Why isn't this book on the reading list of every single art school? If you really want to understand what's inside the human body and aren't fortunate enough to sit in on some dissections, this book is absolutely necessary. Even if you have attended dissections, I believe you're going to need this book--the clarity is stunning, and it remembers what you can't. I have loads of anatomy books for artists and most consist of lovely anatomical drawings, usually pages of reproductions of masterworks, that are often only marginally useful when in the trenches of figuring out the why of a hand or the how of a knee. Da Vinci drew cadavers because he burned to "know" and art students are often reduced to studying drawings of another person's observations. Granted, this book won't provide dynamic poses (and the skeletal and muscular shifts that those poses create) but you WILL understand the form that creates the hand, the knee, the jaw. You will marvel at what you see.

I know this review will not be of help to medical students, but if you are an artist who has stumbled onto this page, pondering this book, do yourself a tremedous favor and take the plunge.

As a reference work for a museum professional, such as myself, this book is of huge value in its magnificent dissections, clear layout, and consistently fine photography. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to probe deeper into the wonder and detail of the human body; with or without access to a dissection lab. As a resource for sculptural anatomy or medical illustraion, it is tops.

Rohen provides crystal clear pictures of the human body. This is a must have book to help you get through anatomy and for later reference throughout your medical career! It is particularly helpful for anatomy students because it illustrates precise dissections that can be reviewed on those days/nights when you don't want be in the pungent lab.

This book is a very important work in the history of Spiritualism. The author, once a Catholic priest in the early 1900's in Germany received many important spirit messages from young mediums in his parish which caused him to look at all the cases of mediumship and communication with spirit recorded in the Old and New Testaments. With the help of spirit advisors Greber corrected many of the mistakes, mistranslations and additions which over time had crept into the original Biblical texts. He also published his own edition of the New Testament. In "Communication with the Spirit World of God" Greber also looks at many other cases of mediumship through the ages, mentioning some other French and German priests who were themselves mediums in the 18th and 19th century, and others in the 20th century such as Mirabelli and Kluski. He shows how the spiritual gifts of prophesy, healing and clairvoyance have continued since Biblical times down to the present day, not so much in the priesthood, which has lost touch with its true living spiritual source, but in the lay psychics and public mediums within or outside the Spiritualist and New Age movements. Just look at the present-day mediums appearing on television, such as John Edward, James Van Praagh, Sylvia Browne, George Anderson and Colin Fry, to name a few. Greber resigned his priesthood and came to live in the United States, where this translation of his original text was published, running into six editions between 1932 and 1979. It is time for another reprint, but meantime, any available copy is a collectible item and is well worth the outlay to any prospective purchaser.

If it weren't for this book, I probably would no longer consider myself a Christian. This book showed me that I could believe in God without having to believe the doctrines of the churches. It offered a plausible explanation for the problems of life. I wish this book were still in print and available for everyone to read.

This book is basically the reason I enrolled in a doctoral program in Biblical Studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Even though the professors here teach their version of the truth, I am seeking my own confirmation of the Greber text here, THE truth. The book presents spiritual principles in a very logical way that is easy to consume and muse upon. If taken seriously enough the book can change one's life for the better. Christianity does not have to be the stumbling block that man has unfortunately fashioned it as. The Christianity in the Greber book is liberating while keeping Christ and God clearly in the picture. Of all the books on spiritism that can go on and on about who/what/why/how God is, generating nothing but a headache for the reader, the Greber book remarkably presents only a few pages on God without wacky occult/New Age views...Greber was a sincere and hardworking Cathohlic priest who after 25 years in the priesthood was approached by a parisioner on the subject of spiritism...Greber's book is a fascinating accound of his response to that parisioner....read it and find out.

This book might be expensive, but what do you expect for such genius. I love this book, and would recommend it to anyone into color theroy. Itten is a color genius, and this book proves it.

I'd studied physiology and neuroscience, later switching careers from a medical path to that of a designer. I've dived into many sources for my self-education/training. Itten is the grand-master of color; no other book I've read compares to those of Itten. His teachings have enlightened me in ways that I'm amazed by, touching on scientific, psychological, behavioral, and the most personal aspects of color as a study and an experience. It's changed the way I look at my environment, and it's changing the way I use color in my work as a designer.

I'm so impressed with the value this book has had to me, that I bought Itten's book on Form and Design, even though I didn't necessarily feel lacking on those aspects of design. It's rather because of the likelihood in the quality and richenss of knowledge I'll gain, as I did from this book.

What fascinates me so much about Itten's classic book is its deeply philosophical, even quasi-religious approach to color. Itten was as much interested in the spirituality of color as in developing a theory of color.

Another great aspect of the book is the numerous master paintings beautifully reproduced and intertwined with his own theories and color diagrams. You get paintings by Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, El Greco, Seurat, and so many others. Itten is always contrasting the objective and the subjective aspects of art and color, and it makes for a fascinating reading experience.

Itten has a mature perspective on these painters and their relation to color. Its only flaw is that Itten's is only one perspective. I wish there were more authors who could write and analyze art at this level, and who weren't afraid to be spiritual in their assessments.

With so many dramatic advancements in technology, we tend to forget very quickly where we were. Just a decade or so ago, this book was literally too difficult and too expensive to produce. We are lucky to live in an age in which a book of such profound beauty is even available. Overall, it's a must for any fine library.

I have been a professor for 15 years. "The Elements of Color" has been required reading for many of my courses. It is not only enriching as a color theory document, but it helps expand the artist or designers possibility of using, arranging and conceiving color.

Itten's analysis and application of color is thoughtful and scientific. As a practicing art director, I have successfully used the theories and methods explained in "Elements of Color" for over twenty years. I also teach them to my design classes. Whether you use a paintbrush or a mouse, his "seven color contrasts" will prove invaluable.

I took an art course to learn about colour and learnt nothing. Then I read this book...It answered all my questions and informed me about areas of colour theory I had never dreampt of. Now I paint with knowledge and confidence.

I'v been a Brahms' music fan for a long time and i have read three different biographies, without having the opportunity of get closer to his thoughts before i buy this great book. Now I know how Brahms' mind worked, how (really) was his relationship with his friends and how were his feelings and thoughts during the periods he composed that wonderful music.

I'm not an english born speaker, so i had some difficulties in understand the meaning of some sentences, more exactly, some modisms, wich are very frecuent in Brahms' speech.

In spite of this, I recommend this book because it's just wonderful.

The virtues of this book are several: about 800 previously untranslated letters of Brahms, masterfully translated and carefully and judiciously annotated, based on research entirely from source materials which, among other things, give the lie to the unsavory myths of Brahms childhood, proving beyond doubt that he came from a hard-working, well-meaning family who lived in a good neighborhood, and provided him with a good education and normal childhood. The author's research confines to the rubbish heap the silly Freudian theories, never based on any evidence, for his reasons for not marrying. This compendium of letters and their absorbingly written annotation is a gold mine for amateurs and professionals interested in a truthful picture of Brahms.

Unfortunately, Jan Swafford did not have a chance to read this book before writing his own "biograohy" of Brahms. If he had, he would have been privy to a wealth of information, much of which has not been available to non-german speakers. Avins' commentary on the letters of Brahms and many of his correspondents is clear and well researched.

Great recipes broken out by seasons and mid-seasons but in addition to the recipes, there are lots of stories, poems, ideas for celebration. I just love it - I read a little, cook a little. Good book for getting connected, food, body, spirit, earth.

This is the most favored and treasured cookbook in my kitchen. Not only does Cait have a way with her words, making you feel like a close friend and confidente, but she has some of the most delicious vegetarian recipes that I have ever tasted. She includes not only recipes for the main meals, but also ones for appetizers, soups, salads and desserts! There are whole menus for each season and earth-centered holiday! In addition, Cait gives poems, information, kitchen altar decoration, and rituals for each seasonal menu. There are herbal hints for cleaning and a great bibliography with wonderful "must read" books. I have always enjoyed Cait Johnson's books, but this is my favorite. It is a book that you would want to keep and pass down to your children and it gave me a love of cooking that I thought I lost. The recipes are healthy and delicious but filled with thought and spirit. I cannot urge you enough to check this cookbook out! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Cait Johnson's "Cooking Like a Goddess" is a wonderful addition to many a cook's bookshelf. Not only is it a fine vegetarian cookbook, but it seeks to wrap a broader context around something most of us often think of as drudgery: cooking for ourselves and our families.

Bringing back the wisdom of earth-based spiritual traditions and their inherent honoring of the feminine/nurturing role, she helps us redefine ourselves NOT as cook and chief bottle washer but as something very sacred, very vital, and very precious to society as a whole. Not since Laurel Robertson's preface to "Laurel's Kitchen" have I found a cookbook that celebrated the sacredness of the role of nurturing and cooking the way Cait's book does. I've had as much fun erecting my kitchen altar and following her suggestons for seasonal ritual as I have following and then eating her yummy recipes. Enjoy!

John Banville's, "Dr. Copernicus", was excellent in its entirety, and sections of the work were exceptional. "Kepler" which is a sequel in a Historical sense, may not match the former for its consistency of excellence, however it is still a very good novel, it takes the work of Copernicus another step, and is a piece of work that is 5 star material when compared to much of contemporary writing. The four star ranking is only relative to, "Dr. Copernicus".

The idea of whether these early stargazers believed their work documented truth or merely supported what they observed is taken a step further with Kepler and his work. When Kepler and his peers were working, mathematical proof was becoming the essence of what they would eventually publish. Work that appeared to explain what was seen was no longer enough, proving it to oneself and one's peers was the new test. One of the great enigmas that Kepler sought to solve was the orbit of Mercury. His findings were to change the Copernican view of the Universe, while Galileo was extending the very reach of it.

The science, and the math employed are raised a couple of steps from the previous novel, and are part of why I liked this work less. Understanding complex ideas should not be brought down to such simplistic levels so that no effort to understand is required, and whatever is learned is of little use as it relates to the true and complete idea. I always enjoy a writer that can explain complex theory in a manner that allows an inquisitive mind to be challenged, and the science enjoyed. In "Kepler", this did not happen the majority of the time. So the reader must just take on faith what is said, or study some pretty advanced geometry.

"Kepler" also does not have characters that gain your empathy, and at times you may struggle to find them interesting. Money, position, prestige, all conspire to intrude upon the greater goals, and I found them distracting. However the treatment of the Church and the Schism, and the effect on Kepler and his work, was very well done, interesting, and demonstrated the Church's constant interference with the scientists they were terrified of, for their work would undermine the Church's long taught fictions.

Mr. Banville is a writer of remarkable skill. I am reading the fourth of his books, and the quality of writing, his skill with a pen is never an issue. How he presents his story may or may not be enjoyable to a given reader, but all will appreciate the skill with which he writes.

John Banville takes his astonomical fiction "Doctor Copernicus" to the next stage in "Kepler." Both books are powerful feats of the imagination, in which Banville attempts to re-create that curious and pregnant stage in history when the medieval world was giving way to the first stirrings of modernity. Amid the tumult of the Thirty Years War, which would have have such a large impact on the future of Europe and indeed the entire world, an equally momentous change was taking place in the sciences. Alchemy and astrology still rule, but the natural sciences and astronomy are gradually coming into their own. Johannes Kepler builds on the insights of Copernicus and the observations of Tycho Brahe to create new theories of planetary motion that reinforce and are themselves strengthened by the work of Galileo. Banville has created a multi-dimensioned work, part picaresque, part epistolary novel, part flashback, in which Kepler struggles past politics, religious discord, family distractions and war to seek out the celestial harmonies that he is convinced are there for the discovering. "Kepler" is not the greatest of Banville's novels, but that still makes it a very good one indeed.

I love this book from start to finish. It is a little know book about Kepler and the trials and tribulations he had to endure in his dogmatic era. The workings of brilliance shine forth in this novel. A must for history lovers also.

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.

Natural Childbirth After Cesarean begins (as most books on the VBAC subject do) by refuting the old wive's tales...ruptured uterus, vaginal breech deliveries dangerous, etc. I am pleased with the fact that both writers are speaking from experience and not just medical or personal opinion (not all authors on this subject can say the same). On a more personal level, this book made me search out my own reasons for wanting a VBAC and emphasized that knowing this reason is crucial to the success of the birth. However, as someone considering home birth I thought that the book was a little too "pro-hospital" and mentioned a home birth only for those "extremists". This view was not backed up with any research but stemmed from personal opinion,which was a little disappointing. This aside, this book should be included in your "top ten" list as you do your VBAC research.

I loved this book. The authors' stories of their own VBACs are inspiring, and while they really promote natural childbirth, there is good information here that will help you even if you are not sure that is what you want. If you have a breech baby, be SURE to read this. One of the authors had 4 breech babies and she gives lots of suggestions for turning them!

This is a wonderful book for anyone planning a natural birth after having a previous cesarean. It's very informative with a wonderful labor checklist at the back for helping with many situations that may arise during labor and delivery. Take it with you to the hospital

I originally read the book in its original German. It is a fast-paced-thrilling-spy-yarnesque type of a cook book. Numerous good recipes are strewn throughout, and they are nicely tied into the plot and tailored to the circumstances. The plot reads well and is very, very entertaining. Guaranteed to be read in very few sittings.

"The Berlin Connection" was one of the titles for the English translation of "Bis zur bitteren Neige". It also appeared in English with the more literal title, "To the Bitter End," but in no case should it be a book about the unwitting secret agent/gourmet cook Thomas Lieven, whose adventures are told in "Es Muss nicht immer Kaviar sein." The two proper English titles for the book about cooking and spying are "The Monte Cristo Cover-up" and again the more literal "It Can't Always Be Caviar." Has a careless publisher put out a book with the wrong title?

Anyway, I'm prejudiced. I think Simmel's the best writer I've ever read, and I taught myself German to be able to read them all. His newest book, "Liebe ist die letzte Brucke," appeared in August, 1999. I am translating it to English as "Love is the Last Bridge."

The Berlin Connection - a title that does live up to the witty and sometimes even cheek-in-tongue nature of this book - will probably always be a bestseller because the moment you start to read you won't stop until you're done... and soon you'll read it again! Placed in the unsteady times of WWII and spiced with Thomas Lieven's recipes it makes interesting reading! Top Book!