Frederic V. Grunfeld (1929–1987)

This is an exhaustive and exhausting biography of Rodin. It is well written and researched but it is a door stopper of nearly 700 pages. My copy was a used paperback and based on the cracks on the spine previous readers only made it halfway through. I persevered. It is ideal for someone who is obsessed with Rodin or researching the fin de siecle cultural milieu of France. For anyone else it’s likely just too much, as it incorporates nearly every breath the sculptor took. Proceed with that caveat.… (mais)

A priceless account of the Akha communities of northern Thailand, based on a few months' stay in an actual Akha village. The account shows the warm admiration of the author for this deeply traditional and hard-working people, and a way of life based on the natural world that may no longer be viable because of growing population, increased competition and outside control of the forest and land resources, and the inroads of modern life. The book is immensely enhanced by the tastefully displayed photographs of Michael Freeman, obviously one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century. This is a volume in a little known series on 'People of the Wild' from Time-Life Books.… (mais)