V Books

Having read some architectural acoustics books, I can recommend this one as one of the best. It is an excellent resource. In fact, I should not have spent some of my money on some oldie books, which were cheap but not as good.

This is an up to date book, and it is worth every penny you spend. If you are a student or someone interested in the topic architectural acoustics, it is a good resource but it has many formulas (sorry if you do not like physics).

With it I have been able to specify to an architect who does not know hardly anything about acoustics how to correct his design for a contemporary church. I also recommend "Handbook for Sound Engineers" as a compliment to this book, for people that are trying to get the best of both worlds -- acoustics and audio. These are both good buys, and can help you very much. Remember that to be a good consultant you need to have a good library of books and this one would be an excellent part of your reference library.

The ultimate guide to architectural acoustics covering many topics in a single and nice priced book, It has everything covered and explained to a good level, my only complain is that only basic measurement techniques are explained. However it is a great complilation of knowledge in a single package.

I just received my copy, and have yet to dive into. However it appears up to date (2006) in that it covers modelling and auralization concepts. The scope of the book is expanded compared to Eagan's excellent text. Take a look at the table of contents on line for an idea of the topics.

It appears to be well written. The mathematics of sound are covered. This should be a standard reference text for a general knowledge of architectural acoustics.

July 2007 - I use this book as one of my primary references. It has excellent breadth and detail.

In his preamble the author refers to the fact this book took him more than 10 years to write. Given the level of detail and the comprehensive nature of this book, this is not surprising.

There may be better acoustical books available relating to specific niches of acoustics, such as Beranek and Barron's works on concert halls and there are certainly more simple introductions to the subject, such as Egan's book of the same name, but for anybody who doesn't mind grappling with some mathematical equations, this is definitely the best and most comprehensive book on this subject of the 15 or so that I possess.

Like the author, I am also a practicing acoustical consultant and a lecturer in this subject. It's probably splitting hairs, but I suspect that my architecture students might not respond well to this book due to the fact that the illustrations are generally limited to fairly simple black and white drawings and the mathematical approach may intimidate some, but for other acoustical consultants and engineers interested in the field of building acoustics, I would definitely recommend this text.

I have a copy of Long's Architectural Acoustics and have read a number of sections. The book is remarkably complete and Long has correctly embodied current literature. I recommend it for professionals and architects who have some mathematics. Leo Beranek

This book is very invaluable as the author has cited many other authors and excerpts which would be lost for us otherwise. Also details on life as it was at the time are given with precision, and in a charming manner. Loeb is a treasure as it gives us an established version in the Greek (or Latin) text and a very good translation facing the text, with many notes, and a thorough index. Athenaeus for sure has saved for us many events and descriptions which help the historian in a priceless way. However, this is Volume V in Loeb, which does not mean it is Athenaeus' book V. So, with Loeb we have to be careful because their volumes do not correspond to the authors' books numbers. Yet the format is irresistible as we can hold a Loeb in the palm of our hands, read them in an airplane, in a waiting room, on a bus; we can easily place a Loeb in a purse. Very good! I would recommend Athenaeus to those who are interested in knowing how life was in Ancient Times Egypt, Greece and Asia Minor.

Athenaeus lived in the third century A.C. and was born in Naucratis in Egypt. His 'Dipnosophistae' (Banquet of Scholars) is not complete anymore but we have extensive summaries of this work.

There are thirty scholars at the banquet and each tells about a subject which is his speciality. To name a few of these subjects: antiquities (already at that time!),art,literature,gastronomy,etc. One of the main subjects is gastronomy (not something scholars are used to talk about but this is a banquet after all).

In this work are a lot of excerpts from different authors we would not know about without Athenaeus.For instance several poems of Sappho are only known because they are cited in this work of Athenaeus. Another topic is travelling (A hazardous enterprise in those days even on the Roman 'speedways').

In one of those travel stories, a large Roman ship, built for the transport of corn, is described in detail. We read for example about the facilities for the representative of Hiero (Hiero is the owner of the ship and is to busy to travel himself). These facilities were big enough for fifteen places to sleep and was divided in three large cabins. A galley - only for this representative and his family or friends - was located at the stern. Each cabin had a mosaic on the floor showing scenes from the Iliad. (Can you imagine? Such a passenger facility on a cargo ship!).

All this is very interesting but sometimes you have to read twenty tedious pages or more to read finally one interesting page. But to me that one page makes it worthwile to read the other twenty pages.

the work of athenaeus comes in seven volumes, all of them on amazon:

ISBN 0-674-99224-5
ISBN 0-674-99229-6
ISBN 0-674-99247-4
ISBN 0-674-99259-8
ISBN 0-674-99302-0
ISBN 0-674-99361-6
ISBN 0-674-99380-2

this edition has a very appealing appearance; there are even some illustrations of various drinking vessels in the back pages of volume V. each volume contains a very thorough index in the back, and volume vii, the last one, contains a 200 page comprehensive index to all of the volumes (200 pages of index should give you an idea of how much invaluable information the deipnosophistae contains).

each volume has a very readable translation with concise footnotes and crossreferences on nearly every page.

the discussion, perhaps stylistically inept, but thoroughly informative, is mostly on cuisine, as noted above, but then, there is also an intriguing book xiii, especially dedicated to women (with extensive quotations from various authors on harlots, eros (love), women, and 'lads')

to make a long story short, this edition of the deipnosophistae is a necessary addition to the shelf of any dedicated reader of the classics.

(despite the hefty price of the seven volumes combined)

There are supposed to be 7 volumes of this work in the
Loeb Classical Series published by Harvard Univ. Press.
So far, I have only been able to pull up two of them
on Amazon.com
The first volume of Athenaeus, which contains Books
I -- III, 106c (one through three, up to the part,
106c) has the ISBN: 0674992245.
The second volume of Athenaeus, which contains Books
III (106c) -- V (three, 106c through five) has the
ISBN: 0674992296.
According to the information on the inside cover flap,
there were originally many more volumes, but there still
survives a great part of the original in whole.
The "plot" of the work is a recounting of a dinner,
or supper, at which notable scholars were present, who
apparently had such incredible memories that they could
call forth citations from authors which related to almost
any subject or even food preparations that appeared in
the classical authors' works. That's pretty amazing
in itself. Might qualify this work for the fantasy-fiction
genre. But regardless of who had the knowledge, whether
is was Athenaeus himself, or his "guests," that is an
amazing knowledge of literature.
While some might find the reading, "boring," for the
true questing mind these delicious bites of knowledge
about food and authors and works are irresistible. For
instance, how many works of literature could you recall
that mention fried liver wrapped in a caul? Well, the
guest at the dinner, in Vol. 2, can rattle off the exact
authors in whose works that special term appears.
"What did they live on?" said Alice, who always took
great interest in questions of eating and drinking.
"They lived on treacle," said the Dormouse, after
thinking a minute or two. [-Alice in Wonderland-.]
By the by, how often are the two words, "scholars"
and "dinner" used in conjunction? More than you
might think -- seems the ol' boys like to gather,
gobble, and gabble. -- Robert Kilgore.

This listing is misleading. The Deipnosophists is a book in multiple volumes from the Loeb library. Please correct the listing. I am not sure how to order these books in the way that this title is listed.

This is a truly well-written book; introducing the major concepts of atmospheric science in a clear and logical manner. After having the opportunity to study with the author, I am thoroughly impressed with his depth of knowledge in the field. A must-own for any aspiring atmospheric scientist.

A good book for very brief introduction. Some sections are treated much better than others, where it may have been better to leave out the lesser covered topics rather than include them. This book seems to be a good book for an undergraduate level introduction to atmosphere similar to an intoduction to astronomy course.

Hands down this text is the best for anyone looking for an introduction to the atmospheric sciences. There is almost no topic this book doesn't provide an overview of. Personally my favorite section is Thermodynamics. In my opinion the authors give a very clear and thorough introduction to the subject. Other topics in the book are also equally as good. As an introductory text (2nd year) this book provides a very good base for students in the atmospheric sciences to build upon. I find that even in 4th year I still referred back to the text to recall some of the basics that tend to get lost when you become so fixed on the math.

Excellent text, well worth the money (like almost any book in the field, it is expensive!). The fact that the book hasn't changed in 25yrs (even the cover is the same!) says something about it's quality.

(Update--there is a new edition of this textbook, out in spring 2006)

It's too bad Wallace and Hobbs never got around to revising this edition of the text, written in 1977. Of all the undergraduate textbooks I had, this was by far the best.

W&H cover all the important topics in meteorology and atmospheric science. Each chapter is very well written, easy to understand, and has good graphics and thought-provoking (often difficult!) questions at the end of each chapter. Each chapter ends with a series of mathematical questions--some of which require a good bit of thinking to arrive at the right equation to use; and also a series of "explain or interpret these statements." This is where you find out how much you really know!

Why do I like this book? Each chapter can, to some extent, stand on its own. Even though the material is dated (Chapter 5, on clouds and storms, would need significant additions in a course taught today), fundamental principles were the same then and are explained well. The historical notes about famous scientists also add character to the text.

My suggestion for a new reader: Chapters 1, 2, 8, 3, and 5 in that order. Then add Chapters 9, 4, 6, and 7. This way, you get the fundamental theory and then get to apply all you know to actual weather systems (in 3 and 5). The remaining four are almost like special topics and can be read at any time. If anyone has better suggestions, let me know!

Although not being a specialist in the field (mine is Condensed Matter Physics), I found this book to be quite stimulating and well written. It is suitable for a student who has already some familiarity with Physics and Calculus (including several variables and vector calculus) and , in my opinion, that is just what makes it exciting, because it does not, although being introductory, bores the non-specialist reader with a mass of details or just qualitative information. I have been responsible for introductory Themodynamics classes for students of Physics and Meteorology for the last four years in my institute, and now I intend to use examples from the book .

The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table is a demonstration of New England civility in the 1850s. I believe it went through more than 50 editions by the end of the nineteenth century, so it must have been very widely read at one time. The book is packed with amazing observations. Holmes takes the time to wonder why the sense of smell is the quickest path to memory. He rails against puns in a way that is better than punning. He points out human flaws and praises examples of good living. Trees come alive, through prosaic description and poetic flights. Would you like to go back to the 1850s and have a conversation with a Boston intellectual? Here's your chance. There are many old copies of this book sitting around, but it's nice that it's come back into print (again).... (it's also a quiet love story, by the way)

The imaginary scene is a boarding house breakfast. Conversation is dominated by a lively gent who's seen it all. He holds forth on women, school, philosophy, rowing, interrupted from time to time with verses such as the Deacon's Masterpiece. It's witty, poignant, and rightfully a classic.

Two oral practices flourished in antebellum America: the lecture (or sermon) and the conversation. Lectures, such as Emerson's "The American Scholar" and sermons, such as the abolitionist sermons of Henry Ward Beecher, are well-known examples of this era. But it was also known as the Golden Age of Conversation, and its greatest practitioner was generally agreed to be Oliver Wendell Holmes, Senior.

Holmes was considered an important American writer until the 1920s when he was excised from the American canon by the modernists. They depicted him as willfully provincial, and elitist. What those critics failed to understand was that the Autocrat is also a comic pose, and that Holmes is making sport of everyone, including elitists. Holmes' democratic view of conversation as an open, free-wheeling discourse where anyone could join the Autocrat at his table, as long as they enlivened the conversation, ran counter to the views of his more elitist friends in Boston's Saturday Club in Boston. Holmes loved to talk, and his love for talk made him a democrat, or perhaps a true republican.

His Autocrat is a many sided character: stern and foolish, admonitory and celebratory, a polymorph who will don any temporaty mask necessary to keep the conversation alive. Holmes' playful metaphorical imagination is also a revelation. His gift for translating complex ideas into homey metaphors, aphorisms, and similes is nothing short of miraculous. In the words of another seriously comic American whom I'm sure Holmes would have delighted in, the Autocrat "floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee."

The Autocrat of the Breakfast table begins "in media res," in the middle of a conversation, with the Autocrat attempting to set the rules for conversation at his table. They are generous rules, but even they are open to sabotage by his tablemates at the boarding house. He begins by banning "facts" from his table as impediments to conversation, (a condition that should prevail on today's too numerous current event talking head shows. But I, like the Autocrat, digress).

Here's how the Autocrat starts: "I was just going to say, when I was interrupted, that one of the many ways of classifying minds is under the head of arithmetical and algebraical intellects. All economical and practical wisdom is an extension of the following arithmetical formula: 2 + 2 = 4. Every philosophical proposition has the more general character of the expression a + b = c. We are mere operatives, empirics, and egoists, until we learn to think in letters instead of figures." "They all stared. There is a divinity student lately come among us to whom I commonly address remarks like this. "

In other words, as Gibian says in his marvelous OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES AND THE CULTURE OF CONVERSATION: [The Autocrat] only asks us to study his beliefs the way a pragmatist would study the doctrines of any religion: "I don't want you to believe anything I say; I only want you to to try to see what makes me believe it." How refreshing in this age of factoids and statisticoids recited with rancor and ideological certitude, to hear the Autocrat and his tablemates at the boarding house attempting to fashion a democracy through and by their conversation. Nowadays all we have are the unironic Autocrats, control freaks like John McLaughlin, Ted Koppel, Rush Limbaugh, and that guy on FOX whose name I have, pleasantly, forgotten.

Listening to the Autocrat you can almost hear American singing. It's not exactly Walt Whitman's America, but it's still America in the hopeful, experimental antebellum era, and thus a good antidote to the cold technocratic chatter and lukewarm public relations cant we are showered with in this hypermediated century.

An interesting range of thoughtful opinions, imbedded in a look at American life in the 1850s, by the father of a future Supreme Court Associate Justice. Part of the charm of this book is in the fact that at that time horses had been the only means of human-assisted transportation for the last few thousand years (with the exception of the new-fangled railroad which was changing the world). Electronics were not even imagined. Automobiles were 50 years into the future.

The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table is a demonstration of New England civility in the 1850s. I believe it went through more than 50 editions by the end of the nineteenth century, so it must have been very widely read at one time. The book is packed with amazing observations. Holmes takes the time to wonder why the sense of smell is the quickest path to memory. He rails against puns in a way that is better than punning. He points out human flaws and praises examples of good living. Trees come alive, through prosaic description and poetic flights. Would you like to go back to the 1850s and have a conversation with a Boston intellectual? Here's your chance. There are many old copies of this book sitting around, but it would be nice if it came back into print.... (it's also a quiet love story, by the way)

Barefoot Gen Volume Two picks up where volume one leaves Gen just after the explosion of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima. It a gripping and very painful story of survival in the fist terrible time after the bomb devastated Hiroshima. For those that survived the bomb and the deadly radiation, life has now become a desperate fight for survival in a harsh and brutal world. If you have read Volume One, you cannot skip this one, just as you have to read Volume three and four too.

Volume 1 & 2 of Nakazawa's famous comic series about a boy called 'Gen' and his life in Hiroshima during the WWII and soon after the atomic bomb. The first two volumes of this series are probably the most important ones. After I read the first two volumes, I just had to lend them to everyone I knew. If you read this story, you'll realise how silly to hear some popular opiniton 'Dropping two atomic bombs in Japan was necessary to end the war'. Nakazawa says that each and every event is true. You'll see, for example, that two young brothers fight against each other for a little grain of rice. The bombs were dropped onto civilians in the middle of the two cities, and, in Hiroshima alone, 100,000 people, including western prisoners of war, were killed instantly, and the pain they suffered from afterwords was tremendous. The way some of Gen's family members, including a new born baby sister, were slowly dying is simply too sad to look at. But the reality is that it actually took place and was caused by human hands.
I sincerely hope that many people will find an opportunity to read this book at least once in their life-time, and I strongly believe that this book will enlighten the whole world with its message: 'what really happens when a nuclear bomb is dropped onto humanity', which hasn't really been talked about in history books for some reason. But I think it's time to face reality.

Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen: The Day After (New Society, 1988)

The story of Barefoot Gen, spunky atomic bomb survivor, continues in this second volume of the four-part series. It's not a stretch to predict that how you feel about The Day After will probably reflect how you felt about Barefoot Gen, without much variance.

The Day After (which, in fact, covers the next two days) opens just after the end of Barefoot Gen, and is concerned entirely with the survival of Gen, his mother, and his baby sister Tomoko. Gen's task during this time is to find food for the family, and this quest takes him on a number of small side adventures the present a much larger picture of the greater Hiroshima area after the bomb than the first book provided of Hiroshima before the bomb. Gen meets a number of different people, helps some, and learns that even after the bomb, when everyone around him is shrouded in misery and horror, the banality and prejudice around him doesn't disappear-- in fact, people are worse than they were beforehand. Nakazawa, as is his wont, tells us all this in his stories, and never allows his messages to get in the way of his storytelling. Ironically, Barbara Reynolds' introduction to this edition is a perfect contrast to Nakazawa's story; it's awfully-written, ham-handed, flat-out wrong (Reynolds harps on about American denial of responsibility for Hiroshima, and she's writing ten years or more after the release, and vast popularity, of John Hersey's Hiroshima) polemic whose sole purpose in inclusion, it seems, is to highlight how subtle Nakazawa is. Skip the introduction. Or, if you're a completist, read the book first and come back to the introduction afterwards, so it won't taint you.

This is very good stuff. Well worth your time. *** ½

Barefoot Gen: The Day After is volume two of a four part series. It tells the story of the day after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima as seen through the eyes of seven year old Gen Nakaoka. Based on the real-life experiences of the author, Gen, his mother, and his newborn sister face the horrors of the day after the bomb. They have no food or shelter and are surrounded by the dead and dying. Even the soldiers sent in to gather and burn the dead bodies are succumbing to the radiation sickness and dying. No one understands what is happening and there is no one to turn to. Gen goes in search of food for his mother whose breast milk has dried up from malnutrition. Alone he faces the horror of the devastation and the destitution of the people of Hiroshima. This the hardest of the four books to read because the carnage of the day after the bomb is almost beyond belief. Gen's compassion, humanity, and determination makes this an inspiring book about the strength of the human spirit. Although the graphic scenes may turn some people off, this is still an important book for its message on the dangers of nuclear war.

The work has been wonderfully translated from the Japanese original: Hadashi no Gen. It was originally published in serial form in 1972 and 1973 in Shukan Shonen Jampu, the largest weekly comic magazine in Japan, with a circulation of over two million. The drawings are all in black and white. This US edition was published as part of a movement to translate the book into other languages and spread its message. It is a wonderful testimony to the strength of the human spirit and the horrors of nuclear war. There are a few introductory essays at the front of the book that help to put this book into perspective. It is a powerful and tragic story that I highly recommend for anyone interested in the topic.

I stumbled across this graphic novel in a used bookstore, not having any idea the impression it would make on me. This is an incredibly powerful story, very effectively told through the medium of comic art. It is an affirmation of the power of visual media, and an example of how comics can be used for much more than funnies and fantasies. It is also probably the most effective anti-nuclear material I have ever come across.

Simply the best text I've yet encountered on spinal anatomy. Thorough yet concise, and accurate. Drs. Cramer & Darby are to be congratulated on a superb product. I own and use the 1st (1995) edition of this text. Prior to its release, I used a combination of over six different anatomy texts and integrated their various levels of information into professional notes on spinal anatomy. I have found this text to equal or exceed those notes in all respects. Moreover, the information provided by Drs. Cramer & Darby has proven consistently reliable, unlike many other texts. I have not yet seen the 2nd edition of this text, but expect that it would continue the quality of the 1st while containing further integration of contemporary spinal research within its pages.

Basic and Clinical Anatomy of the Spine, Spinal Cord and ANS will collect no dust on your shelf. Whether you are faculty, a new student, or a practicing physician, this text is an excellent source of accurate, up-to-date information that is presented in an easy to use, quick reference, format. The exquisite detail of the numerous tables is all-inclusive and very helpful (i.e. chapter four [muscles that influence the spine] contains a 7 page layout of the name, location, origin, insertion, action, and innervation of every muscle that affects the spine). The text also contains excellent photographs and artistic renderings of all the anatomy discussed within. If you can only afford a couple texts, make this one of your purchases.

This book is very complete and gives full descriptions of the anatomy of the spine. I would recommend this book for any chiropractic students taking a class in spinal anatomy, for any osteopathic student taking gross anatomy and any physical therapy students taking anatomy classes. However, I would also recommend the following which is also sold on amazon.com:
Spinal Anatomy Study Guide: Key Review Questions and Answers by Patrick Leonardi (ISBN: 0971999600)
This study guide will definitely give you an edge on tests and prepare first year chiropractic students to know the type of questions to be ready for. If you want to pass spinal anatomy without stress and get good grades, both books are a must buy. My study group and I used both books and we all passed spinal anatomy class with at least a B in our chiropractic school.

Basic and Clinical Anatomy of the Spine, Spinal Cord, and ANS is an excellent text for both students and clinicians that specialize in the spine. As a chiropractic student, I used the first edition for my spinal anatomy class and as a National Chiropractic Board Exam review and found it to be extremely helpful.

Now I am preparing to enter my private outpatient practice and decided to pick up the 2nd edition of this text to use as a reference. I was thoroughly impressed with the new edition. The new edition offers many advantages over any other book that I have seen in the anatomical description of the spine, and the clinical application of this knowledge. I was particularly impressed with the presentation of the latest research related to the spine, the brilliant new illustrations, high resolution CT and MR images, and the new material related to the ANS (and its role in pain), intervertebral disc degeneration, and the pediatric spine. Although it isn't new, I also appreciate the red-lined sections that mark the clinically relevant information (which I think will be very helpful in the next few years as a quick review in practice).

For those who already own the first edition, I would highly recommend updating to this edition simply based on the wealth of new information that science has revealed concerning the spine and nervous system. For those who haven't experienced this book, I would recommend it for its dual use as a basic science reference and as a clinical science review. I think this book holds tremendous value for both students and practitioners (DCs, DOs, MDs, PTs, etc) that work with the spine and nervous system.

Written by DC's and PhD's at National College of Chiropractic. Red ruled sections give relevant clinical information, which is nice, and chapter 11 (pain of spinal origin)is very helpful, but it can sometimes read like stereo instructions.

I bought this book shortly after receiving a ton of beads for Christmas and I had a great time making these! They are easy to make and the instructions are simple and clear. The best part is that it comes with all that you make them. The bobby pins turn out beautiful and I love wearing them in my hair!

I love this book. It is easy to use and turns out beautiful beads. The one thing it lacks is a ruler. I used a permanent marker to make a ruler on the inside back cover. Then all you need is wire cutters and you're ready to start crafting!

I bought this book hoping to learn a new skill--and I did. The instructions are simple to follow, and quite varied, enabling the reader to make a wide assorment of designs. Most importantly, all materials needed come with the book. Although I purchased additional beads, wire, and pins so as to not yet take the supplementary package apart, I was still able to make some beautiful hair assortments. What's great is that these bobby pins take so little time to make, and they can be customized to an infinate extent.

As a mom of a 10 year old girl, I appreciated the clear instructions and ideas in this book. Any child who has mastered the "beadie buddies" with pony beads can decorate bobby pins with the dazzling beads in this book/kit. Besides building self esteem and a sense of accomplishment, these creations can take the place of hair ornaments that can become costly. The patterns in the book could be adapted to other sizes of beads for camp necklaces, too. This is one to have fun with together.

This book is not only easy to use, providing all supplies along with crystal-clear insructions, but the results are also spectacular. Whenever I wear a pin in my hair, people ask about it, and always respond, "You MADE that?" The only complaint I have is with the dragonfly instructions. It looks much better to use two E beads with a faceted bead in the middle for the body and tiny seed beads for the eyes. Look at the pictures to get ideas for your favorite construction. The pictures in this book are a true inspiration. I love making these pins and have become an addict.

David Pecora's Between The Raindrops blends his keen insights and cogent observations to present an autobiographically oriented history of the twentieth century including key personalities and events in a sweeping survey of war and peace, politics and science, philosophy and economics. Through his own personal experiences, Pecora reveals the impact of love and hate, success and failure, which shaped the panorama of a century on a broader stage, -- and what we might expect in the opening decades of the new millennium. Between The Raindrops is offers engaging, well written, descriptive commentary that is enhanced with a section of period photography and highly recommended reading for the non-specialist general reader with an interest in World War II and twentieth century studies through the perspective of one who lived through "interesting times".

I am really enjoying dipping into the book. I like the way the autobiography is set against events which are going on worldwide; this format is particularly effective during the second world war. Then when the author gets to Ireland romance is brought into the story.

I like the title of the book, "Between the Raindrops", and to sum up, I am finding it interesting reading, though as a layman, I am more taken with the account of the writer's war service than his description of surgical procedures. I hope the book sells well enough to warrant a second edition.

Through this book, the author has given a personal view of history as it happened. I found the book very interesting and exciting and was sorry I hadn't paid attention during Social Studies while in school.

Dr. Pecora traces a family history that extends his experience to so many of his generation. His touching and humorous viewpoint will be of interest to all Italian-Americans, World War II veterans and their families. Does that leave anyone out?

I treasure this book and intend to circulate it among my friends with my heartfelt endorsement. I was first impressed by the the unique style of rapid fire delivery. The author gets more mileage per page of clear succinct coverage of a variety of items than I have ever witnessed. He is a student of history and can convey medical research in a way to capture my attention though I know nothing about medicine beyond a head cold and aspirin. Psychologically the author's own obserbvations and feelings are clear and organized.

The writer holds to high moral values and ethical standards. His impressions reflected some of my own recollections. I am 84 years old and have warm reflections of the 20's and 40's from the depression through WWII. These reflections are more positive than negative and are that way to this day. Hard times seemed to end in positive results.

My wife and I found difficulty putting the book down. It is facinating.

Makes a change to be able to get books on the subject out here.

Forrest combines history with suspense and comes up with an interesting and very readable instalment in the Kate Delafield Mystery series. An unpopular tenant is poisoned in a slightly seedy apartment block peopled by Hollywood employees of the forties and fifties. These eccentric and enchanting characters bring to life the era of McCarthyism and the House Un-American Committee, as well as nostalgia for the glamorous Hollywood of that time. Of course, lesbian detective fiction wouldn't be complete without romance, and Kate Delafield finds that in the Beverly Malibu. This novel has a strong story line and keeps you guessing until the last moment - I recommend it.

I found the Beverly Malibu a fascinated book. It held my interest till the last page and I couldn't guess the murderer. It think it will be difficult for anyone to even though the evidence is there in front of our faces. We can't see it because like a magician, Forrest focuses our attention elsewhere. I thought the dynamics of the relationship which developed between Kate and both Grant women quite interesting and she pulls a twist on that one too. All in all, a very satisfactory read. On top of that, we learn a lot about the House on Un-American Activities Committee. It just amazes me how a committee could gain such power and igore due process. Sometimes it makes me wonder just how much freedom we truly have. It is a scary thought and we should never allow such a witchhunt to happen again. In fact, I found the subject so interesting that I ordered Scoundrel Time by Lillian Hellman (from amazon.com, of course). I want to learn about what life was like in that era from someone who lived through it and suffered from it.

This, along with Nightwood, is one of the best reads in the Delafield series. The murder plot and details are simple, as opposed to those in Apparition Alley or Liberty Square, and the story of the new relationship is unforgettable.

Owen Sinclair, a B-movie director is murdered in a hideous manner. This makes Kate Delafield think the murder was one of revenge. Through sleuthing, she finds that Sinclair was a "friendly witness" during the McCarthy witchhunt era. He spoke to HUAC (House un-American Activities Committee), which was the House arm of McCarthy's own Senate hearings. Hollywood was especially vulnerable at this time. Forrest skillfully weaves in information about that period through her characters but never allows it to overshadow the mystery. There are red herrings galore and Kate lets herself get emotionally involved with several of the people and there's even a romance in it for the lonely Kate who feels that she must protect the people she loves from the horrors of her job. She is also isolated because she is gay and must remain closeted to be able to do her job. The LAPD has a policy not unlike the military: Don't ask, don't tell. Every Delafield book reveals a new facet of Kate and this is no exception. If Forrest wrote mainstream detective mysteries rather than mysteries with a lesbian heroine, she would probably be as popular as P.D. James or Ellis Peters or Elizabeth Peters. It's unfortunate because all her mysteries are first-rate. As I said, the politics never get in the way of the story, although this book did introduce me to Scoundrel Time by Lillian Hellman, which I later bought.

I found the book a very quick read because I just couldn't put it down. The author definitely has done her research as I am a M.Sc. (Mathematics) graduate.

We enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it to all readers who enjoy history. The book captures the struggles of women who persued higher education in a time of world governmental and social change. The romantic twists and turns of the characters are sure to keep the reader's interest from cover to cover.

I highly recommend this book! From the very first page, the story engages the reader and the writing dazzles. This true story is about the trials and struggles of a brilliant, Russian female mathematician, Sofya Kovalevskaya, in the late 1800s. This was not a popular time to be a woman in Russia, and certainly not popular to be a smart woman -- especially if you wanted to study mathematics! However, the development of mathematics and science in Europe at this time was on fire (as was the politics), and Sofya was right in the thick of it all.

This work of historical fiction is well researched, with information gathered from many sources (including translations of personal letters), and masterfully retold. It's romantic, exciting and fascinating. A true gift to be able to walk these years in Sofya's shoes.

If you've ever struggled against societial prejudices, or struggled to succeed in a field of work not intended for your race, sex or color, you'll find this book an inspiration.

I anxiously await the sequel!

This is a true piece of art, a compelling love story wrapped into the trials and tribulations of humanity's pursuit of balance with being true to oneself and to those you love. This true story is beautifully told of the tribulations faced by a woman in pursuit of mathematics in a world unaccustomed or accepting of women. I couldn't put it down!

It is difficult to realize the nature of the contemporary world without the perspective of history. This book tells a story of what a talented woman had to go through to gain an education in 19th century Europe. Sofya Kovalevskaya engaged in a sham marriage to gain the education unavailable in Russia, and very difficult to obtain in Europe. The turbulent world, the vortex of politics, nihilism, the Paris Commune, all intervened to make her quest even more daunting. Her success as a mathematician was impressive, and one must remember the tremendous handicaps she labored under to fully appreciate them. Contrast her experience with what she might have obtained in the 20th century, and one feels a joy that in some ways we have stepped a bit forward.

Joan Spicci manages to tell the tale with skill, and she has the big advantage of telling an interesting love story as well, for the marriage, became a marriage in fact as well as name. No fairy tale romance, but a relationship filled with conflicting goals, and the constant intrusion of the world. It is a story of men and women trying to juggle science, politics and complex personal relationships. This book is well worth reading, but I suspect easily missed, so don't let it slip by.