V Books

The first four prologue chapters outlines the origins of Japanese history starting with the creation of the world by the gods. Then we fast forward to the time of the ruling Taira (Heike) family in 12th century Japan. They are overthrown by the Minamoto family faction. At that time, one of the symbols of the emperor, the ancient sword named Grasscutter was lost in the Inland Sea. The Heike crabs in the sea, have the appearance of the lost Heike warrior's faces (Google the image of these crabs, they are amazing!). Fast forward again to Usagi and the ongoing plot to restore the emperor to power and overthrow the shogun. In this volume, brilliantly as ever penned and written by incomparable Stan Sakai, Usagi stumbles literally upon Grasscutter. The conspirators had enlisted supernatural powers to secure the sword, and it is up to Usagi to prevent Grasscutter from falling into evil hands. Other highlights of this volume include Usagi's on-again, off-again bounty hunter sidekick Gen, and the supremely evil Jei, emissary of the gods. Sakai never fails to disappoint and is able to maintain an amazingly high standard for his graphic novels.

I only just recently discovered the adventures of Usagi Yojimbo, and being a swashbuckler/samurai fan I started thumbing through issue number one at my local library. It looked interesting enough to pick up. The first couple of books were fun, you can see where artist Stan Sakai borrowed from Japanese mythology and other sources, and look a few homages to some of Kurosawa's greatest films. Light entertainment. And then I picked up Grasscutter. What a story!!! Starting of with the legend of the sacred sword Grasscutter, Sakai spins an amazing quest saga. All the elements are there, love, betrayal, friendship, loyalty, honor, magic, monsters, plots, ninjas .... A fast moving tale with surprises on almost every other page. To add even more depth to the story, Sakai cleverly weaves in characters and plot points from past adventures. You don't need to read previous Usagi Yojimbo novels to enjoy this tale, but trust me, it's well worth it!

In this story , the future of Japan swirls on "Grasscutter" the losted Japan Emperor Sword in the bottom of the sea, wich was the gift of the sun goddess Amaterasu to the first Japan Emperor and the most important simbol of the emperor authority. With 4 prologue-shortstories that tells the old history of the sword, you can inmerse yourself in this tale without problems in this "1999 Will Eisner awarded Graphic Novel".

Basically, at this time the shogun is who have the power, but a conspirancy of 8 Lords, pretend to find the lost sword and use it in a plot to reinstaurated the full power of the emperor. Once again the journeys of Usagi Yogambi take him to the middle of the action and put the destiny of Japan in his hands.

Good story telling where the costumes, and historical facts will be mixed with magic and misterious forces in a fight between good and evil, among a good and detailed art, fullfill the expectations of the fans. You will find here a lot of the usual protagonists, but if you are not common to this serie this can be a good startpoint because is a self contained story, anyway, apparently there will be a "Grasscutter 2" for the beginning of the 2002.

Stan Sakai gives us a glimpse of the mythos of the creation of Japan. A sword - Murakumo-nu-tsurugi - from this legend resurfaces in the age of Usagi Yojimbo. The sword was once in the possession of the Emperor but vanished beneath the ocean. Desperate samurai seek to reclaim the sword as Usagi stumbles upon it. Usagi slowly realizes the potential danger of this sword and wishes that he had never found it. When the sword is taken away from him he charges after it realizing that the sword could cause civil war in his beloved Japan. In this book Usagi again meets the bountyhunter Gen, the mad samurai Jei, priest Shobo and the lightning fast samurai-ko - Inazuma. Outstanding artistry from Sakai and awesome swordplay from Miyamoto Usagi. In the end of this book Stan Sakai writes about the myths that inspire him to write these stories and explain these myths. Really interesting if you want to know more about japanese mythology.

Stan Sakai's long running series hits an all time high with this ambitious story mixing history, mythology, and his own unique universe of anthropomorphic characters.

The book begins delving in Japan's mythological past to tell story of the origin of "Grasscutter," one of the three sacred treasures given to the Emperor of Japan, and how it was lost in a battle that decided the fate of who should rule the nation. This trade paperback contains copious notes on Japanese history and mythology so it is much more than just reading a comic book.

This story includes other storylines that have appeared as loose threads in previous books and they all tie neatly together in a well thought out epic confrontation, including a climatic showdown between Usagi and long time nemisis, the demonic Jei.

I would recommend this series to more than just fans of comic books and graphic novels. It's just an excellent story. Period.

My daughter, too is enthralled by Geraldine McCaughrean's retelling of Greek myths. Her selections are the same stories I was told at a similar age and which I think whetted my taste for narrative and helped turn me into a lifelong reader. McCaughrean manages to get across the failings of her human and divine characters in a way that a child can understand, so the stories have wit and moral resonance in addition to plot. This book has us racing through the bedtime routine so we can read the next story together; I don't know of a better endorsement than that!

A great introduction to Greek Mythology for adults and 4+ yearolds that flows nicely from one story to the other incorporatingrecurring characters. Well arranged but stories are kept succinct without oversimplification. Cheerful illustrations avoid the gore from cutting heads off multitudinous mythical creatures. A worthwhile book for any complete children's library!

I read this book to my 4 year-old daughter when she became interested in Greek mythology, and it quickly became her favorite. The stories are lively and interesting, the pictures colorful and engaging, and each one is just long enough to engage without becoming boring.

I bought this book for my 5 year old daughter and we have read it all in just two sittings. She is begging for me to read it again tomorrow! That's an endorsement if I ever heard one. It's lots of fun to read too because each story is only a couple of pages long and the illustrations are very nice.

Ancient Greece is part of our 6th grade Social Studies curriculum. My students looked forward to hearing a myth a day and were disappointed when I finished the book.

This book is great for short, easy-to-understand, fun, read alouds.

The best book you can ever get in General surgery. If you really want to enjoy surgery while you are reading, get Greenfield's. The sub specialty sections are awesome as well, you don't have to look elsewhere when you get this book.

i found this book the best surgical book covering
basic scince,general surgucal and subspescility topics including
anatomy,pathophysiology of surgical dieases and managment in details.

I came across this book back in early 2002, and since my best friend had the Sabiston and we were on a budget, i bought this one. This is deffinetly the best and the most complete book i could have bought on general surgery. It takes you from anatomy trough physiology in each pathology you read upon. Would recomend it to anybody, either finishing medschool, or starting your residency in General Surgery.

i'd rate in terms of comprehensibility &modern thinking greenfield>sabiston>schwartz

I happened to pass through this most wounderful book by mistake, but when I read through it,Ii felt really sorry for not depending on it as an additional but essential referrence during my college and postgraduate years, the chapters are well organized and deeply written easily read, the illustrations are very clear and informative, although I might suggest a second more expanded chapter on infections being one of the most serious sergical enemies infections. ..I really want to thank the editors and contributors for the enormous effort they have put here and all the knowledge I found in this great book.

Free shipping, got it on time, and way cheaper than what I paid at the school bookstore!

This book is a MUST HAVE for anyone learning to administer local anesthesia (dental fields)!! The author really knows his stuff!!

I believe this is an excellent review about this subject, especially for students. its graphics and pictures are very educational.

The fourth edition now has second color for ease of reading.The technique portion has been expanded to include supplemental ones.Also expanded are the local and systemic complications. Questions concerning LA are also useful for both students and dental professionals. Very useful refernce text for my CE courses, as well when needing a refernce chairside when I have difficulities.

I will be soon training to administer local anesthesia in the dental office where I work as a periodontal co-therapist. This is the book that is required and with the DVD it is perfect for studying. I would recommend this for any dental hygienist in this type of program.

This is the way comic albums or graphic novels should be presented. In a beautiful large size [I call these French deluxe editions as this is how they publish standard comics in France] hardcovers on extra fine paper. Boards are designed beautifly in clothe with golden letters. A big plus for me anyway is that there is no dust jacaket present which just annoys me as it interferes with holding and reading.

This is exactly the way I was hoping DH would reprint the Conan chronicles in 9 x 12 inch deluxe editions and I still hope they will one day [soon, soon, soon...].

I did not review the story and art as that is a given: it is awesome! More sketchbook material and preliminary pages would be nice, but this is great also.

This book is worth easily $100-200 quality wise and you would really be making a mistake by not buying this great book here on amazon.

DH people are you listening, we want also Conan by John Buscema and others done this exact way.

5 stars and more.

This book is great, the art looks amazing on this size. My only complain is the black fabric on the hardcover, man, that thing is a dust magnet, just wait and see. My wife thinks the exterior looks elegant, I think it looks cheap, I guess you need to see and feel it. I like better the Seed of Destruction hardcover, however, the art looks much better on this new hardcover, and the paper quality is great. Buy it, the exterior may not bother you.

This volume was my introduction into the world of Hellboy, and let me just say that I am impressed. Not only is the story both intriguing and engrossing, but it's also just plain fun. The writing is great, and the art is gorgeous, especially in this format. The inks and lines are sharp, the paper is very high quality, and the extras are well worth checking out. The cover, as another reviewer noted, does tend to get dirty quickly, but it's easy to clean just by wiping it off. This is definitely one of the best collections of a comic book I've seen, and it's well worth the price. If you're a fan of Hellboy, I'm guessing you own this already, and if you've ever been curious about Hellboy, or comics in general, you should definitely check this out. I've already pre-ordered volume 2, and I'll be getting any others Dark Horse wants to put out.

Hasn't been long since i really dove into reading comics, and searching for collections of series in hardbacks (like this one). The Hellboy Library really impressed me, it doesn't look like marvel omnibus or DC absolutes. I thought the cloth cover made it look very unique and stylish (although one reviewer said its a dust magnet, which isn't far from the truth, i liked the limited edition leather cover they made for hellboy seed of destruction which i sadly missed, this is a great collection)

I love how big it is and how well the art looks, the quality is fantastic for the price its totally worth every penny, i really can't wait to read more of it and can't wait to put Vol.2 right next to it. (which is already being pre-orderd on amazon :-D) I sure hope they do something like this for B.P.R.D. As well as hope they come out with covers like this for other popular dark horse series!!

Only thing i would have liked would have been a higher page count.

I just got this book today, and am very pleased with it. The book is wonderful, larger then the older Hellboy collections, but does not sacrifice the quality of the art. There is a new introduction, but other then that it contains the same materials as the two older collections compiled here in.

I acquired this to replace my original graphic novels, which are coming apart from repeated reading

This book is BY FAR my favorite of the series. Great purchase for any fan or newcomer to the series. Any one of these can be picked up and read on their own.

An excellent atmospheric Hellboy romp, as usual. For a concept or even character design when you first see it, somehow it works. It looks ridiculous, sounds like it would be silly, but it is not. Hellboy is exactly the kind of guy you would love to buy a beer for (hopefully out of range of any monsters). Mignola's style just fits.

This is comics as it was meant to be. Great art, exciting story, interesting characters and nice scenery (buildings and places). This is good stuff. - Mike Mignola, give us another four part mini series, it's been far to long since we got one.

Love the H.P. Lovecraft gothic horror influences, the sarcastic humor, and the art...FANTASTIC!

The last collection(for now..sigh) ends with a big bang as Mike Mignola continues to delve into the history of those pesky nazis. As Indiana Jones would say,I hate those guys! Just as Steven Spielberg understands and honors all those pulp stories in his Indiana Jones movies(along with another guy who understands the pulps, George Lucas) Mr. Mignola brings out Lobster Johnson! to combat the Nazi nastiness! If all comics were even a quarter this well produced I'd be broke! Good news for Hellboy fans, the fun continues in Weird Tales and B.R.P.D!

Release Control Art Restriction to Level "0" and 2nd coming of card shark and rip van.

Number seven in this fantastic series is a continuation on a point. We're at war now, and the vampires are tearing people apart left and right. Blood, guts and gore flow thickly across the pages. While all this is fantastic, for those looking for plot, this volume has less of a delivery. Its mostly blood this time around, but if youre collecting the series and want to keep up, you can't miss it! There is one major plotpoint stuck right in the middle bookended by carnage so pick it up and read it you Hellsing fan!

The plot is really good!Graphics are great and I almost cried becuase Seras looses her love, Captain Vernadead.It's really sad but so good!

If you've made it this far, you know that the graphics are superior, the story is awesome (you can't beat Nazi vampires and the Vatican trying to take out a Protestant vampire killing organization, Hellsing). The best part about this book is that it focuses just on the fight at the Hellsing Headquarters and goes in-depth just about Seras and the other people there. I can not wait for #8 because Alucard arrives in London at the end of this book.

If this is this end then perhaps my rating is a bit too high, but still, Hellsing, from volume 1 though 7 was one of the most solid manga I've had the chance to read. It doesn't veer at all from its base storyline, it's bloody and violent and lets you know this early, and the characters are lovable, even if they are monstrous creatures who enjoy gore. And in volume seven, though the story definitely isn't finished, the action is non-stop and quick-paced. I blasted through this manga in less than an hour.

Of course, the story in this volume follows the continuing struggle against the undead Nazi invaders who have targeted England as the focal point for their "var". The battle focuses mainly on Seras and the Captain's efforts to keep the Hellsing Organization headquarters intact as an undead invading force led by a tattooed, sorcery-wielding vampire. Let's just say that things don't go so well for the Hellsing members and the Captain's mercenaries, but their is one big surprise that had me sitting up straight as I read. I won't spoil it, but it's a spurring moment indeed that appears as things seem to be at their grimmest. And Alucard, the hero of the story, doesn't have much of a role in this, so don't expect him...

Then comes the super ambiguous ending. It's a kind of face off that shows that things definitely aren't finished yet, but by all indications this is the last manga in the line, at least in the States, and a new volume isn't planned as of yet as far as I know. The soon-to-come anime, though, is planned, one that actually follows the storyline of the manga and doesn't go off on it's own course. Maybe the story will be finished there, or maybe it will be as ambiguous as it was in the manga. If it is, I'll be one disappointed Hellsing fan, that's for sure.

Either way, I still highly recommend this manga to anyone who loves darker manga such as Berserk. It's easily the goriest manga I've read, with a story that promotes action over plot, which will appeal to fans of quick-paced manga. Hellsing is a great manga, all around, and should it continue from this volume, I'm considering making it my personal favorite (which is now held by Berserk).

i own this book & LUV it - the whole series is great! i find the illustrations & pics make learning the information much easier than just reading from a txt book! it's a good book 2 use as a refresher or along with nursing school txtbooks.

I absolutely love the 'made incredibly easy!' series by Springhouse. I've been a CCU nurse for 12 months now. I often share these books with patients to help give a visual explaination of procedures and what to expect after the procedure is done. These books do a wonderful job of relaying information in the simplest terms so that anyone can understand it. These books are perfect for reviewing what you already know as well as learning a few things you didn't. LOVE these books! I believe they also have a monthly magazine that is just as good as the books!

I bought this book to help me write a lecture for nursing students. This was a huge help. Hemodynamic monitoring is a difficult concept to understand. This book helped make it more visual for my students.

What a fabulous book, easy to read and understand with wonderful diagrams. I bought this as a reference book for new staff to my area. Even the most experienced staff in the area have found this book to be an excellent resource. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a comprehensive easy to read and understand guide to hemodynamic monitoring.

Finally! A book that works easily for visual learners!! I precept lots of new grads and new RN's (new to critical care) and I find this is a useful tool to help them put all the written/spoken theory together and understand Hemodynamics.

I recommend this book both to medical students who are studying histology for the first time and to doctors. I, as a pathology resident, found this book very helpful for studying the normal structure of organs because of its great pictures (including special stains and electron microscopy) and its easy-to-understand yet detailed text. Also the clinical, physiological and cell biological correlations (presented as text boxes throughout the book) help you a lot in getting a more clear picture about the presented organ or tissue.

This is the best histology book I have seen. Good for molecular biology researchers as well-better then many standard textbooks. Very good discussions of development of cell types as well as structural histology.

A very detailed book with fantastic photographs and diagrams throughout.An excellent reference book for anyone studying histology.

The photos are very good in this book. If you are taking histology I do recommend this one. This is a complete text. Each subject area is expertly done (example) muscle tissue, bone, skin etc.
If you want also a great studying tool to help you prepare for your exams, I recommend HISTOLOGY STUDY GUIDE: KEY REVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS author Patrick Leonardi. This helped me!!!

This is a very well produced book wilth many illustrations which make histology, a topic I've taught but never mastered, make more sense. While the book is very approachable, it is still very much in-depth and if you are looking for a more introductory text, you may want to consider getting an atlas to begin. However, medical and graduate students would do very well with this text since it bridges the molecular mechanisms active in cells to the microscopic structure of tissues and organs. It also brings the microscopic structure and function into view regarding the gross anatomical perspective as well, giving a top-to-bottom appraisal of histology. This would have been a five-star rating if only the pages were not so whispy that my highlighter bled through to the other side of the page repeatedly. Students, buy this book with confidence, but underline rather than highlight!

I found her book an excellent addition to my personal library and now plan on reading her book on the immune system. It may have lacked the genetics and cellular biology of more technical works; this made it a much more enjoyable read, without losing important information.

How Pathogenic Viruses Work

What a wonderful read! Outstanding introduction to exactly how viruses work. A perfect introduction to virology. Wish I read it before I majored in the field. Highly recommended!

In an age with threats of bioterrorism and the ever present threat of global pandemics, with the rapid growth in knowledge in the biological sciences, it is difficult if not nearly impossible to fathom what is going on. Several years ago I decided to educate myself in the areas of molecular biology, immunology, and infectious disease. My only formal training in the biological sciences was high school biology from over 40 years ago. I read articles in Scientific American, Discover Magazine, numerous books, both textbooks and popular books, and found myself not seeing the forest for the trees. Then I found Dr. Sompayrac's books, "How the immune system works," and "How pathogenic viruses work." My usual words of praise are "not bad," but in the case of these books, I have to say "excellent." Dr. Sompayrac somehow manages to present the forest without neglecting the trees in a highly entertaining, readable, and informative manner. Both books are short, but rich in content presented in a well-organized manner with appropriately placed brief reviews. After reading his books, I then went back to some of the others and found that everything just fell into place.

I have already recommended both to numerous friends. Not only should these books be read by any lay person interested in modern biology, infectious diseases, and immunology, but public health workers, high school teachers, undergraduate students and teachers should all find these books worth reading and using as references. I actually wrote to Dr. Sompayrac suggesting he follow up with a book on "How pathogenic bacteria work," and I can only hope that he does.

I'll admit to being intimidated by a book titled "How Pathogenic Viruses Work." Being a well educated layman more attuned to marketing than medicine, I expected to be completely lost while reading about the various bugs that invade our bodies and how the body calls to battle its natural defenses.

However, I was rescued by some of the best writing and the most logical presentation I have ever read. This is no small claim as I have published over 150 articles for high tech magazines covering some very detailed topics in computing. My hat is off to Sompayrac for communicating complex topics in a style that is both clear and entertaining.

Sompayrac organized his book in the very way I would want to study the subject. His opening chapters (which he calls "lectures") deal with the way viruses "think" and the three basic problems that all viruses must address in order to survive. Sompayrac's explanations bring home the mechanics of Darwinism that viruses face when invading our bodies or breading themselves in cross-species transplants.

Sompayrac then discusses how viruses enter our bodies (inhalation, orally, through birth and through sex) and why each path has its advantages for specific viruses. For each entry method, Sompayrac discusses three unique viruses and how they conquered the problems of replication, spreading and evasion of host defenses. Sompayrac finishes the book by discussing the tactics that modern medicine is employing or testing to combat viruses. The discussion of tactics and their usefulness or dangerousness in regard to HIV is most illuminating.

Unique to this work - and hopefully for Sompayrac's other books including a rumored book on cancer - is his light, almost playful style of writing that keeps the reader riveted to the discussion despite the occasional need to drill down into medical jargon. Despite being only a layman limited by a typical array of college biology electives, I read, understood and enjoyed the entire book. I walked away with new insights into the miracles of life - ours and those microscopic life forms that occasionally try to kill us.

Had I encountered this book in high school or college I suspect I would have changed my major from technical and business realms to medicine and virology. Sompayrac's insights show these worlds to be compelling, intricate and violent places where the very fate of mankind may lay.

I'm the guy who wrote this book. I thought it might useful to tell you a little about what's in it -- and why I wrote it.

There are many books which employ viruses as tools to teach molecular and cellular biology. This makes sense. A lot of what we know about these subjects was learned by observing how viruses usurp the biochemical machinery of their host cells. However, these texts tend to treat viruses as bit players, focusing mainly on the cells they inhabit. Consequently, such a book can teach you a lot about cell biology, but it usually won't give you much insight into the "mind of the virus." In How Pathogenic Viruses Work, the virus occupies center stage, because my goal is to give you an overall picture of virus-host interactions from the point of view of the virus.

There are also big, heavy books that seem to contain every possible detail about every virus in the universe. These texts are great for reference, but they give the impression that viruses are incredibly complicated and almost impossible to understand. In fact, viruses are quite simple. They really only know how to solve three problems, and the diseases viral infections cause are the consequences -- frequently the unintended consequences -- of the different ways viruses solve these problems.

How Pathogenic Viruses Work is written in the form of "lectures," because I want to talk to you directly, just as if we were together in a classroom. In this book, I focus on the important concepts, and leave out as much detail as possible. I also limit my discussion to viruses that cause diseases in humans. Lord knows, there are plenty of them, and to me (and probably to you), these viruses are really the most interesting ones.

Your professor may use this book as the core text for a course, supplementing these lectures with fascinating facts about his or her favorite viruses. Alternatively, your professor may use this book as a course preview, both to provide you with a global view of how pathogenic viruses work, and to give you "pegs" on which to hang more detail as the course progresses.

But no matter how your professor may choose to use this book, you should keep one thing in mind: I didn't write this book for your professor. This book's for you!