I had hoped to use this book to look up specific perennials and compare their colors, but most of the flowers I had in mind were not included in the book. There are 639 plants covered, not just perennials, but annuals, bulbs, vines, and shrubs as well. So considering that there are thousands of varieties of flowers, the chances of finding a particular flower are slim. This book is better used without a specific plant in mind, but to browse through to get ideas of plants of a particular color.

Also, there seems to be a warm climate bias. Many of the plants (not just annuals) are for zones 8 and up. I think northern gardeners would find this a frustrating book to use.

Wow...what a lot of fun. The three strips of mix-and-match flip pages are the perfect interactive format for letting your own eye experiment with different color combinations. The consistent quality of the photographs and color printing make it easy to compare how even subtle shifts in color have a powerful design impact. The author's own remarkable plant combinations on each strip are fascinating in themselves. Not just pretty pictures either- the back of each strip identifies the plant, descibes its culture and growing habits and also offers some very good suggestions for plant combinations. One of my all-time favorite garden design books.

This book solves the problem for so many of us weekend gardeners who are looking for colorful combinations for our beds that work together, but don't have the time to sit and match pictures of plants to get the color scheme correct. Unlike most gardening books that provide you with garden designs too cluttered with foliage to get the impact of the flowers' colors, this book gives you combinations that work in one reference source. It's easy to use, providing a great variety of plants and information for any gardener, but the most useful point is the garden color palette it provides. This book is well worth the purchase just in the time it saves me that I used to spend planting and then transplanting plants to different locations because they didn't work with the surrounding bed. There is nothing more jarring to the eye than looking at a garden bed and seeing that one color that just doesn't work with the others. This is a perfect book for any gardener, from beginner to expert.

My criticisms, of this book, are as follows:

1. There are references to many classic papers, which is EXCELLENT. However, in ADDITION, it would be nice to see some more recent references. Please do NOT remove the classic references in a future edition. Add to it.

2.A bit more detailed pathophysiology/pathogenesis will be nice. Currently it is already very good, but I think can be improved upon slightly.

3. When recommending treatments, please put in the full drug name, doses, regimen, route etc, throughout the whole textbook. Don't just write condidtion X can be treated with drug Y. At 3.00 AM in the ICU, it would be nice if users didn't have to look up an additonal book just to check dosing etc while their patients crash through the floor.

I disagree with the rating given to this book by the new RN below. The RN found that the book did not meet her needs and therefore rated it 2 stars. However, this text was NOT WRITTEN for a nurse audience - it's a comprehensive critical medicine textbook for doctors and medical students, and it does a superb job for the intended readers. There are many nursing ICU textbooks available which SALABSKY will probably find more suitable for her needs.

The Intensive Care Unit Manual by Paul N. Lanken MD is excellent for houseofficers and fellows caring for patients in the critical care setting, including medical, surgical, obstetric, and trauma ICUs. It's also a worthwhile book for senior medical students with a solid background in medical pathophysiology who have completed rotations in medicine and surgery and are eager to maximize on the ICU experience. This Manual's strength lies in it's easy-to-read, detailed, yet succinct text on pathophysiology, differential diagnoses, management, and complications. As a former medical student, houseofficer, Renal fellow, and Chief Resident, reading the short chapters in this Manual will also aid in asking well-thought out questions to the appropriate consultants (e.g., neurologist, cardiac surgeon, hepatologist, nephrologist). Though it is not a "pocket-sized" manual, it is an outstanding paperback manual that is comprehensive yet portable and easily would serve as the sole bedside/ call room reference book in the acute ICU setting.

Wow,the photos in the book were great but I have a bone to pick. The author says these were photographed by the soldiers. Then what about all the inhumane crimes committed by the Wehrmacht and all the photographs taken by its sadistic soldiers. Look no further than the book "German Army and Genocide" for them. Also, the author obviously has a pro-German bias. He describes the Russian soldiers as "Reds"- this is not the Russian civil war! One of the pictures describes the 'fanatic' resistance at Brest-Litvosk while always describing the 'heroics' of the Germans. Also he uses the German spelling for Soviet cities: Lemberg, Moskau, etc. There are also several errors by labeling General Vassili Chuikov (the hero of Stalingrad) as General Zhukov. Still the book is a great collection of photos.

This is by far the largest collection of eastern front photos I've ever seen. Most of the photos are never before seen snapshots taken by ordinary soldiers and this is also one of two weakest points of this book: they (photos) are not of best quality. Other weak point is captions. They are very short and mostly un-informative (caption might read for example "German soldier in trench" and nothing about where the photo was taken etc.).

This is definately not a book for eastern front enthusiast who is looking for facts about war fought in Russia, but for one who is tired of seeing same old photos we have seen during last 30 years. Quantity of photos alone makes this book worth buying.

Okay, I was looking at reviews and after looking at those done by others, I just HAD to write something! Operation Barbarossa in Photographs is absolutely great!! Paul Carell is a famous German author and is a vet of the Wehrmacht too. Yes, the book has a German bent--it was written by a German who was THERE--of course he will have a different perspective than someone sitting at home in America in the 21st century. This is a MSUT-HAVE book and is chock full of SO many good pictures you can't read in one or even two sittings, it just has to be broken up to absorb it all. I HIGHLY suggest this book for any student of the Eastern Front and/or the German Military of the Second World War.

Paul Laurence Dunbar's novel "The Sport of the Gods" describes the experiences of an African-American family in the years following the abolition of slavery. According to the introduction by William L. Andrews in the Signet Classic edition of the novel, "Sport" first appeared in "Lippincott's" magazine in 1901 and was published in book form a year later.

After a disturbing turn of events, the Hamilton family leaves their home in the southern U.S. and makes their way to New York City, where they try to start a new life. But the pressures of urban life have serious consequences for each member of the family.

"Sport" is a story about injustice, innocence, and temptation. As he follows this family's story, Dunbar looks at many different relationships: parent/child, husband/wife, black/white, etc. Particularly interesting is his look at the relationship between the media reporter and those who are the object of media reports. The book also presents an ironic view of artists and their connection to larger society.

"Sport" is a dark, moralistic tale. Although the characterizations are fairly shallow, Dunbar's narrative moves along effectively. I actually found the most intriguing character to be Skaggs, a white reporter for a "yellow" newspaper. This novel serves as an ironic complement to those slave autobiographies (such as the "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass") which depict a flight to the north as a liberating experience; the north in "Sport" is a cold, amoral place full of dangers for black people. Overall, this is a compelling book that I regard as a significant milestone in African-American literature.

Have you ever wanted to yell out to the heroes of your favorite movie "DON'T DO THAT YOU IDIOT!!"? This book is sometimes frustrating because you, the reader, can see where the plot is going and want so badly to help the story's characters avoid what seems to be the inevitable. A naturalistic picture of life, and an often-missed text which deserves more attention. It doesn't make you feel good-- but it does make you want to be sure that people have choices, that this sort of thing isn't allowed to happen, that life isn't a series of "sport" that the gods (a vindictive type of gods) play with us. Powerful, powerful writing, vivid details and characters you just want to smack. Read it!

My point being if we're going to require our nation's youth to read Huckleberry Finn in public schools, it is a shame that this book is often left off of the course syllabus. Perhaps because African-American literature doesn't receive as much attention as it should expains this oversight, but regardless of which authors you consider early American classic writers, this book will appeal to all demographics.

An interesting story revolving around a black family that is forced out of the South after being falsely accused of crime. The story is a narrative of their actions and reactions to a new lifestyle in urban New York City. Great philosphical moments such as the bartender teaching the young man the ropes of life.

An interesting and quick read. It's hard to put down this book.

WHOO! Simmons was one serious nut. And I have never seen a spiraling slide into nutdom so artfully rendered. The authors did a remarkable job at explaining a terribly complex scenario that ended in mass murder. The tale of lunacy, incest, and violence is gripping and very freakish. Simmons is one of the worst crazies America ever produced.

Zero at the Bone is without a doubt one of the most horrifying accounts of family massacre ever written. Williams very clearly gets across to the reader the contents of Ronald Gene Simmons' twisted, sick mind. His obsessive lust/love for his daughter Sheila is horrifying; and the detailed steps Simmons took to wipe out his immediate family detail him as nothing less than totally mad. The reader cannot help but feel saddened for Sheila, for she is truly a victim of her father's depraved actions. Simmons' wife Becky is a tragic figure, yet she possesses a core of steel which sustains her up until her murder. Simmons is nothing short of a monster, and Williams spares no words in getting this point across. A note of caution: DO NOT read this book before bedtime!! It is capable of producing some of the worst nightmares, and I would not recommend it for those with weak constitutions. I am an Arkansas native, and remember very vividly these murders. And 15 years later, it still sends shudders down my spine.

The story of Ronald Gene Simmons is masterfully told. We learn about Gene's life, his family, his intense love and jealousy, his fears and suspicions, and his murders. The monster is made human and we are better able to understand why a man would murder his entire family, then undertake another carefully orchestrated murder spree before docilely surrendering to police.

... unfortunately the research and writing don't live up to their potentials. Several flaws remain: any revision should be proofread ... to catch several small common grammatical errors (that made the book irritating to read) as well as differentiating between what is known fact and what are the authors'... opinions. A good first read for someone completely unfamiliar with the hippie era at all as it isn't detailed enough to warrant as a basis for any serious research. After a major re-write, however, I'd love to see the results.

While writing an undergraduate term paper at Harvard University on the Counterculture of the '60s and '70s, I used this book as a refference. I had a good time with reading it and it was a good start to my research. Stone's own experiences and opinions as an "old hippie" help to give this book a very friendly and personal glow. It truely made me wish that I had been born a few generations earlier (not that I didn't already wish that). The first half of the book is a more in-depth account of hippy philosophies, drugs, sex, fashion, activism etc...and the second half of the book serves as more of a list of events, people, places, music, literature etc... which helped to shape the counterculture. I would suggest this book for pleasure reading purposes rather than as a source of refference mostly because it is a biased perspective (the perspective of a true and full-blown hippy) and because the accounts of people and events (all of which are extremely essential to the understanding of the hippie movement) don't go into great detail...rather they are more like extended summaries. However if you are researching the counterculture, you aren't already very familiar with it, and you need a place to start, this book will serve as a great starting point with every aspect of the counterculture nicely summarized and topped off with the thoughts of a true hippie who was there, lived it, loved it, and wants to share it with the world.

This book changed my life by telling the TRUTH about the hippies. Not only does it offer a complete history of the movement's beginnings (WoW! the stuff I learned that wasn't taught in schools was amazing!), it offers a detailed analysis of why and how the movement began. What is truly amazing about "Hippies From A to Z" is the author's associated website, hippy.com, which has evidently been operating for years with a HUGE family of hippie followers. I really like the way Skip Stone has included information gathered from the site, and the real hippies that support it. This book is full of truth, and really defines the question, what is a hippy? Skip takes it one step further, and offers timely and sage advice to new and old hippies as a reminder of why we are all hippies at heart. The book is well-written and nicely designed, making it a valuable book for your library, or or the dashboard of your VW camper-van.

I bought this book because I wanted to gain an understanding of the Crusades. Williams makes this a humorous read but at times his sarcasm annoyed me. He uses alot of nasty desriptions regarding the Turkish warriors in the Crusades. I don't know if he is biased against Turks in general or just trying to add humor to his book but it really got to me as I am Turkish. Overall it is a good book if you want to gain a foothold of knowledge regarding the Crusades.

Although other critics on this page would bash Williams' creation for being shallow, I would like to help that critic understand that this is, and advertised as, an overview for those that are interested in gaining a general understanding of the Crusades. Depth is not an option. Additionally, understating the folly of those involved (on all 4 or 5 sides) should be considered humor and not self hatred.

That said, this is a phenomenally entertaining look about a time that is incredibly confusing for those without a degree in Early Medieval European History. If you want to know what basically happened during the Crusades, don't want to read volume after volume on the matter, and want to laugh out loud at times doing so, buy this book!

(Unless, of course, you cannot find the slightest thing funny about your own history. The recommendation then would be to make dinner reservations for one.)

If you have ever wanted to know anything or everything about "The Crusades", from the first and most successful,to the third and most famous, all the way down to the last and most tragic, this work is an absolutly wonderful way to satisfy that thirst for knowledge. Not only is it entertaining from cover to cover, but the two authors made it so reader friendly that it was hard for me to put it down......not a big deal....but when it was time for the bookstore to close, it was a big deal. I truly am delighted to have read this book and be the owner of a copy myself.

Dr. Sears is the acknowledged leader in the attachment parenting movement, with many well-received books to his name. Like his other titles, _Becoming a Father_ emphasizes early bonding, positive discipline, and respect for the child's physical and emotional needs. To the extent that all fathers need to hear this message, this is an excellent book. So why the low rating? Because despite his child-positive message, Dr. Sears is caught in a time warp when it comes to models of masculinity. Underlying his arguments for an active role for fathers are assumptions that this reader found frustratingly rigid and occasionally downright offensive. An example:

"The growing child should see that important family matters require a mutual decision-making process that involves both mom and dad, but I believe that dad is primarily responsible for making decisions." (p. 194)

Even more troubling is the author's attitude toward homosexuality, which seems to be informed more by conservative religious values than by current medical knowledge:

"'I don't want my son to grow up to be a pansy,' exclaimed John, a new father. His sentiments are shared by most men." (p. 200)

For those readers who aren't already aware of the meaning--or should I say "demeaning"?--of this slur, Dr. Sears goes on to define a "pansy" as "an effeminate boy." Given the author's 1950s-style ideas of masculinity, I'd hate to think how he would judge a boy who, after watching his father wearing a younger sibling in a sling, asked for a doll to play with. He concludes:

"I am personally concerned that our society tends to approve of lifestyles [sic!] such as homosexuality. Society sees this as an 'acceptable alternative.' I can accept a person as a homosexual without having to approve of the morality of homosexuality." (p. 208)

If this "love the sinner, hate the sin" attitude reflects your own beliefs, you will probably get a lot out of this book. But if you take a more egalitarian view of male-female relationships and don't believe--and most mainstream doctors do not--that weak paternal role models "cause" homosexuality, you may want to look elsewhere for advice on fathering. To be fair, there is much of value in this book, but the truly helpful ideas can be gleaned from Sears's array of other works (such as _The Baby Book_) or from other attachment parenting guides, like Katie Granju's _Attachment Parenting_.

Yes indeed. Why? I do not know. But, my husband read this book cover to cover. It was the ONLY book he read to prepare for the birth of our daughter.

His issue, and mine, has a lot to do with Dr. Sears' consistently characterizing Dad as "helper", someone secondary in importance to Mom and incapable of being motherly.

His writing style is kind of folksy if you like that.

If you are really liberal and politically correct,you will not appreciate this book or this man for that reason and for the way
you may perceive his views on gender identity and development in children.

If words like conservative, traditional are anathema to you, leave the book on the shelf.

I enjoyed reading the book. I have used many of the ideas from Dr. Sears book to raise my two children. I own five other fathering books but this is by far the best and most practical one.

Lets face it, there is little support or literature for fathering. I think society expects men to raise their children just like our dads did. Most of the available fathering literature is written by men with one or two children and psychology degrees. Dr. Sears has six kids and is a busy pediatrician.

Especially if you are a first time father, do your child a favor. Buy and read this book.

The First Americas Series is a great series, however the bookForbidden Land is the only book out of the whole series that I didn'tenjoy immensely. In fact I found myself getting annoyed with the way that the book was written. Especially when it came to Karana and to Torka. The conflict between them was awful. Karana is protrayed as childish and Torka as this bull headed idiot. But if you can get past the way the author protrays these two main characters, it is a pretty good book.

William Sarabande's series in this saga of the stone age man is far superior than others I have read. Her insight and storytelling of how it used to be back then seems well researched and exciting, filled with action and adventure as well. The characters are very strong and very enjoyable to read. There is alot of intrigue and things happen that you dont expect - which I like in a book. This is a must read!

After reading the first book in this series, I immediately purchased the next three. The books are so good that I've been pacing my reading...I'll read one, then read something by another author or two and then read another. Why? Because I hate for the story to come to an end.

This book, like the previous two I've read, is very good. This author has an incredible ability to "paint" a picture of the characters and scenery that almost makes you believe you're there. You can almost feel the biting winter winds, as the characters trudge through the snow in search of food and shelter. You feel their pain and despair as they find themselves faced with cruelty from other people and danger from the elements and animals they hunt to live.

By the time you finish with the first of these books, you'll feel as if Torka and Lonit and the host of other characters are old friends.

And to make things even better, the author leaves you no time to get bored because there's always something going on...both good and bad.

Even though this type of novel (historical) is not the typical type of book I read, this series has left me hungering for more books covering this time period, or at a minimum, other authors with the writing talent that Sarabande has.

this play was ok...it was a little on the freaky side..but it is ok. I had to read it for school and its a lot better than other plays we have read so far...i liked it i guess

This science fiction play by the Czechoslovakian writer Karel Capek (1890-1938) introduced the word "robot" (from the Czech word "robota" for work). Any serious student of science fiction should read this play. A factory on an island produces robots (actually, in today's terminology, the products being made by this factory are androids, not robots) to do man's labor and to grow his food. But, as the years go by, governments misuse the robots, having them replace soldiers. Robots begin to be used in wars everywhere. They rebel and man is exterminated. However, the robots don't know how to build new robots and discover that they are doomed to extinction as well. But, the sole two robots of a later model discover beauty, compassion, and love. They become a new Adam and Eve. Interestingly, one of the characters in the play builds robots so that man won't have to work. Yet, he doesn't build any to do his work since it is something he enjoys doing.

Looking for the first appearance of the word 'robot'? Look no further! Czech author Karel Kapek coined the term in this classic play. It is not only the first appearance of the word 'robot', (though, not the first appearance of a mechanical man), it is also a great sciene fiction story (although 'science fiction' was not a widely used term at the time).
Essentially, the story surrounds a manufacturing company that makes robots, and continues to make them in mass quantities even with the looming suspicion they are out of control. The robots revolt, and humanity is all but destroyed and replaced.
Very humorous and biting satire, R.U.R. should satisfy virtually any taste for a well written piece of fiction. Essential for sci-fi fans, and this edition, printed beautifully by Dover, at a very small price, is well worth obtaining ownership and then some!