Brooks Books

Patricia Brooks brings to her role as food critic for "The New York Times" a sure palate, fluid style and voice of decorous authority. But she often garnishes her reviews with a wry and piquant humor and -- when some meal or dish fails to meet expectation -- can readily throw the pepper and spice.
It hardly surprises then that the author brings the same sure style, wry humor and zestful approach to what some might regard as a ghoulish undertaking -- cemetery reviews. Making us first aware that -- much more than mere resting places -- they additionally serve as tourist attractions,parks,places to picnic,sit,read,meditate and even in my case,jog -- she guides us not only through final resting places but through American history, culture and sociology.
It fascinated me to find that pugilistic hero of my Irish youth,Gene Tunney went down for the 'eternal count'in Greenwich -- not far from my own CT 'corner';that the full 40 inches of Tom Thumb lie beneath a "40-foot-high white marble tribute" in Bridgeport;that John Ford -- director of classic westerns like 'Stagecoach' that even in rainy Dublin caused me try to swagger like John Wayne on some cactus-dotted plain -- lies beneath the "grassy land and rolling hills" of a cemetery in Culver City and finally, that the headstone of James Dean, whose appeal -- since all the girls had already fallen for him -- made me feel so inadequate as a teen,is still covered with lipstick kisses, though he would be over 70 were he still alive.
Pat Brooks has presented us with a thoroughly researched, beautifully written, rich-textured and fully-flavored book that everyone should savor.

I read this book from cover to cover last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I will also add that I am already familiar with most of the information covered in this book and I still enjoyed it. I gravehunt for a hobby which is basically as good as saying I've never seen a cemetery I didn't like. Heck, I even waste entire vacations hopping from one cemetery to another. That having been said, here is the scoop on this book.
This is not a guide for gravehunters per se. It does not provide precise instructions as to where all identified personalities are buried. It also does not contain comprehensive listings of all permanent residents of interest buried in the cemeteries included.
What this book does do is highlight the best cemeteries in the continental United States. It provides the addresses for these cemeteries, their hours of operation, good information regarding the safety of the areas being visited, and a thumbnail history of each cemetery selected for inclusion. It also may contain a general list of celebrities interred within, as well as mini-biographies of some of the more prominent subjects as well as generalized instructions as to where specific graves are located.
This information included is about 99+% correct. I did find a couple of errors which I believe were obtained from other sources which have been proven false but continue to be perpetuated in other books and/or publications.
As for the overall appearance of the book, the publisher did a fantastic job of presenting an appealing package. The photos are very clear and the general layout of the book is not only user friendly but very attractive. Amazingly, this book is very clean in the sense that it was well-written and well-edited. I've seen a lot of really badly done books in the past 5 years or so. THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT ONE OF THEM.
Now for the big question......why buy this book? It is a lot of fun. There have been a lot of books published in recent years covering this subject (i.e., cemeteries). Some are very specific in terms of geographic location, the type of person buried within (movie stars, politicians, historical figures, etc). This book takes those elements and basically is a compilation of the very best of the best. It cuts through a lot of garbage and gives you the ones that tourists will like the best. Whether you want to visit a large number of the cemeteries included or visit a couple of them, this book will provide you with enough information to base your decision on. It is also a neat read.

Visiting cemeteries is not only a lot of fun, but it is cheap entertainment when visiting a large city. Autor Patricia Brooks has divided the book into regions of the country and provided both pictures and interesting tidbits of the famous and infamous who are buried around the country. More photos in the book would have been desirable, but then the amount of text would have had to have been reduced. Following the information as to who is buried in each of the visited cemeteries, the address, visiting hours, and telephone number is provided for those who plan on a closer look of their own. Many interesting individuals had to be omitted due to the number of people buried in places such as New York and California. However, the book may be on an off-beat subject, but it is, nevertheless, an interesting book on an interesting subject. If you enjoy prowling through cemeteries looking for the graves of notables this book will not disappoint you.

Since I am an old movie star buff.this book was great

Kate Carter's little book is a wonderful invitation to visit the countryside and see firsthand the old time beauty that a place like Vermont has to offer. A profusion of the most interesting looking flowers will greet the hiker or traveler in almost any corner of Vermont. Make sure you are ready with this little book in hand.

These are exquisite photographs--most of them taken by Carter herself. The division by color makes it easy to identify the flower you find and a joy to look through this book in the evening after a day on the hiking trail. There's also a neat guide to botanical terms (amaze your friends by knowing what a clasping leaf is or by describing the sepal of your favorite flower) as well as an alphabetical list of flower families with their characteristics.

The very first time I went into the woods with this guide in Stowe, I found a bottle gentian along the trail. Be warned: not all wild flowers are beautiful, for example the common burdock, whose flowers become brown burrs that cling to the clothing, and touch-me-nots and chicory can be profuse, unsightly and weedy along the roadways.

How interesting that several of the flowers that appear in Carter's book (including the gentian) can be found in the poetry of Emily Dickinson. Of course, that's because she loved the flowers so much, and because her native Amherst is not far from Vermont's border with Massachusetts.

The flowers are waiting. Get this book and get out there.

Wildflowers of Vermont makes identifying local flowers easy through color categories, brief descriptions, and notes of when and where the featured flower in the photograph was found.

It is a great tool to carry with Newcomb's Guide to Wildflowers. Some of the images in Wildflowers of Vermont can be mistaken for similar plants because the leaves are not always clear in the photographs. On the same note, Newcomb's can be overly detailed and difficult to navigate if one is not familiar with all of the plant terms. With both, identification is made much easier.

The one problem I have found with my copy of Wildflowers of Vermont, as well as several friends' copies, is that after one season of use, the pages fall out. I now carry mine in a ziplock bag and reorganize the forty pages or so that are tucked in because they can no longer be flipped through. I would highly recommend the book. Just use it with a very gentle hand.

This is an excellent field guide for wildflowers in Vermont. It is extremely easy to use for beginners, since it is arranged first by the colors of the blossoms. You can open the book to the right section immediately, since the colors are printed on the page margins. Then you leaf through the beautiful high-quality color photos to find the flower that you're looking at. To aid in identification, the height of the plant and the flower dimensions are also provided in the margins. For each flower, there is a brief and informative description, an indication of the blooming season, and the habitat. By using this book, I have finally been able to put names on the flowers that I see everyday in my backyard or on hikes. If you live in Vermont (or even in nearby states), I would highly recommend this book.

I bought this book last week and it's about my 10th guide to wildflowers. It's a really spendid guide in three respects at least. First the photographs are wonderful. Ms. Carter is a first-class photographer. Second, the guide fits in your pocket, something no other guides do. Third, it doesn't bog you down in lots of details that are not important in the field. Once you have identified a plant, you can enter the name, or Latin name into a Web search engine such as Google and find out more than any guide could possible cover anyway. It has lots of little embellishments that show the author is also a good publisher (this isn't from an international conglomerate, but from her own publishing company). Flowers are organized by color, and flower size is emphasized so you don't think that 2-inch color blossom in the book is different from the 1/4-inch flower in the field. It's a great little guide and is useful throughout the NorthEast because we share the same wildflowers.

Great book. I used to work out with my personal trainer in NYC Joe DiAngelo www.musclebomb.com and he recommended me this book.
Great!

Finally information you can trust! This is the best personal trainer-consumer book I have ever come across. It provides the perfect balance of science and practicality, written in an easy to read personable style.

One of the big bonuses of this book are Brooks's top 15 strength and stretch exercises. They are worth the price of the book alone.

This is also a great book to begin your studies to become a personal trainer. As an exercise physiologist, this is the first book I reach for as a reference in the development of handouts for my individual and corporate clients.

You can't miss with this one!!

This is the best book I have read on this subject. It is especially motivating for the person who is just starting out and does not really know how to begin an excercise program. It is very clearly written and covers every aspect of the workout. The pictures are great! The models look like normal people, so one doesn't feel overwhelmed by bodybuilders upon opening the book. I have been working out for a year now and would like to say "Thank you Douglas Brooks for keeping me motivated"

This is a must-read for someone just starting out in a fitness program of any type. Comprehensive information is presented in a logical way with enough details to satisfy more informed readers. Highly recommended.

About a year ago a teacher/performer friend asked me who my first guitar teacher was. Larry McCabe, quite a few years ago. My friend looked surprised, and told me he uses Larry's books in his own teaching, and that Larry had written something like 80 books to date. I had no idea, as Larry was in the process of writing his first book when I had lessons with him. So when it came time to brush up on some basic blues licks for a band I'm in I ended up obtaining some of Larry's books.

This book of blues turnarounds is where I started. What a great book - full of excellent turnaround licks. At this point I've only played through about half of them note for note, but have used those as a basis for coming up with my own licks. And to me, that is the mark of a great book - lots of useful information if read note-for-note, but can also be used as a springboard for creating new ideas.

The licks I've learned from the book thus far are all in the key of C, but can be easily used in other keys if one has a basic knowledge of the notes on the fretboard. I'd highly recommend this book for a beginner wanting to learn stock blues licks, or intermediate players who need to expand their blues vocabulary.

An Excellent Choice for the Early Intermediate Blues Guitarist

A turnaround is a lick played at the end of a section of music. A blues turnaround would be played in measures 11-12 of a 12-bar blues, or measures 7-8 of an eight-bar blues.

Electric urban blues turnarounds are fairly easy to play, and the difference from one to another is subtle. Having the ability to play a variety of turnarounds is an important skill in blues guitar playing. This is the best book I know of that addresses exclusively the subject of electric blues guitar turnarounds.

This a book for a VERY ambitious beginner, or an early intermediate guitarist who has an interest in Chicago blues in the classic style of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, etc.

The licks are all arranged in the key of C. This is for ease of analysis and comparison. The user is encouraged to transpose the licks to other keys - a worthwhile project for exploring and learning the fingerboard. Very, very good practice for learning the art of blues phrasing.

Great book from one of our leading authors. My students (and myself) have consistently benefited from the interesting instruction contained here.

My students and I work from several of Larry McCabe's guitar books and find that the books produce consistently high results.

This book, like the others, is exceptionally well crafted, specific in intent, and the guitar lines are accurately written exactly as they are heard on the CD. Larry McCabe books are the work of a dedicated teacher who has achieved a high level of respect nationally in the field of music education.

Larry asked me to write a review for this book, and I am happy to do so. The object of this book is to teach the art of playing blues guitar turnarounds to a guitarist who has some prior experience but is just beginning to explore electric blues.

If a student knows how to bend the strings and perhaps play slurs, slides, and hammers, blues turnarounds are not difficult to play. What is important is to play them authentically and with conviction. This book does a very good job in advancing those objectives.

A component of this book that is quite effective is that every phrase is written in the Key of C. The student should then transpose each lick to other keys, a desirable skill that encourages individual incentive and ability to solve arranging problems.

The turnarounds sound exactly like the ones played on classic blues recordings by the great artists from Chicago and other urban areas.

I know other teachers who swear by Larry's books, and I am one of them. Great book- effective in its aims, ambitious content, fun to work through, and a great value.

This very fine book has been in print in one form or another since the early-to-mid 1980s. Not many music books remain in print that long, but this is an exceptional collection of model solos in the urban blues style.

The book is quite popular with music teachers (as evidenced by the other reviews) and it is enjoyable and productive for students as well. The book is aimed at the ambitious early intermediate student, and a few of the solos will challenge an intermediate guitarist.

There are 25 full-length solos in the book, each written in notation and tablature, and each recorded note-for-note on the accompanying CD. The band on the CD is excellent. There are five solos in C, five in G, five in D, five in A, and five in E. The solos are played to standard blues progressions, meaning that they may be "plugged in" to similar blues progressions that are found in many, many songs.

The solos sound exactly like the solos heard on real blues records. They are varied and performed with taste, authenticity, and feeling. You can hear why the author was a columnist for Living Blues Magazine and why his work has received consistently high reviews in a number of guitar magazines.

Great book, highly recommended.

I wish all music instruction books were written in this format. The song tabs just go from one page to the next without a bunch of talking/writing in between, and the song numbers in the book actually match the song numbers on the cd...what a rare and unique idea! Of course, none of that would matter if the material were bad, but that's not the case, the solos are great - quite diverse too. There is a lot of helpful information in this book: theory, writing your own solos, a guide to blues styles and artists,etc. - but it's all in it's own section of the book, not sprinkled throughout the book here and there making it impossible to find. As a full time guitar instructor I would just like to say "great job", "great blues solos" and "great, easy to use format". Thanks.

The author of this book, Larry McCabe, is re-releasing books that have gone out of print for one reason or another. This particular book is an old friend. After I received it, I went into my library and found a copy. It has been in print in one form or another for 25 years. Most instruction books don't last anywhere near that long. First, this book (as the author warns) is not for beginners. You need to be familiar with the movable blues scales we all use. If you are playing out, and feel comfortable with the whole neck, get this book. The style of lead is closer to Gatemouth Brown and Freddie King than anyone else. If you don't know who these men are, buy their CDs. You are in for a treat. Please read the author's introduction. There is a lot of good info there. The Tab system is the older style. It should take about 30 seconds to adjust. It's actually easier to read than the current form. If you consider yourself a Rock guitarist instead of Blues, you really could use this book. If you use these solos as a "how to", instead of just memorizing them, they will give you some new weapons. You know, for scaring the heck out of other guitarists.

If you are looking for a great first book on abstract algebra, this is it! Dr. Isaacs has written a self-contained work that covers the basics of the subject in an easy to read manner. This book assumes that the reader has no previous knowledge of modern [abstract] algebra, though some mathematical maturity is required. It also avoids the twin pitfalls of mathematical writing: "Theorem, proof, theorem, proof,...", and "The details are left to the reader."

Isaacs' algebra text is probably the best math book I've encountered so far as an undergraduate student for several reasons.

First, the structure of the book is unique- most introductory algebra books tend to cover groups, rings, and fields in that order. More mathematically mature students, though, can gain a greater appreciation for rings by first understanding modules. Most texts tend to introduce rings first, because the classic examples of rings are easy to understand, and then generalize to modules. Isaacs instead builds upon the composition structures of groups to introduce the topic of X-groups (this is the only introductory graduate text that covers this extensively), so that modules and rings are not only presented at the same time, but in such a way that the reader can see the interplay between the two. This presentation also makes it easier to discuss the Jacobson radical and by the time the Wedderburn-Artin theorems are presented, the reader is familiar enough with the necessary elements of the proof that it actually becomes easy.

Another reason this book is good is because Isaacs includes difficult topics not generally covered in an introductory text, but in a way that they seem to be just a simple extension of the more basic material. For example, at the end of the noncommutative section (the first half of the book), Isaacs proves the algebraic foundation of character theory using the Wedderburn-Artin theorems, showing the module presentation of a representation as well as the classic homomorphism presentation. He then proves the basic results about characters, giving a very powerful tool to analyze the structure of a group.

In a more applied vein, Isaacs proves the steps used in the Berlekamp algorithm in the finite fields chapter, which not only allows the reader to gain experience using the generalized Chinese Remainder Theorem but also to apply it to the study of fields. After covering integrality, Isaacs explains the role of rational integers in character theory and applies it to prove Burnside's celebrated solvability proof, whose statement about groups seems to have nothing to do with integrality, or even noetherian rings for that matter.

While Isaacs covers other advanced topics (for example, Transfer theory in the study of groups, or the Schraier-Artin theorem), the text is excellent because he proves the basic results so clearly. While he doesn't talk about the geometric significance of groups that much, he does talk about groups from a stabilizer-orbit perspective that makes further study of symmetries a lot easier.

The proofs of the Fundamental Theorem of Galois Theory, Galois' proof of solvability, the Principal Ideal Theorem, and a stronger form of Sylow's theorem are particularly elegant, along with the chapter on solvable and nilpotent groups. What makes the book far superior to others, though, is the problems. If you can understand the hard proofs of this book, you should be able to do the problems in easier books (Dummit and Foote, Hungerford) pretty easily. Be warned- the problems are not there to have you "fill in the details" Isaacs left out (because his proofs generally don't leave even minute details out) or to get practice, but to actually prove new results. For example, important topics such as metabelian groups, supersolvability, and the structure of a field with an abelian Galois group are presented as problems.

In sum, anyone who wants to appreciate the beauty of algebra and understand more than just the basic concepts should learn it from Isaacs' book. While it is self-contained, one may want to study Herstein's book first and do some problems so that this book doesn't seem as intimidating. After studying this, you should be prepared to answer any basic algebra question on any prelim exam in the country and be sufficiently prepared to tackle more advanced branches of algebra.

I love this book; its shortcomings do not even tempt me to rate it less than 5 stars. However, it is not perfect, and you should consider its shortcomings when deciding whether or not to use it for a course or add it to your collection.

The book is exceptionally clear, even though it is dense. However, this book is not appropriate for a first course in abstract algebra: even if you have a strong mathematical background, it definitely requires prior experience with abstract algebra. The notation is a bit eccentric at times, but it is consistent, and once you get used to it, the book reads very easily. It is excellent for self-study.

The book is organized so that advanced chapters on specific topics can be read on their own, making this book an outstanding reference, and also making it easier to design a course using this book as a text. In the occasional cases when earlier material is required, the indexing is excellent, and the definitions are clear and concise.

Exercises are very illuminating, and diverse in difficulty level.

At times, Isaac provides tedious (and sometimes confusing) proofs of results which are intuitively obvious and in my opinion are best left to the reader. Isaac's style of proof seems to be to include every detail, even when leaving certain details to the reader would actually make the proof easier to comprehend. This space in the book, in my opinion, should be occupied instead with concrete examples, which leads into my largest complaint:

This book is almost completely devoid of concrete examples. Numerous results are proven before a single example is given, and in some cases, no examples are ever given--the reader is left to construct such examples on her own, or find them in another book. Chapters that provide more concrete examples, such as the one on permutation groups, are strictly optional and are not well-integrated into the text. Working the exercises provides some much-needed examples, but this is still a weak point of the text. This also relates to the other weak point of this text--connections to other areas of mathematics. This book is clearly written by an algebraist who sees the inherent beauty of the subject, and he does an excellent job of communicating this beauty through his writing. However, the connections to other branches of mathematics simply aren't in the book.

This book is complemented by books like Lang's Algebra at a more advanced level, or Dummitt and Foote at a more elementary level. In some ways, this book is the exact opposite of Lang's: Isaacs' proofs are detailed, expanded, but tedious, and Isaacs provides few concrete examples. Lang's proofs are sparse or not present, yet Lang provides numerous examples and countless connections to other branches of mathematics.

Lastly, the of this price is absolutely obscene. Although the book is excellent and certainly worth the money, the binding isn't: it completely fell apart and needed to be glued back together after only moderate use. This book held up less well than most cheap paperbacks. For $157, this lack of quality is downright criminal.

The biography of Brooks is well-written, but the true value of the book lies in the coaching asides that litter the book. Speeches and quotes from Coach himself make it an extraordinary motivational tool.

I really enjoyed this in-depth biography of the late Herb Brooks. The book provided information into the psychology and methods of a mysterious, complex human being who was clearly a master motivator and obsessive in his preparation. it provided wonderful insight into a true coaching legend. I recommend it to any hockey fan.

Mr. Bernstein did an incredible job of not only showing the talent and skill that Mr. Brooks had building the 1980 Olympic team and taking them to victory but he also was able to show the real Herb Brooks. I say this for in the mid-80s I worked at a hardware store near where Herb lived and on many occasions he'd stop in and pick up supplies or get keys cut and every time he stopped in he'd always be open to chat or sign autographs for as many who would hold out a slip of paper and a pen. A few years after that I was leaving a video store and he asked me how I liked a car I had recently purchased. All of these fond memories came back to me as I read this book, but this time it was almost surreal to think that someone who did so much and accomplished so many things would care enough to do these things for a person working at a counter or walking out of a store. This book put all of these things together and truly celebrated a person who meant so much to so many people of so many backgrounds for so many different reasons. It was a pleasure to read and I would recommend it to anyone, if you're a hockey fan or not, you will love learning more about a man who was a true hero.

American Lazarus is the story of how African American and Native American writers forged new tools to re-create their identities. In spite of slavery and subjugation, men like Samson Occom, John Marrant, Richard Allen, and Prince Hall endeavored to raise their people from civic death. This book is powerful. It is beautifully written; it sheds new light on traditions of resistance in American letters; and it shows that the theme of Lazarus (the biblical story where Jesus raises his friend from the dead) was an overarching conception for peoples of color just as the Exodus story was. Incredible history; amazing literary analysis. American Lazarus is a triumph.

With AMERICAN LAZARUS, Brooks recovers, or might I say, revives either long-forgotten or oft-misunderstood religious writings by eighteenth-century African Americans and Native Americans. And the story she tells through their works is as relevant in the 21st century as it was during theirs: God takes sides, and God's side is with the poor, the enslaved, the colonized. And these writers, like Brooks, ask: which side are you on? AMERICAN LAZARUS shows us the debt we owe to these innovative ancestors of color--politically, culturally, spiritually. And for that, we are indebted to Brooks as well.

My minister mentioned this book in a recent sermon. As a Christian living in the 21st Century, I realize that there is so much that I can take for granted. The trials and tribulations and triumphs that people like Samson Occom and John Marrant went through were inspiring to say the least. I had no idea that one of America's first hymnals was compiled by a Native American, nor did I discover until reading this book how much American Christianity is so entwined in Black and Indian struggles. I learned so much from this book. I'm not a reader of literature, but now I want to find out more about these people. I can say that it's made me a better Christian. I'm so grateful to these American saints. Thank you, Joanna Brooks, for opening my eyes.

It provides wide range of practical applications, with plain English, colorful pages, step by step from basic to advanced approach. It has got answers at the back. I recommend it`s Instructor`s solutions manual as well...

one of the best trig books in the world. the same goes for algebra and trig (right triangle)by beecher and bittinger:1993 edition.

The strength of this book is its organization. The reader is first introduced to the relation of arc length, radius, and angle. Then degrees and radians are learned. Then the unit circle is introduced. This is one of the best ways to learn trig.

The textbook presents the theory in a clear way that is easy to follow. If you were to read the chapter, you know enough to answer any of the problems. And if you were decided between texts, the layout of the problems of this text would be the reason to choose it. That is because of the science and real world applications of the problems. This is not "plug and chug." It is applying what was learned.

For me this book and the class in which it was used formed the foundation of all my latter math courses. This book has some pre-calculus problems, but that isn't its focus. Calculus has its advantages, but I always found trig to be more visual than most things in calculus. It is easier to picture what is actually going on in the math problem. But if you can relate your newly learned problem solving skills when approaching calculus problems, you will have no trouble.

One of my favorite problems in this book, which was included in the sixth edition on page 281, problem 71, is about an arched doorway. I don't know if the current versions have this problem. However it is worth researching. On my website (see my profile), I discuss this problem. And the excellent problems is what make this the best trig book I've seen.

This is a great book and the author worte it with lots of passion and it is very well for our children to teach them, that every animal is worth to save and not hurting it. Children will love it very much ! Well done.

Kids need to read more books like this. Animals are more a part of our lives than we realize sometimes. I'd like to see more titles from this author.

I read it to my students (grades 1-3) and they loved it. There was a nice message for us to discuss, about how we treat animals. As an extension activity, my students decided to create illustrations for the pages in the book that didn't have them and they were even motivated to write the author to tell him about their favorite parts of the book (which turned out to be when Neomi wakes up and the animals are talking to her). Read it and enjoy!