Bacon Books

This is a great book to teach both basic and advanced levels of music theory. It is well-worth the purchase price.

This is a required text for the intro to music class I am taking
in college. It would make a fair to average work book, worth about $10 on the open market. But it is by no means a text book,
as the reader's attention is continually distracted by questions
and "fill in the blank" trivia. Explainations of note divison,
beat and other fundamentals are rarely shown on staff notation.
The vocabulary and definitions are archaic. This is not worth
reading let alone paying $76 for.

I found this book to be a great beginning text for understanding music theory. It is very easy to follow. While I sometimes find programmed texts to be tiresome, this book found the right balance between repetition and progress.

Wanting to accompany my instrument lessons with some theory, asked a composer friend what he recommended. This was it.

He was right. Self-paced, well laid out, with building block approach from the outset, assuming nothing, then building through eleven chapters with exercises as one goes that assure the user that the concept is down, or time to go back and relook.

Like self-guided computerized work without screen. Nice to be in a book again.

One can see how this has become classic. Tried and tested, this will assist all who want basic music theory foundation.

I was blessed to be able to use an early edition of this text with Paul Harder, the original author, as the teacher during my freshman year studying music at Michigan State University. He was a wonderful man and this text is quite useful. It provides you with a very basic overview of the most core concepts of Western Music's grammar. You can use it to get your incoming freshman on the same page. These students come from a wide variety of backgrounds and while they may understand some concepts well, they likely have gaps in other areas. Harder and Steinke provide a common basic language and the core concepts the student needs to begin studying basic music theory.

The 11 chapters take you through the basic properties of sound (pitch, intensity, timbre, and harmonics), basic musical notation, time classification (meter), note and rest values, time signatures, intervals, basic scales including modes, major scale, minor scale, key signatures, and triads.

You don't need to be a student taking a class to use this book. Because it is a programmed course you can teach yourself very easily. Each chapter is divided into frames and you cover the left side of each page, read a frame and then answer the question or do the simple exercise asked of you in each frame. By uncovering the left side for that cell you are given the correct answer and can see that you got it right or figure out why you missed it. As you accumulate the information in small pieces your understanding grows and you end up having a solid grasp of the material covered. Just to be sure each chapter has some mastery frames so you can check your understanding. If you need extra work there are supplementary activities, assignments and some have ear training activities which use the CD that comes with the text.

I recommend this book heartily. Obviously, if you have been trained in music theory you won't need a basic text like this. However, if you love music and have a desire to become literate about how it works, this is a great way to get started. If you jump into, say, a text on harmony or counterpoint without the grounding something like this text provides, you will have the same kind of problems you would have trying to study the concepts of language and literature without a grounding in the alphabet and basic grammar.

I both thank and congratulate Greg Steinke for keeping this text up to date and useful and Pearson for keeping it in print.

Harder and Steinke also have two texts on the theory of basic harmony that follow this one. You can find them here:

Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music: A Programed Course, Part I (9th Edition)

Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music: A Programed Course, Part II (9th Edition)


Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I enjoyed this book expecially when it came to completing my assignments. It was straight forward and descriptive. It explained things well and was easy to follow. I would recommend this book. The subject is incredibly interesting.

I have just read Pinel's 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 Pinel's brain 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 recommend BIOPSYCHOLOGY.

Ha, ha!! I have to put in my 2 cents after reading the review by Sergiu P Codreanu. The section on sleep was one of the ones that was not assigned in my biopsych class, and for good reason. All the information Pinel uses is from the 1970s, and is not all research. Some of it is just reporting of anecdote. I was so amazed after I read Pinel's comments that I contacted a student working on a PhD in circadian rhythms, who said that the cited material was all either urban myths or discredited research. So, some parts of the book are not only worthless, they're counterfactual!! Just what you want in a textbook!! (Oh, by the way, did you know that heroin addicts are all just whiners because withdrawal isn't any worse than a case of the flu? Yeah, that's right, you can experiment with drugs because the side effects are all over-blown.)

As to the rest, the fact that Pinel constantly delves into the details of single research papers leaves the impression that the book is speculative rather than conclusive. It also made it, for me, hard to follow the material. I like to skim first to get an overview of the reading, but you can never tell with Pinel what's going to be an important discussion and what's not.

I hated this book and learned far more about biopsych after reading "Animals in Translation" the summer after the course was over. I only give 2 stars because the graphics are good. Someone needs to steal Pinel's graphics and put them in a decent, accurate textbook.

Oh, and one more thing: the 5th edition is almost exactly the same as the 6th edition. My instructor really tried to twist my arm saying she didn't want me to miss out on any updated info in the new edition. So, after getting my used 5th edition, I went through the book chapter by chapter and section by section. The books are the same, with the exception of 2 page numbers!! What a scam!

While I agree with other reviewers that the text is good and the graphics in the text are outstanding, the CD that accompanies the book is a shocking waste of time.

Pinel has videotaped himself awkwardly addressing his imagined readers and foists these segments on the user at odd points throughout the CD. Each chapter contains a set of flash cards, a single multiple choice quiz, and a list of supplemental readings. The flash cards are of some use, the quiz doesn't provide correct answers for missed questions and yields only a superficial evaluation of the student's performance, and the list of readings is short (three or four citations) and without Web links.

One has the impression that the CD was included because it's de rigueur for college texts in the $100+ price category these days. Neither Pinel nor his editor seems to have any idea what content would actually be useful on a CD, e.g., a variety of quiz types, pre- and post-tests with specific reading remediations in the text for missed questions, animations of text content (rather than silly visual-space-ship-tracking exercises), Web links to supplemental material, and so on.

Pinel's Biopsychology is a masterful work. I can only imagine the immense amount of time and effort that has gone into it. I don't think you can find another book in this field that appeals to such a wide range of readers. I have used this book and previous editions of it as the primary text in the graduate Biopsychology courses I have taught over the past 8 years. This book has consistently earned accolades from my students for presenting what is an otherwise complicated and highly technical subject, in a graspable and witty manner.

I had to buy this book for a graduate class. I used the QRI II all the time in my school. As the special education teacher, it was a quick and easy assessment for those first meetings. The new one is a little more organized.
Overall it is a quick and easy assessment tool.

Great informal reading inventory. It is a little tricky to administer but gets easier with repeated usage. Comes with CD that has sample videos of administering and the necessary recording forms.

The book was exactly what I needed for class and I received it in just a few days!!! This was a great experience, getting a quality item in a timely fashion.

An easy to read, understand, and user friendly manual to conduct Informal Reading Inventories on struggling readers. Plenty of material to facilitate and instruct reading.

If you are familiar at all with the Flynt & Cooter IRI, you will love the QRI-4. You have stories with pictures, and without pictures, and now you do not need to find words lists like "San Diego Quick." This books gives you everything you need. Why didn't I give it a 5 then? I wish they would have organized it better than they did.

book was in great shape and arrive super early. was very pleased with the service.

Dr. Richard Allington continues to provide a research-based perspective that goes beyond the quick fixes, commercial-for-profit programs, and the political rhetoric of the day. If you really want to understand reading and learn a variety of research-based strategies that can be used to enhance reading, this is the book for you. There are plenty of practical strategies for teachers as well as parents. However, if you are looking for simplistic fixes (more phonics, more tests, more homework), I would advise you to go to your conservative "think" tanks and listen to politicians who have never read a research study.

How beneficial you will find this book depends on your background. If you are a parent, teacher, or college student trying to learn about basic research on reading, then this book is for you. This book gave me a nice review, but if you are familiar with the original research, you may want to skip this as something you already know.

Allington presents education and cognitive psychology research in a way that is informative and makes it easy for anyone to understand. Due to my background in cognitive psychology, I've read a lot of the original research on which this book is based. I think Allington gives a good overview of other people's research, while still giving his own take on the information. He does not discredit research, but makes you aware of the limitations of some experimental designs. Reading research is a relatively new field, most of which has occurred in the last fifteen to twenty years. Some results may seem obvious now, but may not have been a decade ago. Also, even if you think something is true, you always have to test it using a good experimental design. Allington's summaries allow you to decide for yourself if you accept the experimental conclusions.

I also think Allington did a good job of making practical suggestions that incorporates the research, so you can use it in the classroom or at least make informed decisions. That is probably most people's purpose for reading this book-practical applications. I like that there is more and more of a collaboration between teachers and researchers. This book is a good steping stone to that end.


I hope Allington continues to upgrade this book and write more like it.

This an excellent book for reading specialist, Literacy Coaches or Title I teachers. It really explains how to detect the early signs of reading difficulties. GREAT BOOK!!

This book has helped me tremendously in redesigning my reading program. As a special education teacher I am always looking for new concepts when it comes to my struggling readers.

I picked up this book for my son, who is a "guitar freak".
Knowing very little about guitars myself, I'm not that qualified to review this book. I can report, however, that my son was delighted with this gift. He said that he spent hours going through it, learning things he didn't know, and that he particulary enjoyed the illustrations. Anyone who is very interested in guitars would be delighted to have this book!

The book spans all the major and many of the odd brand electric guitars. The book contains no basses. The photos are excellent, including many vintage instruments. The history is inclusive but doesn't go too deep since this is a complete overview of all brands. The variations are detailed well over the lifespan of the product. I also like the reference to who may have used the instrument over the years. If there is an instrument you are trying find out about it is most likely in this book.

Just what I was waiting for, all the guitars I had dreamed about together in a fantastic display of luxury photographs together with their history and general background. The best guitar exhibition at reasonable price.Terrific pictures and very good paper quality. A must for every guitar afficionado!

This is a great encyclopedia, but I find it still lacks some information concering the big Far East brands.

I bought this book and later I bought "Totally Guitar" by Tony Bacon. Then I noticed the latter had incorporated all of this Illustrated Encyclopedia (of which Bacon is co-author) in his new book. So with Totally Guitar Totally Guitar: The Definitive Guide you get two books for the price of one.
If you're only looking for Guitar models, the Illustrated History is brilliant, but if you're looking for a lot more on the side for the same dollars, try Totally Guitar.

If you are feeling stale about your teaching and looking for some new ideas on how to present materials in class this is a great book. I have been teaching for 20 years and am always on the look out for new ideas and this book started the wheels turning again in new ways and sparking new ideas for lesson plans. A fair amount of what's here I've seen before and used over the years but this book really helped pull ideas and concepts back together and into a clear focus with some new twists mixed in. It provides examples for all classes K-12 on the different models of teaching and just really helped me "clean up" my thought processes on what I'm doing so as to create more efficient and crisp lessons. If you take time to reflect on what's in this book and apply it to your classroom, you will be very well rewarded (and so will your students).

I cannot believe that a graduate level textbook has NO internet resources. Other than that, it is an adequate text

Searched around, I got it at 58 dollars at halfvalue a brand new one. Appreciate the fact that there are many more book buying options for college students now. Great book by the way.

This is a keeper. I'm never selling it back. I'm a graduate student in education, and have taught for many years. Some of the models are a re-introduction for me, and some I have not ever thought about at all. The book is very well-written and well-organized. There are ample citations of supporting research for each of the major teaching models.

Great text.

I needed this book ASAP. I ordered on a Thursday afternoon and it was in my mailbox Monday afternoon. It arrived in the condition as promised. I expected nothing less. No problems at all.

Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, the genius entrepreneurs who helped bring Walt Disney's Disneyland to mechanical reality were directly interviewed in this detail-intense book. It journeys through the startup days of their company Arrow (now S&S Power/Arrow Dynamics), and their long relationship with WED. After reading it cover to cover in less than a week, I put it down wishing I could interview them both further myself. There are wonderful (albeit simple) schematics of ride system component patent applications, and some fabulous rare photos of Walt trying out the ride prototypes (such as Pirates of the Caribbean) himself. Unfortunately, because much of the interviews realistically had to be taken from a larger manuscript, some of the detail is incomplete or patchy. The wealth of information and memories these two men collected could have filled 500 pages and kept me interested. I would read this book again just to pick up more detail. It simply is a must-have for Imagineering buffs and anyone else who is awed at the lasting heritage and legacy that are the Magic Kingdoms.

Are you interested in how the pioneers of amusement parks designed their rides? This book is about the development of ride vehicles and technology at a little company called Arrow. They may have been small but they made a huge impact on the ride and theme park industry. They invented the first steel tubular track coaster for example, and it is known as "The Matterhorn" at Disneyland.

Nice stories from the owners memories of how it was back in the day... They worked on nearly everything that had ride vehicles. Disney designed and built alot of stuff right at the Disney studio machine shop, but these guys built a lot of ride vehicles and tracks for Disney as well. Pirates of the Caribbean boat vehicle, flying saucers, small world boats, mine train cars, Autopia cars. They built stuff for other long-gone parks you rarely hear about anymore, like Freedomland.

There are tons of great photos in here, (including Walt testing some ride vehicles), but it is not a coffee table book by any means. Be forewarned that this book does not give enough credit to the great Bob Gurr, a Disney Imagineer at WED who did tons of basic engineering, design, and drafting for most of the great ride vehicles that Arrow built for Disney. They do have some nice stuff about him on page 81, just not enough. The book tends to omit other people as well.

The book seems unfinished, and leaves you wanting so much more. There is no index to look things up as a reference. The writing style kind of ambles around with no clear direction. BUT having said all this, it is still an interesting book if you are consumed with the subject of amusement ride design and construction, especially Disney's. If you have a Disney book library, this should be in it. I would not give up my copy, I just wish it were a little better.

This book is great for any future roller coaster designer. it follows the development of Arrow Dynamics, Ed Morgan, and Karl Bacon. Lots of information on the building of Disneyland. Not many pictures, but great information and stories.

This was a fantastic book, full of colorful stories, and lots of facts. I was already aware of Arrow Development, but had no idea that they were responsible for the invention of so many different types of ride systems. The book details, their entry into the business. Their eventual association with Disney and how it all started with the hand-built Mr. Toad cars, and continued from there. Water rides, such as It's a Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean, in addition to log rides. These were the guys who invented the corkscrew roller-coaster. They built rides for many other parks also, and it details those projects also. I was fascinated with everything that I read in this book, that I couldn't put it down until I had finished reading it. A must-have book for any theme park / roller coaster enthusiast. 5 stars, as fas as I'm concerned!!

IT USED TO NOT BOTHER ME, BUT WITH MY AGEING AND REALIZING THE TRUTH OF MATTERS, I THINK IT'S SICK FOR ED MORGAN AND CARL BACON TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR ALL THESE REVOLUTIONAL CREATIONS. RIGHT, SOME HOW THEY HAD THE IDEA AND COULD FINANCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE PROJECTS. BUT HOW ABOUT THE "UNSUNG HEROS"?
AFTER I PROVED MYSELF TO BE A COMPIDENT DESIGNER, CARL BACON CAME TO ME AND SAID THEY WANT TO TRY SOMETHING NEW: THE CORKSCREW. WANTED MY DESIGN EXPERTISE. ALSO THE SAME WITH THE DISNEY WORLD PARKING LOT TRAM AND THE SUSPENDED COASTER. WHERE IS MY NAME MENTIONED? ALSO TOM HUMPHRIES, JOHN FOLTS, GEORGE MONTILLIER, BOB THOMAS, DAVE OREILLY, ALSO MY SON: DAVID W. CHALMERS. WE ALL GAVE BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS TO THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS. BUT RECEIVED NO THANKS. WE MADE THOSE GUYS RICH AND WHEN THE RIGHT TIME CAME, WE WERE "LET GO".

This book is very well written until the section on many electron atoms and molecules, starting from the helium atom. The section on many electrons systems is not well written and is very ambiguous. It is not possible to follow the math that is written. The chapters of the book until this are very well written and could be understood easily. I don't know if the author himself is well familiar with the many electron systems mathematics or not or he intends to make it so unclear. In general this book is better than other quantum chemistry books that I have and with the only deficiency of the explanation of the many electron systems I think It is a good quantum chemistry.

I'm a grad physics student, rather than a chemist. But I'm using this book in a Physical Chemistry class because my school doesn't have an Atomic & Molecular class. Now, maybe I'm saying this because I already have a background in Quantum Mechanics ... but this book is awesome. My instructor assigns all or nearly all of the end-of-chapter problems each week. And I'm able to flip to the back of the book and check to see if my numbers agree. It may be be Quantum Chemistry, rather than Quantum Mechanics, but aside from the chemical modeling which isn't as applicable for physicists, Levine just does a better job of conveying quantum mechnics than most Q.M. books I've seen. He's able to keep things simple, and not clog up the logic process with mathematical proofs. If you need a math proof, he gives you the reference. But the important stuff is proven, and he gives a lot of examples to help the process. As a bonus to physicists, a lot of the problems require some number crunching. And in this age of physical symbolism, it is easy to get rusty at dealing with real numbers, real units and real dimensions. I'll even go so far as to say that before I read Levine, I never really had a complete grasp of Q.M.. And I've used decent books before this; Merzbacher, Saxon, a little Cohen-Tenoudji, Ter Har, Lim and Griffiths. This one is my favorite, and imagine, it's not even officially a physics book!

I am amazed at the sheer depth of detail that Levine succeeds in conveying while somehow keeping the subject highly organized and extremely readbale. Like a good teacher, he has a knack for anticipating your questions and problems and addresses them. He also seems to know exactly which points deserve attention and emphasis, and which odn't. His constant referencing of previous equations even when not absolutely necessary minimizes the student's chance of getting lost or forgetting previous material and not remember where to find it again. Very mathematical, but all required mathematics are expertly reviewed before being introduced. My only complaints are a few critical typos in the angular momentum section, and the fact that that section and the section on symmetry could have been more clearly presnted (especially the section on symmetry!). But overall, nobody's perfect, and this is as close as you get. Definitely a class about Lowe's textbook.

writen by a teacher, with a great teaching art. As a beginner ( satellite engineer) , it provides me a clear first understanding of how atomic & molecular waves functions are computed. I appreciate the approach, very oriented to understanding the computation aspects. I agree that symmetry introduction should be more developped. References are systematically documented (in the text). Gives me understanding of "basic" explanations which are usually only shortly referenced in many other chemistry books I open.

quantum chemistry a special field of the quantum-mechanical theory has always been a very tricky course for all the chemistry students around the world, because of the demanding mathematical background they have to possess in order to comprehend the extremely difficult concepts and applications of
the best - up to now - theory we have to understand phenomena at the atomic and molecular level.
This textbook is the best i know in the field because Pf.
Ira Levine provides the necessary Maths in a really instructive way which chemists will appreciate with a great relief!
All the mathematics they will need is contained in this book
so they won't have to study it from a different sourse , wasting time and getting disappointed!
On the other hand, the order of the chapters is excellent
and the problems at the end of each chapter solidify your understanding of what you have already read during the chapter.
There are also answers to selected problems at the end of the book
I higly recommend this textbook to all the chemists who would love to really understand Quantum Chemistry!

You really do want to buy this book. Of all the writing handbooks I have, it is the one that is most interesting and most helpful. Countless lightbulbs have gone off in my mind as I've read its explanations. I strongly feel that it deserves yet another 5-star rating. I wish I had owned it during my first year of college (or even during high school). Regarding the negative post: I read it in its entirety, and with respect to its author, all I could do was chuckle and shake my head because I strongly disagree with the opinion as well as the arguments presented.

This book is the required text for a 300-level Rhetoric & Grammar course taught at Arizona State University.

This book gives you great knowledge of grammer techniques. it also provieds the answers for the exercises in the back to make sure you have learned and have the correct answer. It is a great book.

This text coherently articulates a systematic approach to integrating the teaching of grammar, from word to discourse, with the teaching of writing and rhetoric.

I am just entering the secondary school teaching profession. I have an educational, personal, and professional (7 years in publishing) background in literature and writing, but I am just a beginner in linguistics and grammar (however you wish to define it).

[...]

Rhetorical Grammar, by Martha Kolln, is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to improve their English grammar. Each chapter brings valuable information to the reader, with exercises placed throughout, and answers to the odd numbered questions in the back. This handbook is easy to understand and has ideas that are easy to grasp. I'd definitely recommend it for teachers and students alike!

This book is very easy to read and is very helpful in understanding school law.

School Law & the Public Schools is at best an introduction to school laws. It is fine for undergrads, but for Master's programs it is lacking any real detail or substance. If you like the basics this one fills the bill. If you need in-depth knowledge go elsewhere.

This is a great book for information about school and the laws that govern them. I recommend this book.

I highly recommend this book for its excellent coverage of law in a clear and concise manner. A superior reference for students in educational administration, practicing school leaders, or for teachers that need clarity on issues that deal with broad legislation. I have no criticism whatsoever. However, if you need specific state laws this may not be the best resource for you. This book belongs in every public school library in the country, in every classroom, and in every administrative office in our educational system. Thanks for such a great book!

This text is great, as it thoroughly explains the important educational laws and statues that teachers and administrators need to succeed in an ever-changing and evolving school setting. It is up-to-date and provides example cases and scenarios which are helpful in putting the material into the context of an individual's school environment. However, some information is slightly redundant and re-stated throughout the course of the book.