Design Books

This is the best reference in the designing industry. Should be in every designers library.

This is a great reference book on interior design! It covers all the subjects of an interior design that a degree program would cover: design theory, color theory, history of design, business practices etc...(it's also a great source for the interior design vocabulary!)
I am an interior design student and this is the first place I go to when I need to research some aspect related to the design field.

And I just know it - it'll be my much used resource when I am out of school and working in the field.

"Foundations of Interior Design" is an instrumental key for designers, design students and design enthusiasts all the same. This must-have handbook explores the profession from the inside-out, giving a vast overview of interior design as a whole yet delving into just the right amount of significant detail. Slotkis' style perfectly simplifies even the most intricate of information while providing plenty of helpful visuals along the way. Its title certainly rings true, for the "foundation" Slotkis lays for interior design is by far a solid one.

This well written, comprehensive, book on design has been an inspiration to me. I thoroughly enjoy referring to it again and again. I would recommend this book to anyone who is considering the design field, or who enjoys design simply for the pleasure of it!

Susan Slotkis' Foundations of Interior Design is a gem of a book. More than just the basics, Ms. Slotkis' book includes critical details: from the historic backgrounds of furniture styles to color theory to the essentials of running an interior design business. And, the photographs and illustrations--many from Ms. Slotkis' own work as a practicing interior designer--support the concepts presented in the text. This book is a must for everyone who is passionate about interior design and wants to learn more.

This book is not only filled with great information, it is also a pleasure to read. The Four Season Landscape changed my whole approach to gardening.

My wife and I are building a new home on 2+ acres. Our current yard is sort of a four seasons approach, mostly by accident though.

So I purchased a dozen or so books here at amazon to plan the new yard. This one is definitely the best. The approach and suggestions are super. I can really see us doing most of our yard using these suggestions. Thank you Susan! Bob.

This book is arranged seasonally; each season has its own chapter. Within each of these chapters are various charts suggesting trees, shrubs, perennials, etc. that offer interesting features during that season. Some of the chapters break it down further: for instance, the "Spring" chapter has different charts for early spring, mid-spring and late spring.

Near the beginning of the book is a wonderful section on how to put together a "planting pyramid" for four-season interest. (Hint: You don't start with annuals or even perennials, as so many beginning gardeners do.) Additional design principles and suggestions are found after the "season" chapters.

Finally, the book closes with a limited "encyclopedia" of four-season plants which includes some suggested cultivars, cultural details for the plants, what seasons the plant holds particular interest, etc. This section is divided into deciduous trees, evergreen trees, deciduous shrubs, evergreen shrubs, perennials, etc.

In all, even if you don't have time to read all of the text, which is a pleasure in and of itself...this author is a good writer...there is still a wealth of helpful information to be found in this book.

I'm a first time gardener and Susan's book has inspired me to use many of her ideas in my landscape. The book is very informative and the illustrations are great. I recommend the book to all who seek a colorful year in their garden.

This book has a great approach to landscaping your property. Susan Roth shows how to make the most of your space by creating mixed borders--mixing trees, shrubs, perennials ans bulbs for year-round color and beauty. The idea is to start with a garden's "bones," to create the necessary structure that will make all seasons beautiful. Her plant selection is very good--only plants that provide more than one season make her list. For example a shrub that flowers in the summer, has good fall color, and interesting branches or berries in winter. I have many garden books, but I like Roth's approach and already the view from my kitchen window makes me feel good just to look at it.

This book offers great tips that will definitely implement in the next few years. My copy is already a well-worn reference!

I'm another purchaser who first tried this book from the library and then knew in days that I needed my own copy. It offers many tips I was familiar with after years of gardening, yet hundreds I'd never heard of. Even if you are not simply looking for ways to garden on a budget, it offers many great gardening tips. Period.

There are plenty of good illustrations and the layout is appealing to the eye. It is well organized and enjoyable to read, not just to use as a resource. This book is money well spent toward your garden.

The Frugal Gardener is a great book of gardening strategy for those of us who want to (or have to) stay within a small budget. As it turns out, the frugal way is also the organic way, generally.

TFG is organized to guide you through long-range strategies that will save you money in both short-term and long-term investments. An early chapter deals with the bare bones tools that you will need to start with; how to spot quality that will last, how to maintain them, and different uses for each. Next we learn how to plan a garden based on regional climates, making heavy use of naturalizing perennials and native plants that need less maintenance, watering and/or care (and so fewer products to buy). If you like the quick gratification of annuals, there are quite a few tips here that will help you maximize their impact in your garden. A great emphasis is placed on soil health, how to get it and how to increase it, thus saving more money that would have had to be wasted on expensive fertilizers and replacement plants. Then there are the recipes for homemade bug sprays and remedies that can be concocted from common household items.

TFG explained gardening organically in a way that made it easy and sensible even for me when I was first trying to make compost and wean away from chemical sprays. There is a lot that can be done to fortify and protect your plants and trees that will benefit them and the environment, and surprise! It's cheaper than chemical solutions. My garden has been thriving ever since.

Frugal gardeners, don't be afraid to spend the money on this book! Even if you only use a few of the many tips packed within this book, you will more than make up the cost of buying it in the long run.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle

This book was given to me as a gift, and I truly love it. All of the information is useful at some time or another, a good reference point, and excellent for planning out the garden on a shoestring. Also recommend square foot gardening.

For me, a complete novice at gardening, this was a wonderful choice as one of my first two gardening books. Before digging up my front yard, I bought a Gardening-101-type book and this book, The Frugal Gardener. As it mentions in this book, it truly IS best to be frugal right from the beginning. You save the most, get exactly what you want for your dollar, and have a good idea of how to get what you need without spending a fortune. Useful tips throughout. I'd find it interesting even if I wasn't planning out my own garden. I highly recommend.

This book is just plain fun. For anyone who admires Galliano, you should enjoy this book. Galliano is quite an imaginative designer, and this book contains lots of photos of his creations, along with a bit of personal information about the designer and behind-the-scenes photos as well. From outrageous to beautiful clothing.

a great provider of information, artistic direction, and visual stimulation. i can't put it down

Thank you Colin McDowell! John Galliano to me is the most talented designer in the world, and I have always been waiting for books to be published. This is very completely story of who he is, how he works, and how he gets inspired which will in turn inspires many other creative people of the same wavelength. The book is very detailed and incredibly beautiful and intricate.

If one wants an insight into the mind of the most creative force in fashion, this is the book to get! The escentric John Galliano has been praised as the greatest fashion stylist and designer of our time (all of this praise was given at such a young time in his career).This beautiful book proves why Galliano is the fashion force that he is. A "work in progress" is the term the author uses to describes this book about Galliano. It is not a biography,though it briefly cronicles his childhood and days in St. Martin's School,nor is it a retrospective. What this book does, though, is disect a master at the verge of stardom, from his graduation show at St. Martin's to his stint at Givenchy to his sucess at Christian Dior,as well as his independant line.Beautiful photography shows the reader Galliano's process of creating a collecton from start to finish.Pages from his concept book is shown, giving readers a gimpse into how Galliano thinks and creates.Above all else,the best part is Galliano's creations, and that is the best part about the book.In it,one can see how the master's work evolves from different points in his young career.I highly recommend this book about a master's "work in progress" .

GALLIANO IS THE MOST AMAZING COUTURIER ALIVE IN TODAY'S HAUTE COUTURE. HIS CLOTHES BOTH FOR DIOR AND HIS LABEL ARE WONDERFUL CREATIONS. THIS BOOK IS FILL WITH BREATHTAKING CLOTHES MODELED BY TRUE SUPERMODELS . HE IS AN ARTIST AND EACH OF HIS DESIGNS IS A MASTERPIECE

This book is great, and the pictures are wonderful. I'm studying for an upcoming exhibition and I am very satisfied.

This book illustrates the link between the incredibly beautiful quilts produced by five generations of African American women in the South to the architecture they saw around them and to their own artistic vision. Their personal stories, contained in chapters toward the end of the book, are very moving and inspirational.

This book is gorgeous!!! It includes large photographs of tons of quilts, in a size that allows you to see the smallest details, such as topstitching. It also includes inspirational photos of details of the town. However, it's not your typical coffe table book, because it has probably equal parts very informative text and visuals. Since it's not small enough to carry with me on the train, it's been hard separating myself from this book-- it is beautiful!

I am really enjoying reading and looking at the pictures of the quilts in this book. I have met several of the ladies and decendants of the Gee' Bend Quilters and find their stories so interesting. The quilts definitely do define the quilters, their strengths and weaknesses, their ups and downs. I recomend this book to anyone who holds quilts near and dear to their hearts.

I like this book because it is full of information about the construction of the quilts and alot of trivia about the makers of the quilts. Very beautiful pictures! A great book for learning.

For anyone with an interest in the TIGER 1 this book is an invaluable asset.The major part of the book covers the various changes in design throughout the production life of the vehicle accompanied by drawings and photographs.
Anyone wishing to produce an accurate model of a particular Tiger from a particular time in its history will find the book essential.The book also contains a number of excellent scale drawings documenting the major changes in design.

This is purely a technical volume on the development of the Tiger I, but it is extreme in its detail and analysis. This took an extraordinary amount of research and effort. If you're into Tiger tanks, all three of Jentz's books in this series MUST be in your library.

This is about previous Tiger I tanks from official information. The book needs more wide information about the aspects than it study but includes a lot of tables, informataion and detailed pics about the Tiger I. It's not about operations or battles; only about production and design works. So, it's very good for people than keen on the Tiger and need more information than the "traditional", so don't expect for fighting.

This book is very much about the technical aspects of the tank. It includes a comprehensive list of the physical changes made to the vehicle during its production run, with every change dated and explained in detail. This list was painstakingly compiled from original German sources only.
The 7 sets of multi-view drawings of complete vehicles (including the underneath views) were prepared by Hilary Doyle from thorough surveys of surviving Tigers, and they correct the numerous small errors in all previous work. They are complemented by many original German technical drawings of parts of the tank, often unpublished before.
This book has a narrow focus, but in its field it is definitely the leader.

Typical of Mr. Jentz's work, the book is derived only from original sources, so he avoids repeating old errors that have percolated from book to book over the last 55 years. Hilary Louis Doyle does his usual superb job on the 1/35th scale drawings which cover all major production variants of the standard gun tank, as well as the prototypes (for a history of the failed Porsche prototype, see the same authors' book now available from Panzer Tracts). This is the first set of published drawings that accurately depicts the asymmetrical shape of the Tiger I turret (it bulges out slightly on the left, so the gun is mounted off-center in the mantlet to bring it back to the centerline of the turret). This is one volume of a three-volume series, the other titles covering the development of the Tiger II and the operations of the Tiger battalions. Jentz's book concentrates on the vehicle's general interior and exterior layout, but doesn't go into the technical depth of Walter Spielberger's books (most readers don't plan to actually rebuild a Tiger transmission anytime soon).

This volume is easily the most complete and well organized collection of Alchemical images ever published. The author begins with an incredibly insightful explanation and history of both the origin and meaning of hieroglyphics, and concisely explicates how these engravings are a natural intellectual evolution of the original Egyptian concept of pictorial language, one much more adept for conveying immense knowledge than written verse. And he does not rely solely on his own voice for this: crucial passages from the most relevant philosophers and scholars throughout history punctuate his discourse frequently to give the reader the most thorough explanation possible. He then trails into a brief history of how these collections first became available from a few dedicated publishers until they blossomed into a popular Hermetic movement, one that was responsible for the majority of the images contained within this book. Curiously, he ends his introduction with an incredibly cryptic passage on the Quest for the Philosopherýs Stone, rife with innuendo and subtle symbolism, an allusion which I am not fortunate enough to decipher.

The images themselves are presented chronologically, showing the original Latin, German, etc., prefaces with English translations immediately below. A short biography of both the author and circumstances surrounding the publication of their respective work is also listed faithfully, followed by the plates themselves in consecutive original order. At least a paragraph explaining the most obvious of the plateýs symbolism provided in the form of footnotes is given as well. There is no detail that escapes the authorýs eye, and he specifically tells how they relate to Alchemical process, once again adding commentary from other learned minds where relevant. It is obvious that this was an intense labor on Mr. DeRolaýs part, a product of many years spent honing an incredible grasp of the craft which he has so competently brought to us.

What is also obvious from the authorýs elusive admission is that Alchemy is not solely a process for the transmutation of metals so much as it is a purification of oneýs soul. This book is not an end all definitive manual for such things. Despite the authorýs profound understanding of this philosophy, he does not eagerly impart unto us the deeper meaning of alchemy. He remains quite prudent, but not selfish; within the text he gives many clues about how to penetrate the surface of this transcendentalism. Youýll find many references such as ýOne would be wise to pay close attention to this part of the frameý, or ýThe learned man should look past the obvious theme of this symbolý. In essence, this work will provide the most comprehensive reference of Alchemical engravings available short of an expensive trip to Europeýs most hallowed libraries. On a deeper level, Mr. DeRola lends a wise hand that may guide the more intuitive mind past tired folklore and into the realm that the most proficient Hermetic intellects strove to inhabit. An indispensable work, invaluably resourceful and seamlessly crafted.

As outside, so within, one might say. The construction of the book itself is sturdy and handsome, and no doubt able to deal with the occasional spilled alembic. Me, I got some coffee on it. It still looks good. Excellent qualifications for home-library fare.

But the *contents*. Good heavens. I was expecting page after page of illustrations with small-text captions. I bought it with an eye toward obscure imagery; I got it, but as an unexpected bonus there is a *wealth* of material explaining what it all means, and the sources, and the authors in whose works it appeared originally, and relevant snippets therefrom. Glorious! In addition to the images (and there are a great many, scrupulously reproduced and diverse, never fear) there is supplemental text on the history of the imagery and--among other things--why the 'hieroglyphics' of alchemy had such appeal to for alchemists and for the world of these illustrations' time. There are woodcuts, ink drawings, engravings and a few other media for the plates themselves. All look clear, or at least true to the original artist's shortcomings. Kings, queens, lions, baths, ovens, snakes, eggs, phoenixes and the like abound. That's not all, certainly: be assured that there are also rarer devices included. If I had it on my lap at the moment, I could blow the rest of my available space here with them. You will be satisfied with the breadth of the material, I'm certain.

It's *such* a good book to have. It stimulates both eyes and brain. Artists will draw inspiration from it, and the more scholarly folks will find it a gracious and sage read. I got it both ways. Lucky me.

This book is basicly the biography of many alchemist's from that period. Each alchemist featured starts with a brief bio of him and then the images of his engravings. After that is translations of the latin on the engravins and an inerpretation.

However, I must warn you that the translations from latin are very simple, they will say 'cook' when the word means 'cook by boiling down'. It is best to check any translations you wish to rely on. As for the authors interpretation's, that is strictly a matter of opinion.

This book is a true treasure for those who are working with alchemical emblems. Yes, there are not many explanations of the emblems, but then again the purpose of working with the alchemical emblems is to stimulate the emergence of the information coming from one's deeper wisdom, which is facilitated by contemplating and meditating upon the emblems.

Adam McLean has a number of courses which can assist those who don't know how to start working with emblems. They are excellent.

If you are interested in alchemical iconography this book will not disappoint. Ninety-nine percent of the book contains reproductions of engravings from alchemical works published in the 17th century. Also they are not the teeny-tiny pictures you find in a lot of other books on the subject.

The softcover edition (Thames & Hudson) is printed in Slovenia on glossy paper. The hardcover editions (Thames & Hudson/George Braziller) are both printed in the German Democratic Republic on what appears to be acid-free cream-colored paper.

The reproductions look slightly better in the softcover edition printed in Slovenia. Perhaps because the glossy paper provides a higher contrast. Or it could be that it was just printed better. (I think the German Democratic Republic in 1988 could have been the former East Germany.)

The George Braziller hardcover just slightly edges out the Thames & Hudson hardcover. Although some people might say the quality of the reproductions look the same.

None of the reproductions (which are probably photolithography) can compare to the original metal plates. Just look at the detail in any 100 to 200 year old book and you will see what I'm talking about.

Be that as it may I highly recommend this book. This is an important compilation of Alchemical art. Normally you would have to purchase many books to acquire what is contained in this one. Buy it before its gone; before you have to purchase a beat-up used copy, or an expensive out-of-print hardcover.

My favorite part about this book is the fact that it goes so in depth with every piece they take a look at. I've never even heard of some of these comics, and I consider myself a decent conisseur. I suppose the only thing that might improve it is a look at some more non-English graphic novels, but we can't have everything, apparently.
I did appreciate that they kept further away from comic books and really concentrated on a graphically told story with the same amount of depth as a novel, rather than the corny and awful dialogue and storytelling coming out of some of today's comics.

This is a great primer on how and why to read graphic literature (traditionally known as "comic books") as well as an excellent catalog of the best works of sequential art (for an enlightening exploration of just what sequential art is and how it works, read Scot McCloud's seminal Understanding Comics). This attractively designed book contains detailed two-page entries on 30 works considered classics by the author (with whom I concur--at least on the ones I've read), and slightly less detailed half page entries on 120 others (see images at the top of item description), all of which provide sample pages and analysis of the storytelling technique employed by the creator(s). (Unfortunately, the text on the half page reproductions is sometimes too small to read without the aid of a magnifying glass.) The book is divided into chapters arranged by subject matter, which begin with a background essay on the history of each genre and a contain a sidebar with a brief list of additional recommendations (totaling another 100 in all). The genres covered are Childhood Stories, Life Stories, War, Superheroes (of course), Fantasy/Science Fiction, Horror, Mystery/Crime, Humor/Satire, Historical (fiction and non), and Erotica.

While I highly recommend this book for people trying to familiarize themselves with the realm of graphic novels, the subtitle, "Everything You Need to Know," is not entirely accurate. The focus here is on English language comics. For a sampling of graphic literature from around the globe, check out The Essential Guide to World Comics by Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks.

However, my only real disappointment was with the lack of attention given to some creators, and the total absence of others. The most glaring of these is the cursory mention of Grant Morrison, one of the greatest comic book writers of the past 20 years. Although Animal Man and The Invisibles are mentioned in two of the book's auxiliary sidebar lists, neither these nor any of Morrison's other works--which include Arkham Asylum, Doom Patrol, JLA: Earth 2, and The Mystery Play--are featured in the more in-depth two page or half page formats. (I can excuse the absence of what I think is possibly Morrison's greatest work, WE3, because it came out in graphic novel form after Gravett's book went to press.)

Several of the overlooked Morrison works listed above would have been much deserving additions to what I consider the weakest chapter in the book, "The Superhuman Condition." While I understand the author's desire to direct readers' attention to the wealth of non superhero graphic novels out there, this chapter--one of the shortest in the book--failed to mention several of the best examples of superheroic fiction. These would include tales featuring well-established characters, such as JSA: The Golden Age, by James Robinson and Paul Smith, as well as less traditional works like The Authority, a series created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch about an antiestablishment group of superhumans (although in my opinion, it was later writer Mark Millar who more fully developed the revolutionary elements of this series). In general, I think this chapter suffered from a too narrow definition of what defines a superhero story, depriving readers of the full potential of this genre. The addition of Paul Chadwick's Concrete, while not obviously a superhero series, would have shown how superhuman trappings can be used to tell very human stories that still manage to address real-world injustices. Similarly, I would have placed in this chapter graphic novels Gravett chose to include elsewhere in his book. Morrison's The Invisibles is mentioned under the heading of science fiction/fantasy; V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, is extensively covered in the chapter on mystery/crime, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, by Moore and and Kevin O'Neill, appears under horror. Chronicling the stories of 1) a counterculture cell of secret agents battling extradimensional forces of conformity (The Invisibles); 2) a masked superhuman freedom-fighter seeking to overthrow the fascist government of an Orwellian future (V); and 3) a band of characters from Victorian literature serving on Her Majesty's Secret Service in an alternative version of 19th Century Britain (The League); I believe these works should more fittingly be viewed as innovative takes--postmodern, dystopian, and revisionist, respectively--on the superhero genre.

Despite these shortcomings, I still think this book offers an attractive, well-organized, and exciting introduction to the world of graphic literature that is sure to hold many unexpected treasures for long time fans and newcomers alike.

[Note: Some of the best recent superhero stories were not included in this book because they were released in graphic novel form while it was already at press. DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke, takes a new look at the Silver Age of comics (the 1950s and 60s) that is as retro as it is modern, and the critically-acclaimed Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, is about a superhero who hangs up his costume after 9/11 to become the mayor of New York City.]

I was looking for something to give me a firm history of this "new" genre of fiction and this proved very useful. The author seems to have a firm understanding of how the reader's eye moves about (especially comic book readers) and keeps his format as true to his subject matter as possible. He allows the reader to skip ahead, and around; dig deep in the subject matter, or theme; run rampant around the page. I couldn't recommend this book more for those who are unfamiliar with graphic novels, aspire to write one, or just plain enjoy the history. I loved the way that the author stuck to mature subject matter/ writers as well.

Fantastic!

This book is a marvelous and very thorough reference book for graphic novels published in the US market. I am grateful since I needed a "taxonomy" of sorts for the newly available works, and the differently-themed chapters seem to group the various works into categories.

While the tradition of the graphic novel has been strong in europe in the sixties and seventies, many of those works have never been translated into english, and thus references to them are not included in this book.

I was pleased to see Hugo Pratt's "The ballad of the salted sea", a revered classic among european readers. I must conclude that the only reason it got included in this book is because it is now available in english.

I noticed Persepolis got included as well. That work as been "cinematized" recently, and shown at this year's Cannes Film Festival. [btw, the english set is half the price of the french set if you were to buy it in france, proof that the english-based publishing world dominates the world...]

Great book. Great resource. Great reference.

Following his success of Manga: Sixty Years of Japanese Comics with another affirmative and considered guide to comics, Gravett now focuses on the phoenix-like return of the "Graphic Novel" that failed to live up to expectations in the early '90s. However, time has moved on and this book reveals how the medium has evolved dramatically over the past ten years. Gravett's masterstroke is to reproduce at least two full pages of sequential artwork, giving readers a real flavour of each title examined. Annotated notes alongside the artwork explain the material in a manner reminiscent of fine art books. Not only that but the excellent, if initially hard to follow, thematic cross indexing means there are endless ways of making connections between disparate titles such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Dystopias) leads to Enkil Bilal's Nikopol Trilogy. Follow another link (Nature) and you get Jiro Taniguchi's The Walking Man. It's a close as the Internet on the page as you'll ever get. This book is perfect for librarians and educationalists looking to broaden their, and their students', knowledge and while many comics aficionados will be familiar with the titles, there are still a few surprises and the chapter openers contain many anecdotal nuggets. A perfect present to convert that literary die-hard who'd have to admit that comics haven't just grown up, but are now entering a self-assured and confident middle-age.

I read LOTS of garden books, a this is one of the best
in a long time.

Join Mr. Cabot in a personal tour of his garden, as he brings the reader from place to place, stopping to admire his favorite things in each of his gardens. If you listen, he'll share some advice on how he solved some of his gardening problems, and introduce you to some friends that stop by. The book is quite pricey (I'll admit, I borrowed it), but the photos are so outstanding, and the writing so entertaining, it is definately worth the money. By the end, you'll feel as if you've made a new friend.

This is one of the most beautiful and inspiring books about the creation and restoration a garden that I have ever seen. The Greater Perfection shows what someone with great taste, imagination, skill and yes, resources can accomplish. What is especially impressive for me as a gardening professional is that all this has been accomplished in a zone 3/4 garden in the Canadian Maritimes. A great book for browsing and reading. Absolutely stunning - the garden we wish we all had.

The joy of this book is that Francis Cabot writes marvelously about a landscape he has loved from childhood -- and, although his garden is rarified, he remains at heart a hands-on dirt gardener, spending hours dividing and transplanting perennials, weeding, replanting, mulling over how a planting could be improved, and all the other tasks that keep gardeners occupied through the growing season and beyond.

It seems to me that people who make great gardens rarely do it just for themselves, but because they can't help but share their passion with other garden lovers. Francis Cabot has created and nurtured a brilliant garden, and now in this very personal book, he lets us in on its joys and its challenges.

The photography is exquisite. A great gift for your favorite gardener.

This is a man's true odyssey, making Ulysses look short on imagination. Mr. Cabot along with some of the most talented and imaginative landscapers around turned his place into a true dream of beautiful garden after garden. But his personality and what he loves really comes through. Lots of imagination went into different alles and infinite dream-like entries and exits. He worked with all the best people. Hobhouse is one of my favorites not to mention a few others. I could be very jealous but I am simply thrilled to be able to read it. It is long and full of superb photos and good writing. Makes other books that I love seem not quite as fabulous. Some of Cabot's friends look as though they would be a lot of fun at a cocktail party. Makes me want to buy a lot more land and keep going with determination to create a real series of outdoor Valhalas from France, Italy and England. Bravo, Mr. Cabot and all who helped!

a very good book on tips of batteries. if i had never even read it, i would have died of an electrical shock my sister almost gave me.Read this book, it could save your life.

electricity and machines , generators and so on.

I got this book when it was published in 1995, and have used it at least twice a year just using NiCd batteries. There are many times I read something on the Internet that is simply wrong according to this book. I have used NiCd batteries that I would have otherwise thrown away because the information in this book told me that they were not irreparably damaged.

As a battery engineer, I've found this handbook the single most useful technical reference in battery design, application, and troubleshooting.

The chapters are divided by battery chemistry, and each is written by an expert in the field. Most chapters include detailed technical descriptions of chemistry, electrical characteristics, construction details, applications, and pros/cons charts.

The 3rd edition features significant changes, including updates to older sections as well as new sections on progress in advanced battery systems, and an immense new section on lithium-ion batteries.

My only complaint is the lack of uniformity across chapters in terms of informational content and format. This can make comparison of battery technologies difficult. Some chapters go into too much technical detail, while some others leave out critical considerations.

These are relatively minor quibbles, however, and do not make the Handbook any less valuable to anyone dealing with batteries or other energy storage systems.

I bought this book because I had an assignment at work that required me to learn every possible thing about lithium ion batteries. I consulted general interest encyclopedias, battery experts at universities, and various online sources, but none of the above provided the comprehensive, unbiased information that Handbook of Batteries promised. It includes useful comparison charts and historical information about the development of single-use and secondary batteries, from the clunky short-lived lead-acid battery of the 1800s to the fuel cells of today. The language is surprisingly easy to understand for the lay person.

The downsides are that it weighs a ton and that the pages are so dense that you might as well be reading a dictionary cover to cover--a dictionary that's all about batteries.