African Majesty is the historical study of the weaving practiced by two separate West African tribes. Inhabiting the present day countries of Ghana and Togo, the weaving traditions of the Ashanti and Ewe have been traced from the writings of the European explorers of the 15th century.Their seemingly simple process is called "strip weaving". Strip weaving is the art of hand weaving narrow(3"-5")strips which are later hand sewn together into larger pieces to make the wearing cloth of both men and women. Intensely laborious but extremely portable, these combined strips are referred to in the West as "kente" cloth, a mixture of color and pattern which has been imitated in fabric prints. The team of Adler and Barnard, a textile scholar and a writer, has produced a magnificent collaboration which showcases this art. 131 color illustrations,including many full page plates, reveal the native use of intricate patterning and a wide range of colors. Each example is numbered and the patterns contained therein are named by their tribal name, translation, explanation of uses by particular segments of society and their place of origin. The pictured cloths are really incredible. Before reading this book I had dismissed this type of cloth as a hodgepodge of simple plain weave thrown together like a crazy quilt. Seeing the multitude of patterns and reading about the fine silk and cotton yarns employed has given me an appreciation for this painstaking craft. Barnard and Adler have compiled a wonderful book, enhanced by maps of the region, a glossary of African terms and a bibliography. Though even in the face of Western influence the simple everyday strip cloth material continues to be purchased and worn, it is the specially commissioned designs which are disappearing. Hopefully this book will attract a wide audience and stimulate demand by private collectors for this awesome handweaving.

An excellent overview of MATS aircraft as described above. This is a subject that has not been covered in previous publications.

This is an excellent introduction not only to the greek alphabet but to the origin and meaning of many english words as well. The authors start each chapter with a letter from the greek alphabet. They then demonstrate how many words from english are derived from those greek words beginning with that letter. It is a fascinating and intriguing foray into the world of word meanings and origins.

I am not sure of the origins of this book which first appeared in a paperback edition in either the late 60s or the early 1970sbut I am confident that they lie in the alternative culture which established itself in 'Swinging London' from the early 1960's onwards. I remember meeting someone associated with IT (International Times) and the discussion turned to the number of young people who had flocked to London in search of sex 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll but found the capital to be a more mundane and difficult existance.

I only have in my possesion the expanded 5th edition which was published in 1974 but the basics are the same. Nicholas Saunders did an admirable job in putting together what is essentially a survivor's guide to living in London on a small income. Broken down into sections each complete with it's own appendix, beginning with housing, this book is a veritable encyclopedia of things to know about to get by with no family or friends support mechanism. Also very useful to students living alone for the first time in the metropolis. It has very helpful suggestions on food and is informative in areas of sex and drugs and major community issues. It is not a judgemental book nor does it prozletyse, it is written in a straightforward, matter-of-fact style and allows the reader to make up their own mind.

One criticism is that it is written in a dense fashion with small type but that negative is outweighed by the usefulness of the content. There are diagrams and drawings aplenty and great advice all round.

Living in London in the early seventies could be a hard and difficult experience with many innocents being taken advantage of by their more worldly and experienced inhabitants. This book at least gave people a chance to survive although I suspect some would see it as left-wing tree hugging hippie stuff. Left orientated certainly. Tree hugging hippie stuff not really.

Good information, good advice and a great survival guide. In time the book would be a guide to a magazine which would in turn supercede and then replace it...Time Out. But that is another story for another day.

This book is certainly of historical interest for anyone who had some interest and/or experience of the 'alternative society' in England or inded anywhere. There is certainly a Ph. D study subject on alternative London out there if anyone is interested!

Especially if you have more than one kid to send to school, this book is a must. Lists all the schools you can afford by State.

I'm 14 and read "American Satire" because I am very interested in the subject. This book was, in my opinion, was enjoyable and interesting. Some of the satire was over my head, therefore a little boring, but the nice thing about short stories is that you can always go back to them. Benjamin Franklin, Will Rogers, Ambrose Bierce, and Art Buchwald were my favorites. This book also gives a little background information on the authors who wrote the stories. My only problem with the book itself was that some of the stories are just excerpts from larger books. I would've liked to see the complete version of the "The Devil's Dictionary" because it is extremely funny. But if your interested in satire or American literature, this is something that you'll want to check out.

This is a short lively book on two centuries in one city - 5th and 4th century Athens. The first 50 pages give quick context on the Greek world from 6500 BC. This is very helpful towards understanding the great stories of the past that Athenians all knew, and explaining the origin of the Athenian city plan and political order. Jones's vivid account of Mycenean palaces gave me a whole new sense of Homer and the characters in Greek tragedy.

Then the book settles into the city. Jones describes its physical arrangement, government and religion, the main political and economic groups, family structure, and the life patterns of typical occupations: farmers, laborers, craftsmen. Jones has a great way of picking lively details. My favorite is his account of archaeological finds on a street that Socrates used to frequent. It is a very good balance of overview and detail, for a quick look at Athens.

One striking feature of the book is how clearly Jones describes other interpretations competing with his own, and how he uses that to make the book more lively and attractive. It does not come across as bickering, but as exploring possibilities. He is generous enough to give sympathetic accounts of many other views (though I suppose the people he disagrees with may not agree with me!). Much of this material is necessarily conjectural, as the sources are quite sparse. Jones makes a few very helpful remarks on the the extent of existing archaeological evidence.

And of course the book gives good suggestions for further reading on many topics.

anni albers' breath taking, evolved, inteligent and futurestic work is well represented in this book. visually , this book is stunning. the little glimpses into her family photos make it warm and more familiar also, adding another dimention to the presentation. excellent! m ust have by anyone who appreciates asthetics.

This book is an excellent compilation of some of the greatest writers Russia has ever produced. On these pages we find literature by Pushkin, Gogol, Turgenyev, Lermentov, Tolstoy, Blok, Babel, Kharms, Bulgakov and many others, as well as a few anonymous authors. There are stories, plays and poems in this anthology, giving the reader a fine selection of the rich variety of literature that Russia had contributed to the world. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in literature (especially, but not limited to Russian literature) and I believe the reader will appreciate this book's true creativity.

This book is very good for engineering and business. The book is easy to read and to follow. I apply statistics concepts from this book in business and technical problem solving at work. This book has 11 chapters. These chapters have statistical techniques that the industry is using. The student solution manual is also a great tool to learn statistical techniques from this book. It is great!