E Books

Fantastic book! This book is so well written and engaging. I felt like I really felt like I knew the students whose college application journeys were portrayed. I even cried when one of them had (his or her - don't want to give it away) dream come true. It was also beautiful to read how their views of what will make them happy in the end changed over their senior year. I hope to share this book with other parents whose children are applying to colleges. Although my own children are presently at (and also looking at)state colleges, it's such an honest and personal portayal of the pressures of senior year. I hope the author will write a follow-up to describe the pleasures and challenges of college.

This book leaves me amazed by both the focused young ones out there and the rigorous climb to get into the right college. I started college in 1998 and even then, the desperation was evident. But today the process seems that much more saturated in complexity. Jager-Hyman has introduced a new era with her book-- she is a fresh voice of reason. Out with the books of plain old "How to" and in with this excellent documentary style "How to." Jager-Hyman gives us the real scoop. Any parents or would-be college students should be grateful!

At the most esteemed collegiate institutions applications far exceed the amount of available slots. The reality is an increasing number of exceedingly qualified candidates are denied admission to the university of their choice. Joie Jager-Hyman offers engaging and informative insight into five-students' quest for Ivy League acceptance. And perhaps, most importantly, leaves the reader questioning a system that equates a person's self-worth with the name on their degree.

This book really helped me understand the ins and outs of admissions, but even more, revealed this calming truth about finding the right college--you are a consumer, you should be shopping for the college that fits you best and respects your interests and talents...NOT the other way around. Jager-Hyman tells these compelling stories and paints beautiful portraits of these young people. Any college hopeful or parents of one will relate.

As a tutor for college-age students, I think Ms. Jager-Hyman has captured the culture extremely well. On the one hand, these incredibly talented and driven students impress us with their accomplishments and maturity. On the other hand, they scare us with...their accomplishments and maturity. Ms. Jager-Hyman's book does an excellent job of introducing us to and bringing us along through this stressful year in the life of some of America's best and brightest, while along the way providing commentary from her years as an admissions officer at Dartmouth and an education PhD candidate at Harvard. It is rare to find someone who knows a field so well and yet can bring it to the public with such art and verve. It is a quick read, and a highly recommended one.

The world of Ferdydurke seems at first to be concocted out of equal parts of Kafka and Swift. There is the absurdity of Kakfa: events occur for no apparent reason, and the main character seems to be under some mysterious hypnotic spell. And there is the savage humor of Swift. Violent conflict erupts between the followers of two opposed and equally absurd and ridiculous systems of belief. But as the book progresses, it becomes clear that Gombrowicz has put his own special stamp on this world, and created a type of fiction that is totally unique.

The plot line is simple: a man of about 30 years of age is abducted by a priggish professor and finds himself, for reasons unexplained, transformed into an adolescent schoolboy. The novel consists of the "adventures" of this anti-hero in the world of adolescence, which he views with both fascination and disgust, and from which he remains detached, and yet at the same time with which he becomes intensely involved. (Ferdydurke is above all else a novel of unresolved contradictions.) Although the narrator is subjected to all the humiliations of an adolescent schoolboy (patronized by adults, frustrated by hopeless desire for a girl who disdains him, etc.), he also retains an adult outlook. In fact, it may be said that he is the only character who is adult (in the psychological sense of being self-aware) and who struggles, not always with success, to remain sane. Part of the genius of the book is that the adults in it seem crazy from the narrator's perspective as a youth, and the adolescents seem crazy from the narrator's perspective as an adult. In spite of its simple plot, Ferdydurke bursts with a dazzling exuberance of incidents, contradictions, characters, and digressions. Readers who demand strict linear plot development in a novel should probably look elsewhere.

Ferdydurke can be read at many levels. It is not surprising that a novel which features conflicts between two equally absurd systems should come out of 1930s Poland, beset as it was by two powerful opposed enemies, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Ferdydurke can also be read as an exploration of the fragility of the adult ego, of the fine line between "maturity" and "immaturity". The violent schoolboy quarrels which so fascinate and repel the narrator seem like absurdist, distorted parodies of very serious adult matters. And this novel is also about hidden, dark passageways in the human psyche. The narrator confesses to thoughts and behavior that most of us would never want to allow into the daylight of consciousness, much less to own up to.

Ferdydurke is not a difficult read, but it is quite digressive and very different from what most English-speakers expect a novel to be. Until this new translation, the first directly into English, it was effectively unavailable. This book is not for everyone. But it is a fascinating read for those who are seeking a multi-faceted, complex, and uncompromising (one noted critic has called it "Nietzchean") exploration of what it means to be a "mature adult", and who are not looking for easy answers or Hollywood endings.

Among the great works of Central Europe litterature, Ferdydurke had a profound influence in my life and my writings.

"Ferdydurke" by Witold Gombrowicz has finally been properly translated into English. Not that this is an event worth mentioning in general, but the point to be made is that the world of translation offers room for all kinds of mischief and sloppiness. Who would have thought that it were perfectly acceptable for publishers to allow translation from a second, and not native tongue? Imagine, for purposes of illustration, that a work of a classic British author translated into German not directly, but from Suahili, for this was the language the book was first translated into. Would you be satisfied with a product of this type? This was the fate of Gombrowicz, his native tongue was done away with, and the Anglo-Saxon world of bibliophiles had had no other choice but to read a lemon. Perhaps this is the revenge of the Heavens on the author himself, for never was there any other Polish author who had his native country in such a low regard as he did. In his "Trans-Atlantyk", Gombrowicz dared to ridicule everything a Pole holds dear, together with the whole idea of a nation as such. Were he to live today, he would embrace the idea of convergence and the global village of consumptionism, as opposed to Europe of Nations. That was one of the main reasons for Gombrowicz's emigration to Argentina, where he spent almost all of his literary career.

"Ferdydurke" is an early novel by this author, and it's never as crass as the aforementioned "Trans-Atlantyk". In fact, it constitutes part of a literary canon in Poland to this very day, and there is no educated Pole who hasn't read or at least heard of "Ferdydurke". Scenes from this book, gestures, and neologisms entered the mass vocabulary, and once you learn some of these expressions, you cannot unlearn them, for then there is no better way to express yourself, but to use the phrases coined by Gombrowicz. Whatever issues Poles have with this author, one thing is certain: we are grateful to him for augmenting our language. Gombrowicz created an archetype of a confused man, whose karma is to move back in time, back to school, with the mentality of an adult. I will even risk a claim that this fact alone lies at the very heart of science fiction - for how might that be possible, and what would happen if such occurence took place? How would that affect the object in queestion? Perhaps my perception of this problem is a bit skewed due to my occupational hazard of a scientist, but for me, "Ferdydurke" is a laboratory novel, where with a literary set of tools we analyze both the situation, and the object, in the vein of the medieval alchemist. This novel, hardly known in the English-speaking world, will be an exhilarating reading experience for you, provided that you will trust me and pick it up. The amusing analysis of the immature world the protagonist found himself in, mixed with elements from all literary forms, from plain mystery, via comedy, to sophisticated analysis of society, makes Ferdydurke an experimental novel of potential interest for all bibliophiles and lovers of the nonstandard.

You may well ask the above question, but you will never discover the answer, for there is no character, or thing, in this darkly comic masterpiece named Ferdydurke. It just appears to be some play on words, or a nonsense title to intrigue the potential reader. This book, written in Polish between the two world wars, is extremely capably translated, with a good use of slang and diminuitive terms which must have caused endless hours of trouble and frustration for the translator. It appears to be an indictment of the state of society as it existed in Poland in the 1930's, and may appear a bit dated since must of what is excoriated by the author no longer exists. There is particular emphasis upon the type of relationship which existed between the nobility (of a sort) and the peanant and serving classes. There is a lot about the threat of modernity in the country, and a great emphasis upon infantilism and immaturity. The work takes some getting used to by the reader, but read in the context of its time it is very well done, and should be read to be appreciated for what it has to say about the human condition.

Witold gombrowicz's "alice in wonderland"-like trip takes the protagonist, who is 30 years old, back to his school days. There he battles again with the challenges of a teenager-alliances and cliques in the 1st part and sexual awakenings in the second. One thing is clear however; he has learned nothing from his earlier passing.

The story's underlying theme is one of maturity. What is it? Is it part of the aging process? Is it developed through life experiences? I never felt gombrowicz ever answers any of the questions unless the conclusion is that there is no maturity. None of the characters ever shows any level of it. That includes professors, school teachers, the landed gentry, or their peasants. Everyone is just simply self-destructive.

To further complicate things, the author throws in two somewhat unrelated short stories into the middle of the novel. They are just as silly as the novel itself, but are simply a distraction and really add nothing to it.

I also had problems with one aspect of the translation. The translators left in the polish word "pupa" which literally means buttocks. The author uses it in many different ways as you can imagine english would use the word ass. But I could not always follow his references. This made for frustrating reading since I knew something was there but couldn't get it.

The author himself probably puts it most succinctly at the very end of the novel when he says:

"It's the end, what a gas,
And who's read it is an ass!"

That's right, Mr. Scalia was my 9th grade English honors teacher. I actually remember him talking about this book quite often and one day he even read the first chapter out loud to us. Mr. Joseph Scalia was a great teacher and a great guy. He was intelligent, quick witted, sarcastic, hilarious, and treated the class as if it were a college level course. By that I mean he acted more like a Professor than a High School teacher, always treating us as adults (even if we didn't always act like it). Congradulations on a successful book Mr. Scalia. Good luck with everything!

Brian Lewis

I got this book at literacy night in my school. Joseph E. Scalia was there to sign and explain the book to me. His book FREAKs was the best book i have ever read. It was so real and i almost felt like i was reading a movie. With the book Joseph gave us a postcard to send to him and tell him how we felt about his book. I cant wait to read more of Joseph E. Scalias books.

"FREAKs and PEARL are well-written books containing vivid description and interesting characters and plots. We thoroughly enjoyed reading them and believe both books would appeal to a wide audience of readers with FREAKs of particular interest to a young audience. Congratulations on a job well-done." Ralph Ferraro, Director

Joe Scalia sure knows how to spin a tale. His many years as a high school teacher undoubtedly gave him an unlimited bank of personalities. This is evident in FREAKs. If you have a child having problems adjusting to school socialization, this book is required reading. It should be read by every youngster 12-16 years. OK...so maybe I'm biased. Joe Scalia was my 9th grade English teacher. Probably one of the top two or three teachers I've ever had. Its still a great read !!

FREAKs is a glorious account of the frightful world of the middle school. It places front and center a cast of misfits - the kids that the others mock - the geeks, the nerds, the unpopular, the misshapen. What Scalia does so marvelously is he gives them what they most lack - identity, respect, and perhaps most importantly, he supplies them with allies and solidarity, This a heartwarming and very special little book.

I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter. She loves it and I highly recommend this book as a mom. It's good straight forward book that answers simple questions and gives no nonsense factual advice. I bought it as an ice-breaker. She can read the book and get answers to questions she's to shy to ask me but gives more knowledge than her friends can! This book is not too sexually graphic as well.

I loved it when I read it, and then my daughter loved it when she read it. Now I need to buy a copy for my neice! It helps young girls realize that they are not alone in the confusing world of adolesence!!!!

Carol Weston's savvy, witty, no-nonsense guide answers all the questions girls ask, the ones they're afraid to ask, and even the ones they don't yet know they have. But before moms pass on this book to their daughters, they should read it themselves. Armed with vital information and reassuring wisdom, it will be that much less stressful to navigate the teen world today. I only wish I knew about Girltalk when my own daughter was a teen.

All Carol's books are gems, and GIRLTALK is the crown jewel! Simplifying and illuminating everything from family issues to self-esteem to applying for college, this easy-reading, friendly, and fact-packed guide is likely to get very dog-eared as it's consulted over and over. --Catherine Dee, author of THE GIRLS' GUIDE TO LIFE and THE GIRLS' BOOK OF WISDOM.

This is one of those books that can absolutely change a girl's life. Girltalk can help a girl make smart decisions and feel good about who she is. It covers really complicated subjects in such a friendly comfortable way, that it's just amazing. I'll be giving my daughters copies because both my nieces are huge fans of this book and of the author's advice column in GL magazine.

I have been reading this book over and over for years. It is a beautiful landscape novel set along the highways in California in its suburban, fast food squalor. The metaphor throughout the book is the emphasis on scientific elements and how they apply to a young boy and his mother on the run. Incredibly well written.

The use of language and the unbelievible accesibility to heavy intelectual concepts (e.g. cultural theory, metaphysics, and subjectivity) will make a lot of creative writing students a tad bit envious. I read the book and one night and after reading it I felt like I took the craziest drug possible, minus the brain damage. This novel is f-ing nuts, sick and disturbing, and yet you can't possibly not fall in love with its brilliance.

I accidentally found this book while browsing the stacks of a local bookstore and was really surprised that I hadn't heard of the book or the author. Not many writers have the ability to startle me with such a wonderful writing style coupled with a zesty storyline. This is one of those books whose words are placed together with great feeling and care, resulting in a sharp, clear and sometimes painful book.

I picked this book up from a remainder stack at a local bookstore because I liked the title... I'm keeping this book because it took me for a ride that few contemporary works of fiction have. A thoroughly enjoyable read, full of startling twists and intelligent writing.

The History of Luminous Motion is compact and clear as a diamond, as beautiful and strange as its title. Phillip is an eight-year-old psychotic genius, attempting through science, philosophy, action, abstraction and the glittering poetry of his narrative to make sense of the world he inhabits. No easy solutions here; there's no way of knowing what is "real" and what isn't, and the glib jargon of the policemen, psychologists and Juvenile Correction Officers at the end serves merely to emphasise the mystery of Phillip's condition. Reading this book, I was reminded of several others, notably Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle and Arthur Machen's story "The White People" - both of which weave beauty, insanity and youth into their heroines' dark, potent and obsessive autobiographies. But The History of Luminous Motion, while it may be more closely related to these works than to much else, is unique in its evocation of a mind at once more-than-adult in its intellectual capacity and infant in its emotional solipsism; the philosophical conversations Phillip holds with his friends Rodney and Beatrice are among the funniest and most deeply disturbing parts of the book. Perhaps most remarkable of all is the seamlessness of both the character and the story - you never forget for a moment that Phillip is only eight years old, any more than you forget the power, the sensitivity or the sickness of his mind. The ending is sudden, elliptical and heart-rending. Buy it and be haunted.

everyone loves to hear those three special words, "i love you," but when you tell them to a child, do they truly understand the depth of your love for them? this book gives children a deeper understanding of those words in a fun and wonderful way. the rhymes are melodious, the illustrations are fabulous and once you see and read it, you'll want to pass a copy on to your friends and special little ones in your life.

Great book with illustrations to match the words that pop on the page. Great for any preschooler. Colors wonderful. Way to go Susan.

I love this book. The words and illustrations are beautiful; I love reading it to my daughter!

Imagine what you love most, and then imagine that someone loves you more than that! This book is a great conversation starter for children to explore what love means and how it feels. Whether the book is for a child that needs to know you love them more than the thing that they love most, or for a library at school, this book communicates a freedom to love and to express that love!

What a wonderful book!! I have purchased several for gifts aftering purchasing one for my grandson. I never get tired of reading the book and enjoying the illustrations.

I look forward to more books from Sue.

Carolyn Harris

The authors of "I'll Miss You Too" offer terrific perspectives and invaluable advice to help both parents and college-bound students navigate this turbulent passage. Too many parents and students are ill-prepared for the emotional turmoil that can begin to overwhelm both parent and student. My husband,son and I were caught off-guard by what we later learned was typical--our son departed for college with high expectations, but soon encountered significant adjustment challenges--trials that impacted his academic record and caused great distress to all. More recently, when our daughter was facing the same transition, we no longer had to make it alone and unprepared. "I'll Miss You Too" was there to guide us and offer support to our entire family. Happily, our daughter successfully completed her freshman year, thanks to this very savvy and to-the-point book!

Petty thin on content. Quite a bit less than what I expected. Oh, well...

This book was wonderfully insightful. As a single parent with a beautiful intelligent young girl I had many questions that were eloquently answered by the suggestions in this book. There are not many books out there that offer the point of view that this one does. It helped me immensely. It helped bring me and my daughter closer and aided in the confrontation that was inevitable because it eliminated any aggressive behavior due to fear. It brought to my attention the questions that you forget to ask or are unprepared to answer. This book was a great communication guide for me and my daughter to open the doors of what may be expected in this difficult but necessary transition. I am confident of the authenticity of this book and how the advice given really will pertain to your experience with your loved one. Every parent wants to be as prepared as possible in lives huge alteration's for me it was relieving to have material such as these book to make the inevitable progression of a youths education a smooth and healthy one. This book is a brilliant example of how the skills of parenthood have excelled.

Best book I've ever read! Most insightful book - every single parent and child should read this prior to college! I am my parents only daughter, so going away to college was tough on my mom and my dad. I only wish there was a book like this out when I had graduated years back. My own mom cried for a good 4 days when I left and then gave me guilt trips and we fought all the time on the phone for no reason (or that was what i thought of then) - her little baby was growing up and I wish she read that book because all I wanted was for her to treat me like an adult, all I wanted was alot of things, things that I thought couldnt be explained, but after reading this book - it makes sense now, everything makes sense. This book can be applied to any kind of person going to any school, whether it is a large public school, or a small private school, or a state school. The point of the matter is that leaving home and entering a new world of adulthood when there is very little transition is hard. Hard for the parents and hard for the children. My little cousin is going to off to college this fall to a public state school half way across the country. I gave this book to my aunt and cousin to read - quote from my cousin "i cant wait until college and to learn how to deal with my parents FINALLY, I read it in one sitting". I sat around the kitchen table with my family discussing how profound this book actually is,,, and how it can actually change your life. I can't wait for a sequel!

There is a great line in this book; at a moment of despair, Steffany says `I was one with the car.' It's great because no adult would ever write that; we tend to filter ourselves. This sounds like a kid, dealing with the real emotions of leaving home.

There is so much literature about the students leaving, but so little on how the parent/child relationship is effected. Margo has done a wonderful job of honestly addressing the real issues involved when your child goes off to college.

These tales evoke a poetical kind of realism. "Hunters in the Snow" is a tragic but comic portrayal of three bumbling hunters acting dumb but believable: so in character with themselves yet slightly bizarre. Everything in these tales is real. There is no trumped up language or superfluous prose. The narratives sweep along with a good balance of dialogue, description and action, and are never boring. "Face to Face" is another good one--tragic again and emotional; you come away with a real sense of pathos. And none of it is asked for. The author doesn't beg our emotions. It's very real and very human. "Worldly Goods" is a hilarious tale but again with sober touch. "Maiden Voyage" is spot on in its portrayal of the bondage and meaning of marriage, and the allure of new love. "Passengers" is a terrific tale about a road warrior girl picked up by a straight-laced guy, the adventures they have and the effect she has on him--it makes you think, and it's all our doing. We never get pandered to or have our feelings played with. And it seems so effortless!

I would absolutely recommend this book. I don't usually give full-throttle approvals, but with this book I can find no fault. Read and enjoy!

I am amazed with everything Tobias Wolff writes.


His fiction is as strong and deep as his non-fiction. In Pharoa's Army is the most profoundly human book I've read on the subject of soldiering in Viet nam.

This short story collection from Tobias Wolff is truly just that. Each story gives you enough of the bare essentials to keep you informed and invested, but they never cross the line into anything remotely superfluous. Each story feels very much like you've entered right into the middle of things and you are there for the climax, but not necessarily the introduction or the conclusion.

While I found this book to be an effective exercise in the art of the short story, I was even more moved by the flaws each character in every story displayed. Wolff had grand success in getting down to the heart of who and what people are, and that is, in essence, good people that usually display less than admirable traits. We all have those idiosyncrasies that make us unique and often troubling to our friends and family, and Wolff captures perfectly normal, though certainly troublesome, eccentricities amongst his characters that give us all we need to know about their particular story.

This is a very fast and interesting read, and if you ever wanted to engage in a deep character study in the genre of the short story, this is the collection for you.

~Scott William Foley, author of The Imagination's Provocation: Volume II: A Collection of Short Stories

Tobias Wolff writes short stories pertaining to issues such as spousal abuse, envy, and lying. Wolff understands the conflicts his fiction characters face because he has addressed about those personal situations in his memoirs. His fiction is so real, it reads as nonfiction. Buy this book, buy them all. Wolff is an adventuresome author with adventuresome characters, himself included.

The characters in Tobias Wolff's short stories are typically ordinary people in relatively ordinary circumstances yet he creates through them such vivd glimpses of humanity that we recognize our friends ,relatives,neighbors and ourselves in them.
Powerful writing that is subtle and yet somehow unforgettable.

All of his short fiction collections are equally enjoyable and I would have a hard time recommending one as opposed to any other. This particular book contains several stories that will pull you in and cause you to want to explore more. This is a book that can be opened at random to any of the selections and read with great enjoyment.

This book should be required reading on college campuses thru-out America. My opinion. I was fortunate enough to meet the General also on the "rock" in '83. I was busy working in the pharmacy(Hospital Corpsman) at the flight-line clinic and turn around to see this tall General standing there. He ask me for some aspirins for his bad hip. I guess he'd just finished flying. I have never forgot that meeting. I could see how he could succeed against any odds, he had a presence that could not be denied. Truly an American treasure.

As a black Marine (1961-1965) I found the book to answer a lot of my questions, and to help me understand what was going on in my world at the time. That's because I had a very good relationship with the others members of my team who were all white. The only person I had a problem with was my Lt. and I know he just didn't like black folk. His book said the things that needed to be said, he told the truth about the times and what he had to do to overcome things. I felt that in many ways his story was mine, although I only spent 4 years in the corps. Again thanks for your work. Once a Marine always a Marine.

INTO THE TIGER'S JAW has been an inspiration to my students and to me. In Lt. General Petersen we met a courageous man who was not afraid to stand up for what he felt was just and honorable---a man of integrity who overcame obstacles that would have defeated a lesser man. We felt shame at the injustices that he often endured and pride in his accomplishments. Thank you General Petersen and J. Alfred Phelps for this magnificent book and for introducing us to another American hero and role model.

Into the Tigers Jaw is a very impressive account of Lt. General Frank Petersen's life in the Marine Corps. J Alfred Phelps does a splendid job here depicting the determination and perserverance of a highly decorated Marine who paved the way for today's generation of Black Marine Officers. Petersen's strong will and devotion to duty enabled him to succeed in a organization at a time when Black American's represented such a minute percentage of the ranks in the Armed Forces. There is never a dull moment in this book, it grips your attention from beginning to end.
I borrowed the book from the library, after reading it I bought it, and today it's part of my private library.

It's one thing to hear about how great someone is; it's something totally different to have met that person and to KNOW how great that person is. Lt. Gen. Petersen was my Wing Commander while I was stationed in Okinawa (Headquarters, G-3) during my '83-'84 tour of "The Rock." Though we chatted briefly on a few occasions after his afternoon workouts (yes, he ran daily with that bad hip), he helped me forge an extremely strong sense of duty and honor, and he has been a very positive influence in my life that carries on even today. What's great about the book is that it grabs you and dives right in, taking you on a spellbinding trip that explores the heart and soul of a true battle-hardened, no-nonsense warrior. It could also serve as a seminal work on the history of race relations in the military over the past 50 years. Readers will be thrilled, fascinated, and even brought to tears as they become one with the words which flow so well that it's almost as if General Petersen has a direct link to your brain. There is high drama on all fronts, whether it's in the cockpit of an F-4 Phantom sustaining 37mm anti-aircraft fire, or in the military courtroom showcasing some of the world's most notorious people. The story of Lt. Gen. Petersen's personal life and his career in the Corps will be very inspirational and highly motivating for anyone who reads it. What else would you expect from a Marine?

Semper Fidelis.

This is the best ever text in quantum mechanics. Every one which intents start in this field should read this book. It contains all the elementary steps to understand this difficult field in a language and in such detail which is not found any more in the modern books.

As an alum holding both undergrad and graduate degrees in a related field, I figured I would pick this title up for some pretty heavy reading. I was right. Even thought the title says "an introduction", there are several pre-requisites to understanding Quantum Mechanics, and the style of Linus Pauling's writing in general. The book reads very much like a textbook, and I would suggest at least a pretty good understanding of physics, mathematics, and technical writing before diving in. It's a great book, and a classic text. It's just not a casual Sunday read.

I read it once and don't use it too often. It's still an excellent book, but I think there are newer texts that are based on this one that may "look better" even though they cover the same topics. I enjoyed it very much. Pauling knew how to take a complicated subject and simplify (but not too much) it for ease of teaching.

Great, great book.

This was the fourth qm book I read. I was expecting it to help me make the transition from quantum mechanics to quantum chemistry, but it didn't quiet succeed in doing so. As for QM there exist better books than this (eg Sakurai) and for QChem, I found Szabo's book to be much more better (with less of fundamentals and directly going towards applications)

Regards
Purushottam

How would an "Introduction to Philosophy" by Socrates or a "Basics of the Piano" by Mozart sound like? This is something similar. Linus Pauling, the unprecedented pioneer of the application of Quantum Mechanics to Chemistry, had written this book in the 1930s as perhaps the first introduction to QM for Chemists, supported by his colleague, E Bright Wilson, a brilliant chemist in his own right. A generation of Chemists grew up learning from this book, and its content is as relevant and articulate today as it was then. Hundreds of Quantum Chemistry books, some of which are excellent, have been written in the times since it was first published. But this book still retains an incomparable flavour that brings out the fundamental nature of QM and Chemical Bonding. I have to admit that I found this book slightly difficult, because Pauling and Wilson, although being extremely lucid, never compromise on the Math. But gradually I learnt that this is the kind of book which belongs in the same category of, say, Ernest Eliel's stereochemistry book. That means that every moment you spent on it will be worth it, even if it takes you a very long time to go through it. This is one of those books where every word is carefully thought and then stated, making the journey difficult at places, but always rewarding. And why not. It is hard to imagine anyone else writing with so much confidence on the topic. So it is important not to gloss over this book quickly and then discard it as being dry, but persist in reading it and get insight out of it. The book opens with a discussion of Lagrangian mechanics and discusses some simple examples of its applications. It then moves on to the basic principles of QM, and comes to the Hydrogen molecule, which was the pinnacle of succcess for the Physicists. I think that this book has the best discussion of the H molecule ever written. I have seen other excellent Quantum Chemistry books giving a reference to this work whenever they discuss the H molecule. Moreover, I believe that a thorough understanding of the H molecule is of paramount importance for understanding any further application of QM to Chemistry. Discussion of this molecule opens the door to understanding orbitals, spherical harmonics, angular momentum and all the important concepts in theoretical Chemistry. So the book will score top points for this alone. Later on there are excellent discussions of the Variational Method, Perturbation theory and finally the various important approximations like Hartree-Fock theory and the structure of molecules. The appendices deal with detailed discussions of derivation and some mathematical topics. All in all, a clear and extremely lucid presentation, well worth every moment you can spend on it, by one of the greatest scientists of all time.