James Bollman's collection of banjos and banjo memorabilia is stunning and this volume may be the only way in which I would ever be able to view it in my home a photograph at a time. The history is a resource for historians and reenactors alike. The vintage photos are mostly ones I've never seen before. This collection has the most vintage photos of lady banjo players I have ever seen. The 1860's photo of a young woman playing the banjo on page 93 has enough detail for a reenactor to duplicate her dress and accessories as well as her banjo. The same is true of an 1895 photograph of a woman playing a Fairbanks Electric. The turn of the century all woman banjo band on page 10 is inspiring. It's great to know that there have always been lady banjo players and these photos give the lady reenactor a place to start when planning a period costume to go with a period banjo. There is a section of breath taking color plates in this book that allow you not only to see detail on some rare banjos, but also depict antique banjo clocks and memorabilia. I never knew such pieces existed until this book. A great book and a must have for anyone interested in vintage instruments and pickers.

At last, another important book has emerged to stand with the few other necessary references on early American 5-string banjos.

Unlike the two fine Tsumura books which are primarily photographic essays of considerable magnitude, Gura and Bollman's treatise combines a highly readable and informed history with a remarkable collection of rare antique photographs and ephemera plus 4 lengthy sections of recent photographs of exquisite instruments and banjo related objects. Any one of these three aspects would be sufficient reason to own the book.

The frequently startling and personal photographs impart a very human feeling as we progress through the story of the evolution of the banjo in American culture. Amazingly, they represent just a minor fraction of Jim Bollman's immense collection.

Special praise is due Peter Szego for his magnificent photographs of the wonderful early banjos from his own collection.

I find it hard to remain objective as I turn the pages and imagine what it must have been like to pose for one of those Dageurreotypes, rudely dressed, banjo in hand, daring the photographer to capture my soul. And again, when I turn to that favorite Boucher or Fairbanks banjo and long to feel and play it.

Well done, gentlemen, and thank you!

As a banjo player of some twenty-five years experience, as well as a historic interpreter/performer of Early American music, all I can say is that this is the book that I've been waiting for! This well-researched, well-written, beautifully illustrated tome doesn't just give us an interesting history of the banjo; it offer us a fascinating view of the instrument's pivotal role in the birth of American "pop" music.

My favorite features of the book are the antique period photographs, as well as the many wonderful illustrations of authentic period instruments and ephemeria, primarily from the extensive personal collection of the book's authors and fellow collectors such as Peter Szego. The majority of the 19th century photos depicted belong to author Jim Bollman, whose home can best be described as a museum and shrine to the banjo. I'm also a collector of vintage photos of musicians and I can tell you there's no one more respected in the field than Jim. His name is constantly invoked with awe and reverence by both dealers and other collectors. I have to admit there were times at photo shows when I've had cause to harbor some unkindly thoughts towards Jim every time it had become that he had scored all the best photos. However, purchasing this book, which contains many of those incredible unattainable photos, more than makes up for that.

My only complaint about "America's Instrument..." is its failure to really explore the banjo's African roots other than to briefly quote Dena Epstein's pioneering work on the subject. Also, the authors are mistaken in their statements that the African ancestors of the banjo, such as the xalam, "lack the shortened string on the top of the fingerboard that is characteristic of later banjos." In fact, the xalam has three "chanterelles" (drone strings) of various lengths above the two long melody strings. A cursory look at the xalam illustrated in the book would reveal that.

Be that as it may, I highly recommend "America's Instrument...!"

Taking upon himself the spiritual, mental, and physical struggles of his spiritual children, Henri Nouwen came to exemplify the kenotic life of Christ by "sharing each other's budrens, and so fulfill the law of Christ".

Each of the stories in this book show just how a simple touch, a loving glance, a kind word, or a quiet presence can effect to life of another person. More than that, it shows the simple, childlike beauty of the mentally retarded. Truly they rest in the heart of God in the arms of Christ. They are the pure of heart who see God.

If you get a chance, read Nouwen's "Compassion" to get a moving reflection on the life of communion and service.

Enjoy!

Henri Nouwen made remarkable contributions to many people of all religious denominations, particularly Christians, throughout his lifetime. Priest, Scholar, Psychologist, Professor, Chaplain and Author were the professional and formal roles he held throughout his lifetime. Yet, ultimately Nouwen was a deeply human man who has come to be somewhat widely recognized as something of a contemporary mystic since his death in 1996.

Nouwen's more than thirty-two books give very human voice and practical dimension to the struggles which life presents to us all. His personal struggles to live his own life defined his writings and perhaps are what made them so uniquely effective in reaching the wide audience he managed to draw. While clearly Christian, they were writings that were offered as 'an invitation to reflection and personal search' as opposed to any kind of theological mandates. As a result of his openness and his efforts toward inclusiveness, Nouwen was embraced by people of many faiths who found inspiration in his writings.

In Befriending Life, a wide variety of people who knew Henri in one capacity or another, tell their story of their encounters with him. Clearly, Henri Nouwen was a man who had a remarkable ability to reach and affirm others. Befriending Life is essentially a series of portraits of Henri Nouwen given through the writings and interviews of a wide array of people who came to know Henri personally in some capacity or other. The contributors include co-workers, former students, trapeze artists, retarded persons and even near-strangers who were somehow, often through the most unlikely series of coincidences, deeply touched through Henri's ministry.

As Nouwen was truly a geographical and vocational wanderer throughout his life, this book gives a delightfully engaging account of a deeply restless man who somehow managed to give voice to many more universal human struggles through the examination of his own.

For anyone who has enjoyed Henri Nouwen's writings, Befriending Life gives the reader a much better understanding of the human being behind the words. Flawed, broken, restless, seeking.... Henri went about his life most earnestly and seriously -- attempting to make his world a better place by reaching out to other human beings, one by one.

For the newcomer to Nouwen, here is a wonderful opportunity to become intrigued by this man's life and to perhaps begin a more lasting relationship with Nouwen through this invitation to his many books.

Befriending Life is a wonderfully engaging book. It weaves together many people's personal experiences with Henri Nouwen and ultimately creates perhaps the most informative biography available on the man.

Highly recommended!

Daniel J. Maloney
Saint Paul, Minnesota

If you have treasured Henri Nouwen's books, this book about him is one you shouldn't miss. It recounts the experiences of his friends with him... shows you the doors and paths he helped them find... refers throughout to his books... sending you right back to them. This 'Wounded Healer' who found so much to meditate on in the painting of the Prodigal Son will continue to touch you through these accounts by his friends.

Although it is difficult for me to select my favorite modern Greek poet since I hold several of them in high esteem, among his peers, Seferis crests the wave of poetic intensity. His poetry is always laden with images often as tragic as they are beautiful. Like Kimon Friar, Edmund Keeley has brought the powerful verse of modern Greeks to the English reader (see the Amazon excerpts of this work). In sum, Seferis' poetic world is enthralling.

...(like myself). Seferis is graceful, erudite, and profound without being pretentious or willfully obscure. His work is lovely and haunting. I first became aware of his poems when Stephen King excerpted bits of them in SALEM'S LOT, which I think says something about how broad an audience Seferis appeals to. His poems tell stories as well as create imagery and mood, which helps make their beauty all the more affecting.

Kavafy is the the perfect guide in our exploration of life. I reccommend this book highly. Edmund Keeley has done a wonderful job in bringing Kavafy's poetry to us.

After reading is wonderful book I was dreaming I was a character in the book. It is a well writen book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Kudos to Phil Masur, he is a wonderful person as well as a super author.

The Campus Stalker by Phil Masur is a refreshing page by page thriller. The one thing all the readers i have talked to agree to is that you will not be able to put this one down. This "who dunnit" is fast paced and the characters are vivid and crisp. The author captures the reader from the very beginning. The writing was exceptional and the first 10 pages were chilling and that was only the begining. I am anxiously awaiting the sequel. Hats off to Mr. Phil Masur.

I read this book from cover to cover. It was exciting well writen and keeps your interest. I could not put it down, it was that good. There is a little romance, but it is 100% thriller.

This book is strongly recommended in the education for medical students in the University of Lund. That's why I read it. It's perfect as a startup book for your pre-clin medical studies. It's not deep enough in the physiology part (although anatomy and especially histology is very good) but the integrated approach is really terrific and it makes you understand in a whole new way. If you want to become a good doctor, you should absolutely buy this book, or borrow it a least in your library. The first integrated anatomy & physiology book I've read that's deep enough for medical students. Good work Seeley.

I had the pleasure of not only getting to use this text in my A&P class but I was taught by Dr. Seeley at Idaho State University. Great text with great explinations. I am still using it as a resource in Physician Assistant training.

I am sure that people who have read this book will agree that this product is the means of excellent basic Anatomy and Physiology. I have found figures and data tables very clear and easily understandable. Excellent Summaries at the end of each chapter beautifies this product. Clinical facts given from time to time are as interesting and knowledgeable as "Develop Your Reasoning Skills" Problems. This book deserve a chance from every Anatomy student. I conratulate the authors and highly recommend this book.

This book is the rambling memoirs of Usumah ibn-Munqidh, 1095-1188. His lifetime very nearly tracks the time of the First Crusade through Saladin's reconquest of Jerusalem. Usumah was a member of the noble family of Shayzar, but was exiled by his jealous uncle. He became a high-ranking government official in Egypt, then in Damascus.

Usumah's memiors is an invaluable description of ordinary life during the time of the Crusades. Usumah spends more time in battle against other Muslims than against the Crusaders, and often travelled to Crusader lands for business or on diplomatic missions. His descriptions of Western Civilization are fascinating.

I recommend that you understand the basics of Crusader history before reading this book. Read Runciman vol.1 and 2 and Maalouf's "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes." Both Usumah and the editor assume that you already know basically what happened.

I suggest that you keep Runciman vol. 2 handy at all times. Usumah jumps backwards and forwards in time and it is sometimes difficukt to follow him. He also suffers from the medieval curse of obsessing on a topic and writing about it to death. The topics that fascinate him are wounds and hunting, and his discussion of these topics can get a little tedious.

But overall, a really cool book that I highly recommend to my fellow Crusades-freaks.

Usamah calls his book "Kitab al-Itibar" or "The Book of Instructive Example." True to its title, there is much to learn from this book, but what I found very interesting were perhaps things other than what Usamah wanted us to learn. For example, it was interesting to note the Arab perception of Franks, the relationship between Arabs and Franks during the first of two centuries of crusades on the Eastern Mediterranean, and aspects of the life of a prince and some commoners as well. The stories about hunts are numerous and tend to get boring, but they tell us of a rich fauna that is now largely extinct (lions, leopards, etc.). Usamah's talk of old age provides a sobering philosophical view of life.

What an excellent job by Philip Hitti who translated the manuscript from Arabic! Considering that the manuscript was lacking in things such diacritical marks (dots on Arabic letters), punctuation, etc. it is truly an amazing that he was able to pull this book together in the manner its stands. Thanks to Philip Hitti we can enjoy Usamah's book: it is truly a delightful read!

Unlike any other history book, this is a first hand account, day to day life of an Arab Syrian prince in the time of the crusades; He talks about his advantures, feelings and thoughts, it's just like going back in time almost 1000 years. If you like history and especially the crusades, this book is a must. I go back and read this book every once in a while, it's entertaining and informative.

Knowing absolutely nothing about the Black Panthers I picked up this collection one day and read nearly straight through it. I came away with what I think is a fairly good idea of the goals of the Black Panther Party, not the same one I had generally heard or been taught growing up. Instead of them being the black racists many tend to think they are, what would be the equal opposite of the KKK (who, versus the Panthers' few years of existence, have been operating for more than 100 years), I learned that they could be more adequately labeled as classists, in the Marxist-Lenin tradition. As Eldridge Cleaver, one-time minister of information for the Black Panther Party, "You speak of an 'undying love' for black people. An undying love for black people that denies the humanity of other people is doomed. It was an undying love of white people for each other which led them to deny the humanity of colored people and which has stripped white people of humanity itself." I don't see a lot of "hating whitey" there, as Horowitz and other conservatives would have you believe, but more of a gelling together of the dregs of humanity in an attempt to alter its condition, the stance that Malcolm X eventually evolved to, and, later, the Panthers.

Perhaps we as humanity have come a ways, maybe thanks to them, since the Panthers first took up arms, defying the police to beat, shoot or incarcerate them. I say this because eight years ago a similar movement began in the southern highlands of Mexico, another marginalized group taking up arms in order to say,"Take notice, we're not taking it anymore." Instead of being branded thugs and criminals, the Zapatistas captured the hearts and minds of the world and continue their quest for equal rights and protection under the law.

According to their own writings (the real beauty of this book), these guys are not the black KKK or black neo-nazis, contrary to some opinion.

I found the writings of Eldridge Cleaver, a one-time candidate for president, to be some of my favorite.

I'll close with a citation from Julian Bond, which I think sums up what the Black Panther Party was really about: "What the Panthers do more than anything else is they set a standard that young black people particularly want to measure up to...It's a standard of aggressiveness, of militance, of just plain forcefulness, the sort of standard we haven't had in the past. Our idols have been Dr. King who, for all his beauty as a man, was not an aggressive man." Even Dr. King began to take a more aggressive approach before he was gunned down. It's not hate or intimidation, but standing up for oneself as a man.

I recommend complementary readings of the Autobiography of Malcolm X and the Wretched of the Earth.

this Book should Bring People Together.The Black Panthers wanted a Better Today.still to this day we are facing the same Problems of which they spoke on 30 years back.no misguided words here their own words.a must Read for all to Better understanding Voices of Hope&a Better Tommorow for all future Generations.

The Black Panthers Speak is the BEST book out for Americans who want to know what the Panthers stood for. Nobody's interpretation of what the Panthers were about, but only the speeches, letters, and court transcripts of Black Panther members. This book should be read by Americans of ALL ethnicities. Use it to understand that the Black Panthers were a party for ALL people in the struggle for freedom.

This book is loaded with formulae, tips, and encyclopedic descriptions of optical phenomena. It includes several chapters on building electronic instrumentation for optical systems that serve as useful advice about electronic prototyping in general. The writing style mimicks that of a wise, experienced expert passing on practical knowledge (and opinion) to a favored student. In a few cases, this style goes too far, particularly when formidable equations are quickly presented and dismissed, leaving the reader to be impressed, but wonder "what was the point of that?". The author has tried to pack in as much technical meat as possible while still retaining an informal feel. It's a difficult style to write but Hobbs, for the most part, pulls it off. I would recommend the text to readers with some familiarity of optics.

When I meet someone new-to-me in the field, I have taken to the habit of eyeing up their bookshelf, looking for the books that they use. Whenever I see this incredible tome from Phil Hobbs, I know they have an excellent resource. Frankly, I believe that you should be embarased if this book is not on your shelf. This book is simply too good to miss. I recommend that you stop reading this review and buy it!

Phil has managed to cram information of a 100,000+ academic pages into this 727 page gem. His mastery of separating the chemicral from the root of the information is truly amazing. This guy understands what it takes to make a system work and astutely put it into this work. He gives pointers for lab rats as to the number of "post-it" notes to use to elevate an optical component, as well as detail theoretical discussions of detector sensitivity and the practical impact of the electronics.

The writing is sometimes folksy and hip. I find this an incredible relief from the academic 3rd person passive forced by many publishers. Phil occasionally gets funny and at least a few times, his folksy style is only used to clearly underscore the salient point that he is making.

My negative criticism of Hobbs is primarily why it took him until 2000 to publish this book---I could have used it 25 years ago, and whis I had this book in college! Also, a glossary would have been nice to include.

Phil Hobbs has written an in-depth practical study of the field of optics and electro-optics. The book covers subjects including: sources, detectors, lenses, prisms, mirrors, coatings, gratings and exotic components, fiber optics, electro-optical systems, signal processing, and electronics. It is no surprise that it runs to over 700 pages. It is an excellent reference book for anyone working with optical systems. The material is presented in a straight-forward manner using equations only where they are needed. I wish that I had this book as a graduate student.

If you enjoy math and astronomy-related topics and are curious about the history of some fascinating 20th century discoveries concerning the n-body problem, this book should satisfy you. Warning: this book could also annoy you, if you are the least bit sensitive to empty calories such as: "Napolean gazed deeply into Laplace's eyes...", which liberally lard up the text.

The book is a great pleasure to read. The style is light and profound at the same time. It talks to a sientifically mature reader but does not sacrifice the simplicity and the elegant clarity of the exposition. History and mathematics are well balanced. What I liked, probably, the most was that the process of scientific discovery is described is highly emotional (and as a scientist I share the same sentiment). It's also nice to see that Eastern European mathematicians received a fair credit here, which does not happen too often in histories of mathematics published in the States.

It is a complete history of Dynamical Systems theory and at the same time an exposition of the mathematical ideas involved in this theory. An excellent introduction for beginers, and a good panoramic vision for people interested in science.

This was my first exposure to Philip Hitchcock's sculptures, and I was impressed. They are so lifelike you feel you are looking at real male models or photographs of live models. What a talented, brilliant sculptor.

This book is a work of art in itself. Anyone interested in the human form, especially male models will find this book fascinating. The color reproductions are excellent. Ellis Productions did a wonderful job in designing this book. Dark Impressions is very erotic, sometimes disturbing, shown with sculptures (models) that are in restraints, hardware, with skulls, ropes and horns; casted in resin, steel and copper.

This is a wonderful introduction to Philip Hitchcock's very original and awe-inspiring talent as a sculpturer. I loved this book and hope to obtain someday one of these sculpture's for myself. There is even a section about the processing of casting from "Life." A fascinating process shown with photos. If you are an art lover, or if you just appreciate the beauty of the human body, you will love this book. I certainly did.

I have followed Philip Hitchcock's career for many years and welcome "Dark Impressions" as a brilliant -- and beautifully produced -- retrospective of his artistic achievements to date, as well as a prospectus for future accomplishments. His sculptures combine the elegant simplicity of Classical statues as they have survived from ancient Greece: shattered and fragmentary, but naked and stunning. The Medieval is invoked to produce a sense of threat, inhibition and visceral anxiety -- very much in the sense that Quentin Tarantino popularized as "getting medieval" in the film PULP FICTION. These historical elements are then fused in a sophistical and sexy form of the Postmodern, which invites entry into the deepest resources of erotic fear and fantasy. Already working at top form, Hitchcock has a career worth watching!

I am so pleased with 'Dark Impressions, The Art of Philip Hitchcock', that I wanted to say how glad I am that Ellis Publications and Mr. Hitchcock put together such an extensive compilation of his work, and that a favorite site, Amazon.com, is part of the distribution.

This full-color, beautifully designed book will please not only anyone interested in the human form, but also sculptors, artists, art edition bibliophiles and collectors. The color reproductions are excellent -- MY Hitchcock is the first page I turned to. It looks true to the original that hangs on my wall.

As an artist who also collects artists' books, I am inspired by Mr. Hitchcock's career that also includes mixed media sculpture (which lights up!), his viewpoint on what he does, and that he shares the body casting process in a special section in the back.

The works shown in 'Dark Impressions' run the range from disturbing to bright and alive. This is one book I keep on the coffee table.

Best regards,

Greg Vineyard