I adore this book. The writing is somewhat the style of stream of consciousness but in a way that is relatable. The illustrations go perfectly with the somewhat dreamy way the book is written and it feels like you are in the artist/writer's world and mind. Maira Kalman has been one of my favorites since I discovered her children's books years ago, and I'm thrilled she has written this book for adults. Highly recommended!

The book was a gift to me from a young student (22) I had worked with last summer. I couldn't put it down. It inspired me so much (I'm a playwright myself ) that I sat down and started painting my new play! I have bought the book 4 more times as gifts for people from 70 down to 20 who are teachers and painters and just plain people who were willing to go through the process of discovery with the author. She has a brilliant directness, creativity and honesty that is entirely engaging. Kalman is a natural with a great eye and ear. Bravo!

I was in a bookstore when this book called to me from shelf. I didn't know who Maira Kalman was at the time. I just knew I had to pick it up. I cracked it open and was sucked in by the artwork and the hand-written pages. Her writing is very plain, observational, and very honest. Her artwork is simple, but beautiful. It's fun. Nobody is remaking the wheel or building a better mousetrap here. Do you like Dodo Birds? Ever think about it? How about pretty pictures? I still don't who Maira Kalman is, but I can say without a doubt that this is a book worth reading. It'll be one of the most pleasant 90 minutes you've had in a while.

I bought this book for myself and one or two other people last Christmas. I loved the humorous approach to what is essentially a book about Kalman's husband dying at age 49. All of the changes that occur so suddenly in the world that she describes are wrapped around the center disaster. The wit and the charm of the pictures and the author's thoughts take you into a world where she is mourning and finding out who she is which makes for a melancholy celebration. I thought the title alone made it the perfect book for this Christmas when we're all waiting to see if the new President Obama is more than a hope. And I gave it to ten people who were very appreciative. I tend to imagine everyone knows of Maira Kalman but I was wrong. I wish I could give the book to enough people to make her well known. Her work deserves our time.

I bought this book because I was fascinated by the illustrations, but I subsequently found the text to be absolutely mediocre and undeserving of more than a passing glance. The author ruminates repeatedly on who she, or anyone else for that matter, is. Also prevalent are musings along the lines of "What is the point in any of this?" If it had been written by someone in her youth, recently thrust into the world, the author might have pulled it off, but to me it came off as tired and repetitive. I decided this book was definitely not worth the $30 and went so far as to return it the day after I bought it.

Everything Maira touches turns into the most funniest, quirkiest and happiest thing. This is one of my favorite books, its sort of like a new version of Chicken Soup for the Soul. The illustrations are amazing, color combinations are vibrant, writing is witty that it just becomes such a pleasurable visual read. She is even more funnier when she speaks. She's like the intelligent, amazing and awesomest aunt that you wished you had.

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!

This book holds a permanent place on my coffee table. It is a wonderfully illustrated and observed year in a life. Page by page, it offers captivating visual and written poetry of the everyday, as well as ruminations on "the big picture."

This isn't really a book for reading, it's a book that you'll dip in and out of, reading the humorous and sometimes touching vignettes at your whim - much like the blog that spawned this book. Some of the illustrations are better than others - I particularly like the historical portraits and full-colour pages. Nonetheless it's a beautiful illustrated book and a sweet gift for someone.

This is such a beautiful, unique book. Each time you see a picture or read a section, you think and then think again something altogether different. This is a book not to read, but to experience. Thank you Mrs. Kalman.

This is one of the most brilliant books in existance. It has weight to it, and the art & words are thought-provoking & insightful. Most of it feels tinged with a slight melancholy-- that could be just me-- but it doesn't hurt the book by a long shot. If anything, it deepens it. I'm glad i was finally able to buy it, after reading it again & again in bookstores. Definitely recommend this book.

i very much enjoy the book, and there was very fast delivery-unfortunately the mail left the box in the rain, so the cover got damp, but beautiful book!

I have been a fan of Maira Kalman's children books for some time. As an adult I enjoy them immensely for their whimsy and charm. When I spotted this book in a local bookstore on the travel shelf, of all things, I opened it and couldn't put it back. Everyone I have shown this book to has said she (or he) is going to buy a copy immediately. I think I've personally sold at least 5 of them so far. This is not an easy book to describe - it's better to pick it up, open it and jump right into the fun and enchanting world of Maira Kalman. She takes people watching to a new high - in her hands it becomes art. She finds joy and humor and dignity wherever she looks. And she brings us with her, if we care to follow. To open a hard back book, standard size, and find bright, inviting, paintings and drawings on almost every page starts you out with a bit of a surprise right from the start. The delight of reading this book and entering into Maira's world - full of lovely people, and funny things, and some quite amazing viewpoints - is beyond description. I can't imagine who wouldn't find it wonderful. I also don't think there's anything to "get." It is what it is, and that's as much the beauty of it as any of the paintings and musings.

I LOVE this book! If you are a fan of quirky, creative, playful picture books for grown-ups, you will like this book. I think you will also like it if you like long illustrated poems, because this book seems to unintentionally be one.

I've been a fan of Maira Kalman for awhile now and own many of her "children's" books. I put that word in quotes, because while most of her past books are classified as for children, they certainly go far beyond that audience in their appeal. It's wonderful to have a Maira Kalman book that is not targeted to the children's market. Even though this is not a children's book, Kalman retains her playfulness, but here it is intermingled with a thoughtful melancholy that makes it all the more poignant. A wonderfully expressive and artistic book.

The Principles of Uncertainty

Maria Kalman's blog on the "New York Times" is a regular stop for me and for many other "Times" readers. I find many levels of meaning in her work, and it is great fun to read the hundreds of comments from her fans.

From time to time I hopefully click on the bookmark, but continue to receive this message:

"Ms. Kalman's April 2007 column is the last in a yearlong series. In October, the first 12 columns will be published in a book, also called "The Principles of Uncertainty." Ms. Kalman will return next year."

No new entries have appeared to feed my addiction so far this year. I've had to be content with the few entries still online, and with this well produced little book which collects her past contributions.

One suggestion: this is a book to read slowly, no more than an entry or two a day. The entries have layers of meaning, some layers appeal to the child in us, some to the adult, and it takes a bit of exposure to find all the layers.

Ariel Levy's review captures some of her magic:

"Kalman sees -- and frequently succeeds in making her reader see -- heaven in a honey cake, an ocean of emotion in an abandoned chair. Objects have a secret, magic life for her. They are not inanimate things but receptacles: "tangible evidence of history, memory. Longing, delight." Relics of our lives that will probably outlive us. There's a fine line between celebrating loveliness and commodity fetishism, but Kalman's tastes are eclectic -- she is as entranced by old sponges as by the tassels on Parisian drapes."

You don't have to be addicted to her work to find fascination in this little volume.

The Principles of Uncertainty

I've bookmarked Maria Kalman's blog on the "New York Times" for many months. From time to time I hopefully click on it again, but continue to receive this message:

"Ms. Kalman's April 2007 column is the last in a yearlong series. In October, the first 12 columns will be published in a book, also called "The Principles of Uncertainty." Ms. Kalman will return next year."

No new entries have appeared to feed my addiction so far this year. I've had to be content with the few entries still online, and with this well produced little book which collects her past contributions. Each has attracted hundreds of comments from her fans, and each instructs the thoughtful reader/viewer in different ways.

One suggestion: this is a book to read slowly, no more than an entry or two a day. The entries have layers of meaning, some layers appeal to the child in us, some to the adult, and it takes a bit of exposure to find all the layers.

Ariel Levy's review captures some of her magic:

"Kalman sees -- and frequently succeeds in making her reader see -- heaven in a honey cake, an ocean of emotion in an abandoned chair. Objects have a secret, magic life for her. They are not inanimate things but receptacles: "tangible evidence of history, memory. Longing, delight." Relics of our lives that will probably outlive us. There's a fine line between celebrating loveliness and commodity fetishism, but Kalman's tastes are eclectic -- she is as entranced by old sponges as by the tassels on Parisian drapes."

You don't have to be addicted to her work to find fascination in this little volume.

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.

This is such an unusual book: a pictorial monologue about a year in author/illustrator Maira Kalman's life, in which she tackles issues like life, death, family, history, travel, food and all the big philosophical questions of existence.
It has more than 300 pages, almost all of them with quirky Magritte-style illustrations that are often as humorous and charming as the text.
Maira Kalman's Jewish family fled Russia after the revolution and went to Palestine before settling in America. As I imagine many of those do whose families have endured lives fractured by the events of history, and so closely touched by atrocities like the Holocaust, Kalman seems never to take life for granted -- she often expresses her concern about the point of it all, and the mess so many people make of it.
But for all that, this book is imbued with Kalman's overriding and utter joy in being alive. Joy shines out of every page.
For example, while she's in Israel she writes of her despair about the embattled state of the Middle East, but once back home in New York she finds immediate reassurance and an antidote to her distress simply by observing the life on the streets -- the colours, the people, the eccentricities, the humanity of it all.
On other pages she'll share her delight in wonderful hats, bravely-dressed women, old people, the collections of weird objects she keeps at home, and many of the amazing sights she observes and records on her travels at home and abroad.
I'd love to meet her: from my reading I imagine a strong New York humour and an infectious fascination for the cities she loves.
Recommended.

My cat Sadie really enjoyed the hard edge of the book's spine. When I lay on my back and propped the book up on my stomach to read, she used it as a chin scratch. She wishes I would write a novel with a special binding made specifically for cats to scratch their chin, and I promise to try. For now, she will make do with this fascinating tome about the ephemera of life, collecting hand-written thoughts with full-page, full-color paintings that, when strung together, somehow get at the meaning of things. Or, at least, the poetry hidden behind it.

I love this book as it reflects the author's sensibility of embracing every bit of life that catches her eye and warms her heart. Reading it makes my eyes more keen and my heart more open. I also want to embroider, collect sponges, watch people walk, wear hats and paint pictures. Can't go wrong with that.

a lovely, honest and inspiring look at slices of life by a wonderful artist, observer, and touching writer. a must have for anyone who appreciates beauty, love, new york city, and feeling good...

If you've loved Maria Kalman's work in the NY Times online, you should own this book. The illustrations are one of those positive slices of life we all need.

I loved this when it ran in the NY Times. I couldn't wait to have the wonderful drawings and subtle text in my possession. And then the book arrived. I was dumbfounded. Whoever designed it can't possibly have done a book of art before. Images spilling into gutters, no white space. Why? To save money? This should be reprinted by a publisher who can see what damage has been done to this wonderful work. It kills me to say it because the artist, Maira Kalman, deserves every bit of attention she can get and every nickel they pay her. But this book design is a travesty.

This book just arrived, I read it and am now ordering copies for many friends. This is a case of "less is more"--drawings and words are minimal, but the impact of whimsy and profoundness is great. It goes straight to the heart.

This is such a sweet book. I have given it to everyone... friends, family - all ages.
I am getting through one of those years, many deaths in my family, and this book really helped me remember how grand life can be. Exquisite!

I can't believe that there have only been two reviews of this book! It is a Maira Kalman book for grownups - for anyone who loves her childrens books - the wit, the art, the words - finally there is a picture book for us!
And, for a short period of time, the original paintings are on view at Julie Saul Gallery on 22nd St. in NYC. What a bonus!

In Principles of Uncertainty, Kalman touches on nearly every human emotion - yielding a book that is tender, tough, ironic, big-picture, "God is in the details", mellow, poignant, funny - you name it. In her deceptively naive paintings, she captures the essence of things - relationships, beauty, life cycles.

I went to see the exhibition at Julie Saul two times - and I would have gone 200 times. This will be one of those books that we will return to over and over again.

Kalman's illustrations accentuate her pithy prose. Her pictures seem derived from some other time, perhaps the Impressionist era in France? They have a 19th century vibe. Think Van Gogh. Imagine Monet.

Her thoughts spring from the page as she passes through her days. Each thought evokes a picture. In her observation of a life that is mostly "normal" (if there is such a thing) Kalman connects readers with the deep reservoirs of personal feeling that we frequently fail to recognize.

This is a lovely, one-of-a-kind volume that will delight as it subtly conjures up the emotions that lie just below the surface in every one of us. Bravo!

Having read each of the pieces in The Principles of Uncertainty as they were published in Times Select, I initially ordered three copies of this book--one for me, two for gifts. Now I've ordered a fourth--I want to give one to everyone I love. And I want to spend a day with Maira Kalman--of course with this book I can spend part of every day with her. I love this book!