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Book reviews for "McKinnon,_James" sorted by average review score:

Dinosaurs (My First Pocket Guide)
Published in Paperback by National Geographic (1996)
Authors: Paul M. A., Dr. Willis, David Kirshner, and James McKinnon
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Great Pictures and Paintings!
Half of this book is about famous paleontologists, what dinosaurs are, and how they became extinct. The next half has at least 80 pictures and paintings of different species of dinosaurs, and a description of their characteristics and how they live. I would especially recommend it to 11 and 12 year olds who know their dinosaurs. WARNING: This is not a little kid's book. It does contain A LOT of information. It has at least a page on each species of dinosaur, but I think it should go into even more detail on these amazing animals.

Dynamic Dinos!
We used this book to get a complete overview of these wonderful creatures. The book is large sized and has wonderful color pictures. The text is easy to read for ages 9 and up and can be read aloud to younger kids, so the book works for whole families. There are all sorts of hands on projects, great little pieces about some famous dinosaur excavators and dinosaur moments in history. Of course all the information about how the shape of the continents took place, how fossils are made, the geological time, etc. is there and complete. We were really impressed with the ease in which we could gather information from the book.

An exciting, surprising book
I got this book as a gift. From the first page, I knew that I liked it! The detailed pictures show texture and are colorful. It is easy to read and understand. On each page there are different boxes with crafts you can do and interesting facts. (for example, some small carnivore dinosaurs ate their young when they were starving.)

I use this book for research in school and when I write stories. I have read it many times and it seems like it's new every time! If you know any kids that like to read and like dinosaurs, this is a book for them. There are exciting and surprising things on every page!


The Advent Project: The Later Seventh-Century Creation of the Roman Mass Proper
Published in Hardcover by University of California Press (14 August, 2000)
Author: James W. McKinnon
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Gregorian Chant and Its History
Serious chant scholars need not read this review, as they will already have this book on their shelves. Any academic library with more than a passing interest in Gregorian chant needs this book, too.

James McKinnon believed that it was during the late 600s when chants were assigned to particular places in the yearly cycle of masses. Furthermore, during this time many chants were composed. McKinnon terms this the "Advent Project." The book examines his position.

Of course, there is very little, if any, direct literary evidence from the 500s and 600s, so the examination proceeds by inference more than direct deduction. One line of the evidence is the use of textual adjustment in a chant. Textual adjustment may be adding phrases, omitting phrases from a Biblical text, paraphrasing Biblical passages, or repeating phrases. Chants composed during the Advent Project are more likely to make use of textual adjustment. Chants already available before the Advent Project are less likely to use textual adjustment.

Another line of evidence is the musical styles of the chants. Another is the use of a chant at more than one time in the year. A very compelling observation is the overall yearly plan of chants. By examing these and other lines of evidence, the book shows the strength and explanatory power of McKinnon's hypothesis.

One of the things that helps date the Advent Project is that there is documentation for when the Thursdays in Lent were added to yearly cycle of masses. Chants for these days are largely borrowed from other masses in the church year. Such chants are clear disruptions of patterns established by the rest of the chants of Lent.

McKinnon believes that the goals of the Advent Project are most completely realized for the chants of Advent and Christmas. He speculates that the project began with Advent and later ran out of steam, as the post-Pentecostal chants show.

A short review as this cannot possibly do justice to this work.

Although the book is a scholarly work, and although I'm not at all a chant scholar, I think I got a lot out of it. I certainly enjoyed the work of reading it. If words such as 'Lateran', 'temporal', 'sanctoral', and 'feria' are not in your vocabulary, then they will be by the time you finish this book. A glossary would have helped me. McKinnon also freely uses quotations in Latin (and occasionally other languages) without necessarily providing a translation.

The love the author has for chant shines through on nearly every page. If you like chant, you will enjoy his unabashed enthusiasm. I certainly did.

In response to previous review
The Latin used in The Advent Project is certainly of current use not only for chant scholars, but also for those concerned with medieval Christianism. You will not usually find a glossary for terms such as sanctorale, ordinal, tract, ordinary, breviary, repercussa, feria, etc., in musicological research publications, since the primary audience of the work is familiar with these, and there are a number of sources which may help readers who may not be familiar with medieval musical and religious terminology. A glossary is more appropriate for survey books about general areas in Music History.

The reviewer is right, though, in that McKinnon's work will prove useful and immensely interesting not only to scholars, but to music lovers in general who have had any interest in early Christian rites.

The fact that this book traces the history of chant back a century and a half or so, by means of creative methodology (and not inference like the previous reviewer states), makes it one of the most significant works in the field perhaps in the last century. McKinnon, who devoted his life to the study of the medieval chant tradition, has left us with a document of monumental importance, tangible results which have redefined the way we look at the history of chant, merely a year before his untimely passing.


Equine Reproduction
Published in Hardcover by Lea & Febiger (15 January, 1993)
Authors: Angus O. McKinnon and James L. Voss
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This is a technical book on reproduction in the horse.
This book is a technical book on breeding of the horse and while it covers evertything from problems with the mare, problems with the stallion, foaling problems it is not written in a language easily understood by the average horseman. It does cover topics such as anatomy, physiology, endocrinology, the estrous cycle, reproductive examination, manipulating the reproductive cycle,reproductive surgery, pregnancy, partuition, the stallion and the foal as well as diseases and disorders affecting breeding it is not easy reading. There is a great deal of information in the book containing 1114 pages, good photographs, and a great deal of information I found that I personally was seeking a more down to earth book that laid out breeding in simpler terms. it does not go into genetic inheritance except in genes that might cause death or abnormalities. I would reccommend it for anyone who would be interested in breeding on a large scale but not for someone wanting to produce one or two foals.

Equine Repro
This book is a thorough review of current techniques in equine reproduction medicine. The level of detail is extensive, thus making this book a great reference for the equine practitioner. It includes background information as well as currently accepted treatment protocols, so is very handy for both equine vets and vet students (like myself). Highly recommended for students & practitioners specializing in equine medicine.

You'll never leave it home
A very useful and comprehensive book that covers the needs of the field vet as well as the ones of the university researcher. Detailed sections on each subject are well organised and easy to move trough (uncommon fact for a book of this size). I bought it for practice use and is a constant source of useful informations. It always clears my doubts.


Flaps: Decision Making in Clinical Practice
Published in Hardcover by Taylor & Francis Books Ltd (01 January, 1996)
Authors: L. Franklin Elliott MD, A. Bryant Toth MD, Richard S. Stahl MD, Michael H. Moses MD, McKay McKinnon MD, James C. Grotting MD, Vince N. Zubowicz MD, and William Winn
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Decision making in clinical practice
An excellent review of flap (local and regional) surgery.

Good for the senior resident and junior attending level.


Ancient and Medieval (Man and Music Series)
Published in Paperback by Palgrave Macmillan (19 February, 1992)
Authors: James. McKinnon and Jim McKinnon
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Antiquity and the Middle Ages: From Ancient Greece to the 15th Century (Music and Society Series)
Published in Paperback by Prentice Hall College Div (1990)
Author: James McKinnon
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Car-Free in Boston: The Guide to Public Transit in Greater Boston & New England (9th Ed)
Published in Paperback by Assn for Public Transportation (1995)
Authors: Robert Gentile, Anne L. McKinnon, and James Taylor
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Dic Ntc's of the United Kingdom Dictionary: The Most Practical Guide to British Language and Culture
Published in Paperback by McGraw Hill - NTC (1997)
Authors: Ewart James and Duncan J. McKinnon
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Koala Country: A Story of an Australian Eucalyptus Forest
Published in Hardcover by Soundprints Corp Audio (2001)
Authors: Deborah Dennard, James McKinnon, and Randye Kaye
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Mentoring the Mentor: A Critical Dialogue With Paulo Freire (Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education, Vol 60)
Published in Paperback by Peter Lang Publishing (1997)
Authors: Paulo Freire, James W. Fraser, Donaldo MacEdo, Tanya McKinnon, and William T. Stokes
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