More than any other I have found, this book brought Isaac Newton to life: as a brilliant human being, but still just a human being, with as broad a spectrum of flaws, quirks and vulnerabilities as any of us have. It shows him more as some of his contemporaries may have seen him, before the publication of the Principia began to transform him into a shining demigod of the Enlightenment. It does shine a light on his admittedly obsessive (but still sensible, focused, meticulous and sincere) investigations of theological and alchemical claims that mattered greatly to his generation. Many of these investigations proved to be fruitless, but that does not diminish the man. For these claims lost much of their interest to later generations precisely because the new analytical tools that Newton published in the Principia enabled revolutionary advances in physical knowledge that rapidly pushed alchemy and theology onto the sidelines of intellectual history.

Truly a wonderful, balanced and satisfying collection of essays, each written by an expert in a particular perspective on Newton's life and work. I would welcome publication of similar collections of lucid, expert essays on Robert Boyle and Charles Darwin.

Since the mid-19th century and the application by Foucault of chemical silvering to glass mirrors, reflecting telescopes have gradually taken over from refracting ones, to eventually become the dominant telescope concept over the entire 20th century. Reflecting Telescope Optics I (RTO I) is an unequaled reference for those who have interest in the field, be they students, telescope designers, professional or amateur astronomers. In Chapter 1 the author takes us on a short, fascinating and at times surprising, journey through the history of telescope design. A delightful story of men, ideas and fascinating machines. It stems from the account by the author that optics is one of those sciences whose progress is inescapably tied to the progress of experimentation and technology. Chapter I tells about great ideas which, sometimes, had to wait for centuries before being understood and recognized. The second and third chapters deal with Gaussian optics and aberration theory, respectively. Fundamental aspects of Gaussian optics are reviewed in a concise manner, albeit to a level of detail sufficient to make the book a valuable reference for an advanced course on geometrical optics. The same comment applies to the third chapter, which deals with aberration theory of telescopes -in the broadest sense. All relations necessary to set up a design, understand and evaluate its first order (paraxial) properties and third order aberrations are clearly demonstrated and their implications thoroughly analyzed. Section 2.2.5.2, in particular, will be invaluable to set up the basis for a two-mirror telescope design, while section 3.2.4 provides all necessary information to evaluate its aberrations. Tables and practical examples provide most useful illustrations to the theory, and serve as well for quick reference when reviewing properties of existing designs. A thorough review of one- and two-mirror design solutions is provided in sections 3.2.6 and 3.2.7, together with detailed illustrations and numerical examples. Section 3.3 provides much detailed and useful information on third order aberrations. A unique and most complete review of wide-field telescope designs, from Schmidt and Maksutov solutions to less known three- and four-mirror designs, is proposed in section 3.6; off-axis designs are addressed in section 3.7, together with a detailed analysis of the effects of decentering of 2-mirror telescopes. Even if this is certainly not its main purpose, there is little doubt that these sections will retain the attention of amateur telescope makers as well. Elaborating on a generalization of the Schwarzschild Theorem, the author demonstrates the relation between the number of optical surfaces and the achievable compensation of third order aberrations. The four-mirror designs with spherical primary and secondary mirrors derived in section 3.6.5.3 pave the way for giant telescopes beyond the 10-m range. Despace effects are reviewed in much detail (section 3.8), unfortunately in the restricted case of two-mirror designs only. As such effects can be of utmost importance with regards to preservation of optical quality and may come to play a role in a trade-off between otherwise equivalent designs, it seems to me that a broader -and, in view of its tremendous complexity, simplified- account would have usefully complemented the review of three- and four mirror designs of section 3.6. A brief but quite complete account of diffraction theory and its relation to aberrations is provided in section 3.10. This section is essential to the completeness of RTO I; it provides the key to understanding image formation and properties, and appeals to the broadest range of readers. Chapter 4 covers field correctors and focal extenders/reducers in great detail, and provides a brief account of atmospheric dispersion correctors, thereby adding to the completeness of RTO I. Finally, theory meets reality in chapter 5, which provides a delectable and most instructive account of major telescope projects -and ideas related to them- from the early 19th century until the mid-1980's. It should be pointed out that, although RTO I deals with telescope optics in a largely theoretical manner, realistic constraints and limitations are given due regard, a consequence of the author's impressive experience in telescope design and fabrication. This review would be incomplete if no acknowledgment were made to the rigorous and consistent formalism of the author, as well as to the useful indices, list of symbols, tables and figures, the most complete bibliography, and the unique portrait gallery of major figures in the field. Indeed, a unique reference in a superb presentation.

There are certainly not enough autobiographies of Native Americans, and few that can compare with Eastman's story and journey to find civilization. As Eastman follows Christianity and the White Man's Civilization, he finds himself realizing the paradox of the two worlds. Upon returning to a more civilized world, he gives a captivating look at how Jesus was an Indian and how different the White world and Native American world was during his life. A perfect self-enlightenment book.

If you have read the writings of Ohiyesa (Charles Alexander Eastman); I HIGHLY recommend this book to you.

It helped me understand the forces that shaped this man.

My favorite areas are

The assorted photos of his father "Many Lightnings", his wife, his son Ohiyesa at the age of 5.

Events that occured while he was attending school in the East, and the bigotry he encountered from "SOME" white people.

Events where he served as a medical doctor on the Pine Ridge reservation, and caring for the survivors of the Wounded Knee masacre in 1890.

Events where he traveled among various indian nations to get items used by indians for museums.

Events where he worked with the Boy Scouts and Campfire Girls.

And much more.

If this book is your introduction to the writings of Ohiyesa; I would recommend that your next purchase would be "The Soul Of The Indian".

Wah doh Ogedoda (We give thanks Great Spirit)

Northanger Abbey is an overwrought, underpaced book - terribly dull by modern standards. The satirization of the novel of manners and the gothic novel forms is almost entirely lost on the modern reader who is unlikely to have read a single one of the 18th century popular novels Austin is constantly referring or alluding to.

The only thing that saves this book from the dreaded one-star rating is the strong characters. This was one of Austin's earliest attempts at a novel, but already she shows her knack for creating fascenating characters that would reach its zenith in Emma. The three main characters of Catherine, Belle, and Henry really come alive and actually manage to extract some genuine concern from the reader by the end of the novel.

What holds the characters back however, is the incredibly tedious pacing. The plot develops VERY slowly by modern standards. The first 150 pages are used mostly to describe a bunch of society balls and carriage rides, with only very gradual character development - the sparks don't start flying until volume II.

The bottom line is, Northanger Abbey may have been a *decent* novel for its time, but these days it should be read only by true Austin Addicts who are beyond all hope of recovery ;-)

The story describes the development of a young girl, Catherine Morland. She is the daughter of a clergyman, not very rich nor especially handsome or clever. At the age of seventeen she is allowed to go with Mr. and Mrs. Allen to Bath, were all the upper class of England spends the holidays. She meets there a plenty of young people, for example John and Isabella Thorpe, Eleanor Tilney and her brother Henry. They all become friends, but John and Henry take a deeper interest in Catherine. She has to make up her decision: The young student John or the earnest reverend Henry, and soon it's clear. Catherine goes with Eleanor and Henry to stay for a visit at the abbey where they are living with their father, Captain Tilney, while Isabella ingages with Catherines brother James. As Catherine has read many novels about misteries (f.e. "The misteries of Udolpho") she expects to find something puzzling and amazing in this old abbey. Everywhere she looks for a strange thing, but never finds anything. Even Henry tells her once how stupid she is to believe in such things, and now Catherine has a more realistic vue to the world around her. But then she receives a letter from her brother James where he writes that Isabella has left him, and moreover Catherine has to leave the abbey because Captain Tilney has found out that she isn't as rich as he thought and because of that not adapted to become Henry's wife. Through all these experiences Catherine grows up, and at the end of the story she is a very different woman than at the beginning.

While this was one of the last Jane Austen novels published, it was the first one to be written. I read this book before I was familiar with the conventions of the Gothic novel, but this book is a worthy send up of all of those conventions. Even if you are not especially familiar with the works of Anne Radcliffe or Monk Lewis, this novel is worth your time. The opening three pages which describe why Catherine Morland really isn't the heroine type are as funny as anything you'd read today. Other great passages are when Austen defends the reading of fiction in a passionate aside, and when Catherine becomes convinced that General Tilney is keeping his wife locked up in the dungeon of Northanger Abbey.

In this book, we have the beginnings of Jane's devastating wit as she tears apart society. We also have the benefit of some witty one liners, flighty characters and hilarious situations. (Of special note is the fact that it would seem that college men have ALWAYS been drinking and swearing type guys... although Austen discretely blanks out the 'dirty' words so as not to offend her readers.)

I used to rush home from work to read this book, and was not disappointed in it at all, from beginning to end. This is the best place to start with Austen (well, you could also read her juvenilia if you want... it is more silly than anything, but entertaining nonetheless), and it's definitely a fun read.

I got to know many things about Mobius and his works from this book. For example, what cause him to think about the famous Mobius function and Mobius inversion formula. Also, there are facts that support J.B. Listing(1808-1882) as the first inventor of the Mobius Band. In the first half of 19-th century, many leading mathematicians made a living as astronomers, because mathematics at that time had not been accepted as an independent scientific field!

The role of mathematics at Oxford during the first eight centuries of its existence is defined by a curve with steep slopes in both directions. At times the level of rigor in the examinations was slightly more difficult than "How many letters are there in your name?". Yet, over the years, some very capable people have either taught or been educated there.
The historical context of England over the centuries provides an interesting backdrop to what occurred at the university. Through a civil war and other political contests for power, the society altering features of the industrial revolution and the creation and subsequent dissolution of a mighty empire, the university has survived. However, the changes have been as profound to the university as they have been to the surrounding society. Although two of the editors are currently at Oxford, the treatment here is not in any way biased or hyped. The changes and the reasons for them are put down with the dispassionate accuracy of a historian.
As mathematics became a more significant tool in the management of society, the quality of mathematical training has been modified to suit. Long standing institutions are often criticized as being adaptability challenged. While partly true, the events described here clearly demonstrate that universities can and do change. Any history of a university is ultimately a series of mini-biographies of the people who made things happen. The sections that described some of the personalities of those who served as professors or other ranking officials was the most interesting aspect of the book.
With a history that is staid, learned and sometimes stodgy and other times colorful, Oxford has survived and thrived through incredible changes. No doubt the next few centuries will bring even more interesting and exciting challenges in the arenas of mathematics and human existence. Hopefully, the book describing the next eight hundred years will be as good as this one.

Basically the author of this book is more of a kempo practitioner then a Shaolin master of the arts. The Chinese arts require a life time of dedecation and hard practice.
Mr. DeMasco in this book represents very poor stances and a very shallow input on the Chinese martial arts. When he executes a horse stance his butt sinks below his knees, which should never happen. In his crane stance his leg hangs straight down when it should angle slightly inward to protect the groin area. The Chinese cross stances are too elongated, which places unneeded stress on the knee joints. The back knee of the stance should be placed in the calf of the front leg to provide strength and stability in the stance. He also doesn't use proper stance names such as Chinese cross stance, Lady's Horse stance (Lor E'ge Ma). It seems he has had some training in Wah Lum Mantis and in black tiger, but not enough to be considered a Master in these arts.
As for his Shaolin certificate presented to him by Shi Yong-xin, all I can say is that money (if you have enough) can buy a lot of things.
Even some of the self-defense techniques (from a kempo standpoint) were executed poorly and wouldn't be the most effective of techniques.

I bought this book because I had read a bad opinion on amazon.com. I had read a previous article about Steve Demasco and his certification from the Abbott of the Shaolin temple. I was skeptical and I wanted to see for myself just how bad the book was.

The book lived up to my low expectations when I first saw it. It's a typical Ohara cookie-cutter book. The pictures are full body shots that are taken from a distance, which prevents you from seeing details, especially in the self-defense techniques, and the layout is unimaginative and predictable. I also found it hard to follow the "Iron Wire" form, which played such a pivotal role in his success at the temple.

But then I actually read the text. I was impressed with Mr. Demasco's sincerity. The little things that made him seem more real; like on the back cover where he lists his titles, there is a quote "These are titles I continue to earn." I particularly appreciated his retelling of his initial meeting with the Abbott of the Shaolin temple in ch.8. I was also struck by his honesty when he was reluctant to tell anyone about his certification. He was "certain that if this (certification) got out to martial artists, somehow they would find a way to discredit it."

I'm an experienced martial artist (I am not affiliated in any way with Mr. Demasco's system) with more than 15 years in the arts as well as a school owner. I have seen many fads in the arts and was skeptical of Mr. Demascos. But I found the book worth reading and even entertaining on a very human level. It's a story of his journey, successes, and mistakes. One that I think is easily relatable.

Although I would have appreciated some better technical pictures of his techniques, I feel it's a good addition to a martial artist's library. For it's human value, I gave it 4 stars.

This book, at first glance was poorly written, short, and boring. Of course all of my first impressions proved wrong in the end. I haven't been formerly trained in any Shaolin art, nor in most of the various Martial Arts available for general practice. However I can say I felt like he really knew what he was talking about. My studies really have been in the area of Jeet Kune Do, but also Karate to a point. I successfully found myself performing the short-forms, and understanding the Iron Wire without difficulty. People not experienced at all would find this book confusing, but upon reflection by someone familiar with Martial Arts it begins making sense. I originally thought "What can a small book like this contain?" Boy was I surprised at the level of detail actually shown in the photos, the simple direct methods for practice. Also I plan to buy his video series.... fore those of us not able to focuse entirely on fighting this makes a good point of forms exercise. I loved it personally and urge anyone to read it. Much better than the Shaolin 5 Animals Kung Fu book I bought earlier, that was laugh-able.