I am a computer tutor and most of my clients are over the age of 50. This means that they have not grown up with a computer, and for them it is like learning to drive all over again. I order this book for them and it answers their basic questions, i.e., what is a "mouse", "keyboard", monitor. How do I? type of questions.

Computing for Seniors 101 is a great anaology of this book. It eases their fears and intimidations.

I highly recommend this book to take the confusion out of learning computers for Seniors.

this book provides a selected colection of immunological techniques for the microbiologist wishing to study host-pathogen relationships in vivo and in vitro. essential reading for researchres working in microbiology, virology, immunology, mycology and parasitology.

This is a very practical book, filled with tips about learning science (although some of the tips could apply to any subject.)
Avoiding the touchy-feely "How do you feel about science?" approach, the authors lay out a four part plan for solving math and science problems, and guide you through exercises to help you along. It's not a cure-all nor a magic bullet, nor does it make science any easier. But it does provide you with ways to make better grades. My personal results were improving from a D in Physics 101 to a B in Physics 102.

Hildebrandt and Tromba provide in Mathematics and Optimal Form an excellent survey of geometric optimization problems and their relation to physical and biological science, in the spirit of D'arcy Thompson's On Growth And Form and written for the lay reader. Mathematics and Optimal Form sets out to explain some of the recurring and on their face complex structures seen in nature.

It is rare to see among mass-audience science books illustrations liberally included unless they are there for a "gee whiz" factor. (Case in point: Hawking's Universe in a Nutshell. ) In Mathematics and Optimal Form the illustrations, including graphs, diagrams, and photographs of microorganisms, soap films, and buildings are present on nearly every page and serve to clarify and truly illuminate the text.

The section on minimal surfaces is especially strong. The authors manage to include a basic introduction to the topology of manifolds and give an enlightening history of Plateau's Problem and related work including applications to architecture. (Additionally, this chapter includes some spectacular photographs!)

History is the focus of two early chapters. The approach to the Greek geometers, a few pre-Enlightenment mathematicians, and development of the calculus is in places lacking relevance (and is better treated elsewhere.) There are a few high points of this section, Heron's theorem on the shortest path from a point to a line to another point being one of them; this could have been included in a near-absent section on geodesics, and the brachistochrone (and related) problems--the chronological approach did not work here and ought to have been redone or avoided.

The absence of formal or semi-formal mathematics, or even equations, is frustrating. While the book is written for a lay audience it is written for the mathematically literate. Basic literacy including familiarity with the differential calculus should have been assumed. The authors are capable and clear writers; inclusion of formulae and a few derivations would only have served to enhance the book. At the very least, it is ridiculous to mention things like "differential equation" without supplying one--anyone who knows what a differential equation is must must have some familiarity with them--or at least explaining what it and other mentioned but unused concepts are. The authors do provide notes and references for those seeking more mathematical detail.

Overall, this was a very worthwhile read. Unlike most humans it could benefit from putting on a little weight and an inflammed appendix.

If any artists are exploring reference material on shape, form and design in nature, this book explains why nature does 'create' it's unique self. It does tend to explain and breakdown natural shapes into mathematical equations and theorims. Still the photos they provide and the line drawings help you to understand why things are the way they are. Useful if you want to create hybrids of these forms. A intelligent imagination is useful. My applications for this are from a 3D fine arts point of view. The info in the book has provided me with inspiration in my 3D artwork. Sincerely Andre Ribuoli dreko@aol.com

I enjoyed this book about a poet who had lost his muse and then finds her once again in the form of a donkey. Not only does he find his muse but he learns things about himself along the way. This is a short, sweet read that is funny and thought provoking as it glides along.

This teaching book presents somegreat ragtime blues song, most unavailible elsewhere. The book has a great range of difficulty, form low intermediate to advanced. Grossman's tab system is especially easy to read.

I especially liked the Blind Blake tunes and those by Blind Boy Fuller.

Grossman also includes some historical information on the artists.

If you like fingerpicking blues. His book is a great source to learn some really great, fun songs, with challenges for everyone.

The Salian 's century of rule (1024-1125) witnessed events of paramount importance for the history of medieval Germany. Weinfurter's account of these developments, primarily political and institutional, is always enlightening and occasionally brilliant, particularly in the use of art and architecture to supplement the literary evidence, but not always convincing. Two parallel, competing themes can be traced: the growth of royal power and prestige under the Salian kings on the one hand, opposed by the growing importance and self-assertiveness of the German nobility on the other. The growth of royal power under the Salians is best seen in Weinfurter's account of the reign of Conrad II, the first Salian king. The author demonstrates that the Salian's territorially based lordship and dynastic self-consciousness, combined with the newly evolving concept of transpersonal kingship, aided the new royal family's consolidation of power. Less certain, however, is whether these developments are the novel departure that the author contends they are. Indeed, the evidence presented also supports the argument that Conrad ruled in a manner entirely in keeping with that of his predecessor, albeit one that was more systematic and intensive -precisely what one would expect of a newly established royal family in need of legitimization. The Salian's authority peaked during the reign of Conrad's son, Henry III, only to be followed by a reversal of fortune during the reigns of his grandson and great-grandson, Henry IV and Henry V. This decline of royal authority in the face of the growing confidence and self-assertiveness of the secular and ecclesiastical nobility is the book's other central theme. Although Weinfurter never argues it explicitly, one cannot help but to be struck by the notion that the Salians, so successful in imposing their ideas of dynastic, territorially based, institutionalized lordship upon the German nobility, had those ideas used against them in the noble reaction that followed. This in turn resulted in the rise of the territorial princes, political and juridical decentralization, and the eclipsing of royal power. The very things that made the Salians so successful proved their undoing. The translation of this substantial work is a welcome addition to the literature on this crucial period in German history.

This book contains pictures and text covering the period from Bismark to Hitler. It isn't just a review of military matters. It includes cultural happenings during this period. Bismark was the President of the Weimar Republic and Hitler the dictator, after he disbanded the Reichstag (= our Congress). This book spans the 1920's, 1930's, and mid 1940's. It is an excellent addition to the libraries of people interested in WWII, German Culture, German History, or the backdrop of the NAZI movement.

"Stefan & Olga" tells the story of an odd couple, a man and a goose, who lived happily together on a far. After dinner they would watch the sunset and Stefan would play his flute while Olga would dance like a ballerina. But then one summer there was not as much rain and the harvest was only half of what it should have been. With a heavy heart, Stefan went to town to sell Olga to someone who could afford to take care of her. A burly man agrees to buy Olga. Of course, what Stefan does not know is that the burly man plans on selling Olga again, this time to a butcher. This is a story of a friendship that proves strong enough to overcome not only misfortune but an actual wild goose chase. "Stefan & Olga" is a charming tale with an Old World feel to it, although the values it espouses are certainly universal. This story is written and illustrated by Besty Day, proud owner of a pet collie named Sunny who served as the inspiration for "Olga."