A friend turned me on to this book and I have to say it is one of the funniest and wittiest works I have ever read. If you ever went to college, you owe it to yourself to hunt down a copy. A classic!

Where's the chapter on "Caddyshack"? Frame-by-frame analysis of this comedic masterpiece reveals startling, poignant truths about the nature of competition, and what it means for a man to struggle in an increasingly hostile, ambivalent society. A stirring achievement, "Caddyshack" belongs in the American cinematic pantheon with the best of Chaplin, Keaton, Kubrick and Frankenheimer. Collegiate literary and artistic analysis starts with "Caddyshack." Ignore it at your peril.

I wish that when I went to college, I had a book like this. I bought this for my nephew and he says it's not only hilarious, but darn useful. Don't miss the chapter about road trips!

During a roadtrip I picked this slim volume off the shelf for a gander from a bookstore in magical Ojai, California. I was intrigued by the title, read something about Thomas Lux and dove in. Sitting in a brick courtyard with ivy on the walls (which the Local Hero bookstore/cafe supplied) these poems plucked some heartstrings with deft aplomb. Each poem has a childish delicacy that reminds one (at least me) how foolish adult constructs can rule one's life. There is humor and sadness and beauty in Agran. On the light side there are poems about horse-girls on the playground (something I recall with unabashed joy when I gaze back). In a sadder key there is a particularly disturbing (in a good challenging way) description of a girl who flashes him with 'forlorn nipples' from her car. The reaction is ... Well, anyway, read. These poems are Art (yes, with a capital 'a') and they can be used as tools to confront (not just escape from) the inner-workings of children turned all too adult. Welcome the nostalgia, and invite better parts of yourself you've discarded back.

I entered the poems as a reader, was quickly transformed into a participant, and exited each piece with a vivid memory so clear I was convinced I was an actual participant in every experience Rick described. He opened the door to my imagination, and I was free to fill in my own details.

In the poem Cathedral, Washington DC 1993, I wore my sleeveless print dress, took the seat just left of the center aisle in the tenth pew, admired the stained glass windows, and drank in the music of the string quartet while waiting for the event to begin.

In another poem, One Circle, I heard the machine turning water into coffee and smelled the freshly toasted bread, the strawberry jam, and the wafting smoke of the cigarette. I can still see Jack's black leather boots leaving prints in the grass.

The Crow Milk experience is a series of journeys to be savored.

"....the unloved, forgotten or unseen return to life in Mr. Agran's clear vision: crows, abandoned children, people with AIDS, ... children have seen far too much but survive into artful singing. Often the adults choose not to see...Agran holds it all up for us to see, with the same humor and sass as his crows, as if to say--Don't you see how it all shines?" So writes Mekeel McBride. Poems in Crow Milk, by the host of WUNH's weekly interviews program "Bon Mot" on the spoken word, touch on common themes of concern, as in "At the Edges of Everything...": unloved, unbaptized, unwanted, unfed / the mortal infants of infant mortality, have returned / To this earth embodied as crows. In limbo, these children learned what to live: A petty thievery of the promised land. Steal quietly, little children, the shadows/ Of crows, black comfort....

Other favorites are "Iowa lullaby for a child in the field," "Picked by accident," "Confessional basket- ball," "Wearing Dan's white shirt backwards," and for hunting season, "Shot and left," where the poet recalls "Silence between sounds, unsafe, hollow....a loon-call trill....In woods filled with hunters...."

"Unseen toreador" was inspired by a scene in a suburban front yard in Manchester NH: "Black bull \ charging every red leaf \ falling from a sugar maple...."

Then try "Shivaree" (read by Garrison Keillor on a Writer's Almanac on public radio. Rick Agran's poems are intriguing "snapshots of life, mini-stories with plot, character, tears and laughter." Take a trip to the kitchens, back woods and coast, and return in memory to fun and games and self-discovery in kindergarten, with this perceptive guide in Crow Milk, avoiding the traffic. So then you'll "see how it all shines!"

As a relatively new designer of the four-stroke-cycle engine, Design and Simulation of Four-Stroke Engines is by far the most important single source of information to me. I also own Blair's Design and Simulation of Two-Stroke Engines. This book covers four-stroke engines with the same blend of sophisticated full thermodynamic cycle modeling and empirical insight. An introductory chapter enlightens the reader to the geometry of the four-stroke engine, defines terminology as it will be found in subsequent chapters and reviews thermodynamic theory as it will be applied to the computer model. Chapter 2, as in Design and Simulation of Two-Stroke Engines, lays the ground work for the heart of the computer model, the prediction of unsteady gas flow through engine ducting. A more complete explanation of a one dimensional method for the prediction of unsteady, compressible flow through engine ducting simply cannot be found. The following chapter is dedicated to the definition and measurement of an "actual" coefficient of discharge for poppet valve systems and why they are critically important to the model as compared with the more traditional ideal or isentropic coefficients of discharge. Chapter 4 explains the theory for the 2-zone burn model for combustion in the cylinder while providing insight into the proper design and geometry of the combustion chamber. Throughout the book, the focus is on the naturally-aspirated four-stroke engine, however, where applicable information is given on turbocharging and direct and in-direct diesel combustion. One of the most important chapters to the actual user of the computer model is Chapter 5. I have used Prof. Blair's software in two-stroke and four-stroke versions for the Mac and now use Optimum Power's offerings for the IBM compatible. No less than 6 different engines are analyzed using the simulation ranging from a string trimmer to a motorcycle to a turbo-diesel automobile. All the relevant data is given to create the geometry in the model. As each engine is discussed, the strengths of the particular design are pointed out and explained via the pressure wave diagrams created by the model itself. All these engines display very good correlation with actual measurements even though they vary in output from 1 kW to 525 kW. In addition to the geometric data for these engines, the combustion input parameters for the model are also given which are from actual running engines. Therefore, one could take this combustion information and apply it to a similar model with good confidence that this is close to reality. In order to reduce the design cycle time, Blair has included an entire chapter on empirical approaches to design geometry that are intended to be good starting points for input into the model. I find the intake tract tuned length program and the poppet valve time-area program the most useful. A final chapter is devoted to the current state of the design methodology for intake and exhaust silencing systems and how the thermodynamics from Chapter 2 are now being implemented to predict silencer performance. In conclusion, Design and Simulation of Four-Stroke Engines is a highly recommended read for anyone involved in the design or tuning of four-stroke engines and a must for anyone involved in the thermodynamic modeling of these engines.

This extensive new work by Professor Blair on four-stroke engine design is a welcome addition to his previously published treatises on two-stroke engines. Coverage of material spans basic ideas of unsteady gas flow, to the detailed analysis of single and muticylinder engine configurations using a state-of-the-art computer code. One of the highlights of the book from my own perspective is the author's coverage of engines with historical significance. The new insight gained from detailed analysis of their operating behavior using the computer code gives one a much greater appreciation of the intricacies of efficient engine design. This book will be a valuable asset to teacher and and student alike, by providing a broad range of relevant subject matter in a single volume. I highly recommend this excellent book.

The most complete and straightforward four-stroke text to date. This book is a must have for any serious engine designers library. Filled with many gems of wisdom, insight, and direct calculations relating to four-stroke engine design as well as historical background in engine design.. The book is so packed with information that numerous readings may be necessary to grasp all that Blair has to offer. Design examples abound from the top engine designers in the world (although anonymity is required). The professor has done an exemplary job in assimilating the results to find the common thread among the great current and past engine designers. A good review of thermodynamics for the past and present college students and a good stating place to those without college thermodynamics. The heart of the book is wave dynamics in the engine design process, both in theory and application. Finally for those that must silence the music of the 4-stroke there is a section on muffler design.

This is an excellent book for students and their instructors at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It develops the theory and practice of two-stroke cycle engines in a clear and concise manner. The book is unique in that it presents in a single volume the whole spectrum of two-stroke technology. The material is derived from the many years the author has spent researching and consulting on the subject. The reader will be brought right up to date on such important topics such as computer simulation, engine performance, fuel efficiency, noise, and exhaust emissions.

Design and Simulation of Two-Stroke Engines is a must read reference for the student of the internal combustion engine and the expert alike. This follow up to The Basic Design of Two-Stroke Engines begins with a comprehensive introduction which defines the simplest of engine geometry to the thermodynamic terms specific to the two-stroke engine. Chapter Two, a most demanding read, explains in great detail the author's established theory of unsteady, compressible flow through engine ducting. This theory is the foundation of the GPB computer simulation code. This engine modelling software allows for the complete prediction of engine performance from torque to fuel consumption to exhaust emissions. Scavenging and combustion specific to the two-stroke engine are dealt with in individual chapters. Chapter Five describes the structure of the computer model and the required input data. Several real world examples of computer models are given including a relatively low performance chainsaw and a high performance racing motorcycle. As simple and effective as a computer model may sound, the author stresses that the numerical input for the model is impossible to guess correctly. Therefore, Chapter Six details all of the emperical techniques the author has created as design guidelines. Data generated using these techniques are to be used as initial inputs to the engine simulation. Finally, the remaining two chapters detail research and simulation involving reduction of fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and noise emissions. New information not covered in The Basic Design of Two-Stroke Engines is presented on unsteady gas flow, scavenging flow, two-zone combustion models, computation of intake and exhaust sound pressure levels and discharge coefficients of ports and valves.

A must read for any serious two stroke enthusiast, designer, or racer. This book is especially helpful in understanding all areas of IC engine design and how they interrelate, with an emphasis on two strokes. Blair gives volumes of insight as well as excellent illustrations, graphs and pictures to help the reader understand sometimes complex theory. The author provides an excellent treatment of unsteady gas dynamics and motion of pressure waves through the engine. He takes the reader from theory to practice by using simulation through modeling with an abundance of practical empirical design advice. Although this book is mainly germane to two stroke engines, the reader can glean the applicable theories to four stroke engines (at least until Blair publishes his treatise on four strokes).

Dr. Douglas E. Hahn, Director Engine & Reliability Engineering , Volvo Penta of the America's

This is absolutely one of the wildest biographies I have ever read. If it wasn't true it would make great fiction, right up there with the sexy potboilers and confessionals I so love to read. This is the story of Vicki Morgan, longtime mistress to Alfred Bloomingdale, and the loved they shared, a strange and crazy kind of love that would lead to their mutual destruction. Here he was, scion of Bloomingdales Department Store, industrial magnate and member of Ronald Reagan's kitchen cabinet; and here she was a naive but gorgeous small town girl come to the big city.

This book has an epic sweep as Vicki Morgan, in a vain attempt to escape the married Bloomingdale, encounters a series of adventures with some of the world's most wealthy and powerful men. And women. It is not a tale for the faint hearted, but there are strong moral lessons--mainly there is a steep price for the glamour and the money men give for sexual favors.

The story is told from the author's point of view. He spent nine months with Vicki Morgan and was one of the last people to see her alive. The author, Gordon Basichis, gives us intimate insight into the making of a wordly rich girl who knows how to manipulate men for money, only to be trapped in the game she has profited by for so many years. Through the seventies and into the eighties she was getting at least a quarter millon dollars from these different lovers.

It's rare that I find a book so compelling. I love how the story describes the high life of power and money while showing, also, how this glitzy path leads to destruction and, in this case, murder. This was truly one of a kind.

Power, Sex and Money
I was totally caught up in this true tale of a naive and beautiful young woman, trapped in a world where power, sex and money reign. As the mistress to Alfred Bloomingdale, the department store heir and member of the kitchen cabinet, Vicki Morgan lived a life that few can imagine...a wild and ultimately tragic journey that ended in her brutal murder. What I loved about this book was its unwillingness to rely on predictable cliche. The author's insight sheds new light on a very old subject -- sex and power. The writing is personal, intimate, at times humorous and always engaging. If this book were published today, it would be a bestseller

this book was very moving. the story of a mistress, who never can seem to find her way, but found love in a married man. the author got to knew vicki before her murder and this gives us great insight into her thoughts and feelings. i highly recommend this book, a great read from beginning to end.

In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes.

This installment, the Book of Sauces, presents recipe suggestions for everything from basic stocks and standards to dessert sauces. Special chapters are dedicated to fruit sauces, exotic, and other unusual sauces. Classics such as aioli, barbecue sauce, sauce bearnaise, bechamel sauce, Bolognese sauce, Cumberland sauce, sauce hollandaise, Madeira sauce, marinara sauce, various types of mayonnaise, curries and tomato sauces, mint sauce, mornay sauce, pesto, satay sauce and sauce vinaigrette appear next to unique recipes such as apricot and cognac, butterscotch-almond and marmalade-liqueur sauce.

From A la King to zabaglione sauce, this collection of recipes is a great introduction to the endless possibilities of spicing up any dish with a well-tasting sauce - and at a relative bargain price, to boot.

With this book, my cooking has been transformed! This book has taken the mystery out of sauces. The recipes are straightforward and the photos and directions are outstanding. Get this book, make some sauces and everyone will think that you kicked Emeril down a notch ............... What are you waiting for? Order this book NOW!

I received this book as a gift several years ago and it has become one of my most frequently used cook books. This beautifully illustrated book with easy to follow directions provides the recipe for dressing up any dish. Modestly priced, it is a wonderful gift to give as well as to receive.

I have glanced through the book, and decided to buy it. I haven't regretted it since. It is exacty like the title suggests: offering information on all (until 1994) fighter aircraft. Often the information displayed is concise, and could have been more elaborate, but I understaand that it is impossible to describe thousands of aircraft in-depth. It would probably take a dozen books to do that. Also, it is awkward to miss the aircraft of manufacturers that haven't built any fighter at all, or miss famous or even favourite aircraft that were no fighters. i just hope that there will be another book on the bombers, trainers, transports, maritime patrol aircraft, flying boats, etc etc that is as good as this. All in all it is an excellent reference work (displaying pictures if there were pictures available at all), of which there should be more. It should not be missed in any aviations' fan book shelf.

Excellent details within an excellent fighter organization method, simple effective and complete.

This huge tome contains descriptions, stats, color and b/w photographs etc. of every fighter aircraft ever built by any country (as of 1994). The technical diagrams of the more well-known fighters alone are worth the price.

The other review nicely describe this gem, but makes it sound like something only a scientist could understand. I'd just like to add that any intelligent person will have no trouble following this lucid account of the first two years of Los Alamos.

This book is THRILLING in the scope and depth of its description of HOW the bomb was made. This was a unique historical event in that the best brains in the world, stimulated by a sense of extreem urgency and given, in effect, unlimited physical and financial resources accomplished in the space of three years somthing that in the 1930's was considered as Science Fiction.

The book is highly readable and understandable by non technical people. This book is proof that "once upon a time" we did things "Right the First Time" in this country. An outstanding historical and technical account of the "ultimate" invention.

Very well written and does not overwhelm the reader with technical minutia. This is an excellent companion to Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb and will please any student of the history of science.

A Great Poe Story

"The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym of Nantucket" is a devilish tale about a young sea-loving man by the name of Arthur Gordon Pym. He becomes a stowaway onboard a ship by the name of Grampus. This gravely error causes the mutiny of the Grampus, the stranding of the Grampus at sea, and the death of his friend, Augustus. I believe this story is a wonderful spine-tingling tale by the popular author Edgar Allan Poe. This story would be a wonderful addition to anyone's horror story collection, especially anyone who loves Edgar A. Poe's gruesomely good stories of horror and mystery.

Being British, I can't comment on his significance in America, but I would like to praise him as one of the best writers of all time. Not content with single handedly defining new genre - The detective story (Murders in the Rue Morgue), the adventure story (The Gold Bug), he went on to write stories which would chill the spines of his readers for centuries to come. This book covers all his best work, and though it is often difficult to navigate his wide vocabulary, there is more than enough in content to keep even the most uneducated, glued to the pages. The only thing that would make this book perfect would be illustrations by Tim Burton, or a soundtrack by Danny Elfman.

Edgar Allen Poe's life of struggle and hardheadedness bore fruit in his writings, the most important of which are presented here. Poe's strongest point remains his mysteries, which have been used for the basis for many writers following after. Coldly stifling is the setting in which Poe casts his readers; feel the chill of the caverns, and the mouldering death-shroud of those buried before their time, or those damned to their fate by the acts of their lives. Poe's works have a constrictive effect *much like The Shining, by King does*, pulling the reader in closer to the text, seeking resolution at the end, but only finding... well, it would be a sin to spoil your first taste of Amontillado, or your first stroll along the Rue Morgue. So do what's right. Click for Edgar, and make sure that, unlike the sweet Lenore, he is seen for evermore...

This book is long on fluff and short on substance. Mr Schecter has an annoying habit of asking questions, but not providing any insightful answers. This is what happens when you let a 20/30 something consultant write a book!

Schechter has probably written the quintessential historical study on logistics with this volume. It is filled with interesting details of the human qualities and quirks of the generals and management gurus that investigated the problems of logistics and explains the processes involved with lucidity and wit. The book follows a chronological approach; however, it's also thematic to show the evolution of the subject of logistics and the influence of other functions on it - such as marketing. The serious and thoughtful manager is advised to read this book carefully.

The keys to managing my own corporate supply chain "clicked" while flipping the pages. Also, lots of "Aha!" breakthroughs while reading, and tips to reinforce these concepts - this is what every business person should know, but wouldn't quite know where to look for it. What a refreshing perspective and chock full of case studies to learn from. I'll be keeping this one close to my desk to refer back to for years to come. Thanks!