If you are at all familiar with Fats Waller, you undoubtably have been in awe of his work. His keyboard mastery, his compositions, his "tickling tricks"...all combined with his irrepressable humor made him the genius of his time. And deservably so.Noone could touch his ability on the keys. This book, beautifuuly put together, gives you the music of Fats. My hat is off to Posnak. I have no idea how he was able to transcribe some of this material, as some of it is quite complex in harmonies and rhythms. Posnak himself must be a thrill to hear. The world of stride piano fanciers and admirers owes him a world of thanks for this labor of love. Here you will find one of Fats' signature pieces- "Handful of Keys". Folks, this is not for the faint of heart, as the chords are full and rich, and the "tricks" are numerous. I only wish that he had also included James Johnson"s "Carolina Shout", as Fats also had a winner with his interpretaion of that one, written by his teacher. "Ain't Misbehavin'" is great, and sounds just like the recording that Posnak transcribed it from. If you know this piece and are able to play it already, do yourself a favor and augment your rendition with some if not all of this version. I have already gleaned much from it, and indeed, play this version in it's written form, as you would have a hard time improving upon it without muddying it. "The Viper's Drag" and "Keeping Out of Mischief Now" are, once again, so faithfully brought back to life that it is eerie. It is as if Fats himself is sitting there just GIVING this material to you, as Posnak delivers the true sounds and life of the pieces. If you have guessed that I think the world of this book, you got it! If you love stride piano, or for that matter, just damn good piano, and have the patience to sit and work on the material, you will have treasures in your hands. But I will warn you just a bit- the material isn't for the beginner or even novice; this IS going to take some experience, reading ability and comprehension. Most of us will have to spend some time working out the fingerings and rhythms. as a learning aid, try purchasing several good Fats Waller tapes or CDs that have these pieces on them.Knowing how they are supposed to sound can be of benefit. Just try not to compare your ability with Fats.. we are all not worthy!!! So turn on your piano lamp, get a cold glass of tea (or your favorite adult beverage....Fats would be proud), and work at it. It is surely worth it.

Simply put - this book is a monumental endeavor and no less of a tribute to "Fats". After long hours on end trying to pick out these fabulous solos myself with my all-too-imperfect musical ear, this work is a dream come true. If only more musicians of this calibre would pick up the torch as well and transcribe other solos for "Fats" (unfortunately, his marvelous rendition of "Tea for Two" is not included here), as well as other pianists (Art Tatum, for one)! The accuracy in transcription here is astonishing. Two copies are recommended, because you will be wearing the first copy out in no time!

Mr Posnak has given the piano community a valuable source of information on how to play stride piano. For those who can't pick up music by ear, here are 15 solos from the great Fats Waller in note-by-note transcription. Order the book and start playing!

I don't know whom to start with, the writer or the illustator. The book is very funny and to top it the drawings add humor to it. My 8 and a half years old boy laughed and loved it. Because we liked it so, we bought winnie can fly which is just as great.
Ran to buy it or just klick it.

I found this book at the library. My 4 and 6 year old love it so much they asked for their own copy to have for always. Winnie's whole house is black and so is her cat Wilbur. This presents a problem when Winnie trips over Wilbur several times. She decides the solution is to magically turn him multi-colored but Wilbur is so unhappy Winnie changes him back and comes up with a much better solution. Any child will love this endearing story. Winnie the Witch is a great read anytime of the year.

A wonderful brilliantly illustrated book. It's impact has been so large in the UK, that children now draw their witches with socks the same colour as Winnie's.

Not just for Halloween.

This is a compelling "must read" for anyone accepting the challenges of being called "Christian".

This is an excelent book that tells the history of the Catholic martyr and how their examples led others to follow in their footsteps, creating many conversions and great growth in the church. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to grow in their faith and love for christ.

When I say "Photographer's Bible" it is not just a catchy title for this review, I believe it is truly "The Book". The sacred book doesn't have pictures, right?, well this one also have none, it treasures the soul and thoughts of some of the most important and famous photographers of the XX century. A good photography book about a famous photographer is easy to find, we all know the images from many of them, but what do they think about life and this hard profession, I just found it on this must-have masterpiece.

When I say "Photographer's Bible" it is not just a catchy title for this review, I believe it is truly "The Book". The sacred book doesn't have pictures, right?, well this one also have none, it treasures the soul and thoughts of some of the most important and famous photographers of the XX century. A good photography book about a famous photographer is easy to find, we all know the images from many of them, but what do they think about life and this hard profession, I just found it on this must-have masterpiece.

I was given the opportunity to catalog Dr. Gentry's herbarium collection at the Desert Botanical Garden in 1987-88. I haven't seen the new edition mentioned here, but read the original work at the time I was cataloging his herbarium specimens. Through it, I was able to share his experience as an explorer in the spirit of John Wesley Powell, someone who knew that the American southwest is best delineated by watersheds, not along false lat/long lines. I met Dr. Gentry a couple of times, and remember the occasions well. Last time I saw him, when I was cataloging his collection, I overheard a conversation between him and a consultant for the Fort McDowell Indian Community. The consultant was asking about desert-adapted crop plants. Dr. Gentry went into great detail describing many desert plants suited to agriculture - tepary beans, jojoba, Lippia (Mexican oregano), agave, chiltepines, gum arabic, etc. I learned a lot just by eavesdropping. The consultant listened, but did not hear the words. He recommended that the Fort McDowell people plant cotton. Not because it was best suited to desert agriculture - far from that. They planted cotton because it needs vast quantities of water. They did not want the best desert-adapted crops. What they wanted, instead, was the best crop for wasting water, so that they could establish valid rights to the water. Worse, I watched them clear off vast acreages of mesquite forests to make room for the water-wasting cotton crop. The Hopi call this koyaanisqatsi. This book should help folks in southwestern north America realize that we have a bounteous resource, if we can only learn to use it.

Located in a transition zone between the Sonoran Desert and the tropics,this region is well known for its biodiversity, thanks to a 1942 study by botanist Howard Scott Gentry. Revision of his classic work began before his death in 1993. For researchers, this is a must-read book. It provides a clear overview of botanical studies of the Rio Mayo, a contemporary view of the vegatation, excerpts from the original text and an annotated list of plants.

Paul Thigpen is a great writer and editor. In this work he has compiled a great source and aid to prayer before Our Lord. People who enjoy this book will also enjoy a series of books edited by Fr. Benedict Groeschel entitled: Praying in the Presence of the Lord.

Whether you spend time in Eucharistic adoration or not, you'll find something to like in this collection of prayers designed to be said before the Blessed Sacrament.

Paul Thigpen has compiled such gems as:

"Adoration will heal our Church and thus our nation and thus our world.... When we adore, we plug into infinite dynamism and power. Adoration is more powerful for construction than nuclear bombs are for destruction." - Peter Kreeft

or

"I know I would not be able to work one week if it were not for that continual force coming from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament." - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

There is much in this little book to enjoy - over and over again. It includes Scripture as well as poetry and litanies, as well as thoughts from a diverse group of people including Saints, Popes, and lay people.

I know I will use it during adoration often.

This book is incredible -- an honest and sensitive portrait of life in the changing Sonoran desert. I picked it up yesterday and haven't been able to stop looking at it since. Apart from the photography, there are two wonderful essays. In the second, "Another Country", Thomas E. Sheridan tells of falling in love with a place in a way that speaks intimately to my own experience of and passion for Mexico. But I'd better stop before I give a whole dissertation... Buy this book! You won't regret it.

Superb black and white photographs, with accompanying essays, concentrate on ordinary people. The result transcends its geographic region; this is about people who just happen to live in Sonora. Winner, Border Regional Library Association's 1998 Southwest Book Award.

Having been a practitioner and trainer in the field of Stress management (even helped develop questions for the Stress Management Certification Exam) it has been my responsibility to learn lots of different models and techniques for helping people understand and manage stress.

This book presents the most important, most effective and powerful models and techniques, many written by their original developers. It is a valuable, unique resource, primarily for professionals and practitioners. It provides both theoretical and practical technique information. But it is probably not the best book for the average layman wanting to deal with stress more effectively. Laymen (and professionals) should consider the Relaxation and Stress Workbook, in that case. But professionals will want the Lehrer Woolfolk, compilation because of the detailed theoretical grounding provided for the techniques, which include Autogenic training, Clinically Standardized meditation, Progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback. And many more.

I can't emphasize enough that these are not just chapters written by anyone. This is the "Woodstock" of stress theory and practice books, with chapters by the "stars" of the field.

This is an excellent book about stress managment. The autors give a cler idea about the use of many stress managment techniques, including progressive muscular relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, yoga based therapy, cognitive approaches to stress, exercise and others. All the articles have a lot of referencces to reserach results with the techniques, wich show us the scientificity of the methods. It also includes some chapters with the comparation of the research results with many techniques and their applicability to clinical problems. I would recomend this book to all psychologist interested in the field.

This winter break I went on a Shakespeare buying spree, and this book is one of the fine gems I found. A large, but fascinating book, this work of great scholarship and excitement takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of Shakespeare, even into rather obscure corners of his works (Trollius and Cressida, Timon of Athens). This book is a must read for any would be deep thinker about Shakespeare.

Shakespeare as Political Thinker is a must for everyone interested in the political thought of William Shakespeare. This reprint will finally allow new comers to become familair with a commonsensical approach to Shakespeare's plays. The introductory chapter by John Alvis is worth the price. Perhaps the best Shakespearean critic alive, Alvis has an uncanny ability to show Shakespeare's moral seriousness without making the bard an unquestioning adherent to any political school or theological creed. Many of the essays that follow are also well done: Jaffa's chapter on Shakespeare's entire corpus, Laurence Berns' meditation on Lear etc.

The second printing of Shakespeare as Political Thinker gives hope to those interested in relearning ancient wisdom and pays tribute to its inspiration, Shakespeare's Politics (Allan Bloom).

The authors take a detailed look at the Kirland, Nauvoo and Salt Lake City temples and discuss the architecture of each building and the symbolism of various designs in each of the temples. The book is well organized and easy to read. There are good illustrations to help the reader visualize what the authors are discussing. The book has good footnotes and a bibliography for further study. A great plus for the book is that it avoids wierd interpretations of various things like the Saturn stones that were supposed to be put on the Salt Lake Temple but weren't.

I have found this book to be very interesting/intriquing. It has pictures of symbols found on the early Mormon temples and explains what their meanings are.