This book has 7 chapters, and is an update of the 1955 edition. It is a comprehensive overview of inorganic silica chemistry up until 1979 and is full of information; each chapter has 200 to 400 references (5*). However, I have always been mystified by the organization of the material within the chapters, and have never found this to be an easy book to use to find information quickly (1*). However, because of its comprehensiveness, it is a necessary book for anyone who practices inorganic silica chemistry. (It's the ONLY book of its type! 20 years, and no competition! Another update is sorely needed) A complementary, more modern book on silica chemistry is the "Better Ceramics through Chemistry - Sol-Gel Silica" compilation by Brinker and Scherer. Both of these books are geared towards researchers, rather than use as texts.

Ok, I just had to write this review to even out the other one. This literally a whole life's work on silica. It deserves 5 stars, if not more!!

Like the Title says, It covers everything: true silica solutions (e.g. monosilicic acid); polymerisation of silica networks; colloidal aggregation (gel formation); surface chemistry (Si-OH bonding), etc. The most relevant section to me was the colloidal aggregation and silanol groups, since my PhD is on opal. But it definitely won't take the place of the appropriate scientific journal articles to your specific field of study. Consider it a damn good intro to silicate chemistry. The whole book is easily understood, because there aren't too many formulae (which tend to cause discontinuities in texts). Just the information that you need on silica.

It has loads of figures (for example: effect of pH or temperature on gel formation), and you will often see them reprinted in various science papers - even today (they're that good). It isn't one of those symposium-type books; this is the only book of its kind.

The only thing is the price. If you want your very own copy, you'll have to cough up [a lot of money]. Let's face it, if you're researching silica: you're going to need this book. Either you'll have to allocate some of your research fund, or you might consider borrowing it from your local library.

The Chisholm Trail was named after Jesse Chisholm although this fictional novel concerns his son, Tin, mostly. Not a whole lot about the trail itself but more about his romance with a New Orleans belle.

This is definetely one of Comptons best in the trail drive series. Unlike most in the series, this is a single book(no sequel to it - last page is last page of the story). Ralph Compton combines what hes best at in this book. A lot of "town" western and "trail" western. Also, there is a rare look into Compton's writings about the east America during the western expansion. Definetely a must buy. Only Dodge, Goodnight, and Western I believe, are better than this one.

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literatry gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1924 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style stamped in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!

The author is best known for his theatrical work and poems, while his narrative prose has been underestimated. This collection of 37 short stories (reprinted for Brecht's centenary) shows another facet of Brecht's literary gift. This is writing with an unpretentious tone and reporting style. The composition of the stories falls into three distinct periods. The Bavarian stories written between 1920 and 1024 treat mainly autobiographical problems of a young man in his early twenties. The Berlin stories written between 1924 and 1933 marks his most intense period in this genre. These stories have a sober and realistic style, thematically dominated by topical issues of the 1920's, aiming to reveal the social behavior of individuals. The third group refers to stories written during Brecht's exile (1937-1940), the first pieces serve as ammunition in the struggle against fascism, and the later ones have a strong socially critical orientation. The reader familiarized with the work of Brecht (poems and plays) will certainly recognize the author's style in these short stories, his determination to represent reality accurately, lack of affectation, anecdotal but with a sense of dread. Quite a treat for a lover of short stories!

This book is too nice.it presents the lifestyle of Emerson,the great philosopher in a very analytical way.

For thirty years I have coveted a battered copy of Bliss Perry's abbreviated edition of Emerson's Journals which my father carried in his sea bag during World War II. I first read this edition at age fifteen, and now most recently at age forty-four and continue to find much to startle and enlighten.

As a literary figure, Emerson towers over every other American writer. Not just through his own Essays and poetry is the arm of his influence so large, but chiefly through his influence on "disciples" like Thoreau, Whitman and a hundred others. His journals are the mother lode of this rich influence.

There are few greater books to carry in our own sea bags.

"It is engorged with gossip, spiced with sex, and utterly obsessed with personality...fascinating to read...vivid images...leap from every page" says the miami harold.This book i recently read for an english class non-fiction assisgnment. I have read many book's on John F. Kennedys years in office and before his term. this book is fascinating in every way. If you want a book that goes into detail about his life in politics,sex,family,royalty,and friends I reccomend this book to you. From Cape Cod as a child to hyannis port sailing trips. In this book there is some parts that go into details in his relationship with his father and two brothers."theres facts that many people don't even know" for example he was on crutches to the end of his life and jackie stayed at the white house after he died.If You want detail I recommend this book for you.

Karl
Pinconning,Mi
Pinconning High School

Ralph Martin's "A Hero for our time" is simply one of the best-written and most engrossing accounts of John F. Kennedy that I have read. Despite its' length the book goes remarkably fast, and I finished it in just a few sittings. However, this book is NOT an in-depth, traditional biography of John F. Kennedy's political career, and those who want to read more about the great events of JFK's political career would be well-advised to look elsewhere. Instead, this is an "oral biography" of JFK's life from childhood forward. Martin interviewed dozens of Kennedy's closest friends, relatives, and political aides to present a vivid account of what Kennedy was like as a person - and of what it must have been like to know him personally, or to work for him. The result - as one of the newspaper reviews above accurately states - is like getting the "People" magazine or A&E's "Biography" version of the Kennedy saga. While often factual and well-researched, this book is also filled with gossip - which, while juicy and fascinating - should also be taken with a grain of salt. Martin includes all aspects of Kennedy's personal life - his sickly childhood on Cape Cod, his wild bachelor days, his courtship of the beautiful and aristocratic Jacqueline Bouvier and the Royalty-style wedding, his sometimes-troubled marriage to Jacqueline, his many extramarital affairs, his serious health problems, etc. But Martin does include more weighty material, such as Kennedy's relationships with his father, his brothers Robert and Teddy, and the inner workings of the family's remarkable political machine which in 1960 "beat the odds" to make him our youngest elected President, and the first (and only) Catholic to become President. This book's strengths lie in its' ability to present what JFK the man must really have been like - the eloquence, intelligence, wit, the ability to have fun (and get others to share in it), and the movie-star glamour and charm are all here. The book's weaknesses lie in its' reliance on gossip for some details, and in the way it skims over the details of JFK's political career without ever going in-depth. However, in my opinion this book's strengths far outweigh its' weaknesses, and if (like me) you're too young to have any memory of the Kennedy Presidency and wonder why he was considered to be so exciting, charming, and charismatic, then this book will help you to understand why. Recommended!

Ralph is a Genious as a professor. I had him a few years ago at MIT Sloan in a course on Managing the Human Side of Technology. We used articles from the book as case studies in our class.
Still today I take his book to read on cases which help me to understand my daily struggles in managing engineers and understanding better the soft factors in organisations.

Since this book is a collection of papers, it is great if you have already have some knowledge about the topics but maybe it is a bit to 'heavy' for beginners.

I had to read this book for a class in Business School, and though I found most of the articles interesting, about 25% were either a) a little dated or b)heavy on the "Well, Duh" factor. The book is organized into 6 sections. dealing with the management of professionals, project teams, technical professionals, professionals in innovative organizations, processes and technological innovation.

There really is no other book out there that is as good a compilation of writings concerning this important topic, but the book could be improved by tossing some of the articles which, while innovative at the time, have been accepted by the business world already.

While the Kovels might be the best-informed experts on the antique trade in the business, they don't really want to share their secrets with you. _Kovels' Bid, Buy, and Sell Online_ is at its best when the Kovels give it to the reader "straight", but when it comes to dealing with situations and problems unique to the online-auction world, they hedge their bets.

_Bid, Buy_ does succeed in familiarizing with the online auction process its target audience, those who wish to enter the world of online auctions but are intimidated or just plain unfamiliar with the computer skills and auction know-how needed to get around the bidding and selling processes. Its practical advice on what types of items not to sell and why (high-end gemstones, for example, are a magnet for both dishonest sellers AND buyers who swap paste copies for the real jewels once the items arrive and then demand fraud conpensation from the escrow company or auction service) can save a newcomer a lot of grief. The technical information is also very good - easy-to-understand explanations of common HTML terms and walkthroughs for basic HTML processes are provided, as are helpful tips on how to write clear, attractive auction descriptions and concise, attention-getting titles. Also included in the back is a nice glossary of auction terms.

Unfortunately, being quite a well-established, well-heeled corporate entity themselves, the Kovels are a bit too closely associated with the systems they purportedly teach the reader how to work, and there thus is the definite sense that they are looking out for eBay's interests over the consumer's. As an eBay seller for going on three years, I was especially disappointed in the lack of information for a new seller; in particular, there is scant info on what to do in the inevitable (and, when first encountered, panic-inducing) situation of a deadbeat bidder refusing to pay - the book's suggested plan of action, to just flat-out plead with the bidder for over a month and to not press the matter unless the buyer's behavior constitutes a prosecutable offense - is impractical and does not take into account (indeed, never mentions) that there is a time limit (usually 30-45 days) on filing for the refund of one's Final Value Fee. (While no uniform method for dealing with deadbeats exists, the one most popular in my auction circles is to allow two weeks for payment to arrive, contact the buyer again via e-mail if nothing comes, and if no reply to _that_ message arrives in your Inbox after a couple days, leave negative feedback, follow the steps detailed in the auction site's Non-Paying Bidder policy to recoup some of your selling fees, and offer the item to the auction's second-highest bidder or relist.) The book also fails to instruct the reader on vital subjects such as what kind of payments to accept and in what circumstances, the in and outs (and pros and cons) of online payment systems like PayPal and Yahoo PayDirect, and (since a great number of eBay sellers are private ctizens, not experienced shop owners) how to pack both effectively and economically. Furthermore, no "inside" knowledge or strategies, such as checking closed auctions for similar items to discover the "going price" for yours or taking advantage of the free packing boxes provided at the post office for Priority Mail items, are offered - and one is entitled to expect at least a _little_ inside info from the antique world's ultimate insiders. The lack of information leaves a new seller stranded. (_Bid, Buy, and Sell Online_ is not exactly fair to buyers, either; a payment which arrives less than a week after the auction's close is deemed "late" - an assertion with which anyone who has ever wrestled with the USPS will take issue - and, most incredulously, the book instructs the buyer that a few flaws are to be expected in online-auction merchandise and to chalk up any minor condition problems unreported in the item's description to "miscommunication" and the cost of doing business - a flat-out inexcusable attempt to "cover" for a selling practice that, offline or online, is just plain dishonest and unacceptable.)

To add to the problems, much of the book's information is dispensed in buyer's and seller's "diaries", which are penned in an overly-chatty style and which agonize over a plethora of trivial (and mostly groundless) anxieties, making both auction processes seem unnecessarily complex and daunting. (The irritating "hand-written" font used throughout the sections, which is hard to read and even harder to scan for reference, does not help matters.) Also, the book does not warn against three common trip-ups raised in the examples given - a) setting too low a starting bid, b) underestimating shipping costs and ending up with a nasty, profit-eating surprise at the post office (or, for that matter, overestimating shipping and driving prospective bidders away by what would be perceived as padded charges), and c) hastily selling off a personal possession you later discover you'd really rather have kept yourself. There's also a fairly useless real-life vignettes & "amazing facts" section tacked on at the end, the space expended on which could have better spent on the aforementioned omitted practical information.

In short, you could do worse than _Bid, Buy, and Sell Online_, but if you pick it up, be sure to supplement it - join a mailing list (Yahoo Groups, say, is a good place to search) dedicated to the specific area you're thinking of exploring and ask right out for auction advice.

I thought this book was very helpful in dealing with online auctions. We have been selling online for awhile, when I decided to borrow this book from another seller who reccommended it. It pointed out somethings that we hadn't thought of. While it doesn't necessarily cover everything, you do get the idea. Somethings you have to learn on your own, as each situation needs to be dealt with differently.

A classic, though not complicated mystery (I did not solve it --prior to the solution being revealed--even though it was right there in front of my eyes).

Delightfully human (and sometimes hilarious) characters. A few malcontents you can love to hate, as well.

I have visited ND only once briefly, so I'm sure a few of the "in" jokes escaped me. I have enough Catholic friends and watch an occasional college football game, so much of the ND humor still was intelligible.

Incidentally, a serious look at some "ecumenical" religious topics.

A fun read that made me think a little, as well.

This is a very funny and interesting murder mystery that takes place at the U. of Notre Dame. There are a lot of "in-jokes" for those familiar with the ND campus and history.

No, you can't read this and work your way into a Masonic lodge. No, there are no "secrets" to be found here. Just an excellent reference work for students of Masonic ritual. As I understand it, many Prince Hall jurisdictions have adopted Look To The East as their basic ritual, and it is an excellent study guide. It is very similar to other Grand Lodge jurisdictions' rituals as well.
Be aware that the Kessinger version of this book has the look and feel of being xeroxed onto 8 1/2 x 11 pages, with plenty of white space around the text. If you are the sort who likes to take notes, there's plenty of room! What Kessinger lacks in quality they more than make up for in their huge catalogue of Masonic and other esoteric research books.

For the individual looking to take Masonic orders, or for the person who is just curious about all the secrecy; this book contains virtually complete rituals, ceremonies, and lectures for the first three degrees of Masonry. Because of this, it makes an excellent study guide for degree work and serves to aid the initiate in better understanding his transformation. Please Note: If you seek the secret passwords and handgrips of Freemasonry, you will not find them here.

The Medium of the Video Game is an anthology edited by Mark J. P. Wolf. However, to say that Wolf is only the editor is really an understatement, Medium of the Video Game is really his baby. Of the nine essays in this book, five of them are his.

Wolf is coming from a film theory perspective. Hence he is emphasizing the video part of the term videogame (a notion I disagree with. I feel the fact that they are games is more important than the fact that they are video).
More than this, however, Wolf is concerned with categorization. He lists eleven different types of spacial structures and forty-two different videogame genres. One of the problems with this is that some of his categories are questionable. Amongst his genres he lists diagnostics, demos and utilities. While it may be argued that demos are a distinct genre as they are trying to make you buy the full game (an argument I do not buy), I fail to see how diagnostics or utilities can be classified as genres of games of any sort. His rational seems to be that they come in cartridges or CD-ROM's like games and some game collectors collect them too, so they are the same as games. If you do a web search for his name and the book title you will find this chapter online, so you can make up your own mind about this issue.

There is one section that I do think deserves praise, the appendix. In the appendix, Wolf has has collected a fairly large listing of resources for video game research. He lists websites, books, and periodical articles as well as emulators. It is a valuable resource. However, I did not find the rest of the book as usefull and cannot really recommend buying it.

Mark Wolf presents a ground breaking and thorough examination of the video game as artistic medium, cultural phenomena, and a meaningful portal for understanding the context of what has become our new digital lifestyle.

A "Popular Electronics" January 1975 cover picture of the Altair computer kit prompted the founding of the Homebrew Computer Club, another milestone in history as we know it, which preceded the surge of features and utilities that characterized personal computers with recordable cassette tape drives in the late '70s and early '80s such as Atari, Apple and Commodore. Thus making it relatively easier for individuals to expand creative boundaries, soon to be seen as an inescapable irony allowing some early dark shadows such as "Custer's Revenge" and "FireBug", beginning a long list of collateral, ghastly underworld currents there are now. While we can trust our emerging philosophical inquiries will, in good conscience, examine the pressure to balance those freedoms with responsibility, our generation may so far have not completely charted moral consequences for a healthy society. Obviously video games are not just a fantasy theater, as some might fear, for the furious expression of male adolescent rage fueling new ideologies of terror, misogyny and brutalization throughout the modern world. "First person shooters" can visually and mentally exercise ethnic biases and assorted prejudices that assault human sensibilities and continually challenge the boundaries of those creative freedoms. And we cannot ignore some underground travesties that mimic other "unthinkables" like Columbine, Oklahoma City and Ground Zero.

Now, some groundbreaking museum venues are beginning to provide a quiet, safe harbor for contemplating and celebrating the best of this new American media, even while acknowledging the fears emanating from among its dark shadows that can be millions of times more [exponentially] powerful than the limitations we've known of the Gutenberg effect. For example, the chapter "Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade" by Rochelle Slovin, longtime creative spirit and Director of the American Museum of the Moving Image, presents insightful path markers while continuing in celebrating the best in American media history. AMMI's brilliant series begins with "Hot Circuits: A Video Arcade" 1989, distinguished by its marvelous gallery (and online, ammi.org) presentations continuing through "Expanded Entertainment" 1996, "Computer Space" 1998, and " Digital Media" 2002, marking a significant place on an historic trail of kinetic luminism preceded by other remarkable mile markers such as Wilfred's "Lumia Suite" at MOMA in the '60s, and Nam June Paik's debut at NYC's New School in the early '60s (foretelling his magnificent AMMI installation today). The history of man's cultural kinetic lightworks and precursors harkens back even to the to the magic lantern Phantasmagoria of the Renaissance and the Shadow Puppetry Theatre in Bali 1000 years earlier. As signaled in the AMMI companion essay here by poet and critic Charles Bernstein "video games are the purest manifestation of our computer consciousness", and with their engagingly playful and peculiar allure, "We've started using them as culture" observes Ms. Slovin.

The reader may find additional perspectives by looking at "Video Games: A popular Culture Phenomenon" by Berger, 2002 for a social context of sexuality, and at the "Ultimate History of Video Games" by Kent, 2001 for putting David Grossman's fiery challenge to video game violence (Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill) into an expanded context.

So, "what-if" my new digital appliance today is one thousand times more powerful, at the same price, than my PC ten years ago -- and then my next digital tool ten years from now is again one thousand times more powerful than today, at the same price ...will that million times more powerful tool routinely do things not previously thought of? What-if kids were to spend more time on their computers than watching TV? What-if "...the first primitive versions of the next PC interface have already been delivered ...and they're called video games." What-if we "put more computing power in a video game at the finger tips of a 9-year-old kid than NASA used to put a man on the moon"? What-if that 9-year-old kid in 20 years, comfortably uses a personal digital tool that is yet again a million times more...? Our new digital lifestyle is no more unnatural or less humanistic than book reading of the "Gutenberg Effect" has been. As presented here in "The Medium of the Video Game", AMMI's "Hot Circuits" and sequels elegantly mark a new path for those of us whose lifetime understanding of present reality would have more nearly fitted a society of thirty, forty or fifty years ago. Our historic environmedia landscape and our culture have shifted beneath our feet.