Coauthors David A. Jasen and Gene Jones should be declared national treasures. Along with their excellent account "That American Rag," published by Schirmer Books, they have given us from the same publishing house.

Reading this fabulous account of so many talented Blacks hitting their heads against the stone wall of prejudice at almost every turn, I was fascinated, sad, and increasingly angry at story after story about composer after composer, lyricist after lyricist, who had so much to offer and and were for the most part obliged to perpetuate the stereotypical image imposed upon them and their people. Now and then, a bright light breaks through as with the story of James Resse Europe's Clef Club, a union of black musicians that managed (with the help of Irene and Vernon Castle) to make their orchestras and bands those of choice by white high society. You will be equally riveted to the other accounts of men like James A. Bland, Bert Williams, W.C. Handy, Noble Sissle, Eubie Blake, and others some more familiar and less familiar to most readers.

Many of the defeats described are not necessarily the result of racism. When one of the personalities involved was at fault through his own temper or poor judgment, the authors do not shirk in pointing out where the blame lies. They also do something I found lacking in their other book: when they say how good or innovative a song was, they give reasons in musical terms for that judgment.

On the other hand, whereas their other book has amazingly concise and full appendices of works, dates, publishers, and so on, this book has none. I would greatly have appreciated a list of the all the shows mentioned in the text in chronological order. Perhaps a later edition will include this.

The complete source for information in this area. Proves to be an indispensable research guide. The impressive data, design, and layout are all first-rate. Photos and pix are priceless. A presentation of great beauty and charm. Highly recommended.

I do not believe you can find a more complete book on the subject of American ragtime than by David A. Jasen and Gene Jones (Schirmer Books, 2000). It tells in some 307 pages of text and another 100 or so of lists and charts "the Story of Ragtime from Coast to Coast" in great detail, far too great for quick reading. Indeed, I am going to use this tome as a reference book in the future as a source of information for my articles and talks, with due acknowledgment of course.

Starting with the seeding and growth of rag in the fertile soil of Missouri, this book traces the development of the form through the sections of our country, ending up with New York City. The material is further organized by composer and publishing house, so it is easy to locate any particular composer by using the table of contents rather than the index. But again, I suggest you assimilate all this in small doses.

While I am giving this wonderful history a top rating, I must voice a personal observation concerning what I think is a curious omission. There is much mention about this and that rag being a masterpiece or at least immensely popular or pioneering; but I fail to locate a single explanation of WHY the music was so important or different. Perhaps the authors preferred to avoid musicology, but I still consider this a real lack in an otherwise excellent work.

This story of ragtime explores the evolution of the ragtime style of music, from its Scott Joplin roots to the launching of a ragtime era in the country. Unlike competing titles, That American Rag provides a geographic focus on the topic which reveals the evolution of ragtime in different parts of the country, making for an involving focus on regional influences on the overall style.

Please excuse my spelling, it's terrible This book is terrific. I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. It is a fine collection of stories ranging from the great soilbank days when Kansas alone had 4 million birds to the Royal hunts in Europe where an average daily bag mesaures in the thousands, It has stories more like mine where the average hunt ends with tired dogs and few birds. The book through it's many differant authors also explores the ethics associated with hunting. This book is for the bird hunter who's cleaning his gun for the third time this week when hunting season isn;t for 6 months. It's for the guy who can't stop dreaming of how his new pup will do his first time out. It's for the guy who spends more time with his dogs than with his wife. All hunters will enjoy this book, but the true bird hunter won;t be able to put it down.

Biographical essays of well-known as well as fairly obscure musicians and industry types. Escott has made a career out of telling outrageous, sometimes salacious, tales -- he gets to the rawer, visceral side of the story pretty quickly, which is relatively easy when you're talking to folks who worked in the scraggly, scruffy early years of country, rock and blues. He's an engaging, consersational writer, and this latest collection is a delight. Includes essays on artists such as Dale Hawkins, Don Everly, Johnny Horton, Tim Hardin and a particularly cruel skewering of Pat Boone. In one of the most fascinating sections, Escott profiles the founders of record labels such as Decca, King, Starday and Hi -- a fascinating and very illuminating appoach to presenting the history of popular music. Beautifully laid out, well written and highly recommended.

This groundbreaking work offers the reader insight to the world of Stax in the sixties and seventies. It allows the reader to understand the forces behind the ascension and eventual decline of one of the greatest recording labels in the history of modern music. In the course of absorbing this wonderful book, the humble reader is able to gain an understanding of the societal, cultural, and racial catalysts for the music produced. In the latter part of the book, the reader sees the painful decline of Stax from their pinnacle to their nadir in the course of only a few short years.

Extremely highly recommended -- the best musical history book I have read.

Also recommended: The Complete Stax/Volt Singles, Volumes I, II, and III (box sets with excellent liner notes by Rob Bowman)

Also -- It Came from Memphis' for a good background on the lesser known, but nonetheless important musicians who originated in Memphis.

This Book was all that.Staxx is as Important as Motown.It's a Incredible Story.especially when A Black Label Blows up Down South in the 60's.you only ever here about Sun Records &Sam Phillips and his discovery of Elvis Presley.so this is Very Important on a Social Front.The Many Great Artists on Staxx.this Book is strong from start to Finish.

The study of genes, and in particular the human DNA, is progressing at phenomenal speed. "The Language of Genes" gives the reader an excellent understanding of the importance of this scientific branch. The book avoids the scientific particularities and concentrates on implications and conclusions drawn from its insights. Steve Jones gives us a good understanding of how present days genes make for documentation of evolutionary history - and how evolution triggers genetic responses that can be seen in the genetic mix of the world we live in.

Jones touches some of the moral questions connected with genetic science. I personally appreciate the anecdotal style with lots of stories about mistakes from earlier days. But Jones also points to dubious conceptions in today's society as well as future dilemmas we will face when our ability to screen and manipulate individual DNA is improved even more.

"The Language of Genes" is enlightening layman reading for many years still. Since the matter at hand is subject to intense research and progress it is however inevitable that sooner or later the need for an update becomes apparent. The book is now ten years old, and since it was written we have seen the human genome being mapped in total and there are claims being made for the first cloned human babies. My advice is: Get a grip on what genes are, what they tell us and how genetic science will influence our future. "The Language of Genes" by Steve Jones is a good place to start.

Book based on a series of BBC programmes.
The main themes are evolution through mutation and natural selection, and heredity.
The treatment is popular.
The text could have been better edited because certain topics are repeatedly discussed, although always with other examples.
This book is only recommendable as a first introduction.
Congratulations to the BBC.

Having but a limited background in Anthropology, there is much in this book that I appreciated. I found it to be a great way to start understanding a subject more shrouded in rumor than actual, factual, representation. And that is too bad. How typical it is though, for so few to understand the ramifications, and importance of this subject. And I laugh every time I see a horror movie that is based on a monster who was genetically engineered. It's important when someone from within the community of science comes out to report on what has been discovered, what direction(s) we're going in, and what it all really means to our place in this world, and our comprehension of that place. Steve Jones does a wonderful job, and it is important to note that he does stray from the subject of genetics, into the other strange facets that such entails. Like Anthropology, Statistics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and of course Biology. Not to mention a few laughs at the expense of those lunatic Creationists. But the book does not lack humility at the same time. There are just as many pokes at the scientific community as well. This book will make you feel smarter, and make you wonder about things like, why are there males? and, Are we just carriers for our DNA, who have their own agenda? It's a very compelling read. Therefore I must recomend it.

As a med student, i found this book extremely useful in that it achieved the impossible: make molecular genetics easy to understand (no only memorize info). The explanations about the processes within such a small nucleus... $60 weel spent!

I second Minerva Rheault's motion: Romanizing Korean is not a good idea. However, my objection is somewhat different--any serious student of the Korean language will eventually look up items which are not in this dictionary. The sooner that student learns the Korean alphabet, the better.

Would you serve a drink to an alcoholic?
If not, then don't serve Romanization to a student of the Korean language.

English-Korean is all right, but the Korean-English section is terribly confusing. Since the dictionary uses hangul, why are the Korean words alphabetized according to the romanizations? For a beginning Korean student, learning the hangul alphabetical order is challenge enough. Add a seemingly erratic romanization (there is no one standard system of writing Korean words in Roman letters), and you have a very confused student! For this much money, find a dictionary that is strictly hangul without confusing romanizations.

I received this book the other day and in my opinion it was everything I hoped it would be. It suprised me because unlike other books it supplied with approximately 20,000 common words both in Korean and English reference. Those of you who are learning Korean or English would find this a great help.

Everything about this book "says" magizine format, yet, DC rips the reader of with a hardbound. I keep it, and would buy it regardless, because I collect the hardbound graphic novels.

The story is for the 12-14 year old male who loves "rock" music and in some way wants to feel validated about his musical taste. It is mostly a generation gap story where both Batman and Robin understand eachother a little bit more at the end of the book.

The art work is average and the story better suited for a price of two bucks. If it sold at the magazine news stand price, it would be worth. But a hardbound book is like going to the movies after a matinee. You pay full price because it is worth it. This book is more liek the ABC movie of the week. Little investment for a little enjoyment.

If you are buying this book as a gift, get it for a boy 12-14, in to rock music and Batman. He will give it a big "thumbs up." But to everyone else, who is a Batman fan, get something else.

This graphic novel is a great example of what comics can be. Anyone with an interest in Batman or rock music will enjoy this book. The story concerns a young musician who some believe is destined to save the soul of rock. Others, including the Batman, dismiss him as a greedy servant of evil. Robin, however, is a fan. Debate rages in the Batcave as elsewhere, until the young star, driven by visions of the God of Rock (a blond-haired version of Elvis, dripping with verisimilitude) disappears and begins to lose his mind. The story shows some interesting aspects of the batman/robin relationship and manages to tell a compelling superhero story set against the backdrop of the turbulent music industry.