D Books

now my kid is afraid of bird eggs for fear an alligator will hatch. Bad idea when we have a bird building a nest on our front porch. would have been better to be one of the flamingos

It's a great book to read to toddlers. My brother and I loved "Are You My Mother" and the "Dog" books when we were little so I thought I'd give this book to my niece. I showed it to my brother before I wrapped it, and we both laughed at the story. Two 30+ year old men laughing at a children's book. That's good comedy! PD Eastman showed such personality and story in the illustrations, they add depth to the simple words. And the premise is cute.

this was a fun book for my child to read, and I recommend it highly. The animation is fun, and makes the reading come easier for the child.

This book has a very cute story line.
My daughter was especially intrigued by this book because we often talk about birds and have even watched a few build their nests outside.
It also has a good story about what birds eat....to help children envision what birds feed to their young.
Very well written and great for beginner readers.

Boy, is this ever cute! when a little boy puts an alligator egg in the Birds' nest, they take care of it as if it was their own. They sit on it until it hatches then when he does, they feed it constantly! It's funny watching an alligator eating all that "bird food" and still grows huge. The end is particularly nice. They decide it's time for "Junior" to learn to fly but instead, he learns to swim. Sure is a cute story - especially on caring for others. Highly recommend!

Best book on CM (based most on symplectic formulation). Extremely clear if one has enough patience to follow exactly the author's way and to work out the proposed stimulating problems. Contains an original way of introducing differential forms, integration of differential forms and homology/De Rahm's thm.: you fully get in the subject in few pages ! The first part does not make use of symplectic formalism but is also quite original and stimulating. The level is last yr. undergr. 1st yr. graduate. Very useful if used with E. ott (Chaos in Dynamical Systems) for studying nonlinear dynamics.

This book is an excellent introduction to the world of classical physics for NON-PHYSICISTS. While some physicists will no doubt find it accessible, there is considerable reduction of physical concepts in order to get to the heart of the ideas underlying the formalism. Also, the material goes beyond what most physicists (non-theoreticians) will find practical.

He focuses largely on a geometric presentation, in the language of differential geometry, symplectic geometry, differential forms, Riemannian manifolds and includes a large amount of algebraic necessities. This is not a cookbook for learning how to solve classical mechanics, nor is it a math book per se, but it is a wonderful collection of introductions to a vast amount of useful mathematical formalism that permeates the physical literature. I would strongly recommend it to someone needing a thorough supplementary mechanics text, one that relies on very little physical insight and focuses on the geometric and algebraic structures underlying them.

The chapters are very well self-contained for the most part so you can skip to topics you find more appealing without feeling lost. Also, his presentation style is very clever, in case you're a fan of quick thinking and novel presentations (who isn't?).

The prerequisites are familiarity with somewhat advanced calculus and "mathematical maturity". Basic knowledge of group theory would also make it an easier read.

Extremely stimulating, uses Galileo to motivate Newton's laws instead of postulating them. Treatment of Bertrand's theorem is beautiful, but contains one error (took me 2 years before I realized where..). However, I know of only one physicist who successully worked out all the missing steps and taught from this book. I know mathematicians who have cursed it. I used/use it for inspiration. The treatment of Liouville's integrability theorem, I found too abstract, found the old version in Whittaker's Analytical Dynamics to be clearer (Arnol'd might laugh sarcastically at this claim!)--for an interesting variation, but more from the standpoint of continuous groups, see the treatment in ch. 16 of my Classical Mechanics (Cambridge, 1997). In my text I do not restrict the discussion of integrability/nonintegrability to Hamiltonian systems but include driven dissipative systems as well. Another strength of Arnol'd: his discussion of caustics, useful for the study of galaxy formation (as I later learned while doing work in cosmology). Also, I learned from Arnol'd that Poisson brackets are not restricted to canonical systems (see also my ch. 15). I guess that every researcher in nonlinear dynamics should study Arnol'd's books, he's the 'alte Hasse' in the field.

The book is full of little enjoyable details (jewels). Arnold is one of the few mathematicians which approaches problems with a very geometric point of view. In his interview with S.H. Lui he mentions how algebraic picture has dominated the research in mathematics and how he has tried to counter that. One can see the trace of his ingenuity all over this book. What some may call as handwaving in math circles is indeed called as physical (or geometric) intuition in physics community and is being actively encouraged.

The chapters on oscillations (chap. 5) and perturbation theory (chap. 10) are very instructive. For example, parametric resonance is discussed concisely in chapter 5 which you won't be able to find it anywhere else. where can you learn about "Arnold's tongues" better than in Arnold's book?

There are so many appendices at the end of the book. They are often very specialized and I don't recommend you to read them on your first read.

In conclusion, I recommend this book to any physics graduate student. In fact, I hope one day it will be used as a text book for courses in classical mechanics.

I have to admit that I haven't thoroughly read through this text. But judging from the first 10 pages, there is a lot of mathematical handwaving. In contrast, foundations of mechanics (hereafter FOM) is far superior in that it provides all the necessary background beyond calculus and linear algebra to the reader, and is logically consistent so far in my reading. I want to mention that there are certainly complete and excellent texts out there on functional analysis, differential geometry, and topology, but many texts include way more stuff than you would want to know. In particular, it is my humble opinion that once you get to a certain point of knowledgeability of a subject like algebraic topology, you have enough of a taste for it that to learn more of the subject would only help if you were to go into research. Therefore a book like FOM provides a concise and practical treatment of those various advanced mathematics topics.

This book is great! I have read it at least half a dozen times over the years and it is a story you will never forget about Stephanie, a girl who runs away from home to find her true love- Maxwell Harrington, whom her father dislikes. She finds a ship Heading to California- the Gold Rush Country and stows away, until Chearlotte and her son - Jack, find her. In Charlotte, Stephanie finds a great friend who helps grow up and be courageous. Stephanie finds true love, but it just might not be who she thought it would be!

This is a great book! This book is my FAVORITE out of all of the Hearts nd Dreams series. It is worth the read. In the beggining she is all snotty, selfish, and inconsideret but by the end of the book she has changed SO much it's incredible! Ms. Dokey really has out done herself in this book. I've read other books of hers and this one is on my top list. If I could, I would give this book 10 stars but I can't. :-( BOO! Don't miss this exciting book about apperences and finding true love in the least expected places. Happy reading!
P.S. You wouldn't BELIEVE the ending! It's really surprising!

This is by far the Best romance pocketbook I have ever read! The plot is suspensful and the feelings are intense. Wow! I could even picture myself there! Its about a girl learning to be a better person and the meaning of true love. And, most importantly, sometimes you just have to open your eyes and see that true love is glaring right at you...

This has to be the absolute best of all the Hearts and Dreams series! I think that it has the a great plot, and it is wonderfully told. If you like reading books that have great adventures and a dash of romance, I swear you will love this book! Heck with the book, you'll love the whole series!

Stephanie Burbank is absolutley tired of listening to her father tell her what to do. But she will never forgive he lastest action: he has sent the love of Stephanie's life, Maxwell Harrington, to California to join the gold rush. Determined to be reuinted with Max, Stephanie stows away on the first ship she can find that's headed for California. When she's discovered, she's lucky that it's not by a crew member, but by a nice woman, Charlotte Kelly (Who was the main character of book two) and Charlotte's son, Jack. Charlotte decides to let Stephanie stay in her cabin, and it is that way that Charlotte makes it to California. But when she searches for Maxwell, she gets the shock of her life, and discovers he wasn't who she thought he was. Betrayed, Stephanie must start all over. Can she find a new love in Jack? And can she earn her father's forgiveness? This was a wonderful historical love story about a selfish girl maturing into an intelligant, courageous young woman who finds the true love of her life. I highly reccomend this book to teenage girls who love historical love stories.

Bob Nozik knows happiness! It isn't that he was born happy; he found happiness after many years, starting off by doing the wrong things, then through a journey of study and self-discovery. In Happy 4 Life, he offers a short cut by condensing it all into his twelve keys to happiness. Master these, and you will be happy for life.

Bob Nozik does a wonderful job of explaining happiness; providing real-life things we can do to further our own journey towards lifelong happiness. In countering the arguments of the sceptic Glumbunny at every turn, he adds an extra dimension for a balanced, easy to read manual and checklist for happiness.

One thing I really liked about "Happy 4 Life" is the amount of detail given to the effect that happiness is likely to have on you and those around you. It is strange, but true that not everyone will like you being happy!

Here's my "Bottom Line" - This is a wonderful book!
Bob Nozik, MD has written a great book to give us the valuable understanding on how to create a happy life. I highly recommend
this book! Of course we each have to take the time to read it and then decide on how to change.

Happy 4 Life: Here's How To Do It is a straightforward and recommended self-help guide by Bob Nozik (Professor Emeritus, University of California Medical Center, San Francisco) offers psychological secrets for pursuing and achieving lifelong happiness. From the importance of self-esteem, appreciation and gratitude; to balancing responsibility with a non-judgmental view; to the detours and pitfalls to watch over as one works to improve the quality of one's mood and life, Happy 4 Life is useful, accessible, and offers concepts that are easy for the nonspecialist general reader to put into the practice in the course of their everyday living.

Nozik's little how-to-be-happy book is a field manual for pilgrims on a quest for the grail of happiness. Happy himself, Nozik has organized his accumulated wisdoms into a step by step map for how to get to the Emerald City. For a literary Strawman we have Glumbunny, who over the course of the book misunderstands every principle of happiness, but Glumbunny and glum readers are slowly helped onto a more positive path to happiness by means of patient explanation, assigned homework and various mental exercises. All this in a succinct package of new age insights and popular, self-help psychology. The book is an easy read, as hopeful as a John Denver song, non-judgmental of human foibles, and packed with practical tips. Recommended for the glum, especially those who derive benefit from self-help exercises.

We have the Twelve Commandments, Twelve Step Programs, and now the Twelve Steps to Happiness, Bob Nozik's very practical and systematic guide to living happily. As one has a cooking book of recipes for creating culinary feasts, Bob serves up a series of life feasts providing all the ingredients necessary for life to be a feast of happiness. As a physician, his academic background is quite evident. He sets up a dialogue throughout the book between himself, the teacher, and `glumbunny', the student. He deals with `glumbunny's skepticism about living each step of the happy life, i.e., conscious awareness, self-like/love, self-esteem, appreciation, acceptance. These steps have practical anecdotes included with excellent quotes. Each step has its own very intriguing and unexpected approach. His exercises and practicums are very worthwhile.
However, beware this is not an academician's tome. It is meant for someone looking for a `how to' approach. I would recommend it to coaches, psychotherapists, those who are pursuing and are curious about self-development.

This book is not just for people who have anxiety or panic disorder. It encompasses healthy living for the mind, body and spirit. I recommend this book for anyone attempting to live a peaceful, healthy existence.

these books (by Edmund J Bourne) don't miss a thing. I was never diagnosed with anxiety disorder, my md hadn't heard about those disorders, and he'd run out of tests to do, and ideas. So,sometime later, when I read this book, everything fell into place, and I could then know what i needed to get(a qualified behaviourist) which i did. I'm still agoraphobic, but won't be for much longer. It's just when your md doesn't know- it wastes alot of time. These books go past informing and cover everything you need to make a recovery.

Although the title of my review may sound a little cliche and gaudy it is actually not far from the truth. Having read the excellent Anxiety and Phobia Workbooks and gaining immense insight from them, I was eager to read one more book from Edmund Bourne. This book is an excellent read/resource for a number of reasons. Bourne, himself has suffered from anxiety for over 30 years and in the first part of the book he shares his struggles with the reader which gives us a sense of connection with him. Healing Fear does have some similarities to his previous books but it has evolved and expanded. Bourne now believes that there are far more circumstances when medication may be appropriate and even necessary. Also, there is a section on herbs which are relatively new to western civilization in the treatmentment of anxiety. Something else that is different about this book is the second section which has some definite ties to spirituality. Developing Your Observing Self is one of the most powerful and meaningful chapters that I have ever read in any book. Additionally, the numerous forms of relaxation are discussed as well as finding meaning in life. There are undoubtable ties between these subjects and lasting recovery from anxiety. True recovery ofter requires a shift in the way we look at things and the pace at which we live our lives. Incorporating a certain amount of relaxation and thought calming in our everyday lives is in many cases very necessary to our complete and full recovery from anxiety. In the last chapter there is a list of things to do everyday to avoid an accumulation of stress and there is a complete appendix to the book filled with suggested readings that are inspiring. Healing Fear does just what the title says it does and you will not be disappointed with your purchase.

Chapter 1 -- The Author's Own Story
Chapter 2 -- Restoring Lost Connections (family, community, nature, self, God)
Chapter 3 -- Simplifying Your Life (reducing stress, doing what you want for a living, reducing exposure to television, increasing exposure to nature, delegating, learning to say "No")
Chapter 4 -- Caring for Your Body (relaxation, abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, pacing and downtime, exercise programs, overcoming excuses for not exercising, energy balance)

Chapter 5 -- Caring for Your Body (improving your nutrition, minimizing caffeine, reducing sugar, identifying allergic foods, reducing saturated fats, eating whole and unprocessed foods, organic foods, vegetables, fiber, daily fluid intake, protein-to-carbohydrate ratio, vitamins, amino acids, tryptophan, GABA, DLPA, herbs, glandulars, hormones, detoxification, fasting)
Chapter 6 -- Tools that Work: Help for Overcoming Panic and Phobias (The truth about panic attacks: [1] Panic attacks are unpleasant but not dangerous [2] A panic attack cannot cause heart failure or cardiac arrest [3] A panic attack will not cause you to stop breathing or suffocate [4] A panic attack cannot cause you to faint [5] A panic attack cannot cause you to lose your balance [6] You won't fall when you feel "weak in the knees" during a panic attack [7] You cannot "go crazy" during a panic attack [8] A panic attack cannot cause you to "lose control of yourself" [9] Don't fight panic. Coping strategies for managing panic: [1] Use the anxiety scale [2] Abdominal breathing [3] Coping statements [4] Other diversion techniques [5] Revising catastrophic thoughts that contribute to panic. Examples of how to change self-talk: [1] Fear of driving on a freeway [2] Fear of flying [3] Fear of contracting a serious illness. How to face what you fear: [1] Taking manageable steps [2] Relying upon a support person [3] Coping strategies [4] Avoid flooding [5] Practicing exposure to phobia 3 to 5 times each week [6] Maintaining the right attitude)
Chapter 7 -- Medication (Serotonin, tryptophan, St. John's wart, exercise, exposure to light. Types: SSRIs, benzodiazepines, cyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitor antidepressants, beta-blockers, buspar. Should I take medication? For how long? When should I discontinue it?)
Chapter 8 -- Addressing Personality Issues (Fear of abandonment or isolation, fear of rejection or embarrassment, fear of losing control, fear of death or injury, fear of confinement)

Chapter 9 -- Developing Your Observing Self (Meditation)
Chapter 10 -- Finding Your Unique Purpose
Chapter 11 -- Enlarging Your View of Life (How spirituality can help overcome anxiety, your concept of God, deepening your relationship with God, viewing adversity and difficulties from a spiritual perspective)
Chapter 12 -- Letting Go (relaxation, humor, patience, creativity, doing for others, overcoming perfectionism, relying upon others, tolerating uncertainty, faith)
Chapter 13 -- Affirming Your Recovery
Chapter 14 -- Learning to Love (forgiveness, compassion, generosity, kindness)
Chapter 15 -- Conclusion: Acquiring Courage (Ten ways to heal fear daily)

Dr. Bourne has an excellent track record for providing real help for real people, and this book is no exception. I always love it when a self-help author is willing to put his own story out there, and Dr. Bourne does so in a way that helps readers know that they are not alone with whatever degree or variety of anxiety that haunts them.

As a psychotherapist and author who also teaches about overcoming fear's control in our lives, I have tremendous respect for Dr. Bourne's well-thought out, thorough approach to the subject. He is not a "one technique fits all" kind of author, but instead offers a very complete catalog of options from which to choose.

Last, but not least, Healing Fear has something many self-help books don't have: humility. Dr. Bourne understands that cognitive/behavioral techniques are very powerful in the face of fear and anxieties, but he includes respectful and intelligent information about the value of medication and of spiritual practice. This is a book to which I never hesitate to refer a client, friend or family member.

-Thom Rutledge, Author of Embracing Fear (HarperSanFancisco)

Enjoyed reading this book as it presents another perspective on treatment. I, too, espouse the theory of "practice based evidence" as opposed to "evidence based practice". I am a therapist in a community based program, and it is hard to do any innovative treatment, but this book as given me hope and incentive. I, too, believe "the answers lies within (the client)". I think medication is over-prescribed, and clients need to learn tools to access their own God-given strengths.

This is a great book, in perfect condition and mailed very well - good
packaging, arrived in time. Great seller, thanks!

I was searching for a book that would help me begin the process of assessing and measuring client outcomes in my counseling practice. It is a very useful book with very practical tools. Thank you!!

This book is not about learning a therapeutic technique, its about using simple tools in therapy (regardless of theoretical orientation) to help measure outcome - something MFTs need to know in order to provide good service to clients. I am a grad student and this has been some of the most valuable information I have learned thus far.

After being a counselor for over thirty years it is refreshing to see a scholarly book by authors who understand what is important in change, growth and healing. For far too long therapists and medicine have taken credit for the work done by the clients.

This book outlines important research and common sense reasons why we need to really listen to the client and his family to learn how to support what he is doing to be healthy. Anyone interested in helping people change can benefit from this newest volume from the people who get what counseling is all about.

I liked the book because I am a history major but some parts are hard to get through. It is a classic however and is a great stepping stone to use when reviewing ancient history

Cornelius Tacitus knows perfectly what the cardinal human characteristic is: `From time immemorial, man has had an instinctive love of power.' And, `the reward for virtue was inevitable death.'
His book is a mighty illustration of the ruthless fight for the top spot: emperor. The ambitious and the wealthy fight one another without mercy. `The truth is that revolution and strife put tremendous power into the hands of evil men.' The vanquished are brutally slain.
For Tacitus, the most important factors in the power struggle are money (`money was the sinews of civil war') and control of the military (`the lesson that an army can create an emperor'). If you could `reward` your soldiers, you could win. However, the legions were not interested in war itself only in looting, plundering, raping and enslaving. `The men wanted campaign and set battles, as the prizes here were more attractive than their normal pay.' The victims were innocent peasants, women and children.
Overall, `Italy found it hard to put up with such hordes of infantry and cavalry, and with violence, financial loss and acts of lawlessness.'

While the `Annals' contain more human touch, the `Histories' are nearly completely centered on military, diplomatic and tactical manoeuvres, followed by terrifying and merciless violence after the battles (`the fury of the soldiers').

This for mankind severe and pessimistic book is a must read for all those interested in the lessons of history and for lovers of great classical literature.

Every now and then a pivotal moment in history is witnessed and recorded by a master communicator. The mid-first century of Rome was such a time and Tacitus was such a communicator. The Histories will forever be a benchmark of good history with its observations on human nature and behaviour along with their impact on history. The historian will do well to read Tacitus not just for the historical lessons but for his approach to history as a record of human activity. While observing and commenting on the human element in history, Tacitus avoids making moral judgements and remains as objective as possible in the midst of turmoil, wars, and rumors of wars. His beloved nation and people were suffering under the barbarity of fratricidal war yet he remains above the madness and records the events with passion tempered with objectivity. His example is one that has remained difficult for others to follow.

A word on this translation in particular - I found Mr. Wellesley's translation very readable and poetic. He seems to have captured the literature value of the text as well as the content. Well done.

Most people don't need a review of Tacitus's work. Most people want to know if a particular translation is any good. With that in mind, I recommend this Penguin edition of Kenneth Wellesley's translation. The translation itself is highly readable, and Wellesley indicates the rare instances where he emends the Latin text in footnotes. Wellesley also uses the footnotes to help the reader keep track of some of the less prominent characters in the work, a feature which is a big help for the non-specialist. Probably the best aspect of this edition is the map section at the end. The book contains 11 maps that include maps of large areas, maps of cities, and diagrams of important battles. Wellesley also refers the reader to the appropriate map through the footnotes. This review makes it sound like the book contains a lot of footnotes, but really there are usually just one or two a page. The one minor defect of the book is that the index only contains personal names. A general index would have made this user friendly book even better. But like I said, this is a great English copy of the Histories.

Reading Tacitus' Annals I oft remembered Thucydides' account of the Peleponnesian wars. An important theme of the latter work was the corrupting effects of prolonged war on the morals and intellect of the Athenian people, who were ultimately degraded so much that they voted the destruction of the people of a small island just because they had chosen to remain neutral. Tacitus, on the other hand, seems to have dedicated himself in this work to examining the corrupting effects of absolutism on the Roman people after the fall of the Republic. He shows how absolute power brought out the worst traits in the character of rulers like Tiberius and Nero, who grew more and more tyrannical with every year on the throne, and how members of the illustruous Roman senate and other sections of the Roman political society turned into a horde of spineless sycophants, informers and debauches. There were still a few honourable individuals, but as Tacitus shows in an endless series of judicial and non-judicial murders, most of these paid the price of sticking to the ancient traditions of liberty and honour with their lives. Tacitus also deals at length with the relations of the Romans with the subject peo-ples. I may be wrong here, but it seems to me that in such passages Tacitus draws a parallels between the fate of these enslaved peoples and that of the enslaved Roman people -the first a slave to the Romans, the second a slave to the emperor and his bureaucracy made up of ex-slaves. Many subject peoples rebelled and some like the Cherusci under Arminius (towards whom he does not seem averse at all) could successfully preserve their liberty against the in-trusion of the Romans. Those Romans who dared defy the tyrant on the other hand, and especially those who could wisely remain independent and yet stay alive, were far fewer, Tacitus seems to imply. Insofar as it demonstrates how closely liberty (including liberty of thought) and morals are intertwined, this work is still relevant today as a central work of liberal humanism.

It is amazing what this tiny little book is selling for, but it is chock full of great information to help the aspiring teacher develop an excellent portfolio and land that job. Lots of helpful tips and examples of many different examples of artifacts to make your portfolio stand out among the rest.

I needed this book for an on-line class. It was cheaper at Amazon than it was in the school's bookstore. I'm really glad I checked for it here. It came within a few days. I'll be checking for all of my textbooks through Amazon.com.

If you have to create a portfolio for your education program as a teacher, I recommend this. It has a lot of good information in it and is very helpful.

This reference guide is an excellent tool for developing your own portfolio at the end of a professional development project. It helps you organize the information in a way that will enhance final publication of your portfolio.

I used this book to help me compile my e-portfolio during my last class of grad school. It helped me decide what was important and what not. If you buy this book, it will help you as well.

A self-described "working class intellectual" with a passion for collecting jazz records and a "flunky gig" as a file clerk in a VA hospital, Harvey Pekar pioneered the literary comic genre. His long-running series American Splendor portrays not caped superheroes with bulging muscles, but the everyday life of an ordinary guy in Cleveland. Pekar's autobiographical vignettes are introspective, honest, and often funny, candidly revealing his flaws and failures as he pushes on heroically in pursuit of love, companionship, and creative fulfillment.

Pekar's realistic dialogue (the characters speak in different dialects, which helps you "hear" them in your head) accompanies a wide range of art styles by a number of comic artists, from the quirkiness of R. Crumb to the stark realism of Greg Budgett and Gary Dumm and the meticulous, photographic detail of Gerry Shamray.

For me, this book was a great introduction to an addictive series. Chock full of amusing anecdotes and musings on everything from race relations in Cleveland to the joy of a good pair of shoes, it's a slice of life in comic book form.

I've been a fan of Harvey Pekar's work for over fifteen years. The first time I ever read his self-published comix, American Splendor, I was impressed by its examination of everyday life. His self-effacing humor grows on those who want more than mainstream comics starring spandex-clad teens with superpowers. Compared with Pekar, Spidey has it easy.

I was happy when this movie tie-in release of his early collected work was published. The everyday brilliance of the real life interactions between Pekar and his friends, co-workers and loved ones merit more attention by discerning readers. It would behoove anyone who cares about the comix medium to claim a copy for their personal reading enjoyment. This volume is not for collectors, but for fans of alternative graphic literature who want more meat and potatoes rather than the visual eye candy of more mainstream publishers.

Pekar has been described as a "working class intellectual" (The Comics Journal), and this label is respectfully accurate. He comes from a generation who grew up devouring a culture that had more respect for intelligence than is common today. Instead of just mourning this trend, Pekar rebels from it in true beatnik fashion. His long-time association with R. Crumb (who drew the very first American Splendor story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story") attracted other artists within Cleveland as well as from other locations as the series has progressed.

The everyday heroism of Pekar working a civil service job in order to create his vision of the potential of graphic literature comes through in every page of this collection. I am glad that there are other collections and issues of American Splendor that are available. It would be grand if future generations of comix fans could gravitate around the work that Pekar has never tired from creating. Even at the worst of his lymphoma and chemo treatments, he has never quit observing and relating the drama of everyday life.

i own i think every american splendor collection book there is, and this one is my favorite. there's a few in particular that really blow me away (the one with pekar wondering around a park, reflecting on his past marriage, his present, and whether there is a God is spectacular). there are a wide variety of artists, from the goofy robert crumb drawings to more serious ones. there are certainly weak points IMO, but not as much as in the other collections. while "the quitter" is his most consistent i've read so far, there's no replacement for finding a really cool comic collection like this and reading through it, finding a bunch of random pekar stories and seeing which ones you enjoy best.

American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar is the largest published collection of the comic series, containing the complete text of American Splendor and More American Splendor. With an introduction by R. Crumb and art by Kevin Brown, Gregory Budgett, Sean Carroll, Sue Cavey, R. Crumb, Gary Drumm, Val Materick, and Gerry Shamray this is 320 pages of a classic American comic.

Pekar's work is a cerebral approach to the comic medium. Many of the panels have no dialog and only illustrate the external while the text reveals the thought stream of Pekar's mind. His ability to portray the inner workings of his thoughts, in a humorous and sympathetic manner, is the key to the success of his writings. The comic is a working class version of Seinfeld with a populist self-made intellectual as the leading character. Yet there is a Existentialist angst to this work that puts it in a class by itself.

This collection of Pekar writings from the 1970s and 80s was issued on the heels of the film "American Splendor," and it collects some of the best of Pekar's earlier work. Although not exclusively chronological, the presentation of the material gives a good idea of Pekar's life from his post-high school days through his meeting and marrying Joyce Brabner. (For a strictly chronological memoir, see Pekar's recent The Quitter.)

In the later Pekar work, the centerpiece of much of it is Pekar's obsessive-compulsive anxiety. But a lot of this work focuses on what might be described as Pekar's existential anxiety: his terrible loneliness, his anger and alienation, his dark reflections on the meaning of life, his desire for recognition, his regret over wasted opportunities and adolescent hubris, and his worries about future contingencies (financial security, illness and death, old age). The Pekar who comes through in these pages isn't the lovable crank of the film. Rather, the person who comes through is the outsider, a self-educated man, extremely knowledgeable in literature and music, who disdains a "normal" lifestyle and seeks freedom through nonconformity. Perhaps the finest single piece Pekar has ever written, "I'll be Forty-three on Friday (How I'm Living Now)" speaks to all this. The collection's lead story, "The Harvey Pekar Name Story," in which Pekar winds up asking "Who IS Harvey Pekar?" is a perfect set-up.

Of course, there are also lighter moments in this collection. Mr. Boats (wonderfully illustrated by R. Crumb) appears here a couple of times, and he's always good for a bit of gently funny homespun wisdom. "Mrs. Roosevelt and the Young Queen of Greece" and "On the Corner: A Sequel, June 1976" are touching pieces about the bittersweetness of memory. And the penultimate story in the collection, "Common Sense," would make even a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope love humanity.

Highly recommended.

Excellent resource!!! I found it useful at work the first day I
received it.

The item was just as described. Very fast shipping. Would do business with again. Thank you!

This book is a great refrences book for medical staff professionals. I work in a hospital and when ever I need to find out dosing, stability ,or even description of a intravenous medication it's in this book. Also this book tells you all about how to store IV medication properly. This book really helps me alot. It's also a great resources for pharmacy school as well.

I am a pharmacist with the Cleveland Clinic and need to have a reliable, thorough, and handy reference available at all times. This book is one of the best resources I have come by thus far in my career. It is a must have! Quick and easy look up to a wealth of organized information. All hospital pharmacists should not go without it!

As a hospital pharmacist, this is the book I have at my side at all times. Gives important information on infusion rates, stability, and usual dosages and concentrations. This information can be found elsewhere of course but I have been accustomed to looking here first.