William Stafford has a way of writing that makes you feel like a welcome guest in his house. Here he talks in prosaic passages about what is important in writing, how to inspire your own writing, together with examples of his own work.

Reading this book is much like reading Stafford's poetry. The tone is relaxed but captivating, and he makes the task of writing well seem effortless. This book, together with "You Must Revise Your Life," is a fantastic read for writers of any level or ability.

"From Lucy to Language" is an excellent books for those interested in the origins of human evolution. The photos are excellent and create an accurate portrayal of the specimens themselves. Johansen is an excellent pop writer; he creates and excellent overview of each speicmens, although you'll have to get past his nauseatingly pretentious writing style.

If you are looking for a more in depth, academic work, this is not the book to read, but if you are interested in the field, and just want something quick and pretty, this is the book to get. Also makes a great coffee table book.

It's about time - a book focusing on the PHOTOS of fossilized hominids. Most books on human evolution entertain us with page after page of text. This book features picture after picture of life-sized hominid fossils. It does contain text - very well written and discusses the fossils at length - a wonderful piece of work - it deserves six stars...

This book is the most complete review of the hominid fossil record I have yet seen.

The first half, "Central Issues of Paleoanthropology", is complete and concise coverage of the science of paleoanthropology, that makes the subject come alive and is generously illustrated.

The jewels, however, are contained in the second part - "Encountering the Evidence". In this section, there is full coverage of the fossil record of every hominid species. The narrative is engaging and always interesting, and the photographs, usually two or three for each type, are simply breathtaking. You won't see a more exciting collection of hominid fossil images anywhere.

My advice: start with this book, then get Johanson's "Lucy" books and Richard Leakey's "Origins" books, to really appreciate the range of debate and the flavor of the competitiveness in human origins research.

This is an historical books about this house but all the pictures are in B & W. And it's so sad for such a masterpiece of frank Lloyd Wright.

This book is one of the best I have seen for describing in detail the challenges of creating one of America's architectural landmarks. Anyone who reads this book will be reminded of Thomas Edison's comment about genius being 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.

Fallingwater came as a commission after one of the longest dry spells of Frank Lloyd Wright's career. Despite having no work to do, no money, and few prospects, Mr. Wright dawdled with the project while trying to sell his client, Edgar Kaufmann, as many other projects as possible. Contemporary accounts suggest that Wright only began sketching something on paper when Mr. Kaufmann was about to arrive at Taliesin in Wisconsin, where Wright did his work.

Mr. Kaufman was not an easy client. He was the head of a major department store, and was used to getting his own way. Client and architect often clashed, with bent feelings on both sides. Independent "experts" got involved who also added to the controversy, mistakes, and misunderstandings. Mr. Kaufmann deserves credit, though, for sticking with Wright as the costs soared way above the original budget for this most unique house.

Interestingly, the two were brought together by Mr. Kaufmann's son who had come to study with Wright in Taliesin. The book contains a brief introduction by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. who ultimately gave the home to a local nature conservancy.

Even without the challenges of the human relationships, Fallingwater was a most ambitious commission. In a remote part of the Allegheny Mountains in Pennsylvania, Fallingwater is sited on top of a waterfall. The potential for the water to undermine the house is enormous. Mr. Wright also wanted to keep as many of the original rocks and trees as possible. The site survey was often wrong, and the designs had to be adjusted to reflect the reality. The design also provided other unusual problems, and the first cantilever was built incorrectly due to changes made under Mr. Kaufmann's direction.

The book contains a wealth of maps, letters, summaries of interviews with those who worked on the project, drawings, plans, and photographs of the work in progress in black and white. This detail brings the challenges to life in a very real way.

The fascinating part of this book to me is that Fallingwater's final effects are the opposite of its creation. The home seems to float above the water, like a mirage. It seems to exude tranquility and peace. Yet, its every stage of movement toward becoming a reality was like a Sumo wrestling match with enormous heavyweight egos and ideas colliding at high speed and with little regard for the impact on the other fellow.

As much as I love Fallingwater, I love understanding more about how it was created even more. Anyone who wants to leave a mark of greatness behind should read this book.

After you finish thinking through the implications of Mr. Wright's vision and ways of implementing it, I suggest that you think about your own personal life and work. Where are you lacking in vision? Where are you lacking in the processes to implement worthwhile visions?

Turn your dreams into beautiful realities . . . for everyone!

Of all the books on Fallingwater, this is the best when you want to know about how the house came into being. I have 2 copies of the book, one that accompanies me on all my travelling, and one to keep in my library. I have at least read it 8 to 10 times, and already look forward to the next time. The black and white photography is quite good, although the book would even be better with some color takes. Hoffman did a great job researching on the subject, and reading the book, it occurs that this was no easy task to get everything in order, chronoligically.

Although this book is the "companion" to the Nova TV series it stands well on its own, in a conversational style. The book does a good job of introducing human ancestors, starting with Lucy - the female Australophitcus afarensis, that launched Dr. Johanson's career and fame. Perhaps what the book does best, is introduce the study of paleoanthropology and archeology by presenting both sides of topics. For example: did modern humans all came out of Africa or evolve in separate places throughout Europe and China?; when and why did hominids first walk on two legs (scavenger or hunter)?; are Neanderthal's our ancestors? He presents how studying anatomy helps understand the physical changes needed to walk on two feet and to give birth to a large brained baby. He also introduces the recent idea of "experimental archeology" that conducts trials on current landscapes or prey to see how early hominids may have lived. At the time of the book were the beginnings of studies with mitochondrial DNA. His conclusion about the birth of art, may be tentative, but should provoke interesting thoughts. If you can see the TV special, it also includes conveys a better feel of the conditions the archeologists are working under, and also vintage film of some of the finds.