H Books

The product came in good condition. It also was delivered in the amount of time that was suggested. I am very pleased with my book.

Excellent resource for educators and people who want to be involved with changing the educational system in our society.

This is an essential book for anyone interested in education. Its comprehensive coverage gives much background, even at the risk of being distracting when you want to follow-up on the leads to so many interesting source-books and links. Though you are told to dip in anywhere, you must read the first section, esp. "The Industrial Age System of Education" by Senge and "A Primer to the Five Disciplines" (Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Shared Vision, Team Learning and Systems Thinking) (pp. 27-93).

The authors consider this book a "prequel" to their other books about learning organizations (p.7). That's true. Though this is the most recent book, you can start with this one and go on to the others for further depth. Some repetitions may only serve well for mastery.

The whole book is very readable and informative. Concepts are clearly explained. It follows the same excellent editing format as The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook and The Dance of Change.

When you get too enthused by so many ideas and success stories of innovations, heed the advice for "The Strategy of Organizational Change". "Focus on one or two new priorities for change, not twelve. Most school systems are already overwhelmed with change. They don't need a new initiative; they need an approach that consolidates existing initiatives, eliminates "turf battles," and makes it easier for people to work together toward common ends." (p.25)

There are just too many passages that you wish to quote. The book is a treasure mine. However, for those (esp. busy administrators) who find the volume too daunting or verbose (592 pages!) and still want to get a handle on launching into transforming their schools into learning organisations, I would recommend, "Ten Steps to a Learning Organization" and start with the simple questionnaire given there.

Senge became famous for his book on learning organizations. In this book, he and his co-authors apply those concepts and ideas specifically to educational institutions. While much of their focus is on K12, the ideas and process are applicable to higher education as well. So many management books are really fads with superficial value, but Senge's books are very practical and valuable. This book in particular demonstrates a great deal of passion on the part of the author's for their topic.

Having been given the instructions to select a book of vision for a reading group in a graduate class, I didn't expect to choose one of over 500 pages. The length, however, is indicative of the power this book has for changing minds about schools and the way to structure them for learning. I found myself often reading passages aloud to other educators and anyone who would listen. Instead of stifling my curiosity, the book inspired me to dig deeper on the five disciplines. A great book for creating a vision of education that includes schools where students are learning. I may purchase another one to loan out!

Upon encountering this book in Foyles on Shaftsbury Ave I picked it up and dusted it off. It was discounted so I bought it... it has been invaluable to me in the past and I thank myself for finding it almost everyday.

Inside the book are all the classics of bad thinking analysed -- everything from the common red herring argument, to argument from authority and the classic Popperian argument that an argument must be weak if it cannot be proved wrong (something amazingly the vast majority of people just do not seem to get).

All of the beliefs that lead to much of the misery in the world and the poor allocation of resources to solve the worlds problems are all here... indeed if people were to read this book the malaise of mysticism, faith-based healing, religious fundementalism, bad science and even worse political reasoning would be avoided...

Oh... and if you're a business person, like I am, you will immediately benefit by avoiding 90% of the rubbish that passes for wisdom in the business/ self-help section of your bookstore.

Treasured.

In my biased opinion, this ranks as one of the finest books on the subject of critical thinking. Unfortunately, it is highly priced on Amazon.com, but one can find cheaper alternatives on the internet. Thouless focuses a lot on how social proof, and other biases do impede one's ability to think rationally, especially when facts are not conclusive, or when there are more than two plausible arguments in a given scenario. Good for policy makers, students, regular folks, and people who routinely make decisions under uncertainty.

Reading this book opened my eyes to exactly how badly crooked thinking runs our society today: how little emphasis we place on actual evidence and argument, what kind of dishonest argumentation our politicians and news providers use, etc. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that I had to go to a used bookshop in Perth, Australia to find it! Why isn't this masterwork still in print? We need it just as much now as they did in the 1930s!

I last read this book about 15 years ago as a student and the lessons of the 38 dishonest tricks used in arguments detailed in the book have left a life-lasting impression on me. It is an invaluable book which is still relevant today as it was when it was first published in 1930. Could the copyright owner(s) please reissue this book or better yet, contribute to the public domain?

Although written at the end of the 1930's, the book is amazingly relevant today and one of the most clearly presented and well thought-out books of its kind that I've ever read. It is well worth your time.

Over 50 years ago I read these books in Swedish (original language)and now I read them in English. I just love them, to me they are the best fairy tales ever written for children and for adults. Jan

Tove Jansson's tales from the Moominvalley are fascinating reading for adults and children alike. Although I read my first copy in Finnish, the English translation is equally enjoyable. I am surprised that Disney has not yet bought rights to the series that would make wonderful animated movies.

This is not exacly a book for kids and much as I liked some of the other Moomin books, I used to hate this one. Only after my visit to Finland this year and seeing the museum of Moomins did I re-read all the books.

I fell in love with them. Totally and permanently.

If not for anything else, get this book for the story of the Hemulen who loved silence. I actually had tears in my eyes when reading it.

Beautiful, warm, mature and full of hope, like all the other Moomin books.

I picked up this book because I thought I hadn't read it before, wanting to see the Moominvalley books through adult eyes - not to have my childhood memories of favourite books tarnished. As it turns out, I had read "Tales from Moominvalley" before (the fungus-covered granny was the trigger for my recollection), but I was really relieved to find that Tove Jansson's books are just as good as I remember - and there is, I think, even more for the adult to appreciate and enjoy than there is for the child.
I generally dislike the short story genre, but not when it's done like this. Every short story is simply that, a short story; not a contrived literary exercise with the obligatory "twist in the tail". Jansson's stories are charming little gems, full of wonderful moments and images, thought-provoking and touching. Her characters are often the lonely, the lost, and the troubled, and she makes you feel for them and understand them, without ever becoming ridiculous or sentimental. The tales about Snufkin and his tune and the Fillyjonk who believed in disasters are shining examples of this. But Jansson can write humour and happiness just as well, as the tales of the invisible child and the fir tree show.
I really can't speak highly enough of this book. Jansson's wonderful insight into people, her spare, deft prose, and her brilliant imagination make a great combination. Buy it for your children or for yourself.

As many readers have noted, Tove Jansson's Moomin books may be appreciated by adults as well as children (particularly children who are of a quirky, thoughtful bent, in grades 4 and up.) The "Tales" is a late collection of short stories and not a complete novel like most of the other ones (beginners should start with "Comet in Moominland" instead), but it contains all the characters we know and love from the series. As usual, Jansson deftly captures the exact mood of the time of year portrayed in each tale, as well as the complicated inner workings of the misfit characters, with a few deft words. Two of these stories are absolute masterpieces. The first is "A Spring Tune," in which the fiercely independent Snufkin is prevented from writing a melody by a lonely, talkative squirrel. The other is "The Fir Tree," which comes at the end of the book and is perhaps the finest Christmas short story I have ever read, which is praise indeed. (Were ever layers of irony so superb? All writers take note of this one.) In between we get an offbeat collection of curious tales, not as memorable perhaps as the novels but jolly good fun, and emotionally pure like all of Jansson's amazing body of work. How else to describe it? Read for yourself.

This is a great book for my collection and very helpful in old fashion clothing.

I was very pleased with this item. Received it in a timely manner and it was in great condition.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in making clothing or performing other tasks as a reenactor of American history, especially during the French & Indian War period. The author's descriptions of how to sew period clothing, and of other activities, are easy to follow and accurate. The only part that isn't quite as accurate is the infant's clothing section, but this book was compiled in 1993 and new information has come to light since that time. The book is very useful for reenactors of the American War for Independence (Revolutionary War) as well. Overall, it's an excellent resource.

This should be a primer for all 18th century reenactors. What a wonderful building block!

A highly delightful and highly informative source of information on the 1700s frontier living. Clothing most interesting.

I found the writer's meathod of conveyence in the form of letters to 'friends' most interesting.

This novel, written by Merce Rodoreda during her exile from Spain and well after the Spanish Civil War, describes the life of a woman who grows from young adulthood through middle age during political upheaval. She could have described war, or poverty, or death, or fear, and appealed solely to sentiment but she does not. This novel is rich and complex, appealing to both sense and sensation. Her protagonist, Quimet, is usually sympathetic but sometimes not, as most human beings are.

While the Spanish Civil War is the setting for this novel, Rodoreda writes outside the lines and makes a book which describes this specific place and anyplace. To give context to other reviewers' displeasure with the translated title of La Placa del Diamante, Franco forbid Catalans, the residents of Barcelona and Merce Rodoreda among them, to speak their own language. Language is primary to Catalans and Rodoreda was a Catalan writer despite Franco.

Rodoreda writes tangible descritions of poverty and unhappiness, sliding back and forth from the concrete outside world and the narrator's sometimes dreamy interior world. The shifts in description themselves describe how Quimet's consciousness is altered by poverty, by hunger, by death and by redemption.

This is an excellent and thoughtful novel, and a pleasure to read.

This is an amazingly powerful book. It is narrated by a young girl in Spain just before, during, and after the Spanish Civil War. The style is something like stream-of-consciousness. The narrator is niave and almost somewhat passive in her life. She describes herself as lacking the guidance of a mother, as her mother died, and in many ways lacking the love of her father, who, after her mother's death, remains mostly silent. For this reason, she is left to find her own way.

The book begins with Natalia's courtship by Quimet, her eventual husband. The entire episode is wonderfully wrought - Natalia is very naive and pretty much accepts whatever Quimet does (and he's not always the nicest guy).

Natalia lives through the war, and the book does an amazing job of conveying what we today would term "post-traumatic stress disorder." After starving and living in fear, Natalia is never really the same. But of course, like many, she doesn't understand what she feels and, in fact, makes no attempt to understand. And that is the power of book - it shows us what she feels, it is not explicit, it arouses the emotion and leaves you powerfully affected.

What a terrific story. Set during the turbulent years of the Spanish Civil War and dictatorship, of the 1930's and 40's, the novel traces the mediocre and often turbulent life of Natalia, nicknamed "Colometa", through difficult years of famine and depression, as a young mother and unskilled laborer in Catalonia.
We're not talking about an overtly political novel here: this is a story of the human condition, the suffering that any one of us endures at some point in our individual lives. The author scarcely mencions political struggle, nor does she take sides; the dominant theme here is the perpetual plight of a passive yet resiliant female who fights for survival in a brutal and depressed urban environment.
The first person narration creates a wonderful tone. The narrator is soulful, spontaneous, and often gutwrenching. Her language is extremely natural and authentic. The prose reads as if it were a transcription of someone's internal thought process: unpredictable yet familiar. The reader forms an intense emotional bond with the narrative voice that leads to an abundance of tear-jerking moments.
This is the kind of novel that you become attatched to, whether you are a casual reader or a literature scholar. I picked it up an couldn't put it down.
Lastly this novel represents a keen example of true minority struggle under the harsh conditions of a dictatorship. Its original language of publication, Catalan, was prohibited in 1939 by the Spanish government, and therefore, its mere existance is an act of rebellion.
Don't confuse this female story of survival with the sappy victimist writers of the Gloria Anzaldua type - "Colometa" is a real survivor, whose struggle inspires compassion and reflection.

Incredibly tender and sweet story. Beautifully written. I grew up in Gr?cia and reading the book brings me back there more directly than a charter flight (I've been living abroad for 11 years). It brings me back to Gr?cia to give "la Colometa" a big hug.

P.S.: it's shocking Amazon give the title in Spanish rather than the original title in Catalan- it makes as much sense as giving the title in Chinese.

In my opinion, this is one of the most tender and at the same time hard book written in the 20th century in Catalonia. It mixes love, passion, deep feelings among one of the most difficults times that we Catalans have lived and we still live: the represion in all senses of the Spanish Kingdom.

I would like to suggest to Amanzon, a shop that sells culture, to respect the Catalan culture and not to translate the Catalan book titles into Spanish. The title of this book is "La Plaça del Diamant" (Catalan) and not "La Plaza del Diamante" (Spanish) I am absolutly sure that Merce Rodoreda, a woman who lived the repression on the Spanish for writing, thinking and expressing herself as a Catalan, would appreciate a lot that you keep her titles as they are in bweten brackets: in Catalan.

If you're facing a tough challenge in your life, this is a good way to start down the road to facing it. It doesn't have all the answers, but it makes some good points along the way. It also let's you know that you're not the only one facing difficult times.

No wonder Rober Schuller with his inner wisdom shares his thoughts to show you how to build a self image with positive thoughts and know the truth that after every storm, there is a calm! Every problem has a solution. Tough times never last..is a Gift giver to self and others. It's the attitude to get going when the going gets tough as you face the challenges in life and struggle to face obstacles that rob your mental or physical peace. I gave this book to my hubby during his worst trial period of life in his career and he came out with positive influence to be a sane and wise decision maker to start a business on his own and reach to heights of success today! There is always a twist n sharp turns in life and Rob's book with his dynamic principles in life makes you build positive self image and turn out to be a success. Life isn't a tempest nor a midsummer night's dream, But a comedy of erros, Take it As you Like it!!! A Spiritual Motivation - another bedside shelf book to peek-a-boo to boost your spirits. After all, tough times never last, tough people do!

This is a book full of time tested techniques for dealing with adversity.

If he had written the book today, I think that he would have focused more on the development of resilience. That concept was in its infancy when he was writing, but in fact many of the practical methods in the book form basic biulding blocks of this important personal attribute.

Not just a book for people in trouble: it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark!

Great book! Very inspiring! If you use the book's bottom line, to never give up, and repeat it to yourself so you eventually believe it, the book will work miracles! It is a must read!

"Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!" and the "Be Happy Attitudes" are the best of Robert Schuller. I give out the Tough Times book to friends in tough times. It was a real help to me, and the folks I talk to find it helpful. Easy to read, easy to remember, and easy to apply. This book has the 'how tos' that are needed in the real world -- not high sounding theory.

For me, this is certainly one of the best recent books on pastoring. In a world of pastoral theory that is dominated by cut-rate corporate modeling, formulating, and marketing savvy, this work stands as a clarion call for a return to a thoroughly biblical and spiritual description of the pastor's call. A fear of mine is that most evangelical pastors would describe their jobs in terms more appropriate for therapy or corporate leadership than the biblical vision of shepherd. This book is an antidote to that ubiquitous cancer.

Written as a long reflection on the book of Jonah, Peterson writes on what it means to be called as a pastor (and a writer) and not have a congregation or a published work. He takes the reader through his own journey of discovery, what it meant to follow his calling in a biblically and spiritually faithful way, and introduces us to his mentors along the way (unlikely but powerful influences like Dostoyevsky).

This book was a vocation saver for me. I am a pastor and am almost constantly subject to the pressure to conform to a corporate model. Under the Unpredictable Plant helped me see through the flotsam and jetsam of current church-growth jargon to the clear biblical call to be a pastor.

I have served as a pastor in the Lutheran Church for 21 years. Having served a matriarchal, pastoral, and programmatic size church I have seen in myself the subtle slide from spiritual director to program director. Peterson is not only a very gifted writer, but one who pinpoints exactly what we pastors in the United States need to hear. May he who has ears to hear, hear well!

Eugene has a wonderful way of captivating the reader with conviciton and truth. This particular selection is my favorite because it targets vocational pride while providing the God-planned escape route. I will never read the Book of Jonah the same after reading this book. Prostituted vocations are evident all over the church world. This book opened my eyes and is a must read for all clergy.

"Parish glamorization is ecclesiastical pornography -- taking photographs (skillfully airbrushed) or drawing pictures of congregations that are without spot or wrinkle, the shapes that a few parishes have for a few short years. These provocatively posed pictures are devoid of personal relationships. The pictures excite a lust for domination, for gratification, for uninvolved and impersonal spirituality."

Want to read more? Buy the book! This book is practical, has theological depth, and is just plain fun to read. What more can you ask for? Few books are as exciting as this.

This is the third Peterson book I've read, and one of the five books he has penned for pastors. As the title suggests, this book is developed around the story-line of Jonah whose disobedience and running from God parallel similar sins in pastors. Peterson confronts pastors who do not stay rooted in one place, succumb to the lusts of "ecclesiastical pornography" (see the quote in a review below), and serve up religion to parishioners by making golden calves. His playful prose explores multiple dimensions of the pastoral vocation including prayer, spiritual direction, and cultivating (as a farmer cultivates a field, as opposed to a developer excavating land to build a shopping mall) the top-soil of the congregation. A chapter which meanders through the works of Dostoevsky, gleaning numerous insights into the soul-work of pastors, was especially helpful. I found myself rebuked, refocused, revived, and refreshed in my reading of this book over vacation this year. Just what I needed. The exegesis in Jonah may be strained at a few points, but the pastoral theology is sound and I'm grateful for what I gleaned from this book. I plan to return to it again in the future.

I am a physician and I can assure you, this is the best book out there to get clear prospective and understanding about food allergies.
Each chapter has clear focus, breadth of knowledge that gives vital information and suggests remedial actions to prevent allergic reaction.
I love the book. Even medical school dont prepare you for your kids food allergies. No one in our family had it. Thanks for writing this excellent book.

Ditto everyone else's 5 star reviews. A fantastic book for parents and extended family members of the food allergic child. Sicherer write in a clear and concise manner, explaining all one needs to know. My child has food allergies, including Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES), and I've done a lot of research and am active in an online FA support group. This book explains it all, even stuff I didn't already know. His FPIES section is excellent. I keep this book on out for quick access, as I often use it as a reference.

This is a great book! It's a fabulous reference guide to have if you have a child with food allergies. It addresses case studies of children with multiple food allergies and questions that real parents have! It details out different diagnosis processes, treatments and day to day living. If you are raising a child with food allergies - you must read this book.

As a seasoned mom, but a new one to the food allergy world, this book provides a lot of technical info all in one source. If you want to understand why our bodies react to certain foods and how to proceed, this book is for you.

We have been managing my child's food allergies for the past 5 years - I have read many, many books on the subject. This one is the absolute best! As much as I understood about food allergies, I still had many questions. This book has helped to clear up most of them. Many of the books on food allergy create a sense of panic, especially when you are new to the situation. The information in this book takes some of the anxiety out of everyday life - our children can have normal, healthy, fun-filled lives!

This reference book is easy to understand and provides step-by-step instructions for taking care of diabetes. I would recommend this book to a diabetic or a caregiver to a diabetic.

We were given the previous edition of this book in the hospital when our son was initially diagnosed with Type I diabetes. It was referenced in every appointment and class following that. When the new edition came out, we knew we needed it to have current information at our fingertips. It is easy to read and reference - you do not need to be in the medical field to understand it - you simply need to know someone with diabetes that you want to help!

We were given a copy of this book when my son was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago. The information in this book has literally saved his life ... not to mention my sanity! It is well organized and you don't have to read it all at once, which is especially important for newly diagnosed kids and their overwhelmed parents. The sick day information proved invaluable ...

A must-have for all people and families with type 1 diabetes. Each edition is ahead of the game with information about all the new and upcoming types of treatment options (insulin, continuous glucose monitors, insulin pumps, etc.) I have bought every edition since I was diagnosed with diabetes 15 years ago and will continue to buy all future editions.

A clear and well-organized manual for understanding and managing Type I diabetes. Covering virtually every aspect of diabetes care, Understanding Diabetes is practically a crash course in a single book. The book is easy to read and full of excellent illustrations and helpful equations and tables. Also a great resource for discussions with your diabetes care team.

The Urban Tree Book richly deserves its five stars. I am a bit of an afficionado of tree books; I actually enjoy reading most field guides and I often hike with several in my backpack. For the urban environment, though, I have found none as thorough or as well-written as this book.

Plotnick begins with a short description of general features of trees and a brief description of important vocabulary. The writing achieves an excellent balance, being neither overly technical nor overly simple. The drawings are also quite well done. Even from the beginning, they illustrate and complement well the points in the text.

Then, the majority of the book covers the trees themselves. Each tree has its own little chapter which includes names, decriptions, stories, and lovely drawings. I really appreciated how the stories focus on the trees in the context of the urban environment. I have seen this emphasis in no other book.

Plotnick ends with a short glossary, further resources, and an index.

In summary, if I were to carry only one book on a stroll through a city, this would be the book.

I bought this guide when it first came out and enjoyed every tree, word and atticism. I am going to revisit this wonderful book to journey back into the life of a city's street trees. Wonderful, delightful and perfectly good reading for the neighborhood tree-hugger. A must have for any one who appreciates trees and literature. Mr. Plotnik gives us a vortiginous account of what trees are. "It's not what you look at, but what you see." - H.D.T.

I will always keep this book close at hand throughout my journey through life. Excellent. Vostellung!

I got this book to help me learn about--not just identify--my neighborhood trees. It's excellent. It's written for the layman, and it is so comprehensive and interesting to read.

I've gone through much of this book with my kids, who, because they're city-dwellers, rarely get a chance to thoughtfully examine the fauna that's all around us. Now my 9-year-old can explain differences between maples as well as point out ash, linden, and several species of oak.

This book is great for people who want to train themselves to notice details, like leaf arrangement, general shape, and bark patterns. It makes you a better observer, and it helps you notice much more than the trees themselves (like what lives on, or in, them).

This is fun to take on a walk through the park.

When after all those rave reviews I bought a copy I was slightly dissappointed. This is an unassuming paperback. There are books on trees you buy for the illustrations: this is not one of them. The illustrations are nice, even tasteful (although I assume they would look a lot better in color) but are nothing more than just that, an illustration of the text.

However, when actually reading in the book I was quickly forced to the conclusion that this is a real find. Arthur Plotnik not only is inspired by trees, he also did his home-work (in a big way!) and he surely can write. This book reminds me very strongly of D.C.Peattie, as he would write if he were to live today. What can I add to that?

P.S. I can add that this book has an impressive list of references for further reading and a perhaps even more impressive list of internet sites on trees.

Typically, when I browse learned books, be they history, science, art, whatever, if the author's qualifications to teach me about the subject don't measure up, they go back on the shelf. Talented amateurs have their place, but with so many good books out there, I can't afford to risk having my time wasted.

This book is a great exception. By touching only lightly on the dry botanical aspects of the trees, and focussing on their characters, the author shows confidence in the subject while letting his enthusiasm and wit have full rein.

Again, most illustrations drawn by authors' partners usually serve for breaking up the text. Not these. The unison between the illustrations and the textual descriptions is evidence of true collaboration and a rare conjunction of talent.

If you're interested in "those big things with the leaves", and you don't happen to live in a forest, but this book.