The familiar tales, The Three Little Pigs, The Three Bears, The Little Red Hen and Cat Goes Fiddle-i-fee can be found in many other editions, told and illustrated by many talented people, but it is in this treasury, in my opinion, that they truly shine as the beloved stories they are. Paul Galdone, winner of two Caldecott Honors, illustrated these tales with a deep committment to children and put so much lively humor into each drawing that they have been received with delight for decades. The expressions on the faces of the animals in the stories are so apt and evocative that they virtually tell the stories themselves. Large and colorful and filled with detail and activity they are perfect for holding the attention of young listeners.
Parents who may remember these gems from their own childhood will be interested in the short biography of this talented artist that is to be found at the beginning of the book. Whether you remember these stories and pictures from your own childhood or not, I guarantee you will delight in this treasury of stories and pictures that are a wonderful legacy for any child.

Mr. Conkers is completely nuts about nuts--especially chestnuts. His house is filled with them and his most prized possession is a chestnut tree in his backyard. Everyone else thinks he's nuts too, and often tell him so, as "Conkers is bonkers" is a favorite chant among his neighbors. The book takes the reader along with Mr. Conkers as he notices the first chestnut to appear on the tree until harvest time. A fun and engaging book, I especially like to read this one aloud to my students. They giggle and laugh at Mr. Conkers' humorous attempts to get every last chestnut off his tree. And for Mr. Conkers, that is not an easy task. As a plus, Nuts About Nuts' message of "be yourself" is well hidden between the pages, but anyone who has ever had a passion for anything will identify with Mr. Conkers. This book is just plain fun to read. And for parents and teachers, who find themselves reading the same books over and over, fun to read is a must.

This is an excellent resource for people just starting out in marketing of an industrial products (vs. fast moving consumer goods FMCG) company. Not only does it give you the right tools and models, it also give practical advice on simple steps to build influence and adjust smoothly to a new company.

1) In industry, technicians are the kings. The marketing department is often seen as a cost center. Try to make your roles and responsibilities clear because you do not want to be stuck in limbo - doing endless errands for everyone. (pg 19)

2) Good comments on how to diagnose your situation (the company's marketing maturity, and your personal marketing experience) and create a feasible approach. Key: Don't panic and don't rush. Assess what is expected of you, who you can influence and what you can accomplish. (pg 28-30)

3) "Marketing is sometimes referred to as a matching process whereby we continue to refine our understanding of the market and adapt our product offer accordingly." (pg 47)

4) Make sure you strike the right balance between:
- doing the right things and doing things right
- watching the competitors and watching the customers

5) Four Ps (Supplier's) and Four Cs (Customer's)
- Product = Customer's Wants and Needs
- Price = Cost
- Place = Convenience
- Promotion = Communication (pg 53)

6) Characteristics of Consumer vs Industrial Markets
Clients....Many & dispersed..Few, concentrated

Market....Retail................Long & complex supply chain
Behavior..Personal...........Group decision, high buying power
Product...Standard...........Customized & complex
Price......No negotiation.....Negotiation
Place.....Retail................Direct & made to order (pg 60)

7) Understand the supply chain. Know your customers' customers.

8) Trust is critical. Try to differentiate with delivery reliability, technical service, maintenance and spare parts support and assistance in driving down customer's costs. (pg 67)

9) Create products that customers' want, not technical devices. "Marketing should aim to meet clients' expectations, and not substantially exceed them." (pg 79)

10) Finally, "Reasonable success is much better than glorious failure." (pg 92)

There are also numerous pages on portfolio analysis, product life-cycles, pricing strategies and tips on how to work with sales and technicians.

Paul Smith really "gets it" and you should run out and buy this book immediately.......wait a minute, you don't have to do that anymore, it's "1-click" away. Stop reading. Buy it now.

"Objects for Use, Handmade by Design" provides a quick, gorgeous overview of what is best about the field of American Craft. From things for the top of the table to the table itself. From a music stand to a Steinway piano encased by Wendell Castle. From a gorgeous kyack to a surfboard. Well crafted, beautifully designed objects for use.

Paul Smith was the man who put the American Craft Museum on the map...the man who made it relevant....and he's done it again.

This is probably the best collection of interviews with a filmmaker ever published. It is not some retread to "My Last Sigh" but a great read full of insight, intelligence, that typical Buñuel style and of course, a study of great cinema. It's a fascinating book, where Buñuel discusses his life and works and how he came to be inspired to make some of his greatest films like "Un Chien Andalou," "Viridiana" and "That Obscure Object Of Desire." And it's also great to read as Buñuel discusses his philosophies of life and surrealism. The interviewers create a great conversation with a genius and take us into his mind. Some of the classic works of the cinema are dissected here in intricate detail and Buñuel offers some sly humor to the discussions. A surprise is that you realize that Buñuel's personal life is as interesting, fascinating and incredibile as his movies. Some people may not want to take a look at this book after reading "My Last Sigh," thinking it's basically the same stuff, well, it's not. Luis Buñuel was a very complex man in his thinking and this book gives us a good tour of the man. A must for lovers of great cinema and fans of surrealism and Buñuel. Lorca, Dalí, and the surrealists are all discussed here, even the gruesome, fatal fates of the two actors of "Un Chien Andalou." Great book.

Many years ago the famous statistician Ronald Aylmer Fisher criticized analyses that linked lung cancer to smoking. He argued that these studies had hidden biases because they were not controlled experiments. He proposed that smokers could be different from non-smokers because of a genetic propensity to desire cigarettes and that this genetic trait could be correlated with a higher incidence of lung cancer. Thus it would be possible to see a higher frequency of lung cancer among smokers because of this genetic trait rather than because the smoking itself causes the cancer. As far-fetched as this argument may seem to us today, it is based on sound statistical principles and points out some of the potential problems that occur with observational studies.

Although randomized control trials are the best way to determine differences in treatment effects, they are not always practical or ethical. It would be wrong to randomly choose subjects and force some of them to smoke.

Getting around issues of bias in observational studies was first addressed by Cochran who published a book on the subject in 1983. Rosenbaum came out with his own book in 1995 and this second edition expands and updates that popular text.

In Chapter 1 he present examples of observational studies and raises many important issues. Chapter 2 explains the principles of randomized controlled experiments. In Chapter 3 he covers overt bias and some of the basic methods to adjust for it. The sensitivity of observational studies to hidden biases is covered in Chapter 4.

This book is well written, authoritative and contains numerous references and examples. It also includes a chapter on how to plan an observational study.

Such studies are very important to epidemiologists who want to discover the cause of an epidemic or a disease. With large data base it is possible to remove or adjust biases by matching subjects using propensity scores. Rosenbaum effectively describes how propensity scorng and stratification can be used to make observational studies behave more like randomized control trials.

Couteau's work is considered one of the best treatises on double stars. Chapters on the history of visual double star astronomy, instrumentation, and observation are complemented by chapters on orbits and an appendix of some 500 double stars that have separations between 0.5" and 15" of arc. Throughout, the work is very readable, despite being a fairly deep subject. Certain chapters are more accessible than others, but the book is worth the appendix alone. Highly recommended.

As a teacher of Oceanography and Marine Biology (High School), I am constantly searching for a easy to use reference book. I had the fortune of participating with Dr. Joyce in a workshop and found him to be very knowledgable of oceanography. I was thrilled to learn that he had authored a book. When I got to read over it, I was even more pleased. It is perfect for any person needing a quick, easy to read reference in oceanography. Written in outline form, finding information is fast and detailed, without being a difficult read. I highly recomend this book for any student, teacher or marine professional.

T. Kline lptkine@prodigy.net

I first stumbled across this edition whilst searching the web for an acting edition of Oedipus to use with my Year Eleven Drama class. Once I received this edition I was so pleased that I had taken the gamble to purchase it.

For anyone searching for an 'acting' rather than 'literary' edition of Oedipus, I would strongly suggest that you have a close look at this publication. Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff's collaboration makes the tragedy of Oedipus very accessible for a modern audience. This publication contains an Introduction with explanations of the history of Greek theatre, the nature of tragedy, the function of the chorus, and an analysis of the plot and characterisation. This edition also comes with foot-of-the-page notes and stage directions which are valuable when studying Oedipus as Drama.

What I particularly liked about this publication was its readability, without being simplistic. This translation was characterised by clarity, accuracy, and power of language, retaining the emotion of the original text. I have been so impressed with this translation that I am seriously considering purchasing a class set to use with my students.

It was a pleasure to see a copy of Oedipus especially developed for the stage rather than the page.

History buffs will find a wealth of unique information by a writer with a special viewpoint and perspective on the nation's history. Many of these pieces have been long out of print, making them a special delight to find here. Ranging from Horgan's descriptions fo the hstory and landscape surrounding the Rio Grande to visits with Stravinsky, this is a complex, rich book. He makes history come alive, recreating the lives and souls of the people who lived before us.