Book Description
Improve your swing with the teacher the pros trust:
"(Jim Hardy) was the one person who really had the greatest influence on me in terms of my teaching. Jim had such an incredible mind for the game of golf."
--From The Only Golf Lesson You'll Ever Need by Hank Haney, Tiger Woods' golf coach
"Jim Hardy is the most knowledgeable teacher in golf. No other instructor has his understanding of golf swing techniques and what makes them work.”
--Peter Jacobsen, Champions Tour player and winner of seven PGA Tour championships
If your shots are off target and your swing needs improving, you simply won't find a better fix than the powerful breakthrough techniques of Jim Hardy. Jim's smash bestseller, The Plane Truth for Golfers, introduced the revolutionary one-plane and two-plane swings to golfers and teaching pros around the world. It changed how players think about golf and how the game is taught.
In this exciting master class follow-up, he takes your swing to the next level, giving you in-depth instruction in how to execute both of these swings perfectly for on-target shots every time.
Jim shows you how to:
- Assume the proper stance and posture for each style
- Position and move your hips, shoulders, and torso correctly
- "Feel" the difference when you correct the faults in your swing
- Gain proficiency in your swing with detailed drills for both styles
He begins by giving you a review of the basics, outlining the one-plane and two-plane swings as he emphasizes his most crucial lesson: “All swings are either one- or two-plane actions, and to become good at golf you must work towards being a fundamental purist, only learning and employing those elements relative to your swing type.” With Jim's guidance, you'll first determine which swing type is right for you, then master your specialized swing. It's a powerful feeling when your body and arms are moving in total coordination with the club, and it can only happen once you master the art of the swing.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent follow up to the first book!.......2007-09-15
I have found Master Class to be an excellent follow up to the first book, The Plane Truth for Golfers. The first book lays the foundation for the two different types of golf swings, and Master Class takes you farther into the "how to's" of performing each swing. There are many more pictures in this second book demonstrating the necessary positions, and much information on the various faults for each swing and drills for how to correct them. Those that say that this book is repetitive information from the first book obviously have not read both books in detail. If you go to get a golf lesson, you don't get all of the information in the first or second lesson. That's the beauty of Mr. Hardy's teachings. He gives it to you in the proper sequence for learning it. His DVD's are excellent additions to the book that offer much more for the visual learner and also give you a glimpse into the genuine character of Mr. Hardy. There is no need for me to read any other instruction and my golf game is improving. So will yours.
The Plane Truth for Golfers Master Class.......2007-08-09
Excellent product and follow up to the original book by Jim Hardy. Well written, and gives good guides for some specific problems that players can encounter. A lot more drills than in the first book as well.
It does get more technical and slightly more complex to assimilate. Some of the things described are hard to visualize, and seem to moderately contradict some of the teachings in the first book, particularly in the use of the arms in the down swing.
Good To Know.......2007-06-01
I think it is a stretch to call this book the best one ever written on the full swing. That is too much of a blanket statement and the fact is that each golfer finds their own path to golf "enlightenment". I didn't find this book to be that much different from the Plane Truth for Golfers.
What has made me understand the difference between each swing is that there is a "Classic" swing and then there is the "Modern" swing. The classic swing is characterized by that Reverse C position caused by tilting. The modern swing is characterized by stable legs and more of a rotation of the body.
Very Nice Follow Up to Plane Truth for Golfers.......2007-05-31
I have the original Plane Truth and the DVD series. The Plane Truth Masters Class is an excellent follow up to these. I especially like the new and additional drills for each type of swing. In this book, Hardy breaks down the two swings in their own sections in the book with drill chapters that correspond to that swing type. This makes it easier for those who already know which swing type they are-
The Plane Truth for Golfers Master Class .......2007-05-21
Decent job of explaining the one and two plane swings. If you have read the first plane truth book, you really do not need to get this one. Some additional depth to the explanations, but not worth spending the additional money. If you are debating between the two books, get the first one.
Book Description
Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes, and motifs that often eludes modern museum-goers. The intimate knowledge of Christian theology, Greek and Roman mythology, and folklore that was so vivid in the minds of viewers during the Renaissance is rarely part of the preparation the contemporary viewer brings to a painting. This insightful, anecdotal, portable book-with 1,000 gorgeous color illustrations-helps to fill in those gaps by decoding the imagery of more than 150 of the most influential and admired artworks of all time.
Covering the works of the Italian, Netherlandish, German, and Spanish Old Masters, from 1450 to 1750-paintings by artists such as Giotto, Botticelli, El Greco, Bruegel, Holbein, Rubens, and Vermeer, all held in public collections-How to Read a Painting not only helps the viewer to understand the significant details of a picture but also explains the relationship with similar imagery in other works. The guide to Old Master paintings that every art lover has always wanted, this indispensable museum companion will open the reader to a whole new experience of Western art's most praised and visited paintings.
Customer Reviews:
excellent reference.......2006-11-05
This book was hard to put down. Each painting was a new story that revealed information I would have never known. I started it as I was planning a trip to Rome and Florence and it opened up a world for me that I would otherwise have been ignorant of while visiting the museums where some of these paintings hung. My only critisism would be that it didn't go into much depth-just mostly basic symbolism.
Good for reference and also entertaining.
Baroque.......2006-11-02
Excellent book, the quality of the pictures if great and very useful content. It is one of the best book for your library.
Fascinating read for any art lover!.......2006-01-05
This book is a tremendous read. And you don't need to be an art historian or student to appreciate the information. Easy to understand, you will never look at those "boring old masters" the same way again.
Thought-provoking book on European Art Masterpieces.......2005-07-25
If you have never been particularly interested in art but want to start learning about the great European artists between the 14th century and the early 19th century, this is a great book to start with. And I am sure it has a lot to offer to advanced students of Art too.
The book offers comments on about 180 significant paintings painted over 500 years. The earliest painting in the book is Maestà (1308-11) by Duccio di Buoninsegna of Italy. The most modern is The Third of May, 1808 by Francisco de Goya of Spain. Every painting is dissected with numerous sub-illustrations and the various historical, artistic and social significances of it discussed in detail. Since all the paintings are European in nature, the originals are located mainly in English and European museums but a surprising number of paintings are located in American Museums too.
Here are the ones from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The Adoration of the Magi (1310) - Giotto
The Annunciation Triptych ("Merode Triptych") (1425-30) - Robert Campin
Diptych: The Crucifixion and The Last Judgement (1430s) - Jan Van Eyck
A Goldsmith in his Shop, Possibly St Eligius (1449) - Petrus Christus
The Opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse (1608-14) - El Greco
The Rape of the Sabine Women (1633-34) - Nicolas Poussin
The Preaching of St John the Baptist (1634) - Bartholomeus Breenbergh
The Death of Socrates (1787) - Jacques-Louis David
The majority of the paintings focus on Biblical topics, but there are a great number of secular and political paintings too especially in the later years. For example, there is a fascinating one called "An experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump" (1768) by Joseph Wright of Derby. It is a study of various peoples reactions to a scientific experiment in which a bird is suffocated to death in an air pump.
An amazing European art history course.......2005-05-27
This book is worth every cent, just for the 1,000 glossy photos of major European "Old Master" works!!
I wish I had read this book instead of struggling to stay awake in very boring art history classes!
Book Description
Trading Rules that Work introduces you to twenty-eight essential rules that can be shaped to fit any trading approach—whether you’re dealing in stocks, commodities, or currencies. Engaging and informative, Trading Rules that Work outlines the deeper psychology behind each of these accepted trading rules and provides you with a better understanding of how to make those rules work for you.
Customer Reviews:
It's like having a personal mentor.......2007-07-30
After 4 and half years of very little monetary success, this book has has revolutionized my thought processes into the nature of price movement. Some say trading is a science. Some say it's an art. Being a mathematician by trade, I was partial to the physical science side. Now, I believe it's physical science, behavioral science and art. Repetitive human nature and the ability to plot that behavior on a graph are the behavior and physical sciences in concert. To manipulate those graphs over varying time frames using these 28 trading rules is the art.
I found Mr. Jankovsky's use of phrases and concepts ("net order flow") to be refreshing and provocative.
I've never written a review on any of the many trading book I've read. That's including John Murphy's legendary book on tech analysis which is of course, a must-read for any aspiring tech trader.
Mr. Jankovsky has given me a renewed energy and zest to pursue the most challenging undertaking of my life. My family thinks I'm nuts for even attempting to do this given my losses.
Thank God I didn't give up before reading this book!!
Don't surrender at the dawn of success!!!
A six star work. Highly insightful and useful. A must read.......2007-07-27
This is no ordinary trading or trading rule book. It's the best amongst the approximately two hundred ones of its kind I had ever read. The author had cut into the core of successful trading "Where is the order flow?" and the unique characteristics of zero sum games "Where is the loser?" in a well written, organised and analytical manner that links or even goes beyond discussion of sheer TA, FA and psychology. Highly insighful and useful. A must read!
Below please find some of my favorite passages for your reference:-
About 80 to 90% of price action is simply the losers liquidating their losing trades. When you begin each day, and before you place a trade, ask yourself this question: "Where is the loser?" pg 7
Different time frames are competing, and the intention of one time frame is not always the intention of another. Your best trades occur when your own time frame is the same as the time frame currently in control of the market at that point. When that changes, your trade is over. pg 27
Once the news is out, traders will behave not according to the news, but according to their perception that the news was either better than, worse than, or as expected. Once they execute from that perception, the market has order flow. How the market behaves with that order flow is a clue to the market's real nature, not the market's expected nature.....The point is simply that observing the market's actual behavior post news gives the clearest indication of how traders are currently positioned., how nervous or confident they might be, and how willing they are to execute. pg 127
OK read.......2007-06-13
best and very worthwhile for beginner or novice investor but not especially useful for the more advance stock trader
Excellent Book.......2007-05-12
A clearly written book that with a little thought can be applied to improve anyone's trading.
Easy read on a Difficult Subject.......2007-03-14
I give this book 5 plus stars. I was about ready to give up and thought maybe currency trading wasn't for me. I had listened to Mr. Jankovsky speak every day from Infinity Brokerage for about a year but I still wasn't happy with my ability to trade currency.
When Mr. Jankovsky suggested reading his book, I perked up because I learn much easier by reading and re-reading.
This book turned my attitude around.....I didn't give up.....and I applied the principles the book suggested and found they worked!
Am I rich yet....no but I am on my way to becoming a profitable currency trader.
P. Murch
Book Description
He's been called the best in the world at the mental game of tennis. Brad Gilbert's strokes may not be pretty, but looks aren't everything. He has beaten the Tour's biggest names -- all by playing his "ugly" game.
Now, in Winning Ugly Gilbert teaches recreational players how to win more often without necessarily even changing their strokes. The key to success, he says, is to become a better thinking player -- to recognize, analyze, and capitalize. That means outthinking opponents before, during, and after a match; forcing him or her to play your game. Gilbert's unconventional advice includes:
* How to identify the seven "Hidden Ad Points," and what to do when they come up
* Six reasons why you should never serve first
* How to beat a Lefty, a Retriever, a Serve-Volley player, and other troublesome opponents
* How to keep a lead, or stop a match from slipping away
* How to handle psyching and gamesmanship
Winning Ugly is an invaluable combat manual for the court, and its tips include "some real gems," according to Tennis magazine. Ultimately, Winning Ugly will help you beat players who have been beating you.
Customer Reviews:
Should be titled "Playing Smart".......2007-09-19
I'm not prone to exaggeration, and I don't write many reviews, but this is an excellent and unorthodox book. Do not recommend it to your opponents.
The title suggests using dirty tactics to win at all costs, while the book is actually about Gilbert becoming a world-class player despite his undistinguished strokes. Gilbert accomplished this through mental preparation. Sounds like common sense, right? Analyze your opponents and their strengths and weaknesses as well as yours, pay attention during the match about "who's doing what to whom". This book isn't about how to hit a forehand or backhand (Gilbert rightly points you to a club pro for that) but how to think about where to hit that forehand and backhand depending on what is happening in the match. It's really difficult to do it justice. I'm just an intermediate player but it has already begun to impact how I approach playing matches and what I try to do during practice rallies.
The anecdotes are very interesting, and Gilbert plainly writes about his weaknesses and failures. He compares a number of different players, and even if they're not the current crop, there's plenty to learn and absorb.
I had one revelation late in the book, in a section on psychological tricks that players use. Gilbert doesn't advocate them, and presents them instead so you're prepared if an opponent uses them. I used to idolize John MacEnroe because of his style of play, and considered his tantrums to be minor blemishes on a great career. The book explains that John MacEnroe and Jimmy Connors basically resorted to whining (my word, not Gilbert's) and completely disrupting a match when they were losing, in order to throw off the opponent, and they were accorded much more leniency than other players because of their stature. I think this casts a shadow on their legacies. Anyway, that's just a minor point.
The best I ever read about tennis mental game........2007-05-19
This is trully a great book! The author opens so many hidden stones of the game you would never thought about, and it is fun to read. I really love it! Brad, thank you very much for your excellent job. I wish you were my coach earlier or coaching my son now.
Focus on Winning.......2007-04-10
Take a walk inside the mind of the tennis player. Find out what should be going on inside the successful player's mind during a match.
Nice reading with good tips.......2007-03-09
It is worth reading although it could have been much briefer. Overall it is really fun to read.
Winnin Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis -- Lessions from a Master.......2007-01-22
The best tennis book I've ever read. Brad gilbert is a tennis genius and a very good writer. He has a keen sense of humor which is just in his personality - he writes the same way as he speaks (you can see him on TV a lot during the tennis tournaments). In this book he describes what is going on in player's head and what should be going on up there. He teaches how to be mentally strong during the matches. He also gives some very good practical advice on how to improve your strokes and how to play different style players. Very useful book for a tennis player. I'm going to re-read it again - every single page has wealth of valuable info.
Customer Reviews:
Analysis is great.......2007-10-03
I like that he has a full page to show the drawing and on the facing page he has a smaller version with commentary. He places capital letters on the drawing so you can see exactly which line or shape he is discussing.
Definative.......2007-07-13
Robert Beverly Hale was one of the masters in teaching figure drawing. A must for serious students of figure painting.
Not written by an artist..........2007-05-08
Although this is one of the best compilation books of old master drawings
available on the common market, I would not put too much stock in what
the author says. The author is correct in saying that many of these
great artists had to learn and understand anatomy in order to "make it up"
(e.g., a figure of a rearing horse drawn by Titian, impossible to be
taken from life), but he goes overboard in trying to get the student to
learn about anatomy. For example, he says "Please buy some bones". That's right--the way to paint like Rubens is to...buy some bones. I don't think so. Even if you learned how to draw the figure well, after perhaps 10 years, you'd still have to tackle drapery and then learn how to compose your figures in a painting and, well, be an artist. I have learned after much figure drawing study that after a while, "studies are
useless" (Rubens said that also). It is better for the true artist to simply plan painting after painting, and ignore all this wasteful "study effort" as if art is a science. This is not to say any knowledge of anatomy is bad. But you need to know only as much as it takes to know that
a head looks too big, or a shoulder "doesn't look right", esp. if you are already working from life. I have studied anatomy and tried to draw from my memory, and although my drawings have all the attendant parts, you cannot "guess" at how the aspect of a vastus medialis changes when it is in 10 different positions. It's much easier and quicker simply to draw a model from life--it will look more correct, even WITHOUT a knowledge of anatomy. And if you are a figurative artist, you may even want to "clothe" your figures at some point (Watteau made a name for himself for knowing how to do just that) so knowledge of anatomy, although not to be entirely discounted, should run second to drawing from life, having artistic vision, and working on a plan to make a nice painting instead of engaging in hours of fruitless "studies." After you die, do you want to have a bunch of academic drawings with correct anatomy laying around?
Only the art matters. This book, although much better than those awful books which use hack artists as models of excellence, still falls short
of what you really need to do to become a strong figurative painter. And that is, "draw from life". Pose your friends and family and draw them.
That's what the masters did.
This is one of the best books ever!.......2007-01-25
This is a must have book. No matter what your subject matter you can benefit from reading and doing the exercises in this book. I read it with a highlighter and a pen. I don't usually write in my drawing books, but this one was too good to simply read I had to study it. I will be using this in my current class to help me draw people better. Lots of excellent examples. It doesn't matter what you are trying to learn to draw this book helps you think in terms of mass and shape, not legs, arms, faces, etc.
Must have book for all fine art students!.......2007-01-05
Robert Beverly Hale is the undisputed master of not only artistic anatomy, methods of drawing and the masters' techniques; but he is also a master at conveying ideas in clear concise language. He was the best lecturer on artistic anatomy. I attended his 10 session lectures twice before he died. The book reflects much of what he taught in his lectures, so it's the next best thing to having him in the room.
Book Description
From Scorsese and Lynch to Wenders and Godard, interviews with twenty of the world's greatest directors on how they make films--and why
Each great filmmaker has a secret method to his moviemaking--but each of them is different. In Moviemaker Master Class, Laurent Tirard talks to twenty of today's most important filmmakers to get to the core of each director's approach to film, exploring the filmmaker's vision as well as his technique, while allowing each man to speak in his own voice.
Martin Scorsese likes setting up each shot very precisely ahead of time--so that he has the opportunity to change it all if he sees the need. Lars Von Trier, on the other hand, refuses to think about a shot until the actual moment of filming. And Bernardo Bertolucci tries to dream his shots the night before; if that doesn't work, he roams the set alone with a viewfinder, imagining the scene before the actors and crew join him. In these interviews--which originally appeared in the French film magazine Studio and are being published here in English for the first time--enhanced by exceptional photographs of the directors at work, Laurent Tirard has succeeded in finding out what makes each filmmaker--and his films--so extraordinary, shedding light on both the process and the people behind great moviemaking.
Among the other filmmakers included are Woody Allen, Tim Burton, Joel and Ethan Coen, and John Woo.
Customer Reviews:
Master Class, unmasterly with repetition .......2007-10-01
This book is great and has a wealth of insightful conversation with some amazing directors but my one complaint is that the bulk of the book is framed too similarly. While the directors all have their unique take and insights, Tirard essentially asks them all the same questions which leads to repetition over the bulk of the book. In no way am I saying not to purchase this book but I'm simply criticizing it's redundancy.
Master class for sure!!!.......2006-10-18
This is exactly what a moviemakers master class should be. It asks technical and artistic questions to some of the greatest directors of all time.
If you want to hear why Tim Burton likes wide lenses, which contemporary directors Scorsese admires and why, Jean Pierre Jeunet's theory of camera movement, David Lynch's "secret dolly move", John Woo's method of shooting and cutting scenes to music, The Coen brothers writing process, Lars Von Trier's take on the rules of Dogme 95, Jean-Luc Goddard's theory of filmmaking out of desire vs. need, then this book is your ticket.
This is a goldmine of knowledge. There are no fluff interviews here; only the best filmmakers in the world relating solid technical advice and tried and true shooting strategies developed from years of experience.
Very telling.......2006-02-24
Great stuff. Gives a lot of info on each director. For example; Sidney Pollack was an acting coach before he became a director.
This book is filled with insight, knowledge and terrific stories all from the top directors of our time.
Highest possible recommendation.......2005-10-23
What with formal education and all, I don't really have much time for outside reading. It's rare that something is so addictive that it will make me completely ignore my studies, against my better judgement.
This book is fantastic. Not only is it first-hand advice from actual filmmakers, rather than second-hand interpretations from critics or theoreticians (which are both helpful, the latter moreso, and I do read such things), but they are short enough to be digested at any pace whatsoever, and diverse enough to give you multiple perspectives. You get to find out if you're a Scorsese or a Wenders. You also find out that Von Trier is actually a pretty nice guy. Who knew? (Just kidding, I'm a fan).
Anyway, there's really no excuse to read this. It's very inspiring, and it's simple and fun. I read 150 pages or so in one sitting without becoming restless. Go for it.
Best conversations with Directors.......2005-08-30
This is the must read book for any aspiring movie director. It encapsulates the ideas and personal perceptions on presentation of screen story. It's not a book to know nitty gitty technical details, this is a collection of interviews with many directors and their style of making movie, when they talk about it. Same questions have been asked to all directors (Very good questions, no sterio typical questions you see in movie promos).
Get your copy today and enjoy it.
Book Description
Modern art, filled with complex themes and subtle characteristics, is a wonder to view, but can be intimidating for the casual observer to comprehend. In this accessible, practical guide, author and instructor Jon Thompson explores more than 200 works, helping readers to unlock each painting's meaning.
Beginning with the Barbizon school and the Realist movement of the mid-19th century and continuing through the 1980s avant-garde, artists including Bonnard, Basquiat, Van Gogh, Picasso, Degas, Warhol, and Whistler are featured. Thompson describes each artist's use of media and symbolism and provides insightful biographical information. A natural companion to Abrams' How to Read a Painting, this book is a vibrant, informative trip through one of art history's most compelling periods.
Customer Reviews:
interesting details.......2007-05-21
this is a great resource for teachers of art and art history. Thompson digs out some great details that I havent come across elsewhere
Amazon.com
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters provides an anatomical counterpart to Robert Beverly Hale's classic reference book, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. Terence Coyle, who for several years assisted Hale at the Art Students League of New York, kept detailed notes of Hale's lectures and teaching methods. He combined these notes with 100 drawings to illustrate how the great masters portrayed specific parts of the human physique. As Hale points out, master artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo, and Raphael "absorbed the technical details of anatomy so well that these details could be set down instinctively.... If an artist has to occupy his mind with the task of clumsily grouping the elemental facts of anatomy as he draws, there can be little room left for really important matters--such as the spirit of the drawing and the artist's expressive intent." Coyle provides several examples within the study of each anatomical area to illustrate the variety of styles and methods employed by the masters. The book treats, in order, the rib cage, the pelvis and thigh, the knee and lower leg, the foot, the shoulder girdle, the arm, the hand, and the neck and head. A complete series of anatomical reference plates by Dr. Paul Richer is included. By applying the timeless anatomical principles the great masters have handed down to us, any artist can begin to acquire the means by which to express the "really important matters." --Mary Ribesky
Book Description
This classic book, whose foremost author was one of the great artistic anatomy teachers of the twentieth century, is an invaluable instructor and reference guide for any professional, amateur, or student artist who depicts the human form. Revealing the drawing principles behind one hundred inspiring masterpieces, the book presents work by Leonardo, Michelangelo, Rubens, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, and other greats. These superb portrayers of figures knew that the secret of drawing them was seeing how underlying bone and muscle structures mold the body's surface forms. Readers are shown how to learn from these great examples as the authors guide them through all the steps they would take in a life class or studio working with live models.
Customer Reviews:
Good for Antamoy References.......2007-05-13
I will just say that this is very helpful for reference to specific part of the human anatomy. Especially the skeletal and muscular diagrams at the back of the book.
Good book.......2006-11-23
for us amateaur artists who want inspiration to create great works of art. This book shows the details of the human body and how great artists drew from live and dead bodies as they create the greatest masterpieces in art history.
Practice practice practice.......2006-01-20
I took an art class at the junior college and the instructor suggested copying the masters to improve drawing skills. I bought this book and copied every picture. Not only did it familiarize me with many artists I had not heard of but, over time my drawing skills improved dramatically. I am now buying collections of drawings of other artists and copying. I highly recommend the book not only as a reference but also to be used to improve skills. I have an engineering background, not art and this helped immensely.
Good book, but lacks in the following........2004-01-07
Pick up this book if you are looking for a great artistic anatomy reference book. If you are looking for more than reference, however, you might want to look elsewhere. While this book is definitely good, it doesn't give the artist direction in how to draw or depict the illustrations. The text is pretty much straight-forward, usually only noting the parts of the bodies in the images. Second, this book lacks the poetic and great writing of Robert Beverly Hale.
Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters is more of an extra reference book or a supplement to Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters. In that book, Hale really teaches to the reader whats needed to depict anatomy, what steps the artist must take, gives tips on how to become a great or accomplished artist, why the artists of the past were so good, what mistakes beginners of figure drawing usually make, and sooooo much more. It's pretty much an incredible book to have even if you're not into figure drawing.
I think Anatomy Lessons would probably be more highly regarded in my eyes had Drawing Lessons been nonexistent. Anatomy Lessons is great for further reference, if thats what you're looking for though. I probably wouldn't recommend anyone to buy this book unless you already own or have thoroughly read and studied Drawing Lessons by the Great Masters.
Excellent content.......2002-09-29
An excellent book on artistic anatomy. Reading this one book has taught me more than some figure drawing classes. A systematic deconstruction of how the masters of artistic anatomy have integrated their knowledge into some of the greatest drawings of all time. The book goes through the drawings of famous artists, categorized by the region of the body on which the drawings are focused, and attempts to explain how extensive knowledge of anatomy has been effectively applied. It touches on how these artists could create drawings which are more powerful than merely a photographic rendering of the model through their use of anatomy.
Unfortunately, the book is very cheaply bound. Entire leaves have detached themselves from the spine, though I have treated the book very well. My copy has turned into a stack of paper and scotch tape, wrapped loosely in its former cover. Despite that fact, I still consider it worth the purchase.
I have both this book and "Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters." Both are excellent books, but if you must only buy one, get this one. It is the better of the two.
Book Description
Instructions To The Cook is a distillation of Zen wisdom that can be used equally well as a manual on business or spiritual practice, cooking or life. The hardcover edition was featured in every major Buddhist magazine. "Be nourished and inspired! Magnificent work!"--Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Customer Reviews:
Buddhism and entrepreneurism can mix!.......2003-08-25
Enjoyed the taped version of INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COOK, written by Bernard Glassman and Rick Fields . . . subtitled A ZEN MASTER'S LESSONS IN LIVING A LIFE THAT MATTERS, it is actually
an autobiography that tells how Glassman took his beliefs
and used them to set up a Zen Center (with a successful
bakery) . . . I had previously thought that Buddhism and
entrepreneurism were terms that didn't even belong in the same
sentence; however, this book proved me wrong.
In addition, it confirmed for me the fact that PR-type folks sometimes
don't know what they're talking about . . . when coming up with
a name for the bakery, many advised against any mention
of the Zen tie-in . . . Glassman disagreed, though, because
he felt that to hide the fact would be not consistent with his
value system . . . he fortunately won out.
My only criticism: I would have liked to have seen a few
more actual lessons; i.e., suggestions that I could apply
to my daily life along the lines of the following one that
I did recall:
As with time, there's almost always enough money to
start the process [of starting a business or virtually
anything else].
Not a lot of Instructions..........2001-01-31
I'm a little disappointed with Glassman Roshi here. Its useful if you're considering a new endevour in business, but as far as personal practice it's not. It's more a bio on Glassman ans his successes, tooting of the horn , I feel. The "instructions" were vague an dalmost always applied only to business or corporate functioning. If you're not in this world, don't expect too much.
Combining Zen and Activism.......2000-05-13
I liked this book because it combined Zen and activism, a rare combination in our culture (unfortunately). Almost as soon as he hit the streets of New York to set up his Zen Center, Glassman was intent on helping the homeless in a meaningful way. What I enjoyed the most is when he focused on Zen principles in doing his activism. When a dilemma arose, he recommended that people meditate to find a possible solution. In the bakery he set up to employ the unemployed and homeless, he erected a meditation center so that people could meditate, if so inclined. I think his merging of spiritual practice, hard work, and activism is probably a good reason why his projects were successful. He realized that business without "more" is not fulfilling, and that spirituality needs to help the community we all live in, as its purpose is not simply to help our individual souls. A most worthwhile book. The only criticism: although he discussed himself, I would have liked to have learned even more about his background, how he came to the place of combining Zen and activism.
Building a community is a job for us all.......1998-08-24
Filled with inspiration and common sense wisdom, Glassman shows that caring can become compassion, and in turn can significantly alter our communities for the better. This is a message of hope for those who see government subsidies and the welfare system as our only way to deal with the unemployed or underemployed.
Business owners and community leaders could learn more from this book than from sitting through dozens of meetings filled with people who like to complain, rather than take action. I highly recommend this book both for the joy of seeing that there is light in the world, and as an example of how compassion can reap profits in so much more than dollars and cents.
Best Guide to Spirituality in the Street.......1997-05-11
On Becoming a Zen Cook
How do you go further from the top of a hundred-foot pole? The answer to this Zen koan, given on the opening page of Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master1s Lessons in Living a Life that Matters (Bell Tower Harmony Books) is simply, 3Live life more fully.2
The Zen 3cook2 writing this book is Bernard Glassman, abbot of the Zen Community of New York and the Zen Center of Los Angeles, with assistance from Rick Fields, editor of Yoga Journal and co-author of the Zen book, Chop Wood, Carry Water. When Dr. Glassman (with a Ph.D. in mathematics from U.C.L.A.) was an aeronautical engineer working on manned missions to Mars at McDonnell-Douglas in the 1970s, he felt a hunger for 3something more.2 He began his practice of Zen and soon became a teacher himself.
Glassman vowed to serve the 3supreme meal2 to the world1s hungry. The supreme meal for a Zen cook is life lived to the fullest. By the time he wrote his cookbook, he had created a Zen community in New York, complete with uniquely profitable means of livelihood for its members, as well as several not-for-profit social action enterprises.
How did he come to serve up such a full meal? He began by gathering the ingredients at hand at started cooking. Along the way, he didn1t worry so much about doing the 3right thing2 as simply doing the 3next thing,2 which usually proved to be correct. His cookbook, which is also an autobiography of his work, shows that a meal concocted from spirituality, livelihood and service is quite fulfilling. His story, and the teaching he makes from it, has provided me with some of the most inspiring reading I1ve encountered in a long time. I want to pass along some of his recipes here for each of five courses which make up the complete meal.
The first course is spiritual practice, such as meditation (or use other methods at hand), to develop the awareness of the oneness of all things. Spirituality also helps us to realize the stillness in the center of all our activities. We need to clear our minds just as a cook cleans the kitchen prior to cooking. We don1t meditate to become enlightened, however, but because we are enlightened, we meditate to keep our stillness in the endless cycle of cooking, serving, cleaning.
The second course is study or learning. We need our education to develop intelligence and skills. Rabbi Glassman--of course I should call him Roshi, not Rabbi, but he was born Jewish and his practical, down to earth approach has a Jewish flavor--teaches that we learn by doing. No need to wait until you know everything before you do anything, but you learn like a baby learns to walk, by getting up over and over again until you get going. Then you become more polished with practice. He teaches you to cook with all available ingredients, including your own faults and problems, which are always in plentiful supply. When a series of burglaries into the housing complex for the homeless, for example, began to anger the residents, he used the situation to teach them how much they cared about and wanted to protect their dwelling place. He used this problem to get them more involved in its management, and they learned valuable skills in the process.
The third course is livelihood, which requires practical skills put to good use. Although we don1t live to eat, we have to eat to live. No matter how spiritual we may be, finding a way to sustain ourselves in the world is a common necessity. He calls it the meat and potatoes of the meal. Denying donations, Glassman created a self-sustaining businessÐa bakeryÐbecause good food would nourish others and because it could be quite profitable. His tales of creating that business (becoming the official supplier of baked goods to the Rain Forest brand of cookies and for Ben and Jerry1s ice cream sandwiches) is an instructional manual itself in practical spirituality. He saw to it that the employees not only earned a living, but also found spiritual nourishment in their work. He had a double bottom line that he sees as really one: profit and service to all concerned.
He didn1t aim merely for profit that served, but also profit that transformed, because the forth course is social action. Creating economically self-sustaining structures that nourished the community and transformed its social landscape, he hired and trained the homeless so they could earn money to own their own shelter. Have a big vision, he counsels, but pay attention to the details. He developed, for example, an 800 number voice mail network for the homeless to communicate with each other and with potential employers.
The final course is relationship and community. He and his students lived among the homeless and learned from them in designing their programs. He also engaged local business and government to participate as be began a program of refurbishing abandoned buildings.
Glassman has had his critics, people who miss the traditional zendo. They ask, 3But is it Zen?2 He treats the question as a koan, and replies, 3Three pounds of fudge!2
Book Description
The subtle arts of management and leadership have been developed over thousands of years by the Chinese. The Book of Leadership and Strategy represents the Taoist culmination of this long tradition and is one of the most prestigious works of ancient Chinese thought. Collected here are insightful teachings on the challenges of leadership on all levels, from organizational management to political statecraft. The translator, Thomas Cleary, has chosen and arranged these teachings to emphasize the most valuable lessons of Taoist wisdom for modern Western readers. Like Cleary's best-selling translation of The Art of War by Sun Tzu, this work will serve as an enlightening guide for people in business, politics, and government.
Customer Reviews:
Extracts from the Huainan Tzu.......2005-06-04
Cleary brings us another brief, readable translation from the Taoist canon. This time, it's a compilation of extracts from the Huainan Tzu (or Huainanzi). Unlike other books, this has multiple authors, guest philosophers in the court of a king of the small Huainan nation. If there's any choppiness in this list of brief lessons, it's probably due to the book's mixed origin rather than Cleary's editing.
He chose to arrange the aphoristic anecdotes into four chapters, on State, Warfare, Peace, and Wisdom. These readings are much less direct than other authors on statecraft - Han Fei Tzu or Sun Tzu are clearer to a modern reader, and more immediately applicable. Like other Taoist authors, these convey the sense that proper following of The Way is the only goal. Within The Way all other things, including peace, prosperity, and victory, ensue with the inevitability of water flowing down hill.
Some of these teachings are clear enough, though, and applicable immediately in today's world. "In early spring, ... pregnant animals are not to be killed and birds' eggs are not to be taken." Natural and agricultural resources need to be managed properly in order to stay productive for the long term. It's a lesson that is too rarely remembered in modern policy-making, when resources must be stretched to feed so many more people. Elsewhere, the Huainan masters direct their invasion forces not to destroy resources or plunder the populace, in order to keep the majority's good will after a change of regime. They knew this over two thousand years ago, but we're still applying the lesson only poorly today.
This isn't in the first rank of Taoist writings, but it's a readable and worthwhile addition for anyone who wants to dig a bit deeper. It complements Sun Tzu and Mo Tzu as much as it does Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu. It gives a little extra perspective on today's world, too.
//wiredweird
PS: This book's content also appears as one section of a larger collection, Cleary's "The Taoist Classics, Volume I."
A philosophical look at leadership and strategy..........2001-02-25
This book is more philosophical than some others of similar titles and natures are. It views leadership and strategy through the lens of Taoist thinking, and as such is more concerned with the spiritual and ethical development of a leader. The book is broken into four sections: State and Society; Warfare; Peace; and Wisdom. Each is linked to the other, and follows the previous topic. There is a lot of discussion on the health of a given society, and how both the heads of a society as well as the people within it reflect and affect its overall health. There is a lot of focus on the causes and effects of warfare, as well as the ethics of waging war properly.
This is a small book, one that you can keep in your pocket or briefcase, perfect in size for reading on the train into work or while sitting in a doctor's office. It's full of essays that will make you think, and perhaps re-evaluate how you deal with certain situations in your life. It is worth buying, no question about that.
up there with the bible.......1999-12-16
i read on the subject of eastern philosophy and the book of leadership and strategy is one that encompasses a typical taoist thought. very informative, and makes more sense than most holy books. thomas cleary is on my list of authors
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