Saturday, July 25, 2015

Cruise Ship and Dolls

I've never been on a cruise ship or for that matter taken a cruise.  My wife and I want to.  It's one of the items on our 'bucket list.'
Frankly I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to find my way around a cruise ship, where to dine, what activities there are, what's on each deck, who the cruise's crew and officers are, what their duties are or even how I would go about setting up a cruise or which is the best value or trip.
Craig A. Munsart and Schiffer Publishing have just put out a new book that takes the mystery out of cruise ships aptly titled: A Cruise Ship History & Operations.
I'm a visual person and the color photos, charts, illustrations and graphs are just the things I need to make understanding a cruise ship and cruising simplified enough so I can grasp them.
The book delves into the origin of cruise ships, the structure of the ships, how they receive their power and navigation instructions, dining, passenger accommodations, entertainment, safety features and practices, the future of cruise ships and much more.
If after reading and looking at this book you're not proficient at navigating and utilizing any cruise ship then you'd best stay away from the ocean.
For decades (centuries) dolls were primarily the play things of little girls.  With few variations most dolls stayed the same over the years.  Most dolls were of babies and young children and occasionally grownup.
That's not the case anymore.  With the explosion of collector focused dolls, adults (both male and female) collect all types of dolls, both realistic and bizarre.
Dolls and 'action figures' can be seen  and purchased in large chain stores, small specialty shops and online.  Doll clubs and shows pop up all over the world.
Doll collecting has grown to encompass collectors from all nations.
New manufacturing techniques, materials and concepts have exploded on the scene allowing artists and sculptors to create dolls of every shape, size, type and subject.  The only restraint is the doll makers' imaginations.
In The Art of the Contemporary Doll, author Sandra Korinchak and Schiffer Publishing examine the burgeoning doll making industry.
Packed with color photos of every kind of every doll imaginable the book introduces readers to key doll designers and their dolls.
From ultra-realistic to miniature flights of fancy and fantasy the book covers the entire gamut of doll creation and design.
Regardless of your age or gender there are dolls for every occasion and interest.