As a person who has taught literally thousands of students the joys of music, I'm always searching for a better music dictionary to recommend to my students and colleagues. I know I'd want a dictionary with enough diagrams to show the various music symbols and what they mean. I would want a book which also includes some biographical data as well. But here is where this book totally and I mean completely misses the mark. The vast part of the text is nothing more than a short to medium biography of just about every musician/composer you might (or might not) wish to learn about. The book should have been entitled, "Oxford BIOGRAPHICAL Dictionary of Music". As for notation? Forget it. Symbols? (such as what do note "accents" look like? Forget that, too. What about the parts of a harpsichord (for example). Well, no diagrams at all and a mere overview too complicated for the layman. In fact, there are NO diagrams in the entire work.
I certainly would get more out of a 'pocket' music dictionary than I would out of this. Better yet, try "The Harvard Dictionary of Music" which is considerably better. As much as I love the United Kingdom (I studied there)--I'd much rather defer to Harvard on this one!

I have had this book (The Dictionary) on my shelf for a number of years now (as a softcover). And before the current edition (1994), I owned the older edition.

My interest is mainly 20th century serious music, and jazz. Unlike the "Oxford Companion to Music", the Dictionary covers 20th century relatively well. Many obscure composers are listed who are not listed in other books, for example Lebrecht's "Complete Companion to 20th Century Music". As such the Dictionary indispensable for me. The information is more factual (and less opinionated) than Lebrecht's. I particularly like the alphabetic arrangement which allows me to quickly look up someone whose music I have discovered by change, or whose name was mentioned in an article or whatever. The listing of works by each composer is reasonably complete, particularly for well-know composers.

Of course the Dictionary covers more than composers or even 20th century composers. It covers artists (performers and conductors), major works, musical terms and forms, organisations, instruments, venues, etc. And entries are cross-referenced, as one would expect. The Dictionary contains very few illustrations.

There are 12,500 entries in the second edition, so one would not expect a huge depth. You will often need to know more. However, the Dictionary is a comprehensive, detailed, reliable reference work on music, and as such a good starting point for most topics.

For people buying their first music dictionary or trying to decide between the two leaders (Harvard and Oxford), this is the one to get. While both contain a wealth of information, you will find the Oxford to be superior to Harvard. Not only are there more entries, but Oxford also contains more up-to-date information. You don't buy a book like this every day, so spend a couple extra bucks and pick Oxford.

The Oxford Music Dictionary is in some ways useful, but as the title depicts, one would assume that a "dictionary" would contain pronunciations, but this book does not. Its good to know what sfortzando and fortissimo means, but can you say them? Given that every book has some downfall or another, I felt this should be titled "The Oxford Collection of Musical Terms," with the exclusion of "dictionary."

A comprehensive, well-organized volume that covers composers, compositions, periods and styles, terminology (though I must agree with another reviewer--this really needs a pronunciation guide for some of the more difficult names and terms), instruments, vocalists, cultural context, and more. Major composers get more attention, with longer bios and more detailed entries, though the entries for some of the more notable people (such as George Gershwin) come up a little short in detailing their impact and significance. I purchased this book about a year ago, when I found myself becoming more interested in classical music, and it has proven to be extremely handy in identifying major pieces, performers, and composers. A must-have for music majors and libraries (both college and public) and for individual reference, and as an added bonus, is a godsend for those of us who do crossword puzzles.

As the maintainer of the Classical MIDI Archives, I use this reference every single day. Its contents has been most judiciously selected to permit searches on composers, musical forms, terms, instruments, orchestras and performers. Each composer's entry offers a work-list which provides an excellent perspective. An invaluable tool indeed.

The Encyclopedia of the JFK Assassination is one of the best resources I've found for access to many obscure and rarely mentioned minor characters in this historical mystery. This book avoids any breathless disclosures in favor of excellent detail on many of the blind alleys and unknown people who are a part of the historical record, but are rarely mentioned. Open at any page, and you will be intrigued by at least one entry, and will find yourself following the cross references to other entries throughout the book. I find that I often bookmark pages to come back to later, even after having read virtually everything credible done on the subject. Highly recommended for your bookshelf.

This book is an excellent teaching guide for new GPS/GIS users. It gives excellent step by step instructions in useing the Trimble receivers. The only downfall is that it needs updating for current Pathfinder software.

I would say that this book gives great honor to the men of the SAS and tells their story well. If I has to choose though, I would choose Immediate Action, Bravo Two Zero, (Andy MCNabb SAS), or Inside Delta Force, (Eric Haney). Far better reads with much greater detail in to methods, ops, and lifestyle of these special operators.

Some sections - notably those dealing with SAS selection and the siege of the Iranian Embassy - are interesting, while other sections - e.g., those on Belfast and Hong Kong - are basically filler material. All in all, an unremarkable book; one that is most noteworthy, perhaps, because it blazed a trail soon to be trod by others with SAS tales to tell.

This book gives a strikingly similar portrayal that Rogue Warrior gives. Almost identical, yet with different battles and conflicts. He Who Dares does give an expert look into the SAS, but lacks in well described military experience. Whille this book chronicles the life of a decorated SAS soldier, it does not give interesting combat details. Overall a good and short look into the SAS, but perhaps Chris Ryan and Andy McNab's account contains more detail on actual fighting experience. Nice short read though.

I'm a user of 3D Studio R4, and so I thought that I could easily transfer the lofting skills into 3ds max without too much of a problem. This book, however, doesn't use many of the techniques used in the Inside 3DStudioR4 book by New Riders. It's definitely not for beginning users looking to learn the fundamentals of using 3DSmax. I was disappointed at its learning curve, but I assume if you're comfortable with 3DSmax1, then this book might be for you. If somebody knows a book for 3DSmax2 that is in the same vein as Inside 3DStudio R4, then please email me ;)

Many books on the market will give you step by step instructions how how to create a scene, or create certain effects. Although this is sometimes handy, it doesn't easially allow the user to incorperate the skills they learned into their own work.

Inside 3D Studio Max shows you the concepts behind how the program works, and allows you to apply these concepts, and skills to your own work, rather than a preformatted tutorial. It is this fact, however, that makes the book not extremely useful for modelers who are new to the program. This book often speaks of the manual which ships with 3DS Max, and the writer made it clear that this was not yet ANOTHER MANUAL. Inside 3D Studio Max explores how to expand your ability.

If you have no prior modeling practice, read the manual which ships with Max, then buy this book. If you do that, you will appreciate what is taught in this massive book.

This is an overall GREAT book, and it has really helped me to become a much better 3D artist.

There's a thing common to all classic books: even if you've read one from cover to cover you discover something new every time you open it. Things that you glossed over earlier suddenly start to make sense. This book is no exception. Since 'Inside 3D Studio Rel. 3' the authors have provided an unique insight into the world's most popular 3D programs. This book raises the standard even further, providing enough grip for the novice and a treasure trove of knowledge of the professional. The best thing about this book is the explanation of the PRINCIPLES behind 3D Studio MAX. Instead of the 'do this-screen shot-do that' methodology, the authors have concentrated in the core ideas behind every tool and procedure. If you want MAX to be an extension to your right brain, get this book. Read it all the time. Do the tutorials. Keep referring to it for ideas. You'll discover what you were missing with other books -- the real goods on making MAX dance to your tune.

Beran's premise is an an intriguing one - that RFK was really a conservative liberal; but, in the end, his position is unconvincing. His entire argument is hung on Kennedy's attempt to reform welfare and empower neglected communities to overcome hardship. Although Beran sees him as a conservative trying to break free of the liberal shakles that bind him, I see it as the true effort of a man to seek a lasting solution. Perhaps it is a conservative notion, but the true story is not that he was a liberal or conservative but a free thinker. Furthermore, Mr. Beran's interjection that "faith-based initiatives" are clearly the true path to urban renewal is inappropriate and a view that is not shared by this reader nor the framers of our constitution.

The author further belittles Kennedy's opposition to the Vietnam war as shameless pandering for votes which is a view that I strongly disagree with. I believe that RFK "opposed the war" simply because he "opposed the war" and to suggest that he truly believed otherwise is baseless conjecture. It's as if the author is trying to recreate Kennedy into the man he wishes he could have been.

Although the author's assesments of the 20th century liberal, politically active, aristocracy are astute; and, his obvious respect for the character of Mr. Kennedy is appreciated, his attempt to jam a proverbial square box into a round hole simply does not work. Beran demonstrates clearly that he is well read but does not present an argument that is in the end logical.

This is a book best suited for academic types. It is more about the author's description of the "end of the American aristocracy" than it is about Bobby Kennedy. The writing feels overblown, using five dollar words when fifty cent words would have sufficed. And as other reveiwers here have noted, the use of the word "Stimsonian" over and over, without adequetely describing what a "Stimsonian" is(or was, or might be)got pretty annoying by the end of the book. Still, if ones interest in the Kennedy's is deep enough, the book does provide yet another take on the mystique surrounding one of America's most loved-and despised-families.

The premise alone of The Last Patrician is enough to make it a must read for any serious student of, to borrow from Arthur Schlesinger, Robert Kennedy and his times. Beran, a Groton and Ivy League educated lawyer, hypothesizes that Bobby Kennedy, in his efforts to find his own identity, was in the process of shedding his favorable opinions of the welfare state when he was killed. It's a pretty controversial claim. I mean, who would think that Bobby Kennedy might have had more in common with Bill Clinton or even Ronald Reagan than he would with Franklin Roosevelt, or his own bother Edward.
He describes the political and social world in which the Kennedys were brought up, which was at the peak of what could be called "the new American aristocracy." This new patrician class stressed athletic prowess, as well as intellectual pursuits. RFK became the epitome of this class, and through it saw how the welfare state was affecting American society. When he came to the realization, according to Beran, he broke with traditional liberal thought, and was heading toward what might best be described as a compassionate conservatism, when he was killed in Los Angeles.
Beran makes his arguments convincingly, using analogies from all varieties of literature. His bibliography alone is something to marvel at, ranging from the typical RFK biographies to the diaries of Edward Gibbon and the poetry of T.S. Eliot. In the end, despite making a strong case, Beran does little convincing. The main thing that a reader can glean from this truly impressive work, as well as any others on Robert Kennedy, is a heartfelt sense of loss upon thinking of what might have been.

I read this badly reasoned book when it was released back in the seventies. That a man enjoined, as one of the authors was, from digging in Bob Dylan's garbage be considered a serious researcher, much less a target of guffaws, is beyond the limits of my ratiocination. The thesis here is simple: America is evil, led by such right-wing extremists as lead the Brookings Institution (a big surprise to not only them, but also conservatives), and Mr. Kennedy was removed to remove from a path the sane know he himself supported. Buy this for a chuckle. For the assassination, read Posner's book.

This wonderful book grows from the photos of Dealy Plaza tramps on captured Nov. 22, '63. Author Weberman had a website under the name of the book and it was so 'dangerous' that the FBI arrested him for possession of marijuana with intent to sell and his marvelous website melted away--that's how 'deadly' this book is! Some of the very shooters are pictured and documented and yet NO record of their arrest or interrogation in Dallas PD custody is left--Duh! Nixon may be implied merely as a dupe by deep-CIA machinations, but the Nixon/Watergate tapes do reveal the burglaries were really about the assassin's blow-back control, not political bungling. This is the best book yet I've read about the assassination, and if anyone cares about truth and history, and our present situation, this book is a must read!

Webberman and Canfield present a chilling theory behind who assasinated President Kennedy. This book answers the questions relating to who benefited most from the assasination and who had the power to cover it up. After reading this book, even hardline Castro/Mafia theorists will ponder over their conclusions

I've read a few dozen books on the assassination of JFK, and this isn't one of the better ones. Kurtz claims to be objective, but his treatment of the Warren Commission's conclusion smacks of excessive nitpicking. Just about any theory, no matter how sound, can be poked and prodded to death, and Kurtz uses this method to justify the conspiracy he sees behind the Kennedy murder. To be sure, the Warren Commission wasn't perfect either, but they did the best job they could under the constraints imposed on them. Kurtz simply takes certain facets from the Warren Commission and HSCA reports and criticizes them for what he perceives as sloppy work and the like. It's as if the only thing that would satisfy Kurtz is if some future JFK investigation looked into everything that occurred in Dealey Plaza, right down to the wind direction, sunspots, alignment of the planets, amount of ozone layer remaining, etc. In short, when your mind is set to find a conspiracy, nothing will convince you otherwise.

I feel that if Kurtz did see Oswald and Banister together that it would mean some relationship existed contrary to the Warren Commisions' findings.
Kurtz also claims that Oswald was with David Ferrie at the LSU campus and that Ferrie spoke out about Kennedy. I think that both of these examples are of importance and that I find it curious that Kurtz was never called before the Warren Commision. His book is one of the best on the assassination itself and is a great tool for studying the assassination.

Drawing upon numerous books, scholarly articles, newspapers, magazine articles, and the few publically released primary documents, Dr. Kurtz does an excellent job analyzing the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He has his own theory as to who killed President Kennedy, but he points out that there is NOT ENOUGH evidence to say EXACTLY who masterminded and carried out the assassination. He tells the readers that there was DEFINITELY a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy. This book is a good starting point for people who want to learn about the Kennedy assassination. Kurtz's endnotes and bibliography will point serious Kennedy assassination students to other sources on this subject.

Totally disappointing - it is nothing but a cartoon book. Avoid!!!

Some readers may not see the importance of a book that tells a story in "comic" or sequential art form, but this tale is a great way to introduce youngsters to the history of the Irish. For a teen, this "comic book" might spark the curiosity to want to learn more. Both the story and artwork are excellent.