This workbook goes far beyond bland exercises to enrich the classroom with exciting and creative lessons and ideas. I recommend it both for teachers and students. It would be wonderful if it were adapted for the online world.

I thought that the book was well thought out and had a lot of activities that help you connect to spanish and speak it well. My father has been a spanish teacher for 25 years and he says it is like a spanish savior compared to the other stuff he has seen (and he has seen a lot).

EXCELLENT BOOK!

Great book for high school students preparing for the AP Exam. Very comprehensive, distinguishing between various modes of communication in Spanish, and covering all topics necessary for achieving relative fluency in writing and talking. Also covers all features of the necessary M.I.L.F. and utilizes two squirrels to effectively teach the Spanish Language in an intriguing and interesting manner. Y mas y mas y mas!

This 2001 collection of essays from 22 living theologians is a celebration of the 70th birthday of a pastoral human being who is a renowned transcontinental scholar of our times. It is obvious that Fr. O'Collins' deep faith in Jesus Christ has personally touched each writer as they participate in his enthusiastic search for truth. The book is a theological treasure that will find a warm welcome in global circles. While I did not receive any new insights, the work tied together numerous concepts that are fundamental to Christian theology. I would highly recommend this "Festschrift" for Adult Lifelong Learning groups as well as for College courses. For all who engage in "faith seeking understanding," it treats many topics that provide stimulating reflection and discussion. It leaves one immersed in an experience of a lived community of believers. Happy Birthday, Gerry!

This is the sort of book I have long sought in order to advance my understanding of haiku as the Japanese read and enjoy them. For example, we begin with a dispute over a particular poem. The poet mentions that his feelings were upbeat and positive on an autumn evening. His critic demanded that the poem be withdrawn and redone because the poetic meaning of 'autumn evening' was 'forlornness.' If the poet didn't say he felt forlorn on an autumn evening, then he was betraying the poetic art, according to the critic. The author withdrew the poem. The critique also mentions the other kigo which were meant to indicate that the poet felt forlorn.

Kawamoto takes off from this anecdote for a general discussion of the emotional effects meant by the various kigo. That's something I've wanted to know for a long time.

A later chapter is on poetic meter, or "mora." This brings to mind the art of Seishi Yamaguchi, much praised for his rhythm. The 'mora' of the Japanese language are larger than the onji/jion traditionally used to describe the haiku-- the lines 5, 7 and 5 so often given as defining haiku. Mora are described metrical speech units covering whole 5 or 7 onji segments. Their purpose is to make each segment identical in how long it takes to say them.

This book is not for the beginning student of haiku. The target audience is the advanced student working on his own or as part of a college class in Japanese poetry. Such students are strongly encouraged to add this book to their collection.

where to begin? this volume is absolutely packed full of excellent essays on the Trinity. divided into different sections (the Biblical witness; the Patristic witness; Systematic issues; Preaching the Trinity), this volume covers more ground than any other edition that i have come across, and combined with the absolutely stellar level of scholarship from all disciplines, the reader is in for a certain treat.
i have a few minor complaints, though. first, that there is no analysis of the FILIOQUE, and connected with this, that there is (as far as i could tell) no real voice for the Eastern Orthodox approach. finally, it seems as though modern defenses of the social model of the Trinity aren't given anything like a fair hearing.
but there is so much that is good in this book! the analysis of augustine's Trinitarian theology is (thank God) a breath of fresh air, and the same can be said for the analysis given here of the Cappadocian formulation. the high point of the book, for me, was van beeck's 'Trinitarian Theology as Participation', which gave a view of all existence and the universe in its totality as saturated in the Trinity.
an excellent book, i highly recommend it.

I actually read 'Eye Contact' a few years ago. It was the first erotic thriller that I'd ever read and it still stands out in my mind as one of the best.

This is the story of actress Nicolette Stallings who only feels powerful when seducing someone of the opposite sex. The sexual game of cat and mouse soon turns deadly when she propositions a man she meets in a restaurant who she playfully dubs as "Wally Wall Street". After their one night encounter at a high class hotel Nick finds it hard to get rid of "Wally" who now blames her for the break up of his marriage. After an unsuccessful attempt on his own life "Wally" otherwise known as Jeffery White, finally does succeed in killing himself but not before he manages to frame Nick for his murder! As Nick becomes the center of the medias attention and hunted by the police she tries to find a way to prove her innocence not without having a few sexual encounters along the way.

'Eye Contact" is an excellent erotic thriller not for the timid and will keep you at the edge of your seat trying to figure out how everything will play out in the end. Who would have though that the minister from 7th Heaven could write like this?

This novel really does stand the test of time. I read this book many years ago and it still sets well in my memory to this day. It has just about everything in it that one can imagine. Reading this novel is quick and doesn't drag on and on like some novels that I've completed. The long of the short of it, "If this book stands out in my mind today, even though it has been many years since I've read it, then it has to be good reading."

If you don't believe me - buy it and read it yourself.

This book was so sexy and steamy! My husband and I went on vacation and I read it at the pool. Several times we had to slip off in to the hotel room for a quickie! It is so erotic! I have since passed it on to all my girlfriends who share my sentiments.

I first read lives of the musicians when I was about 7 yearsold or so. Then, I thought it was terrific. I still do. However, I amnow 12 years old, and now that I have paid more attention to it, I see several faults, but overall it is still a very good book. First of all, their choice of musicians is not the best. I would have recommended Debussy and Schubert, like the Kirkus Reviewer. Some of the composers I have hardly ever heard of, like Igor Stravinsky or Nadia Boulanger. And while Clara Schumann was a great pianist, I think they should have focused more on her husband, Robert, a prolific composer, whose works are among the very best. Also, some of the parts of the biographies are questionable. Frederic Chopin may not have actually been romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant (George Sand), but in love with the Countess Delphine Potocka. The book states that the Waltz in D-Flat, or Minute Waltz, was written for George Sand's dog, when in fact it was probably written for Potocka. However, the book was still very well written, and I enjoyed it, despite the possible mistakes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes music, classical or not. So sit back and enjoy!

I loved this book because it made those musicians seem like real people instead of great-all-star-super-geniuses. It is full of strange little facts about all the famous musicians like Bach,Gershwin,Beethoven and Schmann.

---Megan W.

This book provides interesting insight into the lives of composers. I teach music to elementary and high school students and I read this book to all of my students. They all enjoy learning the details of the composers lives. The book presents the composers in such a way that the students remember the information about the composers. The book does not provide information about what the composers' music sounds like, and that is something I also like to teach. A great book to gain kids'interest in famous composers.

After taking an art history class, I found this book to be very handy in many ways, although if preparing for an AP test, it does leave some major works of art out. I found using The Annotated Mona Lisa, and Janson's Art History also helped majorly in preparing for the AP test.

Marilyn Stokstad has put together a real masterpiece of art history with her book, Art History. In collaboration with Bradford Collins, and with contributed chapters from Stephen Addiss, Chu-tsing Li, Marylin Rhie and Christopher Roy, this large volume published by noted art publishers Henry N. Abrams, Inc. is deserving of pride of place on any art bookshelf.

The scope of this work is as broad as is the expanse of human history. Indeed, the first chapter begins with a survey of prehistoric art and prehistory. Spanning all the ancient cultures, there are chapters devoted to the art of the ancient Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, Etruscan and Roman art, Christian, Jewish and Byzantine art, Islamic art, the art of India, China, Japan, the Americas and Africa. And from there, it gets complicated!

This book tackles all the issues of art: philosophical considerations (the relationship between art and reality, and the meaning and importance of beauty in art), focus on artists in general and in particular, society's relationship to art, including the role of the patron, the importance of museums, and an investigation that goes behind the phrase, 'I know what I like.'

'Art history, in contrast to art criticism, combines the formal analysis of works of art--concentrating mainly on the visual elements in the work of art--with the study of the works' broad historical context. Art historians draw on biography to learn about artists' lives, social history to understand the economic and political forces shaping artists, their patrons, and their public, and the history of ideas to gain an understanding of the intellectual currents influencing artists' work.'

In addition to presenting a history of art, Stokstad and her contributors also present an introduction to various aspects of art appreciation, without with art history loses much meaning. Each chapter has an explanation of the techniques that were developed and important during the time under examination (for instance, lost wax casting, glassamking and Egyptian faience, Japanese woodblock technique, and Islamic carpet making, among many others, are illustrated in detail to enhance the knowledge and appreciation of the finished art works). Each chapter and time period also has a section entitled Elements of Architecture, which include discussion on elements from pyramids to skyscrapers and much in between.

The text is clear and concise, carefully explaining technical terms when they are used, and then using them sparingly. Every page is a visual feast, with full colour plates of photographs of paintings, sculpture, artists, locations, or architectural examples in great form, as Henry N. Abrams, Inc. publishers are famous for doing. There are literally thousands of illustrations, as there are often many per page; almost no page is without one, and the book is nearly 1200 pages long.

As an aid for those who will use this book for more scholarly purposes, there is an extensive bibliography in the back, in three classifications of listings -- general surveys and art history references, a selected list of art history journals, and then a chapter-specific directory of further reading for each art topic/period. Additionally, it has after the bibliography as Website Directory of Museums, which includes museums in every state in the United States and most major museums around the world. The index includes listings by artist, period, topic, and particular works of art.

This book has been intended to be useful as a text for a course in art appreciation, but also designed to be a joy to read for the casual reader who might not want an academically rigourous presentation. As Stokstad says in her preface, the intention was make this book itself a work of art, and in that task she has succeeded admirably.

This book is simply wonderful. It is indeed physically ponderous (this 2nd edition is one very, very large book, not two slipcased books as shown in some illustrations). However, its content easily compensates for its considerable bulk. All historical periods of art history are chronicled, with copious illustrations well-produced and nearly all in color. The text is incisive and easy to follow, yet never boring.

I recommend this book to any and all art lovers, whether beginners, advanced students, or just those who desire a comprehensive reference for library or home use. I personally consider this publication a better choice than the otherwise excellent Janson "History of Art" for most readers-- the writing is just more user-friendly, in my opinion (and the content is more inclusive, especially regarding non-Western art).

I would recommend this book only to those Mummy fans who cannot wait to know what the movie is about. The story is simple, which this novel does a good job of letting you know what it is about. But this book is by no means a replacement for the action-packed, FX scenes. So read this book but WATCH the movie. The novel will satisfy your curiosity but the movie will thrill you!

The part that O'Donnel being the reincarnate of a Knight Templar and Evelyn being the reincarnate of an Egyptian princess is, in my opinion, unnecessary CRAP.

I've always been a huge book-fan; and let's face it, if you fall in love with a movie while it's still in theaters, you're going to go fairly crazy waiting for it to be released on video once it *leaves* the theaters so that you can finally see it again (only 24 more days until "The Mummy Returns" will FINALLY be available to own and watch again and again)----so anytime I fall in love with a movie, one of my first steps is to go racing out to get the novelization.

And, to be honest, most of them really disappoint me. "Galaxy Quest" was a simplistic version of the script put into the past tense, as near as I can tell; "X-men" failed to impress me as anything special. "Dungeons & Dragons" was descriptive, but it treated the characters _so_ vastly differently than the movie that it hardly seemed to be telling the same story.

So was I pleasantly surprised by the excellence of the novel of "The Mummy Returns". I absolutely love it. It is descriptive, action-packed, humorous, and fills in some gaps and scenes that the movie either cut or didn't bother with; it filled us in on some loopholes (ie, that mysterious train track in the middle of the desert wasn't far off the base at all). I didn't find it repetitive in the least, nor did I think the character portrayals were off, either. I think it was simply a matter of how Collins interpreted the characters (because, let's face it, they come off differently to everyone); I think he saw O'Connell as a bit more rugged than others do. But I didn't find his portrayal out of sync in the least. That bit of cynicism that Rick has was still there, off-balanced by his good humor. Evy was quite different from how she was in the first one----but the *movie* makes her quite different to begin with! The characters have changed in ten years (what people don't?), and the movie reflects that.

Attention is given to all the characters (I especially like hearing about my two favorites, Jonathan and Ardeth Bay), and the book is over-all well written. If you love "The Mummy Returns" as much as I do, I highly recommend this book. It's not a flaky read----it's a *quick* read if you want it to be, but not a flaky one. This book is actually trying to say something about friendship and the strength of love----if you give it a chance and keep your eyes open, it might actually touch you. Give it a whirl. You won't regret it.

The Mummy Returns is easily one of the best movies I have ever seen. I find it fresh, original, emotional, and suspensful, and reading the novel is just as gripping as watching the movie.
I found the first movie to be very cliched, with Evelyn as a clumsy damsel in distress. In the Mummy Returns, her character undergoes a considerable and very welcome improvement: Evelyn is now as strong as rick, and she even saves the day herself a couple of times. This book is differant from the movie, and that involves the methods of worshiping the scorpian King, but the story still wraps up satisfying

Max Allan Collins' novelization of the 1999 film "The Mummy" is a lot of fun. Which is of course what you would expect, since the movie itself was such pure unadulterated fun.

It does what most good novelizations do, it fleshes out the characters a little more. It provides some background information on the characters and storyline. The novelization is also very helpful for explaining a bit more about the ancient Egyptian ceremony where Imhotep tries to resurrect his dead love, Anck-su-namun. The novel also focuses on the romance aspect between Evelyn and O'Connell, much more than the movie.

If you enjoyed the recent Mummy movie, you would probably enjoy this book. It's a fun and fast read. As long as you don't expect anything more from it, you should enjoy this book.

The storyline was very good.The movie was very good too.The storyline was really enchanting,I fell totally in love with it.Horror and comedy--what a combination!Resurrecting the Mummy and The Mummy Scrapbook was very good too.Best books I've ever read.Best movie too.It was well worth my money.I guess my name being the same as the hero is very good for my ego too....(No kiddin)If you're still deciding whether to buy the book,don't hesitate!Go buy it now.You won't regret it.

This novel was a real page-turner. I couldn't stop reading, and I finished it in 2 days. It started out slow in the beginning, but got faster as the story built up. The story has a strong plot and the characters were very well-developed. The scenes with the Mummy and the City of the Dead are fantastic. This was probably a great adaptation of the movie, which I'll be seeing. Max Allan Collins probably did the best adaptation of a movie then any other movie-tie in that I've read. I recommend this book to anyone!