DOC Coward Plays: 2: Private Lives; Bitter-Sweet; The Marquise; Post-Mortem: quot;Private Livesquot;; quot;Bitter-Sweetquot;; The quot;Marquisequot;; quot; (World Classics) by Noeuml;l Coward in Arts-Photography

Review

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful. A Magnificent; Beautifully-Illustrated History of Al HirschfeldBy Marshall GoldbergIf you buy this book as a coffee table accessory or a gift; you wont be disappointed by the quality of its German printing; construction; and the beautiful reproductions of Hirschfelds works. But youll be selling yourself short if you dont read some of the wonderful stories inside.For over twenty-five years; author David Leopold has worked with Al Hirschfeld and his estate; including thirteen years working directly with Mr. Hirschfeld as his archivist. Throughout their many years of collaboration and friendship; Hirschfeld helped Leopold catalog not merely the works; but the personal stories behind each piece. As such; this book represents a history of an artist; of Broadway theater; and the twentieth century itself. The book not only chronicles the art with extraordinary attention to detail; but with love and admiration for Mr. Hirschfeld and his family.Each chapter is devoted to a specific decade of Hirschfelds career; creating a well-organized and detailed chronology which can be easily accessed and enjoyed. No need to read the book from beginning to end; simply hop to your favorite decade and marvel at the illustrations. Virtually every one of the hundreds of drawings is accompanied by a story which Mr. Hirschfeld told the author; making each drawing come alive. This work spans Hirschfelds career with attention to detail seldom seen in works such as these. Indeed; its unlikely that any other author could approach this body of art and provide the perspective and level of detail which Leopold shares with his readers.This book makes a wonderful gift to anyone who loves art; theater; or history.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. The most dazzling (and visually delicious!) book published on Kindle (so far)!By Denny HatchI always thought the idea of a coffee table art book published on Kindle would be a disaster. Photographs and paintings are almost always muddy on this small screen. The exception: THE HIRSCHFELD CENTURY: Portrait of an Artist and his Age by David Leopold. In his 88-year career Al Hirschfeld (1803-2003) was a bon vivant; party animal; brilliant conversationalist and sheer delight to be with. He was also the greatest caricaturist in the history of the world; who rendered dizzying variety of line portraits of every person of importance in theater; film; television; literature; the arts and slew of other professions. Quite simply Hirschfeldrsquo;s line drawingsmdash;hundreds of themmdash;reproduce beautifully on Kindle. For example late in his life; Al sired a daughtermdash;Ninamdash;who was the apple of his eye; and whose name appeared in hundreds of his drawings. The Sunday morning game for millions of newspaper readers was to scrutinize Hirschfeldrsquo;s latest work and find the NINA hidden in the folds of a dress; in a tangle of hair; in wallpaper; backgrounds; curtains or an amazingly distorted face. Because so much of his work is precise line drawings; Kindle readers can happily play the NINA game. This is amazing. As well as presenting Hirschfeldrsquo;s extraordinary artwork; David Leopold adds splendid sugar and spice to the narrativemdash;how each work was conceived as well as the gossipy; readable stories of his life; world travels and friendships made with his subjects. Particularly fascinating was Hirschfeldrsquo;s epiphanymdash;the magical moment he came to understand what his art was all about. It happened in Bali. ldquo;The Balinese sun seemed to bleach out all color; leaving everything in pure line. The people became line drawings walking around;rdquo; Al wrote of the experience. rdquo;I think it is no accident that rich; lush painting flourishes in the fog of Europe; while graphic artmdash;from Egypt across Persia to India and all the way to the Pacific Islandsmdash;is influenced by the sun . . . it was in Bali that my attraction to drawing blossomed into an enduring love affair with line.rdquo; . . . This was Alrsquo;s decisive moment as an artist; the moment that there would forever be a ldquo;beforerdquo; and an after.rdquo; mdash;David Leopold You have my ironclad guarantee this Kindle masterpiece will continually awe youmdash;not only on the first reading but again and again as you go back to savor these hundreds of spectacular drawings. I love it! You will too! Itrsquo;s a stunner.10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A wonderful readBy Jon HuntWhat a treat this book is! Having "grown up" with Hirschfeld (didnt we all); this is a treasure trove of the artists works and each offering is worth a study. Its fascinating to watch the Hirschfeld style develop. In the earliest of his art work there is little indication as to how his "signature" pieces would turn out. But I was struck at once by "The Grand Street Follies" of 1927 where one can distinctly see the future artists inimitable form taking shape.Perhaps is wasnt until the 1950s that Hirschfeld came into the style with which we remember him most; and the wonderful poster for "My Fair Lady" is one I recall from my earliest years. Who could do a better Carol Channing? No one. And that goes for all the other people he drew. Sui generis is exactly the term to describe him.A challenge to the reader...look at many of his drawings before reading the accompanying descriptions and guess whom he represents in them. Thats a lot of fun. My only quibble with the book is that the prose is often broken up by the artwork so its not an easy flow. But thats minor compared to the terrific compilation provided by editor David Leopold. I highly recommend "The Hirschfeld Century".