Freeman Books

I have read many mountain climbing books and this is one of the best. It is such a refreshing perspective from the sherpa's eye view. A great read.

This book recounts the 1996 memoirs of Jamling Norga, son of Tenzing Norgay. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay was one member of the two-man team that first made it to the top of Mt. Everest. Jamling, who was born after Tenzing's historic climb, felt drawn to follow in his footsteps from the time he first understood his father's place in the world. In this book, he details the events leading to his own successful ascent up Mt. Everest. Along the way, he reflects on the lessons his father tried to teach him about ethics, culture, and life. Tenzing had once forbidden Jamling to climb the mountain, telling him that he climbed Everest so that Jamling wouldn't have to. But that's not how it works between sons and fathers--there are some lessons a son must learn solely through personal experience, and no amount of advice or urging will dissuade him from a path he is determined to take.

In this book, Jamling recounts how his family lamas prognosticated a very dangerous season on Mt. Everest. As it turned out, Jamling would lose many friends on the mountain that year, all strong, experienced climbers. Although he had not been a member of the fated climbing teams that were decimated during those fateful days in May, 1996, he retells the stories of their tragic deaths as he witnessed the events unfold from the intermediate camps high on the mountain. All of these stories he tells from his unique vantage point as a Sherpa, a Buddhist, born and raised in India, and educated in the West. Thus, this book is quite different from the average climbing adventure story. It is as much a cultural adventure, a search for identity, and a tale of religious awakening with the Everest climb providing the backdrop.

Excellent book! The way I view it, it's 3 books in 1: a book about Tenzing's climb and personal life told by his
son, a book about his son's 1996 climb and his life and thoughts, and a book on Sherpa's life and Buddhist
customs. I really enjoyed reading it. The photographs include some photos of Tenzing as well.

Nor what I expected and rather a disappointment, this books seems to be a local writer and a son cashing in on the family name. There is little excitement or depth of character exhibited here and the work seems unlikely to be that of a man Himalayan born and bred. Who actually wrote these words ? Whose thoughts are they ? Not Sherpa thoughts I think.
Far better is another book I have just read - Tenzing and the Sherpas of Everest by Tenzing's grandson, Tashi - an uplifting and honourable book about the Sherpas. It is simple and seems to me to truly represent the Sherpa viewpoint. This guy seems to be a true climber and talks like one. A far better book than Jamling's.

This book was absorbing emotionally and stimulating intellectually. It is the only book about the 1996 Mount Everest disaster written by a Sherpa, the indigenous people who work as porters and guides for commercial expeditions. I have read about five of the books written after the disaster, and wondered about the Sherpa point of view as there was surprisingly little mention of them.

The other books only mentioned them in passing and in terms of what the Sherpas did for the expedition. Jamling Tenzig Norgay, the author, experiences this attitude. After the disaster, he and his team stay at Base Camp. He wrote, "The other Sherpas were hanging out in a depressed funk. Some of them hadn't gotten so much as a thank-you from the guided clients whom they assisted down the mountain, often after exceptional struggle. The clients simply disappeared, some without saying goodbye. We notice this kind of behavior."

Norgay was skeptical about Buddhism at the beginning of the climb- but gradually came to believe in it. He requests and receives divinations from llamas- and uses their information as part of his decision-making. The book provides fascinating beginner's information that is accessible to someone like me who is just learning about Buddhism. He describes spirituality in a practical matter.

For example, he says, "in the icefall, as in the mountains, we hope we have been imbued with enough tsin-lap to handle any situation. Tsin-lap is roughly translated as "blessing", but it really means the mental ability and strength to allow our minds to be changed in the direction of complete awareness. When we pray to the wisdom deities, to the Buddhas, we pray for tsin-lap." He talks about the fact that he and the other Sherpas who carry loads for the team hike over each trail numerous times. This improves their athletic ability and knowledge of the mountain.

Norgay, spent over a decade in the United States and was also deeply familiar the clients who were paying to climb the mountains who were mostly from industrialized countries. The author does not idealize the Sherpas. He describes the positive parts of their culture, but also tells the reader that the main reason they are on the mountain is as a profession. It is to earn money. He explains that many of the Sherpas risked their lives for their clients during the disaster. But some expected a large award to be posted on the radio. It is not clear whether they might have saved the lives of their guide had an award been offered. Wong Chu, the sirdar responsible for logistics, kept a stick in the kitchen and "would whack miscreant Sherpas on the butt when they acted up. `You came here to do work.' he would say loudly."

Norgay is the son of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa who accompanied Edmund Hillary on the first successful attempt of the summit of Mount Everest. His story is interwoven with his father's story. And by the end of the book, you can see that the son had climbed two mountains- a real one and the metaphorical on that each of us must climb to integrate our past with our present and future.

I checked this book out of the library so many times that I finally decided to buy it. The chord progressions and examples are what make this book great, and they apply to all types of musical instruments. I use this book to compose on the computer, then sequence the songs into synthesizers.

As for the negative reviews, my guess is that they don't understand what a chord progression is. But if you do, and especially if you've ever gotten stuck as a songwriter, get this book.

The book is 90% about writing songs with guitar chords. Sections on lyric writing didn't impress me. The very short chapter on making a demo recording was excellent and almost a great (though very very short) book on its own. Best real-world, practical explanation of chords and chord progressions I've ever read. (in the rock and pop genre.) Really breaks down song and musical structures of popular songs. Another great point is inclusion of recent as well as 60s and 70s rock songs. For example, one page analyzes a Fat Boy Slim song. My knowledge and understanding increased greatly from this book. There are so many great example progressions that you can open the book at random, play around with something on the page and come up with something. This book does not go into the "front end" of the psychology or craft of creativity. One of the best books on creating music I've ever read. Also check out "The War of Art" for a brilliant and inspiring book about creating.

A lot of technical issues covered. The outstanding thing about this book (& by outstanding I mean the thing that stands out, not the thing that is excellent) is that the author wants to tell you every song that fits into each and every category that he mentions. Example: for the chord sequence I, IV, VI, V there are ten examples in contemporay music and He wants to name each and every one of them, then he will do the same thing for chord sequence I, VI, IV, V. Etcetera ad nauseum! This is a thin book; It could be a lot thinner and convey the same amount of (interesting) information.

This book is not going to make you a great guitar player and this book is not going to make you a creative person(but what book can??) What this book will do is give you a very strong foundation for chordal progression. The pop song which has been predominant for the last 50 years is analyzed in a straightforward handsome manner. A person with a basic understanding of guitar chords can get through this book and it is an excellent reference guide for those that are advanced musicians.
This book is great for connecting the dots musically. For example, if you have written a bunch of riffs but don't know how to turn them into a song this book can help you gain direction.
Again this book can't make you creative but it can help a creative person get a lot more output from focused effort. This book can give your chord sequences direction in affect turning your meandering strumming into an actual song.

I have been playing guitar, and writing songs for 15 years. I learned a good bit from this book that I wish I would have known when I first started 15 years ago. You probably think you know how to write a song, but unless you have been trained in music theory, you probably have just been doing things that sound good without understanding why. This book does not go into extreme detail on any one subject in songwriting, its sort of like an really good overview on information such as melody, lyrics, chords, progressions, song types, etc.. It shows you all the pieces you need and more importantly WHY they sound the way they do or go together. It is for the person with beginner-intermediate music theory skill, or for any skill level guitar player. Information is well organized, easy to understand, and backed with examples from popular songs. Not songs like "Greensleeves" and "mary had a little lamb", but beatles, nirvana, oasis, madonna,etc.. Check out this guy's other books- I was very interested in the chord progression section and got his book on that subject. I think it is even better than this one.

This book provides a good starting place for the exploration of the myths about the original
formation of the materials commonly called "Fossil Fuels", that is petroleum and
black coal. The change of assumptions discussed here alters many things, including the understanding
of the geo-politics of oil and energy. Gold is a smart cookie and after you read the book
you will see that an open minded astronomer would be a logical candidate to understand
and develop this theory. New only to many western minds. The Russians have worked on this
for a long time and their knowledge was the seed germ for Gold's work here. Worth the time to read. dxr

Running out of oil?? Hardley!!! The earth PRODUCES oil...............ongoing!! We will never run out. Read this Great book.

This book provides a logical and comprehensive explanation of how petroleum hydrocarbons are formed deep in the earth's mantle and migrate upwards to form gas and crude oil fields and coal measures nearer the earth's surface. It coroborates what russian petroleum geologists have known and applied for many years where they drill wells up to 13 km deep to tap crude oil nearer its source and far below where any surface biota could have been buried. Gold demonstrates that the theory of a biogenic origin of petroleum is wrong and cannot be sustained in the light of new information that is now available.

Author Thomas Gold was born in England, but
grew up in the United States. This book proves
once and for all the myth about the 'fossel-
fuels' is bunk, just like Evolution. One of
Tom's most important interviews to date. Pick
up on any Radio Free America or Radio Liberty
cassettes while they are still out there. Radio
Liberty also available on CDs. Highly recommended!

1. Pores within rock, like cells within living organisms, can be maintained at very high pressures, sol long as the fluid that occupies the pores or cell exerts an outward pressure as great as the opposing pressure of the surroundings.

2. Under the abiogenic theory, if oil and gas are flowing upwards from deep high pressure levels any caprock. No rock has a significant tensile strength, so no rock can hold down a flue that comes up with a pressure greater than that exerted by the weight of the overburden. A caprock will create a concentration of the fluids below it, but he steady flow rate will eventually be reestablished at a value equal to the flow rate at the deep source. For example, a dam causes a lake to form on the upstream side, but after the lake has filled, the flow rate rate resumes.

3. If oil and gas have indeed come up from below, we can expect a vertical series of deeper reservoirs to be stacked below the producing field.

4. If the uppermost domain has fluid pressure decreased by production of oil or gas, then the pressure differential across the crushed layer of low permeability will automatically increase. Transport through that layer will therefore accelerate. The top field will be replenished at a rate given by the leakage from below, when the delicate pressure balance between rock and fluid has been change. The top field will be drawing on the deeper reserves that have not been accessed directly.

5. Petroleum reservoirs seem to refill themselves, noteably in the Middle East and the US Gulf Coast.

6. The abiogenic theory of petroleum formation presumes that an enormous source of primordial hydrocarbons (created a the time of the planet formation) resides in the upper mantle and lower crust-far deeper than can be drilled and sampled directly (30-100km).

7. Seven evidences of abiogenic theory are: First, reservoirs of petroleum, including various gaseous forms such as methane and ethane, are frequently found in geographical patterns of long lines or arces extending for hundres or even thousands of kilometers. Second, Koudryavtsev's rule states Hydrocarbon-rich areas tend tobe hydrocarbon-rich at all lower leels, corresponding to quite different geological epochs, and extending down to the crystalline basement that underlines the segment. Third, methane is found in many locations where biogenic explanations for its presence is improbable or where biological deposits seem inadequate to account for the size and extent of the methane resource. Fouth, hydrocarbond deposits of a large area often show common chemical features regardless of the varied composition or the geological ages of the formations in which they are found. Fifth, a numberof hydrocarbon reservoirs seem to be refilling as they are exploited for commercial production. Sixth, the distribution of large amounts of carbonate rock in the upper crust and the isotopic composition of the carbon atoms within it argue against the theory of a a surface biological origin of most of the buried hydrocarbons. Seventh, the clear, well-established regional associations of hydrocarbons with the chemically inert gaseous element helium have no explanation in the theories of a biological origin of petroleum.

8. It use to be thought that temperatures about 600C would dissociate the simplest and most heat resistent hydrocarbons, methane CH4, and that temperatures as low as 300C were sufficient to destroy most of the heavy hydrocarbon components of natural petroleum, at a few tens of kilometers of crust. In 1980, E.B Chekalium indicated in a publication that methane would resist complete dissocation down to a depth of 300 kilometers, except in volcanic regions where temperatures approached 2000C. Chekalium believed that methane could exitence at a maxium depth of 600 kilometers.

9. According to molten earth theory, the earth was formed as a hot body, a liquid ball of rock, and cooled forming a crust overlying a homogeneous mantle. In such a history, no primordial hydrocarbons could have survived the molten state.

10. Today, Scientist believe the earth and other inner planets and the satellites of the outer planets, all accreted as solid boids from solids that had condensed from a gaseous planetary disk. The heat that melted the mantle was caused from radioactive material and gravitational compression. The earth must hve been subjected to only a partial melt. Hydrocarbons were a a common constituent of the accreting earth.

11. If the gases ascend in region of magma, then chemical equilibrium between the hydrocarbons and magma would be approached, and this would usually favor formation of the hydrocarbon gases. Thus it is no surprise that volcanoes generally emit carbon main in the form of CO2, with only minor amounts as methane CH4.

12. Astronomical techniques have thus produced clear and indisputable evidence that hydrocarbons are major constituents of bodies great and small within our solar system. The greatest quantity is found in the massive out planets and their satellites. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have large admixturers of hydrocarbons in their atmospheres.

13. The abiogenic theory holds that hydrocarbons were a component of the material that formed the earth, through accretion of solids, some 4.5 billion years ago.

14. In a violent eruption there will not be the small bubbles that come up at quiet times; instead there will be large plumes of gas, racing upward through the molten rock.

15. At the temperatures and pressures on or near the earth's surface, some hydrocarbons are solid (coal), some are liquid (crude oil), and some are in the vapor state (natural gas).

16. In 1996, indigenous microbes found from an oil well in Alaska at a depth of 4.2 kilometers and a temperature of 110C.

17. In 1997, microbial fossils where discovered in granite rock at a depth of 200 meters.

18. 1991, at a dept of 5.2 kilometers in Sweden microbes were detected where drilling in solid granitic bedrock. A sample was taken and cultured in a laboratory. The anaerobic microbes would only reproduce in a temperature range from 60C to 70C.

19. At 2.25 kilometers the critical point is reached. Here the pressure is so great that no matter what the temperature, there is no distinction between vapor and liquid. It is appropriate to refer to water beyond the critical point as existing as fluid, specially a super critical fluid. Temperature increase at a rate of 15C and 30C per kilometer of depth in non-volcanic regions.

20. Greater density means that methane is actually easier for life to access at depth. At six kilometers methane is 400 time more dense. 21. Higher temperatures that coincide with greater depth escalate the rate at which methane molecules collide with the cell membranes of microbes. Both factors enhance the rate at which methane would be expected to diffuse across waxy cell membranes. Deep is desirable to assist methane consumers in accessing their food.

21. there are two sources of oygen atoms that are loosely bound: Fe2 03 Iron oxide and SO2 oxidized sulfer. Sulfate (SO4) is the second most abundant ion of negative charge in seawater.

this is a very violent play, but there are actually a lot of crude humor (think of it as a Quintin taratino film, except it's a book). it takes on ancient dicotomy between civilization and wilderness. the movie is good as well

I'm a shakespeare fan and I love the story that this one tells.
Sure, gore, blood, and a great deal of depression around the middle, but what story now-a-days isn't?
Great story, love it!

This is perhaps The Bard's least well known work, but a classic nonetheless. If H. G. Lewis had been a playwrite living in Old England, this is no doubt the kind of drama he might have produced. It has more blood & violence than the most exploitive exploitation film. Heads severed off, murdered children baked into a stew & served to their father, rape, vengeance, mayhem, insanity... all served up in the guise of classic literature. PERFECT!

Titus has been maligned by many who have read the better known works of Shakespeare as a violent and gruesome play. That it is, but it is precisely that and other elements that make it remarkable. To truly appreciate Titus one must have read some Roman plays (specifically Seneca's early tragedies) and be relatively well versed in Greek mythology and Roman history. In Titus, Shakespeare gives the audience a great deal of Greek mythology via Ovid's Metamorphoses (compare Lavinia with Philomela and the final "feast" with the infamous dinner that Thyestes had with his brother Atreus). But the play is not only a classic in this sense. It addresses the timeless theme of revenge and the endless cycle of violence begetting violence that ensues as the charachers seek "wreakful vengance" for each horrific deed and pain that one causes the other. There are no heroes in Titus and no "good guys" just raw emotion and passion laid bare. It is at once the worst of humanity recounted with some of the most beautiful poetry that has ever been written.

OH MY GOSH!!! "Titus Andronicus" is one of the best plays ever written, especially when played for the comedy. DEFFINATELY READ THIS BOOK!!!

The whole play basically revolves around the action of the evil Tamora marrying another evil guy. Tamora gets really angry, and lets her two sons, Chiron and Demitrius, rape Titus's daughter, Lavinia. Ever hear that old Greek legend about how two guys raped a girl, and cut off her tounge so she could never tell the tale? In that version, the girl is, fortunately, able to miraculously weave her story into a coat and send it off for help. But Lavinia in "Titus Andronicus" is not quite so lucky. Chiron and Demitrius cut off her tounge AND her hands (I can tell THEY read there nighttime fairytales).

After this everyone runs around like madmen and there are a few casualties. Finally Lavinia is able to communicate to her father and remaining brothers using a book, etc. Eventually Tamora pretends to be a spirt-type-thing called 'Revenge' and her sons pretend to be 'Murder' and 'Rape'. But Titus Andronicus is even smarter. He pretends that he beleives there stupid bluff, and eventually captures Chrion and Demitrius after their mother leaves. Then, to make a long story short, Titus 'plays the cook' and cuts off the guys' heads and has his daughter use her stubs to gather their blood. Then he goes and cooks their guts into a pie.

That night at dinner, he serves the pastry to Tamora, who thinks she has won. After the people have eaten about half of the meal, Titus gets up and basically says, 'Look, Lady, you just ate your own sons, you idiot.' Then there is a huge blood bath and few are spared. The guy who IS spared becomes king, etc. Hehehe. Great, huh?

Seriously, though, I would deffinately recommend this edition of the book because it has REALLLLLLLLLYYYYYYY good footnotes. No joke. Hope you will take some time to read this cool book!!! :-D

Highly recommended to anyone interested in this topic. Compulsary reading for all idealists, especially those who believe the end justifies the means. Also very interesting and I think accurate is his argument that excessively high self-esteem can be a cause of evil is completely lost on ideology driven Policy Makers in racial and other areas, yet in a way there has always been a folk understanding of this, expressions like "big-head" "conceited" suggest the person may be dangerous or should be avoided.

His definition of evil as violence and cruelty could be questioned, but separating it from evil intentions is an interesting and useful idea.

I thought perhaps it suffered a little from the sheer breadth of the topics covered but still a highly readable and hearting contribution to thinking about good and evil.

I have found this book to be very insightful on the topic it covers. It uses real life examples which can be very sad but it also proves the point it is trying to make.

The author, a social psychologist, explore in depth the concept of Evil, finding that is often a perception made than any else. He explain how "evil" perhaps is more a construction and, when analizing the perpetrators, what we see is not necessary evil. A broad analysis of the topic.

This remarkable book begins to give us a firm basis for hope, because it provides a deep and accurate understanding of evil. This well researched and well written book examines and discredits the "myth of pure evil", and instead rigorously examines the point of view of real perpetrators to understand the true causes of evil.

After adopting the simple definition of "intentional harm to other people", the author identifies the four roots of evil as greed, egotism, idealism, and sadism, and explores each of these in depth. He dispels the popular misunderstanding that low self-esteem is a major contributor to violent behavior. Instead his careful analysis establishes that people who have high self-esteem, but lack a firm basis for that belief, are especially prone to be violent. He describes how an ordinary person crosses the line into evil, how evil spreads, and how perpetrators deal with guilt. After examining the provocative question of "why is there not more evil" he describes the central role of self-control in preventing evil. He also describes how typical bystanders often unwittingly contribute to evil acts.

Central to the analysis is the principle he calls the "magnitude gap." This describes the discrepancy between the importance of an evil act to the perpetrator and the victim. This magnitude gap accounts for the rapid escalation of violence that is so typical in retaliation. The response chosen to avenge each provocation is amplified at each round to account for the victim's point of view.

Because lasting peace will come only from a profound understanding of violence, the analysis and insight this book provides is an important contribution toward a more peaceful world.

Important topic, promising approach, but the insights offered are too few and too shallow.

I bought this book partly on the strength of its readers' reviews here on Amazon, but found myself disappointed. The book's subtitle, "inside human violence and cruelty," promises much, but the author, I feel, has not really delivered.

A social psychologist, Baumeister avoids a philosophical and theological discussion of evil in favor of a psychological one, based on facts gleaned from history and experiment. This approach is attractive and promising, but somehow, in almost 400 long pages, not much seems to come of it. Too often I felt that the insights offered by Baumeister were mere banalities, such as that evil acts are experienced more strongly by victims than by their perpetrators--a point Baumeister repeats many, many times.

The author uses this observation to conclude that "evil is in the eye of the beholder"--and even launches the book with a clever anecdote about an event in which two people see each other as evildoers, despite no intentional act of harm being committed. But this is surely a special case, and not comparable to the operation of a system of death-camps, or hacking apart defenseless people huddling for safety in a church. Baumeister takes pains (repeatedly) to stress that he wants to see evil acts through the perpetrators' eyes, and not prejudge events from the perspective of victims, but the result is an uneasy or indecisive tone that wavers between a normal-sounding condemnation of evil and a moral relativism that really believes that evil is merely in the eye of the beholder--that is, there's no such thing as evil, as long as you're the one perpetrating it.

Baumeister finds four basic psychological causes of evil: greed/lust/ambition, or evil as a means to an end; revenge for insulted egotism; ideological evil; and actual sadism--deriving pleasure from harming others. The author discusses each of these at length, but does not come up with many conclusions. He observes that crime, for the most part, does not pay as well as even the lowest-level jobs, and that people who commit crimes generally have a poor idea of the long-term consequences of their actions. This, to me, is another banal point, not an insight that requires much discussion.

Baumeister makes much of his conclusion that standard psychology is wrong when it attributes violent, bullying behavior to low self-esteem; he feels that the facts show that bullies and violent people in fact have high self-esteem, in the sense of high or even inflated regard for themselves. As an example, he points out that convicted, incarcerated rapists often think of themselves as "superachievers." Technically this might be called high self-esteem, but I would call it delusional, and I think there is a difference. Maybe I'm alone here, but I think of high self-esteem as being realistic and adaptive, not the fragile egotism of the narcissist. Baumeister spends much time trying to disprove the "low self-esteem" model of violent behavior, but I was never persuaded.

My overall impression is that there is length here, but not depth. I did not feel I got "inside" human violence and cruelty. Having read only the first chapter or so of James Waller's "Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing", I already feel that I am getting a much deeper and also more sympathetic view of how and why evil is committed, from a social-psychological perspective.

Wonderful text with GREAT additional resources. There is a wonderful website that covers key topics, enables you to quickly print out objectives, vocabulary; and even has web tutorials. This supplemental material is great for people who are visual learners, as they have plenty of animations to help you understand the topics. Would highly recommend any text from this publisher.

This book arrived rapidly and I was quite pleased. The book also came in great condition as if new, even though it was used. I am a happy shopper. Great seller. Great product. I would buy again from the seller - good business! I feel like a valued customer.

i bought this text cause it was required for class. It's pretty good, i don't know why you'd read it for fun, but it's a pretty good textbook.

An undergraduate, freshman level biology class I took used this as its textbook. It is thorough and detailed, packed with information on a broad range of biological topics, written in a highly accessible manner that requires no special training to understand. It covers such topics as the cell, heredity, evolution, plants, animals, and ecology. It's not quite as well written as the finest textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell or Kandel's Principles of Neural Science, but it's well written nonetheless. Anyone interested in the subject of biology should give this a read. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

I graduated from college in the early 70's with a B.S. major in Physics. Having retired from the business world, I recently discovered the absolutely wonderous advances in what I believed to be the "non-physical" sciences. Hooray for E.O.Wilson's concept of concilience!

I'm studying Biology using "Life" and its associated website. What amazing fun! I love this book and it is the best textbook I've ever studied. This book is not a good "read" - it's a great book to study!

I, personally, love this series of books. You are not likely to learn calculus from it, but it is good for review (I recommend reading it before your class or before the lecture on a particular subject) or if you are just looking for an alternate explanation to a topic or technique. It was a big help in my studies.

Students of calculus often find that they "don't understand" what the textbook is saying, what the teacher is saying, what the problem is saying/asking. This book explains the mathematics with integrity and humor. Over the past several years I am sure that more than a hundred of my students have purchased this book and the prequel, How to Ace Calculus, and to a one they all love it! When the stuff in class doesn't hang together we all turn to "Colin and friends" to see how they explain it.

Although I read this book over two years ago, I still use it as a reference. Instead of just doing the math of a vector field, multiple integral or divergence of something and calling it a day, they give you real life examples of how to apply the just learned math. The best part is the examples are really funny, but I once took a memorization class and your suppose to make up goofy stuff so its so dumb that you do remember it. Its also in a really good format for kids who are advanced students.

I am graduate student in Pharmacy, but had to take Calculus as prerequisite for more complicated classes, like Differential Equation and Physical Chemistry. Although I had very basic Calculus in my undergraduation program, it didn't make sense to me. I borrowed this book from a friend and started reading in paralel with textbook. Calculus is now becoming funny!!!! I strongly reccomend this book for those who does not understand what genious say in common textbooks! I really would like to find other Streetwise Guides like this one in other areas, like statistics, etc!!!!

This book is great. Provides a solid foundation for the concepts in calc 2, explains the whys, and puts them all into perspective. Was more helpful than my prof or my textbook! Highly recommend...helps SO much.

great book, easy to skim through or read in detail, clear concepts with great pictures to illustrate, keeping it at the amateur/enthusiast level - a book that will make you shoot better with whatever you have available!

recommended++++

Uno de los mejores libros que he tenido ocasión de leer. Realmente te inspira y te invita a reflexionar sobre los tantos y tantos errores que como fotografo aficionado cometes, sobre todo cuando no estando especialmente inspirado, te olvidas que lo importante es saber mirar, ver y entender lo que tratas de fotografiar y no simplemente querer hacer una buena foto porque si.
Reconozco que me gusta este libro. Lo recomiendo.

High quality productions, great color, easy to read and you simply enjoy the guidance offered through the wonderful examples, tips, and points of view.

There are six chapters with over 50 topics, that make you think through the photographer's decision process.

I am a hobbyist photographer of over 30 years and of all the books I have purchased this one is by far the most outstanding. However, my biggest challenge since getting the book is containing my enthusiasm. I want all the info presented in this book in my brain now, but alas I have a memory like a sieve. So I'm trying to figure out how to absord it all. I find I need to take baby steps, practice, review the photos in context of the points made from the book and continue to the next challenge. You do improve and its amazing! Next, I thought I might try a topic from the book and practice it, this has become my biggest challenge.

Very informative, great reference guide to be read time and time again.

PS: You may also want to check out this book on a different topic that I found quite good Exposure and Lighting for Digital Photographers Only (For Only)

Strengths: Beautiful photographs. Great layout and good titling next to photographs.
Weaknesses: The chapters relate to design and composition. The somewhat helpful if the author also focused on the subjects of most photographs as applied to photographs (nature, sports etc).
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Rating: 5/5

Introduction

This book is all about design, a most important factor in the creation of good photographs. The main focus is the subject of composition and design for digital photographers. The importance of seeing and the n shooting your favorite photographs, involving all the dynamics, can be a daunting task. The Photographer's Eye can be a book that can help you see your visions more clearly.

The author is a renown international photographer and writer who specializes in travel, architecture and Asian Art. The 6 chapters have a multitude of stunning photos that implore you to read further into the insights that went into creating these insightful visuals. The main aim of the book is to show you more about what is behind the author's eye as he took this photographs.

The book covers the essentials of: image framing ( cropping, stitching and extending, filling the frame); design Basics involving contrast, texture, pattern, balance, visual weight etc); graphic/ Photographic Elements (horizontal, vertical, diagonal lines, curves, motion, focus, exposure); light and color composing; focus on the Intent (a great chapter which made me stop and ponder my own internal motivations and intentions in taking images); process (search for order, anticipation, juxtaposition). So while the book is not a lengthy one it covers much within its pages.



Conclusion

This book is not an easy read per sey. Most of these photos include a title which highlight and critique the the details that produced the idea behind the photograph. This book is definitely not a quick guide or set of easy tutorials. It is more a comprehensive look into many approaches that will help in the taking and later possibly editing your photographs.

Normally the procedure of taking a photograph is think of a scene or a photograph you want to take of it and then let your digital camera do its work. However to acquire a better photograph you need more then quick ideas. This book is not about quick ideas to make your photographs quickly. This book is all about absorbing the ideas found in the details of the book. The author really wants you to see into the "minds eye " involved perceptions. He shows you with brilliant photographs, helpful principals to guide you through taking better photos. He reflects on the dynamics involved and shows the results "that will stand out".

All in all, I like this book. I can't fault the author for designing a labor intensive reaching. Learning about details and composition and translating these to making your photographs better takes more time then just browsing. There is much to learn from this book and what he has to say. But for me (and possibly others), to really get the most out of the book, I feel like I will have outline some of these design aspects and seeing how I can incorporate his ideas and insights into my photographic sessions in the future.

The trick will be how and when this book will, to even greater extent, help me with the viewing or seeing a scene that can help me visualize and take better notice of opportune moments, reflections or scenes I see through my camera's viewpoint. Reading this book will help me in the future. It is just a matter of looking through all these "pearls of wisdom" and focusing by better use of opportune times when I hope to make better photographs. While I have done that in the past, the book has helped me realize there is even further "ground for me to break" in the area of capturing better photos using "my mind's eye". Take a look at this book and see what it might do for you.

Freeman's journey through the the principles of photographic composition is eye-opening, eloquent, and beautifully published.

This is not a book on the basics of taking "better photos," so those who seek information on exposure, cameras, lenses will not find it here. Nor is such shooting information for any photographs included. In a general book on photography, this would be a major defect, but here such information would only distract from the book's primary subject: the composition of a visual image.

On the surface, photographic composition may seem to be a very subjective and idiosyncratic topic: you may like one thing, I may like something else. And if it's all subjective, merely a matter of personal preferences, tastes, and opinions, why bother writing a book about it? Most books on photography thread gently on this shaky, insecure ground, and their authors usually limit themselves to a few simple, predictable pointers: the rule of thirds, and golden section, with a particular emphasis on golden rectangle.

But Freeman quite clearly believes that, although ultimately each photographer makes their own choice about what composition works best for their photograph, good choices are those that are deliberate (not accidental), and informed by being aware of ALL the possibilities that are available. The Photographer's Eye will give any intermediate or advanced photographer a better awareness and grasp of choices that are to be made.

Freeman starts at the edge of the image (chapters about the frame) and moves inwards. Available formats, for example (4:3, 3:2, square, horizontal vs. vertical, etc.) are all carefully explored through numerous, and well-chosen examples. Unlike many books that show different images as examples of different formats, Freeman often selects one, single image and shows how its perception will change, depending on the selected format or compositional principle at play. In the chapters on framing I enjoyed particularly the sections focused on "going against the grain" or against the "natural direction" of an image, i.e., shooting typically "vertical" topics (e.g., a standing man) as horizontal frame, or the other way round (e.g., a sleeping man on a bench shot in a vertical format Freeman uses).

Gradually, the author moves inwards, discussing the content of photographs in the context of forms (curves, lines, etc.) and compositional principles (e.g., symmetry, or a very complete discussion and listing of types of contrast). The closing chapters go totally "outside" of the single image, considering the impact of external framing and space around the photograph (e.g., matting), as well as multi-image compositions (such as book or magazine spreads).

As some readers have correctly pointed out, some of the information has been published before in the author's own previous books, and in other sources; but here, all the observations have been systematically, and very elegantly brought together, in one comprehensive and complete volume.

This book doesn't read easily, or fast. It forces the readers to engage both sides of their brain, since paying close attention to the images is as important here as carefully reading the words. But it is well worth the effort, and the reward, in addition to access to the authors' extensive knowledge, is a new, different way of seeing things which in themselves are not new. For me, this is the function, and definition, of a master-class, and this book certainly deserves to be called that.

What can I say? I love Shakespeare! Cliff's Complete is fabulous for those of us in a new love affair with Shakespeare. Commentary and side notes along the way make it very understandable. Kenneth Branaugh's film and BBC audio books lend subtle interpretation which is very helpful as well.

Twelfth Night or What You Will is the story of a brother and sister, twins, who are shipwrecked and each assume the other sibling has died. Viola, the sister, takes on her brother's appearance in order to serve the Duke of Illyria, Orsino. Disguised as a man, Viola falls in love with Orsino, but Orsino is in love with the countess Olivia and sends Viola in his stead to woo Olivia for himself. This is Shakespearean comedy, so naturally, Olivia falls in love with Viola, believing her to be a man. More confusion ensues when Viola's twin brother Sebastian enters the action of the play and is mistaken for the man his sister has been pretending to be.

Twelfth Night is an amusing, if somewhat formulaic, comedy that is both endearing at times and disturbing at others. It leaves the reading wondering what to think. More than likely, this is exactly what Mr. Shakespeare intended.

The Cambridge School Shakespeare edition of Twelfth Night is obviously geared towards students, particularly theater and drama students as opposed to literature students. The text of the play is shown on one page while the previous, facing page describes the action of the play in addition to suggesting exercises to ascertain how each particular section could be played. My favorite part about this edition is the inclusion of all the photos, especially the photos showing how different productions handled the same scene. Personally, I prefer more in depth discussion about Shakespeare's plays than this edition offers, but it is probably ideal for a high school student or theater student studying Shakespeare.

Many of you probably recall this as the play Shakespeare began to write at the end of "Shakespeare In Love." As far as the movie goes, Shakespeare was to write something where love triumphed after it failed in "Romeo and Juliet." This comedy is often hailed as one of Shakespeare's best comedies. But there are reasons I can not quite place it on the same level as "Comedy of Errors," "Taming of the Shrew," "Midsummer Night's Dream," or "As You Like It." We meet Orsino the duke who is love with Olivia. But Olivia chooses to avoid men. (She never quite got over the death of her brother and father.) We also meet Viola. She has survived a shipwreck but fears her brother Sebastian did not. Fearful of possibly being raped, she disguises herself as a man and enters Orsino's servant under the alias name Cesario. Shakespeare then introduces us to the characters of a subplot. (Maria, Toby, and Andrew.) They will plan a practical joke on Malvolio. Moving on, Orsino hires Viola/Cesario and asks him to woo Olivia on his behalf. And here we have irony both tragic and funny. Viola loves Orsino but must woo another woman on his behalf. And if as this was not difficult enough, Olivia falls in love with her! Later, we see that Viola's brother Sebastian has survived, and we meet Antonio. Antonio is wanted in the area for theft, but his touching loyalty will not allow him to dessert Sebastian. There is a comical scene where Orsino has a man to man talk with Viola/Cesario. Now we come to one problem I have with the play. Maria, Andrew, and Toby plan an over the top practical joke on Malvolio. Malvolio represents the Puritans. Shakespeare did not like Puritans because they opposed his theatre. But there is no denying that practical jokes and ridicule are lower forms of comedy than human misunderstandings such as in "Comedy of Errors." In "Taming of the Shrew," Katherine certainly draws some comments, BUT, if we understand her character, we can see that she really deserves our sympathy. Well, the conspiracy (with the help of a fake letter from Maria) makes Malvolio plan to woo Olivia in an absurd looking outfit. Olivia will think him mad, and he will be thrown in a dungeon to recover his mental health. Moving on, Andrew becomes jealous and wants to fight Viola. (Because Olivia likes her.) In a comical scene, Toby pretends to want peace, but forces the hands of both Andrew and Viola/Cesario. Now here is another major problem I have with the play. Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian and saves her. But he is wanted in the area, and the duke's officers arest him. Viola knows she has been mistaken for Sebastian and is happy her brother is alive. Now if she had any element of human decency, she would have indicated herself as a servant of the duke and protested Antonio's arrest. Or if this failed, any decent person would have followed Antonio to the Duke and tried to get Antonio released. Toby, Fabian, and Andrew all have a point when they rebuke her. I am not saying a hero or heroine can't have faults, but this extreme fault was sickening. Moving on, we have some "Comedy of Errors" nostalgia. Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, and of course there is no problem with this love. In the end scene, Viola and the Duke run into the captured Antonio. To be sure, Viola confesses he rescued her, BUT SHE STILL DOES NOT EVEN ASK THE DUKE TO RELEASE HIM. CERTAINLY, THE DUKE WOULD HAVE GRANTED THIS MERCY TO A MAN WHO HAD RESCUED SUCH A USEFUL SERVANT! The errors of the day are sorted out when Sebastian comes on the screen married to Olivia, and Viola is able to confess her love to Orsino who reciprocates. Shakespeare allows us to infer that Antonio will not be severely punished, and of course Malvolio comes in threatening to get revenge. Overall, it is a good play with intertwined plots, comedy, and enough tragic elemenets to make it plausible, but there are some flaws that prevent me from considering it one of Shakespeare's greatest comedies.

Last semester, I took a course on comedic drama in which the class read numerous classics of the genre. Twelfth Night was, in my opinion, pretty easily the best work that we read. While it's not necessarily Shakespeare's own best work, it is one of the true masterpieces of comedic literature, a work of surprising humor and depth.

The romantic plot is absurd, though of course, satisfying. In true comedic fashion, the play takes place is something of a fantasy world, with the laws of the world suspended. There is a chance for something divine to happen here, a chance for human masks to be torn away and for authentic connection to be made. Of course, something like that is what happens. Comedy (particularly that produced by the fool) pierces through the false barriers the people have build and allows for them to create for themselves a new life.

I think that's why I like the play so much. The farcical plot and the clever wordplay are delightful, but it's really that there is a subtle wisdom in this play that draws me irresistibly toward it. I think that you can read and reread Twelfth Night and always come away with a sense of something genuine.

This comedy written by William Shakespeare has a connotation which has a wide range of meaning. Who is sacrificed through out the play misunderstood as a person who has a hypocrite personalities and unacceptable disposition among the characters of Twelfth Night. In superficial level, we as a reader easy to reach the conclusion that he is a man who should be penalized, and not only characters within the Twelfth Night mocking at him but also the readers show sardonic response behaviors toward this eccentric behaviors after reading the Olivia's letter which is counterfeit. Thus, we consider the punishment that Malvolio received was something justified and axiomatically accepted one. However, that sort of view is not rightful judgement. We should aware that people who planned this clandestine of fake letter to make fun of Malvolio are truly an undiscovered villain. There's a lesson implied on the play that we as a human being should always pay attention to minors who overwhelmed by an unjust and huge mainstream.

This is a true story, but reads like a novel. It is about the search for diamonds in northern Canada on a low budget. They follow one lead, that doesn't work, they follow another lead. They spy on the competition, the competition spies on them. They play tricks to mislead the competition, and eventually succeed in their quest. Parts of the book are hilarious.

Very well written and informative. I learned alot about both the diamond business and the great Canadian North by reading this book. Very entertaning.

Barren Lands is one of the great adventure reads. A bit slower and less gripping than Krakauer, but a great read.

A really well crafted book with some flowing prose but... there is an element of 'faction' about this book. The author takes literary license to the extreme by describing in detail events he never witnessed and although it might make for great fiction, it made me wonder just how much of the book's narrative is at best exaggeration, at worse pure fabrication.

But I thought the geological details in the book were well explained and the one lasting impression that I was left with was just how boringly methodical, time consuming and repetitive prospecting for diamonds really is, no matter how colorful and larger than life you make the people doing it.

It has been a number of years since I bought and read Barren Lands. Although I greatly enjoyed the book while I read it, I appreciate it even more now because it has left me with many vivid memories of tales told in the book and with knowledge about diamonds and geology that I would not have known otherwise. The book is more multi-dimensional, and works on more levels than almost any other book touching on Geology that I have read. In this multi-dim respect, I think it actually exceeds John McPhee's Rising from the Plains - which is quite a feat. What do I mean by multi-dimensional? Here are some examples that are still bouncing around in my mind years after reading Barren Lands:
1.) The impression that is left of the Australian Mining Company BHP Billiton: I am left impressed by the way they kept their feelers out in this fringe community of explorers, and nutured a relationship with Fipke and Blusson until they found the first paydirt. (Way to go Hugo!) If one bought stock in BHP soon after this book came out, one would have probably recovered hundreds of times the books price in appreciation.
2.) Fipke: I suspect that if he were growing up today in USA public schools, he would be first diagnosed with some kind of attention-deficit disorder, pumped full of Ritalin and then finally jailed when he would inevitably fail to be successfully hammered into servile, abject mediocrity. I think there is a huge lesson here for academia: STOP measuring people with standardized tests, and figure out a way to help each person find his or her own, particular intellectual fire the way Fipke did.
3.) The endgame just before the discovery of the first pipe under the frozen lake. The cash is gone, winter is closing in, competitors with megabucks are catching on, and Canadian laws require you to divulge your secret the moment you make your discovery.... Such unlikely reality and so wonderfully told.
4.) Death in the wilderness: lightning bolts and helo crashes. If it were fiction, people would criticise it for being unbelievable.
5.) Black flies.
6.) Shooting stars and prophecies.

Much more. What a great and memorable book.