While in pursuit if my passion of travel, I have had the chance to use several types of guides, but never have I enjoyed reading any guide as this one. Very detailed, yet simply arranged, and excellent recommendations. Very accurate trekking information is also included in it, along with the typical "touristy" material. Maps could use a little more detail, as I saw it. Prices and other recommendations were excellent! Awesome job!

If anyone is going to Pakistan, I would highly suggest getting this book. There are so many things that I have never known even though I was there for several months.

Pakistan is a fascinating and unfairly under-rated country. It certainly is one of the poorest in the world but its people are the most welcoming you will ever meet and the scenery is enthralling. I promised myself I'll keep returning to Pakistan every year since my first discovery trip (1998). Look no further for the best guidebook to Pakistan. This new edition is VERY detailed and informative and has even succeeded in improving on the already brilliant previous edition. In my opinion, Lonely Planet's updated 1998 edition is not bad either but does not compare. Have a wonderful journey ! And please, if you go to Lahore, don't miss the beautiful Wazir Khan mosque !

I really enjoyed reading "Full Blue". Its full of lots of drama, murder and suspense.

The plot unfolds in a ferver of murder and twists. It surely keeps you guessing and wondering. Keeps you on the edge of your seat until the climactic end.

Could not put the book down. A must read!

Full Blue is the story of Victor Romero and Mitchell Leon, residents of Manhattan's Lower East Side who find themselves caught up in crime, drama, and political intigue. Victor is a college graduate trying make his way in life while at the same time giving something back to the community in which he was raised. Mitchell is his uncle, a NYPD detecive who is trying to make a diiference while working for "The Man" as it were. They go up against corrupt buisnessmen, shady politicans (Are there any other kind?) and even a ... nah that would be telling ... you'll just have to find out for yourself.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it to be engaging and it really held my attention. There's a lot going on but it's easy to follow. It all comes together in the end. I liked the dialouge and the fact that Mr. Diaz was able to give even the peripheral characters fully realized personalities.

The other cool thing about Full Blue is that Mr. Diaz manages to work in cool pieces of reference and information in his work. It's not obvious or heavy handed but in the end you just might walk away with a desire to read more about the issues he deals with or the numerous philosophical issues or writers he cites and addresses.

I think Full Blue is a cool little package. If you just want drama, action, intrigue and suspense, it's got it. Plus with a little hidden bonus or two.

After reading HEART EARTH for the third time, I find that I am still amazed and touched by Ivan Doig's gift. His words, and the way his phrases flow move me, and I am thankful for the many hours I have spent immersed in Mr. Doig's Montana. Although Heart Earth is basically a tale of discovery (or rediscovery), it is also a tale of hope, love and the eternal connection between a child and a parent, no matter what the circumstances or how far the distance in miles or years. If you've never read anything by this author, do yourself a favor: read every one of his books. Buy them in hardcover, keep them safe, and re-read them again and again. I have a special shelf in my personal library for his books, and I treasure every one of them. Thank you, Mr. Doig, for sharing your gift with me.

This was my first Ivan Doig book, and after finishing it I immediately picked up This House of Sky. That the story springs forth from his mother's letters seems a fitting start for my experience with Ivan's books, to see how her moments of letter writing have spun themselves out through the words of her son in this book. The easy flow of his writing and the heart and feeling that flows with it (the little boy *kiting* down the prickly peared hill in Arizona) makes it great art--taking form as though it were always meant to be that way--unforced and uncontrived, as natural and beautiful as the Montana and the people he introduces us to. And I appreciate Ivan's own contributions to these review forums. As in this book and the House of Sky book, the love comes through. I have read both twice now (which I seldom do) and intend to keep them as a part of my library (which I also seldom do). I'm so glad I have found this writer and his books. Thank you, Ivan Doig, for sharing with us.

The true SubGenius Holy Books are "The Book of the SubGenius" and "Revelation X: The 'Bob' Apocryphon," but "High Weirdness by Mail" was the book that truly opened my eyes for "Bob." Published in 1988, it was a groundbreaking book that opened the door to the widening field of crackpotology, and a number of more "serious" books looking at the fringe elements of society have all credited High Weirdness as their inspiration. The addresses in that book are now more than ten years out of date, but the book is still worth reading for the vicious, hilarious, and outrageous reviews of all of the addresses contained therein. The writing reveals a great part of the true purpose of the Church of the SubGenius, and it was the writing of High Weirdness that inspired me to send my money to "Bob" and become a fully ordained (and paid-up) SubGenius minister.

Are you dissatisfied of this world? Do other people think you are different? Well your not alone. The Church of the Subgenius is for you! You'll learn how J.R. "BOB" Dobbs used his psycic powers for financial gain since the age of six! You'll learn that you are not alone in your thinking, and its just that everyone else is brainwashed. Order Today!

All congenitally melancholy souls will love this novel, where intense romantic and spiritual conflicts unfold in the dreamlike setting of a nineteenth century Russian estate. This is a beautifully written, extremely lyrical work...it will especially appeal to devotees of Romantic piano music. The final few paragraphs are unforgettable and heartbreaking. I consider Home of the Gentry to be the most quintessentially "Turgenevian" of all the author's works. I have read the novel many times, and I never tire of it. If you are new to nineteenth century Russian literature, this is a good work with which to start. The novel is not long, and most chapters are quite short. Each one stands like a perfect little jewel, and many passages will remain in your memory for a long time. Like most Russian novels of the period, Home of the Gentry is a novel of ideas. Your reading will be enhanced if you have some background in the cultural dynamics of the period and understand the intellectual caste to which the protagonist belongs - he is a "superfluous man," and his conflicted ideological stance relates directly to issues that were intensely debated in the 1840s. Although knowing something about this situation is helpful, I imagine that even those readers who have no prior knowledge of the period will enjoy the work immensely. If nothing else, Turgenev's elegiac portrayal of the Russian countryside is unrivaled....even Tolstoy cannot match Turgenev's affecting depictions of the land itself. Freeborn's translation reads smoothly, and there is a helpful introductory essay in this edition.

Unlike his famous contemporaries Turgenev's writing is not heroic and it's not full of pathos.Home Of The Gentry is a sensitive 'quiet' novel, the characters are portreyed delicately with an impossible combination of cynicism and true love for humen nature. The touching love story is a reward for those who like smart observations and have a real passion for the truely romantic.

I can't express how exquisitely these 4 volumes are packaged. Take a look at the price!!! There is a large case that contains four slender volumes bound in what appears to be handmade paper. Each volume focuses on one of four palaces. Each one contains watercolours with a description paragraph to the left. The watercolours are breathtakingly reproduced -- bright colors, intricate details. Treat yourself to these four, perhaps the most beautiful book ever produce on the subject of Imperial Russia. Go ahead and splurge!

These four volumes are a wonfderful collectionof watercolours and grisailles from the times of Imperial Russia. They would be suitable for anyone with an interestin art, architecture, Russia and St Petersburg. They show the four palaces (sadly there is no volume for other palaces such as Ropsha, Strelna or Oranienbaum) as they were before they were destroyed by the Germans in WWII. The palaces (both interiors and exteriors) as well as their gardens are brought to life by this wonderful collection. They are shown as they exisited throughout the 19th century and are interesting not only for their artistic and architectual merits but also for their intrinsic historic and cultural value. Very strongle recommended.

Written by the precursors of modern seismic isolation technology, "An Introduction to seismic isolation" is one of the most challenging treatments in structural dynamics so far. Skinner et al first introduce the reader to the concept of seismic isolation as a whole, explaining the philosophy behind this technique, followed by a brief review of the structural dynamics theory needed for the basic understanding of the more specifically mathematical explanations in chapter 4, where the equations of motion for the theoretical models are explicitly derived. Here, the authors make the difference, providing a good treatment in which a high mathematical understanding level is required. Chapter 3 is a complete description of the different seismic isolation systems available, describing their controlling parameters, composition, tested performance and analytical models for design. Chapter 5 is an excellent guide for analysis and design, from a more practical point of view. Chapter 6 is simply a description of some of the more prominent seismic isolation projects worldwide. Until now, the best reference, sophisticated yet understandable bibliography about seismic isolation.

Skinner et al. book on seismic isolation is much more than an introduction, is a must to anyone interested on the subjects of seismic isolation and passive energy dissipation. The book is quite complete, and it is easy to read (if you do not mind NZ English), both for students or experienced professionals or professors. All chapters have basic and advanced material. The book is not married with a single base isolation system, a difference with other books available on this topic. I am looking forward to a second edition of this book that may add some new material on the development of other isolation devices and design methods that have been proposed during the last seven years.

My son and I have enjoyed this book countless time. He's a middle child, two siblings, all very close together in age. There are not many times that he and I have alone together. This book has brought a smile to his face EVERY SINGLE TIME we have read it together, from age three until now, he's almost five. We only read it when it's just the two of us. I can't recommend it highly enough. The story is sweet, the pictures are marvelous, and just wait till your child looks at you with adoring eyes when you read "Just you and me". It's a keeper.

I really love the illustrations in this book. It is a very nice story for a father to read to a child. It addresses fear of rain storms in a very gentle way. It is sure to result in "again again" from your child, as it did mine.

This was the first book by Ihara Saikaku that I have read, but I will be reading m any more in the future.
The book begins with a very detailed introduction by the translator Ivan Morris, author of the world of the shining prince. Dr. Morris gives the reader a quick and easy to read background of the period of time in which Saikaku lived and wrote. He follows this with a brief history of Saikaku himself, sadly very little is known about the writer. next comes a small portion about the style of Saikaku's writing and his impact on Japan's literature.
The writings themselves are broken up into four sections beginning with Five Women who Chose Love. Three of the stories are reported in this book,and mainly deal with illicit affairs. The next is the title work which is basically the story of a nymphomaniac. The next two sections deal with the merchant class, and their ways of life.
A very nice book that gives good detail of the lives of the merchant class of Edo.

I stumbled on to Saikaku's writings while looking for another novel by another author for my book club. After briefly reading some of the summaries and glimpsing thru the stories I knew I would be intrigued.

Let me describe who I, as the reader, am. I am a 30 year old, black female born in Los Angeles, CA. Some people would ask why or how I could have ever found Saikaku's writings to begin with, but I am a person who appreciates the universals that exist between human beings. And as I get older, I still believe in fairytales and I am fascinated by fairytales with adult themes.

The Life of An Amorous Woman and other writings, provides us a snapshot of human nature, and what's even better, it provides some of the timeliest as well as most humorous observations of human nature we as readers are going to find. And unlike Shakespeare, there are no hidden euphemisms here: Many of the encounters, be they erotic, sexual,heterosexual, homosexual, or auto-sexual are direct and free of any "family values" or "hide this one from the church" type of encryption.

The characters' identities are not as deeply sculptured to the demands or standards of the modern novel--like Holden Caufield is in Catcher in the Rye, but they aren't caricatures of the modern novel either. Saikaku's characters, from story to story might seem familiar, but their paths are different, and I felt like Alice in Wonderland on a lazy day on a dreamy riverbank, listening to friend or a fascinating stranger tell me fables about many people's lives. Maybe they existed but even if they did not some sense of them exists inside of me. And I learned, and I compared our situations.

The Cons?: Saikaku's writing does rely heavily on a symetry of style carried from one story to the next, and sometimes you might wonder how one segment of the story relates to the next. Sometimes, it might not.

Be that as it may Saikaku still fills his short stories and his longer work, The Life of An Amorous Woman, with some great details, and definitely unexpected twists of plot (because it's human nature--not the nature of the Formula movie--sorry I'm preaching I know) which I expect from a non-American work. It is actually quite alright to stray to an isolated moment and take it in for what it is.

By the way, you won't find the stereotypically submissive Japanese women that stupid men at stupid bars talk about. But they aren't the iconoclastic type of Japanese female Ling portrays on Ally McBeal either. These are simply women who are existing, surviving, falling in and out of love, or just falling. The men treat women with respect and the fact that a man created this story really does impress me about his insightfulness and love for human beings. One is especially fortunate to have this particular edition, translated by Ivan Morris. There is a line by line glossary of notes at the end of the book, explaining many of the details that we may not understand from styles of dress (Fashion Do's and Dont's) to currency exchange to Saikaku's symbolism and development of imagery. Some of the more fascinating details I discovered was that women who conquered men in Houses of Pleasures could become as famous as men who conquered territories on the battlefield. But you can take the extra explanations or leave them because the writing and the translation stands on it's own without much clarification.

I highly recommend it for those who yearn to be transported to a time period that really did exist before authors knew the significance of "Hollywood Rights".

I just came from seeing this adaptation performed in a spectacular production at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery. The great Irish playwright Brian Friel has infused the text with wonderful, ironic humor. The language plays elegantly, but with a nice contemporary bite. If you love Chekhov, you'll love this version.

During 1 month in 1840s Russia, Natalya, a well-to-do 29-year-old married woman, has an infatuation for Belyayev, her son's tutor. However, he only sees Natalya as an "older woman" and his employer. Vera, Natalya's 17-year-old ward, also is interested in Belyayev, but he doesn't want to get involved with her either. Rakitin, Natalya's male friend and confidante, wants more than just friendship from her and is jealous of Belyayev. Bolshintov, a 40-year-old neighbor, makes an offer of marriage to Vera, an idea that she finds ridiculous. Obviously, with this set-up, many needs and desires are unmet and frustrations abound. This is a great play about human relationships, with the action being more psychological than physical. As a masterpiece with a timeless theme, I highly recommend it.