This sturdy and attractive board book bills itself as "a first reference book for toddlers and preschoolers." Although most people don't think of board books as a format for reference, this is exactly what Scholastic has done here. The book is divided into flaps that depict images of animals. A child can easily choose a picture and turn directly to that particular entry. Each section lists a verb, such as "crawl", "run", "swim", etc., and gives examples of three animals that the verb is applied to. The lifelike illustrations match the text beautifully. Recommended for ages 2-6.

Ball and Hammer is a like a six-hand piano piece. Seated at the bench are the long deceased founder of Zurich Dada, Hugo Ball; the contemporary artist, Jonathan Hammer; and the well-regarded critic-scholar, Jeffrey Shnapp. The piece they play is built around Ball's visionary novella-memoir, Tenderenda the Fantast, which is a bit like trying to build a temple around a hallucination.

Hammer and Schnapp brilliantly riff in and around Ball's memoir: the former with his zany illustrations, a provocative essay and his translation of Ball; the latter with a razor sharp-edged introduction and an array of learned notes. The mix works. It's hard to tell where one takes over and the other leaves off.

This is no conventional university press book from the standpoint of production values. It's graphically dazzling, has twenty-plus splendid color illustrations, and is at least as much fun as a ride on one of those Twister roller coasters.

I recommend it highly for yourself or for that distinctive gift to an eccentric friend or loved one who loves Dada.

It makes nice in your brain and looks just as nice on your coffee table.

The world's great writers have always been capable of establishing an unforgettable mood in their works, of combining imagery and plot to create pieces of enduring value. This is no less true of Alexander Lernet-Holenia. More than any other writer of the last century, Lernet-Holenia possessed that indefinable quality that makes his writing an experience both of mind and spirit, the ability to know the human being for what he really is and to provide this knowledge in a literary form that is both enoyable to read and profoundly enlightening to encounter. Chekhov, Faulkner, Joyce, Mann, and Proust are some of the geniuses who gave us life in all its magnificent eloquence and sordidness, who set down in words that superb juxtaposition of beauty and hideousness that constitutes the world we live in and the resulting struggle that humans are constantly engaged with as they are buffeted by these incessant forces. In two novellas, Lernet-Holenia reveals to us the kind of talent that truly makes him the kind of writer who will be read for as long as civilized men exist. There is no reason to repeat what the reviewer above has written about the plots of these two superb stories, as this has been admirably accomplished. But, in closing, I do urge any readers of this review to get a copy of this astonishing book. If you know the difference between good and great, you will be forever thankful you were introduced to Alexander Lernet-Holenia.

This is a remarkable work full of wisdom, deep analysis, rich insights, and appreciation for great literature. Also, the writing is very fine and clear.

For anyone who is intrested in research and the ability to reproduce some of Europe's great pieces of pottery - this is the book for you. Christie's Pictorial History of European Pottery takes the reader through the pre-1600 of spain, portugal and italy and continues it's jounery through nothern Europe, France, Netherlands and England. The pictures are crisp and clear, the writting is well done. Definatly a book for my Christmas tree! Lisa Carter (zkr26@ttacs.ttu.edu) Lubbock, Tx

This collection should get SIX stars. Having sampled one of Audio Connoisseur's other recordings, and being hugely impressed, I went out and purchased this one. I had always wanted to know a little about German literature, assuming that a nation that can build fabulous cars could also produce a few good authors. Before I say anything about the stories, let me just tell you that the narrator, Charlton Griffin, is probably the greatest reader now living. I say that in all honesty. Never have I encountered recorded literature in which ALL the characters, including women and children, have been performed with such utter believability and astonishing acumen. You will shake your head in disbelief that only one person is performing all these voices. I differ with the above AudioFile reviewer who castigates Griffin for his pacing. The pacing is perfect, almost stately. In the appropriate places it has a dreamlike quality. The stories are a very good cross section of German literature over a period of 150 years, beginning with Goethe and ending with Lampe. Every single one of these little masterpieces has a jewel-like quality and a sparkling intelligence behind them. I approached this subject with mild trepidation and came away astonished at the variety and depth of German writers. My favorites in this volume were the stories by Mann, von Hofmannsthal and Schnitzler. Not content with merely great stories, Audio Connoisseur has tastefully added music and sound effects...but only in perfectly suitable places and without distraction. They seem to fit in organically, as though a film were rolling in your head. If you are an educator, this would be an indispensable teaching tool. My admiration for Audio Connoisseur knows no bounds at this point. May they continue this level of quality forever.

This book is a very inexpensive way to own a pictoral history of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. If you have unlimited money and space, I do recommend Mr. Wilson's more recent book, The Ultimate Harley-Davidson. Even if you own that one, you'll find this small edition a charmer to take with you on trips. As a gift for the new Harley fan, this book is hard to beat at the price. Although small in size, it has the quality look and feel of a classic collectible.

The book is like a scrapbook or catalog of Harley-Davidson models, beginning with a timeline of when many of the models in the book were introduced. Each model then receives two facing pages, in chronological order of when introduced.

The main two limitations of the book are that only a few models can be featured, and the pictoral representations are small because of the page size. The details are abundantly included though. Each model has a brief history, two photographs (one from the side and a second face on or of people riding on that motorcycle), detailed descriptions of key components and design changes, and specifications for the engine, weight, top speed, and transmission.

The models featured include the original Harley, the 1912 Silent Gray Fellow. This model looks like a motorized bicycle, which is essentially what it is. The 1915 J-11 is one of Harley's earliest V-Twin engines, and begins to look like a classic Harley. The 1926 B Peashooter was similar to British bikes and the Indian Prince. It was named for its distinctive exhaust sound, and was an inexpensive one cylinder model.

The 1936 61El Knucklehead is described as the "Grandfather of the Big Twins" and looks all Harley. The book is worth owning just for these two pages.

Mr. Wilson does a good job of providing variety in the models he selected for featuring. He presents the 1942 WLA which was a workhorse military machine during World War II, as well as the 1951 74FL, which was popular with police departments and contained the 1948 redesign of the Knucklehead engine. Several post-war lightweight versions are presented including the 1952 52K, the 1957 XL Sportster, the 1965 Bobcat, and the 1987 XLH883 Sportster.

More fun of course are the racing bikes, including the 1961 KR750 and 1972 XR TT.

Naturally, the book includes classic touring bikes such as the 1960 FLH Duo Glide, the 1988 FLH Electra Glide (in red, rather than blue), and 1997 FLHR Road King.

The only thing the book lacks is the throaty sound of a Harley-Davidson exhaust. But you can supply that with your imagination.

If you are like me, the book has several appeals. First, it reminded me of all the wonderful Harleys I have seen over the years. Second, it reconnected me with my youth and motorcycles in general. Third, it encouraged my sense of adventure again . . . the real spirit of Harley-Davidson.

After you have enjoyed this exciting book, I suggest that you get out your Harley (or find a friend who has one) and take a road trip. Naturally, if you are reading this in winter, I encourage you to do this when and where there is good weather. I can still feel my knees frozen stiff from riding on back of a Harley in January in Massachusetts.

Live free!

This book is without doubt the greatest ever written. If one were to die tomorrow without having read the book, one would not have lived. The English language contains too few superlatives to describe every nuance. What a book!!!

The book is in two parts: the first lays down the elements of citical thinking and the art of dissecting an argument, and the second is an excellent selection of readings which offer both pro and con views on a wide variety of social and moral subjects.

I find myself continually referring to the second section of the book, because the readings selected are compelling, and very well written. They include modern writers, as well as the best writings of past authors who explore contemporary issues of their day. That they continue to be "hot" issues today speaks to the continuing struggle we have with certain kinds of issues.

After each pair of readings the authors have offered a series of questions for further thought, which can be used for independent analysis of the reading, or as part of a course in critical thinking. I found these questions very helpful in stimulating discussion with others, especially those with strong feelings in the subject areas.

This book has become a "must read" in my circle of critically thinking frinds.

I'll never forget the excitement of buying my first real ride cymbal. I had to cut a lot of lawns in order to afford it. I tested out a good many cymbals that afternoon in the drum store, and I came home with a 24" Avedis Zildjian medium ride. I remember the smile of approval on my drum teacher's face when told him what I had purchased and also the look of astonishment on my friend's face (who was also a drummer) when he asked, "How big is that thing?" That was over twenty years ago, and I still love playing that cymbal today. For me, a drum is just a drum, but a cymbal evokes a stong passion in me--especially a good ride cymbal. This is a book for percussionists, like myself, who love their cymbals!

The first chapter tells about the history of cymbals, going all the way back to Bible times. It also discusses trends in modern music. For instance, in the early twentieth century, drummers played snare rhythms with straight quarter notes on the bass drum, while cymbals were mainly used for choked accents. Eventually, the low-hat was developed, and it was the precursor to today's hi-hat. Drumming styles changed greatly with the advent of the hi-hat, as it became widely used in timekeeping. This book explains how cymbals began to be categorized as either ride or crash cymbals and how drumming styles evolved even further with the invention of the ride cymbal.

Chapter two contains an excellent overview of the major cymbal categories: ride, crash, hi-hat, crash/ride, medium, Chinese, and splash. There are a lot of interesting viewpoints expressed. Andy Newmark said, "I don't use the ride cymbal a lot because there's so much more definition in the hi-hat as far as keeping a rhythm section locked into something. If I do play the ride cymbal, I very rarely play in the middle or on the edge. I always play on the bell, because the bell cuts through."(p. 27) Varying viewpoints are also presented. Marvin "Smitty" Smith said, "I like to look at my ride cymbal sound as a wave on the ocean; it doesn't have to be loud. It just coats the entire area. It surrounds you." (p. 25) It is very helpful to hear the different viewpoints on cymbal artistry.

Chapter three contains good, sound advice on selecting a cymbal, with special tips for each cymbal type. Chapter four is devoted to composing a setup. It shows diagrams of the setups of many famous artists, including their comments. Many representative styles are included. Pheeroan Ak Laff said, "People figure, 'big crash, big sound,' but it doesn't work that way. If you want a powerful crash, you're better off with smaller, lighter cymbals, because they're faster, they cut like glass breaking and then they're gone. Big crashes tend to be lower pitched, which means that most of the sound is going to get lost in the low frequencies of the electric guitar and bass, while in acoustic music it'll be too overpowering. But big crashes can be very effective in a controlled environment like the recording studio." (p. 48) I agree with Laff, and I play hard rock. I'll never forget the time I asked my guitar friend to rate my crash cymbals. He preferred my 16" thin crash over thicker, larger and louder ones. He replied that it cut through better and didn't sustain too long. I had also come to that same conclusion myself. It is interesting that at the time of purchase, I had considered it to be experimental, as I wasn't sure if it could get the job done. Now, I am a believer in thin crashes!

Chapter five is all on cymbal acoustics. It tells about the anatomy of a cymbal. There is a very helpful chart on the influence of dimensions on the sound of a cymbal. It tells how hammering, lathing, buffing, and aging affect the sound properties.

Chapter six is about developing your own cymbal artistry. This information was very helpful to me recently. I had been experimenting with changing the locations of my two ride cymbals in my setup. But, I found that they didn't sound the same to me anymore! I figured it must be my ears playing tricks on me. I tried it again a couple weeks later and the same thing happened. Finally, the light from this book dawned on me: "Varying the angle at which the cymbal is played will have a direct influence...." (p. 87). I realized that the angle I was striking the cymbals had changed in my new setup. After I compensated for it, my ride cymbals sounded like normal in my new setup. Now, I have also learned to change my stick angle as part of my ride cymbal artistry to get more sounds out!

Chapter seven is all about cymbal care. It talks about mounting, cleaning; transporting, repairing. It tells you how to drill your own holes for installing rivets. Chapter eight is on the manufacturing processes of Turkish, Swiss/German, Italian, and Chinese Cymbals. Chapter nine is all about the different cymbal companies. There are lots of neat color photos at the end, as well as a chronology and an index.

There are some books that help you learn how to keep time on a drum set or do a solo. But these books usually fall short in terms of helping you develop your own style. You will get out of this book what you put in to it. It's an instruction manual of a different approach--a book on how to develop your artistry and touch.