The subtitle sounds daunting, doesn't it? But this clever little book is so well written, in a friendly, colloquial voice, that you'll turn the pages as quickly as you might while reading a frothy novel. At the same time, the book is jammed with information--about the basics of the Chinese language and how it has managed to survive without an alphabet; about various dynasties; about Chinese folklore and everyday life. If you're thinking of visiting China, if you're interested in languages, or if you've adopted a child from China, this book is a wonderful introduction to a land and culture that we Westerners tend to dismiss.

For people who just started learning Chinese and would like to have a wider background on the language. Chinese as a language is looked at from all possible directions : written, spoken, origin, calligraphy ...
Very easy to read, well explained, interesting examples, fascinating stories ...

Beautifully written and illustrated, my daughter (3 years)asks me to read this one again and again.

This book should have appeared in "For Dummies" series. It assumes no prior knowledge whatsoever about Chinese language or culture, and does a good job of giving a background on both. The writing style is fluent and the book is fun to read. The book was written some twenty years ago. Maybe those days people knew less about China, because it assumes no common knowledge at all. It covers the language, history, cultural background, etc. It is not a textbook, so do not expect to know any of these topics after reading it.

This manual is a complementary guide to Raymond Chang's Chemistry. It, step by step, illustrates how to solve specific chem problems that are found in the textbook. As a result, a student can learn the process of solving these problems. Furthermore, the manual gives an outline of the different types of problems from the textbook. In addition, tips, tricks, and often shortcuts on solving chem problems are given.

This is the best book that you can get to supplement the Sixth Edition Chemistry book. Even though it has only the even answers, a lot of the problems are very similar to the odd problems. Since you have to send a teaching certificate to McGraw McHill to get the full teacher's edition, this is the next best thing.

Chang's text was my choice for my General Chemistry course this year. It includes very basic material, which is very helpful for heterogeneous courses or courses where students have limited background in math or chemistry.

There are some odd mistakes in the text, but they are primarily when Chang editorializes and do not involve important facts or concepts. For instance, Chang states that water in the ocean has the same chemical structure as water on the ice caps of Mars.

Chang intentionally avoided presenting a great deal of real-world examples or applications, but he does have a short historical or biographical sketch at the beginning of each chapter.

First may i say i hate science. But the book helped me understaind the subject much better. The charts that are in the book organize the information so that studing is easier. I have used this book in my science class and over all i must say that it was a good choice of the teacher to use this book. The price is about equal to other text books on this subject. In closeingthe book is not one that you will sit down and read for fun, but if any teachers read this, it is a good choice for use in your class. It helped me, a person with no science background, understaind the subject and gain an love for the course.

Chemistry is the black science; it came to humanity borne upon the darkest waters of the river emanating from hell. In other words I am an unrepentant chemistry hater. That being said, I never the less require a good grade in the subject in order to advance to the next stage of my studies in a field completely unrelated to chemistry.(sound familiar my friends? and isnt it time we did something about it?) This text is bottomlessly horrible, plain and simple. Avoid it as you would a social disease. Dont make a bad situation worse by expecting any kind of cogent explanation of the fundamentals of chemistry to spring from this vile compendium of putridness. Oh there were times, my friends, that I fell down on both knees and begged God for forgiveness and deliverence (prior to chemistry i was an agnostic)from the burden of another day in chemistry class with this hated tome around my neck like a mill stone. In short, I've seen a wealth of better textbooks on the market since my sad days in chem 120, seek them out!

This book is too broad. It is nearly impossible to find charts and tables, and it does not leave the user with an impression of understanding. Equasions are buried unders lines of text and are not pointed out or highlighted. Reader must pour through several paragraphs to discover the meanings of pictures, charts and diagrams. Vital information hard to find. Not a very good book for referencing, or quick study. Does not convey abstract concepts and ideas well. Only buy this book if you want some very in-depth reading.

In 1969 I graduated with a BS in Chemistry. When I compare my Sienko and Plane 101 textbook with Chang's I feel like I'm reading an introductory book in Physical Chemistry. Lately I'm reviewing a lot of topics I have learned years ago, and, for Chemistry, I have chosen this book. It is full of accounts relating this science to everyday experience, besides it contains many learning paradigms never applied in texbooks of yesteryear. I feel that I have in my hands a serious and entertaining book which is bringing me up to date with my first academic love, Chemistry. If I want a deeper look to a topic, I still pick Castellan. For an edition of the book with the use of Calculus I would have given it 5 stars.

The book does provide a good review of the accomping material in Raymond Chang's Chemistry: Seventh Edition textbook. However, it is obvious that less effort went into the student study guide, because there are numerous errors. I've only worked through chaper four, and I have already noticed that the book contained at least two wrong answers to problems. I also noticed that a questioned worded "classify the followning compounds," failed to list the compounds to be definded and just had a blank space underneath it. Overall, I wouldn't recomend buying this book; a Chemistry Cliffnotes or QuickReview book would probably be more helpful. If you do buy the Student Study Guide use caution.