Thank you by your work.

I would like have all videos of ABBA in DVD.

I'll wait news.

At last an ultimate book, tastefully put together with great text and lucious pictures. Every ABBA fans dream.

"From ABBA To Mamma Mia" may be a little bit expensive but this book is definitely worth its money. The pictures were taken by longtime ABBA- friend Anders Hanser and the story was written by Carl Magnus Palm who is also responsible for "The Complete Recording Sessions". And this is a big plus because in this book you don't read the usual gossip about catfights and nervous breakdowns- instead you get solid information about the work of ABBA, their story and who they really are. Anders Hanser was as close to the group as a photographer can possibly be and therefore there are many pictures that show ABBA behind the scenes, without make- up or even at private parties.

What ought to be of interest to an ABBA fan is that the photos in this book are quite revealing. How often was it pointed out that Agnetha and Frida did not get on very well- but the pictures printed here tell a different story. You see the two women embracing each other and smiling happily into the camera, you see them backstage before the "Dick Cavett meets ABBA"-show helping each other with their clothes, their make-up, hugging each other. There are also photos from Stig Andersons 50th birthday party with Agnetha and Frida as part of a ladies choir- and dancing next to Agnetha is no one else but Lena Kallersjö, Björn's second wife. So one gets to learn that even those two didn't hate each other.And that is the wonderful thing about this book- by looking at the pictures you realize how many of those speculations during ABBA's heyday were false and untrue.

The quality of "From ABBA To Mamma Mia" is quite astonishing. The lay-out is perfect, with the four letters on the cover printed in silver and the pictures are simply beautiful. You want to look at them again and again because you see snapshots from a video-shooting that you have never seen before or photos from recording sessions that were never published.

Another big plus is the fact that Anders Hanser even took photos during the "solo-years". He took many pictures of Frida's two recording sessions for "Something's Going On" and "Shine" and photographed Agnetha during recording sessions for "WRap Your Arms Around Me".

One small (in fact, very small) disappointment is the fact that Anders Hanser got to know the group as late as in 1977- so therefore there are no photos of ABBA from former years. The first photos by Hanser were taken during the recording sessions for "Chiquitita". But considering all the information you get from this book you easily forget that you'll find nothing here about the years 1972-1976.

I think this is one of the best books that were ever written about ABBA and the group themselves seem to think the same- because it's the first time that all four of them have written the foreword to a publication about ABBA.

So, even if it's a little bit expensive- if you're a fan you hardly will be able to resist such a wonderful piece of work about a group that dominated the pop world for almost ten years.

A comprehensive overview of the careers of all 5 of the main protagonists in the ABBA story. The author covers the pre and post ABBA phases thoroughly, as well as their time together as ABBA. For a fan such as I am, the stories were fascinating and this book will have a permanent place on my bookshelf. However, as another reviewer has stated, Palm has a tendency to be very dry and I'm not sure this book would appeal as much to someone looking for a good music biography as it will to an ABBA fan. The dryness is most apparent in Palm's discussion of ABBA's music. Damning with faint praise comes very strongly to mind, particularly in his discussion of Super Trouper. There didn't seem to me any sense that this was a fan of the music (which for all its faults you couldn't say about the 'Name of the Game' by Oldham et al.)

His post-ABBA opinions are even more downbeat, particularly in regard to Chess. He complains about the number of styles used - but anyone familiar with the way Lloyd-Webber and Rice worked would know that that was how they put musicals together, and that was the template that Benny and Bjorn worked from.
Nevertheless this is a superbly researched book which contains probably as much as anyone needs to know about ABBA's formative years

BRIGHT LIGHTS DARK SHADOWS is absolutely compelling; although the chapters are largely self-contained, the hooks leading into the next chapter (and the opening paragraphs of each chapter) are irresistible. I often found myself beginning to read a new chapter when I swore I would stop at the end of the preceding one.

Part I is gripping from the start of Chapter 1. I was impressed for several reasons. First, the personal and industry backgrounds on the four members and Stig are usually glossed over in other books. Here, the sketchy details are fully filled in, and it's
fascinating reading.

Second, Carl Magnus Palm puts everything in its cultural and historical context with information about the regions where each member grew up, the origin of the various Swedish charts etc. He expresses an authentic feel for the times and for his country
and its people.

Third, the narrative flows beautifully. Although it's largely chronological, it feels fresh - the first four chapters don't just go through each member one by one, the book has been better planned. It seems perfectly natural that we don't arrive at the childhood of the youngest member, Agnetha, until we've learnt about Stig's background and followed the others into their teenage years.

There isn't as much public information available about each member's childhood, which must have made it difficult to piece a lot of these facts together. The book really begins to hit its stride with the early chapters of Part II. In Chapter 12, Palm
begins to weave the various stories together. There's such a lot that isn't known about ABBA's formative years, there's a real joy of discovery in these chapters. Palm's tone is also more assured at this point - he slips in some reasoned criticism of each member's early recordings - and he injects some satirical, but affectionate, humour into the reportage. I loved the style on pages 177 and 178, for example, when Agnetha recounts her "baking accidents" and the bemused tone when Frida decides to throw it all in and "become a clothes designer".

An impressive feature of the book is its succinctness. That may sound funny, since BRIGHT LIGHTS DARK SHADOWS is over 500 pages, but it's a fair assessment. The Habari Safari movie takes up about a page; the progg movement is concisely charted and explained in a few pages. He sums up the sound and limitations of Gemini in one pithy phrase - "studio product, shoulder-pad music sorely lacking in soul" - and is equally spot-on with Agnetha and Frida's 80s solo efforts. Although I didn't accept his criticism of Djupa Andetag, it is a rational critique, and I admittedly suffer the disadvantage of not being able to understand the album's lyrics in their natural language.

Part III - The Time is Right - covers Waterloo through to 1982. The material is generally more familiar here; for instance, I could usually be sure of what incidents would be included in each chapter (other fans, as opposed to the general public for whom this book is also written, may be as acquainted with this part of the ABBA story to feel the same).

Fortunately, although a large part of this slab of the book is taken up with recounting events, Palm is not writing a mere overview of the ABBA years. He's writing a biography, and the significance of events on ABBA as people is analysed; he keeps
sight of the biographer's purpose in representing the big picture. Occasionally, this is of necessity a little strained - the psychoanalysis of Frida (p. 508) didn't entirely convince me, for example.

After reading BRIGHT LIGHTS DARK SHADOWS, I've learnt as much as I think I'll ever know about the people that make up ABBA. Ultimately, it's eye-opening and - towards the end - dispiriting reading. But you get a real sense of the demands and pressures that they were going through - the chapter on 1978, supposedly a quiet year for ABBA, makes this plain. As the business side of Polar consumed Stig, and the marriages collapsed, I think it's clear that the ABBA "magic" was a relatively short-lived
alchemy of personality, managerial drive, talent and determination in a specific historical and cultural setting. But it wasn't a fluke - it wouldn't have lasted as long, over as many unambiguously great albums, if it was.

You'll understand a lot more about ABBA, and I think you may even better appreciate the music, after reading BRIGHT LIGHTS DARK SHADOWS. It's the first real biography of ABBA but, more than that, it's the definitive biography. And it's the standard against which all future attempts at retelling the ABBA story will be judged.

This is the most complete work on the Swedish super group yet. This book is for the true ABBA fanatic. It gives great insight into the early history of the group members and their everyday struggles in trying to balance fame, fortune and a personal life. Sure it may not always paint a rosey picture of their lives, but guess what? They were just artists facing everyday troubles with personal relationships like the rest of us. The book illustrates the difficulty in getting a group from a small country launched into the international music arena. The work well describes the plan of the group and Stig Andersson, their manager, to achieve success in a industry dominated by the English and American groups of the period. This book is far more complete than Carl Magnus Palm's other book on the group. I believe it takes a resident of Sweden to describe the events and the issues of the music scene in Sweden at the time, and in this respect his book is a real good piece of work.

I must first preface that I am not a vegetarian. I am third generation Lebanese-American and love Lebanese food, so people are always sending me cookbooks, and this book was just such a gift. This book has some very good recipies, however, I found some of them incomplete or difficult to follow. Having cooked Lebanese food myself now for a few years, I have been able overcome these difficulties. I highly recommend this books version of Fattoush and it's two Lentil Soup recipies. Those three recipies stand out the most. The food in this cookbook is healthy and very tasty. If you live in an are where fresh produce is readily available here is a book that can help you use it all.

This is a great cookbook. The recipes are all pretty simple - one thing I like (haven't tried it yet but I will) is that there are even some hand drawn pictures on how to do stuffed grape leaves. I do wish there were some more "stories" with the recipes. I enjoy getting to read about the foods and have some context in this cookbook you pretty much just get the recipes. But they're good and straightforward. I've recently been turning into a vegetarian (for ethical reasons but the health benefits are great too) and I was looking for a cookbook that would replace my lebanese cookbook that is more meat focused. Thos one does it for me and I completely feel comfortable wiith giving up my old standby. I guess because the recipes are straightforward (i.e, not a lot of extra embellishment) it give the chef more leeway to throw in a few extra spices here and there which I enjoy doing. I certainly recommend it and I'm psyched to have it as part of my collection.

"From The Tables of Lebanon" is an absolute culinary delight. Every recipe is authentic. Every recipe is delicious! My husband and I loved this vegetarian book and use its recipes often. Bravo to both authors!

Milani, professor of social sciences at a small college in California, recounts an Iranian version of a classic twentieth-century tale. Growing up in privileged circumstances, he felt discontented with his environment, discovered Marxism-Leninism (as well as much else) in the course of an education in the West, returned home to make revolution, and soon found himself in the right-wing regime's jail. Then, when revolution did come, it brought an order even worse than the right-wing one, so he left the country and settled in the West. Despite the title, the memoir deals mostly with one city (Tehran) and little with the other (San Francisco).

In addition to its candor and appealing presentation, Milani's memoir contains a number of interesting points. His early recollections reveal a dislike for Islam whose expression is most unusual in the post-Rushdie era. "My childhood was contaminated with religion. . . . Religion was synonymous with mourning and fear . . . [and] with incomprehensible rituals, occasionally violent, often filled with the pungent odor of body sweat." Beyond religion, his unhappiness followed from an adult attitude that "Children were necessary nuisances." Khomeini's unexpected success caused Milani to acknowledge his own ignorance about Iran and prompted him to do some serious rethinking. Also of note is the improvement in the shah's jails that followed from Jimmy Carter's efforts: "While I do not know how history will judge his presidency, I know that because of his human rights policy, I, and many like me, were spared much suffering."

Middle East Quarterly, June 1997

I had the good fortune of having Abbas Milani as my professor a few years back at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. He is an inspiring teacher, and a person that represents the ideal western morden man(add woman for PCness). The book details his life and struggle with the authorities in Iran, and how difficult it is for someone with a quest for truth and the desire to think for themselves to exist in Iran at the time. I love this book. When I read it, it is like being at Professor Milani's wonderful lectures again.

This book is an excellent introduction for Westerners to the enigma that is Iran. Culture, history and politics are all blended in this exceptional memoir.

How can you resist the sensational 70s pop group ABBA who redefined a look! Great!

I am not really sure whether this is the book that I am reviewing, but since the title (and the number of pages) are the same (even though the publisher is different), I think that it's the same book. What I have is probably the original version which was published decades ago, unlike this new reprint (Mar. 2000). This book contains virtually every song sung by ABBA. Each song has piano score, lyrics, and chords. The quality of scores is reasonable. That is, they are not "easy" version. But they may not be the same as the ones in the sheet music which had been published individually. I cannot verify for every score, but at least, Chiquitita in this book and Chiquitita in sheet music are different. And of course, the sheet music's quality is higher. The piano part in Chiquitita in the book is a little bit disappointing. It does not have the original beauty in the opening. However, it is still the best source of ABBA's music. Don't waste your time in looking for ABBA's sheet music in eBay. This one book will just do it. I am very glad that I got this book. If you are an ABBA fan, you will. BTW, does anyone know how to type "B" in reverse (aka as ABBA form) ? I argue that there must be a special char code for the "ABBA" B, just because of ABBA. It is a crime to print like "ABBA" ! :-)

I bought this book because it was needed in my course. But if you are new to the COMPLEX world of Immunology, then beware! If you want to get the full use of the depth of this book, first read the subject in THE GREATEST BOOK FOR NEWBIES in Immunology, I mean by "IMMUNOBIOLOGY" by Charles Janeway. Then you can skip to Parslow-Stites and be prepared for the test. If you already have concepts in this subject, then go for it, you will not be dissapointed.

Stites manages to explain a really complicated subject with simplicity. Enjoyful to read and easy to learn from.

The title of the book says it all: this book treats the expertise of immunology at the cellular and molecular level. It approaches the subject through a collection of explanations of experimental observations. Neither am I a physician nor a medical student, I find this book very comprehensible and helpful in explaining the principles of molecular biology/biochemistry [along with my expertise in chemistry] pertinent to the HIV virus. The book is abound with illustrations and pictorials though the authors at times drag on repeating concepts. The section on effector mechanisms of the immune responses is done in excellent gory details. Tons of illustrations, graphics making understanding of biochemical and immunological mechanisms a less strenuous task. For example, the HIV virus, the book will cover the abnormal events that occur at the first contact of the HIV virus. Then it talks about the virus mechanisms and the effect on the immune response. This 5th edition has been revised and now includes new info and materials about the lymphoid organs and innate immunity mechanism. I recommend it to medical students, pre-meds, and all health care professionals. 4.0 stars.

I first read an earlier edition of the book in 1993, during my first graduate level Biology class, under the same title as the book. Since then, some important strides have been made in the field of Immunology, and the book has grown about 50% thicker. However, many themes are repeated too often in the book. 1/2 of a sentence is OK to stress repetition in learning concepts, but often they repeat entire paragraphs 4 or 5 times to strike home a point. If they were to get rid of all those redundant paragraphs, the book would be leaner and meaner and less boring to read. One of the most interesting concepts in the book deals with the Th1/Th2 immune switch, which occurs in allergic patients. The authors classically define this switch simply as going from microbial immunity to allergen immunity. But in my opinion, Th1 to Th2 switches do much more than that. They can affect whether an allergic person is more or less immune to microbes, whether they are differentially immune (ex. more immune to viruses, less to bacteria), and also may significantly affect the person's behavior. Behavior, you ask? What does the immune system have to do with behavior? A lot! Histamine is released during the Th1 to Th2 switch, and Histamine is a neurotransmitter. Also, Serotonin is usually released along with Histamine, and you should know that Serotonin is a key neurotransmitter. The immune system affects the central nervous system much more than many researchers understand. For a more elaborate review of this phenomenon, you can read the book The Failures of American Medicine.

Target audience: Any undergrad or grad student in life sciences. Little background needed beyond the basics of genetics, what is a cell etc. A bit too much for the typical MD course; try Abbas's Basic Immuno. It is a reference for basic immuno concepts, not a reference for every last detail in modern immunology (for that try Paul's Immuno).

What Abbas does: After reading this book (or at least skimming the pictures) you will be able to read the abstracts for immuno journals; you'll be able to say "I vaguely understand why the heck this journal article is important/furthers knowledge of immunology".

Pros: The most up-to-date (more recent than Janeway). A proven favorite of grad students. The pictures are easy-to-follow and demostrate all the main points. In fact, it may be better not to read much of the detail filled text, if you just want general knowledge. Little text boxes that highlight a technique, a historical development (e.g. how they cloned T Cell receptor). Nice section in the back on common lab techniques. Nice chapters on clinical correlates (human disease).

Cons: It is not comprehensive (like Paul's Immunology) nor is it meant to be comprehensive. The signal transduction is hopelessly out of date (all textbooks will fall behind rapid developments in sig transduction).

Geeky immuno nit-picking: Some controversial topics are presented as gospel (for example, anergy and the 2-signal hypothesis, which has not been convincingly demonstrated in vivo "natural system"; if you don't know what i'm talking about, don't worry about it).

This is an easy fascinating read by an incredibly eloquent writer. He had interesting insights on the major forrign policy issues of the last 50 years. Not knowing all the details to many of these events, Mr Eban does a great job of suummerizing the events in a short but helpful fashion.

This is a must read for anyone interested in how foreign policies are formed. Loved the section on the inherent contradiction between what is good for he country vs what is good for oneself.

Looking back on his long and distinguished career, Eban has a unique perspective which he shares with the readers. He's strongest when describing personal anecdotes such as the one in which Harry S. Truman was gifted with a torah from the Israeli delegation and had no idea what a torah was. He thanked the Israelis profusely though and said "I've always wanted one of these." I have to smile. Politics sure have changed. I can't believe an American president today would not have a cadre of handlers briefing him on his every move.

I particularly liked some of his analyses of the United Nations and the challenges it faces because human beings see themselves as part of a nation-state, not as citizens of the world. He gives the example of the first men to walk on the moon who planted an American flag. Nobody thought about planting a flag from "Planet Earth".

Like a true talmudic scholar Eban is quick to see both sides of an issue and a central theme of the book is that you can't look to the past to predict the future. He gives example after example where surprises occurred in recent history that nobody had ever expected or predicted, such as the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As I'm not that acquainted with many details of history I found some of the book a little dense. I had to read the chapter on the Oslo Accords twice with a yellow highlighter in my hand to finally understand. This was a peace accord negotiated in Norway in 1992 which led the historic photo of Arafat and Rabin shaking hands. It worked because the Norwegians are neutral. He feels that when the U.S. tries to broker a peace agreement, it creates problems because everyone knows that Israel is a U.S. ally. We have all see the latest peace negotiations on American soil fall apart in the past few months which definitely illustrates this point.

The book whetted my appetite to learn more and that is good.

Abba Eban writes about his experiences as an Israeli diplomat by beginning with a description of his first encounter with Harry Truman. He describes Truman's small- town middle America appearance understating the most powerful man in the most powerful country ever in history. When presenting his diplomatic credentials to Truman, Truman states to Eban, and subsequently to another diplomat, that he "never lost any sleep over bombinb" Hiroshima and Nagasaki-- which leads Eban to conclude that Truman likely lost much sleep over the decision. He goes on to note the remarkable influence that Truman and his advisors-- Marshall, Acheson, etc, had on the shaping of post- war events. This book, however, is about diplomacy, and it's goal is to present the "realist" position. In it, he argues that countries make decisions that are in their own interests, and that any attempt to alter that by introducing supranational rules is likely to fail. The book is clearly more complicated than the simple summarizing statement, and is therefore a remarkably interesting book, especially from an individual who has been involved in international relations for over 50 years.

I have read other books in the series and found them all to be very good, overviews of their subjects. Introducing Muhammad, also provides a very good overview of its subject-Muhammad and Islam. It offers the reader a good entry point to further study of Islam. Although I did find the author to be somewhat biased,it gave me a good insight into one of the world's largest religions and a new perspective on history. The illustrations really help to convey the authors points too.

I read this book twice, cover to cover within a week. It left me with the impression that, until now, what I know about Muhammad and his religion is shallow and unbalanced. The author has given me a fairer and deeper understanding of Islam. Thank you very much Mr. Sardar for enlightening me.

Excellent introduction to Muhammad. Comprehensive, informative, interesting, enjoyable. Get one if you want to know more about the man and his faith (Islam). I would recommend it as a first read to anybody who wants to know the Muslims' way of life.

As an academic research-based writer, Milani did his best to clarify an unseen aspect of a traditional society's challenge to get modern. Hoveyda was a prototype of some Iranian intellectuals; quite benevolent and dedicated themselves to the progress of their nation, but quite silly, b/c of their inability to understand the root of their nation's retardation, i.e. lack of democracy. He and many others thought that they can work in a totalitarian regime without any capacity for a reform to hold modern values such as political freedom. Milani shows well that it's not only an illusion, but also a very risky one. Milani's competency in writing so documented and yet so easy-to-read and attractive, I think, is arised from his Western academic skills, his familiarity with Eastern, specially Iranian, literature and story-telling tradition, and his direct experience as a political activist in the opposition with the same government that Hoveyda was its prime minister for 13 years. In spite of this unpleasant experience, Milani has not given away his sense of justice, and this is also another reason for the attractiveness of the book.

I couldn't put the book down. Abbas Milani has done a great job in researching not just on who Hoveyda was, but also on what went on behind the scenes between the power brokers of the time, such as Alam, Nahavandi, Zahedi, etc.

Abbas creates a clear picture of how the Shah was running Iran. He points out the good and the bad (not so good) side of Hoveyda, as well as telling us who were the goods, the bads and the uglies of Iran under the Shah.

Iranians might have thought they knew Hoveyda, but by reading this book they will realize they really didn't know anything about Hoveyda!

I certainly have a much better understanding of why the Iranian revolution happened after reading The Persian Sphinx.

The Persian Sphinx is a must read book for any one who is interested in Iran and it's history.

Simply brilliant! A refreshing and objective account of not only the life and times of one of the most prominant political figures in the recent Iranian history, but a concise, albeit breif, summary of some critical events leading to the Iranian Revolution. Dr. Milani is frighteningly honest and admirably objective in writing a TRUE biography which in itself is a rare comodity in the Iranian history collection. You had better not start reading this book unless you have a couple of free days ahead of you, because once you start reading it, you can not simply stop until you have read it all. And even then it stays with you for a LONG LONG time. My deepest and most sincere congratulations and thanks to Dr. Milani for this great contribution to Iran's history.