Gray Books

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being a realistic Friday the 13th fan, I was anticipating this graphic novel to follow the same slash/gratuitous nudity/slash again formula that we've all come to expect from our beloved hockey-masked vigilante....and it does to a certain extent. However, the book does offer more than that. The illustration is great and the story is well written. The characters are more interesting than they are in the movies. You actually care about them. There is a deep and creative backstory revolving around the terrifying history of Crystal Lake, which offers an explanation as to why Jason is the way he is. This would make an excellent entry into the film series. If only Hollywood were listening.....

M. Gaines has decided to build another camp at Crystal Lake, thinking that, as children tell scary stories around a fire, Crystal Lake was a natural choice. He hires young adults to fix everything in the camp. Some of them look for money, some only want to party and few know that Jason Vorhees was here and what that serial killer did.

Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti obviously like horror movies. Well let's say that they like most of pulp styles (they've written dark horror in the beginning of their run on "Hawkman" or kung-fu / explotation story with "Daughters of the Dragon"). I was afraid that Friday the 13th would only be a "work for food" gig. Happily, it's not the case and writers succeed in planting their own savoir-faire in the story.
Their skill goes far beyond shock-value and every character has his own history and problems. Dialogues are always smooth to read, Gray & Palmiotti style.

Adam Archer was nearly a stranger as an artist for the comic-book industry. You can find his work on Batman Strikes, Supergirl or the webcomic-book for Heroes but I only read the latter. His work has a realistic style proper to the horror genre and having read so much horror comics that weren't very well drawn, I'm very happy with Archer's work who must have learned a bit or two of inside anatomy.

I'm not an ultra-fan of the Friday the 13th franchise because I always thought that it wasn't enough in term of gore. And Wildstorm publishing those comic-books wasn't reassuring. Let's say that writers are filling their work with a lot of smashed skulls, spilling guts and blood. A nice work indeed for horror-movie fans & comic-book lovers.

With the film series that started in 1980 having apparantly ended with 2003's Freddy Vs. Jason (the next F13 movie looks likely to be a remake rather than a sequel), it's a heavensent treat to have an offscreen project as great as WildStorm/DC's first six issues of their Friday The 13th comics unleashed, collected here in the inaugural F13 Trade Paperback. There's some wild (and successfully executed) trekking outside of traditional Friday territory here, but really I think that it's forging all these new ideas, Combined with staying faithful to the heart of the movie series, that makes this volume so vital. I think I'm willing to consider this book part of official Friday The 13th continuity; it certainly deserves - in my opinion - to be there more than Jason X.

Among the riskiest moves taken is extending the Friday the 13th story way back before 1957 and the drowning death of Jason Voorhees, coming up with new, unrevealed history. It would seem to be have the potential to misfire, but it works. Some examples (and these all come from early in the story, so it shouldn't spoil anything) - Jason wasn't the first - and anything but the last - to drown in the waters of Crystal Lake, and the camp he was at was not the first camp on the lake's shores. The first camp, although few people around Crystal Lake want to talk about it, opened in 1935, and like the more famous camp of the fifties, burned to the ground a year after its opening. And for the victims to have been claimed by the lake, Jason is only one of over a hundred and fifty, something nobody anywhere near the lake wants to think about.

This brings to mind a good question that's occurred to everybody as the movie series grew in number: why on Earth does anyone go near the place, let alone build a summer camp there, when there've been so many murders that just can't be ignored, no matter how much the authorities try to tell people that Jason isn't supernatural, or that most of the murders are done by copycats, or whatever. For this entry in the series, there's a simple and cynically believable rationale: the new camp managers want to capitalize on the legend. Stocking up the camp with shirts emblazoned with 'I Survived Camp Blood' for sale, and replicas of the legendary hockey mask on sale, you can see how if this was all real, somebody might actually come up with the bright idea of trying something like this. So the camp is being built up anew by a crew of teenage/twentysomething summer workers, the late spring is beautiful, and disaster is waiting to strike.

The characters they've assembled are pretty interesting. You can start off liking one of them, and they go and do or say something so low or assinine you dislike them, and later as the going gets tough they'll come around and start to seem not so bad again... there's swerves with most of the characterizations like this, and it goes hand in hand with the air of mystery built up for a couple of the characters. It builds up a nice slippery slope where you're often not quite sure what's really going on under the surface. The story evidently takes place after "Freddy Vs. Jason", but - perhaps because of the massive damage he took in that one - Jason's power level isn't on par with where it was in FVJ or "Jason Goes To Hell", more like in "Jason Lives" or "The New Blood". Strong but quite a bit below maximum, capable of short bursts of fair speed but generally rather slow, able to take enormous damage but often needing a few moments to recover from it instead of just plowing right through it like in JG2H or FVJ. Most interestingly, there seems to be a follow-up to how in FVJ Freddy reawakened not just Jason's body but, accidentally, his mind - Jason appears to be in the early stages of being able to think. In this volume it's unclear on what path that's going to take him, but it's a tantalizing thought.

The ending issue of this series is pretty out there in suggesting an origin for the strangeness of the lake itself. It would have worked brilliantly in an original tale that wasn't part of a pre-existing series, and I think it worked well here too, but it's going to take a while for the future tales to confirm it. That is, this element can be part of the mythos as long as it doesn't come to dominate it. And I still think Jason would most likely have risen without this particular hook from the past, but it's certainly innovatative.

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (Hawkman #s 28-49; Monolith; The Hills Have Eyes - The Beginning) who are establishing themselves as two of the premiere writers in comics, especially on the more macabre, darker stuff. Adam Archer, who I don't think I was familiar with before this series and who I guess must be a relative newcomer(?) handles the pencils and does some dynamic things that really help the flow of the story - I like the way, for instance, things can be moving very slow, tranquil even, then a sudden intense burst of violent action, and then return very quickly to an air of seeming normalcy. Overall, the interior art wasn't quite on the level of the cover arts by Ryan Sook (Seven Soldiers: Zatanna), but Sook's rather exceptional. Archer needs a little more work on some of the facial shots, that's about the only place where an occasional chink in the armor of the art creeps in. And it's not every panel, or a serious impediment to the overall package.

This is an essential for the Friday The 13th fan, it's better than several of the movies (and I'm really into all the movies, except, again, Jason X. And even that one had a few good things about it), it lacked the utter implausibilities that haunted a coule of otherwise strong movie entries (like "Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan"). I had high hopes for this series when it came out, and it exceeded them. Among the best F13s.

You know him!! You love him!!
The man....the legend.....Mr. Jason Voorhies.

You know how he died.
You know how he came back.
You even know how he got his mask.
But do you know.. how many others have died at Crystal Lake??
...Have drowned in her icy waters??
Do you know how many others Crystal Lake has brought back?
Do you know how long the killing has been going on?
Do you know how it started?
Do you know that it started waaay before Jason??

This series answers these quetions.
And in doing so, adds to the Friday the 13th mythos.
Sure there are naked chicks, teenage dialogue, and lots of juicy mutilations.
(This is Friday the 13th after all)
But there is something else here.
Something darker.
Legend.
If this comic was a Friday the 13th movie instead,
it would easily be my favorite of the series.
This was the best of the horror series that Wildstorm put out.
The others just don't compare.
(Especially not "Nightmare on Elm Street" I don't know what happened with that series)
The art is spot-on.
The characters are what you've come to love and expect.
Their dialogue is juvenile, but suprisingly enjoyable.
The writing keeps things moving, it never gets stale, it keeps you guessing.

I don't know, I just really enjoyed this series.
As a long-time fan of the movies, I was expecting the same old song and dance here.
And it is, don't get me wrong!!
But it's got a few new moves.
It's nice to see an old series that still has a few tricks up it's sleeve;
that Jason hasn't gotten rusty with age.
If you're a fan of the movies, you won't be disappointed.
And if you hated the movies.......What are you doing here?!?!

So sharpen that old machette, and hang up the holiday corpses,
'cause Jason is back in town baby!!!!!!!!!!

MORAL OF THE STORY:
You just can't keep a good guy down.

FROM A GRAY PERSPECTIVE by Betty M. Stephen addresses every area of life and all of its ups and downs. Through her poetry, she covers family, love, death, and social problems, to name a few. Some of my favorites were "Imitation of Life," which reminded me about the respect we should maintain for our mothers; telling her you love her even when you're upset with her. You never know when a time will come that you won't have that opportunity. "The Setup" addresses real life situations for young people who think they know their friends, but actually find out the truth too late. Truths which can lead to making choices that could affect their lives forever. And "Daddy's Little Girl" brought tears to my eyes, because when we have difficulties, we seem to forget the feelings of others, and in this poem, the father takes out his frustrations on his little girl and his wife.

FROM A GRAY PERSPECTIVE is filled with so many wonderful selections, it is hard to select favorites. Stephen displayed a poetic style, filled with great substance. She expressed herself with each word and you felt it because of her strong writing. Additionally, you had no problem relating to each selection which made it a wonderful page-turner. Overall, this was one of the best books I've read this year, I truly enjoyed it.

Reviewed by Kalaani
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Betty Stephen has a special talent to make you actually FEEL the emotion in each of her poems. Every one of them paints a picture of life, sometimes hers...and makes them real to the reader. What a wonderful first book!

In the tradition of the masters, such as Nikki Giovanni or Maya Angelou, there is a new and strong voice to be heard in this book of poetry. Each poem resonates with wisdom, depth, passion, powerful insight, and the understanding that the human spirit can soar in spite of many trials. From a Gray Perspective contains a variety of poetry reflecting life. I believe that this book is for anyone who has loved, gotten hurt in the process, and survived it; stood tall regardless of people's criticisms; pursued his or her destiny in spite of the naysayer; kept the faith when all else failed; and continued to love when the world around us still hates. In short, the author's words are universal, neither black nor white, but from a gray perspective. Betty Stephens is a new author that is definitely on the rise!

I received this book as a Christmas gift and really didn't know what to expect. I normally wouldn't buy a poetry book, but after reading this collection of works I have a new appreciation for the art. I cried, laughed and saw things from a different light!!! Each work tells a story and touches the heart. It's real and it's the kind of collection that many of us can relate to. "Daddy's Little Girl" brought a tear to my eye!!! I feel this collection is worthy of a hard cover and think it would make a great coffee table book!!!

Strong characters,vivid images of a world scarcely recognizable to most of the rest of us,Keith Gray takes us on a ride with folks who don't think like people we know.

So many times have I bought a book and after the first two chapters I had to put it down. This is not the case with The Garbage Man. This book bought out the full spectrum of emotions in me, fear, laughter, suspense, its all there. A+

One of the best books I have read. The action reaches explosive levels, and keeps you on the edge of your chair from around the fifth chapter on. It felt like I was watching a movie.

Although it took a couple of weeks to get the book, it was well worth the wait. This is a book that will keep you up at night - very addictive. It is about a young garbage man who gets drawn into the mafia. He then rises through the ranks and... well I won't tell you. But needless to say, this is a book that you will finish, because you will keep reading until you do. Possibly at the expense of work, school or whatever else you have to do at the time you buy it.

I have only made it to chapter two and already feel like I am on my way to my first second, and third millions. I recommend this book to anybody who is looking for a real outlook on becomng a millionaire. Coming from one of the poorest neighborhoods in Atlanta I could relate to this author. I look forward to finishing the book.

The author became a millionaire as a early teenager, made his second million by sixteen, and defied his background raised by a single parent in the impoverished south side of Chicago as the youngest of five children. His success was tied to attitude, tenacity and a rejection of the common lies about money and success - and GET REAL, GET RICH identifies seven lies and tells how to overcome them in real-world situations. It's an inspirational game plan for success that any general lending audio library needs.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

After reading this book, it's clear that one must plan and execute in order to succeed. Everything Mr. Gray teaches, he constantly stresses that one must take CONSISTENT ACTION towards his or her goals, objectives and dreams.

I found the "7 Lies" interesting, especially the "Hard Work Lie". I think the re-evaluation of "hard work" as a part of success is necessary. Someone once told me that hard work is doing something you dislike in the name of survival. Doing what you love to do as a career should never be "work", but a labor of love that will make you the first in and the last to leave. We should all be SO fortunate to find our Divine Mission.

Well, fellow readers, you've GOT to believe you can get rich if you're ever going to make that dream a reality! HOW do you change your thinking so you can aim for excellence and for success? Farrah Gray can help.

In seven chapters, he deconstructs seven "lies" that may be preventing you from:

--seeing your own potential
--discovering your life's purpose (and therefore your life's work)
--taking action (and getting rich is all about taking action!)

I can't say I agreed with every point the author made. But his advice certainly worked for him! He became successful at an early age, and there's nothing like following the lead of a mentor who's done what you want to do (in this case, get rich).

Read this one for the motivation, for new ideas, for a fresh look at what's been holding you back and what you can do about it.

I am reviewing this book because Eric Broder, rules, ok? He RULES! Is that sufficient enough for ya? (see how I pick up the Broder speech patterns? Read the hilarious book, you'll see what I mean). Ok ok, Broder influenced MANY of us fellow Cleveland writers, took us thru endless drab rainy lunch hours downtown as we read his weekly column, Eric Broder deserves his place up there with the masters, dangit! And I mean no paper plate award ceremony, either!Dont keep it such a secret, Eric! Spread your words to the masses! In my own lovely comedic writing, I often scorn the fact that Broder is not writing for Letterman or Conan.. if u like those two, you'll see broder as their 'brother'. And, dont worry if youre not a big reader, the essays in this book are just as easily skimmed than read. I carry GREAT INDOORS in my special CA packing suitcase place, the only book I'll take on the long plane ride.. ok, so I had nothing better to do today but review this (Eric, if youre reading this, kiss kiss hug hug.. although youre taken). WENDY W cleveburg, oh

A very amusing and easy read, Broder's "Great Indoors" is simply a must have of anyone who has followed the man's weekly column in the Cleveland Free Times (or the old Cleveland Edition). It's a veritable autobiography of an indoor intellectual in serial form, and myriad points of cosmic import are established. You'll read, and will doubtlessly recognize yourself somewhere in Broder's tales of tribulation and triumph set here in the wondrous urban armpit of our Great Nation, Cleveland. The best part is that these columns are presented chronologically, and in bite-size readings. So you can put it down whenever you like. Read a couple bits on the bus. Peruse a few more nuggets while making your evening toilet. You'll come to realize that you aren't the only one who does silly and stupid things when left alone in the confines of one's domicile. This stuff is funny, and the author is to be lauded profusely.

Just reading the table of contents of this book makes me laugh. I'll show you. I'll close my eyes and put my finger someplace on one of the 4 pages listing the two-page long essays in the book. I'll bet that reading just the titles of the 5 entries nearest my finger will make you laugh. Here goes-

My Hot Date with Ivana Trump; Fashion: Pants and Stains; Attack of the Kitten People; Impending Domestic Bliss; You'll Hear from My Psychologist.

To prove my little theory to myself I made several more points (of my finger). These points, as well as making me laugh, reminded me that these reprinted columns from almost 10 years of the Cleveland Edition and the Cleveland Free Times are cumulative in their funniness as the reader learns all that he/she really doesn't need to know about the author, Eric Broder. The author himself does a good job of giving the flavor of the book so I'll just quote a section of his introduction to the work. "The theme of the endless, futile, Homeric search for the lost snacks of youth. The theme of raging hypochondria and medical misinformation. The theme of enraged babies and cats. The theme of whining and sniveling at every minor inconvenience. And don't forget the theme of sexual self-delusion. That one's in there big-time."

The book is wierd and useless and about the funniest thing I have ever read. I'm kind of worried about what that might mean, but I think YOU should get this book and dream along with Eric Broder.

PS: I AM NOT related to Eric Broder. I don't even know him.

First of all, I am not related to nor do I personally know Eric Broder...but he is wicked funny and he causes me to run to the newspaper rack each week to read his column. Rants about small animals, his celebrity garden at the Home and Garden show, potato chips...plus some faux "60 Minutes" fantasies to boot? Pure comedic genius. By the way - I met someone who used to work with him at a bookstore many years ago - she reports he's ALWAYS been like this, it's not just a front.

As an amateur military historian, I found GGIW to be one of the best written books on and about the Corps that I have ever read. While Len Maffioli will serve as the epitome of a Marine Staff NCO, I know, too, that Major "Doc" Norton has done a masterful job of putting Len's life on paper. The amount of research required by Norton was, no doubt, incredible. Students of the Marine Corps, students of WWII; those who are interesetd in the POW experience and the Korean War, and those who want to learn about the War in Vietnam, should add this book to their library. My hat is off to MGySgt. Maffioli for his heroic service to his country, and to Major Norton for having the wonderful talent of making it all seem so real -- from the page to the brain. Whoever said Marines can't write? Well done... Semper Fidleis. A retired Marine fan in South Carolina.

"Grown Gray in War" is the biography of Marine Master Gunnery Sergeant Len Maffioli. Maffioli served in combat on Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima, during World War II; was taken prisoner by the North Koreans during the Korean War, and later escaped from the Chinese Communists after 6 months as a POW; then saw combat again during Tet, in Vietnam, in 1968. --Thus the tiltle of the book. This is Major Bruce H. Norton's 5th book on and about Marines. It was also a winner in the San Diego Book Awards for biographies in 1997. Skillfully researched and well-written, this book should, in my humble opinion, be required reading for Marines in all grades. To accurately describe the event's of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, is a tribute to Major Norton's skill as a Marine historian. A great read!!

THE STORY OF LEN MAFFIOLLI, ONE OF ONLY 18 MARINES TO ESCAPE FROM A CHINESE POW CAMP DURING THE KOREAN WAR, IS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ ABOUT THE MARINE CORPS. WELL WRITTEN BY MAJ. B. H. NORTON, THIS STORY DOCUMENTS WWII, KOREA, AND VIETNAM IN REMARKABLE STYLE. HATS OFF TO NORTON AND MAFFIOLI FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A SUPERB STORY. TEN OUT OF TEN!!!

This book outlines my own Vietnam history. I'm thrilled that Len mentioned me on page 260--regarding his R&R to Austrailia. Martin Young Maj. USMC Ret.

What a great book. L. Patrick Gray is a tragic figure. Stumbles into the FBI Directorship job, gets caught up in all the FBI backstabbing, and on top of it, gets his name thrown in with the criminals of Watergate. Even more tragic is that Mark Felt comes out a hero for being Deep Throat.

Without giving anything away, Nixon's Web will give the interested Watergate reader a very different perspective. It's really easy and good reading. I like the style, it's to the point, very little fluff if any. It's a shame that Gray didn't come out with this sooner, but the announcement of Deep Throat compelled him to break his long silence.

If you've been a Watergate reader, you absolutely cannot go without reading this book.

This book is very easy to read and extemely interesting. I felt very bad for Pat Gray because he is still accused of things that he was never found guilty of doing. He tried to change the FBI and the people working closest with him were never on his side. It's a sad story. I was very disappointed in Mark Felt, Bernstein and Woodward. Felt lied to Gray on many occasions, probably because he wanted the top job. Felt was convicted of crimes but Gray never was and Gray received apologies from the senators who accused him of crimes. Gray's son interviews Bernstein and Woodward about their ongoing accusations against his father. Woodward comes across very badly because he can't seem to explain the notes that he took while writing his book, even though they don't match the Watergate tapes. After reading this, I'm convinced that Felt was not "deep throat". No question that "deep throat" was a combination of a lot of different people who liked to leak information without giving their names. Great book!!!

Very good historical review that clears up several mysteries. L. Patrick Gray make a good case for clearing up misstatements about his involvement in Watergate and indicates why the one person identified as the Deep Throat source actually had to be more than one person. Resentment about an outsider being appointed as head of the FBI turns out to be the reason for most of the leaks. Gray defended the FBI based on good faith that his associates wee truthful.

The packaging was a problem. The plastic tabs that were to be lifted to get the discs out were not well separated despite the grooves. I actually damaged one disc beyond use by my attempts to get to it.

I found the book fascinating. It was a real page-turner for me. Parts are absolutely gripping, especially when L. Patrick Gray is sitting in Nixon's office perplexed at what his boss is trying to tell him. Gray is an honest man and a straight-shooter and Nixon is trying to get him to be a conspirator without coming right out and saying it. Gray's mind just doesn't have a place for the idea that the President of the United States is a criminal.

Although I was only a boy when the Watergate scandal broke, it was a
formative chapter in my life. One of my early memories is watching my
father (a Massachusetts McGovern supporter) listen to the 1972 returns
in dismay. Later I watched the Watergate hearings on TV at school, transfixed by the historic importance of what was happening.

I've since been keenly aware of the far-reaching damage Nixon did to our
country. I was less cognizant of the damage he and his henchmen
inflicted on the personal lives of so many. L. Patrick Gray's story brings this starkly to light.

The extent to which the book also puts the press in a bad light is timely. I was one of those, reared on the Woodward and Bernstein myth of reporter as white knight. In the past 15 years I've come to see the press more for what it is, a self-serving business/political entity. I know there are people of good faith in both government and the press, but they don't seem to be the ones running show, bless 'em for keeping at it!

This book starts to rewrite the fictional construct "Deep Throat" that Woodward and Bernstein created in order to sell a book and a movie, and cast themselves as heroes in the process. "All the President's Men" is a good story but it's far from the truth. "In Nixon's Web" is a first hand account backed up with FBI files, Senate Committee testimony, and the famous White House tapes.

Patrick Gray, a highly respected naval submarine commander, accomplished lawyer and former assistant Attorney General, doesn't cast himself here as a hero, just someone trying to do the best he can for his country. He admits to being naive, especially in trusting people who have been given a high level of trust by the entire nation.

Watergate left a lot of U.S. citizens disillusioned with their government. Patrick Gray was one of them. He has every right to be bitter, but this is not a bitter story. It's a tragedy told directly and without embellishment. The events themselves are enough for a terrific tale.

I read this book a month ago.It is a small too the point
covering all the topics.Pictures are excellent and professional.Some pictures are very useful for the doctors .For example I have never seen ROSE SPOTS in Typhoid.In this book they have showed it very clearly!
I recommend this book to all the undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.

I bought this book a month ago and find it very interesting and informative.It is compact,upto date,pictures are sharp,clear and help the clinician to make a good concept of the disease.For example the picture of ROSE SPOTS .In my clinical experience I have never got a chance to look at the rose spots but now from this picture I can easily make out what rose spots look like.I recommend this book to all the undergraduate and postgrauate students.

I bought this book and read it in a week.It is a compact,easy to read and simple book with excellent pictures of all the important infectious diseases.Some pictures are very clear and informative.
I recommend this book to all the undergraduate and postgraduate medical students.

I bought this pocket book atlas when I was a junior medical student 3 years ago in a Book Exhibition. It has joined my "illustrative books collection" since that time. Illustrations explain better than texts, and you tend to remember the diseases quickly.

Features of this pocket book include:

- It covers wide range of infectious diseases compared to its size.

- User-friendly format.

- The text is on the left side of the page, where each disease is dealth with according to its etiology, incidence, pathogenesis, clinical features, complications, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

- High-quality color clinical pictures on the right side of the page. These pictures include microscopic (histopathology) pictures, macroscopic specimens, electron microscopy, imaging (e.g. x-rays, CT), diagrams (e.g. hepatitis antigens), and clinical bed-side pictures.

- Contents include:
Classical infectious diseases of childhood [Measles, Rubella, Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS), Mumps, Erythema infectiousum, and Chickenpox], Herpez zoster (shingles), Herpez simplex infections, Kawasaki (mucucutaneous lymph node) syndrome, Lyme disease, Orf, Herpangina, Hand foot and mouth disease, Infectious mononucleosis, Toxoplasmosis, Cytomegalovirus, Viral hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Staphyloccocal infection, Osteomyelitis, Infections with Streptococcus pyogenes, Scarlet fever, Anthrax, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Enteric (Typhoid and paratyphoid) fevers, Infantile gastroenteritis, Pseudomembranous colitis, Meningococcal infections, Bacterial meningitis (non-meningococcal), Viral meningitis, Tuberculosis, Pertussis, Acute croup and bronchiolitis, Community-acquired pneumonia, Legionnaire's disease, Lung abscess, Erythema nodosum, Stevens-Jonson syndrome, Antibiotic rashes, Syphilis, Gonococcaemia, Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and Index.

- It can be used for quick revision among medical students as well as residents.

- This pocket book is in its 2nd edition (1999), published by Churchill Livingstone company, and comes in 125 pages.

All in all, this pocket book is recommended for high-yield revision.

Beware! This is not Lillian Lieber's original work. It has been abridged. Approximately one third of the original text and presumably the drawings have disappeared. In the forward, Barry Mazur, states plainly that he zapped Lillian's preface, chapter 1, one half of chapter 17, and all of chapters 18 through to 24. Gone is Lillian's introduction to SAM, Lillian's spirit creature of Science, Art, and Mathematics. Why did Mazur do this? He thought the Liebers digressed too much. He wanted them to stay on track with the main subject, transfinite mathematics. He thought that some of their worldly concerns speak less to a modern audience than they did to their readers in 1953. However we have to take Dr. Mazur's word for it, as the sections are deleted and you can no longer judge for yourself. Despite my misgivings I give a 5 star rating as what is left is still beautiful. However you may wish to try the used book market to get the original version.

This is a great book. I first found it in my high school library. For the uninitiated, who would have thought there were different levels of infinity? This book explains infinity in a readable and entertaining way. It is too bad this book is out of print as I suspect it would still be in high demand. It would make a great title for a book club. Somebody needs to republish it!

As an Army brat, I found this book in the school library on the Naval base in Tianan, Tiawan in 1958.

As a 10th grader with a fondness for math, it was great. I think I'd seen a little bit about transfinite numbers in George Gamow's "1 2 3 Infinity", but this was an amazing tour of transfinite numbers, written so it could be understood by T C Mits. I learned a lot from it -- a real mind stretcher. I later recognized other books by the same author by the illustrations -- If you know her other books, nothing more need be said.

I've not seen the book in over 40 years, but decided I needed to find a copy -- it's one of the favorite books I read before college. I was looking at my copy of "The Education of T.C.Mits" and decided to see what I could find.

Lillian Lieber and her husband Hugh created some of the most wonderful books in the fields of mathematics, logic, and relativity. Although some of my fondest childhood memories are the hours I spent trying to fully grasp the meaning in her books, I find these same books to be no less enjoyable today as an adult. I cannot recommend her books highly enough.

This cookbook is set up in a very unique which sets it apart from others in this genre. The dishes are rustic yet sophisticated; definitely a nice fixture for a beginner but also for a seasoned cook looking for some inspiration.

'Italian Easy' authors Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers are two English chefs who seem to carry a lot of weight in the community of writers on Italian Cuisine. They are one of the first employers of Jamie Oliver and were, I suspect, a strong influence on his style and choice of cuisine. In spite of Oliver's great celebrity, Gray and Roger owe nothing to this. Their reputation is firmly based on doing good Italian food before Jamie came to the limelight. Mario Batali also offers their books as one of his favorite reads for Italian recipes.

Creating food that is both easy to prepare and sophisticated in taste and presentation always seems to me to be a chimera. An attempt to put together two things which are simply incompatible. I think Rogers and Gray have succeeded as well as anyone who has put their mind to this task. In their favor is the great pantry available to an Italian cook. Sometimes I think that if you put Parmesano Reggiano, fresh Tuscan olive oil, capers from Panteloria, sliced garlic, and basil from Genoa on shoe leather, it would taste good. It you replace shoe leather with artisinal bread, pasta, shellfish, spinach, or chicken and add tomatoes and anchovies, you basically have the recipes in this book. This is certainly an exaggeration, but not much. I am truly impressed by how simple and easy many of the recipes in this book appear on the page. Like a lot of simple recipes in Patricia Wells' new book 'The Provence Cookbook', they make you wonder how something so simple can taste good. I tried recipes in both books and I can attest that even a simple combination of pasta, broccoli, olive oil, garlic, and pancetta which comes together within 20 minutes, can be really impressive, especially as a dish which gives one both a starch and a vegetable.

The same surprisingly short list of ingredients is the norm for most of the recipes. This is not to say there is no variety in the recipes. Just the opposite is true. In the short chapter on ricotta recipes, there are two different Italian specialities based on similar short ingredient lists that are totally unfamiliar to me. The first is 'Gnudi' that may be loosely described as a ricotta gnocchi. There are two recipes, one plain or 'Bianchi' and the other with spinach. The second type of recipe is a ricotta gratin named 'Sformata di ricotta'. The very best aspect of this and many other of these recipes is that it calls for cherry tomatoes which succeed in being reasonably tasty even if they are grown in a hothouse out of season. Another example of a successful mix of novelty and diversity is the chapter of nine potato recipes. Two of the nine are gnocchi, so there is nothing new there, and one is mashed potatoes with nutmeg and parmesan, so there is nothing dramatic there. But the other six recipes make dramatic combinations of potato with fennel, mustard, pumpkin, lemon, and tomato sauce.

Speaking of tomato sauce, the book's pantry 'quick tomato sauce' is really quick with four ingredients and about 20 minutes of cooking time for an experienced cook. Compare this to Mario Batali's basic sauce which I find difficult to prep and cook in less than an hour (but then, I'm not the fastest knife in the kitchen).

Even dishes which may appear to have involved or difficult recipes such as potato gnocchi or risotto appear simple in Rogers and Gray's words. I think this is a symptom that these recipes are not as daunting as they may seem to the newbie, but it is also a symptom of the fact that Rogers and Gray are writing to people who have some experience in the kitchen. The dozens of helpful little hints you typically get on the 'Molto Mario' show about the technique for heating garlic in oil, for example, are simply not there. There are no tips on peeling fava beans or even a hint that fava beans are naturally double wrapped. There is no babble about terroir or commentary on how the recipes were found or invented. Unlike the 8 year old 'Italian Country Cookbook' there is no consistent use of Italian recipe names with English translations taking a second line role. While many recipes such as potato gnocchi are Italian classics, many others are either highly streamlined versions of Italian classics or they are River Caf? inventions with Italian ingredients and techniques.

I really like the many chapters with only a few recipes in some chapters, making it easier than usual to find the nine recipes based on potatoes or the three risotto recipes or the nine truly simple spaghetti recipes. The Brits must be as fond of spaghetti as we colonists. I really dislike the artsy presentation of the dozen bruschetta food photos on one page opposed to the corresponding dozen recipes on the following pages. What WERE these people thinking? Luckily, this nuttiness plays itself out by the time we get to the third chapter, carpaccio and we return to the sanity of recipe and photo on facing pages.

This is the first River Caf? cookbook I have reviewed, and I regret my having overlooked them up to now. The authors have truly succeeded in giving straightforward recipes, easy to prepare with readily available (but not necessarily cheap) ingredients.

Very highly recommended, especially if you have any taste for Italian food and need fast recipes. Also highly recommended if you like Jamie Oliver's style of food. This book is no nonsense good, easy cooking, as long as you have good basic kitchen skills.

You get the usual top quality presentations. Preparation is really easy! Triggers your own ideas.

I cannot believe that only two people have reviewed this book! It is by far one of the best books I own, and I have quite a collection. It is better than anything Giada DeLaurentis has done, simpler than Mario Batali, and as much as I love Jamie Oliver, is better than his new Italian cookbook as well. The book is simply beautiful. The layout and the photography make everything look irresistible. Even more importantly, everything I have made from here has been exceptionally good. The bruschetta ideas are inspiring. Almost everything in here is so simple, you wonder, why didn't I think of that? And yet the simplicity is deceiving as the outcome is beyond delicious. The pea and scallion pasta with prosciutto is insane. The sea bass with potatoes divine. The veggie dishes are so good I recommend this book to vegetarians despite the fact that it is not a veggie cookbook. If you buy one Italian cookbook, this is the one....