I have a number of books on lighting, but this added information I had not seen elsewhere.

They concentrate on the size of light sources, the types of reflections produced by various subjects, and how to manage those reflections in a way that will add significant elements to your technique.

The discussions about lighting glass alone are worth the price of the book.

After you have read it, you will be seeing and using new knowledge both on the street and in the studio.

Their sections on electronic flash need to be updated to include modern TTL systems and upper end flash meters, but there is a lot of good information about using flashes.

It is important to [photograph] their examples for yourself to learn the techniques. The time will be well-invested.

Whether you're a beginner with a point-and-shoot or a professional with a huge investment in equipment, you need to know how light works. This book can teach you everything you need to know. It has both theory and practical guidance. The authors don't tell you which lights to use in a given situation -- they teach you how to determine what lighting to use to achieve the effect _you_ want. And they help you select lighting equipment.

To be fair, it's not always an easy read (there's a lot of theory and some math/physics to wade through), but it's worth the effort. I saw the difference in the next roll I shot. I only wish I had found this book a few years ago...

Anyone intimidated or confused by the subject of artificial/studio lighting must read this book. Very well prepared and very objective. The author describes how lighting WORKS, not how HE does it. Text is filled with numerous example photos and lighting diagrams. No experience with lighting is necessary to appreciate this book, but a solid photography background and a little understanding of physics helps. Top Notch.

Along with Bojar's,this book is a must be for all ICU physicians,residents,nurses,students. It is comprehensive,easy to understand (with a fluent,simple English for those who speak English as a foreign language-like me).I've not given 5 stars,because maybe it would be a little thinner!

This book provides the essential background for ICU rotation. It provides pathophysiology and pharmacology Literature which helps residendts and students alike the knowledge for better understanding of the diagnosis and management of patients.

I bought this book because I saw a copy lying around the ICU and flipped through it. It's a great reference text if you need to know how to do something. I actually have it as bedside reading and it does that job poorly because it reads like a manual rather than a book. Also, despite Dr Marino's credentials, he is only one man and is of one opinion and he gives many recommendations that are contrary to current protocol (he also gives reasons and references as to why his way is better). I like his "advantages and disadvantages" evaluations for each procedure/drug/treatment.

and not a bad place to start (I've read plenty since). This book introduces the reader to the Nordic themes that pervade Anderson's fiction, even his ostensibly hard sf (yes, this book is actually set in the world of Charlemagne's paladins, but guess which of the paladins is the hero? You guessed it, Ogier the Dane; well, Anderson is of Danish origin, so what does one expect?). The story is fairly formulaic, but with some nice touches. Virginity doesn't get the short shrift it frequently does in modern fiction, and the hero converts to Catholicism after his return to our world (which gave me a mistaken view of Anderson's attitude to orthodox Christian doctrine and morals--at least, many of his other writings give a somewhat different picture, though he is certainly rather intrigued by Christianity, especially Catholicism). Often praised are the pseudo-scientific explanations for why, say, it's dangerous to steal a giant's treasure, or exactly what might cause someone to become a werewolf. But on the whole this is a good rather than outstanding work of heroic fantasy--a pleasant evening's read, but not something one wants to come back to over and over again or live by the light of. One of the serious flaws, IMHO, is that the ending lacks climax. It should also be noted that this is part of a series of books describing alternate worlds--others include _A Midsummer Night's Tempest_ and _Operation Chaos_.

Like many others, I found out about this book long after being introduced to fantasy role-playing games, specifically Dungeons and Dragons. It is mentioned in the FAQ on a D&D newsgroup as a source for some of the ideas in the game. To be specific, this is where the regenerating trolls come from. There are a few more ideas in here that I recall from my early days of Basic D&D. The early D&D alignment system seems to draw from this book as well (Law vs Chaos with a sizeable Neutral populace), and possibly others. Other D&D concepts are mentioned as well, but those were the most noticeable. In that context, the book is fascinating, and a must-read for any gamer.

The story itself is a twist on the "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" idea. Though in this story, the modern man is taken into a fantastical world where magic works and the forces of Chaos are rallying to strike against the world of Law (humans). The modern man is Holger Carlsen, a Danish engineer who goes home to join the resistance in World War II. During a crucial fight against Nazis he loses consciousness and wakes up in a world where he is a great knight fighting on the side of Law (which equates to good in this book). Opposing him is an assortment of magical foes, and at his side is Hugi, the hill dwarf, and Alianora, the swan-may.

Carlsen, or Sir Holger as he is called in this fantasy world, approaches the magic around him with an engineer's eye. He reasons out the mechanics and laws governing certain aspects of the magical world, and identifies a couple of scientific reasons for the superstitions prevalent there. Though he wavers sometimes in the purity of his thoughts, he is the archetypical paladin, a good guy through and through. Soon after arriving in this fantasy world, he figures out what he must do and pursues that quest with unwavering sureness. The supporting characters are fairly well drawn out for such a short novel. It's a little hard to follow Hugi's brogue in the beginning, but you get used to it, so it doesn't really detract from the story.

Holger draws parallels between the magical world, with Law at war against Chaos, and our own, in his time at war against the Nazis. The causes for war are simplified in the fantasy world to the fact that Chaos more or less equates to evil, and Law is nearly synonymous with good. But Holger's quest remains the same: to defeat evil. A simplistic motivation, but it makes for a highly enjoyable story. In the tradition of Arthurian legend, Holger's quest takes him across the countryside, from adventure to adventure, meeting friends and enemies on the way. Because of its common themes, it can be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

If you give this book to any fantasy reader, it's sure to become one of their favorites.

The thing I've always liked about Anderson's forays into fantasy, is that he manages to maintain that hard edge of reality throughout the work. Anderson's characters don't stumble around fairy land tripping over magic junk that they're going to happen to need in the next chapter like in some of the feebler fantasy on the market. Anderson gives his hero all the discomforts associated with running around in armor, the confusion of a modern character stuck in a parallel universe that he is having trouble making sense of and yet, manages to make a detailed, sociologically believable parallel universe without resorting to some of the cheaper tricks you too often see in sword and sorcery stuff. When something happens, it makes sense, even if it's fantastical at the same time. Anderson knows his sociology, history and his physics quite well. He's one of the brightest practitioners of the science fiction/fantasy art form and way under-appreciated. This is one of my favorites! Tom Kin

I was put off by the cover illustration but forced myself to open the book and was really pleased with what I read. Considering myself a "layperson" when it comes to religion, this book helped open my eyes to Jesus' teachings and message. Before reading the book, I had no interest or understanding of Jesus and now I consider his teachings universal, especially applicable in today's society. I went on to read the other books that Paul Ferrini wrote in this series. Thanks, Paul.

I love Paul Ferrini's writing; simple, yet profoundly beautiful and deeply impacting. "Love Without Conditions", the first in the "Reflections of the Christ Mind" series, has helped me immensely. It is one of those books that I return to again and again. I would recommend this book to anyone whether a spiritual neophite, or someone who has been on a Path for some time.

As someone who has always had problems with organized Christianity, I approached this book with skepticism. But once I started reading, I found that it cuts straight to the core issues of human existence in a powerful and moving way. The book's key premise is that unconditional love of self and others is the key to ending human suffering. Rather than being presented in a way which is unrealistic or utopian, the cocept is spelled out with great psychological insight and incorporates many ideas I have found in Buddhism and Taoism. The book describes a concrete path for understanding the fear and guilt which keep us from treating ourselves and others with the respect and love we deserve; it teaches us how to really take seriously Jesus' instruction to "Love thy neighbor as thyself." I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in understanding the causes of human suffering and what can be done to leave them behind

I picked up this book in London. I decided to look under the last shelf of the "Fiction A-Z by Author" section of my local bookshop, and chanced upon Paul Watkins' most recent novel.

This is a good yarn. The narrator, Paul Weidekind, and his girlfriend Suleika are fishermen in North Eastern USA. Their apparently honest, hardworking life on the sea is turned upside down by the appearance on shore of someone for Weidekind's past who he thought he had left behind long ago. I don't want to detail the plot here as that would spoil it. Suffice to say this is a great thriller.

Watkins' own experience on a deep sea trawler in North Eastern USA have clearly lent to his detailed descriptions of a fishermans' life. Watkins' also chooses historical contexts in many of his novels, as this one does.

In short, I read this book in about two days. I recommend it wholeheartedly. You won't be disappointed.

What happens to spies whose country seizes to exist? This happened to those Stasi spies who were abandoned in America and elsewhere at the end of the Cold War. Paul Wederkin is just such as spy. The story tells how he came to be there, through his Afghani war experience, his friendship and the death of his friend. However, the real surprise is in the beginning when his dead fried walks into a Rhode Island bar and murders someone in front of him.

This story packs just a little too much action into too small a space for me. Its pace is a bit frenetic. However, the depth of character and prose lyricism remains strong as in all Watkins' books.

To give you an idea, before the story even opens, our hero, the East German Paul Wedekind has been a promising engineering student who has been recruited (coerced) by the secret police to spy on his friend, has served in Afghanistan, has been taken prisoner by the Afghans and has at last come to America as a spy for the Russians. Whew! And before dinner, too!.

But that's only the intro: the real story is about his work in America. The Cold War is over and he hopes he has been forgotten but that's overly optimistic. The adventure is grand and utterly amazing, but that's okay, because you love the story anyway.

His crisp and disciplined prose continues to delight me and I predict the day will come when folks quit comparing him to Hemingway and begin compariing Hemingway to him.

A terrific piece of work by Paul Watkins. This writer has crafted a wonderful story of love, horror and mystery so well plotted and with such splendid character development that this book is a must for new writers to study and a great read for thriller readers. From the very first line, you are hooked. I found this book on a new paperback carousel and read the first page. Boom, I'm a Watkins fan and as a developing writer myself, I find his style as easy to read as Scott B. Smith's "A Simple Plan." More, please, I say to Mr. Watkins.

This book was fun to read. I would recommend it to my 4th graders. Cleary gives Ralph, a clever mouse, human characteristics that children can identify with. He has to use problem-solving skills, while helping his friend get along with others. Good book for discussion with your class!

I really liked this book.The mouse was very clever and enjoyed lots of adventures. It was very easy because there weren't any hard words in the book.I also liked this book because I think that mice are cute. I loved this book and I hope someday you will read the book Ralph S.mouse.

...This book is about a mouse and his most pesky relatives. The mouse (Ralph) and his relatives live in a hotel. One day he got so mad he went to school with his friend Ryan to get away from his relatives. The moral of the story is don't bug someone or else they will get very mad. Another message is when you get mad don't try to run away from home. I think it's a very great book because it's adventurous. I recommend this book for people who like exciting moments. I think you should read this book too.

See storyline above.

Repairman Jack returns in another great story by F. Paul Wilson. This time he must get the best of a haunted house, as well as a mysterious and powerful group of thirteen men who sacrifice young children in order to achieve longevity. Jack also delves into the world of the psychics and their scams.
This is no doubt a gripping and sometime scary novel that will keep you riveted to its pages. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because of the editing. Being filled with quite a few errors, Guantlet Publications should be blamed for this.

Still highly recommended.

This is the latest Repairman Jack novel, a series which combines noir/mystery/crime novel with elements of horror and science fiction. Jack is one of the combatants in the battle between the Otherness and the Ally, a battle that's been raging throughout Wilson's novels and serves to tie most of them together into one continuum. In this book, Jack is faced with impending fatherhood and what that will mean to his shadowy, off-the-books existence. He also has to deal with the apparent ghost of a young girl who is haunting the house of a con-man/ psychic and his born-again brother, as well as a mysterious man who hires him to shadow his "brother" and prevent him from committing any crimes during the next full moon. All of this material comes together in a very satisfying way, leaving one wanting more. Wilson is one of those writers who just doesn't write fast enough.

Jack is a great creation, sort of the Equalizer crossed with the X-Files, and if you haven't experienced this series yet, you owe it to yourself to seek it out (other titles are _The Tomb_, _Legacies_, _Conspiracies_, _All the Rage_, and _Hosts_).

First, I would like to say that while the print is small, reading glasses are cheap.

I fully understand why there is a discomforture with the evolution of Jack from a force for mindless vengence, to a fully fleshed out character confronting choices and responsibilities, I am happy to see this character involved in a mature relationship and friendships that defy convention.

Like Joe Landsdale, Wilson is far too good a writer to be tied down to the cliches of male oriented pulp adventure, and the Repairman Jack series is always full of wonderful surprises.

Not surprisingly, the introduction of Lyle and Charlie, who bust every stereotype in their dialogue on skepticism vs. belief and their overly decency, makes one hope they become part of the RJ ensemble of players.

This book is totally delightful, funny, smart, and action packed.
And it is smart...about people, ideas, and the unknown.

A great treat, and fast read....dispite the the print size.

As the story goes, Orwell was engaged to write a story about the then massive unemployment in the North of England.

The first few chapters recount Orwell's experience in a working-class boarding house and then underground with coal miners...and they are fascinating. Orwell's deft talent for recounting the subtle is well demonstrated in these compelling and often hilarious early chapters...

and then it happens.

Orwell's insights into class distiction are well known, and way too often shared, especially here. Orwell cheaps out by prattling on about why he thinks no one really wants true socialism and blah, blah, blah.

Even cheaper(!), Orwell constantly references already written works to demonstrate his point. So much so, that any reader would be vastly better off reading Orwell's fabulous semi-biographical "Down and Out in Paris and London" instead.

If you decided to read this book, I think you can guiltlessly toss it aside after the coal mining recallections.

This book is divided into two sections. The first is a devastating account of the lives of coal miners in the north of England. While this account may be exaggerated it is completely conceivable that life in this time under such social and political conditions might have been like this. He goes to considerable length to explore the personal reactions and methods of endurance of the people he met. Orwell's dedication to exploring what life was really like for the coal miners was made at considerable personal discomfort and were as heroic as Jonathan Kozol's efforts in our present time.

The second half of the book is a long argument by Orwell of the negative aspects of socialism. He does this in order to provoke a serious discussion over how socialism can be implemented in our society. He understood well, as demonstrated in 1984, that many political parties use propaganda as a means of convincing the public that theirs is the right way. But, by taking the opposing view and criticising his own beliefs, he is able to bring the issues of the party into an open forum to consider implementations of change rather than party rhetoric. He does this most sincerely and in no way tries to hide the faults of the socialist political system of thought. In doing so he proves himself to be quite dignified in his system of beliefs. The juxtaposition of these two sections provides a striking idea of the immediate need for political reformation. He did not need to defend socialism because the need for a political change that could effect the lives of the lower class he investigated was obvious. This showed that Orwell's political ideas didn't exist on some ideological utopian plain, but were firmly rooted in the immense danger a political system could inflict upon a large population. It would be wise to remember this in reading the more popular 1984 and Animal Farm as well.

This book is compelling not just for people interested in politics, but also for anyone interested in history and the human condition. It is something you will be able to learn much from and provide you with inspiration.

When I was in high school in the 'sixties, I had to make a joint book report on Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984 for an American History class. I was so annoyed with this assignment that I wrote a vehemently nasty review. The teacher was vastly amused. He suggested that I read Road to Wigan Pier. I couldn't see anyway to niggle out of reading it, so I settled down to read it as perfunctorily as possible and still be able to convince the teacher that I had given it due thought. Instead, as I read, I became enthralled by Orwell's descriptions of life in a bleak industrial town in the north of England. I gained new respect for Eric Blair; I still didn't like 1984, but I understood better where he was coming from and why he wrote it.

I've thought about Road to Wigan Pier many times in the intervening years, and I just recently re-read it. It is still just as powerful and despairing. The non-fiction beats the fiction any day. I have an insig! ! htful teacher to thank for recommending this book.

This book was written by William Shakespeare and it has the old language. Romeo and Juliet is a tragic story, interesting, full of problems and the story is attractive. The story is about 2 families that are in a feud. The families are Capulet and Montague. Romeo Montague is a boy who is very romantic. He falls in love with Juliet Capulet. Romeo tries to be with Juliet and Juliet too but because of the feud they can't be together. The pair have friends who help them. Many deaths are involved in the story. After the problems they plan to be together. In the end the pair dies because of love.

I have been hooked on musicals and plays in general since before I can remember. When I first found this book, I couldn't believe my eyes, I got the script for West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet together in one volume, so I had the words to all my favorite songs and I could study the varied, hilarious lines too. I could relieve the thrills of watching the play, or just reread my favorite scenes. If you're the least bit like me, you'll love this too.

This is two books in one: the text of William Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" and the text of "West Side Story," the 20th century musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The book also includes an introduction by Norris Houghton, who notes, among other things, that WSS is based on R&J. Each text tells the story of a love affair between a young woman and a young man who are caught between warring factions.

I find it stimulating and useful to have these two pieces, linked in theme but separated by centuries, together in one volume. Each is a great text on its own, but having them together may help the reader to see each piece in a different light. One of the things I find most striking as one moves from R&J to WSS is how the latter text adds the element of ethnic tension to the fundamental story of "star-crossed lovers."

R&J is more than just a classic piece of literature; it's also a touchstone of pop culture (hey, it's even been incorporated into a "Brady Bunch" episode!). Despite the passage of centuries, I find Shakespeare's portrayal of the joy and pain of forbidden love to remain relevant and compelling. And R&J holds up as a reader's text, even with the availability of filmed versions. I think that WSS, being a musical play, naturally loses some impact as a text strictly on the page, but nevertheless I found it a rewarding reader's text also. One might try listening to a CD of WSS's songs as an accompaniment to reading the text.

To supplement WSS's portrayal of urban Puerto Ricans, I recommend that interested readers seek out some writings by "Nuyorican" authors; to start with, try Roberto Santiago's illuminating anthology "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings."