Terry Hamburg'sGrand Entrances is an informative and compelling survey of attractive, artistic retail storefronts in San Francisco provides a closeup color portrait of some of the city's most colorful creations. Over eight color illustrations and photos capture everything from signage to murals and exceptional presentations. Art and architecture schools with sections on commercial art will find this a 'must'.

This book has heart and soul. The imagination and humor these storeowners and artists display is amazing! I especially appreciated the captions which tell the story of each storefront. The details are unexpected and funny. I also liked the Introduction which gives a great history of how San Francisco came to have so many "grand entrances." I know which book I will be giving to friends and family this holiday season!

Grand Entrances opens the door to the whimsy that is in the heart of San Francisco. The superb photographs capture the spirit of the artists, the shopkeepers who proudly display the creations, and the climate of the people who live in the area. This book rather reminded me of the children's book about the man who painted his house purple in a neighborhood where all the houses looked alike. However, in this case, everyone painted his or her storefront with wild imagination. Indeed, looking at the photos and reading the background about this era, I wondered if people at that time appreciated the beauty and creativity of the times. Personally, I savored the diversity of San Francisco. San Francisco encompasses all kinds of spirits, and this book captures that unique strength. Grand Entrances was fun!

When I found this book, I was first of all amazed that this author would be able to write her experience in the fullness she could, to reach inside and be able to describe what torture and pain "felt" like. I had dicovered my own torture at the age of 18, and even though I had been seeing a Psychologist for a year, I found strength and compassion for myself and others who have had to experience such a personal crime. Teresa helped me find within myself a new pathway of healing. Her abilities of expression in writing, as well as her description of the torture and what it did to her, were frightening, yet she caused me to go on, instead of turn inside.

A picture of her own healing is portrayed, giving others the strength to go on. A book that turned my entire life around, and even though the journey is not easy by all means, it gave me determination and a resource to view when I wanted to quit.
Thank you to this author, her beautiful ability to write, and to write about a subject many would turn away due to their own fear.

This nation, as well as the world, need to realize these types of events happen each day and many either go on, or if help is not found, commit suicide, due to the lack of society to understand or for them to close their eyes to the evils of some in the societies of our world.

A must read for not only those of rape, violence, and torture, but as well, for clinicians who practice Psychology in helping survivors heal.

I bought this book for my girlfriend to help her find ways to recover from a very brutual attack that occurred when she was much younger.

This book was very effective for her because it paralleled her experience: a prolonged assault involving extensive contact with her attacker. In addition, it addressed the Post Tramautic Stress Disorder (PTSD) problems she has been encountering as a result of the attack.

If someone you love has suffered from an attack, books like this can help both you and them understand what has happened and how they might be feeling. My girlfriend had trouble articulating her feelings about the attack and this book (and others) helped her overcome her difficulties and express herself.

In Hours of Torture, Years of Silence, Teresa tells a story of the horror and betrayal. A story of 14 horrific hours where she was the attention of an animal, high on drugs. The brutality and loneliness of her story and survival instincts allowed her to escape and live her life, in pain.

The book draws you in as if you are in the house, the room, with her. You feel the anxiety, terror, pain, and humiliation that a victim of rape feels. When she escapes from the clutches of death you escape with her.

Very powerful and moving true story. This book will help people understand what a victim of rape has gone through.

This book is Awesome! So many beautiful homes, I don't know if it makes me happy to see it all, or depressed that I'm not a billionaire! Oh, Well, we can't have it all, but having this book can make you feel like you do.
Keep it in your living room for your friends and guests to see, they will spend hours w/their noses in it. 1,000 pages of delicious architecture. Highly recommend.

This book offers a wide range of home styles from around the globe in almost 1000 pages (999 to be exact). With more pictures than text this is definitely eye candy for anyone who loves residential architecture. A+

I just bought this book on my vacation to Quebec City, my version is in french. I think this book is amazing, lots of great pictures of some spectacular houses with a small write up for each. Great book for the price. A must have for any one who loves houses and architecture.

julia margaret cameron's women contains 63 different plates representing magnificent victorian portraits photographed back in 1864 to 1874. every plates are monochromed in sepia or black & white. ...5 pages are consacrated to her models biographies,her favorite ones like: julia prinsep jackson (mother of virginia woolf & painter vanessa bell), mary ann hillier (her maid,cameron described her as one of the most beautiful & constant of her models.) , Alice Pleasance Liddell (aka the little girl from whom Lewis Caroll wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" in 1865)..etc.. - 5 other pages focuses on cameron's Literary & mythological subjects:from "DAPHNE" (nymph pursued by the god Apollo) to "OPHELIA" (from shakespeare's "Hamlet")..all are well explained and presented...the rest of the 242 pages are dedicated to margaret's life, her debuts,her Illustrations to tennyson's "Idylls of the king", her different relations... - all fans of painting & photography should own this book! it is a unique reference! cameron was and still is one of the greatest portrait photographers of all time...

other interesting books in this genre: "Reflections in a looking Glass" a centennial celebration of Lewis carroll. , "Photo Historica" landmarks in photography , "a new history of photography" edited by michel frizot.

This amazing book is well worth the investment. These photos still have the power to knock one over the head with their dizzying beauty. Too often people look to the men who made up the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood for an ideal of the Victorian woman. For a fresh look, one should explore Victoriana through the eyes of the women themselves. Cameron's photography is the perfect counterpart to Christina Rosetti's poetry. Enjoy.

Most photographs here were made in ca. 1870. Looking through the book, I imagine that at that time photography was still so new, so unprecedented, that no one yet had idea of what portrait photography was to become. An art? Or a detailed recording of what the eye perceives? In this ambiguity, Julia Margaret Cameron shows herself in this volume to be great artist, a portrait photographer second to none. In the faces of her women, I can see stories and history as recorded nowhere else.

Most notable is the series of images of Julia Jackson. (She also appears on the front and back covers.) One can see her life evolve over the time span of the photos. These images become even more interesting upon learning she was mother of Vanessa Bell and Virginia Woolf. So here at last is the real Mrs. Ramsey.

This book is the first to explain how information flow and the management of corporate knowledge changes the nature of business. Unlike business process reengineering and other management fads which treats individuals as cogs in the business machine, this book advances the notion that the intelligence and expertise of the people in an organization define success--and that such intelligence and expertise can be amplified by information technology.

I'm a technologist, and this book is the first to adequately explain the relationship between information technology and business organization--David M. Kalman

This book is well grounded and strategically linked to the very existance of organizations in the future. The authors discribe a dynamic process based on values to move any bureaucracy toward cutomer focused success. Read any chapter and reap the benefits, read the whole and fly

I am completely delighted with "The Little Guides" series. The format is extremely user friendly, and each guide is packed with useful and interesting information. I enjoy reading them, but my 6 year old daughter gives them the most use. While the guides are written at an adult level, there is plenty that she can read and understand. I currently own "Sharks," "Birds," "Mammals," "Space," "Whales," and "Flowers."

"Mammals" contains two parts; the first part gives an overview of the world of mammals, comparing the different characteristics (eyes, ears, feet, etc.) of mammals. Part two is packed with illustrations (over 500) and information about the rich variety of mammals that live on the earth. Each entry contains information about the animal characteristics, food, young, habitat, as well as close relatives.

This guide is packed with useful information, and is a great resource of adults as well as children!

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If your kids enjoy the nature programs on cable TV, they'll love this book.

Beautifully and accurately illustrated, the accompanying text is authoritative and educational. Just as importantly (if books are to compete with TV) it is also very entertaining.

The layout of "Mammals" follows the zoological classifications of the various "Orders" such as carnivores and marsupials. It even includes a section on the monotremes, those egg laying exotic mammals from Australia, namely, the platypus and echidna.

This book is a refreshing change from the typical TV nature show where animals and their behaviour are often anthropomorphised. You know the thing ...... " Bwana the baboon beats his chest boastfully after his latest conquest".

The highlight of the book is a four page panoramic fold out depicting the scene of the annual mass migration of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles across the African plains.

This book provides an ideal launching pad for those children who are keen to learn about the animal kingdom.

This is indeed an appealing and easy to read book. The illustrations are beautiful and the text interesting and very educational. The layout is good. I would have loved having this book to use when I was a teacher. Particularly informative for adults and students alike are the "Fast Facts" which give a description in a nutshell, including conservation status; "Would You Believe?" with interesting trivia; and "Where in the World?", giving maps to show habitat. Along with correct information, the book dispels misinformation. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the warm blooded creatures who share our planet.

I was really impressed with this book. The author clearly cares a great deal about the topic, and this kind of book can easily get bogged down in absolute trivia and become dry as dirt. Luckily that isn't the case -- he keeps the story moving without sacrificing the kind of accuracy he desires. Some of this is as simple as putting things in footnotes that other others would have left in the main text, and some is an ability to stick to what's important.

Miwoks To Missiles provides the first complete history of Angel Island, covering over two hundred years of the island's history from Miwok Indian settlements to Spanish exploration and immigrant arrivals. Anecdotes, personal recollections, and source material documents make for an excellent and lively presentation essential for any collection including regional California history.

John Soennichsen's spectacular new book Miwoks to Missiles: A History of Angel Island is a must-read for anyone with an interest in Angel Island and it's history. As state park docents, we may each think we already know all we need to know about the human history of the island. But every page for me deepened my perspective and provided a wealth of new information. John is a master of making historical transition readable, entertaining and informative. The author begins with the lives of the indigenous people who used the island for fishing and hunting. He then moves gracefully through the Spanish and Mexican periods and concludes with chapters covering the more modern era: military utilization of the island during our 20th century wars, the dynamics of the creation of the Immigration Station and its many uses, and finally the effort to make the island a bit more angelic in the transition of the Island to state park status. The particular strengths of the book for me are found in the myriad of detail about the early history of the island: the travails of Lt. Ayala and the San Carlos, the voyage of the Racoon, and the "original owner" Antonio Maria Ossio. The later periods were also thoughtfully reassessed. The author's use of archival material-old photos and rare written accounts bring the island and its people to life in dramatic fashion. John Soennichsen is a first rate historian. Unlike most historians, however, our resident author has a sense of humor and is able to punch through the pretentiousness of so many of the people who were in leadership positions during the different island epochs. Filled with stunning photographs and informative sidebars, the book is a really good read that should enchant virtually everyone who picks it up. We must all be grateful to John Soennichsen for providing us with the first thorough and sensitive history of the people and places of Angel Island.

I love all of Sam Choy's cookbooks, and own them all (see other reviews). This is absolutely the best Poke book ever published. I have tried out about 25+ recipes, including traditional Ahi poke, lobster poke, steak poke (surprisingly good), seared skipjack, salmon poke, etc... every single one of them was spectacularly good.
The introduction and description of ingrediants, picking foods, and process are all very well done, as is typical of Sam Choy's books.
The pictures are good, but sparse, and the substiution list is strong as ever.
I have lived and cooked in Hawaii on several islands, and this book is a must for anyone who wants to entertain island style. The poke recipes are easy to make, and perfect to take to a potluck, party, or just for a relaxing day at home.
While there aren't a lot of books on cooking poke out there, even if there were 1000's, this one would be the standout.
Each year, Sam has a poke festival on the Big Island, and the best of the 100's of recipes he put into this book. Truly a fantastic encyclopedia of poke, with a wonderful primer of an introduction.
I am so hungry thinking about it, I'm off to make some tonight! Mmmm!

I lived in Hawaii for 7 years on the island of Kaua'i and had never had hawaiian food before. I saw Sam Choy on News8 in Honolulu and got interested in his show. I began to try island food and found his poke to be excellent. His recipes are easy and extremely "ono" (great!) If you like raw fish (and if you haven't tried it - don't knock it!) you will love Sam's poke. Buy this book - you won't regret it!

The recipes in this book are wonderful. I will be making a visit sometime to the Big island for the festival.

Paul Block does a tremendous job in the San Francisco series. I have read all of them, San Francisco, The Deceit, Darkening of the Light, The Calling and Beneath the Sky. Mr Block takes the reader to these times and places and keeps them there. Two thumbs up. A must read if you can find a copy.

I would like to find the 2nd of the series called Darkening of the Light of the San Francisco series. I have looked for over 3 years for it. The book Darkening of the Light I found was another series. Are there only 3 books to this series? or four? please?

I am very fond of this book. It is definetely my favorite book of all time. I've read it about 10 times and I still enjoy reading it every time. I would be even more happy if I was able to find the continuation of this book. I have been looking for it for two years.

This is a great book allowing me the opportunity to review the offerings of fine establishments. I have now visited 5 of the featured restaurants and have had incredible meals. My husband & I use this book to plan our special evenings out on the town. Thank you San Francisco Cuisine for your great book.

Your book was a great way to explore fine dining in San Francisco. It allow us to select restaurants by their menus, and by the foods we really enjoy. And we were not disappointed, the four restaurants we dined at were excellent. This is an ideal guide for anyone who appreciates fine cuisine.

We visited San Francisco during the Memorial Day holiday. We were in from out of town and stopped in a bookstore to buy a book and ran across this publication at the check out register. We purchased it thinking it would lead us to some exciting places in San Francisco, and we were so delighted to find a guide with the menus of the restaurants. We visited two of the restaurants that were featured in the book, and now we have the book as a souvenir and a reminder of the great time we had in San Francisco.