The best cover artist of all time. No exaggeration. Some of the later work becomes, unfortunately, exceedingly literal--it's as if someone forced Powers to put Boris-Vallejo-like human figures into his abstract scenes in order to satisfy some PR/marketing goal. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

This highly recommended introduction covering the life of the artist Richard Power opens to a full-page color-embellished survey of 120 of the artist's fantasy images and contributions to the world of paperback illustrative art. An outstanding survey of images is created in an excellent keepsake edition for fans of science fiction and fantasy art.

Finally, a book dedicated solely to the works of the late Richard Powers... a dream come true. I was tired of always seeing him presented as one of many entries in books of sci-fi artists, shoved between others who were obviously not as talented as he. This is a true deal.... page after page of his beautiful/haunting/otherworldly art (yes, all 3 adjectives, and more, exist in each painting!). The reproductions are of a very high quality and clarity, some taking up 2 pages, allowing you to see the textures within the images. The text gives some very good insight on Powers' inspirations and personality, with some very funny stories. My only objections are - 1. There are a number of works produced in a fairly small format (4" x 4" or less) , and I would've gladly paid more if the publisher had enlarged them and expanded the page count. 2. No photos of Powers at work, just two self-portraits. 3. The text tends to ramble a bit, especially the first chapter, and I would have loved to see more art in place of it.

This book takes you places you have always feared and sets you free. It is never too late to explore and expand your world of relationships as this book empowers us to think and act with new insights. The meditations are expecially enlightening and can be used time and time again. Waiting for the next book .

Dr. Rick has written an insightful, soul-searching blueprint to help all couples -- gay and straight -- partake of an honest journey toward forming healthy bonds of all kinds. He offers guidance for creating healthy relationships with lovers, friends, family, co-workers, and perhaps most importantly, with oneself. This unique book includes common-sense advice, humor, meditations, and lots of examples of how other gay couples make their way through the myriad of relationship joys and struggles. I highly recommend Dr. Rick's style of relationship counseling !

I've read a few books on dating and building and maintaining relationships and this one truly stands out! Not only does it cover building gay and lesbian partnerships, but also having healthy relationships with friends, family, coworkers, and yourself! There's no snippy banter or feckless chitchat, just honest, useful, valuable information based on the author's 15-plus years experience as a counselor and therapist. This book is packed with practical, thought-provoking information that guides you on a journey in a warm, sincere, gentle style.

This is an excellent book. The three authors (Leitnaker, Sanders and Hild) actually use the methods they discuss. They provide a careful conceptual and philosophical discussion of process study and improvement using control charts and related tools.

The emphasis is NOT on covering a large number of tools (for that, other books might be more appropriate) but instead on enabling the statistically unsophisticated user to understand how to actually USE the methods.

The authors use case studies extensively in the book to motivate the methods and to illustrate their use.

Highly recommended. It might not be the ONLY book on "SPC" which you should buy, but if you buy any books on SPC, this book should be one of them.

Bill Parr

You don't have to be a statistician to be able to use this book. Gives practical talk on use of statistics using thought processes any engineer can relate to. Buy this one.

Coming from three academians this book is suprisingly practical. I recommend it to anyone who is in manufacturing and wants to utilize SPC charts in quality improvement and Engineering Process Control (EPC). What makes this book unique is that the authors acomplished to explain SPC applications to both attributes data and variables data without any complex formulas. That is a very distinct importance if you are in a process industry such as chemical, food, paper, cement, etc. where you measure temperature, pressure, PH, level and color rather than the dimensions of a part for compliance and also where you may not have subgroups but just samples. Most other books I have read dealt with attributes data for parts industries exclusively. This book includes many advise and examples for managers and engineers. Definetely a must for engineers and quality professionals who have been out of school for a while and realizing the importance of the SPC and EPC in a competitive market. A prerequisite for Six sigma white(!) belts too, but may be too simplistic for experienced practicians. If you are an engineer, after reading this book buy a copy of "Statistical Control by Monitoring and Feedback Adjustment" by George Box and Alberto Luceno (available at Amazon.com) and don't forget to send a thank you note to authors of both books.

This book covers it all: causes of reliability, measures of reliability, component modeling, system modeling, system analysis, and system optimization. It even has a great primer on distribution systems from a reliability perspective.

The great thing about this book is its ability to bridge the gap between theoretical treatment and practical applications. Although it is full of algorithms and equations, all are presented in the context of real applications and real results. It has truly broadened my understanding of of the subject.

This is by far the best book I have seen on reliability planning, evaluation and engineering of electric power delivery systems. The book is well organized and very linear in its progression through its topics, so its makes for a very good textbook or self-study guide, as was the case for me. It has an extremely comprehensive index, which means its should serve as a good, quick reference in the future.

The book is pretty rigorous, and has a good bit of equations and theory, but what I appreciated is that there is a lot of common sense and good recommendations throughout, plus good data and tables on reliability, equipment, expectations, etc. I learned just a lot about distribution systems and reliability, and what to expect and how to make improvements in the real world, from this book.

But what I think is unique about this book and its greatest value was its combination of rigorous analysis of system configuration and indidivual equipment focus. You find a lot of stuff written that focuses on one or the other. There are books and technical papers on methods to analyze systems based on layout, load, switching capabilities, etc. (configuration), but they are often theoretical and neglect issues of equipment. There are also books on equipment lifetime versus loading analysis, condition evaluation and assessment, and maintainability. But rarely are the two combined well, and in one whole analytical method.

This is one of the best engineering books I have.

This three-volume set is a must for anyone seriously interested in Japanese painting. There are entries on 235 works in the Powers Collection by Japanese artists of many different schools, including Zen Masters, haiku poets, literati, ukiyo-e masters, and eccentrics. These mini-essays are well written, thorough, and fascinating. Professor Rosenfield consistently includes valuable information on the artist and subject, plus analysis of the style, for each painting. In addition, the third volume contains longer biographies of the artists and other helpful infomation such as seal photographs, a useful index, and a full bibliogfraphy. Most of all, however, this set of books makes the art come alive within the context of an early modern Japan that welcomed individualism, leading to some of the most poetic, dramatic and evocative painting in East Asian history. This set of books can be read for pleasure, as well as serving as a vital resource in the field of East Asian art.

If you thought why spend a significant price for a book concentrating on a private collection of Japanese painting, take into account the following: 1) the collection is superb, covering a number of styles and cultural backgrounds, from Zen to nanga, from tea to Rimpa. 2) The scholarship, research, reading and traslation that went into the text is exemplary, I'd say even touching. Every piece of art is complemented with an interesting analysis of its form and content, the cultural influence that it sprang from, the poetic or religious sources that it connects to, or the social and political significance of the work and its authors. The book is a treasure trove of knowledge about Japanese art and culture in the Early Modern Era, and I find the price exceptionally well justified by hours of pleasure and learning that this book provides. If you are a dealer, collector or just seriously interested in Japanese painting, make sure you own this book before it becomes a collector's item.

Joe, my best freind and the guy I chose to miss a day of work to walk with him and his wife Guinn every week in Golden Gate Park. More than this, he inspired Shambhala Publications and was the silent Guru to many practicioners, setting them straight, during the sprititural shopping era of the 60's and 70's. He practiced meditation in the 1930's in San Fransicos's China Town, a lone Westener, and lived a life of a Bodhisattva and Guru until his death. He did this with no thought of gain or without ever promoting himself. His favorite saying was " Give Love with no thought of return". He practiced and taught this daily. Not with words only, but through his being. The people he worked with are many and some are famous, but that is not the point, His ordinary-ness "is", and it is captured in this book.

i used to walk in golden gate park with Joe. This book captures his essence and the power of his teaching. He was a remarkable hidden homegrown saint in america. If you want to taste a bit of his teaching then read this book. It can change your life.

I knew the General. In addition to his achievements in WW II, he devoloped the concept of an airport where incoming and out going passengers moved on separate floors (Dulles)With David Rockefeller they created the magnificent L'Enfant Plaza in Wash.D.C. His stories of growing up in Washington could be another book, not to mention his civilian achievements in Washington. The story of his flying Ike behind German lines after the D day invasion in a 2 seat P 51 to prove his point over German positions (much to the chagrin of Gen. Bradley) is one of my favorites. He had a picture in his office of he and Tooey Spaatz from their early days in "Jennies" with oil all over their faces except where their goggles were. Right out of "Dawn Patrol". This book is long over due.

This book is easy to get into and very informative. The story of Gen. Pete Quesada and the tactical air arm in the European Theater of Operations in WW II is something that anyone interested in military history should read. This aspect of the war is often overlooked, which should not be the case. The working together of ground and tactical air assets should be a top priority for military planners as well as anyone connected with the ground troops.

This book gives sound, common sense financial advice. But it goes further and enables the reader to achieve financial freedom at the same time. This leads to a more fulfilling life. Several materials from books, to seminars are available from his web site. Adopting the millionaire mentality into my business was a turning point for us. I look forward to practicing these skills on a regular basis.

Rick Solano's book the Power of a Millionaire Mentality is excellent. It teaches you the 10 keys to success, how to recognized financial opportunities, investment alternatives with several examples, and most important of all how to negotiate the deal. I have been applying the 10 keys to success in my everyday business dealing and it has changed my life. I highly recommend this book.

The main point of the book is summed up on page 17, "The individual can rarely just act, nor is forcing others to act usually an option. The net result is that effectivemess in the political world stems from the ability to influence the people and organizations that share power. This, more than any other reason, is why the only real power is the power to persuade." The author presents a compelling model using the points of the compass to represent key relationships everyone must form. The author claims that success requires sensitivity and the ability to persuade those at each compass point: Center - yourself; North - those you work for; East - those you work with; South - those who work for you; and, East - those you should work with. Strategy, tactics, and examples are presented for maintaining these relationships. The Power to Persuade is a significant book. In the political and non-profit arenas persuasion is the primary means whereby change occurs. The author implies that while these techniques are useful in the "for-profit" world, they are not as important as in the "non-profit" world. I challenge the author on this point. I believe that persuasion is becoming more and more integral in the "for profit" business world as leadership crumbles, use of teams and self-directed work groups increases, and integrated design methodologies take hold.

The author has many years of experience as a federal official, and gives us the benefit of his experience. He describes four generic groups of people that government people must work with, and gives useful advice on dealing with each group. There is also an excellent list of books recommended for further reading. Valuable if you work in an area where you have little ability to do "command and control" but have to lean heavily on diplomacy. Especially highly recommended for those who work or aspire to work in government.

It's not about sex. It's about power according to this author. He backs up his claim with historical evidence: the Church's mistreatment of women, and Jews, for example. Included are chilling quotes from the Malleus Malificarum used as a training book in seminaries for two centuries. The Malleus, used to train priests, sounds like the ravings of a madman, and it no doubt was...

Sipe offers the first quantatative and qualatative look at the cancer on the American Latin Rite Catholic Church. He offers convincing evidence that 50% of the Latin Rite Priests and Bishops are sexually active, despite the Church's teaching that any and all sexual activity outside of marriage is mortally sinful. Anyone who has been affected by a sexually active priest or bishop needs to read this book to learn that they are not alone. Sipe's careful research is not an attack on celibacy: instead he reinforces the correct theological opinion that celibacy is a divine gift; not a command that must be followed at all times and in all circumstances. Unfortunately, the blurbs on the dust jacket of this book would lead one to conclude that this is a "Maria Monk" exposing lurid secret details of the priesthood for the prurient. Instead it is patient and kind to those seeking an understanding as to why a bishop would publicly defend his homoerotic liason with an embezzeling priest, as a "consensual arrangement between adults!" (Santa Rosa, 8/99) One would hope that either or both of his books would be mandatory reading for those enrolled in Latin Rite seminaries, as well as their mentors. This book deserves as much seminary attention as that presently given to penitentials. Sipe notes the failure of the Rite of Reconcilliation (Confession) for troubled priests and their victims. Perhaps this is because the Confessional as practiced today is inherently Manichean: it separates the sinful acts from the human creature's entire being. Many current 12th Step programs remedy this defect of ordinary practice, by requiring complete inventories, assets as well as liabilities. These programs also stress the necessity of being honest with oneself, and every anecdote related by Sipe can be condensed into the simple question: was the person able to be honest with themself? As Polonius, the worst hypocrite in Shakespeare, advised his son ["Do as I say, not as I've done!}: "To Thine Own Self Be True, and You Canst Not Be False to Any One." The successful celebates, who are true saints, are the ones that have chosen celibacy and integrated it into their whole being. Like rare perfect blue white diamonds, the true celebates remind us that human perfection is possible. But we must also remember that there is no sin in being less than perfect. Sin is turning away from God, and making self-deceit worthy of worship. True stupidity is deliberate ignorance, and Sipe's book counsels that the "Truth will make us free."