Field Books


Books-Under-Review-->Reference-->Biography-->F-->Field-->59
Related Subjects:
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250
Field Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Field
Yellowstone's Geysers, Hot Springs and Fumaroles (Field Guide)
Published in Paperback by Homestead Pub. (1987-05)
Author: Carl Schreier
List price: $13.95
New price: $8.95
Used price: $0.04
Collectible price: $13.95

Average review score:

Best book for geysers while in Yellowstone National Park
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-02
This little field guide is hands-down the best guide to use in choosing which geysers to view, and where, while in Yellowstone National Park. T. Scott Bryan's "The Geysers of Yellowstone" is also a great book, but has few photos and all in black and white (except the cover), and its comprehensiveness reduces its usefulness for quick consultation during a visit. Buy Bryan's book to learn everything there is to know about Yellowstone's Geysers, but buy Schreier's gorgeously illustrated and compact Field Guide for use IN the Park on your vacation.

A must buy if visiting Yellowstone. Excellent Book
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-19
This book has all the information you need about the geysers in Yellowstone. Which basin of the park each geyser is located. It has maps of the different basins and where you will find each of the Geysers. Includes color pictures of each geyser and gives great detail about each, including intervals of when the geyser errupts.

A very useful book when touring Yellowstone National Park.
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 1998-11-13
I took my family to Yellowstone National Park hoping to see some of the more unusual geysers in action. Carl Schreier's book was a great help in choosing which geysers to wait for to see the eruptions. For each geyser, hot spring, and fumarole, Schreier's book contains a photo and interesting information concerning the discovery of the various thermal sights, and an accurate description of the interval and duration of the geysers. Everyone in our family was reading it.

EXCELLENT field guide!
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2002-09-08
I cannot speak highly enough of this book.
My boyfriend and I just got back from our first trip to Yellowstone- and this book was invaluable to us.
We took it with us as we went to the various geyser basins. It was incredibly helpful!

We read about the geysers,hot springs, fumuroles and mud pots as we got to each one.

The book also has great color photos of each feature.

It is broken down into these sections:
* Geyser Life
* Mammoth Hot Spring Terraces
* Norris Geyser Basin
* Gibbon Geyser Basin
* Lower Geyser Basin
* Midway Geyser Basin
* Biscuit Geyser Basin
* Black Sand Basin
* Upper Geyser Basin
* Shoshone Geyser Basin
* Mud Volcano Area
* West Thumb Geyser Basin
* Heart Lake Geyser Basin
* New Zealand - (3 hot springs)

As an example, here's what the book says about Fountain Paint Pots (in the Lower Geyser Basin):
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Temperature= 202.8 degrees F
Dimensions: 80 X 40 feet

Fountain Paint Pots was originally named "Mud Puff" by the 1871 Hayden survey and later turn-of-the-century tourists called it Mammoth Paint Pots.But guide books referred to the area as Fountain Geyser and Paintpots and the name was adopted in 1927.

The mud is composed of clay and fine particles of silica broken down by acids and grinding action.
The tinting of the mud in colors of pink and gray from iron oxides is derived from the original rock.
The bubbling action results in escaping steam and gasses- mainly carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.

In the spring and early summer the mud is thin and the pots boil. By late summer and fall there is less moisture and the mud is thicker, creating unusual shapes and formations.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The only gripe that I have about this book is that it does not list every single feature.
There is a map at the beginning of each section- in red are the features that are talked about- and in black are the ones that are not mentioned.

In the Lower Geyser Basin- there were several feautures that we came to that were not talked about in the book, such as:
Leather Pool, Celestine Pool, Firehole Pool and Surprise Pool, Hot Lake, Jet Geyser, Twig Geyser, etc...

In the Midway Geyser Basin, Opal Pool is not talked about. We walked up to it and wanted to know more about it.

But I do highly recommend this book.
Most of the features are listed. The author talks about the history and goes into detail about the characteristics about the features.
I recommend this book for anyone taking their first trip to Yellowstone. Take this book along with you as you tour the fascinating geological features of the park.You will be glad that you had this helpful guide.
This book also is great for everyone who loves Yellowstone and would like to learn more about the magic of this park.

Field
Your Career in Nursing: Manage Your Future in the Changing World of Healthcare
Published in Paperback by Kaplan Publishing (2008-12-02)
Author: Annette 20080825 20080908 5000 2000 Vallano
List price: $17.00
New price: $11.56

Average review score:

A must read for nurses
Helpful Votes: 12 out of 12 total.
Review Date: 2003-07-24
The book, Your Career in Nursing, is a wealth of information for new graduates, nurse educators, and the seasoned nurse. This book is a guide for developing a positive and rewarding future in nursing. Your Career in Nursing provides the new graduate with realistice guidelines for choosing which career path to take and gives them strategies to use when difficult situations occur. The book furnishes the seasoned nurse with a marketing plan for themselves if they are attempting to make changes in their career. It gives the nurse educator strategies with helping the diverse population of nursing students, tools for dealing with managing stress, and provides the educator with resources for staying on top of the ever changing world of nursing. Your Career in Nursing is a pragmatic book which provides current approaches and resources for the twenty-first century nurse.

Most Helpful Resource
Helpful Votes: 17 out of 17 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-06
A great book for experienced nurses or folks like me, who are just starting in the profession. Annette Vallano's book answered questions about nursing I wouldn't have even known to ask. I'm changing careers after twenty-five years as a teacher, and this workbook/resource book contained the best career advice I could have received. It gives a realistic, honest, nuts and bolts picture of what nursing is like today, both the good and the bad. I have a head start in how to be assertive and pro-active in finding and creating the nursing position that will suit my skills, interests and life-style. I also understand some of the work related pitfalls can happen and how to avoid them. Finally, the book has a heart and soul that gives meaning and importance to the unique abilities we each have to offer in our work as a nurse.

Great help for us nurses....read it, nurses.
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-05
As a Director of Nursing, this book is the most honest book about the real world of nursing.

This book is great
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-06
I used this book for one of my nursing classes, but it really isn't just for nurses, this book can be read and used by all different people from all professions. It helps for you to find the real you lying underneath the flesh and bone of your body.
I highly recommend this book.

Field
Zenda 4: Lost on Aquaria (Zenda)
Published in Paperback by Grosset & Dunlap (2004-07-08)
Authors: John Amodeo, Ken Petti, and Cassandra Westwood
List price: $4.99
New price: $1.50
Used price: $0.03
Collectible price: $10.00

Average review score:

Aquaria
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-01
lost on planet and learn teamwork along the way. rival almsot made her lost her pieces of gaze ball in river when boat flip. they got back home safety thanks to teamwork. she learn more lessons.

Pefect for fourth-grade girls
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-23
The Zenda books were passed around my daughter's fourth-grade classroom on a waiting-list system. Even reluctant readers couldn't wait to get their hands on them and re-read them, too. Actually, it is more descriptive to say they devoured them rather than read them! Although they are fantasy, they also contain relationship issues with which girls this age are concerned.

Worth the Money
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-09
This book was very entertaining! Some parts made me feel happy, others made me feel sad. Most of what you feel while reading this book, though, is minor anticipation! This book was inspiring, and, as with all of the Zenda books, had a good moral. The story is about Zenda's class trip to one of Azureblue's moons, Aquaria. Zenda was nervous to begin with, but what will she do when she, her best friends Michael and Camille, and her worst enemy Alexandra are seperated from the rest of the group? Alexandra keeps the story interesting, although I'm constantly wishing Zenda would stand up to her more.

The ending hints in to the next book, which makes waiting for the next book more exciting! If you like good books, then you'll love this book! It is yet another great addition to the Zenda series.

Lost On Aquaria
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-19
I greatly enjoyed this book! The third in a wonderful series, I found that I couldn't put this book down. Besides the beautiful cover art, I love the Zenda books for their original, well-told stories. Once I was in the middle of reading one of the books, and I almost forgot that I wasn't in the book with Zenda! In this particular book, Zenda and her class visit planet Aquaria, an untamed, wilderness land. As if Zenda's continuous worries, and the bad dream she's been having lately weren't enough, Zenda, her two best friends, and Zenda's worst enemy are lost in the forest! With no food, Zenda and the others eat wild berries, only to discover that there are a few side effects to eating them...

I would highly recommend this book! Zenda is my favorite series.

Field
26.2 Marathon Stories
Published in Hardcover by Rodale (2006-08-04)
Authors: Kathrine Switzer and Roger Robinson
List price:
Used price: $29.69

Average review score:

Marathon Books
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-19
Great book, especially for those who have run a marathon and can appreciate first hand the highs and lows involved every step of the way. Couldn't put it down.

Must-Have for Marathon Runners of All Levels/Experience
Helpful Votes: 28 out of 29 total.
Review Date: 2006-06-05
As a recreational but devoted marathoner, (currently training for #9), this was an obvious must-have for me. Most books published under the Rodale title are generally just rehashes of old RUNNERS WORLD magazine articles, but this is definitely not the case here.

This handsome coffee table book is beautifully designed and offers not only inspiring passages we've come to expect in the world of the long distance runner, but breathtaking photography and insight into the minds, passions and heartaches associated with the sport. It fairly examines the good and the bad throughout the long history of "Marathon;" from ancient Greece to contemporary pop culture.

Divided into 26.2 chapters, it is a wonderful book for both the devoted runner and interested spectator as well. Would make a great gift.

I actually had an emotional reaction by the time I got to "the Finish Line." Just like in real-life! So this book willl definitely be a treasured addition to my library.

Captures the true spirit of running!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-21
I'm a "senior", "middle-of-the-pack" runner and been at this for 30 yrs, completed 7 marathons and read most of the books concerning the subject, but found this one to be truly original. Running is basically a simplistic sport but to extend oneself to the extent to complete a marathon requires a special effort which this book manages to capture better than any other I've read so far. A must for anyone interested in running or those trying to figure out what makes people do this crazy stuff. Easy reading and wonderful photography!

Field
The 5 Minute Field Guide to Understanding Women
Published in Paperback by Barneswest Publications (2004-10)
Author: Dave Barnes
List price: $5.95
New price: $5.94

Average review score:

Good information
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-06-05
I bought this book out of curiosity because I often feel misunderstood by my boyfriend. This book provides great insight about myself and now I understand why I (or other women) do certain things. I then gave it to my boyfriend, who's not much of a bookworm and never bothered to read the book *sigh*. But a guy friend who borrowed it from me told me he liked it because it's concise, practical, and useful. Given it's a quick read and inexpensive, I think you should give it a try.

Happy, but....
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2005-09-07
Although I feel this book has value for men dealing with normal women, it seems I do not have a normal woman. (sigh) This book would help about 90% of the guys out there.

AWESOME BOOK!
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-23
This book is the greatest book I have ever read! It really tells men how to smooze the ladies but in a positive way. Thank you Mr. Wonderful for writing this book and telling the men of this world how to have the perfect relationship! You must have one lucky wife, since you abide by the rules of your book.

Field
After the Fall: Poems Old and New (Pitt Poetry Series)
Published in Paperback by University of Pittsburgh Press (2007-10-28)
Author: Edward Field
List price: $14.00
New price: $7.79
Used price: $7.90

Average review score:

A work of brilliance!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-25
My review from White Crane Journal - Summer 2008

The appearance of new poems by Edward Field is always a cause for celebration. The master poet begins his most recent collection, After the Fall: Poems Old & New with a series of poems that serve as gutsy ars poetica on the engagement of the poet with the world. Under the title "What Poetry Is For" Field surveys the landscape of the wartime Bush years. Some of the poetry is time-sensitive and read as a (hopefully) time capsule to the future. In "Letter on the Brink of War" Field bears witness to what the unjaundiced eye sees at the beginning of a disaster he has lived through before:

They even talk of shock and awe--
another term for blitzkrieg's sturm and drang--
and instead of Jews, the roundup of Muslims,
But you have to ask, Who's next?

"Homeland Security" extends the theme by offering an analysis of the police state tactics faced by those who raise suspicion. Field has a way of writing that delivers the punch with comic timing. It leaves you smiling and wincing at the same time.

Perhaps what I have always loved about Field's writing is its utter lack of pretense and its firm conviction in telling the truth. Beauty is not the word here. Breathtaking is. You read a marital poem like "Oedipus Schmoedipus" or the searing indictment of Jews complicit in the current administration's wrong-doing "But what are Jews doing in this government? / Wasn't civil liberties always a Jewish passion?" and you understand why Plato wanted poets banned from his Republic for their insistence on telling the truth. There is also humor. Lots of it --whether writing on aging in "Prospero, in Retirement" or celebrating his body's resiliencies in "In Praise of My Prostate":

and you still expand, your amazing flowers
bursting forth throughout my body,
pistils and stamens dancing.

Or in his apologia to his lover who must live with "the poet" in "Mrs. Wallace Stevens." When you're dealing with a great poet, the beauty of a volume of selected works like this--especially for the uninitiated--is its ability to offer up new work that captures your affections, and also present the earlier work that serves as confirmation that this genius has roots and, even better, offer a past catalogue of volumes to seek out. Here in one gem are the poems I have loved for many years. Field's "The Life of Joan Crawford" from his 1967 volume Variety Photoplays, "From Poland," and "Mae West" are here too.

As he did in his memoirs published three years ago, Field continues his clear-eye seeing and saying of the world. I believe he writes with the clear understanding that there is a beauty to be found in honesty. With After the Fall Field somehow gives courageous permission to be more honest in our lives. As if saying life is more fun and more compelling by facing the truth of oneself. In all its beauty. I truly believe it.

Poetry of the Real
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
Edward Field is a poet of joy, anger, romance, humor,sex, the real breathing humanity we all share but rarely find in the overly intellectual, pallid poetry which is the fashion of our time. Reading "After the Fall" is to touch a warm, living , brilliant being, what some of us call a "mensch"! It's a true encounter full of joy!
Harriet Sohmers Zwerling

Amazing Field
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-12-12
Ed Field is an amazing poet, and this is another fantastic collection. His new poems feel like classics, and his old poems feel refreshingly new. Read Ed Field now, while he's here-- for fifty years he's been breaking ground for poets, and he deserves to be read. His work is the glue that holds American poetry together. Nobody, before or since, has merged the personal, political, and the pop culture with so much skill and energy. Great great poems!

Field
American Men of Olympic Track and Field: Interviews with Athletes and Coaches
Published in Paperback by McFarland & Company (2004-12-08)
Authors: Don Holst and Marcia S. Popp
List price: $39.95
New price: $39.95
Used price: $28.00

Average review score:

A MUST READ BOOK!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-28
I was fortunate enough to attend a recent college graduation where the author, Dr. Don Holst, gave the commencement address. His wonderful and impassioned speech led me to purchase his book that he so eloquently referred to. He used the triumphs and successes of the Olympic athletes as a backdrop to his theme that diligence and hard work are the keys to the graduating students' futures.
What a wonderful surprise! Holst recounts his discussions with the great athletes in this great book! He tells their stories in their own words while painting a brilliant picture of the worlds they lived in and how the ultimately came to affect it!
A must read for all! Great stories from both young and old to enjoy!

Universal Appeal
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-09
Don Holst, a consummate athlete, coach and professor in his own right has given us an important work on Olympic American Men of Track and Field. He has presented their Herculean accomplishments, taken us into their homes and made these icons our hosts as we sit at their feet listening and marveling and learning. Dr. Holst and Marcia Popp have offered a specialized work which has universal appeal.

I Thought I DIDN'T Like Sports, But Apparently Now I Do !
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-05-16
Don Holst has managed to accomplish the IMPOSSIBLE --- he has made me LOVE SPORTS ! Read this book, I DARE YOU, and then TRY TO PUT IT DOWN . . . Glenn Cunningham's story will inspire you, Jackson Scholz will delight and tickle you, and Bruce Jenner will continue to amaze you, even as Craig Virgin's breaks your heart . . . it's all about the times, and the timing.

Every MOM needs to read this, to help you understand why those boys and girls want to work SO HARD, when many of their peers choose the drugs and booze . . . It's HEART, my friend, something in the soul they are born with that whispers to them to do something MORE, and in the cases of these athletes, MUCH, MUCH MORE . . .

I have an extensive, eclectic home library, but I can't remember the last time I actually dog-earred and mutilated a book by LOVING IT SO MUCH . . . , or carried it from room to room, not wanting to miss a moment. (OR re-read it as soon as I finished, just to enjoy it all over again).

Hard to put down, and harder to forget Holst's unforgettable interviews with these true American Heroes, from the start of this project in the 50's to the present, this little book has the big heart of a sports history classic. NO superlatives in Webster's will suffice for this fine expenditure of your all-too-busy time. Buy 2, and send 1 to your favorite NON-athlete !

K Morris in Saint Louis,
Home of the big stainless steel handle next to the water

Field
Amped: A Soldier's Race for Gold in the Shadow of War
Published in Hardcover by Wiley (2008-06-30)
Authors: Kortney Clemons and Bill Briggs
List price: $24.95
New price: $11.29
Used price: $11.22

Average review score:

LTD
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-21
Received this item very quickly. Wonderful book! I met Kortney this weekend at a memorial motorcycle ride--what an amazing individual that has risen above! I look forward to reading the rest of the book!

RIP Dave!

Eye-Opening and Inspiring
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-15
The Kortney Clemons story is one we all need to hear: What happens to the people we send over to Iraq who come home busted up? Clemons and his co-writer, Bill Briggs, prove that there is hope, but neither of them hold back in showing how much work is involved putting a life back together. With vivid detail and edge-of-your-seat style, they tell a story that is at once unique and universal. The human capacity to suffer, endure and overcome never ceases to amaze me, and for anyone who needs a reminder, "Amped" is a great read.

Cutting Through The Sunshine
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-13
I read this book because my friend Bill Briggs is the co-author. He's the "with" in the byline. So, full disclosure. I read this book with wonder and amazement because it has a you-are-there feeling start to finish. Put your politics aside. Take a break from thinking about rising gas prices and put yourself in the moment with medic Kortney Clemons on tour in Baghdad. The opening sequence in this book is brutal. It's real. It's about a real human being with a distinct personality and interesting background doing "routine" things as part of the war in Iraq. Do your mental eyes glaze over at the phrase "roadside bomb?" That will never happen again. The scene is powerful, moving and told with compelling detail. It all seems to come down to the little things, the difference between life (Clemons) and death (three soldiers) just inches away. From battlefield to hospital and the decisions about how to manage with one leg, "Amped" is about a journey deep into the soul. Again, the detail is what makes this book, the honest self-analysis. Along the way, the history of the purple heart, the background on paralympics, and plenty of science about amputees and their future-world, high-tech artificial limbs. When Clemons confronts his demons, he is straightforward and unafraid to reveal his torment. Along the way, you will learn about prosthetics and the science and art of restoring a stride to a human being. Clemons was born with a powerful sense of self-determination and strong moral code. The bulk of "Amped" is about his quest for dignity and self-worth, through powerlifting and running. Clemons brings a mountain of pride to every challenge, but the most moving parts are when he opens up to friends and coaches for advice. Think you're having a rough day? Think the soldiers in Iraq are a bit faceless, think there aren't real people in Baghdad doing what their country asked of them? Read "Amped." Think about the difference between life and death, think about Clemons' challenge to return to the world he left and admire one powerful human spirit, facing every challenge and running in the moment. Highly recommended for all returning soldiers. Clemons shows the path to mental and physical well-being.

Field
And Then: Natsume Soseki's Novel Sorekara
Published in Paperback by Tuttle Pub (1988-12)
Author: Soseki Natsume
List price: $8.95
Used price: $3.56

Average review score:

"These sunless afternoons I can't find myself."
Helpful Votes: 11 out of 11 total.
Review Date: 2005-03-17
And Then, a novel by Natsume Soseki, opens with an image of extreme isolation: Daisuke, the protagonist, has woken up, and stares blankly at the ceiling with his hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat. He belongs to a wealthy family, has a cultivated aesthetic taste, is well-read, knows multiple languages, and has graduated from a prestigious university, at a time in Japan's history when universities were so new that the government had to hire Western expatriates to teach in them. It seems that Daisuke could get anything he wanted from life. Surely he was ambitious in his university days; it's difficult to imagine how a talented, educated, proud young man couldn't see himself as headed for greatness. But, by the time the book begins, Daisuke lives in seclusion, without an occupation, continuing to depend upon his rich father. He is about thirty years old.

The novel poses the following question: How could a man who showed all the promise in the world ultimately come to naught?

In his university days, Daisuke had two friends, who also had great plans for the future. But, when the thirty-year-old Daisuke meets them again, he learns that their hopes fell short of their mark. One of them, Hiraoka, sought to forge a brilliant career in Japan's civil service system, but fell into conflict with his superiors, mismanaged the money entrusted to him, and was fired. Daisuke's other friend, Terao, intended to become a world-renowned novelist, but failed to find a sponsor, and found himself having to scrounge, day by day, for one-time deals writing articles for cheap rags, or translating documents from English, in order to survive. Both men are now consumed with the fear of dying in poverty.

Daisuke has a strong sense of dignity, emerging from his refined aesthetic sensibilities. To him, such fear is degrading; his idleness becomes the only way to preserve his clarity of thought. Consequently, his reluctance to enter the "world of men" is confirmed in his mind, widening the gulf between him and his former friends, who view him as lazy and sheltered. When Daisuke writes to an acquaintance about a certain book he had sent, the acquaintance politely thanks him for the gift, but says, with regret, that he no longer has time to read. Soseki writes, "As he put the letter back in the envelope, Daisuke felt keenly the fact that this old friend, with whom he once shared the same inclinations, was now playing a different tune, governed by thoughts and actions that were nearly the precise opposite of those of the past."

Daisuke is adrift without ties to history. Unlike his father, he has no attachment whatsoever to traditional Japanese society; his education has given him the knowledge that the world is too vast to be confined to the boundaries delineated by tradition. Furthermore, Daisuke cannot help but notice that his father is motivated by selfish, ulterior motives as much as by any sense of obligation to tradition. Unlike his friends, however, Daisuke also cannot form a connection to modern society, which views education as a means to advancement in a bureaucratic order. He has no roots anywhere; one might say that he remains standing still at a crossroads after all other passersby have left. When Daisuke considers the occupations that he might be qualified for, were he to look for a job, he concludes that he would be incapable of doing anything other than begging on the street.

Daisuke's peace of mind is dependent on such artificial circumstances that it essentially rests on the head of a pin, where the slightest vibration will send it tumbling down. The more intent he becomes on continuing to be a detached observer, the more difficult it is for him to do so. His family has long given up hope that he will do anything with himself, and is willing to support him for the rest of his life, but demands in return that he get married, and threatens to disown him if he doesn't comply. Daisuke prefers to deliberately take a self-destructive path by categorically rejecting his family's demands and falling in love with Hiraoka's wife Michiyo.

Of all Japanese writers, Soseki, the father of contemporary Japanese literature, is the most inscrutable. His works cannot be called "beautiful" in the same way Kawabata's works can; "precise" is a more appropriate adjective. Kawabata's books overflow with beautiful, painfully fragile imagery of nature, glass, fabric, arranging these things in a way that creates a mood of deep melancholy. Soseki, however, is concerned above all with his characters' thoughts, which he faithfully records with painstaking levels of detail. They are not told in interior monologue, or any other such device, but rather conveyed straightforwardly in the third person. The book is absorbed in Daisuke's situation, yet simultaneously detached from it. One may find this style of writing to be pedantic, even artificial, but it enables Soseki to describe emotional truths that are complicated to the point of abstraction.

Soseki's writing is not without flourishes. Until the very end, Daisuke regards his circumstances with a charmingly carefree air, and is witty in conversations with his family, which makes him quite likable. Soseki also uses colours to symbolize his themes. There is a recurring image of white lilies, perhaps representing an ideal of frail beauty that, as it turns out, is impossible to attain, and the novel's ending is painted in bright, fiery red, carrying an air of beautiful, tragic finality, conveyed in sharp, concise language.

And Then is the greatest work by Japan's greatest novelist. Like all of Soseki's works, it moves very slowly. There is no real action in it, and yet, when it ends, one feels that a great upheaval has occurred. This is not a book to read when one is living a peaceful, wholesome life; however, in times of personal crisis, when one is driven to sleepless self-analysis, there is no book more relevant than this one.

And Then
Helpful Votes: 13 out of 15 total.
Review Date: 2000-12-25
Let me start off by saying that I cannot do this novel sufficient justice. The words I have put down are those of a fan. Soseki is regarded most highly by literary critics, in as many ciruits as they run, and to this I can only toss in my own small verbal confetti. For more adroid renderings, please see Donald Keane, Edward Seidenstiker, and Norma Moore Field.

Of all modern Japanese writers, Soseki is one of my three most favorites. Of his books, I have read Kokoro, The Three Cornered World, Grass by the Wayside, Light and Darkness, and, And Then. Of these, And Then, is by far my most favorite. I probably love it for different reasons than most.

Whenever I begin re-reading it (I have read it four times now), it is initially for the feeling of being transported into Daisuke's beautiful, if fragile world, where he set against a cast of lovable if predictable characters. His lazy houseboy, Kodono ("is that right, Sensei?"), his niece, Niu ("I'm warning you, you'd better watch out") who changes her hair ribbon several times daily, his sister in law with her love of Western music and concern for Deisuke's future and keeping the peace with Father, and so on. But as the novel evolves, the imagery takes on stronger substance, while retaining the light touch of a master. Of the lighter: the time when Daisuke and Kadono strip down to their waists and toss water around in the garden; when Daisuke fills a bowl with water and floats white lillies to offset a pounding headache, how he sets off to take a trip (in an attempt to avoid facing the pressure from his family to choose a bride) and never quite goes anywhere, and his foolish mishandling of his personal affairs.

Daisuke sees no point in trying to overcome his enui and take a stand of any kind, nor to try and resolve a series of issues that offer no simple resolution. Daisuke is a man with his feet planted in neither the past nor the future, and as the story comes to crisis, he loses his already delicate equilibrium, and plunges into a near mad state, where, since he cannot conceive of hurting anyone else, he runs headlong into trouble.

It is unfortunate that my copy gives no credit to the translator, for the prose is of exceedingly high calibre.

I highly recommend this book.

Beauty feeds the soul, but not the body
Helpful Votes: 3 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-05
"And Then" ("Sore Kara") is a perfectly beautiful novel. Soseki always writes with an elegant clarity, tackling complex emotions and situations that creep up just like life. Nothing seems forced or unreal.

The plot reminds me of a quote I heard once. "I was a soldier so that my children could be merchants, and their children could be artists." The main character, Daisuke, is a dilettante, an appreciator of life's fineries who has never turned his hand towards anything seriously in his life. His father was a famous soldier during the Russo-Sino war, and his older brother is successful in business, and neither of them can understand this luxury object of a younger sibling that they both maintain financially. Seeking to find some value in him, his family attempts to pressure him into an advantageous marriage, which Daisuke's refinements does not permit. Love, however, will destroy everything.

The story floats along at Daisuke's pace, with nothing hurried or in crisis. Inside of this veneer are heavy issues of family obligation, the distaste of working for food as opposed to working for pure artistry, and most of all the undeniability of love, something that none of us can choose for ourselves.

Like all of Soseki's novels, "And Then" lingers long after the last page is turned, forcing us to evaluate our own lives and wonder what we would do in similar circumstances. How much of our own dreams have been sacrificed for necessities, and what does it mean to be human besides eating, sleeping and making more humans?

Field
Archaeology: The Comic
Published in Hardcover by AltaMira Press (2003-05)
Author: Johannes H. N. Loubser
List price: $80.00
New price: $67.79
Used price: $60.44

Average review score:

Great introduction to archaeology
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-17
This is an amusing, entertaining and surprisingly intelligent introduction to archaeology. It covers not only the basics of how to do archaeology (digging, mapping, etc.) but also where archaeology fits in society and where it is going intellectually. This is not only a perfect beginner's text but a valuable guide to anyone interested in what we can learn from the past.

Visual textbook - very different
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-05-07
"Archaeology - The Comic " is an introductory book for archaeology students or for introducing archaeology to any beginner - but - and here's what's different - it is in COMIC form.
The book covers a vast number of topics including how to survey, excavate, analyze, interpret, and preserve archaeological sites and their material remains. The main character learns about site protection laws, consultation, museum exhibition and a variety of other public archaeology topics. She visits experts who explain the complexities of carbon dating, ground-penetrating radar, flotation, and thermoluminescence, among other analytical methods. And she develops an understanding of how all these tools allow archaeologists to make confident interpretations of the past.
There is a complete glossary and bibliography too, which makes this book a great reference book.
Anyone seriously interested in Archaeology, young or old, will enjoy this book, and learn a lot from it.

How to survey, excavate, analyze, interpret, and more
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2003-04-19
A very original approach to introducing the science of archaeology is taken by Johannes H. N. Loubser in Archaeology: The Comic. A professional archaeologist working for New South Associates (a contract firm in Georgia), Loubser is an expert on rock art, having done extensive field research in North America, South Africa, and Australia. Loubser draws upon his considerable expertise to provide readers with a graphic novel approach to explaining archaeology in terms of what it is and how it's done. Readers will follow young Squizee after some antiquarian pots are discovered on her family farm. Squizee learns from professional archaeologists how to survey, excavate, analyze, interpret, and preserve archaeological sites and their material remains. Also covered are the site protection laws, consultations with native peoples, museum exhibitions, radiocarbon dating, ground-penetrating radar, plant flotation, thermoluminescence, and more. Ideal for school classroom curriculums, Archaeology: The Comic would also serve as an ideal template for presenting other science disciplines!


Books-Under-Review-->Reference-->Biography-->F-->Field-->59
Related Subjects:
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250