Works Books

Michael Aczon is an amazing resource for all musicians and music business individuals. I have had the pleasure of talking with him about the business as well as reading his book. Each time I've had a question, I've checked the book to find my answer. The most useful information for me was the chapter discussing the difference between publishing/mechanicals/royalties. There is always a gray area for me surrounding exactly where the checks come from. This clarification was enough for me to give the book a thumbs up!

"Michael Aczon's 'Legal Companion' is an absolute necessity for anyone with the slightest interest in the music industry. Having had first hand experience in dealing with music industry legal issues, Aczon's guide is confirmation that all musicians (even professionals) should be vigilant concerning the 'business of music'. Ya gotta get this book!"

This book is a practical, user-friendly guide through the maze of legal topics that confront so many working musicians. Michael Aczon makes complicated legal issues seem a lot less intimdating, and much easier to navigate. I wish I'd had this book when I was first starting out, and will definitely make use of it in the future - very highly recommended!

This book is a must have for those in the music industry. It seperates itself from other music law texts with its clear, consise, and thorough examination of the music business. As a manager of a rock band I have relied on The Professional Musician's Legal Companion to help guide me through the music industry... which at times feels like a jungle.
Aczon's engaging writing allows valuable legal details to be easily remembered at times when I need them most.

I think the genius of Michael Aczon's book is that he neither gives nor tries to give us all the answers--he helps us to consider, raise, and articulate for ourselves the essential questions of our particular situations as professionals in a complicated industry. He provides the perfect starting point to enter into informed business relationships. In my experience hearing him speak and teach, this runs consistent with the straight-shooting and compassionate way he walks through the world. He generously empowers others with information, and he encourages them to be responsible and accountable for meaningful decisions that will impact their careers. The Legal Companion seems like his able emissary in the world, doing just that. I have found it entirely helpful, relevant, and useful in my own work.

If you are looking for a book as a one-stop answer guide for all the complex legal questions surrounding a career in music, you might be disappointed. That is not the author's intent, nor his philosophy. (It is debatable whether any single volume can do such a thing.) But if you are looking for a text written clearly that respects your intelligence and your values as an artist and businessperson, the Legal Companion will provide you with a solid foundation for making decisions about the business of your art. I highly recommend this book.

Modern funerals can be quite expensive, so life insurance can be the easiest answer. But how can you make sure that your life insurance will do what you pay it to do? "Questions and Answers on Life Insurance: The Life Insurance Toolbook" is a guide to help those who are concerned about life insurance policies make the right decisions by analyzing the fine print of it all - the different types of policies, evaluating the companies that hold the policy, trusted agencies, underwriting, and how to make sure your policy doesn't change behind your back. "Questions and Answers on Life Insurance: The Life Insurance Toolbook" is highly recommended to community library collections on personal finance and for anyone who is in the market for a life insurance policy.

Questions and Answers on Life Insurance: The Life Insurance Toolbox
Thank you for your interest in this book. Reviews for this book can be found with this earlier edition. Hope these reviews are useful. Tony Steuer, Author.

Tony's honest and unbiased approach to the presentation of the material is the perfect format for actually learning about Life Insurance. There is much knowledge to gain about what is construed as a potentially complex area of financial protection. If you are in the market to purchase Life Insurance, this is the book for you.

It's great tool to validating the complex information on life insurance and easier to understand than most text material.

For the beginning insurance agent, this is a very good book. Insurance products are very complex and sometimes difficult to explain, this book helps and could even be used to help answer prospective clients questions while presenting. I am glad I own this book.

I learned so much from these books. (I have all 3) They are amazing! Very easy to read and understand, just great!

While these volumes are now online, I love having them in print because I can't read for long periods of time in an electronic format. These books are great for every day real questions that people ask about the Catholic Church, from the most common to the most absurd. The two fathers always answer in a frank and honest manner - they do not mince words, but they are charitable. Well in the top 100 Catholic books.

These books are probably the best resource available for someone wishing to learn about Catholicism and faith in general. The authors respond to the toughest questions posed by Protestants, Agnostics, Atheists, and other non-Catholics. The answers are simple, brief, and logical. The only downfall is the fact that they pre-date the Vatican II council; otherwise this set captures the faith quite well, and is indexed by topic. If you are a Catholic looking to expand your knowledge of your religion, or are questioning the beliefs of the Church, I challenge you to read these books. Also, I challenge any Protestant to read the responses of the authors on any doctrine you find difficulty believing. Every question has a strong and complete answer. These books are a must-have!

This three-volume set is considered a classic text of Catholic apologetics. The writing is clear, concise, and relentlessly logical. The arguments put forth are a remarkable combination of common sense, logic, and Scriptural reference. Not only does the book give Protestants, agnostics, humanists, and atheists a lot to think about, it is a fantastic resource for Catholics who desire a full understanding of our religious beliefs and practices, top to bottom. The big difference between Volumes 1 and 2 is that the latter responds to far more challenging questions, delving deeper into the same general topics covered in Volume 1.

I covered Volumes One and Two under those listings, so this is about Volume Three. As the series progresses, the questions get harder. Volume Three covers Church dogma and morals in great detail. In particular, the sixty year-old commentary on morals is eerily, sadly prophetic. The consequences of a drift toward complete moral relativism are described as a nightmare scenario, yet how much of it has come to pass--steadily rising divorce, abortion, alienation, violence, division into smaller and smaller groups dedicated only to the advancement of some self-proclaimed social imperative. Undoubtedly, to a non-believer, the prophetic quality of the arguments is the strongest point in their favor. It is not hard to see the moral quagmire we live in (if one only bothers to look), but to see it so clearly when it was just forming--that requires a true vision, a true perspective. For the believer, the truth of the Fathers' arguments is self-evident, for it is simply the Word of God.

Since we spend a lot of time in the Indian River Lagoon, this book has become our go to as soon as we get home from a day's boat trip. The pictures depict each creature accurately and the written descriptions clear up any questions about variances in color, shape, etc. The format is clear and concise as is the table of contents. There aren't many resources on creatures of this area so it's wonderful that Paul Humann and Ned Deloach saw the importance of putting together this fabulous guide.

I bought this book for a gift for my husband (and my family) because he is always telling us of all the creatures he sees when he is diving for lobsters when we go to Florida in December. Now we can enjoy the pictures and see what he is talking about. This is the same book that sells for more money at the dive shops. The pictures are wonderful. Glad we were able to find it here!!

This is probably the best reef creature ID book out there for Florida, the Carribean and the Bahamas, but buy the third edition instead. Semi-hard cover.

I bought this item for my trip to the Caribbean. I'm a marine biologist by training, and I loved this book because it gave information above and beyond just identification. It also tells you how likely it was that the critter you saw was the one pictured in the book. Then there are lists of all the species in the back, with space for you to record when and where you saw it. I had so much fun combing this book after snorkeling to identify all the organisms I had seen! What a great investment! I also like this book because it arranges species by their scientific classification. It could have been a bit more thorough, though--i saw plenty of organisms that aren't mentioned in this book at all.

i think its a really good book because it tells you almost every thing you can see in the ocean. I really like it.

Excellent! Great images.

(Although much of the text is very technical and concerned with small and trivial details.)

This book explain a little about Rembrandt technique and some details in his paints. You can understand how could he painted so beutiful arts. But you won't be Rembrandt reading this book. Only the technique is not sufficient to be a master!
But, if you are a Rembrandt fan, you have to read this book!

This book is generous with loads of quality pictures of the masters work and an equal amount of text for the reader of history and the technical , a good buy certainly worth the money , I really enjoyed this and I suggest it to any one with even just a passing interest in Rembrandt and an insight into how he produced his work , they actually found some of his dna in his paintings (i bet that makes you curious). This and the other book " Rembrandt's Eyes by Simon Schama" is another beauty possibly a bit better than this one Schama's book spend the first half talking a about Peter Paul Rubens and the dreams Rembrandt had of being his equal , both are great companions to each other I recommend them together.

There isn't much more I can say, which hasn't already been said to reveal the great merits of this book. However I think the sheer quantity of 5 star ratings speaks volumes. This book is essential for any academic or personal study of Rembrandt, especially so for a painter as I am. On top of all the incredible detailed scientific analysis, the text is written very clearly and is even a pleasure to read. Above all, the detail shots of his paint surface, are breath taking and most instructive for any painter. They utilized different levels of magnification to reveal his work from the entirety of the picture down to the microscopic level. This book has revolutionized my studio practice!

Richard T Scott
Joelle-Scott Gallery

This book is not easy to evaluate, at a first sight is a very irregular book, amazing in many passages but extremely boring in many others, a whole chapter dedicated to the canvas support !?, with a great mass of technical information about thread density and weave, I think it is too much, a very important Rembrandt's trick like "glazing and sweeping" (that it is supossed he created this technique) is just overviewed when it is perhaps one of the constituents for the most amazing passages in many of his paintings.
My conclusion is that despite of Rembrandt's Project and a lot of scholars studying his masterpieces is very, but very little what we know. How he commited his works is an enigma like in Vermeer's case, so there are a lot of books about them but very little valuable information

A decent if disjointed book. You can tell from reading it that Jean had great respect for his father and loved him very much. Unfortunately, there was a large gap between his father's death and the writing of this book, with Jean working from memory and not notes, and it shows. There are times where it's hard to see where Renior stops and Jean starts, and this can make things a bit confusing. If you are a fan of Renior's however,don't pass this book up.

A biography written by a child of someone famous often carries more than one burden, similar to the responsibility or encumbrance of the overshadowing parental fame. However, in filmmaker Jean Renoir's lovingly detailed remembrances of his Impressionist painter father, the reader gleans more than a timeline of an artist's rise to prominence. The author shares a richly detailed account of life in a culture that--in most areas of France save for Paris--was still foremostly agrarian. In this burgeoning Industrial world, Renoir tells of the rise of his father's art and the changing cultural behaviors, shifting societal patterns and troubling questions within that framework.

Beginning at Louis-Philippe's "July Monarchy" (1830-1848)-- generally seen as a period during which the haute bourgeoisie was dominant and the 1840's which saw financial crisises and bad harvests with an ensuing economic depression--we are reminded of the general and specific trends vis-à-vis how they affected the Renoir family's world. Curiously descriptive, this was a world of street oil lamps and chamber pots; anesthesia was not yet invented (nor any antiseptics); butchers slaughtered the animals on site in the back of the shop; great debates about the inferior railroad system and the overall safety of locomotives were waged (could a pregnant woman harm her unborn child by moving a such great speeds? Did the smoke and soot emitted hinder crops in nearby fields from growing). Adding to the vivid and graphic storytelling of French life are vignettes of the senior Renoir's dealings with fellow Impressionists and art dealers as well as his painting process behind some of his masterpieces. Family life, the defining touchstone of the artist as a man, is shared in humorous and matter-of-fact style ("My mother brought a great deal to my father: peace of mind, children whom he could paint; and a good excuse not to have to go out in the evening.") This book, which was first published in the mid-1950's, affords the reader a complete picture of the life of a great artist during a time of vicissitude and excitement in all facets of French society.

An affectionate remembrance of Renoir by his son, concentrating the years up to the turn of the century.

Renoir considered himself an artisan rather than an artist, disliked anything artificial, from margarine to ready-to-wear clothes, had among his friends artists, and musicians who are household names today. "It is when you have lost your teeth that you can buy the best beefsteak" he would say, and considering that he became more infirm with age, this truism affected him no less than the rest of us.

Impressionism is my favorite style of painting so I was really enchanted with this biography. Written by Renoir's middle son, Jean, Renoir, My Father not only gives us an intimate look at the life of Auguste Renoir, it gives us an intimate look at the Paris of Renoir's day as well.

As we get to know Renoir we get to know his contemporaries, too. Jean Renoir writes about Monet, Cezanne, Manet, Sisley and many other great artists. We learn many "little known" facts, such as Monet's penchant for lace and his "artful" way with the ladies.

Paris really comes alive in this book. Many of the places Renoir writes about still exist and can be visited today. This book makes any art lover's trip to Paris more meaningful whether he's a Renoir fan or not.

When reading this book, one must remember that this is not a "run of the mill" biography. This is a son writing about the father he adored. The portrait we are given is very intimate, detailed and loving. It's obvious that Jean Renoir adored his father, just as Auguste Renoir adored his family.

Ultimately, this book is a beautiful tribute from a loving son to a father who was one of history's consummate artists. If you have any interest at all in art, this is one book you simply must not pass up. The last page alone will break your heart.

We adopted "Renoir, My Father" as bedside reading while my wife was recovering from hip surgery, and (aside, perhaps, from "Goodnight, Moon,") I can't imagine better therapy. This is odd, in a way: Claude was an old man (and in pain) when Jean got to know him, and Jean was an old man when he finally brought his recollectios together. You might expect cranky, but nothing of the sort: it's a book full of sunny afterglow. Every parent would hope to be rememnbered so well.

The book might take a bit of getting used to: Jean has his own pace and his own way of telling his story. We did it in small doses and I'm not certain yet that I quite catch the rhythm. None of the rough edges have been smoothed off which, come to think of it, is just as Claude would have wanted: Jean speaks with his own voice. You have to listen well, but you know that the voice is nobody else's.

I suppose it helps to know a bit about the Impressionists to enjoy it all, but I can't say I know all that much, and I didn't feel impaired. Anyway, God bless Google: more than once, when Jean talked about a painting or a subject, I key-clicked my way to an image and completed (as it were) the picture.

Kudos also to NYRB (this time) for producing what it does not always produce: a finished physical specimen The paper feels like quality; the binding is sturdy, and there is a small but satisfying selection of pictures, both colored and black-and-white. There is even an index of sorts (I assume from the original translator) but it is patchy and incomplete. That last is a shortcoming, but forgivable in light of the book's other virtues. In the NYRB firmament, this is surely a star.

I couldn't disagree with that last review ( 2 stars) more. I've been on the Net for three years and still find the Web guide a useful reference. Kennedy has put a great deal of work into collating a pretty damn useful cross section of the Web. I can't commend him high enough. I've bought several copies as gifts for friends - who've all lavished it with praise.

Even someone with a passing knowledge of the Internet, like myself, knows a good deal of what is in this book. The first half starts off useful enough, but like most books on technology diverges into sections that are seemingly "no briainers" and sections that are so specific as to be less than useful. The second half is mostly just addresses of sites and reads like a TV Guide.

Two stars, one for each of the pieces it was in when I finished reading it. Money ill spent.

I have been exposed to the Internet since 1991 when only universities or companies like Microsoft had access to it. So, I was used to surfing the Internet using FTP, Telnet, etc. When the World Wide Web came into existence in the mid-nineties, it grew faster than anything any of us could ever imagine (as we all know by now). I ran across one of the first editions of the Rough Guides about the Internet in 1997. Till then, inspite of being very familiar with the technology behind the Internet, I felt very uncomfortable about my knowledge of what the Web was all about. This Rough Guide was the reference I started using to change my ignorance about the Web. I bought every edition since then and have benefited tremendously.

So, why is this book so great? What does it offer? Well, considering that it is almost impossible for anyone to learn everything about the Internet, most people don't even bother to learn the basics. Not surprising, since you have to spend hundreds of hours reading too many books to even get a glimmer of understanding about this untamed beast called the Internet. This book addresses all the main topics in approximately 500 pages, and provides you the critical information that you need to know about the Internet in Plain English! If you like trivia, there is also quite a bit of it in this book on the history of the Internet. This book acts as a pocket reference, complete reference, listing of popular sites, dictionary and more - all for under [$$]

Being raised on British books, I thoroughly enjoy the systematic treatment of any subject that British authors tackle. This book is no exception - it is very thorough, complete and the facts are extremely accurate. Unfortunately, British books don't do that well in America (probably due to marketing disadvantages). But if you get a chance, check this book out and I am sure that you will be a fan of British books forever.

I have always bought several copies of each edition of this book that came out and gave them out as gifts to close friends and family that were new to the Internet. Every one of them has thoroughly enjoyed the new found knowledge gained through this book. I hope you have fun discovering more about the Internet by reading this book on a train ride or plane trip somewhere. Good luck!

This book is small, yet filled with more information than 5 of the Dummy books and i feel smart using it not like the dummie books. You will find ways to deal with problems on the Internet as well as a dictionary of site to run too. Great gift for the Computer user.

Excellent book! Love it! Highly recommend to all! One of the best internet guide books I ever got! Thanks rough guide :)

I have a daughter born in and adopted from China and when I saw this book on her pre-school library wish list I knew that I had to get it as her gift to her class. This book is a wonderful way to introduce children of all ethnicities to a culture that may not be their own. Our daughter's teachers have loved this book and it has become a favorite amongst all the classes.

This book is an example of typical Grace Lin illustrations. The idea behind the story is great. I love the idea of mixing Chinese culture with basic western skills- in this case, shape recognition. My main complaint is the fact that only 3 shapes are covered in this book! Round (circle), square and rectangle. That's it. I was expecting triangles and maybe stars or something. AT LEAST TRIANGLES!!! Still, a good purchase. The book promotes cultural awareness, and is worth a look.

3 of our children age between 2 and 7 loved this book! The colours and illustrations are great, the rhyming works well.The 2 year old loves the pictures, the 3 year old loves finding the shapes, and the unusual items named such as 'Chops, radish cakes, inking stones' which follow its Chinese theme are fascinating for our 7 year old, and we have had some great discussions. There is a childrens glossary at the back which explains the more unusual items, he loves this also. All the characters portrayed are Chinese.
Much better than the usual shapes finding books!

A book both boys and girls will find enjoyable, as stated by parents I have surveyed. Round as a Mooncake presents shaped items children come across when living in or near an Asian community, or if they have Asian friends. This book does an excellent job introducing words and terms to children from a time-rich culture (i.e., mooncake, name chop, lucky money). The illustrations capture one's attention. The colors of the images presented are rich and vibrant. There are enough well known objects children recognize to be comfortable with if not familiar with some of the new terms (i.e., pizza, window, cell phones. The glossary is an added bonus, introducing resources for children.

My daughter is from China, so combining the Chinese cultural lessons with learning about shapes was "double the fun"! She loves the illustrations and the story and enjoys looking for more shapes in the pictures by herself. This has become one of her favorites, along w/all the other books that have been written and/or illustrated by Grace Lin. It's a fun teaching tool for learning about shapes... I was a little surprised, however, that they did circles, squares and rectangles, but no triangles... Overall though, it's a great book!

The size of the book is appropriate for carrying in the field. The narrative is concise and well presented. The pictures of the birds are easy to reference. The real test of a field guide, though, is how useful it is when there is an unidentified bird in front of you. I will not know that until I get back from S. Africa in March but this book appears comparable to the better guides for US birds.

We wanted to label all the photos of birds we took in South Africa. This book made it easy to locate the drawings of the birds. . .drawings that were very lifelike. . .and attach the names to the photos. We highly recommend this guide.

This guide looks perfect for my needs. I have looked it over carefully, even though I haven't had a chance to use it in the field. I definitely like the quick reference guide to bird types inside the front and back covers and the color-coded reference to bird groups. Look forward to using this guide in the field.

Well worth the money to enjoy your trip to South Africa even more. Even with a good guide (like we had with Transfrontiers) it is well worth taking a strong field guide like Birds of Southern Africa. That way when your guide is trying to tell you what you are looking at, you can see the picture up close and get a better idea. We have done many trips to various parts of Africa and this is one of the best guides we have used.

Warning: using this field guide will make you dissatisfied with many other field guides. You will enjoy studying and using this guide.
The illustrations are large and detailed, distinctly more accurate than most guides. In addition most are just beautiful works. They are grouped in species settings with juveniles, alternate plumage, flight and significant field marks highlighted.
On the opposite page: written description, habitat, abundancy status and call descriptions with a range map plus the Afrikaans name.
As an example of the illustrations: the Laughing Dove is illustrated by two flight poses and a profile. The profile has arrows noting 'no hind collar', 'cinnamon back' and 'black-flecked necklace'. The written text notes marks that distinguish this bird from a Cape Turtle-Dove.
The cover is plastic coated and the pages have a lesser water resistant coating.
A lot of attention to detail went into creating this book --colored coded page edges according to bird group, groups of waterbirds and hawks in flight for comparison, a checklist near the index and internet addresses of birding resources in the area.
All this in a work that I carried in a large pants pocket every day.
It just makes me wish such books were available for many more areas.

I'm glad they were able to make a book out of all the pictures they took, they are amazing and worth appreciating. The book is way cheeper than the cost of getting the photos, probes of this kind cost millions of dollars and don't always succeed, this is a true treasure.

This is a beautiful book with stunning pictures from a distant world. Well worth the money.

A note to Amazon: The USPS delivered this item in a box that had been quite literally mutilated in transit. I took photos before pulling back the flap that was already open. It was a miracle the book was in one piece. This is not an unusual event when I recieve packages shipped USPS.

This book is full of wonderful images and information on the stunning Cassini mission. I could only dream of seeing such images when I was a kid caught up in the space program in the 50s and 60s. I think about how much the great pioneers, from Galileo to Carl Sagan, would have loved these images. There have been many more extraordinary images sent back from Cassini since this book was published, so I beg the authors to follow up with a second edition!

Gorgeous pictures, informative astronomical information and more about Mars fresh from the Cassini spacecraft. The next thing to being there almost.

For me this is a superb collection of images and text relating to our more "up to the minute" knowledge of the ringed planet and it's accompanying constellation of moons and moonlets, the slightly oversized format is ideal for viewing this style of photography, in that it allows you to get some grasp of the scope and scale involved in the outer planets. We are given a window out of science fiction into the more breathtaking realm of natural beauty. More dazzling to the eye than Jupiter, Saturn captures the imagination for me like no other world and this book shares the amazing images beamed back to us from nearly unimaginable distances and makes the unfamilier seem all the more majestic and awe inspiring. If you are a fan of astronmical photography, the Cassini space probe or just have an interest in the raw beauty of science and exploration, this book is a must have.