i was pleased with the content of the book. it was a good deal

If any artists are exploring reference material on shape, form and design in nature, this book explains why nature does 'create' it's unique self. It does tend to explain and breakdown natural shapes into mathematical equations and theorims. Still the photos they provide and the line drawings help you to understand why things are the way they are. Useful if you want to create hybrids of these forms. A intelligent imagination is useful. My applications for this are from a 3D fine arts point of view. The info in the book has provided me with inspiration in my 3D artwork. Sincerely Andre Ribuoli dreko@aol.com

I wanted to rate this 4 and 1/2 stars. This book is worth buying for the dye instructions alone. The patterns are also very nice, although they are rather theatrical (think Russian dance) and would look better on taller people.

She has many motifs that would work well for afghans or knitted bedspreads or smaller projects such as hats or scarves.

If you already dye yarn with drink mix, this book could inspire you onward and upward.

Mr. Clayton has done a good job on detailing the actions of the French army during the First World War, keying on the first two years and the horrific battles therein.
Plenty of facts and little known stories that make the reading enjoyable. However, as a European, he constantly refers to the metric system when describing advances or retreats. Also, he employs French terms for many of his passages and since I don't have a working command of the French, I was a bit stumped on several occasions.

Still, a good book that explains the French tactics, commanders, battles and issues within the army: the horrific casualties, leaves, desertion, the use of colonial troops and of course, the infamous 'mutiny' issues.
IronMike

Its an Excellent book for the young neurosurgeon

This is a history -- and a thorough, well-written history, at that -- of San Francisco's Municipal Railway, documenting its growth from early inception (its first streetcar line, the B-Geary) through its early-day struggles with the already established Market Street Railways, which it eventually absorbed (or, as Perles poses the question, was it the other way around?), up to its then-current existence as it struggled with the upheaval caused by the Bay Area Rapid Transit District's (BART) renovations of downtown San Francisco.

A personal note: I grew up on Muni, born just a shade too late to experience the "roar of the four" as Muni and Market Street Railway contended for passengers, but soon enough to remember Muni's 'iron monsters' as they rumbled and grumbled and lumbered their way through the Twin Peaks Tunnel. To this day, more than 50 years later, I can still smell the creosote in that tunnel as the old streetcars made their way through, the same way I can still smell the dieselized fumes of the old gas-powered White buses which Muni used on its supplementary routes . . .

To complement these memories, there's Perles' "The People's Railway," which more than adequately details how those memories came to be. Supported by solid, well chosen photography, Perles delineates Muni's history from its earliest days, detailing the inception and subsequent opening of each streetcar line (invariably piloted by Mayor James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, replete with his own Muni operator's cap, at the throttle of each first car) up to what was then Muni's current day.

Twenty-five years later, however, that "current day" has changed . . . by more than a little. Muni has extended and revitalized its trolley-bus operations, for one thing; it has also extended its fixed- (or, current term, "light-")rail operations to include a new streetcar line, as well as having extended its already-extensive trolley-bus operations (which, in at least two or three instances, includes having placed previous bus routes "under wire" for the first time), in addition to an annual summer "trolley-fest" program which features vintage cars festooned in a variety of liveries from around the country (in addition to cars from its own past and from Milan, New Orleans, etc.). Muni, in other words, has kept growing beyond the rather nebulous future upon which Perles was forced to base his concluding remarks in "The People's Railway."

That's no criticism of him. By the same token, this excellent history is more than deserving of an update to cover the subsequent 30-plus years of Muni's history.

Let's hope that happens.

Cordesman stands back and looks in illuminating detail at two main subjects: the relative strength of the Israeli vs. the Arab forces and the possible scenarios of war between the two sides.

Assessing the military balance, the author starts with formalistic lists of equipment and manpower, then peels away the externalities to get at the real strengths and weaknesses, the 'intangibles.' Crude numbers show Israel in trouble; a look at only the highest performance weapons shows Israel's position to be somewhat better; and a consideration of the whole picture'including quality of personnel and training, readiness, forward leadership, technological competence, command and control, combined operations, waging '24-hour war,' and deep strike capabilities'shows Israel to have a force qualitatively better than that of its neighbors. In this sense not much has changed from prior decades; indeed, Cordesman gives the distinct sense that Israel's edge continues to increase.

As for scenarios, Perilous Prospects takes up eight in all, from a renewed intifada to an all out nuclear war, including a takeover of the Egyptian government by fundamentalists. Perhaps most interesting, because otherwise so little noted, is the 35-page analysis of a Syrian grab for the Golan Heights, which Cordesman sees as a realistic possibility intended 'to create new facts on the ground' and perhaps 'to alter the outcome of peace negotiations.'

Middle East Quarterly, June 1997

Anthony Saldarini's 1988 important monograph on the Pharisees, Scribes and Pharisees (discussing the references to and treatments of those groups in Josephus, the New Testament and Rabbinic Literature) is still one of the best in the field and should be read by any student or scholar interested in the topic. This paperback includes a foreword in which Jim VanderKam sketches the contents and merits of Saldarini's book. VanderKam also shortly discusses the post-1988 scholarship on the topic, including the new insights which the Dead Sea Scrolls composition 4QMMT adds to the relation between Pharisees, Sadducees (and the Qumran 'sect'). Therefore, this highly readable book together with the foreword constitutes an excellent introduction for those starting their reading, and is an ideal starting point for New Testament or Early Judaism undergraduate and graduate classes on groups and movements in Early Roman Palestinian Society.

This small under-rated book is THE definitive book on virtually all drugs of abuse. It breaks down each of the drugs by category and by use, giving the properties of each and their derivation, and side effects including potential for addiction. Anyone interested in the chemical abuse field, or merely curious about some of the drugs they may be prescribed, will find this an exceptional buy.

While somewhat difficult to plod through due to clunky language and obscure elemental defenitions, After reading this book, anyone with access to a moderately stocked chemistry lab can create a plethora of mind-altering substances out of basic household materials. Useful and tons of fun!