In this VOICES IN POETRY title, Berry's biographical sketch of the reclusive 19th century American poet Emily Dickinson is interspersed with some of her poems. Each poem is chosen to illustrate important aspects of her life and character, which are still something of a mystery to this day. Stermer's illustrations effectively complement the tone and subject of both the poems and Berry's own text. For both young people and casual readers, this is a beautiful and useful introduction to Dickinson and her poetry.

As an adult, I didn't realize how much that I would appreciate this book. I wish that it had been available to me when I was younger. I believe that this book is definitely intended for children between the ages of 9 to 12. I think a child under that age may not understand the full impact of the poetry.

The introduction to this book gave a good synopsis of the life of Emily Dickinson. Also, I liked how some of the poems were mentioned by page number to check out in the book.

Visually, this book was on target. The illustrator was very detailed with the drawings. In one section of the book, Emily Dickinson writes some poems that were riddles. The drawings give you the answer to those riddles.

It was very helpful to find definitions at the bottom of each page for some of the poems that may have had more difficult words. I learned that a frigate was a medium-sized warship with sails and that coursers were graceful, swift horses or runners.

This book supports the ideas of reading and poetry. I will end this review with one of Emily Dickinson's poems, on page 44, to support those ideas:

There is no frigate like a book/ To take us lands away,/ Nor any coursers like a page/ Of prancing poetry/ This traverse may the poorest take/ Without oppress of toll;/ How frugal is the chariot/ That bears a human soul!

I study physics in Chile, and this book has been pretty useful for a first course in QM, but I have to note that the first 170 pages are titled "Problems and Solutions on Electromagnetism"! I hope someone gets word to the editor....

Other than that, I'm pretty sure this book will find a place on your private shelf.

All of these books titled "Problems and Solutions on (subject): Major American Universities Ph.D. Qualifying Questions and Solutions" are invaluable tools for a physics graduate student, in my experience. For quantum mechanics in particular, solved problems often illustrate difficult concepts better than any explanatory paragraph in a text.

Criticism: Sparse index and contents. You'll find yourself adding notes to pages in the book quite often.

If you are a student in physics, I suggest that you get your hands on these books.

Sometimes it is very difficult to teach a course in quantum mechanics because there are few problems that have solutions that do not require months of research and numerical methods to solve. I have found that in my own courses on quantum mechanics, I take a lot of notes and I do a lot of homework assignments, but I don't have a whole lot of concrete, well-explained problems and solutions to show for all of the work. Since I found this book and those that accompany it, however, I have a very good source for problems and their solutions in QM. These problems are an excellent study aid for the solutions provide insight into the basics of the field. Strongly recommended.

This book had so many rave reviews that I had to buy it. However it appears to be US centric and geared towards the USMLE not gross anatomy. It is incredibly brief and does not contain the depth of anatomical detail that is needed to pass British or Australian medical school exams. Aside from the lack of sufficient detail the diagrams are just average. There are a number of other textbooks that are better, for a book of approximate size I recommend Last's Anatomy, which is exceptional. In my opinion this is not a bad text, but it's not that great either.

The gross anatomy board review series is quite helpful for those who struggle with gross anatomy. With the large amount of information that medical students are required to learn during their first year, this book helps to guide the student along. Although the organization of the text was something I found a little difficult to adapt to(sections are organized by systems rather than by relationship), I still found the book to be immensely helpful in reviewing for tests. As a SUPPLEMENTAL text, it does the job quite nicely and would be worth buying for sure.

As a 1st year medical student at the University of Oklahoma, the 2nd year students told us "Memorize every word get an A; Memorize every other word, get a C." I'm a believer. This is our bible at OU. Live it. Breathe it. Shower with it. Love it. Use it as your pillow. Small size allows you to carry it to all social events. Wow your friends with fun anatomy facts. Quiz each other with detailed question and expanation sections. If you know Chung, "Joo know everyting! "

I think it is fantastic that a book that is as enjoyable to read as the "Tao Te Ching" can be made even more so through the use of illustration and humor. Tsai Chic Chung has faithfully adopted the text and lessons of Taoism into this unassuming form ready to be enjoyed.

Attributed to the great Chinese philosopher Lao-Tzu, the "Tao Te Ching" has attracted generations of followers from across the world to its simple tenets of modesty, peace, and pragmatism.

The most pleasant feature of this book is that it illustrates concepts clearly and cleanly. Complex issues are brought home and made familiar.

Just getting started on your desire to understand eastern philosophies? Have you stood at the bookstore for hours pouring over where to start and what to buy?

Any of this authors books are a wonderful place to start. The reason? Because these books are all about the title subject in a nutshell, easy to read as a comic book, the story lines and illustrations are wonderful, and after you read this as well as all the other books by Tsai, you will have a great, well rounded start on your path and will know what you want to study more deeply!

To add, when others ask you about your interest in eastern philosophy, you can get them started here as well, because these books are fun, consise, and you know they will enjoy them over and over again!

Taoism is one of the most interesting of the Chinese religion/philosophies. The idea of "The Tao," Yin and Yang, balance, and going with the flow of nature in my opinion is very interesting and something we all need to look at.

There are many great translations of Taoist texts and books that interpret them. However, not everyone is big into East Asian philosophy. It is for those people I recommend this version and this entire series of cartoon Chinese philosophy books. They are really cute, make good gifts, and are great in the classroom.

I recommend this book for teachers and as a gift. People who are deep into this stuff, will understandably have problems with these books. However, for beginners, kids, and as a gift these books are great.

The book has a very strong emphasis on correct pronunciation of the basic sounds of the language. But it does this from a "first principles" approach -- they tell you the "t" sound is an alveolar plosive sound made by puffing out as much air as possible from the mouth with the tip of the tongue touched to your upper teeth (with diagram). But they never make any analogy to similar (in this case identical) sounds in english. For this reason alone, I cannot recommend this as a good way to start learning the language. The easiest way to start is to be told up front that while Chinese has many sounds you just don't hear in english, there are a lot that are identical and probably don't need any work on your part.

In addition to using terms like "labio-dental fricative" it also makes refernces in the text to certain vowel sounds that are only described by strange squiggly lines and greek letters. I presume that these mean something to a linguist, but this book gives no explanation for them.

To put the title in context, know that this book was last updated in 1971. They call the spelling system they use "Peking." It seems similar to pinyin, the standard that the rest of the world has settled on(even Chinese street signs), but I can't be sure that it is. This is another big black mark for the book -- I'm not sure that the way they spell things is the way everything else will.

All this said, it has taught me to pronounce things well. It covers traditional writing a little as well. Overall, unless you're a linguistics major, you should be able to find a more modern easier to use book.

I bought this book because many reviewers here gave highest rates. But since this book was written in 1971, they use some obsolete words (for example, Chinese people don't usually call each other "tongzhi" any more), and some Chinese characters shown in this book have been further simplified ever since, so you need to unlearn and relearn some stuff if you really want to learn "modern Chinese".

Also, some grammatical topics which should be covered in a basic course such as comparison are not covered. Overall, this is a good text for beginners, but you will need to supplement it with a more comprehensive and up-to-date text before going on to intermediate level.

The book is a western adoption of the 1963 edition of a Basic Course of Chinese for Foreigners, English version. (I happen to own the further enhanced 1971 original edition) The Latin transscription, approved already in 1958, is called PinYin today. The explanation of sounds employs the International Phonetic Alphabet, generally used in dictionaries and in language teaching. There are a couple of Chinese Characters, however, that have been further simplified after 1963. If you use the book along with something more modern, it can be value for money.

This particular translation of Sunzi's work, while simplified, is one of the better ones. It is a good book to peruse as a stand-alone or alternately a companion to a more complex version. True, the simplification can be a trifle distracting at times, but the amusing drawings and casual language capture the attention of the reader more than the dry translations that are the norm, keeping the focus on the intent behind the prose.

Should one be looking for a scholarly piece for scholarly work, it is likely that this would not be the correct book to use. For reading pleasure and comprehension, though, this particular work cannot be beaten. To dismiss it as suitable only for children or semi-literates smacks of elitism and narrow-mindedness.

There is so much we in the west could learn from Eastern Philosophy. Confucius and Confucianism, Lao-tzu and Daoism, and Sun Tzu and the Art of War are just some of the Great Eastern Thinking we should look at and apply to our everyday lives.

The Art of War is more than a book on warfare. It is a book about battle yes, politics yes, but it can be applied to business, relationships, leadership, and other day to day life activities. It is a book that should be looked at.

This particular version and the other books in this illustrated series is awesome. It is so much fun to look at and read and yet we can learn so much from this work.

I agree, this is not the best complete translation. Personally, I enjoy the James Clavell translation. But, as a motivational book. As an illustrated book, this is very useful and enjoyable.

This is a very good purchase and can be applied in so many ways.

Just getting started on your desire to understand eastern philosophies? Have you stood at the bookstore for hours pouring over where to start and what to buy?

Any of this authors books are a wonderful place to start. The reason? Because these books are all about the title subject in a nutshell, easy to read as a comic book, the story lines and illustrations are wonderful, and after you read this as well as all the other books by Tsai, you will have a great, well rounded start on your path and will know what you want to study more deeply!

To add, when others ask you about your interest in eastern philosophy, you can get them started here as well, because these books are fun, consise, and you know they will enjoy them over and over again!

Looking like an attempt to follow in Son Duk Sung's works, the author wastes a little bit of paper. If you have never read Son's text, this book may be worth more to you. Some forms are detailed (Pyong An's) but it looks like the author has changed Pyong An 1. For the price, I guess it is okay, but not the best contribution to Chung Do Kwan Tae Kwon Do / Korean Karate.

I was pleased with this book. As a long time practitioner of Chung Do Kwan, I thought it captured the style very well. It also had a lot of ideas to help improve technique and it made me think more deeply about what I do. I especially liked the forms chapter which showed ways of getting more out of forms. It was interesting to see the original Pyong An I for historical interest. Genreally well done and insightful.

This book offers all the basics of Chung Do Kwan along with many helpful tips and useful insights. The instructions are very clear and the pictures are easy to follow. It shows the strengths of this great style and guides people in how to do it. I think anyone interested in this style or martial arts in general will find this book a useful addition to their library.

I've read the entire series so far, and it's INCREDIBLE! I admit I was a bit skeptical when I picked up the paperback and the cover/reviews of the book compared itself to Blade Runner and Dune; but it is true! The book was so engrossing that I felt like I was actually there! The characters in the whole series are very believable; there isn't really a black and white sence of good and evil (just as in real life).... between all the major characters. I will admit that it will probably be hard for the average American reader to follow all the characters with all of those different yet similar Chinese names and getting used to some of the Chinese dialoge (Just a few words, but I had to keep going to the back of the book where they were thankfully explained.) These were only very minor stumbling blocks for me, and shouldn't prevent the majority of people from enjoying this excellent series!

This is a political SF epic in the same vein as Dune, spiced with Chinese culture. Unlike Dune, it takes place in the near future (a couple of hundred years rather than thousands), so the society is somewhat more identifiable to the modern-day reader. Like Dune, it's filled with colorful characters and complex political intrigue deciding the fates of billions.

Although I woudn't quite rate the level of writing here as "literature", it's certainly higher than that of the bulk of popular novels, especially SF. Smooth sailing all the way. I found this book especially tough to put down- in addition to following the thrilling twists and turns of the plot, I was enthralled by the colorful descriptions of the future worldwide society saturated with Chinese culture.

Another feature which makes Chung Kuo stand out is the ambiguity of the characters and their causes. Initially, the two sides of the conflict seem pretty clear-cut. However, as the story progresses, we find that the line between good and evil is severely blurred, and ask the age-old question, "Does the end justify the means?". What feelings are brought out in the reader by an evil character fighting the good fight? A man of honor fighting to preserve an oppressive status (Chung) quo? [Sorry :) ] If you read this novel, you will find out.

Despite the (very) occasional moments of sexual depravity mentioned by other reviewers, I am eagerly looking forward to the second book in the series. (And the number of SF series which held my attention long enough to read more than one book can be counted on one hand.)

This series is fantastic. It is compared to Herbert, Asimov, etc. Frankly, I think it's better. The plot is gripping, almost without exception, to the point that my heart races when I'm reading it. The characters are complex, varied, and believable. The setting is ingenious; the breadth of the author's understanding of Chinese culture mind-boggling. I have read the series once already, about eight years ago; and now I'm through book III again.

As I read the other reviews, I see that for the most part readers either love it or hate it. The negative criticism I see includes the following: it is too complex, with too many characters; it is too violent, and sex especially is mixed with violence too often; and it is racist and sexist.

My response: indeed, the story is complex, but it is equally tight. If you enjoy--and can hold in your mind--a richly textured world, you will savor its breadth. If you want something less meaty, you won't have to look far: water covers most of the earth.

Next: the book is violent--graphically so. If you have a weak stomach, don't read it. The story is not all sugar and spice. It's a story of social and political revolution, not romance. Some of the characters are really nasty, and do really nasty things, just like real-life historical and contemporary characters. But in contrast are numerous scenes and episodes which are quite touching and beautiful; they are expressions of the author's depth of soul and endearing sense of humanity.

And the sex...well, much of it is violent, as (like it or not) it is in real life; but what the critics fail to acknowledge is the many sweet, truly romantic and beautiful episodes of love-making that are portrayed.

Likewise with the criticism that the book is sexist or racist: I suppose the reader will see that for which he or she is looking. Those who insist that the women in the book are degraded fail to remember the numerous heroines who impress the reader with their strength and intelligence; or they assume that the author's depiction of a patriarchal society is the description of his wished utopia.

Do not apologize, Mr. Wingrove. Your readers will either appreciate your achievement and thank you for not patronizing them; or they will condemn you for not giving them the politically-correct narcotic they desire.

This IS a book for novices. True Taoists would just have a copy of the Tao Te Ching and the I Ching and draw their own answers through introspection of these two primary documents. While I had hoped that this book would provide something of substance, the whole of the book can literally be summed up with, "Visualize how you want things to be and it will be so. Center. Take five easy breathes. Act as if and it will be so." The authors say this in EVERY chapter and with every chapter being template formatted to this mantra it gets VERY repetitive and exhausting. I cannot believe they got 300 pages out of the same text...

I also have trouble believing that the worldclass athletes alluded to within this book are so undisciplined that they need the simple affirmations provided to open their eyes to their true potential, especially martial artists. The affirmations provided get so much to the point of comedy that it is best to ignore them as you push through the book. (They reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit, "I'm okay and I like me.")

This is a New Age book, not an enlightening text. (Though I acknowledge that once you decide to become enlightened, you are.) If you are an advanced athlete who understands even the basics of Taoism and how it can be applied to ALL ASPECTS of your life, this IS NOT a book for you.

I am in graduate school for Sports Psychology and this book hits at the heart of what works for athletes. This is an Eastern-thinking text, so if you do not agree with that philosophy, you will not like this book.
Not only can this book be a reference for the athlete, it is also a reference book for living. I love this book.

This book addresses most of the stumbling blocks many athletes encounter in their quest for excellence. It then suggests specific guidelines for achieving not only performance excellence but also an internal sense of calm and satisfaction with the effort and accomplishment.
The format is succinct and easily used as a reference when specific concepts need to be reviewed. It is not a deeply theoretical book. Rather, it is a very practical and, in my experience, highly effective friend. It has totally changed my approach to my sport (and to my life) with wonderful results.

While I still finished the book, the stereotypical characterisations and lack of coherant editing makes me question bothering to continue reading the series.

Take the chance and embark on a long journey with David Wingrove. You will not be let down. Problem is, you will see nothing of your friends or family for the next three months.

But, that is what you are looking for in a book, isn't it?

Take the chance and embark on a long journey with David Wingrove. You will not be let down. Problem is, you will see nothing of your friends or family for the next three months.

But that is what you want from a book, isn't it...