Book Description
AN ANCHOR BOOKS ORIGINAL

As more and more people in the West pursue yoga in its various forms, whether at traditional centers, in the high-powered atmosphere of sports clubs, or on their own, they begin to realize that far from being just another exercise routine, yoga is a discipline of the body and the mind.

The 365 meditations incluided in this book offer a way to integrate the mindfulness that yoga teaches into everyday life. Whether used in the morning to set the tone for the day, during yoga exercise itself, or at the end of the day, during evening reflection, Meditations from the Matwill support and enhance anyone’s yoga journey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Absolutely stunning
A moving and insightful daily meditation book with a clear description of the 8 limb path and insight into the yamas and niyamas. A must for anyone interested in a deeper experience of the true sense of yoga.

Life Changer
Truly changing the way I see myself and my life EVERYDAY.It is superb reading, and not just for those who practice yoga, but for those who want a better, more peaceful, more beautiful existence in this world.Outstanding book!

life on the mat
Phenomenal! Rolf Gates breadth of information and personal experience is impressive. this is an indispensable book for any serious true yogi that wants to learn about his/her own personal psyche. how we do life shows up on the yoga mat and Gates explains this concept and helps us understand how to learn about ourselves and our responses to life.

Not just another yoga book
Meditation From The Mat is a wonderful read and one of those books you will go back to for the rest of your life. Deep insights from the heart that could have only come by moving into the stillnessand returning. Rolf Gates format of breaking down the Eight limbs of yoga over the course of 365 days is totally inspiring and goes straight to the core. Many books explain the Eight fold path of yoga in academic terms but this is the only book that I have come across in which deep personal reflection has been the catylast for profound insights . If you thought yoga was only about postures(asanas) then think again and read this book, then run for your mat!!!

Excellent for Meditation
This is an excellent book for anyone doing yoga.Along with yoga practice, these meditations fulfill the spiritual and growth oriented part of the yoga traditions. ... Read more

Book Description
Features:

*7 practice tests with complete answer explanations

*Review of the general knowledge tested on the MAT, including literature, history, vocabulary, mathematics, fine arts, and more

*Strategies for answering different types of analogy questions

... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Absolute Must!!!
everything the yea-voters have said about this book is absolutely correct!i just spent a few (and I mean a few) minutes looking thru the book, and took the practice exams.my first score was 20% better than the online practice exam!the second and third time 40%!!!Can't wait 'til I spend an hour in it!!!Before this book I was on the bubble, now I'm in!!!

Kaplan's MAT is excellent!
This book contains all the information you need for passing the MAT. Sit back and enjoy the test taking tips and the subject reviews.This book is not only for the fearfull test taker but the expert as well.Excellent choice for all!!

Excellent Preparation for the MAT
Some say that the MAT is a test that you cannot "study" for. And this may be true, but only to a point. Because the MAT is so broad, you cannot possibly work to know what is on the test. The best that you can really do is prepare yourself to take the MAT with a guide like this one.

I just took the MAT earlier today and feel that I did very well. My initial reaction after the test was that the practice tests included in this book were actually more difficult than the MAT itself. I credit this book in helping me to be well prepared for the test. I know for sure that reading/using this book has helped me to achieve a higher score than what I would have gotten on my own.

Another reviewer noted some errors in the text, and here is one more: the Saffir-Simpson scale attributed in the text to earthquakes is actually used for Hurricanes.

Aside from some small inconsistencies like the one above, I do feel that this book helped tremendously in familiarizing me with what to expect on the MAT.

The book itself consists of study lists and content areas to concentrate on - and these will give you a decent amount of information that may appear on the test. But, the real leap forward (for me anyway) was in the practice tests themselves. In taking the tests you obviously get excellent practice in working with the analogies. On top of that, my own gains were found In reviewing each answer to the practice tests (even the correct ones). First, you get an idea of how well you are doing. And second, by reading each answer you get even more material related to each subject area than is included in just the study lists.

I'd highly recommend this book for MAT preparation. The cost is more than reasonable and the benefits for me have been certainly tangible.

Fast delivery
The book I ordered came very quickly and is in great condition. I was highly satisfied with my order.

Really Helps!
I just recieved my scores for the MATs and was really pleased with them. I wanted to write a glowing review for this book right away!Between the pre-tests and the study guides nothing caught me off-guard when I got to the actual exam.In fact, the only criticism, which actually worked in my favor, was that I found this book's tests more difficult (referencing more obscure knoweledge) than the acual MAT I took.I think it's a generally well-written and researched guide.The intro. is actually quite witty and entertaining, and the authors certainly appreciate the antiquated and often frustratingly broad-based knoweledge required for the MAT.It's the only guide I used and I think it really gives you all the tools you'll need for this beast of a test.Good luck!
... Read more

Book Description
The Miller Analogies Test is widely used to screen applicants to graduate level academic programs and as a placement exam for management positions in many businesses. It is a timedword-association test. This updated manual prepares applicants by presenting a diagnostic test and ten additional full-length practice exams. Self-scoring answer keys follow each test, and answer sheets for test-takers' use are located at the back of the book. Test-takers will also find approximately 1300 additional practice exam questions with answers, plus advice on solving analogy problems. This edition's updated introduction fully explains recent revisions to the MAT test, including the addition of experimental questions, many of which are included among this manual's added practice questions. Helpful brush-up check lists cover graduate level vocabulary with brief definitions, selected foreign words and phrases used in English and their meanings, and names of important persons in history, science, technology, and the arts that test-takers should recognize. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

How to Prepare for the MAT: Miller Anlalogie Test (Barron's How to Prepare for the MAT Miller Analogies Test)
This book proved to be an excellent study guide to help prepare for the MAT's. The test questions along with Historical, Literature and Grammar reviews helped me to prepare for the MAT.

MAT Book
Excellent book.Easy to use.Helps prepare to take the test.

Sternberg's book worked for me!
In early 1990, I used Sternberg's book to prepare for the Miller's Analogy Test. The most valuable part of my effort was taking all ten tests using a stop watch. In February of 1990, I took the test at Syracuse University in New York and I finished the test in just half the allowed time. My score was 98 out of a 100. I repeat that the book worked for me. It might work for you too! However, there are some caveats that I'm offering. The MAT's analogies presuppose a reasonable knowledge of our culture at some level and they cover many areas of knowledge. Unless you have years to spend boning up on them, it's a waste of time making a short term effort unless you have a photographic memory. I don't have that kind of memory and I was not a liberal arts major in college but I had enough general knowledge to cope with the test using the information provided in the test questions. When I took the exam, there were a few people in the room who spoke about their intensive test preparation. Not only did they have trouble finishing the test in the allowed time but they were clearly confused by it. The best way to prepare for the test using whatever knowledge you have is to do the practice tests with a clock. Don't dwell upon questions that trouble you. Move on and do quickly the analogies you understand. When you're done, return to the undone questions and try them again but still be wary of spending too much time on a single question. Rule one here is to actually do tests. As stock market buffs often say (ala Warren B.), rule two is not to forget rule 1. Also remember that you don't have to ace this test. A score of 66% will get you into MENSA. Finally I believe that a review of the book by Sternberg or any other prep manual is only valid if the review author has actually taken the test.

Eugene Primoff

Good tests, Sloppy Study Tips
There are two parts of this book, one entirely dissapointing, the other only slightly so.

The test prep advice is almost entirely unhelpful and unoriginal.I flagged three pages with good advice on them, but most of the advice is not worth reading.

The book does include a pretest and 10 practice tests, plus good vocab lists.The experience of taking and grading the tests in this book has definitely helped me prep for the test.However, the answer 'explanations' given after each test have virtually no explanatory power.I have had to look up explanation myself to almost every question I answered wrong.

Also there are a few typos and some plain wrong answers given as right that make it hard to have faith in this book.

I haven't taken the real test yet, and I'll update this review when I do to see if the guide was actually helpful.But I suggest buying another book with 10 practice tests, and maybe with better test prep advice.

WOW!
I used this guide exclusively to prepare for the MAT and I placed in the 99th percentile!! As a previous reveiwer stated, there isn't much evidence that I'm a genius and I haven't been a college student in many years so I have to credit this guide. I took each of the practice tests in the book and found that the questions on my MAT were very similar...no surprises, no curveballs. Don't forget to brush up on simple geometry, roman numerals, gods and godesses, negative exponents, and famous historical philosophers, scientists, etc. Good luck! ... Read more

Book Description

This is my mat! The fat cat sat on the mat. "Get off!" said the rat. But the fat cat just sat. So the rat got his bat. Then the rat got his hat. Will the rat and the bat and the hat get the fat cat off the mat?

Customer Reviews (12)

Not Quite Seuss - a review of "The Fat Cat Sat on the Mat"
If you are looking for a book in order to practice '-at' words, this is the one.The author went a bit berserk trying to fit them into a story, which is perhaps why the plot is a bit awkward.But in any case, there are lots of -at's including cat, bat, hat, vat, sat, mat, rat, fat, brat, that, flat, pat, and tat.(And I wouldn't be surprised if I have missed one or two others. )

Despite all these simple words the book has garnered an Accelerated Reading designation of 1.9.This means that the book is really geared for children who are essentially 2nd Graders.And indeed, harder words include:broom, crazy, witch, Wilma, stares, won't, closer, and stupid.

This last word along with the mom-despised 'hate' are two of the reasons I can't get all excited about this book despite the fact that my five year old son seems to think it's okay.

Other reasons include some just awkward elements such as the fact that the cat sleeps in a vat.I don't get that.And somehow after all the 'ats' it is annoying to get some rhymes like fish-and-dish, and broom-and-room.

Three Stars ::: This is an average sort of book.The artwork is unexceptional, and the story is just plain silly, but sometimes that's just the sort of thing that children like.Personally, my mom-eyes twitch every time we run across the words, brat, hate, and stupid, so this one's going back to the library and we won't be buying a copy for home.

Pam T~

Great rhyming!
It's a great book for the beginning reader.Cute story.As for the words "hates", "stupid", and "brat", I used white-out and put in my own words.I'm surprised the publisher let those words into a beginning reader book.I'm glad to see a longer (32 pages) level 1 book.

Very Disappointing
My son, who has just turned 4, has just started to learn to read.After completing his first book at school, we went and purhcased this book as it had many of the simple short words that he is learning.Given the level of the book, it never occured to me to review it first and imagine my surprise when I read "The rat hates the cat" and "You think I am stupid" and "My dear little brat".My 4 year old is aware of words like "hate" and "stupid" but he also knows that those are not kind words and they don't have a place in our house.I am returning the book and now question Harper Collin's ability to review books and give their opinion.

I agree with a previous reviewer in that the book is very rude and does not teach good behavior.I want my son to learn to read, but not at the expense of his manners!

I strongly encourage those considering this book to re-consider.There's enough rudeness and harsh words in this world without having to introduce them in a small child's book.

[...]

1 star or 5 stars? : All of the reviewers are right
Good things:
* Longer and slightly more complex story than most reading books
* Humorous plot with twists (I love how the rat is going to get a bat to get the cat off the mat and it turns out to be a flying bat as opposed to a baseball bat.)
* good rhyming
* my 4 year olds are just starting to grasp reading and this book and its many *at words was just about at their level and appealing enough that they were making an effort

Negative:
* I wish the characters were not so rude (I do think kids can distinguish between appropriate behavior and behavior that needs correcting). Giving them only model behavior is unrealistic and sometimes boring.However, in this book it will be up to you to reinforce any lessons about rudeness.
* I prefer not to have books about witches.

For me the positives outweighed the negatives enough to seriously consider buying it.

Inappropriate
This book uses words like "hate" and "stupid".These words are wholly unacceptable in a book meant for children aged pre-K to first grade. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (4)

MAT guidance and preparation
I purchased this text with CD to improve my MAT score for my Doctorate.It is helping and in the spring I will take the MAT to get (hopefully) a higher score.It is very informative and the CD works well with a Windows based operating system.

Mac users beware
One of the reasons that I was so interested in this particular book for MAT review is that it came with a CD-ROM of pracitce tests.However, what was not clear before ordering was that the CD-ROM is not compatible with Mac computers and will not work.If you use a Mac, the CD is useless to you, so keep that in mind.I was really disappoined.

Excellent book for reviewing for the MAT
I purchased this book to prepare to take the MAT so I can get admitted to graduate school.The book went above my expectations.As a result of scoring very well on the MAT, I was able to get accepted into the graduate scool of my choice.

Test Prep
I found this book very helpful while studying for the MAT. The CD with the practice test are extremely valuable when studying,and really help to get a great over view of test material.These practice test are very simular to the real MAT. If you are able to score well on these practice test then the real MAT should be no problem. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is a one-stop guide that shows you how to mat, mount and frame your photos and save time and money in the process. Helpful sidebars and clear illustrations make everything simple. 160 pages 8 1/2 x 11Softbound ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Just what I needed
This book was and is just what I needed, it covered everything I was concerned about from sizing, what to consider in colors of the mats, taking out the mystery of materials, what you need and what you don't need.From doing a simple single job to doing multiple displays.I like the author's presentation of why and what to consider when you approach a job, keeping it simple.I have another matting/framing book which I am now getting rid of as this one is covers all that I need.Unless you are a professional you will not be sorry for getting this book.

If your a beginner...
If your a beginner then I think you'll like this book.I was looking for a book that could explain color and give advice about what size a mat should be.I found it in this book.Written very clearly with many pictures or illustrations.

Adding some more body
After reading the many reviews I purchased the book.I found it worth the money I spent as it reviewed most topics with Matting, Mounting and somewhat a little short on the framing.Would have given five stars if the discussion on making the framing was a little more discussed.

I did purchase the Logan CD on making your own picture frames, promptly returned it as there was more in the book on making picture frames.

Excellent book: my top pick
I have been doing amateur framing for about seven years, and have read a lot of framing books.This book is (easily and definitely) my pick as the best book for beginning (and more experienced) amateur picture framers.What I liked about the book: * lots of helpful colourful photos; * easy to read text: * shows that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get into this hobby / profession and produce excellent results; * covers many useful topics without getting into the more advanced, more complex topics (e.g., gesso); * at the end of each section, the author summarizes the important points.The best thing I like about this book is that the author provides many rules-of-thumb; for example, how much of a border should there be around a piece of art work; how wide should be the frame; how deep should be the rabbet; what colours are best given the colour of the artwork; etc.It is also nice to know that most of the things I taught myself (the hard way) are "correct"! With this book, I now understand why I am doing it right!

The book is not perfect. For example (as one reviewer mentioned) the whole topic of making your own frames is virtually ignored. The discussion of equipment related to the frames themselves (e.g., clamps, etc.)is also almost non-existent. Since I have been involved in picture framing for some time (but nothing too complex), I found the coverage of some topics rather, well, silly (e.g., how to read a ruler) and also disagreed with a few of the book's statements. This is to be expected; we all approach the topic differently, and as the author states, framing is a combination of art and science.

Nevertheless, this book is my first pick for learning the important aspects of picture framing.

About Mat, Mount and Frame It Yourself
I have been looking for a good book on this subject for some time and was not impressed with what was available. This book gives good information on on each of the topics (Matting, Mounting, Framing) and is quite easy to follow. Good information on selecting Mat colours for single and double mats and some Mat decoration ideas. In all a very good guide to the subject and some very useful tips to help you produce a professional result. ... Read more

Book Description
The MAT covers areas as diverse as history, mathematics, science, anagrams, and literature.We don’t try to teach you everything there is to know about these subjects–only what you’ll need to know to score higher on the MAT.There’s a big difference.In Cracking the MAT, 3rd Edition, we’ll teach you how to think like the test makers and

·Use Process of Elimination and our three-pass system to attach test questions
·Improve your score by focusing on the material most likely to appear on the test
·Build your knowledge with study lists for each area tested
·Practice your test taking skills on our comprehensive sample tests

This book includes 7 full-length practice MAT exams. All of our practice test questions are just like the ones you’ll see on the actual MAT, and we fully explain every solution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

All errors have been fixed, really helped me out
I bought this book in 8/05 (3rd edition) and all the errors indicated in the other reviews were fixed. I really think amazon.com should remove them. I scared me after I had bought it, and paid 20$ for it, that it would be riddled with mistakes.

It was divided up really well and had great time management solutions. The MAT is 60 mins with 20 "test" questions that do not count, of course you do not know which those are. The guides on culture and geography helped me the most! DO not be scared to buy this guide, it was worth it...

Disappointment with MAT Study Guide
Like most college students, one tries to get the best prices they can when purchasing study guides.I went with the Princeton Review name on this book and I was extrememly disappointed.I found errors in the practice tests such as numbering errors.I was very disappointed when after reading the book from the front to the back and back to the front none of the material the author told me to study was on the exam!Not one question relating to the information in the MAT Study Guide was relevant to the exam itself.I would never buy a Princeton Review Guide by this author or company again!

Clear, Concise and Replete with Errors
The strengths of this book include clear and succinct reviews of test-taking strategies specific to the MAT and of many domains ofgeneral information (e.g. art, music, literature, mythology) tapped by the test.Quizzes that accompany each section have helped me to reinforce thematerial covered.

Unfortunately, the book is so replete with erroneousinformation, that I've starting to question the credibility of the companythat published it. Just a few examples:

P. 85"Alexander Hamilton:First head of the U.S. Treasury, his face is on the twenty dollarbill."

[If you believe that, I'll give you aHamilton for every Jackson you give me.]

P. 97"Veins: The tubesthat carry blood to theheart, the most major of which is the jugular vein, in your neck."

[Good thing you're nottaking the MCAT. In actuality, the internal jugular veins, of which there are two, join the subclavianveins to form thebrachiocephalic veins,and the two brachiocephalic veins join toform the superior portion of the vena cava, which is the"most major" vein,bringing blood directly to the right atrium of the heart.]

P. 107 "Richter Scale: A logarithmicscale, from0 to 8, that measures the magnitude of tremors, earthquakes ..."

[Perhaps the 1964 earthquake inAnchorage,Alaska was not really 8.4 on the Richter Scale,as reported, but of too great amagnitude to be measured.]

Theanalogies included in the practice tests are also of very poor quality, andin a number of cases the analogy clearly has more than one answer. Forexample:

P. 109-110 Analogy: 7 : 5 :: 17 : (a. 16, b. 15, c. 14, d. 13) Answer: "(b) Seven plus 10 is 17, and 5 plus 10 is 15."

[Andhere I thought 7, 5, 17 and 13 might all be prime numbers]

P. 118-119 Analogy: (a. pans, b. plants, c. grows, d. trats) : START :: POTS : STOPAnswer:"(d) Stop is pots reversed, and the same is true of start andtrats. Pans are not the opposite of pots if that's the one you chose; thinkabout it---they are the same things, just variations"

[I did thinkabout it. I thought that pots were deep containers and pans were shallowcontainers of earthenware, metal, etc, used for domestic purposes. Each ofthe dictionaries that I consulted corroborated my bold supposition. Onfurther thought, I realized that anyone preparing to take the MAT whobelieves that "variation" is synonymous with "same," asimplied by the author, may be in for a rude awakening when their scorereport arrives. After all, the MAT is an analogy test. This is why Idecided to write a review.]

Regarding preparation for the MAT, there is aLatin expression that may be important to know:

Caveat Emptor!! (let thebuyer beware)

Good study guides, but there are errors in the answer keys!
This book consists of sections where they tell you how to figure out the questions and how to "out think" the test writers.This part was informative, but if you've ever taken any kind of standardized test before, this is all second nature.The part I found the most useful was the actual "study guides".They had a vocab section with words and definitions, a science where they went over the major information on the MAT, a culture section, where they reviewed famous authors, artists, etc (the most useful to me, since I didn't know any of that stuff!!).I took a practice test before I did the little review sections, and the tests after I studied the review sections showed huge improvements in my score.However, **BE CAREFUL WITH THE ANSWER KEY!THERE ARE ERRORS!**I've found several so far, am I'm not done with the book yet!!!However, they're fairly easy to spot, if you use common sense. If you sincerely doubt an answer's validity, look it up.I found the correct answers elsewhere in the book.

Errors in the factual information presented
As I choose this text I based my selection on name recognition, writing style, and the ability to use practice tests. I have been sorely dissapointed in the factual errors that I have found. In the practice test one, question 62, zero degrees Kelvin is not equal to -763 degrees Celsius. In practice test two question 26 is written incorrectly. Questions 21 and 38 have blatantly wrong answers. After paying a premium of twenty dollars (all of the other test-prep books were significantly cheaper) I am outraged over the errors I have identified and petrified by the thought that I may have been exposed to other falsehoods and misconceptions that I have not identified and will ultimately skew my test score.
I expect you to remedy this situation. I expect to hear from you within the next few days. As it stands now I feel that I should forward this message to several Boston columnists who will have a field day with it ... Read more

Book Description
Muck?! Uck! YUCK! Is it just bad luckwhen the truck of a duckgets stuck in the muck? Nine silly rhymes,and a pig that slimes,from a writer voted BESTby The New York Times! WARNING:This book may self-destruct if used to teach a lesson. '...The rat chased the cat.The rat chased the cat with the baseball bat.Around and aroundand around the matthe rat chased the cat with the baseball bat, until...KERSPLAT!Never again did that cat chase the rat-the cat was much too flat for that.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Clever Fat Cat is a Charmer!
My 2 year old daughter loves this book!She has memorized it and can "read" it to herself!Fat Cat finds himself in a tree and becomes responsible for the eggs in a birds' nest.Fat Cat's friends want him to play but he declines as he is helping the little birdies hatch from the eggs.It teaches a a very timely lesson of accepting responsibility for your actions.This is not a lift-a-flap book, however there are 2 pages that unfold to advance the story.My daughter loves to open those pages.Also, with its big print and simple text, it is a great book for children who are just learning how to read. ... Read more

Book Description
"AI Techniques for Game Programming" takes the difficult topics of genetic algorithms and neural networks and explains them in plain English. Gone are the tortuous mathematic equations and abstract examples to be found in other books. Each chapter takes you through the theory a step at a time, explaining clearly how you can incorporate each technique into your own games. After a whirlwind tour of Windows programming, you will learn how to use genetic algorithms for optimization, path-finding, and evolving control sequences for your game agents. Coverage of neural network basics quickly advances to evolving neural motion controllers for your game agents and applying neural networks to obstacle avoidance and map exploration. Backpropagation and pattern recognition is also explained. By the time you're done, you'll know how to train a network to recognize mouse gestures and how to use state-of-the-art techniques for creating neural networks with dynamic topologies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Must have!!!
As mentioned above, this is THE book for AI. It uses plain language and explains different topics using real life examples. If you need/want to learn AI programming, this should be the first book of your collection.

really good intro book for neural nets and GAs
Although other reviewers have already pointed out everything positive about this book, I felt I also had to praise it because it's so good. It's a great introduction to neural networks and genetic algorithms. By the way the author should be congratulated for his "never include any code that you don't throughly explain" philosophy. Although it's over 400 pages because of this philosophy, you can skim/skip around 150 of them if you know some win32 programming and basic high school math/physics. The book is so concise and easy to understand that I went through it in a night and came up having a firm idea about the subject. There are also a lot of good ideas to try out throughout the book(i.e. tinkering with the source included etc.)

To put it shortly, this is a great book, it's really worth the money you spend on it.

definitely easy
You know when a subject is finally becoming stable when simple books like this come out and explain in layman's terms.

Perfect book for the AI newbie, don't miss it!
This book is a little jewel hidden in the usually trashy prima press
game development series.. it gives a great, clear, non-formal introduction to genetic algorithms and neural networks in the context of game programming.. and gives you example code in good C++ (brainy aliens storming towards you, a genetic algorithm controlled lunar lander.. tanks that move around avoiding obstacles....) that actually works and is simple enough to be understandable for a newbie. The writing style is lively but not annoying. I recommend this title to anyone who has an interest for the fun side of programming....

Buckland DE-jargonises the field of AI
This book IS my Masters thesis. I built a multi layered combative system driven wholly by neural networks evolved using genetic algorithms. The learning of agents was unsupervised and they existed collaboratively and adversarily. If all of this made no sense, dont worry! Read this book and it will.
The book covers these techniques (except for multi layered architectures) to a level understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of C++. It totally demystifies NNs and GAs. Other books on these subjects actually put you off the entire concepts of AI by feeding you fear and confusion.
I have completed the book and have read it numerous times. It is going to be invaluable for my development of PHd stuff - his writing introduces areas for potential research.
Im would definately buy other books from this author. I hope he covers other areas of AI soon and puts 'em into print.
Be jaysus, tis mighty I tell ya!!! ... Read more

Product Description
The biographies of 34 of the greatest amateur wrestlers in American history, including legendary champions Dan Hodge, Dan Gable, Rulon Gardner, Cael Sanderson, John Smith, Tom Brands, Bruce Baumgartner, Doug Blubaugh, Ed & Lou Banach, Steve Frasier, Ben & John Peterson and many more.Many great photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Legends of the Mat
For anyone who follows the great sport of wrestling, this book helps you appreciate the talents of many a hero in the sport. It is fast paced and filled with interesting background stories of each wrestler. A must for the true wrestling fan. ... Read more

Book Description
The King of Voodoo has a long history, but where did it all begin?Reaching back to the beginnings of American slavery, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite follows the story of the curse that made Midnite immortal, from its origin in 1712 through the New York Slave Insurrection of 1741 and into the present day, where he continues to pay the price for his original sin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Likable, as usual.
Mat Johnson, John Constantine, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite (Vertigo, 2006)

Mike Carey wanders off (for a while? for good?) and Mat Johnson pops up to take a minor Hellblazer story arc that gives us the history of Papa Midnite, one of John's oldest and most popular adversaries. (Don't worry, though; the story arc that made its debut in Carey's celebrated issues of the comic does briefly rear its head here, as John tries to recruit Midnite into his save-the-world-he-can't-remember gig.) How much you're going to like this depends pretty much solely on how much you like Midnite himself; Johnson capably fills Carey's shoes as far as any storytelling, pacing, or stylistic comparisons go. Me, I was perfectly happy with it-- a worthy addition to the series. ****

Interesting Hellblazer spin-off
Of all the various supporting characters that populate the Hellblazer world, none has been as interesting as John Constantine's long time nemesis/occasional ally Papa Midnite.An immortal master of voodoo and a kingpin of crime, Papa Midnite's origin is revealed in this mini-series as writer Mat Johnson traces Midnite's origin to the 1700's as he becomes damned for all time when he makes a dire double cross.I don't want to reveal too much, because the origin itself and story are better left read when not knowing many of the details, but it's needless to say that Johnson writes an interesting and absorbing take on the character.Constantine himself makes an appearance and an ancestor of his does as well, although this is the only point of the TPB that feels forced to me, like because it's a Hellblazer spin-off, Constantine has to appear in some sort of form or another.Despite that, the story packs a punch, even though it loses steam as it comes to it's conclusion, but the art by Tony Atkins and Dan Green are solid enough to hold your interest.All in all, for long time Hellblazer fans, this spin-off is worth your time.

THE CURSE OF PAPA MIDNITE
Hellblazer: Papa Midnite collects the five issue mini-series into trade paperback format featuring the sometimes ally, sometimes adversary of John Constantine.The book relates the origin of the Voodoo master and crime lord as well as his curse of immortality.Midnite is visited by the spirit who is the son of a 18th century slave named Cuffee.The story moves back and forth from present day to early 1700's New York when the young Midnite and his sister were still children yet already he was knowledgeable in the dark arts of Africa, if not entirely wise in their use.The slave Cuffee is planning a revolt against their "pink-skinned" masters and comes to Midnite to buy guns.Midnite tricks the man with a parlor trick into believing he has a magic powder than can repel bullets.This of course leads to tragedy as the rebellious slaves challenge their masters, falsely believing they are protected.As revenge, Cuffee forces Midnite to kill his own sister as the rest of the slaves commit mass suicide in a powerful blood sacrifice to curse Midnite.He is doomed to live forever until he can lead his people to control of the city.The only survivor of the suicide is the infant son of Cuffee named Fortune, who is now the spirit that haunts midnite.

Several decades later, Fortune is now an adult slave and Midnite is now even more versed in the native arts and calls upon the Trickster God named Anansi (who arrives in the form of a giant and rather deranged looking rabbit) to assist his people in yet another revolt against their slave masters.John Constantine makes only a brief appearance in the story but one of his ancestors from the 1700's takes a central role as a tavern owner who tries to help the slaves.

Writer Mat Johnson based the events in his story on actual slave uprisings in New York in 1712 and 1741.In fact even the notion of a power to protect against bullets is supposed to be factual.The story humanizes Midnite and turns what had been a pretty stereotypical character into one of real depth with human emotions, ambitions and failings.Now, almost 300 years later Midnite is confronted with these specters of the past and realizes that he's spent his many years doing nothing to forward the cause of his people.Mat Johnson, who himself is black, seems to be taking aim at certain public figures in the black community who themselves have been criticized for not being more socially conscious.Johnson makes no attempt to tone down the subject matter.Slaves are shown being beaten, sexually assaulted, hung, and burned alive.Perhaps most damning is their being treated as mere property...and investment...as opposed to a living, free-thinking person.

About the only downside is that in the end there isn't much of a payoff for Midnite.He's confronted with his sins of the past but there doesn't seem to be much remorse on his part, and certainly no resolution to try to mend things.The story ends quite abruptly and I felt as though I had perhaps missed something.

Reviewed by Tim Janson




... Read more

Product Description
Finally, a complete manual for Pilates Mat exercises by internationally renowned Pilates expert Ellie Herman. This guide is meant for Pilates Instructors and fitness professionals as well as Pilates aficionados who want a deeper understanding of their own practice. This book takes you through the classic Pilates Mat repertoire and introduces original exercises developed by Ellie Herman and her instructors over the last fifteen years. Included in the book are: step by step photo sequences, detailed description of over 80 Pilates Mat exercises, proper breathing and specific alignment cues, thumbnail cheat sheets, benefits and contraindications, rehabilitation applications, special tips and imagery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Amusing Asian bawdy
Our hero, the Before Midnight Scholar, starts life as a serious student and novitiate monk. Someone convinces him that he should sample the worldly pleasures if he is to renounce them with full knowledge, ...

BMS starts by claiming a beautiful, cloistered young woman from her overbearing father. Despite initial difficulty, he shows her the pleasure of the marriage bed. At first barely dutiful, she becomes a very avid player. He dumps her unceremoniously at that point, and sets out to plant his flag, so to speak, in as many other lands as he can.

Early on, though, he discovers that his flagpole is more of a toothpick than mighty staff, and any woman with any experience would laugh him out of the boudoir. Only naivete allowed his first wife to enjoy so tiny a morsel of masculinity, when others would surely want more of a meal. That problem is cured by a traveling medicine man, whose descendants today flood the internet with the word 'BIGGER!' After a final fling with his catamite, he undergoes the surgery and begins a three-year debauch. He works his way through various seductions up to foursomes with a family of lovely ladies.

Despite his BIGGER features, one wonders what a modern woman would see in his technique. His idea of foreplay seems to consist of the words "open up." Perhaps fortunately, the women (the prayer mats on whom he devotionally prostrated himself) seemed not to know any better either.

The end of the book takes on a properly moralistic tone, where all his evils come to roost - largely on the people around him. That poor first wife, more wronged than wrong herself, is driven to suicide. His twin daughters mysteriously die. He mutilates himself, turning BIGGER into 'gone.' A final chapter takes pains to explain how necessary the steamy details were in creating the context of heaven's retribution. I suppose they had to do something to get it past the censors.

If you ignore everything after about p.300, it's a fine bit of bawdy. Written in 17th century China, it's a good companion to Japanese works by Saikaku, roughly a contemporary. The Prayer Mat's euphemisms get a bit dense at times - does anyone really call a lady's sex toy "Little Jack Horner?" Perhaps those inelegant renderings were why this translator chose anonymity. Still, it an interesting look at that era of China, and an interesting look under their sheets.

//wiredweird

A "classic" that is sexy and fun to read!
This is a review of The Carnal Prayer Mat by the seventeenth-century Chinese author Li Yu, in the translation by Patrick Hanan.(In Chinese, family names are written first, so the author's surname is "Li.")

This book is a classic that is sexy, witty, fast-paced and fun to read even if you don't like "classics."It also has interesting philosophical aspects that raise it above the level of simply an entertaining read.Some of these philosophical points are raised in the "Critique" sections that come at the end of every chapter (probably written by a friend of Li Yu's).You should be warned that this IS an erotic novel.It is not any more graphic than lots of popular novels today, but if you are offended by explicit sexual discussions, you should not read it.

The novel's main character is Vesperus, an extremely talented scholar who has two ambitions in life: "to be the most brilliant poet in the world" and "to marry the most beautiful girl in the world" (p. 24). Vesperus is warned by the Buddhist monk Lone Peak that this second quest will lead him to numerous wicked acts.Because he wants only the most beautiful woman, he will never be satisfied with any woman he marries, and will even commit adultery with other married women if they seem more beautiful to him.And because of the law of karmic retribution, Vesperus will be punished, either in this life or the next, for his evil deeds.Vesperus scoffs at this admonition, so Lone Peak advises, "gain your enlightenment on the carnal prayer mat; then you'll discover the truth" (p. 30).

What makes this novel so philosophically interesting is that we're never sure quite what perspective the novel takes on all this.At a surface level, the novel is a straightforward moral tale. In an introductory chapter, Li Yu tells us that he wants to teach people that a moderate amount of sex within marriage is good, but that excessive sex or sex outside of marriage is dangerous.He claims that his explicit sexual descriptions "are all designed to lure people into reading on until they reach the denouement, at which point they will understand the meaning of retribution and take heed" (p. 11).And, indeed, the life of Vesperus does follow a path that suggests such a message.

However, there is much in the text that is potentially subversive.For example, Vesperus learns, to his surprise, that he is very poorly endowed compared to most men.Li Yu describes this as an opportunity for him to curb his inappropriate lust, comparing him to two Confucian sages noted for their sexual restraint:"Who knows, perhaps Lu Nanzi, who shut his door against an importunate widow, and Liuxia Hui, who kept his self-control with a girl on his knee, may have shared these very thoughts of his, thoughts that may have made them the leading paragons of all time" (pp. 105-106).Chinese thinkers were sophisticated enough to realize that virtue requires appropriate motivation, and that fear of sexual inadequacy is not a virtuous motivation for sexual restraint.

In addition, Li Yu advises us, "Clearly it is wrong to study the bedroom art, for once learned, it tends to corrupt our thinking" (p. 117).But this novel itself is, in part, a treatise on "the bedroom art." There are learned disquisitions on the proper use of pillows in positioning a woman's body (p. 151 ff.), on the advantages of plumper women over skinnier ones in bed (p. 253 ff.), and on the importance of women taking an active role during intercourse, as by "Lowering the Yin to Join the Yang" (i.e., female superior position; p. 280 ff.).

The novel also makes extensive plays on the Confucian classics in ways that sometimes suggest subversive irreverence. Many of these references are to the ancient Confucian Mengzi (also known as Mencius).In fact, Li Yu explicitly compares himself to Mencius (pp. 9-11), who avoided taking an overly puritanical tone with a ruler fond of sex, in order to more successfully direct him toward benevolent government. (See Philip J. Ivanhoe and Bryan W. Van Norden, eds. Readings in Classical Chinese Philosophy, reprint [Indianapolis:Hackett Publishing, 2003], p. 120.) The learned translator, Patrick Hanan, catches many such references, but I suspect that he misses a few. For instance, Vesperus's wife reads some erotic novels, and notices that the men in the stories are described as being much better endowed than her husband.She is not sure what to make of this, since she has never been with another man.She concludes, "Better to have no books at all then to believe everything you read" (p. 207).Hanan puts this in quotation marks, so he recognizes that it is a quotation from something.In fact, it is probably from Mencius 7B3, in which he comments on the Book of History.Drawing this parallel hints that the Confucian classic, the Book of History, is on a level ethically and intellectually with popular erotica (such as The Carnal Prayer Mat itself).

But a simple subversive reading seems inadequate too.The eventual downfall of Vesperus and those whom he entangles in his web is artfully complex, but it does not seem contrived or implausible.In a truly great novel, the author does not try to force the characters to illustrate any particular moral.He creates them and lets them do what they must do, given who they are and the situations they are in.Great novels are ethically complex because life is ethically complex.The Carnal Prayer Mat achieves this kind of greatness, but for that reason it defies easy ethical summation.

Beware of wrong Ingram description
Please note that the Ingram description shown above is for a different book.The Carnal Prayer Mat is about a lecherous Chinese scholar, not the memoirs of some Viennese schoolteacher.

classic Chinese erotica
This is a bona fide world classic in literature.It stands as a classic both in erotica and pure (if such a thing exists) literature.This fable follows the sexual exploits of Scholar Vesperus who learns to find wisdomon the Carnal Prayer Mat so to speak.He refuses to learn spiritual wisdomthrough earnest prayer and hence learns his lessons the hard way. (pun notintended)He has his many affairs and shamelessly cheats on his wife.Heeven becomes a bigamist with a second wife in another town.The trickeryinvolved is hysterical.It is reminiscent of The DeCameron of Boccaccio inthe sneakiness of the characters.The humor is also a fabulous trait. Honest Quan gaining revenge is the moralistic turn.The Golden Rule wasnever so funny.Vesperus steals Honest Quans wife so Honest Quan debauchesVesperus wife.Li Yu strikes a moralistic posture in telling this tale butone can not help but feel that he had a smashing good time writing thisbook.Each chapter ends with a moral to the action.It merely adds to thehumor.One can not help but feel that Li Yu is yanking the readers chain. The names for sexual positions and the numerous jokes on penis size areexquisite.He is having too much fun with the story.The reader also ishaving too much fun to be preoccuppied with the morals of each chapter.Ofcourse, Vesperus does ultimately come to wisdom in the end.We should begrateful that he did learn the hard way.It was a lot more entertainingfor us.This book will really dispell a lot of Western prejudices thathold the Chinese to be demure and asexual.(Well, there are over a billionpeople in China so they must know something about sex, but I wont gothere.)I suggest this book to anyone interested in erotica and to anyonesmallminded enough to doubt the wonderful sensuality and sexuality ofclassic Chinese literature.

A classic and a hoot, too!
The best thing about THE CARNAL PRAYER MAT is not just that it's sexually adventurous -- it's that it's one of the FUNNIEST, craziest works of its kind. There are moments that are strikingly sophisticated and"modern", followed up by sexual antics that are as outrageous asanything in a Franz von Bayros print. Hong Kong's movie industry took thehint and has put out a series of (very) loose film adaptations (SEX ANDZEN, I-III), but the book remains forever tongue-in-cheekishly brilliant. Agreat choice for people who are getting fed up with acres of drippinglysolemn Anne Rice-derived nonsense. ... Read more

Book Description
“Over an extraordinary thirty year history, Kripalu Center has been a pioneer in combining authentic yoga with a contemporary Western lifestyle.” —John Abbott, President, Yoga Journal

From the senior teachers of the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health–the largest yoga and retreat center in North America–comes this comprehensive guide to the unique and influential Kripalu method, which emphasizes individual growth over outward perfection of form, making it accessible to people of all ages, fitness levels, and body types.

KRIPALU YOGA
A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat

Beginning with step-by-step “experiences” that teach essential body and breath awareness, Kripalu Yoga features fully illustrated routines for beginners and intermediate students , including Kripalu’s easy-to-follow “press point” instructions. For advanced students, there is a broad menu of additional poses to increase strength, flexibility, and challenge.

Far more than an exercise program, Kripalu Yoga also teaches the lifestyle practices and energy techniques that make yoga a powerful catalyst for physical healing, psychological growth, and spiritual awakening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Practical
This is a practical guide for new and seasoned Yogis. It includes the basics for breathing, meditation, and even provides two home practice flows along with a template for adding variety. There are inspirational personal experiences, step by step asanas, and much more for all ages and Yogi levels. My new copy has become my personal Yoga guide and has inspired me to develop a home practice which I began after buying the book 8 weeks ago. Now I practice daily.

This is the yoga method your looking for .......
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to practice yoga while attending college in the 70's; I never forgot leaving that hour and a half usually feeling the best I ever felt. Yes, it was a physical experience, but witout explaination or introduction, it went beyond the physical.Just recently (age 59), I decided to get reacquainted with the practice.

As I studied and searched, I came into contact with Stephen Copes fantastic book "Yoga and the Quest for the True Self".This fantastic book led me to learn about and come to understand the Kripalu yoga method [ yes folks there is much more than just the hatha yoga we all seem to come into contact with]; this great practice is a combination of the physical hatha yoga and meditation.Please don't be overwhelmed; it's, in my book, the perfect combination.

As one who finds himself progressing on a daily basis, I highly recommend these two books.I suggest the reader, searcher, learner to explore a basic hatha yoga book or experience while reading "Kripalu Yoga" and branching out to Stephen Copes book for the "icing on the cake".

Stephen Cope, by the way, is one of the Senior teachers at the Kripalu Yoga Center.

I'm pleased to make this discovery myself and even happier to share my experience.

Namaste ........

Comprehensive Kripalu Yoga Book and Awesome Too!
As a Kripalu Yoga Teacher I had been waiting for a book that summarizes yet comprehensively explains the Kripalu Yoga tradition. Without minimizing the asana practice the book manages to cover the essence of Kripalu Yoga and taking the practice off the mat to encourage a healthy and spiritually rich lifestyle. I must mention that Kripalu Yoga is accessible to people of all ages and levels of practice. It can be as gentle or rigorous a physical practice as one wants it to be but it can also be as spiritual a practice as one wants it to be. This is the beauty of Kripalu Yoga and the book, Kripalu Yoga, makes this abundantly clear.

Highly Recommend
Along with affirming the other reviews on this book, I would like to add that I have recently begun teaching yoga and have found this book to be an excellent tool for developing my class formats and information sharing.There is a wealth of information, presented in clearly stated, understandable and comprehensive text, that I can quickly commit to memory to share with my students, or jot down in an outline to reference during class instruction.Having purchased and read volumes of books on yoga, this is the first I have come across that has been helpful in that regard.Kripalu is a beautiful form of yoga that brings the true essence of the practice to life.

outstanding

This book was so informative really explaining Kripalu Yoga. It explained yoga in such a simple way, that made it easy to understand the concept. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (34)

Inspirational and joyful
Kimberly's book is such a pleasure to read, as it sparkles with such creativity and joie-de-vivre.I always feel better- more centered, and more inspired- after dipping into her book.Like an adventure guide leading a group into magical, new territory, Kimberly has a wonderful way of inspiring her readers (and yoga students) to blossom and grow into living their best life. Through nurturing prose, humor, and inspiring tips, Hip Tranquil Chick gently encourages the reader to tap into her inner well-spring of abundance, strength, and creativity.The result is one fabulous, inspirational read! :-)

Treat Yourself to a Lifestyle Awakening
Hip Tranquil Chick is the modern woman's literary tool-belt, equipping readers with a flashlight to see the path ahead clearly, a hammer to nail down intensions, and a tape measure to gauge true passions.Read this book cover to cover and you will be empowered to create a lifestyle culture all your own.I especially enjoyed Ch. 4: Visionary Value, where you learn how to focus your todays in an effort to enhance what you derive from your tomorrows, and Ch. 7: Refined Relations, which gave me the confidence to start my own special interest club and keep like-minded friends nearby and potentially meet others too.I hope there's a sequel.

Substantial, informative, fun, and fabulous!
A girly girl who's always been an avid fan of chick lit, the pretty pink and leopard print embellished cover of "Hip Tranquil Chick" immediately caught my eye.But don't be fooled by the cover, inside this incredible book you will find great inspiration and information.I highly recommend it to girls and women of all ages.This book literally changed the path of my life and further inspired me to visit Kimberly Wilson's blog (www.hiptranquilchick.com) and listen to her podcast on iTunes.I was lucky enough to meet her in person on a recent trip to D.C., and she's every bit as genuine as she seems in her book and on her podcast.For yogis old and new, for any girl or woman searching for self-empowerment and inspiration, this book is a jewel.

Good book, great for someone new to yoga
This was a great book minus the yoga on the mat part unless you're new to yoga.

An Outstanding Book which balances ancient yoga wisdom & chic, fun lifestyle for modern women
It isn't always easy being a woman is this era. Let's face it - we want it ALL: a healthy balanced lifestyle, time for ourselves, the peaceful feeling of doing yoga, a generous flow to others, plenty of money to do what we want...need I say more?Kimberly combines her huge heart with smart business sense and provides us with insight into how to create a balanced life - and have it ALL. I think my favorite aspect about this book is that the author recognizes that we are dual-natured beings, and yes I do want to know about doing my best tree-pose, and have the coolest shoes on the planet.You will find inspiration within these pages in a fresh, open authentic way. The "Get Your Yoga On" CD is also combines perfectly with this book - for yourself or for gifts. ... Read more

Book Description
The cat sat on the mat. Who else sat on the mat? I bet you don't know that. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Cat on the Mat Teaches Kids About Words
This book is for the beginning reader.It shows that words have patterns and in this book the text is well supported by the pictures.Children learning how to read should read this book because it has excellent meaningful, structural and visual cues.I highly recommend this book for children who are learning how words work. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (30)

promising debut by gifted writer
Mat Johnson's debut novel, Drop was one of the
most insightful and thought-provoking novels
I have read in a long time.

Chris is a native Philadelphian, who longs to
escape from the city that he rightfully loathes.
After accepting a job in London, he moves
there and undegoes an eye-opening awakening.
Loneliness, the struggles of being black in a
foreign country, and cross-cultural dating are
some of the daunting tasks that Chris faces with
hilarious results thanks to Johnson's razor-sharp
wit and brilliant view of various human perceptions.

I truly loved the first half of the book but unfortunately,
the second half of the book was flat and seemed like
the author was rushing to finish.Curiously, Johnson
went to great lengths to perfect the beginning but
the book basically falls apart at the end.Still, compared
to a lot of other so-called black writers, Johnson is
better than most.He has an eye for detail, and
characterization.Johnson shows promise as a writer, and
I am looking forward to reading future works of his.

excellent for the travelling spirit
I loved this book. The cover caught my eye in the bookstore. Truly, I had given up on some novels that have the same charachters and drama over and over again. But this book was absolutely different. Finally a protagonist with substance. Charachters that have travelled outside of the United States and can see some things that I saw and breathe some new air into literature. Someone with some real life issues, characters that I couldn't predict. I really got into this book in part 2. At one point it was hilarious and I found myself cracking up. The author is very poetic. I just finished this book last night at 1 am. It was too good to put off finishing it for another day. I am looking forward to buying his next book that is already out. Finally, I am back to reading novels again and it feels good.
Loved it.
Jenine Scott-Sanchez

entirely moves and motivates the reader to savor life!!!
The book was overlooked in the bookshop. I'm very glad that I found it and have met Chris Jones. Through him I realized that we have our own essence although it varies entirely. First, i thought Jones was abominably ambitious but then I found out that he's a big winner for that. Mat Johnson's book helped me to improve myself, examine my goals and evaluate my abilities - to determine my limitations and overcome them, to prove that an average dreamer who dreams lavishly and works for it wholeheartedly will achieve extraordinary things. The book cost me only 30 pesos (Philippine currency) that's why i am so guilty for having a book more expensive than the wealth the world could offer! The novel also taught meto love my country because no matter how distraughting our economical status is, still i am a daughter who seeks to improve myself and move the world. i believe mat johnson is a god... Thanks, mat!

The Essence is in the Drop
It is hard to call DROP a coming-of-age story considering the protagonist, Chris Jones, is a thirty-one year old college graduate, but because of this character's growth and evolution, it still qualifies.Chris has graduated from a third rate Pennsylvania state college and finds himself woefully unemployed and grappling for survival in a West Philly ghetto.He lives in constant fear of the "pop, pop, pop" of gunfire outside his window at all times of the day and night.He feels as if he is merely marking time, waiting for his life to come to a tragic end right where it started.That is, until he meets David.

David owns a tiny advertising agency in London and hires Chris.Chris' new life takes on a very hip and glamorous trend as he maneuvers through the very black and urban, yet bourgeois, neighborhoods of South London.He even manages to find a very elegant and beautiful Nigerian girlfriend.Life is good until a twist of fate threatens it all.

DROP is Johnson's debut novel and showcases his extraordinary talent.His writing is inventive and darkly funny, yet so lyrical and eloquent in quality you will want to read passages aloud.Reminiscent of Wright and Baldwin, Johnson's writing is deeply layered and textured, but by no means old-fashioned.He is a writer for this millennium.

Reviewed by Kim Anderson Ray
of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

Clever debut!
While "Drop" was a little shaky in some areas, I think that Mat Johnson's debut was clever, fresh, innovative and intriguing. Reviewer, Marcelle Washington, I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding t