Works Books

Having taken 2 semesters of ASL, I must admit that I was disappointed to see a vocabulary list that I knew 95% of...but this book is definitely an excellent source for those with no or very little prior ASL knowledge. NOTE: THIS IS NOT ASL. The book is Pidgin Signed English (now called Contact Signing) which is easier to learn if your first language is English. That is, the grammar of ASL is absent in the presence of English word order. But the way the book is laid out, it's easy to learn! There's little bits of cultural information, how to engage and end a conversation, "do"s and "don't"s, and more! I like the little anecdotes, too.

Pros: Easy to follow, comes with a DVD to reinforce and clarify signs, decent amount of information for a beginner

Cons: NOT ASL (ASL "words" but not the grammar) and not terribly helpful for those with moderate exposure to sign language


Overall, it's a handy cultural tool that helps you learn a little language :)

We have a program in the Las Vegas mail processing center where we find solutions for better communication with all employees. To our hearing impaired employees, we had training held in our facility by a certified interpreter who taught both craft and management employees to finger spell words and phrases. We were going to order another sign language book to be given by our plant manager to those who completed the training sessions as his appreciation to them, but there were those who read the reviews on this "Idiot's" book, hence, this is what I ordered. They use it as a refresher, it's well illustrated and easy. Everybody was happy with the book. For the next training group, I'll be ordering some more of this book.

I am taking sign language classes and they gave us a book. The class didnt like the book that they gave us it didnt help us at all. So we all bought this book and its a great book with a cd and its easy learning.

I only just received this today and immediately opened the book and thumbed through the chapters, I also browsed the introduction and watched the intro on the DVD and reviewed a few other signs. That said I have not had time to get into the meat of it BUT what I have seen so far has been praise-worthy. A very good intro and some good info about different sign language 'languages' I learnt a few things thT I did not previously know (not signs other related info) which was quite interesting. Good explanation on what is conversational sign language and how it differs from say 'signed english language'. The DVD has a visual for the signs from the book (important to know), you are taught by both a deaf and hearing person (mother and daughter)which I also found good.More than 600 signs... Let's face it most people buying this are 'hearing' people who have an interest in communicating with the 'hearing impaired'. From what I have seen this book will help with basic communication and those seeking further vocab now have a base to build on.Also information on common misconceptions, interesting facts and also special tips on improving your signing. I will update the review as I explore the package more. But so far 'two thumbs up' (or 5 stars).

My wife works at a doctors office where they have a couple of deaf patients. She has always wanted to learn sign. She couldn't put the book down. After two days she was signing non-stop. Originally she only wanted to buy the DVD instruction but I encouraged her to use this book too. Now it is the other way around. She goes to this book first and uses the DVDs as a backup. I also got her some ASL flash cards that work well for practice.

Complete Metalsmith, Student Edition is an excellent resource. As someone completely new to metalsmithing I was hearing terms that I could not figure out and this book has them all. It is well written and seems very complete. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a reference book meant for the years. The construction is well thought out with a firm but flexible cover and wire binding. It is a convenient size to have on your work table at all times.

This is a handy little book to keep by your bench for a quick reference. You'll find basic information of what something is - not always how its used. I'm still learning metalsmithing and this little book complements my jewelry project books. I found it helpful and informative in this regard.

This is a wonderful book for a metal working student just starting out. It contains technical information in an easy to follow format, as well as lots of illustrations and clear directions. The coil on the spine makes the book easy to follow while working on a project. The student edition is a great place to start in learning this new craft

This is easy to follow with step by step instructions. If you are interested in learning metal smithing, I highly recommend this book. It is a great resource book for future use as well.

this book is very good and explains in plain english the how to's for this subject.

Could it Be B12, An Epidemic of MisDiagnoses by Sally M. Pacholok R.N. and Jeffrey J Stuart D.O.

A good friend of ours had a sudden unrelenting pain in her leg which baffled her doctors. After many months of suffering, and many failed treatments and medications, she tried inexpensive vitamin B12 injections which immediately worked, providing complete relief. Occasionally the pain returns and reminds her it's time for another B12 injection. The injections are easy with a small syringe and tiny needle, and the B12 is injected under the skin twice a week.

There are many more stories of B12 misdiagnosis in Pacholok's book. Nurse Pacholok first describes her own ordeal with pernicious anemia and B12 deficiency which motivated her to become an expert on the topic. Working within the health care system, she was appalled at the numbers of patients with obvious signs and symptoms of B12 deficiency who were misdiagnosed.

Finding the medical system apathetic and unresponsive to her advice about B12 deficiency, Pacholok wrote this book to empower medical consumers and to educate their physicians. Pacholok is on a crusade to change medical practice to routinely screen for B12 deficiency, and her book is one giant step in that direction.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is estimated to affect 10%-15% of individuals over the age of 60 years. 40% of elderly hospitalized patients have low or borderline serum B12 levels, and 50% of long term vegetarians have B12 deficiency.

B12 absorption depends on many cofactors, so it is possible to take adequate amounts of B12 in the diet, and still have a B12 deficiency. Absorption of B12 requires gastric acid, so anything which reduces gastric acid production such as gastric surgery, atrophic gastritis, or antacid drugs could produce B12 deficiency. The very popular antacid drug Prilosec (omeprazole) has been clearly shown to decrease B12 absorption. Other antacid pills such as Prevacid, Protonix, antac, Nexium, Aciphex, Zantec, Tagamet, Pepcid, Maalox, mylanta, reduce gastric acid, inhibit B12 absorption and may produce B12 deficiency. Drugs such as Metformin and other diabetes drugs can cause B12 deficiency. The anesthetic agent, Nitrous Oxide, or "laughing gas", used in dental or surgical procedures causes B12 deficiency

Pernicious anemia is the second most common cause of B12 deficiency. This is an autoimmune disease with loss of Intrinsic Factor, in which antibodies damage the stomach lining interrupting the B12 absorption mechanism.

Other people at risk for B12 deficiency include vegetarians, people with eating disorders such as bulemia and anorexia, inflammatory bowel disease with malabsorption (ie. crohn's).

Auto-immune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis may be associated with B12 deficiency(pernicious anemia).

Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause unusual neurological symptoms such as tremor, gait disturbance, severe pain, and can mimic MS (multiple sclerosis) or even Parkinson's Syndrome. The physical signs and symptoms can often mimic other diseases and the diagnosis is frequently missed.

B12 deficiency damages the myelin sheath around the nerve fibers, this is a soft fatty insulating material which is also damaged in demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

B12 deficiency can cause mental changes such as irritability, apathy, sleepiness, paranoia, personality changes, depression (including post-partum depression), memory loss, dementia, cognitive dysfunction or deterioration, fuzzy thinking, psychosis, dementia, hallucinations, violent behavior, in children; autistic behavior, developmental delay.

B12 deficiency can cause neurological signs and symptoms of abnormal sensations (pain, tingling, and/or numbness of legs, arms trunk or anywhere),diminished sense of touch, pain or temperature (may mimic diabetic neuropathy Charcot foot), loss of position sense, weakness, clumsiness, tremor, any symptoms which may mimic parkinson's or multiple sclerosis, spasticity of muscles, incontinence, paralysis, vision changes, damage to optic nerve (optic neuritis).

Atherosclerotic vascular disease is increased by B12 deficiency including; Coronary artery disease, TIAs, CVA, heart attack, heart failure, claudication, all associated with elevated homocysteine levels caused by B12 deficiency.

B12 deficiency causes Megaloblastic Anemia (enlarged red blood cells with anemia). In this type of anemia, the red blood cells are fewer in number, yet they are larger in diameter (this large size is called megaloblastic and is measured on the CBC with the mean corpuscular volume, MCV). The anemia can cause fatigue, and weakness.

Cervical Dysplasia and increased risk for other dysplasias and cancers are associated with B12 deficiency. B12 supplementation is cancer prevention.

Most doctors do not test for B12, and if they do a test it is the serum B12 which may be unreliable because of the wide normal range. A more accurate test, urinary methyl malonic acid was developed by Eric Norman MD, and is inexpensive and widely available (MMA). The Methyl Malonic Acid MMA is elevated in the urine and serum in patients with B12 deficiency. Pacholok makes the case that everyone presenting for medical care should be routinely screened for B12 deficiency with the MMA, serum B12 and Homocysteine tests.

Treatment is Curative:

Treatment with inexpensive B12 injections or sublingual tablets is curative. Recent work by Kuzminski showed that daily 2 mg. oral B12 serves as well as monthly 1 mg intramuscular B12 injections. Serum Homocysteine is elevated in B12 deficiency. It is important to discover B12 deficiency early, since nerve damage can be irreversible if not discovered right away.

In conclusion, this is the definitive book on B12 deficiency, diagnosis and treatment for the lay reader and for the interested physician. As a result of reading this book, I now routinely test serum B12 and Urinary MMA on ALL patients, and have been surprised to find many symptomatic B12 deficient patients completely missed by the medical system. Needles to say, it is very gratifying to see ill patients completely recover with B12 injections.

I applaud the authors on a job well done, bringing B12 deficiency to the attention of the public, and no doubt saving many lives in the process. This book will make a positive impact on the nations's health, and change medical practice for the better. The only thing I would change about the book is to give Sally a name that is easier to pronounce.

Jeffrey Dach MD

If you have or suspect having a vitamin B 12 deficiency or if you need to learn about this deficiency for any reason, I recommend you read carefully the book " Could it be B 12 ? An epidemic of Misdiagnoses " by Sally M. Pacholok and Jeffrey J. Stuart. But don't let it be your only source of information about the deficiency. Because at least half of alternative reliable scientific reports about this subject strongly disagree with the major allegations of the authors of this book. You must also be aware of the alternative opinions before deciding on what to do about your vitamin B 12 deficiency. I am not a medical expert and do not say who is right or wrong. However, I am glad I researched other sources of information after I was diagnosed with B 12 deficiency and after I read this book. I couldn't find any other books on this subject but there are a lot of serious scientific reports published on the internet by credible hospitals, laboratories, medical journals etc. You don't have to be a medical expert to understand them, they are written for the general public. Some of the information on the internet is crap but a significant portion is reliable , very informative and based on sound scientific reasearch and experiments.

Search from Google under the headings of vitamin B12 deficiency, homocysteine, methyl malonic acid, intrinsic factor and pernicious anemia. A lot of articles will pop up among them by reliable hospitals such as the Mayo Clinic and some labs etc. Also search under the same headings from the websites of Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, American Family Doctor and Lab test on line. There are many other websites that include reliable information on Vitamin B 12 deficiency. After reading the book " Could it be B 12 ? An epidemic of Misdiagnoses " my initial reaction was an anger towards my doctor who diagnosed me with a B 12 deficiency believing that he had given me false information. I also had written a very favorable review of this book immediately after having read it two and a half months ago on January 19 2008. I have hereby replaced on April 11th 2008 my previous review of the book with this one based on my subsequent research on the internet about the topic from about ten different reliable scientific reports from different sources. My initial review was based only on the book. The present review is based on both the book and my subsequent extensive research. About half of the medical literature agrees with the authors of this book on the method of diagnosing and treatment of the vitamin B 12 deficiency. The remaining 50 % that disagree also base their views on sound scientific studies.

The authors of the book claim that most doctors in the world are ignorant about vitamin B12 deficiency. After finishing the book I initially bought this argument. However, after conducting the research on the internet I mentioned above I disagree that most doctors are ignorant about it. Surely there are a lot of doctors who are in fact ignorant about it and who misdiagnose. Even my doctor told me some things about vitamin B 12 deficiency some of which I still think are wrong. However, not all doctors who disagree with the authors are ignorant ; there are many among the disagreeing doctors who are very knowledgeable about this subject. Their methods of diagnosing and treating the deficiency maybe different than that of the authors. That does not necessarily make them ignorant. You can see this for yourself by reading their reports on the internet where they express alternative opinions about vitamin B 12 deficiency. Yet the authors of the book accuse all doctors who disagree with them with ignorance. I feel that it is unfair and unconvincing to accuse everyone who disagrees with you with ignorance. I got suspicious about that and found the alternative opinions. I am glad I did not let this book be my only source, I almost went and expressed my disatisfaction with my doctor based on this book. I regret that after reading the book and before reading alternative reports I got into an argument with a neuropsychiatrist whose acquaintance I made in a sports club who challenged the views in the book when I mentioned them to her.
Fortunately I did not go and quarrel with my own doctor based on the book ( it scares me to think I almost did ) because I had the sanity to investigate the deficiency from alternative sources.

The major allegations by the authors about which there is approximately 50 % agreement and of course 50 % disagreement among medical experts throughout the whole world have to do with the method of diagnosis and treatment of vitamin B 12 deficiency.

The authors claim that a serum ( blood ) B 12 test for a deficiency is unreliable by itself and must be accompanied by urinary methyl malonic acid ( MMA ) and serum homocysteine tests. Because in some cases a vitamin B 12 deficiency may damage the nervous system many years before it shows up on blood tests. Doctors who rely on the vitamin B 12 blood test alone could miss a B 12 deficiency if it does not show up on the blood test. The authors allege very strongly that the best measure of B 12 deficiency is the urinary methyl malonic acid and creatinine ratio test done properly along with serum B 12 and serum homocysteine tests. In the medical literature I researched there is strong support for this view. But there are also equally strong arguments in favor of the alternative view, claiming that on the contrary urinary MMA test results are not a reliable indicator of vitamin B 12 deficiency and that serum B 12 tests are more reliable. This is exactly the opposite of what the authors of the book claim.The book mentions that there are doctors that claim this. And it claims that these doctors are ignorant. However, in the reports the doctors state the reasons why urinary or blood MMA tests are unreliable and explain the results of scientific studies in support of their view. They are by no means ignorant.

The other major disagreement is about the method of treatment. The authors of the book claim that Vitamin B 12 oral tablets even in high doses are very often ineffective in treatment of the deficiency and insist that pain free injections directly into the blood is indispensible as a treatment method. They claim that nobody should lose time and risk ineffective treatment with oral tablets. In some cases this maybe true for swallowed oral tablets which have to cross the digestive system. However, I came across many different reports on the internet that mention the effectiveness of sublingual ( under the tounge ) oral vitamin B 12 pills that are also absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Especially during the recent several years many independent studies throughout the world indicate that sublingual vitamin B 12 pills have been found to be as effective as injections into the blood, making the injections unnecessary in many cases. After discrediting the oral tablets and strongly promoting the injections throughout their book even the authors back off from their claims on page 153 under the heading : " A Final Word about Oral B 12 " where they admit the promising recent studies about the efficacy of oral tablets administered sublingually. After I took 1000 mg of swallowable oral tablets for four months my serum B 12 level shot through the roof rising from far below the lower limit to more than twice the upper limit ! My doctor told me to discontinue swallowing the pills.

So, read the book and read any serious other sources you can find on the internet and then decide with your doctor about how you will proceed to diagnose and treat your or your loved one(s)' vitamin B 12 deficiency. Just don't take everything the book or the reports say for granted. Make your own analysis and draw your own conclusions based on a varied rich source of reliable information about this subject. Good luck !

This book has taught me so much, it is a must for everyone to read. An absolute eye opener even for someone who already suffers from the condition.

This book brings to light yet another health issue that doctors have ignored. It is amazing how symptom-fixated, drug obsessed, our current medical training is, rather than focusing on the whole body, health, diet and common sense methods of old. Read this book if you know of anyone showing signs of dementia. Or if you're in middle age yourself!

This book contains critical information that could change the lives of many people. Anyone with any sort of unexplained health problems, from Alzheimers to leg pain to autism, must read this. I also wish every doctor would read it and become more aware of the prevalence of B12 deficiency. After reading it at the library, I bought a copy for myself and one for my doctor.

I found this book to be very informative. It is written in easy to understand, plain language. Everything is explained well enough for a lay person to understand.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like a deeper understanding of how the digestive process works. Anyone who desires to take control of their health should read this. My doctor told me that the colon controls 90% of the other organs of the body. I had a hard time believing that until I began to do research on the digestive system. I have concluded that he was right.

This is an exceptional book about the digestive system. I would highly recommend it. I also ordered the children's digestive wellness and it too is an exceptional and informative book.

This is a great book, refresher for those medically trained, but fabulous information to help one with problems and to keep others healthy

I usually don't write reviews on Amazon unless I have extreme satisfaction from my purchase. Well this is one of them. I used to get bad heartburn frequently and was taking proton-pump inhibitors, which I felt were not alleviating the problem but maybe making it worse. I bought this book and learned a bit about the digestive system and the bacteria involved in helping us digest. Knowing that I have H. pylori which was the main cause of my heartburn, I decided to take the approach of promoting the good bacteria in my system. Since then I've done this, and barely ever get acid reflux. The only times I will get it is when I deviate to eating bad foods for a prolonged amount of time.

My sister, who is an Holistic Counselor, suggested that me and my Fiance read this book to help with his digestive problems that severely impact his life. I'm totally impressed with the information presented in this book; not only does the author discuss remedies to common, yet severe, digestive issues, but she takes the time to describe the digestive system in a way that anyone can understand. The initial description of the digestive system and the way that our bodies convert the items we ingest is, to me, the key to fully understanding the remedies she presents. I believe that the contents in this book are so valuable that I wonder why some of it is not included in high school curricula.

The visual wit of Ms. Sprecher and Ms. O'Brien is keen. Their brilliant portraits of well-known duos captures the essence of their fame with humor and charm. And as shown with the depiction of Michael Jackson "Then and Now" with an occasional (hilarious) nasty, um, bite, too.

I would never have believed it could be done. That humble pairs could actually take on distinct and identifiable human personalities. The secret is just as much in the first class photography as the clever positioning. Well worth the tenner as a present or just something fun for the coffee table.

Sprecher & O'Brien are horticulturally hilarious to the core. FAMOUS PAIRS is even funnier on the second read and funnier still on the third. It's a great buy for a pair of fivers!

This is a very funny book. The visual wit startles, like a jack-in-the box to a two year old. My mother in law would have bought copies by the dozen as stocking presents. She gave the best stocking presents. Buy this book as a stocking present and make someone laugh.

This book is a REALLY creative way to view the common, but curvy pair. I have to admit that I didn't get EVERY SINGLE reference, but I was able to relate to most of the vignettes and each invoked a smile if not an all-out belly laugh.
More of this kind of book.

Great help during my support group for Fibromyalcia. I learned some of my symptoms and why. Not that there are any cures. However, some suggestions.

Thank you,

Cindy Connor

I purchased this book for a friend of mine, recently. I had all ready bought it and it's companion book about 4 years ago. My friend was absolutely amazed at the "right on" words of Dr. Starlanyl on the FMS and CMP. She also was taken in by the easy to understand material. There was so much she had validated..she couldn't put the book down for a couple of days! It doesn't take the pain away..but it sure helps to know it "isn't all in your head"!!!

Dr. Starlanyl was way ahead of her time when she wrote this book. I actually read this in 2006 after 4 months of extremely painful and useless chiropractic "treatments." Frustrated and in severe pain, I picked up this book and learned a few things I didn't already know. The main one being the difference between Myofascial Pain Syndrome and Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Trigger point therapy (TPT) is used to treat MPS and my FMS exacerbates the MPS. But now I had found a new treatment that actually allowed me to move again. Before TPT: Vacuuming would leave me in a knotted mess with severe low back pain and full-blown FMS flare. After TPT: Now when vacuuming pretty much feel only the exhaustion of FMS and a slight tension. And this has lasted a year! I am so thankful.

Definitely give this book a read and her other book. Check out my reviews for other helpful FMS books.

Update 01/08: This book is still one of the best out there. I use self-TPT still and plan on seeking a practitioner.

Exceptional book helps everyone who has this depliating disease. A must have I think .. glad i got it

Regardless if you have this condition, know someone that has the condition, if your going to work/or do work in a clinical setting, YOU MUST OWN THIS BOOK!! I'm a recently retired Federal Clinical Social Worker who regrets not owning this book sooner. If your a librarian, do your clients a favor, PURCHASE THIS BOOK!! I plan to purchase this book for my PAIN CLINIC TEAM at the Veterans Hospital. Anyone knowing a veteran, military person, or a dependent of such should take a look at this book. Military people, past & present, take a body beating from the constant physical demands. This, in the long run, will effect you. Please, read the symptoms & be honset with yourself when doing so. There is no gain with pain if you don't acquire the needed help to manage it. It also doesn't make you less a person to admit your smart enough to accept help when needed. I was in the Marine Corps from 84 to 90. I didn't begin to feel the symptoms till 1999. I worked for the Veterans Hospital from 1994 til I medically retired in 2006. What is known as the Persian Gulf Syndrome is Fibromyalgia!!!! You need not have been in the Gulf to get this condition!!! Please, consider what I've typed & help another with the knowledge you will acquire from this wonderful MUST HAVE book.

(An earlier review may also appear after trying to merge and update an older acct with a new acct.) ...I picked this volume up at TechEd 2001. It maintains its relevancy four years later. The competition between related books brought the race down to "McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Networking & Telecommunications" winning by one length over the "Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking".
Tom Sheldon provided the most well-grounded and well-rounded information to fulfill the title of an "encyclopedia of networking" compared to Mitch Tulloch's very good but more Microsofted (I think microsoft as a verb can now come into play) approach to the subject and its fields.
Sheldon's book contains a greater variety of entries and their corresponding information (i.e. terms/acronyms like "NSA" & "PKI") instead of a namebrand focused presentation. I would like to see a "Special Characters" index category like Tulloch's book has, but this is not as necessary when using the search capability of the book's CD edition (which is included and loaded with hyperlinks to outside information sources).
I highly recommend Tom Sheldon's book. It's user-friendly layout and design are easy on the eyes, and I'm glad to have it at my desk (when I'm able to return it there after tracking down who last borrowed it).

I stumbled accross the old 2nd edition in our library and a day later I was in awe of Mr Sheldons fantatistic book. Unlike most networking books their is no waffle in this one. His style of writing disects networking information into logical digestible chunks. The second edition can be downloaded from his site but I recommend you getting your hands on the latest edition if possile because it is more upto date and has lots of new additions. This book is a one stop shop for everything you need to know about networking and a priceless resource for any networking student.

Firstly I'd like to say...Thanks Tom, for helping to keep me in a job! Up until recently I worked as a Network Administrator in Sydney and believe me, your books saved my bacon on more than a few occasions! I first received the electronic edition of the Encyclopedia of Networking whilst studying Computer Technology and e-business in Sydney. The encyclopedia was included as part of the overall course and many references were made in the college's learning guides to certain chapters when more detailed information was necessary on a particular topic. I'm currently involved in the area of Multimedia and Telecommunications and recently obtained a copy of the latest edition, The Encyclopedia of Networking and Telecommunications and am amazed at how much extra and updated information has been included. I keep the book close by at all times and find myself referring to it quite regularly. I could now honestly say that it's become my IT bible! It covers all aspects of networking, the Internet, Electronic Communication, topologies, protocols, security and various configurations in absolute and thorough detail. The encyclopedia also comes with a CD that can be loaded onto your computer as a PDF file and the search facility works brilliantly. I must say that if anyone is involved in, or wants to know anything about Networking and Telecommunications this book is an absolute must! Personally, I can't see how I could do my job without it. Thanks a million Tom! ...John Botica

Tom Sheldon can capture the core of a hard to read, multi-hundred page networking book in less than a couple of pages. Crystal clear definitions, well structured text and diagrams, plus excellent cross-references make his "Encyclopedia of Networking" a huge time saver for any networking professional. Manuel Vexler, Certified Network Engineer

I work for an ISP in the Upstate NY area in 2nd level Internet support. I have found this book to be a very handy and comprehensive reference on Networking technologies. We are also an ILEC and I am impressed with how well this reference covers terms or acronyms that I am unfamiliar with when dealing with this side of the business. Great job Tom! Keep up the good work.

I purchased the Mosby's Medical Dictionary and I am extremely pleased with it. It has many color photos throughout the book so you can see examples of diseases, skin disorders, etc. It is a great book, well worth the money, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Item came just as described and on time. I would definitely work with them again.

I really like this dictionary, I wish I could get this much info in a pocket dictionary!

I got this book because it had such awesome reviews. I'm going to be taking a test in the near future, and you're allowed to use a medical dictionary, and I picked this one.

I've been taking practice tests. On the first practice test I took, the first 6 out of 7 medical terms I tried to look up weren't in the book. I was stunned, and several of them were pretty basic words that I just wanted to get a very clear definition of.

I'm not sure it's even going to be worth lugging this book to the test, or even keeping the book. I may just sell it and try another book.

Jane

I'm in a medical school, and I find this book insanely useful...even for very elementary things. It has EVERYTHING in it and I don't regret buying it for a second :).

A must to complete the set. For some reason, I bought volume 2 first. As an aficiando of Mary Oliver, I am very happy to have both volumes now.

I love Mary Oliver's poetry - it always puts me into a better frame of mind, and makes me slow down and breathe. Her poetry is so lyrical and evocative, I am transported straight to the wonderful natural world, and am able to view my struggles and petty difficulties through a calming and peaceful lens. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, and to anyone who hasn't yet fallen in love with poetry - Mary Oliver is one of the best poets ever, in my opinion!

This is a collection of her poems, old and new. She is an outstanding poet, and one cannot do better than have her book of poems by your bedside, to read before going to sleep or when you awake in the night, or first thing in the morning.

The Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver, finishes her poem,"What Have I Learned So Far" with the line, 'Be ignited, or be gone.'To me, this conveys the passion she brings to life and poetry. What comes through clearly in her poems is her reverence for nature.
New and Selected Poems, Volume Two, is a moving collection of her past works combined with many new poems. There is a Zen isness that permeates her work.Haiku like parsimony with no embellishment. Nature does not need anything extra. For example, writing about what she saw after a storm -
And this detail: the body of a duck, a golden-eye; and beside
it one black-backed gull. In the body of the duck, among the breast
feathers, a hole perhaps an inch across; the color within the hole
a shouting red. And bend it as you might, nothing was to blame:
storms must toss, and the great black-backed gawker must eat, and
so on. It was merely a moment.
I recently saw Mary Oliver at the 92nd Street 'Y' in New York City where she was reading from this collection. See her if you can. She reads as she writes, with dignity and with passion and wisdom. This is an extraordinary collection of poems.

I have about 5 of her poetry books. I feel that her poetry has gotten more and more beautiful over time, and believe that this collection is better than Volume 1. Mary Oliver is definitely my favorite poet - much of her writing is about a thirst for growth and spirituality, and finding peace in nature and love (friendships and relationships). I have given this book to a number of friends, who are also touched by her gift of expressing the unexpressable. Some of my favorite poems in this book: the Percy series (her dog), Why I Wake Early, and The Whistler.

My other favorite book of Mary Oliver poems is her most recent one: "Thirst". It deals with grief at the lost of her long-time partner and is quite beautiful. For those looking for a really good book of poems in general, I *definitely* recommend "Good Poems," compiled by Garrison Keillor; and "Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Redemption" compiled by Roger Housden. Enjoy!

This book is full of fun information and it actually makes learning about a lot school subjects fun! Good for all ages that can read! Subjects about modern times and historic times. Science to math. Fun facts to colorful pages to fun myths. You'll never be bored and you'll always want to pick up Pick Me Up

This book is fabulous!!! I literally just 'picked it up' off the library shelf where it was being displayed as a new book. WOW is right. Promptly checked it out and soon bought a copy for my son who is 15. He goes back to it on a regular basis. I've started to buy it as a birthday gift for every kid I know!! I love cool kid books and this is definitely in my to 10.

Fun and Fascinating read that takes you all over the place. It is, as one review said, like surfing the web. Great resource for information you won't find in the encyclopedia

Our librarian intoduced us to this one and it's a hit for all age groups. Everyone who "picks it up" becomes engrossed. The format is different & takes a little getting used to but worth every penny! Many catagories, neat facts & trivia, nice artwork, pictures, diagrams, etc. Highly recommeded to encourage reading.

I think it's fair to say that this hip British encyclopedia is an unquestionably 21st century book. Its intricate layout is geared to engage minds acclimated to Internet hot links and lots and lots of graphics. If PICK ME UP had come out twenty years ago, its continual cross-referencing and graphic density might have made it indecipherable. But for today's Acquired Attention Deficit Disorder reader (young or old), the title says it all: Once this fascinating volume is picked up, it will not be set down anytime soon.

PICK ME UP's writers have seen to it that the book has absolutely stellar content. And I was pleased to see that they shirked no delicate issue, choosing to engagingly explain topics that public school teachers in the States would only tackle with a parental permission slip. Not that the book is prurient; rather, it turns its sensible gaze upon all aspects of behavior and history in such an astute, clearheaded way, one is inclined to turn its pages again and again.

Bravo!