The proceedings of a major conference on the built environment ran by the RICS to examine recent research and development in: investment; building procurement and construction; and building performance analysis.
#4346518 in eBooks 2005-07-15 2005-07-15File Name: B000PMGJ30
Review
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. A beautiful biography --By wiredweird-- or is it? Masereels remarkable little book declines to explain itself.These 165 expressive woodcuts present snapshots from the life of one man; or so we assume. Hes not all that special - hes not a great hero; leader; or lover; though hes each at one point or another. He doesnt rise above or sink below anyone else; except in the usual ways. As with Coplands "Fanfare for the Common Man;" this book celebrates the ordinary. And; when seen in such detail; the ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.The book opens with the un-named mans arrival by train. The crowd and surroundings excite him; as does the mechanism of the train itself. Then; hes off to his new life in the city. We see that life in an uneven; even surreal pace. Masereels vivid; expressive images hopscotch through the years of his life. Sequences of unrelated images seem to compress years into just a few pages. Other times; long sequences examine individual stories in detail - the adoption of a daughter; his happiness in her; and her final illness and death may be the most moving. Its a life-changing event; and sets the anonymous man off on a lengthy voyage; perhaps to lose himself or to find himself again. He returns to the city life; and eventually retires. The imagery changes radically at this point. It suggests Van Goghs "Sunflowers" and "Starry Night;" and also hints at Van Goghs death.Or maybe not. The imagery speaks volumes; but speaks a different volume to each viewer - and will probably speak differently to me when I read it again. Although its an illustrated story; its not for children. It is for anyone who wants to see the grandparents of todays illustrated fiction; or who appreciates woodcut in itself. This Dover edition is a beautiful reproduction; with richly saturated blacks but paper opaque enough to keep each page from bleeding through. Its easy to enjoy - so go ahead; enjoy it.//wiredweird0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Wordless Graphic novel - a keeper!By RamiseThis wordless book had quite a hypnotic effect on me. The pictures have to tell the whole story. For those interested in Graphic Novels - readers and artists alike - its an amazing example of the genre. The tale is about one mans journey through life and he goes through heaps of things...and he took me right along with him. I pulled it out from my bookshelf recently and had a much deeper appreciation of it the second time around. From the point of view of writing my own graphic novels this is a great reference book. I will keep this one.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book says so many deep things about life both the good and the badBy StarCame on time as advertised. I had this paperback some years ago and misplaced it. Grateful Dover still had it.This book says so many deep things about anyones life both the good and the bad that can only properly be said in the way this book does it - without words.