It is becoming increasingly easier to locate the causes for many diseases; the flu is caused by the influenza virus, tapeworms are parasites, e. coli is cause by a bacteria, etc. However, determining the cause, and even the effects, of culturally bound syndromes is much more difficult. This book is a report of the findings of a study which utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods in order to answer various questions and hypotheses pertaining to susto. The authors document their study, which searches for commonalities between asustado victims, in an effort to better understand the causes and effects of the folk illness.
Being an anthropology student, I found this book very interesting. It's a great book to read if you are interested in learning more about folk illnesses, or medical anthropology. Furthermore, the book could also be a beneficial tool for educators whom wish to teach proper research techniques, as the authors go into some depth about how their research was preformed. However, if one is not interested in the subject, then I would predict that this book will probably be pretty boring.

Symons was a poet and critic of the Symbolist movement, and this book was meant to be a general introduction to the French Symbolists. As an introduction, it is superb--it familiarized me with the works, lives, and styles of many important Symbolist writers such as Nerval, Merimee, Villiers, Verlaine, etc. There is an appendix which includes writers that aren't really Symbolist, like Flaubert, Balzac, Goncourt, but even this appendix is informative and interesting.

However, when the work tries to go beyond a mere descriptive primer, it fails. His attempts to define Symbolism are muddled and contradictory. His "interpretations" of Rimbaud and Verlaine are just completely off base. Basically, this book is a light, basic introduction to French Symbolist authors, and it loses its charms when it tries to be critical or definitive.

This is a very funny book because it tells you much about the way people live and think long ago. You may find that the people in that era view things in a very different way.

The best part of this book are the two lists of Chivalrous and Romantic duties, taken from real medival litterature.
There are some nice adventures, too - the monster in one of them will be amusing for those who have played a certain horror game, and the murder mystery is a nice change of pace (though the main villain would not use those kind of methods, i think). The marrige adventure seed looks like its worth developing, too.
Still and all, this is just not a classic. It lacks the finishing touches and, worse, feeling of being part of a greater secret whole that makes a proper Pendragon game.
It is NOT the first book you should buy after the rulebook. However, if your Pendragon libary is otherwise complete, its worth a look.

I bought this book on a whim. In fact I thought it was a joke - especially with Dennis Miller's quote on the back cover. What surprised me was although it was a little booklet it was full of information about water which I had never before thought about. I liked all the terms which reminded me of a wine tasting. But how sobering with only water! I would have give the book a higher rating if it had been longer. Just when I was getting into some of the water ancedotes, it came to an end. But, overall I'd reccomend the book and trying out the guideline's to hold a water tasting. We did it at the office and it was very enlightening - BTW - San Pellegrino came in first place for sparkling and Great Bear for non-carbonated. New York City tap water came in 4th out of 6.

The book on the whole is good. It is very general and useful for novice and little experienced people.

I would like to see more enhancements to this book. e.g Details of Collateral Management systems etc.

I will keep it short and will write a detailed review later

I really enjoyed this book because it kept you consumed in it. It's about three investigators who are trying to find out what the mystery of the golden statue is. The day before the guys had stopped by a dark road to investigate a piecing cry for help. Then someon threw a statue over the wall. When they were just about to find out who threw the statue a high pierced laugh rose out of the night. Out of nowhere and scared the detectives off, on their way to a statue expert, a man leaped out waving a knife and snatched the statue away from them. I rate this book a six because it was enjoyable through out but otherwise, not very detailed.

This is a very significant book about the general opinons of Western people about middle eastern-arabs at the end of 19th century. The tale is about how tourists on a steamer have been taken hostage by a gang of arabs, and how "the heroic" british army saved them. What is behind the tale is what has been codified by kipling: "the burden of the white man". The superior civilized Anglo saxons and their mission toward uncivilised barabarians. The depiction of natives in mild racists words is what, unfortunately, has not changed so much in western opinions (even if hidden behind layers of politically correct). Very instructive for whoever is interested in the root of racisms, as described by E. Said in "orientalism". A very funny part of the book is the contrast between the arrogant french tourist who at the begining criticizes the wise brits, but by the end is grateful and convinced. Replace brits with americans, and the book could have been written in 2001.

This edition by Penguin contains the full-length Sherlock Holmes novel THE VALLEY OF FEAR along with selected short stories from THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES and HIS LAST BOW. THE VALLEY OF FEAR was written after Conan Doyle killed off Holmes in 1892, but is set before Holmes' disappearance at the Reichenbach Falls. THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES opens with a story that shows that Holmes didn't die in his struggle with Professor Moriarty after all.

These stories show a decline in Conan Doyle's writing. As Iain Pears wrote in the introduction to another Penguin edition of Holmes stories, in the latter half of his life Conan Doyle turned to mysticism and spiritualism and was increasingly unable to portray the cold rationalism of Sherlock Holmes. Many of the stories lack motivation. The story HIS LAST BOW, which is final story in the canon according to Holmesian time, is a poorly-plotted bit of propaganda for England in World War I.

There are footnotes to each story, compiled by Ed Glinert. An expert on literature set in London, Glinert explains the geographical settings of the Holmes stories, and defines anachronistic terms that are no longer use. He also points out the mistakes Arthur Conan Doyle frequently made in his stories, which are often quite amusing (contradicting timelines, Conan Doyles' incomplete understanding of obscure sciencs, etc).

Because of the illuminating introduction and the helpful footnotes, I'd recommend over any others this edition of THE VALLEY OF FEAR AND SELECTED CASES

Liberty ships, seen by many as the backbone of American sealift in World War Two, actually got their start before the U.S. entered the war. And not long after we became a combattant, we realized the need for a ship that could carry more cargo, and do it faster, than the Liberties. Hence the Victory ships, a class that ultimately included tankers, troopships, and other auxlilary types, as well as basic cargo ships. This book is a catalog of the Victory ships, and also of purpose-built tankers, and their role in the war.

When I say this book is a "catalog," that pretty much sums it up. Much of the text consists of lists of individual ships of the various classes, divided up by where they were built, and including launch date, the name or names they sailed under, their post-war disposition, and ultimate (as of 1974, anyway) fate.

You won't find here any of the stories of heroism at sea, battles against fierce odds, clashes with the elements in the storm-tossed seas, or any of those other fixtures of war-at-sea literature. Although the descriptions of individual ships sometimes include interesting details (like the brief recounting of the MUHLENBERG VICTORY's stint as a livestock carrier, with cows berthed in "first class" accomodations, or the explosion of the tanker SALEM MARITIME in Louisiana in 1956), there's little mention of the ships' wartime service, either generally or specifically. There are, however, many details of design, construction, engines, modifications, and other technical specifications.

A number of the Victory ships are described as being mothballed as part of the US Navy's reserve fleet. Of course, thirty years later, I'd be surprised to learn if there are still any Victories so disposed. Though there might not be much call for updating this particular volume, that is one area in which it is particularly out of date. But for an overview history of some important classes of ships, and basic details about each of the members of those classes, this book might be a useful thing for interested researchers to have around.