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Excellent transaction. Very informative book and exactly what I was looking for.

I found this to be a very interesting book. I did not think all the conclusions he arrived at where justified by the data provided, there was a touch of making mountains out of mole hills (IMHO). However, most of the discussion was well thought out, well presented, and very thought provoking. It was also well written. I would recommend this one for anyone interested in the period.

Andrew Bridgeford's "1066, the Hidden History of the Bayeux Tapestry," brings a fresh interpretation to an amazing, mysterious piece of cloth. This strip of linen seventy meters (230 feet) long presents an account of events leading up to William the Conqueror's successful invasion of England. The traditional interpretation is that the Tapestry was a costly trophy commissioned by a Norman baron or bishop celebrating the Norman victory. Bridgeford disputes that view. He finds conflicting messages stitched onto the fabric, messages that tend to support the French, rather than the Norman, point of view. He even finds support for the English, and perhaps a challenge to Duke William's right to the English throne. Such messages would have been punished by death, and whoever commissioned and stitched the Tapestry would have taken great risks. Nevertheless, the ambiguous message was embroidered less than a decade after William's invasion.

What were the real intentions of the sponsor who dictated the images and message stitched into the Bayeux Tapestry? The whole tale is here: ambiguous negotiations, fatal misunderstandings, Duke William's landing, the battle of Hastings, the death of King Harold in battle and the aftermath of war in a ravaged land. The Tapestry (an embroidery, really) was originally longer, but the final scenes are missing. Did fire, damp or rats carry the ending away? Or did fear suborn courage, causing an unknown hand to cut off a dangerous truth in a deadly world? That is one of a thousand mysteries inhering to the Bayeux Tapestry.

Nor is that all. The Tapestry brings us a dwarf who may have been a founding father of French literature; and reminds its contemporary viewers of an unlovely tale, of two queen-mothers thrusting their several sons forward, sometimes fatally, in their own lust for royal power. Why? How do these apparent sub-plots relate? It has been an abiding mystery, one for which Andrew Bridgeford may have supplied - if not the missing end of the cloth - then at least several answers.

By Robert Fripp, author,
Power of a Woman. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine

A true delight in print, Andrew Bridgeford's "1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry" reads more like a well-written mystery book than a history text. Many a past author has tried to make history "interesting" with unusual and sometimes ludicrous literary devices, but this book doesn't stoop to such silliness. Instead, the history we read here is indeed real history, but woven with a most intriguing claim, turning the book into a page-turner of scholarship from start to finish.

The main contention of the work, which I will present here without spoiling the details and supporting evidence for the reader, is that the common view that the Tapestry is a work of Norman propaganda to support William the Conqueror's claim to the English throne is incorrect. Rather, Bridgeford argues, the Tapestry is instead a truly English work which gives more credit to a Frenchman (not a Norman) for the 1066 battle victory, and was meant to serve as continual reminder that William's taking of the English throne, though successful, was not morally just. In this sense, the work can be somewhat considered "subversive," because its message of the invalidity of William's ascent was played out in full view under the noses of all the Norman entourage, and indeed, full public scrutiny. The makers of the Tapestry could only do this by creating a work that passes the "scratch and sniff" test for supporting the Norman cause, but only for those wishing to read that preconceived notion into what they see, and for creating a work that, on its superficial elements, appears to do just that. But woven into the threads of this work is a contrary view that becomes apparent if one rejects the temptation to skim over and "read into" each of the Tapestry's scenes, and it is a message quite different that it might at first appear to be.

Bridgeford's prose is consistently up to this challenging task. Each page of the text further illuminates our understanding, not only of what we already know about 1066, but of those things we "know" that really do not "fit," if we took the time to further reflect on it. After carefully considering each of the pieces of evidence presented, we come to feel there is good reason to support the author's claims. In fact, the book at times lays out its evidence and persuasion much like a lawyer might do in court, and if we find ourselves on this jury of opinion, we tend to find ourselves convinced. And although the reader here might think the author will have to resort to fantastic claims and that we'll have to check credulity at the front cover, we quickly find we can rest easy. The author's case is logical, cogent, and reasonable; the work never veers outside of accepted scholarship for evidence, and rejects many surrounding claims even if some of those might further buttress the argument. This is a solid book that is a fascinating addition to the library of works surrounding the Tapestry.

Bridgeford's text begins by laying out what must be considered an epic drama of the history of the Tapestry itself, a history which begins in the 11th century but, much like an Indiana Jones movie, finds itself the target of Nazi's, governments, and various nefarious forces throughout the centuries. Once we have followed the Tapestry's journey throughout the years, we settle into an examination of the tapestry itself, a scene by scene look at each element with the work. Thankfully, the entire Tapestry is photographically reproduced in full color with additional scene numbers and annotated text to translate the Latin so that we can refer to the Tapestry itself while the author makes his points and explanations. Historical background is provided within the narrative whenever necessary, helping us understand the possible motivations for the prime characters and serving as a historical backdrop to the story. Bridgeford makes his case scene by scene, and is not unconvincing. It is a true adventure to pry open the explanations of each of the scenes, and regardless of how convinced the reader may be of the ultimate assertions of the book, the result is likely to be a newfound interest in the Tapestry itself, and perhaps even a desire to make a trip to see the Tapestry in person.

But much of the charm of this book remains in the prose which relates Harold's and William's story, with characters whose motives and intentions come alive, settings that jump out of the past, and the ebb and flow of history once again surging past us when we thought it was already finished. And that is indeed, according to the author, the whole purpose of those enigmatic creators of the Bayeux Tapestry: to serve as a constant witness of historical fact that would hopefully guide those of future generations who were willing to listen to its message. They may well have succeeded. It's now approaching 1,000 years since the Tapestry was woven, and we are still here examining, debating, and enjoying it.

Many years ago I saw the Bayeux Tapestry while on holidays in Europe. My lasting impression of the work is the sheer size of it. It was much larger than I would have believed based on the odd picture seen in a book I'd come across before leaving home. I now wish I'd been able to read a book like this one before I'd viewed the Tapestry (or embroidery actually).

This book takes you scene by scene through this massive work of art - and a different picture slowly emerges than the one you might have read about in other books on the subject. This embroidery is the work of a conquered people - and to please their new masters it superficially shows their success in the conquest. However, the events, and how the artist chooses to highlight them brings out another story, and its not the same one that the Normans told of their "right" to conquer England. The Tapestry also brings into focus formerly obscure people that never feature in any other period work on the conquest - and the author of this book has done some research into these named individuals and dug up some very interesting information indeed.

If you have any interest in the Bayeux Tapestry or the Norman conquest of England in 1066 this is a book you should read. The author is a Lawyer by trade and not a historian but he has done dome very impressive and detailed research with this book. I didn't know much about either the Tapestry or the Norman conquest before reading this book, so even if you don't know much about this period this is still a good read as the author tracks down the mysteries in the Tapestry that many other writers gloss over.

we bought this and 2 other related books to help my wife with her employee performance reviews. before i use to just help her out but since her team grew and our schedules were just to hectic, i didn't have time to help her out. so this and the two other related books helped a lot.

Nothing is more vital to the success of an organization than the contribution of each of its employees, but managers are usually experts in fields other than human resources. "199 Pre-Written Employee Performance Appraisals" takes the pain out of the performance appraisal process. Stephanie Lyster and Anne Arthur have written a well-organized, easy to read book that will enable managers to provide performance appraisals that keep employees motivated and striving for defined goals and objectives that benefit both themselves and the organization. No longer do you have to worry about what you can or should say and how to say it. This book addresses every situation from problem employees to executive appraisals, telecommuting and seasonal employees. It even shows managers how to easily design new performance appraisal systems. Get this book and get back to business with improved morale, drive, productivity and communication. Don't make it a goal, make it a reality!

Lyster and Arther outline the entire process of how to start, use, and maintain a performance appraisal system for your employees. The book has specific, concrete examples of what to do, as well as what not to do. I found the section about potential errors that managers can make was especially useful, since I have made some of those errors in the past without realizing it. The book also comes with a CD that contains useful forms and checklists for the entire process. This CD alone is worth the price of the book.

If you are working for a company with an already established performance review system, this book will help you figure out how to deal within the system, make improvements to the system as needed, and ensure your employees are provided with quality reviews. It was also helpful for figuring out how to talk to under-performing employees.

This book is probably most useful to new companies or companies who don't already have an established system in place, since this will give you step-by-step instructions on what you need to do (including checklists and examples).

I recommend this book to anyone who is a manager (new or experienced), anyone in HR, or anyone starting their own performance appraisal system within their company.

Plenty of books include mention or discussion of the performance appraisal in surveys of managerial success; but how many offer examples of successful written performance appraisals - much less nearly two hundred examples? These pre-written employee appraisals provides reviews of all issues, from performance evaluation structures and legal ramifications to handling problem employees. Chapters survey all angles and provide managers with plenty of concrete references for building concrete performance appraisals. Both business reference libraries and company managers will want this.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This easy-to-use book is a good resource for any manager who needs to write or conduct employee performance appraisals. From defining the employee performance appraisal to detailing pros and cons, this book covers it all in clear, concise, easy-to-understand language. I especially liked the chapter on Special Circumstances Employee Performance Appraisals, which covers telecommuting employees, an ever-increasing portion of the workforce. The companion CD provides excellent templates that managers can adapt to fit their needs.

I read this great book last summer during my third visit to Africa. As the orphan coordinator of a sponsorship program for four secondary schools in southwest Uganda, I have first hand experience with the results of the AIDS epidemic. I found the stories to be not all death and dying as you might expect, but interesting and inspiring. The author is right on target in describing the current situation in Africa, from the descriptions of governments, religions, health care, and also the roadblocks to progress that long-held attitudes and lifestyles present. I gave this book to five family members at Christmas!

It sounds weird to say it, but I couldn't put this book down. All the stories are so compelling and so well-written. Nolen doesn't tell one story over and over, but tells many stories using very diverse people. Her courage is obvious: she hung out with a long-haul trucker, a sex worker, and people with AIDS who had only days left to live. I was especially intrigued by the stories of the infected ones who became powerful advocates. What this book left me with wasn't the sense that "these people are pathetic victims we richer folk need to help," but that these are resilient, strong, interesting human beings suffering a horrid situation with little or no resources, and we should help them help themselves. As a journalist, I'm in awe of Stephanie Nolen in every respect. As a reader, I'm compelled to respond. I highly recommend the related website, [...], where you can read about each of the 28 briefly, and see a video interview of several. The website and book both give many ideas for how you can help. Start by reading a book that could change your life.

Stephen Lewis, the former UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, called Stephanie Nole's 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa, "the best book ever written about AIDS". I must admit that I was skeptical- how could a relatively short book of stories encapsulate this massive epidemic? By the time I'd finished the third of 28 stories, I'd changed my mind.

Nolen successfully uses 28 human experiences of HIV/AIDS, gathered over years of reporting on the issue, to tackle each aspect of the pandemic: orphans, access to treatment, medical research, AIDS in conflict zones and within the military, at-risk groups such as truck drivers and sex workers, African political and international humanitarian approaches to HIV, experiences of children, women, elites, couples, families, activists, and the poorest of the poor. Her approach left me more knowledgable, and intermittently heartbroken and ready for action. The book critically examines the role of each actor in the pandemic, from international to local in the present and since the first recorded infection. It emphasizes the complexity of the crisis, most importantly its intrinsic links to poverty, as well as including a vital section on how you can help.

Effectively, Nolen has written a book that provides an overview of the political, historical, cultural, and economic realities of HIV/AIDS in Africa while constantly drawing the reader back to one fundemental point: HIV/AIDS is first and foremost a human issue. She quotes Nelson Mandela (he is the main character in the 27th story), "Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity; it is an act of justice" (353).

As someone recently embedded in the fight against HIV/AIDS (I am currently writing my undergraduate thesis on prevention programs, and have just returned from 10 months working with two grassroots HIV/AIDS organizations in Ethiopia), I would recommend this to laypeople and experts alike!

The introductory maps seize your attention. "Adult prevalence of HIV /AIDS" on one page and the people represented in the "stories" on the opposite. There's a swath of dark shading across southwest Africa - that's "Over 20%". To the east, the shade is lighter - "15 - 20%", with two darker smudges labelled "Swaziland" and "Lesotho" - islands of tragedy. At the top, "5 - 15%" predominates, lower numbers hiding the intensity of conditions. Stephanie Nolen's subjects' names run across the other map - the individuals whose stories are related here.

The numbers often lead to "AIDS fatigue" - too many big numbers; surpassing our ability to grasp them. The millions of people infected with HIV/AIDS seem beyond comprehension. After consulting the various estimates, Nolen surmises about 28 million for Africa, approaching the entire population of Canada. Each day, something like 5500 will die of the effects of the infection - two-thirds the population of my community. Every day. All year long. The adage runs: "One death is a tragedy, one million deaths is a statistic." Yet, that "million" represents that many "ones", and each one has a story. Nolen gives us those stories, making one person represent a million others. It's a formidable burden for the afflicted and the writer alike, but Nolen's skill effectively allows the reader to take it all in measured doses.

The opening story is, appropriately, a woman. In Swaziland, women don't turn to activism. They were traditionally forbidden to wear pants until 2003 and the right to own property was only granted in 2006. The little nation has the last monarch in Africa - who has thirteen wives and a fleet of autos. Siphiwe Hlophe had borne children with a man who delayed marriage for years. The discovery that she carried the virus was devastating - it suggested she was immoral, when it was her husband who had been philandering. That situation is one of the AIDS' story social disasters. The infection carries the stigma of immorality, a view widespread throughout Africa - and the West. Traditional leaders, missionaries and even family members vilified the victims as "immoral". It was also deemed an affliction of the poor, a mistake leading to many stressful family situations. Siphiwe, transcended many of these issues by announcing her infection and launching an AIDS awareness programme. Nolen gives accounts of other activitists, including a "Miss HIV Stigma-Free".

The other group most affected by the virus is children - either by being orphaned or by infection at birth. Among the former is 14-year-old Tigist Haile Michael of Addis Ababa who is the sole support for a younger brother half her age. Regine Mamba isn't an orphan. At her age, the term is meaningless. But Regine knows about orphans. When Nolen first interviewed her, Regine had 13 of them - all their parents were AIDS victims - by the book's Epilogue, the number had risen to 18. These parentless children lack education, opportunity and exist on a bare subsistence level lacking any skills to provide for themselves or siblings. Across Africa the number of such children is estimated to have reached 14 million today. What is their future? One path, of course, is always open - at least to the girls.

Is it entirely disaster and is amelioration impossible? There are signs of hope for researchers, but one of those will likely raise a few eyebrows. Agnes Munyiva has three children who live across town from where she works. Seeing up to a dozen clients per day, her job makes her a high risk for HIV infection, but that's not the part she keeps from her children. She's a sex worker in a Nairobi suburb, and she's very special. Agnes is HIV immune, a physiological trait that has many, especially AIDS researchers, scratching their heads, but see her condition as a means leading to prevention. The number of immune sex workers is small, and conditions providing immunity vary. Can enough be studied carefully to derive some answers? Does Alice truly fit the "one in a million" status? In what may seem a departure from the theme, Nolen relates the sad story of Western pharmaceutical firms keeping the price of Anti-Retroviral Drugs [ARVs] out of reach of those needing them. Compounding this tragedy of corporate greed is the role of Western financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to cripple the social services. Through Strategic Adjustment Plans [SAPs - one of the few truly indicative acronyms], Western investors demanded "downsizing" of government employees - read "teachers" and "nurses" - to pay off international debts, thousands were deprived of jobs. Lacking land and the skills to work it, those unemployed quickly became destitute. Add those to the young orphan girls and Alice readily becomes "one in a million". One of those will assuredly displace her from her hard mattress and mud-walled hut.

If the foundation of Alice's immunity, shared with a small number of Africa's prostitutes, can be unravelled, the chance of a vaccine increases. That's the quest of Uganda's Pontiano Kaleebu, who's been seeking that preventive step for years. Nolen's chapter on Pontiano is one of the most compelling of the collection. In it, Nolen explains how HIV/AIDS operates in the body, and why both prevention and cure are so difficult to achieve. While the vaccine remains elusive, the "cure" has made hesitant progress. But the drugs work only for a time, then a new form and schedule is required. That means testing, analysis, prescription, scheduling and instruction by health-care workers - many of whom were laid off. The drugs have to be available where and when needed at a price that people can afford. Not easily achieved in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As a Canadian in Africa, reporter for the Toronto Globe & Mail, Nolen is aware of how that nation prides itself on helping those in need. Accordingly, she offers a list of organizations providing that support for the suffering. Those 28 million are still living - minus today's 5500 - and their lives can be extended by ARV compounds. Nolen explains how you can help and what your help can achieve. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada

Graça Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela and, with him, long time activist in the fight against HIV/AIDS, said: "... we can't fill all the spaces that are left." Five and a half thousand people die in Africa every day of AIDS and related diseases, with an estimated 28 million people infected by the HIV virus. These figures are too overwhelming to comprehend and Stephanie Nolen's book opens an evocative window for us into the struggle, the suffering and the hope of ordinary Africans through 28 portraits. From her diverse and multi-year experience and research into the pandemic in a number of sub-Saharan Africa countries, she focuses on the individuals, their families and their circumstances, resulting in an intimate, sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes uplifting, yet always deeply moving and inspiring account of what HIV/AIDS has done and continues to do to Africans: to individuals, relations, communities and countries.

Each chapter starts with a photograph of the primary individual as she or he reveals the tragedy of their lives. Some of them Nolen met only a couple of times, others have become close friends. Her ability to convey their stories vividly and with great empathy brings us as reader not only close to the unique aspects of each "case", but assists our better appreciation of cultural and political traditions and realities in African societies. The critical components of the HIV/AIDS crisis unique to African countries are addressed within the narrative without losing the personal and emotional primacy of the subject matter.

For close to ten years, Nolen, a Canadian journalist for the Globe & Mail, based in South Africa, has been following the HIV/AIDS crisis all over the continent. She has visited families, health clinics, scientists, care centres for AIDS orphans, and activists' organizations. She has walked with health care providers among remote rural communities lacking any medicines, yet trying their best to comfort and help the sick. Stigmas still attached to the infection have meant that misconceptions flourish: those identified with it have been shunned, thrown out of their family's house and left to die. For a long time, testing positive for the virus was perceived by people as an automatic death sentence, resulting too often in changing behaviour patterns. Without any concrete knowledge of this "disease of many names" it robbed families of one young woman or man after another and villages in despair with the ever increasing number of orphans left behind.

Contrary to the long-held prevalent view in Africa as elsewhere - that HIV/AIDS is a disease of minorities and of the poor - Nolen demonstrates the fallacy of this perception that has cost many their lives needlessly. Poverty remains an important factor where nutrition is inadequate, education non-existent, and money for treatment and care is not available. Nolen discusses how traditional societal norms of behaviour still contribute to the persistence of high infection rates, in particular among women. Abstinence, promoted by international, in particular US, aid agencies as a primary method to reduce infections, is only rarely an acceptable option, Nolen contends. Anita in Mozambique stands for many: "None of it" she said, "was up to me". On the other side, there are young professionals, like Lydia in Uganda or Ibrahim in Nigeria, fully aware of their condition, that are still caring for others, lobbying and fighting for access to life prolonging ARVs (antiretroviral medication). What shines through all the stories, is determination and hope despite the odds, the courage, resolve and perseverance that the individuals show in the face of unimaginable obstacles.

A substantial number of books are available on HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on African societies and demonstrating the need for cheap medicines and vaccines. The human costs in countries where the HIV infection rate may be as high as 30 or more percent is unimaginable in its devastation for generations to come. As Machel put it: "I don't think I comprehend the dimensions of the havoc, disruption, discontinuity". Nolen's book stands out for her insightful descriptions of the human costs as well as the its fluid integration into the stories of aspects of socio-economic conditions and up-to-date science research surrounding the pandemic. Yet, she never loses the focus on the human beings who she got to know and who candidly shared with her their life's story. If you think you can only cope with one book on this subject, read this one. [Friederike Knabe]

I'm pleased I got this book - it's comprehensive and has accessible recipes. There is enough "theory" to explain how and why to do things and enough simple practical experience to be useful. I've only tried 2 of the recipes but the coconut black eyed pea curry was even better than it sounded in the recipe.

note for international readers - it's American. Only US quantities are given in that arcane and quaint pound ounce thing. Requires translation into metric.

I've been cooking Indian food for well over 10 years and my cooking repertoire is filled with more Asian dishes than American. But, there is always something to learn, especially when you are not a native to a particular style of cooking.

660 Curries is a wonderful book filled with plenty of dishes to satisfy your Indian food cravings. I've tried a number of dishes from this book and they do not disappoint. I own a decent collection of Indian cookbooks and this is one of my top, without a doubt. If you are a lover of dhal it is worth the purchase price alone.

The stories that accompany the recipes are also nice to read.

Add this tome to your library, it is worth it.

I just got this book about a week ago. I've already tried several recipes and spice blends. I couldn't wait to write a review and tell everyone who loves Indian food that this is a "must-have" Indian cookbook. If you're only going to get one Indian cookbook, get this one! The recipes are pretty easy and just plain wonderful.
I lower the heat in most of the recipes by reducing the amount of chili peppers.
I just made the Spicy Potatoes and Spinach with Blackened Chilis and Coconut Milk. Superb! My husband loved it! I served it along side crispy fried chicken(it's the 4th of July weekend so I needed something with lots of deep fried goodness.) Indian food goes very well with fried chicken or roasted chicken. Try it, you'll be hooked.
This potato recipe called for a special spice blend called Panch Phoron. The dish(including the spice blend) was extremely easy to make.
I get all my spices and dried chilies from Penzey Spices. I buy the tiny fresh Thai peppers from a local Asian market. They are sold in a small bag by the produce section(tiny red and green ones in the same bag.) When I don't have any fresh chili peppers on hand, I just use some cayenne pepper.
What I love so much about this book is that no two curries taste the same. It's all about the use of spices and herbs. Once you get the hang of grinding and blending the whole spices, the curries come together in a flash. You will be so happy with the results! Penzey's makes it easy to make these flavorful spice blends. They even have hard-to-find spices like Nigella seeds and white poppy seeds.
I must say that have blended and grinded my own spices for years, using recipes from other Indian cookbooks. But, Raghavan is "spot-on" with all his spice blends. He instructs you to use these specific blends for each curry. The results are complex and delicious.
As a person who has spent about 5 years(in her own kitchen) learning how to cook Indian food, I consider this cookbook to be the best one so far. I have lots of Indian cookbooks ranging from classics like Madhur Jaffery's "Indian Cooking" to the gigantic "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking." Already, I can tell that 660 Curries is the one book I will be reaching for again and again. I'm so excited to try many more recipes.
Thank you, Raghavan, for your hard efforts in searching for and testing each one of your wonderful recipes. You've created a truly amazing cookbook!
Oh..vegetarians will love this book too(tons of flavorful veggie and bean curries.) Raghaven also does wonderful things with the humble potato, which he is very fond of. He will have you re-thinking boring mashed potatoes.
I can go on and on about this cookbook! I feel certain that if you buy it, you'll love it!

Whether you're a novice or expert at Indian cooking, you're bound to love this thick cookbook that just bursts with flavour. Raghavan Iyer describes his first attempt at cooking with the generic American spice called "curry powder," and his subsequent disappointment at its failure to evoke the spicy heritage of his home. His book 660 Curries is both an homage to the great foods of India and a guide to making those foods for people who have perhaps always thought of curry as something blazing hot that's seasoned with a can of curry powder.

But just what is curry? If you had asked me before I read this cookbook, I'd have responded that it's a dish consisting of vegetables, perhaps meat, cooked in a fiery sauce and served with rice. Very nondescriptive. Here's what Iyer says about curry:

In England and the rest of the world, "curry" describes anything Indian that is mottled with hot spices, with or without a sauce, and "curry powder" is the blend that delivers it. In keeping with my culture, I define a curry as any dish that consists of meat, fish, poultry, legumes, vegetables, or fruits, simmered in or covered with a sauce, gravy, or other liquid that is redolent of spices and/or herbs (p. 3).

I remember once making a curry for dinner, and later meeting up with a friend. "You had curry for dinner tonight, didn't you?" she asked me, and I stared blankly at her, wondering if my telltale breath had given it away. It turned out that she had already seen my husband, who told her the news. That curry, like every other curry I've ever prepared, was seasoned with a curry powder blend that I purchased at the grocery store. Now, however, thanks to Iyer, I'll be preparing my own blends. He gives you a variety to work with, tells you where to find ingredients that may not be readily available at your grocery store, tells you the best ways to prepare and store them, and a variety of useful tips.

Many of the recipes in the book relate back to the section about "spice blends and pastes," as those are the essential ingredients in preparing the other dishes. Iyer recommends-and I wholeheartedly agree with him-that you carefully read the entire recipe before you begin preparation, and make sure you have everything in place and at hand. If your recipe includes a spice blend found on page 28 (Sesame-Flavored Blend with peanuts and coconut-Maharashtrian Garam Masala), prepare the blend, if you haven't already, and make sure it's ready for use.

This book has curries and side dishes to tempt any appetite, including appetizer curries (did you ever think of having a curry dish as an appetizer?), meat curries, paneer curries, legume curries, vegetable curries, contemporary curries, and biryani curries. There is also a section on curry cohorts, in case you were wondering what to serve with the Cauliflower and Potatoes in a blackened red chile sauce (Alur Phulkopir Jhol) on page 481, for example. I like a good naan, and on page 729 there is a recipe for Salt-Crusted Grilled Flatbread with ghee (Naan) that I will be trying out before I get very much older.

The recipes are laid out step-by-step so that they can be easily followed, and tips about techniques, alternatives, etc., frequently follow the recipes. The recipe section is followed up with a very useful guide that includes metric conversion charts, a thorough glossary of ingredients, the basic elements of curry, mail-order sources for spices and lgumes, and a good bibliography for the chef who wants to learn more.

This is a FABULOUS book for Indian cooking and curries!! I highly recommend it. It's chocked full of recipes and stories and much more!! I had the privilege of attending a cooking class with this author recently in Chapel Hill. The book is huge too! It'll certainly keep you entertained and busy for quite a while. The recipes I've made so far are delicious!

A well written and illustrated book full of interesting thoughts about the evolution of brains leading up to our own.

The level of writing is about that of a review paper. Although Allman covers a lot of subjects, from genetics, developmental biology, palaeontology to primate vision, all concepts are well explained and illustrated and the book makes good reading for a research biologist as well as for an interested layman.

Allman started his career as an anthropologist, which gives him a different perspective than the average neuroscientist's. He not only describes the workings of the nervous systems and behaviors of different animals, but puts them into perspective with their evolutionary roots and their ecological niche. All these insights are not hand-waving speculation, but well supported by comparative studies.

Another strong point of this book is how Allman guides the reader trough the evolutionary lineage leading from amphibians to reptiles, mammal like reptiles, mammals, primates to ourselves. At every branch point he points out the critical innovations, the evolutionary pressures that most likely lead to these innovations and the trade offs made. A key question he addresses is, "why isn't every animal equipped with a big brain?". It is our own experience, both phylogenetically as well as everyday life, that a big brain, and the resulting high level of intelligence, is an advantage. Allman points out the high cost of rearing big-brained young and of maintaining such an energetically expensive organ.

If you are interested in how animals use their brains to deal with ever-changing environments and why our brain evolved to be so much more powerful than any other species', then this book is for you.

This book proceeds from molecules in bacteria with brain-like functions all the way to the very complex brains of primates. It explains the history of how the brains evolved in very understandable terms using pictures and graphs. It shows how various innovations in the nervous system created both new possibilities that could be explored by future animals as well as cutting other possibilities off. It talks about how having a complex brain is related to worm-bloodedness. In short, read and find out.

This is a sweeping examination of evolution's path leading to that mass of gray matter behind your brows. Allman has synthesized a wealth of research in producing this study. He explains in a clear, interesting style how natural selection has spent the last 500 million years tinkering with life to build complex systems from simpler ones. He is a forceful writer, supplementing a fine text with superb illustrative material to build his narrative. It's a refreshing view of natural selection's power of innovation.

Allman draws on the detailed research undertaken in recent years that has mapped the brain and detailed its operations. Like all life, beginnings were simple, but small variations among organisms had the potential for important roles. Deep in the Precambrian, floating cells developed appendages leading to hair-like structures we call "cilia". The cilia adopted dual roles: sensing the environment and responding to it. Allman explains how gene duplication led to opportunities for experiments. This process demonstrates how we can track many of steps leading to today's life forms. The original genes are usually still resident, with enhancements providing new functions added over the passing generations.

The author's explanation of the workings of chemistry in brain functions is worth close attention. Behaviour is the result of brain activity, but the interactions of various parts and functions of the brain elude simple analysis. One example is the brain chemical [neurotransmitter] serotonin which is found throughout the brain. It's impact gives monkeys their social structure while adding to the risk of suicide in humans. Neurochemistry alone doesn't explain the expansion of the human brain, nor does the author stop there. He goes on to show how bipedalism, diet, language and social behaviour all working in self-reinforcing feedback loops led to the gob of tissue that takes a fifth of our body resources to keep working. Even global climate changes played a role, coming at a time when our species was just prepared to contend with them.

The number and impact of revelations in this book are almost beyond counting. The "urban myth" that women live longer than men because of improved health practices has been disproved both by history and anthropology. A study reaching back into the 18th Century demonstrates that women have outlived men at least that long ago. Among the great apes, chimpanzee females also outlive their mates. Orangutans and gorillas have nearly parallel life spans between genders. There are also studies showing how caring fathers have extended life spans. His analysis of the development of colour vision is another novel thesis. Colour perception arose only 40 million years ago, after the demise of the dinosaurs. This raises again, the question of whether the emergence of flowering plants, which were toxic to those creatures, helped speed their demise.

While this book is not a light read, it's an informative and edifying one. Allman deals with complex topics. Adding to the elaborate range of material involving the brain, behaviour and social issues is the background of the immense time spans required in dealing with these questions in the context of evolution. Given all these constraints, he has met the challenges of the task credibly and lucidly. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

How has the emergence of the super-sized human brain depended on the evolution of a good set of teeth? Why are the stomach and brain closely linked across the brambles of genetic code? This book answers not only those intriguing questions but also many others concerning the emergence of the brain on this planet. Especially fascinating to me was the explanation of the homeobox phenomenon, a process by which very complex mutations can arise in an organism without the mutation risking certain disaster. Being a non-biologist, I found this homeobox material quite fascinating, for it opened my eyes to how evolution could generate incredibly complex features without requiring a hundred trillion years for all the right components to come together all at once. Equally interesting are the many vestiges of our evolutionary past that are still embedded in the way our brains process information. For example, the sectors into which our brains split each of our retinae today for the purpose of signal processing: these are left overs from the days when our ancestors were prey and not predators, back when our ancestors' eyes were mounted to the sides of their heads! In summary, I would like to say that in reading this book, while just sitting in my chair, I felt myself moving up another notch on the evolutionary tree. It gave me a whole new appreciation for the miracle that is the development of brains and conscious life on this planet. A very pleasant read.

This book starts with some basics about the nature of brains, and a comparison of brains. Special mention is made of serotonin, which often "modulates the response elicted by other neurotransmitters." It seems that serotonin tends to reduce risk-taking and fighting. But it also reduces motivation, as well as sensitivity to opportunities for rewards that risk-taking can bring.

Next, there is a more detailed explanation of the different parts of the brain and nervous system as well as the senses of sight and smell. After that, we learn about brains in warm-blooded creatures and primates. And we get into the question of senescene (the risk of dying going up with advanced age rather than staying the same) and what brains have to do with that. As well as more about sight, and how our brains allow us to be so aware of patterns and motion.

There are all sorts of fascinating tidbits to be found. When babies cry out for their mothers, do they do so in a high-pitched voice? Well, in some mammals, they do so at such high frequencies that while their mothers can hear them (and find them), predators find these sounds to be ultrasonic, and thus do not notice. There is also a complex attempt to explain why primates tend to have specific alarm cries for aerial versus ground predators. I find this phenomenon totally unsurprising: sentries make an entire group safer, and since all group members are potential sentries, everyone benefits including the sentries. It's easy to imagine how such cries might have evolved, even though the individuals crying out might well call attention to themselves.

We humans have very large ratios of brain weight to body weight. And perhaps the most interesting part of the book deals with the evolutionary tradeoffs involved with bigger brains. By the way, the part of the body that is most sacrificed in humans to get the excess brain weight is the gut. The liver is also a little smaller than for a smaller-brained mammal.

At the end of the book, we get into the interesting question of why Women live longer than Men. Women definitely do tend to live longer, and often have the unhappy experiences of outliving not only their husbands, but even one or more sons. But why? There are, of course, some flippant answers (not discussed in this book, of course). Men are genetically inhibited from asking for directions, and as a result get lost, wander around, and die. Men are married to Women (actually, I think married men tend to outlive unmarried ones). Men tend not to wear panty hose, a marvelous invention that protects the legs against swelling and blood clots. More seriously, I thought a dominant reason might be the fact that Men generally weigh more than Women. Within a species, smaller mammals may tend to live longer. But Allman makes the point that in those mammalian species where males have major role in parenting (such as the owl monkey), the males live longer. And there's an evolutionary reason for this: a species does better if the caretakers of the young live longer. The author discusses a couple of mechanisms for this: Males take more risks, while in females, estrogen enhances the actions of serotonin, reducing risk-taking behavior. Another mechanism could be that females may tend to lose fewer hippocampal neurons, which "are richly supplied with receptors for the corticosteroid hormones, which are produced by the adrenal cortex to mobilize the body's defenses when subjected to stress." If that's true, it could explain the higher incidence of death in Men due to stress-related causes.

I enjoyed this book very much. I learned plenty from it, and I highly recommend it.

I got exactly what I thought I was buying. This is a really convenient way to have a textbook, because you can just stick it in a three-ring binder and take it with you! Also, you can just take a few chapters if you want, or the whole book! The pages are a little thin, but it's a wonderful educational textbook. As a B.A. in psychology, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to have a great learning experience and a textbook that doesn't cost a fortune.

The book was in excellent condition mater of fact it was new. I was very please with the time of shipment.

The Seller was great - item shipped in a timely fashion and the looseleaf version is much easier to work with than regular hardcover texts.

The book is easy to read and it gives great examples to better understand the concepts. I would recommend this book.

The book treats many cases and reaches high level of coverage; it is very helpful, that in practice one can find many similarities, since the cases are very realistic and explained in depth. My opinion is, that it is valuable because it is applicable.

'Above Los Angeles', another in Robert Cameron's birds eye views of major cities is, to me, surprisingly superior to his similar volume on his hometown of San Francisco. Since I much prefer SF to LA, I expected LA to be far less photogenic, but it comes of rather well overall. This may be due to the fact that so many of the LA landscapes familiar to us from TV mentions, but unseen for most of us, leaves us facinated to finally see, for example, Venice Beach close-up or the Hollywood Bowl, or Century City.

This is still not quite as good as the similar volume for Chicago ore even less good than the volume on London, or even as good as a competitor's work on Boston, but it is good, nonetheless, if only because it confirms my notion that LA is a sprawl with no center. The 'downtown' pic looks like a non-descript snap of outer Queens and not similar to Manhatten's financial district or midtown, to which it is comparable in function. Even the shorelines look more interesting than the similar scenes from the SF book.

An excellent souvenoir!

This book is a must have for all those who love L.A. natural and urban landscapes, but can't be there all the time to enjoy that. As the city has gigantic proportions, of course that not everything can be covered in the book, but at least what I consider to be the most attractive spots in the area is there. The paper is high-quality and the photographs are crystal-clear and well produced. Worth the money.

I just love these books by Cameron, he is just the most amazing talent. This book really captures L.A. and this is a city that begs to be photographed from the air because of all the wonderful buildings hidden behind huge fences and lush landscape. This is without question one of his best books, it really is a joy to look through. I have the older edition, but have seen the newer book and it only adds a few new pictures of buildings built since the book was first published in the early 90's; such as the Getty. I was expecting more new pictures, since the publisher makes big deal about it being revised, I even thought I might buy it if it was that different, but there are like five new pictures out of about 160 original and like I said before they where not even taken by Cameron. These pictures are well done, but are not by Cameron himself, he is alas over 90 and retired. Either printing is a five star book I assure you. I highly recommend all of his books they are all wonderful in their own way, but this truly is one of his best works.

Los Angeles is a wonderful city so full of interesting things. This book has it all. All the areas are greatly photographed and look clear. LA's smog problem seems to be subsiding as the photos show clear days (most of them) and LA is only getting better. Every part of the city is showned. If you like photos from the air, you'll like this book. Also, the Library tower is shown (this is the first building to get blown up in the movie "Independence Day") in several photos. The older printings of this book didn't have them in it. I highly recommend this book.

Robert Cameron presents a place and its' character in this "above" book (as well as in the other ones). Some people fly over the Los Angeles area, gagging and shaking their heads. Mammoth highways, concrete, smog, track housing, and monster burbs. These qualities do exist. But Cameron's photos also allow you to see the different personalities and idiosyncrasies of the many communities that make up what we call Los Angeles, from the Southbay beaches to the hills. (Where LA begins and ends we're not always sure). The area of Los Angeles (like other places) is different from other major metropolitan American areas for a variety of reasons. For one, most of the topography is flat, and it's a coastal desert paved with transplants with ambition and liking for the sun. These pictures allow the City of Angels to be more intriguing and have more of its' personality exude itself, as the reader gets a closer look at it through these pictures.

Mental pictures.

Yes, there are those who state Los Angeles County is an area with few landmarks. First you've got have a good disposition to this place, and second you've got to get close. Cameron's shots provide plenty of pockets of beauty and character, and plenty of quintessential "LA" landmarks. One must close enough to observe and experience them. "Above Los Angeles" lets us. Photos that highlight the interesting and beautiful icons of this city's architecture and natural character.

Another book for LA-philes and those interested in its' history and growth is: "LA Lost & Found: An Architectural History of Los Angeles (California Architecture and Architects, No 21)." by Sam Hall Kaplan, and Julius Shulman (Photographer).

I really enjoyed this book. It was straight forward, to the point and provided some great best practices as solutions to some common security problems. A major problem with security is management. Too often the people making the important decisions do not understand the information that they are given.

As the authors point out, Managers and technical staff speak different languages and that is the key problem here. Managers that read this book will gain a clear understanding of the problems that the IT staff faces, and IT people that read this book will understand the management side and will know how to speak to non-technical staff.

This book is a perfect introduction to security and related business concerns.

This is a really good introduction to security for non-technical and IT personnel. It covers a lot of subject matter including disaster planning, and writing a security policy. This book is an excellent resource for managers who need a clue. It is written better, more organized and more helpful than "Secrets and Lies" and other similar books. I recommend this book for anyone that needs a good overview of security. You may not be a CISSP after you finish it but you will understand what a CISSP is saying.

This book is a great overview of security and policy development. This is not a technical book, it does not teach you the specifics of any particular OS, or how to configure software. It does ask key questions, and gets you thinking about security programs and business practices. The policy template is an added bonus. I gave this book to my manager to help convince her that we needed to look at security differently and budget for it.

This book is a great starter book on information security! I was wading though my copy grumbling "I know this, this, this...", when it occurred to me that I am not the intended audience.

For some time, one of my friends was asking me for a good book on security for somebody who knows absolutely nothing about it. I gave him "Access Denied" - and now he is hooked. Several weeks has passed by and he is already asking for "Hacking Exposed"...

"Access Denied" covers a wide range of security-related topics. The book is well written, logically organized and have everything to appeal to the beginners in the security field, those curious about modern (if not cutting edge) security topics and those migrating to security from other IT fields.

Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D., GCIA, GCIH is a Senior Security Analyst with a major information security company. His areas of infosec expertise include intrusion detection, UNIX security, forensics, honeypots, etc. In his spare time, he maintains his security portal info-secure.org

This book is a great introduction to security concepts and procedures. I've used it as a resource for college papers and I have used the templates to start a security policy. I recommend it to anyone that needs a well written primer on security.

Pam Vredevelt writes from a Christian point of view. She is a wife of a man in the ministry, a woman who gives talks, and a mother of three. Their third child was born with down syndrone. Pam went through a period of depression. Slowly, she began to realize that there is beauty in having a "special needs" child. The messages of hope throughout this book make it an appropriate book to give to any friend who is going through a difficult time. (ie cancer, divorce, etc.) I received mine as a gift, and have dog eared pages to refer back to.

Anyone who has faced disappointment, death or any kind of tragedy this book is for you. It is filled with hope. I will give this book as gifts to many of my friends and family. I hope others will treasurer it as much as I have.

I loved this book by Pam Vredevelt so much that I am reading it a second time. It is so encouraging because it gives the perspective of a parent in clear and heartfelt wording. I have many "Nathan's" in my classroom whose parents have surely felt some of the same grief and joy expressed by Pam. I applaud her for writing such an emotionally open and inspiring book becuase it has given me new perspective into what the parents of my students continually deal with.

Someone gave me a copy of this book years ago when I was going through tough times. Though details of my situation were in no way similar to the author's, I could relate to the fears and spiritual/emotional struggles she faced. Her story of hope and spiritual strength helped me to face and then conquer my own fears. I have since given several copies of this book to other friends facing their own life struggles, and have received much positive feedback. Highly recommended.

I am the mother of a child with Down Syndrome. My neighbor gave me this book and it was at a time when I most needed it. Sometimes raising a child with a disability can be challenging and this gave me hope. I sent it to two other people who could also use the same hope at a difficult time. It is inspiring to know that these children are not alone. I learned that from this book and it helps us as we go on this journey. Thank you Pam Vredevelt!

This book is amazing! It is beautifully written and beautifully illustrated!
I lost my daughter last year and when I stumbled upon this book I felt it was written about her! It is hard to read it with dry eyes, but it is uplifting and comforting. I believe that anyone who has been touched by the loss of a child, especially a special needs or medically fragile child, will be profoundly moved by it.
I cannot recommend it highly enough!

I got this book for a close friend who recently lost a beloved child. Even when I read it, it really touched me deep inside. It is a beautiful way of saying "there is a reason for everything". It really helped my friend and will even more help to explain it to her children later.
Thank you for writing such a wonderful book.

We first received this book from our hospice nurse when our 8 week old son was diagnosed with Type I Spinal Muscular Atrophy (Please visit www.curesma.com to learn more about SMA). We found the message in this book to be powerful, beautiful, and comforting in a time of great sadness in our lives. This story could have been written for our son, without having to change a word. I have purchased several of these books for close friends whose children are dying of SMA, or have passed away from SMA. The book has received nothing but positive feedback from all of them. Elissa, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for sharing this story with us. You have allowed us to turn a heart wrenching experience into one of hope and love. We highly recommend this book, in loving memory of our own "Angel with the Golden Glow".

Any family dealing with the loss of a child needs this book. This is especially true if the child has special needs and/or is in a pediatric hospice program. This book would be an excellent choice for families who can and will have another child after the loss of one. Through touching language and adorable illustrations, the book conveys beautiful messages about God's purpose for the presence of these children in our lives. Adults will be overcome with emotion when reading this book, and children of all ages will be able to understand it's message. All readers will remember that we love one another even when we are apart, and that we will all be together again. Having recently lost my two year old daughter after many long months in hospice, I found this book touched my heart like no other.

As a mother dealing with the birth of my fourth child born with severe neurological problems this book was just what I needed to help answer my children's questions about our little angel. I cried through the whole book because it was as if this book was written about my little Benjamin. Such a well written, feel good story that can apply to so many real life situations. Thankyou for writing and sharing this beautiful story.