Schiffer Publishing Ltd.

Arts & crafts houses.

Some 300 color photos presented in an oversize volume (9.25x12.25 inches) showcase 16 restored homes built and decorated in the arts and crafts style. Coverage begins with exteriors and proceeds to porches, stonework, and the various rooms of the house. Then the focus shifts to the details of doors, stairs, built-ins, glass, lighting, and accessories. A brief introduction and light captioning are the only text. This is a highly visual presentation for designers, home owners, and crafts people looking for ideas and information about the style. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Art glass today.

Offering a view of the extraordinary variety of work being done with glass, this book will serve as a source of inspiration for students and artists and as an introduction for collectors and enthusiasts. Introductory material on terminology, glass forming, and decorating techniques is followed by presentation of approximately 60 artists. The presentations each occupy four pages and include an artist's statement and three to six images of work. End matter includes a very brief bibliography (two books), a few online sources, a list of nine galleries and guilds, and 13 schools and organizations. Snyder is a writer with a special interest in glass. The book's format is horizontal (11x8.5 inches). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Cenozoic fossils 1; paleogene.

In his fifth book on collectible fossils, retired geology professor Stinchcomb (St. Louis Community College) focuses on the Cenozoic Era, the youngest of the geologic eras, sometimes known as the "age of mammals." The first of two books on the era, the text covers the first three of the seven subdivisions of the era, the Paleocene, Eocene, and the Oligocene epochs. Coverage includes an opening introduction to the Cenozoic Era followed by sections on plants, fungi, and monerans; foraminifera, corals, and mollusks; crustaceans, insects, and arachnids; sharks, rays, and fish; reptiles and birds; and mammals. Illustrated with 370-plus full-color photographs. No subject index has been provided. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Chinese artists; new media, 1990-2010.

Chen is a contemporary art specialist from New York who now lives in Shanghai, writes for art magazines, and leads tours for art world professionals and aficionados. Here she introduces 19 artists, offering brief biographical information and ten pages of plates showcasing each artist's work. These are artists working in performance and conceptual art, film and video, installation, sound art, and digital art. The volume is oversize (9x12 inches), affording generous visual display. An introductory essay and a bibliography round out the presentation. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Contemporary art on the Northwest Coast; Salish, Nuu-chuh-nulth and Makah.

This volume is spectacular. It presents the work of 52 contemporary artists, in an oversize format (9.5x12.5 inches), with pages skillfully designed to integrate text and photos. The text consists of commentary about culture and context, brief bios of the artists, and statements from the artists themselves. Gorgeous photos depict their stunning creations. Coverage includes canoes, paddles, weaving, baskets, hats, jewelry, and glass as well as two-dimensional works inspired by cultural interpretations of sky, earth, and water. The Norrises are collectors and aficionados — a husband-wife team — with a deep devotion to the cultural traditions and the contemporary art of the indigenous cultures of the northwest coast of the United States. (They published an earlier book ten years ago, Northwest Carving Traditions). (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Decorative ironwork of Italy.

All photos. No words. An extraordinary resource for ironworkers, architects, designers, and anyone attracted to the splendid and varied aesthetic of the craft. Photographer Pedrini presents b&w images of 487 gates, grilles, fireplace equipment, and architectural details from ancient towns in Italy. The book's oversize format (9x12 inches) affords generous display of the photos — many full page. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

German armored trains, 1904-1945.

The original work in German (Eisenbahn Karier-Verlag) was published in 1996, and a second edition in 2006. This English translation makes a definitive study of a neglected topic available to a broader audience. Sawodny (academic affiliation is not stated, although he is identified as a professor) presents a thoroughly researched, abundantly illustrated history, filling a gap in the literature of military and railroad history. Material is arranged chronologically, from the earliest days of experimentation with the technology. Details of construction and use in combat are thoroughly explicated. The volume is oversize (9.25x12 inches) and printed on heavy coated stock. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Palm Springs; mid-century modern.

Faibyshev, a New York-based photographer, gathers examples of mid-century modern architecture in Palm Springs, California. Color and b&w photos (178 in all) depict residential, commercial, and government buildings designed by architects including Donald Wexler, Albert Frey, and Richard Neutra, all illustrating distinctive architectural features such as carports, perforated walls, walls of glass, and L-shaped roofs. The book also includes a brief introduction profiling the town of Palm Springs. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Shingle style architecture for the 21st century.

Some 300 photos of 40 homes showcase a style popular in the United States beginning in the late 1800s, adopted as a reaction against Victorian fussiness. The homes usually have wood shingles on siding and roof, an irregular roof line, porches, and an asymmetrical floor plan. A sequel to the author's 2007 Shingle Style Houses, this book features houses built by today's architects that incorporate the best of the Shingle Style tradition. Introductory text and thorough captioning support the photo presentation. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Stone in traditional architecture.

Unusual in its breadth, depth, and practical point of view, this abundantly illustrated presentation offers a distilled survey of stone use throughout the world and throughout history. In addition, it's a stoneworker's handbook, because the author himself is a stoneworker (born in Canada, based in France) with several decades of experience. In text and captioned photos he discusses stone in nature and looks at masonry, cut stone, arches, and vaults, and then gives detailed instructions on variations in technique according to the characteristics of the stone, making arches and moldings, and building walls with irregular (uncut) stones and with cut stones. He prefers to do most work with hand tools, although he offers some guidance regarding power tools that speed the work but in his opinion have considerable downsides. The book measures 9x11 inches. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Truck art; a decade of graffiti.

This beautiful picture book of graffiti art showcases some of the best contemporary artists at work on a variety of large scale "by permission" projects. Using tractor trailers as canvases, these works hearken back to the bygone era of widespread graffiti art on subway trains and the pages pop with colorful stylistic rendering of popular artists' names such as Cavs, TL One, Maze, Poet and Mone. The art spans a period of over a decade and many interesting styles are presented in clear colorful detail. This volume would be of interest to any aspiring graffiti artists and students of this most urban of art forms. Lange (TL One) and Cavelieri (Cavs) are prominent graffiti artists and documentarians. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Wood in traditional architecture.

This colorful volume examines the history of wood buildings across Europe, providing a window into the processes and techniques, both magnificent and utilitarian, that have allowed these beautiful structures to stand for centuries. The volume covers post and beam construction, log building and roof structures and includes a section on the tools and techniques used by historical builders complete with step-by-step instructions for modern craftspeople and hobbyists. The work includes over 400 color photographs as well as technical drawings of specific architectural features. Campbell is a stone cutter and traditional builder living in France. (Annotation ©2011 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)