In Empire and Revolution, eminent Mexican historian John Mason Hart unravels a process in which a vanguard U.S. financial elite in pursuit of empire initially penetrated Mexico by financially supporting Porfirio Diaz's successful revolt against the democratically elected government of Sebastian Lerdo de Tejada. Once in power, Diaz offered a friendly and stable regime predisposed to unfettered foreign, particularly U. S., investments which developed Mexico's infrastructure that inevitably led to its monopolistic control. This, in turn, allowed a select group of capitalists to acquire land and resources, in vast quantities unknown until now (nearly 70% of the border and the littoral), only to lose most of their acquisitions as a result of the Mexican Revolution. Hart continues on into the post-revolutionary period by detailing the process in which U. S. capital re-penetrated Mexico once the embers of revolutionary nationalism and social activism cooled and transformed into more pragmatic economic development, and traces it to the present interdependent relationship under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In essence this study offers the reader insight of how Mexico became the first third-world nation that the United States encountered and how it served as a model for guiding U. S. latter-day third-world hegemonic impulses.

While sweeping in scope, Hart's book provides more than just an abstract look at U. S. capital. This work is about individuals-replete with detailed portrayals of the key financial elite, both bankers and industrialists, and civil-war era generals who first pried open the door for U. S. capital investment in Mexico as well as the U. S. "colonists" that followed in their wake. Hart also sheds light into U. S. political and military might that helped buttress these financial elite's imperial pretensions-one key military intervention in Veracruz help tip the scales to Carranza during the Mexican Revolution. Although irascibly nationalistic, Carranza was more acceptable to the U. S. financial and political powers than were Villa or Zapata. Besides covering the political and military aspects of this imperial juggernaut, Hart provides insight into the implications of U. S. economic hegemony in Mexico and the resulting social and cultural interactions. Hart's description of cultural clashes and misunderstandings that occurred throughout this longue durée and the slow transformation into social, cultural, political and economic accommodations lends weight to the concept of an interrelated, albeit diffuse, cultural space that author Joel Garreau and others have christened MexAmerica.

Based on copious primary sources (some recently declassified) from widely dispersed archives and twelve years of research, Empire and Revolution is a seminal work from which future historians of Mexico and U. S. relations will need to begin their inquiry. This is a book that also should be read by all State Department types and businessmen dealing with Mexico and NAFTA-related issues. However, this book is not only for the specialists but also for all others interested in our neighbor to the South who desire to understand how interrelated our histories have been and will continue to be. This is an indispensable book.

This is a seminal work and the best book on Mexican history that I have ever read. Sweeping in scope, John Mason Hart provides an intimate portrayal of American bankers, industrialists, and settlers in the shaping of America's rising influence in Mexico from the Civil War to the present interdependent relationship under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In addition to covering the vast economic, political, and military forces that shaped Mexico and the United States, Hart integrates the cultural and demographic shifts that have reshaped life on both sides of a quickly disappearing border. This is a must read not only for scholars, but anyone interested in American and Mexican history, as well as a major interpretive work on how the United States became a global empire. Mexico serves as the definitve laboratory for American foreign policy and the impusles that forged America's relationship to the "third world." This is an essential book for understanding not only the past, but also the future of North America.

John Mason Hart's Empire and Revolution directs our attention to the role of Americans in Mexico in an entirely new way by emphasizing the diverse ways in which Americans have affected that country and the third world. He demonstrates the importance of financiers in opening our relations with Mexico and the ensuing development of industry, timber, mining, oil, agricultural, ranching and settlement. In the modern era he goes beneath the surface to explain the nature of the drug trade, tourism, and the border economy. He also posits Mexico as a model for understanding relations between the United States and the third world by demonstrating that Mexico was our first and most profound relationship with that part of humanity. Moreover, the narrative style, at times, flows like Walt Whitman's as the reader is given images of American expansion, not just in its westward movement, but south into Mexico. This is the best book on the role of the United States in the third world that I have read.

I used the book for a junior level course in Engineering Electromagnetics at UCLA in early 1971. The course was taught very well in terms of concepts by a Plasma Physicist who held a professorship in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA.

It is my belief this is an excellent book for teaching motivated students and for learning the subject in depth at the outset. Though it is not in my view a good reference book as a few others at roughly the same level or higher for the purpose of browsing to pick up key ideas and concepts with engineering applications (e.g., Krause's excellent book on Electromagnetics), yet it is very well organized in that all concepts presented are built up one upon another in a closely connected, coherent and systematic fashion analytically with vector methods, and difficult physical ideas are often pictorially illustrated with diagrams in color. This is true in both the older edition and the 5th edition (1989), being that there are not really a lot of significant differences between the editions.

The book starts with vector calculus and basic underlying ideas in electrostatics (Coulomb's Law), and goes onto Gauss's Law, energy and potential, electric currents and conduction, electric fields, capacitance, dielectric materials and other related topics (e.g., refraction). It then progresses into steady magnetic field, inductance and eventually toward Maxwell's equations and engineering applications. There is no lack of mathematical methods which are treated as needed and sufficient in depth all throughout the book, e.g., divergence theorem, Laplace's and Poisson's equations and related boundary value problems. The book ends with uniform plane waves (as an approximate model of the propagating EM wave), and discusses transmission line models which then lead to applications. The only regrettable aspect is the brief treatment of antennas as the subject is barely touched upon as part of EM radiation, and the only tangible real-world example I could recall was a dipole antenna.

As a summary, this is a well written book, albeit a somewhat introductory text designed for Electrical Engineering juniors and seniors by a seasoned Purdue professor. It will help tremendously if the instructor is good at explaining concepts and illustrating them (as was mine in 1971). I must say I love the subject because I had such good instruction and learning experiences based on this book which I had to refer to many times over the years.

Aimed at Engineering students from beginning to intermediate i.e years 1 to 2 and perhaps 3. The style is detailed, unpretentious and original, with relevant problems and answers provided. Would have preferred the drawings to remain B&W though.

This is one of my favorite Electromagnetics books and I don't understand why somebody has not reviewed this book yet for Amazon. It is a well written informative book on one of the more difficult subjects in Electrical Engineering. Excellent book Professor Hayt!

If you're researching your Irish roots, this two-volume set is an invaluable resource. I found ancestors that I have been searching several years for neatly described and catalogued. There is a wealth of information here that I haven't been able to find anywhere else!

This reprint of the 1892 edition makes available rare source material on Irish geneaology. Much of the material on which it was based has since been destroyed. John O'Hart traces the genealogy of all the major famiies of Ireland from ancient to late Victorian times. Some families are even traced back to Adam! His material provides valuable clues for reseachers and those fortunate enough to be able to link with families included may add centuries to their pedigress! Not limited to the aristocracy, many quite ordinary people are identified and linked to the ancient families. There are numerous references to American branches of the Irish families. An essential reference work and interesting reading besides.

reti explains the evolution of concepts in paying chess( from 19th century to early 21st century).a player of cnsiderable repute,he is as excellent in explaining chess concepts.some of these are:combinations,open positions,positional play,close positions etc.,

This small book is essential reading for any chess player. Reti's understanding of the game and his ability to explain the concepts of it are unsurpassed. There's nothing else I can say. Get it.

Finally. A well thought out and well executed book about a major movement in American art that is often dismissed as being one dimensional. Dennis' introspective look into the most revered "Regionalist" artists not only offers engaging scholarship, but a very good education in American social history as well. A must read for anyone who thinks they know what "Regionalism" is.

This book makes you rethink any ideas you might have about Regionalism. Whether you agree with James Dennis or not is up to you, but he certainly does bring up some very interesting ideas. The basic ideas of the Regionalism school are initially laid out for the reader, and from this beginning it is already possible to see the weak foundation of the very definition of "Regionalism," as it was defined NOT by the artists, but by their critics and the public. The sterotyping generalities inherent in this 'school' set the stage for Dennis' questioning of the similarities of the work of Thomas Hart Benton, Grant Wood, and John Steurat Curry, the triumvirate of Regionalism. The author proceeds to explicate the inherent differences between the 3 artists' work, as well as the eventually obvious flawed general definition of "Regionalism." Dennis breaks down his discussions into realism vs. abstraction, realistic subject matter vs. fantasies, the ideas of nationalism and fascism in the artists' work, their varying depictions of women, and finally compares the three Regionalists to three contemporary modernists, Charles Demuth, Charles Sheeler, and Marsden Hartley. Dennis concludes with the assertion that the so-called "Regionalists" are in many ways more "modern" than their modernists contemporaries. The book has plenty of pictures, sadly only in black and white, and thus the book is a surprisingly quick read. Each chapter is thorough however, and must be studied to be fully understood. The reader should have some art historical background, and some knowledge of the history of the first half of the 20th century. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Regionalism, and the history of American art. Makes you think.

I truly wish that Sharon Hart Addy's "Right Here on This Spot" had reached a wider audience, as it deserves greater attention. Addy takes the intriguing question of "What happened right here on this spot--last week, last year, a million years ago?" and turns it into a meditation on change, time, loss, and more. She goes from pre-human history to native Americans hunting to pioneers to Civil War soldiers, all planting them firmly in the exact same spot, living their lives out, leaving their fragments of history for future generations to find.

Addy's tale is more than matched by the breathtaking illustrations of artist John Clapp. Clapp, who teaches illustration at San Jose State University, has done a superlative job of giving larger life to the text without overpowering it. His illustrations are not only incredibly realistic and beautiful, but they transcend their medium by having an almost emotive quality. You almost hold your breath to see the Civil War soldier waving goodbye from a field.

I can't recommend "Right Here on This Spot" highly enough, and hope that reading this review will spur more readers to purchase it. It will become a much-loved favorite in your family, too.

This award winning look at the past, winner of the Archer/Eckbald Children's Picture Book Award, is a touching look at the history of place. It was recently selected for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Literature by the Children's Book Award Committee of the Wisconsin Library Association.

This is an absolutely first-rate collection of 20 separate but inter-related essays in which their authors explain how and why brands are "the new wealth creators." They were edited by Hart and Murphy who co-authored a brief Foreword in which they correctly suggest that brands "are now centre stage: they drive major mergers, and acquisitions; they appear frequently in the balance sheets of their owners; they have vexed legislators involved in updating archaic trademark law; their application now extends to organisations who a few years ago would never have considered themselves as 'brands' (charities, utilities, sport's associations, cities, etc.); and they have changed irrevocably the way in which major companies organise and run their businesses." It remains for each reader to determine which essays are of greatest interest and potential value. My personal favorites are Murphy's "What Is Branding" which provides a basic but precise introductory briefing on the subject. He concludes by noting that branding is a creative process. "It uses research techniques and the skills of a number of specialists. But in the end it is about creating distinctness -- in a consumer-relevant fashion." I also admire Fogg's analysis of "Brands as Intellectual Property." (Those who share have a special interest in this subject are urged to check out Lessig's Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace.) Carratu's essay follows, probing even further into "Commercial Counterfeiting" which is, he concludes, "a profitable and growing activity that poses a serious threat to manufacturers of branded products. It is frequently very well funded and organised and is prevalent throughout the world....[Fortunately], brand owners are becoming more vigilant, but the battle has yet to be won." Tragos has much of value to say about "International Branding" as do Andrew about "Brand Revitalisation and Extension" and Hart about "The Future for Brands." For executive-level managers who are either directly or indirectly involved with marketing (in general) and branding (in particular), this really is a "must read."

I loved this book. It demonstrated for me the real "art" of gardening. William Morris was a clever and far sighted man who advocated staying within the parameters of nature and natural beauty when making gardens. He also perpetuated the "garden room" theme which has been enormously popular since the eighteeth century. I refer to this book continuously and strive to design and construct garden rooms in my own garden which are as beautiful.

These two volume sets are the best updated knowledge on Fishery biology studies.
A simple and coomprehensive language for all researchers.
It's a complete and essential tool for who work with this science.

* Eric Croddy's CHEMICAL & BIOLOGICAL WARFARE is subtitled
"A Comprehensive Survey For The Concerned Citizen", and that
is no idle boast. This book tells the reader just about
everything about chemical and biological warfare that he or
she might want to know, to a level of knowledge appropriate
to the intelligent layperson. It provides chapters on
historical background, chemical and biological weapons
technology, and policy issues.

In fact, if I have any criticism of this book, it may be
that it is a bit too much of a good thing. It might have
been a bit more focused and readable if cut to half its
length, and it also comes across almost as a "handbook"
on the subject in terms of detail, style, and organization.
It certainly not written in a novelistic style, and it
is not exactly a casual read, though by no means
impenetrable either or tiresomely long.

That's just a warning to readers about what they're biting
off on if they pick up this book. Mr. Croddy spells out in
the subtitle that this is a "comprehensive survey" and, yep,
it's written in the form of a survey, and it is as
comprehensive as possible and then some. It meets its goals
very well, and if you're looking for the true straight dope
on this subject and a good reference work, look no farther
because I can't imagine you could find better material
on the subject than this.

I have to admit Mr. Croddy really did his homework. A
particular eye-opener was the picture of the pre-WWII gas
mask designed for children by Disney, in the form of Mickey
Mouse's head. I had to admit it was a clever way to get
small children to put on a gas mask, in fact you might have
trouble persuading them to take it off, but it had a certain
grotesque black humor to it as well.

By the way, I have written up some notes on this book
and others on chemical and biological warfare. You might find
them useful before going onto something more serious like this.
Drop me a line if you're interested.

Chemical And Biological Warfare analyzes the key issues related to chemical and biological warfare, detailing known chemical and biological agents, how they may be used in weaponry, and the possibilities of their use in modern conflicts. Readers seeking a technical survey of proliferation and basic concepts of chemical and biological weaponry receive more in-depth information here than in many titles.

A first class presentation of Chem/Bio warfare basics. Highly recommend it.