Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent Pointers for the Competitive Swimmer
Every little meticulous detail of the stroke adds up to a faster time. Maglischo knows every trick in the book--he WROTE the book--to improving a swimmer's technique. As swimming philosophy changes, Maglischo adapts and is open to the new scientific discoveries that shape the winning techniques of swimmers like Michael Phelps and Ed Moses.

Were you ever taught to swim with your head up? Coaches used to teach swimmers to crank their necks so that the water breaks right over the goggles, on the forehead, because they saw that the fastest swimmers rode very high in the water. Maglischo points out that this is an illusion. The fastest swimmers are going so fast that their heads raise slightly, like a jet ski with its nose out of the water. Instead, you should keep your head in alignment with your spine for more efficiency and less strain on the neck.

This is the kind of ingenius revelation that Maglischo offers in Swimming Fastest.

Note: this is NOT for the beginning swimmer. It is dense, mathematical, and technical. It is not a "how-to" book.

With that in mind, buy Swimming Fastest and expand your understanding of the sport.

Very advanced book. Not for beginners
I am a novice swimmer. I can swim breastroke, but poorly and I got this book to improve. Mistake.
This book is very advanced. You can see that it is well documented, researched to a level close to academic style. The book is really concerned with speed, and is directed to coaches and swimmers who are starting to compete.
Although you could potentially take this book without having ever swum before and learn from here, in practice I don't recommend it: there are far too many details and seeing the forest is terribly hard because of the trees.
I found particularly hard to understand the movements from the drawings and pictures. I would expect drawings to show the whole body at different stages, instead you get the arms in one drawing and the legs in another drawing. Each drawing is subdivided in three quadrants: 1) seen from the front 2) seen from the side 3) seen from below. The WHOLE movement is depicted in ONE drawing: the only thing depicted is the path you should be following with the hands (respectively, legs). It is left to you to figure out how to achieve the movement puzzling together the three quadrants and the (very detailed) explanations in the text.
You can then read the section on how put the legs and arms together and you have the whole thing. But it is too hard for a novice, in my opinion.
Being a graduate student myself, I see how such a precise description could be invaluable to athletes, but in the same way as you would not start studing physics from a PhD level text book, you are better off not starting to learn swimming from this book.

EXCELLENT!!!!
This is the third (and we hope not the last) edition of "Swimming faster". Professor Maglischo wrote again an improved "version". We can only thank him and congratulate him for this landmark work. The book offers important help to the problem of drag or lift dominated propulsion and Dr. Maglischo explains his thesis (the one we saw in ASCA periodicals in 1999 and in some of his lectures/interviews). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Physiological aspects   2. Sports   3. Sports & Recreation   4. Sports Medicine   5. Swimming   6. Training   

Customer Reviews (3)

Becker's Brave Pessimism
I wish Ernest Becker were still around, telling us what he thinks of the world. He'd certainly be able to shed some light on what's going on now. ESCAPE FROM EVIL, while not as rigorous as his earlier work (it was published after his death, against his wishes) transposes the more individual explorations of death in DENIAL OF DEATH to larger society. What he finds is not necessarily encouraging, but it is always enlightening, invigorating, and truthful. He works hard to look at hard realities and, further, though he is not optimistic, he is interested in a rigorous hope, a hope without illusion. Becker helps you lose your illusions with aplomb.

"Cracking the Cosmic Egg"
Decades ago I read a book by Joseph Chilton Pierce titled, 'The Crack in the Cosmic Egg'. That book used an egg inside an eggshell as a metaphor for the state of the average human being living inside his or her eggshell world of ideas, traditions, beliefs, and thoughts. It went on to discuss how that 'eggshell' of ideas, traditions, beliefs, and thoughts can be false or misleading, and talked about the manner in which one can escape that shell in the interest of building an 'eggshell' unique to the individual and not necessarily inherited or imposed. Of course, to not remain open to change and to cease to challenge one's 'shell' is to run the risk of simply reconstructing another that is equally misleading.

No two books have affected my beliefs and thoughts any more than have Becker's 'Escape from Evil' and 'The Denial of Death'. I read the latter in college and have since read it again on several occasions. I read 'Escape from Evil' nearly as a sequel to 'Denial of Death' and recommend it as a companion work.

I would in retrospect probably read 'Escape from Evil' before 'Denial of Death.' But to say that is of course quantum mechanics. I've already performed the experiment the results of which I've measured but whose effects have now altered my 'quantum state' of thinking. My opinion might have been the reverse had I read 'Escape...' first. C'est la vie.

So read them as you will, but please, do read them. The language is somewhat dated, his statements are at times prone to the same errors of logic that most of us are prone to and he focuses on only those authors and works that support his thesis, but it is very likely 'Escape from Evil' will crack the shell of your beliefs about your world as well as our shared world and will change the way you think, perhaps, even hopefully, for the remainder of your life.

Explaining the Dark Time
In our dark time, where ethno-nationalism and militant fundamentalism have lead to hatred and genocide, we are all what Robert J. Lifton calls "survivors (p. 235, Lifton, R. J. "The Future of Immortality", Basic Books, Inc., Publisher, New York, NY, 1987.)." As "survivors" we cannot help but search for an explanation of the violence and destruction that have plagued our century. In his book "Escape from Evil", Ernest Becker proposes a very convincing, and often harrowing, explanation of this destruction. He writes,

"Since men must now hold for dear life onto the self-transcending meanings of the society in which they live, onto the immortality symbols which guarentee them indefinite duration of some kind, a new kind of instability and anxiety are created. And this anxiety is precisely what spills over into the affairs of men. In seeking to avoid evil, man is responsible for bringing more evil into the world than organisms could ever do merely by excercising their digestive tracts. It is man's ingenuity, rather than his animal nature, that has given his fellow creatures such a bitter earthly fate (pg. 5, Becker)."

From this point, Becker attempts to define how man's ingenuity, hopes, and desires have lead to an incredible amount of trouble in the world. Becker is at once cultural analysist, religious scholar, and social psychologist. "Escape from Evil" is an amazing inquiry, exploring the frightening needs of diverse social groups, looking into the deep inner fears of man, explaining Hitler and the origin of guilt, delving into the meaning of culture and the origins of inequality. These are not small subjects and they will challenge the ideas of any reader.

His writing is precise and he integrates important thinkers into his work with the greatest of ease. Ernest Becker is a must read, and "Escape from Evil" is a good place to start. It will deconstruct the mind and then rebuild it again, leaving the reader feeling both enlightened and confused. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General   2. Movements - Humanism   3. Philosophy   4. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

Real stories about police work
I loved reading this book because I always wondered what being a police officer was like. The stories in Cop Tales 2000 made me feel as though I was right there on the street with the cops. If you want to read about what real cops do, this is the book! I highly recommend it.

J Briant
An Outstanding collection of Stories associated with the world of Law Enforcement, crafted by Authors that have lived the experience of the world of COPS. It is a must read. It brings you incidents of the real world that we all exist in. I read them twice. Read Cop Tales 2000, you'll love it. Fascinating. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography   2. Police   3. Essays   4. Short stories, American   5. Short stories   6. Anthologies (multiple authors)   7. Literary Criticism and Collections   

Customer Reviews (7)

If there was a 6th star, I'd give it that, too
This is by far, the best and most simple approach to swinging the golf club.

The definitive book on the simpleist way to swing a club
Physics, not phyisique. Earnest Jones proves his own point by winning the equivalent of the NY State professional championship before and after the war, after with only one leg. His methods prove that the clubhead is the only part of the golf club that the student needs to concentrate on.

A simple approach to the golf swing..
After reading the book, I went out to the range and hit shot after shot with solid contact and pretty good accuracy. I am a 20 handicap and could not seem to make solid contact. I thought that it was a fluke, so I went back to the range the next day and again hit the ball solidly. I hope to take it to the course next week. Some of the body movements are out of date but the idea of swinging the club is still way ahead of it's time compared to present teaching. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Golf   2. Golf - General   3. Sports   4. Sports & Recreation   5. Swing (Golf)   

Customer Reviews (1)

Great text for learning and reference
As a student in materials science, this is one of best books I have ever read in materials science. The text is kept to a minimum and is easy to read. The figures are large and easy to understand, and the equations are all well explained. Just about every topic in friction and wear is given at least a cursory glance along with listings of more focused literature. This book should be read by all who deal with friction and wear as part of their work or education. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - General   2. Friction   3. Material Science   4. Materials   5. Materials For Engineering   6. Mechanical Properties Of Materials   7. Mechanical wear   8. Nanostructures   9. Technology   10. Technology & Industrial Arts   11. Classical mechanics   12. Materials science   13. Science / Nanostructures   14. Tribology (friction & lubrication)   

Customer Reviews (33)

An amazing novel
Ernest Hemingway is my favorite author. It began by reading "For Whom the Bell Tolls" in a high school English class. The way he writes is his own. I have not read another that uses the same style Hemingway does. He is able to portray the lives of others in a way the allows the reader to understand them. I find his words to be quite similar to actual human experience. They are not romanticized or unreal.

This novel has three parts about Thomas Hudson. The first is the one I like the most. It starts out slow, but a fight and a deep fishing scene create excitement, and I couldn't put the novel down. Hemingway, a master of tragedy, creates another tragic ending. The second part is not the great, but not that bad. It deals with his life during the war and a reunion with his first wife. The third part reminds me off "For Whom the Bells Toll" because it seems more action packed than the rest of the novel. The first two parts are based on human interaction, while the third is a chase at sea for a German U-boat crew.

This is a great novel and I highly recommend it if you like Hemingway.

Good - Bad Hemingway
This is a good - bad book. The good is the first part, set in Bimini in 1940, and the third part, which describes the hunt for a U-Boat crew off the coast of Cuba. The middle section can be skipped, but admirers of Hemingway will want to read it simply because he wrote it. The work as a whole is an artistic failure but it is moving and (to use a much overused word) unforgettable. One feels that Thomas Hudson is the older Hemingway and that the book is a key to his life, rather like The Garden of Eden, another posthumous work. A skilled editor would have improved this book, but it is still well worth reading, if only for the action scenes and the descriptions of the sea.

Four-And-A-Half Stars and a Favorite of Mine
I wish Amazon would incorporate 1/2 stars but I guess that would make things even more complicated. This is one of my favorite Hemingway books and one of the few published posthumously that lives up to his legacy.

The book, broken into three distinct sections, recounts chapters in the life of Thomas Hudson, a somewhat thinly veiled version of Hemingway. That's not to say that this is a story about Hemingway himself, but its pretty clear there is a lot of Hemingway in Hudson.

The first section, considered by many to be the best (and, as a I recall, the focus of the film made of the book), takes place in Bimini, where Hudson is leading a fairly idyllic life. The second is centered in Cuba but has an entirely different tone from that of the first. Whereas the "Bimini" section is almost light-hearted and somewhat breezy, the tone of the Cuba section has changed dramatically. Hudson is now a depressed individual having lost a son in an accident. He has a reunion with his first wife, but even though she is the love of his life, he knows it won't end happily. The third part, "At Sea," recounts Hudson's efforts as a Nazi sub hunter.

Hemingway is at his best throughout much of the book, his men are all striving to prove that they are, well, men, or at least the ideal of what a man should be in Hemingway's eyes. And naturally enough, no Hemingway man, in this case Hudson, would be complete without a little tragedy in his life. "At Sea," while powerfully told, seems somehow incomplete, which may well be the case since I do not think Hemingway completed the book before his death. In fact, the ending seemed extremely abrupt and left me wondering, did Hudson survive his wounds?

Still, this is some of Hemingway's best work. A must read. The only reason I did not give it five stars is because of the abrupt ending and a few other brief passages in the book that seem somehow incomplete and unfinished. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics   2. Fiction   3. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   4. Literary   5. Literature - Classics / Criticism   6. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

Teemu Tiny Ernest
Great book! My toddler loves this and requests it to be read to him. It really teaches us to look at how special each one of us is no matter what.

Another Great Ernest Book
This has become a favorite of the kids I gave it to for Christmas. It's a great story about learning find your strengths and to like yourself for who you are. It's a great story for younger kids, with wonderful illustrations too. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - Farm Animals   2. Children's 4-8 - Picturebooks   3. Children: Grades 2-3   4. Donkeys   5. Fiction   6. Juvenile Fiction   7. Size   

Returning from a Kenyan safari in 1932, Ernest Hemingway quickly devised a literary trophy to add to his stash of buffalo hides and rhino horns. To this day,Green Hills of Africa seems an almost perverse paean to the thrills of bloodshed, in which the author cuts one notch after another in his gun barrel and declares, "I did not mind killing anything." Four years later, however, Hemingway came up with a more accomplished spin on his African experiences--a pair of them, in fact, which he collected with eight other tales in The Snows of Kilimanjaro. The title story is a meditation on corruption and mortality, two subjects that were already beginning to preoccupy the 37-year-old author. As the protagonist perishes of gangrene out in the bush, he recognizes his own failure of nerve as a writer:

Now he would never write the things that he had saved to write until he knew enough to write them well. Well, he would not have to fail at trying to write them either. Maybe you could never write them, and that was why you put them off and delayed the starting. Well he would never know, now.

Customer Reviews (12)

the hyena was slipping right along the edge of it
although i have not read any other short story in this collection except the title story, i still gave it 5 stars just because that story alone would give me the reason to buy this book (because i don't own it yet). i don't think i would be interested in any of hemingway's novels; i doubt if i could get any sort of satisfaction reading about his hunting expeditions and stuff like that. even "the old man and the sea" bored the hell out of me. i just seem to lack the patience with this writer. for the most part, i just can't read him. but "the snows of kilimanjaro" i read, and it is one of the greatest short stories there is. it is the best story about death, in my opinion. and i knew that hemingway had BEEN there, and had brought this story back to us. (and this was before i knew anything about his travels to africa, or any details about his personal life in general). i read this story, and i am very impressed by hemingway's ability to write simply, yet deeply. it is a very admirable trait for any writer to have - to be able to evoke images and express oneself using as few words as possible... that takes talent. william burroughs has said that "the snows of kilimanjaro" is hemingway's best, if not only, true writing.

The Greatest Short Story of All-Time
Quite simply, "The Snows of Kilimajaro" is the greatest short story I have ever read. Hemingway's poignant prose powerfully touches the reader with its rather candid narration and lack of verbosity. A stirring portrait of potential wasted and talent corrupted, this story explores the classic Hemingway themes of death and corruption. As the protagonist faces death and bemoans the ruination of his talent by "betrayals of himself and what he believed in" and by "drinking so much he blunted the edge of his perception," the reader realizes the significance of living life in such a manner that when death beckons, the end will come without any regrets, could-haves, would-haves or should-haves. Perhaps no author embodied this philosophy more than Hemingway; a man who truly lived a life without regrets.

Be prepared: this story shall transform your philosophy on existence. Oh yeah, and the other stories aren't half-bad either :-)

Death and Drink, War and lllness
The editors at Scribners have chosen ten of Hemingway's short stories for this Paperback edition. Set both in America and
abroad, the subjects of these tales deal with some of his favorite--albeit morbid--literary interests: death, drink, war and illness. Possibly influenced by Anderson's anthology, WINESBURG OHIO, the author actually chooses one character, Nick Adams, to appear in several unrelated stories. Ranging in length from 3 - 33 pages these stories are the offspring of the imagination and morality of a Man's author. His protagonists include a solider, boxer, gambler, game hunters--even simple waiters. Set in Africa, Italy, France and the Chicago environs, this collection will transport readers back to the era of the Lost Generation, when personal choices were often painfully wrong, resulting in social and moral disaster. Vintage Heminway, with subtle hints of his interest in suicide. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics   2. Fiction   3. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   4. Literary   5. Literature - Classics / Criticism   6. Short Stories (single author)   7. Short stories   8. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (9)

One of my favorite books
This is one of my favorite books. In contrast to its clunky predecessor _Ecotopia_, this book actually has a plot that, if a wee bit melodramatic, is fun and engaging. It's a bit chilling that the administration running the U.S. that the Ecotopians split off from in this book is actually less insane than the Cheney/Bush/Exxon government we have now. Ecotopia Emerging tells the story of how the Pacific Northwest secedes from the U.S. and establishes a sane lifestyle. This book does go a little far in glorifying the lifestyle it describes but if you can deal with that you'll probably enjoy it.

A Greener Future
Callenbach's book does not come without flaws, but it was a fun read, with many practical ideas about constructing an ecologically friendly world. Not a work of literature per se, but an imaginative leap into a greener future, based squarely on contemporary problems that effect us all. Perhaps that is what I liked best about this book: Callenbach gives us a good look at things as they already exist. For that reason, I would even hesitate to call it a utopia. A well-grounded and researched work of ecological imagination. Worth your time.

Seductive, even for an unrestructured anarcho-capitalist
On a chilly winter night in 1983, I read 'Ecotopia Emerging.' The book disappeared from the newsstands soon after, and our world passed that probability-node fifteen years ago, but I-a Reagan voter, Liddy-listener, and Gore-hater-can still remember smiling and saying 'It could work! Maybe I'll lease a vacation home there.'

Alas, that was before HIV killed Ecotopia's innocent hedonism forever, before the bloody and stupid excesses of PETA, before tree-spiking--and before I experienced for myself the dead, cold hand of radical environmentalism. Yet, somewhere in my right-brain I still dream of getting laid under a redwood tree, of living on a houseboat, of bowhunting and painting myself with deer blood after a clean kill. That was the magic Ernest Callenbach shares with Heinlein--both slam-dunk you into their society and make you believe it.

Callenbach can do humor and characters, too. I laughed in places, just grinned in others. Because so few lefties have a funny-bone, the laughs were refreshing. I'm glad Callenbach's didn't disappear in clouds of pot-smoke the way those of other Sixties survivors did.

But woe to those who forget the fate of previous utopias. One of the old totalitarians made a comment about omelettes and breaking eggs. I've often wondered whose eggs got broken in the making of Ecotopia. Probably more folks than Callenbach admits got hurt or killed in the emergence of his fictional society. With the banning of guns, I can only imagine the crime wave that would hit in a year or two-and the oppression that would prevail if a slick talker like Bill Clinton got into power.

I'm sure Ernest Callenbach is a nice guy and I wanted to meet him in person or by e-mail, an ambition I still hold. He honestly seems incapable of believing in human villainy--can you imagine the fun a sociopath could have in the Ecotopian prison system? The antagonists of who remind me of our soon-to-be ex-President, proving that Callenbach doesn't really understand evil. (He obviously favors the elimination of such intrasigents-but in a gunless society, how could his woodsrunner hero have downed the bad-guy's spray chopper? Wouldn't it be better to arm everybody and let natural selection weed out the nongs and drongos?) What fun to hash it out over coffee until the wee-small hours or, failing that, over the web with mutual flamers!

Ecotopia Emerging and Ecotopia performed a valuable service in my intellectual development by teaching me about the passion of the green movement and conveying a little of that passion to me. Libertarians and conservatives both should read this book to learn how well-crafted and entertaining propaganda appears. (The only modern writer who does it better is L. Neil Smith-I'm glad he's on my side, or freedom's days would be numbered!) Ecotopia Emerging will give you a visceral understanding of the appeal of watermelon environmentalism-green outside, red (or yellow) inside. If we are to defeat collectivism, we freedom-lovers must grasp this emotional appeal by experiencing it for ourselves. Callenbach's book can do that for us. END ... Read more

Subjects:  1. American Science Fiction And Fantasy   2. Environmentalism   3. Fiction   4. Fiction - Science Fiction   5. Human ecology   6. Science Fiction - General   7. Science fiction   

Customer Reviews (64)

Sex/Art/Love/Madness = Papa maps this dark tangle. Whew!
Simply-told though filled with dark implications, this lean-but-lyrical gem is as strong as vintage Hemingway. In this posthumously-published novel, Papa explores the many manifestations of desire as it excites, inspires, nurtures & drives us mad--often all at once. Set in the 1920's on the Cote d'Azur, it chronicles the honeymoon of David Bourne, a writer, & his lovely, impulsive wife Catherine. As her strange compulsions take her on a slide toward either freedom or insanity, David struggles to follow her and still practice his chosen craft. Soon after another woman enters their relationship, the struggle becomes one for control of David's art through his love for both Catherine & Marita, the newcomer. This is a love-triangle with three complete sides (as they pair & repair), and how each of these characters chooses to resolve their struggle belies the more prurient aspects of the book: this is less erotica than a story of how the dark & bright sides of desire inform lives, how they empower & weaken us, and how love may not be enough--even 'true' love. As entertaining as any romance, though much more provocative, this book is a masterpiece (despite the controversy surrounding it).

Why was this left unpublished by Hemingway.... ?
I have read a lot of Hemingway. I have enjoyed it all. But I have to say this particular book left me the least satisfied of all of them.
As I read this I didn't realize that Hemingway actually lived an episode like this during his 1st or 2nd marriage. I discovered this after reading the book in one of his biographical accounts. It seems that he wrote this one to process out his inner feelings about the actual relationship he lived through. I wonder how he felt in retrospect? At times his main character David seems bitter about the whole thing. At other times he is definitely caught up in it. He is written much like a puppet, controlled by his wife and the circumstances he runs into.
Catherine is one of the more complex female characters that Hemingway ever portrayed. She reminds me of a more fleshed out Brett, from The Sun Also Rises. Catherine has a very nihilistic view of life. She seems driven to do everything in her power to destroy herself and all who cross her path. She wants pleasure. She wants to feel good about herself, but just can't seem to find a way to acheive it. Poor Catherine... I couldn't help but feel for her the whole way through the book. She seems lost and unwilling to find her way or be found.
I wonder if Hemingway was simply journaling on this experience, never wanting to share it at all? I guess we'll never know...
After hearing the fact that this is a reflection of his real life experiences, I understand why it left me feeling odd. Reading it is almost voyeuristic or like eavsdropping. If you read it, keep in mind it was left unpublished by the master himself... Enjoy the twists and turns of an insatiable spirit.

Uncover this
It is a great book. We're talking about Hemingway here, so the style is wonderful. But the story is the most interesting story. It's very complex but well worth it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classics   2. Fiction   3. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   4. Literary   5. Literature - Classics / Criticism   6. Literature: Classics   7. Love stories   8. Riviera (France)   9. Fiction / General   

Subjects:  1. 1899-1961   2. 20th century   3. Adventurers & Explorers   4. Africa   5. American - General   6. Americans   7. Authors, American   8. Biography   9. Biography & Autobiography   10. Biography / Autobiography   11. Biography/Autobiography   12. Hemingway, Ernest,   13. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   14. History   15. Hunters   16. Literary   17. Travel   

Customer Reviews (3)

Bird lovers...become butterfly enthusiasts...
I've been enchanted with birds ever since I observed my parents whistling and mocking the mockingbirds who mocked them back. I've been a gardener forever, cursing those creepy caterpillers who devoured this and that. In the past few years I've taken a greater interest in butterflies, and lo what do I discover...the creepy caterpillers turn into the beautiful butterflies if the birds don't eat them first. I knew that of course because like lots of kids, I too brought home the cocoon found on some branch and kept it in a glass jar with holes punched in the top until it did not "hatch." Yes, I said did NOT. I never had any success with this effort so I forgot about caterpillers and cocoons--until I opened STOKES BUTTERFLY BOOK and there are those darn cocoons again.

This is a wonderful book for adolescent children who can read big words and like big type or older people with vision problems. The pictures are colorful and closeup and the type large enough that my aunt can see it under her "reading" machine" (she has diabetes and is sight impaired).

The book is filled with all sorts of interesting information about the behaviour of butterfiles (basking in the sun to warm up their wings, puddling to suck up nutients; courting and laying eggs --surprise there are two sexes, just like the birds). There are also lots of photos of their predecessors--the caterpillers who require a daily ration of greens to grow up into beautiful bugs.

Now I must admit it is about time that I realized that every orange and black butterfly I see is NOT a Monarch, but goodness there are so MANY orange and black butterfiles will I ever be able to tell them apart? Some are Crescents and Checkerspots (in my neck of the woods which is the East Coast) and there are Admirals. Goodness--Monarchs, Admirals, Viceroys--I had no idea there was an aristocracy of butterflies.

I intend to use this book with my granddaughters who love to walk in grandma's garden and learn the names of plants and bugs and birds. Now we'll learn the names of caterpillers and their reincarnations who form an intermediate link in the food chain.

Handy guide
The two things I liked best about this book are the pages devoted to identifying butterflies by color (it groups them so that if you see one that is predominantly orange, you can look at the page of orange butterflies to find the one you're trying to identify), and the pages devoted to creating an attractive butterfly garden, with schemes showing how to arrange plants that attract butterflies. It's not a technical book, thereby making it a good guide for backyard butterfly enthusiasts.

The Butterfly Book: An Easy Guide To Butterfly Gardening
This book will give you all the information you need to select the plants neccesary to attract butterflies and feed their catapillars. Picutures help you identify both adult butterflies and their catipillars. I keep my copy handy to check who/what is enjoying the garden. Great for the beginner or expert. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Behavior   2. Butterflies   3. Butterflies & Moths   4. Butterfly gardening   5. Identification   6. Lepidoptera   7. Nature / Field Guide Books   8. Nature/Ecology   9. North America   10. Nature / Butterflies   

First things first: readers coming to To Have and Have Not after seeing the Bogart/Bacall film should be forewarned that about the only thing the two have in common is the title. The movie concerns a brave fishing-boat captain in World War II-era Martinique who aids the French Resistance, battles the Nazis, and gets the girl in the end. The novel concerns a broke fishing-boat captain who agrees to carry contraband between Cuba and Florida in order to feed his wife and daughters. Of the two, the novel is by far the darker, more complex work.

The first time we meet Harry Morgan, he is sitting in a Havana bar watching a gun battle raging out in the street. After seeing a Cuban get his head blown off with a Luger, Morgan reacts with typical Hemingway understatement: "I took a quick one out of the first bottle I saw open and I couldn't tell you yet what it was. The whole thing made me feel pretty bad." Still feeling bad, Harry heads out in his boat on a charter fishing expedition for which he is later stiffed by the client. With not even enough money to fill his gas tanks, he is forced to agree to smuggle some illegal Chinese for the mysterious Mr. Sing. From there it's just a small step to carrying liquor--a disastrous run that ends when Harry loses an arm and his boat. Once Harry gets mixed up in the brewing Cuban revolution, however, even those losses seem small compared to what's at stake now: his very life.

Hemingway tells most of this story in the third person, but, significantly, he brackets the whole with a section at the beginning told from Harry's perspective and a short, heart-wrenching chapter at the end narrated by his wife, Marie. In between there is adventure, danger, betrayal, and death, but this novel begins and ends with the tough and tender portrait of a man who plays the cards that are dealt him with courage and dignity, long after hope is gone. --Alix Wilber ... Read more

Customer Reviews (47)

Very good Hemingway novel
I read this because I liked the Bogart movie. The movie used the very beginning of the book then goes on to follow a completely different story line. The book is darker and more violent than the "feel-good" themed movie. The novel centers around Harry Morgan, a charter boat captain who does some bad things to make ends meet in 1930's Cuba and Key West. It appears that the book may have started out as a short story that was fleshed out into a novel-length work. The copyright page indicates publication in a magazine in 1934, three years before the book's publication date. This may explain the confusing change in narrators that other reviewers have mentioned. It also seems to me that the have versus have-not theme has been tacked on to contrast the lives of rich holiday-makers in Key West to the lives of struggling Key West natives. The parts dealing with the wealthy aren't particulary interesting or believable. I suspect they were added to give a simple action story more social consciousness. This fault is more than made up for by the scenes with Harry Morgan. He is a tough man of action who wont stop at killing if necessary. It makes for an exciting read; I read it through in one night. I must diasagree with those critics that feel this novel is one of Hemingway's worst.

IF THIS IS HIS WORST, THEN NOBODY DOES IT BETTER!!
I've always been a fan of Hemingway's The Sun also Rises and a Farewell to Arms. I wanted to read another of his books, and since I loved the Bogart and Bacall movie I purchased this despite the typical literary review that calls To Have and Have Not his worst novel. This book is great!! It's gritty, realistic, and the characters are consistent in their characterizations and actions throughout. The bar dialogue, Harry's actions as he delves into crime, they're all dead on. The plot-line really comes together with the juxtaposition of the rich and the poor (I dare you to not be disgusted by the "vital" concerns of the wealthy in the last few chapters). Hemingway's depiction of Harry's suffering wife is perhaps the *ONLY* completely believable female representation I have *EVER* read. This book is macho, poignantly sad, exciting, and full of heart wrenching loneliness throughout.

Not one of Hemingway's best
This book reminded me of a horrid ride that you couldn't get off. At first it was fun, then gradually, you just want to puke. It's the story of a weak protagonist who spends the book carrying out a pathetic vendetta against authority in general. I was extremely disappointed with this novel since I usually love Hemingway's work. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you want to read about the same recurring incident over and over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adventure stories   2. Caribbean Area   3. Classics   4. Fiction   5. General   6. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   7. Literary   8. Literary Criticism   9. Literature - Classics / Criticism   10. Smuggling   11. Fiction / General   

Customer Reviews (2)

My 15 month old's favorite
I am a long time fan of Classic Pooh, and my husband bought this for our son and myself to read together.
We have probably read it 500 times since March! My son loves the pictures, and love to point out Pooh and Piglet, and all the other characters to grace this beautiful book.

Also, the words are BIG,, a good first choice for when he is ready to learn to read on his own. Until then I will read it ten times a day! It's just as sweet as Piglet himself!

A wonderful book to own
This is a very good book! It has bright colors and very large words that makes it easy to read. My 5-month old daughter likes it very very much. She chooses it out of her other books. It is absolutely our favorite book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Animals - General   2. Children's Baby - Boardbooks   3. Children: Babies & Toddlers   4. Fiction   5. Juvenile Fiction   6. Pigs   7. Toys   8. Toys, Dolls, & Puppets   

Subjects:  1. Antitrust   2. Law   

Customer Reviews (1)

Close To Definitive
Carlos Baker is generally known as the founding father of Hemingway biographical studies. His 1969 biography, "Ernest Hemingway: A Life Story" is the so-called "authorized" Hemingway bio and it was the first book of its kind to explore the author's life. All subsequent biographers owe a great deal to Baker and the seven years he spent producing "Ernest Hemingway: A Life Story."

Calling Baker's bio the definitive bio of Ernest Hemingway is difficult though for several reasons. First of all, being published in 1969, the book is now outdated to a great degree. Second of all, a slew of other biographies have been published since 1969 and some are very formidable. Baker's book, in my humble opinion, is probably the most tediously researched biography of Hemingway. His "Notes" section is just over 100 pages.

If I had to recommend one standard Hemingway biography, I would likely choose "Hemingway: A Biography" by Jeffrey Meyers. I have read many Hemingway biographies and in comparing them, the work of Meyers does stand out. He offers details not present in other bios and provides fine commentary on EH's literature. Meyers gets as close to definitive as I think one can come in a single book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1899-1961   2. 20th century   3. Authors, American   4. Biography   5. Biography / Autobiography   6. Biography/Autobiography   7. Hemingway, Ernest,   8. Literary   9. Military   10. Hemingway, Ernest   

Subjects:  1. Architectural drawing   2. Architecture   3. Data processing   4. Design & Drafting   5. Interior decoration   6. Perspective   7. Architecture / Design & Drafting   8. Engineering graphics & technical drawing   9. Industrial / Commercial Art & Design   

Customer Reviews (27)

No Capstick or Taylor
Much credit is given 'Papa' for his writings on Africa. I can only attribute this to the fact that he is a famous author and more people have read his Africa books/two short stories more than any others. Much like Roosevelts game trails this book is a chronicle of Hemingways two month safari. And like Teddys book comes across as just that. After all they only both went on one safari. If you are really interested in reading about African big game hunting there are two books that communicate the vibrancy and feel of hunting dangerous game in Africa better than Hemingway or Roosevelt. Death in the long grass by Peter Hathaway Capstick and Pondoro by John Taylor are my two favorites. Both are men who spent their lives living and hunting in Africa. Capstick as a Proffesional hunter and game warden in the latter half of this century until 1975, and Taylor as an Ivory poacher from the 1920-30's(?) to the late 40's. If you are anti-hunting forget it but if you are in-between and looking for something more on Africa then Please take a look. I am not saying that Hemingway is bad, it's just that in my opinion Taylor and Capstick bring African hunting alive in a way Hemingway can't touch in the best parts of Green Hills. Hemingway may be the master when it comes to other types of literature, but when it comes to describing hunting dangerous game in Africa Taylor and Capstick reign supreme.

Hunting big game and big literature
Hem is hunting both big game and big literature in "Green Hills." On this 1933-34 African safari, his jovial, Socratic drinking pal "Pop" is actually Phillip Percival the famous white hunter who conducted Theodore Roosevelt on his first African safari. As a young man, Hemingway owned a copy of TR's book "African Game Trails," and it is undoubtedly one of the reasons he went on this safari, which was financed to the tune of $25,000 Depression dollars by his wife Pauline's uncle Gus, part owner of Richard Hudnut cosmetics. Further evidence of Hem's fascination with Africa can be seen in the way Jake Barnes teases Robert Cohn in "The Sun Also Rises." In chapter two, Jake says, " Did you ever think about going to British East Africa to shoot?" Cohn's lack of enthusiasm for an immediate trek to Mombassa seals his fate as a jerk. "Green Hills" vindicates Hem's real aficion for hunting--filled with long descriptions of the arduous and sometimes futile tracking of game, not just celebratory "kills." Finally, the best preparation for reading "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" and "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" is to hike and sweat through these 300 pages of African "country." The long, crescent-horned sable which Hem was painstakingly stalking at the end of "Green Hills" never turned up. But instead, the experience of his African safari, was distilled into those two incredible stories--one about a coward who gets a chance to redeem himself and the other about a washed-up writer whose approaching death stimulates him to dream about--and the reader to enjoy--the fiction he never got to actually write. Unless you've got a rich uncle or wife, this is as close as you'll get to an East African safari, and it is very, very fine.

"Portrait of a Serial Killer of Wild Animals"
Safe to say this "nonfiction novel" hasn't aged well. Boozy banter from Westerners who view Africa -- its wildlife, its people -- from within a gauzy cocoon of privilege. Ernest & co. chase down majestic animals, admire them and blast away at them with shotguns. I found the descriptions of animals madly circling once shot -- desperately, futile-ly fleeing a danger they can't possibly comprehend -- profoundly sad. I had the sense the narrative was aiming for (and probably achieving for its original audience) a breezy, witty, urbane tone. It seemed to me in 2004 like so much reveling in privilege, power and manly pseudo-attainment.

On the other hand, there's no way Hemingway could have portrayed himself, knowing full well that he would come across in certain passages like an egomaniac and a bully, without a great writer's ability to stand apart. He also explores the code of ethics within hunting -- the hunters' intense aversion to shooting females or young, or wasting meat. And his use of this English language is interesting and shot through with passion.

But having said all that: read something else. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General   2. Hemingway, Ernest, 1899-1961   3. Literary Criticism   4. Literature - Classics / Criticism   5. Literature: Classics   6. Literary Criticism & Collections / General   

Customer Reviews (4)

Substandard in almost every regard
To be sure, this field guide is better than having no field guide. If birds posed for observation, it would be a great field guide. But for the real world this guide is disorganized in text and illustrations beyond excuse. I'm not sure this is the author's fault. It may be due to the publisher cutting costs. Still, no excuse. A birder will pay a premium for a great field guide. Illustrations are jammed together on each plate with no regard to proportionate size, or to other birds on that plate. For example, kingfishers are intermixed with trogons, motmots, swallows and woodpeckers on 3 separate plates. The amazon kingfisher is on one plate; the similar green kingfisher is 2 plates later. Quick comparison is impossible. Seven trogons are together on one plate, but the elegant trogon is 2 plates later. Some woodpeckers are on each of plates 20, 21 & 22; the imperial woodpecker is on plate 45. First I cried, then I laughed.

Nice pictures, but disorganized
This book has what Peterson's "Mexican Birds" lacks: good colour pictures of (nearly) all birds of Mexico and adjacent areas and their Spanish names. However, the presentation of the pictures is a mishmash. The descriptions of the birds are not detailed but very short. It is a pity that there is no information about the behaviour of the birds, often very important for identification.

Birding in Belize
We used this book on a recent trip to Belize. It is THE book in use by local Belizian birding enthusiasts, and we only saw it for sale at one shop during our 12 day stay, so it might be hard to get once you're there. Birds of same species on different color plates slow you down, but the pictures are very good. Highly recommend taking this book with you if you plan to do any serious birdwatching. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Birds   2. Birds & Birdwatching - General   3. Birds & Birdwatching - Guides   4. Central America   5. Identification   6. Nature   7. Nature / Field Guide Books   8. Nature/Ecology   9. Ornithology   

Customer Reviews (5)

Western Philosophy is so un-Pooh-ish
If there was a ZERO star rating, I would have given it here. I became interested in this book after reading and thoroughly enjoying the "Tao of Pooh" by Benjamin Hoff. Unfortunately, I quickly found out that this is the wrong book and for good reasons. First of all I found it extremely boring and often difficult to follow. This deficiency however is merely the symptom of a much deeper problem inherent in the attempt to use Pooh out of all creatures to illustrate Western philosophy. Pooh is the epitome of an easygoing fellow, someone who doesn't take himself too seriously, and who lives each day for itself. This is almost the exact opposite of what Western philosophy has been attempting to achieve. In general, Western philosophers have taken themselves far too seriously, emphasizing logic and deduction over everything else, and were never really easygoing. It is no surprise, given this inherent contradiction, that "Pooh & the Philosophers" ended up such a disaster. I really don't know what on earth Williams was thinking in using Pooh to illustrate Western philosophy! Instead I recommend Benjamin Hoff's great duo "The Tao of Pooh" and its sequel "The Te of Piglet". This book, "Pooh and The Philosophers" is not worth anything and a waste of time.

Good concept -- but the joke gets old
This book was the primary text in a university workshop I just took on "Philosophy in Children's Literature." Being a big fan of Benjamin Hoff's "The Tao of Pooh," I approached the book with great hopes. Williams' tongue-in-cheek conceit is that the Bear of Little Brain is, in fact, the greatest philosopher that ever lived. All of western philosophy before Pooh was mere preamble and the twentieth-century existentialists were familiar with an heavily influenced by the "Great Bear."
I felt that Williams was more interested in being clever than in whatever other goal he had in mind. He presents the philosophical concepts too briefly and dismissively to be of much value. Worse, it seems he spends more space extolling the brilliant Pooh that really discussing how the (sometimes stretched past the breaking point) passages from A. A. Milne's stories relate to philosophies. Like any one-joke movie or TV series, it just got repetitive and annoying after awhile.

Clever and fun
This book is funny. The author has a great sense of humour in making his arguement. I found it enjoyable even though there are philosophers that he obviously enjoyed writing about more. As a bonus, it serves as a great indroductory "philosophy for dummies" sort of book for a beginner to the subject like me. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. (Alan Alexander),   2. 1882-1956   3. 20th century   4. Books and reading   5. Characters   6. Children   7. Children's Literature - General   8. Children's stories, English   9. Form - Parodies   10. Great Britain   11. History   12. History & Surveys - General   13. History & Surveys - Modern   14. History and criticism   15. Milne, A. A   16. Philosophy   17. Special Subjects In Literature   18. Winnie-the-Pooh   19. Winnie-the-Pooh (Fictitious character)