It's difficult to easily categorize these dark works of fantasy: they are short stories written by such notables as Ray Bradbury, Michael Bishop, Nina Kiriki Hoffman and others, blending literature and art and all based on the strange kinetic sculpture Crowded After Hours by Lisa Snellings. Dark carnival stories probe the limits of humanity.

Strange Attraction is a fascinating anthology that combines quality writing, art and binding into a unique synthesis. This showcase volume presents memorable and highly recommended work by Michael Bishop, Ray Bradbury, Ed Bryant, Richard lee Byers, Nancy A. Collins, Jack Dann & Janeen Webb, Charles de Lint, James Dorr, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Brad Linaweaver, Jason Miller, Fred Olin Ray, Robert J. Sawyer, Darrell Schweitzer, John Shirley, S.P. Somtow, Chet Williamson, David N. Wilson, and Gene Wolfe.

Strange Attraction is a fascinating anthology that combines quality writing, art and binding into a unique synthesis. This showcase volume presents memorable and highly recommended work by Michael Bishop, Ray Bradbury, Ed Bryant, Richard lee Byers, Nancy A. Collins, Jack Dann & Janeen Webb, Charles de Lint, James Dorr, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Alexandra Elizabeth Honigsberg, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Brad Linaweaver, Jason Miller, Fred Olin Ray, Robert J. Sawyer, Darrell Schweitzer, John Shirley, S.P. Somtow, Chet Williamson, David N. Wilson, and Gene Wolfe.

My brother got to meet Ray in San Diego at the Super Bowl in 98'. His account of the meeting and of course an autograph is totally in line with Ed Gruver's account of this fine human being. In my opinion, Ray exemplifies everything that was great about the NFL and the great Packer teams in the early years of Pro Football. A great warrior on Sunday and gentle giant off the field. Kids these days could learn alot from his example of committment, hard work, dedication and sense of duty to the fans and people in general. A must have for Packer Fans and fans of Pro Football.

Nitschke is the first biography of accomplished professional football player Ray Nitschke (1936-1998), who won the Green Bay Packers five NFL titles and the first two Super Bowls. Constructed from thorough research and dozens of interviews by biographer Edward Gruver, Nischke is the impressive portrait of a courageous man who lost both his parents at age 13, played a legendary championship "Ice Bowl" game in sub-zero weather, was inducted into the Pro Football hall of fame in 1978, and earned lasting memorials and tributes after his unfortunate death from a heart attack. Nitschke provides the reader with an inspiring account of the life of a dedicated game player and is "must" reading for Packer fans in general, and those who remember Ray Nitschke's performances on the field in particular.

I was given a paper back version of this book by a young lady who knew I was into fly fishing. She was going to throw the book out but I was lucky enough to be the recipient of her kind deed. This was the only book I ever read about trout fishing. The way he described his youth in developing his skills in becoming a fly fisherman made me feel comfortable in the start of long journey to enjoy catching trout with flies. The description on how to fish streams helped me in my effort to hunt for trout. If it was not for this book I probably would not have pursued this sport with the enjoyment I have for the last 20 years. I have a deep regret that this book magically disappeared from my house a few years ago but I can still see the pages in my mind when I am on a stream searching for trout. For me this was my text book for learning about fly fishing for trout.

Mention the name of Ray Bergman to any group of grey-haired flyfishermen, and they will nod knowingly. Even today, Trout is looked upon as a must in any fisherman's, and especially a flyfisherman's, library.

Why? Certainly there is no shortage of literature on fishing and flyfishing. Many gifted writers have turned their talents to both the beauties and practicalities of fishing; yet Bergman is one of the few whose work has endured well past the author's lifetime. Ted Janes, editor of the book's last edition in 1976, goes so far as to include Trout in the same category as such cornerstones of the fishing literature as Dame Juliana Berners' Treatyse on Fysshynge with an Angle, Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, Alfred Ronalds' The Fly-Fisher's Entomology, and W.C. Prime's I Go a-Fishing.

Trout speaks in a unique voice, and its voice is independent of the listener's time era. When the reader absorbs the information, he can almost picture Bergman sitting down next to him and talking to him. His very first words in the book - the dedication - immediately invite the reader to a closeness, a camaraderie.

"To you all - The many good fellows I know and have fished with, and those whose paths may never cross mine except through the medium of these pages. This is my visit with you, our fishing adventure together. I trust it will be enjoyable, instructive, and memorable."

Bergman's talents of observation and instruction are a pleasure to read. They allow the reader to immediately envision what the water is doing, what the weather is like, and how the fish are behaving. And the reader can just as easily picture himself working through the approaches that Bergman describes to the different angling puzzles he presents. Bergman details step-by-step trials, including some errors, that culminate in each puzzle's solution.

In one example, he describes an episode fishing with a companion at Brodhead's Creek in Pennsylvania. As happens with all of us, initial efforts proved fruitless.

"Because a few fish were rising we first used dry flies, but after a half hour without results we changed to wets. I don't know how many times Fred changed his flies, but I know that I tried a dozen patterns before I got a rise - to a size 14 Orange Fish Hawk that was being manipulated close to the surface by the 'hand twist' retrieve. Because occasionally the trout were breaking on the surface, we kept fishing our flies near the top, but after an hour of hard work we still had only one fish, which had taken the Orange Fish Hawk the first time it was used."

He proceeded to experiment with different depths, keeping the Hawk on and using the same retrieve style. After finding the proper depth, he exults that the "combination of depth and retrieve proved to be what was needed, and we both took quite a number of fish before tiring of the location."

This illustrates the kind of analysis that Bergman used, his powers of observation, and attention to detail. His unproductive efforts in the episode are an important part of the analysis, and he is not shy about recording them faithfully.

The appeal of his anecdotes is timeless, because, after all, a trout's gene pool and its inherent behavior patterns have changed very little over the past hundred years - and we don't expect much change for another hundred years. The types of puzzles Bergman describes are just as likely to be encountered by today's angler as by the anglers of half a century ago.

As Bergman himself observes, his life occurred during that in-between era of history, which saw the last of the so-called "old-fashioned ways" typified by stateliness, Victorian values, and a much slower pace of life. That culture was supplanted by the beginnings of the modern era, characterized by scientific and technological advances and the consequences (both good and bad) thereof. He describes it in the chapter "Early Experience:"

"When I was a boy, conditions were quite different from what they are today. I am old enough to have experienced the old-fashioned ways of the latter part of the nineteenth century and the rapid-fire progress of the twentieth. I saw the horse and carriage give way to the automobile, the dusty roads change rapidly from macadam to Tarvia and then to concrete. Each advance of progress had its effect on fishing."

This bridging or blending of eras has a curious effect on his writing. The Victorian literary style is evident throughout, yet his approaches are clearly influenced by scientific method.

Another aspect of Trout that has helped its longevity is that it appeals to the thinking angler. Much of Bergman's success can be attributed to his powers of observation and deduction, and he clearly communicates the value of these. By encouraging the reader to follow the dictates of his own reasoning rather than simply following the crowds or conventional wisdom, he strikes a chord in the intellectual snob lurking in all of us. The following comes from the chapter "Water Types and How to Fish Them."

"Most of us have so little time,... we think we must fish the best-looking spots where everyone else fishes because they must be good or no one else would fish them. This is false reasoning, because we are relying on precedents established by easy fishing and in most cases by anglers who have followed the established rules rather than the dictates of their own minds. It would pay larger dividends if we spent more time at thinking and observing than at fishing. Remember that locating fish is more than half the battle. When you know exactly where they are, then you can intelligently fish for them. Otherwise you are simply trusting to luck."

All of these factors came together at one time in history, in one man, and in a book called, simply, Trout. As long as there are members of the genera Oncorhynchus, Salmo, or Salvelinus swimming in streams and lakes, and there are people trying to deceive them into taking a pointed, bent piece of metal in their mouths, Trout's place will remain secure.

Oliver Shapiro

This is a quite inclusive book of Chesapeake Bay fish. Many Atlantic species that stray into the mouth of the Bay are also included. Excellent scientific drawings, many color plates, good concise text. It is geared towards reference (not a Sunday read). Very well done.

What noted readers might have said: "Such a book as this has great relativity" --Einstein "This book is creating a cultural revolution" --Mao "This book contains information that even I did not know about myself" --Verne "Alas, the authors of this book know Verne well" --Shakespeare "Finally, a book on Verne for everyone to share" --Marx (Karl) "How this book got in my pajamas I don't know" --Marx(Groucho)

X-ray binaries was intended as a second edition to accretion driven stellar x-ray sources. It is a great reference book for high energy astrophysicist. It covers both observational and theoretical studies regarding X-ray binaries. It is one of the most recent and complete works in this area.

This is a wonderful book for both children and adult. (except sort of discouraging to see little kid skating that well and doing all the hard moves, like jumping a ramp.) There are great skating maintainence section and all the basic moves.

This book was really good. I am a big Dean Koontz fan, and was wicked excited to see this book. However, this book has it's flaws: one major flaw is that it tells WAY too much stuff about his novels, i.e. secrets that you learn in the climax of the suspense are told throughout the book. What's more, it was made in 1994, it has missed a lot of newer books since then, including Dark Rivers of the Heart, Intensity, TickTock, Sole Survivor, Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, and False Memory. It should be revised every time Koontz comes out with a new book. There is plenty more I need to know about Koontz than is told here, therefore it could stand some improvements. Oh, well. All in all it was good.

Anyone who enjoys Mr Koontz's work should get a real kick out of this book. You come to know the forces that shaped him into the writer we have all come to love. If you're curious about what impact the grep had in his life, this book will tell you the answers (actually, it wont tell you anything...you have to read it...unless you get the book on audio cassette, then it will tell you) Seriously, this is a book I would highly recommend to anyone who would like to read a story of one mans struggle to recieve a paycheck for something he loves (an what a paycheck it must be!!) And he must be a hell-of-a-guy for his wife to do what she did for him. PLEASE BUY THIS BOOK AND ENJOY.

If you are a Dean Koontz reader, you must be curious where he got his unique imagination and peculiar style. This is a funny and creative explanation of his life and work. It is not just a chronological biography, but a creative touch of this and that. FULL OF HUMOR!

This book is a wonderful source of information on many band works of different grade levels and styles. I liked the fact that this book has an extensive bibliography, enabling a person to study band music in even more depth. I wish that the author had included some band works that can be played by bands without full instrumentation. (my band has two trombones for a "low" section, and it is hard to play the beautiful pieces to their full perfection. I would recommend this book to college students, and I would also recommend that they try and listen to recordings of some of the pieces discussed.

I bought this book after having taught for 12 years. I really wish that someone would have written a reference such as this for my first years of teaching! This is a comprehensive volume designed to help the band director develop a concise curriculum for the high school (or college) band program. Included are chapters on rehearsal techniques, conducting basics, philosophies of music education, and justification for our music programs!!! The standout feature of this book, however, is its coverage of wind literature. For each piece, there is historical background, instrumental difficulties, suggested listening lists, and various activities related to the piece. This should be required reading for all college music education majors.

The book "Teaching Music Through Performance in Band" Has already been a great tool for me. I am only a Sophmore in Music Education school and it has given me numerous ideas of ways to teach and what is appropriate to teach. The book breaks down many pieces to show ways to explain the music to children in band how to perform them musically. It also offers them insight into the composers life and how the piece fit into it. This helps students relate so that emotion and thought can be put into the piece that they are playing.

An excellent short book about Lipoic Acid, a recent and potentially important anti-oxidant. Describing its current use in Europe and its potential in many types of disease prevention and cure, this twenty page book packs a lot of info in a few pages. Well worth it's price.