I have to say that John Reed's Ten Days That Shook The World works more as a period piece today than as history. Still, you might look at the guy as an early example of what Hunter Thompson called, "Gonzo Journalism." Reed was reporting history as he saw it happen. There is always something to be said for that.

John Reed lived a short and adventurous life. This three part compilation of his works was excellent to read because of Insurgent Mexico, and the War in Eastern Europe. Both are excellent, and are worth buying this book for its historical importance and for our modern experience in these regions. If Mexican history and Eastern Europe interest you, this is a great read. I enjoy journalistic accounts, and this book really fits the bill. 10 Days that Shook the World is interesting as a period piece and to see that the Commies perhaps duped him but is not as fascinating as the first two works.

The Atlas is an excellent resource for those who wish to research a particular organ, or to acquaint themselves with the various manufacturers of Reed Organs. The book is arranged like a dictionary, and includes the names of the individuals involved in manufacture, as well as company names, and related suppliers. The volume lists US and International manufacturers. The book is very helpful for basic information, but does not give great detail on any one manufacturer, or provide information on the price or rarity of specific instruments. It does supply some serial numbers and the corresponding dates of manufacture. There are pictures (black and white) of organs, advertisements, and related items throughout the volume, but they are not extensive, and seem to be more for 'decoration' than reference. If you are looking for information on that dusty old parlor organ you found in Grandpa's barn, this is a great reference to get you started. The author has also published several other books that deal with the restoration of these instruments you might find helpful. Another excellent book (which is in Gellerman's bibliography) is Michel's Reed Organ Atlas, (1969) . It has more extensive photo plates, but is harder to find. (I found it in my local library) Good luck if you are researching a particular instrument. Chances are you will find SOME information about it in Gellerman's International Reed Organ Atlas.

Very beefy topic, chock full of information about this amazing new technology. Could have gone into scatternets in more detail, but overall a good read

Okay, I've read the other reviews...all bad and so I am in the unique position of offering an opinion at the opposite end of the spectrum. First why should you believe me over the masses??? Well I've read almost everything ever written by Niven, Bear, Brin, Benford, McDevitt, Card, Gibson, Stephenson, Herbert, Bova, Vinge...and so on. Thus I believe I know a good story when I read one. The idea of a large alien ship floating through space, with the builders long since vanished, has been tried before. I will say that this book is much better than the first Rama book, which at times read like an encyclopia. The last (3) books in the Rama series were great due in no small part I'm sure to input from Gentry Lee. Now back to Marrow. What I liked about the book was that it did include reference to aliens on the ship. The author does go into some detail about (2) of the species, the Remoras and the Harrum-Scarums. True the character development isn't anywhere near what David Brin does with his Uplift saga, but it's good enough to hold your interest. What I liked is that the plot was like an onion. On the outside you have this vast ship, then if you look deeper you find a planet inside called Marrow, and if you look deeper inside Marrow there's something else...and so on. The plot unravels just like this, and at no time does this book become predictable..something I'm sure the critics of this book would have to agree. When I rate a book I compare it to other books not only in writing styles and how the book flows, but does it put forth new ideas. The idea of a ship in space isn't new, but having 200 billion travellers from various races is unique. The idea that people can live forever and sustain incredible amounts of damage and still live (they grow new bodies for you), is new to me. The concept of Marrow itself is new as is the super strong material "Hyperflux" which holds the planet in place. Was the book great? No, but its certainly better than the last (3) bookes written by Jack McDevitt. I'd give this book 3.5 out of 5.0 stars and will certainly read more of Reed.

Marrow by Robert Reed is an enjoyable science fiction encompassing a lot of well known territory in the genre. Reed does a good job in describing the world/ship that some of humanity has acquired and now pilots.

The strongest point in the story was the mystery of the builders. Reed did very well in his description of some of the alien life forms that inhabited his universe. Although it's always difficult to adequately describe the enormity of any object he succeeded in doing so to a large degree here.

I agree with one reviewer who stated the story is a bit rushed (especially near the end) and I got a bit tired of the endless "rebirths" that occurred. Possibly the most difficult aspect of Marrow to really buy was the fact that races would want to ride along as passengers. I could never really figure out why, since, a vacation spot the ship certainly wasn't.

All in all Reed does an above average job in Marrow. A talented Sci Fi writer, I hope that he takes more time in his next book to develop his ideas and storylines. Marrow is science fiction done well.

Marrow by Robert Reed is one of the best SF novels I've read all year. It is quintessential SF, full of brave ideas and bold speculations.

A giant starship enters the Milky Way. Where did it come from? Projecting its trajectory backwards gives no indication at all of its origin. It is an old ship - some evidence suggests that it is billions of years old. It seems to have been constructed from a Jupiter type planet; there are many, many miles of corridors and chambers hewn out of the solid rock. And they are all cold, deserted and empty. It seems almost as though there has never been anyone on the ship in its long, cold, lonely journey across time and space.

A crew of humans investigates and takes over the ship. Genetic engineering has assured them of near immortality and they determine to take the ship on a journey through the galaxy, picking up passengers as and when they wish (charging a suitable fee of course) for the ultimate sight seeing trip.

For thousands of years all goes well, but as the main part of the story opens, a group of senior officers have vanished as they set out to explore an enigma - the planet they call Marrow which they have discovered isolated in the heart of the ship. Well mapped and explored though the ship is, it seems that it still has mysteries to be investigated.

For more than five thousand years they are marooned on Marrow, forced to build a civilisation from scratch, forced to cope with dissension and mutiny, rebellion and heresy.

After this time of trial and tribulation, they return to the ship that abandoned them to Marrow. They are lean and mean, hardened and tempered by their experiences, and the ship's somewhat decedent crew are easy prey to their ferocity. But the ship, and Marrow and even their own people still have surprises in store for them.

The sheer scale of the canvas is awe-inspiring. The vastness of space and time has seldom been more evocatively invoked, and neither has the minutiae of domestic politics and power plays - the novel spans the whole spectrum of human endeavour. It is utterly gripping.

This book is loaded with algebra of Lagrange multiplier, partition function, and the derivation of the different distributions. In quantum statistics it jumped into short discussions of spin and solutions of the Schrodinger equation disregarding the fact that these material require at least a second course in quantum mechanics.

The discussion on the physical interpretation of the underlying physical behavior of atoms and particles is minimal.

Another Dover book by Jackson "Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics," targeted towards the same audience is a much better written text.

I could not agree more with the 2 "negative" reviews I saw. I would not have 90% of these cards in my album if I had gotten them for FREE! "Personal taste" aside, to show cards in such poor condition is mind-blowing, especially in a book whose cover promises much more. I'm a very recent collector of Holiday postcards, so I've been buying every reference book I could find. "POSTMARKED YESTERYEAR" by Pamela Apkarian-Russell is a wonderful book. Joe Hohmann, Madia, PA

I purchased this book because I collect antique Halloween items,
including postcards. I bought this book hoping to learn
something new about Halloween postcards, instead, I feel like I
should contact the authors and explain a few things to them!!!

The Halloween section in this book was highly disappointing
since there was a grand total of EIGHT pages of Halloween!!!
What a let down!!!

Many of the postcards photographed for this book were in
horrible condition. The authors didn't even bother to tell
readers about how condition really determines the value of an
antique postcard. Nor did the authors even attempt to educate
readers on how to date antique postcards, which postcard artists
are the most collectible, etc.

The prices given (at least in the Halloween section) were
horribly outdated!!!

The cover is pretty, and the format of the book is attractive,
however, there is NO actual information given in this book that
is helpful to people hoping to learn about antique holiday
postcard collecting. I am very ashamed of myself that I spent
hard-earned money on this waste!

This book is by far the worst example of a postcard price guide that I have ever seen. With the exception of some of the Halloween postcards, the prices given are beyond outrageous. Ninety percent of the postcards it illustrates can be found at any postcard show in a dealer's .25 cent box, if they even bother to bring such trivial material. Not that there is not a market for these type of postcards, just not at the price that are stated in this book.

The condition of the postcards used to illustrate this book is laughable. Probably 10 percent of the postcards that they used in the book would have been thrown away had they come through my hands. Corners are rounded, corners are missing, creases are prevalent, and in some cases there are major parts of the postcard missing (example page 91)! To place the values that they used on these examples is criminal when they would have been over-priced on the same card in pristine condition.

Then on page 65, they picture a Samuel Schmucker Valentine postcard that (even in that condition) is worth $25 - $35, but they list it as $5 - $6. It just proves that you need not know what you are doing to write a book. It is a shame that such an attractive book is filled with poor examples of holiday greetings when there is an abundance of wonderful ones out there that could have been used.

The truly sad part is that people who are postcard novices will encounter this book and use it to price their cards. They will end up frustrated that their items don't sell when it is clearly listed in the "price guide" that these cards are worth this much. Or worse yet, people who have a modest postcard collection that they would like to sell might use this book to estimate value. They will be extremely disappointed in any offer that a dealer, or even a serious collector, would be willing to pay for their collection if they use this book as a guide. Postcards, like anything else, are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. For postcards in the condition of the ones used in this book, they are best relegated to the quarter boxes.