This alternative history mystery is as charming as page turning. Taking place in the present, a different royal family (Prince Edward Victor didn't die in the 1890's and leave his fiance free to marry his brother George to later become George V and Mary)is presented with a problem. Someone is killing courtiers and knows a long hidden royal secret. The tale, told by the kings' daughter, is a clever story of celebrity. love, and danger. This is thorougly recommended. It is followed by a sequeal.

This book is exhausting but well worth the time spent. Victor Serge was an active Bolshevik who lived throught he events he describes; thus there is almost a narrative feel to it. The book conveys the hardships of the revolution well; Serge shows how close Trotsky's army came to losing and the hope preserved by his victory. A must for anyone interested in the Russian or any revolution.

In Del-Del, Kelleher evokes powerful images and emotions that even after 1 year still send shivers up my spine, and put a lump in my throat. Intriguing, powerful and fasinating.

This book is thrilling and a great read for anyone from ages 10 and up. Kelleher is a great Australian writer of pre-teen novels, for your science fiction audience. This book is wonderfully writen. The story is about this young boy who thinks he is possed by Del-Del, it is shows his interaction with his family as the character of Del-Del, develops. Definately not a book that one can drop until it is finished

This book is one of the spookiest I have ever read. Reading it as a adult I don't know if I could have coped with it as a child, although my son and daughter did. They enjoyed it so much they insisted that Mum and Dad read it too, so we did. Although written and set in Australian it is absolutely universal and could have been set anywhere there are children with grief to deal with. A totally outstanding piece of work that I had to read in one sitting. Please read this book!

Les Miserables will be a tough read for some. Victor Hugo, in typical Nineteenth Century prose, is exceedingly verbose. His character introductions go on literally page after page, covering minute details that some modern readers will find tedious. Not only are they long, but they break the modern writing rule of "show rather than tell." When he presents new characters, we don't hear them converse or see their actions to form our own opinions. Hugo simply regurgitates a ten or twenty-page biography on them.

But this was how books were written then, and he did it as well as it could be done. The language is marvelous and rich, the characters interesting and complete, and the story sweeping and classic.

Jean Valjean, freshly released from a French prison, is caught stealing silver from an extraordinarily pious Bishop. Amazingly, this Bishop denies the silver is stolen, allowing Valjean to go free. Valjean, brutalized by nineteen years of life in "the galleys" and suffering poverty and maltreatment as an ex-convict, is so affected by this merciful act that he vows to reform. Seven years later he has changed his name and transformed himself into a righteous and contributing member of society, now a prominent factory owner and town Mayor. Life is good as he shares his profits and kind heart with the poor and unfortunate--until his past catches up with him. Valjean is then faced with an incredible predicament whose genius and complexity can be appreciated only by plowing through the full text.

Historically, this is an important literary work. Much of its political and religious sub-text may be lost, however, on those unfamiliar with the basics of the French Revolution. Like Valjean, readers will be better people for making the journey through this book. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Hugo is brilliant. I've read this book countless times, and find new insight in it every time. I continue to be incredibly impressed with his chapter about Cosette and her discovery of her own beauty- how real and (especially for a man) insightful it is. Two of the truest lines I've ever heard: (upon the discovery of her beauty) "...she perceived, however indistinctly, that she was armed." "Women play with their beauty like children with a knife, and sometimes cut themselves."
There is a chapter in which Cosette reads a letter that Marius has deposited in her garden, and it is full of beautiful, (I know I'm overusing this word, but there isn't a thesaurus handy and it's the perfect word for this book) insightful prose about love, the discovery of it, the joy of it, and the pain that comes when it is threatened.
Gavroche, the endearing gamin, is extremely funny in the quaint, charming way that is very classic, very Parisian, very Hugo.
The tragic deaths of almost all of the main characters are beautiful and poignant, and the descriptions of the ABC society (the young student revolutionaries) are wonderful.
The only qualm I have about this book is Hugo's slightly overdrawn descriptions, but they are hardly sufficient reason to overlook this treasure.
Please read this book, you'll be overjoyed that you did.

Les Miserables introduces Jean Valjean a famous character in literature. This story takes you into Paris after the French Revolution and Lafayette's death, to the barricades of the uprising of 1832. It is the story of Jean Valjean who stole a loaf of bread which made him a convict. He escapes from prison to start a new life. Javert, the police inspector, who will never let Valjean go free. Fantine the prostitute who touched Valjean's heart and defined the word desperation. The Thenadiers, the amoral villians who with the other characters bring this book to its excellency. This story brings out the desire to escape the prisons of our own minds. This novel is best summed up in its title, Les Miserables, translated is "The Miserables".

Victor Hugo takes us into the Parisian underworld. He shows us the battle between good and evil. Hugo uses Les Miserables as a platform to criticize the French political and judicial systems. He probably did not expect this story to become an epic that has touched the heart for more than a hundred years.

Reading this novel gives a clearer picture of how the French government reacted to the common people. It inspires the hope of an age of rebirth and revolution. There are also many themes played out in this novel that capture your thoughts and emotions. The story battles between good and evil. Morality is also a theme that is used many times in this novel. This book is definitely an extravagant spectacle that dazzles the senses and touches the heart. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone with an interest in the French Revolutionary times or someone who just wants a story that displays human emotions like you have never read before.

This book is a revised edition of the original text by Bloomfield, Crothers, and Tinoco. A previous book written by this team discusses the Physical Chemistry of Nucleic Acids. The team continues in that tradition of good writing here.

It seems that the standard text for the study of nucleic acids is that by Saenger. But this text is also strong, to use either side by side with Saenger, or even on its own.

Illustrations are clear (although, no really pretty pictures except at the very end), and the writing is quite fluid and intelligible. This book, however, is not a book for beginners (ie. a person who's never read up on nucleic acids before). There tends to be some presupposition in the knowledge and technical jargon such that I think it would better serve as a reference for more advanced students and scientists.

The authors are recognized in the scientific world as being experts in their field, so it comes as no surprise that the text is full of good information.

Where the book falls short is as follows. The book is not very even in terms of the topics it covers. Another downside is that the book fails to discuss many of the newer experimental methods and discoveries, and in that sense is more out of date than you would like.

A good way to compensate for the two aforementioned problems is to supplement your reading with a text like Saenger, and to keep up to date with the current journal literature (if you're interested in methods, the first place to look is a place like Meth. Enzym.; if you're interested in reviews and other articles, turn to journals like Cell, Nature, Science, PNAS, and Biochemistry. If you're into more specialized stuff, consider these journals: 1)Nucleic Acids Research, and 2)RNA ).

Good luck.

Authors are well known researchers in the field of nucleic acid biophysics. For detailed review of the book, look at J. Am. Chem. Soc., 122 (46), 11570 (2000).

A detailed, balanced and often fascinating account of the life of one of the twentieth century's most successful and lesser known military commanders. It is written by a British Brigadier (that's a one-star general in the US).

What makes this work different is that it doesn't pull punches in terms of 'political correctness'. It might therefore upset the odd Frenchman, the occasional American (or even some Japanese readers). Those that might have pre-conceived or ill-informed notions as to the role of their respective nations in the various wars in Vietnam during Giap's years as a commander.

It should be required reading at Army Staff Colleges, such as Leavenworth (if it isn't already) and France's Ecole Militaire at St.Cyr, where it probably is not, although it seems that there is a french translation.

In all, a thought provoking title, and well worth a read by those interested in the subject from whatever angle.

MacDonald, a Britisher, had easier access to the Vietnamese than an American or French writer would, as the Vietnamese judged he would be less biased in his approach. Their faith was rewarded; in a book which draws much on personal interviews with Vo Nguyen Giap and other veterans of the Vietnamese war, MacDonald has given us a clear, balanced, interesting portrait of one of the major military figures of the 20th Century.

In a career spanning three decades, having only the resources of a small third-world country (though with powerful international friends), Vo Nguyen Giap managed to bring the armies of two major Western powers to their knees. MacDonald tells us the military and some of the political story of this remarkable leader.

What is missing is the personal side. Except for a little information surrounding his first wife's death and his second marriage, the book is silent on Giap's private life. It would be fascinating to know more of this man as a person, but apparently Giap was unwilling to discuss personal matters with MacDonald. Perhaps this is just Vietnamese reticence, but there is no real insight into the man himself.

The political Giap is only a little more fully drawn. The blank spots here are a function of Vietnamese and Communist ways of thinking. Giap was a member of a collective leadership which took the collective part very seriously; no policy or initiative is attributed to an individual, only to the complete Politburo. A few hints of personal positions, a vague suggestion of a possible difference of opinion, and the screen of the collective solid front descends again.

Though primarily a biography of Giap, the book is also a history of the series of armed struggles in Indochina beginning in the late 1930s. The Japanese invasion, the French war (which MacDonald calls the Indochina war), and finally the war with the U. S. are all described tersely but clearly. It is refreshing and revealing to read an account which is designed neither to justify nor excoriate the U. S., but instead is a sober report on the facts.

Especially as the U. S. and Vietnam approach normal relations and as U. S. investment and interest in Vietnam increase, this is a useful and valuable book.

'SHARK ATTACK' By Dr. Victor Coppleson is a classic analysis of a problem he has dealt with, as an emergency surgeon in S. Australia, for most of his adult life. His "Rouge Shark" theory, while by no means proven as yet, still has many advocates. It is vitually required reading for anyone wanting to specialize in Shark Research. His presentation is clear, concise and to the point, without being too technical or bogged down in statistics. A book well worth reading for anyone with an interest in this subject.

This is the best biochemistry book for medical students on the market. Medical students need a biochemistry textbook that balances detail with brevity. Harper's biochem does this very well. The chapters are well organized, well written and quite short. The brevity of each chapter makes it easy to digest in one sitting. It also allows specificity as you do not have to scan large chapters looking for information. There is a good balance of diagrams and text and the diagrams are of good quality. The 26th edition is shorter than the 25th edition and the information is more condensed, some chapters have been removed and the information incorporated into existing chapters. Many of the excellent diagrams are retained from the 25th edition. I recommend this text to all medical students.

Not only is this an excellent text on biochemistry, it also gives you the essentials in molecular biology. The book has excellent illustrations and even focuses on many clinical aspects. The book, however is not an easy read; but then again, biochemistry and molecular bio are not easy subjects. I think this excellent text coupled with a high yield molecular biology book, and lippincott's ever so famous biochemistry would be more than enough for any medical student to ace biochemistry and molecular biology!

The book, at least from my point of view, is not a good book to grasp the core concepts of Biochemistry from at the beginning of your biochemistry course.Actually,it is a tool by which you can get a deep understanding of the subject by the aid of other books that can give you the full picture of Biochemistry. Its advantage is in that it covers in details many of the topics that other books usually do not cover. I remember many times finding myself opening the book looking for some details that some professors mention as extra bits which are not found in the other textbooks and present in this book. I recommend it as a reference book for medical students but not a textbook.