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Book reviews for "Smith,_Anthony" sorted by average review score:

Basic Security Investigation
Published in Paperback by Gould Pubns (1997)
Authors: Eugene Smith and Anthony Celano
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An invaluable resource for security investigators
This well written book should be required reading for all those who begin a career in the field of security, and it will no doubt continue to be referred to time and again as a resource manual once training is completed.

In a clear, concise, format the authors have provided all the basic information essential to preparing individuals for a career which requires knowledge, skill and professionalism in all aspects.

Beginning immediately in chapter 1 "Case Initiation", the reader will be taken into the complex, demanding world of security investigation, and taught step-by-step the skills required. An easy to follow, easy to refer back to, outline style format will be appreciated as the book continues, covering topics such as surveillance, interviewing techniques and evidence.

Set-in boxes, charts, diagrams and sample reports, (this last undoubtedly drawn from author Celano's 20 year career with the N.Y. Police Department) are what sets this book apart from other texts on security investigations, making it a number one choice for use in the field.

Highly recommended!

An interesting and helpful view into basic security.
This book is filled with a multitude of valuable basic security, and investigation information a must for anyone in the security industry or for someone with there own security concerns.


National Identity
Published in Paperback by Univ of Nevada Pr (1993)
Author: Anthony D. Smith
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best account of modern nationalism from Smith
This book contains many ideas propogated by Anthony Smith in many of his other books (i.e., _State and Nation in the Third World_, _The Ethnic Origin of Nations_, _Nations and Nationalism in a Global Era_) but combines them into one short volume.

Smith first focuses on the ethnic past of nations while also pointing out the differences between ethnic groups and modern nations. He moves through a short history of ethnic groups and nations, asking the important question of whether ancient Egypt, Israel and Greece were ethnic nations before examining the medieval cases of England and France. In all cases he puts emphasis on the importance of the homeland, a concept which can hardly be overemphasized in dealing with national identity.

He then moves to a typology of nationalism, claiming that 'nationalism-in-general is merely a lazy historian's escape'. He examines the oft-neglected cultural aspect of nationalism, one that was at its height in nineteenth-century Europe but which has been replaced in the news today by genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Moving on to the impact of colonialism, imperialism and decolonization on the development of national identity, Smith spends a good amount of time on non-European nations like Egypt, Ethiopia and India. He shows again how difficult it is to generalize about nationalism, especially outside Europe.

Finally, Smith looks to the future, asking the inevitable question of whether nations and national identity are doomed. He argues that any attempt to supersede national identity, e.g. the creation of a European identity around the EU, must inevitably draw in so many aspects of national identity that it is merely another form of national identity. Smith claims that, just as national identity has been with us for quite some time, it will remain for a while as well.

A well-argued and concise book.

It is one of the best books about national identity
I liked. Smith writes not only definitions on traditional concepts (like nationalism) but also introduces an interesting analysis about ethnonationalism. I do not agree in some coments (like his concept of "lateral ethnic communities"), but it is still a good book. Roberto Remes


Nationalism (Oxford Readers)
Published in Paperback by Oxford University Press (1995)
Authors: John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith
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Indispensable resource
This is a reader that covers the various theories of nationalism as well as varieties of nationalism itself. This makes it a largely indispensable supplement, handbook and reference work for anyone interested in nationalism. This is particularly true today as the scholarship on this social phenomenon continues to grow unabated, and since it is patently obvious that nationalism hardly seems about to disappear. The reader contains important extracts from the major works on nationalism by some of the most important early theorists such as Renan, Max Weber and Stalin (although the views of Marx and Engels themselves or Lord Acton and Friedrich Meinecke would have been welcome additions) and almost all of the most important contemporary scholars (Gellner, Anderson, Connor, A. Smith, etc.). The texts are well-selected and organized, and it really contributes to making a very complex subject and a daunting field of scholarship seem a little easier to grasp.

comprehensive reader of theories of nationalism
Professors John Hutchinson and Anthony D. Smith, both at the London School of Economics, have put together here a great collection of texts from the major writers on nationalism over the last 100 years. Starting with Ernest Renan, Joseph Stalin and Max Weber, the book also includes extracts from Benedict Anderson, Walker Connor, Partha Chatterjee, Karl Deutsch, Ernest Gellner, Liah Greenfeld, EJ Hobsbawm, Donald Horowitz, Elie Kedourie, Hans Kohn, James Mayall, Tom Nairn, and Anthony Smith himself, in addition to many others. As in Smith's _Nationalism and Modernism_, all perspectives of the field are represented here. There are 49 essays organized into seven chapters, complete with an introduction to each plus notes, a bibliography, information about each author and an index.

This book is a definite must for anyone interested in nationalism.


The Pen & Ink Book: Materials and Techniques for Today's Artist
Published in Hardcover by Watson-Guptill Pubns (1992)
Author: Joseph Anthony Smith
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Good for int/adv, great materials explination, inpirational
The is a wonderful book for intermediate to advanced pen and ink artists looking for a thorough explanation of materials and a great discussion of the methodology of creating fantastic pen and ink artwork. It is packed with a wide variety of examples that are sure to inspire you.

The book starts out with a large (almost 50 pages) and excellent overview of materials and tools. I love it that the author takes the time to discuss numerous brands of pens, inks and papers instead of just generalizing them.

The following section focuses on ink drawing techniques. There is a good discussion of gray tones, parallel lines, value changes, hatching, cross-hatching and patterns. Then there are a few demonstrations of brush techniques such as laying a wash and using white on toned paper. Mixed media demos mixing wax crayons and acrylic with ink are also here as well as scratchboard and practice exercises.

The basic elements of drawing follow, including things like texture, shape, volume, color, rhythm and scale. Next, drawing strategies are covered. There are no projects or any step-by-step techniques per se. Rather, the author shows you examples of his artwork with advice on his approach, concepts and techniques. I recommend this book for those with some pen & ink drawing experience seeking ideas, tips and inspiration. There is a good list of suppliers in the back.

Smith's surreal images and mastery of a variety of styles make this a book to enjoy for the artwork it contains as well as the instruction it provides.

pen and ink for the elite
Most art technique books are either entirely for the sunday painter or they are so elitist, you need to be a phd to understand them. This book works on different levels so everyone can enjoy it. The sections cover materials and drawing techniques. My one qualm is some rather lame examples of art. A little too conzervative for my tastes. This is ART, not woolworths!


Biochemistry Illustrated
Published in Paperback by Churchill Livingstone (15 July, 2000)
Authors: Anthony D. Smith, Churchill Livingstone, and Peter N. Campbell
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It's another Biochem Illustrated.
It's a very good book, since it has enumerous diagrams which make you understand & imagine the biochemical processes better. It can be used in conjunction with the recommended textbook. However, it does not have Pre-test questions.


Catastrophe & Culture: The Anthropology of Disaster (School of American Research Advanced Seminar Series)
Published in Paperback by School of American Research Press (2002)
Authors: Susanna M. Hoffman and Anthony Oliver-Smith
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Superb Focus on Culture Underlying Catastrophe


This is one of those books where the Amazon.com referal system worked for me. I would never have found it otherwise. It is a timely book, and it has direct relevance to the 9-11 catastrophe because everything this book talks about in terms of "cultures of catastrophe" (one could call them cultures of oblivion or cultures of inattention) resonates with the findings of the joint congressional panel on the many ways in which the CIA, FBI, and NSA failed America.

What most engaged me about this book, apart from its outstanding attention to the relationship between cultures of inattention or distraction and major catastrophic events (the book makes clear that catastrophe's don't have to happen--they make the jump from disasters when the over-all system of first responders and related parties fails to act quickly and correctly in harmony, precisely because of their past culture), is its focus on the total system, on every feature of society in relation to the environment.

The editors write: "One of the common sources of the policy-practice defect is its construction on culturally bound assumptions. In disaster contexts, aid often gets delivred in inappropriate forms and according to unsuited principles." The book excells at looking at the uneven record of disaster preparedness, and the lack of understanding to local contexts that often help turn disasters into catastrophes.

I recommend this book as a primary reference for national security practitioners as well as state & local responders. The ... billions now in the Homeland Security budget was not designed with this book's lessons in mind, and will in all likelihood do more damage than good when we are tested again.

The message of the book is so important it merits emphasis--no amount of money is going to prevent catastrophe--absent a commitment to creating a culture of attention and interoperability and information sharing, we will create our own catastrophes each time we are challenged by what could have been nothing more than a localized disaster.


Explorers of the Amazon
Published in Paperback by University of Chicago Press (Trd) (1994)
Author: Anthony Smith
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A fascinating romp across South America
I have read and re-read this wonderful account of the history of Amazonian exploration since the hardcover edition first came out in 1990. Anthony Smith, an inveterate science writer, writes with warmth and humor as he describes the very first European travels down this mighty waterway, those of the Spaniards Don Francisco de Orellana and the notorious Lope de Aguirre (the subject of Werner Herzog's 1972 movie "Aguirre, Wrath of God") and the Portugese navigator Pedro Teixeira. Next came the scientists, including la Condamine and von Humboldt followed in the latter nineteenth century by a bevy of entrepeneurs who expropriated rubber and other commodities from the rainforest. A well-written book on a fascinating subject!


A Golden State: Mining and Economic Development in Gold Rush California (California History Sesquicentennial Series, 2)
Published in Paperback by University of California Press (1999)
Authors: James J. Rawls, Richard J. Orsi, Marlene Smith-Baranzini, and Anthony Kirk
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The best short essay work I have seen on this subject
In line with much of the new non-fiction surveys and studies, the book, in short essays gives the picture on much information that I have not seen before on the Gold Rush and the aftermath. In particular it gives a reader a chance to compare the Internet investment frenzy with the Gold Mine stocks frenzy in the 1860s & 70s.

The information is concise and beautifully and fascinatingly written.


Iraq and the War of Sanctions: Conventional Threats and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Published in Unknown Binding by Praeger Pub Text (E) (1999)
Authors: Anthony H. Cordesman and Ronald S. Smith
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Wonderful Summary!
Whether you stand for or against continuing the sanctions regime, this title is a must read. Easily the best summary of the current situation in Iraq presently available. The compendium of events in and of itself is of great value, but the greater value here is the insight provided into the strategy that Saddam Hussein is using to remove the sanctions.


Living With Ghosts: Eleven Extraordinary Tales
Published in Hardcover by W.W. Norton & Company (1996)
Authors: Michel, Anthony Roberts, Justin Creedy Smith, and Prince Michael of Greece
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Not your usual book on ghost stories---
This book is the most well-written book on ghosts I've ever read. The author's general story-telling style can easily captivate the reader and leave him wanting more. The author is obviously well-read, a scholar who is very eloquent, and a splendid writer. His tales are memorable and haunting, not only because of the subject. His characters and their stories will linger in your mind. I've read many ghost stories, but this is the only book (on ghosts) I choose to own.


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