Bryan Books

Packer and Panna Throme are supposed to be basking in their new marriage and enjoying their honeymoon. Unfortunately this is interrupted by Packer being summoned to help fight the Drammun and defend Nearing Vast. Whisked away from his beloved, Packer must spend months aboard the Trophy Chase fighting the pirate Scat Wilkins. Meanwhile Panna refuses to stay at home twiddling her thumbs. She finds herself having to fend off the two faced Prince Mather who has sold his allegiance to the Drammun. And then there is someone who was thought to be dead, who is plotting their revenge on the Thromes....

I think I might have to rethink my views on fantasy fiction. This series has gotten me hooked on the idea of different worlds and realms. I enjoyed the first book in this series and I was thrilled to continue the adventures of Packer and Panna in the sequel. Once again Panna is my favorite character. She is such a strong female character and a wonderful role model for young women. Even though she loves Packer and respects him, she doesn't want to be left at home waiting. Her experiences with the prince showed just how well she's able to take care of herself in tough situations. The contrast between the crown prince and his brother are very apparent throughout the story. One has given in to the dark side, selling not only himself but his country as well. Meanwhile the other has gone against his brother and tries to do what is right and protect his country from evil. There's also a surprise return of a character thought to be dead. This character is again, another one of my favorites, and they once again never cease to amaze me with their back story. There's lots of sword fighting in this story with plenty of battle fights to satisfy the adventurous reader. The firefish also makes another memorable appearance as the reader once again gets to see the story from its point of view. The best part of this book is how detailed the author describes everything. Even though this is an imaginary world, the story is written so well that one can see themselves fighting along side Packer. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this wonderful trilogy.

The Hand that Bears the Sword, by George Bryan Polivka, is the second book of an exciting series - the Trophy Chase Trilogy.

Packer Throme is a fisherman from a poor village. He has been acclaimed a hero in the kingdom of Nearing Vast for his exploits recounted in The Legend of the Firefish. However, when the greed of men threatens to transform his victory into the destruction of Nearing Vast, he must answer the call of duty and loyalty and serve to defend his country in a war against overwhelming odds.

He discovers that God has given him a choice - to raise his hand as the one who bears the sword in blood when no other way seems possible, or to let God work the impossible.

In the first chapter, Mr. Polivka sets the delightful tone of his book.


The man stood unsteadily for a moment, then put a hand to the small of his back, wincing as he stretched. "Awful way to travel," he said.
That being the royal sentiment if he had ever heard on, Cap took a knee and bowed his head dutifully. He wished he had a hat to remove.
"Yokels," the man said.
Cap looked up, startled.
"Stand up, man! I'm not the heavin' king."
Cap struggled to his feet.
The stranger eyed Cap carefully, then spoke in confidence. "He's much fatter than me."
Cap nodded. "Yes, sir."
"I'm his herald." The man said it as though the job had been punishment for some offense. "You have ale inside, I hope?"


After that delightful example of beginning, Mr. Polivka weaves together the stories of the characters who return from his first book. Each must deal with a crisis of faith during, often with intriguing and surprising outcomes.

Mr. Polivka dips into many of his characters' lives in order to get inside their minds and to recount their experiences. Often, these viewpoint changes flow seamlessly and provide a depth to the story that would have been difficult to achieve otherwise. At other times, the multiple viewpoint changes seem intrusive, particularly when a section of narrative summary halts the flow of the storytelling in order to update the reader on what had been happening to the character.

The Hand that Bears the Sword is an engrossing sequel to The Legend of the Firefish, and I am looking forward to reading the concluding volume - The Battle for Vast Dominion.

Newlyweds Packer and Panna Throme are once again thrust into high adventure. Pirate Scat Wilkins returns with evil intentions for Packer as the Trophy Chase sets sail for the deep waters once again. A new and surprising Hezzan in the Kingdom of Drammun has diabolical designs on not just Packer but on the entire Kingdom of Nearing Vast. And, at home, Panna must await Packer's hopeful return while imprisoned by the lecherous Prince Mather.

Will Packer and Panna escape their separate dangers and find happiness in the Kingdom of Nearing Vast...or will the invading Drammune army steal away their future and that of all the people of Packer and Panna's homeland?

Well, I won't give away the answer, but let's just say that in usual Polivka style, The Hand That Bears the Sword ends with a surprising twist--and leaves the story wide open for book three.

What I enjoy most about Polivka's writing is his amazing and fresh descriptions. "Bench Urmond was purpose poured into a granite mold." This is just one small example of the insight he gives to develop a character in the reader's mind. Polivka is a master of showing versus telling.

I also enjoyed the hilarious antics of Panna keeping the prince at arm's length. While men will like the action/adventure of the story, women will cheer for Panna and look forward to the scenes involving her.

The overall theme of the book is that God does answer prayer but most often not in ways we expect--and it's usually better if we don't get in the way. He is sovereign and carries out His purposes even when, or perhaps especially when we lose heart.

If you enjoyed The Princess Bride, then you're sure to enjoy The Hand That Bears The Sword. It's a delightful mix of humor, adventure, and romance. But be forewarned...you will want to rush out and buy book three, The Battle for Vast Dominion, as soon as you've closed the back cover.

Review by Michelle Griep

As both an author and reader of fiction, I was impressed with "the Hand That Bears the Sword". Maybe it is because I have always enjoyed a book that could hold my attention and make me think at the same time. In a nutshell, the characters are believable and yet a little out of the ordinary and the story line unique. Give this book a try. I have not read his first book but now I will.
The Christian fiction book that I have written main story theme is about ten years in the life of a little girl who was "chosen by God" to be the next Madonna in the second coming of Christ.
Tommy Taylor
Author - The Second Virgin Birth

Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (12/07)

Have you ever waited and waited for a sequel to come out for a favorite book or movie? When the long-anticipated sequel comes out you find yourself not enjoying the second one as much as the first. Let's face it, sometimes the sequels or the second one in a series fails in comparison to number one. If you enjoyed "The Legend of the Firefish," which is the first one in the "Trophy Chase Trilogy," you will not be disappointed in the second one of the series. "The Hand That Bears the Sword" is just as wonderful as the first one.

Packer and Panna Throme are newlyweds. The honeymoon is soon over and Packer is again called away from his home. It is more difficult for him to leave this time as he must leave Panna at home. He is again headed for adventure on the high seas. Pirate Scat Wilkins is no longer in charge as he was in the "Legend of the Firefish." But no good adventure story is without its villain. Scat seems to want to attack Packer again. Will he succeed in destroying Packer this time around?

Meanwhile at home, Panna has found herself to be in enough trouble on her own. She is being imprisoned by Prince Mather. Will she have the strength to endure the trials and be reunited with Packer when he is again back on the shore? Panna does not ever fail in comparison with her lack of endurance to withstand attacks. She is far from a spineless woman.

Faith and sacrifice are two definite parts involved in this exciting book. George Bryan Polivka has done it again in keeping the reader interested and intrigued in the "Trophy Chase Trilogy." It is a page-turner which will find the reader having a hard time putting it down until the last page. Yet this is a trilogy meaning that there is yet one more book in the series. Is it possible to have an equally enjoyable book again? I will be anxiously awaiting "The Battle of Vast Dominion" which will be coming out in early 2008.

This book can be enjoyed by any adventure-seeker or those who enjoy reading about life on the high seas. It is wonderful to see that, through a very entertaining story, real truths about God's existence and faith through trials can be presented.

In "The Hand That Bears the Sword," head out to the high seas with Packer and stay home with Panna at the same time. You will see just how resilient and committed these two newlyweds can be!

Not my favorite of Dostoevsky's but that may be because it even more than others ends differently than I desired. Once again I was amazed by his use of seemingly psychotic characters that in fact strike me as being incredibly accurate depictions of common persons. This author and this book move me more than any other. Everyone should have a copy.

Having read "Crime and Punishment" fifteen years ago, I was prepared for Dostoevsky's commentary on the social and materialistic qualities of the Russian middle class of the 19th Century. "The Idiot" has a slower pace but a surprise ending which makes reading it well worth the effort.

The novel begins with three strangers in a train en route to Petersburg. A young man named Prince Myshkin is returning from a Swiss sanatorium where he has been treated for the past few years for some malady similar to epilepsy. He meets a roguish young man named Rogozhin, who has an unhealthy obsession with a beautiful young woman named Nastasya Filippovna, and a nosy government official named Lebedyev, who figures prominently throughout the novel.

Upon arriving in Petersburg, Myshkin acquaints himself with many of the citizens and eventually meets, and is infatuated by, Nastasya. She is pushy, fickle, and impetuous, and bounces from fiance to fiance like a fortune hunter. Her irresistibility and psychological stronghold on the men in her life leads to her downfall.

The basis of the novel is that Myshkin is not bright, has not had much education, and traverses society with a mentality of simplistic innocence. When speaking his opinion, he struggles to articulate himself with Charlie Brown-like stammering and wishy-washiness. For this reason, people consider him an idiot, but he is a good, honest, sympathetic, and gracious person. When he comes into a large inheritance, he is blackmailed by a man who claims to be the illegitimate son of Myshkin's benefactor; but when the man's story is debunked, Myshkin befriends rather than chastises the culprit and his accomplices. Myshkin also falls in love with and becomes betrothed to a giddy girl named Aglaia, who uses his ingenuousness as a foil for her jokes and sarcasm, despite his undying devotion to her.

The novel seems to say that a saintly man, making his way in a society that is concerned with materialism and cutthroat avarice, will be considered a childish idiot for valuing honesty, kindness, and the simple things in life. Like I said, the ending is a shocker and sends a plaintive message, that in a crazy world, a sanatorium is the only place for a saint.

My comments and review are here based solely on the translation work of Constance Garnett, not the actual text behind it.

I found this translation so stilted as to be almost unreadable. This problem was greatest in the short utterances of some of the charcters. They would respond to what the main character of that portion was saying, but I generally had no sense of what those responses meant.

My guess is that Ms. Garnett, in her attempt to stay faithful to the Russian, stayed away from using English idiom, but this sadly resulted in severe loss of clarity. I would recommend that potential readers look for a more modern translation.

I always write my thoughts on the literature after it comes to its conclusion. It is a worthwhile practice and it may, perhaps, benefit you. For the Idiot: Nice guys do indeed finish last! (As one reviewer has already contributed) Again, suffering in apparent in this Dostoevsky novel. Prince Myshkin suffers by actually having qualities which we think would be blessings - actual intelligence and honest kindness. Myshkin starts our story as an "idiot," and he makes the journey to Russia (or Society with all it's evils and negatives - ego's that are impossible for one to actually be satisfied with, unrequited love, pride, greed, etc.,). And the story ends with Myshkin dying in the same Society of people, yet geographically he's in Europe. Nevertheless, he starts as an "idiot" and ends as an "idiot." He is Christ-like in that 1.)he is the sacrafice for acquantinces like Mrs. Epanchin, so that they may see the negatives of their Society 2.) He dies young as Christ did. Christ came to Earth to save but then he went to Heaven---Myshkin came to save a certain Russian society but he did his "leaving" elsewhere (Europe). This is a wonderful read and I know I'm not the best reviewer, but sharing comments on books is productive, as is reading them - flipping the T.V. remote is not. Carpe Diem.

I admit it upfront- Fyodor Dostoevsky's 'The Idiot' was a difficult read.

Immediately following this I would like to add that it is not the author's fault that this is the case. Nor is it the translators place to be blamed (Constance Garnett does a wonderful job, as always- her translations from Russian are highly recommended; note: this review refers to Bantams first printing of this novel). I think that if one was to assess where to place the blame for the level of difficulty of this masterpiece (and it is indeed to be justifiably found in that category), one would be hard-pressed to find a good source.

The difficulty in reading a book like 'The Idiot' and then trying to locate the problems in it are that the so-called 'problems' are really not problems at all; the things that I would complain about in Dostoevsky's novel are missing entirely in other works, leaving me to almost feel ashamed to even point out that they exist here.

What I'm getting at is this...'The Idiot' is TOO chock-full of ideas for its own good. Every time you turn the page there is another idea being tossed at you, usually in the form of a diatribe, a dissertation, an 'explanation', a monologue, or a rant and rave between characters. There is the invalid Ippolit's explanation of his worldview and how he despises all those around him who are so full of life; I could go on and on about the difficulties raised by this single character, about the contradictions expressed in his realization and simultaneous denial of his mortality and how it has raised in him a profound loneliness and desire to hate all those around him- he reaches out, then lashes out. Or perhaps I could talk about Myshkin's rant towards the end of the novel, a monologue that discusses at length how the Russian aristocracy could survive and be relevant in a new age, a rant that is timeless in its appeal to those who sit in power and misuse it, not even realizing that they have passed their prime and are of no use to society any longer.

But I'm going to forgo those details (and there are tons more) and instead focus on why you should read this novel and why it should be considered a classic. Its very simple- amongst all the deluge of ideas that the author is tossing at you lay two timeless concepts.

One of those ideas is that a good man cannot exist in society without being broken- this is a running theme throughout the book, one that personifies itself in the shy and irrevocably kind-hearted Prince Myshkin (our novels 'Idiot'). Make no mistake that Myshkin's life is a rough parallel to Jesus Christ's and that the simple earnestness and naive trustfulness offered to others by the character, along with his undoubted willingness to forgive the mistakes and betrayals made by those around him (as is too continually relied upon by other characters in the work), is a direct reflection of what the author must have considered Christian values. The author, in presenting this to the audience, is condemning all of mankind as being continuously unable to accept those who can do the most good in their midst. He successfully paints his `beautiful person' (which is the intent of the novel, according to the back) and then brings him to ruin in a society that is fraught with the perils of egoism.

Also in this tangle comes the other idea (the one which must have caused people to encourage Dostoevsky to others on the basis of being a 'psychologist')- it is that people will always do that which is most to their ruin because they are afraid of happiness. Nastasya Filippovna is the embodiment of this, tossing aside (in one of the most unforgettable scenes in all of literature) the one chance she has at the life she has always wanted because she is unable to accept that it could really be happening to her. But this is not the only case that the author presents this idea to us- it can also be found in the continued 'loving ridicules' of the youngest Epanchin daughter, in the continued betrayals of Lebedyev, in the rejection by the aristocrats of Myshkin's ideas, ideas that would save them and bring them renown, and it can be found in even the smallest of characters in the story...in Kolya (who ignores his family problems so as to not have to deal with them), in general Ivolgin (who continues to want the one thing that would harm him most of all), in Rogozhin (a force of nature who wishes for something only so that he can destroy it)...the list goes on and on...

The problem in trying to write this review for Amazon is that there is too much ground to cover in a short snippet; I can simply try to toss out the gist of what I read, the grandeur or the novel, the unimaginable scope...and hope that some of what I experienced has an impact on you, the potential reader, enough to encourage you to want to go out and read it yourself.

Bottom line: learn the definition of `nihilist' from Turgenov, then read this, an authors scathing response to that thought-process.

-LP

As other reviews have said, I too was a soon-to-be teacher sending out my resume's and going out on interviews. To be fully prepared, I decided to purchase this book just before my first major round of interviews. It was not only VERY helpful and informative, but the methods and recommendations within it gave me a HUGE heads up in the interview room. I ended up landing a job within 24 hours of an interview. Thank you to these authors. A VERY useful book with extra website information to refer to both before and after you get a job.

Unbelievably useful advice and a true stress relieving guide to getting the job you want!

I have gone on a few interviews and wasn't being offered any positions, which had been quite frustrating. I thought I have to be missing something and going into the interview not fully knowing what to expect. I decided to go see what would be available to help me secure a teaching job. This book has it ALL. It is an easy read with explanations and presentations of numerous topics in everyday language. This book helps you discover your strengths and weaknesses, presents cover letter and resume tips with examples, suggests role-playing an interview, recommends becoming familiar with the school district through their website prior to the interview, offers the top 21 questions most schools will ask with tips of what they are really asking and tips for answering plus 70 other frequently asked questions, conduct during the interview (dress/body language) including questions to avoid, questions to ask the principal or superintendent at the end of your interview, and your follow-up thank you letter. In addition, the appendix provides 20 pages of educational resources. This book gives you everything you need to get yourself ready for those all important interviews. After you read this book, you will feel confident, calm and best of all, well prepared. The perfect book for anyone who is becoming a new teacher, returning to teaching or pursuing the teacher profession through a nontraditional path. Good Luck!!

I am returning to the profession after an absence. My letters are outdated as are my work samples. I never created a portfolio (that's a new thing) so I don't have one. There are gaps in my resume. This book didn't get me any advice about how to deal with these problems because it's totally geared to the new teacher. I was pretty disappointed with this book.

Like some other reviewers, I am currently looking for a teaching position. I ordered this book and found it had very good information on where to find jobs, how to write a resume, and how to answer possible interview questions. I would say the resume part was the most useful so far, as few resume books have examples of teacher resumes. From the examples provided I was able to construct a more condensed resume from the three-page one I previously had.

However, the jury is out in so far as whether I will be able to obtain employment in the field even with this advice. The reason I did not give this book five stars is that there was not a whole lot of information for those people who are changing careers in mid-life. Most of the emphasis seemed directed at those traditional college age graduates with little or no employment experience.

This is a story about a 6 yr old kangaroo who asks a bunch of questions, so her mom decides it's time to start home schooling, and explains a little of what they'll do to her.

It's such a cute story, with a Christian foundation (Phil 4:13 is quoted in the story). There are so many books about public school - it's wonderful to find one about home schooling!

The book was cute, and I can see that it would be fine if you are homeschooling for religious reasons.

I liked "I am a Home Schooler" by Julie Voetberg better -- even though it also has a little bit of religious content (which can be skipped with a pre-reader without harming the overall content of the story).

There are so many books out there for homeschool parents. I couldn't believe this was the only book I could find to introduce my son to homeschool. I guess if you have to have only one book though this is a great choice. The story is sweet without being too simple. It passes along the idea that learning is meant to be fun!!! After two years of homeschooling my son still likes to read this book from time to time.

My boys gain immeasurably from books that explore/relate to different aspects of their lives. So, I searched for a book written for the young child that demonstrates the concept of homeschooling in a fun and relaxed way. I was absolutely THRILLED when I came across this book. Although Kandoo Kangaroo Hops into Homeschool was the only PreK-3 book that I could find, it was absolutely perfect. We adhere to a very relaxed, eclectic approach and this book reinforced that philosophy with grace and subtly. My boys love this book and find reassurance that homeschooling is a very natural and acceptable way to learn. They still enjoy reading it and mimick the little lessons in the book during play. I highly recommend this book and mention it to every new homeschooling family I meet. BTW, there is another book written for homeschooled children titled I AM A HOMESCHOOLER. It's a non-fiction book that offers a glimpse into the life of one homeschool family.

I am going to star thomeschooling my 4 year old next fall and wanted to introduce her to the idea. With this book, I think it captures the idea in a nice, comforting way and shows the child that homeschooling can be fun! Loved the biblical passages, too.

If you've never encountered the problems in MFaP before, you're sure to find MFaP a decent and generally easygoing introduction to the subject matter. If you have encountered them before, you're sure to find little new between the covers of this slim volume. MFaP is an able and by-the-numbers overview of an exceedingly complex and fascinating topic. Should you read to the end of it, I'd highly recommend having a look at the brief bibliography Bunch assembled. Not all of it represents 2008 state-of-the-art, but there are several outstanding titles on this list to whet the appetite for further study. Read MFaP to taste some choice bits. But be sure to read elsewhere if you it's a feast you're after.

Most causual users of math consider it to be the most unassailable of endeavors.

After, 2 + 2 always has to equal 4 doesn't it?

It turns out that at the periphery of math there are certain inconsistencies that can arise either owing to the use of faulty methods in arriving at a conclusion (what Bunch calls "fallacies") or inconsistencies owing to the limits of math itself (what Bunch calls "paradoxes").

Though one would need recourse to the book itself in order to completely understand what Bunch means by each category, what follows are a couple of examples to help illustrate the kinds of issues this book will treat.

In relation to fallacies, an early example used by Bunch is Aristotle's paradox wherein Aristotle tried to use a deceptively simple experiment to measure the perimeter of two circles. For ease of convenience, let's say he used two coins of different denominations...say a dime and a half dollar.

Obviously, the coins by their size have to have different measures of distance around their perimeters. And yet, according to Aristotle's experiment, they turn out equally. They turn out equally because Aristotle simply placed one on top of the other and rolled them to see which would make a complete turn the earliest. As you may have gleaned they both turned at the same time owing to the particular mathematics of circles.

Bunch's point is that by applying incorrect reasoning Aristotle's "paradoxical" result was simply a fallacy.

In terms of true paradoxes, Bunch discussed Kurt Godel's incompleteness theorem which says that any consistent system will produce so called "formally undecideable propositions." In other words, to the extent that a consistent system produces self referential statements, those statements can defy formal proof.

An oft used English language example is "This sentence is false." Obviously, the sentence is neither be bracketed with all true statements or all false statements owing to its category defying nature.

In turns out that Kurt Godel was able to stand over two millenia of math philosophy on its head by showing that math had its logically limits of proof.

As can be seen from the previous examples, this book is thought provoking even for casual readers who admittedly will have to struggle cracking the hard nutshell of some its more dense arguments. However, those who do so will be richly rewarded for the heightened understanding of the limits of math they have thereby gained in the process.

This is a great book for people who love mathematics, including: recreational math enthusiasts, math teachers, professors and other university level math instructors, curious and self-motivated students, etc. This book provides numerous examples of how seemingly logical steps can lead to mathematically fallacious results. The level of math ranges from advanced high school to college level math, but the level is not really important ... what is important is the insights one can get from looking at common mathematical mistakes.

This book may also be of interest to neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, and psychologists who are interested in how human beings learn and apply mathematics. On a somewhat related note, I have noticed that (for some strange reason) this book has attracted a set of rather bizarre reviewers (see below). Please ignore them and buy this inexpensive and insightful book on math.

It is the paradoxes that keep us honest in mathematics. Tarski with Banach found a basic flaw in the axiom of choice in set theory. Zeno has puzzled children for two thousand years... Time travel paradoxes are the modern "new" problem of tacyonic loops and the Hawking conjecture. Without examples of critical thinking doctrine rules and men become fools!

This is a great informal treatment of some of the more notable paradoxes and fallacies of mathematics and mathematical reasoning, old and new. Bunch's prose style is clear and unencumbered and his presentation of each topic - from his easily resolved fallacies and paradoxes of basic algebra and geometry to the deeper and unresolved paradoxes of logic and analysis - is always clean, well-illustrated and engaging.

At a glance, he treats:
The Liar paradox and Godel's Incompleteness theorems
Zeno's and the Sorites paradoxes and the conceptual difficulties associated with the continuum
The existence of irrational magnitudes and some basic philosophical issues associated with existence proofs
The Petersburg paradox
The paradoxes of Infinity and the Formalist and Intuitionist responses to them
The set theoretic paradoxes of Cantor, Russell, and Burali-Forti
The paradoxes of the axiom of choice including the Cantor diagonilisation, Skolem, Hausdorff and Tarski-Banach parodoxes

and a range of thought experiments which highlight the difficulties that may be asociated with applying abstract reasoning to the real world - notably those of the Thompson lamp experiment and Tarski-Banach golden sphere manufacturing plant.

If you want a good popular treatment of the subject matter with a detailed and informal emphasis on the key themes mathematical logic, then this is the book for you. The informal description Godel's first Incompleteness theorem is excellent, as is the discussion of the paradoxes of self reference as they appear in set theory and logic. As such, I would recommend it as excellent recreational reading for anyone with a budding interest in mathematical logic, whether they be math graduates or high-school students.

...for anyone who is interested in biology. To uses it you need some prerequisite knowledge (so the book isn't "watered down" with "faux science" factoids), but not much (making it highly accessible to the general public). If you want to take your understanding of biological science to the next level, buy this right now.

Our high school age daughter is in honors biology. This dictionary has really improved her grades by giving her alternate definitions/explanations of biology terms/concepts. A great resource!

The question was: what (or whatever) maintains the resting membrane potential nowadays! I always thought that it was the sodium pump (or Na K ATPase etc.). Recently, I heard: No, it is not the sodium pump that maintains the resting potential. So I checked both the Oxford and the Penguin Dictionaries of Biology. Oxford says that the resting potential is maintained by the sodium pump; however, the Penguin says it is the leaky potassium channels, and sodium pump plays a slight role. Well, it is one of those academic debates, it would seem--which really mean nothing--because nothing is at stake! The debate is from confusing maintenance, recovery, and repair--perhaps. Is it the resting potential (a thing being maintained) or is it the repolarization after a depolarization (a thing in recovery) that we are talking about? Is maintenance still maintenance if you spend energy in extruding the smaller atoms out--well: a running car can be maintained only by spending money? Perhaps, after all, it is only the usual confusion of the frogs in a well: they can only see the stars in their own horizons. The whole biological process has several components, and to know which is the one--well, just take one out and see if the process holds and functions. Which brick is the most important in a wall? Clearly, the truth is never simple, and possibly there is no such thing as the truth. Things evolve using all of the components--and are what they are. So, I guess it is always the context and it is always relative: point of view etc. There is no simple correct answer because the question is incorrectly formulated--without the necessary context. What is more important in the running of a car: the engine or the gas? So get both the Oxford and Penguin--they complement, and both are useful when viewed and understood in the right context: neither can replace the textbook; and no textbook replaces all the source materials--but you need to start somewhere. For a rich fantasy life read Ayul Zamir's Intern Beth. Now, whatever maintains that resting membrane potential!

This book would be better titled Glossary of Biology. There are lots of words and terms with definitions, but no pronunciations given for any of them.

This is the best dictionary that I have ever purchased. The dictionary has EVERYTHING that a college biology major (or biology professional) needs. The definitions are thorough and extremely well written. The dictionary itself is organized perfectly. Everything about this dictionary is great--inside and out! A must-buy for any biology student, teacher or anyone else who is interested in the subject.

Three cheers to the authors for giving us a different--and most wonderful--bedtime story to read. Like prejudice, tolerance is also a learned behavior, and this book opens many doors for parent-child discussions.

Written by psychologist Jennifer Bryan and beautifully illustrated by animal lover and knitting wizard Danamarie Hosler, The Different Dragon is a softcover picturebook intended for children ages 3-8, about a boy who learns a lesson about character and expectations during storytime. When young Noah gets ready for bed, he wants to hear a bedtime story with a sailboat in it, as well as his beloved cat Diva, and best of all, a fierce and ferocious dragon! But as the story progresses, Noah feels that the dragon is crying, because the dragon just can't be terrifying anymore. "It's a lot of pressure to be fierce all the time. All that roaring and gnashing of teeth and snorting fire. It's a lot of work to scare people and be so mean. And nobody ever wants a dragon to be funny or sad or just regular. There's only one way for a dragon to be and that's that." Noah befriends the dragon, and shows him that he can do other things than be fierce and terrible - like play badminton or share ice cream. The Different Dragon is published by Two Lives Publishing, the only publisher of children's books expressly intended for kids in LGBT families; and so it happens that young Noah has two mothers, one who helps him get ready for bed (though he needs only a little help) and Go-Ma, who invents the tale about The Different Dragon along with him. Noah's family (consisting of two mothers, a younger sister, two cats, a gerbil, and some fish) are presented as simply a normal part of his life, and not the central focus of the tale. A soft-stated yet groundbreaking picturebook.

This is an enchanting book of adventure and storytelling. Noah and his mother Go-Ma weave a tale of a boy in search of excitement and a dragon who doesn't want to be fierce anymore. The author knows exactly how parents and young children tell stories, with input from the child driving the narration.

The fact that Noah has two moms is incidental to the main story. The book is inclusive without being preachy, and shows two moms as just another part of some children's families. All families with young children (preschool and early elementary) should read The Different Dragon for its magical tale and colorful, full-age illustrations. The fact that it celebrates difference--of both the dragon and Noah's family--is an added bonus.

I loved this book. The story and the illustrations are beautiful. It's one of my new favorites.

My children loved this story, especially the dragon who didn't want to be fierce anymore. I also loved this beautifully written and exquisitely illustrated bedtime story and as a "straight" mom, found it refreshing to read a story to my children through the eyes of a boy with two mothers. Reading stories such as this will help to reinforce the fact that no matter what type of family one lives in, one with two moms, two dads, with a single parent or a mom and a dad, the important thing is that we love our children. In today's world, the reality is that my children have friends in their classes who come from non-traditional families and we need to reinforce to them that in this diverse world, we are all okay.

I can receive the book within a few days and the book condition is great.

I havent actually used this book yet for my class, but it arrived very quickly, and in perfect condition. It's a very cute, small book and it's a great size to fit in a purse. I'm sure that when I do actually start using this book it will be very helpful!

This book was a requirement for one of my classes and it was very helpful. My professor never taught out of it, but I'm glad she made us buy it. It helped a lot with MLA and APA citations that I had to do for various classes. It's small and handy and light enough to keep around in your bag when you're rushing to class and from class and finishing papers.

It never ceases to amaze me how many times some anal grammarian tries to correct my writing only to review my Harbrace College Handbook to see they're wrong and I'm right. This is the definitive guide to American English grammar. Easy to read, plenty of examples, and more importantly it even covers those gray areas of usage letting the ready know this non-standard without simply cutting you off without explanation. I have purchased the latest edition ever since I purchased my first copy as text to Advanced Composition during my undergraduate days at the University of Maryland University Collage. Harbrace as served me very well ever since helping me obtain a high GPA in regards to my written assignments. I have a lot of other grammar books that I look at now and then, but Harbrace remains the standard.

I've been using this handbook for about 25 years, and recently realized that my edition was the 3rd, published in the 1970s! So I ordered the latest edition (14th edition), and was so pleased with my purchase. This is a handbook that lives in our office, and gets used to death (we do graphic design, copywriting, editing). Any new employee on our staff is required to at least become familiar with the table of contents (in case of emergency!), and very soon they too are heading for Harbrace's to look up something. We love it.

Major Bob pulls no punches in telling his story but I felt the actual writing didn't pull you in as it should have. The topics are certainly timely but the writing style was sophmoric.

Major Bob has a very interesting theory as to what may happen if we just pull all our troops out of Iraq as the liberals want! It is hard to disagree with him. It very well could "play out" just as he suggests and would be catastrophic for our country and way of life. Read it!

Major Bob has truely knocked one out of the park with this insightful and gripping reality check. I was delightfully pleased to see that someone in our society still has the nerve to tell it like it is. This book should be mandatory reading in Congress, for White House staffers and in every military institution of higher learning. Major Bob drills down to the very core of the problem and addresses in a very direct way, why we, the United States of America, keeps making the same mistakes. My only regret in reading it; it wasn't longer.

His unique experience an an SF Operator and his real world experiences and Lessons Learned but Ignored by the Current crop of Managers (Not Leaders) makes this a great read. Accurate, Factual and without Bias, this is a must read for anyone who wonders why the Global War on Terrorism is stumbling.

Very though provoking book. Would recommend it to friends and relatives

My mother was a "Mitchell" who traced her lineage to Peig Sayers and Pierce Ferriter. Next month I will visit Ireland for the first time. In preparation for the trip I have finally read "Peig". I should have done it many years ago. It has helped me to understand the thinking of my mom's relatives in Springfield, Mass so many years ago. Devout Catholics all, they had memories of poverty and famine. America offered them hope for a better life, but they never forgot Ireland.

This is the story...of a lovely lady! This book was the bane of every school child in Ireland for decades. It used to be on the curriculum so that, despite the fact that you would have to grit your teeth to read it, it was a bestseller in Ireland. It tells the story of Peig Sayers, a woman who lived in the poor and rural south-west of Ireland in the early 20th century. In this book, everyone was poor, no-one had anything, people were evicted from their hovels, life was hard, people died young, children were barefoot, the livestock slept in the house, it was always raining....well, you get the idea.

Peig was born on the mainland of Ireland, but married a fisherman who lived on the Blasket islands, a small collection of islands a few miles off the coast of Kerry. Tough as things were on the mainland, things were tougher still here! You were lashed by the Atlantic, the wind could blow you off the cliffs, and you could be drowned while you were fishing, and that was on a good day! The book tells of her struggle to be accepted by the islanders, how she brought up her large family, how she coped with the death of some of her sons fishing, and the folklore, stories, and culture all around her.

This book, and others like it from other authors on other islands ("The Islander" being another good example) formed a literary style which became known as "the poor mouth". They all share similar characteristics as they described the oppresive hardships suffered stoically by the people. Even now in Ireland, anyone whinging about their bad situation would be dismissed as "putting on the poor mouth" and everyone would know what was meant. There is even a spoof "poor mouth" book by Flann O'Brien, which is well worth reading as an antidote to all the hardship and depression!

Now that Peig is no longer force fed down poor school children's throats, it has been re-appraised as a valuable historical record of western Irish culture, and no longer as an instrument of torture. Now that you don't HAVE to read it, more people now seem to WANT to read it! The book was originally written in the Irish language since that was the only language Peig spoke, but a translation in English is available.

If you want a glimpse of an Ireland now long gone (and it really is long gone, despite what anyone might tell you), you can't go wrong with Peig. Just make sure you have a good supply of prozac close to hand.

This is the story...of a lovely lady! This book was the bane of every school child in Ireland for decades. It used to be on the curriculum so that, despite the fact that you would have to grit your teeth to read it, it was a bestseller in Ireland. It tells the story of Peig Sayers, a woman who lived in the poor and rural south-west of Ireland in the early 20th century. In this book, everyone was poor, no-one had anything, people were evicted from their hovels, life was hard, people died young, children were barefoot, the livestock slept in the house, it was always raining....well, you get the idea.

Peig was born on the mainland of Ireland, but married a fisherman who lived on the Blasket islands, a small collection of islands a few miles off the coast of Kerry. Tough as things were on the mainland, things were tougher still here! You were lashed by the Atlantic, the wind could blow you off the cliffs, and you could be drowned while you were fishing, and that was on a good day! The book tells of her struggle to be accepted by the islanders, how she brought up her large family, how she coped with the death of some of her sons fishing, and the folklore, stories, and culture all around her.

This book, and others like it from other authors on other islands ("The Islander" being another good example) formed a literary style which became known as "the poor mouth". They all share similar characteristics as they described the oppresive hardships suffered stoically by the people. Even now in Ireland, anyone whinging about their bad situation would be dismissed as "putting on the poor mouth" and everyone would know what was meant. There is even a spoof "poor mouth" book by Flann O'Brien, which is well worth reading as an antidote to all the hardship and depression!

Now that Peig is no longer force fed down poor school children's throats, it has been re-appraised as a valuable historical record of western Irish culture, and no longer as an instrument of torture. Now that you don't HAVE to read it, more people now seem to WANT to read it! The book was originally written in the Irish language since that was the only language Peig spoke, but a translation in English is available.

If you want a glimpse of an Ireland now long gone (and it really is long gone, despite what anyone might tell you), you can't go wrong with Peig. Just make sure you have a good supply of prozac close to hand.

In 45 years, I'd never seen this book in my dad's library, but on the night my mother died - I went in there and pulled it from the shelf and started to read through the tears.
I've not too long myself on this bench - figuratively speaking, of course, I hope.

I did this book at school in Irish, being really square I liked it.Peig told her story of hardship and poverty with humour,and dignity. It gave real insight into the life of the Irish tennant farmer in the early 19th century, I even used it for my thesis at uni. Good book