Mars and Its Satellites: A Detailed Commentary of the Nomenclature by Jürgen Blunck (review)

Books 85 isolating concepts, students are able in a few sessions to learn to perceive and solve the general, problem of open-closed relationships to the whole, as Matisse faced. Again, students, who learn to evaluate holistically, present no such problem facing teachers on page 728. ‘Thedrawings should be reviewed by the teacher so that the student doesn’t spend his time practicing the things he does wrong over and over.’ The foregoing suggestions in no way reduce my appreciation of the massivejob. thc thoroughness and the care that went into . the writing and production of the book. Easter Eggs: A Collector’s Guide. Victor Houart. Souvenir Press, London, 1978. 128 pp., illus. E6.00. Reviewed by Lynn Kari Petrich” This book is indeed a well-illustrated guide for a beginning collector of such objects. Experts in the various fields touched upon-Russian antiques, French. German and English porcelain. traditional Slavic crafts- are not likely to find in it much new information. Its validity lies in the author‘s claim that it is the first book bringing together information on Easter eggs from earliest times and from many countries. He has included some interesting historical asides having to do H i t h eggs and their symbolism in various countries and in religions. past and present, as well as with Easter customs and traditions. For collectors, there are some useful notes on availability and authenticity of different types of Easter eggs. Houart is also kind enough to advise collectors who are not financially able to indulge in a collection of the fabulous Faberg6eggs,which, when they do appear on the market, fetch fabulous prices. For non-collectors, the book is an excellent introduction to a little-known domain of art in miniature. The illustrations are very good, encompassing examplesof medieval, silver-encrusted ostrich eggs, delicate 19th century porcelains, Russian enamel and lacquered papier-mbch6eggsand of vividlypainted folkloric *I432 SW. 170 St., Seattle, WA 98166, U.S.A. Easter eggs still produced today in the countries of Eastern Europe. Mars and Its Satellites: A Detailed Commentary of the Nomenclature. Jiirgen Blunck. Exposition Press, Hicksville. N.Y.,1977.200pp.. illus. $10.00Reviewedby Ralph J.Turner** Humans have not yet set foot on Mars, but they have been peering at it and describing its topographical features for at least 300 years. The names of features with which the Americas are burdened were given by explorers who usually had a tangible relation with the features. On Mars, astronomers at first noted only vague spots, then polar caps, linear features (canali) and dust clouds. On very little evidence, a Martian civilization was imagined by many, even for example, the astronomer Percival Lowell in the U.S.A. between 1895and 1906.No spacecraft send imagesand data from Mars that nearly match the experiencesof human explorers of the Earth. If names had been assigned to many Martian surface features after the 1970s, they may have had fewer allusions to terms from ancient Greece and Rome. Blunckhas traced theorigin ofeach accepted name. Since 1958 the names are chosen according to guidelines prepared by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Features named inthe past by astronomers sometimes fulfilltheir names. It remains to be seen if FulgorisDepressio,Aeolis and SymplegadesInsulae will turn out to be ‘lightning holes’, ‘wind source islands’ and ‘banging rocks’. Visual artists will find Blunck’s book of limited use. They should refer, for example, to Mars as Viewed by Mariner 9 (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1974) and to The New Mars by WilliamHartmann and OdellRaper (Washington, D.C.: NASA, 1974) for many more exciting images. Nevertheless, his book provides a wealth of literary allusions to the still mysterious Martian landscape that fascinates space-age artists. ’ **Rock Creek Experimental Station. Rt. 2. Boxl67,Sheridan. OR 97378, U.S.A. BOOKS RECEIVED Ananiorphic Art. Jurgis Baltrusaitis. Chadwyck-Healey, Cambridge, England, 1977. 182 pp.. illus. Approaches to Art in Education. Laura H. Chapman. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, London, 1978.444pp., Art: African-American. Samella Lewis. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, London, 1978. 246 pp., illus. €7.75. Art and Crafts Market-1978. Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1978. 655 pp., illus. $10.95. Art Forms. Duane Preble with Sarah Preble. Harper and...