Research Books

I really like this book and wish that I'd found out about it before my psychometrics class in the spring started, because I would have assigned it in a heartbeat. It's got a lot of the kind of practical advice that anyone thinking of creating a scale REALLY needs to hear first, including the #1 bit of advice: Should you make one yourself? For instance, excellent summaries of the work on scale usage biases by Jon Krosnick, Norbert Schwartz, etc., give useful cautionary information for scale constructors. I have a few disagreements---some of the advice about procedures such as some of the scaling methods they mention is out of date, for instance, and the chapters on factor analysis and IRT are a bit weak, but I can cover that with other material. It certainly doesn't detract from the value of the book overall and I've learned a bunch I didn't know reading it. It'll be on the syllabus next time!

This book is definally the best one in the field, it is clear and provides all information about psychometry.

This is undoubtedly, one of the best books I have read in this area. The authors follow an appropriate sequence in terms of addressing scale development, testing and analyses issues. The best thing about the book is that it is really easy to comprehend and covers all the important areas. I feel it is a "must buy" for professionals in the area of health-related quality of life and outcomes research.

If you had asked me a few years ago about Henrietta B. Seiberling of Akron, Ohio, I would have drawn a complete blank. I hadn't heard of the famous Seiberling rubber tycoons. I hadn't heard of Congressman John Seiberling. I hadn't been to Akron and seen the street name Seiberling. And I certainly didn't know about Henrietta. Yet she lived in the Gate Lodge at the foot of the huge Seiberling estate--the largest in Ohio. She lived there and raised her three kids alone. She persuaded Dr. Bob of A.A. to turn to prayer for help. She responded immediately when help arrived in the form of the "rum hound from New York" who said he was with the "Oxford Group." And she went to great effort to introduce the still-drinking and drunk Dr. Bob to Bill Wilson at her home. Six hours later, the two founders had hit it off. She put Bill Wilson up at the Portage Country Club, and then Bill went to live with Dr. Bob and his wife in the summer of 1935. From that point forward, Henrietta taught, counseled, loved and helped the early AAs and their Christian Fellowship. And this new book by Dick tells details I had never heard before; and they are a rich part of the early A.A. legacy of healing and victory. It's a fine piece of reading. Try it.

Henrietta Seiberling has been vilified in recent AA-related biographies as a sort of cancer to AA's history. One writer (Francis Hartigan) suggests that Seiberling was jealous of Bill Wilson because Bill "succeeded where she had failed." Others have relegated her legacy to being nothing more than a door greeter, the woman who "happened" to bring together Bill and Dr. Bob Smith. It seems that anyone who spoke out against certain facets of Bill W.'s style has been thrown under the revisionist bus. [Any doubts? Reference Clarence Snyder, Father Ralph Pfau, Jerome Ellison, and Hank Parkhurst.]

"Henrietta B. Seiberling: Ohio's Lady with a Cause" is a gem. Presented at the dedication of the opening of the Stan Hywet Hall's Gate Lodge, Henrietta's residence, this syllabus blends the efforts of Seiberling the teacher, supporter, and believer with the Akron laboratory as led by Dr. Bob. Henrietta was one of several non-alcoholic friends of early AA who were so vital to the movement's infancy. She helped with the first program's spritual structure and understanding. She counseled the alcoholics and helped them look to the cure: God Almighty. And she was weary of AA's eventual transformation into what she termed a "rotary club" conglomerate. Henrietta knew what worked for the early AAs. She was more than simply a witness to the successes of the Akron "alcoholic squad."

This work covers the main ingredients of the Akron legacy of Alcoholics Anonymous and adds key information as to the real Seiberling role. [Dare I say it, Dick's found a real niche with the syllabus format.] It is amazing to see the true picture develop when all agendas are swept aside. If nothing else, the reader will come away with the understanding that Henrietta was by no means a failure with Dr. Bob. Without her aid, we may not be studying the Alcoholics Anonymous story today. That fact in itself warrants a look into this intriguing piece of history.

-Richard K.
Author, Researcher
Haverhill, MA
February 2005

This little book (which is now the 4th edition)is one of the later additions by author Dick B. to the family of Akron A.A. founders about whom he has written. And it almost seemed as if Henrietta Seiberling had slipped through the cracks since you rarely if ever hear her name mentioned or hear anything about her A.A. role in fellowship meetings. Yet she played such an important part in getting our society under way. She had befriended Dr. Bob and his wife Anne. She had her own problems and knew what the Smiths were going through because of Dr. Bob's drinking situation. When the Oxford Group came to Akron in 1933 to attest to Russell Firestone's conversion and release from alcoholism, Henrietta jumped at the chance to hear the story. She persuaded Dr. Bob's wife Anne and two other ladies to go to the big meeting at the Mayflower Hotel. Hearing the deliverance that was available through Christ, she urged Anne and soon Dr. Bob to attend an Oxford Group meeting regularly. And soon Henrietta, Bob, Anne, and Oxford Groupers T. Henry Williams decided to form a "rump" meeting and hold it at the Williams home. It was unlike the Oxford Group meetings in several ways and certainly because it was a little group of OG people, alcoholics, and families who were meeting primarily to overcome their problems, and soon Dr. Bob's drinking problem. It was Henrietta's revelation from God that impelled her to caution Bob that God had told her by revelation that Bob must not take one drink. But Dr. Bob continued to drink--because he wanted to. Then Henrietta convened a special meeting to deal with Dr. Bob specifically. At the conclusion when Bob had admitted to his alcoholism, she asked him if he would like to join the group in prayer. And, on their knees, they prayed with Dr. Bob for his deliverance. Yet he continued to drink--because he wanted to. And then the miracle happened. Out of the blue, Henrietta received a call from Bill Wilson, an alcoholic and Oxford Grouper, who announced that he needed to talk to a drunk. Understanding the "pass it on" principle of witnessing, Henrietta exclaimed that Bill was "Manna from heaven." He was, to her, the real answer to the group's prayers. And she quickly brought Bob and Bill together at her Gate Lodge home. The men talked for six hours, hit it off well, and decided to start helping drunks. And this, of course, was not an Oxford Group agenda item; so they called the Akron meetings a "clandestine lodge" of the Oxford Group. Henrietta continued to particpate in leading the weekly meetings during the summer of 1935 and long thereafter. She counseled Bob and Bill in Bible matters. And she helped distribute biblical literature that Dr. Bob was reading and recommended. And it was the little band of three (Bob, Anne, and Henrietta)who, along with T. Henry and his wife, developed the program that worked. And they kept at it until Wilson and Smith counted 40 people who were maintaining complete sobriety and that they had developed a cure which could be passed along to others. I love the book, and I love Henrietta's special role as a non-alcoholic woman of compassion and love who helped to found our great society.

James "Mac" McKee's book immediately incorporates readers into the tail of a life-long friendship and mentorship developed over many years through hiking, hunting and living. Even though I am not a hunter, I truly enjoyed each chapter and found myself very resistant to setting the book down. Mac tells a heart-warming tale which reveals a deep and meaningful side of hunting and the love of the great outdoors

WONDERFUL STORIES ABOUT REAL SITUATIONS IN THE SWAMP...GREAT DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN EXPERIENCES. FELT AS IF I WERE THERE EXPERIENCING THE ADVENTURES. WRITTEN VERY WELL AND EASY TO READ...PHOTOS VERY HELPFU

This is a great book that details the bond that ties all hunters together. The true stories lend credence to the common thread that connects us all to mother nature. To anyone who has ever been in the woods, and wants to relive the experience - This is the book for you. A must rea

"The Historian's Toolbox" greatly exceeded my expectations. This book covers the basics of how to research, what historians do, and the basic tools historians use. It references various books and Websites throughout. This book would greatly compliment a junior or senior level history class. Likewise it would benefit a new graduate student in history.

Williams gives instructors and students of history two books in one. Part one is a quick look at some of the big ideas and controversies of the profession. These short chapters on such topics as metahistory and anti-history should provide great fodder for class discussions. Part two on "the tools of history" offers good guidance on researching, writing, and thinking about history. Again, short, provocative chapters should stimulate students to think and talk about the joys and difficulties of doing quality history. I'll assign the book to my next class on historical research and writing. With this book as a guide, students will not write just another term paper; they'll know how to craft a livelier, deeper, and more revealing interpretation of the past.

Written by Robert C. Williams (Vail Professor of History and Dean of Faculty Emeritus, Davidson College) The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History is a reader-friendly guide for aspiring historians of all skill and experience levels. Now in an updated second edition with five new chapters, The Historian's Toolbox covers everything from how to choose a good history topic and write a solid paper, to evaluating primary, secondary, and tertiary historical sources, to format guidelines for credits and acknowledgments, to historical narrative as compared to interpretation or speculation, to even the potentials and abuses of the user-modified website Wikipedia. A "must-have" guide for history majors and a useful quick-check resource for professional historians, highly recommended.

Understanding the historical development of pensions is critical to the future of retirement systems around the world. This volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the political and financial dimensions of public sector pensions from the colonial period until the emergence of modern retirement plans in the twentieth century. The authors emphasize how retirement plans can help achieve human resource objectives, how public sector pension policy has sometimes been influenced by other government objectives, and how early pension plans were funded.

After discussing the economics of retirement plans, the authors review the history of European retirement plans, beginning with their use in the Roman Empire, and then moves on to early American pension systems. They explore the development and management of U.S. army and navy pension plans during the nineteenth century, drawing on original records of participants, retirees, and plan finances. They document the struggle to establish a federal civil service retirement system and trace the growth of state and local retirement plans. This history is inextricably linked to broader developments in U.S. financial markets, offering rich insights into political debates, including current debates surrounding plan design and plan funding.

This book is of significant interest to financial market and pension experts, labor and corporate pension sponsors, policymakers, public sector plan participants, and others who want to know how and why pensions emerged. Robert L. Clark is Professor of Economics and Professor of Business Management, North Carolina State University, and coeditor of the volume To Retire or Not? Retirement Policy and Practice in Higher Education, also available in the series from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Lee A. Craig is Professor of Economics, North Carolina State University. Jack W. Wilson is Professor of Business Management, North Carolina State University.

Understanding the historical development of pensions is critical to the future of retirement systems around the world. This volume offers a comprehensive assessment of the political and financial dimensions of public sector pensions from the colonial period until the emergence of modern retirement plans in the twentieth century. The authors emphasize how retirement plans can help achieve human resource objectives, how public sector pension policy has sometimes been influenced by other government objectives, and how early pension plans were funded.

After discussing the economics of retirement plans, the authors review the history of European retirement plans, beginning with their use in the Roman Empire, and then moves on to early American pension systems. They explore the development and management of U.S. army and navy pension plans during the nineteenth century, drawing on original records of participants, retirees, and plan finances. They document the struggle to establish a federal civil service retirement system and trace the growth of state and local retirement plans. This history is inextricably linked to broader developments in U.S. financial markets, offering rich insights into political debates, including current debates surrounding plan design and plan funding.

This book is of significant interest to financial market and pension experts, labor and corporate pension sponsors, policymakers, public sector plan participants, and others who want to know how and why pensions emerged. Robert L. Clark is Professor of Economics and Professor of Business Management, North Carolina State University, and coeditor of the volume To Retire or Not? Retirement Policy and Practice in Higher Education, also available in the series from the University of Pennsylvania Press. Lee A. Craig is Professor of Economics, North Carolina State University. Jack W. Wilson is Professor of Business Management, North Carolina State University.

Clark, Craig, and Wilson have produced a comprehensive book that serves a wide audience. While providing a detailed history of the development of public sector pensions from colinial times to 1920, tghe authors have taught their readers about the economic theory of pensions, informed them about the origins of the modern welfare state, and guided them to better understand the policy implications of recent proposals to reform Social Security. In the end, this book accomplishes much.

Shawn Kantor
University of California, Merced, and National Bureau of Economic Research

The second volume in the "Healing Research" series, How Can I Heal What Hurts?: Wholistic Healing And Bioenergies by Daniel J. Benor (wholistic psychiatrist, founder of The Doctor-Healer Network in England and America, Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, and the Coordinator of the Council for Healing) is an expansive collection of studied understandings of the practice of the wholistic medicine and the world of healing and alternatives. Introducing readers to a remarkable grasp of the nature and wide knowledge of wholistic healing, How Can I Heal What Hurts? covers everything from Complementary/Alternative Medicine Therapies to Geobiological Effects, creating for non-specialist general readers an ultimate concordance of sound and basic information. For its professional outlook, accessible text, and invaluable information, How Can I Heal What Hurts? is "must" reading for healers and anyone else with an interest in wholistic healing methodology and the study of alternative medicines.

The second volume in the "Healing Research" series, How Can I Heal What Hurts?: Wholistic Healing And Bioenergies by Daniel J. Benor (wholistic psychiatrist, founder of The Doctor-Healer Network in England and America, Founding Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, and the Coordinator of the Council for Healing) is an expansive collection of studied understandings of the practice of the wholistic medicine and the world of healing and alternatives. Introducing readers to a remarkable grasp of the nature and wide knowledge of wholistic healing, How Can I Heal What Hurts? covers everything from Complementary/Alternative Medicine Therapies to Geobiological Effects, creating for non-specialist general readers an ultimate concordance of sound and basic information. For its professional outlook, accessible text, and invaluable information, How Can I Heal What Hurts? is "must" reading for healers and anyone else with an interest in wholistic healing methodology and the study of alternative medicines.

Dr. Benor, a holistic psychiatrist, has compiled a comprehensive overview of the field of holistic health and the theories and research available on these topics. This book is timely and full of excellent analysis and references. Benor has done an impressive job of integrating information and covering a wide range of information to educate readers thoroughly about the topic. This book is worthwhile for all healing professional as well as laypersons seeking information and resources. This edition is the version of Consciousness, Bioenergy and Healing intended for the general public, although it appears to be primarily the same as the professional oriented version, just a bit less detailed in research documentation. It is good to see that this author is publishing books on an ongoing basis to keep up with developments in the ever-expanding holistic healing domain.

Jenkins' book is a very coherent and straightforward account of the complexities of doing science. Using interesting case-studies, he lucidly describes the proper formulation of scientific hypotheses, the elements of a good experimental or survey design, and the limitations of inference from data. That is, how do scientists discover facts about the natural world, and how do they determine how much confidence to place on such facts. Each chapter is a case-study and a point to be made about the scientific process; thus each can stand alone. But, they also tie together nicely. Given that the case-studies are topical and not overly technical, the general reader lacking a scientific background can still obtain a lot of entertainment and insight from the book. I'd also recommend this book to students in the natural and social sciences, philosophy, medical school, law school, because it is an informative description of what can be considered good sound science versus what is not.

The great value of this book is that there is real,close attention to decisive detail but without the inclusion of needless and intimidating technicalities.The result is that it is never superficial and yet never inaccesible either.I know of no other book that achieves this combination so well.I have taught undergraduate courses--in the US and UK-- on reasoning in science and would certainly use material from this book if I were planning such a course in future.Justice is done to some sophisticated complexities in extremely lucid ways .I think especially of the discussion of different kinds of causes in the biology of aging ,and of genotype /environment interactions in development.This book deserves a very wide readership among students at all levels and among the general public as well .University and public libraries should certainly be getting it.

This is a very interesting and illuminating study of how evidence and theory can be brought together to make understanding in the life sciences. Each of the eight case studies - e.g. on aging, population crash of amphibians, the causes of cancer - are discussed in a way that is both detailed and fast moving. In most life science problems the explanations are multi-leveled and inherently complex. Uncertainty is the rule, and yet so is progress. This is a great little book; I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.

This book provides a step-by-step guide to conducting surveys in an easy to read format. The book also provides examples of real practice which is useful.

I found the book to be a very pragmatic guide to surveying for accuracy and quality.

I've been doing online surveys and consulting for years and have been using Vista surveys as I found them to be the best overall. This book really helps to enusure that I ask the right questions for my Fortune 500 clients! By reading this book you will certainly pick up on not only critical questions you should be asking but HOW to ask them. Highly recommend!

This book is clear, concise and easy to read yet contains a wealth of information that is difficult to find on this topic. With so many clinicians thinking that research is an easy adjunct to their practice--this book gives you much to ponder and plan before undertaking a research site.

Donna Boone MSN, APN-C

I most enjoyed the "conversational" style; you are Dr. Miskin's guest and he's taking you by the hand. The wealth of experience is obvious when you see how detailed and thorough this book is. It is most comprehensive, beginning with "growing your site", "location" and then staffing, budgets, record keeping and the hopeful future sale of the site. No step is left out, this is really a blueprint or manual, if you will, for a rewarding and successful career! I gladly recommend it because there are methods and solutions that apply to many business ventures.

I am re-posting a review, I don't know what happened to the one I already wrote. Look, this is a complete guide in every sense. It takes you from startup to finish, with information to help you sell your site when and if you want to. All the info you need to know, with no ommisions, and presented in an easy conversational style. Dr. Miskin has done this long enough to take you by the hand and show you HOW its done! By the Book.

What a wonderful book! Terrific snapshots into Ms. Nelson's exciting life and the everyday lessons learned along the way. I am going to gift it to many of my friends.

I highly recommend this book!! As a professional woman, I was drawn to Marilyn Carlson Nelson. Her business advice in this book is extraordinary and inspirational. It simply compels you to raise the level of your contribution to and satisfaction with life. I expected to get that from this book. What I did not expect, however, was the intimate, personal reflection of a powerful CEO who also happens to be a mother, a wife, a community leader, a mentor and a friend. I found nuggets of wisdom for every aspect of my life, as did my husband who also read it. From her personal stories of well-known historical people and events to her moving reflection on the loss of her college-bound daughter, this book made me think deeply, laugh often and cry on occasion. You will not find anything that touches you more deeply.

I pre-ordered this book based on a recommendation from Harvey Mackay (one of the 5 people in this world I would like to meet before I die.) He writes a weekly column that I have gotten for years by email and he mentioned Marilyn Carlson Nelson and her book several months ago. So of course I ordered it. I wasn't sure what the book would be like, but it totally exceeded my expectations. I just ordered 8 copies to give as gifts to my colleagues.

This book is genuine, heartfelt, and powerful in its simplicity. The ideas are "bite sized" and therefore easy to remember and readily recalled. The format is terrific as well - a quote or poem on one page, and a short story on the facing page. I loved it! What a great read. I found it very inspiring.