Freeman Books

'Science' magazine is one of the world's two premier outlets for the best in refereed general science reports, along with 'Nature.' It's also one of the places where Harris has published his brilliant cartoons.

The cover hooked me, but the first cartoon had me roaring out loud - a wry expression of the improbability (and wonder) of life on earth, and a clear but counterintuitive statement about chemical equilibrium in solutions with concentrations too low for statistical mechanics. Then a while later, a researcher emerges from a lab with a chimp, saying "It's just not working. HE's teaching ME primate speech" - the researcher herself being a primate, of course. Then the "String Theory Quartet." Then the Museum Dilemma: X-rays reveal a Leonardo under a Rembrandt. And so on.

Science is far too important a matter to be taken seriously. Face it, we're an irrational and emotional species, playing (often convincingly) at rationality. Harris does a wonderful service for humankind: he makes all that hard stuff as accessible and visceral as a belly laugh. Harris is the only cartoonist I know of who correctly translates the subtleties of science into the silliness of the human condition. This doesn't ridicule or trivialize the science. Quite the opposite, Harris makes it real.

If Harris didn't exist, we would have had to invent him. But damm, I wouldn't have been smart enough to think him up. I'm just glad he was there to do it himself.

//wiredweird

Sidney Harris is without question the best cartoonist with a scientific bent; his cartoons lampoon science and the people who practice it. He also throws an occasional barb at the people who follow pseudoscience as well. No area of science is beyond his reach, everything from the environment to nuclear physics appears in his cartoons. I reread this book every five years or so and smile every time I see the cartoons again. I also place copies of some of his cartoons in my office. My students enjoy them and they are a recurrent reminder not to take myself too seriously.

As the name of this reference implies, it provides a good review from particle physics to astrophysics, and of significance, relates inner space to outer space. Both theoretical and experimental methods are explored. The classical big-bang theory is clearly discussed, as are its difficulties and the solutions provided by inflation theory.

I have read lots of popular science books about particle physics and this is way out in front of the pack! It clarified many things that other authors just assumed the reader could understand. For example, the section on how to build synchrotrons and accelerators and why the devices are shaped the way they are was so clear. Plus the color photographs and drawings make it a lovely book to just browse through. If you love particle physics, or are even just a little intrigued, this book is a must! I intend to reread it sometime.

This is an excellent, albeit a bit dated, book for learning the fundamentals of ballet. The photographs are excellent and the descriptions of each particular step in ballet are written in a clear and understandable way. Although this book is now out of print, it is recommended that anyone who has an interest in ballet (or perhaps a child studying it) buy this book as it is much cheaper than hiring a private coach to tutor a potential ballerina. Parents will appreciate the easy to understand writing style and may even have a laugh or two at the outdated hairstyles and wardrobe that are seen in the book's photographs.

Although the pictures in this book are a bit obsolete in terms of fashion, they really illustrate all the basic ballet poses and exercises. Anyone who is just starting ballet lessons wil find Freeman's descriptions of the basic ballet exercises helpful and easy to understand. She explains how each movement should be done and gives pictures outlining the right ways and wrong ways to do each exercise. Children will have no trouble reading her descriptions and they may even get a chuckle over the hairstyles and leotards that ballet students wore in te 1950's.

The Gauntlet was first published in 1951. A modern British boy discovers a relic with special powers, and quickly finds himself in the 14th century. Welch reveals medieval life through Peter's adventures in castle, village, tournament, and battle. The author taught history, and it shows. Specific period details abound, from eating habits at feasts to training a hawk to hunt.

Welch is a terrific storyteller. He drops Peter six hundred years into the past, and brings the reader too. Vivid imagery transports us; we see, hear, smell, and taste the Middle Ages.

The Gauntlet is a fine tale and learning experience to share aloud. Sadly, it is the only Ronald Welch title now available (via amazon.co.uk). He wrote more than a dozen historical novels for children - most have a military theme, all are out of print.

1950 The Black Car Mystery
1951 The Clock Stood Still, The Gauntlet
1954 Knight Crusader -- Third Crusade 1189-1192
1955 Ferdinand Magellan -- Biography
1956 Captain of Dragoons
1957 The Long-bow
1958 Mohawk Valley -- American Settlement
1959 Captain of Foot -- Napoleonic Wars
1960 Escape from France
1961 For the King -- English Civil War
1963 Nicholas Carey -- Crimean War
1966 Bowman of Crecy -- Hundred Years War 1346
1967 The Hawk -- Late 16th century Elizabethan
1970 Sun of York -- War of the Roses
1971 The Galleon
1972 Tank Commander -- World War I
1974 Zulu Warrior -- 19th century colonial Africa
1976 Ensign Carey

PrestonSpeed Publications recently reprinted some of the juvenile historical novels of G.A. Henty. I hope a publisher soon does the same for Ronald Welch. These books deserve to be in print. Generations of children - and adults - are missing some of the best adventures written in the 20th century.

I read this book as a child in the 1960s. It was pivotal in awakening my interest in historical fiction. The mechanism - time travel - seemed so appropriate, as it enabled the reader to compare past and present without having to doubt either.

I reread the book again last year. I'm delighted to say that the sense of adventure is still just as real now as it was then. While it is an easy read, it opens a new dimension of possibilities to children (and to adults) seeking a good adventure story.

Highly recommended.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

An excellent book! Lauren is a great epic fantasy hero and the Dark Phoenix is more than a worthy adversary. Its a lengthy but enthralling tale, and its set to span seven more books like the Harry Potter series so I'll be looking forward to the next installments. I can't wait to see what happens next. One thing I will say, though, is that this story is very original, quite unlike Lord of the Rings or Harry, which makes this the new fantasy series to get into!

I'm not much of a fantasy fan but reading this book has turned me on to it! The author lured me in by setting it in modern times, then introducing the ghost world of Amalgam slowly and convincingly. One thing that I wasn't expecting was its heavy use of strange language in the magic, but the prose was very vivid! The author also introduces plenty of clues leading into the next chapter of his seven-part series which means its going to rely heavily on reading each installment before the next! Anyway, a great read! I recommend it only to tweens and teens because its cast is primarily older teenagers!

The powerful language and evocative illustrations draw the reader into this warm story about a Norwegian immigrant family in the Dakota Territory in the 1800s. Sonja's Mama sings away their troubles, but eventually the loneliness of the long winters on the prairie still her voice. Sonja longs for her Mama's singing and spirit to return, and the solution she discovers will delight readers young and old.

The Gift is author Marcia Freeman's poignant story of Sonja, a young Norwegian immigrant, and her family who carved out a new life for themselves in the Dakota frontier territory of the late 1800s. Beautifully enhanced with the artwork of Patrice Kennedy, the core of the story is how Sonja helps her mother to overcome the intense loneliness of prairie life. Strongly recommended for school and community library picturebook collections for children ages 5 to 9, The Gift is a wonderful story, deftly told and superbly illustrated.

This book is a lovely addition to my Christmas collection. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful and the story is touching without being sappy. I read it to a group of 12-year olds and they were mesmerized. The CD is also good - a nice addition and reinforcement to the message of the story.

This Christmas book of the journey to Bethlehem touched my heart. Christmas is a time of giving, not extravagantly, but giving what comes from the heart... The beautiful illustrations, music and message that will brighten anyone's Christmas.

we'll all im going to say is that i look up to ms.hopper because she is a strong willed woman and is not afraid of anything.i want to be just like grace hopper.

While Ada Lovelace is heralded as the first computer programmer and has a programming language named after her, the woman who has had the greatest impact on computing was Grace Hopper. In the vast collection of role models for young women, there is none better. She was not only a pioneer in expanding the roles of women, but also in the development of what computing is today. Considered to be the grandmother of the language COBOL, much of her early work formed the basis for computing as we know it. And yet, she was a no-nonsense career officer in the Navy.
To understand her approach, consider what she did when assigned a Pentagon office with no furniture or supplies. Rather than waste time filling out the required forms she told her staff. "If you need something, `liberate' or borrow it from the Air Force . . . If you can't get it from there, get it from the Army. They have almost everything, and they don't know how to count." Her two distinctive office symbols were a skull-and-crossbones flag and a clock that ran backwards.
A truly inspiring story that shows the value of determination and non-conformity, this book should be required reading of all early adolescents. Maybe someday justice will be served and there will be a programming language named after Grace Hopper. Without question, it is an honor she deserves.

Originally published in Journal of Recreational Mathematics, reprinted with permission.

I've visited many of the temples Michael Freeman describes and have a huge soft spot for Northeast Thailand and Laos. This guide has enhanced my understanding of the places I've visited and provided some great incentives to visit more. I wish the guide had been available when I first started visiting the Khmer temples of Northeast Thailand. Michael Freeman's photographs and commentary are informative and interesting. There are good layouts and drawings of the individual temples and an excellent rating system which highlights not only the architectural and historical importance of the temples but also the setting. The information on how to get to places and where to stay is useful and good for planning an itinerary.

Michael Freeman's guide covers over fifty Khmer temples in Thailand and Laos, plus the border temples in Cambodia. (Angkor is not included; see the book "Ancient Angkor," by the same author, for complete information on Angkor.)

The temples and their major features are described with quite a bit of detail for the major temples, and not so much detail for the less important ones. The book has all the features one would wish for in a good guidebook - maps, site plans, floor plans of the major temples, color photogaphs (Freeman is both the author and the photographer of the guide), hotels, restaurants, and transportation. The first 50 pages give some very useful background on architecture, lintel styles, and the chronology of the temples. Suggested itineraries, temple rankings, and a glossary of general and architectural terms are also provided.

According to the inside front cover, the Weatherhill edition on which I based this review was published in 1998, apparently with the same content as the original edition of 1996. I don't know if any more recent editions are available. The book's staying in print for over 7 years is proof of its popularity and usefulness. However, since things change rapidly in that part of the world, the reader may want to consider purchasing a more recent guide for up-to-date practical information. Freeman's guide, however, is still highly recommended for the core information that it provides about the temples themselves.

Fourteen different Vietnamese describe their lives and experiences in Vietnam and the United States. The narrators include soldiers, a Buddhist nun, a Catholic Priest, teachers, merchants, and a poet. They tell their stories in a 400 page book covering a period from 1906 to 1985. This is a virtual history of the tortured country and people of Vietnam.

Most of the oral histories describe experiences during the war with the Americans, life under the communists, escapes from the country, and resettlement in the United States. Interspaced among the oral histories are intelligent essays by the editor who labored long and hard to understand the experiences of his Vietnamese informants and to put them in a comprehensible academic framework. "Hearts of Sorrow" is an apt title for the tone of most of these accounts.

There are a number of books about Vietnamese refugees in the United States. This is one of the best.

This is the story of 14 Vietnamese who had escaped Vietnam after the end of the war and came to reside in the USA. The author had spent a long time interviewing them and penning down their stories.

After the war, these people were ready to "accommodate to the communist life style" when they realized they were harassed then thrown into concentration camps where they had to endure punishment and revenge for years and years. Even after release from the camps, they were watched closed, lost their human rights and were returned to jails at the slightest infraction. Unable to live under this suffucating environment, they escaped abroad.

An ex-colonel detailed his incarceration in a northern camp where 12 inmates out of 500 died of dysentery (a curable form of intractable diarrhea) and others hunted for and ate mice and crickets "raw" in order to survive. He was then transferred to a Nghe An camp where he was forced to collect human wastes with his bare hands to be used as fertilizers and was not allowed to wash his hands before having supper. After one week of such treatment, all inmates in his company gave up resistance.

This is a fascinating book, which although published in 1989 remains an important contribution to the Vietnamese American literature and folklore.