It is a real shame that this book is presently out-of-print, I borrowed it from the local library some 5 years ago, and to this date have yet to see anything better in this genre. The technical data about precious stones - such as dispersion, types of refraction, specific gravity, types of cutting, and so on - are well covered, with specific commentaries on individual stones presented in encyclopaedic format. It's very useful not only for specific reference but just for general browsing. What sets this book apart, on the other hand, is the quality and quantity of the gem photography. There are pictures of every major and minor gem in the world, and where a particular type of stone has more than one color - or colors - the entire suite of colors is presented. So the garnets, sapphires, diamonds, tourmalines, topazes, beryls (just to name a few) look positively kaleidoscopic. The opal section alone has some magnificent stones, including top-quality Lightning Ridge black, one of which is photographed from different directions to demonstrate the superb color play. The zircon and spinel photography is quite impressive too.

This book is emphatically not for the investor or speculator who is looking for advice, and no attempts at valuation are made. On the other hand, for readers interested in specific gemmological research or (esoteric) appreciation, this book will be ideal. The level of scholarship is impeccable, and the book is not overwhelmingly technical or difficult. It is not cheap but is worth every penny. Most strongly recommended.

Outstanding color photographs to review, that are matched to technical data regarding the various gemstone "families". There is a very fine topic governing "colors" of gemstones as well. Joel Arem has done a very fine job!

When i was younger i used to be wary of the sheer length of such works-never fear!Not for one moment was this masterpiece a chore in any way.Ive read 300 page books which were twice as hard to get through.If you appreciate classic literature,especially Dickens this is one of those novels that is a pure pleasure simply to get back to-youll anticipate the start of your next reading session. While there may be a slight criticism of the realness or believability of some of the main characters(esp. the female ones)they are individual enough to rise above the stereotypes one may at first feel they conform to.No doubt Dickens created his own 'Dickensian' universe where the characters may not be as bare boned and raw in terms of reality as more modern writers(reviewers comment that his readership were tiring of his style in favour of more naturalist writers like George Eliot around 1860's)but within the confines of the writers world the book works wonderfully well.No matter what the subject or mood and however dark they may be there is always an exquisite brand of humour,a biting sarcastic tongue-in-cheek commentary running through Dickens writing and none so more than in Our Mutual Friend.If your reading this or others of his novels and you are not laughing then you are just NOT GETTING IT!While he uses hyperbole often in his tales there is here plenty of poignant social commentary.There is also a dark thread permeating the story which acts as a good contrast to the humour and it is through this darkness that the best lessons are learned,the best points are made. The plot is very very involved and works for the most part although one has the impression Dickens may have changed dramatically a particular storyline at the end.It is written in the unusual style in that he intentionally hints and prods the reader to a certain conclusion early on,then not much later reveals the mystery-which i think worked well. Lastly i have just watched the new BBC production of this book and as much as tv can capture this it does very well but whatever you do read the book first(the tv series while of quality must intrinsically be inferior-it will really detract from the book).Never once was this book a task and ive now promised myself to read his entire set of works-so take up this book-you wont regret it!

In the works of Charles Dickens, a reader can find many valuable life lessons threaded into the myraid plots, subplots, and character diversions. In Our Mutual Friend, those life lessons are no less abundant than in other works that I have read.

Perhaps the darkest Dickens novel, in terms of plot-driving devices; murders, theft, blackmail, beatings and the lot, the reader is left to derive the lesson each is there to offer. The story, lacking in a real hero or heroine as a focal point, is a far bleaker portrait of English society than in his past works.

However, woven into these dim themes, Dickens has interjected his typical wit and joviality to lighten even the blackest of plot twists.

Of course the usual roster of colorful, lively Dickens characters grace the pages of this book, although the novel is seemingly bereft of a hero and heroine, at least in the traditional sense. However; the denizens of Dickens' world in this novel will entertain and enchant every bit as much as in his other works.

Dickens imparts many words of wisdom in the pages of this book, his last completed novel: Money cannot buy happiness; be careful what you wish for; keep your friends close and your enemies closer; and many other time-honored cliches that stand true today.

For a good time, call Charles Dickens. His novels never fail to deliver.

I think that it may be hard for the modern reader to find the time to read _Our Mutual Friend_. It's length makes it undeniably difficult to fit easily into the daily allotment of reading time. Weighing in at over 900 pages, it was originally published as a twenty-part monthly serial. There are also a number of situations and details that while very familiar to the Victorians, will be almost wholly incomprehensible to the reader of today (for instance the role of dust and dustmen and the mounds in the yard of the old house).

It's also clearly not Dickens' sunniest work. At the time of its release already, people spoke nostalgically about the more gentle nature of _David Copperfield_ or _Oliver Twist_ . While the farce that constitutes such an important element in Dickens' works is present, it's tainted with a note of bitterness that conveys a feeling of pervasive sadness throughout this great novel.

Dickens was working on this book when he was caught in the Staplehurst rail disaster and narrowly escaped death when his car was the only one of the first-class cars not to plunge from a bridge into a river bed. He was one of the people who climbed down the side to do what he could for the dead and dying. Dickens himself mentions the accident in his afterword, and at the risk of reading too much into the incident, it's hard not to read this book from the perspective of an aging man who narrowly avoids death himself. The nature of death, and the idea of escaping it by a hand's length, is one of the themes that comes back over and over again in _Our Mutual Friend_

The plot hinges around a disputed inheritance and mistaken identity, with a meditation about love as societal coin. The characterizations and situations in this novel are among his best-- particularly worth mentioning are Rogue Riderhood and his resurrection, the insane love of Bradley Headstone, the crippled doll-maker Jenny Wren, and the loyal Mr. Sloppy.

I'm not sure that I can call this my favorite Dickens, _Little Dorrit_ still has a strong claim on that position, but it's certainly one of the strongest reading experiences that I've had in a while.

After reaching the midpoint of the book I was wondering just what had happened. When I added it all up, it didn't come to very much. Sure Ian is attracted to Torrie's mom, but do you have to tell me over and over and over again? And do we really need *all* those 4-letter expletives which don't add much to either the dialogue or the mood? I'll buy and read the 3rd in the series, but I certainly hope that Rosenberg picks up the pace a little, and that we don't have a repeat of the downhill spiral we saw in his Guardians of the Flame series.

One of Joel Rosenberg's best! Now, if you folks at Amazon can't eliminate all the "repetitive" comments (apparently from the same troll) can you at least remove the one who says he's me? I know you have done this before, but he's back...

Thanks.

Dale Rosenberg

This is a typical Joel Rosenberg book, filled with fresh takes on classical ideas (dwarves as Neanderthals!!), terrific characters (Arnie Selmo agan threatens to steal every scene he's in although Ian Silverstein shines through again) and a some of the best action scenes I've ever read.

... The "collage of voices" approach endemic to oral history leads in this case to a frustrating, almost indigestible mess. Dave Marsh warns in his editor's note to the For The Record series of which this volume is a part, "if an artist isn't especially interested in what happens in the recording studio but has a fascination with what happens in hotel rooms after live gigs, that's what you'll get." So, instead of getting more than the barest glimpse inside the studio during the recording of There's A Riot Going On, surely one of the deepest albums in all of American popular music history, we are given page after page devoted to the band's sex lives, taste in drugs, and even their surprising if unilluminating avocation as collective dog fanciers (really!). What's missing, literally, is Sly's voice, which leaves a gaping hole in the center of the narrative. By connecting the dots one can glean a few insights about the music from the mass of bleary anecdotes herein, but aren't authors and editors are supposed to do that for you? If you're in the market for a mess of depressing gossip, this will be your meat; if you're seeking insight into the man's (and the group's) brilliant music, look elsewhere.

I have long believed that Sly and The Family Stone are quite possibly the most under-rated rock band ever. They may be enshrined the RnR Hall of Fame, but their records are now unfairly viewed as nothing more than oldies radio fare.

In their time they were revolutionaries who broke down the barriers between "black music" and "white music"; in the process, they were instrumental in creating what later became known as "Funk".

When I found out about this book, I was thrilled. AT LAST---some insight into WHY the band made the music that they did!

No such luck here.

Crammed with lurid, voyeuristic, tales of excess and decline that sadly became the band's legacy, For the Record offers little insight into just what went into creating the music and records.

While readers might have loved to have found out something about Sly's inspiration for There's A Riot Goin' On, beyond "he was taking a lot of drugs"---that's about all that's offered here.

No doubt, the fact that drug casualty Sly was not available to offer his insights made the author's task more difficult(impossible?), you gotta believe that there had to have been SOME people with a little more insight into THE MUSIC of Sly Stone, rather than just the ugliness that went on behind the scenes.

It should have been better.

I thought this was a decent book with some good anecdotes and stories. One thing to consider--even though it may not be a literary masterpiece, it IS a book about Sly, and it does cover a lot of his activities, both as a DJ and then as the perenially F*d up bandleader for probably the funkiest band in history. That fact, in and of itself, makes it worth reading. To me, an average book about Sly is always better than a great book on lesser topics.

By the way, isn't Sly still alive? Doesn't that exempt him from technically being a "drug casualty?"

This is a CD of straight Aesop's fables followed by the narrator trying to turn the moral into common language. Aesop's read better than they listen - at least for me. My kids really didn't like it because the stories are short (only about 1 minute) and the "real life applications" didn't make sense to them or me. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it unless you just want somebody to read the stories to you.