Series Books

I used this book in grad school about 15 years ago and got it out again yesterday to learn more about sophisticated path deformations in the complex plane. This style of going through interesting examples, pointing out possible trouble and explaining the main ideas is perfect for physicists who need advanced math tools but hate typical math papers of the proof-lemma-proof-type.
It's not outdated, symbolic math software can do a lot, but often can't handle the full problem and you have to simplify by hand before starting the computer.

This is one of the finest books ever written on classical asymptotic analysis, one of the most useful areas in mathematics for engineering applications. The material is quite outdated now since the present research is almost completely computational.

Nevertheless, one of the finest applied mathematics texts.

It's a very good book for students and engineers of science and technology. It's worth reading Orszag's book.

I am a mathematics professor, and asymptotic methods is my area of expertise. Bender and Orszag was the standard text on this topic in the early 1980s, and it remains by far the most thorough book on the subject. I had two courses from it in graduate school and have taught from it 3 times now. I have never found a mistake. The book is very well written; its only weakness is that its graphics reflect the technology of the 1970s. Nevertheless, I am teaching from it again next year, because it is in a class by itself.

There is one thing that individual readers and faculty users should be aware of. Some of the exercises, including a few marked as "intermediate," are incredibly difficult. My instructor made the mistake of assigning exercises without working them first. I am careful not to assign any exercises until after I have worked them.

I had the privilege to explore this guide to the universe of asymptotics under Prof. Bender. I used to think, and still do (about 2 decades on), that this book is like the Rosetta Stone, and enables us to solve anything in applied mathematics.

A must have for anyone looking to understand the incredible universe we find ourselves in!

I just received this book a few weeks ago, and am half way through my first afghan. I love the way the pattern looks and the speed at which I am able to go with it. Also the instructions are very easy to follow, and the book has clear and beautiful pictures. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys beautiful patterns that work up quickly and easily.

this book has a lot of really neat very simple patters that are easy to follow and work up really quick. I definately recomend this book to anyone who likes afghans that work up quickly but look complicated and time consuming.

I've had this book for over a year now and I am so glad it is in my collection. I have only made one afghan from it so far, but I have made swatches for a couple of other afghans I'm considering. (I would love to try one of the cable afghans.) I sometimes enjoy just looking at the photos in the book. All the afghans are great looking and are nicely photographed.

There is a great variety of afghan styles to choose from among the 52 (!) afghans: classic, bold, lacy, serene, intricate, simple, handsome, and sweet. Some afghans are done as a whole cloth, others in squares or strips. Some patterns even include weaved strands of yarn to form a plaid look. The color pattern on the Blended Rainbow afghan is very clever.

Most patterns call for worsted weight yarn or worsted weight brushed acrylic yarn. None call for one of the trendy premium yarns, which while fun to use, could be unavailable next year. The instructions are relatively simple, most fitting on just one page of the book. (Only a few are a bit more complicated.)

Because you are working with two strands of yarn (either two of the same color or two different colors at the same time) and because you crochet with a large hook size...typically size N or P... the afghans work up quickly.

The one afghan I made was called Golden Waves, which called for a four-color pattern of soft waves. I made it for my nephew in blues and earth tones. He picked out the pattern himself from this book after looking through all my afghan books! It was fun to make and my nephew is very happy with it. Check out the photo I posted here.

Can you tell I like this book?! So did a couple of co-workers who looked at my copy and then went out to buy their own!

I like several patterns from the book but still trying to get the hang of crocheting with double yarn. The book contains many patterns and the explanations are clear and easy to follow.

This is a wonderful book for quick beautiful Afghans! From very basic to more advanced, there is something for everyone. All patterns are worked with two or more strands at a time, while still providing a wide range of patterns! There are basic filets, granny square, 'mile-a-minute' type, and everything in between, there are even baby patterns. Tons of fun and hours of enjoyment! Enjoy!

It is a great book, answering everything an owner has to know for an African Grey parrot.

This little book is packed with information about how to care for, and be a good companion to, the incredibly intelligent African Grey parrot. It's a very good how-to with lots of advice and information - and more importantly, for those considering bringing one of these amazing birds into their families, it provides a good synopsis about the nature of the lifetime commitment that comes with that decision.

So please - if you're a new Grey owner, or just thinking about buying one, pick up this book. You'll be glad you did.

Amazon is a very Good service .. no waiting around ;)
an this book ha ha was very Nice only problem was so Nice I Ordered it twice an sent a copy to Mother as We both have African Grey Parrots an She said Richard
.. thats the Book I already sent to You
so Yes very Nice Book !

Book give us all knowledge to start take care of african grey parrots.

Very good Book

I recently read Maggie's book and was very delighted with it. I have never owned a bird, but have always been fascinated by them. This book really put some things in perspective for a complete novice on the nature of these birds. I think it is a very good guide for those of us who know absolutely nothing about them but would like to. Maggie was recently a guest on our online radio show and it was wonderful to hear her birds talking in the background as we spoke and listen to her share her complete love of and admiration for these wonderful birds.

This book has beautiful photography to go along with Maggie's simple to understand and implement writing in this book and I highly recommend it.

Thought this book was really good. Lots of little tidbits of knowledge that you may have heard or didn't ever think about. Presented for all ages and all skill levels.

I teach a beginning backpacking class for adults and have used several books over the past 15 years. This is the 2nd year that I have used the Allen & Mike's book and it is a much easier read. Students and instructors both like the illustrations as it makes it faster to get through the information. Much more enjoyable than standard textbooks, but with a lot of valuable information.

A friend suggested I read this book before my first backpacking trip. It is a very fast and fun read with tons of useful information. My friend, who is a very experienced backpacker and NOLS alumni, was amazed at the amount of knowledge I acquired just from the book and has since purchased his own copy for reference. I highly recommend this book to any beginner or expert who needs a refresher!

The author shares his substantial experience with the reader in a uniquely entertaining manner, and the illustrator complements the light-hearted style of the author with [occasionally] hilarious visuals. The character of this book will attract everyone in the household; even those without camping or backpacking experience will find it easy-to-read and interesting. For those already bitten by the 'outdoor bug', new insights presented by the author force us to reconsider our position on a variety of subjects.

Unlike so many of its kind, this book is comprehensive without being obscure; no lessons on building water bucket baskets or how to skin and dry moose meat for the winter. This handbook addresses the basics of backpacking with enthusiasm, and it proves contagious for the reader.

Reading this book reminds me that it's possible to learn from all types of backpackers. The book is well written and illustrated. The illustrations have ideas that are not always in the text.

Allen O'Bannon clearly is not in the lightweight backpacking camp, which I am. O'Bannon writes about heavy pack loads (how to properly put on a heavy pack) and leather hiking boots. The book is loaded with ideas that will be interesting to all backpackers. I wouldn't recommend the book to someone just starting out with backpacking. For those readers I would give it just two stars. However, I would recommend it for a current backpacker that wants some fresh ideas or a fairly new backpacker that has read a couple books on lightweight backpacking first. The book isn't loaded with a lot of fluff that can be found everywhere. It is also easy to read and not nearly as boring as many backpacking books.

Do you believe in vampires? Well, Lori's twins think they saw one up on the hill and now she's frantic to find out if it's true! She and her friend Kit investigate the history of some strange neighbors who just might be hiding someone up in their attic. As they get to know more about the past, they meet numerous people that all were involved in a mysterious event that occulted more that forty years ago. When the story of that day finally comes out, no one realizes how close to home someone will be affected.

I really enjoyed this book. The story grabs you from the start and you know another good adventure is ahead for Lori. The author adds every day life events and mixes in some mystery, that makes you want to keep reading to the very end to solve it!

Nancy Atherton has done it again with her thirteenth book in the `Aunt Dimity' series. I never get tired of this series about Lori Shephard and the situations she finds herself in. She always comes back to opening her blue book and waiting for Aunt Dimity to speak (or actually write to her from the other side), so she can talk to her about her adventures and get advice.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants a good, easy and enjoyable adventure to read. Also, I would read the rest of the series too!
This is one series that will bring a smile to your face and a good feeling after every book!

I have loved all the Aunt Dimity books. Somehow they just keep getting better and better. With some series the author tends to become static after several books, but Atherton never fails to draw the reader in and hold on until the final page.

Shivers up my spine yet again. Such a fun book as were all the others. Can't wait for the next one!

As a confirmed Aunt Dimity and Lori Shephard fan, this one leaves me wishing for more. Any confirmed romantic will find this one the perfect blend of mystery and romance. Thanks Nancy Atherton for another winner
Judi H

Nancy Atherton is a wonderful author. I have read all of books! Sometimes I wish I could be with and help her solve the mysteries. You have to love a lady who loves her bunny and talks to a ghost, her "Aunt Dimity"! I always enjoy reading Ms. Atherton's books! More please!!!!

Anyone who has studied languages, particularly difficult ones, knows that repetition, and lots of it, is the key to success. This book and its companions excel in this regard. Vocabulary is chosen carefully and is then used to build graded sentences through example, dialog and narrative which can run to over twenty pages in a single lesson. I wish that I'd had the equivalent when studying Korean and Japanese.
One piece of bad news, however, the text is in traditional characters. This means that at some point you are going to have to make the effort to learn the simplified characters that are used by the bulk of Chinese throughout the world now. However, if you've mastered the texts in this series, that shouldn't be too much of a challenge.

These texts are the seminal series in hanzi erudition. They are great for learning the language, and reading and writing its characters. This one is the second of the first two 'Beginning' texts. I just finished the first. It should be noted that this, the 2nd, is intended to be grouped with the first. The 2nd therefore has the index, dictionary, and other appendices in back. The first only has the first 33 chapters. If considering purchase or already in possession of the first, you might consider ordering this one also.
The book is structured into chapters each presenting 10 base character words, and about 40 compounds derived therefrom. After character and compound presentation, are short example sentances which have english translations. Then there are a few pages of dialogue text, untranslated. Finally are a few pages of narative prose, also untranslated. Then its on to the next chapter with another ten characters. Every sixth chapter is a summary of the last five with some excercises to distinguish similar constructs and prose to excercise reading.
Amazon got the book to me flawlessly of course. Pricewise it was unbeatable, although I bought the first one used for a fraction.

I'm not going to repeat what has already been said but DeFrancis states that this book and volume 2 combined contains 120,000 characters of running text using just 400-500 distinct characters!!! It is this repetition and various presentation of characters in different contexts that I find the most valuable. I am not sure where else you can find such a large number of what is essentially graded readings for beginners.

As many have mentioned before, this is bested used as a supplement to a grammar text.

This book is an excellent means of practicing reading Mandarin chinese in Traditional characters, but has little to no guidance on grammar, pronunciation, or traditional uses. While some self-study types like myself would be tempted to try using just one book at a time, I'd say this would best be used in conjunction with the other books in the series, or one of the software/tape systems for spoken and grammatical chinese.

In the 1960's, while Mr. DeFrancis was working on this series, he wrote an essay called "Why Johnny Can't Read Chinese" (Journal of the Chinese Language Teaching Institute, Volume 1) in which he explains why a book like this is necessary and why he designed it the way he did. The reviews below pretty much restate it - you cannot learn to read Chinese just by memorizing a lot of individual characters.

An example: ben3 means "root" or "self." Lai2 means "come." Di4 means "earth." Ren2 means "man." All simple words. But when combined, could you guess that benlai would mean "originally" or bendi would mean "this country" or benren would mean "myself, yourself, himself"? There are thousands and thousands of combinations of this sort that have to be learned separately from the individual characters or you will have no idea what you're reading.

In addition, I would like to get something off my chest. Everyone tells you Chinese grammar is easy. It isn't! It's just different! Chinese uses word order instead of declensions, tenses, etc., to convey different meanings. If you get the word order wrong, you're saying something completely different from what you wanted to say. People will tell you word order in Chinese is a lot like English, which is true in simple terms, but a very dangerous generalization. "Bu hen hao," for instance, means not very good, but "Hen bu hao" means really bad. "Min2guo2" means republic but "guo2min2" (same characters) means citizen. In any kind of complex sentence (or even in simple ones) you need to be very familiar with common, habitual word order rules. There are too many of them to simply learn by rote. And that's not even mentioning the problem with particles like the infamous "le." You need to read a LOT of Chinese words in context to really learn these grammar rules.

And the DeFrancis Chinese Reader Series has just that. These books are thick! Another reviewer below gave the number of characters in each volume, I think, and you can read above the dimensions of the book, so I won't repeat it here.

The Readers also teach you the cultural significance of a lot of terms, a lot of idiomatic expressions, and a lot of historical and place names. And also I'll make the suggestion that you use these books in combination with his grammar texts, "Beginning Chinese," etc. The audiotapes for the whole series, including the Readers, is available from Seton Hall Language Lab. I don't think you can find any series more thorough.

Some people will tell you these books are out of date because they were written in the late 1960's, but I haven't found that to be a problem at all. Grammar doesn't change much. A few words have changed, but really, you need to know the old words as well as the new. I mean, is anyone saying that English readers can't understand books written 50 years ago? The only form of language that changes that quickly is slang, and you're in trouble if you think that's language learning. Foreign language book publishers are the main culprits here - they want to come out with a new, more expensive edition of their audaciously expensive, well-nigh worthless texts every 5 years. But don't get me started.

The introduction in the beginning of the book makes a lot of good points, but I've used up all my space, so I'll put some quotes in a "Volume 2" review in case you're still wondering if this is the right series for you.

Oh - and do buy Volume 2 along with Volume 1 because, as reviewers have noted below, the index is at the back of Volume 2.

This book was delivered within one week and it was in great condition.
Thank you.

A down-to-earth and simplistic account of valuable insights shed on the relationship between humans and nature and how humans can interact with nature and/or the spiritual realms to bring about profound changes to the quality of human life. What a blessing life can be just so much easier if only we're willing to make it so!

I have to say though this isn't a book for everyone, I definitely did not feel ready until having worked with MAP after reading her other book "MAP: Co-creative white brotherhood..". Nonetheless, I would not say this for others. But as Machaelle says, if you're drawn to the book then there must be some part of your soul that will find wonders with it.

We come to things in our lives on the path to enlightenment & greater understanding..at exactly the correct time for learning it, If we listen things will jump out at us to purchase ,learn, dig a little deeper for information vital to our own search... This is one increadable piece of that small amount of phenominal information out there for us to learn & understand..gain a greater knowledge of, there is so much to everything around us in everyday, in every place we are, we can only keep trying to strive to be better, listen harder, be quieter, feel the energy..pure raw energy of all life around us, that we are absolutly connected to... This book is by far one of the best Ive read & strongly recommend to any & all on a path of greater understanding of enlightenment & love...

I expected another great book about nature's ability to communicate with life forms in more ways than we expect. Instead I got MORE! Influencing each other in ways once couldn't imagine, this book builds past the works of even Michael Roads (author of great works like Journey Into Nature). It is almost too advanced for me just now, but a book I will definitely go back to again and again.

Reads like a story (because it is) then builds. Another one to put in my top 10 best books, which I'll have to extend to top 20 soon!

ALL OF LIFE IF LIFE. I FIND ANYTHING THIS AUTHOR WRITES IS EASY TO READ. EASY BECAUSE OF THE WAY IT'S PRESENTED. I ENJOY HER SENSE OF HUMOR. THE CONTENT GIVES ONE MUCH TO PONDER. THE BOOK MADE ME AWARE OF HOW LITTLE, STILL, MOST HUMANS ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF WHAT THE PLANET HAS TO OFFER. ALL THE POWER, HELP &HEALING THERE IS AVAILABLE IF ONLY WE LISTEN; LOOK.

Received this book within a few days of ordering. Like new condition. I am very satisfied with this purchase.

It is an awesome book. I stumbled on to Karen Kingsbury kind of accidentally and it was one of the best things I have ever done. She is an excellent writer. This book must be read after One Tuesday Morning.

Great. A must if you have read One Tuesday morning.

Karen Kingsbury did it again. Another fantastic story. Another, I can't put this book down until I finish it. I loved it! Great Christian fiction!

By: Jeffrey W. Bennett, author of Under the Lontar Palm and ISP Certification-The Industrial Security Professional Exam Manual
What can I say, I love a great story that has a great ending. Okay, for a guy, this story provides great role models. Karen Kingsbury demonstrate the great things that can happen when men take the lead to keep Christ in the forefront of their families. We all can benefit from heroes and we never know where we will find them. I'd say they can be found inside the pages of Beyond Tuesday Morning within the characters of Clay, Eric and Jake.

I've been training BJJ for about a year now, and I'm on the small side (130 lbs) so I find myself on my back a lot, and I quickly learned the importance of an effective guard. For me this book has probably done more to improve my training than anything else (except actual sparring). I usually fight guys much bigger than me (between 180-220 lb) and until I learned how to use the guard effectively I was basically a grappling dummy for my opponents. But now I'm constantly surprising my training partners and myself with how effective and varied these techniques from guard are, and I credit this book with much of my improvement. The guard is great because you can attack with all four limbs while your opponent can only use their arms.
Kid Peligro is an excellent teacher and offers many of the subtle details that make the difference between submitting and being submitted. For example, the section on breaking the posture and the 4 pages on the basic cross collar choked improved my game more than anything. Everyone knows this choke, but the minor details make it really dangerous, especially when you don't have a lot of muscle to force the choke. Before, most guys I sparred with weren't too worried about my choke, I was convinced I wasn't strong enough, but since reading this book I've put several guys to sleep because they wouldn't even considering tapping and now they try hard not to even let me get a grip on their collar. This opens up many more opportunities to attack with sweeps, arm bars, and omoplatas. What makes this book so good is the authors' understanding of students and the basic mistakes they make, as well as the very clear explanations and photos. The moves are integrated into a complete system that will put you years ahead than if you tried to figure this out on your own. That being said, there is plenty here for higher belts as well. I think the Essential Guard is essential reading for anyone taking BJJ seriously and interested in dramatically improving their Guard game. It should be know that there isn't a lot on the half- guard, it's mostly breaking the the posture, replacing the guard, opend and closed guard, butterfly, spider, and attack combinations. If you want a good half-guard game, I recommend Eddie Bravo's Mastering the Rubber Guard. These two books compliment each other well.

Thank you for writing this book. This book gives details about the guard that would take thousands of dollars to learn in a jujitsu school. I hope the authors write a book about how to pass the guard that is as detailed.

I found this book very useful and well laid out. I use this book whenever i get busy at work and can't attend bjj class as often as i would like. Very easy to understand with good pictures. My only negative comment is i wish the butterfly guard section was thicker.

this is the essential book for the beginner or intermediate BJJ player. it is likely the best BJJ book out there because it pays quality attention to the nuances of the GUARD and you will not get that at every jiujitsu school. without fundamental knowledge of the proper body positioning required to execute guard techniques, youre going nowhere.
futhermore, no matter how good you are as a 'top' position player, without a SOLID guard, youre wasting your time.

rodrigo medeiros is an excellent teacher.... one of the best. this is evidenced by the fact that he shows you the 'finer' points in very clear detail. one begins to wish that the book were much larger in scope and that it covered ALL the techniques from the guard, but no book can really do that. however, if you are having trouble executing or setting up the standard techniques, this book is sure to help. you get a $200 lesson for about 25 bucks.

get to rollin'

I loved this book the second I opened it. This book has a great lay out and an easy step by step process to help any gaurd game at any level. I opened it a read it the first day and put some new simple techniques into effect my first session. The chapter on setting up and combonations from one technique to another is GREAT, This is what all new BJJ strive for. Great book and a must get for anyone interested in improving there gaurd game.

Olivia O'Donnell's senior year hasn't started off too well. On the first day of school she finds herself in a three-way tie for valedictorian and needs to come up with a volunteer position to give herself an edge over the competition. As she schedules volunteer time in her already over-crowded day planner, other things get crowded out-family, friends, homework. But an unexpected stint on a makeover show gets her to thinking about others, especially those women trying to start a new life in the shelter. Olivia learns about what is really important in life and uses that knowledge to help out others.

This is a book I will encourage my daughter to read.

Award-winning author Wendy Lawton tackles a brand-new series, inspired by reality tv programs on The Learning Channel, Style Network, and various BBC Television shows. Teen Olivia O'Donnell is a multi-tasker, a stressed-out senior whose goal is to become her class valedictorian--if her energy and her day planner hold out. Her best friend Jane earns good grades, but also saves time for spontaneity--a quality that Olivia envies. Olivia used to carve time to watch Changing Faces with Jane, but lately, Olivia's schedule and goals have taken on a life of their own.

When this over-achieving young woman wins a total fashion makeover on Changing Faces, a new reality tv show, her all-new-improved look collides with the real Olivia lurking inside.

Wendy Lawton is a skilled word-weaver, but more than that--she has a knack for capturing authentic life lessons through excellent characterization and dialogue. Olivia feels like someone we all know, and her story subtly invites readers to examine their own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the consequences of their choices.

CHANGING FACES by Wendy Lawton delves into the teenage world of fashion makeovers, peer pressure, and stress in a delightful tale that grips the reader as a young girl searches for God.

I liked CHANGING FACES a lot. I definitely give it 5 stars. It's a good teenager book. It holds your interest. I liked it because I like the make-over TV shows, but in CHANGING FACES Olivia realizes she needs more than a physical make-over. She needs a spiritual make-over too.

This first book of Wendy Lawton's Real TV series is delightful. Through Olivia's personal journey, the reader is reminded of the things that are really important. As Olivia pulls out all the stops to achieve her lifetimg goal of becoming valedictorian of her high school, her discovery of what it means to serve others is exciting. As she works at a homeless shelter, "those people" become her dear friends as we see them unite to work on a shelter project. And although Olivia receives a makeover on the outside, she realizes that it was her own attitudes that needed the makeover all along. Don't miss this great read!