Publications Books

A Genie in the House of Saud: Zubis Rises (A Genie in the House of Saud)

A bit arachaic in language and cultural approach, but the narrative pictures Doughty draws are fascinating; submersion into a little known cultural and time. Great for anthropological studies.

I must, grudgingly, give this monumental classic work of travel and adventure five stars, despite the fact that I don't really like the author. Doughty was probably not a very nice, friendly person; his life and opinions seem centered around a strict, almost fanatical and unforgiving, religiosity (he was a very fervent christian). Nevertheless, what he set out to do, he did with ample success and eficiency; and what he set out to do is not so simple as it seems at first sight,in my opinion, except for one of his main, but most superficial goals: to redeem the English language from the poverty and oversimplicity it had fallen into (Doughty believed the English language had fallen from grace since Spencer: I wonder, what would he think of it now?).

"Travels..." is an account of Doughty's two years of wandering through the Desert, in the 2nd half of the 19th century, with Hejaz and Nejd nomads. Unlike many other travellers before him (such as Sir Richard Burton), he never even tried to pretend he was a muslim, but admited to the nomads he travelled with that he was christian....and then went on, once and again for two years, to argue christianity's superiority over Islam and to explain how the fact that they were muslims excited his pity at seeing them fooled by their fraudulent Islamic beliefs. We know that traveleng in Arabia in those times was quite risky and dangerous, so it is a wonder that he was not killed by the nomads he was travelling with after they had to hear, for the hundredth time, how their faith was a fraud!!! This pious propensity, or even thirst for martyrdom (some times the provocations seem to point at that), is also quite trying for the reader.

However, if you can stomach the religious dissertations in his very special saintly style, the reading is rewarding indeed. Doughty had the (undeserved, I think with envy)luck to find the remains of the Nabataean town of Hegra, which he describes in some depth, with sketches of the tombs and copies of the inscriptions he found there. Who doesn't dream of finding the abandoned, lost, ancient town, built by a mysterious half-forgotten people? His descriptions of life with a Nomadic tribe of those times, with its unbelievable hardships, due to the famine-level subsistence usual among nomads, are an etnographic work of first rank. His report of the abuse, threats and indignities he had to suffer at the hands of the nomads because of his refusal to deny his christianity are unintentionally funny, in spite of himself.

But it is when we see that Doughty constantly compares the nomads of the desert with the Patriarchs of the Bible, and we know he can imagine himself in the company of Abraham's or Ishmael's tribes, when we learn the extent of the religious significance that this journey had for him. The ignorance and fanaticism that he finds in these nomads, he imagines in the Patriarchs of the Bible. For him Christianity, his own faith, was the light and salvation that took people out of the pitiful and primitive state these nomads live in. In fact, his journey is actually a pilgrimage to invest his religion with a significance that maybe he had been in the process of losing from sight.

And it is this, the fact that this author had set out for a journey with the intention of profoundly despising the people he was going to live with, what makes me despise him as a person, even though I see the importance of his work. Although Doughty repeats, now and then, the common, admiring expressions that were usual and fashionable to speak about the nomadic Arabs of those times -all the usal "noble savage" stuff-, we can read between lines (and later on, directly) that he thinks they are repulsive, inferior creatures. He goes to Arabia thinking he will be a superior among primitives, and he leaves Arabia, two years later, convinced that this has, indeed, been the case. In my opinion, the one who comes out the worst from the experience, is himself, although I have to thank him for recording his experiences and so, giving me the oportunity of reading between lines and learning from that.

I would like to add that this is not a complete edition of Doughty's work, which I read in the Dover two-volume edition, with an introduction by T.E.Lawrence and translations (of the Nabatean inscriptions) by Ernest Renan, and with some beautifully drawn maps.

There are few travel books that can stand up to the depredations of time - indeed, travel literature by its nature tends to be ephemeral. We may peruse the Victorian travelers, but mainly to get a sense of the exotic, from a time when it still was that way.

Fewer travel books still can claim to have had a conscious impact beyond their own genre. One thinks of Stendahl's travels in the South of France, Radishchev's journey from Petersburg to Moscow, or Stephens and Catherwood in the Yucatan. But Doughty is in a class by himself.

This remarkably eccentric man with the remarkably eccentric writing style set off into one of the last fringes of society, to a world where the art of the word was cultivated and where a man's worth was set by his speech. He is not an easy read. Yet his writing reflects the sense of a major intellect from one culture confronted by a tradition which is very old, very venerable and yet totally alien from that in which he was raised. That he sought to explain it by creating a new way of writing is perhaps not remarkable.

Many writers of the last century have been quite vocal about the debt that they owe him; one sometimes wonders if this is honored more in the breach than we would like to believe. But try him on for size, but be prepared to be patient. You will find that his style will win you over if you are.

Doughty had reflected his belief throughout his journey and I am not surprised. He decreased the Bedw traditions and tried to link it completely to the teaching of Islam. He knew from the beginning that the Bedw tradition especially in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula has nothing to do with the teaching of Islam. It was basically their culture. He did used the Bedw to serve his purpose since he wrote this book only to the western readers at that time to capture their imagination of the Arabian desert and to lay down the first step toward the colonization period that took place 30 years later.
Doughty in his book has described the Bedew life with many details that have shocked me. Since he lived with my great grandfather (Tollog) during his stay on al Harra, I was able to tell how close he was to reflect the real life of my tribe.
If we ignore his belief's reflection in his writing, we can conclude that his book is truly a masterpiece in detailing the life of one of the most isolated part of the world in 1800 century.

After reading this work detailing the 1870s [mis]adventures of the legendary Charles M. Doughty, one comes to understand much better why T.E.Lawrence so admired the Bedu and mistrusted the Arab city dweller. Doughty's "travels" really amounted to being "driven" through hostile lands occupied by "fanatics," continuously handed off from one group of outlaws and thieves to another. "I found in them an implacable fanaticism," wrote Doughty. "All their life is passed in fraud and deceipt." Sacred oaths, swearing in the name of God out of mere habit, traditional mores of protecting the fellow-traveller in one's charge honored mostly in the breach. One friendly Arab acquaintance along the tortured path tells Doughty, "I hope that your life may be preserved: but they will not suffer you to dwell amongst them! You will be driven from place to place. As many among them as have travelled, are liberal; but the rest, no." Abdullah el-Kenneyny advised Doughty, "I am even now in amazement! that in such a country, you openly avow yourself to be an Englishman; but how may you pass even one day in safety. You have lived hitherto with the Bedu; but it is otherwise in the townships."

Early on, the strange language seemed humorous and distracting, but it soon grows on you. "Give me a hand" becomes "Lend me a grip of thy five." Robbed, stripped, insulted, the intrepid Doughty gives the evil-doers the back of his hand as often as he dared, many times with his hand on a revolver hidden under his robes. One bluff carried off successfully against fellow travellers, who were sworn, of course, to defend him -- "By the life of Him who created us, in what instant you show me a gun's mouth, I will lay dead your carcasses upon this earth."

Occasionally some paragraph seems to be the obvious inspiration for a like passage in Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," an exquisitely detailed description of how a camel comes to a halt and lies down being one of the most obvious examples.

A major feature of this work is the great care taken by the author to use and then explain the Arabic vocabulary for places and things unique to the Arab culture. Each and every page is peppered with these terms. There is a fine glossary, praise God, the Merciful One!

The first half of this collection of selected passages from the massive original work will give readers warm feelings for the Bedouin and sweet dreams of wandering amongst them at peace with God and nature. The second half will likely wipe out any such urge. Civilizations still clash, 130 years later. Extremists rear their ugly heads on both sides of a vast chasm. Will the next 130 years bring much fundamental change?

This is a wonderful book. Mary Kingley was a typical Victorian woman in many ways, but what makes this book great is the way her character was not typical. She formed a relationship with the British Museum and collected fresh water fish to bring back to them, but the real point of her trip was to see things and feel things she could not experience in her drawing room. Her account of a meeting with a crocodile that nearly capsized her canoe (she merely remarks that the croc was "a pushing young creature") is worth the price of the book all by itself. She traveled with cannibals, climbed Mount Cameroon, and enjoyed herself, referring to any brush with fatality as "a knockabout farce with King Death". Her writing is lovely and straightforward. Watching an African sunset she says, "Providence saw that we had everything but beauty, and so gave us some." The tragedy is that she died at the age of 30, and that there were not many more books like this one.

Single and independent, with a small allowance after the death of her parents, Mary Kingsley decides to explore Africa. She sets off to the Congo, with no entourage nor special clothing and with no knowledge of the local lingo, knowing that this area was renowned for cannibals. Considering that Richard Burton set off to find the centre of Africa with an entourage of 600 bearers puts Ms.Kingsley's trip into perspective.
This is not just a wishful fantasy, she has an agenda to research the fetish cults of the natives and collect animal specimens, as well as fulfil the wanderlust that she had bottled up while looking after her parents.
She takes everything in her stride, beating off crocodiles - 'he was only a pushing young creature', wading through fetid swamps, falling into a staked animal trap and attributing her salvation to the benefits of a good thick woollen skirt!
She has a wonderful way with words; that dry, laconic humour that starts one into fits of giggling; the page-long description of 'Hubbards' sent out by well-meaning, misguided women in Europe for the use of the natives is absolutely wonderful.
She has excellent communication skills, getting what she wants from any native by offering him exactly what he wants - tobacco (reminding us of Xabicheh in 'Dead Man') - and if he doesn't want that, then he must need a hairpin to clean out his pipe!
I am awed by the determination, bravery, guts and chutzpah of this young woman; even more awed by her writing skills - which are definitely not in the Victorian mold, would that there were more of her books than the two she wrote (the other is 'West African Studies'), sadly this was not to be, as she died of typhoid in Capetown in 1900.
A book to savour - highly recommended! *****

In 1893 Mary Kingsley, a single Victorian woman, traveled alone to Africa. The sources of her interest in Africa are obscure. Possibly the tales her father brought back to England of his extensive travels lie at the root of her own interest. In any case her account of her travels in west and west-central Africa are a remarkable addition to our knowledge of the region during the early years of the colonial period. Kingsley wrote with a very outward focus. We hear little of her inner feelings, her comfort or lack thereof. Rather, she is consumed with a desire to know the land and its human and natural inhabitants.

We begin to taste the real flavor of Kingsley's experience in Chapter 2 in her account of the island of Fernando Po and its prominent people group, the Bubis. She then voyages down the coast, describing the lonely beauty of the great mangrove swamps that border the Bight of Benin.

Kingsley developed great respect, admiration, and even affection for the traders, black and white, whom she met in her journey. She traveled in their company and relied on them in what would otherwise have been impossible circumstances. Her views of other white colonials were less sanguine. She expressed mixed feelings about white missionaries, acknowledging the uplifting effects of their moral teaching while disdaining their confusion of cultural with spiritual messages.

One of Kingsley's central adventures was her trip from the Ogowe River to the Rembwe River. On this journey, she visited a series of villages each of which was reputed to be more dangerous and depraved than the one before. Her accounts of her lodging in these places are priceless. The difficulties of traveling through swamps and jungles, and across the great rivers of this region, were daunting. Kingsley's accounts of her determination to master the piloting of the native canoes are both funny and insightful. It took a lot for anyone to travel overland, and her perseverance marked her grit, her commitment to finish what she started.

The last third of the book consists of three long chapters on fetish customs. Although she lacks a systematic view of the role of fetishes and other spiritual tokens in the cultures she met, her depiction of their impact on everyday life and on funeral customs is enlightening. She delves into the afterlife beliefs of the peoples she encountered; in many of these cultures today, the beliefs she relates are still expressed in a form of syncretistic Christianity.

This edition of Kingsley's travel accounts is an abridgement of a much longer, multi-volume original that does not seem to be in print today. Since Kingsley herself prepared the abridgement, we can read it with confidence that it expresses both the details as she recorded them and the priority events or images that best characterize her travel experiences.

Gabon, Cameroon, and the areas around them continue today to rank among the wildest, best preserved areas of Africa, both naturally and anthropologically. Whether you visit these regions or not, there is no better introduction to them than these accounts by a Victorian original.

Mary Kingsley's "Travels in West Africa" has become a classic, and deservedly so. Her story is remarkable. In the 1890s, unmarried and no longer having to care for her parents, Kingsley decides she should travel in "the tropics" and sets off for "West Africa" (i.e., the West coast of Central Africa). She travels as a scientist, collecting fish specimens, and finances her travels by trading along the way--but mostly she travels for the love of adventure and to satisfy an appetite for the unknown.

Kingsley's book is a treasure trove of information about Atlantic-coast Central Africa in the late 1800s. But beyond its historic and sociological value, the book is just wonderful. Her descriptions are vivid, her insights interesting, and her understated humor is a joy. Anyone with a love of exploration and a good story would enjoy this book. Unabridged versions are highly recommended.

Readers with a particular interest in Gabon should also see the works of Robert Nassau, an American missionary who was in Gabon when Kingsley traveled there. Evidently they met and discussed all things African at length, though Kingsley makes little mention of him. Nassau wrote "Fetichism in West Africa", "In an Elephant Corral" and "My Ogowe", but doesn't get the credit he deserves. Also of interest is "One Dry Season: In the Footsteps of Mary Kingsley" by Caroline Alexander. Alexander visited Gabon in the 1980s and compared what she saw then to what Kingsley had seen a century earlier.

I bought this book because it was supposed to be one of the 100 greatest adventure books of all time. While it does have narrow escapes and Mary Kingsley was very brave, there is too much discussion of "the African mind". I found the constant reference to the superiority of the European colonists very offputting. Of course it was written in the 1890's!

From the files of FATE Magazine, the oldest of paranormal publications, comes this collection of True Mystic Experiences to set your mind aflame. I have personally always loved the "Believe it or Not" types of tales but have been on the skeptical side until recent years, and taken the stories with a grain of salt. However, this book, being from my favorite paranormal publisher, leaves no room for doubt in my mind. I know the practices of this publisher, being a writer who has submitted to them, and can attest to the fact that every story, such as these, is published only after the author has signed a sworn affidavit of its truth.

What a well-rounded collection is this! From guardian angels and premonitions of death, to psychic dreams and out of body experiences, there is something here to suit every curiosity. The stories come from everyday folks: soldiers at war, daughters in mourning, newlywed couples and more. Some are written in detailed prose, while others are more like a letter from home. But all exude a feeling of "Something wonderful and awesome has happened, and I was a witness to it."

Jennifer Spees has compiled a wonderful collection into chapters of the unexplainable. Whether you sit and read through it all on a rainy, snuggly weekend or savor it bit by bit in moments of peace, True Mystic Experiences will be a book you won't forget. The stories will haunt you and inspire you to look about for signs of your own mystic encounters. And what a wonderful thing to have happen!

This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read. This book is full of fascinating real-life stories of spirits, ghosts, and strange phenomena. If you are really into supernatural unexplainable stuff, this book is perfect for you to read.

I've loved this stuff since I was a kid. Rationalism may be a nice security blanket for those who are scared of the dark -- but just because you've nailed up the closet door it doesn't mean the monster's not still in there! The personal experience of the invisible world is universal, and can't be explained away. These stories are great examples of that experience, and fun reading too.

Ignore the slightly cheesy cover...this book is great. We always had Fate Magazine around the house when I was growing up, and I later subscribed (although the current incarnation of the magazine can't hold a candle to the ones from the 60's, 70's and before). My favorite monthly segments were always "True Mystic Experiences" and "My Proof of Survival"...ordinary readers wrote in to tell their ghostly/paranormal/psychic experiences. It's great to have this collection of stories to take me back...and this has plenty from Fate's 50+ year archives. Hopefully Fate will put out a "My Proof of Survival" book next...I read this in a couple of evenings and want more!

After reading this beautifully compiled book of strange and unusual mystic experiences, the world was not the same for me. Jennifer Spees weaves together a scary, yet poignant fabric of unbelievably true stories, threaded with supernatural, paranormal, and just plain spooky undertones. This is a must have for anyone who has experienced the unbelievable, who has an interest in the paranormal, or who just wants to be entertained. Be prepared to be mystified!

Turtles into Butterflies is a marvelous tale for children and adults alike. Turtle is an inspiration to us all, overcoming self-doubt and finding self-love. This book teaches children to accept themselves in spite of their differences with others. It teaches children that they can appreciate the qualities of others without having to give up who they are to become someone they're not. It is a helpful reminder for adults that we should be ourselves and teach our children their value through our own living examples. This book is filled with lovely illustrations and exciting adventures as turtle learns that he is beautiful. This book also teaches the value of friendship. It is important for kids to learn that sometimes friendship entails uplifting our friends when they are feeling down. I am grateful to Dane for writing a book that teaches children the value of self-love in a fun, creative and adventurous way.

This book is a marvelous tale for children and adults alike. Turtle serves as an inspiration to us all, overcoming self-doubt and finding self-love, a notion we certainly want our children to learn. It teaches children that they can be proud of who they are in spite of their differences with each other. It teaches children that they can appreciate the qualities of others while loving themselves, that they do not have to give up who they are to try to be someone they're not. It is an excellent story for adults as well, reminding us to be ourselves and to teach our children through our own living examples. This book is filled with lovely illustrations and exciting adventures as turtle discovers that he is beautiful. This book also teaches the value of frienship, demonstrating that butterfly is a true friend by helping turtle see his beauty. It is important for kids to learn that friendship sometimes entails uplifting our friends when they are feeling down. I am grateful to Dane for writing a book that teaches children the value of self-love in a fun, creative and adventurous way.

this book is asbolutely wonderful not only for children but for kids of all ages! i highly recommend this book!

I was lucky to be introduced to this book. It's such a fun book with a Wonderful story about going for your dreams. Adults and Children will love this book. It will touch your Heart, too.

This book is awesome. My kids totally loved it and they want me to read it to them over and over again. The book is not long which makes it easy to read to my kids before they go to bed repeatedly. I'd recommend it to anyone whose got children. Jorento is a gifted writer of children's books.

When I was 10 years old this was my very favorite book. I am so happy that it is still available because I want to buy one for my grandchildren.

I first read this book as a teenager, and have re-read it many times since then, discovering new levels of enjoyment as forty years have passed by. The story is set in the early or mid-1800's. Yan is the sickly city boy who goes to visit his cousin Sam in the country to recover his health. They gradually get better acquainted, making allowances for each other's differing experiences, perspectives and education. An enjoyable story and plot line unfolds, including conflict resolution, evaluating personalities, recognizing age and generation differences, and building trust. The book is absolutely filled to overflowing with fascinating woodlore information, skills and techniques, and countless drawings and sketches to explain or illustrate what the boys are discovering, doing, making or building. I have nothing but praise for this American Classic!

My mother brought well-loved books from her childhood--Ernest Thompson Seton, Dan Beard, L Frank Baum, from her family's home. So I grew up on among other things, this book.

I was curious how it had survived the years since I'd last read it at the age of 11.

Very well, thank you. The people are alive--much more than I'd remembered for the most part--and I'm enjoying the observation and learning from experience that the boys do.

This book has an autobiographical feel, set in Ontario in the last quarter of the 19th century. It deals with the interaction between an adolescent loner "from town" and the people and environment of the back country through woodcraft, and with his growth in that context. Though it contains much of Seton's wonderful woodcraft and illustrations, it is most valuable for the story and the lessons about human nature and rural poverty (my own youth).

My mother first read it to me from a tattered hand-me-down copy in the early 1950's when I was too young to read it for myself. It shaped my attitudes toward the natural world and helped me understand my own adolescence. To me, it is probably the single most important book I ever read.

The first copy I read was a hand-me-down from my father. In 1924, at age 11 he wrote in it...

I pity the river,

I pity the brook,

I pity the crook,

that steals this book.

I read it the first time when I was 14 and have read it several time since then. It may be a little more difficult to read than more modern literature because of the writing style, but it is a wonderful story for anyone interested in wildlife, woodlore, Indians woodcraft, and young boys doing things on their own. Boy-scouting should be this good.

As someone who took up chess late, I faced the challenge of trying to find out a bit on different openings and what would be best suited to me. There are huge resources in any specialised opening but this overall guide to the types of openings has a clear help. Instead of trying to guess 2-3 moves of a reply, you get a clear explanation of white or blacks plan to move into the middle game. I've met Sam Collins at tournaments and duely said "Thank you !" on behalf of the adult learner.
Without doubt in my mind, this book has helped provide a straight forward, uncomplicated structured approach to finding your way out of the beginners to a competent club player...and even beyond.

There is always work to be done in improving but this is an excellent book to put you smack in the centre of making the best informed choice of what opening or reply you can take on.

Excellent work Sam, Get to the Cork congres soon so we can get you autgraphing books !

This book should have been entitled "Learning the Major Chess Openings". It organizes the main opening lines and many sub-lines well, and it's a good reference if you want to learn the difference between say, a Scheveningen Sicilian and a Najdorf Sicilian, but it does little to help you "understand" these openings.

As is typical with most worthwhile chess books, the text contains a lot of strings (and stub-strings [and sub-sub strings] of moves, and it can get confusing. My objection is not to that, but rather to the fact that the explanations as to why one move is correct and another is incorrect are often so perfunctory as to be completely unhelpful. Over and over again, I found myself asking "why?" Clearly, this book wasn't helping me "understand."

As an alternative I'd suggest John Nunn's "Understanding Chess Move by Move." His book takes the approach of examining specific games to explore various themes in chess, not just the opening, but it will give you much better insight into the "why" of the opening moves than Collins's book. My one quibble with Nunn's book is that the Table of Contents does not specify the opening for each game (I've taken to handwriting them in myself).

So, alas, I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for the definitive replacement for Reuben Fine's classic, "Ideas Behind the Chess Opening," still arguably the best book on opening theory but now a little out of date.

Well-covered by other reviewers, I feel compelled to add my vote for this rare, well-written chess book. I've played chess for years but just recently started getting serious about getting a decent rating. While Reuben Fine's book is often referenced as great for understanding openings, I found it to be impenetrable. Meanwhile Sam Collin's book has become my first go-to book for getting a basic understanding of what an opening is all about. His writing is crystal clear, and he gets you straight to what the opening is trying to accomplish. Other books, like Modern Chess Openings or Standard Chess Openings, can then be used to examine alternative variations, but speaking for myself, I really need to start from Collins to get the strategy behind the opening first. I find this book to be an essential reference for a beginning or intermediate player.

There are many different openings books which focus on different aspects of opening play. This book is like a survey of the territory and covers the most likely openings to come up and the many variations of each. What I most like about it is that it is logically organized, well-written and easy to follow. It includes commentary, but the commentary is not comprehensive. This good or bad depending upon what you are looking for in a book on openings. In short, the text gets to the point with respect to the major tactical advantages and disadvantages of particular openings. However, it doesn't cover any of them in great depth.

I like this book because it doesn't repeat a lot of the ground covered in other books. It is a small volume at less than 225 pages of many different openings and the MOST important points about each. This makes it a great reference book to get one started with a particular opening. However, you need something with more depth to go along with it.

I am sometimes "turned off" by chess books which are 1,000 pages with very little text or diagrams. This is a bias that I have and learning anything sometimes seems overwhelming. This book strikes a nice balance between text, diagrams and presenting a series of moves. It makes the content more digestible and because of how its organized, easy to learn.

As far as I am concerned, this is a MUST own book for a serious chess player and particulary for someone transitioning from the beginner to advanced beginner or early stages of intermediate play. It uses modern notation and it is extremely well thought out with respect to layout. Both the author and the editor did an excellent job!

This book WILL help you to improve your opening play. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any player and if you are turned off by poorly organized or cumbersome large volumes, you will like it even more.

This book is very well organized. I am very pleased with it. By playing several of the openings in the book I have found myself (finally) able to defeat the computer at chess at levels where I couldn't do so before. I have also learned which openings are to be avoided as well, that way I don't have to spend time memorizing all of them. But it is still important to understand why some openings aren't good.

Van Ness cures the common problem of vapid thermodynamics texts by clearly explaining the basics and then stopping.

His little book is an easy read, and firmly roots the student in the reality of what thermodynamic laws and equations actually mean. Most importantly, van Ness repeatedly makes clear that thermodynamics is about imaginary processes that will never occur in real machines.

This should be the first week's read of every course in thermo.

This thin book is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand thermodynamics. A better title for this book may be `Thermodynamics Companion'. This it not a stand alone text, but a supplement to a text book or more advanced reference. This author explains in detail (and without a lot of mathematical mumbo-jumbo) the basics of thermodynamics. It is geared toward the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student in engineering or physics who wants to understand thermo. The mathematics is simple (anyone with a little knowledge of calculus can handle it), so the reader won't get bogged down in the equations. If you really want to get a handle on what thermo means (beyond just manipulating equations), this would be a great place to start. This book contains the best discussion of entropy that I've ever found. The notion of entropy is a difficult one for many new to thermo. It is easy to learn how to manipulate the equations, another thing to really understand what they mean. The latter is the author's goal in this book, and he has succeeded. At less than $8, this is a no-brainer.

First, skip over the silly introductory analogy of a little kid playing with marbles or whatever. But then it gets good. Aside from introducing an equation (p.28) including the variable S without even defining, let alone explaining, it, the 1st and 2nd law are explained very lucidly and with much care (I am a graduate electrical engineer with a full-semester thermodynamics course under my belt who's forgotten most of the subject). Entropy is very well dealt with. The last part of the book deals with thermodynamics vs statistical mechanics & there it gets pretty rough. I didn't try to assimilate too much of that part, not being as intetersted, but it's rigorous and doubtlessly also a fine exposition.

This book is certainly worth the small price and a chunk of your time.

Who knew that thermodynamics could actually be entertaining? This book is a joy to read regardless of your technical background or interests. It isn't meant to be a text, or even a demonstration of the subject's importance, but, rather, an invocation of the sheer wonder that can lie in the most mundane things if only you can look at them from the viewpoint that thermodynamics offers.

This book is an excellent conceptual introduction to thermodynamics. It helps you to get the "big picture" without getting into mathematical details. The first few chapters are suitable for high-school students that are interested in the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics.

I've never been a Rossi fan; although a very committed MotoGP fan. After reading this book, I've come to understand the sport and it clarified my unclear situations that I have come across in the current years of MotoGP. I think it is a must read for all the Sport fans.

I enjoyed reading this book tremendously. The writing style was surprisingly good, though I'm not entirely sure if it was more representative of the author or the translator. The reader is taken through his childhood, decision to commit to racing motorcycles, evolution through the European classes to MotoGP, many bad-boy exploits and finally some of the most challenging experiences Rossi has participated in as a MotoGP rider. It was fascinating to compare his perspective from inside the helmet with my perspective as an observer. It reads much like the script to Sundance film, starting in the present, digressing into history, and progressing back to present. I found it a bit difficult to follow at times but in the end was satisfied. If you follow MotoGP at all this book tells you what you already know, Rossi is a bad a-- on and off the track, yet warm, thoughtful, personable most of all simply human.

If you are a fan of Rossi or MotoGP this is a must read.

This is a neat book that dives into the life of one of the most accomplished racers to ever live. Lots of pictures, but haven't read entire book yet.

Definitely another good V. Rossi book which contains so much images within his life and two wheels.

What a great book. I bought this book as a present for my husband and being a fan of motogp myself we both really loved this book. A must for all Valentino Rossi fans to add to the collection. A great insight into the man and what drives his talent.Great photos.An inexpensive purchase but worth it's weight in gold.Very colourful and detail is excellent.

The book was filled with page after page of clothing and accessories, from swim suits to formal wear. The detail of how women adorned themselves and their outfits was very informative. I know that it catered to the upper-class, but it would have been nice to see more for women of a lower class. Also, there was barely anything for men of any class.

If you're like me and can't afford to purchase thirty one years worth of original Harpers Bazaar publications, this will fill the void. I actually own two, one to cut up and photocopy, so I can play with coloring a dress before I make it. It covers all the minutia of Haute Couture. Gowns for different occasions, times of day, traveling, dressing gowns, nightwear and undergarments. It also has plates for accessories, shoes, jewelry, gloves, stockings, hats. There are hair combs, ornaments, extensions, and a couple styling techniques. Children's clothing is also included. The major fashion plates have fairly detailed descriptions of the garment features.

There is also a good glossary of terms and colors in the back of the book. Which is a great help for some of the more obscure descriptions.

Too bad there's no color plates.....leaves more for the imagination to fill in I suppose. And BOY will this book keep you dreaming!

Dover Publications are the go-to people for books on 19th-century fashion, and Stella Blum's "Victorian Fashions and Costumes from Harper's Bazar, 1867-1898" is at the top of the list. Like the companion volume by Joanne Olian, "Victorian and Edwardian Fashions from 'La Mode Illustree'" (another book on this topic that I've given 5 stars), this book comprehensively shows, in splendid black-and-white illustrations taken directly from the old "Harper's Bazar" (note the spelling!) the changing feminine fashions of the Victorian and Edwardian periods over the 31-year period from 1867 to 1898. Every illustration is at least full-page (there are some breathtaking double-page spreads) and accompanied by brief descriptive text. I would definitely put it on the list of books that every student of 19th-century costume must own.

Victorian Fashions and Costumes is eye candy for anyone interested in fashion history.

The arrangement of the book in chronological order by year makes it very easy to find historically correct garments, accessories, and hair styles. A brief overview of characteristics specific to the era is included in each section. Most pictures have captions that identify the type of garment and often the fabrics and colors used in a garment.

I used information in this book to create a bodice and bustle representative of the period for a skirt Mary Todd Lincoln wore in 1872 in England.

With all the historical patterns available in the major pattern books, the costumer or reenactor can find a basic pattern and add the correct construction details and embellishments. I enjoy browsing the book and wondering what life was like for the women who wore these clothes. If you are looking for information about the clothing worn by the common woman, you won't find it here. After all, this is from Harper's Bazar, the Vogue of the 19th Century.

Becky

What would romance writers do without Dover and their marvelous historical books? These books and even era paper dolls are inexpensive, and yet, thorough works that really can put you into the period. This book is stunning.

Victorian Fashion from Harper's Bazaar 1867-1898 is definitive book on Victorian fashions, however, while is stunning work, you should buy Full-Color Victorian Fashions from Dover Publishing as well. Together they are everything you need. This book goes in rich detail, just not the dresses but down to hair and accessories. It's broken down into four sections: 1) Bustles and Puff (1867-1874) 2) Natural Forma and Cuirass Body (1875-1882) 3) Return of the Bustle (1883-1890) and 4) Hourglass Figure (1891-1898). The drawings are detailed and cover every aspect of fashion of this era.

An absolute must for romance writers of this period. High recommended.

Before purchasing this book I had heard from others about its contents and it did not disappoint. There is a lot of information and a whole lot of wonderful costume jewelry ---- wide range of subjects and makers. All in all a very good book if you like figural jewelry.

If you love vintage costume jewelry, you are going to love this book. There are excellent pictures and descriptions not seen in prior jewelry books.

What you spend on this non-fiction work can come back to you a thousand fold because it is a great guide to making money in the big, broad world of costume jewelry. I see it as a must for anyone of any age who wants to collect or sell jewelry, especially figurals.

As a novice collector I really enjoyed this very well written and informative new book. The outstanding colored photographs are large enough to show details in the wonderful selection of jewelry represented.

And now the hunt begins with this book as my invaluable guide.

IT'S A WINNER *****

I knew this book would be good because the author is so knowledgeable about the stories behind the companies and designers. Her photos are great, with a large size that are perfect for checking out the detail in the jewelry. I have been a collector for over 20 years and yet I had never seen most of the pins in this book. The information and the jewelry are "fresh" and I really love this book. I can't recommend it highly enough, make sure you add it to your collection.