Do you like realistic fiction? Would you like to know about a boy who made money by making up a new word? If you do the title of this fantastic book is Frindle by Andrew Clement. The character is Nicholas Allen (Nick). He is a boy in 5th grade. The interesting thing about Nick is that he is very creative. He has freckles and red hair. This story takes place nowadays at Lincoln Elementary School. When Nick was in 3rd grade, he made his classroom into a tropical island with construction paper, but Nick had a very strict teacher in 5th grade who loved dictionary. One day, Nick invented the word frindle, which means pen. In less than a month, everyone started to use the word frindle. Nick's fifth grader teacher Ms. Granger was very upset and made every kid stay in after school....

I recommend this book because it's about a creative boy who made so much money with just 1 word! I think after you finished reading you will never forget it!

I am a fifth grader, SR,from WMA.The book that
I read was Frindle.It's about Nick Allen,a boy who goes to Lincoln Elementary school. He uses his imagination all the time. Nick Allen has the worst teacher in fifth grade, and her name is Mrs.Granger. Mrs.Granger teachers LA, in her classroom she has lots of dictionaries. One day when Nick was going home with his friend he tripped and found an expensive pen. He named his pen Frindle. His friend was confused. The next day he told the 5th grade to ask the teacher for a Frindle. He started a big fuss about it.It was so big that he even got on the newspaper and was interviewed. Mrs.Granger got furious. She kept them in to write a report. Mrs.Granger said, "I will give you an envelope." He stopped and the teacher gave him the envelope. It said . . . I really liked this book. It was exciting, funny and impressive. It's the best book I ever read.

Frindle is about a 5th grade kid named Nick. He had a language teacher named Ms. Granger who loved the dictionary. She encouraged his interest in words. One day Nick thought of a new word for pen. He called it frindle and began to use the word frindle all the time. Everyone in his town started to use the word. When Nick was in college, his word frindle was in the dictionary. This book really draws you in! Reid Bouchard - 5th grade

I've been a fan of the OUP short introdctions to various philosophers, they don't have one on Dennett, so I got this instead. I assumed that this book would be similar to the OUPs. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it's much better (except for the ugly cover and poor quality printing). It's lively, clever and not in the least bit patronizing. Generally speaking, the difiiculty with analytic philosophy of mind lies not so much in the specific problems and philosophical solutions floating around, so much as with the ridiculously dense prose that most philosophers write. Symons' book is a very clear guide to the recent debates for the novice and a breath of fresh air for professional philosophers. Personally, I've gained a new appreciation for the sophistication of Dennett's view, and contrary to what you might have picked up from philosophical hearsay, he's not just saying that we're all robots. However, I have to say, I bought the book as a quick way of getting a short account of Dennett's ethics. But as it turns out, there's no real mention of his ethical theory in Symons' book! Maybe it's because the author is smart enough to know that this is the weakest part of Dennett's thinking. Aside from that important deficiency, this is a lovely little book. Symons' account of Dennett's theory of consciousness is very clear. He does in about 20 pages what it takes Dennett himself 350 pages to do in Consciousness Explained.

John Symons has produced a beautiful, small book on the philosopher of mind Daniel Dennett, which is actually a full-fledged introduction to the philosophy of mind today. A high-level introduction, mind you, which takes the reader back to the heyday of analytic philosophy with W.V.O. Quine: Symons may be the first specialist of philosophy of mind to really understand its background in the rest of analytic philosophy, and this is partly why he can write so clearly and not clog up our understanding with too much 'C-fibre firing', 'weak supervenience' and the like. Dennett's important notion of "heterophenomenology" (which may be less far removed from phenomenology 'tout court' than either Dennett or Symons think) finally becomes clear. Besides writing well and clearly, Symons makes several novel contributions to philosophical thinking on these topics. My personal favorite has to do with what he calls "the normal respect for science", in Dennett's terms "nothing special, TIME magazine standard" (note that Dennett might be thinking of TIME a few decades ago!). Symons shows nicely how philosophy, and cognition in general, should not be understood as something separate from the natural world. There is only one world we live (and think) in: the natural world. As John Dewey put it in the early 1920s, experience, science and philosophy are continuous. Science gives us the best understanding we have of this world; but philosophy and even 'metaphysics' have a job to do as well, in non-doctrinaire terms. Anyone interested in these issues, not just in the 'homuncular' philosophy of Dennett, should read Symons' book.

A remarkably lucid, concise, and comprehensive introduction not only to Dennett's work but to the last 60 years of philosophy of mind--and in less than 100 pages. It frames debates with such clarity and evenhandedness that it makes you wonder how the field ever became as muddled as it is today. (Though the book's dextrous avoidance of jargon suggests an answer to THAT question.) Most current philosophers are more like philosophy critics, quibbling ad nauseum about their colleagues' interpretations of their interpretations of an earlier generation's interpretation of a doctrine whose original proponents abandoned it years ago. Dennett is one of the few who tackles the big questions in philosophy of mind head on. Because he doesn't waste time negotiating among all of his discipline's various voguish "isms," and because he defends his positions with so much evidence from the hard sciences, he tends to get classified as a cognitive scientist, or a cognitive psychologist, or an artificial intelligence theorist, or even an evolotionary biologist (when he's defending Darwin). But with this judicious overview of more than 30 years of evolving thought, on everything from free will to the question of whether machines can feel, Symons reclaims Dennett for philosophy. And not a moment too soon.

I am delighted with the response to MEDIEVAL COMBAT. My hope is that it serves to help the emerging Western Martial Arts community in their study of European swordsmanship, and that students and scholars and just plain folks who are interested in the history and art of the Middle Ages look to this book for the insights it provides into the real people who fought and lived and died in this fascinating period.

As a martial artist and stage fight choreographer and combatant, I am keenly interested in understanding the "real deal" of European swordsmanship. There is an astonishing wealth of material outlining the systematic methods for using all the weapons in the medieval and Renaissance warrior's arsenal, but many of these documents remain untranslated into English. For years, English speaking martial artists have been constrained to base their interpretation of these methods on the illustrations alone, without the benefit of the knowledge to be gained by a careful study of the accompanying text. Now, finally, efforts are under way to unlock these secrets of the sword.

This book is just one small step in what promises to be an exciting rebirth of the study of the Western Martial Arts and historical European swordsmanship.

Cheers!

Mark Rector

Though this review is about the German edition "Talhoffers Fechtbuch", I think it is also true for the English translation. This book is the bible for medieval reenactors and anyone interested in ancient combat techniques. If you think the Asians have invented throwing, kicking and swordfighting then this book will be an eye opener for you. The illustrations are very detailed for a fifteenth century book and the techniques have really been used to kill each other at that time. But beware you need some experience and understanding to follow those pictures. Often you have to guess what happened between them and you should know that some of the techniques can only be done with chain mail gloves or relatively dull swords (e.g. holding it by the blade and hitting with the hilt).

Hans Talhoffer didn't write for sporting enthusiasts. His techniques were intended to allow a practitioner to walk away from situations where losing meant your death. Mark Rectors' translation, analysis, and commentary complement Talhoffer's centuries old illustrations of the "fine arts" of armed and unarmed combat. This book clearly shows the brutally effective techniques that were used on and off the battlefields of medieval Europe.

John Donne was truly a poetic master. Preeminent among the metaphysical poets, his talent shines brightly in both his early secular and later religious poetry. This volume is particularly useful in its helps with the texts and its discussion and analysis of the meaning and impact of his work. I find these aids useful indeed with a more "difficult" poet like Donne. This book is a good starting place for the study of John Donne's poetry.

As far as story goes, "The Night Before Christmas" is a classic, and can do no wrong. John Speirs does a nice job with the watercolor illustrations although they were a little on the cartoonish side (not quite elegant). So, if you prefer a fun spin on the tale, this book is the way to go. If you'd rather a more classical illustration style, this edition might not be for you.

This book is about Nikkor AF Lenses which were made up until 1997 for 35mm Nikon SLRs. It contain views of several professionals, but mainly of the author. I have cross-checked it and it is consistent with some other professional photographers whom I know use Nikon SLRs and optics. As a seriously serious amateur photographer, this book has saved me headaches. It has helped me to purchase right and excellent lenses. For instance, over several years after first reading the descriptions in this book, I have bought three additional lenses (105mm - macro, 80-200 F2.8 AFD zoom and 24mm). These optics have made considerable difference to the results that I am getting now compare to previously when I have used the normal Nikkor lenses. The pictures are stunningly sharp the way I like them most.

The author goes into details describing the pros and cons of each and every lens in terms of optical quality, usages and some interviews with the professional photographers who are using Nikon equipment. He also desrcibes the handling of each lens.

Whether or not I had a direct contact with professional photographs, this book is very useful. It guided me to make the right decision about purchasing the Nikon AF optics. Once I have made the decision to purchase a specific lens, then I've concentrated on getting it for the right price. I've saved money more than the price of this book in a single purchase !

What would be really useful, for such a book to be also available on a CD and the updates available via the internet, as the Nikkor lenses are hitting the market at a pace at which the old fashioned style books cannot keep up with !

Greenberg was the celebrated champion of a briefly-celebrated school of art. Sometimes it was called Abstract Expressionism, sometimes neo-plasticism. Think Rothko, think Newman... and if either name fails to jog your memory, or warm your cockles, think huge, corporate abstract. Think bank-lobby art. //That's// what he championed? //That// gospel was preached, by collectors, curators and bank lobbies all over the world? Why? How did we do it? How did we take him so seriously for so long? What is his legacy? Perhaps the most devastating answer to this last question was delivered by the populist art commentator Mathew Collinge. He said that the Greenberg legacy was "...still around, but only in the American provincial museums, in the heartlands and in the midwest..." (This is Modern Art, 1998) Could there be any more damning verdict? To be championed precisely by those institutions and individuals most pathetically anxious to be //au courant//? Never mind. The monster does not need to be slain: he was never a monster to begin with. No: a little sleight of hand with the deck of art history may have made Greenberg seem monstrously important in his day (the 1950s), monstrously wrong in ours. But he was neither. His hatred of the straightforwardly narrative and figurative, and even his famous doctrine of "significant form", was simply borrowed from a much earlier British critic, Clive Bell, who coined the term in 1915. As for his enthusiasms, they had their roots in the post-Cubist experiments of Malevich, rather than in the New York School simplicity which Mondrian -- who had escaped to Manhattan during the war -- had done so much to inspire. Americans should stop taking the blame for Greenberg, and so should Greenberg. Greenberg warmed over a school of art well dead by the time Malevich, in the early 1920s, realised that his "Suprematist" black squares were going nowhere. Similarly, he warmed over the essays of Clive Bell which were written, hearly half a century earier, to boost and promote Cubist-inspired experiments. In other words, Greenberg was a throwback posing as a modernist. One good thing: the caricatured, simplified Modernism which he sold to 1950s America was such a bore that, when the inevitable rebellion came, no mercy was shown. Warhol did not merely dismiss Greenbergian art, he despised it. In Warhol's (and Rosenquist's and Rauchenberg's) world of the abject and the human, there was less than zero room for the neo-Calivinist utopia of Greenberg and his crew. Still, you have to wonder. This book, which has Greenberg at his most confident and most arrogant, is certainly a fascinating case-study of artistic dogma gone wrong. We bought it, and we rejected it -- but his legacy maintains a stubborn half-life. Cash a check today and you'll see where.

- Paul O'Kelly, Dublin, Ireland

This book is a well-researched and informative reading...if you're willing to sift through the B.S.; it would seem that the book hadn't an editor to cut away the fat in lieu of the meat of the subject.

I have a few observations on the book's content:
It contains a good introduction to the nature of swords and their method of combat;
It dispels certain sword myths that are common among the uninformed;

As for the writing:
The author's writing is not great, but that is dismissible. However, John Clements is also painfully redundant, dedicating chapters to concepts that fit entirely in one or two paragraphs. He also spends an atrocious amount of time and ink on slamming stage performers, eastern martial artists, and all martial practitioners in general other than himself and his organization (ironic, seeing as how he stresses in this very book the need for eastern and western martial artists to understand each other when he so obviously knows nothing real of eastern martial arts and insults them all greatly). If you read a few essays written by Mr. Clements on [URL] you will understand.

The writing aside, this book does offer a pleuthora of good information pertaining to medieval swordsmanship...you just have to ignore the redundancies/attitudes of the author.

Medieval Swordsmanship is a milestone document in a field long dominated by fencing myths and historical inaccuracy. Solid text and simplistic terms....Clements' work reads like a military field manual that provides both novice and veteran with the essentials. Excellent illustrations and detailed descriptions of techniques make the book a very valuable training support package for martial arts instruction of that period. Clements' aggressive criticism of other methods and systems is a bit bold, but reflects an honesty of purpose normally ommited by the "politicaly correct". His intent is to teach not impress reminiscent of some of the earlier work of the late Bruce Lee. Rennaissance Swordsmanship and Medieval Swordmanship hit the market at a time when the Western Martial Arts was in need of "How-To" instruction. Clements filled this need and agree with him or not these books are a headland for all students.

John Clements does a magnificent job on this book, which is a follow-up to his previous title, _Renisance Swordsmanship_. He clearly discusses the various types of weapons used in the Middle Ages (roughly 1100's-1400's) as well as the training that went into becoming a master in their use. Drawing from many period sources that are hard, if not impossible, to find and translate he describes the actual fighting techniques used by the sword masters of Europe. Whether you are a re-enactor, Medieval historian, martial artist, sword collector, or just someone who wants to learn, this is THE book to own! Having read hundreds of books on the martial arts and swordplay, I truly believe that this book will become the standard to which all other books on the subject will be compared.

Being a lyricist (ck. home.earthlink.net/~paulkruger), I've been using Wood's Unabridged Rhyming Dictionary for so many years the book has begun to fall aprt. (Never realized till a few weeks ago, the edition I have was published in 1943.) It was time to replace it. Or so I thought.
Clement Wood's genius was to divide each section so that you could see at a glance words which have the same sound (e.g., approved, improved, reproved, etc.) and, therefore, were not true rhymes. So what does this appallingly dreadful edition do? They list all words alphabetically regardless of sound!
No wonder one of the editors is named Bogus.

For pedants and poets. Songwriters should skip it and look for something a little more intuitive and easier to understand.

Most people can come up with several words that rhyme with any given other word. This book gives you the words you thought of, plus ALL THE OTHERS! Not only does this rhyming dictionary list all of the rhyming sounds and sylables imaginable, but there are phonetic rules (rhyme and reason!) stated, which make the entire matter completely logical. -- This publication is a fantastic tool for song writers. I've used this book for years, it has a prominent eye-level place on my shelf. Highly recommended!

It is a nice book but my only complaint is that the birds in it are limited. It did not have indigo buntings and rose breasted grosbeaks, etc.
Also, some of the descriptions do not seem accurate, eg differences between a yellow fronted canary and a yellow eye canary are not highlighted, and the female distinguishing markings are also not covered. The description on the song is also not accurate. I was disappointed with the book because I expected a lot more for the price I paid.

Overall, a good reference to the finches and sparrows of the world. However, those interested chiefly in the sparrows of the New World are advised to look elsewhere, as only the sparrows of the Old World genuses Passer, etc. are included in this work. I repeat: THERE ARE NO NEW WORLD SPARROWS (or towhees, buntings, juncos, etc.) IN THIS BOOK.

Also, I am not sure that all of the munias and mannikins of the genus Lonchura are included, as this book lists only 34, while another book specifically on that subject claims 41. Taxonomic hair-splitting or an omission by the authors of this book?

The Galapagos finches are omitted as well.

Buyer beware.

I am a breeder and distributor of different finches and this book has been the best resource I have been able to find. The picture plates are finely detailed including many sub-species of each type of finch. It even covers some finches that are too rare to be covered in any other book. There is detailed information on each species including, but not limited to, regional location (including migration and breeding maps), identification, differences between sub-species, availability, habitat requirements, food eaten, and scientific and local names. I really want someone to make a book as well done covering Weavers, Whydas, and Buntings. If you are looking to identify species and sub-species of finches then this is probably the only book you will need--period.