J. G. Links is widely recognized as the reigning authority on the Venetian painter Canaletto. This masterful book is probably the most extensive study on the painter available in the English language. In addition to Links' very entertaining prose his book is filled with color plates of over 200 of Canaletto's paintings and sketches.

Little is known about Canaletto's life and Links does not try to read more into the few facts that do exist. He does try to piece together Canaletto's life by dating his many paintings. If you are a Canaletto enthusiast and want to know more about what inspired him and how he lived you will be disappointed. No one knows how or why this man became the greatest painter of "view paintings" of all time except that his father was a painter of theatre scenes and undoubtedly exposed the young Canaletto to his trade at an early age. Canaletto's nephew was Bernardo Bellotto, a man who at his very best could claim to be as good as his uncle. Whereas Bellotto painted mostly in Germany, Canaletto is most famous for his views of Venice. The shimmering reflections of the Grand Canal, the faded and peeling stucco sides of the palaces, the many boat plying the waterways, and finally the people of Venice are captured in the all- seeing eye of the "camera man" of the 18th century.

Canaletto's best patrons were the English who were overcome by Venice's beauty and Canaletto's ability to capture it on canvas. He made two trips to London and his works there of the newly built Westminister Bridge, the Thames, and the castles of the rich rival his works of his native city. Most of Canaletto'w works are on display in English museums or in private collections in that country.

Links is not an interpreter of art and does not attempt to explain in detail the many plates in his book from an artistic perspective. He does explain in great detail the relationship of Canaletto to several Englishmen in Venice who acted as brokers for his many works. Were it not for these men Canaletto's fame would probably have gone less noticed and certainly they are responsible for the many works that still survive, thought sadly many have vanished forever.

While this is a picture book it is not necessarily a "coffee table" one. Canaletto painted scenes immense in size and detail and most do not reproduce that well on a single or even double page of this large book. Still, for a first rate account of Canaletto (slim as the facts may be), the business of art in the 1700's, and over 200 fabulous paintings (dare I say photographs?) and sketches, this is as good as it gets.

Este libro pone al alcance de todos los interesados, un gran aporte de la cultura de oxidente al conocimiento del hombre. En su peregrinar, el hombre, ha ido descubriendo formas que le ayudan a vivir en armonia consigo mismo y con el universo y en el caso del canto gregoriano, este camino ha sido cincelado en la piedra viviente de la belleza musical. Katharine Le Mee realiza en esta obra una presentacion acorde al objeto con el que trata. Si su interes no es primeramente la erudiccion, sino que quiere saber algo importante sobre el canto gregoriano y esta dispuesto al asombro, le recomiendo este hermoso trabajo y le aconsejo que se aventure a cantar con los monjes.

CHANT : The Origins, Form, Practice, and Healing Power of Gregorian Chant. By Katharine Le Mee. 169 pp. New York : Bell Tower, 1994. ISBN 0-517-70037-9 (hbk.)

In 1994 a recording of Gregorian Chant entitled 'Chant,' sung by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain, ran up sales of over two million copies. People were drawn by its peaceful sound, though very few know anything about its tradition or meaning.

The present book is designed as a companion book. It includes the Latin and English texts of the 'Chant' recording and provides answers to questions about what Gregorian chant is, how it is written and sung, the latest research on its therapeutic qualities, and the powerful effect it can have on the body, mind, and feelings.

The book's eight Chapters cover the following topics : 1. Welcome to Chant; 2. Music and the Medieval World View; 3. A History of Early Western Chant; 4. The Way of Devotion; 5. The Composition and Notation of Chant; 6. The Way Chant is Sung; 7. Healing Through Chant; 8. The Life of Chant. The book is rounded out with a Discography, and the Text and Translation of the 'Chant' CD. To read and enjoy this book it isn't necessary to have the recording, though it will help if one has heard at least a little Gregorian chanting.

Katharine Le Mee is not only a scholar of Romance Linguistics, but also a singer and conductor who has immersed herself in the music of the Middle Ages for many years, and she has given us an extraordinary book. For me, two of its most interesting chapters were the sixth and seventh, chapters from which we learn some extremely important things about sound which aren't generally understood at all, though they should be.

We live in a largely visually-based world. Think, for example, of computers, or of how all scientific and technological knowledge is conveyed in visual terms - formulae, books, charts, blueprints, schematics, etc. And one of the most important things to understand about sound is that it is a far more powerful energy and penetrates us far more deeply than the visual. This is why the right sort of music or sound can be a form of subtle nourishment :

"The effect of chant is to balance mind, emotions, and body. Singing or simply actively listening to chant with directed attention, we feel whole and part of a greater whole. It is precisely this integrating tendency that constitutes healing" (p.140).

But to fully understand this you'll just have to read Le Mee. Hers is a lucid, well-written, and exceptionally important book which should be read, not only by those interested in chant, but by anyone who would like to learn about this vitally important element in our life which few of us know anything about at all - the power of sound to affect our mind, spirit, and heart, and the dessication that results when we lose touch with right sound.

Being a public speaker, I was looking for ways to grow in my speaking skills. The Charisma Factor provided me with the tools to stir an audience into action. It is not by manipulation, it is by harnessing some of the well researched principles discussed in the book such as, entrainment, vocal synchrony, and sensory stimulating language to effectively impact your audience. If you work on using the principles in this book, you will communicate on a deeper level with those you come in contact with.

This book is an excellent and clearly written introduction to component-based development from business and software engineering process perspectives.

It does not contain technical information for developing components in various environments, nor does it go into the relative merits of component-based development from the viewpoint of any vendor. What it does contain is a tutorial on component-based development as a software engineering discipline, and makes a strong business case for adopting this approach to software development.

If you're expecting an end-to-end life cycle you may be somewhat disappointed because the book only covers the design through build phases of development. However, since this book is more about showing the value of components this scope is more than sufficient. If, on the other hand, you are evaluating component-based development as a business strategy you'll like the details about the value and underlying processes, and how this approach differs from more traditional software development. In particular you'll like the way the author goes into organizational issues (who owns the process), and the unique requirements of component-based development (such as strict configuration control and reuse strategies, and cataloging and certifying components). The case study at the end of the book pulls the preceding 13 chapters together and provides a realistic view of the strengths and weaknesses of components.

This is a beautifully illustrated book, with a fetching cast of characters. It is so nice to see a little girl in books who has short dark hair and is so competent in her abilities. We should all dress and entertain like this.

Homeschooling naturally leads many families to organize social gatherings, learning clubs, study circles, field trips, art classes, sports, and other shared activities.

But if your group doubles or triples in size, and the phone rings off the hook, what will you do then? Wouldn't it be great to set up a cooperative learning center in the community where members can share in the learning adventure together?

Katharine Houk's book presents a successful model that can be duplicated in other communities. Katharine's group founded their cooperative learning center years ago and it remains successful to this day. This book tells the story of how they did it, including some of the problems and solutions. Steps from the very beginnings of the group are discussed, leading you down the path toward creating your group's cooperative learning center.

The book includes philosophies, copies of bylaws, samples of registration materials, fees, examples of course offerings, surveys, rules, and samples of the forms they used.

As a homeschooling parent who participated in several cooperative learning centers over the years, centers that got started well but didn't last, I can recommend this book whole-heartedly. This book has the nuts and bolts you need to launch a successful cooperative learning center.

Where was this book back when I needed it?

First, let me admit that I'm a bit biased, as I'm an acquaintance of the author and obtained a pre-publication copy....

But, if you are interested in the relationship between Jungian psycholgical type/MBTI type and the aging process, Millner's book is a must read, if only because it's the first book on the subject! :-)

"Creative Aging" is an easy read, best for someone with a basic familiarity with psychological type, but readable by those without such familiarity. Nonetheless, it is illuminating for those with a high level of knowledge about type.

The book is based on a selected group of people identified as aging creatively. It's their stories of how they did it, and how psychological type affects this process. It appears that some of the limitations of type are overcome by those who age creatively, and it is the exploration and acceptance of the less-preferred functions that makes for a successful old age.

I have just finished reading this book a second time after 20 years. As before, I was again exhilarated by Scherman's broad brush strokes taking in the land, its history, literature, geology, flora and fauna.

Particularly well done are the chapter about NJALS SAGA, the greatest of the medieval family sagas. Yet I was also interested to find an excellent discussion of the EYRBYGGJA SAGA, which I have just finished reading. The first few chapters about the volcanic origin of the land, with the massive 1973 explosion of Eldfell on Heimaey and the recent birth of the nearby isle of Surtsey. Scherman is at her best in describing the feel of the land, such as the flood sands bordering Vatnajokull.

It is worth the trouble to find this superb book if you, like me, are planning to visit the land of fire and ice.

As the 5th book in the Westlands novels, The Dragon Revenant introduces a number of new characters and plot twists. I enjoyed the ongoing connections between past characters that had played somewhat minor roles in previous books but that were reborn in this one. The evolving interplay between the elven population, the "round-ears", and the Guardians created new ground for subsequent books and held my interest through the end. I can't wait to read the next book!