1. Because of the music. (Gerald Stern says, "There is some strange, some delightful, some outrageous music here.")

2. Because of the dirt. So much hydroponic poetry out there nowadays--poems subsisting proudly on nothing but water and air. Smith's poems have their roots where they should.

3. Because of the work, the politics, the pleasure, the real places & dreamed release, and all the other people outside and inside the "I."

Here's a piece of a poem with a title taken from Roethke, "I'll Make a Broken Music, or I'll Die": "If the four boiled men on my block / had speech beyond the wet kiss / from the imperfect embouchure / of their lips on the bottles of the shamrock- / emblazoned Tokay, and if this / emptied oil drum fueled by jilted furniture / could be their mouth, then they could sing / of the passing into darkness / with the perfect pitch and modulation / of silence and how it feels being / what's collected in the winds / and not the song. / / Of the almost-songs we are, this / voiceless one is the loudest."

4. Because these are the fierce and beautiful "almost-songs" of the other lover, the one who loves (hurt or be hurt) whatever might be left out of the voice, riding over it, sliding under it, "a shadow boxer, a small / class struggle, a mad and fearful girl, a plural."

5. Because these poems are hungry and so are you.

6. Because Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman never slept here, and you won't sleep either.

7. Because, come on, you're curious about what makes a book a finalist for BOTH the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

8. Because of the music.

If you ever wondered where to hunt for wild sheep, Rocky Mountain goats and pronghorn, this is the book you must buy. I especially liked the illustration of the bighorn ram by Hayden Lambson the cover. This is an attractive book that is small enough to fit into my hunting backpack when hunting for these critters. Pronghorn are some of my favorite animals to track, so this book tells me that Wyoming is THE place to go for Boone and Crockett-quality animals. The book was written a few years ago but it is still a good place to start when doing your pre-season planning. I bought this book with the book COLORADO'S BIGGEST BUCKS AND BULLS AND OTHER GREAT COLORADO BIG GAME because I was in Colorado.

This is by far one of the best compendiums I have ever seen with regards to this sport. Everything is covered here, from race results to Driver's records. It's all here, and it's wonderful to read. Not only can you find out who won a Grand Prix, but you can also find out who finished second, and who retired because of engine failure, or some other malady. This is THE book for the Grand Prix junkie...I can't recommend it enough

The book is filled with fabulous new photographs and fascinating archival shots. A clearly written history of the Alaskan Highway, dramatically colored with the lore and legend of the pilots of the North Country, it chronicles the critical influence of air transport on the development and history of the highway. Anyone who has flown or driven the highway will enjoy this book.

Each year I pick the best book read that year. In 1946 I read 78 books--48 fiction and 30 non-fiction. This great book was the best one I read that year

This book gives the most needed information on power system Harmonics along with the necessary background theory. It is a most useful piece of information source on the topic of growing concern.

However, discussion about mitigation techniques for harmonics is not apparently present in the book.

I think this book is necessary for all new electrical engineers graduates, it shows you that the fascinating world of power quality is easier to understand that it seems.

The book was a little slow going. The topic is probably not noted for its exciting appeal. I did enjoy the new information that it provided. The concept of an almost natural change from wild harvested to domesticated cultigen by virtue of an interface of plant and human needs rather than by conscious efforts on the part of the harvester was interesting. It almost made the process seem inevitable. The information regarding wild plant ancestors of modern domestics, the likely site of origin for and the path of spread of these plants were also interesting. For some reason I found the domestication process of animals somewhat less so. Overall I think the book would be best used as a resource for information rather than an afternoon read.

This colorful book uses a lot of information and statistical facts to bring the development of agriculture ot light in many regions of the world, even often forgot Africa. Plenty of pictures of the changes in plants and plenty of graphs and charts to help simplify all the information. A good over view of agriculture without getting into individuals findings on this day or that. A good read.

The beginnings of farming c. 10,000 years ago fundamentally changed human societies. Collaboration between archjaeologists and natural scientists has done a remarkable job in unravelling the where, when and whys of this story, but previous publications have concentrated on just or a few one regions. This is the first truly global survey of the domestication of plants and animals. It is up-to-date and well written and illustrated, and would be an excellent starting point for anyone interested in this topic. Readers should note that the paperback edition is substantially revised and is therefore preferable to the hardback, which still contains the original text.

Anyone who enjoys this book will also like Jared Diamond's Guns, germs and steel.

I'm confronted with a major redecoration of my bathroom (status post leaking tub, water damaged floor, and Great Dane deconstruction project!), so I've been casting about for ideas. Since I've always admired the minimalist beauty of Japanese art and architecture and the oriental appreciation of the natural as art, when I found The Japanese Bath by Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto I decided to check it out for ideas. What I was looking for was practical information, however, and this book is more a philosophy of The Bath as multi level sensual experience. As the authors write, "Entering a bath in Japan is to enter another world. It is a place where one not only cleans the body but also cleanses the mind (p. 13)".

The photos are lovely (my favorites are the "created scenery" on pp. 30, 33, and 47), and one can hardly but envy those wealthy enough to have the space, let alone the wherewithal, to have a separate building devoted to the "zen" of bathing. Unfortunately I live in a town house, and I rather doubt that the association would appreciate my extending my bathroom into the commons-I could be wrong, but I sincerely doubt it; they're not terribly open minded! I suspect I am not alone in my lack of space for major remodeling.

Taking the above quote from page 13 as a starting point, what I did gain from the book was a realization that in our fast paced Western lives we can still find moments of relaxation and relief from stress by creating small environments in our homes conducive to the Eastern concept of "centering." It needn't be hours long and one needn't even be consciously aware of the effect to derive a benefit from the experience. While The Japanese Bath provided some information useful to the average person for creating a bathing room (it does discuss tubs and wood for making them), there was little of the nitty gritty of how to apply the philosophy to the smaller homes most of us live in these days.

The information one gleans from The Japanese Bath has to be more indirect. The notes on the Japanese "palette," for instance, suggest the use of darker, less vivid colors to create a quieter, more restful room. Certainly this idea above all gave me a starting point that finally helped me pull some of my other ideas more smoothly into place. I'd been struggling with loosely associated "great" ideas for over a year. The notion that brighter isn't necessarily better also gave me plans for less direct lighting-after all one isn't always shaving or putting on makeup. Integrating something of nature into the bathroom-table top fountains, plants, an aquarium, etc.-while it seems a bit '70s, certainly isn't a bad one; furthermore it's affordable and not terribly space intensive.

Still while it's nice to see how the other half lives-or at least the other 5%- the book really is more of a coffee table display than a practical book for the average home owner to make design plans.

This is a handsome little book. The emphasis is on photography. If you're seeking a photo essay for Japanese baths and possible details (designs, plans, etc.) this is not the reference for you. However, if you just want a visually pleasing browse, this book has beautiful photography and very limited captions. You're not likely to use this book for detailed design research but you may find it useful for idea research (brainstorming). Although the baths look authentic, most of them are Western replicas(many in the US) of their Japanese cousins. If it's authentic Japanese baths and detailed explanations (concepts, theories, etc.) this is not the book for you. But, if you just want a nice browse, the photographs are thought provoking enough to be useful.

A relatively short book (less than 100 pages), what "The Japanese Bath" lacks in length it makes up for in content. Just about every page is filled with beautiful, full color photos ranging from small, home baths, to exquisite, private baths found in spas, to the large, community baths found in Japan. The authors keep the writing brief and simple, but it's nonetheless enlightening and captures well the Japanese mindset towards bathing.

Paragraphs on how to build a Japanese bath from scratch are absent, but a great emphasis is placed on the points that make the Japanese bath so unique: lighting, depth, materials. The book provides abundant inspiration for creating your own design, without providing actual builders plans.

If your wish is to incorporate a Japanese bath into your home, or simply to visit one, the resources guide in the back of the book will prove very useful. Most suppliers and spas are on the West Coast, but many have web addresses where they can be reached. One of the finest, Ki Arts, boasts "the flexibility to work anywhere in the world" since they utilize the traditional Japanese joinery system for their projects.

All in all, "The Japanese Bath" gives truth to the adage that great things can come in small packages. It is a diminutive, but excellent volume for those interested in the topic.

Spellfire is an intersting supplement to the Forgotten Realms, but it is much too powerful for the usual Player. If you're interested, this book is a good accessory, but limited use in any usual campaign

This is not a review but rather a synopsis of the book since non was given and the one other review of this title is a bit misleading as to the contents of the book. Spellfire is a card game similar to Magic the Gathering. This book is a comprehensive guide to the cards themselves, as well as the rulebook for the game. It is 400+ pages long and contains a complete index for all the game cards as well as full-color photos and descriptions of over 1000 of them. As far as a reference book for the game is concerned, this title is unsurpassed in it's completeness.

Want to know the inside scoop on ACP/ADP testing? What to know the differences between a Defined Contribution and Defined Benefit Plan? Then this is a great place to start. If the Pension Answer Books series was never invented, this would be the primary source of information for Pension Administrators. This book goes into great detail about the compliance and regulatory issues and their application to retirement plans. This book is truly an essential resource to anyone in the Retirement/Pension field.