Search results for ""schiffer publishing""

This is the most comprehensive guide to collecting fire-related antiques available, presenting a fascinating collection of functional items like helmets, parade trumpets, fire extinguishing grenades, alarm boxes, and lanterns. It also offers ranking and ceremonial effects such as badges, trophies, medals and awards, and ephemera that celebrate the culture and mystique of firefighting, including toys, artwork, movie posters, and much more. Forgotten relics, such as firefighting adventure novels, show the enormous amount of respect and admiration society has had for firefighters. Covering colonial times to the present, with a brief historical introduction, this authoritative reference serves hobbyists and the most serious collectors of "firematics." Nearly 700 color photographs are inside with detailed descriptions and up-to-date pricing information.

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From an auto repair shop at one end of the street to a movie theater and a building under construction at the other, this book depicts downtown USA during the Great Depression, through the eyes of 29 of North America's top caricature carvers. The Caricature Carvers of America (CCA) present the 1930s street scene, complete with 11 buildings and over 100 original caricature carvings. In their newest project, CCA members offer their approach to developing ideas, building models, carving, painting, and finishing techniques through photos, patterns, and text. The book includes a step-by-step chapter on carving a piece from the scene as well as patterns and details for many of the original carvings.

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This illustrious guide to modern print design is, first and foremost, an art book, but serious designers will find it to be a useful reference as well. The editors of this collection provide a straightforward account of the development of the most influential print styles in high fashion around the world today. Advice, instruction, and hundreds of vibrant examples will inspire designers with an open mind. Serigraphy and its various manifestations, digital printing, a wide range of embroidery combinations, and thermotransference are just some of the proven, popular print techniques described in detail. If you're just getting started, find tips on purchasing the right equipment and keeping a print design notebook. Use the glossary of nearly 40 different fabric types to your advantage. A substantive selection of motifs and patterns, such as sports themes, geometric designs, and fairy tale prints, should ignite any fashionista's imagination.

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These books present in detail the field-grey uniforms, helmets, weapons, and equipment used before and during the First World War. The origin and the many formations in existence at the outbreak of the war, and newly raised will be outlined, followed by a section on uniforms. The many carefully selected black and white war-era photos with large and complete captions will give the reader a thorough understanding of the appearance of the German Army during World War I. Each branch of service is lavishly illustrated with over 3000 black and white, and color photographs. The three volumes cover: uniforms, headgear, weapons, gas warfare, telephone and communications equipment, infantry, jäger, schützen, radfahrer, mountain troops, machine gunners, cavalry, artillery, pioneers, transport, train, medical, and miscellaneous formations.

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The second volume of the Sinclair Collection brings into focus a new group of World War II Soviet uniforms. All uniforms are presented in full color – including one of Stalin’s – and includes very rare examples of branch marshals and other flag ranks. A new archive of period photographs makes this a "must have" for the World War II Soviet collector and historian. Along with the first volume, this is the most comprehensive compendium available of World War II parade uniforms of the Soviet Union.

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Unnamed Graves, a Secret Cemetery, Files Closed to the Public and Stored in "The Vault." During World War II, in the North African/Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operation, 96 American soldiers were convicted by Army General Courts-Martial and executed for desertion, murder and rape. Their victims were 26 fellow American soldiers and 71 British, French, Italian, Polish and Algerian civilians. The executions were not ad hoc killings. General Eisenhower, or another theater commander, approved every proceeding, but the Army did not trumpet the crimes. After the war, the Army searched for a suitable site to inter the remains of all 96 men. It chose a plot of land adjacent to – but technically outside of – the World War I American cemetery of Oise-Aisne. The area is separated from the main cemetery by a high stone wall, concealed from view, and is closed to casual visitors. Called "Plot E" by the staff, others refer to it as "The Fifth Field." The judicial files on the 96 were even harder to find – until now.

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Planning a wedding offers many beautiful opportunities that are just waiting to be discovered. To help inspire couples and ignite a creative spark, The White Dress in Color is filled with photographs that celebrate the creative spirit through beautiful bridal stories and innovative planning tips from industry experts. Follow each tale as it unfolds in gorgeous on-location photography, and then go behind the scenes where tips and ideas on color palette, textures, flowers, stationery, and, of course, the dress, are revealed. From rustic barn settings to industrial loading docks to tropical beaches, this journey covers thousands of wedding planning ideas in 200+ images and is an ideal source of inspiration for couples looking for a muse to foster creativity throughout their wedding planning process.

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The Lancaster Diamond Sampler was made by one anonymous person, referred to as "Fanny's friend." Fanny S. Bucher and her friend were sharing fabric and block designs as they made their unique diamond-shaped blocks into sampler quilts – quilts meant for teaching and learning the craft. As you follow along with Fanny's friend, learn – or re-learn – the skills needed for making your own quilt. Supplemented by over 500 instructional images and diagrams of quilts, blocks, and needlework, the basics of fabric selection, grain, placement, and seaming are demonstrated. You will see Fanny's friend's skills develop along with your own – from simple piecing to the elements of patchwork, complex miniatures, and appliqué. These skills are enhanced when practiced with a group, so share the patterns provided with other quilters to learn and create your own sampler together!

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The latest volume of this popular series allows anyone interested in fashion to glimpse its future: the emerging trends in European design. More than 340 photos capture the designs and insights of 70 of Europe's top fashion students from the most prominent fashion design colleges and universities in Denmark, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. Europe's up-and-coming designers reveal insights about their design choices, their use of materials, and their chosen techniques in creating womenswear and menswear. This is an essential reference for every fashion program, and for everyone interested in the most exciting trendsetters entering the fashion world.

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Every day, roughly 720,000 people from all walks of life use the four lines of the Boston MBTA subway system: Red, Green, Blue, and Orange. The T, as it's known, is a vital link to living, working, or visiting in Boston. The subway system acts as the city's arteries. It includes 28 underground and 80 above-ground stations. Over 145 compelling art photographs explore the T-riders, their behavior, their actions when waiting for or riding a train, and their response to the chaotic push of rush hour. With a keen eye, both the T's infrastructure and its many stations with their varied architecture, artwork, and physical layouts are captured. With the first tunnel excavation begun in 1895 and the last station completed in 1985, there is plenty of variation to explore. Interestingly, this volume also offers a rarely seen glimpse of how the trains are kept operational in several maintenance facilities. Here is a fascinating visual journey through one of the nation's oldest subway systems. Whether you are a regular subway rider, a fan of photography, a train enthusiast, or a people watcher, there is something here for you.

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Introducing a comprehensive, multi-volume work that catalogs the enormous range of enamel-painted figures made predominantly in the Staffordshire Potteries between 1780 and 1840, Volume 1 covers figures portraying people's pastimes and work. It includes over 900 brilliant color photos of pottery, as well as information about its makers and design sources and a guide to values. The attributes of all known makers' work are explored, as are those of groups of related figures whose makers remain anonymous. Some figures in this volume portray the pastimes of gardening, reading, and music, while others depict shepherds and shepherdesses, other farm workers, vendors, and people engaged in a host of trades and occupations. Many of these figures are hauntingly beautiful and have long been hidden from the public eye. Fashioned in an era before photography, they give us rare glimpses of a world that has vanished. To hold one is to touch the past.

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Basic felt techniques are thoroughly explained and illustrated with over 550 step-by-step photographs. Twenty-eight original projects presented use both industrial felt and felted wool. As a fabric, felt comes from wool and is set apart from other woolen fabrics in that it is not woven. This book explains in simple, easily followed, illustrated instructions the techniques for making felt from wool and working with it, both wet and dry, to create felt flowers, balls, and cords,how to use felting with molds, and more. Projects for children, home decoration, and clothing accessories are all provided, including finger puppets, table runners, sunflower bowls, rings, and purses. Enjoy these techniques, originally discovered thousands of years ago by Asian nomadic tribes and passed down from generation to generation. In the modern day, there are artisans in every corner of the world who work with felt in art. This extensive book is complemented by a gallery of work by international felt artists, showing variations that will inspire the imagination.

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Never before has any book explored the dual hobbies of amateur radio and camping/RVing. From the 1940s to the 1970s, these hobbies were commonly conducted together by countless thousands of people in countries around the world. Many campers took radio equipment with them to expand their range of operations and to visit other radio enthusiasts. Over 250 colorful, detailed, and fun images display both ham radio and camper-related items including vintage radio license plates, ham radio magazines, and a great many QSL cards and postcards containing a wonderful array of homemade and professionally prepared graphics. These cards documented radio communications and disseminated the contact information between radio operators. Every item shown is accompanied with a detailed caption and an estimated value. This volume is divided into ten chapters covering topics including tent, trailer, truck and motor coach camping, art and folk art, comedy cards, and remote radio expeditions.

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The work of Walker & Gillette, one of the leading architectural firms of the twentieth century, is documented with an extensive text and over 800 illustrations. These include many unpublished works by the company and by architect Joseph Mordecai Hirschman, whose passion for old world buildings influenced their design. The first half of the twentieth century featured a wide variety of architectural styles, including Classicism, Art Deco, and Modernism, which Walker & Gillette used well. Established in the early twentieth century, this firm would remain active until the 1950s. Over the years, the firm diversified, planning residential country estates, urban mansions, town homes, and apartments. Commercial, corporate, and governmental architecture, Art Deco skyscrapers, and unique commissions are all covered, as are the interiors they created for private yachts, ocean liners, the Playland Amusement Park, and their 1939 New York World's Fair offering. This book has relevance and appeal to architects, artists, historians, and readers who love vibrant American history.

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Featuring 230 exceptional photos, this is the first book covering KOA – Kampgrounds of America – the largest travel camping host in the world and the artwork the organization has commissioned over the years. Each original work of art is related to camping and RVing. The artwork includes paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and other forms, all housed in the KOA International Headquarters in the company's Art of Kamping Gallery. The subjects covered in these chapters include folk art, humor, whimsy, civic spirit, international, the KOA-Airstream connection, a commemoration of KOA's 2012 fiftieth anniversary celebration, and more. Taken together, this collection celebrates the "soft rugged" camping experience KOA provides, reflecting the belief that camping is an important and positive life experience. It shows how camping brings families and friends together, escaping the humdrum everyday experience in favor of the exciting, restorative outdoor experience enjoyed by young and old alike.

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Glass is hard and brilliant, and can be cut and polished like a gem. When variously shaped and colored pieces are combined to create a design or image, the results can be stunning. Creating these glass works can use one of two different methods: lead and copper foil (the method made famous by Louis Comfort Tiffany). This book demystifies both in detail by explaining the underlying principles of this specialized field, providing an overall view of the methods and techniques from an educational viewpoint, and building confidence for working directly with glass. Step-by-step instruction for six different leaded glass projects is included, covering the complete process. From the initial plan to the finished object, each step is broken into simple and easy to follow procedures. Once mastered, these steps are readily applicable for creating your own leaded glass pieces from your own designs! A collected gallery of inspirational leaded glass projects and a section of resources completes this valuable guide.

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Can a place be inherently evil? Are the violent and paranormal events so frequently experienced throughout the history of the Bridgewater Triangle mere coincidence or evidence of an unseen, epic battle waged between the forces of good and evil? This is the true story of the area of southeastern Massachusetts that has become infamous worldwide for paranormal activity. Peter Tower traces the history of this mysterious and terrifying area, from its beginnings after the last ice age through the many bizarre and infamous paranormal events experienced there in the 1970s and 1980s. The author’s engaging storytelling technique combines in-depth research of the area’s geologic and cultural history with narrative vignettes and firsthand interviews from people that have encountered UFOs, Bigfoot, and mystery creatures, and experienced other unexplained events there. Tower brings the area to life in such a vivid fashion that the book proves to be nearly as mysterious and frightening for readers as experiencing the Bridgewater Triangle first-hand.

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Former criminal investigator, author, and local historian Ray Johnson takes a new look at nine popular Chicago locations and their history, digging up strange new discoveries and connections. Who may have murdered sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes in 1956? Who is the seventh body located under the 1893 Columbian Expo Cold Storage Fire Memorial at Oak Woods Cemetery…when there should only be six? Is there more of a link between H.H. Holmes and Chicago's White City than previously thought, and could there also be another connection to England and other murders? What ties Chicago to the Titanic disaster of 1912? What rituals were being performed at El-Sabarum (currently The Tonic Room) that could explain some of the bizarre occurrences reported there? Explore these historic mysteries and read about the stranger side of Chicago. Original illustrations by Kimberly MacAulay.

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Explore the basic fundamentals of the Zodiac with children, allowing them to understand all that the night sky has to offer. Through fun trivia, puzzles, prose, and challenges, this refreshing workbook provides hours of educational play that can be revisited over and over. Children will be helped to make sense of the influences that surround every one of us. For each of the 12 Astrological Zodiacs there are corresponding aspects in different areas like: their element, planetary ruler, color, stone, and motto. Even the placement of each Zodiac has significance, as it was once used as an Astrological calendar. In the Night Sky focuses on learning to recognize the constellations and their aspects, hearing more about their stories, and finding how they came to be and the lessons that they teach.

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Why should the professional brewmaster have all the fun? Now it is possible to brew good, simple beer at home without expensive equipment. This extensive reference book, the product of 80 home brewing sessions, is your technical guide to easy home brewing and covers every single aspect of the process in great detail. From establishing your workspace to assembling your raw materials to step-by-step coverage of the brewing process, this book is an essential ingredient in your home brewing operation. With detailed illustrations and photographs documenting the process, you will learn fermentation, bottling, brewing mistakes, and basic beer recipes. In addition, there is an entire chapter devoted to using new beer brewing machines as well as a comprehensive list of recipes for European specialty beers. All in all, this is the ideal home brewery guide for setting up and producing your own brew.

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The history, geography, and people of the North Shore come to life in this easy-reading book of over 35 stories about the region northeast of Boston and south of New Hampshire, including many lesser-known, but charming, inlets, placid pools, and stirring basins. Read about one of the strongest earthquakes on the East Coast, centered just off Cape Ann, which few people know about. Join a British nobleman and a Marblehead barmaid on their extraordinary life adventure after being united during an earthquake. Learn about "Brown's Folly" in Danvers as written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Meet the Derby family, important in the shipping industry, and Eleo Sears, the Gold Coast's golden sportswoman and far ahead of her time. Also find Salem's witchcraft trials, the East India Trade, the retreat of the British when they came to search for arms, the contributions of Thomas Watson, and more. These are the stories that make the North Shore fascinating!

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In this sophomore tale of our otherworldly duo, Dreary and Naughty get off to an unlucky start on Valentine's Day weekend. All the boys of Whispering Hills High have a crush on Naughty, which drives a wedge between them (while Dreary is, well, dead to all the girls). Can their feelings for each other survive under the trials and tribulations of the dreaded Valentine's Day exchange? Taking us all back to the days when not everyone was remembered on the cardstock holiday, Friday the 13th of February is the perfect message about what's truly important in love and friendship.

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Well-known New York photographer Harvey Stein documents the humanity and spirit of the people of Harlem in 166 beautiful black and white photographs taken over 23 years, from 1990 to 2013. The images are mostly close-up portraits that reveal the friendliness and warmth of this city's inhabitants, the vibrant and bustling vitality of the area, and the changing nature of the neighborhood. What may at first appear to be a casual encounter becomes a personal, intimate record, a meaningful collaboration between photographer and subject. With a population of nearly half a million people, Harlem is America's most celebrated African-American neighborhood. Its rich past and historical importance have made a unique contribution to our national popular culture. Stein’s photographs capture and celebrate the Harlem spirit.

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Why make a mess in your indoor kitchen when you can build your own fire pit and eat like a cowboy in the open air? There is something about roasting suckling pig on a spit, duck on a rope, or just chestnuts over a handmade fire pit that makes eating with friends and family even more special. Here are a dozen different cooking methods and nearly a hundred recipes. Learn how to cook beef, pork, and lamb, as well as vegetables, seafood, and eggs, in traditional European and American Southwestern styles, above and sometimes directly in the embers. When you take your family camping, brew your own coffee in the morning and make Brandy Punch at night. The book includes a list of equipment, including different types of firewood, and detailed instructions. Whether you're a veteran outdoor cook or a novice hungry for adventure, you'll fall in love with these rewarding methods.

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It is said that Oregonians have more body art per capita than any state in the union. Bob Baxter and his wife, Mary Gardner, have carefully vetted and selected forty-four of the best shops out of hundreds in their home state in order to expand and improve their already vast online tattoo shop directory. Spending three months on the road and traveling nearly a thousand miles, they visited each location, interviewed the owners, and photographed the shops' finest and most loyal clients. The result is the fifth installment in the Tattoo Road Trip series, a captivating, regional tattoo compendium and day-by-day account of the couple's adventures on the road in the Beaver State, from top to bottom, along the coast and inland. This one-of-a-kind collection of tattoos and tattoo artists is an essential component to the enthusiast’s understanding of the tattoo scene in this majestic Pacific Northwestern state.

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The success of today’s American Indian silversmith follows a pathway blazed by the silver Indian jewelry makers that came before—those who brought the raw silver, channeled it, worked it, and made it profitable. In a large sense, the Fred Harvey name built the structure upon which many of today's Southwestern Indian silver and art traditions survive. This book's comprehensive study utilizes several private collections and hundreds of specimens, the best of which were painstakingly measured, weighed and photographed for the book. With nearly 100 images of SW Indian jewelry supplemented by early 1900s Harvey Company Photostint postcards, this book paints a vivid and colorful picture of life in America’s southwestern frontier. Included is a significantly researched timeline and "tips & tricks" to clarify the historical subject. The many conjoined facts and historical research discoveries provide a fresh vantage from which to understand the complex world of early silver Indian jewelry and its champion, Fred Harvey Jewelry.

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The Eastern shore of Maryland is a peaceful and tranquil land unto itself, off the beaten and frenzied track of I-95 and the cities along it. From the top of the Chesapeake Bay to the Virginia border, Devereux’s photographs explore this region famous for its beauty, history, and culture, and its vast estuary wetlands that are so vital to the local economies dominated by farming, fishing, hunting and boating. Over 130 images propel the reader along a photographic journey along the coast: experience the sunrise over the water, and pass wildlife in marshes where boats appear to be sitting on the grasses. Visit picturesque colonial towns with their historic churches and houses, and fishing villages where harbors churn with crab boats. Pass by large farms planted with corn or wheat – or smothered with snow geese in the winter. This book captures the magnificence of Maryland's Eastern shore in an informative, thoroughly engaging and beautiful way.

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Musical Ink is a portrait project from Toronto-based photographer Jon Blacker that spotlights 62 musicians and their tattoos. This exciting volume of imagery not only has something for every musical taste – featured artists range in genre from heavy metal to hip hop and opera – the tattoo styles include elaborate sleeves, creative one points, and traditional Japanese themes. Each portrait is photographed in black and white using a special infrared camera, which allows the tattoos to truly stand out from the skin because while infrared light largely reflects off of skin, it is absorbed by the tattoo ink, creating a great deal of contrast between the almost glowing, ethereal appearance of the skin and the deep blacks and greys of the tattoos. But Musical Ink goes more than skin deep and focuses on the personal meanings of the artists’ body art, be it a deep personal reflection or simply a great funny story. This outstanding collection of images, including artists like Dave Navarro, Chad Smith, and Sammy Hagar, is ideal for music lovers, tattoo aficionados and artists, and photographers.

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Since its beginning in Chicago in the 1940s, Monogram's plastic model kits for cars, ships, aircraft, and spacecraft have captured the imaginations of hobbyists everywhere. The thousands of models Monogram made from 1945 to 1986 are described in detail, shown in over 300 beautiful color photos, with several new images, and are complete with their updated collector's value. The popular cars range from classic hot rods and flashy custom cars to NASCAR racers. Interviews were conducted for this book with company executives, designers, and model sculptors including Darryl Starbird and Tom Daniel, artists who painted the box art, and salesmen who put the kits on store shelves. Today the kits and finished models are themselves collectibles for beginning and advanced modelers alike.

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The closure of the era of chemical imaging coincided with the turn of the 21st century: now is the perfect time to review what photography has been, consider what it is now, and contemplate what it will become. With contributions from 20 collectors and scholars, the collections in this book range from 1840–1940, including camera obscuras and cyanotypes to autochromes, stereoscopes, daguerreotypes. Also included are American tintypes and ambrotypes, the miniature and intricate stanhopes, magic lanterns and other optical toys, megalethoscopes, and zoetropes, and many more. Each collector has written a meticulous study to introduce their photographic passion, and with over 500 images (most never before published) of cameras and photographs alike, the truly marvelous nature of the camera and the miraculous technologies that enabled them are revealed. The transcendence and “wonder of wonders!” that is ever present within photography can still be honestly and freshly felt today. This book is ideal for those who wish to study, and experience, the everlasting marvel of camera magic.

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In 265 photos, this book provides all the knowledge you need to make the most of your space outdoors, creating landscape for recreation, gardens, and play that is also a safe, child friendly environment. Whether you choose to design the ideal setting for the neighborhood ping-pong tournament, create an imaginative space to inspire games for kids, or add splash-happy features to your pool, this treasure trove of backyard fun will show you how to do it right. The popularity of outdoor living is growing by leaps and bounds as ever-increasing numbers of homeowners look for ways to enjoy economical backyard environments. From croquet, bocce ball, badminton, and table tennis to horseshoes, corn in the hole, and ladder ball, families everywhere are getting outside to play. Why shouldn't you?

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Everyone loves a beautiful space, and a beautiful life starts at home. In a busy household, time is of the essence when you’re going about your daily life, and while it is true that good design is acquired over time, there are keys and tricks to breaking down the process into manageable stages for the active, on-the-go design aficionado. Design on the Fly pinpoints specific shortcuts and simple and quick design tricks that are easy to achieve, no matter how tight your schedule! Each room of the home is given its own chapter of design ideas and projects, streamlined into time-specific categories: one hour, two hour, and weekend-length commitments. And yes – even with kids, your space can be fabulous! This book is a must for any busy family – with one on the way or several in the way – who wants to create a stylish home while maximizing their meager spare time. Realize your home's potential on your schedule!

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The Hopi Indian’s rich culture and exciting religious ceremonies continue to thrive. However, outsiders have limited opportunity to witness the exciting Katsina dances and ceremonies of the Hopi, save through the well-known and much prized kachina dolls the Katsina spiritually inform. Presenting work from a select set of recognizable Hopi artists, this book relates the detailed history and culture of the Hopis in tandem with their creative efforts to showcase that framework: from remarkable paintings to the kachina sculptures and dolls that manifest as physical representations of the Katsinam, the Hopis' spiritual beings. These pieces complement the Pecina's studious and informative narrative of chronological vignettes and text based on a careful selection of events in Hopi history, oral teachings of great cultural significance, and legends of the Katsinam. Hopi Kachinas presents a clear and meticulous portrait of the Hopis beliefs, history, legends, their Katsina celebrations, and the personas of the Katsinam. This book illuminates the stage of study for scholars, and is vital for students of the Hopi culture.

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Today's American, hand-crafted furniture is bristling with originality. Blending art and functionality, David Ebner creates unique benches, tables, and chairs. This designer-craftsman's work subtly surpasses the limits of the furniture world and often crosses over into the realm of sculpture. Fine woods with interesting patterns are featured in his practical designs, which reflect natural elements of the places where he has worked in New York state. He fuses traditional and modern techniques and is well known for his scallion coat rack, Renwick benches, and Bellport chairs. See more than 340 color photos and sketches of Ebner's designs for diverse forms created with "twisted sticks," tubular metal, iron sections, and bamboo laminates. In his lifetime, he's made more than 1,400 pieces. Especially interesting are projects he continues to design today in his ever-evolving style.

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An innovative designer is always looking for new concepts. Fresh Floral Jewelry, an instructional introduction to the world of making jewelry that incorporates fresh flowers, is the first of its kind. For everyone from beginners to experienced jewelry makers and floral designers, this volume is an essential guide to creating exciting, colorful, and undoubtedly unique accessories that are suitable for any occasion, from proms to weddings. Learn how to make beautiful, intricate jewelry with wire, beads, and little else, to resemble foliage in which to set your orchids, succulents, and many more floral varieties. At the beginning is an overview of the techniques used in the book, which gives readers the freedom to jump from chapter to chapter. The projects are ideal for people within the floral industry as well as hobbyists and enthusiasts. Every piece in this indispensable book of jewelry ideas comes with detailed images that facilitate speedy assembly.

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The Iowa Air National Guard’s 174th Air Refueling Squadron was organized at the Sioux City Army Air Base in 1946 as a P-51 fighter squadron. Over the years it flew many fighter-type aircraft. Called to active service during the Korean War the squadron was activated, dispersing assets and personnel in many directions. Both the U.S. Air Force and the Air National Guard learned from this real-life exercise. When another call-up came during the Vietnam War, the 174th Tactical Fighter Squadron was kept together as one of four ANG squadrons seeing service in that conflict with stellar results. Now known as the 174th Air Refueling Squadron, the unit has been supporting the regulars in numerous conflicts since taking on the air refueling role. This is the history of midwest American and warrior values integrating perfectly. Today they are an important element within the Air Force.

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This is a high-level overview of the legendary watch brand, A. Lange & Söhne. In 1845 Ferdinand Adolph Lange convinced the Saxon government to build a pocket watch factory in Glashütte, a quaint town in the East Ore Mountains now known as the birthplace of the German watch industry. For four generations the Langes produced some of the most exquisite, intricately designed wristwatches the horological world has ever known. Physically and financially ruined by World War II, the factory closed until the founder's great-grandson Walter resuscitated the manufacturer in 1990. Featured within are technical specifications and clear visuals depicting complicated movements for the company's most prominent watch families, including the relatively new Lange 1, Lange 31 with perpetual calendar, and the Langematik. These watches have climbed back into the international elite, thanks to their technologically sophisticated yet traditional design.

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This book explores American landscape painting today, its relevance in the contemporary art world, and its historic roots. This volume profiles sixty individual living artists whose contributions distinguish important aspects of the genre and address land use, nature appreciation, and ecology through landscape painting. Encompassing every style from traditional realism (with a contemporary edge) to abstraction and non-objectivity, these contemporary artists range from today’s art stars to emerging or regionally recognized talent in the eastern, western, and southwestern regions of the nation. An additional chapter addresses urban landscapes nationally. The range of styles and reputations presented creates an encompassing survey of the trends and enduring elements in this genre of painting and the art market today.

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Travel along the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego and visit the many pleasure and fishing piers just waiting to be discovered and enjoyed. Approximately 500 color photos take you to 51 piers in the coastal areas of San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and more. Revel in their majestic beauty as you learn history and trivia of each. Which pier is the most southernmost in California? Which pier is the longest wooden pier on the West Coast? And which pier, painted a unique green, can be seen from airplanes flying high overhead? Visit the Maritime Museum at Hyde Street Pier and the world-famous Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. Piers of all sizes and stature are found throughout these pages and will have you wanting to visit these incredible places yourself. This book is a must-have for beach, nature, and photography lovers.

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This book illustrates with rare, vintage photographs the birth of three- and four-wheeled internal combustion, steam, and electric motor vehicles from the years 1894-1907. These superb quality images depict the large and unusual variety of vehicles in the United States, France, England, Germany, Austria and Italy. The book shows in detail the vehicles, people and the spirit of the era, and also reveals a period in history full of genius ideas, brave bikers and a romanticism long gone. English, German, and Italian text.

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Stalingrad: The Death of the German Sixth Army on the Volga, 1942-1943, is the first published work to detail the situation of every German corps and division for every day of the six-month Stalingrad campaign. Derived from the Sixth Army daily operation reports and the German Army High Command (OKH) situation maps (Lage Ost), this two-volume set presents the situation on the flanks of the army, as well as the combat in the city itself, a level of detail never before attempted. Stalingrad was the perfect storm that would lead to the death of an army – the German Sixth Army. Led by Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, but micromanaged by Adolf Hitler, who insisted that his forces fight to the last man and bullet, the Sixth Army became fixated on an objective that continued to be just past their grasp. Believing that Stalingrad would be theirs “if only” one more attack against the urban rubble was mounted, the Sixth Army did not see that it was in a situation where if something did go wrong, it would not “see” impending doom until it was too late. That something was the massive Soviet attack that broke through both flanks of the Sixth Army in such a violent manner and to such a great operational depth that any hope of relieving the surrounded pocket from the outside in such horrible winter conditions was probably illusionary. Thus, defeat was in order for the Sixth Army, but it would not end there. Adolf Hitler had insisted that this would be a fight between the supermen of Aryan Germany against the sub-humans of Slavic Russia. In this fight, according to Nazi ideology, the sub-humans had no right to live. Given the polar ideological differences of Fascism and Communism, combined with this racial antagonism, when the Red Army did gain the upper hand and isolate the German forces around Stalingrad in November 1942, the situation guaranteed that the Sixth Army would not only be defeated, but that it and most of its soldiers were headed for annihilation.

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Since the beginning of the Republic, officers of our armed services have worn patriotic symbols on their uniforms. For naval officers these symbols were the eagle and anchor and these have been incorporated in their belt plate designs since the Revolutionary War. This book illustrates the belts and belt plates worn by U.S. naval officers of all ranks from the Navy's founding through World War II. It also addresses the belts and plates worn by the U.S. Marine Corps through the 19th century, with a separate chapter on those worn by Confederate naval officers during the Civil War. These historic items, from private collectors and museums throughout the country, are presented in color and include most, if not all, of the belt plate designs worn by these three services. The uniform regulations that defined the various design features over time are also summarized with the patterns that were typically used in the 19th century to specify military uniforms.

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Ghosts and Ballyhoo: Memoirs of a Failed L.A. Music Journalist chronicles Thomas Wictor’s ten years in the Los Angeles music industry and his quest to free himself from the past. Ostensibly a memoir, Ghosts also asks – and possibly answers – provocative questions about fate, destiny, and life after death. The book is structured as a collection of anthologies rather than a continuous narrative; the seven anthologies detailing Wictor's failed career are separated by six interludes with the "Collateral Ghost," one of the most brilliant, yet unsuccessful, musicians who ever played – former Frank Zappa bassist Scott Thunes. Thomas Wictor’s experiences include multiple failures across multiple spectra and an endless series of coincidences that always returned him to the notion that there is a Plan. Losing nearly everything he loved gave the author clarity, enabling him to see patterns of guidance and sustenance visible everywhere once he was no longer blinded by rage and negativity. This clarity exorcised Thomas Wictor and brought him peace of mind, which allowed him to transform the anger over what he lost into gratitude for what he once had. Written with profane humor and no self-pity, Ghosts and Ballyhoo includes previously unpublished articles, excerpts from interview transcripts personal correspondence, and photos.

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"This collection of historic images documents the history of the U.S. Naval Shore Establishment from its creation to World War II and its historic role supporting the fleet. The U.S. Navy began with the approach to house, train, and support sailors and the fleet on wooden ships of the line. However, its first Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert, realized in 1798 the advantages of a shore establishment and requested funds for the first six navy yards located in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Norfolk, and Portsmouth. The Stone Frigate is a pictorial account of the activities of personnel, machines, and equipment used in the creation and development of the U.S. Naval Shore Establishment from its first beginnings as six small navy yards to the cusp of World War II and the massive global expansion the U.S. was about to initiate.

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Continuing a tradition that began in 1842, this book examines 24 localities of particular interest to mineral collectors. These localities are organized by how they occur (in sedimentary rocks, in crystalline rocks, in fractures)—a new approach that brings coherence to relationships among similar localities. For each locality, its significance to specimen mineralogy, collecting history, geological setting, origin, and a thorough description of the minerals of particular interest to collectors are presented, based on the latest research and nomenclature. Over 150 clear color photos show some of the finest specimens ever collected from each locality. Similar New York state localities are listed for each featured occurrence. While the GPS coordinates for each locality are provided, this is an introduction to what minerals occur in the State of New York, how beautiful they are, and why they are so interesting. Why have a mere field guide when you can have so much more?

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In West and Central Africa,ceremonial masks are viewed as manifestations of the spirits, and the dramatic effect and visibility of masks is enhanced by use of vivid color. Accompanied by vivid color photographs of 266 masks, the largest representation of traditional polychrome masks from the Temne people of Sierra Leone and the Anang (Ibibio) people of Nigeria are documented here, as well as one of the largest published collections of articulated masks from the Ogoni people of Nigeria. Also illustrated is a wide range of traditional masks used by other peoples from West and Central Africa, including masks from the nations of Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola. Mask styles are discussed in relation to size, shape, materials, degree of abstraction, distinguishing characteristics, and context of usage. Other topics considered in this engaging presentation are the changing forms of masks in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the aesthetics of masks from the African perspective, and issues of "authenticity" as it relates to collecting African masks.

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Block and solid wood make up one of the oldest construction methods and one that ever more people are opting for when building their homes. Not only are contemporary log homes environmentally sustainable and planet-friendly, they provide comfortable and healthy living. In addition, many of these buildings use sustainable heating and power systems, taking advantage of renewable energies and raw materials. Their natural beauty enhances the quality of life for both home and work. In over 300 photos and plans, this book offers 30 ambitious, contemporary block and solid wood houses that have been built around the globe. They show the diversity of available designs that can be achieved in today’s wooden homes. If you are fascinated with building with logs and living closer to nature, this book is for you.

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