Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2 3 4
Book reviews for "Spencer,_James" sorted by average review score:

Technical Drawing
Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall College Div (1996)
Authors: Frederick E. Giesecke, Alva Mitchell, Henry Cecil Spencer, Ivan Leroy Hill, John Thomas Dygdon, James E. Novak, and Shawna Lockhart
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One of the best sources available
This book is loaded with technical information for the dratsman and designer. A must have for anyone who is in the mechanical technology field.

One of the best text books ever written...
This text was the basic drafting manual that I used during my technical education; its use did not end with school, however, since I refer to it frequently in my occupation. It tells everything that needs to be explained and described in the general drawing problems that might be encountered in industrial practice. It contains excellent descriptions and illustrations for: Drawing Threads, Fasteners & Springs Geometric Constructions Clear, Concise instructions in using Drafting Instruments, (before the time of Computer Aided Drafting & Desing, in any case). An Excellent overview of the Industrial Design & Development Process, (which I wish my supervisors would read). Sectional Drawing. This book is to drafting what Machinery's Handbook, of the Industrial Press, is to the metal working industries. There are a variety of Drafting Textbooks available, but none are incrementally better, let alone drasticaly better.


Basic Technical Drawing
Published in Hardcover by Glencoe/MacMillan McGraw Hill (1995)
Authors: Henry Cecil Spencer, John Thomas Dygdon, and James E. Novak
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An excellent choice for the novice
This book is an excellent choice for someone wishing to learn the basics of technical drawing. The book was prepared for a high-school level audience, but it has superb explanations of drawing concepts.

The book is divided into 25 chapters. Just some of the important topics covered are: dimensioning, line choices, views and representations of objects, partial views, and many other standard drawing conventions, just to name a few.

Although this book does address both CAD and mechanical drawing techniques, its CAD coverage is (by necessity) very limited.

My background is in chemistry, and I had taught myself AutoCAD, but until I bought this book, my drawings were poor by proper standards. After using this book every day for about two weeks, my drawing skills improved immensely, and I was able to produce high quality drawings in a very short time.

If you are new to technical drawing and wish to learn proper conventions in an easy to follow format, then you will be very glad you bought this book. Additionally, if you are wishing to create your drawings with AutoCAD, then an excellent companion to this book is "Applying AutoCAD-A Step by Step Approach" by Terry Wohlers. A word of advice: learn proper drawing techniques before trying to learn CAD.


Fishes
Published in Paperback by Golden Pr (1987)
Authors: Herbert Spencer Zim, James G. Irving, and Hurst H. Shoemaker
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This book is a great overview of the fish kingdom.
The full color illustrations and brief, interesting descriptions make this a great gift for young fish enthusiasts and a wonderful resource for reports.


Get of Fenris Tribebook: Tribe Book: Of Axe and Claw (A Sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse Tribebook, 5)
Published in Paperback by White Wolf Publishing Inc. (1997)
Authors: James A. Moore and Ron Spencer
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A must-see for all Get!
All Get of Fenris are mighty and proud creatures. As I am. We do respect this book - it shows the truth of our Tribe. Every Garou that calls himself of Norsk origin, should read it. And remember about everything written in it. Hail to the mighty Scandinavian warriors, beloved children of the great Fenris!


Have You Witnessed to a Mormon Lately
Published in Paperback by Chosen Books Pub Co (1987)
Author: James R. Spencer
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Very good and informative
This book was very interesting and opened my eyes to a point of view I never considered. Here I learned that Satan is the enemy and the Mormons are a victim. I sped through this book because it was so interesting.


Insects: A Guide to Familiar American Insects (Golden Guide)
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Press (2003)
Authors: Herbert Spencer Zim, Clarence Cottam, Jonathan P. Latimer, David Wagner, James Gordon Irving, and Susan Simon
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A highly useful guide for the casual entomologist
This title is actually one of the earliest in a very successful list of Golden Guides. It quickly brings the reader up to speed on the subject of insects in general and proceeds to lure him onward with fascinating information about each of the referenced insects in turn. When I arrived in New England, after an early childhood of city dwelling, my forays into woods and field, guidebook in hand, were some of the most educational times of my young life. I still have my original, ragged, copy of "American Insects" and treasure it.


Paratrooper: The Life of Gen. James M. Gavin
Published in Hardcover by Simon & Schuster (1994)
Authors: T. Michael Booth and Duncan Spencer
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The Best Biography of the Paratrooper Legend
This is the finest biography of the life of Jumpin' Jim Gavin, a legendary World War II leader. The other biography is written by Bradley Biggs and lacks the thorough research of Booth & Spencer's work. Read Biggs if you need a summary (and somewhat biased rendition) of Gavin's heroic life of service to the nation. Read this book if you want the details of Gavin's life in an impartial account - from his days as an orphan, then adopted growing up in Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania to his WWII exploits, service as Ambassador to France under President Kennedy and his time as CEO of Arthur D. Little & Company. This biography presents the uncut version of the life of James M. Gavin.

Many former and current paratroopers still pay homage to the memory of this great man. Gavin is buried in the cemetery at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Each year on 6 June, his wife Jean, other family members, and members of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, both officers and enlisted, gather for a D-Day memorial to honor one of the greatest leaders of the war. Gavin led the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment on airborne drops into Sicily and Salerno, and later he led the entire 82nd Airborne Division on the Normandy and Market Garden jumps. It is a fitting tribute that the impact of his legacy still lives on in the hearts of the men and women who knew him and went to war with him. If you want to understand why his memory still inspires many of us in uniform, read this book. (You can also get more insight into the man by reading the several books that Gavin wrote himself, like Crisis Now, Airborne Warfare, and On To Berlin.)

Highly recommended for all paratroopers and anyone who interacts with military professionals.


Rayonier
Published in Hardcover by Heimburger House Publishing Company (1999)
Author: James Spencer
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Great Book
My husband is a model railroader, and loves this book!


Summer Bridge Middle School 7th to 8th Grade
Published in Paperback by Rainbow Pub (1998)
Authors: James Michael Orr, Spencer Livingston, Francesca D'Amico, and Rainbow Bridge Publishing
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Best Book For You To Get Ahead
I am a student who wants to get ahead anyway I can. This book has a lot I need to know and is time eater. The book has all subjects, and does bring you ahead. I hope you enjoy this book too. Have a great school year.


Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification (Golden Field Guide Series.)
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Press (2003)
Authors: Chandler S. Robbins, Bertel Bruun, Jonathan P. Latimer, Karen Stray Nolting, James Coe, Arthur Singer, and Herbert Spencer Zim
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A classic updated, but on the cheap
The Golden field guide, *Birds of North America* has been a favorite companion for countless birders since it was first published in the late 1960's. It has the virtues of being nationally comprehensive, easy to follow (illustrations, maps, songs, and descriptions are provided on the same two pages), and perhaps best of all, small enough to carry in a jacket pocket. It also uses an interesting and highly useful visual "sonagram" approach to conveying information about bird vocalizations.

Unfortunately, however, the ornithological powers that be are constantly lumping and splitting species, rendering field guides at least somewhat obsolete overnight. Consequently, these books must be updated periodically so as to be optimally useful to birders. The Golden guide was last updated during the 1980s, and was long overdue for a makeover.

Happily, this has finally been provided. And indeed, this revised version of the guide is (for the moment) up to date regarding the various lumps and splits that have gone into effect over the past decade. Some of the "splits" are fully illustrated, as with the Canyon vs. California (formerly Brown) towhee. Some, however, are only mentioned in the text, and sometimes all too briefly. It's probably ok not to have a separate illustration of the smaller Gunnison species of the Sage grouse, but a separate illustration of the California gnatcatcher surely should have been provided. Similarly, the somewhat larger and brighter Island scrub jay should have been depicted separately from its relatives the scrub and Florida jays.

Certainly, the publishers of this revised version of the Golden guide have made an earnest effort to provide an updated and attractive entry into the increasingly crowded birding field guide competition. They have included, for example, some new plates illustrating the various introduced parrot species and some (surely not all) of the Eurasian vagrants that are reported in Alaska and along the west coast. There also is a fine illustration comparing the tail feather patterns of both common and accidental pipit species.

However, it seems apparent that the update to this guide was done on a fairly tight budget. Most disappointing is the sometimes mediocre reproduction of what otherwise are fine color illustration plates. Particularly in the shorebird, gull, and tern sections, the quality is simply not first-rate. Apparently sloppy reproduction work also can lead to some misleading visual information. For example, based upon the illustrations of the loon species, one might conclude that the summer Pacific loon has a greenish throat patch while that of the Arctic loon is purplish.

Still, overall, I have always liked this field guide simply because it is so very easy to carry and to use. Consequently, whereas other larger, heavier volumes may be what I study while preparing for a day in the field, the Golden guide provides me with the quick reference I might need while out in the field. As a handy pocket reference, I would continue to recommend that birders consider purchasing this field guide in its updated version.

This is my second favorite birding guide.
I have used this guide for 25 years. It is excellent for casual North American birders. It is compact, inexpensive and covers all birds normally found in North America. It has good illustrations of all birds one would normally encounter and good descriptions of the birds. It has some outstanding features found in no other birding guide such as heads of all sparrows on two facing pages so that they are all right there together where they can be easily compared. It has the same layout for winter peeps and fall warblers. This feature in itself makes the book worth having.

2001 Edition -- Updated but we hoped for more
I have carried the older edition of this bird book for a number of years, and purchased this new one as the old one had become so dog eared as to be embarassing. Also we knew that many species ranges were changing, and wanted to be up to date on that information. The new edition has the same format (down to the exact page) as the previous, and same illustrations. The many advantages of this guide include:

1) It has every bird you are likely to see in North America 2) Everything about a species is on one page, including illustration, description, range map, and sonogram of song (for many species) 3) Nice comparison charts of similar and confusing species 4) Range maps include migration date lines 5) True pocket size -- you will carry this book with you in the field!

The new edition also has updated nomenclature for species that the bird expert powers-that-be keep changing on us. It also has updated range maps for those species whose ranges are changing. It is printed on a slicker stock than the previous (only time will tell if this is better). It also has a new "quick" index which is handy for locating birds by generic name (crows).

But there are some disappointments.

1) It is probably 95% a reprint of the previous edition, both with respect to descriptions and (particularly) illustrations 2) The little check boxes to mark off birds you have seen are missing from the new edition -- surely that was an oversight(?) 3) They did not correct the one thing that was a true weakness of the previous edition, that the range maps are small and rather difficult to interpret. How much easier it would be if the US state borders were overprinted on these little range maps (or for that matter Canadian provinces and Mexican states)???

But of course, it is still our favorite -- if you have only one bird book, and you want to carry it in your pocket, this is the one to buy.


Related Subjects: Author Index Reviews Page 1 2 3 4

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