Elisabeth Murray writes a wonderful and highly detailed biography of her grandfather, James Murray. Simon Winchester reintroduced many in this country to Mr. Murray in his book The Professor and the Madman, which told the story of Murray and an American living in an English asylum named W. C. Minor. This book was highly readable, but not comprehensive as a true biography of Murray.

James Murray, the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, was a gentle man of words who dedicated his life to the study of the English Language. His efforts are best understood in this book by the descriptions Elisabeth gives of his scriptorum, where Murray spent the majority of his life, and where Elisabeth worked as a young lady.

In reading about this man's life and the effort that was required to undertake the construction of this dictionary, one really gets a sense of the vastness and complexity of the English Language, the historical richness and the regional diversity. One also sees in florid detail the life of one of the great late-Victorian pedants.

This is really two books in one: the life story of James Murray, first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the tale of the dictionary itself. Both are lovingly told. It's a must read for anyone interested in dictionaries or linguistics.

Elizabeth Murray, the granddaughter of James Murray, who was the chief editor of the huge Oxford English Dictionary on which every serious scholar of English continues to depend, has written an excellent biography of the greatest English lexicographer, and done more: she has also given an insight into his personality, and, yet more importantly, into the whole scholarly world of philology, lexicography etc. in Victorian England, and the difficulties which beset the creators of the dictionary. I recommend the biography most highly, and feel that all fans of *The Surgeon of Crowthorne* (chiefly on Dr W.C. Minor) should read this - preferably BEFORE that book (so as to get a sense of context), but otherwise after. - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (see "More about me')

I am always on the lookout for any reminder of the beauty and wonder of living. In Life Prayers, I found a generous serving. Here is a book to carry you through the ordinary days of living and the not so ordinary times in life when we are caught off guard and lose our way. This eclectic mix of prayers, blessings and affirmations, will help you find your way back to a heart of gratitude. Its very earthy quality, carries on the tradition of reverence for all life which was started in the first book: "Earth Prayers". Here is a warm gift to give others who are just beginning their spiritual journey, as well as for those of us who have been walking the path for awhile now. If you enjoyed such books as Jon Kabat-Zinn's"Wherever You Go There You Are" or Andrew Harvey's "Light Upon Light" then you will love Life Prayers. Early on in "Life Prayers" there is this reminder: "Empower me to be a bold participant, rather than a timid saint in waiting, in the difficult ordinariness of now;" This book is not aimed at anyone spiritual or religious outlook. It is a reminder of the beauty to be found in our daily living. Many of these are sweet pieces I have never seen before, and some and like old friends. "May those whose lives are gripped in the palm of suffering open even now to the Wonder of Life. May they let go of the hurt and Meet the True Self beyond pain, the Uncarved Block that is our joyous Unity with Holiness...." There are prayers and affirmations, meditations and reminders, enough to read a new one every day of the year, but I think you will find that you can't read just one a day. I encourage you to give this gift to yourself.

Those who have bought the editor's first volume, Earth Prayers will not be disappointed with this second collection of inspirational poems, prayers, chants, blessings, and invocations from around the world, from some of the most visionary thinkers, both past and present. This book has a truly impressive range of material.

This collection celebrates life and the life cycle. The selections are subdivided by categories: affirmations/invocations to life in general, honoring a kinship with all life, dark night of the soul, prayers for solidarity and justice, womensprayers, birth, coming of age, courtship, marriage, healing, mid-life, growing old, death, moments of grace and illumination, and praises for the earth. This is a great resource for those involved in running ecumenical services of any sort, any group that uses affirmations as part of it's groupwork, and for individuals who wish to make prayer a part of their daily lives. If you see the sacred in all things and are looking for something more than one religious traditions' teachings have to offer, this multicultural prayerbook is for you.

This is the classic work on Arizona Flora identification. Revised in 1970, it covers nearly 4000 species of higher plants native to Arizona. This is a highly technical work of based on descriptive taxonomy. I expect that recent advances in genetic typing will soon make works of this sort obsolete, but until such advanced techniques are widely available, this remains an invaluable handbook for the specialist working with Arizona flora. This book is difficult for the amateur to use for two reasons. First, there are essentialy no illustrations, relying instead on subtle distinctions of scientific descriptions. Lacking the necessary technical vocabulary, most amateurs will be quickly frustrated. However, the book does contain an excellent glossary (excepting the lack of illustrations) so with patience, advanced amateurs can make use of the keys. The second problem is less easily solved. Many of the key distinctions are made from plant characteristics observed at widely different times of the plant's life cycle. For example, reference to the petioles or lack thereof of the seedling's cotyledons may be made followed by references to the shape or character of the seeds or seed pods. This limits the usefulness of the key in many cases where the plant is only observed at a single point in time, generally while flowering. As an amateur wildflower observer, I generally use this as a reference to confirm or refine an identification made in the field or from photographs. My initial identification, usually to at least the family and usually the genus, is generally made with the aid of other works, such as the Peterson Field Guides, various other works specializing in desert or Arizona flowers and Ricketts 3 volumes covering the Southwest. But for all that, if you're serious about wildflower identification, then this is a book that must be part of your reference library. The included ranges and flowering times will often be enough to distinguish two similar appearing species.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

this book disapointed me as a therapist because the knoledge in this book is interpreted to the recommandation of around the r.d.a wich is an old sad joke. there are however a certain thing in the term of knoledge that are basically fine, but in the overall recommandation is alternativly concervative=not practical in dealing with serious diseases

This book is concise, well written, and addresses many nutritional issues with a seemingly unbiased and scientific perspective. Another book that is really good is Total Nutrition.

Even though the title suggests that this book is a "reference", I found the chapters on macro and micronutrients to be a comprehensive starting point for learning more about nutrition. Easy to follow with many references to clinical studies, this book offers a lot for the lay person trying to decipher the recent flood of health advice regarding diet. Special chapters on how specific diseases relate to diet might have been more extensive, but otherwise the book was excellent.