The most original and most powerful design art produced in the Western Hemisphere is also its most indigenous: that of the Indian; in innumerable cultures existing from prehistory to the arrival of the white man; reaching from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. It owes; of course; nothing to Europe or the classical Orient. It is tremendous in variety; differing region by region; era by era; often tribe by tribe. It is always vigorously distinctive. This book; 20 years in preparation; shows us that art in all its profuse diversity and in the almost numberless crafts for which the American Indian is famous.Well over 700 examples; drawn with painstaking care; are shown: representations of flora and fauna; men and gods; earth and sky; symbols of clan and tribe; religion and magic; formal designs from the primal to the highly intricate. They appear in examples of basketry; weaving; pottery; sculpture; painting; lapidary work; masks; drumheads; weapons; apparel; beadwork; goldwork; blankets; ponchos; and many other forms. The arts and crafts of Inca; Tiahuanaco; Chimú; Maya; Axtec; Zapotec; Totonac; Mixtec; Navaho; Zuni; Hopi; Apache; Cherokee; Creek; Winnebago; Dakota; Blackfoot; Nez Percé; Cheyenne; Crow; Sioux; Cochiti; Haida; Bellacoola; and others known and unknown are here.Each section is preceded by a page of typical motifs of an area; making it easy to isolate the design elements. In addition; the lore and tradition behind the designs are told in a text reproducing the Indians' own stories and songs. Separate indices simplify locating the work of particular tribes and regions.Craftspeople will find in this book a prolific source of timeless; eternally valid design ideas representing years of research in museums all over the hemisphere; for the graphic artist there is a wealth of material than can be adapted directly to his needs. All those interested in the Americans who preceded us on these continents will find this work unique.
#334258 in Books imusti 1999-03-11 1999-03-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.33 x 1.12 x 6.14l; 1.31 #File Name: 0471327212432 pagesISBN13: 9780471327219Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Korolev aimmed for the stars!By John DziadeckiSergei Pavlovich Korolev was pure genius. Largely unknown in his time and now largely forgotten; Korolev was the chief designer of the Russian space program. He designed and developed the Russian ICBM R7 rocket; Sputnik -- the first Earth-orbiting satellite; Vostok -- the first spacecraft which carried Yuri Gagarin around the Earth; and began the design of the Soyuz spacecraft -- the workhorse still in use today as transit to the International Space Station.Hartford's book is a must read for anyone wanting to learn about Korolev. His story may surprise you. The journey of a young flying enthusiast; his imprisonment and sentencing to a gulag preceded his slow rise to the stars.An excellent book; thoroughly researched and well written make for a well-informed; even riveting; biography well worth the reading. Most highly recommended.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Not too late to remember the space ageBy firecoalmanI regret never having picked up this book before. This is far more than a bio of an unknown space pioneer. It is a clear history of the early space efforts in general; American failures placed in line against confirmable Soviet failures. Indeed they had their training fatalities as we did. Early rocket tests blew up on the launch pad as did ours (though our engineers had the sense to stand back from the pad). Korolev's genius was as a manager; conceiving designs; selling them to party bosses (not really that different from selling them to U.S. Congress) and realizing many of them on a shoestring budget with sometimes unsophisticated materiel (e.g. the Soviet system initially eschewed the use of computers and calculations were often made in laborious longhand). Ultimately they could not match us in the area of fine control. They could have sent a man to the moon as early as 1966; but bringing him back was another matter. They could not see the P.R. value of a one-way trip (a fact which is the takeoff point for a great post-Soviet work;satirizing the Cosmonaut program; "Omon Ra" by Viktor Pelevin). But how many people recall that Gemini 8 9 nearly ended in fatal disasters? This book offers a concise review of the dueling programs; free of ideology.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent research into the 'hidden' side of the Space RaceBy Hugh LowtherIf you are not familiar with the space race between the U.S. and Soviet Union from 1946-1969; this book would bore you. If you have a degree of familiarity with the subject; this tome will fascinate you. Harford does a fabulous job in his depiction of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev; the "Chief Designer" of the Soviet space program. He was able to interview several of the engineers and designers who worked under Korolev (who died in 1969); shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. By utilizing these rare oral histories from the actual participants; mixed with his review of archival documentation and his knowledge in rocketry; he weaves together a fact-based account of the life of one of the most important people in the history of the space race.If there is a detriment to the book it would be that his technical expertise comes in during discussions of rockets and rocket engines. Without prior knowledge of the intricacies of rocket dynamics; the information becomes meaningless to the reader.Having an extensive interest and curiosity into the space race; and with having read numerous volumes on the topic prior to picking this book up; I rate it five-stars.
