Rating: Summary: This book is a complete misrepresentation Review: ! WARNING WARNING WARNING ! Except for the cover, this book does not contain a single painting by Chesley Bonestell! It is a small, $26 paperback that lists publications and media where Bonestell's work has appeared over the years. The compilation of this data certainly has merit, but the book's sales pitch, high price, and cover completely misrepresent its contents.
Rating: Summary: Text Resource Review: As a long time Bonestell fan I was pleased to acquire the Chronology. It provides information about the places where Bonestell art has been published. Even the long time fan may find some surprise books. For example, it's great to be able to find out the exact issues of Colliers with Bonestell art. Be prepared, though, the only picture in the entire book is on the cover. The rest is all text. If you need a resource to help you search for OP books and magazines on the web, this is it. Be ready for high prices or just plain non-availability. Some books like The Exploration of Mars (one of the best for Bonestell art) are virtually unavailable.
Rating: Summary: Text Resource Review: As a long time Bonestell fan I was pleased to acquire the Chronology. It provides information about the places where Bonestell art has been published. Even the long time fan may find some surprise books. For example, it's great to be able to find out the exact issues of Colliers with Bonestell art. Be prepared, though, the only picture in the entire book is on the cover. The rest is all text. If you need a resource to help you search for OP books and magazines on the web, this is it. Be ready for high prices or just plain non-availability. Some books like The Exploration of Mars (one of the best for Bonestell art) are virtually unavailable.
Rating: Summary: NOT A BOOK OF ARTWORK! Review: As someone else pointed out (and I unfortunately didn't read until AFTER I bought the book), the ONLY illustration this book has is on the cover. It's title and description implies it's a compendium of imagery, but it is instead just a bibliography of Bonestell's work. It may be valuable to someone with access to a library of old Collier's magazines, but for all others it's pretty much useless. Granted, Ron Miller's article is great, but I already have the Outre magazines where it was originally published, and at least those HAVE the artwork being discussed! If you're looking for a sampler of Bonestell's artwork, you'd do better to buy the back issues of Outre than this book.
Rating: Summary: An invaluable resource for fans of space art. Review: Chesley Bonestell's art played an important role in mankind's exploration of space. For the first time, an expert on Bonestell's work has compiled the authoritative list of where the master's art has been published. Bonestell was prolific and lived a long life, and his work is published in an astonishingly wide variety of places. The book is an invaluable source for the serious collector, but also for someone who admires Bonestell's art and simply wants to know where it can be found. Schuetz includes discussions of key paintings, which makes the book all the more valuable. Also, given Bonestell's explosive popularity, Schuetz's book helps meet another need: it provides a handy source of information that can help evaluate the credibility of Bonestell items offered for sale. The book does not reproduce every Bonestell painting. It provides something even more valuable: a comprehensive overview by year of what Bonestell paintings were printed and where they were published. The reader of this book can get a bird's eye view of the influence and impact of the dean of space art on the popular imagination.
Rating: Summary: An excellent resource to the best space art available Review: I am a space art book collector and have alway loved the work of Chesley Bonestell. It is hard to find his work since it is scattered over at least 40 years of books and magazines. Mr Schuetz's labor of love allows access to this hidden work. It is well organized and has well thought-out indices. The annotations for many of the entries are very helpful, consisting of relevant quotes and /or comments that put the entry in context. The addition of the biographical material by Ron Miller is invaluable. If you are interested in learning more about one of the great modern American artists, pick this up!
Rating: Summary: A Valuable Reference Review: I have been a Bonestell fan for many years and this listing of appearances of his art is remarkably useful. Previously I had only come across listings of Bonestell's illustrations for the SF Magazines - anything else I tended to find by accident rather than design. Schuetz has obviously spent a great deal of time in searching through long runs of magazines to compile his Chronology and the format he has used to present the information is logical and straightforward. As more and more people 'discover' Bonestell there is bound to be an increase in publications that contain his artwork, I look forward to an updated edition of the Chronology in a few years time.
Rating: Summary: Praise for a Powerful Resource Review: I rarely take the opportunity to provide feedback, whether positive or negative, for items that I have purchased. Contrary to my nature, I enthusiastically offer my critique of Melvin Schuetz' book "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". I have fond childhood "space" memories from the nostalgic, captivating decade of the 1950s. As a child, I gathered and treasured a modest number of space-related items. As an adult, my continued interest in space travel and exploration provides countless hours of enjoyment. Unlike when I was a child, I now have the necessary resources to seek, to find and to acquire any number of space-related collectables. Most alluring to me are "space" books and periodicals published in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Without question, the best tools that I have discovered and that I use in my quest for such books are e-bay and "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". If I were limited to only one adjective to describe Melvin's book, it would be "powerful". As I pour through the various Appendixes, e.g., "Major Books Containing Bonestell Space Art" and Indexes, e.g., "Index of Authors and Editors", "Index of Books" and "Index of Periodicals", I gain an ever-increasing knowledge of and appreciation for Bonestell's work. Over time, I have gravitated toward particular aspects of Bonestell's space-art. Specifically, I prefer Bonestell's artistic renderings of space ships like those that graced the covers of Colliers magazines circa 1952-1954 than I do his astronomical renditions of alien planetary systems and galaxies. But that's the "powerful" nature of Melvin's book - it contains everything (I dare say - without exception). The prolific work of Chesley Bonestell is mind-boggling to me. Also mind-boggling is Melvin Schuetz' complete accounting of Bonestell's work. And, Melvin does it in such a way as to educate and entertain the reader. "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology" is a wonderful book, a must for anyone interested in Chesley Bonestell.
Rating: Summary: Praise for a Powerful Resource Review: I rarely take the opportunity to provide feedback, whether positive or negative, for items that I have purchased. Contrary to my nature, I enthusiastically offer my critique of Melvin Schuetz' book "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". I have fond childhood "space" memories from the nostalgic, captivating decade of the 1950s. As a child, I gathered and treasured a modest number of space-related items. As an adult, my continued interest in space travel and exploration provides countless hours of enjoyment. Unlike when I was a child, I now have the necessary resources to seek, to find and to acquire any number of space-related collectables. Most alluring to me are "space" books and periodicals published in the 40s, 50s and 60s. Without question, the best tools that I have discovered and that I use in my quest for such books are e-bay and "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology". If I were limited to only one adjective to describe Melvin's book, it would be "powerful". As I pour through the various Appendixes, e.g., "Major Books Containing Bonestell Space Art" and Indexes, e.g., "Index of Authors and Editors", "Index of Books" and "Index of Periodicals", I gain an ever-increasing knowledge of and appreciation for Bonestell's work. Over time, I have gravitated toward particular aspects of Bonestell's space-art. Specifically, I prefer Bonestell's artistic renderings of space ships like those that graced the covers of Colliers magazines circa 1952-1954 than I do his astronomical renditions of alien planetary systems and galaxies. But that's the "powerful" nature of Melvin's book - it contains everything (I dare say - without exception). The prolific work of Chesley Bonestell is mind-boggling to me. Also mind-boggling is Melvin Schuetz' complete accounting of Bonestell's work. And, Melvin does it in such a way as to educate and entertain the reader. "A Chesley Bonestell Space Art Chronology" is a wonderful book, a must for anyone interested in Chesley Bonestell.
Rating: Summary: NOTE: NO PICTURES! Review: I should not have bought this book. There's no question it is an excellent resource, but I bought it expecting artwork and there is NONE in this book! Buy it if you are an active collector looking for Bonestell's very hard-to-find paintings in magazines and books, but if you're looking for a book of his art, this isn't it!
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