“My mother prophesied years ago that my voice would take meplaces. She was certain that there was a reason I was able to sing.I am still discovering what that reason is, what it is that Godwants to happen.” –CLAY AIKEN, from Learning to Sing When he was a kid singing in his church choir, Clay Aiken neverdreamed of becoming a pop music star. His ambition was to be ateacher, maybe even a high school principal. But Clay’s mother wasright, and the music that was Clay’s joy in life was destined tolead him to unexpected triumphs. In Learning to Sing, Clay details what his astonishing successhas meant to him. He writes from the heart about his life beforeand since his instant stardom on American Idol, how he has changed,and how he struggles to adapt to life in the public eye. He speakscandidly about his lonely childhood: the father who abandoned him,the school bullies who tormented him, the mother who taught him tobe strong, and the friends and teachers who–more than they everkne

The Ultimate Guitar Book is a comprehensive, lavishlyillustrated guide to guitars, from early acoustics to the latestelectrics. No book has ever brought together so many guitars insuch keen detail and rich portrayal, featuring speciallycommissioned photographs of over 450 famous, rare and vintageguitars. It is packed with construction and design informationwhich brings each instrument to life. In addition, it containsprofiles of great guitar designers and their pioneering innovativeworkshops. The Ultimate Guitar Book is quite simply the mostbeautiful book on the guitar ever produced: its opulentillustration is complemented by extensive factual narrative. Thebook is certain to become a definitive reference work on thesubject, and makes immensely pleasurable browsing for guitarplayers and collectors alike, from beginner to professional. 9inch. x 11 inch..

Whether they listen to Mozart or Duke Ellington, Aaron Coplandinvites readers to ask two basic questions: Are they hearingeverything that is going on? Are they really being sensitive to it?With his provocative suggestions, Aaron Copland guides readersthrough a deeper appreciation of the most rewarding of all artforms. Show More Show Less

An answered prayer for Beatles fans and collectors, the first?volume of a unique work that exhaustively chronicles all known and?available Beatles recordings! Have you ever watched a Beatles film clip andwondered: ? Where was that filmed? ? Is any more of that footage available? Have you ever heard a Beatles interview andasked: ? When was that taped? ? Where’s the best place to find the completerecording? Way Beyond Compare has the answers to these andthousands of similar questions. It’s the key to unlocking thesecrets behind every known Beatles recording in circulation through1965, telling you where to find them, what makes them unique, andhow they fit within the context of the Beatles’ amazing musical andcultural journey.

An illustrated, inside look at the rock group Nirvana offers acandid look the band's members, chronicling their rapid rise in themusic world and revealing the true story of the drug-abuse rumorssurrounding them.

The bumpin' book for hip-hop disciples (a.k.a. fiends),songwriters, all other writers, pop culture fans, linguists, andparents who are just trying to figure out what their kids aresaying. The inventive sounds of hip-hop (which became America'snumber two music genre in 2001, outselling country) have echoed farfrom their Bronx beginnings of twenty years ago. Making its wayfrom Compton sidewalks to suburban malls, garnering commentary from"The Wall Street Journal "alongside "Vibe," hip-hop by definitiondelivers its messages in the most creative language possible.Celebrating hip-hop's boon to the realm of self-expression, "HipHoptionary"(TM)" "translates dozens of phrases like "marinating inthe rizzi with your road dawg" (relaxing in your car with yourfriend), including: - Big bodies: SUVs or luxury vehicles-Government handle: registered birth name- 411: the latest scoop orinformation- Bling-bling: diamonds, big money, flash and cash-Brick City: Newark, New Jersey- 1812: war, fight (as in War of1812) In ad

Preserved by Arabic mathematicians and canonized by Christianscholars, Aristotle’s works have shaped Western thought, science,and religion for nearly two thousand years. Richard McKeon’s TheBasic Works of Aristotle –constituted out of the definitiveOxford translation and in print as a Random House hardcover forsixty years–has long been considered the best available one-volumeAristotle. Appearing in paperback at long last, this editionincludes selections from the Organon, On the Heavens, The ShortPhysical Treatises, Rhetoric, among others, and On the Soul, OnGeneration and Corruption, Physics, Metaphysics, NicomacheanEthics, Politics, and Poetics in their entirety.

Antonio Stradivari (1644—1737) was a perfectionist whosesingle-minded pursuit of excellence changed the world of music. Inthe course of his long career in the northern Italian city ofCremona, he created more than a thousand stringed instruments;approximately six hundred survive, their quality unequalled by anysubsequent violin-maker. In this fascinating book, Toby Fabertraces the rich, multilayered stories of six of these peerlesscreations–five violins and a cello–and the one towering artist whobrought them into being. Blending history, biography, meticulousdetective work, and an abiding passion for music, Faber takes usfrom the salons of Vienna to the concert halls of New York, andfrom the breakthroughs of Beethoven’s last quartets to the firstphonographic recordings. This magnificent narrative invites us toshare the life, the intrigue, and the incomparable beauty of theworld’s most marvelous stringed instruments.

Back on the job after an involuntary leave of absence, LAPDhomicide detective Harry Bosch is ready for a challenge. But hisfirst case is a little more than he bargained for. It starts with the body of a Hollywood producer in the trunk of aRolls-Royce, shot twice in the head at close range - what lookslike "trunk music," a Mafia hit. But the LAPD's organized crimeunit is curiously uninterested, and when Harry follows a trail ofgambling debts to Las Vegas, the case suddenly becomes more complex- and much more personal. A rekindled romance with an old girlfriend opens new perspectiveson the murder, and he begins to glimpse a shocking triangle ofcorruption and collusion. Yanked off the case, Harry himself issoon the one being investigated. But only a bullet can stop Harrywhen he's searching for the truth . . .

Vintage presents the paperback edition of the wild andbrilliant writings of Lester Bangs--the most outrageous and popularrock critic of the 1970s--edited and with an introduction by thereigning dean of rack critics, Greil Marcus. Advertising in RollingStone and other major publications.

本书首次向中国的读者展示中国观众对“土地‘的各种感受和反应，其中包括有留言、图片、文章等形式。 “从某种意义来说，《土地》是一项全球性项目，她是由地球上某一特定地区年龄各异的当地人民制造出来的。她由土制成、以火生成，其情感来自触摸，其思想来自观赏。”安东尼·葛姆雷的“土地”被认为是现代雕塑的经典作品。安东尼·葛姆雷是一位国际瞩目的艺术大师，自1989年，葛姆雷一直从事着一项与世界各国不同社区接触的长期项目———《土地》。为制造不同版本的《土地》雕塑，他游历了从巴西雨林到北欧等不同国家。 2003年1月，他与300多位不同年龄层次，来自广州东北部花都地区的市民一起，用了5天的时间，制造了近20万个小泥人，组成了大型雕塑巡展“土地”．

From its ancient status as the jewel of an empire to itsmodern incarnation as a troubled, yet culturally vibrant Europeancapital, Rome has compelled the imagination of artists for over twothousand years. Now, in "The History of Rome in Painting", that

The most spectacular building raised in Hanover in the last fewyears, the new headquarters of the Norddeutsche Landesbank standsas a landmark high-rise, gleaming with transparence, courageousconstruction, and an innovative energy concept--a pioneer amongGerman office complexes. Designed by the internationally renownedStuttgart-based firm of Behnisch, Behnisch Partner, thestructure provides an attractive workplace for the bank's 1,500employees, while simultaneously infusing the city space with newimpulses, a pleasant public inner courtyard, and an attractiveannex housing shops and restaurants. This publication presents thecomplex in all its aspects, from the initial design competition tothe building phase to completion.

The most readable and comprehensive guide to enjoying overfive hundred years of classical music -- from Gregorian chants,Johann Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to JohannesBrahms, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, and beyond. The Vintage Guideto Classical Music is a lively -- and opinionated -- musicalhistory and an insider's key to the personalities, epochs, andgenres of the Western classical tradition. Among its features: --chronologically arranged essays on nearly 100 composers, fromGuillaume de Machaut (ca. 1300-1377) to Aaron Copland (1900-1990),that combine biography with detailed analyses of the major workswhile assessing their role in the social, cultural, and politicalclimate of their times;-- informative sidebars that clarify broadertopics such as melody, polyphony, atonality, and the impact of theearly-music movement;-- a glossary of musical terms, from acappella to woodwinds;-- a step-by-step guide to building a greatclassical music library. Written with wit and a clarity that bothmusi

The moral of this book is that behind every great engineeringsuccess is a trail of often ignored (but frequently spectacular)engineering failures. Petroski covers many of the best knownexamples of well-intentioned but ultimately failed design in action-- the galloping Tacoma Narrows Bridge (which you've probably seentossing cars willy-nilly in the famous black-and-white footage),the collapse of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel walkways -- andmany lesser known but equally informative examples. The line ofreasoning Petroski develops in this book were later formalized intohis quasi-Darwinian model of technological evolution in TheEvolution of Useful Things , but this book is arguably the moreilluminating -- and defintely the more enjoyable -- of these twotitles. Highly recommended.

FROM COMIC-BOOK LEGENDS TO SILVER-SCREEN SUPER HEROES! Marvel presents an insider's look into the making of its cinematic universe - assembling three Avengers in one stylish slipcase. Featuring exclusive production artwork, behind-the-scenes photography, and in-depth cast-and-crew interviews, this four-book collection is a must have for any fan of Mighty Marvel movies! Includes IRON MAN: THE ART OF IRON MAN THE MOVIE HC, IRON MAN: THE ART OF IRON MAN 2 HC, THOR: THE ART OF THOR THE MOVIE HC and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE ART OF CAPTAIN AMERICA - THE FIRST AVENGER HC.

What do you getwhen you cross a snail with the Indianapolis 500? If you’reDreamWorks, then the result is Turbo, an uplifting—andgear-shifting—story about the ultimate underdog, delivered with thedigital mastery, storytelling skill, and spellbinding imagery we’vecome to expect from the studio behind the Shrek and Madagascar.