Buy this book now! Even if you never make any of the recipes, the pictures and layout are worth the price.

If you're a novice baker, this isn't the book for you. Some of the recipes are a bit involved. You must, must make the Kranz Cake, even if it does demand an overnight rest of the dough...

Bear in mind this is a British book, so you'll need a set of scales as well as a Fahrenheit/Celsius conversion to make anything from the book (unless this edition is already converted - I got my copy in the UK).

this is an excellent book for teachers because it provides information on a variety of people from many different backgrounds and talents.

Two great experts on the history of the Sudan coordinated a fine study of the only time a force of regular African troops were deployed to the New World. Taking place during the French intervention in Mexico, this is the story of a battalion of Sudanese infantry who fought against Juarez and his Mexican patriots.

Hill and Hogg start off with a look at the Sudan during the first half of the 19th century. Then part of an Egyptian empire, they explain why these soldiers would be sent to Mexico, and how this impacted on Egypt's foreign relations.

The work covers a wide range of topics, ranging from recruitment, training, deployment, and combat. Also nice is a look at how the surviviors played important roles in the failing Egyptian empire of the 1870s-80s.

American, French, Egyptian, and Sudanese sources are employed. An interesting work that will proabaly never be surpased. Sadly, it was Richard Hill's last book.

During the winter session of the American Library Assocation (ALA) conference, CENSORSHIP was voted one of the outstanding adult reference works of 1997. The award will be officially announced in May. The set's editor, R. Kent Rasmussen, is also the author of MARK TWAIN A TO Z, which won the same ALA award in 1996.

This book goes into orcas, bottlenose dolphins, sperm whales, and humpbacks. It goes into every detail about their lives. Any piece of information you could possibly want to know about these animals is in this book. But it is heavy reading. Definately not an easy read, but very informative.

Nerval's work brings us to a moment when the Western mind was losing faith and seeking a way out. Drifting through the "forest of symbols" in the mid 19th century, Nerval anticipated everything from Symbolism to Surrealism. Baudelaire and his children may have found many dark visions, but Nerval first illuminated the hidden path. "Chimeras" is a work that is both romantic and bitter. Goddesses are profaine and unattainable. The muse bestows a bitter blessing, for one of the great themes of this sonnet sequence is the inability to reconcile the real and the unreal. Many poets have mined this idea since, but this trailblazing work still holds its power. Few poems can match the unforgettable closing sonnet, "Vers Dorees", a fierce message to modern man. "Freethinking" humanity must humble itself, for it cannot control "life that bursts in everything". So charged is this poem, that the final line, "a pure spirit lies beneath the skin of stones", pushes the reader to the limits of reason.

What a relief it was to find this book!

After ordering and returning 'Architectural Design for Tropical Regions' by Cleveland Salmon (avoid Salmon's book, unless you don't already know that "the sun can be very bright when the sky is clear and the sunlight is intense"!), this book came to my rescue.

Packed with detailed information and design strategies, along with good illustrations, this book is well suited to architects or well-educated laymen (it is NOT written at a grade school level). I was at first hesitant to order this book, as little information was provided by Amazon. After reading it cover to cover more than once, I'm happy to recommend CLIMATE RESPONSIVE DESIGN as one of my two best books for hot humid building design.

(The other favorite is COURTYARDS: Aesthetic, Social & Thermal Delight. Not just a "pretty picture book," Courtyards contains lots of highly useful information (charts, graphs, formulas) as well as wonderful color & B&W photos, plus line drawings.)

Climate Responsive Design has provided a wealth of solid, useful, pertinent information while working on projects for the Yucatan, where the climate ranges from hot humid in the summer/rainy months, to warm humid in winter/'dry' months, to WHEW in April & May (hot hot hot & maybe humid or not).

The Routledge reference book "Companion To Contemporary Musical Thought" is a must for anyone who takes music seriously wether they be a performer, composer, musicologist or simply a lover of art and sound. Brought together by an editorial team consisting of John Payntor and other members of York University, the Companion is perhaps the first reference book which aims to present, in a clear and scholarly manner, the developement of contemporary music as well as the many facets of musical science and thought. The fifty-seven articles include a vast number of topics such as music appreciation, including the ability to understand differences in musical style, past and present; the reason behind the exploration of new musical resources; performers attitudes towards interpretation; in depth surveys of the possibilities concerning creative processes in composition;and the investigations and general critical writings of various music scholars. Contributers consist of various internationally respected composers, musicologists, performers, sociologists, educators and music analysts. The "Companion" presents a comprehensive survey of current thinking within the framework of culture, technological, structural and interpretational viewpoints. The topics discussed are of particular importance to the international music community today, offering possibilities for debate, discussion and stimulating study with the aim of promoting a richer understanding of music. Contributers include Jonathan Harvey, Lou Harrison,Ellen T. Harris, Bruce Pennycook, Jean-Claude Risset, Philip Wilby, Klaus Neumann, Peter Holman, John Bryan, Graham Dixon, R. Murray Schafer,James Fulkerson,Alison Wray, David Kershaw, Istvan Anhalt, John Payntor,Joel Chadabe,Richard Orton, Richard More, Curtis Roads and many others. Of course many of the seminal figures of twentieth century music are discussed accordingly throughout(i.e. Xenakis, Stockhausen, Cage, Varese, Webern etc.). The "Companion to Contemporary Musical Thought" comes in two beutifully bound volumes,consists of 1208 pages and includes an introduction by distiguished composer and writer Wilfred Mellers.

This book provides much more detail about how to overcome your depression-reinforcing *behaviors* than David Burns' excellent books do. It's a nice complement to the Feeling Good titles for anybody trying to make cognitive-behavioral therapy work without a therapist. Expertly written by the leading researchers on behavior therapy for depression. Fills in the 'behavior' part of the cognitive-behavior approach!!

Richard du Toit and Peter Apps, photographer and author of Creatures of Habit show intriguing insight in presenting the beguiling beauty and sometimes bizaare behaviour of curious African creatures. This is not just a reference book, it is a wonderful winding adventure through the African bush. It combines the charm of the charismatic mega fauna, (lion leopard elephants etc.)with the wonder of the often ignored, smaller superstars of the savannah scapes. Peter Apps writing is accessible and authoratative and he gives new insights into the private lives of many facinating creatures. The real cudos however, undoubtably go to Richard du Toit who must be one of the finest wildlife photographers working today. His pictures are fresh and inspiring and he manages to capture behavioural moments that regularly escape the eye of even the most experienced photographers. Richard shows an intimate understanding and clear passion for bushveld beasts. Perhaps the greatest thing about his pictures is that he never overlooks the little guys who invariably add originality and interest to every frame. Creatures of Habit is both informative and highly original. Top marks to Richard du Toit and Peter Apps!