Cheng Books

This book instructs one to perceive their voice, sounds, and breath in new and palpable ways. There is thorough attention given to the musculature of the neck and shoulders as it pertains to the shape of the voice box, and excellent visualizations such as imagining allowing the sound IN during high sustained notes.

A wonderful work for women seeking a way to nourish their self confidence. Beautiful short length verses on every other page and nicely illustrated (black and white). Opposite page of verses has a blank space for you to write your own thoughts down. The Nu-Shu characters are large and easy on the eyes. Only disappointment is the whole Nu-Shu alphabet is NOT offered anywhere in the book.

Femininist authors seem to have ignored the boldest of their ancestors: missionary women. Annie Taylor is a good example of that neglect. Here's the first European woman ever to enter forbidden Tibet and, at the time of her visit in 1891-92, she got closer to Lhasa before being turned away by Tibetan authorities than any other European -- man or woman -- of her time.

Has anybody ever heard of Annie Taylor? Nope. This 1902 book by William Carey is the only work I'm aware of that tells of Taylor and publishes the diary of her journey. We need a modern annotated publication and evaluation of the diary and a biography of Taylor -- an adventurous and controversial (to say the least) woman.

The author is diplomatic in his description of Taylor -- but obviously she was a piece of work, described in another source as a "lone wolf" and "bad at harmonious relationships with colleagues." Tough, this lady was, capable of an eight-month trek across some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world accompanied only by treacherous (in her view) Chinese and Tibetan guides and helpers. I especially enjoyed the part of her diary in which she negotiates with Tibetan authorities for food, pack animals, and other supplies. They finally gave in, I am sure, just to get this vexing Englishwoman out of their hair. She's lucky they didn't shoot her.

The book consists of a long introduction to Taylor's diary and the diary itself. It's not all that great, but it's about the only information we have about Taylor. Elibron Books publishes a facsimile of this 1902 book in paperback.

Smallchief

This was a really good book. Here are some of the reasons I like it.

It has to photos of the car, both different years, They have them going all the way back to about 1992, and it showes the reviews on it. Not just a little bit of reviewing, but a huge review. I didn't even know that the Ford Windstar was going to replace the Ford Aerostar for 1995, and I have been studying cars since 1999, and my family owns a Ford Aerostar. It was very helpful. I found out what happened to cars that were made in the 80's. Very good book. I just really liked it. I think its the best used car book you can get!

At the core of the success of several Asian countries has been an intensive investment in public education. This book discusses to what extent a much touted "Asian values" approach was responsible for the development of the countries.

Various issues are raised. Like, are there really "Asian" values? Or are these part of a more general set of human rights? Are Asian values partly due to a Confucian, Taoist or Buddhist background? One author, Glazer, uses this to offer an updated critique of Max Weber's famous analysis, well nigh a century ago, that attributed some of Europe's rise to it being imbued with a Protestant ethos. Ironically, at that time, some Europeans condemned Asian backwardness as being in part due to the Asian religions.

Other authors also discuss how public education has been used to inculcate a national set of values to new generations. A very familiar argument to those used in the US for its public education.

The works are combination of Philosophy, emotional execution and the finest watercolor techniques. Only the best watercolor artist has all 3. He is so generous to share his secrets. Thank you Prof. Chee.

I've found this book to be extremely helpful to learn the spoken part of the Japanese language, but only because I've been using it as a textbook in college. The book provides good explanations and everything in the book is taught in a very logical order, but you do need to use it with the supplemental audio tapes in order to really learn. Another important thing is that you should be trying to learn the written part of Japanese using other resources (such as the "Japanese, The Written Language" book) since this book is all printed in romanization and doesn't use any Japanese characters.

The layout of each unit is the same. Each book of the series has 12 Lessons, and each lesson is divided in two parts that include core conversations, vocabulary breakdowns, and practice drills. To really master each lesson you need to memorize the 'core conversations', which are short conversations that can easily occur between two people in Japan. After the core conversations in each part there is a breakdown of all the new vocabulary used (assuming you've learned all the vocabulary from all the previous lessons, including book 1) and the translations to English. The books then includes drills for you to practice answering and speaking Japanese out loud. The audio tapes are very important for this part. At the end of each lesson, there's an eavesdropping section, a utilization section, and a check-up section. These are the three sections you'll use to determine if you really mastered the lesson.

In eavesdropping you'll listen to conversations in Japanese and answer a few questions about what was said. In the utilization section you'll be asked to say certain things in Japanese given a specific circumstance. The check-up section is the one that helps you see if you've really learned the material in-depth and can talk about the Japanese language in general, and not just do the drills.

This book series is the one being used as textbooks for the Japanese classes at MIT, and usually lessons are taught at a rate of one part per week (i.e. one full lesson in two weeks) and, to ensure students are learning, the classes are very interactive and students speak only Japanese in three out of 4 weekly classes.

If you're studying Japanese on you're own I suggest you only use this book in a similar way, making yourself practice constantly and memorize the core conversations and vocabulary. It's the only way you'll really learn things the right way. And definitely buy a kana/kanji book so you can also learn the Japanese writing system while learning to speak it. The vocabulary you learn in each book might be a bit limited, but after serious studying with these books for a few years you should be able to understand fairly well. MIT students with 4 semesters of Japanese classes (which use the first two books of this series) are able to work internships in Japan and spend an entire summer there interacting mostly in Japanese.

do not buy this book unless you absolutely have to for class. if you are learning japanese on your own, i highly recommend using the genki series for a beginner. i have studied japanese for 6 years and started using this book at my university (OSU) and it is beyond frustrating. any book that uses romaji beyond the first chapter is horrible. i understand that this is to be used with the written language book which i also use for class. even both books when used together with the language tapes come nowhere near the genki series, which combines written japanese with spoken japanese.
you will learn very little vocabulary with this book, the grammar explanations are overly complicated (one need not be a linguist to learn a language) and there is an intense emphasis on rote memorization of drills.
bad book. if you go to hell and there are japanese classes there, this is the text satan will use.

My school (University of Maryland) uses this book as its primary Japanese text. It is, at best, pitiful.

Try learning modern Japanese and Japanese culture from a book whose latest revision was published 20 years ago. Just look inside and amongst the sparse vocabulary you'll find names of countries in Japanese; "Sovieto" stood out as the USSR has not existed for over a decade.

The speech and examples all focus on a very business atmosphere - you start out speaking the difficult formal language of Japanese, with extreme emphasis on politeness. Now, I don't know about you, but when I go to Japan I don't intend to be a shopkeeper nor work as a salaryman in an office. I would like to know those forms for completeness' sake, but I'd rather learn in the more natural style of casual speech that progresses to formal rather than the other way around. I've even heard stories of travelers to Japan who have been snubbed because they talk like a grandmother as a result of this book.

The book even seems a bit insulting to my intelligence at times: it will bring up structures to use and then withhold their explanation. The text claims to "analyze [the structures] in a later lesson," but does not say which lesson such that I might figure it out myself. I am, in this book's opinion, not just not ready, but too dumb to figure it out (which may be true, but if anyone's fault it's the book's poor explanation of simple topics).

The only enjoyment you will get out of this book is remembering really silly and awkward conversations, such as the one that involves two men looking at a girl's picture from a dating service. "Is she pretty?" One asks. "Well now... she's not very pretty, is she?" says the other. "How unfortunate," the first replies.

If you have the CD this will be even better, as the videos employ bad 80s acting and film quality. All Americans will be played by Japanese people, because real Americans who spoke Japanese weren't good enough for them. You'll get deliveries of dire warnings that U-turns may not be feasible, because they are so inherently dangerous, followed by a with a brilliantly anticlimactic smooth U-turn in an uncrowded street.

Please, if at all possible, do not buy this book. Get it from a library, borrow it from a friend, share it with someone - anything but pay money for it. I payed a scant 30 dollars and regret every penny.

There are a lot of good reviews here and a lot of bad ones, but mainly there are a lot that are far too long to be helpful. If you're discovering JSL for the first time, here is the real story:

PEOPLE WHO SHOULD USE JSL: Linguists, smart people, adults, people in intensive language programs with good teachers

PEOPLE WHO SHOULD AVOID JSL: 13 year-olds, stupid people, anyone doing self-study, non-native speakers of English (unless you are very nerdy)

GOOD POINTS ABOUT JSL: good grammar explanations, pronunciation guides, written in formal academic English

BAD POINTS ABOUT JSL: limited vocabulary, no writing component, written in formal academic English

I highly recommend this book for people learning Japanese with a Japanese teacher, in a classroom, and with audio files. This is not a book for self-study, it can only be used for self-study after you have already started using it with a teacher and if you have the audio files. I think that the kunrei-shiki writing in the book is much better than the Hepburn translitteration, and I think that if you use this book with another book for kana and kanji, it will give you a good knowledge of the structure of Japanese, contrary to other books where you learn sentence patterns without understanding how they were created. The lessons are also well done, they always present real life situations, and the drills are a must. It lacks probably a bit of vocabulary, but you can learn more by simply buying a Japanese vocabulary book.

The ISBN for this product is 978-0071283113, making it the International Student Edition (for use outside the US). Why isn't this clearly stated in the description? I purchased the book from another seller, now I'm returning it for a refund (since I'm in the states).

This is a college textbook which is required for the course I'm taking. Book shpped out the day after i bought it and arrived a few days later. Couldn't be happier.

This book breaks down every area of communication. It let's you know step by step what is needed. This is a book you will keep referring to for years to come.

I needed to have this book for class and it is so boring. I can only read a page before I just have to stop because it's just that dull.

Thanks to this book I got more than 99% on my Professional Writing class. This book isn't just for college students; it is good for anyone who is in the market for new job. It talked about business communication (it's on the title) but that includes oral, written, how to do research paper, how to write proposals, what to expect and dress during an interview, how to write a follow up letter (thank you note), types of cover letters and how to tap into the hidden job market, types of resumes and online job search, e-mailing, types of letters (like fundraising) etc. (the list goes on and on). This is an excellent book for anyone learning about the current job market or what to expect. Ms. Locker is an excellent career coach and the book proves it. I applied to few job postings online (as a test on this book), and got replies from all of them and was called for interviews. I don't know about others but I'm very impressed with this book.

This was my second attempt to get instruction on tai chi moves/exercises form a book, noting the difficulty of following a live instructor when the moves necessitate your turning around, away from the instructor. This book has some valuable text on the philosophy of tai chi and general tips on performing the moves. But the ability of the author, or his translator, to put the instructions into words, even when accompanied by picture, is limited from the point of view of the reader in the same way as is the case with trying to follow the live instructor's moves. One almost has to hold the book in your hand while making the motions, which is pretty hard since the arm movements necessarily take the book away from your eyes. The only solution that I've thought of, but not succeeded in, is getting someone to read the instructions allowed to you while you do them. Even this will be tricky, as some of the instructions are to repeat the previous move in exactly the opposite way. A good memory for detailed instructions would be very helpful.

This is one of the most important books about yang style Taijiquan. You find it in a lineage with the books "The Essence and Applications of Taijiquan by Yang Chengfu", followed by "Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan by Fu Zhongwen", and it is succeeded by "Body mechanics of Tai chi chuan by William C. C Chen". To get better insides and a close understanding of Master Cheng's New Method it is strongly recommended to read his book "Cheng-Tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan" first. The New Method often cites the Thirteen Treatises.

This book is not for absolute beginers. You still should have some basics in theory and practice. The form is understandable, the foot diagrams are strange in some cases. The hints by the translator are helpfull and theory becomes clear when read the third time.

I practiced this method of T'ai Chi for 2 years, until my teacher became ill. Then I found the Hennessey translation, which I find to be excellent. The best I have found for Master Cheng's method. I have no reputable teacher in my area, but can continue to practice with this book. Even if you don't practice, Master Cheng is enjoyable reading.

Excellent reference book. You can't properly learn the form from this book but you can use it to improve your Tai Chi. Current instructors can't help but put some of themselves into their training. This book helps you get to the source of the simplified form. A great training aid. Only the low quality of the pictures kept this from being a 5 star rating. The text is excellent.

For a book that is intentended to be the ultimate guide to the cheng man ching short form it fails miserablery, the quality of the photos drag down the whole book, I cannot overstate how bad they are, hand,hip and shoulder details are not visable at all.
The chapters at the beginning have some amazing insights and the descriptions of the form are fine, as a limited reference and to complete your ching man cheng collection its ok, but for detailled photo's get the Thirteen Treatises.

This book is quite good for the American thinking about living in Canada. However, there are three essentials which the writers have left out:

1) Do NOT even imply that Canadians are so much like Americans that Canada might as well give up its independence and become part of your home country. There is very little that will lead the average Canadian to violence (well, outside of an NHL contract), but that might do it.

2) Canadian kids are taught from the time they learn to walk that it's dirty and boorish to wear shoes indoors. Consequently, if you visit Canadian friends, you must remove your shoes once you enter their home. This is the case even on a sunny fine day. Strangely, being barefoot is not considered anywhere near as crass or thoughtless as wearing shoes indoors, but most people do think to put on socks before visiting others, even if they don't usually wear socks.

3) A common mistake among Americans moving to Canada is to buy a house in the suburbs thinking they're safer and more child-friendly than the inner cities. However, in many Canadian cities the inner cities have better schools, higher quality housing, less crime, and more pleasant neighbourhoods than some of the suburbs. This is especially true of Calgary and Toronto.

I ordered this book because my husband & I are soon moving to Canada. He is Canadian & we have been married 2 years, the same amount of time he has been living here in the U.S. We are in the middle of my immigration to Canada process and I wanted a quick history of & info about what will be my new country. I have visited Canada & since I am married to a Canadian I know that the tone of this book is quite misleading. I'm not sure what countries it's aimed at, but I know it cannot be the U.S.! The authors make it sound like Canada is a backward country full of bingo players who stay home all winter long! It's become a humourous book to me, even the words they say are "Canadian", such as "tad".....my family has used this word since I can remember & so do many others around here (maybe Oregon is too close to Canada?). Read this book with a grain of salt, IF you must read it.....I don't recommend it as much of a correct vision of Canada and Canadians.

I was in the process of immigrating to Canada and this book was among the two most helpful ones. The other one was "Live and Work in USA and Canada". After reading them I had a pretty good idea what Canadian culture is like - things that you won't normally see on CNN. Both books are highly recommended.

I live in Maine and am somewhat familar with the Canadian culture...perhaps this is why I gave this book such a poor rating. But I found it to be so general in its information that I too wonder just what audience this book is written for? Most of the content seemed just common sense to me and if your from the northeast then a basic sense of climate and its effects can guide you. I had hoped it would have delved greater into the social/family culture and more on their views of American or contrasts of other cultures than the brief page it offered. I will however now subscribe to Macleans magazine, the Canadian equivalent of the Times or Newsweek here in the states, and also the national newspaper from Toronto, The Globe and Mail, to further my knowledge of this great neighbor to the north.

Culture Shock, Canada I found to be a very useful book which gave me an excellent background to Canada. The book explores the people, the history, the terrain and almost every other issue which makes Canada, Canada and Canadians, Canadians. An essential book to gain a complete understanding of Canada and it's people. I am immigrating to Canada and found the book to be very interesting background reading.