Book Description
Authored by a leading name in mathematics, this engaging and clearly presented text leads the reader through the various tactics involved in solving mathematical problems at the Mathematical Olympiad level.Covering number theory, algebra, analysis, Euclidean geometry, and analytic geometry, Solving Mathematical Problems includes numerous exercises and model solutions throughout.Assuming only a basic level of mathematics, the text is ideal for students of 14 years and above in pure mathematics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

15 year old math tips
This charming book explains why math olympiad puzzles are fun, and gives 15 year old insights ( in two senses --- most of the text was written by the 15 year old Terence Tao, but revised with some additional good exercises 15 years later by 30 year old Fields medalist Terence Tao.)The style is chatty, and the advice and worked examples are very good and do not require any math beyond pre-calculus.The level of difficulty is just right for would be high school math competitors, and adults with some math who enjoy a mild challenge.

Six easy steps to becoming a Fields medalist
I came across this book after reading about Terence Tao, a recent Fields medalist.It's interesting to see a book like this by such an accomplished mathematician.The book gives practical approaches to solving the types of math problems encountered in math olympiad competitions.I am not, nor have I ever been, a math olympian, but I found the book to be entertaining and useful for intellectual fortification purposes. ... Read more

Book Description

Terence brought to the Roman stage a bright comic voice and a refined sense of style. His six comedies--first produced in the half dozen years before his premature death in 159 BCE--were imaginatively reformulated in Latin plays written by Greek playwrights, especially Menander. For this new Loeb Classical Library edition of Terence, John Barsby gives us a faithful and lively translation with full explanatory notes, facing a freshly edited Latin text.

Volume I contains a substantial introduction and three plays: The Woman of Andros, a romantic comedy; The Self-Tormentor, which looks at contrasting father-son relationships; and The Eunuch, whose characters include the most sympathetically drawn courtesan in Roman comedy. The other three plays are in Volume II: Phormio, a comedy of intrigue with an engaging trickster; The Mother-in-Law, unique among Terence's plays in that the female characters are the admirable ones; and The Brothers, which explores contrasting approaches to parental education of sons.

The Romans highly praised Terence--"whose speech can charm, whose every word delights," in Cicero's words. This new edition of his plays, which replaces the now outdated Loeb translation by John Sargeaunt (first published in 1912), succeeds in capturing his polished style and appeal.

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Terence Conran Storage
As a fan of TCs 'Ultimate House Book' and 'Bathrooms' titles I was looking forward to a similar standard of book but was left somewhat deflated. Granted, storage is not the sexiest aspect of interior design but this book is situated firmly in the ranks of common sense and failed to ignite the imagination. It is, however, very practical if approaching the issue of storage without having given it any previous though whatsoever. If you have an established interest in the area of interiors you will have come across all of this before. The presentation is as usual excellent but it does not achieve the inspiring standard of the aformentioned titles.

Not the best from Conran
Simply disappointing, compared to some of his other books, this one has no substance and very few innovative and practical ideas, I would not recommend this book to anyone. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Classic but an amateuristic publisher
This book is an all time classic. Every serious bridge player should read Reese's book.
However, it really surprised me that this new edition has a lot of faults in it. Not just silly typos (for example: printing East instead of West), but rewriting whole sentences that don't make any sense (like the bottom one at page 194).
This is a shame. It seems the publisher was in too much a hurry to publish this book.
The result: an amateuristic edition full of typos that don't
do justice to this classic book.

Remarkable glimpse into the mind of an expert
It's a shame Play Bridge with Reese and Play These Hands with Me are out of print because they're classics. Some books give you rules of play, and group hands into topics and chapters. These are different. You pick up abridge hand with the late, great Terrence Reese, and follow his thoughtsand choices through the bidding. When the bidding is over, the opponentslead, dummy comes down and you follow his thinking through the play of thehand as he develops a plan and builds up a picture of the hidden hands cardby card. The method is simple but the results are dazzling, entertainingand instructive. Play Bridge with Mike Lawrence and Play a Swiss Team ofFour with Mike Lawrence use a similar style - also wonderfully done - butPlay Bridge with Reese is probably the best of the four. ... Read more

Book Description
For an era flooded with icons of almond-eyed aliens, stock angels, and computer-generated Martians, as well as the disappointingly pious sermons of Pleiadians and Sirians, Monica Szu-Whitney and Gary Whitney have opened a window into the actual vastness of the universe. Through the admittedly imperfect tools of our minds and 'imaginality' they have glimpsed the inhabitants of that domain known as hyperspace, subspace, or the astral realm; and they have presented us with their remarkable portraits and words. The beings in this book live far from us in actual time-space and are hard to see, but their destinies and ours are intertwined, and they bear critical messages for all inhabitants of the Earth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

the future of fae fieldwork
incredible work. the land exlored here is not made of soil, but does lie somewhere between what we have deemed "faery" and what has been labeled "alien" or extraterrestial"

the power of this book is in what it suggests to each person who reads it with an "open" mind...

there are some eerie resonances here. see who in this gallery of the transWyrd is drawn to you. or vice versa...

:)

Can we access other realities through imagination?
Monica Szu-Whitney is a psychic painter who allows images to arise from the psyche. She then draws or paints these images in a process she calls "tunneling". Gary Whitney, Monica's partner, assists in her inner voyages and records her experiences. The book presents 24 such inner journeys in story form. With 32 color drawings and a black-and-white drawing for each chapter, the art is unusual -- both haunting and compelling. Are these true life forms from other dimensions? Monica's encounters suggest we can receive healing techniques, wisdom and entertainment from these interdimensional beings.
The Whitney's work validates the imagination as a tool for accessing material buried in the individual and collective unconscious. She goes into the deeper psychic layers, the substrata of her consciousness, draw out and paints these images.
The book raises the question of whether humans can access other realities and other dimensions. Can imagination coupled with will bring us into contact with other intelligences in the universe? Whether you agree or not, the concept is intriguing and likely to inspire others to plumb their psychic depths.
This book deepened my trust in the power of imagination. The poet William Blake referred to imagination as another sensory organ. Read this book, and you'll never scoff at imagination as a trifling capacity. It can be a portal into wonderful and mysterious realms.

A very special and important book - I highly recommend it!
Monica's portraits are very special and I feel that they are very important at this point and time in Earth's evolution.Each portrait seems to radiate such love, peace, and healing, and yet are thought provoking and stimulating.While some people may be challenged and confronted by some of the beings that have been drawn, I have always been fascinated and attracted to them.Some of these portraits radiate such happiness and delight that one cannot help but smile.I feel that the portraits, especially of the inter-dimensional beings, help to heal flawed perceptions of what is "normal", transmuting prejudice and expanding one's consciousness by expanding and breaking the paradigms of normality and of what constitutes intelligent life forms and what it means to be "human".The stories of these beings are fascinating and well-written and are filled with ideas and notions supported by the hyper-dimensional model of physics.These portraits, I feel, are preparing us for the future, forcing us to not only think globally, but to think universally.

Monica's story is compelling and is an inspiration to us all.She is a master of her craft.

I highly recommend this book. ... Read more

Book Description
The psychedelic experience has been both demonized and mythologized, but what is it really like to trip?

TRIPPING: An Anthology of True-Life Psychedelic Adventures, the first major compilation of personal testimonies about psychedelic experiences, contains narratives by 50 people of various nationalities and walks of life about their most unforgettable altered states -- from the heavenly to the horrific. In gripping, often suspenseful tales suffused with a high sense of adventure, TRIPPING liberates the psychedelic experience from the closet of social stigma as well as from the mists of Sixties counter-cultural idealism.

Relating the harrowing straits and exhilarating peaks of the psychedelic inner odyssey are many accomplished writers, including former Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow, war photographer Tim Page, Beat poet Anne Waldman, science fiction writer Robert Charles Wilson, thriller writer Steven Martin Cohen, Ecstasy expert Bruce Eisner, and phenomonologist Paul Devereux.

Most of the narratives, however, come from “ordinary” people from Sydney to Belfast to San Francisco, for whom their anonymity brings out an intensely personal, confessional dimension. The stories, edited mostly from taped interviews by journalist Charles Hayes, enable readers to either “trip” vicariously or compare notes on their own experiences.

Specially featured is a lengthy conversation with the late Terence McKenna, the man who many believe inherited Tim Leary's mantle as the leading spokesman for psychedelics from the late Seventies until his death in April 2000. A veteran of myriad "heroic doses," McKenna discusses some of his own trips for the first time, as well as a range of issues, including his own provocative brand of eschatology, politics, and anthropology, at the center of which is an abiding faith in the power of psychedelic drugs.

TRIPPING's balanced, objective perspective portrays both positive and negative impacts of psychedelic experiences, depicting both the tolls and the rewards of such chemically-induced excursions from reality. Types of episodes run the gamut from encounters with godhead and alien or discarnate entities; out-of-body experiences, freak-outs, flashbacks, psychosis (momentary and otherwise), and acts or events of apparent magic or miracle. The trips described were catalyzed not just by classic psychedelics such as LSD, but by a wide array of psychotropics, from the sacred plants of indigenous peoples to the latest synthetic “smart drugs.”

Some sample plotlines

At a summer festival, a man on LSD believes he's attending the final celebration of the gods and that his mission is to mate with his chosen one before the entire tribe moves on to a higher sphere at the climax of the “orgasm death dance."

A young man eats some peyote buttons on a hike in the Grand Canyon, and stumbles upon a near-death experience.

A group of army buddies test the limits of their bodies' endurance during an acid session by a campfire.

The ministrations of the "shining ones", astral beings accessed during an LSD trip, lure a college student to higher realms of consciousness.

A psychedelic ingested at the notorious Altamont concert of 1969 triggers a bizarre odyssey through the San Francisco city jail and mental health system for a fellow who believes he's an angelic revolutionary.

After a déjà vu of enlightenment during which he begins speaking in tongues, a tripper plummets into the flipside of that experience in an episode of horrific eternal recurrence that revisits him in flashbacks.

A wooden carving of Christ speaks out loud to a seminary student during a church service, reshaping her theology and the depth of her faith.

The narratives in TRIPPING are placed in larger contexts by Hayes's essays, which include a synopsis of the history and culture of psychedelics from the ancient Greek mystery rites to today's Ecstasy-fueled rave events; an exposition on the kinetics of tripping (what can go right and wrong on a trip), including basic medical and psychological background; and a concise index of psychedelic substances.

The illustrations in TRIPPING are provided by renowned visionary artist Alex Grey and four computer graphics masters.

You can contact the author at Trippingtales@aol.com and at his website. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Psychedelic experience as story-telling
This book contains an amazing interview with Terence McKenna, which took place toward the end of his life, that is worth the price of the book.

Tripping is the best story-telling approach to the psychedelic encounter that I have read or experienced. I have always felt that all story-telling festivals need a psychedelic tent, because these extreme experiences are some of the best stories human beings can tell. Through the psychedelic medium human beings still tell stories of meeting gods and demons, travelling to new fantastic worlds, and taking mythic and perilous journeys.

Even though these stories are about the experiences of a number of travellers, Hayes has expertly rewritten their accounts through a single narrative voice. This gives the book continuity it otherwise might have lacked.

Bruce Eisner's story about taking too much LSD at Burning Man is hilarious. Very well done.

Armchair Tripping!
This anthology of true life psychadelic experiences, from LSD and Ecstacy to peyote and ayahuasca, is an entertaining, enlightening trip into the world of mind altering drugs, which probably is too honest and unbiased for the liking of authorities who wish to erase drugs from society.Its candid and honest perspective is a refreshing change from the constant message that drugs are bad and must be obliterated.In Tripping, both euphoric and terrifying experiences are related, as well the use of entheogens, drugs used for spiritual purposes.Tripping neither encourages or discourages drug use, it simply lays the facts out straight.Although every trip differs, there are themes that turn up frequently, such as a higher understanding of self and life, of enlightenment, and sometimes of complete disorientation and panic.I'd highly reccomend Tripping to anyone interested in hallucinogenics and tripping.

Tripping: A Bit Unreal, But Great
Tripping must be the best compendium of accounts of entheogenic and recreational drug use ever produced. The accounts give the reader the most vivid sense possible of what the tripping experiences are like without actually using the drugs. It deviates a bit from realism, however, insofar as almost all the authors seem intelligent, literate, and can actually write, and write well! In the real world, most druggies unfortunately are pretty dumb. Nevertheless, I found the book riveting and a delight to read.

Must reading for all Spiritual explorers
Excellent source of information! Anyone who is considering exploring the depths of the mind will benefit from these trip reports and well written material. Begins with an informative history of tripping and describes the basic features of what one might expect in a trip. This is done in an easy to understand style for people of all walks of life, very much like the trip reporters themselves.These extraordinary reports are a thorough and complete recollection of events that took place before, during and after the trips, giving the reader a good idea for the set and setting of each situation. This helps people to learn more about how and why we respond in different ways and with this knowledge we can possibly prevent disasters from taking place through responsible use. Being that the reports came from the actual people and not a clinic, it gives us the chance to look at them through the eyes of the experiencers and not just observers.The interview with Terence Mckenna is enlightening and insightful. Also some really cool psychedelic art in various locations in the book to enjoy between reports.

mandatory reading for passage through an absurd time
Tripping, the book, is a collection of brief but compact, and often intense explorations of the meaning of Being. Here is the classic mid-journey text that has outgrown the initial amazement of psychedelic enlargement but still retains the open endedness that much remains to be learned. Tripping, the experience, is presented without gloss as the unpredictable state of consciousness that may be kissed by the angels, interrogated by the demons, or simply incredibly weird. Some experimenters record life changing moments of psychic integration and movement to a higher plane, as a lifelong clarification, others describe the possibility of sinking into the *schlomuss*, or state of spiritual desperation. A worthy and honest book such as this one should make us concerned to know which circumstances are most likely to promote change of great value, and which may lead in another direction. The author himself, to his great credit, begins the narrratives with a questioning note much like this. As Tripping will be a heavily referred to text in the upcoming Mind States II conference, readers should also consider The Elementary Particles by Michel Houellebecq , a moderately difficult but highly important work that might have been titled UnTripping. I read Hayes and Houellebecq side by side, a couple of narratives from Tripping, then a chapter of Elementary Particles. The combined experience is not easy to absorb intellectually, but once all has settled, the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. If I had to make one recommendation , it would be to read these books together and treat them as a single masterpiece that no sigle mind could have imagined. ... Read more

Product Description
The Worry Free Life Study Guide was designed to enhance the reader's experience and further explain the life-changing principles taught in the ground-breaking book. Dr. TerrySandbek and Patrick W. Philbrick walk with you along the journey to a worry free life, offering their suggestions, tips and sage advice.After years of teaching groups and individuals how to break the worry cycle for good, Sandbek and Philbrick know what really works and they are passionate about sharing theblueprintfor success!Use this guide within a small group setting to ignite discussion and as a tool for enhanced individual study that will inspire a deeper understanding of The Worry Free Life s Biblical and psychological principles.Inside:-A summary and exercises for each chapter-Guidelines for group leaders-Contact info for ongoing support from the authors-Discussion questions·Final review ... Read more

Book Description
This exceptional book examines and explains Plato's answer to the normative question, "How ought we to live?"It discusses Plato's conception of the virtues; his views about the connection between the virtues and happiness; and the account of reason, desire, and motivation that underlies his arguments about the virtues. Plato's answer to the epistemological question, "How can we know how we ought to live?" is also discussed. His views on knowledge, belief, and inquiry, and his theory of Forms, are examined, insofar as they are relevant to his ethical view. Terence Irwin traces the development of Plato's moral philosophy, from the Socratic dialogues to its fullest exposition in the Republic. Plato's Ethics discusses Plato's reasons for abandoning or modifying some aspects of Socratic ethics, and for believing that he preserves Socrates' essential insights. A brief and selective discussion of the Statesmen, Philebus, and Laws is included. Replacing Irwin's earlier Plato's Moral Theory (Oxford, 1977), this book gives a clearer and fuller account of the main questions and discusses some recent controversies in the interpretation of Plato's ethics. It does not presuppose any knowledge of Greek or any extensive knowledge of Plato. ... Read more

Amazon.com
British designer Terence Conran runs from the ivory tower of much contemporary art and designcriticism. Instead of employing impenetrable terms and the doublespeak found in many a dense, academicwork of criticism, Conran attempts to understand for himself and convey to the reader why he finds certainobjects pleasing--why, for example, he likes to look at some objects and colors but disdains others. Heconcedes that just because he likes something doesn't mean it's in good taste, but his observations andopinions are well reasoned and fun to read. Design is filled with both his writing and rich colorphotos of objects ranging from handbags to suspension bridges, tennis balls to traffic signs, blue jeans torestaurant interiors. In Conran's view, not even the ubiquitous paper clip is too mundane to consider. Hisinsight into the design of our world--from the toothbrush we use in the mornings to the computer keyboardmany of us work on all day--is lively and enlightening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Absolutely Fabulous
This book is a dream! It highlights so many intriguing items. An impressive aray of astounding photographs and incredibly briliant text. This book reflects the author's genius ten fold. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Correct thinking about mushrooms and freedom
The Politics of Consciousness covers cannabis, mushrooms, entheogens, and the meaning of democracy.It promotes a respectful view of entheogens and other psychoactives.Many books covering entheogens have dismissive attitudes toward other psychoactives, but like Jonathan Ott, Kubby is one of the few authors who present truly enlightened ways of thinking about psychoactives, religion, and freedom.

There are many books on entheogens, but few that are enlightened about political and religious issues.Therefore I strongly recommend this book for entheogen scholars and activists.

A May 3, 2006 letter from Steve Kubby reads: "Now, finally, we can resume our peaceful lives where we left off. ... Also I'll be focused on a rewriting of my book, The Politics of Consciousness ..."

Brilliant content in an unworthy package.
Steve Kubby, a former Libertarian Party candidate for governor in California, has written a fiery book in which he argues that the federal government has far over-stepped its constitutional mandate with its War on(some) Drugs. He proposes the following litmus test for politicians; askthem about their stand on the right to get high.

Kubby's book is wellwritten, but not well designed. The illustrations look like clip artprinted on a dot matrix printer, and the cover is so garish and amateurishthat I fear many people will dismiss it without reading a word of it. Don'tmake that mistake.It's well worth yourtime.

Kubby repudiates statism as well as the war on drugs
Now that the author of Politics of Consciousness is bravely facing the fury of the Juggernaut for his use of Medical Marijuana as legally recommended under the Prop 215 (Compassionate Use Act)it is time foreveryone who consider himself or herseldf educated to read Kubby's book toescape the statist paradigm in its entirety. Check it out, you will notregret it....

The importance of this book's ideas should not be underrated
I rarely give a book a perfect rating, but this one is an exception.Are you concerned about ecology?Read this book.Worried about religious jackboots trampling you for being female/gay/atheist/communist/whatever-they-don't-like-this-month?Think you should decide what you read, and what substances you can put in your body--not the government?Struggling to ascertain why one belief is better than another?Confounded by the temporal insanity of Christianity, its indifference to the living world, and its war on democracy and free thought?Concerned about fascism ("Oh, that's passe; that'll *never* happen here")?Read this book!Fascism exists; it's called the Radical Right.This book exposes the real motivation behind the "War on Drugs".It also shows how precious the Constitution of the United States really is--and how the current Federal Government is in violation of almost all of it!Kuddy also discusses his own experiences with psychedelic drugs, and the spirituality constructed around those experiences--the book itself, however, tells the reader to *question everything*.Anyone with a sincere intellect can separate the advanced spiritual conclusions regarding ecology and Gaia, with the extremely practical, universal wisdom that he puts forth.The book is very enthusiastic...and also well researched.Kuddy's other endeavours--writing "Why Marijuana Should Be Legal", and running for Governor of California this June, place him beyond being easily dismissed as "yet another drug crank".This book is a delightful slap-in-the-head wake-up call to people lulled by political rhetoric and paternalizing "Just Say No" anti-drug ads predicating fear and ignorance.Ultimately, the two cover slogans--virtually truisms, yet ones which easily slip the propaganda-numbed mind--sum it up best:"Question authority""Think for yourself"or perhaps even pithier, a quote from within:"Don't Tread on Me" ... Read more

Book Description
Jazz musician and film composer Terence Blanchard takes center stage in Contemporary Cat, a book that traces Blanchard's roots in jazz town New Orleans to his current roles in both the music and film worlds. Not only a rare, colorful insight into the new generation of jazz musicians, but also a behind-the-scenes glimpse into movie making in Tinsel Town. ... Read more

Product Description

In this policy paper, Terence Wesley-Smith explores strategic, political, and economic dimensions of Beijing's heightened interest in Oceania. He challenges the disingenuous threat discourse pervading the existing literature, and argues that China's rise offers island states opportunities not available under established structures of power.

Wesley-Smith notes that China's primary objective is to gain the support of island states, particularly to isolate Taiwan, and that it has a growing interest in the natural resources of the region. China and the Western powers previously shared an interest in excluding the Soviet Union from Oceania. But today tensions associated with China's presence increasingly influence the strategic environment.

China is not setting itself up to assume a leadership or military role in Oceania, Wesley-Smith maintains. He disputes the notion that Beijing has exploited regional vulnerabilities, and that its activities have encouraged corruption and instability. He also argues that U.S. neglect is not a significant factor in the rise of China in Oceania. Instead, Western aid-leveraged efforts to impose neo-liberal reforms have made island leaders more receptive to peaceful coexistence, equality, respect for sovereignty, and the promise of untied aid.

Wesley-Smith argues that China's rise in Oceania largely parallels developments in the Caribbean, and disturbs a situation where a small number of allied powers exercise enormous regional influence. But he notes that all of these regional actors have growing economic entanglements with China -- and compelling reasons to avoid confrontation. He suggests that the Western powers have to accept that China is in Oceania to stay. They can do little but urge Beijing to play by the rules they have established and enforced, yet it may be the allied powers that have to compromise. Wesley-Smith concludes that China's rise broadens the options for island states, whose leaders are accustomed to operating in a world controlled by great powers.

Book Description
Terence Irwin presents a historical and critical study of the development of moral philosophy over two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the Reformation. Starting with the seminal ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, he guides the reader through the centuries that follow, introducing each of the thinkers he discusses with generous quotations from their works.He offers not only careful interpretation but critical evaluation of what they have to offer philosophically. This is the first of three volumes which will examine the history of ethics in the Socratic tradition, up to the late 20th century. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Very funny, a great read.
This is the third book in the Monks of St.Titus Bridge series. As with theearlier works, the book follows the exploits of the Bridge playing monks inEngland and also, it picks up on the adventures of their missionary outpostin Africa. As usual, the format concentrates on play rather than onbidding. Rather than being presented as pure puzzles, the play unfolds in anarrative style. This is doubly useful. There is an opportunity to treateach hand as a not too serious double dummy problem but also, it is quitepossible to just follow the narrative and allow the authors to expose thesolution.

A book such as this can be quite dry but the characters andsituations spice things up with a good degree of wit. Even if you have readnone of the other books in the series you will quickly become familiar withthe characters and their foibles. This levening explains why these booksare able to appeal to readers with a range of abilities from beginners socallow as to present this reviewer with an opportunity for victory up tothose who deign to partner me once a year as a special favour.

Theauthors are to be commended on one matter in particular. The books in thisseries lose none of their sparkle even after you have read all of them morethan once. They are very good indeed.

I wholeheartedly recommend thisbook for any bridge player and it would also make a great present for anybridge playing friend. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (1)

School Book
It was a book for school. It is sometimes hard to follow but all in all it is well written ... Read more

Book Description
One of the most acclaimed figures in the field of home design—and author of the classic Essential House Book—offers the ultimate source of ideas for anyone who needs to design a comfortable, workable, and visually appealing home in a small space.

Whether tiny apartments or modest homes, small spaces are what most people start with and ?nish with, and many of us never figure out how to make them comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Now, in Terence Conran Small Spaces, the superstar of home design offers tips, tricks, and inspired wisdom for making the most out of any available space.

Stunning full-color photographs show Conran’s creative, stylish solutions in a variety of beautiful spaces, from a houseboat to a treehouse to a small office. His clear and practical tips and advice help translate that creativity into your own home or work space.

Written by one of the driving forces in home furnishings and lifestyle retailing, Terence Conran Small Spaces is the essential guide for anyone looking to decorate a small living space with big style. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Lives up to its title.....
Grew up in a small home and have lived in small homes most of my life. What I liked about this book is there are enough examples of clean simple living spaces and not the typical older small home in the states where rooms are small and almost claustrophobic.Like the light colours of some of the rooms and the airiness.And yes many homes shown are ultra modern or what some may see as 'less is more' and this is what appealed to me.

I needed ideas for a new place that would be between 400-700 square feet in size with no wasted space, where building up would create a sense of roominess and where bedrooms, kitchen and living room/dining room combinations would have tons of hidden storage space so that 'stuff' wasn't all over the place.And this book delivered.

And yes, homes in Europe and Asia are shown, and I am glad, because they have been doing small open living spaces so well for so long.And energy efficient in style as well.

Small Spaces
I browsed this book first at my local bookstore and wasn't interested at first but then just decided to buy it and i've been very satisfied. It's not your "usual" interior design book with just lots of beautiful photos - this one offers case studies with actual floor plans as well plus good information about the projects.

Not a big fan of Terence Conran's work but this is a book has been good to me!

#3 out of 7 "Small decor" books rated
I place this 3rd among the 7 "decorating small spaces" books I bought.This is the only exception to my objections about those focusing on European dwellings. Conran features London & Paris apts (plus Hong Kong & an Italian stable!), but unlike others, some ideas are adaptable in America. Most units are 300-400 sq. ft.; the largest is 1000. Photos are helpful, except for a few so arty they require a double take to figure out what you're actually supposed to be seeing. Charming Intro portrays creative "expansion" of tiny areas-everything from a 1940s mobile van to a treehouse.

I expected more creativity
Banal works. This book is not what I was expecting. Poor creativity to deal with small spaces. Don't spend money with this book.

I was disappointed
Because I love Conran's books (and design sense in general), i was very, very disappointed when I got this book. It is very short on fresh ideas, and, perhaps even more disappointing, the photos aren't as varied and interesting as one usually finds in a Conran book. I flipped through when I first got this and saw lots of hallways and beds. I thought, 'well, there's probably more here so don't judge it right away.' I paged through and still found lots of hallways and beds. Very little in this book. Very disappointing. ... Read more