The one-sentence review runs thus: anyone with an appreciation for science and/or history, particularly both, will enjoy this book.

The author, Trevor Levere, is obviously a consummate historian, with thorough knowledge of the workings of science and its development through the ages. Levere has a keen sense of the humanity and little ironies that make up the twists and turns of the shaping of the state of chemical knowledge at various times, and conveys them in a friendly, readable style. I found the discussion of the various approaches to gases and how knowledge of the gas laws came out out of them particularly interesting (and did you know Robert Boyle in his day was considered an "alchemist"?). The author is very good about zeroing in on the most fertile areas of discovery and expounding upon what came out of them.

There are only a couple of minor problems that don't have much impact on the overall flow of the book. One is that Faraday and electrochemistry were introduced rather abruptly, with no information about where charge-sign and current conventions came from. It was something I wanted to learn about, and felt it was rather conspicuously absent. The other is the final chapter, about 20th century chemical discoveries (DNA, buckyballs, yadda yadda), which seemed a bit meandering and aimless as a whole.

But overall, excellent, very accessible. Don't hesitate.

Transforming Matter: A History Of Chemistry From Alchemy To The Buckyball is a college-level discourse on the history of chemistry and will serve as a fine basic introduction for any studying the history of science as a whole. Chapters begin with early alchemy to survey the rise of theories about the elements, the creation of classification systems, and relationships between scientific method and practices. An excellent and highly recommended introduction.

These tweo white men are chosen to take a journy in life. This is not a come on along along and pack you bags. This is an inner and spiritual journey for these two men as much as it is a journey for the elders of different nations to accept and trust these men to some of the their most private thoughts and lives. a book well written and appericated that it shows The People as the caretakers that they are to the world.

A wonderful account of two men, a writer and a photographer, who become enveloped in a new consciousness; or more accurately an old one. I was up until the wee hours every night until I finished it. And each morning I found myself more aware of the Creator's presence in every stone,tree and being - an awareness and an awakeining that they are all following God's instructions. Thus, I was gently brought to the question: am I following the Creator's instruction? The "Origional Instructions" Harvey and Steve have passed on to me in this volume have helped me answer that question.

Not only a rare and brilliant sanskritist, Paul Muller illuminates a once obscure mystical-religious tradition with the erudition of the most accomplished scholar. His rich background in the history of religion and familiarity with a seemingless endless variety of sanskrit texts show throughout his writing. He explains intricate spiritual concepts in straightforward terms and unearths the complexities of deceptively simple images, whose meanings might go otherwise unappreciated without his detailed explanations. Rock-steady in his approach, he somehow balances painstaking technical analysis with broad conceptual understanding. He traces around sanskrit words close to their sources, never straying far from the original texts. Moving beyond the literal, he also treats symbols as multilayered representations of human experience. His work exemplifies intellectual exploration and impeccable scholarship, but also packs rich insight and meaning. After reading more basic works, this is the one that will provoke new thoughts and a thirst for more knowledge about the complexities of indian religious and spiritual systems.

This magnificent piece of literature contains wisdom so deep, so clear and so intellectually developed I am sometimes unable to read more than a sentence or two before I am plunged into a space of unrelenting power. Each sentence has been carefully worded as to not waste even one second of the student's time in speculation or controversy. It's as if Abhinavagupta, with his expert hands, surgically removes our ingorance of Shiva, in so doing, he leaves us unable to experience anything else! "The heart of Siva is not a static or inert absolute, however. In fact, the non-dual Kashmir Shaiva tradition considers it to be in a state of perpetual movement, a state of vibration in which it is continuously contacting and expanding..." The Triadic Heart pg. 82

I sailed to the Arctic on the Regina Maris in 1997, a couple years before Oxenhorn took his trip. Not quite the book I would have written, but I started out with greater expectations of discomfort and hardship. After all, it was the Arctic. Nonetheless, Oxenhard paints an accurate picture of life on a tall ship on the frigid edge of the world, and, more importantly, gives a true recounting of the deep personal changes that take place in everyone aboard on such a voyage. I sailed with many of the characters in the book, and would disagree with the more negative of Oxenhorn's descriptions of them, nonetheless, he does give a good feel for some of the friction that occurs on a long trip under difficult conditions with no privacy. Its a great pity that the good ship Regina Maris no more. I believe that everyone who sailed on her to the frozen north came back a deeply changed and better person. This book is perhaps the next best thing.

The late Harvey Oxenhorn secured an enduring legacy through his captivating, detailed account of his apprentice voyage on the tall ship, Regina Maris. He painstakingly chronicles all facets of life during the nine weeks spent traversing from Boston to the Arctic Ocean, recounting sights, sounds, encounters, and experiences at sea and on shore in various ports from Newfoundland to Greenland and back again.

The result is not one of those irritating "look, look at me" travel books or the ramblings of a self-absorbed trekker who intimidated his editor into leaving in the most boring of details but a refreshing recap of life at sea, warts and all..

Mr. Oxenhorn, motivated by a journey of spiritual discovery, soon finds his preconceived notions of life at sea challenged not only by the mundane, repetitive tasks that consume most hours, but also by his inexperience and fears that he must confront whether scaling the vertical matrix of ropes and sails or keeping watch in the middle of the night in all kinds of weather and knowing that his decisions and observation will affect the well-being of the crew and ship.

As the story unfolds-and more so as a novel than travelogue-Mr. Oxenhorn constantly finds surprising aspects about his crew mates that force him to reconsider them, and himself, in the context of this expedition and extrapolates from these experiences a growing sense of self-mastery and awareness of interdependence.

As he recounts late in the book, "But again, the main point wasn't the rules themselves. Nor was it to demonstrate someone's authority. . . Rather, it was to break down the habit of mind that makes exceptions and desires special treatment. To replace it with a heart called unity."

Though this notion may sound a bit like the process used to mold soldiers in boot camp, his ruminations regarding interdependence reach a deeper resonance when he argues, both convincingly and cogently, that "We have made ourselves responsible for the life that ours depends on, from copepods to whales. To think differently about these animals is to think differently about ourselves as well. From now on, we must all stand watch. One tribe. One family. One crew."

Mr. Oxenhorn takes great pains to present his facts and details with care, clearly having spent many hours researching and documenting his observations about everything from various seabirds, to the construction and operation of tall sailing ships, to traditional navigational methods involving sextant and compass and stars. His narrative jumps to life as he describes what it is like to be sailing on a wooden ship among "tabular icebergs twice the length of football fields and seven stories high."

The point of the expedition was to study whale populations, and the author provides enough information about whales, their place and role in the marine environment, and how humans have affected (almost always badly) the balance of nature. He provides just enough details about how the research is conducted, what key findings are made, and what sort of future might be in store for the whale populations. Mr. Oxenhorn does not come off sounding like a overzealous, gung-ho Greenpeacer hunkered down in a Zodiac; rather he applies the same sort of calm logic to why we must carefully manage the oceans as agrarian essayist Wendell Berry proffers.

Likewise he captures both the ugly and shining sides of human behavior and interactions aboard ship and shore, pulling no punches even from his characterizations of Captain George Nichols, with whom Mr. Oxenhorn butted heads----and came away chastised more than once----the mates, or his peer crewmates. More than once, I cringed at some of these depictions, wondering if the author might be overstepping his rights, but he never fails to reveal the good, sometimes surprising, qualities of his shipmates.

If I had been Mr. Oxenhorn's editor, I might have asked for more explanation of some of the nautical and sailing terms that pepper the chronicle, maybe a glossary for those of us who will never experience firsthand such an adventure. The map inside the front cover is useful, but not nearly detailed enough, and without including the longitude and latitude lines, a puzzling lapse I would attribute to the publisher, it's not easy to track the voyage sequentially. (Most chapter titles follow this convention, for example, "17 July. 63◦N/54◦W."

Those minor points aside, "Tuning the Rig" is the kind of book that causes you to postpone your own chores while you read about the myriad tasks of "field day" or the duties of the "galley slave." I cannot say that I now have the urge to spend two months at sea on a tall ship, but I am grateful to Mr. Oxenhorn for his splendid account. Had he not been the faultless victim of an automobile crash, Mr. Oxenhorn, who is also a published poet, might have made quite a name for himself.

This is a great book. I grew up in this area and spent many happy hours on these beaches. It truly is a great present to share with friends overseas and with family.

Nobody alive on earth today can adequately describe the magic that is the Waitakere Ranges -- a unique place on this planet, unrivaled in beauty anywhere at any price. Travel around the Ranges, either on foot or by automobile, and you will be enchanted, spellbound.

Because words are horribly inadequate tools to describe beauty, the Waitakere Ranges must be experienced to be believed. However, _Untamed Coast_ comes about as close as possible to doing this place justice.

A magical book, for a magical place.

And Patrick is never faint of heart. Witty, wise, deeply moving - usually all in the same 1 act play. And you get 7 plays here. My ex still hasn't given this volume back, and I hardly have the heart to ask for it, as I wish hir all the best, and this is the best... OK, I've changed my mind, either put out or give me one of my favorite books back you cur!

So concludes a wisecracking AIDS recluse in the last of these hilarious and heartbreaking one-act plays. Each one covers a decade in the lives of American gay men, from the sophisticated closets of the 1920's through our grimmest hour in the 1980's. Patrick may see little progress toward liberation, whether political or personal. But each decade is etched specifically and urgently, by a master playwright. You'll shed many a tear over this one, half of them from laughter.

If you can look through the stunning photography by Harvey Lloyd and not instantly want to toss all your cares and sail away to paradise, you are a stronger person than I could ever be. I definitely hear Mazatlan calling my name.

Your heart might also start to beat just a little faster as you think about standing on the deck of the Royal Viking Sun at Venice as it basks in the golden glow of dawn over the Adriatic. Sigh...

Voyages gives the reader a journey of sheer visual pleasure to 100 of the world's most exciting ports of call. These have been selected by the world's leading travel writers.

Each destination is reviewed and rated according to: adventure, entertainment, romance, cuisine and shopping (very important aspect). Jay Clark fills in the details and has been traveling since the age of five. His articles have appeared in every major newspaper in America. The writing is flawless and captures each moment.

"Every Time I Sail into port on a cruise ship, a surge of anticipation builds inside me. I know I'm about to embark on another extraordinary adventure. I revel at the thought of the new places and new faces I'll encounter. I look forward to immersing myself in a different culture, eating out-of-the-ordinary foods, shopping for exotic goods, and seeing sights and scenes totally unlike those at home." -Jay Clarke

I was a bit apprehensive about cruising, now I am dying to go on cruise vacation! You will find the information is organized into eleven geographic regions. The east Coast of North America, the Caribbean, South America, Central America, the West Coast of North America, Oceania, the Far East, Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Northern Europe. A map on the inside covers helps you to locate your dream vacation spots.

Intoxicatingly Beautiful Photography!

If you're a cruiser, this book will make your mouth water with its stunning photos of ships. A Christmas gift I will long cherish.

It is amazing that the US survived this conflict. The author's clear depiction of the politics and generalship (or lack thereof)leaves you wondering how the US ever made it out of this conflict relatively intact. This work is taken from Henry Adams great history that was originally published around 1890. The chapters relevant to the war of 1812 have been compiled to form a fine and detailed account of the war with Britain and Canada.

My only request for improvement would be the addition of an introduction that gives a clearer picture of the reasons for the conflict.

In the introduction to this superb volume, Col John Elting, who has written his own version of the military history of this forgotten war, which is also a must have, states 'If you read only one history of that war, it still should be Adams!'

As a definite Elting fan, that is enough for me to buy, read, and use the book. It should also be enough for any historian/reader to buy this volume.

An extract of the much larger A History of the United States during the Administrations of Jefferson and Madison published almost a century ago, this history of a war the United States almost lost was originally published by the Infantry Journal at Fort Benning, GA. It was, and still is, the best one volume history of that war.

Adams had access to US Government papers and spent almost three years in European archives, many of those references now unfortunately lost because of two world wars. What he gives you is both the military and diplomatic side, and also some interesting views of the events interaction with the larger 'disagreement' going on at the time in Europe centering around Napoleon, Emperor of the French.

What you see is what you get. It is a great story, boldly and accurately told that has stood the test of time. It is highly recommended, and the introduction by Col Elting neatly says it all. The best purely military history is Col Elting's Amateurs! To Arms. Taken together they are incredible-two books you will never forget and will read and reread.

This is an extremely thorough, well-written book that covers web services from the ground up. Not tied to any one company's philosophy or implementation of web services standards, this book approaches the subject at a high level yet full of detail. Unlike most technical books, this books reads like a novel. I give it my highest recommendation for those of you that want to understand the underlying web services standards and framework.

I have been functioning in this web services world for the past one plus years. I go through various articles, engaged in real time web services projects etc. This book provides the reader all the in-sight into web services. Web Services is a buzzing word around the software world as a next generation of distributing computing. This well organized book covers all the realistic topics starts with what are web services, need and different business models including B2B, B2C scenarios. It also states how web services are different and advantageous from present technologies and the core web services technologies (XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI) the building blocks of web services. It discuss in detail about the implementation of web services in both .NET and Java.
Absolutely, Web Services transfigure the software world, but it has yet to ripe out to use it in enterprise systems. Still web services are maturing. At present, web services are excellent for plain message transaction from one program/application to other. That is Web Services can be used in non-critical applications where security, reliability are not significant. One of the major concerns, we take notice of in Web Services is security. If there's one thing that has slowed the widespread acceptance and implementation of Web Services, it's their lack of security standards, reliability issues and Transaction Processing etc.
I take pleasure in reading the Web services Security chapter. It explores all the security issues such as Basic security issues, SSL, XML Signature, XML Encryption, XKMS, SAML, XACML and WS-Security in a comprehensive manner. Appendices contain VisualBasic.NET and Java Live-code implementation of web services based applications.

Microsoft and IBM have produced a road map outlining the additional Web Services security specifications along with WS-security. This book explained Microsoft's GXA, a series of specifications, which address the various problems faced by the web services in depth along with .NET MyServices, and Mappoint.NET. The two things, I enjoy very much in this book are the employing of abundant case studies and the vast Internet and Web Resources. All the case studies provide the reader a realistic knowledge. The chapters of this book walk around a wide range of recommended reading lists. All these resources help one for further reading.

Written for IT managers, software developers and business professionals alike, this guide explains the business and technology of Web services.

"This Outstanding book arrived at the exact period, which provides all the details about the Web Services in Comprehensive, realistic and practical manner."

This is a delightful book for young kids that is very well written and illustrated. It represents good family values and touches on race relations using life in the fidge as an example of home and community life.
Excellent!

What a great book! Harvey takes a timeless message of kindness and acceptance and gives it a new look. No doubt, it's entertaining, but the biggest benefit is what it will do to spark a conversation between you and your child.