This contains my favorite "Graphics Gem", an algorithm for testing whether a polyhedron intersects with a 3-D box or many boxes.

The full set of Graphics Gems is so expensive that I can't bring myself to buy it. Instead, I've looked up gems like that intersection test in a library copy of the book. If you don't have convenient access to it in a library, then you might as well dig up your credit card.

I'm the archivist for the free Graphics Gems code base on the web. I do it for free, because this code is so valuable. Others think so, too: there is an average of 100 hits a day on the site. Go look at the online list of what's in this volume to see if it's for you.

Highlights (for me) include point in polygon testing (yeah, I wrote it), the arcball, matrix decomposition, an implicit surface polygonizer, a fast alternate Phong lighting model, and fast embossing.

Being a verteran of many shows, it brought you the flavor of a dead show. Has letters from Heads and great concert pics. I bought this years ago and use it to hold my concert stubs. It is beaten and worn from use. Not informative, but if you ever shed a tear when you heard "To Lay Me Down" then this will bring you back.

I was shocked when I saw that no one has reviewed this book,yet. This book has various photos and interviews taken at concers and gatherings spanning from the Haight Ashbury days to the early 80s. Also, lots of quotes from the performers were written, about the situations of the various times of their touring.At the end, the COMPLETE tour list from 1961(pre Dead) all the way to 1982, was thouroughly written. That includes the Acid Tests,Woodstock, Monterey Pop, and the venues that they played. This may be oriented to Deadheads themselves, but this is surely a collector's item. Since this book was written in 1982, it may go out of print again at any time. Definately a collector's item!

For many years, my friends and family have encouraged me in my obsession with Donald Ross courses. It all began innocuously enough, when the country club I joined to play tennis turned out to have a great course by Mr. Ross (Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Massachusetts). I learned to play golf later, and was hooked on Mr. Ross!

My friends and I have often talked about putting together a book that would be a guide to help others locate Ross courses to play on. This book was a happy surprise for me in fulfilling that long-held desire! The research is solid in this book, locating Donald Ross courses that others had erroneously ascribed to others. What happened in a few cases is that Mr. Ross did the design, but the implementation did not occur until later.

The book details over 100 courses and has over 150 color photographs plus many black-and-white images. Typically, the color images capture key perspectives of famous or top holes. The book's layout for each course is done over two pages. You get the ratings of the course, some history, several photographs, directions to the course (and on-line information), and condition. I especially liked the older photographs that showed famous players in important moments.

The course descriptions are relieved by occasional essays about Mr. Ross.

Living in the Boston area, I was pleased to see that there are 32 in New England I can enjoy, most of which I have yet to play on. I can also head south in the Winter and hit Florida (18), Georgia (5), South Carolina (4), and North Carolina (16).

If you don't know Mr. Ross, you should. He built Pinehurst No. 2, which is probably his best known effort. Mr. Ross's courses are well known for their elevated tees and greens, with tricky putting surfaces. A recent book about Mr. Ross commented that a poll by touring pros voted my home course as one of ten toughest to putt. There are almost no flat landing areas in the fairway. On the other hand, each shot is a fair test of golf for players of all levels. Many of these courses are considered today to be too short for the male pros, but many still serve as sites for important women's tournaments.

My only complaint about the book was that some of the photographs seemed wildly inappropriate. My favorite example is "Hooter Girls" at the Fort Myers Country Club. On the other hand, the photographs give the book a feeling not unlike a personal family album. Perhaps that's appropriate for all of us who are part of the large family of Ross fans.

After you have enjoyed this book (and hopefully played many of the courses), I suggest that you think about how you can leave joy for future generations as Mr. Ross has done for us.

What can your special contribution be?

Create indelible experiences!

Great Donald Ross Golf Courses You Can Play, (GDR) is the work of two authors - Paul R. Dunn and B.J. Dunn, residents of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Both are avid, albeit not stunning golfers. GDR resulted from several years of research into hundreds of golf courses in the United States, Canada and Cuba which have been identified as possible Ross creations. The authors interviewed hundreds of golf course managers, professionals, members and players seeking to pin down just which courses, claimed to be by Ross, really are by the Scottish-American golf course architect. Some courses didn't make the cut, because they could not prove a bona fide Ross provenance. The authors reviewed his business correspondence located at the Tufts Archive in Pinehurst, and received from many courses copies of Ross letters and course layout specifications. The book describes 2 courses in Colorado, one in Connecticut, 17 in Florida, 4 in Georgia, 2 in Indiana, 7 in Maine, 15 in Massachusetts, 5 in Michigan, 7 in New Hampshire, 1 in New Jersey, 6 in New York, 14 in North Carolina, 4 in Ohio, 5 in Pennsylvania, 2 in Rhode Island, 3 in South Carolina, 2 in Tennessee, and 5 in Virginia. These are either semi-private, public, resort courses and include two military courses - no private courses are included. The book only covers those courses open to public play. GDR offers beautiful four-color and black and white pictures of the courses and also some very rare antique photos from the Tin Whistles Collection of Pinehurst, NC. GDR tells who some of the famous players and celebs were that played these Ross masterpieces, and describes the courses in contemporary terms as well as provides the history of those courses where it is available. Over 300 golf courses were carefully researched in preparation of this authoritative book. One interesting course included in the book is the VinnyLinks of Nashville, TN. The Ross plans for a 9-hole course at Shelby Golf Course in Nashville were "misplaced" for over 70 years! When accidently discovered a decision was made to built the course, but as a Junior facility. This course has just opened. It is named in honor of Vince Gill a famous country music artist, golfer and strong promoter of junior golf. Another course included is the Wm. J. Devine Golf Course at Franklin Park in Dorchester, MA. This course had been written off as a Ross product by sports writer Paul Harber fo the Boston Globe who wrote, "Many people erroneously believe that Donald Ross laid it out. He didn't." Our research turned up old records that ascribe the creation of the course to Donald Ross. Alan Banks of the Olmstead Site in Boston called and informed us that in an April 19, 1922 issue of Golf Illustrated, Ross is called the course superintendent. The book also gives the reader new insights into the character and golf course philosophy of Donald Ross. The book is 296 pages in length, 9 X 12 inches in size, clothbound and published by Derrydale Press of Lanham, MD.

Interesting short stories, however there are too many reference/historical notes for each short story. I had to keep flipping pages back and forth constantly - quite a distraction.
This book also contains a 50 page introduction - ten times longer than any of the individual stories contained in the book. However, despite these nuisances, I still enjoyed this book. Only for the serious reader.

I am writing two papers on the novels of Ihara Saikaku this semester and my Japanese history and Japanese literature profs both recommended that I read this book. I found it quite interesting.

Schalow's introduction is very well done, and without it the reader would be at a lost to understand many of the occurences that happen withing the 40 short stories. Also the endnotes are also quite necessary because they enlighten the reader on the locations, bits of poems and literature, and the names of actors that Saikaku alludes to several times in this book. This book should not be looked upon as just being a work of gay literature, Saikaku himself wrote on many other subjects including the lives of merchants, samurai, and womanizers, but one that is important to understanding this period of japanese history, and the personal relationships of samurai and kabuki actors. however, it also should not be used as a stereotypical model.

this isn't an exhaustive collection of sonnets, nor a serious study. it is simply what it is: a short collection of sonnets that can be purchased cheaply. there are many great sonnets not included and no contemporary sonnets. but it isn't meant to be anything more than what it is. and if you love the sonnet, it's a good collection.

A fine collection of sonnets, including many if not most of the most familiar ones. Eight from Shakespeare, four from E. Browning, four from Frost, four from Hopkins, four from Longfellow. For me at least, a more appealing collection than another I recently purchased.

As a buyer/seller/restorer of classic Pontiacs, I find this book to be very helpful for that quick numbers check, and originality judge. Great book for beginners or just the average Joe looking to learn more about this great automobile.

I enjoyed reading and learning about GTO's. I even found a paint color that I would like to paint my '67. I love this book and am looking for more.

First of all, let me stress to potential buyers that this book is NOT a field guide. It is however a rather thourough reference book. The authors describe what kind of habitat the birds breed in, what the nests look like, the eggs, incubation, the nestlings, and nestling period. They also tell when the breeding season is. There are very, very few drawings of nests. There are sixteen pages of color plates showing paintings of nestlings. And another forty-seven pages of color plates showing photos of eggs. The smaller eggs are shown actual size, but the larger eggs are shown 3/4's or 9/10's of actual size. Why not go ahead and make them actual size even if it means adding a few more pages? I think this book is a good companion to the Peterson guides to bird nests (where you will see actual bird nests with eggs.) It would be great if David Allen Sibley would write or at least illustrate the ultimate guide to bird nests.

"A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds" by Baicich and Harrison is a sorely needed reference to a subject familiar and interesting to both casual birdwatchers and serious ornithologists. Up to now, the standard reference was Hal Harrison's "Birds' Nests" (one for the eastern U.S., another for the west), Peterson Field Guides published in 1975. As the title indicates, these books feature photographs of nests (one picture per species), most with eggs. Many nests (and eggs) look alike, and these books are not especially helpful in identifying nests or their contents. While the Peterson Guide to eastern nests, for example, covered only 285 species, the Baicich and Harrison book covers 669 species nesting in North America.

Baicich and Harrison have created a book that is both practical and beautiful. The first 16 color plates portray dozens of nestling birds -- even the most un-anthropomorphic of us will find many of them cute! A number of the plates show the distinctive "gapes" or open mouths of the nestlings. The rest of the nearly 50 plates are eggs, carefully rendered to show subtle characteristics in color and pattern and displayed to show relative size. For some species, more than one egg is shown to demonstrate variety. These plates are so well done that the varying degrees of gloss are captured, an extremely useful detail. Opposite each plate is a short description of the eggs of the family, a key to the species, and the page number of the text.

The text section contains additional black-and-white sketches of nestlings and nests of many species. Text is concise but thorough, covering breeding habitat, a description of the nest including materials and placement, dates of the breeding season, a description of the eggs including measurements, details on the incubation and nestling periods, and a description of the nestling.

The introductory material is worthwhile as well. A short section on the legal and ethical considerations of studying nesting birds is wisely included. Discussions on each of the items included in the text are presented. These go beyond a simple definition and into some detail. For instance, the paragraphs on eggshell color tell us that newly laid eggs can briefly have a pinkish hue; the types of pigments that color eggshells; that while there might be variation within the species, each female usually lays consistently-colored eggs; and what causes abnormally colored eggs. The mechanics of hatching and the types of nestlings and their anatomy are also covered. Next, there is fine text on responsible nest-finding techniques and an overview of nest monitoring and recording schemes. Finally, there are three keys: Nests, Eggs, and Young nestlings and chicks.

As a professional ornithologist, I rarely cracked open my Peterson Guide to nests. However, I often browse "A Guide to the Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds," even when I am not in need of an immediate reference. This is a book with a place on any bird lover's shelf.

The author wrote an excellent guide for music lovers interested in picking up the electric guitar and learning how to play. The choices in electric guitars and their features can be daunting to a beginner looking at an intimidating wall full of of "axes" and dealing with a salesperson that may only be interested in moving merchandise. The author manages to present the shopping/learning experience in a simple yet thorough manner. Having read the book and being introduced to the lingo, I feel much more comfortable immersing myself in the world of electric guitars. I also recommend Hilton's guide to amps -- the equipment that will bring your guitar to life.

This book is excellent for people who are looking to buy thier first guitar or purchase an upgrade from a "starter" guitar. It covers the basics of guitar body composition, the hardware (ie. types of pickups) and the effects these have on sound. It explains in wonderful detail what to check on a guitar before purchase to be sure it is in good condition for both new and used guitars. There is also a section on maintenance. I believe that this guide helped me know what I was looking for before purchase. I didn't walk into the store "blindly" left to only what info was given to me by the guitar tag or sales rep.

This is a very complete book on tennis. Not a book to learn from, though, because it has so much information. If you already play well and would like to know the game's history as well as other techniques (and look at lots of pictures of past great players), this is the perfect book.

This book was the best out of about a half-dozen books in which i carefully reviewed a test chapter, on tennis serving.

Subsequently i read the entire book, which is voluminous.

The book's not perfect. There are occasional areas of ambiguity and repetition, which the publisher Alfred Knopf company did not catch. But it was still the best of a random sampling of such books. Knopf should re-print it.

Novices and experienced anglers alike will find helpful information in Paul Downings "Handbook of Western Fly Fishing". Whether you are looking for tips on rigging or how to find and care for a guide, you will find a wealth of information in this compact book. I particularly enjoyed the first person stories of real adventures one can often experience while exploring new areas in search of fish. But then, Paul also makes it clear that the reason people fish isn't always the fish they catch, but the places they get to explore and things they get to enjoy on the way.

A good read whether looking for specific info, or just enjoy fishing stories. I recommend it.

I've been reading everything I could get my hands on about fly fishing for the past year. This book is by far the best of the bunch to date. If you fish in the West, this is a book you'll want to own. Packed with great advice that will help you catch (and release) more fish. For me, the chapter on pocket water techniques alone is worth the price of the book.