E Books

This amazing game (and just plain interesting read!) is currently back in print. You can pick up the new edition, converted to D20, by heading to the publisher's web site. Pagan Publishing and TC Corp have done a great service to its fans by releasing this reprint!

I don't have a long, thoughtful review to write. Just wanted to say this is the BEST RPG idea/supplement I've ever seen. Intelligent, thoughtful, scary, fun...get it get it get it!

This is the best RPG suppliment I have ever read, bar none. It's a great READ, even if you are not a gamer. Interesting background, lots of plot hooks as well. The group that did this book are great writers and are loving what they do and it shows. If you are into Horror, X-Files, Call of Cthulhu, ect...buy it to read, if not play.
The book is curently out of print, but I understand that it will be reprinted in 2006 as a hardcover with d20 rules. Anyone wanting to write or publish an RPG should read this book and use it as an example. A MUST.

DELTA GREEN is the modern adaptation of Call of Cthulhu. Drawing on the same body of UFO lore and paranormal activity as the X-Files, DELTA GREEN has tapped into something very deep. And of course, once you have a successful RPG, you might as well start the fiction flowing, right?

Dark Theaters has some fairly lenghty short stories, designed to flesh out the world of DELTA GREEN. Some clues and hints are elaborated on; what exactly happened during the fabled raid on Innsmouth in 1928? What was the final mission of Gen. Fairfield? We find out more about the summoning by the Karotechia that was a dress rehearsal for the end of the world, but the entirety of the episode remains tantalizingly removed.

Dark Theaters, like the rest of DELTA GREEN fiction, is about what it means to be human. Or not human. The monstrosities which are called up and cannot easily be put away serve to highlight our humanity. But in the end, humanity is just short-hand for a fundamental incomprehension of the universe. We are carrying on a rear-guard action against reality, buying our fellow-man time for ... what? To say that humanity loses in the end is to pretend that there are other players, rules agreed upon, some validity to having tried and lost. Life is a game of solitaire, and we're not playing with a full deck. All is meaninglessness, a blowing of the wind.

And yet humanity means staying in the game. Like Lucifer, the real patron saint of lost causes, we know that we will lose and darnit, we are going to keep playing the hand we were dealt. It gives meaning to life, death, and the passing of the seasons, the sacrifices we have made and those we have sacrificed, to play by the rules, even if there aren't any. So let us cheer for the hero and jeer for the villain, and not go gently into that dark night.

I'm writing this review because the rumors that a new edition with stats for d20 play are getting harder and harder to ignore. Even though the book is old and sometimes hard to find, anyone who seeks it will probably not be disappointed.

Delta Green revitalizes the Call of Cthulhu milieu in two ways. First, it plants the setting squarely within our time, developed from a backstory that starts in 1929 and gets downright spooky in 1947. Eldritch horrors still stalk humanity from beyond - only now the entities that menaced the 20's are content to scheme behind the scenes. Unfortunately for the Earth, some humans are content to betray us all for the ephemeral promises dangled before them. These men are not the frothing cultists and brute savages of Lovecraft: they are scientists, priests, and four-star generals. Plus there are new foes and surprises to keep jaded players guessing.

Second, there is finally a good reason for unusual characters to find themselves allied against the dark. Will a cop balk at sharing forensic evidence with a detective, a journalist, and a Marine? Not anymore. All the PCs are members of or friendly to Delta Green, an illegal conspiracy operating within the federal government. Of course, it's not the ONLY illegal conspiracy operating within the federal government. While Delta Green has adopted the sensible tack of trying to blow away every Mythos problem they encounter, its opponents are convinced that some mysteries can be studied, contained, or even harnessed for their own use.

That's just an overview. There is so much to Delta Green that any gaming group interested in conspiracy-style RPGs could find something useful. There are sections on U.S. government agencies, modern firearms, and mind-blowing adventures that are not for the faint of heart.

With Delta Green, CoC players can feel more confident with a nice gun in their hands, and the assurance that a backup team of ex-SEALs in on the way. Their characters will still die or go insane, but at least they should enjoy the ride.

This is my new favorite book.

I picked it up at the library along with a stack of others without really looking at any of them in too much detail. I just needed something to read during the summer. And it looked mildly interesting.

But this book is much more than MILDLY interesting.
its amazing!

First of all, all of the characters were very original, especially Frankie herself. Frankie was smart and funny and a heroine that you can really let yourself like. And not hate. Alpha was another great character. Matthew, well, he was one of the more boring people. But then there were people like Trish, Porter, and Star who erased that. Characters get a ten out of ten.

Then, the plot itself. I loved everything about it. I love boarding school stories, I'll just start with that. Also, the idea of Frankie completely taking over her boyfriend's secret society--without him even knowing it? Brilliant! Frankie is not just another teenage girl, that's for sure. Plot gets a ten out of ten :)

Then, the writing style itself. I loved E. Lockhart's prose, it just flowed very well and I fell in love with it at once.

This book is a must-read!

THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS features what I've come to expect from E. Lockhart - comedy, characterization, and competent writing. However, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is no fluff book. Frankie struggles to be recognized as an equal by her male peers and her family. She does this by orchestrating grand pranks at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy using the manpower of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Frankie is clever, ambitious, strong, and feminine. But E. Lockhart does not paint her as perfect.

She pushes things to the limit. She enjoys power. Her plans, while well-executed, do not have the expected effect on the populace. She's high-minded, reckless, and many of her actions should not be emulated. For all that, she's a wonderful heroine. She doesn't play nice, but she plays for the right things. Girls should be frustrated with being condescended to, and they shouldn't be underestimated due to a lack of a Y chromosome. (Actually, one of the book's few flaws came after the climax, so I don't feel right discussing it in the review, but it has to do with this concept.)

I also like that the boys who make Frankie so frustrated in THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY aren't bad people. They're just average boys. They make mistakes, but they aren't simply evil male chauvinist pigs.

Lockhart also plays with the way she tells the story. She begins with a framing letter and anecdotes, building an excitement for what Frankie will become despite a rather innocuous beginning. The tone is playful, but ominous. Lockhart plays with language not only through the structure, but with the dialogue. Both Frankie and her boyfriend Matthew enjoy wordplay. Frankie's is inspired by P. G. Wodehouse; Matt's comes from his inner copyeditor. Lockhart's choices come together to create a unique voice that helps THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY rise above her other novels just as much as the unconventional Frankie.

I highly recommend this novel. It's not perfect, but it has a spark to it. It sticks out in my mind from the other novels I've read recently. There's hijinks, anger, love, and plenty of food for thought. Frankie has good ideas and bad ideas, but many are ideas that should be heard and then pondered further.

Excerpted from In Bed With Books

The story is set in a prestigious east coast boarding school that has yet to shake off its boys school roots and features a clever, thoughtful, ambitious heroine who refuses to accept the status quo. The first 50 pages didn't fully hook me, but Frankie's obsession with her boyfriend's all-male secret society eventually drew me in and forced me to stay up late to finish it.

I don't know what it's being marketed as, but it read like a YA novel aimed primarily at adults, not teens. The biggest problems for me were my inability to like most of the characters, the neglected positives (clever but grating after the first few), and the supposedly entertaining conversations between the group of guys Frankie admires. And while the novel and especially the ending are gutsy, I'm not entirely sure they make up for the first half's skimpy plot. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know that I'll want to reread it.

Definitely one of the best books I've had the fortune of reading. Very reminiscent of Jaclyn Moriarty's "The Spell Book of Listen Taylor" (also similar due to their sudden shift from girly books to girl-power mysteries). I love the funniness, the cliche and the totally NOT. The basset hounds and the guppy and the whole idea of a secret society. Love love love Frankie's whole thing with making up words (it totally makes sense!). Love the "black-tiles only" thing (saw that at the museum in Canada as an obedience experiment, it's really interesting!). Love the reference to GMail XD Love the fact that the characters...they're marauder-esque. I just wish we found out what happened after, what became of Frankie's brilliance. The only real big problem I have with this book is that Frankie doesn't end up with Alpha. I'm very glad she broke up with Matthew, but I think she and Alpha had real chemistry and meshing [mischievous] personalities. *sigh* Amazing book. I don't think I'll get to read one like it in a looong time. Congrats, E.Lockhart, on this latest success!

According to the back cover, Frankie Landau-Banks as a freshman in high school was a slightly geeky girl in the Debate Club. But when she comes back the next year, nobody recognizes her because now she fills out her shirt. And that grabs the attention of a certain senior boy named Matthew Livingston, who soon becomes Frankie's boyfriend.

But Frankie isn't content. Matthew often acts distant and doesn't treat her like an intelligent human being. So one day when he cancels their date, she follows him and discovers that he's a member of an all-male secret society. Frankie wants in, but there's no way she can without him Matthew out that she lied to him. Frankie knows she has the brains to get in, so she creates a false email account through which she directs the secret society into performing various pranks.

Although these pranks have the desired effect of reforming some of the school's practices, no one seems to understand the significance, and whenever Frankie tries to explain it, people write her off as thinking too hard. And of course, the pranks can't last forever. Someone has to step up and take the blame.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks was an incredible novel and one that I won't forget for a long time because it provided a lot of food for thought. It got me thinking about concepts I never would've thought of before. Frankie's character is a mad genius and a work of art by E. Lockhart. I don't think I've ever read a novel with such an amazing and unique character as Frankie is. It was kind of strange how fast Frankie thought, but that is just part of her character. The ending was only slightly surprising, but then it was foreshadowed.

I highly recommend this novel to everyone, and it has become one of my favorites. Those who like secret societies such as the one in Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund will enjoy reading about the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound. Readers who like the boarding school setting will also enjoy this novel. I definitely look forward to reading more novels by E. Lockhart.

[...]

I have had this book for years and always go back and find something new in it. It's just a wonderful read and contains wonderful reminders on how to be the best you. I HIGHLY recommend it!

A must buy for anyone who believes in persistence and hard work.

The Edge took me from a average school boy rugby union player to a professional player who represented 2 countries( Scotland - the land of my birth and South Africa - the country who taught me to play rugby.) In business and sport it is a roller coaster ride and The Edge motivated me to remain positive and always keep the fire of desire burning inside. Today I use what the book taught me to motivate young rugby players at club, provincial and international level. I have also named my software company The Edge. This is a must if you wish to succeed in life.

Ths is one of the most influencial books in my life. It took me from a high school nobody, to a college somebody. It is a book that can help any person suceed in life, and to know the right way to do it. This book should be in everyone'e library. You can even read a quote every day and try to incorporate in that day. The edge is a true success book.

If you coach, manage, or supervise anyone, this is a must have. Whether for work or play, this book is the "Bible" of motivation. I'm an area branch manager for the worlds largest employer. What else is there to say? Buy this book! Place your order now because finding copies of it is very hard. This is truely, bar none, the first book anyone who is responsible for mentoring someone should have.

The translator deserves a nobel prize for rendering the Russian into an English poetry which stands on its own as first class literature.

Long hailed as the Russian Shakespeare, Pushkin's novel in verse is a tantalizing combination of never comedic irony and agonizingly unrequited love. Full of many now-obsolete references to works of his day, some verses serve to interrupt the story line by making obscure indications to the poet's own explots and experiences. Interesting; but were it not for the notes in the back matter, they would have been lost on most readers, as they were on this one. That said, once the poet returns to his plot - which, by the way, is so good that it could be read in one sitting save the repeated departures - one finds oneself hooked. The verse is never delicate, never gentle. It rips the heart out and confiscates the senses. The young, naive, and love-struck Tatyana sends a letter to Onegin (pronounced on-ye-gen). He does not return her feelings, and tells her as much. But by a classic twist of fate, Onegin finds himself much changed in his opinion, and Tatyana, while not changed in her own, is in circumstances so changed, that her feelings are no longer given the sway they once were. It appears that Onegin was the naive one after all. For its universal value to Russian literature and its excellent translation, I recommend it fully. Eugene Onegin is a work full of reality, harsh and true; as such, a love story becomes believable.

James Falen's stunning translation of Eugene Onegin is a paragon of grace and subtlety. Despite the formidable challenge of converting Russian verse into English, this edition conveys Pushkin's fluidity of language, varied spirit and love for the human heart with precision and artistry. Indeed, as I breezed through this staggering work of genius, I kept marveling at the beauty of an English translation made possible, of course, only through Falen's understanding of the writer's intentions.

So the translation is a technical tour de force: the diction, style and tone are sublime. But the novel itself - through frequent transitions between bliss and morbidity, through lively dialogue, and through a devilish combination of action and wit - is also a fully-riveting tale. When encountering such Russian literature, some Americans will dismiss it as hoary or pessimistic, but this is facile. Pushkin holds darkness and sadness in relief to a soaring, more soulful encomium of life, and in doing so, presents us with humanity's casual, and often unintentional, profundity.

My Titles
Shadow Fields
Snooker Glen

Eugene Onegin of Alexander Pushkin, 19th century Russian author who often has been considered his country's greatest poet and the founder of modern Russian literature, presents different kinds of characters whose personal traits have a great relation with the period's social structure. Their different and remarkable personalities are worked up so profoundly that it is possible to see the reflections of the characters in the literary works which they read throughout their developing and changing lives. Therefore, this gives the reader an excellent insight into the thoughts and beliefs regarding their different behaviours which can also be associated with the deep effects of the time's social life. Throughout the novel, Pushkin illustrates his characters via the three main figures; Eugene Onegin, Vladimir Lensky and Tatyana.
Pushkin starts to portray his main character, Eugene Onegin, at the very beginning of the novel by describing him since his childhood. Even in his descriptions of Onegin's childhood, Pushkin tries to express how extraordinary and different Eugene is although he seems as if he is an ideal figure of 19th century Russian society even from the very beginning of his life. That's why Pushkin remarks; " He was sweet natured, and yet wild," (Chapter 1, III). Then Pushkin goes on describing his main character with his youth by suggesting that he starts to be in with the social requirements of his time by following the Romantic fashion, taking care oof his appearance in a delicate way in terms of his clothes an hair, learning to speak and write in French, and becoming more and more witty and sweet. The Russian society he is living in has such a context that everything is based on affectation, dishonesty, jealousy and ostentation. In such a social context, one has to be intellectual, educated, cunning and witty enough to maintain his/her existence among those kinds of people. The thing Onegin does is just to be one of the successful player of that game by knowing about every theme and learning affectation and to hide his feelings. Yet, he is still different form the others in his youth's readings. To point out this difference, Pushkin suggests that "He cursed Theocritus and Homer, in Adam Smith was his diploma;" ( Chapter 1, VII). Theocritus, who is Hellenistic Greek poet, and Homer are prominent figures of classical period. And as already known, there is a great interest in classical works and a great respect for the ancients in 18th and 19th centuries. It is an indispensable feature for a 19th century cultivated person to read and adore classical works. However, Onegin, different form the others, prefers to read works of Adam Smith, instead of Homer and Theocritus. Adam Smith is Scottish political economist and philosopher of 18th century. He shows how self-interest guides the most efficient use of resources in a nation's economy, with public welfare coming as a by-product (www.britannica.com). 18th century Europe is in favor of clarity, simplicity, science and rational thinking as opposed to sentimentality of 19th century Romantic period. Therefore, Onegin's interest in Adam Smith makes him quite different from 19th century Russian people. This shows us that Onegin, in his youth, is more interested in political and rational thinking than the fancies and emotions of the Romantic age. Although he has a different taste of reading, he definitely leads a fashionable, comfortable life which is in quite in harmony with the lifestyles the other people around him. He is flirting with married women and successfully manages to make friendships with their husbands; it is possible to see Parisian taste in the furnishings of his room; he never rejects to join balls; and thus he is a "child of luxury and delight" (Chapter 1, XXXVI) as Pushkin remarks. But this does not leave Onegin satisfied. Pushkin suggests it with these lines; "He was bored with social noise" and "infidelity proved cloying and friends and friendship, soul-destroying" (Chapter 1, XXXVII). While describing his characters' and the changes in their lives; Pushkin, as apparently seen, is constantly criticizing the social defects of the period such as fake friendships. Because of his boredom, Eugene retreats himself and starts to live in idleness. In this idleness, he look for satisfaction from reading. But he does not manage to get rid of his boredom. Therefore, he gives up reading just like the habits of his past life. Even during the time when he is living in his uncle's house in the countryside upon his uncle's death, he can't escape from being a slave of boredom and idleness. That he is not appealed to reading romances and poetry accounts for his disbelief in real love, marriage and happiness. It is possible to see this in his first meeting with Tatyana after her letter for him when he says to her; "...wedlock for us would be abhorrent./ I'd love you, but inside a day, with custom, love would fade away;" (Chapter 4, XIV). As can be seen apparently, there is a remarkable parallelism between his thoughts and his readings. His thoughts are far from sentimentality of the time's romances and poetry. His views about a universal feeling called love give an impression of excessive strictness, a clear-cut and so-called "rationality" that refuses its permanency too pessimistically, almost in a prejudiced way. It should be discussed whether his views stem from his readings or his readings lead him to think this way. But things are not always as it seems. After Onegin has left the country house upon Lensky's death, Tatyana visits the house and finds a few books by "Don Juan's and the Giaour's creator" (Chapter 7, XXII); that is by Lord George Gordon Byron (1788-1824). Lord Byron creates the concept of the "Byronic hero"- a defiant, melancholy young man, brooding on some unforgivable event in his past. In this sense, Onegin can be associated with a Byronic hero, burned out and unhappy with life. And his rejection of Tatyana's love can be accepted as the unforgivable event in his pastwhich condemns him to an unhappy life forever; just like Pushkin remarks almost in a criticizing tone; "Onegin...with no past, no work, no wife;/ had nothing to employ his life" (Chapter 8, XII). And when he realizes that he is in love with Tatyana after seeing her in a ball as a wife of a prince, he starts reading different kinds of authors such as Gibbon, Rousseau, Manzoni, Chamfort, Madame de Stael, Bichat, Tissot and Bayle. Pushkin describes the situation with these lines; "One more he turned to book, unchoosing,/ devouring Gibbon and Rousseau..." (Chapter 8, XXXV). When looked at the authors he has read, it is possible to see that each of them is from different literary fields. For example, Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) is an 18th century British historian; Manzoni (1785-1873) is an Italian poet and novelist; Bayle is a skeptic especially about human knowledge, Jean Jacques Rousseau is both a political thinker and the creator of the modern genre of autobiography (www.britannica.com). So it is not quite possible to determine the definite effects of those writers on his views and behaviours. But it is possible to infer that along with his love for Tatyana, the idleness and the boredom of his previous life leaves its place for love and at the same time pain and sorrow. Although he suffers from his love for Tatyana, now he has something that makes his life more meaningful. So he starts reading again as he finally manages to get rid of his boredom and idleness.
Vladimir Lensky is entirely different from Eugene although they are close friends. Pushkin describes their friendship with these lines; "So verse and prose, they came together,/ no ice an flame, no storm weather and granite, were so far apart." (Chapter 2, XIII). Lensky is portrayed as a young, stereotypical poet. He is still ambitious and hopeful about the future, quite different from Onegin's world view. Pushkin describes him with these words; "Vladimir Lensky, whose creator was Gottingen...He brought back all the fruits of learning from German realms of mist and steam" (Chapter 2, VI). So we see that his background comjes from German. He reads Goethe and Schiller. It is impossible not to see the effects of these writers on the personality of Lensky. Goethe is 18th century German poet, novelist, playwright, courtier and natural philosopher. In his first novel, Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers (The Sorrow of Young Werther), he creates the prototype pf the Romantic hero. Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) is a German poet, philosopher, historian and dramatist. He is greatly influenced by Rousseau and Goethe (www.britannica.com). It is possible to infer that there are remarkable traces of his readings and German cultural background in Lensky's world view. Like Goethe's romantic hero, Werther's love for beautiful Charlotte, he is in deep love with Olga. As Pushkin remarks, he brings back "freedom's enthusiastic dream, a spirit strange, a spirit burning, an eloquence of fevered strength" (Chapter 2, VI). He is completely a traditional young poet who is burning with the flames of youth and who is a stereotypical romantic lover that can dare to die for his beloved's honour , which is suddenly lost in a dance.
Pushkin portrays Tatyana starting from her childhood just like Onegin's portrait. In her childhood, Tatyana is shy as a savage, silent, tearful, and "wild as a forest deer". As Pushkin suggests, "Reflection was her friend and pleasure," (Chapter 2, XXVI). That's why she has nothing to do with dolls in her childhood and later with needles and fashion like typical country women of the times whose only interests are gossiping, fashion and invitations. In this sense, she is also different from the people around her just like Eugene Onegin. However, although they are different personalities in their own social environment, they are different from each other, too. Tatyana is a completely romantic character full of passion and youth. She likes waking up early and watch the dawn; therefore, we can infer that she loves nature, which is a typical quality of Romantic poets such as William Wordsworth. She likes reading Rousseau and Richardson, Sophie Cuttin, Madame de Krudener and Madame de Stael. Richardson (1689-1701) is an English novelist. He is a verbose and sentimental story teller. Moreover, he emphasizes, in his works, psychological insights into women. While she is in a passionate love for Onegin, she relates him with the main characters of Richardson's novels. One of them is, for example, Grandison, the hero of History of Sir Charles Grandison (1754). Sir Charles, in the novel, is designed to redefine the virtues of the hero as both Christian and sentimental. So, this gives an idea about Tatyana's ideal lover. The other writer she likes reading is Rousseau. He is the first writer to attend closely to childhood and to the formation of his own sexuality. Later, he is adopted by the French Revolution as the martyr of virtue and by Romanticism as the hero of feeling. The most personal, and initially a source of embarrassment, is his epistolary novel Julie or The New Eloisa (1761). This is a story of passion redeemed by virtue. It is possible to infer that Tatyana sees Julie de Wolmar's passion closer to hers. Sophie Cuttin and Madame de Krudener are the French writers once read in Russia as French influence is great on Russian culture at that period. While she is in a passionate love with Onegin, she reads these witers' works and associates herself with the characters of these literary works. This is a sign of her naivety an her innocent and honest feelings unlike the other women of the society who are described best with Pushkin's own words; "Our terror is their (those women's) consolation" (Chapter 3, XXII). Unlike Onegin's rational thinking, Tatyana has a much more romantic, spiritual and sentimental world view so much so that she believes in "olden days in dreams and cards and their prediction" (Chapter 5, V). So as to interpret her dreams, she even reads Martin Zedaka, an interpreter of dreams. After her marriage, she gradually becomes like the ladies around her whom once she has detested; and from then on, Pushkin does not give any information about the books she reads. Most probably, she gives up reading just like Onegin as her life becomes dull and idle.

The book narrates beautifully the tragic love story between Tatyana and the cold, indifferent Eugene Onegin. It portrays the disenchantments, pain and suffering often caused by a one-way love, here represented by Tatyana's devotion and care for Onegin. Through Pushkin's rich descriptions, the intensity of the girl's passion is conveyed to the reader, as well as the pain and misery of his rejection and indifference to her confessions.

This is probably the greatest compilation of original old school photos of the Hard Core heroes in Skate Boarding, Punk, and Hip-Hop. Friedman's photography and perspective as the ultimate insider on all that he shoots shows us the evidence we can't find anywhere else, particularly under one cover. From Jay Adams (Dogtown) to Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) to Chuck D. (Public Enemy) and tons of others, how can you not own this book? The photography, and this book in general is in a class all it's own, head and shoulders above any other skate, punk or rap book of photos, and this one includes the best of all three genres. This book is a master piece and you'll be happy you got it, the greatest coffee table book for our generation.

This being the first true book published on the work of Glen E. Friedman is an achievement all it's own. A classic that has and will continue to stand the test of time. A document of a bygone era that will inspire generations for a long time to come.

F*I*V*E* S*T*A*R*S*

Glen E. Friedman has been capturing the high voltage energy of today's youth and those who speak to them for a long time. In this very interesting collection of photographs he manages to focus (pardon the pun) on skateboarders, rappers, the guys who hang out on the streets all living on the edge. The energy he captures is inimitable. Reading this book immediately after viewing the museum exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat makes it all ring true. These may be the remembered commentators and artists of tomorrow. But for now, this is a worthwhile journey into subcultures you may not know. Grady Harp, July 05

This is addressed primarily to Mike Carroll (Spokane, WA) and
Seer"japna" from whocaresville. It really cracks me up that someone would waste their time to write a negative review on Amazon, especially for a book of photographs, and ESPECIALLY when that book is obviously intended for a very specific audience. That audience doesn't seem to include wannabe deer-hunter, computer geeks from Washington state or "enigmatic" all-knowing types from Japan or somewhere either. I'd love to know who your heroes are... Jeff Foxworthy perhaps?

This is a classic. If you're even looking at this page it's obvious this book is a must. What other book on the planet has pictures of Black Flag, Public Enemy and Z-Boy Jay Adams?
And all of it's other hard core icons. This is an incredible collection of excellent photographic quality.

The only reason I did not give this book five stars is because I am REALLY careful about doing that with any book . . . BUT I loved this book! I loved the two women, Shelley and Mai, and wanted, especially, to know everything about Mai's former life in Vietnam and how she'd handle going back there after so many years. I also loved the way the author did Mai's dialogue in such a way that I could understand the limitations of her English and yet not not want to laugh at her. Mai simply fascinated me. Another aspect of this novel that I really respected was the way Sachs writes about children, especially 2-year Hai Auo. He is such a realistic picture of a child that age! Cute, but also capable of emitting a "scream that sounds like an electric drill." Sachs so expertly captures a toddler's personality (his fickleness, bouts of crying, clinginess, etc.) that I felt like that child was in the room with me. I wanted to adopt him myself! Finally, I loved reading about Vietnam (a country that's always fascinated me) and I have already purchased a copy of Sachs' memoir of living in that country. Can't wait to read and review that one, too!!!

If You Lived Here: A Novel
I was drawn to Dana Sachs' novel "If You Lived Here" because one of its settings is Wilmington, North Carolina, where my son lives. But the moment I picked up this wonderful book and started to read, I felt myself gently guided into a world much more complex than any locale. The two main characters, Shelley Marino, a mortician's wife who desperately longs for a child, and Mai, a Vietnamese entrepreneur who owns an Asian grocery in Wilmington and who fled Vietnam and carried a desperate secret with her, have become as real to me as my own family.
Both of these women and the other characters who people this novel walk off the pages and stand before me in flesh and blood. And the story Ms. Sachs tells exposes their hearts in a way that very few books ever have for me. And I am an avid reader who, at the age of 60, has a hard time finding anything new under the sun! Today, it takes a very rare and exceptional book to move me. Ms. Sachs is a wordsmith beyond compare. Not only did I love the path she carved for me, but I found myself savoring the way she used words to exactly tap and reveal her character's souls.
Shelley and Mai are two very strong women who, despite different cultures, forge a wonderful friendship which carries them both on a journey to Vietnam and on a journey of healing and discovery. I simply opened my own heart to them and, while reading their story, I felt suspended from my own life. That is how compelling this book is.
I also received a special bonus while immersed in this story. I am old enough to have lived through the years of our war with Vietnam, and I had a front row seat to its horrors on television newscasts. My myopic view of Vietnam hasn't changed since I was a teenager. In fact, I had put "Vietnam" aside as a memory and as a country which no longer plagues us.
Ms. Sachs, with her beautiful words and her heart's investment in her story, has changed my vision! Her story is so well told and so consuming that she has managed to draw me in another direction entirely.
I plumbed the depths of two women's lives. I struggled with Shelley's husband Martin until he finally opened up and told his story. And when Shelley and Mai and Martin and other characters forgave each other and themselves, I wept and forgave too.
But while doing so, I awoke to the story of Vietnam. The flickering black-and-white images of destruction and human pathos from my teen years have permanently been replaced. I have now discovered, through Ms. Sachs' eyes, a Vietnamese people with beautiful souls and a Vietnam of greens and reds and yellows and blues as palpable as the country right outside my own front door. What a gift! What a release!
Tonight I will settle down into my pillows and start reading Ms. Sachs' memoir of her time in Vietnam, "The House on Dream Street!" I am now hungry to hear more!

This is a must read for anyone who has adopted--or who has given a child up for adoption (trust me).

This author swept me up in her story from the beginning......twirled me around on her journey.....and put me down gently....all while keeping my heart and mind in the hearts and minds of all innvolved in the story. I loved this book!!!!! Sachs can certainly write...with knowledge, reality....and imagination! What more does a GOOD novel need!!! I need more from her!!!

Adoption is a special way of understanding feelings of other people. When you start this process you need support and help. The reactions of people around you make it clear who really cares for you who loves you
This is what happened to the two women in the novel

This book covers all the basics about Quantum Mechanics for Chemists. I highly recommend it for all Chemist Students.

Don't let anyone tell you quantum mechanics is easy because it isn't. It is the hardest subject anyone can even attempt to learn. In my experience most books are written by people who are too brilliant and use maths which is too advanced for the average non-brilliant person to understand. This book is one of the best simple introductions to quantum mechanics I have read. Yes there is a lot of hard maths but let me assure you it is one book you should have on your bookshelf when you get totally lost and need to start again.

John

This is the best ever text in quantum mechanics. Every one which intents start in this field should read this book. It contains all the elementary steps to understand this difficult field in a language and in such detail which is not found any more in the modern books.

As an alum holding both undergrad and graduate degrees in a related field, I figured I would pick this title up for some pretty heavy reading. I was right. Even thought the title says "an introduction", there are several pre-requisites to understanding Quantum Mechanics, and the style of Linus Pauling's writing in general. The book reads very much like a textbook, and I would suggest at least a pretty good understanding of physics, mathematics, and technical writing before diving in. It's a great book, and a classic text. It's just not a casual Sunday read.

I read it once and don't use it too often. It's still an excellent book, but I think there are newer texts that are based on this one that may "look better" even though they cover the same topics. I enjoyed it very much. Pauling knew how to take a complicated subject and simplify (but not too much) it for ease of teaching.

Great, great book.

This book is awesome. It helps me so much everyday as I am trying to teach Japanese to myself. I have a passion for languages, and this really is a great accent for my passion.

I found it very usefull in learning japanese. It's a very versatile tool.

I hesitated ordering this book because a previous reviewer reported that he had found the binding to be inferior. Perhaps this was true in previous bindings, but the copy I recently obtained looks fine in this regard and should stand up to heavy use for some years to come.

I'm finding this an excellent disctionary in all regards, though as a beginner I have not put it to lots of use. Basically I use the New Nelson, with this dictionary as a supplement, especially for compounds. And there are times when this alternate system of radical identification is just easier than the traditional system.

I bought this dictionary just when I was beginning my fourth semester of japanese lessons, to help me with my future translations and with the learning of new kanji (which is always a useful thing, since many tend to get disappointed when they know they have to learn about 2,000 to read the newspaper).

I have always thought that with any given dictionary, there are two main issues you have to keep in mind: how complete it is, and just how easy it is to use.

I have not as of yet searched for any kanji I have not been able to find, so I'd say it is fairly complete. This is an extremely thorough dictionary, covering not only an incredible amount of individual kanji, but a whole lot of compunds (the dictionary claims over 47,000. I'll take their word.), so there is a very good possibility of you too finding the character you are looking for.

As for the second issue, I must say I'm surprised at how easy it is to find kanji. When i first heard of the system kanji dictionaries used for listing them, I was appalled. I was pleased to find, nevertheless, a full two-page-and-a-half brief manual on how to use the dictionary that gave me all the preparation I needed: I was succesfully looking up kanji in now more than 10 minutes.

Basically, there are two ways in which you can find a given kanji in this dictionary: by their readings (either the on-yomi, or the kun-yomi), and by their stroke count. The 79-radical system can be a little confusing at first, but is fairly simple to get used and not at all as illogical as one might think.

The only complaint I have so far is the lack of internal references made in the dictionary. For instance, one of the appendices lists the 1006 "gakushuu kanji" (the kanji taught in elementary school), but their are numbered straight from 1 to 1006, without the reference to the dictionary entry for each of those kanji. The same thing happens to the kanji in "the 100 most frequent kanji", "the most frequent kanji used in family names", "the 284 extra kanji for use in given names", etc. Adding that would be a real time saver if you are planning, as I am, in using the dictionary as a learning tool.

Still, it's a great tool, and I'm really convinced that this was one of my truly great buys. Definitively 5 stars.

when I did an internet search to locate this, I found a number of negative reviews. Basically the consensus seemed to be that the character lookup system is new and therefore bad.

I disagree. The system the authors developed is the first "rational" approach in that it does not require that you know what the important radical is in order to look up a kanji. Morever, the ability to look up compounds using any character in the compound is very useful.

However, there are some negatives:
(1) the authors are not entirely consistent within their own approach.
E.g., the characters under the radical for hand are grouped under the three character radical, which is the way it is written except when it is written as a single character. However, the character for hand is written with four strokes, and you must know that in order to find it under the three stroke index.
this is the example that comes to mind most immediately, although I believe there are others.
(2) the binding is not of a very high quality. if you use this frequently (which you will), it will eventually break the spine.
i gave away my first version after it split in two. my current version is in four pieces.

on the positive side: this is so extremely useful that I am going to order a third copy.

HIGHLY RECOMENDED.

From the perspective of a member in a culture consumed in the "existential vacuum", Frankl's experiences and logotheraphy discussion offers a call to action for those prepared to live a meaningful life. This book will change you.

What can a person expect of life in a concentration camp? Is there a chance you can find meaning in living that torture? This is a truly inspirational book that reminds you that not everything is lost, that you can find light in the most terrible conditions. It's not new age, it's a story of survival and hope.
The second part of the book is about logotherapy. Victor Frankl was the creator of this discipline and it basically addresses the question of meaning in people's lives.

I read this book regularly for inspiration. Frankl found a way to confront the greatest evil of the last century, which for him was very personal, and survive. In the midst of it he discovered that we most long for meaning in our lives, and so he developed a therapy that helps people search for it.

The beginning part of the book about life in the camps simply cannot be forgotten. And then, when he tries to make sense of it, ordinary readers realize that whatever they have suffered there is a way forward. Frankl used tragedy to help others. A person can't be more noble than that.

Lawrence J. Epstein, author of "At the Edge of a Dream: The Story of Jewish Immigrants on New York's Lower East Side."

The following summarizes the true meanings the author wants us to absorb.
There are three avenues to arrive at the meaning of life. 1) Creating a work or or doing a deed 2) Experiencing or encountering something added to your life i.e. finding love 3) facing a fate one cannot change. You then rise above oneself, rising above what is expected. One grows from the experience, and experiences positive change.
Experiencing and surviving suffering is something to be proud of... not something to be ashamed of. We all learn and grow from our experiences.

well i learn psycology at the university and my professor has recommended it so i bought it through amazon.
this book will rock your world.and give you a different perspective of life and how man interacts in a hostile and unreal enviroment ...for more info of the book itself i recommend turning to a better source :) but as a reader i can say this book is worth the time and the money :)

Berg's work rallies all aspiring authors to the cause of sainthood for Max Perkins...maybe even deification. He tracks Perkins's career vis-a-vis the literary careers of important 20th century American authors. Gives a peek at the largely ignored man behind the curtain...and stands as a monument to his contributions to our literary heritage. A must read for anyone who enjoys books.

Scott Berg's biography of Max Perkins is a warm, sparkling account of America's greatest editor in the prewar period, the midwife for works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe in the twenties and thirties, when big-time publishing converged on New York. Berg's book is cunningly organized: the reader steps at once into the rough and tumble of editorial work at Scribner's, leaving Perkins' early life, marriage, and family to be described in concise digressions taken only after we get another satisfying dollop of publishing history. Unhappily, once Perkins has delivered his discoveries to the public, the rest is mostly about their boozy extravagance (Fitzgerald), bullying ego trips (Hemingway), and petulant indiscipline verging on insanity (Wolfe). So even if, for this reason, you stop two-thirds of the way through, your curiosity about this key figure in modern literary history will be very well satisfied.

This is a wonderfully written book, very informative and inspiring for authors, editors, agents and anyone else involved or interested in publishing. Berg does a terrific and subtle job of painting these larger than life characters, allowing their own letters to speak for them. He shows remarkable restraint and good taste and yet has created a book that is enriching and very difficult to put down. Highly recommended!

Scott Berg has written a wonderful biography on one of the most important men in American literature, Max Perkins. Berg's book is well-written and very entertaining. It is more than a biography of Perkins, it is also a biography of Hemingway, Scott Fiztgerald, and Thomas Wolfe, and a portrait of America during the first half of the 20th century. This is one of those books that I could go on and on about. It is a book that everyone should read.

Max Perkins was the great editor at Scribners who handled quite a few of the finest writers of the twentieth century, F. Scott Fitzgerad, Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe being especially noteworthy (and dealt with at length in this biography). One might envy such a man with such a job, but Berg makes it clear that having to deal with the likes of these authors was like walking around with a huge millstone around Max's poor neck. His job was endless and thankless (Wolfe actually betrayed him). You see from the many letters quoted that many of them are blatant pleas for money. Saying that Perkins had to coddle some of these authors like children would be putting it mildly. Berg does an admirable job relaying Perkins's life and hard times. Recommended.