Shoes Books

Book was fun to read. I have one question. Where do I get the shoes featured on the front cover?????!!!!!!

The book was a fun read and the diet has been easy to adapt to my life. After all the diets I have tried, this one is working. I have lost 10 lbs so far and gained 4 great pairs of shoes. I enjoy shoes as much as food, so working towards a pair of shoes as a reward for giving up some of the food I love keeps me from feeling deprived and motivates me to stay on track.

What quick and fun reading ! Makes alot of sense. Why not use these
sensible principles with the motivation of shoes that we all love? Highly recommend this for serious and not so serious dieters.

I was looking for a children's book about shoes & this does fit the bill. Not much imagination. Story is boring. Illustrations are colorful & cute, but it this book just doesn't have anything that "grabs" your attention or imagination.

My 2 year old loves this story! We also read it at the library and now we own this book. It's very antimated and we love to point out the different things in the pictures from the people playing the violins to the little boy that's sad because he's not as tall as his brother. It's very cute! I highly recommend this!

My son and I read this book together today at the library. It's a cute and silly book about a lady and her family how loves shoes. The lady owns a shoe store and it tells about her week with some wacky customers.

Great colorful pictures!

Fun to read!

The unnamed narrator of the book is a shoe tester -- a man employed by a shoe company to try their new product. He walks around the streets of Frankfurt and submits a review to the manufacturer for two hundred Marks (soon we find out that the pay is decreased to 50 Marks). Even though this seems to be an unique profession, but the brilliance of the novel is not in the feet, but in the mind of the shoe tester who is having an existential crisis. As he walks around, he gets to ramble and reflect on life, he runs into old girl friends, he manages to have a fling with a hairdresser. After the pay cut, he survives by selling the shoes at a flea market. The stream of thought comes with witty, humorous account.

What I loved about the novel, specially the first part, is the ramblings as he watches the streets. Full of witty commentary, he walks around but he does nothing. His inaction comes through with a nice a sophistication,. However, for me, the novel looses its brilliance at the end when he finds out what to do. At a cocktail party, the shoe tester jokingly mentions about an imaginary Institute for the Art of Memory and Experience, envisioning a radical new treatment that will help people rediscover experiences beyond TV, vacations, highways and supermarkets. It is good, we get to see another side of the narrator, but I would have preferred more rumination.

Wilhelm Genazino is an award winning writer. This is a nice short book, with no plot. The writer, without going into too much details, accomplishes a lot, like his narrator, by doing nothing, just rambling and walking.

Genazino's narrator, mid-forties, well-educated, under-employed (he tests luxury shoes), wanders the streets of Frankfurt, observing and mentally cataloguing the trivial details of the lives he sees around him as a substitute for truly living his own. He describes himself as being "here in this world without my inner authorization," and again as "the blind passenger of my own life." He considers sending a "silence schedule" to his acquaintances regulating the few hours each week in which he is willing to be disturbed.

A typical case of alienation, one might think, verging on the sociopathic? But no. There are several other people in his life, although he affects to find them uncongenial. And he does have a sex life. Almost every chapter seems to feature some woman from his past, in one case from his present, and perhaps even from his future. The further this short but fascinating novel progresses, the more these interactions begin to matter. Although the book has virtually no plot, the nameless narrator carries the story along by his eye for telling detail, his considerable wit (even in translation), and by his almost incredulous sense that his life may take an upward trajectory after all.

This is a character that grows on you. You find yourself almost inexplicably caught up in his life, and wanting only the best for him. Despite its gray cover and philosophical air, the book is easy to read, and by NO means monochrome.

Published by New Directions, noted for its publication of experimental fiction and literature from Europe, The Shoe Tester of Frankfurt begins as an existential investigation by a self-conscious 46-year-old man into who he is and why he behaves as he does. The man is seeking "inner authorization" for a life that has little meaning for him, and by the end of his philosophical and psychological journey, he has come to new understandings. Though the premise is weighty, the book is fun to read.

The unnamed speaker has been working for seven years as a "shoe tester," a man who walks around Frankfurt testing shoes and submitting reviews of them to the manufacturer. The speaker enjoys this job, as it gives him unlimited opportunity to muse about his life, observe people from the past with whom he has had relationships, and contemplate "the collective peculiarity of all life" while he walks. He thinks about his childhood, his failed relationship with former girlfriend Lisa, and his lack of professional motivation, and the reader observes him as he has an afternoon interlude with his hairdresser, begins a new relationship, talks with a friend who is a failed photographer, gets a drastic cut in salary, and begins work as a vendor in a flea market.

The speaker's serious philosophical statements and overwrought self-examination might become tedious if it were not for the fact that the book contains a great deal of quiet humor. The author's sense of irony and his witty appreciation of absurdity become more obvious in the second half of the book when the speaker attends a life-changing cocktail party and (ironically) achieves a new appreciation of life as a result. The tongue-in-cheek humor puts the speaker's new understandings into a realistic context and changes the mood from melancholy to peaceful acceptance, if not joy.

Filled with the hypersensitive and self-indulgent observations of a man who claims that he "hardly thinks at all anymore--I only look round and about," the novel shows the transformation of this character from someone who willfully closes his eyes to the world to one who looks around and begins to recognize his connections with the rest of the humanity. Slow to start, the novel becomes a delightful exploration of one man's experiences and his halting steps toward a new life. Winner in 2004 of Germany's highest literary prize, the Georg-Buchner-Preis, this novel is the first by Genazino to become available in English translation. n Mary Whipple

This book features a variety of children showing various rhymed type of shoes - too low, too high, shoes to buckle, shoes to tie - until the very end, the best shoes of all, your bare feet.

Very cute, cute illustrations, cute text, simple enough for the youngest child - love it.

One problem. For a book published in the late 80s, there's not much in the way of diversity in this book. In fact, there isn't a single child (or adult) in the book that I could point to and positively say "That kid isn't white".

That doesn't make the book bad, or racist - it just is very visible. Although I suppose it's possible all the kids are supposed to be part of the same family, that's not clear to me.

Our 2 year old has loved this book for a long time now. The text is very cute and the artwork is just beautiful. Highly reccomended.

As a media specialist, I have thoroughly enjoyed using SHOES with my first graders and kindergarteners. The children love to take off their shoes and wiggle those toes. They also enjoy anticipating the next page. This book is a must for any elementary library and for the home.

I got this calendar as a Christmas present from my boss and I absolutely love it! I never "cheat" and look at the pictures of the shoes because I love being surprised everyday with each new style that comes up. I will definitely continue to get this calendar with each passing year.

excellent transaction. very timely

I received the 2005 calendar as a gift and I have loved my year of shoes. The shoes range from funky modern shoes, to wooden shoes from 18th Century China, to silk court shoes from 17th Century France. Absolutely beautiful. I'm definitely getting the 2006 calendar.

Frank Walsh's columns bring all of America into the dirt and green diamond that so typifies America. He sees beyond the statistics (but doesn't ignore them) to the personalities of the fans, vendors, fellow sportscasters, the total experience of the ball game which goes beyond RBIs, ERAs, won-lost records, and fantastic catches. I haven't heard him write about luxury boxes yet. Maybe he will someday. But so much of the barely clinging to the majors bench sitter, the working class that serves the hot dogs and eats them. Ah yes, baseball the great therapist for America, and Frank Walsh bringing it to us, with mustard and onions and a nice cold beer.

I never cared for baseball--still don't. But that doesn't matter. Shoes of Giants is a fine read. Frank Walsh acknowledges at the beginning that who won the game will hardly be news to the readers of his weekly newspaper column. Instead, he puts baseball in context--in the daily comings and goings of a Renaissance man. For non-jocks, the last third of the book gets even better as the author frees himself from the usual expectations of sports writing, and lets his mind roam freely. We read of Asian art exhibits, meteor showers, calligraphy, short wave radio, Ring Lardner, poisonous plants, and fine friends--all of this woven around his enthusiasm for baseball.
The author is a fine wordsmith, with some arresting turns of phrase. The book is a joy to read--and reread.

I grew up in a family where stories of glory games of days long past were the stuff of legends. Whether the stories involved one of my four brothers or our favorite teams, the Lions or Tigers or Red Wings, the male members of my family remembered every detail and still do. Add to that the almost-professional career that one of my brothers had with the Detroit Tigers, and it is obvious why the stories of Frank Wolfarth Walsh in Shoes of Giants would appeal to me so much. Walsh writes about Ernie Harwell with such warmth and grace that I can still hear Ernie's voice recounting the exploits of the Tigers as it ws the background music for Sunday afternoon gatherings and weeknight must sees. I was in eighth grade when the Tigers won the 1968 World Series and all of Walsh's stories of the glories of the game came back to me in a sweet nostalgia of a simpler time when all it took to bring us together was a group of men called Kaline, Northrup, Horton, Freehan, and Cash. Shoes of Giants does leave the baseball field as a few of the essays explore the beauty of Florida's St. Johns River and a visit to the spiritual Cassadaga in Central Florida. Enjoyable to read, Shoes of Giants tells simple tales of ordinary folks doing extraordinary things.
Patricia C. Behnke is the author of A Lethal Legacy and A Victorian Justice

Great examples and descriptions of glass shoes. Would like it better if the picture and description were together, so you did't have to keep flipping pages.

the only complete glass shoe bible in print.an updated version will be available soon. Ms.Yalom has extensively researched each shoe and interviewed many glass makers for her book.I recommend this book to all collectors of these little treasures.

This is the first of Ms. Yalom's books on glass shoes. This edition and its price list are small enough to put in your bag was antiquing or yard saleing. Pictures and descriptions are excellent. Descriptions give dimensions of shoes, markings, colors of glass produced and usually a bit of history as to when the shoe was made and by whom. I have both books by Ms. Yalom and refer to them when adding to my collection of nearly 200 different glass shoes! Price lists really help when you are questioning the asking price! The newer edition goes into shoes made of other materials (wood, metal, etc.) and features shoes made of china, porcelain, etc. Both books are great finds for the collector.

Like most fashionistas, I have a thing for shoes. I wanted a book on the aforementioned subject, and I found Shoes by Paola Buratto Caovilla. Caovilla illustrates the shoes created by great designers -- Manholo Blanik, Gucci, Prada, etc. -- while supplying insightful information on how to design shoes. This is one of the best coffee table books I have ever purchased. Now, if only I could find a sample sale...

This book is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL BOOK! Like most women, I've loved shoes for as long as I can remember! This book is on my coffee table and it has been there since I bought it. Everyone that picks this book up "oohs and ahhhs" with it's beauty.

Full of drawings, photos and designs, this book shows some of the greats such as Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Gucci ... etc. I can't get enough of this book or shoes themselves. This keeps busy when I'm home and need a "shoe fix".

It's simply SenSHOEus. You'll LOVE this book. It's a true work of art!

For as long as I can remember I have had a fascination with shoes. I own a collection of books on the subject but in compairson, I must say this is the book that now has my full attention. "Shoes, Objects of Art and Seduction" has earned a coveted place on my coffee table for two reasons. The first is simply the visual treat of beautiful photography. Secondly and more important for me, the book qualifies as a design manual for creating shoes. The author, wife of Italian master cobbler Rene Caovilla, shares secrets from the inside of an industry typically shroud in mystery. The Caovilla family trademark is to collect memomentos from their travels and translate them into exquisitly wearable objects. I have heard it said that exceptional styling comes from designer's with unusual sources. This book shows you how they do it! As a recent student in the art of shoe making, I found the section on the process of creating a designer shoe invaluable. I can't wait to get my hands on this book again!

Scott Goto's illustrations caught my eye on this book. I enjoy this artist's engaging, in-your-face perspective.

Mudville is an ideal place for a traveling shoeshiner right? In the beginning, yes! It's when the folks of Mudville take Shoeshine Whittaker's blithe guarantee seriously that the trouble begins. A muddy mob isn't a pretty sight!

Can't say I agree with Shoeshine Whittaker's solution to his problem, still, it's a funny teaching lesson about keeping one's word, being taken literally, doing your job well & earning a righteous living. Should get families talking! For my full review do check out[ my website].

Similar to Dr. Seuss' "The Sneetches", only instead of removing stars, the main character in this story (Shoeshine Whittaker) starts out by selling shoeshines. Set in the old, wild-west, Shoeshine Whittaker rides his wagon into dirty Mudville and smells opportunity in shining the townspeoples' shoes. But Whittaker finds himself in trouble since the townspeoples' shoes won't stay shiny. He then proceeds to clean the town. But, the townspeople are then upset because the shiny town is hurting their eyes! The clever Whittaker figures his way out of trouble, and leaves with a pot full of money.

Interesting Story for 3-8 year-olds that will leave children amused.

My children just loved this book. laughed and laughed. Want me to read it to them every night.

We have all of Helen ketteman's books, and this one is as good as the others.

My grandma first read this book to me when I was four (many, many years ago). She died not long after, but the name of this favorite book always stayed with me and I searched high and low for it. Eventually, it came back into print -- just in time for me to share it with my niece and nephew. They love it -- and its message of the satisfaction derived from selfless acts -- as much as I did and do. I can almost hear my grandma's voice as I read...

Snipp, Snapp and Snurr, the three Swedish boys, want to get their mother a gift for her birthday. They do not know what to get her (all of their suggestions are really for kid's things). Then they find out that their mother would love a pair of red shoes lined in gold.

The boys decide their mother must have the shoes. They cannot get enough money out of their piggy bank so they must go out and earn more.

Each boy finds a job (painter, chimney sweep, miller) and together earn just enough to buy the shoes (as well as each getting dirty in a different way). Together they giver her the gift she never expected.

Each pair of pages has the story on the left and a painted illustration by the author on the right. A rather amusing and fun tale. Read all of the Snipp, Snapp and Snurr books.

55 years ago, when I was in first grade, I could hardly wait for the bookmobile to come every-other week, so that I could check out this book or others in the series. Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka and Dicka had many wonderful adventures and the illustrations are beautiful. I was always happy after reading one of these books and thought of them often over the years when my children were growing up.

How thrilled I was to see them back in print! The stories are simple, yet each one sends a message of value to a child.

Grandparents, your little ones should have the joy of visiting with Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka.