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Book reviews for "Hornby,_C._H._St._John" sorted by average review score:

College Algebra through Modeling and Visualization, Updated Printing
Published in Hardcover by Addison-Wesley Publishing (08 December, 1999)
Authors: Gary K. Rockswold, John Hornby, Margaret L. Lial, and Hornsby
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Great beginning algebra resource
This book was a great tool for my algebra class. The examples were concise and easy to understand. One of the outstanding features of this book was the well integrated technology lessons. There is a resource appendix dedicated to the functions of the graphing calculator. This made the course more meaningful and applicable. I have tried to take this course unsucessfully before with two different books, but I was able to understand and comprehend the material this time. This book should be used for all college algebra courses and deserves 5 stars!


Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary of Current English
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press (1995)
Authors: A. S. Hornby, A.P. Cowie, Jonathan Crowther, and John R. Crowther
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Still a good choice
I will not repeat what other reviewers have said about this classic learner's dictionary. It has been a valuable reference for ESL students for many decades. I own several learner's dictionaries published recently (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 4th Edition, Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, and Collins Cobuild 3rd edition) and some of them have features this one does not have. But I still use this dictionary a lot and will continue to use it. I hope a new edition of it will come out soon.

Best Choice For Students Of The English Language
I have recently bought the millenium edition (hardbound) of this book. In my scientific studies (I study Scientology which uses a precise study technology that demands a good dictionary to look up misunderstood words) a good dictionary is vital.
This one has been very helpful to me as it gives precise yet comprehensible definitions. This is maybe the most important point of all.
I found it very easy to look up a word i did not understand and gain a conceptual understanding of that word after a short period of time. The definitions just make sense and are not too complicated and confusing.
It also includes example sentences and idioms and information for the further usage of a particular word.
It also has a section with colored pictures (maps, categories such as clothing, food, animals etc.) that provide a picture of the real thing that the word represents - a quite useful tool for foreigners and non native speakers like me.

If you are currently studying english, reading english texts (but have a limited vocabulary) or just don't want to run into too many complexities when using a dictionary and don't want to be too confused but you just want to know the meaning of a word and understand it, then this is the right dictionary for you.

As it is a dictionary for "learners" it does not include things like etymology and syllables (the only negative points), technical definitions (although it includes some where their appearance is reasonable) etc.

But it includes phonetic symbols at the bottom of each page and has, as all dictionaries, a section wich explains each symbol and abbreviation that can appear in an entry.
If there would appear some symbol or abbreviation in the entry that you wouldn't understand, you would find it easy to find its meaning as everything in this dictionary is exactly where you would consider it to be.
So you don't fool around loosing time and getting frustrated. I think the editors of some dictionaries assume that you already know all these symbols but include their definitions anyway in a very complicated way.

Not with this one.
I highly recommend this dictionary. You can buy it without reservations.
But...you should have a second one with etymologies at hand.

My MVB (most valuable book)
No other book on my bookshelf is more worn out. I use it all the time. When I started to study English I used to use an English / Portuguese (my first language) dictionary but I could only actually improve my English when I started using the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

The dictionary has lots of pictures (over 1700) for words that can be explained but for which a picture is much more effective like "hinge". The words have a pronunciation guide with a mark (') showing the main stress. There are many useful appendixes like irregular verbs conjugation, usage of numbers, punctuation, family relationships and a few colorful maps.

Over 220 usage notes clarify the subtle differences among words such as dealer trader and merchant. Although it's mainly a British English dictionary the differences in spelling, use or pronunciation between American English and British English are stressed.

By far the most interesting feature is the extremely reduced defining vocabulary constituted of 3500 words. The great majority of definitions are written using that reduced defining vocabulary. This simplifies the definitions and it's a great starting vocabulary for the beginners. The use of such a small defining vocabulary rules out the use of this dictionary as a thesaurus but the advantages compensate this drawback.

My copy is a paper back that has been reinforced with adhesive tape. This makes the dictionary lighter and handy. I used to put it on my back pack and take it to all my classes when I started college in USA.

The drawbacks are the need of an additional thesaurus and the fact that the entries are not syllabified. Nevertheless I would give it 10 stars if I could.

Leonardo Alves - December 2000


Cold Burial: A True Story of Endurance and Disaster
Published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (2002)
Author: Clive Powell-Williams
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Endurance and failure
In 1926, the Barren Lands of the Canadian Northwest Territories were rightly regarded as an inhospitable region of appalling weather coupled with the threat of starvation, accident, and loneliness, a place where men (meaning Europeans) would be tested to the limit. Jack Hornsby, a troubled veteran of WWI, drifter, and adventurer, had been there, and liked it. He put together an expedition with Harold Adler and Edgar Christian, two young and inexperienced friends, with the intention of wintering north of the Great Slave Lake. They would hunt and trap to support themselves and pay for the expedition, and Hornsby would collect scientific data. Hornsby was knowledgeable about the region, but apparently was unable to organize effectively and failed to make basic preparations despite warnings. After many hardships and colossal mistakes in judgment, all three died. Mounties found their bodies, letters to parents, and the detailed diary kept by Christian, two years later. The author has used the diary and a number of surviving letters to reconstruct the adventurers' trip in great detail. Counterpoint to stories of survival under harsh conditions, but rather depressing. An absorbing read for anyone interested in arctic exploration, and a thought-provoking sidelight on Canadian history

Cold Country Adventure
In recent months there have been several books written about polar exploration, and their success indicates that the reading public seems to have a continuing fascination with these expeditions. This spring, the A and E cable network produced "Shackleton", a cold-country-frontier saga. In this tradition, Clive Powell-Williams has written "Cold Burial."

This book is an engrossing page-turner and a quick read. You will be caught up in the tale of 18 year old Edgar Christian and his mother's double-cousin, Jack Hornby, an experienced Canadian-Northwest Territories outdoorsman. Experienced he may be, but seasoned he is not. Impulsive, improvident, and arrogant to boot, he takes his cousin on what will be their first and final adventure together. Having relied heavily upon luck and upon the help of natives, Jack finds his luck has run out. He does try to spare his young cousin, but events proceed inevitably
to a tragic end. Powell-Williams relies upon the diaries of young Edgar to put together a chilling story of their days in a climate hostile to human life. Female readers may be tempted to ask, "Why would they want to do that?" The only answer is the famous one, "Because it's there!" Apparently that insouciant reply makes sense to males; but to a mother, it rings hollow.

A hapless adventurer
For anybody that has read and enjoyed some of the adventurer books released in the last few years (Into Thin Air, etc.), Cold Burial is a must.

75 years ago, 3 British men set out on a journey up the Thelon River (in Northern Alberta) and into the Canadian Arctic. None of them made it back alive. When their bodies were discovered by the RCMP, the investigators also found a diary. This diary, written by the youngest member of the party (Edgar Christian, age 18) chronicled the shift from courageous optimism in the early days of the voyage, into hopeless abandon as the 3 men starved and froze to death.

Clive Powell-Williams has taken this diary and researched the history behind the 3 adventurers. In Cold Burial, he tells the whole story; from their original meetings at school in Britain, to Edgar's last days, alone in the cabin.

Cold Burial is a tremendously well-written account that will certainy rank with the top adventure/disaster books of all time. An extremely good read. Highly recommended.


High Fidelity: A Novel
Published in Audio Cassette by Putnam Pub Group (Audio) (1998)
Authors: Hornby Nick, Nick Hornby, John McElroy, and David Cale
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Humorous piece of witty storytelling
Two things I must say before I jump into my top five, a) I saw the movie, "High Fidelity" first, b) the real rating is 4.5. Let's continue: Top Five things that I liked about this book: 1. I enjoyed the witty commentary and style of the novel. It felt as if Rob Fleming was telling me the secrets of his life, opinions, etc. It was like a modern, non-three day "Catcher in the Rhye." 2. The fact that every comment and opinion and statement about life, love, relationships, etc. I could relate to. It was like one of those "Did you ever notice?" comedians where after every joke you're in absiolute agreement with the stan-up. 3. The characters. Like most readers I enjoy good charcaters. Not interesting charcaters who do amazing or different things, but charcaters that you can relate to, feel for, and almost tak the place of, so to speak, during parts of the film, novel, series, etc. 4. Everybody's favorite- the obbsessive, intelligent conversations between Rob, Barry, Dick (Sorry, jumping ahead, they're all characters that you'll recognize when you read the book). It was funny to hear how music obbsessed some people could be. It made you feel almost envious of their extensive knowledge about music, film, and novels. 5. The "tie-it-together ending." The ending wasn't spectacular, and it probably should have been seven or eight, but it felt very soothing, and completeing, like the how the song played on the credits of a movie can in some way make the film more enjoyable, because it sets a mood or whatever. I'm not going o ruin anything, but I guarantee a smile of approval and happiness after reading the last chapter or so.

"High Fidelity" was a funny, witty, novel that at some points dragged, but at most points was gratifying. I rarely do this, but I'm going to have to say it: this book I guarentee you will enjoy, even for a brief few chapters, but for most people, the entire novel is enjoyable. Good Luck with it!

Top 5 reasons to read this book:
1. It is very original; 2. Biting wit and numerous laugh out loud moments; 3. Several pop music and movie references; 4. Startlingly accurate depictions of male post-breakup pathos; 5. Numerous London colloquialisms let us know how they live and speak in England.

I absolutely loved this novel. It was witty, exploring with a keen eye relationships and the reasons why men and women get together, and sometimes drift apart. Narrator Rob is a self-indulgent whiner who tries to make himself feel better after getting dumped by making lists to himself of "top 5 breakups", as well as lists of "top 5 breakup songs". He does something many of us 30-something men often think of doing, namely contact old flames out of an odd, morbid curiosity as to their whereabouts and marital status.

While Rob and his incessant ruminations on his past and present love life can sometimes get old, Hornby deftly changes gears whenever a change is needed and involves numerous excellent secondary characters, including record store employees and comrades-in-arms Dick and Barry (played amazingly well by Jack Black in the recent movie) as well as a folkie American female musician living in London. The scenes in Rob's second hand record store are priceless, as well as some memorable episodes in North London's pubs where Rob and the boys hoist a pint or two while they argue meaningless musical debates.

It is difficult to categorize the novel, but I can simply say that as a male of approximately the same age as the protagonist, it appeared Hornby (and Rob) were talking my language (albeit with a British flair), and I therefore breezed through this book quicker than most. You need not be male and over 30 to enjoy it, but reading it will reveal some of our secrets and obsessions. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

One Of The Funniest Books I've Read In A Long Time
Don't drink milk when you are reading this book, because it will shoot out of your nose like a firehose, you'll be laughing so much. Anytime I tried to read this book in public, I got the strangest looks from people for laughing out loud.

Hornby captures the longing, ennui, humor and bitterness of the single male so perfectly, that every guy is bound to see some of himself in the lead character. The use of "Top 5" lists is a brilliant literary device. It advances the plot in almost every instance, while at the same time painting a complete and well-rounded portrait of the protagonist (and his friends). Plus, it's a fun way to start a debate with your own friends. The writing is sharp, the characters real and the plot engaging.

As a footnote, I think the movie did a wonderful job of adapting the book. The book is better, of course, but the film stays remarkably true to the spirit and letter of the original. There are entire passages from the book that are repeated in the script, which is very, very rare among adaptations.


Snow Man: John Hornby in Canada's Barren Lands
Published in Paperback by McGill-Queens University Press (1997)
Authors: Malcolm Waldron and Lawrence Millman
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A Dark Voyage Into The Heart of the Canadian Arctic
This book is interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is a story which has a history of its own, written decades ago and re-published in an updated version exhibiting the artwork of the original hardcover. However, it is the story of the legendary John Hornby which grasps the reader, and catapults him back into a time when true adventurists and explorers still existed. The book does a wonderful job of making the reader feel that he is with Hornby in the Arctic, living in a hole dug into an esker, walking blindly through a blizzard, or starving on a river bank in the middle of Arctic 'summer'. A must read for those who enjoy stories of adventure in desolate places.


Death in the barren ground
Published in Unknown Binding by Oberon Press ()
Author: Edgar Vernon Christian
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Dic Oxford Advanced Learner's of Current English
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1995)
Authors: A. S. Hornby, Jonathan Crowther, and John R. Crowther
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Gypsies
Published in School & Library Binding by Hill & Wang Pub (1967)
Author: John Wilkinson. Hornby
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John Marsden's Will: The Hornby Castle Dispute, 1780-1840
Published in Hardcover by Hambledon Pr (1998)
Author: Emmeline Garnett
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Snowman: A Novel
Published in Hardcover by Doubleday (1976)
Author: Thomas York
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