Peter Books

This book came to me as a gift of Love at a critical time in my life. It was, in the most literal sense, a God Send! Since that time I have purchased and given many copies to loved ones. I still re-read it often. Peter Erbe's words are beautiful, full of love and life changing! Peter, wherever you are I send my love, wish you well and am so grateful for your contribution to the planet! Kara

Before I read this book, I remembered reading a book titled "The Power of Belief" by Ray Dodd. Ray mentioned in his book about "I AM" and the opposing belief "I Am NOT". It is either I AM or I AM NOT. Which is it? I AM or I AM NOT. I AM NOT is a dream state, or rather, a nightmare.

I remembered writing a poem after that about an imaginary conversation I have with an angel and asking this angel how do I wake up from this nightmare, or what Peter O Erbe mentioned in his book, amnesia. We are all God having a human experience and worst of all, we have amnesia, and we have forgotten who we are and this amnesia is the root of all our problems.

And after reading Ray Dodd's book, I found Peter's book in a new age store, used book section. Was it an accident?. No. I was ready and my consciousness attracted the book as much as the book was attracted to me. Yes, the book chosed me and I chosed the book. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.

GOD I AM is a fantastic book to read and have, especially if your life is not working, is in a mess, and you need to set if right once more. Do not be surprised if harmony returns to your life after reading this book and applying the wisdom in it.

The information from this book comes from a loving and wise consciousness of which we are all a part of, and Peter is the instrument for the information to be uniquely communicated in a unique flavour. There are many books with the similar themes, but you will be drawn to the ones that you resonate.

Personally, I like Peter's style of explanation, although certain sentences i have to reread to understand the messages in its entirety.

I strongly recommend GOD I AM to put your life back in order again.

Love

El Solaris RP
[...]

Regardless of what spriitual path you have chosen to walk, God I Am: From Tragic to Magic will resonate with many truths within. It's a wonderful addition to a Course in Miracles and overall an extremely helpful source. Enjoy.

this man is highly intelligent as well as spiritually aware. This book tells it as it is, so it is one of these precious books that helps clarify yourself, and reveals the Truth of Life if one stays with the text, that is if one meditates the sentences that call for it.

on reading many "spiritual" books over the past 35yrs,this has got most of the answers,it completes the cycle,I felt I was reading what I had patterned together over the many years,but it is the only book to give me the final answers i have been in search of,and now need to only search with-in.Yes,hard to take in all that it is,but it is IT.Thank-you Peter for having the understanding of relating this insight ,with such clarity and simplicity,of examples,I hope many others every-where read this incredible book -judy

This book is a great read for anyone who is a student of life, not just of a martial art. It is philosophical, historical, and somewhat autobiographical in nature, and its lessons can apply to everyday life. I found the short chapter entitled "YU" or "Bravery" particularly relevant and moving to me personally.

Peter writes that "There is a grace, a depth and a character to the movement of the expert, akin to the fit of a well-broken pair of boots." Peter personifies this. He seems to glide gracefully through life. He is always the gentleman; always the master willing to lend his hand and expertise to the willing and eager student. At times, even in his own well-worn pair of boots! It is an honor to know a man of his character.

This collection of short stories is very philosophical and eclectic spanning a wide range of topics that all have to do with personal growth. The story Ihtaram: A Civil Code takes place takes decades ago on the Arabian Peninsula. The author incorporates Bushido principles as he tells of a good host allowing a murder to happen rather than violate the code of hospitality. The point of this extreme story is to show that the host chose to find resolution by working within the mandated code. I don't exactly agree with this viewpoint but the story was intriguing. I also loved the calligraphy and the quotations.

....ask those who have gone before. Sometimes, I struggle to blend eastern thought with everyday western living. Peter Hobart helps by taking years of experience and distilling it down to an essence over a few pages. Pick out either an idea or concept listed, and gain a new thought (or revisit an old one semi forgotten) to work on. Not just for the martial artist, also for those who wish to live, rather then exist.
The chapters may be thin, so what?! Never say in 300 words what can be said in 30.So, if you are wanting to stetch your mind, or just want a degree of clarity in everyday living, then perhaps this is the book for you.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Kishido: The Way of the Western Warrior" by Peter Hobart. The book can be read pretty quickly. It contains 50 short chapters in 161 pages and then includes a short Glossary of Japanese terms used in the book as well. While the chapters are short, the contain some very important lessons.

The book is a series of lessons that Hobart's martial art master passed to his students while not only teaching martial arts, but teaching virtues embedded in all traditional martial ways. The instructor taught through example that conduct is just as important as ability. He exemplified integrity, dignity, courtesy, chivalry, truth, trust, benevolence, and wisdom. He passed these lessons to his students, and now Hobart has written them down so the reader can blend the philosophical and spiritual concepts found in martial arts with the physical and technical training of their specific art.

The lessons include:

Part I: Foundation

1. Kishido The Way of the Western Warrior
2. Bumon Lineage
3. Shoshin An Open Mind
4. Junshin A Pure Heart
5. Fudoshin A Determined Spirit
6. Ihtaram A Civil Code
7. Enkyoku The Winding Way
8. Ganshiki Insight
9. Discretio Mater Virtutis Restraint
10. Noblesse Oblige Obligation

Part II: Range

1. Bangei Versatility
2. Bunbuichi Sword and Brush
3. Bokuden, Ima Anachronism?
4. Koji The Master Texts
5. Nihongo The Lingua Franca
6. Shika, Doka, Renga Expression
7. Heiho Strategy
8. Koan Mumonkan
9. Kanpo Healing
10. Garyotensei The Eyes of the Dragon

Part III: Strategy

1. Yohei Mercenaries and Merchants
2. Gi Right Decision
3. Yu Bravery
4. Jin Benevolence
5. Rei Right Action
6. Makoto Truth
7. Meiyo A Matter of Honor
8. Chugi Loyalty
9. Ichigo, Ichie The Power of One
10. Hanare Time to Let Go

Part IV: Harmony

1. The Dao Interconnectedness
2. Docere Versus Ducere Instructors and Educators
3. Primum Est Non Nocere First Do No Harm
4. Chaqun A Son Gout Horses for Courses
5. Shojin Demagogues and Curmudgeons
6. Stare Decisis Tradition
7. Girei Professional Courtesy
8. Kiki Opportunity
9. Kouhei No One is Above the Law
10. Tatsutoriatowonigosazu Leave Things a Little Better Than You Found Them

Part V: Void

1. Kotan Elegant Simplicity
2. Heisei Serenity
3. Fuga Refinement
4. Enryo Reserve
5. Panache A White Plume
6. Gyakute The Unexpected
7. Hokosaki Advance and Be Recognized!
8. Okunote The Other Hand
9. Matsunen The Final Days
10. Renzoku Passing the Torch


As you can see, there are quite a few topics with quite a range of lessons. I think some of the most important are illustrated in the final chapter, those of gi, yu, jin, rei, makoto, meiyo, and chugi; or Right Decision, Bravery, Benevolence, Right Action, Truth, Honor, and Loyalty.

The book is full of stories and examples of how the master not only taught the lessons, but lived them as well. I'll say again, you can read through this book quite quickly, but it will mean more if you savor each lesson and look to see if you are applying it to your own life. I know I related many of the lessons to teachings that I've had from my instructors and I looked for ways that I could better live by the code outlined in this book to make me a better teacher as well. I hope to be an example of these traits to my students also, and I truly believe if you are going to teach someone skills that can hurt or kill someone, you must also instill the positive character traits so that person will only use those skills if necessary and will never misuse the teachings.

I highly recommend this book. I believe the teachings Hobart has shared from the wise master will enhance your own martial art journey.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

Kishido: The Way of the Western Warrior
I've been studying martial arts for over 35 years (karate, aikido, iaido, and tai chi), and I'm also an amateur historian. Along the Way I've read a good deal (in translation largely) about budo and the historical contexts in which it evolved.

Recently I went in search of books to give as gifts to some of my students, and largely based on reviews at Amazon I picked 'Kishido'. However, to assure that it was 'worthy' for my purposes, I read it before presenting it. I could barely put this book down until I finished it. I've found little else that I've read that has touched me so profoundly and captured the essence of the martial arts, including autobiographies of the masters of the past century.

Not only did I present this to my students, I've now shared it with my peers and teachers, as well as added it to my library. This is one book I'll read more than once, and I highly recommend it to anyone who shares my love of budo.

My daughter has recently decided on a vegetarian diet much to the chagrin of the rest of the family. This book has provided recipes that we all can enjoy.

As is true with all of Linda McCarney's cookbooks, this one is a gem. The recipes are simple enough to prepare with not a lot of exotic ingredients. I own two of her other cookbooks and have not had a bad meal yet from Linda's kitchen. Lots of imaginative ways to prepare some common and not so common foods! Quite good; worth owning.

This book (and others by the late author, bless her kind heart) can make going meatless easy for anyone. The recipes are very tasty, can be served without letting your guests (and their kids) know that they're dining veggie. Spring it on them later as they heap compliments on you for your cooking. I think lots of people really want to go meatless and don't know where to start or they associate veggie eating with tasteless, "salady" food. Start here, and if you don't want to spend the dough, I'll lend you my copy. I mean it. Start saving animals and eating well today.

The dishes are well-explained and easy to follow. While we are not vegetarians, we do like to occasionally eat vegetable-only dinners as a change-of-pace. The recipes we have tried have been delicious.

I heartily, no pun intended, recommend this for anyone who enjoys an interesting, and probably different, taste offering to one's palate.
Bon appetite.

The transaction was a beeze as well.

I lost my first cookbook and intro to vegetarian cooking by Linda in a divorce. It took some time to replace. I absolutely love her receipes. Thanks to Linda McCartney (may she rest in peace)and her cookbook, it was an easy transition into the vegetarian eating style.

This is a great book by a tremendously talented writer. The geographic range of Peters' journeys is vast but his tone is engagingly familiar, like an old friend holding forth on the world as he met it, and as it met him. While his medium is language, Peters has the perspective of a visual artist, able to capture a single moment that distils the zenith and nadir of a country's history. He is equally capable of finding the humorous heart of any situation, no matter how unpromising a prospect that may seem. This book is brimming with great stories, poignant moments, and more passages than I can count that made me laugh to near tears. Humor leavens the keen eye Peters casts on a threatened and threatening world. its too often reckless governments and their hapless agents.

I'd advise anyone considering the book not to be put off by a review or two here that perhaps imply it will appeal to only those of a distinctly conservative bend. The author's insights will surprise, delight, engage, and yes, sometimes provoke those of all political persuasions because Peters himself met the world head on, prepared to be surprised, delighted, engaged and provoked.

I cannot understand how the ten previous reviewers gave this book five stars. If I had to guess, I would say that either they are all friends of the author, or that they appreciate his far right perspective on the world. Although I prefer to write short reviews, there are so many examples of the book's flaws, that merely listing examples will take considerable space and words.

A short review, without examples, would list the following flaws:
1. The generally negative and nasty tone of the author.
2. The superficial nature of his observations.
3. An awful writing style, which can only be described as a modern day Bulwer-Lytton trying to write like Raymond Chandler.

The author does have some valid and interesting points to make on missing POW/MIA's, the drug trade in third world countries, and the political situation in the Pakistani military.

Unfortunately these small points are embedded in a narrative where the author (usually accompanied by an amusing and amazing side-kick) is traveling in awful cars/planes/trains to awful places, full of awful people, eating awful foods, drinking too much disgusting alcoholic beverage of one kind or another, experiencing awful smells, and sleeping in awful hotels with awful service, before moving on to more of the same. All too infrequently, the narrative is brightened by some sentimental and touching observations about some sympathetic women or some not awful architecture. I am generally at a loss to understand how a person who has enough intelligence and musical understanding to contrast the difference between the suave subtleties of Maria Joao Pires and the spikey vigor of Martha Argerich in the performance of Beethoven sonatas could have written this book; but that's the nature of the human mind.

If you are interested in learning about the countries of central Asia, formerly included in the Soviet Union, I would recommend reading either Robert Kaplan The Ends of the Earth: A Journey at the Dawn of the Twenty-first Century or Colin Thubron The Lost Heart of Asia (P.S.).

Examples of Col. Peter's dislikes:
Istanbul: Istanbul may "look West," but it does so over one shoulder as its spirit staggers east. Having killed or driven out the Armenians, Greeks and Jews who supplied it with genius....P. xi

Take your pick: Russian men are hopeless, Arab in their assumption of male privilege, medieval in their appetites, Celtic in their weakness for daydreams, and Persian in their disdain for honest work. P.30

Our State Department: ...the embassy in Moscow, a hen-house of bureaucrats who loved to peck their own kind. P.78 (See also P.172 & 224)

Belgrade: Belgrade was a pit. ... The people I met were surly and fearful - unless they were drunk, ... P.87

Intellectuals: The least savory human being is the "man of ideas." P.88

Serbs: That was my first introduction to the lethargy of the Serb mind. P.93

Scandinavians: Rhodes, one of those islands where Scandinavians pack in like sardines and boil themselves like lobsters. ... boisterous drunkards ... bred north of the Alps. P.101

Anybody associated with the Clinton administration: See P. 146, 263, 286, 315, 316, 317 & 326

Tajikistan & Kyrgyzstan: Tajikistan is chronically broken, while Kyrgyzstan's chronically bumbling. P. 149

Peoples of the Caucasus: The Azeris welcome foreigners eagerly, wondering what they can gain from the acquaintance. Erratic Muslims, they then get drunk and forget to ask for the favor. Georgians are hearty, but lapse visibly into their calculations when the think you aren't watching. ... [Armenians], too, would gladly profit from knowing you ... but they're too proud to beg. P.173

Saudis: Everywhere, the Saudis took an interest in human suffering only if it offered them an entry point for missionary activities. P. 204 In my experience, no power on earth has done more harm to civilization over the past generation than Saudi Arabia. P.205

Bolshoi ballerinas: ...backstage at the Bolshoi, where the decay was as startling as the vulgarity of the pimply ballerinas. P.225

Pakistani tastes in architecture and interior decoration: ...West-aping furnishing and knickknacks that can best be described as trailer-court neo-classical. ...the Paks [sic] chose the worst of the West. Even the huge Faisal Mosque ... owes more of its design to shiny trinkets won at an amusement park, than to Islam's building heritage. Islamabad is a geometrically plotted concentration of ostentatious mansions as unbalanced in design as they are in morality. P.253

Urdu: Urdu, a congealed barracks language, ... P.256

English as spoken in America's inner cities: ... our own inner cities, where competitive English is no longer spoken and the inchoate victims of an indulgent educational system find themselves unable to share in the wealth of a society that demands English-based literacy ... P.256

British officers : ...the Pakistanis officer corps traditionally has been an educational elite, as well, which is an accusation impossible to level at British officers. P.258

U.S. flag officers [Generals & Admirals]: The [Pakistani] generals in power now speak better English than do most U.S. flag officers and understand the world beyond their borders with broad sophistication. P.258

India: ...no friend of U.S. interests, and a country that has dismembered Pakistan in a series of wars. P.261

Islam: The Islamic world between Morocco and Pakistan is so fraught with male fear, self-doubt, self-loathing, and reality avoidance that it has condemned itself to endless mediocrity. P.280

Arabs, Persians and Paks [sic]: The levels of civilizational [sic] performance are so disparate that the self-aggrandizing fantasies of Arabs, Persians and Paks constitute their only sources of dignity. Like children, they make it all up. P.287

Examples of Col. Peter's writing style:
Moscow survived centuries of misrule, invasion, and lethal philosophy by hunching its shoulders and plodding onward, never without a worried backward glance. P.28

With a long-dead writer. P30

Measure the difference between an enemy's mundane existence and his self-image, and you arrive at the shortest distance your bullet need travel. P.45

The green hills seemed sloppy drunk in their lushness,... P.72

Grimy and shabby though it was before Margaret Thatcher spanked it and gave it a scrub, London was good to me. P.85

July grimed the air. P88

We talked about the United States and its disinterest in soccer, ... P.89

We rode through the poor country in evening light, throbbing over the rails. P.90

The landscape was visual cocaine. P.96

Dusty and inert, the town outside the main gate sprawled across the desert like an old dog in a coma. P.96

Refusing to look back. P.110

Congealed heat settled on our cots like winter blankets. P.138

Moscow in winter smelled of armpits and crotches and automobiles exhaust. P.225

As light as a flirt's fingertips, evening soothed the bare skin of our forearms. P.227

We flew on through a clear sky on a skillet afternoon. P.236

...the brown valleys had the look of skin around an old man's eyes. P.263

What a treat to have this insight - through the brilliant eyes of Ralph Peters - into a decade or more of change across a part of the world that was considered rough when the Polo brothers crossed it and has improved little since. As an intelligence officer dedicated to his own education, Peters, often accompanied by military colleagues, recounts his stories and observations during days spent crisscrossing the "broken world" of areas that would soon break away from the former Soviet Union, and of the rough border areas - places like Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Balkans.

This is a work unlike Peters' more recent books in that it focuses on his travels and adventures rather than on geopolitical forecasts and military analysis. In that aspect it quickly captures even the most casual reader and zips him though the pages with the pacing of an old-fashioned adventure yarn. However, those readers who have become spoiled by Peters' excellent writing will get their fill and more in this book. His lyricism, skill with metaphor both biting and poetic, scalpel-like analysis, and ability to turn an awful situation into side-splitting humor season every page.

One of the most valuable aspects of Peters' book is the x-ray vision it provides into a decaying Soviet system that is now rising out if its coffin like Dracula. Following Peters into Georgia, for example, with the border hostility, internecine rivalries, and revanchist Russian spirit - visible even then - makes one realize that his observations are as pointed and relevant now as they were at the time.

Looking for Trouble wanders around a part of the world that few know - none with Peters' perspicacity - and are rarely visited, yet that are burning fuses on today's powder-keg politics. Want to understand present day Georgia-Russia issues? Look here to find root causes. Same with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.

The truths that Peters reveals are as appealing and valuable as is the beauty of his presentation. This is a must-read book for anyone who has a spirit of adventure, a sense of history, and a desire to learn about the issues that stampede across our headlines and threaten to overwhelm.

Buy this book immediately. It is too good to wait! Then make sure you get a couple and send to your friends. You will be their new hero just as Ralph Peters will be yours.

I had never heard of--much less read--Ralph Peters before this book. And, although I was a Military Intelligence officer 35 years ago, I never served with him or anyone else mentioned in the book or in the other reviews. Only through a recent review of this book in The Denver Post was I introduced to Ralph Peters and his writings (some of us are apparently still rather isolated from New York periodicals out here in the Wild West despite Hunter Thompson having lived, and died, in "Glitter Gulch").

So, I was more than surprised to find a former OCS-trained, Russian-speaking spook from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania to be so incredibly literary. Talk about a soldier who squeezed every drop of juice from his military career; Uncle Sugar should be proud. And, not only literary, he had me going from hilarious laughter to tears at the turn of a single page. What a life he has created for himself! Rudyard Kipling had nothing on Ralph Peters.

Peter's word pictures of the areas he has traveled through often reminded me more of Edward Abbey's descriptions of the Canyonlands region than of Kipling's of India. He also expresses Abbey's disdain for "alphabet soup" agencies of the Federal government, although he had to deal with a considerably different portion of the alphabet than did Abbey. However, Abbey didn't particularly like people (an understatement, I know), which certainly can't be said of Ralph Peters, who is as keen a participant in life as he is an observer of his fellow man.

This book fascinated me so much that, even before finishing it, I downloaded and read his prescient 1998 Army War College article on "Our New Old Enemies." Now I have one of his early fiction books on order. Already I can tell that this is going to be a "Ralph Peters" autumn!

I always enjoy reading Ralph Peters' writing. He has such a fresh take on the subjects he writes about that it can be jarring. However, once you take the time to think about it you are better off having considered his thinking whether you end up agreeing with him or not. This book has the especially nice benefit of being funny as well as insightful, informative, and challenging. Peters can write in a delightfully entertaining fashion while writing about matters that are serious at their core. This is no mean feat. I mean, how can you not love a chapter on the War on Drugs called "Elvis, Buddha, and the Burrito of the Apocalypse"? When you read the chapter, it is even funnier.

This book is a memoir of his travels around the world doing his work as an intelligence officer for the military and covers the years 1990 to 1996. The story is not told sequentially, but in a way that helps us understand our present situation in the world. We get a tour of parts of the old Soviet Union. Peters is wonderful in showing us how the cultures that the Soviets tried to suppress reasserted themselves after the USSR contracted into Russia. He is also free in his analysis about why America has so much wrong about this region (and other regions) of the world.

We even get a tour around the world when he worked for McCaffrey in battling drugs. Peters is willing to name names and discuss how the organizations responsible for fighting the War on Drugs are more interested in protecting their bureaucratic empires than in coordinating their forces and fighting effectively. Of course, Peters has also said the same things about the Pentagon many times.

This is an excellent read that will entertain you as well as give you insights into areas of the world I don't think you can get anywhere else and you also get fresh insights into America's politics.

Recommended.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

This is a major compilation of the work of the intriguing graphic artist, M. C. Escher. Remember seeing depictions of events that seem plausible but, under closer analysis, involve impossibilities? That describes some of Escher's most interesting works.
The book provides just about everything Escher produced (appearing in the "Catalog" section of the book), including his earliest works compiled during his teens. Among the most well known (and fascinating) include "The Waterfall," "Ascending and Descending March," "Convex and Concave," "Liberation," "Synthesis," "House of Stairs," and so on. The catalog section is fun, for one thing, simply to trace the evolution of his art.

But there is more to this volume than the works themselves. The volume provides context, with a brief description of his father's life as well as a more detailed analysis of Escher's life, from his birth in 1898 to his death in 1972.

There is also a most useful chapter labeled "The Vision of a Mathematician" (featuring the thoughts of mathematics teacher Bruno Ernst). It begins by noting two periods in the work of Escher--(page 135): ". . .pre 1935, in which landscapes predominate, and post 1937, which is characterized by a marked mathematical tendency." Ernst describes the mathematical principles in some detail (for those interested in this, a fascinating discussion). The textual portion of the book concludes with an essay by Escher himself on "The Regular Division of the Plane," including his reflections on his art.

This book has been around a while, but it is a valuable backdrop to getting a sense of the art of M. C. Escher.

I love everything Escher. I have several books, numerous calendars, as well as large jigsaw puzzles, T-shirts, magnets and mini jigsaw puzzles. Because of the detail in this book, I will never need to add another book to my collection. I especially appreciate the explanations. I am nowhere near smart enough to figure out what Escher was doing in each of his artworks. The detailed lesson on what each piece means is much appreciated by an art fan who is not an art scholar. I think this book would be great for any Escher fan, but I feel the need to tell you it is very large. Make sure you have room for it.

And c'mon - if you've seen his work, you're a fan.

The great thing about this book is not just the extensive and readable biography, but the complete (so they say) catalog of his graphic works. Even people very familiar with Escher's ouvre will be surprised by some of the entries here. They go back to work he did at ages 18 and 19, and show the devleopment of the Escher that has become so famous. It's just a little disappointing that the catalog is printed only in black and white, when so many of his works used color. The catalog reproductions are just that - a listing of his work, not a gallery, so the quarter-page size of most pieces is adequate for recognizing a piece, if not for appreciating it fully.

It is fascinating to see Escher's style develop though his (and the twentieth century's) twenties. Various influences early on suggest Beardsley (cat. 49, 67), Picasso (cat. 51, 58), or the pervasive Art Deco of his time (cat.34). Even then, some of Escher's later fascinations begin to emerge, including hands and reflective balls (cat. 88 and 80), symmetries and tilings (cat. 61, 65), and complex interactions of many figures in a repeating structure (cat. 90). The lesser-known parts of his work also start to emerge by the time he's 30, including delicate lithographs (cat. 129, 132). As much as I love his visual paradoxes and flirtation with the infinite, the lithos and mezzotints are the pieces that truly move me. "Snow" and "Blowball" (cat. 278 and 330) have an eloquent simplicity. "Eye" and "Drop" (cat. 344 and 356) demonstrate his classical sense and his perseverance with the demanding medium of mezzotint.

The text is also thorough and enjoyable - a good thing, since it takes up half of this heavy book, including its own set of illustrations. I admit that I have only skipped around this section, which starts by describing Escher's father. It's small wonder that his father was an engineer and that his son Arthur studied geology. Although an artist to the core, Escher had fruitful contact with mathematicians and crystallographers. He is one of very few artists that have successfully incorporated hard science into their artistic vision at such a visceral level, and the scientists appreciated that as much as anyone.

Although out of print, this book is available inexpensively on the used market. It's one of the best bargains around; if you've read this far, you'll probably find it well worth having.

//wiredweird

I haven't even had a chance to go through all of this remarkable book yet, but I am so impressed with it so far I cannot burble enough about how delighted I am with my purchase. This is a beautifully produced, designed, and wonderfully complete book. Many tales of the personal life an vision of the artist, countless, cleanly reproduced graphics, many works I have never seen or heard of before. Terrific! Can't recommend enough!!!

Definitely the first book every Escher fan should purchase. It's helpful in getting to know about the man himself as well as his brilliant artwork. It may seem pricey, but it's totally worth it, being hardcover (at least the one I got), and high quality photos of his work. It also shows his lesser known works (ones never released apparently), as well as photos of himself and his family. A very informative read and a quality edition.

After months of "patiently" waiting for this title to come out in paperback, my almost 10 year old was thrilled to see its delivery from the UPS man. He LOVED this book, as he has the previous books and thinks they should all be made into movies and/or tv shows. He reads every night before bed, but usually only for about 20 minutes before falling fast asleep. With this book, he was up 2 hours after "lights-out" not wanting to put it down. Now he begins the wait for the next installment to be available in paperback.

I absolutely love this series. I have read them all but book 6, and can't wait for it to be released. I can see this series becoming very popular.

The 5th book is wonderful, but the end bit, which has to do with the Scarlet Hand, is extremely confusing. Furthermore, the 6th book (yes, its out!)has a plot that doesnt really match up with the 5th. Still, its an extremely compelling read, I suggest that you buy it!

I am sure that I am not the target market for this series, as I will turn 56 in less than a week. In spite of that I have to say that I love this series of books. The sisters and their extended family keep me entertained, crying and rolling on the floor with laughter.
I recently discovered these books when reading a newspaper article about the frenzy around the release of the sixth book.

I was a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and since there probably will never be another one am glad to find a replacement that is just as good and sometimes better.

I can't wait for the 7th installment, to find out what myths and fairy tale stories will have new light shed on them.

The adventures never seem to end for fairy-tale detectives Sabrina and Daphne Grimm. This time they are investigating a series of thefts of magical items like Baba Yaga's Wand of Merlin, Morgan le Fay's Wonder Clock, and water from the Fountain of Youth. Usually Granny Relda and Mr. Canis help them solve mysteries, but Sabrina and Daphne are pretty much on their own this time. Granny Relda is busy trying to raise money to pay her property tax and Mr. Canis is finding it harder and harder to stop turning into the Big Bad Wolf. Will Sabrina and Daphne be able to find the thief before they run out of time?

"Magic and Other Misdemeanors" is another great entry in Michael Buckley's delightful "The Sisters Grimm" fairy-tale detective series. Sabrina and Daphne continue to grow as characters in each book, especially Sabrina, 12 years old by the end of the book and not nearly as angry as she was in the earlier books. Buckley does a great job of incorporating fairy tale and other legendary characters such as Cinderella, Goldilocks, some of the seven dwarfs, the Queen of Hearts, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and many more. It's always fun to see how he tweaks the various characters - for example, Puss `N Boots is an exterminator, Cinderella hosts a radio talk show called The Dr. Cindy Show, and the witch from Hansel and Gretel is a (not very good) dentist. There's a wonderful sense of humor throughout the book (the magic mirror's computer still being on dial-up and Granny Relda's "recipes" are just two examples of that humor). There are some scary moments, but nothing too frightening. The reason for the theft of the magical items has been done before, but Buckley somehow makes it seem fresh.

"Magic and Other Misdemeanors" is aimed at ages 9 - 12, but readers young and old will enjoy it.

Must read if you want to feel empowered about helping your child get all the resources he/she needs in the school and in the community.

This book will walk you through the process of getting your child evaluated and the steps needed to insure your child gets the best schooling that is available. It will cover your rights as a parent and how to work together with the school system. Prior to getting this book, I had already taken the necessary steps and was armed with lots of knowledge on the subject but I still learned a lot from reading it. If you're new to ADHD or not sure of what your entitlements are, this book is a must have. Worth every penny.

I saw this book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble, but passed it up with its long title. My bookclub friend who also has a boy with ADD told me it was "the best", so I went back and got it. I have now read it cover-to-cover, made lots of marks in the margins, flagging the sections that are right on the mark for me.

The book is like a how-to guide, giving problem-solving tips in each of the areas that I've been challenged by: getting the school system to work with me, and to give my 9-year old son additional resources (the letters on how to request additional help from the school were fantastic!), making a book to help me organize all of the records; helping him find friends, and even working with my boss, who had given me a hard time for missing work for Martin's medical appointments.

The tips and examples from other parents from other parents like me were VERY good, and for the first time in the last 3 years since his diagnosis, I am hopeful that we're going to make it, seeing how other parents have done it.

Thank YOU, Dr. Jensen!!

Moms and dads, buy, beg, borrow, or steal this book. I've read about 12 books now, but this was the one I needed from three years ago. Lehcy

Of all the ADHD books I have read, about 8 at this point, I have learned the most from this one. It is practical, and has lots of tips. I now have a binder that I use that I take with me to all of my child's meetings, and to my visits with the Sammi's doctor. My book is almost completely marked up, and in the margins of about every 2nd or 3rd page, there is an underline, or a "do this."

IF YOU WANT THE BEST FOR YOUR CHILD WITH ADHD, AND WANT TO TAKE CHARGE OF HIS FUTURE, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU. TOMAS

I have read numerous books and articles on ADHD to become as informed as possible on my son's ADHD. Most make me feel better by realizing I am not alone in my struggle to parent a child with this disorder. This book went beyond making me feel better and gave me practical guidance to get organized and be proactive when dealing with teachers and my son's school. I now have an accordian file with a handle that I take to all my meetings related to my son. I refer to this book frequently as needed. It has been a resource to me over and over. I HIGHLY recommend this book to all parents with an ADHD child.

I opened the book and have found it in excellent shape, and I also glanced through the pages and read bits and pieces as I went through it. It is surprising to know how many types of bugs you can eat. It will be kept for future reference. A very good book.

Excellent full color photography. This could have been more indepth on recipes. There must be a lot more types of edible insects than what is shown here and some step by step meal preparation in full color would really help in rounding out this scratch on the surface edible insects. The book is more of a coffee table conversation piece than a chef's delight but what is presented here gives some insight into cultures and is far superior to any line drawing presentation.

A delightful book featuring an eight year on-again off-again survey of...BUGS ON THE DINNER PLATE! The authors search for insect eaters willing to be photographed with their cuisine and share their knowledge. The photos are plentiful and absolutely brilliant.

Peter alternates essays with Faith and is consistently more enthusiastic about experiencing every taste: "If day-old fried chicken had no bones, hair instead of feathers, and were the size of a newborn sparrow, they might taste like tarantula." Faith only ate a two inch piece of tarantula leg. Peter says Faith is a lightweight. "Big deal!" says Faith.

The South African ladies' lunch group was aghast when they heard about the Chinese, who eat raw scorpions with their stingers and poison sacs removed or stir-fried without the subtraction. "I wouldn't eat them," one of them said, as she downed her fried termites. Both groups would probably be repulsed by the New Guinea boys who eat raws grubs or roasted stink bugs for a mid-morning snack - or the Indonesian woman who likes cicada and says, "It's better than pig." What constitutes acceptable vs repulsive food seems to be a matter of locale and culture.

Obviously, our supermarkets are culturally limited, offering only a narrow slice of what world cuisine offers. The authors provide formal recipes for witchetty grub dip, fried water bugs with plum sauce, scorpion soup, grasshopper tacos, stink bug pate, mealworm spaghetti, and sundried mopane worms. Many simpler recipes may be gleaned from the text.

Peter Menzel is an award-winning photographer. Faith D'Aluisio, his wife, is an award winning TV news and documentary producer. The book covers trips to thirteen countries, mostly third-world - definitely a 5-star effort.

A feast (or just a snack) of insects sounds almost revolting unless of course you deep fry them or place them in lollipops or my favorite barbecued. Whats not to love about straight from the earth cuisine which is actually considered delicacies in many countries. Menzel demonstrates that every continent gets enjoyment from tasty insect treats. But because Menzel is such an amazing photographer, its hard not to have your skin crawl when you see a girl eating a spider, or women eating grubs (look like albino catepillers), or the vast amounts of scorpions runnng aimlessly around a man's feet. I particularly think the roasted termites were very disturbing since they look like rat size roaches. I dont mean to sound childish, this book is much more then just unique cuisine, its another way that Menzel is making us globally aware of our neighbors. The photography is beautiful and vivid plus the paragraphs speaking of the insects and thier importance makes you feel a little respect for things we usually step on. Menzel is once again a genious and a little offbeat (in the best of ways) with this book.

This book has always been a big hit with the numerous public school classes that visit our museum. I only have to hold it up to get a reaction, usually a groan, but it sure gets their attention. It also starts discussions and questions even when other parts of the presentation have not. The photos are great and add immensely to the charm of the book.

In general Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio have written a book in "Man Eating Bugs: The Art and Science of Eating Insects" that is largely color photos. But what photos! Each present parts of a story involving the way various cultures employ insects in their cuisine. This brings up a question used by a much earlier author as a book title - "Why Not Eat Insects?" Many (but by no means all!) species of both insects and arachnids are as edible as the shrimp and crabs we Americans love to consume. We of course have to be cautious (not a good idea to eat cockroaches, despite some "reality" TV programs!), but there are a number of "safe" species that have been "taste tested" so to speak. In addition, we unwittingly consume tons of insects in various agricultural products simply because they pose no health hazard and are nearly impossible to remove.

If you have to deal with children in education or if you are just curious about what other cultures eat, this is a great book both to read and just to peruse. I would think that it would find its way to school libraries and to home schoolers lists of resources!

This is an amazing book, not only for fans of Pink Floyd, but for anyone who's interested in photography or surreal art. The text is entertaining and gives a lot of insight into the creative and production process, and some amusing anecdotes as well.

If you like Pink Floyd, art, design or album cover, this is the best book I ever read.

Buy NOW!! =)

Definitivamente es la mejor adquisición Floydiana que uno puede hacer de todos los lanzamientos del último año.
Thorgerson es dueño de una imaginación y talento asombrosos. En este libro que posee prácticamente todo su trabajo relacionado a Pink Floyd hay muchas pruebas de ello.
Vale la pena totalmente, junto al Libro de Nick Mason son un complemento perfecto para entender la magia que ronda a Pink Floyd en sus dos ámbitos principales: música y artes visuales.

Storm Thorgerson is the artist who designed the bulk of Pink Floyd's artwork, and "Mind Over Matter" is a combination of memoir, scrapbook, and gallery. With the possible exception of Led Zeppelin, no British rock band of the 1970s paid closer attention than Pink Floyd to the potent magic a well-designed album cover could lend to music the album contained. Much like Zeppelin, it's almost impossible to think of Pink Floyd's music without imagining the incredible visuals on their album covers. In essence, Thorgerson is almost an adjunct member of the band.

Graphic artists will appreciate this collection because Thorgerson's almost Magritte-like graphic style is also perfectly and endlessly adaptable to the commercial marketing. Casual Floyd fans will get a kick out seeing so many classic Floyd images reproduced at much larger than CD size. More serious Floyd fans will savor Thorgerson's behind-the-scenes insights regarding the band. (I was surprised to learn that Thorgerson leans more towards Gilmour than Waters). Throughout,the author discusses his designs in a very straightforward, conversational, non-pretentious way. As a bonus, he also includes graphics from Floyd tour books, posters, and DVD clamcases.

Given that so little video footage exists of Floyd, this oversized hardcover collection provides the perfect collection of visuals to leaf through while you're listening to "Dark Side of the Moon" for the umpteenth time.

I absolutely knew I had to purchase "this" book the second I saw the book cover. Storm Thorgerson is utterly amazing, eyecatching & perhaps a bit eccentric (aren't most true artists?) I loved reading about his ideas/how he came up with them & how he laid them out in the end, and after reading this book, I now want to check out other material on him as well. Pink Floyd is indeed legendary as are the works of Storm Thorgerson. A Fantastic view of Unimaginable Talent. Check it out.

A beautifully illustrated book full of good ideas for kitchen design.
While the focus is on bungalow-style, much of the information could be applied to kitchens in any style home

We finished building our new Craftsman home a few months ago. This book was very helpful in determining how we should create a kitchen that looked like it belongs in a bungalow, while keeping with modern conveniences. The chapters cover every detail from top to bottom, wall to wall, and there are beautiful photos that help you visualize each point. This book would be helpful for new homes like ours, and also for restorations. It shows how you can bring bungalow style to your home without it looking outdated and old. For me, this book was much more useful than "Bungalow Kitchens" by Jane Powell, which is more for the obsessive bungalow restorer. Peter LaBau shows you how you can utilize modern materials and conveniences in a "bungalow" way.

We recently remodeled the kitchen in our 1927 bungalow. We were a bit lost early on, finding only occasional examples in the dozen or so kitchen books that we used. This book offers details of 17 bungalow kitchens of many shapes and styles, and one (#13, if you're interested) provided the inspiration for our design.

What a joy to pick up a book and see photos of lovely kitchens in my size -- meaning, not McMansion. I am so disheartened by all the kitchen porn featuring 48 inch ranges under huge hoods behind islands with seating for six! Though the book specifically references the bungalow style, the photos and narrative describe how the Colonials and Tudors evolved early in the century, and there is plenty of visual and descriptive information applicable to these styles too. I especially liked the emphasis on finding ways to use authentic materials and styling while incorporating modern appliances, from lighting to cooking and even surfaces. The earlier book, Bungalow Kitchens, took on a very proscriptive voice, for example, absolutely banning in-ceiling spot lights. New Bungalow Kitchens, by contrast, is much more ecumenical, recognizing it is no sin to want to acknowledge and utilize the best of the current offerings, and provides real guidance on how to accomplish this without blatantly violating the period aesthetic. There are lovely kitchens in both dark stained and light painted finishes. It seems the author has a few favorite kitchens that were pictured over and over throughout the book. But the ones he chose certainly bore up well in their close-ups. I got several ideas that I can actually use, in fact, probably more ideas than I can actually use.

Lush photos, sparking ideas for kitchen designs in arts-and-crafts bungalows, and crisp writing make this book a valuable tool for any bungalow owner contemplating a kitchen redesign. Even if you don't own a bungalow, the photos are worth the price of the book.