Richards Books

Leviton's writing style is perfect for me. This book is thoroughly practical unlike so many other books with at least half useless or biased filler. Just the few pages on bowel cleansing is worth getting this book. Bravo!

I like the excercises and all, but I am very wary of the new age stuff (meditation, etc). Beware of the wiles of lucifer!

Terrific item!! My 69 year old mother is putting up a good fight against Alzheimers so this is quite good for a Christmas present.

good book, with some good points. You wont regret taking the time to read it.

This book is quite interesting. Make use of whatever suits you. I like a lot of the nutritional information, its looking into different research from all sources, and it had something interesting like encouraging you to spin around like a Sufi to boost your IQ which sounds weird, but who knows:)

Fast, interesting read- combines several different types of genres into one book in a cohesive and interesting format. Explores areas currently unknown in the computer world (well, I hope unknown) and highlights the underworld of sex slavery.

I started reading the book during my commute. After finishing first chapater, I was so hooked and could not wait to find out destination of Isacc and Ami (the Artificial Intelligence). Wonderful plot and superb writing skill. It is definitely a novel worth reading.

ha ha ha,
Hay unkle ricky!!! even thow i did not read the book (you read a few pages to us) i thought it was kick ass...and a tad strange lol. Any way i hope thay make a movie out of this caurs then i can know what happens next....with out haveing to read. ha ha ha and if it does become a movie you'll get lots of $$ to buy "Blue drinks"!!

This book reaches to the reader on multiple levels ranging from deep philosophical analysis of life to thrilling plot turns. What a masterful control of the language! What erudition!

I had not heard of this author before but liked the synopsis so I bought it. It took me a while to get into the book but by around page 20 I was totally hooked. The character development was great. The Artificial intelligence was so real it even made me cry. A great read and I hope he writes a sequel SOON as I want to know more about what happens to the characters and the Artificial Intelligence.

I did not know that the person who created the blood banks was black. Charles Drew had to deal with a lot of grief in his life, but he believed in himself and he had great friends. They kept him going.

When he ran out of money during the Depression he almost dropped out of medical school and returned to being a coach of a college but he didn't.

He figured out, what other people couldn't- a way to save lives with blood preseervation.

This was a good book and its well written. It reads like a novel

I thought this was a really good book. I learned a lot about what life was like for Black people 50 years ago.It was really hard. They couldn't go to school or become doctors . When they were sick they couldn't go to hospitals. I didn't know about blood types until I read this book.

This is the kind of book that should be in the hands of every young man in America. Drew overcame the odds and didn't complain. He just did it and lives were saved.My wife bought several copies of this book and gave it to all the boys in our son's scout troop.

My science club read this last week. I was surprised at how primitive medicine was just a few short years ago.

Reading about Dr. Drew and all the challenges he had to face made me more determined than ever to become a doctor.

Charles Drew watched his baby sister get sick. He wanted to save her life but most schools would not let him attend because he was black. He said he "Dreamed High" and found a way. He became a surgeon and helped others become surgeons. He was a great man. I'm glad I read this book.

This is a very well-written character study describing life in the first half of the 20th century. It would be of specific interest to people who enjoy history, particulary first and second-generation Americans in the Northeast.

Floyd is a fascinating character and well worth the time spent learning about him.

Does one's inspiration and motivation for living a meaningful and gratifying life get any better than this? A Creative Odyssey is a real story about how two very special individuals, Richie and Floyd, met despite distances and backgrounds far apart, resulting in a captivating combination of courage and caring. It is a story that had to be told. Author Dick Rotelli had a huge advantage in relating the human bonding aspect while interweaving much of the history of the times and locale of Framingham, Massachusetts. Richie was the author's dad.

Floyd Walser, stricken as a young man with polio, refused to allow his adversity to become an obstacle in experiencing a rewarding and productive life as an accomplished artist. Richie, a neighbor and mechanical wizard, one of Floyd's closest supporters, provided not just a spirit of hope and friendship, but took his mechanical ingenuity to the next level in building several apparatuses that would miraculously facilitate Floyd's mobility- including a fishing boat in which Floyd spent many enjoyable days on a nearby pond.

An interesting assortment of historical photographs sprinkled throughout the book capture the colorful flavor of the times and the closeness of an immigrant Italian family, while much of Floyd's remarkable artwork demonstrates his true genius. Dick Rotelli has a down-to-earth style of writing that effortlessly conveys the intended message of his story; a message of courage, human kindness, generosity, caring and of course, family pride. This is a must read for anyone who needs a little inspiration now and then.

"A Creative Odyssey" is the engaging narrative of a young Texan man by the name of Floyd Walser who answers adversity with courage, and finds meaning in a life of art. It is also the story of his inspired patrons - the Greenes, husband and wife musicians who bring a young Walser to Massachusetts to live with them and to study art at the famed Museum School in Boston. Lastly, it is the story of Walser's neighbor Richie Rotelli, and how the courage of a disabled man facing life without excuses can inspire the generous support and incredible ingenuity of a man and his family. This is a true story of Americana, with threads of interesting historical detail supplied by the author. The most compelling aspect of the book is the human drama - how people respond to challenges, whether their own or someone else's. This is not history writ large, but the rich history of extraordinary people you find next door to you. This book should resonate particularly with residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, where most of the story is set. Well-researched, the book is written with a personal, refreshingly unmannered voice. The book is illustrated liberally with examples of Walser's art, and with many interesting period photographs.

A heartwarming story. Not only the story of one man's courage and determination to overcome the challenges of near total paraplegia to become a successful artist-----but also the story of the generosity of spirit that he encounters in the benefactors and friends that he meets along the way.
The author brings us into this "Creative Odyssey" and with clarity and wit enchants us and puts us in touch with the best the human spirit has to offer, filling us with warmth and hope and the appreciation of life's gifts.

America was still young, when this story began. Hardships were common among the general population. Immigration from Europe was still heavy in the early part of the Century, and the story is alive with the kindness, and helping of recent immigrants.
It brought back so many memories for me, things I had forgotten, about how good family and neighbors could be for and to each other.(It is especially interesting, if you grew up in Framingham, with Fred Bortolussi, Henry Belloli, and Richard Rotelli, as I did.) Here was a man, Floyd, born over two thousand miles away from New England, who came as a stranger, and ended up being supported, loved, cared for and encouraged, by total strangers who in essence became his family. It is more than the story of Floyd Walser and the Greenes, who took in Floyd Walser , it is the story of the neighbors, the Rotelli's, the Bartolussi's, the Belloli's and especially Richard Rotelli, who invented an electric wheelchair and a boat for Floyd, and of Carlo Belloli, who was with Floyd to the end. We can not forget the author's part in this story, obviously he was awed and impressed by the interaction of the people involved in doing what we are here on earth to do. Give of ourselves, our love and caring, to help others learn to overcome the obstacles in their lives. Truly an all American story, garnished with history, as it was occurring around us.

Anyone born between 1955 and 1970 HAS GOT TO SEE Dazed and Confused.

And this book adds to the fun. Plenty of real live Mad Magazine stuff, real live ads from the time period, with a bunch of side splittingly funny made up stuff based on the characters from DAC. Enjoyed the heck out of this book. Just wish it was longer so my trip through memory lane could go on another hour or so.

Great stuff! Where's Wooderson today, by the way?

It was in a fit of Dazed And Confused mania that I purchased Richard Linklater's tie-in book to his cult classic 70s adolescence movie several years ago. At the time I basically flipped through the book and then put it aside. Until earlier today when I was going through a stack of old college texts I was planning on getting rid of and wonder of wonders came across this one mixed in among them for some reason. So I decided to take a refresher course in 70s stoner adolescence and then offer up my take on it.

What I especially liked about Dazed And Confused the movie was the way Linklater managed to sneak in some profound truths about life amidst the nostalgia. In the book, the most profound and honest part is Linklater's introduction where he writes: "Let's face it, no matter where you live no matter at what time high school is a light prison sentence to be served. Once paroled, you don't look back".

From that point on, any social observation basically goes out the window as we are treated to a crash course in all things 70s as well as stuff related to the movie itself. All of the major characters are profiled and there are excerpts of a yearbook page from the high school they attend. Although it might seem redundant to most people, die hard fans of the film should enjoy it. Pick up a copy! Also recommended -------> The Losers Club by Richard Perez, an offbeat small press novel that you will truly dig. Like far out!

ATENTION ALL D&C FANS: IF YOU DO NOT GO OUT AND GET THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW, YOU WILL NEVER KNOW THE WHOLE STORY! This book has everything, from Clint's favorite colored muscle T-shirt to Benny's beer limit. It is definantly a must for not only Dazed fans, but to any fans of the seventies!

Dazed & Confused is a classic movie about the day in the life of high schoolers in a small Texas town on last day of school in 1976. This book that is a companion to the movie is just like the movie itself: funny. Designed as part high school yearbook, part 70's era teen magazine, it is a nostalgia filled, quick and enjoyable read. There are tons of pictures (the yearbook pictures of the cast are great) and everyone of the major cast member contributes an "article" to the book. If you are a fan of the movie, then this book is a must for your collection.

Let me just start by saying that I just bought this book no more than an hour ago. As soon as I got home I picked it up and didn't put it down forr the next hour. As a huge "Dazed and Confused" fan, I was extremely happy when I saw that there was a book to go along with the movie. But the book is not just about the movie. It starts out with a great introduction by the director and writer Richard Linklater. In this intro he explains the time period, the pros and cons of the 70's, and where the idea for the movie came from. Also in the book are synopsis's of all the basic charactar (the best is Clints, the guy who beats up the nerd). This book doesn't just follow along with the movie, it is an explanation of the 1970's, I enjoyed it considering I wasn't alive yet. So if you are a hardcore fan of "Dazed and Confused" or a collector of 70's memorobilia, than you need this book.

One of the most famous - and infamous - letters in all of literature, De Profundis is a strange little piece of work: either much more than it appears on the surface, or much less. It is something I think everyone should read, if only for its insight into the human character, particularly that of one under great personal suffering. Wilde wrote this extraordinarily long letter from prison to Lord Alfred Douglas, his friend, lover, and the man who - by all accounts - was the reason Wilde was in jail in the first place. Despite repeated assertions in the first few pages alone to the contrary, Wilde seems reluctant to blame himself. He clearly blames Douglas to the hilt, and harbors a certain bitter resentment towards him. And yet... he clearly still hold much dear affection toward - and even loves - Douglas. He still seems to be asking for forgiveness - despite the fact that, by all accounts hardly excluding his own, he was the man wronged. It is quite clear from reading this letter that, desite the view history holds of him, Wilde was clearly a man of very high moral character. Certainly, one would not put Wilde atop a pedastal as the zenith of ethics - he himself says that morals contain "absolutely nothing" for him, and clearly admits - and is proud of - his having lived the high life to the hilt during his youth - but Wilde was a man of principles, and he stuck to those principles to the tragic, bitter end. Perhaps you might say he carried them too far. One gets the sense in reading this letter - or a biography of Wilde - that, not only could he have stopped his immiment imprisonment, but could have severed his ties with Douglas completely - had he wanted to. Apparently, he had his own utterly compelling reasons for not doing so. Whatever the case, Oscar Wilde is one of the most fundamentally and perpetually interesting characters in the whole of history. A self-described man of paradoxes - Wilde was subsequently the true essence of his time, while also being far ahead of his time - De Profundis makes for required reading by one of the most endlessly fascinating individuals you'll ever read about, and also provides a startling - indeed, perhaps too much so - insight into human nature.

De Profundis, though long for a letter, is not a long work in the conventional sense. Consequently, as many editions of Wilde's collected works are available, buying this on its own may be deemed questionable. I highly reccommend purchasing a Collected Works of Oscar if you have not done so already - it's well worth the price - but, should you desire to have more compact editions of specific works, an edition such as this will be privy to your needs.

This is a very moving account of a heartbroken man who was betrayed by a person he loved dearly. The pain, the trauma, the love, the anger, the frustration is evident in every single well-written sentence. This book is not only a window into the mind of one of the best British writers of the late 19th century. It is also a timeless lesson on what can happen when one falls in love with someone who doesn't truly appreciate what they have before them. Of course there are other lessons to be learned in this book but rather than point them out here, I'd much prefer you pick up a copy of "De Profundis" as soon as you can.

Not actually a "letter," though it had to be originally presented as such for him to be allowed to write it while in prison, *De Profundis* is Wilde's masterpiece--one has to have really lived and really, really suffered to have written it and it's amazing that he achieved it.

I only very recently read it--and "got" it. It rings true to me, and is very, very moving and "profound." It ain't summer beach reading.

Wilde is still and will probably always be best known as a "Personality"--that and the author of a couple of decent period plays, a short novel, a few stories, and lots of forgettable poems and such. But THIS--THIS is IT.

He really WAS a great writer, it turns out, after all.

So many people concentrate on De Profundis' accusations cast towards Alfred Douglas. Yes, it's true that the letter was written to him and that Wilde is ruthless in letting Douglas know exactly what he thinks of him but that's not why De Profundis is a great piece of work. It is great for three reasons. Number one - It contains the best account of the life of Christ. Christ as the romantic artist is the only account that has moved me to tears and the only account I can personally embrace. Number two - it is chock full of the Oscar Wilde voice and wit and as a result it reverbates as a true work of art and number three - It is ultimately a work that celebrates the things in life worth feeling - failure, love, injustice, strength and forgiveness.

Don't waste your time with the accusations towards Douglas. He is unimportant. Oscar Wilde is what's important and De Profundis is Oscar Wilde bare.

Ah, me...one doesn't know which to be more irritated
and exasperated with: whether it be Walt Whitman doing
his dissembling shuck-and-shuffle about the children
he had sired (to throw off a probing, serious John
Addington Symonds) -- or Oscar, in this "j'accuse," which
he should have spoken while looking in a mirror, rather
than writing it on paper to Lord Alfred.
This is without doubt a fascinating, horrifying,
and yet in places humorous, "piece de Miserere mei"
(to combine a bit of French with Latin).
If one chooses to believe Oscar, his only fault
was weakness in "giving in" to Lord Alfred. Oh,
come now. Blinded by Eros, reason flies out the
door...if ever reason was in control. There are
some sentences which are devastatingly revealing,
but Oscar doesn't seem to see it. "The trivial in
thought and action is charming. I had made it
the keystone of a very brilliant philosophy expressed
in plays and paradoxes." Ye gods, and little fishes!

And this man dared to call himself a "Classicist?!"
Yikes!!!
The best exercise for the reader is to just take
many of the things which Oscar accuses Lord Alfred
of, and turn them toward the self-blind, self-
justifying Oscar, to see their devastating hitting
of the mark. Never having met the young man, but
only having the "benefit" of hearsay (mostly from
Oscar's literary defenders) Lord Alfred seems to have
been calculating, temperamental (using anger to get
his way), manipulative, etc., etc., etc. The best
description of him may be Wilde's referring to him
with the lines from Aeschylus' play AGAMEMNON,
about the lion cub being raised in a house and
being let loose to wreak havoc and ruin.
But Oscar bears his share of blame -- more than just
that of the "sin" of weakness which he constantly falls
back upon in his own justification. Even in the midst
of what purports to be some sort of penitent cry from
the depths of hell...Oscar still is ever the poseur:
"And I remember that afternoon, as I was in the railway
carriage whirling up to Paris, thinking what an impossible,
terrible, utterly wrong state my life had got into, when
I, a man of world-wide reputation, was actually forced
to run away from England, in order to try and get rid
of a friendship that was entirely destructive of everything
fine in me either from the intellectual or ethical point
of view...." Er, when was the last time that the
"everything fine" had last seen the light of day?
Was Oscar an "Artist," as he consistently claims?
Was he the wronged, harmed Artist? Perhaps only the
reader can decide that for himself. Without doubt
he was witty, acerbic, funny, cute, clever, perhaps
even charming (to some -- sort of like a Pillsbury
Dough Boy with flair and a clever tongue), perhaps
stylish (in a frumpy, velveteen sort of way). Was
he wronged by a predatory clinger and manipulator,
and a hypocritical social prudery and class power
play (Oscar is no Socrates--that's for sure!)? He
hardly seems worthy, in some ways, of being a poster-boy
for Gay Pride parades. More likely, he is a better
warning poster boy for the self-excusing, and never
take-responsibility-for-your-own-actions crowd.
But this is an incredible piece to read and think
about. There is some of it that is mordantly hilarious.

Every Woman in the Bible is an excellent companion reference to any Bible study. The authors not only discuss each specific woman, but also delve into the culture and religious practices of the times in which these women lived. Everyone in my Bible study joins me in recommending this book!

condition geat
recommended if you are interested in the subject
highly recommend

This has alot of women that are in the Bible. It does not have alot of information about them. I was expecting more information on the women.

Every Woman in the Bible is an eye opening book on the use of women's stories in the bible. Richards does an excellent job of explaining and guiding the reader. I would highly reccommend this book for anyone interested in studying women in the bible and how their stories apply to us today.

I received this book as a Christmas gift from my sister-in law and fell in love with it so much that I bought several copies for several of my close friends. All of my friends feel the same way about it as I. It goes into excellent details of each woman's life and is backed up by scripture. The author really does lots of research on each of these women's lives and presents the information in such a way that is neither boring nor documentary-like. I recommend it for all women, not just Christian women.

THE BEST BOOK FOR INSIGHT INTO THE UFO PROBLEMS. WHAT SCARES ME ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S HOLDING BACK INFORMATION OF THIS KIND FROM THE PUBLIC IS THAT WITH ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY OF THE KIND THE ETS OBVIOUSLY HAVE WOULD GIVE EARTH'S GOVERNMENTS THE POWER AND MONEY TO ESTABLISH A WORLD GOVERNMENT. WE HAVE JUST HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF AN ATTEMPT AT WORLD GOVERNMENT FROM ADOLPH HITLER AND I HAVE HOPES OF USING THAT HORROR AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE. THE OTHER ASPECT OF THIS THAT WORRIES ME IS THAT A HOSTILE EXTRATERRISTERIAL SPECIES VERY FORWARD IN EVOLUTION COULD TREAT US AS WE TREATED THE INDIANS WHEN WE COLONIZED AMERICA.
AN AUTHOR OF THE COURAGE AND INTEGRITY THAT IS MR. COLLINS SHOULD BE READ AND CAREFULLY. I AM ALREADY READING IT AGAIN. AUVELINE ROBINSON, MANSFIELD, TX. AUGUST 13, 2006

The title of the book describes the status of classified information on UFOs:"Exempt from Disclosure." The record is unambiguous, powerful, and almost unarguable that there are many aspects of UFO or flying saucer reports that have been classified over the years, and this is the first book that provides enough detail to convince many that we have had a deeply covert intelligence involvement with the UFO topic from the beginning.

EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE

Exempt from Disclosure is one blockbuster of a UFO book, this book is not for the Novice, or occasional ufo reader, now with that said, here is what the knowledgeable
Reader will find,
How the US Policy of UFO's began, starting with President Truman's Executive order, and the EO classifying this subject, and the turning it over
to the CIA,
Helms,, Angelton, Colby, the various Generals and military people. Who shaped this policy.
The Adam and Eve classified orders, LANL, Wright Patterson FTD, Groom, Nevada test site. And the DIA. The roles played by Oppenheimer,Von Neumen, Dr Bush. And the
Highly classified Z division at LANL.

The true story of the AVAIRY with the added bonus of both authors being members,
MJ-12 the beginning how the group came into being, starting with the classified order
Signed by President Truman which classified this subject higher then Nuclear Weapons,
Which was the highest classified subject in the US gov.
MJ-12 team photos, a reunion photo from LANLfrom 2003. Recent members listed.
The real reason SDI was created. Dr Eric Wang at FTD.
The Vaults at Wright Patterson AFB, the answer to the Hanger 18 riddle,
The OROCA committee, TA-49 ( the DULCE complex, the SCIF underground at LANL. The RED, Book YELLOW book, and the commutation device given to us
By the EBE'S The Manzano complex ,plant 3. where the device is kept.
The backward Engineered Alien energy device, used on the space station.
The Mysterious Raven, An Alien Ambassador, this book has layers, and layers,
The Authors take you deeper, and deeper, all the while remember that they are
Insiders themselves, as are all the people who talk to them,Collins and Doty
Let you peek into the Looking Glass of UFO Intelligence, there is Truth, layered
With a touch of disinfo, all wrapped into one incredible book!

Then if all this is not enough, comes the blockbuster Interview with an Alien on
March 5th 1983 at LANL by none other then one of the authors, Rick Doty!
Gives a detailed review of this in a SCIF somewhere in LANL!
Then more on LANL, The vaults, time capsule, how LANL was involved since
The first crash retrieval, and the names of many of the Scientist who were involved!
(And I am leaving so much out, ) From LANL on to Wright Patterson FTD and the
Real Hanger 18 story, and the location of the Vaults at Wright Pat From there,
The Authors take you to Groom lake and the Nevada test site, where recovered, and
Backwarded engineered craft are kept, and test flown!
Collins, and Doty, have written a truly incredible book, for the serious researcher!
The Best UFO book I have ever read!
Frank Colacarro
I have studied this subject for over 30yrs

Robert Collins' new book goes places where few UFO books have gone before. The book is not the most useful for beginners, for they may find themselves overwhelmed within minutes (the subject is labyrinthine, and this book delves into the farthest reaches) - but Collins fully acknowledges this in his introduction. Rather, it's primarily written for those devotees and enthusiasts who already have a fairly sophisticated understanding of the phenomenon and its complex history.

This assumption made about the background knowledge of the reader, the book then launches into a fascinating smorgasbord of inside information, supported by extensive documentation and "deep" sources.

The book documents the famous "Aviary" - a group of insiders known by code names such as Falcon, Condor, Raven, and so on - and explores the history of various efforts to release the mass of top secret information which has never yet been made available to the public. All such efforts have so far met with failure, for a number of reasons. Political climate is one, and at the same time there have been differing opinions within the intelligence community about how to deal with this monstrous problem. Disinformation - the deliberate obfuscation of facts with fanciful additives - is rife, this being a favored (and effective) ploy of intelligence agencies: the waters become so muddied that reports are inconsistent and no-one knows any more what to think or believe.

There is an extensive section written by Richard Doty (the Aviary's "Falcon"), who in this first addition is listed by Collins as being a co-author. This provides - besides much else - fascinating information about the three extraterrestrial "guests" of the US government over a period of four decades, known as EBE-1, EBE-2, and EBE-3. Doty chronicles an interview with EBE-2 at which he was present, at Los Alamos National Laboratories on 5 March 1983.

There is also much detail about the location of secret installations within Air Force bases - supported by an extensive collection of maps and diagrams - and an intriguing section about the notorious "Men in Black". Yet another section features a message exchange with an anonymous Los Alamos scientist who explains, referring to the physics of the flying disks, that "You are assuming that ET crafts are made with our technology... Many years ago, we made that same mistake and it took us several years to correct the mistake and start fresh from the drawing board. "Their" technology is nothing similar to ours. We do not utilize our physics or chemistry in a comparison analysis. We started from scratch and learned their principles of dynamics, physics, etc... The ET craft was manufactured using ET technology. This craft was built many years before we developed flight. They used a different physics principle, that we still don't fully understand. We cannot duplicate the craft's material. We have nothing similar to that material on Earth..."

All this, and more. I've only touched on the parts of the book that interested me. If you already know a lot about the subject, buy this book, and you'll know a lot more. Furthermore, at Collins' website [...] - or here at Amazon - you can buy a CD which contains a wealth of information beyond what is supplied in this book. This reader has nothing to gain by promoting this! Just wanting to help make this extraordinary and well documented information available to all.

Many books have been written on the subject of a suppression of smoking-gun evidence regarding UFOs and extraterrestrial visitation to Earth. Exempt from Disclosure, written by two retired United States Air Force officers, Robert Collins and Richard Doty, offers a new perspective in that senior American government officials alleged to be involved in managing the cover-up or having full awareness of recovered alien artefacts are named.

Collins and Doty have also taken the bold step of including what appear to be highly classified Top Secret documents which corroborate, at least in part, the statements regarding an extraterrestrial energy device attributed to ex CIA Director Richard Helms. The possibility that the American government has indeed recovered crashed UFOs and has been secretly attempting to duplicate the craft and its propulsion system is given some credence by these documents although the author's do not appear to be able to fully endorse their authenticity.

If we accept Collin's and Doty's contention that UFOs have been the subject of secret ongoing study for the last 58 years, then they make an understated case that the intense secrecy surrounding UFOS has in fact become counterproductive. The evidence supplied by the authors leaves the reader in no doubt that vast sums of tax-payer dollars have been used in what appears to be a largely futile attempt to recreate the craft.

The case for abandoning secrecy in this area and throwing open the doors to any and all scientists who wish to attempt to crack the mystery should now be encouraged. Six decades is more than enough time to produce at least elementary conclusions but this does not seem to have happened. The people who are managing these contentious areas of research would do well to reconsider their bizarre policy of denial and secrecy and begin the long-overdue process of informing the world that we are not alone and that help is needed from all countries in order to understand these materials and energy sources.

Gorgeously illustrated with color photographs and garden design plans, "The Exotic Garden" convincingly maintains that the luxurious foliage, texture and bloom of tropical plants will work in any garden, providing you can give the plants house room during winter.

There are separate chapters for designing tropical gardens, borders and beds, planting and caring for containers, and the care tropicals require. Many of Iversen's ideas combine tropicals with temperate-zone plants, and he uses color, leaf texture and height throughout for striking effects.
The last 30-plus pages offer a glossary of 100 tropical plants. Each entry includes a color photo, the plant's origin, decorative interest (foliage or flowers), culture characteristics, height, propagation (cutting or seed, season, time to maturity), horticultural use and overwintering needs. Iversen also provides mail-order sources.
An attractive book with ideas to fit anyone's garden.

The has two main sections. The first section is about garden design and plant care, about 119 pages. It contains 11 pages on tropical environments and habitats. 22 pages on color, form, and texture. 48 pages on tropical borders and beds. 20 pages on containers. 18 pages on growing and propagation.

The second section is 33 pages. It contains an encyclopedia of 96 tropical, or exotic looking, plants. Each plant is described by common name, scientific name, country of origin, growing conditions, propagation tip, overwintering instructions, and a 2 inch photograph of the plant.

The book also contains 2 pages of common names indexed to family names, 4 page topic index, over 130 large full color photographs and dozens of drawings.

The first section about garden design and plant care is good, but not great. Much is the same old information that you can read in most every garden book. Nothing special.

Photography is awesome. Images cover a great variety of plants, design concepts, and unusual situations. Very interesting and informative captions follow each photograph.

The second section which is the tropical plant encyclopedia is great. Information is interesting and content is meaningful. Great layout of information with a photograph of each plant. Too bad this isn't the major concentration of the book - because this section is awesome!

Overall the book is a good general guide to designing with tropical plants. There are sections of great content, but they do not fill the book. Solid information for beginners, although nothing that could not be found in other texts.

Dr. Iversen's book is full of wonderful ideas on using tender perennials and annuals for an exotic look in stunning combinations. In addition, there is a guide on how to care for and overwinter these plants.

I had the pleasure of studying under Dr. Iverson at SUNY Farmingdale. This man knows his plant material and how to use it effectively in challenging landscapes and spaces. If you are a northern gardener looking for some new ideas instead of the same hum-drum gardens buy this book ! This man got me to learn the Latin for some 200 plants..trust me you will close the book and have learned something.

This book is a must-have. I had Dr. Iversen as a professor at SUNY-Farmingdale and reading this book is like sitting in one of his classes or lectures. It is very clearly written and eloquent, and very informative, explaining everything from the culture and history of tropical plants, designing gardens, to the care and planting of tropicals, with beautiful photography. The SUNY-Farmingdale tropical garden is a beautiful site to see on campus. I have my own tropical container garden with my banana trees and angel trumpets by my back door at my apartment during the warm weather and inside my apartment in the cool weather. This book is excellent and should be on everyone's bookshelf.

This is an outstanding collection from a legend of the image Lee Friedlander, a massive, massive book that's quite affordable.
There is art, street imagery, nostaglia, a gusher of photos of sheer beauty from a glance that Friedlanders eye is drawn to.
Beginners, collectors or professionals will find this tomb a timeless collection that cannot be ignored.
Look into photographers William Eggleston, Helen Levitt, Saul Leiter, Robert Adams and Garry Winogrand just to mention a few for more visual classics.
Saul Leiter's new book is quite unique relative to style, really a beauty.

I had never heard of Mr. Friedlander when I saw his exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. There is no way to describe his work in words; you just must experience it. Beyond his keen eye for black and white photography, he has a sly sense of humor that permeates his works. Many of these would be suitable for framing and placed in places where you might not normally hang a photo. This book is a great coffee-table book to be savored and enjoyed. Throw some pillows on the floor and flop down with this huge book and turn the pages slowly.

Ok, sorry to say but once you have this big bad boy what more do you need really? The section at the back about the development of Lee's printing over the years is especially interesting for photographers who are about to make a book. It's yellow which goes well with most coffee tables...Frankly they could have trimmed 20 percent of the photos but in this day and age more is more so what the heck...Totally worth it.

by its scope, this book, like the photographer who's work it represents, is unique. not just the amount of photos, but the richness of them, their cool intelligence. it is a major volume, by one of the most influential non-color artists of our time. many people either hate or love friedlander's work, and i love it. if you do, just looking at this book a few times will be a great joy. if you're lucky (and rich) enough to buy or own it - what a treat.

Lee Friedlander is one of the most important photographers within the history of the medium. His uncanny sense of irony merges with a refreshing use of formal design, producing provocative visual metaphors. His use of frames within frames comments on the nature of photography itself. It is hard to look at the american landscape the same after viewing his work, and that is a good thing! If you can afford another Friedlander book besides this one, i highly recommend "Like a One-Eyed Cat"!