Frank Trocco's book "Analog Days" chronicles the full history of an invention that would change music as we know it today. That invention of course is the synthesizer created by Dr. Robert Moog. This book is loaded with historical information dealing with how the instruments were manufactured as well as details about the artists who were among the Moog synthesizer's first prominent users. Moog pioneers such as Walter/Wendy Carlos, Keith Emerson, Beaver and Krause, Margouleff and Cecil, Mother Mallard and countless others are mentioned in this book. This is definitely THE book to own if you're doing research on the history of electronic music or synthesizers. There is so much information, there's bound to be something new each time you read it. Not only is it a perfect research tool, it's just a plain great book to read. The person writing this review doesn't like to read very much so, for me, this is saying quite a lot.
"Analog Days" is a book that does not disappoint and it will be one that you'll want to read over and over again.

From the first moment I heard Switched-On Bach, I was hooked. I loved the sounds, the technology, the possibilities of electronic music. I even saved up and bought a Minimoog when I was thirteen; no greater love have I ever had. The early days of electronics shook many people like it did me. The synthesizer was not just a collection of dials and patch cords, but a way into a sonic universe.

Trever Pinch and Frank Trocco's new book, ANALOG DAYS, recaptures that feeling of celestial expectancy. Describing the development of the Moog synthesizer from kit-built theremins to the ubiquitous and glorious Minimoog, the book mainly concentrates on pre-polyphonic modalur synths and how the world embraced them, and then turned them into cheese-making devices a-la "Switched-On Whatever" albums.

Pinch and Trocco give us other ways to look at synths: they discuss women synthesists like Suzanne Ciani who never are mentioned in other histories even though Ms. Ciani's synthesized commercial work is probably the heard electronic music ever. Though Moog-centric, the book gives us the background of the Buchla box, a sort of sprout-and-wheat-germ rival to the Moog modulars. While Moog turned the synthesizer into a keyboard instruments, Buchla kept his machines free of established interfaces, and established musical norms.

As a sythn-freak, I couldn't put this book down, even though much the material is duplicated in Mark Vail's Vintage Synths. Vail, however, choose to be only a technical historian, while Pinch and Trocco aim for a more cultural view of the events surrounding the shifting of musical boundaries.

All your favorites are here; the unexpectedly successful Dr. Moog; the victorious but hubristic ARP company; the offhand eccentricities of EMS and their wonderful VCS3 named by Tristam Cary, son of Joyce Cary, the novelist. Don Buchla haunts the pages too, half Kesian merry-maker, half NASA sub-contractor with his silver, red and blue synths bleeping in the Haight. And good old Keith Emerson's here too, flailing his ribbon controller across the arenas of America.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in electronic music, anyone interested in why their microwave talks to them, anyone interested in the history of 1960's.

Analog Days also has a really cool cover.

Totally recommended. Apart from a little slide into sociological theory towards the end, this is a thoroughly entertaining, authoritative and enthralling look at the world of early synthesizers.
My favourite moment is the story of Bob Moog's first major sale of a modular synthesizer. He had to get it to New York City from Buffalo, and in those days, there was one sensible, cost-effective solution: he took the bus. The synthesizer seemed to survive the trip, too.

Lovely book.. If you are interested in synthesizers or the histroy of electronic music, BUY IT!!

A devotee comes along and asks "why is there no meditation during dreaming?" Ramana's response: "Ask it in the dream."

Most of the answers from Ramana Maharshi in this huge volume of ultimate spiritual Q&A are as disconcerting as this one -- which by the way has a double entendre for those who know the advaita equalization of waking life and dreams (the devotee did not get he WAS INDEED asking "in the dream"...). What strikes the reader first is the brilliance of this humble man, his razor-sharp intelligence. But as we turn the pages and ponder his words in hundreds of dialogues, little by little we realize we are dealing here with the real thing: a man who has crossed over to the other shore, a jivanmukta ("liberated while alive"). I have read quite a lot in the last few years on philosophy and spirituality, and my feeling regarding this book is one of reaching rock bottom: you simply cannot go deeper.

The question "Did you exist in deep sleep?", for example, sounds to me the best argument for the unreality of the ego, which Ramana sometimes call the "small I". Very ingenious. No one denies, while awake, his own existence in deep sleep. But whence comes our certainty, if we where unconscious? It comes from a silent witness. If you understand that the same witness is the indestructible background of the bundle of thoughts we call "mind", it is game over for the ego and the suffering it brings to you.

My limited exposure to advaita vedanta suggests that it may not be suitable for some (perhaps most) spiritual seekers, because it may be misconstrued as nihilistic. If you want to take the risk, this may be one of the best books to read. Overall, a very fine edition, compleat with sanskrit glossary, anotated vedanta bibliography and full thematic index. A work of love.

Ramana Maharshi's technique of Self-realization is simplicity itself. This should already be indication enough that he has discovered the profoundest truth. This book is a bit like a Mozart score. When you look at the pages there doesn't seem to be very much there. It all seems so simple. Yet when you play the Mozart, as when you apply the principle of Self-Inquiry, something very unexpected and altogether miraculous happens.

When one correctly applies the single and singular principle he expounds in these talks, the result is well-nigh infallible. Which is not to say that one sees bright lights or is consumed with ecstasy or anything of the sort--that's not what is supposed to happen anyway. What happens simply is that the mind is stilled, and the true nature of mind, ego, and Self is glimpsed. With practice, this glimpse turns into a gander and then turns into a wide open view.

Alas, as one very wise reviewer below put it, many people "enjoy being lost." What Maharshi makes absolutely crystal clear in these talks is that Realization is right there for taking, and always has been, and always will be. In other words, "The Kingdom of Heaven is within." Those who do not realize do so because, in the final analysis, they either enjoy being lost or they are profoundly afraid of what realization implies--even those who claim to be seeking the way. And so the endless rounds continue: the books, the tapes, the discussion groups and meditation retreats, the trips to India and Tibet, the fumbling attempts at Tantric Yoga, the crystals, the gurus, etc. This is all well and good: the Self is always still there, watching, and will still be there when one has tired of the spiritual circus.

My own words crumble and dissolve in the face of Maharshi's very modest-seeming but singularly pure and profound wisdom. I don't know what else to say except that Maharshi's words show the way, and then provide the guidance and inspiration to abide in the Self that is always already there. I give this book all the stars in the cosmos!

The best book on Spirituality, Advaita and Ramana Maharshi. Reading the book itself takes one close to his true nature (Self). Ramana Maharshi is the greatest teacher of our time. Every page in the book is witness to that. I will be reading that book many many times.

A great book to read again and again and contemplate!

Once again, Robert Rabbin has managed to define the indefinable....to bring understanding to what seems incomprehensible for many of us. His unique and gifted style of turning words into wisdom brings clarity to the silence within us. Echoes of Silence is truly the meditation guidebook for the new Millennium.

These wise poems and aphorisms point to the heart of meditation, beyond (or rather prior to) all technique. Rabbin reminds us that true meditation is simply being the Mystery of who we really are, free from effort and manipulation.

Robert Rabbin drinks from the same well-spring as Rumi. He is a champion like Ali because his words float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. I love Echoes of Silence. I couldn't wait until the next word, the next phrase because they took me to a place I've always wanted to go, but didn't know how to get there. The book is more than words to be read. It is an experience. I was held gently, and I was shaken, but whether resting in comfort or vibrating with what I had just read, I felt closer to the heart of meditation.

This is one of the most profound and sensational books I've ever read. It brings to light the "dark side" or the "left hand", so to speak, and illumines us as to how the "dark side" is as valid a part of God and Creation as the "bright side" is. It describes the journeys of the Tantric adept Aghori Vimalananda through realms of existence far removed from the mundane world, and hidden from most of us. Reading this book (and the other two in this series) can cause a radical change in the concepts we've formed about the universe, God, life, death and everything.

Vimalananda is the pen-name of a great Aghori master (his real name is not revealed for very good reasons), who had the privilege (or rather the grace obtained because of his past karma) to meet some of the greatest masters of all times and achieve phenomenal spiritual growth through the grace of Smashan Tara, the Great Goddess of the burning grounds. The chapters on "Ma" and "Shakti" describe the motherhood of God so wonderfully that one cannot help but fall in love with the Divine Mother in spite of her frightening disposition. The chapter on Mentors describes the eternal Guru-disciple relationship and also brings to light some of the very devious ways adopted by Gurus to test their disciples, among many other things. The chapter on Aghora brings illumines us as to how even the "forbidden" substances such as meat, alcohol, tobacco, drugs and such can be used to accelerate spiritual progress if used in a proper way along with the guidance of a Guru. The chapter on Avishkar is all about possessions, whether it's by a low-level spirit or by a high-level deity, and after reading this chapter, you would (hopefully) no longer be misled by people claiming to be incarnations of deities, since the mechanics of possession would become clearer to you.

The chapter on spirits is absolutely sensational. The astral world consists of many realms, and different types of spirits live in different realms based on their karmic qualification and level of evolution. Many people seem to think that they can extract work from the spirits and achieve whatever they want, without realizing that it can drag them into a dangerous trap, if they do not have an adept Guru to protect them. Considerable information is given on different types of spirits along with their descriptions, in the bright as well as the dark realms. It's a very objective account that brings to light various types of spirit contact, along with their pros and cons, and also tries to show how we can cultivate friendship with even the lowest forms of spirits and take advantage of it for attaining spiritual progress.

The chapter on sex is the longest and perhaps the most illuminating, and I have no words to talk about it....you must read it for yourself....it brings to light some of the deepest mysteries of sex, relationships, marriage and such never heard of before!

A word of caution though: If you are a purist with black-and-white standards, then you may find the information presented here to be very disturbing, so it might behoove you to stay clear from this book. But if you're a truth seeker who desires to discover the reality behind this mysterious cosmos, then this book is certainly for you.

This book packs real power and can cause a permanent change in your life and your very approach towards it.

May the Cosmic Mother bless you!

This book is truly outstanding. It is like Autobiography of a Yogi but goes far beyond what the beginning seeker needs to hear. It covers all facets of life and discusses spirits and many other celestial beings and their activities. Robert Svoboda has established his credibility with his intelligent and well written books on Ayurveda and Jyotish. I highly recommend this book to anyone fascinated by the spiritual realms.

"Aghora At the left hand of God" is a book I would surly recommend for anyone on the spiritual journey. I feel it is necessary to be open minded and trust divine intuition. The portrait of Aghori Vimalananda's life is very straight to the point, and may make one's lacking in faith a bit frightened. Or on the flip side, it may just be the divine spark needed to ignite the spirit of faith within you. If you trust, "that still small voice within", and your guru you will be able to gain great inspiration and perspective from this wonderful book. Anyone, who knows anything about eastern philosophy can relate and grow from Aghora. It will take you through realities not many were meant to know about, at least not until the moment of death maybe.

Jai Jai Sri Sri Mata Amritandamayi!

Suspense/crime readers read DEAD RECKONING as soon as you can get it in your hands, HOWEVER, understand that once you start reading you will return to the next page in spite of all else that needs to be done in your life. Chapter 1, which is more a prologue, establishes the character of Jimmy Taggert when his best friend Bobby Ryan is killed in the jungles of Viet Nam.

Jimmy extracts his revenge on the Vietnamese troops who killed his friend and returns to Darien his hometown near Niagra Falls to marry his highschool sweetheart and become Sheriff of his town.

A bank robbery in Darien introduces the reader to Michael Baker, a more deadly serial killer than fact or ficton has produced thus far. The suspense escalates through each attempt to stop Baker. An FBI agent, Mitchell Cory, and Jimmy Taggert work together without the usual rancor of the FBI v. local law enforcement to become friends and eventually to stop Baker. There is a susprise ending that adds to the finale. The last sentence in the book, "This should make for quite an interesting morning," is the only understatement in the book.

Buy it; read it ! I'm going to look for Fulani's first book and read it as I hope that a third is on the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept me interested from page one right up to the exciting end. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! If your're a fan of action/suspense thrillers...you need to add Dead Reckoning to your must read list.

It's an excellent summer read.

This book has been nominated for the Bloody Dagger award and itearns it by the rip-roaring actionpacked in almost every page. Ijust read it again and it's evenbetter the second time around.The author is featured in this month's issue of The Third Degreemagazine, formerly known as Judas,It is on-line issue of Bumpin Guns. DR deserves all acclaim forfast action, thriller-suspensefans. The book is not fluffed upby tiresome descriptions of theimmediate surroundings. It takesplace in the beautiful area aroundBuffalo, The Peace Bridge and downthe Niagara River to the Falls, but your mind is on the action asJimmy Taggart, sheriff, chases down the notorious Baker and hisgang are killed. But is Bakerreally dead? A coming sequel toDR will tell the tale so you wantto read this book now and be readyfor more this fall. You are in forsome of the best reading out thereso hold on for the ride of a lifetime

I first read this book years ago and I've revisited it as an old friend many times since. Presented as a generational saga, the book is wrapped around a fascinating and little-known historical event-the settlement of the Bahmas Islands by British plantation owners who found their lives after the War for Independence unendurable.

The story is first-rate with characters you care about. The struggle to recreate southern plantation life on the Outer Islands is brought to life but it's the characters who keep you turning the pages.

My book is falling apart so I need to buy a new one!

My husband and I were fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to read this book while we were sailing the Caribbean for 2 years. Much of our time was spent reading the volumes of books exchanged between us and other cruising sailors. This book became especially dear to us as we had just borrowed it, so are thrilled to have found it again! It is a gripping tale of the Bahamas, the way it was before tourism, beautiful and unspoiled, the way the "out islands" still are.

As a Boat delivery Captain, who has traveled thru the Bahamas I had heard of the book from many old salts and finally found a well used 1st edition of the book. It is a page turner and transports us easily back to the times of the early settlers of the Islands. I have heard of a sequel called Blowin in the wind, But I have never seen it. Wind from the Carolinas is one of my treasured positions.

I recently completed reading Dr. Hopkin's excellent book on an unbelievable aircraft. The only thing that the C-135 series of aircraft didn't do was air-to-air combat! The book is an exhaustive, highly-detailed history of every model of aircraft developed from the basic KC-135 Stratotanker, covering the development history of each mission type (tanker, transport, reconnaissance, etc.) and also each specific aircraft modified for its particular purpose. I flew on 3 different models of the RC-135 series for 3 years while in the Air Force and was amazed at how many previous reconnaissance variants preceeded the common types used today. I recommend this book for any military aviation buff, but also for anyone who was privileged to have been a crewmember on such a versatile aircraft over the last 40+ years. The many previously-unpublished photographs nicely compliment the very informative text.

As a current aircrew member on the Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft, I am always looking for anything out there with the history of our airframes. This book is EXCELLENT. The data is accurate and even though you might think you have seen or heard of every variant of the 135 out there, after reading this book you'll soon discover there are a lot more. I highly recommend this book as the benchmark 135 book on the market

I was a crew member on RC-135s for 7 years and when I saw this book I could not put it down. It gives excellent, well explained descriptions of each variant along with photos making it easy to follow and equally interesting. My compliments to Dr. Hopkins.

All I have to say is if you are thinking of buying this book, do it. If you have not read Gorky Park or Polar Star first, then I strongly suggest you do so. The excellent aspect, I believe, of this book is its connection with the past two. While I enjoyed Gorky Park, Polar Star is where I fell in love with reading about Renko. By the time I read through Red Square, I came immediately online to see if there is another Renko novel to read. There is, Havana Bay, thank goodness, I don't know what I would have done if there wasn't. This is the perfect series of books to read, for anyone who does not mind a little challenge. Enjoy!

I can't speak for the latest Arkady Renko novel, "Havana Bay," having not read it yet, but for me, the finest of the first three is the magnificent "Red Square," one of the most gripping and memorable thrillers I've read in a long time.

For those that have never read any of Martin Cruz Smith's novels featuring modern fiction most's unique detective (the others being "Gorky Park" and "Polar Star"), you might be surprised by what you find. Smith is no Mickey Spillane--he is a literate, cerebral writer and a first-rate novelist with an unusual gift for both probing, insightful characterizations and heart- pounding, edge-of-your-seat storytelling. His Renko novels can best be described as Saul Bellow meets Robert Ludlum, and Smith's voice is distinctive and unmistakable.

"Red Square" finds Arkady in post-Cold War Russia, investigating murder and intrigue in a society rife with corruption and desperation. He also reunites with his great love from "Gorky Park," and Smith's description of the reunion is among his very best writing. "Red Square" also features Smith's characteristically convoluted plotting, which can at times get confusing, but eventually resolves itself with the most satisfying ending he has yet written for a Renko novel.

All in all, "Red Square," despite a rather slow first 40 pages or so, was one of the most fascinating and unforgettable thrillers of the decade. Outstanding.

If you're reading this review it's probably because you haven't read Martin Cruz Smith's Red Square yet. And that's too bad, because you're missing a vivid glimpse into both the mafia-riddled new Russia and the loyalties of the human heart. Arkady Renko, the homicide detective hero of Smith's earlier books Gorky Park and Polar Star, returns to Moscow and finds himself battling an international crime ring in a story that crosses the German border and brings him face-to-face with his longed-for lost love. The gripping plot and Smith's masterful ability to capture the nuances of these complex geographical and psychological landscapes make this a book you will remember every time you pick up a copy of your favorite news magazine.

I had had this book for about 2 years before even thinking of picking it up and when I did I read it in under half a day. It kept a constant grip on my imagination (mind you I am very interested in all sorts of aircraft) A GREAT READ!

There is so much in this book i don't know where to begin............

ALL I CAN SAY IS 'READ IT' AND FOLLOW CHAS,CEM,NICKY AND AUDREY IN THEIR FIGHT TO BE THE BEST AND DO THERE COUNTRY JUSTICE IN THE WORLD WAR. MOVE WITH THE CHARACTURES AND BE INVOLVED WITH THE MISCHEIEF THEY CAUSE. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK

as previous reviews have mentioned, this is a first rate novel from one of britain top childrens authors, now sadly deceased. It highlights some of Westall's own experiences in war torn tyne and wear - an idea born from his own son (who many of Westall's books are based on - in memorium), when asked by him to stop a leaking roof on the den/base his son and friends had built. Westall states that he felt extremely priveliged to have been invited into their secret world.(hence the den in the book). a very detailed account for those interested in ww2 britain - right down to shrapnel collections found under hedges, to chrysanthemums for christmas. an excellent read, and a book adopted by many schools for english tutoring. This is his best and first book, but try secret lovers, a collection of short stories, and in particular Blind Bill.

howard is forever the mater of describing battles. and in this book it's battles, battles, battles. filled with action. man slashes man. great descriptions. great writing. great......great. men fights men. blood floats.

Saucy, violent and unrelenting, super great fics from REH. Tigers of the Sea nd other great works of the master abound here. Buy it. Luv it

This man's work has influenced me in all aspects of my life. I own all the books in this Baen series, and, (although they are extremely hard to locate nowadays) I have succesfully completed the collection of the ORIGINAL Conan tales.

High fantasy, wonderful imagination, and a lot of dark images. Not even the immortal Tolkien can match this man.

He is the unquestioned god of fantasy.