5 comments about Complete Guide To Heraldry.

1. I can not possibly imagine a more complete guide to Heraldry. This engaging book really brings you into the world of crests, family honor, and ancestry. It gives a comprehensive guide to all the symbols used, and their various meanings. If you are even remotely interested in Heraldry, pick this up today.



2. Good book - just wish it explained more simply and clearly - in a concise way - the symbols.



3. A.C.Fox-Davies:HERALDRY
   I already had a great respect for Mr.Fox-Davies, having two of his great books:THE ART of HERALDRY and HERALDRY-the magnificent pictorial archive for artists and designers. And I expected to learn quite a lot from the HERALDRY book.Guess,I was right.
   .The texts are very,very good,BUT,there are just too many unnecessary and detailed descriptions of British and Scotch Armory.Was it because Mr.Fox-Davies wanted to show off( with his long description of many personal Arms,which I doubt had any great interest for the general reader-mentioning only a few Im sure he could have got his point) or maybe,he was just carried away by his wish too make a good(fat)book?Nevertheless,Mr.Fox-Davies is among the VERY FEW experts who dared mention the painstakingly long and slow development of Armory,from Moses and the Scriptures onwards,explaining that it were first the personal signs and symbols which existed long before the Heraldry proper.And are still going strong,not as Arms,but LOGOTYPES of more or less famous brands.
   There is no" Deus-ex-Machina "Heraldry for Mr.Fox-Davies .It was a slow and painful process influenced by both the traditions and technology,development of society , classes and unfortunately.warfare..And I guess,Mr.Fox-Davies leans too much on the Crusades Myth,closed HELMETS etc..
   By the way,closed helmets existed long,long before the iron clad warriors ! Many of the drawings and other examples are very good,so that the small percentage of superfluous ones,do not play a significant role.All in all,for anyone willing to learn more,and think while reading the book,the number of lines and pages should not be tiring.It is satisfying to know that even in the days when the book first appeared,there was somebody who was NOT a stereotype,somebody who really loved the job and loved the knowledge he so willingly transferred to his readers.



4. A great resource to not only learn about the history and mechanics of heraldry, but also for inspiration for creating one's own coats of arms. I mainly picked this up to create heraldry for my strategy table top war game, but the historian in me enjoys it as well for scholarly purposes.



5. This was purchased as a birthday gift, and it was a big hit! My daughter liked it very much. She has done a lot of work looking into our family's history, and so this was very helpful to her.

1 comments about Italian Hours (Penguin Classics).

1. The films 'Room With a View' and 'Wings of the Dove' make one wonder about the Italy reflected in classical paintings executed before the destruction of WWII. My curiousity was heightened in an art history class when the instructor showed a photo slide of the Ponte Vecchio and told the amazing story of the Nazi pilot who disobeyed orders to destroy the last bridge the allies could cross on their advance north.

   This beautiful book brings to mind the saying, "The Past is a Foreign Country." Italy of the 19th Century is a place none of us can know except through records left by one who witnessed it. The book consists of essays James wrote on his travels to various places in Italy including Venice, Rome, and Florence. He visited some places several times and the text reflects the changes he observed on revisits.

   He records an Italy whose poverty for a time prevented the intrusion of developers, who later made many changes perhaps for the worse. James was not a worshipper of old buildings, he appreciated them, but he was also aware of the suffering of the Italians, many of whom existed in dire poverty. His reflections on various cathedrals, churches and other objects of artistic interest are humanized by his comments about the individuals he encounters. He muses on the morality of travel, "whether it has been worthwhile to leave his home [and] encounter new forms of human suffering." His awareness of the Italians themselves makes his writing a bit like that of Paul Theroux, a travler and writer in our times. James differs from Theroux however. My sense is that James is a little less likely to criticize and a little more willing to overlook unpleasantness. Perhaps that makes him less of a realist, or perhaps Italy was a more pleasant place in the 19th Century.

5 comments about The Authentic Bistros of Paris.

1. This book does not go beyond a superficial description of the interiors of the bistros. The writers completely ignore the food and there is not one description of a dish one may expect at any of these establishments.
   
   It is of no value to anyone requiring guidance to select an authentic Parisian bistro.



2. On my way to Paris.... can't wait to visit these Bistros.
   Great descriptions. Good photos.
   More later.



3. If you're Paris-bound and looking for an easy pocket tote to take along - and have heard about the famous bistros of Paris - don't miss Authentic Bistros of Paris: there may be one on every block but this book separates wheat from chafe. It first appeared in France and now is accessible to U.S. audiences, selecting over fifty bistros which stand apart due to regional foods, wines, and atmospheres. Sure, you can visit French bistros without it - but why spend your trip on less than the best? AUTHENTIC BISTROS helps you define and find them.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



4. This is a GREAT book for the money. Lots of full color pictures so you really get a feel for each place, organized by arrondissement so you can find a bistro no matter what neighborhood you happen to be in, good write-ups, and small enough to take in your purse. And apart from the prices, the information about the places will probably be pretty timeless.



5. Another book about Paris bistros and cafés I read a few years ago claimed that you should be able to choose a café to make your own (and don't we all want to feel at home in a Paris café?) solely on the basis of what he had written in those pages. He didn't quite pull it off, I thought. I'd be a lot more comfortable settling into an "authentic bistro" in the City of Lights based on this book by Thomazeau and Ageorges. Their photos and descriptions of four-dozen or so bistros are wonderfully evocative.
   
   Which isn't to say they're perfect, however, as other reviewers here have attested. For one thing, the descriptions, tempting as they are, are still pretty superficial and the photos, while gorgeous, never show the bistros at the French equivalent of rush hour. While the copy does mention the nearest Metro station, there are no maps to place them in a larger context for readers not already familiar with Paris' arrondissements.
   
   All of which reminds us this is a book originally written in French, for the French. It's a great thing it was translated into English and I'm sure will make an American's trip to Paris even brighter and more memorable. For those of us stuck at home, its teasing overview leaves us wanting more (more descriptions, more recipes, more photos, more maps...) -- for which we'll need to turn to some other book.

5 comments about The Pilgrim's Italy: A Travel Guide to the Saints (Colleen Heater).

1. We traveled for a month in Italy and it was wonderful to have this book at our side. Suddenly we would find ourselves in a new area and look up the region in the book, only to find yet another saint we might visit! It is said that you can't hardly throw a rock and not hit a saint in Italy, so one could not possibly expect the book to contain them all. But it is wonderfully researched and leads you to even some back and sleepy places in search of inspiration. I remember taking a side journey on the Amalfi coast in search of one of the saints, which resulted in a most spectacular diversion to our otherwise calculated plans, a wonderful surprise worth finding. I recommend the book if you are interested in finding even some of the magnificent inspiration available in Italy.



2. In 2004 I took a trip to Italy. My intent was to seek out places of high spiritual vibration (due to the historical presence of saints) and to meditate in those places. The Pilgrim's Italy was invaluable in carrying out this vision. Many of the places I visited were off the beaten track and accessible and authentic beyond my imaginings (especially the hermitages associated with St. Francis, about an hour outside Rome). My spiritual life was transformed by my meditations in Italy, and I am forever grateful to the authors for their informative guidance.



3. I just purchased this book and already I'm using it to plan our next trip. The information on how to find the pilgrimage sites, hours, lodging, etc, are thorough and helpful. But more than that, I really enjoy the information on the lives of the saints. If you can't make it to Italy, you can use the book to make a pilgrimage at home by finding a quiet spot and journeying with these saints toward a stronger faith in God. I highly recommend this book.



4. A very good guide if you are going to Italy, and want to venerate the Italian saints during your holiday.



5. This book was an awesome reference on my recent pilgrimage of Catholic Italy with my church. Father Daren and several people asked me if they could use the book during the trip. Made me more spiritually ready as I visited the sacred sites. A lot of information. Thanks!!!

1 comments about Frommer's Florence, Tuscany & Umbria (Frommer's Complete).

1. While we found the guidebooks useful in some ways, the restaurant recommendations were extremely disappointing. We ate at two of the recommended restaurants (one recommended by the Frommer Tuscany guidebook, the other by the Frommer Rome guidebook) during a week long stay in Italy. They were the most average meals we had - certainly they were not worth the stars they were given by Frommer. The Rome guidebook also recommended a restaurant (Insalata Ricca) near Piazza Navona without mentioning it was part of a chain. We walked several blocks to this location with family who wanted a light meal before catching the train (we didn't eat there ourselves) and later discovered that there was another one right around the corner from our hotel. I do not plan on buying a Frommer's guidebook again, because I can't trust their recommendations. The facts and history are available in other guidebooks too.
   
   I should also mention that the guidebook claimed that parking in Siena was exorbitantly expensive. Perhaps that is true if one parks the car and stays in a hotel in the city for several days. We visited the city for about 8 hours and paid about $15 which didn't seem too bad.

2 comments about Tallinn, 2nd: The Bradt City Guide (Bradt Mini Guide).

1. It was out first trip to Tallinn so we needed to know everything. This little book provided the answers. We maximized our time in the city by reading about the recommended sights to see, how to get there, the costs, if any. Learning about the history of the city gave us an added appreciation of what we were viewing. We learned information about the language, the money exchange, the culture, the restaurants, the hotels, the accessibility of other cities and how to get there. Thanks to this information, we decided to take the Sea Cat to Helsinki for a day - tremendous! If you're going to Tallin, you need this book as your guide.



2. The book is useful and full of good information, however it was not completely necessary since it is a pretty small city and I was able to get free maps there with good info too. It was good to read a little bit before I went though so I knew something about the city but I could have gotten all of that information on the internet anyway. It arrived damaged also so resale value is next to nothing.

1 comments about Authentic Piedmont-Aosta Valley (Authentic Italy).

1. Written by the Italian equivalent of the AAA, this book gives an Italian view of the regions and important sights and attractions. Some Americans may find some of the selections (i.e., why include this, or why emphasize this) questionable or confusing but working to understand those "why's" gives additional insight to Italian culture.

5 comments about England's Thousand Best Churches.

1. This is an absolutely fascinating book that is indespensable if you are touring around England and want to see some amazingly lovely off-the-beaten-track places.
   
   Mr. Jenkins has compiled a listing of one thousand churches throughout England that he feels are worth seeing. Each church is given a description, including a specific reason why it ranks among the top thousand. There is such a splendidly wide array of reasons: from architectural details, to unique contruction tecniques, to interesting historical context, that it never gets dull.
   
   My parents are taking the book quite seriously, and are trying to visit each of the churches (I think they are a quarter of the way through, and their copy of this book is alrady completely covered with marginalia!). I have visited several of the churches with them, and always find the experience enlightening and interesting. Each church truly is unique, and it is always fascinating to see how.
   
   Since the publication of the book, many of the churches that are on the list have taken an active interest in their own history. When my parents first started touring the churches, they were usually met by blank stares and a "why on earth do you care about our little church?" from the locals... but a few years later they find that frequently the whole community has rallied around the idea that they had an undiscovered treasure in their midst, and something to be quite proud of. For that reason alone, I think it's a great book.



2. This is a well-written and well-organized compendium of interesting churches throughout England. Useful for the those looking for the road less traveled (by other tourists.)



3. The historical background is good; very helpful as a travelogue. Author should have lessen his personal architectural taste. Splendid photos, specially the details. Good general information; but not so helpful for my purpose of getting ideas in designing small chapels.



4. I lived in England for a couple of years and travel back with regularity. On every visit, I make time to visit some of these ancient churches so, to put it mildly, I'm very biased in favor of this subject. Almost nothing compares with going to a weather worn parish church and finding the font where your ancestor was baptized some four hundred years before still in use - an experience I had some years back. With this background in mind, I'll simply say that Mr. Jenkin's work here is monumental and I don't use that term lightly. There are of course church's noticeably absent and one wishes the author could have found a way to include some of England's cathedrals but that does not diminish his achievement. The English church is inextricably linked with English history and he has done them both a great justice by writing this book.



5. ....on the history and architecture of England's Best Churches.
   
   The main purpose of purchasing the book was to explore the architecture of these churches. The book is crammed with so many wonderful and descriptive pictures, it just makes the mind soar to new heights.
   
   The imagination and engineering that went into these classic buildings is nearly incomprehensible.
   
   If you love the beauty and the history of these majestic buildings, then this book is a must.

1 comments about Michelin Green Guide Great Britain (Michelin Green Guide: Great Britain English Edition).

1. ... if presented in its typical teacher's lecture fashion. I can't remember being misled by one of the venerable Green Guides. Still, don't these authors ever stop for a pint because they want to chat up the locals?

2 comments about Fodor's Amsterdam & The Netherlands, 1st Edition: With Side Trips through Belgium (Fodor's Gold Guides).

1. This book is not bad but it is sloppily written and incomplete. What is a book about the Netherlands without a section on Gouda? It is a charming village with the usual churches, canals and shops off of the main square. It is easily accessible by train and a quick trip from Amsterdam.
   The section on the old fishing villages north of Amsterdam should have noted that the bus drivers are terrible and in order to not miss your stop (that is, the entire town) you must sit in the front of the bus and read the sign at every bus stop.
   The book did not note the holidays in this area. I was in Amsterdam on May 1 and went on a day trip to Brussels. The museums were closed as it was Memorial Day AND election day! If the holidays need not be noted at least the days that the museums were closed should have been.



2. This is a great book for Amsterdam, the only reason I didn't give it five stars was because I didn't have sufficient time to take day trips therefore I can't judge the rest of the book. However, the information on Amsterdam was fantastic. The food suggestions were great, as well as out of the way sight-seeing destinations that were well worth the trip.