The Principles of Uncertainty

This is a great collection of her work. Her writing is fun. It’s a great, very eclectic book. Like a picture book for adults. Just fabulous. And her art does not dissappoint. A **lot** of her paintings in this book!!!

I enjoyed Maira Kalman's lovely illustrations and her musings about the mysteries of the world. Having read many of her children's books, I was not surprised at her trenchant observations about the more grown-up parts of life, but I was gratefully surprised at the delicacy, poignancy and humanity of her images. Her work deserves admiration for its honest portrayal of reality, but with the wonderful twist that a real artist can bring. The Principles of Uncertainty is structured around the journal or diary form and I think it benefits from being read that way rather than reading it from front to back. It's hard to stop,once you start, but save a little for later!

An illustration student myself, I fell in love with Maira's style of painting when I was introduced to her by a great professor. She is now a huge inspiration for my own work. It is apparent through this beautiful book that she believes in the human connection, empathy and positivity. She does not put herself above the viewer with overly rendered, overly designed painting or wordiness but lets simple journal-like musings and her paintings speak volumes. She lets herself be unaffected by opinion as we used to be as children scrawling out whatever came into our heads and appreciating the colors we made. Her paintings are very intimate and inviting for those reasons. Though her style comes from that childlike reaction, her experience and sense of design is apparent. Short of wanting us to show up on her doorstep and be her best friend, she seems to be reaching out for connection with us. More broadly, I believe she wants us all to connect with each other and to be able to empathize with the stranger because we are all weak in so many similar ways and strong in others. We're all the same really. This book is really wonderful. I wish I could sit in the kitchen with her drinking tea, eating cake and looking at her collected treasures but after reading this book, I feel like I have.

Love the illustrations and the stories that go with them. A real keeper, and would make a wonderful gift as well.

In about 80% of the episodes in this quirky, imaginative, hilarious book, Maira Kalman looked into my soul. She is a fabulous satirist, subtle and accurate.

Maria Kalman isn't just a genius. She's the best kind of genius there is. The painter-illustrator-storyteller widow of Colors magazine founder Tibor Kalman is precisely the kind of person you'd imagine as your fantasy next door neighbour. Someone who thinks nothing of wearing feathery pink hats on warm summer days. Who invites you over for gingerbread biscuits and music. And tells you why she's had a lifelong crush on Abraham Lincoln. Her simple illustrations and seemingly random observations about grass, fresh pickles, the weather or ruffled collars are so dense with energy and joy they force you to take quiet pauses in between pages. Whether you flip through her books, or follow her "visual column" in the New York Times […], you can't help but look at the world a little differently. You may even spot a few more butterflies and ladybugs than you're used to. My favorite page in "Principles of Uncertainty" is this: 'On the wall was a dress i embroidered. It said "Ich habe genug", which is a Bach cantata. Which i once thought meant "I've had it, I can't take it anymore". But I was wrong. It means, "I HAVE enough". Which is utterly true. I happen to be alive. End of discussion. (But i will go out a buy a hat).'

Maira Kalman's book is peerless, and increases in depth with every reading. I love her conscious stream of consciousness, the way she connects thought, feeling, and fact, and her paintings are enchanting. It's funny, witty, and heartbreaking, and a remarkable achievement from an artist of great humanity and wit, but most of all, heart and feeling. When the pieces first appeared every month on "Times Select" (New York Times features for subscribers), there would hundreds of comments by morning. She has a vast and appreciative audience, and from her children's books to this one, her style and subtlety continue to grow.

I bought this book because it makes me smile. I then bought two more for my mother in law and grandmother in law. At first they were "uncertain" about the message of this book, but while in San Francisco they went to a museum where the author was featured, they seemed to have gotten some insight and wrote to tell me how much they now enjoy and love this book. Grandma Sue lives in Manhattan and mentioned that a friend of hers also has this book and gifts it to all of her students at the end of the year. Highly recommend, full of color, thoughts, and poetry.

Para quem gosta das ilustrações da artista, o livro é um verdadeiro presente, um prazer de se ver. Para quem ainda não conhece, Maira Kalman é uma ilustradora americana, nascida em Israel, bastante conhecida pelas suas ilustrações tanto em livros infantis, como em revistas, capas, etc. Suas ilustrações são bastantes coloridas e tratam situações/interesses do cotidiano. Há também frases, pensamentos, como um diário. Este livro é o resultado mensal, de um ano de trabalho para o blog "The Principles of Uncertainty", para o New York Times, e recebe o mesmo título. Dos seus livros infantis, ainda não tive o prazer de compra-los/ve-los. Por conta destes já foi nomeada para o ALMA, que é um prêmio na área de livros infantis, reconhecido mundialmente.

Wonderfully illustrated, hilarious and original. It makes you think and makes you smile. Joyful.

Sí quieres un libro lleno de ilustraciones y frases este es el indicado! Excelente calidad de impresión. Es una excelente opción para regalar.

とても刺激的な本でした。 人物も物も文字も美しくて、どっぷり世界に浸れます。 ソフトカバーで持ち運べるのもうれしいけれど、こんな素敵本ならハードカバーでもよかったかも、と思いました。

This is an extraordinary little book of visual thoughts that is so positive and so thoughtful that I immediately started ordering it for daughters and close friends, those who I know would share the quirky view and get a morale boost from the beauty of oddball little things. The book is neither soppy nor sentimental nor facile. It's starting point is grief, implied but not dwelt on, and recovery is in the unexpected in the ordinary. Easy to share in once you know where to look. I expect to dip into this book time and again when I need a boost.