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Book reviews for "James,_Peter" sorted by average review score:

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry
Published in Hardcover by Wiley-Interscience (14 March, 1986)
Authors: Peter R. Griffiths and James A. De Haseth
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FTIR Bible
This is a great reference for anyone designing or using FTIR instruments. This book is really intended for the advanced users and is worth the price. The only major drawback is that it is getting a little dated.

The book is really geared to the chemist, however, additional material on alignment techniques and a more complete and jointed discussion on design trade-offs and instrument characterization would make it much more useful to other users.

Bottom line: It is still a great reference

The Classic Reference on FTIR
This book is the Bible of FTIR, written by the twin gods of FTIR, Griffiths and DeHaseth. It contains as complete an introduction to the theory and practice of this field as is available. Anyone who wants a detailed understanding of this field, and in particular how FTIRs work, should own this book. However...there are 2 reasons why I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.

1. The book is written at a rather advanced level, and is full of mathematics. For doctorate level scientists and engineers this is fine, but it blows away anyone without the appropriate math and science background. As a result, beginners to the field are often times frustrated with this book. The book is more approriate for instrument designers and lab managers than it is for the average technician running spectra.

2. The book was written in 1986, and parts of it are terribly outdated. Not surprisingly, discussions of specific computers, software, and instruments were outdated years ago. Things that the book predicts will happen, have long ago come to pass. Certain important new developments, such as IR Microscopy, FT-Raman, and new applications of Step Scanning, are totally missing. Come on guys...its time for a new edition.


A Rendezvous Reader: Tall, Tangled, and True Tales of the Mountain Men 1805-1850
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Utah Pr (Txt) (1997)
Authors: James H. Maguire, Peter Wild, and Donald A. Barclay
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Very good collection of tales
A good book to keep by the bed to help you fall asleep with images of a time that is gone forever.

Not to be confused with a history book written by any one person, A Rendezvous reader is a collection of selections from journal entries, newspaper articles and books, most only a page or two long, that show the culture and folklore of the mountain men and the beautifully wild world in which they lived. It describes everything from trapping techniques, encounters with grizzlies, descriptions of giant heards of buffalo, bloody fights with blackfeet, common and uncommon sources of food, surgery on the trail, beggers, weapons, river crossings, whisky, everything you might ever want to know about rendevous, why many were motivated to let out for the mountains in the first place and so much more.

The selections in this book offer the sights and sounds, smells and tastes of yonder mountains which makes worthwhile reading.

This is one entertaining read!
;) For any history and folklore affectionado, like myself, this book is made to order! The writing style is smooth and draws you right into the stories!


Autobiographical Study
Published in Paperback by W.W. Norton & Company (1989)
Authors: Sigmund Freud, James Strachey, and Peter Gay
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A fascinating look at Freud's early career.
Almost one hundred years ago to the month (November 1899), Freud published his landmark book, "The Interpretation of Dreams," in German. The world hasn't been the same since then. No matter what you think of him (many who dislike Freud base their views on what others have said about him or done with his theories), he changed the concept of what it means to be a human being. This long essay (it runs 95 pages with index) came out in 1925, when he was at the height of his fame. It recounts the development of his career and his theories of sexual development. As such it provides an overview of the subjects for which he became famous. It isn't a personal book, concentrating on professional rather than personal associations. I would call it an intellectual memoir--but whatever you call it, it is well worth reading.


Book of Ghost Stories
Published in Hardcover by Stein & Day Pub (1983)
Authors: M. R. James and Peter Haining
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Definitely for M. R, James Fans
This book is more a companion book to the ghost stories. Some of writing you can also get in A PLEASING TERROR, the Ash Tree Press hefty book collecting M. R. James fiction and non-fection writings on the supernatural, but that doesn't have the illustrations you'll find here. There are reproductions of woodcuts and engravings of older supernatural works, illustrations of M.R. James and his works (including some of the illustrations for THE FIVE JARS), and photographs.

Personally, I enjoyed the way Dr. James verbally ripped apart the claim that a certain painting of the Annunciation was the work of a secret Satanist (yes, a picture of the painting is included). There's even a tribute by Christopher Lee. I found this book added to my enjoyment of M. R. James' work. I hope it will do the same for you.


Centuries of Darkness: A Challenge to the Chronology of Old World Archaeology
Published in Paperback by Rutgers University Press (1993)
Authors: Robert Morkot, Peter James, I. J. Thorpe, Nikos Kokkinos, and Colin Renfrew
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A challenge to archaeological groupthink
James does an excellent job of confronting the problem of chronology in archaeology and ancient history. Is our understanding of the ancient world hopelessly confused because of a confused chronology? James looks at research on the entire ancient Mediterranean, comparing building and pottery finds, writings, and artwork, and the dating techniques used to place them in context. As others--from Immanuel Velikovsky (Ages in Chaos, 1952) to David Rohl (Pharaohs and Kings, 1997)--have argued, James sees the source of the problem in Egyptology. The dates calculated for the reigns of certain pharaohs and dynasties have been used as the foundation on which to cross-date finds throughout the ancient Near East and the Mediterranean. If this foundation is rotten, it throws the chronology of the rest of the ancient world into chaos.

This is a scholarly book, and its very thoroughness makes it a rather dry and seemingly repetitive read. This is mainly because the same kinds of errors have been made or borrowed in all the studies--Greek, Hittite, Egyptian, Israelite, etc.--that James critiques. Still, it is an excellent reference work for anyone trying to understand where our studies of ancient history went wrong and where they need to be corrected.


The Child Welfare Challenge: Policy, Practice, and Research
Published in Paperback by Aldine de Gruyter (01 October, 2000)
Authors: Peter J. Pecora, James K. Whittaker, Anthony N. Maluccio, Richard P. Barth, and Robert D. Plotnick
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Review
This is a quite comprehensive book. The authors cover a wide variety of insightful information and research in the child welfare field. Very good for anybody who will be working in a public child welfare setting or conducting research in this area. As with most academic reading, it tends to be a little dry. And, because there is so much information, sometimes it doesn't flow very well.


Clandestine Warfare: Weapons and Equipment of the Soe and Oss
Published in Hardcover by Blandford Press (1988)
Authors: James D. Ladd, Keith Melton, Peter Mason, Keith Molton, and H. Keith Melton
Amazon base price: $127.00
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A must have for collectors or historians
This is one of the most interesting books on this subject. The author covers a wide range of subjects, incl. radios, which are normaly not seen in one book. The photos and illustrations are very well chosen, but some more in-depth information could be useful. I heartyly recomend this book for anybody interesed in this period or the services involved. It does not go into "burocratics" but covers the materiel and some operations of the OSS &SOE, making it a "must" for research.


The Complete Armchair Book of Baseball: An All-Star Lineup Celebrates America's National Pastime
Published in Hardcover by Budget Book Service (1999)
Authors: John Thorn, Peter V. Ueberroth, and James Stevenson
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A Wonderful "Enycyclopedia" of Information
This book is excellent for any type of baseball fan. It has wonderful photos with excellent information. It is truly a worth-wild buy for baseball fans, no matter what the age!


Denial
Published in Paperback by Orion Publishing Group (1999)
Author: Peter James
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The Love Of A Son
When Gloria Lamark, an actress long past her prime, can't face the end of her career and commits suicide, Thomas, her mentally unstable son, decides someone has to pay for the loss of his beloved mother. The target of his revenge campaign is high profile psychiatrist Michael Tennent whom the actress had seen for therapy sessions. A cat-and-mouse game commences in which the psychopath sets the rules and to which only he has all the clues.

Very early in the novel the author shows the amount of violence (think Thomas Harris) that the actress' son is capable of. This resulted in me being very anxious whenever one of the "good guys" seemed to fall into one of the traps set by the highly intelligent Thomas Lamark. Later in the book, when some of the many plotlines come together, the pressure on the criminal increases and culminates in a gripping showdown.

The only problem I had with the book is that some things seemed too coincidental. For example there is a secondary character who just happens to drop a name out of the blue when the plot threatens to go nowhere. Apart from that "Denial" is a very suspenseful thriller that reads quickly and is almost impossible to put down.


Dolphin's First Day: The Story of a Bottlenose Dolphin (Smithsonian Oceanic Collection)
Published in Hardcover by Soundprints Corp Audio (1997)
Authors: Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Steven James Petruccio, and Peter Thomas
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Nicely written, Kid-friendly Dolphin story
This is a story about a newborn Bottleneck dolphin's first day in the ocean. It is nicely written and illustrated but the kid friendly story line takes away slightly from the factual information. Even so, both my children (2 year-old and 4 year-old) and I really enjoy this book and others in this "Smithsonian Ocean Series" especially Manatee Winter.


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