Reviews Books

Anthony Boucher was one of the world's great authorities on mystery fiction, but that was only one of his accomplishments. He knew everything there was to know, or at least he seemed to, about opera, science fiction and fantasy, comic strips, comic books, Sherlock Holmes, cooking, wine...well, you get the point.

I had the privilege to know Tony and his wife, Phyllis, for a number of years. I wish I'd known them better. In reading THE ANTHONY BOUCHER CHRONICLES (I have the one-volume Ramble House omnibus edition) I felt as if I were sitting in Tony and Phyllis's cozy living room on Dana Street, sharing a glass of wine while Tony went on about the world of detective fiction -- and a hundred other topics.

His voice is present on every page of this book: warm, wise, reasoned, knowledgeable, and above all decent. This is a book to treasure and to love, to consult for guidance and information or to read for sheer pleasure. If you're interested in popular culture in general or criminous literature in particular, you will bless the day you bought this book.

FWIW, Tony Boucher sent me the first rejection slip I ever received. I was seventeen years old at the time. His words were so kind and encouraging, I kept on trying until I'd made a career for myself as a writer.

No, no, I don't mean by not buying these books, I mean BY buying them!

Boucher was a prominent figure in the mystery and science fiction world in the 1940's and 1950's. There are three volumes in this set, each containing valuable reviews and articles on the writings of others of the period.

I enjoy reading Golden Age mysteries, but finding information about the more obscure ones isn't that easy. Finding many of the books is easy thanks to Amazon and eBay, but are they any good?

Boucher's opinion is one I trust. He has steered me towards some of my favorite mysteries. (I don't understand his high opinion of Craig Rice, though.) So these volumes have been very helpful to me.

Vol I and Vol II are similar -- reviews of new mysteries published between 1942 and 1947. Vol I has slightly longer articles on each reviewed book. Vol II reprints Boucher's weekly review colum, so the actual reviews are short and sweet. (Well, not so sweet if he didn't like the book -- see below.) Vol III is a mixture of reviews on sci-fi, mysteries and other articles. All three books are available through the Ramble House web site.

Boucher must have been a quick reader, plowing through hundreds of books submitted to him every week. Some he was enthusiastic about: his review of "Evidence of Things Seen" by Elizabeth Daly reads "Henry Gamadge, usually the impersonal expert, can hardly be impersonal when the evidence seems to prove either that his wife is mad or that lean brown ghosts can kill. Miss Daly's always skilled writing carries an extra emotional punch in this uncanny tale, cannily told." Boucher told it like he saw it, too, but even his negative reviews don't sting too much: on "Death At Dakar" by Kerry O'Neil -- "American girl reporter foils Nazi quest for death ray formula in Rio and Dakar. The local color is hot from the guidebook, and the preposterous dialogue makes the Rover Boys sound like Clifford Odets. Perfect ammunition for the snobs who claim mysteries are execrable writing." OK, maybe that stung the author a bit. But it probably saved people the trouble of finding out a book was bad themselves.

The reviews are obviously of a time, but the editor, Francis M. Nevins, has included notes to let a reader of this day know what Boucher was referring to in the 1940's. (There are many reviews of stories with Nazi spys as protagonists, of course.)

So, if you are searching for old books to buy, get a copy of these books first to start your research.

I was planning our vacation to Los Angeles when my husband suggested we attend a taping of a TV show. I didn't know where to start looking for information so I went to the main library and asked if they had any books on attending TV shows in LA. I was surprised when they showed me "Appearing on TV Shows for Fun, Fame & Fortune" by Lee Ellis. It is a terrific resource. It lists over two hundred shows to be in the audience or as a contestant. We choose to the game show "The Price is Right." The book gives the ticket info and the way contestants are choosen. We got our tickets by e-mail and we were off to LA. When we got to the studio everything went smoothly and we were interviewed to be contestants. But,our luck was not to be, we did not hear our names announced to "come on down" as contestants. Even though we didn't get to be contestants it was a great experience. If any of you want to be on a game show or any TV taping, I sugguest you get this book. It helped me alot.

Lee Ellis' Appearing On Tv Shows For Fun, Fame & Fortune: A Guide For Audiences, Contestants & Guests is a very practical guide to entering game shows such as Family Feud and The Price is Right; talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show or Politically Incorrect; PBS shows such as The Antiques Roadshow; Court TV such as Judge Judy or Reality TV Shows such as Big Brother and Survivor; or being in the audience of popular sitcoms such as Titus and King of Queens. Each of the many individual shows presented has about a two-page writeup, with ticket information, studio information, and clear instructions for becoming part of the show. Highly recommended for anyone with a serious interest in joining a television show audience, especially if the purpose is becoming a contestant!

the book arrived today and in perfect condition. thanks!

This book has a wealth of questions, which thoroughly test your knowledge of a variety of pharmaceutical topics, I found the bundled software to be the best part of this package.

This is one of the best preparations that you can use for epidemiology and biostatistics. The material is very high yield for usmle step 1 and it is an easy text to read. In the past, this text has been criticized for being long. However, I don't think that this kind of criticism has any merit. The text portion of this book is around 75 pages and can be read very quickly. The end consists of a practice test that really pins down the stuff that you need to know. There are also questions throughout the book as you read. Going through the entire text, I finished it in about 4 hours even with a minimal background in the subjects presented! I don't imagine that anyone would take much longer than 6. Keep in mind that this book is devoted to epidemiology and biostatistics, so don't think that it will get you ready for the behavioral science section alone. It will really help you understand the subjects quickly, though. It has been a life saver for my med school class that had terrible notes and lectures. If you need a boost in this subject then this is the book!

I took my USMLE in 1997, I found this review extremel helpfull, I did not have any problemes answering questions in USMLE, which I owe to the great presentation of Info, easy to remember the well organized materials, tables, figures. Now I am a resident, I easily remember the pages, tabletes. I frequently used before journal clubs. I recomended for every USMLE taker. It worth it, it deserve SIX Stars if possible.

very, very thorough book. it covers essentially every common diseaes state and the treatment for each. i highly recommend it.

Handbook includes disease states, and categorizes medications of primary choice, and provides secondary alternatives. There are excellent abbreviated text outlining etiology and pathophysiological parameters. As well as step wise flow charts as a decision tool and guideline. The tables for medication dosing and comparability between different classes of drugs are extremely helpful, visually and content wise! In hospital pharmacy practice, this handbook has been my peripheral brain.

This book was better than I expected for one that has been written so long ago. Great theory never goes out of fashion.

The book was written ninety years ago. People who repond instantly to art may not be capable of talking about it. One must start with the personal experience, a peculiar emotion. It is possible for theories of aesthetics to have general validity.

How quaint to be discussing Landseer, Frith, Alma Tadema. What is primitive tends to move people. For appreciation we need only a sense of form and color. The aesthetically challenged will remember paintings by their subjects. People are more humble about appreciating music than the visual arts.

Clive Bell says that significant form moves him. He claims there are only two kinds of art--good and bad. He sees Post Impressionism as a return to first principles. The artist has got to feel the necessity of making his work right.

Religion like art is concerned with the world of emotional reality. There is a connection of religion and art and it is history. The moral justification for art may be considered to be linked to pleasure, goodness, beauty, utility. It may be a matter of valuation. If art produces a good state of mind, and it does, it is ethical.

Greek civilization was sick by the time of sack of Corinth. Materialism infected the ages of Marcus Aurelius and Queen Victoria. The paintings in the catacombs are classical. Bell seeks to identify eras of enthusiasm. One has to think of what has survived successfully. Every artist sacrifices form to substance.

Bell calls Giotto a peak. Afterwards there was a long decline. It is claimed that all of the artists of the nineteenth century are ominous. Modern artists owe a debt to Cezanne. He showed a method. Humans need to be freed from erudition and well-meaning efforts to induce art appreciation.

A college 'writer's course' in one little volume. Concise, well written, enjoyable read . . . an indespensible tool for anyone seriously considering professional writing with style. Should be a mandatory text in any competent university's humanities department.

Ever notice that How To Write books don't practice what they preach? More than a few are badly written, boring, pedantic, and mechanical. Not this book. Here's an extremely well written book, a lively, entertaining AND learned presentation. Even better, it's short, witty, and to the point. This is the best writing book around.. It ranges from just what good writing is , to how the masters engage their readers. It showcases beautiful writing. But also gets down to the basics of how to add to your writing skills and details useful tools of the trade such as Anadiplosis (starting a clause with the last word of the proceeding clause), Anaphora (starting a sequence of clauses with the same word), Anastophe (inversion of normal word order for effect), ...(that's just the start of the A's). Beautiful, inspiring and useful.

I am an Internist who bought this book prior to deploying to Iraq. I knew there would be alot of primary care procedures that I hadn't done alot of since med school. This made it easy. Casting, toenails, abcesses, suture techniques, trigger point injections, joint injections, etc. The procedures are clear, with enough information to make you feel very comfortable even if it's your first time. It had everything I needed working at a Level 1 Aid Station. I would also recommend "Fracture Mangement for Primary Care" (Eiff, Hatch, Calmbach) if you are going to be at a Level 2 with XRay capabilities.

I would give this one 6 stars. It is so good I felt comfortable using it to perform procedures I had never done before. I practice OM so alot of joint injections and trigger finger, eyes, and derm. Arranged by system so easy to find what your looking for. One thing I haven't seen in other books is this one starts with a detailed explanation of the disease or injury itself. For example, I always thought a skin abscess was simply a "pus filled cavity", but it is actually finger like projections of loculated granulation tissue. Description of technique is very detailed and easy to follow, with diagrams. Includes list of supplies needed for each. Also has contraindications, and an index listing contents of differents surgery packs for different procedures if you want to assemble them yourself. It covers a wide range of procedures for ortho, HEENT, Gyn, urology, ID, etc. I strongly recommend this book as a reference for any physicians that do office procedures. My hat is office to Dr. Zuber (FP) and Dr. Mayeaux (Ob/Gyn from my alma mater LSU). On a seperate note, the best ortho book EVER for primary care docs is "Emergency Orthopedics-The Extremities", by Simon and Koenigsknecht. Outstanding job!

My Ballykissangel books arrived on spring break from college and I was thrilled to have the time to "devour" them. The characters are so genuine and lovable- I can't wait for the next book to continue the heartwarming journey of a rural village that has become like family to me. Thank you to the writers for a delightful tale.

If you have seen every episode of year one, you will find nothing new. However, if you haven't taped all the shows and watched them three times over you will enjoy going back a wee bit in time to rural Ireland--the Ireland without bombs and the IRA. A delightful place to spend your spare time.

His Writing are the real thing! The characters are written so realisitc and not too super-human..... Mulford's stories of Hopalong make you feel like your reading about a real person form the past....

This book is a compalation of stories ( in order for the most part) about hoppy and the whole gang. Action packed with battles of fist, gun, and wits. Hard to put down. It also tells the reason and sudden turn around of tex ewalts' hate for hoppy and the bar-20 to the great friendship seen in the other books.enjoy!