1863."
And so it goes for the whole book.
The new "Money for Dummies" text aside, there are a few major updates. The pages on how coins and banknotes have been updated, as there have been a lot of technology changes, particularly in banknotes (adding security threads to paper and/or going to plastic notes), and many of the pages on individual countries' money have been updated, largely to reflect the introduction of the Euro, (the overall books remains depressingly Western-centric, with 22 pages dedicated to Europe and the Americans, while Asia/Africa/Australia get a total of six).
If read by itself, this book remains a good introductory resource to the fascinating (to some at least) world and history of money. But when compared to the original, it represents another (albeit miniscule) sign of the overall decline of civilization.
* The only place where I spotted a swapped-out picture was next to a caption asking "Are you a miser?", because - the only reason I can think of - is the original illustration looked...maybe too Jewish? Anyway, found this an amusing bit of political correctness....more
Probably the two most discouraging - yet frequently used - words to describe the illegal trade in endangered species: "Chinese demand." Demand for shaProbably the two most discouraging - yet frequently used - words to describe the illegal trade in endangered species: "Chinese demand." Demand for shark fin, tiger bones, seahorses, etc., etc...and now (although surprisingly for neither the dining table nor medicine cabinet), the arowana, which has become a much sought-after lucky charm and status symbol in Chinese communities around the world. Even my wife's otherwise favorite uncle kept a huge silver arowana in a small, barren tank just inside the front door of his Taipei apartment (where the fung shui was strongest, obviously).
Yet despite the ultimately depressing subject matter, I just loved this book, as it hit so many of my personal sweet spots: Southeast Asia (Taiwan/Singapore/Borneo/Burma), wildlife, jungles, rivers, even Alfred Russel Wallace.
Aside from following the author's single-minded (if at times frankly hard to understand) global search for the wild arowana, Voigt also goes off on delightful and/or informative tangents on such subjects as the history of domesticated animals, biogeography, overlooked/"ripped off" scientists (not just Wallace as he was basically screwed by Darwin; but also Peter Artedi, who was not only plagiarized by Carl Linnaeus - he of "order, genus, species" fame - but [many suspect] may have even been murdered by him), Burmese politics, rain forest devastation and a host of other topics - all of which made for fascinating and informative reading. She also introduces a delightful cast of supporting characters, including the indestructible (and thoroughly unreliable) explorer/collector Heiko Bleher, “dragon whisperer” Alex Chang, Singapore's “Kenny the Fish” and Burma’s Tin Win, as well as historical oddball Ida Pfeiffer, who circled the globe twice in the mid-1800s, wrote two best-selling books - both of which are available from the Gutenberg Project (yay!) - and apparently hated everybody everywhere, (and I will definitely read more about her).
My only complaint - and it is a BIG one - is that while I appreciated the scattered maps which were essential in following her travels through such remote regions as Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Tenasserim (the "tail" of Burma), and the Putumayo (Colombian river which feeds into the Amazon); this is after all a book about tropical fish…so where the hell are the photographs? Voigt goes to great lengths describing the calligraphic-like patterning of the newly discovered "batik" arowana (in which she played a small role)…so SHOW US! But no; aside from the moody/artsy photo on the cover - cool as it is - there's just nothing other than a couple of B&W naturalists' sketches, (also from the mid-1800s). Frankly unforgiveable, and almost knocked a whole star off my rating.
But - just couldn't do it, as everything else was just that good. While lacking the humor of Redmond O'Hanlon (Into the Heart of Borneo), Voigt writes with the journalistic chops and "put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is" adventurous spirit of Carl Hoffman (The Last Wild Men of Borneo; Savage Harvest), which is no faint praise. Sadly, while this book came out back in 2016, the internet shows no indication that Voigt has been working on anything since then...which is a shame, as I would definitely love to see what she comes up with - and where she goes - next....more
Funny if way too foul-mouthed; I'm no prude, but when the F- and S-bombs are landing every other sentence, they soon lose their ability to either shocFunny if way too foul-mouthed; I'm no prude, but when the F- and S-bombs are landing every other sentence, they soon lose their ability to either shock or amuse.
Still, full of surprisingly useful advise; and so while it made for a fun listen, it would probably be even more valuable as a future reference as "that time approaches." ...more
This book is a total mixed bag; so while I didn't quite "love it," I certainly did ask "what is it?"
The first half is an inconsistent bunch of illustrThis book is a total mixed bag; so while I didn't quite "love it," I certainly did ask "what is it?"
The first half is an inconsistent bunch of illustrated case studies, some of them fascinating (Amazon, Metallica), while others are either confusing (Coca-Cola), downright annoying (McDonald's, which was just a shameless plug for the chain and a chance to show the logo on various swag and apparel), or just frankly uninspired (Campbell soup's first redesign in 50 years, which looked an awful lot like a classic example of "okay, here’s a $50,000 invoice for what probably amounted to an hour's creative work plus a couple weeks making up a lot of high-concept marketing mumbo-jumbo" - trust me; I've played that game before): [image]
And then the second half of the book is a series of articles on creativity and branding in general - some of which read like a great conversation with a design or advertising professional over a couple of drinks…while the rest reminded me of the kind of over-thought and overwrought lectures I generally nodded off through back in art school. So yeah, the whole thing was pretty much Forrest's box of chocolates.
THAT SAID though, with much of the book being written by actual designers themselves (the rest apparently coming from various corporate flacks), there were some great quotes and relatable insights. My favorites:
"Since childhood, we've wanted to make things that people like. That's why we became graphic designers. Our big dream was to see our work everywhere: we wanted to design things that millions of people liked."
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
”The worst thing that ever happened to beauty was the idea that it is in the eye of the beholder.”
"A peek inside a designer's mind: get inspired, sketch it out, hate it, abandon it, try something new, like it, find it derivative, scrap it, walk away, get distracted, come back to it - and then somehow, bring everything together in the last hour. This is how designers think. It's messy, but it ends well."
And my personal favorite:
"I can't think of a designer who doesn't have a collection of some sort."
...because in my experience, this is ABSOLUTELY true, with the addition that nearly all of these collections have to do with underappreciated design or aesthetics in some way. I remember a colleague during a summer job at IBM who went out late at night and took rubbings of manhole covers; another friend collects cast-iron tractor seats; a third has a 40-plus-year collection of Asian beer cans. For my adult self, I not only collect seashells and Chinese Nationalist banknotes (can see some with my review of China's Warlords); but have been a long-time photographer of fire hydrants, because like all these other items, they are just SO FASCINATING when you realize the variety out there. I mean, why are there not just 3-4 standard ones - who came up with all these hydrants, manhole covers, beer cans??
Designers, that's who. Passionate weirdos of vision.
[image][image][image][image]
(NOTE: I haven't intentionally been on a graphic design jag the past month - this book, Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, The History of Graphic Design: 1890-Today - it's been more a matter or long-reserved library books becoming available around the same time. But that said…as I grow increasingly disillusioned with my current/final career - i.e., working for the government [don't hate me] - it's been fun taking a nostalgic look back at my first, way back in the 20th Century.)...more
Watching the latest season (4) of the excellent "The Chosen," and so wanted to know at least a little more about the various tribes, cultures and civiWatching the latest season (4) of the excellent "The Chosen," and so wanted to know at least a little more about the various tribes, cultures and civilizations that inform Jesus' story and Jewish history - and this quite fit the bill.
A disturbing blend of high art and seemingly-endless violence, I alternately marveled and winced as I learned details of jewelry making, siege warfare, agriculture (never knew Palestine had both watermelons and apples!), battle-ax design…you get the idea. Yet somewhat hopefully, what survived through the ages in physical form* was the art - pottery, goldsmithing (granulation!), bead and glass work, and unbelievable ivory carvings such as the below:
[image] (And sure, China was doing similar work at the same time, but I never knew the Middle East was equally skilled - just look at the latticework under the chairs!)
A nice, well-designed introduction to a fascinating and important part of history - and unlike a few of my other recent non-fiction reads, in a point size I can actually read! ____________________________________
* Of course, what was also passed down in less physical form is, what - four thousand years of religious hatred and conflict? So there's that......more
Based on the majority of 5 star reviews, the problem here is probably me - but I'm 100 pages in and just not feeling it. Didn't realize it was "hard fBased on the majority of 5 star reviews, the problem here is probably me - but I'm 100 pages in and just not feeling it. Didn't realize it was "hard fantasy" - thought it was more sci-fi or Riddley Walker post-apocalyse; but turns out it's Brandon Sanderson "humans with magical skills," (or what I assume is Sanderson, based on what my son tells me).
Anyway - cutting my losses here, rather than force my way through another 370 pages (followed by, like, 1000 more in the sequels). I'm sure it's a good book and I'd eventually get into it - but TMBTLT (too many books, too little time)....more
Title says it all - delightful, comprehensive overview of the past 130 years of graphic design, which is just about as long as it's been an actual thiTitle says it all - delightful, comprehensive overview of the past 130 years of graphic design, which is just about as long as it's been an actual thing. Obviously, huge changes at the beginning, and you can really see a decade-by-decade evolution in typography, layout, illustration, etc. But then once you hit the 1960s, things start to level out a little bit - particularly in the area of logo design, with so many logos from back then are still around today, either in their original or updated form, (such as Paul Rand's 1967 makeover of his original 1956 IBM logo - bottom right):*
[image]
(WARNING - MAJOR DIGRESSION) And so it seems - to me at least - like certain aspects of graphic design have become like certain aspects of rock music: they've both reached a level of maturity (or IMHO, "perfection") where further evolution has been minimized, or at least slowed down. I mean sure, there's rap now, and dance and techno and stuff; but at the same time there's still ROCK - two guitars, singer and drums - with groups like Foo Fighters and Green Day (and okay, I get that I'm already dating myself), sounding are pretty damn close to things like "Master of Puppets" (nearly 40 years old) and "Who's Next" (over 50) - and yet my kids still listen to them both. But go back a half century before that? Ragtime and big bands, trombones and the Charleston.
But back to graphics...and just in time, because in fact one big change DID come along in the last decade or so -the widespread use of computer graphics that opened the door to all those cool flying graphics on CNN and other broadcast/internet/digital platforms, as well as the whole new field of 3D logos:
[image]
…which are super cool, but also self-limiting (again, my opinion) in that for many/most of them, there are no longer simple one-color versions.
Anyway...fascinating book with copious illustrations - so one to be slowly savored, (several other reviews note the relative lack of explanatory text, but I personally like the emphasis on the designs themselves). Only possible critizism is that as Taschen is a German publisher, this is perhaps a little too Western/Euro-centric; it certainly could have used more Eastern design, especially Japanese (which was represented by only about 5 pages out of 500). In fact, the only other Asian work I spotted at all was a few English-language pieces from "The Father of Hong Kong Design" Henry Steiner,** who is probably most famous in the U.S. for his work with Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, but who "out there" was/is a genuine legend, (great introductory article on Steiner here: https://zolimacitymag.com/steiner-ser...). ____________________________________
* This makes sense, of course, since logos are designed to last for decades; while packaging, advertisements, posters, magazines, etc., are intentionally designed to be ephemeral, and so are more affected by design/marketing trends and fashions.
** And I also had the pleasure of knowing Steiner (who coincidentally studied under Rand at Yale in the '50s, but was much less frightening in person) when I was a young designer in Taipei and he was the undisputed godhead across East Asia - in fact, we at one point were in discussions about him possibly buying our company or perhaps merging it with "Steiner&Co," until my idiot business partner totally fucked it up.
[image] (Left to right: 40-years-ago me, Steiner, idiot business partner)...more
Didn't really like Station Eleven - think I finished it, but reluctantly at best; and couldn't get into the HBO series either - but this one sounded sDidn't really like Station Eleven - think I finished it, but reluctantly at best; and couldn't get into the HBO series either - but this one sounded somewhat more interesting, and I needed a reasonable length audiobook, so…
And well, didn't really love this either. Structurally, it seemed like a Cloud Atlas ripoff; and plot-wise, it took me well over half the book to assemble even the faintest clue about what was going on. But then, it did kinda started coming together; and when the hardcover became available at the library I switched to that, and it frankly became easier to follow. I had totally missed the (view spoiler)["recurring name" (hide spoiler)] device when listening in the car, but seeing it in print made it more of an "a-ha!" thing. And then, everything did indeed come together in a remarkable, final 25-page stretch, and so much to my surprise, am giving this four stars. But that said, think I'm done with Ms. Mandel for the foreseeable.
NOTE: This was a decidedly "soft science" book, with Mandel checking the "moon colonies," "time travel" and a few other boxes as if they were just givens in the next couple of centuries. That said, I do find the whole concept of the "simulation hypothesis" (which has been out there far longer than just this book) fascinating, and alternately scary and reassuring (depending on the day's news). The idea that we may be living in a "Matrix"-like simulation seemed WAY out there just a few years ago; but with speed-of-light advances in AI, VR, holography and other related fields, it's not as far-out an idea as previously imagined that within the next century or so, "artificial reality" could get that good...anyway, food for thought....more
SAMPLE PHOTO CAPTION: "An Afghan woman works at a TV internet company. A growing number of media companies have opened in Afghanistan in recent yeSAMPLE PHOTO CAPTION: "An Afghan woman works at a TV internet company. A growing number of media companies have opened in Afghanistan in recent years."
So, yeah - this is another heartbreaking look at an "Afghanistan that might have been" if nothing had changed since the book's 2018 publication.
With chapters on nature, history, culture, religion, etc., the bulk of the book is informative* and remains generally relevant…right up to the painful chapter on "Government for the People," which paints a rosy picture of a democratic shared leadership (President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah) that is just generally workin' things out, despite the only briefly-mentioned "bombings, instability and poverty."
Like all such books aimed at a young audience (although again - just who are the expected readers of books like this??), it glosses over the more horrendous details of recent Afghan history, of which there are far too many: Russian puppet president Najibullah here is merely assassinated (rather than the more gruesome "tortured, lynched and hanged"); Mullah Omar and Osama bin Laden are simply "killed;" and somehow, that total piece-of-shit Gulbuddin Hekmatyar (identified on Google as "Former Afghan Prime Minister, taliban leader and drug dealer") isn't mentioned at all, despite having SOMEHOW continuing to outlive everyone else in this sordid tale.
Overall, an interesting if jarringly odd addition to the already offbeat "Enchantment of the World" series that I can only imagine is keeping young readers awake at night around the world.
* I DID NOT KNOW that Afghanistan is the home of the tulip; the world's leading source of lapis lazuli (so don't be expecting much more of that anytime soon); or where the famous Bactrian Hoard was discovered....more
Loved The Girl With All the Gifts and much enjoyed its sequel, The Boy on the Bridge - but that's about the extent of my connection to Carey (aside frLoved The Girl With All the Gifts and much enjoyed its sequel, The Boy on the Bridge - but that's about the extent of my connection to Carey (aside from his "Unwritten" graphic novel series, which he wrote under a different name). So I came to this series positively predisposed - but from the very first page this just read like a knocked off and dumbed down remake of Russell Hoban's classic Riddley Walker - even down to the bastardeized post-apocalyptic English, ("Parley Men" instead of "Parliament," "Count and Seal" for "Council," etc.).
Anyway - probably a good read if I didn't have such fond memories of Riddley, so afraid this is a perfect example of "too many books, too little time." So instead of sticking with this for another 400 pages (and then an additional 900+ if I went on to the two sequels), I'm ditching this 80 pages in and will instead finally tackle N.K. Jemisin's award-winning "Broken Earth" trilogy, which is just about the same length but sounds like it won't remind me of anything....more
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