So there's this plague, see, that wipes out about 99.9 percent of the population. San Francisco is a big artist commune - one group paints the Golden Gate Bridge blue. An army decides to take over. The ensuing war is one of the oddest battles ever fought - soldiers, cut down by tranquilizers, have the word DEAD painted on their cheeks, and are warned via a letter that if they don't consider themselves hors-de-combat, they may very well die for real next time. Other soldiers are dived-bombed with water balloons full of jasmine perfume and LSD. Probably the lowest body count of any book featuring battle scenes. I read this book on a whim and fell madly in love with it. I have to reread it again soon.

I've read this book a number of times since I first discovered it a few years ago. The story & characters stay at the edge of my memory and as the details get blurry, I take it out & read it again. Pat Murphy's description of San Franscisco as the artists transform it, is so vivid that I can see their art and understand its impact. It's an entrancing book -- I wish it had a sequel.

Following the Plague that destroyed most the inhabitants of America, the City of San Fransiscoe remains populated by artists, hippies and the like. An army general is on a course to re-unite the once great America and San Fransisco is the city next in line on his agenda - but the artists resist, not by military confrontation - but by 'fighting with their art and creativity.' The characters are so alive and energetic - the story is chilling, memorable and superbly told by Pat Murphy. This is one of the greats - not to be missed!!!

This book is lovely. The pictures are gorgeous. The text only compliments the pictures. The text is simple and easy to understand.

I used this book when teaching the gifted students math and science. The book is so lovely that many times my students would just read it because of that, not because they were trying to see a concept.

Now I use it as a goal for my personal photography. (I can only hope to be that good someday!)

This is a gorgeous book and well worth the money.

If I could give 10 stars to this book, I would. As a fellow nature photographer and instructor, we use this book as the text book for our photography programs, especially the ones on composition, patterns, and natural design. William Neill's photography is outstanding, each picture simple and clear to the point being made. The text is a reflection of the outstanding quality and precision of the photographs, making their point clearly and simply, yet capturing the imagination. You will start looking at the world differently after reading this book, having your imagination captured by the shadows and cracks on the sidewalk, the curls in the petal of a flower, the fascination of designs found in food, plants, the clouds, everywhere you look will seem fresh and new, seen through new eyes.

Interested in math and geometry, this book will open a new world to you in understanding the complexities of nature as well as geometry and other sciences to you. Fractals, rectangles, spirals, mathematical computations we all learned in school come alive under the simple and magical words and the gorgeous images by Mr. Neill. I would include this as a text book in any math class, inspiring and opening student's eyes to the possibilities found in nature.

For nature and photo enthusiasts, you will go back to this book time and time again for inspiration and information. It will help you understand why rose petals open as they do, how a drop of water can hold the most volume before it explodes, making yet another geometrical shape. You learn why cactus have spines, how lava cools, cracking in even shapes. A very exciting lesson comes in learning how scientists, after many frustrating centuries, with the help of computers finally came up with a mathematical computation for measuring mountains, coastlines, clouds, fog, the physical and ethereal elements of nature. The chapter on fractals really expands your understanding of the sciences.

Mr. Neill has done a sequel to this book and it is also worth getting, as is anything he touches. He is an inspired and dedicated photographer, who some say is carrying on the work of his mentor, Ansel Adams, but I say he is carving his own unique road, in someways surpassing the master's work.

Each page is worthy of framing itself! You feel as though you are with the photographer as each description of the picture is both clear and inviting the reader to feel what was happening at the time the photo was taken ...All aspects of nature, from flowers to underwater scenes....are creatively captured for the viewer. I loved this book and din't want to finish it...

Many science experiment books out there either have bad science in them, poorly designed experiments, or unclear directions (or, unfortunately, all three). This book has great experiments that are easy and fun to do. And, the science behind the experiments is accurate and clearly explained. As a scientist, science teacher, and parent, this book is the first one my list of recommendations!

I ordered several books to prepare for the experiments I wanted to present for the "Bring Your Kids to Work" Day. This was, by far, the most useful and most interesting book I received. You can use the experiments listed in the book, and tailor them for younger or older children very easily. I'm going to order the sequel, "Science Explorer, Out and About," today!

I am an elementary school teacher and the mother of three young children so I have read a lot of books that say they are filled with easy-to-do science experiments but this is by far the best of its kind that I have read. Within the first two hours my kids and I did three of the experiments AND had a great time together AND learned something!

This book will keep kids intrested for houres! It has pages of hands on activities. The book has tons of very intertaning activities. The book makes learning fun. The book comes with 3d glasses and a Zap Pack that when you snap a butten the pack goes from liquid to solid and heats up. This book is a great learning took that is a great buy for houres of entertainment!

This book is way cool! It has 3D paages including 3D glasses, some sort of pack that changes from boiling hot to freezing cold, a hundred of info, some illusions... It's like my own Science Museum !

Zap! Science is a great hands-on book. With many expirements, this book makes science fun.

This book is the best of its kind--nothing comes close to the number and variety of mental puzzles of various levels of difficulty...word games, optical tricks, math puzzles, et cetera. This book is amazing. I've given several to teachers. Excellent for third grade up to high school. The only thing I'd change about the book is the color: the book only has black, white, gray and blue.

This book is so much fun! It's the best collection of brain teazers and puzzles and games that I've seen. Reading the book made me want to visit the Exploratorium museum in San Francisco.

"The Color of Nature" is a very good book. The photography is wonderful, and there is nice text to go along with it.

Paul Dogerty makes learning the "whys" and "hows" of colors fun. He presents the scientific principles of how we see what we see in an easy-to-grasp manner that is both interesting and comprehensible. In addition, the photographs that accompany the text, which alone are worth the price of the book, serve to admirably highlight the processes Dogerty seeks verbally to illustrate. Together, art and words combine to emphasize the wonder and beauty of the world in which we live

Two very good friends of mine bought me this book last November and I can't get tired of it at all!

The book is systematically grouped into categories such as Desert landscapes, ancient landscapes etc which necessarily makes it an easy read for a light reader or those who love pictures.

Most of the pictures depict natural features in the U.S.A. and some from Canada and islands in the Indian Ocean. Even though many, such as the Delicate Arch, are very well-photographed, the lively colors seem to want you to pay attention to the pictures again. For example, Delicate Arch was taken with a backdrop of a brewing thunderstorm. Due to the presence of other comparable features behind or near the main focus, one will be kept intrigued, truly appreciating the sheer size of each of the features and marveling at the wonderful hand of God.

The captions are informative, and I would say, rather detailed - so much so they can pass for simple Geographic text. Some even add a sense of humor, describing huge corestones on the Bowling Balls Beach to have "roll[ed] over to join its companion".

My only complaint is that there are too few photos. There should be more on Grand Canyon, and other beautiful features not covered such as Big Horn Canyon, Gates of the Mountains, Yosemite Falls, Crater Lake, Shoshone in Wyoming and Niagara Falls, whose histories can be equally alluring.

The Earth has many lessons to teach us. These lessons are written on the ground at your feet, on the mountains across the river from my house, in the rocks of a riverbed, in the trees all around us. Once you learn to read them, you'll see them everywhere.

This inspired collaboration between Photographer William Neill and the Staff of San Francisco's acclaimed science museum, the Exploratorium, Traces of Time, beautifully illustrates the effects of time on our natural surroundings.

The Exploratorium was the one place in the Bay Area where I could take my chickadees for an entire day & know we would all be learning things that were both strange & curious about everyday objects & events. It is the only hands-on museum where you never hear a discouraging word & are invited to play. There are now over 650 exhibits which people can investigate with impunity.

This is a gloriously illustrated, thoughtfully written introduction to how the passing of time can be seen in the moment - rushing rivers captured in the camera's lens & over the eons - geology explained.

Traces of Time will make an excellent gift that will keep on giving. For my full review do check out: [my website].

As a step dancer with limited exposure to set dancing, I found this book a wonderful introduction. Although I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of his notation, I know/ have heard of several who do. In any case, it is well written and researched.... An excellent historical guide. Probably the best Irish dance (step or set) book sold on Amazon.

_Toss the Feathers_ is the definitive book on Irish set dancing. I bought a copy in Galway City, and it has saved me innumerable times. I carry it with me to all classes and ceilis; it's well-worn and well-loved. Besides the most common sets, Pat gives us notes for beautiful and obscure local dances. His introduction also includes an illuminating history of set dancing. Beware: you will not teach yourself to dance from this book if you have no prior knowledge of set dancing. However, it is ideal for supplementing your knowledge from classes. When two set dancers disagree on the "correct" version of a set, one inevitably pulls out a copy of Pat's book, and his judgement is trusted. All of us set dancing addicts are awaiting the upcoming sequel. Buy it now! You'll never regret this useful reference on bad days when you can't even remember how the Ballyvourney Jig Set begins.

This book is great for anyone who set dances but hasn't yet memorized all of the moves (-most of us?!). Not intended for people who have never set danced before. You need to be familiar with the jargon, such as "round the house", "ladies chain", etc.

Simply put...the theories in this book WORK. Admittedly somewhat skeptical of implementing the "chip theory" and the power dead even rule, I decided to try them out on a recent business trip. My experience on this trip was unlike any other. From the woman behind the airline ticket counter to the female "guest services" coordinator at the hotel, other women went out of their way to support my needs and made my success possible. Interestingly, when I tried out the theories on men, I found that they responded more positively to me as well. Go out and buy this book as soon as you can. Read it, study it and put the theories into practice. Then sit back and watch how your life changes before your eyes.

When I picked up "In the Company of Women" to read, I was prepared to disagree with every single sentence. A female colleague had given it to me as a gift, saying that all her friends were reading it and having an "aha" experience -- they finally understood what was happening in their interactions with other women at work, with their friends, etc. I wasn't even going to read it, but when she told me that Harvard Business School had the book on its recommended list on its website, I decided to go ahead and at least start.
My fear was that the book would play into every stereotype we professional women have worked so hard to overcome -- reinforcing that all-too-widespread male view that we are emotional, bitchy "girls" just out to get each other. BOY WAS I WRONG! These authors have PhD's and years of experience in corporate America and they know their stuff. I was really impressed with the scholarship and research.
As I was reading I began to see all my friends and myself in the examples. We have all been sabotaged by other women in the workplace; we just didn't want to admit it. I didn't find the advice trite or counterproductive to business in the least --and I didn't find it to be overly focused on the issue itself so that I was left thinking "OK now what do I do?" The majority of the book is focused on solutions THAT WORK, and those solutions are very simple. I have been using them, and I can say with absolute confidence that my work environment is better for all of us -- men and women -- as a result.
We all deal with co-workers based on their personalities, level in the organization, work styles, etc. If I manage someone who isn't brilliant but who is really organized, good-natured, straightforward, and works well under pressure, then I will assign a different project (or in a different way), and with a different set of expectations about completion date, than if he or she is brilliant but disorganized, moody, and gets overwhelmed by pressure. Gender is simply one more factor to consider, but I never thought about it before because I wanted to think it doesn't matter. (Maybe a little leftover 1960's idealism at work-I don't know). But of course gender matters and I just didn't see it! (The rest of our bodies are different -- why wouldn't our brains be too?) That means their work styles are likely to be different too. But as the authors point out, that's not a liability that's a PLUS. I was especially impressed with the biological research Heim and Murphy cite to show how these gender differences are hard-wired --that women's brains are different than men's. I also found the evolutionary and primate studies to be a real eye-opener.
I was prepared to hate this book because I thought it was would be "pop psychology" at its worst. Instead, it's groundbreaking psychology at its best. "In the Company of Women" gives all the scientific, rational explanations and solutions that make it safe for all of us to talk about the problem. It has intense scholarly research combined with "real-world" experience, and solutions, solutions, solutions. Otherwise, women don't want to talk about it for fear of reinforcing that "bitchy girls" stereotype, and men don't want to talk about it because they don't want to appear sexist. If we don't start dealing with the issue, we ALL lose, both in and out of the workplace!
The authors' solutions may seem simple at times, but in my experience the simplest solutions are the most effective ones. I just bought copies to send to my best old college friends as well as to my daughters, and I sent the Harvard Business School review to about 20 other professional women. I am also making the book "required reading" for everybody who reports to me. I hate to be wrong, but it made me realize that women AND men are shooting themselves in the foot by doing what I was doing -- NOT ADMITTING THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTS.
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This book was recommended to me by a friend and I thank her very much. The authors have described processes that explain what I have observed, but couldn't quite understand, until reading this book. Why women have an incredible memory for hurts and injustices; why women can be so 'catty' amongst themselves; why women can talk so intimately and so easily with each other and with men... I could go on and on with the questions I've always had about women. Learning about the 'tend and befriend' hormone and about the Darwinian survival characteristics of many of these behaviors helps men (as well as women) understand and not personalize these inherent patterns. I especially appreciated the research citations and the sound scientific foundations of the authors' conclusions. I have recommended this book to a dozen people I know, and I think it's a worthwhile read for any adult who works with, is in a relationship with, or is a woman - and I guess that's everyone.

An interesting mix of plot lines and solid writing keeps this tale moving along at a brisk pace. The characters are interesting, but the book as a whole is not as challenging as the authors Nebula winning novel "The Falling Woman," or the multiple award winning novella "Bones."

Overall, a very solid and satisfying story, but with a few quibbles. Why do authors' feel the need to include "Ockham's Razor" and "Schroedinger's Cat" as principles that need inclusion and explanation? Along with "Gordian Knot" and "Damocles Sword" these must be the most overused clichés of science fiction and I am very tired of reading them. And what ever compelled the author to name so many characters after herself? It might seem humorous to some, but it really spoiled the rhythm of the story for me.

Still, I do recommend giving this book a good reading, to expand your thinking a bit while getting a good dose of entertainment.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but it's just made it onto my list of favorites. Lighthearted and fun, reality-twisting and metafiction at its best, I recommend this book to anyone who doesn't take life all that seriously--or is at least willing to take everything in the universe equally seriously, as the pataphysicists Murphy invented suggest.

This book is perfect for sitting on the back porch on a beautiful summer Saturday afternoon. The book is delightfully light without feeing frivilous. You'll finish it with a smile on your face and the feeling of a well spent afternoon. Descriptions of the plot would give away some of the fun much of the fun (though there are plenty of other reviews you can read for details.) Buy one for yourself, and buy one for a friend. It's well worth the investment.