Charles Williams Books

While this is clearly a pioneer and classic work in its field, there are, today, newer works that surpass this volume, first published 67 years ago, without many updates throughout its many reprints, in its usefulness. For example, the author includes literary references as well as art references (in other words, linguistic references that one does not see in art), so it is sometimes difficult to know if a particular object has different meanings "literally" from "figuratively". Additionally, the index is way too cursory, so there have been times when it has been extremely difficult to re-find something that one knows one has seen or read in the volume. A third shortfall is the use of line drawings as opposed to real photographs. There is a reason why we have the saying, "A picture is worth 1,000 words". Nevertheless, Williams was a ground-breaker in this area and this volume belongs in the library of anyone with a serious interest in the subject.

Now in its fourth edition, Chinese Symbolism And Art Motifs: A Comprehensive Handbook On Symbolism In Chinese Art Through The Ages is a straightforward survey of recurring symbols in Chinese artwork from ancient times to the modern day. Divided into entries devoted to each symbol ("dragon", "phoenix", "the eight immortals", "the five elements" and much more), which are in turn presented in alphabetical order, Chinese Symbolism And Art Motifs includes over 400 black-and-white illustrations and an index for quick and easy reference. The text succinctly surveys different uses of each symbol, and also presents the names for symbols and important historical or mythical Chinese figures in Chinese characters as well as in translation. An easy-to-use guidebook especially recommended for college libraries and students and scholars of Chinese art.

Very good O&G text. This updated edition is well done

This book is not like an ordinary medical textbook. It is more like an intermediate type between a medical text and a medical periodical. It gives considerable space to progresses of many medical-scientific research and the names of their authors. While on the other hand, it provides extremely concise outlines of etiology-manifestation-diagnosis-treatment for many common diseases, sometimes even skip certain important topics. As far as I am aware of , the following common topics are not or barely mentioned by this book: physiological changes of pregnant women; rubella infection during pregnancy; breast feeding of mothers with mastitis; the route and rate of mother-child transmission of HIV; the differential diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy; contraindications of the use of IUD; forceps use in labor; APGAR; There are also quite a few mistakes in the rear index.

Let's face it, Ned Snelgrove, aspired to be his hero, Ted Bundy, but he never got that famous like his hero. He was already in prison in New Jersey for murder and got off on good behavior after nearly killing a second woman. The author does an excellent job in explaining and detailing the lives of his victims, Mary Ellen, Karen, and Carmen as well as their families who suffered needlessly through the trauma of Ned's terror. For a young man who had a solid education and graduated from Rutgers University (my alma mater), he became a killer and rapist in New Jersey and his home state of Connecticut. Unfortunately, his last victim, Carmen, would catch him in his notorious lies. Of course, he did it. Carmen was seen leaving with him and nobody bought his story that he just dropped her off in the opposite direction of her apartment. Still, I am only three quarters through and it's an easy read with about 100 short chapters broken down into parts. There is no question that Ned is guilty of the murders of his college girlfriend, Karen Osmun, or Carmen, a beloved sister, mother, daughter, and grandmother. Her granddaughter died after her murder. Ned never amounted to be the serial killer with the likes of Ted Bundy, JEffrey Dahmer, or JOhn Wayne Gacy. Unlike them, he was much more sloppy, inefficient, and incompetent. He probably did not realize that Bundy was also a necrophiliac. He dumped Carmen's body in Rhode Island where she was found by Mr. Mareck, who knows personally what it is like to lose a loved one. His sister was murdered in the terrorist explosion of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland on December 21, 1988. He knows personally what it is like to lose a family member and not be able to find her. He found Carmen much to his own horror. The author paints a solid portrait of a crazed, brilliant sociopath criminal as well as the victims whose lives he claimed. Mary Ellen, the divorced mother and grandmother, survived but barely from her attack in 1987 while Carmen and Karen did not. Ned's crimes also took Karen's mother prematurely while Carmen's estranged husband in Puerto Rico died of a broken heart over her disappearance only two weeks after she was missing. Carmen would have never missed her daughter's baby shower or her birthday. Carmen was a fun loving woman who was vibrant and tried to overcome her hardship like her weakness for alcoholism. Karen had a promising future with a new boyfriend who treated her much better than Ned. She was killed right before Christmas in 1983. Her sister, Barbara, was pregnant and she would never get the chance to Aunt Karen. Phelps points these facts out about the loss of the victims. I thought the trial part was the least interesting part of the book because it becomes as always redundant and repetitive about Ned's lies and the facts about his guilt.

I AM OVER HALFWAY THROUGH THE BOOK AND THE MORE I READ THE BETTER IT GETS. THIS BOOK IS SO HARD TO PUT DOWN. MR. PHELPS DOES IT AGAIN!

If you are looking for a full and complete History and depiction of the monuments of Ancient Egypt. . . this is not the book for you. However, if you are reasonable well read on the subject matter it will give you a snapshot of that moment in time when Napolean's Army and expeditionary force opened the world's eyes to the wonders of ancient Egypt.

It is primarily a reproduction of the plates that Napoleon's Scholars made during their excursion there. When viewed and understood within this limited context the reader can explore the moments of European discovery of the wonders of Egypt prior to the rape of the artifacts of that country.

The Plates are beatifully reproduced.

This book contains half the collection of `La Description de l'Egypte', which I'll refer to as `the collection'.
The author/editor's introduction is as follows, then he goes on to describe most of the book in detail. Then come the pictures, which make most of the book.
`The Description de l'Egypte is itself a monument. Ten folio volumes and two atlases contain 837 copper engravings, many of them comprising multiple illustrations that number over 3,000 in all. Volumes I through V are devoted to antiquity. They gave a modern reading public the first comprehensive view of the architectural and artistic legacy of ancient Egypt. Two further volumes exhibit the artifacts and life of the country from the time of the Arab conquest in the seventh century until the French occupation of 1798-1801, and three more illustrate the natural history of the Nile Valley and the Red Sea coastal area'.
The deal you get with this book is as follows, the first five volumes are in it, the others aren't. In other, more simple words, you only get half `the collection' in this book, but it's the most important half, and you won't regret buying it. The other half of the collection I think is filled with maps, animals, plants, and local Arab artifacts of the time of Napoleon's invasion. I'm hoping that the authors C.C.Gillispie, and M.Dewachter produce a second book with volumes VI through X, but so far I haven't seen any sign of it.
If you are an Egyptology enthusiast you will probably be very pleased with this book, the same may go for those interested in architecture, science fiction fans, history enthusiasts, and many others. People who haven't seen these pictures before will probably be impressed by them.
There are other books of `La Description de l'Egypte', so I recommend looking around, but this one does seem the best value for money at the present time.

The setting is Australia, and the protagonist is half-aborigine, half-caucasian, detective wonder, Napoleon Bonepart.... Boney to his friends. Boney ALWAYS tells his superiors, in advance, that he will solve even the most difficult of crimes, and he does. The only thing is, his superiors are always pressing him on time and they unfailingly threaten to fire him on every case he works. Boney just mildly smiles and says, "Well, if you have to, then go ahead." But they dare NOT fire him, though (and Boney knows it too!) -- Boney is the top crime-solving detective in the whole of Australia.

This is one of his (Upfield's and Boney's) best mysteries of all time. Here, Boney is on a Busman's Holiday when he gets pulled into a missing person investigation in a small outback village. He follows clues just as the great Sherlock Holmes did, acting upon the most obscure pieces of evidence and information -- a shred of cloth here, a cigarette butt there, or, a partial footprint in the dust. Boney is an expert tracker and "evidence finder," thanks to his aboriginal blood on his mother's side of the family.

"The Rabbits" also come into this one in a big way -- they pretty much always do in Bonepart mysteries, and it's a fascinating aspect of each work. (For those who don't know, Australia is PLAGUED with millions of rabbits and they have government agencies, and lots of "rabbit fences," to help deal with them).

The thing I like most about Bonepart is his lack of concern for invading the privacy of suspects -- search warrants be damned! He sneaks right into suspects' houses and meticulously goes through their dresser drawers, sometimes to his demise! He also utilizes "the locals" as assistant amateur detectives to help him solve the case.

When you finish this one, you'll rush right out and grab another Napoleon Bonepart mystery. Why Upfield's works have remained so obscure, I have no idea -- but I'm darned glad I found him. All his mysteries are real page turners.

To summarize, I hate saying, "Better than Christie".... but, in this instance, I will do so with pleasure. Plenty of atmosphere and action. Real Cream.

If you like stylized mysteries, Agatha Christie, Australia, or unusual detectives you will probably enjoy this book by Arthur Upfield. The setting is Western Australia of the '30s to '50s. The unusual detective hero is the half-Aboriginal and half-white Napoleon Bonaparte ("Bony"). His struggle is to fit himself into the full range of Australian life, while being an outsider to both cultural worlds.

The real treat here is the insight you get into life in Western Australia in the first half of the 20th Century. Like Christie, the book is somewhat mannered in its approach. But the detailed view of Australians trying to live an "English" life in this remote corner will remain with you for a long time.

Upfield's view of the Aborigine in Australian society was probably quite daring for its time, but today it may make you shudder at its racist overtones. Never mind, keep on reading. This isn't life today in Australia; it is life as viewed through Australian eyes forty or fifty years ago. You will find yourself rooting for Detective Napoleon Bonaparte with his Aboriginal wisdom and Dreamworld view of crime and mystery.

Although Hamilton's reminisces of life on the plains is without a doubt an absorbing and fast-paced read, his approach to the plethora of Indians he annihilated over the years borders the arrogant, insensitive and callous.
In 1842 at the age of twenty, Hamilton goes west with the legendary Bill Williams and shadows him for three years trapping, trading and living the life of a mountaineer.
One has to ponder the following: being involved with so many Indian battles in the 1840's and 1850's, is this why the emigrants had reasonably safe passage to the west during this time period because he 'cleared the way' for them, as he somewhat insinuates (?)
We do gain insight (?) as to Williams' whereabouts and disposition throughout the years Hamilton accompanied him, along with an understanding of wilderness survival, techniques and Indian character, customs and culture.
After all his Indian clashes up through the 1870's, Hamilton establishes a trading post at future Missoula, Montana; becomes Sheriff and Deputy U. S. Marshall at Fort Benton then settles in Yellowstone Valley.
This is the stuff Hollywood eats up.

William Hamilton was born in Scotland in 1822, but was brought to America two years later by his fairly well-to-do family and raised in St. Louis. A sickly child, his father sent him west in 1842 with a trapping party headed by Bill Williams (he of later notoriety as the guide on Fremont's fourth expedition) for his health. Hamilton remained in the West for the rest of his life. The fur trade was just about ending when Hamilton entered it, so other employment was necessary; he found this mainly as an Indian fighter, though he was also a US Marshall, town sheriff, and Montana rancher. These memoirs were written in 1905, just 3 years before his death.

Hamilton is an adventure writer at heart, and the book relates one escapade after another. Many of these consist of fights with Indians, including Bannocks, Blackfeet, Modocs, and Pawnee. Much of this has the feel of what used to be called "boys books": lots of action, not too much moralizing, plenty of physical bravery on display. Its single dimensionality becomes a bit repetitious and tiring after awhile, but Hamilton's account of his life does have an authentic flavor and is certainly the "real deal" of a certain brand, at least, of western frontier experience.

Definitely interesting book. In this book Moskos outlines his paradigm for the postmodern military along the lines of 5 organizational changes and a number of emerging trends for the military. The book is written from a sociological perspective and examines the emergence of these postmodern trends in different militaries around the world. This is definitely an insightful and fascinating book and so is its examination of other nations. Definitely a read for military sociologists and officers alike.

This is a useful study of an important subject -- how military forces in developed countries are changing as a result of broader social and political change. The book draws on research by academics, professional military and others working as the 'Inter-University Seminar on Armed Forces and Society'. US academic Charles Moskos sets out the overall thesis which is that social and political changes since the end of the cold war are fundamentally recasting how military forces recruit and train their people, operate in military contingencies and relate to their national governments. Moskos sets out eleven major areas which the other contributers use as a framework for reviewing specific military forces. Areas include such issues as preceived threats, public attitudes to the military, the dominant type of military profession in a force, the role of women and civilian employees and so on.

This 'eleven-point framework is both a strength and a weakness. While it enables some useful points of comparision between different national forces, it forces the individual country studies into a rigid structure where areas of difference are underplayed and too much attention is afforded to issues that may not be important to individual countries.

Overall, the book succeeds in showing that armed forces are indeed changing into organisations quite different from their cold war predecessors. But many broader (and more important) issues are not addressed: is this trend a good or bad thing? Are forces changing too slowly or too quickly? How should military forces train their leaders to handle these changes? And most important, what impact does this have on the capacities of countries to defend their national interests? While 'The Postmodern Military' usefully sets out the foundations for this important debate, it does not attempt to provide any of the answers to these critical broader questions.

Gift books have a habit of piling up on me before I have a chance to read them. This book was somewhere in the pile at the time of Diana's death. At that point, I blew the dust off and hunkered down to read it. It's certainly not fast reading. I found it very informative although I have to admit I didn't read every word. It did give me a much better insight into the lives and functions of the British Monarchy. As for the story of Charles and Diana, it's obvious that they should never have married.

I love this book. Even though it is a few years outdated, before the official divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, it is still enthralling nonetheless. Mr. Dimbleby approaches the life of Prince Charles in nothing but respect, for a change. He opens up Prince Charles for you, and you learn about all of the good he does. It is amazing how much Prince Charles has done for unemployed and underprivaledged youths and areas. Through all of the tabloid-al journalism, you really get a good taste of the true Prince of Wales. I recommend this book to all royalists and monarchists and anyone wanting wanting true information instead of the tampered information often portrayed on tabloids.

I used parts of this book to teach my pro selling class this past spring (2007) at The University of Georgia. It is well organized. Writing is clear, succinct and easy to understand. Graphs, charts, drawings and pictures effectively illustrate principles of selling the authors emphasize. Cases at the end of each chapter are acceptable. Some are more challenging than others. I would like to see more role play and emphasis on using a contact manager like ACT!, but this is minor. The book's organization is very good. Overall, this is a excellent text for upper level, undergraduate students that want an introduction to the fundamentals of professional selling.

The main theme of Professional Selling: A Trust-Based Approach focuses on how the sales professional can increase sales through trust earned with customers.

Important points covered by the authors include:

1. Today's successful salesperson is a better listener than talker and emphasizes relationships instead of high pressure sales.
2. Types of personal selling approaches.
3. The importance of trust and how salespeople can earn it.
4. 6 primary facets of effective listening.
5. Initiating a harmonious atmosphere and displaying proper etiquette and grooming are very important in making a favorable first impression.
6. Summaries of the different types of approaches salespeople may use in a sales call.
7. Reasons why customers resist buying.
8. Techniques to get a commitment from a customer.
9. Repeat business is the lifeline of any business. While new business is important, it is more important to keep existing customers happy.
10. Tips on handling customer complaints.

While the book is meant to be more of a college textbook instead of something you may find by Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell, and others, the title contains good practical advice for the beginning or veteran salesperson. Having been in sales for over 10 years, I still benefitted from reading the book and will apply the pointers in future sales calls.

While the book is pricey compared to other authors (Ziglar, etc.), the book would be an excellent sales class taught at the college level.

Recommmended. Read and enjoy!

Charles W. Read was an inept student, he graduated last in his class at Annapolis in 1860 just before he re-signed his commission in the US Navy. What he showed (just like US Grant and a lot of other military minds) was that some people do best by doing, not studying. Having lost his steam ram in a battle on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg. He is called to work on a "Raider" out of Mobile Bay.

Once on the open ocean "Florida" sailed into the Caribbean where they attacked Union commerce and merchant marine. Taking a captured ship "Tacony" with one howitzer and some fake (Quaker) wood guns, Read proceeds to damage over twenty ships on his way up to Portland Maine where they are caught but only after they steal a US Revenue Cutter and blow it up. The story is a lot like that of the "Shenandoah" which had two books about it published in 2005; more interesting from an historical point of view but not that thrilling. (How exciting can it be to read about the capture and burning of fishing Schooners?)

Although a life-long Civil War buff I had never heard of this attempt by a young Confederate Naval officer to take the war to the seas off New England. Lt. Charles A. Read had previously served on the ironclad "Arkansas" and the commerce raider "Florida" and had seen a lot of hard fighting - which he seemed to relish. In February, of 1863, the "Florida" captured a Union merchant vessel and Read was given permission to take over and convert this captured ship into another commerce raider. Read promptly sailed to the North and with only one small cannon on board began to wreak havoc on the New England fishing industry. The Northern states then began beseeching Washington for more protection - threatening to divert resources from the bloackade of Southern ports. Shipping insurance rates started rising, too.

Shaw skillfully interweaves the two sides of the story - the motives and actions of the protagonist, Read, and his antagonist, Union Secretary of Navy Gideon Welles. The author may have a Northern bias but it does not ruin the story. There are many good accounts of Civil War naval actions - we can add this one to the list.