We have entered into an “Associate” agreement with Amazon.com whereby NAIA will receive a percentage of sales made via the NAIA/Amazon page. All you need do is click on a book you are interested in or do a search below – you will be taken to Amazon.com on a separate page. If you purchase an item (assuming you went to Amazon via the NAIA page), NAIA will receive the percentage. The book price is the regular (discounted) price you would pay at Amazon anyway. But any item Amazon sells will earn NAIA Affiliate payments. Thanks and keep this page bookmarked!
Also, please send your suggestions for a good art/fine craft/art business related book you think others would enjoy and try to include why you like it. Thanks!
After getting to the shopping page from the links below you can make a selection from the “Shop all Departments” drop down on page left. Other items also available from Amazon are Grocery > Natural & Organic Food, Electronics & Computers > MP3 & Media players, Health and Beauty > Exercise & Fitness, Sports & Outdoors > Camping & Hiking and many more. Send Email
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Search Amazon for books… | |||||
These links will take you to a search results page at Amazon for a particular media:
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Here are some suggestions from members, just click on the book to open a new browser window at Amazon to review book:
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Raw Vision I recently read about this UK-based magazine/journal in Utne (Jan-Feb ’07) when they gave it the Utne Independent Press Award for Best of Arts Coverage in the alternative press for 2006. In 1997 it received the UNESCO prize for the World’s Best Art Magazine. Raw Vision covers the rich and varied terrain of outsider and visionary art and is published 4 times a year. They have a great web site: www.rawvision.com. Amazon.com offers the $46 subscription at a discounted price of $43. Raw Vision Outsider Art Sourcebook Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
| Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time By Mark Haddon Paper/Hard; $10 – $16Not really art related, but a really good story written from the perspective of an autistic boy who attempts to solve the mystery of a murdered dog.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Seek My Face by John Updike Hardcover; $15.64Fictionalized account of the modern art movement told by a pivotal female participant, Lee Krasner. Good knowledge of art, formidably intelligent, interesting insights. Worth reading.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Forest Lover By Susan Vreeland Paper/Hard; $11 – $17Fictionalized acct of the life of Emily Carr. Book started really slow but got very good by the end. Good description of someone very committed to their art despite the odds against them.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary Paper; $10.85According to one review, The Horse’s Mouth is perhaps the finest novel ever written about an artist. Its painter hero, the charming and larcenous Gulley Jimson, has an insatiable genius for creation and a no less remarkable appetite for destruction. Is he a great artist? a has-been? or an exhausted, drunken ne’er-do-well? He is without doubt a visionary, and as he criss-crosses London in search of money and inspiration the world as seen though his eyes appears with a newly outrageous and terrible beauty.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
| Holy Skirts: A Novel of a Flamboyant Woman Who Risked All for Art by Rene Steinke Hardcover/Paper; $5.36 – $16.50From a recent review: In 1917 no one had ever seen a woman like the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. She regally stalked the streets of Greenwich Village wearing a bustle with a flashing taillight, a brassiere made from tomato cans, or a birdcage necklace; declaimed her poems to sailors in beer halls; and enthusiastically modeled in the nude for artists such as Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp, setting the city ablaze with her antics. Before today’s outsized celebrities, there was the Baroness — poet and artist, proto-punk rocker, sexual libertine, fashion avatar, and troublemaker. At the center of the Dadaist circle, the Baroness transformed herself into a living, breathing work of art. Holy Skirts is a vivid imagining of the Baroness’s story.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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| The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman ; $14-$15The chief art critic of the New York Times delivers an art-is-good-for-you message that is surprisingly easy to swallow. Intelligent but not obscure, warm but not intrusively personal, Kimmelman manages in 10 chapters to cover a lot of ground, with a working definition of ‘art’ that goes far beyond what’s found in galleries and museums.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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A Single Shard Linda Sue Park Paper; $6.50The American Library Association presents the Newberry Awards every year, recognizing the best in writing for young adults. One of my favorites, the 2002 winner, “A Single Shard” by Linda Sue Park, is about a 12th century Korea potter and an orphan who lives under a bridge with his wise friend Crane-man, who becomes fascinated with a nearby community of potters. If you have a young adult on your book-giving-list, I suggust ANY BOOK on the Newbery list, including the Honor books. Happy reading! P.S. The ALA also awards the Caldecott Medal for best Picture Books for Children and several other medals for excellent writing.Recommended by David Haun |
| Frida’s Fiestas : Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo Marie Pierre Colle, Guadalupe Rivera Hardcover; $35/$20For cooks who love art especially Frida Kalho’s. More than just a cook book. Includes recipes and illustrations from Frida’s cookbook notebooks as well as vintage photographs and illustrations of Frida’s paintings. Diego Rivera’s daughter, Guadalupe adds her own remembrances and history to the mix.Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
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Traverse City and the Leelenau Peninsula Hand-Altered Polaroid Photographs by Cynthia Davis Hardcover; $17.95Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
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Art Law Conversation: A Surprisingly Readable Guide for Visual Artists Elizabeth T Russell Paperback,; $11.53As the title indicates, this is a readable book on the intricacies of law as it pertains to artists. As you would expect there is quite a bit about copyright including protecting your work on the internet. There are also excellent chapters covering contracts, galleries, taxes. There is a very interesting section on estate planning for artists that is critical reading.Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
| Chicago Cynthia Davis University of Michigan Press, 2004. Hardcover ; $17.95Hand-Altered Polaroid PhotographsRecommended by Cynthia Davis |
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| Detroit Cynthia Davis University of Michigan Press, 2004. Hardcover ; $17.95Hand-Altered Polaroid PhotographsRecommended by Cynthia Davis |
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Saugatuck & Douglas Cynthia Davis University of Michigan Press, 2004. Hardcover ; $16.95Hand-Altered Polaroid PhotographsRecommended by Cynthia Davis |
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Ann Arbor
Cynthia Davis Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
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Primary Cats Marsha Heatwole (NAIA Member) Hardcover; from $175″The perfect book for a child just learning about colors! Our 18-month old daughter just loves cats and colors, and we love the chance to give her big kisses on the “mmmmm” page! A really fun book for kids and parents.” (Amazon reviewer)Recommended by Marsha Heatwole |
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The Primary Colors: Three Essays Alexander Theroux Hardcover; $17.95″Dazzling, free-form meditation explores the three primary colors through their myriad associations in art, history, music, poetry, fiction, movies, anthropology, linguistics, myth, religion, science, food, sports and everyday life.”My take was a bit less enthusiastic than the publishers but it’s still a fascinating book – particularly in relation to art.Recommended by Michael Hamilton |
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The Progress Paradox : How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse Gregg Easterbrook Hardcover; $17.47I just read an excellent excerpt from our current issue of Time magazine about the plight of the 21st century’s material world and general feelings of inadequacies- even though we are afforded so much in terms of quality of life and opportunity. Fascinating. I’m going to look into this book!Recommended by Jon Hecker |
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Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition David Pogue Paperback; $20.97I just upgraded my Mac OS to OS X 10.3 “Panther” and have ordered this book. It is a must read for any Mac user making the leap into OS X for the first time from OS 9 or earlier (or from anyone switching from Windows).Recommended by Jon Hecker |
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Soul Proprietor: 100 Lessons from a Lifestyle Entrepreneur Jane Pollak Paperback; $10.47Excellent book for anyone who works for themselves.Recommended by Deborah Gilbert |
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Objects for Use: Handmade by Design Paul J. Smith Hardcover; $52.50In our age of technology and mass production, the exquisitely handcrafted, one-of-a-kind object continues to delight the imagination and inspire reverence. Objects for Use is the first panoramic survey of contemporary craft in over a decade, and the only one now in print. Publishers Weekly.Recommended by Pamela Hill |
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On the Ball Todd Ramquist Paperback; $27.97You will see and meet mixed media artistsTodd and Kiralinda at art festivals around the country. They have created at their home in Safety Harbor, FL the Bowling Ball Museum which houses decorated bowling balls created by themselves as well as other artists around the country. This book is a photographic collection of over 80 bowling balls and their respective artists.Recommended by Cynthia Davis |
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The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity Julia Cameron Paperback; $15.95I have read this book three times, led a group through the projects, and found this to be the book that challenged me to take giant steps as an artist.Recommended by Stephanie Robertson |
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Labor of Love: An Exhibition Marcia Tucker Paperback; $20.00Now for my favorite:This was a catalog for an exhibition organized by Marcia Tucker at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York in 1996. This is an excellent discussion on the issue of “high” art and its attempts to keep itself separate from “folk” or “outsider” art or craft. It challenges the whole notion that “high” art exists on a different, somehow “better” level than crafts, decorative arts or folk arts and has as it’s premise the position that power rather than quality is the true issue at stake in these definitions. One of my favorite books as it happens to mirror my own belief system so take this recommendation with a grain of salt.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Believing is Seeing: Creating the Culture of Art Mary Anne Staniszewski Paperback; $11.17A discussion of who decides what art is today. Provides a new way of seeing our artistic heritage. I liked this book.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Transfiguration of the Commonplace Arthur Coleman Danto Paperback; $16.55Discussion of the philosophy of art in which he proposes art as a metaphor for the commonplace. I’ve read some of his other articles in various publications and only parts of this book. But he is a very well known academic (Professor of Philosphy at Columbia) and general all around art critic that lots of people reference him so he’s handy to have around.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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What, After All, Is a Work of Art? Lectures in the Philosophy of Art Joseph Margolis Paperback; $18.95A book on historicism and relativism in the perception of art.He talks about the way in which artworks and humans mutually inform the work of interpreting and Understanding one another. Good to have an understanding of Hegel to make sense of this book. I found it a tough go but others with a stronger background in aesthetic philosophy may find it an easier read that I did.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Conversations Before The End of Time: Dialogues on Art, Life and Spiritual Renewal Suzi Gablik Paperback; $11.87A book that has had a profound impact on how I think about what I do and what it means. It is actually a series of short interviews with the likes of people like: Thomas Moore, Leo Castelli, Ellen Dissanayake, Arthur Danto, the Guerrilla Girls, Richard Schusterman, and Hilton Kramer. If I understand correctly what Richard is saying, I agree that looking toward the process without having some understanding of the purpose or intent can lead us astray. The initial impulse of this thread was the “essence of art.” What is it that separates art from other pursuits? What is it about art that makes it like nothing else? I do believe that all those sincerely involved in what they do, or how they live, can, ultimately, trust their process. Does that make it art? I’m not so sure it does. I do believe that the essence of art lies elsewhere beyond the process.Recommended by Edward Avila |
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The Art Spirit: Notes, Articles, Fragments of Letters and Talks to Students, Bearing on the Concept and Technique of Picture Making, the Study of Art Robert Henri Paperback; $13.97From the back flap: In this book are the essential beliefs and theories of a great teacher and American artist, Robert Henri. While it embodies the entire system of his teaching, with much technical advice and critical comment for the student, it also contains inspiration for those to whom the happiness to be found though all the arts is important.Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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No More Second Hand Art: Awakening the Artist Within Peter London Paperback; $10.47Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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Living Color: A Writer Paints Her World Natalie Goldberg Paperback; $11.87Natalie Goldberg wrote “Writing Down the Bones”Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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The Seat of the Soul Gary Zukav Paperback; $11.20Review from the Library Journal – “A remarkable treatment of thought, evolution, and reincarnation”Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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The Four Agreements Companion Book: Using the Four Agreements to Master the Dream of Your Life Miguel Ruiz Paperback; $11.20Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz Paperback; $10.36Recommended by Marianne Hall |
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Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence Joe Dominguez Paperback; $10.50″Required reading for everyone”, Bernie Siegel, M.D.Recommended by Don Ament |
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Art and Fear David Bayles Paperback; $10.36It’s an excellent and, dare I say it, inspirational little book. I’ve read it several times. Hope you enjoy it. (Also recommended by many others)Recommended by Charles Andre |
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Art Marketing 101: A Handbook for the Fine Artist Constance Smith Paperback; $17.47It’s a well written, comprehensive guide for artists, either emerging or established, who want to learn more about how to market their work.Recommended by Kate Dardine – Fine Print Imaging |
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The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals: A Novel Michael Kernan Paperback; $11.16This smart, funny first novel from a seasoned reporter contains layers of meaning, yet keeps up a light and appealing tone. When a young boy discovers a seemingly ancient four-volume journal in a Long Island garage, an art dealer hires Peter Van Overloop–a Columbia graduate student who defines the term “slacker”–to translate it from the Dutch and assist in deciding whether or not it is the authentic, and therefore extremely lucrative, work of 17th-century Dutch painter Frans Hals. Kirkus ReviewsRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Organizing Genius: The Secrets of Creative Collaboration Patricia Ward Biederman, Warren G. Bennis Paperback; $11.87Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Possession : A Romance by A. S. Byatt Winner of the 1990 Booker Prize–the U.K.’s highest literary award- Possession is a gripping and compulsively readable novel. A.S. Byatt exquisitely renders a setting rich in detail and texture. Her lush imagery weaves together the dual worlds that appear throughout the novel–the worlds of the mind and the senses, of male and female, of darkness and light, of truth and imagination – into an enchanted and unforgettable tale of love and intrigue. – Lisa WhippleRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Story of Craft : The Craftsman’s Role in Society by Edward Lucie-SmithRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Girl in Hyacinth Blue Susan Vreeland Paperback; $10.40Intelligent, searching and unusual, the novel is filled with luminous moments; like the painting it describes so well, it has a way of lingering in the reader’s mind. The New York Times Book Review, Katy EmckRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500 (Oxford History of Art) Evelyn S. Welch Hardcover; $39.95Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Artisans in Europe, 1300-1914 James R. Farr Paperback; $20.00Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Notes on the Synthesis of Form Christopher W. Alexander Paperback; $17.79By the author of the classic in architectural design “A Pattern Language”.Recommended by Michael Hamilton |
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The Music Lesson : A Novel Katharine Weber Paperback; $9.60On both sides of the divide in Northern Ireland, there will always be those for whom “peace at any price is no peace at all.” Such, at least, is the view of the members of the I.R.A splinter group in Katharine Weber’s affecting and elegant new novel about the dangerous subterfuges of politics and the healing truths of art. The New York Times Book Review, Sylvia BrownriggRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Nature and Art of Workmanship David Pye Paperback; $22.95In this book David Pye accurately and concisely differentiates between hand craftsmanship and modern machine done work. He writes his philosophical yet practical, personal ideas on craftsmanship. It is a great discussion for anyone interested in fine workmanship. It attempts to answer questions (or at least provide an entry point into discussion) of why hand workmanship is important, why it appeals to us, and want makes it fundamentally different from machine build crafts. It does not focus on any specific craft (thought Professor Pye is a woodworker himself), but is meaningful and accessable to anyone interested in crafts and hand workmanship. Myron M. Smith, Greeley, CO:Recommended by Michael Hamilton |
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The Theory of Decorative Art: An Anthology of European & American Writings, 1750-1940 Isabelle Frank Paperback; $22.40Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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With Wakened Hands: Furniture by James Krenov and Students James Krenov Paperback; $20.97Inspiring work from disciples of the master.Recommended by Michael Hamilton |
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The Underpainter Jane Urquhart Paperback; $11.20As a pupil at the Art Students’ League in New York, Austin Fraser decided that a good picture justified rotten behavior. That was 50 years ago; now, at 75, he’s famous and a minimalist, having betrayed his Ashcan School past for something he believes to be more comfortable…. Is Jane Urquhart’s story, with its swooping, spacious prose and its love of landscape, an indictment of chilly modernism? The New York Times Book Review, Sally EckhoffRecommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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The Social Production of Art Janet Wolff Paperback; $19.00This book discusses the sociology of culture and its effect on artistic creativity, as well as art as ideology, the social production of art and cultural politics and feminism. I really liked this book, and agree with big chunks of it. I have, in fact, emailed the author on issues that have come up on this forum and found her very accessable. It’s one I recommend if you go for this sort of thing.Recommended by LizAnne Jensen |
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Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier Paperback; $11.20Vermeer’s household – believable historical fiction. Quiet, restrained writing.Recommended by Michael Hamilton |
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Collage Techniques: A Guide for Artists and Illustrators Gerald F. Brommer Paperback; $19.25This book was recently recommended to me by a fellow collage artist. It’s a large softcover. Highly recommended to every aspiring collage artist, because it shows dozens of different styles and approaches and techniques and tells a bit about how to get started in them. It has excellent color reproductions of hundreds of really different styles of collages. A number of well-known collage artists, talk about and show their techniques. Worth having around the studio.Recommended by Ginny Herzog |