Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

The Works in Architecture of Robert and James Adam
While the engravings are of a very high quality, there are very few of them. Maybe I misunderstood what the content of this book encompassed. I would not buy it again at the amazon purchase price, maybe at half the amount.

A Masterpiece!
I most say that this possible is one of the best and most inspiring books available for anyone interested in classical architecture. The Adams brothers style together with Louis XV is possibly the most modern interpretation of classical architecture. Highly recommendable and a must for anyone interested in classical architecture, beaux arts, etc. ... Read more

Product Description
The Negativeis the second volume in the acclaimed and highly influential The Ansel Adams Photography Series.This second volume is anchored by a detailed discussion of Adams' Zone System and his seminal concept of visualization. It presents detailed discussion ofartificial and natural light, film and exposure, and darkroom equipment and techniques. Numerous examples of Adams' work clarify the principles discussed. Handsomely illustrated with photographs by Adams as well as instructive line drawings, this classic manual can dramatically improve your photography. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Ansel Adams' The Negative is the Best
Not much to say. You want to know everything about the Zone System or exposure, this is IT.

The best photography books on the market!!
This is the 2nd book in Ansel Adams photography series. I really cant stress enough the importance of reading all 3 of these books and reading them in their proper order. Ansel talks about a lot of techniques and many of these techniques build upon previous knowledge. If your serious enough about photography to have an interest in these books then you should want to do it right and doing it right is buying all 3 books and reading them in order.

The negative is imo the most important book in the series and this is because this book really teaches you the ins and outs of the Zone System, which in case your unaware is the photographic technique for determining optimal film exposure and development. On top of that its a pre-visualization tool that really makes you understand how a scene is translated into a photographic image. There is no better system in photography period. If you take the time to learn the zone system from top to bottom, I guarantee you will become a photographer who is in complete control of the photographic techniques required to make an amazing final print. If you want to become a master or just a great photographer, there is no better place to start than learning the zone system.

As I have said in my reviews of the other books in this series, this is not a series for a beginner and this book in particular will be extremely difficult for a beginner to stomach. While this is probably the best written technical book in all of photography, some of it can still be incredibly difficult for beginners to grasp. If your a beginner I recommend reading a beginner photography book. One that will teach you the basics. Once you have a solid foundation of the basics, then start on this series.

I wont bother going into any more detail in regards to what this book teaches. That would take too much time and it would make this review way too long. As the name of the book clearly states, this book's focus is on the negative and as I am sure your aware the neg is the shot. If you screw up the neg, chances are nothing you can do will fix the image. This book will teach you how to get that perfect neg each and every time regardless of conditions.

The bottom line - This is hands down the best 3 book series on photography ever made. If you are serious about photography and want to learn how to master shooting and printing in black and white then look no further.

BEST IN DEPTH EXPLANATION OF THE ZONE SYSTEM
I decided to buy this book after I gave a try to Ricardo Aronovich's "Exponer una historia", a book that makes a farily simple explanation of the Zone system for cinematographers. And I decided to do so because, for some reason, it's simplicity makes it really hard to understand, since it lacks a lot of the necessary math you'll need to understand the effect of light on film. Although much of the information in this volume doesn't cover digital technologies, the basic principles actually apply to any format. I'd suggest it though to serious students only.

One of the best book in teaching photography
The core of this book is probably the zone system.Before reading the book, I had heard many comments on how complicated and inpractical this system is.However, I found this system to be a extremely reliable, easily understood and an applicable system to work with.It is IMO the best system to work with.There are obviously many contents about shooting in films. Ansel passed away in 1984.I dont think you can expect him to write about digital age even if he could predict the rise of digital camera.Still, the zone system and many insights are extremely helpful even for digital photography.I am also surprised on how well the book is written with many detail samples and how the zone system can be applied to these samples.This is a must have for anyone who wants to make better exposures.
With the zone system, you will know exactly how bright/contrast your photo should turn out.You will know which part of your picture will be underexposed, which part of your picture will be overexposed even before you take the picture because you can predict which zone each individual part of the picture will fall into with just a few metering and calculation.In turn, you can control exactly how your picture should turn out, and what exposure will get you the best photo.Some people may complain that it requires too much metering.Actually, you only need to meter the most important parts (usually the brightest and the darkest part, or your favorite part) of the photo in order to make sure they appear fine in your picture.Taking a few meter will save you a lot of time from going back to PS your pictures.Ansel is a genius to come up with this system!

Master of non digital photography
If you are interested in photography and in making excellent photographs whether digital or traditional film its important to read Ansel Adams. He did the photography and the development of film and the printing and his photographs of the landscape especially known for photographing Yosemite are exquisitely perfect in black and white. In this book that is part of a series of 3 he gave us everything we need to make great photographs. Why would someone who is a digital photographer read this book? Its to understand the basics the foundation of photography. This book is The Negative and in digital photography what you get is the negative and the print together and you want to understand what you have and what you can do make that photograph or that negative in black and white photography what you want it to be what you visualized when you saw the image in reallife.
The book The Negative is sometimes difficult to follow cause he was truly a Master and most of us are not so just keep reading to get whats of value to you as a reader and a photographer
This book The Negative is part of a three book series includes
The Camera
Basic Techniques of Photography that has revised edition from his student John Schaeffer
Read all these books if you are committed to excellence in your photography
JG ... Read more

Product Description
This is a really unique book that gives the reader the most complete guide to developing a Ukrainian Kozaky character for reenactment, living history, role-playing, and wargames. There is section giving rules and safety for the increasingly popular sport of live blade dueling and battles for mid-seventeenth century Eastern Europe. Other areas covered in this painstakingly researched booklet include just about every facet of Kozak costume, life, history, faith, food, drink, and more. There are glossaries, and even a section on wargames. If you have any interest in the beginnings of the Ukrainian State, real heroes, or just want to immerse yourself in a different and heroic culture this is a great read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Bunch of stereotypes
First two pages of a book with rankings and cossack bow is enaugh to tell that this absolute fantasy and combination of stereotypes about Ukrainian cossacks. Ranking is an absolute nonsence and would confuse anyone who knows Ukrainian for life. Picture of tradidtional bow is stolen from book of V. Pylat - "Boyovyi Hopak". But this type of bow was designed for current time Ukrainian martial art.
Guys, go to museums and buy yorself real books. Written by Ukrainian historians.

The Kozaky Re-enactors Handbook
At last a book that covers an area of interest that most don't even know exists!I enjoyed the book, and found it very informative.Unfortunately, some of the web-sites sited in the book no longer function, but a little research will help you find their replacements.

The illustrations are good, but they could have been larger.Though I appreciated the detail on the clothing, I would like to have seen more, particularily on HATS!There are at least 6 different hat options to explore, most of which can be made at home, but without a pattern, it is much harder to do.Despite these points, the book is Highly Recommended.

Excellent reference guide
I was amazed by the amount of detail in this guide.The time and effort to research the information offered here must have taken many years.Never have I seen a guide on Ukranian reenactment as complete as this one.I hope the author continues to provide books like this in the near future as I will gladly pay to own it.

A book for anyone interested in Cossacks and Ukraine
I could not believe the amount of detail in this one small book. It covers not just the costume and glossary as you would expect, but food, drink, healing, religion, and so much more. By the end of the book you really feel that you know not just what they looked and sounded like, but how the Ukrainian Cossack really felt.

If you have any interest in the period or people get one!

Yurko

Kozaky Re-enactors Handbook
I've read it and I think it is an excellent guide for anyone wishing to develop a Kozak kit for re-enacting and or living history.The handbooks contains lots of well researched information on 17th century Kozaks, their clothing, weapons, lifestyle and history.A must for any one interested in Eastern European history!
Eryk Jadaszewski
Polish Hussar Supply Plus
Dublin, NH ... Read more

Product Description
Raymond Adams: A Life of Mind and Muscle is a contribution to the history of neurology and the history of American medicine. Adams, one of the greats of neurology, advanced the fields of neurology, neuropathology, internal medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, and psychology.

Drawing on 50 interviews with Raymond D. Adams and on interviews with 50 other professionals and family members, this book documents his contributions to knowledge, his expansion of the realm of neurology, and his vast impact as an educator and author. Following an introductory chapter, "The Phenomenon of Raymond Adams," the book deals chronologically with the phases of his life, education, and professional work. Another section of the book is arranged by disease categories and related topics, explaining his investigative work and ideas. There is a chapter of summation, analyzing the accomplishment and legacy of Dr. Adams. Numerous appendices include letters of correspondence, a letter of nomination, and extracts of interviews with other neurologists. These documents provide further insight into Adam's personality and work patterns.

This book convincingly demonstrates Dr. Adam's seminal role in the completion of the 19th century task of clinicopathologic analysis of neurological diseases, the opening of the study of muscle pathology, the systematic study of cerebrovascular diseases, and emergence of the modern field of pediatric neurology, along with demonstrating the extent to which he educated generations of leaders in neurology and to which he guided neurologists everywhere with his great synthesis, Principles of Neurology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Raymond Adams Biography
Raymond Adams: A Life of Mind and Muscle.I trained with Raymond Adams in the 1970's.Dr. Robert Laureno has captured the essence of Raymond D. Adams in this detailed and revealing biography.Like others who trained with Adams, this book has many details that none of ever knew and anecdotes that we never would have even guessed to be true.Adams was such a stately figure at the Massachusetts General Hospital that the humbleness of his origins is truly amazing.The story of his interactions with the other Neurology Giants of his era is riveting. Even in his late 80's, it is clear that Adams encyclopedic knowledge of Neurology was not attenuated.It is a wonderful to read about the last man who actually knew and mastered all of Neurology.Laureno is to be lauded for this labor of love and his attention to detail.

Great book for neurologists.
Excellent reading for seasoned and budding neurologists who would like to know more about the profession. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Denver: bought
I recently reviewed Robert Adams' photo book denver: A Photographic Survey of the Metropolitan Area, 1970-1974 (Yale University Art Gallery) and 'What we bought' should really be considered together as Adams overview of the city landscape back in the early seventies.My review of 'denver' equally applies to this book of 193 tritone photos.

Regarding the actual book production, part of my 'denver' review is worth repeating:
It's all very well haveing stunning photos but I've seen (and own) several photo books where the actual book detracts from the contents. With 'denver' everything works perfectly. The design was by Katy Homans, who I felt contributed to the success of several Lee Friedlander titles, Thomas Palmer did the separations and you can see how good these are by looking at the sky in any of the photos. You can see clouds and texture which in many photo books just fade into the whiteness of the paper. Meridian Printing did their bit too. You don't see many books that are printed in six hundred line screen and with denver there is a spot varnish to almost lift the images of the page. A beautifully produced book of stunning images.

Adams with these two books helped to create, with others, the photographic genre: The New Topographics, a new way of looking at the man-made landscape.Denver has probably changed considerably since these fascinating photos documented the spread of the city into the countryside but I think they capture the vibrancy of the American New West even now.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.


... Read more

Product Description
The Camera, together with The Negativeand The Print,comprise The Ansel Adams Photography Series, a legendary triad of books about photographic technique that has become the most influential "how-to"series on photography ever written. The first edition of this series was completed in the 1950s.Adams completely revised and updated it just a few years before his death, making it his last word on the technical mastery of his medium. Three generations of photographers have learned how to approach the artistic possibilities of their art form through this seminal series. Now available in paperback, it remains as vital today as when it was first published.

The Cameracovers 35 mm, medium format, and large-format view cameras and offers detailed advice on camera components such as lenses, shutters, and light meters.Adams' concepts of"visualization" and "image management" are the philosophical cornerstones of the book. Extensively illustrated with photographs by Adams as well as instructive line drawings, this classic manual belongs on every serious photographer's bookshelf ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

A classic by a REAL photographer!
"The Camera" is absolutely a classic of photography books by a true master. It is loaded with helpful information that any photographer from beginner to professional can benefit from. If I could recommend only one book on basic photography, this would be it. You can easily translate Adams' teachings into digital photography or use it to learn the traditional film camera. Read the whole series of Ansel Adams books and you'll see a vast improvement in your skills!

A Good Intro to Photography Book
The basic premise of photography is clearly illustrated in this book, the first of a series of three.
It is also a great intro to using a Field Camera. (Which is why I bought it...)

The best photography books on the market!!
This is the first book in Ansel Adams photography series. I really cant stress enough the importance of reading all 3 of these books and reading them in their proper order. Ansel talks about a lot of techniques and many of these techniques build upon previous knowledge and previous techniques. If your serious enough about photography to have an interest in these books then you should want to do it right and doing it right is buying all 3 books and reading them in order.

I have been seeing a lot of reviews lately for these books that talk about going elsewhere if your a digital photographer and I couldn't disagree more. These books are the best books on the market in regards to teaching you photographic theory and putting that theory into usable form. Do these books focus on film, yes but the skils and theories that these books teach are easily transferred over to digital. IMO the photographers coming up today in the digital will not be nearly as skilled as the photographers who came up using film.

I have also come across a lot of reviews that talk about how the final image or print is the only thing that matters. In other words how you get there doesn't matter. I honestly feel sorry for these people. The process for me is 75% of what I love about photography. You take away those processes and photography becomes an empty shell. This is like telling model builders that the final model is all that matters. They will of course disagree as well as building the model is what makes the hobby so rewarding. Not just staring at the finished model. How you get to that final print in photography is just as important if not more important in my book. I am a large format photographer and to me the process of setting up my camera, selecting the right lens, metering for the proper exposure, going under the dark cloth and composing the picture, shooting the film, going back to the darkroom and developing the negatives and finally printing the negatives....this is what I love about photography. Shooting with a digital camera, using photoshop and printing on a digital printer doesn't even begin to compare. Yes you can still make great pictures with digital but the process itself is empty. There is just no comparing the 2 and because of this fact there will always be purists out there who shoot film and who understand the real magic of photography. For those out there that want to take this path, these are the books for you.

The bottom line is you will be a completely different photographer after you finish this series. It will take you awhile to finsih them and there are parts that you will re-read multiple times but when you are done, you will be far more skilled than you are now.

The first book, The camera obviously starts from the beginning and teaches you the basics of shooting with cameras. I wont even bother going into everything else as these books are so deep that even trying to sum them up in a review is pointless. The titles of the books are self explanatory. The first book deals with the camera, the 2nd book deals with the negative and the 3rd book deals with the print. Its divided up exactly as it should be as these really are the 3 vital components to photography.

If you are only interested in digital and all you care about is the final image then these books are not for you. Go buy a digital camera book, a photoshop book and a digital printing book. If however you are interested in photography as a whole and want to learn the skills that will make you a master, regardless of whether you shoot strictly film or digital, then look no further as these are hands down the best books on the market.

Go up to anyone who is serious about any particular hobby, regardless of what hobby it is, and ask them if the final product is the most important aspect to the hobby and you will get a resounding NO the vast majority of the time. Its the processes that get you to the final product that make a hobby so rewarding. You take away those processes and it just becomes empty.

The processes of film based photography are truly magical and when you make an amazing print from those processes, its far more rewarding than shooting a great digital picture. With the price of film based equipment crashing like the 1940's stock market, now is a perfect time to find out just how rewarding film can be. These books are the perfect place to start.

A Must Read for Film Camera Enthusiasts
This is a great book for anyone interested in enhancing their knowledge about film photography.I'd recommend it for anyone interested in purchasing and using a film camera.Just as the title suggests, this book is about the camera itself.There's a useful chapter on lenses that will help you decide which type of lens to buy for your shooting needs.Plus there's a good chapter on image management: how to compose shots to create visually interesting photographs.

I've read all three books in this series, and while they do lean on the technical side I still consider them essential references for film camera enthusiasts.

advanced photographic literature
This is the book to get if you're interested in understanding camera equipment (besides digital).Rangefinders, twin lens, large format, lenses, mechanics, etc., this book covers it.I'm still trying to get through the other two books in this series, "The negative", and "the print". They are far beyond my needs at the moment, but still interesting. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Revised and superior in every way

I think The New West, published in 1974, as setting the scene with chapters titled: Prairie; Tracts & Mobile Homes; City & Foothills and Adams then localizes it with his remarkable photo essay: denver (originally published in 1977).This revised edition is the perfect photo book.

The five chapter's present Denver, from the perspective of four years from 1970, as a vibrant growing Western city and Adams artfully covers the expanding suburbs into the countryside with a detached eye.The commercial core, with its predictable high-rise towers is virtually ignored (summed up with just one photo).

One thing that makes the book work so well is the sequencing and Adams mentions that in the original version he left some pages blank which he now thinks breaks the pace so this edition has an image on each page.I noticed that many photos tend to divide the frame into horizontal sections and nicely every few pages there is a photo where uprights are dominant.Several spreads have darker photos facing lighter images.This all contributes, perhaps unconsciously, in the viewer a feeling of satisfaction as the pages are turned.

It's all very well having stunning photos but I've seen (and own) several photo books where the actual book detracts from the contents.With denver everything works perfectly.The design was by Katy Homans, who I felt contributed to the success of several Lee Friedlander titles, Thomas Palmer did the separations and you can see how good these are by looking at the sky in any of the photos.You can see clouds and texture which in many photo books just fade into the whiteness of the paper.Meridian Printing did their bit too.You don't see many books that are printed in six hundred line screen and with denver there is a spot varnish to almost lift the images of the page.A beautifully produced book of stunning images.

Book collectors are going to be in a quandary with this edition.It has twenty-six more photos than the original, better pacing and far better printing.The first edition has increased in value and I expect this one will too because it is a superior version.

***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES by clicking 'customer images' under the cover.

Denver
Wow! I own the 1st Edition of this book and hands down the 2nd Edition (this edition) is superior. This maybe my favorite book by Robert Adams although all of R. Adams's books succeed on very high levels of discourse: "What We Bought", "Commercial/Residential", "Eden", Missouri West", "The New West", and all the others (non are lacking). I am a product of the 60's and 70's and "Denver" achieves a level of record that perfectly matches the highest ideals of Walker Evans; I see in these pictures those things I experienced and witnessed in Rochester, NY as a kid and also long for now.Adams maybe the greatest documentary photographer of our time. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the 1960s counterculture's most fascinating characters was Kerry Wendell Thornley -- a writer, philosopher, Zen dishwasher, enlightened prankster, and, possibly, an Oswald double with disturbing ties to the Kennedy assassination. A lifelong provocateur, Thornley was linked to many of the fringe elements of the time. He helped create the spoof religion called the Discordian Society and its tract, the Principia Discordia. He coined the term "paganism" to describe various nature religions. And he befriended Robert Anton Wilson, inspired the Illuminatus, and gave his anarchic support to the Bavarian Illuminati, a brilliant prank. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Bizarre Book on a Forgotten Hippie Prankster
I had never heard of Kerry Wendell Thornley before.I first read the new version of the Manson Family mythos by author Adam Gorightley.This book was also available.This was quite an interesting story about some truth of the sixties counterculture.Kerry Thornley was right in the thick of some rather quixotic prankster activities.I think he was just another hippie guy,who was used by the CIA.Just like Charles Manson was.He lead a carefree and devil-may-care lifestyle that came with a heavy price.Thornley ,like so many other great budding 60's thinkers,could not fully control the explosive politics around him and the frustrations of the peace movement.This book is still worth reading.And be aware that he is forgotten by retrospective books about the sixties.If he had published more writings,he could have established himself as a trailblazer of modern 'paganism'.If he had stayed clear of the anarchists ,venting negative energy over the Vietnam war,he may have seen the folly of a 'lawless' society.The discordian principle that imbrued his moral dogma,left him spiritually bankrupt ,lasting well into the seventies.Nevertheless,this fascinating book about a fringe prankster tells the behind the scenes truth of a youthful provocateur's chaotic search for enlightenment.And the strange characters he met along the way.

Malaclyptic masterpiece
This book is an amazing look at the life of this prankster brought low by the weight of his own paranoid but not entirely unbelievable fantasies. I met Thornley in his final days in Atlanta and found him to be warm & congenial but was unaware that he was living in the storage room of the used bookstore in Little Five Points or I would have attempted to offer him what meager assistance I could have. Despite his own problems he still managed to reach out and help others in need in the community and he is sorely missed.

Excellent, but unexpectedly melancholy
This is a fantastic book, but it left me kind of sad.Prior to reading this, everything I knew about Thornley was filtered through Robert Anton Wilson, and it was all positive (or at least all humorous).This book made me acutely aware that Wilson's Thornley is not unlike Plato's Socrates - an idealized character who reveals more about his biographer than his or her actual self.Unlike Wilson, Gorightly declines the invitation to treat Thornley as a discordian saint/superhero.He depicts a man who was a philosophical and comic genius, but also a raving lunatic (and -perhaps more importantly- an unhappy one).

More alarmingly, Gorightly recounts allegations that Thornley commited acts of sexual abuse against children.Gorightly's case here is pretty slim, and basically amounts to two instances of hearsay, but the allegation changes the character of this story substantially.It is disheartening to learn that the man who you thought was a bodhisattva may just have been a homeless, schizophrenic, child molester with very good PR.(Of course, the same could be said of Socrates...)

Of course, none of this should detract from the appeal of the book, which is very well-written and downright fascinating.Especially interesting are the parts about "brother-in-law," the shadowy CIA/neo-nazi/cowboy who Thornley came to believe had brainwashed him into assisting Lee Harvey Oswald.Did he exist?Was he really E. Howard Hunt?Was Thornley insane, brainwashed by the CIA, or both?With this discussion Gorightly masterfully brings the reader to the threshold of Chapel Perilous and, by the end of the book, the reader may question his or her own sanity.

As the title suggests, The "Prankster and the Conspiracy" is primarily about the nexus between Thornley and the Kennedy assassination, and does not purport to be a full biography of Thornley the man.Still, it is remarkably insightful into his personal character and is based on information from people who were close to him.

This is also maybe the first book to be written about Discordianism (rather than simply being a discordian holy text) which purports to be historically accurate.Anyone interested in Our Lady of Chaos will be interested to hear the backstory to Thornley and Hill's revelations...

A great read!
Adam Gorightly has assembled a truly fascinating story of the life of Kerry Thornley.Yes, he knew Lee Harvey Oswald.Yes, he hated Kennedy.But, was he unknowingly part of the conspiracy?Well, you are gonna have to read the book to make up your own mind!

This book takes so many twists and turns that you are afraid to put it down - you might miss something.I guess that is the sign of a really good book.At times it reads like a cheap spy novel - but the bizarre thing is...all the events are TRUE!

This has to be one of my fave books of 2003!

Kerry the Sin Eater
If there ever was a perennial scapegoat of the 60's counterculture it would have to be Kerry Thornley,one of the founding members of the patently anarchist Discordian Society.With a kind ofinsurrectionary bravado, he took it upon himself to sponge up the sordid projections of the Military Industrial Mafia Complex as well those from the plethora of intelligence revenants who trailed and taunted him for years, under various disturbing guises.He managed to keep ahead of the archetypal game by purging himself, from time to time, through various prankster like stunts,self published underground 'zines and the writing of fiction.However the Fool ended up occupying the Hanged Man's place in a Tarot deck that had been stacked against him from day one.As a result of such discouraging and divinatory odds, his self imposed role as Sin Eater freely dining at the table of the conspiracy funeral banquet is what probably turned him upside down and killed him in the end.

In Adam Gorightly's The Prankster and the Conspiracy: The Story of Kerry Thornley and How He met Oswald and Inspired the Counterculture,a most intriguing and vivid portrait of this essential and vital anarchist spirit is effectively painted.Kerry freely ranged about in the JFK/MLK/RFK assassination matrixes like a conspiratorial version of Diogenes, the ancient Greek who loved to mock the philosophers and statesmen of his day. In this case, KT was mocking the real assassins at large without anyone really knowing it, since he was drawing so much attention to himself.The author suggests that KT may very well have been an MKULTRA prodigy along with Lee Harvey Oswald himself since they were both in the marines together and stationed in Japan prior to 1963.Maybe KT's Discordian strategy was an attempt to break free of his handlers.It seems that both he and Oswald ended up being double crossed, the latter by some very real forces at work,namely in the form of a mind controlled entity named Jack Ruby, and KT by his ever snowballing delusions which genuinely got out of hand as the author so convincingly points out, thanks to his wide ranging, unbiased, thorough research and interviews with key players such as Robert Anton Wilson.Gorightly maintains a wonderful balance between compelling factoids surrounding the JFK hit, its aftermath and Thornley's proximity to it all and the elusive yet intriguing metaphysics of the Discordian Society he helped to create and promote. It certainly makes for a compelling and very hard to put down book, I can assure you of that. If you are looking to get a bead on the Thornley universe and how you may obtain a key enabling you to enter into it, The Prankster and the Conspiracy will certainly do it for you.

In spite ofThornley's Discordian extremism, mass consumption of LSD and being a target of intelligence forces, within and without, up to the time of his death,I tend to think that it was his early dabblings into Ayn Rand's so called 'Objectivism' that ultimately cracked him in the end.Aynny'sI've-got-the-Hots-for-Capitalism philosophy served to malignantly magnetize the ever mutating vortex of KT's psyche and attracted some kind of negative free market investment forces into its realm.No amount of Discordian meme subterfuge could have de-railed the Rand dogma (or catma) from rapidly self replicating within the brain of this errant pixie who seemed to be able to defy everything else and get away with it. Not even the electronic dissolution of memory could neutralize these Objectivist toxins within him, no matter how many times his handlers kept pushing the button to keep him raving.I realize that I'm merely speculating in a possibly communist/socialist manner, but Gorightly's fertile biography is triggering my synapses to bridge so rapidly that I cannot help but entertain such cabals.Your own synapses will be triggered/bridged (and entertained too) when you order your own copy of this excellent proto- biography of an anarchist archetype gone delightfully awry.

While reading the final chapters of this sad, wonderful, tragic, inspiring/electrifying book, I flashed that the `evil' Goddess Eris, who brought a well known apple to a banquet on Mount Olympus celebrating the wedding of King Peleus and the Sea Nymph Thetis, decided to jump ahead a few thousand years into the 1960's and toss another solid, golden fruit into the chaos heart of a Discordian party, a fruit upon which was engraved, 'Who is the most paranoid of all?' No telling what kind of Trojan war her question would have caused if she had chosen to roll it into the mix at the time. Who amongst the group would have fought for the title? Fortunately Gorightly`s keen portrayal of Kerry Thornley gives us a sufficient starting place wherewe can all freely witness the scapegoat himself stepping forth from the shadowed margins and taking the full honors of the title, in the limelight. ... Read more

Product Description
Milo Morai, the Undying High Lord of the Horseclans, journeyed with a select band to explore unknown territory. On the trail they now rode lurked nightmare creatures hungering for the blood of men. ... Read more

Product Description

 Learn the basics of point-set topology with the understanding of its real-world application to a variety of other subjects including science, economics, engineering, and other areas of mathematics.   Introduces topology as an important and fascinating mathematics discipline to retain the readers interest in the subject. Is written in an accessible way for readers to understand the usefulness and importance of the application of topology to other fields. Introduces topology concepts combined with their real-world application to subjects such DNA, heart stimulation, population modeling, cosmology, and computer graphics. Covers topics including knot theory, degree theory, dynamical systems and chaos, graph theory, metric spaces, connectedness, and compactness. A useful reference for readers wanting an intuitive introduction to topology.

Customer Reviews (5)

Very understandable
Everything is well explained with lots of pictures and examples. I am able to read the text and learn the material without having to resort to outside reference material.

Not for Math Majors
This book would be good for someone who has not had prior experience with proof-based mathematical courses before.It is full of examples, pictures and logically sound proofs.

Having said that, this book is NOT a sufficient introduction to topology for even a moderately advanced undergraduate in mathematics such as myself.It's proofs are wordy and convoluted which make them difficult to read and it inexplicably lacks many important proofs and theorems that are proved in other standard introductory textbooks (like for, example, the proof of the Urysohyn Metrization Theorem, proved in Munkres). At times the logic is so pedantic and wordy that I find it makes simple proofs difficult to read. Do yourself a favor and learn from one of the classics.

Fabulous Introduction to Topology!
I purchased this book upon recommendation from an internet buddy.I'm currently taking my first topology course (at an undergraduate level) and using Topology (2nd Edition) as the assigned text.I understand that Munkres is the "standard", and I don't have any real complaints about it, but I wanted something else to help broaden my understanding, and Adams and Franzosa did a great job in providing a book that does exactly that.

While Munkres presents everything from a very mathematically rigorous point of view, it took me several chapters before I really understood what we were talking about in a sense other than developing a branch of mathematics.It's great to follow theorems and definitions, but Munkres left me sort of mystified as to why we were doing this for quite some time.On the other hand, this book is all about the why and the how.

Applications of topology are presented from the get-go, usually as sections appended to the chapter that introduces the concept, so that the applications are more of an optional exploration than a focus.This really helps to motivate the reader and highlight the important concepts; it also makes it much easier to explain to a curious friend what exactly it is that you're doing.

Rigorous definitions and theorems are almost always accompanied by a plainer explanation of what exactly we're working with and why, and some of the diagrams, especially in the sections on quotient maps, are invaluable in visualizing what's going on and keeping track of what's a subset of what being mapped to where.This book does a good professor's job--instead of merely regurgitating theory and leaving you to put the pieces together, it's an excellent guide to a deeper understanding of the subject.

The exercises are plentiful and well-chosen.The authors gently guide the reader along the right path when asking for a new proof, and there are enough examples given to help the reader broaden her thinking to new approaches.The last several chapters go into more detail about specific topics that take the general concepts in advanced directions; this structure avoids breaking the flow of information.Overall, the text is very well-organized, and the authors have painstakingly highlighted suggested paths through the material.

This is, however, an introductory text, and it sticks mostly to point-set topology.There are a few results that I was surprised to see missing, and a few concepts that were skipped entirely (for instance, the distinction between the product topology and the box topology--the box topology is not discussed).For my purposes, it everything I could hope for--a patient discussion that expanded and clarified the topics I've already encountered using Munkres.As an introductory text, I couldn't imagine anything better.

An excellent text with supporting website
I was a student of Dr. Franzosa when this book was nothing more than a word document.I've been priveledged to watch it grow, draft by draft, into the complete text that it is now. As a student of topology I find this text refreshing, as the applications bring the theorems and lemmas and corollaries to life.Its written clearly, well illustrated and just plain fun. Another useful tool is a supporting website http://germain.umemat.maine.edu/faculty/franzosa/ITPA.htm

A great introduction to pure and applied topology
Although this book is a great introduction to pure and applied topology with several examples, figures and exercises making it is a good option for self-learning, I believe that the main differential of this book is the applied part of the book where one may find applications in economics, dynamical systems, graph theory etc. Furthermore, in the preface of the book, the author shows the minimal path that you have to follow in order to have the minimal necessary knowledge to understand the applied part of the book.

On the other hand, if you are interested only in pure topology, due to the difference of price I suggest you the Theodore W. Gamelin and Robert Everist Greene's Introduction to Topology, which is also a very nice book and very much cheaper.
... Read more

Product Description
The problem of evil is one of the most discussed topics in the philosophy of religion.For some time, however, there has been a need for a collection of readings that adequately represents recent and ongoing writing on the topic. This volume fills that need, offering the most up-to-date collection of recent scholarship on the problem of evil. The distinguished contributors include J.L. Mackie, Nelson Pike, Roderick M. Chisholm, Terence Penelhum, Alvin Plantinga, William L. Rowe, Stephen J. Wykstra, John Hick, and Diogenes Allen.Including an introductory essay and a selected bibliography, this comprehensive and completely up-to-date collection is an invaluable guide to current scholarship in this highly debated area of the philosophy of religion.

Oxford Readings in Philosophy aims to bring together important recent writings in major areas of philosophical inquiry, selected from a variety of sources, mostly periodicals, which may not be conveniently available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

"Since P is true, and Q is true, therefore R can not be true." ... EXCEPT P isn't true!
Pike, Chisholm and Hume all assume that man's definition of "evil" is correct rather than God's definition. They then base their entire logical argument based on this faulty "fact", which they never bother to prove.
Their entire argument crumbles because of this faulty foundation.

To argue using Hume as a logical anchor simply dismisses or hides the fact that Hume was all over the place regarding the existence of God during different phases of his life, which also describes his own confidence of his position.

"Where men are the most sure and arrogant, they are usually the most mistaken." David Hume (1711-1776) (Draper?s Quotations for the Christian World #458)

"God is an ever-present Spirit guiding all that happens to a wise and holy end." David Hume (1711-1776) (Draper?s Quotations for the Christian World #5389)

The "Method of Isolation" is an impossible situation to create in reality, so there is no actual ability to test this
method, and as such is irrelevant. Since this method can not actually be tested because the "world" in which it should be tested doesn't actually exist, the test itself can not exist either. Since this isolated world does not exist it reduces the arguments both for and against this argument, to the level of babbling.

The argument of an organic whole does not explain the weaknesses of the method of isolation.

My wife's labor during labor was the most intensive pain that she had ever felt. Watching her
suffer was the second most painful thing that I have endured. The most painful being a kidney stone. Both of these painful circumstances, viewed through the method of isolation technique would be viewed as intrinsic evils because they both included misery and pain. Yet, the birth of my daughter is the most enjoyable memory that my wife and I share.

Not just because this situation resulted in the birth of my daughter, but also because it was a very difficult situation for us to get through, and we accomplished this feat together. My kidney stone was amazingly painful.

This would be considered an intrinsic evil because the situation included much misery and pain, however I have an intensive appreciation for every part of my body that functions properly that I didn't have prior to the surgery.

The proposition stated over and over in the lecture series that
1. God is good,
2. God is all powerful, and that
3. Evil exists and that if any two of these is true, then it is "impossible" for the third to be true is absurd at the very best.

Hume has avoided the obvious fourth element of his proposition,
4. that Hume is wrong.

Hume's proposition also completely ignores any time factor of God. God is going to eliminate evil but He is going to do it on His timetable, not according to man's and especially not according to Hume?'s.

My proposition is this: Man exists, God exists, Evil exists, therefore Hume's proposition that if any two of the above situations exists it is then impossible for the third to exist, is preposterous because it is obvious, proven, and experientially provable that all three of the components of Hume's argument do exist therefore Hume?s proposition is ludicrous. The only thing that has occurred here is that the idea that ~
a) God is good, and
b) any departure away from God is evil has turned into the argument
Q obtains: Q entails P; P is good; Q is not good; and Q entails a state of affairs R such that P does not entail R,
R does not entail P, and Q is better than R.

If you are going to base an argument on only two facts, you should first establish that your two facts are indeed "facts" and not merely opinions. This is never accomplished in this book.

The Problem of Evil
This volume offers a splened overview of the problem of evil in Christian theology and secular thinking.

A first-rate collection
This is an absolutely first-rate collection by one of the world's leading scholars in the philosophy of religion.It is used as a standard textbook by professors teaching philosophy of religion in colleges and universities throughout the English-speaking world.The previous reviewer obviously has no philosophical background and did not appreciate that this is a collection of opposing views on a controversial question.The editor herself is a defender of theism, and the fundamentalist reproaches in the previous review should be entirely ignored. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Swiftly
How would Lemuel Gulliver's discovery of the tiny Lilliputians and giant Brobdingnagians have affected the world?Disastrously, according to Adam Roberts' novel //Swiftly//.By 1848, England has wreaked havoc on both races, enslaving the Lilliputians for their dexterous handiwork and either exploiting the peaceful Brobdingnagians for labor or preemptively massacring them.Meanwhile, France, in brutal rivalry with England and allied to the two races, is poised to invade.Caught in the middle are Abraham Bates, a mood-swinging crusader for Lilliputian freedom, and scientifically-minded Eleanor Burton, unhappily married to an aged enslaver of Lilliputians.

Founded in Swift's satirical subtext of human corruption while toying with the scientific implications raised by these creatures' existences, Adams' work presents fascinating themes with unimpressive execution.The book builds sluggishly, wallowing far too long in the personal lives of its protagonists; neither likable nor interesting, they are also yawn-inducing passive, undergoing convenient but unbelievable character shifts as the novel progresses.Adams' rather elaborate prose style sometimes reads as clever and hilarious, but other times feels tedious.//Swiftly// holds many excellent elements and builds to an ultimately exciting (though strangely curtailed) climax, but one might wish the payoff would come, well, more swiftly.

Reviewed by Ariel Berg ... Read more

Product Description
Proven in North America and abroad, this classic text has earned a reputation for excellent accuracy and mathematical rigour. Previous editions have been praised for providing complete and precise statements of theorems, using geometric reasoning in applied problems, and for offering a range of applications across the sciences. Written in a clear, coherent, and readable form, Calculus: Several Variables makes student comprehension a clear priority.This seventh edition features a new co-author, Dr. Christopher Essex, who has been invited to contribute his unique style and approach to the subject material. Instructors and students will appreciate revised exercises, greater emphasis on differential equations, and new pedagogical features. ... Read more