I read Vanity Fair a few months ago and loved it, so I thought I'd give something else of Thackeray's a try (even though I had never heard of The History of Henry Esmond) and I'm so glad I did. It's slightly slow going at first, but once the second Viscount Castlewood and his family take possession of the estate and provide Henry with his first real home, it becomes deeply involving. With every page, the Castlewood family becomes more and more complex. Some relationships are strengthened and some are slowly destroyed in such subtle ways that when catastrophe comes, it seems inevitable, and at the same time, surprising. Through it all, we have Henry's narration (although he speaks of himself in the third person), which casts a melancholy and lonely tone over all the events. A beautiful book.

I believe that penchant for the moralistic (and add here more than a snipett of post-modern political corectness)from English-speaking readers has slighted judgements about this novel, which is a novel about people with sloppy morals in a time of sloppy political intrigue and sloppy moral standards offering a contrast with the philistine ambience of Thackeray's own age. I found the novel simply _lush_, and think that Hollywood has in it a treat in store for any filmmaker of genius who wants to emulate Kubrick's Barry Lyndon. Get ahold of a copy and enjoy!

Although for some reason forgotten by the US public, "The History of Henry Esmond" is one of the finest books ever written in English language. May be it has lost its luster because it offers no excess of blood-spilling and sexual adventures, but instead finds its way to describe the deepest and most vulnerable chambers of the human heart. I have read a handful of books, be it in English, French, German or Russian, that described the human strengths and weaknesses while tying them to a character one can relate to with such skill. People who do not like it, it seems, are just shamed by the morals offered in such a book, and are quick to forget it. I read "Henry Esmond" when I was a young boy, and now, half a century later, it hasn't lost a beat.

This quality book consists of statistical quality analysis for the students who know probability and statistics well. The subjects are well organized and this gives a good oppotunity to begin the quality analysis. Beside these, the book is not efficent in terms of reading. The sentences and words chosen sometimes become boring. So try to look up the inside of the book before buying and then decide if possible.

This book deals with the concepts behind quality engineering from Deming to Taguchi. The meat of the book resides in demonstrating the power of orthogonal and sequential experimentation in understanding and modeling processes. Good case studies are provided to demonstrate real world application of this powerful analysis tool.

This book is written by two men, one a doctor and the other a jouralist. Some people will find this a fun read, but it is written almost in the format of a novel rather than a history or biography. I think the authors felt the need to make the lives that these men lived and the curiosity and honor with which they chose to do their research needed to be expanded and told in ornate narrative, rather than telling the simple truth. When history is told in such a manner, and the authors tell things that they have no proof of happening (they are merely surmising) the story becomes a story. It is not history. The story of self-experimentation is filled with foolishness, courage, and concern for patients. It does not need to be enhanced by suppositions.

A much better and more recent book on this history of medical research is by Lawrence Altman. That book should be read prior to reading this one, which is unsatifactory in the historical sense.

Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

While the mention of the name John Newton (1725-1807) will probably elicit a blank stare from most people, there are very few people who are unfamiliar with Newton's most famous composition - the hymn "Amazing Grace." Those familiar with the hymn most likely do not know that - prior to becoming a minister and a composer of hymns - Newton was a slave trader, a scoundrel, a ruffian, etc.

This book is Netwon's autobiography. I recently read it in one sitting and must say that I was incredibly humbled by Newton's account of his life. (This book broke scabs off of my heart that I thought were petrified!) There is no way that one can read this book and thereafter not have an added appreciation for Newton's lyrics (e.g., "amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me").

Newton's story puts flesh on the verse: "[God] determined the times set for [man] and the exact places where [man] should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27)