I am a business book afficionado, and this is one of the best books in the field. It is especially a good book on strategic planning for entrepreneurs. What we learned from the intro and case approach helped us raised our "business fluency". The insights learned from the cases caused us to adjust our business plan. It has also put us in a better position to raise capital.

I really enjoyed this mystery. It is well written and suspenseful. I couldn't put it down!

This book is an excellent compliation of articles written for mathematicians who want to understand quantum field theory. It is not surprising then that the articles are very formal and there is no attempt to give any physical intuition to the subject of quantum field theory. This does not mean however that aspiring physicists who want to specialize in quantum field theory should ont take a look at the contents. The two volumes are worth reading, even if every article cannot be read because of time constraints. All of the articles are written by the some of the major players in the mathematics of quantum field theory. Volume 1 starts off with a glossary of the terms used by physicists in quantum field theory and is nicely written. The next few hundred pages are devoted to supersymmetry and supermanifolds. A very abstract approach is given to these areas, with the emphasis not on computation but on the structure of supermanifolds as they would be studied mathematically. There is an article on classical field theory put in these pages, which is written by Pierre Deligne and Daniel Freed, and discussed in the framework of fiber bundles. The discussion of topological terms in the classical Lagrangian is especially well written. There is an introduction to smooth Deligne cohomology in this article, and this is nice because of the difficulty in finding understandable literature on this subject. Part Two of Volume 1 is devoted to the formal mathematical aspects of quantum field theory. After a short introduction to canonical quantization, the Wightman approach is discussed in an article by David Kazhdan. Most refreshing is that statement of Kazhdan that the Wightman approach does not work for gauge field theories. This article is packed with interesting insights, especially the section on scattering theory, wherein Kazdan explains how the constructions in scattering theory have no finite dimensional analogs. The article by Witten on the Dirac operator in finite dimensions is fascinating and a good introduction to how powerful concepts from quantum field theory can be used to prove important results in mathematics. A fairly large collection of problems (with solutions) ends Volume 1. The first part of Volume 2 is devoted entirely to the mathematics of string theory and conformal field theory. The article by D'Hoker stands out as one that is especially readable and informative. D. Gaitsgory has a well written article on vertex algebras and defines in a very rigorous manner the constructions that occur in the subject. The last part of Volume 2 discusses the dynamics of quantum field theory and uses as much mathematical rigor as possible. One gets the impression that it this is the area where it is most difficult to proceed in an entirely rigorous way. Path integrals, not yet defined mathematically and used throughout the discussion. The best article in Volume 2, indeed of the entire two volumes is the one on N = 2 Yang-Mills theory in four dimensions. It is here that the most fascinating constructions in all of mathematics find their place. These two volumes are definitely worth having on one's shelf, and the price is very reasonable considering the expertise of the authors and considering what one will take away after reading them.

These articles are great. Fills the ubiquitous need to retract the gap between then conceptual and rigorous framework of the subjects.

Physicists interested in the mathematical aspects of quantum field/string theory would do well to read these volumes as well.

Deserving, in my opinion, more than 5 stars -- many more!!

I've read this book twice now and keep thinking, "what a great idea, too bad the med guy didn't farm the idea out to someone who could write!" But he thought he did; wish he'd sent it to me. Ignoring all the trivial errors (misspellings of diseases, "North Ridge earthquake," calling the valley fever org. "cocci" when that term refers to all cocci forms of bacteria, "congenital arthritic hip" of Drew (think they meant congenital dysplasia causing the arthritis, not too many babies born with arthritis!), the faults in writing are amazing: rotten character development (for ex. Byrne is described in such detail at first encounter w/his pony tail, and when he has to cut it off, but do we ever hear about his pony tail again? So much for his Samson anguish), bringing up interesting points only to drop them (Kameron's taping of Byrne's comments at Mia's lecture, mention about doctoring them -- never shows up again), and leaden writing style.

Guess there's going to be another book soon, maybe the Fifth Horseman? Hope these two get a better editor.

Epidemiologists study diseases and their causes and origins, and take the lead in disease investigations. Dr. Marr has a wealth of experience in this area, and he has used much of it to provide a backdrop for this novel. As a result, the science here is reliable, and this alone is refreshing in a work of fiction (compare for example with the movie "Outbreak"). The Eleventh Plague would provide a worthy basis for a popular movie, and as a novel it moves along at a reasonably good pace from one scene to the next. Don't look for Frederick Forsythe; the style is relatively shallow, and the characters are poorly developed, but it's a good commuter pocketbook, with just enough intrigue to get you to re-open it each day on the subway!

If you can avoid all the techno-[material] and long histories of some of the characters, you're in for a frightening look at how easy bioterrorism is. THE ELEVENTH PLAGUE revolves around a madman's plot to mirror the ten plagues of Moses and kill off vast amounts of people all in the name of God. Character-wise, there's no one here we haven't met before, and even the villain is rehashed from Dr. Phibes through Hannibal Lechter. However, the book has some terrifying scenes and some surprises, too. It's a little long in the tooth and is nowhere as realistically frightening as THE HOT ZONE, but it's still a scary read.
RECOMMENDED.

Details details.. I wish this book had more of them. I was a bit disappointed in getting this hardcover to see that I could read it in a couple of days. The pages go by fast as they cover Morgan's daring raids throughout Kentucky and the north. I was hoping to get more information than the quick coverage of the events that Morgan and his raiders went through. I would have liked to get some insight from his companions in the field and also from his enemy. This book seems to summarize Morgan and probably isn't the best when it comes to dates and details. It is important to suggest this book for anyone looking to read about a different Confederate cavalry commander instead of Mosby or Stuart that doesn't want to get into serious details. Perhaps this book exemplifies Morgan himself. It was short and fast. Morgan started his command quickly and finished quickly.

GREAT BOOK! HARD TO PUT DOWN! Covers the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy" John Hunt Morgan from Tompkinsville, KY to Greeneville, TN. This little book has more in it than a 800 page novel. If you are interested in Morgan's Raids or Civil War activity in the Kentucky - Tennessee area, this is a MUST READ!

I would read this book again.

John Hunt Morgan....This name stirred up the passion of both Northerners and Southerners, and in his biography of the General, James Ramage does an excellent job in telling us why. The Morgan in Ramage's biography comes across to us the readers, as not very religious...deeply rooted in the Southern lifestyle of the times, and as a careful soldier. I found two Morgan's in the book...The Morgan who was at his most successful after the period of his first wife's death, and

the Morgan who seems to lose interest in the war after his second marriage, when failure would always seem to bear its ugly head whenever the General attempted to do anything. Ramage has done a good deal of research, rooting out letters to and from the General, with special emphasis on Morgan's relationship with his second wife. This research helps us to understand the transformation of Morgan as the war went on, and helps the reader to ultimately understand this diverse per! sonality of our great internal conflict. The chapter on the death of Morgan is probably the best in the book, as Ramage tries to put down the various stories and myths that have cropped up over the years. All in all, I found Ramage's work a good read, and I recommend it to all Civil War enthusiasts.

As some other reviewers mentioned, this deep and complex study of THE titanic figure in American financial history lacked insight and a sense of the true impact of Morgan's work upon the development of U.S. financial institutions. Strouse spent far too many pages on Morgan as a patron of the arts to the detriment of fully exploring his influence on financial affairs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His position in U.S. history is, perhaps, unappreciated -- especially with respect to his role in stabilizing U.S. financial markets during a period when the federal government was incapable or unwilling to face the task. We have the Federal Reserve system today largely as a result of J. P Morgan.

Author Jean Strouse presents an in-depth historical account of J. Pierpont Morgan's life and times as a preeminent financier during the expansion of the American economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She details the deals he engaged in to raise capital in Europe, help the railroads overcome bankruptcy, and provide bonds and loans to clients. She also details his role in working with other financial leaders and government officials to stabilize markets and - at a time when the U.S. had no national bank - to set up many of the corporate and financial structures we now take for granted. We at getAbstract.com were particularly interested in Strouse's descriptions of the political, economic, and social history of each period as a backdrop for Morgan's life. Morgan comes alive in her descriptions of his family life, travels, and art collection. This excellent, comprehensive biography will intrigue executives, managers, historians and anyone who appreciates war stories about a master dealmaker.

I am a long time student of the American and European Gilded Age capitalists and industrialists, especially the Morgan's. As such I have read every biography of Morgan and his associates ever printed. This latest by Jean Strouse is without question the finest I have read. Here's why;

Well written history immurses the reader in the period under discussion; nothing in the writing jars the reader back to the present. The very packaging of the book itself must give one the feel of the period

The subject (in this case Morgan) must be viewed from many different angles; peers, family, reporters, foreign potentates, etc so that one gains a 360 degree view of the subject.

The book must contain heretofore unseen illustrations. Not just the usual ones.

The author must be so familiar and attracted to the subject that the writing is imbued with high drama. When you finish you are left with a feeling of wonder. You need time to allow the experience to permeate your senses. You do not even feel like moving onto the next book yet.

Jean Strouse's biography accomplishes all the above with a 5 star rating !!

I read this book many years ago for an American Literature class and am now rereading it for an American History class. I enjoyed it the first time and am enjoying it now. The writing is fluid, entertaining; the points made are profound. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about Winthrop and the early Puritan immigrants--a quick, pleasurable read.

The impact of the Puritans on America is fascinating. The world has thrown millions of immigrants onto American shores over the centuries, but those millions have never quite diluted out the foundational impact of those 20,000 that came during the great migration. Regrettably, most Americans are not born again, but because the founders of New England were biblically minded people, the United States has inherited the ideals of family values, education, care for the less fortunate, accountability in governnment, liberty of conscience, reward for hard work and honest business dealings. Among the nations, we still stand as a beacon of hope because of these ideals. God used a few people fully devoted to His Word to do marvelous works and a wonder.
How exciting it is to watch the mind of Winthrop wrestle with the same issues that modern Christians wrestle with-how to best be salt and light TO the world without being OF the world. His response was to build a city on a hill, a New Jerusalem, a holy priesthood--and the world has never been the same.

Edmund Morgan was an excellent writer, and it shows through in this book.

This book was used as the text for my junior year AP history class, and it is absolutely awful. The book is extremely difficult to read because there is so much unnecessary information crammed into each section and the authors seemed more interested in simply recording facts than making a coherent assessment of history. My teachers agreed that this book is difficult, uninteresting, and poorly edited and are looking for a new text.

I love history and was excited to take the AP History course but I could not focus on this book for more than five minutes without becoming sleepy and losing focus. The book does present accurate and extensive facts covering the history of the US from pre-colonization to the mid-1990's, but there has got to be a better way to learn them.

I am now a junior in high school and this is the book I use as the main textual reference for my AP US History Class. I agree with Amanda, this book is boring (but there are times when the author of a particular section shows a sense of humor). It is crammed with names of people, places and pieces of legislation that are never explained and, at times, appear to be irrelevant. I read a lot of supplementary material, but still do not have the time to familiarize myself with everything mentioned in the book. It is my opinion that some of the space in this book could have been used for better explanations of specific events rather than a place where the author could list everything (s)he knew about the time period in that BAM, BAM, BAM way (sorry, I have no other way of explaining how that book reads, sometimes it's like an index of events, except not alphabetized).

This text provides the necessary background and factual information to successfully instruct the 11th grade Advanced Placement United States History course throughout the world. Included in the text are appreciated charts, maps, and illustrations.

The text includes all that is necessary for the student and teacher dedicting themselves in combination to fulfill what is needed to score well enough on the national Advanced Placement examination to earn college credit.

The 8th edition includes American History well into the last decade of the 20th Century.