The strength of the book is the fine quality of the printing, the good color photographs and the enthousiasm of its makers, who obviously love crafting things of wood. This certainly is an attractive coffee table-book which may well inspire those who browse through it into making better use of wood than before.

As an enyclopedia it certainly does not make the grade. Obviously nobody with a botanical background was involved here. On page 20 is a remark about 'apetalous' trees that if ever I decide to award a price for the most-nonsensical-botanical-statement-ever will be a strong contender. The writers failed to pursue a consistent way of writing botanical names. Glancing through the book I note various errors in the history of the use of wood.

In addition the wood pictures, although of the same general size that is cute in "Identifying_Wood" by Aidan Walker (see there), a book derived from this, are pretty smallish on this big page size. I feel uncomfortable about some of the pictures which appear hardly typical of the woods they supposedly represent, and indeed some were replaced in the little book. As "Identifying_Wood" is not a bad book but unsuited for identifying wood, so is this "Encyclopedia_of_Wood" unsuited as a reference.

I don't want to give the impression that it is riddled with errors (I have seen much worse), but it falls well short of the level of, say, "The_International_Book_of_Wood" (1976) let alone of an encyclopedia.

P.S. I do hate the clumsy square shape. Obviously it was not meant to ever come off that coffee table: it decidedly would sit awkward on a shelf among real reference works.

While the book could have been a little more dense it was a good read overall. I would have liked to have seen more focus on North American hardwoods, but that aside the book was very informative. About 150 different woods are described in detail with acompaning pictures. There is also a nice section on fine furniture. This book is an excellent introduction into the world of wood working and would make a fine gift for anyone with even a passing interest in that direction.

This is a truly comprehensive encyclopedia, liberally illustrated with large photographs--a must for any wood lover. It includes precise descriptions of grain, pattern, figure and color, as well as the relevant harvesting locations, processes and uses. Interesting historical tidbits also add to its richness. Attributes such as stiffness, density, workability, crushing strength, and hardness are specified for each wood. It is a remarkable and beautiful book that I STRONGLY recommend.

Although most fantasy authors these days prefer to beat to death the Celtic mythology, only a few have turned their sights north and plumb the depths of the Norse. Walker is one of those few. And thank God, too! While Diana Paxson is busy writing against the historic conversion of the Norse to our "White Christ," Walker is there fighting *for* Christianity.

Following the aetheistic Irishman, Aillil, who to save his life pretends to be a priest, we are taken to the historic Erling Skjalgsson's home, where the war between the old pagan ways, and the civilisation of Christ is in full battle. More than the Norse are converted, though, as "Father" Aillil becomes ordained in truth, and learns just what it means to walk Christ's road.

Teenagers and younger are warned to wait to read this book, as several scenes depict sexual desire (although not consummation), horrific violence, and a fair amoung of ale swilling. The plot is good, but episodic, making for a slightly slower time reading than perhaps we are currently used to. Gentlemen, especially, will want to check out the longer version of Father Aillil's and Erling's adventures in the two-novel book, The Year of the Warrior.

A failed priestly student is enslaved by Norse raiders and, with the luck of the Irish has to act as a priest to stay alive. He fights against human sacrifice, forced conversions and the supporters of the old norse gods. He also struggles against himself and to support the Christianity of his new overlord who has crazy ideas like permitting his thralls to buy themselves free.

* Warning, good value but if you don't need it for Christmas the "Year of the Warrior" a 2 in 1 with a full size, all new sequel added this will be out in March 2000. * Order now.

A good basic text and then some. Whether you are a dedicated "student" of welding, or simply find yourself plagued with the genuine need to be more proficient, ARC WELDING, may be your ticket. The author has packed the book with dozens of simple but effective cutaway illustrations that demonstrate the essentials of the subject, including the difference between good welds and unacceptable welds. The author provides minimal text to accompany the visuals but does a decent job of explaining the logic of each subject. This book provides a fundamental understanding of the "why" behind professional practice/craftsmanship in welding as opposed to a "just getting by" approach. Whether advanced or a beginner, ARC WELDING, is informative and thorough--in the same way one would expect a good textbook to be.

Art is a social institution. So it can't be insulated from social influences. Artists are sellers in market. They earn their bread by selling their products, artworks.
Art is a language shared by social actors. Artworks can't be read without shared code to interpret the meaning of the text. They call it as convention. Convention is established through the power relationship in the market among producer (artists), intermediary (critics) and consumer (audience).
In this regard, art is just another medium like mass media. The author questions when the mass media dominates the culture, what is the status of pure art? In this vein, following questions, which have haunted the field of artistic production since the 19th century, gains renewed significance. Could art secure its autonomy as modernists dreamt of? What is the social role of art?
To answer those questions, the author probes into the language and market of visual art from pop art to postmodernism. Various avant-garde movements since pop art has borrowed and exploited material, subject and strategy of mass media. In turn, mass culture has utilized the art as high culture. But the position of pure art is still restricted to institutionalized sanctuary like museum, university. It's no more than high culture protected from below. It's utilized to distinguish from others by high society. It's not clear whether artwork is different from luxury goods in its utility. Adorno's word still reverberates in the circle of artists: "Today, it goes without saying that nothing concerning art goes without saying, not much without thinking. Everything about art has become problematic: its inner life, its relation to society, even its right to exist".

"Audubon: American Birds" is a not only a wonderful introduction to Audubon's works but a portrait of the birds as seen through the eyes of a great American naturalist. The volume also serves as a good reference source though tempered with an romantic view giving the astute reader an additional insight into the times in which Audubon worked. I would definately recomment this book to both the birder and art lover.

Worth reading. First-hand account of the birth and growth of an important software company and its hallmark product: AutoCAD.

Casting the giant sable antelope as a modern day unicorn, John Frederick Walker's Certain Curvature of Horn is at once a tale of mystery, wildlife biology, and potboiling politics. Anyone with an interest in Africa's megafauna will enjoy this carefully researched saga of the sable's precarious existence through Angola's long civil war. The first part of the book is not for the squeamish as one antelope after another is felled by trophy hunters and museum collectors. Walker's obvious reverence for the iconic beasts makes each shot and each death feel like a personal loss. But it is the mano a mano of Angola's warring leaders - Eduardo dos Santos and Jonas Savimbi - in the book's second half that causes the most discomfiture as the conservation world agonizes over the sables' fate on battlefields that have bled for over 30 years. The question of the sable's survival among so much human bloodshed is the book's big unanswered question. Walker tries mightily to get a flesh and blood glimpse of the endangered animal, making numerous trips to Angola and finally, a furtive dash into the war zone itself. Not to give away too much, his disappointment is tempered by what seems like the end to Angola's civil war and the beginnings of new animal sanctuaries where decimated wildlife, like the giant sable, can begin anew. Walker manages to make you care for a magnificent animal that like the country it symbolizes, is a tough survivor.

This book considers the impact that the fine arts and mass culture of the United States had in Britain afer World War Two. Those influenced included British artists, art students and critics (including the author of the book when he was an art student). It's a fascinating social and cultural history. It is also an account of America's Cold War cultural offensive and the role played by American artists living in Britain (such as Kitaj). It documents the variegated responses of British artists to postwar America and its art, criticism and mass media. Their reactions ranged from Americanism - enthusiasm and compliance - to Anti-Americanism - criticism and resistance. Covering significant art movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art, the author digests information from hundreds of published sources and interviews to paint a vivid picture of a crucial period in British culture. Many of the critics, painters and sculptors featured - Lawrence Alloway, Peter Blake, Reyner Banham, Anthony Caro, Clement Greenberg, David Hockney, Richard Hamilton, R.B. Kitaj, John Latham, Claes Oldenburg, Eduardo Paolozzi, Herbert Read, Bridget Riley, Larry Rivers - are now internationally famous. The study is brought up to date with an overview of the decline in American influence during in the 1980s and 1990s and the rise of Brit Art. Walker is a scholar, an academic but he writes in a lively, accessible way. This book is well illustrated (but no colour unfortunately) and should be of interest on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Navy life of Captain Frederic Walker has been well described. Through this book you can feel en relive his unbending and relentless approach to anti-submarine warfare during the battle of the Atlantic. Anybody interested in ASW should read this book. It is also a great narritive of a too short life of an outstanding RN officer.

L.Bruin, CDRE

Though advertised as a continuation (i.e. 14th Edition)of the "Filmgoers companion" it is only a list of people in the movies. Gone are Halliwell's definitions of movie tradecraft and lists of themes, individual classics and personal notes. A fine actor like Lee J. Cobb gets a single line, while Jayne Mansfield, known more for her off screen antics, gets many more. The quotes from the movie personalities is a nice touch, but when I look up somebodies filmography I do not want to see etc. at the end of an incomplete list.

Leslie Halliwell(1929-1989) was the publisher of this informative and extremely enjoyable reference book on many of the cinema's most influental figures. What sets Halliwell's great book apart from the others is that it includes not only the most famous of today and yesterday's stars/writers/producers/directors, but a great many obscure, but no less important names in the industry as well. Halliwell's book is also unique in that it includes a list of technical terms that are extremely vital in the motion picture industry, as well as a list of popular film series, and a complete list of Academy Award winners. Whether you are looking to be informed or entertained, Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies serves both purposes well, and is a compulsive read guaranteed to give die-hard film buffs hours and hours of endless reading pleasure. The book, formerly known as The Filmgoer's Companion, is actually a companion piece to an older favorite, Halliwell's Film Guide, also strongly recommended for the serious film buff.

If you were to have only one book on the movies, this would be it. It has almost everything and everyone connected to movies. About the only changes I'd recommend would be larger type and sections on writers, directors, photographers, stunt men, etc.