Brooks Books

It is a nice introductory book both for music and physics.. physics students who are learning wave theory should consider reading at least some chapters of this book..

This book is a thorough overview of physics behind music. In the first part of the book, Hall lays the foundation with an investigation into waves, sound propagation, sound measurement, and the human ear. The middle third of the book takes up families of instruments, and how they work to create musical sounds. The last part of the book investigates room acoustics, sound reproduction, and the perception of intervals, tunings, and musical structure. Each chapter includes references and suggestions for further reading, numerous mathematical exercises for practicing the concepts covered in the chapter, and a list of potential projects for further investigation. The book includes a glossary and answers to selected problems, as well as an index.

I read quite a few textbooks for work and occasionally just for interest's sake, but this one really stands out. After reading the first few chapters, I found myself wishing I could sit in on Hall's lectures. His style is intensely personal, and his explanations are incredibly clear. I'll admit that sometimes my eyes glossed over while slogging through some of the numbers and charts, but it was mainly my fault for not being a more active reader. In order to get the most from this book, you really need to read it with calculator in hand, or better yet, an Excel spreadsheet open, ready to try out the numbers and scenarios that Hall provides us with. Nevertheless, the math is kept quite simple- -no calculus; if you can do algebra, you should be able to get through the book.

I've found the information in the book to be quite useful. Hall's description of how resonance works in drums has helped me make sense of my tabla teacher's pickiness about where my fingers strike the tabla heads. And at last I understand the physics behind why some rooms in my house are acoustically dead, and others are alive. Hall has opened up a new world of ideas for me, and I will be thinking them through for years to come. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how music really works.

This book is an excellent starting place for someone who wants a somewhat quantitative treatment of the science of sound as it relates to music, but does not have the advanced math background necessary to digest something like "The Physics of Musical Instruments". The chapters and sections in this third edition are the same as in the previous edition, however some changes have been made to the content. The book is updated with more current references to the end-of-chapter bibliographies, and there is some new material, especially in areas affected by the personal computer's role in the digital processing of sound.

The author provides an integrated understanding of three major areas: the production of sound by various sources, the propagation of sound from source to listener, and the perception of sound by the human brain.
For easier reading, each chapter starts with an introductory section that sets up the chapter. There are also summaries and lists of symbols, terms, and relations highlighting the most important terms and quantitative expressions in each chapter. There are realistic and interesting exercise sets containing both qualitative and quantitative questions for each chapter, with most chapters containing 20-25 exercises. There are also projects included that provide out-of-class assignments that generally require students to do research. There are approximately three of these in each chapter. Finally, several new photographs have been added to this third edition, particularly of the inner ear structure and of the vocal cords in motion.

Like the previous reviewer, I make a habit of purchasing and reading several textbooks a year, and sometimes I am very disappointed and sometimes I am not. This is one of those purchases that I found most worthwhile. If you are interested in the intersection of math, acoustics, perception, and musical instruments I highly recommend it. A math background up to the level of algebra and geometry should be sufficient to understand the quantitative portions of the book. The table of contents is as follows:

1. THE NATURE OF SOUND.
Acoustics and Music. Organizing Our Study of Sound. The Physical Nature of Sound. The Speed of Sound. Pressure and Sound Amplitude.
2. WAVES AND VIBRATIONS.
The Time Element in Sound. Waveforms. Functional Relations. Simple Harmonic Oscillation. Work, Energy, and Resonance.
3. SOURCES OF SOUND.
Classifying Sound Sources. Percussion Instruments. String Instruments. Wind Instruments. Source Size. Sound from the Natural Environment.
4. SOUND PROPAGATION.
Reflection and Refraction. Diffraction. Outdoor Music. The Doppler Effect. Interference and Beats.
5. SOUND INTENSITY AND ITS MEASUREMENT.
Amplitude, Energy, and Intensity. Sound Level and the Decibel Scale. The Inverse-Square Law. Environmental Noise. Combined Sound Levels and Interference.
6. THE HUMAN EAR AND ITS RESPONSE.
The Mechanism of the Human Ear. Limits of Audibility and Discrimination. Characteristics of Steady Single Tones. Loudness and Intensity. Pitch and Frequency. Pitch and Loudness Together. Timbre and Instrument Recognition.
7. ELEMENTAL INGREDIENTS OF MUSIC.
Organizing Musical Events in Time. Melody and Harmony. Scales and Intervals. The Harmonic Series.
8. SOUND SPECTRA AND ELECTRONIC SYNTHESIS.
Prototype Steady Tones. Periodic Waves and Fourier Spectra. Modulated Tones. Electronic and Computer Music.
9. PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS AND NATURAL MODES.
Searching for Simplicity. Coupled Pendulums. Natural Modes and Their Frequencies. Tuning Forks and Xylophone Bars. Drums, Cymbals, and Bells. Striking Points and Vibration Recipes. Damped Vibrations.
10. PIANO AND GUITAR STRINGS.
Natural Modes of a Thin String. Vibration Recipes for Plucked Strings. Vibration Recipes for the Piano. Piano Scaling and Tuning.
11. THE BOWED STRING.
Violin Construction. Bowing and String Vibrations. Resonance. Sound Radiation from String Instruments.
12. BLOWN PIPES AND FLUTES.
Air Column Vibrations. Fluid Jets and Edgetones. Organ Flue Pipes. Organ Registration and Design. Fingerholes and Recorders. The Transverse Flute.
13. BLOWN REED INSTRUMENTS.
Organ Reed Pipes. The Reed Woodwinds. The Brass Family. Playable Notes and Harmonic Spectra. Radiation.
14. THE HUMAN VOICE.
The Vocal Apparatus. Sound Production. Formants. Special Characteristics of the Singing Voice.
15. ROOM ACOUSTICS.
General Criteria for Room Acoustics. Reverberation Time. Reverberation Calculation. Reverberant Sound Levels. Sound Reinforcement. Spatial Perception.
16. SOUND REPRODUCTION.
Electric and Magnetic Concepts. Transducers. Microphones. Amplifiers. Recording. Loudspeakers. Multiphonic Sound Reproduction.
17. THE EAR REVISITED.
Types of Pitch Judgment. Pitch Perception Mechanisms. Modern Pitch Perception Theory. Critical Bands. Combination Tones. Loudness and Masking. Timbre.
18. HARMONIC INTERVALS AND TUNING.
Interval Perception. Intervals and the Harmonic Series. Musical Scales. The Impossibility of Perfect Tuning. Tuning and Temperament.
19. STRUCTURE IN MUSIC.
Melodies and Modes. Chords and Harmonic Progressions. Consonance and Dissonance. Musical Forms and Styles.
20. EPILOGUE: SCIENCE AND ESTHETICS.
APPENDIX A. WRITTEN MUSIC.
APPENDIX B. THE METRIC SYSTEM.
Units for Physical Measurements. Scientific Notation and Computation.
APPENDIX G. GLOSSARY.
APPENDIX H. HINTS AND ANSWERS TO SELECTED EXERCISES.
Index.
The Chromatic Scale; The Chromatic Series Slider.

I sent a copy of this book to my newborn niece. In it I wrote a note: "Please make sure you have your mom and dad read this to you as soon as possible. It contains many helpful hints for you to avoid going to bed on time. Use them wisely."

My brother and my sister-in-law are probably going to kill me, but I don't care. If this book does not somehow wind up in bedtime literature history (like "Goodnight Moon"), it will be a travesty. The combination of lilting word rhythms and sweet illustrations will charm and soothe any restless child, and a few adults I can think of as well. Highly recommended.

This is such a wonderful book to read to a child before bed. Lots of amazing drawings and a cute story. Even if you are not a big fan of Dog Eat Doug (you should be though...very funny), it's a cute and colorful book for any infant and young child.

I was so impressed with it I picked up another copy for my office waiting room, so parents will have a good book to read to their children while they wait.

The author/artist does a wonderful job...knew his work in college (go 'Saders!) and I think he'll continue to produce some amazing comics and children's books.

Adorable book for little ones who don't like to go down to sleep! My 3 yr old got a kick out of reading it. Thats the best vote for it I can give! Cute book, great artwork and hope there's more to come from this author

This book is pedagocially sound and extremely informative, and offers a welcome alternative to the standards of the field like Trefethen/Bau and Demmel.

Great for classroom and self study. One of the few texts to give step by step examples on almost all of its algorithms,which can be carried out on most hand held calculators. An essential step in the learning process. This book makes learning Numerical Linear Algebra as exciting as it really is.

While there are many books on Numerical Linear Algebra at various levels, Datta's book is very resourceful and carefully prepared for classroom use. The book is very readable and the students would love it. The organization of the topics, the method of presentation, historical background at the beginning of each chapter, lucid examples, comprehensive and detailed proofs for almost all Theorems, useful MATLAB exercises for almost all the computational methods presented in the book make this book very suitable for classroom adoptation. Datta has given lots of good references (books and journal articles) at the end of each chapter, which are useful for further research on the major topics. It is a very nice and well-written book. The only suggestion that I have is to add more details on Krylov Space methods and such topics, and make this book suitable for a wider audience. I recommend this book strongly.

This is an excellent and well-illustrated book on important aspects of the ocean. It includes research findings, physical characteristics and composition of ocean waters. Tides, waves, currents, and weather are discussed. Fishing and marine life are described. The book concludes with a description of the worldwide Genesis flood. My granddaughter who aspires to become a marine biologist really loved the book. I recommend it to all!

This is another terrific book from the Wonders of Creation series. I have all the books in the series published so far. (I wrote to the publishers and they told me some more would be released this fall.) All of them have beautiful photography giving glory to the God of creation. If you are not God-fearing you will not like the text of this book, but you may still be inspired by the beautiful photography. This is a great asset to use to illustrate to your children--or anyone--how our God loves us enough to create beauty and diversity in all areas of life.

I used this book as a reference when teaching my children about the oceans. We enjoyed all the colorful pictures and the information was very useful. I have enjoyed all of Master Books Wonders of Creation series. Their books always point to God the Creator of all things. It is wonderful to read about God's creation from a creationist perspective.

This experimental, challenging fiction simultaneously tenders a trenchant critique of the materialism of contemporary American society while attempting to draw the reader to the grounds of psyche, experience, and culture where mythology and spirituality originate. Like other works referring to Homer's epic, Perez's ODYSSEY has the form of a journey; except in this case, the course and the end of the journey is imprecise with the author seeking to instigate tricky and profound spiritual transformation. Landmarks and stages are not distinct in Perez's ODYSSEY strewn with imgages and allusions. There are evident geographical references however, which are also images. The text moves from The Desert of Part I to The Arctic of Part II, with corresponding imagery, incidents, and developments in each part; also, each part is divided into a number of "Plateaus" which mark the poet/narrator's progress to higher levels of consciousness and awareness. PEREZ'S WORK IS DIFF! ICULT AND BOUNTIFUL, A MIX OF SCIENCE FICTION AND POETRY, A DISTINCTIVE WORK OF PSYCHOLOGY AND IMAGINATION. --THE SMALL PRESS BOOK REVIEW

Reviews of The Odyssey: by Rolando Perez

...Work of this sort can and help liberate us from obsolete structures and strictures toward the ultimate freedom of expression that is the artist's Eden...

DAVID HOPPER ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL

...Picture the childlike innocence of Italo Calvino's early tales, ballasted by an alineation that invokes the lost souls of Beckett... JOHN STRAUSBAUGH NEW YORK PRESS

...Perez's journey is fable, but a modern one, discontinous and interactive, the connective tissues left out...The Odyssey is an original book...

JAMES GRAHAM HUNGRY MIND REVIEW

Rolando Perez is a big green fish swimming in opal waters, and this book, THE ODYSSEY (not to be confused with any of those other vacation guides), will teach you how to swim -- backwards and forwards -- simultaneously. On the other hand, it's a very dangerous book that should be kept out of the hands of the doll-makers and the kind of people who wake up before their alarms go off

This work is considered one of Balzac's masterpieces. It is written with this kind of energy and power the same kind of literary ambition that seems uniquely his. Balzac as a writer has a drive and strength , and this is felt in his descriptions of character as well as in the force of his plots. Here we have a variation of Lear, with two ungrateful daughters doing - in the over- solicitous father for whom the daughters are all. One of Balzac's central themes is obsession, the fixing on one particular object as one's life aim or meaning and giving all to it. For old Goriot it is his daughters, as for Balzac himself it is his ambition to capture the whole of his society in his novels. But the Balzac worlds and this in itself another long subject are also worlds in which traditional values are in clash with values of social climbing money grabbers as exemplified by Goriot's daughters. Balzac's works are filled with great dynamism and are for many one of the great peaks of world - literature. At least some of his works should be read by one who wishes to have a taste of the best that has been thought and said. I would only add my own personal reservation. That the energy and greed of so many of the characters in his world , has left me feeling a bit detached from them. I can admire this Literature but I have never especially loved the world or characters presented in it.

Norton has done a really fine job on its critical edition of PERE GORIOT. The translation is especially good, vivid and direct. The commentaries are well chosen and organized. Of particular interest are appreciations of Balzac by writers who were influenced by him, including Zola, Proust, Baudelaire and Henry James. Henry James' take on Balzac is particularly interesting. Written in James' late style, the essay is sometimes inscrutable, but still, James, as always when he writes on writers and writing, offers great insight into Balzac and his oeuvre.

Highly recommended.

You know right away that de Balzac is an author of realism when, at the start of the book, he takes you on a five page tour of the first floor of Madame Vauquer's Parisian boarding house. One immediately realizes that sanitation standards for such accommodations were seriously lacking. The dining room "table [was] covered with oilcloth so greasy that, if a waggish diner wanted to, he could write his name in it, using nothing more than his finger as a pen." We then quickly learn about the overwhelming contrast between the boarders' life style and that of aristocratic Parisian society..

The protagonists of the story are Eugene, a young and poor law student, and old man Goriot, the aging father of two narcissistic daughters who live in the upper strata of Parisian society. While many mediocre authors manage to make cardboard characters out of real people, Balzac has the task of making cardboard people real. Eugene is invited to a ball held by his cousin, a countess, and falls in love with the beautiful people and their world. He is determined to be a part of it. Vautrin, a fellow boarder, a wise street philosopher, and prototype for modern day CEOs, tells Eugene that money is everything. Eugene promptly appropriates every cent of his family's savings to buy the clothes that will allow him to blend in with the aristocracy. Soon he meets Goriot's aristocratic daughters and falls in love with one of them. These two grasping young ladies, in their need for the necessities in life (fine clothing and jewelry), have taken so much money from their formerly wealthy father that he now lives in abject poverty, sleeping on a moldy straw mattress in Madame Vauquer's boarding house.

By now I am sure that you have discerned Balzac's attitude toward the socially elite. He has no love for people who are famous for being famous. We should resist the urge, though, to shake our heads in wonder over these strange 19th century Parisians. If Balzac were alive today I am sure he would loosen his poison pen on our own celebrities whose meaningless lives are constantly being spotlighted during their fifteen minutes of fame. Balzac is a lively writer. He supposedly drank huge amounts of coffee every day, and his writing often seems to be the product of a highly caffeinated mind. If the highly stylized writing of some Victorian era writers numbs your brain you might want to dip into Balzac.

I strongly recommend that you consider purchasing the Norton Critical Edition of this novel. It provides an additional 150 pages of commentary on Balzac, this novel, and his oeuvre in general; an extra dollar or two well spent.

As a former student of Dr. Maddi's, I found this book to be quite helpful in understanding multiple theorists standpoints. It is an excellent resource for both undergraduate and graduate students. I am currently a graduate student in Clinical Psychology and I highly recommend this text for those interesting in understanding different perspectives in personality functioning.

In this comprehensive and voluminous tome, Salvatore Maddi presents what must be the seminal review of personality psychology today.

This book does not only present fair and detailed accounts of various theories of personality, but also succeeds in capturing the reader's imagination and truly represents personology as a fascinating and uplifting discipline.

Additionally, the second section of Maddi's work features discussions of empirical and rational support for various theories, as seen from within the author's proposed conceptual framework for clarifying personality theory.

This book is an indispensable guide for all students of Psychology or Philosophy

Throughout my years of teaching personality theories both to undergraduates and graduates, I have not found a better text. This text provides teacher and student with much more than a brief smattering of theorist history and basic concepts. It is a critical analysis of the major theorists' concepts, and it helps readers to think deeply about these theories and to make higher level evaluations of the theorists' reasoning. Its sixth edition now includes more current personality theories, and consistent with past editions, this text also provides readers with relevant research findings. I recommend it highly. My students throughout the years have really loved this book and appreciated the author's approach and level of understanding. Dr. Khoshaba

When women share their lives we find a rich blend of joy, pain, and discovery. The biggest discovery is that we are more alike than different. While we may feel alone with our stories, we quickly learn that our stories are much more global. What a glorius discovery to accept while reading the everyday moments of six women who are willing to tell all with clarity, and honesty. I highly recommend this book for any woman who is seeking fulfillment and the need to feel connected with other women.

[...]

Pink Jasper is a must read for all women. Each and every page is filled with a deep honesty, sometimes brutal and sometimes comedic, but always filled with deep-set feelings that all of us have experienced at one time or another. Georgia Richardson uses her comedic talent to discuss everything from compulsive disorders to dieting in such a frank and light-hearted way that she's like a breath of fresh air, while Pamela June Kimmell's story of discovering herself out of the ashes of a failed marriage and cancer treatment will grip at your heartstrings. Jackie S. Brooks' story, Stroke, should be required reading for anyone working with, living with, or loving a stroke victim. Carolyn Horton's touching story regarding the loss of her son, Eveline Maedel's beautifully written spiritual poetry and essays, and Dana Smith-Mansell's reflective and insightful stories and poems round out this collection of work. These six women have provided a myriad of emotions in the form of short stories and poetry that will live with you long after you've put this book down. My hat is off to every one of them!

THIS IS THE IDEAL HOLIDAY GIFT FOR A FRIEND, SISTER, MOTHER, MOTHER-IN-LAW, AUNT OR ANY OTHER WOMAN ON YOUR HOLIDAY LIST!
I ENJOYED EACH AND EVERY WORD OF THIS BOOK AND FELT CONNECTED TO EACH AND EVERY AUTHOR WHO SHARED THEIR PERSONAL STORIES IN THIS TERRIFIC COLLABORATION! I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE ASKED TO DO A FORMAL REVIEW FOR THE BACK OF THE BOOK AND IT IS MY PLEASURE TO SHARE IT WITH YOU HERE:
"Pink Jasper easily ranks as one the best books I've ever read! It is a tightly organized collection of poetry and essays chronicling the personal journeys of six outstanding authors. From the loss of a child- to surviving cancer- to the discovery of God, this book grabs one by the hand and draws one through a wide variety of emotions and challenges. There is deep grief here, illness- and yet laughter and divine celebration. The material is superbly balanced and superbly written. Pink Jasper is a spiritual breeze- and yet a hardy gemstone- that lands on one's lap and sparkles like no other."

- Anastasia Clark
Poet and Author

Its a great book i needed it for a science fair project and it helped me out alot i had 1 day and it practically did it for me!!

Great ecology guide to aquatic life. It takes you from the chemistry of water through a section on glaciers and into life in a pond, stream, and a wetland. Great guide for elementary/middle school teachers and would make a great text for a high school course.

Let me get right to the point--this is a great book for learning about aquatic ecology. It's all the things many conventional textbooks are not--readable, concise, interesting and useful in the field. I highly recommend this book for kids in grade 8 and up, for adults who need a concise and thorough introduction to ecology and environmental issues, and for anyone with a naturalist bent. If I were going to teach a high school or community college course in ecology, this is the book I would use.

I bought it for a class, then I realized it was the wrong one, however I decided to ready it anyway, it is ver simple and informative. I love it.

Book is great compared to the price, bent corners but everything else is fine...Will be back for more

I took the class that used this book last semester, and I really love this book. It's easy to read (although at times it goes into a little too much detail), doesn't sugar-coat anything, has great pictures, and has labs at the end of each chapter to help you apply the information. From proper nutrition to cancer prevention to strength training to STD prevention, this book has it all covered. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in health.