Lawrence Books

Written in a casual, funny and lively style, this book is chock full of fascinating nuggets about the critters and people that populate the Himalayas. Lawrence Swan was an excellent writer and a renowned authority on Himalayan wildlife. A must read for anyone interested in wildlife, The Himalayas, and/or the rigors of field work.

I am currently a Peace Corps Volunteer serving in the Northwestern corner of Bangladesh. Although my job keeps me busy I still seem to have large amounts of free time for reading. As there are not many outlets for books in English where we are, my fellow PCV's and I have learned to read almost anything. In a rare and exciting care package from home, my father sent me this fantastic book. Dr.Swan's adventures are so full of excitment and humor that you wish they were your own. They can compel even the most diehard homebody to think of packing a bag and heading to the mountians. Dr.Swan writes of the Himalaya and it's people with respect and admiration that could only come from someone who knew and loved them well. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a little adventure or some very truthful information. As soon as i finished it I sent it off to a friend in the neighboring town. I have yet to see it show up back at the Peace Corps library, which means it is still floating around somewhere amongst the PCV's of Bangladesh.

I am one of the lucky ones who actually knew Prof. Larry Swan, the author of this remarkable book, and I was privileged to have heard all of these stories recounted by the man himself in the classroom and at his home. Although I miss his voice and grand gestures, I am delighted to report that the stories in his book, from his boyhood in Darjeeling, to high altitude spiders, Yetis and the great Indian monsoon, are as engrossing on the printed page as they were to hear! Professor Swan was a remarkable biologist, a master teacher and a creative, gifted man who lived a full and amazing life. This excellent volume of his adventures and thoughts is a reminder to us that great lives can be led, and great mentors can be found. It is a must for all inquiring minds and adventurous spirits!!

Larry Swan was a born naturalist, an original thinker, and an inspiring teacher. He was also a fascinating character and a raconteur of the first order. When I was an undergraduate in the 1960s, his courses at San Francisco State College were legendary. His lectures were like savory curries. He served up meaty ideas in a rich masala of entertaining and sometimes bawdy stories. "Tales of the Himalaya" is a collection of Swan's adventures and the discoveries and ideas that emanated from them. The chapters stand by themselves. There are chapters on debunking the yeti, his discovery of the Aeolian Biome, a theory of high altitude bird migration, an amusing exploration of leeches and lice, and a wonderful chapter about his beloved Sherpas. (All who took his course in Zoogeography ended up loving Sherpas.) And there is much more. Like Doc Ricketts of Cannery Row, Larry Swan was the kind of person who turned John Steinbeck on to biologists, and made his students want to climb mountains. This is a book about science, exploration and travel, imbued with an infectious personality. If you have ever looked up at a lofty range of mountains and wondered, then this is a book worth reading.

Hello...I'm a 13 year old girl, and I knew Dr. Swan quite well. He was a great, full of energy, brilliant person. This book is wonderful, and the life of him is very interesting, even to me. I would definately something i would recommend to anyone and everyone. I will prolly read this a million times, and I will never get sick of it, ever.

This is a wonderful book! It also with Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television have inspired much of my research and thought.

Take steps towards enhancing the quality of your life - explore FlowNet and exchange ideas and experiences associated with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory @ http://www.flownetwork.com

Take steps towards enhancing the quality of your life - explore FlowNet and exchange ideas and experiences associated with Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow theory @ http://www.flownetwork.com

This book is an exploration into the effect television has on the viewer's state of mind. The organization and style of the book read very much like a dissertation that has been reworked slightly for publication. The style of writing is very academic, and is geared to academic rather than general audiences. The first two chapters are pure literature review covering information reception and previous research about television viewing. The next chapter discusses the research methods. The main study involved a group of about 100 adults living near Chicago in the 1970s, who were asked to keep activity and mood diaries over the course of a week. The data from this study were combined with data from a number of other studies that examined television viewing habits of mostly Americans and Canadians. The remaining chapters cover various aspects of the results and discussion, including: how television fits into the scheme of leisure time, how television affects viewer's moods, how television affects family life, why some people view more than others, uses of television, television and marketing, and television and personal growth. As with a dissertation, sources are cited within the text and each chapter has extensive endnotes for further explication and references. The questionnaires used in the study are reproduced in the appendices. A full list of references is included, as well as an author index and a subject index.

So what did they find out from their study about viewers in the 1970s? First, participants in the study watched about 1.4 hours of TV each day, which represented 6.6% of the participants' total waking hours. TV viewing was the most time-consuming activity engaged in at home, and TV viewing absorbed 40% of all leisure time, or another way to look at it, 25% of all time spent at home was spent watching TV. Ninety-three percent of TV viewing occurred in one's own home. Most viewing occurred between 7:30 and 10 PM on weekdays. Twenty percent of the time, people watched TV because they had nothing better to do, giving TV the highest nothing-better-to-do ranking of major home activities including reading, eating, cooking, chores, talking, and grooming.

People tend to watch more TV when they are in a bad mood or when they just want to relax with something mindless. When compared to work, other leisure activities, or meals, participants reported that TV required the least concentration, challenge, and skill of all, and people were most passive when watching TV than when engaging in any other leisure activity. Watching TV had the lowest mood and activation ranking of fifteen common daily activities that included such items as resting, transit, and chores. When compared to sports and other leisure activities, it was found that TV required much less concentration during the activity, and that participants found it harder to concentrate after watching TV than before they began. TV viewing is quite relaxing while participants engage in it, but once they turn the set off, they tend to feel less relaxed than when they began, which is the opposite of what happens with sports and other activities. Marketers are well aware of the fact that people watch TV for relaxation and try to keep people in front of the set by offering soothing or entertaining programs rather than material that will require concentration or upset viewers. The difficulty that people have eliminating TV viewing altogether from their lives suggests that some aspects of TV viewing may be addictive.

For the most part, I found the results of the study to be quite predictable- -we all hear from many sides that TV viewing is not good for our mental health. There were a few interesting points that Kubey and Csikszentmilhalyi uncovered that weren't fully explored, however. They note that families that watch more TV tend to get along better, and posit that one possible reason for this could be that TV watching helps to diffuse tensions, as well as provide an activity whose skill level is so low that children and adults can participate in it together. The authors note that surprisingly, the most well-adjusted teenagers have the highest levels of viewing, but they point out that teenagers with problems don't tend to spend a lot of time at home, and since most TV viewing is done in the home, there is probably no cause-and-effect link between level of adjustment and TV viewing. They note that heaviest viewers tend to be women living alone and married men living with families (married women with families give up some of their potential TV viewing time to do housework). Elsewhere in the book, they note that Blacks seem to watch more than Whites, and that viewing time increases with education. I have a hunch, however, that the most educated people in their study may have been precisely those married men whose wives were doing the housework, and that their level of education was predicted by their gender, and that their gender and family status determined how much TV they watched, not their level of education. It would have been worth it to pair up people of different family status and similar educational backgrounds to see if the observation that educated people tend to watch more TV really holds water.

By now, the data from the study are quite dated, with our cable TV possibilities far out-numbering the 3 major networks of the 1970s, as well as the advent of the Internet and development of the computer game industry to compete for leisure time with TV watching. It would be quite interesting to re-do the study in light of these developments, to see how TV relates to our leisure time and mental state today.

This is one of the most intense and empirical studies of how people relate to television (not focusing on television's content), nothing judgmental here folks, the data is presented in text and charts. We get to see the surveys, the responses, we are informed of the study methods used...

Various psychological traits are measured before, during, and after television viewing in the subjects homes. Things like concentration, cheerfulness, challenge, memory, and other traits are measured at various times using a self-reporting mechanism. The merits and faults of the methods used to study the subjects are also discussed. The book is intense.

I'm sorry I can't encapsulate it better than this. The authors (Mihaly and Robert) do an extremely admirable job of presenting the information in a readable and complete format.

Again, it should be stressed that this study was empirical. No judgements are made. Content of television was not part of the study, content of the subject's psyches was.

A landmark work.

"Hey Sailor, What Ship" is the most powerful, concentrated portrayal of alcoholism that I have ever read. Olsen gets inside the mind of a late-stage alcoholic. Her prose seems to stretch and distort as her main character goes on an unplanned bender while on shore leave.

She shows beautiful restraint, too: there is nothing sensational or mawkish here. I am in awe of this story.

Amazed by her words and writing - the first story, I STAND HERE IRONING - where a mother is mulling over the changes in her and her daughter's lives and relationship. The stories were published in the 50s originally, but were written in a time-free fashion. Get you a copy, you hear?

Olsen writes stories that are so powerful, and so well-written, you'll want to read them again and again. Although she uses Jewish culture as a backdrop, her talents bring a universaility to her stories which reminds me of Steinbeck in its power, and Morrison in its complexity.

Tillie Olsen packs a lifetime of enforced silences into this slender work of art. These are dense and poetic evocations of Joyce and Woolf, but with an added proletarian knife-thrust to the heart.

Tillie Olson is a brilliant woman. She was way ahead of her time, breaking through the constraints binding talented women back then by her sheer persistence and follow-through, becoming recognized as a notable author. Her insights regarding women authors of the 19th century are brilliant. And her story "Tell Me A Riddle" is a classic.

However, her words sometime seem to start from the middle of a conversation, back up against one another, fall over themselves and then make a circuitous route to sometimes puzzling conclusions. "Tell Me A Riddle" occasionally found me shaking my head as if to dislodge some buzzwords that were way too loud and confusing. Although I understood the gist of this powerful story, I found its delivery to be irritating.

Perhaps that is the way Tillie Olsen writes. However, despite the brilliance of her observations, I find her writing style too discordant.

With a doctorate in counseling psychology, and of the behavioristic-cognitive bent, I found Dr. Gilbert's book to be most unique, imaginative, and accurate in his depiction of the genious, Sigmund Freud, and Freudian analysis. What a joy to read as he tells a delightful story, and introduces the reader to the vast works of Dr. Freud. Often as I worked with a client, I often asked myself, "What would Freud say to this client?" "What uncounscious process is being revealed?" Dr. Gibert is a gifted writer who tells a wonderful, unique story of one of the great minds of all times. I liked it so much, I pondered whether I was a closet Freudian. John R. Morella, Ph.D.,retired psychologist and author of "A Guide for Effective Psychotherapy"

This is one of those books that leaves your thoughts turning after you are done reading it. The story spurs you to make those changes in your life that you have been thinking about making. The intellectual rigor, psychological lense, and romantic indulgence, contribute to the richness the story has to offer. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good novel, as well as those who enjoy thought-provoking material. Richard did an excellent job interweaving psychology, relationships, professional life, and fantasy into this work. A great summer read.

I was astounded by this book. Not only was it interesting, funny, and entertaining, it taught me more about Freud than any book I've previously read -- and I've read many books in psychology. It intrigued me. I couldn't put it down and I read it in one sitting. Amazingly, the author was able to make me suspend disbelief and I felt as if Freud was actually alive in the modern world. It was hilarious at times; I laughed out loud frequently. At the same time, it was informative and thought provoking. I haven't read a book that has kept my interest like this one in a long time.

Unique, that is the word that would best describe this outstanding work by author, Richard Lawrence Gilbert. In this read we meet Dr. Richard Gilbert, a Professor of Psychology in Los Angeles. Dr.Gilbert is preparing an international conference entitled,"The Post-Freudian Millennium." What is this about?, Richard plans to destroy the writings of the late Sigmund Freud.
Richard is a divorced dad, one whose life is more complicated than even he realized and it is about to change in a way he would never imagine.

On Halloween night Richard finds himself face-to-face with the ghost of Sigmund Freud. At first he thinks it is an elaborate hoax, but soon realizes that God Himself has allowed Mr.Freud to visit earth for purposes yet unknown to Richard. What follows is a two-month interaction between Richard and Sigmund discussing his theories and opening Richard up to a world within himself, as they debate psychology and matters of the heart. Before his arrival Sigmund was given three conditions by God that must be followed on earth. Sigmund reveals the first two to Richard, but the third , a secret that will unlock hidden mysteries and change Richards's life forever, is waiting towards the end of the read to totally confound you. What a great twist in a novel; I never saw it coming.
This work, although done as a fictional memoir, is quite thought-provoking, yet it is laced with humor, realism and a surprising comfortable style for the reader. A different, unique and interesting read awaits you in "The Third Condition," don't miss this one.
Shirley Johnson/Senior Reviewer
MidWest Book Review

In the fall of 1999, Dr. Richard Gilbert, a professor of Psychology in Los Angeles is busy preparing an international conference entitled The Post-Freudian Millenium. By organizing and leading this conference, Richard plans to destroy the last vestiges of Freudian reasoning in contemporary society and in so doing, revive his flagging career. Everything is going according to plan until Richard opens his door late on Halloween night and finds himself face-to-face with the ghost of Sigmund Freud. What follows is a two-month journey to the start of the new millennium in which Richard and Freud debate psychology, psychoanalyze each other, and eventually confront a secret that changes both of them forever. Told as a fictional memoir, with intelligence and humor, The Third Condition: A Memoir of Freud's Return is an imaginative, thought-provoking and highly original work.

I thought I was read all great writers for this misteries, crimes and all those, but Sanders has become one of my favourites ones (the first of course is Raymond Chandler). I'm going to read all his books!

Our eponymous hero returns in this second installment of the Timothy Series.
In the first novella, Run, Sally, Run, Timothy Cone has been specifically recommended to determine where leaks in a company, Pistol and Burns, are coming from. A Case of the Shorts begins with the assassination of John Dempster, CEO of Dempster-Torrey. Haldering and Co. is retained, and Timothy is drafted to investigate why the company is a target for industrial sabotage. In the last novella, One From Column A, Chin Tung Lee, of the White Lotus label, assigns the investigative team to discover why anyone would speculate in such a conservative company. Oedipal lust to unbridled greed actuated by hatred are just a little of what we see in The Game.
As usual, Timothy Cone cracks the cases with confidence and exaggerated bravado, leveraging on the knowledge of financial specialists, and his bevy of police informants. The whole cast from the Files are back, with some chaps added to compensate for the diversity of the new clientele.
Most Sanders fans when reading about this shabby detective are apt to compare him unfavorably to the dapper McNally. They might just be mistaken. Actually, both characters do have their similarities: their snitches in the police department who believe in quid pro quo, their emphasis on appearances and location, as well as their queer relationships, and controlled humor.
Yet Cone has his strengths. Here,the bad guys are unafraid to get their hands dirty; also, as each client is referred to Haldering and Co., there is a certain a continuity along stories. Moreover, since the focus is on financial institutions, a virgin forest in investigative fiction, we get to read a lot about the unheralded SEC.
In Timothy's Game, Lawrence Sanders delivers sizzling stuff that should be enjoyed in it's own right.

All the other so-called mystery writers should read Sanders' Timothys as Bible, but should not read any of his McNallys

This book is actually a collection of three stories about Wall Street investigator Timothy Cone. Originally issued in 1988, it was written when Lawrence Sanders was at the peak of his writing career (before he started insulting his fans by cranking out pot boilers). The stories concern various intrigues on Wall Street - insider trading, stock manipulation and short selling, and corporate takeovers and greenmail. The plots are well developed and well written, and the characters are interesting.

The best Lawrence Sanders I've read so far. Timothy is an engaging character, and I think that's why I enjoyed the book so much

Beautifully illustrated just for the tomao lover, compehensive list of heirloom tomatoes. Many tempting recipes. Great and useful, rewarding pore-over.

Excellent book - since we are new Heirloom Tomato growers and are working on a TomatoFare in Washington State, this is a great reference, beautifully illustrated book for review.

Compiled and organized by Lawrence Davis-Hollander (Founder and Director of the Eastern Native Seed Conservancy), The Tomato Festival Cookbook showcases 150 recipes each of which focuses upon culinary creations featuring heirloom tomatoes as a principal ingredient. Along with the "kitchen friendly" recipes, The Tomato Festival Cookbook offers informed advice on selecting the very best heirloom tomatoes, reveals how to grow great-tasting tomatoes in your own garden, provides historical tomato lore, as well as profiles of notable tomato growers and thematically appropriate regional festivals. From Tomato and Corn Salsa; Stuffed Mussels with Tomatoes and Almonds; Spicy Tomato Cocktails; and Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad; to Robert Gurvich's Pizza with Fresh Tomato Sauce; Spanish-Style Fish with Tomatoes and Potatoes; Tomato Jam Tart; and Tomato-Rice Casserole with Poblanos, Beef, and Melted Cheese, The Tomato Festival Cookbook will prove to a welcome and much appreciated addition to any tomato lover's personal cookbook collection!

If you love tomatoes, this will give you some fresh ideas for preparing them.

This first-time author brings together reknowned chefs and tomato connoisseurs who share over 150 mouth-watering receipes ranging from common preparations like spaghetti sauce to fancy creations like West African Chicken. Sidebars of information are included giving growing tips and historical lore for selecting the best-tasting heirlooms for each recipe. Davis-Hollander uses carefully selected and saved tomato seeds to produce exquisite tomatoes for his exotic recipes. This is a good source for specific information on heirloom tomatoes and a variety of tasty dishes.

An incredible love story told from the perspective of the man. The book offers many opportuities for laughter and some for heartfelt tears. If you can look past some raw language, you will feel this story in your soul.

This novel is more than just a sad lovestory. The observations of the main character are very hilarious throughout the book. The unconditional love for his girl is heartbreaking. A great novel by one of the best dutch authors.

jan wolkers wrote this lovestory in his own frank manner. it shows the reader the dutch way of life in the 70's and although it s slightly erotic its a very sensitive and heartbreaking story. similaar to " lovestory" but more direct and hillarious at some times.

This is one of the best love-stories I have ever read. The love the narrator feels for his girl is so obvious on every page, and the complete despair and pointlessness in his life when she leavs him, and the fact that he can't find a replacement no matter how hard he tries, are heart-breaking. He writes about things in a simple, honest way, but still very beautifully. It's dark as well as funny.

Jan Wolkers' novel about an artist's unconditional love for a girl could be called a very humourous tale, if it wasn't very sad also. The story, which takes place in the seventies, is narrated in a somewhat erotic and profane style. However, every page radiates the love that the artist carries for his wife. There is even place for a witchy mother-in-law in this story. Truly an exellent read.

Worth the price of the book to read about the calendar pictures and the "Letter from Denmark" episode.

A testament to the amazing character of the two men: loyalty, determination, courage, charitableness, and the ability to find a song in one's heart even when the chips are down. And down they were! That the two explorers were able to survive their multi-years' long ordeal is amazing.

An adventure/travel story at its best.

I'll definitely be re-reading this one and sharing it with others, too.

I was skeptical that a story of two men surviving in the face of such adversity could be interesting for a whole book. I found I could hardly put it down & that I didn't want it to end. It is an excellent, well written book.

In 1906 The Danmark Expedition met disaster in NortEast Greenland: Three men, Mylius Erichsen, Høegh Hagen and Brønlund died from cold and starvation. later the body of Brønlund was found, but the bodies of his companions have never been found.
Many expedition have gone there to search for them, and one of the first attempts was the "Alabama" expedition led by Ejnar Mikkelsen. On this expedition Mikkelsen and his companion Iversen walked several hundred miles to search for the dead men. Mikkelsen and Iversen had a hard time and nearly died from starvation, but they survived, and this is the story about this journey. Translated from Danish: Farlig tomandsfærd

a great read. felt i was there on the ice. nice to read about people who can get along during times of adversity.

Great Book! Written by the explorer himself, the story comes 'straight from the horse's mouth' telling of the his expedition to Greenland in the early 1900's. Seeing inside the lives of Mikkelsen and his companion, Iversen during this expedition makes me wonder if anyone today in our soft, comfortable life could ever endure what they did. Their outlook and physical stamina during their hardship makes my 'discomforts' look like peanuts!

I am a torts law professor and this is one of the two books I recommend my students use as supplementary reading. It is a relatively short but comprehensive and very well written summary of the material. Torts is a required course in all law schools and this book will help any student get a more complete understanding of the topic. Students, will, of course, need to read and prepare the assignments from whatever text the professor assigns. This book will work best as a supplement to those texts. By the way, the other book I recommend to my students is The Forms and Functions of Tort Law by Abraham.

I'm currently a 2L and last year, I used a plethora of study aids. I found this book to be the most helpful for Torts class. The book explains the history behind the subjects and then what the substantive law is. It lays everything out very logically and is organized in a way that makes sense as well. While it doesn't have any comprehensive case summaries, if you truly want to understand the law of torts, you can't go wrong with this book.

This book was recommended by my torts professor as a supplement to readings. I found it extremely helpful and a great overview of the torts material. My professor was nice enough to tell us which pages would be beneficial to read which was helpful but the glossary of terms is great for going back to a topic for a quick refresher of the subject. The book is well written but simple enough for a first year to easily grasp the topics covered. Some other pros? It mentions specific important tort cases most likely covered in ALL first year torts classes (Palsgraf among many). I think this book would be a great review for the final as well as using it as a supplement to assigned class readings.
I have the older version and it seems some of the law is not current, I do know the book has been republished in 2006 and therefore might include those revisions. Definitely a must for first year law students.

This book is a must have for any torts class. Forget Gilberts. This book is easy to read, straight forward, and gives examples on every topic it discusses. This book is the secondary text book in my torts class and was highly reccommended by my professor. If you are confused about anything, this book will make any complex theory easy to understand.

This is a really great book - it also is small ( less weight to carry in bookbag ) - it has some short commings ( light on product liability ) - I used this with Epstein on Torts ( Aspen Hornbook ) Shapo on Torts ( West Hornbook ). You will find that all authors give some topics less attention than others - hence the plethora of hornbooks. Emmanuals & Gilberts are not so good.. Also - get the California Baby Bar Essay problems and answers - this is the best resource for practice exam taking. If you're lazy - get the Black Letter Law series book on torts for very concise rules - I used this as a rule book to capsulate the restatements so I could remember them for the test

If you are looking for a contemporary painter, whose craft is stunning and vision leaves you speachless, you have arrived. His love and understanding of representational imagery along with a gentle gift of irony and pathos is boundless. Gorgeous and worth every penny. The quality of printing and the design and presentation of the artist work gives you everything you could want when exploring Vincent Desidario's intimate and emotional world.

This is an excellent book covering Vincent Desiderio's work for those years mentioned on the title. My favorite subject is his own son, Samuel, who has been an inspiration to us all he has touched.

Excellent book, is a MUST, unbelievable artist, is a response to many people that surrender instead of confronting life problems, he simply takes this raw material to create ART, and he does it in a way only comparable with greatest of old times : Rembrandt, Velázquez & Caravaggio.
Photographs are amazing, the price is just a low contribution to what I have got buying the book
A modern figurative painter should buy it immediately !!!
Vincent Desiderio is undoubtedly a great master of our age, sorry : of our culture, time does not matter in this assertion

Vincent Desiderio's first major book - something many of his admirers have waited for some time to finally see - is fulfilling on a number of levels. The expansive, richly formatted book is a joy to hold and flip through. The images are given plenty of space and there are many fold-outs for larger works. This is definitely a studio book, a teaching book - perfect for in-class discussion as well as personal reflection.

The three texts in the book (two essays on specific works, one interview), provide a great insight into the ways and means of the artist's work. The in depth looks at specific works afford the reader/viewer with new perspectives on Desiderio's entire body of work, and offer rewards for more lengthy consideration of the poetic vision within each work.

The depth of Desiderio's engagement with his process, ideas, and the history of painting is both awe-inspiring and daunting. He is a master of his craft and a deft intellectual, able to very precisely describe what he's trying to do while never losing the absolute primacy of the act of painting. In many ways he is a conceptual artist and the facture of oil painting his most potent expressive tool, yet his intuitive responsiveness, his sensitivity to the nuances of the creative work - what happens that we can't plan - is so refreshing. The interview Donald Kuspit conducts with Desiderio is a real treat. It reflects an artist both deeply intellectual and sincerely feeling; yes, we can be both.

This book is absolutely essential for anyone interested in what's happening in figurative painting today.

Were there a possibility of a 10 Star rating, this book would easily qualify! As produced by Marlborough Gallery and published by Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. VINCENT DESIDERIO PAINTINGS 1975 - 2005 is everything a fine art monograph should be: entertaining, informative, spiritually moving, and visually illuminating.

Vincent Desiderio is one of our finest contemporary artists in America. His long and successful career has been marked by restoring life to figurative painting, creating canvases that do not shy away from social comment, philosophical investigations, or creative explorations. His paintings vary from small works on paper to huge canvases, vast triptychs, and deeply felt personal statements from drawing to canvas. He has managed to address the human spirit, the plight of survival in a society not always friendly, matters of destiny, of altered life, of illness, of death, and other tragedies and heroisms. His own son Sam born with a devastating birth defect is the subject of a series of now famous paintings that speak of suffering in a very personal way. There is nothing maudlin in his repeated paintings of Sam: what is projected is the love a father and the innocence of a child born into suffering but somehow negating the negative aspects of it all.

As if the generous number of illustrations of over one hundred of Desiderio's works weren't sufficient alone to move the reader, the book is greatly enhanced by sensitive essays by Lawrence Wechsler who wisely opens the book with a well illustrated tale of Desiderio's 'Sleep', a painting 96.5" X 288" that belongs to Seven Bridges Foundation in Greenwich, CT - the still titled 'work in progress' says volumes about the artist and the man; by Mia Fineman; and interview with the artist by Donald Kuspit, and a closing evaluation by Barry Schwabsky based on a painting 'Cockaigne' which summarizes all the influences in Desiderio's artistic mind.

The glory of this book is not only that it finally pays tribute to a brilliant genius of a painter, but that it also takes the time to include quality reproductions including five gate fold expansive depictions of his huge canvases. Words of praise fail: this book about this artist is one of the finest books to be printed in 2005. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 2005