Lawrence Books

David Muench's book is fantastic. I bought this book to give to friends in Europe to show off Arizona, and I couldn't have picked a better book. Everyone has seen pictures of the desert or the mountains, but Muench brings attention to the subtle details of the landscape. I also appreciated that the book didn't just show the desert, but all parts of Arizona. You can't go wrong with this or any of Muench's other collections.

David Muench, the dean of American landscape photogrphers explores a very novel idea - look at the big picture and then the small picture within. It reminds us to look for the little things and find great beauty within. Lawrence Cheek is a gifted writer whose prose matches Muench's genius with a camera. What a spectacular gift book!

These books are recent translations of the four major accounts of the De Soto expedition - the Gentleman of Elvas, Luys Hernandez de Biedma, Rodrigo Ranjel, and Garcilaso de la Vega, based on the account of the soldier Gonzalo Silvestre. They also include translations of a number of documents related to the expedition and its members.

The books represent a badly needed update of the older translations by Buckingham Smith. They give us a picture of a world of Native American societies with tens or hundreds of thousands of people, ruled by nobles and leaders in ranked hierarchies through ceremony, ritual and belief. And they represent our last real glimpse of these societies at the beginning of the end - before disease, warfare with Europeans, and the shattering effects of De Soto's entrada destroyed the most powerful and complex cultures north of Mesoamerica.

Archaeologist, historian, and ordinary reader alike will find these books fascinating and important.

This work is a complete collection of chronicles for the De Soto expedition into La Florida (which is most of the south-east USA). Due to the fact that this work comprises two volumes of almost 600 pages each, I have so far only read volume II which is the complete account "La Florida" by Garcilaso de la Vega. Following others (including the Narvaez expedition that de Vaca relates) De Soto went into Florida to find gold and eventually settle the new land. Garcilaso used one captain from the expedition as his source and is a great storyteller, claiming his abhorrence of exaggerating the contents, much of it is told with the heroic chivalry and noble virtue of the times, whether speaking of Spaniards or Indians, and always some purposeful enthusiasm. If all you know of De Soto is that he was the first to see the Mississippi, that doesn't begin to say anything about what happens during the expedition, and even to the way those who were on it considered it afterwards. It shows also the real nature of the natives, showing great differences in their treatment of the Spanish, their use of slavery, and the brutatilty they showed towards other tribes. (Not as placid as Las Casas would have you believe). Also describing the native cultures and life-styles to some degree. All wonderful and interesting stories. The volumes contain some maps and black and white illustrations. Volume I contains all the other existant accounts including the more historical one by the Gentleman of Elvas. Well worth the price.

Dead? follows the journey of a rookie investigator to prove himself on his first assignment. The characters and hardships he meets on the way to finding a missing person helps him discover who he really is. Learn with him in the inspiring, descriptive tale that will spark your imagination and touch upon your own experiences. Don't forget to laugh! As in life, troubles in Dead? is mixed with those who can bring humor to every situation.

This is a fascinating book about a misfit guy who has an adventure while searching for Sergeant Andy Drake. The author gives very detailed descriptions so characters, settings, and situations are easy to picture in the reader's mind. It is easy to see that there is an underlying humor throughout the book. Dead? has something for everyone, but will especially appeal to the generation that experienced the Vietnam War.

I bought this book by the table area in the back where the music was on. I thought it was gonna be boring but i spent my last moneys on it. I read the first page and busted two nuts all over my self. It's about a guy who has to take this thing to romania and kill a guy with himself air point. After he gets on a plane he ends up falling. Can it see them there? How could he know that it was ended up in that patio? Good thing gotta read it there, too.

A New Orleans born sailor's ship left without him after a night's stop, taking all his forms of identifaction with it. He was sent all over Europe trying to find a place to stay, or another ship to sail on, but no one could help him becuase of the missing ID. Eventually the "Yorikke" comes by and picks him up. It's the infamous death ship that changes his life completely. The author, B. Traven, is one of the most mysterious authors there are to date. As a young man, he was known as Ret Marut, the publisher of an underground anarchist magazine in Germany called "The Brick Thrower". He kept his personal life a complete secret, including his name, which was changed multiple times. No one knows what the B stands for, or where the name even came from. This book is definitely one of my favorites. It takes no time at all to really get into it, and once you do, you can't put it down. It takes you on a journey across Europe with the main character, and then onto the ship. It goes into great detail once on the "Yorikke" and you really get a feeling of what the other hopeless sailors are going through. This book is really unforgetable.

this is the best book of its kind i have ever read!!!

This is an excellent book. It is very throught provoking. A must read in for the young and the old.

This diverse collection of scholarly essays on the emerging field of visual rhetoric is a must-have for your library.

I was in the middle of research with a deadline, and the book Defining Visual Rhetorics was sent quickly. It was helpful in that it offered different perspectives on the topic.

Baantjer is the most popular author in the Netherlands. He spent thirty-eight years in law enforcement before picking up the pen and lends credibility to his police procedurals. He has been knighted by the Dutch monarchy and honored as the first winner of the Master Prize of the Society of Dutch-language Crime Writers.

Inspector DeKok is attending a funeral at the request of the Antwerp police with his sidekick Vledder. The deceased is one Hendrik-Jan Assumburg, and he is an alleged murder victim. Vledder is insisting that a Belgian murder is not within the jurisdiction of the Amsterdam police when DeKok suddenly runs off in pursuit of a man at the ceremony. Vledder is appalled. DeKok is unapologetic:

"Vledder arrived at a run, red in the face with exertion.

'What...what,' he stammered, 'do you think you're doing? It's outrageous. You disrupted the ceremony.'

Slowly DeKok regained his breath.

'I ran after a man.'

'What sort of man?'

'Ronald Kruisberg.'

Vledder looked a question.

'No, I meant, is he a fugitive? Are we looking for him?'

DeKok shook his head.

'He died...two years ago.'"

Baantjer has written sixty crime novels featuring Inspector Detective DeKok. DeKok is not unlike Sherlock Holmes, with a few personal foibles such as pulling his lip out and releasing it, much to the chagrin of observers. A television series based on Inspector DeKok's adventures is quite popular. The series has been published in China, Russia, Korea, and Europe. The appeal of Baantjer? The gritty realism; the attention to detail in the plotting; the characterizations; and the impossibility of the reader to guess whodunit. Baantjer is a gem whose audience knows the value of his work; his prowess with a tale; and his wisdom. Inspector DeKok is a maverick and is one of a kind.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

The corpse of Hendrick-Jan Assumber was fished out of the Scheldt River harbor in Antwerp, Belgium. The victim actually died from poisoning not drowning; since Hendrik-Jan known as Henry is a Dutch citizen, the Antwerp Police request Amsterdam Inspectors DeKok and Vledder to assist on their investigation.

The body is sent to Amsterdam for burial. Attending the funeral, DeKok notices another mourner Ronald Kriusberg who legally died over two years ago, but the very alive man flees before DeKok can detain him to learn why he is at the funeral as much as why he faked his demise. Not long after that incident Hendrik's widow is stunned to learn her late spouse's savings have been emptied. Nothing makes sense to DeKok who concludes that all roads lead to the Antwerp neighborhood of Bloedberg (Blood Mountain) where the Holy Pact for the Dying might include the victim as a signer.

In his twenty-third case, DeKok is at his best trying to find the ties between "dead" men in which every new clue makes the investigation seem fuzzier not lucid. DeKok seems so genuine and for an example when he chases after Richard he runs out of breathe rather quickly. Vledder enhances the inquiry especially with his continual questioning of why they are working a Belgium murder case. Fans of the series know this is always a super police procedural; newcomers have a lot of catching up to do.

Harriet Klausner

Design (Crash Course Series) [Thomas Hauffe] is a condensed history of design from the 18th through 20th century. Hauffe's writing style is interesting, informative and well thought-out. The book itself is visually stunning (a design feat in itself) with high quality images and an intuitive layout. Through the text, Hauffe explores the external influences - the developments and effects of technological advancements throughout time and the implications on design.

As a software engineer and an admirer of design / architecture, I find this small pocket book an excellent source of inspiration and an intriguing read. The factors influencing design also impact the realm of software design (a subset of design in general).
Technical, economic, aesthetic, and social developments along with political, psychological, cultural, ecological, and global influences will continue to impact software design (and all types of design). Throughout the text we can see that design is an integral part of history, and that innovation has been happening for centuries (designers have been constantly improving existing ideas). We can also observe that design is iterative (cyclic) and often occurs in patterns (similar to design patterns in the software realm).

This is an excellent book, a great source of inspiration. Many parallels can be drawn throughout this text and applied to any specific type of design.

We can learn more from history than we may think. Read!

I am an engineer with a love for design and architecture This book itself is well-designed and is printed in a handy 4-3/8" X 7-1/2" size that makes it ideal for carrying in a jacket pocket to read on an airplane or to use as a reference during a museum trip. It's richly illustrated on every page in color and printed on heavy, semi-gloss paper. The 192 pages cover the period 1750 - 1993 but are limited to European and American design. The book was originally published in Germany, and German designers have coverage that is perhaps disproportionate.

The appendices include a useful chronology, an ample bibliography, an index by subject, and an index of the more than 400 names whose work is mentioned in the body of the book. The glossary unfortunately is far too brief.

I have a very large library and prize books like this which can be repeatedly browsed with enjoyment or quickly used for reference. It would also make a nice gift for a young person with an interest in art who does not yet realize that art is all around us in things we use each day.

There are many books offering advise as to how to run a successful business but this is one of the few that puts all the pieces together in a format that is both educational and entertaining. Excerpts from classic business thinkers such as Peter Drucker, Spencer Johnson and Jim Collins make this book a very comprehensive guide for anyone looking to start their own business or improve on their existing business. It is clear when reading this book that Mr. Spiegel has done his research.

I really enjoyed Detours and Contradictions. I found the conversational tone of the book very engaging and appreciated all the concrete and useful ideas the chapters provided. The interviews from successful entrepreneurs in the field also lent an immediacy to the book that many business books lack-I was able to hear from real people how they made their business a success, from start to finish. Of special interest are the chapters on franchising and cash flow, subjects not normally covered in books of this type. There is an appealing mix here of pragmatic advice and empowering business philosophy. A great book for newer entrepreneurs and seasons veterans alike.

Rare texts, and very useful for any psychologist. Bernstein should be taught in any psychological program, especially describing behavioural acts.

This book is an extraordinary combination of a piece of history with the state-of-the-art research in the field of motor control. It contains a translation of a popular-science book by the Russian physiologist Nicholai A. Bernstein, and then a few commentaries describing the current state of the research in the field of motor control. Bernstein is one of the pioneers in the research of motor control and his book describes in a simple language the main properties and problems that are to be solved in order to understand the amazing dexterity of human motor control. Dexterity is in finding a motor solution for any situation and in any conditions. Bernstein describes many nice tails and legend to illustrate this ability, such as the Bible legend about the giant Goliath and young David, who defeated the giant with dexterity. Then he describes the origin and construction of movement and the problem of the excess degrees of freedom, which is referred to in the scientific literature as the Bernstein problem. This problem is due to the biological system being redundant. Redundancy is by no mean redundant, it contributes to the flexibility and reliability of the system, therefor I prefer to relate to the redundancy as a virtue rather then a problem. Bernstein considers redundancy as the main distinction between the motor apparatus in man and the higher animals and artificial devices, and after half of a century this problem is still open and we keep trying to understand and imitate the great dexterity that nature developed in controlling redundant systems. This book is recommended for the general scientific oriented public, such as the readers of Scientific American and especially to students in engineering and in medicine that are interested in the field of motor control