Everyone who's traveled from one place to another has probably noticed how one city might have a different "feel" to it than another, and if fairly alert, it might even seem clear that clusters of experiences tend to occur in the same place. This book will tell you why.

Well-written with the clarity one might expect from Jim Lewis and Kenneth Irving, novice and experienced astrologers alike will delight in finding this important addition for their astrological toolbox. The techniques outlined here will explain issues that a regular chart might not, and flesh out those issues that were only partially shown in the natal, transit, or progression chart.

Tracking my own travels across the country, the map (one can purchase these from professional astrologers, or use the ones available in many software packages these days) brilliantly outlined the details of my life--marriage where Venus was prominent (an elopement, no less--Uranus was also a factor here), the death of friends near Pluto influences, a cluster of burglaries and muggings where Mars held forth (with a little help from Pluto).

More interested in why some countries fight wars in certain parts of the world--sometimes over and over? Lewis and Irving delve into history, and show how the charts of countries and their leaders can predict trouble-spots using these same techniques.

Buy this book. It will enrich your astrological understanding of your own life, and the lives of others. It's a real gem.

As anyone that reads Pynchon novels can tell you, trying to get at all of the different potential readings of his novels can be downright difficult. If you snooze your way through a couple pages, you invariably are going to miss some of the sub-plots, or even keys to one of the on-going plots. Every novel of his that I finish, makes me realize that I need to go back and read with a different eye towards the actions and events of the text. To me, this is the mark of a great artist - enjoyable and rewarding every time, with something new to offer upon each successive return.

This companion collection of literary criticism regarding "Mason and Dixon", with contributions by some of the preeminent scholars on Pynchon, doubtless increased my enjoyment of the book several-fold on my first time through it. For that, even given the steep price, I have to heartily recommend this title. Since the novel itself takes over much of your life for an extended period of time, you may as well assign an appropriate level of importance to it and go for the highest level of comprehension that you can.

I know with absolute certainy that when I go back for a second read of "Mason & Dixon," that this book will be my map towards a more detailed reading.

Here are a list of the papers included:

"Foreshadowing the Text," Irving Malin

"Mason & Dixon in the Zone, or, A Brief Poetics of Pynchon-Space," Brian McHale

"'Cranks of Ev'ry Radius': Romancing the Line in 'Mason & Dixon'," Arthur Saltzman

"Thomas Pynchon and the Fault Lines of America," Donald J. Greiner

"Mapping the Course of Empire in the New World," David Seed

"Dimming the Enlightenment: Thomas Pynchon's 'Mason & Dixon'," Victor Strandberg

"The Sound of One Man Mapping: Wicks Cherrycoke and the Eastern (Re)solution," Joseph Dewey

"Reading at the 'Crease of Credulity'," Bernard Duyfhuizen

"Historical Documents Relating to 'Mason & Dixon'," David Foreman

"Plucking the American Albatross: Pynchon's Irrealism in 'Mason & Dixon'," Jeff Baker

"Plot, Ideology, and Compassion in 'Mason & Dixon'," Thomas H. Schaub

"'Mason & Dixon' Bibliography," Clifford S. Mead

I have read this book more than a decade ago and still remember it well. It's a shame and a disappointment that this novel still has not been made into a movie. If there is a perfect portrayal of abuse and/or usurpation of power in high government positions, this has got to be it. Extremely intriguing and gives light to the fine line of protocol in our government's order of succession to the presidency. The conspiracy is surprisingly and scaringly feasible. Who is to say this could never happen????

I found this to be one of the best books I've read on power supplies. This book is articulately written, very technical in nature, and loaded with great circuit diagrams and descriptions. There isn't a wasted word in it.

The "Stacked Switching Regulator" starting on page 392 along with Figs. 7-13 and 7-14 is an example of the outstanding circuits shown and described in this book. This is also true for the "Off-Line 5-V 200 A Switching Supply" starting on page 406.

I found the Dissipation Control Circuit in Fig. 4-6 quite unique.

Mr. Gottlieb has presented us with another outstanding piece of work.

One of the best road trip guide books I have ever read, "Ridge Route" provides a fascinating look into the history of the most outrageous highway construction projects of the 20th century. This little-known highway parallels the route of the present day I-5 near the Grapevine northwest of Los Angeles. The old highway features 627 curves over the course of about 30 miles and is a true historical gem. Harrison's book will keep you on the edge of your seat, whether you are reading it from the comfort of your study or perched on a turn-out on this remarkable highway. Harrison has included scores of old photographs documenting the history of the road and a wonderful collection of personal stories about the people who lived and worked around the road. This is a book that every fan of road trips should have in their collection.

Washington Irving has been called the father of American Literature, and without a doubt he appears to be one of the first great storytellers of our nation, later succeeded by Mark Twain in the late 19th century. Irving's wonderful tales, presented here in a superb audio reading, remind us why Irving has been so immensely popular for 200 years.

The stories are quite diverse, and many take place in foreign locales such as Germany, Paris, and the Alhambra in Spain. However readers will be most familiar with Irving's classic tales of the Catskills and Hudson River Valley, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. For readers familiar with Tim Burton's recent gothic interpretation of the latter story, you may be surprised to learn that Irving's tale is more of a period piece about the battle for the affection of a young lady (Katrina Van Tassel) then a murder mystery starring the legendary headless horseman. And while a modern reader might get a little tired of hearing about the culinary delicacies which tempted schoolteacher Ichabod Crane, anybody would enjoy the detailed settings and timeless narrative style employed in these tales.

Irving had a knack for effectively setting the scene for a story, describing the bend of the great river and the hamlets (such as Tareytown) which are depicted in these tales. I believe they are best enjoyed in audio format, where a typical 30 minute commute might enable you to hear a single story during one sitting. These tales are well-read by Donada Peters, whose voice struck me as a cross between Angela Lansbury and Vanessa Redgrave. These tales are timeless, and while some tales are certainly better than others ( I thought the Tale of the Mason was pretty weak in particular) there is something to enjoy in each of them.

Irving Stone, in his insight and convincing recreation of historically influential people and days of yore bringing them once again alive and present, brought Jack London's life, family, physical surroundings and love of adventure out in such a way that I never wanted to see it end.

I have read many of Stone's biographical novels from The Agony and The Ecstasy to Depths of Glory to Lust for Life all incredible adventures of creative geniuses who struggled in many ways but understood that their creative mediums must be expressed. Sailor On Horseback is no different but one of Stone's lesser-known and should not be forgotton. I was discouraged to find that I must wait for a copy but found twice the wait would have been worth it.

There are many points in this biography which encouraged me to go back and reread Jack London's novels and short stories as if for the first time. For after reading Stone's depiction of London's self-reliant and rare view of the world his stories took on a new breath and meaning I never encountered the first time around.

SAX's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials Ninth Edition-CD-ROM Version

The NST/Engineers, Inc. reviewer, an EPA First Responder, found the Ninth Edition of Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials-CD ROM version (SAX CD) to be a powerful database of easily retrievable, detailed, and pertinent information. The reviewer envisions the target users of the SAX CD deriving the most benefit to be: chemical operators, chemical process engineers, chemists, clinical toxicologists, fire companies, first responders, HAZMAT teams, industrial hygienists, plant managers, physicians, police departments, process safety managers, research professionals, risk management planners, safety engineers, transportation officers, and treatment storage and disposal facility (TSDF) personnel.

The 22,380 materials included are categorized at a minimum according to: Listing Name, Hazard Rating, Chemical Name, Molecular Formula, Molecular Weight, Chemical and Physical Properties, Synonyms, Toxicity Data with References, (instantly accessible by screen "pop-ups"), and Safety Profile.

Where available, NIOSH Recommended Exposure Limits, OSHA Permissible Exposure Levels, ACGIH Threshold Limit Values, (all expressed as Time Weighted Averages) and German MAK exposure limits are included. Consensus Reports (Community RTK, EPA TSCA and Genetic Inventory list) along with DOT hazard Classifications and UN/NA 4-digit identifier (for HM-181), CAS Registry number, and Class (carcinogen, mutagen, teratogen, primary irritant, food additive, etc.) are also included.

For forty years, NST/Engineers, Inc. personnel and associates have found editions of SAX to be an invaluable resource. The Ninth Edition on CD ROM provides the instant retrieval capabilities sought by the electronic communication age. The program includes an intelligent default, twelve-characteristic, search engine. It highlights each "hit" in the text and has a "tracking" system that allows the user to look forward or to "backtrack".

In the NST/Engineers, Inc. trials, SAX CD was used in "mock" HAZMAT spills. The reviewer found that the initial assessments of the spills were conducted many times faster by using the SAX CD. Armed with a laptop computer, as are most police and other emergency responders, the addition of this software will greatly decrease response time and reduce the confusion that routinely surrounds hazardous materials incidents. An increase in facility and public safety will be provided by the fingertip access to the knowledge base in the SAX CD .

The SAX CD works on both PC and Macintosh platforms.

The overwhelming stress that a family experiences as a result of the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder is beyond words. One thing that can help is to learn as much about the disease as possible. Although a cure for schizophrenia has yet to be found, Gottesman has successfully outlined this disease in an understandable and informative book. It has provided me with a much better understnding of a disease with an incredible social stigma.

Highest Recommendation. This is the most remarkable Holocaust book I've ever read.

The author, Abba Kovner, recounts the story of the Holocaust through the eyes of a large, richly described group of characters. These people jump off the pages in all their various costumes, ideologies, hopes and pain. They are mostly Jews, but there are also a few righteous Christians who help them.

Kovner doesn't judge the victims. Those who resisted are not better than those who did not resist. The German murderers are described too, as are their willing helpers in every country and numerous other people who did not murder but were coldly indifferent. But after reading the book, my overwhelming impression is not of hate of the murderers but of appreciation for the victims and their hope, love and humanity.

The book's design is very striking. The pages resemble pages of Talmud with the text in the middle and commentary placed around it in the margins. In this case, the story is in the middle, and the margins contain real victims' poems, comments, last wills and testimonies, historical explanations, songs, and more.

This is a book to read and savour, and also to study.