Bacon Books

this is very enjoyable book, with lot of information about the Beatles gear from the very beginning to end of the band. its must have book for every Beatles fun and every musician that admires the Fab four.
i really enjoyed this book.
the pictures are great and there are lot of rare photos and detailed photos of the instruments.
it can be very nice gift for any musician and Beatles fan.

This is a fabulous book. Not only does it give us an incite into their musical gear used but I found it an interesting way to learn about their personalities. I definatly recommend this book to any Beatle fan.

A big and fine research work.A dream for all musician,particular for all Fab lovers.
I hope amazon use more care for shipping the book.Not is the first time
I receive damaged book in corner.
The solution is make the package with more care.

I am both and enjoyed the book very much. It is long on details and has a lot of great pix. In fact it may even have been more than I expected.

This is a book that should have been published a long time ago. Great photos and they really do their homework and research as far as what instruments were used at what times. A must have for any Beatle fan. Think of it as a companion to the Beatles Recording Session book. Two complaints: 1. As with most Beatles material, they gloss over late 1965 and 66, especially with photos. This was when the Beatles were reinventing themselves artistically and created some of thier most critically acclaimed work and their most imitated sound. When a song sounds Beatle-esque it usually sounds like 1965/1966. Maybe it's a lack of documentation during this period. 2. There are a lack of info and pictures regarding the myriad other instruments which "Pepper" their songs. You get to see a Bach trumpet made famous by Penny Lane, but not much else. It's not that they should or could track down the original instruments, but more visuals would be nice as you read along. This is especially true with the indian instruments, which made up so much of the Beatle sound but are visually almost non-existant in the book. What about a Bass harmonica, French Horn, clarinet, Sitar, Tambora, Indian Harmonium, The EMI sound effects closet? A great book that could be perfect if not for these two flaws.

I read this in Elementary School in Dallas TX in 3rd grade (at least twice) and 4th and 5th a few times as well, so 1972, 1973, 1974. Have like others looked for it off / on ever since. Peggy Bacon is also an artist in the Smithsonian. This book is a classic and historical in so many ways, insane it is not available. The TwoLakesPress.com site of Sean D.'s still says he plans to re-publish it, hopefully that will still happen, if not maybe he out to give the rights to the Smithsonian Institution and let them publish it and sell it through their museum Gift Shops and online. One way or another this book should be made available to those looking for it early in the 21st Century to the kids and grandkids etc of those who enjoyed it during the latter half of the 20th Century, by one of the most well recognized early female artists of the entire 20th century. Peggy Bacon's The Ghost of Opalina (or Nine Lives) deserves a tenth life at the least!

This was a splendid book which even as an adult I wouldn't mind reading over again. In short, the story is based on the nine lives of one clever feline, Opalina. Opalina is now a ghost who still resides in her manor house and shares her various stories with two children who are the newest residents. I read this book when I was about 10 or 11 years old. The thing I particularly remember enjoying about the book is that the narrative takes you back to bygone times. I can't remember if there were any direct historical references, yet it felt as if I was getting a history lesson. There was a great feeling of adventure when you traveled back with Opalina and she shared her stories which were happy and sad, humorous and playful. Overall, it was an excellent blend of fantasy and realism and it wasn't too over the top that a child wouldn't understand the various stories and how they all interconnect. An excellent read for children of all ages, I just wish it was easier to find.

Like others, I checked this out from the school library over and over. I so wanted to share it with my kids. I looked for it every where I went. I even contacted the publisher! When I finally got it I read it out loud to the entire family, husband included! He wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It was like having an old friend back.

This is the best book that I have ever read. It involves a cat ghost who helps children in all of the different ages up until modern times. If I were you, I would read this book. People might think this is a chilling tale about a ghost, but it is a very funny tale about friendship. My mom read it when she was little and she read it to me. Someone stole it from our library, so now we can't read it anymore. There are no other books like it. This is the best book in the whole world.from Camille

I read this book in my school library when I was 9, and the pain of not being able to share it with my kids became so great that I finally did what you all have asked: I have arranged to reprint this book! Once the book is ready, I will have it available through Amazon.com. You can stay updated on its progress if you look up Two Lakes Press. We hope to recapture a bunch of books that are languishing in oblivion, and we are looking forward to showing them off on Amazon.com.

This is a great book on the fundamentals of leadership. Bo and the author use football for examples of different challenges a leader might face. As a Michigan fan it was wonderful to read how this legendary coach made his way to Michigan, and how he formed his philosophies on coaching. After reading this book, the reader will have a better appreciation of how and why Bo coached the way he did. If anyone knows a person or if they themselves coach anything, this book is a MUST read. But you can still enjoy the book even if you don't coach or lead anything.

Bo's life was a reminder to me about the things that are important - integrity, friendship, leadership, honest communication, and giving your all every single day. Although a football story, I think it's more an inspirational guide to attainment of the highest human values disguised as a football story. Put this on your list to read!

This is the best book by/about Bo. Many of the stories are familiar, but most of the ones that have appeared before have a somewhat different slant on them here. If you have been in a leadership position, you will recognize much of what Bo says as simple truth. You will also recognize examples where you didn't follow his principles, and regretted it later. People like him who see life as simply are rare, and are an inspiration. I'm not sure how much of the effect of the book would be lost on someone who did not have a familiarity with college football, but if you have even a cursory exposure to it, you should find the stories enjoyable and educational.

This book was written as though Bo was talking. Oftentimes after I closed the book I was motivated and charged. It had a lot of great advice and pointers about leadership. I good book for a leader. A great book for a Michigan fan.

This was an excellent purchase! It arrived in a timely fashion and in great condition!

What a lovely compilation of recipes, pictures and history! It brought back a lot of memories of food I enjoyed in my younger years but had forgotten existed. There is not a large Jewish community where I now live. It's certainly leading me back to food I love and now that I know how to prepare it, it will certainly be a part of my daily fare! It's also my new coffee table book.

Belana

Great book, some recipes are not very original, but over all it contributes to the legendary Aleppian cuisine that I wish to see more materials about it to share with the world of sophisticated cuisines.

This book has awakened my love of the amazing cuisine and history of the Jews in Aleppo. The Syrian Jewish Community is rich in passion, tradition, and great food. This book opens my senses and raises my appreciation for all of it. Highly recommended view of these taste delights and the tradition and community from which they come.

This book caught my attention because I have a close friend from Aleppo, who always produces amazing food and is a wonderful host. I found the recipes fascinating not only for their visual and gustatory appeal, but for the stories and photos that accompany them throughout the book.

Not only are the recipes inside delicious, but the pages look edible! A beautiful book both visually and spiritually. To have a culinary volume include such incredible recipes and meaningful information on Sephardic customs is both heartwarming and inspiring. After receiving this book, I loved it so much that I bought 3 more as gifts! I just want to know how Poopa and her family can eat like that and stay so thin and beautiful?

I used this text in the 80's as an undergrad in Brazil, and am now a chemistry professor. Although my research is in computational chemistry, and organic chemistry seems a lot like fantasy to me, I still love Morrison and Boyd's textbook. I remember my experience with it, and my awe in finding that someone could actually put a textbook together that was enjoyable to be read, and easy to understand - and mind you, I was not fluent in English back then. I have just recently realized that all my organic texts have been "borrowed" by students, and that I should really get Morrison's. And this time make sure nobody will take it out of my office. If you want to learn organic chemistry with no struggle, this is the book.

it is a great textbook for those who need organic chem. i am a chemical engineering undergraduate and the way the book is set up in problems and exercises is also great. after every section a question , that may seem difficult at first, is really a restatement of that section. but don't get it twisted into thinking that it is a pick up and go book. the solutions manual is a must if you want to fully grasp an understanding for this difficult subject. i also got a copy of the wade series to complement the book when i wasn't sure of the full chemical reactions that took place but overall, it's a great book to use.

Due its ambitious purposes and powerful transcendence, the whole understanding of this fundamental branch of the Science seems to be in an authentic crescendo day after day.

This book illustrates and clarifies such just a few, the most relevant aspects of this dynamic and expansive scientific discipline.

Recommended for students and teachers of Chemistry, Chemistry Engineers and Bio analysts.

O.K. Let's face it: what could be more boring than Organic Chemistry - right? WRONG! Morrison and Boyd's Organic Chemistry takes the pallid and dry subject of Organic Chemistry and imbues it with a vitality and interest that will stupefy you. Trust me, you cannot begin to fathom how effective this book is at making its subject interesting and more importantly understandable. The authors are brilliant at introducing a complex and arcane topic, incrementally building slowly and confidently a framework of knowledge and information that nearly makes, of all things, intuitive sense when they are through.

Every educator should study Morrison and Boyd in an attempt to appreciate how it works its magic. I can say without reservation, this is the text book against which all others should be measured. You will not be disappointed.

I used this book as a supplement for Ege's organic book. It helped me do well in my class and prepared me for the chemistry GRE. This book is older but well worth the cost. I think it should be on any chemists' shelf of literature. The reactions it tells you are easy to understand and the mechanisms make sense. The only problem I would have is the spec. section for infared is a little weak. But it does everything else well so it makes up for it. Buy this Book for undergraduate study you won't be disappointed!

From the drawing on the cover to the content of the book, this information is incredibly insightful and helpful. Dr. Peebles (who channels through Summer Bacon) shares his views for growth and enlightenment for all. I took my time to read it through so I could better absorb the meaning and depth of the concepts.

I have had the great blessing of sitting with Summer Bacon as she channels the funny, wise, loving and insightful Dr.Peebles for the past three years. The experience has been life-transformational for me and for friends and family alike. I am delighted that his words are finally available for all to experience, learn from and be uplifted by. His messages on individual topics as well as for the planet at large are helpful and illuminating. He reminds us of who we truly are, and that it is only the illusions of separation that keep us feeling limited and unfree. A MUST READ for all seekers of Truth.

I heard about Dr Peebles and Summer Bacon through a friend of mine in mid 2004 who suggested I might want to have a session with Dr. Peebles. And so I went to one of their open sessions in Mesa, AZ that Fall and was amazed. I was, however, still at a place of feeling pretty shy and timid about myself and wasn't sure I was ready to put myself in that vulnerable place of asking a question in front of others. At a later date, I did decide to have a session and set it up, but changed my mind when things seemed to be going pretty well for me. The more likely truth is that I still wasn't quite comfortable with the whole idea. And yet, since 2000, I had become open to a number of different avenues of spiritual growth.

Then about a year later this same friend alluded to the fact that I might want to connect with Dr Peebles. This time I did and in June of 2005 I had my first session. And my life hasn't been the same since! He has opened me up in so many ways and given me the courage to move forward in the ways that are important to me. I was so enthralled by all I learned in that first session that I began quarterly sessions with Dr Peebles and it has been a powerful, heart-opening, soul-fulfilling experience for me. I have come to a place of understanding what it means to have a loving relationship with myself and to being open to the love, joy, and compassion that I am to myself and to others. I am at the most incredible place I have ever been in my life and I am so grateful to Summer Bacon for being the loving, clear trance medium for Dr Peebles that she is and for having the beautiful spirit that she does in sharing her gift so tirelessly and lovingly to benefit us all. Thank you, Summer, from the depths of my heart. And thank you, Dr. Peebles, for all that you are and have been to me. And a very special thank you to my dear friend, Mary, for gently encouraging me to take this step.

And, yes, I love the book. I usually take it with me if I know I'm going to have some extra time. Then I open it up and know that whatever I read will have a special meaning for me. There is so much love and wisdom in this book and so much we are wanting to hear. And I also love how it includes articles of Summer's that contain so much wisdom. I especially love the line.........."The New Age is a Lie"......and she goes on to say...."This [what I do] is not 'new age.' Channeling, psychic readings, hands-on-healing, talking to angels....these things were happening even before the time of Jesus Christ. Same stuff, new packaging and brand name." Such a courageous statement and something I feel we have been wanting and needing to hear. I know it resonated deeply with me.

I HIGHLY endorse this book. Without question, Summer is the clearest and most profound trance medium of our time. Your heart will be opened and your awareness increased as you absorb the teachings, humor, love, and wisdom found in this first book by Summer Bacon and Dr Peebles. Summer and the wit and wisdom of Dr Peebles has changed my life and placed me on the path to my Heart.

For those of you who wish to continue reading I have shared my first encounter with Summer and Dr Peebles below. I am forever indebted to them both for waking me up to who I really am and placing me on the path to reconnect with my Heart.

Almost three years ago I came across Summer Bacon and the beautiful Spirit - Dr James Martin Peebles and my life has not been the same since. Prior to meeting Summer and Dr Peebles I'd been searching franticly for answers. I grew up wanting to know what life is all about. Here we humans are, spinning on planet earth in the middle of infinity. How did we get here? Where did we come from? Where are we going? What happens after we die? Will we see our loved ones again? My questions were endless.

So I searched and searched and searched and searched.

Under every rock, nook, cranny, church, 100's of books, tapes, CD's, seminars, guru's, priests, school, Bible, drugs, alcohol, metaphysical books, spiritual books, self-help books - you name it- I've looked into it.

Throughout it all I kept an open mind, until one day something rang true for me.

Lo and behold, one afternoon, I found myself in a room of 35 people in South Orange County, California at a metaphysical bookstore to experience the work of a trance-medium named Summer Bacon. I didn't even know what a trance medium was. But I was open enough to have to the experience and see for myself.

So there I was in the 3rd row. Nervous as one could be and extremely excited at the same time. Out strolls this wonderful sweet Plain Jane kind of a woman. No turbans, glass ball, incense, beads or Birkenstocks like I was expecting. Just Summer Bacon. She introduced herself as a trance-medium and began to tell the audience about her life and being chased by the Light since she was a little girl. She shared experiences that I could only dream about.

I want to preface something before I continue. I'm a waiter by profession and I'm able to read people VERY quickly. It's a trait I've picked up from over 20 years of doing this kind of work. You could say I'm a very good judge of character. I can instantly tell if someone is trying to pull the wool over my eyes or if they are being real, authentic, honest and standing in integrity.

After listening to her opening speech there was nothing but AUTHENTICTY, INTEGRITY and HONESTY coming from this woman. She was sweet, somewhat shy, nervous (she was just beginning to tour in public with her work), honest, pleasant, kind and passionate. This woman was like any sweet, loving and kind person you might have as a friend. That's how she came across. There was no phoniness about Summer whatsoever.

Before I walked into the room I knew a little bit about mediumship but nothing about trance-mediumship. After Summer shared what a trance-medium does my mind went into overdrive.

"What did she just say?"

She just said that Sprit speaks through her.

WHAT?? Did I hear correctly, Spirit speaks through her?"

NO WAY!! Impossible.

Oh boy... I'm either about to be had, or in for the most amazing experience of my life. Either way I'm not leaving. I just spent $35 bucks. Plus, I had submitted my name in hope's of being called upon and given the chance to ask a question of this "Spirit" Dr Peebles.

I held onto my seat as she talked about Dr James Martin Peebles. She told us that he lived from 1822 - 1922. During his lifetime he was an author, world traveler, a teacher, lecturer, clergyman, and medical doctor. He also became a leader in the worldwide spiritualist movement of the 19th century. Some other facts I found about him on another website disclose that he was active in the anti-slavery, temperance, and women's suffrage movements. He was a member of the American Indian Peace Commission, a delegate to several international peace conferences, and was appointed by President Grant to serve as Consul to Turkey in 1869.

OH MY GOD COULD THIS BE REAL? Could Spirit really exist? Could Spirit really speak through a living human being? OH MY GOD!!! OH MY GOD!! This is what was going through my mind as I heard the wonderful Spirit of Dr Peebles speak through Summer Bacon.

BRUCE, DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS IF THIS IS THE REAL DEAL? HOLY COW!!!

What was most amazing about this first meeting was the absolute contrast in personalities. Summer was shy, sweet, and nervous during her introduction and when Dr Peebles spoke, you were listening to another person altogether. It truly was the most amazing experience of my life. I will never forget it. Enough was said to me by Dr Peebles, when he answered my question, that I knew this was real.

Four months before I ever met or knew of Summer and Dr Peebles I was inside a Warner Brothers store with a friend and her son. I noticed a huge stack of Candyland games in the middle of the store. When I was very young this was my favorite game to play. I walked over to the stack of games, grabbed one and commented to my friend how much I enjoyed this game as a child. Two weeks after my first meeting with Summer and Dr Peebles I received a cassette tape in the mail of the first session I attended. I listened to my question and response from Dr Peebles. Imbedded in his discourse and answer was the comment "And that puts you on the game board of life. You have a game known as Candyland or such?"

I was so mesmerized during my first meeting with Dr Peebles that I never heard this from him. It wasn't until I listened to the tape recording that I heard this. It was, in fact, confirmation for me that what was going on was real. No one within that room knew I had picked up a game of Candyland four months prior.

This initial meeting with Summer Bacon and Dr Peebles occurred almost three years ago. Since that time a friendship has formed and exists to this day. I can speak honestly about her. She truly is sweet, kind, no-fluff, honest and of utmost integrity, and is without question the most gifted trance-medium of our time. I have been privy to numerous channelings with Summer, Dr Peebles and other quests and friends. Spirit exists and the messages that come through will awaken you and your heart.

Since my introduction to trance-mediumship three years ago, I have immersed my self in researching this phenomenon. Everything from going to other trance-mediums, traveling to Brazil to see John of God, reading scores of books on the subject and researching Near Death Experiences. Spirit does exist. We do live forever. Our essential nature is LOVE beyond description. God does exist and is a UNCONDITIONALY LOVING God. We are all connected. Nothing separates us. We must learn to LOVE - ourselves and those we co-exist with. Allow them to be who they are, without judgement. Express who YOU are. Diversity within Unity - thats what makes life rich. Earth is our home and she needs to be cared for not destroyed. Love is the ONLY solution, there is no other. Many of the Great Masters who have walked this earth have been telling us this for centuries. The only Truth is love.

God bless you Summer Bacon and Dr Peebles. I love you both so much!!!

This book reveals the relationship between Earth and the Universe
and how we are the creators of what happens in our lives. It also
helps us to understand the changes that are happening on Earth and
how much support and love we have to get us through all of them.

This book was very helpful for my 4000 level Neuro class that I had to take. It took me back to the simple basics that I somehow never had or forgot and built from there, showing how the basic developed into the more complex structures. The simple explainations for different structures also includes functions which I need as a Psyc. major. No coronal views are included, but the other views are very helpful. Grab your colored pencils & have fun!

I bought this book to help my bachelor level students learn the parts of the brain. They found it helpful in their learning process to color the parts of the brain. Although, because they are bachelor level students, there were only a few pages that were surface knowledge...lots of detailed pictures that would be more appropriate for doctorate level.

This is a must for anyone interested in learning about the anatomy of the human brain.

It is also essential for anyone studying physiological and / or biopsychology.

I teach an interdisciplinary course in psychology and neuroscience, and my psych students have found this book helpful for getting up to speed on neuroanatomy. I've also started using some of the pages as overheads during my lectures, since the diagrams are uncluttered and easy to draw on.

I'm writing a review because I thought I should mention that I found this book *much* more useful than its better-known competitor. The other book has more fine-grained anatomical detail, of the sort that would be most useful to someone studying to be a neurosurgeon - but the result is that it's very hard for a casual student to tell what's worth studying or remembering. This book does a much better job of focusing on the important structures, the ones that you're likely to see mentioned in popular science books and articles. The second half (Functional Neuroanatomy, with chapters devoted to the systems subserving different functions) is especially useful.

For anyone interested in self-study, or who just wants a quick reference source for neural structures that they see mentioned in other texts, I'd strongly recommend this book.

If you loved your third grade art class, you'll love this brain coloring book. The truth is we learn by doing, using our hands, applying colors. Many areas of the brain are involved in what we think of as simple learning tasks. Adding manual tasks to learning the complicated anatomy of the brain strengthens the learning process - forces you to linger over the page and get involved in learning the structures.

I feel the text on each facing page is quite useful but could have been a little more detailed on the clinical end. You will come out of the 'coloring book' experience with far greater confidence in your understanding of neuroanatomy than you expected. You may find reading on neuropsychology a good deal easier, now that you have, in effect, overstudied the anatomy and physiiology underlying it.

For those who want to go beyond this text to a really superior text in this subject, I highly recommend Clinical Neuroanatomy by FitzGerald and Fokan-Curran published by W. B. Saunders. It is already marvelously colored and illustrated with much greater detail and clinical information. It is an exceptional medical text (and priced accordingly). The medical illustration, scans, photos and other teaching aids are excellent and profuse. The coloring book is just a sort of 'boot camp' to prepare you for this. I have not seen a better text on neuroanatomy. If you are seriously in need of learning or reviewing your knowledge of this subject, this is the one.

ADDENDA: I have just read Pinel's other excellent work called BIOPSYCHOLOGY. Illustrated by his partner (sic) Maggie - superbly and contributing greatly to the success of the book as a great teaching medium in neuropsychology and neurology. It is a textbook for undergraduates in Psychology and assumes little in previous physiology and anatomy, using extensive explanations of vocabulary and concepts. Frankly, you might as well buy this one instead of the coloring book. It will cost more but you will get a lot more out of it along with the same high quality of illustrations necessary to understand this challenging subject. John Pinel has an engaging writing style, some surprising personal anecdotes, and many case histories. I highly recomment BIOPSYCHOLOGY.

This is a very good book for reviewing for the EC-4 Generalist exam. I graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Ed. 15 years ago and am Lifetime certified 1-8. I have taught K in private and 1st in public and am seeking early childhood certification so that I can teach K again in public. I feel confident that this book will be all that I need in order to study for the EC-4 Generalist exam.

I bought this book to study for the EC-4 Texes exam. The test had some of the same study questions that were in this book! So glad I studied! And I passed! :)

THis has been very helpful in preparing me for the TExES test. I recommend it to all

Janice Nath's book is the first textbook I actually read cover to cover. I not only passed the test on my first attempt with a 284 but I learned things I hope to use in my future classroom. The book is set up in sections based on the content areas covered in the test and gives an excellent review of the overwhelming amount of information a grade school teacher needs to know to be an effective teacher. I was really at a loss to know where to start studying for this test as the subject matter was so diverse. This textbook gave me direction. I got it only two weeks prior to taking the test and read every page. If you choose to purchase the book I hope you enjoy it just as much and good luck on the test. In fact I liked it so much I just wrote my first review on Amazon so others nervous about taking the test will get the help they need. :)

This is an excellent, thorough guide to help you prepare for the EC-4 TExES. I looked at several books, but felt like this one had the best information. Though there is not a full practice test, there are practice questions throughout, which are just as (if not more)helpful. Each answer is explained fully (not only why answer A is correct, but why B, C, and D are incorrect).

Several professors contributed to the text, and I know that many others choose it as required reading for their courses.

I made a very high score on the exam, and I owe that score in part to this guide.

This book is not for the faint-of-heart types who use light margarine and canola oil - it's for people who eat butter dipped in lard and topped off with bacon grease. It's for people who think "Gee that would be pretty good if you dipped it in melted butter and put some more sugar on it.

If you are tired of the food police telling you what to eat and what to drink, this book is for you.

The author is a genius, probably because we share the same first name. He's also a bit humorous. (Don't drink any hot coffee while reading, it burns coming out of your nose.)

EAT WHAT YOU WANT AND DIE LIKE A MAN is without a doubt the funniest book I've ever read. I love the way he cuts through political correctness and, in his words, gives the "food Nazis" a swift kick in the behind. The recipes are also great. Highly recommended!!

Great book. Who would have expected a cookbook with humor? The chapter on pizza alone is worth the price. This weekend I made better pizzas than ever just following his advice.

Growing up in a small farming town, I had a Grandmother who made some of the great dishes that Steve recreates here (okay maybe Grandma didn't make it exactly this way, but his results are good!)

Each recipe is intermixed with a lot of humor and story-telling, so don't expect to just open to a page and start cooking. Instead, each recipe is an experience similar to doing a project with a friend; lots of easy banter and humor while getting to eat the results! I started with the Dry-Rub/Rib recipe and then went on to the Baked Beans. The results were great even though I had equipment problems with my BBQ Smoker. Now, I'll need to upgrade my BBQ smoker to take full advantage of the great recipes.

Fair Warning: If you didn't inherit cast iron skillets (like I did), then this book is going to cost you some money as Steve exhorts you to buy real cast iron cookware (see pp.61-64). Forget about the aluminum-teflon skillets; you might as well put your food in aluminum foil and spray it with PAM. That is not what this book is about!

However, if you want a taste of Southern Cooking as it was meant to be (or if you just want to know what cooking was like before the age of unsaturated fats), this is the book for you.

Now, if I could figure out how Grandma did her canning and "Pickled Water-Melon Rinds" recipe, my nostalgia would be complete (somehow I think canning would not be manly enough for Steve).

If you are a man, buy this book...buy it now.

Steve H. Graham is the greatest cook among American humorists. (Which, admittedly, is sort of like being "the hot one" at a Rosie O'Donnell impersonators convention. Not that hard to pull off, considering the competition.) But Steve's a real master at both humor and cookery, so don't let that clumsy compliment slow down your enthusiasm for this product. I got my copy in the mail yesterday, and, after three meals, my wife's trying to put together an intervention for me to kick the habit of Steve-inspired recipes. I drove 75 miles out of my way to buy a griddle because of this man's work. That's the kind of awe that these recipes can inspire. This gushing over the recipes isn't to short the humor in the book. Steve's a master of impersonating writing styles, which show in the Tom Cruise and Christopher Walken chapters. (Which will certainly end in Steve's brutal defenstration at Chris Walken's hands, sadly.) That's not the only thing he excels at though, so every chapter's got a ton of new belly laughs in it... and after preparing even one of the recipes, you'll have a ton more belly to laugh with. Steve's also one of the funniest guys I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and we should all encourage book companies to throw giant cash advances and possibly their daughters at him by buying this book. If you've already bought it, order a few more copies for relatives. You'll be doing them a favor.

The other reviewers have already done a terrific job describing the content. I'll just add that while a profesional/accademic mathematician might find this book a bit informal, as an amateur I really appreciate its appeal to intuition and the author's tendency to review the meaning of terminology for a few of it's subsequent uses immediately following it's introduction. Not a difficult read, but a working knowledge of calculus for one variable is prerequisite. Seems to be out of print as of this date -- I've had good luck with used book purchases through Amazon marketplace from dealers with positive ratings better than 95%.

Check this sentence from the preface:

"The Cauchy Integral Theorem is thereby an easy consequence of Green's Theorem and the Cauchy-Riemann equations. Goursat's remarkable deepening of the Integral Theorem is discussed, but is not proved."

Such an upfront motivation of physicality in Complex Variables or Analysis is more than a rare find, it can only be justly defined as heavensent. A gift from the gods! This miraculous text absolutely deserves its many 5 star reviews. (other readers should still figure out the previous text that has an even clearer presenation of the physical foundations than Flanigan [to think i gave it 3 stars!])

Perhaps the most Physically Intuitive text on Complex Variables Ever (here's the first full paragraph): "We examine the the geography of the xy-plane. Some of this will be familiar from basic calculus (for example, distance between points), some may be new to you (for example, the important notion of 'domain'). We must also consider curves in the plane."

The two basic facts about analytic functions are these: they satisfy the Cauchy-Riemann equations and they are conformal. These are two lanes of a two way street between complex function theory and potential theory. The Cauchy-Riemann equations imply that the real and imaginary part of the function are conjugate harmonic functions. Harmonic functions are functions that satisfy the Laplace equation, and they thus describe steady-state heat flows and such. So facts about heat flows translate into facts about analytic functions. For instance, if no heat is generated inside a circle then the temperature at some interior point will be some sort of smeared out average of the temperatures along the circumference, so the maximum temperature in the disc must be somewhere on the boundary. This carries over to analytic functions: the maximum of the modulus of an analytic function on a disc must be attained on the boundary, and, if the function is never zero we can invert it and find that the minimum of the modulus must be attained on the boundary. And from here we obtain a quick and easy proof of the fundamental theorem of algebra: if a polynomial is never zero the minimum of its modulus on a disc must be attained on the boundary, but as the disc is taken larger and larger, the modulus on the boundary of course goes to infinity. QED. Thus we have a sort of physical proof of a very formal mathematical theorem. And there's plenty more where that came from. Integrating along a closed loop sort of corresponds to integrating the heat flux across the boundary, and poles correspond to heat sources, so if there are no poles inside the loop the influx and the outflux will be equal and the integral will be zero, and in general the net flux will be determined by the strength of the sources (i.e. residues of the poles). All this because the Cauchy-Riemann equations turned analytic functions into physics. But we promised a two way street, although admittedly there is less traffic in the opposite direction (flows around obstacles could have evened the score but are omitted). The key here is that harmonic functions are conformally invariant, and analytic functions are conformal, so an analytic function applied to a harmonic function produces a new harmonic function. An indication of the usefulness of this fact is this: the Dirichlet problem for the disc is easily solved by the Poisson formula but remains hard for a general domain, but because any domain can be mapped to a circle by an analytic function we can, in principle, solve the general problem by simply mapping the circle solution to our new domain. In conclusion, we very much applaud the idea of a harmonic function approach to analytic functions, but we also feel that this book is a bit stiff and does not sufficiently exploit the power of the intuitive and geometric ideas involved; we strongly recommend Needham's wonderful book for these aspects.

Just like finding two solutions for the same problem gives additional insight, Flannigan was able to give me an additional insight to the whole subject of complex analysis with his approach that is drasticly different from any other book on the subject I know.

Used this book during Mathematics Ph.D. studies to prepare for a preliminary exam in complex analysis. The unorthodox approach helped me get another angle of the subject. In particular I would note the introduction of harmonic functions before analytic functions and using "real analysis" techniques to prove "complex analysis" theorems like the maximum principal and the Liouville theorem for harmonic functions. Before the number "i" is even introduced, you already know these theorems for analytic functions once you define them as a pair of harmonic ones.

The student friendly tone of the author was a blessed interchange from the standard graduate books like Ahlfors, and for a fraction of the cost, it makes a wonderful buy for a self study book for the complex Ph.D. exam.

I would not assign it as the course book for undergraduate students taking a first course in complex analysis (which is what it is intedned for) though. It would be frustrating for a student to ponder through Green's theorem and real analysis material, which is by no means introductory, for 100 pages or so, when what he or she needs and/or wants to be doing is to deal with the algebra and geometry of complex numbers.

Overall, an awsome book if you already tasted the subject and want to get a better feel for it. If it's your first time, stick with the traditional books.

Flanigan's book starts at the beginning, and it covers some central aspects of complex function theory, elementary geometry, harmonic and analytic functions.

The central topics are (in this order) calculus and geometry of the plane, harmonic functions, complex numbers, integrals, power series and analytic functions, and the standard Cauchy-and residue theorems, ending with a brief chapter on conformal mappings.

The book was published first in 1972, but reprinted since by Dover. It is suitable as a text or as a supplement in a standard course in complex function theory, late undergraduate level, or beginning graduate. While it contains the standard elements in such a course, we note that a systematic treatment of power series comes relatively late, in Chapter 5, beginning on page 194. Some readers might want to begin with that. Flanigan concludes with the Riemann mapping theorem.

Of other Dover titles on the same subject we recommend the books by Volkovyskii et al, Schwerdtfeger, and Silverman. Review by Palle Jorgensen, August 5, 2006.