I simply wish that I had this book and/or Dr. Poynor's courses in West African and Central African Art prior to living in Central Africa. Now that I had these courses, I find that this book is less a formal text and more a comprehensive guide to understanding the art forms created in the various regions of Africa by the peoples and cultures. This book is a must for anyone who has a true interest in following this facinating subject. I especially recommend this book to anyone planning to visit or live anywhere in Africa, particularly the Sub-saharan regions.

It brings to all, the reality of such a facinating and prevously skimmed subject, without interjecting personal belief or opinion. All facts in the book are well researched and presented.

I took an african arts class with Poynor and he used this book and the slide images. This was a wonderful tool. I usually HATE reading art books but this one read like a recreational book. GREAT illustrations! If u would like to learn more about the culture this is definately the book to get.

This is the most well-written, comprehensive, and lucid survey of African art available to date. I am using it as the primary text for my introduction to African art at both Princeton University and York College, CUNY and expect my students to come away with a valuable reference text that will not become outdated to quickly.

Although I just received the book today, I have scanned through it. The information will be beneficial to my study.
This book was ordered through Finest Books. They indicate in an enclosed letter that they are a new company. I am completely satified with the time frame in which the book was delivered, the packing, and the condition of the book. I feel completely confident that this company is not only reliable, but will benefit others with satisfaction guaranteed.
Thank you Finest Books.

Deborah K.

While the book is full of theory that might discourage someone from reading it, it has an absolutly fantastic practical implacation worth the effort! The second half of this book, "Educational Implications" discusses the Zone of Proximal Development. Learning about this "Zone" plus the discussion regarding how children learn to read and write, tells those of us who really want to help children learn, ways to set-up an environment and activities to do it!!
Don't let the theory scare you away, this is a MUST READ!

This is one of the earliest and still one of the best introductions to socio-historical psychology, the study of how individual human intelligence develops in interaction with people and the environment. In concert with many contemporary approaches in cognitive science today, Lev Vygotsky, A.R. Luria and A.N. Leontiev argued that human intelligence is characteristically mediated through objects and social activity. Humans think through tools. Talking to oneself, for example, is not an irrelevant activity. Putting one's actions into speech is a way of focusing one's consciousness on the problem. This kind of speech is not pointless, but rather a cognitive tool that gives one a greater awareness of one's own actions and makes it easier to modify these actions--a point that Vygotsky proved with research on how children solved problems. Much of human activity involves making use of tools, signs, and activities, the kinetic melodies of action and conceptualization that make us smart, and through which we are able to accomplish the uniquely human feats of complex intellectual action. This is an excellent place to begin studying Vygotsky and activity theory. If you like this you will also like A.R. Luria's *The Making of Mind*, and the classics *The Man With A Shattered World* and *The Mind of a Mnemonist*, the books that inspired Oliver Sacks' writing.

Cole & Cole's work is by far one of my favorite textbooks. The reason? The authors methodically lay out child development from a biopsychosocial perspective, which is no small feat.

They write with a thoroughness and efficiency that you will rarely find in a textbook. Their treatment of child development is evenhanded, not privilaging either the bio, psycho, or social perspectives.

Michael and Sheila Cole have written a very readable book that is designed as an overview of past and current theories of human development. It was designed for college courses, but it is also the sort of reassuring companion a parent might want to consult, to answer such questions as whether or not picking up a crying child encourages fussiness, how to encourage a child to get along with other children, or how to establish moral rules effectively. They frequently discuss examples of events that occurred while raising their own children, as well as other stories of real situations, in the context of all that is currently known about children from infancy to adolescence.

What a subtle, beautiful, thought-provoking book. Indispensible for understanding how teenage pregnancy shapes the lives of young people. Offers a poignant view of a variety of American teens facing parenthood, of different classes, different races, different religions and regions. Would be particularly valuable for high-school researchers, or as a complement to drier, more statistical or policy-oriented analyses.

The photographs are fantastic and will capture your heart and mind. The pictures communicate in a way words never could. You will feel like you know and understand these young mothers.

If the book is 1/10 as fascinating as the movie, it's a winner. A 'must see' for all parents, educators, POLITICIANS!, sociologists, mental health professionals and everyone else who cares about who we are as humans. Entertaining as well as deeply thought-provoking.

This is a technical book written by psychiatrists for physicians interested in Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes and how these systems affect the metabolism of commonly prescribed drugs. Interest in these enzymes was heightened by problematic drug-drug interactions that lead to several fatalities and the removal of some prescription drugs from the market. Since then, there has been a heightened awareness by physicians, especially when prescribing drugs that inhibit one of these enzymes. From a clinical perspective, several questions are difficult to answer. For example, referring to commonly used tables or references it may be difficult to figure out why a particular drug has accumulated. It is also difficult at times to figure out a specific time course of action. When a drug is discontinued - how long does it have an effect on CYP systems? How immediate is the effect when it is started? Which drug-drug interactions are significant and which are not? This book provides a good deal of information in all of these areas.

The layout of the book is interesting and practical. The authors start out with a review of the 6 CYP systems as separate chapters. They start out with the most well characterized systems. They look at enzyme locations, metabolic activity, polymorphisms, inducers and inhibitors. They also provide vignettes of typical problems at the end of each chapter. A good example of the level of analysis in this book is contained in the brief vignette at the end of the 2C9 chapter. They describe a case of phenytoin toxicity that occurs when fluoxetine is added to phenytoin maintenance therapy. Their comment is: "Phenytoin is metabolized by 2C9, 2C19, and phase II conjugation systems. Although not a potent inhibitor of 2C9 and 2C19, fluoxetine does inhibit these enzymes and most certainly was the cause of this woman's increase in phenytoin levels". Comparison with other methods of checking these interaction usually does not provide this level of detail. Commonly used drug interaction programs may attribute the accumulation of phenytoin to "decreased metabolism" and point out that other compounds also have this effect. Drug interaction cards or charts might count on you being able to see both phenytoin and fluoxetine in two different columns and making the connection. The authors' analysis pulls all the relevant facts together in one place.

Chapters specific to Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Neurology, Oncology and Surgery follow the initial chapters on CYP enzymes. Specific clinical examples of relevant drug- drug interactions are given in each chapter. As an example, the Gynecology chapter discusses the issue of contraceptive failure due to enzyme induction. Specific prescription drugs and a potential problem with St. John's wort are discussed. These chapters are all clinically relevant and well referenced.

The book concludes with two appendices - one about how to search the literature and very well written Appendix A. Guidelines for Prescribing in a Polypharmacy Environment. Polypharmacy has become the rule rather than the exception these days as more therapeutic agents are added to treat multiple illnesses in the same patient. In fact, in some situations multiple agents from the same therapeutic class are being used to treat refractory problems. The authors suggest five principles for physicians to use that decrease the likelihood of drug-drug interactions. These guidelines are adaptable to individual practices and allow the clinician to choose a profile of medications with the greatest level of safety. The book also contains a pocket guide called "P450 Tables" that summarizes the interactions listed on specific chapters.

My particular bias as a practicing physician is that I need to know the information in this book. After attending seminars on the topic, reading journal articles and pharmacology texts, and using several computer programs on drug interactions the information presented in this book is comprehensive and unique. As a paperback book it is also inexpensive. It is a book that should be read by psychiatrists and other physicians who prescribe medications to patients using other prescription or over the counter medications.

George Dawson, MD

Mike Cole carefully chronicles the historical roots of culture in psychology. He demonstrates that psychologists have worried about the cultural aspects of human behavior since the onset of their discipline. It was only a matter of time before psychology developed to the point where it could no longer ignore the "activity system" that gives it life. Mike Cole helps us gain this insight.

This is a very important book for the research it presents re. the nature & lifelong effects of parent/infant relationships developed through the first year of bonding. So soory it is out of print as there are few easily readable books on the market that help parents comprehend the data in such a beautiful way. Knowing that their child's entire future is effected by the nature of the relationships established in infancy with each of its parents, can assist parents in supporting optimum development of their child in all areas of the child's development: emotionally, intellectually, socially, physically and spiritually.

Please ask author to revise and reprint. Then, of course, notify me. Thanks!

I recently read the book John F. Kennedy-President Of The New Frontier. I thought that this book was well-written. It provided a lot of information on the history of our 35th President John F. Kennedy. I learned a lot of interesting things about J.F.K. that I never knew before. One thing I learned was that Kennedy was involved in World War II. He was in the navy and worked as a commander of the ship PT 109 in the Pacific. He was also decorated for his many acts of bravery after the PT 109 sank. Another interesting accomplishment of Kennedy was that he published a book titled Profiles In Courage which won him a Pulitzer Prize. It was very depressing to hear of the tragedies that Kennedy and his family faced during their lives, such as the deaths of Joseph Kennedy, Jr., who was killed in a plane explosion and Kathleen Kennedy, who was killed in a plane crash in France. Another personal tragedy was the death of his newborn son Patrick Kennedy. I thought that the information provided that lead up to the events of John F. Kennedy's death were very informative. This book shows how Jacqueline Kennedy exhibited a lot of courage as she was about to face the world alone as a mother with children to raise without a father. I found Michael D. Cole's writing-style excellent and easy to read. One event flowed into the other, holding interest all the way to the end of this book. If you want to learn about the life of John F. Kennedy as Cole takes you through a step-by-step journey, I recommend that you consider reading this book sometime.

This book is so comprehensive you can use it for any engineering and general purposes. You must also get it`s study guides and instructor`s book for an efficient study... Their study guide 1 ISBN: 0-534-936-261, 2 ISBN: 0-534-936-27X, Instructor`s manual 1 ISBN: 0-534-936-30X and 2 ISBN: 0-534-936-318.

When I was in high school back on Guam, my Calculus class used this book. At first, I was pretty intimidated about taking this class, what more being intimidated with the SIZE of this book. Throughout my senior year, this book helped me conquer my "fear of calculus" and ensured me that I was ready to take on college, where I am currently majoring in Mech. Engineering. Till today, I still have a copy of this book, which I use for reference. I highly recommend this book for both high school and college students who feel that "calculus is too hard"...but actually it's really FUN!

I have used this book as textbook for my class. This book is easy to follow and leads students to think. I highly recommend students to work all its problems. The only drawback has nothing to do with the book rather with its price. prof. Swokowski has already passed away in 1992, but the price has absolutely no reason to stay this high.