This is how history should be taught to children -- colorful, informative, relevant. Within the framework of 16 two-page spreads about kids from different times and places, the authors present a good deal of historical information. This is the kind of book that will help young readers determine what is the same about being human and what changes over time and distance, and may well spark an interest in a particular period or history in general.

The book begins with a world map placing the sixteen children who will be featured, and then each child is shown (in chronological order) with a short paragraph of autobiographical text. Typical pages show the layout of a house, toys, school, and a miscellany of topics interesting to other children such as play, health, transportation, cooking or music. The emphasis is on colorful illustration and graphic depictions. Periods covered are Egypt 1200 BC, Athens 500 BC, China 150 BC, Rome AD 120, Norway AD 950, Mali, West Africa 1400, Spain 1450, Florence 1490, Mexico 1500, India 1600, Japan 1650, Australia 1700, France 1789, England 1840, Plains Indians 1850 and the United States 1920.

The book finishes with a short discussion of archaeology and history, a simplified timeline and a glossary.

This is another beautiful book from Dorling Kindersley, and a worthwhile introduction/supplement to your child's history lessons.

If you sometimes wonder about how children lived in the past, this book shows 16 children living in their time in history. The illustrations are detailed, fill the pages and are accompanied by a text explanation.

On page 24 we find Giovanna living in Renaissance Italy in 1490. The text tells of how she sits for a portrait and how her mother is a fine singer. Giovanna's favorite possessions, like a printed storybook, a pendant and jewelry box are shown. They are pictures of real items from the Renaissance.

The first colorful page shows all the children standing on a map of the world. The following pages show the lives of children growing up in Egypt, Greece, China, the Roman Empire, Viking Norway, Mali Empire, a Spanish Castle, Renaissance Italy, Aztec Mexico, Moghul India, Tokugawa Japan, an Australian Desert, France, Industrial Britain, the American Plains, and 1920s America.

A fun Timeline puts the book in perspective and a glossary explains words like Aboriginal, Castle, Legionaries, Samuri, Shogun, Tea ceremony and Fjord.

Children will see the pictures, learn about the life of a child and discover how their life is so different today. This book was produced after consulting history experts and offers a fresh approach to history for young readers. The authors have degrees in history and education. Together they have written over 25 books for children on a wide range of subjects.

Simply fascinating and educational. Children will just love this book because it shows history in such a creative way.

I gave this book to my daughter who is 4 because she started asking me all sorts of questions about how the body works. My husband and I really like this book because the pages are colorful and the information is given out in little bits so you don't have information overload. It summarizes the way the body systems work in simple language that my preschooler can easily understand. And she LOVES this book. She has asked us to read it every night for a couple of weeks now...

I spent two days in Madrid in November 2002 with this guidebook. I found it to be well-organized and readable, with photos accompanying the text. With this guide, it didn't take long to gain a basic understanding of the history of the city and the different neighborhoods. The restaurant listings were particularly helpful.

There were two downsides, in my opinion. One is that there is no pull-out map. The map pages are integrated with the rest of the book. Second, the prices in the book are given in pesetas, not in Euros. I found that hotels, restaurants, etc. were all quoting prices in Euros, making the guidebook slightly less user-friendly. Still, the printed prices seemed to give a good idea of relative cost.

Overall, a good guidebook, but be sure to pick up a map when you arrive in Madrid.

.
Summary:
Every Dorling Kindersley Guide has been a great and interesting book... and delightful to have and use, even if you are not traveling to that location, but are only interested in learning more!

The Guides are well organized in a logical and easy to follow manner. They are beautifully illustrated, well developed with accurate information (it is unusual for hotel and restaurant information to be that accurate), have enough history to help the reader understand the people and cultural background, and have a lot of useful travel information and useable maps in the appendixes.

The really great attraction to this book is several fold; it is:
............Very complete
............Easy to read
............Beautifully and artistically completed
............Good shopping, safety and other tips
............Gorgeous photographs too numerous to list.

Specifics:
The guides are organized as follows:

How to use this guide
Introduction to Historical and Geographical information
Geographical Regions
Introduction to Madrid
............Putting Madrid on the Map
............History of Madrid
............Madrid at a Glance
............Madrid Through the Year

............Madrid Area by Area, each section includes:
........................Introduction to street by street area
........................Detailed pictorials of area buildings
........................Architectural drawings, pictures, cut-aways of buildings

........................Specific stops, historical monuments, churches, buildings, etc.

Madrid Sections Reviewed:
........................Old Madrid
........................Bourbon Madrid
........................Around La Castellana
........................Further Afield
........................Beyond Madrid

Travelers Needs - includes full list with rankings and notes
............Hotels
............Restaurants, cafes, bars
............Shopping
............Entertainment

............Outdoor activities

Survival Information
............Practical
........................Tourist info., Etiquete, Personal Security and Health
........................Currencies, Telephones, misc info.
............Travel Information (Getting to Madrid )
............Street Maps (Getting Around Madrid )

............General Index
............Phrase Book

Discussion:
The book begins with "Introducing Madrid", including a complete map, a review, the city's history, and Madrid thought the Year - including events, etc.

Areas with an "At a glance" overview, then has subsections of specific blocks, or forums, then specific locations, churches, historical monuments, bridges, galleries, etc.

Architectural reviews include various views, and cutaways; given greater understanding and better perspective. They are all attractive, if not works of art - honestly.

The travelers' Info. offers good and valid info. on prices, currencies, customs, important words, etc. I have used the reviews on hotel's restaurants and nightclubs, in most European cities, and Dorling has yet to disappoint me. I have found they were useful and accurate, and helpful with my touring and site decisions.

The books are so well thought-out that it has multiple maps, with various lookup tables, and the book's flaps are designed to be used as bookmarks for map pages.

Negative:
The only negative with this book is that it is substantial with good quality paper, and is therefore heavier than other travel books.

Conclusion:
Each book in this series is a great help, and beautiful collectible resource. As the President, CEO of an International Meeting Planning Corporation we have many resources and techniques to learn about places we have meetings / groups at as well as the cities and sights. But, as a traveler, this book really is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone going on a personal trip, or wanting to learn about a city, or location. We have used some of these books to augment our research to investigate cities for our groups.

I am an experienced traveler (30+ countries) who is nearing retirement and plan to travel extensively, who has recently become obsessed about finding "good" guidebooks. So this review is a comparison of the books I looked at for Madrid.

I started with the Insight Guide. I was seeking to get background, history, etc. The Insight Guides seem to vary enormously from one to the next in both quality and orientation. I think they are good for an entire country if you are trying to decide where in the country or what parts you want to see. I thought the guide for Madrid was useless. It provided very little information about the city or the culture. It seemed to be best if you were planning on moving to Madrid and wanted to find out the differences between the various suburban areas. I suggest you forget this one.

I looked at the Mini-Rough Guide. I didn't like the format and it was too terse for my taste. In my opinion, Rough Guide still needs to produce a guide for Madrid that is a regular, not a mini Rough Guide. The LP Guide to Madrid seemed pretty mediocre. The stiff covers also made it awkward to use or hold open to a particular page. The information and descriptions were inadequate compared to some other guides. The Eyewitness Guide to Madrid is, I think, the best overall guide to Madrid. (Generally I prefer Eyewitness guides for City's much more than as a guide for an entire country.) The maps are good, the pictures of the food and other items are very helpful. The hotels and restaurant sections were pretty good, but not great. If you are looking for hostels, you will need the LP guide. Eyewitness does not give great historical depth, but it gives you some, probably enough for most tourists. Guide Books are not the best source for detailed historical and cultural information anyway. The Time Out guide was almost like a tourist's yellow pages, primarily a listing of hotels, restaurants, sites, services, etc. It had the best listing of restaurants and hotels and covered all price ranges. It wasn't as good as Eyewitness is describing the things to see and do.

I ended up getting the Eyewitness Guide to use while sightseeing, supplemented by the Time Out Guide for picking hotels, restaurants and being able to look up things. Another reviewer recommended this same combination in order to visit Tapas bars. I'm not that much into Tapas, but I still think these two are the best combo. Eyewitness is not perfect, but it's the best one that I saw.

Incidentally, the Spain Rough and LP guides Madrid sections do not cover Madrid as well as the Madrid-only guides. You are looking at a 60-page section, compared to the Madrid-only guides of around 300 pages length.

I travelled to Moscow in November 2002 and found this guide to be of great assistance in planning what I wanted to see, getting background information and in follow-up reading and reference after I returned. One use after I returned was in matching my photos to the pictures in the guide to label them and this worked extremely well. The pictures are beautiful, and the background information is extensive and helpful in understanding what you are going to see.

The one drawback is that the 1998 publication date makes this book not very useful in information on new hotels, restaurants or prices.

Compare guidebooks and I think you will see that this one is by far the best for detail, pictures and general information.

Highly recommended.

If I was taking just one guide, 'Eyewitness Travel Guide to Moscow' would be my first choice. Although it is starting to age (published in 1998) it is a good visual and historic guide to Moscow, with enough color photographs to both inspire and guide you.

As other reviewers have noted, this book is ideal to use to review with a tour guide the sights and areas that you want to see because of its diagrams, pictures and suggested itineraries.

The history and art sections are reasonably good for a guide book.

The restaurant and hotel suggestions are a bit stale, and the pricing is out of date (although the range of pricing is still reasonably accurate).

This is one of the best travel guides I have ever used. It gave more information than the private guides I hired. It includes some of the little known, "personal facts" as well as information on food, transportation and gifts to bring home. I highly recommend this book. It was so good, I bought the ones for my next two trips as soon as I got back from Moscow!

Having read this book two thoughts come up:
1. They should have had much more in-depth data, why stick so much to the surface ?
2. Is their overview of ways to deal with radical innovation comprehensive ?

Seen the impressive list of authors and the impressive research they've done the book is disappointing. Maybe because they were limited on what they could disclose, time pressure etc.

To learn more about dealing with radical innovation I recommend the books 'Corporate Venturing, 'Intrapreneuring', 'Webs of Innovation', 'The Innovators Dilemma'.

So should you read 'Radical Innovation ? Well if you're active in the field it should be on your shelves, otherwise I wouldn't spend my dollars on it.

I think this book will have the greatest value if read in combination with Yoffie and Kwak's Judo Strategy. Why? Because the authors of that book correctly stress the importance of maximizing organizational speed, agility, balance, and leverage in any competitive marketplace. What they do not address (except perhaps indirectly or by implication) is the importance of radical innovation which, more often than not, proves to be a decisive competitive advantage. Indeed, the seven authors of the book I am about to review identify "Seven Challenges in Managing Radical Innovation" (see Table 1-1 on page 8) and meeting these challenges effectively indeed requires maximizing organizational speed, agility, balance, and leverage. Obviously, no single volume asks all "the right questions," much less provides "all the right answers." Hence the importance of carefully correlating the ideas from several different sources. I also strongly Michael Hammer's The Agenda which offers a "model" by which decision-makers in any organization (regardless of its size or nature) can determine appropriate priorities and then set appropriate objectives before formulating strategies and tactics by which to achieve those objectives.

The subtitle of this book ("How Mature Companies Can Outsmart Upstarts") reminds me of Jack Welch's comments when explaining why he admires "small and sleek" companies:

"For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

For those who seek radical innovation in so-called "mature" companies, the challenges which the authors of this book identify are obviously much greater than they are for those in the "small and sleek" companies which Welch admires. A majority of upstarts pursue a "judo strategy" (in one form or another) because they lack the resources of their much larger competitors. (David had no chance if he wrestled Goliath.) For that reason, they cannot afford incremental innovation. They must take bold, decisive action when and where it will have the greatest impact.

When explaining what they call an "imperative," the authors of this book make a critically important distinction: "...incremental innovation usually emphasizes cost or feature improvements in existing products or services and is dependent on exploitation competencies. In contrast, radical innovation concerns the development of new businesses or product lines -- based on new ideas or technologies or substantial cost reductions -- that transform the economics of a business, and therefore require exploration competencies." This is indeed a key distinction.

Much of the material in this book was generated by the authors' research over a period of five years (1995-2000) which followed the development and commercialization activities of 12 radical innovation projects in 10 large, established ("mature") firms. For the authors, a radical innovation project must have the potential to produce one or more of these results: an entirely new set of performance features, improvements in known performance features of five times or greater, and/or a significant (i.e. 30% or more) reduction in cost. What the authors learned from the research serves as the foundation of their conclusions; also of what they recommend to those who seek radical innovation in their own organization. All of the ideas presented are anchored in an abundance of real-world experience. Although this brilliant book's greatest value may be derived by decision-makers in "mature" companies, I think substantial value can also be derived by decision-makers in the "upstarts" with which such companies as DuPont, General Electric, General Motors, IBM, and Texas Instruments will continue to compete. One final point: All of the "mature" companies discussed in this book were once "upstarts" themselves. How revealing that all of them are now so hard at work on regaining or preserving certain competitive advantages which once served them so well.

Very succinct yet comprehensive. It has key advice on the marketing, finance, and people skills necessary to see a new idea advance to a great new product. This book should be required reading for all MBA students, managers, and anyone who has the dream of a great new idea but is unsure as to how to make it come real. Although the title states that the book focuses on how more established companies can create environments to promote radical innovations, the information can readily be applied to any firm regardless of length of operations - and yes, to individuals.

The authors present a list of 7 challenges that face the radical innovator and then they provide the competencies, or skills, that are necessary to meet these challenges. Throughout the text, real-life examples from well-known firms help the reader to understand how these challenges come about, and to even recognize a challenge should it present itself. The examples do tend to focus on radical innovations that are new technological products, but the recommendations could also be applied to other new ideas such as new management systems or organizational structures.

This pocket-size guide book is excellent to carry around exploring the city/Berlin. The great color photographs are inspiring. The walks, tours and excursions described are an excellent way to explore great parts of the city as well as find a nice restaurant or place to have a drink, some could even be call insider information. The hotel information as well as the general trips are very good and useful too.

If you have no idea how to write research report, read this book and you will have a basic concept how to start. It is a simple and easy reference for beginners. Not very thick but useful. Easy to carry with you. Also, with steps and example show you how to write term papers or reports.

Out of the three books I have purchased, this will be the one to go with us to New Zealand. I especially like the detailed maps about each specific area. Since this is a once in a lifetime trip my husband and I are planning, we want to know as much as possible by the time we get there. It has wonderful suggestions for traveling on a budget, yet isn't afraid to reccommend the really good places not to overlook because of price. With all the information we have gleaned, we are starting our inquiries and reservations. We can't wait to go!

I asked for this book for my recent birthday, based on an ad I saw which quoted the New York Magazine review. The comparison to Donna Tartt was enough to sell me on it - but sadly, it is not deserved. Rice's characterizations are shallow and shorthand, the "life-changing" events that motivate his characters are anti-climactic and underdeveloped (as well as improbable), and the emotional level throughout this book is simply not mature.

Donna Tartt's The Secret History, by comparison, was a rich study of human behavior and an exercise in evocative storytelling. She may have been in her twenties while writing her novel, but her voice and skills were so mature as to make her age a non-issue. Not so with Christopher Rice. I don't wish to be hypercritical, but this book does read as though the author is freshly out of high school. I think Rice had some great ideas for a story, but his writing is not of a caliber to express them in a compelling manner. To me, a great book is partly defined by a sense whilst reading of being "in" the story, and not reading at all. I never felt that with A Density of Souls.

I realize I am in the minority, so this review is not going to be for everyone. If your expectations are not high, or if you read mainly popular fiction (much of which I find unreadable), or if you watch and enjoy most American television, you probably won't be disappointed . . .

I picked up Density of Souls because I am an Anne Rice fan and had read an article about Christopher. Knowing he has excellent writer-genes I wondered what he would come up with. Within the first chapter I was hooked. The characters are vivid full techni-color souls with their own set of demons and secrets. What makes this book so real is that everyone has been tormented by classmates however, Christopher Rice takes what can be perceived as harmless schoolhood traumas and exploits them into full blown tragedy. The tale begins with four friends practicing their own set of rituals however, Rice hints at the onset of something bigger running through the quad. The beginning felt like "The Body" by Stephen King but this tale soon blossomed into a mixture of VC Andrews weirdness. While you will not find vampires or witches in this novel... there are many subtle nuances to keep you guessing.

I look forward to reading more work by Christopher Rice. His style is straight forward and flavorful at the same time. His character development is intriguing and very complex. If you're looking for a good read this is a good avenue to wander down.

"What do you despise? By this you are truly known." (A Density of Souls, Christopher Rice pp. 188-189)

I have read a handful of reviews posted here. Two or three in particular discouraged me. Sadly, people without knowledge of events outside of their own lifes are dictating to others what is real, believable, and what happens in the lives of others. On reviewer said "After finishing the novel, readers shut the book just like they switch off a bad television drama, and never think about the story or its characters again." Another said: "Further, I found his portrayal of high school and the years after it to be inaccurate. Cannon high where his characters play out their implausible lives is a Beverly Hills 90210 hell with much more challenging social pressures than any high school I know of." And lastly: "This tale of a tormented young gay man in New Orleans is so unbelievable (not to mention disgusting) that anyone would have to walk away from the book frustrated...First of all, I am a straight, Christian, college football player, and I have never seen anyone on any team, at any school that I have played at or visited treat a person like that. I find the treatment of Stephen by the football players at Cannon to be highly unbelievable, not to mention an unfair stereotype of male athletes. As for the rest of the plot lines, I would find it extremely hard to believe that all of them would happen in a lifetime...."

I would like to comment on these. When I was thirteen years old I read "The Outsiders" and "That was Then, This is Now" by S.E.Hinton. When I finished the books, I threw them across my room, walked over and picked them up, and promptly read them again. Those two books helped to shape the way I view my world. They helped make up what I am today. Six years later, it happened again with "A Density of Souls". During my formitave years as a teenager growing up in California I have never had anything rock my view of society and spark my mind into understanding and clarity as these three books. These characters WILL be thought of again. They will become a source of strength and despair, resentment and realization. Secondly, Rice's depiction of high school life was not as outrageous as some would have you believe. In fact, it was more acurate than most would care to know. Schools are divided into cliques and classes, and the hatred between them is palpable. I know. I was from the same group as Stephen. I still am even after high school. It defines you. The social pressures are numerous and they do shape you.

Lastly, I submit that the tale of the gay man is not unbelieve (nor disgusting). I can attest that these things do happen as parts of the tale are mirrored with events, thoughts, and actions in my own life, and the lives of my closest friends (and I believe that a story with a gay character does not make a story "disgusting" ~ that tends to be a straight Christian view, of which I am neither). Football players tend to not know about the private lives of each other. Rice's depiction of events is actually quite correct. Relationships do occur for many reasons, including those cited in the novel. I commend Christopher Rice for telling the story he wanted to tell in the manner in which he wanted to tell it. Events happen in lives, for some more than for others, but that does not make them any less valid, or any less real. Books tell a story which try to leave a lasting impression on your mind. Your part of the bargain requires you to allow your mind to be impressionable. Read "A Density of Souls" with an open mind and I am certain you will not be left disappointed. I believe that you will be left changed in heart, mind, and spirit because "Even a thought, even a possibility can shatter us and transform us. (Will Kilfoil)" I wish to close with the words of Christopher Rice:

"Fear cannot touch me... It can only taunt me,

it cannot take me, just tell me where to go...

I can either follow, or stay in my bed...

I can hold on the things that I know...

The dead stay dead, they cannot walk. The shadows are darkness. And darkness cannot talk."

I have read both of Christopher Rice's novels and he has matured greatly as a writer since the publicaiton of his last novel. Anyone who is now foolish enough to attribute his success as writer to his mother's fame is either blindly jeleous of his success or ignorant of the talent Christopher posseses. The book is filled with plot twists and secrets which keep the reader on the edge. His use of flashbacks to fill in character's past and tie them in with the present action shows a great deal of time and thought was put into The Snow Garden. The imagery in the novel makes you feel as if you are seeing the action through the character's eyes rather than a third party discribing the scene. Using imagery and ideas taken from Hieronymus Bosh and weaving them into his thriller is a brilliant move for Rice and helps give more insight into Bosh for the reader and understand the plot better. If Christopher has mautred this much form his first novel, I can only wait to see the power of his third novel. Anyone who is looking for not only an entertaining but stimulating read should buy The Snow Garden.

Another great book from Christopher Rice. After reading 'A Density of Souls' last year, I could not wait until his next book 'The Snow Garden' was released. I was not disappointed. The has written a very intriguing gothic mystery.

This story centers around fictitious Atherton University, and key characters Randall Stone, a Freshman student, and Dr. Eric Eberman, a married, closeted professor. Enter a cast of characters from different walks of life, all with their own secrets in their background, 2 deaths nearly 20 years apart, both ladies with relationships with Dr. Eberman, and a bizarre sex cult, and you have the basis for a very good novel.

Like A DENSITY OF SOULS, I could not put this book down. Christopher Rice has definately distinguished himself as an author with his own talent. Now with two very good novels under his belt, people should no longer be saying he only got his book published because of who his mother is.

I cannot wait until his next book, whatever it may be, is published.

Way to go Christopher! Keep up the Good Work!

This book is full of mystery and suspense. Randall is a college freshman living in the dorms. His best friend is Kathryn, who lives across the hall. Randall and Kathryn are able to discuss anything, even Randall's homosexuality, but neither one has the courage to discuss their pasts. Kathryn's secret past deals with her boyfriend during her senior year in highschool. Randall's past, well, you'll have to read to book to figure that one out for yourself.

Then there is Jesse. He is Randall's roommate. He is absolutely gorgeous and has more sex than any college freshman I ever knew. He seems to always get the person he is persuing, into bed. He also has some deep dark secrets in his past.

Finally, there is Dr. Eric Eberman. He is a college professor. He also happens to be married and closeted. When Randall arrived at Atherton college, he already had his eyes set on Dr. Eberman. He had read a book that Dr. Eberman had written, and knew the material by heart. This aided Randall in getting what he wanted, Dr. Eberman.

As with just about any good mystery, there has been a murder. At first the cops suspect the husband, but then determine that the death was an accident. However, some of the details are rather disturbing to Randall, so he begins to do some detective work. As he searches for information and clues, he puts himself in danger.

I highly recommend this book. It is a very easy read. I did not want to put it down. I read it in just two evenings. I can't wait for Christopher's next book.

Kevin