Bernstein Books

I feel asleep while reading it so I don't know what it was about exactly except that the author was senile once and believed Socialism was an innate feeling in war tribes from the Sahara who sipped camel oil.

The 3 stars are for the superb photography, the impeccable book design, and the exquisite material in the Diker Collection.

Otherwise, rather meaningless essays that may tickle the ears of some gallery-hopping audience, but they hardly connect with the objects in the collection. If writers have to trouble philosophers such as Hegel or artists such as Kandinsky in footnotes to make their choice of words understood, they probably don't know what they really talk about and hope that no reader will see through the "emperor's new clothes."

The curators/writers try very, very hard to lift the objects from the "primitive" to the highest levels of "Art writ large" which is a perfectly legitimate goal. But then, a buyer and reader should expect a better and more carefully done documentation, and not one that is full of errors and that lacks almost all important information. Where captions seem too poor and too meagre, they are blown up with meaningless ballyhoo and arty bla-bla.

Dimensions often are given incorrectly which may be a minor aspect; but it DOES make a difference if a blanket strip is 3 millimeters (0.3 cm) thick or 3 centimeters as given in the book! Another example of careless documentation: Catalogue number 22 on page 78 features a magnificient blanket strip perhaps made by a Nez Perce or Cayuse woman. The yellow rosettes employ the rare technique of horsehair coils wrapped with colored porcupine quills, sewn down to a hide foundation with each wrap of the quills! This important horsehair is not mentioned at all which makes me think that the writer of the captions had no idea of what she was writing about! From the rosettes' centers buckskin thongs hang down, carrying little brass hawk bells. Probably "brass" was too mundane for the writer so she pepped it up to "copper alloy" -- is that the sort of information that should help broaden the viewer's/reader's understanding of American Indian art? No, it does not add one iota more of information than "brass" would do, but this ethnocentric gallery and museum chic arrogance helps to deceive the buyer of this book.

If you have "Native Paths", the first catalogue that was published about the Diker Collection in 1998 and has a lot of the same photographs, you won't need this book. If you don't have, buy "First American Art" and enjoy the beautiful objects. But you better turn off your inner ears and let not spoil your visual feast by arty and meaningless gobbledygook!

And let's not forget: the shirts and the moccasins and the bags and the baskets did serve some utiliarian or ceremonial function when they were still owned by their makers -- the Nez Perce boy shirt with the flamboyantly beaded strips and rich fringes, hanging in the stark whiteness of a Bauhaus style living room, can never be pure, functionless art, as a Mark Rothko painting or Calder mobile is. I had a chance to see that boy's shirt in such a setting and it struck me more than any Rothko would!

I recently purchased Portland Hikes to replace my original book that is so worn it's falling apart. I didn't realize I was purchasing the third edition. Everything is mostly the same, except for the maps. The maps in the original book are full-page, while they are only half page in the 3rd edition. All of the relevant information for your ultimate destination is provided, but they have removed the surrounding sites, which I enjoyed. The font seems to be a bit smaller, too. I can live with that, but I really preferred the larger maps. All that to save a few pages...???

Prospective readers should note that this is not a new book. Rather, it's a repackaged reprint of one of Bernstein's earliest books (circa 1965). Fed Chairman Emeritus Paul Volker has written a shiny new introduction and Bernstein himself takes a few pages at the beginning to place his old ideas in historical context, but frankly the meat of the book is totally outdated. There is perhaps no area in economics that has seen more change over the past 40 years than monetary policy. Bernstein wrote this book before the demise of the gold standard, before stagflation, before the modern consensus on monetary policy. If you want to read Bernstein on gold, a much more contemporary view is presented inThe Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession.

I was mainly interested in one essay among the many submitted by mostly Southern California-based scholars -- $8 (including shipping)for a brand-new book and sold by an Amazon book seller was well worth the price. But it seems to me that one reason for the low price tag was that the book seller wanted to unload this text, for practically free, and I am not entirely surprised. This text is like a book version of an exhibition catalogue for a past LACMA show, and the quality of the articles is uneven. It is a fun book, nonetheless!

I've read some books of "Schaum's Outline" series and I think that this one is not so good. In my opinion, the principal area of the subject is "hypothesis testing" that is not well covered. Despite this, the "probability distributions" part is usefull.

I bought this book for a class. It's very informative but a little dense and the print is small.

I expected it to be a treatise on physical theories uncovering the very nature of the world, but what I got were essays on some more and less famous physicists, interesting but not bringing any new information. The most curious thing came somewhere in between: one chapter descibes how Aspen citizens tried to solve the problem of contaminated soil that some neigborhoods were built on. There are commisions, federal experts and one society member digging the case. Maybe thas is interesting but confusing as well, as unexpected in a book of this title. All in all I have very mixed feelings about it.

First, this is the type of book you have to read in a frequent manner one chapter at a time, because its analogies ar for reflections on the various activities you face while on your own.

I like the analogies of comparing your start-up activity as a adventure into unknown and potentially hostile enviroment. Its good advice told by those who are there and can look at those who have not stsated, but are thriving to start, in a helpful and practical way.

Wont say its life altering, but when you are there on your own, every bit of help helps.

This book is HORRID! I am overweight and had a great pregnancy. I did get pre-eclampsia in the 36th week, but that is because it runs in my family - not because of weight. I had a c-section because I had another medical issue NOT related to my weight. I gained 22 lbs and my son was perfect. THIS BOOKS STINKS!

I borrowed this book from my local library, expecting to find a supportive and informative book about being pregnant and plus-size. After all, I consider myself an intelligent woman, and I already know that being obese is a detriment to my health and any future pregnancies. That is why I already follow my dietician's eating guides and exercise regularly. I picked up this book to get practical information that I might need if I decide to become pregnant. Instead, I was left with guilt, fear, and a sense of unworthiness, not just if I become pregnant, but as the plus sized woman that I already am.

The first half of the book explains the physical impacts of being obese, both for pregnant and non-pregnant women. It is very dry and clinical, like a medical journal, and is full of citations and clinical study statisics. This section was thorough but very cold, explaining in medical terms the numerous, negative perils that overweight women face with pregnancy. There is no concern for the emotions or needs of the reader, without any practical tips such as symptoms to watch for or questions to ask your doctor.

The second half of the book focuses on nutrition and exercise. Although there are many practical suggestions here, such as sample menus and fast food tips, the authors are still very impersonal and even commanding and condescending (put down that chocolate cake, you naughty little fat girl! - not an exact quote but you get the idea!)

If you want a thorough, medical explanation of the effects of obesity on your pregnancy, or want some nutrition tips and sample menus, this book provides them. Just be prepared to face a tide of self-doubt, fear, and hopelessness. If you are already pregnant, perhaps you should take the author's veiled suggestion to reevaluate your decision once you've "gained perspective" of the risks that you and your unborn child are facing.

This book was TERRIBLE! It scared me to death! It just made me feel like there was no way for a large woman to have a healthy baby and that I should be ashamed for even getting pregnant! Two MUCH better books would be "Big, Beautiful, and Pregnant" and "Your Plus Size Pregnancy" - they are more along the lines of what to expect - step by step information. If you feel nervous or wary of being plus size and pregnant - DO NOT get Carrying a Little Extra - its cruel.

This book scared me to death and I was for sure I would have a miscarriage. Made me feel like I was not worthy of pregnancy b/c I was overweight! My husband threw this book in the trash and we are better for it!!!!!

What a disappointment! I bought this book seeking some reassurance that, yes, while there's higher risk for large pregnant women, a normal pregnancy with a healthy baby *IS* possible. I didn't receive this reassurance--rather the worst case scenario version of why large women shouldn't breed, with case studies and anecdotal stories about women who have had problems--never once do they tell a story about a woman who was plus-sized who followed some basic care guidelines and had a healthy baby.

I think I'm more worried now than when I picked up the book. Please don't spend money on this. There are better resources out there for larger pregnant women. And you're already paying your doctor--talk to them.