Clark Books

En 1906 le photographe Edward Sheriff Curtis tenait deux dernieres expositions de ses gravures en platine, du format et de l'echelle grands, a l'Hotel Astoria de la Nouvelle York et au Club St Botolph. Car le banquier John Pierpoint Morgan venait de consentir a payer photographier la vie des peaux-rouges des Etats-Unis. Plus tard Curtis vendait ses gravures les plus grandes au Dr Charles Goddard Weld, qui a son tour faisait le don des 108 photographes au future musee Peabody Essex de Salem, dans le commonwealth de Massachusetts. Les gravures montraient a merveille les effets chiaroscuro, le focale attenue, les fonds assombris, les poses romantiques et les regards de tres pres, pour faire ressortir les caracteres forts du paysage vaste. Pour en faire tout cela Curtis se servait d'un objectif tres vieux, fabrique en Allemagne, et d'un appareil photographique lourd a porter. J'aime surtout les gravures qui me font comprendre le milieu, telle que De la foret profonde; les routines journalieres, telle que la serie Battre, vanner, arroser et secher le ble; la solidarite du peuple, telle que Dans les rues des peuples Acoma et Walpi; et la vie familiale, telle que La maison des Hava Supai.

In 1906 photographer Edward Sheriff Curtis held the last showings of his large-format, large-scale platinum exhibition prints at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel and at Boston's St Botolph Club. He had gotten banker John Pierpont Morgan to agree to help pay for a complete photographic record of Native American life. So he sold his larger exhibition prints to Dr Charles Goddard Weld, who then gave the 108 photographs to what is now the Peabody Essex Museum of Salem, Massachusetts. My sculptress mother and artist sister had already shared with me Curtis's pictorialist photography: so in my opinion THE MASTER PRINTS from these last two exhibitions are excellent examples of how the artist-photographer used chiaroscuro effects, close-ups and soft-focus lenses for dramatic and focused lighting, dark backgrounds for adding or subtracting details, and romantic poses to bring out strong personality and sweeping landscape. The book has helpful, to-the-point, well-written foreword, appreciation, afterword, and notes: I find it interesting that the prints might have been made with just an old German lens and a heavy-to-carry 14x17 view plate camera and that all the head and shoulder shots were taken in a tent lined with maroon-colored material and under lighting controlled by a skylight opening on one side. And I particularly like the prints that give a sense of place, such as the clearly photographed nature in "The Mojave water carrier," "Out of the forest depth" and "Taos water carriers"; a sense of family, such as "Hava Supai home," "Inuit hut and family," and Yakutat Indian seal hunter's hut"; a sense of community, such as Acoma and Walpi street scenes, "Apache camp" and "Apache village," "Blackfoot encampment," "Census hogan," "Estufa of San Ildefonso," "Mishongnovi," and [Tlinkit] "Council house"; and a sense of daily activity, such as "Threshing wheat," "Winnowing wheat," "Washing wheat," "Drying wheat," and "Hopi girls grinding peke bread meal." So the book's collection of photographic artistry works especially well with Shannon Lowry's NATIVES OF THE FAR NORTH, THE PLAINS INDIAN PHOTOGRAPHS, and THE NORTH AMERICAN INDIAN: THE COMPLETE PORTFOLIOS.

As a biography, this book is almost perfect. Every aspect of Einstein's life is covered with marvelous proportion and balance. If you want to understand the best-known scientist of modern times, you must read this book.

Perhaps most important of all, Clark does not write as if he were describing a saint. He recognizes that brilliance in one field doesn't always translate into brilliance in others. Politically, Einstein was often naive and sometimes silly. G. K. Chesterton noted that in May of 1931, shortly after Einstein had claimed, "If you can get two per cent of the population to assert in times of peace that they will not fight, you can end war." Chesterton replied, "But here the theorist asks us to believe, not merely that two men could fight a hundred men, but that a hundred men could not fight at all because two men were not fighting."

As the 1930s progressed, Einstein moved closer to Chesterton's views about war and particularly about the danger Germany posed to European peace. In the 1920s Einstein was one of the most famous pacifists in the world. In the 1930s, disturbed by Nazism, he abandoned his pacifism to advocate containment. The reason for his change was quite human. His loyalty to his own people, the Jews, triumphed over his intellectual dalliance with pacifism. Chesterton was no doubt delighted. He believe that healthy patriotism was the surest road to peace. Each people living on its own land and willing to defend it while respecting similar feelings among their neighbors recognized the human desire for attachments without avoiding the reality of evil. That's why the pacifist/internationalist solution, the League of Nations, failed to stop Nazism, while Chesterton's solution, a NATO-like military alliance, worked quite well to contain the even greater menace of Communism.

Unfortunately, while Chesterton, a popular English writer, would sometimes comment on the much better known Einstein, and somewhere Einstein may have mentioned Chesterton, a fellow Zionist, I can find no evidence the two every met. Given that both had a marvelous, self-effacing sense of humor, that's unfortunate.

--Michael W. Perry, editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

This is the first book about Albert Einstein that I ever bought and it remains in my mind as one of the most difinitve and interesting biographies of Einstein that I have yet read. I just took it off my library shelf the other day and thought that I would go over it once again. As I remembered the scientific explanations were what most impressed me. I remember actually thinking that I understood Einsten's theory after reading this book. Of course, I was dreaming; but dreaming is fun too.

¡Es una obra magnífica! Toda la trama y sus personajes son tan reales que por momentos uno se siente sacudido por los sinsabores que tantas veces golpean el corazón de ellos. Cuánto sentimiento, cuánta grandeza e integridad en unos, y cuánta bajeza e injusticia en otros.
Las personas viven y mueren en las páginas del libro, dejando en segundo plano los sitios donde transcurren sus vidas.
Hay también una belleza particular en la ternura e inocencia de los niños, con frases realmente conmovedoras, emanadas más que de la falta de alimento y de ropa, de la falta de afectos. Hay momentos críticos, como la desesperación en medio de la cual uno de ellos logra pronunciar la palabra "mamá", aunque fuera por última vez... el deseo y la necesidad de otros de llamarlo "papá" a Maclean... las explicaciones referentes al "milagro de la vida" que para tantos vio terminar Quico.
Es impactante el desenlace, concerniente al gran amor tantas veces postergado entre el viejo emigrante y Emilia, la solitaria modista del pueblo.
Es una novela real, que llega al corazón del lector.

Es una novela de un realismo conmovedor. Muestra hasta que punto degradante pueden llegar ciertos seres por ambición, y hasta que altura se puede elevar el ser humano en su capacidad de amar.
Es una novela que merece ser leída.

What an awesome Christmas story. This book brings history alive laced with beautifully told Christmas storys of the past. This book has the potential to become a classic with as much impact as The Miracle of 34th Street. There is a loving and gentle delivery that is an awesome read for both adults and children. It was great reading about family values, loving relationships and most importantly having faith during our personal struggles. This book was a true joy and blessing to read.

Easy reading little book packs a powerful message in a real way and will put young and old alike in the true spirit of Christmas! This book is one that would be fun to read with your grandchildren and talk about your own Christmases past and also, family traditions they would like to establish. It is both historic and funny...guaranteed to make you feel warm and fuzzy by reading it. Great stocking idea!

I read this book for a Stable Isotope Geochemistry class as an undergraduate at UC-Davis and found it moderately understandable. My background is in ecology and as a grad student now I am using stable isotopes to answer ecological questions. I still refer to this text and even compare some of my values to values used in the text. It is well-indexed and easy to find specific subjects. Though the writing is fairly dry, there are plenty of graphs and diagrams that are very informative and display the trends and concepts satisfactorily. I wonder though if some of the data they use is a outdated. They often cite work from 1970's and earlier and I don't know if there might have been some changes in methodology and increases in applications. This book is heavily biased on freshwater systems and I would like to see a new edition with a chapter on marine applications/problems/things to consider etc. All in all I would recommend it to advanced undergraduates and higher in geology, geography, ecology, environmental sciences and those wishing to learn about isotope fractionation and its uses in science generally.

This is one of the best textbooks I have ever read. The book regards the light, stable isotopes so called in hydrogeology - "environmental isotopes". The authors present the occurrence of the environmental isotopes, physical and chemical processes affecting the variations of isotopic composition of different types of waters in understandable, logical manner - starting from the hydrological cycle, from evaporation and water vapor through precipitation and fresh water to groundwaters, mixtures and brines. I think that Fritz's and Clark's book is very usefull especially for those starting the research with the isotopes in waters because such complex processes like the isotope fractionation and the mechanisms of isotope exchange are explained clearly and effectively. Although the big part of the book, what is also important to me, regards the interpretation of isotopic data, possibilities of using them to the evaluation of a water quality, identifying and dating both the modern and the old groundwaters. I refere this book either for those starting the work with stable isotopes in waters or for those having many years practice in that field. In my opinion it is not only the very good textbook but also the very well organized compendium of useful scientific information.

Paul Pallia, founder of India Inland Missions says Zane Hodges is one of the greastest theologians alive today. After reading some of his books especially his commentary on John's epistles a person can see why. The episltes of John are surronded in miss interpretations and is often used to support a gambit of contorted theological conundrums. Zane Hodges has the background and skill to unravel the truths in this simple yet profound book. His conclusions are simple but the reader needs to understand his explanations are forged in the complex art of exegesis. To the readers who appreciate this unique art they will devour every page of this book. Zane's conclusions are exegetically driven not vice-a-versa

Zane's explanation of these epistles will remove any confusion you may have about them. His analysis is simple, like the text of the epistles, yet profound in the challenges and implications to the Christian's life. This is simply the best commentary on the the Epistles of John.

It is fairly obvious that these rules were written long ago. But still, they are mostly still appropriate for the modern day developer work environment. Let me explain...

> Be clean. Do not start off to work in an untidy suit or dress, with
> unpolished shoes, untidy nails, unkempt hair

This is correct. Wearing a suit or dress to write software is straight outta the old IBM mandate of dark suit, white shirt, black tie and neatly slicked hair. No self respecting developer would be caught dead looking like such a sales dweeb. The uniform of todays developer is a bright yellow tee, faded jeans, white socks and sandles.

> or with evidences of having recently eaten garlic or onions.

Gladly, evidences of having ingested jimmy bean or jagermeister the previous night is considered OK.

> Bath every day and, if possible, twice a day; nothing takes the place
> of soap and water. 'The nose knows.'

This rule is modified a bit if the developers work day is longer than 24 hours. A 48 or 72 hour work day is still considered one day in developer time. Thus, two showers per calander week is often sufficient.

> Always wear fresh underwear, for the same reason.

Likewise, this rule is modified if the developer is using the length of his skid marks to determine if he's been coding too long.

> Do not wear party clothes to work,

Very true. A leather thong and nipple clamps are inappropriate attire in the modern day cubicle.

> Do not eat except during lunch hours, and then only in the place
> appointed you to eat.

Yes, there was once an era with actual "lunch hours". In that era, eating at your desk while working wasn't the norm. This rule is completely out of place in todays work environment.

> Never pick your teeth in public; do not chew gum. Both are
> atrociously bad form.

Unless of course it's 3am, you're alone in the office and have been coding for no less than 1.5 skid mark inches.

> Do not chew the office's pencils or your finger nails.

True except "the office's pencils" is replaced by "your stylus". A chewed stylus will scratch the screen of your PDA.

> If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with your handkerchief. A
> person must always cover his mouth with a handkerchief to hide a yawn ~
> but, then, no one should yawn at work!

Grabbing a paper napkin off the stack acquired from the last trip to Del Taco to get an order of Macho Nachos will suffice. The yawning rule does not apply while reading man pages or perldoc as the developer would likely suffocate.

> After using your handkerchief do not examine it, but replace it where
> it belongs.

Unless the developer is in need of inspiration for a new logo to place on the sourceforge page of a new project.

> Do not leave it lying around.

Don't let a rival developer take credit for *your* new logo.

It is fairly obvious that these rules were written long ago. But still, they are mostly still appropriate for the modern day developer work environment. Let me explain...

> Be clean. Do not start off to work in an untidy suit or dress, with
> unpolished shoes, untidy nails, unkempt hair

This is correct. Wearing a suit or dress to write software is straight outta the old IBM mandate of dark suit, white shirt, black tie and neatly slicked hair. No self respecting developer would be caught dead looking like such a sales dweeb. The uniform of todays developer is a bright yellow tee, faded jeans, white socks and sandles.

> or with evidences of having recently eaten garlic or onions.

Gladly, evidences of having ingested jimmy bean or jagermeister the previous night is considered OK.

> Bath every day and, if possible, twice a day; nothing takes the place
> of soap and water. 'The nose knows.'

This rule is modified a bit if the developers work day is longer than 24 hours. A 48 or 72 hour work day is still considered one day in developer time. Thus, two showers per calander week is often sufficient.

> Always wear fresh underwear, for the same reason.

Likewise, this rule is modified if the developer is using the length of his skid marks to determine if he's been coding too long.

> Do not wear party clothes to work,

Very true. A leather thong and nipple clamps are inappropriate attire in the modern day cubicle.

> Do not eat except during lunch hours, and then only in the place
> appointed you to eat.

Yes, there was once an era with actual "lunch hours". In that era, eating at your desk while working wasn't the norm. This rule is completely out of place in todays work environment.

> Never pick your teeth in public; do not chew gum. Both are
> atrociously bad form.

Unless of course it's 3am, you're alone in the office and have been coding for no less than 1.5 skid mark inches.

> Do not chew the office's pencils or your finger nails.

True except "the office's pencils" is replaced by "your stylus". A chewed stylus will scratch the screen of your PDA.

> If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth with your handkerchief. A
> person must always cover his mouth with a handkerchief to hide a yawn ~
> but, then, no one should yawn at work!

Grabbing a paper napkin off the stack acquired from the last trip to Del Taco to get an order of Macho Nachos will suffice. The yawning rule does not apply while reading man pages or perldoc as the developer would likely suffocate.

> After using your handkerchief do not examine it, but replace it where
> it belongs.

Unless the developer is in need of inspiration for a new logo to place on the sourceforge page of a new project.

> Do not leave it lying around.

Don't let a rival developer take credit for *your* new logo.

A book that blew me away. Boisen had his first psychotic episode in 1918 and suspected it was a spiritual/religious crisis. In his day people were considered as write offs, lost and abandoned to sanitoriums for the rest of their lives if they showed any signs of mental illness. Boisen however, refused to live out this reality and instead began an amazing journey of discovery, to research other people's experience of psychosis and mental illness. Boisen's book outlines his paradigms and research results. While he was interviewing people in mental hospitals searching for evidence of a spiritual emergence/transendence psychiatrists of the period were supporting the removal of parts of people's bowels to 'cure them'.

I was amazed by Boisen's findings and think it is still incredibly relevant today. If you want to assist and understand someone experiencing psychological crisis read this book.

Much, much more could be said about this book, but suffice to say that this is a necessary read for anyone who has been diagnosed with bipolar or depression (or other mental illness), to help with understanding what Boisen calls one's attempt at "reorganization" that leads ultimately to either a religious experience (success) or to failure, which is described as illness. It is more compelling than most popular works, and much more clinical, even though it's dated.

I use this book frequently, because I always find what I want and it's good. The authors state their facts accurately and clearly. Top notch.

This book has been a lifesaver for me many times when I needed authoritative information in a hurry. If you are a teacher of astronomy--at any level from undergrad on up--you will never regret having this on your shelf! Many times, after searching in vain through half-a-dozen textbooks for some item of information, I have turned to Facts-on-File Astronomy and found the answer directly, without further ado. I believe this is a "must" for every serious teacher, student, or researcher in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Zipes' qualifications for writing about this subject are impeccable, and his years of teaching show easily here. Chapters include stuff about traditional fairy tales, sure, but also writeups on Disney animation (hint: he's not real thrilled at some ways Disney has "tidied up" fairy tales). You'll never watch "The Little Mermaid" in quite the same way again.

This is more of a philosophical treatment than anything else. There isn't extensive hard history here; they're writeups of lectures, not papers, though sources are cited. Consider these ruminations on fairy tales and their relevance to modern culture -- how they are treated, how they are disseminated, how they've changed in the past couple hundred years. The book isn't very long, but it has a lot of good observations in it.

I found it invaluable for its insights; Zipes has found a sincere admirer in me. If you are interested in fairy tales in modern culture, this is definitely somewhere you might enjoy playing.

Jack Zipes is perhaps the most renowned critic in writing about Fairy Tales. I love his style because he doesn't really show what he really thinks about them butt how the Fairy Ta;es have been shaped through out the centuries.
Some how or another he is able to find excellent resources and drawings for the book. I highly believe it is for any one who is interested in starting to study, the true origins of Fairy Tales.