This book should have been a classic introduction to musical acoustics. Instead, it tries to hard, is convoluted, often in error, and confuses musicians.

When I taught from this book, I and the class found errors in equations, references to equations, and calculations. When undergraduates are struggling to learn, this is a very bad context.

The book is so concerned with a level of comprehensiveness, that measured clarity is left out. At the same time, for the expert, it is too little. Therefore, it appeals to neither the introductory level nor the more advanced level.

I gave up using this book.

I have used this book as the primary textbook for an introductory course in the physics of music. It is at a somewhat higher level than some of its competitors (e.g. "The Acoustical Foundations of Music" by Backus) but still suitable for non-science majors with weak math backgrounds. It is the most thorough and informative book I have seen at this level. However, the students complained that it was somewhat dull. Also, the section on electronic reproduction of music is out of date--relatively little on CD's etc., and nothing on mp3 and related technologies. Still, I plan to use it again.

I have taught a course entitled "Acoustics for Musicians and Recording Engineers" to Engineering, Music, and Film majors using Rossing's THE SCIENCE OF SOUND. He has toned down the equations enough that the students aren't groaning, yet he's remained true to the interdisciplinary nature of acoustics as a pursuit of physics, psychology, math, and engineering. The structure of the book provides a wonderful outline for the course and it has been an invaluable resource for both me and the students who have wished to continue with their study of acoustics.

Thomas Aquinas knows his stuff. If you find discussions on the essence of goodness or talk of why all things act as agents to a good to be of any use then Aquinas is an absorbing read. If you find this kind of cavilling to be invigorating you are a dullard and are in Good company with Aquinas.

Admitedly a difficult work to read, Thomas Aquinus' Treatise on Law is well worth the effort. Its difficulty stems from the strictures of its genre-- the scholastic method of dispution, important in the devolpement of modern critical thinking. The treatise is a rich work that seeks to probe the limits of human ethical knowledge. He asks us to consider the questions "what are my rights, how can I know and guarantee them, what are the limits of the state in relation to the individual." If you've ever pondered the meaning of the words "we hold these truths to be self-evident" in the Declaration of Independence, start with this book. Aquinus has few peers in his understanding of what it means to be a human-being. Agree or disagree with him, Aquinus' vision of a universe whose very fabric both constitutes and guarantees a moral order is deeply moving and ennobling. No less a person than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King acknowledged in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail his debt to the Treatise on Law. If you love freedom, read this book!

The treatise on law provides a concise definition of law, a fabulous discussion of natural law, and a view into the inner working of our own human law. A must for lawyers and legislators.

Readers familiar with Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series will immediately recognize the source of many of those novels in Admiral Lord Cochrane's "Autobiography of a Seaman."

Admiral Lord Cochrane was born into a noble Scots family whose fortunes had declined by the time of his birth (1775). Through family connections, he secured a berth as a midshipman at the age of 17 on a British man-of-war in the early years of the Napoleonic Wars. Thereafter, he rose through the ranks of the British navy on the strength of several truly daring and remarkable attacks, capturing or destroying many French and Spanish vessels in a small sloop, and later, a frigate.

This book tells the stories of those triumphs.

The romantic aspect of the Napoleonic era is here too, and the tales abound with numerous examples of the dubious military notions of honor among combatants. Moreover, Cochrane moved in the highest circles of the navy and government, and it is surprising to see many prominent names in naval history, (e.g., Admiral Nelson, Captain Bligh) appear casually in these pages.

Lord Cochrane's exploits - at sea, in politics and in business - are clearly the source of O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. However, whereas O'Brian presents his tales in a highly-polished narrative style similar to Jane Austen, Cochrane croaks out his stories with bombastic self-apology, and delivers the narrative in a choppy and archaic military style, viz., by attaching copies of his despatches to superior officers to explain the events.

Anyone interested in naval warfare or anyone who likes a good adventure story should read this book. Napoleon's characterization of Cochrane as "le loup des mers" is well deserved. It is unfortunate, however, that Cochrane did not spend more time at sea. The last 100+ pages of this book (except for a trip to Malta) are tedious. Cochrane, perhaps at the peak of his career as a naval officer, became embroiled in reform politics, the court martial of a superior officer, and a stock fraud trial. These three episodes ended his career in Britain, (although he did go on to great success in Chile commanding its revolutionary navy.) Cochrane whines and complains about the most minute details of each case in an attempt to prove his innocence. As a practising litigator, I have represented a few clients who became obsessed with two or three facts which the client believes proves his or her innocence, in the face of dozens of facts which indicate guilt. It is difficult to listen to this type of complaining, but Cochrane takes it to new heights: this autobiography, written in 1865, spends a score of pages reviewing the 1814 testimony of witnesses on whether one stock-fraud participant wore a red or a green coat. Dreary stuff.

Readers who hope to glean some Freudian insight into his psychological make-up, or anyone hoping for a character like Diana Villiers will not enjoy this work. Although Cochrane says of himself, "my life has been one of the most romatic on record", (p.316), it is not the romance a modern reader might think. The section dealing with his marriage comprises three pages. His wife and mother are the only women mentioned, and only in passing.

Once again, a major flaw with this, like other nautical books, is the absence or inadequacy of maps. The action at Basque Roads would be much more comprehensible if the reader knew the position of the British fleet, the French fleet, Isle d'Aix, etc.

This book is a good read to the extent it focuses on Cochrane's naval actions, but that portion of the autobiography that focuses on politics and trials is no more interesting to readers now than it was when it was written.

The autobiography of Admiral Lord Cochrane was first published in 1860, the year Cochrane died at the age of 85. Richard Woodman has added an introduction to the present edition. Cochrane only covers the period of his life up through 1814 when he was 39. Consequently, he covers nothing of his later career in Chile, Brazil, and Greece; nothing of his reinstatement in the Royal Navy; and nothing of his immediate family other than a brief account of his marriage to Kitty Barnes (about 20 years younger than Cochrane) by whom he had 5 children.

Autobiographers always have a bias as the authors are presenting their side of the case (see, for example, Bligh's "Mutiny Aboard the H.M.S. Bounty"). While presenting the details of his early naval career, the main thrust is his campaign against corruption in the Admiralty Courts, the Royal Navy, and the Government in general. Some accounts are almost like comic opera, e.g., the Admiralty Court in Malta.

Cochrane's service commanding the Speedy from 1800 to 1801 has been fictionalized by Patrick O'Brien in the novel "Master and Commander" in which he replaces Cochrane with the fictional James Aubrey. All the major details are the same, but O'Brien added considerable color to the account.

Like many good military commanders, Cochrane lacked tact and was not a diplomat. He was promoted to command the Speedy at the age of 25 without having the experience to deal with the protocols of the Royal Navy. He could best be described as a loose cannon. He was unwilling to compromise when a little tact, a closed mouth, and a small amount of back scratching would have achieved major results. His lack of diplomacy caused others to reject well thought out plans simply because he proposed them. Cochrane damaged others around him simply by trying to be their champion, undoubtedly being responsible for Parker's ruin - people in power who Cochrane had offended would naturally take it out on his proteges.

While not great literature, the autobiography is both a good account of naval service from 1793 to 1809, and a good first-hand account of corruption within politics and the government. The writing style is somewhat like Churchill's history of World War II.

This book compares the political theorist/theologian Yves Simon with 'neoconservative' Catholics Michael Novak, Richard John Neuhaus and George Weigel. The author uses outdated political theory terminology, referring to Adam Smith's theories as liberal for instance, so is hard to follow when relying on such labels (as he often does). He also dwells, like all political theorists, on obscure notions and not on practical realities. He does offer good backgrounds on some of the issues, including a scathing criticism of Smith's lack of moral thought, the neoconservatives' unquestioning of the capitalist system and American conservatives' rejections of papal statements on an ideological basis. Mostly, though, this is for political scientists only.

Neoconservative economics is a supposedly Christianized Smithian free market economics where free actors do good things by following market forces alone. This is good if the market force is with you, but for everyone else - well, neoconservatives do not think there is anyone else, at least anyone else who deserves consideration. The Neoconservative position is held by its proponents as a development of Thomism, the most robust philosophical system available to Christian thought. Thomas Rourke has tested this claim by contrasting the position to that of Yves Simon, a prominent twentieth century Thomist who spent a major part of his life in North America. Rourke's choice is highly appropriate because he avoids the trap of comparing classical Thomism, couched as it was in an entirely different economic world, to the realities of a mature free market economy. Simon was very much a part of America. In doing so Rourke has set up a conceptual debate that effectively explores many of the issues that are central to the understanding of the philosophical/moral/political relationships between economic action and society. This book is more about society and its functioning, than about economics. It is about the conditions necessary for the perfecting of the human person with respect to the treatment of material goods. This is an aim more familiar to the moral philosopher or the theologian. For this reason it may at times be remote from the frames of reference familiar to the modern economist. Economics has drawn distant from these issues during the early part of the twentieth century, and this debate constitutes a reversal. Unfortunately, few economists now understand the categories necessary to locate economic action within the context of a truely human society. It remains as a central need. The neoconservative enterprise has provided such an undstanding and Rourke explores the relationship between this understnding and that of the more orthodox Thomistic position. In doing so he revives interest in the perennial issues of human society and raises important questions that neoconservative must address and The book is well ordered and the chapters constitute subtle analyses of specific topics. The format is regular and familiar to readers of St. Thomas. A topic is introduced, the neoconservative position is outlined, then Simon's position is put and the contrasts explored. The book will even serve as a useful quick reference for those simply wanting a well researched presentation of the neoconservative position. The book is careful not to stray beyond its scope and pass judgement on the positions presented, that is for the reader. To the neoconservative reader this may still prove very uncomfortable because it exposes many areas where the position is indefensible on its own terms of reference. The book is far more valuable than a mere presentation of opposing positions or a criticism of the opposition. It is necessary reading for anyone seriously interested in understanding the dimensions of a truely human economics.

This book is a collection of eight essays. The first seven are each written on the subject of one of the "deadly" sins of sloth, anger, lust, gluttony, pride, avarice and envy. The eight is on despair. Each of the famous authors ruminates on the sin, looking at it from his or her unique perspective.

Overall I found the essays well written, and the book to be easy to read. This book makes for some lightweight reading, short and simple, but without much substance. Overall, I don't recommend it.

Eight essays on Sloth, Anger, Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Avarice, Envy, and Despair (yes that's 8 sins). To be honest I bought it because of Pynchon, (whose essay -if you are even a slight fan- makes the buy worth it) but read on to the back cover. I quickly discovered that these authors compiled around the topic of sins is a great way to see inside these writers styles and appraoch to a similar idea. Some I'd read before, and others introduced themselves in this novel. All were unique and interesting in their own right, especially for someone -me- who isn't terribly interested in sins. Highly reccomended!

The warm and friendly poet from Mantua, Publius Virgilius Maro, in his didactic poem entitled the "Georgics," covers topics relating to farming: in book one he deals with crops, in book two trees and shrubs, in book three livestock, and in book four bees. While several scholars have regarded this work as one of the best Latin poems ever, it must be taken into account that it is, nevertheless, far less entertaining than his famous "Aenied," and much more difficult to read. At times, in the "Georgics," Virgil echoes with that same brilliance many people have come to love in the "Aenied." But for the most part, this poem may be rigorous for anyone not serious about Roman poetry, so it is not recommended for everyone. In context of Virgil's time, this poem easily gets five stars, but the many archaisms found in it tend to alienate modern readers, and so, with much hesitation, the poem receives only three.

this book was really informative

Although the book has good photos, many of the items are not represented correctly. Many items are listed in more than 1 place with different prices or descriptions. A bit more editing and homework would have been worthwhile for this book.
Prices are in many instances good, in others not realistic- either too high or too low. It seems that personal taste and preferences play a big role with the authors.
OK to look at the pictures, don't bother with the text.

Photographs and descriptions done very well. Prices not based in reality. I am an appraiser of antique and period jewelry and wish I could pay these prices.

The Price Guide to Antique Jewelry is a very well done book for the beginner, the expert and everyone in between.

The information is easy to understand, while the pricing information gives the reader a good feel for the real price levels you should expect to pay for antique jewelry, NOT "steals" at garage or estate sales.

Determining values of pieces can be very difficult for people not "in the business". This book does a great job at giving the reader solid, dependable information without listing prices that are "questionable" to either the buyer OR the seller!

As a collector, the book has helped me to feel much more confident when deciding what to purchase and how much I should be willing to pay. It's nice to see something current and thorough finally written about jewelry pricing.

Thanks for letting me add my "two cents".

A collector of over 100 pieces of antique jewelry.

The research and the premise behind this book are seriously flawed, thus "an errant stroll down an irrelevant path." Some very notable Civil War scholars have all taken the time to read this tedious tome, and have managed to shed some light on the nature of the misinformation presented by Bergeron. First, most of the names that Bergeron produces prove to be support personnel: cooks, teamsters, man servants, and the like. Most of the gun-toting "Confederates" that Bergeron does produce actually turn out to be "home guards," a loosely organized group of militia that never actually operated with the Confederate army and certainly never saw combat. One of the few "black" combatants that Bergeron *does* manage to produce actually turns out to have been mistakenly admitted to the Confederate Army under the assumption that he was white. When the truth was discovered, he was promptly discharged.

For perhaps the ultimate authority on this matter, we should look to Robert Krick, chief historian for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville and author of ten books on the Confederacy. He has researched over 200,000 service records, and says he's come across maybe "six, or 12 at the very most" who might have been black. Hardly supportive of the notion that there were more than a handful of black Confederate combatants.

However, this is all a very amusing stroll down an irrelevant path. Even if Bergeron managed to provide real evidence of several thousand black soldiers fighting for the Confederacy instead of the shoddily researched handfuls that he does give us, what would be the point? Many of the Wermacht soldiers were of Jewish lineage, and 77 of Hitler's highest ranking officers were either Jewish or married to Jews. Does this lead us to feel any less horrified by the actions of the National Socialists? Are we to believe that a smattering of collaboration is somehow equal to a wholesale endorsement?

This book is another sad example in the ongoing struggle to rewrite history. Rather than read this, I suggest you do yourself a favor and read a serious book about the attitudes of the south prior to the war, most notably "Apostles of Disunion" and "Crisis of Fear."

The idea that the Confederate Army consisted of any black soldiers at all is a refutation to the modern notion the all Southern whites hated all Southern blacks in pre-Civil war days. That the ranks of black soldiers were more than an insignificant smattering turns conventional wisdom on its head.

According to the thoroughly documented essays in this volume, black support for the confederacy was broad and intense. Some of the black supporters were free blacks--many of whom owned slaves themselves. No doubt some were uneducated slaves duped by unscrupulous Southern partisans to back a cause they did not understand. Some must have been forced to aid the confederacy against their wills, but the majority of individuals discussed in these pages wholeheartedly agreed with the objectives of the rebellion.

To those who may dismiss the findings of this work, their legitimacy seems proven by the extensive documentation. At times the superscript weighs down the pages as assertion after assertion is annotated. Six different authors contributed to the collection and at times the facts are illogically tautological. Two essays by Richard Rollins-allegedly about different subjects--rehash much of the same data. Especially disturbing is the second offering titled "Black Confederates At Gettysburg," which barely touches on that subject. While this disorganized presentation is a sizable detraction, the work is a genuine eye-opener.

Those of us living in the twenty-first century will probably find the choices made by these slaves as impossible to comprehend as the fact that human beings could ever be bought and sold as property. One of Mr. Rollins vignettes makes an essential point concerning "the need to be sensitive to the historical figures we deal with in the context of the time they lived, rather than allow the ideological and intellectual assumptions of our own day to dictate what we have to say about the people of the civil war era-both black and white." Centuries from now common folk may very well look back at our "enlightened era" aghast that we condoned partial-birth abortion and euthanasia.

Our rightful revulsion to the slave trade should not allow us to forget that many confederate soldiers-both black and white--were noble men. Nothing in this conglomeration makes any attempt to diminish the horror that all decent people know slavery was. Perhaps it is the institutionalized unfairness of their lives that makes the profiled black patriots' sacrifices all the more doughty. The book's most challenging postulation may be Ervin L. Jordan's lament that the slaves and free black citizens served the confederacy "not as a consequence of white pressure but due to their own preferences. They are the Civil War's forgotten people, yet their own existence was more widespread than American history has recorded. Their bones rest in unhonored glory in Southern soil, shrouded by falsehoods, indifference, and historians' censorship."

History is made up of the stories surrounding events and this book adds another story worth reading.
Many people still believe the Civil War was about slavery, not state rights. Many people also do not realize that right before slavery was officially banned by the U.S. governement, there were over 400 blacks that worked as slaves to help build the capital building. Blacks had been selling their own people (and whites) into slavery long before the U.S. got involved in the trade. True, it was a serious mistake that has repercusions that are still being felt in this country.
It is interesting to note, however, that considering how bad the pre-Civil War South is made to sound, the American Africans in this country have long enjoyed better standards of living and health than in any other country, especially their countries of origin. This book points out that many blacks were in favor of preserving the Southern government. Not only that, it points out that even after receiving freedom, many chose to go back and work for their old masters pretty much as before. There were many blacks loved and adored by their families and this is one unfortunate piece of Civil War history often overlooked. It seems the concepts that founded this country are gradually being lost. Now more than ever, the issue of states rights needs to be re-visited to protect the sovereignty, strength and long-term well-being of the U.S. Or we will pass from United STATES to something akin to the United KING-DOM.

If the fact that legions of people regularly trek (no pun intended) into the mountains to learn the Klingon language isn't proof enough that some folks take Star Trek far too seriously, then this book should be the final piece of evidence. This book looks at Star Trek, particularly The Next Generation, and venerates it as if it were the Holy Bible or the complete works of William Shakespeare.

One thing the author fails to fully take into account is that Star Trek, in all its forms, is, ultimately, a television show and it's raison d'etre is to generate profits. This is what keeps the show alive and, therefore, has a correlating influence on the writing. The writers of Star Trek, like any other show, attempt to pen scripts that the show's target audience will find entertaining, which maintains viewership and keeps advertising dollars flowing. In other words, all of the noble and laudable ideals of Star Trek are driven by nothing other than good old fashioned capitalism, yet Richards writes as if Gene Roddenberry, et al were completely untainted by such influence and were scribing a treatise on the human condition for the ages.

The author is classically trained and, to his credit, he uses his skill to craft a literary-style criticism, but the fact is there is hardly any material that could be considered critical of Star Trek. The book is technically well written, but the general arguments are akin to those made by high school aged music geeks who drone on about the poetic merit of rock lyrics, as if Richards is desperately trying to legitimize his preoccupation with Star Trek. He is so blinded by his affinity for the show that he views it through rose-colored glasses, offering only glowing praise and awed reverence. One may argue that such a fan is the only person who could write a book like this, but to maintain credibility the author must be somewhat objective.

Science fiction has the ability to capture the imagination of people like no other genre. With the possible exception of Star Wars, Star Trek has cultivated a following that has no equal. However, there is a line between enthusiasm and obsession and it seems that Star Trek has more than its share of obsessive fans who increasingly display their inability to discern fact from fiction. This is the type of person who will find this book edifying and will take it seriously. Richards has earned himself a permanent card table at future Sci Fi conventions where he can autograph this book and debate its contents endlessly with 35-year-olds in Borg costumes. The uninitiated should stay away.

This book attempts to look at Star Trek as if it was literary art as generated by a solitary genius. I mean, come on! As good as TV gets, it will never compare to Tolstoy or Nabokov. Yet Richards strains to analyse the stories for a depth that may or may not be there.

WHile as a Star Trek fan I did enjoy the descriptions and criticism in this book - you do see it in a different light - it adds up to too much about a disposable medium. Characters can't evolve much in TV, great themes cannot be explored except as formulae.

This book will broaden your understanding of the Star Trek universe. Definitely worth reading by any serious Star Trek fan.

Is it accurate to depict men's genitals minus the foreskin and to completely overlook any reference to foreskin in the book (including the index)? Considering 80% + of the men and boys of the world have a foreskin and more specifically 65% + of the men and boys in the United States have a foreskin, this renders this book's depiction of the circumcised penis a completely inaccurate accounting of the male anatomy.

That you would attempt to portray the circumcised penis in your book as natural and whole is an affront to all people who value giving men and boys a CHOICE to determine the fate of their own bodies and a CHANCE to enjoy all of the benefits that remaining INTACT can offer them and their future partners.

This book fails to show an essential piece of mammalian anatomy - the foreskin. This is an affront to all normal humans who have not been surgically deprived of half of the skin on their normal penis. Since not a single solitary national medical organization in the entire world approves of routine infant circumcision, it is hardly appropriate for an anatomy book to omit it. This is a striking example of how far the circumcizers will go to promote this human rights violation.

This book is an excellent reference tool for the layman who wants to know more about human anatomy. The illustrations are unsurpassed. I was astonished to see that it had such a low average customer rating, until I read the negative reviews. One is apparently from a "serious student of anatomy." I will confess ignorance as to whether it would suffice as a textbook for professional anatomy training; I just know that it greatly enhanced my lay understanding of how the human body is structured and how it works. The other negative reviews are from anti-circumcision activists who are apparently outraged that the depiction of the male penis in the book is that of a circumcised rather than an uncircumcised organ. Enough said.