Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Book reviews for "Jarrell,_John_W." sorted by average review score:

The World Encyclopedia of Tractors
Published in Hardcover by Lorenz Books (2002)
Author: John Carroll
Amazon base price: $24.50
List price: $35.00 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $17.25
Buy one from zShops for: $17.99
Average review score:

Great book on all varieties of tractors
I thought it covered many makes and histories of the different manufactures.


The World's Greatest Tractors
Published in Hardcover by Smithmark Publishing (1998)
Author: John Carroll
Amazon base price: $14.98
Used price: $2.99
Collectible price: $13.22
Buy one from zShops for: $12.95
Average review score:

The Best Tractor Book Ever Written
This book starts at the beginning of the tractor era and keeps on going right to the up to date machinery and technology today. We have a three and a half year old son that new all(and I mean all) of the tractors in this book before he hit age three. We sat with him night after night and day after day with this book. He just kept wanting to know these tractors and what they were all about. We live on a farm and the cover of this book is the same tractor that his Popa drives every day. He has since destroyed the first book from so much reading, so we are ordering a new one from a book store in Rocky Mtn. House where we live. We will try to keep this one in a little better shape so that he can pass it on to his children one day. Thank you so much for making a book with so many pictures and so much information on each tractor, who knows, maybe some day he'll grow up to be a farm machinery repair man or something. Thank you again


Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings
Published in Paperback by MIT Press (15 March, 1964)
Authors: Benjamin Lee Whorf and John B. Carroll
Amazon base price: $24.00
Used price: $3.89
Collectible price: $20.98
Buy one from zShops for: $9.98
Average review score:

This book is worth it.
This was the first time I had read a book about linguistics. For some time I had heard about Benjamin Lee Whorf and his seminal work on American Indian languages. This is his most famous book, a book of some of his papers during the 30's and 40's.

Unfortunately, given my lack of linguistic knowledge I did not understand much of the terminology throughout his more academic papers such as "Some Verbal Categories of Hopi" or "Gestalt Technique of Stem Composition in Shawnee". Nevertheless there is plenty to read which discusses languages without too much academic terminology, although there is always some. His most interesting reads are the more general ones such as "Language, Mind and Reality" or "Language and Logic".

Whorf makes the fascinating assertion, new for his time, that the language we speak, to some degree at least, forces us to orient our view of the world in a certain direction, for example the noun based structure of Indo-European languages forces it into considering the world as made up of interacting fixed parts whereas Hopi doesn't even have a tense system and doesn't consider the past or the future and sees events as either manifest or unmanifest. A completely different way of viewing the world and yet possessing its own internal logic and ability to express whatever is necessary. This is something Whorf stresses throughout and the so-called `primitive' languages of for example, the native Americans, is far from this western perspective. In fact Hopi stands out as being a language ideally suited to the new physics.

Whorf really lives in two worlds regarding his linguistic studies 1. the fascinating metaphysical world of language constructions throughout the world, i.e. the world view generated by these languages and 2. the strict linguistic approach to languages with its own very formal and structured method to analyse languages, see for example the formulaic approach for one-syllable English words in the paper entitled "Linguistics as an Exact Science".

This book is worth it as no doubt the one by Sapir as well.

Lovers of language will love this book!
This book was required reading when I was in college, and it made such an impression on me that 50 years later I sought it out, and re-read it. Anyone interested in communication, and the impact language has on society ( or how society impacts language!) will find the examples of words used (and not used)in various cultures fascinating.

The Structure of the Language We Use
Whorf (1899-1941), trained as a chemical engineer, worked as a fire prevention consultant and did original work in linguistic anthropology. He remains best know for advocating that the structure of language not only reflects but influences our world view and behavior. "We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages. The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds--and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds. We cut nature up, organize it into concepts, and ascribe significances as we do, largely because we are parties to an agreement to organize it this way--an agreement that holds throughout our speech community and is codified in the patterns of our language" (213). This has been called "the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis," (acknowledging Whorf's mentor, linguistic anthropologist Edward Sapir) although it seems sufficiently general for many hypotheses to be derived from it. Alfred Korzybski independently developed similar notions, writing,"...we read unconsciously into the world the structure of the language we use" (Science and Sanity 60). Students of Korzybski's General Semantics have a particular concern for the practical implications and applications of such views. Read This Book!


The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition
Published in Hardcover by W.W. Norton & Company (1999)
Authors: Lewis Carroll, Martin Gardner, and John Tenniel
Amazon base price: $20.97
List price: $29.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $18.00
Collectible price: $26.42
Buy one from zShops for: $19.83
Average review score:

we are all mad here...
When I drecided to buy a copy of Lewis Carroll's Alice books, I did not expect this. When I saw this book on the middle shelf of the local cain-bookstore, I had to buy it. When I started to read it, I found myself bypassing the notes just to read the book. But, then again, shouldn't that be the way it's done? Anyway, when I went to the bookstore again I bought a copy of the complete works of Lewis Carrol so that I could read his poetry. When I read it I was shocked. There is a whole other alice book not included in the annotated alice. 'Alice's Adventures Underground' is nowhere to be found. This was strange considering the detail and colletiveness given by Mr. Gardener. You would think this would be included. But it is forgiveable. This is something noone should be without.

The name of this review is called "Haddocks' Eyes"
I finally, and seemingly permanently, misplaced the 40 year old copy of 'The Annotated Alice' (which I had pilfered from my mother's bookshelf) for the last time. I can't go more than a month or two without it so I rushed to buy a new copy...just weeks before the more beautifully bound 'Definitive Edition' was published. No matter, now I have two (perhaps even three if the original turns up).

My point is that this book contributed more to my understanding of logic and wordplay than several semesters of college philosophy classes. If you've read this far then I am probably preaching to the choir but 'Alice in Wonderland' can hardly be classified as a childrens' book, dispite Disney's attempts to do so. The concepts Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner bring to this tale cover such areas as set theory, meta-language, Aristotelian logic, topography, game theory, several pre-Socratic logic paradoxes, and even quantum physics. Yet John Tenniel's original illustrations remain as an welcome tether to the original publication.

Gardner does a wonderful job of bringing all the various aspects of these two stories together as he illuminates layer upon layer of meaning that might not be evident to an American audience or, for that matter, a 21st century one. My favorite gems are the French and German translations of The Jabberwocky.

This book ranks in my top five favorite books of all time.

scholarly Jabberwocky
The title of this book says it all--more annotations than a Richard Posner book, and as definitive an edition as one can expect. It is a bit peculiar to imagine a simple children's story dissected to pieces, but the researchers and editors behind this volume from Norton (purveyors of some of the best academic editions) bring new light to the hidden humor and brilliance behind Lewis Carroll's works. Featuring original artwork from the first edition, as well as some abandoned passages, you will not find a more complete version of Carroll's Alice tales anywhere else. A must-have for the children's lit bookshelf in your home library.


Behold the Man: 30th Anniversary Edition
Published in Hardcover by Mojo Press (26 June, 1996)
Authors: Michael Moorcock, John Picacio, and Jonathan Carroll
Amazon base price: $12.95
Used price: $59.20
Collectible price: $90.00
Average review score:

Bold allegory of conflict between faith and scientific doubt
The blurb on the back cover of the Carrol & Graf edition is off the mark: BEHOLD THE MAN is hardly "an hilarious fantasy-adventure", nor is it a "highly entertaining satire on modern man's tendancy to over-indulge in self enquiry". Forget all that hyphenated nonsense, because the book is made of much headier stuff. What Michael Moorcock wrote is allegory, and as such he lets loose some potent imagery. The contrast between the Gospels and what the time-traveler discovers may disturb some readers. But BEHOLD THE MAN is a PILGRIM'S PROGRESS for our neurotic age, and the redemption that awaits the self-pitying Karl Glogauer is as moving as any more conventional conversion. The final paragraph beautifully sums up the unsolvable conflict between science and religious faith. Incidentally, the means Glogauer employs to fly back through time is briefly described, but the explanation is surprisingly convincing.

History in the Making
Imagine being a time-traveller who goes back in time to meet Jesus of Nazareth. How would you react? For Karl Glogauer, this is just what happens. But it turns out things aren't what Karl expected. The simple carpenter's son is exactly that - simple. A grinning, salivating imbecile, who can only say his own name with a moronic giggle.

This is one of the funniest books about time travel I have read. It's about disillusionment, finding yourself, trying to work out who you are, and making amends. Karl Glogauer is a man full of social failings. A victim who is mixed up, confused and uncertain. The problem is he hates himself, and can't accept the good things other people see in him.

Before I had heard of this book I had my own theory that Jesus might have been a time traveller from the future, say the 28th century. He would have had all sorts of advanced technology to make it look like he was performing miracles, such as a pair of hover boots to make it look like he was walking on water. Or genetically modifying five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands. His claim to be the son of God would have been the ultimate hoax.

The time traveller in "Behold the Man" is from the 20th century and takes on the role of Jesus rather reluctantly. He utters prophecies that are uncannily accurate (he's read it all in a book), and he "heals" those whose afflictions are purely psychosomatic. All the quotations in the bible are based on Karl's actions. The things Karl does will be interpreted down the centuries, affecting the lives of millions.

This is a wonderfully iconoclastic work, full of mocking wit. I finished reading it the same day I bought it, it's not a very long book. It really makes you think about destiny and what we're all about.

BOLD AND ORIGINAL
Moorcock pulls no punches in this story about time travel back to the time of christ. If you're a very religious christian AND close minded (NOT that I'm saying the terms go together...) you may be offended, but if you're knowledgable about biblical times you may enjoy the story even more. As with some of the best books I've read, this book opened up new worlds of ideas to explore. I enjoyed it and was educated by it at the same time.


Alice in Wonderland
Published in Hardcover by Grosset & Dunlap (1946)
Authors: Lewis Carroll and John Tenniel
Amazon base price: $11.89
List price: $16.99 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $6.50
Collectible price: $10.00
Buy one from zShops for: $11.11
Average review score:

A Wonderful Book
Wonderland is a truly fascinating place to read about.
I love the illustrations in the original versions---and HATE the later illustrations that were done as the book was published over and over. In fact, I once tried to read a copy from the 1980's but I couldn't go on with it because the pictures were bothering me. Luckily, there's really only one freaky illustration in the original version, and that's the picture where Alice's neck is very long. It's a bit disturbing.
But the book is well written and a good adventure story, too.
I love the characters. They're very interesting.

"'Well, then,' the Cat went on, 'you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad.'"
- "The Chesire Cat", Alice In Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

Come to think of it, the Chesire cat illustration is actually quite creepy as well. But it's not a big deal or anything.
The whole book's just weird fun. Where in the world did Mr. Carroll think of all this? The Mad Hatter? The Queen of Hearts? The Duchess and her pig baby?
Alice herself is a considerably strange character.
All in all, aside from a couple of creepy illustrations, the book is wonderful. Everyone should read it once in their lifetime---it's worth it.

Take a walk with the dream child.
If you long to be carried away to a world of nonsense and magic, talking beasts and flowers then Alice is the best tour guide you can employ. This is a book that will find a place close to the heart of a reader of any age that has a place inside reserved for whimsy and childlike wonder. As Alice travels through Wonderland and meets many unexpected characters your imagination will soar. Run a race with a dodo bird. Have tea with the doremouse and his friends the mad hatter and the march hare. Thrill at the "Jabberwocky". Alice proves to be a very level headed young lady indeed as she encounters things that become "curiouser and curiouser!" The story meanders through forests and chessboards that are life size never ceasing to amaze the reader with charm and wit. Lewis Carroll completed a masterpiece of fantasy and social comentary in this classic tale. The book is truly a gift to any one who hopes to hold onto childhoods magic.

Excellent
I, like almost every other kid I know, grew up with the Disney movie. Although a rather accurate depiction of Wonderland, it cannot compare to the book (plus it muddled things together, mixing Alice in Wonderland with things originally in Through the Looking Glass). I never really took much attention to this very strange movie, but one day decided to read the book.

Enter Wonderland.

Absolutely no plot, no direction, no point. Lot's of silly nonsense but in spite of, or maybe because of this, it is very enjoyable. You literally never know what's going to happen next. After reading this book, I realized just how much my own dreams... Unforgettable characters, who can ever forget the cheshire cat or the caterpillar, jokes, interesting supplementary drawings, and puns keep you on your toes.

This is really not for kiddies. Sure they can read it and maybe even enjoy it, but cannot fully appreciate it. A masterpiece, a classic, but more importantly, an enjoyable experience.

Don't forget to read Through the Looking Glass! Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and "Jabberwocky" don't pop up in Alice in Wonderland but Through the Looking Glass. Although "Jabberwocky" didn't appear in the movie, it's still a classic. Finally, an explanation of this ever-puzzling poem! And of course, "I am the Walrus" is one of my favorite all-time songs...

One of those books that you can read over and over again and find something new each time. Definitely an essential. The most fun I have ever had with a book. If you've ever been cursed enough to watch the movie but never read the book, PLEASE READ THIS BOOK! (and for those of you who have read it, READ IT AGAIN! )


Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass
Published in Mass Market Paperback by Signet Classic (12 December, 2000)
Authors: Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel, and Martin Gardner
Amazon base price: $3.95
Used price: $0.99
Collectible price: $2.99
Buy one from zShops for: $1.96
Average review score:

"Alice" is a Difficult Read
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking glass are two interesting stories. When I was a child, I watched the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland and enjoyed it. I've watched it again recently and find it very strange. I came across the book, "Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass" in an old library at my Grandparent's house. This was an old English version, which may have made it more difficult to read and comprehend then if it was in common dialect. The first story, Alice in Wonderland, is the better of the two. It tells of a dreamland that a seven-year old Alice is visiting. This book jumps around a lot, and it is difficult to keep track of who's who by the end. The second story, "Through the Looking Glass", was worse then the first one. It is once again in a dreamland of a world seen backwards from Alice's own world in the reflection of a mirror. When Alice enters this world, there are about two chapters before they enter the difficult analagy of telling the story through a game of chess. This is extremely hard to follow, seeing as you have to visualize the chessboard in your mind. Each seperate story takes place on a different tile while Alice is a pawn waiting to be Queened. In the end of the story, she is Queened and has tea with the other two queens, that is, the white and red queens. The dissapointing conclusion was that Alice was really in her world the whole time and her kittens were the queens in the story. I found both stories a challenging read, and was relieved when the book was finally over!

A classic
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an imaginative masterpiece. It has meaning beyond telling you about wonderland, because it gives you riddles and poems that make you think. This book also contains through the looking glass,the second and last Alice book. This is one of the best and imaginative books in my opinion ever wrote. Bravo!

Pysco but Cool
In this book you find out about a little girl named Alice who falls down big holes, eats strange mushrooms, and shakes a chess piece so hard that it turns into her kitten. Join Alice in her adventures in wonderland and through the looking glass. This book is so totaly unpredictable and exiting that you can't put it down. It also makes you wonder and wish this could happen to you. Take a walk through Alice's imagination and read this book.
(I'm so cool.)


Alice's Abenteuer Im Wunderland German Translation
Published in Paperback by Dover Pubns (1974)
Authors: Carroll L, Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel, and Antonie Zimmermann
Amazon base price: $7.95
Used price: $3.55
Buy one from zShops for: $5.38
Average review score:

Doch...
It would not have been so difficult had it been in an old English typeface. Unfortunately, it was in an old German typeface: something similar to Schwaben Alt perhaps. If you can find a sample typeface on the www, good, otherwise you will have to reverse-engineer it from familiar words and pencil in your notes. It was an unexpected additional challenge, but a welcome one.

Cool classic in German!
I purchased this book for a friend who reads German. It looks great with nice illustrations. I was a little worried about the Dover edition since they are normally thin floppy paperbacks, but this book exceeded my expectations. The font is not bad like someone else mentioned. It looks like old English, but I don't find it hard to distinguish the letters.
I just wish there were more classics in German on Amazon.

Do not try to transliterate with this translation.
Personally I think the typeface, like the illustrations add ambiance to the book.

A paragraph from the back cover:

The Translation of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has always presented a special problem. The humor, popular children's verses, songs and especially the puns were thought at first to make it untranslatable. The problem was solved by Antonie Zimmermann with the-hearty approval of Carroll-by substituting popular German children's verses and puns for the English originals. "How Doth the Little Crocodile?" for instance, is turned into a parody of a German Romantic ballad. All in all, this is still the best of the 15 or more German Translations.

The Dover edition has held up well. Mine was printed in 1974 and has not started to yellow.


Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football (Sport and Society)
Published in Hardcover by Univ of Illinois Pr (Trd) (1999)
Author: John M. Carroll
Amazon base price: $18.87
List price: $26.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $13.00
Collectible price: $15.34
Buy one from zShops for: $18.68
Average review score:

Engaging story of pioneer on, off the field
This is a readable, well-researched book. Carroll tells how Grange rose to become one of America's first true superstars and how he left school early to join the then-disrespected ranks of pro football. While scholarly, a feeling for a truly humble man shines through.

When Humility Still Mattered
This book does a great job of giving interesting detail and thoughtful perspective so you can see how an individual fit into the times and how the events of the single life mirrored the larger developments in society. You learn a lot about football, about men of that era and what character traits they valued, and about the role of the media and it's use of celebrity to create an audience. I enjoyed this so much I bought another Carroll book on a different early football hero - Fritz Pollard - and that is just as informative and insightful.

Red Grange is Number One!
My father always talked about Red Grange. I never really knew who he was. This book brings everything into perspective. Mr. Carroll captures the essence of Red Grange, but more than that, he makes clear why Grange was the most important college player of this century and how he created the momentum which led to the explosion of pro football


Working Alone: Tips & Techniques for Solo Building
Published in Hardcover by Taunton Press (1999)
Author: John Carroll
Amazon base price: $12.57
List price: $17.95 (that's 30% off!)
Used price: $12.48
Buy one from zShops for: $12.43
Average review score:

If your a builder, pass on this. It was no wealth of info.
First off I just want to say I build houses for a living. I bought this book thinking it might give me some ideas on how to make my job more effecient. Waste of money! I have better methods already in use. Im sure it would help a novice, but they would learn more in less time by just working for one week on a modern framing crew. Most of his tips are common sence, and John readilly admits that he plans his work around using helpers. I can build a house by myself too, if you dont count the times I need more than one person, ie. rolling trusses, and thats it!

Very Useful and Informative Book
I've been in the remodeling business since 1975, and have worked most of this time by myself.

I'm just finishing a 10 x 20 room addition for a customer. I purchased this book at the beginning of this project and have found Mr. Carroll's book refreshing and informative. There were many ideas and suggestions that were benificial. I found the rafter layout-jig very useful.

His suggestions about the "math" of the rafter was very useful, and increased my capacity to complete the job in a timely maner which helped my bottom line.

I appreciated his easy reading style and found his book enjoyable.

I wish his information on the cornice system had been a little more detailed, but found his explanations sufficent.

I found his information about clamps and holding jigs to be of special interest and enjoyed all of his book. I even bought his other book, "Measuring, Marking, and Layout", which I also found enlighting, enjoyable, fun, and benificial, to my professional standing as a remodeler.

Thanks for two great books, that help take the mystery out of some of the more complex parts of our profession.

Respectfully

Reeder Lyons IMH Remodeling & Repair

A Thing Well Done
This book is marvelously well illustrated and the text is very lucid and conversational. I think there is not a wasted sentence in the entire book. Clear explanations throughout. Interestingly, the last 8 pages deal with the limitations, when the author recommends NOT working alone, and he explains his reasons completely and convincingly. Throughout the book, he explains not only how but why, in terms of relating his experience.


Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Reviews are from readers at Amazon.com. To add a review, follow the Amazon buy link above.