This text is very good for those who start doing research in statistical signal processing. A lot of explanations, technical terms are well presented and consistent, plus a number of examples that help you to learn about different statistical signal processing concepts and algorithms. Research students can be beneficial alot from this text.

This is one of the best references on statistical signal processing. The topic is not of simple matter, but the author presents the materials clearly together with great examples. The book is reader-friendly and is relatively error-free. I have bought several copies for my PhD students at Georgia Tech.

This book was asigned to me for a graduate course in Statistical Signal Estimation. The book was very useful and easy to read. It was well written and had helpful examples. I recommend this book for any one who wants to learn about Estimation Theory.

Steven James' Godiva And The Golden Dragon is a superbly written historical and romantic novel set in the last years of Anglo-Saxon rule in England. Starting with the famous ride of Lady Godiva. Spanning A.D. 1057 to A.D. 1066, Godiva And The Golden Dragon wonderfully mixes history with unforgettable characterization, seizing the reader's consciousness and refusing to let go until the very end. A richly involving novel and highly recommended for historical fiction enthusiasts.

Lady Godiva was a freedom rider,
she didn't care if the whole world looked
-Theme from Maude

With the notable exception of the above lyric, Lady Godiva has in recent times become one of the
unsung heroes of Western democracy. People may still recall the sensational form that her protest
took, her naked ride through Coventry, but few recall that she was protesting high rates of taxation
(imposed by her own husband : Leofric, the Earl of Mercia).

Leofric was one of the most powerful nobles of 11th Century Britain, and he and Godiva were major
patrons of the arts and religious institutions, Godiva apparently believing that such works would benefit
the peasantry. But when she realized that what would actually be most beneficial to the poor would be
a reduction in their high tax burden she interceded with the Earl and asked him to lighten their load.
The Earl, one assumes jokingly, suggested that since Godiva was such a believer in the arts and since
the Greeks and Romans considered the human form itself to be great art, he would remove the local
taxes on everything but horses if she would ride through town in all her naked glory on horseback,
which she promptly did. Later embellishments to what appears to have been an actual incident include
the addition of a voyeur who gazed upon her, despite admonishments that the townsfolk should avert
their eyes : we recall him as the original "Peeping Tom".

This very fine historical novel by Steven James would be cause for celebration if all he did was restore
our memory of the Lady. But there's more. Several years ago I lamented the fact that Hope Muntz's
classic, The Golden Warrior, with its thrilling tale of the conflict between Harold Godwinson and
William the Bastard (eventually, unfortunately, the Conqueror) had fallen out of print. Many consider
The Golden Warrior to be the greatest historical novel ever written, and it certainly ranks with the
best. I'd still urge folks to try to track down a copy, but, in the meantime, Steven James has cleverly
tied the legend of Lady Godiva into the story of Harold and produced a thoroughly engaging historical
fiction of his own.

James uses a few fictional characters and a healthy dollop of imagination to bind these storylines
together, perhaps more tightly than they need to be (the Epilogue is particularly unnecessary). But as
the drama builds towards the Battle of Hastings (in 1066) the reader gets so swept up in the course of
events that all license taken with the story is forgiven. One warning though, I loaned my copy of
Golden Warrior to a friend and he refused to finish the book because he couldn't stand to read of
Harold's eventual defeat. I excoriated him at the time, but found myself reacting similarly towards the
end of Godiva and the Golden Dragon. Harold's attempt to defend his kingdom--from a hostile and
corrupt papacy; from the treacheries of his own brothers; from a Northern invasion by King Haraald of
Norway; and from conquest by William and the Normans--is too heroic and too nearly succeeds for the
tender hearted reader to easily accept his ultimate failure. It is all just ineffably sad, though it goes a
long way to explaining the rise of centralized nation-states, with a single political authority capable of
reigning in rebellious rival claimants to power.

This then is one of the more enjoyable historical novels I've read in recent years. For all of us who
await with great impatience the next offering from Sharon Kay Penman, here's a book to tide us over.
And for anyone who's forgotten, or never knew, why Lady Godiva was a "freedom rider", this book
restores a real heroine to her rightful place in the pantheon.

GRADE : A-

Godiva and the Golden Dragon is an excellent read. Starting with the famous ride of Godiva through Coventry, you are met with Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies and battles, that keep you captivated until the end. I loved every word. It had everything I look for in a book...mystery, horror and excitement. And yes, it had that romance stuff, too. Any book that can grab me on the first word and not let me put it down until I'm finished is a good book...and this WAS a good book. I was disappointed in the end though...there wasn't any more to read. Steven James did a fantastic job mixing historical fact with fiction. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves the fascinating world of medieval England.

When I was very little, my sister would read this story to me every Christmas. It was our little tradition. As we grew older, I came to read it on my own. I had two Macy's holiday traditions- The Thanksgiving Day Parade and this story about three lovable mice that take up living in a Macy's over Christmas and the mystery of a missing Santa. I have just found a copy of this book and I can't wait until my fiance have children to be able to read it to them every year. It's definitely a story worth handing down!

Marvin the Magnificent, Raymond and Fats are three mice out to enjoy life ... in Macy's department store. When the toy department's Santa gets kidnapped they are on the case in the best manner of old-movie private eyes. But how can three mice track him down and rescue him before Christmas?

Narrated by Marvin himself, this story is absolutely hilarious. Don't be stopped by the mice. It was one of my favourite books growing up and I still recall it with great fondness (and a vague sense of irritation that my children's books got sold a few years back).

There are at least three other books about this mouse trio, and I think a couple of them are still in print. This one, however, is my favourite, and worth looking for in your local library/used book store.

Even though I haven't read this book in about 8 years, I still remember it as my favorite childhood library book and am currently traking down a copy to own. I read this book every Christmas for years and am very familiar with it. The story is magical and uplifting. A true classic.

This is a wonderful and well written book that will capitivate and hold your attention to the very last page. Readers of all generations would enjoy this book. The book is about haymaking, but also so much more. The illustrations and pictures help you to envision life on the farm. I will anxiously await his next book.

The previous readers already praised this book so beautifully in their reviews that I don't know if I can improve on what has already been said, other than to say that I found this to be a very moving and lyrical testament to a vanishing way of life--the family farm. I loved Hoffbeck's detailed descriptions of the five farm families, ranging from early settlers to his own experience, and I thought he very masterfully combined factual details with personal revelations and insight. Extremely illuminating.

Using clear sentences, Dr. Hoffbeck has penned a lively and fascinating yet tragic history of haymaking in Minnesota. The book tells five ornately factual tales of farming from the vantage point of the predominant ethnic groups that helped settle the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The author's descriptions of agricultural life are so delightfully vivid that one can virtually experience the heat and humidity, feel the aching muscles, see the verdant pastures, inhale the earthy smells, and enjoy the indescribable feeling of satisfaction that comes from completing a hard day's work on the land. Far from being merely a fact-laden transcript of Minnesota farm trivia, the book is both a compendium of interesting rural data AND a deeply personal and sad account of the risks that are part and parcel of the agrarian experience, even in this technological age. One is left to ponder the bitter irony that farmers must face daily: the farms that feed our nation are modern, yet dangerous. Highly recommend.

What is law & economics? It is the school of jurisprudence in which the tools of microeconomic analysis are used to study law. Those of us who practice economic analysis have a deceptively simple task. We translate some legal doctrine into economic terms. We then apply a few basic principles -- cost-benefit analysis, collective action theory, decision-making under uncertainty, risk aversion, and the like -- to the problem. Finally, we translate the result back into legal terms.

Law & economics unquestionably is the most successful form of intellectual arbitrage in the history of jurisprudence. Why? Traditional forms of legal scholarship were mostly backward looking. One reasoned from old precedents to decide a present case, seemingly without much concern (at least explicitly) for the effect today's decision would have a future behavior. Yet, law is necessarily forward looking. To be sure, a major function of our legal system is to resolve present disputes, but law's main job is to regulate future behavior. The law & economics movement succeeded because it recognized that judges cannot administer justice solely retrospectively. They must also consider what rules their decisions will create to guide the behavior of other actors in the future. Even more important, however, law & economics gives judges systematic mechanisms for predicting how rules will affect behavior.

Mercuro and Medema's text offers a comprehensive overview of law & economics. Unlike many texts, it is not limited to the Chicago School (as exemplified by such stalwarts as Manne, Easterbrook, and Posner). They also describe the New Haven school (classically exemplified by Calabresi), the public choice theory of Arrow, Buchanan, and others, as well as both the traditional and new institutional economics. By reminding us that law & economics is not a homogeneous field, and providing a fair commentary on each of the major traditions within the larger discipline, they offer an excellent introduction to this important area of jurisprudence.

One nice touch, which makes the text useful for a wide audience, is that it does not assume familiarity with either economics or law. The introduction offers a brief historical overview of basic jurisprudence, as well as an appendix explaining basic economic principles. Consequently, the book will serve well the interests both of lawyers who need to brush up on economics and economists interested in law.

Criticisms that led me to subtract one star: There is little in the way of critical evaluative judgment. Indeed, Mercuro and Medema disavow any effort at criticism. As a result, the reader is left to his own devices. Second, I am not persuaded by Mercuro and Medema's decision to include a rather lengthy chapter on critical legal studies. Criticism of law & economics has been a major project of CLS scholars, but CLS scholarship has had no influence of any significance on any of the dominant strains of law & economics thinking. In this case, moreover, the failure to exercise critical evaluative judgment means that the generalist reader may have difficulty assessing the (bogus) claims made by CLS. In general, while maintaining facial neutrality on their own part, Mercuro and Medema give far more attention to CLS and Marxist critiques of law & economics than they do to conservative critiques thereof or to law & economics criticisms of CLS.

The authors know what they are talking about. The book is a survey of the main strains of law and economics theories and approaches. It provides examples of each theory and that can be illuminating. However, more examples could have given a better sense to the differences across the several theories. The notes are well written and provide all you need for further reading.

Houman Shadab's review is right on the money -- including what's left _out_ of this otherwise excellent introductory work. Since I like Hayek, Barnett, and Rothbard, I find the omission disappointing -- but c'est la vie.

Anyway, if you're looking for a solid overview of the various schools of thought involving the relations between law and economics, this volume is a great place to start. (_Complete_ newcomers might also want to pick up Dennis Patterson's _Companion to Philosophy of Law and Legal Theory_, which includes a fine essay on "Law and Economics.")

One tremendous merit of the present volume is that it doesn't limit itself to the "Chicago school." The U of Chi crowd gets a single chapter, and the rest of the book is devoted to the other schools of thought Mr. Shadab has helpfully listed below. The resulting volume is therefore pretty comprehensive (with the exceptions already noted).

Readers interested in this topic may want to read Thomas Miceli's _Economics of the Law_ next. I don't personally favor the mathematical-models approach (for the usual Misesian/Rothbardian reasons) -- but Miceli's volume is a fine introduction to that approach and will afford the reader the opportunity to judge it on its merits.

This is a great read-aloud because it is so fun. Salley is able to make a possum seem believably related to these two wacky ladies. And Epossumondas is so lovable, despite his inablility to get things right. The illustrations are able to effectively capture the zaniness of the characters and their actions. The book can also be connected to Cajun culture and folklore. A wonderful book to share with all ages. Full of heart, humor, and love.

I am a wildlife rehabilitator and I specialize in possums; therefore, when looking for a gift for my twin 4-year-old cousins, I called Borders and requested "any children's book about opossums". I always say it takes a special person to love an opossum because most people think they are big rats! And so I love to show children the possum babies and they love them and don't think they're ugly at all. They never fear an opossum again. They know that you can't "play" with an opossum because "possums don't play. they're just curious and hungry." And so I went to pick up this book on my way to the birthday party, and I was crying from laughter in the parking lot. I am 20 and have been accused of having a weird sense of humor (I'm a possum girl, go figure) and this book was so damn cute, I couldn't stand it! I love to read this book over and over to my 6 cousins and their friends. They age from 1-10 years old and they all think it is hilarious even after the 50th time I read it to them. For any child I have to find a gift for, I get them this book. And even for infants because I know it will become a favorite. This is the book that your child will pretend to read because they have the words memorized. Who can resist a silly little possum in a diaper!? I advertise this book to people; it also shows that Epossumondas just does exactly what he is told and does his very best. And in the end, even after he messed up so many times, his mama and auntie still love him very much. I feel this gives a good message to children. In development, at the age of 2 children learn that mommy may say "no" or get angry, but that mommy still loves them. Many children today are traumatized at this age and do not learn this vital behaviour. This book depicts love perfectly.

"Epossumondas was his mama's and his auntie's sweet little patootie. They just loved him to death. Epossumondas used to go see his auntie most every day, and she nearly always gave him something to take home with him..." So begins renowned storyteller, Colleen Salley's, clever folktale about an endearing little possum who always follows his human mama's directions a little too literally with hilarious results. As she tells the reader in the Storyteller's Note, Epossumondas is a noodlehead story. "Mishaps occur but are not caused deliberately. The humor is gentle and silly. The plot may be highly improbable, but not impossible-it could happen." Ms Salley's engaging text just begs to be read aloud and is complemented by award winning illustrator, Janet Stevens, captivating, bold and bright artwork. Children will revel in all the eye-catching detail and marvelous facial expressions as they linger over each page. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Epossumondas is a fun-filled, witty and warm romp little ones will want to read again and again, and is sure to become an instant favorite at your house.

I hesitated to buy this book because of the title - "evidence-based" is often not so much an assurance of reliability as of nonreadability. However, of the twenty or so books on physical diagnosis I have perused this is by far the best - no single book will improve your clinical examination with more speed or pleasure.

Many good physical exam books exist, but this is the only one that really tells you what PE finding mean. It includes great tables that lists findings of particular diseases and gives the sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratios. Other books will tell you that sign X is associated with disease Y, but no others tell you that if you see X that there is a high probability that the patient has Y, and a low probability if the patient doesn't have Z. The tables are even referenced to articles.

this book is combination of ancient artistic physical signs with recently popular scientific evidence based medicine , great work that writer provide detail and clear evidence , all physicians must review their bed side skills with the evidnce ,their trend should be taught in every medical school .5 stars .

"The Farewell Principle" by Steven Weiss is a fast-paced story that incorporates legal and personal challenges of a Michigan attorney, Maurice "Mo" Robinson. Mo is forced to face his own personal prejudices and loyalties when he encounters a white supremacist group.Mo grapples with real-life situations that makes one question one's own values and beliefs. This page-turner is especially satisfying to people familiar with Detroit since many Detroit streets and buildings are mentioned.(a la Elmore Leonard}.Steve Weiss, a first-time novelist, has successfully written a realistic compelling story that I would highly recommend.

The author brings you into the personal lives of his characters as he develops a fast paced socially enlightening legal thriller. The novel's action is accurately showcased in Southeastern Michigan. You not only get to know the characters, but if you live in Michigan you recognize the familiar landmarks. If you aren't from Michigan, you learn about the Motor City and its suburbs as well as understanding the politics of the area. This story has an important message. Hate, redemption, intolerance, nobleness, and prejudice are dealt with in enlightened terms.

I like a book that gets your heart pumping and your mind racing. This one does 'em both. After you read this book, you'll realize what the power of the pen is all about. I recommend this highly.

For the fans of Miss Gene Marshall, this walk down Hollywood's memory lane will not be a disappointing one. Gene's early days from childhood to her initial experiences on the set of her first motion picture, Blond Lace, serve to chronicle the much anticipated story of one of the 20th centuries most beloved celebrities.

A carousel of sweetly flavored reminisces from "those in the know" are often interwoven by the tartness of tensel town's own diva, Madra Lord.

This well written text left this particular reader wanting more, more, MORE!

I had wanted this book since I first heard about, so when I got it for my birthday, I was very pleased. The book is just beautiful, Mel Odom's illustrations are fabulous, as are the photographs which make Gene seem to come alive. After reading through the "interviews" and letters from people who worked with Gene, you almost find yourself believing that she was a real person, and want to go and rent a movie staring her, which sadly one cannot do. It is a wonderful book to add to your collection, and it makes Gene's story even more real. I highly recomend it to any Gene fan. Even if you do not collect Gene dolls, this book would make for an entertaining read.

I just saw the Gene Marshall - Girl Star book at Borders. It is beautifully photographed with excellent illustrations. This book will make an excellent addition to any coffee table in any home. The story line is very well thought out and it can rival any fiction of the 1940s. Also, the book should be displayed right along with the Gene dolls that all of the collectors have, it would make a great conversation piece for visiting guests in your home.

This is the real MCoy. The authors appear to know their subect well and have done their homework. I thank you for that because this is my first read on the subject of real cowboy clothing and I wanted facts. The detail was very good and in some cases too good as in the section on horse bits. What cowboys acually wore and why is fascinating. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the Hollywood costumes but it's nice to know the real story and this is it.

A friend shoved this book in front of me during research for a historical novel, and I found it fascinating! It is a comprehensive guide to the real garb and tack of real cowboys in a real frontier, not a Technicolored Hollywood wardrober's fantasy. I found it expertly written and illustrated, detailed and enormously helpful. This isn't the kind of amateur historical pap you see so often in this category, it's the Real McCoy. Anyone who wants or needs to know how cowboys and frontiersmen dressed needs to pick up "I See By Your Outfit."

I thought this book would be about what you can tell about people from what kind of truck they drive. But it turned out to be a very good reference on historic Western garb.