The collective and editorially collaborative effort of Kenneth L. Pernezny, Pamela D. Roberts, John F. Murphy, and Natalie P. Goldberg, Compendium Of Pepper Diseases presents highly detailed information on pepper diseases. Written especially for plant pathologists, agricultural scientists, and commercial horticulturalists (though also useful to amateur gardeners as well), Compendium Of Pepper Diseases features black-and-white and color illustrations enhancing extensive descriptions of diseases, symptoms, as well as recommended control measures or treatments. An excellent, in-depth resource, Compendium Of Pepper Diseases is commended to the instructional and reference collections of Agricultural Science collections.

Everyone should read this book. I have read it for at least three times. The book advises on how we should look at suffering in this world with a more liberating perspective.

If you are not happy wherever you are, whatever you are doing, read this book. It will help much, I promise.

Although the title suggests an assassination, it actually refers to Clarence Sinclair Bull, who was MGM's chief portrait and glamour photographer from the studio's inception in 1924 to his retirement in 1961. He began photographing Garbo with her last silent film The Kiss in 1929, and after that she wanted no one else to photograph her. Bull would take over 4,000 individual studies of Garbo, devoting 2 days in his gallery for each of her films. She would pose in the character she was playing, since she saw the stills as part of the film-making process. The stills from The Kiss are particularly striking, "suffused with an elegaic softness and allure" writes Terence Pepper in the text. Bull enclosed Garbo's face in a black shadowy background, and, in contrast to her previous demure studies where she averted her eyes, he had her look directly into the camera and communicate directly with the viewer, "preserving her inner mood". A beret photograph is so potent that the studio used it for the film poster, and it prefigures her think-of-nothing final close-up from her later Queen Christina. Bull also transposed a vignette study of Garbo's face onto a photograph of the Cairo Sphinx, to create "The Swedish Sphinx". When he timorously showed her the result, he was surprised that instead of being offended, she howled with laughter, and approved it's release. It may have become the most widely distributed of her images, but it remains camp at best. Bull would say that she had no bad side and no bad angle, which made her the easiest of all the stars to photograph. Plus he thought she enjoyed their sessions, never tiring of posing for him. The images confirm MGM's agenda of creating flawless beauty, held up before the admiring throng as "nothing less than the Hope diamond in the flesh". Garbo's skin has a statue-esque perfection, her hair lit to be look soft and pliable. She never smiles but emotion is still evident. The one study in colour is for Two Faced Woman, which is less flattering than the black and white stills. Her hair has been pulled back slightly with a hidden ribbon, exposing her large forehead, and the hardness of her later Cecil Beaton studies emerges, her mouth almost in a sneer of disdain. Perhaps she knew making the film would be a mistake and an end to her film career. We also have a study of Chris, Garbo's stand-in, who apparently was even more mysterious than the one she doubled for. After Garbo retired, perhaps it is only the studies of Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn that can match the iconoclastic grandness of Bull's work with Garbo, which proves that no matter how talented the photographer, the subject is everything. This kind of portraiture would decline with the collapse of the studios, and when you see the later studies of less arresting faces, perhaps this was for the best. Garbo flourished in a period where the ideals of beauty she radiated were desperately needed, but she always a reluctant star. When the world became indifferent, so did she.

I've had this book for years now, and it's one I always go back to time and again. The ideas it presents about the nature of light and its potential for healing and rejuvenation are startling. The main theme of the book is an amazing meditation technique that is taught over a seven day period. It involves learning how to "see" light and use it for healing, relaxation, energizing the body, etc. It's one of the best techniques I've used. Mr. Pepper writes as if he's sitting with you in your living room. He has a witty, engaging style, and he encourages readers to approach light meditation at their own pace, without the heavy esoteric tone of some other books. But he also outlines the meditation process thoroughly, and I for one found it extremely effective. I give it a definite 5 stars.

The definitive guide to identifying chile peppers, this book is conveniently divided into sections on dried and fresh peppers. Beware - this is NOT a recipe book (although a few more recipes would be nice), nor does it contain more than brief instructions on preparing and using chile peppers. However, with bright colour photographs, taste descriptions, and a clear and accurate guide to hotness from bell pepper (0) to habanero (10), this book is essential kitchen equipment for those who like their cooking fiery.

A fabulous resource book for the chile head or novice seeking knowledge. The book is limited on the written word except for a brief survey. The survey gives you all the general information needed for the average person interested in cooking with heat. The strength of this book lies in it's beautiful color photographs that are the actual size of the chile itself. This book serves a number of purposes, one of which is the identification of the various closely related strands od chiles. Probably the most commonly known chile is the jalepen~o but there are variations. One is knnown as huachinango that originates from Oaxaca and the Puebla region. I was able to identify the huachinango chile from my garden after first thinking it was an ordinary jalapen~o. Turns out they have a distinct "sweetness" and are a highly prized, (translation, they cost 3-4 times more) and are used to make "chipotle grande" in it's dried form. There are a few chiles that are exotic and unfamiliar to most people outside of the area of origin. There is a section showing four different types of the ever growing in popularity habanero. The dried chile section is informative and provides helpful hints in curing your own chiles. There is a small receipe section that compliments the chile heads kitchen. To round it all out there is a source of information with addresses and phone numbers for chile seeds and fresh and dried chiles. A handy little book for the amateur grower of chiles or cook who on occasion forays into the kitchen to serve up some heat.

If you've ever read a cookbook that tried to verbally go into the differences on chiles, and you felt yourself get just a little lost when it came to the physical descriptions, than this book will be a great resource. The full color photos are nicely done, actual size, and very helpful, especially since chiles often get misnamed, or get labeled with a regional name that is not the one most widely used. Actually knowing what to look for by sight has been very helpful at the market.

If you are a beginner, I would certainly get a hold of this book, if for no other reason than to make yourself familiar with what is and is not contained within, just for knowledge’s sake. This slight booklet consists of a small number of brief poems, recipes, tips, and articles from witches around the world, all concerning historical and practical points of interest relating to the craft. While I, personally, find some of this information interesting, on the whole, I would not consider this work a stimulating read, nor an excessively useful reference. Though the three to four page explanation of the lunar cycles is quite useful to the beginner, this is something that is contained every year, so, for this, it need not be purchased annually. I have found the horoscope to be moderately accurate every year, however. I guess what I’m saying is that, by the time you buy this book, and possibly pay shipping for it, if you may not find more than four or five pages of particular use and interest, it may not be worth it. On the other hand, it is not excessively expensive, and some people with different interests than I might find this work fascinating. Decide for yourselves. Pick up this year’s! Please note, that if you are looking for an actual “daily almanac”, you are much better going for Llewellyn’s Magical Almanac, which actually provides day to day report of moon cycle, planetary alignment, suggested incenses, colors, etc.

I really found this book helpful as a fairly new Witch. I find that you still have to do more research to find out what the moon phases mean and but the basic helpful information is clearly laid out for you. You can use the information how you want to. There is alot of other information in the book including horoscope, recipies, folklore and AMERICAN (not Canadian) weather predictions. - I found it well worth the price. I have not read "Llewellyn's Magical Almanac" but plan to compare the 2 books.

Each year I find myself purchasing the Witches' Almanac. I am not wiccan and have no intentions of being so, but I am drawn to it like a moth to the flame. Maybe it's just my Uranus wanting to shock the hell out of people who see me reading it on my lunch break!
I always find the most interesting news articles and briefs in these publications that you never see on the local news. The poetry is always well worth the read and the calendar isn't half bad.
Over all, don't expect any depth or real educational, but a nice little splurge and certainly not overpriced.