Peter Books

A Game of Inches is an excellent resource for the serious baseball fan as well as an interesting read for the more casual fan. Peter Morris's exhaustive research and analytical writing style make this book the definitive work on the innovations in baseball since the mid-1800s.

This is a must for any base ball fan interested in the evolution of the game. Mr. Morris covers the bases with subjects like the introduction of pine tar to the elimination of left handed 2nd basemen. He does it with a narrative style you don't find in many historical books. It is the vintage ballists companion.

Any fan of baseball on any level will enjoy this well researched volume on the development of baseball as it is played today.

A genuinely outstanding book, probably the most important baseball history book published this year. Morris has found something new and important in his research on virtually every page, and writes very well. It is amazing how many of the basic strategies and tactics of baseball can be documented as having been used in 1860, and certainly by the 1890s.

A GAME OF INCHES: THE STORIES BEHIND THE INNOVATIONS THAT SHAPED BASEBALL isn't your usual coverage of major players or major memorable games: it's the first of two projected volumes to provide an encyclopedia reference covering the origins of the sport's major items, from catchers' masks to cork-center baseballs. Included in each listing are discussions of what led each new item to emerge when and how it did - much in the manner of a Burke review of history's causes and influences - and a chronicle of the responses to these changes and innovations. Baseball's legacy is the result of many influences, inventions and innovations: here's the place to read about them all.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

A good introduction to the theory of generating functions and their uses. In fact, the only readable introduction I could find. It is NOT one of those many generation functions books written by mathematicians for mathematicians.
Shows lots and lots of neat tricks that become available for a "generatingfunctionologist" in the fields of combinatorics and probability.
All the material is presented in a very clean, organized way, with good examples. I use it as a hands-on reference book.

Generatingfunctionology is, in my opinion, one of the best mathematics books ever written. If you want to read one mathematics book that really makes a difference, this is it! I read the book twice, and I plan to read it again. I went from being rather inept at solving combinatorial problems to being a virtual "master" almost overnight! Wilf's writing style is clear, concise, and even humorous at times. Reading this book is like being blind and then having your eyes opened for the first time. Generating functions are an extremely powerful tool in number theory and combinatorics. Don't pass up this book! You may never become an Euler, but you sure can come close!

Interested readers should be made aware that if a person does a net search for "Herbert Wilf's Home Page", and then goes to that site, the author has this book (and a number of other things)available for FREE downloading. That might be a great way to preview the book, even if you later decide to spend the money to get a nicely bound traditional copy here.

This book is freely available online, but it is so good that it is worth buying a hard-copy of, and it's reasonably priced too. I would advise potential buyers to check it out online; you'll probably find that you like it, and you'll probably buy it after you get tired of staring at your screen or making printouts.

Wilf is an outstanding writer, among the best writers in mathematics; this book is a true pleasure to read. His explanations are lucid and he has a great sense of humor. This book is not particularly advanced, although it is one of those texts that you can keep coming back to; it takes quite some time to exhaust the material in it and I have certainly not come close to doing so. It covers generating functions in the form of ordinary power series, exponential power series, and Dirichlet series, and it touches on a few other types of generating functions as well. There is a chapter on the exponential formula and a chapter which explores a more systematic approach to counting. The last chapter is on analytic methods to study asymptotic approximations to counting functions. The book is well organized; topics flow naturally, and yet it is easy to skip topics and move around freely. The exercises are immensely useful. They start simple, but there are many of them and they become progressively more difficult in a natural way.

This book would be suitable for an undergraduate course in combinatorics, and it also makes a good supplementary text for anyone studying combinatorics or possibly complex analysis at the graduate level. I find this book is excellent for self-study at any level as well. Check it out for yourself!

A wonderful book; sometimes it isn't so much formal as requested for a mathematical exposition of the subject. It does not contain so much about analytic combinatorics (study of G.F. according to complex analysis), and hypergeometric functions. But it remains a good book for everyone who never saw something about this subject. It presents to the reader a great variety of manipulating techniques for combinatorial sequences (and not only); I think it is a must-have (also must-read) for everyone who wants to start working in combinatorics; you must read it at least two times to master all the techniques.
Well, and it is written by H. Wilf...I think this can be a good motivation to read it.

Book is well illustrated, with lots of good information on period furniture.

Excellent service and book as good as or better than originally thought to be. Would definitely order from them again.

This book is a classic and all the other reviews are right-on. If you're interested in woodworking--especially creating antique reproduction designs buy this book. It's cheap. Now if you're a woodworking novice, you'll likely be intimidated at the design detail saying "how can anyone ever carve that!" and you'll be tempted to throw it on the shelf and forget it. That's OK. If you keep doing woodworking, you'll find yourself coming back to look at Chippendale. You'll go to antique shows and museums and see the real thing and eventually gain the confidence to give it a try. The book is inspiring in its design. You should own it if you're interested in finewoodworking because over the years, your comfort with it will be a measure of your own woodworking maturity.

The ball and claw foot is perhaps the one thing most commonly associated with Chippendale, but it is omitted entirely since it had gone out of fashion by the time he wrote the book. Instead, he includes Rococo, Chinese, and Gothic designs. The Rococo designs are extremely heavily ornamented, and fashioned in the most outlandish curved shapes: if you ever thought Pablo Picasso and "modern art" was too far out, take a look at these! The ribbon back chairs struck me as a particularly interesting design. The Chinese designs are far more subdued, and most have a bit of a swastika motif built into them. The editor for the modern version has added an appendix with several photographs of original Chippendale era furniture (not necessarily built by Chippendale himself), including several chosen to show that it really was possible to build the more elaborate designs. This is perhaps the single most historically significant book on furniture design ever written, and no furniture library would be complete without it.

This large catalog style paper back book is an excellent reference for architecture, furniture and design. Black drawing on newsprint paper, this book was a catalog of Thomas Chippendale's furniture shop in England and gives detailed motifs for the antique dealer and cabinet maker alike.

All of the philosophers covered in this volume are difficult to read. They are difficult to read for several reasons, including: 1) some of the translations of the primary texts are mediocre at best; 2)translations never truly capture the intent of the original texts; and 3) even in the original German the ideas are challenging and difficult. Because of these difficulties, this book, which provides incisive accounts of the German philosophers, is particularly useful to the English-speaking reader. Highly recommended.

This is a truly wonderful book. The reader can grasp what is being said in a relatively short time and spend the rest of his life thinking about it. I recommend it to newcomers in philosophy to get a good introduction to the some great philosophical thinking as well as to more seasoned practitioners so that they may learn how to explain things.

Of the two reprint volumes (Greek and German Philosophers) that Oxford has published of its Past Masters series, I think all of the individual essays (except the one on Plato) are reprinted currently in its 'Very Short Introduction to...' series. So these volumes are a good deal because i think the 'Very Short Introduction' series are 10 bucks each. As well as being very clear and concise introductions by world renowned scholars.

These are highly admirable overviews by some of the best of the current set of the philsophers examining past greats.

This must have been a difficult book to put together. The editors would have to have found not one, but four great authors from which to put together introductions for the hardest authors in all philosophy.

He succeeded. This book makes immediately explaicable two of the hardest authors in all history- Kant and Hegel. I was amazed at the level of commentary in this short a work. It is almost impossible to pull this easy an introduction off. My hat is off to both Scruton and Singer.

The other commentaries and introcductions were as good as they come. Because of the ease of Schoepenhaur and Nietzsche, the authors had more room to give reasonably complete explanations and ruminations on their lives. Janner and Tannaway both make superb additions to these traditions, both commentaries worthy of being works in themselves.

This is four times a good book. My respect to all the authors, and my full throated call for people to read these books.

I was already familiar with these philosophers after taking a course in philosophy, but the way in which these authors eluciate the ideas of these thinkers makes this a five-star book. In order of their greatness I'd have to place Nietzsche first, Scophenhauer second, Kant third, and while Hegel was profound, his worship of history was a little too much for me to swallow, so I place him last.

This book has been checked out from the library at least 10 times before we found a copy of our own. We also have another David Peters favorite in "Strange Creatures", and can't wait to get a copy of our own. I only wish that someone would put out a new edition of the books, so we could get them new. With the scale pictures, and the wonderful drawings, it keeps our 8 year old reading for hours (and it has since she was 5). If you get a chance to get your hands on one, grab it.

This incredible book first caught my eye in the school library when I was in 4th grade; this same book is now found fascinating by my children ages 6 and 7. The illustrations are beautiful and the text is written in a way that even a young reader would understand. I find it really saddening that the book is out of print, because I would really like to replace the well-worn copy that I have handed down to my kids. Trust me, this is a book that you can certainly pass down for future generations to enjoy (no exageration)!!!!

This is a book that transcends generational barriers and age barriers in language and content. I got this book when I was eight and the way Peters fluidly coalesced extinct and extant creatures into one book influenced my entire outlook on life! I still refer to the book in university now that I'm an ecology major.

This book, although texted for the 10-15 yer old reader, is excellent enough to be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It briefly examines all manner of large creatures, both extinct and living, and by full-color, scaled drawings, with a man and and woman for visualization, shows how truly huge such things as apatosaurs and blue whales really could be. One of the interesting features is that each and every creature is drawn in the same scale, so such things as triceratops and modern rhinos, and mammoths and elephants and tyrannosaurs, may be compared. You will receive some surprises. I recommend this book to all readers.

When my boys were in grade school, they LOVED this book. Now they are in high school and college and they still love it! It is filled with wonderful illustrations drawn to scale and an informative easy to read text. A delightful book for all ages.

Good Company is an easy to read primer on discovering the basics of a successful modern business. Rosenbluth & Peters begin by dogmatically proclaiming that "companies not only can positively influence lives, they have an obligation to do so." Both Rosenbluth and Peters have been closely associated with Rosenbluth International. This organization has been a world leader in travel management. Anyone familiar with the digital economy knows that travel management has recently undergone a revolution in how it conducts business and generates revenue.

The authors define the type of company we would all like to work for! A company built on friendship and where everyone genuinely cares about each other. Does this sound too good to be true? Apparently not, as this book demonstrates how fifteen of the worlds best companies have confronted the most severe management challenges and prevailed. In contrast to the prevalent management technique of operating "lean and mean", Good Company demonstrates the opposite approach. Rosenbluth and Peters offer solutions on how an organization can discard outdated practices and create an environment of innovation, teamwork, continuous learning and joy at work. Chapter six of the book is entitled, "We're Not Born into Leadership: We Convert". It is here the authors define a valuable principle by stating that "Companies can't bestow leadership upon people; true leadership is earned with right attitude, skills, and behavior."

The cultural foundation of the books corporate examples is most refreshing. It is that the pathway to competitive success is paved by investing first and foremost in your people. The authors show how any size organization can gain a competitive edge by accepting greater responsibility for society at large and the welfare of their employees. Organizations specifically mentioned include Land's End, Hallmark Cards, Mary Kay Inc., Southwest Airlines and over a dozen others.

This was a great read. Simple to understand and apply to any business. A very valuable read especially for your boss. Goes into great detail on how to create a winning environment where people can excel and even be happy working.

As an associate and leader of Rosenbluth International for the last 5 years, when I sat down to read this book I did so thinking 'I have lived through all that Hal is going to speak about, so there may not be alot in here for me to still learn'. I have to admit I was very wrong! Not only is this book entertaining and fun to read, it is full of great ideas, creative solutions, common sense thinking and suggestions that transcend any industry type, size or personality. Whether you are an associate of one of the companies profiled in the book, a seasoned or brand new manager, a personal assistant or CEO, I highly recommend reading this book!

This book provides a common sense approach to good management and has the answers on how to retain good employees, the key to building a winning business of any size in todays ultra competitive marketplace. This book is not another one of those management books written on theroy alone. The author reveals many of his companies practiced and proven techniques along with those from other well known companies. If you want to create a great place to work(and you better acording to this book) so you can attract and retain great people this is a valuable and interesting read.

This is a terrific book. Insightful, practical, wtitten with a crisp prose style. Beginning with Chapter 2 through Chapter 8, the authors provide a detailed summary of key points at the end of each chapter. These summaries offer excellent checklists which could, perhaps, be discussed individually during a staff or department meeting called to focus on a specific topic such as "speed.". All by themselves, the summaries are well worth the price of the book...and then some.

It is no mere coincidence that the same companies which the editors of Fortune annually rate as the "most admired" also have the greatest cap value. For the co-authors of Good Company, the term "good" refers to character as well as to competence, to decency as well as to dedication. In their book, they examine their "peers from the top 100" (Rosenbluth International is one of them), explaining why the best companies to work for are the best companies to work with.

One of the most valuable points in Good Company is that almost any company (regardless of size or nature) can learn a great deal from the family farm model. Obviously, there will be significant differences between and among companies in terms of how they define terms such as "farm land", "seeds", "crops", "harvest, "going to market", "town", etc. Fair enough. However, each farm is an organization which requires teamwork as well as hard work, careful planning and constant attention, and a healthy respect for natural forces.

Good Company examines two models: the Rosenbluth "farm" as well as the generic "family farm." In process, Rosenbluth and Peters take a close look at fifteen other companies which vary widely in terms of size and nature. "What do all of these companies share in common?" Good Company answers that question. "Why are these same companies rated the most highly respected?" Same answer. An abundant harvest awaits those who care as fiercely as they compete.

I read a great many books, and some mysteries, but it is not often that I am sorry to see a book end because I have enjoyed the characters so much that I want to see more of them and to hear more of their exploits. Jude Peters has given us a fully realized professor/sleuth but has left much more to find out. Cotton Mather is at home in his university setting, but even more a resident of Memphis, a city with which Peters seems as familiar as Robert B. Parker is with Boston. Peters also knows his way around universities and the less savory aspects of society, as his detective/professor investigates the death of an Elvis impersonator, stepping on all sorts of toes, encountering people who give meaning to the terms "character" and "local color," all the while demonstrating a fine appreciation for beer, food, and things Southern. I particularly enjoyed the wit and sarcasm of Mather's exchanges with other characters, as well as his observations of university life and human nature. I look forward to encountering him again, as Parker's Spenser is getting along in years, and Jude Peters' Mather seems a fitting character to carry the torch.

A bright new talent is emerging from a list of new authors.Jude Peters' "Guilty Employers" kept us riveted from beginning to end. A "Who Dunnit" laced with humor, well developed interesting characters and intrigue. We hope this is just the first of many Cotton Mather mysteries to come.

This is one of the most intriguing mystery novels I've read in years! The beginning reminds me of a John Grisham novel, but the suspence of the twists and turns in the plot and the humor are more typical of a Spenser novel. I found myself laughing out loud in many places. Because of the occupation of the principal character, there are lots of fun allusions, again reminiscent of Robert Parker. I'm ready for the next Cotton Mather novel--soon I hope.

I found this book to be an extremely enjoyable detective novel. The book has a terrific plot with plenty of suspense. Parts of the book were so funny that I found myself laughing out loud (even though I don't read out loud). In addition to a great plot, Mr. Peters provides the reader with numerous well-developed and interesting characters. The protagonist, Cotton Mather, brings a dry with and a superb combination of street smarts and intellect to the American detective scene. The local color in the book is first-rate. I lived in Memphis for a number of years. Mr. Peters brings nearly every corner of the city to life and displays a keen knowledge of the diversity of Memphis lifestyles and culture. Of course, the Elvis theme provides plenty of color on its own! I've read plenty of American detective novels. I enjoyed Guilty Employers as well as any others I've read. I'd recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery as well as to anyone who lives in and around Memphis or has ever spent much time there. Long live the King! (wherever he is!)

Guilty Employers is a truly enjoyable book. The plot keeps you guessing (and second guessing) up until the very end. Cotton Mathers is surrounded by a bunch of street-smart social misfits, and you feel as if you're rooting for the underdogs the entire time. Peters interjects quite a bit of humor into these characters, and I found myself laughing out loud. It was very difficult to put this book down, and can't wait until his next book arrives. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys murder mysteries or authors such as Grisham or Ludlum.

A Walk Through LifeThe Guv'nor is a great autobiography about a tough man who comes from the East end of London and gives you some good insight into the underworld of unlicensed boxing. One of the stories inside is how Lenny Mclean was flown to new york to fight the mafias top man, he beat him in the less than three minutes! if you like your tough men like Kimbo Slice, Mike Tyson and many others this book is for you to read!.

I always wondered who played the role of "John the Baptist" in the movie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The name Lenny Mclean kept popping up in books on British gangsters. He is Lenny McLean. A man who grew up tough under hard circumstances. Showing a talent for fighting, he starts doing enforcer and door man work for the local mobs. Later, he fights for money. Totally fearless, he takes on all comers "I'll even fight King Kong," he states. "And I'll beat the hairy b....ard!" Some of his exploits and boldness had me laughing. Like when a group of tough guys approached him at a bar that he was managing and asked for his job. After soundly beating the lot, he tosses them out of the club. There is another incident where he beats up an opponent before getting into the ring.

There is no bragging or nonsense in this well-written biography. It is an honest, straight-forward story about one hard guy.

Doug Setter, author of Stomach Flattening

one of the best books i have ever read

a must buy

What an amazing book. The story of a kid, horribly beaten by his step father, who grows into the hardest bare knuckle boxer in the world. But what makes the story so great is McLean's ethic's and moral's. He clearly draws a line in the sand and if crossed there's trouble. Not just a hard man but a real character. This is a great read.

If you ever saw the movie Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels , you probably noticed the mob enforcer character, "Barry the Baptist", who "baptized" his victims in trash-bins filled with water. While reading an article about the movie, a mention was made of the real mobsters and hard-edged sorts that were used in bit parts. One such role was played by Lenny McLean, who portrayed Barry, and was called out as "in real life, the hardest man in England".

As an American fight fan, I'd never heard of Lenny McLean. So I did a bit of Internet research and happened upon his autobiography -- this book -- over at Amazon.co.uk. I bundled it with a few other UK-only purchases (at the time, certain AJ Quinnell books were only available there, too) and received it days later. It was a captivating, compelling read -- the working-class, Cockney nomenclature notwithstanding -- that details McLean's rise from an abused child to the top of England's unlicensed fight game.

An unlicensed fight can take place anywhere: a warehouse, tavern, gym... wherever there's enough room for two willing fighters and a plethora of bettors. The rules? Let's just say there aren't many. Head butts, hair-pulling, elbows, knees, and the like are all part of the game. One might consider UK's unlicensed fights as the logical ancestor to today's UFC or mixed martial arts.

Over time, McLean proved himself the most dangerous man in the fight game. He participated in thousands of these no-holds-barred bouts, and it can be argued he lost only once. And in a rematch of that fight, he handily won. McLean doesn't shy away from describing his experiences on the seamy side of things. He details his role as a real-life mob enforcer willing to do anything -- except kill -- to collect or intimidate. Even his tangles with the law -- including a murder charge for which he was found innocent -- are fully described in colloquial, yet entirely satisfying, prose.

The book's ending is filled with promise for a new life as an actor: McLean appeared in several TV and film roles. But during the filming of LS&2SB, McLean was stricken by a bout with the flu. Subsequent testing showed that he was suffering from advanced lung and brain cancer and he passed away in July 1998, just days before the release of the film. The book is a fascinating testament to a hard man who lived a hard life, but was equally dedicated to his family and destined for great things no matter the odds.

This book is a terrific reference. It presents copious examples along with very thorough identification for sources. It allows me to quickly pick a style that fits the need and also provides enough information to allow me to dig a little deeper and investigate a particular style through other reference material. Just perfect for what I need and wonderful for my uses.

This is an indispensable resource for the novice or serious designer/painter. Some designs are very small, and others are so ornate that they would be difficult to reproduce without spending considerable time and effort. However, I found most to be easy to scan, print on a transparency, and enlarge with an overhead projector. The section called "bands" has beautiful designs that could be handpainted or made into border stencils. Chapters include geometric designs, natural forms such as foliage, fruit and flowers, mythical creatures, individual ornaments, capitals and bases for columns, decorative panels, vases, several lettering styles, and much more.

Not only does this book contain a huge assortment of extremely clean and scannable examples of ornamental designs from different periods and cultures, but also provides diagrams and information you can use to create your own original designs in a given style. This may be the last book I buy (except newer copies of THIS book!) on ornamental design.

Originally published in 1888, this book is the real deal. Honestly, this book renders so many others I have on the shelf useless. It goes through EVERYTHING ornamental from furniture, to alphabets, to architecture, to tracery, plain design, cutlery, and everything else you can think of. At first, I scoffed when I got this book because it covered such a wide range of ornamentation. I mean, what book have you ever seen that does a GOOD job covering a range? Then, when I got into it, I realized that it DOES go into detail in each section. Having 3000 images makes this possible, but what I like too, is there is a substantial amount of text explainig where the design comes from.

I think its nearly impossible to find a book this rich in resources for less than $20 USD.

This book has been in print since 1888! Yes, it's that good! It's a bound version of an earlier work that was a folio. Forty years ago, my art teacher showed me his copy. I went out and got one. It's still on the shelves, but price has risen. It a collection of drawings from many sources: Cathedrals, Estates, Chateau, public buildings, museums and their contents! All collected before the Franco-Prussian war. Many things that no longer exist in this world. If you wish to depict life in the dark ages, the renaissance, Atlantis, Troy, the enlightenment, Hyboria, Byzantium, Rome, Carthage, etc., YOU NEED THIS BOOK!!!

I enjoy studying philosophy, but have never studied it formally. As such, there are numerous ideas, terms, figures, and movements that I am not that familiar with. So, when I come across them I need a quick definition, that is down to earth, and solidifies the discussion in a few short sentences, so I can have a greater understanding of the issues and the author that I am reading. This dictionary accomplishes that task.

So, for example, I was studying primary and secondary qualities in a work and the author's wording was a bit confusing. I grabbed this dictionary, looked up "Qualities" and it provided a concise, cogent definition, which enabled me to understand the author's arguments better. If you have found yourself in this position before, are new to philosophy, or just looking for a good, solid philosophical dictionary, then this is a great source.

As a philosopher or philosophy student, it goes without saying that you need more than just one philosophical dictionary. Here's a good one. I use it to supplement my other dictionary, Simon Blackburn's "Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy" (ISBN 0192831348), which is also excellent. One dictionary may have more or different information on one term, or even have a term another may not list, and vice versa, and so different philosophical dictionaries complement one another very well that way. This dictionary here in particular makes it easy to find terms and has concise and to-the-point explanations. To be recommended.

I bought this book as a Christmas present for my girlfriend (a philosophy student). I don't know anything about the subject, but she carries this book around with her everywhere, and is constantly looking things up in it, so I guess that means it's pretty good! =)

I have been a student of philosophy and philosophers for all of my adult life. There are terms in Philosophy that anyone who wants to understand Philosophy must know. I have the 8 volume Encyclopedia of Philosophy; I have the Dictionary of the History of Ideas, and I have several small dictionaries like this one. Whenever I sit down to start reading any philosophy book or philosopher, I go to my bookshelf and get this little dictionary. Philosophy is always slow reading and going to a dictionary 3 times in every paragraph makes it even slower but a heck of a lot clearer.
I must order another copy of this book because the pages are starting to fall out of this old copy that I have.
The definitions in this little book are more concise, clearer, simpler, and more accurate than anything else I have. This is a good one!

This dictionary was recommended to me for my philosophy courses. I was rewarded by its usefullness and concise, direct definitions. I found it a valuable asset to my core philosophy courses and will certainly keep it on my shelf for further reference.