This manga tale of Princess Lum, Ataru, and Shinobu is chock full of irony and just plain fun. Lum, who is about as cute an space alien as could be conceived, is besmitten by Aratu. Unfortunately, Ataru is not terribly bright but is hormonally gifted. And Ataru loves Shinobu. What emerges is a series of episodes involving a new twist of the eternal triangle. Each episode is pure outrageous comedy. I won't give examples, as I don't want to detract from the sheer joy of amazement as you experience Lum's misadventures among humans.

On another level, Lum may be read as a quirky philosophical commentary on humanity. Whether you are 15 or 57 or 75, Lum is FUN!

Lum is a wild, crazy, fun, silly manga (comic) from Japan. It's entertaining and hilarious. I recommend it to everyone!

Setting aside for a moment Mauriac's religious beliefs (and it is fully possible to enjoy his work without sharing his sect) Francois Mauriac was an amazingly skillful writer. His short novels are stylistically conservative-- a straightforward realism rules--and, as far as I know, always comparatively short. But within those formal limits, his ability to offer believable and thoughtful moral dramas without ever lapsing into tendentiousness is remarkable. They have their own sort of gravity, a seriousness that reminds me, oddly enough, of George Eliot, though one of Eliot's works is about as long as 8 or 9 of Mauriac's. Technically what I most admire is Mauriac's ability to represent the passing of time. Even "represent" is too distant a word really; it's as if he captures the sensation of passing time. This edition is a great bargain. It offers a large selection of the complete texts of several important works at a reasonable price. If people 100 years from now are still reading novels they're going to wonder what sort of morons we were to allow such accomplished works to fall into such relative obscurity.

Mauriac's writings are beautiful, Christian, and highly charged emotionally, without succumbing to sentimentalism. The French countryside, the bougoise, are both transformed by Mauriac into celestial images of piercing love. This work contains four of his best novels, including the absolutely brilliant "Woman of the Pharisees" and tragically dark "Genetrix." Francois Mauriac is one of the greatest Christian authors of the 20th or any century, and The Mauriac Reader a superb introduction to his craft. In short, if you love literature, get this one.

Spending too much money on textbooks this semester? Purchase this text and you'll actually read and utilize it. The authors are concerned with teaching the material, NOT showing the reader how smart they are. That's what counts, LEARNING.

Are you a geoscientist or a student in geosciences? Did you have quite some physics and mathematics during high school and/or college, but never fully understood how earth sciences really connect with them? Are you sometimes annoyed by the difficulty to understand some papers loaded with equations in your professional literature? If the answers to these questions are "yes", than this book can be a very useful one for you, regardless if you are a structural geologist, sedimentologist, hydrogeologist or petroleum geologist. The mathemathical background which you need for the book is only introductory calculus. And, as most books or papers written or co-authored by G.V. Middleton, it is well written, and, despite the not-so-easy subjects, it is easy to follow and understand. You will find a review of elementary mechanics, chapters about dimensional analysis, stress, pressure and buoyancy, flow through porous media, strain, elasticity, viscous fluids, flow of natural materials, turbulence and thermal convection. Of a special value for me were (and still are) the suggested readings, which pick a few good references from a sea of titles, for me an unfamiliar list which made it always problematic to choose the best/right readings. This book can be used as a great textbook and teaching material for upper level undergrads or beginner level graduate students in the earth and environmental sciences.

This is a great book which I feel challenges preconceptions and stereotypes of beauty in a modern world.
The photographs have a distinct edge and are furthered by the Texts which echo the work so well. My favourites are the Rachael Cusk and Nick Cave Essays.

I heartily recommend this book, it is really intellegently put together.

This is a collection of beautiful photographs of mostly unbeautiful people and places. This is a great challenge and he meets it well. The more I look at this book, the more unfolds for me. These are dense, graceful photos from around the world. He uses cross processing, black and white and simple color with the eye of a real master. There are a collection of short stories which I have not read yet, but anything with Nick Cave in it, gets my money. For a first book, this is a keeper.

In the era of "The Fat of the Land" and Fen-Phen, this book deserves a wider readership. The author convincingly shows that the supposed "obesity epidemic" of modern times has to do more with changing standards than with reality. And her analysis of the "scientific" basis of the Met Life weight tables is an eye-opener and deserves to be better known. This book is a great antidote for the ever-increasing plague of diet books, and I hope to see it back in print soon.

This is an exceptional book; I am dismayed to learn that it is out of print! A must-read for anyone, male or female, who has spent a significant part of their life on a diet. Dr. Seid's research is abundant and thorough. She takes the reader along the historical path that leads to our diet-obsessed modern world, painting a fascinating sociological portrait of how our cultural beliefs came about. Did you know that, adjusted for increased height, average weights haven't changed since the turn of the century? And yet, 100 years ago, 10 percent of women thought they were too heavy, and now 90 percent think so! As food for thought, this is a most nourishing book

Thanks to these volumes I was able obtain a great of information on my French-Canadian ancestors corroborating material I had found before and filling some missing blanks.

"Our French-Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas J. Laforest is an excellent resource on the early French Canadian history. It includes genealogical information of the early settlers and a little about the lifestyle of about 20 different families. It's got a great historical reference about the King's Daughters. I was fortunate enough to find many connecting links to a family tree of my ancestors. Excellent resource to begin a collection of French Canadian information.

THE POEMS OF GERARD MANLEY HOPKINS. Fourth Edition based on the First Edition of 1918 and enlarged to incorporate all known poems and fragments. Edited by W. H. Gardner and N. H. Mackenzie. 362 pp. Oxford and New York : Oxford University Press, 1970. ISBN 0-19-281094-4 (pbk.)

For anyone who is interested in Hopkins, and everyone should be, this is the standard and authoritative edition. It gives us the only complete and accurate text which for the first time puts the poems in their true chronological order.

The poems have been arranged in four sections : Early Poems (1860-1875?); Poems (1876-1879); Unfinished Poems, Fragments, Light Verse, &c. (1862-89); Translations, Latin and Welsh Poems, &c. (1862-67). The book contains a useful and informative Introduction and Foreword, and is rounded out with very full Notes, a series of Appendices, and Indexes of titles and first lines. It is also beautifully printed on excellent paper, stitched, and bound in a sturdy glossy wrapper.

Hopkins had a unique sensibility, and brought something very special and of great value into English poetry. He seems to have had the ability to enter into the intelligence and feelings and spirit of all life forms, whether animal or plant or even landscape, to resonate with the indwelling divinity within them, and to somehow magically bring the miracle of their vibrant being over into his poems.

Hopkins is in fact a striking example of the fully human sensibility as described in the works of Heidegger and the great thinkers of the East, and exemplifies a quality of sensibility which most of us seem somehow to have lost. We skate dully and blindly over the surface of things, but Hopkins plunges into the depths of being and carries us along with him. In other words, he puts us back in touch with reality, with what life is really about. Hence his enormous value and importance.

In a complete collection such as this, there are bound to be many poems that fall short of greatness. For the newcomer to Hopkins, one suggested approach might be to first read some of his greatest poems, poems such as 'God's Grandeur,' 'Spring,' 'The Windhover,' 'Pied Beauty,' 'The Caged Skylark,' 'Binsey Poplars,' 'As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame.'

There are many beauties to enjoy in Hopkins - his unique use of language, his control of sound and rhythm, his amazing images and metaphors - but for me the most beautiful thing of all is the news he brings, news of a universe in which all things are of infinite value and infinitely precious, and in which no creature is of any less value than another because all are indwelt by divinity:

"Each mortal thing does one thing and the same : / Deals out that being indoors each one dwells ; / Selves, goes itself ; _myself_ it speaks and spells, / Crying _What I do is me : for that I came_" (p.90).

Hopkins makes us acutely aware of our loss, and our crime. His poems map out a path back to a saner, more balanced, and more wholesome and intelligent way of dwelling on the earth, dwelling lightly upon it with all other creatures and as its guardian, not its ravager.

"O if we but knew what we do / When we delve or hew - / Hack and rack the growing green! / ... After-comers cannot guess the beauty been...' (pp.78-9).

Hopkins, I think, would have been very much in agreement with Heidegger who tells us that the earth must once again become a _Spielraum_ , a space of great beauty in which to play, and one in which all creatures, instead of being treated as mere objects, are allowed to do what they came here to do, to develop the full potential of their natures and fulfill themselves as manifestations of divinity. His poems are unforgettable, and one envies those who may be coming to them for the first time.

The first poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins I read was "PiedBeauty," which was included in a book of poetry for children thatwas given to me by my great-aunt. In high school, I read "Spring and Fall: to a young child" and loved it, though I did not realize it was by the same author. It was only college that I connected the two, and discovered a wonderful poet, who has become one of my favorites.

For a fan of Hopkins looking for an authoritative volume, this edition is a treasure. In addition to his better known works, it contains early poems, numerous fragments, and unfinished works, in fact "every scrap of English verse which can be ascribed... to Hopkins" (from the Introduction xvii). In addition, it contains a good essay on Hopkins and his work, and extensive textual notes.

Hopkins poetry may appear obscure and difficult at first, and in fact it is, at times, wildly original. Hopkins' language is deliberately archaic and inventive, and he both revives wonderful words not used since Shakespeare, and makes up his own. Hopkins also writes in "sprung rhythm," a metrical style that is almost syncopated, and juxtaposes stressed syllables. I recommend reading his poems out loud. The sheer beauty of his language will inspire you to recite the words over and over again, until you understand his meaning: the essence which he is trying to distill. New readers may be daunted by this volume at first, and find that Hopkins' great poems are "submerged in a mass of less significant fragments" (Intro xiv). I would suggest his sequence of ten sonnets (#31-40) as an ideal place to start reading.

Hopkin's friend and fellow poet Robert Bridges wrote that Hopkins strove "for the unattainable perfection of language," and at times he seems to have actually obtained it: "Men go by me whom either beauty bright / In mould or mind or what not else make rare: / They rain against our much-thick and marsh air / Rich beams, till death or distance buys them quite." (The Lantern out of Doors, #40). END

I used this book for undergrad anatomy and physiology. It's extremely thorough and descriptive. However, it is written in an easy to comprehend language that makes studying a lot easier.
However, if you really want a great source for studying anatomy and physiology in undergrad, get the following books:
Anatomy and Physiology Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers with Explanations by Patrick Leonardi (Volume 1 and Volume 2)
(ISBN: 0971999619) (ISBN: 0971999627)
These two study guides are a must for getting better grades on college exams. The author of these study guides knows the type of questions that are asked on tests. For example, my friend took another anatomy and physiology class at another college and used the Anatomy and Physiology Study Guides by Patrick Leonardi and also got very good grades in his class. In addition, I got an A in my anatomy and physiology class at a different college after using the Anatomy and Physiology Study Guide by Patrick Leonardi.

I purchased this book for my first year in dental school. So far, it has been a great reference book. I can honestly say I have referenced it more than any other book purchased this year. Every chapter is easy to read and contains many wonderful and detailed pictures. Tortora and Grabowski do a great job making the material thorough yet concise. For first year dental students, I would definitely recommend it.

There is an unexpected joy in "knowing" that you have found the book, the treasure, that touches your heart and soul. And also knowing that "A Quiet Conversation" by Gerard Brooker will be the gift to give all the people you love and want to share a profound moment.

This amazing work of poetry is a compilation of the author's brilliance infused with a rich lifetime of experiences and travel. It embodies all emotions and transports the reader on a journey. A journey that can be made over and over.

This beautiful read will enrich your life and make your spirit sing. It will take you to new places. It will make you rethink your belief systems and lure you into insightful vistas. The experiences truly are endless.

"A Quiet Conversation" by Gerard Brooker is that gift of a lifetime. Be prepared for an emotional ride.

Gerard Brooker's writing is one of the best of modern poets. He touches your heart with tender intimacies. Makes your soul sparkle with desire for both the profound and mundane in life. You will also laugh out loud with his imaginative insight at the absurd joy of life. "A Quiet Conversation" is something we all long for and he has put it beautifully in prose. Bravo!!

This volume of Ranma 1/2 was well worth the wait. Although a little less comedy-based than some of the other, wackier novels, Volume 22 still produced a lot of laughs. Inside, three newcomers named Herb, Mint, and Lime (weird names, I know) take on Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga (respectively). The only problem is that Herb, Mint, and Lime have some strange powers...nothing that even Ranma has seen before! And when Ranma gets splashed with some water that threatens to steal away his manhood forever, he, Ryoga, and Mousse have to follow the three intruders to Treasure Mountain, leading to a battle unmatched by anything we've seen before. Will Ranma win back his manhood? Or will he, for the first time, have to admit defeat?

In this volume, Ranma and Akane finally seem to let their guards down and stop fighting, and some very touching material (though not quite enough) comes out here. If you love Ranma 1/2, definitely get this volume!

Ranma 1/2 vol. 22 is one of my favorites in the series! Although it has some material that "may be unsuitable for children"the story is touching and wonderful. When some of the last survivors from the Musk Dynasty arrive at the Neko Hanten and their leader, Herb gets in a fight with Ranma, Ranma gets splashed with some water which locks him in female form. Ryouga and Mousse want the water to keep them in their human form and the treesome go off to find the water, but Ranma thinks they are helping him find another pot of water which will allow him to be a guy again. Herb's henchmen Mint and Lime fight Mousse and Ryouga and Ryouga dies! What will happen in this action-packed and heartwarming edition!