Scholarly probings into the evolution of atlases as embodiments of science, philosophy, and artistry. A decade back, the Library of Congress, holder of the largest cartographic collection in the world, held a symposium on the past and future of the atlas as a means of recording and disseminating spatial information of all kinds, a graphic representation of the human occupancy of the earth. Participants were asked to consider the story of the atlas as a book, revealing the slow changes in printing, format, and color, identifying how these reflected the period of their production, and speculating on the fate of the printed atlas in the age of the database. The 15 essays in this heavily illustrated volume (first presented at the symposium) span the entire history of atlas-making around the world. Particularly good are contributions from Mei-Ling Hsu on the unusual concepts and celestial fixations of early Chinese atlases; Gunter Schilder on the evolution of pilot books from octavo booklets to the great folios of the nautical atlases; Walter W. Ristow on the publishers of early American atlases; and Barbara B. Petchenik on the future of printed maps (she suggests that they may soon be no more than a method of providing children with an understanding of spatial meaning, while the rest of us will be turning to software to answer cartographic questions). An adequate number of the maps are reproduced in color, though more might be wished for, and the editors, curators of the Library of Congress's map collection, could have enlivened the prose a tad, for some of the essays are dry to the point of aridity. Map lovers will be gratified to see their tax dollars put to such thoughtful, elegant, and tangible use.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-07-071578-5
Page Count: 466
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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