Customer Reviews (9)

Outstanding!
Christopher Burkett is the heir of Eliot Porter as a master of color photography. He finds astonishing beauty in intimate color landscapes, and this book has the production quality to convey it. If you liked "In Wildness is the Preservation of Life", buy this book! You'll love it.

HIGH QUALITY IN COLOR NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY
This book is great.The full-color photograps(namely tress and foliage)are breathtaking,the oversized pages carry vibrant colors in splendid views from every part of America.All plates are beautiful,but in my opinion,the most beautiful are the following plates:
1(Wild Red Maple and Fog/New Hampsshire)
2(Cherokee Autumn Forest/Tennessee)
6(Luxuriant Red Maple/Kentucky)
14(Sunlit Aspen Mountain Valley/Utah)
19(Franconia Hillside/New Hampsshire)
20(Mountainside,Red Oak and Aspen/Utah)

21(Golden Aspens and Red Oak Mountainside/Utah)
22(Aspen Grove/Colorado)
29(Red Woodbine/Vermont)
32(Old Sequoia at Sunset/California)
41(Twilight,Virgin River and Zion Canyon/Utah)
44(Waimea Canyon,Sunlight and Cloud Shadows/Hawaii)
47(Sunset,Native Koa Tress/Hawaii)
62(Sunrise and Autumn Blueberries/Maine)
The most beautiful plate is NUMBER 21.Burkett,you and your photos are wonderful.

"A Cut Above" Color Photography
This book represents the best work of the individual whom I consider to be America's best outdoor color photographer. Burkett captures moments, light, and nature in ways that make viewers stand in awe of his photographic technique, photographic vision, and of nature itself.

The production quality of the book is surperb. You can feel the love (and probably pickiness) that went into it.

Enjoy! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Burkett, Christopher   2. Landscape photography   3. Nature photography   4. Photo Essays   5. PHOTOGRAPHY   6. FINE ART   7. RELIGION   

Subjects:  1. Architects   2. Architecture   3. Biography   4. Biography/Autobiography   5. Classicism in architecture   6. Individual Architect   7. Individual Architects Of The 20th Century   8. Shutze, Philip Trammell   9. U.S. Architecture - General   10. United States   11. Architecture / Individual Architect   12. Individual architects   

Subjects:  1. Computer Bks - Communications / Networking   2. Computer Books: Database   3. Computer security   4. Computers   5. Cryptography/Access Control   6. Data encryption (Computer scie   7. Data encryption (Computer science)   8. Passwords   9. Security   

Customer Reviews (3)

Shamefully underrated
The best cover artist of all time. No exaggeration. Some of the later work becomes, unfortunately, exceedingly literal--it's as if someone forced Powers to put Boris-Vallejo-like human figures into his abstract scenes in order to satisfy some PR/marketing goal. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

120 of the artist's fantasy images
This highly recommended introduction covering the life of the artist Richard Power opens to a full-page color-embellished survey of 120 of the artist's fantasy images and contributions to the world of paperback illustrative art. An outstanding survey of images is created in an excellent keepsake edition for fans of science fiction and fantasy art.

Great artist, great book, great price!
Finally, a book dedicated solely to the works of the late Richard Powers... a dream come true. I was tired of always seeing him presented as one of many entries in books of sci-fi artists, shoved between others who were obviously not as talented as he. This is a true deal.... page after page of his beautiful/haunting/otherworldly art (yes, all 3 adjectives, and more, exist in each painting!). The reproductions are of a very high quality and clarity, some taking up 2 pages, allowing you to see the textures within the images. The text gives some very good insight on Powers' inspirations and personality, with some very funny stories. My only objections are - 1. There are a number of works produced in a fairly small format (4" x 4" or less) , and I would've gladly paid more if the publisher had enlarged them and expanded the page count. 2. No photos of Powers at work, just two self-portraits. 3. The text tends to ramble a bit, especially the first chapter, and I would have loved to see more art in place of it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art   2. Art & Art Instruction   3. Book jackets   4. Commercial - Illustration   5. General   6. History - General   7. Illustrations   8. Individual Artist   9. Influence   10. Science fiction   11. Surrealism   12. United States   13. Criticism and interpretation   14. Powers, Richard M   

Customer Reviews (91)

Liberating read for women, informative for men
After reading this book, I will never look at midwives, childbirth, or my body in the same way again. This honest, authoritative memoir, by a woman who started her career as an obstetrical nurse, liberates women from the embarrassment that starts in adolescence with a budding female anatomy.

In her memoir, she presents the miracle of birth and shouts aloud those things that some of our mothers could only whisper and blush about. Immersed in bodily fluids up to her elbows, Peggy checks a cervix as naturally as a mechanic checks the oil. She demonstrates that, regardless of differences in race, belief, life style, or age, birth is a celebration of life. She welcomes each new soul and stands in awe at nature's magic--birth.

The writing is warm and welcoming, with a storyteller's enthusiasm and a savvy eye for the humor and irony of every situation. Peggy crafts a must-read for every woman who ever thought about childbirth. Men will discover...they'll gain insight into the intimate world of women and the men who stand with them. A truly strong debut book that fills a remarkably empty niche on the bookshelf....

Not just a great midwife, a great storyteller
I loved reading this book. Not only did I learn about child birth, I got completely drawn into each of the stories, each of the glimpses into others' lives at such an intimate time. This book is uplifting, even though there are some sad and frustrating tales here - the most frustrating one being about the struggle midwives and caring medical professionals face with regard to malpractice, insurance, and acceptance of natural birthing practices. I have enjoyed this book more than any of the other dozen or so books I have recently read about pregnancy and child birth. I learned a lot, too: the wide range of women's experiences in giving birth, signs of fetal distress, how comfortable and festive a home birth event can be. This book changed all my expectations about child birth.

Excellent read for those interested in birth and midwifery
I bought this book mainly because I'm a nursing student who plans to become a nurse-midwife. This book is absolutely excellent! The stories are essentially the same: Vincent recants her experiences as a midwife attending the births of many babies. What is special though is that every birth story is unique, and Vincent colors her stories with entertaining anecdotes and vivid imagery. As I neared the ending of the book, I wished for it to continue. Peggy Vincent shows that besides being a caring, knowledgeable midwife she is also a talented storyteller with a flair for the written word. She does an invaluable service for the practice of midwifery, demonstrating time and again how magical birth can be when allowed to proceed naturally and as the parents want it to. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in birth, midwifery, or just an engrossing read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships   2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth   3. Family/Marriage   4. Midwifery   5. Parenting - General   6. Women   7. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Customer Reviews (11)

Packed with Knowledge!
You might expect a book that draws on the business-military parallel to focus almost exclusively on leadership. Actually, though it does cover leadership, this book is fascinating for its lessons on how to apply military tactics on the modern corporate battlefield. The authors cut through the testosterone-laced fog of war by applying a reasoned, analytical, strategic approach to conflict, whether in business or on the field of combat. They take an in-depth look at the principles that guide the Marines, such as maneuver warfare, and explain how to utilize those principles in business. They also provide many practical Marine Corps ideas for making your organization more competitive and profitable. This well-written book also offers case studies for insight and practical application, so you can directly benefit from the role model offered. We highly recommend this volume to those bold enough to lead their organizations to a successful, "mission accomplished."

Superb Integration of Corps and Business
As a former Marine Corps officer, I applaud the authors for their superior characterization of maneuver warfare and USMC leadership philosophy. As a brand manager for a leading marketer of retail food products, I was equally impressed with their ability to translate these lessons into "business-ese" that everyone can understand and appreciate. I have read many military-to-business books, and this one does by far the best job on the business side of the equation - primarily because there are twenty or so business case studies to illustrate the main points.

The authors talk at length about "breakthrough" results, and I think this book is particularly effective because they have translated "best practices" from one environment - military - to another - business. Normally, business books simply take lessons from one successful company and generalize them. While I believe this approach to be effective in stimulating incremental ideas, it does not lead to breakthroughs.

The value of this book should not be underestimated - the authors' USMC leadership experience yields unique, powerful insight while their business acumen facilitates the articulation of these ideas for practical application. A must read!

Great book: excellent strategies and analogies!
Having read many other of the "military strategy applied to business" books, I can tell you that this one is by far the best. The strategies are well-defined and the business examples have enough depth to really be understood and applied. The military comparisons are thorough and lucid enough to derive the point and meaning of each example and strategy employed.

Overall, the book is very pragmatic and makes the application of these principles to any organization (or some even to one's personal life) very easy. If you are deciding on a book to read in order to enhance your thinking on business strategy and leadership, you should strongly consider this one! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics   2. Business / Economics / Finance   3. Business/Economics   4. Leadership   5. Management   6. Management - General   7. Personal Growth - Success   8. Business & Economics / General   

Customer Reviews (3)

fab new find
I picked this up on a whim, intrigued by the title. Suffice to say that the first two Vincent Rubio books are now high on the queue. The thing is, even taking away the hilarious and bizarrely plausible dinosaur aspects, this is a terrific, tightly-plotted con-game novel.

Mammals, Beware!
In case you haven't heard, Eric Garcia has created his own literary genre--the dinosaur detective novel. In fact he's created his own world--a world in which dinosaurs are not extinct, but coexist uneasily among us, cleverly disguised as humans. This would be hard for most authors to pull off, but Garcia does it skillfully, with zest and humor.

Vincent Rubio is the hard-boiled, fast-talking, marginally successful private investigator (and secret velociraptor)--well known to previous Rex readers--who gets himself in the middle of a war between two Mafia families (yes dinosaurs have their own Mafia). Will he be able to extricate himself? alive? What about his childhood best friend who turns out to be a mafia boss? What about his old girlfriend? And who is the secret informer? Well, things get complicated indeed and you will just have to read the book to find out what happens.

Author Eric Garcia has taken this improbable dinosaur concept and turned it into three entertaining novels. He writes with flair and gusto, with snappy urban slang, and strangely believable characters. Of course he doesn't have much respect for us "mammals," but hey--it's fiction--isn't it? Hot and Sweaty is a little darker, more violent than the previous Rex books. Still, it's fun to read, and I recommend it.
Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber

Vincent's back!
I'm a big fan of the Rex series so I had to get this book as soon as it came out and I read it in about a day and a half. This one is darker than the other Rex books but just as funny CANT WAIT FOR THE TV SHOW!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Mystery & Suspense Fiction   2. Fiction   3. Fiction - Mystery/ Detective   4. Florida   5. Miami   6. Movie-TV Tie-In - General   7. Mystery & Detective - General   8. Organized crime   9. Private investigators   10. Rubio, Vincent (Fictitious cha   11. Rubio, Vincent (Fictitious character)   12. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (1)

I found everything I needed to know about Spine
SPINE SECRETs is the latest in the "SECRETS" series of books and I would highly recomend it to anyone training in the spine field. I am a physician assistant and have worked in the spine field for over 5 years. During that time, I have worked with countless orthopedic residents who were doing their spine rotation and three different spine fellows. We all studied from the same materials and would have benefited greatly from this book.

Our office had volumes of books about information that is succinctly covered in this book including, anatomy, clinical evaluation of patients with back problems, review of various imaging modalities of the spine and review of orthosis for the spine. The book also contains an extensive review of adult and pediatric deformities and disorders including idiopathic scoliosis and tumor.

I wouldn't consider this a surgery book. And if you are planning on performing spine surgery, I hope you are reading other texts as well, but this book has some impressive detail. Many chapters offer details and tips on surgical techniques with very nice illustrations. For those who see the patient in clinic before surgery or in the hospital postoperativly, there are chapters specifically addressing those issues.

One of the frustrating things about studying spine is where to start. This book gives you a good place to start. Like I said, it is succinct but it is comprehensive. If you are going to remember anything it is not a fast read, give it some time, it fits in your lab coat pocket! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Diseases   2. Diseases Of Cranial And Spinal Nerves   3. Examinations, questions, etc   4. Life Sciences - Anatomy & Physiology   5. Medical   6. Medical / Nursing   7. Neurology - General   8. Neuromuscular System Physiology   9. Orthopedics   10. Spinal cord   11. Spine   12. Surgery   13. Surgery - Neurosurgery   14. Wounds and injuries   

Customer Reviews (6)

vincent van gogh, the complete works
this is probably a great cd. however it doesnt run on a mac, so i cant look at it. i dont think this is stated in the information. so if you use a mac dont buy this cd. too bad.

Entertaining AND Educational
I have owned this CD for several months now and have completely enjoyed it. I find this CD to be a useful tool - not only in answering questions I might have but in helping my children do assignments in school. It is very easy to navigate and the pictures are top quality. A very smart addition to any library.

Bravo David Brooks - The Complete Works is Incredible
Outstanding! At first I thought a CDRom would lack the warmth of a book. This CDRom is on fire. What an achievement and what a treasure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art   2. European   3. History - Post-Impressionism   4. Individual Artist   5. Software - Art & Architecture - CDROM / PC   6. Gogh, Vincent van,   7. 1853-1890   8. Catalogues raisonnes   9. Post-impressionism (Art)   

Customer Reviews (5)

Van Gogh (Getting to Know The World's Greatest Artists)
This book offered a great resource for my classroom. There is a lot to read about his life and history so I would definitely not use it as a read-aloud. I do however, use this book to point out significant events in his life. The illustrations are light and add humor to an otherwise depressing life. They bring the artist to life and that makes it easier for my students to relate to and it keeps up their interest. Informative and enjoyable, this book is a must have for teachers.

Excellent art appreciation but questionable cartoons
Well, we should not have been surprised that Vincent Van Gogh presents a challenge to Mike Venezia, because the tragic life of this particular artist does not especially lend itself to the cartoons that Venezia includes in his Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series. On the one hand we are talking about one of the most famous artists of all time, whose paintings now sell for millions and millions of dollars. But on the other hand we have a man who suffered severe emotional problems, cut off his ear, and ended up committing suicide. To be fair, Van Gogh was the epitome of the starving artist, and while none of the cartoons in the book goes too far, the one on the back of Venezia's self-portrait with a paper-cut is over the line given that this is a book for children.

The strength of the book is that Venezia does one of his best jobs of explaining the unique style of the artist with his look at Van Gogh. It is ironic that in a book where the subject presents such problems, Venezia provides ten cartoons in the book, which might be the most I have seen in any of his volumes to date (there are 22 paintings and drawings by Van Gogh). Certainly the cartoons do not reflect the tone of the text, which deals with Van Gogh's problems in a straight-forward manner. But given the fate of the artist, it is hard to find them totally appropriate. Again, to be fair, this is Venezia's format and we could not expect him to abandon it and perhaps he was trying to provide a counterbalance to Van Gogh's self-destructive impulses. Certainly parents should check this one out and make a judgment for their own children, and teachers should do the same thing for their students. A good alternative text, although written for a slightly older audience, is "What Makes a Van Gogh a Van Gogh" put out by The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Masterful Presentation of Difficult Material
This is a truthful and sensitive presentation of information about an artist who suffered from an emotional disorder and often was not a happy person. Mr. Venezia does not gloss over Van Gough's difficulties, but presents them in a way that children can understand within the context of explaining what was importaint to the artist, and how the man's feelings and life experiences affected his paintings. When I read the book, I decided not present it to my daugher as early as the other Venezia artist and composer biographies. I waited until I thought she could clearly separate in her mind what other people do from the things our family does. Each parent will need to decide when their own child is ready for information about a great artist who ulimately commited suicide; it is the old decision between sheltering a child or presenting disturbing information when you are there to talk about it with them. Aside from these considerations, I strongly feel that the book maintains the same high standards found in all of Mr. Venezia's books. Any swerving from the facts to maintain a glossy finish (i.e., the traditional fairy tale happy ending?) would have been disappointing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1853-1890   2. Art - General   3. Art appreciation   4. Artists   5. Biography & Autobiography - Art   6. Children's 4-8 - Biography / Autobiography   7. Children: Grades 2-3   8. Gogh, Vincent van,   9. Juvenile Nonfiction   10. Juvenile literature   11. Painting, Dutch   

Customer Reviews (1)

A Firefighter Must Have
This book is very useful, never boring and constantly kept my interest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fire Science   2. Fire extinction   3. Firefighting Tactics And Strategy   4. Handbooks & Manuals   5. Reference   6. Safety measures   7. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Customer Reviews (1)

An essential component to a firefighter's library
This book is very well written, providing the reader a clear overview of the collapse hazards presented by a burning building. The organization of the chapters makes the book a valuable resource for a fire service instructor - complete with a "lessons learned" section at the end of the chapters.

The only downside to the book is that it is written primarily from the urban perspective - but then, that's where Vincent Dunn got his experience.

I'm hoping for a new edition; one that focuses more attention on the dangers of lightweight wood construction, and considers the challenges of the rural fire service.

In the meantime, though, the current edition provides a thorough foundation in building collapse (based on building construction) for a fire fighter or fire officer. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Building failures   2. Fire Science   3. Fire extinction   4. Firefighting Tactics And Strategy   5. Personal & Practical Guides   6. Reference   7. Safety measures   8. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Subjects:  1. Computer Books: General   2. Computers   3. Internetworking (Telecommunica   4. Internetworking (Telecommunication)   5. Mobile communication systems   6. Networking - General   7. Radio   8. Technology & Industrial Arts   9. Telecommunications   

Customer Reviews (3)

Essential for Composers and Contemporary Music Enthusiasts
Vincent Persichetti's "Twentieth Century Harmony" is a very thorough look at ways to use harmony outside of a traditional tonal context. In other words, if you are a composer and don't know all you could about how to use harmony except in tonal progressions, or if you are a listener interested in understanding twentieth century concert music, this book is for you. The book deals with the harmonic series, modes, synthetic scales, different types of chords (added note, polychords, etc.) and very specifically with different characteristics of different intervals. Littered with examples of nearly every point, it is the best education on contemporary harmony available.
Persichetti, unlike too many composers, doesn't go out of his way to use as many words as possible. He also doesn't attempt to criticize styles of music not his own in this writing; he simply gives an objective, clear, well organized series of lessons in harmony. I am a senior music composition student now, wondering how I ever got along without this book.

recommended
A better book of this kind. (But best to study scores.) One quibble: The author calls the lowest note of a secundal chord voiced in seconds its root, and so for quartal chords, and this strikes me as arbitrary and illogical. It doesn't branch from what Rameau ("branch" in English) intended by "root". Readers interested in music theory will probably also want to look at PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.

an excellent resource for composers and students
Twentiteh Century Harmony provides, in a concise, easy to follow format, a useful methodology of understanding and manipulating the musical structures of the twentieth century. Written from a teacher's perspective, the book is engaging and full of suggested exercises for the practice of the techniques being discussed in each chapter. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Harmony   2. Instruction & Study - Theory   3. Music   4. 20th century music   5. Elements of music (eg harmony, melody, etc)   

Subjects:  1. International Relations - Arms Control   2. International Relations - General   3. Military   4. Military policy   5. National security   6. Nuclear nonproliferation   7. Politics - Current Events   8. United States   9. Weapons of mass destruction   10. Political Science / Arms Control   11. International Relations   12. Politics   13. Political Science   14. Weapons   

Customer Reviews (4)

Instructional Tool
This is an excellent book for teaching and learning the basics of critical thinking.

Beyond Feelings is an Effective, Educational Tool
This is a book in informal logic. It initially sets out to explain how our opinions are influenced by our environment (the process of socialization), and then proceeds to explain the logical stuff, which is the core of the book. There is a lot of content here, and every chapter could be expanded upon significantly with further clarifications and examples. However, the mission of the book is to give an introduction to the subject, and it succeeds in this mission. I used this book to teach a critical thinking course. I liked it and so did the students. It may seem a little dry at times, because the content is so condensed, but the book is quite effective nevertheless.

Basic critical thinking made easy
Ruggiero sets down a good basis for beginning critical thinkers and is innovative in his categorizing of logical errors. His explanations of knowledge and relativism are insightful and great for a basic overview of those particular topics. He nearly contradicts himself in a few places, that is the only major flaw in this text. I agree with many things in this book and disagree with a few things too, but I believe that this book will open up the world of critical thinking and philosophy for anyone who is just beginning to delve into those areas. The readability of this book also adds to its appeal. I encourage anyone reading this book to reflect and reread much of it and practice critical thinking by not taking Ruggiero's word for everything, check it out for yourself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology   2. Critical thinking   3. Criticism   4. Psychology   5. Study Skills   6. Education / Study Skills   

Customer Reviews (9)

Worthwhile Home Library Addition
Map draftsmanship is outstanding. The time sequences are helpful in understanding battle developments. I use the civil war maps to chart movements of my ancestors units and this work has proved invaluble. Coupled with regimental histories, contemporary photographs, and official records, the atlas helps provide the detail in piecing together events that affected the lives of many americans.

I felt disappointed at the scarity of material on the Indian Wars, exploration, expeditions and frontier security which played a significant role in developing the officer corps and unit traditions.

Concise maps and clear descriptions of Revolutionary War battles and movements help sort out complicated troop movements and the underlying geography of both battlefield and region.

Overall, I recommend this work to the amateur historian and serious student of american military history. It belongs in my library.

Interesting maps with text to be used very carefully
The atlas has good maps for much, but not all, of its intended purpose. But the REAL drawback is the text. Many mistakes penned by John Elting---especially serious ones concerning various Civil War aspects---plague the text.

In the end, it is an OK book for reference, but Elting's mistakes are too numerous to qualify it as The Bible.

Good For Its Intended Purpose, But Not For Mine
This is more like a textbook on war. It's well done. And, I'm sure it is good for its intended purpose, but not for mine. I therefore made a mistake getting it. Just wanted you to know. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Atlases - U.S.   2. Historical Atlases   3. History - Military / War   4. History: American   5. Military - General   6. Military History - Modern   

Subjects:  1. Internal Medicine   2. Medical   3. Medical / Nursing   4. Reference   5. Test Preparation & Review   

Customer Reviews (2)

A fun project...but cheaper just buying a small IM machine!
A quick read and definitely enjoyable in knowing how "possible" it is to make your own 1/2 oz. injection molding machine. Only major problem... You need a few tools; probably a bandsaw, welding equipment, a good drill press and most likely a lathe. But then again, if you want to make some molds for the IM machine you probably already have the tools I listed! The point is, it's a good learning project, but you're better off buying your own small IM machine for a few hundred bucks...

For the Enivornmentalist Handyman
at 120+ pages, Secrets of building a plastic injection molding machine, is a pretty quick read. I haven't gotten around to trying to build such a device yet, cause honestly I've never built anything before..

a few words though. The deivce once built works with strips of plastics you've collected from old recyclables around the house.. soda bottles, etc.. which is pretty cool.

the machine itself however consists of about 6 pages, of which 80 % is screws and bolts and washers.. The back of the books has a very small list of possible suppliers for some of the more unique parts, and it looks like the machine itself will take abour roughly 100 bucks to make, give or take a little.

So if you've already built a few things then by all means this is gonna be a good time for you, to expand what you can do.

if you haven't touched a screw driver lately, you might want to start somewhere else... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Injection molding of plastics   2. Reference   

Customer Reviews (1)

Truly a Useful Hands on Book
This guy is GREAT! He has a whole series of books on building different shop equipment. I have purchased a couple of them. They are VERY useful, VERY exact, and the parts are accessible. Some of the parts he reccommends I found I already had in my shop. If you want to build any of the equipment he has listed, I strongly reccommend his book on the subject. Even if you plan to buy a "profesional" machine, it's a good idea to tinker first. You will be happy with the books, and it is money well spent. STRONGLY reccomend. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Science/Mathematics