Douglas Books

I learned about this book while reading another book, "Prime Obsession" and it awoke my curiosity mainly for two reasons: because it was a interesting subject, an apology for being a mathematician, trying to explain the purpose and usufulness of mathematics, and because I wanted to know more about Hardy's life, since I knew a few things about the nice story of this mathematician and Ramanujan. This is a brief book, there is a foreword that serve as a brief biography before enjoying Hardy thoughts, which by the way really grab your attention, even you learn a few lessons of simple mathematics proofs that try to show the beauty of it. I consider this book valuable for everyone.

Hardy was a giant among early 20th century mathematicians. It is difficult to overstate his importance. He was one of the first to show that mathematics is as much art as science without having to have interpretation (such as Dunham's "Journey Through Genius...").

This is what makes this book so poignant. Hardy realizes that he no longer is Hardy. In today's mathematics world that may not have been the case given the immediate communications possible between humans which may have kept him going. However, it may have been that he was suffering from the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's - it is difficult to tell given his admissions of not being up to the task - regardless, this book is overwhelmingly sad.

Anyone who cares about math should read this and thank Hardy for his contributions - plus they should have a copy of "A Course in Pure Mathematics".

This short book has long been one of my favorites. Hardy's philosophical musings may depress some but they ring so very true. Hardy is quite honest about life, art, mathematics, and his failing abilities. For example, his statement, that a very small minority of us are really good at what we do may sound depressing today. But the fact is true.

I can recall when words such as super, excellent, awesome etc. were used judiciously and very rarely to describe truly significant achievement. Today, doing one's job, albeit poorly, is described as excellent.

What I most like about Hardy's book is it's honesty and respect for the reader. A suggestion. Read the book proper BEFORE wading through C.P. Snow's forward. After about the second read tackle the forward.

A must have.

One of the most scholarly books that has been written in the 20th century, G.H. Hardy's thrilling memoir tells a story that other people are too afraid to discuss. Hardy's depressing transition from mathematical genius to near vegetable is a telling example of the archtypical fear of cerebral atrophy that resides among even the most resilient and foolhardy among us. This concise "novel" reads fluidly and especailly so for when written by a mathematician and serves to enlighten the world of the multi-talented nature of a world class mathematician. All in all this book is a rare find and should be read by people of all ages: whether a young aspiring mathematician or an old decrepit intellectual.

As Hardy himself makes clear in the beginning, he would never have written such a book if his mathematical powers had not failed him in old age. I do feel like this book is more an apology for not being a mathematician anymore than for having been one. As for all true loves, the time for judging and summings things up comes only when the joyful days of passion are over. I was hoping this book would give me an inspired first person view of what is higher mathematics and what is like to be a real mathematician. I found that it is not a good book for that, it doesn' t even try it. What it accomplishes instead is giving a precise, objective, cruel, marhematically clear picture of the drive, the ambition, the passion for excellence in any activity, be it a sport or a science that makes the life of the ones who dedicate their life to it so more pure and meaningful. It also poses some tough, fundamental questions regarding how much of your life one can dedicate to one single "abstract" passion without having to go trough some really bitter times and regrets in old age. My personal answer is that what really counts, in the end, is how much you loved and, what was sorely missing in Hardy's life, how much you express that love. But for some people, gifted and cursed at the same time, that is still not enough.

This book is the finest Marathon Training Guide I've seen. It is written for any level runner from first time Marathoner to experienced veteran. The author explains in an easy to understand format the reasons behind his system. This system works! The better job I did of following the book the faster my times dropped. I've taken over 30 minutes off my marathon time in a 2 1/2 year period. The book has easy to follow running schedules for a wide variety of training circumstances.

Nothing new to read here, just the same old marathon training instructions we have all heard.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I'll start by saying that having just followed the "below 70 miles per week" training plan pretty faithfully, I just lowered my personal best in the marathon by 19 minutes, breaking 2:50 for the first time. I also actually enjoyed running the marathon, right to the finish, did not hit "The Wall", and sustained my highest weekly mileage ever without sustaining injury. I attribute a lot of this success to this book.

You need to be fairly serious about training to benefit from this book - the training plans are best suited for those who are willing to do 60 miles per week or more. (The 70+ mile per week plan contains a section "When 93 miles per week just aren't enough"). But the book places a strong emphasis on recovery and nutrition, which I think were critical in allowing me to increase mileage without getting hurt, sick, or run-down. And you certainly don't need to be elite - just willing and able to find the time and energy for a fairly large amount of training.

There are a lot of things to get right in a marathon, and almost all of them seem to be addressed here: all the different types and intensities of training, how to make sure you recover on your "easy" days, how to replenish carbohydrate stores after long runs, how to taper, race day strategy, carbo-loading, hydration, and even how to recover intelligently in the month after the race. Impressively, the book manages to cover all these aspects while being readable and quite easy to comprehend and remember.

A lot of ideas in this book are quite similar to Daniel's Running Formula (another good book) but tuned specifically for the marathon and made a bit easier to digest because it only covers that one event.

This program is tailored for the "serious but busy" athlete.
A big plus are the scaled programs from <50 mpw to >70.
The main emphasis is on LONG HARD RUNS. It is no secret that this is the key to aerobic development (Canova, Noakes, Costill etc).
Pfitz puts it into practice w/ a well thought out program.

My only issue would be that there is no "anaerobic threshold" training e.g. 6x2k @ 10k pace. While maybe a bit of overkill, training at this pace worked well for me in the past, and is advocated by others (Vigil, etc).

Definitely worth it - I will be following the 18 week cycle (with a few of my own modifications) for my next race.

This book totally transformed my marathon training. It took me from a middle of the pack runner to a Boston qualifier. It explains the demands placed on your body in training for a marathon and what it needs to recover and how to focus your runs so that each time you hit the pavement, you do it with a purpose (i.e., no more "junk" miles). I use the training guides in the back of the book religiously. If I'm ever away from home more than a few days, this book goes with me!! I've given it to at least 4 other people. In my opinion, no runner should be without this book.

What a unique and multi-dimensional character Mr. Douglas has created in Sara. I found myself drawn into her life right from the start. She is a strong female lead, who solves her problems herself. She doesn't go to some man to find her kidnapped niece and some man doesn't come to the rescue when she gets in trouble deep. Sara takes matters into her own hands and all I've got to say is that the guys who got between her and her kidnapped niece got what they deserved. This is a great story with a great female lead and when you throw in the non-stop action you really have a winner.

This is a fast paced book about two little girls who are kidnapped and how they elude their captors, while a desperate woman goes the extra mile to try and save them. I read this book over two nights and loved every second of the sleep I didn't get.

I finished the book Desperation Moon and I have mixed opinions about it.
I think it all depends on what a person is willing to read. I did find the language a bit vulgar, but it was meant to be that way. It didn't bother me too much because English is a 2nd language for my dad and cursing is his first. Even so, he is everyone's PaPa in our old neighborhood.

I had a hard time with Rice wanting to rape and touching Paige especially because she was a teenager. I think it could have been easier to digest if it were kept in his thoughts and he never touched her. This is just how I because of what I think about adults that prey on children in this manor.

With the exception of what appeared to be a few typo's and a mistake when you mentioned Sarah parents died in a plane crash then followed it up with them dying in an helicopter cash; I thought the writing was good.

The writing is very discriptive; I found myself in the bar when Rice was coughing, inhaling the red dust during the race in Australia, I saw Carole from behind standing in Sarah's kitchen, and I felt the mud in the ditch and on and on. I think that one of the most important things about writing is that a person should be able to feel and see what they are reading. I have not written much and do not consider myself a writer but as a reader. I have to feel the joy and pain when I read a book or it can take me forever to finish it by force.

I hope that you continue to write and publish new books. I haven't read any of your other books yet but I think I will. I think that in this age of what appears to be a attack on our young people, because your writing is good and very discriptive,some people may not be able to deal with it.
There were periods where I had a hard time with the contents and wondered what some of the women in my book club would think about me choosing this book.

I had thoughts of what kind of person could write in such detail about what Rice wanted to do and did do to Paige.

I was pleased that Rice could not go through with what he thought he wanted to do to Paige. I probably would have either stopped reading the book or skipped that part if he did. I felt like Somewhere in the back of his sick mind, he could not go through with it because she was a child. He felt that this would make him a freak or something.

He said something to the effect that someone who would do something like that to a child was sick earlier when they were all in the car and
he looked at Kelly.

My book club meeting is at 7:30. It takes us about an half hour to get settled. I would like to call you around 8:30 CT if this is not a problem. We shouldn't take up much of your time. to the meeting. We have also listed to a recorded interview of an Author at one
of our meetings. I think that getting to know an author can help with understanding the Author's message. We have a couple of ladies that are hard core readers and will more than likely have a couple of questions. I think this would be good for you as well to get started again.

Last but not least, I wasn't surprised when I saw the picture of you on a boat at the end of the book. At one point during my reading, I saw a connection with you and Seth. There may not have been but I knew that you had to have a boat and either had or wanted to sail the seas and live on your boat.


Alfreda

This is a very intense read. Sara Hackett is racing across the Australian Desert with her sister as navigator, she wants to win the race, but her car breaks down and she has to come back to America early, where she discovers her husband has left her for a young woman's he's made pregnant. Then she finds out her niece, who she had been raising has been kidnapped. Then her house is burned down and a man is found burned to death in her bed. Now the police are after Sara, but she can't worry about that, because she has to find the kidnappers before they harm her niece.

Okay, there you have the gist of this almost too intense read. The characters in the story are good and I believed in them, but there was almost no breathing space. Between all the troubles that were piled on Sara and the chase scenes and the intense bad guys, there was almost no time to settle back and take a breath. I would have like the relationship between Sara and her no good husband fleshed out a little more. He was a pretty bad guy, but I don't think the readers really find out why. I did like the ending though, I won't say what it was, but it was good.

In DESPERATION MOON Ken Douglas provides his readers with one of the most despicable bad guys I've come across in a long time. I'm talking about Rice, the aids infected kidnapper of two young girls, who somehow doesn't think he's a pervert, when he so obviously is. Rice is hired by Huntington Beach police officer Clay Tredway to kidnap his wife Sara Hackett's niece along with the daughter of a wealthy software developer.

Sara is a racecar driver and when she comes home early from a race in Australia, she finds a pregnant woman in her house. Apparently hubby Clay is a philanderer as well as a kidnapper. Soon after she finds out about the kidnapping, she figures out what a weasel her husband really is. She sets out to rescue the two girls. But Clay doesn't make it easy for her. He frames her for the murder of the software guy and now she is on the run even as she's running to save the girls.

Meanwhile, Rice, and his not-to-bright accomplice Gundry, have problems of their own as the girls have escaped into an oil field in the heart of California, where the kidnappers had been holding them hostage. Now they don't care about the ransom anymore, they just want the girls dead. Can Sara, and the quirky band of characters she's enlisted to help her, get to them before the killer/kidnappers do?

In a frantic race against time which involves stealing a small plane in the middle of the night, a midnight swim and more tension than you can shake a stick at, Sara finally confronts her bad cop, no good, two timing, kidnapping rat of a husband. And if you're a girl who has ever been two-timed the way Sara has been, you are absolutely going to love the ending of this book as it plays out to the tune of Bob Dylan singing "Tangled up in Blue." This is a thriller.

This is a good book to read if you are a serious yoga practitioner or teacher, since it reviews in a simplified way the Yogasutras of Patanjali and Iyengar's point of view on life and life experiences. It has nothing to do with religion, it is just a different take on life that might prove useful and enlightening.

If you love yoga, or even think you would like to practice, this book is a must. Iyengar is the guru who will help you see the light and love of your practice and understand what yoga really is all about. I refer back to the book all the time. Merritt Becker, Maputo, Mozambique

Mr. Iyengar writes so anyone can understand and brings humor to complex subjects. The book has helped me deepen my yoga practice immensely. I completely recommend to anyone, especially those choosing to follow the yogic path.

I thought this was quite an interesting book of life--the life of B.Y.S. Iyengar. Recommended for those who are real curious.

This is a surprisingly accessible overview of yoga and levels of practice. It is not a "how to" manual, but rather a "why to" manual with insights for the beginner as well as the experienced.

It could be science fiction
myths...
unrealistic scenario,
but certainly it is amazing.
So much work went in the
preparation of this book.
So much details.
My God!
It is really amazing....


S. Mahdi, Cairo, Egypt.

The artwork in this book is fabulous. It's a neat little companion book for sci-fi fans; it has wonderful illustrations of all the various organisms that have been portrayed in some of sci-fi's classic and canonical works. And along with those illustrations? Little one-page write ups on their biology, social structure, etc.

Once I saw that there was a Velantian in this, from E. E. Doc Smith's Lensman series, I was sold, and had to get it. Done as a page by page look at each species the artwork is excellent, and these are the sort of funny looking monster types that kids like too, so it can work on more than one level, most definitely.

Good book. I have owned this since I was a child. It was a great portal into many of these classic Sci Fi books as I would have never heard about them otherwise. Barlowe has a fantastic nack for bringing life to these aliens. Highly recommended.

I enjoy art books, mainly books of fantasy art. But this book is more a sci-fi art book, and a very good one at that. Mr. Barlowe did a excellent job with the illustrations in this book. I read H.P. Lovecraft's "At the Mountains of Madness." I had a hard time visualizing the Old ones described in that novelette. But Mr. Barlowe helped me greatly by including them in this volume and even summarizing their history. I would love to see how Mr. Barlowe would visualize all the creatures in my book, Tales of Ancient Xenar. I know he has a fantasy art book and I hope to see that one very soon. And to be honest, the only thing I am disappointed about is the fact Amazon.com ony allows a max of 5 stars. This book deserve well more than that.

This book was Great, not only did it keep my interest, but it was very helpful and i would sudjest it to any married couple (with or without relational struggles). This book gives great advice, and has many strong points giving the reader an understanding as well as a level of relation as many of the situations the reader will be able to relate too. Buy the book or Borrow it! it's an important part of every marriage.

What an incredible book! This was required reading for a counseling course but it's purpose served more than that. Roseneau does an incredible job of communicating how beautiful & sacred an intimate relationship with your spouse should be. God created man and woman to please one another in many ways in addition to intercourse and this book does a great job of instructing couples how to deepen their sexual intimacy.This is definitely worth your money! Roseneau also has a Newlywed version and an over 50 version.

This book contains good info and answers and tips that are often not found in "Christian" books on sexual matters.
The version for newlyweds is great as well..my husband and I do much pre-marriage counseling and recommend this and give it as gifts as well.

This book is helpful for couples who are confused about what God expects of us in our sexual relationships with our spouse. It helps to create healthy bounderies and teaches couples how to have a healthy God ordained sex life.

The best Christian sex book out there written by a licensed psychologist/Christian sex therapist. This book is written for the mutual benefit of both wife and husband. It takes a very comprehensive and holistic approach, includes the spiritual elements as well as practical techniques and everything you can think of and some things you might not have even thought of. I highly recommend this to every married couple and to the engaged couple -- about one month before their wedding.

As I sat at my computer, I glanced over at my bookcase and reached for a book. It was a Cup Of Christmas Tea. I began reading out loud and soon started crying. Several times I had to stop and wipe away tears. It takes you back to when holidays were simple and pure and about the people you love.
As I finished the book and wiped away my final tears, I decided that I will make our Chanukah celebration something special for my grandsons.

Symbolized by sharing a cup of tea with an elderly aunt and reminiscing about Christmases past - this is a heart warming poem reminding us to slow down during the holidays and enjoy our time with family and friends.

A friend recommended this book to me several years ago, and when I read it, I was moved to tears. Since that time, I have given countless copies to friends and family because I want to share the message that I received from it with everyone I know. The text is brief, but very descriptive, so I could picture in my mind the events that the authors were describing. The message that I received is that monetary gifts are not as important as the gift of time that we spend with others; so often we set out to do things for others because we feel obligated, and in the end are more blessed than the person who was the object of our attention. This is truly a wonderful Christmas story to read again and again!

I think of this book as an adult "christmas book". I have had a copy for some years and purchased this one to accompany a Spode Christmas "tea pot and cup for one" I gave to my mother. The 25th Anniversary Edition is a celebration of a book that will never go out of style and is a perennial reminder of gracious traditions and feelings that are the heart's treasures.

It's a family tradition to read this book at Christmas

douglas adams shed real light on a subject few authors ever even dare to touch.he made me want to stop and take time to appreciate what i do have and feel lucky about what i have lost.he kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time

Although I have not had the pleasure of buying these tapes, I have, in fact, heard them elsewhere on a digital recording. These tapes are sure to bring a smile and some intelligent entertainment.

I loved it! I was so funny! I wish I had a robot like Marvin.

Douglas Adams is funny in print, but his books really come to life when you listen to him read them aloud. He has a good sense of comic timing and often addes just the right split-second pause, or twists a word *just-so* and brings off a joke that might otherwise be missed.

We've had the 4-volume audio set for ten years and my kids have worn it out. I highly recommend getting this as a book on tape. (Better yet- bring them out on CD!)

Some people say that pure genius is very close to insanity. Either Douglas Adams is a true genius or he smoked some serious stuff when he wrote the Hitchhiker's Guide. "One must have chaos in oneself in order to give birth to a dancing star" - Nietzsche. For me, the Hitchhiker's guide is the best escape from reality anybody can ask for. Travelling with Arthur Dent through different worlds makes you see our own world in a different light. It is almost inconceivable that somebody could consider the Earth to be "Mostly Harmless"! It makes you wonder what sort of galaxies they travel to. A great read - don't miss out on this one.

I'm a fan of these giant DK coffe table books. This was my first and is still my favorite. Tons of beautiful pictures of our planet. All sorts of exotic locales I didn't know existed. Especially nice to have if you're an artist of any kind looking for inspiration.

I saw a smaller version from a local bookstore, bought the large version from Amazon, the fonts are much more comfortable to read. I am using the book as a reference, feel very satisfied. The book is also good for random browsing, the paper and printing are both of very high quality.

THIS IS GREAT BOOK WITH A LOT OF INFO. MY TEENAGER LOVES IT AND SO DOES MY HUSBAND

This book was a Christmas request from my 6th grader who is very curious about earth sciences. He was genuinely excited to see it when he opened it. In some ways it is more like a coffee table picture book than a reference book. It is lavishly illustrated with detail-captioned photos and charts. This is not the kind of book you're going to sit down and read cover to cover, but instead are going to use like a good encyclopedia of earth science. My older child, who is interested in astronomy, received the companion book "Universe" and the two make a beautiful pair of additions to the reference library.

A great book with a nice balance of pictures (including some full page) and informative text about, well...about nature!

I just finished reading this book, and i could not put it down! This is one amazing book, i highly recommend this to anyone who wants to hear a true account of a courageous undercover detective who infiltrated the mob. All true, amazing work by Rick and the NYPD. A must have! "It's in there" everything Rick was involved in, is in there!

An unbelievable yet true story that kept me engaged, too engaged for my wife on our cruise! I highly recommend for vacation reading.

What a pageturner!!!! I was very afraid for Mr. Rick Cowan throughout this whole book. Man, what guts!!! Why isn't this guy being heralded all over the place like Joe Pistone? No disrespect to Pistone but he infiltrated a fractured and disorganized crime family(Bonnano). Cowan got in with the class of the mob, the Genovese and Gambino families. I could not put this book down. I always heard that New Yorkers were being fleeced by the "garbage gangsters" but I never fully understood how. Or why couldn't our government stop it? This book breaks it down. This one is in my top 10. Fantastic!!!!

I'm of two minds on this book. The history of the mob's control of the trash and paper recycling industries in and around NYC are fascinating. But a great deal of the book consists of verbatim transcripts from wires worn by Cowan in his interminable dealings with the mob, many of which are repetitive. Only for the real lovers of mob stories.

Over the course of the past few years, my love of reading books about the mafia went dormant. When I arrived upon a copy of "Takedown" in a used book store, my interest was revitalized. The story in "Takedown" is unbelievable not because it is untrue, but because it is unbelievable how many times Rick Cowan avoided certain death. Though it is unbelievable at times, it is a true story.

By chance, Rick Cowan was in the right palce at the right time. This young detective made the mafia believe he was a cousin in a garbage hauling family. Through this false pretense, he was able to infiltrate the Gambino Fanily to its highest level. Such a task was thought to be out of reach to the NYPD. The stories Cowan tells of his interactions with the mafia have a level of authenticity to them. You can almost hear the stereotypical accents being spoken as you read. I question whether some of the stories were exaggerated to make the book a more exciting read. Surely any man faced with some of these circumstances would crack or slip.

Cowan even discusses the strain three years uncover put on his family. This is an aspect of the investigation that receives little attention in similar books. I also enjoyed the epilogue in which Cowan discusses whether he felt remorse for "ratting out" the friends he made in three years.

Reading a book about the real life mafia is much more exciting than any movie or TV show available. While there certainly must be some fabrications present in the book, none were so glaring to take away from the story. I would recommend this book to any person with an interest organized crime.