Peter Bogdanovich has written a book that is for the movie enthusiast. I suspect the general reader may find some of the interviewees obscure, and the topics technical. I feel that is their loss. For the student of film or film history, this is a treasure trove of information, ideas, experiences, and feelings about films taken from interviews with some of the most distinguished directors in movie history. The author's selection is not encyclopedic, but the directors' experience spans from the earliest years of silent film to the present. These men are not just informative, but their strong and distinctive personalities show in each interview, giving the sense that one has actually met and understood many of them. Some of the interviews are brief, or even very idiosyncratic, but the best are delightfully personal. This is a long book, but affords many pleasant evenings of good conversation. It also makes one want to go back and see the films again!

This is an incredible book that contains Bogdanovich's various interviews with some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers. These are not detailed biographies however, they are an in-depth conversation about the filmmaker's films and his own feelings about them. While some go into the individual's past it is just so you can get an idea of the personality of the filmmaker. This is a must-have book. A good way to look at it is to read it through once and become familiar with all of the directors, some of whom may be new to you. Then as you view their films go back and read what they have to say. Though sometimes their comments are very brief, it's one of the few sources you'll find where the film-maker makes direct reference back to a film. And I don't know what it is about Bogdanovich but he always brings out gems of truth from those he interviews.

You can spend years going to film school, or you can read this book! Bogdanovich does a great job with this collection of interviews of great film directors. Not only does the book give you a good inside view of the craft of cinema, but it also acts as a history book of the film industry.

This book would be good for the serious indie director who has bet his/her credit cards on their dream or even the special person in your life who stays up until 4am watching the Turner Classic Movie channel.

There is something here for everyone as there is a wide range of directors who work in a wide range of styles. There isn't a genre that isn't touched in this book - from Hitchcock on Horror to Chuck Jones on cartoons. What's great is that Bogdanovich captures insight into directors that are no longer with us (like Fritz Lang who directed Metropolis). Since the directors tell their own stories, you don't get the Hollywood hype filter.

If you had to buy one book on film this year, this would be it!

The Big Liddell is a very valuable resource, as a number of other reviewers here have observed. It truly is the premier work of its kind. But it has a few drawbacks.

1 - The sheer weight and bulk of this tome makes it a dedicated desk reference. In fact, you might consider building a special shelf or desk just to hold the book.

2 - The offset printing flaws mentioned by other reviewers is a significant problem. Portions of some entries are not even legible.

The Big Liddell is the kind of book that would be much more valuable in digital format than in print. There's been talk about an electronic version for some time, and it looks like we might finally get one soon ...

The "big" Liddell & Scott is the one to buy when you're about to do your doctorate. Until then you would be better off with the Intermediate, and not just because it's only about a third the price and much easier to carry about. The Intermediate has a much clearer typeface and many students find its material more easily accessible.
The ninth edition of the "big" Liddell & Scott has been offset so many times that the print is faint and verging on the illegible. My copy actually has pieces of print missing. The Clarendon Press ought really to have the whole thing revised and reset. But what a daunting task! (It will probably end up being republished on disk.)

This review is for the Abridged Liddell-Scott Lexicon...

I own the Intermediate sized Liddell as well, and I must say I actually prefer the smaller one. When I took a class where we read "The Apology of Socrates" by Plato, my professor recommended avoiding the Intermediate edition. At first I thought perhaps he was wrong, and I used it to translate some passages. After spending a lot of time sorting through it, I found that I agreed with him. The Intermediate Liddell does have locations of word use in original sources, and has slightly more vocabulary, but for the beginning and intermediate Greek reader, the Abridged Liddell is preferable. Navigating through the abridged edition is far easier and it often assumes a lesser knowledge of Greek, thus it includes some conjugated forms, which then point you to the correct verb. So as you can see, the abridged edition should suit the needs of most classical Greek students. Also, the editors took care to make sure that virtually every New Testament word is included.

Are there drawbacks to the Liddell-Scott? The Victorian English often gets frustrating. We rarely use words like hither and thither anymore. Also, when more morally explicit Greek words are defined, their definition is in Latin. Also, the original printing abnormalities, such as certain parts of letters being cut off from words, remain.

Learning Greek is a rewarding, but daunting task. The task is often made more difficult by grammars and lexicons that assume the reader knows more than he or she does. The abridged Liddell is perfect for the average student. When you want to dive in deeper, learn word origins, search sources, or just want to say you own the most complete Lexicon out there, you should buy the full size Liddell-Scott. Until then, the abridged edition works!

...What is so great about the book isn't just the character development, but that each chapter is seen through different characters' eyes, many children (who learn fast). Not only is this interesting from a psychological perspective, but it also throws the black-and-white/good-and-bad thing out the window. Everyone has their own motive. It's very insightful into human nature.
As a guy very skeptical of fantasy books..., I think this is really good. I can't put it down; I've already plowed halfway through the second book, a Clash of Kings.

"A Game of Thrones" is a rich saga with splendid characters and an intricate plot. This book is EXCELLENT. A must read for anyone who likes character-driven stories and rich world with well developed political and historical structures. Very highly recommended!

Remember how you thought the first three volumes of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series were so extraordinary? Well, Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga is at least one order of magnitude greater.

I read a lot of epic fantasy....and this series is head and shoulders above anything else in the genre.

Following the schism of 1900, when the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (one of the 19th century's most advanced organizations of practicing magicians) broke apart into separate groups, the young Aleister Crowley, a high grade initiate of the Order, became disallusioned. Feeling that the Order had abrogated its spiritual mandate in favor of internal social friction, Crowley left Europe in a search for the roots of that mandate. Returning to England in 1909, Crowley reformulated the spiritual system of the original Golden Dawn, amplifying it with eastern yoga techniques he had studied with Saivites in India and Buddhists in Sri Lanka. The result is one of the West's most uncompromising, comprehensive and sophisticated courses of spiritual cultivation. This book is a detailed presentation of that course of training, whose name Crowley concealed by the initials A.'.A.'.. Following Crowley's death in 1947, the original A.'.A.'. organization has gradually evolved and expanded to encompass a number of independently operating lineages, who look to the original system's structure to guide their modern operations. This A.'.A.'. system is probably one of the most talked about and least understood aspects of the Crowley legacy. This book goes a very long way towards righting that imbalance - by presenting the founder's normative conception of the Order's sequence of work. Each grade from Student through Exempt Adept is discussed in turn, always with an eye towards the actual practice of the requisite tasks. The insight this provides into the architecture and spiritual intent of the system is tremendous. I first aquired the older 2nd edition of this book in 1997, and it changed and deepened my entire understanding of Thelemic Magick. That edition was spiral bound and privately distributed. This welcome new edition has been extensively augmented with additional text, professional binding, and lavish illustrations. In many ways it is finally getting the presentation it deserves. The author, James Eshelman, has been an initiate of A.'.A.'. for over 20 years and is a student of Phyllis Seckler, who at 84 (in 2000) is one of the seniormost living representatives of A.'.A.'., having been initiated in the 1930's. The Jane Wolfe, or Soror Estai lineage of A.'.A.'. which derives through Phyllis and her own teacher Jane Wolfe has been initiating now for something like 30 years, and Eshelman therefore brings his own and his lineage's experience to the text. The book is not written only for Estai initiates, however, though it does provide much facinating information on the history and protocols of the author's own A.'.A.'. line. The book details the normative system as laid out by its' founders which is held in common, at least in spirit if not always in practice, by all A.'.A.'. groups. There is also prevision for solo individual working of the system. My highest recommendation.

I've been a student of Aleister Crowley's writings for over 30 years. This book is the best of its kind! Never, until now, have I read so much solid information on Thelemic magick and mysticism between two covers. Mr. Eshelman has described the A.'.A.'. grades, as his title says, "step by step." He describes a thorough course of spiritual training leading from the earliest beginning stages to the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel -- what other systems might call conscious union with God -- and beyond. It's hard to get complete information on these topics, even if you read every Crowley book there is. But he has it all here. Plenty of solid information, packed from beginning to end. What I liked best: It's a comprehensive discussion of the A.'.A.'. training and testing in magick, yoga, and Kabbalah. Yet at the same time, the book has personality! You get a clear feeling that there are real people doing this miraculous magical and spiritual work today -- not just some obscure dead people -- real 21st Century folks. And you get some flavor of what they might be like. It's clear that this is a living tradition, not a curio of history. I'm glad he didn't sterilize it to death. There is also plenty of new perspective and insight so that even old, familiar information is made new and fascinating. And he avoided the politicization which has so often marred writings on this sort of topic, focussing on the work and its principles rather than on squabbles of personalities. And yes, like other reviewers have said, the book is very nicely made. I'd like to have a few more quality hardcovers like this in my library. Especially when they're as good on the inside as on the outside, like this one.

I got my first copy of this book in 1993 in a home-grown photocopy shop edition. It is a real pleasure to see the book has matured, through three editions, to a beautiful, high quality hard cover edition. About content? If you gather and organize all of the notes and remarks and instructions about the A.'.A.'. from every Aleister Crowley book you've ever seen, you will be close to having the sparse skeleton of this book by James Eshelman -- but very little of its flesh. Life is breathed into it by the many years of the author's personal experience in the A.'.A.'. grades as aspirant, and later as teacher to others. He not only knows the facts, but really understands the system of magick, mysticism, and spiritual progress, and explains it so the reader can understand it too. The book rocks! Eshelman is the clearest and most intelligent writer on Thelema in the last 20 years. His work is solidly grounded in the traditions -- he has always been known for doing his homework -- but he also reaches past the traditional. While others are indulging in reprint after reprint (usually of someone else's work!), he is known for building on the foundations of his predecessors without simply disregarding them or attempting to demolish them. You won't see as much of the innovative in this particular work, since its main purpose seems to be to explain and deliver the A.'.A.'. system, step by step, as established by its founders, Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones. Too much author innovation would have weakened this particular book; but, as an example, he's the first writer I have ever seen remark that all of the various themes and tasks traditional to the 6=5 Grade (Adeptus Major) are summarized in the doctrines of Karma Yoga. By mentioning this, he makes all of those themes come alive. He's the only one to explain clearly what Liber Mysteriorum is, and its relationship to the Dominus Liminis grade tasks. The 6=5 and 7=4 chapters are much expanded and improved compared to the first edition seven years ago; they seem to come much more from personal experience and understanding, whereas they used to sound much more theoretical (as they probably were back then). The book itself is very well made. The binding, in particular, looks as if it will last a lifetime. This new edition has 70-80 photographs and illustrations, is very well organized, and both practical and inspiring. I wish it had an index, but will have to settle for a very complete Table of Contents.

This was a great course book for use with my business class Itook last term. I had current up to date examples and was veryreadable.

This book was an excellent book on the principles of management. The student CD was a great help in reviewing each chapter prior to class. The quizzes also helped in understanding the objectives. Would reccommend this book to anyone taking a business course.

To tell you the truth, I had to read this book for a class I took this year, which focused on literature from New Orleans. I don't mind reading books for classes; however, once I read the first couple of chapters of The Grandissimes, I thought that this would be one of those books that I would fall asleep reading. It seemed confusing and dealt with issues that did not really pertain to me, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and complex the novel became.
Once the plot started to unfold, the novel grabbed my interest and I grew to respect and be amazed by it. I think that Cable did a great job tying major themes into this piece of literature, such as family pride, Creole lifestyle, Iron Virgins and Southern Belles, and the rigorous expectations of society. The Grandissimes takes place right after the Louisiana Purchase (1803), which allowed Cable to encompass ideas that many people are familiar with, such as a fear of change. The characters in the book where well developed and each seemed to carry their own message to the audience. For example, it is easy for everyone to relate to Joseph Frowenfeld, an American who finds himself wrapped up in the Creole society. This character was forced to be an outsider and the novel depicts how he dealt with the divisions of class and status.
The Grandissimes is titled after the Creole family from New Orleans who held most of the power and influence in society at the time. Throughout the book, the family must struggle through twists and turns of deceit and unexpected events, while still holding up their Old South charm. This book does a great job portraying how the family struggled to keep their position and power in society, in order to stay true to their roots.
If you are thinking of reading this book, I would suggest giving it a try. It may seem very complicated and choppy at first, but it will eventually tie together to make a great story. However, the only downfall to this book is that I could not truly like it until it was done and I reflected on it. It is one of those books that ends up surprising you!

Cable's epic masterpiece details the adventures of a young protagonist stranded in New Orleans after his family succumbs to yellow fever. Through an acquaintance with a well-connected Doctor, he is able to enter a society that few people get to experience -- upper class New Orleans.

Mark Twain said that if you read the Grandissimes, you wouldn't have to go to New Orleans, because by reading it, you have already visited. Cable, with extensive detail, humor and intricate commentary on the Old South, has written a novel that stands the test of time, even though some of the characters (Agricola Fullister) do not.

Although the book is at points tenuous, the characters are vibrant and interesting enough to keep the plot moving along.

Of course, the most controversial aspect of The Grandissimes is the ending, which many feel is a let down after pages and pages of emotional build-up. Without giving anything away, the finals pages are somewhat of a disappointment. But the ending in its entirety is a well done.

Overall, the Grandissimes is a fascinating look at class and culture of the Creoles. It is recommended to anybody who enjoys reading New Orleans literature or literature in general.

This farsighted inditement of Southern society is still powerful today.

Much of the story is seen through the eyes of Joseph Frowenfeld, a young Northerner of German background who has just moved to Louisiana with his family. He is soon left bereft by yellow fever, and with nothing to go back to is befriended by several kind souls, chief among them Honore Grandissime, the scion of a filthy rich Creole family.

He is quickly dismayed by the inequities of New Orleans society, a confession that prompts his new friend to pour out his heart to him. Honore, who knows what his family is, longs to reach out to his Mulatto half-brother and share the family business with him. He also wants to do right by the beautiful and virtuous Aurora Nancanou and her daughter Clotilde, who have been left destitute (by genteel standards, anyway) after Honore's father murdered Aurora's husband and swindled her. Honore would like to court Auroura, but honorable man that he is doesn't want to take advantage of her by performing his good deed barely before knocking on the door. In short, he wants an end to the moral decay of the old South.

He is not so deluded, however, as to think he can live happily ever after married to Auroura with his brother at his side. The Grandissime family will not give up it's ill-gotten wealth and prestige without a fight, and with few exceptions save his delightful nephew and protege Raoul - who is still too young to have a voice in family affairs - he is virtually alone.

Inspired by his new friend, Honore finally makes his lonely stand, unsure that his efforts will bear fruit - or even that they won't end with a Grandissime bullet in his back.

Honore must rank as one of the most likable of literary heroes - a good man who you can unreservedly sympathise with and root for. The point is not that he succeeds - we are left very much uncertain on that point - but that he has the strength to be the first to fight for what he knows in his heart is right. It's a struggle that many concientious white people are facing now long after this book was written.

Cover all basic topics.But also miss some advance tip

After reading many reviews in amazon I first bought those sybex books and then que books. One day when walking in a barnes & noble books store, I saw this book and bought it. I still haven't read the whole book but I can tell having read 1/4th of the book that this is a very comprehensive book written very clearly. This book is only for those serious minded person. By "serious minded". I only mean that if you want to know more in-depth knowledge, then this is the one. This book is more rigourous than any other books that I have seen. I really feel bad for Mr. Hallberg and Ms. Ivens because this book is not number one book in the market. In my opinion, this book should be number one for this material. I was surprised why there was only one review for such an excellent book! Well, as always the world is not always fair.

People, please try this book and you will see what I mean.

This book, is like having a physics proffesor tell u what is Quantum Mechanics, "Forgets your a newbie Student". It tries to bring u the basics but relies on prior knowledge of it ?! Allthough it is updated (unlike older QM books) and gives you a good perspective of the theory. The first 3 chapters are clear more or less ( Still with prior knowledge ) but the rest relies on very advanced knowledge. Not a good book to start with. Usefull if you have firm foundation of Quantum M. and want to contemplate the interpetation of it.

This is the best book available, by far, on experimental results of the quantum measurement problem. It is one of the few books that are beyond popular accounts, which generally do not have the depth necessary to understand the measurement problem, and - on the other hand - very technical quantum optics volumes. I give it my highest recommendation for anyone with some science background to become acquainted with the quantum measurement problem in detail. It is a triumph and comprehensive in its coverage and reference to quantum measurement experiments. Every scientist should read this book.

It's the same book as Stick Making, a Complete Course-- except in compact format! So don't make the mistake I did and order both books. ...

Other than that, it's a great little book. So if you don't have the other one, by all means order it; you won't be disappointed!

Based on the authors' "Stick Making: A Complete Course." Andrew Jones and Clive George, devote the first chapter of this book going over finding, cutting, seasoning sticks, what types of wood is used, as well as the tools used. They go through everything not only in text but they provide pictures as well.

After the introduction the authors jump you straight into the techniques used in strengthening your sticks to be used in building your projects. The projects outlined range from thumbsticks, walking sticks, wooden crooks, market sticks and much more.

This book shows you how to make specialty head for your canes as well. Providing detailed instruction on a dog's, duck's or a pheasant's head. They

My favorite aspects of this book are the authors' use of providing a lot of diagrams and pictures to help spotlight the amount of detail they write. Also, each project has detailed descriptions of what material is needed and how to shape everything from the wood for the shaft to using bones and horns for the handle. There's no more guesswork on what tool is used to make or do what!

This book is very thought out and it is geared toward the more experienced woodworker. I enjoyed this book and look forward trying my hand at building one. Over all I recommend the purchase of this book.

I read this book in high school when I chose to write my term paper on Peoples Temple. I found it again while I was moving and read it again with a much more appreciative attitude. I finished reading it today. This is THE book to read if your simply looking to learn all about the Peoples Temple, Jim Jones, and the tragedy at Jonestown. I have read several other books on the subject, but they lacked the amount of insider knowledge and first-hand accounts of the events that took place. This book is entirely based on FACT, without speculation. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I did not particularly like the way the book ends. Over all, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It is the most informative source for Peoples Temple facts that I myself have come across. It is the perfect source for research about the Temple, Jim Jones, Jonestown, or even just cults in general. It gives a great perspective from various Temple defectors who came forward and spoke of what life with the Temple was like. George Klineman deserves a lot of recognition for his work on this book.