100 Banned Books is essential reading for anyone concerned about censorship and freedom of expression. The amount of research that Karolides, Bald and Sova have compiled is remarkably thorough. A fairly brief but highly illuminating summary is provided for each listed "objectionable" work, and the list is divided into four different categories of grounds for suppression: political, religious, sexual, and social. The reader is given insight into the mentality of the self-appointed dictators of public knowledge and cultural taste. Fear and ignorance; political and religious intolerance; outright bigotry. It is such un-enlightened mentalities, we discover, that at one time led to the suppression of such great books as The Bible, "All Quiet On The Western Front", "The Rights of Man", "Lady Chatterly's Lover", "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest", "Leaves Of Grass", "Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl","Black Boy", "The Canterbury Tales" just to name a few. Ultimately, this book cultivates an appreciation for the freedom to express and exhange ideas, however controversial or unpopular some of those views might be. It also arms the reader with a vigilance to defend that freedom should they find it challenged by a political authority, religious institution, school board or a group of zealots. 100 Banned Books is destined to become a classic!

If you are a wholehearted proponent of the First Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, this is a book you will find it
absolutely essential to own.

Nicholas Karolides, Margaret Bald and
Dawn Sova have compiled censorship histories of 100 books that have
been suppressed on political, religious, sexual or social grounds, and
they are truly eye-opening. Many of these books have been censored
within our own country, where freedom of speech is supposedly
protected by the First Amendment.

Under the category of religious
censorship, not only have documents challenging the major world
religions' accepted beliefs come under fire, but these religions'
essential works -- the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud -- have also
been supressed at some point in history.

Works suppressed on sexual
grounds run the gamut from mild language or situations to depictions
of explicitly violent and humiliating sexual acts. While I find the
latter absolutely abhorent and choose not to expose myself to this
type of content, "100 Banned Books" is a valuable reminder
that, regardless of your personal opinion of what is not appropriate,
it is all to easy to cross over the line and try to deny others access
to these materials.

Read this book to familiarize yourself with
past instances of censorship, and then look in present-day society for
examples of ongoing censorship attempts. The results will truly be
eye-opening.

This is an amazing and enlightening book. For instance, did you know the catholic church had a list of banned books known as the Index that was in effect into the 1960's? Catalogs a good cross section of books that have met with the disfavor of those in power through out the centuries. Is far from a complete list but takes you from books censored for hundreds of years on religious grounds to books people have sought to ban for the use of a single word. Of particular interest is the recent ban attempts, (during the 1970's- 1990's) in the US by those who feel freedom of speech and the press is great as long as it meets their personal criteria. The fact that we can look at a book like this and see how far we have come is great. However, it means nothing if we stop defending the rights we claim to love.

The Complete Valley of the Kings is a very well-researched, well-written, well-illustrated, and well-organized book. Everything from the topographic and the geologic maps of the valley through the religious and archeological history of the valley were interesting (and sometimes depressing, considering what some of those early adventurers and so-called scholars did to the place). The information on the dismantling of the Valley at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st Dynasty was especially interesting. Of course, the stars of the book were the tombs themselves. The architecture, decoration and history of each tomb is given as fully as possible. My only reservation in regards to this book lies in the authors having made up their minds on the identity of the controversial mummy in KV55 and airily dismissing as unimportant any evidence that contradicts their theory. Such inflexible partiality calls for a cautious approach to any other "definite" conclusions the authors draw. Otherwise, the book is inarguably informative and entertaining, except for the fact that the authors consistently and annoyingly use the Greek forms of the pharaoh's names (such as the Greek Sethos instead of Seti). Other than that, the book really is almost completely perfect.

Unlike the Chronicle of the Pharaohs, this compiled information is not lacking except for in those finer details that are hardly mentioned, anyway. As a great fan of the Valley of the Kings, I found this book worthy of its subject. All the tombs and pit tombs are mentioned, ground-plans shown when available. Many artifacts rarely seen are published here in wonderful plates, and many more artifacts are mentioned in the list of contents bestowed upon each tomb. A small portion of the royal mummies are shown in the back as a sort of family album, many others being shown throughout the book. I found most interesting the picture of the mummy found with the nurse of the great Hatchepsut and thought to possibly be Hatchepsut, herself. This is a great book to have share a shelf with the works of John Romer and other intimates of the Valley of the Kings. For those--like myself--who plan to join the rank of those intimates, this book is a must

This book tell us the information of each tombs in details. It includes pictures of the outside of the tombs, the inside, the drawing on walls, and sometimes even the bones on the floor when it just discovered. It also includes the map of the tombs, the one who discover it , when it had been discovered and also what's inside. The book explains all these to us in details. I really love this book because nearly all the pictures are printed with colours and the imformation is useful. It also show pictures of the pharaohs' mummies, and so I like this most. I highly recommend this to all those who love ancient egypt and those who are interested in Valley of The Kings.

An excellent novel about the Old Guard of the Army. Mr. Proffitt, as a veteran of the 3rd US Inf., is able to bring you into the "other" world of the Army. The side that has to do with the burials, rather than the killing.

As a veteran of the Old Guard, who was there for the filming of the movie, I was dissapointed that the Army would not let Mr. Coppola keep to Mr. Proffitt's work, but if you both read the novel, and view the movie, I'm sure that you'll understand the reasons.

Anyhow, I digress. Mr. Proffitt's telling of the "other side if the Vietnam War" is without compare. Even though, by his own admission, he does change some facts around.

I would recommend this novel to all the "doves" and "children of doves", as well as anyone interested in the nations Premier Honor Guard.

Scott R. Williams
3d U.S. Inf (TOG)
84-88

Of the many"war" novels that I have read none have had the effect on me that this one did. With characterzations that hit very close to home. The novel shows a glimpse of an orgarization(the army) and a place(the united states in the 60's)in a state of change. Through the eyes of Jack Willow the inocense of youth is shown. Along with the exuzberance that goes with it. Jack wants nothing more then to go to Vietnam. Ceil Hazard a friend of Jack's father from WW2 tries to tell Jack of the horrors of war with little success. Samantha Huff becomes a love interest of Ceil's which adds to his continuing disillousment with his profession. One of a select few novels to successfully to switch time and place. At times extremely funny yet with an end that can break your heart. Few novels of Vietnam show as much depth in putting a spotlight in what was our nation's most costlist conflict.

The mix of history, war and personal lives is unbelievable. This is one of my all time favorite books. You must read it to appreciate it!

This is an erudite account of various aspects of book collecting, its practitioners, and their collections. Basbanes covers in detail the histories of some of the greatest collections, and those of the individuals behind them. His thoroughly researched work also explores two collectors whose activities might be more accurately described by changing to "real" the "gentle" of the book's title. A piquant note is added by the fact that true to form one of these two wrote a pseudoanonymous review for Amazon.com but could not resist to reveal his identity by listing his address as "heaven", a take-off on his name "Haven". The author's many years of successful non-fiction writing for the media have resulted in gripping accounts; a must for anybody who shares his - and my - love for books.

Just finished. Five stars. I am trying to email the author to thank him. Anyone interested in books (which includes you) deserves to read this book. The chapter on Blumberg is especially illuminating.

It always seemed to me that my passion for books and the lenghts to which I would often go to satisfy it was not very distant from a mild form of madness. This wonderful book has showed me that, madness though it may be, it has been shared by many illustrious persons and is no reason for shame. My only quibble is a certain degree of envy thar rises up after reading about rich individuals who were able to indulge their preference much more munificently than I!

Dr. sandra Grabowski (the author of the book) is my anatomy teacher at Purdue University. Although the book does have some excellent graphics and visual enhancements in all of the crucial areas of anatomy, the actual explanation of the material is rather weak and ambiguous. There isn't much clinical or experimental information, aside from simple definitions of disorders. I believe that the book would be better served by more elaborate explanations of key concepts in the text as opposed to filling the book cover to cover with pretty pictures. In my opinion, this makes the book ineligible to be a trusty reference. The blanks need to be filled in by the authors, and this would be an excellent improvement for the ninth edition.

This is the finest of all available books on Anatomy and physiology. The text is clear and easy to understand. The pictures easy on the eye and help to simplify the complex subjects covered. Scattered throughout the book are 'clinical correlates' which relate chapter information to 'real life' medical problems. These correlates help to integrate the information presented. The book contains clear histology slides and occasional pictures of cadaver dissections. The treatment of subjects is thorough including, for example, dysrhythmias in the chapter on cardiac anatomy and physiology. Accompanying the book is an atlas of the skeleton. Bright colors are used in all of the pictures and flow charts. The table of contents is thorough, clearly dividing up each chapter. I would Reccomend Tortora and Grabowski's A&P textbook for a two semester course in anatomy and physiology.

This is a review of the 8th edition

I loved this book it is my bible. I found it the most comprehensive guide that I have ever read. The only thing that other books have over it is the CD-Rom could be a little more interactive and more helpful. But the book rocked. It has that ablity to take you from the basis of all knowledge of this field of study and slowly and carfully unfold the knowledge in just the right way that it establishes it in your mind forever. I loved it and look forward to using it in other ways not just in class.

Anastasia Author Peter Kurth has compiled one of the best books published on the last Russian imperial family. He summarized the life of Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia and their children excellently. Stories from the old black and white pictures came alive with Peter Christopher's photographs on the relics of Imperial Russia. This book is already a classic

I've read about the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family for years, but I never felt like I really understood their lives and their lifestyle until I bought and read this book. The text is an interesting historical summation, but it doesn't reveal anything your average student of Russian history wouldn't already know. What is so special about this book is the pictures. Beautiful full-color photos of the magnificient palaces and locations frequented by the Russian royal family are displayed next to a comprehensive collection of historical photos from the era. In addition to the classic royal portraits you have probably seen, there are many candid photos of the family going about their daily life. Frequently, a historical picture is shown next to a gorgeous contemporary photograph of the same locale. For example, a black and white photograph of two of the Grand Duchess rowing past the "children's island" at Tsarkoe Selo is shown with a brilliantly colored picture of the same spot as it looks today. Thanks to these beautiful photographs, I have a whole new appreciation of the incredible luxury of the royal surroundings, and what a grand contrast it must have been to the lifestyle of the average Russian peasants.

...with an excellent accompanying text. The photos a generally well-presented and wonderfully-selected. The book as a whole presents to the reader a family that is at once normal and extraordinary, silly and stately, casual and imperial, joyful and tragic. Great for the coffee table.

If you are into acting,want to make movies,write them or just watch them,this book is a lot of fun to flip through. Most of the scenes aren't from big "playing everywhere" movies so you don't have to worry about imitating someone else's performance. And with the few that are,it's a good exercise in how to make a charactor"yours" instead of DeNiro's (for example.) A worthwhile scene-book to own.

I've picked up so many scene books for auditions and usually they have, like, 20 monologues, of which 15 are from Eugene O'neill and/or David Mamet. This book, as can be seen in the title, offers much more than the usual. Not only that, but it's about half the price of any other scene book taht I've ever seen!

Angela Nicholas has hit a "home run" with this tighly edited compilation of great movie scenes! I teach an on-camera acting class, in Studio City, CA and the students love the material! Angela has painstakingly edited these scenes & turned them into balanced gems. From Annie Hall, Pulp Fiction, to Working Girl, the material is so diverse and up to date. What a gift! Other scene study books, bog you down with stale dialogue! The movie scenes chosen by Angela, flow with comedic and dramatic timing. These scenes are brilliantly broken down and an excellent tool for teaching Film & TV acting. Angela has saved me from digging through endlessly boring scene study books. My students are now excited to perform scenes from movies they love. Angela, thank you for taking us to a whole new level! A "must have" book, for serious acting coaches and students! When can we expect a new edition of Film Scenes For Actors? We'd love to see more!!

Thank you, Phil De Champlain

I am a Classic ASP developer. The company that I work for has recently decided to pursue .NET for future web development. This was the first book that I read in order to get a grasp of the changes from Classic ASP to ASP.NET. I have to say that this book was a GREAT introduction to a lot of the new features of ASP.NET.

There are a few things I would like to point out when considering buying this book:
1.This is a beginner book. No advanced topics.
2.Good coverage of the different types of controls available in .NET.
3.Quick and easy read.
4.Only basic coverage of ADO.NET.
5.Source code available as a download.
6.Assumes that you have VS.NET although I used ASP.NET Web Matrix.

There were some typos but nothing ridiculous.
Overall I like this book. Good price for a good book.

This book seems to be geared towards classic ASP developer who wants to learn about ASP.NET. There are chapters explaining the difference between ASP.NET and classic ASP and migrating Web applications from classic ASP to ASP.NET. Some code examples use HTML with embedded VB, some use HTML with code-behind files coded in C#, and some use HTML with embedded C# code. The book discusses .NET architecture/framework in some detail and explains complicated topics such as: MSIL, CLR, and JIT quite well. The book covers a lot of territory, including ADO.NET, working with XML data, HTML and Server Controls, Validation Controls, Debugging, User Controls, and Web Services. There are several appendixes which cover ASP.NET syntax, ADO.NET object model, VB.NET language reference, and C# language reference.

This book is a concise and incomplete reference of ASP.NET, but that appears to have been author's intent. It's well written, well organized and easy to understand. I think the intended audience, which is a beginner-to-intermediate Web developer, will find it useful. The author makes an assumption that the reader is familiar with HTML, XML, VB or C#, and knows how to use Visual Studio.NET. DO NOT buy this book if you studying for Microsoft Certification exam/s, it's not intended for that purpose.

The title says it all; if you don't have a lot of time to read and just want examples that show you how to get started, this book is for you. The sections on validation controls and ADO.NET were particularly helpful to me: simple code that works, helping me gradually shift my paradigm while still being productive in the transition.

Although the appendices contain some lightweight "refresher" language and class references (which do what they are expected to do), your deeper needs may not be met here. If you need a more complete view of the .NET framework, try Steven Walther's ASP.NET Unleashed; on the other hand, if you want to get your brain around the web controls and data access that form the core of most ASP.NET applications, look no further than ASP.NET By Example. It does what it claims to do, without being everything to everyone... which works very well for its typical reader, the time-starved developer who just came to be shown how to get the job done.

This latest book by the Dalai Lama is a compilation of speeches he gave in NYC in the past. It lists the main traits one should practice to fulfill a healthy lifestyle: compassion, empathy, wisdom, and so on. If you have already read 'Ethics For The New Millenium' or 'The Art of Happiness' you will find that this book repeats much of the material in those books. The main difference I see in this edition is that some basic meditation techniques are covered. Overall, it is a book that reminds us of the most important qualities one should practice to create a centered life. I also recommend "Open Your Mind, Open Your Life: A Little Book of Eastern Wisdom" by Taro Gold which is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking and inspirational quotations.

Timeless wisdom but hard to implement....Combine this with Confucius and Marcus Aurelius, and you have a pretty good philosophy to live by.

Freedom of religion, as practiced in the United States of America, is an awful and illogical liberty. In our quest to be inoffensive, we act as if multiple, mutually exclusive, truth claims can all be valid at the same time, and religious preference is merely a matter of personal taste. As a consequence of our corporate irresponsibility, many are left free to follow lies and the path to eternal corruption.

I am a conservative Christian, who believes that the only path to truth lies through God's grace as presented to us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians confess to be the Messiah. I, personally, believe that Buddhists and followers of non-Christian religions are wrong.

BUT... My personal faith claims do not undermine the wisdom of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama's teachings on meditation and compassion. In his little book, the Dalai Lama lays out for us a path to a more inhabitable planet. Demonstrating that he fully comprehends the flawed, sinful nature of all people, His Holiness goes on to show us how all creatures can live together in a more peaceful world. He gives us a practical method by which to change ourselves for the good of all.

AND... He even warmed this grumpy, old Lutheran's heart.

Read the book.

This novel takes real history and blends it almost seamlessly with creative fiction, treating the family with fairness and respect in the process. Some of the non-historical premises are not terribly believable if you know the real facts involved, and the story sometimes sinks into overdrama, but that doesn't detract from the fun. Reality aside, the story works.

If you consider yourself in love with Nicholas II's family, you'll probably very much enjoy it. If you like historical fantasy, you may enjoy it. If you are wedded to reality at all costs, you will probably be bothered.

I loved this book. It combines the best of the historical novel, non-fiction and the suspense story - I couldn't put it down. Alexander clearly has a masterful grasp of Russian history, and he is able to make the reader care about the destiny of the last Tsar and his family, without in any way apologizing for the grave mistakes they made. This is one of those books that broadens your horizons and that you think about for a long time after finishing it.

Reviewer: Deborah Kaplan from Copenhagen Denmark
I loved this book. It combines the best of the historical novel, non-fiction and the suspense story - I couldn't put it down. Alexander clearly has a masterful grasp of Russian history, and he is able to make the reader care about the destiny of the last Tsar and his family, without in any way apologizing for the grave mistakes they made. This is one of those books that broadens your horizons and that you think about for a long time after finishing it.