Product Description
What is the crown, and why is it important for England? In this gripping mystery, the answers are all in Seaburgh, a small town near the sea. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1913.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Anthology
The Cthulhu Cycle

THE CTHULHU CYCLE and THE DISCIPLES OF CTHULHU are some of the best collections that Chaosium has put together.THE CTHULHU CYCLE is marked by strong writing and and classic tales pertaining to Cthulhu.Something included that I have missed from some of the other anthologies is the editor's notes that discuss academically the stories and their part in the development of the Mythos.Having certain influences pointed out is helpful to those who are familiar enough with Lovecraft's work to want more depth.

"A Shop in Go-By Street" by lord Dunsany: A few phrases on an idol in a reliquary seem to have sparked the first half of Lovecraft's famous story.Knowing that Dunsany strongly influenced HPL, I appreciated seeing one of his stories included.

"Count Magnus" by MR James: I'm not sure that this strongly ties in with the theme, but James is an excellent writer of terror and horror, and this is one of his better stories.

"The Call of Cthulhu" by that guy.You don't expect it to be missing, do you?

"The Black Islnad" by August Derleth: I have a beef about Derleth's "Shrewbury cycle."The guy is like some Scooby-Doo mystery gang, globe-trotting and solving mysteries.It has the feel of organized resistance to the Old Ones, and winning to boot.But, being the influence that he has been, Derleth's work deserves to be there.

"Patiently Waiting" is a story from Inspector Lagrasse's point of view, as he deals with cults and Things Man Was Not Meant To Know (tm).As with other stories in this collection, the characters are fleshed out along with their emotions and motivations.

"Recrudescence": this is an interesting story about a different cult, a different god, and a different mechanism for release.I've seen something similar in "The Greatest Adventure" by Eric Temple Bell, but otherwise it is an original plot device involving the stored bio-energy of dead species.

"Black Fire": Usually I don't care for lovecraftian stories where the good-guys triumph - it seems like a contradiction in terms.HPL's vision is that the universe doesn't care if there is a happy ending.In "Black Fire", a carefully-laid plan for the return of the Old Ones is thwarted by a simple man doing the only thing he can think of to stop the destruction.His great sacrifice saves the day, even as the next trap leading to man's destruction begins to unfold elsewhere.It has the feel of inevitable doom that we all know and love, but our capacity to sacrifice for the good of others makes the horror more poignant (if we are mere brutes with no redeeming and enduring qualities, it is hard to feel regret for our passing).

"Zombies from R'Lyeh": The main strength of this piece for me was the author's development of the setting.His description and invocation of tropical seas and islands is a siren song, and the horror is more personal when I feel the longing to be in the same place.I am now seriously considering dropping my thesis work and becoming a pirate to sail the tropical seas.Yar, be forewarned!

Attention Lovecraftian Horror Fans
This is the eleventh book in Chaosium's Cthulhu Cycle series.This volume features tales ofLovecraft's most well-known creation, the octopus-headed entity, Cthulhu.Included are the foundational stories (i.e. "The Call Of Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft and "The Black Island" by August W. Derleth), some rare reprints (i.e. "Some Notes Concerning A Green Box" by Alan Dean Foster) and some interesting new stories of Cthulhu in the modern world (i.e. "Rude Awakening" by Will Murray).In any collection the stories are of varied quality but I enoyed the majority of the works collected.If you are a reader ofLovecraft's Mythos fiction then this is a must for your library. ... Read more

Product Description
From "The Ash Tree": Everyone who has traveled over Eastern England knows the smaller country-houses with which it is studded -- the rather dank little buildings, usually in the Italian style, surrounded with parks of some eighty to a hundred acres. . . . I have to tell you of a curious series of events which happened in such a house as I have tried to describe. It is Castringham Hall in Suffolk. I think a good deal has been done to the building since the period of my story, but the essential features I have sketched are still there -- Italian portico, square block of white house, older inside than out, park with fringe of woods, and mere. The one feature that marked out the house from a score of others is gone. As you looked at it from the park, you saw on the right a great old ash tree growing within half a dozen yards of the wall, and almost or quite touching the building with its branches. I suppose it had stood there ever since Castringham ceased to be a fortified place, and since the moat was filled in and the Elizabethan dwelling-house built. At any rate, it had well-nigh attained its full dimensions in the year 1690. In that year the district in which the Hall is situated was the scene of a number of witch-trials. * Also includes the classic M.R. James tales, "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook," "Lost Hearts," "The Mezzotint," "Number 13," "Count Magnus," "'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad'," and "The Treasure of Abbot Thomas." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

If I Cannot Forget That, I Shall Not Be Able to Sleep Again..."
I read M. R. James's collection of ghost stories shortly after discovering the more well-known Algernon Blackwood, a master of suspense and the fear of the unknown. In comparison to Blackwood's reliance on keeping his readers in the dark as to why supernatural events occur, James is slightly more forthcoming about the circumstances behind his hauntings, providing more detail on why they happen and what's behind them.

The key to any truly scary story is subtlety. Footsteps on the staircase can be more terrifying than a bloodied corpse when one is in the right frame of mind, and James captures the steady encroachment of the unknown on ordinary just as Blackwood does. But where Blackwood creates terror by offering no explanation on why so many terrifying things occur in the midst of mundane life, James manages to ratchet up the fear by describing the effect that supernatural happenings have on people.

Horror is created not through description, but through the reader's imagination; characters come into contact with the supernatural, and respond by fainting, or refusing to be left alone at night, or - in the worst case scenario - dying of horror. Each story is told by an anonymous narrator, recounting various stories in a casual, matter-of-fact, chatty tone that adds to the realism of the stories, and (in an odd way) the inherent creepiness of the tale.

Also included is a wry sense of humor in the narrator's storytelling tactics, as here: "Tea was taken to the accompaniment of a discussion which golfing persons can imagine for themselves, but which the conscientious writer has no right to inflict upon any non-golfing persons."

All of James's stories take place in the 1800s, and because M. R. James lived from 1862 to 1936, the time period has an authenticity that is really only achieved from someone who lived within it, and one will quickly find that the author's interest in archeology and biblical and artistic history are subjects that weigh heavily in the stories themselves, popping up frequently throughout this particular compilation.

It is also worth saying that to say that these are "ghost" stories is a misnomer. Rather, most of the supernatural forces at work in this book are demonic in nature, which may be quite significant in certain readers' enjoyment of the book. Ghosts and demons are not the same thing, and in James' work it is largely hellish forces that make up the terrifying aspects of these nine stories.

In "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook" a Cambridge scholar comes to a small village near Toulouse in order to explore Saint Bertrand's Church. Once there however, he finds only a nervous sacristan, a surfeit of strange noises, and a scrapbook composed by Canon Alberic, one that contains a terrifying picture of demon. All who see it cannot help but feel that it has been "drawn from the life." The sacristan seems relived to hand the scrapbook over to a new owner, but of course the scholar is about to find out the cause of the sacristan's nervous disposition.

Beginning on a slightly weak note, this story probably should have been buried deeper in the anthology in order to get a stronger start. If "Canon Alberic's Scrapbook" one doesn't particularly grab you, I'd advise not to just give up here.

"Lost Hearts" is a much more successful story in which a young orphan boy is sent to live with his uncle, a man who has an unusual interest in how old his nephew is. Making friends with the servants, young Stephen soon realizes that there's something odd about the house, what with the disappearance of two other children who once lived there.

After nightmares about a bathtub, mysterious tears in his night-shirt, and voices in the wine cellar, Stephen's uncle calls him to his study in order to impart some news...

"The Mezzotint" is my favourite in this collection; in which an art dealer comes across a painting of a house in which a figure seems to move across the lawn at intervals - and then into an open window in order to take something from within the house.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this story is the matter-of-fact way in which the protagonist and his friends deal with the situation, and yet it still manages to be an eerie, spine-chilling experience.

"The Ash Tree" is another good one. Castingham Hall has an ash tree on its grounds, a landmark that was said to be the tree where a witch gathered cuttings for her spells. The witch is tried and hanged, imparting ominous final words for the family: "there will be guests at the hall."

The sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons when the most recent Castringham not only disturbs the grave of the witch, but decides to sleep in the bedroom in which his grandfather was found dead - the room outside of which the ash tree grows.

"Number 13" plays with the old superstition concerning the unlucky nature of that number and the decision of many hotels to avoid having a thirteenth room (instead skipping from room twelve to fourteen).

Mr Anderson is researching the church history of Denmark, staying in a hotel in which a past tenant was said to have sold his soul to "the enemy". Staying in room 12, it isn't long before he notices something very strange about his neighbor, as well as the hotel itself.

"Count Magnus" is another excellently told story in which the narrator pieces together the research and experiences of a man writing a travelogue on Scandinavia. Refraining from telling us how he came about his information, the narrator recounts the information left to him about how a man discovered the history of Count Magnus de la Gardie, and his terrifying legacy.

It is the way in which this particular story is told that makes it so memorable. We get all the pieces, but the narrator doesn't put them together for us, ending the story on a chilling note of both mystery and discovery.

"Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad..." seems to be James's most famous story, in which an unimaginative professor is advised by a colleague to investigate a Templar preceptory site whilst on holiday, where he finds a strange whistle. Cleaning it up and blowing a note on it, the professor is soon being haunted by a violent wind, the image of a man being pursued by a strange creature on the beach, and an unwelcome presence in his room.

The collection's final story "The Treasure of Abbott Thomas" harks back to its first one, in regards to its historical interest. Mr Somerton is tracking the location of a legendary treasure said to have been hidden centuries ago by Abbott Thomas. After decoding a message concealed in a stained-glass window, he rushes off to Steinfield in order to investigate further.

The narrative leaves him at this stage and focuses on his friend Mr Gregory, who receives a letter from Mr Somerton's manservant, begging him to come to the aid of his friend. There Gregory hears Somerton's strange tale of what was awaiting him at the bottom of Abbott Thomas's well of treasure...

All in all, this is a rewarding collection of stories, which have just the right touch of detail and subtlety that makes the best supernatural stories so terrifying. But as is the way with compilations of short-stories, it's often difficult to find the right collection that doesn't double-up stories with other volumes. It's probably best to hunt around for a bit in order to get the best possible value for your money by purchasing an anthology that contains all of James's work.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary
I was pleased with the quick delivery and the excellent condition of the used book.This book is a classic and I was delighted to find it so quickly and so easily.

Masterpieces from the very master himself
Well, if you are familiar at all with this type of writing, then you cannot have helped but cross paths with M.R.James. If not, don't expect the obvious skeleton in the closet or the cliche'd distant howling at the moon. James will succeed, with your help,in placing you in the empathetic position of strongly identifying with the narrator, or a helpless secondary character in his story. Suspend time and disbelief and be welcomed to his world. You'll be powerless to resist so be well prepared. Turn ALL the lights on and forget a good night's sleep. Not going to happen. Your identification allows James, through masterful writing ,to transport you to the very center of what you instinctively know will be one of the most subtle yet frightening literary experiences of your life. Believe me, you'll be so glad to be able to remind yourself afterward that this is just a collection of "stories". There will be lingering after-effects however and you'll never forget these stories once you've read them. You'll be reached and overpowered on a very primitive psychological level, just as the characters in James' stories have been. The surviving characters recover from their experiences at the end of the stories....but are never again the same. Neither will you be....

Ghostly Tales from a Scholar of Medieval Manuscripts
Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936), Vice-Chancellor at Cambridge, Director of the prestigious Fitzwilliam Museum, and later Provost of Eton, was possibly the world's greatest authority on medieval manuscripts. He is thought to have studied nearly twenty thousand documents. He also wrote ghost stories.

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary was published in a limited edition in 1904 and reprinted nine times in the next decade. He subsequently published three other collections - More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919),and A Warning to the Curious (1926). M. R. James greatly admired the supernatural fiction of J. Sheridan LeFanu and thought of himself as simply a follower in LeFanu's footsteps.

In the interesting introduction to this Dover edition E. F. Bleiler writes that the "evil that dieth not, but lieth in wait" is a common theme in these chilling stories.This evil that dieth not is best left undisturbed.The curious ones, those seekers of forgotten lore, often discover that knowledge comes at a high price. And the reader may find that sleep comes less easy.

I quite enjoyed this short collection and I am sure that it will appeal to any reader of Victorian ghost stories. A few may seem somewhat familiar as undoubtedly the tales of M. R. James have long served as a source of inspiration for later stories and screenplays.

The stories in this collection include Canon Alberic's Scrap-book, Lost Hearts, The Mezzotint, The Ash-tree, Number 13, Count Magnus, Oh Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad, and The Treasure of Abbott Thomas.

Truly scary stories
If you don't find "horror" fiction frightening, this is for you. These stories scare everyone. This edition also has a very charming cover. ... Read more

Product Description
The Wanderings and Homes of Manuscripts - Helps for Students of History, No. 17. is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of synonyms and antonyms for difficult and often ambiguous English words that are encountered in other works of literature, conversation, or academic examinations. Extremely rare or idiosyncratic words and expressions are given lower priority in the notes compared to words which are ¿difficult, and often encountered¿ in examinations. Rather than supply a single synonym, many areprovided for a variety of meanings, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of the English language, and avoid using the notes as a pure crutch. Having the reader decipher a word's meaning within context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not already highlighted on previous pages. If a difficult word is not noted on a page, chances are that it has been highlighted on a previous page. A more complete thesaurus is supplied at the end of the book; synonyms and antonyms are extracted from Webster's Online Dictionary.

PSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT¿ is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE¿, AP¿ and Advanced Placement¿ are registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT¿ is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved. ... Read more

Product Description
Collected here are eight masterful ghost stories by the great Edwardian writer Montague Rhodes James. Includes "Number Thirteen," "The Mezzotint," "Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook," and more -- all classics of the genre! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Curiosity will be severely punished
"A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories" (1925) is a very satisfying volume of M. R. James's (MRJ's) supernatural stories. However, it only contains six of his short stories. Instead of purchasing this volume, you might want to consider one of his more complete collections. Ash-Tree Press's "A Pleasing Terror" (2001), contains the complete and heavily annotated supernatural writings of MRJ, and no true Monty fan should be without it.

The next best collection, "Casting the Runes and Other Stories" edited by Michael Cox, contains most of MRJ's supernatural stories and is quite a bit cheaper than "A Pleasing Terror."

The following stories are included in "A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories":

"The Haunted Doll's House"--This story was written for the library of the Queen's Doll's House, and somewhat resembles MRJ's "The Mezzotint" from the earlier "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary." Mr. Dillet buys an unusual doll house in the Strawberry Gothic fashion from an acquaintance, and sets it up in his bedroom. "It was quite six feet long, including the Chapel or Oratory...and the stable on the right." The house is completely furnished and has several inhabitants, including "a gentleman and lady in blue satin and brocade, respectively...and a white haired old gentleman in a long linen night-dress and cap." When the house seems to come alive, it tells a ghastly tale of murder and revenge from beyond the grave.

"The Uncommon Prayer-book"-- Mr. Davidson strikes up a conversation with an old gentleman on a train and is invited to view a disused Chapel. MRJ engulfs his reader in quaint British dialects in this story of a prayer book that would not stay shut.

"A Neighbour's Landmark"-- A gentleman spends a wet August afternoon in his host's library and discovers an old pamphlet with two lines from a country song, "That which walks in Betton Wood/ Knows why it walks or why it cries." When the weather clears, he explores the part of his friend's property that used to be called 'Betton Wood.'

"A View from a Hill"--A pair of field-glasses made by an old and rather unlikeable watch-maker reveal peculiar landscape features, including a gibbet and something hanging from it. The young man who spots the gibbet decides to pay a visit to it, even though his friend assures him that it no longer exists.

"A Warning to the Curious"--A young man discovers the hiding place of an ancient crown of East Anglia and is haunted by his finding. As in many of MRJ's stories, curiosity is severely punished.

"An Evening's Entertainment"--A rather tongue-in-cheek tale as told by MRJ through the auspices of an old grandmother, who is trying to persuade her young grandchildren to stay away from the "little lane that goes up past Collin's cottage." There is a gigantic figure of a man cut into a hill next to the lane, and once the body of a young man was found hanging from an oak nearby. His breast was quite bare and "the bone of it was split through from the top downwards with an axe!" After Grandma's gruesome goings-on, the children are afraid to be sent to bed without a light.

A haunted crown and a stolen prayer book
"A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories" (1925) is a very satisfying volume of M. R. James's (MRJ's) supernatural stories.However, it only contains six of his short stories.Instead of purchasing this volume, you might want to consider one of his more complete collections.Ash-Tree Press's "A Pleasing Terror" (2001), contains the complete and heavily annotated supernatural writings of MRJ, and no true Monty fan should be without it.

The next best collection, "Casting the Runes and Other Stories" edited by Michael Cox, contains most of MRJ's supernatural stories and is quite a bit cheaper than "A Pleasing Terror."

The following stories are included in "A Warning to the Curious and Other Ghost Stories":

"The Haunted Doll's House"--This story was written for the library of the Queen's Doll's House, and somewhat resembles MRJ's "The Mezzotint" from the earlier "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary."Mr. Dillet buys an unusual doll house in the Strawberry Gothic fashion from an acquaintance, and sets it up in his bedroom."It was quite six feet long, including the Chapel or Oratory...and the stable on the right."The house is completely furnished and has several inhabitants, including "a gentleman and lady in blue satin and brocade, respectively...and a white haired old gentleman in a long linen night-dress and cap."When the house seems to come alive, it tells a ghastly tale of murder and revenge from beyond the grave.

"The Uncommon Prayer-book"-- Mr. Davidson strikes up a conversation with an old gentleman on a train and is invited to view a disused Chapel.MRJ engulfs his reader in quaint British dialects in this story of a prayer book that would not stay shut.

"A Neighbour's Landmark"-- A gentleman spends a wet August afternoon in his host's library and discovers an old pamphlet with two lines from a country song, "That which walks in Betton Wood/ Knows why it walks or why it cries." When the weather clears, he explores the part of his friend's property that used to be called 'Betton Wood.'

"A View from a Hill"--A pair of field-glasses made by an old and rather unlikeable watch-maker reveal peculiar landscape features, including a gibbet and something hanging from it.The young man who spots the gibbet decides to pay a visit to it, even though his friend assures him that it no longer exists.

"A Warning to the Curious"--A young man discovers the hiding place of an ancient crown of East Anglia and is haunted by his finding.As in many of MRJ's stories, curiosity is severely punished.

"An Evening's Entertainment"--A rather tongue-in-cheek tale as told by MRJ through the auspices of an old grandmother, who is trying to persuade her young grandchildren to stay away from the "little lane that goes up past Collin's cottage." There is a gigantic figure of a man cut into a hill next to the lane, and once the body of a young man was found hanging from an oak nearby.His breast was quite bare and "the bone of it was split through from the top downwards with an axe!"After Grandma's gruesome goings-on, the children are afraid to be sent to bed without a light. ... Read more

Product Description
Is Your Company Getting the Most from Its Investment in Change?

Many companies have already invested heavily in infrastructure change, some are making that investment now, and all are contemplating the costs of becoming or evolving as an e-business. Is your company a "greenfield" organization with no back-end systems, or one whose infrastructure support systems are integrated across the enterprise? Are you just beginning to think about e-business capabilities, or are you on the leading edge of convergence? Whatever your company’s position on the ERP/E-Business Matrix, E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise provides the proven techniques you need to know to meld enterprise resource planning capabilities with the communications power of the Internet.

Is Your Company Positioned for E-Business Success?

The Internet has revolutionized twenty-first century business. Organizations today can communicate with customers, suppliers, and sellers at e-speed with the click of a mouse. Yet, with all of the excitement about the external possibilities of the Internet, companies still need efficient internal processes to make and move products, manage finances, recruit and motivate employees, and excel.

E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise covers the skills and tools you will need to combine existing ERP software and capabilities with emerging Web-based technologies. In this forward-thinking outline for a new business structure, executives and managers will discover:

• Strategies for established companies to penetrate the Internet marketplace
• Procedures that lower costs across the supply and demand chain
• Techniques that help you meet–and master–the dot.com challenge

The companies best positioned to succeed in the near future are those that can balance existing ERP-based infrastructures and capabilities with exciting new e-business innovations. E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise examines the changing but essential role of ERP, places it in the context of the Web-based technologies defining today’s e-business environment, and reveals how to blend the best aspects of both to create a strong and flexible twenty-first century business enterprise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Excellent book for Master Degree
The book is very to study and to know about e-business, it is an excellent referent to study.

Project Management ....He gets it!!
He fully understands the relationship between collaborative technology as it relates to project management in a large enterprise environment.

As he so well points out... "the speed which one implements technology relating to process management in order to accomplish large tasks" will differentiate success from failure. This is a "must read" for senior management if they wish to survive in a complex "project management", collaboration /Internet environment. How to utilize technology to accomplish this is the key!!

A great resource for management.

Project Management ....He gets it!!
Mr. Shield clearly gets it!!".

He fully understands the relationship between collaborative technology as it relates to project management in a large enterprise environment.

As he so well points out... "the speed which one implements technology relating to process management in order to accomplish large tasks" will differentiate success from failure. This is a "must read" for senior management if they wish to survive in a complex "project management", collaboration /Internet environment. How to utilize technology to accomplish this is the key!!

A great resource for management.

Both/And -- Not Either/Or
An excellent overview of a very complex and timely subject. I especially liked the ERP/E-Business Matrix and the discussion of regions, companies and assumptions underlying it.I found the discussion of "adaptive" vs. "disruptive" changes helpful and insightful.Very concise and to-the-point, a quick & easy read, but one which should be internalized over a longer period of time. Covered a lot of ground in less than 200 pages. Overall, an excellent addition to my bookshelf.

Would, however, have liked to see a bibliography & some footnotes for the statistics cited

ERP moving into e-Business
If you are coming from an APICS viewpoint on ERP, this book is consultant-speak only. It is however a prime mover on a very important issue, how will those 1996-1999 implemented ERP systems move forward now that Y2k spending has been digested in Fortune 2000 companies? ... Read more

Product Description
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY is the market leader for the American foreign policy course. Guiding students through 21st century American foreign policy by placing contemporary issues, debates, challenges, and opportunities in their historic context, this text helps students understand and assess the forces underlying continuity and change. This Sixth Edition retains the book's effective analytical framework. Harnessing the conceptual, theoretical, and historical components that facilitate analysis of American foreign policy, the text maintains that five sources--international, societal, governmental, role, and individual--collectively influence decisions about foreign policy goals and the means chosen to realize them. Readers will come away from this text with knowledge of how the enduring principles, values and interests of the United States (peace and prosperity, stability and security, democracy and defense) define and reinforce the ability of policymakers to respond to changes in the international environment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Mediocre text tangled in webs of double-talk.
To start, I have read every page of this text from front to back.Although I am not a student of the political sciences, as a Molecular Biologist I have read more than my fair share of dry texts; this book however, takes the cake.

This book turns an exciting subject into a tedious examination of 'trends' without conclusions.More dry than engaging, the authors consistently contradict themselves, even in the space of two pages.Wittkopf et al's claim that American foreign policy arises from 'Funnel of Casuality' early on within the text and wallow in 'doubletalk' throughout the rest of the book, rarely if ever committing themselves to a strong conclusion.

As a student, I am appalled by the authors refusal to provide key lessons and distinct arguments, if I needed a discussion that raised multiple difficult points and then provided 'wishy-washy' analysis I would have looked to one of the many friendly but inept potheads that typically surrounded my college campus. ... Read more

Product Description
Treating a child or adolescent with ADHD is especially challenging when hyperactivity and inattention are accompanied by many other symptoms. It is not uncommon to encounter such complex ADHD cases as the child who also presents with aggression or antisocial behavior, the teen who has made a suicide attempt, or the hyperactive child with mental retardation. Integrating the latest biomedical and psychosocial knowledge, this practice-oriented volume is designed to help clinicians meet the needs of these tough-to-treat clients. The authors review the evaluation and treatment of ADHD with major comorbidities including mood and anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, learning disorders, medical illnesses, and severe developmental disorders. Distinguishing clinical features of each condition are delineated, current psychopharmacological treatments are described, and effective approaches are presented for managing behavioral problems in the home, school, and playground. Filled with illustrative case examples that reflect the authors' extensive clinical experience, the book provides thoughtful coverage of knotty diagnostic and treatment issues.
... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables have an excellent safety record. However, surveillance data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and recent foodborne illness outbreaks have demonstrated that the incidence of foodborne illnesses linked to the consumption of contaminated fresh fruit and vegetable products may in fact be more prevalent than previously thought. U.S. FDA and USDA microbiological surveys of domestic and imported fresh fruits and vegetables demonstrate that human pathogens are sporadically found to be associated with fresh produce. In addition to increased safety concerns, microbial spoilage represents a significant source of waste for growers, packers, retailers, and consumers.

Microbiology of Fruits and Vegetables reviews the extensive research that has been conducted on microbiological problems relating to the safety and spoilage of fruits and vegetables in recent years. It considers incidences of human pathogen contamination, sources of microbial contamination, microbial attachment to produce surfaces, intractable spoilage problems, efficacy of sanitizing treatments for fresh produce, novel interventions for produce disinfection, and methodology for microbiological evaluation of fruits and vegetables.

The text is divided into five sections:
(I) contamination and state of microflora on fruits and vegetables
(II) microbial spoilage of fruits and vegetables
(III) food safety issues
(IV) interventions to reduce spoilage and risk of foodborne illness
(V) microbiological evaluation of fruits and vegetables.

In Microbiology of Fruits and Vegetables, the editors, three leaders in the field, have endeavored to present a comprehensive examination, focusing on issues needing coverage, rather than attempting an encyclopedic compilation. They have selected chapter authors who are active researchers in their respective fields and thus bring a working knowledge of current issues, industry practices, and advances in technology. ... Read more

Product Description
"Special Education Policy and Practice" addresses the policy shift in special education from procedural compliance to standards-based accountability and the changing conditions of practice under reform. It covers the major problems of implementing reform and presents several practices and models to improve the conditions of special education practice. The authors support a collaborative environment for service delivery and inclusive work atmospheres with research-based instructional practices. The book gives prevention and intervention strategies including specific reading, writing, and mathematics instructional techniques. Other topics include transition, self-determination, school violence, health needs, and literacy instruction for Latino students. The focus in the last part of the book is oriented to human needs and opportunities that will shape special education practice in the future, including individual and environmental conditions. These include welfare of children working across social contexts and providing a planning framework for achieving integrated services.The features include: clear explanation of policy shifts from procedural compliance with federal and state law to academic performance of students with disabilities; recommends strategies for improving academic learning for students with disabilities; considers human needs and environmental conditions that contribute to educational achievement of children; and provides an action-oriented planning framework for achieving integrated services. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Special Education Policy and Practice
A very good overview of special education policy and strategies in several areas that were very helpful. ... Read more

Product Description
The follow-up volume to "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" collects seven more of Montague Rhodes James's classic horror stories, including "A School Story," "The Rose Garden," "Casting the Runes," and "Martin's Close."

"...gifted with an almost diabolic power of calling horror by gentle steps from the midst of prosaic daily life, is the scholarly Montague Rhodes James, Provost of Eton College, antiquary of note, and recognized authority on mediæval manuscripts and cathedral history. Dr. James, long fond of telling spectral tales at Christmastide, has become by slow degrees a literary weird fictionist of the very first rank!" -- H.P. Lovecraft ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

"If You Don't Come to Me, I'll Come to You..."
Despite the word "ghost" in the title, M. R. James's short stories are based on supernatural occurrences that are more demonic in nature than ghostly. Ghosts and demons are clearly not the same thing, and may make a difference in the average reader's enjoyment of these seven tales, for with a couple of exceptions, these are not stories of the departed who have return to haunt the living, but rather demonic forces that attack mortals for their own dark purposes.

Each story is told by an anonymous narrator, recounting various stories in a casual, matter-of-fact, chatty tone that adds to the realism of the stories, and (in an odd way) their inherent creepiness. Often he recounts his stories as anecdotes told by his companions, or through edited diary and journal entries, or in one case, the minutes of a court-case. These methods of telling the story add greatly to the effectiveness of the tale considering that the key to any truly scary story is subtlety, and by presenting them in such mundane terms, James captures the steady encroachment of the unknown on ordinary life with chilling effect.

In many horror stories (such as those of Algernon Blackwood) it is randomness that is terrifying, where odd happenings occur outside the "rules" of nature and logic. In comparison, James is slightly more forthcoming about the reasons behind his hauntings, providing some detail on why they happen and what's behind them. The fact that there is a pattern and a reason behind frightening events means that the protagonist (and by proxy, the reader) is slightly more empowered about what's going on, and can take steps to understand and stop the terrifying events. Of course, they don't always succeed.

"A School Story" concerns two men reminiscing about school ghost stories. One mentions his old Latin master, and how he reacted strangely to a particular boy's Latin translations that seem to contain some hidden meaning for him. This is an interesting tale as it is told from the point of view of witnesses to a haunting, not participants, and the teller of the story knows nothing about the background circumstances of the man's troubled past - though there are plenty of clues for the perceptive reader. Very short, but very intriguing, "More Ghost Stories" starts off with my favorite story.

In "The Rose Garden," Mary Anstruther unwisely orders the clearing of a plot of land for her rose garden, including a post fixed firmly into the ground. The gardeners are reluctant to touch the place, and residents of the area have their own tales from when they were children - nightmares that are soon shared by Mrs Anstruther's husband as to a trial that took place long ago.

"The Tractate Middoth" is something of a treasure hunt, in which a librarian is unknowingly swept up in a search for a deceased man's legacy when he is asked to retrieve a book that mysteriously disappears and reappears from the shelves, and which a terrifying specter seems to hold a particular interest in. A plan formed by an eccentric old man leads a nephew and niece on a search for his will - if only they can find the right book in time.

"Casting the Runes" is a story that reads a little bit like a dark old fairytale, in which an innocent man wrongs a figure of evil and as such has to outwit him before his time runs out. After refusing to allow Mr Karswell the chance to lecture on the subject of alchemy, Edward Dunning finds himself the subject of a supernatural attack. Getting into contact with the brother of a previous victim of Karswell, the two men plot to turn the tables on Karswell. Suspenseful and spooky, this is a clear-cut case of good versus evil.

It is an obituary that opens "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral," concerning the death of Archdeacon John Hayes, after which the narrator works backwards toward the ultimate cause of death: an oak tree. In between these two extremes are the suspicious circumstances in regards to how Hayes came to acquire the position of Archdeacon, a series of his diary entries and letters which become ever-more desperate and filled with the motto of "I must be firm," and a trio of carved wooden statues whose origins like in the satisfying conclusion to the story. This is another one of my favorites; a dark and delicious story of piecing together a supernatural mystery with a spine-tingling revelation at its conclusion.

"Martin's Close" is the aforementioned story that relies on the documented evidence of a court-case to reveal the tale of a "simple-minded" girl's death at the hands of a young lord. Though the telling of it is through the minutes of the court-case, along with dialogue of the witnesses, it still manages to keep a heightened sense of dread and suspense as the facts of the murder become clear.

"Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance" refers to the titular character inheriting his uncle's estate and learning more about it from the locals - particularly in regards to the yew maze that has been locked up for years, and which contains a strange copper globe at its centre. Though not especially frightening, this final tale is an intriguing and thought-provoking story that makes good use of both the charm and menace that mazes can offer an explorer.

Since the author himself lived from 1862 to 1936, the time period in which these stories are set have an authentic ring to them, and though James never strays far from his formula (rather, each story's uniqueness comes from the *way* in which it is told), as patterns go, he has latched onto a satisfying one. Every tale involves a series of spooky occurrences upon which light is eventually shed, but it is in the slow build up of the main character's persecution from demonic forces that James really cranks up the tension and delivers on his ability to scare the reader.

Keep in mind though that this particular compilation of stories may not be the best buy for a collector: I'm sure that there are other anthologies of James's work that contain all of his stories, the purchase of which will avoid doubling-up on certain tales. Browse before you buy.

"Penetrans Ad Interior Mortis"
The ghost stories of M.R. James (MRJ) are widely considered to be the best supernatural literature ever written."More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" was his second collection of short stories to be published (1911) and includes seven tales of the supernatural.

However, you might want to spend a bit more money and buy the "The Penguin Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James."If you completely succumb to the refined but potent horror of this author's writings, only "A Pleasing Terror" (Ash Tree Press 2001) will then do.The latter book contains all of MRJ's supernatural literature, including story fragments that were never completed, biographies, bibliographies, commentary, and his fantasy novelette, "The Five Jars."

"More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" consists of the following stories, plus a brief preface by the author:

"A School Story"--MRJ was a dean at King's College, Cambridge and he supposedly wrote this story to entertain the King's College Choir.I believe it is one of his shortest complete stories and it contains several ideas for further tales of the supernatural which were never followed up by MRJ himself.In this tale two middle-aged men are reminiscing about ghosts at boys' schools, and one relates a story of a schoolboy's revenge on a murderous master.

"The Rose Garden"--Features one of MRJ's less sympathetic female characters.The overbearing Mrs. Anstruther gets her supernatural comeuppance when she insists upon the removal of an old oak post in the rose garden.

"The Tractate Middoth"--The young Mr. Garrett is asked to find a copy of the "Tractate Middoth" in a "certain famous library" and stumbles upon a cobwebby mystery.Find yourself a quiet, unpopulated corner in the stacks of an old library and see if you can read this story without looking behind you.This is MRJ at his antiquarian best.

"Casting the Runes"--One of MRJ's most collected stories along with "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad."The villain of tale is sometimes assumed to be based on the self-styled 'Great Beast,' occultist Aleister Crowley.He and MRJ might have crossed paths at Cambridge University although there seems to be no proof that the scholarly Dean ever met the so-called 'wickedest man in the world.'At any rate, this is a tale of a man who unwittingly angers a sorcerer.

"The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral"--This story begins with the obituary of the Venerable John Benwell Haynes, Archdeacon of Sowerbridge and Rector of Pickhill and Candley.He succeeded to his position upon the rather mysterious demise of Archdeacon Pulteney in 1810, but does not find much enjoyment in his new job.In fact, the archideacon's stall with its carvings of a cat, the King of Hell, and Death becomes a particularly haunting spot for the new prelate.

"Martin's Close"--The bit of land referred to in the story's title is "one of the smallest enclosures you are likely to see."It consists of a pond that is hedged all around with no gate or entrance.The tale of its haunting is told primarily through a court record from the time of Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys, he of the infamous 'Bloody Assize' that followed the Monmouth Rebellion.In spite of this rather awkward structure, it is a very frightening tale of supernatural revenge.

"Mr Humphreys and His Inheritance"--Once installed as the new master of his deceased uncle's estate, Mr. Humphreys discovers the plan to an overgrown maze on his property. He decides to investigate the old landscaping feature, which was erected by one of his most notorious ancestors.Mr. Humphreys also discovers a set of stone blocks that were once part of the maze.He reconstructs the inscription on them to read: "Penetrans Ad Interior Mortis."

still the master
considering the first book (see my review there), in this book james goes a little bit more away from the traditional ghost story elements, using more imagination, and investing more in descriptions of things like gardens and houses, making the stories more of what you could call "interesting", but the horror is not as great, but james is still a master

More Foreboding Tales by One of the Best
It's really too bad that this Dover book has gone out of print; while the best introduction to the stories of M.R. James undoubtedly remains the first volume, "Ghost Stories of an Antiquary", this sequel nevertheless contains several characteristically disquieting tales.

The "ghost" designation is a bit misleading, as these stories seldom if ever involve ghosts in the conventional sense. The plots often proceed according to a rough pattern: an ancient entity - usually evil, and always real, never imagined - is invoked, whether deliberately or inadvertently. The entity then stalks a particular person for some time, causing increasing trepidation on the part of the victim as he gradually realizes that he is in deadly peril. It is in the description of this stalking that James is at his most harrowing, and he is very good at it indeed.

Despite this pattern, James is enough of a master at storytelling that one doesn't have the feeling he is simply writing the same story over and over. His scholarship and command of the language are evident throughout the book, and they lend a variety to the telling which would be absent in a lesser writer.

The stories in this volume (with some of my comments in parentheses) are:

- A School Story ("If you don't come to me, I'll come to you.")

- The Rose Garden

- The Tractate Middoth

- Casting the Runes (this was the basis of a quite good 1957 British film, "Curse of the Demon")

- The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral

- Martin's Close

- Mr. Humphries and His Inheritance (the inheritance being the home - complete with maze garden and temple - of an uncle he had never met. But what was the meaning of the elaborately engraved copper globe at the center of the maze, and why had his uncle kept the garden gate padlocked all those years? Mr. Humphries is curious to find out, and so he does...)

In short, not to be missed by fans of the first volume, nor by anyone who likes a good scary tale well told. ... Read more