References Books

I'm going into my 2nd year and bought this book because I didn't get the grades I wanted as a 1L. I was a straight-A undergrad (English major) and scored 96th percentile on the LSAT, so I had high expectations of myself. The problem was, I didn't really "get" what my professors expected of me. This book nails it. I learned of it last week by desperately reading through law student Listmanias on Amazon when the last of my grades came through and I knew I needed some help if I wanted to do better next year. I had never heard of the book and don't know anyone who has read it-- it seems to be self-published, and I ordered it directly from his company; I don't think you'll see it in your school bookstore (I didn't).

I actually don't even know if his advice would resonate as well with me as a 1L as it does now, so I'd encourage other current law students looking to improve their grades to read it, especially if you're like me and struggling to understand why you didn't do better than you expected. But I definitely wish I'd read it last year-- my classes would have made a lot more sense. On the first page of Chapter 1, Delaney proposes a definition of "what law is" to explain what the first year of law school is about: "Law is a process of legal reasoning for decision-making about particular controversies." Believe it or not, I truly didn't get that my first year; I thought I just needed to "spot the issues." But there's a lot more to it than that, and I'm glad I found something that spells it all out in a way that none of my professors did. I've only just started reading so I can't report on all the content, but I wanted to encourage anyone just starting or looking to improve their grades to pick this one up before school starts. Good luck in school!

Fantastic book on the introduction to law. Buy it and read it rather than waste your time with books like Law School Confidential and its technicolor briefs. Also check out Delaney's other books (How to Do Well on Law School Exams and Learning Criminal law), which are written in the same easy to follow and enjoyable style. Two thumbs up.

Read this book the summer before law school. You'll understand more and more of it as you go through your first year, and it will help you tie the first year courses together.

This was very helpful right before I started school. I went through some of the chapters a few weeks before and then went back to it when I was actually preparing my first briefs for class. If you use this book, you should have a good start on anything the prof asks.

I actually enjoyed reading Learning Legal Reasoning (LLR). I am preparing for law school matriculation in fall 2010, and I have already achieved a 168 LSAT. I used this book to provide a framework for additional coursework study. Law school is a serious investment for me, and I have begun to read, practice, and understand black letter law. Next, I will practice hypotheticals to gain an understanding of spotting issues and, later, I will practice writing exam answers. LLR helps one to better prepare for law school study because it gives one "inside" knowledge of how to understand a string of cases and extrapolate and analyze what is law and what is mere dicta. I now have a better command of what I should learn from each case.

Thank you, Mr. Delaney, for writing this book.

Wonderful; very informative. Very useful!!!

This is a great book on breeds. Although, I believe that
the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs was much more helpful in
my research on the breeds. Even though Legacy of the Dog has
200 breeds, I believe the ASPCA's Complete Guide to Dogs tells
you more of how the breed acts, and the amount of exercise the dog needs and energy they have, while the Legacy of Dogs seems to more tell you where the breed comes from and how they appear... It is a great book, but when compared.... It comes in second in my dog breed collection.

I bought this book because I had a gift certificate and had to use it up. Boy was I glad that I bought this!
This book has so many good pictures of so many different breeds, it is wonderful. There is the common breeds like the Golden Retriever and the Labrador and than there's the uncommon ones like the Neopolitan Mastiff and the Koohikerhondje. If you like dogs or want to do some resaerch, this book has alot of good info.

It is great!

Well, the cover did it for me, a beautiful example of the breed I own and love, the Irish Terrier. Great book, great photos, good listing of many non-AKC breeds such as the Cesky Terrier and Smoushound and many others.

Worth a buy!

This book contains fantastic photographs and brief write-ups of 200 breeds of dogs. I would have liked more information on each breed, especially info on temperament. The photos are top-notch, however, beautifully done. Definitely a good, though pricy, general guide to review when you are considering what kind of dog to buy.

I loved this little book! Not only was it a quick read, but it was also filled with a variety of solidly helpful information for new and experienced screenwriters. I found the "10 Point Checklist for Completed Scripts", the "Big Eight" and the section on pitching particularly useful and now put the information to use on every project. The book is certainly worth more than you pay for it!!

After writing my first screenplay, I was stuck on how to sell it. I have ran my own business for over tens years and have a natural flare for marketing - thinking that selling a script would be commonsense WRONG! After reading The Script Selling Game I was blown away by the fantastic real life tips and jargon given. It's motivated me more than ever to see my projects on the silver screen. IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT breaking into Hollywood - You MUST BUY THIS BOOK! It's easy-to-read and only an insider would know how to write it's contents.

The book never forgot who was reading it. If you are at a point in your career where you need guidance in what to do and what's important, this book offers you that. Kathie Yoneda, I feel, just got the balance right between fact, figures and emotion. Kathie actually cares.

The Script-Selling Game is your "Biedecker's", your "Fodor's", or your "Lonely Planet" guide to the exotic, exciting, sometimes confusing, sometimes dangerous yet ultimately rewarding territory of Hollywood Script Sales.

Kathie Fong Yoneda has not only explored this territory, she has actually carved out, tamed, and settled a lot of it in her years as a studio executive. Her expertise in the special jargon, the specific tools, and the appropriate approaches will help you craft an effective presentation of your unique creative project, be it a feature film, a TV series, or any other media production.

Read Kathie's book. Smile, frown, gasp.... Yes, Hollywood can be just as she says. It's a closed world unless you have an interpreter and a guidebook. Thank goodness hers is accessible, informative, specific, and comforting. Well then, follow her guidelines, learn to speak the language, do the currency exchange from creativity-to-commerciality, and watch the barriers go down and the doors open up for you.

An industry veteran of 25 years, Kathie Fong Yoneda is both a story analyst at Paramount and a script consultant. Her background as a development executive gives her an excellent perspective for helping screenwriters can break down the gates to Hollywood. And this book aims to do just that.

The book is divided into four major parts: working on the script, meetings and pitches, submissions and relationships. It is a very clearly structured guide to the do's and don'ts for writers looking for their breakthrough (hint: the first step is to WRITE A GREAT SCRIPT!).

Yonada includes advice on how to behave towards executives, how to find an agent, the special vocabulary used in Hollywood, how to start a writers group, even how to prepare for a conference. All of this is written in a clear manner, making the book a very useful reference.

The downside to this is that most of this information is out there already. If you read screenwriting magazines and keep up with recent books on the business side of screenwriting, there will be very little here you don't know already. Moreover, the book is very "pro-system" -- there is no criticism of the way things are done, and the advice is very much "mainstream" common knowledge.

I don't think this book has very much to offer veteran writers who are already well acquainted with the vagaries of getting their scripts through the Hollywood maze. For writers who are starting out, however, the book will serve very well to inform them about the basics of getting your script sold to Hollywood.

I checked this book out from my local library and now plan to buy it. The chapters about recognizing "quality" in materials and construction are so useful and well written. In fact, I went out today as the book recommended and "inspected" suits, blouses and pants at several different vintage/consignment stores using the suggestions in the book. And wouldn't you know it--I struck GOLD in the form of a Rena Lange tweed suit for $37. I'll never get duped into purchasing a poorly made garment again (and for that matter, I may never pay retail again either!).

This book is a great resource for anyone who wants to find unique fashion in unusual places. Christa Weil not only provides good advice on how to spot fabulous finds but she provides terrific tips on taking care of quality clothes. Everyone who loves clothes will love this book. But the best result of getting this book is the reaction of my 12-year old daughter. After reading the book she has been motivated to take better care of her clothes and has turned her room into a clothes boutique...dress forms and all!

I received this book as a Christmas present from my mother last year. It was so fascinating that I ended up reading it cover-to-cover on Christmas day. My mother has been sewing for almost 40 years, and Weil included many details that even my mother didn't know. I really liked how Weil included a section on fibers and their origins (including synthetics). I'm not much of a consignment shopper, but the information on construction and spotting quality have been more helpful than I could ever imagine. Not only did it help me go through my closet and spot things to dontate to Goodwill, but it also helped me spot a beautiful vintage raincoat at Goodwill today for $5.

This is oneof the best books to read if you're interested in, or if you collect and wear, vintage clothing. From how to read the quality of materials and workmanship in a garments, to how to take care of cleaning them, the information is presented in a witty, informative, useful way. Weil has not only great information, but a way with words and the turn of a phrase, which made the book that much more enjoyable to read. While I personally would love to have seen more illustrations than the many that are already in the book (e.g. of the different button holes styles, zippers, etc.) and pictures of some outfits having the design elements discussed, as I'm greedy for more vintage info all the time, not having these included doesn't detract from this book in the least. One can only hope that Weil continues to write about this subject, as she's thorough, knowledgeable, and writes well. Her book is a pleasure for the senses in all ways. If you buy one book about vintage clothing, buy this one. You won't be disappointed.

Christa? You really did it well! This is a comprehensive, funny, well-researched resource book on the fabrics, markers of quality clothing, labels, and flaws in secondhand finds. It is the best single source of information for secondhand shoppers that I have ever come across! Cheers!

Sometimes a book title can be misleading, but not so in this case. In fact, this book delivers what it offers, with a giant bonus - PR advice that works.

SELL YOURSELF WITHOUT SELLING YOUR SOUL is a guide to succeeding in business and in public life, without losing the essence of who you are...without selling out. Susan's book is filled with wisdom, humor, kindness and realworld PR savvy.

This is a wonderful book for the person who wants more success and more visibility for herself or her cause, within her ethical construct. I highly recommend this book.

Susan Harrow is a media coach and marketing consultant. In "Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul" she explores the ways you can share your passion with the world. If you are looking to promote a product or a cause she explains how to become a polished interviewee. She also shows you how to:

Build name Recognition
Avoid Costly Mistakes
Get Media Attention
Become Mediagenic
Create a Winning Press Kit
Find People who Need Your Product or Service
Get on Oprah!
Wear the Right Clothes for a TV Interview

Throughout this book there are many success stories and Susan Harrow gives helpful and practical applications. Simple things like practicing answers before an interview becomes key to success.

If you have a product to sell this is one of the most important books you may ever read. I've been interviewed numerous times and the advice is excellent. The only book I think you need after reading this book is Feeding the Media Beast: An Easy Recipe for Great Publicity.

~The Rebecca Review

Having read a good number of the reviews of this superb book by Susan Harrow, I'll skip points I am happy to see others have covered so well. I also won't take time to summarize what's in the book so much as what I see pervading it and coming through it.

As a spiritual teacher and "Heart-awakener" with a huge focus on personal integrity and realness, I loved finding these two qualities radiating off every page with a consistency, strength, and confident serenity that can only come from someone who's walking her talk. For me from the title on through to the index, the book is a huge sigh of relief. There's so much hype in the world of publicity and marketing. I have to confess that even as a successful teacher of self-awareness and personal and relational integrity it's a struggle for me to read the compass clearly as I attempt to bring my work forward into the clamor of the marketplace. It's a challenge to make both audible and intelligible sounds that still ring entirely true to who I am and who my wife and partner Linda and I are together in our work. Underneath and shining through every single detail, Susan is initiating us neophytes and, I'm sure, many veterans with her obvious mastery of that profoundly intimate craft. That's the main reason I call the book a "publicity with integrity bible." In our time mature trueness to our heart and soul is the necessary foundation of all real spirituality and religion, it's the core of faith more than ever before. Without making an untoward display of it--which would ring untrue for her--Susan has written, in this sense, an authentically sacred text on how to make a true personal and creative ritual of the spirit in bringing our hearts and our messages to the world.

There's that word "real" again. Susan's ear and eye for emotional realness, for how ordinary-human we all are no matter how famous, admired, accomplished, and remarkable, pervades the whole book. It helps us approach the often intimidating prospect of publicizing ourselves with at least one foot always firmly on the ground and the other moving straight forward at a sustainable pace--or, whenever it's necessary to pause and take a breath, able to come back to rest on the material and psychic earth right underneath us.

Quite a number of other men have commented on how the book speaks so directly to us too. I agree, and wish to add that I think that's entirely deliberate on the author's part. I hear Susan Harrow saying to everyone, and certainly to men, "If you want to know how to speak both literally to women in the marketplace--and the worlds of publicity, journalism, and PR--and also to 'the Feminine' principle that no one can any longer afford to fail to take into account in any of our undertakings in life, then don't just do the things I urge you to do in this book in your publicity efforts. All that is important, absolutely. But if you really want to get underneath the content and into the context I'm teaching you, then continuallly take a step back and see how I am myself doing exactly the things I'm urging you to do. Study how I frame my communications to you, how carefully and gently I take all of your possible feelings, fears, reactions, and concerns into account, much as I'm urging you to do with everyone in the world of publicity with whom you wish to communicate."

If I'm at all mishearing you, Susan, I do apologize. But I'm delighted to get this message in any case. You've written a most practical approach to a key project in the life-work I call, in one of my own book titles, "Healing the Spirit/Matter Split." I intend to follow your precepts faithfully in every sense of the word and to recommend your good news far and wide. Thank you! --

"Although Susan Harrow's book, Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul, has a subtitle that calls the book "a woman's guide," I highly recommend it for men, too. If you have a message that you want to spread to the masses, Harrow teaches you everything you need to know about publicity in full detail. Both the beginner and the experienced will benefit. I wish more authors read her book before contacting my magazine. They would certainly increase their chances of getting reviewed."
~ Bob Olson, OfSpirit.com Magazine editor

The title is a bit misleading in that this book is not solely for women. The author may have initially intended it for women, but this book is for everyone! The author's caring and compassion and her obvious intelligence and spirit come through in a way that makes the reader know that there is truth and solid application in it.

Read it, learn from it, apply it, and benefit from it. It's that simple.

No one growing plants in the South, should be without this book.
It is a must, clear succint and to the point.

This book is very informative. It's everything one would expect from Southern Living. Nice pictures. Up to date varieties. Would strongly recommend to Southern gardeners.

This book is an indispensable resource, both for my work answering homeowner gardening questions and for my own gardening interests. The plant descriptions are easy to find (both common and Latin names are in the index) and a breeze to understand. This is a great reference manual for Southern gardeners.

I am new to the world of gardening and also the south. I found this book helpful in picking native plants for my area and how to keep them looking beautiful year after year.

This is the most comprehensive book on a single subject I have ever seen. An absolute must for the beginner or seasoned gardener. If you have only one book on southern gardening then buy this one and forget the rest. Steve Bender and Southern Living have created a reference work of true beauty. I am retired and considered the extent of my gardening knowledge was my ability to dig a hole and turn on the water. This book gave me the confidence to discover the joys of home gardening.

I ordered my copy in soft cover and may order a hard cover edition to pass on to my children as a sourthern classic.

For those in the world who feel like they don't know nearly enough "stuff" (or all purpose knowledge, not specific to any one subject, like literature or history or science...), stop.

Breathe in. And behold.

"What are the Seven Wonders of the World?" and the remaining bits of title which go on for quite a bit, is a rather remarkable volume. Thick, informative, and enjoyable, it is a convenient way to learn various bits of trivia, whether simply to learn, or even to impress others (yes, I CAN name the six wives of Henry VIII!). It's fun to go through bit by bit, can be read aloud as a trivia game in itself, and is (thankfully) paperback, so weighs less than it would if hardcover.

"Wonders" gives you everything. Whether teaching about religion (quite a bit is devoted to this subject), math (triangles, trigonometry, Euclid... those things you'd hoped to forget from high school), history, architecture (yes!), music, or even the alphabet, "Wonders" maintains a light, informative feel... in small portions. Reading each informative essay one after the other might give you a bit of a headache.

Highly recommended in small doses. A great way to learn new things, as long as one carefully rations it out. 4 1/2.

Absolutley superb trivia book. Saat down and read it in my FIRST sitting. Very enjoyable. Great seller, too; very fast turnaround time!

This book is wonderfull. It doesnt matter what you are interested in, you will enjoy this book. In this book there is everything from what are the three sons of Adam and Eve to what are the 24 letters of the greek alphabet. You will always find something interesting in this book.

I found this interesting book via a book club I belong to. I've used it extensively in research for debating as well as writing fanfiction. Encyclopedic in nature (it covers a wealth of subjects from history to science to the arts) and intelligently written, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning.

This is a clever little volume which, for the most part, I enjoyed. Essentially, it is 101 questions (see the title for an example) with answers provided in short, generally engaging essays. For a triviophile like myself, it provided a lot of interesting stuff, though it's not really a book to be read straight through. Instead, taking a few questions a night should prevent information overload.

In addition, the book does have a few weakness. First, there is the unavoidable one of the selection of questions. Depending on your tastes, some questions will likely be less interesting than others. Also, the authors have the occasional tendency to throw in a judgement with their answers which can rankle, especially in the religious realm. Finally, there is the feeling that some of the questions are a bit of a stretch, shaped to fit the format the authors have chosen.

Still, I don't get the sense that the book is meant to be a reference work. It is meant to be an engaging exploration of a potpourri of interesting questions. In that respect, it works quite well.

This book was very helpful. As someone who currently has no "mentor" so to speak in the film industry, this book has acted as my temporary guide. It addresses many problems screenwriters go through, as well as warning people of the pitfalls that many aspiring screenwriters fall into. Highly recommended.

I own several screenwriting books and consider this one to be in the top 3 (McKee and Vogler being the other 2). The reason is because this is one of the few screenwriting books with information coming straight from successful screenwriters. This is key, because through their insights you can better understand how they work, think, and live. And this ultimately affects your writing positively because a lot of the uncertainties during the writing process are discussed. It won't teach you about structure etc, but it contains information that to me was equally vital: how to think as a successful screenwriter.

In real estate they discuss the three "L's" Location, location, location. This is the three "W's" Write, Write and Write more. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to write a screen play.

This is a must read for anyone who aspires to be a screen writer. Any wannabe writer has their own personal favorite blogs, a blog that helps inspire, motivate and teach them. This book is almost a best of those blogs from successful writers whose movies they have written have actually BEEN PRODUCED.
The one main theme of this book is just write and write and write because you love writing and not because you want the Hollywood celebrity lifestyle. Great writing will open a lot of doors for one and most importantly, keep that door open.
In my opinion, I like to study and and read how successful writers from all genres got their first break, their work ethic and how most importantly they work through writer's block and rejection. Again, Karl Iglesias' book does that successfully.

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Iglesias at the Screenwriting Expo. He knows his craft, he loves the business. And he's brutally honest in conveying the realistic odds of breaking into Hollywood. While no one ever says it's easy, he can tell you just how hard. This book is a must read for any aspiring screenwriter. Interviewing some of the greatest screenwriters, they all are forthcoming in telling their own tales of struggle, achievement, success, and most of them, frustration.

This book may be geared toward all screenwriters, however it succeeds in leaps and bounds, by telling the realistic truth any up-and-coming screenwriter needs to hear. Too often people are putting together a script hoping to win the lotttery, sell it for mid-six figures, and not taking the time to understand that the money should never be the motivating factor of writing any script. And if that's your only motivation, you'll never succeed in making your dream come true. This book reminds those of us that do it for a different reason, what that reason is. It's the love of writing. Anything else, any other reason, is simply a waste of time and energy.

Mr. Iglesias lays it out in plain view, through interview after interview, just how much of an uphill battle it is get someone to simply give your script a look, and even then, chances of your selling it are slim. Nicholas Kazan once spoke at a seminar. He told them to go turn in their registration forms and go home. He then told them that if any of them seriously entertained that advice, they would never make it. It's all about challenge and it's all about sacrifice. This book will help you realize how important both of those things are.

Sure the program comes with a PDF manual but having a printed reference can make learning so much easier. This is not a book on technique, it's a book on features, functionality and workflow. I primarily use Final Cut Express, thankfully most of the tutorials contained in the book are applicable. There's nothing terribly exciting about the book itself, the information is presented in a no-nonsense fashion. If your looking for anecdotal storytelling, humor and opinion you'd do well to consider another title. I keep it handy at all times, it's saved me a lot of time and frustration...well worth the money.

I like Lynda's personal publications best but anything bearing her title "H.O.T." is worth having. Very practical and useful. Norman Borge

Until I purchased this book, I had owned FCP4 for six months. I had learned my way around the software well enough. I felt comfortable, but not necessarily proficient. In order to improve my editing time, I went ahead and ordered this book, also with the intent of getting my Apple certification, as this is the same text used in their classes. Normally, I am the type that I will skip sections that discuss things that I'm certain I know, but I went ahead and followed every step in the book.
What a difference! Each chapter takes approximately 30-45 minutes to complete, using video clips on the included DVD. After 3 days and 10 chapters, I was hardling touching my trackball. Not only had I learned quite a few shortcuts, but the book helped me understand the editing process itself a little better. I feel that this text is very well laid out, easy to understand, and can be done relatively quickly with a sharp learning curve. I highly recommend this to anyone new to Final Cut Pro. With a little time and effort, you'll be flying around the video editing, the soundtrack design and the Live Type titling package. And, after you have completed this book, go ahead and buy Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4, you will not be disappointed.

When looking for a book on FCP, I just read the various reviews. Even though some others looked quite interesting, I chose this one and am glad I did. I wanted a specific type of instruction because I have some expert-level chops and ignorance at the same time. I'm new to video but am a professional recording engineer by trade. I'm fully conversant on the Mac and non-linear audio programs so I needed a book that got both completely simple (for video concepts new to me) and also provided some depth at the same time.

The type of instruction in this book is having the user execute step-by-step, starting at the most basic level but progressing into more complex stuff fairly quick.

I forget the wording but there's some Chinese proverb........something like
You tell me, I hear
You show me, I see
I do, I learn

That's me and this book suits my learning style nicely. I'm sure there are other books as good but I doubt that any are better, hard to see how you could go wrong with this one.

I consider myself to be a "seasoned user" of Final Cut Pro. I have been editing with FCP since the original release of version 1.0 and have worked on numerous documentaries, features, commercials and episodic television.

I learned about this book from the Apple website. This is the official textbook used for Apple Pro Certification (FCP Level One). So I decided that I would "forget" everything I already knew and begin with Lesson 1. I'm very happy I adopted that attitude because there are so many neat little tips that I picked up in the first few lessons. Now I wonder how I ever survived without them. Those tips have already saved me a lot of time. I have only completed one-third of the lessons thus far and I can already see an improvement in my productivity.

Every chapter of the book is a "hands-on" lesson. The files and media for each lesson are provided on a DVD-ROM (included). You will first copy those files to your hard drive and then open each lesson file and then follow the step-by-step instructions in the book.

I'm looking forward to getting my Level One certification with the help of this book, and I can't wait to continue onto the Advanced Level certification with the second book.

Please note this is essentially the same book as the the "Final Cut Pro HD" book. The DVD is the same and so are the exercises. I had a chance to compare both and noticed only only one minor detailed (a detail is now circled on a screen shot) and, of course, there could be some that I missed. Even so, the back cover of the HD book acknowledges...

"This book was previously published under the title "Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 4. If you previously purchased this book, there is no need to purchase this revision: All the project files and exercises in the previous edition can be used with Final Cut Pro HD."

Bottom-Line: Newbie or Pro? It doesn't matter! This is a GREAT book to own if you use FCP.

This is a really great book, but i can't find it anywhere! If anyone here knows where i can get it, can you e-mail me at sharabear@hotmail.com? I'd appreciate it!

peace

I love the art in this book. Every time I look at the illustrations it makes my heart beat faster. Really it is a joint effort between two very talented and creative people. If you like art that is not very Thomas Kincade-ish, Keep your eyes peeled for this book. Thanks Jimmy A. Thanks Kevin.

I truly love this collection of poems and artwork. It's truly a collectable. Essentially, poetry is personal, so you'll have to judge for yourself, but here are the ones that really impressed me the most:

SECRET INTRUSION
CAPTURED
TREE CLIMBER
YOU GAVE ME AWAY
ENDEAVORING TO BE WILD
VANITY
SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID

Also, the artwork by Jimmy Abegg which illuminates the background of each poem is bold and brilliant. I only wish I owned an original piece. Enjoy.

I love Kevin Max, he's my role model and this book is totally amazing! If you love poetry, like me, then get it. The tape is good too, he has some emphasis in his voice than he does in "Alas My Love" or "There's A Treason At Sea" which is on the dc Talk CD's. Really good. I had to go to eBay and bid on it!

I heard about this inventive little poetry book after stumbling upon Kevin Max's very original and poignant musical album, "Stereotype Be." As a college English student and a lover of good literature and poetry, I was curious to see if Max's written words were as inspiring and lyrically original as his music, and I was willing to spend a little extra to obtain a copy of this rare book. Needless to say, I found myself captivated by this work, which is an intriguing exercise in untraditional but very well-written meter, rhythm, and vocabulary in contemporary poetry. In addition, Max's (writing as Kevin Max Smith, a last name I understand that he had dropped) themes are clear and his imagery is provocative, and while he doesn't attempt to be too abstract with his work here as most contemporary poets strive to be, he does present very well-written poems with simple messages and well-executed meter.

As I have stated, the most interesting aspect of Max's work is by far his exercise in vocabulary and meter. Max is very interested in maintaining traditional meter in most of his poems, bringing to mind, at least rhythmically, the best of Roethke and even Yeats. The poems in particular that demonstrate this talent are the excellent "Queen of the Nile," "Draw Nigh," and "Awake at Night." While these poems are never quite in perfect iambic pentameter, Max clearly knows his poetic devices and uses them effectively, creating his own interesting rhythms within the meter. Even in poems which are free-verse in nature, Max successfully keeps a steady rhythm throughout and displays some creative usage of assonance and particularly alliteration (a good example of both can be found in "My Reoccurring Desert Dream," "Vanity," and "Wilt Thou?"). I would say that this book must be best read aloud to appreciate Max's unique rhythm to its fullest potential (as all good poetry should be).

In addition, Max clearly engages in a breathtaking love affair with word play which is often so clever that the reader will only catch it after several reads. Take the poem "Jordan's Kiss and Then Some," in which Max cuts the word "Mother" in half at the end of a line, so that the word reads "Moth-/er." Here, we are given a clear description of this "mother." By simply cutting the word and emphasizing "moth," the reader understands the motivations and characteristics of this particular character. There are many little details thrown into this book similar to this example, and in addition, Max's vocabulary includes words I never thought could fit into a poem as well as he utilizes them. Words like "retroaction," "placation," and "kamikaze" somehow manage to find themselves seamlessly placed into Max's poems, and they manage to maintain both meter and rhythm. Who knew? Evidently, Max did.

Thematically, "At the Foot of Heaven" is a little more under whelming, but this doesn't make them at all disappointing. Clearly, this book is an exercise in meter and form, so if the themes and images are a bit simplistic, that is only because they were intended to be. Max's poems are not particularly long, but they all serve as interesting and complete thoughts unto themselves. He conjures up some fascinating images ("Tonight I wish to touch the stars./ To swing the moon in my cradle/ To pull the sky around my neck") but none of these images cast any question as to what direction he is going with them. Occasionally, Max finds himself with lines a little too simplistic in nature (i.e. "I would count ever speck of sand/ every bit of stardust to be with you"), but for the most part, he simply concerns himself with creating simple messages of love, faith, and humanity (indeed, the book is divided into sections with these titles) using extremely well-crafted poetic lines and some provocative, if obvious, metaphors and similes.

I must also note the fascinating layout of the book, which is actually a collaborative effort which an abstract painter named Jimmy Abegg, who I haven't heard of before or since. Mr. Abegg has a truly gifted eye for color and striking images, and his work compliments Max's tremendously. If for no other reason, this book is worth owning for Abegg's wonderful paintings. In addition, Max continues to exercise creativity in form often in fonts that he uses for many of his poems. Some of the fonts are so large that single words will overlap one another fill up entire lines. The result makes particular poems literally leap off of the page, in a creative approach that I have not seen before. Neither Max or Abegg are afraid to push boundaries in this book, and the creativity pays off.

A fellow student who is not an English major but who loves this book hit the nail on the head regarding its significance better than anything I could add: Max's fascinating use of form and simple messages very effectively bridge the gab between the literary world and the everyman who is not necessarily interested in reading poetry. Whereas this individual shied away from poetry in general, finding it too intimidating, this book, in its creativity and simplicity, made him want to take a second look at the literary world of poets. As the wonderful world of poetry seems to have lost its impact in America in this modern world (and most contemporary poets are starving), and that its appeal seems limited to English classrooms, such a statement pays Max the highest compliment imaginable. Indeed, after reading "At the Foot of Heaven," I am convinced that his unique style makes him one of the most gifted and promising contemporary poets currently writing in America. Keep an eye out for this guy.