I finished reading this book only a few weeks ago for a college class I'm in. It certainly wasn't the kind of book I'd pick up just on my own, but I wouldn't say I didn't like it.

The story is set primarily in Boston and somewhat in New York during the 1880's. At the request of his cousin Olive Chancellor, southern lawyer Basil Ransom comes to visit. He accompanies her to a meeting where the young Verena Tarrant speaks wonderfully on women's rights. Olive is so impressed with Verena, she starts what's debatably a lesbian relationship with her, but Ransom is taken with Verena as well and so a struggle begins between the two for Verena's affections.

I think Henry James does an excellent job of giving complete descriptions of each character and you really get a sense of who they are. Olive comes across as rigid and passionate, Verena as young, full of life and curious and Basil as sexist and determined. Basil uses all his ability to wrench Verena from Olive. As I mentioned, the relationship between Verena and Olive is debatable. There are no sex scenes in this novel, but the implication is there. Additionally, I've learned in the class for which I read this novel that many women during this time period engaged in very intense romantic relationships which may or may not be described as sexual.

There are of course other characters such as Verena's parents and other women's rights activists, but the whole focus of the novel is on this struggle for Verena. It wouldn't be completely unfair to say that in some ways nothing much happens in this novel. It's truly a character driven story. There aren't really antagonists and protagonists in the story, but more just people whom all have faults and are just trying to make the right decisions. Although my description of Basil above may sound like a bad guy and although he's unapologetically sexist, he perhaps is no worse than Olive who sometimes seems to be using Verena, a young woman whose thoughts and feelings are maleable. At its heart, the novel is still a love story. Overall, I'd say this is probably worth reading if you like novels about this time period, about love or if you like this author. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd read another novel by James, but I don't regret reading this.

The astonishing thing about this book -- and a lot of Henry James's writing -- is his insight into the problems of women. This book deals with the problem of independence and freedom. Most of us, let's admit it, love the idea of being swept off our feet by some competent, assertive male. It's a real turn-on. If you don't believe it, check out how many successful professional women secretly read historical romances by the boxload. The problem comes the next morning when he starts to take control, bit by bit, of your entire life. In this book you have Olive, who is not, I think, a lesbian but someone who is very lonely and doesn't trust men and Verena, who likes men just fine, but is, for the moment anyway, under the spell of Olive and her feminist ideology. Are these our only options? Verena Makes her choice, but James notes that the tears she sheds may not, unhappily, be her last.

James after 1898 was too subtle, too often employing apposition to add layers like coats of paint to each observation. Works like The Ambassadors (1903) rely on the reader's powers of synthesis, which can be in turns exhilarating or frustrating. The Bostonians (1885) is an extremely straightforward, dramatic, cruel, hilarious, political, compassionate love story and one of the best novels by anyone. Olive Chancellor is tragic: with so much love behind her cold, horrified stares. Basil Ransom is magnetic, but an educated idiot savant whose passion and will are nothing other than natural talent. Verena Tarrant has nothing but natural talent--she is an organism that throbs with passion like a finely tuned Geiger counter. Whether the private turmoil of sex and marriage finally draw her from the political sisterhood, and what happens to queer women like Olive, are high-stakes, human questions that James presents with sheer drama and almost unbelievable insight.

This book covers all of WWII. It is like reading a book with text, pictures, and maps. It is full of information. The biggest draw back to this book is the map colors. The only colors you will see is black, gray, red, pink, & white.

As a professional cartographer, I was excited to add this atlas to my map research collection, but I was disappointed by the quality of the maps and photographs. The maps are numerous and reasonably clear, but the cartography is 30 years old, and they look like photocopies. Same for the pictures--poor contrast, grainy, and ugly. I've seen some of the same stock photos in other books, where they were given a much better treatment.

The scope of the atlas reaches wide, but not deep. Nearly every campaign is covered, but in little detail. I would have appreciated more footnotes and sources also.

The price is reasonable for a thick atlas, but I would've gladly paid twice the price for a better looking product.

Let me first state the main flaw before it gets too far overshadowed in my mind by the positive aspects of the book. A flaw is that the book sticks to battles and often neglects the bigger picture by coverring individual battles out of chronology.

That said, it seems to me that this is a necessary evil. Battles ae arranged by theater of war... each theater is arranged in chronology, so my above complaint doesn't present itself too often. What is lost by this format is that when we look at the battle of the bulge we aren't really made aware of what is happening in russia or japan at the same time.

Each map covers the area of action with frequent "zoom-in" maps for busy areas of a battle. Each battle is accompanied by a superbly detailed account of the battle that corresponds easily with the map. Each section of the book has a two paged introduction that is a summary of the events in said section's theater of combat... this helps to allieviate the bigger picture problem.

I have casually read this book several times, and the great text, maps and relevant pictures never cease to entertain me. Not detailed enough for the ww2 scholar, but certainly good enough for a casual history buff such as myself.

Culture clash in Roman Britain is presented in an unbiased manner for both Celts (or Picts, judging from the facial tattoes) and Romans in this interesting YA novel. Sutcliff's predilection for ancient times and primitive civilizations results in a gripping plot of teenage identity crisis, while
presenting precise historical detail about Roman culture
superimposed upon the Celts in a way that does not impede enjoyment. Instruction and Enlightenment the easy way.

An infant boy miraculously survives a shipwreck off the coast of prehistoric Britain, providing filial replacement for a cherished infant who recently perished. Raised as one of the tribe until the age of 9 Beric, suddenly realizes that he is not universally or automatically accepted, despite his loyalty to his foster tribe. There is a long and bitter history of hatred for the Red Crests, who prove to be his Roman progenitors.

For the next 6 years the boy must constantly prove his right to remain in the village, struggling aginst both his peers, superstition and even an adult nemesis. He also battles his own internal doubts as to his identity--in which world does he truly belong? Can he wander through life belonging to neither or both? A sincere youth caught in the remorseless web of Nature vs Nurture, Beric faces difficult choices in a harsh adult world, where men abuse and torture him without compassion. Will Beric ever be freed of the shackles of hate and humiliation re his mixed heritage which bind his soul, even more surely than the chains on his body? Many teenagers--searching for their personal Belonging Place--can recognize his anguish. An excellent introduction to the Roman world; for readers of all ages.

"Outcast" is an excellent literary composition that tells the tale of Beric, who is branded as cursed by a druid since he was in a frightful shipwreck whilst he was only a newborn child, and was the solitary survivior.
So the tribe that have taken in Beric are insistant that the holy beings in which they place their faith are unhappy with them for this, because Beric is a red-crest.
I found parts of the book deeply disturbing and so would reccomend any easily - unsettled reader of my age to be prepared before you read it.
Nevertheless Rosemary Sutcliff vividly describes every needed detail without overbalancing action with description.

This is a great book for pre-teens, teens, and even adults who like fiction set in the ancient world. Here we see the harsh social realities faced by foundlings in the life of Beric, Roman child adopted from the sea by Britons during the Roman Empire -- when exactly isn't given. While I'm glad the attempt was made to show the harshness of life both in the north and then among the Romans there was still a bit of sugar-coating that is perhaps the result of wanting to respect our own morals or the result of a lack of knowledge. Thus the sexual terror and abuse of slavery is not mentioned and there is the idea that slaves have special clothes or jewelery to mark their status which is not the case unless one had been a runaway or a master really wanted to use a collar or brand or tattoo. The ending was also a bit too positive but then again most people don't want to read a sad tale even if it is more realistic.

Zazoo, a 13 year old Vietnamese girl who has been adopted by an old French man (she calls her grandfather), sees a binocular boy, Maurice, riding a bike along the canal who stops and talks to her. Her subsequent long-distance relationship with Maurice changes her relationship with both her grandfather and Monsieur Klein, the pharmacist who provides the thyroid pills for her grandfather.
Zazoo's grandfather is reminiscent of the grandfather in Gentlehands by M. E. Kerr. Mosher, however, has woven a more intricate, delicate and rich plot around the threads of war and remembrance.
This poignant dual love story speaks of war and peace, friendship and silence, love, hate and forgiveness in a stirringly poetic manner. As a librarian I read numerous young adult novels each year. This is the finest I have read in a long time. Reading Zazoo is like eating an exquisitely prepared meal. A sheer delight!

Zazoo is a 13-year-old Vietnamese girl who lives with her adoptive French grandfather in a romantic Normandy setting, surrounded by natural beauty and fascinated by the mysterious, at times oppressive past of the land and its people. Somewhere in the transition from 13 to 14, Zazoo starts on her own journey of discovery to find her roots, and to solve the riddle of her grandfather's past. The novel is a lyrical narrative with several story threads bound together in a web of reminiscences that spring from the minds of different characters, each revealing different aspects of the truth. Behind the appearance of a peaceful countryside existence, the reader discovers the intense emotional lives of the main characters, each one on a quest of self discovery.
The book starts as a promise for teen romance, however, as it progresses, it unveils a complex tapestry of past events unfolding in a slowly revealing drama, expanding in time over generations and cultures. Several motifs are apparent in the book: the horror and senselessness of war, the devastating consequences of prejudice and intolerance, the healing power of love and forgiveness, and the beauty of friendship. The pictorial fabric of the book and its subtle blend of prose and poetry ensure the novel's final unifying design. The contemplative, static nature of Richard Mosher's novel may not appeal to all readers. Brief descriptions of violence (atrocities of WWII) are unsuitable for younger readers.

This is a beautiful book. I am an adult, not a teen, so I can't speak to the reviewer who said it was bad--though I think the fact that the author is a man does not mean he doesn't write well about girls. I think he does. It sure seems to me he can get very well inside a young woman's head. By the way, another reviewer said she was from Korea. She is from Vietnam, not Korea, and therein lies a beautiful part of the story. Mosher brings alive the experience of a Vietnamese girl growing up in a tiny French village. The setting is as much of a character as Zazoo and her Grand-Pierre and Marius and Felix Klein. The story is layered, with each story feeding into the others. I am very impressed and would recommend this book to teens and adults alike.

Reading this book made me want to go out and buy new bikes for the whole family!

There's nothing quite like the pleasure of riding out of a beautiful bike showroom on a great bicycle! Yet within months, I always noticed that the feel was gone. Pretty soon, I wasn't riding as much.

Now from reading this book, I know that all bikes need regular maintenance to keep that top-performance feeling. And I know what to do. It's a wonder that my bikes and my children's bikes ran at all before reading this book!

My idea of bike repair was to patch a puncture, adjust the seat and handle bars, and get a new chain if it broke. That's about 3 percent of what you really need to know.

The book is also useful as a guide to what type of bike to buy in the first place. The pros and cons of various types of materials and structures are well developed.

For those who enjoy mastering physical tasks, this book also offers much potential pleasure. "Keeping your bike in tip-top shape is very satisfying -- and makes riding more enjoyable."

Although I am far from being a mechanical person, I could clearly do everything in the book. But I do need different tools. No problem! The book shows you just what to buy, with many choices (more kinds of bike stands than you ever knew existed, as an example). Not only that, it tells you which ones to take with you on a long touring ride. If you don't have the right tool, it shows you how to improvise with materials usually found along the side of any road. This was fascinating! In fact, the paperback is just the right size to take along on a ride, so you can figure out what to do if you bend a rim.

One of the real insights for me was to realize that all of the bearings are meant to be rebuilt once a year. And there are a lot of bearings on any bike.

Where a bike might have different types of equipment (such as for brakes and transmissions), you get descriptions of what to do with all the major types.

Many pictures show you what each part looks like, and the steps to go through for maintenance. This is the main drawback of such a compact book. Some of the images can be a little small. But I see no way around that if you are to have a truly portable guide to repair and maintenance.

Most people will decide to still get some maintenance and repair at the local bike shop. But this book can show you what's involved so you can figure out what it might cost in time and money to do the work yourself.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the Troubleshooting Chart to give you an idea from the symptom you have observed what is a likely cause, the solution, and where the information is found to implement that solution.

I suggest that you both get this book and try doing some of the maintenance. If you enjoy this, it could become a very satisfying hobby. You could also do maintenance for other people to help cover the cost of the tools. I suspect that less than 1 bike in 50 is properly maintained.

If you have children who like to learn to fix and maintain things, this could be a fun family activity. My dad was very good at such things when I was a wee lad, so good that I never learned how to fix anything. Be sure to pass along what you know and learn instead.

But whatever you do, be sure you get out and enjoy biking with loved ones! That's the ultimate payoff.

I have been able to take apart and repair all of the children's bikes. I has saved us a bundle as we have eight. At $40 a bike plus parts I have repaired and rebuild for the time and cost of parts and my children have learned to do for them selves as well. It's a great book to have.

Short and sweet! I'm a rookie to off road riding, and this book gave me a great understanding of whats happening between my legs! I can now fix a flat w/out help! YEA!!! Hey for $...bucks this book is the one to get.

Excelente para consegir la mayoria de las formulas relacionadas con calculos de esfuerzo y deformacion. Contiene cantidad de referencias para cada caso, de ser necesario rpofundizar mas en el tema. Lo recomiendo ampliamente, lo utilizo en todos mis calculos estructurales.

The book is now twice the thickness of the 6th Edition book. This makes opening and keeping open the book much more difficult. Also the paper type chosen makes it difficult to turn the pages.

I highly recommend keeping the sixth edition until they figure what is truly important to Structural/Mechanical Engineer.

A very usefull reference book for the practising structural or mechanical engineer. However it could be significantly improved by some modernisation and rationalisation ie: removing references out-dated information and references from the 1920's and 1930's,etc. Also by standardising variables and equations, eg: the variable for the width of a section may be 'b' in one chapter 'd' in another, also 'tw' may represent flange thickness rather than web thickness, etc. The book examples are all in U.S. (lbs, feet) units, annoying the European (N, m) user, and may start on one page, then be interupted by 20 pages of tables before continuing on. So the general layout could do with being significantly improved.

this book is just awful, it is a disgrace to tokyopop! i also hate how it is read in a left to right style which is the american way, hello peeps it is called TOKYOPOP not AMERIPOP!! And what does norse mythology have to do with Japan?? I hate DragonballZ and all that dang mainstream ... to! I WOULD PUT 0 STARS BUT IT WONT LET ME!

This book is fairly interesting though slightly difficult to follow. Like many first books in a series, this one takes strides to introduce the main players, and still tell a compelling story. In this way it does a great job. This book introduces the reader to a fairly fantastical world filled with giant monster, evil sorcerers, great warriors, and the ever-present scheming villain.

The drawings are filled with action, and the details on the characters are wonderful. My only gripe is the pacing of some of the pages. This books sometimes goes on for a couple of pages without any dialog. This is great for the action scenes, but also makes it somewhat difficult to follow. Did the giant explosion happen before or after the sword swing? This isn't a huge problem, but I had to take it into account.

When its all said and done, though, I definitely plan on picking up the new additions as they come out.

This was a great manga, although technically not a "manga" persay since it comes from Korea. Myung-Jin Lee did a fabulous job on the art. This takes place in a sci-fi version of the Norse legends, sort of like REIGN THE CONQUEROR is a sci-fi version of Greek mythology. The goddess Fenris has been reborn in the body of a human sorceress. She is being stalked by an ambitious Valkerie. Fenris runs into the might young warrior Chaos and his friend, the enchantress Iris. They bring her back to Iris' city of Fayon in the kingdom of Midgard. But Fenris soon learns she has ties to Iris. Plus, the scantily-clad thief Lidia hopes to gain the favor of Chaos, and joins the others on their quest. This series has alot of cool graphics and great design. Cooler than a Thor comic book any day!

Hi my name is pedro sainz. I am from Crawford High School. I choose this book because there is a boy that lives with a foster home and he has to live their home and live with other parents. He runs away from home and has to live his own life and he joins a gang. I recommend this book to everyone because it's about a kid that has to live his own life in the outside world and has to know how to survive.

A great book that tells the life of a teenage boy living without knowing who his true family is and learning to trust his friends as his only family. This book tells how to stand up for yourself and face life, although at times it may be too harsh of a reality. Very interesting book even though it has an abrupt ending. I think the book leaves the ending to the imagination of its readers. Highly Recommended.

In Rite of Passage by Richard Wright, Johnny Gibbs has a wonderful life: he gets all A's in school, has great friends, and he loves his family. But his whole life changes in an instant. Rushing home with the thought of his mother's delicious stew in mind, he finds out that the family he had known and loved his entire life, were not his own. They were his foster family, and he is shocked to find out, too, that he is being sent away to live with another, brand-new, family. Johnny has no other choice but to run. In one single day his life seems to take a wrong and drastic turn, and his world becomes an inescapable bad dream.

I recommend reading Rite of Passage because of its simple but involving story, exciting events, and the lessons it teaches the reader about life, family, and love. You feel like you're right beside Johnny as he goes through his "rite of passage." You get close to him, understand his character, and feel his pain.

I have purchased a variety of coffee table books for my exploratory/ information center at school. This is the best I've found about the 20th Century. I can easily use this for my students to show them the world of the 20th century. Especially appropriate for middle school students and higher grade elementary students. High school students could use it as well.

I received this book as a gift and was astonished by how great it actually is. It has so many wonderful pictures from the past 100 years and I feel that they explain every picture well enough so you can understand how in that time things were. I would suggest this to not just young people but to everyone so they can too learn more about the last century.

I thought that this was a very goood book and that it has many very neat pictures. I received it as a gift and looked at it all day because the pictures and stories behind them. I think that if you want to learn more about the past century then this is the book for you.

I loved this. As a former "D-Girl", I recognized many of the characters in this book. The author has written an extremely hilarious take on what makes Hollywood tick. The book is not too far from the truth - the Writer (oblivious to what's actually happening to his script), the Agent (self-absorbed and loathsome), the Producer (taking credit for EVERYTHING), the Actress (doing what it takes and selling her soul for a truly pathetic chance at stardom). Take it with a grain of salt and enjoy it for what it is - a great, fun read.

Strongly recommended. "On Spec" is the real deal--an extremely funny and deft rendering of Hollywood ambition and absurdity. A modern-day "What Makes Sammy Run?"--but even sharper, more fun, funnier. Each voice--starlet, screenwriter, agent, producer--is dead-on, scathing. A must-read primer for anyone who has ever thought they'd like to make it in show-biz...it'll make you sweat with recognition. I'm ready for the next one--write on, Richard Rushfield. Simply a great read. Enjoy!

On Spec is absolute perfection from cover to cover. Rushfield's spot-on depiction of all aspects of the Hollywood machine is not only poignant, but hilarious and innovative to boot. It is the "What Makes Sammy Run" of our era. In fact, it's better. I cannot praise this book enough. Its importance and impact will most likely be felt for years to come.