FROM THE AUTHOR OF A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SMILE; A COMPLETE INDEX OF THE DIGIT In this collision between art and science; history and pop culture; the acclaimed art historian Angus Trumble examines the finger from every possible angle. His inquiries into its representation in art take us from Buddhist statues in Kyoto to the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel; from cave art to Picassos Guernica; from Van Dycks and Rubenss winning ways with gloves to the longstanding French taste for tapering digits. But Trumble also asks intriguing questions about the finger in general: How do fingers work; and why do most of us have five on each hand? Why do we bite our nails? This witty; odd; and fascinating book is filled with diverse anecdotes about the silent language of gesture; the game of love; the spinning of balls; superstitions relating to the severed fingers of thieves; and systems of computation that were used on wharves and in shops; markets; granaries; and warehouses throughout the ancient Roman world. Side by side with historical discussions of rings and gloves and nail polish are meditations on the fingers essential role in writing; speech; sports; crime; law; sex; worhsip; memory; scratching politely at eighteenth-century French doors (instead of crudely knocking); or merely satisfying an itchmdash;and; of course; in the eponymous show of contempt.
#491396 in eBooks 2009-12-08 2009-12-08File Name: B003HG5R7K
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A difficult. time consuming. and frustrating book to followBy Caitlyn HillI am a Crime Scene Technician who routinely photographs crime scenes and evidence. I am studying for an IAI certification. and this book is required. If it was not required. I would have stopped reading at the second or third chapters. The book is atrocious. It could easily be about half the size if it had been properly revised. however many things are repeated word-for-word throughout a chapter. or downright contradictory within a chapter. Film photography is the main focus. which makes this textbook severely outdated.It is poorly written. and inconsistent. The "key terms" that are required for you to understand are oftentimes not in the Glossary. and are sometimes not even clearly defined in the text. once you actually find the term. But terms that are not "key terms" are defined in the glossary... Some of the "key terms" are also not in the Index either. so good luck with that.I would consider purchasing an updated version if the aforementioned issues have been addressed. As it is now. its a difficult. time consuming. and frustrating book to follow.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Best Crime Scene Photography Book Out ThereBy S. LynchThis book is the best out there on this topic. As a forensic science grad student. I wrote many a paper on photography. I struggled to find sources that were up-to-date and specific to forensic photography. I really wish that this book had been out there when I was writing those papers!Grad school over MFS degree obtained. I am now a crime scene analyst. I use the principles in this book at every crime scene to which I respond--from property calls to crimes against persons. Crime scene work is probably 70% photography. Good photographs are vital! This book explains the principles used in crime scene work. and gives tons of examples. Sometimes the reading can be dry (hello. its a textbook)and a topic can be difficult to grasp on your first read. but re-read it and dig in! The information that you will come away with is golden.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Best photography book Ive seenBy LucyI purchased this book for a photography college class and it was very helpful in understanding how certain things work with the camera and how to take pictures without having motion blur. how to avoid camera shake. and how to correctly zoom in and out on the camera. I would recommend anyone taking a college class involving photography to purchase this book.
