What can one say about a classic? Is it possible to review Beethoven's Ninth? Faulker's "As I Lay Dying"? No. This is arguably the book that most influenced almost all the subsequent generations of photographers. Frank looked at the world with a fresh viewpoint and his photographs were a slap in the face. It's impossible to put ourselves in the world of photography that preceded this book because Frank has changed our prespectives so drastically.

In 1955, Swiss photographer Robert Frank traveled around the United States on a Guggenheim Fellowship. The images he created were published first in France in 1958, and then the following year in America. Highly controversial in its day, "The Americans" gave us a much needed outsiders view of who we are as a people.

Frank is an incredibly skilled image maker, able communicate on many different levels with a single image. Jack Kerouac is the perfect person to write the intro to this book. Both artists worked in a similar way, using travel, speed and chance to communicate fleeting, yet deep, feelings about our complex culture.

Perfectly enjoyable by anyone with an interest in American culture, but essential for those practicing documentary photography.

when I first got this book, it was one of the five books I had to get for a history of photography class. At first, I thought it was just another photo book with images that were not very spectacular to look at. Then my eyes were opened by my teacher. In the midst of these photographs of all different kinds of people doing what we call ordinary events, lied the human spirit.America as it was , when frank set out for his journey.In the most subtle way, he is able to tell us great stories of the conflicts, and the happenings of a country that was about to go through some major changes. It is a highly recommended book, and it is very rewarding, even for the photographer at heart.

Fans of blues music and musicians will relish this autobiography of Delta bluesman Edwards, which charts his rise to fame and his survival in a critical musical world. His first-person observations of the changing blues style and field are especially meaningful given that so many blues titles are not written by participants in the field.

Honey and his astute collaborators have given us the genuine article: a poignant, detailed, uproarous chronicle of what Robert Palmer called the"Deep Blues," the Delta tradition from which all other blues styles emanate. If you've heard Honey sing either in person or on his fine recordings, you will hear the voice you read. He offers dozens of unforgettable moments, from the first sounds he ushers from a broken-necked guitar to his mother's death to the death of Robert Johnson, that are alive and chilling. My only criticism is that the photographs featured in the book are spartan, contemporary views of critical sites in this artist's life. More historical photography would have enhanced the text. The publisher of this well-designed softcover has made the text relaxingly readable. After my first 50 pages, I wanted to purchase all of Honey's recordings and read more about him. He is an articulate, funny, precise chronicler of his own life. If only I could do the same with my own life! First rate.

This autobiography succeeds memorably on several levels. Told in spare, moving words, it provides a vivid picture of life in the Mississippi Delta long before the civil rights movements of the '50s. In addition, it's a kind of African-American "On the Road," told from the perspective of one who crisscrossed the Southern United States, scuffling to make a living playing the blues. And finally, it's a terrific history of the blues, told by a man who made a significant musical contribution himself and who played with nearly all the essential artists of the '30s and on.

Edwards, born in the Delta around 1915, worked the fields as a kid before he learned to play the guitar and began hoboing around the South. He rode the rails, played in innumerable small towns, and polished his craft. Along the way, he hung out and played with the likes of Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter Horton, Little Walter Jacobs, Robert Junior Lockwood, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and yes, Robert Johnson. The book describes how these architects of the modern blues passed songs, licks, and stories back and forth, keeping a form that relies so heavily on tradition dynamic and vital.

A major strength of the book is Edwards' distinctive voice, transcribed by his collaborators to retain its distinctive rhythms and dialect. The book's title sums up his attitude. His memories include violent death, physical and emotional loss, and great material want. Still, you sense strongly that he wouldn't have had his life any other way. His narrative is devoid of self-pity, but it never glosses over the difficulty of the times he endured, which included stints in prison.

The book concludes with useful appendices that define key terms and offer capsule biographies and discographies of musicians Edwards encountered. A good bibliography is also included. Highly recommended for those interested in the blues and in American social history. Great read.

Frank Trocco's book "Analog Days" chronicles the full history of an invention that would change music as we know it today. That invention of course is the synthesizer created by Dr. Robert Moog. This book is loaded with historical information dealing with how the instruments were manufactured as well as details about the artists who were among the Moog synthesizer's first prominent users. Moog pioneers such as Walter/Wendy Carlos, Keith Emerson, Beaver and Krause, Margouleff and Cecil, Mother Mallard and countless others are mentioned in this book. This is definitely THE book to own if you're doing research on the history of electronic music or synthesizers. There is so much information, there's bound to be something new each time you read it. Not only is it a perfect research tool, it's just a plain great book to read. The person writing this review doesn't like to read very much so, for me, this is saying quite a lot.
"Analog Days" is a book that does not disappoint and it will be one that you'll want to read over and over again.

From the first moment I heard Switched-On Bach, I was hooked. I loved the sounds, the technology, the possibilities of electronic music. I even saved up and bought a Minimoog when I was thirteen; no greater love have I ever had. The early days of electronics shook many people like it did me. The synthesizer was not just a collection of dials and patch cords, but a way into a sonic universe.

Trever Pinch and Frank Trocco's new book, ANALOG DAYS, recaptures that feeling of celestial expectancy. Describing the development of the Moog synthesizer from kit-built theremins to the ubiquitous and glorious Minimoog, the book mainly concentrates on pre-polyphonic modalur synths and how the world embraced them, and then turned them into cheese-making devices a-la "Switched-On Whatever" albums.

Pinch and Trocco give us other ways to look at synths: they discuss women synthesists like Suzanne Ciani who never are mentioned in other histories even though Ms. Ciani's synthesized commercial work is probably the heard electronic music ever. Though Moog-centric, the book gives us the background of the Buchla box, a sort of sprout-and-wheat-germ rival to the Moog modulars. While Moog turned the synthesizer into a keyboard instruments, Buchla kept his machines free of established interfaces, and established musical norms.

As a sythn-freak, I couldn't put this book down, even though much the material is duplicated in Mark Vail's Vintage Synths. Vail, however, choose to be only a technical historian, while Pinch and Trocco aim for a more cultural view of the events surrounding the shifting of musical boundaries.

All your favorites are here; the unexpectedly successful Dr. Moog; the victorious but hubristic ARP company; the offhand eccentricities of EMS and their wonderful VCS3 named by Tristam Cary, son of Joyce Cary, the novelist. Don Buchla haunts the pages too, half Kesian merry-maker, half NASA sub-contractor with his silver, red and blue synths bleeping in the Haight. And good old Keith Emerson's here too, flailing his ribbon controller across the arenas of America.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in electronic music, anyone interested in why their microwave talks to them, anyone interested in the history of 1960's.

Analog Days also has a really cool cover.

Totally recommended. Apart from a little slide into sociological theory towards the end, this is a thoroughly entertaining, authoritative and enthralling look at the world of early synthesizers.
My favourite moment is the story of Bob Moog's first major sale of a modular synthesizer. He had to get it to New York City from Buffalo, and in those days, there was one sensible, cost-effective solution: he took the bus. The synthesizer seemed to survive the trip, too.

Lovely book.. If you are interested in synthesizers or the histroy of electronic music, BUY IT!!

Okay, I wrote this, so of course I like it--and since I have to give it "stars" in order to post, I give it five.

But the point of this "review" is to say that the book will be back in print this Fall (2003), from Transaction Publishers/Rutgers, with a new intro and a new title--"Health and Suffering in America: The Context and Content of Mental Health Care."

The hype about mental health care in the last five years or so has grown more and more outrageously false. I'm glad Transaction wants to keep this book in print, as a corrective to the nonsense that those who profit from mental health care would have you believe.

This is the best book on comparative clinical psychology/psychiatry I've ever read.

If psychotherapists/psychiatrists were considered faith healers (which this book makes clear they are), this book would qualify as a book on comparative religion, and it would make one question their faith.

Psychoanalysis, Behaviorism, Cognitive Therapy, and Biological Psychiatry are all analyzed, with their core beliefs and assumptions described in detail. Each school's standing with the scientific facts is mentioned.

Cultural reasons why Americans accept certain therapies, or come to accept them in spite of their unscientific bases, are also given.

The most noticable omission is the lack of any discussion of Albert Ellis' Rational Emotive Therapy, although many of the comments about Beck's therapy apply to RET too.

The chapter on biological psychiatry could have provided more background on its history, as well as mention more specific psychiatrists' and pharmaceutical companies' influences. For biological psychiatry, "Blaming the Brain" by Elliot Valenstein (mentioned in this text's acknowledgements) is also recommended.

Without coming out too strongly (which could create a backlash), the book does an excellent job of pointing out how biological psychiatry's illness model is used to justify prescribing psychoactive drugs with no proven specificity in treating "illnesses", in a culture which otherwise wages war on psychoactive drugs.

The only noticable editorial error was a major misspelling of "renaissance".

I was amazed at the clarity this book sheds on psychological schools of thought. It does an excellent job of explicating the values of each school of thought, giving the reader information by which to evaluate them.

I would highly recommend Cultures of Healing to anyone interested in therapy to help them understand what types of therapists do what, and what they believe in. I would also recommend Cultures of Healing to any psychology student who wishes to make some sense out of the morass of contradictory beliefs.

Definitely buy this book.

Being a professional artist, and a mondo horror fan, I was craving to get my pencil smudged paws on this book. Over 700 pages of lavishly illustrated science fiction and horror history. Art of Imagaination brings to attention the works of the great artists who have worked in this field for over a century. Anyone with even a minor interest in thsi subject would find this text a true page turner. Highly Recommended.

This book is a must have for anyone who is creative. If you've lost your sense of wonder, this book will bring it back. You cannot help but be inspired by this fine tribute to the illustrators and art directors of fantastic art. You will not be disappointed buying this book. No cheap black & white stroll through memory lane here. It's a full color journey spotlighting the creative talent of imaginative artists from days gone by to today. High quality paper and binding are the icing on the cake. A tip of the hat to the authors and publisher for such an authoritative volume on a thinly treated subject.

First of all: a disclaimer. I edited one of the three books incorporated in this single volume as well as an overall introduction. But I'm not shilling for the book--I don't have to. Included in this one volume are "Science Fiction of the 20th Century," "Horror of the 20th Century," and "Fantasy of the 20th Century." An illustrative history of the three genres--in one volume. Bought separately, they would have run you $... The same plates were used in this volume, the same paper--in many cases, the reproduction is even better than in the original volumes. NOT available in most bookstores. This is probably the biggest, single, hardbound volume of 4-color illustrations ever published in the United States. If you looked at the single books in the series and passed because of price, take a look at this one. Not just for the pretty pictures--the written historical sumamries are also worth the price. End of commercial--nobody's paying me to write this and any royalties as such have been prepaid. Fellow editor/authors Robert Weinberg and Randy Broecker know their stuff. Reason for this screed: I'm damned proud of the book.

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-up" (story by L. Frank Baum and pop-up designs by Robert Sabuda) will delight Oz fans, collectors, artists, and the young at heart everywhere. Following Baum's story and illustrator W.W. Denslow's artistic style (rather than images from the beloved 1939 MGM film), the book chronicles Dorothy's ORIGINAL adventures in Oz with text and fantastically designed pop-ups.

Each page is an aesthetic experience unto itself, including a whirling tornado, a stunning Emerald City centerfold, and Glinda's castle. Smaller pop-ups are imbedded in the text areas to further charm the reader, along with a pair of green glasses, a melting Wicked Witch, the Wizard's balloon, and Toto too!

Collectors will want TWO copies of this book: one to keep unopened and one to view. It is an excellent introduction to the Oz phenomenon and will encourage readers to follow Dorothy's further adventures in sequel Oz books.

In an earlier review, I called Robert Sabuda a genius. Now I see that that description undervalues him! This book is one of the finest Pop-Up books you will ever read. Sabuda has distilled the story down into its most distinctive scenes, and used some of the most startling and imaginative paper-engineering to bring this magical tale to life. The book kicks off with a real spinning tornado and continues with pages that will have you saying, "Wow!", even if you're alone. The penultimate page is a jaw-dropper!

If you're used to pop-up books with "Pull Here" tabs, then you may be a little disappointed. You enjoy Sabuda's skill with your eyes - his creations explode into life from the flat pages into works of art. Even more astonishing is the fact that he's still found a way of telling this classic tale with words too - the way he's combined the "mini-pages" of text with "mini pop-ups" is truly revolutionary.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

My daughter Fiona (Age 9) was sent this book as a gift from friends in the States.

It is absolutely captivating, with pop-ups like you've never seen before! The artistry involved in bringing this much loved story to life has impressed everyone we've shown it to.... adults included, many of whom have asked for the details to order their own copies. A word of warning - this book is SO lovely that it's not the kind of thing you'll leave the kids to play with unsupervised!

Also worth noting that the text is a condensed version of the original L Frank Baum story - not the MGM movie version, and this makes it even more exciting for kids who have only seen the movie. Buy this book. Even if you don't have kids - our 3 girls just love it, and so do I!

I loved this book as a child because I saw myself in Sal who was curious and spunky and had a serious independent streak. She was and is what is called a Tom Boy. And like Sal and her Mom, my Mom and Aunt Ann would take me with them to pick blueberries or what we call huckleberries here in the west coast, and on the hillsides of Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier, Mt Shasta etc.

Knowing that we saw black bears and always had to be prepared if cubs were around, made this story "real" to me. And I love stories where the girl isn't a whimp, but is allowed to be herself and is shown doing both normal activities but activities that show a more rural or self sufficent idea.

I also like the story because it is a great Mother and daughter tale and shows that even the human animal like the bear and her cub, have such caring personalities. Oh and I also indetified with the eat more berries than you pick theme.

Unless someone has tasted a sweet freshly picked blueberry or strawberry etc they have no idea how wonderful the taste and smell is and that you really cannot stop at just one. I wonder how many parents who have taken the kids along to pick berries have done so knowing that the kid will probably not produce much fruit for canning or baking, and may even come home with a tummy ache. But that it is a great outing and make for great memories.

This is a story of a young girl picking blueberries with her mother and a young bear picking blueberries with its mother. As they amble along picking berries and eating them, the bear gets seperated from its mother as does Sal get seperated from her mother. The story is gentle from beginning to end. It brings back many memories of picking blueberries and eating them faster than you can pick them. This is a classic that I grew up with and my children are growing up with now. The pictures only enhance the text and are very gentle and sweet. The theme of the story is very nice and reassuring to young children. Well worth the time and money to buy this book.

Enjoy.

A children's book about a little girl named Sal who goes up into the hills to pick blueberries with her mother and eats as many blueberries as she puts into her pail! She encounters a mother bear and her cub also picking blueberries; but, soon the little cub is trailing Sal's mother while Sal is trailing the mother bear. McCloskey's blue and white illustrations are perfect for this story and it resulted in the book being a 1949 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustration in a book for children. It is a must for the shelves of any parent of a preschooler or the shelf of any serious student of children literature.

While this slight volume can't hold a candle to something like Will Friedwald's comprehensive analysis of Sinatra's recorded career, it's quick and handy. Moreover, while the authors' selections will inevitably produce disagreements, their choices are unlikely to provoke incredulity (no "My Way," or recommendations from the "Duets" albums). And when there are multiple versions of the same tune, which is more often than not the case, the authors give helpful rankings of the best choices. But just to give you an idea of how necessarily inadequate a collection limited to 101 recordings is, Sinatra's absolutely sublime, definitive Reprise recording of "I Hadn't Anyone Til You" is not mentioned. Still, I find myself making more use of this book than any other about Old Blue.

The music of Frank Sinatra is timeless and though the title contains the words "the 101 Best Recordings", you may find that it is just a starting point and find your own 101 favorites. You have over 1000 songs to choose from so your picks are bound to be different than the authors. The book lays out 101 excellent songs, gives information to listeners (date recorded, album it can be found on, arranger, etc.) and tells the background of the song and sometimes an anecdote about when it was recorded. The book is not only for longtime fans of Sinatra's work (though they will be more familiar with all the names, etc.). If your Sinatra cd collection extends to one cd of his greatest hits, then this book can help you figure out where to go next. The stories and anecdotes may not mean much but you can figure out if you want to explore Frank's Columbia, Capitol, or Reprise years. For the experienced Sinatra listener, the book is excellent for starting debate with fellow Sinatra fans or perhaps rediscovering a gem you've forgotten or never really listened to before. Obviously, it is not a biography so don't expect stories about Frank the man, just Frank the singer. My only complaint is that I wish they gave more detail to the songs. I realize they had 101 songs to review, but I wanted more background about the recording session and Frank's opinions and views of the songs. However, there are other books for that.

How do you pick the 101 greatest Sinatra recordings? The authors certainly came up with arguably the definitive list,and presented it in a most enjoyable read.Another reviewer wished there was a CD boxed set to accompany the book. I did the next best thing. I have an extensive Sinatra collection and I happen to have all the 101 songs(the correct versions). I bought some high quality cassettes and simply went through my CDs and tapes and put together the audio to the book..three 90 minute and one 60 minute tape covered the 101 songs.Needless to say, it was a labor of love putting these songs in order and is fascinating to read the descriptions and history of the songs as they are playing.

It is difficult to criticize anyone who has devoted so much of her mind and heart to writing a 300+ page birth-to-death camp account of Anne Frank.

However, the book's jacket incorrectly claims "Here, after five decades is the first biography of this remarkable figure." Having been moved many years ago by Ernst Schnabel's book ANNE FRANK: A PORTRAIT IN COURAGE (1958) I was put off by this inaccurate statement. That Schnabel's biography is not even acknowledged by author Melissa Muller is also troubling. How could a journalist who has done such detailed historical research fail to even mention a previous author's detailed biography? Hopefully, this will be corrected in future editions.

Like Schnabel, Muller interviewed many people who knew Anne frank. Schnabel was able to speak with people not available to Muller because they had died before she started her research--such as Anne's father Otto Frank. To Muller's credit, her interviews include Frank family relatives, one of the Franks' protectors in hiding--Miep Gies--co-author of ANNE FRANK REMEMBERED as well as Jacqueling Van Maarsen ("Jopie" in the Diary)--author of MY FRIEND ANNE FRANK and Willy Lindmer--author of THE LAST SEVEN MONTHS OF ANNE FRANK.

Another nice touch is the Epilogue which sums up what happened to many of the people described in the book. For example, it is deeply sad and chilling to read about one of Anne's sweet friends, Sanne Ledermann, then turn to the Epilogue and find that she and her parents were gassed in Auschwitz.

Muller's writing varies from fascinating to overly detailed. For example, do we really need to know that one of Edith Frank's cousins divorced her husband because he was having an affair with his secretary? On the other hand, she offers new insights into who may have been the betrayer(s) of the Franks and others in hiding with them. She also sensitively describes "new" pages of the Diary that Otto Frank had deleted from the original version because he found Anne's perceptions of his marriage too embarrassing. Like other books about Anne frank, she quotes extensively from the Diary, citing many of its most moving passages. So despite the criticisms, I still believe this book is very much worth reading.

While Muller's choice of style and content may be too academic for the average reader, there are also flashes of inspiration and insight regarding Anne's deepest feelings. Schnabel's book is more consistently inspired, often expressing the heart of a spiritual poet. An example is found in his final words:

"Thus her voice was preserved out of the millions that were silenced, this voice no louder than a child's whisper. It tells how those millions lived, spoke, ate, and slept and it has outlasted the shouts of the murderers and soared above the voices of time."

Muller concludes:

"In the end, the Nazi terror oculd not silence Anne's voice, which still rings out for all of us, whom she had hoped so ardently to serve."

I read about Anne Frank when I was around 8 years old. I was very touched by her story, and begged my aunt - who lives in Amsterdam - to take me to the Anne Frank House to visit the Secret Annex. Ever since, Anne's tragic story has been with me. I read her diary, as well as other books written with her. Now I read this book - Anne's biography. I just finished it - and I sit here with a pale face and tears in my eyes. It's a very touching story with happy times and dark times, and a very tragic end. The author describes this end in every detail you could possibly think of... the arrestation of the eight people in the Annex, Mieps attempts to free the family by offering money to Gestapo police offers, the family's deportation to the camps... how Anne lived in happiness in Westerbork after having been locked in the Annex for two years. How she was deported to Auschwitz - where she was separated from her father and, later on, from her mother. How she and Margot were deported to Bergen-Belsen, where she died so tragically. If this part of the book doesn't move you to burst out in tears, the part when Otto finds out his daughters won't come back, will. This book is a journey through Anne's life and after the last page the terrible truth gets you by the throat: this young girl, who described this terrible period in her life so lively, will never ever come back. Anne's spirit is with us forever. Whenever I'm in Amsterdam, I always stop by Prinsengracht 263 to visit the Annex. And when I'm standing in Anne's room I still feel the same as when I was 8 years old, and visited her room for the first time.

Not only did Muller do a wonderful job giving more information about Anne and her personality, she gave the reader clearer pictures about the other people who also had to live through this terrible time with Anne. Anne's diary definatly made a picture of her life's happenings and Muller these times color. This biography sheds more light on Anne's spectacular personality, not only with excerpts from the diary, but from her friends and family. This book is to remember Anne but it also puts more insight into the characters we have read about in her diary... they no more are just names but true people that Muller has learned a great deal about. This is a great finishing book for anyone that has been moved by the diary of Anne Frank.

This book is good for getting a general view of genetic programming. Nevertheless, I think it neglects many details. For example, it is very hard to from the book how a simple selection strategy (tournament selection) works in practice.

I do not think this book is useful for someone intending to code a genetic programming algorithm.

I skimmed the Koza books (GP: I & II) and this one at the store. Using the layout, chapter names, and the introductory chapters as my guide, I decided to buy this book to introduce me to the current state of the art in GP. The strengths of this book are its textbook format and the informal exercises that are presented for the reader at the end of every chapter. There is also a great deal of compilation from other relevant gp works presented in a localized, intra-chapter basis. The book is thus highly digestable to a newcomer, and is a far less time-consuming way to learn about GP than through the "expert" papers on the web. Having now almost finished the book, I feel that I am ready and able to author and apply GP techniques in a wide variety of applications and languages, having spent less than 20 hours in study time. A terrific achievement by Banzhaf and company, highly recommended.

We all know that kind of books where the author likes to show how much he knows making things intentionally complex....well...this is the opposite side of the spectrum.
The book is very complete and detailed yet easy to read, even after a day of work.
The first part of the book contains introductory information on background areas like probability, biology and computer science as a general discipline.
Getting into the topic, it clarifies some of the differences between evolutionary systems and genetic algorithms and shows how all this contributes to the theory of genetic programming and the evolution of computer programs.
It explains how things are done with different types of individuals (tree, linear, graph, etc) and gives valuable insight about the implementation process.
Although you may need other sources for formal treatment of some topics, this book is a very good acquisition.