Great for advanced students. Easy to understand with thousands of pictures to help guide you through your studies.

I like reading AutoCAD books. I think Shumaker and Madsen are the best authors'. This book guides you through advance designing such as Technical drawings and other information for fast tips.

The one book you'll need to use AutoCAD-14 efficiantly.It makes the task, of learning one of the most difficult programs, manageable. It's the text most used at collage. Get it!!

Terence Fisher,--what more can i say or comment on who to me is my all-time favorite director of film (thus,most notably the horror field) Terence Fisher not only gave birth to the modern horror film (The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), but his work enfluenced generations to come,(people who we know today, martin Scorseasee, Stevein speilberg ext,) with his masterful works of art. With supream reigning masterpeices such as his 3 best(my opinion) Frankenstein must be Destroyed (1969), wich is a technical masterpeice, not have i seen a film that clicks so well, in it's flawless compostion, and pacing, and story narritive, it's whole cynical veiw of the world,. This with out doubt is Fisher's most cynical piece. The Devil Rides out (1968), is another prime example as being fisher at his very best, exploring human realationships, and his facination for the romantism that he has brought to most his best and personal works. And finnaly The Horror of Dracula (1958), often considered Hammer's crown jewl of horror. This perfectly captures the essence of the stoker novel, and his take on victorian society is superaltive, and not to mention the execution in every scene and shot is absolultely flawless (possiably D.P. Jack Asher's best work). So if u have a great admiration for Terence fisher and his films this is the book to get, trust me, even if u know quit a bit, there is with out a doubt that u will indeed learn more about One of the greatest British-film directors who ever made their mark on the silver screen. "Long live the King!"-

Terence Fisher,--what more can i say or comment on who to me ismy all-time favorite director of film (thus,most notably the horrorfield) Terence Fisher not only gave birth to the modern horror film(The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), but his work enfluenced generationsto come,(people who we know today, martin Scorseasee, Steveinspeilberg ext,) with his masterful works of art. With supream reigningmasterpeices such as his 3 best(my opinion) Frankenstein must beDestroyed (1969), wich is a technical masterpeice, not have i seen afilm that clicks so well, in it's flawless compostion, and pacing, andstory narritive, it's whole cynical veiw of the world,. This with outdoubt is Fisher's most cynical piece. The Devil Rides out (1968), isanother prime example as being fisher at his very best, exploringhuman realationships, and his facination for the romantism that he hasbrought to most his best and personal works. And finnaly The Horror ofDracula (1958), often considered Hammer's crown jewl of horror. Thisperfectly captures the essence of the stoker novel, and his take onvictorian society is superaltive, and not to mention the execution inevery scene and shot is absolultely flawless (possiably D.P. JackAsher's best work). So if u have a great admiration for Terencefisher and his films this is the book to get, trust me, even if u knowquit a bit, there is with out a doubt that u will indeed learn moreabout One of the greatest British-film directors who ever made theirmark on the silver screen. "Long live the King!"-

It's sad to think that there's only one book in English that deals with the life and work of Terence Fisher. Working within a limited form and exploitation industry, the best of Fisher's films transend craft. There is poetry in the economic way this director manipulates the conventions we take for granted in Horror Movies. Mr. Dixon's book takes Fisher's sense of craft and style seriously. He shows us that Fisher became one of the major artist working in the British film industry. Other well known directors became famous directing big budget projects. But what would a David Lean do if he had to work with the tight budgets, short shooting schedules, and often on the same sets from film to film the way Terence Fisher had to work? One of the most remarkable things about Fisher is that he took what others would consider limitations and created enduring works of art; visually stunning, compelling and poetic works of art. Dixon's book validates this fact. I learned a great deal from it and enjoyed the insider's view it communicates. Thank-you, Mr. Dixon.

"Children of the West" is a collection of beautifully written and poignant short stories dealing with the same type of people who might have inhabited a Raymond Carver story: recovering alcoholics and druggies, aging hippies, and other people struggling with low-level jobs, relationships, and the challenges of getting older. Obviously confident with his prose, Mulligan doesn't try to impress with overwrought descriptions or metaphors. The language, befitting the characters, is simple and elegant, and the stories are melancholy, subtle, and often funny. In the three cleverly titled "Children of the West" stories, a recovering alcoholic and druggie travels back West to revisit some old friends. The three stories recount simple and moving tales as he comes to grips with both the changes in his friends and, more importantly, himself. As in most of Mulligan's stories, the main character is alienated but good-hearted and well-intentioned. "The Virgin Pearls" -- which is probably the most traditional story in the collection -- is well-written, funny and suspenseful. "Babysitting" is both funny and sad as it describes a hapless guy who takes his girlfriend's eight-year-old daughter to a strip-joint and is surprised by what follows. My favorite story in the collection is "Silver Spring", and I was surprised to see that this is one of the only stories that had not been published previously. Mulligan takes a fairly old topic (i.e., returning to a high school reunion) and makes it surprisingly fresh. The reader knows that the protagonist will eventually meet the woman who inspired his return. But Mulligan accomplishes all of this with great originality and subtlety, and the descriptions of the guy's father and sister (and middle-class roots, as suggested by the story's title) are particularly poignant. Mulligan obviously shares Raymond Carver's knack for simple and subtle language to describe down-on-their-luck people. Combining this with humor, Mulligan has clearly developed an effective voice of his own.

"Children of the West" is a collection of beautifully written and poignant short stories dealing with the same type of people who might have inhabited a Raymond Carver story: recovering alcoholics and druggies, aging hippies, and other people struggling with low-level jobs, relationships, and the challenges of getting older.

Obviously confident with his prose, Mulligan doesn't try to impress with overwrought descriptions or metaphors. The language, befitting the characters, is simple and elegant, and the stories are melancholy, subtle, and often funny.

In the three cleverly titled "Children of the West" stories within the collection, a recovering alcoholic and druggie travels back West to visit some old friends. The three stories recount simple and moving tales as the protagonist comes to grips with both the changes in his friends and, more importantly, himself.

"The Virgin Pearls" -- probably the most traditional story in the collection -- is well-written, clever, and suspenseful. "Babysitting" is both funny and sad as it describes a hapless loser who takes a little girl to a strip-joint.

My favorite story in the collection is "Silver Spring," and I was surprised to see that this is one of the only stories that had not been published previously. Mulligan takes a fairly old subject (returning to a high school reunion) and makes it surprisingly fresh. The reader knows that the protagonist will eventually meet the woman again who inspired his return. But Mulligan accomplishes all of this with originality and subtlety, and the descriptions of the guy's father and sister (and middle-class roots, as suggested by the story's title) are particularly poignant.

Mulligan obviously shares Raymond Carver's knack for simple and subtle language to describe down-on-their-luck people. Combining this with humor, Mulligan has clearly developed an effective voice of his own.

Like a modern-day Steinbeck, Brautigan, or Kerouac, Terence Mulligan writes beautifully about people who never intended to end up on the fringes of society, but somehow just did. His ear for dialogue is flawless, as is his eye for how people try and fail to connect. Here is an author who knows how to create characters who live and breathe--characters who sometimes appall us with their behavior, but who always keep our sympathy and understanding. Stories such as "Babysitting" and "The Virgin Pearls" would, in a better world than ours, be acknowledged as classics. Buy this book, and discover a great talent.

If you are familiar with Terence McKenna's works and agree with his philosophy, then this is a MOST worthwhile purchase. You get to hear the man himself speak, which is worth the price of admission right there! He does not pull punches, but rather presents his views in an unadulterated format that all people enlightened with the psychedelic experience will enjoy.

If you are a stranger to Terence's viewpoint, don't spend all that money on this. Hopefully you will expand your mind to accept this viewpoint, but, in case you may not be ready, 'tis better to buy a paperback first.

This is a MUST BUY for those who really dig the man's philosophy.

Terence McKenna gives us a look through the window into our potential as humans. He helps put the hysteria of our time into perspective and gives a path that could help us to deal with this strange and wonderful world we live in. An articulate explorer whose name belongs up their with Joseph Campbell and Huxley. If you are interested in human potential then this is a "must listen" seminar.

Terence's gift of the gab is in full force in this hypnotic,spellbinding lecture series recorded at California'sEsalen institute in 1990. Mr. Mckenna presents an astounding overview of his theories regarding the evolution of man and his relationship with psychedelics. Even those who have never taken a psychedelic substance, or would never even approve of such a thing will find this work interesting, if not amazing.

I run a kangaroo web site and already knew a lot about kangaroos before I acquired this wonderful book. This contains everything you might ever want or need to know (or not) about kangaroos!

This book is really the best book I've ever found with scientific information about kangaroos.

Most of the books available in the US are either for children, or mainly focussed around photography. This book is extremely valuable as an authoritative factual source on biology and behaviour. If one ever gets annoyed by someone repeating some old chestnut about 'roo biology or behaviour (like competition with sheep, or not being able to move their legs independently) this book is likely to provide a good, convincing answer to them.

This book is one of the few, if not the only, modern looks at macropods and their habitats. It is factual and informative. Not an easy read for the lay-person. It is more of a text book than a coffee table book. Still, if you are interested in macropds, it is a must have.

The title of the book is interesting not only for its reference to Marx's famous statement but because Raymon Aaron was such a giant among intellectuals. This book, written in 1955, is a perfect indictment of the follies and inconsistencys of Marxist thought and intellectual fawning over the Soviet Union. Twenty years later, when I went to college, I had the same ideas but not Mr. Aaron's impressive prose and aplomb in destroying Marxist discourse. I wish I knew of the book back then. An excellen indictment on the longest folly of the 20th century.

Although Aron's treatise was published many decades ago as a brilliant and unsurpassed analysis of French intellectual culture, it has direct relevance for contemporary fads and foibles of Western cultural and intellectual life. Much of what goes on in the academy today becomes lucid when read within Aron's analytical framework. This book should be read by all who care about the education of their children.

Aron's book deserves recognition as one of the classic works of 20th century intellectual history. Written 40 years ago during the battle of ideas between communism and liberal democracy, "The Opium of the Intellectuals" provided profound insight into the mind of the communist intellectual. Aron, a renowned French historian and philosopher, wrote this devastating critique of French radicals (such as John Paul Sartre) during the height of the Cold War. Unlike Albert Camus in his famous book "The Rebel", Aron fires his guns without mercy and exposes these intellectuals' penchant for irrationalism and extremism.

The book's title was derived from Marx's famous quote "Religion is the opium of the people". Marx's belief was that religion diverted people's attention from misery on earth by promising a glorious afterlife. Aron explains communism served this role for radical intellectuals who eloquently rationalized and apologized for communism's barbarism because its promise to deliver utopia on earth. In a nutshell, communism replaced Christianity and other established religions as a new faith, but one grounded in the secular world, not in the heavens. As in all religions, faith is paramount, not reason. Communism's monstrous crimes and wholesale destruction of the individual did not bother these radicals because they believed in the ultimate "means / ends" justification. Since only communism could deliver humanity to the promised-land, it was privileged by its goal, thus any crime could be rationalized as the part of the twisted path to salvation.

This masterpiece illustrates the dangers of radical intellectuals who take a wild leap into political fantasy for the sake of an idea. Fredrich Hayek, the famous Austrian economist, summarized it best 50 years ago when he stated "The distance between a single-minded idealist and a fanatic is just one step".

Terence Faherty is a wordsmith. His attention to detail and the amazingly graphic development of his characters embrace the reader and make you feel part of the action.
This story takes Owen Keane back to his college days when a brutal murder rocked the campus of Boston College. Two and a half decades have passed and now the police have announced that they've solved the case. A DNA test has linked an old friend of Owen's to the crime. The man can't defend himself because he has been murdered leaving his wife and daughter to live with the disgrace.
Owen knows that his old friend was innocent and sets out to uncover the truth. Along the way he finds indications that someone has been tampering with the evidence in order to implicate the old college chum. But who? And why?
Returning to his old school stirs a lot of memories in Owen Keane, some good and some bad. The reader lives the experience right along side of Owen.
In spite of the frequent flashbacks, this story is put together very well. You never get lost in the past and you never get tired of visiting it.
Terence Faherty simplifies a complicated plot and takes the reader for a very entertaining tour.

Terence Faherty, one of America's top writers in the mystery genre, has produced another literary delight in "Orion Rising" in the continuing Owen Keane series. Keane, whose last appearance was in 1997's entertaining mystery, "The Ordained" (also published by St. Martin's Press), weaves this story between 1969 and 1995.

Keane must solve a seemingly iron-clad charge of a brutal rape and beating of a female college student against a now deceased Boston college student whose DNA has now been determined to match the vicious crime. Keane's determined persistence and unrelenting drive for the truth allows him to overcome many obstacles.

This story also features two characters who have been in prominence in most of the Owen Keane stories, namely Attorney Harry Ohlman, his sometime employer, and the love of his life the late Mary Fitzgerald (Ohlman). This novel provides readers more onsight into Keane's earlier relationship with these two friends who would help to shape the life of the failed seminarian, Owen Keane.

The past and the present weave a spell-binding tale in "Orion Rising". Author Faherty is well known for his attention to detail, crafty observances and, of course, a well placed sense of humor in his stories. The Owen Keane novels have been Edgar-nominated and Faherty's Scott Elliott series have won the Shamus Award.

Terence Faherty has the style and talent that is well suited for other literary efforts as well as his delightful mystery series. "Orion Rising" will please all existing (and new) devotees to the Keane and Elliott series. It is always a pleasure to read the stories of Terence Faherty.

In 1969, the police believe that one of three Boston College freshmen (Owen Keene, James Murray, or Harry Ohlman) raped Francine Knaff. Over a quarter of a century later, an unknown assailant murders Murray, leaving an aging newspaper article from the rape case with the corpse. A DNA test proves that hair entangled on Francine's ring match that of Murray.

Owen feels guilty because he knew a lot about the rape crime, but kept his mouth shut. Wondering if it is the thrill or just part of his DNA, Owen always enjoys investigating a mystery even if it places his life in danger. An obsessive Owen decides to prove his friend was innocent of the '69 crime and uncovers the identity of his killer.

Any reader who prefers gore needs to pass on the Owen Keane novels. However, if a fan enjoys a cerebral, character driven tale, they will absolutely devour this series. The latest entry, ORION RISING, is a superb story that interestingly counterpoints the hero's past with his present, which adds much depth to Owen. As always in a Terence Faherty book, the motives and reasons for a crime propel the story line to an intriguing conclusion. This series and Mr. Faherty's Scott Elliott tales are entertainment without a free flowing aorta.

Harriet Klausner

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In this final life's work of Proust on the theme of the passage of Time it's clear that the author is riper, near to death and concerned about the lasting impact of his writing. "Eternal duration is promised no more to men's works than to men." Yet there is so much beauty and substance and lyricism in his 4,300 pages clearly his volumes are, both individually and collectively, a masterwork for the ages. The novel seems more like an autobiography in which the names of persons and places have been changed to protect the innocent (and the gulity). Because of his theme, Marcel constantly returns to the events of his life to gain some semblance of understanding of them. In this volume he is concerned with the effect of the world war upon Paris. The familiar characters of Gilberte and Bloch happily emerge again to center stage and, as always, Charlus and Morel. Because of his failing health and self-exile from society, he must have known that he had little Time to tie up all the loose ends and that another volume would not be in the offing after this one. Indeed, he never lived to see this volume in print. By virtue of his failing health the pressing nature of his last years lend a poignancy to the themes of this volume so that it stands out among the other works when Time was full of budding possibilities and had not ultimately become a dreaded adversary. In this volume Proust picks up the leitmotifs that thread their way through this remarkable tapestry in his walks down various ways and he brings them all to a meaningful end. The story lines are surprisingly simple and easy to follow and there is so much enduring value in his masterfully articulated "impressions." I decided to commit Time a few months ago to read all of Proust's work --it was Time well spent. I can't encourage you enough to make a similar investment. The work is truly a Timeless masterpiece from one of the real geniuses of his day and through it Proust has justly earned his immortality, his worthy prominence among the best literary minds of all Time.

I attach this review of Proust's cycle of novels to the last novel in the cycle because things are calmer here than over at Swann's Way. The crowd here seems to have thinned out a little. Contrary to what some reveiwers claim, plenty happens in the seven novels comprising In Search of Lost Time. Plenty happens, but it happens "over time" - as in real life. In "Marcel's" case, it's a life during which the exalted are brought low and the base are exalted. Proust's novelistic enterprise, which early-on might be dismissed as nothing more than the effete self-absorption of a Parisian dilettante who's "not worth the rope to hang him" (as one character maintains in Vol. III), turns out, by the final volume, to be a good deal grittier than first appeared.

The choice of translation matters. The older, Moncrieff translation comes across as precious and sentimental, while the newer Mayor/Enright/Kilmartin edition seems less so. Compare the title Moncrieff chose, Remembrance of Things Past, (a phrase lifted out of Shakespeare's Sonnet 30) to the literally-translated title used in the newer edition: In Search of Lost Time. Also compare, "I would ask myself what o'clock it could be" (Moncrieff) with "I would ask myself what time it could be" (Enright). Though the differences may be minor, I had a much better experience with the newer translation.

The cycle of seven novels in six volumes takes considerable TIME to read. I spent the slack year between early retirement and late graduate school reading it. Thus, I modestly propose that every American who has not already done so should quit his or her job immediately and carefully read all seven novels before proceeding any further with thier lives. Not that I'm an enthusiast. My proposal follows from an opinion that we Americans need to spend more time thinking and less time doing. That way we'd do less harm. Even so, readers should be prepared for a certain Proustian indifference to minor matters of proportion. They may find a single sentence that occupies an entire page, or a single paragraph that goes on for eight pages. A chapter of 300 or more pages may be follwed by a chapter of 25 pages. "Marcel" may go on for fifteen pages about what he experiences while trying to remember a name that's on "the tip of his tongue." But if you don't enjoy lengthy examinations of inner experiencings, you probably shouldn't be reading Proust. There were also occasional long stretches of such drek that I wanted to gag. "Marcel's" sojourn with soldiers in Doncieres in Vol. III was one such. Readers must be prepared to simply forge ahead when encountering these. It gets better.

Which leads me to Vol. VI, Time Regained, a tour de force, without a doubt. If the "tea and madeleine" segment in Swann's Way forms the left bookend for In Search of Lost Time, Time Regained forms the right one. I wouldn't want to give too much away about Proust's final volume. William Empson claimed to have expected an apocalypse and accordingly lamented (or pretended to lament) the apparent insignificance of what Proust actually provided. I'd hate to give away more than Empson did, but I think that by the final volume "Marcel's" fruitless pursuit of Madame Putbus' maid has been abandoned at last. Even the face of Mme de Guermantes, admired by "Marcel" through seven novels, has begun to resemble "nougat" with traces of verdigris and fragmentary shell-work on which grew "a little growth of an indefinable character, smaller than a mistletoe berry and less transparent than a glass bead." Volume VI shows "Marcel" at his funniest, and most misanthropic, as attached as ever to his own follies, yet as quick as ever to dissect those of his friends - a decidedly tragic vision. It made the long read worthwhile. After I finished Time Regained I went back to Vol. I and began all over again.

Alright, so I'm a cheat. I never thought I'd get beyond admiring the bright spanking six volumes of A la recherche (3700 pages! Phew!) on my bookshelves, but when it was announced that Raul Ruiz had made a film of the last book, I seized my chance. Thanks to this brilliant edition you can, because at the end is an exhaustive guide to Proust, listing every character, historical person, place and theme of the whole work, so that just by referring regularly to this you quickly catch up with what's going on. Of course this isn't the same as living with characters and events through literature, but this volume is so amazing you can't fail to want to begin the whole thing and experience them from the start.

This is, as I expected, one of the most beautiful and exciting books I have ever read, as well as one of the most frustrating and irritating. What is most surprising, for a book claimed as one of the two greatest of the century, is how old-fashioned it is (compared to the still startlingly modern and socially relevant ULYSSES).

It has two types of narrative. One, about a young middle class boy who penetrates society, is a mixture of social comedy and tortured romance familiar to anyone who has read a great Victorian novel - there is the same social analysis of an outmoded caste, wide range of characters, poetic evocation of place.

The language, once you get used to the involved, elaborate sentences, is very accessible in a Jamesian kind of way, intricately psychological and analytical, yet supremely elegant and radiant, with a verve and lightness remarkable for such a heavy book.

The translation is, for once, remarkable - it can never be the original, I guess, but you rarely feel that you are getting only half the work like you usually do.

The second half is less satisfactory. As is appropriate to a book concerned with time, the book's forward progress is constantly impeded, by degressions, flashbacks, fastforwards, explanations. The book, like those of Anthony Powell (if you loved THE DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, you'll adore this) is less straight plotting, than a series of monumental set-pieces.

This novel is 450 pages long, but has only about three events - the narrator going back to the country to stay with friends; the first world war; a huge party. These are mini-novels in themselves and are extraordinary as social observation, character comedy and amusing incident, as well as profoundly moving meditations on the inexorable power of history and old age.

Imagine the narrator has a remote control as he is walking through the film of his life. He freezes the screen every three seconds and discusses in detail the tableaux vivants before him, bending time and experience back and forwards with ease as he does so.

In between these are ruminations on the art of writing. This is a remarkably self-reflexive book, the narrator suddenly starts talking about how he came to write it, what he intended to achieve and what tools he was going to use. The volume becomes less the conclusion of a vast work than the record of its inception; you have to go back then and read it again (believe me, 3700 pages won't seem enough).

This section, a book-length manifesto, is fascinating and thrilling, but also repetitive, difficult, frustrating, and sometimes obscure - it gets in the way of the brilliant descriptive passages - the meeting with Baron de Charlus is possibly the most extraordinary thing I have read, until the remarkable coup of the closing party, where people the narrator hasn't seen for years have grown horribly old and form a grotesque, funereal fancy dress party - you want him to shut up talking about Time and impressionism and get back to the fun.

Two other things: Evelyn Waugh was wrong - Proust is hilarious, both with subtle ironies and more obvious satiric abuse; with risible character traits and wider social events.

Secondly, the narrator is not some unbearable omnisicient know-all as those of Victorian novels - he is deeply unreliable - a prig, hypocrite, voyeur, homophobic, intolerant, puritan, snob, deeply contradictory and cripplingly ill; in earlier volumes he is apparently obsessional, jealous and brutal to the point of insanity. No wonder Nabokov adored him - he is, in his ravishingly aesthetic unreliability, the first Humbert.

Terence Rafferty of Yale University has put together a very extensive and complete video series covering basic and advanced Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) examination sequences, views and clinical applications. A soft cover book accompanies the video series to complement the eight VHS videos and allows for off-line review.

The author provides content and instruction that is comprehensive and accurate. Three tapes cover the basic anatomy and "how to" standard for transesophageal echocardiography examinations. These three tapes provide the beginner with the framework for performing a complete echocardiography examination. For the experienced echocardiographer, these three tapes provide an extensive review that is of refresher course quality.

Two videotapes are devoted to an extensive anatomical and clinical review of the mitral valve. High quality multiple clinical examples of mitral valve pathology are provided. Other videos covering critical care applications and utilization of TEE in hip replacement were of moderate utility. The critical care medicine applications provide nice examples of important critical care pathology; however, more clinical information, background, differential diagnosis, and management strategies for the presented pathology would have made this tape more informative and might have further emphasized the vital role of echocardiography in critical care medicine. The last video in the series provides multiple good examples of challenging video clips with an accompanying multiple choice examination.

Although the content and organization of material within the video is excellent, some of the stills were less than optimal. The audio presentation of the material, although lacking in dramatics, is clear. The quality of the text material is adequate. The pages of the provided text were out of order.

In summary, this video series is an excellent review of an approach to the complete transesophageal echocardiography examination. Institutions with intraoperative TEE services would benefit from the availability of this fine reference. I look forward to a DVD version with expanded references and content.

Corey Sawchuk, MD, FRCPC, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Anesth. Analg. 90, 235 (2000)

Video Seminars on Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) consists of eight video tapes and an accompanying soft-covered manual. Three sections on basic TEE techniques, four on applications of TEE in the intraoperative and critical care setting, and a self-assessment test compose the series. The first three chapters and video tapes describe in detail the step-by-step sequences of horizontal, vertical, and oblique plane imaging. Particular attention is given to economy of motion, eliminating repetitive maneuvers for the novice. Diagramatic representations of each tomographic window in the basic TEE exam are juxtaposed with actual black and white TEE images. These diagrams are extremely helpful for orienting the beginner to the tomographic windows used in the basic exam.

The fourth and fifth chapters and videos describe TEE findings in a series of 22 cardiac surgical patients with mitral valve disorders (specifically flail mitral leaflet and mitral valve prolapse). Mitral valve pathologies are described from both an echocardiographic and surgical perspective using Carpentier nomenclature. Sample cases address both pathophysiologic and surgical approaches to mitral valve abnormalities. Post repair systolic anterior motion is presented and thoroughly discussed. The process of localizing mitral dysfunction and repair is presented in a logical and reproducible manner.

Sections 6 and 7 review the uses of TEE in noncardiac surgery settings. TEE is used to evaluate and diagnose various hemodynamic and embolic insults during hip surgery. This is discussed in the format of both case presentations and didactic form. Critical care applications are presented in Section 7. Topics include regional wall motion abnormalities, atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defect, pericardial tamponade, and intracardiac masses. Representative cases are used to illustrate these TEE diagnoses.

The final section consists of multiple-choice questions that test basic TEE interpretation and image recognition of real-time echocardiographic images. The questions address thoracic aortic pathology, ventricular dysfunction, atrial masses, native and prosthetic mitral valve function, aortic and tricuspid valve pathology, and left ventricular outflow tract pathology.

The major emphasis of these TEE video seminars is simplification of a rather technical methodology of image acquisition and recognition. Particular attention is paid to economy of motion in attaining the echocardiographic windows utilized in the basic TEE exam. The tomographic diagrams in the tapes and book are very useful to the novice attempting to understand the three-dimensional orientation of TEE anatomy. Although mitral valve pathology and its surgical approaches are covered well, the aortic valve is not addressed as extensively. The case studies are a very valuable inclusion in the seminars because they logically review the nomenclature used to describe mitral valve pathology and other uses of TEE. In general, these seminars are an excellent primer for establishing the "groundwork" knowledge for further study of perioperative TEE.

Anand Tewari, MD, Department of Anesthesiology, St. Francis Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Clin. Cardiol. 22, 684 (1999)

Book Review

Video Seminars on Transesophageal Echocardiography is a book (126 pages) and eight 45-minute to 1-hour video tapes written by a cardiac anesthesiologist. It focuses on transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) performed intra-operatively. There are three chapters on TEE techniques (transverse, vertical, and oblique plane imaging), four on applications (mitral valve, mitral valve repair, and orthopedic and critical care settings), and a self-assessment test.

The text and video tapes provide a comprehensive and practical introduction to the field of intra-operative TEE. The intention is to simplify TEE by using techniques to analyze and explain the patient examination process. The focus is primarily on the intra-operative evaluation of the mitral valve. A particularly useful chapter is the evaluation of the various regions of the mitral valve, including the identification of each of the scallops of the two leaflets. The 20 mitral valve repair cases presented are excellent, especially those showing the results of the different types of repair.

The real success of this book lies in the many clear illustrations of mitral valve anatomy and pathology that are shown both in the text and on the videos. Since echocardiography is primarily a visual modality, the video tapes are an excellent enhancement to the text. Despite excellent descriptions in the text, however, I sometimes found myself wanting to see better use of the video medium. Too often the author is shown simply talking, whereas the echocardiograms or animated illustrations to which he is referring could have been shown simultaneously on the video tape. He also could have been an insert while most of the screen showed the echocardiograms. In addition, a more effective video presentation would have included still-frames and better labels with arrows to identify the particular abnormalities being addressed. Nevertheless, this video tape series will enhance the understanding of intra-operative TEE for both cardiologists and anesthesiologists and permit a more effective working relation-ship with the cardiac surgeon.

Joel M. Felner, M.D. Associate Dean for Clinical Education Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Emory University School of Medicine