"This is an easy book to review because the subject matter is interesting and both the content and the production values are excellent."
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Book of the week #22
"Jim Cullen has created the first completed book on the life and work of this gifted decoy sculptor. Numerous beautiful photographs, including some that show how a decoy is constructed, complete the volume."
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"Jim Cullen's book on George Boyd, "Finely Carved & Nicely Painted," is not only the definitive study of this modest man and his carvings, but is also moving in the beauty of the exceptional photographs of Boyd's exceptional works of folk art."
With the publication of Finely Carved and Nicely Painted, Jim Cullen has provided a wealth of insight into the world of George Boyd, the man who put Seabrook, New Hampshire, decoys on the historical map. Focusing on Boyd’s life, art, and decoys, Cullen provides a context for understanding Boyd’s work as a premier decoy maker and the lifestyle of the New England common man. Cullen’s book is extremely well researched, carefully written, and expertly presented, with exemplary photographs by Andrew Davis. This book is an absolute necessity for decoy collectors and a beneficial addition for historians.
This important new book is a significant addition to the growing inventory of decoy literature. The decoys of George Boyd (1873-1941) have for many years attracted the interest and investment dollars of knowledgeable decoy collectors and dealers. But until now there has been no substantial documentation of his life and work, certainly not in any single source. Jim Cullen's new book fills a long felt need for serious students of American decoys.
This work is impressively researched and documented. It abounds in references to many and diverse sources from which the author has drawn important information about Boyd and his work. It contains photos of over 155 different Boyd carvings. Collectors will be able to use this book to good advantage in identifying Boyd carvings.
The book is elegantly designed and Davis' photography is clear and beautifully lighted, showing every aspect of the work. This is a fine addition to any decoy or sporting-art collection.
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This book covers all of the bases and is top notch in every detail. Filled with history and personable insight, it is not only a pleasurable read, it is a must have for anyone with an interest in American folk art and the art of the decoy.
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In the introduction author Jim Cullen notes that the little bits published on George Boyd of Seabrook, New Hampshire, while providing visual images of his work, "did little to document the man and his times." In fact, as late as 1965, when Bill Mackey published his book, "American Bird Decoys," he referred to Boyd's shorebirds as the work of "a prolific, but unknown maker," although he credits them as being "finely carved and nicely painted," which provided the idea for the title. And what began as an idea for an article in Decoy Magazine, blossomed into a book.
SEABROOK — Seacoast residents and visitors alike will have the opportunity to attend a presentation given in recognition of Seabrook Folk Artist George H. Boyd, a town resident who is still celebrated almost seven decades after his death at the age of 68 in 1941.
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