I have bought a number of pregnancy books and looked at many more, and this one is definitely the best. I would say that if it is information you are after, don't bother buying any other book - just get this one. Like other reviewers have said, this one actually provides scientific evidence for the claims it makes, and it is well-written and easy to understand too.

Do you want to know about episiotomy (an incision made in the perineum between the vagina and the anus) and if and when it is a good thing? Here's the place to find out. And what about electronic monitoring of the fetus during labour? Sounds like a good thing, right? That's what our intuitions tell us - but what are the empirical facts about its use? This book gives you the evidence. Do you want to know exactly what is happening inside your body during conception, pregnancy, labour, delivery and breast-feeding? This book gives you the physiological details, not just vague, general descriptions.

Doctors, although well-meaning, are not necessarily being rationally guided by the scientific evidence when they perform episiotomies or c-sections and so on. So, in order to have the best chances of having the kind of birth you want, you have to find out the evidence for yourself - and this book helps you to do that. It is, of course, no replacement for a knowledgeable, helpful, sympathetic midwife or doctor (who can answer very specific questions that you have at 3am!) but it is an excellent supplement to their advice.

I bought this book after having read all the other more popular pregnancy books, and I found this one to be my favorite. Unlike the others, it includes lots of scientific data and discussion of various studies that answer all the "why" questions I had about pregnancy. Most books tell women to eat right, exercise, and maintain a low-stress lifestyle, but they offer little in the way of explanation of how such choices affect the baby. This book thoroughly explains it all! I'm so thrilled to have found it, I'll recommend it to any pregnant woman I know who is as frustrated as I was to have felt talked-down-to by other, more vague books.

When after 6 years of trying I was finally pregnant, I remember the joy of the moment, but also the intense fear of now having to face labor and delivery. This book, like no other, "coached" me during the entire pregnancy, and helped me face labor and delivery without fear. I came to understand fully why my body was doing what it was doing, and I was able to work WITH my body instead of against it. As a result, I was able to have my son without any drugs -- natural childbirth at its best. For any skeptics out there, I always did keep my options open to make use of drugs, should I not be able to cope. No woman's childbirth experience is the same as another's, but understanding what was going on physically helped me deal with it psychologically. For the past 9 years, I have given this book to all my expecting friends. And, I just bought it again for my expecting sister-in-law!

Deborah Samuel has used her camera to capture the beauty and unique attitudes of various purebred dogs. Her black and white photography is sweetly insightful. These dogs aren't dressed up funny--these dogs are just themselves. Her photographs capture the soulful, humorous, sweet personalities of our four legged friends. Right from the first time I laid eyes on this book I was bedazzled with it.

See the grace of a Greyhound, the playful mentality of a Jack Russell, the sleek elegance of a Doberman, and more, as well as Deborah Samuel's own studio notes. I can't wait to get her next book, "Pup." Don't miss this one--if you love dogs, you'll be enchanted with this.

what a pleasant gift i recieved when i recieved dog .dog is such a thoughtful examination of man's "best friend".dog is filled with intimate and lushous photos.i loved the studio notes,i felt i really spent time with the dogs.ms. samuel is clearly barking up the right tree.very talented and creative.loved it.spread the word.

I have followed Deborah Samuel's career for some years, being a photographer myself. I am very familiar with her fashion, editorial and fine art work. She has a style very distinct unto herself.

"Dog" is a leap forward, into a whole new realm of photography, not only for Samuel, but any photographer! Not dogs dressed up in costumes. No. Dogs being themselves, as if they were alone and no one was watching.

It is amazing how she has managed to capture the personality of each breed!

If you , or anyone you know loves dogs, this book is a must!

This is the perfect accompaniment to Claire Tomalin's equally terrific new biography, Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self.

My wife & I listened to this during 2 hour commutes between city & country & became completely addicted. We were no longer driving the Taconic Parkway but totally immersed in the politics & bawdiness & squalor of daily life in 17th century London from the viewpoint of a very frank & funny & right-in-the-middle-of-it-all Mr. Pepys. From romps in bed with maids & other mens' wives to the plague & fire that virtually destroyed London, nothing is left out. Kenneth Branagh is magnificent (as usual) capturing the moods, rhythms & character of this incredible diary. When we finished the tape, we played the whole thing over again, enjoying it just as much the second time around! Highest recommendation!!!

Branaugh makes Mr. Sameul Pepys come to life. I only wish they had added a few more hours to the performance. Mr. Pepys has been described as the first writer of the 'modern' inner life, fully private and separate from public duties, but I'd never been able to overcome by unfamiliarity with 17th century prose. Branaugh's expressive but subdued intonation gets me over the hurdle.

I found it easy to understand... Well, as easy as any soap opera. It would probably help to memorize a few key names. Charles Stuart is the 'King.' James Stuart is 'Duke of York'. They are brothers driven from England by populist radicals who executed their father. After 15 years of exile, the brothers are restored to kingdom. This version of Pepys' Diary starts with monarchies restoration. It ends when Pepys' eyesight becomes so weak, he can no longer encode his comments, about 10 years later.

Pepys' has many amazing eye witness comments. At the execution of a regicide via the public torture known as 'drawing and quartering,' Pepys remarks 'Major General Harrison looked about as cheerful as a man could be in that situation.' When Pepys stays up all night worrying about Parliamentary charges of stealing public funds, his fears of 'losing his head' take on a deeper meaning than slang comments like 'losing my head' imply today.

It's easy to mistake good biblical characters for saints - and Eugene Peterson shows, in this book, that we all a lot more that is identifiable with David than we think. It's not impossible to follow God the way David did - and this book shows us how. Fantastic reading and lots to learn from.

Peterson brings a breath of fresh air to a stagnant atmosphere of worn out spiritual cliches. He makes the Bible come alive again,and gives flesh and blood to the names and places that we have heard and read about all of our lives. He forces you out of one dimensional thinking to three dimensional reality. His words get to the real heart of the matter. He words call out to my heart and challenges me to to seek and know God, God who knows me better than I know myself.

This book, detailing and probing the life of King David, has provided many valuable insights into the matter of living in communion with God even as being fully human. Although I was skeptical, I am glad to note that the biblical text was handled with integrity. The author researched the texts that he commented on, and admitted to speculation when doing so. This book is a must-read for anyone who struggles with the matter of living with God even as he or she struggles with being human. Peterson's narrative style also pulls the Davidic story right off the pages! The perspective is refreshing and challenging at the same time.

Stavisky's book is a must read for those who care about WWII, providing the view of the enlisted man who folks back home would know and care about. It has the authentic ring of the writing and ethics of that time in history, and does more than hint at the actual horrors faced in jungle combat, yet still treating the war as a crusade.

While the tone is authentic and detailed, there are a few editorial lapses that knock the book down from 5 stars for me. For example, in one paragraph Stavisky states that Enterprise had been sunk a year earlier (which of course it had not been) and in another, states that Chesty Puller led the Marines into Korea in "1955". Presumably, he means actually during the Korean War, which ended in 1953. While these type of errors do not disqualify the book, they disfigure it and make one wonder what else the author has wrong.

Recommended with this reservation.

I have just finished reading the book, "Marine Combat Correspondent" WW2 War in the Pacific, by Samuel E. Stavisky.
This is an Excellent book, I recommend it to anyone interested in the War in the Pacific. Savisky does a Great job of telling his personal accounts during his tour. Starts off with basic training and goes through most of the Solomon Islands to Hollandia.
One of the things that I liked the best was when he would tell about a story or an account of certain patrols, he would name most of the men and their hometown. Kind of neat to find one in your own state, or even a town close to you.
Stavisky did every thing that the Marines did, all the hardships, struggles and pain that they when through.
This is one of those books that is hard to put down once you start. I always said just a few more pages and then it turn into chapters.

As a member of Marine Corps Combat Correspondents for many years, and as a survivor of the battle for Guadalcanal, I can say that Sam's book is an authentic account of how it was. Over 50 years is a long time to remember details, but Sam is smart,and kept his notes which now jogs his memory. Considering the short time Stavisky was in the Marine Corps he had an opportunity to see just about every phase of combat during those months. I congratulate him on a well done effort in behalf of my beloved Corps.

These three novels represent Samuel Beckett's greatest accomplishment. What are they about you might ask? Let's just say that they're about everything and nothing. They are profound commentaries on the universal existential crises plaguing all of mankind, and an utterly fascinating reduction of what it means to be a human. Be forewarned: these novels are extremely modern, abstract works of art, and for many will be very difficult reading. The final installment, _Worstword Ho_ is officially the greatest work of fiction, page for page, that I have ever read. It is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. These novels are not to be taken lightly and it should be noted that Samuel Beckett put the "high" in highway. This is abstract literary thought at its far-seeing outer limit.

This slender volume brings to us one of the great achievements of 20th century art and it establishes Beckett indisputably as one of the great figures of world literature.
Throughout his long artistic life Beckett had more than his share of blustering critics and disparagers. Yet it was always a matter of assailing Beckett's supposed 'view of life', even with an occaisional embarrassingly small-minded questioning of his 'sanity', and there has never been, and can not be, a substantial and coherent assault upon his artistic ability. It is appalling that there are professional people (and lay) so perverse and petty as to resent a man's artistic genius simply because they feel an aversion to his personal vision. But no matter, Beckett has a substantial body of serious readers whose devotion he has earned, for no artist has struggled more bravely and honestly with his craft.
Though I can read French and have read several of Beckett's works in that language, it is not my native language so I will not presume to assess Beckett's standing as a writer of French literature (though Fin De Partie is unquestionable great writing), but I will put forth the view that Beckett is the greatest English language writer of his generation. Even if he had only written the works reaching from MURPHY (1938) to HOW IT IS (1964)which fall into two basic groups with WATT as a dividing line, he would still have no real peers in international English literature in his time, but the fact that he went on from there to create a third group of works which culminates in the three 'novels' that comprise NOHOW ON is amazing and moves him far out of the reach of any other literary artist of his time or after. It is a simple fact that no one writing today can approach Beckett's artistic standard. He was a genius and more, he was an artist of rare devotion and integrity.
One does not need to be familiar with the long span of Beckett's work to perceive the greatness of COMPANY, ILL SEEN ILL SAID, or WORSTWARD HO, but their greatness seems only deepened by the knowledge that they are preceeded by greatness (WATT, MOLLOY, ENDGAME...). Still I would suggest that if you like NOHOW ON and you are not familiar with Beckett's earlier work that you become so because it will only increase your appreciation of Beckett's extraordinary artistic depth.
Finally, I for one would like to say that few things in my life have moved me as much as Beckett's courageous turning away from an art of 'general truths' and so sensitively and deeply exploring the difficult and often painful mysteries of actual human experience. Beckett taught me that art is a genuine vocation as deep and demanding as any in the world, and more so than most.
Thank you, Sam Beckett.

Beckett was uncomfortable with comparisons to Joyce - which is understandable both in light of their relationship and of the difference in their respective aesthetics. However I believe that "Worstward Ho" holds a place in the Beckett canon similar to the position of "Finnegans Wake" in Joyce's work. Both are the last major works of their authors and both represent the most perfect realizations of their artistic visions.

"Company" is the union and fulfillment of two of Beckett's recurrent themes - autobiography and "closed place" imagery. Its prose is spare and lyrical, evoking powerful images while its narrative style explores the ambiguities of the relationship between narrator and auditor.

"Ill Seen Ill Said" is a beautiful narrative which is singular among Beckett's prose works in having a female narrator. Its expanded, yet still abstracted and "distilled", cosmology (in comparison to the "closed place" works of the '60s and '70s) represnts an interesting new direction (or destination?) for Beckett's writing. Originally written in French, this work's poetry is best appreciated in that language.

"Worstward Ho" is, I believe, Beckett's masterpiece. It recapitulates all the major themes of his work - the futility of the act of expression, the poverty of language and the problematic dichotomies of perceived and perceiver and of narrator and auditor. It is written in the barest, most stripped-down prose ever composed. At the same time, it is repetitive and resonant. Less than five thousand words long, it compresses volumes of meaning. The more reduced and undetermined the language is, the more potential meanings and significations its words take on. The attempt to pare and refine leads to an ambiguity which grows and dilutes - a paradox Beckett uses with mastery. Despite appearances, the work's structure is as intentionally articulated as its prose. It is also a work of great and black humor, full of punning and wordplay. It should be savored and read and reread.

For those who have read his The Motion of Light in Water and Heavenly Breakfast, this book of letters from late 1983 to early 1985 provide a very nice extension to what Delany's life has been and how it has influenced his writing, both fictional and otherwise.

As indicated in the introduction, the choice of title for this book is deliberately evocative of Orwell's nightmare vision of that year, both as an indication of where Orwell got it right and where the real world has completely diverged from that vision. Within these letters, Delany shows just how completely draconian and life-meddling the IRS can be, as he finds himself without heat, trying to type with mittened fingers, scavenging cans from the street to get enough money to put food on the table for a day, trying to set his schedule to still provide a nice home for his daughter, where he must have someone else cash his royalty checks so he at least has some money the IRS doesn't immediately grab. And just as nightmarish are his problems with getting his works published, galleys corrected, artwork commissioned and delivered, all under a cloud of mis-information, missed publisher and printer dates, payment contracts that almost amount to slave labor, a phantasmagoric depiction of the Byzantine world of publishing.

On the opposite side of the coin, we see a man who has the freedom to choose a life style that the Ministry of Love would never condone, who can freely publish ideas about politics, sex, and writing that the Ministry of Information would have certainly censored. Delany's ideas in these areas are certainly insightful and he articulates his positions well, even if you don't agree with his conclusions. Some of the material here may not be everyone's taste, as he is occasionally extremely graphic in his depictions of various sexual encounters, but this material shows a Delany who is comfortable with who he is.

About my only real complaint is that we don't get to see the other side of these letters, that we only hear one side of the conversation. And sometimes it is obvious that that other side would be very interesting to be able to read. And a couple of quibbles: there are often references to people obviously known to both correspondents, but who is a complete unknown to the reader (some of these are footnoted as to who they are, but far from all), and, as letters, these works are lacking in the often poetic sense of language that Delany displays in his fictional works. But overall, these letters provide a fascinating look at a fascinating, brilliant, poetic, and sometimes very human person.

More than anything, in these letters we are treated to a rich vision of New York City refracted through an admirably refined critical sensibility. For Delany, who navigates cultural and class spaces with a confidence that has become legendary, New York is an endlessly inviting social space under perpetual construction, collapse and reconstitution. Tracing a trajectory that continues the ballistic one of his childhood, Delany finds his way up to Harlem to visit his old home, down to 42nd Street and the gay cruising areas of the porn theaters and across town to upscale publication parties. Armed with the critical tools of modernist flaneurs (Baudelaire, Benjamin) and more contemporary theorists (Foucault, Derrida), Delany traverses a landscape shot through with popular signs of the times (Michael Jackson, Boy George).

But it's not all postmodern fun. Beyond ever-present domestic difficulties-Delany's ongoing battle with severe dyslexia, wranglings with his ex-wife Marilyn over their daughter Iva, and problems with the chronic anxiety of his live-in, Frank-over the course of the year, the Delany household slides into an ever-deepening financial crisis that eventually finds Samuel and Frank scouring the streets for change, and reaches its emotional nadir with Delany's desperate letter to Camilla Decarnin.
But beyond the precincts of this private crisis there is a much larger crisis developing, a political crisis involving ideology, propaganda, censorship and repression of a sort that we might well call Orwellian ...
New York City in 1984 ...?
Read the rest of Ken James's introduction and the letters themselves for the rest of the story.

I came out of this book feeling I know Samuel Delany a little more personally, which I count as a great honour. It's a collection of letters written during 1984 to friends and colleagues. They're highly detailed, witty, sad, bizarre, at times brutally honest about himself and others -- often containing explicitly sexual details of real-life and imagined gay and straight(-ish) encounters that sneak up on you at the turn of a page and quite take your breath away. This is not a book for shrinking violets!

Away from the heat of these sexual excursions, Delany experienced trouble with the taxman during the period in question and the acute frustration he felt in trying to live life with no money to hand, despite having had much success with his novels and academic work, is obvious -- it's hard to imagine just how demoralising it was, but his description of winter in an unheated New York apartment, bundled up in jumpers, jackets and gloves to ward off the biting cold, tapping away at a word processor at 4am trying to finish a final draft of this or that book or article in order to earn some money, only to have it immediately snatched away by the IRS -- this I found particularly poignant. He also writes copiously about the difficulties of getting his then-current projects into print -- fascinating for anyone who has ever wondered what's really involved in getting a book into the shops.

On the positive side though, Delany writes with obvious love and affection about his (then ten-year-old) daughter Iva, product of a well-intentioned but failed marriage; he touches here and there on the deeper aspects of his relationship with Frank, his live-in partner (but I get the feeling much of it is kept private, even from his closest correspondents); his descriptions of the occasional high-flying Manhattan parties and soirees to which he's invited are positively "Dhalgrenesque", teetering on the edge of absurdity; and he writes about the sci-fi conventions he attends (often reluctantly) with deft insight into the natures of the characters involved.

There are references to Dhalgren and the real-life people and places behind some of the characters and locations, and some discussion about the many corrections that have been incorporated into the various reprints over the years; there are several academic discourses about books, music, writers, films and plays that, frankly, went over my head -- but there's enough accessible stuff here to keep an average reader like me absolutely enthralled.

We're now over fifteen years since these letters were written; I can only hope that life for this extremely gifted writer and -- well, a really nice guy, I reckon -- has improved immeasurably (especially financially) since then, because I feel he certainly deserves to have reaped the rewards of what has apparently been a career fraught with difficulties. Delany has provided me with many exquisitely crafted stories to read over the years; 1984 now takes pride of place alongside the other Delany masterpieces on my bookshelf. I only hope there's been enough public interest in this volume to warrant publishing some more of his correspondence. Personally, I can't wait.

I have loved this book since I was a teeny weeny little girl. I totally agree with everything that has been previously said about how good it is. It's accurate, it's a headlong read - you can hardly put it down once you get rolling. I had one of the original hardcovers (it was my aunt's), plus a falling-apart paperback which I just gotta replace. True, the movie does not do it justice although it is real, real good - I think this was Tyrone Power's role of a lifetime. The music is now considered a classic and the cinematography is utterly gorgeous (filmed in Mexico with all the mountains and flora and fauna, etc.). I told my daughter to bury me with a copy of this book... This is truly a movie they should absolutely re-make (and get it right) - anyway, more later!

This intriguing novel immediately propels the reader into the life of a young and courageous Spaniard who sacrifices everything he owns for a chance to find honor and treasure in the New World. Each adventure, from the escape from the Spanish Inquisition to the conquest of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), seems so real that you feel as if you were there alongside the characters, fighting for a common cause. This novel offers a vivid and accurate depiction of the Conquest of Mexico, the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition, and a comparison between the "pagan savages" of the New World and the supposedly superior and religious conquistadors. The excitement of battle is also intertwined with an enthralling, romantic story line.
Although this book would be fantastic with only its compelling story line and breathtaking adventure, it is enriched by a profound and universal philosophy that questions and defines such concepts as love, friendship, racism, and religion. Captain from Castile is an inspiring and enthralling novel that I would equally recommend as an adventure, a romance, a historical and cultural depiction, or a deeper, almost philosophical piece. I found it a book that was hard to put down, yet so absorbing that when I reached the final page, I wished that the book was longer so that I might remain in the story a few moments longer.

...you'll love this book! I have to agree with "No from Seattle." This is one of my five all-time favorites as well. I first read it about 35 years ago when I was a kid, and have re-read it probably 5-6 times since (it's pretty intense and not a once-a-year read). Its compelling characters, graphic and historically accurate account of the Inquisition and the Conquest, heroes and villains, tough hombres and scoundrels, are no less real to me now than they were 35 years ago. Pedro de Vargas has been my archetypical hero since my first read, and few others have matched or exceeded him in my mind. Cortez was every bit as complex in reality as he is portrayed in the book, and the Conquistadores' audacity and greed in believing that a few hundred men could conquer a martial civilazation was realistically and breathtakingly portrayed. The period in Tenochtitlan is portrayed in a detail rarely seen anywhere else, including in histories I've been inspired to read as a result of this book. The account of the Sad Night was grim, desperate, and exciting. The author's descriptions of the Aztecs, a tough warrior race with a strange mixture of brutality and beauty, gave me a much better sense of the high culture present in North America when the Europeans arrived. And of course we can't forget the romantic storyline - enough to satisfy any romance addict. Be warned - the movie doesn't really do the book justice: it only covers about the first half of the story, with a contrived ending, and Tyrone Power was a little too old and a little too wooden to play Pedro de Vargas with conviction. But don't let that stop you from reading this book! It has to be one of the all-time great adventure stories.

The soldiers of the famed 101st Airborne Division literally spilled their "blood and guts" to take what was supposedly a strategic hilltop. Thanks to Samuel Zaffiris' tremendous account of one of the most horrific and costly battles of the Vietnam War was I able to fully appreciate the uncommon valor and sacrifices made by the American G.I.

this a great book. I was not able to put it down once I started reading it. I have read many books regarding Vietnam & this is one of the few that I would recommend. The author has done a great job researching the subject & has maps to reference as you read.

This is one of the best books I've read about war. Many war books do a fine job of recounting the historical data, but are dry and hard to read in spite of the fact that the action they cover was very exciting. Other books do a fine job of presenting the action, but gloss over the historical significance or hide key players behind fictitious names. This author does a great job of both drawing you into the action with good writing while covering the history and politics you need to know to really appreciate what happened and who (real names) did what. I recommend it.

Garma C.C. Chang created a fluid and readable translation of this classic work, which is useful to any student of religion and folk tales. Central to the translation is the message of transforming human frailty into buddhahood. As a poet and musician, Milarepa chose to guide through song. Milarepa was both radical and loving to all whom he encountered. Mila, too, amply revealed his human frailty during the process of enlightenment. He not only overcame a series of personal tragedies, but also evolved into the consummate example of mastering the poisons of anger and revenge - transforming enemies into friends and bringing many to the dharma.

Milarepa is highlighted as an example of how anyone can achieve enlightenment through hard work and perserverance despite his or her past. He shows us that we can all transform our hearts.

This book is a treasure. I humbly suggest to readers with any kind of spiritual inclination that reading this book with care, attention, and some willingness to learn will earn one a lifetime companion. The nature of that companion (oneself, God, the Buddha-mind...) I leave to the scholars.

Milarepa is interested in practice and real work in the phenomenal world, even as he abandons the imperatives of that world order. Meher Baba asserted that Milarepa had attained the highest state of consciousness (or being, if you prefer) possible for one in human form to attain. Milarepa is important. His teaching style and emphasis on nondualism bears useful comparison to Sri Ramakrishna (see The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) and Meher Baba (see God Speaks).

Good stuff. Enjoy!

In May 1992 I discovered Volume Two of this title on a shelf at Border's in Philadelphia. I opened the book and saw these lines: "The woes of life succeed one another Like the sea's incessent waves -- One has barely passed, before The next one takes its place. Until you are liberated, pain And pleasure come and go at random Like passers-by encountered in the street." (page 635) I felt in love with the text. I read the book from cover to cover and spent three months to track down Volume One and read it. If there is ever a marriage between Passion and Devotion, this book is an example. I wish Garma were still alive.