If your idea of love is limited to visions of puppies and balloons, The Thing About Love Is... probably not for you. In Polyphony Press' first effort, the heavy topic of love is tackled in gritty, gutsy pieces that cut to core of this complex emotion. Sometimes it's bliss, sometimes it's bizarre, and quite often it hurts, but regardless of its form, love is always intriguing. This anthology is in keeping with that notion. With a variety of styles and voices, the works featured here are unanimous in their ability to draw the reader in and keep him hooked. It is truly a great read that may challenge one's personal definition of love. Call it an enjoyable experiment in mind expansion!

It's difficult to find an anthology that has as much stopping power as this one. Reading it, I was impressed not only by the diversity of the authorial voices, but also by their veracity. Each story, poem and play seems to have come straight from the gut. What's more, the contributing writers help to remove our blinders; particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. Love, they argue, is nothing less than a battlefield on which each of us daily chances victory or defeat.Those seeking to enter the contest fully armed would do well to buy this book.

Anthologies are not my usual choice of reading material, but as this was recommended to me, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. While I could not relate to some of the pieces here, I enjoyed the underlying topic immensely. The poetry, drama, and short stories were a good blend. The Thing About Love Is... an enjoyable and fast read, but has a peculiar lingering effect that required that I return to it for further exploration. It's a perfect book to read from the relative comfort and safety of your best chair, where you know that you can dip into the joy and angst of love and for once, walk away unscathed.

I found this book to be handy and very well organized. It's definitely got some very useful information for Keepers. I agree with the other gentleman here, though, that this is a book players will want to avoid. This book is like a set of Torx-head wrenches - much of the time, you will probably not need it. However, every so often, there are times when it is PERFECT for what you need. If you are just starting to run the game, the creatures in the rulebook should hold you for quite a while, though.

I dont play the game, but I bought this book anyway simply because it had such terrifying pics of the creatures that I have only read about in the literature. The posters included of the G.O.O's are really cool too. The descriptions of the entities are great and the sideline articles by the occult investigator are icing on the cake. Buy this book if you voted Cthulhu for President! (It couldn't be much worse than Dubya could it?)

If you think CoC is just an RPG game, think again. I recently bought the [price] CoC 20th Anniversary Edition Rulesbook (worth every penny) and was looking for some new monsters to enhance my gaming...Here they are in this beautiful guide...morbidly illustrated...crisp text (not simply a tedious chart collection)...and scares the living bejesus out of me. When I was first reading Lovecraft, I became hooked, and simply LOOKING at this book was a surprise - really quite cool. A must-have accessory for any player as well as keeper - even players can marvel at the creature statistics, and hope they don't meet whatever is in the book on their CoC adventures...Cthulhu's stats made me jump...Anyway, a visually pleasing (depending on your asthetic values) book, as well as a necessity to playing the greatest RPG ever created...enjoy!

I am a fan of most of Le Guin's books. Although I don't like every one of them, several of her books are among my favorite novels. I really admire her explorations into the "otherness" of gender, which was the primary theme in her greatest novel "The Left Hand of Darkness." In "The Birthday of the World", Le Guin revisits Karhide (where "Left Hand of Darkness" took place) and plays with the idea of complex marriages, unbalanced societies, and the loss of innocence, all themes she has touched on throughout her writing career.

If you are new to Le Guin, I'd recommend you read one of her great novels first ("Left Hand of Darkness", "The Dispossessed) Then, these stories should flesh out an appreciation for her work. If you are working on writing your own science fiction or speculative fiction, I'd highly recommend this book of short stories along with "Steering the Craft", her writing workshop handbook. These two volumes really should be packaged together for fiction writers.

To coin a term for a form of prose that's lacked one, Ursula K. Le Guin as chosen "story-suite" for a collection of short stories that are connected by theme, location, or events. This book mirrors her last SF story-suite, Four Ways to Forgiveness, in connectivity by theme but diverges from connectivity by place. At least, it makes wide ranges 'round the setting of many of her SF stories, called her "Hainish Universe." (Le Guin, typical of her self-deprecating humor, talks of her laziness in re-using this setting in her forward.)

The theme of these stories is relationships. With ourselves. With our lovers. With our society. They use various tools to explore this topic and reveal the complexities of being human. Stories range from a first-contact tale with a deeply anthropological tone to a "comedy of manners" among some of the most complicated relationships in the universe. Along the way, we touch on some familiar settings (the world of Left Hand of Darkness, that of Four Ways) and get a look at some new.

The final tale in this collection, a novella entitled Paradises Lost, is a bit of a divergence from the rest. It does not reside in the Hainish universe setting but upon a ship bound for a distant planet. Generations are born and die upon the ship as it crosses the vastness of space towards its destination. We watch one of those generations grow up and deal with a crisis of faith. In the end, we are presented with the answer chosen by the characters through whom we see the story. Typical of her skill, however, Le Guin does not present this solution as an absolute. That these people are protagonists does not make them absolutely right; other choices remain valid and are not demonized.

Most refreshing for me, is the number of stories in this collection that have, for at least part of their narrative, the voices of children. For her last couple of books, Le Guin was excercising a mature voice, one of parents, grandparents, rulers burdened with great decisions. I suspected the trend followed Le Guin's own aging; that she was now writing the books of her maturity while previous ones were the books of her youth. In this collection, however, we see that her talent cannot be so easily pigeon-holed. The youthful voices speak with vigor and candor. The ideas are fresh, whole; they make a maddening sense and immerse you fully in their gossamer worlds.

With each new release, Le Guin demonstrates that she is master of her craft.

In this collection of short stories, Le Guin returns to her fictional universe of the classics "The Left Hand of Darkness" and "The Disposessed." The stories in this volume equal the power of her best works. Le Guin discusses superstition and religion in the title story; however, it is surpassed by the novella "Paradises Lost," in which she portrays human nature, sexuality, and deontology vs. teleology in a stunning way. Although this book is not appropriate for young children, all other Le Guin fans and newcomers to her work will certainly enjoy it.

When I was a young lad, I used to run home from school to watch Dark Shadows, that most excellent Gothic horror television program that ran from 1966-1971. Though the show has been off the air for many years, I never forgot my fondness for the show. Now that it is available on tape and DVD, I am back into it. My pleasure was made complete when I got a hold of a copy of this book.

This book contains everything I could want: interviews, pictures of the cast and settings, a list of characters, a list of actors, a list of storylines, a timeline of the story, a timeline of the show itself, and so much more! I would love to list everything that is in this book, but it would take me far too long! Suffice it to say, this is a great book, and a Must-Have for any fan of Dark Shadows!

I'm relatively a newcomer to "Dark Shadows," fell in love with it from the start, and have been catching the episodes on the Sci-Fi Channel ever since. It was wonderful to learn about the history of the show from these two books. The technical aspects of the show fascinate me, and much info is supplied on how the show was made, etc. There are character/actor lists and descriptions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, tons of interesting trivia, bloopers list (it's fun to see the mishaps that happen on camera - the show was done live-on-tape...), some great photos, and all kinds of interesting info on the show...

Any "Dark Shadows" fan would enjoy this book, as well as "Dark Shadows Memories" which provides a complete episode list and lots more memories from several members of the cast.

It's awesome that original actors from the show, such as Kathryn Leigh Scott and Lara Parker, put together these books on "Dark Shadows" - it makes them that much better! :)

I bought this book over a year ago and still find myself going back to it again and again,uncovering an interesting tidbit I hadn't noticed before.You'll find a lot of things in here.If you consider DS to be the coolest,this book will knock you out!

This book is enlightening; enlightening about Zen Capitalism. You know... the kind of profiteering off of new age spirituality that goes on nowadays...selling the deceptive appearance of simplicity, purification, and discipline, and mystifying the dharma.

In the olden days, Zen Monks ate rice with some wheat, pickles and miso soup. Now, in American "Zen", they drink trendy chai, and eat things whose names have the words "rasam", "feta" and "braised" in them. I imagine the cooks from this monestary going on to start a very trendy and successful restaurant in LA or New York based on this cooking, like Greens restaurant in San Francisco.

This book encourages a kind of cooking that plays to luxurious tastes. Attachment to this sort of food, like attachment to anything else, will not help anyone become enlightened.

This book is the first cookbook I bought although I didn't think the inclusion of dairy products is appropriate. Leaving this aside I think I will get a lot of use from this book.

This is such a wonderfully useful book and the chapter or section on the philosophy of food in Zen was worth the price of the book. I also appreciated that food choices are seasonal as are the recipes. I also like the section on the role of the cook, which in this fast food society should be obligated reading.

There is also an excellent section on the well stocked Zen kitchen as well as methods and ingredients explanations for those who are unfamiliar with certain terms. The book is alas non meat which is fine, and I personally love finding new fruits, vegetables and grain ideas to add to my constantly evolving kitchen tastes.

There is also a wonderful history of sorts about Zen and food. The illustrations and photographs are crisp and clean, and the text is easy to read and the directions easy to follow.

If you are a serious cook who loves ethnic variety I seriously recommend this book for your collection and use.

I have never hunted human beings so I haven't had the opportunity to try out many aspects of this book (let's hope that never changed). I have found the place where I use this is when I am big game hunting in the thick bushes on Northern Ontario. Big game leave the same tracks and trails as humans.

This is not a textbook, but rather a brief instruction manual. This covers the basics that you need before you get out into the field. What isn't in this book, you will learn in the field because you'll just flow into it if you know the material in this book. This book provides only the basics of tracking. The most basic principles are applied. This book's information is limited to woodland atmospheres.

This would probably be a very effective tool for Special Weapons and Tactics teams and police officers. In an age where people are learning to hide in the "bush", this is a very useful book for those that have th unfortunate job of having to go out and get them and bring them back. This is not a war book, or a guerilla warfare techniques guide. It is a military science book that teaches people a skill that requires thinking to expand on. I recommend this book to police units or officers that live near a woodland environment, and those who would have to pursue someone into an environment such as a forest or jungle.

I found this book to be very helpful. We use this as a text book for advanced tracking in our Search and Rescue team.

David Scott-Donelan is a dear friend of mine. I am a member of Vietnam Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars. David spent approximately 30 years as a combat tracker, trainer, and officer in charge of training the most elite fighting force the world has ever known. His book is a Bible for Military Personnel who will need Tracking Skills, Law Enforcement people, and Corrections Department People who will have to track and apprehend DANGEROUS armed fugitives. It is not for the meek of heart to read this book. To do what Capt David Scott-Donelan did in Southern Africa for 30 years requires skills that few men in the history of mankind ever possessed. Yet a more gentle and friendly a person you will never find anywhere. If you want to know about serious combat tracking, read the book, and try to get your department to send you to his Tracking School. It will be money worth spent. It will save your life by using the most aggressive tracking methods

ever developed in history by the man who wrote the history!

The authors' attempt at giving the reader a feel for the physics of flight is lost in a sea of laughably poor grammar and typographic errors.

My favorite error is in Figure 2.10 which shows the 'Angel of Attack' of a wing. All I can think of is 'Cherubim with an attitude'.

The authors want to give you "the SIMPLEST way to master an understanding of the science of flight". They do this without any real math to speak of, but their text, illustrations, and pictures very well convey the physical description of lift and other material that they strive to present to the reader. A good book for the layman, the beginning and/or more experienced pilot, but too basic for the engineer. There are typos that may confuse (as on page 24), but for the most part the authors have delivered on what you're looking for when you purchase the book.

I teach aerodynamics at San Jacinto College in Houston and have been searching for a number of years for what I consider to be satisfactory textbook. "Understanding Flight" meets a college level criteria for the explanation of aerodynamic theories and concepts without the complicated math and geometry. The authors, David Anderson and Scott Eberhardt, have published some interesting papers over the net in the past. I was excited when I found that a book covering all phases of aerodynamics had been produced by the two. A new and refreshing approach to old subjects and misunderstood opinions filled the pages. I have read everything I could find in order to give my students the latest information available. These concepts and the methods used to explain them have not been addressed in a complete textbook up until now, at least to my knowledge. The fact that a physicist and a professor of aeronautics have delivered these principals and ideas in a texbook format lends a tremendous amount of credibility to their validity. I'm thrilled to be able to present these explanations in the classroom but every aviator should possess the understanding this book provides about what's going on about him or her each time they leave the ground.

As a recent alumnus of an Ivy League business school, I naively/arrogantly expected to find Wall Street Words of minimal use and really only purchased it because of a desire to switch careers from consulting to investment banking and a subsequent need for a reference tool in research.

To my pleasant surprise, I have found it almost indespensable. It is always within reach when I read the WSJ and I find myself consulting it regularly.

I think that the 1-star review below is quite unrealistic. While I would agree that there may be a couple of terms missing, for my money it's still the best book out there of its type. NONE of these books are exhaustive. Remember, this is neither a text book nor a course, just a reference guide.

All up, an excellent reference guide that will answer most, if not all, of your financial terms and definitions questions succintly.

Wall Street Words, a reference book for the contemporary investor, affords a succinct, yet extensive explanation of the terms used in today's market. Author Dr. David L. Scott has directed his book toward the financial populace at all levels of expertise. The book is written practically, orderly, and aptly as it defines Wall Street's lingo. In addition, numerous financial tips contribute in-depth examples of many of the terms. I hightly recommend Wall Street Words as an excellent guide for A to Z investors!

This is probably the single best reference source for Wall Street terminology. It is complete and even includes investment tips. I would recommend Wall Stree Words to any investor who is sometimes baffled by the financial mumbo jumbo of the Wall Street experts.

Scott Nollen did a fabulous job on this history of Jethro Tull. He provides the reader with the inside scoop from the band: Why band members joined and departed, why songs were written and what the lyrics really mean, plus recollections and stories from band members that you won't read anywhere else. Vivid descriptions are offered of each album, how it was produced, and the accompanying concert tour. I also enjoyed reading about the dry British humour and zany "behind-the-scenes" antics of John Evans, Jeffrey Hammond, David Pegg, Doane Perry, and Glenn Cornick. This light-hearted, back stage humour provided a great counterpoint to Ian Anderson's disciplined, stern, highly professional expectations of the band. I bought this book 3 weeks ago and I still can't put it down -- a fascinating read.

Being a fan of Jethro Tull since 1970, I thought I knew a lot about the band -- until reading this book. Scott Nollen offers great insight into their records, tours, and backstage antics. The book also offers a rare glimpse into Ian Anderson's childhood and early development in Scotland. But, a real highlight for me is the inside story from band members, including Ian Anderson, Glenn Cornick, and David Pegg. Why did Glenn Cornick, Mick Abrahams, and Clive Bunker leave the band? How did their music evolve from blues, Celtic, folk, jazz, rock, to heavy metal? It's all there. And, after all, Ian Anderson gives this "excellent book" a hearty endorsement in its preface. So, it must be pretty close to the mark. It's an excellent read!

Jethro Tull has always been one of the most original and innovative rock and roll bands, blending countless types of music, and they continue to perform all over the world. Scott Nollen's book provides the most thorough history of the band, plus a first-hand touch with his years of knowing and hanging out with the band. A good combination of history, critical reviews and survey of the musical development of the band over their first 33 years of non-stop recording and touring. And the foreword by Ian Anderson and afterword by Dave Pegg give the book a nice personal touch.