Hart Books

The author, Metchtild Hart, is a professor at DePaul University, School of New Learning, Chicago, IL

Some books on Frank Lloyd Wright do not fill the page with the photo, they'll have a white border. Others will have a number of black and white photos. Others will have as much as half the book in text. This book has none of those. It's 90% or more big color photos with up to half of them filling the page. It differs from many FLW books in that it is mainly photos of interiors. Most of the photographs were taken by Balthazar Korab and Paul Rocheleau and they did an excellent job. I own about 50 FLW books. I try to buy those that are large and filled with photos of his buildings. Another unique aspect of this book is there are several photos looking up at the ceiling of various FLW buildings which is a real treat. There are probably over 150 photos here.

The book is catagorized into Integrity of Site and Structure, Common and Private Spaces, Multilevel Interiors, Sheltering Eaves and Balconies, Indoor/Outdoor Gardens and the Grammar of Simplicity. Most of the buildings presented are his most famous ones. Printed in 2001 it's definitely worth a low used book price. For these reasons it is a must buy for the FLW fan of color photos in a relatively large book for a very reasonable price.

WTO-NEWS Review

Due to fast-paced technological changes - most notably the rapid development of the Internet - cross-border electronic trade in digital content products (movies, music, software, etc.) has become an increasingly important phenomenon. However, such trade is not explicitly recognised within the current WTO-framework.

In this book, SACHA WUNSCH-VINCENT - an economist at the OECD - provides the first detailed and comprehensive analysis of the steps WTO Members must undertake if they want to remedy this state of affairs - thereby reducing the serious risk of rising discriminatory barriers to digital trade. First the author elaborates on the WTO's work relating to digitally-delivered content products and on the various measures required in the Doha Negotiations to guarantee market access for this category of products. Secondly, he discusses the factors that impede reaching a consensus between the principal players in the negotiations (i.e. the EC and the US) - which is a crucial condition for progress in this area. Thirdly, WUNSCH-VINCENT compares how the multilateral Doha Negotiations and the parallel (US-driven) bilateral and regional trade agreements have - to date - contributed to securing a liberal digital trade regime.

A central conclusion of the book is that only very few of the identified negotiation requirements have been satisfactorily met at the multilateral level. It is demonstrated that the coverage of digital content products by WTO rules remains at best uncertain and that free trade in digital content has not yet been secured. Moreover, although some modest progress could be achieved in the framework of US preferential free trade agreements, the latter are unlikely to be able to lock in free trade for digital content. Prompt and decisive efforts by the WTO in the current negotiation round are therefore imperative.

In conclusion, as new technologies are an increasingly prominent source of trade disputes (see the recent US-Antigua Internet Gambling case), this book is a pragmatic assessment of how WTO Members can maintain the relevance of the multilateral trade framework in a changing technological and economic environment. Given the lack of an in-depth treatment of these issues in the existing academic literature, it is clearly a highly important contribution and will become compulsory reading for anybody interested in this subject area - academics, policy practitioners and members of the business community alike. Martin Gedult v. Jungenfeld

I found it an easy way to understand psychology through this book. Since I am not native speaker, to read English is complicated for me. However, the way the author tried to explain pshchlolgy is systematic; using simple words; good case and explanation. It;s fun to read this book. I am looking for the new edition for this book. Mine is already bitten by termite.

Zome system is a well engineered basis for constructing solid geometric forms. This is of interest to mathematicians, physicists, and engineers as well as any with an interest in design of interesting forms. This book is the key to undertanding this hands on approach to solid geometry. Zome should appeal to kids with a creative bent. It's good fun and intellectually stimulating.

Excellent and easy read about the Zulu War of 1879. I read it in one evening.

This is a marvelous treasure trove of information that you usually only get snippets from in introductions or read about in passing during story telling time.

There are 44 different ways to look at the same Zuni region. Each with a map and a definition. We see at any given time Traditional Zuni Agricultural Area, Grazing Area, Hunting Area, Plant Collection Area, Mineral Collection Area, Religious use Area, and much more there are sketches and monochrome photographs of structures, people, and areas.

I especial like the standard picture of Frank Hamilton Cushing in his version of Zuni garb.

This is truly an atlas and any you would use today and concentrates on the terrain but includes the Zuni migration and encounters with other people. The information is far too dense to be able to describe in a simple review.

The authors are T.J. Ferguson, Archaeologist, Pueblo of Zuni, and E. Richard Hart, historian and writer, and director of the institute of the American West.

This book is perfect for someone wanting to bet past the cursory information. It would be indispensable to anyone writing or talking or just understanding the area, its uses and history.

The Art of War is overrated in relation to more recent works, notably The Prince, On War, and The Book of Five Rings, and many Roman and Greek texts could be mentioned, for differing reasons.

The Prince was written during the tumult of the cultural and linguistic formation of early Italy (as opposed to the distinctive Roman society before it). This makes it, in my humble view, more valuable than Art of War and comparable Roman texts because the personality of the time period is closer to ours, and there isn't such a problem with translating concepts.

Indeed, there is significant evidence that there was no Sun Tzu and that The Art of War is an amalgamation of the knowledge of more recent (within the past 2-3,000 years) Chinese militar officers and/or philosophers. This possible fact breaks down the continuity of the book, if one can sense much continuity to begin with.

In short, (1)if you're looking to feel naughty by reading demonized and selfish and militaristic writings to enhance executive stature, look at The Prince.

(2)If you want to read up on more contemporary attempts at codifying war relations, particularly in the state system, try On War by Clausewitz. An inexpensive book with many of the highlights of On War is printed by Sweet Water Press (2006). That would be a natural place to start if you want to work with the original text.

(3) The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi, written 400+ years ago, provides a very good account of inner and outer struggle in the samurai tradition. More substance in this than in Art of War. My mind goes to some of the things in Five Rings while dealing with personal relationships.

Great book, I want to buy the full version. Has good principals to follow. I think our military should read it too. They might get something done.

Overall 5 starts +++

I bought this on a whim but quickly came to understand that if the President had read this text, we would not be involved in the type of war we are fighting.

This is a book of strategy for psychological warfare--it helps you tackle the battles you face every day. One of the biggest themes is how to win a fight *before* it actually starts. If only our current government and military leaders had followed the wisdom of "The Art of War"...

Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RSFXZFBSJSJVM This is a magnificent book that tells as much about psychology as it does military strategy.

Like so many of the classics, Madame Bovary does an incredible job of recording humanity. All of the characters are whole, full-fleshed and individual. Emma's discontent with life, her yearning for something more, has probably been experienced by all of us. Her yearning destroys her, and her husband, but teaches us about ourselves along the way. The reason I love this book, and many of the other classics, is that the characters don't always have reasons, they think and behave erratically, sometimes logically, sometimes foolishly, just like real people.

Emma is a typical unrealistic romantic girl, who sees love as the solution to all her problems and the answer to all her dreams of wealth and fame. Emma finds married life and attending expensive parties as the doctor's wife very disappointing. She compares herself to the wealthy people at these parties and becomes very depressed and angry at her husband for not fulfilling her dreams of wealth and fame. Emma becomes the center of the story when she begins her adulterous love affairs in an attempt to bring passion, romance and fulfillment to her empty life. At the end, faced with the emptiness of her fantasies, Emma, makes a tragic decision still hoping for a romantic ending, but that goes badly as well

Even motherhood was disappointing for Emma, as she had hoped for a boy but gave birth to a girl Many of Emma's actions were compulsive in every way and her interaction with her little girl was obviously cruel and selfish.
Emma couldn't see the reality of any person in her life; she over estimated the passion of her lovers, even the sexual attraction between her and Rodolph got cold, even the pleasure of overspending money didn't last. Her husband and child, the only people true to her, were in front of her all of her life but she didn't see it. Was the reason again the hunter/prey nature of human beings? If Charles didn't give her unconditional love, would she not notice his love like she did? If she wasn't that cruel, would Charles idolize her like he did? Are the people who live their lives unnoticed like Charels destined to be like that for the rest of their lives? If Charles had known the true Emma from the beginning, wouldn't he still love her as much and do whatever she wanted to please her?

I don't know about all the emotional conflicts of human beings, but I know that Flaubert was an artist who presented his obnoxious character Emma in a fascinating and very readable way..
Eight years ago, and again recently, I was unable to put the book down until I finished reading it..

I enjoyed this book...the story really showed how a snotty rich girl retaliates, to be as concise as possible. I do think the story was a bit longer than it needed to be. Also this version has REALLY small print, which is annoying (even for really healthy eyes). All in all, I would recommend it. It's like chick lit takes on socioeconomic status issues.

This is a very well written novel. It deserves its high status in the cannon of world literature. The most unique and surprising thing about this novel is that it seems to be so timely and modern. Though it was written long before our consumer driven culture of debt, it seems to understand these issues is a weirdly foretelling way. I was an English literature major in college so I was exposed to many fiction works from the time period of Madame Bovary, but I have never read such a modern novel from that time. Maybe Flaubert had a time machine?

I probably disliked this novel as much as I did 'Sons and Lovers'. For a while I just thought I'd been reading too many French writers (Huysmans, Sand,....) but it was much deeper than that.

Although Madame Bovary is the central character, and an intriguing one at that, I don't believe that she is any more than a vehicle for Flaubert to vent his virtiole against men. There are four principle male characters in this novel and we see them reflected and caricatured in their responses to mixed-up, not altogether lovable Emma.

There is husband Charles who is overwhelmed by the love he feels from Emma - he sees himself as SO lucky. But he is blind - seeing none of Emma's distress, or philandering. And he is not very successful at what he does anyway.

Then there is lover Rodolphe. He is the ultimate selfish prig of a man. He reflects, as he walks away from Emma - having raised her hopes of a new more exciting life - that she was a wonderful mistress but he couldn't possibly compromise his selected way of life. Not for any woman, no matter how rewarding she might be. And when she appeals to him for help, she gets nothing from him.

The second lover, Leon, is a more youthful and inexperienced participant in Emma's life. But later he does marry (not Emma, of course) so it is not commitment he shies away from. Nevertheless he fails Emma.

Finally there is the chemist Homais, Charles's 'colleague'. He also has no sensitivity to Emma, almost misses seeing her at all. Like Charles, he is unsuccessful in some of his ventures, but he has such comically grand illusions about himself.

All four men exhibit fundamental flaws. For me Charles and Leon have some saving graces. But none of them I have much sympathy for.

And then there is the matter of Emma's decline - not due to her affairs. Was Flaubert unable to undermine Emma because of the affairs, because of Emma's selfish self-seeking? Did he have to create other artifices to inflict upon her - and the men around her (not that Homais really notices) - to give the story a 'moral'?

The writing is spectacular - Flaubert was a wonderful observer and expresser of ideas. But for me, good writing is more than observation and a facility with words. It is the structure of the novel that failed me.

Its a fast-paced book with few lulls, not 2 many dead moments. It is much funnier than I thought before picking it up, and the interaction between the 4 friends is classic. The style is brisk and light, often tounge-in-check. While long, it breezes by. But a few warnings: do not look at it with modern eyes. The value system is flawed (in addition Dumas has a habit of both glorifying & making fun of them nearly symultaneously) but this is not a book to read for a complex theme or deep thinking. To Dumas' credit, that is not at all what he set out to do, so its unfair when people hold that againist him. What this book is is a fun adventure that resists being put down.

This is the story of a poor, young, French man, named d'Artagnan Gascony. He leaves his home with only a sword, an old horse, and his family name. Fate steps in and he manages to meet and make angry not one, not two, but three of the kings swordsman, known as "Musketeers". They each decide to duel him, one right after the other, but only d'Artagnan knows this. When the first duel is to begin, all three Musketeers arrive, one to fight and the other two to act as seconds. Just as they begin exchanging blows the Cardinal's guard arrives and attempts to arrest the three Musketeers and d'Artagnan, forcing them to act together. The four defeat the Cardinal's guards and the adventure begins.

This book is loaded with characters who are either extremely evil such as the conniving Cardinal, or the wicked Midlady de Winter, or righteously heroic like the musketeers, d'Artagnan, his faithful servant Planchet , and love Constance. There are many tense moments, sword fights, and situation which require skill and offer danger to the friends of d'Artagnan.

When you consider that The Three Musketeers was written in 1846, over one hundred and fifty years ago, it is amazing that it can hold the attention of the modern reader, but that it does. Alexander Dumas allows you to see through his writing the details surrounding the situations, you are not a reader, but a by stander in d'Artagnan's exciting life. So dig in and be prepared to be transported back to France, in the 1800's, where wit, bravery, friendship and sword play will have you cheering for the Musketeers!

-- Peter Brodnax

I bought this classic novel on cd thinking it would hold the interest of my 2 grade school boys, who enjoy books on cd while driving to and from school. They did not like the narrator's snobby french accent nor could they understand many of the words. This is a great cd for high school or adults but not children. A bust for us.

I'm a big fan of Dumas and thus far have finished this and 20-years after (and will likely continue the series at some point).

There's not a whole lot I can add here as 186 people have already reviewed this, so I'll keep this brief.

On the edition, I read the Modern Library hardcover edition (I note this in case my review turns up under other editions, as often happens on Amazon) and I liked it. That said, I'm not familiar with any of the other translations so can't really provide a comparative analysis, but suffice it to say I found the modern libary edition very good (high quality materials and the translation was by all means easy to read).

On the story, it is in my opinion one of the most enjoyable I've ever read. It's entertaining, it's full of action, and it's humorous at times. But it's the characters that make it such an enjoyable, memorable read - d'Artagnan in my opinion is one of the most memorable and easiest to relate to protagonists in all fiction (whether we're talking about novels, film, or TV, Dumas' d'Artagnan is one of my favorite fictional characters ever), and his three friends (as well as his enemies) are equally well crafted.

Highly recommended - in fact I'd call it a must read.

In the very midst of the last Harry Potter being published, I picked up this title from my library, mainly because of the attractive cover and easy-to-read design and typeface. I also wanted to see what a great classic felt like. I was highly rewarded.
Certainly this amazing and ground-breaking work is dated in places, particularly when men are disposed of without the least thought and women are placed on pedestals like goddesses. Nonetheless, the ease with which Dumas develops the ties between Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan is a work of art in itself. One cannot say these sophisticated gentlemen are utterly carefree, but they deal with what life offers them with a very modern sense of skepticism, romance, and adventure. No religious figure can fool them with absurd piety. No falsity can entrap them. Each protects and supports the other, yet each character is unique, and we feel we know them thoroughly.
The plot tumbles forward, full of adventure, intrigue, romance, betrayal, and evil. Dumas is a great story teller, although at times wrapped up with himself to the point of tedium, but those passages can be read over quickly. A rich supporting cast of characters, from Cardinal Richelieu to Queen Anne to Milady, who is the incarnation of evil, make this work amazingly entertaining, even over the course of 600 pages.
It would be a great exercise to contrast this one work with that of Harry Potter. Obviously, Dumas, who was enormously popular, is writing for an adult audience, and does not spare us sexual exploits. But the forces unleashed are similar in both works: good, loyalty, and truth versus evil, deception, and falsehood. Interesting.
Just a word on the translation: It was lively, modern, and smooth. No awkwardness was apparent. Descriptions were crystal clear.