A very useful book for pediatricians and other health care professionals taking care of children. If you buy the book, you can use the forms in your practice.

This is the classic work on Arizona Flora identification. Revised in 1970, it covers nearly 4000 species of higher plants native to Arizona. This is a highly technical work of based on descriptive taxonomy. I expect that recent advances in genetic typing will soon make works of this sort obsolete, but until such advanced techniques are widely available, this remains an invaluable handbook for the specialist working with Arizona flora. This book is difficult for the amateur to use for two reasons. First, there are essentialy no illustrations, relying instead on subtle distinctions of scientific descriptions. Lacking the necessary technical vocabulary, most amateurs will be quickly frustrated. However, the book does contain an excellent glossary (excepting the lack of illustrations) so with patience, advanced amateurs can make use of the keys. The second problem is less easily solved. Many of the key distinctions are made from plant characteristics observed at widely different times of the plant's life cycle. For example, reference to the petioles or lack thereof of the seedling's cotyledons may be made followed by references to the shape or character of the seeds or seed pods. This limits the usefulness of the key in many cases where the plant is only observed at a single point in time, generally while flowering. As an amateur wildflower observer, I generally use this as a reference to confirm or refine an identification made in the field or from photographs. My initial identification, usually to at least the family and usually the genus, is generally made with the aid of other works, such as the Peterson Field Guides, various other works specializing in desert or Arizona flowers and Ricketts 3 volumes covering the Southwest. But for all that, if you're serious about wildflower identification, then this is a book that must be part of your reference library. The included ranges and flowering times will often be enough to distinguish two similar appearing species.

This is a good cliffhanger type mystery with some political intrigue thrown in for good measure. A routine investigation of a helicopter crash in Africa turns into a major political problem when people think that an extinct antelope with aphrodisiac glands has been discovered. There is a civil war going on in Africa at the time of the investigation and those involved get caught not only in the middle of that but also with international poachers intent on finding and capturing that antelope. All of this was caused my an animal rights activist intent on doing whatever was necessary to catch poachers and protect the animals on the African savannah. The best line in the novel (in my opinion) is: "That there are landscapes of the heart and soul as surely as there are landscapes of the world. That we carry with us an internal vision that we may never see. But when we do, the recognition can be as powerful as memories of our mothers, as complex and harmonious ast he sound of a symphony." This is a powerful novel and well worth a read.

The most comprehensive text on cam design I have seen printed in 20 years. A definite "must buy" for anyone involved with cams.

This volume of 55 or 60 letters represents a portion of the witty, buoyant, exuberant correspondence between Trappist monk Thomas Merton (1915-68) and minimalistic poet Robert Lax (1915-2000); the two were classmates at Columbia University in the late 1930s, and lifelong friends thereafter.

Persons familiar with the dizzying puns and polyglottal juggleries of James Joyce's prose or Estlin Cummings' poetry will find the language of these letters appealing; it helps, also, to be familiar with the life of Merton, the century's most celebrated monastic figure. Each letter is exquisitely crafted, mostly humorous; but the correspondents occasionally treat of serious matters, both political and personal, in their shared dialect.

This volume is valuable because we get to see Merton at his least soapboxish and at his most warmly affectionate. We are introduced to the quirky asceticism of Robert Lax, who was living in Kalymnos, Greece at the time these letters were written. And we are re-introduced to a childlike joy in artistic creation (yes; letters can be art).

This selection of letters, however, is about to be supplanted by a more plenary collection of the Merton/Lax letters, published under the title "When Prophecy Had a Voice," edited by Arthur Biddle. But for those who would like a comparatively inexpensive introduction to these effervescently creative minds, outdoing each other in verbal brio, lexical panache, and poetical elan, the Catch of Anti-Letters might be a dandy place to start.

Robert Bechhofer along with Milton Sobel pioneered the concept of rank and selecting the population with the largest mean or a subset of populations with the largest means. This is a practical alternative to the usual analysis of variance and multiple contrasts approach (ANOVA). ANOVA methods just determine if there are differences among populations but researchers are often interested in knowing which population has the largest (best) mean. Ranking and selection procedures consider the selection of the population with the best mean or a ranking of the populations based on the means. It is formulated in a way to pick the right populatiion (i.e. the one with the largest population mean) or subset of populations based on either maximizing the probability of correct selection or by use of indifference zones in hypothesis testing. This material has been covered in Bechhofer's treatise with Kiefer and Sobel in 1968, the text by Gupta and Panchapakesan in 1979 and Gibbons, Olkin and Sobel in 1977. This text is an update on the theory and applications and differs from the previous texts in that it also considers issues of statistical design.

The theory has been well developed over a period of the past 30 years but has not been taught in applied statistics course and inspite of its practicality it is not applied nealry as much as the analysis of variance even though it is sometimes more appropriate. This has been a frustration for Bechhofer and his colleagues. This book is another attempt to get the methods more widely known and used. Part of the problem is the lack of software. Tables as provided in the text can be exceedingly complex. The authors provide FORTRAN programs to carry out the procedures. Unfortunately in today's computing environment it will take inclusion in major statistical software packages to get these methods the usage that they probably deserve.

The text is authoritative and well-written. It could be used for an intermediate level statistics course in ranking and selection methods and designs. It is an excellent reference source. Unfortunately Bechhofer has since past away so it is now the job of his colleagues and students to promote these methods.

This collection of essays on John Dewey's Logic is, on the whole, outstanding. The essays situate Dewey's work, make clear the negative consequences for philosophy that have flowed from the discipline's failure to follow Dewey, demonstrate the contemporary relevance of his work, and probe some problems and areas for further work. The technical essays by Thomas Burke are astonishing, if over-specialized, and the essays by Vincent Colapietro and John Stuhr are remarkably rich and thought-provoking high points--easily among the very best recent essays on pragmatism.

Perhaps more detail has been written about Tesla, than his arch rival, Thomas Edison. The former was in the real sense, an inventor, while Edison, for all intent, was a tinkerer; that is, he took objects and concepts and made them better or workable. Sure, we have all heard about the Phonograph, and the Electric light bulb that Edison made workable, but most accounts summarize his dealings rather than scrutinize them.
The Authors of this book, wrote a highly detailed scholarly account of the 'inventor' Edison, in a way few other authors have ever accomplished.
As for the Tesla/Edision rivalry, I think it fortunate that Tesla won over the world with A/C electric Current rather than Edison's D/C; makes for less electrocutions in the home. Perhaps, fate was that all these inventors and tinkerers were at bat together, but I sometimes wonder what would have happened had they been spread out a little so that more detailed notes could have been made of their work and contribution.

This text provides a quick, concise review of the pimary topics covered on emergency medicine exams. I found it to be a good way to prepare for inservice exams and the written boards.

By examining United States foreign policy between 1783 and 1809 in their book "Empire of Liberty," Robert W. Tucker and David C. Hendrickson put the myth of Thomas Jefferson under fire. Tucker and Hendrickson's central thesis is that Jefferson's statecraft wavered between two contradictory principles of liberty and empire. While president, Jefferson often found himself torn between pursuing a foreign policy role that provided examples of liberty, and a role as an "active crusader in international affairs" (Chaudhuri, American Political Science Review, September 1991). Tucker and Hendrickson claim that Jefferson tried in vain to accomplish both of these conflicting goals. The aim of his "new diplomacy" was to pursue the traditional ends of security and prestige while renouncing the traditional means of entangling alliances and wars that had been constantly used by European powers in the past (Mayer, Washington Post, August 2, 1990). Instead, Jefferson would rely upon what he called "peaceable coercion"--a foreign policy establishing security by commercial arrangements, through the force of American ideals. Jefferson believed that liberty and empire could go hand in hand in the formation of United States foreign policy.
Tucker and Hendrickson analyze several policies during the Jefferson administration to give historiographical context to their argument. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase is mentioned as a case in point. On the surface, the acquisition of almost half a continent at a negligible price was a great triumph of statecraft. Jefferson believed that this incredible land acquisition "preserved the republican character of the Union by removing the presence of dangerous neighbors and the prospect of wars that must result in the imposition of unbearable burdens on society" (Dallek, New York Times, July 1, 1990). It also insured that a predominantly agricultural political economy would be sustained while the United States experienced a steady increase in population. The Louisiana Purchase appeared to be clearly within the interests of the United States.
However, Tucker and Hendrickson point out that in order to make this purchase, Jefferson abandoned several of his sacred principles of liberty. In acquiring Louisiana, Jefferson abandoned his deeply held commitment to strict construction of the Constitution, which did not specifically mention a power to acquire territory (Dallek 1990). Tucker and Hendrickson question this abandonment of principle in light of the circumstances revolving around the purchase. They point out that Napoleon would most likely have not repudiated the agreement if action had been delayed, and that the speedy ratification of the treaty that Jefferson advocated was not necessary (Cunningham, Journal of the Early Republic, September 1991). Like Henry Adams, whose history of Jefferson's administration the authors admire and frequently draw upon, Tucker and Hendrickson emphasize the president's abandonment of strict construction in regard to the Louisiana Purchase as evidence of his desire to establish an empire.
This book has many notable strengths. Tucker and Hendrickson advance their ideas with a portrayal of Jefferson's statecraft that is very comprehensive. Most of the main foreign policy circumstances and events of the Jefferson era are described in detail--in addition to the Louisiana Purchase and policies regarding Native Americans, the authors provide comprehensive analysis on the maritime crisis with Great Britain, and Jefferson's views on Napoleon. Tucker and Hendrickson give a freshness to historical subjects of the Jeffersonian era that have already been mulled over by countless historians.
Along with its strengths, a couple weaknesses exist in "Empire of Liberty." Occasionally the authors press their points too hard. Although Jefferson somewhat abandoned his embrace of free trade in 1807, Tucker and Hendrickson exaggerate his original devotion to the principle. Additionally, labeling him as a "true believer in strict constructionism" until the Louisiana Purchase ignores his acceptance of Hamiltonian policies from the inception of his administration (Kaplan, Journal of American History, June 1991). Tucker and Hendrickson's critique of Jefferson's foreign policy is perhaps somewhat overbearing.
Regardless of any shortcomings Tucker and Hendrickson's analysis may have, they do an exceptional job of making a definite contribution to Jeffersonian literature. They create a picture of Jefferson somewhat different than the image conveyed by such historians as Gilbert Chinard, Merrill Peterson and Dumas Malone. "Empire of Liberty" tends to lean more towards to so-called "darker side" of Jefferson represented by the work of Leonard Levy. Overall, by provoking thoughts on Jeffersonian foreign policy, Tucker and Hendrickson's work contributes monumentally to the discourse on the life of Thomas Jefferson.