With any justice, Stamaty would be a household name with Sendak and Scarry in children's publishing. This book had a major effect on me as a child. Luckily for me, my school library had one tattered, well-read copy. I thought that I had the only remaining copy which I obtained a few years ago after a nationwide search. I even called Mr. Stamaty and he said he didn't have a copy (but maybe his mother did - he'd check.). Unbelievably detailed (after hundreds of readings I STILL find new things) and twistedly funny pen-and-ink drawings, bizarre characters, a profound moral message, and doughnuts, doughnuts, doughnuts! I'm writing this with the hope that one day it will be re-released so that more people could enjoy this book and appreciate Mr. Stamaty's obsessive genius. I still cannot understand why this book was a financial flop and so overlooked by critics when it was released (too weird?). Perhaps its time has come.

The book is wonderfully detailed and crazy! It will keep you entertained for hours. We would love to find a copy of it if we could. We haven't seen it since college. Every time you look at it, you find something new!

I received this book as a gift from some fellow teachers. I lost my copy:( All of Stamaty's childrens books need to be reprinted! "Who Needs Donuts?" is my favorite, but "Small in the Saddle is a close second! The pen and ink drawings are so detailed, that you can look at each page for days, and notice new things each time. "Yellow Yellow," is another great one. These are not just for kids! Most adults would agree! I beg any publishers to reprint them, as they are hard to find, even on the out of print book websites.

One of the most interesting - and funniest - books I've ever read, and certainly by far the best on masculinity. I especially enjoyed the masterpiece chapter on the movie 'Top Gun' which completely convincingly interprets it as a gay movie and shows how Cruise's real interest is Val Kilmer not Kelly McGillis.

Shortly after this book was published Quentin Tarantino appeared in a film called 'Sleep With Me' arguing this exact point. I wonder if he had a copy of Simpson's book in his dressing-room?

"Mark Simpson detects and dissects the myths of machismo and its attendant media circus with refreshing gusto and wit."'

"Like me this book plays with men. Provocative, irreverent, acerbic and witty, it offers one gigantic intellectual orgam after another." - Margi Clarke

Compiled by Mark Alan Morris, The Ghost Next Door is a collection of chilling stories of paranormal encounters, as told by everyday men and women. Careful description and attention to detail make these tales eerily believable and truly spooky. From the woman who was visited by her grandfather on the night of the old man's funeral; to the playground where one particular swing is always occupied by a ghost; to the home in Texas that was visited by a ghost who came all the way from Gettysburg, the tales comprising The Ghost Next Door are very strongly recommended for students of the occult.

I just finished this book and I have to say it is a keeper! If you like to settle down in the evening with a good book about hauntings, this is for you. The stories keep you on the edge of your seat, and the really creepy thing is that they are all true. I love the way the author sets up each story with a little bit of commentary. It really sets the mood for the spooky stories that follow! This is a great little book for anyone who likes ghost stories. Be sure to add this one to your collection.

The Ghost Next Door is a great little book to curl up with in your favorite chair on a spooky night. It really pulls you in with the author's commentary and stories that are told from the first-person perspective. I found it refreshing, since all of the stories are new, and have never been told before. It really makes you wonder if there are any ghosts around you as you're reading it!

Ever since 14 July 1988 when I read Chronicle of Youth with absorbed attention and keen feeling I have been fascinated by Vera Brittain. This fine work, without duplicating Chronicle of Youth, sets out the letters written by her and her brother and friends till all her correspondents were killed in the war. This is a poignant work, well worth reading. One stands amazed and impressed by the eagerness of these Englishmen to serve their country, even though they knew the hell that the Western Front was, and though so much was repellant about the condition under which they soldiered.

Anyone who is interested in WW1 and the men and women who lived it, should read this account of the war first hand!

This is what the war really meant to people, both in and out of the trenches, for these are the letters written from and to them.

A thought provoking book, that it is true, is even more shocking.

It is about a generation of people that we should never forget.

I have been interested in Vera Brittain since her autobiography, Testament of Youth, was featured on Masterpiece Theatre in the 70s. I came across this new book by chance when looking for Testament, which my book group is reading and enjoying this month. This collection of letters not only recaptures Vera, her brother, and three close friends, it adds great dimension to their WWI experience. This is a book I will treasure a long time.

Take off on a magical dream with a girl and her dinosaur. My daughter adores this book ... can't get enough of it. The story is magical and the illustrations are some of the best I've seen in a children's book. It is just captivating! This would make such a great birthday present, along with a little green stuffed dinosaur, just like the one the girl is holding in the book.

When I first read this story to my almost-3-yr old daughter at the library, I saw a look in her eyes I had never seen before. She was already fond of dinosaurs, but this book clearly helped her discover a new way to use her imagination and she loved it. I love it for the way the dinosaur is presented--magically and whimsically, rather than ferociously. It's a beautiful book.

This is absolutly one of my favorite books to read to my boys! It's a great fantasy story with a very friendly dinosaur. It's very, very different than any other dinosaur books we read. I think girls would really love it also!

This work bristles with the energy of Alan Watts because it truly is the "voice" of Alan Watts, culled from his actual talks and put together with the respectful eye of his son, Mark.

Alan Watts is a joy to read. Like a natural anti-depressant, these illuminating, entertaining words are capsules of ancient teachings framed in language that is readily understood and instantly enjoyed.

Alan Watts was adventurous and peaceful, wise but personable. That essential essence really comes through nicely in this work.

This book is small, and I read it in about two days while visiting my boyfriend in some hot springs. I had been stressed out about my future and past, and this book was exactly what i needed. In this, Mark Watts shows you the importance of living in the now, and gives you ways to do it. In one way it is impractical, because in todays world it is all but impossible to not atleast think of the future, but, it does make you more aware of the fear you constantly have inside you, and worry, all based on what may or did happen. Well written and informational, I would reccommend this book to anyone who is the least bit stressed out about anything.

Play To Live is a book published by Mark Watts, the living son of Alan Watts. Play to Live is a collection of various speechs given by Alan Watts in his living years. Mark is quick to point out in the proloque his fathers philosophy that the spoken word is "entirely different" from the written word. Never having the opportunity to hear Watts live (being too young), and tapes have the same problems of writing, I thoroughly enjoy all of the works I can get my hands on. Play To Live brings forth many of the points found in other watts writings with the special spontinaity of a transcript. Watts discuuses his views of the traps of western society, marriage, the problem of seperate ego, doing good for others, and demonstartes just how fun topics can be. I would recomend this book to anyone who is familiar with Watts work. It is a great opportunity to see Watts attack the same problems from slightly different perspectives. My only regret is I did not get to hear the speeches live. Hope you enjoy as much as is did!

phil p

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/belgium/1029/index.html

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was a great explicator of the Oriental way of being. This is the fifth volume in the Love of Wisdom Library edited by his son Mark. In these lectures given between 1968 and 1973, he examines Taoism.

The anxiety, the body tension, and the constant stress of our lives in the West is partly the result of trying to make things happen and to control outcomes. The antidote is "Wu Wei" (don't force it). Or as Watts notes, "When you force a lock, you usually bend the key, so instead, jiggle gently."

Instead of fighting the external world, adopt the watercourse way of Taoism - go with the flow. By following the course of least resistance, we keep the door open for spontaneity and surprise. Watts also talks about art as a controlled accident, the wisdom of accepting yin and yang (the constant interplay of differences), and the value of following intuition. These lectures seem as relevant to our times as when they were first presented over 25 years ago.

Brilliant, insightful, and occasional gentle humor are the hallmarks of this commentary on the Tao Te Ching. The Tao is not an easy book for a Westerner to understand, but Watts picks a few key concepts, ones that are repeated often, and focusses on them. The result is a Tao that makes sense, if not always in one's (logical) head, then at least in one's intuitive heart.

There were a few passages which really stood out for me. As a Catholic, I have reflected often on the meaning of Beatific Vision. Being an impatient soul, I am not quite content to wait until the heavenly hereafter to find out what it is all about. Watts does not address this topic, irrelevant to Taoism, but what he says (p.56)about oneness and individuality apply: "There is enormous differentiation inside the body, desite the fact that it is a single, distinct organism. I use the word 'distinct' rather than 'separate' because by 'separate' I mean "disjointed" or "cut off from," but by 'distinct I mean something I recognize as a distinguishable pattern perceived as a whole. So, something can be distinct without being separate, in just the same way as back and front can be very different and yet inseparable." Yes, of course, that's exactly it: the Mystical Body of Christ here, the Beatific Vision hereafter.

His game of "Vish" sounds like fun and is a really good example of how language works.

This book has gotten me to thinking about art in a new way. I am coming to recognize the difference between what transcends and what is merely mechanical performance. It may be that, even though I cannot produce music or sculpture or anything that is usually termed a "work of art" in the usual sense, I can do other things that fit his description, baking bread for one thing. We can all be artists in our own way.

This book is destined to last through the centuries. Not guessing here, I know this for a fact. How, you may wonder? Well, four hundred years from now, Mr. Spock will say "A difference which makes no difference, is no difference." A very good paraphrase of the lines at the bottom of pp. 64-65. Guess Vulcans read Alan Watts, too!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of the Tao Te Ching.

This is the best book on Taoism that i've read. Illuminates beautifully that seemingly murky yet wonderfully simple philosophy; full of wit, great examples and metaphors, inspiring and original ideas, and above all the slippery glint of truth, like catching sight of a fast fish moving in a stream. (hmm...) His appropriately 'flowing' style is all the more flowing due to the fact that these are talks that he gave, recorded by Mark Watts.

This book is a definite must have for the true Empire Deluxe Fan. It does a fantastic job explaining how the different models work and has some wonderful tables on optimizing production.

It also gives various strategies and insights by the designers.

The "modem play" sections may be dated, but with Killer Bee Software's new release of Empire Deluxe, it still will prove quite helpful.

If this book is still out there, you want to buy it.

Having played Strategic Conquest on the MAC and the original Empire game, then later buying Empire Deluxe, I was thrilled to get a copy of this book through Amazon.com's used item web site.

This book takes you through the minds of the developers, you learn a bunch of tips and tricks. You learn to understand how the computer works and how to choose a map that will help the computer to be able to challenge you more.

I really enjoyed reading this book after having played Empire type games since 1984.

As a math minor at Mount Holyoke (yes, my professors actually wrote the book!) I found the book extremely useful especially as an introduction to writing math reports and papers. You will too. :)

This book and the accompanying course helped me enter higher mathematics and discover what being a mathematician was really about. It gave in depth insight into the beginnings of mathematical research and how it gets done.

AART is all in all a good book. It covers many graphics related topics and is very interesting reading although some of the topics are not all that relevant for modern 3D hardware accelerated computers.

The book is divided into 3 parts:

The first part is an ultra compact summary of the computer graphics needed to understand the rest of the book. This part is virtually impossible to understand for people new to graphics - so I recommend reading Foley, et al: Computer Graphics - Principles and Practice first.

The second part covers rendering and is an introduction to shadows, mapping, ray tracing and radiosity.

The third part covers animation techniques such as bones and blending.

The book tries to cover as many things as possible and the consequence is, at times, that it does not use enough space on some things to make them comprehendable. I guess, this is probably only intended as a survey of alternative techniques and references to the original articles are given for interested readers.

Finally, the book contains a fair number of errors (one every couple of pages) many of which is in vital equations. There has been no corrections done to the book since its original release in 1992 and the official errata isn't good either.

For the sake of other readers I have therefore compiled an unofficial errata list for the book and I recommend that all readers take a look at it. Find it by searching for "watt errata" on Google.

A good book but a lot of it was repeated material from Watt's other books.

Its a wonderful book which covers various topics and enhances your knowledge. I have used it during my masters program, for the games/ game engine i develop and defintely in the future.